All About Nothing

The Simply Talking Podcast is changing its format. The episodes will now be around 30-40 minutes long instead of two hours. The podcast will cover topics that affect people on a daily basis, such as politics, housing, and mental health. There will also be discussions on spiritual journeys and the afterlife. The host hopes to dispel misconceptions about mediums and psychics and provide guidance and inspiration to listeners. The importance of in-person interaction in spiritual services is emphasized, although it can be challenging to find affordable spaces for these services. The host also discusses the costs and development involved in mediumship. Well hello and welcome to the Simply Talking Podcast with me, our host Dave Brophy. And I just thought I'd come on and do a first episode really of the Simply Talking Podcast. And I just want to give a little bit of information on exactly what the whole podcast is about and what the idea is and what I hope to achieve etc. etc. There has been a slight change to the plans. Basically I did announce that I would be doing a two hour podcast in possibly four segments and since then I've done a little bit of a course on creating podcasts and I've done a bit of research. The best advice available is that a podcast of more than 30-40 minutes for a new podcast for the beginning stages at least is doing two hours is way too long. Well it's okay if you're like Joe Rogan or somebody like that, you have an established audience and stuff and they will possibly listen for that length of time. But when you're only a new podcast it's going to be fairly difficult to keep your audience engaged and for them to want to listen to your particular show for two hours. It may be that in the future we could end up doing a two hour show. There may be enough interest in it, it might be successful enough in the future but that can take some time. So meanwhile I'm just going to do around about 30 minutes, 40 minutes per episode. I have about a window at the moment of about two hours per month. That may change. I have a couple of ideas in mind that may allow me to change that. It can be available a little bit more, I can do more if I need to. But for the moment as I said I'm going to do an episode in around 30-40 minutes. Now I've also changed the kind of titles or the headings for each one. There are many different headings that we can use. One of them will be the world we live in. What is that about? Well that's about anything that affects us on a day to day basis. Exceptional politics, I don't want to get into the politics or start bashing politicians or political parties or singing our praises or anything of the sort. Either way. Well there's a lot of stuff that affects us all on a day to day basis which we can't avoid and they're just as much an impact on people's spiritual aspect of their life. Because it's very hard to separate one thing from the other. So with that in mind we're going to discuss a lot of issues that, I may discuss a lot of issues that you know as I said affect us all on a day to day basis. I mean the present situation with fuel and the cost of living gone rocketing up out of the reach of a lot of people and then there's the issue of so many people being homeless and then also people being unable to get themselves a home whether it's to councils or whether it's to buy a house or anything like that and then the price increases in mortgages and people being evicted and the way this whole thing has gone and affects people on a day to day basis and you know we all have our opinions this year on how these things and we're not always going to be too happy about the way it is. But anyway there's also other issues that we can speak about which is you know things like depression and health issues to some degree. Not giving advice on health issues and all but people may want to just come on which is another aspect of it so there may be some discussion around those different topics so we're kind of open and generalised about that so that's called the world we live in. The other one I wanted to do as well is one called soul journeys which is basically people it's similar but not the same it's going to be a little more specific and that is confined to the spiritual journey that we're involved in and how we got involved in whatever we may be doing. So we're going to have some guests on to get the ball rolling and hopefully they can give us their story about how they got involved in whatever it is they do whether it's psychic work, mediumship, bolts, healing, whatever, life coaching, whatever the different disciplines different things that's out there whatever that specialty is that they've chosen specialty is that then they can talk about and why they're so passionate about it how did they get involved in it how did they get drawn to it etc etc. Also they can talk about you know because it can be a bit of a story we all have a story everybody has a story to tell about their life and things that brought them to where they are and this can provide a great deal of hope and inspiration to other people that may be listening especially younger people that you know are going through these things because when you're young all these things can feel insurmountable and therefore you know it can be a good thing to look and hear or listen to other people tell their stories of being through similar and they're still around and they're hoping things to come out the other side and how things improved and how life moved on and how they were able to you know happy that they didn't get involved because there's all sorts of things that can be effective and that can be part of that and as I said it's like you know people can be suicidal and different things so that's basically the heart of soul journeys and I'm sure it's going to touch on numerous different topics as well it just no no more kind of journey people have had and then there's the other part of it which is kind of the more the spiritual philosophy aspect too as well which could be another discussion and you know things like the principles the twelve spiritual principles and whatever there's different ones for different groups but all that kind of thing God does God exist and what is God and afterlife and life you know in the afterlife how it what it's like there and is there such thing as an afterlife and do do we continue after death and so forth and talk about things like near-death experience ghosts and hauntings and loads of different topics there's an array of different things that can be come under that particular heading as well that we can also discuss and then also we can do a few things like mini readings and stuff and today can be accommodated on zoom or somewhere like that where the only mini mini readings they're not full readings mediumship maybe and I don't know we can maybe do some sort of something in and around the mediumship as well at some point in the future we'd see how it goes and what the interest can be and if we do that or not because there's a fairly few services now spiritual services available and I'm only aware of one in the Dublin region at least where I'm located which is kind of leaves because people need that space you can do certain things on zoom I don't know I've not really done a lot of things on zoom or any services stuff I don't know you see to me half the thing is about a spiritual service is the fact that it's not just so much just the service it's the after the service the tea and the coffee the chat to get to know people to talk about people you know having that type of thing and I think that interaction is fairly important a social aspect of it and in a lot of sense some services at least are I remember the original one that in this precious union of Ireland sanctuary they did have a regime where they come up to four service that was there that I was aware of they did have tea and coffee afterwards and people hung around to have a chat and it was a great way of socializing and getting out for a couple of hours and stuff and it's a thing you look forward to but then as it inevitably happens is that the kind of people providing the service got anxious to get home and do it themselves and lost interest in it so you were kind of nearly being rushed out the door with your tea in hand and cup and saucer you know what I mean because they just wanted to clear it up and there's nothing like saying here's your hat watch your hurry when they start moving the chairs and taking the chairs and I'm getting from underneath you basically and putting them stacking them and it kind of moves on people where it should have been part of the service in my opinion where they say well the service goes on for an hour and then afterwards we have tea and coffee for an hour and you know people can talk and chat and stuff like that and that should have been in my opinion I think it was way it was originally done people would stand around and chat you know and you have to put a time in it because people have to go home leave things to do but eventually you know people are involved in doing that they get fed up with it then you know it's the novelty wears off and they want to be somewhere else doing other things so they're kind of rushed things and stuff but I think it has to be recognized as a fairly important part a fairly important aspect of any sort of spiritual services the interaction and the socializing you know the face to face interaction I'm talking about as well you know people in person you know moving around the room I don't think that can be accomplished in a zoom conference and stuff yes you can see people's faces I don't know you can have chats I've had them where you have family stuff and all the rest of it but it still seems different it's not a kind of it just doesn't work the same way as in person sitting around chatting and stuff like that it just doesn't come across the same maybe I'm just too old and in fact I've got too used to just doing things the normal way where you have people therefore maybe if I was kind of younger and it would be less of an issue but I think it's a necessary thing I think it would be sorely missed if people stopped having these types of interactions and I think it's required and I think it's an important part of that but it's very difficult to provide such a service because getting a space now this you know what I mean a sacred space or whatever like a place to do these it was a time you could hire out rooms and stuff but they've gone too expensive now because of the insurance increases and rent increases and the greed basically is taking over in this country and I mean I just read I don't know how true it is now it could be totally wrong but when you had the recent concert here in Dublin it was 1600 euro for a room in certain hotels around the city just to get a room for one night I mean that's just off I don't know that just sounds to me it's just talk about profiteering anyway and it just unfortunately has all become about money the greed created as I said it's taken over this whole materialistic outlook and everything has its price and everything's for sale etc like that and that has even affected the spiritual community with a great degree well I realise of course that they do have overheads and stuff for providing these services and they have rent and rates and all that but I think A it should be if you're a religious organisation and you can sort of register as such and that you satisfy all the criteria that you should be able to be a non-profit and you should be able to not pay taxes necessarily because it can take a quite chunk of what people mostly have to do by donations and it can be a bit costly to keep the doors open and people also need to realise that they need to play their part which is of course supporting them by coming and giving the donations each week which helps pay the rent and keeps them doors open because though you may have gone for a while and you may not particularly want anymore it's still important that you make that space available for other people so I mean people come to these things especially when it's to do with spiritual service and mediumship because that's all clearly associated with people who have died and passed on and now reside in the spirit world and people often in grieving come along and they want to be heard from their loved ones as such whatever and therefore that service needs to be there I think people grieve in their own way I don't think it's for anyone to say oh they're taking advantage of them well they're not charged so I don't know how they can take advantage of them I've not been a great one for believing in the whole thing to do with mediumship and them type of readings as well but then at the same time I can completely understand as to why it's necessary for people to charge because it does cost money to develop those abilities in mediumship and so forth and people have to invest time and money in developing that so I think it's right that they should if they wish to get some return on that because it has always stuck me as kind of odd that when you become a member of a particular organisation a church whatever description you want to give it that you then have to do development courses in order to be able to get up on their platform and do your demonstrations of mediumship if that's what you deserve and what you wish to do and you go to these development classes and of course you're charged money which can get a bit expensive over time because I mean the weekly class depends on where you are and who you have doing the tutoring is or how it's organised etc that and it can be a long drawn out expensive procedure especially if you go on these seminars and workhorses and you go to places like Stansted, the Art of Finlay College in Stansted England and stuff they can all add up and then you can do mentorships and stuff and all it gets money, costs money as well so it's kind of odd but I always thought it was just kind of odd that if you're doing mediumship within a church and you're doing platform and that's for healing even and yet you have to pay but I suppose you have to get money in to cover the overheads for the classes but they usually are cheap though it could be you know 10 euro, 5 euro often I've seen them going for so just basically to cover the overheads so I suppose you can understand that as well but you know that can be also you know sort of if you give discounts and so forth if you're a member or whatever. Anyway so that's that part of the whole thing to do and I'm rambling on here a bit unaware of the fact anyway so that's what the course I think is going to be about so if people want to kind of suggest topics and so forth and get involved and support as much as they can great and hopefully we can dispel some of those rumours and the superstitions surrounding the whole thing to do with you know mediumship and psychics and lumping the two together because there is a difference of course between the two just as much as the difference between a fortune teller and a psychic in my opinion at least where a fortune teller will more or less tell you what you want to hear where a psychic is just reading off your energy and giving you guidance and suggestions and I think it's important for people to understand that that's what they are, it's just suggestions and possibilities, possible outcomes and that information can be provided in order for to give you the choice then to change your behaviour or change your choices and of course have a different outcome than the one that you are being told about because it's just a possibility so I suppose you could turn around and say well you know in any situation to have this possibility is negative and positive but that's true actually it is and that's very true and that's exactly what you are more or less getting a little more hopefully focused on that so we can get in a little bit more focused on exactly what is affecting you and what's causing that and what you can do about it to some degree, it's really down to you at the end of the day and they also have people from around the world basically, I think it happens in the looks of Australia and America and stuff where a psychic is just this kind of umbrella type that they put on for people who also do mediumship and stuff where anyone that's involved knows that there's a difference between a psychic and a medium and where all mediums are psychics not all psychics are mediums and what does that mean? Well it means that some people do psychic work like doing cards, crystal balls, all sorts, whatever reading angel cards, tarot cards, any of those tools that they utilise to give and guide people but they're not necessarily going to be able to communicate with those in the spirit world so therefore they wouldn't be a medium so that's the difference basically whereas they simplify things a bit, psychic work is a two way thing where you have a reader and a seer, mediumship is a three way or more, we just stick with the three way to keep it simple where you have the medium, you have the person in spirit and you have the person who's the contact seer as it's called. So that's basically the difference where in that case the medium is an intermediary, it mediates between the person in spirit and the person here who is that loved one basically whatever you want to give the message to so they give it to this medium who gives it then in turn to the seer. Whereas a psychic doesn't necessarily have that ability developed to the degree that the medium would have, some people just prefer to do it. So there's a big difference, the other difference is that sometimes in psychic work there's things called predictions and in mediumship that's not allowed, number one and number two. As a medium myself I've never known a spirit to come in and give any sort of prediction about what's going to happen in the future and people are obsessed with what's known. I know when I got involved in the whole spiritual aspect of my life to begin with I'd gone along with a lot of misconceptions as to exactly what was mediumship so I'm gone along expecting and hoping to hear from my beloved mother who died when I was 14 months old over 65 years ago thereabouts but either way I'm expecting to come through, tell me how wonderful I am, how great I'm going to do, how successful I'm going to be, blah blah blah which is not what happens at all. So you're kind of coming in and your mother's here and she wants to say hello, that's it, nothing more. It's great to hear but you get validation beyond that of course, that's just me being silly, but you do get validation to come out with stuff and tell things that the medium couldn't possibly have known. I know I've been on a platform of God stuff of people that it's totally astonished me where did that come from, how did that happen and I'd say it like and then the person would say yeah yeah that's 100% whatever and I'm just as gobsmacked as anyone else the accuracy of it you know but I don't get in the way of it I just get what I get and I give it and I just don't let my mind interfere as much as I can. That it takes practice though, it does take practice because initially you don't want to give silly stuff or what you consider stuff out that may sound a bit silly or a bit outrageous or whatever and therefore you don't say it and then it turns out you know, I mean I met one time again and I kept saying this flower a lily but I didn't say it because I was trying to get the person to say it for the time being, that was the name of the person, a lily, her name was Lily and I was seeing a lily and I was not great at any sort of flowers or fauna or anything like that you know I know grass and flowers and that's about it, trees, that's it, that's the sum total of my sort of interest and knowledge of anything to do with gardening or anything like that at all so and all the different types of flowers and blah blah no interest never had but anyway it's the kind of wrong person to come through and show a flower but I did know this particular flower because it was white and stuff and I did struggle a bit to try and remember it's the problem I have to where I was and I did say afterwards and I said well the flower, they didn't say it at the time but she said well that was her name Lily so I mean that I've learned lots of stuff like that so they will teach but anyway I'm getting totally off track here but that's basically the whole idea of doing a mediumship and the difference is basically in that way as I described is that what people can and can't do and there's certainly no predictions to do a mediumship and stuff and healing then is a completely different discipline, there's spiritual healing, there's reiki healing, there's like a hanyi, there's loads of different types of healing, different descriptions, basically they all do the same thing, some you call in angels and other things, whatever works works in the story, I don't think there was too particular in the spirit world which you can call in any time, we all have these passages, your rites, whether they actually achieve that or anything I don't know, I couldn't really comment on that, I don't know, but anyway a lot of people do this type of stuff and do this type of work so that's basically what I have in mind for the shows in the future so if they're of interest to you, get involved as I said and make your suggestions and we will do maybe mini cards readings at some point through Zoom or we find some way of doing them and maybe, I did contemplate last season, the fourth season of this Simply Talking podcast about doing call-ins and stuff but it's too dangerous doing that type of stuff live quite simply because you have these trolls who will take great pleasure in coming in and coming out with something very very insulting or controversial or whatever and getting deliberately trying to upset people and stuff and I don't want to be a party to that and I don't want to be, because I sometimes meet fairly delicate people who are just at the wrong place and they just don't need that type of carry on because some immature fool thinks it's funny to insult someone or upset them so therefore it's not and then it can cause, I mean you can do a whole show and then all of a sudden someone comes in and an awful lot more editing and stuff, I mean even when I, there one time on Facebook done actual mini readings on the Facebook I got trolls, you know people going in and saying, accusing me of taking money off people, innocent people, I didn't charge for them so I don't know where they got that information from but they didn't care, they just come out and just make this, you know vulnerable people and all this type, the same old rubbish that they come out with. If people come looking for readings and people give that time, it's up to them whether they charge for that time or not, they invest money and time and therefore I have no objection to people asking, I don't particularly, you know necessarily do private readings myself but those that do, I mean it's perfectly understandable that they would have a charge of fee for that time if nothing else, it's not so much what they do or the message they give but they're entitled, their time is valuable, everyone's time is valuable so they're entitled to some compensation for that and they're entitled also because they've invested time and money in it as well to get to that stage where they can give these readings so people need to be aware of that and bear that in mind. So we've come about to the end almost of this first podcast, I'm going to keep it down to the half hour thereabouts because of intros and outros as they're called to add to the whole podcast. So I hope what I've spoken about and what I've planned for the podcast is of interest to you and I hope people will like and share and they will spread the word a little bit about the show, particularly those in the spiritual community and the show can evolve as we go on as to what works and what doesn't work, what the interest is and so forth for people. It's not going to be monetised as such, it's not about money, it's just about providing a service for people and as I've discovered maybe my way is to be able to do this for spirit and that I can provide a service for other people as well so it's all about serving and serving spirit and maybe inform people and educate people as well as entertain about the whole idea of what spirituality is all about and who knows what's going to evolve over the next coming months or years, whatever, hopefully we can go on from better things and just things improve, things can get better and we can have at least a good show. The problem with music basically is that it costs a fair amount of money sometimes to get a licence for the royalties or whatever to do to play certain songs, you're not going to get any songs at the more famous commercial, as I would call them, groups or singers or whatever, musicians. There's all multitude of different musicians out there that wouldn't be known on different formats that you can get but it all costs money, like for a licence it can cost between 30 to 100 euro for one song to be played and different licences and stuff. So as I said we're not monetised so that all comes out of my pocket basically. I don't know if you can compromise things by setting up where you have patrons and stuff where people basically support the show with money on a month to month basis wherever they can afford and donations as well, but going by past experience, you get some people that will make a contribution but not all the time. So we'll see how that goes, I'm not saying it won't be but I hope it not to be, I don't want to make a commercial, I don't want to be driven. So anyway, we'll see. So until the next one, it's me Dave Brophy saying take care and be kind to yourself.