I often read and post on various Spiritualism discussion boards and while I expect folks to disagree I will never understand the bugaboo between the terms medium and psychic. For most people these words are interchangeable but for dogmatists in Spiritualism these words seem to mean to very different things. Psychics tend to be viewed by these judgmental Spiritualists as suspect or less capable spiritual readers.
The party line for most Spiritualists seems to be that mediums are superior to psychics because they approach reading and message work from a Spiritualist perspective while psychics are assumed to be New Age flakes and money hungry. Now political correctness dictates that ministers are careful who they say these kinds of comments to but, often behind closed doors (in the form of disparaging humour shared with other Spiritualists) bigoted comments about psychics and the greed of these “New Agers” as a means to demean folks who are spiritual seekers but not involved with the Spiritualist movement are the norm rather than the exception.
Out of the mouth of one minister I often heard the comment “Any jackass and his monkey can be a psychic but it takes work to be a medium.” Now as shocking as this might seem to the reader I have come to understand that people who make such comments are insecure, jealous bigots who will put down others that they feel are a threat to them and their financial and professional position. Once I made this realization I began to rethink what I was told about the differences between psychics and mediums.
Spiritualists will say things like:
Psychics are dealing with lower/earth bound spirits.
Psychics are reading the sitters mind or physical energy and not connecting properly to spirit.
Not only are these statements bigoted they are outright lies in my opinion that are rooted in jealousy, bigotry, hypocrisy and the good old double standard that allows Spiritualists to condemn psychics for being materially focused when they are just as money hungry as the folks they accuse of this fault .
The only real difference between a psychic and a medium is that a medium has been trained to work in the Spiritualist churches and most psychics have gotten their training and reading experience in other venues like psychic fairs.
This is not to say that all psychics are good practitioners but Spiritualists cannot honestly claim that all mediums are working at the highest standard either. I have seen as many bad mediums on the church platforms in my 12 years as an active Spiritualist as I see in cheesy psychic listings and websites on the web. Even though most Spiritualists know there are good and bad mediums just like there are good and bad psychics there are some dogmatic people who disparage anything that is outside the confines of Spiritualism and thus their grasp. In an effort to justify their position as a minister and Spiritualism as a movement they will take great pains to define to death the differences between the terms medium vs. psychic as if this is in anyway helpful to interested seekers.
The reality is that there is no consistency in mediumship training within the churches. For example I went to one Spiritualist church looking for a development circle and was told they don’t do that but they have a Bible Study! They figured that they could leave mediumship and message work up to God’s inspiration!
Another church I went to was very focused on a development circle where the goal was physical manifestation of spirit through one medium. In that group there is one medium and the rest of the sitters are used as energy sources or "batteries" so to speak. This kind of circle is a throw back to the early days of Spiritualism and does not tend to allow for each member to enjoy full spiritual progress on a personal level.
The latest church development circle I was in was one where the minister’s biases, phobias and judgmental attitude prevented any real spiritual growth in the sitters. She was pushing them so hard to become mediums that many were uncomfortable in circle because they felt intimidated and afraid of what might happen if they could not bring a message.
Now this is just a sampling of the diverse and not always good training that is going on in the Spiritualist Churches in
Again I say that the idea that mediums are more spiritual and not as focused on material gain is also bogus. This delusion notion that mediums are some how more spiritually evolved than psychics is just a complete farce!
What is even sadder is that these ministers believe their own delusions and lies and pontificate about spiritual progression, working with elevated spirit guides and developing high standards for mediumship while this kind of negativity seeps out of their bodies, minds and spirits. And then they wonder why their church is suffering and they are losing their mediumship ability?
I do not wonder at all why they and their churches are in the bad state they are in. Bigotry, jealousy, hypocrisy and unjustifiable double standards are huge negatives that consume all the energy around them so that nothing positive can thrive! The Law of Attraction says that like draws to like and yet they do not see the damage their attitude is doing to their organizations!
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3 comments:
Catherine,
Here in the UK - there are similiar feelings between those titled Mediums and those titled Psychics.
As a Spiritualist medium and tutor myself I explain to all my students the mediumship is a psychic ability not a spiritual one. This I'm sure is quite evident just by meeting some so-called spiritual mediums!
With this being said there is clear differences between someone working using just their psychic ability and one that is using their psychic ability to enhance their connection with the Spirit world. 'Simply' put - a psychic works from the energies of the earth plane (i.e. sitter, super-consciousness), whilst a medium uses their psychic ability to work with the energies from spirit.
From my understanding it is not possible to say one is better than the other only that each has it's place in society to serve one and another.
Psychic Headgehog:
Now that explanation makes sense and I would agree. And yet I have seen psychics who are better mediums (using your definition) than the so-called church worker mediums who are really all about power, title and ego. I wonder when these self-absorbed folks work, are they truly working with the energies from spirit or not? I think the proof is in the pudding as they say in the message work they do and usually these egotistical, power-hungry sorts show themselves for what they really are—shameful frauds who bring Spiritualism to a very low place indeed.
I think that just because someone has trained as a Spiritualist Medium and uses that label does not always mean they are. Their agenda and intent are the deciding factors and these two aspects will show themselves in the quality (or lack thereof as the case may be) of their message work.
Blessings,
Catherine
Yes Judy Merrill I can see that you can copy and paste my comments from a specific thread and out of context too and doing that is plagiarism at worst and makes you look silly at best.
Now the question is what is your point? It might be more useful to explain your issue here in your own words. But maybe it is that you do not have the talent to use your own thoughts? Or are just too lazy to do so?
If you are trying to show that I am inconsistent in what I am saying I suggest you try again!
Yes there is a difference of experience but not of value in the work that each does and that is the key. The way you and others in Spiritualism condemn psychics as being of lesser value in regard to doing spiritual work is nothing but bigotry, envy and jealousy.
The question is why are you so bigoted, envious and jealous? Is it that your talents are waning or is it about the money you can't seem to get your hands on and feel is rightfully yours? Is it that many people have wised up to church hypocrisy and so you cannot draw in the suckers like you used to? Whatever it is it shows that you have a serious problem!
I just see psychics and mediums as being at different places and having different experiences that form who they are spiritually. The work is pretty much the same if their intent is genuine.
To that end I would always be psychic and could have developed it in many ways but I chose Spiritualism and mediumship partially by default because I did not know what else was out there.
It did not help matters that I came into contact with people who pounced on me as a "newbie" who was vulnerable and used fear mongering and manipulative control in an effort ensure that I would hesitate in investigating other venues for developing my psychic aspect. And that is where the real problem is... these leaders who are supposed to guide folks lie to people to get them to fit their agenda of building and empire. Their agenda was to produce church workers not about my needs or welfare. But I also know there is a reason for the way things worked out so I have no regrets because I overcame the controlling, ego-driven, manipulators who would try to hold me back for their own purposes and now can warn others about these sorts of people by sharing my experiences.
My point about there being no difference between mediums and psychics is simply that the former are part of Spiritualism and the latter are not. Mediums are not superior to psychics nor are psychics superior to mediums.
I have found just as many spiritually focused genuine psychics outside of Spiritualism as I have found scammers who pretend to be mediums and inhabit the churches. Intent is what defines good psychics and mediums. And your intent says volumes about why the church you run is struggling.
There is no standard education in Spiritualism that you and others can demonstrate to justify your claims that mediums are superior to psychics but "newbies" don't know that. Like me, many will get sucked in but at least with the web these folks also can find resources that were not so easily available in 1994 when I started out in Spiritualism. I intend to be actively providing those resources where I can so the seeker can be aware, have eyes open and realize just because someone claims to be spiritual and educated etc. this is not always the case.
Actions speak louder than words and I will say as I have before, plagiarism does not become anyone least of all a Spiritualist Minister!
To readers I would say seek many paths and if you run into negative controlling fear mongers who give off the pretense of being a) spiritual or b) properly informed; take a good look at what is happening around them. You will spot what energies they draw to themselves by what is manifesting in their environment.
A minister with no congregation and who has been in Spiritualism a long time says volumes about the negativity of that person.
When you attend the church watch for a dwindling congregation, people who attend only once or very infrequently or who have moved on and make no statement as to why they left even though they were involved for a long time. Then see what is posted on the web about that church too. If there are problems some people will talk about them somewhere.
If you see these things happening then find another church because like astute shoppers if congregants do not feel comfortable in the church they will take their energies (business) elsewhere and have every reason, right and responsibility to do so.
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