The Opportunity of a Lifetime
A brand new chapter in the story of mediumship research.
We are about to step into a brand new chapter in the story of mediumship research. What is happening now is history-in-the-making. And I could not be more excited.
In February 2021, I was scrolling through Facebook when I happened upon an opportunity shared by prominent psi researcher Dean Radin PhD. The post detailed an essay contest, run by a new organization called BICS - Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies. The essay question was:
‘What is the best available evidence for the existence of human consciousness after permanent bodily death?’
I felt a surge of excitement as I read the question, since, as you know, I have plenty to say on this matter! My mind was immediately flooded with ideas, and I felt a new presence, a new spirit team that I’d never felt before, assembling to help me answer this question.
I tapped the link.
On the information page, I noted two facts that took me by surprise.
The first was that you had to apply and be accepted to write an essay. To qualify, you had to have at least 5 years research experience in consciousness studies or another relevant field, and have graduated from a higher-education programme. I never thought my philosophy degree would prove itself to be quite so useful!
The second was that there were large prizes on offer for the top three essays. The top essay would win $500,000, second place would be awarded $300,000, and third place would receive $150,000. Truly life-changing awards!
As I stared at these numbers, I began to tear up.
Have you ever had moments in life where you felt right on purpose? Like the universe was pushing you, lovingly and firmly, in a specific direction? Have you ever experienced the deep peace and certainty that comes from spirit reaching down from the Heavens and into your heart whispering, ‘this opportunity is for you.’ Have you ever had that knowing deep inside that says I’m supposed to do this?
That’s how I felt. I felt that I was born to write this essay. It was the perfect Ikigai moment for me. The symphonic convergence of all that I know and love: mediumship, consciousness studies, writing. Whilst everything else in my life was in complete chaos (an international move during a global pandemic and losing everything in a fire), I knew that, if I got accepted to write this essay, it would be my true north through the chaos of life, and that, as long as I kept moving towards it, I’d be fine.
The wave of emotion was also because I felt validated. I don’t know if it’s just me, or if other mediums feel the same, but it has been so difficult for me to settle into a career as a medium in which I get paid well, and consistently, for genuine work that I love to do.
Between spiritualist churches expecting me to work for expenses only, and half the world thinking I’m wrong for the way I am and / or charging for my services, it has been a source of painful inner conflict for me for many years, exacerbated by relentless unkind remarks on social media.
I have also struggled to find the right context for my work. In addition to being a medium, I am a scientist and a philosopher at heart. I am skeptical. I need proof - evidence. And I hold myself and spirit to these standards in my mediumship and how I teach it to others. As nice as it is to work in a spiritualist church, there’s no pay. And as fun as it is to read for women at hen / bachelorette parties, it’s not exactly reverent.
And now, suddenly, here was this organization, run by scientists, saying:
‘We believe you. We believe in you. We are taking this seriously. We value and respect your contribution. And we’re willing to invest in you accordingly.’
The mere fact that an organization was taking this position galvanized me and reignited within me the reasons why I loved mediumship in the first place: Because I wanted to get to the truth about what it means to be a conscious human, and to uncover how it can be that loving bonds and conscious personalities can seem to transcend death.
Mediums deserve to be treated with respect and paid appropriately in exchange for the value their abilities bestow on others, without threat, contempt or condemnation. Mediums deserve answers about why they are the way they are, rather than denial that they are that way. And we humans all deserve to know what authentic spirit communication means about the true nature of consciousness and its place in the Universe. The announcement of the essay contest felt like the cavalry finally arrived to back me in a war of ideas that I’ve been fighting on my own.
I filled in the application form. I tried to submit it three times but the website kept crashing due to the volume of applicants. Finally it went through.
A few days later, I received the email I’d been hoping for. I’d been accepted to write the essay, along with over 700 other applicants.
The intervening months, from February to August 2021, were some of the happiest days of my life. I read every piece of the most up-to-date literature on survival I could find. I planned and drafted and redrafted. My walls were decorated with post-its of every colour imaginable. Ideas came and went, and eventually, some ideas took root and the essay began to take shape.
My eyes sprung open at 6am each chilly morning. I quickly got dressed, grabbed my coffee and blanket, and headed to my office where I beavered away, writing, re-writing, deleting, pasting and polishing. First in Canada, then the spare room of our temporary accommodation, and finally, on the floor in our empty new apartment i n Glasgow.
Throughout the writing process I was met with unimaginable generosity.
My fiancé agreed to be the sole earner for a while so I could focus on the essay full time.
Two of my clients volunteered their very personal readings to be included in the essay, with the message, ‘I hope you win!’.
My new neighbour, a semi-retired man named Jim, was my guardian angel. He’d tap on the window if he hadn’t seen me at my desk in a while - no chance of slacking off!
The doorbell rang one day and it was my other new neighbour, Elaine. When she found out I was writing on the floor because we lost everything in a fire, she packed up her own desk and chair and gave it to me so I could finish the essay in comfort.
I hired an editor, the perfect person, who took what was good and with her kind, firm, honesty, made it great.
BICS wrote to us to say they were going to award 11 more prizes of $50,000 each.
They wrote to us again a few weeks later to say that they were flying the 14 winners, all expenses paid, to Las Vegas to attend a private symposium and awards dinner.
Every Friday, when I spoke to my dearest friend Courtney and expressed doubt about my work, she said, ‘Bitch there are not 15 people in the world that know more about mediumship than you!’ That became my mantra.
Generosity everywhere.
The journey was full of twists and turns, and ups and downs. BICS reached out to me to ask if I’d be interested in participating in experimental research in my capacity as a medium. I wanted to, but it wasn’t the right time. Between the move from Canada to Scotland, being in temporary accommodation, and getting the essay finished, it was too much.
BICS also emailed us to say that people had handed in essays two months early and I fell into a panic hole. I was nowhere near finished.
I had dreams. So many dreams. I dreamt that I handed my essay in, and they sent it back to me because they wanted crime scene photos, witness statements, and a confession in a brown paper file.
I dreamt that I won the essay competition but that my winning essay was a plant with mushrooms growing out of it (???). And it was set out on a floral table cloth with the other ‘essays’ (also plants), pride of place with a wee rosette on it, like the best cabbage at the local county fair.
I dreamt that I tried to give a demonstration of mediumship, and a talk about my essay, but half the audience was hidden round a corner in an awkward shaped town hall, and I couldn’t get people to stay in their seats and listen to me. I woke up in a sweat after that one.
On 23rd July, two days after my 35th birthday, I handed in my essay. Of 700+ accepted applicants, 205 essays were submitted. There are 14 prizes available. And we find out on 1st November who the winners are. I have no idea if I will win a prize. I know for a fact I am competing with some seriously smart people. PhDs, Nobel Prize winners, and world-renowned sages.
But I did my best. I gave it everything I had. I told the truth, and I am proud of what I wrote.
This may be the beginning of my journey with BICS, or it may be the end. And I’m OK with that. Even if I don’t win a prize, I received so much benefit from the writing process alone. It made me a better medium. A better writer. A better person. I got to say my piece. I got angry. It was cathartic. Regardless of the outcome, I’m grateful that I got to do the work.
A piece of this essay belongs to the judges. And a piece of it belongs to the skeptics. But most of the essay belongs to mediums - mediums who are compassionate, honest and sincere, and yet are maligned by a portion of the general public as fakes, frauds and charlatans. I put my heart and soul into showing that mediums (and the reality of the spirit world) cannot, and should not, be waved away so easily.
My next article will be my essay. It’s long so I will release it to you as a serial, here on The Art and Science of Mediumship, in 4, or perhaps 5, parts. And if you are a paying subscriber, you will receive access to an additional commentary where I take you behind-the-scenes of the writing process (warts and all!), and discuss which battles still remain in the quest to prove the reality of the spirit world. You can think of the commentary as being like ‘deleted scenes’ from your favourite movie. There were many ideas that didn’t make it into the essay, but I will share them as articles here. You will be able to ask me questions, comment, and participate in the discussion.
I hope you enjoy the essay. And if you only take one thing away from it, let it be this: Genuine mental mediumship exists and the evidence for it is bomb-proof.
If you ever doubt your mediumship, or worry that none of this is real and you’re kidding yourself, take courage and reassurance from the content of my essay. Even after the strongest possible criticisms have been thrown at mediumship, and every effort has been made to dispense with it, still, it persists.
Now, I’d love to hear from you. Do you believe, as I do, that it’s important for mediumship to be given a respected place in society? Have you ever felt that you’ve made yourself smaller and less visible as a medium because of the contempt and judgement of others?
If you enjoyed this article, and you know someone who would enjoy it too, please share it with them. Encourage your fellow mediums and consciousness researchers to subscribe to The Art and Science of Mediumship so they can be ready for the essay coming out next week. Thank you.