I was surprised to learn the young man who’d asked me such an interesting question was only 17 years old. His curly hair hung down to his shoulders, and he wore the kind of tie-dyed t-shirts I used to wear when I was 17. But his inquisitive brown eyes were filled with wisdom, and when I looked at him, I felt I was gazing into the spirit of an old soul. Our brief chat was enough to give me hope that, yes, a new generation of lightworkers out there are eager to learn about how to spread love, hope and wonder.

This happened at an event where I was promoting my book Compassionate Messenger, taking questions from the audience about mediumship and spirituality, and delivering a few messages from spirit to people in the audience. We sandwiched about 35 people in the basement of a bookstore, between shelves filled with paperbacks.

After opening the floor for questions, I received the usual inquiries asking me how I got started in mediumship, do I believe protection is important, and how do I know when I’m really connecting with a spirit?

A young man sitting near the back of the room raised his hand, then put it down, looked at the floor for a few minutes, then raised his arm again. And then put it down again. The third time I saw his arm go up, I immediately went to him.

He spoke clearly and confidently, yet there was also a tentativeness in his voice. "Can a person be too young to decide if he wants to develop psychic abilities?" he asked. "Or do you have to wait ‘til you’re older?"

I had to smile. "You’re never too young to begin developing intuitive abilities," I said, then told him about how I’d seen spirit lights when I was eight years old, and how I felt lucky to be born into a family who didn’t discourage interaction with spirit. My grandmother was the hairdresser of the medium who used to visit P rime Minister McKenzie King, who was a Spiritualist, and when I was 19 my father introduced me to his psychic, Sadie, a medium who would become my mentor for the next two decades.

I turned to my husband and asked if he had anything to add. "I began reading tarot cards when I was 16," he said. "I can’t remember now what drew me to them, but even as a child I was always fascinated by all kinds of cards." And then he looked the young man in the eye. "And what do you mean by older, sonny?"

Everyone had a good laugh. Afterwards, the young man sought me out. Craig told me he was only 17 years old, and had several experiences he couldn’t explain. But rather than being unnerved by them, he wanted to know more about the spirit world.

I encouraged Craig find a mentor, or join a meditation group or a developmental circle that had positive-thinking, like-minded individuals who would help him develop his gifts – gifts, incidentally, that we all have (but not all of us are aware of).

I hope Craig finds his mentor or his group. I also hope he feels confident enough to explore his curiosity about psychic abilities, and that his parents are supportive of their son’s desire to pursue his burgeoning talents. If so, I congratulate his parents for being open enough to let Craig discover if being a lightworker is the path he’d like to walk. And if so… well, as they say, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.