In modern society it is a natural reaction to view things through an analytical left-brain mindset. Indeed, we look to science for uncovering what we perceive to be unbiased truths, and hence the nature of reality and how things work. Through this lens, we often strip away other facets of experience in order to truly reach the kernel, forgetting that part of understanding the inner truth also requires at least an acknowledgement of the outer husk that must first be traversed. In other words, we ignore the journey and what it reveals regarding the greater truth of the final destination. We oftentimes skip the context of something in order to look solely at the content, inevitably missing out on vital information.
The same thing has happened with spirit communication through mediumship, in my opinion. Yes, the nuts-and-bolts of a reading declare the kernel to be an active participation with the spirit world and us through an individual, but it seems to me that we oftentimes take that perception for granted. Yes, we accept that communication can occur and we expect it to be so; we accept the evidence that the spirit communicators produce to show that they are indeed present and communicating – but do find frustration when it seems such evidence “falls short,” or is not what we would expect a person in spirit to communicate – or worse, the communication simply doesn’t happen and the reading is declared a “dud.” In these cases, both the medium and the participant are asking “What happened? Am I to blame?”
We think in such mechanical terms in today’s world, when it comes to spirit communication we think we should just be able to repeat the same “opening up” process and each reading will work the same way every time, for both the sitter and the medium. I think movies and television have contributed to this perception. But it is how we culturally think about reality: a mechanical process that reaps the same results if done the same way, over and over.
However, mediumship is not a mechanical process, it is a mystical one. This is something we have forgotten. We do not understand all there is to know about the nature of consciousness and how it works, so we cannot know all the variables that are occurring during the process of spirit communication. We have a general understanding of what is happening in a mediumship reading from a somewhat mechanical process (blending with the power of spirit; information passing through the subconscious part of the medium; moving into the right-brain for conscious acknowledgement), but aside from that, not much more.
A mystical process is an admission that a part of what is occurring is a mystery, and a very profound one at that. Some might even equate certain mystical experiences as a type of miracle. In modern society and the lens through which we engage it, it seems to me many of us have forgotten this part of the mediumship demonstration. We have become so focused on the mechanics in order to bring through the evidence of communication, we have forgotten to step back and really consider what is happening: We are having a mystical experience and are attempting to understand and define it. It is a mystical experience engaged solely through the nature of consciousness.
We can stand in awe at the latest technological piece of materialist gadgetry – What new “smart” device is capable of pulling off – yet not so much at the process of what is really happening between a group of people coming together to receive a message from a deceased loved one. We have accepted the kernel without understanding the context provided by its husk.
Mediumship is more than a message; it is an experience. It is about having a mystical experience and trying to understand it as it’s happening. It’s exciting and at times scary, because you cannot anticipate the nature of the experience… Even though you might have a general understanding of its mechanics.
What have we missed in mediumship by remaining so focused on the end result of survival evidence and a message – all of which are vitally important to prove its validity?
We’ve forgotten the essence of what is truly going on. It is a miracle of consciousness. Far more intelligent through the nature of Love than any “smart device.”