Category:Mediumship
From Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers
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Mediumship is a form of divination or spiritual consultation in which the medium transmits messages from spirits, most often the spirits of the dead.
Many clients seek to reestablish communication with loved ones on the other side, and a gifted medium can help reforge this broken link. In addition to general communication, some clients may wish to ask yes or no questions of the dead, or they may simply wish to convey their love and support to those who have gone before, or to ask for forgiveness for transgressions or ommissions of conduct. Likewise, the dead may desire to tansmit messages to the living, bringing words of hope and comfort, conveying information that may benefit the client, or speaking works of truth about issues left unresolved in life.
Some mediums are members of Spiritualist churches of various denominations, because Spiritualism is a religion founded upon a belief in communion with spirits. Others may have developed their gifts for mediumship outside the cultural framework of Spiritualism or any religious organization.
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Trance Mediumship
Trance mediumship is a classical form of mediumship wherein the medium is possessed by another spirit, who then moves and talks through the body of the one being possessed, sometimes to such a degree that the medium is unconscious, while his or her physical and mental processes are under the control of the spirit communicator. Upon regaining consciousness, the trance medium is generally unaware of the communications with the world of spirit that took place while he or she was in the trance state.
Channelled Mediumship
Mediumistic work may be done, by those who are sensitive to such things, without possession taking place. The dead, angels, or other spirit entities may be consulted, but rather than being taken over by another spirit, the medium in this case retains control and possession of his or her body and mind while in communication with the discarnate spirit. This type of spiritual divination, sometimes called "channelling," is more common than full trance mediumship. A channeling medium may be able to ask questions of the spirit on behalf of the client, and then repeat the answers given by the spirit to the client.
Spirit Guides
Within the Spiritual Church Movement and Spiritualist churches in general, it is common for mediums to form relationships with discarnate entities called spirit guides. These guides help mediums contact other spirits, such as the spirits of the dead, or provide helpful messages for the mediums to pass along to their clients.
A spirit guide may be the spirit of one now dead, one who never lived on Earth as we know it, or an archangel or angel. Some spirit guides, especially the angels, work as allies to many mediums. Other spirits, especially Native American spirit guides, childhood friends, those who died young, or those who lived long ago, only appear to one medium at a time, and are known as personal spirit guides. Some mediums see and work with many spirit guides, some may have two (generally one a teacher and the other a messenger), and some work with a single spirit guide.
Sometimes, upon the death of a medium who has long received messages from a particular spirit guide, that guide may commence a more general career as the tutelary spirit for a particular Spiritual temple or church. Such was the case with E. R. Dyar's spirit guide Christal, who went on, after Dyar's death, to work with a long succession of mediums at one church, in association with a group of spirit guides known collectively as "The Temple Band."
Occasionally, after the death of his or her initial medium contact, a personal spirit guide may become a widely acknowledged spirit who is accessible to many people, both within and outside the Spiritualist religion. This is what happened with the spirit of Black Hawk, who is now petitioned for aid by many practitioners who have never been members of a Spiritual church.
Speaking in Tongues, Gifts of the Spirit, and Spirit Possession
A number of Christian denominations recognize the Gifts of the Spirit, which include speaking in the tongues of angels and experiencing the form of ecstasy commonly called being "slain in the spirit" or "falling out."
A similar state of grace, sometimes called "spirit possession," is also characteristic of many African Traditional Religions. During services in these religions, a god or nature spirit will come down and speak through the body of the one who is thus contacted.
Another gift of the spirit, often encountered in a non-religious context, is automatic writing. In this mediumistic form of spirit communication, the medium goes into a light or deep trance and covers pages of paper with spirit-writing, often with the eyes closed. Such writing may include messages from the beyond to loved ones on Earth.
Automatic Writing and Planchettes
It is not uncommon for gifted mediums to be able to write out messages while in a trance state or while channelling spirits. They may do this in addition to speaking for or with spirits, or as form of spirit communication in its own right. The spirits contacted through the technique of automatic writing may be those of the dead, of angels, or any of a number of other spirit entities.
One peculiar characteristic of automatic writing is the speed with which it is commonly produced; the medium's hands may transcribe the words ffrom the realm of Spirit far more rapidly than the medium would write under normal waking conditions.
In centuries past, automatic writing was produced as handwriting, either with pen and ink on paper or with a stylus in a tray of sand.
In the 19th century, a tool called the planchette (French for "little table") became popular with trance mediums. A planchette is a small table-shaped board into which a pencil can be fixed. Some mediums find a planchette useful when engaging in automatic writing, as it frees and supports their quickly moving hands.
Since the invention of typewriter and computer keyboards, automatic writing has made the transition to modern methods; certain accomplished trance mediums are capable of typing spirit messages and sending them to clients via text message or email.
Spirit Boards, Talking Boards, and Ouija Boards
A spirit board or talking board is a painted or laminated wooden or masonite board on which are printed letters of the alphabet, numerals, simple words, and symbols or pictures. Like a planchette, the spirit board facilitates rapid spirit communication, as the words can be spelled out. With the addition of a rolling or sliding planchette which contains a small window that centers over each letter in turn, the mediumistic message may become more clear to those assembled as part of their contact session or seance.
Spirit boards come in many forms and styles, from the hand-made to the mass-produced. Since the late 1800s, a very popular spirit board and planchette combination has been made and marketed by William Fuld and his successors, the Parker Brothers company, under the trade name Ouija Board.
The word "Ouija" is a combination of the French and German words for "yes," which should logically be pronounced "Wee-Yah", but in America it is generally sounded as "Wee-Jah" or "Wee-Jee." Although the term "Ouija" is not generic, many people call all types of talking boards "wee-jee boards" due to the popularity of this particular brand.
A spirit board may be used by a solo practitioner, but it is common for two or more people to use it together in order to contact spirits. When just two people use a spirit board, they may sit facing one another with the board resting on their knees and their fingers lightly touching the planchette. If three or more people wish to touch the planchette, the board may be set on a table, and one person may act as a recording secretary, writing down the letters as they appear under the planchette. Questions are asked by the medium, either aloud or by spelling them out with the planchette. If a spirit is successfully contacted, the spirit will use the bodies of those present to communicate by moving the planchette to point out letter-by-letter replies.
See Also
- Spirit Work
- Spirits and Spirit Guides
- Angels and Archangels
- Catholic Church Saints
- Catholic Folk Saints
- Altar Work and Prayers
- Mediumship
AIRR Readers & Rootworkers Who Perform This Work for Clients
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