WAUWATOSA — One of the only places in the country to learn how to be a medium, connect with spirits, and talk with deceased loved ones on the other side is in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
The Morris Pratt Institute is the only education center for the National Spiritualist Association of Churches, one of the largest and oldest Spiritualist organizations in the world. Spiritualism is the belief that life continues after death, or rather, we transition to the other side, and the living can communicate with those spirits.
“Because even when I was younger, I would always listen to my family members in spirit, and I would talk to them and receive messages from them. And I didn't know there was a name to it," Nydia Tremblay, a student at the Morris Pratt Institute, said.
She looked for spiritual guidance at other Christian churches, but none connected with her. When she found Spiritualism, Tremblay felt like she discovered her home.
“And what I found when I came to the Spiritualist church, what people would either frown upon about me working with spirit, for them it's an everyday thing, and it's a gift, and it's something so respected," Tremblay said.
The Morris Pratt Institute teaches the fundamentals of Spiritualism and mediumship. The focus is on the academic side of Spiritualism, before starting an apprenticeship or studying with a priest. The school also houses a library full of Spiritualist-related books that’s open to the public upon request.
“Opportunity to read lessons, learn about the history of it, learn about different ways of thinking, and then go from there," Charvonne Carlson, the former director of the Morris Pratt Institute, said.
For Carlson, the school helps dispel negative stereotypes about Spiritualism.
“I think it's extremely important in terms of wanting to get away from the Hollywood belief system of what Spiritualism, what mediumship is, what healing practices are," Carlson said.
Think of bad actors like scammers trying to profit off others' grief, or how mediums could be depicted as occultists, or conjurers of spirits.
“We're very focused on making sure it's evidential, that you know that the person we're bringing to you is your loved one," Carlson said.
The institute is named after Morris Pratt, who was born in New York state in 1820. He eventually moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin, and opened the Temple of Science, a spiritualist education center, in 1889. Later, the school was moved to its current location in Wauwatosa in 1946.
“It's very unique to not only have the space, but also have that history tied to it," Carlson said.
For Nydia Tremblay, the Morris Pratt student, when she finishes classes, she will start practicing mediumship, become ordained, and her goal is to help as many people as she can.
"Letting people know, at the end of the day, even when their loved ones have passed to the other side, that they're still there. You can still conversate with them,” she said.
Learn more about Spiritualism and the Morris Pratt Institute by going to the school's website.
Watch the story to see inside the Morris Pratt Institute...
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