Mediums

[Atwater Vitki]

Jonathan....I once again must clean off the monitor!! Coffee in places no one even wants to know about!! TOO funny and so true, never saw it like that before!

[Voodoo Doctor]

Hello everyone,

Mediumship is a huge part of my practice of Southern Voodoo. I consult with my patron loa who is called Simbi (or Le Grand Zombi). A loa is a Voodoo god, an intermediary between man and the supreme deity. In Voodoo, a particular loa may possess a practitoner, taking temporary control of the person. This is not at all considered negative or harmful. I frequently use cartomancy as a method of interacting with the spirits. I like The New Orleans Voodoo Tarot deck, but my favorite is still the Gypsy Witch fortune telling deck. I also sometimes use a crystal ball to see into the spirit world. I can see and hear spirits without the use of these props, but I enjoy using them. Candles are used to draw spirits or their influence. Payments are made to spirits at the graveyard with a silver dime or ten copper pennies in exchange for a pinch of their graveyard dirt. (A little bit of whiskey or rum can be used in lieu of money.) In Voodoo it is also believed that spirits inhabit rocks, trees, and rivers. There is no "down time" in Voodoo for spirit communication, you are in communion with them all the time and everywhere you go .

Edited April 25, 2012 by Voodoo Doctor

[Ex Nihilo]

Hello everyone,

Mediumship is a huge part of my practice of Southern Voodoo. I consult with my patron loa who is called Simbi (or Le Grand Zombi). A loa is a Voodoo god, an intermediary between man and the supreme deity. In Voodoo, a particular loa may possess a practitoner, taking temporary control of the person. This is not at all considered negative or harmful. I frequently use cartomancy as a method of interacting with the spirits. I like The New Orleans Voodoo Tarot deck, but my favorite is still the Gypsy Witch fortune telling deck. I also sometimes use a crystal ball to see into the spirit world. I can see and hear spirits without the use of these props, but I enjoy using them. Candles are used to draw spirits or their influence. Payments are made to spirits at the graveyard with a silver dime or ten copper pennies in exchange for a pinch of their graveyard dirt. (A little bit of whiskey or rum can be used in lieu of money.) In Voodoo it is also believed that spirits inhabit rocks, trees, and rivers. There is no "down time" in Voodoo for spirit communication, you are in communion with them all the time and everywhere you go .

What's up Doc?

Great post! I spent my summers in Lafayette and NO LA growing up. Though I don't practice, I have a deep respect for and interest in Voodoo. For people that have been to southern LA, they can attest to how strong the spirit vibe is there--like nowhere else on earth! That was where I first realized that spirits are everywhere and if we open ourselves up to them, we will become residents of a much bigger and more meaningful world. There really is no down time.

[Qryos]

~ Hello Voodoo Doctor

Would you mind explaining a bit more?

I do apologise if I'm annoying, I don't intend to be.

Thank you!

~ Rev'd Rattlesnake, could you be patient with me & please clarify what you said?

I would appreciate it very much. Thank you.

[Voodoo Doctor]

Hi Rev'd Rattlesnake,

I am from Florida and lived in south Georgia for a few years (my grandparents were all originally from south Georgia before moving to Florida). I have never been to New Orleans but maybe will get there someday. My grandmother believed in all the signs and omens, like a bird flying into the house means someone is going to die or if you see ants out on their mound it's going to rain. She was also well versed in herbal lore and home remedies. She considered herself a good Baptist and would never have considered the folklore she knew and the home remedies she used to be Voodoo or Hoodoo. But I've found that southern Voodoo or Hoodoo incorporates most of the same beliefs and practices. Many Voodoo/Hoodoo practitioners also considered themselves good Christians. I have incorporated the loa from New Orleans and Haitian Voodoo into my practices because I personally am not comfortable within a Christian framework. Historically southern Voodoo and Hoodoo have incorporated almost anything that works, so I do not feel it is inappropriate to adapt things to fit my personal needs. I know there are purists who insist that the term Hoodoo applies only to conjure work and the term Voodoo (Vodou) should only be applied to the religion and they should not be mixed. I am one of a handful of people who believe that Hoodoo is merely a variant pronunciation of Voodoo. (I also still believe that Voodoo originally derived from French vauderie and originally meant sorcery and does not derive from an African word for spirits. But I'll save that for another time.) However I do not claim to be a Voudou houngan (initiated priest) but function as a bokor (sorcerer). I am only judged by how effective my Voodoo is. Sorry if I got sidetracked.

Hi Qryos,

Is there anything in particular on which you wished me to elaborate?

[constantine319]

I don't know if I am 'just' a Medium but I do have mediumship skills. I started with tarot readings and then I realized maybe this intuitive thing wasn't so difficult, and after starting to acknowledge and work with spirit guides, lots of other spirits came through to me. Sometimes I go through periods where I don't really believe what I've done is real - getting caught up in the every day and overly shielding - so that when stuff DOES come through I'm genuinely surprised. A few weeks ago I offered to do readings for a non-profit organization and one of the members knew I do this kind of work so I was nominated to handle some requested mediumship readings and, well, the four of us were completely blown away by the work I did.

For me personally... I've always been sensitive to energies. It took me a long time and a lot of practice to learn how to evaluate what the energies mean. Something that helped me a lot was learning Reiki and having the opportunity to practice with a very spiritually-minded Christian Reiki teacher. Also, knowing my guides, having people tell me what I was experiencing was okay (and reminding me to protect myself), and trusting that I must be able to do these things for a reason... all those things helped me a lot.

Oh! When I get into a situation where I am being asked to function as a Medium, I always say a prayer that I will have only positive/necessary messages for my client, and I always strive to be a clear channel to fulfill the needs of my client. That helps me a LOT with dealing with energetic nasties or ego issues.

[HHolmquist]

A few years ago our paper did a full center page on local mediums. I did the photography for all the in personal interviews with the reporter and found nothing much out of the ordinary for most of these professed professionals. There were two self proclaimed 'physical mediums' that stood out as every picture I took had either fuzzy spheres all around them or mist like areas encircling them. On one, it took quite a bit of cleaning up to get a publishable picture.

I have never seen anything like that before or since, but I have been informed that my photos were 'proof' of the energies that surround us all. I wouldn't know as my personal beliefs find it difficult to understand how something of a different dimension could be viewed on camera while not by eye as a lens is a lens.

I am not saying these things do not exist, just that I personally find difficulty in understanding what, if anything, could produce such effects on film.

Would anyone have information on this type of event?

[musicman153]

A few years ago our paper did a full center page on local mediums. I did the photography for all the in personal interviews with the reporter and found nothing much out of the ordinary for most of these professed professionals. There were two self proclaimed 'physical mediums' that stood out as every picture I took had either fuzzy spheres all around them or mist like areas encircling them. On one, it took quite a bit of cleaning up to get a publishable picture.

I have never seen anything like that before or since, but I have been informed that my photos were 'proof' of the energies that surround us all. I wouldn't know as my personal beliefs find it difficult to understand how something of a different dimension could be viewed on camera while not by eye as a lens is a lens.

I am not saying these things do not exist, just that I personally find difficulty in understanding what, if anything, could produce such effects on film.

Would anyone have information on this type of event?

The human eye only sees what light reflects off of.

Some people just shine

For those who have spent years studying energy they just feel it.

[Asdasiae]

I am a medium of sorts. I do a lot of work for and with the entities beyond the Veil. I don't have any one specific Guide when I am there. I love and respect those that are there and they do the same for me. I've had a healthy relationship with those beyond the Veil for a great number of years. I am your basic spiritualist, healer and medium. I use Tarot (both Shamanic and Regular), Runes, Automatic Writing, and Astral Projection. I don't follow any certain path for this ability. I just do as I can in order to do what I must.