Mediumship or Spirit Channeling

[Calm]

52 minutes ago, manol said:

assume from your posts and @The Nehor's that there are some unsavory daytime TV shows and/or reality shows with or about mediums, and I don't think that's the best way to arrive at an informed opinion about mediums who are in it for the right reasons (and who would be unlikely to end up on such a show) .  By way of example, there might be a docu-drama depicting the church or its members which presents a distorted view.  Even as an ex-member I found "Under the banner of heaven" so distorted that I stopped watching after the second episode.

If I ever come across a medium who avoids the pitfalls and appears to be sincere, dispensing with all the window dressing, I will be happy to pay attention to them, to test them as I test other spiritual claims.

[The Nehor]

10 hours ago, manol said:

IF (<- and that's a big "IF") such exists, would it interest you? 

Ummmm……yeah. It is one of the frustrating things about mediums. I get that there is emotional comfort to be found in saying some final goodbye to a loved one or getting a vague sense of ongoing connection from the deceased in a flimsy and mushy message but if that is the best you can come up with when you commune with the dead these people lack imagination.

If I honestly believed I was a medium I would be seeking out the nature of the afterlife in detail. I would be looking for historical figures who could answer some key questions. I would be looking for humble figures who could answer historical questions (since much of the writing we do have of ancient history is written by the elite the story of a farmer or clothier or the like could be very illuminating) and I would be looking for ways to prove this gift works so I could deliver some of the greatest benefits to anthropology and history ever.

If all mediums can do is commune with the recently dead for vague sappy emotionally frothy messages then either they are all unimaginative idiots, their power is ridiculously limited, or they are frauds because these kinds of communications are very easy to fake and make real to emotionally vulnerable people via some simple tricks of human psychology. I will also note that when it comes to cold reading and the tricks of mentalism the best practitioners are almost always the ones who do not believe or say they have powers. In other words the ones who know how the game is played and are very good at it and don’t need to play games pretending they aren’t just very skilled at misdirection.

I think of ancient Gorgias who believed rhetoric and oratory were almost a form of sorcery used to mesmerize an audience. We can be fooled. I know I have been fooled. There are psychological and illusionist tricks I don’t understand at all.

[Tacenda]

24 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

Ummmm……yeah. It is one of the frustrating things about mediums. I get that there is emotional comfort to be found in saying some final goodbye to a loved one or getting a vague sense of ongoing connection from the deceased in a flimsy and mushy message but if that is the best you can come up with when you commune with the dead these people lack imagination.

If I honestly believed I was a medium I would be seeking out the nature of the afterlife in detail. I would be looking for historical figures who could answer some key questions. I would be looking for humble figures who could answer historical questions (since much of the writing we do have of ancient history is written by the elite the story of a farmer or clothier or the like could be very illuminating) and I would be looking for ways to prove this gift works so I could deliver some of the greatest benefits to anthropology and history ever.

If all mediums can do is commune with the recently dead for vague sappy emotionally frothy messages then either they are all unimaginative idiots, their power is ridiculously limited, or they are frauds because these kinds of communications are very easy to fake and make real to emotionally vulnerable people via some simple tricks of human psychology. I will also note that when it comes to cold reading and the tricks of mentalism the best practitioners are almost always the ones who do not believe or say they have powers. In other words the ones who know how the game is played and are very good at it and don’t need to play games pretending they aren’t just very skilled at misdirection.

I think of ancient Gorgias who believed rhetoric and oratory were almost a form of sorcery used to mesmerize an audience. We can be fooled. I know I have been fooled. There are psychological and illusionist tricks I don’t understand at all.

Wow, all good questions. I believe that Mediums do not have much control on who comes forward. And you and I can always call out to deceased people and they may come forward with signs or ? 

But I too am skeptical, but still think they are very near us. I listened to this podcast a couple of days ago, and it seems legit to me. Her husband appearing to her, and then she being mad that he only had a few minutes with her, and he saying how it's a rippling affect when someone passes on and people need answers and want him to show up. It does seem so implausible, all of it. I've never witnessed ghostly apparitions but thousands have. Here's the podcast if you're interested. It's a woman whose husband was in the line of duty and was shot and killed. It happened in Utah in 2014 and the cops thought the camera wasn't turned on because it was a new vehicle I think, now can't remember. Anyway her deceased husband told this woman, his wife, the camera was turned and he'd turned it on manually. And then she told the police and then they were able to watch what all went down. https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2023/02/dissident-daughters-episode-038-a-conversation-with-a-mormon-medium-nanette-wride/ 

[The Nehor]

2 hours ago, Tacenda said:

Wow, all good questions. I believe that Mediums do not have much control on who comes forward. And you and I can always call out to deceased people and they may come forward with signs or ? 

If mediums have no control over who comes forward and human nature doesn’t fundamentally change then medium’s messages would be led by those spirits who desperately want attention and/or are bored. I suspect medium communications would resemble YouTube comment sections and ghosts pranking the living by claiming to be their deceased relative. Also every medium’s first communication from beyond would be “FIRST POST!!!!”

[SkyRock]

On 2/18/2023 at 9:46 PM, Peppermint Patty said:

The Church of Pat Robertson or Joel Osteen?

Full on Brazilian black magic demon worshipping one.

[manol]

10 hours ago, Calm said:

If I ever come across a medium who avoids the pitfalls and appears to be sincere, dispensing with all the window dressing, I will be happy to pay attention to them, to test them as I test other spiritual claims.

This probably doesn't need to be said, but... only if it really interests you. I think our interests lead us to inquire into things we can learn something useful from, and imo there's little point in putting a lot of effort into something that doesn't really speak to you.

As a practical matter, my guess is that finding a medium who works for free and doesn't advertise or have a website is probably going to be a word-of-mouth thing.

 

6 hours ago, The Nehor said:

Ummmm……yeah. It is one of the frustrating things about mediums. I get that there is emotional comfort to be found in saying some final goodbye to a loved one or getting a vague sense of ongoing connection from the deceased in a flimsy and mushy message but if that is the best you can come up with when you commune with the dead these people lack imagination.

If I honestly believed I was a medium I would be seeking out the nature of the afterlife in detail...

If you're interested in “real information about the afterlife”, imo in general near-death experiences are probably going to be more productive than mediums because the person who had the experience is on this side of the veil rather than the other side, and therefore can spend a lot more time communicating.  Here is a YouTube channel with compilations of excerpts from near-death experiences arranged by topic:  NDE Compilations - YouTube

If you're interested in FIRST-HAND information about the afterlife (without going to the obvious and irreversible extreme), I suggest the Monroe Institute, which teaches out-of-body exploration techniques.

If you don't want to spend the money to attend a Monroe Institute program or to buy their audio products, and/or if going out-of-body is not something you're okay with, then you might consider Bruce Moen's books. He teaches a technique for afterlife exploration which does not involve going out-of-body.

If none of those work for your belief system or finances or temperament but you're still genuinely curious, then I'm not sure what your options might be. 

That being said, I do believe that "Seek and ye shall Find" is a generally-applicable principle.

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by manol

[Bernard Gui]

22 hours ago, LoudmouthMormon said:

I have heard similar countless stories from people, including smart folks who appear to be huge fans of reason and science.  It's interesting watching them try to find a reasonable explanation (like brain chemicals, or picking up on pheromones or body language), and being troubled with how unpersuasive they find the non-supernatural explanations.

So yeah, I believe in spirits, I believe we each have one, and it radiates from us in ways.  I also believe what I'm taught about the third part that followed Satan.  I don't know details, but it's not like I can rule it all out as pre-scientific-advancement superstition.

Yes. I met a former student and two of her friends in the mall once. Usually that’s a happy reunion. They were wearing some serious Goth attire. I’ve been around Goths before, but these had a spirit with them that I can only describe as icy bitter. Very uncomfortable. I was eager to move away from them.

[Tacenda]

3 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

Yes. I met a former student and two of her friends in the mall once. Usually that’s a happy reunion. They were wearing some serious Goth attire. I’ve been around Goths before, but these had a spirit with them that I can only describe as icy bitter. Very uncomfortable. I was eager to move away from them.

I'm sure they were going through a stage. But you were or are an educator so maybe you have the spidy sense to differentiate.