June saw me travel by public transport to Saltcoats Spiritualist Church as I
did not have a car after the accident. I
must thank the ladies from Dalry – I never got their names that went out of
their way running me home after the service.
After an extremely warm day at a seaside resort there was still a good
turnout at the church.
– I was taking an evening of clairvoyance
at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre in Edinburgh.
workshops at the Glasgow Association of Spiritualists, Somerset Place, Glasgow.
(SNU) This was another well-attended
session.
to the Perth Spiritualist Church (SNU) 40 new Row, Perth…
the last moment to give a talk to a group whose intended speaker for the
evening could not get to the hall on time so I was asked to fill in. I gave a talk on “Spirit around Us” which seemed to go done well even though none of
those attending had ever been to a Spiritualist Church or had ever paid the
slightest interest in the paranormal.
But as usual after this talk there were one or two who felt that they
have had some sort of spirit connection without actually thinking anything
about it at the time. Any church who
wants to do something a little different. I am willing to come along and give a
talk on how close spirit can be yet even we spiritualists fail to notice at
times.
short distance to the Pyramid Spiritualist Church in Pollock, Glasgow.
mediums of the last century and a great medium, speaker and teacher. His
gifts of mediumship were wide ranging and comprised mental mediumship, trance,
physical mediumship and healing. Gordon was a dedicated Spiritualist and
is the longest serving President of the Spiritualists National Union (SNU),
serving for an exceptional 23 years from 1970 until his passing in 1993.
He was also the Principal of the Arthur Findlay College at Stansted Hall from
1979 to 1993, as well as being a Minister of the SNU . Stansted Hall was
very dear to his heart and a place where many came from far and wide to hear
his lectures and see his demonstrations.. Even today Gordon’s name is
constantly mentioned in our churches
be better if modern day Spiritualists heeded the wisdom of Mr Higginson?
GUIDES; –
“These are spirit
people who can inspire us; those who can work with us. They do not belong to
us. They do not want us to exalt them. They are being of service. There is only
one guide — God”.
executive committees of large Spiritual organizations, Presidents of churches
and their committees, Spiritual Mediums, Spiritual Healers and all those who
call themselves Spiritualists, should all learn off by heart?
that many Christians seem to put Jesus before God. I think it can be said
that there is a tendency these days to put Spirit and Mediums before God as far
as Spiritualism is concerned… I was asked at a question and answer
session one evening if we Spiritualist believed in a God. I was taken
aback for a second but all became clear as the gentleman
attended many Spiritual services and seldom heard the word “God”, apart from a
brief mention in the opening prayer. Someone else chipped in with “I
even heard a prayer when God was not mentioned”. During the
discussion that followed many thought that God was being ignored and some
amazing Spirit Guides and Mediums had taken his place.
inspiration of Spirit’ is being eroded by some churches in abandoning
addresses. Also by the powers that be – here on the Earth Plane in
pushing the medium more towards history lessons on Spiritualism that a Spirit
inspired address. I know of Christian friends who regularly attend Bible
study at their churches, so why does Spiritualism not follow suit by having
classes on “The History of Modern Spiritualism”? I did broach this
with a church president and she said “There would not be enough turn up to
make it viable”. . If we are going to proudly claim to be a
religion then we must accommodate five or five hundred. OK –
I can see where this is not viable for a church renting out a hall, but some of
my Christian friends take turns at having Bible study in their own homes.
The ‘only a few would attend’ should not be an excuse to opt out for a
church with its own premises. There is always a solution or a
compromise if one is willing to look for it. This is
an opportunity for a church in each area to hold a monthly meeting on our
Spiritual beliefs and history. With
members of other local Spiritualist churches also invited along. I am
sure then there would be enough attending. .
about the background of our religion – then why force it on congregations
during the address of a divine service? Surely the answer to all this is
let Spirit inspire the address and if they find there is a need for a for a
history lesson – so be it. Let our church committees arrange separate
nights for further education into Spiritualism………..
Back to Gordon’s words; – “They do
not want us to exalt them”.
those in the hierarchy of Spiritual organizations and Spiritual Mediums?
As each year passes the Spiritual Medium is being put more and more under the
spotlight of fame and fortune, taking all the glory and leaving Spirit as no
more than playing a very minor supporting role. …
(spirit). And should a Spiritual Medium not be the
same? There are many working for Spirit in many different
spheres of our communities that have never having heard of the Spirit
World. But they do their bit working alongside Spirit in helping
others. They don’t seek fame or fortune so why should the Spiritual
Medium?
finished reading a most interesting book – “Why I am a Spiritualist” by
Scottish author Ada A McKay. This is a very personal statement of Ada’s
beliefs. The book is intended as a simple introduction to the
Spiritualist faith through the eyes of Ada and why she believes in Spiritualism
as opposed to the established Christian Churches. Ada hopes that
those who read the book will be interested enough to follow on and explore
Spiritualism themselves.
views on
happens after death?
there a Judgment Day?
animals survive physical death?
trust the Bible?
everyone go to heaven or only those who accept certain beliefs?
happens to atheists and agnostics after death?
baptism important?
everyone survive death or is this only for a chosen few?
book does not hold back on certain subjects and I would not say that I totally
agree with everything that is written. But I feel that a lot of research
and soul searching over the years has gone into the book and will be of great
interest to Spiritualists and non-Spiritualists alike. Whether the reader
agrees with Ada or not it will give them a lot to think about. I am sure if a
church adds this book to its library then its members may feel encouraged to
press for a regular discussing evening to discuss points raised in the
book.
Ada hails
from Aberdeen and is a retired librarian. In the course of her career she has
worked in public libraries, a children’s library, a college library and a
university library. Books and knowledge are very important to her and she
believes that for readers to enjoy a book it must use words and expressions
which are familiar and easily understood. In her book she has used everyday
language and included references to TV programmes, movie stars and books which
everyone will recognize. She hopes that her book will make readers THINK and
perhaps reconsider some long cherished beliefs, always remembering that
Spiritualism teaches don’t accept anything unless it makes sense to YOU!
I am a Spiritualist” £5 including p&p
have you admired for acting in a spiritual or selfless way, yet they were not
part of the spiritualist movement?” My
third choice although in no particular order is…. His Holiness the 14th Dalai
Lama.
himself as a simple Buddhist monk. . He
frequently states that his life is guided by three major commitments: the
promotion of basic human values or secular ethics in the interest of human
happiness, the fostering of inter-religious harmony and the preservation of
Tibet’s Buddhist culture, a culture of peace and non-violence.
The Dalai Lama is a man of peace. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet. He has
consistently advocated policies of non-violence, even in the face of extreme
aggression. He also became the first Nobel Laureate to be recognized for his
concern for global environmental problems.
He has travelled to more than 67 countries spanning 6 continents. He has
received over 150 awards, honorary doctorates, prizes, etc., in recognition of
his message of peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, universal
responsibility and compassion. He has also authored or co-authored more
than 110 books.
His Holiness has held dialogues with heads of different religions and
participated in many events promoting inter-religious harmony and
understanding.
Since the mid-1980’s, he has begun a dialogue with modern scientists, mainly in
the fields of psychology, neurobiology, quantum physics and cosmology. This has
led to a historic collaboration between Buddhist monks and world-renowned
scientists in trying to help individuals achieve peace of mind. This has also
led to the introduction of modern science in the traditional curriculum of
Tibetan monastic institutions re-established in exile.
great men of our time….
Chapt.
3 Evidence for the
Sixth Sense
Soon after I began my experiments
with the dowsing rods, it became apparent that my mind was very much
responsible for whatever I discovered. I had to fix in my mind the sort of
objects I wanted to locate. Retaining a provisional imaginary image also
helped, as did spoken descriptive repetition of whatever was being sought. The
rods seemed to be necessary tools and indicators to enable me to link up with
the unseen, imagined, objects.
detection of underground and under floor objects was a reality, I wanted to
explore other possibilities using mental imagery and abstract thoughts. Would I
be able to detect the presence of obstacles in darkness? Would it be possible
for me to detect when I was in a particular, specified, location, without
visual reference? A number of experiments were devised to explore these ideas.
Avoidance Experiments
With the participation of my wife
and small schoolboy son, I was able to devise a number of tests indoors. In our
long, through-lounge, we moved the furniture to create a cleared walkway, from
front to back of the room. With eyes tightly shut (and sometimes blindfolded) I
asked my helpers to move obstacles into
my path down the room. Chairs, coffee tables, poufs and other relatively light
articles would be manoeuvred quietly into my path as I progressed blindly, walking
with rods extended before me. My helpers were prepared to warn me if it looked
as though the rods were not responding.
necessary. I felt the rods cross as they
passed over the edge of each low obstruction.
This experiment was carried out several times, successfully, with
different obstacles placed in different parts of the room. Surely, extrasensory
perception (ESP), assisted by the rods, had been demonstrated without any room
left for doubt.
Encouraged by that result, I decided
to go one stage further. Could the rods, after having detected an obstacle,
indicate to me the unobstructed way I should walk to avoid it? Again, with the help of my two assistants,
the obstacles were placed randomly, as before, to obstruct my blind walking. As
before, the rods warned me
the presence of the obstructing item. In my mind, I then asked which way I
should go to skirt round the obstacle. On each occasion, I felt both rods swing
forcefully together to the left or to the right. By turning in the indicated
direction, I was able to detect when I could return to my original direction of
travel. Occasionally, on opening my eyes I could see that, had I turned the
other way, I would have encountered another obstacle. Participating in these
experiments was a fantastic experience, but it would be experienced again
during the next experiments in this series.
Spatial
Positioning Experiments
the rods could indicate when I was in a pre-conceived location began with
simple tests. With the rods extended
before me and with eyes firmly shut, I
walked down the lounge, as before. I then fixed in my mind an image of the
location I wanted to be in; for example, beneath the ceiling light, beside one
edge of the fireplace, and so on. Positive responses were obtained during each
one of these trials. But I doubted the real significance of them, because I was
very familiar with the layout of the room and could have subconsciously
measured my steps accordingly. So, tests in an unfamiliar environment would be
necessary. The opportunity would be presented to me some years later when I was
in that large field in Adlington.
distances of objects like trees and gaps in the hedgerows would help me with
these spatial positioning tests. During my time in that field, one of the most
telling objectives was to reveal, with eyes tightly shut, when I crossed an
imaginary line between two objects located on opposite sides of the field. When
I felt the rods cross, I stopped abruptly and looked to left and right. Sure enough, on each occasion, I discovered that the chosen objects were
truly aligned on either side of my position, indicating that I was standing on
that imagined line linking them.
I discovered, also, if I believed
strongly enough, in an arbitrary manner and without any evidence, that there
was something underground at particular locations, the rods would obligingly
cross when I walked over those locations. This revelation led me, later, to be
sceptical about the claims of some dowsers that they were able to detect
Earth-energy (ley) lines in the vicinity of ancient sites. Currently, to my knowledge, there have been no tests devised to validate those
claims.