By Heather Killen

The Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

Dead people don’t give the best advice, according to a woman who makes her living talking to them.

Karen Forrest, an author and Halifax-based medium, said that while dead people can sometimes help with the small things, the big questions are best answered by a higher power.

“If your dead grandmother was a wonderful cook, then you can ask her advice on baking cookies,” said Forrest. “But for the bigger questions, it’s better to seek a higher vibration.”

She describes these higher vibrations, or angels, as ‘loving beings of Divine light’ who are here to help guide individuals towards fulfilling their life purpose.

Forrest was recently in the Annapolis Valley to promote her latest book, “Angels of the Maritimes By Your Side.” The book is a compilation of angel encounters as told by Forrest’s clients.

She is a certified angel therapy practitioner, helping people who are seeking a connection to their angels and the Divine.

She also offers angel/medium readings, counselling sessions, and provides workshops on how people can connect to angels through her practice.

On average, she holds between 15-20 sessions a week with people asking for help in discovering their life’s purpose, to resolve blockages caused by fear; and to find answers for all the usual questions about careers, love, and money.

“People want to know how to attract their soul mates, or they have career questions,” she said. “People also look for help in discovering their life’s purpose.”

Forrest is a retired mental health nurse, who served in the Canadian Armed Forces for nearly 20 years. She said that she always had an interest in angels, but it wasn’t until she took a workshop in 2004, that she learned to connect to them.

“I didn’t see dead people as a child,” she said. “I know this all sounds flaky, but I’m not a flaky person.”

Forrest added that at first she resisted the advice the angels’ gave her, that her life’s purpose was to become a full time spiritual healer.

“I argued with them at first,” she said. “But I found that people work through things more quickly and heal faster in the spiritual model with Divine help.”

She added that the book is also a result of the angels’ guidance, and that the stories were compiled at their urging.

“It’s to illustrate the point that we are not alone,” she said. “Each of the stories is unique and shows a different side of how angels are always ready to help us with everyday things.”

She added that many people are able to relate to these stories that range from the mundane problems of broken down cars, to the profound reassurances of love and comfort.

Ironically, the most common advice that people hear from the higher powers is simply the practical wisdom most of us toss at the wayside.

“They tell people to get outside and go for a walk, they want you outside doing activities, not spending time on a tread mill,” she said. “They also tell people to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and to get plenty of rest.”

The idea is that if we are not nurturing ourselves, we can’t help anyone else, she added. The most common advice that angels give married couples is to have regular date nights.

In essence, the angels offer us reassurances that everything will be okay. Forrest said that many people are blocked by fear and unable to move forward in their lives.

And feelings of guilt and regret will often block healing during the normal grieving process, according to Forrest. For these clients, Forrest is able to forge a connection to the deceased.

Most of the time, the dead simply offer their loved ones reassurances that they are fine. The dead also send their love.

“Mostly they just want me to let their loved ones know that they are at peace and they’re doing just fine,” she said. “It’s just a simple, ‘I’m okay and I love you.’”

Karen Forrest will be at The Inside Story at Greenwood Mall on Saturday afternoon between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. to sign copies of her book.

For more information on Forrest, visit www.karenforrest.com, or call 902-404-3103.