Seeing mediums are those that see Spirits. This faculty is rare and is never permanent.

Normally, when we refer to seeing mediums, we refer to those who possess this faculty in their normal state, when they are perfectly awake, and who preserve an exact recollection of what they have seen.  The seeing mediums that are referred to as clairvoyant are those who see with great clarity, and who do so just the same with their eyes open or closed. They may feel as if they are seeing with their bodily eyes, but in reality it is with the eyes of their soul that they see, through the action of their perispirit.  Proof of this are the seeing mediums who are blind, materially speaking, but are able to see Spirits and things of the spiritual realm.  There are some mediums who see only with their eyes open; Rigonotti describes this saying that "the cause of their sight resides in their eyes, which become sensitive under the fluidic action of the Spirit that wants to be seen by the medium. In this state of optic sensibility, the medium sees in thought."

Though we normally refer to seeing mediums that see Spirits while awake, as Kardec points out, there are those who only see Spirits in a somnambulic state, or one bordering on it.  (See somnambulic mediums on menu bar at left).  Kardec also says that we may also include in the category of seeing mediums those endowed with second-sight, also called double vision, which takes place when the liberation of the soul occurs in the waking state.  (See somnambulic mediums on menu bar at left, subsection Second Sight ).  Regarding the seeing of Spirits in dreams, Kardec says that it "undoubtedly results from a sort of medianimity; but properly speaking it does not constitute the "seeing medium."

We must be careful to distinguish, as Kardec points out, the difference between the accidental and spontaneous sight of apparitions and the faculty of mediums, properly so called.  The first is frequent, especially at the moment of death of a loved one who comes to make us aware of their departure; similarly a loved who has passed on may come to warn us against danger, give us good council, or ask us for help. It is an isolated fact, which always has an individual and personal character.  The latter, the faculty, consists in the possibility of seeing different Spirits who come near the medium, even though they are perfect strangers.

Kardec makes yet another distinction between those who only see the Spirits who are evoked (and then describe, in detail, their gestures, expressions, features, appearance, sentiments, etc.) and those in whom the faculty is more general.  The latter perceive the spirit-population around us and and see Spirits going and coming, performing acts of their routine life.

It is not to say, however, that mediumistic sight is present or active in the medium at all items.  It can occur in intervals, or in certain moments or situations that are independent of the medium's will.  These spaces of inactivity, however, are actually beneficial to the medium, since a continuous perception of the presence of Spirits would interfere with and disrupt the daily life of the medium. 

During the Mediumship Session

We add here a bit of advice regarding the use of the seeing faculty during a mediumship session, as offered by Suely Caldas Shubert. She writes, "The seeing medium needs to study a lot and understand well his/her faculty and the best way to exercise it during a mediumship session.  It is necessary to exercise much prudence so as not to fanaticize scenes, exaggerate them, or create them by imagination.  Moreover, the medium should take much care in sharing what he or she witnessed, so as not to perturb or frighten those present.  A situation could happen where the medium perceives a certain scene and interprets it incorrectly, which is can even be dangerous sometimes.... Good sense should prevail, and the balanced, studious, and dedicated medium will filter out the information that is valuable for the group..... In the mediumship session, the seeing mediums should only share what they've seen with the other participants after the close of the session. It is not necessary that the medium narrate the scenes through the course of the meeting, which can confuse the others, especially because each medium present may be tuned into distinct frequencies that differ from that in which the said medium is capturing the images it sees."

 Mental Influence 

As has been mentioned, the mind is at the base of all mediumistic phenomena, and it has its influence in the mediumship of seeing and hearing. Each mind has a distinct capacity to perceive the phenomena, thus registering them in differing ways.  The picture to the right illustrates how the same phenomena, auditory or visual, can be observed differently by various mediums, according to the mental state of each one.  The human mind works like a prism of differing colors.  Just as the light of one single lamp, in passing through glass plates tinted different shades of the same color, will become altered according to the tinting of each plate, the same phenomena observed by three different mediums will undergo the influence of three different minds.  As an example, in a group of 4 seeing mediums, one may not  perceive the presence of a given Spirit at all, while of the other three, one perceives the Spirit perfectly, with great detail; the second visualizes the Spirits form and movement, but without detail; and the third sees the Spirit as if it were wrapped in a semi-transparent sheet.

As Peralva points out, the medium that understands these different shades of mediumistic action will not feel inclined to make doubtful judgments about the sight of another medium, for he knows that another may very well perceive something that he himself is unable to observe.

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SEEING

Peralva, Martins. "Clarividencia e Clariaudiencia"  [Clairvoyance and Clairaudience]. Estudando A Mediunidade [Studying Mediumship]. Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil: Federação Espírita Brasileira [Brazilian Spiritist Federation]. 1998 (20th ed). 92-95.

Kardec, Allan. "Mediums." The Mediums' Book. 2nd ed (1st edition FEB). Trans. Anna Blackwell (translated 1876). Ed. Livraria Espírita Allan Kardec. Brasilia-DF, Brazil:  Federação Espírita Brasileira [Brazilian Spiritist Federation}. 1986. 179-182 (items 167-171).

Rigonatti, Eliseu. "Mediuns Videntes" [Seeing Mediums] A Mediunidade Sem Lagrimas [Mediumship Without Tears]. Sao Paulo: Editora Pensamento Ltda. 2000. 18.

Schubert, Suely Caldas. "A Videncia" [Sight]. Mediunidade: Caminho Para Ser Feliz [Mediumship: The Path to Happiness]. Votuporanga- SP, Brazil. Casa Editora Espírita "Pierre-Paul Didier". 1999. 152-159.