The way they show 'visions' in this film is fairly accurate I thought
Last night at my mediumship class I discovered something that literally hadn’t occurred to me before. That some mediums look down on psychics. This would be because psychics are able to pick up on the energy vibrations around them whereas mediums receive their information from ‘the other side’, therefor psychics are not providing evidence of an afterlife they way mediums do. Apparently mediums see psychics as ‘having their place’.
This is a bit of a bastard because I’m probably more psychic than medium if I’m honest, although, I do hope to one day say that I am a ‘psychic medium’. The class is a bit step in bridging the gap and developing either side of these abilities. I enjoyed last night and I felt like I got some really good information on how to decipher messages I receive.
Like yesterday before class, we went shopping. While we were parking my old history teacher from secondary popped into my head. I remembered he had a son who was heavily disabled and I wondered if he was still living (the son). He was a really nice man, I hadn’t thought about him in years and years. When we were leaving the shop, I let the kids have a shot of the wee ride at the entrance. While I was standing I saw someone walk past who glanced and smiled at them. It was HIM. My old history teacher. I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t seen the man in years. I told Laurence when we got back in the car but he is used to these sort of things and just nodded. He thinks some of the stuff that happens with me is freaky but mostly he just thinks I’m a freak.
That is probably a psychic thing. If I had thought about it more, and maybe if I had gotten more of a feeling either way that his son had passed away and MAYBE if I had received some sort of message then MAYBE it could have been a Medium thing.
When we sat in our meditation circle last night I saw some really clear images. These were repeated from a previous meditation a few nights ago but much stronger and with more information. When it was my turn to discuss what I had seen I was surprised that one of the longer standing member’s of the group said she could completely understand everything I had seen and wondered if it was a message trying to be relayed. This is my first ever time having experience of a meditation having the potential to be a message FOR someone so I was gobsmacked. I’ve been Tarot cards reading properly for about 4 years and that certainly has it’s moments.
Anyway…. I’ll keep you posted.
16 responses so far ↓
Gaia // November 20, 2008 at 6:59 am
Gosh, well Alanna! I definitely think that we have the capacity to be psychic, and that this is dead strong in some, but I don’t believe in mediums – haven’t really come into contact with any, mind, & no dead (or undead) have spoken to me … great you’re getting something out of it though
fionaf // November 20, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Alanna, a lassie I work with is dead keen on fortune tellers and sees this particular one about once a year. Loads of what she’s told her has happened so it kind of freaks me out a bit. I’ve never been brave enough to go with her as I’d hate to be told something unsettling (although I know they don’t tell you if they see something really bad but I still reckon I’d see it in their face). I had no idea they had training classes for it although I suppose it makes sense now you mention it.
Tell us more.
Alanna // November 20, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Well Fiona, in terms of the cards I use are actually a set which was bought for me when I was 15. They are called Titania’s Fortune Cards. They aren’t you’re typical Tarot Cards because they are a modern take on a design thats been around since Napoleon. People build up a relationship with their cards and mine are very special to me because they have never let me down. I have people that I do regular readings for and it always amazes me how accurate they are. I mean, there I am, looking at a bunch of cards and talking (and people do that whole poker face thing where they don’t want to give information/confirmation because they think you are reading their reactions thing) so im talking thinking “Fuck, am i just talking a lot of shite here….are they just thinking im a total wank here!” then when the reading is over and they (honestly) say im spot on I am TOTALLY gobsmacked. I know I believe in it but I also have this massive sceptic complex in me so when I get something right then it totally floors me. With Tarot I always feel a little drained after a reading, its like walking through 8inch snow for 2 miles thats how i feel afterwards but it’s worth it because it always refreshes my belief.
I did a reading for a friend of a friend who I’d never met. It was online over MSN so I didn’t know if it would work, not to mention the fact the woman was in Australia. So here I was sitting with the cards out infront of me, writing screeds and screeds over MSN deciphering each line, not being able to see the womans face or hear her voice while im doing the reading. I thought it would be a real test of the accuracy of Tarot Reading because all the factors were taken away that usually people think ‘influence’ a reading.
Sooo I was totally AMAZED and i mean….totally FLOORED when the woman told me I was spot on with the reading. I mean, this woman was in Australia……
As far as I know though, Tarot doesn’t call on the ‘other side’ in fact I know it doesn’t.
As far as Mediumship goes, I think i need convincing that it is real. Although I have strange experiences and stuff like that and I am going to the development circles…there is a big part of me that wonders, in fact im actually frightened that, mediums are conditioned in these classes to either consciously or subconsciously read someone. So far, I haven’t seen evidence of that. I have never had a medium give me a reading but I have seen people I’m with (like my mum/mother in law/friend) all get one and I have to say its amazing. Some of the information/images I had in the initial meditation the other night was really really clear, infact it was a repeat of information I got a few nights before before I went to sleep after church except with more information. When I shared what I had got with the circle (and this was just an excercise remember) one of the more seasoned circle members said she understood everything that I had said. I was totally amazed and i wanted to find out if this was for real but for some reason the trainer just skipped over it, i suppose she had a few people to get around and then I never got to speak to that lady but Ill get hold of her tonight and see how right I was. So thats ONE thing….. thats the first time information I have got I have been able to share (and not be laughed at) and have someone say “hey, I can understand all that”….. without cards i mean.
Im rabbling as usual. I mean, people either believe in it or they don’t. So…
I tell you though, a fortune teller or medium will NEVER never ever ever tell you something bad or negative. If they are properly trained they should be able to keep their facial reactions in check although I have to admit that I get dead excited if something comes up that the person is looking for…. for example, i usually tell people to focus on an issue or issues they are looking for guidance in because it helps focus the reading. So if loads of stuff on love/friendship/money whatever comes up I just get totally amazed and that….
Annnnway. I have a class tonight so …. I had some good images come to me as i got into bed last night…… we shall seeee. i ll let you know.
if you would like a reading done through tarot then i would be happy to. I never charge except for a large group otherwise at partys you get a whole street wanting done and i end up in a coma for the next 4 days.
xx
Alanna // November 20, 2008 at 3:29 pm
ps, look at the length of that post fuck sake. its hard for me to be concise about it mostly because i have two sides of opinions.
People write books and books of the subject. I have done my homework on this for years (8 I think) so if you have any questions I will try to answer them although im far from an expert as yet.
Alanna // November 20, 2008 at 3:48 pm
pps….. what a wank i sound like!!!!
no wonder i got heavy banned from the Limmy playground. hahaha ohhh deaaar
Alanna // November 20, 2008 at 11:29 pm
thats me in. I had some cracking images last night and the developed today. Tonight I was talking to a woman and it turned out it was her brother. thats all ill say. im totalllly totalllllyyyy AMAZED!
bakerka23 // November 21, 2008 at 8:32 am
Alanna, you don’t sound like a wank. The impression I get is that you’re very sincere and a bit overwhelmed by this ‘ability’ (exactly how a medium/fortune-teller ought to be, in my opinion). I find the whole subject fascinating and you’re the first person I’ve ever known who has been involved directly.
I had a few issues a while back that still trouble me so I’ll maybe take you up on your offer some day – I’ll keep you posted.
A woman I know lost her daughter at age 6 (she was knocked down) and she went to someone cos she was haunted by the idea that the wee girl suffered a lot of pain before she died. The lady she saw gave her loads of info about stuff in the wee girls bedroom and other things she couldn’t possibly have known. My only doubt about it all is this;
If a fortune teller gives you info that THEY don’t know, it’s almost always stuff that the client knows so could it not be that they’re reading the thoughts of the client, rather than getting guidance from people who’ve died?
Do you often get information that the person you’re doing the reading for couldn’t possibly know?
I’m pure freaking now. I’m away to the school.
Alanna // November 21, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I’ve calmed down a bit today. Last night when I came in I was trying to tell Laurence and I was so excited I was shouting at the top of my voice nearly and he had had a bursting sore head all night, oops.
I know what you mean here Fiona. Was she just reading the womans energy and getting images from HER mind? Is it a case of psychic or medium? I wouldn’t know because I’ve never met her. Thats a shame about your friends daughter. Interestingly I had images of a little boy about that age last night. Only for a wee second though and I got a name.
I had to think about your question because I wasn’t sure, usually the people I do readings for have stuff that they want answers about (obviously I don’t ask what that is etc but you can usually tell by the way the cards lay). I have had a couple of really excellent experiences though. I had a pregnancy come up for an older lady I was reading for and I met her in the post office a few months later and her daughter was pregnant (i also read for her but that didnt come up). i was gobsmacked about that lol. I didn’t know these people frm Adam it was crazy.
Also, I did an online reading for my friend Fiona. She was a puuuure skeptic right and the reading I did for her (only my second online reading ever) was really confusing. Fiona didnt keep well and didn’t socialise hardly at all, she worked from home and she was a bit of a hermit. She was a neighbour in our old close so id known her for literally years. So anywayyyy, I did this reading for her and IN it there was talk about a MAN, a relationship but it wasn’t centred round any new situation or invitations or social events. He was just there. Fiona hadn’t had a boyfriend in like 8 years no joke. She just pure laughed at me and it actually knocked my confidence a little because I was thinking, “how can this come out, even I can tell its far fetched!”
Annnnnyway, about 2 months later I was in hers for a cuppa and she let me in on a little secret. about a week after my reading she started to get funny phonecalls (answer/hangup ones). It turned out to be an ex boyfriend of hers (one of those ones you wish you wer still with) who was phoning her and eventually they started talking again. then one night he turned up after a night out unannounced and they got back together.
I reminded her about the reading. In fact, I went back and SENT her the MSN convo of the reading and asked her what she made of THAT haha. She was pretty impressed after that. She hadn’t been out, she hadn’t been looking yet somehow here she was in a relationship. Probably the only relationship she had wanted to be in for over 8 years since she split up with the guy.
Alanna // November 21, 2008 at 4:33 pm
I had a look through the computer to see if I could find the orignal text of the reading. I didn’t find it but I DID find the picture of the reading I did for her. Amazing. obviously looking back I might be interpreting it slightly more ‘accurate’ as they say hindsight is a wonderful thing but i still think thats been one of the more brilliant things to come from a reading. there is no way she would have known she would be back together with an ex of over 8 years within the next couple of months. mental.
Del // November 22, 2008 at 4:31 am
None of this is real. What you are describing isn’t evidence to support some claim ‘ability’. The reasons people are drawn towards things like this and the logical traps that people fall into are more interesting. Check out the Forer Effect or Cold Reading or this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXsCyJ_tpw0
alannaonline // November 22, 2008 at 11:56 am
Thanks for posting Del. You’re right none of the stuff I have described is real evidence or proof that there is such an ability or that I even have it. All of the stuff could be coincidence or luck.
As for cold reading, I read the Wiki definition. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind this is what a lot of people do. I’ve started going to the class to help me make sense of stuff I see and things that happen and to be honest the prospect of just being taught how to ‘cold-read’ (without that actually being mentioned) was totally terrifying. But I haven’t seen evidence of that so far. With Tarot, all i do is look at cards and say what I see- the set I use is really simple and straightforward, so I couldn’t really fool anyone into fitting the cards around them even though I do read for people I know well. Is it subconscious though? I know myself pretty well and I can’t say it is. As I say, I don’t make money out of it and I have no interest in making money out of it. The only thing I gain is a sore head and deep fatigue for a few days.
As I say, I was worried that mediumship was a learned trick and that maybe i was going to be let in on some massive joke and be really disappointed. However, as I said in my blog up there- what I have taken from it so far is a bit of self believe to actually GO with the images and things I see when everything is quiet and not dismiss it as my over-active imagination. When I did this I got information about someone who had died that I never met, I had no idea existed never mind how they died. I still thought it was my imagination though until it came up in the class when it turned out to be VERY accurate information.
As I say, I have been skeptical but I can’t explain this. How could I pull this information and images of a person I don’t know out of thin air? When I found out how accurate it was the other night, I was shaking because it was scary to think WHERE had i got it? Getting into my bed and seeing a face isn’t my idea of relaxing for sleep. the rest of the information i got walking to the hairdressers.
So i think you are right. I have’t provided proof here and I do think fraud exists sadly. Is what I do with Tarot cold reading? All I can say is I don’t think so. My Australian reading where I had never spoken to the woman or met her or actually knew anything about her showed me that.
My wee brother is a total skeptic…to the point of rudeness (sorry Bryan- he is though Claire eh?) so if at some point I manage to provide something to change his mind I would feel happy. If people don’t believe in the afterlife they dont believe. As I said, I was nervous it was some elaborate money making conspiracy but I haven’t found that and I’m really glad because I’ve finally found explanations to a lot of things.
Del // November 23, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Where does it come from? Its called self-validation or the Forer Effect.
I’m not saying your a fraud or are knowingly tricking people, but the reason you or the person you are reading get that sense of amazement, is a well documented psychological effect. Its nothing to do with any special ability and everything to do with not rationally investigating that feeling and look at the evidence.
Derren Brown is always showing how it works. Check this one out: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbtP_vy5cQq4&ei=gHspSeXBL4nYsAPM7piqAg&usg=AFQjCNHi3v-ifB6Hn9916H5_5_rVtlanbw&sig2=VcY4KKHWw0zzT5-XjkZj9g
or this
alannaonline // November 23, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Its easy to make general sweeping statement as wait for the person to either confirm or deny and then move from there. Even I can see that, people aren’t stupid and I’m sure they know the difference between someone doing that and a true medium or psychic.
The video of Derren Brown being a ‘medium’ although he says he is ‘using the same techniques employed by most successful psychics but he is faking mediumship’ how did he get that information about those people. I think by the look on the first womans face there was a few things she was too polite to disagree with- although the elevator image was a good one. The black woman was slightly impressive but I would say that from her appearence, her style, her race….it could be easy to make the slightly general statements about her relationship.
Saaaaying that, how did he get that information? where did it come from? feelings about the person he was reading for? feelings or impressions about the person he was talking about? This is a form of mediumship in itself called Clairsentience. Just because Derren Brown SAYS hes ‘faking’ it, doesn’t mean that he is- he might want to believe he is but infact he isn’t. Who knows.
I respect Derren Brown, I think it’s good that there are people out there doing that sort of thing. The cards, and the feeling of wonderment being an element of psychology I have to disagree with. Psychology is by far a perfect science and I don’t want to go into the big arguement about its failings.
All I know is I was nervous about accepting that mediumship was real for a lot of reasons and I was nervous about exploring my own ‘abilities’ because of the possibility I would find a rational explanation rather than the paranormal one I ‘wanted’ to believe. This hasn’t been the case yet. While I believe that there are a lot of fakes, or, at the very least, people who aren’t very skilled at mediumship- I do believe it exists and I have to say my own experience of this at the start of the week really confirmed this.
I had attended the church on the Thursday. It was a simple service and a medium gave out reading. I had my wary hat on but I found no major issue with the enviroment. Around 20 people in a room and I have to say very good accuracy in readings because my mother-in-law got one and it was excellent. I enquired attended a development circle for two hours the following Tuesday with about 20 people split into groups of 4. I was in an all male group and I didn’t actually get to really speak to anyone else in the room, plus we were in darkness the majority of the time.
At one point we went through a guided meditation (your on a beach blah blah blah). We were asked to relax and become aware of any images that came to us. The night before, whilst doing my own meditation in bed- I had recieved images which were very clear. In the group meditation I was surprisd to find these images repeated but even clearer and with more information. When I relayed them to the group I was surpised that (unlke the rest of the new peoples images) my images actually rang true with a woman. I was amazed but I didn’t get to speak with her further about this. I decided that after Service on Thursday, I would speak to her about it to see if I was getting valid images.
Again, as I meditate every night, as I lay in relaxing, the image of a young man came into my mind. Imagine someone showing you a passport photo from about 3 arms lengths away for about 2 seconds. I was surprised because I didn’t expect (really because as i say I was still wary about this whole process being real and not just imagined) to see anything new. I just waited quietly until I saw anything else. Eventually I got a fuller picture, now imagine someone showing you a 4×6 photo in your hand.
I saw a young man, lovely smile and dirty fair floppy style hair sitting on a rock in a sunny day. I would describe him as distinctive looking and I was surprised that the image of his face didn’t change, the image didn’t alter which I was expecting it to because I’m not the absolute best at holding a stable image in my mind.
I saw the sole of a shoe, a mans shoe with an almost pointed toe and then I noticed the young guy was wearing flared type trousers. I got the number 78. Then I saw very very clearly the image of a tree. I also then saw the image of a car. I tried to think if possibly this person had crashed into a tree but nothing came to mind, I didn’t get the image of that happening. I just saw very clearly the car and the tree.
The next day I wrote the above blog in which I mention the ‘images’ I had been getting but was unsure about being valid. I went on my way to class, I was meeting my friend Claire at the hairdressers first.
Coming away from the bus stop I was aware of being in a deep daydream. The images of the young guy were repeating in my mind but this time I got a name. When Claire came out of the hairdressers we made our way to have coffee near the church and I told her what images I had got the night before. I thought it was important to do that because of the apparent accuracy of my images on the Tuesday but which I hadn’t shared with her. She was intrigued but I said it was probably nothing and at any rate I wouldn’t know who they applied to if it WAS real.
After service I noticed the lady from Tuesday who had recognised my images standing and I thought I’d approach her. I began talking to her but I realised that I could NOT for the life of me remember the name of the person who I’d had images of on Tuesday. My freind Claire piped in the name of the person I had told her about THAT NIGHT which wasn’t the same. The woman immediately said, ‘That is my son’s name!’. I explained it was a different thing my friend was talking about. This woman has been training as a medium for a while I think so I decided I should tell her about my experience of the images I got earlier and the night before to see if she thought they were REALLY coming from somewhere other than my imagination.
As I described everything I had seen, the name that I had got etc she just looked at me. when I was finished she told me that it was her brother. I thought she was joking but she told me she was serious and wouldn’t joke about it. She told me her brother (as described) had died in a car accident at age 18. I reminded her of the tree image which considering the information she had just gave me was the only thing I couldn’t place. She told me that what infact had happened was that he was the passenger in a car which had gone over a roundabout and smashed into a tree. I’ve already described my reaction to this information.
I have to say Del (although I know this is a long long winded reply) I had never spoken to this woman before, literally, I’d sat in the same room as her a couple of times but hardly really noticed her other than when she appeared to recognise my previous images. The images I had got were very real and stable, and not something I would be inclined to conjure up. I wouldn’t class these images as general either. I mean, they were very specific images.
I understand how a person might be able to look at a person then make sweeping general statements and seek validation (subconsciously or consciously) but I don’t understand how these things could happen twice in a row to me, and I’ve already said I am slightly reserved about the whole thing, with a person I don’t know with images that I couldn’t really have constructed in my own mind.
As I say, I totally respect your opinion and I respect Derren Brown as well but I think that there isn’t enough understanding here and the search for the ‘logical’ has overridden the ability to see the explaination.
Gaia // November 24, 2008 at 1:01 am
Ooooooooh, it’s exciting though! I did go see an astrologist once and I’m not a ‘believer’ but she was spot on. And I don’t care if she ‘read’ me or thought she saw it in the stars (it wasn’t generalist bullshit), it resonated … AND, and … she freakily was able to tell me the time of my birth. However, her whole thing is that we were all old souls and bring into this life memories of past existences, which again while not fully believing, (I’m cynical of my own shadow some days), I could relate to more than that we go to a ‘place’ we’re we wait to perhaps speak to the odd medium who can tell alive family that we love them and are proud of them (sorry, that bit in Sixth Sense in the car gets me every time!). I think you sound like you have an open mind though Alanna, get out of it what you can.
Del // November 24, 2008 at 4:20 pm
You can’t pick and choose how logic works. You have a logical theory, you make a claim, you back it up with evidence. Someone else tests you theory. If its true, they could get the same evidence. That’s how science works and its achieved some amazing things.
The onus is on mediums and psychics to prove their claims and none of them every have.
alannaonline // November 24, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Thats not true actually Del, a good medium or one that attracts interest at least will always attend for tests if they are asked. Thousands of mediums have assisted scientific studies. More recent mediums have included Gordon Smith- the Glaswegian medium who assisted scientists at Glasgow Uni.
Science versus, what is essentially an issue of fath- you either believe that mediums recieve messages from ‘the other side’ or you don’t has always been difficult.