Spirit Talk with Andy Byng

What Happens After Awakening… Is Harder Than You Think

What if awakening isn’t the breakthrough you think it is? What if the moment something opens within you… is actually the beginning of a much more difficult process? Most people talk about awakening as clarity. As peace. As certainty. But that isn’t what happens next. What follows, more often than not, is something quieter. More unsettling. A period of uncertainty. Of isolation. Of testing. In this episode, I explore what I call the desert — the space between awakening and understanding. Using the life of Jesus as a lens—not from religion, but from a human and spiritual perspective—we look at a pattern that appears again and again: Awakening Withdrawal Testing Expression And more importantly, what that actually feels like to live through. I also share parts of my own experience—what happened when everything in my life fell apart, the isolation that followed, and how that became the foundation for everything that came after. If you’re in a place where something has shifted within you… but nothing feels clear yet… You’re not lost. You’re in the process. If you’d like to go deeper into this work: Join my weekly reflections: 👉 https://www.spirit-talk.online Explore Spirit Talk+: 👉 https://www.spirit-talk.online

Why Mediumship Stalls

## 🎙️ DESCRIPTION If you still feel tension when you work, even after years of development, this episode is for you. Not because you’re doing something wrong. And not because you haven’t worked hard enough. But because something inside the experience hasn’t been fully understood yet. In this episode, I explore why mediumship often stalls, not at a technical level, but within the medium. Where tension comes from. Why surrender breaks down. And how personal development, when it has direction, supports your mediumship rather than quietly interfering with it. This isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about understanding what happens within you when you work, so your mediumship can begin to move again. --- ## 🔍 IN THIS EPISODE * Why tension appears even after years of practice * The difference between technical development and inner development * What actually stops surrender in the moment * How your past experiences shape your mediumship * Why trust is not absolute, but something that grows * The role of sitting in the power, meditation, reflection, and contemplation * How to create the inner conditions for consistent, flowing work --- ## ✉️ STAY CONNECTED If you’d like to walk this path with me beyond the podcast, you can join my weekly mailing list: 👉 [https://spirit-talk.online](https://spirit-talk.online) Each week I share a reflection, something thoughtful to sit with, and something to support your inner life and your mediumship as it unfolds. --- ## 🌿 SPIRIT TALK+ If you’d like to go deeper, Spirit Talk+ is where we explore these ideas more fully and more slowly. Inside Spirit Talk+ you’ll find: * Monthly live talks * Guided practices * In-depth conversations * A space to develop your understanding over time You can join here: 👉 https://spirit-talk.online --- ## 🎧 ABOUT SPIRIT TALK Spirit Talk is a space where we explore the inner life, the nature of mediumship, and the questions that sit quietly underneath our experience. It isn’t about quick answers. It’s about slowing down, paying attention, and allowing deeper understanding to emerge. --- ## 🔔 If this episode resonates, subscribe and share it with someone who might need to hear it.

Directionless Development - Why your Mediumship Feels Stuck

In this episode of Spirit Talk, I explore something I see again and again in mediumship development — what I call directionless development. Many students practise regularly, attend seminars, reflect deeply, and genuinely care about their unfolding. And yet, beneath all that effort, there’s often a quiet sense that something isn’t quite moving. Progress feels inconsistent. Development feels busy, but not anchored. In this talk, we look at why that happens. I explore the difference between experience and development, why effort alone doesn’t always lead to growth, and how mediumship can plateau even when you’re doing “all the right things.” I introduce the iceberg model of development, the relationship between personal growth and practical training, and why both are essential if development is going to deepen over time. We also look closely at: Why seminars can inspire without creating lasting change The role of discipline, exercises, and mindset in real development How performance thinking interferes with learning Why feedback is essential, and how to use it without self-judgement What it actually means to develop with direction rather than drift This episode is about slowing down, becoming more honest with yourself, and learning how to turn experience into something that truly compounds over time. Stay Connected If you’d like to continue this work beyond the podcast, you can subscribe for free at: 👉 www.spirit-talk.online When you subscribe, you’ll receive: Weekly reflections Episode companions to help you sit with and apply each talk Spirit Talk+ is also available for those who’d like to go further. It includes: Monthly live talks Guided practices In-depth conversations Quarterly exclusive workshops for members You can find everything at www.spirit-talk.online Thank you for listening, and for taking this work seriously.

Working with the 'No'

Almost every developing medium encounters the no — the moment when something doesn’t land, when information is rejected, and the flow of communication falters. Yet very few are taught how to understand what is actually happening when that moment arises. In this episode of Spirit Talk, Andy explores why the no is not a mistake in mediumship, but one of its most important teachers. Rather than focusing on accuracy or performance, this conversation looks at the deeper structure of mediumistic communication. Andy explores surrender and what it really means to follow the communicator, the nature of mediumship as a lived, moment-to-moment experience, and why the no often reveals where control, tension, and self-consciousness quietly take over. Drawing on years of teaching and experience, the episode examines how misunderstanding the no can disrupt communication, why moving away from it often creates struggle, and how the real work lies not in forcing correction, but in learning how to stay present as the communication continues to unfold. This is not a technical how-to, but a deeper reflection on relationship, awareness, and personal development — and why learning to work with the no is central to meaningful, coherent mediumship. If this episode resonates with you and you’d like to explore this work further, you can find more at   www.andybyng.com [http://www.andybyng.com] There you can join the weekly mailing list for reflections and companion pieces, or learn more about Spirit Talk+, where these ideas are explored in greater depth through live talks, guided practices, and longer conversations.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to Spirit Talk — a podcast for those who are curious, reflective, and looking to go a little deeper. I’m Andy Byng. For more than two decades, I’ve worked as a medium, a teacher, and a lifelong student of spiritual philosophy. My journey has taken me around the world, and throughout that time, I’ve met thousands of people — all searching. Searching for meaning. For expression. For connection. And ultimately, asking the same quiet question: what does it all really mean? That’s what this podcast is here to explore. This isn’t a space for soundbites. It’s not about quick fixes or seven-step solutions. Spirit Talk is a space for honest conversation — the kind that unfolds slowly, in the quiet places between ideas. It’s about the questions we carry, the doubts we wrestle with, and the deeper truths that begin to emerge when we allow ourselves to sit with the unknown. Over the years, I’ve come to believe that some of the most meaningful moments in development don’t happen in the classroom or on the platform. They happen in conversation — often late at night, when something stirs in us. They happen in the stillness, when we stop performing and begin listening more deeply. And that’s what this podcast is here to hold space for. Each episode is an invitation — sometimes philosophical, sometimes practical, always personal. Together, we’ll explore the deeper ideas that shape our work as mediums and spiritual seekers: the nature of the soul, the purpose of incarnation, the evolution of consciousness, and the ethical responsibilities that come with spiritual development. We’ll also talk about the things that often go unspoken — fear, self-doubt, spiritual bypassing, and the challenge of living truthfully in a world that often encourages the opposite. So whether you’re walking the dog, sitting with a coffee, or driving to work… I hope Spirit Talk becomes a moment to pause. A place to reconnect. And maybe, just maybe, a space to remember who you are — beneath the roles, the titles, and the expectations. Before we begin our first full episode, I want to offer a small caveat — just once — because it matters. What I share here isn’t dogma. It’s not “the truth” with a capital T. It’s my perspective — the result of formal study and lived experience. I studied philosophy, ethics, and religion at university, and later specialised in 19th-century British intellectual history. Alongside that, I’ve walked the mediumistic path for more than twenty years — serving as a tutor and demonstrating mediumship in some of the most respected centres around the world, including the renowned Arthur Findlay College. So what I offer here is simply where I’ve arrived — for now. I’m still learning. Still evolving. My intention isn’t to convince you of anything. It’s to help you think, feel, and explore. If something challenges you, good. If something resonates, even better. But this podcast isn’t about agreement — it’s about depth. It’s about inquiry. It’s about remembering what it means to live and serve in alignment with something greater than ourselves. Spirit Talk is for those who want more than technique. It’s for those who believe that mediumship is more than a skill — it’s a way of being. A spiritual path. A living philosophy. And like any real path, it asks something of us. So — welcome. I’m truly glad you’re here.