This is an emotive topic where opinions vary between people. Is there any truth in the statement that true mediums are born gifted or is that just an egotistical statement with no real truth?
According to the outstanding British medium, Paul Jacobs, “ True mediums are born gifted.” Paul doesn’t mince his words when he states this to anyone listening. But there is much more to it than just a brash statement of fact, as he suggests. If his statement was entirely the end of matters, he would not be making a living teaching others around the world. To get the truth behind Paul’ statement, we have to consider many other aspects of the argument.
According to the Divine, all men (a literal reference to all sexes) are born equal. Again, generically accurate. But that’s another statement that doesn’t take into account many other factors. Although we are born in the same biological way as each other, each of us is unique. We might share the same colour eyes, or hair. We might be the same in many other bodily features, but the combined ingredients that make up each of us are unique to each of us.
This difference includes more than biological features. Our personalities, characteristics, emotional state and our driving force is unique to us as individuals. Circumstances shape who we become, each as different as individual snowflakes. Our parents, peers and those around us influence and shape who we become. Most parents of young children can share stories of when they spotted subtle changes in their child after their first few days at school. Again, circumstances largely shape who we become.
Does the universal forces (The Divine) give some newborn an enhanced gift?
Some religious believers suggest that we return to this earth with what is often called, ‘A Soul Contract’. This belief suggests that our soul has chosen its path before it enters into a new life on earth. We choose our parents, our missions for the life and the lessons we need to learn. As an evidential medium with many years of experience and study to tap into, I don’t believe in the concept of soul contracts. It’s a flawed suggestion and is not open to scrutiny or more importantly, evidential facts to support it. If the afterlife is such a beautiful place, why would we choose to come back to earth and suffer pain, torment, evil forces and the like, as apparent lessons?
The notion of a soul contract does not stand up. As much of this entire debate is open to suggestions and conjecture, where does the concept of being born gifted fit in? I believe that each of us is made up of millions of ingredients in varying quantities. Inaccurate amounts of everything that is needed for life itself. As unique as the individual raindrops from the clouds, the rivers and oceans. As individual as the grains of sand on the beaches of this planet. As individual as every plant, animal and lifeform on earth. We are the result of our unique mix of ingredients.
Combinations of these ingredients make up the individual abilities each of us have. One child might have an enhanced ability to play the piano, such as was the case with Mozart and many other great musicians. Some have combinations of ingredients that leads them to become great painters, or cooks, nurses, teachers, and even mediums. Were those ingredients thrust upon them by a Divine force? I don’t think so. It just happened during the mix.
So there is the overall answer. Some mediums are born with an enhanced ‘gift’ for this work. By that fact, they become aware of the spirit world from an early age in their formation (the developing years). But those ingredients we are born with can and do change with time. Life circumstances adjusts the mixtures as we progress through it. Reasons may come into our life where we make a choice to explore something that interests us. We might choose to learn to play the piano when we reach the age of 20, 30, 50 and beyond. There’s nothing stopping that from happening.
Our development through life is not just reliant on a biological process, set by nature. Each of us can choose to explore different avenues than the one we’re currently on. When we do this, we inadvertently change subtle mixtures in those ingredients that make who we are. Think about anger management classes, meditation classes, counselling courses, and many more choices we make. Each choice results in a change to our overall mix of ingredients. The old and tired phrase that ‘leopards cannot change their spots’ is not true with human nature.
My argument that I’ve outlined above suggests that the statement suggesting great mediums are born gifted has some truth. But the suggestion that only gifted people become great mediums is massively flawed and doesn’t hold water! The fact is plain and simple, anyone can become a medium, and anyone, with enough patience, time and dedication can become a great medium, no matter how old or young. Our interest in working with the spirit world can come to fruition at any age. You may become aware of the spirit world as a child, as Paul is referring to, or it may be decades later when something draws you to explore the subject more closely. Of course, the longer you’ve been aware of your own potential for this work, the more experience and knowledge you will have acquired.
The challenge with developing a relationship with your higher spirit and the spirit world is that there is no template of learning to follow. Everyone is different and everyone’s relationship with their spirit is unique to them. Does this mean that mediumship cannot be taught?
The answer is yes. As stated in the previous paragraph, everyone’s relationship with the spirit world is unique to the individual. But that does not mean that the excellent tutors and leaders we have to help us can’t. Quite the opposite.
Mediums that choose to teach other students, do so based on their experience and their opinions. The more qualified the medium is, the better the structure of teaching is likely to be. This is why we should appreciate the wisdom and teachings of qualified tutors that have a deeper understanding of the various fields associated with this work with spirit. Styles of teaching are, naturally, different. Tutors rely on their own wide range of skills and abilities, experience and of course knowledge.
“Teachers in schools generally follow a curriculum. There are guidelines to work within with each subject. There are a few subjects though where the opinion of the teachers is present throughout the process. For example, English Literature, Art, and Media Studies. Teaching these subjects relies a great deal on the opinions of the teacher, which are therefore based on their individual knowledge.”
Jane B. Retired Languages Teacher
So far in this article I’ve looked at the suggestion that great mediums are born gifted and given reasons why this statement may contain elements of truth. I’ve also given reasons why, although the statement may contain some supporting evidence, it is not where it starts and ends. The great medium may be asleep in any of us, waiting to be woken.
Another factor that I believe is important is regarding another human trait – the one of ego.
The Badge Of Honour Syndrome
When I was interviewing many of the most well-known mediums in the UK for the series of Spirited Talk Podcasts, (available in the podcast section of this website) there were common denominators I became aware of. It came to my attention that the more well-known the medium was, the more they were likely to suggest that they had a gift for this work with spirit from an early age. Whether it was always true is open to dispute. It would be hard, if not impossible, for any of us to examine the evidence to support such claims.
No doubt, some of the mediums did have that enhanced set of ingredients I’ve discussed earlier. But what appeared more likely to me was that this early age ability was being used as a badge of honour, to somehow set them aside from others. It was being used to enhance their role as a medium.
I’ve witnessed some of those mediums during their demonstrations at churches and events. Some of them showed no more evidence of there being an afterlife than any other mediums I’ve witnessed. Their billing on the posters suggested great mediums with vast experience, international, well-known and loved. Yet when it came to the actual evidence within their demonstrations, it was often thin on the ground and their demonstrations were no better than many other lesser known mediums.
My advice to a new student to this wonderful world of mediumship would be to keep an open mind about everything they hear. Not being born with an enhanced gift for this work isn’t the end all. Beware of the medium that brags about their childhood abilities. That’s quite hard to prove and as time passes, we’re all guilty of viewing our past through rose-tinted glasses.
