Hello Nova,

Here's my views. Lets hope I can get this right, I went a little off topic on my last post, but I am new on here!!!.

In over 40 yrs associated with Spiritualism, fraud exists. Now, how deliberate it is is another matter. What I have found is little deliberate fraud, but a good deal of self delusion.
Physical mediumship, of which I am happy to say I have had considerable experience of is particularly prome to criticisms. Now, over all this time I can make some observations:

In the average Spiritualist 'Church' I have found little fraud, in fact I doubt I have seen it. I have seen lots of people who THINK they are mediums and are of mediocre quality. This is not fraud as such, but people simply trying to demonstrate mediumship before they are ready and properly developed.

They are just not good enough links. This is common, so be aware of it. Its a question of quantity over quality.

Physical mediumship is another matter. I cannot say I have met much of it; but the dynamics are totaly different, and the conditions for a succesful seance are very different.

In the past, some mediums have been known to 'help the phenomena along' when they were getting very little, or were having a bad night.
Eusapia Palladino was known to do this, yet at other times was shown to be genuine. I have sat with one physical medium who demonstrated this, and genuine phenomnea also.

I have also sat with another well known physical medium demonstrating today who in my mind was an out and out fraud; and another one, who is a nice guy who 'THINKS' he is a physical medium and is nothing of the sort.

My mate sat with a physical medium in Preston many years ago who claimed to produce materialisations only to be confronted by a white robed figure during the seance wearing a pair of brouge's !!

Similarly, the physical medium whom I sit with most often is in my view 100% genuine. Always go with an open mind, and if it does not feel right and you are uncomfortable, then it probabaly is not. Yes, fraud exists (as in many things, there are the good and bad), but so does the real thing.

The Wanderer