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A look at the role and meaning of spiritualist meetings.

Emma-Louise Rhodes © 2008.

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For those who do not necessarily want to attend a Spiritualist church, there is, in most towns, a chance to go to a psychic evening, where mediums will attempt to bring back the dead for as little as £3.50 a head admission.

Such occasions typically take place in a ‘hall for hire’ and are advertised in the local press and via posters and handbills as ‘An Evening of Clairvoyance’. There is generally no reference to religion or faith of any kind, and usually the only other thing that accompanies the title is the organisation who has arranged it and name of the medium or mediums present. (more…)

Last Wednesday (26^th Nov, 2008), UK-Skeptics were contacted by Shannonside Northern Sound Radio in Longford, Ireland to see if we could supply a skeptic to take part in a live debate about psychics and Cold Reading: the techniques psychics use to convince people they are passing messages from the dead or that they are telling them things they couldn’t possibly know and such like.

We don’t normally take part in these ’skeptics versus believer’ debates as they usually turn out to be of little value – skeptics often being included simply to provide some token opposition. UKS forum member Richard Sutherland decided that he would, however, represent the skeptics’ side of the debate; and this conversation turned out to quite different to the usual: (more…)

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Chillzero © 2006

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Catherine (Chillzero) writes from the perspective of scepticism, with an established background of belief in the paranormal. Having examined how psychics arrive at their predictions – from both sides of the fence – Catherine reveals here how they perform. It may be worth highlighting here that any psychic who appears on the media is granted permission to do so only under the laws that govern entertainment, and so the word perform is most appropriate.

I used to believe I had psychic abilities. I gave tarot readings, I consulted my spirit guide, and believed in the spirit of nature as being a force in all things. I would not consider the old me to be a con artist – I was not intentionally deceiving people. I honestly believed I was given the ability to interpret signs, and that I was using it for good. So I believed I was genuine, as did plenty of other people. I could read the traffic around me uncannily well, knowing when a driver was about to turn suddenly, or not turn where they signalled to. I was good at reading tarot cards and at helping people come to decisions about events in their lives. I would spook people by telling them who was calling when the phone rang, or that someone we were waiting for had just come into the bar although my back was turned to the door – that sort of thing. (more…)

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John Jackson © 2008

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This is a report of the programme broadcast by Channel 5 in the UK on 25^th September 2008. The programme featured self-proclaimed psychic Derek Ogilvie, ‘The Baby Mind Reader’, undergoing formal testing of his claimed ability; notably for the JREF $1,000,000 paranormal challenge. This is an overview of the programme commenting mainly on the tests done, why they were done as they were, and what they actually mean. (more…)