The title of this thread refers to a type of mediumship that I hardly ever see discussed or mentioned online outside of Victor Zammit's website and social media profiles of mediums on Facebook and Instagram. I'm not sure if it's only a recent phenomenon but I've heard of the Spiritualist centre I once attended to feature these kinds of mediums. I've never seen one appear on TV, and I only found one example on YouTube, but what he did didn't seem like transfiguration mediumship to me, and the commenters generally agreed.
The jist of it is similar to 'channelling', but as the medium channels the deceased person that supposedly comes to them, they'll focus on a specific person (if there's a group at least). Their facial features then are said to actually change to resemble the person who has passed. This transformation is apparently only visible to the person associated with the loved one, and apparently can even involve an apparent change in gender and/or race during the process (to what extent I don't know).
My mam has been to one meeting and was (unsuprisingly and appropriately) very skeptical going in, but also naturally very nervous upon hearing about what the medium claimed they would do. She said how the medium would sit in the centre of the group and just meditate, before her eyes would open and turn to a specific person. My mam, unfortunately, kept her eyes closed nearly the entire time as she was too scared to look (though the medium never came to her anyway). She described hearing someone gasp in shock each time the medium came to them, hearing an unfamiliar voice. A friend apparently left crying both tears of joy and sadness, which continued nearly the whole night apparently because they were just so shaken by what they witnessed.
Another incident I recall was from my best friend's mother. She claimed she and her friends once went to see an elderly, quiet alleged medium who was difficult to find. They went in very skeptical, only to end up running out of her apartment screaming after the elderly woman's face apparently transformed to resemble an ancient Asian man with a beard! This anecdote is interesting to me, since they never said they recognised him, so if it was real, perhaps it was the medium's 'spirit guide'.
I've heard that sometimes this is performed in a slightly darkened environment with candles (which is were the skepticism comes in) but in my mam's case she confirmed that the lights were fully on at the time. I'm not sure to what extent this transfiguration is akin to genuine 'shapeshifting' if real.
Has anybody else heard of or even witnessed this phenomenon?
The jist of it is similar to 'channelling', but as the medium channels the deceased person that supposedly comes to them, they'll focus on a specific person (if there's a group at least). Their facial features then are said to actually change to resemble the person who has passed. This transformation is apparently only visible to the person associated with the loved one, and apparently can even involve an apparent change in gender and/or race during the process (to what extent I don't know).
My mam has been to one meeting and was (unsuprisingly and appropriately) very skeptical going in, but also naturally very nervous upon hearing about what the medium claimed they would do. She said how the medium would sit in the centre of the group and just meditate, before her eyes would open and turn to a specific person. My mam, unfortunately, kept her eyes closed nearly the entire time as she was too scared to look (though the medium never came to her anyway). She described hearing someone gasp in shock each time the medium came to them, hearing an unfamiliar voice. A friend apparently left crying both tears of joy and sadness, which continued nearly the whole night apparently because they were just so shaken by what they witnessed.
Another incident I recall was from my best friend's mother. She claimed she and her friends once went to see an elderly, quiet alleged medium who was difficult to find. They went in very skeptical, only to end up running out of her apartment screaming after the elderly woman's face apparently transformed to resemble an ancient Asian man with a beard! This anecdote is interesting to me, since they never said they recognised him, so if it was real, perhaps it was the medium's 'spirit guide'.
I've heard that sometimes this is performed in a slightly darkened environment with candles (which is were the skepticism comes in) but in my mam's case she confirmed that the lights were fully on at the time. I'm not sure to what extent this transfiguration is akin to genuine 'shapeshifting' if real.
Has anybody else heard of or even witnessed this phenomenon?