Long Service Presentation to Jim and May Brown... “Awareness" by Jim Brown

The last day of January saw me at Coatbridge Spiritualist Church where there was a big turnout.  Coatbridge is not on the tourist map but it has a great museum with lots on display and is well worth a visit. 

 February 1st I had only a few miles to travel to Paisley Spiritualist Church (SNU)

 2nd... This time only a few miles further to the Pyramid Spiritualist Church in Pollock.

5^th Mrs Primrose’s Christian Spiritualist Church in Glasgow.  More about this church in my next blog

8^th I was at the new Arthur Conan Doyle Centre in Edinburgh

9^th... It was my pleasure to serve the Lighthouse Spiritualist Church in Gourock.  Everyone on entering the building receives a warm welcome from President Jenny Lafferty.  This church has been going for just over a year and has great support from the local community.

Thursday the 9^th was a very special day for Jim and May Brown who have worked tirelessly for spirit for many years.  Even May and Jim will have lost count of the services they have taken at our churches, Jim giving the address and May with her Clairvoyance.  I was sorry I could not attend this evening as I had another engagement.  I asked Jim if he would like to comment on the evening and here is his reply

“ I should like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who sent congratulations to May and myself on our receiving a 25 years long service award for our service and work in Spiritualism.

We have been involved in the Spiritualist Movement for approximately 35 years and have in our time served churches all over Scotland, from Dumfries to Arbroath and We have made many friends in our journeys.

As with all things time catches up with us, so we are now retired from this rewarding work, although we are still very much involved with A.S.K. (The Association for Spiritual Knowledge) in Dreghorn.

Our other interests lie in being member of the National trust visiting castles, gardens ECT. When the weather allows us also I am a philatelist collecting stamps from USA, Channel Islands an Isle of Man.

In closing I would once again thank all who sent their good wishes to us”.

Jim and May Brown

 I am sure we all wish Jim and May a happy retirement but as they said they are still heavily involved with ASK, Dreghorn and I am sure they would be delighted to see their old friends drop in and see them.  The address…….

 ASK,  Townend Community Centre, Main Street, Dreghorn, KA11 4EQ. (Thursday 7.30pm)

Jim has kindly sent me copies of some of his addresses/talks and I will put them on this blog at regular intervals.

The first one I have selected is

“Awareness”

There are three main areas of awareness that you need to develop if you wish to make any progress and these are awareness of yourself, awareness of other people and awareness of your spirit friends.

In attendance at development workshops and seminars there are various types of exercises that will be carried out to help you become more aware in each of these areas of your development.

Most of you who attend development workshops are already spiritually minded, and by making the effort to develop an awareness of your own self, you would be trying to awaken an awareness of your inner feelings.

And by asking the question ' Who am I?' which we all do at some time or another, shows that you have a desire to know who you really are.

By the amount of evidence we have received over the years we already know that we were a spirit being first before we became a physical being.

Perhaps now it is your wish to become more aware of the spirit that lies within your physical body.

And it may also be your wish to become aware of the World of Spirit, where you’re loved ones and your spirit friends now live and also to be aware of the love, healing and words of encouragement you receive from them.

Although the development of your spiritual self is a personal matter it is greatly helped by the presence of like minds. Minds, which think beyond material possessions and personal gratification and give thought and help to others who are also trying to, develop their own spirit.

 In the process of developing this awareness of yourself you will become aware of other people and their need also to develop and this will create a bond of love where you will, perhaps find yourself sitting in circle with them and where all of you will benefit.

Some people ask if it is possible to develop on their own. Yes it is, but it is not wise for you must remember that although the aura is an energy field it is also a protective field. And by sitting with a group you are sitting in a blended aura that serves to create a protective power around all the sitters.

Also if you sit alone the progress of your awareness and development will be very slow, as you have no one to communicate with during the time that you are sitting.

It is largely through the aura that the spirit helpers and guides are able to contact each of us

The aura as you know is an energy field that surrounds each of us like a shell that encloses an egg.

During the time of sitting in your circle you should learn to expand your aura to enfold those who are sitting on either side of you. This way the whole circle becomes enclosed in a field of energy and with the help of the more experienced sitters auric field you will in time come to be more aware and sense the power of spirit close to you.

As you develop this field of energy around you,

You should be very careful for you will become sensitive to other people's thoughts and moods and may find yourself becoming influenced by them.

Therefore, you should learn to master your own thoughts and feelings so that you can control your aura and learn to reject bad feelings and to accept only good feelings.

The colours that are within the aura are of course are another source of inspiration and learning and when you are able to read them they can tell a lot about the recipient.
If you are a developing clairvoyant you may while sitting in circle become aware of the other sitter's auras and the colours they contain.

Another helpful exercise I referred to earlier is meditation is one which you can do on your own.

It’s the key to awareness.

If you desire spiritual unfoldment then you should try to get into the habit of meditation.

I should say that meditation and development are two different paths to spiritual Unfoldment.

By the practice of meditation you will become more aware of your own self and of your own spirit and in due time through sitting in a circle and daily meditation you will become more aware of those unseen people who are around you and of who you are not yet conscious of.

The more you practice sitting in the silence the more proficient you will become so that you can meditate in almost any surroundings.

As you become more proficient at your meditation you will become more aware of your own spirit and when you come to sit down to meditate you will almost immediately be in contact with your higher self

There are three ways if attaining these goals: first by becoming a member of a good development circle, secondly by learning to expand your aura so that it blends with the others in the circle, and thirdly by learning through daily meditation how to control and direct your thoughts.

As you know a one-night workshop or a weekend seminar on awareness isn’t going to make you instantly aware of your own inner self, of other people or of spirit.

But if you are a member of a good development circle of dedicated sitters and it is conducted by an experienced medium then your development will progress.

Jim Brown

15^th... January  saw my first service of the year at Ayr Spiritualist Centre. (SNU)  There was a good turnout as usual at the Centre with quite a few new faces.

16^th... A small group of us discussing the topic “Spirit –Their Aims and Ambitions”
18^th I was out seeing two families that had become ‘aware’ of spirit and contacted our churches for an explanation.  I will explain about one of these cases later in the blog. 

22^nd... Stirling Spiritualist Church (SNU) where as usual there was a great welcome and a good turnout.  The only time I am in Stirling is when visiting this church or passing through on a trip further north.  Yet there is so much of historic interest in Stirling, that this is the year I WILL take time to visit the castle and other historic attractions.

25^th... A trip to Maryhill and to Culmodden Drive Spiritualist Church. 

A warm friendly church where everyone is welcome.

This is a small independent church situated at the top end of Maryhill in Glasgow. Mrs. Isa Bellinger, was the founder of our church which began in premises a few streets away. She was a very well respected Medium in the Spiritual movement for over 40 years. After her death Mrs. Bellinger's daughter Maureen Walker took over. It was during Maureen’s time the church moved to its present home in Cumlodden Drive. Maureen admirably continued her mothers work until December 2004 when ill health forced her to give up her part in the church. In January 2005 the church was handed over to Angela for safe keeping and from then on the church has gone from strength to strength as it is run by a group of loving caring people who will give you a friendly welcome and assist you in any way they can.

The Church meets meet every Sunday at 6.30pm and every Wednesday at 7.30pm.  During the year the church has a few special nights which are usually ticket events and all money raised is given to charity

There is a healing service after the tea break each Sunday and Wednesday.

The church has spiritualist mediums of their own Angela, Cathy Tilda Kathleen and Irene with a total of 80 years experience between them.  So if you have any questions please feel free to ask as one of them will be on hand to give you an answer.  The church also has Helen, Eileen, Jim and Jim, trainee mediums who are all sitting in circle and are developing well

I mentioned the word ‘friendly’ earlier in describing the welcoming one gets from this church and it is shown in their website with the comment;

 “If our church is too far from you let me know where you are and I will try to recommend a church close to you. There are 3 churches in Maryhill and hundreds all over Scotland and the UK. Our aim is to encourage people into Spiritualism be it in our church or some other church. We all work for the same aim to help people in need of guidance and advice drop me a note and I will try to help you find the help you need”.

 Those words are what Spiritualism is all about – “Team Work”. 

I am long passed being amazed at the link children can attain with Spirit.  Not that we have children sitting in circle, but often parents will contact our churches because their children will have told them something about a family member that has passed over.  They will give information about things they could never have known about, or described a family member they have never seen in the flesh or even a photograph of them.  Many parents who have never once thought about the Spirit World/Spiritualism, then start to wonder what is going on. There are some parents can actually be frightened after their children make them ‘aware’ that it is not necessarily the end when a loved one is buried or cremated.

The latest case was concerning a child’s link with her grandmother was not my first visit to this family home.  I have been there three times in the past but till this latest visit I had never met the young lass and this time it was only a fleeting glance as she rushed out to nursery school. 

A normal looking four-year-old who would not stand out in any way from her classmates, but I doubt any of her friends have had such  a precise link with spirit as she has had on more than one occasion.  Her evidence was as good as or even better than some of the best evidence from the platforms of our churches. 

In the past her mother would tell me about her daughter’s talk of her grandmother and other family members that had passed over.  But her latest ‘chat’ with her grandmother really floored the youngster’s mother. 

The grandmother had been ill for several years, one serious illness seemed to follow another and stay with the old soul, giving her a poor quality of life.  The grandmother lived for her family and did not want to burden them with all her health problems, so only one daughter knew of two particular illnesses she had.  Yet the other week when grandmother and granddaughter communicated from their two different dimensions the two illnesses that the family did not know about were discussed. 

According to the little girl she asked her grandmother “What made you die?”  The reply was the illness that was on the death certificate, plus these two other illnesses that had been kept back from the family. 

There will be those who will say that the ‘secret’ was not such a well kept ‘secret’ after all.  I always take this into consideration in every situation like this, and although I already knew this little lass had exceptional talents it was not as much when she said, as how she described the illness.  She described both illnesses not as adults would but in her own simple little way. In her own simple little terms like she has had in all her communication with her grandmother and others from the spirit world.

The little one is lucky in having a mother that understands what is going on.  Not all children in such a situation are so fortunate.  

It was a great shock to hear of the passing of actor Colin Tarrant, who played the part of Inspector Munroe in “The Bill” for twelve years.  I never missed an episode of this programme from it started in 1984 till 2002, in fact till just after Inspector Munroe perished in a fire that engulfed Sun Hill Police Station.  Of all those who took part in this series I always felt that Colin Tarrant was the actor that looked the part of a police officer and acted as if he was actually a police officer. If I was asked who my favour actor was I would immediately say “Colin Tarrant” closely followed by “Robert Hardy”...

Although I never usually watched Holby City, Heartbeat, Doctors, Midsummer Murders, or  Casualty  I did watch the episodes where Mr. Tarrant was appearing after he left the cast of “The Bill”.  I thought he would be type-cast in my mind as always being Inspector Munroe but this was not the case.  He was such a good actor that one forgot of his long running role, as he put his acting talents into the new roles.  So it came as a great shock to her of the passing of Colin Tarrant and the suspected cause of death was suicide.

The number of suicides has been increasing in the UK over the past few years and can affect anyone, rich or poor, famous or unknown.  The media will be quick to mention someone famous who felt they just could not cope, but seldom do we hear the sad demises of an ordinary person, unless we know them or they live close to us.  At this very moment a family member, friend, work colleague or neighbor may be in a dire mental state but it goes unnoticed...  Many a time the symptoms are not noticed until it is too late. 

We all have problems, and can usually find ways of dealing with stressful or traumatic events and experiences reasonably well. But for some there is a buildup of these kinds of events over a period of time and they feel that they have nowhere to turn.  They feel that they have no one to talk to, that no one will understand.

A friend recently suggested that the government start a campaign to make us aware of the symptoms of those suffering from severe depression or contemplating suicide.  But there have been many similar campaigns and there will be many like me whose mind switches off when campaign after campaign comes on our televisions screens, no matter the issue.

Maybe it is time that we took on ourselves to and find out about the early symptoms of deep depression and those who are contemplating suicide.  One click of a mouse, ask a librarian for a book on the subject or drop into our local clinic for a NHS leaflet, can give us all the information we need. . Plus there are many charities and organizations which are experienced, ready and willing to help those in such situations.  

But one area of this terrible dilemma that I feel is often forgotten about, the family left behind.  Many can never get over what has happened to a family member and thankfully here again there are charities etc that specialize in offering understanding and assistance.

 Help is available…

The Samaritans… 08457 90 90 90     www.samaritans.org

Choose Life…   www.chooselife.net

Breathing Space…  0800 83 85 87    www.breathingspacescotland.co.uk

Spirit Activity Seminar... A Series of Workshops... “What Is Your Religion?”... Gordon Higginson...

The 4^th and 5^th I was taking part in a Paranormal Research Seminar which was limited to those who wish to go further than just seeking out Spirit activity, but to why that activity is taking place.  It turned out to be a really interesting two days and I have being asked to speak at the seminar again next year.

Three late Christmas cards, all from abroad and all delivered on the same day in the second week of the New Year. Two from pen friends of many years – but now contact is down to one letter/card a year – and the other from a journalist who attend one of my talks in London, and we have kept in touch since.  All cards brought sad news as well as belated Christmas Greetings.  My three friends had been widowed in the past few months.  Then the following day a letter arrived from a lady to tell us that her husband had also passed in 2011.  We had teamed up with this couple to get back home from Italy when the dust cloud from Icelandic volcano was grounding all flights in Northern Europe.  Once we arrived back in the UK they kindly let us stay with them for a night before we continued our journey north. 

On a brighter note as far as Christmas cards are concerned.  A friend was over the moon when she received a very special Christmas card.   She has put this card in a frame and it is hanging on a wall of her study.  Why is this card so special?  The card was from a neighbour and close friend who passed away early in December. Even though Stephanie’s friend was in great pain and knowing that the end was near, she took time to write out Christmas cards for her friends and asked her son not to deliver them till a few days before Christmas.  A Christmas card from the Spirit World.

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 I will be doing a series of workshops at the Glasgow Association starting next month.  The workshops are designed for mixed levels of development including beginners. 

First three dates are

11^th February 2012

17^th March 2012

5^th May 201211th February 2012
17th March 2012
5th May 2012

The workshops start at 10am and finish at 4pm.

Tickets can only available from the church office and priced £15 for each workshop. Places are limited so it may be advisable to get your tickets as soon as they become available.  If you register with our web site you will receive details when they are available.If you register with the church website you will receive details when the tickets are available.

http://www.glasgowassociationofspiritualists.co.uk/

Participants are advised to bring a packed lunch. 

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John sent this email...

“I have been attending a Spiritualist church for a few years now but the other day when I was at the reception desk of the local A&E Unit I took cold feet, and when I was asked my religion, I gave the religion I was born into, not Spiritualist in case the receptionist queried it or laughed”.

John you are not the only person to have been in this position I assure you.  These days the receptionist would not have batted an eyelid because she would have heard Spiritualism mentioned many a time.

John’s email brought back a memory...

About fifteen years ago I attended our church when a well known English Medium was on the platform.  Her address shocked us all that night.  She said that she had suffered poor health for years and had been in and out of hospital on a regular basis.  Yet every time asked her religion she had answered COE.  She finally decided to put that right on her latest visit and when she said “Spiritualist” she did not receive any strange looks from the receptionist which she had expected.  But the young girl in front of her was having difficulty with her computer and after a few minutes said to the medium “There are too many letters in Spiritualism to fit on here, could you pick another religion?”  Thank goodness today the NHS have got a better system up and running today.

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Gordon Higginson was one of the finest mediums of the last century and an excellent medium, speaker and teacher.  He was known as "Mr Mediumship" since his gifts of mediumship were wide ranging and he was a man of great charisma.  Gordon said that "Spiritual giants have always moved among the nations of the world" and Gordon himself can rightly be called a "Spiritual Giant" owing to his accomplishments, his influence and his dedicated work for Spirit.

Gordon's birth was pre-ordained by Spirit when his mother was just 14 years old and she was given a remarkable message at Longton Spiritualist Church.  The medium told Fanny Higginson that since leaving home and coming to the church, her mother had passed to spirit and that Fanny would herself serve as a medium, as would her son, and together their name would be linked with Longton church for over 100 years.  Fanny remained a medium at Longton church for 70 years until her passing in 1978.

 Her son, Gordon Mons Higginson was born on 17th November 1918 in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.  He began developing his spiritual gifts at a very early age under the careful supervision of his mother Fanny, who was also an excellent medium.  Gordon began sitting in his mother's circle from the tender age of 3 but was only permitted to pass on spirit communications to other members of the circle when he was 10 years old.  He first publicly demonstrated his mediumship at Longton Spiritualist Church on his twelfth birthday at which point he embarked on his career as a medium known as the "the boy wonder".   He continued to work the platform for another 63 years until the day before he passed to spirit.

 Gordon was renowned for the accuracy of his platform mediumship and his evidence often included full names, addresses and telephone numbers.  Gordon was also an excellent physical medium and produced the rare phenomena of materialisation and direct voice.  He was one of the few physical mediums to demonstrate these unique and precious gifts publicly to audiences of up to 300 people.

Gordon was appointed as the President of Longton Spiritualist Church in 1946 at the young age of 28 and he continued to hold this position for the next 47 years until his passing.  Longton remained his spiritual home throughout his life and, together with his mother, the prophecy of 100 years of combined service to the church as mediums came true. 

 Gordon became President of the Spiritualist's National Union (SNU) in 1970 at a time when the Union was in severe financial difficulties and had been given less than two years to survive.  In addition, the crippling debt owing on Stansted Hall meant that the Union had no option but to sell it unless a miracle could be performed.  Under Gordon's energetic and determined Presidency, the Union was saved from bankruptcy and the debt owed by Stansted Hall was cleared.  We have so much to thank Gordon for in saving the SNU and the Arthur Findlay College and preserving them for future generations.

 Gordon remains the longest serving President of the Spiritualists National Union, serving for an exceptional 23 years from 1970 until his passing in 1993.  He was also a Minister of the SNU and officiated at many namings, weddings and funerals.

Gordon had a detailed understanding of mediumship and he was a fine teacher, much in demand across the country.  He taught on the very first Summer School at the Arthur Findlay College at Stansted Hall in 1965 and continued to teach there for a period of 28 years.  Gordon was the Principal of the College from 1979 to 1993.  Stansted Hall was always very dear to his heart and a place where many came from far and wide to hear his lectures and see his demonstrations, and for a special few to witness his demonstrations of physical mediumship in the college Library.

Above all else, Gordon was a dedicated spiritualist, an outstanding servant of the Spirit and devoted his entire life to the movement.  He routinely travelled the length and breadth of the country demonstrating his wonderful gifts of mediumship as well as undertaking presidential engagements.  He gave so much of himself and expected such little in return since he did not even charge fees for his spiritual work.  His unrelenting workload often affected his health and in one year he undertook some 300 large public meetings.  Few have worked so tirelessly in promoting Spiritualism.

Gordon suffered a couple of strokes during 1990 following the SNU Centenary celebrations at Wembley.  Following his strokes, he feared he had lost his remarkable gift of mediumship but he did recover and continued his unrelenting work for spirit until the day before his passing.  He took his transition to spirit at his home on 18th January 1993 after returning home from serving Blackpool Spiritualist Church, one of his favourite churches.

 Gordon Higginson was not only an exceptional medium and teacher, but a man of great warmth, humour and charisma and he is still very much missed by many today despite it being some 16 years since his passing.  Men of his spiritual stature and charisma are few and far between and we are only graced with a few every century.

BY courtesy www.gordonhigginson.co.uk

 I only hope that this website can give an insight into his abilities, his teachings, his personality, his love of the spirit and all that makes him special.

You can read more about Gordon's life story in the biography "On the Side of Angels" compiled by Jean Bassett.  It is available from the Psychic News Bookshop, the Arthur Findlay College Shop or it can be purchased from Amazon by clicking on the links below:

My Hopes for Spiritualism in 2012 ...My Hopes for the Wider World in 2012... Website One-Year-Old… Kirsty’s comments for the year ahead… Careless Talk Causes So Much Distress… Wise words from Professor Carl Sagan…

Both Isobel and I wish everyone good health and happiness for 2012...

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My Hopes for Spiritualism in 2012; -

That Spiritualist organizations and churches stands to thwart the entertainment and celebrity elements that are encroaching on our religion.

I don’t hear in 2012 “We are dropping the address as most people only attend for the clairvoyance”.

That our churches and spiritualist mediums pay more attention to the pastoral side of our religion.

And hopefully I will not hear in the coming year someone say in a Spiritualist Church “I am only a Healer”... Forget the word “only” we are all equal...

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My Hopes for the Wider World in 2012; -

The authorities think more about the rights of the victim before the rights of the criminal...
Any honors handed out this year to go to care workers and those who work in hospices, forget those of stage, screen, music industry and sport.

Sentencing for those ill-treating animals to be increased.

Unemployment to drop dramatically.

Retail workers will not have to work on public holidays.

More is done to help the homeless.

That the dark clouds of oppression that have hung ever heavy over the

peoples of Tibet, Burma, and North Korea for decades start to lift.

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Website One-Year-Old…

This website has now been online for a year and has had over 1,400 hits, much more than I expected in the first year.  Part of the site goes out in different formats each month so that will increase numbers even more.  But numbers are not important, if the site has helped only a few understand “Spiritualism the Religion” that little bit better then it will have achieved its aim.

I have also been surprised at the number of people that have contacted me via the site and for many different reasons.  Some of these I have commented on regularly on my blog but others I have got back to privately. 

There have been those who have had spiritual experiences but because of the laws of their country they could not speak openly to family and friends about what they have witnessed.    Not only that, they decided not to seek help on the Internet when they were at home, but waited till they were abroad on holiday or business before searching the Internet for answers.

Some have been interested in what they call ‘my unusual choice of music’ to use for meditation and ask if I can suggest any other similar music.  Remember we all have our own personal key to relax our mind so we can meditate, what helps one will not help another.  I suggest that if music helps experiment yourself but this week another piece of music that I have used in meditation and I have had good feedback from others on it. See ‘Recommended’ page.

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Last month I printed Kirsty’s “A Time for Celebration, Reflection or Doing?” 

Here is Kirsty’s comment for the year ahead.

What kind of a year did you have?  Has it been a year full of wonderful things or has it been very challenging?  Remember that each situation we face can be a positive or negative experience depending on how we chose to react to it. Every situation has a lesson in it if we are prepared to look for it and learn from it. Often a difficult experience can be turned into a positive one.  It can be used by us to help someone in the future, as we will have gained greater wisdom from it. 

We can thank God for bringing us through another year safely and as we leave 2011 and its challenges behind, it is time to ask God for the guidance and strength we will need to take those brave steps forward into the challenges that 2012 will hold for us.

Have a good new year.

Kirsty…

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 Careless Talk Causes So Much Distress

My research work ended as it began, a couple being frightened out of their wits by unfounded and unsubstantiated nonsense.

I have mentioned a similar case in an earlier blog and this is the seventh case of its kind I have been asked to deal with.  The latest goes as follows; -

A Couple moves into an old building and renovate it.  They are proud of their new home until the morning after their house warming party.  One of their guests of the previous evening phones to say; -

“I did not want to say anything last night – but your house is full of ghosts – I felt so uncomfortable all night.  You’d better get that seen too before the trouble starts”.

Many would laugh off such comments and get on with their lives but not this couple, the bubble had burst on the love they felt for their new home.  They had been planning to start a family but now felt they could not bring a baby into the house till they got this ‘ghost situation’ sorted out.

When I visited the house I felt the atmosphere in the house was pleasant, as pleasant as the new décor.  I soon found out the pair were perfectly happy staying in the house for the six months they were renovation it, and it was only after the comment from their friend (?) that they felt nasty vibes around the house.  Every cushion out of place and every little noise made them feel uncomfortable.

But the couple was not happy with my comments, that I detected no spirit or anything untoward in the building.  I tried to point out to them that they were so in love with their new home, felt nothing out of place, till the phone call from their so-called friend but they believed more in their friends comments than mine.  “Our friend definitely sensed ghosts and she is experienced in this sort of thing”.  I left as a failure in the couple’s eyes.  They went on to contact a ‘ghost hunter’ and someone who does ‘house clearances’ as far as ghosts are concerned. 

In the past in similar circumstances I have arranged through a third-party to get another medium to visit, one who would not know me or anything surrounding their visit.  But this couple would not allow me to set this in motion.

Why should a house because it is centuries old have any nasty happenings going on?  TV has a lot to answer for and so does those who speak out of turn as in this case.

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“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar” , every “supreme leader “, every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”

Professor Carl Sagan.