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...

1932 Newspaper Report of Church of Scotland Discussng Spiritualism at The General Assembly...Dream Interpretation... Embarrasing Moments on the Platform... The Dalai Lama Visits Scotland....

5^th June - The church service I should have been at had to be cancelled because of the public holiday for the Queen’s Jubilee. 

7^th... I received as usual a very friendly welcome from the committee and the congregation of the Pyramid Spiritualist Church Pollock.

9^th It was my workshop at the Glasgow Association of Spiritualists.  It is a pleasure to take this workshop as all are so enthusiastic about becoming aware of their psychic abilities and not desperate to be on the platform after a few months.  They are happy to take one step at a time

10^th... It was a pleasant day for the Journey to Kirkcaldy Spiritualist Centre (SNU) for the evening service.    This centre has their own building at Victoria House, 13 Kirk Wynd,  Kirkcaldy, KY1 1EH.  And a dedicated committee make good use of the building with the following programme; -

Sunday: Divine Service 6pm with Healing at 7.30pm

Monday: Evening of Mediumship               7.30pm

Tuesday: New Meditation and Awareness circle 7pm till 8.30pm

Wednesday: Mediumship Development Class (closed circle) 7 - 9 pm.

Throughout the year there is also a series of interesting workshops.

11^th...I was taking time to visit those who had contacted our churches for some help or other.

17^th – 21st... We were in Holland to visit Floriade 2012. - This horticultural expo is staged once every 10 years and showcases the world's best flowers, plants, trees, fruits and vegetables. The park comprised of five unique worlds: themed zones connected by wooded areas. Worlds in which the visitor saw, felt and experience nature in constantly changing ways.  

Our favourite part of the exhibition was the Healing Gardens and in Particular the the Nepalese garden “Garden of Enlighten”.  There visitors experience a perfect balance of nature, beauty and spirituality.

21^st... I was taking the service at the Angel Light Spiritualist Church, Govanhill Neighbourhood Centre, and Daisy St, Glasgow.... This was the last service before the summer break.  Services will resume on 24^th August.  Nancy, Liz and Christine work hard to make this small church a success.

Isobel was looking through a box of old family photographs when she came across a newspaper dated 30^th May 1932.  It was open at a page connected with Spiritualism in Scotland.  Now did Isobel’s father know that his daughter, not to be born for another fifteen years and her husband were going to become spiritualists many decades later?  Or was the newspaper kept because it had an article on his beloved football team Kilbirnie Junior FC?  I am sure it was because of the latter – but one never knows.

I wondered how our parents and grandparents could read newspapers in those far off days with print so small. I have just had by eyes tested and I was straining

The paper is in poor condition and I have done my best to copy it exactly.... through varifocals to read the article...

TIDE OF A NEW REVELATION.

                              .................

PLEA OR SPIRITUALISM AT ASSEMBLY.

                              ..............

                                          PETITION FAILS

A Request that the Church of Scotland should conduct another investigation into the subject of Spiritualism was turned down by the General Assembly on Saturday.  Dr John White pointed out that one of the statements in the report of the committee which conducted a lengthy inquiry into the subject some years ago, and it was unwise for the ordinary and unqualified person to meddle with such things.

The Rev W. A. Reid retired minister. Glasgow, represented in an overture that serious misunderstanding had been caused by the rejection  last year of the request that the Assembly should make “some clear pronouncement that shall hasten the of spirit communication and the exercise of spiritual gifts within the Church as practiced by our Lord and his early disciples”.

He therefore petitioned that the Assembly recognising that the phenomena in question was regarded in the Bible as facts, that many within the Church and outside it had publicly  declared from their own personal experience that they had obtained full and complete proof of the same facts, and that  purely scientific experiments had established the phenomena under test conditions,  should appoint a committee the situation and especially to give needed counsel to the Church in relation to those in our midst who said that they had had had useful spirit communication  or exercised their spiritual gift

NEW REVELATIONS.

Mr Reid said he was quite aware that some of the brethren claimed special divine favour because they did not believe in spirit communication or believe that only the devil communed, but there were other brethren who gave them their opinion of spiritual communion without feeling under ant necessity to apologise.

A large number of people had testified that they had seen the beloved dead; they said they had learned the meaning of death.  The new revelation that was being brought to them in these days they could no more resist than Mrs Partington could sweep back the tide with her broom.  Spiritualism was the natural ally of the Church.  Never had the Church had such an opportunity of reviving the experience of the early Christians, making God more real and the next world more real.

Doctor W

Doctor White moved that the Assembly receive the petition and believing that no useful purpose would be served by undertaking a fresh investigation into the subject which was raised by the same petitioner in 1920 and reported on to the General Assembly in 1922 referred all who were interested to the findings of that committee.  Pointing out that this was the third petition presented by Mr Reid.  Dr White said the petitioner believed so strongly in spiritualism that that they must overlook his persistence.  But the whole question had been inquired into by a committee which devoted two years to the matter.

A Substitute....

In dealing with the petitioner and such as he represented, they were undoubtly dealing with men and women who held the Christian faith, but it had to be remembered that with most spiritualists it was not so. Their cult was a substitute for the Christian religion and not an adjunei . 

The Rev Dr. Burnett seconded Dr. White’s motion which became the unanimous finding of the Assembly.

Food for thought.

Dream Interpretation…

 “A” ask me to recommend a good book of dream interpretations….

“A” - keep your money in your pocket as far as such books are concerned. I was going to write about dream experiences later in the year.  As far as books on this subject are concerned I will give you a couple of examples…

Say you have a dream about a SNAKE; -

I selected one book on the subject and read that a snake in your dream is a bad omen.  Then it went on to give a list of depending how many snakes appear in your dream, as to how much negativity is going to befall you. 

I select another book and this time the reader is told that snakes or serpents in your dream indicate you’re in the process of healing and resolving issues, plus a list of several other possibilities.

I known several friends who have phobias about snakes and if they had a dream about snakes - it would not be a dream - but a NIGHTMARE.  Their screams would probably wake up the whole street.

Think sensibly for a moment about dream interpretations.  Can there possibly be a central source and language for all our dreams?  That is not to say that Spirit cannot be in touch with us in dream state. 

 

Paul asks “Have you ever had any embarrassing moments on the platform?”

Yes, several come to mind and two I will share with you.

I am taking a service one evening and halfway through the clairvoyance I look down at my feet and nearly collapse.  I notice I have on an old pair of shoes I had been wearing in the garden earlier that day.  They were not just old, they were splattered with mud.  I felt the best policy was mention my surprise and by the look on everyone’s face in the congregation, no one had noticed the old muddy shoes and I might have go away with it.  Not only that, that evening I was wearing a new suit for the first time.  What a contrast.  The other embarrassing moment also concerned shoes.  Midway through a service I looked down and here I was wearing two different colours of shoes.   Now when I leave for a service the last thing I do is check my shoes.

If not the Scottish weather, the people of Scotland certainly gave a warm welcome to the Dali Lama on his visit to our country last week.  The Tibetan spiritual leader said he was in the country to meet its people and spread a message of harmony.

 

My Week... Mummies Expedition.... Has Spiritualism Peaked in Scotland?... Awareness ...

22^nd... April I was at Mrs. Primrose’s Spiritualist Church...

24^th... A new church for me  the Carluke Spiritualist Church, Lifestyle Centre,  Carnwath Road, Carluke,  ML8 4DF Church Service.  This church only started up a short time ago and already is already well supported by the local community.

28^th,, This time to a well established Saltcoats Spiritualist Church.  One of the first churches I took a service at.

30^th…It was a double bill so to speak.  In the afternoon I was at the Edinburgh College of Parapsychology at 2 Melville St EH3 7PE.  The College has many interesting events which you can check out on their website at http://www.edinburghpsychiccollege.com/

In the evening I took the service at Kilwinning Temple of Light Spiritualist Church  as usual another good turnout.

31^st...  Taking part in research work...

2^nd June I was giving a talk to the Scottish Branch of the Ghost Club.  . The Ghost Club is the oldest organization in the world associated with psychical research. It was founded in 1862 but has its roots in Cambridge University where, in 1855, fellows at Trinity College began to discuss ghosts and psychic phenomena.

Past members include Charles Dickens, Siegfried Sassoon, Harry Price, Donald Campbell, Peter Cushing, Peter Underwood, Maurice Grosse, Sir Shane Leslie and Eric Maple.

Today the Ghost Club is a non-profit, social club run by an elected Council of volunteers and its purpose remains true to its roots; the Ghost Club offers open-minded, curious individuals the opportunity to debate, explore and investigate unexplained phenomena with like-minded people.

2012 is the Ghost Club's 150th year.  To celebrate this momentous mark in our history we aim to publish a book which will chronicle the club's history people and record the results for posterity.

I was honoured to be asked to give a talk to this organization in London in 2009...

This club has a very interesting website, especially a book review section.

http://www.ghostclub.org.uk/

Isobel has a great interest in Ancient Egypt and in the past when she has visited the Ancient Egyptian section of museums I have usually visited other parts of the building.

Why?  I felt it disrespectful to put these bodies on display.  I have often wondered what those viewing these remains would think if it was their mother or child that was on display, no matter how far in the future.  Not only that but the remains to be sent and kept in far off lands.

At a debate one night recently I was told not to be so narrow minded and go to the National Museum of Scotland’s Mummies Exhibition.  and see the respect given to these exhibits.  As I am always telling other to have an open mind I decided to go along.

No one can fail to be impressed by the achievements and craft work of the Ancient Egyptians but I did feel uncomfortable at gazing on what was considered sacred by others.

At the debating group I was told that historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists now use CT scan in a lot of their work as if this made everything OK.    How would the UK react if an Arab or African country had taken the remains of one of our kings and was putting it on display for all and sundry to see?

I left the exhibition wiser about this ancient race but more determined never to attend such an exhibition ever again.

  Several of my friends have been telling me that numbers attending their spiritualist churches have dropped considerably since the start of the year. 

Why?  Has spiritualism peaked in Scotland and now numbers are dropping?  With more and more churches opening are there too many churches? Are psychic evenings outside of churches taking people away from churches?

Hi Raymond – I have heard similar comments recently but I have not noticed any significant drop in numbers at churches I have attended.  In fact at some the numbers have been higher than in the past.

Has spiritualism peaked in Scotland and now numbers are dropping?

No I don’t thinks so. I regularly find more and more people showing interest in our religion and looking for their nearest spiritualist church. But I do not expect our numbers to rise as fast as they have been in recent years

With more and more churches opening are there too many churches?  

Hmm... In most cases our churches are reasonably well spread out and only in a few cases are two in close proximity.  Most of Scotland is well covered by Spiritualist churches apart from the Border region.

Are psychic evenings outside of churches taking people away from churches?

Usually psychic demonstrations taking place in a pub, club or theatre only take place once every so often in an area and on that night, numbers at the local churches can drop slightly for that one night.

I have no fears of our numbers dropping dramatically.  I have more concern about some of these nights coming across more as entertainment and that making people feel that our religion is little more than entertainment.

Four people were asked to read the words below that were recorded at a trance circle. Then to try to be aware of all-around them and report back

“All a Learning Process”

It is only through experiencing all manner of things, negative and positive that one can leave this life knowing a little more than when they entered it…

The more you learn… … The more equipped you will be for the next part of your existence…

For the next week… Look on everything… and I mean everything… as a learning process…

Think what you have to learn from this… and what you have to learn from that…

It will amaze you by the end of the week… how you will see so much… in a different light…

A whole new world…

A whole new dimension will open up to you…

You will see things like you have never seen them before…

Never give up… Never give in to the negative side of what unfolds in front of you

Alan…

The above comments were given in a trance circle in 2000 and forgotten about till a few weeks ago.

This gave a few of us an idea to ask four people to take heed of these words and see how they get on with being more aware of their surroundings for the next week or so

To make it more interesting we decided to select four people from different walks of life;

Here are John’s comments, after paying heed to the following words. (John has been in the spiritualist movement for fifteen years.)...

 I tried for ten days to be extra vigilant of everything around me.  Instead of taking so much for granted I was extra vigilant and in many cases I did not like what I saw.

My religion, spiritualism.  Really angry at the politics that are part and parcel of spiritualism these days.  I have spent the past few years trying not to listen to gossip but in the past ten days I realise how bad it is getting.

My workplace... The same gossip backbiting everyone trying to outdo each other.

My family... I was always happy for everyone to do their own thing but I now realize that we have grown further and further apart.

I am really sorry I took part in this exercise as the end result was not what I expected.  But at least I am now aware of it and will do my best to turn things around.

It is sad the media and so many in our society point the finger at those who are overweight and accuse them of not eating a proper diet or being gluttons.  But on many occasions the overweight can be the cause of a health condition, the effect of prescribed drugs or after an operation etc.  Recently I met one lady in complete distress because of being ridiculed about being overweight, yet according to her family has never had a big appetite and only started putting on weight after a major operation.  Maybe before we shake our heads at those who have put on weight we should first find out the facts as to why this is...

Morrison emails.”I keep hearing Statstead Hall being mentioned, any info please”.

Stansted Hall, built in 1871, was gifted to the Spiritualists' National Union by J. Arthur Findlay, MBE, JP, a former Honorary President of the Union, and in accordance with his wishes is administered by the Union as a College for the advancement of Psychic Science.

The Arthur Findlay College offers facilities unequalled anywhere in the world in the Spiritualist movement as a residential centre where students can study Spiritualist philosophy and religious practice, Spiritualist healing and awareness, spiritual and psychic unfolding and kindred disciplines. Courses, lectures and demonstrations are all offered by leading exponents, together with the additional features of a library, museum, lake, magnificent grounds, recreational facilities and full board accommodation.

By John Hardaker

J Arthur Findlay stayed here in Beith for part of his life….

.....................................................................................................

Sorry that my web diary for last week was not accurate... One mix up with bookings and a hall being closed because of the jubilee celebrations.  Plus, I could not get into the diary to change it...