By Chris Fish
cfish@hometownnewsol.com
BREVARD - Almost every day, John Rogers sees his deceased teacher and spirit guide, Gladys.
"A lot of times I see her right beside me," said Mr. Rogers, a resident of Melbourne for 16 years. "She was my teacher, and she passed away and became my spirit guide. She has been with me for a couple of years now, and I just keep on going with it."
Mr. Rogers is known as a professional medium, which is a person who mediates between spirits of the dead and other human beings.
For more than 30 years, Mr. Rogers has lectured throughout the world and on a local level. Throughout his career, he has helped clients search for answers to the mysteries in their life, whether it be those wanting to speak with a dead loved one or someone seeking for answers in their marriages.
"There was a couple who came to me one time, and Gladys kept asking me to ask them why they were married," he said. "I told her to ask them because I wasn't going to, but I eventually did, and they both agreed that they really shouldn't be married."
When Mr. Rogers, who received training in Massachusetts, meets with a client, he uses his spiritual connection with Gladys to help communicate with the client's spiritual self.
"When I first get with a client, I don't want to know anything about them," he said. "(With a client), a lot of times I will see an entity around them. Other times, I will see colors or an aura around the people. The color of an aura can usually let me know what is going on in their life."
Through the years, Mr. Rogers said he has seen a shift in interest for his profession.
"People are starting to ask more questions about their spiritual being," he said. "They feel things around them, and they are not really sure what it is, so they come to me for answers."
Mr. Rogers said everyone possesses an amount of intuition that makes them capable of connecting with the spiritual world. Through proper training, an individual may become more in tune with the spiritual connection surrounding him or her.
Unlike the famous medium John Edwards, Mr. Rogers doesn't believe in walking up to an individual on the street and speaking to them about their spiritual connection.
"I don't believe in doing an instant reading. I don't want to invade someone's privacy," he said. "When you start to read for everyone, you begin to wear yourself out. I walk into a restaurant and people will say, 'The medium is here.' I always tell them I am off duty."
To those who may be skeptical about the ability to connect with the spiritual world, Mr. Rogers said to try it before they form an opinion.
"I got into this with the intent of disproving it, and I wound up becoming a student," he said. "It's not an evil thing. It's not a knock on someone's religion."
For more information about John Rogers or to schedule an appointment with him, visit www.themediumwithin.com.