Tuesday 14^th I was at the Glasgow Association of Spiritualists (SNU) for private sittings in the morning and the service in the afternoon.  The latter was well attended as usual.    I have always found it interesting that two Spiritualist Churches in Glasgow can have good attendances on Tuesday afternoons yet many other churches struggle to get a reasonable attendance on Sunday morning. 

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Then we had a few days break going to Germany by coach and having a cruise down the Rhine.  I had enough of flying last year with the volcanic ash causing havoc by grounding aircraft.  While sitting on the banks of the Rhine we were treated to a magnificent flying display by a Red Kite.  The hotel had been a convent for many years but no sign of any Spirits, not that I expected any.

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I got a good bit of feedback on my comments on animals in the Spirit World.  Most seem to think that unless all species were part of this other dimension, then it would not be as good as it is made out to be.

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There are many who are still of the belief that Spiritual Mediums are similar to fortune-tellers. I agree that Spirit can to a degree prepare us for certain situations but not in a direct way, rather in a way that we have to think and act on our own to make things happen.

The following is my own opinion and there will be those who will disagree with my comments.

Many years ago a group of mediums, fledgling’s, psychics, fortune tellers and those who had never thought of anything connected with Spirit or psychic activities, were asked to take part in a test.  We were to meditate, then ask for help from whatever source we wanted,  to predict what would happen in the next six months. We wrote down our predictions, sealed them in an envelope and all were enclosed in a larger envelop and put in a safe.

Six months later they were opened and at a quick glance the predictions were reasonably good, till we looked at them in depth. E.g.:_-

"An earthquake in Japan", which there had been, but there are constant earthquakes in Japan. Maybe what would have been more interesting, if it had been predicted that there would be no earthquakes in a six month period, in that country and that then had been the case. 

"A serious terrorist attack in Asia"... Again general, maybe would have been worth looking into if the country or town had been given.

I am not saying during this test anyone was cheating but most of us agreed, that where we were getting it right in a loose sort of way, were areas that we were individually interested in. (In my case, incidents about foreign affairs.) When I asked Spirit for predictions they did they not answer as that is not what they are there for, and my own mind cut in. 

Next part of the experiment we were paired off and asked to give predictions as to what would happen to the person sitting in front of us during the next six months. When we met up six months later, there was little of real accuracy, even from those who called themselves "Fortune Tellers".

But that proved nothing as maybe all in the group did not have that ability to predict the future.

Then three of us were singled out to go to fortune tellers and see what transpired.  Again little or no accuracy.  In my case there was no mention as to an accident that was to befall me a month later, which would affect my arm and shoulder for the rest of my life. Also, no mention of anything of actual importance that occurred around me during the next year.

I tried to be fair in my evaluation of all this but maybe I was being a bit too hard to please, so next we will look at the situation surrounding a lady who contacted fortune tellers on a regular basis.

Over the years she has spent several thousand pounds on trying to find out what the future held for her. She wanted to know when she would meet her soul mate and get that special job she wanted. She was constantly told that both would come to pass at the end of the month, year etc.  Yet years down the line neither has happened. She is disillusioned but yet still willing to pay out for a prediction. Has anything she has been given turned out to have come to pass? I cannot say for certain as we are not in contact so much these days but the small loose items that she can bend and twist to make fit, seemed to spur her on for another session.

It took me a long time to believe there was a Spirit World and there could be communication from this other dimension. A lot longer to accept "Spiritual Healing" and even longer to accept "distant or absent healing, so maybe in time I will get the proof to be able to accept fortune telling.

What are your views on predicting the future?

Next week I will comment on how Spirit in a subtle way can prepare us for certain situations exciting and accurate way in my opinion.

On Monday 6^th it was my pleasure to take the service at Pollockshields and District Spiritualist Church.  This church opened in 1988 and has been a really busy up till this year, when the numbers have for some unexplained reason has fallen away.  A lot of people in the area have received support and comfort over the years from Bill, Ellen, and others who have helped them out, so please try and give this church some support.  Maybe try and go along one evening or let your friends who stay in the area knows about it.  After the service Linzie will be on hand to serve you with a cup of tea and a smile...  The service is held on Monday evenings, 7.30pm, Langside Halls. (downstairs)

On the 8^th it was a talk on Spiritualism, which I will comment on later.

Thursday saw me travel to the Lighthouse Spiritualist Church, YAC Halls, George Road, Greenock.  Although only opened a few months ago it has been very busy from day-1. Jenny Lafferty at the helm and she is supported by several enthusiastic and willing helpers.

Friday it was nice to meet up with Nancy, Liz and Christine at the Angel Light Spiritualist Church, Daisy Street, Govanhill, Glasgow.

A week with much less travelling than the week before which saw me drive 700-miles in five days.    BUT.... as I constantly say a medium cannot be judged on the number of services they take or the miles they travel.  We all have commitments, some more that others and family, health and work, have to come first.  Then there is the availability of transport.

Last week I said that I would leave the info about Kirkcaldy Spiritualist Church to this week.  Here it is; -

President Lyn Redpath and the committee put a lot of hard work into making this Centre a success. Their weekly programme is as follows.

Sunday: Divine Service 6pm - Healing is available after the service

Monday: Evening of Mediumship 7.30pm

Thursday: Awareness circle - 7pm till 8.30pm.

Private sittings can be arranged must be booked in advance.

They also have an excellent website; -  www.kdysc.moonfruit.com

 I was interested to see on the website “Light a Candle Memorial” where one can insert the name of a loved one who has passed.  There is also a memorial page for our pets/little friends that have passed over.

Well done Kirkcaldy Spiritualist Centre...

What the discussion ended up mainly about on Wednesday evening was “What will it be like in the Spirit World?" and "Do animals apart from pets go to the Spirit World

I don't know exactly what will meet me and I will wait and have a pleasant surprise.  I am sure that all species on earth will be there and that we will have to toe the line in giving all species more respect than we do on Planet Earth... 

These days man looks on himself as the most intelligent creature on this planet but is that not arrogant and self-limiting?  In years gone by Native Americans saw it differently, respecting all of life, the ground, the plants and the animals. Many cultures worshipped certain animals and birds; they built temples to these other species, holding them in great esteem. However, the Native Americans held all life equal, believing that worshiping any one particular thing above another would cause imbalance. That I am happier with, as every species has its role to play on this planet and I have no doubt it will be the same in the Spirit World.

In many respects we (mankind) have lost our way and the strain is telling on our planet. We concrete over more and more land each year and then wonder why we have floods. Where is the water to go?

Each year we see the rise in the use of fertilisers and pesticides, and then we wonder why numbers of other species are falling. We have had a scare recently, the dramatic fall in the number of honey bees around the world. That stark warning, that without this busy little creature, man will eventually fail to exist does has not put the brakes on our wanting more and more at the expense of the flora and fauna of our planet.

There are those in our society today that  worships the fastest racehorse, the bull that's offspring produce more meat or milk that any other, but at the same time look on hare coursing as a sport.  The humble hare which would harm no one is looked upon as an object for sport and pleasure.

I am sure that all who respect all that is on Planet Earth will progress in the Spirit World at a faster rate than those who disregard the importance of all that we have on this planet.

One charity that I have supported over the years is The Brooke.   An international animal welfare organization dedicated to improving the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules in some of the world's poorest communities. The provide treatment, training and programmes around animal health and wellbeing, operating across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Even if one does not wish to donate to this organization I am sure you will be fascinated by the wonderful work they do. Details can be found on www.thebrooke.org

I hope to have a different poem and new photos on the site each week starting from next week.

On Sunday 29^th May I made the journey to the Kirkcaldy Spiritualist Centre. (SNU).  This Centre is right in the middle of the town, 12 Kirk Wynd.

More about Kirkcaldy in next week's blog


Monday evening was meant to be a night off but I got an urgent request from a family to come to their home as they felt a ‘ghost’ was present.  More about that further down the blog...

Tuesday I was at ASK Cumbernauld.  I was surprised to hear that this church is in its sixth year as it seems only like yesterday that I took a service at this church two weeks after it opened.  The people of Cumbernauld certainly took this Church to their heart as from Day-1 this has always been a busy Church.  Over its short life Joan and Isobel have arranged several charity evenings which have aided needy local charities.

Wednesday I was off to the Perth Spiritualist Church (SNU), whose committee have done a lot over the past year in renovating their church from top to bottom.  As you approach the premises you will see a sign “A Small Church With A Big Heart” and that says it all about this friendly little place.  President is the always smiling Ivy Campbell.

It was such a lovely evening on Thursday and as I was early for the Balloch Spiritualist Church I decide not to turn into the town but to take a run up the side of Loch Lomond.  I made sure I stopped before the village of Luss because if I had turned into the village I would have started taking photographs and would forgotten about the time.  Luss one of the most scenic villages in Scotland. The Balloch Church has been running for only a few years and I find such a great enthusiasm from all who attend.  Tam Conroy is President.

On Friday I only prised myself away from this PC to visit Beith‘s Annual Art Exhibition.  Exhibits are always of high quality and this year I felt that the standard was even better than in previous years..  Most of the works in the adult exhibition are for sale at very reasonable prices.  This exhibition is held in Beith’s Community Centre at the beginning of June each year so maybe put an entry in your diary to attend next year.

On Saturday the voluntary work that I was scheduled for was cancelled at the last moment so we decided to take a trip to my home town, Prestwick.  The town seems to have fewer empty shops than seems to be the norm these days in other towns.  This is a busy little town where not much has changed over the years.  The Over -65 Club  had an exhibition of old photos of the town which we found very interesting. 

After my comments on “circles” last week I got a few interesting emails on the subject.

“As I work shifts I find it difficult to get accepted for any closed circles because I can only manage every second week”

It is up to the church/individual who they let into a closed circle and the conditions for those attending.  But I feel that it would be unfair to bar someone because they could only sit every second week because of work commitments.  I doubt Spirit would wish someone to be refused entry to a circle for this reason alone.

“I have been told that a development circle should be held weekly, at the same time and in the same place”.

A church will use its own premises or usual rented hall and at the same time but the development circle need not be weekly.  I was in an excellent development circle for almost four years and it was held fortnightly.  At one stage we had to move premises for several months because of building renovations and I never noticed a difference with our link with Spirit...

“I have left three development circles through the years because there was always some noise or other that disturbed me”. 

Our development circle was held in a room in our church where the window looked out on to a main road.  Although it was not the busiest of roads there were always cars or people going bye and we got used to it.  It is difficult to find a place that will be devoid of all noise I once sat in a circle  in a house in the country and even there, there was not complete silence.  Cows mooing, sheep bleating, hens clucking, crows squawking,  tractors/harvesters working away.  We must seek the quietest place we can but we have to share the planet with others and we should not be too sensitive to noise, even in circle.

Now back to the family who asked me to visit their home because ‘unusual things’ were going on around the house. (The family have given me permission to mention their situation)

I regularly get asked out to similar situations but I doubt you will ever see me on TV because in most cases an answer can be found and sorted out without any theatrical performance or the dramatic “house clearing” comment.  In such incidents one has to treat what is going on like a police investigation.

So on the 24^th I visited the scene of what the family called a “disturbance” – a “ghostly disturbance”.  This was a detached bungalow in a quiet street.

The family had lived there for 24-years and in their words “We have had no ghostly experiences until 14^th May, then again on 16^th May. ^y


What had frightened this family?   Footsteps on the stairs.... the light in the kitchen coming on... the sound of a chair moving... The sound of cups/mugs gently hitting together. r This happened several times during both the nights of the 14^th and 16^th...

Who witnessed this?  Father (52), mother (46), son (22) and daughter (16) on the first night and on the second night a family friend (64) a retired dentist who had left a letter with what he had experienced on that night.   All claimed that on these nights they had not been drinking, taking drugs, prescribed or otherwise. 

At this stage I always ask if there were any children or pets in the house and if so how they reacted during any disturbance.  But there were no kids or pets. 

This family were terrified as according to their religious beliefs any spirit or ghostly activity is evil. So if there had been nothing like this in the bungalow in almost quarter a century, why now?  The answer must be connected with the present.

I took a walk around the house and could not sense any spirit presence, there was one thing I was aware of but I did not think too much about it at the time and I did not mention it to the family.

I did believe there had been a spirit presence and it was not the family’s imagination, so I felt the most probably answer would be something connected around the family at this moment in time.  For the next ten minutes I asked question after question about their lives and got “No”, “No”, “No”.  I was really floundering for an explanation then the mother said “It could not be in connection with?”....   and all started to become clear.

On the 4^th the son got the offer of a job abroad.  As soon as Uni was over he could jet away to a job he would like to have taken but it was only a two year contract, if he stayed at home he had a lesser job waiting for him and if he worked hard he could make a good life for himself.  Remember the second awareness of spirit was on the 16^th – well on the 17th he had to make up his mind about the job abroad.  Could this be the answer or just a coincidence?  Too often such visits to a family follow this pattern for it to be just a coincidence.

Then I remembered what I had sensed on the stairs “A smell of oil – engine oil”.  When I mentioned this all the family looked at me and said the grandfather, three-years deceased, had been a ships engineer all his life.

So could there be a connection with what happened on the two nights and the grandfather?

Yes, according to the family.  He was a great one for holding family conferences sitting around the kitchen table after he had made them all a cup of tea/coffee.  Every situation to crop up big or small there was this family conference when he was home from sea.

So could that be the answer?  Was I clutching at straws?

If our loved-ones were still here with us would they not come around when there is family problems and family joy.  So if we believe in a Spirit World and Spirit communication then there is no reason why they should not continue their role in caring from the family.

But as I said to the family “Never believe anything a medium tells you, including myself, unless it makes sense to you”.

I gave the family my views and now it is up to them whether they accept it.  The disturbance” had gone before I appeared at the house so there was no need to ask any Spirit to move on, if the family had wanted them to move on.

Maybe it is a pity that I did not get to the house earlier and mention the grandfather so the family could have looked at the job situation in the cool, calm and collective way that they said the grandfather would have looked at it 

Can I ask you to send you thought out to Albert Woodfox,  and Herman Wallace,  who have been in solitary confinement in an American prison for almost forty-years.