I suppose the title sounds a bit cynical, probably because there is a hint of cynicism cunningly inserted into it, but there is a reason for my cynicism.  For the uninitiated trance mediumship is when a medium allows a dis-carnate soul to overshadow/enter their physical body, take over their voice box and then speak through them.  Theoretically, the spirit guide, or whomever the communicating soul may be, then proceeds to speak words of wisdom and enlightenment.  That all sounds pretty good, however, we live in changing times and to me, this is just one of many examples of how UK Spiritualism remains firmly rooted in the past.  I will now endeavour to qualify this statement by offering my reasons for holding this view.

We need to understand that the human race, and indeed our wonderful planet, is going through a shift at this moment in time.  It should also be said that it is only the spiritually un-aware who are not able to feel these changes that are taking place as I type.  I mention this because we are fast heading towards a new Golden Age; and people all over the planet are going through an awakening that is very tangible in its process.  People all over the planet are waking up to who they really are and coming to the realisation that what we are all seeking has all the time been closer than our very finger tips, and has indeed been nestling within our own hearts.  We also need to understand that ALL form, without exception, both in this realm and the astral realms, is an illusion.

Now, this “thing” that we have all been searching for, i.e. “the bliss that passes all understanding” or God, if you like, which is our true nature, is also an infinite ocean of love, wisdom and truth.  To be more precise, this God-ness is actually all these things rolled into one.  Having established this it is now apparent that there is no reason whatsoever for anyone anywhere to want to allow the likes of “Auntie Doris” or “Big Chief Tomahawk” the spirit guide (who isn’t even a real Red Indian anyway) to take over their voice box and speak in a funny voice and maybe do a bit of hand waving in the process.  What I mean is, that what is contained within the illusion of our physical form is all-knowing and wisdom personified, therefore if we are now awakening to this truth is it not the most logical, practical and simple thing in the world to just tap into this source of inner joy and take from it what we need to enhance our own lives and the lives of others?  Illusion will always dissolve and fade away when faced with truth, so if we are now waking up to our truth what further purpose could trance mediumship possibly serve?

What purpose does it serve to have another soul, who may or may not be as evolved as we are, take over our physical body and use our voice box to speak, when we have something within us that is far more profound?  We also need to understand that everything we see is just an opinion, meaning that we all view the world from our own perspective and vision; and we have already established that all form is an illusion.  This would suggest that not only is Big Chief Tomahawk not a real Red Indian, but the Uncle Charlies and Auntie Mabels of the astral planes didn’t actually exist here on Earth in the way that we remember; what we saw of them was just our opinion at the time.

I don’t write with cynicism in order to be insulting or disrespectful in any way, but I find that it enables me to simplify my writing and put things over in ways that people can understand, and I’m afraid that I find the whole Spiritualism thing so outdated.  It seems to imply that we will find what we are looking for externally, yet nothing could be further from the truth.  I have always accepted that we all need to start somewhere, but once you have established a platform from which to work you need to evolve, and Spiritualism just doesn’t do this; It’s the same old same old.  It seeks to prove survival after physical death, and I believe it does this admirably, but it doesn’t do anything else; for heaven’s sake, just how many times do we need to be told that Auntie Doris baked cakes and liked her garden????

Never in a million years will we find the peace that passes all understanding when we look outside of ourselves.  A medium cannot tell us anything that is going to take away our worries, fears and troubles; only mind control via inner enquiry can do that, and the whole concept of trance mediumship implies that we have to rely on another party separate from ourselves to provide guidance.  You the reader, you yourself are God and all the knowledge you will ever need, you have already.  Anyone that we look to for guidance can, at the most, only point us in the direction of ourselves.

Do not be content with the empty shells washed up on the shore, instead dive deep into the ocean and collect the pearls of wisdom – Sri Sathya Sai Baba

In summary I would like to say that I accept wholeheartedly that there is a need for people who have no spiritual understanding to come to the realisation that there is no death, and that those they love have in fact simply stepped out of the body into another dimension.  My biggest gripe with Spiritualism is that it doesn’t seem to move beyond this point, although I also accept that many people still believe that death actually exists and need the comfort that Spiritualism provides.  However, it should also be understood that the mind, ego and senses will always trick us into looking at the world from the perspective of duality.  When we are awake we transcend the mind, ego and senses and therefore view the world from the perspective of “Oneness”, which is truth.  Bearing this in mind and going back to the title of this article “Trance Mediumship – What’s The Point”; who can actually speak through us?  From the perspective of Oneness, no one but ourselves.