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Karen and her dog Spanky

So, it has been quite a journey these past 10 years, as I sit here in my sunroom and begin this process of writing about my spirit adventures. It has been such an incredible journey, one that I am forever grateful for. How did this all begin? Well, the funny thing about it, is that this was never something that I really set out to do, or to be, it just happened one crazy weekend at a haunted hotel. What happened exactly? Well, it was when the reality of my life’s purpose on some level was really revealed to me. It was that moment of really coming to terms with my mediumship abilities. Everyone always asks me what it is like being a medium and boy I guess I have to answer that by saying, and I add a little humor here, it depends on what phase of my life I was in to best answer that question. As a child I was quite accepting of my; “Karenisms” as many who know me refer to that terminology sometimes to best describe those moments of “me”.

Mom and Dad at their prom

My childhood was much like many, two very loving and wonderful parents. My mom and dad were young when they had me and truly describe our childhood as growing up together. Learning what it was like to be parents at the age of 17 and having to figure out not only being a parent, but also a parent of a child who saw spirits and was in touch with the spirit world and things unseen. We lived in Arizona, which was a magical place for me on so many levels. I was always the kid that played outside and “talked” to the trees and land as if they were my “friends”. I loved being in Arizona and have such great memories of my time, playing in the riverbed near our trailer and having adventures of my own. I had imaginary friends and had insights that truly just were of my own. My parents were not really into spirituality, heck they were trying to figure out how to be teenagers and parents. My father was a talented musician and artist on the verge of signing a record deal and playing back up for the Rolling Stones and the Mama and Papa’s, while my mom was a nurse trying to also balance her passion for wanting to be a doctor and now approaching the reality that she was going to be a single mother. Yah, my parents separated and that was devastating for me and a book all on its own.

Me and my Dad

I can recall the instance of playing outside in the riverbed and somehow managed to sit on a prickly pear cactus. You can imagine the pain I was experiencing while my parents were trying to remove the hundreds of thorns from my behind and my “Karenism” of being more worried that I killed the cactus and was it okay? I laugh when I think of this, because that was my world, everything was alive, and everything was my “friend”. That was me and it continued in my life, along with my stubborn sense of needing to do things on my own and be my own person. Teaching myself to swim and refusing, sometimes screaming at all the people in the community pool in Arizona to leave me alone and I will figure it out myself. As I type this, I think, my poor parents. Ha, ha. But that was me and all was good in my land of imagination and exploration.

One of my fondest real encounters was when I was probably around 7 or 8 and was watching TV alone in the living room. I had this feeling and sensation, like something calling me to go to my bedroom which was shared with my younger sister, Kendra. My bedroom door was ajar, and a bright light was illuminated from the room. As I approached and opened the door, there stood this huge, glowing figure of a woman, just totally engulfed in swirling beautiful colors, much like how we may describe an angelic being. There she was, this beautiful female, smiling at me. The amount of love and peace coming from her was so amazing to ever be able to describe with words. In that moment though, what I remember is that I felt like I was seeing my friend and looked up at her and smiled back, this exchange of “knowing” between the two of us. I then just went back to the living room and continued to watch TV, like no big deal. I just saw this amazing apparition or angelic being, and went back to watching TV, yah, that is exactly what happened. It was not anything to be afraid of if anything it was a "hello again" moment. As I type this, it makes me think of this beautiful female voice that often comes in when I do my readings. There are times that I deliver more channeled messages to my clients and often for myself. They are messages that I have often written down, as they are so incredibly wise. Who she is exactly, I do not presume to even know or try to know, just that she has been a higher presence in my life for as far as I can remember? I will enclose some of her messages at the end of this book. Hopefully, her words of wisdom that have truly touched me and many of my clients, will also touch something inside of you.

As I grew in my life, like many of us do, there was this awareness that I had knowing and could not really understand and figure them out. We did not have the internet, libraries, TV shows or people openly talking about spirits and the unknown. We had the TV show, In Search Of and boy did I watch that. I was fascinated by the stories of the unknown, Bigfoot and UFOs. I was convinced that Bigfoot was outside my window each night, ready to eat me. I do recall though that this time of life, between ages 10-12, I began to feel a sense of fear with spirits and would wake up each night terrified. I had many visitors at night, spirits standing in my room talking to me, trying to get my attention and what seemed as passed people needing something from me. This was not the best time in my life for this, as there was no one really to help me understand why these spirits were visiting me and how to not only stop it but at least be able to work with it. It was also an exceedingly difficult time in my childhood with a lot of trauma from my parents’ divorce. I can recall on many occasions being woken and scared out of my mind, hearing people calling my name and talking to me, which would then result in me wetting the bed. I would stand in the hallway with my stepfather, as my mom worked nights at this time and ask him if he heard them, with the usual reply of let's get your bed made and get back to bed.

As with many things in life, we fear what we do not understand and as a kid, that time when our rational mind begins to develop, we are sort of in the in-between. The reality is that hold on a minute, our imaginary friends are not real, and mermaids do not exist? I never grew out of this ability as many children can, but more so did not entertain or embrace it much anymore. This began the time when TV began to enlighten me to the darker side of it all. I saw the Exorcist when I was just 12 years old and truly that movie freaked me out, as with many people, I'm sure that was not the best thing for me at such a vulnerable and impressionable time in my life. It was fascinating on one hand, just as Bigfoot, Aliens, and the Loch Ness Monster were, but this was REAL! This was a real story of a child possessed. I had nightmares and imagined these voices I heard, surely would not be good.

In most of my adult life, now that I think of it, even in the time of adolescence, I woke up often to having visitors in my room. It is just the strangest feeling to explain to people. It begins with my body, sensing something in the room before I am even awake. I wake to feeling that adrenaline growing in me and the clammy feeling much like what many of us women feel as a hot flash or maybe what many may feel as an anxiety attack. I realize that, okay, something is in the room and I am a little scared to open my eyes. I lay there for a moment with my eyes shut and feel like my heart is going to jump right out of my chest. It is an awfully familiar feeling that I have experienced time and time again. So, what do I do, but have to open my eyes and deal with it, but for me at this time, it is more just opening my eyes, and acknowledging you are there and then realize with my rational mind, okay you're not real. Then they go away. Looking back, I also now understand that many of these spirits more than likely were people that were coming to me because they could sense this ability that I had. They may have wanted me to possibly help them or pass on messages to their loved ones? Ghee, did they know ahead of time this would be my calling eventually and would not be fearful of it. My son and I talk about this reality now in my adult life, how we all have “timelines” so to speak, he calls them. I call them the “windows” of our knowing, and truthfully with all time being eternal in that spirit realm, just maybe they were there to sort of show me where I was going when ready? I also have understood that some of these visits were my spirit guides and those that walk with me in this lifetime.

I can recall many times seeing a man hovering, sitting Indian style by my bed, looking at me with a book in his hand and talking to me with words of wisdom. He was dressed as what we may referred to as a monk, or Tibetan man. How funny that for years now, he often comes in during my readings to help assist people sitting with me. But how would I have known that growing up if I did not eventually just face my fears and the ridicule of being “Phoebe” on friends as I was often referred to in my family and friends’ group. Even though I feel extremely far from Phoebe, but yes, I do have those “Karenisms” and I guess that makes sense.

So let’s fast forward a bit, as this is not an autobiography but more so briefly moving through the development I guess of my “Karenisms” and getting to the work that I currently do, which is the world of Ghosts and Spirits.

I like many could write an autobiography about all the different spirit experiences in my life and much about many things, however, I really wanted to bring you sort of down a road that led me to this embracing. As I grew, of course I had many profound encounters and moments of really beginning to understand this all, but nothing truly was as powerful as the time in my life that was face to face with my fears and the reality of just what I was; a medium.

The Mirror Magazine

In 2009, I decided with much probing that I really wanted to bring my abilities to a place of not only understanding them, but to fully embrace them and well, honor that inner knowing that I have this for a reason. I created a digital magazine, The Mirror Magazine. It was a simple magazine of maybe 66 pages, all detailing pictures, articles and stories of spirituality and paranormal. I thought, okay this is the perfect place to start to talk about these topics. This would be a common ground, a place of discussion and a place where I could share my experiences, thoughts and feelings about these topics but also research and interview people in the field. It was not a very profitable adventure for me, but it covered itself. I learned how to become a graphic artist and magazine publisher, all on my own. It is something that to this day I am still proud of myself for deciding to do and figured it out all on my own and without any college degree or backing to do so. One of the many lectures I give to people, that truly if you want to do something, there really is a will and a way to do it. Often, we must be our own inspiration, motivator and parent in many ways, or we will never achieve our goals and dreams.

Literary Award

In my May addition, I wanted to feature a haunted hotel and what it would be like to personally spend the night at a haunted hotel. I was going to write about my experiences along with others who have stayed at a haunted hotel. I thought this would be a great article and would also open the doors to exploring the field, for my own personal reasons. Boy, I had no idea what the future would reveal for me and the path that it would lead me down. It did not just open a door for me, it really opened the floodgates as they say. It changed my life and became still to this day one of the most profound spirit experiences that I had.

So, this is where it all began for me; The Shanley Hotel in Napanock NY, in 2010.

I will share with you my story of the Shanley Hotel along with other locations, both public and private cases that I have worked on over the past 10 years in this series. Everything you will read will be true encounters and my personal insights regarding the spirit world. I have learned a great deal in all my encounters. One thing that I have always prided myself on, is the fact that all my wisdom and much of what I teach or talk about truly is from the spirits I encounter; my readings, galleries, cases and events, and not from a book or other people’s insights.

There is a great deal of living to learn from the spirits on the other side! As I always say, Spirituality and Paranormal co-exist together and we are all spiritual beings living a human life.

So, enjoy and thank you for going on this journey with me.

Karen Tatro Spirit Medium