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Mediumship is said to be the lifeblood of Spiritualism. It is what separates us from any other religion, keeps it personal and contemporary and provides validation to our teachings. This makes us a religious philosophy, based on evidence, rather than a religious faith, based on tradition.
Here are ten things you should know about it:
1. It derives from our basic spiritual nature.
Because we are spiritual beings, living in physical bodies, it follows that we have spiritual senses even if few of us are aware of these latent powers. Some exercise them so naturally that they are surprised when they learn that not everybody has them. Others discover them in an enforced solitude, such as a childhood illness or who, for some reason or another, become isolated by their peers. Yet others discover them in prayer, or in Awareness or Development circles, held in Spiritualist churches. Most people, of course, never do discover them. So mediums are special people because of their rarity.
2. It can be Physical or Mental
Although it is now rare, physical mediumship produces phenomena which can be seen, felt, or touched by all those present. Mental mediumship is ‘picked up’ by the medium and relayed to those to whom it is directed by those communicating from Spirit Life.
3. The Three Types of Mental Mediumship
Clairsentience is a French word which means ‘clear sensing’ and is an enhanced form of intuition. The majority of what most mediums perceive comes in this form and it requires some interpretation by them, which is where it can sometimes break down. However, it is the string on which the other two types can be threaded. Most mediums are primarily, or exclusively, clairsentients.
Clairvoyance – ‘clear seeing’ is where the medium sees a picture of a spirit communicator in his/her mind, or it can be seen in the room, possibly next to the person for whom the message is meant. These are known, respectively, as subjective and objective clairvoyance.
Clairaudience – ‘clear hearing’ produces the most precise and evidential form of mental mediumship because it is always objective and needs no interpretation. It usually conveys names. Sometimes, words can form in a medium’s mind, leading the medium to identify it as clairaudience, but this is not the same as true clairaudience where a voice is actually heard by the medium. Those fortunate enough to witness late Scottish-South African medium, Mona van der Watt, often reported a sibilant whispering around her head when she demonstrated, as her mental mediumship extended into the physical phenomenon of direct voice.
All mental mediumship can suffer interference from the subconscious mind of the medium, so should be assessed with discrimination.
4. Physical Mediumship
At its best, physical mediumship leaves no doubt in the mind of those fortunate enough to witness it. Direct voice, materialisation and transfiguration all require the medium to produce something called ‘ectoplasm’, which few can do. Hence it was always rare and is now all but unknown. This substance can emit from the mouth, nose, eyes and ears of the medium and is used – in materialisation – to clothe the spirit body of the communicator, making it visible to the sitters in the circle. There is a video online and you can access it on our ‘Links’ page. (Click here.) It is over one hour long, wait until you have time.
5. Trance Speaking
Trance is an altered state of consciousness, in which the medium becomes less aware – or even completely unaware - of his or her physical surroundings. From here, one of two things can happen: Firstly, the subconscious mind takes over, manufacturing a secondary personality, or, a genuine spirit guide can speak through the medium. You can only distinguish this by the quality of the teaching. Many of our most eloquent teachings came through via this type of mediumship. Teachings from Silver Birch, Red Cloud, Abu and White Eagle should be studied by the newcomer. Passive, or ‘automatic writing’ also requires a mild form of trance and ‘Spirit Teachings’ – regarded as the bible of Spiritualism – came to us in this way. Guides’ true identities are often shielded behind such names, otherwise, their identities, rather than their teachings, would be uppermost.
6. Mediumship is not Divination
Mediumship is often confused with forms of divination, such as fortune telling, astrology, tarot cards, crystal-gazing, etc. The difference is that mediumship, unlike such other message-based activities, is based on contact with spirit. The Spiritualists’ National Union discourages divination in our churches as it does not wish Spiritualism to be associated with fortune-telling methods, which carry a reputational risk and may put our status as a recognised religion in jeopardy. Seeking divination is a form of ‘message addiction.’ The way to solve life’s problems is not to put the responsibility on the shoulders of a fortune teller, but to learn the philosophy sent to us by those in spirit. Particularly regarding personal responsibility.
7. The 3-fold Task of Mediumship
To give evidence of the survival of the human soul after bodily death. This is done by giving clear evidence of the identity of the communicator. Names, accompanied by such details as occupation, relationship to the sitter, hobbies, age, cause of death, etc.
To give comfort. This will often be given in the message given by the spirit communicator. Additionally, the church’s healing ministry will have a role here. A medium, however, as part of his or her code, will never indicate to a sitter if he feels that he or she is about to pass into spirit life.
To bring about a spiritual awakening within the recipient of the message. Once the fact of Spirit life is assured, the implications should be clear as to the way we need to live our lives here – not in the context of three score years and ten, but in the setting of eternity.
8. Mediumship is ethically neutral
Mediumship is not a badge of spirituality or saintliness, although many saints have been mediums. It is just a quirk of their mental nature. Many of the prophets were mediums – and some were also rogues. The reason that ‘God’ favoured the prophets was that He could communicate with them, because they had the mediumistic ‘quirk’. King David, for instance, was not above putting Uriah, one of his top generals, in the heat of battle so that he was sure to be killed and leave the way open for David to seduce his widow, Bathsheba. Mediums, no matter what their skill are no better or worse than the rest of us. Because mediumship can be used for good or ill, Spiritualists develop it in a spiritual context.
9. Mediumship has Biblical precedents.
Although the modern Spiritualist movement only dates from 1848, mediumship has always been the means by which revelation has been passed on to humankind. All religions commence when someone of this world is contacted by a spirit messenger – call it an angel, if you wish (Angelos is a Greek word, meaning messenger) – but from Abraham to Moses to Jesus to Muhammad to Swedenborg to the Fox sisters, Spirit finds someone with the mediumistic ‘quirk’ and brings a more advanced and contemporary slant on the universal message. In fact, mediumship does not merely have biblical precedents – it is as fundamental to orthodoxy as it is to Spiritualism. The difference is that it has been hidden by the Church as it challenges the authority of the priest.
10. Mediumship and the Teachings of Spirit
Those in spirit life who come to teach us have only a passing interest in proving that they continue to exist. It is important to us, since it deals with the foundations of our conviction as Spiritualists - and Spirit helpers acknowledge this. But Spirit purpose is to “spiritually regenerate humankind”. In the words of Imperator, the Guide behind Wm Stainton Moses’ book ‘Spirit Teachings’ – “in accordance with his needs and his capacities”. Once we can get beyond messages and align ourselves behind that purpose, we may well re-discover those amazing forms of mediumship from Spiritualism’s early history - and live happier lives. And change the world for the better in the process. Much has been discovered in the world since those ancient truths were given and we now have the capacity to understand more advanced truths. Carrying that message to humanity is Spiritualism’s highest purpose. And mediumship is its channel.
Finally,
It is easy for newcomers to get carried away with mediumship. It is a natural gift and subject to laws and limitations, not all of which we understand. It is therefore important to subject everything to the test of reason. According to Maurice Barbanell, the medium of Silver Birch, you should never put a psychic explanation on an event, if a normal explanation fits the facts. In other words, keep your feet on the ground, but be open to all possibilities!
Article originally published in Psychic News.
Copyright: Geoff Griffiths.
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