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....

28^th 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 2^nd August

1^st 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.

3^rd...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

4^th...  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.

5^th...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.

8^th 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 16^th August.

9^th – 16^th... 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 5^th 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...