Silver Birch's real name was Big Jump

According to PN issue ten out today.
Can see why they changed his name.
'Moby Richard' wouldn't have paid for Melville's retirement.

Fair enough.
Seems a reliable source though.
No big issue. The philosophy is sound wherever it came from.

KatyKing wrote:Fair enough.
Seems a reliable source though.
No big issue. The philosophy is sound wherever it came from.

Psychic News is a reliable source?

Well it's Paul Gaunt's research.
He's as sound as a pound.

KatyKing wrote:Well it's Paul Gaunt's research.
He's as sound as a pound.

Oh well it must be right then.

I think I would trust Paul's research entirely, if it has never been revealed, as George said ( I detect an air of but of course I know the name in the comment albeit he was not a close confidante of Barbanell I believe), then someone knew it, there was a record and the story is clearly likely to appear now. I think it is fantastic and Paul is one of the foremost scholars on Spiritualism.

There are many things he has done, not least making, at his own expence, the original EE Lewis pamphlet about the Hydesville affair available on Psypioneer for everyone. I know Z has said on here that he has a copy of the original but it is extremely rare, very expensive and even the NSAC in the USA seem to have not had a copy.


Jim

Well we'll never know for sure then but Paul has done a good job demistifying this 'other' name that was used.
It is a bit close to Big Chump so one can see the joke.
Textually there are resonances of the Mishnah in the SB sayings and more than a slight whiff of the Levant so I'm sticking with 'Big Jump was the rabbi that Barbie, and those
'Secular-Jew' sitters of the SB circle; never had'.
A theory amongst others. Nothing more.

Z what is your problem with Paul, it sounds like you thought he was a Hippy and God help me a man who grew up in South Africa would hate them.

Paul has a wonderful knowledge and access to all the Stansted records, whether you had access with Barbanell in 1980 is irrelevant, given it all happened in 1932 before you were born. Paul is also a fantastic Spiritualist, a great meticulous historian, it is sad you seem prepared to dismiss him so readily...for long hair?.

At times you come up with so much, to make yourself sound like an expert, but all to often all you do is quote others, like the books you love to copy.

Personally, I realise you had wonderful contact with so many people but as you say

told by Barbanell to his circle none of whom knew either and all have now passed to the spirit world.

but records and scribes left a record which you were not party to Z.

We can only take your word on much you say of the past, albeit I have checked enough to know that much of your claims for this experience is valid.

I would love to know whether the people you talk about had the same strong feeling about your work. Could you please share the stong reflection of your abilities by the quotes they give of you?

This web site has defended you and fought over other issues surrounding you that are very difficult, when you dismiss people like Paul Gaunt, who have done so much to correct the history of Spiritualism and for the movement, like this I wonder why we should have ever supported you.

Fair do's Jim.
George is a partial commentator same as the rest of us.
Over here those with any previous respect him as an elder statesman but nobody takes him seriously.
Apropos nothing more than jealousy.
I'd give a lot to have hair like Paul's.
Indeed to have any hair at all would be a result.

Z wrote "There wasn't a record nor will the story appear because there isn't one."

Clearly Z knows less than he would have us all believe.

Z says: "I had frequent correspondence with Paul Gaunt when I was editor of the Ark Review. We were at Stansted at the same time although in those days Paul had shoulder-length hair. We had a shared interest in old Spiritualist books."

So Paul had long hair and you shared an interest in old books back then? Your point is???

Z says: "I have great respect for Paul but, if he has been reported accurately, then, in this instance he is wrong."

But of course he is Z, if you say so. After all, his role as the curator of the AFC library and archives means nothing in comparison to your infinite knowledge

Z says: "Silver Birch has never revealed his true identity."

Certainly not to you. Z

Z says: "The words 'Big Jump' were part of a joke told by Barbanell to his circle none of whom knew either and all have now passed to the spirit world."

Interestingly not all of those who have now passed to spirit failed to leave a record of their knowledge of Barbanell and Silver Birch - a fact for which we must be grateful, otherwise people who claim to know all might be believed in preference to those who actually knew the real story at the time it happened.

Look KK at this moment I am getting pretty cross with some of the stuff that is going on. Z's comments were not acceptable neither have some others. Its not just here, where my opinion is that Pauls work is so far above Z's that it is in a different world, its elsewhere. I have been very busy but much has happened which is not in accord with what the forum is about.

Haven't downloaded and read the new edition of PN yet, but plan to do so tomorrow. Didn't know either of the parties mentioned in this thread, but am certainly looking forward to reading this article...

You want blind sided one eyed partiality?
Check out the Mount Ararat like html site whereupon defunct issues of the ARK [NAS Newsletter] have been interred.
To read those one could come away with the impression that all was well and above board on the good ship NAS.
Not one word concerning the blatant and well exposed charlatanry that went on. The which George , an honourable man; was an unwitting party.
Charitably,we must surely excuse him his irascibility as the deeply disappointed and badly let down man that he was.
To find ones lifes self selected vocational mission to have all been naught but dust and ashes.
Which of us could say that we would not but react similarly?

Admin wrote:Look KK at this moment I am getting pretty cross with some of the stuff that is going on. Z's comments were not acceptable neither have some others. Its not just here, where my opinion is that Pauls work is so far above Z's that it is in a different world, its elsewhere. I have been very busy but much has happened which is not in accord with what the forum is about.

Paul Gaunt is a serious resarcher and a respected historian, archivist and curator of our movement's ephemera. If I read something that Paul has put his name to then I trust it. Knowing that trust may be assured should I wish recourse to the data informing any conclusions he reached.
There's impartial truth and there's partial opinion. Getting those two mixed up is the sure sign of an untrained mind.

Impartial truth as in verifiable evidence such as Paul Gaunt cites in his PN article.
Partial opinion as in an opinion I may be partial to but is one that cannot be supported by verifiable fact.
For example...

Partial opinion..
KK is a clever clogs.
Impartial fact..
Sometimes KK comes across as a swollen headed bigot.

or to get back on topic
Partial opinion...
There's a secret name of Silver Birch and we don't know what it is.
Impartial fact...
Paul Gaunt's researches have discovered that SB was known as Big Jump prior to that pictorial postcard arriving that had an image of a Silver Birch tree on it.

The estimable Geoff Griffiths kindly donated recently to the Britten Museum some records of the Silver Birch circle, including an account, written by the Scribe of the circle, how the the guide's name was changed. Paul Gaunt, as curator of the museum, promptly catalogued all the material, and has published this account in a new booklet from the museum. This booklet is obtainable for a small sum by e mailing curator@snu.org.uk ( the suffix "uk" is important, and was accidently omitted in the printed version of PN.) I would urge everyone to read the booklet, and to visit the museum.

Well its a jolly good article. Worth the price of PN for that alone.

Interesting stuff! I have all the Silver Birch books. Doesn't 'Big Jump' sound like an Native american name, confuses me slightly considering, Silver Birch states ''I had to come in the form of a humble Indian to win your love and devotion'' The Swaff says, Once, he nearly gave himself away, for, in describing his mission, in the words used in his own story, printed on Page 17 of Teachings of Silver Birch, he began: (Silver Birch) ''They said to me.... I nearly used my real name then.''

Didn't Silver Birch also state, he lived on the earth some 2,000 years ago, I don't think Indians where given English names then, so thats why Big Jump confuses me slightly, but as I said interesting thread this is.

pricel wrote:The estimable Geoff Griffiths kindly donated recently to the Britten Museum some records of the Silver Birch circle, including an account, written by the Scribe of the circle, how the the guide's name was changed. Paul Gaunt, as curator of the museum, promptly catalogued all the material, and has published this account in a new booklet from the museum. This booklet is obtainable for a small sum by e mailing curator@snu.org.uk ( the suffix "uk" is important, and was accidently omitted in the printed version of PN.) I would urge everyone to read the booklet, and to visit the museum.

Hi Leslie thatnks for passing that information onto us.

Jim

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet"

Agreed Wes whatever may be said there clearly was another name once recorded back in the 1930's and it appears to heve rematerialised. It makes no difference to the wisdom but is a very interesting piece of history.

The issue is not whether 'Silver Birch' ever revealed his "real" name, but that until his words of wisdom as transmitted through Maurice Barbanell were made public, the name by which he went in his circle was 'Big Jump' and not Silver Birch according to the record of a scribe of the circle. In historical terms that information is of significant interest and worthy of gaining wider attention as it is in a recent publication.