Author: Tom

Do Not Abuse Spiritualism…Hannah Hauxwell… The Love Of Two Chimpanzee Brothers… The negative Side of Our Society… RIP Winnie Johnson…

2nd August I took the
service at The Langside Spiritualist Church  
where well known medium Ann
McCutcheon is president.  There was a good turnout with several attending
a Spiritualist Service for the first time. 

A break from church services for
two weeks did not mean I was sitting with my feet up…  I visited several people who had asked for
help or an explanation on spirit activity. 
A talk to a group on psychic research… 
Then a meeting with two psychic researchers where the venue ended up
being at Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens. It is the first time I went into a meeting
and then came out with a suntan.
                        Do Not Abuse Spiritualism…
 A few people comment’s on my description
of Eddie Docherty’s church being like an “oasis”.  They said that they liked that description of
a spiritualist church.

Oasis; –
1. A
fertile or green spot in a desert or wasteland, made so by the presence of
water.

2. A
situation or place preserved from surrounding unpleasantness; a refuge: an oasis of serenity amid chaos.

Is that not what we should aim for
within our churches? 

A peaceful little haven where we can
leave our worries at the door… Create a relaxing atmosphere were the we can
mingle for a short time, with Spirit.

It is easy to rent a hall, book a medium
and advertise you are opening a Spiritualist Church.  But if there is not going to be deep thought
and good foundations laid down, then the evening can mean little more than
entertainment.  It may end up being
little more than an enjoyable evening out rather than what should be taking
place.  It may in the end  be looked upon by the regulars as a only a place
for a laugh and a cup of tea once a week.  Spiritualism the religion, will be sold
short. 

To proudly use the name Spiritualist
Church, one has to adhere to the beliefs of Spiritualism – the
religion.  Aim for the church to be part
of the community, to be there for those in the community, who may need help or
understanding, not just to open the doors one night a week from 7pm, close them
at 10pm and that is all to the following week. 
If that is what is happening then   surely
this is not truly fulfilling what a spiritualist church is all about? 

To many Spiritualism is a whole new
concept, one that can be so different from anything they have known in the
past.  .

So much to take in, it can seem like
a fairytale or science- fiction.  No one
can take it all in at the first visit to a church   but once that first seed is planted in our
mind it will grow and grow.  With each new
root there will be a question and more questions after that.  So the church that started all this must be
there to cultivate this growth.

There will be those in the community
who have just become aware of spirit and are frightened, and others who have had
a spiritual experience maybe many years before and decided they finally need to
confide in someone about it.

Where else to go than the local
spiritualist church?  Is a church being a
good spiritualist church if it is only contactable once a week for a few
hours? 

A Spiritualist Church is only a
heading for a large package of contents such as Philosophy, Healing,
Clairvoyance, Education, Training, Compassion and Assistance.

A quote from “The Spiritualist
National Union.   
The Nature of Spiritualist…
It is through personal interpretation and understanding of any
spiritual philosophy and how it is expressed by living it that shapes the
individual spiritually and guides their decisions in how they chose to interact
with everyone and everything of the material and non-material worlds.

Spiritualism helps to provide a personal philosophy for every
Spiritualist, each continuously progressing and growing in their understanding
and interpretation resulting in the consideration of many diverse views.
However, in essence the underpinning ideas come from the same source of
universal understanding, and within the SNU it is based on the 7 Principles of
Spiritualism.

It is the acceptance of this diversity that makes Spiritualism
free from creed or dogma as a religious philosophy. Though the SNU chooses to
set down the principles behind SNU Spiritualism, they are not seen as binding
they are just a foundation for that journey of understanding.

It is by applying personal philosophy in all
compartments of day to day living and by progressing and learning through
life’s experiences that Spiritualism becomes a living personal philosophy

Surely any venue opening as a
Spiritualist Church must hold a divine service? 
Not an evening of clairvoyance and that is the end of it.  Yes’ there are many of our main churches hold
weekly evenings of clairvoyance but they always have a Divine Service as well
during the week.  So
if a venue is to come under the heading of “Spiritualist Church” then surely
there must be a spiritual address?

 I have heard it said often “They come for the clairvoyance – not
for the address”.   Yes, some only are
interested in the clairvoyance but what of those who need a spiritual address
to help them on their spiritual path, are they to be neglected?  If a church is only on for one night then
surely  it must cater for all in that
community who attend the church.


There should be qualified Spiritual Healers.

There should be those who can give education and training to members
who wish it.  And trainers in such
positions must have a good deal of experience and training in the
movement.  In recent years too few
churches supplied such training and this made people wishing to move forward in
their spiritual path, to have to go here there and everywhere, on many
occasions at considerable cost, to get the development that they wanted. This
is no substitute to being with a church with good development circles and also
taking a course at the spiritual colleges set up by the main Spiritual
Organizations.

 A church should also have in place someone that will attend to
those who ask for help.  It may not be
the member of that particular church but someone they can call on to go out to
people’s homes when the need arises.  I
feel that we could be doing better in this area.

 I have said many times in the past
that I have never had any intention to start up a church as I feel it is not
for me.  I realize that starting up and
running a successful spiritualist church is not easy, it takes a lot of
commitment.  The real hard work comes before
and after the service and that has to be done by the committee and willing
helpers.  A medium can just decide one
night they cannot be bothered and cancel. 
If the committee just cannot be bothered two weeks in a row and the
doors are not opened then the third week and thereafter the congregation will
not turn up and the church will be no more.The person who gives you a genuine
smile and greeting as you come in the door, the cheery tea lady or gentleman
all play a part in making the congregation feel welcome.The booking secretary,
not the easiest of jobs…

Finance of the church is a big
headache whether the church own their own building or a hall is rented

 Like all religions, internal politics
can knock the gloss off what we are trying to achieve.  I once thought that Spiritualism would be the
one religion where there would be less bickering but that is not the case.  I thought that we would be directed by spirit
but so many individuals override spiritual advice and go their own way.

Maybe that is a negative way to look
at it and an elderly lady I heard talking on this subject one day said “We are
all human and we all think our way is right”.  
So maybe when there is conflict we should all stop and count to ten –
then ask spirit for some guidance.

To get our churches to have the full
package maybe it is time to think that amalgamation of some churches would be
the right answer.

 I am in no way getting at the small
churches or certain individual churches, I am suggesting what we should aim for
this in all our churches.  Many small
churches have fully intrigated with the local community with both the church
and the community being all that much better for the close association.

 Each community has different needs
and if the local spiritualist church can give assistance to these needs without
lowering its standards then it will be a welcome oasis in our stressful society.

I have been reading a book this
week that at first glance one may not think to be Spiritual, but it probably is
more spiritual than many books actually written on the subject.

           “Hannah”

By Hannah Hauxwell with Barry
Cockford.

This is the omnibus edition containing
“Seasons of MY Life” and “Daughter of the Dales”

Hannah Hauxwell, the remarkable lady who thirty-five years ago captured
the hearts of the nation when she was the subject of an extraordinary
television documentary. “Too Long a Winter” portrayed Hannah’s
constant struggle on a remote Pennine farm with no electricity and no running
water. Battling against poverty and hardship in sub-zero temperatures, she
somehow survived on an income of less than GBP 280 per year. Two decades later,
she finally gave up the unequal struggle and moved down to easier conditions in
a Teesdale village.  At the end of every chapter I paused and thought how much I
take for granted.

There
was an amazing story in the Daily Mail this week of
two gorilla brothers hugging each other in delight at being reunited after
three years.  The affection is unmistakable.
They react just as human brothers might.: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2189591/The-hug-says-theyre-just-like-As-gorilla-brothers-greet-like-old-friends-zoologist-says-share-EVERY-human-emotion.html#ixzz23ptbykEU


…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

At the other end of the scale really sad news item
where a father was found dead after being hounded for months over false rumours
that he was the child killer. The storywas completely untrue but this not stop
the fingers being pointed at him and accusations made. It reached a stage where
he felt the only way out of this was to take his own life. So many in our rat
race society are driven to taking their own life for so many reasons. We should
get our facts right…

After 48-years of heartache brave Winnie
Johnson will now be at peace with her son Keith Bennettt.

RIP Winnie…

My diary… Living in harmony with other creatures… Eddie Docherty is not forgotten…. Life after my last platform booking…Scotland’s newest Spiritual Sanctuary

22nd July I was at ASK
Dunfermline.  Founder Jock mcArthur
passed to spirit earlier this year but his determination and dedication live on
with Kerry McLeod, Helen McArthur, Liz Bain, June Stein
and others at the helm.  

23rd
it was to the Pollockshaws and District Spiritualist Church, Langside Halls,
Glasgow.  Bill Thomson who was president
for a great many years but has now stepped back because of health reasons.  Ellen and Margaret are now in charge of the
running of the church.

23rd… Not a new
church but a new venue.  The Cumlodden
Drive Spiritualist Church has changed its name and moved a mile across the
city.  It is now called The Lambhills Eternal, Light
Spiritualist Church, The Stables, Canal Bank North,
Lambhill Bridge, Balmore Road, Lambhill, Glasgow, G22 6RD.  The hall was almost
full to capacity on the evening I was there.

24th… Out seeing those who had contacted our
churches….

25th it was to the Balloch Spiritualist Church
to a good turnout especially as that day was one of the few good days we have
had this summer.

26th…  I
was taking a small workshop for those who wish to understand their psychic
abilities but not to go on to the platform

28th… I was taking
sittings at The Friendship of Love and Light Spiritualist Church, Paisley.  More about this church and its founder Eddie
Docherty later in this blog.

The photograph above was taken in a
friend’s back garden.  For several years
now badgers have been visiting her garden, and the last two summers the parents
felt the garden safe enough to let their cubs wander about close to my friend
and her husband. What a great experience it must be to get so close to these
largely nocturnal, normally shy, retiring animals. 

Recently I visited a
lady, who because of health reasons cannot walk any further than her back
garden.  She has few visitors of the
human kind but the animal kingdom does not neglect her.  She has a regular visit from a fox which at times
will sit a few inches from her feet when she is sitting in the garden.  A grey squirrel which will eat from her
hand.  Countless small birds which will
take food from her hand.  And a large
Herring Gull which seldom leaves her garden, she has named Sammy.  Sammy is like her minder and is never more
than a few yards from her when she invites anyone into the garden.

The great pleasure these
two ladies get from being close to nature is immense.  The pleasure brought about by all trusting
each other and giving each other respect. 
But all these creatures I have mentioned are in the front line as far as
for persecution from man is concerned.    

Acts of Parliament make it
illegal for any person to kill, or injure badgers. These Acts had to be put in
place because of barbaric badger baiting. The threat to badgers in some areas is so
serious that badger setts are regularly monitored by police and volunteers.

Now a new threat to badgers… The
government (Westminster)has announced a cull of badgers.  Initially in pilot areas – to try to curb the
spread of tuberculosis (TB) in cattle. We
all know that dairy farmers are having a hard time at the moment with the low
price they get for their milk.  Add to
that the increase in bovine TB in cattle and it could be the end of the line
for many dairy farmers.  But is the government’s
proposed cull of badgers, – the answer? 
Many experts do not agree with this cull and they go down the path of
vaccination to stop the TB spreading from badgers to cattle.

There are also talks
under way to cut the numbers of foxes, seagulls and pigeons which have moved
into our cities in great numbers in recent years.  Once again the talk is a ‘cull’ to reduce
their numbers but again is that the answer?   Do these creatures not move into our
neighborhoods because there is plenty of food lying around?  Discarded food from takeaways etc   I heard one naturalist say “They are only clearing up our mess”.  A dramatic cut in this waste food supply
would mean less numbers of these creatures in our towns and cities. And a
better life for all.

The grey squirrel is a
different situation and here a cull or some other method of cutting their
numbers would not be out of the question. 
As the foreign grey squirrels numbers rise  our native red squirrels numbers plummet.   Man
once again is to blame by introducing the foreign grey into this country.  The ‘grays’ carry a virus which is no danger
to them but deadly to the ‘native red squirrel’.
Even the song birds
are not safe with egg collectors and kids stealing eggs from their nests.

In most cases where
there is conflict between man and the animal kingdom – it is man that first
creates the problem and then it is other creatures that suffer.

Can we not live in
harmony with each other, respect each other as we share this planet?

It
is now six years since the passing of spiritual medium Eddie Docherty, but I
still hear his name mentioned on a regular basis.

To
Eddie, spiritualism was more that a religion – it was a way of life.  And being a spiritualist medium for Eddie did
not end when he left the platform or finished with a private-sitting.  Eddie was always available for those who
needed his help no matter the time of day or night.  He gained so much respect for just being
himself.  He was genuine, caring, and
would go out of his way to help individuals seeking his help. He would also rush
out at the last minute no matter what he had planned for leisure pursuits if a
church was in dire need of a medium at the last minute.

Eddie fulfilled a dream
on Sunday 15th July 2001, when The
Friendship of Love and Light Spiritualist Church opened its doors. This was not
just to be a spiritualist church, but a church that was fun loving, yet
sincere. A church for the community, a church that was generous to good causes
in the local community.  

Sadly, only a few years after Eddie’s dream materialized
his health started to fail, but not before this church had taken root and was a
little oasis for all who needed help. It was fitting that Eddie’s cremation
service was taken by a medium, church member and friend, Paul Erroch. The big
turnout was no surprise as Eddie had touched the life of so many people

Eddie’s church is still going strong and is in the
good hands of President Doreen Polson, along with the committee members,
Annette Lavelle, Johann, Kathleen McGinty, Mary McDonald, Andy, Sandra
Patterson, Linda Walker,   Anne and David McAlpine,  Gilbert and Alistair.  All of this committee sat in Eddie’s
development circle and keep his standards to the fore as far as the church is
concerned. 

Eddie’s name was never up in lights outside a
theatre as many mediums are today.  I
wonder if when theses theatre mediums fade from the scene their names will
still be mentioned as often and with such respect six years after the lights
have dimmed.

Eddie took services in Australia when out visiting
his brother but never referred to himself as an “International Medium”.

I cannot mention Eddie without mentioning his
partner on platform in the early days – Len
Alleyne. Len, I believe hailed from Barbados and had served in the R.A.F. Both Len
and Eddie complimented each other very well, to the delight of congregations. Len
giving the address and Eddie the clairvoyance.   This quiet and kind natured gentleman sadly
passed away in the mid-nineties.

It you live in Paisley or the surrounding
district why not give Eddie’s church a visit…
Services are at 6.30 on Sunday evenings
at
Friendship of Love
and Light
Foxbar Rivers Community Building
Spey Avenue, Foxbar,
Paisley,
PA2 0PA.
BUT… the church is
closed for the next two weeks to give the committee a well-earned summer break
and will reopen on 19th August….
In my last blog Agnes asked;
– “If you were not on the platform would
you still attend spiritualist churches? Would you still call yourself a
spiritualist?”

And I replied…Two
very interesting questions Agnes and I have thought long and hard before answering
you…

The
answer to “If you were not on the
platform would you still attend spiritualist churches?”…. “Yes”but only to a
divine service where there is an address as well as the clairvoyance.

“Would I still call myself a
spiritualist?” YES, most definitely, because the proof I have had
from the platform, sitting in circle and with my research, proves to me beyond
any doubt there is this place we call the “Spirit World” and that there can be
“communication” from our loved-ones who have passed on before us to this new
dimension.

It
will take more than two short paragraphs to answer Agnes’s question in full and
I promise I will do this in my next blog.After
more thought as I have said – I would attend divine services but not evenings
of clairvoyance.  I have the proof that
there is life after death and now I find the Philosophy is
equally as important if not more important to me personally.  But I will add as long as the words of wisdom
are ‘spiritually inspired’.  There are
those who say these days that an address should be informing the congregation
of the foundations of spiritualism and I agree with that up to a point.  But spirit knows best, spirit knows the needs
of those in the congregation on that particular evening as whether it is
knowledge of our past or help to understand situations in the present.

As I
am an SNU Approved Healer I would attend healing services more often.  Also try to promote the fact that spiritual
healing is can take place in hospitals on request of a patient and the approval
of the hospital.  Maybe even encourage
more home visits … 

I
would seriously consider being on the church committee and even put myself up
for the SNU’s District Council.  This
would be to fight the corner of Spiritualism being a religion, a way of life,
not as it seems to be sliding towards these days, entertainment and a money
making concern.  I would also try to
encourage more involvement in ‘pastoral care’ and involvement with the
community…  But spiritualism these
days, like other religions, is fraught with politics of one kind or another and
I would have to think before applying to be on these committees.  Could I 
 be bothered with the stress or
better used by sprit elsewhere?

Maybe
increasing the workshops I have been doing and that has not just been to
prepare for platform work but to understand one’s psychic abilities and how
they can be used in our everyday lives.

I
have mentioned in the past that I am constantly being asked when I am going to
start up my own church.  I have never
once thought of doing this and this will not be an option for me when I step
down from the platform.

I
would certainly continue with my research. 
I feel that in this field most are more interested in what they call
‘ghost hunting’ – a phrase that makes my blood boil – and moving spirit on,
rather than trying to understand why spirit is making its self know at that
particular time and place.

My
voluntary work would not be affected, or would it.  If I had extra time on my hands I probably
would increase my work in this area.

A big boost for
Spiritualism in Glasgow and the west of Scotland will take place on 12th
August, with the opening of the Milngavie and Bearsden Spiritualist
Sanctuary. 
This is the
brainchild of medium Elizabeth Halliday who has been a member of the SNU since
1998 and a member of the Glasgow Association of Spiritualist for nearly 30 years.

Elizabeth is looking to have a community, somewhere
like minded people can gather together to commune with God and Spirit, leading
to coffee afternoons providing the opportunity for short private sittings, this
will raise much needed funds for the Sanctuary and therefore enable us to run
workshops etc in the future for individual and collective development. So as I
said Milingavie and Bearsden have a need for this.

So come on all
who are interested – give Elizabeth’s new sanctuary a visit.

Meetings are
held every Sunday at The Meetings are held every Sunday at the;-

Fraser Centre,
11 Douglas
Street,
Milngavie.
G62 6PA
For further
details contact Elizabeth at elizabth.haliday313@btinternet.com
or call 0141 944 6550or 0770 333 7022

If i was not invited on the platform – would I still attend spiritualist churches? …Where is the spirit world… The 5th Principle by Jim Brown….

28th June… I only had
a short trip to ASK – Dreghorn, taking the last service before the July
break.  It was nice to meet up with May
and Jim Brown again.  This couple have retired
from the platform but are not forgotten by spiritualists throughout west and
central Scotland.  The church will reopen
on 2nd August
1st July…I was at the
Coatbridge Spiritualist Church and there was an interesting change to the usual
service format.  Robert, who was chairing
brought along his guitar and instead of the usual hymns Robert played and sang “He’s
got the whole world in his hands”, “The Old Rugged Cross” and I forget the
third one, with the congregation joining in.  
There is always a great atmosphere in the church but Robert’s guitar
playing and singing raised the atmosphere even further, making the link with
spirit even stronger.

3rd…Again only a short
trip, this time to ASK Spiritualist Church, Neilston to another good turnout.  Sheila Caruthers is president of this church and
has been in the spiritualist movement for the past 42-years.  Sheila started going to church with her
mother, who gave her great encouragement in her spiritual development.  With this encouragement and old-style
teaching Sheila turned into an excellent and well respected medium.   ASK
Neilston had a very good development circle which takes place in the Glens
Halls, Neilston on Wednesday evenings from 7.30-10pm

4th…  I was in Perth to take the evening of clairvoyance
at Perth Spiritualist Church…  There is
a great welcome for one and all from President Ivy and her committee.  The wee church with the big heart.

5th…I was meeting up
with a few friends I met for the first time after I came into the spiritualist
movement, but now I am the only one still attending churches.  Their reasons for stepping back were
interesting and I asked if they would like to comment on this site but none
seemed too keen, but who knows at least one may have a change of heart.  But all of them said they did not regret
their time in spiritualism as it gave them a new outlook on life (and death) and
made them think more of others.

8th I was attending the Edinburgh
Spiritualist Church in Albany Street. This church came into being in 1954 and
is blessed to have its own magnificent building not far from Princess Street
The church is now closed for a f ew weeks summer break and will open on 16th
August.

9th – 16th…
We were down in the midlands and met up with two people who are into paranormal
research like myself.  Investigating ‘spirit
activity in a different way from most.

Agnes
asks; – “If you were not on the platform
would you still attend spiritualist churches? 
Would you still call yourself a spiritualist?”

Two
very interesting questions Agnes and I have thought long and hard before
answering you…

The
answer to “If you were not on the
platform would you still attend spiritualist churches?”….   “Yes”
but only to a divine service where there is an address as well as the
clairvoyance.

“Would I still call myself a
spiritualist?”   YES, most definitely, because the proof
I have had from the platform, sitting in circle and with my research, proves to
me beyond any doubt there is this place we call the “Spirit World” and that
there can be “communication” from our loved-ones who have passed on before us
to this new dimension.

It
will take more than two short paragraphs to answer Agnes’s question in full and
I promise I will do this in my next blog.

Probably the most ask question as far as spiritualism is concerned; – “Where
is the Spirit World?



Heaven can no longer be thought
of as a place above the world. But communication shows us that a Spirit world
exists. Scientists explain it, that it is on a faster vibration than our world.
We can only be aware of things that have a certain range of wave lengths.
Anything outside that range cannot be picked up by our five senses, and so only
can be seen or heard when our sixth or psychic sense comes into operation. The
Spirit world is right here, but outside our normal range of perception. The
spirit communicators tell us that it is just as solid and real to them, as our
world is to us, but it is more susceptible to the influence of their minds.

                                     The 5th
Principle
                                          By Jim Brown
 As Spiritualists, we have
received through continuous communication with Spirit what is now known as the
Seven Principles of Spiritualism.
These principles were
given to all Spiritualists to study and use as a guide by which to live our
lives here on earth and to prepare us for our future life in the world of
spirit.     
The fifth principle points
us in the direction of Personal Responsibility and shows that we each have a
responsibility towards other people as well as ourselves.
This responsibility, if we
recognize it, towards others should take the form of help and assistance and we
should give it where it is needed.
In the process of doing so
we will become more aware of our own selves and the feelings of caring that
will be awakened within us.
As spiritualists, we also
know that we are responsible for our thoughts and actions and by being aware of
our responsibilities towards other people; we will learn to control our
emotions.
There will be a time when
we will come up against a person or a situation that we will find difficult.
 However, as I said when we
are aware of our responsibility to our own feelings then we must carry on and
do what our conscience prompts us to do.
From what we have been
told in the communications and teachings that we have received from Spirit we
know that we have a great responsibility towards God’s Laws.
In addition, we have the
free will to decide to live by these laws and in doing so, create peace and
happiness for ourselves and for those around us, or to live a selfish and
self-centred life of misery and loneliness.
Anyone new who has come
into Spiritualism should be encouraged to make a study of this principle so
that in time, they will come to a fuller and deeper understanding of it.

And when they do they will
find that there is a real incentive to try to lead a better life here on this
earth and to desire a better fellowship in our relation with other people, and
to live in harmony with God, who is our heavenly Father.          

 To recognize and
understand God’s laws will allow us to live in spiritual harmony with God and
other people.
 This is possible for us
all and we should try to understand that it is our responsibility to strive
towards this spiritual harmony, for we must learn to love those with whom we
come in contact with, whether we like them or not, and if we can achieve this
goal then happiness and harmony will come into our lives.
In our relationship
with God and our fellowman, we should understand our responsibility for
advancing the development of these relationships.  
The person who leads a
good life is one who seeks and strives for the development of spiritual
awareness.
 That person will find that
everyday life is kinder and troubles and worries can be overcome more easily,
for the acceptance of personal responsibility does have a positive effect.
Also we each have the
infinite possibilities of spiritual progress both here on this physical world
and in the world of spirit.
And as we build our own
character here on this physical world we will be making our own future in the
world of spirit.
 By a study of this
principle, we will learn to overcome any negative tendencies that we may have,
and as we progress and learn to cut out all misbehaviour from our lives, we will find that we are automatically
correcting those thoughts and actions that will allow us to achieve spiritual
progress.
However, should anyone wish
to live a selfish life they will reap the rewards of that life, not only here
on this earth, but also in the world of spirit, until such time as they decide
to change their ways.
They shall merely live a
life of spiritual self-deception only to come to a grim realization of their
mistakes when they ultimately arrive in the world of spirit.
As spiritualists we
believe that to a certain degree our own mind conditions our surroundings here
on this earth, for as we think so we are, but as the World of Spirit is a world
of mind and thought, it conditions our surroundings there to a much greater
degree.
 If our minds and thoughts
are self-centred making us selfish, if we care nothing for the feelings of
other people, and only for ourselves, we will create a condition of isolation
for ourselves in the spirit world.
 In our study of this
principle we will learn to face up to the reality that all the harmful effects
of our own thoughts and actions and they will remain with us until, by our own
efforts we change them and only then shall we make any real spiritual progress.
There is what is known as
the law of cause and effect and it follows us into the world of spirit and
automatically adjusts our relationships.
Therefore, the realization
of our responsibilities and a willingness to live up to them allows us to join
with the positive power of goodness and will change our spiritual surroundings
both here on earth and in the Spirit world.
 We are all tied together
by the harmony of our common origin, by the existence of natural law, by the
progressive power of wisdom and by the happiness of love.
All of these display that
spirituality that lies within each of us and is striving to produce a
harmonious balance.
 All of what I’ve just said
is not a theological statement of some high church dignitary of what is
believed to be the truth, it is the truth as based on the evidence and the
experience of the people who now live in the spirit world, and which they have
communicated to us.
 So, let me close
by saying that in the practice of the fifth principle of personal
responsibility we have a moral incentive to lead a better life, to show
kindness and consideration to other people and to live in harmony with God
Wise words from Jim Brown…

1932 Newspaper Report of Church of Scotland Discussng Spiritualism at The General Assembly…Dream Interpretation… Embarrasing Moments on the Platform… The Dalai Lama Visits Scotland….

5th June – The church
service I should have been at had to be cancelled because of the public holiday
for the Queen’s Jubilee. 

7th… I received as
usual a very friendly welcome from the committee and the congregation of the
Pyramid Spiritualist Church Pollock.

9th It was my workshop
at the Glasgow Association of Spiritualists. 
It is a pleasure to take this workshop as all are so enthusiastic about
becoming aware of their psychic abilities and not desperate to be on the platform
after a few months.  They are happy to
take one step at a time

10th… It was a
pleasant day for the Journey to Kirkcaldy Spiritualist Centre (SNU) for the
evening service.    This centre has their
own building at Victoria House, 13 Kirk Wynd,  Kirkcaldy, KY1 1EH.  And a dedicated committee make good use of
the building with the following programme; –

Sunday: Divine Service 6pm with Healing
at 7.30pm

Monday: Evening of Mediumship               7.30pm

Tuesday: New Meditation and
Awareness circle 7pm till 8.30pm

Wednesday: Mediumship Development Class
(closed circle) 7 – 9 pm.

Throughout the year there is also a
series of interesting workshops.

11th…I was taking time
to visit those who had contacted our churches for some help or other.

17th – 21st… We were in
Holland to visit Floriade 2012. – This horticultural expo is staged
once every 10 years and showcases the world’s best flowers, plants, trees,
fruits and vegetables. The park comprised of five unique worlds: themed zones
connected by wooded areas. Worlds in which the visitor saw, felt and experience
nature in constantly changing ways.  

Our favourite
part of the exhibition was the Healing Gardens and in Particular the the Nepalese
garden “Garden of Enlighten”.  There
visitors experience a perfect balance of nature, beauty and spirituality.

21st…
I was taking the service at the Angel Light Spiritualist Church, Govanhill Neighbourhood Centre, and Daisy St, Glasgow…. This was the last service before the summer break.  Services will resume on 24th
August.  Nancy, Liz and Christine work
hard to make this small church a success.

Isobel was
looking through a box of old family photographs when she came across a
newspaper dated 30th May 1932. 
It was open at a page connected with Spiritualism in Scotland.  Now did Isobel’s father know that his
daughter, not to be born for another fifteen years and her husband were going
to become spiritualists many decades later? 
Or was the newspaper kept because it had an article on his beloved
football team Kilbirnie Junior FC?  I am
sure it was because of the latter – but one never knows.

I wondered how
our parents and grandparents could read newspapers in those far off days with
print so small. I have just had by eyes tested and I was straining

The paper is in
poor condition and I have done my best to copy it exactly…. through
varifocals to read the article…

TIDE
OF A NEW REVELATION.

                              ……………..

PLEA OR SPIRITUALISM AT
ASSEMBLY.

                              …………..

                                          PETITION
FAILS

A Request that
the Church of Scotland should conduct another investigation into the subject of
Spiritualism was turned down by the General Assembly on Saturday.  Dr John White pointed out that one of the statements
in the report of the committee which conducted a lengthy inquiry into the subject
some years ago, and it was unwise for the ordinary and unqualified person to
meddle with such things.

The Rev W. A.
Reid retired minister. Glasgow, represented in an overture that serious
misunderstanding had been caused by the rejection  last year of the request that the Assembly
should make “some clear pronouncement that shall hasten the of spirit
communication and the exercise of spiritual gifts within the Church as
practiced by our Lord and his early disciples”.

He therefore
petitioned that the Assembly recognising that the phenomena in question was
regarded in the Bible as facts, that many within the Church and outside it had
publicly  declared from their own personal
experience that they had obtained full and complete proof of the same facts, and
that  purely scientific experiments had
established the phenomena under test conditions,  should appoint a committee the situation and
especially to give needed counsel to the Church in relation to those in our
midst who said that they had had had useful spirit communication  or exercised their spiritual gift

NEW REVELATIONS.

Mr Reid said he
was quite aware that some of the brethren claimed special divine favour because
they did not believe in spirit communication or believe that only the devil
communed, but there were other brethren who gave them their opinion of
spiritual communion without feeling under ant necessity to apologise.

A large number of people had testified
that they had seen the beloved dead; they said they had learned the meaning of
death.  The new revelation that was being
brought to them in these days they could no more resist than Mrs Partington
could sweep back the tide with her broom. 
Spiritualism was the natural ally of the Church.  Never had the Church had such an opportunity of
reviving the experience of the early Christians, making God more real and the
next world more real.

Doctor W

Doctor White moved
that the Assembly receive the petition and believing that no useful purpose
would be served by undertaking a fresh investigation into the subject which was
raised by the same petitioner in 1920 and reported on to the General Assembly
in 1922 referred all who were interested to the findings of that
committee.  Pointing out that this was
the third petition presented by Mr Reid. 
Dr White said the petitioner believed so strongly in spiritualism that
that they must overlook his persistence. 
But the whole question had been inquired into by a committee which
devoted two years to the matter.

A Substitute….

In dealing with
the petitioner and such as he represented, they were undoubtly dealing with men
and women who held the Christian faith, but it had to be remembered that with
most spiritualists it was not so. Their cult was a substitute for the Christian
religion and not an adjunei . 

The Rev Dr. Burnett
seconded Dr. White’s motion which became the unanimous finding of the Assembly.

Food for
thought.
Dream
Interpretation…
 “A” ask me to recommend a good book of dream
interpretations….

“A” – keep your money in your pocket as far as such
books are concerned. I was going to write about dream experiences later in the
year.  As far as books on this subject
are concerned I will give you a couple of examples…

Say you have a dream about a SNAKE; –

I selected one book on the subject and read that a
snake in your dream is a bad omen.  Then
it went on to give a list of depending how many snakes appear in your dream, as
to how much negativity is going to befall you. 

I select another book and this time the
reader is told that snakes or serpents in your dream
indicate you’re in the process of healing and resolving issues, plus
a list of several other possibilities.

I known several
friends who have phobias about snakes and if they had a dream about snakes – it
would not be a dream – but a NIGHTMARE. 
Their screams would probably wake up the whole street.

Think sensibly for a
moment about dream interpretations.  Can
there possibly be a central source and language for all our dreams?  That is not to say that Spirit cannot be in touch
with us in dream state. 

 

Paul asks “Have you ever had any embarrassing moments
on the platform?”

Yes,
several come to mind and two I will share with you.

I am
taking a service one evening and halfway through the clairvoyance I look down
at my feet and nearly collapse.  I notice
I have on an old pair of shoes I had been wearing in the garden earlier that
day.  They were not just old, they were
splattered with mud.  I felt the best
policy was mention my surprise and by the look on everyone’s face in the
congregation, no one had noticed the old muddy shoes and I might have go away
with it.  Not only that, that evening I
was wearing a new suit for the first time. 
What a contrast.  The other
embarrassing moment also concerned shoes. 
Midway through a service I looked down and here I was wearing two
different colours of shoes.   Now when I
leave for a service the last thing I do is check my shoes.

If not the Scottish weather, the
people of Scotland certainly gave a warm welcome to the Dali Lama on his visit
to our country last week.  The Tibetan
spiritual leader said he was in the country to meet its people and spread a
message of harmony.

 

My Week… Mummies Expedition…. Has Spiritualism Peaked in Scotland?… Awareness …

22nd… April I was at
Mrs. Primrose’s Spiritualist Church…

24th… A new church for
me  the Carluke Spiritualist Church, Lifestyle
Centre,  Carnwath Road, Carluke,  ML8 4DF Church Service.  This church only started up a short time ago
and already is already well supported by the local community.

28th,, This time to a well established Saltcoats Spiritualist
Church.  One of the first churches I took
a service at.

30th…It was a
double bill so to speak.  In the
afternoon I was at the Edinburgh College of Parapsychology at 2 Melville St EH3
7PE.  The College has many interesting
events which you can check out on their website at http://www.edinburghpsychiccollege.com/

In the evening I took the service
at Kilwinning Temple of Light Spiritualist Church  as usual another good turnout.

31st…  Taking part in research work…

2nd June I was giving a
talk to the Scottish Branch of the Ghost Club. 
. The Ghost Club is the oldest organization in the
world associated with psychical research. It was founded in 1862 but has its
roots in Cambridge University where, in 1855, fellows at Trinity College began
to discuss ghosts and psychic phenomena.

Past members include Charles Dickens, Siegfried Sassoon, Harry Price,
Donald Campbell, Peter Cushing, Peter Underwood, Maurice Grosse, Sir Shane
Leslie and Eric Maple.

Today the Ghost Club is a non-profit, social club run by an elected
Council of volunteers and its purpose remains true to its roots; the Ghost Club
offers open-minded, curious individuals the opportunity to debate, explore and
investigate unexplained phenomena with like-minded people.

2012 is the Ghost Club’s 150th year. 
To celebrate this momentous mark in our history we aim to publish a book
which will chronicle the club’s history people and record the results for
posterity.

I was honoured to be asked to give a talk to this organization in London
in 2009…

This club has a very
interesting website, especially a book review section.

http://www.ghostclub.org.uk/

Isobel has a great interest in
Ancient Egypt and in the past when she has visited the Ancient Egyptian section
of museums I have usually visited other parts of the building.

Why?  I felt it disrespectful to put these bodies
on display.  I have often wondered what
those viewing these remains would think if it was their mother or child that
was on display, no matter how far in the future.  Not only that but the remains to be sent and
kept in far off lands.

At a debate one night recently I
was told not to be so narrow minded and go to the National Museum of Scotland’s
Mummies Exhibition.  and see the respect
given to these exhibits.  As I am always
telling other to have an open mind I decided to go along.

No one can fail to be impressed by
the achievements and craft work of the Ancient Egyptians but I did feel
uncomfortable at gazing on what was considered sacred by others.

At the debating group I was told
that historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists now use CT scan in a lot
of their work as if this made everything OK.   
How would the UK react if an Arab or African country had taken the
remains of one of our kings and was putting it on display for all and sundry to
see?

I left the exhibition wiser about
this ancient race but more determined never to attend such an exhibition ever
again.

 

Several
of my friends have been telling me that numbers attending their spiritualist
churches have dropped considerably since the start of the year. 

Why?  Has spiritualism peaked in Scotland and now
numbers are dropping?  With more and more
churches opening are there too many churches? Are psychic evenings outside of
churches taking people away from churches?

Hi
Raymond – I have heard similar comments recently but I have not noticed any
significant drop in numbers at churches I have attended.  In fact at some the numbers have been higher
than in the past.

Has spiritualism peaked in Scotland
and now numbers are dropping?

No I don’t thinks so. I regularly find
more and more people showing interest in our religion and looking for their
nearest spiritualist church. But I do not expect our numbers to rise as fast as they have been in recent years

With
more and more churches opening are there too many churches?  
Hmm… In most cases our churches are
reasonably well spread out and only in a few cases are two in close proximity.  Most of Scotland is well covered by
Spiritualist churches apart from the Border region.

Are
psychic evenings outside of churches taking people away from churches?

Usually
psychic demonstrations taking place in a pub, club or theatre only take place
once every so often in an area and on that night, numbers at the local churches
can drop slightly for that one night.

I
have no fears of our numbers dropping dramatically.  I have more concern about some of these
nights coming across more as entertainment and that making people feel that our
religion is little more than entertainment.

Four
people were asked to read the words below that were recorded at a trance
circle. Then to try to be aware of all-around them and report back

“All a Learning
Process”

It
is only through experiencing all manner of things, negative and positive that
one can leave this life knowing a little more than when they entered it…
The
more you learn… … The more equipped you will be for the next part of your
existence…
For
the next week… Look on everything… and I mean everything… as a learning
process…
Think
what you have to learn from this… and what you have to learn from that…
It
will amaze you by the end of the week… how you will see so much… in a different
light…
A
whole new world…
A
whole new dimension will open up to you…
You
will see things like you have never seen them before…
Never
give up… Never give in to the negative side of what unfolds in front of you
Alan…
The
above comments were given in a trance circle in 2000 and forgotten about till a
few weeks ago.
This
gave a few of us an idea to ask four people to take heed of these words and see
how they get on with being more aware of their surroundings for the next week
or so
To
make it more interesting we decided to select four people from different walks
of life;
Here are John’s comments, after paying heed to the
following words. (John has been in the spiritualist movement for fifteen
years.)…
 I tried for ten days to be extra
vigilant of everything around me. 
Instead of taking so much for granted I was extra vigilant and in many
cases I did not like what I saw.

My religion, spiritualism.  Really angry at the politics that are part
and parcel of spiritualism these days.  I
have spent the past few years trying not to listen to gossip but in the past
ten days I realise how bad it is getting.

My workplace… The same gossip
backbiting everyone trying to outdo each other.
My family… I was always happy for
everyone to do their own thing but I now realize that we have grown further and
further apart.
I am really sorry I took part in this
exercise as the end result was not what I expected.  But at least I am now aware of it and will do
my best to turn things around.
It is sad the media and so many in our society point
the finger at those who are overweight and accuse them of not eating a proper
diet or being gluttons.  But on many occasions
the overweight can be the cause of a health condition, the effect of prescribed
drugs or after an operation etc.  Recently
I met one lady in complete distress because of being ridiculed about being
overweight, yet according to her family has never had a big appetite and only
started putting on weight after a major operation.  Maybe before we shake our heads at those who
have put on weight we should first find out the facts as to why this is…
Morrison
emails.”I keep hearing Statstead Hall
being mentioned, any info please”.

Stansted Hall, built in 1871,
was gifted to the Spiritualists’ National Union by J. Arthur Findlay, MBE, JP,
a former Honorary President of the Union, and in accordance with his wishes is
administered by the Union as a College for the advancement of Psychic Science.

The Arthur Findlay College
offers facilities unequalled anywhere in the world in the Spiritualist movement
as a residential centre where students can study Spiritualist philosophy and
religious practice, Spiritualist healing and awareness, spiritual and psychic
unfolding and kindred disciplines. Courses, lectures and demonstrations are all
offered by leading exponents, together with the additional features of a
library, museum, lake, magnificent grounds, recreational facilities and full
board accommodation.

By John Hardaker

J Arthur Findlay stayed here in
Beith for part of his life….

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Sorry that my web diary for last week was not accurate… One mix up with bookings and a hall being closed because of the jubilee celebrations.  Plus, I could not get into the diary to change it…

KIlmarnock Church SNU Open Day… Meditation – start at the begining… Angela’s Awareness… Dali Lama’s Award….

A two week break from church
services did not mean I was idle, well not for the first week.  That was busy with voluntary work, seeing
those who had contacted our churches and some psychic investigation.  The second week we had a few days break in
Eastbourne.

Hours after returning home I took
part in Kilmarnock Spiritualist Church’s (SNU) Open Day.  This year it was a Charity tea in aid of
Parkinson’s Research .and an amazing £1216was raised.

A lot of praise has to go to President, Morag Deverell and the wonderful
committee and members who worked hard to make this day such a successful.

Mediums: taking part were Mary Reynolds: Chris Bachelor Elizabeth Halliday
Margaret Beattie June Harrison Ann Armstrong: Steven Scott: Robert Cairnie: Ricky
Arthur: and myself.  

Churches of all denominations hold tea or coffee days in aid of charity,
but few spiritualist churches do this, our churches are more in favour of
psychic demonstrations.  But I think we
should go more along the road of the charity tea because it brings in those in
the local community who would not go to a psychic night.  It gives the local community an insight into
their local spiritualist church but not needing to take part in anything on the
psychic side.  Many turned up at the
Kilmarnock church for the first time and were impressed.  I am sure that this was a perfect
introduction for them and they may return for a service. 

…Meditation…

I
constantly hear…. “I cannot
meditate”….”It is just impossible for me to meditate”.   Since I opened up this site I have lost count
of the number of times I have received emails saying “Can you recommend a book that will help me to meditate?”

Like
everything, else we have to learn to walk before we can run, meditation being
no different.  Before one can meditate
one has to learn how to relax, something not so easy in this day and age.  One cannot just sit down after a busy day and
expect to go into a meditation after reading a few pages of a book.  .

Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners
train their minds or mode of consciousness or self-induce to obtain some
benefit.   During meditation, one detaches their
thoughts, keeping relaxed, and focuses only on one thing such as a sound, music
or an object, or pay attention to breathing. 
Through meditation, one can achieve tranquility and peace of mind which
is difficult to attain in today’s
 busy urban life

Before
meditation is ever thought off or attempted one should try just to slow one’s
mind down for a few minutes.  I know of
many who started out on this trail by taking a few minutes during the lunch
break at work and even sitting on a bus or train.  To meditate or even relax one has to find the
key that helps one’s mind to relax.
That key to this is personal to you
and no book can tell you what the key is for you.

Over
the past few years when being asked to take meditation groups I have always
insisted that I start of right at the beginning with the basics. Forgetting about
actual meditation in its true sense and getting each person to find ‘their own key to relaxation.  This ‘key’
as I have mentioned earlier can come in the form of a sound, music, an
object, or pay attention to breathing. 

Let’s take each of these in turn…

Sound – waves and birds singing are the favourite way of many to
relax and there are many CDs on the market to choose from.

Music is probably the favourite ‘key’ of many but we all have
different tastes in music and what is a perfect piece of music for one to relax
too, will stress out another.  Even with
music written for relaxation I have seldom found at all in the group who are
happy with it.

It was in this area I started to experiment in and found out
that some music, even from the top-10 could be just perfect to set me off on
that few minutes of relaxation.

Three tunes I found just right for me were Wonderful Land and Atlantis
by the Shadows and theme from the Carl Sagan TV series Cosmos.  Later I found a more relaxing version of Wonderful
Land by Mike Oldfield. 

As time went on I found that TV themes turned out to be the
‘key’ that could help many to relax. Themes from programmes they watched when
they were much younger and when life for them at that time was not so
stressful.   Themes from programmes such
as All Creatures Great and Small, Howard’s Way, Dallas…

So experiment with music and find if a particular song or piece
of music is your key.

An Object…  This can be
anything but usually something which holds a special memory for you.  I have been told by thoses who have found
their key in this category to be an item handed down or a present from a loved
one.   

Colour I feel comes into this category. The colour of an
ornament, cushion or flower etc. 

Paying attention to breathing… 
This can be difficult for many at the beginning but give it a try.

There is also sitting in silence but not easy in this day and
age to get a place where there is complete silence…

So experiment and
find the key that will help you to relax.

In an earlier blog after the following words of wisdom
we gave four people the task of being ‘aware’ of all things around them for
three weeks and to comment if it had made them look at life from a different angle….

                    “All A
Learning Process”

 There will always be
what you call problems…

They are what we call
lessons to learn

If you lived in a walled
garden where the sun was always shining… There was always plenty to eat and
drink… and good shelter… Would you want to venture far?

No… most people would
not…

So how could they learn
what life was all about?

They would leave this
life knowing little more than when they entered it…

The more you learn… …
The more equipped you will be for the next part of your existence…

For the next week… Look
on everything… and I mean everything… as a learning process…

Think what you have to
learn from this… and what you have to learn from that…

It will amaze you by the
end of the week… how you will see so much… in a different light…

A whole new world…

A whole new dimension
will open up to you…

You will see things like
you have never seen them before…

Never give up… Never
give in to the negative side… of what unfolds in front of you

Tom/Alan…

First to get back was Angela – a lady in her 40’s who spends many hours
helping out her local church – one of the orthodox religions

 “The three weeks happened to coincide with a
very busy period in our own little church’s life.  Several activities had been arranged  where we all had too muck in to make them a
success.  Standing back and looking at
all that was going on suddenly dawned on me for the first time that there were
those who made all the decisions and those who done the hard work.  Those who made all the decisions would never
get their hands dirty and those who were allays washing dishes and moving
chairs were never listened too.  But I
suppose all this reflects society and probable those who do the actual hard
graft would not want to be in a position of power anyway.  They would have the ability but would feel
they were not capable or want the responsibility.

Of our religion, it
suddenly dawned on me that we have to accept and to question even in debate is
frowned upon.

As far as my own life
is concerned, I have missed out on doing so much only because I have told
myself that “I cannot do this and I cannot do that.

Family – they are
drifting apart and this is something I am going to try to change.

Work; – only part-time
and I moan and groan about it all the time. 
But when I sit down and think about it I have just got into the habit of
moaning and given the chance of another job, I don’t think I would move.

I know that part of
this experiment I was to think on spiritualism and maybe even go to a
spiritualist service, but I could not attend the service or even read a book on
the subject..  I just cannot seem to take
that what you call spirit I have always been brought up to think of as ghost,
is for me.   I know Tom well, a nice and
genuine person who takes time for others, is a spiritualist and does a lot for
his religion but I just cannot accept spiritualism as a religion.

The exercise will
hopefully make me change my outlook in life.”

 

The Dalai Lama is best known for his commitment to Tibetan
autonomy from China and his message of spirituality, nonviolence and peace that
has made him a best-selling author and a speaker who can pack entire arenas.

The Tibetan Buddhist leader and Nobel Prize laureate has
also had an abiding interest in the intersection of science and religion. That
interest won Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, the 2012 Templeton Prize on
Thursday (March 29), a $1.7 million award that is often described as the most
prestigious award in religion.

The Dalai Lama is the highest-profile winner of an award
that in recent years,  physicists and
theologians not well known to the general public, but earlier had been given to
the likes of evangelist Billy Graham and the late Mother Teresa


 

Katrina Murphy – Spiritualist Medium… Spiritual Contact

22nd
April I was at the Love & Friendship Spiritualist Church,  Langside Halls, Glasgow.  This is always a well attended church and the
22nd was no exception.

25th saw me return to the Langside Halls
to take the development circle at the Love & Friendship Spiritualist Church.  This circle has great talent and is being
slowly nurtured by President Maureen Land.

26th I travelled again to Glasgow to The
White Dove Spiritualist Church, Toryglen,.  Although I have served this church for many
years I was entering new territory as the church has moved from the hall they
have been in for many years to the Toryglen Community Halls which is only a
short distance away.   Since the move
numbers attending the church has increased 3/4 fold.

29th We enjoyed the pleasant drive to Dunfermline
Spiritualist Church, (SNU) 3 Lady Campbell’s Walk, Dunfermline…

3rd May it was a visit to the coast to
Gourock in fact and to the Gourock Lighthouse Spiritualist Church…

5th… 
I was taking a workshop at the Glasgow Association and I hope those attending
enjoyed it as much as I did.

6th I was taking the service at Falkirk
Spiritualist Church, (SNU) Burnhead Lane.

…Katrina Murphy – Spiritualist Medium…
The
announcement of Spiritual Medium Katrina’s Murphy’s passing shocked all who
knew her. 
I have known
Katrina since she was a small girl as my sister and Katrina’s sister were
friends.  Yet when Katrina and I met as
ASK in Stewarton all those years later we did not instantly recognize each
other although we both thought “each other seemed familiar”.  Believe it or not months after we first met
at Stewarton it dawned on us both at the same time who each other was.
Katrina’s
nature never changes from the first time I met her all those years ago.  Always such a bubbly person Katrina had time
for everyone, never making more of one person than another.
The turnout at
Ayr crematorium showed just how much Katrina was loved and respected.  In this day and age when it is difficult to
get off work for the funeral of a family member, many did take the time off to pay
their respects to Katrina.  Many of the
spiritualist churches in Scotland were represented from as far afield as
Stirling and Perth.  I apologies to
anyone who came from further afield.
Where there was
Katrina, Stephen her husband was always close. 
They were such a well suited couple, soul mates.  I am sure all out thoughts will be with
Stephen at this time and in the coming months.
So many amazing
tributes to Katrina and I will just use one at the moment
I’ve just been blown out of my low mood by the sudden shock of
some news. One of my Mentors & Circle leader passed away yesterday. Katrina
Murphy was a brilliant Medium, a fantastic woman & a friend. Her words of
wisdom would keep you going strong however down you were. The knowledge she
passed on was better than any book. The world of Mediumship has lost a BIG
personality; the spirit world has gained a new leader. RIP Katrina. You will be missed by many. But we know we can talk
soon. Xx    ……Emz Fish Fullagar
The music
played at the service was The Indigo Girls “Fare Thee Well”
Fare Thee Well”
Fare thee well my bright star
I watched your taillights blaze into nothingness
but you were long gone before I ever got to you before you blazed past this
address
and now I think of having loved and having lost you never know what it’s like
to never love
who can say what’s better and my heart’s become the cost
a mere token of a brighter jewel sent from above

fare thee well my bright star
the vanity of youth the color of your eyes
maybe if I’d fanned the blazing fire of your day to day
or if I’d been older I’d been wise
too thick the heat of those long summer evenings
for a cool evening I began to yearn
but you could only feed upon the things which feed a fire
waiting to see if I would burn

fare thee well my bright star
it was a brief brilliant miracle dive
that which I looked up to and I clung to for dear life
had to burn itself up just to make itself alive
I caught you then in your moment of glory
your last dramatic scene against a night sky stage
with a memory so clear it’s as if you’re still before me
my once in a lifetime star of an age

so fare thee well my bright star
last night the tongues of fire circled me around
this strange season of pain will come to pass
when the healing hands of autumn cool me down

When spirit
makes themselves known there is always a reason. The first aim for anyone
investigating such an incident is to discover WHY. 

An individual or
family becoming ‘aware’ of spirit, especially for the first, time, it can be
frightening.  When I am asked to go out
in such situations I don’t go with the sole intention of moving spirit on but
trying to find out why spirit has made themselves known.  It may be family members who have passed over
and are concerned or even happy at what is going on in the family at the
present time.  It could also be a
previous owner/tenant of the building who has not moved on or there are many
more reasons as to why spirit is active.

It is up to the
investigator to get to the root of the situation and this done by examining the
area at first hand and questioning those who have had the experience.  It can be like a police investigation.  Question after question to see if the
‘experiences’ fits a regular pattern of spirit activity.  If not I have to look in other directions,
even that what had been experienced had not been a spiritual nature but
someone’s overactive mind.

One case which I
was asked to investigate three years ago is only now beginning to make
sense.  It shows how close spirit can be
to us at times and how the bond between us need never be broken.    I
have changed the names of those involved

In 2009 I was
contacted by Denise a psychic whom I have known for several years.    She
told me that Sarah had contacted her with the following story…

Sarah, her
husband John and their two children had been perfectly happy living in a house
that they had moved into just after they were married ten years before.  Then one morning their son, 8-year-old Aaron
came down to breakfast and told his mum an unusual story.  He said that there had been a lady in his
room during the night and she just sat in a chair at the side of his bed
looking at him and saying nothing.

This was an unusual
comment from Aaron as he is a quiet young lad who his mum said in the past
never seemed to have any imagination.  To
humour him Sarah asked what the lady looked like.  To her surprise he gave a full description,
even the colours of a scarf the lady had been wearing. As his mum had just
finished doing a crossword and was doodling in the crossword book, she wrote
down the description her son was giving and then forgot all about it.

The following
morning Sarah’s five-year-old daughter Louise came down saying the same thing
and when her mother asked what the lady looked like she got roughly the same
description.  Sarah thought that her daughter
must have heard her brother talking about the lady in his room the morning
before and was just repeating what she had heard.

But over the
next few days Sarah said that it started to get scary around the house.  She felt there was someone in the house when
she was there alone and she also said that it was as if she saw a shadow moving
around.  This all cumulated in Sarah
seeing the figure of a lady for a few seconds. 
The lady seemed to be in her early fifties, slim, dark hair, dressed in
dark attire with blue/grey silk scarf around her neck.  When Sarah overcame her shock she suddenly
thought it was the same vision as the children had seen.    

She panicked. “THE HOUSE IS HAUNTED!”… “THE HOUSE IS HAUNTED!”she
screamed.  For the next week Sarah and
the children stayed with her parents. 
John the husband/father had sensed nothing but was concerned that his
wife would not stay in the house alone so he confided in a friend who gave
Denise’s telephone number.

This psychic investigator
was immediately convinced that this was a genuine spiritual experience. And
because of the state of the mother she suggested that she contact a
spiritualist church.  Sarah would not do
this, although came half way and got a preacher from one of the orthodox
churches in the area to bless the house. 

The family moved
back in and although John, Aaron and Louise carried on as normal, Sarah was
unhappy.  The house was not the same as
it had been before the ‘sightings’ and she wanted to move.

This is where I
was asked to help and as this was happening 300 miles away, contact had to be
made by phone instead of the usual visit. 
My first comment would have been to contact a spiritualist church in the
area, but as this had already been refused.  So I spent a lengthy time on the phone
questioning Sarah over the incident but no real pattern was emerging.  No matter how much I tried to assure Sarah
that the situation had calmed down she was still stressed out.  The sighting of the lady had stopped three
days before the preacher blessed the house and had not returned. But it was
only natural that this mother was still concerned for the safety of her family
and was expecting the lady to appear again at any second.  Sarah felt she would never be happy in the
house again and wanted to move.  But with
the slump in the housing market that was not an option at that time.

A week after I
got involved Isobel and I were looking at coach holidays, and as |I saw one was
close to Denise and Sarah’s area I felt that this was too good an opportunity
to miss. 

Both Denise and
I spent about three hours in the house and like Denise in her many visits
before, I did not sense spirit.  But the
visit did a lot of good as I managed to convince Sarah that when there had been
no spirit activity for several weeks and it would probably stays that way.  Whatever the reason for the lady in spirit showing
herself was gone and even while the making herself known there was never any
threat to the family.  The children had
not been distressed and the pet dog and cat had acted as normal…  Sarah slowly accepted this and as the months
passed the memories of the ‘sightings’ slowly faded away…

Although the
situation had died down and Sarah was slowly getting back to normal, the
investigation as far as Denise and myself was concerned was not over.  I did an extensive check on the internet and Denise
did her best to check up on former owners of the house but nothing of note came
to light.  So we filed this away as what
some might refer to as a ‘cold case’ a case that we could not find any answers
as to why there was spirit

One should never
say a case is closed where spirit is concerned. 
At the beginning of this year John contacted Denise and myself with an
amazing story -and the answer to who spirit was and why they were making
themselves known to his wife and children.

Sarah had a
happy childhood, good parents with strong religious values.  She met John when she was eighteen and they
got married two years later.   What Sarah
did not know was that she was adopted.  On
the day she came to her adopted parents they decided that they would not tell
her that she was adopted till she was twenty-one.  When Sarah was told she took it well and
after talking the whole situation over with her adopted parents and John she
decided not to seek out her natural mother, well, at that time but not ruling
it out in the future. 

Then last autumn
she thought about tracing her natural mother for the sake of her children.   she
felt that they had a right to know who their natural grandmother was.  Sarah did trace her natural mother but the
sad fact was that she had passed over two years before.  She made slight contact with two of her
mother’s brothers but it was only by brief emails.  Then a letter arrived from New Zealand, Sarah
had a third uncle which the other two had not mentioned.  This third uncle showed much more interest in
his niece and he had sent several photographs of his sister.    All but one was taken when Sarah’s mum was
little.  The only one of her natural
mother was dated 2005 and Sarah was stunned when she looked at this
photograph.  There was a strong
resemblance to the lady she and the children saw in the house and the scarf in
the photo was a grey/blue pattern….

The so-called
‘cold-case’ was reopened and the first question we set to John was “Please check out the time of your
mother-in-law’s passing and the time Sarah and the children were being aware of
spirit.  As we expected the dates
corresponded.  The mother passed on the
13th and the ‘experiences started from the 15th to the 19th
of the same month.

Should Sarah
have told us of the adopting?  She did
not think it was relevant and only once before did I ever come across something
similar so it is not a question Denise or I would normally ask.

If it really was
Sarah’s mother coming forward to her daughter after she passed why did she give
up so easily?   I don’t think she gave up easily as it takes a
lot of energy and determination for spirit to show themselves as the
mother/grandmother did.  If she was as
caring and loving she would have stepped back when seeing the state her
daughter, Sarah was getting into.  Maybe
not giving up but waiting for the right moment to try again if the right moment
presented its self. 

I asked Sarah
why she decided to trace her natural mother when she did and her words were “I was washing the dishes one evening and the
thought just came into my head that the children had a right to meet their
natural grandmother”.  So……….
could this have been Sarah’s mother guiding her daughter in that
direction? 

Now Denise and I
can put the file of this case in the ‘solved drawer’
In my
last blog I mentioned that the Culmodden Drive Spiritualist Church has not only
moved premises but also changed its name. You will now find Angela at

Lambhills
Eternal Light Spiritualist Church
Lambhill Stables
Canal bank north
Lambhill bridge
Balmore rd
Lambhill
G22 6RD

Service
Tuesdays 7pm

Well
there is another change – an extra service that will take place at the same
venue every Sunday at 6.30 pm starting 20th May 2012.



Spiritualism…. Good and bad news of the week…. Spiritual Healing…. Church News….

The flu virus meant that I had to cancel bookings at
the beginning of April and it was the 10th before I took my first
service, which was at the Dalneigh Spiritualist Church in Inverness.  There is always a good turnout at this
church, in fact a good turnout at all the churches in the north-east.  Spiritualism is always well supported in the
NE.

The 12th saw me at the Arbroath
Spiritualist Centre and again there was a good turnout.

The 16th – 20th we took a
holiday the Isle of Wight travelling by coach.

 Spiritualists come from every walk of
life.

Spiritualism is a place you will find
thinking men and women coming together…

Spiritualism is a science, philosophy
and religion that satisfy your logic, your mind and your heart. 

As the population contemplates the
current conditions in the world today, they are seeking a greater understanding
of the purpose of life and what can be done to improve individual life
situations and the circumstances of the world.

Spiritualism gives a person the key
that can be used to find the answers she/he seeks.

Spiritualism provides the knowledge
that by using prayer and meditation, we can become more aware of our responsibilities
to ourselves and to others. Through this inner awareness and guidance received
through spirit communications, a person takes the necessary actions to improve
his or her own life and contributes to the improved welfare of the entire human
race.

Spiritualism is the KEY that sets humanity free! Free to live and grow in the
physical through love and law; and free because we know that life is
continuous, the spirit never dies. “There is no death, there are no
dead.”

 Sad news of the week; –

The BBC’s stark video footage of
Tibetan monks and nuns setting themselves on fire, in protest against the
Chinese’s treatment of the Tibetan people and the Tibetan way of life.  I have heard some say that what was shown was
too stark, but as the persecution of the Tibetan’s has been going on for the
past fifty years and little has been done to help the Tibetan people.  Maybe such horrific video footage will make
ordinary people of the world sit up and notice, even if world leaders will not.

Good news of the week; –

Seeing all those runners in the London
marathon doing their bit for charity.

 Several emails have been suggesting that I am neglecting the Healing side
of Spiritualism on this blog.  I have to
admit that I should have been commenting more on Spiritual Healing which is
equally as important as the clairvoyance and philosophy.

I have said in the past that Spiritual Healing APPEARS to be the poor
relation of Spiritualism.  In many of our
churches the Healing Service is after the Divine Service and after a cup of
tea.  Many will wait on for the tea and a
chat but the numbers fall when it comes to the Healing Service.  In fact I know of those who have attended our
churches for years but never once waited on for the Healing Service.  Never experiencing what such Healing was
like.  Although I must say the numbers
for Healing have increased greatly recently in recent years.

I have looked through emails to this site and picked out two questions on
healing this week.

“G” asks – Does spiritualist healing
involve massage or manipulation?

No.  Spiritualist Healing is
administered by a simple application such as laying on of hands, or the
direction of thought from a distance. 
Massage and manipulation is not part of Spiritual Healing.

H – “Will I be asked to remove any
clothing?”

Again the answer is no, with the possible exception of an outer coat, and
then only for comfort.  The removal of
clothing is completely unnecessary with this form of healing. Although you may
be asked to remove spectacles.

I remember at a question and answer evening on Spiritualism, the heating
in the hall was not working so we were all wrapped up in our outdoor
clothing.  One gentleman asked roughly
the same question as “H” and he was not convinced that Healing energies could
get through to a patient wearing a lot of clothing.   All of a sudden his mobile phone rang.  This phone was in his shirt pocket and the
signal had to go through a heavy overcoat and a jacket for the phone to ring
out.  I mentioned the comparison to the
phone signal and the power of Spiritual Healing but he was still not
convinced.  I wonder if Spirit was trying
to put a point over to him.

There are always arguments whether Spiritual Healing works or not.  Many cases are laid on the table by each side
on this issue and it is like politics, each tries their best to destroy the
evidence presented by the other.

 “The medical profession must have got it wrong the first time
around”   The number of times I have
heard these words  when someone’s health
has dramatically improved after receiving Spiritual Healing, could easily make
one a little uneasy about  the ability of
the medical profession.  But if we take
into account that Spiritual Healing MAY have played a part in the patient’s
improvement then, the medical profession’s reputation is quickly restored.   But on saying that – NO ONE should ever stop
medical treatment and rely solely on Spiritual Healing as both can complement
each other. 

Two cases I have recently heard about and this is not just hearsay.  There has been a big turnaround in two
patient’s health after receiving Spiritual Healing, but neither of the patients
would be willing to have their details all over the media.  A cop out some may say, not according to the
patients and their families and friends.

But I prefer to stay away from the dramatic side of this and rely on my
own judgment and the comments of patients and their families as far as this
type of healing is concerned.

Here is one example; –

I constantly saw an elderly gentleman at many different Spiritualist
Churches in the Glasgow area.  He was a
poor looking soul, thin, no colour about his face and he always looked as if he
was in pain. 

After coming in contact with him for many months he suddenly was absent
from the churches I saw him at on a regular basis.  I wondered if he had passed over or decided
to give Spiritualism a miss. 

Then one day I met him.  What a
surprise I got, he had colour in his cheeks; the pain I always seemed to see in
his eyes was gone.  He told me that his
intake of painkillers had halved per week. 
Not only did I notice the difference in him but his sensible words
helped to show that Spiritual Healing could have been part of him having a
better quality of life.

After no change in his condition for eight years he started going for
Spiritual Healing.  Although at first
there was no difference in his condition as the far as the pain was concerned,
he immediately did feel more relaxed.   
Then after a few months of Healing he suddenly realized he was taking
fewer painkillers than he had done for the past eight years.  The intake of painkillers went down and down
and at one stage he felt that he may be able to stop taking them altogether.  That has not happened and he now admits it
never will as the injury he received all those years ago can never be
repaired.  Neither the medical profession
nor Spiritual Healing will bring him back to full health, between the two his
quality of life had got much better.

I asked him what his family and GP thought of this improvement.  He said that he had no close family but his
friends have been amazed at the change in him and his GP told him to keep up with
his regular appointments for the surgery but also to keep going for Spiritual
Healing.

On leaving him he said “You
Spiritualist should do what you are good at – giving healing to the sick – and
stop all this mumbo jumbo about talking to the dead”.

This comment goes to show that Spiritualism has many different facets and
mean different things to different people…….

 Church news… …Two churches have been on the move… new venues for two
churches in Glasgow

 White Dove Spiritualist Church

Toryglen Community Hall

199 Prospecthill Circus

Torygeln

Glasgow

G42 0LA

Service Thursday 7.30pm… Healing 8.50…

 ………………..

 The Culmodden Drive Spiritualist Church has not only moved premises but
also changed its name.  You will now find
Angela at

Lambhills Eternal Light Spiritualist Church
Lambhill Stables
Canal bank north
Lambhill bridge
Balmore rd
Lambhill
G22 6RD

Service Tuesdays 7pm

…………………. 

And a church that could do with some support is

Angel Light
Spiritualist Church

Govanhill Neighbourhood Centre,

Daisy St,

Glasgow.

G42 8JL

Church service Fridays 7.30pm,

So if you have spare time on a
Friday please go along and you will receive a warm welcome from Nancy,
Elizabeth and Christine.

Do Prayers Get Answered?…. Life – A Learning Process….. The Week’s Good and Bad News…

24th March I returned from five days in Scarborough with no voice and flu like symptoms…

25th March – I had to cancel a coffee afternoon at Berkley Street, Glasgow. (SNU)

26th I felt bit better and made the trip to ASK Dunfermline.  This church is still coming to terms with the passing of two of its founder members.  Jock McArthur who was President and Tilda Wilson.

27th –It is always a pleasure to visit the Cumnock Spiritualist Church.

28th I was again driving down to South Ayrshire to a new church for me in Girvan.

30th – The virus was really taking hold and it was only a last minute decision to attend a 1 ½ day seminar in Oban on paranormal research.

31st – I just returned home in time to get changed and off to the New Dawn Spiritualist Church in Kilmarnock.

But by this time the flu type virus had taken hold and I had to cancel my bookings for over a week.

During this period I was in a car accident and luckily no one was injured.
Mike emails; –

“Do prayers work for you?  They never seem to be answered as far as my “family is concerned”.

I am sure everyone has prayed for help at least one time in their life and many will be certain that their prayers have not been answered.

We have to start looking at the content of our prayers.  What we will find is that most if not all of our prayers are connected with other people in one form or another.   Whether it is family, friends or those we see in the media who are in dire straits through lack of water food, are being persecuted or are in poor health. 

Who do we pray too?  “God” of course.  But the Supreme Being has many names and is different things to different people. 

Just think the dilemma The Supreme Being must have in answering all our prayers, especially if they are connected to others here on the earth plane.    For your prayer to be answered “God” may have to alter the life of another, even though that person may want to go in one direction but you are asking God that he/she goes in another direction.   So their free-will is taken from them.

When a medium stands on the platform of a Spiritualist Church to give a Spiritual Address, they should in theory not have made up an address before hand, but be inspired by spirit on that evening.  Spirit alone will know the needs of the congregation.  Questions they want answered and if the link is pure, all that will come out in the address.

There are some addresses where the link is so spot-on that it will cover the many needs of those in the congregation.  Usually on such a night the medium is enjoying the address as much as the congregation, as it will be the first time he/she will have heard it.    On such nights it can mean as much to myself as I hope it means to the congregation.

One address of the many addresses I have given over the years still is clear in my mind, even though I gave it over a decade ago. 

That evening as I stood up for the address the word “prayer’ came into my mind, and what was said, and the feedback might be the best way to answer Mike’s question.

If your prayers do not seem to be answered then take a look at what you are actually praying for.  The address went on to say, “pray” for the right thing to be done in certain situations, and not for what you to want to be done in these situations. 

It was over a year before I was back at that particular church and yet four people came up and spoke to me about that particular address.    

Two I will mention here; –

One lady said that she was praying almost every hour that her daughter and son-in-law would not get divorced.  After hearing my words she changed her prayers to “Please let the right thing be done in this situation”.  A few months later the pair did get divorced and yet the situation was not as dire as she expected.  The divorced couple did keep friendly even though they quickly had new partners.  Not only that, but the five of them, mother, daughter, ex-son-in-law and their new partners meet up for a coffee or a meal once in a while.

She went on to say “Now when I think about it the marriage would never have worked, as friends they will be great friends but they never could have had a happily married life”.

The other was of a young man who was homeless and said that he could put up with sleeping rough, but not with an empty stomach.  He knew that in six months there would be a job waiting for him if he kept out of trouble.  But when hungry he was sorely tempted to break the law and steal food.  He said that it was only a matter of time before this would happen. 

Well again after that address he changed his mode of prayer and got through those six months because there was a change in what he received when begging on the streets of Glasgow.

Instead of the odd £1 coin and small change he got when begging on the streets, when he really was hungry he started to be given the odd meal voucher or filled rolls and cups of coffee.  .  Before the change in prayer these were not existent when he was begging.  His story does have a happy ending because he did get the job and has not looked back since.

There is more to come as far as these two successes are concerned.  The mother then looked at life from different angles and is now doing voluntary work.  The young man plans to put something back into the community in the near future. 

All that from a spiritual address.  All that from spirit knowing what was suitable for the congregation that evening. 

No miracles but just little seeds planted in the minds of those seeking some guidance.  It is then up to them to decide if that little seed of knowledge will grow and bear fruit.

The feedback from the other two went in a different direction but still in the end a positive path. And I will give an account of them in my next blog.

This shows that churches that stop addresses are diluting spiritualism as a religion and also diluting the power of spirit.
“All a Learning Process”
It is only through experiencing all manner of things, negative and positive that one can leave this life knowing a little more than when they entered it…
The more you learn… … The more equipped you will be for the next part of your existence…
For the next week… Look on everything… and I mean everything… as a learning process…
Think what you have to learn from this… and what you have to learn from that…
It will amaze you by the end of the week… how you will see so much… in a different light…
A whole new world…
A whole new dimension will open up to you…
You will see things like you have never seen them before…
Never give up… Never give in to the negative side of what unfolds in front of you
Alan…
The above comments were given in a trance circle in 2000 and forgotten about till a few weeks ago.
This gave a few of us an idea to ask four people to take heed of these words and see how they get on with being more aware of their surroundings for the next week.
To make it more interesting we decided to select four people from different walks of life; –
A spiritualist…
A lady who attends one of the main-stream churches every Sunday and takes part in a lot of church activities.
 An atheist who is manager in a large go-ahead business.
Someone who is unemployed.
In the next few blogs I will pass on to you their comments.
 
This week’s good news…
 With so much strife on our planet it was good to see the Pakistani President and the Indian Prime Minister standing side by side after talks…
…………………………………………………………………………………………..

The head of the UK’s leading cancer charity has said understanding of the disease is advancing “exponentially.

Describing a “golden era” of research, Harpal Kumar, the chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said there has been “an explosion in our understanding of what cancer is why it happens, why it doesn’t happen in some people and why it moves around the body”.

The cure for all types of cancer cannot come soon enough…

Bad news this week…

I will not go into details but the lady was attacked and blinded, she will never see her children growing up.  We should all send a few thoughts in this mother’s direction.

And once again the Grand National takes its toll on the race horse.

It is not just the fatalities during this race, just think of the pain and injury when we fall. So I wonder how many horses who ran in the Grand National today are injured and suffering at this moment?

TWO will never suffer again – as they are dead.

Fell – TEN

Pulled up for various reasons – FOUR.

Brought down – THREE.

Unseated rider – SEVEN.

Refused – ONE.  

One of the dead horses unseated it rider on the way down to the start and then was reluctant to walk to the first fence before the race.  Did the poor creature have a premonition?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Still gathering information about Jock McArthur and Tilda Wilson.

Here are the other statistics.

Fell – TEN

Pulled up for various reasons – FOUR

Unseated riders – SEVEN

Brought down – THREE

Refused – ONE

One of the dead horses, , unseated his rider on his way down to the start and then was reluctant to walk close to the first fence before the race started. the first fence. Did the poor creature have a preminition?

Unseated riders – SEVEN

Brought down – THREE

Refused – ONE

One of the dead horses, , unseated his rider on his way down to the start and then was reluctant to walk close to the first fence before the race started. the first fence. Did the poor creature have a preminition?

I end up on the wrong side of a debate on Spiritualism… “Hereafter” not my cup of tea…. Topaz… Wise words from Jim Brown…

Sunday 11th February I attended the AGM at The Glasgow Association.  (SNU)

 12th it was voluntary work and then on to a discussion group where the topic for the evening “Do only the vulnerable in our society accept Spiritualism?”    More about this in a moment.

 14th – A trip to Perth Spiritualist Church (SNU) where there is always a great welcome from Ivy & Co

 15th – taking part with a few selected people in a “Psychometry experiment”.

 17th – I took the second of my six workshops at Somerset Place. (SNU)

 18th – I was off to Edinburgh Spiritualist Church (SNU) Albany Street.

 19th -24th – we took a small break and headed south east to Scarborough.

 The courtesy call I got to make sure I would fulfil my booking at a Debating Group should have left me a bit puzzled and I should have phoned back.  The secretary of the club chatted away about everything but what the debate was to be about.  My past visits to this club the themes have been loosely on Spiritualism and paranormal research, so maybe being a bit complacent I decided to go with the flow and did no preparation.

The secretary had been a bit devious in not giving me details of the evening, because even although the debate was about Spiritualism I was in the team trying to debunk our religion.  I was a bit uneasy about this but decided not to ask to change sides.  Gerry, the leader of the other team made in clear in the other debates that I attended with this group that he was against all religion.   So I would play it by ear and put as much effort into the debate as he did.  It turned out to be a most interesting evening as Gerry had put a lot of research into it and fought spiritualism’s corner well.   There could have been no better result at the end of the evening, seeing the change of roles, the vote was a tie and the chairman decided not to take the casting vote.

 I think it was a learning curve for the two of us who were ‘on the wrong side’ so to speak.  For the next few days I started looking at how those who cannot accept Spiritualism look at us and Gerry phoned me to say he was thinking in-depth in the opposite direction.

An unsigned email
Tom did you think the Clint Eastwood film “Hereafter” was anything like the real thing?
I seldom watch any TV programme or films that are connected with the spirit world.  Only two such pprogrammes that I watched were; –
 “Medium”, the first two series I felt were passable.  But after that I felt that each storyline had to be more successful that the last to keep good viewing figures. 
“ Ghost Whisperer” I also only watched the first two series but I did not abandon this programme because I felt it was going over the top it was more that I did not have time to watch television..
“The Lovely Bones” was the only film in this genre that I watched and I have no complaints about it.  I will just say say that it was thought provoking.
I find the real thing so much more interesting than fiction.
Maxine sent the following email
“My daughter is now the proud owner of her first pony and they will soon be taking part in pony club activities.  I am a bit concerned for both of them.   I remember reading that there is a semi-precious stone that protects both rider and horse.  Can you help me please”?
Hi Maxine.  Sorry I have taken so long to get back to you on this as it took some time to trace this stone, but I eventually found the stone you were thinking off.  It is Turquoise. 
European Spiritual Myths from as far back as the middle ages have   believed that this stone could protect horses from danger and illnesses as well as the rider from any fall that might occur while riding.
There are many spiritual myths about Turquoise from all around the world and you may wish to research the many properties turquoise is said to possess.
As promised – more wise words from Jim Brown…
We would become more content with our lives, so instead of facing the world with a dissatisfied mind that is continually crying out for more and better material things we will transform our attitude so that whatever situation we are in we can feel happy and contented and our life will be more meaningful.

 In learning about spiritualism and Spiritual Enfoldment we have to be very practical and to the point without getting distracted into useless speculation.

 For instance, take the story of the man who was run down by a car. Before consenting to have any treatment for his injuries he insisted in knowing the name of the car owner, the type of car and the make presumably to make a claim for compensation.

 Perhaps he would die before learning the answers to a lot of unhelpful information. The crucial thing for him at that time was to be treated for his injuries immediately to prevent further complications.

 Likewise, while we are engaged in the development and learning of our inner self, if we allow ourselves to be sidetracked by useless speculation about irrelevant subjects that we can’t possible answer immediately then we are impeding our own advancement. It is much wiser and beneficial to get on with what is important.

 In Buddhism, they have a little story of the three faulty pots which is used to explain how obstructions can obstruct the learning process.

The first pot is sitting upside down therefore; nothing can be poured into it. This is like trying to reading a book while watching the television.

 There are so many distractions from the television that very little of what is being read goes into the mind.

The second pot is sitting upright but has a hole in the bottom. Something can be poured in but it doesn’t stay there for long. The book may be read with little attention but if we are asked sometime later, what it was about, we can’t remember.

 The third pot is also sitting upright but this one is very dirty. If we were to pour clean, fresh milk into it would stay there but it would become undrinkable. This can be compared to filtering what we read, through our own preconceived ideas. We won’t understand the subject referred to because we have polluted it with our own misinterpretations. 

 It can be difficult to set aside our preconceptions because sometimes we aren’t always aware that our ideas are prejudiced.

 When we have understood the spiritual way in its own context then we will be more successful in seeing how it corresponds with philosophy and science and other religions.

We should learn and practice spirituality according to our own abilities so that we improve the quality of our lives. In this way, we will gradually come to understand and appreciate the teachings that may have seemed difficult or unimportant.

 The goal in spiritualism is simplicity and clarity. With simplicity, we leave behind hypocrisy and selfishness, therefore letting impartial love and compassion grow in our minds. With clarity, we abandon the confusion of ignorance replacing it with direct perception of reality.

I will close by saying to those of you, who are new to spiritualism and may wish to develop your own awareness of spirit, be dedicated to your studies and understand our teachings.

I am still waiting on background information on Jock McArther and Tilda Wilson…