Is setting intention necessary in mediumship?

Over the last 25 years of teaching mediumship one of the most common questions I am asked is about the value of setting intentions in spiritual work. Intention often refers to us having a specific plan or goal that we would like to achieve when we work with the Spirit world. For some people there’s a belief that we need to state the intent as a way of setting an appointment with the Spirit World to work, and intention is a way of doing so. There is a common belief that intention is important to define the outcome of the experience, but is that accurate? Or even necessary?

Without doubt, any intention is set within the mind of the medium. The intent might take the form of a prayer, or affirmation, it may even be a lengthy plea to the Other World for them to behave in a certain way, or produce a certain experience, to deliver a certain piece of evidence, or even to work “for everyones highest good”. Intent may also take the form of altering your diet, only working at certain phases of the moon cycle, or even wearing a favourite crystal when you work. I’ve even heard of some people actually removing the amalgam in their tooth fillings because of their belief that it will clog up their pineal gland and affect their mediumship! When we set intentions (born of the ego), then the ego will also look for signs of it working in an attempt to ‘measure’ its success. This is typical egoic behaviour as it seeks to protect you from a world which might judge you if you ‘fail’, so this begs the question, who are you setting your intentions for? Are you setting them in an attempt to manipulate the Spirit World to behave in a certain way, or to reassure yourself, or in an attempt to protect yourself from perceived judgement?

Mediumship, as I’ve said many times, originates from the Soul. The Soul that we are is God and it’s only desire is to express itself and it’s potential in the world. It doesn’t hold judgement, see right or wrong, good or bad, but it is ruthless in its need to express. You may feel this judgemental to perceive the Soul in such a way, but consider this - does your mediumship function when you’re unwell? What about when you’re tired, hungry, sad, or even angry? Does your mediumship function when you don’t want it to? The degree to which the mind is involved of course makes some difference, but ultimately the answer to this question is yes. The reason for this is that the Souls desire to express itself is paramount and it will take any opportunity to do so, regardless of your intentions, state of health, or mindset. This is what makes it ruthless.

This then is worth further questioning. In the egos attempt to create an outcome, and the Soul’s desire to express, who wins? If you are a medium who sets intentions, have you also assessed whether those intentions have brought the desired outcome? Have you examined whether asking for the communications to be the “highest and the best”, have been that? Did you always receive the evidence you asked for? In some cases, how can you know that the intention has been successful? What about those times when by your own admission, when your mediumship hasn’t functioned in the way that is congruent with your intentions? What went wrong? By stating an intention we are asking the mind to behave in a certain way, but in a way that is supportive of the mediumistic experience. Therefore, the only intention that is truly helpful in mediumship is the intention to 'lose' ourselves. This means giving up our desire to help others, not asking for certain pieces of evidence, letting go of our hope that it goes well, and not seeking any external form validation of our internal experience.

So instead of setting intentions, I would instead invite you, the medium to be curious about your MOTIVE for mediumship and work towards allowing that. Intention is about goal setting whereas motive is about expression. Motive can be conscious, or unconscious, but in mediumship, it always comes from the Souls desire to transcend the egos desires to see something occur. Motive refers to the underlying reason or drive behind you doing mediumship at all. As we’ve already recognised, and sometimes experienced, true mediumship goes beyond the mind if we allow it to.

The saying “The proof of the pudding is in the eating” implies that the true quality of something can only be assessed by experiencing it. Therefore, I recommend that the next time you work, avoid setting an intention. Naturally, connect with the Spirit World and engage in your mediumship but without presenting a list of demands to the Spirit World or expecting them to match your own perceptions. Instead, be the Soul that you are and detach yourself (and your ego) as much as possible to see what unfolds. Only when we 'lose' ourselves can we genuinely 'discover' the Other World.