Welcome to the Tuesday Coffee Hour here on Street Prophets. This is an open thread where we can hang out and talk about what’s going on in our worlds. Today I thought we’d start a discussion by talking about mediums.
Mediums are individuals who are able to mediate between the living and the dead. They interact with ghosts and spirits, often doing this on behalf of other people. In this sense, they often have a ritual function comparable to that of a priest or minister.
Unlike a priest or minister who has learned rituals through formal training, the medium is born with the psychic ability to communicate with the dead. The medium has an innate ability. This skill is not learned, but it is polished and recognized.
There are some who feel that all humans have the psychic ability to communicate with the dead. It is just a matter of recognizing and nourishing this ability. It is not uncommon to find workshops (for which there is often a fee) which claim to be able to train people to become mediums. According to one website:
Whatever the reason is that you want to learn how to communicate with the dead, you only need to have the genuine desire and belief to do it. The steps here will help you to communicate with your dead loved ones.
While mediums are found in religious traditions throughout the world, some religions do not believe that it is possible to communicate with the dead. In religious traditions, for example, in which there is an emphasis on the reincarnation of the soul into another living entity, communication with the dead is not seen as possible since the dead have been reborn and are now alive.
Some Christian denominations not only discourage the practice of mediums, but feel they are in contact with evil forces. One Protestant Christian website carries the following warning:
God has given us strong warnings in the Bible on the issue of whether or not we should attempt to contact the dead or other spirits (i.e. angels, saints, deceased family members or friends, etc). He also addresses the issue of reincarnation. His commands to us on these issues are unambiguous. Reincarnation is a fairy tale, and we should make no attempts whatsoever to seek contact with spirits (except God himself). That includes deceased relatives, friends or anyone else including “saints” and the Virgin Mary. God clearly tells us that it is not possible for us to contact our deceased loved ones, and that there are great spiritual dangers lurking for those who attempt to do so.
This is an open thread. What do you think: is it possible to communicate with the dead? If you haven’t been talking with the dead recently, what have you been talking about? Most important: What’s for dinner?