Should people make a career out of their gift?

[astralsuzy]

I know people will disagree with me and that is OK but this is my opinion. I do not think mediums should get paid because a lot of mediums are scams. It is the same with fortune tellers etc. There are some genuine people but a lot of people get ripped off and loose a large amount of money.

[bobjob]

Originally Posted by astralsuzy

I know people will disagree with me and that is OK but this is my opinion. I do not think mediums should get paid because a lot of mediums are scams. It is the same with fortune tellers etc. There are some genuine people but a lot of people get ripped off and loose a large amount of money.

Individuals expressing their views and even disagreeing is what all contributors should expect on a forum-based website. If everyone agreed on every point it would be a very strange situation.

It's wrong to say "a lot of mediums are scams" unless you can provide evidence. The reality is that some individuals purporting to be mediums will be scammers and even an actual medium might be.

That will be the case for other service providers but it doesn't follow that NO mediums should charge for their services. If you enact a law preventing payment - how else could you enforce such a rule? - it would prevent some mediums being able to provide the same level of service they can if they make a charge. Would that be a good outcome?
Having said that I'm all for throwing the full weight of the law at those who seek to defraud and scam.

Equally importantly I hope conversations like this one will help those trying to understand death and what follows and considering mediumship as a way of doing that. It should give them a framework for what to expect from mediums compared with fortune-tellers, psychic readers, personal counselors and other similarly-based service providers that may APPEAR to be offering communication with spirits.
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[bobjob]

What I wouldn't approve of is a practitioner making a high charge for mediumship but that mediumship not being provided in full......

Now that's quite the challenge in deciding what "in full" would mean. If a practitioner were to charge more than a few tens of dollars/pounds for a sitting - covering basic out-of-pocket costs etc. - but then was unable to provide good evidence of survival, in whatever form it had been promised, that practitioner should give a partial refund - period.

I do realise it's hard to define what level of success would constitute sufficient evidence of survival but I do wonder what value-for-money personal sitters get from certain mediums who levy high charges for their services.

The situation might be an even bigger problem where healing mediumship is charged for.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by bobjob

It's wrong to say "a lot of mediums are scams".... The reality is that some individuals purporting to be mediums will be scammers...

This would be my opinion, also.
If I have learned one thing from forums* is 'wording is very important';
like : a lot are to 'some can be', what a difference.
*Well, I should give credit to Couples Therapy, too.

Greenslade, good response, very clear and logical, to me.

[Native spirit]

I Didn't charge for readings but that was my choice.some people do it as a living so they have to have a charge.
I know of a certain pair of mediums that do individual readings that charge£150 per reading.
that to me is to much but each to their own


Namaste

[bobjob]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

If I have learned one thing from forums is 'wording is very important'; like : a lot are to 'some can be', what a difference.

Indeed the words we write are important.

I suspect some folk write as they speak rather than taking a little more time to think about what they're writing and then reading through the whole thing before posting their thoughts.

Add to all that generalisation - especially generalisations based on limited personal experience or knowledge - and the posting quickly loses credibility.

[bobjob]

Originally Posted by Native spirit

I know of a certain pair of mediums that do individual readings that charge£150 per reading.
that to me is to much Namaste

I'd be comfortable at half that amount. It's the kind of hourly labour charge you might pay for other services such as a plumber, sparky, mechanic etc.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by bobjob

EXCERPT If a practitioner were to charge more than a few tens of dollars/pounds for a sitting - covering basic out-of-pocket costs etc. - but then was unable to provide good evidence of survival, in whatever form it had been promised, that practitioner should give a partial refund - period.

I do realise it's hard to define what level of success would constitute sufficient evidence of survival but I do wonder what value-for-money personal sitters get from certain mediums who levy high charges for their services.

The Mediums I know, do not seem to dwell on providing "good evidence of survival". From what I have seen is the client is looking for information that they can use. For example, what I have seen is that some people will go to a Medium that can precipitate a Spirit produced photograph which might have the name of their guides, Angels, Masters, etc. on it. There seems to be a big demand for this and people are willing to pay a fairly good amount of money to have this done in a group sitting.

If you look at how the word Medium apparently was first used, it seems to me that it might include some people that get information from Spirit and then share it with others if it is in verbal or written form or might even be in a new product or idea.

[bobjob]

It would be a wonderful situation if all mediums were able to support themselves - jobs, investent or whatever - and be willing and able to provide their mediumship without charging.

But the real world isn't like that and mediums who give of their time to the extent they can not hold down a job, and have no other way to support themselves, need to charge as a way of paying the bills. Most of the remainder choose whether to make a charge and it's totally their right to choose.

[bobjob]

I wonder if it's a reflection of how little interest there is in this subject that there have been so few contributions?