Thoughts on Spiritualism

Hi All
This area is intended to draw attention to the Philosophy that underpins our movement. Too often this is forgotten in the thirst for the Phenomena, unfortunately many new seekers are left to find out what they can and often run into a wide variety of sources. Very often the information is not in accordance to our movement.

Back in May I gave the following talk on the subject which may kick off a few thoughts.
What is Spiritualism

In a recent development group a discussion broke out after I had mentioned some philosophical thoughts I had been working on about Spiritualism and how my meditation had helped. A new attendee a Lady, in her late middle age, who had been attending various groups through which she had gained a reasonable grasp of the new age, psychic and mediumship made it clear that in fact she knew nothing about Spiritualism and had never heard of our 7 principles.

The event struck a cord in me because of ongoing discussions at the missions on several Spiritualist Chat rooms’ and at home. What is Spiritualism? Why do so many know little about our underlying philosophies.

I have been on many Spiritualist forums and lists where it is quite clear that many who run them do so as a result of becoming interested in the concept and in the phenomena but have never really attended any Spiritualist churches or studied it in detail. Their knowledge is drawn from books, other people and a wide range of sources including the broad New Age. As a result they often include elements into the heading of Spiritualism that people with a pure idea of it could not accept.

This raised a familiar cry to my ears, from people who attend my group and from others drawn to our movement. If it’s Spiritual then its all Spiritualism let it all in because it is each individuals creation of their own truth. This is an area which constantly raises issues which as a movement we need to be prepared to address. Facing it once more from a person who had a broad New Age interest and was mixing and matching other religions and beliefs into this meant I realised my original responses required more consideration. It was clearly time to revisit this subject and look in depth at how this can be better explained.

Part 2 follows

Part 2

For a start, although it may seem strange to those of us used to our history, I have to define that I am talking about Modern Spiritualism. The movement which first commenced as a result of ordinary people communicating with the spirit and identity of a “deceased” person, the peddler at the cottage the fox family lived in. It was a formative event which created a major change in thinking and led to the formation of many groups over time.

Then my standard reply is to define what we stand for by quoting the seven principles, if you like our creed and talking about them. However I always feel that in some way this feels unsatisfactory as a response and a better approach is needed.

Indeed as I have gathered more knowledge I find even the principles have required further thought. In 1860 an earlier version of 6 principles was accepted by The First Spiritualist Temple in Boston. After this it was my original understanding that Emma Hardinge Britten gave us the 7 principles at Cleveland Hall in 1871, transmitted from the Spirit of Social Activist Robert Owen. Unfortunately I have discovered that, at the time of this event, there was no mention of Robert Owen. Emma’s own auto biography, written by her and published by her sister in 1903, actually mentions that Robert Owen came through in a séance at which Leah Fox and Robert Dale Owen, the son of Robert Owen, attended, however this took place in 1863. The record of this show 10 commandments’ and 10 laws of right were given. Clearly there some confusion and debate over these very facts and even how many principles were given at Cleveland Hall.

In the end I just settle on looking at our Principles in their own right and in the context of the other information available to us. Whatever actually occurred in that time a set of valid principles was handed down and in their current form became adopted widely, especially after they were accepted by the SNU in the UK. Equally in the USA they have a separate Declaration of Principles, with 9 elements, which are in a very similar style. Once again a leading Medium in the USA was involved Cora Richmond.

As a result we have at the heart of Spiritualism a very simple set of principles to live by. These are of course accompanied by a verifiable truth that the personality and spirit survives beyond that which we call death. This may seem simple but of itself they create a very powerful change in the world’s understanding. There are no rituals, no magic and no great mass of theology accumulated around it.

To the greatest possible extent we demystify our relationship with the Spirit world and the Creator, the Great Spirit. We allow it to be a direct connection, intermediaries not required, a personal journey of Spiritual growth. This is of itself a revolutionary step and at the same time, although several major bodies were formed to help and coordinate activities they never created a single point from which to tell people how they should think and act like the traditional churches had done (albeit I do find now a certain rigidity in some bodies regarding the form of service and prayers).

It has also been clear that there has been no major attempt to form a mass of theology such as the Christian religion created to cloud the simple rules left for them. Indeed in the book Rock of Truth, published in 1933, Arthur Findlay said of these principles.

“These seven principles contain all that is needed by the average man or woman. They act as a guide to our conduct on earth, they give the necessary urge for improving our conduct and strengthening our character, they give us something to live for and they give the basis for an understanding of man’s origin and destiny. No one needs fear getting old, as age is only an earth condition. Lastly, they give comfort in sorrow, especially in sorrow occasioned by parting as a result of death”

He also pointed out that our principles can be accepted by any intelligent member of all of the major religions. If you like they embody the Golden Rule which weaves its way through the heart of all the great religions.

Fundamentally Spiritualism suggests that we should use our life to reflect these spiritual principles and to allow our selves to grow through service to others.

There are lots of books on the subject but it appears that many are upon the nature of the afterlife, a huge body of work which can be somewhat contradictory in nature and often portrays a kind of Victorian middle class idyll. Clearly these need evaluation as you read them. Spiritualism asks people to be discerning to test what they read and evaluate its content. We are frequently exhorted to test the spirits and what they say.

Yes there are works that have been written that give more light on the principles. The stand outs are those of Silver Birch, received through Maurice Barbanell and of Red Cloud coming from Estelle Roberts. They stand out not just because a vast number of credible witnesses were present on the many occasions when the wisdom was given to us. They stand out because they are consistent in proposing the nature of our existence. To read these works is to be aware of a deeper wisdom and understanding. They indicate that life is a time of growth and learning, an evolutionary time, a time to be of service to others. They also indicate that it is a time when the contrasts in experience are vital to our learning. Without dark how could you appreciate light Silver Birch said, without sorrow what would joy mean. These teachers express, in teachings that coordinate with the seven principles that we need to embrace this life, the good, bad and indifferent. They indicate that changes come through the growth of knowledge and an understanding of our Spiritual Nature. It is the experiences and challenges in this life that create the opportunity to make the necessary changes. They also make it clear that we will never be forced to do something; Spirit will never interfere with our freedom of choice. No one person is more special or important than another. Every person has the chance to return to spirit, to progress, whoever they are and whatever they have done. There is a spiritual natural law that must be followed. Within this why would Spirit create miraculous changes that set aside those natural laws of life to benefit one group or individual.

This may seem to be a tough idea but the reality is we are of a spiritual nature with immense and often untapped potential. An understanding of this can give anyone the chance to rise above their problems. Clearly the more of us that shine this out then the more will be made aware of what we can achieve.

These are the philosophical truths that underpin the phenomenal aspects of Spiritualism. They are simple but very deep. The movement has never sort to convert people, indeed in the earliest days all it wanted was for an acceptance of the truth of the survival of the spirit in a simple way amongst all religions.

In some ways we can be considered to have succeeded beyond our expectation as it now appears to be broadly accepted that there is survival of the spirit. Even the Catholic Church now says that it is OK to seek out communication with loved ones’ in Spirit through properly trained sensitives’ preferably priests. However, in another way we fail because the continued teachings of all the major religions treat their adherents as the only special one’s who will be saved.

Indeed we now find our movement challenged, in many ways from its own successes. The acceptance of psychic abilities and mediumship is broad and well beyond our movement. Critically Spiritualism has attempted to move steadily forward but it has always been alongside other developments. At the same time many people have found the outside elements of greater interest in comparison to our philosophy and presentation.

In the earliest days Allan Kardec formed the Spiritists, bestowing on them 7 major books for their guidance. He never intended that to be a religion either, however, it is now possibly the largest religion in Brazil having overtaken the Roman Catholic Church. The Spiritists still follow precisely in the path set by Kardec and have many new writers still contributing new volumes to their theology. Similar to Spiritualism yet different in a myriad subtle ways but continuing to grow while remaining strongly committed to their founders principles. Indeed as a body they have now become heavily involved in the ongoing development of areas such as Electronic Voice Phenomena.

The broad new age which is outside of Spiritualism covers a wide range of showy and apparently interesting things. Incorporating all the psychic issues, some mediumship and a wide range of pick and mix ideas. Although Spiritualism undoubtedly helped to create this movement, in many ways the most significant influence on it has been Theosophy. In the early days many Spiritualists were part of the new Theosophy, however, in the 1870’s a split occurred over Madame Blavatsky’s (the founder of Theosophy) views on reincarnation which said all Spiritualist mediums contacted were the lower level astral remnants of a spirit which disappeared over time.

A forerunner of Houdini as a magic circle member and debunker of fraudulent mediums, John Maskelyn, said at this time, way back in the late 1890’s how can Spiritualism’s simple philosophy stand up to the attractions of Theosophy. “Theosophy presented its followers with an exotic mix of Tibetan mysticism and non-sectarian philosophy that the Spiritualist faith could not fulfill. In Madam Blavatsky, however history has debunked so much of her work, they were headed by a person of great Magnetism and charisma.”

Theosophy contributed a whole list of the angels and their standing in order of importance which became accepted without challenge through Leadbetter. The work of Alice Bailey brought the concept of ascended masters, which had been evolving in Theosophy, to life again unsubstantiated and unchallenged. The whole society is, from inception inclusive of many elements of eastern Philosophy.

These ideas have been built upon especially by people like Elizabeth Prophett who pushed the concepts of ascended masters and indigo children. Others built upon the angel concepts. The whole arena is filled with items which look fascinating and with much channeled material ebven if this is of dubious origin. It is probably these two areas which have attracted the attention of many in the New Age and I would expect many Spiritualists.

Many when they meet Spiritualism wonder why we do not just include them for after all they rightly say the Spiritual pathway is a personal journey with personal truths. It can be a source of irritation for some people that we will not.

However, we do acknowledge that Spiritualism must always be prepared to move on but we must look back at my earlier thoughts. We need to be discerning, in the case of the general concept of indigo children and ascended masters they create a group of “Special Ones” which is not in accordance with the teachings we have received. They also imply a magical change on the circumstances of our world imposed by a chosen few which again is beyond our teachings and principles. The ascended masters are all about “specialness”. For example Ms Prophett persuaded her followers to contribute to the largest ever nucleur shelter to save the chosen ones. Needless to say the nucleur holocaust did not occur and neither did the Spacecrafts come to pick up the chosen in about 1998 even in Australia.

Is there a core truth behind these ideas, maybe, but it is hard to establish because of the wildness of the ideas. Could they be incorporated into our movement together with other beliefs and value systems. Not really, all of these can be evaluated by reference to our teachings and by the actual truth of what they claim. Sadly the glamour surrounding ascended masters is such that the actual past events are being forgotten as the channeling of their supposed wisdom gathers strength focused upon 2012 and the Mayan Calendar.

So I look at us all and acknowledge that many will have developed different understandings. We can all have varying beliefs but need to acknowledge the simplicity which founds the core of Spiritualism. Look at all of this from the perspectives of the teachings we have received. We are here in this physical world not as a punishment. We are here as a journey of learning. This world, as it is, has unique attributes to learn from, available no where else. Why would Spirit wish to change something so perfect for its purpose, other than by an ascension of the awareness of all the spirit here.

For us on the physical plane there is no success or failure in this life which is a very small part of our overall Spiritual Journey. We do not go to a heaven or hell. However painful events are here, they will add to our knowledge, even if we do not achieve any recognition of our spiritual purpose.

So when we meet here remember we come to celebrate the survival of the spirit. We are here meeting the truth of our Simple Teachings.
The American Medium Mrs Cecil M Cook in 1931, in the book “The Voice Triumphant Revelations of a Medium’’, made the following reflections upon Spiritualism

“To relatively few does it mean a beautiful religion teaching love and hope through a knowledge of God’s Laws brought directly to us by His Messengers, those who have passed over to the other side of the thin veil separating mortal from spirit and who have worked and developed there to fit themselves for this loving duty”, “Rightly understood, it offers more real consolation, hope, and love than any other faith”

Personally I agree with those words and it gives reason to maintain the simpleness of our belief unscathed but allowing changes after much careful discernment.



Cheers Jim

Hello Jim,

That is so eloquently written and very informative. Something that is worth reading and rereading for me as a clearer, deeper understanding of Spiritualism becomes revealed. I can see the reverence you hold for this sacred work through your writing. Thanks so much for sharing this.

Take care,
Lynn

I've been wandering on the threads here and just found this masterly piece.

It sums up so well the understanding which now underpins my life. I've often wondered if I'm a dinosaur by following the simplicity of Spiritualism to the exclusion of the clutter of so-called New Age information which sometimes colours the discussion of spiritual issues at times.

I am reassured that I am right to stick with that which has never let me down.

Well done Jim.

Having been a Spiritualist for all but 5 years of my life and having had the experience of a wonderful medium for a father I too find that today's Spiritualism is lacking in the foundations of our philosophy. I find that many working as " mediums " on our church platforms cannot even do a simple address based on Spiritualism and yet these people are directing development circles and " training " others in platform work, when they themselves sometimes cannot even put an opening and closing prayer together. Instead of our movement going forward I feel that in many ways we are going backwards. Many of our " mediums " are no more than psychics giving what I term " feel good" messages with no reference or connection to the spirit world. Such a pity...I wonder where our movement will be in the next 20 years to come. It is forgotten today that proof of survival along with our philosophy is the cornerstone of Spiritualism...there never shoud be the words, and only the words " spirit are telling me " uttered from our platform workers without that evidence of survival and undeniable proof. The groups that I myself teach are given random written homework to be presented back to me to help with their understanding of all the philosophy and phenomena concerned in our movement....otherwise we shall become another part of " new age " channellers!!!!!
Spirit7 Australia

Hi Spirit7,

Very well said we are absolutely on your wavelength.

Jim Adelaide

The issue of 'psychics' vs 'mediums' (psychism vs mediumship) is one I have regularly posted and complained about elsewhere.

So often, responses have suggested that few appreciate the differences or feel it to be as important as I do....

Hi Mac and Spirit 7,

You may find that the majority on here agree with both of you.

Cheers

Jim

Admin wrote:Hi Mac and Spirit 7,

You may find that the majority on here agree with both of you.

Cheers

Jim

And that's why I spend time here......and not much elsewhere, Jim

Hi Jim and everyone

I can see where you are coming from I really truly can. To be honest I didn't at first; I thought that everyone is an individual and they have their own ways of thinking and everyone has different experiences until I read this.

What is Spiritualism?
Spiritualism is a religion founded in part on the writings of the Swedish mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772)

Then I realized that everyone is allowed to have their own way of thinking but that doesn't make them a Spiritualist? I never liked to label my self and to be honest I didn't want to label myself as a Spiritualist because as Silver Birch said what is this Spiritualism that you speak of? The way I seen it was that Spiritualism was a man made name to describe someone who believes in the afterlife; that there is no death but when I sat and thought about it I could see that I was wrong.

Spiritualism is a Religion and even though the Spiritualist Church doesn't force ideas down peoples throats it gives them guidelines on how to live as a Spiritual person i.e the 7 principles.

I can see that just because someone believes in the afterlife it doesn't make them a Spiritualist.

I can see what you are saying. You are seeing the New Age Movement as taking over the true meaning of Spiritualism...in effect changing it with new ideas. It would be like adding bits to the teachings of the Roman Catholic church until eventually it changed completely.
.
Sorry for rambling lol.

Love and Light

Mandy xx

Also I am becoming a member of our Church and I will be honest with you why. I do go to church regularly, as often as I can and I love it. The church is paying for me to do a training course, which I was astonished by when they asked me. I then started to think about Spiritualism and is it wrong to have a label as Spiritualist and I thought no it isn't because the church is my life. I spend as much time as I can there. I love it there. I believe in the philosophy and I try to apply as much of it as I can in my every day life but I will be honest it is difficult at times and I also thought what would the world be like without the Spiritualist Churches to offer their guidance and support. I dread to think actually.

I went through a rationalisation in a similar way to Mandy. I don't do church now and never went regularly. Not that I have anything against it - quite the reverse. But for me it isn't appropriate and isn't necessary.

Some while ago I opened my thoughts and embraced many other issues distantly related to Spiritualism - very distantly in some instances but I was determined not to be pigeon-holed by a descriptor. During this time I stopped calling myself a 'Spiritualist' as I felt the term was too narrow.

After some time I began to realise that my core values - those values which explained life and not simply death - were those I had found years earlier when I learned Spiritualist philosophy. And during that time I found other teachings which beautifully married with my earlier learning, broadening my understanding.

Mandy is right to say that a belief in an afterlife is not the same as Spiritualism. I find New Ageism is a pointless distraction from simple truths.

I used to find it sad that the impact of Spiritualism is probably over but that's just the way it is and I've accepted it. Perhaps on my return here I'll find things have improved.....perhaps.

Gday,medium from a young age i didnt even know Spiritualism was around until early 20 and at that age i wasnt really interested in the philosophy,i learned it a few years later,but what was taught in our home was the philosophy but more in practice.What we call tools ie,tarot cards,runes,pendulums etc etc were all banned-a no no, no psychometry,etc etc,everything focused on spirit,and learning to discern from psychic and spirit.So you can imagine my thoughts when i went to the vsu for the first time and saw decks of tarot cards for sale!
I found they were a little to quick and ready to take on all this new age bs,alarm bells ringing back then.
Its funny last week my guides asked me if i would consider doing mental mediumship again with veiw to platform,i found this a strange request,as i have a deal with em if i sit for pm,then leave me alone with the other stuff.
On sat my mentor explained to me that here in melb,we are facing a massive shortage of mediums,all the good ones are getting old, with very little coming thru the ranks now there will be a shortage,and do you know why?cos they are all playing with tarot cards instead of learning the ways of the spirit.
I would have to go back to training and brush up a bit,get used to all those hopeful eyes in the congregation wanting a reading again,but i shouldnt have to,there should be plenty of mediums capable of platform work,the vsu has fallen behind badly here,maybe too busy trying to change the principals,when they should be concentrating on young mediums.Some of the areas now covered by the vsu and affiliated, have nothing to do with Spiritualist philosophy,whats it all coming to?Platform demos of tarot reading?talks on astrology and the indigo children?platform demos of asking your pendulum?where does it end?it ends with them getting back to what the philosophy is all about,Spirit.ib

Hi All,

I ended up doing platform earlier than I felt I should because of the shortage. Indeed the shortage is such that at times we see people working who have little idea of our philosophy and struggle to put a worthwhile talk together on any subject. Additionally many seem to have little idea of the difference between psychic and medium or that proof of survival is necessary. So I squirm when I hear them say "they are telling me" as if spirit was with them when they have given no proof and clearly have no spirit link.

Its nerve wracking and stressful but very important to do platform. If afterwards when you have critiquesd yourself and received feedback it can also be very rewarding to know you have given comfort.

Agree with you very much Ice and we need younger people involved again.

Cheers

Jim

The thing that worries me is that for a majority of ppl witnessing a platform demo,it is usually their first encounter with the philosophy this is why we must maintain standards and bring thru the young ppl to uphold those standards as well,I know a few ppl that are quite capable of taking on the platform yet they show no interest in doing so,is this due to lack of dedication?is it fear that they may fail?Have the churches become a place that young mediums dont want to associate with them?Is it that the ppl in the churches,that are so old and set in their ways hate to see a young medium come in and show them up?
Without good teachers and ppl of knowledge it would be very easy for the young medium to forget about the philosophy or not learn it at all.Young mediums need to be encouraged back to the churches,the churches must be encouraged to take on young mediums,there is a huge gap it may not be applicable now,but unless something changes we will see the consequences in the very near future.
I went into the vsu as a young fella,the lady running the open circle (vp at the time)told me i wasnt ready to develop.Turns out she was very wrong.18 months later i done my very first platform demo that went real well,didnt need the vsu to tell me if i was ready or not,i was developing at home anyway.I wonder how many young ppl have been told you are not ready?And i wonder how many will return after they have been told this?from my experience they end up in a home circle,and normally end up with a better quality mediumship for it,will they then return to the churches or shun them?Its a big mess over here,yet they keep their heads in the sand.ib

Hi Everyone

It is a shame that. The church which I go to is not at all like that. We have a new teacher who is bringing new people in by the droves. We had a discussion last week and she has asked me and others if we would like to do a read on platform some time. Not a spirit read but a read on the philosophy of Spiritualism. She is trying to get us used to being on the platform but more importantly she is trying to get us to learn about the philosophy and teachings. There are a few people in our group who attend the church services and she has asked the others if they will start to come. She feels it is very important as part of their development process and I agree with her.

Love and Light

Mandy xx

Just a dumb question - what has the age of the medium got to do with it? If there are providing good evidence I am not sure it matters how old they are. I would think that if the aim is to attract new people then good evidence is the way to do it. Although I don't disagree that a well constructed "sermon (joke)" is interesting and probably important once one has accepted continued existence, I am not sure that in itself would set my visit apart from a visit a church of any pursuasion.

Hi Obiwan

With regards to a persons age you are correct it doesn't matter what age a medium is but with no disrespect the older mediums will make their transition into the spirit world sooner than the younger ones (or shall we say it is more likely). They won't beable to work on platform forever so who will take their place?

I love to go to church not just because of the philosophy or the spirit communication but for the ambience too. It is a lovely place and to feel the energies whils't you are there and to receive healing why you are there is wonderful.

Love and Light

Mandy xx

mandy wrote:Hi Obiwan

They won't beable to work on platform forever so who will take their place?

I love to go to church not just because of the philosophy or the spirit communication but for the ambience too. It is a lovely place and to feel the energies whils't you are there and to receive healing why you are there is wonderful.

Good points!

HOWDY

A hearty hello to my fellow Spirit Beings from across the Great Blue horizon in America. It's an extreme pleasure to land among kindred Light Bearers. I followed a link from a Twitter account to end up in your forum.

I've spent a few days perusing various threads to get the feel of what you have going on here before jumping in. I wouldn't want to cause alarm or upset the apple cart. I have moderated a few forums so I know firsthand what can happen when a new member starts posting without a complimentary introduction.

I realize that a majority of the members are based in Australia and the UK so I will make every attempt to communicate appropriately. We may be "cousins" but our cultures also come with colorful lingo than can lead to misunderstandings. And we know that posting on a forum takes extra effort to communicate effectively with the spoken word as we cannot see faces or hear the tone of speech.

Yet we are Spiritualists and I am pleased to have found this forum. It interests me to see how Spiritualism exists and functions in other countries. From what little I have read here, it appears that we share many of the same concerns to keep spirit communication through mediumship honest and free of fraud and questionable decorum. Realistically, fraud will exist but I think mediumship can be "policed" with vigilence by Lightworkers willing to stand up and demand accountability & responsibility.

I have a few other thoughts on topics; a few are hot buttons for me. When time permits I will formulate these rants into coherent thought forms as I pull up out of the emotional plane to a more spiritual and logical state of mind (it's not always guaranteed but I do my best). It appears that this thread is the best place for me to revive discussion.

So for now, as a means of establishing where I'm coming from, I will leave you with the 9 Principles recited in my church~

1.We believe in Infinite Intelligence.

2.We believe that the phenomena of nature, both physical and spiritual are the expression of Infinite Intelligence.

3.We affirm that a correct understanding of such expression and living in accordance therewith constitute true religion.

4.We affirm that the existence and personal identity continue after the change called death.

5.We affirm that communication with the so-called dead is a fact, scientifically proven by the phenomena of Spiritualism.

6.We believe that the highest morality is contained in the Golden Rule: “Whatsoever ye would that others should do unto you, do ye also unto them.”

7.We affirm the moral responsibility of the individual and that he makes his own happiness or unhappiness, as he obeys or disobeys nature’s physical and spiritual laws.

8.We affirm that the doorway to reformation is never closed against any human soul, here or hereafter.

9.We affirm that the precepts of prophecy and healing contained in the Bible and all sacred writings of the world are divine attributes proven through Mediumship.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll be back when time permits.

Welcome to this forum,Happy Healer. I look forward to your posts.

By the way your signature: My karma ran over my dogma is one I've used for years although in a slightly different version viz. "My karma has just run over your dogma".

Zerdini

Hi and welcome Happy Healer,

Thanks for sharing that, I have the NSAC's Spiritualist manual here as a gift from Rev Anne Gehman on her visit to Adelaide. I also keep up regular communication withy another former NSAC board Member and several people from the USA. I suspect ther are more Americans on here than you may see at first sight.

The foundation of the USA and UK principles are fascinating and you will see there is a fair amount of information concerning this on the site. We are dedicated to presenting as accurate information as possible, especially as the available ebooks and articles expand our knowledge of the contemporary historical events.

Somehow sites like this need to help to lift Spiritualism above its current problems so it is great to see someone else join in the discussions especially to add a voice from the USA.

Once again welcome.

Jim

zerdini wrote:Welcome to this forum,Happy Healer. I look forward to your posts.

By the way your signature: My karma ran over my dogma is one I've used for years although in a slightly different version viz. "My karma has just run over your dogma".

Zerdini

Hi-Ho, Zerdini. Thanks for the welcome. You'll find that my siggie and avatar will generally change depending on the circumstances of life.

And thanks to you, Administrator Jim. Your forum is fairly easy to navigate but with the plethora of info here I sometimes find myself getting lost and forgetting where a certain poster elicited an inspired response. I'm sure you'll steer me to the correct forum category should I veer a discussion off course. Or do you allow threads to morph with the natural flow of conversation? Anyway, I've heard it said that it's like herding cats to get Spiritualists organized for we are often distracted by shiny objects.

I haven't been in organized Spiritualism very long. I was raised a Presbyterian but always knew in my heart that religious dogma was missing something, there was something more out there that no preacher was addressing. I followed a spiritual path but never knew until 4 years ago when I moved to another US state that what I always knew and believed had a name! And it was a religion! And it had a church! Spiritualist! Spiritualism!! woohoo


So therein lies the rub of semantics that people often confuse the terms of spiritual and Spiritualist. Just last year on a hospital questionaire I was asked what religion we were and I said Spiritualist without specifying the church we belonged to as that was not the question. The lady wrote down spiritual and the hospice counselor was a little surprised to find out later exactly where I was coming from.

Having seen this discussed in other threads I'll address it here abut psychics and mediums. I've heard a simple explanation is-- psychics perceive, mediums receive. I've also been taught that all psychics are not mediums but all mediums are psychic.

So now, perhaps, with other thoughts and musings I should dash up to the General Chat section and throw my hat into the ring.

Well thanks Happy Healer, on this site you will find in philosophy the earliest Spiritualist Principles 1864 in Philadelphia, many discussions on psychic v medium and serious debate about the correct way in which Mediumship should happen and how it works.

Yes we go off topic sometimes on one subject and it runs on but with new topics we try again to use the subjects in the threads. Sometimes people will contact me and we'll make changes or add topics. There is an awful lot of material and links here, much to rare publications. With the passage of time many rare records from the earlisest days have become available and we are trying to post from this to put right the errors that crept in over later years from misrepresentation/distortion of what happened early on.

Our membership include many people with a lot of experience, mediums, thinkers and really good people.

I have a several good USA friends not only on here but we had a visit from the NSAC's great Rev Anne Gehman in Adelaide and another great friend is Rev Marilyn Awtry. Both have many years experience in the teaching area of the NSAC.

Jim