Mediums

As young wives my neighbours and I used to get a medium to come to someones house ,we'd all have a reading..didn't really take it seriously though .It was just a bit of entertainment.Then one night after a few readings she came through to the kitchen where we were sitting and spoke to one women .She told her to go home straight away as he rchildren were in danger .Seems she's left toddler twins with her OH who once they were asleep had nipped out to a local shop.The twins had wakened and gone looking for him ,knocking down a clothes horse in front of the fire ,the fire destroyed the house and the twins died.There was no way the medium could have known even where the house was ,it was streets away or that the woman had children or had left them.There are things we dont understand so I kinda keep an open mind .But I was there and I'll never forget it or the devastation after

Cold reading is easy if the target is grieving . Those people who fill a theatre and charge really annoy me. Several hundred people sure as eggs are eggs there will be some who know a Tom,Dick or Harry .

I think some people do have this gift , I knew a woman who was a healer and a medium , I saw her for healing for sciatica, one visit she asked me if I would give an envelope to my husband ,she knew he was in no way a believer but said she had to pass it on to him. I gave it him, it was a rough plan of a narrow country road going over a mountain, not often used, she drew trees, a gate and a X about several 100 yards from the gate, wrote - please check this spot, he read it and dismissed it, about a week later he had to attend court in a town the other side of the mountain, late as usual, the main road had major road works so he and the officer with him decided to take the back road. They passed one car parked on the road side . After court on the way back the car was still there, near a gate with two trees near, it rung a bell and they went over the gate and up the hill, lying a few hundred yards from the gate was a sleeping bag, in the bag was a corpse of a suicide. If they hadn't looked the body may have been there quite some time, not a pleasant thought with the wildlife on that mountain.

OldMeg, I agree entirely, I have no explanation for my experience other than telepathy but that's another debate.
Those who exploit the bereaved and vulnerable are despicable charlatans wishing to line their pockets by cashing in on grieving people's desperate hopes.

I don't know if some can do it but most are charlatans and cold readers. Watch Derren Brown. He shows you how it's done or simply google cold reading.

My grandma used to say that if you had the gift and made a profit from it then you lost it. The gift only worked as long as you used it for free.

Judy I consider some misguided as they genuinely believe they are in contact with the dead. The others, who know they are misleading desperate people, are charlatans.

Oh that's very interesting, Judy. I must admit that although I say I don't believe, I find those kind of events very intriguing.

I don't believe that mediums are misguided but I do believe that many so called exploit vulnerable bereaved and desperate people for financial gain via cold readings.
For many years I attended a Spiritualist church development circle, these were open to anyone. Sometimes we could convey a message but more often we could not.
One occasion sticks in my memory, a family had joined us, we asked them not to mention names or circumstances about the deceased. A name, an unusual one suddenly popped into my head and the words " Tell Mum I didn't mean to do it, it all went wrong". Due to the kinky image I received I didn't say anything to the family for fear of offending them.
After the service the family explained that the teenage son ( I'd his name correct) had died as a result of a dangerous sexual experiment.
No payment for the mediums was ever charged, there was a voluntary collection at the end of the sevice as is the norm with most religious services.

Absolutely Monica - you are spot on with your first sentence.

I think Mediums are either earnest and honest but misguided or clever practitioners in deceiving people, but some people find their prognostications consoling.

I think Medium and petitioner need to be of one mind for it to work, so I have never consulted one and doubt whether it could work for me as neither the medium or myself would trust each other sufficiently.