What Is Mediumship?
Understanding Your Power, the Clairs and the Intelligence of Spirit
By Donna King – Spiritualist Medium & Mediumship Teacher
Mediumship has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Through my own development, my work as a medium and my many years of teaching, I have come to understand that mediumship is not about trying harder, searching for information or attempting to make something happen.
It is about learning to understand your own power, expanding your awareness and allowing the intelligence of Spirit to work through you.
One of the most important things I teach is that we must trust Spirit and ourselves. We are not there to dictate what Spirit should say, what information should come forward or what we believe needs to be communicated.
We are there to allow Spirit the opportunity to communicate.
And there is a very big difference.
What Is Mediumship?
Mediumship is the communication between those of us here in the physical world and our loved ones who have passed into the Spirit World.
I know that life continues beyond physical death. It is through this understanding and my experience of working with Spirit that I have come to appreciate the depth of communication that can take place.
But mediumship is so much more than simply receiving a name, a date or a description of somebody who has passed.
It is about the essence of that person.
Their personality, their love, their memories, their humour, their emotions and those little things that made them who they were.
Sometimes the smallest detail can hold the greatest meaning.
And that is why I believe we must learn to trust the intelligence of Spirit rather than constantly trying to control the communication ourselves.
In fact, trying becomes the problem. We don't need to try. We need to remain within our own power and allow the communication to unfold naturally.
Understanding Your Own Power Before Connecting With Spirit
One of the most important things I teach is the need to understand your own power first.
Before we can begin to recognise the presence of Spirit, we need to become familiar with ourselves.
Our own energy. Our own feelings. Our own awareness.
When we sit in our power, we are allowing ourselves the time to become still, to move away from the distractions of everyday life and to become more aware of the energy within and around us.
As we continue to sit, that awareness can begin to expand.
I often describe this as moving into a greater space within yourself.
You are not forcing anything. You are not reaching out desperately, trying to find someone in Spirit.
You are simply allowing your own power to grow, becoming more sensitive and more receptive.
And from that expanded awareness, we begin to recognise the subtle changes that we experience through our connection with Spirit.
The stronger your understanding of your own power, the more naturally you begin to recognise and work with these impressions.
This is why sitting in your power is not something to rush through before beginning a reading.
It is the foundation of your development.
Take the time to sit. Take the time to feel. Take the time to understand yourself.
The more familiar you become with your own power, the more naturally you can allow the communication to unfold without moving into the thinking mind.
Clairsentience – The Feeling Within Mediumship
For me, clairsentience is one of the most important senses we use within mediumship.
Clairsentience is often described as clear feeling.
It is that ability to become aware of impressions through feelings, emotions and sensations.
And I believe it is a wonderful foundation from which so much of our mediumship can grow.
When I become aware of a loved one in Spirit, I may first feel something about their personality.
Perhaps there is a wonderful warmth, a sense of humour, a very strong character or somebody who was incredibly gentle and loving.
Sometimes it can feel almost like a wave moving through your awareness.
One feeling develops into another.
You may become aware of somebody being very independent, and that feeling may expand into an awareness of their strong character, perhaps somebody who liked things done their own way.
You may then become aware of the enormous love they had for their family, even though they weren't necessarily somebody who expressed that love openly.
Do you see how the information begins to grow?
You haven't needed to try to find it.
You have allowed yourself to remain within your power and experience the feeling as it develops.
This is something I really encourage my students to explore.
Don't be too quick to move away from a feeling simply because you have already described it.
Stay with it. Feel it. Allow it to develop.
Because sometimes that first feeling is only the beginning of a much bigger piece of communication.
The Different Clair Senses We Use in Mediumship
Although clairsentience plays such an important part in the way I teach mediumship, we also work with several other senses.
These are often referred to as the clairs, and each describes a different way in which we may experience information from Spirit.
Clairvoyance – Clear Seeing
Clairvoyance is the experience of receiving information through images or visual impressions.
You might become aware of a person, an object, a place, a particular colour or even a memory being shown to you.
This doesn't necessarily mean seeing Spirit physically standing in front of you.
For many mediums, clairvoyance happens within the mind's eye, almost like an image appearing within their awareness.
An image may begin as a small impression, but as you remain within your power, it can develop and expand, bringing forward further information.
Clairaudience – Clear Hearing
Clairaudience is the ability to hear Spirit.
This can begin with individual words, names, sounds or phrases entering your awareness.
But it can develop much further than that.
As your ability develops, clairaudience can become a much more conversational experience, where you are able to verbally communicate with Spirit.
You may hear words, receive responses, experience an exchange of information or become aware of a conversation taking place.
This is an area of development that requires time, sitting in your power and becoming familiar with how you personally experience this sense.
It is important not to limit clairaudience to simply hearing the occasional word or name. There is so much more to explore as this ability develops.
Claircognizance – Clear Knowing
Claircognizance is that sudden sense of knowing something without understanding how you came to know it.
There may be no picture, no particular feeling and no words.
You simply know.
Perhaps you become aware that the person worked with their hands, lived near the sea or had a very particular relationship with somebody.
It is that information arriving within your awareness without needing to be seen, heard or physically felt.
Clairgustance – Clear Tasting
Clairgustance is associated with experiencing a taste without an obvious physical source.
You may suddenly become aware of the taste of a particular food or drink that you associate with the person communicating.
Perhaps it is strong tea, a favourite sweet or something they regularly cooked.
These impressions can sometimes lead to very personal memories.
Clairalience – Clear Smelling
Clairalience is associated with impressions of particular smells.
Perhaps you become aware of perfume, tobacco, flowers, freshly baked bread or the familiar smell of somebody's home.
A smell can carry an enormous emotional connection, and sometimes it is these very ordinary things that mean so much to the person receiving the communication.
Other Sensations and Impressions
Some mediums also describe experiences of touch or bodily sensations, sometimes called c
Understanding Your Power, the Clairs and the Intelligence of Spirit
By Donna King – Spiritualist Medium & Mediumship Teacher
Mediumship has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Through my own development, my work as a medium and my many years of teaching, I have come to understand that mediumship is not about trying harder, searching for information or attempting to make something happen.
It is about learning to understand your own power, expanding your awareness and allowing the intelligence of Spirit to work through you.
One of the most important things I teach is that we must trust Spirit and ourselves. We are not there to dictate what Spirit should say, what information should come forward or what we believe needs to be communicated.
We are there to allow Spirit the opportunity to communicate.
And there is a very big difference.
What Is Mediumship?
Mediumship is the communication between those of us here in the physical world and our loved ones who have passed into the Spirit World.
I know that life continues beyond physical death. It is through this understanding and my experience of working with Spirit that I have come to appreciate the depth of communication that can take place.
But mediumship is so much more than simply receiving a name, a date or a description of somebody who has passed.
It is about the essence of that person.
Their personality, their love, their memories, their humour, their emotions and those little things that made them who they were.
Sometimes the smallest detail can hold the greatest meaning.
And that is why I believe we must learn to trust the intelligence of Spirit rather than constantly trying to control the communication ourselves.
In fact, trying becomes the problem. We don't need to try. We need to remain within our own power and allow the communication to unfold naturally.
Understanding Your Own Power Before Connecting With Spirit
One of the most important things I teach is the need to understand your own power first.
Before we can begin to recognise the presence of Spirit, we need to become familiar with ourselves.
Our own energy. Our own feelings. Our own awareness.
When we sit in our power, we are allowing ourselves the time to become still, to move away from the distractions of everyday life and to become more aware of the energy within and around us.
As we continue to sit, that awareness can begin to expand.
I often describe this as moving into a greater space within yourself.
You are not forcing anything. You are not reaching out desperately, trying to find someone in Spirit.
You are simply allowing your own power to grow, becoming more sensitive and more receptive.
And from that expanded awareness, we begin to recognise the subtle changes that we experience through our connection with Spirit.
The stronger your understanding of your own power, the more naturally you begin to recognise and work with these impressions.
This is why sitting in your power is not something to rush through before beginning a reading.
It is the foundation of your development.
Take the time to sit. Take the time to feel. Take the time to understand yourself.
The more familiar you become with your own power, the more naturally you can allow the communication to unfold without moving into the thinking mind.
Clairsentience – The Feeling Within Mediumship
For me, clairsentience is one of the most important senses we use within mediumship.
Clairsentience is often described as clear feeling.
It is that ability to become aware of impressions through feelings, emotions and sensations.
And I believe it is a wonderful foundation from which so much of our mediumship can grow.
When I become aware of a loved one in Spirit, I may first feel something about their personality.
Perhaps there is a wonderful warmth, a sense of humour, a very strong character or somebody who was incredibly gentle and loving.
Sometimes it can feel almost like a wave moving through your awareness.
One feeling develops into another.
You may become aware of somebody being very independent, and that feeling may expand into an awareness of their strong character, perhaps somebody who liked things done their own way.
You may then become aware of the enormous love they had for their family, even though they weren't necessarily somebody who expressed that love openly.
Do you see how the information begins to grow?
You haven't needed to try to find it.
You have allowed yourself to remain within your power and experience the feeling as it develops.
This is something I really encourage my students to explore.
Don't be too quick to move away from a feeling simply because you have already described it.
Stay with it. Feel it. Allow it to develop.
Because sometimes that first feeling is only the beginning of a much bigger piece of communication.
The Different Clair Senses We Use in Mediumship
Although clairsentience plays such an important part in the way I teach mediumship, we also work with several other senses.
These are often referred to as the clairs, and each describes a different way in which we may experience information from Spirit.
Clairvoyance – Clear Seeing
Clairvoyance is the experience of receiving information through images or visual impressions.
You might become aware of a person, an object, a place, a particular colour or even a memory being shown to you.
This doesn't necessarily mean seeing Spirit physically standing in front of you.
For many mediums, clairvoyance happens within the mind's eye, almost like an image appearing within their awareness.
An image may begin as a small impression, but as you remain within your power, it can develop and expand, bringing forward further information.
Clairaudience – Clear Hearing
Clairaudience is the ability to hear Spirit.
This can begin with individual words, names, sounds or phrases entering your awareness.
But it can develop much further than that.
As your ability develops, clairaudience can become a much more conversational experience, where you are able to verbally communicate with Spirit.
You may hear words, receive responses, experience an exchange of information or become aware of a conversation taking place.
This is an area of development that requires time, sitting in your power and becoming familiar with how you personally experience this sense.
It is important not to limit clairaudience to simply hearing the occasional word or name. There is so much more to explore as this ability develops.
Claircognizance – Clear Knowing
Claircognizance is that sudden sense of knowing something without understanding how you came to know it.
There may be no picture, no particular feeling and no words.
You simply know.
Perhaps you become aware that the person worked with their hands, lived near the sea or had a very particular relationship with somebody.
It is that information arriving within your awareness without needing to be seen, heard or physically felt.
Clairgustance – Clear Tasting
Clairgustance is associated with experiencing a taste without an obvious physical source.
You may suddenly become aware of the taste of a particular food or drink that you associate with the person communicating.
Perhaps it is strong tea, a favourite sweet or something they regularly cooked.
These impressions can sometimes lead to very personal memories.
Clairalience – Clear Smelling
Clairalience is associated with impressions of particular smells.
Perhaps you become aware of perfume, tobacco, flowers, freshly baked bread or the familiar smell of somebody's home.
A smell can carry an enormous emotional connection, and sometimes it is these very ordinary things that mean so much to the person receiving the communication.
Other Sensations and Impressions
Some mediums also describe experiences of touch or bodily sensations, sometimes called c
