Mediums

The term medium is a generic name for someone who communicates with the spirits of the dead. Within this basic definition there is a great deal of variation.

Spiritistic Seance, from "Fotografie Di Fantasmi"
by E. Imoda, 1912
French Photographer
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The most well known concept of a medium is somone who sits with one or more people in some form of seance. Hands are usually held and the medium goes into a trance from which he ort she communicates with the spirits of those present, either directly or through some form of spirit guide. This is the form of drawing-room spiritualism that was most popular at the end of the nineteenth century. It was often accompanied by dramatic table tappings, movements of furniture, lights, etc. Such theatrics have gained a bad reputation and seances - or sittings - today are usually much more sedate affairs.

A full-blown seance isn't actually necessary. Many mediums today simply sit quietly with their client and allow the information to come to them. Others prefer the wider canvas of the public spectacle, be it live shows or on TV. You can also buy the services of many self-proclaimed mediums via telephone or mail.

Some people believe that many spiritualist mediums are in fact psychic mediums - they are, without knowing it, obtaining information through latent psychic powers rather than by communicating with spirits. Others, of course, dismiss the whole thing as a combination of deception, cold reading and self-delusion.

Famous mediums - psychic, spiritualist or otherwise - have included Helen Duncan, John Edward and Sylvia Browne.