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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

From skeptic to believer: Travis Holp’s first experience as a medium made him feel complete

By Azaria Podplesky For The Spokesman-Review

In 2017, Travis Holp received a reading from a medium named Teri, who told him that he would one day work as a medium.

Though Holp was open to mediums, having grown up with a grandmother who, while not a medium, was called “special” by the family and was interested in crystals and Ouija boards, Holp told Teri she was lying.

“There’s no way,” Holp remembers thinking.

But when Teri brought up moments from his childhood that he had never told anyone about, her words started holding more weight. While still working in his established career in the beauty industry, Holp decided to pick up a deck of tarot cards and begin giving his friends readings.

He eventually took those readings to TikTok and quickly gained a large following (471,000 followers and counting). It was during a reading for one of those followers about three years after his time with Teri that Holp started thinking maybe she was right all along.

While reading for a woman, Holp kept hearing the name “Buck.” A little confused, Holp asked her about the name. Turns out, her Uncle Buck, who she saw as a father figure, had passed away a few weeks before the reading.

“I didn’t have the intention to be a medium or to do mediumship in that session,” he said. “It was very quick because I hadn’t practiced sitting in that energy. I hadn’t been developing that skill set yet, so it was very quick and just a few short messages, but they were so clear and so specific and for the first time in my life, in that moment, I felt whole. The very first time in my life, I was like ‘Oh my God, I feel complete.’ And that’s when I knew ‘OK, this is the path that I’m here to walk.’ “

Though he no longer uses tarot in his work, Holp, who is based in Tacoma, still posts to social media daily with encouraging videos that begin with, “Hi honey, my name is Travis. I’m a medium and I have a message for you. If you’re not down with mediums, just consider me your gay uncle who knows a lot …”

Taking these messages offline, Holp will share his mediumship during an event at the Spokane Comedy Club on Thursday.

Once he accepted that he was meant to work as a medium, Holp, a “classic Virgo,” began reading every book about mediumship he could find, started working with a mentor and took a few online courses through Arthur Findlay College, a college of spiritualism and psychic sciences in Essex, England, to better understand mediumship and the messages he receives from his spirit guides.

Holp is an evidential medium, meaning he shares names, dates and memories, which he said can make it difficult for skeptics to deny what’s going on during a reading. Holp’s spirit guides also connect to his senses of sight, sound and touch.

Touch, he said, is particularly special.

“They’ll share with me the memories that they have, the love they have for someone, or if there was a difficult relationship, I’ll feel that as well,” he said. “I’ll feel the grief, I’ll feel the sorrows, I’ll feel the need to say ‘I’m sorry.’ It’s this full sensory experience that’s happening in my body. None of it’s painful, none of it’s uncomfortable, but that’s how I register the information the most.”

Treating his mediumship like a muscle that needs to be strengthened through regular workouts, Holp still takes classes when his schedule allows, saying he’s always the student before he’s the teacher. He also, however, recognizes the importance of rest and has learned to turn down the volume on his spirit guides when he’s not working.

Doing live events, which he incorporated into his work about two years ago, gives Holp energy and helps him better understand his mediumship.

“I feel more free when I’m on a stage,” he said. “I feel like I can just be myself there, which in mediumship, that’s so important that you show up as your authentic self.”

Holp is used to having skeptics at his live shows but said that even the most skeptical of skeptics are there for a reason. Skeptics are sometimes the ones who cry hardest after a reading, he said.

“What I say is this isn’t necessarily for everyone, but everyone is welcome,” he said.

Holp said those planning to attend his Spokane event should come with the expectation that anything can happen. Come with happy thoughts about your loved one and let them know “If it’s in my greatest and highest good, I would love for you to come through during this show tonight.”

“Come with an open heart and be prepared to laugh and also to share in the community aspect of the evening,” he said. “I think that sets you up to have a really good time.”