Spiritualist Camps in the USA and Elsewhere....

by eirefox Wed May 02, 2012 4:07 am

Here in the USA Spiritualist Camps were once a big deal. We still have some around. For instance, here in the Pacific Northwest Camp New Era (Canby, Oregon) was the first Spiritualist Camp in the USA. It was established in 1873.
Then of course there is the famous Lily Dale Camp.... as well as many others.
What about England, Australia and other places? Are Spiritualist Camps a USA phenomena, or is this something common elsewhere?
Just wondering.

by Wes Wed May 02, 2012 4:26 am

None that I'm aware of in my part of Australia, although just over the border in a place called Byron Bay, you can indulge in a myraid of New Age experiences (in camps, workshops and seminars), such as this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qeAnlNmIl4

by Blackcrow Wed May 02, 2012 9:52 am

Nothing like that around where i live in wales but there again we get nothing happening here

Namaste

by eirefox Wed May 02, 2012 3:16 pm

Well, they call them 'camps.' They're really more like communities. I know Camp New Era started as an actual 'camp site,' but it developped into a small community, complete with hotel, chapel, seance house, and cottages. I was just curous whether other countries had these.
Katy, the retirement community angle would be a good idea.

by eirefox Thu May 03, 2012 3:24 am

I think geography affects the camps. I think that the closer the camp is to a large city, the more likely it'll be affected by New Agers. The further a camp is from a large population, I think the camp is gererally less affected by New Agers.

KatyKing wrote:I've been to Lily Dale and it is almost a retirement communit. Most of the working mediums there are in later life having had full time careers elsewhere or worked the circuit.
Nice to be able to settle amongst like minded folks and set up one's shingle as a consulting medium.
Cassadaga I have not been to but know a copul;e of English mediums who have worked there 'guesting'.
Becuae of its Florida location Cassadaga is busier than Lily dale i'm told and there's more of a commercial aspect to it. Not least in the formk of independent psychics and all sorts of new agers setting up shop hard by the camp boundary so the area is a bit of a Spiritualist and psychics tourist type destination.
Plus they get teh weather. Some Lily dale mediums have cabins there plus at Cassadaga and work in Florida over the winter and at Lily Dale in the season.

by Left Behind Fri May 04, 2012 6:54 pm

KatyKing wrote:I wrote an article in PN a few issues back trawling for interest in setting up a feasibility study towards a 'Lily Dale UK' Spiritualist community. Some interest generated but progress so far is glacially slow.
The problem is the scarcity, hence high price; of development land or sites in those parts of England where, given a choice; people would like to live and work.
Talks about talks with a developer of planned-retirement communities are as far as we've got so far. Given a certain level of proveable demand they are interested in coming on board.
Watch this space for more news as plans progress, but don't hold your breath.

I was thinking about your project the other day, Pete. Thanks for the update.

Jim

by Left Behind Sun May 06, 2012 5:34 pm

KatyKing wrote: Well you are the International Secretary for "Lily Dale UK" Jim.

You have to keep me posted, then! Smile

Jim

by taushin Wed Sep 19, 2012 2:14 am

From what i have read the name Camp came from the fact that the spiritualist of that time, inhabited an area for their meeting, they had to set up canvas tents in which they slept and set up large circus type tents in which to conduct their speaking and lectures on spiritualism, until the building were build to house them. Such as it was for Camp Cassadaga, in florida in 1894, founded upon land, 55 acres donated by George P. Colby, a spiritualist medium and lecture who founded the area some 20 years prior led to the area by his spirit guide

by Admin Wed Sep 19, 2012 3:53 am

Quite correct Taushin, they were under canvas. Ther are some great archival newspaper reports of those earliest camps. Thanks for that comment.

by Lis Wed Sep 19, 2012 4:32 am

Hi Taushin,

If you have an interest in the origins and evolution of American Spiritualist Camp meetings, John Patrick Deveney's booklet 'Free Love, Universal Reform and Fraud: The Economics and Transformation of American Spiritualist Camp Meetings in the Nineteenth Century' Theosophical History Occasional Papers Vol. XIII, 2012, may be of interest.

While Deveney's viewpoint is somewhat critical, his research is impeccable and one can learn a great deal from reading his work.

by taushin Thu Sep 20, 2012 3:45 pm

thanks lis i will keep one good eye open for that title, now i have to figure out which one is the good eye. i think i have heard deveney name mentioned before thanks again
taushin

by Admin Wed Nov 28, 2012 5:51 am

Here is a fascinating insight into the start of Camp Meetings
http://archive.org/stream/historyofnewengl00budi#page/n0/mode/2up
History of the New England Camp meeting

by tmmw Thu Nov 29, 2012 12:13 am

Wow! Thanks Jim!

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