An interview with author Lea Chapin and editor, Angela Valentine
ANGELA: While I was reading your book, Lea, I became completely enthralled by the interesting details of Jesus and Mary’s everyday lives – details I have never read anywhere else before. The complexity of their personalities and the raw humanness of the thoughts they expressed made them totally come alive for me as real people. I could really feel the depth of their emotions. It wasn’t long into their story that I almost felt as if I knew them on a personal level. It makes sense that I should feel this way, of course, because Jesus and Mary themselves were actually telling their own story through their own words and from their own emotional perspectives. I can’t help my insatiable curiosity about how their narrative came about. You know, very few people have the ability to do what you so easily do. And so, for those who don’t, the whole idea of being able to channel amazing wisdom and guidance from such enlightened beings is absolutely fascinating! So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to know more about you, how you came to do what you do, and what the experience was like for you. Can you start by telling me a little about yourself? Were you born with psychic abilities? Were you able to channel from an early age?
LEA: No, I was not aware of my psychic abilities until I was in my mid-thirties. I’m sure I was born with psychic abilities, as many people are, but I never really knew it. I was born in Laharpe, Illinois, and grew up on a farm. It was a very small, conservative Midwest farming community. Back in the sixties, people just didn’t talk about things like that, certainly not openly. So I was not really exposed to those concepts until much later in my life. However, when I was 10 years old, I had this vague feeling that I was supposed to do something important, yet I didn’t know what it was. My entire adult life has been dedicated to being in service to others as a psychotherapist, and later as a massage therapist. But my ability to channel did not come until I was 37 years old. But when it did, it came on all at once.
ANGELA: Did any of your other family members possess similar abilities or help you develop your skills? Do you come from a long line of psychics?
LEA: My mother was interested in the psychic realm and read many books on that subject. But as far as I knew, she didn’t cultivate her intuitive abilities. So no, I didn’t have any family members who mentored me in this when I was growing up.
ANGELA: Did you grow up in a particular religious organization or were you interested in different religions?
LEA: No, I didn’t grow up with a specific religious affiliation. I became more curious about religion when I was in junior high, and I went to different churches sometimes with my friends. It wasn’t until 1988 that I discovered a small Spiritualist Church that resonated with me. That was one of my favorite churches. There was this amazing 80-year-old minister, named Reverend Ethel. She was psychic and gave spiritual messages to the congregation. I was fascinated by her. Wow, was she a powerhouse! I remember thinking, “I want to be like her when I’m older!” Of course, at that time, I didn’t know how to channel, and didn’t know if I ever could.