Ordination of Minister Bill Thomson... SNU Ministers' Role... Why all Church mediums Should Sit Through an ordination Service... Gandhi's Seven Sins... A poem by Jackie McLaughlin...

February 24^th – 28^th I was at the Glasgow Association   (SNU) over the five days the medium is busy with four services Open Circle and private sittings on four of the five days.

1^st - March I was at the Blantyre Spiritualist Church.  A busy church with a very enthusiastic committee and a lot of talent in their development circle.

2^nd - was a full day of taking time for those who had contacted our churches for help or information.

3th- I was on a journey north to take the service at the Inverness Spiritualist Church (SNU).  This city in the north, in fact all around the north east of Scotland there are many devoted spiritualists.

7^th - my booking was cancelled so it let me put in a few extra hours voluntary work.

 While at the Glasgow Association of Spiritualists on the 25^th I waited on after the morning sittings as we were invited to a very special service.  Minister Bill Thomson’s Ordination Service.  Bill is the Spiritualist National Union’s latest minister.

Many people will be surprised that there is such a thing as Spiritualist Ministers, there are, although not enough.

Since 1939 the SNU has been legally recognized by the Home Office to appoint people who demonstrate the right characteristics to hold the highest office within SNU Spiritualism.

The Ministership of the SNU is granted to those who have been selected as worthy to represent Spiritualism by their educational qualifications, practical ability and good example they give as Ministers of Religion.

Our Ministers have the same rights and privileges as any other Minister of Religion. The Ministry is administrated by the Ministers Administrative Committee under the direct control of the National Executive Committee of the SNU.

There are both Ministers and Officiants (registered as Celebrants in Scotland) who work within the SNU Ministry

Duties of Ministers are:

§  To act as ambassadors for Spiritualism at all times

§  To actively promote Spiritualism

§  To conduct all Spiritualist Official Services on request

§  To advise SNU churches on request regarding all matters

§  To provide advice to individuals as required.

§  To train prospective Ministers and Officiants

§  Visiting prisoners as part of the prison Chaplaincy

§  Visiting hospitals in a Chaplaincy role

§  Providing a Chaplaincy service within the Armed forces

§  Where specifically trained to provide counseling services to individuals

§  To sign and authorize passports and other legal documents as defined by the Home Office.

One of the major roles within the Ministry is prison and hospital visiting and their importance cannot be over stated. The needs Spiritual of prisoners are often complex and demanding. It is their job to act as a spiritual advisor, to help the prisoner cope with life under very difficult circumstances. Also, by teaching them Spiritualist philosophy, it may be helping them not to re-offend when they are eventually released into the community.

Within hospitals the role is just as demanding, as part of the Chaplaincy team our Ministers may be called upon to administer prayer, advice on all aspects of death and what the patient believes follows, but our Ministers role is to try and remove the fears associated with actual physical death by increasing the understanding of the patient. More demanding are the responsibilities to the relatives of patients, our Ministers have to show unending patience and understanding to relatives mindful of never denigrating any other faith or belief system.

Additionally a significant part of the role in hospital can be removing prejudice from patients and hospital staff alike, patience and understanding of all individuals’ beliefs is a major attribute of our Ministers.

Officiant of the SNU (OSNU)

The appointment of Officiant is granted to those who have completed relevant courses of study and who are considered capable of conducting services such as marriages, funerals and naming ceremonies.

Duties of Officiants:

 To act as ambassadors for Spiritualism at all times

To conduct all Spiritualist Official services on request

Where qualified to visit prisoners as part of the Chaplaincy

Where qualified to visit hospitals as part of the Chaplaincy

To assist in the training of future Officiants.

 http://www.snu.org.uk/community/ministers/ministers.htm

 Why are there so few Spiritualist Ministers?

 With the SNU it is not just a few weeks of courses and then one is ordained as a Minister.  It is as one would expect a long journey from applying to be a Minister and actually being ordained.  A lot of time, effort, determination and frustration is what one is signing up for. But the end result is worth it for the person who completes the course successfully, for Spiritualism and for those that the minister will help throughout his Ministry career. 

 Few can spare the time with bringing up a family, work commitments and other situations that befall us in today’s rat race.  So although there will be new minister being ordained I cannot see the numbers increase dramatically in the next few years.

Bill Thomson is a Glasgow lad who became aware of spirit at the age of ten and went to his first spiritualist church, Kilmarnock Spiritualist Church two years later.  Bill left Glasgow at the age of 16 and joined the army where he stayed for 14 years. After the passing of Bill’s parents he returned to Glasgow and took up the reins of developing his abilities as a medium by joining the Glasgow Association of Spiritualists where much of his development was done Bill also served on the committee of the Glasgow Association for 10 years as a member and also as a vice president.

As well as being a Minister of the Spiritualist National Union, which is the highest appointment within the SNU,  he has achieved a great variety of awards with the Spiritualist National Union holding Diplomas in Public Speaking and academic B - Foundation, as well as Certificates of Recognition in Public Speaking and Demonstration.

 Bill’s achievements don’t end there, as he is an approved tutor of the Arthur Findlay College at Stanstead and gives courses at the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre in Edinburgh.

 I am sure we all wish Bill well on his new path in this life.

 Bill’s website is at http://www.thomson-medium.co.uk/

 I feel that the SNU’s Ordination Service is one that all church mediums should sit through.  To show that standing on the platform is not just a step in the direction of fame and fortune but that spiritualism the religion is judged by their actions on and off the platform.

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I had planned in this blog to mention a bit about the lives of two great stalwarts of our religion Jock McArhur and Tilda Wilson from Fife who both passed away last month.    But I have decided that a member of ASK Dunfermline would be better commenting on the lives of these two great ambassadors for spirit.  

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It does not bear thinking about, the trauma that the parents of those children who were in the Belgium coach crash in Switzerland are going through at this moment.    The Situation was made much worse by the length of time the parents had to wait before knowing what children had survived or not.  This incident is always a parent’s worst nightmare.

We must not forget the adults killed in the crash as most if not all of them, they will have children who are grieving at the loss of a father our mother.  I am sure we all pray that those who have survived the crash soon recover form their physical injuries. 

I am sure that those who have lost a family member or friend will get all the support they need from those around them and from the spirit world.  Let us hope that the media gives them all the privacy that they need at this time.

Spiritualism A Religion? / What Can Spiritualism Do For Me? / Mrs. Primrose / Respect For The Disable.

The 11^th February saw me taking the first of six workshops at the Glasgow Association.   Everyone attending was most enthusiastic to learn about and enhancing their psychic abilities.

13^th it was a short distance for an evening of clairvoyance at Kilmarnock Spiritualist Church.  That evening the church made a presentation to the McMillan Nurses.   The £371 was collected from a charity tray that churchgoers gave generously too over a period of time.

The 14^th it was again only a few miles up the road, this time to ASK Neilston.   Sheila Caruthers is President and with her committee has put a lot of hard work into making is church a success.

15^th saw me giving a talk on Spiritual Healing

20^th – again mostly short distances to travel this month and this time my destination was to the very busy Saltcoats Spiritualist Church.  This was one of the first churches I took a service and about 17-years ago.

21^st  A little further but not too far to ASK Cumbernauld where there is almost a full house each week.

February saw two great ambassadors for spirit move over to the spirit world.- Jock McArthur and Tilda Wilson both from Fife.  I will write more about them in my next blog.

Doug writes; - “What can Spiritualism do for me?”

 
Doug Spiritualism can

  Remove the fear of death

Comfort the bereaved

Demonstrate the truth of survival and communication

Give healing to the sick and hope to the lonely

Reveal a new meaning and purpose to life

  Over the next few weeks I will take each of these points one at a time and give my views on them

 Sandra comments: -

“I find it very difficult to comprehend the belief of Spiritualism as a religion. If it could be viewed more as a far better way of life it would probably be better understood and accepted”.

Hi Sandra. 

 I can understand where you are coming from.  I am involved with people on a regular basis who want to know more about spiritualism etc and the part they find hard to accept is that spiritualism is a religion.

 Since the passing of "The Fraudulent Mediums Act" in 1951, Spiritualism has been a legally recognized and protected religion in the United Kingdom.  Spiritualism is a way of life. It combines philosophy, science and religion. It covers a very wide field, and, therefore, you cannot expect to understand it without a certain amount of study.   Personally I look on spiritualism as a religion and a way of life.

The surname “Primrose” is not too common a name.  In fact in the US there are just over 1,200 with this surname and its popularity rating is way down at 20,267.  I was surprised to find the surname is of pure Scottish origin and derives from 'the lands of primrose' in Dunfermline.

Yet this surname is well known in Glasgow and the west of Scotland, especially by those who have even showed only the the slightest interest in Spiritualism.  This is down to Mrs. Jean Primrose, affectionately know and “Primmie”.  Jean was an accomplished and respected medium for over sixty years.  Many of those years were when our religion was not as well accepted as it is today.  Many who met Mrs. Primrose believed that the simple foundation for her accomplishment with the spirit world began with her loving and caring personality.

I did not meet Jean but those who have, tell me that at the first impression of her was how unassuming person she was.  No need for stage effects or flashy showmanship, it was her quiet determination and welcoming disposition which shone through.

Mrs. Primrose was referred to in more than one media article as “The Florence Nightingale of the Spirit World”.  She was a leading member of the Greater World Christian Spiritualist Association.

Her church is still going strong under the care of her daughter  May Primrose.

THE JEAN PRIMROSE C.S. CHURCH
The Fred Paton Day Care Centre
19 Carrington Street
Glasgow
G4 9AJ

On the way home on Friday evening I was listening to Stephen Nolan programme on BBC’s Five-Live.

All who  were tuned in must have been near to tears as they listened to a cardiologist described how his life was ruined after being blinded in an attack fourteen years ago.  He told how he was ignored by friends and colleagues after losing his sight.  He spoke to Stephen in response to the death of PC Rathband who struggled to come to terms with his blindness after being shot.

Both the cardiologist and PC Rathband had so much experience in their chosen profession that surely there was some capacity that both could have given a lot back to society.  Surely employers and in fact all of us can do more for those who are in similar positions as these two gentlemen?

There are many who feel uneasy or uncomfortable around disabled people, I was like this in a way at one time.  I think that most of us in this position are afraid to disrespect the person by saying the wrong thing or acting the wrong way, and not because of their disability.   I remember feeling guilty for days after a conversation with a blind gentleman.  During our conversation I could have bit my lip when I said

“I see that the roads are finally getting around to filling the pot holes in”. 

Then when he was talking about a Panorama programme I said

“Did you see the programme two weeks ago?”

After that I never felt comfortable around Archie, not because of his disability but in case I would come out with the wrong choice of words.

A friend who has worked all her life with the disabled has often said one, of the worst things we can while in the company of a disabled person is to avoid speaking to them, perhaps instead speaking to everyone else that is accompanying the person. Instead, speak to the disabled person and make direct eye contact. Avoid discussing the person’s disability; there are lots of other things to talk about! Speak to disabled adults just as you would speak to anyone else.  It is so disrespectful to ignore them.

 Be Patient.  If the disabled person has a speech problem, be patient and listen carefully, giving the person your undivided attention. If you don’t understand what is being said, simply ask!   Do not pretend to know what was said as it could bite you back. Don’t be afraid to ask the person to offer some paper and a pen for them to write down what they are trying to say. When done in a polite manner, there will be no uncomfortable feelings.

 I get very angry when I see people parking in Disabled Parking Bays.
Don’t ever park in a handicapped parking spot, even if you will only be gone for a moment. It only takes a moment for a disabled person to arrive and find no place to park. For that matter, we should always leave handicapped restroom facilities and handicapped seating on transportation vacant so a handicapped person will not have trouble accessing a seat.

 A few months ago I saw a rumpus in a car park.  A disabled lady could not get into a designated disabled parking bay and had to park some distance away.  She fell leaving the car park but luckily did not injure herself.   Those around got angry and approached the driver of a small sports car in the disabled parking bay.    He was not interested and said “For all you know I could be disabled as well and left my blue badge at home”.   That could be correct but in forgetting his badge he had no right to park in those designated bays.    He had been jogging around the car park and on returning to his car was doing press-ups. 

 Never assume anything about a disabled person’s strengths or limitations. Someone in a wheelchair is not always paralyzed. Someone that has speech impairment or a body impediment is not always mentally impaired. If you are in doubt, simply ask the person in a gentle and caring way.

 All common sense.....................

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