Speaking from 2:15-4:15 p.m. Sunday, May 6, at Fargo Holistic Expo
Tickets: $25 at (763) 433-9291 or toll-free 1 (866) 809-8080. All major credit cards accepted ($2.50 charge for advance orders & mailing).
Troy Parkinson, 29, is a writer/producer/director for a film and television production company in Fargo. A graduate of North High School in Fargo and Emerson College in Boston, Troy also is an evidential medium. He began his study of mediumship at the First Spiritual Temple [www.fst.org] in Boston and has continued the share to work in North Dakota during the past six years. His work has spread simply by word of mouth and now he has clients nationwide. Through his work as a medium, Troy passes on the messages from the other side, revealing that death does not prevail and our loved ones do live on in spirit. He has inspired hundreds of lives and has provided closure to many. Troy holds private sittings, small group sessions and public demonstrations of mediumship, along with workshops including "The Focused Spirit Technique," a spirit-inspired workshop that combines mediumship, astrology and tarot to provide focus and clarity for life’s journey.
At Fargo Holistic Expo, Troy will provide information on mediumship and connect attendees with loved ones who have messages to share with them.
Troy, when were you first aware of your intuitive abilities?
Troy Parkinson: For me, it had always been an interest, but nothing that I ever thought that I had, if you will. It didn’t affect me personally until I was going to school in Boston. We had a death in our family and a death in my wife Chanda’s family. Through web research I came across a Christian Spiritualist Church in Boston called The First Spiritual Temple. It was there that I actually took a 10-week course on how to develop mediumship.
Originally, I took it to just try to get information from my own grandparents who had passed away, but through the process of study, I discovered that it was an ability that I had. I continued to study graduate course work through the program, and then I began to do public demonstrations with the tool, as well.
As the result of that, I believe mediumship and psychic and intuitive skills are something that we all have. I’m living proof of that. I wasn’t struck by lightning, and I didn’t have a near-death experience or that kind of encounter. It was something that I studied and developed over the course of time and, like any muscle, we all have it. It’s just a matter of exercising that muscle to bring forward the communication.
How did your parents react to your new studies?
TP: When I first got into it, there was some concern and some uncertainty on their part. Of course, I was out East and doing a variety of things. So there was a little bit of hesitation at first, hoping that I wasn’t getting into anything in the occult – or a cult – or anything like that. But once my parents experienced the work, they have been very supportive over the past seven years of my sharing and developing it here in Fargo. They’re two of my biggest supporters.
Is there somebody in the field of mediumship that you look up to as a role model?
TP: Most definitely. My main mentor is my teacher and friend, Rev. Simeon Stefanidakis. He was the pastor who I studied with, as well as Rev. Stephen Fulton. They have been instrumental in my development. As far as mainstream mediums go, the work of John Edward has been something that I follow, because when I first returned to Fargo, back in 2000, his television show "Crossing Over" was just hitting the SciFi channel.
What would you recommend people do if they want to visit a medium? Do you have any tips for people?
TP: I always encourage people who are interested in checking out a medium to get a testimonial or word-of-mouth endorsement. The best experience is if you’ve had a friend or family member who has sat with a medium and has had a personal experience. If not, I always encourage people to seek out a public event or public demonstration, like the Fargo Holistic Expo, so that they can get a feel for a particular medium.
I always encourage people to tape record a session when they sit with an intuitive or a medium. If they won’t allow you to tape record, then I would seek another medium who will allow you to. That’s simply because, in the moment, you’re receiving a lot of information. Some of it may mean something to you immediately and some of it may not. When you’re not able to go back and listen to the session, you can forget things. Being able to hear the message again and listen to it six months from now, or being able to share it with family members and friends, can be a valuable tool.
When people reach out and want to sit with a medium, I encourage them to find those testimonials that ring true, and ultimately use their own discernment. Go with what feels correct. Go with what your inspiration tells you.
Are some mediums more accurate than others?
TP: I believe each medium has his or her unique style and ability, just as doctors or other professionals do. The work of some mediums is different than others. Some mediums can bring forward profound names and specific details. Other mediums may not see as well, but maybe they will feel and be able to gesture and walk and talk and look, from a characteristics and mannerisms perspective, like that person’s spirit.
There also are good days and bad days in this work. There are days in which your intuitive abilities are clear and right on, and then there are other days where you just might be off. I would be mindful of any medium who can guarantee 100 percent accuracy with no doubts. No medium is perfect. No psychic is perfect.
What was it like the first time you ever contacted somebody on the other side?
TP: I was in a development circle in Boston studying, and it was a very nerve-wracking experience for all of us as students. There were maybe 15 to 20 people in the group. I sat with a young lady who was my age, and I brought forward a young man to her who had head and neck injuries. The first thing that came forward was this image of tortured Barbie dolls.
My mentors had always taught me never to hold back any information, even if it seems strange. It may be powerful to the person sitting there. So, I said, "I don’t know if this going to make sense to you, but I see tortured Barbie dolls, with their hair cut and their bodies pulled." To make a long story short, the connection of that really resonated for her, because her brother would torture her Barbie dolls. It ended up being her brother who came forward in the communication. He had died in a car accident and suffered head and neck injuries that I was physically sensing in my body.
It was at that point when I went, "Okay, hmmm. There must be something here, because I’ve never met you before. I wouldn’t have any reason to know that about your relative, and this information came forward."
It was pretty cut and dried that that was a message for her.
TP: Yes, and ultimately as he continued on in the communication, her dead brother relayed his love and connection to her, and his vitality and his energy and his essence came forward in such a way that she was moved by the experience and grateful for it. She felt that link to her brother again.
How often have you presented your mediumship abilities in Fargo?
TP: I’ve been sharing it for the past five years more publicly and openly through monthly gatherings of spirit communication evenings and gallery-style events, and through private and small-group sessions. I’ve done workshops in town on the development of mediumship, public events and other personal development empowerment workshops, as well. My experience in the Fargo-Moorhead area has been spread through word-of-mouth. Up to this point, I haven’t advertised my services. People simply find me when they find me.
Why do you do this work?
TP: That’s a big question every medium faces in this journey. I don’t think any medium necessarily thinks to themselves, "Okay, I’m going to grow up to do this." And yet, many times I’ve thought to myself, "Well, I should just stop. I should just not do this, because people think I’m either strange or think it’s the devil’s work." People have preconceived ideas of what it is.
But why I choose to do the work and why I choose to continue to develop the work is not about me, Troy Parkinson, at all. It’s about the messages from the other side coming forward to the people. When people are able to connect, even for a brief moment with their loved ones in spirit – and when the magic and miracle of the realization that we are spirit and that we do live on takes place – that’s why I choose to do the work. There’s something valuable and profound in that for people.
My mentors always used to say, "Get out of your own way, because it’s not about you and you looking good or bad or whatever. It’s about you just being a vessel and allowing the information to flow through." So, why I do it and why I continue to choose to do it and develop it is because if I chose to close it down fully, I think I would still get knocking on my door. The inspiration or the encouragement from Spirit would come. My mission in life, through my work as a medium and inspirational speaker and filmmaker, is to bring focus to Spirit, mind, and body. I can do that through my work as a medium and through my work as an inspirational speaker, and then, as a filmmaker, I highlight and capture dynamic stories of the human spirit that educate and entertain and enlighten people along their journey.
What can people expect to experience from your talk at the Fargo Holistic Expo?
TP: They’ll see how "normal" the experience really is. What I share with people and what I often tell people is that I understand that it’s not everyday that you go out and see a medium and try to connect with loved ones on the other side. I realize it’s a very unique experience. As a result of that, I try to bring a great amount of integrity and respect to the work, but I also make sure it’s lighthearted and fun. Having a bit of sense of humor about it makes the experience relaxing for people; there isn’t a reason to be concerned or fearful, although that’s a natural response.
It’s really just me up in front of a group of people sharing and talking and then relaying messages from a third party or from that spirit on the other side. My intent the day of the event is to share the messages from the Light, to share the messages from those in spirit, and to educate people on what mediumship is, what it isn’t, and how it can co-exist in a world of the religion you were raised in, and that it’s all part of the beautiful dynamic plan.
What are your thoughts about the creation of the Fargo Holistic Expo?
TP: The fact that this expo has been created is incredibly rewarding and thrilling. To help bring a new awareness to the community and to help provide new opportunities to the community is what my wife Chanda and I are committed to with Parkinson Productions. Our commitment is to present inspiring workshops, products and events for the spirit, mind and body, and also to assist Edge Life Magazine in bringing that message here.
My experience in the community during the past seven years is that people are hungry for it. Sometimes they’re not sure where to get the information or feel like they’re a stranger in a strange land. My hope and goal with the Fargo Holistic Expo is that it becomes a source for people in this community who feel there may be more to their spiritual journey and/or their choice in holistic living, and that this expo becomes a place for them to meet new friends, to expand their community and to walk away with some new tools and knowledge to help them in their journey.
For more information on Troy Parkinson, visit www.evidentialmediumship.com
