Listening. It’s a skill we all possess, yet often overlook in our quest for action and response. Whether in the realm of coaching or mediumship, the art of listening holds profound significance. In coaching, it’s about attuning to the client’s narrative, while in mediumship, it’s about connecting with the spirit world. Both demand a depth of listening that transcends mere hearing—a listening that delves into the essence of the speaker, be it a human or a spirit person / communicator.
As a coach listens to their client, so too does a medium listen to the spirit person / communicator. But this listening isn’t passive; it’s active, intuitive, and profound. Without it, the medium risks dropping out of the essence and power of the spirit person and therefore their message is distorted due to grasping only at fragments of meaning.
In coaching, the levels of listening are well-defined, ranging from surface-level engagement to profound understanding. Similarly, in mediumship, there exist layers of listening that facilitate a deeper connection with the spirit world.
Let’s take a journey through these levels of listening, drawing parallels between coaching and mediumship:
Level One: Interrupting This level of listening involves constant interruption, where the listener eagerly waits for their turn to speak. It’s akin to someone waiting for your lips to stop moving, itching to interject with their own thoughts. In mediumship, such interruptions disrupt the flow of communication, hindering the reception of the spirit person’s evidence and therefore their message.
Level Two: Hijacking Here, the listener hijacks the conversation, steering it towards their own experiences in an effort to feel related to the conversation, rather than being present and focusing on the speaker’s narrative. In mediumship, this translates to losing sight of the spirit person’s message, embellishing it and overshadowing it with the mediums personal anecdotes or interpretations. The medium is driving the agenda and losing sight of the communicators agenda, which is the reason they are there.
Level Three: Advising This level is characterised by the coach or listener giving advice or guidance prematurely on what they think they have heard, without fully understanding the speaker’s context. They truly think they are listening, but their impatience at silences and pauses creates a need in them to respond, even when they don’t understand fully. In mediumship, it equates to jumping to conclusions about the spirit’s intentions without delving deeper into their message.
Level Four: Attentive Listening This level involves listening to the speaker’s words and inviting further exploration, through questions in an effort to understand fully. In mediumship, it’s about being in the power and attuning to the spirit person fully, allowing the time and space for their message to unfold naturally.
Level Five: Active Listening The pinnacle of listening, where the listener tunes into the nuances between words, listens to the silences, and engages intuition to facilitate deeper understanding. In mediumship, this level of listening enables the medium to transcend mere communication, forging a profound connection with the spirit world.
In both coaching and mediumship, the goal is to operate predominantly at levels four and five. These levels cultivate a space for authentic communication, where the speaker’s essence is honored, and the message is received with clarity.
Avoiding common pitfalls such as mindless repetition or premature advice-giving is crucial in both disciplines. Instead, coaches and mediums alike must strive for authenticity and depth in their listening practices.
Just as most coaches are happy to offer guidance when appropriate, mediums may provide interpretations of spirit messages. However, this should always be done with humility and respect for the speaker’s autonomy, ensuring that their own insights do not overshadow the essence of the message.
Our unique mediumship training embodies our extensive coaching training and experience, so that we can share and assist others develop these necessary ways of being into their mediumship. We emphasize the importance of listening in their mediumship and drawing attention to the subtle yet powerful ways it can enhance the connection between the medium, the sitter, and the spirit communicator. By developing and practicing this ability of listening, mediums can transcend their insecurities, allowing the true essence of the message to shine through.
In essence, the journey of developing mediums around the levels of listening parallels the evolution of coaching skills. Both demand a commitment to deep, intuitive listening—an art that transcends words and bridges the realms of human and spirit communication.
As we know and speak of often, Mediumship is a byproduct of personal development. It is only when a medium acknowledges their levels of listening in their daily conversations and looks to learn to truly listen and develop that art of listening, will it migrate naturally into the mediumship. Until this time, who and how the medium is in their daily lives, will continue to impact how they are in there mediumship and ultimately hinder or release the potential of the mediumistic ability.
Join us on our next training opportunity, whether weekly classes, speciality courses or face to face events and courses, so that we can share with you advanced mediumship training with an advanced level of being, to allow the potential of your mediumship to soar.
Kerry McLeod and Philip Dykes
February 2024
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