Networking & Mediumship in a nutshell
- Coral Ryder
- Nov 29, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 13, 2024
Networking, what it is? According to dictionary.cambridge.org networking is "the activity of meeting people who might be useful to know, especially in your job".
Networking plays an important part in making your creative enterprise a success. It increases your enterprises visibility, and provides the opportunity to reach out, make connections and work with others to mutual benefit. It's about getting your name known, and about making, building, and maintaining working relationships through attending meetings and corresponding with your peers, suppliers, and clientele.
Creating a network of professional and social media contacts helps build your business and gives you the opportunity to communicate and work with people of a like mind and common interest. You can share ideas, exchange information, collaborate on ventures and offer each other support and advice. All of which contributes towards building your business and reputation within your chosen vocation and get your name and/or products out into the public eye.
Establishing your networking requires effort, you need to research your field of interest and see what resources and networking organisations are open to you and your creative enterprise. Adding your name to emailing lists for upcoming events, and having business cards ready to hand can be to your advantage. Attending or hosting specialist events, workshops, talks, conferences, open days, or job fairs can connect you with potential employers, recruiters, advisors, suppliers and grant providers. It is thereby important that we utilise and get to grips with networking and the benefits that come from making and staying in contact with business associates. Once you've established your network, you must keep up to date, keep making those connections, and remember to follow up and maintain those relationships. You will also need to consider what kind of networking best suits your enterprise. Will you be working locally, nationally, internationally, or all three, and will it be in person, online or both?
In person networking
First impressions count, in person networking provides the opportunity to meet people face to face. Attending work, community and social events, and circulating at meetings allows you to personally showcase yourself, your business and products. Thereby, build strategic relationships by placing yourself in the pathway of potential employers, recruiters, suppliers and clientele etc.
Online Networking
Online networking is a way of developing relationships and further expanding your network of contacts across the globe, via the internet. There are billions of people who actively access social media's online communication platforms on a regular basis. There are many platforms to choose from on which to promote yourself and business. Picking the right ones that are compatible with your enterprise will help you reach your target audience. Here are a few to consider whose monthly active users (MAU) runs into millions and billions: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok etc.
e.g.:
LinkedIn claims to be the "the world's largest professional network on the internet." It offers free or premium subscriptions and can be accessed via mobile app, desktop or mobile web experience. This platform connects professionals, companies, groups and individuals across an array of industries. Businesses can post jobs for potential job seekers, and people can showcase their profile and c/v to potential employers. LinkedIn can also be utilised to arrange events, connect with personal interest groups, post video's, photos and messages.
Instagram is a "free photo and video sharing app available on iPhone and Android." This online networking platform is predominantly utilised for photo and video sharing and is available to users aged 13 and over. Users can view and/or upload pictures and videos, they can message, make comments, go live, share stories and reels, they can shop and/or set up their own online shop, and share content with the 3f's: family, friends and followers. There is also Instagram for creators, a way to monetise from subscriptions. Its open to 18+, who reside within an eligible country, who have 10,000+ followers, who can become fans and subscribe to exclusive content.
Facebook was originally set up for college students to connect and exchange information, today it is utilised by billions of people, from ages 13 and above, as a social networking community. Its current mission statement is: "give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together." Users can build their social network, connect with the 3f's, share stories, photo's and videos, message each other, and join or create social groups and pages. It can also be utilised to highlight businesses and brands and has a marketplace where you can buy and sell products. Facebook is now known as Meta which also owns and operates Messenger, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp.
The downside to using such platforms is that you are competing with millions of others, thereby you need to ensure your brand is snappy and catches peoples attention. Utilise your existing network of family and friends, both in person and via online platforms, as word of mouth can go along way.
Spiritual Networking
In a nutshell, spiritual networking is taking on board all of the above and placing it into the spiritual and lighworkers community. Whether working as a volunteer or trying to carve a living for yourself as a proffessional medium, to be successful in this field you need to be good at what you do and build your reputation. Socialising and showcasing your abilities within the right social and business circles, be that in person, online, local, national or internationally, is useful in growing your contacts and business relationships.
Getting the best out of networking you need to be proactive, get motivated reach out to booking secretaries at Churches and Centres, and let them know your available for bookings. Taking services, attending meetings and taking part in seminars, mind body and spirit fairs, doing private sittings and open circles where you can demonstrate your abilities and standard of work will help spread the word and build your reputation further. As will having clients give feedback with permission to share on your website and social networking sites etc. You could also collaborate with your peers and work together, book a hotel, pub, club or theatre and organise and host your own spiritual events. Then there is education, you could enhance your esteem by becoming a member of the SNU, study and gain a certification of recognition, become an award holder of the Union, and earn the right to have CSNU or DSNU after your name.
Finances
Setting up in business can be costly, especially if you need a business premises, equipment and stock. You need to consider the rent, the electric, gas, water rates, business rates, phone, internet, advertising, insurance, etc. The list goes on, you will need to consider how will you take payments, will you require a PayPal account, sum up or square up machine? With all this in mind it is important to do your research and set out the budget you need to set up your enterprise. There are a few ways in which to raise the funds you need, you can apply for a business loan via your bank, or apply to gov.uk for a start up loan, you could even try crowd funding, or do a money raising event. Then there are creative grants you can apply for, or if you have the means available you can fund it yourself and utilise your personal savings.
Creative Directory
Arts Council England
The Arts Council is a national development agency that offers "guidance, resources and funding" for creative people across England. It's strategic vision "Let's create a country united by culture".
The Biscuit Factory is a charitable organisation which supports local artists, creative opportunities and community engagement. It is "dedicated to nurturing and developing the visual arts in the North East of England". It provides a platform for artistic events that showcase local artists, musicians and performers. It offers support, commissions, sponsorships and grants to help artists in establishing their careers.
The Baltic is a "Contemporary Visual Art Network" based in Gateshead in the North East of England. It advocates visual arts and offers support to aspiring artists, creatives and curators, from residencies, to open call, to development programs, to funding opportunities.
Spiritual Networking Directory
Spiritualist National Union (SNU) is a religious charity with Churches and Centres across the UK. Its mission statement is "to promote the religion and religious philosophy of Spiritualism as based upon the Seven Principles." It supports its Churches and members and provides "the training of spiritualist healers, spiritualist mediums, public speakers and teachers."*
SNUI is a branch of the SNU that offers online classes, development groups and Divine Services to members across the globe.
SNU Members Diary: this diary is sent out yearly to all individual members of the Spiritualist National Union. It contains a full list of its District Councils, and SNU Churches and Centres affiliated with the Union along with their address, contact details. It also contains a list of all its award holders, officiants and Ministers.
The Plan & Directory: twice a year the Northern District Council of the SNU publish a six monthly plan & directory that goes to every Church in their district. It contains a list with locations of all the Churches and Centres in the District. It includes dates and times of services and events being and who is serving during those months.
International Spiritualist Federation has members from across the globe who come together every year at their fraternal weeks or weekends for a gathering of like minds for a week of spiritual classes, workshops and They host these spiritual events in different locations around the world
Psychic News is a magazine full of interesting stories dedicated to all things paranormal, it has a page dedicated to spiritual art, where they showcase spirit artists work. You can also subscribe online to you can place and find adverts
TSFellowship (TSF) is part of the Fox Pioneer Centre Spiritual Community. TSF offers training programmes in subjects such as inspirational speaking, mediumship and spiritual healing. Its qualifications are "recognised through Focus Awards." **
The Spiritual Workers' Association, (SWA) came into being due to a change in law from the fraudulent mediums act to the consumers act in 2008. The SWA is a guild of spiritual workers whose primary aim to support "all spiritualistic service providers effected by the change in law making them traders." It promotes high standards and aspires " to create an informed and educated public " with an aim of protecting them from deceptive practices. It offers its members support, free legal advice, links to insurance, downloads, training and in-house course accreditation.
North-East Mediums noticeboard "helping to promote development opportunities for working- and developing mediums". (Facebook group)
Lightworkers advertise here is a group on Facebook where you can post spiritual adverts.
Find a Medium "Find your local Spiritualist Medium or venue" (website: Medium directory)
Durham Spirit Guides is an online directory of upcoming events of a spiritual nature.
Worlds best most trusted and most Popular Lightworkers: These directory's can be purchased from the likes of Amazon and contain an extensive list of psychic, mediums, spiritual healers and lightworkers from across the globe, along with their contact details. And yes, I am one of those listed,
*Unfortunately none of the SNU awards or its teacher training programs is recognised by any government backed awarding body and there appears at present to be no plans to do so. Thereby its awards are only recognised in house and if you leave the Union you're expected to hand back your awards. Something I personally find odd considering exponents have to pay the fees then pass the courses and training to achieve them.
**Unfortunately there appears to be a conflict of interest between the SNU and the Fox Pioneer Centre, and the SNU has deemed it an incompatible body, meaning their members cannot be a member of both organisations.
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