Post by bluefedish on Jan 7, 2008 21:01:27 GMT -5
A form of relationship to spirits practiced in religions such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo, Kardecism, and Umbanda.
The term "mediumship" denotes the ability of a person (the medium) to experience and/or to tell others about their experiences of contact with spirits of the dead, spirits of non-corporeal entities, angels, and/or nature spirits. In addition to experiencing these spiritual phenomena directly, the medium generally facilitates communication between non-mediumistic people and spirits who may have messages to share.
A medium may listen to and relate conversations with spirit voices, go into a trance and speak without knowledge of what is being said, allow a spirit to enter his or her body and speak through it, or may use some form of physical tool, such as a writing pad, to relay messages from the spirits those who wish to contact them.
Mediumship is part of the belief system of some New Age groups.
In this context, and under the name channelling, it most often refers to a medium receiving messages from a teaching-spirit of advanced wisdom.
In some cultures, mediums (or the spirits working with them) are said to be able to produce physical paranormal phenomena such as materialisations of spirits, apports of objects, or levitation.
History of Mediumship
Methods of communicating with the dead and other spirits have been documented back to early human history.
One of the most famous mediums of all time was the Witch of Endor, who raised the spirit of the deceased prophet Samuel for the Hebrew king Saul, who wished to question his former mentor about an upcoming battle, as related in the First Book of Samuel in the Jewish Tanakh.
Mediumship became quite popular in the United States after the rise of Spiritualism as a religious movement. Modern Spiritualism is said to date to the mediumistic activities of the Fox sisters in New York state 1848. The trance mediums Paschal Beverly Randolph and Emma Hardinge Britten were among the most celebrated lecturers and authors on the subject in the mid 1800s.
Mediumship was also described by Allan Kardec, who coined the term Spiritism, around 1860.
After the exposure of the fraudulent use of stage magic tricks by physical mediums such as the Davenport Brothers, mediumship fell into disrepute, although it never ceased being used by people who believed that the dead can be contacted.
From the 1930s through the 1990s, as psysical mediumship became less practiced in Spiritualist churches, the technique of channelling gained in popularity, and books by channellers who related the wisdom of non-corporeal and non-terrestrial teacher-spirits became best-sellers amongst believers.
The Terminology of Mediumship
Spirit Guide: A spirit who brings other spirits to a medium's attention or carries communications between a medium and the spirits of the dead is called a "spirit guide." Many mediums claim to have specific guides who regularly work with them and "bring in" spirits of the dead. The relationship between the medium and the guide may be providential, or it may be based on family ties. In 1958, the English-born Spiritualist C. Dorreen Phillips wrote of her experiences with a medium at Camp Chesterfield, Indiana: "In Rev. James Laughton's seances there are many Indians. They are very noisy and appear to have great power.
The little guides, or doorkeepers, are usually Indian boys and girls [who act] as messengers who help to locate the spirit friends who wish to speak with you." Then, describing the mediumship of Rev. Lillian Dee Johnson of Saint Petersburg, Florida, she noted, "Mandy Lou is Rev. Johnson's guide. She was, on earth, a slave to Rev. Johnson's grandmother."
Spirit Communicator: A spirit who communicates with a medium, either verbally or visually.
Spirit Operator: A spirit who uses a medium to manipulate energy or energy systems.
Demonstrations of Mediumship: In old-line Spiritualism, a portion of the services, generally toward the end, is given over to the pastor, or another medium, who receives messages from the spirit world for the congregants. This may be referred to as a "demonstration of mediumship." A typical example of this older way of describing a mediumistic church service is found in the autobiography of C. Dorreen Phillips, written in 1958. Telling of the worship services at the Spiritualist Camp at Chesterfield, Indiana she wrote: "Services are held each afternoon, consisting of hymns, a lecture on philosophy, and demonstrations of mediumship."
Mental Mediumship: Mental mediumship is defined as communication of spirits with a medium by telepathy. The medium mentally "hears", "sees", and/or feels messages from spirits and, having received the communication, either directly or through the help of a spirit guide, the medium then passes on the information to the recipient(s) of the message. When a medium is doing a "reading" for a particular person, that person is known as the sitter.
Trance Mediumship: Trance mediumship is often seen as a form of mental mediumship.
Some mediums remain conscious during this communication period, while others go into a trance, wherein a spirit uses the medium's body to communicate. Trance mediumship is defined as a spirit taking over the body of the medium, sometimes to such a degree that the medium is unconscious. Part trance mediums are aware during the period of communication, while full trance mediums pass into an unconscious state in which their physical and mental processes are completely controlled by the spirit communicator.
In the 1860s and 1870s, trance mediums were among the most popular of lecturer-entertainers. Spiritualism had attracted adherents who had strong interests in social justice, and many trance mediums delivered passionate speeches on abolitionism, temperence, and women's suffrage.
Because the typical trance medium has no clear memory of the messages conveyed while in a trance, a medium of this type generally works with an assistant who writes down or otherwise records his or her words. A good example of this kind of relationship can be found in the early 20th century collaboration between the trance medium Mrs. Cecil M. Cook of the William T. Stead Memorial Center in Chicago (a religious body incorporated under the statutes of the State of Illinois) and the journalist Lloyd Kenyon Jones, a non-mediumistic Spiritualist who transcribed Cook's messages in shorthand and then edited them for publication in book and pamphlet form.
Physical Mediumship: Physical mediumship is defined as manipulation of energies and energy systems by spirits.
Physical mediumship may involve perceptible manifistations such as loud raps and noises, voices, materialized objects, apports, materialized spirit bodies, or body parts such as hands, and levitation. The medium is used as source of power and substance for such spirit manifestations. This is sometimes said to be accomplished using the energy or ectoplasm released by a medium.
Most physical mediumship is presented in a darkened or dimly lit room, and most physical mediums make use of a traditional array of tools and appurtenances, including spirit trumpets, spirit cabinets, and levitation tables.
Well-known Mediums: Some well-known mediums are Gordon Smith, Janet Birdseye (ST), Andrew Jackson Davis, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Paschal Beverly Randolph, Emma Hardinge Britten, Edgar Cayce, Jeane Dixon, Derek Acorah, Sylvia Browne, Kuda Bux, Allison DuBois, John Edward, Daniel Dunglas Home, Esther Hicks, Colin Fry, JZ Knight, Joseph Kony, Jane Roberts, Lekhraj Kripalani, Hirday Mohini, Sathya Sai Baba, David Wells, Lisa Williams, James Van Praagh, Rosemary Altea, Divaldo Pereira Franco, Chico Xavier, Richard Ireland, Clifford Bias, Julie May
Selected Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediumship
The term "mediumship" denotes the ability of a person (the medium) to experience and/or to tell others about their experiences of contact with spirits of the dead, spirits of non-corporeal entities, angels, and/or nature spirits. In addition to experiencing these spiritual phenomena directly, the medium generally facilitates communication between non-mediumistic people and spirits who may have messages to share.
A medium may listen to and relate conversations with spirit voices, go into a trance and speak without knowledge of what is being said, allow a spirit to enter his or her body and speak through it, or may use some form of physical tool, such as a writing pad, to relay messages from the spirits those who wish to contact them.
Mediumship is part of the belief system of some New Age groups.
In this context, and under the name channelling, it most often refers to a medium receiving messages from a teaching-spirit of advanced wisdom.
In some cultures, mediums (or the spirits working with them) are said to be able to produce physical paranormal phenomena such as materialisations of spirits, apports of objects, or levitation.
History of Mediumship
Methods of communicating with the dead and other spirits have been documented back to early human history.
One of the most famous mediums of all time was the Witch of Endor, who raised the spirit of the deceased prophet Samuel for the Hebrew king Saul, who wished to question his former mentor about an upcoming battle, as related in the First Book of Samuel in the Jewish Tanakh.
Mediumship became quite popular in the United States after the rise of Spiritualism as a religious movement. Modern Spiritualism is said to date to the mediumistic activities of the Fox sisters in New York state 1848. The trance mediums Paschal Beverly Randolph and Emma Hardinge Britten were among the most celebrated lecturers and authors on the subject in the mid 1800s.
Mediumship was also described by Allan Kardec, who coined the term Spiritism, around 1860.
After the exposure of the fraudulent use of stage magic tricks by physical mediums such as the Davenport Brothers, mediumship fell into disrepute, although it never ceased being used by people who believed that the dead can be contacted.
From the 1930s through the 1990s, as psysical mediumship became less practiced in Spiritualist churches, the technique of channelling gained in popularity, and books by channellers who related the wisdom of non-corporeal and non-terrestrial teacher-spirits became best-sellers amongst believers.
The Terminology of Mediumship
Spirit Guide: A spirit who brings other spirits to a medium's attention or carries communications between a medium and the spirits of the dead is called a "spirit guide." Many mediums claim to have specific guides who regularly work with them and "bring in" spirits of the dead. The relationship between the medium and the guide may be providential, or it may be based on family ties. In 1958, the English-born Spiritualist C. Dorreen Phillips wrote of her experiences with a medium at Camp Chesterfield, Indiana: "In Rev. James Laughton's seances there are many Indians. They are very noisy and appear to have great power.
The little guides, or doorkeepers, are usually Indian boys and girls [who act] as messengers who help to locate the spirit friends who wish to speak with you." Then, describing the mediumship of Rev. Lillian Dee Johnson of Saint Petersburg, Florida, she noted, "Mandy Lou is Rev. Johnson's guide. She was, on earth, a slave to Rev. Johnson's grandmother."
Spirit Communicator: A spirit who communicates with a medium, either verbally or visually.
Spirit Operator: A spirit who uses a medium to manipulate energy or energy systems.
Demonstrations of Mediumship: In old-line Spiritualism, a portion of the services, generally toward the end, is given over to the pastor, or another medium, who receives messages from the spirit world for the congregants. This may be referred to as a "demonstration of mediumship." A typical example of this older way of describing a mediumistic church service is found in the autobiography of C. Dorreen Phillips, written in 1958. Telling of the worship services at the Spiritualist Camp at Chesterfield, Indiana she wrote: "Services are held each afternoon, consisting of hymns, a lecture on philosophy, and demonstrations of mediumship."
Mental Mediumship: Mental mediumship is defined as communication of spirits with a medium by telepathy. The medium mentally "hears", "sees", and/or feels messages from spirits and, having received the communication, either directly or through the help of a spirit guide, the medium then passes on the information to the recipient(s) of the message. When a medium is doing a "reading" for a particular person, that person is known as the sitter.
Trance Mediumship: Trance mediumship is often seen as a form of mental mediumship.
Some mediums remain conscious during this communication period, while others go into a trance, wherein a spirit uses the medium's body to communicate. Trance mediumship is defined as a spirit taking over the body of the medium, sometimes to such a degree that the medium is unconscious. Part trance mediums are aware during the period of communication, while full trance mediums pass into an unconscious state in which their physical and mental processes are completely controlled by the spirit communicator.
In the 1860s and 1870s, trance mediums were among the most popular of lecturer-entertainers. Spiritualism had attracted adherents who had strong interests in social justice, and many trance mediums delivered passionate speeches on abolitionism, temperence, and women's suffrage.
Because the typical trance medium has no clear memory of the messages conveyed while in a trance, a medium of this type generally works with an assistant who writes down or otherwise records his or her words. A good example of this kind of relationship can be found in the early 20th century collaboration between the trance medium Mrs. Cecil M. Cook of the William T. Stead Memorial Center in Chicago (a religious body incorporated under the statutes of the State of Illinois) and the journalist Lloyd Kenyon Jones, a non-mediumistic Spiritualist who transcribed Cook's messages in shorthand and then edited them for publication in book and pamphlet form.
Physical Mediumship: Physical mediumship is defined as manipulation of energies and energy systems by spirits.
Physical mediumship may involve perceptible manifistations such as loud raps and noises, voices, materialized objects, apports, materialized spirit bodies, or body parts such as hands, and levitation. The medium is used as source of power and substance for such spirit manifestations. This is sometimes said to be accomplished using the energy or ectoplasm released by a medium.
Most physical mediumship is presented in a darkened or dimly lit room, and most physical mediums make use of a traditional array of tools and appurtenances, including spirit trumpets, spirit cabinets, and levitation tables.
Well-known Mediums: Some well-known mediums are Gordon Smith, Janet Birdseye (ST), Andrew Jackson Davis, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Paschal Beverly Randolph, Emma Hardinge Britten, Edgar Cayce, Jeane Dixon, Derek Acorah, Sylvia Browne, Kuda Bux, Allison DuBois, John Edward, Daniel Dunglas Home, Esther Hicks, Colin Fry, JZ Knight, Joseph Kony, Jane Roberts, Lekhraj Kripalani, Hirday Mohini, Sathya Sai Baba, David Wells, Lisa Williams, James Van Praagh, Rosemary Altea, Divaldo Pereira Franco, Chico Xavier, Richard Ireland, Clifford Bias, Julie May
Selected Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediumship
