Inula Austin Soul Growth

Picture this….

A wizened lady, draped in a fringed scarf pours over a large crystal ball. In the darkened room, lit only by dim candlelight, the woman holds your future in her hands.

That, my friends, is pure fiction.

It certainly isn’t Mediumship.

Many people conflate ‘fortune telling’ with Mediumship, but they are two vastly different subjects.

The popular image of wise old women, reading tea leaves, cards and palms is all very mystical (and these arts do have their place) but generally misplaced when used to define mediumship. These subjects all fall into the category of ‘divination’ (using a tool to divine an answer) and should not be confused with Mediumship.

For many, the idea of becoming a Medium is woven fancifully with longings to see into the future, to become a wise oracle, to have sway and influence to help others (and themselves) and to have access to all the answers they (or anyone else) could ever need. In such Souls there is often an ego that is crying out to be loved and acknowledged, even adored by others, due to a difficult childhood or perhaps, persistent feelings of loneliness. Whilst the desire to help others, to provide healing and comfort to the grief stricken and unwell has always been a part of Mediumship, it is but a part of the whole picture.

Mediumship is the ability to communicate with discarnate entities (the so called ‘dead’).

Psychism is the ability to use your innate Soul Senses to ‘read’ another (usually living) person.

(Please see my previous post ‘Medium VS Psychic’ for a deeper explanation).

Why Mediumship?

If you are thinking about developing Mediumship I’d like you to ask yourself this question first:

‘Why do I want to become a Medium?’

Listen very carefully to your own reply.

What was your answer?

Perhaps your first thought was ‘to help others’? Or maybe ‘to heal people’? Both of these are admirable answers, yet they are still a little off the mark. If you set out thinking that you can heal the world or even help every person who seeks your counsel, you are in for a disappointment. Whilst it is a wonderful intention to set before sitting with a client, you will not be able to help, let alone save everyone. People are complex creatures and whilst a sitting always has the potential to change lives, it is up to the individual themselves to do that. Mediums do not have any ‘magic bullet’.

Now, ask yourself the question again;

‘Why do I really want to become a Medium?’

What comes into your mind now?

If your answer is ‘Because I’d love to be on stage in front hundreds of people’, ‘because I want to be famous’ or ‘I want to be rich!’ forget it. I know no financially wealthy Mediums.

For every TV Medium there are thousands of others who lives will go undocumented. The search for fame and fortune is usually an indication of an ego led Soul. If this is the life you want, the very best of luck to you, but I’d choose something other than Mediumship to get you there!

Service

The pivotal reason for Mediumship is to become a servant (an agent to work on behalf of) The All, The Great Spirit. To do good works, with reverence for all life & creation and to serve with compassion, all the peoples of the earth.

What is ‘Service’? It’s giving of yourself and your Mediumistic abilities without any expectation of reciprocity. It’s giving selflessly, with both love and sincerity.

For me, it was being called to Mediumship through a series of synchronicities which led me to a place of learning and to make my personal pledge to The Great Spirit; ‘I give you my life in order that I may serve you and work for you in my time here on the earth.’

That’s the level of commitment you are making or should be cognisant of making when you develop Mediumship. You are an agent, directed by The All, Guides & Teachers on the Other Side of Life, working in cooperation with a team of wonderful spirit people and beings, to bring knowledge of the continuation of life beyond this life to as many people as you can.

It sounds a bit preachy?

A Mediums job is not to prostelytise, to convince or convert. A vast number of us are non-denomenational – we don’t adhere to any organised system of religious belief. Our Spirituality and experiential knowledge usually forms the basis of our Mediumship and any ‘beliefs’ that we may have. For me it is not merely ‘faith based’, more the culmination of direct revelation or personal experiences.

Mediums do not exist to convince skeptics or debunkers. It is my experience that even the very best evidence of survival beyond physical death will not convince someone who is not ready to accept it as fact. My advice is, don’t waste your breath.

I’m in, but how do I develop?

Please don’t fall for any charmer who tries to sell you a weekend course to become a Medium. The Internet is full of such nonsense. Be discerning. Discernment is something you should learn to use and refine quickly. It can make the difference between becoming a good medium or a bad fortune teller. Seek out the best teacher, someone grounded with good, demonstrable experience, a background in all types of mediumship delivery (platform work, private sittings, teaching etc). Be careful; just because somebody has the face for TV or media, does not make them a Medium!

Mediumship must be unfolded naturally and slowly under the tutorledge and guidance of an experienced earthly teacher and spirit guides. It is essential that your are in a healthy state of mind to develop your abilities. If you are mentally or emotionally unbalanced, have received a serious psychological diagnosis, are grieving or have unhealed trauma, I would ask that you think twice about developing at this time. Love yourself enough to heal first and develop later, you’ll be grateful that you did.

Any imbalance of emotions or thinking may become magnified in those who sit for development. Most of us just about manage to weather the cycles of purging of habits, relationships and patterns that come naturally with spiritual unfoldment, but these may be very uncomfortable, if not downright dangerous for those who are vulnerable.

Find a good Development Circle led by a reputable teacher to sit in weekly. This is where you will be able to sit in the silence and the Power with like minded Souls all at different stages in their development. It’s a great place to get to know others, build friendships and gain support.

The Circle (its sitters) will provide the battery of power to enable your development, along with the Power of the Spirit which is the great source of energy from the Next World, which the Circle is embued with. These elements allow the natural unfoldment of anyone who wishes it.

Development of Mediumship is, for most, a slow process. My students groan when I tell them this, but the three most important things to bear in mind throughout your journey are: Trust, Patience & Persistence.

I’ve always seen the Spirit People, why should I bother sitting in a Circle?

If I had a pound coin for everytime I’ve heard this! Mediumship has its basis in our Soul Senses (the ‘Clairs’), as we are all Souls, EVERYBODY could, technically develop Mediumship.

Now, whether everybody should develop these senses is worthwhile considering. If you seek out a good teacher they will not only help you by guiding you along your path, they will offer general spiritual education, their own experience and hopefully also give guidance on the ETHICS of mediumship. Mediums may cause untold damage to vulnerable clients if not trained in the ethics and correct delivery of their links. I know of friends (who also happen to be mediums) who have received the most horrendous predictions from self proclaimed ‘natural born’ Mediums. Please, always seek training. Would you trust a ‘natural born’ brain surgeon to operate on yourself or a loved one? You see, discernment is necessary. ( The Spiritualist National Union and other well informed independent schools and academies throughout the UK and the World offer training and weekly development circles to individuals at all stages of development.)

I’ve been sat in a Circle for 3 months, when can I start to give readings to people?

Woah there! What’s the rush? It can be very exciting to realise that you are able to communicate with those in the Great Beyond, but try to pace yourself. A number of mediums, early on in their journey, rush out to take services, give demonstrations and deliver private sittings (I include myself among them). This may not only be a quick route to burnout, but developmental shortcomings and a lack of practice may often be great stumbling blocks which can prove incredibly frustrating and cause many to throw in the towel. At such an early stage you simply don’t have the experience to give the very best of yourself. Only you can ultimately decide when the time is right, but please take the following into consideration: do you feel that you have the ability to listen to people without judgement or offering them your advice? Can you deliver Spirit contacts without crying or getting overly emotional or involved? Are your links directive? (Do they contain lots of ‘shoulds’ and ‘musts’?) Do you give future predictions and absolutes? Do you guarantee communication with specific spirit people? Do you believe that the spirit people are infallible? Do you give medical or health diagnoses?

Remember: Trust, Patience & Persistence.

It would serve us all well to remember that spiritual and mediumistic unfoldment is the journey of many, many lifetimes, ad infinitum. It is a wonderful ongoing path to ultimate enlightenment, which will never truly be over and that is why you cannot become a medium in a weekend or even a few months. I am continually learning and I love that! I hope that you can also learn to enjoy the journey and not just focus upon the destination.

I would always advise students to bide their time until they honestly feel that they can do themselves and more importantly, the people of the Spirit World, justice.

Who’s the boss?

When it comes to your Mediumship development, YOU are always in control, by that I mean that ultimately, you get to decide whether to pursue development, how long for and how to use your Mediumship. It is your personal responsibility to develop and deliver your Mediumship to the very highest degree possible. I see many mediums who seem to give up on their development and learning once they can competently deliver a link. This is a real shame and is ultimately responsible for the low standard set by many mediums today. Never settle! I would recommend that all mediums (at whatever stage of their journey) remember that they work for God.

We do what we do in order to serve The Great Spirit in this physical dimension, because without the work of the Spirit People and the essence that gives us all life (Source/God/The Great Spirit etc), we could not even be mediums.

If you can always keep this perspective, then you won’t go far wrong.

What is meant to be, will be.

If it is your Soul’s Plan to Serve the Great Spirit in this incarnation, then serve them you will. There is a truism that states ‘Many are called, few are chosen’ and I can attest to this, through my own experience. Those who are born to do the work of God upon the earth, will be helped to do it and will generally do so quietly and humbly, without fanfare or spotlight. Those committed to the service of spirit will perform even the smallest acts of kindness and compassion each and everyday, for they are the truly developed souls.

We are all on an infinite journey and part of our Soul’s growth is to evolve to recognise service to others as the foundation of our lives, communities and society on a global scale. Mediumship is but a small part of this evolution of humanity, what is named the ‘Divine Plan’ is really a return to acknowledging and understanding ourselves as spiritual creatures experiencing physicality for a short while.

If you you feel drawn to being a part of this evolution, in whatever form, then that is very heartening indeed. Dedicate yourself to doing everything you do with love and kindness for your fellow beings, for the animal kingdom, the natural world, Mother Earth and Father Sky. It doesn’t even matter whether this includes mediumship or not, there are a million ways to serve.

Whilst we all have the potential to develop mediumship, the same might be said of our shared innate capacity to develop more compassion and understanding, to adopt better ways of living, to eradicate poverty and misery in the world, to refocus on upliftment and spirituality, rather than greed and materialism.

*If you have any questions on developing mediumship, please pop them in the comments below