‌What‌ ‌is‌ ‌Mediumship?

Films have portrayed psychic abilities and mediumship in a certain light for decades. Most of these representations tend to belong to the horror or thriller genre, and these powers are often portrayed as “evil” or “bad” in the films. 

However, as we know, if this were really the case there would be a much bigger uproar and we’d all be losing our minds (pardon the pun). But then you might ask, “What is mediumship, exactly?”

There are many who claim they have psychic abilities, or powers, and some make a living of it. Whether or not you think these people are scam artists or genuine, or whether or not you believe mediumship to be “evil” or “bad” as the movies suggest, is not the point of this article. 

Instead, I’d like to help you learn a little more about what mediumship is and the importance of further research since, in fact, it pertains to our lives, our loved ones, how energy works, and what happens after we leave the physical body.

What is the Difference Between a “Psychic” and a “Medium”?

There are some that have a greater sense of intuition compared to others; these are people who always seem to know when things will happen before they do, and there are some that have a special gift that allows them to communicate with those who have passed on. Sometimes psychic and medium can be synonyms, but they have distinct meanings as adjectives, not nouns. 

Psychic:

“Of or relating to the human soul or mind,” or something mental as opposed to physical. In psychology, it is defined as “pertaining to or noting mental phenomena,” being in tune to a nonphysical force or energy. It can also mean, “sensitive to influences or forces of a nonphysical or supernatural nature.”   

Psychic originates from the Greek word psȳchikós, meaning “of the soul,” first recorded in 1855-60. 

Medium:

As an adjective, medium is defined as “about halfway between extremes, as of degree, amount, quality, position, or size.”  As a noun, medium has a few distinct meanings: “a middle state or condition,” “the material or technique with which an artist works,” or “one of the means or channels of general communication, information, or entertainment in society, as newspapers, radio, or television,” or a person through whom the spirits of the dead are alleged to be able to contact the living.” 

Medium originates from the Latin word medius, meaning “middle,” first seen in English between 1575-85.

What is a Medium?

A medium functions as a mediator between those in the spirit world and those in the living, providing a three-way communication between spirit-medium-recipient (aka. “sitter”). They are people who use their psychic abilities to communicate with people who have passed on, in the spirit world. 

Those in the spirit world could be relatives, friends, guides, or someone who knew someone connected to the sitter and wishes to pass on a message to them. There are many forms of mediumship and most mediums use a variety of gifts in their own practices. Though they may be trained in some of the same basic techniques, each will have their own gift and method of connecting with their own spirit guides. 

The most commonly used psychic senses are:

• Clairvoyance: Clear seeing. The medium will be aware of a picture or image of some kind, used subjectively (within the mind as an image or picture) or objectively (seen with the eyes open as if the spirit were real and present)
• Clairaudience: Clear hearing. The medium will be aware of a sound, used subjectively (within the mind as an awareness of the sound) or objectively (as if someone is clearly speaking in your ear, or the sound is outside of them)
• Clairsentience: Clear sensing. The medium can feel the size, personality, health problems, either chronic or what the spirit passed with. Sensing both the personality and physical shape and feeling the spirit within their energy field. 
• Claircognizence: Clear knowing. The medium will know something that they didn’t learn in their lifetime. It could be about a particular subject or topic. It can be they “know” not to trust someone, or they “know” not to do something. 
• Clairgustience: Clear Tasting. The medium will be aware of a taste or flavour, used subjectively (within the mind as an awareness of the taste) or objectively (as if they were in fact actually tasting it for real) examples would be the taste of cigarettes if the spirit communicator smoked, or a favourite food.
• Calirolifactory: Clear Smelling. The medium will be aware of the scent, subjectively (within the mind as an awareness) or objectively (as if they were smelling it in real time) It might be a scent of perfume that the person in the spirit world wore or it could be the smell of their favorite flower, food or cigarette smoke. 

What is the Purpose of Mediumship?

Mediums help to give evidence that life is eternal. It is beneficial to ease grief and pain for those dealing with a loved one’s passing. Rather than be the stuff of movies, mediumship can actually provide one who is grieving with both the confidence of continuing their life and the comfort of knowing their loved ones are free from pain or suffering. The person grieving is still alive, and the spirit communicator often simply wishes to let those whom they’ve left behind know that they are still alive, just not in a physical body. It is the evidence that is pertinent in this experience to prove that the spirit exists after the physical body dies. 

For those who are drawn to studying life after death or the science behind it all, mediumship can take the shape of a tool for many people, helping those without fear to develop a personal connection with a higher dimension that offers spiritual purpose, clarity, and connection. 

The Fascinating Importance of Mediumship Research

In an issue of Paranthropology: Journal of Anthropological Approaches to the Paranormal, experts in their fields discuss the importance of why mediumship needs to be  researched and further discussed. 

Professor Charles F. Emmons, of Gettysburg College writes, 

“The study of spirit mediumship can help us investigate important questions on a number of levels, depending on our methodologies. At the very least there is an important social/cultural context, within which people cope with grief, satisfy curiosity about death and survival, and look for advice on managing life. There are also exciting issues of neuroscience and psychology (what happens in the brain of a good medium). Most enticing of all is the possibility that mediumship will provide crucial insights into consciousness and survival. Insisting that such things happen and denying that they happen are equally no good; we need to investigate if we’re to be called scientists.” 

Mediumship practice possibly goes into prehistory, but certainly goes back thousands of years into the dawn of history, spanning every culture we have cared to study. It is vital to the origins of many religions and magical or occult doctrines such as shamanism. 

“Regarding the current situation it could be said that, as much as mediumship spans the divide between life and death, parapsychology occupies the liminal space between psychology and physics, and much more besides, such as anthropology, psychiatry, neuroscience, and even politics!” – Dr. David Luke, President of the Parapsychological Association

According to Robin P. Foy of The Scole Experimental Group, his thoughts on the subject were as follows:  

“My primary area of psychic research is in physical mediumship and its phenomena. In 1978, a deceased ex Prime Minister – Winston Churchill – spoke to me independently – in his own voice – from mid air. This is the reason he gave for the importance of mankind’s need to carefully study mediumship and its growing evidence for post-mortem survival: ‘If you had no option but to emigrate from your homeland to a different country; prior to your embarkation, would you not do your utmost beforehand to study the language, customs, geography and prevailing conditions of your new homeland before you left?’ ‘Therefore, does it not make perfect sense for you to study the same aspects of a place to which we all go eventually. The spirit world?’ This quote sums it up perfectly for me. Good, genuine mediumship is the key to our knowledge of (and preparation for) the spirit world that lies ahead of us. I do not believe in ‘life after death’. After 37 years of scientifically based research, I know it exists!” 

If you are struggling in your grieving process, perhaps adding a hypnotherapy session may be just what you need. By putting your mind into a deep relaxation, allowing access to the subconscious, you can teach your brain to move past the sadness and focus on the love shared. If you are at all interested in trying hypnotherapy for your grieving process, please do not hesitate to call me. I am here for you.

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