We recently connected with Mary McWilliam and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Mary thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Believe it or not, I did not go out seeking this as my occupation initially. Let’s just say that my business was revealed to me by divine inspiration!

One night while lying in bed I felt an internal nudge to seek out a local metaphysical shop near me. The first place that came up was a little shop called Stone Soup. While looking at their website, I saw they had a weekly class called intuition 101. I felt very drawn to go, so I asked a friend to go with me. The place was full of energy and the people there were very inviting. We met our teacher, a local psychic medium. After our class was over, we had an opportunity to speak with her one-on-one. I felt deeply that I was being called to do something very different but I wasn’t 100% sure what that was yet. It was at this time I asked her what direction I was supposed to go in. She looked right into my eyes and said, you will help ghosts who have decided to roam the Earth cross over to the other side of the veil. Let’s say my initial thought was, woah…no I am not! All of the stigma and conditioning had my fear response up. However, deep inside I knew she was right. So, after sitting with this information for about a week I spoke out loud to the Universe and said, “Okay, if I am going to do this, I also want to be able to communicate with those who have already crossed over so I can help people who are grieving.”

Mary, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

In order to help others, I went on a major journey of self-discovery. I surrounded myself with books and information pertaining to the world of mediumship. I started out where I felt drawn to and that was John Edward, a famous psychic medium. I followed his work in my late teen years; I was drawn to him because there wasn’t really anyone I knew who saw spirits and was able to connect with them, except him. So, his work was a perfect starting point for me. I began with his book, “Infinite Quest” and read his other books after that. I was starving for more information that would help open up a window for me to see things more clearly. I read book after book about afterlife communication and energy. It all started making sense and I finally started to see where I fit in. Next, I took an online beginner mediumship course with the creators of the Enlightened Empaths podcast, Samantha Fey and Denise Correll. After this course, I knew some basics about Chakras and how important they are to keeping us healthy and balanced. This is a very important aspect of energy work of any kind. Then, created my own meditation and connection processes and hit the ground running. I asked my friends to volunteer to be sitters in readings; I had them reach out to others they knew who would allow me to practice. Once I felt like I had enough practice under my belt, I started to offer donation-only readings at Stone Soup, our local metaphysical shop. I did this for about a year. In January 2020 I decided it was time to make it official, so I opened my business Spirits Operator, LLC.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I realized that in order to find peace and be fulfilled, I had to shed the societal expectations that held me back and allow myself to truly embrace who I am as an individual and who I am as part of the whole. I began to be grateful for the struggles because I could see where they shaped me. Now, I am able to see how the Universe has lined up lessons and opportunities for my personal growth, even if they were difficult. Through my work, I am able to help others see their potential, develop and strengthen their own intuition, and connect with people they never thought they would hear from again. I feel great respect for people along their journey and I am a helper along the way, just like those who helped me find my light.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Back in 2018, I was working at a 9-5 type job for a local company, answering phones and doing basic office work. I began to have some major back issues, resulting in a lot of pain. After many doctor visits and physical therapy, turned out I needed surgery. Though I was projected to come home after my surgery, I urged my boss to hire someone to replace me because I felt strongly that I would not be an out-patient. I have always been very aware and intuitive, so I knew that I needed to listen to the message. Turns out, I was correct. I woke up to find that I was no longer able to walk. After many weeks of recovery, I began to slowly learn to walk again. It was during my struggle that I found my strength. For many years, I had shut down my ability to sense energy from spirits and other forms of energy. I did this because I felt pressure and fear to fit into the box of expectations that society has created. While I sat in the hospital, unable to move around without assistance, I was crying because I was afraid and felt very alone. All of a sudden, I was visited by my grandfather who passed away when I was 17 years old. He told me that I was never alone and everything would be ok. This was a pivotal moment for me. After that visit, everything changed. I had renewed hope and I knew that I was in the right place, even though it was hard. I could feel all of the love and prayers people were sending me; it was like a blanket of love and healing was being placed on me each night as I went to sleep. In the morning I would wake with renewed energy and the most gratitude for my progress. This time in my life completely cracked me open and I began to see things with new eyes.

Contact Info:

• Website: spiritsoperator.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spiritsoperator/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spiritsoperator
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spiritsoperator/

Image Credits
Chrissie Stillin