“We’ve forgotten who we are.” - The Controversy and Popularity of Spiritualism

In recent years, Spiritualism has gained an increase in acceptance and participation. Perhaps the evil that life has thrown our way in recent years, such as the global pandemic, has encouraged any one of us to find something to believe in. Something that keeps our feet on the ground and our hearts beating.

I had a conversation with my Auntie, Maria, about spirituality and the stigma that still surrounds it - despite its growing popularity. This article will explore her own journey through life being a Psychic Medium and Spiritual Healer.

“I took it for granted.” My Auntie Maria says reminiscing on the origins of discovering her gift. As early as she can remember, she had bold premonitions and felt connected to astrology. Able to guess many peoples' star signs during initial introductions, she began to venture into Tarot card reading. In her forties, her Guides revealed that they were ready to work with her. So, she turned her gift into a career. “I fulfilled my dream.” She says, once she opened her very own spiritual centre after studying at The College of Psychic Studies. During this time she worked with prominent mediums to develop her natural abilities and gift. Describing this journey, she confirms, “A lot of things fell into place.”

This realisation could prove rather frightening for most people. So, I asked my Auntie if the discovery of her gift ever feared her. “Not at all.” She replied. “I felt at home with it.” Believing this is exactly where she belongs, she understands her gift as it has been with her from the very start.

When life gets dark, I said, do you turn to Spirituality to comfort you? Explaining to me that she can visualise three different timelines at once. During a reading, the past, present and future are in alignment - proving to her that, even in the darkest of moments, nothing happens by chance. Some things are beyond our control, she explained, but some things are in our power.

Not every body understands Spirituality. Maybe people do not attempt to understand it for reasons they connect to it. I wondered how people react to my Auntie when she informs them of her gift. Assuming a portrayal of judgment would be received towards her, she unveiled that, throughout the years, people are progressively more welcoming to the concept. Refraining from taking the role of a preacher, she allows anyone who chooses not to believe her words to assign a conclusion for themselves and what they feel. “Everyone has their own journey.” Though, I was informed that anyone receiving a reading must work with the medium, themselves. A reading can only be as poignant and willing as the person who is being read.

Though controversial, I broached the topic of religion during our conversation. Spirituality is a belief. It is a way of living and breathing. Do you think that Spirituality should, or could, be viewed in the same way that religion is? I asked. Responding with her belief that we have been suppressed by religion when we are far more powerful. “We are all spiritual beings.” Not disagreeing with religion and free choice, she respects all religions from a spiritual perspective. With the likes of Buddhas, Ganesh and Krishna taking presence in her home, she believes in all powers within religion. Enforcing the idea that there is so much more to what is indoctrinated in us, she believes that, “People are not awake to what is going on in the world.”

Within my generation, I have found that astrology, in particular, has grown in fascination. Becoming, almost, mainstream, my Auntie relishes in the reality that what was once condemned is now praised. Do you think the consumption of this is diluting the authenticity of Spirituality? Disclosing that her original knowledge on the ways to expand her natural gift were through platforms present today, she agrees that we live in a world where publicity can seem the strongest way to bring awareness to something.

To the person reading this, are you interested in Spirituality but are unsure where to begin? Do you believe you have a gift, too, but are lost in your attempts to navigate it? I asked my Auntie where these people should begin their journey through Spiritualism. To which she responded, “Join a circle.” Participating in a beginners circle will allow one to advance their craft by gaining a fundamental knowledge of the basics, such as where their energy centres and their chakras are. They will comprehend how to draw in their Guides and how to protect themselves. 

Sharing her final thoughts on Spiritualism, “It is within all of us. It’s natural. It’s who we are.” Strengthening the ideology that we must work together to accept Spirit, “We’ve forgotten who we are.”