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Money, Money, Money!
The other day, I listened to a radio programme with Donal MacIntyre on BBC five. The programme was about Psychic Scams and the change in the Fraudulent Mediums Act. This brief discussion took place with a representative from the Bad Psychics site Dave Anderson.
Although I agree that the consumer should be protected, it seems that the other problem many Sceptics have, is that Mediums and Psychics Charge for their services.
Mr Anderson’s idea was that none ought to charge until it has been scientifically proven that either contact with Spirit is possible or that ‘fortune-telling is possible’ (Sorry, but that is how they incorrectly describe the work of a Psychic).
Apart from the scientific bit, the dispute between Sceptics and Spiritual Workers can also be found amongst Spiritual Workers themselves. To Charge or not to Charge?
There seems to be some kind of assumption that the majority of Spiritual Workers are people that have become extremely well off by giving consultations to the Public.
It is only a minority that have been able to make a living out of it and these are the ones that travel from Fair to Fair throughout the country and of course the ones we see in the Media.
Many though, run cost covering societies, even charitable societies, associations or churches. They outweigh the few that are dedicated enough to make a living out of it.
In an ideal world, I wish for Spiritual Consultations to be free of charge but I would like to visit my Dentist free of charge as well and not have to donate anything when I attend a church service... everything these days has a price and some a very steep one!
How can people find out about a Spiritual Worker’s services? In the Local Paper, the Yellow Pages, Psychic Fairs and Festivals etc.
Unfortunately these services aren’t free either.
A Midlands Psychic Fair organiser charged £100 for a table and later increased it to £120 for a day. Travel Costs and Hotel costs on the Spiritual Worker. He placed one advert in the local news paper for the value of £60 - £100. And had at times as many as 10 - 12 readers working at a venue. Do the maths yourself... Many of the readers went home at a loss as the one advert didn’t generate enough public to at least cover the costs for the readers.
The only one that went home with a profit of just over £900 was the organiser. Not bad for a day’s work? Yes, he did do work, he charged the public an entrance fee of £2.00 as well and for that he had to sit at the door the whole day. Giving the 'consumer' entry tickets and drinking a cuppa whilst doing so.
One known large organiser charges for a 1x1m stand for a weekend close to £600!! Needless to say, I never attended this organiser’s fair and never will. Consultations at this organiser’s fair are ranging between £40 - £60 for a mere 20 minutes (if you are lucky).
The general public doesn’t know about this side of the coin. The argument of this organiser is that the consultant will get a good exposure from a marketing point of view. Do they really?
Judging from what the Sceptics say, obviously not. And I cannot help but again, agree. I just find it a pity that the Sceptic doesn’t realise how far and deep the exploitation in some cases runs.
I have come across many, wonderful and lovely talented mediums and psychics that have stopped giving their genuine services because of the very hard underlying core that you can come across amongst the Fair organisers.
If for example the SNU is not your cuppa tea, there isn’t much for a psychically talented person to turn to Nationwide. An alternative is often found through trial and error and many never get there as they simply ‘give-up’.
Where do we draw the line between Spirituality and a Commercial enterprise? To me Spirituality from this point of view is at this moment in time from this perspective indeed completely lost.
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