Many people believe that what mediums do is sacred and communication with dead people is a spiritual endeavor. To figure out if these descriptions are accurate, we first need to define the terms. The word sacred is generally used to describe something that is part of the Divine, connecting with God, or having a religious purpose. The word spiritual means different things to different people. Some believe that spirituality is just another term for religion and the two terms can be used interchangeably. Others see a distinct difference and believe that a spiritual person is concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to the material things in life and does not necessarily subscribe to any organized religion or dogma.
Some mediums that call themselves spiritual mediums may be doing so simply because they are communicating with the spirit world, a realm where discarnates reside. In other words, the term is used to delineate the non-physical from the physical realms. I always found that to be redundant as by definition a medium is an intermediary between the two. Other mediums that use the same term believe that the connections they make are facilitated by a divine source or religious figure. I always found it interesting that many such mediums are religious in their personal lives, especially considering that the religion to which they subscribe preaches that what mediums do violates the rules.
An equally large group of mediums refer to themselves as psychic mediums, forgoing the spiritual connotation. The term seems to be a reasonable description, as all mediums are psychic and get information from both the living and the deceased. The problem is that very few people understand that there is a difference between both types of communication and think of all such practitioners as psychics.
Mind to mind communication among the living, as well as other psychic phenomena appear to have little to do with religiosity or spiritual concepts. Non -physical transmission of thought seems to be an ability inherent to us all, in varying degrees, and is no more spiritual than our physical senses of seeing or hearing. Very few people refer to telepathic phenomena as coming from a higher source. If you are engaged in a card guessing game trying to predict what card is coming up next, and you make the correct guess, would you reason that a celestial body made this happen? Sure, it is possible that all psychic phenomena are orchestrated by an organizing life force, but I tend to believe that our psychic powers are simply part of who we are and no more sacred than smelling a rose.
Regarding the question if all mediums should be considered spiritual people by the nature of the work they perform, my observations over the years have led me to several conclusions. The majority of mediums that I have encountered appear to be warm and compassionate people, and the better ones can certainly affect lives in a positive way. On the other hand, I have also encountered practicing mediums who are less than perfect human beings. Some of these mediums, despite exhibiting a disrespect for the work and showing very little compassion and empathy, are very good evidential mediums. This perplexed me, as I often wondered why a person in the spirit realm would choose to communicate through a morally bankrupt person. The conclusion upon which I arrived was that our deceased loved ones will use any means at their disposable to get a message communicated. That could be through direct personal contact, through the services of any human conduit, or by helping to organize certain signs and synchronicities. Mediums are a means to an end. It is true that the evidential mediums who are doing the work for the right reasons appear to get more information on a consistent basis, and I do not discount the possibility that discarnates find it easier to communicate through such mediums. However, if a less than perfect vessel manifests, they will take advantage of what is put before them.
Mediums are not unlike the rest of us. Sometimes we act as if we are here to learn, grow and help our global community. Others among us are driven by ego and behave as if there is no real meaning or purpose to our physical existence. When it comes to mediumship, labels are often deceiving and not a true description of a process that remains a great mystery.