Traditional Mediumship vs. Modern Practice

In a time when spirituality is often focused on personal healing and self-growth, it’s worth asking: have we lost touch with the original purpose of mediumship?

Through my journey with the Arthur Findlay College and years of spiritual exploration, I’ve come to realize how much modern mediumship has changed from its ancient roots. Today, many people seek spirit communication to find comfort, closure, or evidence that a loved one continues to exist after death. But that hasn’t always been the case.

These reflections were inspired by the teachings of Helen DaVita, a globally respected spiritual educator and former tutor at the Arthur Findlay College, whose work bridges ancient traditions with modern spiritual practice.

A Role Once Rooted in Community

Historically, mediumship wasn’t about proving life after death or delivering private messages. It was a sacred role that served the entire community. In traditional cultures, the shaman, seer, or tribal elder acted as a bridge between the human world and the world of spirit, nature, and ancestors.

These spiritual leaders didn’t just pass on personal messages—they accessed wisdom that would guide the entire group. Whether it was about planting cycles, healing methods, or avoiding danger.

Archaeological findings show that many ancient cultures built communal spaces specifically for connecting with the spirit world. From stone circles to temple complexes aligned with the stars, these weren’t private reading rooms. They were gathering spaces where people came together to receive spiritual insight for the good of all.

In many Indigenous traditions, the purpose of mediumship wasn’t emotional closure or personal validation—it was to access guidance from ancestors, nature, or divine beings. These forms of intelligence weren’t always seen as individual spirits of the recently deceased, but as part of a living, collective wisdom.

The Shift Toward Individualism

Everything began to change during the 17th and 18th centuries, when the Western world moved toward science, logic, and reason. Spiritual practices were increasingly seen as outdated or superstitious, unless they could be framed in terms of evidence and personal experience.

By the 19th century, especially after the chaos of the Industrial Revolution and other Wars like the American Civil War, millions of people were grieving in isolation. While burial practices grew more separated from daily life, simultaneous events like the American Civil War—which claimed an immense number of lives—created an unprecedented wave of death, often occurring far from home with bodies unrecovered. This led to a psychological vacuum that traditional religious consolation struggled to fill. People wanted more than abstract promises of Heaven—they needed tangible evidence that their loved ones continued to exist.

In this context, evidential mediumship was born. Instead of focusing on general wisdom, modern mediums began offering detailed, verifiable information to prove that loved ones still existed. It became a way to comfort the individual—something deeply needed in a rapidly changing world.

This shift has helped many people find peace, but it also raises an important question:

-       Are we missing deeper wisdom by focusing only on personal validation?

What if mediumship could be more than just comfort? What if it could help us remember how deeply we’re connected—not just to our own past, but to a shared spiritual heritage?

This path asks us to go beyond being messengers. It invites us to become vessels of healing, a healing presence—not just for individuals, but for our communities and the Earth itself.

Whether you’re a practicing medium, a spiritual seeker, or simply someone curious about where we come from and where we’re going, this deeper understanding of mediumship can open doors. Doors not just to messages from beyond—but to a renewed sense of belonging, meaning, and purpose in the present.

Perhaps the real invitation is this: to ask not only “What do I need to heal?” but also “What do we need to remember?”

By reconnecting with the collective roots of mediumship and listening to the wisdom of our ancestors, we may rediscover something profoundly vital.

With Love,

Sofia