My most memorable experience at a Spiritualist centre

Many months ago I had started attending a Spiritualist centre with my mother and grandmother, as well as a few of their friends, on Sunday nights. I went in skeptical but with an open-mind on each occasion and gradually became more impressed, but also more analytical and critical as the pessimistic and doubtful person that I am. I'd heard a lot of fascinating things about the centre and how they worked. They brought in a different medium every week who the organiser, a guy I'll call John who is also a medium, would contact. There were no records kept of those who attended and there were only a handful of regulars. They would bring back mediums who had been before and received positive feedback, but usually not for a long time. The best ones were always very humble and ordinary looking people who often had regular jobs and didn't resemble any kind of stereotypical psychic. 

I had been very impressed by several demonstrations. We all sat in a large semi-circle in front of the medium and where they would sit and talk before giving readings and whatnot. The first time I went I wasn't impressed at all, nor was my mother (who herself is fairly skeptical but still impressed at times). But the other occasions we were very much so. Though the mediums never came to us on those occasions, they both talked a LOT. They would ask very few questions before going on lengthy descriptions, often very detailed, of figures who had passed. They would often request certain people they spoke with to look out for specific objects, names and people as well, NEVER retracting any information they gave at all. They seemed very certain and confident, speaking as though they were a member of the person's family and understood the fine details of a person's life. 

Anyways, the experience I most remember is when I received information from John from one of my grandfathers (allegedly). It was embarrassing for me at first though because the first thing he asked me was whether I had an ingrown toenail! In front of everyone! I'd said not really, but it had been a concern in the past since it did sometimes look ingrown if I hadn't cut it recently. 

But he then left me stunned when he asked: 'Have you seen, or are going to see, an optician about a problem with your left eye?'

This shocked me. On the Thursday of that week, I had been for an optician's appointment and, after the optician performed the usual checks with the machines, goggles, pictures, torch, cameras etc., determined that my left eye wasn't as capable as my right eye. I was then prescribed some glasses. 

I was not wearing said glasses when John came to me. As far as I'm aware, and as my grandmother and mother were aware, there was NO way he could have determined this simply by looking at me. He didn't even come up in my face at all. In fact, none of the aforementioned mediums would do that, they'd sometimes spend entire discussions on the other side of the room away from the person or people involved. I had not been rubbing my eye; it wasn't watery or red or sore or twitching or anything like that. Nobody there was talking about my left eye either prior to this, and he only knew my first name which I'd told him when introducing myself the first time I went. He didn't know any of our surnames as far as I know. 
While this may not have necessarily been mediumship (though if it were telepathy he'd had to have been reading my memories, as I wasn't thinking about my left eye at the time) it was certainly very impressive. 

I often doubt myself and worry he and the others were all just very skilled and lucky mentalists, but then again, I realise as I'm writing this that it sounds cynical of me. I do have the confidence to say though that it surely couldn't have been hot reading, and cold reading would be a stretch since I hadn't told him anything about myself prior to this. He didn't even ask me any questions before coming to me with this sudden medical diagnosis and advice from the other side!

Very interesting post, OmniVN !

I suppose because they both had near death experiences, Julie Chimes and David Ditchfield come to mind. The first was informed by a medium to change her front door (it used to open inwards like 99% of them do). She did change it and a short time later she was attacked in her home by a woman wielding a carving knife. Because the door opened out, she was somehow able to fall through the opening to the outside, which probably save her life.

Ditchfield was told by a medium that his life was about to change in a big way but they wouldn't say how. He subsequently was dragged under a train and very seriously injured.

I think there's something real and tangible about the information received by genuine mediums but then sceptics would just say that it's all simply coincidence/confirmation bias and look at all the predictions that don't come true etc etc....