Jambo,

In my experience, many mediums routinely try to predict the future,  with mixed results that badly confuse and even terrify their clients.  The greatest mediums who have been rigorously studied also display precognitive talent and I will later be posting on this research in my medium thread.  

Just one personal anecdote.   When I was a doctoral student,  I reluctantly accompanied my date to the New England Flower Show (not my cup of tea, I must say!).   To my surprise, I noticed a Tarot Card reader sitting next ot a playing card reader.   My date sneared, "What a bunch of crap!" and moved on to inspect more flowers. Already "flowered out", I decided to give these readers a shot.   The Tarot Card reader charged $35 and the other gal charged just $5; so I chose her.   I drew 3 boring cards from her deck.  The first thing she said was, "Well, I'd sure dump that chick!"   This amused me because I think she had overheard my date's disparaging remark about card readers.   The reader then made two predictions: (1) that I was good with children and would soon be actively working with them; (2) that in the next few days I'd get a job offer from an exotic place, which I'd be well advised to decline.  

Both predictions seemed absurd.  I was a busy grad student and the last thing I wanted was the distraction of working with a bunch of little brats.  I was single and wanted no children.  The second prediction also seemed silly. I was working on my dissertation and had not even applied for a job.  I'm sure the card reader sensed my skepticism.

Two days later, I received a job offer to for a summer professorship at a university in St. John's, Newfoundland, a job for which a professor had recommended me.   I turned it down because I was not sufficiently close to completing my dissertation to leave Cambridge.   But Newfoundland seems like a pretty exotic place by my standards.

A few days later, I received a call from my thesis advisor pressing me for an overdue chapter.  I made the usual excuses, but soon realized that he was just manipulating me to comply with an unrelated request.  He was the commisioner of the local youth soccer federation.   He knew I had played soccer in Canada and asked if I'd be willing to coach an under-12 boys' team.   This was the last thing I wanted to do, but how could I refuse my thesis advisor.  

My 3-year experience of coaching those boys was one of the highlights of my life.   They all became like sons to me.   We eventually made it to the county final for Greater Boston.   Again, the card reader's prection proved correct.  In retrospect, I'm in awe over her gift and wish I could track her down to thank her.  Yes, I know she was a card reader and not a medium.  But I consider these two gifts to be related.

Don

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I think matt, was just using his tv show "crossing over" more then anything to base his judgement upon him, and while it may seem impressive at the time, but his style of psychicness if probley one of the easiest styles of cold reading.

I dont think he could match up to the like of gordon smith, not to mention "crossing over" will have alot of the bits he does'nt get right chopped out from it. [standard proceedure]

Did you see him in real life?

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True, and to be honest I am not in a position to make a fair judgement on Edward.

Does anybody know of weblinks that have videos of Edward?

Actually, Ryan, I was thinking of it, and want to put it another way.  I don't doubt that Edwards may have a good gift.  But if you are going to mass market this on television, you should be the best of the best, or people will not believe it.  We are at a cross roads where science and spirituality are trying to meet. 

If someone could show a truly verifiable afterlife, it would profoundly change life on earth.  Many would think twice about their purpose, and about inflicting harm, or other negative things. 

So when Edwards cold reads "the number 7 is coming in loud and clear," part of me wants to tell him to not make it so vague if he is in front of cameras. 

He was on a special once with either two or three other mediums who were all tested with the same people to read, and all came up with similar communications.  I forget who filmed it, but it was quite well done. 

He also told a person once that after his daughter died, he was in a train rest stop, and crying and took some bubblegum she loved and squished it into a wall as a tribute to her (bizarre), but this was verified by the father.  So yeah, he may have a gift.  But publicizing the cold readings of numbers or letters does not impress much.

Matthew

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But what if he's fake? does he have the right to screw with peoples grief?

say you lost a leg, would it be ok for me to tell you your going to regrow a new one in a week, and find out i was lieing? and that i charged to a fortune for that lie?.

How does, communication with the afterlife, raise your conscious vibration?

For every psychic whos geniune, theres 1000 who ar'nt, the full area is full of bogus people with false face's.

When a psychic go's live in front of a crowd of 100,000 people, gives up wealth, and does readings purely to prove they can contact the dead, then it's worth listening/putting your faith into them.

If i could see the afterlife, and i could understand all the hippie love power that goes on there, why would i be intrested in gaining material posessions?

Spirtualness, is looking beyond the physical and embracing a higher cause, almost all psychics are the complete opposite, money bleeding vampires, with no talents.

John edwards, aint as bad as most by a long shot, but theres something fishy about his readings.

One of my daughters had 2 co-workers who went to see John Edwards. Out of 3,000 people there, he tuned in on spirits that were there for the 2 co-workers. They said it was absolutely amazing as he couldn't have known anything about them before hand. I truly believe in him.

Love, Mairlyn

I gotta say this is starting to go round in circles now. Everyone has their personal opinions and I think this is getting in the way now of what is actually going on.

These people have gifts, some are better than others, doesn't mean those who aren't as good aren't in contact. Also communication isn't always perfect so sometimes they may be off. They are under pressure specially John Edwards with a TV show and a reputation to live up to on it. We can argue whos fake and whos not but at the end of the day i think happygrl summed it up the best.

Also I believe have a medium come through for you does raise your vibration, you start to accept, you look positive. If we look at in in a non spiritual kind of way, a person who always moans, complains more than likely has a lot of bad stuff happen to them. By being positive and not letting people get to you, helping others, doing what you enjoy raises your vibrations up (remember im not refering to spiritual here) and well guess i dont need to go on.

These people have helped... whether we care to admit or not and we gotta be thankful, the world is changing, hopefully for the better although with recent events it doesn't seem like for a long time yet...

Ryan