One of the most important aspects of developing as a medium is education. In my case, it was essential. I didn’t know anything at all about this work, only that I wanted to become a medium. I was forty years old and I got the proverbial ‘calling’. I chose to learn as much as I could about working with the spirit world. Although I preach about the importance of educating yourself about this work, there are serious financial limitations to be aware of. This article takes a blunt view of why high costs are not neccessary in gaining an education.
Much of my mediumship education came through attending workshops and events run by my local spiritualist churches. These were reasonably priced most of the time, costing as little as £5 to £50 for a two-day event with a well-known tutor.
But if you want to boost your mediumship development, you’d benefit from investing in a week-long course at the world-famous Arthur Findlay College in Stansted. Throughout the year there are many courses available, often run by respected and qualified tutors. Additionally, attending the college is an amazing experience and unquestionably will advance your mediumship potential. It comes at a price, though.
A week-long course is likely to cost you around £1000 when taking travelling expenses and loss of earnings into consideration. Is it worth it? As an occasional experience, yes. But you should ask yourself if that kind of investment will bring you a financial return or benefit you long-term. Everything you learn at the college could be learnt at home, in your church, at workshops or events.
The £1000 invested at the AFC includes accommodation (mostly shared) and three meals every day. The college itself is a large old house, often affectionately called ‘Hogwarts’, that was left by Sir Arthur Findlay for the purpose of advancement and studies in spiritual work. The building costs a lot of money to maintain, heat, and keep in safe conditions for the thousands of students staying there yearly. There are many staff members on site who need to be paid. Gardeners, cleaners, cooks, reception staff, maintenance workers, and, of course, all the tutors who organise and manage their courses.
It could, therefore, be argued that the fee a student pays covers more than tuition alone. But that doesn’t make it any easier for the average student who would love to attend college but simply cannot afford to. The high cost of attending college means only those who can afford it do so.
This next point is very important: This does not mean that students who attend college are any better at mediumship than other students who cannot afford to. Just because a student invests their time and money in the college experience does not necessarily reflect in their mediumship abilities.
There is an underlying tone in the spiritualist community, where people who have attended the AFC use it as a bragging tool, often with the desire to embellish their own abilities. However, this issue extends further than that when it comes to qualifications.
The Spiritualist National Union education system is possibly the finest in the world for psychic and spiritualist advancement. The certification process is tough, tested, and requires a lot of work. Students wishing to become certified as mediums through the SNU will need to invest a lot of time and money. It’s not easy to get a qualification. The successful student has paid for that certification, literally.
But does having qualifications and a certificate mean the owner is a better evidential medium? No, it often does not. However, it does mean the certificate holder has studied their craft. They’ve learned much about the history, ethics, best methods of practice, presentation techniques, and more. But a medium’s strength of their communications with the spirit world cannot be taught or bought.
As the author of this article, I have attended Arthur Findlay College several times during my years of learning. I have invested several thousands of pounds into my education and potential to become a better medium. The most important aspect of working with the spirit world is in the evidence. Mediumship is about proving beyond doubt that life does continue after our earthly death.
Over several decades of study, developing and unfolding my own potential as a medium, I have made sure to witness the mediumship of my peers. I’ve attended hundreds of demonstrations to witness many mediums, international, national and local. Qualified, certified or just plain and simple mediums.
My findings might shock you. Here’s the headline truth: Qualified, certificated, and well-known mediums are often no better than any others at producing evidence of a continuing life. Some of the best evidence I’ve witnessed has been relayed from ordinary student mediums and ‘working’ mediums. Later in this article I will share one such example.
A student of mediumship might believe that to advance their potential, they must, therefore, invest hundreds or even thousands of pounds in their development. This is definitely not so. Some of the best learning can be achieved through local churches holding workshop events, and home study. Learning can come from reading, researching, listening, watching and being around like-minded people.
You do not need mentorship programs, expensive trips to colleges, or money to invest in the services of a qualified medium. There is a thriving business offering qualified mediums mentorship courses.
Earlier in this article, I mentioned how money invested in a course at the Arthur Finlay College goes, in greater part, towards the overheads of an expensive building, catering and accommodation costs. However, other establishments offer free or lower-cost training. During the COVID crisis, Poole Christian Spiritualist Church (PCSC), run by Lawrence Savill, invested in technology that allows the church events, including the weekly services, to be streamed free online for those who could not attend the church in person.
Even though the pandemic is thankfully behind us, PCSC has continued to stream online, bringing the church’s events to a global congregation. Lawrence has established a winning formula for modern spiritualism. Though, of course, Lawrence’s church needs funds, his church is bringing anyone with an internet connection into his congregation—for free!
Other spiritualist churches are also adapting streaming technology and embracing alternative ways to appeal to larger audiences. Students can visit their social media platforms and seek out many ways to be involved and virtually participate with others without needing lots of money or travel expenses, and they can do so in the comfort of their own homes.
A year or two ago, there was some talk that streaming technology should bring down costs for students wanting to advance their education. You’d think so, wouldn’t you?
In the past few days, at the time of writing this article, there have been several opportunities appear on social media, posted by certified mediums. One such opportunity involved being mentored by this well-known and hugely respected medium over a period of twelve months, culminating in a certificate at the end of the period. Periodically, sometimes monthly, other times weekly, the student would join the other members of the group online for a Zoom class. Assignments and homework would be set by the said tutor.
The course would be limited to 20 students. A deposit of a little under £200 would be required to enrol. Yes that’s just the deposit! To enrol in the mentorship program and earn that final certificate in 12 months time would cost £1700. Yes really.
I couldn’t stop myself doing the math. So, 20 students parting with £1700 equates to £34,000 for the certified tutor. And this is all achieved online via a few Zoom sessions! For all we know, the tutor could be duplicating that mentorship many times, after all, there are lots of hours in a week. £34,000 x ?
Will the students be any better mediums at the end of it? Will their individual abilities to channel deeper and more meaningful evidence be guaranteed. Of course not.
How many ordinary student mediums can afford this kind of money to invest in their mediumship? It’s a choice only available to those few that could afford it. Does it therefore make them any lesser mediums? No it does not, and don’t even remotely believe so.
Don’t buy into the belief that your mediumship training needs to cost thousands of pounds. That is not so. It’s your choice to invest in it, and you might benefit from it. But really, is mediumship all about certificates, qualifications, and becoming well-known as a medium? No, and if you think those things are important, good luck with your pursuit.
Darren Brittain, a well-known UK medium, amongst others, suggests that unfolding one’s potential and improving one’s connection with the spirit world can be achieved by learning to sit in one’s own power and energy, learning to understand and develop one’s own relationship with spirit.
Of course, these mediums that charge for their tuition are entitled to. They too have invested time and money into their own abilities. Why shouldn’t they charge a fee for their services? That’s perfectly acceptable in any language. But charging thousands of pounds, for online tuition in apparently limited number groups culminating in a pointless certificate is questionable, to say the least.
Some years ago, I travelled to witness one of Britain’s most loved and well-known mediums of the day. He/she was attending a local church. The ticket fee was £15. I knew of this person by their reputation. I was of the impression that he/she would therefore be a superb medium of the highest calibre.
The church was heaving and he/she received a rapturous applause when he/she entered from the back of the church. I was buzzing with excitement as this was a medium I’d heard so much about. Wanting to improve my own mediumship, I anticipated I would witness something spectacular that night.
That was not so. His/her mediumship was wishy-washy and vague. But because of his/her popularity, people were prepared to make things fit to be read by this great medium. During the evening, as I always do on such occasions, I decided to make a mental note of every time he/she offered a rock-solid gold nugget piece of evidence of continuing life. I know how to judge what evidence is and isn’t. There were none. Not one single gold-nugget evidence all night long.
When the evening closed, he/she received an enthusiastic, warm applause, and loud cheers of joy. Why? Because of who he/she was and not what she’d just demonstrated with her mediumship. Yes, he/she was most likely a wonderful and popular person, and yes, I could learn much from him/her. That is not disputed. But did I witness mediumship that justified a £15 ticket fee in a church? No.
At its heart, mediumship should not be about money. But because money is involved, it deserves to get judged as a service. Whenever money changes hands, the buyer deserves to receive something in exchange to match the value. The more it costs, the higher the judgement will be. A thousand pounds or dollars in exchange for a week at the Arthur Findlay College, to be in the presence of excellent tutors and like-minded students for every woken hour of that week is expensive, but probably worth it in the long term.
To pay the same amount for mentoring by a qualified expert, in a small group of students, online is not just expensive, but some might suggest, daylight robbery under the guise of mediumship development. Of course, there will be some people that benefit from this form of training and education, and would happily express delight from what they achieved from doing it. Some would add the fact to their résumé to appear a better medium. But as already stated in this article, at those kind of costs, it really is only available to the few with spare money that choose to invest in it.
There are hundreds of mediumship students across this country, and around the world, that have a dream to attend the AFC or be able to be mentored long term by a well-known medium. Often these desires are inspired from others who have been fortunate enough to be able to afford such training. But the truth is, these huge expenses are not an essential need for unfolding your mediumship potential. And you won’t get a refund if you fail!
Praise should be dished out for institutes such as the previously mentioned Poole Christian Spiritualist Church who are working hard to improve the standards of mediumship for everyone, without the bank-breaking expensive requirements. Praise should also be given to the high standard mediums, of which there are many, that take time out to attend smaller churches and centres across the world, allowing everyone to witness their abilities, at a small door entry fee.
The Arthur Findlay College is not always the answer for your development advancement. It is not a given that you should attend. Neither is it essential that you should be mentored at huge expense by a well-known medium. On both of those, you could end up no better as a medium, and thousands of pounds out of pocket to boot!
Expensive training opportunities are not a rite of passage, or an essential ingredient for every student’s progress. Education is important. Higher standards of mediumship is important too. But at the heart of mediumship, it is up to the individual to hone their abilities to connect to the spirit world and forward high standard evidence that life continues. That ability cannot be bought. Nor is it easy to be trained to be able to. To become the medium you aspire to be, needs time, patience, dedication, and determination.
Face the truth – not every student medium is going to be tomorrow’s flavour. Not every student will ever get to a level where gold nuggets of information flow from their mouths with every connection with spirit. Not every student should be encouraged or persuaded to spend their savings on education that might still not get them to where they think they want to be. Revaluate your reasons for wanting to be a better medium, and consider at what cost you’re prepared to achieve it. Is it a realistic expectation or merely something you hope happens?
Plenty of affordable and available resources exist for learning and developing your mediumship. Of course, how you spend your money is up to you. But dismiss the belief that you must spend thousands to become a better medium. It’s not true. If becoming a better quality medium is your deep desire, then work with the basics, over and over again. Take advantage of events and workshops at your local churches. Stay humble to learn, and finally, always remain a student. You don’t need qualifications or certificates. You don’t need to become well-known and carry some kind of ego-driven status. You just need to remain humble to learning and happy to serve spirit – your spirit first.
