Mediums

Havermeyer

A simple question, I suppose, but how do you become a medium? Do you go somewhere to do a degree on this or is one born with it? What makes a medium a medium? I'm not here to take the piss. I'm just interested to know how someone can claim to 'be in touch with the other side' without any scientific proof or scrutiny. I tend to agree with Dawkins on matters such as these. I don't know if anybody watched his most recent two part documentary, Enemies of Reason, but for me it just summed up what I had thought all along. He basically went to see a 'psychic' and while the psychic was saying this and that about his past, etc. Dawkins pressed him on his allegations. The psychic pretty much was left stuttering and going back over what he had said and contradicting himself until he finally ran out of false predictions or be whatever they are you call them. In my opinion, people who go see these people WANT to believe and are therefore sucked in to the whole charade unknowingly.

Millions of psychics, and not one can predict the lottery or a winning horse.

Any thoughts?

Cheers.

hiorta

What makes a medium, or a musician, or an artist? A mathematician, a healer or anyone with insight?

How could Da Vinci know of the principles of the submarine, or Gallileo and Copernicus get knowledge of planetary intricacies?
How did Mozart, Beethoven et al, 'hear' their great works before a note was written?

Great question.

stormkeeper

I imagine while for some, they decide to be something, but for others its a calling... especially with the mediumship, though they try to deny it, it ends up that fate decides they're ready for it aven when they don't think they are, because that's what fate is like.

Dave!

I'd also love to know why no psychic has ever won the lottery..... Surely if they don't need the money themselves, they can just give it to a charity?

Anyone able to shed some light on this?

stevenmu

nummnutts wrote:

I'm just interested to know how someone can claim to 'be in touch with the other side' without any scientific proof or scrutiny

This might be a bad analogy, but when you're hungry and feel like eating a bag of chips you don't conduct a scientific study to determine what nutrients you are currently deficient in and what foodstuffs can best provide those nutrients, you just know you're hungry and want a bag of chips

In a similar way, mediums don't need any scientific proof to feel what they feel. They just know it naturally.

There are places out there that do courses in mediumship, I'm not sure if they can actualy teach being a medium to someone who isn't already, or if they're more just for honing skills. I've never done a mediumship course, but I have done a more general psychic one, and I'd imagine they work on a similar basic principle, which is to try and teach you to listen more to your intuition, your inner voice, and to not automatically dismiss everything it says.

This of course explains why psychics/mediums cant predict the lotto numbers or be scientifically validated. Psychic senses don't work like the regular pyshical senses, like eyesight for example where you can either clearly and specifically see something, or not. It's more of a vague impression of an idea in your head, and it's not always clear if it is a 'psychic message' or just your imagination, even if you score a 'hit' or not. I'd imagine that with more practice people become more able to tell the difference, and maybe more able to recieve clear information, but I don't it will ever be something infallible.

And of course I am just talking about genuine people here. There are of course many people out there who are grieving and looking for reassurance, and unfortunatly there are people out there who will and do take advantage of them, but the fact that there are fakes out there doesn't rule out the fact that there are genuine people also.

kshiel

Ok this might sound a bit off but in general "Why should they (spirits) give YOU the lotto numbers?

6th

To get the lotto numbers you are looking at telling the future not mediumship etc. Any medium or psychic who gives you a reading and says they can tell the future is best avoided. Thankfully I've never met anyone who makes that claim.

SkepticOne

stevenmu wrote:

In a similar way, mediums don't need any scientific proof to feel what they feel. They just know it naturally.[...]
And of course I am just talking about genuine people here. There are of course many people out there who are grieving and looking for reassurance, and unfortunately there are people out there who will and do take advantage of them, but the fact that there are fakes out there doesn't rule out the fact that there are genuine people also.

The other, possibility is that they are are genuine in their belief but mistaken in actuality that they communicate with the dead. Being very sure of something ("They just know it naturally") does not necessarily mean it is true.

kshiel

6th wrote:

To get the lotto numbers you are looking at telling the future not mediumship etc. Any medium or psychic who gives you a reading and says they can tell the future is best avoided. Thankfully I've never met anyone who makes that claim.

Couldn't agree more!

Nevyn

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.winner02sep02,0,4817510.story

Havermeyer

What makes a medium, or a musician, or an artist? A mathematician, a healer or anyone with insight?

Well, with a musician, an artist or a mathematician there is physical or scientific evidence produced at the end of writing a song, or painting a painting etc. With mediumship, its all down to belief and taking the mediums word for it and having faith. You can't b*llsh*t someone who doesn't have faith. It just seems that mediums/psychics fall under the same category of faith healers and dowsers. They fall apart under scientific scrutiny, and avoid logic like a politician dodges questions.

Shortnose

Oy vey.

I've been a medium for over 20 years and I did "train" for it, but was a natural 'sensitive'.

I remember one of my first clients whose husband had dropped dead of a heart attack, appeared to me right off the bat during her reading. When I say "appeared", I mean in my mind's eye. If I ever saw an actual ghost, I myself would have a freaking heart attack! :eek:

Anyway, the man was wearing a suit and he pulled an insurance policy out of his pocket and showed it to me. He conveyed to me that there was another life insurance policy that his wife knew nothing about, but that she would be receiving money from it. When I told her, she said she'd gotten all the money she was going to get (from other policies).

Upon hearing her say this, he pulled a checkbook out of his suitcoat and wrote a large check and showed it to me and conveyed to me that she would be receiving a large check. I shared this information with her, and she argued with me - saying (again) that she had received all the money she was going to get.

Six months later, she called to tell me that there had indeed been another policy - one she knew nothing about - and she had received a large check from it and it had helped her immensely (financially).

I learned then and there to trust the ones in 'spirit' and what they were showing and/or conveying to me and not to back down from the impressions I was being given.

I love dead people!

dubtom

Has anyone ever met a medium who helps people contact their dead out of the goodness of their heart. I mean by that 'for free'.It has always struck me as slightly strange that someone who can give so much joy and relief to a person in grief always seems to charge for it. Ok, everyone needs to earn a living, but if a medium truely has a power why is there always money involved.Or is there?
I can only speak for myself, but if I was a medium or had any power whatsoever,and I don't,well, it just seems to me the right thing would be to help for free. But maybe helping isn't what the medium has in mind.

stevenmu

No, there are mediums out there who don't ask for money in return. Some do it as a kind of 'hobby' I suppose is the best way to describe it, others are actually forbiden by their belief systems to do it in exchange for money. Some may expect a gift in return, others don't.

I can see why there might be a perception that all mediums, and this all applies equally to tarot readers and faith healers etc, give their services for money, because these are generally the only ones we hear about. You generally won't hear about the others unless you happen to know them, or in other cases 'know someone who knows someone'.

I can understand your question too, these practices are often associated with spiritual people, and money of course is the great corrupter. On the other hand though, these people choose to dedicate a lot of their time to their practise, and like everyone else they need to earn a living, and everyone is perfectly entitled to be compensated for something they earn a living for.

I do myself though tend to judge people based on the type of living they try to earn, I tend to trust someone who seems to be making a modest or comfortable lifestyle than someone who's living in a mansion and driving around in a top of the range merc (not that I'd so no to either myself )

Aisling&M

Dubtom........how much of your time do you donate for volunteer work?
If you do, then you are in a position to suggest that mediums/psychics/healers etc give some of their time to do similarly.
MANY DO! Have a listen on the radio or in the news for holistic fairs for charity. There's quite a few.

also.......why do doctors charge so much when it's in their nature to heal those in pain?

If you apply the rational that all those in the holistic field who want to help, should do so for free, then you will have to extend the same courtesy to many other professions too.

dubtom

Aisling&M wrote:

Dubtom........how much of your time do you donate for volunteer work?
If you do, then you are in a position to suggest that mediums/psychics/healers etc give some of their time to do similarly.
MANY DO! Have a listen on the radio or in the news for holistic fairs for charity. There's quite a few.

also.......why do doctors charge so much when it's in their nature to heal those in pain?

If you apply the rational that all those in the holistic field who want to help, should do so for free, then you will have to extend the same courtesy to many other professions too.

I have to wonder at the tone of your post Aisling&M.Lets not go down the road of comparing a medium to any other learned profession,they are just not similar,in any stretch of the imagination.As was stated in stevenmu's post,there are mediums who don't charge, and I accept that, I just haven't met any.It certainly wasn't my intention to offend the genuine medium, even those who make money from it, it just wouldn't be the way I'd do it if it was me with the gift.

Aisling&M

No wonder needed. Just a very clear question. Can you do something to help another? ........ yes, we all can. Whether it be working (mediumistically or otherwise) for a portion of our time for free.

Dave!

dubtom wrote:

I have to wonder at the tone of your post Aisling&M.Lets not go down the road of comparing a medium to any other learned profession,they are just not similar,in any stretch of the imagination.As was stated in stevenmu's post,there are mediums who don't charge, and I accept that, I just haven't met any.It certainly wasn't my intention to offend the genuine medium, even those who make money from it, it just wouldn't be the way I'd do it if it was me with the gift.

Why not? If you want to be able to use your gift (and help people) on a full-time basis, then you would still need to pay the bills somehow... You could work another job and then only do medium sh*t in the evening, but then you mightn't be able to help as many people! Unless you fall into money somehow, you're gonna have to charge. Doesn't mean you have to charge extortionate prices, mind you.

kshiel

Mediums/psychic etc spend hours and weeks and months and years learning to control manage and learn and deal with what ever gift they are given, some do courses, some teach etc etc etc, and it may not be in the conventional area for a lot of people but to just say that it is not in a profession or same league as some other professions imo simply isn't true.

I also know mediums etc who have worked for a long time for free, and would give free readings now and again but at the end of the day the supermarket wont give you your shopping for free, or the ESB or the clothes shop etc etc etc.

Poltergoose

DaveMcG wrote:

I'd also love to know why no psychic has ever won the lottery..... Surely if they don't need the money themselves, they can just give it to a charity?

Anyone able to shed some light on this?

I dont think thats what psychics claim to do.I dont think anyone can as the future is not predestined its all left open to chance and free will.And anyone that can do this is probably getting it from things they can see from a persons mind rather than what balls will hop out of a machine in some studio somewhere.

Aisling&M

you took the words right out of my mouth Kshiel. Mediums/Psychics deserve no less respect for their work than any other profession.

Zillah

Aisling&M wrote:

you took the words right out of my mouth Kshiel. Mediums/Psychics deserve no less respect for their work than any other profession.

If they're genuine, then sure. If they're faking, then they deserve no less scorn than any other faker. Like that jerk Derek Acorah.

jawlie

stevenmu wrote:

This might be a bad analogy, but when you're hungry and feel like eating a bag of chips you don't conduct a scientific study to determine what nutrients you are currently deficient in and what foodstuffs can best provide those nutrients, you just know you're hungry and want a bag of chips

The difference is that we know the producer of the potatoes and the business which chips the potatoes and fries them have all been checked to make sure they are up to standard, by inspectors charged by our local government. So we can be confident that the food that we eat is of a good standard and don't need to determine it individually for ourselves, as our government official do it for us.

Anyone can claim to be a medium or psychic and it is certain that some who make these claims set out to deceive. Uri Gellar, for example, makes such claims when he has been caught out numerous times that he is using slight of hand rather than psychic powers.

Aisling&M

Seriously.......you trust the 'system' when it comes to fish'n'chips but have difficulty accepting the credibility of psychics.......hmm......;?

kshiel

Zillah wrote:

If they're genuine, then sure. If they're faking, then they deserve no less scorn than any other faker. Like that jerk Derek Acorah.

To me that goes without saying as in all professions there are fakers/ gangsters etc etc who bring it a bad name.

kshiel

jawlie wrote:

The difference is that we know the producer of the potatoes and the business which chips the potatoes and fries them have all been checked to make sure they are up to standard, by inspectors charged by our local government. So we can be confident that the food that we eat is of a good standard and don't need to determine it individually for ourselves, as our government official do it for us.

Anyone can claim to be a medium or psychic and it is certain that some who make these claims set out to deceive. Uri Gellar, for example, makes such claims when he has been caught out numerous times that he is using slight of hand rather than psychic powers.

Ok I get what you mean and as far as I know with professional psychics/mediums etc there is an offical body you can complain to and report them if you feel they are not geniune or abusing their gifts in Brittan anyway now I dont have the details but I am sure they wouldn't be that hard to get hold of if you wished to find them. I dont know if such a body exists here in Ireland and I feel it would not be a bad idea to have one.

with the chip deal, we may have regulations etc to ensure a standard is provided but no one can stop the chip shop owner from cooking them even if they have gone off hence food poisioning.

wb1

kshiel wrote:

Ok I get what you mean and as far as I know with professional psychics/mediums etc there is an offical body you can complain to and report them if you feel they are not geniune or abusing their gifts in Brittan anyway now I dont have the details but I am sure they wouldn't be that hard to get hold of if you wished to find them. I dont know if such a body exists here in Ireland and I feel it would not be a bad idea to have one.

with the chip deal, we may have regulations etc to ensure a standard is provided but no one can stop the chip shop owner from cooking them even if they have gone off hence food poisioning.

the way out of this is dont pay upfront wait till you get your reading, i think if a reader asks for money before you get a reading there is something not right...you would,nt buy a pig in a sack! also spirits have to come them selfs they dont always connect for difference reasons