So nice to visit again.........

I hope that this time you'll not wander away again.....

petal34 wrote:I won't Mac.
Need some interesting posts to get my interest up again.

I hope our members provide you with what you would like......

Good to see you again Peatkl

Admin wrote:Good to see you again Peatkl

Peatkl?? You tired Jim?

Alan wrote:

Admin wrote:Good to see you again Peatkl

Peatkl?? You tired Jim?

From one expatriot to an adopted one-Enjoy,Jim.
Petal

Hi Petal & Admin,

I've been lurking for some time, but thought to join in at this point to offer some thoughts in response to Petal's comment about the decline of the Spiritualist church.

A close friend of mine (now in his 70s) is a Spiritualist minister and we've had many conversations over the years about Spiritualism and related topics. He says that he caught the tail end of the hay days of the spiritualist movement and has described magnificent phenomena, directly witnessed: materializations, apports, levitations, etc.

It seems that the days of dedicated home circles, meeting weekly, which could provide the basis for such manifestations are now over, at least here in Canada. I've asked, and have been referred to development circles which meet only every other week and then break for several months over the summer. My spiritualist friend and I agree that this kind of interruption does not provide the correct conditions for serious development.

I've also had exposure to older, experienced mediums whose messages are not convincing in their "evidential" quality. But in the social setting of a Church gathering this cannot very well be called to account.

I think that if one loses the foundational structure of Spiritualism - the home circle, with compatible dedicated members, meeting weekly - then you've lost the very basis of the movement. Any Church can put on Sunday gatherings with hymn-singing and a lecture or homily. But the home circle is crucial for Spiritualism.

I recently read the remarkable book about the Welsh physical medium, Alec Harris. My sense is that this could happen again, but if it is going to emerge, the home circle format is required as a basic necessity.

synaxis

Thanks for your further comments, Petal. I totally understand what you're saying and am interested to hear about the apparent lack of phenomena, even in the UK.

Evidently the decline is affecting other religions as well - there was a report recently that the C of E is facing extinction within 20 years (links below).

Nevertheless, my sense is that even a handful of breakthroughs here and there could be the start of something ... Are you aware of Montcabirol in southern France? It seems that an entire circle from the UK visited them recently. Judging by the reports, I gather that physical phenomena are a frequent occurrence in their seances (at Montcabirol).

synaxis

http://www.montcabirol.com/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8633540/Ageing-Church-of-England-will-be-dead-in-20-years.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8626410/Church-of-England-faces-being-wiped-out-report-warns.html

I've long forecast the demise of Modern Spiritualism and nothing thus far has given me any hope that I'm wrong..... I say this as long-time drum-banger for the movement, not as a detractor as anyone who knows me will realise.......

I'm 64 and like your friend in his 70s I feel that I just about caught the final thrust of the movement. I don't feel that recent reports of physical mediumship have any significance and such mediumship was done far better in decades past. What little there may be is still largely unseen.

If I'm wrong I'll be happy to publicly eat my words.

mac wrote:I don't feel that recent reports of physical mediumship have any significance ...

I would recommend having a look at the Montcabirol site, especially the recent testimonial by Elaine M. Heiby - it's on the home page under the photo (if you click on her name a 12-page pdf will download).

Heiby is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has published extensively. I would have to say that her descriptions and judgement about the phenomena she experienced in the seances is objective and merits examination. My impression is that something significant is developing there.

http://www.montcabirol.com/

Hi Synaxis,

I will feel happier about modern attempts at Physical mediumship when it becomes less of a closed shop of realatively close friends who seem to try and ensure that any questioners are excluded. It would also be good if they engaged with research and modern research techniques such as thermography.

There appears to be a stronger link to the style of the Camp Chesterfield expose than the evidential nature of the past greats. I believe that at this moment Physical Mediumship has gone as retrograde as far too much Mental mediumship. Additionally I am not sure the way we are developing new Mediums of all kinds is encouraging the correct level of improvement except in a very few cases.

Jim

synaxis wrote:

mac wrote:I don't feel that recent reports of physical mediumship have any significance ...

I would recommend having a look at the Montcabirol site, especially the recent testimonial by Elaine M. Heiby - it's on the home page under the photo (if you click on her name a 12-page pdf will download).

Heiby is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has published extensively. I would have to say that her descriptions and judgement about the phenomena she experienced in the seances is objective and merits examination. My impression is that something significant is developing there.

http://www.montcabirol.com/

I'm neither for nor against physical mediumship. I feel it has the same value as any other form of mediumship and that is to demonstrate the message of survival.

Physical phenomena are simply waymarkers, not destinations.....

Re: the public accessibility of physical mediumship, in fact there is an attempt on the part of some circles to publicize their phenomena via the internet: e.g. the Felix Experimental Group near Frankfurt, which also has invited scientific monitoring.

http://felixcircle.blogspot.com/

The Montcabirol circle is open to visitors and seems to observe a rigorous protocol with the medium being tied up (with plastic ties that can only be cut off).

I am unaware of the extent of the problem re: "closed shop" circles and Camp Chesterfield type fraudulence, which no doubt exists, however, the above initiatives seem aimed at addressing these issues.

Nothing new here in Montacabirol - results are what count, not precautions.... Similarly the Feix Group.

Take a look back online at Noah's Ark Society and New Spiritual Science Foundation (Scole Experimental Group) I was members of both throughout their time and we have ex NAS members on this website.

[quote="mac"]Nothing new here in Montacabirol - results are what count, not precautions.... Similarly the Feix Group.

Take a look back online at Noah's Ark Society and New Spiritual Science Foundation (Scole Experimental Group) I was members of both throughout their time and we have ex NAS members on this website.[/quote


Has there never been a thought towards restarting something similiar to the Noah's Arc Society,Mac?
To give new mediums a chance to improve their gifts?

[quote="petal34"]

mac wrote:Nothing new here in Montacabirol - results are what count, not precautions.... Similarly the Feix Group.

Take a look back online at Noah's Ark Society and New Spiritual Science Foundation (Scole Experimental Group) I was members of both throughout their time and we have ex NAS members on this website.[/quote


Has there never been a thought towards restarting something similiar to the Noah's Arc Society,Mac?
To give new mediums a chance to improve their gifts?

That I don't know, J....

The NAS was very special and it would need folks with a similar level of interest and experience to undertake what was carried out by that society.

It's also guesswork how many physical mediums there may be 'out there', what their experience and knowledge is etc. and how interested they might be in the formation of a new organising body to help or advise them and any circles with whom they might sit.

Through online contacts I haven't met, or learned of, many mediums of any sort and even fewer physical (or would-be) mediums..... Maybe they're out there and reluctant to be seen? Who knows?

Agreed Mac we know the problems already on the existing Physical Mediums with 3 of them subject to threads on here.

One of the threads did once involve very interesting debate around the Magicians of the Magic Cafe and their certainty they could escape any cable ties. The stories from Sweden and Warren Caylor indicate how such precaustions have little value

"One of the threads did once involve very interesting debate around the Magicians of the Magic Cafe and their certainty they could escape any cable ties. The stories from Sweden and Warren Caylor indicate how such precaustions have little value."

absolutely, Jim. In my usual Jeremiah role I fear that the age of evidential mediumship, be it physical or mental, is largely over and thus far there's been nothing new to emerge which would cause me to reconsider my stance.

And for anyone who doesn't know me, I'm a supporter of, and not a detractor from, all forms of mediumship.

Ditto Likewise Mac and as you know I play the King Canute role involved in running a Spiritualist Mission, being a Medium and trying to teach development whilst keeping up my own training through Lis's teaching.

I am uncertain in the real ability to turn the tide back but we still hope. I just hope I am not washed away in some special king tide.

petal34 wrote:Reading the above,my mind jumped to mediums like Tony Stockwell and many other well known mediums.
Have any of those mediums ever considered PM?
Are they physical mediums?

Just curious.

Petal

I don't think it's optional for most mediums, J......