Is Spiritualism really evolving?

It is very encouraging that Spiritualism has reached this point: the Old vs the New.
There is no pat answer as the 'older'- in terms of experience, seem to have greater awareness of the wider implications of what the 'ism' encapsulates, while the 'newer'- quite naturally looks for more of what points, so wonderfully, to unrealised Worlds beyond.

The demand for 'greater wisdom' generally stems from the mind or the intellect and quite misses the entire point of it all.
Wisdom is a Soul quality that flowers from within. Like 'beauty' - and wisdom is beauty - it dwells in the eye of the beholder. Like the physical ideal of beauty, wisdom is so often confused with psychic 'glamour' - a saleable commodity, just like psychic phenomena. One might be a stepping-stone to the other, but not necessarily so.
There is no shortcut to wisdom, nor does it have an end. Just like beauty.

Carl Jung's view is worth consideration: "There is no coming to consciousness without pain. People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own Soul. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious."

Spiritualists realise that we ARE the Soul and that all we need is already known and is within. A lifetimes efforts to reach wisdom seems intentionally necessary. Just keep on 'keeping on'.

The concept that old must inevitably give way to new ... of course, all experience is temporary, change is constant - but principles remain absolute.  We cannot challenge the law of cause and effect nor can we challenge the principle of personal responsibility.  The mind is constantly seeking 'knowledge' ... I so agree with hiorta here, that confusion between what the ego seeks and what the soul seeks is the key. We are SO lucky, as Spiritualists, to have our wonderful set of principles - even though I have to say, I have met Spiritualists who don't really apply them, or only some of them (no one's perfect) - and living the belief is the test, how we make best use of our knowledge day to day. Now, how to bring that understanding to people beginning to seek, if Spiritualism has been portrayed to them as 'old hat'?

mac wrote:That was an illuminating piece, Jim!  Would it be OK for me to reproduce it elsewhere, of course attributing copyright to the author?

Hi Mac do so you are most welcome to spread that news around

Milly wrote:The concept that old must inevitably give way to new ... of course, all experience is temporary, change is constant - but principles remain absolute.  We cannot challenge the law of cause and effect nor can we challenge the principle of personal responsibility.  The mind is constantly seeking 'knowledge' ... I so agree with hiorta here, that confusion between what the ego seeks and what the soul seeks is the key. We are SO lucky, as Spiritualists, to have our wonderful set of principles - even though I have to say, I have met Spiritualists who don't really apply them, or only some of them (no one's perfect) - and living the belief is the test, how we make best use of our knowledge day to day. Now, how to bring that understanding to people beginning to seek, if Spiritualism has been portrayed to them as 'old hat'?

I like that comment Milly

I've been involved in a little open 'circle' for a couple of months and there are people coming with no previous experience of Spiritualism, so it's a delicate thing (or not) to introduce a different perspective.  The woman who runs it does 'readings' and 'channelling', starting it with a guided meditation, followed by short readings for all, sometimes throwing in some psychometry or crystal healing. She has a very genuine intent.  I sit quietly drawing, unless as last night, I was thrown into the fray to lead the meditation as she was unwell.  So ... I read from Silver Birch, and then lead a healing meditation (which was scripted to begin and then let my guide step up to help).  I was pleasantly surprised that one sitter was familiar with Silver Birch. There was a different (healing) vibration and it was very interesting afterwards, the reaction of the sitters.  They all felt uplifted and somewhat unburdened, so I'll take it that what was required was achieved for that short space of time anyway.  Hopefully it gently opened them up to making further enquiry about Spiritualism itself, I certainly hope they received healing and the benefit of the difference between the psychic and Spirit.

You are so right about open circles I have now been running every week on one evening, for the centre we are involved in, for 12 years and its always a delicate process where you get some people who tend to be drawn to Spiritualism others who continue their own way. It led me to write this piece for Spirit of PN http://spiritofpn.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/so-you-want-to-run-an-open-development-group/ . This was re printed in one of the early numbers of Psychic news when it came back into publication.

Brilliant piece of writing, answers entirely my hesitant thoughts on being part of an open group, let alone thrown in the deep end to lead one (personally I felt I hadn't sufficient experience and therefore kept it very simple and left myself in my guides' competent hands to decide the 'programme' so to speak). But yes to the Archangel Michael (he really gets about), and other 12th dimensional being guides etc etc. This is kind of foreign to a dyed-in-the-wool 3rd generation Spiritualist like myself   It's almost as if dear old Uncle Fred couldn't possibly pass on any wisdom or insights .... BUT, we must at the very least be respectful to the genuine nature of people's intent .. and if I can, I will continue to gently reiterate my own background and philosophy and how it has influenced my life thus far. After all, this is an open group, held not in a Spiritualist Church and I agree, no converts! Free will at all times. Plus I am taking the opportunity to sit there and let my artist guide(s) fine tune me!

I think that happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.

HemantM wrote:I think that happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.

Hi HemantM, these are lovely words, and it's usual practice when using someone else's words, to place them in quotation marks and acknowledge the source, for example:

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."

Denis Waitley

Thanks Wes quite right, if words come from someone other than you acknowledge the source.

Spiritual evolution is the philosophical, theological, esoteric or spiritual idea that nature and human beings and/or human culture evolve, extending from the established cosmological pattern or ascent, or in accordance with certain pre-established potentials. It is synonymous with "higher evolution", a term used to differentiate psychological, mental, or spiritual evolution from the "lower" or biological evolution of physical form. The concept of spiritual evolution has been taught in Buddhism. William Sturgis Bigelow a physician and Buddhist attempted to merge biology with spirituality, he accepted the existence of both material and spiritual realms, many of his ideas were discussed in his book Buddhism and Immortality (1908).