CLARIFICATIONS ABOUT DAVID THOMPSON’S MEDIUMSHIP

A number of people occasionally make genuine enquiries about David Thompson’s physical and materialization mediumship. Many people know that David Thompson risks his life whenever he does materialization mediumship. This is because if sudden light were to come into the experimenting room, the ectoplasm would be forcefully pulled back into David’s body – where it came from – and could kill him.

What follows are some of the questions sent over the last few years about David’s materialization mediumship answered with the help of William, pictured left, the spirit in charge of protecting David and facilitating his mediumship.

1.“Why does the medium (David) have to be gagged and tied into his chair for a séance?”

First, it helps to eliminate the possibility in people's minds of fraud taking place. David is always gagged and clearly unable to speak so he could not be the source of the clear voices heard during the sittings.

David is tied with buckled straps on both hands and both legs which are secured shut with single use plastic cable ties that require removal with a set of cable cutters. The cutters are held by a guest during the séance. The independent checkers are given the opportunity to re-examine the binds, and to ascertain for themselves, that they are as they were during the initial examination. During the séance, spirit have called upon individuals to come forward and check the binds and gag are in place. Recently, when this was done, as soon as the check was completed spirit came through and spoke - despite the gag being in place.

Secondly, the ties prevent David from moving whilst in deep trance. This then encourages the communicator to utilize the ectoplasm, rather than to animate David’s body to move around the room.

Thirdly, the ties are for David's own safety because during the session David, strapped into the chair, can be levitated around the room. Binding him securely to the chair reduces the chance that he will be injured when the chair is dropped when the levitation has finished.


2 . “Why aren’t these séances held in light?”

This is because David is gifted with producing ectoplasm for physical materializations to be successful. Ectoplasm is highly sensitive to light- just as the images on a film being developed can be destroyed by light. When special preparations by spirit have been made, William will allow some activity to be conducted in red light but only for a limited time. It is not something that can just be requested and done straight away.

3. "Someone said that ectoplasm is cheesecloth".

There is abundant evidence from top scientists that ectoplasm is real and that materialization is real. Most of the top scientists who became convinced of the existence of the afterlife at the end of last century did so because they had the opportunity to witness materialization mediumship at first hand. Professor Richet, winner of the Noble Prize for Physiology studied ectoplasm closely and writes about it in his book Thirty Years of Psychical Research.
Professor Albert Baron Von Schrenck-Notzing, a Munich physician, showed that ectoplasm is composed of leucocytes—white or colorless blood cells—and epithelial cells—those from the various protective tissues of the body. (See photo 1 and photo 2). The archives of the (British) Society for Psychical Research and the American Society for Psychical research contain numerous accounts of materialization mediums who used ectoplasm and were investigated for years by some of the top scientists and professors of the day—people like Sir William Crookes, the greatest chemist of the nineteenth century, Professor W.J. Crawford and Dr Gustave Geley as well as Dr T. Glen Hamilton.

4. "Has anyone ever seen the ectoplasm David uses?"

On some occasions when the conditions are conducive William will allow the red light to be put on for a short time so that sitters can see the ectoplasm in its early stages. Many sitters have witnessed the whitish, luminescent ectoplasm being exuded from David’s mouth, under his gag. It forms in an undulating fashion onto his stomach and then spills like a living sparkling curtain down to his knees. It is this ectoplasm the spirits use to materialize and to do other physical activities. See photo.

5. "Why doesn’t David video his séances or at least allow sitters to wear night vision goggles."

David is told by William that night vision cameras and goggles emit radiation which has the potential to unsettle and destroy the balanced fabric of the vibration in the séance room - even a passive infrared camera has radioactive particles to generate an image.

There has been one video taken under special conditions by someone whose camera recording unit was located outside the séance room. But the end result was minimally acceptable – you can see William from the shoulders up with the top part of his head only partially materialized. You can join the Circle of the Silver Cord website to see the video. In the future when the electromagnetic radiation of hi-tech cameras is lessened so that they do not emit enough energy to injure the medium more videos may be taken. The matter is left open for further investigation.

6. "If you can't see what is happening how do you know that materializations are really taking place?"

David is bound to the chair and gagged. The sitters are all holding hands with each other while materializations are taking place. The room has been thoroughly searched for trapdoors or concealed entrances. The medium (David Thompson) and circle members have been thoroughly searched by two independent witnesses to their satisfaction. Suddenly there is a characteristic whoosh sound as the ectoplasm is extracted from David's body and William is walking around the room stamping on the floor and clapping his hands. William approaches you and touches you and shakes hands with a hand that is much bigger than the hands of any one of the sitters. On occasions, spirit beings begin to move objects around the room- you can see their progress in the light of small amounts of luminous tape. Tim, a younger person, on many occasions shows his tiny fingers in the light of the tape. Then other materialized beings are heard moving around the room talking in their own voices. They approach sitters and share intimate details of their lives on earth- things unknown to anyone else in the room. You can listen to some of these reunions here. Occasionally, materialized entities sign their names on paper left in the room. At other times the ectoplasm is sufficiently stable for materialized spirits to sit on the laps of sitters.


7. “David cannot be a materialization medium because his séances are not done in the light.”

Whilst the ‘ideal’ materialization would be one where the materialized spirit materializes in red light, as happened in some of the great materialization mediums in the past, that is extremely rare these days.

Conditions in the world have changed and in fact we do not know of one medium publicly demonstrating anywhere in the world today who is able to produce full materialization even in dim red light.

Light is the enemy of ectoplasm, and unless special preparations are made by spirit it will destroy the ectoplasm. But that does not mean that materialization is not happening. To materialize is to make into flesh. If a spirit is in the flesh in the dark, and you can hear him walk immediately next to you, shake hands with you, put his hand on your shoulder, even embrace you, would you not say that spirit has materialized? Of course you would!

A couple of cynics stated that unless they can see the materializations in the light they won't accept it. But this objection is immediately overruled because there is a great deal of evidence of activity by materialized entities. Just because the proven activity takes place in the dark it does not mean it is not happening.

8. “The voices don’t sound the same as when those spirits were on earth.”

It is true that not all voices coming through David sound the same as when on earth. You have to remember that the spirit no longer has a voice box. The spirit individual has to adjust to a dramatic change in vibration and energy, and adjust to suddenly being enveloped in the medium’s ectoplasm which contains the medium's consciousness, his spirituality, his emotions- so it is natural that there may be aspects of the medium’s diction and voice characteristics in those communicating who are not well versed in this unique practice. Many of the communicators find it difficult to speak at all when they first come through- an entity claiming to be Sir Arthur Conan Doyle claimed that it is like trying to speak with your head under water. The spirit also has to remember what his/her voice sounded like while alive- not an easy thing to do (try remembering how you sounded when you were five). Some spirits are never able to master speaking through ectoplasm at all, sometimes because they get overwhelmed with emotion. Sometimes one spirit will add their energy to help and the voice at first comes through sounding a bit like one of the other communicators. However that said, many voices, like that of Gordon Higginson who was himself a materialization medium and Montague Keen are unmistakable.


9. "What authority do you have to investigate the materializations of David Thompson?"

The authority to investigate the materializations of David Thompson comes from David Thompson, 'William' and the leader of the Circle of the Silver Cord (hereinafter COSC), Chris.

But I suspect your question relates really to what qualifications we have to investigate materializations. William and David invited me and my partner Wendy, as established writers on the afterlife with postgraduate university qualifications and professional experience in psychology, scientific method, admissibility of evidence and history (we had made a twenty year study of the history of mediumship and psychic phenomena) to investigate his mediumship.

Having worked in the Supreme Court and other courts I have expertise in what technically constitutes admissible evidence. My wife Wendy is also a highly qualified professional: she has two postgraduate university degrees, extensive experience in research and writing and has worked as a psychologist dealing with conflict resolution with a State Education Department.

The permanent members of the COSC are also very highly qualified- probably the most highly qualified of any Circle members anywhere including highly intelligent former law enforcement officers who have expertise in fraud detection, a former full-time army officer, a banker and at least three excellent mediums.

10. “Does David refuse investigations into his mediumship?”

David invited me and my partner Wendy to investigate him up close for over three years. This involved being with him before and after weekly séances, setting up the room for séances, traveling with him internationally, spending time with him, his family and all the members of his Circle and sitting with his Circle for the long hours of development when nothing outwardly happened but Spirit was working behind the scenes. This is a totally different experience from sitting as a guest in public seances.

We were given full access to audiotapes of his mediumship over the previous ten years and were able to interview people who had been with him from the beginning of his mediumship.

During this time we were free to observe everything that happened and make any requests for controlled conditions and to place recorders anywhere in the séance room including immediately around the person of the medium.

We edited the audiotapes of séances and would certainly have been in a position to detect any fraud if it had occurred.

We were able to interview visitors who had been reunited with loved ones using our skills and professional experience in psychological assessment and legal interviewing and to write whatever we liked uncensored and without any pressure from anyone.

We also traveled to the United Kingdom and France to experience physical mediumship and to interview people who had experienced remarkable mediumship sessions and healings with David and with other physical mediums many years before. As well as witnessing more than seventy reunions of materialized spirits with their loved ones we ourselves experienced reunions with deceased family members. As a clairaudient I was also able to obtain direct personal confirmation about the genuineness of these reunions.

David has also allowed in experts in physics, engineering, magic and professional fraud detection to sit with him.

David also allowed Montague Keen who held a high position with the British Society for Psychical Research to sit with him and the same Montague Keen chose to come through David immediately after his death as verified by Veronica Keen, Montague's wife.

David has also conducted a number of séances for Zerdin Phenomenal, the leading organization in the world today in physical mediumship, and has allowed the organizers to choose without any interference sitters who are themselves expert mediums who have had years of experience sitting with a number of materialization mediums.

David is always open to requests from members of the scientific community with a proven track record of open-mindedness to sit with him provided also they are willing to abide by the safety protocols and brave enough to publicly state the results of their experiences. David has organized special sittings for people keen enough to fly internationally to experience his mediumship at first hand.

However we advised David not to waste time with those who do not even have the basic qualifications and expertise in empirical investigation, especially those who have a hostile, negative attitude since because of the 'Experimenter Effect' the negativity of the investigator negatively influences the results of the experiment.

11. What effect do the 'thoughts' of the sitters have on the mediumship?

The level of harmony and contentment developed in the séance room allows for the ectoplasm to be more easily drawn from the medium and manipulated. During the séance we inevitably have to deal with 'afterlife physics' which are so different from the physics on earth. Thoughts and emotions can affect the vibration within the séance room. If someone has one particular thought within their mind that is strong then this could affect what is taking place. This is why often William is able to answer a question before the individual have even asked them. Expectation and hope and desire can all be destabilizing to the séance environment.

12. “Why are you so obsessed with security about David?”

Security is very important for the safety of David. Very few people really understand that mediumship using ectoplasm is extremely dangerous. Most people have no idea how sensitive the ectoplasm is- over the years David has been cut, burned and bruised by sitters who sometimes inadvertently made sudden movements or noises. It has to be made sure that David's safety is closely supervised because any slip ups could mean serious injury to and even death of the medium. In the past materialization mediums have been blinded and even killed by sitters violating the rules.

13. “Anyone sitting with David has to fill in a form in advance giving their name and address. This means that his circle members could do research in advance about the sitters which could reduce the value of evidence produced."

David does not see the forms at all. The hosts of the events administer the forms and they are given to David’s Circle leader Chris after the séance(s) have concluded.

Asking people to sign the form and provide evidence of their identity again on entry is a way of reducing the likelihood of someone giving their ticket to a closed-minded skeptic out to prove the medium is a fraud by grabbing the materializations. The form was introduced because a New York lawyer, a closed-minded skeptic, stated that if he was allowed to attend he would do a football tackle onto the materialized spirit. Such things have happened in the past. David could be seriously injured – and in extreme circumstances, death could occur.

Foreseeability: legal advice stated it was important to make every potential sitter aware of his/her legal duty and liability should they violate the strict security protocols so that they will take seriously their obligations and know that they will be held legally accountable for their behavior and cannot plead ignorance afterwards. The Circle never had problems with decent people, but it is critically important to follow legal procedure.

David does not see the forms at all. The hosts of the events administer the forms and they are given to David’s Circle leader Chris at the last minute.

In any event the kind of evidence that comes though in a personal reunion is not the kind of thing that can be researched in advance- things like what was put into the coffin of your loved one, pet names, the way a loved one behaved, the last words you said to them. ,

14. "William – David’s afterlife guide - cannot be who he claims to be because we cannot find details of his birth and death in the records.”

William wishes for the mediumship to ‘stand on its own feet’, and not for people to be influenced, or affected by his identity.

Although William has informed us that he has changed his details slightly to protect his, and his surviving descendents’ privacy, he did live in the UK around the era he has stated.

It is most important to realize that someone like William would have access to names and dates of births and deaths, and if he intentionally wanted to fool anyone, he could have picked the details of someone whose details could be confirmed. Even if William's details could be correctly traced - that would NOT constitute proof that William was who he claimed to be. And even if William was known on earth and got questions about "his" life right, that would NOT be proof that he is truly William.

Clearly he wants people to learn the lesson of discrimination and to concentrate on and assess the validity of his 'message' and teachings rather than focus on the question of his identity.

Like Silver Birch and White Eagle and many other highly respected spirit guides of mediumship circles whose "real" identities we do not know, he has a consistent personality, patience and concern for the spiritual development of each and every individual. We know who he is by content analysis of his integrity and dedication to David, his spiritual dedication to other people on Earth and to the task he has undertaken.


15. "When claims are made that David is raised to the ceiling, he could be getting help from the sitters to lift his chair up".

That could NOT happen because when materialization or physical activity takes place, we are instructed by William or by the circle leader to all hold hands, and to raise awareness if this is not complied with. It is very clear to every one present that no-one is standing up. In any event the chair that David is strapped into is extremely heavy- you would have to be an olympic weight lifter to hold it up by one leg with one hand- and the chance of doing that undetected in the dark without bumping into the sitters in a packed room over several hundred séances is nil.

16. “Dr Slavinski who comes through David Thompson to heal is not a genuine healer. My friend was treated by him but she is still sick.”

Your friend should be aware that no guarantees are made about any cures using afterlife healing energy. Healing, using afterlife energy, is extremely complex. It may be that the patient has stong emotional or karmic reasons for the illness and no amount of healing will help that patient. Some patients are "cured" at the time but recreate the symptoms by their thoughts, actions and lifestyle. But if healing manages to touch the soul of the patient, then healing has in some very important way taken place, even though there may be no physical benefit shown. The Circle does however have a number of testimonials of instant and permanent cures. (See Ron Gilkes testimonial)

17. “Why is it that some of the people who come through don’t seem to have good memories?”

For a spirit individual to be able to come back to the physical plane to communicate they need to slow their vibration down sufficiently to be able to step into the ectoplasm of the medium to have a physical presence. During this process they can become disoriented and actually take on some of the ailments and sensations that they had prior to passing; this happens to a lesser extent in mental mediumship which is why in almost every mental medium feels the sensations experienced by the person communicating immediately before they passed over. On top of this there is the necessity for them to be able to keep the ectoplasm stabilized whilst they and their loved ones are experiencing the strong emotions of reunion. We are informed that as well the thoughts and feelings of the other sitters, can affect the quality of the communication and the communicators' ability to access their memories and thoughts. Usually inexperienced communicators are only able to focus on the main strongly emotional message that they have come to deliver- whether it be of love, of thanks, or of apology.

18. “The entrance fees for David's séances are too high.”

How much would be the value of someone putting their life on the line to allow you to hear and touch a deceased loved one?

Usually the price charged for admission to a sitting is about the same price of a special treatment at a ladies' hairdresser. However this depends on a range of circumstances and the business acumen of the persons hosting the event.

Compare this with the more than $400 -$2,000 charged for private sittings by any of the top mental mediums - and clients don't get to hear a loved one's voice or feel a loved one's touch.

David is a genuine medium in the tradition of mediumship as spiritual service. He spends many hours on development of his mediumship and on the physical fitness he needs to continue with this extremely physically demanding form of mediumship.

When he travels interstate and overseas his organisers have to pay for the cost of air travel for himself and his circle leader as well as accommodation, insurance, food, telephone calls, car hire and various other costs associated with the trip.

Unlike a mental medium who can demonstrate to thousands of people at a time David can only demonstrate to around thirty people at a time and, because of safety concerns, needs his circle leader with him at all times. There were times when David traveled to be of service to people in other states and countries where his expenses were not fully covered.


19. “Gordon Higginson who allegedly came through David Thompson is not really him.”

Those who knew the medium Gordon Higginson in England attest that he is the same person who came through David. Gordon Higginson’s voice, personality, mannerism, attitudes, idiosyncrasies show he is who he claims to be. For example, when David was in New Zealand a couple of years ago, Gordon Higginson came through and was met by Ken Pretty who runs the Spiritual Alliance Church there. Ken said to Gordon that the last time they met before Gordon crossed over was in a particular church. No, replied Gordon, it was in a different spiritual church – that is, Gordon Higginson corrected Ken Pretty about where they last met. To us and those who are able to perceive the paranormal with true equanimity, accepted that was a spectacular validation of Gordon Higginson. Further, Gordon Higginson came through other mediums in England using the same voice he used during David’s séance in New Zealand. (voice recordings were compared).
Listen..

20. “David's mediumship is too good to be true- he must be a fraud.”

One has to be be very careful when one says that because if one cannot prove fraud, that person will be sued for defamation. Fraud imputes dishonesty, bad character, and someone regarded as 'persona-non-grata' - someone not to be associated with. In the past the Courts dealt very harshly with those offenders who call people a 'fraud' - especiall those people who are doing public service. (See report $30,000 DEFAMATION CASE WON AGAINST A MISCHIEF MAKER IN CHAT-SITE WRITING UNDER A PSEUDONYM)
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David invited me and my partner Wendy, as established writers on the afterlife with postgraduate university qualifications in psychology, admissibility of evidence and history (we had made a twenty year study of the history of mediumship and psychic phenomena) to investigate him up close for over three years. We have been totally convinced of the genuineness of his mediumship see my video testimonial.

David has also allowed in experts in physics, engineering, magic and professional fraud detection to be sit with him. David also allowed Montague Keen the former president, and secretary of the British Society for Psychical Research and a member for 55 years to sit with him- see report .

The same Montague Keen chose to come through David three weeks after his death as verified by Veronica Keen, Montague's wife and authenticate David's mediumship.
Listen to audio of Monty's first contact.
Read transcript.

David Thompson has also conducted a number of séances for Zerdin Phenomenal, the leading U.K. organization which specializes in physical mediumship, and has allowed the organizers to choose without any interference, sitters who are themselves expert mediums who have had years of experience sitting with a number of the great materialization mediums of the past. There is no way that the highly experienced Zerdin organizers, Dennis and Ros Pearman, two of the most knowledgeable and loved people in the world of physical mediumship, would risk their reputation by sponsoring a fraudulent medium. Read Dennis Pearman's testimonial.

Rev Tom Newman and Tom and Lisa Butler, the directors of ATransC have all experienced David’s mediumship and have written positively of their experience - see testimonial. (Tom Butler has an Electronics Engineering degree and Lisa has a degree in psychology). Watch their video testimonial.

I myself, for 15 months offered the sum of $500,000 for any reductionist scientist, materialist, closed minded skeptic or anybody else in the world to investigate David Thompson for fraud. No skeptic scientist or anybody else ever accepted the offer.

Absolutely, only closed minded ignorant skeptics, those who are totally uninformed or those who have a personal agenda make the unfounded claim of fraud.

Over the years we traveled to Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States and New Zealand and received most positive reports from people who participated in David's materializations - especially those who were able to meet their materialized loved ones - a spectacular experience they claim they will never forget.
Read just a portion of the their testimonials.

Do you have a question for David Thompson about his mediumship? Send it to David <silvercordcircle[at]gmail.com>