By Madeline Purdue

Many people question the credibility of mediums and their ability to communicate with spirits. This is largely because the idea of talking to the dead scares people and they close their mind to the possibility. However, mediums have learned to channel their energies, and the real ones can help the departed share their message with humans on Earth.

Society has consistently cast mediums in a negative light. This comes from the history of forbidden practices of the supernatural powers, the most common being witchcraft.

Mediums are seen as dirty frauds that manipulate vulnerable people to make a buck. This is easy to believe because there are scammers who fake their ability, and these people have caused mediums to be stereotyped as nothing more than street-corner hustlers.

There are easy ways to spot the fakes. They generally start by asking questions and making very general statements. They make a lot of mistakes and try and correct themselves multiple times. Real mediums state very specific information that they could not have possibly known before because they are strangers.

Another way to spot fake mediums is if they offer to remove a curse or put a spell on someone. Spells and curses are not real things in mediumship. Witches cast spells and remove curses; mediums do not have that ability.

It is easy to ignore and discredit this practice because it sounds crazy, but this ability is inside of everyone. Deja vu, or feeling like an experience has already occurred, is an example of this ability. Spirits often are the cause of deja vu and are trying to send a message. Children have imaginary friends, which are actually spirits. The older they grow, the more the ability fades because it is discouraged.

Dreams are another way of spirits communicating with people on earth. For example, when I was young, on the night of Sept. 10, 2001, I woke up my parents with a horrible nightmare. I told them that purple planes were going to crash into buildings and that my father should not get on a plane for his business trip in the morning. He made it through security just in time to see the second plane hit the World Trade Center.

There is a sixth sense, but many turn a blind eye in efforts to claim their sanity or in fear of facing those who have died. For some, it’s too painful to be able to communicate with someone they have lost. For others, the idea of communicating with an intangible person is frightening.

Spirits use energy to communicate as well, so if a light flickers or a telephone rings with no caller, this may be a way of spirits trying to get attention. Keep an open mind and be aware of these messages.

Mediums are those who embrace their ability and improve their communication skills with spirits. They are not alone in this journey and are often aided by at least one spirit guide. Spirit guides help all who want to navigate the spiritual world, not just mediums. If a spirit wants to contact someone on Earth, they can go to these spirit guides who will bring the message to the medium.

Spirit guides will also lead the medium away from demonized spirits. These troubled spirits are angry to be trapped and want to wreak havoc on Earth. This is where paranormal activity comes from.

There are different types of mediums. The primary kind is the communicator. They relay messages from spirits to humans and vice versa.

The second most common medium is the psychic. They can make predictions of the future based on the energies sensed in the universe and the person they are helping.

There are other types of mediums that can let the spirit talk for themselves using their body as a pathway. They also could pull the spirit through the channel and physically bring the spirit to where they want to be.

These types of mediumship are dangerous because the worlds are meant to be separate, and opening the channel for good spirits means the evil ones can come through too. This takes a lot of control and training with the help of spirit guides.

Do not become frustrated if a medium cannot make contact with a spirit right away, especially right after a loss. Spirits have to get their bearing with the afterworld and it might take a while for them to realize they can communicate with the living. When and if they choose to make contact, they have to find spirit guides who know of a medium who can help. The process takes time, so patience is key.

Before visiting mediums, research to make sure the person is who they say they are. Obtain multiple verbal references for credibility. Vulnerability is blood in the water for frauds, so control your emotions before entering one of these sessions. Skepticism is expected, but don’t let it get in the way of an important message.

Madeline Purdue studies journalism. She can be reached at alexandraschultz@unr.edu and on Twitter @TheNevadaSagebrush.