Most towns and cities around the UK and beyond have at least one esoteric-based shop on the high street. Shops that sell all the trimmings for psychics, mediums and healers.
When entering such a shop, one is often greeted by the smell of burning incense or candle fragrances. The shelves are filled with ornaments, dragons, fairies, dream catchers, gemstones, fragrant oils, crystal balls, tarot and angel cards, books on healing, mediumship, and every related topic. The atmosphere and energy feel warm, inviting, friendly, peaceful, and encouraging. It’s nearly impossible for someone studying and practising work involving spirit not to encounter the most important item in the store—the till!
It’s a business. The owner’s primary objective is to make money. As a budding medium, you might find a dream catcher that you like and take it to the till to pay. But will the assistant tell you it’s something you don’t need to forward your unfoldment? Of course not. They might even encourage you to buy an amethyst stone or an expensive crystal ball (often made of real glass, not crystal) to enhance your connection with the spirit world.
I speak as a student who spent an absolute fortune on stuff in these shops at one point in my development. As I write this article in my office, I am surrounded by displays on the walls, cabinets filled with my collections, and bookcases filled to the brim with probably over 500 esoteric books. I have hundreds of crystals, a dozen or more crystal balls, at least 50 packs of tarot, pendulums by the tens, and a sizeable collection of glass animals! Oh boy, I dare to think how much money I have spent on spirit toys to become a medium from scratch!
But is that the wrong way of viewing this? Should I consider these individual purchases as investments? Investments that enhanced my development from knowing nothing to becoming a medium? Should I use the rituals I’ve developed, such as ringing a little brass bell stored in my main tarot box before attuning to the cards? Or always carrying a gemstone in my pocket? Or always burning incense when I sit to work? Are all of these habits just unnecessary baggage, crutches, props and pointless tools?
The answer is yes and no. Purist mediums across the nations would be screaming at me and you right now. They’d be animated in their actions whilst stating that toys, tools, and trimmings, such as all these nonsense purchases, are not required to connect with the spirit world. And they’d be, for the main, correct. But if we could observe each of these mediums at work, we’d soon discover that they likely use rituals and similar habits during their work with spirit. If we could question each of them honestly, we’d likely find that they, too, have rituals, routines, superstitions, comfort blankets (such as clothing) and things they feel are important in their work.
Many of the spirit toys involve a learning curve to be successfully used. A crystal ball on a table during a reading is only there for ornamental purposes if the medium isn’t using it. It adds to the mystic, though, right? But what if they’ve learned the art of scrying, a method of using the crystal ball for focus to enhance intuition? Then, the crystal ball is an additional tool they can occasionally use. Gemstones are believed to emanate specific energies. Rose quartz is used for healing, lapis lazuli is used to heighten psychic senses, quartz crystals are used for reiki healing, obsidian is used for grounding energy, and so on. Again, a level of understanding and education is required to use them properly.
One of my favourite tools is Tarot. But again, those purist mediums will be vocal in claiming that using tarot is only for psychics and not for mediumship. Through educating myself with Tarot and utilising its powers, I know that the purist medium is wrong. The use of tarot for mediumship can, and often is a powerful way of improving clarity and focus within my mediumship. Many similar spirit toys work the same way. Divining rods, flower reading, pendulums, runes, and many other items help channel invisible forces to bring strength and information otherwise missed.
What about the rituals, such as my ringing a bell before commencing a reading using the tarot? Or playing the same piece of music before commencing a demonstration of mediumship? Or wearing specific items of clothing while working with the spirit world? Are these rituals required? Again, the answer is yes and no. Most mediums, myself included, don’t need comfort toys to connect to the spirit world and relay evidence of the continuation of life. Speaking for myself, there have been many times when I’ve been able to pass on gold-nugget evidence in a situation without planning or performing any rituals. That does not mean the tools, as I prefer to call them, are any less important in their place.
Given the choice, most mediums prefer to complete a reading in their own home or premises. Of course, this isn’t always possible, but the reading is likely to be easier when it is. Apart from being able to control the environment, it means the medium can better prepare themselves, possibly utilising some of their ‘toys’. Is that a hard and fast rule? No.
Rituals serve two main purposes. The first is that a ritual, or routine, helps the person change their state of being for the work expected. Putting on specific clothing changes the way a person feels whilst wearing it. When I put on a suit, it tells me I mean business. I act differently. My posture changes. My focus becomes more direct. When I play specific music tracks, I do so to prepare myself mentally for the task ahead. It may be for meditation purposes, healing, tarot, or even to have a power nap! A soundtrack is playing on one of my computers as I write this. The music helps me focus.
The other purpose of a ritual is to set the intent, not just for oneself, but also for those in the spirit world we’re about to connect to. For example, when I ring the little bell in my tarot box, it tells the spirit team I’m ready to start. Of course, that’s a subjective belief, but one I strongly believe in. The key words in this paragraph are ‘set the intent’. We change our mindset whenever we perform a ritual and become ready to do whatever we intend. We set our intent.
Let me summarise and answer the questions this article highlights:
::: Is there a need to invest in spirit-related toys to become a better person working with spirit?
No, of course not. That money might be better spent on books and education.
::: Are such spirit-related toys just pointless?
No. Each has a place, though often not where people suggest.
::: Are these extras acting like crutches that we don’t need for working with spirit?
No. The ill-informed medium might suggest the opposite, but that’s usually because they’ve not learned about the ‘crutch’ item.
::: So, what’s the point of buying these spirit toys?
Diversification in your education. If you plan to invest, say £100, in a crystal ball, plan to learn how to use it. If you succeed in learning the art of scrying, your unfoldment is likely to be richer. But beware of investing money in things that serve no purpose and will, over time, gather dust on a shelf or in a drawer.
::: Should I consider creating rituals for my work with spirit?
Only you can answer that; don’t let anyone else advise you. Just because I have a few rituals doesn’t mean everyone else should use them.
::: Do you avoid mind-body spirit shops, then?
No, I love them. I just try to avoid picking things up that will lead to me visiting the till!
