The Different Types of Evidential Information
Evidential information can describe many different dimensions of a person's life. A name identifies one kind of reference. A relationship places someone within a family or social structure. Personality reveals patterns of behavior and temperament. Occupation, possessions, places, routines, memories, and major life events each contribute something different. These are not separate channels through which communication occurs, nor are they levels of evidential importance. They are categories of content. Understanding those categories helps the medium identify what kind of information is present, what aspect of the person's life it concerns, and what it may contribute without turning evidential communication into a checklist.
Book Three: Evidential Mediumship
A Common Question
Are some types of evidential information more important than others?
Answer
Not inherently.
A name may be highly useful in one communication and contribute very little in another.
A shared memory may identify someone immediately.
A personality trait may become important only when combined with other details.
A familiar object may carry several dimensions at once: place, habit, relationship, and personal history.
The type of information tells us what area of the person's life is being described.
It does not determine evidential strength by itself.
Introduction
Mediumistic information can concern many different aspects of a human life.
Who someone was related to.
What they were called.
How they behaved.
What they looked like.
What occupied their time.
Where they lived.
What they treasured.
What they repeatedly did.
What happened to them.
What they shared with the recipient.
These are different kinds of content.
That distinction matters because content should not be confused with perceptual form.
A name might become apparent as inner language, written letters, or a sudden idea.
An occupation might appear through clothing, tools, movement, a workplace, or a particular activity.
The way information becomes perceptible and the subject the information concerns are different questions.
This chapter concerns the second.
Categories Help Us Understand Function
A relationship tells us something different from a personality trait.
An occupation tells us something different from a childhood memory.
A possession tells us something different from a life event.
Each category can contribute another dimension of the person or relationship being represented.
The purpose of naming these categories is not to create a hierarchy.
It is to understand function.
What does this information describe?
Where does it belong within the person's life?
What kind of context does it add?
Categories Are Not a Checklist
A medium does not need:
a name,
relationship,
occupation,
personality,
physical description,
shared memory,
and significant life event
in every communication.
Nor does the absence of one category make the evidence incomplete by definition.
Different communications may contain very different combinations.
The categories help us understand what is present.
They should not become a list the medium tries to fill.
Categories Can Overlap
Human lives do not divide themselves neatly.
A violin may be:
an object,
an occupation,
a hobby,
a family memory,
a source of income,
and something associated with personality.
A bakery may be:
a workplace,
a family business,
a recurring place,
a childhood memory,
and part of a relationship.
The category is useful only as long as it helps us understand the information.
It should not restrict what the information is allowed to mean.