A medium was the last person I expected to meet on Saturday. The day started innocently enough—taking the trash to town, going to the gym, and picking up some home improvement supplies. While perusing the hardware store, my phone rang, informing me that the docent at the N.W. Faison House was sick. Could I cover? GRRR.

I rushed home and then back into La Grange, settling down for my four-hour tour of duty. Around 3 pm, a trio entered the house. The African American man and the White woman were boyfriend and girlfriend. Her accent indicated she was European. They divided their time between La Grange, where her home was, and Austin, where the man lived and had attended graduate school. He was originally from Chicago. His remote work allowed him the flexibility of his living arrangement. They had been to the house before and were bringing their guest to visit. I later found out that their friend is Puerto Rican, and, as I later discovered, the medium.

DEFINING A MEDIUM

Before I continue further, let me define a medium. According to Britannica, a medium, in occultism, is a person reputedly able to make contact with the world of spirits, especially while in a state of trance. A spiritualist medium is the central figure during a séance (q.v.) and sometimes requires the assistance of an invisible go-between, or control.

Who knew?

INTERACTION WITH THE MEDIUM

On the back porch, I told them that we were unsure whether the oldest portion of the house we dated to circa 1848, had been built or moved to the site. The medium walked towards that section, and after some machinations, pronounced that it was built on the site according to the twelve or thirteen-year-old girl.

At this point, I was unaware that the man was a medium, which left me confused. His companions were unfazed.

He disclosed his medium abilities to me and explained that while his companions and I had blue auras, he had a white aura and was very sensitive to other spirits.

1. I confess here. I had to run home and Google blue and white auras. I learned that an aura is like a colorful radiance that comes off your body, but that most of us cannot see. It is our energy in motion.

Now I’m really puffed up because we blue-aura people are described as good listeners, honest, calm, and loyal.

White auras, it turns out, are potent and rare and associated with high levels of spirituality, integrity, and purity. You can find your aura by having an aura portrait taken or taking a quick aura quiz.

Who knew?

The medium proceeded to inform us of the following:

• The little girl loves the kitchen/dining wing and is happy there.
• A vortex (an area of concentrated energy that allows spirits to transport themselves between their world and ours) is residing in the attic of the museum wing, being held in check by a Catholic religious item.
• A medium will never charge you any money for his/her work.
• Many other spirits reside at the house, and the little girl is the only one who will come out during the day.
• The little girl was present with us in the main bedroom, but he could not get her to reveal her name.

LAST THOUGHTS ABOUT THE MEDIUM

This is not the first time we have tangled with some ghostly goings on at the house. See my blog from July 2022. For a kick, watch the film of my investigation. Additionally, the gentleman who painted the house a number of years ago said he heard footsteps in the main bedroom.

Personally, I am skeptical of all this mumbo jumbo. But one thing I want to do is to save the Faison House. I have devoted over fifteen years to preserving its rich Texas history. If I have to protect it by turning it into a paranormal landmark, I will do it. Any help you can give us to preserve this treasure will be appreciated.

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