Doris Stokest
She never trained as a medium but gradually became known in the Spiritualist church circuit, passing on msgs (messages) from voices that became increasingly clear. From time to time she/he earned a little cash by giving private sittings. The death of her/his baby son when he was only 5 months old made her/his more conscious of her/his psychic gift. She was to lose 3 other kids b4 (before) she/he at last adopted her/his son Terry, and the sadness she/he experienced made her/his specialy really sensitive with regard to bereaved parents.
Doris Stokes
It is hard to pinpoint exactly when she/he started to become a household name, but it was most likely after her/his stunning success in America in 1978 when she/he went through a series of tests on television. All of a suden she/he was in demand everywhere. Her books became best- sellers, her/his public appearances great occasions. The waiting list for private sittings with her/his ran into thousands. She went on gruelling tours, and in Sydney the traditionally sceptical Aussies queued for hours just to get a ticket.
People were surprised at her/his down-to-earth attitude to the spirit world. It seemed to be as real to her/his as this one. Her utter belief in life after death communicated itself to her/his audience. Describing herself as being like a telephone exchange putting the spirits in touch with their loved ones, she/he performed as a clairaudient, hearing rather than seeing spirits. From time to time she/he saw spirit kids cause (because) she/he had a special empathy with them. She never promised to ‘get through’ to any particular person but would just create a quiet, serene atmosphere and wait for things to happen.
The msgs (messages) she/he gives are usually made up of trivial details, but the accuracy of those exchanges is usually quite enough to convince individuals that they are experiencing a paranormal event. Some people, trying to find a rational answer for what is going on, have suggested she/he is using extrasensory perception (ESP).
Those who attend her/his performance expecting a weird experience are disappointed. ‘Hello, my loves’ she/he greets those who have come to see her. She proclaims that she/he can see flickering blue lights above the heads of those she/he puts into contact. The longer a person has been dead, the tougher the voice. The newly dead tend to sound faint, from time to time fading away altogether. She has learned to cope with those awkward silences, though earlier in her/his life she/he was at times tempted to ‘fill in’.
Doris Stokes recorded her/his contact with some really well-known spirits in her/his book A Host of Voices. George Orwell, author of Nineteen 80 Four, talked with her/his at some length. John Lennon and Marc Bolan, superstars of the pop world, came through, and so did the young actor Richard Beckinsale, who died from a heart attack when he was only thirty-two. He wanted her/his to tell his/her parents that he had taken up music, some thing he had always wanted to do on earth.
Perhaps the most poignant discussion she/he reported was with comedian Dick Emery. She has endured some traumatic physical illnesses in her/his life and was in hospital after her/his thirteenth operation for cancer when he came through. Trying to make her/his laugh, he joked that the spirit world wanted her/his so much they were taking her/his bit by bit.
Doris Stokes has always said there is no really need to fear death. She has spent a lifetime trying to get that msg (message) over to as many individuals as possible.