Development of Mediumship - Pleasures and Pitfalls

by Ray Bailey

    Mediums cannot be made, they are born. However they often need help to develop their full potential. Students of mediumship usually join groups for development under the supervision of an experienced medium.

    Because of the nature of its development, when the first signs of successful contact with the spirit world are experienced, the student can sometimes enter a phase of overload. This is where the novice can become so infatuated with the subject, and their own potential ability, that they remain 'open'. This means trying to contact spirit under any conditions, and anywhere they might be. The temptation to give someone a message takes over, and often the novice is not aware of the nuisance they can be to others.

    This I call a pitfall, because true development can be hindered and adversely effected. The overloaded student can then find it difficult to differentiate between their own imagined contact, and the genuine. They should be taught to respect their own ability, and not treat it as an ego pleaser.

    If we take the example of clairvoyant ability, here the medium will see a vision, image, or symbol, etc, and then interpret its meaning. I have found that some budding mediums get confused by what they see, and what they think they see. This can be further explained by the fact that most visions are subjective, that is to say within the mind's eye somewhat like a tickertape across the forehead, and usually for a few seconds only. The true meaning of any symbol should be spontaneous and not require thinking about. The student must learn to 'touch' the 'feeling' of the image or vision. It is essential to remember that once the medium's mind becomes dominant and gets in the way, or questions what has been shown, there is the danger of adding meanings from past associations of the mind, leading to a complex breakdown of true spirit communication. Perhaps the simplest example is when the novice medium sees an image of a man's face. Maybe the face shown has a largish nose and this reminds him of a friend called Harry that he knew in the past. The danger could then be that he passes a message on from that spirit source, but uses the name of Harry.

    I have always had a reluctance to interpret a student's message for them because it would, I feel, be a hindrance to their development. Constant practice with unknown recipients is very important. However, the development group circle is crucial, even after the student has been fledged. No medium ever reaches a point where he or she can say they know it all, or where they have no more to learn.

    In any demonstration of mediumship, it is important for the medium to 'isolate' themselves from the recipients. They must reach within, and rise above the normal levels of earthly communication, and relate only what they are receiving, and nothing more. The novice must not allow the response of the recipient or their facial expressions to influence the true message. This state of greater awareness can be described as 'bliss', the medium knowing that they can get nothing wrong whilst linking to spirit in this way. This state can last for an hour or so, or perhaps only for a few minutes. It cannot be demanded or prolonged by demand, and great discipline is required to acknowledge that the spirit world is in control. Therefore they can close the contact as and when they wish.

    Often development will start with clairvoyant (visual) contact, and then gradually it will be combined with clairaudience (audible), and clairsentience (sensing). During a demonstration all three can be employed.

    There are other communication methods used, and perhaps the one most commonly abused is trance. Much that is said to be trance is not, and it is a great pity that there are so many who wish to delude sitters, and themselves, by this so called practice. True trance is a wonderful experience, and I well remember the times I have been taken out of my body, each time to the count of five. Every time I am taken out through my head, I loose my form. I become blissfully aware of peace, with no discomfort whatsoever. To rise above one's physical body and float in space is impossible to express in words. During the time I am out of my body, my spirit helper/control directly uses my vocal chords to speak to sitters in the circle, and to use my energy to produce some examples of physical phenomena.

    When sitting for development in a circle with others, the novice can often feel that they are getting larger, smaller, or floating. These sensations can be in the whole body, or in parts of it. The novice might have an overwhelming desire to speak, but might not know what to say. Often when this happens they will hold back, for fear of looking a fool in the eyes of those present. A trust in their inspirers and in their fellow sitters needs to be built up, and gradually this fear can be overcome. Should a novice start to speak in this way, it is crucial that the leader of the development group be convinced that he or she would not normally be aware of the subject content they are conveying. In other words the novice could not have read about it in a newspaper, magazine, or heard it on TV or radio. It can be claimed of course that we are all influenced by what we see in the media, but as time progresses, a way must be found to test the validity of the transmissions. A leader must be considerate in their testing, but not be gullible. BEWARE OF THOSE WHO CLAIM HIGH GUIDES BUT FAIL TO PROVIDE THE QUALITY OF EVIDENCE! However there is no doubt that an 'overshadowing' of the medium by a spirit can exist. Very useful information can be obtained in this way. Indeed this is common, and can be called 'inspired communication'.

    Where a novice shows promise of true trance, it must be considered how best to proceed. I suggest that a second circle be formed and that it sits only for the benefit of the novice, and that the fellow sitters understand that their own potential development would be on hold in this circle. When such a group is established, it follows that no pressure must be placed upon the novice to perform. The aim is to allow gradual, high quality mediumship to develop. The direction of the mediumship cannot be governed by the sitters, as it is the responsibility of the spirit world. To get reliable results can take months, but when obtained, the feelings of elation and satisfaction of a 'job well done' is beyond the description of everyday language, and perhaps might best be described as elation of the soul!

About the Author

    Ray Bailey has been able to forecast the future and to see and hear the spirit people from an early age. His earliest recorded prophesy was at the age of eight when he correctly forecast family events. His precognitive abilities progressed and later he predicted President J. F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963, Government changes, and certain air disasters.

    Working as a professional psychic and medium for over twenty-five years, he has advised and forecast future events for film and television celebrities. He has taught at the Arthur Findlay College for Psychic Studies at Stansted, Essex, England. Ray has the rare gift of producing highly detailed and accurate readings by post. His clients are world-wide and each reading is recorded on audio tape of approximately forty-five minutes to one hour long. Healing has always been of great interest to him, and he has the ability to transmit his healing energies to patients, both human and animal.

    Ray now lives in Spain and can be contacted on email at raybaileycentre@terra.es.