To charge or not to charge? That's the question!

The other day, I listened to a radio programme with Donal MacIntyre on BBC five. The programme was about Psychic Scams and the change in the Fraudulent Mediums Act. This brief discussion took place with a representative from the Bad Psychics site Dave Anderson.

Although I agree that the consumer should be protected, it seems that the other problem many Sceptics have, is that Mediums and Psychics Charge for their services. Mr Anderson’s idea was that none ought to charge until it has been scientifically proven that either contact with Spirit is possible or that ‘fortune-telling is possible’ (Sorry, but that is how they incorrectly describe the work of a Psychic).

Apart from the scientific bit, the dispute between Sceptics and Spiritual Workers can also be found amongst Spiritual Workers themselves. To Charge or not to Charge?

There seems to be some kind of assumption that the majority of Spiritual Workers are people that have become extremely well off by giving consultations to the Public. It is only a minority that have been able to make a living out of it and these are the ones that travel from Fair to Fair throughout the country and of course the ones we see in the Media.

Many though, run cost covering societies, even charitable societies, associations or churches. They outweigh the few that are dedicated enough to make a living out of it.

In an ideal world, I wish for Spiritual Consultations to be free of charge but I would like to visit my Dentist free of charge as well and not have to donate anything when I attend a church service... everything these days has a price and some a very steep one!

How can people find out about a Spiritual Worker’s services? In the Local Paper, the Yellow Pages, Psychic Fairs and Festivals etc. Unfortunately these services aren’t free either. A Midlands Psychic Fair organiser charged £100 for a table and later increased it to £120 for a day. Travel Costs and Hotel costs on the Spiritual Worker.

He placed one advert in the local news paper for the value of £60 - £100. And had at times as many as 10 - 12 readers working at a venue. Do the maths yourself... Many of the readers went home at a loss as the one advert didn’t generate enough public to at least cover the costs for the readers. The only one that went home with a profit of just over £900 was the organiser.

Not bad for a day’s work?

Yes, he did do work, he charged the public an entrance fee of £2.00 as well and for that he had to sit at the door the whole day. Giving the 'consumer' entry tickets and drinking a cuppa whilst doing so.

One known large organiser charges for a 1x1m stand for a weekend close to £600!! Needless to say, I never attended this organiser’s fair and never will. Consultations at this organiser’s fair are ranging between £40 - £60 for a mere 20 minutes (if you are lucky). The general public doesn’t know about this side of the coin. The argument of this organiser is that the consultant will get a good exposure from a marketing point of view. Do they really?

Judging from what the Sceptics say, obviously not. And I cannot help but again, agree.

I just find it a pity that the Sceptic doesn’t realise how far and deep the exploitation in some cases runs.

I have come across many, wonderful and lovely talented mediums and psychics that have stopped giving their genuine services because of the very hard underlying core that you can come across amongst the Fair organisers. If for example the SNU is not your cuppa tea, there isn’t much for a psychically talented person to turn to Nationwide.

An alternative is often found through trial and error and many never get there as they simply ‘give-up’.

Where do we draw the line between Spirituality and a Commercial enterprise? To me Spirituality from this point of view, is at this moment in time, from this perspective indeed completely lost.

Yvonne Welch - The Source Spiritual Society

How to be taken seriously as a psychic reader or medium?

Of course there is a lot of talk and speculation maybe even concern about the appeal to the Fraudulent Medium’s Act.
Personally, in a way I think it is good that the responsibility ought to change to the Spiritual worker instead of the customer. As long as the guidelines and conditions are sensible.

Apart from Spiritual Work, I am also a fully qualified therapist. And if we look at it from this perspective you’ll find that we are already responsible to take every care in the world not to harm our patients. We have strong guidelines in place which are being reviewed by our Governing bodies.
Surely we Spiritual Workers can figure out something similar? And maybe we should consult a most unlikely group of people... The Sceptics!
There are so many sceptical web-sites telling us what the problem is with our ‘readings’ be it psychic or mediumship. Maybe instead of ignoring them, we should take note of them.
The main complaint you’ll find on these sites, which you most likely all have heard about is: Leading Questions, something done by magicians that falls under ‘Cold reading’. I can of course only speak from my own perspective but honestly fellow spiritual workers, asking these questions are indeed not necessary and a bad conduct on part of the Spiritual Worker.
Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand why some of us are itching for these questions to pop out of our mouth. The main reason is that we are human and often insecure. We are checking up to find out for sure if we are on the correct wave-length so to say. But honestly, it isn’t necessary.
Questions like: Is your Grandfather in Spirit? Or who is the person that died with a heart condition, is indeed not good enough!
I for one don’t ask any questions at all, apart from asking ‘Does that make sense’ and if it doesn’t make sense, I’ll try to explain the subject of discussion better but never changed the content to make it fit!
If they still don’t understand, I have recorded it all on tape for them to listen to and always ask for feedback. Because feedback will show me where I have gone wrong so I‘ll learn from my mistake. To date I have had no bad feedback at all... but who knows, never say never.
As I didn’t grow up in the UK and am self-taught, I have never been influenced either and find it indeed astonishing with what some spiritual workers here can get away with. Mind, I said some. I have overheard a medium say to her customer that she had to get rid of her husband as he was no good to her... Honestly, even if it is true, is this truly the correct way to bring a message across? Another one I’ve overheard was a Psychic reader telling her client that she was cursed and that for a certain amount of money, she would be able to lift the curse. Of course could well be possible that this person was cursed, but it turned out that almost all of this Psychic’s customers that day had curses... Questionable isn’t it?
I run a development circle and everyone that join from beginners to advanced are being taught not to ask questions. This has put some ‘advanced’ spiritual workers off but the ones that stayed are amazed by the results and how accurate they have become without having to ask questions.

I also make a point of how to bring a message across. For example there could be two separate messages but if that isn’t explained, a customer will put them together and misunderstand the message completely. For example: (1)“I see a red car”. (2)“You have to be careful”.
What conclusion do you draw out of this? Along the lines of, am I going to have a car accident that involves a red car? Both Messages could well be separate and if not, don’t utter such a message unless you have the full details to what the person should be careful of!
The second part of working towards a good consultation is to ‘educate’ your customer. Explain clearly what your capabilities are and what they can expect from a consultation with yourself. Many people mix up a ‘psychic’ consultation with ‘mediumship’. A lot of people are looking for clair-voyance but want to hear names of their loved ones. This falls under clair-audience and if that is not your strongest talent explain what you are capable of and what you aren’t capable of...
There is so much that we can improve on but there seems to be such a resistance towards changing our conduct.
Why? If you have true paranormal talent, why not become more constructive and work towards a better conduct?

Channelled message versus Channelled message.

Who is wrong and who is right…

Channelling is for the general public a lesser known quantity and often the messages channelled are shared by people with a similar interest. When a spiritual ‘newbie’ first learns about it, it can come across as something pulled out of a science fiction book. But for some there might be a certain amount of intrigue that can encourage them to read more and when one does… a person with a good memory becomes, well, confused??

I certainly got confused. So many channelled messages and when you compare the different guides that talk about similar subjects…

Wow!

It starts to look like some war of the Masters and Spirit Guides or even Aliens! It seems that one Master or Guide cannot agree with another, or… does the problem lie with the Medium?

I have put the question concerning this topic on a variety of well attended spiritual forums. Apart from the usual abuse from people that felt ‘threatened’ about the authenticity of their own channelled messages, it seemed that the majority of members got confused too. Some of the members actually asked their spirit guides and replied in the name of these guides.

This was very interesting, as the replies were very diverse and at times contradicting each other too.

What is your thought on this? Do you think that channelling is often used to utter an opinion or thought process of the Medium him or herself which they don’t dare to share under their own name? (Personally, I think this sometimes happens).

For example: “My guide says this and therefore it is true” how can you reply to something like that?

Maybe something like: “But my guide says this and therefore your guide is wrong!” You see where I am coming from?What is your idea about this? Or if you are a medium that channels messages, how do you verify the content of these messages especially if they contradict another medium’s channelled message?

Would love to hear your thoughts on this…

Yvonne Welch - The Source Spiritual Society

Medium on a Pedestal

I see, I see something that you can't see and it is...

SPIRIT!

And therefore I am very Special... (not)

Let me ask you the question, how many of you have attended an evening of clairvoyance and approached the medium afterwards and found the person looking down on you or not listening to what you wanted to ask or say?

How many of you have attended spiritual development circles and found yourself wedged in a battle of ego's? Instead of trying to find spirituality together you'll find yourself competing? A Better, better, best scenario?

Doesn't sound very spiritual does it? But alas, it is true and I have to say, it isn't just the medium that is at fault. The public attending are holding as much blame to the uncomfortable scenario as the Medium on the 'pedestal'.

Previous to running my own workshops and development groups, I have of course attended several groups ran by different mediums. I can recall two mediums that I have fond memories of and where I have learned a lot from. Not because of their paranormal ability but mainly because of their humanity.
And from what I have learned through my own experiences and to what has been shared by other spiritually involved people is that humane 'down to earth' mediums are of a rare commodity.

Why are there so many Ego's around in this Spiritual Environment? This is something I have been pondering on for some time as I cannot truly find a reasonable explanation for such an attitude.

I do believe however that part of this attitude had been created by the Mediums audience or customers.
The adoration given by the public to a Medium after an evening of Clair-voyance, a reading or even workshops can be at times overwhelming.
I have to admit, from my own experiences, it is strange having people coming up to me saying what a wonderful gift I have or saying how wonderful I am. It is even more amazing to see people stand in line waiting for hours to gain a reading from me. Some people have looked at me as if I am some kind of Guru or something celestial that has fallen from the sky. And maybe it is these kinds of experiences that could be similar to my own that rises to ones head and give them 'the Ego'.

Maybe, we as Spiritual Workers need to make sure that we keep a good reality check. I do tell my own students to give me a good shake up, if my Ego starts to seep through... (So far so good).

What do you think is the cause of Ego displayed by a host of Mediums?
Yvonne Welch - The Source Spiritual Society

It could have been my mum...

'Posh', that is the first word that came to mind, when this well dressed mature lady made herself comfortable in my portable canvas folding chair. She was wearing a two-piece green tartan woolly suit, a cream coloured blouse with a matching scarf around her neck. I guessed her to be in her mid fifties. And wow, did she remind me of my Mum! Especially the little details she'd put into her dress sense. The little diamond brooch, perfect make-up and hair and a strong whiff of the Perfume 'Poisson'.


I was a twenty-odd year old girl, working at the time at the Covent Garden Jubilee Market in London. My stall was placed in a corner, not too far from the 'Jacket Potato' man. In my opinion a very strategic place as I didn't have to go far for my lunch.

My trade was mainly Palmistry and Tarot Card readings. When I first started working at this market, the other traders dealt with me politely maybe even a little apprehensive. But over time, I slowly got to know them all, and they got to know me. I can tell you, what a lovely bunch of people! I was well looked after and in all the time that I have worked there, only once had the security guard to come out. He had to kindly remind a 'gentle man' to leave me alone. (According to this man I was working with the tools of the devil).
I had no problem with this man ranting and raving at me but he became very threatening and violent. It escalated when I chose to ignore him and he started to rip decorations off my stall.
However, not for one moment did I feel that harm would come to me as the other traders immediately stood by me. It was the only incident I have had of this type.
I have many fond memories of working at the markets. What I miss most is the amicable ambiance between the traders and the sheer amount of a variety of people that I have had the honour to give readings to. You won't usually find this type of public wandering around on psychic fairs. Tourists from all over the world, sceptics, students, psychologists, doctors, film directors, actors, business people etc. The poor and the rich. I have even done readings for Harri Krishna monks!

One particular Saturday morning, this lady wanted to have a card reading. That she looked like my mum, was of course no problem, it was only until I put the spread of cards down, that I tried to keep my eyes from bulging out of my sockets.
Remember, I was only young and when somebody is in the generation group of your mother, you automatically put them on some kind of 'pedestal' of appropriate behaviour. The last thing you'd expect is that a lady of this description was having a love-affair!
Here was a great lesson for me to learn. An all in one lesson in tactics, ethics and moral. I couldn't just blurt out: "You are having an affair!" My memory immediately flashed back to the gentleman that was with her and had paid in advance for her reading. Was that her husband or her lover?
It seemed like I had been staring at the cards for hours but, in reality my brain was racing with the speed of light.

I questioned myself... How can I say this tactfully? Where do I start?

Again, I looked at the lady and her prim and proper demeanour. I started out with my usual opening to any reading. This allows me to 'tune in' and with sensitive consultations, as this one was, it also buys me some time to find the correct wording. When people have shuffled the deck of cards, I always ask them to split them in three stacks and then to choose one of the decks. She chose the one representing the 'present'.

"You have a reading that is based on your present situation." I explained.

"You are at the moment very confused and it seems that you need to make some difficult choices which does not only emotionally effect you but also other people who are close to you, especially your husband and your children. You find yourself in a triangle of conflicting interests".

I thought that this was a rather polite and a poetic way of expressing a case of adultery.
She gave me a stiff little nod of agreement which was a big relieve for me. One hurdle out of the way.

I have to admit that in the beginning of my career, I found it difficult not being judgemental of other people's conduct. My opening routine however helped me to put this very human trait aside. It brings me to a higher state of awareness and a 'neutral' disposition. Without that ability, it truly doesn't matter how psychically talented one might be, I for one wouldn't have been able to do this kind of work.

When you give hundreds of readings a week for almost fifty two weeks a year, a lot of shocking situations become very common and a part of day to day life. Having dealt with so many 'love-affair' readings for people, young and old , you'll find that the majority of them, have something in common. And you can almost divide them in different groups. And one of the headings that my 'mum' look alike fell under was: Dependant.

Dependant relationships. Dependant in the way that a dog is dependant on its owner. It's life is lived by the whim of it's owner. It waits to be fed, walked, groomed, entertained and if the owner forgot to take the dog out on time and the poor animal has done a boo boo on the carpet... It gets told off for it as well, even though it was the owners fault. It's home is also its prison. Some dogs turn on their owners and choose to escape only to find themselves a new owner. Initially it might look as if their life has become more exciting but, it only changed scenery, not the scenario.

People in 'dependant' relationships have a tendency to throw the responsibility of their happiness on the shoulders of their partner and in return, they take on the responsibility to make their partner happy. And if this means sacrificing certain desires, studies or even a career, in order to keep a relationship going, so be it. They change themselves to fit the 'idea' of a good relationship. Even if the partner is trying his or her best, in the end all he or she can do is to disappoint. This is the worse foundation one can start off with. It is, I hate to say, more of a female trait then a male trait though.

With this lady, I found it sad that her husband truly wasn't aware of her unhappiness. He still loved her as much as the day he married her. He was a man of 'routine' and it never occurred to him that his wife wanted to do more then sit at home in front of the TV. He thought she was happy just 'being together' and she never dared to bring up the subject for years! Every year they went on the same holiday, same restaurants and he'd buy her the same flowers for her birthday. What she was missing was a little Oomph and Excitement. This is what she'd found with her new 'lover'.

Her dilemma was that despite her unhappiness, she still loved her husband. The term "He is a good man" was what she used but he didn't make her feel special anymore. From what I understood from the cards was that there was absolutely no love coming from her lover though. From this man's point of view, he ultimately was interested in pure sex. His foreplay was the evenings out he'd arranged that ended up in a posh hotel.
Although I knew from the cards that her lover had no true love for her, it wasn't my place to tell her.
So I concentrated on explaining to her where it went wrong within her marriage instead and that love was still present. I also gave her my opinion that love is 'worth' fighting for. I explained to her that if she'd left her husband to find happiness in another relationship that it wouldn't be a guarantee for that relationship not to become 'stale' as well, because the underlying problem within her love life stemmed from herself and how she dealt with her unhappiness.

To explain this, I'd asked her some questions which went as follows: "Forget about these men, imagine if they weren't there... What would you do, to make yourself happy, if you weren't in a relationship at all? Would you go out on your own? Would you take on a charitable or a paid for job? Would you undertake some hobbies or travel?"
She couldn't answer these questions, she didn't know what she wanted to do and here was the underlying problem. She didn't like to be on her own and she didn't know how to make herself happy.
I told her the dog analogy. All I was doing at that moment was holding a mirror up. She on the other hand was hoping that I could tell her whom of the two men to choose, but like I said before, that is not my place.
I showed her the two most likely outcomes. Neither path was easy but the most successful would be with her present husband. It showed that talking with him about her unhappiness would upset him but that he would do the utmost to help her. The outcome of that path gave a lot of positive and happy cards in comparison to choosing for her lover. She could see that for herself. The impression some of the tarot cards give is often enough. The grudge was that she didn't know how to talk with her husband and didn't dare to.

As you can see, communication is another problem. Not being able to express or discuss with your partner the likes and dislikes you might have or the dreams that you still wish to fulfill.
When this is nipped in the bud, it will give marriage a chance to become fulfilling again but as with many, the dissatisfaction lingers to long and often ends up in partners cheating on each other and ultimately a divorce.

How did this consultation end with this lady? Well, it was an open end. I showed her the three different possibilities. The first one, was not to choose at all but first start to 'find' herself. Find her inner desires and try to accomplish something for herself instead of expecting people to 'entertain' her instead. Becoming less dependant.
The second was, a discussion with her husband, which in combination with the first option would have the best result.
The third was leaving her husband for her lover. However I also advised her that this would be the hardest path as the cards didn't show me any love from this man coming towards her but This path I advised against as it was the most risky one but in the end, her choice...

In the end I advised her that none of them would come to fruition unless she dared to make a change, for good or for worse.

A couple of months later, she emailed me, her life has had a complete turn around. She indeed spoke to her husband and both went for marriage counselling which she said was more for him then for her... she'd also took on a little job.

Not all stories like this have been success stories though. mainly because people feared too much to make a change...
Yvonne Welch - The Source Spiritual Society

The Ugliness we all carry inside ourselves...

In an ideal world, and an ideal life, we are born in a loving family. We get comforted when hurt, we are told we are beautiful and good. We get encouraged when we fail and praised when we succeed.
Our tiny bodies grow up healthy, with everything working as it should.
We are taught to respect and taught to reciprocate.

In an ideal world...


If only, and that is a thought that is shared by many. Therefore maybe we should seek comfort in the knowledge that we are not alone in questioning our childhood experiences and the conduct of those in our immediate environment, especially that of those that work in a position of trust and in some cases even our parents or carers. Our psychological and spiritual development starts from the moment that we are born and our thought processes are influenced by how we are cared for in those early years.

Without going into detail, we can be sure that to a certain degree, physical distress affects our emotional/mental disposition and emotional distress effects our physical disposition. The most severe cases, will fall under child abuse, either psychological or physical. Therefore, I discuss the subject as 'distress' and not abuse. As abuse affects a minority (thank goodness!) but distress affects us all.
However loving our parents or carers might have been, we as children don't come with an instruction manual. We are raised by our parent's idea to what is right or wrong and how to deal with situations that present ourselves in our early life. And some of our dear parents fall short with their care unbeknown to themselves. And this creates an ugly seed of insecurity. For some this ugliness will take root deeper then others but almost all of us have had or still have an insecurity hiding somewhere.

And where our parents might have failed, we had of course religion to fall back on and seek answers to our demise or hardship?
Not? Hmmm... I can hear you think.
Faith was something that was supposed to bring solace and provide us with answers but with ever advancing science, this influence is weakening day by day.
How many of you, have lost faith when you see your loved ones suffer, or when you've lost a sibling? How many of you will no longer accept the term: 'It was God's will' and have peace with that? I wouldn't!
And like many others, I started to seek answers elsewhere.This led me to study all religions and followings, from old mythological one to the New Age, and from this hotch potch of information, I learned to perceive life's hardships as a lesson and not a problem. Spiritual Development starts with self acceptance, physical and psychological, whatever ordeal you've been exposed to. Being at peace with your insecurities and be aware of them. And instead of going into hiding or running away from them, make them part of whom you are.And indeed, it isn't easy and it will take time. But once having found peace, trust me, it will make you stronger and more confident. We worry too much from what other people might think and we don't worry enough about what we think of ourselves.

In the next few Blogs, I will share some of the consultations I've given in my career. The names of the subjects will have been changed to protect their identity and I hope by sharing these consultations and experiences, it might encourage you to the first steps towards your own self-acceptance and therefore the foundation of your own spiritual growth. Let's make ourselves feel a little more beautiful or handsome...

Yvonne Welch - The Source Spiritual Society

True protection starts with the core of your own belief.

When we mention Protection, a spiritual person will immediately assume some kind of 'ritual' to put protection in place prior to working with spirit. This is correct but only to a certain extent. This assumption can result in an incorrect conclusion.

In other words, it is 'OK' not to spiritually protect ourselves when we are not working with spirit?

Many spiritual workers, be it teachers, practitioners etc. go through great lengths to 'protect' themselves spiritually but the majority don't even have a single thought to protect themselves and their customers physically.

What is protection? Why is it so important? Why physically as well as spiritually? And if we go through a routine which has been taught to us, does it actually work?

There are so many methods and theories taught that at times it is difficult to see the wood for the trees. Let's not forget the strife and battles of opinion that are often associated by the different groups and societies. For some mainstream religions, protection will be the same as prayer. Some spiritualist groups will tell you to 'channel' light, other followings will call the same energy Chi or Ki which is also know as universal energy. And the general direction where all this goodness is coming from is from above.

For now, I've only discussed energy, but lets not forget the angels, guides,masters and numerous helpers of such a variety that it is too many to mention that are also in the offering for protection. Then there are some cultures and followings that work with Earth energy as well as the higher energies as described before.

Are you confused yet?

Some people that join a spiritual development group certainly have been confused and if they weren't, still might get confused. Especially if they already have been taught a certain method. Once you are used to rely on a particular method, anything else will cause confusion which turns into worry and doubt. "Is this teacher right about this? I have been taught differently".

When it comes to doubt in a spiritual development group, this will allow for protection to fail. Why? If you don't believe in for example the Goddess Isis and the teacher tells you to ask for protection from this entity, your heart, soul and being will already rebel against it. It could well be that over a period of time you'll get used to Isis and start to believe in her but until such time, depending on the teacher you have put yourself at risk of possibly not working with protection at all.

We get too concerned about pondering if a particular entity exists and to put our trust in something new is for many, very scary. At a moment like this we enter the domain of 'the war of theologies'! The 'my faith is better than yours' scenario and in some cases the 'my interpretation of my faith is better then yours'. (sigh) Just look at how Christianity has developed. It has split into different factions. From protestant to catholic and... not just catholic, you have old catholic, roman catholic etc. etc. etc.

And yes, the same is with Islam, there are at least three different Islamic religions, or look at Buddhism, also there you can find different interpretations.

Now if we look at the interpretations of the Paranormal, it is even more overwhelming. There are thousands of interpretations. Where to start?

As a child I thought I had the right solution. Mind you, I was a very scared little girl. Besides my concern for having to see spirit at unexpected moments, a bit like the 'Jack in the box effect', I was also always worrying about the welfare of my family and that even included our pets. I wasn't brought up with any kind of religion, I only new a little through school and TV. My solution to this was, ask for protection and guidance of all of them!(Well at least the ones that I knew of at that time).

It made quite a list, and I certainly tried not to discriminate amongst them all. I prayed to God, Allah, Jehovah, all Goddesses and other Gods, Guides and Helpers and anything that I might have forgotten that has good intent. Yes, I was a very scared little girl indeed. But it helped me at the time and I certainly learned from it. As a child, I actually believed in all of them. And that caused another problem, I didn't want to discriminate amongst them all. After all, some of the religious scriptures teach you that to displease a deity is not a good thing to do and the God out of the Old Testament was certainly one that was to be feared. Scary stuff for a child.

Therefore, my way of asking for help and protection changed, from an extensive list, I started to put them all under one umbrella. It changed from starting my prayers with "to all of you with Good intent" (followed by an apology for not calling them by their appropriate names) and over time with many changes and adaptations it changed to what it is now "To the Source of all Creation". My philosophy?

So many deities, they must have been created by something as well and that something is best described as the Source of all creation. And this way, I have put everything under one umbrella. A bit like: If you can't get anything done by your director or directors, you approach the chief executive. And it worked, for me.

Does this mean that this is something I suggest everybody else to do?

The answer is: "No". What works for me, might not work for someone else.

When it comes to Spiritual Protection, you need to stick to where your belief lies and if that belief is in mythological gods or goddesses or in main stream deities, then that is what you need to stick to until such time that you might find something that could be more suitable for you. If you are happy where you are, stay there until such time that you cannot find peace anymore with that belief system. That will be the time for you to explore a little further.

And with that foundation, I think it best to have an open mind to anybody else's belief, as the sheer amount of different deities known will highlight a very human, earthly problem. That some of these deities 'teachings' will, like human beings contradict each other. After all, all scriptures have been written down by men. Could well be that they weren't wrong but the interpretation of us human beings was and still is.

The priority is to ensure that you feel secure, loved and protected and to be 'good' and to accomplish that, let's stop arguing which religion of spiritual following is correct.

Yvonne Welch, The Source Spiritual Society

The Source, a bit controversial, a bit like me....

Tsssk, I have been staring at this Blog screen now for quite some time... Where to start? Initially I thought it would be a great idea to start writing some of my thoughts down that are related to my work.

Well, work... probably better described as charitable work. I hope by running this Blog to try to explain to the members of the Source and anyone interested what the drive was and still is for running such a "down to earth" Spiritual Society. So, to understand what the Source Society is about, and what I am about.

Where to start? Hmmmm, I have been working as a Spiritual "worker".

"Worker"... Don't like that term. Still don't know what I would like to call myself. "Worker" sounds well, a bit boring, plain or odd. "Psychic or Medium", sounds good though.

Although I can work with both abilities, it is the understanding of the general public that makes me feel uncomfortable to name myself as one.

The general understanding of the public is that a Psychic is more like a fortuneteller. So that leaves the label Medium. I'm not a full time Medium either and having seen some of my "Colleague's" work, I'd rather walk around with a paper bag over my head then wanting to be associated with the majority of this league of "con-artists". It sounds cruel but unfortunately this is my experience and judging by the popularity of "Sceptic" sites and forums this experience is shared by too many others.

What frustrates me is that so far I haven't seen or heard any "spiritual worker" truly been able to talk sense when asked questions by the likes of James Randi or being able to explain themselves clearly to how their "gift" works. Having said this, I have opened up the question, why don't you take on the Randi challenge? Well, the answer is simple but in order to understand this, it will cause a hoard of other questions.

In a nutshell, James Randi has set up the challenge in such a way, knowing that none of his applicants would have studied their own phenomena or even at least understands the randomness of their gifts. I think he has had genuine candidates. Although they claim to adjust the tests to suit the applicants paranormal claim, how can you tailor make anything that is not even studied or understood by its owner?

So, that question is also something that I would like to solve, how can we learn to understand what truly is a psychic ability or is paranormal phenomena?

This is something I have been working on for years! Not that I wanted to, but my own logical mind needed an explanation for the things I was and still am experiencing. I have put myself to the test over and over again and with some success. But from there, it comes to finding out if, that what works for me, also works for other "gifted" people. Over the years I have exchanged some information and indeed the ones that were open minded enough have put it to the test successfully and are still working as far as I know with this method. I have tried to approach some "professional" and SNU mediums to experiment with this information. But alas, pride gets in the way and many don't even give it a moments thought to learn more. After all who am I?

Well, fair enough, I am just another human being, who is just as special as everybody else in this wonderful world. Nothing more, nothing less. However it is unfortunate that to a degree society still works very much with a difference in class. To be able to be heard, you either have had some sort of related education or a need to having been a member of a large group, governing body or simply be famous! And I am none of those. I never attended any of the courses in Stansted Hall or any other psychic, paranormal organisation. I have no degree in psychology and am not famous either. I was a member of the SNU but that became very restrictive.

But what I do have is a 100% belief in the afterlife and a 100% belief in my own experiences. Fate has put me in a situation that in order to be able to pay for my upkeep, I started to give readings at the art and craft markets in London. I have consulted thousands and thousands of customers and never had the need to ask "leading" questions. My success for returning customers was my proof to the accuracy of the guidance I gave them.

This success gave me the courage to set up my own development groups. First I ran the open circle in Edmonton spiritualist church ( before it became SNU). The group started to grow too large and soon I ran an open and an intermediate circle. Running these circles at that time gave me the chance to put some of my findings to the test and since I have never looked back and developed them further.

Now, I live and work in Essex. In 2006, I opened the Source Spiritual Society with a development circle. As far as I know, we are the first to work with a complete non denominational foundation. We work with science as well as religion and new age philosophy. We have created a structure which includes a variety of teachings and exercises in such a way that people can pick and choose to what they feel comfortable working with.

Of course there is more about the Society but for now, this is the introduction to my Blog or the Source's Blog. With the aid of other valuable members, I hope to be able to publish some subjects that have helped to created the theories and work practises of the Source Society. And as with science, if we find that some method works better then the one we are using presently, we will change it and hopefully become more accurate in the workings of any aspect of a spiritual live and understanding.

Yvonne Welch, The Source Spiritual Society