Hello, I hope your all doing well. I am doing pretty good considering it was a tough week. I had to say goodbye to my brother in law who passed away last Saturday unexpectedly. He was more like a brother who was in my life for 39 yrs. It was not his heart as we thought, but instead they believe it was a blood clot that went to his lung, which can occur after a major surgery like he had on his heart. Between having lost loved ones throughout my life and my religious upbringing I can't help but believe in an afterlife. Believing also gives me a way to hold onto them, gives me comfort knowing they still exist somewhere, and a sense of peace thinking that I will see them again. With my belief in the afterlife, I also believe in Mediums. Then last night when I watched Inside Edition I was a little sad to see them questioning whether or not Theresa Caputo is real or a fake. I love her show and my own personal belief is that she if for real. Even if she get's it wrong sometimes, for the most part she say's things that just blow people's minds, how could she have known such details of a strangers life?? I had a medium reading once in my life, and I swear it was my Father who came through, the woman said things to me that she could not have known about me and my Father. So I'm curious as to what you think? If you believe in the afterlife, do you also believe in Mediums? or do you think they are fakes and taking advantage of the vulnerable? Let me know, I won't be offended or hurt by your comment if you do not agree with me, I like to be open minded about any issue and possibly learn something from your perspective.
I hope all of you have a great weekend,
Thanks for visiting,
Janet :)
From Inside Edition
She's one of the most popular reality stars on TV today. For three seasons now, Theresa Caputo, the Long Island Medium, has amazed viewers and brought people to tears by communicating messages from beyond.
So is the Long Island Medium really communicating with those who have passed on, or is she simply using trickery to fool the living? INSIDE EDITION decided to see what happens at her popular live readings across the country. What we saw was starkly different from what viewers see on her TV show.
On TV, she's almost always dead right, but at her live shows, we watched her strike out time and again.
Caputo asked one audience member, "Is your mom also departed?" "My mom? No, she's with us," said the audience member.
"Is your mom departed?" she asked another fan. The woman responded, "My mom? No, she's still with us."
Caputo asked another audience member, "Did they pass one right after the other?" to which the audience member responded by shaking their head 'no.
Edward believes one technique Theresa Caputo uses is a classic trick called "cold reading." It’s done by firing-off open-ended questions that someone in a large audience will surely relate to, like a number.
The Long Island medium, Theresa Caputo sent us a statement saying... "I respect and understand skeptics. I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone, that's not why I do what I do. I feel, and have been told by my clients, that my gift has really helped them, and that's all that matters to me."
Funny spoof on her though lol!
Mark Edward, the mentalist who appeared on the show and did the reading on the group, has written about his experience here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.skepticblog.org/2012/11/09/is-caputo-kaputo-yet/
I think his main point is that "reality" TV is not really real. She is always right on the show with people who have already agreed to be on the show, but when she's really put on the spot in a live show, she kinda fails. I think that says a lot. I know you like the show, but you must know how easy it is to make someone look psychic on TV. I'm not saying that there is no afterlife and I'm not saying that there are no psychics. I'm saying that you should still enjoy the show, but enjoy it for what it really is rather than what it claims to be.
Ward
Good point Ward, thank you
DeleteI am a psychic/medium and I know that no one can read everyone - that's for starters. Group readings are always a crap shoot - too much energy and really difficult to focus on any one person. Whenever you see these shows - whether it was Sylvia Brown or that Edwards guy - you only saw the successful reads. I must admit I am leery of a reader who asks a lot of questions - and Theresa Caputo does do that but she also seems to get the details right when she does connect. I think professional mediums do us all a disservice when they do those large auditorium shows because it can come across as a carnival act.
ReplyDeleteMay your sadness lift and lighten...
Thank you so much Grace, it will lift and lighten because my brother in law would not want me to be sad that he is gone, but to only remember the good and happy times together. That is a good insight that I never thought of, to much energy in group readings! I'm so glad you have been given the gifts that you have and for reassuring me of it's authenticity!
DeleteHe lives in your heart Janet. As he lives in others as well. He still lives.
ReplyDeleteI don't do the medium thing and I've very skeptical of most everything. It's just my nature. I too was brought up in a religious home and medium's just weren't in the mix. To each their own though. Everyone has a right to their own beliefs.
Have a terrific day. :)
Thank you Sandee, I appreciate your point of view and your kind words!
DeleteI do not have faith in mediums but I do believe that our ancestors watch over us. I just feel that they would talk to us straight forwardly and not through some stranger or medium. That said, I am not 100% on this issue of the afterlife. But I am 100% in feeling that mediums are not real. I do not mean to be offensive and I do not judge those who find comfort in mediums (I know many people who have their cards read and such). Partly my disbelief in mediums is because One whole half of my family is deceased and no one has ever tried to contact me and I believe that is just because that isn't how it works. When you die you do not crave to have contact with the world because you are fulfilled in a spiritual place.
ReplyDeletePS: I love the idea of mediums....and I love this post. I wish they were real but I just haven't had anything in my life to prove they are. I feel like my first comment was to abrasive or opinionated.
ReplyDeleteIt's ok Pink, it's good to hear from you and you are entitled to your opinion, Like I said I would not be hurt by anyone's opinion. I like to see things from all perspectives and yours is neither right or wrong! Thank you for taking the time to comment, I've missed you, and I'll have to do some catching up on your blog too!
Deletexoxo
I am so sorry for your loss, Janet. May he rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteI do believe there are people capable to reach out beyond our world...but they are very rare.
Thank you Unikorna, love ya xoxo
DeleteJanet,
ReplyDeleteFirst let me please apologize for not acknowledging your loss in my first post. I've recently gone through something similar and it is not fun. It sounds like you are taking the right approach to this and you are dealing with it in a healthy way---but it still totally sucks. Sorry again, sometimes I can be a little too "down to business."
So now, down to business. There are cash prizes available to anyone who can prove that they have psychic abilities. James Randi, a MacArthur Genius Grant winner, offers a million dollar prize (www.randi.org). However, to qualifiy the applicant has to have a media presence and signed affidavits from people in academia. There are a lot of hoops to jump through. People like Caputo or Sylvia Browne or John Edward of James Van Praagh would never take such a challenge. Partly because (I believe) they are slick-operating con-men and women who know they could never pass such a test. And also, they are already very wealthy and the idea of a million dollars does not mean as much to them as it would to you or me.
There are other smaller prizes available. I'm thinking of two in particular which offer a finder's fee to the person who brings a psychic to the testing organization. There's a $100,000 prize offered by The Australian Skeptics. That prize includes a $20,000 finder's fee. Both those amounts are in Australian dollars. (http://www.skeptics.com.au/features/prize/)
Closer to home (I assume you live in the USA, but "Inside Edition" might be broadcast around the world), there is the Independent Investigations Group. They are located in Los Angeles, but they have affiliates around the country. They offer a $50,000 prize with a $5000 finder's fee. (www.iigwest.org)
I bring these up because you could team up with Grace who posted above or anyone else you think has this ability and your friend could make a LOT of money and you could pick up a nice chunk of change as well.
If these powers are real, it sounds like an easy way to make some good money in a way that does not require video editing or cold reading or piggy backing or any of the other tricks of the trade that the TV psychics seem to use.
Keep fighting the good fight.
Ward