Her name was Eleanor . . . the grandmother that is, the deceased grandmother. I was a student and my test that day was to find the name of someone who had passed over, and who was significant to a fellow student, or client – a client I had been paired with by luck of the draw – a client I knew nothing about except . . .
. . . she had this curious, almost annoying habit of holding her hand over her mouth before beginning a sentence, and she would often begin that sentence several times. For those of us in class who had only just met her the month before, the habit was becoming a distraction as we debriefed our lives since last we met.
Our specific instructions were to "get a name" and get something that would help the person we were reading. My quest became obvious from the beginning - I would "get" something that would help her with her speaking habit.
We retired to a corner and immediately the name Eleanor came to my mind. Well, I say immediately, but that needs qualification. Famous guitar players, from Eddie Van Halen, to Eric Clapton, to Chet Atkins, all sound uniquely different. All are considered good, all could be using the same guitar, and yet they all present their talent differently. Many other people, in fact most people, could make some type of noise on a guitar, and, at that point in their development, that is their own unique sound, too – as unrefined as it may be.
And so it is with those who practice second sight. Some are geniuses, some beginners, most have their own style. Though a beginner at the time, my style was to say a short prayer I had been taught and then, while listening somewhere near my right ear, I would say – "Just tell her (him)" and then I would repeat anything that came to my mouth. I say my mouth because often it never made it to my brain.
In this case history I asked, "Who is Eleanor?"
Well, Eleanor was the grandmother of my client. Eleanor had raised my client and was, in fact, perhaps the most significant person in her life. And - Eleanor was passed over.
So, I had completed step one of my assignment - identify a departed person by name who was significant to the client. Whew! That was easy.
I went back to Eleanor and said, in my inner voice, "OK. Your granddaughter has this habit of speaking, which drives people crazy. What's going on?"
Eleanor "showed me" the woman hitting a solid object, as a young girl, while riding her bicycle. My client confirmed that she had hit a solid object – a car – and as she hit the car the handlebar grip came loose. The metal handlebar end smacked her right in the mouth.
She was forced to wear a bandage on her mouth for a few months and also felt like she was experiencing lock-jaw, at times, though no one seemed to believe her.
Well, it was pretty obvious why she now had her habit, and I told her honestly that I had asked Eleanor to help her with that problem. She was very excited as it had been worrying her. She was about to begin teaching a college-level course in acting, of all things, and was wondering how she was going to deal with this issue.
I went back and asked – "What should she do?"
I was told she should simply link or fold her fingers together and place her hands in her lap before speaking.
A month went by and here we were again, about 24 students, debriefing the last 30 days. I watched and waited for my client's turn to speak. When her name was called, she calmly placed her hands folded together in her lap and spoke right out without a single problem.
As we headed out of the room for our first break, I sat waiting for her to pass me. When she did, I said, "I saw what I wanted to see."
She replied, "Isn't it great!?"
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