Afterlife
Psychics And Mediums: What’s The Difference?
The terms “psychic” and “medium” are often used interchangeably, mostly because people assume they are one and the same. While they do overlap, the truth is they serve different roles.
Understanding what makes them different — and what they have in common — is key if you’re exploring psychic readings, spirituality, and metaphysical practices.
First of all, think of it this way: all mediums are psychics, but not all psychics are mediums.
A psychic is someone who is capable of extrasensory perception (ESP), which means they can perceive information beyond the normal five senses.
The word “psychic” comes from the Greek word psykhikos, which means “of the soul, spirit, or mind.” This, in turn, is derived from psykhē, which means “soul” or “mind.” So, essentially, “psychic” refers to anything related to the mind and soul.
Psychics use their abilities to sense information about a living person’s past, present, and future. They can perceive potential life paths, challenges, or opportunities.
Their gifts may include more than one ability, such as clairvoyance (seeing), clairaudience (hearing), clairsentience (feeling or sensing) and claircognizance (knowing). Using these perceptual abilities, psychics can offer their clients clarity, guidance, and insight into life’s many questions.
From Skeptic To Believer In One Night!
As a child, I often eavesdropped on my parents’ heated arguments. Late one Saturday night, during one of these usual “ear-to-the-door” sessions, things seemed surprisingly less intense than usual. Instead of the customary shouting, I heard what sounded more like a lighthearted debate.
I could clearly hear my mother daring my father to “go with her” that Sunday night.
It wasn’t until years later that I learned the true nature of the dare. My mother had managed to persuade my father to accompany her to a spiritualist service in a London church.
To this day I am not sure how she managed to persuade him to go, but it turned out to be a life-changing experience for my father. I imagine it was also a great relief for my mother, who finally had a partner who shared her faith and passion.
Raised a Catholic and later a devout spiritualist, my mother often endured the ridicule of my father, who made fun of her faith in God and her beliefs about heaven and the afterlife.
But her dare marked the beginning of a significant change for him. While my father had never embraced organized religion or spirituality, he was about to have a profound spiritual awakening.
So, off they went. As “luck” would have it, Joseph Benjamin, a well-known spiritualist medium at the time, was one of the guest speakers at the church that weekend. My father later admitted that as he bundled up in his winter coat and scarf, he secretly hoped that he could make a quick getaway after the service and perhaps stop for a beer or two at his favorite local pub! Continue reading
Psychomanteum Gazing To Communicate With Spirit
There are many approaches to communicating with spirit, all of which ultimately lead to the same result. Among the many mystical tools used to connect with the spirit realm, the psychomanteum stands out as an intriguing method.
A psychomanteum, also known as a mirror gazing chamber, is a small, enclosed space used to facilitate communication with the spirit realm, equipped with a mirror angled to reflect only darkness.
The process involves gazing into the dark mirror to facilitate deep concentration, sensory deprivation, and an altered state of consciousness.
This practice, known as scrying, has its roots in ancient Greek traditions, where similar methods were used for divination, prophecy, and communication with the afterlife. Scrying involves gazing into a reflective surface to see psychic visions or gain insights into the future while in a trance-like state.
Nostradamus, the famous French mystic, used a scrying bowl filled with water in his divination practice. He would place the brass bowl on a tripod and gaze into the water to perceive psychic impressions for his prophecies.
In traditional scrying, practitioners use crystal balls, bowls of water, or even polished stones, but the mirror in a psychomanteum provides a uniquely immersive experience. As the participant looks into the reflective surface, the mirror acts as a mental portal between realms.
Lessons Learned From Evidential Mediumship
I recently completed a year-long course in evidential mediumship, and I have been reflecting on the most impactful lessons and insights from this transformative journey.
The experience deepened my understanding of the medium’s role in bringing comfort and healing to those experiencing intense grief. It was a powerful reminder of how a well-done channeled reading can uplift, comfort, and inspire clients by affirming that life and love continue beyond the veil.
Evidential mediumship is a spiritual practice in which a spiritual medium channels specific, verifiable information to prove the continued existence of a loved one after physical death.
The practice of evidential mediumship as we know it today has its roots in the spiritualist movement of the 19th century, which sought to bridge the gap between the living and the spirit world through structured communication.
But its origins go back to ancient times, as cultures around the world have always sought to connect with the spirit realm through spiritual intermediaries.
From shamans and soothayer to the seers and oracle of ancient civilizations, humanity has always reached beyond the physical realm for guidance, wisdom, and comfort. Evidential mediumship continues this timeless tradition, refined through modern practices to meet contemporary needs.
Evidential mediumship is also known as psychic mediumship or mental mediumship, which emphasizes the fact that the process involves the medium perceiving information as mental impressions in order to convey messages from spirit.
The Spiritual Implications Of The Lazarus Syndrome
Recently, while watching the 2008 film The Lazarus Project, I was reminded of the paranormal phenomenon of near-death experiences (NDEs) and became intrigued by the possibility of someone coming back to life after death.
The plot of the movie is about a man who is given a second chance at life after being executed for a crime. Despite being lethally injected, he somehow wakes up in a psychiatric hospital and must overcome a series of mysterious and mystical challenges to be reunited with his family.
The title, of course, refers to the story in John 11 of a man named Lazarus who was raised from the dead by Jesus after four days. While the plot of the movie does not directly parallel the biblical story, it does draw on the themes of resurrection and second chances.
My newfound curiosity soon led me to discover a documented medical phenomenon known as “Lazarus Syndrome.” Also known as the “Lazarus phenomenon” or “autoresuscitation,” it is a rare medical condition in which a person spontaneously comes back to life after all attempts at resuscitation have failed and the person has been pronounced dead.
The phenomenon was first noted in medical literature in 1982 by Finnish anesthesiologist Dr. Kalevi Linko, who described it as the spontaneous return of circulation after resuscitation efforts have ceased. The term “Lazarus phenomenon” was later popularized by Dr. John Francis Bray in 1993, who used the biblical reference to describe these rare cases of patients who spontaneously return to life.
Honor Your Pagan Heritage This Halloween
Samhain holds special significance for those who practiced paganism in a past life, especially those who were involved in magical practices as seers, soothsayers, druids, and witches.
For us, this time of year evokes a deep sense of nostalgia, spiritual reorientation, and a return to ancient wisdom as the veil between worlds thins and we reconnect with our ancestors and the spirit realms.
Samhain is an ancient Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, traditionally celebrated from October 31 to November 1. It is one of the four great Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with Imbolc (February 1), Beltane (May 1), and Lughnasadh (August 1).
In Celtic tradition, Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”) is a liminal time when the boundary between the physical and spiritual worlds is thinner, allowing the spirits of our deceased loved ones, ancestors, and other spirits to cross over more easily.
In ancient times people would light fires and wear costumes to ward off harmful spirits, while also honoring their ancestors with offerings of food and drink.
Samhain is considered the origin of modern Halloween traditions, although Halloween has evolved and incorporated elements from other cultures to become a mostly secular and commercial holiday. For Neopagans and Wiccans, Samhain remains an important festival for honoring the dead, celebrating the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, and connecting more deeply with the spirit realm.
A Samhain Invitation From The Faeries
Fairies love fun and joyful games in the great outdoors, even during the darker seasons of the year. I am reminded of this every year at this time when the veil between the worlds thins during the mystical season of Samhain and Halloween.
If you’re currently experiencing a highly creative period or feeling called to get out into nature, even if it’s just to your garden before the weather gets too cold, there’s a good chance you’re also being invited to have some fun and free-spirited playtime with the fairies.
It is easiest for us to connect with the Faeries or Fae during the times of the year when the seasonal energy portals are open at the cross-quarter holidays of the Summer and Winter Solstices and the Spring and Fall Equinoxes.
These seasonal transitions are also traditionally celebrated in the ancient pagan festivals and religious holy days of Imbolc (St. Brigid’s Day) on February 1st, Ostara (Easter) on around March 21st, Beltane (St. Walburga’s Day) on May 1st, Litha (St. John’s Day) around June 20th or 21st, Lammas (Day of Bread) on August 1st, and Samhain (All Saints’ Day) on October 31st.
Traditionally celebrated as a time to honor our ancestors and reflect on the cycle of life and death, Samhain on October 31st marks the halfway point between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice. It is a special time that invites us to step beyond the ordinary into the realm of magic and mysticism. The lingering echoes of autumn and the approaching winter in the Northern Hemisphere also foster a sense of introspection and connection to nature, making it an optimal time to commune with the ethereal elementals of nature.