spiritualism
From Skeptic To Mystic — My First Encounter With Spirit
In the summer of 1987, nearly a year after losing both my parents (just 23 days apart), I found myself at a mediumship event held in a Spiritualist church in Toronto.
Looking back, I can see how profoundly synchronistic the experience was. It was clearly guided by spirit.
I had never set foot in a Spiritualist church before. That very afternoon, I had lunch with a friend who casually mentioned the evening service. She couldn’t attend — she was heading out of town — but something within me stirred. Despite my skepticism, I felt an unshakable desire to go on my own.
The modest church was tucked away on the second floor of a shopping plaza above a retail store. As I climbed the steep staircase, I felt a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
The room was already crowded by the time I arrived, so I chose a seat close to the door, just in case anything bizarre or uncomfortable happened. Since I had never had a mediumship experience before, I didn’t know what to expect. I wanted an easy exit should things get too weird!
After the guest mediums were introduced, the first one stepped forward and gestured toward a man seated near the back. “May I come to you?” she asked gently. When he nodded, she remained at the front of the room and began channeling messages for him from the spirit realm.
The Curious Case Of The Eavesdropping Medium
I had a good laugh with a friend the other day as we reminisced about an odd encounter the two of us had with a psychic medium many years ago (which she has teased me endlessly about ever since).
We had inadvertently arrived an hour early for a mediumship demonstration by an amazingly gifted medium (according to my friend). Not having much else to do, we decided to grab a bite to eat at the venue’s snack bar before the event began.
Soon we were deep in conversation, enthusiastically discussing spiritualism and mediumship. A few tables away sat a mysterious dark-haired lady who made me feel a little uneasy. I suspected that she might be listening to our conversation.
The hour passed quickly and then the event began. To my surprise and confusion, the dark-haired woman from earlier stood up, greeted everyone, and introduced herself to the gathering. The ‘eavesdropper’ was the medium!
Then she suddenly looked around and said, “Right, who is Lucinda?”
My friend was very pleased with this remarkable development. “See, I told you — she’s the real deal!” she whispered with great excitement.
“No, she’s not,” I hastily whispered back, “she heard my name earlier in the snack bar…when you asked me what I wanted to drink!”
The Fascinating Phenomenon Of Table Turning
Table turning, also known as “table tipping” or “table tilting,” is a fascinating form of spirit communication that occurs during séances.
It involves participants sitting around a table and placing their hands lightly on its surface to communicate with spirit. The table then moves or tilts, or in exceptional cases floats or rotates, in response to questions posed to spirit.
Table turning became popular in the mid-1800s, a time when Spiritualism was quickly gaining popularity in Europe and North America. People were intrigued by the idea of communicating with the afterlife, and séances became a common social activity.
People in those days didn’t have the resources or easy access to mediums and channelers that we have today. So, small groups of family and friends would gather and communicate with the spirit realm.
Table turning was also considered a wonderful way to entertain guests at social gatherings and was even considered a parlor game. Even President Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, is said to have attended and even hosted séances at the White House.
Other well-known spiritualists of the time, such as the Laurie family and Nettie Colburn Maynard, reportedly attended séances with the Lincolns. Mrs. Lincoln was deeply interested in spiritualism and mediumship, especially after the deaths of her sons, Edward and later Willie.
The Miracle Gift Of A Reincarnated Pet
Do animals reincarnate? As an animal lover and pet owner, I believe they do!
John Edward, the famous psychic medium, once told how his dog came to him in a dream after he died. Apparently, the dog told him that he would be the new dog “with the black spot.”
Soon after, he went to a friend’s house who had a litter of puppies. He really bonded with one of the puppies – it followed him everywhere. However, none of the puppies had a black spot? Edward’s wife took pictures of him with the puppy because she also felt the connection. They left without taking any of the puppies.
When the film was developed, there was a black spot on one of the photos! The black spot appeared in the picture over the puppy he had such a special connection with. Edward immediately went back and got his beloved “new” dog.
My friend’s dog, Inky, was all white with an unusual dark spot on his back. He also had a strong personality and would follow her on her daily walk to work until she turned and said, “Inky, go home.” When he passed away at a young age, my friend was devastated. I remember her saying that she lay on the floor for days, crying, curled up in a fetal position.
A few months later, she walked by a pet store. There was a bunny in the store that looked exactly like Inky. It was all white, with the same distinctive ink pattern on its back. My friend adopted the rabbit, who also turned out to have the same personality as Inky. He would follow her on her way to work until she said, “Bunny, go home.” Continue reading
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.