DISPELLINGS SOME OF THE MYTHS ABOUT MEDIUMS

[Mike O'Hare]

As New Age ideas and practices filter through to the consciousness of the general public, newspapers and magazines have not been slow to pick up on a good idea. What was regarded as taboo only five to ten years ago has now become mainstream and topical.

Choose any popular publication today and you are virtually guaranteed to find a page or two dedicated to your stars and horoscope. Some have pushed the boat out even further, using a “qualified” person to take you on a journey that is literally out of this world.

This is the domain of the medium and astrologer (not necessarily the same person). It would appear that matters, which do not always look black and white, have an air of intrigue about them. These people help to bring about awareness regarding some of the phenomena that surrounds us.

Let’s concentrate on how people perceive the medium, also referred to as the clairvoyant. It can be quite varied depending on the person’s lifestyle, general and religious beliefs and conditioning. No two people are alike regarding their views and opinions.

We’ll start with the sceptic. Bob is a retired market gardener whose life has evolved around nature. Being creative and versatile has been the main criteria to a successful career. He still feeds his mind with as much information as is necessary to help sustain coherence. As a consequence, he reads many magazines, covering many subjects.

Without specifically targeting the “psychic” pages, Bob admits that it’s hard to pass them by without that inquisitive glance. He asks for proof regarding some of the claims and stories that he reads. “Some things are beyond credibility,” he says with an air of wanton belief. Who can blame him?

Connie has spent her life going through two marriages (she is now single) with four children to support. She describes her working career as being “turbulent” with a virtually non-existent social life. True friends are hard to come by and claims being let down too many times.

Sometimes we are moulded into what we are as a result of the way we interact with others. By her own admission, Connie’s views on life are somewhat cynical, and she carries this mode of thinking into what she is prepared to accept regarding the greater things in life.

She is an avid reader of books and magazines, immersing herself into a world of escapism. Again, it is hard to pass by those pages where life beyond the grave is claimed as a reality. There can never be sufficient proof given by people who Connie refers to as frauds, fakes, con merchants and charlatans to satisfy those inner cries of desperation.

Conversely, Hilary is a trusting soul who loves everyone and everything. Her caring nature has drawn her into the nursing profession and is now Senior Staff at a leading university hospital. She has witnessed so many patients bravely accepting their terminal condition that she is convinced there is a “guiding light” at hand.

Her faith and belief in all things is matched only by her response to the call for help. There are many experiences that she claims are beyond her understanding, yet does not dismiss them. The staff rooms are awash with magazines covering all subjects, and Hilary is keen to read and learn. She can relate to her experiences by what she reads in the “spiritual” pages of newspapers and magazines and is prepared to keep an open mind.

These three people are typical of the cross section of the general public where perceptions can vary so much. Myths and misconceptions regarding the medium still abound and range from witches and fortune-tellers to frauds and shysters.

To help bring matters together, let’s take a close look at the medium and see what he or she is about. How different are they from the rest of us? At the time of this interview, Les Henderson was 29 and has been a medium most of his life. Here’s what he has to say about his profession and how he regards the observations of those readers:

“There are two general perceptions. The first is that there’s something mystical about us, something magical that we do like summing up the dead, and that we can read people’s minds. We have no ability like that whatsoever. Of course we can pick up things from people’s auric fields, maybe events that people are going through. But reading thoughts and things like that is absolutely ludicrous.

“Some people expect the medium to be like a divvy old lady who only sums up dead old aunties and uncles – a bit like the old fortune tellers. But mediums come in all shapes and sizes, colours and creeds. They are different from one another. At the present time and because being psychic has never been so popular, it’s trying to get people to see that it’s very normal. I find it extremely normal in what we do.

“There is nothing magical or magnificent. What we do is open up the psychic senses and we are given information that we pass on to the recipient that they understand. For example, messages from loved ones of people who have passed over, who need to know that the soul lives on and the memory of that soul hasn’t died. Now that’s what I believe the purpose of mediumship is -- to prove to people that their loved one, and the memory of that soul is alive somewhere. Wherever that is, God only knows.”

You can’t be more honest than that! Les has been invited to attend as a guinea pig at the Department of Parapsychology at Newcastle University to determine whether there are any links between schizophrenics and clairaudient mediums. This is how close science has come to discovering the true nature of mediumship and its diversities.

The use of science can help break down the many components that constitute our physical existence. In that respect, mediums are no different to anyone else – just normal people, living a normal life.

Fortunately, science can also look beyond the physical ties and help determine the mechanism that allows the medium to “switch on”. By this fact alone, let it be said that each and every one of us is a potential medium.

[Alex]

great article, you can add me, I'm a collage student who is also a medium, I can not read minds and can't predict the future and have a limited number of spirits I can speak with,and only one who I talk with daily, she mostly hangs around my dorm room........ I wonder how my room mate would react if he found out?