How I became a Spititualist.

At the risk of being a complete bore I will tell you how and why I became a Spiritualist.
In the mid 60s, I was a Sergeant in the army and living with Pam and the kids in married quarters at Crookham in Hampshire.
About half a mile from my house was a little Spiritualis church. I often drove past it and if I thought anything at all it was along the lines of what a bunch of nutters.
One Sunday afternoon I had a snooze after lunch. I woke up with the thought in my head that I would go to the church to see what went on.
I had a bath, shaved, got dressed and Pam asked me if I was going to the mess for a drink. When I told her I was going to the Spiritualist church she said she thought I had gone soft in the head.
I arrived at the church and the service had just started so I crept in quietly and sat at the back. I watched as the lady medium gave out messages but there was nothing for me.
When the service had finished, the church minister (Roy Jones) welcomed me and asked if I was a Spiritualist. I told him I wasn't and said I knew nothing about it and was puzzled as to why I had come. He pointed to some books at the rear of the church, told me to have a browse and take anything that I thought may be useful to e and to return them whenever.
The church emptied out and Roy went into a side room at the front of the church.
I looked through the books and was strongly drawn to On The Edge Of The Etheric by Arthur Findlay. I turned around, book in hand and standing no more than three feet behind me was who I first thought was Roy Jones. I started to say that I had found the book I would borrow when he disappeared in font of my eyes. I just stood there (no doubt with mouth wide open), thinking blimey I have just seen a ghost.
Roy Jones then came from the room at the front and asked me if I had found a book. I told him what I had seen and he asked me if I could describe who I had seen. I gave him a very full description including the pattern on his tie, the laoel badge in his suit jacket, colour of hair etc. Roy then told me that I had seen the former church president who had passed a couple of years before. When he knew he was dying (cancer) he had promised the church members that he wouyld come back and show himself in the church.

Roy told me that was the reason I had felt impelled to visit the church at that particular time.
After that experience and after reading the book, I thought to myself that there must be something in this. So began my life as a Spitiualist. A life that at times has been full of wonder, disappointments, inspiration, circles, development, one step forward and two steps back etc. Through it all an unshakeable belief in life after death.
At sometime in the future I will continue with the story of my life as an aspiring medium.

P. S. Any and all spelling errors are down to a faulty keyboard and obviously the fault of the forum admin. LOL.

It's funny how many people had their first introduction to Spiritualism through "On the Edge of the Etheric" by Arthur Findlay.

I'm looking forward to the next instalment, Bill.

Z

Hi Bill,

Fantastic, yes faulty key boards are definitely my fault.

Your story just shows how Spirit quietly do their work. I suspect that you have never regretted that first contact as I never have mine.

Thank you for sharing your introduction. It is as profound as any story I have heard of Spirit making a first contact with any of us.

Apologies for my dodgy keyboards..

Jim..
its the grreks

Hi Bill, That is a wonderful start to the story of how you became a spiritualist. I can understand why such an experience would have such a profound effect on you and start you on a journey of exploration. Thank you so much for sharing it. i wait in anticipation for the next instalment.

Lis

How fantastic Bill...........cant wait to hear the next instalment.

Love and blessings
Jo

.

Hi Bill

What a wonderful first experience you had. That Arthur Findlay has much to answer for!! Thanks very much for posting it for us all and please post the next instalment soon!

Miranda x

Did we ever get more of BILL'S story as a spiritualist, I found what I have read so far interesting..thank you bill.

zerdini wrote:It's funny how many people had their first introduction to Spiritualism through "On the Edge of the Etheric" by Arthur Findlay.

Z

I'll have to read it.

Jim

Left Behind wrote:

zerdini wrote:It's funny how many people had their first introduction to Spiritualism through "On the Edge of the Etheric" by Arthur Findlay.

Z

I'll have to read it.

Jim

Your reading list is growing, Jim!

You're not kidding, my friend!

By the way, I DID order a copy. I have a copy of Barbanell's Spiritualism Today on the way also, and a copy of Moore's Glimpses of the Next State.

I'm reading Atwater's Big Book of Near Death Experiences, have a copy of Anthony Borgia's Here and Hereafter - that's next on my reading list - and today I picked up Encyclopedia of Afterlife Beliefs and Phenomena at a used bookstore.

Is a pattern emerging, or what?

Jim

Left Behind wrote:You're not kidding, my friend!

By the way, I DID order a copy. I have a copy of Barbanell's Spiritualism Today on the way also, and a copy of Moore's Glimpses of the Next State.

I'm reading Atwater's Big Book of Near Death Experiences, have a copy of Anthony Borgia's Here and Hereafter - that's next on my reading list - and today I picked up Encyclopedia of Afterlife Beliefs and Phenomena at a used bookstore.

Is a pattern emerging, or what?

Jim

A pattern is definitely emerging. Happy reading.

Z

But I'm going to have to declare a "moratorium" on additional purchases for awhile, until I can get caught up.

Jim

I now have On The Edge as well...I really should be doing more actual book reading about Spiritualism and getting away from the forums! I have a long list to get through now.

To the making of books there is no end.
Spirit is more interested in what we do than what we read.
An hour spent in serving another is worth more than a month of book reading.
That said I'm a bookworm.
There are some good contemporary writers on Spiritualism and spirituality. ACD and Findlay are OK but very much of their time.
Colin Fry's good, entertaining yet profound in parts for a good Spiritualist read and Alan Watts for spirituality. For 'dip into' nice Spiritualism and to remind one of what we are 'for' as Spiritualists then you'll go a long way to beat Doris Stokes 'Voices' series. Lovely medium.
Nothing of merit academically for the scholar in book form. The only work fit to be peer reviewed currently on Spiritualism is in the mags and journals. What passes for considered research on here and elsewhere is actually nostalgic historicity. If you see the initials SPR, give it a miss, it's all scientistic old hat.

Loneblossom wrote:I now have On The Edge as well...I really should be doing more actual book reading about Spiritualism and getting away from the forums! I have a long list to get through now.

I've read it (now). HIGHLY recommended! If I could recommend only one book on Spiritualism, this would be the one.

Jim

Left Behind wrote:You're not kidding, my friend!

By the way, I DID order a copy. I have a copy of Barbanell's Spiritualism Today on the way also, and a copy of Moore's Glimpses of the Next State.

I'm reading Atwater's Big Book of Near Death Experiences, have a copy of Anthony Borgia's Here and Hereafter - that's next on my reading list - and today I picked up Encyclopedia of Afterlife Beliefs and Phenomena at a used bookstore.

Is a pattern emerging, or what?

Jim

I put the Atwater book aside, for the nonce: discovered that the Encyclopedia, being an encyclopedia, was best for reading articles IN, rather than for reading IT: and read the Borgian, Barbanell, and Moore books.

Jim

KatyKing wrote:To the making of books there is no end.
Spirit is more interested in what we do than what we read.
An hour spent in serving another is worth more than a month of book reading.
That said I'm a bookworm.

Right, on both counts, Peter.

Jim

KatyKing wrote:To the making of books there is no end.
Spirit is more interested in what we do than what we read.
An hour spent in serving another is worth more than a month of book reading.
That said I'm a bookworm.
There are some good contemporary writers on Spiritualism and spirituality. ACD and Findlay are OK but very much of their time.
Colin Fry's good, entertaining yet profound in parts for a good Spiritualist read and Alan Watts for spirituality. For 'dip into' nice Spiritualism and to remind one of what we are 'for' as Spiritualists then you'll go a long way to beat Doris Stokes 'Voices' series. Lovely medium.
Nothing of merit academically for the scholar in book form. The only work fit to be peer reviewed currently on Spiritualism is in the mags and journals. What passes for considered research on here and elsewhere is actually nostalgic historicity. If you see the initials SPR, give it a miss, it's all scientistic old hat.

Not surprisingly I disagree with you Kate. History helps us to learn and avoid recreatring the wheel. Indeed well used history adds depth to the thoughts you can share with others, certainly the fact I have a deep knowledge of the history never gets in the way of people attending my group, indeed they seem to enjoy the way I can interweave history with that teaching.

The slide in book quality is rather sad as no one now knows what Modern Spiritualism is and what it represents. Most folks here believe we are psychism or proof of survival poorly done because there is nothing to guide them and all to often even people running centres have little idea what they are representing.

Doris Stokes books are nice light weight fun as are some of the other modern books but too often they tend towards the "look at Moi..how good I am variety".

I am a member of the SPR believing that, whatever its faults, it is up to Spiritualists and Mediums to reengage in that process. Modern books like Prof Garry Schwartz's "After Life Experiments" are well worth reading. Lis had some involvement talking to Trevor Hamilton for his book "Immortal Longing" which is of interest.

I have discovered that, it may seem, I have a very different view to many of todays spiritualists. Proof of survival has to be researched and brought forward by addressing the scientific means by which it occurs, proving it happens scientifically, just as much as by good mediumship. At the moment the movement seems in terminal decline because it ignores its history, rejects science, teaches mediumship very badly, allows very poor psychic work on platform and too frequently embraces just about any new age idea without discrimination ( or a review of history to see so many of them are rehashes of previous idiocy)

I am aware Katy that we have a rather fundamental difference of opinion about what Modern Spiritualism is and what it represents (judging by what you have written on the forum). Thats fine, what is the point of a single minded site and there remain many areas we agree upon. However, personally I think we have too willingly given up on where we came from so that everything can be slotted into churches so each one represents very different ideals. In that respect I agree with what both the NSAC and SNU stand for I just disagree with the way they go about it.

That's one of the nice things about Spiritualism Jim the unity in duversity. I'll defend anyone's right to hold any opinion and defend it vigorously as do you and Lis. As you know my own position and approach to writing and talking on Spiritualism as an academic issue takes the post modern anthropological turn more paranthropology than psypioneer and as such I'm contra-historicist. Different days mean different ways. Whatever any of us say it's all via text and narrative conditioned by and from the speaker. We all of us re-read and shape our world now and however good AFC or Findlay or Higginson were back in teir day they are of their day. To hold to ancient text as valid today is to perform nostalgia. A kind of wistful longing for that which we never personally possessed.. Hence Doris Stokes in the eighties spoke for spiritualism then as do Colin Frys writings now and as such have equal value to yesterday's authorised voices and text. The SPR and similar empirical scientistic approach works fine if you want to now how many red cars there are in a car park but as paradigm descriptor for the lived experience of a belief system then it falls down.
Ironically we'l always be around we intellectualizers, SPR,thePoMos,the anthropologists and the journal jockeys each mutually co-ependent. Else who would we have to talk to?Ultimately what endures is the lived experience of Spiritualsm that keeps folk turning up evey year to replace those gone on before. Fortunately the vast majority never concern themselves with issues beyond the evidential and social aspects of the movement.
Lin at our church who makes the tea for meetings and washes up afterwards and who has never to my knowledge opened a book on Spiritualism... Lin who describes new glossy PN as not so good as the old newsprint version because the old version scrumpled up with a drop of vinegar water was best thing ever for cleaning church windows.. Lin has more practical Spiritualism in one little finger than I could aspire to in several lifetimes of thinking and writing on the subject.
The intellectual turn keeps the likes of you and me out of mischief Jim, but beyond that.........

ACD not AFC [AFCs never been much good]

KatyKing wrote:
Lin at our church who makes the tea for meetings and washes up afterwards and who has never to my knowledge opened a book on Spiritualism... Lin who describes new glossy PN as not so good as the old newsprint version because the old version scrumpled up with a drop of vinegar water was best thing ever for cleaning church windows.. Lin has more practical Spiritualism in one little finger than I could aspire to in several lifetimes of thinking and writing on the subject.
The intellectual turn keeps the likes of you and me out of mischief Jim, but beyond that.........

No matter what you believe: you've got to love a pragmatist!

Jim

Jim - over here - now sees himself as a Spiritualist. Jim in Australia is, like myself, an avowed and obviously dyed-in-the-wool Spiritualist. Spiritualist, that is, as in adherents to the Spiritualist religion and philosophy....

Now, just out of curiosity, how many of the other contributors to this thread (or readers if you don't regularly post - do it this time, eh?) call themselves Spiritualists?

Me
[And they'e under starter's orders.....]...

Ah sweet sweet Pragmatism, the only philosophy for the truly lazy man.
Had Pragmatism not been first posited by Dewey, Peirce , James et al in the USA it could have stemmed from Australia where their national motto of....
'She'll be right mate'...
sums it so succinctly yet eloquently.