Thursday 18 July 2013

Spirit Guides...... “Why I Am A Spiritualist” by Aberdeen author Ada A McKay.... The Dalai Lama..... “Dowsing” Chapter 3 by Roy Dutton...



24th June saw me travel by public transport to Saltcoats Spiritualist Church as I did not have a car after the accident.  I must thank the ladies from Dalry – I never got their names that went out of their way running me home after the service.  After an extremely warm day at a seaside resort there was still a good turnout at the church.

26thI was taking an evening of clairvoyance at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre in Edinburgh.

29th – Was another of my workshops at the Glasgow Association of Spiritualists, Somerset Place, Glasgow. (SNU)  This was another well-attended session.

30th – I was on my way north to the Perth Spiritualist Church (SNU) 40 new Row, Perth...

3rd July - I got a call at the last moment to give a talk to a group whose intended speaker for the evening could not get to the hall on time so I was asked to fill in.  I gave a talk on “Spirit around Us” which seemed to go done well even though none of those attending had ever been to a Spiritualist Church or had ever paid the slightest interest in the paranormal.  But as usual after this talk there were one or two who felt that they have had some sort of spirit connection without actually thinking anything about it at the time.  Any church who wants to do something a little different. I am willing to come along and give a talk on how close spirit can be yet even we spiritualists fail to notice at times.

4th - I had only to travel a short distance to the Pyramid Spiritualist Church in Pollock, Glasgow.





 

Gordon Higginson was one of the finest mediums of the last century and a great medium, speaker and teacher. His gifts of mediumship were wide ranging and comprised mental mediumship, trance, physical mediumship and healing.  Gordon was a dedicated Spiritualist and is the longest serving President of the Spiritualists National Union (SNU), serving for an exceptional 23 years from 1970 until his passing in 1993.  He was also the Principal of the Arthur Findlay College at Stansted Hall from 1979 to 1993, as well as being a Minister of the SNU .  Stansted Hall was very dear to his heart and a place where many came from far and wide to hear his lectures and see his demonstrations..  Even today Gordon’s name is constantly mentioned in our churches

Instead of constant praise would it not be better if modern day Spiritualists heeded the wisdom of Mr Higginson?

 Gordon Higginson comment on SPIRIT GUIDES; -
“These are spirit people who can inspire us; those who can work with us. They do not belong to us. They do not want us to exalt them. They are being of service. There is only one guide — God”.

Words that. those sitting on executive committees of large Spiritual organizations, Presidents of churches and their committees, Spiritual Mediums, Spiritual Healers and all those who call themselves Spiritualists, should all learn off by heart?

I heard a comment on the radio recently that many Christians seem to put Jesus before God.  I think it can be said that there is a tendency these days to put Spirit and Mediums before God as far as Spiritualism is concerned...  I was asked at a question and answer session one evening if we Spiritualist believed in a God.  I was taken aback for a second but all became clear as the gentleman

 Spoke on.  He said that he had attended many Spiritual services and seldom heard the word “God”, apart from a brief mention in the opening prayer.  Someone else chipped in with “I even heard a prayer when God was not mentioned”.  During the discussion that followed many thought that God was being ignored and some amazing Spirit Guides and Mediums had taken his place.

As I have mentioned in a recent blog ‘the inspiration of Spirit’ is being eroded by some churches in abandoning addresses.  Also by the powers that be – here on the Earth Plane in pushing the medium more towards history lessons on Spiritualism that a Spirit inspired address.  I know of Christian friends who regularly attend Bible study at their churches, so why does Spiritualism not follow suit by having classes on “The History of Modern Spiritualism”?  I did broach this with a church president and she said “There would not be enough turn up to make it viable”.  .  If we are going to proudly claim to be a religion then we must accommodate five or five hundred.    OK – I can see where this is not viable for a church renting out a hall, but some of my Christian friends take turns at having Bible study in their own homes.  The ‘only a few would attend’ should not be an excuse to opt out for a church with its own premises.   There is always a solution or a compromise if one is willing to look for it.   This is an opportunity for a church in each area to hold a monthly meeting on our Spiritual beliefs and history.  With members of other local Spiritualist churches also invited along.  I am sure then there would be enough attending.  . 

If there are only a few wanting to know about the background of our religion - then why force it on congregations during the address of a divine service?  Surely the answer to all this is let Spirit inspire the address and if they find there is a need for a for a history lesson – so be it.  Let our church committees arrange separate nights for further education into Spiritualism...........
Back to Gordon’s words; - “They do not want us to exalt them”.

And should that not be the same with those in the hierarchy of Spiritual organizations and Spiritual Mediums?  As each year passes the Spiritual Medium is being put more and more under the spotlight of fame and fortune, taking all the glory and leaving Spirit as no more than playing a very minor supporting role.  ...

They are being of service” (spirit).     And should a Spiritual Medium not be the same?    There are many working for Spirit in many different spheres of our communities that have never having heard of the Spirit World.  But they do their bit working alongside Spirit in helping others.  They don’t seek fame or fortune so why should the Spiritual Medium?

 

 

 

I have just finished reading a most interesting book – “Why I am a Spiritualist” by Scottish author Ada A McKay.  This is a very personal statement of Ada’s beliefs.  The book is intended as a simple introduction to the Spiritualist faith through the eyes of Ada and why she believes in Spiritualism as opposed to the established Christian Churches.   Ada hopes that those who read the book will be interested enough to follow on and explore Spiritualism themselves. 

The author gives her views on

What happens after death?

Is there a Judgment Day?

Do animals survive physical death? 

Can we trust the Bible?

Does everyone go to heaven or only those who accept certain beliefs?

What happens to atheists and agnostics after death?

Is baptism important?

Does everyone survive death or is this only for a chosen few?

This book does not hold back on certain subjects and I would not say that I totally agree with everything that is written.  But I feel that a lot of research and soul searching over the years has gone into the book and will be of great interest to Spiritualists and non-Spiritualists alike.  Whether the reader agrees with Ada or not it will give them a lot to think about. I am sure if a church adds this book to its library then its members may feel encouraged to press for a regular discussing evening to discuss points raised in the book. 
Ada hails from Aberdeen and is a retired librarian. In the course of her career she has worked in public libraries, a children’s library, a college library and a university library. Books and knowledge are very important to her and she believes that for readers to enjoy a book it must use words and expressions which are familiar and easily understood. In her book she has used everyday language and included references to TV programmes, movie stars and books which everyone will recognize. She hopes that her book will make readers THINK and perhaps reconsider some long cherished beliefs, always remembering that Spiritualism teaches don’t accept anything unless it makes sense to YOU!

Why I am a Spiritualist” £5 including p&p

http://www.missadamckay.com








 

Continuing with David’s “What individuals over the past few years have you admired for acting in a spiritual or selfless way, yet they were not part of the spiritualist movement?”  My third choice although in no particular order is.... His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. 

His Holiness is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk.  . He frequently states that his life is guided by three major commitments: the promotion of basic human values or secular ethics in the interest of human happiness, the fostering of inter-religious harmony and the preservation of Tibet's Buddhist culture, a culture of peace and non-violence.

The Dalai Lama is a man of peace. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet. He has consistently advocated policies of non-violence, even in the face of extreme aggression. He also became the first Nobel Laureate to be recognized for his concern for global environmental problems.

He has travelled to more than 67 countries spanning 6 continents. He has received over 150 awards, honorary doctorates, prizes, etc., in recognition of his message of peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion.  He has also authored or co-authored more than 110 books.

His Holiness has held dialogues with heads of different religions and participated in many events promoting inter-religious harmony and understanding.

Since the mid-1980’s, he has begun a dialogue with modern scientists, mainly in the fields of psychology, neurobiology, quantum physics and cosmology. This has led to a historic collaboration between Buddhist monks and world-renowned scientists in trying to help individuals achieve peace of mind. This has also led to the introduction of modern science in the traditional curriculum of Tibetan monastic institutions re-established in exile.

One of the great men of our time....





 





 
Chapt. 3                    Evidence for the Sixth Sense

 

Soon after I began my experiments with the dowsing rods, it became apparent that my mind was very much responsible for whatever I discovered. I had to fix in my mind the sort of objects I wanted to locate. Retaining a provisional imaginary image also helped, as did spoken descriptive repetition of whatever was being sought. The rods seemed to be necessary tools and indicators to enable me to link up with the unseen, imagined, objects.
            Having satisfied myself that the detection of underground and under floor objects was a reality, I wanted to explore other possibilities using mental imagery and abstract thoughts. Would I be able to detect the presence of obstacles in darkness? Would it be possible for me to detect when I was in a particular, specified, location, without visual reference? A number of experiments were devised to explore these ideas.

 Obstacle Avoidance Experiments
 
With the participation of my wife and small schoolboy son, I was able to devise a number of tests indoors. In our long, through-lounge, we moved the furniture to create a cleared walkway, from front to back of the room. With eyes tightly shut (and sometimes blindfolded) I asked  my helpers to move obstacles into my path down the room. Chairs, coffee tables, poufs and other relatively light articles would be manoeuvred quietly into my path as I progressed blindly, walking with rods extended before me. My helpers were prepared to warn me if it looked as though the rods were not responding.
            During the events, no warnings were necessary.  I felt the rods cross as they passed over the edge of each low obstruction.  This experiment was carried out several times, successfully, with different obstacles placed in different parts of the room. Surely, extrasensory perception (ESP), assisted by the rods, had been demonstrated without any room left for doubt.

Encouraged by that result, I decided to go one stage further. Could the rods, after having detected an obstacle, indicate to me the unobstructed way I should walk to avoid it?  Again, with the help of my two assistants, the obstacles were placed randomly, as before, to obstruct my blind walking. As before, the rods warned me
of the presence of the obstructing item. In my mind, I then asked which way I should go to skirt round the obstacle. On each occasion, I felt both rods swing forcefully together to the left or to the right. By turning in the indicated direction, I was able to detect when I could return to my original direction of travel. Occasionally, on opening my eyes I could see that, had I turned the other way, I would have encountered another obstacle. Participating in these experiments was a fantastic experience, but it would be experienced again during the next experiments in this series.

Spatial Positioning Experiments
First experiments to explore whether the rods could indicate when I was in a pre-conceived location began with simple tests.  With the rods extended before me  and with eyes firmly shut, I walked down the lounge, as before. I then fixed in my mind an image of the location I wanted to be in; for example, beneath the ceiling light, beside one edge of the fireplace, and so on. Positive responses were obtained during each one of these trials. But I doubted the real significance of them, because I was very familiar with the layout of the room and could have subconsciously measured my steps accordingly. So, tests in an unfamiliar environment would be necessary. The opportunity would be presented to me some years later when I was in that large field in Adlington.
            Not being familiar with the distances of objects like trees and gaps in the hedgerows would help me with these spatial positioning tests. During my time in that field, one of the most telling objectives was to reveal, with eyes tightly shut, when I crossed an imaginary line between two objects located on opposite sides of the field. When I felt the rods cross, I stopped abruptly and looked to left and  right. Sure enough, on each occasion,  I discovered that the chosen objects were truly aligned on either side of my position, indicating that I was standing on that imagined line linking them. 

 I discovered, also, if I believed strongly enough, in an arbitrary manner and without any evidence, that there was something underground at particular locations, the rods would obligingly cross when I walked over those locations. This revelation led me, later, to be sceptical about the claims of some dowsers that they were able to detect Earth-energy (ley) lines in the vicinity of ancient sites.  Currently, to my knowledge, there  have been no tests devised to validate those claims.


 

 


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