Quick and interesting read, but I wish there was some more in-depth information on some of the topics.

This book helped me understand the difference between soul and spirit and comforted me regarding my son’s suicide. Thank you.

Choosing to Be a Medium was a quick, easy and interesting read! As someone who is interested and dabbles in the spiritual realm, I really enjoyed this one! Sharon Farber has made the process and techniques very approachable and realistic for the beginner to access and practice themselves. It was very encouraging and positive but did not give false expectations that spiritual communication happens quickly and easily for every person.

Ms. Farber received her BA in sociology at Univ. of Mass. before pursuing a path in healing arts. This is evident and supportive in the manner in which Choosing To Be A Medium is written and the subject in general is presented. This very pragmatic approach is reflected in the Disclaimer at the beginning of the book…

“ Not everybody has the ideal emotional strength and stability to be a medium. Good mental health, including a strong connection to reality is vital. People with certain types of mental illness, including clinical depression or psychosis, are advised to consult with a healthcare provider or spiritual mentor before pursuing mediumship development.”…

Even if you read no further, this recommendation brings a practical attitude and also dispels the glamour that is often associated with mediumship. This is further supported by the fact that Ms. Farber shows that becoming a medium and interacting with the Spirit world is actually a gift than can be developed, having had no experience prior to her own seeking it out. This dispels the thought that you have to be born into this practice or have some specifically endowed capabilities that set you apart as different from others. In fact, the emphasis here is that everyone and anyone can do this…

… I agreed to write this book because I have a different perspective than many other mediumship authors. Most of them connected spontaneously with spirit people and didn’t have to learn how. I became fascinated with mediumship without seeing spirit people. This book shares how I learned to become a medium and how you can too…

Choosing To Be A Medium is divided into three parts and eleven chapters. Each builds upon the other, with the final-Part Three: Chapters 10 and 11-dedicated to “Advanced Mediumship and refining the skills you have been practicing for use as a professional medium.

We begin the journey in Part One-Groundwork. The three chapters contained in this section provide a personal accounting of the author’s journey into work as a medium. The author fills these pages with anecdotal information and practical exercises while giving the reader the definitions of terminology used and a deeper clarity of what mediumship is and is not. There are plenty of exercises to develop your skills and Chapter Three concludes this section in discussion of Spirits, how they communicate, what they are and more.

Part Two, entitled Diving In, aptly contains the meat of the study towards becoming a medium.

All the tools needed to begin honing your skills are provided, both with theoretical study and plenty of experiential exercises – 65 total to be precise – that build both confidence and develop deeper awareness of the natural gifts of psychism, sensing energy and interaction with the spirit world that we inherently have. I particularly enjoyed Ms. Farber’s approach to the fears that we may have around allowing ourselves to be open to the Spirit realms and what that entails.

There is an abundance of useful information that may also be applied in general to a variety of spiritual practices and skills sets. The information contained in Finding A Teacher (as it relates to a mentor or other experienced medium to guide you) is useful for many of the disciplines that we wish to learn more about. Grounding, breathwork and meditations to cleanse and clear away negativity are other topics covered and again, are useful tools in establishing a good routine practice regardless of whether you will be using it as support for mediumship, ritual work or any other spiritual endeavors.

Part Three takes your journey to another level giving suggestions about establishing yourself professionally as a medium. Everything you need to get started, should you choose to work in this field is discussed as well as the pros and cons to putting yourself out there. Ethics is brought into the equation as well, something that greatly appreciate particularly given the vulnerability of those you would be reading for. An additional feature that supports diving right into finding your own style of mediumship is the author’s companion journal with ample of space to record and revisit the exercises suggested in the Choosing To Be A Medium book.

Choosing To Be A Medium is packed with opportunity to test out your abilities and try out what you believe being a medium is and what the reality of its work entails. This is one of the few books I’ve come across that is so effectively organized that it naturally encourages growth in your own abilities, at all levels. It speaks to all levels of inquiry and many of the exercises are great reminders for those already involved in the practice of mediumship as refreshers and self-care tools. Kudos to Ms. Farber for making this mysterious skill so accessible!
by Robin Fennelly of PaganPages.org
http://paganpages.org/content/2019/04/book-review-choosing-to-be-a-medium-by-sharon-farber/

I wish I could give more than 5 stars! This book was fantastic! I wish I would have this book when I was starting out on my journey of mediumship. This is a must read! I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The amount of information in this book is grandiose.


This book is divided in 3 parts: Groundwork, Diving in, and Advanced Mediumship. Features 10 chapters, and a total of 65 step by step exercises.


All exercises where nicely explained, and I followed a few already.


One of the very first ones, is to constantly try to guess numbers to tune into your abilities. The author recommends guessing before looking what time it is, so I've been doing that, as is very easy. Unfortunately, I didn't get it a single time, not even close.


In between the exercises you will also find a myriad, of anecdotal information, which gives a nice rest in between exercises, as there is no way I would try each one back to back, and is also a nice read to get antiquated with the author personal experiences.

I particularly enjoyed a section presented on the appendix, titled "Ten Mediums, Ten Questions" where the same 10 questions are made to 10 different mediums as a sort of interview.

Overall I really liked this book, and I found it to be an interesting read.

I like that the author writes in a very human and personal approach, and even if I never become a medium myself, I enjoyed reading about her and others that are one.

This book gave unique insight to being a medium. It was not something that I knew that you could become. I thought you had to be into it. But reading how another developed and honed in her own ability was very inspirational. The exercises were easy to follow and try on your own.

Excellent job, Sharon Farber! Mediumship is an intriguing subject but often confused with "being psychic" ; as well, there seems to be a lack of simple how-to-guides. As someone who is very attune to energy and has ability to connect with spirits, I have been looking for a way to refine and process my skills so I can better help others. I believe Faber's book is an excellent resource. She straightforwardly takes you through her own journey, clearly explains the various facets of spirit - commenting on both her own opinions as well as other popular opinions. I appreciated the times that she put forth other opinions and then would explain that her own opinion was different. I didn't always agree with the author (because of my own conflicting experiences) but I appreciated how gently she expressed a variety of viewpoints. The book then takes you step-by-step through processes to develop your intuition and mediumship skills. It's definitely a book that will require you to have pen and paper handy ; you will likely find yourself re-reading this book many times as it is such a good educational resource. Thank you to the author for producing such a thoughtful work.

Not a bad book. This book is a beginners guide to anyone who is interested in the after life or looking at becoming a medium.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Llewellyn Publishing for my eARC

I truly enjoyed reading Sharon Farber's book "Choosing to Be a Medium." Any reader interested in Spirit, the afterlife, psychic mediums and especially becoming a medium will find Farber's book to be of great interest. I strongly recommend her book to those wishing to expand their command of mediumship or who are interested in reading about how to pursue this life path.

You have to be born with the power of a medium, right? No, not right. The author felt that she needed to become a medium and started studying to become one. This book explains what mediumship is and isn't. Using spirit communication to help heal is one the main focus' of this book. The author gives a list of exercises and practice techniques to use for learning how to be a medium. She gives advice on the education you need and how the correct frame of mind is especially important to working with the spirits. I find the subject fascinating. I received this book from Net Galley and Llewellyn Publications for a honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC
Pretty basic book, not to much I haven't heard before or read before.
It does state how people choose to to be a medium and what their world is like.

I really enjoyed Sharon Farber's book on choosing to be come a medium. This is a subject that truly fascinates me and i was so excited when i was accepted to read and review it.
Written in an easy to follow, friendly manner, this is Sharon's story of studying to become a medium, which is unlike other book on the same subject that i have read, where the author was born with the gift.
This book teaches the reader everything you may need to know in order to connect with spirit. From how to use different techniques, to any fears or problems you may face. It is full of useful easy to follow exercises. As well as answering lots of questions you may have. It teaches you that anyone is capable of learning to connect with spirit.

I enjoyed this very much. 5 stars.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in return for an honest review.