Phenomena of Spiritualism

Because of our spiritual nature, all humans are born with psychic awareness, the degree of which varies among individuals. This awareness is commonly known as intuition and is an elementary form of the psychic ability.

Accounts about individuals who possess psychic abilities and about psychic events have been recorded throughout history. Reports of this nature continue today: in a recent North American survey, 42% of those polled reported having experienced an after-death communication from a deceased family member, friend or acquaintance, either directly and spontaneously, or indirectly, through another. A belief in after-death communication prevails within Spiritualism. The belief is also widespread, as is one in the existence of other psychic phenomena and of the psychic capability of individuals, within non-westernised cultures.

There are those with exceptional psychic faculties, known as mediums, through whom those on the other side of life communicate. Of those people who have this quality, some might manifest it at an early age while others might never show any sign of it at all. The faculty can often lie dormant through prejudice or a lack of knowledge and understanding. Those who do possess and are alive to this remarkable ability, however, will nonetheless require a lengthy period of development.

All mediums are psychic but not all psychics are mediums. Psychics generally use their abilities to give valuable guidance concerning events and situations appertaining to a person’s life. Mediums, by comparison, use their psychic capabilities to communicate with the spirit world. The mediumistic faculty is often coined "mediumship"

The mediumistic faculty is not of “super” nature or “above” nature. Neither are mediums supernatural or from beyond the natural world; mediums are no different from anyone else.

What mediums do possess is a certain ability that allows them to communicate with spirit. This can be compared to artists and musicians who have particular abilities that allow them to create works of art or music. Like artists and musicians, mediums have days when they are on form and other days when they are not. Also, the development and improvement of the abilities of artists, musicians and mediums alike requires continuous work. This is a lifetime process. What sets all sincere and truly knowledgeable mediums apart from artists and musicians, however, is that these mediums are ever mindful of the duties, charges and spiritual liabilities attached to their work and of the personal implications these responsibilities hold for them in eternity.

Mediumship is classified into two forms: physical phenomena and mental phenomena.

Physical phenomena involve the use of physical matter. This rare form of mediumship can result in the manifestation of direct voice, telekinesis, transfiguration and materialisation.

Mental phenomena involve the mind.This form of mediumship includes inspirational speaking, inspirational writing, trance, clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience and Spiritual Healing.

Clairvoyance, the ability to see spirit, clairaudience, the ability to hear spirit, and clairsentience, the ability to sense spirit, are the kinds of mediumship most commonly seen at public meetings. These faculties are primarily used by the medium to prove survival after physical death, to awaken the observer to the realms of spirit and to promote personal spiritual unfoldment.  Toward this end, mediums must endeavour to obtain information of a quality that will prove the identity of the spirit people with whom they are communicating.  For example, “Your father is here, he wants to tell you…” does not constitute evidence of survival.  In contrast, such information obtained from the spirit contact as his or her age, sex, physical description, profession, personality characteristics, relationship to the recipient or memory links, in addition to any message the contact wishes the medium to pass on to the recipient, offers sound evidence.

Regrettably, along with the recent commercialisation of mediumship and the intuitive arts, proper education in these matters has declined.  This has led to a proliferation of ill-trained mediums and psychics providing services to people, most of whom come away disillusioned and disheartened. Unfortunately, their disappointment makes it unlikely that these people will risk seeking such services again and will thereby fail to reap the benefits of dealing with a properly educated psychic or medium.

Among the greatest of the phenomena of mediumship is Spiritual Healing. In spiritual healing the medium attunes with the Spirit and aids in directing the healing energies to the patient. The spiritual healing first touches the spirit of the recipient in which most disease and disharmony originate. Once this is achieved, the calming and harmonising effect can permeate through other inner levels of being, finally reaching the physical body. Spiritual healing is accomplished by either personal contact or through absent healing: the sending out of healing thoughts to those in need.

Misconceptions about Mediumship.

“Mediums raise the dead” - Contrary to this popular belief, mediums cannot raise the dead; nor can they call the dead up at will. A medium simply opens up to receive a spirit communication and those on the other side come to the medium when they are ready, willing and able to do so.

“Mediums are fortune tellers” - Mediums cannot tell fortunes. The personal choices people make create the future. What mediums can see are the potential ramifications of particular choices and actions.

“Mediums have all the answers” - This is incorrect. It is not the role of a medium to assist in solving an individual’s problems. Anyone who is looking for answers to personal problems should seek out the expertise of an appropriate professional.

“Mediums (and psychics) are more spiritually evolved” - Mediums and psychics are no more spiritually evolved than anyone else and, like everyone else, they are on the road of spiritual advancement. However, it is most desirable that mediums be highly spiritual and dedicated people who recognise and accept their great responsibility, not only to themselves, but also to God, the spirit world and the recipients of any spirit messages.

“Anyone coming to a healing medium for spiritual healing must have faith” - This is belied by the fact that people have been helped without their knowledge. This has been the case, for example, when healing has been provided through absent healing or when spiritual healing has been given to a recipient who is too ill or too young to understand.

“Spiritual healing eliminates the need for health care from physicians and surgeons” - Spiritual healers do not deny that these and other health care professionals are necessary. Spiritual healers believe in working in cooperation with them at all times.

We at the Open Door believe your spirit is your most precious quality. We neither expect nor desire you to accept the phenomena of Spiritualism blindly. On your road of spiritual advancement, it is our recommendation that you question, challenge and use reason in all things. All things should be conceivable before they are accepted as truth and all things should be rejected if they appear to be false or without foundation. ©