Mediums? Rare or Well Cooked?

One thing I'm beginning to loathe about insomnia is that the television through the night is shit. No programme really keeps me all that interested after 2am. That's when the last South Park is aired and other, more 'topical' ones seem to take over, I recently discovered. It's the brigade of the Mediums! Yes, there must be at least 3 or 4 of these 'spiritually gifted' chosen ones to view over a four hour period. Now, I did watch these programmes keenly over the said period as for some reason I felt more awake than the usual sluggish hell of no sleep. Perhaps there was something preeminent in this bloke I was watching! Until I reminded myself that I'd been on the kids' Lucozade sports drinks since midnight (coz normally I can't be arsed with kettles and so forth during the night). Okay, that was me getting back to my (usually) secular old self. But I was impressed.

What I did take in was all the similarities. How the laws of probability were used in fine scrutiny. I mean, they'd pick out an oldish woman, better for them if they were shaking, or had the look of sheer desperation in their eyes. When asking if they had a 'mother' who'd passed there was a 50/50 chance that yes, a parent had died, and that it was a female. If not, he'd go on to mum-in-laws, aunties, ect. Then the initials would come or if very old spirits were channeling in, the older type Betty, Jean, Dorothy, Elizabeth names would spill out and chances are there was a name like that in the family. Then would come the region in his body where he felt they had 'died' from. Usually, cancer or heart problems if he circled about the chest area. Sometimes, spot on. Sometimes, mind you, he'd venture further down the body and get it right. But these blokes are masters in their art. So is it a con or not?

I probably gave it more "och, anybody could have guessed that" than "well, that is a bit spooky". One thing that did give me a bit of respect for them was, that, what ever the price of pish or professional medium, it did give people a lot of comfort. So happy their 'families' came through. And when said their sceptical views were altered after a show and it gave them a different outlook to the afterlife, fair enough. For me, as long as there is one rational, possible, explanation (be it research or even looking up names after tickets are booked - (coz there is something called the electoral role, for any area you know!) then I'll be opting for the scrap of other evidence option - no matter how silly it may seem. Only because I'm scared to admit to myself it might be true. So maybe, it's really me conning myself!

One female medium I'd like to mentioned is one called Lisa Williams. Now she is British but works in America on her show. She does have one-to-one sessions that in hindsight looked pretty damn convincing. Another trait of hers is to stop people on busy streets to give them a impromptu session. She tells them she sees a spirit walking by them but gives the usual guessing games. So a woman, in her fifties I'd say, went away crying with happiness. Apparently, her mother was with her in signal form by sending 'extra' dragonflies to the garden that year.

"Oh yes, oh yes", the woman replied, "I have noticed a lot of dragonflies this summer!"

Bollocks! Did she take a head count of the ones the year before...? But then again, there goes that warm feeling of comfort.

Now, my father died five years ago but I'd liked to have answered her dragonflies theory as such;

"Yes, I have noticed loads this year! Annoying little bastards - give me the creeps! God, I must have used a whole bottle of insecticide to rid the things!"

Because, if, just, if, my old dad was looking down on me he'd be up there pissing himself laughing at it. But I honestly believe that if I did see some the following year, I'd be looking for my little keep net to capture them for study to see if any of them had the smell of strong whiskey on their teensy little breaths.