In this enchanted, electric episode 65 of Medium Curious, Sarah and Jane sit down with Zaneta Sykes—interdisciplinary sound artist, spirit medium, and creator of Art Witch and Invitations from the Land—for a journey into what it really means to be in relationship with the living world.
Zaneta shares how bullying pushed them away from drums and into science… until a clear, external voice at a jam session said, “Go to music school.” That single piece of guidance rerouted everything—ultimately weaving together percussion, environmental science, psychic work, and spirit mediumship into one luminous, decolonial, more-than-human path.
They walk us through encounters that feel like myth but land like proof: a dream of a giant white fox, a real-life meeting with an Eastern coyote, barred owls arriving on cue, an aunt in spirit validated by banana pudding and horn-rimmed glasses, and a land conservancy “randomly” inviting Zaneta to create a full forest soundscape project. Along the way, they unpack mediumship as relationship, witch as wise listener, and why the Earth herself is calling more of us to become bridges.
This conversation is wild, grounded, funny, reverent, glitchy (hi, energy surge), and full-body-truth level inspiring.
Key Takeaways- Mediumship is relationship, not performance. It’s an ongoing, two-way conversation with ancestors, spirits of place, animals, elements, and the unseen.
- The Earth is calling mediums. Zaneta shares guidance from the woods: mediumship is how we remember ourselves as nature and undo the illusion of separation.
- Signs are specific, not vague. Banana pudding, iconic glasses, perfectly-timed owls—clear, weird details help us trust what comes through.
- Your path can be multimodal. Music, science, magic, ancestry, and activism don’t have to compete; they braid into a single, truthful life.
- Reverence is a practice. Singing to forests, rivers, and beings of place is less aesthetics, more consent, respect, and genuine reciprocity.
- Not every spirit (or human) gets access. Discernment matters. You don’t have to call in everyone, every time.
- Slow is holy. Returning to the same land again and again—listening instead of extracting—is medicine in a culture obsessed with speed and productivity.
- “Witch” is reclamation. For Zaneta, it honors persecuted healers, matriarchs, and wisdom keepers, and names power as interconnectedness, not domination.
- Mediumship expands capacity. As Sarah offers, connecting with Spirit stretches what we can hold—and gives others permission to expand too.
“Mediumship is not a trick. It’s a relationship.”
“The Earth is calling people to be mediums—so we remember we are nature, not separate from it.” “Not every being wants to be called in. Consent exists in the spirit world, too.”
“Witch, to me, is someone willing to address the suffering of the world with sacred, grounded care.”
“Power isn’t something we own. It’s something that moves through all of us when we’re listening.”
Music courtesy of Chris Dingman
Sound art courtesy of Zaneta: Sound Art Magic
Join us on Substack for The Afterlife—bonus clips after the “mic is off” (wink).
Jane's Substack about the Moose
Medium Curious Website: MediumCurious
Jane’s Website: Jane Morgan Medium
Sarah’s Website: Sarah Rathke
Podcast Instagram: @MediumCuriousPod
YouTube: @mediumcurious
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