The Paranormal is Everywhere; especially for a Medium

Thiepval Memorial (My real and 1/2 ai image)

There is definitely an atmosphere at all the WW1 battlefields in Northern France and Belgium! You can feel it. Some are relaxing beyond words and others pensive...

While away on a recent World War One tour, we were searching for the grave of a relative, a young man who fell in the mud and artillery of the Western Front. We had the cemetery name, and of course his name.

It would seem straightforward, but this paper was the original notification from the Graves Committee and wasn't helpful other than give location name. Standing at the edge of the cemetery, 1 of 1000 in Northern France dedicated to WW1, the many rows of white Portland stone seemed now to offer a colossus of a task.

Each inscription seemed to me to be "A soldier of WW1 known unto God." Did you know that 47% of UK soldiers are unknown either never found or remains not identified. 150 new remains are discovered yearly... carrying a universe of grief, the task felt far from simple.

Before checking the register, I allowed myself to tune in, to quieten the rational mind and sense what might emerge intuitively. As a medium and investigator, I am always aware of the delicate balance between evidence and experience. I walked slowly, listening inwardly as much as outwardly. I took us to a location and I stopped, then I walked. I was disappointed because the name wasn't there. My friend checked the register and went to the right grave - I had got 2 metres from the headstone. Not ten rows away. Not the wrong section. 2 metres.

Now, some would call that a success, “Close enough,” they might say. Given the scale of the cemetery nearly 5000 identical markers aligned with military precision, perhaps statistically it was impressive. Yet for me, it was a reminder. Intuition is not theatre. It is discipline. It requires refinement, humility, and continual practice.

When we checked the plot register, there he was. Just slightly behind me on the next row back.

That small Paranormal margin mattered.

It was not disappointment I felt, but responsibility. If we claim sensitivity, if we speak of being guided, then we must hold ourselves to a high standard. Precision matters, accuracy matters and especially in places where memory is sacred.

Later that evening, standing beneath the arch of the Menin Gate, listening to the Last Post echo around the walls, I reflected on how thin the veil can feel in Flanders. These are not abstract histories. They are names, ages, regiments. They are stories or lives abruptly interrupted.

There were other Paranormal moments during the trip, times of subtle impressions, of unexpected sensations and of conversations that felt unfinished. I will share those in time.

That space between almost and exact is where the real learning happens...

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Dr Iain Lightfoot - Talbot House, Poperinge