A medium is....

[Pine Tree Lady]

According to
A Look at Spiritual Mediumship


A Look at Spiritual Mediumship

Learn the difference between spiritual mediumship and psychic readings, and get a brief history of mediumship through the ages.
by Joanna Bartlett-Gustina Mar 25, 2013

Mediumship, as practiced in the religion of Spiritualism, demonstrates the continuity of life and Natural Law. It is the factor that distinguishes Spiritualism from other religions. Spiritualism teaches that not only is there an afterlife, but that the personality survives the change called death.

While Modern Spiritualism’s beginnings lie with the Fox sisters in Hydesville, N.Y., who communicated with a murdered peddler buried in the cellar of their house, mediumship has been demonstrated throughout the ages. From the ancient Greeks in 1000 B.C. who consulted oracles, to the Romans who used soothsayers to Europe’s kings and queens and their stargazers, history has recorded mediumship’s practice and demonstration.

In the 1600s the church all but outlawed mediumship, burning at the stake women who demonstrated it and calling them witches. Such communication was kept strictly for the priests of the church.

Fortunately, in the late 1800s, mediumship became recognized as a psychic ability and was able to make its comeback into modern times. William Stanton Moses was one of its first pioneers, known for the automatic writing phenomena he produced with Spirit. In the 1900s, more and more mediums became recognized, including Edythe Meader, Jack Kelly, Florence Becker and Mae Graves Ward.

The Difference between Mediumship and Psychic Ability

There is a difference between a medium and a psychic. A psychic taps into the vibrations of the universe. A medium – who is often also psychic – attunes not only to the vibrations of the universe but also to those of Spirit entities. That’s why it’s said that a medium can be psychic, but a psychic is not necessarily a medium.

Different Types of Mediumship

There are two classes of mediumship—mental and physical.

Mental mediumship uses the medium’s mind to interpret the messages they receive. The medium's own character and integrity is very important as it tends to affect the messages they get. This form of mediumship stems from the base of the brain.

Physical mediumship is based on the chemical reaction of the medium’s body with that of spirit entities. It is centered in the solar plexus.

Mediumship’s Effect on Health

No matter what kind of mediumship one practices, good health is very important. Mediumship can be a draining, sometimes exhausting, activity and maintaining good health on all levels—physical, mental and emotional—helps a medium have better stores of energy to draw upon so that they do not become depleted. By eating well, exercising and generally taking care of ourselves, a medium is able to better defend themself against anything that might drain them and affect the quality of their work.

Developing Mediumship Skills

When a medium is seeking to develop and unfold, there are several methods they can follow. One of the best is the home circle, which allows them to unfold and grow in their abilities in their own time. It provides more structure than simply working their own, as well as additional energy and experiences that they can draw upon from the other people in the group. It’s important for a home circle to be made up of a group of people that can work in harmony together without competitiveness or turmoil. This can also work better than a formal, organized group as each person in the circle is able to receive more individual attention and help.

However, no matter what way a person undertakes to develop their abilities, a sincere desire to work with Spirit, learn and study and the discipline to do it on a consistent, regular basis is especially important.

[Pine Tree Lady]

Another answer Mediumship and Psychic Abilities

Communicating with spirits from other realms is not new, but our understanding may be.

by Dawn Ellis-Lopez Mar 25, 2013

Mediumship is generally defined as the ability of a person to speak with spirits. It is divided into two groups. Physical mediumship involves rapping noises, telekinesis, table-titling, automatic writing, and many other external manifestations. Mental mediumship involves the relay of information from “beyond the veil” verbally. Mediums function either from a complete trance state or from a semi-trance state and frequently identify the spirits with which they are communicating.

Mediumship was, at several points in history, considered either a form of demonic possession, leading to prison or death during Inquisitorial times, or as a form of mental insanity. However, as more serious investigation was made during the 1800s and 1900s, it was determined that mediums, though prone to some physical weakness, tended to be very mentally sound and not given to “hysteria”.

The determination was made that mediums were able (sometimes through training) to control their trance states while those who were truly insane such as schizophrenics were not able to control themselves. Schizophrenics tended to act on the voices and commands in their heads while mediums were able to discern between their own ego-selves and those of their controls.

Current Day

Today, a medium is regarded primarily as a person who speaks to spirits of the dead. The general formula of mediumship is that a medium has a single spirit guide, a control who assists them both with managing other spirits’ contact and sometimes with day-to-day life. Some mediums report having more than one control, but usually there is a single dominant control. Speculation exists as to whether this dominant control is a true disembodied spirit or if it is a manifestation of the medium’s subconscious or “higher” self.

The talent of mediumship tends to run in genetically, and in the late 1800s and early 1900s, immediate families of 10 or more people were reported as being mediums. The talent tends to manifest at an early age, and if it is encouraged instead of quashed, it grows in strength, usually with remarkable manifestations during adolescence. People who are disposed to this talent and ignore it or avoid it often report anomalous health problems until they acknowledge their ability.

Disclaimers

A great deal of effort was made during the Spiritualism movement in the 1890s to 1920s to debunk séances and mediums. Quite a few professionals were discovered to have used fraudulent methods to produce physical effects. If you are consulting with a medium, keep in mind that a truly higher spiritual power will not lead you to do anything unethical or dangerous. As an old wise-woman adage says, “Just because they’re dead doesn’t make them wise.”