An Evening With a Medium , by Misha Herwin

 

It was a notice on Facebook that spiked my interest. There was to be a demonstration by a medium at the local Spiritualist Church in aid of charity. At first I thought this was going to support the Pensioners’ Club but apparently it was for the upkeep of the building itself. Even so I could see this was a good cause and since I had never attended anything like this and I find the whole idea of an afterlife intriguing, I decided that I would give it a go.

Those of you that have read my books, “House of Shadows” and “Belvedere Crescent” will know that ghosts and the supernatural are a recurring theme. Whether I can truly say I believe or not, I am not sure. All I know is that I find the concept of a world beyond our understanding fascinating. I am convinced that there are people who do have genuine glimpses of what will happen in the future. There are others who know when someone is coming to visit, or who is on the other end of the phone. I also believe that children can see and hear things the rest of us can’t. I suspect that this is a gift most human beings are born with but since they are always being told it does not exist, that they are only making things up, they eventually stop using it and like every other skill if not practised it eventually withers away.

If you do have the gift then can you use it at will and more importantly in this context, can you use it to communicate with the spirit world?

Probably most people at that meeting on Saturday believed that was possible, although the delightful gentleman I sat next to did admit to some scepticism, even though he was a regular attender at the church.

To my surprise what had been billed as a “demonstration” started with a hymn and a prayer. Then the medium, a frail looking grey-haired lady, spoke in turn to each member of the audience/congregation. There was no trance, nothing dramatic, though there was quite a bit of, “I’m hearing Frank, or Margaret, or etc.,” none of whom appeared to have any connection with her audience. However, in some cases what she actually said seemed to be remarkably accurate and very personal. She spoke to one woman of having lost her daughter and to others that she saw their husbands standing beside them.

As for the rest of us, there were statements that no one recognised, many bland statements that could apply to anyone, what felt like somewhat wild guesses and by the end of the session a feeling that she was getting tired and definitely floundering. 

My moment came pretty close to the end and I have to report that none of my loved ones wanted anything to do with me. The closest the medium got was to say my mum’s friends were there, which would be fine but I only recognised one name. This was a Margaret and I don’t even know if she is dead and if she is I hardly knew her. Mum herself did not make an appearance, nor were there any references to other members of the family who I might expect to be concerned about my happiness and wellbeing.

Instead I was warned to be careful of a steep step. A warning I will obviously take to heart.

All in all I came away with as many questions as I had before.