MEDIUMSHIP: SPEAKING AND WRITING MEDIUMS 

SPEAKING MEDIUMS: 
Definition | Frequent Use in Sessions | Conscious & Unconscious Psychophony
WRITING MEDIUMS: 
Definition | Conscious & Unconscious Psychography | Long Training | The Signature
Additional Considerations

Writing Mediums

The Signature

A word of caution must be made here about the signatures on written messages received from communicating spirits.  All mediums must be very careful about the name they assign to a message that they have transmitted.  It is very easy for the medium, especially the novice, to be mistaken.  

Sometimes, this is due to the action of deceitful spirits, who, out of pride, sheer pleasure in trickery, or some other undignified motive, will use a name that does not belong to any identity it assumed in a past life.   

In other cases, the medium, even without acting in bad faith, can mistakenly transmit a name.  This can happen for different reasons.  The medium may have the idea of someone he greatly admires so impressed upon his psyche that, at the first message received from a friendly spirit, the memory of that admired being comes to his mind; then the medium is convinced that he is having the privilege of receiving a communication from that being, and such is the name that prevails in his mind and on the paper. 

A second way the medium can be mistaken is when he tries to force a communication, or mentally evoke the manifestation of a given spirit, such as a relative, a loved one, etc.; should there be a communication, there is no guarantee that it is the being in question, and quite often it will be another spirit pretending to be the one whose presence was truly desired. 

A third factor that can lead to deception is when the medium allows himself to be influenced by some recent event, such as the death of someone famous, or that of a family's loved one, in which cases mediums suddenly emerge from every corner, with messages that are supposedly communicated by the departed in question, yet the messages carry no proof of their authenticity.   In any of these cases, such mediums give even more opportunity for the deceitful spirits fool them.

This ease of deception or error makes it very important reason for the medium to exercise great humility in his work and study continuously.  Excessive pride will allow a medium to become easily duped into thinking he is receiving a message from a superior spirit or from a personality well-known and admired. On the other hand, it is out of humility that a medium will recognize his present stage of moral evolution and mediumistic development , prioritize content over name, understand the true purpose for the gift called mediumship, and keep all of this in mind when transmitting messages and assigning signatures.   Likewise, continuous study will remind the medium of the need for compassion and humility.  Just as important, it will leave him better prepared to identify a spirit's nature or character, to look for evidence of identity, and to acknowledge the factors necessary for communication with superior spirits.

Because the name has such little importance, messages received in Spiritist sessions for the development of mediumship are often signed "a friend", or something else non-specific.

With regards to teachings and messages of a general nature, we must always remember that what interests us most is not the spirits' personal individuality, but the quality and content of the communication.