Join the spirit counsellor on his
quest to seek answers to the questions that nobody dared ask before and discover
the remarkable link between spiritualism and science that will redefine
everything that you ever thought possible.
‘I
am no more important than the humble earth on which I stand. I am no more
intelligent than the beleaguered dog that chases its own tail. I am no more
divine than the man who stands before his god and asks for forgiveness. I am no
richer than the hungriest child, bravely flourishing on a diet of unconditional
love.’
‘For
I am no more than an average Joe; a man with no greater aspiration than the
reader of these words. I do not bring you hope; I do not offer you wealth, nor
do I bring forth love or happiness. All I can offer you within the confines of
this text is knowledge; for it is your choice what you do with this knowledge –
just as it has always been.’
So what’s this big secret then? What’s
this 2012 thingy that everyone and their uncle are busy preparing for, yet not
truly grasping with any real understanding? Well, there is widespread talk of
Mother Nature flexing her muscular frame and bellowing a tirade of
meteorological disasters upon all and sundry – a prediction that was apparently
made by the ancient Mayan civilisation many centuries ago. But just why this
abhorrent catalogue of destruction has been procrastinating since the days of mass
human sacrifices and beautifully sculpted temples is frankly beyond even my
open-minded scope of reasoning. Although, it is true to say that the whole
episode does make for an enticing backdrop for a Hollywood blockbuster.
So, is there any truth in this apparent
recurring cycle of events that may end all life on earth? In a word – no. Why?
In two words – it’s bullshit! My apologies to any paranoid archaeological
historians; any demented religious groups who have avidly been preparing for
Armageddon; any Hollywood scriptwriters who have still to jump on last year’s
bandwagon; the many gothic teenagers who portray death as the new iconic
fashion, and last but not least – the many millions of deluded souls around
this planet who still believe that worshipping an alternative god will send us
to our own personal hell.
In reality, the most powerful force in
the known universe is hidden somewhere within the mind of every living soul. In
reality, if you were to combine the power of each and every soul within this
planet, then such a force would be capable of creating or even destroying just
about anything. In reality, if millions of souls around this planet firmly
believed that in the year 2012 that our natural habitat and way of living was
threatened by unknown destructive forces, then that combination of negative
thoughts and fears could perceivably cause major concerns for each and every
one of us.
But the cause of these actions would
not lie at the door of Mother Nature; the cause would in fact be completely man-made.
In other words – we would be the cause of our own downfall, just think about
that for a moment.
* *
* *
The date is now the 4th of
January 2012. I had fully intended beginning my book on the 1st of
January - as previously directed by my spirit workers, but alas I decided to
attend a seasonal party or two and yesterday when I finally decided to switch
on my computer all I could see was several keyboards all apparently fighting
for the right to invade my partially inebriated thoughts.
Of course this book is important to me;
it’s important to my fellow workers and I do hope it can eventually be of some
importance to you – the reader. But it’s also important to me personally that I
spend time with my family during holiday times, for I have since discovered
that being here on this planet, right here and now, is simply an experience, an
experience that should always be embraced. We may fear many hardships in the
coming months ahead but we must always make sure our calendar of life is filled
with the love of friendship and kin and remember that anything else is indeed -
only an experience.
For those of you who haven’t read my
debut book – ‘An Average Joe’s Search for the Meaning of Life’ (and why haven’t
you?) then I suppose I should really fully introduce myself and briefly explain
just how my life has brought me to the point of writing this book. My name is
David Shaw and I am also known as the ‘spiritcounsellor’. I am 44 years of age
in this present physical incarnation and I am married with a seven-year old
son, who is one of the most spiritually aware children that I have ever
encountered. I am trained in the study of Hypnotherapy, Past-Life therapy,
Psychotherapy and Massage therapy. I am also a Deep Trance Medium. I’m pretty
sure that most readers of this book will be familiar with the various therapies
that I have just mentioned, but I am also willing to bet that very few of you
will be well versed in the rather nondescript workings of the Deep Trance
Medium.
Being a Deep Trance Medium gives me the
opportunity to communicate with those energies thriving in the higher echelons
of the spirit world. In other words, I work with spirit energies who have
amassed a far greater amount of knowledge than those who have perhaps only
recently begun their life-journey. If you were to compare the spirit dimension
with that of an educational establishment then a Deep Trance Medium would have
access to the university professors.
Please don’t worry too much about Deep
Trance Mediumship at this point as I will go into the subject in far more depth
in a forthcoming chapter, but right now I would like to introduce to you one of
my spirit workers.
‘Mr Chung’ is a spiritual energy from
the aforementioned higher realms of the spirit dimension. Mr Chung has worked
with me since I began working with trance mediumship many years ago. For those
of you who are familiar with the various terms of status within the spirit
realms, Mr Chung is deemed an Ascended
Master. An Ascended Master is an energy that has evolved through multiple
incarnations within many different physical and spiritual dimensions – you did
ask! Basically, Mr Chung only works with
trance mediums and his knowledge is second to none. If Mr Chung tells me that
our planet is not going to perish in 2012 then I have a 100% guarantee on that.
Nevertheless, Mr Chung will be the first to state that you, the reader, must
make up your own mind on any matter that will be brought to your attention
within this publication. Mr Chung will simply communicate his thoughts through
me and I will attempt to translate these thoughts into a prose that is both
understandable and concise to any and every reader, regardless of their
educational or spiritual ability or indeed understanding. My role in this book
is exactly the same as it was in my last publication – simply as a spiritual
translator.
If you are wondering why Mr Chung is
not known to me as simply ‘Chung’ then you may find the answer both intriguing
and inspiring. During many trance sessions Mr Chung has often been asked by
various members of his audience if he is an Ascended Master, but has always
answered that he is the master of nothing other than his own ability to
renounce ego in any shape or form. His education has shown him that ego or
status has no recognisable place in the spirit world. Hence, he asks to be
recognised as simply Mr Chung in order to avoid any confusion. When you
consider that the knowledge already attained by Mr Chung is greater than the
combined knowledge attained by the sum of every person presently living in the
physical dimension, then it gives you some degree of the dignity that is humbly
displayed by spirit people of this calibre.
There were many other spirit people who
helped me to write my last book and I am in no doubt that their presence will
‘manifest’ once again and ensure that the information I bring forward is for
the good of mankind. Mediumship in any form is simply healing. If any form of mediumship is not intended for the good of
an individual dwelling in either the physical or the spiritual dimension then
questions must surely be asked.
This book will attempt to show that
mediumship is both logical and scientific. Scientists are now beginning to look
at energy as something that can operate outside the laws of time and gravity.
The laws of physics may appear to only apply to mass, but by looking outside of
these predominantly materialistic fields there is a whole new dimension waiting
to be discovered.
Of course, many spiritualists will
argue that God created the Earth and God governs the spirit world. But what
proof do we have regarding these claims? Well, we could always ask Mr Chung!
I have thought long and hard about
writing this book. I have spoken to many mediums regarding the information that
I am about to bring forward and how it may upset many spiritual workers. I know
that many feathers are surely going to be ruffled and I also know that I will
be in the firing line of the critical masses of the Spiritualist churches and
federations. But I must write this book and it must be written now. Very soon
the people of this great world of ours will be looking for answers, and the
spirit world must be ready to offer advice and comfort. It is my job to show
those in need that life should be judged by what’s really important. The
answers to which are very simple ... yet so very difficult to put into
practice.
So ‘the worst kept secret ever’ is not
that our world is going to crumble under the wrath of Mother Nature, but more
likely that we will all endure the effects of our own inability to deal with
our materialistic ways. The financial infrastructure that has started to
deteriorate throughout our world is on the verge of collapse. Soon everybody
will be affected by this development in some way or another and for most of us
it will be an extremely difficult period in our lives. But through this book I
will attempt to show you that the less materialistic your values are – the
closer you will be to your spiritual roots. But as I also stated earlier, I am
no more than an average Joe - just a man who wrote a book. I can tell you how
great you really are, and how great this world really is – but only you can
make it so.
Picture if you will a beautiful white
dove standing proudly, showing off its immaculate plumage. The dove’s gracious
curves portray a creature not only divine in nature but also immensely
attractive to the discerning eye. You may detect an air of elegance emanating
from the bird as it occasionally glances in your direction; those eloquent eyes
displaying a sincere quality that easily instils a feeling of peace and calm
throughout your mind. In a world so often starved of the true sense of love,
these creatures signify a coming together of mankind, a brotherhood of
individuals and a vision of unity within all souls.
Let’s call our dove ‘Deirdre’! Ha, that
quickly brought you out of your ‘sweetness and light’ trance state! Not that I
am specifically having a go at anything that implicates a feeling of sweetness
and light – but this is just not that sort of book. Additionally, if we are
serious about attempting to reinvent mediumship then we must start to look at
the fundamental realities of this incredibly endearing subject. And when I say WE,
I genuinely mean YOU and I, because we are in this together my
friend and between us we will bring forth meaning and reason in a format that
truly makes sense – no fantasy, no feel-good factor simply for the sake of it
and no false promises of self-fulfilment!
So, whenever we talk of ‘Old
mediumship’ we can think of Deirdre the dove. This beautiful creature that may
forever signify peace, love and understanding, yet in reality is just an animal
that eats, sleeps and makes little doves.
The purists will argue that mediumship
is just mediumship, no matter how you wish to re-badge it, and of course they
are technically correct. But just try typing the word mediumship into Microsoft Word and you will almost certainly be met
with a highlighted grammatical error. This mildly annoying predicament can be
easily alleviated by placing a hyphen between medium and ship, which in
turn succinctly informs my computer that I’m not actually attempting to build
average-sized boats. But I prefer to just right-click upon the offending word,
before clicking on Add to dictionary.
It’s only really a minor inconvenience but maybe if Microsoft were to read this
book and subsequently decide to approve the inclusion of the word mediumship in
their accepted vocabulary range, then essentially we won’t lose any more sleep
over it.
The point is that if Microsoft doesn’t
even know what mediumship is all about then we really do have a big job in our
hands when trying to explain the unique concept of probably one of the most
natural activities that you and I are ever likely to perform.
Mediumship undoubtedly is vastly
misunderstood within the contexts of most people’s thinking and as a
consequence is often rather misconstrued as a crude method of talking to
ghosts. Mediums are also continually being perceived as ghost busters or
eccentric fortune-tellers who regularly scare the living daylights out of bored
housewives or the recently bereaved.
In my opinion this nonsensical perception
needs to be changed. Soon there will be many individuals searching for a leap of faith and mediumship could well
be the ethos desired by mankind.
So if the subject is in drastic need of
a makeover then we are going to give it an appropriate facelift. We will strip
it down naked, examine it where appropriate and dress it up in a brand new
shirt and tie. We are going to show the world that mediumship is new, vibrant,
and above all else - totally natural. Not everyone in this industry will agree
with what we are attempting to do and you will almost certainly hear muffled
cries of derision from the more traditional spiritual workers. Feathers will
undoubtedly continue to be ruffled and poor Deirdre may even have to be
sedated, but hopefully she will eventually recover, stronger than ever.
I’m not for one moment saying anybody
is doing anything wrong, many genuine mediums offer their services for no
financial or egotistical gain and should be commended for such a feat. How many
other industries offer such a service? Very few indeed, so surely it’s about
time that we showed the people of this world that the spirit world is not just
a figment of our imagination. Is it not about time that we offered a credible
explanation for what transpires in spirit communication? Don’t you think people
should stop looking for reasons not to believe in the spirit world and rather
start looking for plausible reasons to embrace it?
Whatever your reasons for reading this
book, I do hope that it is for the good of mediumship and the good of mankind;
above all else - the good of your own well being. Now let us begin by taking
the art of mediumship, dissecting it bit by bit, before beginning our revamp.
‘New mediumship’ is all but a few chapters away – now where did I put Deirdre’s
cage?
* *
* *
Now picture if you will our beautiful
feathered friend prepped and anaesthetised for surgery. As the designated
surgeons, you and I must perform this complex exploratory procedure on our dear
friend Deirdre. Alas, nobody has really dared to open up this ‘can of worms’
(sorry couldn’t resist it!) before, probably because Deirdre has always kept
reasonably good health. Therefore as we venture into this great unknown, we
must tread carefully to ensure the survival of Deirdre and the preservation of
her beloved feathers. Fortunately we know by now that Deirdre can’t die,
however by daring to alter any part of her carefully structured anatomy we may
find that what lies underneath the exterior of this iconic creature is simply
skin and bones.
But if we decide to look closer inside
we might find something that will enable others to look at the real issues
here; issues that should be based solely on values. And these values are put in
place by what we do and why we do things, not because we are perceived as being
something we simply are not. Deirdre is no different to any living soul on this
planet right now; no different to anyone who falsely thinks that they are
entitled to adulation because of title or credence. Similarly, she is no
different to the individual who ordinarily aspires to be accepted for simply
being who they are.
So what would we find if we opened up
‘mediumship’ right here and now? Would we find the mysteries of life all
wrapped up in a golden chalice? Would we find Jesus and Moses smiling at us and
wondering why it took us so long to find them? Or would we just find skin and
bone, as in the case of poor old Deirdre? I guess there is only one way to find
out – so let’s dive straight in, scalpel in hand, full steam ahead!
* *
* *
The first thing we notice when perusing
the interior of our fine-feathered friend is the brain. The brain is the key
element of all bodily functions within any bird, animal or human being
currently existing in the physical world. The brain, as most of us will already
know, controls how our body should function and act. It also responds
succinctly to our senses, all five of them, the most commonly used sense being
of course - our vision.
Our
vision is controlled by our brain, not our eyes, but by our brain. Light enters our eyes and sends
electrical impulses to our brain, which then interprets the image for viewing,
rather like a camera. In other words, we really only see what we think we can
see. Have you ever stared at an optical illusion? Then you will know that your
brain has in fact misinterpreted this strange visual occurrence into something
that it clearly is not.
So what’s my point here? Only that if
our brain controls our vision then anything that we do see will be interpreted
logically and if that interpretation cannot be rationally explained then we
honestly and truthfully cannot be certain that we actually saw anything at all.
Clairvoyance:
from the French translation - seeing
clearly. Definition of clairvoyance – the power to see things not present
to the five senses.
The translation and definition of the
word clairvoyance is rather ambiguous. The power to see something that the
brain has failed to fully comprehend can hardly be described as seeing clearly.
And here lies the root of the problem with ‘Old Mediumship’ - it just doesn’t
make much sense to the academic, or the scholar, or the ordinary man in the
street who just wants to understand what clairvoyants actually see and more
importantly how they can see something that most people can’t. If our brain
does not recognise any message sent from the eyes then naturally it will
dismiss this image as not physically existing.
So do clairvoyants actually see spirits
wandering around our streets? Do they see ghosts flying over their heads,
shouting out ‘Please send me to the light?’ This dilemma is clearly a matter
for debate.
Oh my God! Deirdre will be fluttering
her feathers all over the place despite the anaesthetic; clairvoyants will be
ready to send me hate-mail and the spiritualist churches will have me
blacklisted from all of their establishments!
Hold on a second though! I’m not saying
that clairvoyants don’t actually see spirits. I’m only suggesting that they don’t
receive images through their eyes and ultimately through the process of brain
interpretation. Don’t worry guys - all will be revealed in due course!
Clairaudience: from the French translation – hearing clearly. Definition of
clairaudience - the power to hear things not present to the five senses.
Our
hearing is controlled by our brain, not our ears, but by our brain. Sound waves travel along our ear
canals before being changed to electrical impulses that are then audibly
deciphered by our brain. In other words we only hear what the brain has
interpreted from the received sound waves. Try playing a song backwards and you
will find that your brain can’t make any sense of what is being heard.
So, once again the rather obscure
meaning of clairaudience is particularly misleading. If our brains fail to
recognise any form of logical explanation for a particular sound then it can
hardly be deemed to be hearing clearly.
So, do clairaudients actually hear
spirit voices? Well, as a medium who has primarily used clairaudience for many
spirit readings over many years, I can categorically now say that my brain does
not physically hear any spirit people. However, clairaudience is possible if we
can understand that not everything perceived by us comes directly from our brain.
Clairsentience: from the French translation – sensing clearly. Definition of
clairsentience – the power to sense things not present to the five senses.
Our
senses are controlled by our brain, not our nervous system, but our brain. Our nervous system sends electrical
impulses to our brain in order to interpret what external source has come into
contact with us. Clairsentience in itself is another extremely ambiguous
expression as it could be argued that clairvoyance and clairaudience would also
fall under the umbrella of the term ‘senses’. Nonetheless, if we are to examine
the traditional interpretation of ‘Old Mediumship’ then Clairsentience shall
remain as an independent faction of mediumship.
Traditionally, clairsentients can sense
spirit people without the need for seeing or hearing clearly. A medium may be
touched by spirits or may even smell odours particular to a spirit person.
Certain mediums may also sense appropriate emotions associated with a
particular spirit individual. It is worth noting that if our brain should
receive any signal from one of these particular senses and subsequently fails
to interpret the message, then the eyes would automatically be sent to
investigate, since our vision is the primary source of our sensory
functionality. However, as before, our brains ultimately control all of our
senses. So how can a clairsentient medium pick up these signals when our brain
can only rationally validate what it can see?
* *
* *
The definition of what I would call
‘Old Mediumship’ has remained the same for hundreds of years now. Don’t you
think it’s about time that we viewed this most fascinating of subjects from the
other side of the fence? Is it not about time that we gave mediumship a chance
to show that it has a rightful place in our society, and not pushed into some
backwater community centre on a cold, Wednesday night? And isn’t it about time
that we all took a good look at our present way of life and asked ourselves the
question – Is there more to life than just staying alive? If the answer to any
of these questions is yes then we
must proceed with our analysis.
Whenever someone I’ve just met asks me
what I do for a living, my usual response is hypnotherapist or psychotherapist.
I rarely mention author, or God forbid – medium. There is still a certain
stigma attached to mediumship that suggests that an individual who ‘talks to
the dead’ is rather odd, despite the many mediums that now frequent the eloquent
theatres of towns and cities all over the world, and the numerous television
programmes that contain paranormal themes. So what’s wrong with being a medium?
The simple answer is that the public’s perception of mediumship hasn’t really
changed with the times. What the public don’t realise is that mediumship is
totally natural and that by fully understanding how a medium receives messages
from the spirit world they can actually perform this feat for themselves.
What's more, they don’t have to sit in darkened rooms with crystal balls; they
don’t have to study the mysterious ways of the Tarot cards and they do not have
to believe in any god whatsoever. All anybody ever has to do is switch off that
source of power that controls all of our senses and behavioural characteristics
and just believe that the possibility of life after death exists. It sounds
easy, but in reality it’s not – but it can be done with practice, just like
playing a game of football. But until we can show that mediumship is as natural
as talking and hearing are, then many mediums will still choose not to disclose
their profession.
* *
* *
The 2010 film ‘Hereafter’ premiered
last week on the UK satellite network. My expectations of this latest Hollywood
blockbuster were not particularly high, given the previous efforts by films
such as ‘The Lovely Bones’ and ‘The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud’, which
in my opinion depicted mediumship in a rather melancholy light. Nevertheless, I
hoped that maybe, just maybe, this particular movie may project a more credible
portrayal of the life and times of the working spirit medium. And surprise,
surprise – it did, with bells on!
The film centres around three particular
characters who all experience strong connections with the spirit world. The
main character is George, who strives to live a normal life despite continually
receiving messages from the other side. George eventually discovers that he
cannot completely ignore his ability to communicate with spirits and eventually
decides to embrace mediumship rather than hide from it. I found that I could
relate extremely well to George’s perceptions of mediumship on a personal
level. My own battle with self-realisation actually bodes well with this
particular characterisation and I could fully understand George’s self doubts
and dilemmas.
The second character is a French
journalist who miraculously survives after a Tsunami strikes the coastal town
that she is visiting. She endures a near death experience, which subsequently
results in terrible flashbacks where she apparently meets spirit people who
died in the aforementioned tragedy. The film suggests that enduring a near
death experience can then open up a person’s intuitiveness towards the
afterlife.
The third character is a young English
boy whose twin brother is tragically killed in a road accident. The boy’s
subsequent hunt for a suitable medium to relay a message from his deceased
brother takes us on a journey of discovery through the somewhat murky waters of
the psychic fraternity. The film brilliantly highlights the many problems
endured by someone on a desperate search for answers. There is one
unforgettable scene where a platform medium gives a totally embarrassing and
condescending message to the youngster, which only goes to highlight that there
are good and bad mediums working within this industry, just as there are in any
profession. However, our young friend finally meets up with the rejuvenated
George, who had since decided to travel to London in order to re-evaluate his
decadent lifestyle. After succumbing to the youngster’s persistent pleas for
help in contacting his twin brother, George realises that mediumship is
positively life changing and not the albatross he once envisaged jumping into
the sea with.
Our movie ends with the now customary
chick-flick dusting of boy meets girl and waltzing into the sunset. George
meets the French journalist who is in town to promote her spiritual book and
two souls are united through the power of spirit – albeit with a little help
from Hollywood scriptwriters.
There is no doubt in my mind that the
writer of this film had researched the subject of mediumship intensely. The
portrayal of the medium was tastefully done and showed the viewer that those
who practice mediumship have their very own issues to overcome as well as the
demands of those in spirit. The writer should also be commended for refusing to
end the film with a stereotypical 'sending the spirit to the light’ finale.
So what does this film tell us about
mediumship in general? Well, let’s be honest and say that the film doesn’t
really offer us any new take on mediumship. It doesn’t suggest that mediumship
should be revamped or even stripped down and torn apart as we intend to do. But
what it does do is simply highlight what mediumship is all about. It shows
clearly and concisely that mediumship is used for healing purposes – to heal
those left grieving in this physical existence and also those souls recently
departed to the spirit world that may have been denied the chance to properly
say goodbye to their loved ones. In other words the film accurately defines
what I have been continually referring to as ‘Old Mediumship’ and does what it
says on the tin! There are no divine interventions present here, nor do we find
demons or devils terrorising drunken teenagers! We are left only with the
notion that there definitely is an afterlife and that mediumship connects that
place with ours.
All that is missing from the film is an
explanation of just how the afterlife can actually connect with our physical
existence. But that’s why we are here, that’s why we have poor Deirdre sedated
and ready for her makeover and that’s why Mr Chung even bothers to get out of
his cosy, warm bed each morning. So let’s now give this amazing subject some
substance and let us find out for ourselves just what ‘New Mediumship’ can
offer our world that will shake most of society out of this severe financial
depression that has clouded our thoughts for far too long.
