When we talk about spiritual development, we implicitly talk about the development of spiritual gifts, or of psychic powers. But, after all, what is mediumship or supernatural powers? What are mediumistic gifts and which are they? How to recognize and apply these "spiritual gifts" in daily life? What is their importance? How to develop psychic powers?
The Spiritual Development Course, with living experiences and practices, without religious ties, has as main objective to help the student in the inseparable process of self-knowledge and spiritual development.
The term "spiritual development" encompasses many correlated meanings such as expansion of consciousness, communion with the Divine, awakening of spiritual gifts or development of spirituality, among others.
What is mediumship (or psychic powers)?
Before talking about how to develop mediumship, it is necessary to talk a little about it. Mediumship or psychic powers is a subject dealt with in various places in the world, by various religions and philosophies and in the most varied ways.
The word mediumship, which comes from Latin, has at its root the meaning of "intermediate" or "to intermediate," and the word medium has as its meaning "the one who is in the middle". Therefore, a medium (or psychic) - the person endowed with mediumship - has the extra physical capacity to make the bridge between the material world and the spiritual world.
In other words, and as we teach in our Spiritual Development Course, mediumship deals with the sensitivity of the human being to the extra physical, it is the capacity of our energetic bodies - our etheric body (which contains the chakras, meridians, nadis, etc.) and all our energetic bodies, which constitute our aura, or auric field - to capture, perceive and interact with other energies of a non-physical nature.
For this reason, among so many others, it is essential that we are engaged in the process of self-knowledge, in order to know these spiritual tools - our chakras and energetic bodies - of which we are constituted, and which cannot be seen by the physical eye, in order to know how they work and how to use them correctly and adequately in the process of mediumistic perception and communication.
Some positive signs that mediumship (or supernatural capacity) is awake or ready to awaken are:
- The intuition: when we "feel" that we have to do, or not do, a certain thing, and then know that the intuition was right;
- The revealing dreams: which can lead us to more appropriate attitudes or actions in our life.
The most common definitions indicate that mediumship is about communication between humans and spirits. But mediumship is much more than talking to the spirits of loved ones who have already died. Thus, those who are interested in knowing how to develop mediumship and self-knowledge need to be aware of it.
Mediumship or Psychic Phenomena and Spiritism
One cannot talk about how to develop mediumship without talking about Allan Kardec, because much of the knowledge one has today about Spiritism was organized by him and his studies and revelations coming from the spiritual plane. Allan Kardec was responsible for structuring the Spiritist Doctrine.
His real name was Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail, a professor, scientist and researcher who lived in France and attended - together with noblemen and other intellectuals - the mediumistic meetings that took place in Paris in the middle of the 19th century.
It is known that Professor Rivail adopted the name Allan Kardec so that his didactic works, previously produced, would not be confused with those derived from his spiritist studies. But perhaps the main reason for the adoption of the name was the revelation, made by the spirits, that in a past life he would have been a Druid priest named Allan Kardec.
At first sight, in Brazil, when one speaks about mediumship, one soon thinks of Allan Kardec and the Spiritist Doctrine, because one of the main concerns is the understanding of supernatural phenomena. Perhaps it is one of the most important religions to study and teach about the subject, having founded the school of mediums (school of psychics) according to its doctrine.
Besides Spiritism (or Kardecism, as it is also called), mediumship is also very present in other religions, such as Umbanda and Candomblé, from African roots, where it has a preponderant role and importance.
Beyond religious doctrines
Psychic phenomena do not necessarily need to be linked to some religion or doctrine. It is independent of creed, ethnicity, geographic or temporal location, or social condition.
Mediumship is a capacity of perception that produces a phenomenon of magnetic attraction and, just like a magnet, manages to capture the auric field of people - living or deceased, of objects and environments - physical or spiritual.
The psychic (or medium) is a bridge between the physical and spiritual planes and can experience phenomena that, although known to esoteric science, most of them have not yet been proved by academic science.
We are all psychics!
Yes, every human being has the natural capacity to perceive subtle energies in different ways and at different levels. Some people have this capacity more developed, others less, but everyone can develop it more and more deeply and widely.
Currently, the Spiritist Doctrine speaks of "educating the psychic powers". Mediumship makes the human being, incarnated in his/her material experience, sustain his/her attunement with the Source of Life, with the Divinity that is All, and, integrated with the Oneness, experience the subtle details of the diversity of life, be it on the material or on the spiritual plane.
Developing psychic powers enables the human being to understand more and more oneself, one's emotions, thoughts, words and actions; to understand the Universe and all its expressions; to commune more and more deeply with the Divine and thus expand consciousness and evolve spirituality.
Developing psychic powers carries, in itself, an immense responsibility. We live in the material world of polarities, which demands a permanent choice between right and wrong, good and evil. When we exercise our psychic powers, we must always choose between using spiritual gifts for the good or for the evil, and the result of the choice must always be the good for all.
Spiritual gifts are manifested in different ways
There are many energy forces that influence the world, the people, the animals, the things, the environments. Many of these energies emanate from the material world or from the so-called physical plane. Other energies emanate from the spiritual plane.
To contact and/or perceive these energies it is necessary to possess - or develop / educate - certain skills. For this, one can learn how to develop psychic powers.
Supernatural capacities allow the connection between these two worlds: the material and the spiritual. They allow one to feel and perceive the energies of these two worlds, both good and bad or neutral. Psychics sometimes feel the influence of the energies so strongly that they may have physical symptoms such as yawning, nausea, palpitation, exaggerated tiredness and even fainting.
If we are all mediums, why are some people aware of their mediumistic gifts and others not, even thinking, like the great majority, that they do not have any kind of mediumship?
The fact is that the psychic powers of some people are easily and clearly identified, because they demonstrate their spiritual gifts with great fluency, as is the case of psychics who do psychography and/or incorporation.
Psychography is the transmission of messages through texts, words. Incorporation occurs when the medium gives up his/her body so that spirits communicate through voice, messages, or ideas that are passed on to the medium (psychic).
Ostensive mediumship
When mediumistic abilities are explicitly demonstrated, the person is said to be an ostensive psychic, or to have ostensive mediumship.
But, this does not mean that those who are not ostensible psychics, or who cannot demonstrate or use their psychic abilities, have no capacities at all. It can only mean that these gifts have not yet awakened or that they are blocked. After all, it is totally possible to learn how to develop them.
The numbness and/or blockage of abilities can be the result of several factors, both internal and external: personal and spiritual maturity itself, fear, insecurity, stress, excessive judgment, among others.
Discreet mediumship
When the psychic is not yet able to demonstrate his/her mediumship ostensibly, it is said that he/she is a discreet psychic, or that he/she has a discreet mediumship.
As one works, responsibly engages in the process of self-knowledge, frees oneself from one's blockages and limitations, opens oneself more and more lovingly to experiences on the spiritual plane, one's mediumistic gifts emerge and present themselves in an ever stronger way.
In this way, not only does the psychic person perceive him/herself as a medium, but the people in his/her circle of coexistence also come to recognize him/her as such.
As you learn how to develop psychic abilities, you also increase your understanding of the world, spiritual and material. In addition, you come to know, identify and perceive more and more deeply the energies with which you interact, be they good or bad.
Complementary practices help in spiritual development
Both the discreet and the ostensive psychics must learn how to develop their mediumship and improve their abilities through serious and responsible studies and practices, with the purpose of service to others and the common good.
In all cases and under all circumstances, meditation is a wonderful path, perhaps the most important and effective, to feel and perceive energies and to establish a more harmonious and conscious interaction with the physical and spiritual world.
However, meditation needs to be accompanied by certain practices that establish or strengthen the connection with the physical and spiritual worlds, such as Yoga and Tai-Chi-Chuan, among many others, including basic physical activities such as stretching and muscle strengthening.
In addition, it is necessary to establish a lifestyle that seeks purity of physical, emotional and mental bodies, avoiding the ingestion of toxic products and adopting a healthy and natural nutrition.
Another very important aspect in the process of mediumistic development, or the improvement of the expression of psychic gifts, is to count on the guidance of more experienced people.
There is no need to be afraid, because mediumship establishes a collaborative process where the psychics collaborate with the spiritual plane by means of communication with the spirits, and the spirits collaborate with the material plane by means of communication with the psychics.
The main kinds of psychics
Before talking about any of the most important - or known - manifestations of psychic powers, it is good to deal with two very common generic terms.
Sensitive or impressionable psychics
These are people who feel the presence of spiritual energies through a very vague impression.
This ability develops, little by little, by the frequency with which it occurs, becoming a habit. In this kind of mediumship, the psychic can recognize both the nature, good or bad of the energies he/she contacts, and can even identify their particular characteristics.
Psychics of presentiments
The presentiment, which is many times called premonition, is a diffuse intuition of future matters. Many people have this capacity more or less developed.
This presentiment may imply that the person has a "double vision" and can foresee consequences of current things. However, the presentiment can also be the result of communication with the spiritual plane, and in that sense the mediumship of presentiment is a variety of the mediumship of inspiration.
The various kinds of psych abilities
Let's now talk about the most well-known kinds of mediumship or psychic abilities.
1. Telepathy or Inspiration
The spirit transmits words and/or ideas and the psychic can have an influence on the retransmission.
It may appear to be mystification because the psychic uses his/her own words, and may make mistakes of concordance. To the spirit belongs the ideas, to the psychic belongs the words that are pronounced.
2. Physical Effects
This is one of the kinds of psychic abilities that can be subdivided into groups:
- The facultative or conscious: these are the psychics who are conscious of what they do;
- The involuntary or natural or unconscious: these are the psychics who are not conscious of what they do, and who are used by the spirits to make manifestations unaware of what they do;
- The semi-conscious: these are the ones who are conscious of part of the things that happen in the mediumistic manifestation, but not of everything.
3. Incorporation
Many people interested in learning how to develop mediumship have a great fascination for this kind of mediumistic gift.
Incorporation occurs when the spirit incorporates into the psychic, being able to reach the whole body or parts of it and reach all its chakras. It can also be subdivided into groups:
- Conscious incorporation: the psychic is fully aware of what happens. 80% of the incorporating psychics are conscious;
- Semi-conscious incorporation: the psychic is only partially conscious of what happens;
- Unconscious incorporation (rare): the psychic is not conscious of what happens at all, where the spirit totally covers the medium's consciousness, as if he/she was asleep.
A special kind of incorporation ability is the transportation mediumship. In this case, the incorporating psychic has the ability to incorporate his/her own spiritual guides/mentors and also other entities than his/her spiritual mentors.
An important point to make is that talking psychics do not necessarily need to incorporate.
4. Psychography
In psychography, communication is done through writing and is also subdivided into groups:
- Mechanics: the psychic is not conscious of what he/she writes, nor does he/she have control over his/her own hand, writing with the handwriting of the spirit, without any influence of his/her own thoughts. In this case the spirit expresses itself with greater clarity;
- Semi-mechanics: the psychic influences the communication of the spirit with his/her thoughts. Semi-mechanical mediums constitute the majority of psychographers;
- Intuitive: the psychic is intuitively guided in what he/she has to write, receiving the idea of the spirit, interpreting it and developing it according to his/her own socio-cultural and intellectual capacities;
- Listener: the psychic consciously listens to what the spirit is saying and transcribes it with his/her own handwriting.
5. Pictographic
This is one of the most interesting kinds of psychic gifts. It refers to the field of images - drawings, paintings and sculptures. The psychic is able to convey the message of the spirit through images. It can also be called Mediumship Painting.
This kind of mediumship is also subdivided into the same groups as psychography: (mechanical, semi-mechanical and intuitive), adding the visual, when the psychic sees the image he/she will convey.
Many artists - not only painters, designers and sculptors, but also musicians and writers - are inspired psychics.
6. Psychophony
Psychophony is a kind of ability that occurs when the psychic incorporates the voice of the spirit into his/her phonetic system. The ideas, content and words belong to the spirit, which controls the voice organs of the psychic.
It is not uncommon for men to incorporate female voices and women to incorporate male voices, and this drastically affects the psychic's vocal system.
7. Seeing and Clairvoyance
In this kind of mediumship, the psychic has the ability to see spirits, scenes, or other images from the spiritual plane.
It is important to point out that, in most absolute cases, the psychic who learns how to develop this kind of mediumship does not see with his/her physical eyes, but sees the image that is formed in his/her mind, that is, it is the soul that sees. That is why seers can see with both their eyes open and closed. Clairvoyance in the physical eye is very rare.
Clairvoyance is the gift of seeing with clarity certain situations, beings and objects, without limitation of time or space (it can be on the other side of the world, in another world and in another time) without the use of the five physical senses.
The clairvoyant psychic can perceive reality on a much broader and more complex level, from the perspective of the spiritual plane.
As Allan Kardec used to say:
“"Clairvoyants are individuals endowed with some knowledge that is not their own, but that comes from previous existences and from the spirits with whom they communicate, often through dreams."
8. Hearing and Clairaudience
Hearing psychics (listeners) or clairaudients are those who have the ability to hear the voice of the spirits.
This phenomenon can manifest as an inner voice or as an outer voice, as if it was the voice of a living person. This ability allows the medium to talk to the spirits.
9. Healing
This kind of mediumship occurs when the psychic has the gift of healing by the simple touch of his/her hands, by his/her look, by a gesture, without the use of any medicine.
When the psychic does not incorporate, in order to enhance the healing power, he can use some known healing techniques such as Reiki, Pranic Healing, Magnified Healing, Light Healing, Theta Healing, he/she can make use of herbs and fragrances, the cleaning and balancing of the chakras, among many others.
When the psychic incorporates, it is his/her spiritual guide, his/her spiritual mentor, who determine the healing process.
You may also like the REIKI Course for Children we currently have.
10. Demand mediumship or Capacity to dismantle negative energies
Spiritual demand is the result of negative energies - generated by feelings, thoughts, words and negative actions from others - that can be directed to a specific person, or to a certain group of people, for example, a family.
There are several kinds of spiritual demands, and each one acts differently in the victim's life, requiring specific care.
This kind of mediumship – Demand mediumship or Mediumship to dismantle negative energies - is characteristic of spiritual leaders, because all of them, but not only them, have the spiritual gifts of:
- Undoing negative actions or magic;
- Cleansing energies coming from spells;
- Developing the psychic powers of other people.
Other kinds of psychic abilities
There are other kinds of mediumistic gifts. The more one studies how to develop psychic abilities and the more one practices it, the more one expands the capacity of perception and communication with the spiritual plane.
But it is worth highlighting three other kinds of abilities, even if they occur less frequently:
- Olfactory power: this is when the psychic has the ability to feel smells, which are not in the environment, and understand the messages related to those smells;
- Taste ability: it is when the psychic communicates through the palate, through the tastes he/she feels;
- Xenoglossis capacity (very rare and surrounded by taboos): this is when the psychic has the ability to speak in strange and even unknown languages.
What is meant by Spiritual Psychic?
Allan Kardec used to say that all human beings have the capacity, even if not yet developed, to perceive and communicate with the spiritual plane and receive the influence of the spirits. He also said that often this influence is much greater than one can imagine, because it is common for spirits to guide and direct our lives.
He used to say that any person can be a spiritual psychic, that is, to learn how to develop psychic abilities and self-knowledge. However, for this purpose, it would be necessary to demonstrate the interaction with the spiritual plane by means of what he used to call "evident effects with a certain intensity", which are independent of faith or religion.
For Kardec, such effects - or gifts, or abilities, or capacities - are primarily four, as we have seen above: psychophonics, psychography, clairaudience, and clairvoyance.
Final remarks
Certainly, this paper does not intend to exhaust all that has to be said about how to develop mediumship and the various psychic abilities.
The knowledge about the subject is expanding and, at the same time, becoming deeper as we understand and apply our spiritual gifts to serve humankind, to serve other human beings, animals, to the loving and conscious care of the environment that surrounds us, our planet.
As we have already said: we are all psychics, we all have various mediumistic gifts and - certainly - we have the responsibility to develop them, to educate them to be able to use them with increasing mastery and with much respect and wisdom.
Now that you have been able to better understand the importance of the expansion of consciousness and self-knowledge, take the opportunity to learn about our Spiritual Development Course. We will teach, among other things, how to develop mediumship and how to use your spiritual gifts for the benefit of others. Join us!
May the Light of Love be the guide of all paths, at all times, in all circumstances, with all the people. And may Love foster Peace!
REFERENCES
Kardec, Allan, 1804-1869. O livro dos espíritos / prefaciado por Hermínio Miranda Allan Kardec ; [tradução Sandra Keppler]. — 6. ed. — São Paulo : Mundo Maior Editora, 2012.
Kardec, Allan, 1804-1869. O livro dos médiuns, ou, Guia dos médiuns e dos evocadores: espiritismo experimental / Allan Kardec; [tradução de Guillon Ribeiro da 49.ed. francesa]. 71. ed. – Rio de Janeiro: Federação Espírita Brasileira, 2003.
Site da Federação Espírita Brasileira: www.febnet.org.br
Site da Sociedade Brasileira de Estudos Espíritas: www.sbee.org.br