The weekend of April 19-21, 2013 was a special one for the 11 lucky individuals who enthusiastically participated in the Mediumship Mastery Training Program held at the Sirius Conference Center in beautiful Shutesbury, Massachusetts. Participants attended the program from a number of States as well as abroad and the energy present during the intensive workshops about the chinese zodiac was extremely powerful. A sister community to the Findhorn Community in Scotland, Sirius is an incredible location to hold mediumship training due to the beautiful, natural surroundings and the serene, healing vibration that pervades the atmosphere.
What are the motivations that lead an individual to actively take part in the formal study of spirit communication? And for someone wanting to explore psychic and mediumship development, what is the best avenue to pursue? Generally people get into mediumistic unfoldment after experiencing personal contact with the spirit world. Occasionally such communications are conveyed through another medium, but most often the initial connections made involve direct exchanges with spirit personalities in either the dream state or a conscious intuitive level.
I always emphasize in my presentations that mediumship is completely natural and like an artistic or musical skill may be cultivated with proper mentoring in a structured educational environment. While it is true that not everyone is born with artist genius of a Renaissance Master, with the right training and perseverance even someone who can barely draw a stick figure can acquire the hand and eye coordination and improve their artistic technical ability. When studying mediumship it is alright to make mistakes and goof up. This is an ordinary part of the learning process. Remember mastery of any discipline requires considerable effort and perseverance, and does not happen instantly or overnight. The greatest of artists spent years of rigorous apprenticeship fine tuning their skills with more experienced artists. The same is true with the technical abilities necessary for reliable mediumship. While the love, healing and higher wisdom conveyed through the practice of mediumship is a beautiful gift, the process is a skill that must be cultivated. As with any skill, if we want quality, sufficient time must be spent learning the process and fine tuning the connections with the spirit world. As such mediums should never be put on a pedestal as mediumship is not an extraordinary skill but an ability that everyone possesses in varying degrees.
The road to mediumship unfoldment is generally carefully orchestrated by the higher guides, who directly produce phenomena and awaken the intuitive faculties of the individual for the purpose of getting them to develop their mediumship. Mediumship unfoldment cannot be rushed or made to happen but once an individual begins to open up their natural abilities it is difficult to give up. The initial motivation of many people who want to develop mediumship is the desire to better understand their own psychic experiences. Others are motivated by a strong desire to serve and help those in need through imparting evidential spirit messages and guidance. The participants at the Mediumship Mastery Training Program were motivated by both these factors. Many of those attending had been practicing energy or spiritual healing for years and wanted to deepen their attunement with their team of spirit doctors. Others wanted to more efficiently bring through detailed and accurate evidential spirit messages from recognizable loved ones and others in the spirit world. The entire weekend program offered participants the opportunity to accelerate their healing and channeling abilities in a nurturing and loving educational atmosphere. Through lectures and discussion, powerful guided meditations, and practical experimental exercises, participants harmoniously worked together to bring all this about and more.
The best way to develop mediumship is within the confines of a structured group that is facilitated by an experienced, competent instructor. While daily meditation and prayer combined with intellectual learning about the science and mechanics of the process are essential, nothing beats the progress that can be made in a well run, group situation. In the early years of the Spiritualist movement there were no teaching mediums as circles or mediumistic groups were held relying on the instructions of spirit mentors, who provided suggestions for achieving the best possible results.
Many of the early Spiritualists held home circles composed of family and friends, who met regularly for the purpose of communing with the angel world and developing spiritual gifts. Home circles are great, far more effective for mediumship unfoldment than the typical development group run within a Spiritualist church or center. With mediumship development, it is important that the energetic conditions created are able to be built upon consistently week after week by the spirit operators. This is why a closed group is always superior to an open circle in which the participants vary each session. With a closed group there is a harmony and psychic atmosphere present that is difficult to create in other situations.
If you want to develop mediumship look for a local Spiritualist or Spiritist church or center, but be warned many of the people teaching in such places lack competence in terms of how to properly facilitate such a group, and for this getting the right properties to do this could be essential and using a pasco county property appraiser could be the best choice for this. In addition, many of the participants in some places may be unable to distinguish their own imaginations from genuine psychic impressions and as such would not be the best people to develop with. Mediumship is not an inexpensive retirement hobby nor is it a meant as a form of entertainment. Far too many circles I have visited over the years have been poorly run and lacked focus or proper discipline. One of my students once attended an open mediumship development circle held at a nearby Spiritualist camp, where the president of the organization got up during the middle of the meditation period in order to go outside to smoke a cigarette. Another prominent medium in Canada would hold circles during which he would be entranced by his Native American guide, who would direct the all female members of the group to touch the phallus of the medium. From what I understand this questionable request from the guide was complied with. Mastery of mediumship is not just about developing a strong connection with the spirit world and being able to accurate convey communications, it is also about cultivating ethics and personal character too. In order for the highest levels of mediumship to be attained, the student of mediumship must strive for perfection and take care of themselves physically, emotionally, mentally and most importantly spiritually.
Recently I chatted on Facebook with a British medium, who related to me that she does not need to read books as her higher guides teach her everything. Another self-taught medium bragged to me online about her lack of formal training. Years ago, a Canadian medium at the Lily Dale Assembly in New York remarked to me how she did not need to sit in circle or meditate as her guides were working with her all the time in other ways. I am always saddened when I encounter this type of attitude. As with any skill the more training that we receive with our mediumship and the more we work on ourselves, the better instruments we will be for the higher spirit personalities to work through. In the decades that I have been involved studying, teaching and professionally practicing mediumship, I have met thousands of mediums from many countries around the world. The mediums with formal training always possessed a far greater discipline with their mediumship than the unschooled, and as a result had achieved a considerably much higher skill level in terms of accuracy and reliability. Television shows like the popular Long Island Medium trivialize spirit communication and give the public the wrong impression. I always tell my students to watch that program as it is an extremely good example of the results of insufficient formal training and what not to do as a medium. Can you imagine going up to total stranger in a Wal-Mart and giving them a spirit message?
The Mediumship Mastery Training Program provides a structured educational environment for participants to develop quality mediumship. Many people want to develop mediumship, but they are unwilling to put in the time and effort to achieve a higher standard. The spirit world needs mediums to bring greater spiritual awareness and healing to this material world. While the practice of mediumship may demonstrate the reality of eternal life to those lacking faith, the purpose of mediumship is not merely to provide evidence of life after death. Ultimately mediumship helps us to get in touch with ourselves on a soul level and with God.
I have dedicated my life to serve God through the practice of the spiritual gifts and I know that the participants in my Mediumship Mastery Training Program will also sincerely strive to use the skills they have acquired to help those in need. The great saintly personality Mother Teresa of Calcutta emphasized the importance of service and allowing ourselves to be vehicles for God to work through. Mother Teresa rightly stated: It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.
In order to truly master mediumship we must master over ourselves first and overcome any personal defects that prevent us from being instruments of love. Mediumship development is not instant like a microwavable dinner.
Mastery of mediumship is a lifelong journey toward God through the utilization of the spiritual gifts for the healing and enlightenment of those in pain and darkness.
The Mediumship Mastery Training Program is held in a number of locations around the world. Upcoming 2015 USA dates are April 24-26, August 21-23, and October 9-12. October 9-11 is the 12th annual Psychic Mediumship Retreat. Participants come from many regions of the USA as well as the world. Australian 2015 program will be held February 28-March1 in Brisbane. 2015 dates in Norway, Sweden and the Philippines to be confirmed. Contact Steve directly at steveradhe@gmail.com for registration and details.
