A Living Tradition Across Cultures
medium - noun (me·di·um ˈmē-dē-əm)
1. An individual held to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and a world of spirits
2. A means of effecting or conveying something; also : a go-between or intermediary — this includes a spiritualistic medium who mediates communication between spirits and living persons
mediumship - noun (me·di·um·ship ˈmē-dē-əm-ˌship)
: the capacity, function, or profession of a spiritualistic medium
(From Merriam Webster’s)
Mediumship, the sacred practice of communicating with ancestors and the energies of the spirit world, is not a lost relic or a forgotten art. It is a living tradition found in cultures throughout the world, carried, practiced, and passed on by wisdom keepers called to serve as the bridge between the seen and unseen, the living and the dead.
Among the Yoruba, Kongo, Shona, and Zulu peoples of West, Central, and Southern Africa, mediums serve as intermediaries between the living and the spiritual realm—communicating with ancestors, nature spirits, and guiding forces. Through trance, ritual, and divination, these practices bring healing, insight, and community balance. The Sangoma of South Africa and svikiro mediums of Zimbabwe are just two examples of the many ways mediumship is honored as sacred work across the continent.
Forcibly carried to the Americas, several West African and West Central African traditions have emerged in the African diaspora—Obeah in Jamaica, Candomblé and Umbanda in Brazil, Lucumí and Palo Mayombe in Cuba, and more. Mediumship in these systems remains integral to a holistic framework, expressed through ancestral veneration, prayer, trance music, spirit possession, and ceremonies affirming the presence and power of Orisha, Mpungo, and the ancestors gone before us.
Across Asia, mediumship continues in powerful forms—from the Babaylan of what is today known as the Philippines to the Nechung Oracle of Tibet, personal advisor to the Dalai Lama, and the Itako, blind female mediums of Japan. From the Indigenous people and languages of Siberia, the word šamán meaning “to know” gave rise to the term shaman as it is known globally today. The diversity of these practitioners and the enduring use of the term shaman to identify “one who knows” is a clear reminder that mediumship has deep roots across Asia’s vast cultural landscape.
The shamans and curanderos of South and Central America remain firmly rooted in their medicine traditions, known for their deep relationship with the spirit world and their facilitation of healing through ritual, prayer, and indigenous plant medicines. Their work continues to be widely recognized today as a sacred bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. Here, too, in the lands of the Diné, Pueblo, and Apache in what is today known as New Mexico, medicine people and medicine ways of dance, ritual, and prayer maintain the spiritual balance of the community.
In Europe, mediumship stretches from the voices of the ancient Delphic oracles and Druids to the rise of spiritualist movements, which shaped practices still embraced today, such as the séance, trance, and spirit writing.
Though not an exhaustive list, we share the examples above to emphasize that the call to spirit is not confined to one geography or lineage — it is part of humanity’s shared inheritance. While mediumship may take various forms across cultures, its essence remains the same. Living dialogue and communion with spirit are an integral force in maintaining individual and collective well-being. Across time and traditions, mediums have served as the bridge between worlds, proof that our relationship with spirit has been and remains central to the human experience.
The role of the medium is not lost to a distant, unreachable past. It lives in the present, waiting to meet those who feel and answer its calling.
On Channeling & Mediumship: Mediumship Through a Cultural Lens
Channeling, as understood through the Western context, typically involves receiving and relaying messages from spirits through writing, speech, or trance, often in a way that emphasizes spiritual or moral guidance. By contrast, mediumship in many African Diaspora traditions may involve an embodied connection with ancestral spirits, as is also the case in the Svikiro (Shona) practice. In these African and Diaspora traditions, beyond sharing messages alone, the medium may enter a physically lived, dynamic relationship with the spirit, often through possession, ritual, and direct service to the community. Where in the West channeling is usually informational and individual, the Sangoma and Svikiro mediumship (as examples) are communal, ancestral, and deeply woven into cultural and spiritual identity.
Mediumship for Us:
Setting aside the diversity of cultural traditions for a moment, mediumship itself can manifest through a wide range of practices and across a spectrum of energetic intensity for each individual. In our own lives, this expression has included working as a healer, birth worker, drummer, diviner, and in ceremonies held in council with the ancestors, to name a few.
We share these ideas as examples of how individual mediums embody different practices—and how each of us walks our own path. Though there may be similarities between our practices, each of us carries a unique combination of prayers, medicines, and ancestors, and thus we manifest our unique expressions of mediumship.
Note:
Our relationship with our ancestors and spiritual guides has been developed over time (even lifetimes). If this work resonates with you, we encourage you to embrace it as a life journey.