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Made by: Amanda Downs, working individually

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Description:
This website describes the story of Louis Baragona going to get a reading by a medium for the first time. It explains how he was a skeptic of mediums his whole life. However, that all changed when he met Emily Grote. She began giving details about his grandma who had passed away. He was blown away by the amount of detail she was able to provide him with in regards to his grandma. The article also explains Emily Grove's background as a medium and her perception of skepticism.

Connection:
This website connects to Perception and Observation because when combining personal beliefs with observation it helps create a sense what is true and influences our perception. For example, initially, Louis Baragona was a skeptic of mediums and was worried that she would tell him bunch of things that weren't true and he'd have to awkwardly deny them. However he was proved wrong;  "I walked away with a whole new perception of psychic energy and intuition." By applying the critical thinking process and skepticism to mediums would be helpful to evaluate an individuals reason for belief or disbelief. In addition, people may be caught up in their emotional connection as they want to connect with a loved one. Which could cloud their ability to think critically. A flaw within this website is the authenticity of the source. This website was written by Louis who wrote about his experience with a medium. Simply because he believes in their abilities and his experience was positive with mediums, does not confirm authenticity or that everyone will have the same ideology of the subject.

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For my first reading, I went to the highly-reviewed Brooklyn, New York psychic Emily Grote.

Grote contacted my late grandmother and also told me more about her own story.

The reading completely changed my preconceived notions about psychic and mediumship.

For most of my life, I pictured psychics as mystical, mysterious women who stealthily read and kept all-knowing tarot cards handy, living in magical, faraway places, usually covered in beads and crystal balls. Or I'd think of " That's So Raven ." Not at all the same, but there was never much in between.

I lived with this caricature of psychics in my mind for a very long time, feeling curious, open, and skeptical all at once about the idea of having my fortune read.

Emily, a psychic medium based in Brooklyn, New York, directly opposed my unrealistic, misinformed view of psychics from the moment I met her because not only does it turn out that she lives in my neighborhood, but also she embodies an even more mysterious kind of magic: the ability to be an everyday person, a working mom, and the possessor of an impressive gift.

And from the moment I met her, Emily Grote also felt like a friend, which was especially important considering the subject matter.

I went to Emily's home for a reading, the first in my life, prepared to ask her tough questions about my family and my life as well as to hear her story. I walked away with a whole new perception of psychic energy and intuition, changed in ways that I don't think even Raven could have predicted.

Despite growing up a major skeptic, I felt open and relaxed as soon as I met Emily.

I was comfortable enough to give her a photo of my late grandmother, who passed away before I was born. As Emily took a minute, closed her eyes, and focused on connecting, I worried that she'd draw a blank or, honestly, just tell me a bunch of things that I knew weren't true and I'd have to awkwardly deny.

Luckily, neither of those things happened. Immediately, Emily provided me with some interestingly specific details about my grandma, down to even a hat that she wore. As I asked Emily questions and she served as a sort of psychic interpreter of images in her mind's eye, I felt a genuine connection with the woman she spoke to, who I'd never met but had heard so much about.

I'm not the only one who's impressed by Emily's skills.

"I highly recommend Emily!" one Yelp reviewer . "I felt my reading with her was incredibly insightful and rang very true to me."

"My meeting with Emily has had such a positive and powerful impact on my life," another .

Emily's journey began long before Yelp reviews or "That's So Raven" and hearing her story affirmed the depth of her intuition even more than what she'd communicated to me.

A pastor's daughter, Emily grew up in tune with certain elements of her spirituality, but didn't pursue or elaborate on those things until later in her life. Instead, she pursued art and graphic design after college, working in restaurants and then in a corporate environment as a marketing designer for publications like USA Today.

But she knew that she wanted something more. From the beginning, Emily said she didn't necessarily feel as though the stuffy corporate world fit her or what she wanted to do with her life.

"I was asking myself, 'What am I supposed to be doing? What's my purpose? Where am I going?'" Emily told me after our reading.

As she was asking those questions and working her way up through her career from a server to a designer, Emily also noticed that she was experiencing some strong intuitions, some of which she explained away at the time as coincidence or paranoia.

One incident in particular was jarring for Emily, who moved to Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in 1997. She'd arrive home late at night from shifts as a server with goodies in hand to share with her neighbors and enjoyed living alone, but said she felt a strong intuition about something dark on the horizon.

"From the moment I moved into that apartment, I had this voice in my head that was telling me I was going to get mugged. I had no concept of my intuition then, I just thought that was my anxiety," she said.

One night, she stepped off the subway and she said the same voice told her, "It's going to happen tonight."

She ignored it and said that as she headed towards her apartment, a man came up behind her, gently unclasped her earrings from her ears, and put his arm around her to keep her under his control as he walked her down the street.

As the man attempted to lead her down an even darker block that she'd known to be dangerous, she decided to listen to her intuition this time, calling out for help to a nearby group of people before sprinting away from him and getting home safe.

Afterward, Emily started to become more in tune with her feelings and suspicions, communicated through intuitive voices, and she also took self-defense classes. She'd considered giving up running, a hobby she'd enjoyed thanks to a friend's encouragement, but decided to keep it up.

As she ran, Emily noticed what she calls "the cutest yellow house" in her area. She said that it had "a hold" on her and it served as a sort of landmark during her runs.

Eventually, Emily decided to move out of her first apartment and headed into the city to comb through listings in the Village Voice in the hopes of finding a new place. She looked through the paper, still hot off the press after a Tuesday night delivery, and called what appeared to be a near-perfect listing.

She made an appointment to check out the home with the landlord and when she arrived she was stunned. There it was: the little, yellow house.

Margaret Othrow, Emily's then-landlord and the current owner of that home whom she calls Marge, has now become what she her "fairy godmother," encouraging and mentoring her to expand upon her mediumship. When Emily first told Marge of her intuition, which she'd realized had been present at so many points in her life, including meeting her husband, she said that Marge told her of the house's history of being handed down from fortune tellers to psychics, beginning in the early 1900s.

Marge still owns the property, but has named Emily the home's next landlord, making her the fourth generation of female psychic mediums to own the cheery, yellow house.

For now, though, Emily lives in a brownstone with her husband and her kids. In 2013, she decided to pursue mediumship full time, taking courses and getting an education that's helped her recognize how to be even more in tune with her intuition. She works as a medium out of her home full-time, but also owns , a line of talismans, lucky charms, and sigils that she designs.

This talisman and amulet set, the Pixie of Love Sigil Pendant Set, is a sigil. It's a lucky charm with a deep intention, to buoy your path toward self love. It was designed as a ladybug and was imagined into being, on the my wedding day. During my wedding, 7 ladybugs flew onto my wedding dress. If you look closely at the larger red pendant, there are 7 shapes in the top band of this spiritual jewelry to represent the ladybugs that landed on my dress that day. Ladybugs are synonymous with abundance, good luck, love and protection. Ladybugs are the perfect spirit animal to help usher you toward becoming a being of love. check it out at rainbobo.com

A post shared by Emily Grote | Rainbobo (@rainbobo_dotcom) on Oct 13, 2016 at 6:03pm PDT

The only people Emily won't read are her family and friends. She's attempted to read friends in the past, but it just didn't work.

Leaving her previous jobs, Emily told me, has allowed her to leave behind negative energy that held her back and it's made her life easier in many ways, giving her the ability to be herself and connect with people.

"I don't wanna do hard work anymore," Emily said. "This doesn't feel like work. It's easier to show up, be myself, and draw on what comes naturally."

According to Emily, the only way it would feel like hard work would be if she were faking her skills, doing things like Googling or researching her clients ahead of time in the hopes of gathering information.

In my case, that would have been impossible because there is little record of my grandmother online nor did I tell Emily personal details about myself. My questions, many of which I've chosen to keep private, were unable to be found on Google or even in past writings. And, as Emily pointed out, there are frauds in every career field.

She also welcomes skeptics, but makes it clear that there just aren't going to be scientific explanations to her abilities.

"I appreciate skepticism, it's essential, but you should use your own experience to be the arbiteur of whether or not it's true for you," Emily said. "Because it's not rational, because it can't be quantified, because it can't be studied... That's inherently difficult because our society, we value the rational, we value the things that make sense. This whole world doesn't make sense."

And that's what shocked me - and almost empowered me - the most about the experience.

It's easy to emphasize the "rational" or "logical" things, but it's harder to put faith in more spiritual, intuitive, emotional matters. And I'd been guilty of perpetuating this sort of prejudice by perpetuating stereotypes of psychics as shifty, exotic people or as being unreal, unable to be found as mothers or neighbors or activists like Emily, who's active in social justice-based causes, particularly the fight for transgender equal rights.

It's easy to dismiss that which you don't know. It's even easier to dismiss that which you can't scientifically prove. Sometimes, you've gotta go with your gut.

And to the fullest, most informed extent, that's exactly what Emily Grote does.

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I went to a medium for the first time - and she completely changed the way I think about psychics

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For my first reading, I went to the highly-reviewed Brooklyn, New York psychic Emily Grote. Grote contacted my late grandmother and also told me more about her own story. The reading completely changed my preconceived notions about psychic and mediumship.

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Description:
This website describes a mediums goal which is to
to provide evidence, without doubt, of existence of life after “death." It explains that a medium is a bridge between two worlds. They are able to send and receive information from the spirit world, and they communicate between the life of the ‘here and now’ world and the spirit side of life. This website also states that there are three main areas of mediumship; mental, physical and spiritual healing.

Connection:
This website connects to Mystical Energy as it explains what mediumship is and the energy mediums possess. In pseudoscience, energy is a term used for almost anything that doesn't have a scientific explanation, often times for explaining emotion and spiritual concepts. In addition, Confirmation Bias can be applied as a medium created the website to share her insights, give details pertaining to her practice and to provide the public with an overall understanding of the different areas of mediumship. However, the medium could be omitting information that contradicts her beliefs/practice. Meaning, that this website would only be providing the public with the impression that mediumship is real. With this, it is the websites flaw. Potentially being bias when providing background on mediumship due to her own personal beliefs and practices.
By applying the critical thinking process and skepticism to mediumship would allow for individuals to develop their own perception and beliefs on the topic, rather than being influenced by information and stories provided by a believer.

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This website describes what mediumship is and where it originated from. It explains the types of mediums and the different impacts they have. However, this website primarily focuses on the perspective of the theories of mediumship. It states the four main theories to explain the phenomena of mediumship are skeptical, psychological, spiritualist and parapsychological. The skeptical and psychological theories offer explanations for mediumship involving no paranormal activity. Whereas, spiritualist and parapsychological approaches, accept that there are paranormal features to be explained.

Connection:
This website connects to Ideology because skeptics believe that mediums abilities are a result of fraud, deception, faulty perception, or misinterpretation of natural phenomena. From an ideological position of skepticism, the purpose is to expose mediums by discovering trickery or by proposing natural explanations, meanwhile not considering all available evidence. This ties into Confirmation Bias. They ignore the evidence that supports the accuracy and truth behind mediums to support their own beliefs of mediums being fake. With the information provided by this website I believe that it would make others believe i mediumship. It provides thorough detail of the history behind mediums and their abilities as well as explains the different aspects of mediums to allow for people to grasp the concept of mediumship. By applying the critical thinking process would allow for individuals to evaluate the information and create their own perception on the topic. This website is theory based which creates limitations as it provides a historical/scientific image of mediums as opposed to mystical energy.

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History of Mediumship and Spiritualism

Mediumship has its origins in shamanism, inspired oracles, 'spirit possession' and priesthood. The common feature in these phenomena is that the normal personality of the shaman, oracle, possessed individual, priest or priestess is temporarily set aside, seemingly to allow another intelligence or personality to be expressed. In this sense, there are also important parallels with cases of so-called 'multiple personality', although these are usually understood as having a psychological rather than supernatural basis.

While mediumship has been reported in all times and cultures, it came to prominence during the Victorian period with the rise of Spiritualism in America and Europe.

In traditional Spiritualist belief and practice, the medium is someone who passes on messages from deceased persons to those who attend their séances. Often the sitters are relatives or friends of the deceased, and the messages are intended to offer comfort, support, or advice to the bereaved, as well as giving insights into the afterlife.

Spiritualism as a Western movement began in the late 1840s, when the Fox Sisters heard rapping sounds at their house in Hydesville, New York. The raps would respond to questions and the sisters developed codes to facilitate communication with the 'spirit', who claimed to be a murdered peddler, buried in the house.

Such was the interest in these phenomena, that the Fox Sisters began giving public séances and demonstrations. Many other 'mediums' also found they could produce these phenomena and began holding their own séances. Within a few years, the craze had spread across America and Europe, and Spiritualist organizations were being formed. Spiritualism also became aligned with certain Christian beliefs about the afterlife, and some organizations began styling themselves as Spiritualist Churches.

Spiritualism was at its height in the years 1860-1900. It also experienced a resurgence in Europe during and after World War I, when millions were grieving the loss of loved ones. From the 1930s onwards, interest in Spiritualism waned. Partly this was due to many mediums having been exposed as fraudulent.

While Spiritualism in America and Europe is in decline, a related 'Spiritist' religion remains widely followed, especially in Latin American countries including Cuba, Argentina, Puerto Rico and, most notably, Brazil. Spiritism has its foundations in the work of the French educationalist Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail (1804-1869), writing under the pseudonym Allan Kardec. Based on his own investigations of mediums and séances, Kardec's books outline a sophisticated philosophy of spirits, the spirit world, mediumistic communication, and life's purpose.

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History of Mediumship and Spiritualism Mediumship has its origins in shamanism, inspired oracles, 'spirit possession' and priesthood. The common feature in these phenomena is that the normal personality of the shaman, oracle, possessed individual, priest or priestess is temporarily set aside, seemingly to allow another intelligence or personality to be expressed.

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This video explains what Long Island Medium, Theresa Caputo, experiences when channeling spirits. She describes how she begins to sense things or receives a specific energy from the other side. She believes that her roll is to convey information from the other side to present day. To connect others with loved ones and to provide a sense of closure or comfort. The video also shows clips of a couple readings she has done with people and celebrities, in which all of them are blown away by the amount of personal details she is able to communicate that she receives from the souls of the departed. Theresa describes her abilities as a true honour and privilege to be able to channel the souls.

Connection:
This video connects to Mystical Energy as Theresa describes the "feeling" she gets when a spirit is present and is trying to communicate with her. She describes this energy she receives and how she channels that into the work she does; mediumship. This video could also contribute to the Perception and Observation of those watching the video. By hearing about her life and seeing clips of her readings; you would lead to believe that mediums are real. This video provides us with a sense of evidence supporting her readings and abilities. From a skeptic point of view, this video could look staged or the information could be interpreted as faulty. The clips of her readings aren't long enough to provide solid evidence that the information is accurate. A flaw within this video is the lack of evidence. Theresa's "word" is the only information to rely on in terms of understanding mediums.

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What Does A Medium Experience When She's Channeling Spirits?

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This video is an interview between Larry King and celebrity medium, Tyler Henry. Larry, seeming to be a skeptic of mediums, asks him tough questions about his discovery of his abilities, what it's like doing readings, his perception of skeptics and building trust surrounding mediums. One main aspect Larry focuses on is the fact that mediums haven't been scientifically proven; there are no cold hard facts to support that their work is real.

Connection:
This video connects to the Ideology of mediums and trying to decipher between what is true and what is not. He states in the video that science has not been open enough to the ideology of mediums. Tyler expresses that a lot of work needs to be done on the realm of mediums for people to start to believe more. In addition, Tyler touches on Perception and Observation in regards to people's predetermined assumptions of mediums. He also discusses that with perception and observation comes skepticism. He states that unless you have had a personal experience or emotional connection with mediumship, he understands why they are a skeptic. Due to the fact that there is no scientific proof. By applying the critical thinking process would allow for grasping the ideology of mediums and would help in developing belief in mediums. One limitation within this video is the ability to critically analyze mediums from different lenses. As this interviewee is a medium himself, obviously, he is going to describe and provide information surrounding mediums from a positive and truthful standpoint. This creates a potential bias in others perceptions as they watch this interview.

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This video is medium Theresa Caputo doing readings on a few audience members from the Ellen Show. It displays the overwhelming emotions of mediumship and provides evidence supporting the authenticity of mediums. She communicates with their loved ones that have passed and begins to talk about personal memories or items that the spirit is communicating to her. She provides them with comfort in knowing that their loved ones souls and spirit are always with them. This video showcases Theresa's gift and provides viewers with evidence that mediums are real.

Connection:
This video connects to Perception and Observation which was demonstrated by one man in this video. He shares that he was a skeptic of mediums before he went on the show, but with the insights Theresa shares with him, he is blown away. He even stated that the things Theresa was saying, no one knew but his wife. In this video we see a shift in perception of mediums as he became a believer in mediums after having a personal experience with one. In addition, emotional connection is a major aspect of this video. The audience members that got a reading were all emotionally connected to a loved one that had passed and gone to the other side. By applying the critical thinking process it allows for us to have a reason for belief. There is so much evidence of the authenticity of mediums in this video. By simply looking at the "facts" of this video, it is hard to be skeptical of her abilities. However, watching this video through a skeptic sense, one could say that talked with audience members prior to being on air so she had a background of their loved ones.

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This picture is a visual representation of skeptics and fake news surrounding mediums. This picture depicts the stories and skepticism of mediums which leads people confused as to what to believe.

Connection:
This image connects to the people's Perception and Observations of mediums. It portrays a skeptical outlook on mediums as they believe they are frauds. Specifically with this image, it gives an impression of a medium admitting to being a liar and that mediumship isn't real. This could hinder people's perception of mediums and could influence their reason for belief. This image's flaw could be providing someone with a false sense of a medium's ability. They may be bias, so putting this picture out, can be highly influential to others as well, whether it is true or not.

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This image portrays a mediums ability to communicate with those who have passed to the other side. Mediums are seen to be the bridge between present life and past life. They receive messages from people who have passed away and communicate with those who are living, to bring them a sense of understanding and comfort. Mediums are seen to obtain a "special power" by channeling souls and energy that allow for them to do the extraordinary.

Connection:
This image portrays the Mystical Energy that mediums possess; the ability to communicate with late souls. In addition, mediumship is a very controversial topic and a lot of it is based off people's perception and observation as well as their emotional connection. For those who believe in mediums, it brings them a sense of comfort and clarity as they feel close with their loved ones that have passed. Believing in mediums connects you with positive energy and past souls which can bring you happiness and closure in life.

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This image portrays the gimmicky, "Hollywood" perception of what a medium is. Often, people think of a medium as a version of a psychic that has a crystal ball, reads your palms and connects with the dead. Although, different mediums have different means in which they use to connect with the other side, this perception of mediums is what gives mediumship that fraud persona.

Connection:
This image connects to Perception and Observation because people's reasons for belief are based on their perception and observations surrounding the topic; in this case, mediums. In addition, if people have only had "Hollywood"  exposure to mediums and their practice, this will heavily influence their beliefs. Also this image demonstrates the aura of mystical energy surrounding crystals, light and objects. By applying the critical thinking process it allows for us to see through the "phoney" information surrounding mediumship; critically looking at all the evidence and facts.

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1. What I learned about mediums that most surprised me was their ability to actually communicate with those who have crossed over and the process in which they do so. It comes from an energy they receive as the soul is reaching out to them. I found this not only inspiring but comforting that there is life after death.

2. When I was younger I would watch Long Island Medium on TV and I was always so fascinated with her ability to connect with loved ones and provide such accurate insight and information to those who she read. I never truly knew whether or not I believed completely in mediums because I thought it may have been scripted as it was a TV show. However, I have always wanted to have a reading to connect with my grandparents who have passed. I would love to have that personal experience to confirm my perception on mediums.

3. The research I found the most interesting was the videos I had watched. It was so fascinating watching how impactful mediums can be on a persons life and how accurate the readings are. Watching people be shocked by the information mediums are conveying to them is so interesting and inspiring.

4. I am most likely to remember people's perceptions of mediums changing after having a personal experience with one. Even skeptics were having a change of perception once they had a reading. It makes me curious as to how my perception would change if I were to have a reading. Would I then 100% believe in mediums?

5. I believe that the most harmful pseudoscience belief is relying on others perceptions and information and making decisions based on that. For example, giving into biases or appealing to authority can be harmful to individuals. I believe that the least harmful pseudoscience belief is mystical energy. The belief in energy could never be harmful to an individual but provides them with a sense of comfort and understanding of how some things work.

6. If I were to pass on this information to a family member or friend I would emphasize the importance of keeping an open mind when talking about pseudoscience and not giving into the biases and false perceptions that are put out there. In addition, I would articulate the importance of looking at all the evidence and facts before making an assumption. For example, with mediums, it is important to understand that all mediums and souls are different. Mediums hold a special gift that cannot be confirmed or explained by science, it's more so a feeling. Therefore, mediumship is open for your own interpretation and what you want to get from it.