Sterling Moon takes readers though techniques to develop your own abilities to communicate with spirits. Whether you're looking for information on ancestry work, deity communication, or elementals, the book gives you safe and effective ways to communicate. Each chapter has journal prompts to help focus the reader's thoughts and practice. The book also explores how to use tools like scrying mirrors and ghost boxes, as well as the ethics of speaking to spirits and safety precautions. I really enjoyed this book and the techniques Moon provides.

This is a good book for those with intermediate skills, but I do suggest having a general knowledge of witchcraft. I admire how honest an straight forward the author is. It's good to have Witchcraft books that show shadow work and the other side of magic, not just a bunch of love and light.

I like the aspect of journaling while learning but if you're not personally into journaling, you can still get a bunch of good information out of this.

An excellent book for those looking to continue down their spiritual path. Not for beginners

ARC NETGALLEY REVIEW

A delightful and original take on a topic that can sometimes be very wish washy. From the very beginning the author validate her own beliefs and experiences and how she approaches this. Giving guidance and answers to questions I’ve asked myself and other teachers and didn’t quite have an answer for. Highly recommend this to anyone wanting to expand the ability or learn more about it.

Sterling Moon's new book, Talking to Spirits, focuses on mediumship in all forms. Now, medium isn't a term I'd ever have used for myself. I always associate it with ghosts. Ghosts aren't really part of my spiritual life right now.

I have spirit companions, but they haven't ever been "alive" in the usual human sense. Quite a few are thoughtforms or egregores, but not ghosts. I've made altars for ancestors, the mighty dead, loved ones, etc... but I don't converse with them. Not like that.

I'm a spiritworker, in other words, but I don't talk to the dead. I venerate them, but I don't work with them. It doesn't call to me (for personal reasons).

Still, I figured I'd read this, and pick up some broad techniques for spirit communication. The author's personal definition of mediumship includes all spirit communication, not only departed human spirits. Much of the book does focus on ghosts, but, as noted, you can apply it elsewhere too.

I’d consider this book to be good for intermediate practitioners. A lot of what Sterling Moon teaches here builds upon foundational magical skills. You don't have to master those first, but you need some familiarity.

If you don’t find journaling comfortable or worthwhile, this might be one to skip. Almost all the exercises rely on journaling in some respect. You can adapt them to pure reflection, but to get the most from this book, you should journal.

The author talks about her journey towards greater understanding of her gifts. She's frank in her admission that her own path hasn't always been easy. This will resonate with a lot of us who've had similar struggles, especially these past few years.

Sterling Moon discusses how COVID19 affected her spiritual community and herself. It's good to see authors point out the effects of collective traumas on our practices. This kind of community shadow work is necessary, but rare. This is my favorite aspect of this book.

Some authors push a “do what feels right” approach to the point of leaving out what might be helpful advice. Sterling Moon carefully doesn’t do that, though.

Here's an example. She says that you shouldn't keep an ancestor altar with a partner (unless you have children). She explains her reasoning for this, and I ended up agreeing. I appreciate the bluntness; it even comes through in the writing style.

There’s the sense of “yes, you can do what feels right, but here is what I do, why, and what happens if I do it.”

This book actually addresses the issue of problematic ancestors, at least somewhat. The author believes that spirits sometimes can find ways to heal and grow after death. In other words, they might mend their ways beyond the grave. Some won't, of course, and that's acknowledged, too.

Sterling Moon has a nuanced take on the whole thing and how to handle the bad guys in your family tree. I don't have experience with this issue in ancestor worship, though, so I can't really speak about it. This book has a lot to say about intergenerational trauma and the spirit world, too - a good conversation to be having.

Having finished the book, I've still got no desire to work with ghosts. I didn't expect reading one book to change that. The subject (from a sort of armchair perspective) definitely interests me more now. I'd like to have read more about spirits potentially healing after death, but that's a huge subject. It could fill its own book.

I disagreed a bit with some of the author's metaphysics. That's beyond the scope of this review, though. I still enjoyed reading about it, and much of the book is still useful. The book presents a toolkit that leaves room for the reader’s own paradigm.

This approach has strengths and weaknesses. On one hand, it’s adaptable and fluid. But, it assumes a reader who's ready to fill in the blanks. Again, this isn't a book for beginners.

I’ve never been a particular fan of Spiritualism or physical mediumship. The book gives a short summary of the Fox Sisters incident. It also gives Sterling Moon’s theories about what might’ve actually been going on. It was a novel, interesting perspective.

It didn’t change my (skeptical) views on Spiritualism and physical mediumship. It made me a bit more sympathetic towards the Fox sisters themselves, though.

There's a section on “conjured spirits." That would be Sterling Moon's term for any spirit created by humans. There's a cool summary of the Philip Experiment, where a group "created" a ghost (named Phil). I won't spoil things, but it's one of many interesting anecdotes in this book.

I like that the author addresses this topic. For whatever reason, these created spirits seem more common nowadays. Witches might do well to learn to work with them. Working with "conjured spirits" has been part of my practices since the early 2000s.

I give this book three out of five stars. It's not all that accessible for newbies, but does it need to be? I'm not sure. I know that not every book needs to be designed for newbies.

I recommend it for the intermediate occult practitioner whose done some work with spirits. If you want to deepen spiritwork practices, this book can help.

An accessible and comprehensive overview of spiritual connection is provided in this guide. The instructions are thorough, practical, and take into account a variety of scenarios. Spiritual readers will find this guide to be an illuminating and clear pathway to the beyond.

Connecting With Our Ancestors

The author provides some background information on the four primary ways in which she practices and teaches mediumship. They are:
1. Classic mediumship techniques.
2. Folk magic.
3. Paranormal investigation.
4. Working with natural talents.

The author provides a list of things you should journal in your Grimoire, such as:
1. Describing your spiritual background.
2. Whether you grow up in a religious or spiritual tradition.
3. How do you feel about your spiritual or religious background or upbringing now?
4. What, if anything, has changed for you?
5. Is there anything in the meditation and journaling exercise you did in the previous section that overlaps with your current beliefs or spiritual upbringing?
She states by using journaling prompts, they may be helpful to revisit periodically as your beliefs clarify and evolve.

The author provides exercises for which to mediate on in order to connect with your ancestors, and a suggested set-up for your ancestor’s altar.

This book is exactly what I've been seeking. It contains a lot of information the various means by which we may connect with our ancestors, and it would be a great asset and a reference book for any level of medium. I highly recommend it for anyone, whether a beginner or a well-seasoned medium.

As a hedge witch, part of my practice includes communicating with spirits, especially those found within the Otherworld. When I was presented with the opportunity to review Talking to Spirits: A Modern Medium's Practical Advice for Spirit Communication by Sterling Moon I knew I had to take it. Talking to Spirits is a step-by-step introductory guide to communicating with spirits using various methods. The tone is conversational and includes many personal stories from Moon's 10+ years of experience, making the text easy to read and relatable.

The book begins with a brief introduction to mediumship and how to keep a detailed journal of your experiences, ethics, and essential ideology. There are numerous journal prompts throughout the book to guide you in your practice. If utilized to their fullest, these questions can help guide you on your journey and enhance your knowledge and understanding of spirit communication. I'm not one to go through with journal prompts while reading a book for review, but I can tell you, this is certainly a book I will come back to in the future.

The following three chapters discuss different types of spirits, both positive and negative, including ancestors, shadow people, deities, and elementals. The first of these spirit types chapters discusses spirits of the dead, including your ancestors. Moon recognizes that not all of us know or have a connection with our ancestors, and reminds the reader that even if you don't know them, they know you. Most of us have never met our great-grandparents, and if we did, we have no working memory of them, let alone anyone past them in our family tree. If you are adopted or estranged from your family, this can make it even more difficult but know that while you may not know them personally, they are there to help support and guide you in this life. Understanding that you can still work with your ancestors, even if you don't know them, is important, whether you are wishing to communicate with them or ask for their assistance in your spiritual practice. Moon also offers suggestions on working with problematic ancestors, suggesting that all souls have "homework" when they pass on to reach their highest self. What needs to be mentioned, however, is that you still don't have to work with them. The entire book is extremely inclusive and mindful of different situations, so I was taken aback that Moon didn't take a firm stance on encouraging the reader to do what's best for their well-being. There are ancestors I absolutely will not work with. They are not welcome in my home or life, no matter how much "homework" they have done in the afterlife. I cannot trust them to respect me and my boundaries, so I don't invite them in. You don't have to either. With this in mind, however, Moon does offer a number of grounding meditations and practices to use before and after approaching difficult subjects to ensure you are safe, mentally and physically, which I thoroughly enjoyed. While these are meant to be used during your mediumship practice, they can be used to support you in any difficult life situation.

Following her discussion of ancestors, is a chapter on deities. Moon makes it understood that cultural appropriation of deities has no place in mediumship and that ignoring the cultural significance of deities associated with the Otherworld, death, and spirit communication is narrowminded and disrespectful. Does that mean you can't work with deities outside your culture? Not necessarily. When in doubt, learn from those within the culture, especially storytellers, be respectful, and never insist that a deity (or spirit for that matter) works with you. Sometimes we do everything right and a spirit still doesn't wish to work with us. That's okay. There are plenty of other options out there for you.

The last few chapters cover step-by-step how to contact spirits safely and effectively, how to troubleshoot common issues, decern whether or not a spirit is being truthful, how to rid yourself of unwanted spirits, and red flags to look out for in the professional community. Moon even provides options for solo, group, and virtual sessions, which is great for those with anxiety, mobility concerns, or who simply can't travel the distance to meet in person. Moon also explains that while she has given her readers as much knowledge as she can, you can't learn everything from a book. Mediumship and spirit communication requires constant practice and troubleshooting, and even then that doesn't make you an expert. She suggests that if you ever reach a point where you need assistance, not to hesitate. Seek professional guidance and assistance when needed. There is no shame in asking for help, and I couldn't agree with Moon more. Spirit communication is tricky, and even those of us who have been doing it for years need help sometimes. These chapters also include a complete list of tools, both traditional and modern, that can be used to communicate with spirits. There is some slight hinting that using a spirit, talking, or Ouiji board is "bad" which was disappointing, and the warning she places on spirit boards should also be included on pendulums, tarot cards, scrying mirrors, and any other form of divination because they too open the door for communication.

Overall, I highly recommend Talking to Spirits to those interested in learning more about communicating with spirits and mediumship. This book is an excellent introduction to the topic for an experienced witch (there is some assumption that you have a basic knowledge and understanding of witchcraft). Talking to Spirits: A Modern Medium's Practical Advice for Spirit Communication by Sterling Moon will be available on February 8, 2023. You can preorder your copy now wherever books are sold.

This is a modern look at mediumship and the spirits that are nearby, both animal and other. The techniques are well described and the reasons for doing them given. I found the section on being grounded and protected refreshing because not all thats out there is for our best interests IMO. You will learn about the ancestors, Diety and the concept of reincarnation. All in all a grounded look for someone who is looking to explore their gifts but is concerned about safety and how to go about it.

That inner voice that you hear? Is it really an inner voice or a spirit communicating with you? Often people aren’t sure and assume, but this book will help you learn how to listen and communicate with spirits that are trying to speak with you. It’s easy an d clear to understand, which is a blessing in itself as some books on the subject are really convoluted and not easily consumed.

But fear no more because Sterling Moon has you covered. This is a fabulous way to get yourself started and connect with spirits. My female ancestors are the spirits I communicate with most often, but this book helps me to expand my skills and communicate with more clarity and purpose in other scenarios. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is reading this review…because you HAVE found what you are looking for!

I started reading this book thinking it was going to be a light easy read which is not the case. It is very information dense compared to my expectations, definitely a great book just not what I was expecting. I would still recommend this book.