The dictionary defines spiritualism as: spir·i·tu·al·ism Pronunciation: 'spir-i-chu-wu-li-zum'

Function: noun.

1 : the view that spirit is a prime element of reality.

2 a : a belief that spirits of the dead communicate with the living usually through a medium.

b capitalized : a movement comprising religious organizations emphasizing spiritualism - spir·i·tu·al·ist / -list / noun, often capitalized.
- spir·i·tu·al·is·tic / "spir-i-ch&-w&-'lis-tik, -i-ch&-'lis-, -ich-w&-'lis- / adjective .

A toast !

For New Year [and any time ] I would like to quote Oprah Winfrey here:

"Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right."

This is how the spiritualist sees the future; eternal progress is open to us all, you don't have to embrace reincarnation to accept that the good Lord keeps giving us all more and more chances.

What Spiritualism Is and Does!

There is nothing mysterious about Spiritualism. The laws of physics apply to all parts of the Universe - we just don't understand all those laws quite yet. Spiritualism became an official 'religion' in order to have the protection of the laws of the land, not all of those in the movement think of themselves as in a 'church' in the traditional meaning of the word.

The most important thing to remember is that we, as the spirit guides teach us, never expect anyone to accept anything that does not sit well with the inner self. Question everything and always ask for proof! These are the foundations taught by all who have the right training and spirit guidance.

Spiritualism teaches personal responsibility. It removes all fear of death, which is really the portal to and from the spirit world. It teaches that death is not the cessation of life, but a mere change of condition. It teaches not that man has a soul, but that man is a soul and has a body. It teaches that man is a spiritual being now, even while encased in flesh.

Spiritualism also teaches that as man sows on earth he reaps in the life to come. It teaches that those who have passed on are conscious - not asleep. It teaches that communion between the living and the "dead" is scientifically proved. It teaches that the spark of divinity dwells in all.

It teaches that as a flower gradually unfolds in beauty, so the spirit of man unfolds and develops in the spirit spheres. It teaches that every soul will progress through the ages to heights, sublime and glorious, where God is Love and Love is God.

Spiritualism is God's message to mortals, declaring that there is no death. That all who have returned to the spirit state still live. That there is hope in the life beyond for even the most sinful of us all. It is a manifestation, a demonstration, and a proof of the continuity of life and of the truth of the many Spirit manifestations recorded in the Bible, both old and new testament.

It demonstrates the many Spiritual gifts with which mankind is endowed, but which through lack of current knowledge have been allowed to lie dormant, or perhaps through prejudice have been violently and unjustly suppressed.

Spiritualism is not just another religion. Its offering a completely new way of life, turning material values into eternal values.

Spiritualists accept Personal Responsibility for all their own actions, this means not blaming others for things going wrong in our own lives, and at the same time respecting other peoples same responsibilities too by not infringing on them, by not trying to live another persons life for them and letting them make their own errors, so they are progressing as we are, this gives a blessed sense of freedom!

Of course strictly speaking, the opposite of Spirit-ism is Material-ism; everyone is a Spiritualist who believes that there is in him/her something more than matter, but it does not follow that s/he believes in the existence of spirits, or in their communication with the visible world.

Some writers define the soul as being the principle of organic life, having no existence of it's own, and ceasing with the life of the body. According to this purely Materialistic belief, the soul is an effect, and not a cause.

Spiritualism, [some people call it Spirit-ism,] stands firmly on the three 'legs' of ... Clairvoyance/Proof/Communications, Healing, and Philosophy, without each one the others are incomplete. If you attend a meeting in a Spiritualist Church, [see lower down on this page more about the church service and what to expect] you would find that part of the service is given to proof or personal contacts, or messages as they are often called, between those who have passed into spirit and their family or friends in the congregation.

The purpose of this part of the service is to give evidence that the spirit 'body' survives what we call death, and is able to communicate with those that are left behind in the material world, through the ability of a person called a Medium using what is known as Clairvoyance, which is only a name from the French language meaning 'clear vision' and might actually be other senses, like hearing for example.

But I am getting ahead of myself here; this subject of Evidence is covered in the Articles Section, so click on that word on the Main Menu.

The Medium may relay the characteristics of the communicator, memories shared with them, maybe personal details of past experiences and even names, sometimes it is often necessary to verify this information with another person, a relative perhaps. It is this factual evidence that proves the genuine contact with the spirit person, and so proof of continuous life of spirits after so called 'death'.

This is the primary purpose of communication.

In a Sunday Service [weekdays this is usually omitted] before the Communications you would be likely to hear the speaker give an 'address', or 'talk' on some aspect of the philosophy and teachings from the Great Masters of Spiritualism, it would be based around the SEVEN PRINCIPLES which are accepted by all Spiritualists as a ‘blueprint’ for a new way of life.

Accepting these PRINCIPLES means that we all have the same common guidelines in our understanding of Spiritualism.

We believe in One God, for all men and women, therefore all mankind are equal in the sight of God, and that those who have died continue to exist, in a ‘spirit world’, which is shown to be interrelated through mediumship with our own physical world in a natural way.

WE DO NOT RAISE THE DEAD. We do open up the channels, so that Spirit can respond and they do so willingly. When you have received proof of survival after death you might want to know more about Spiritualism, and so you will find it has three different aspects, Healing, Communications, and Philosophy as previously stated.

For many years Scientists have been investigating the factual evidence provided by the mediums, and have found that it stands up to rigorous testing within the laws of physics, which after all must be the same in both worlds! Therefore those who have an aptitude for the scientific aspects of Spiritualism will find an endless supply of research material.

A good investigative book to read is "Many Mansions" by Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding, he says in his introduction that the book is written by an ordinary man for ordinary men, and I do believe this.

The philosophy provides as excellent basis for living as do the principles. When considered fully, it opens up a vast area for thought on the whole concept of life. We are Spirit here and now, within a physical ‘vehicle’, not the other way around. Like so many people within or outside the many established Churches, we do not adopt the ideas of any religious books where a vengeful God with human failings can act as any other human being, or any idea of another being allowing us to abdicate our personal responsibilities. And we do find that a lot of people don't give up going to their own familiar churches, [why should they?] but attend both kinds.

Our years here on earth are just a small part of our full life span as spiritual beings. What we are doing today is building the foundations for a far more meaningful tomorrow; the way forward is open to everyone who is willing to overcome the obstacles we put before ourselves in order to learn here in this existence, in accordance with the 'Law of Cause and Effect' helping all to a better tomorrow.

There comes a time when, as we mature, we ask ourselves if our religions provide us with any factual answers about the purpose of life and death. Spiritualism does exactly this! Our world is suffering because of selfish desires, the materialism and scepticism which we sometimes feel all around us can be destructive, there seems to be so much apathy too, we all must find at times that there is little to see as optimistic. BUT IT IS AN ILLUSION when we understand the spiritualist's view that this all is an opportunity for personal progression.

The subject of a church Address or Philosophy is covered on the Main Menu under 'Spiritual Philosophy'.

Our goals are similar to other Spiritualist organizations around the world. As you browse this site and the links on the pages you may come across some topics or offerings that are not actually part of recognized teachings Spiritualism.

Spiritualism is not only a Religion that has a tremendous history dating back through time - Modern Spiritualism (considered the New Dispensation of Spirit Communication) dates back to March 31 1848 with the communication by a murdered peddler (Charles B. Rosna) to teenage girls (the Fox sister's) in Hydesville, but it also provides opportunities to educate us about a more spiritual life.

It provides education in the wonders of Natural Law and the workings of the Spirit Realm. As Spiritualists we do believe in God (contrary to the beliefs of many regarding us) but we believe in God as a Divine energy (Infinite Intelligence) that is part of all that exists. That we are a representation of God's creation that God is within us, and Love is paramount.

We also believe in personal responsibility for our actions and that we manifest our existence as a result of those actions, in other words Karma.

Beyond this belief we also recognize that after the physical death life continues in the Spirit World and that we have Spirit Guides available to us during this time on Earth, and if we choose to learn the communication process with Spirit they are available for direct help.

These Spirit Guides can be relatives and friends or may even come from different backgrounds of culture, religious orientation (Native Americans, Buddhists, Taoists, Greek Philosophers, Ancient Masters) - there are no boundaries to the support available from the Spirit side of Life, except perhaps our individual beliefs and mental fears which are of our own creation.

Spirit guides and helpers all have one thing in common - to be of service to provide for our betterment. One learns of their presence and how to communicate through meditation, psychic development and then to the next level of Mediumship where one is able to be of service to the community as a medium by identifying Loved Ones in Spirit to affirm that they are ever present and available.

Channeling, psychic, astral projection, remote viewing are all terms used for attributes that Spiritualist mediums typically develop through their commitment to be of service to God / Infinite Intelligence.

A colleague asked me the other day if spirits stay only for a given time on the 'astral' plane to be able to contact us, as the 'Ancient Tibetan Book of the Dead' states, and he said that Buddhists teach this as he understands.

Yes, they stay at different stages (or planes, astral etc..) according to the individual progression, but there is no material time as we know it in the spirit world so the spirit contact is possible at any level, at any time too, astral or otherwise, the methods just vary accordingly, i.e. the energy needed for a relative to get in touch with a medium will be different shortly after passing, to those years later, as a medium I can tell if the spirit person is recently passed or not, in other words unused to talking to me in the clairvoyant way, or quite expert!

So, what is a Spiritualist Church Service like, and what makes a good one? ... Read on reader!

Two kinds of a Spiritualist Church Service

The two kinds of service are the Sunday and the midweek Service.

There are other specialist meetings where different aspects of communications are brought forward, for example a 'Flower Service' or a 'Psychic Artist Evening', where evidence is given through other means, but they are not every week, and a charge might be made for this extra service.

The Sunday service has a Reading and a talk about the Philosophy of Spiritualism, whereas the midweek service is a shorter version generally called a 'clairvoyant evening' because that is where the emphasis is, on the evidence / proof through clairvoyance, rather than a service of worship. A collection would be made here rather than an entrance fee.

The objective of the Spiritualist Church Service is to give proof that there is no death and the existence of the 'after life' meaning that when our physical bodies are left behind in the material world our spirit goes to another existence or place where it is possible for some people to communicate with, these people are called mediums.

In the Sunday service you would also be likely to hear the guest speaker give an address on some aspect of the philosophy and teachings of Spiritualism. A Philosophy talk is about the many aspects of Spiritualism, and not a sermon in the conventional sense, we are not preaching, this is still mediumship.

This would be based around the seven principles, which are accepted by all Spiritualists as a ‘guiding light’ for our way of life.

We believe in One God, for all men and women, therefore all mankind are equal in the sight of God. The religion of Spiritualism stands firmly on the three pillars; Evidence / Proof, Philosophy and Healing, all are needed to make the whole complete.

If you attend a meeting in a Union Spiritualist Church, you will see that they sing hymns and say prayers just like any other Church, Healing is offered, usually after the main service, and you would find that a part of the service is given to personal contacts - or messages as they are often called - between those who have passed through the veil into spirit, and their family or friends in the congregation.

This message part of the service is to prove that the spirit survives what is called death, and is able to communicate with those that are left behind on the material plane through the clairvoyant ability of a medium.

The medium may relay names and personal details, memories of shared past experiences, and characteristics of the communicator. It is this factual evidence that proves life after death. Which is the primary purpose of the communication / evidence.

We have found that those who have 'died' do in fact continue to exist in a ‘spirit world’ which is interrelated with our own physical world. Communication between the two dimensions is not only possible but natural. WE DO NOT RAISE THE DEAD. We open the channel, Spirit eagerly responds.

For many years Scientists have been investigating the factual evidence provided by our mediums, and have found that it by stands up to rigorous testing within the concept of natural laws. Therefore those who have an aptitude for the scientific aspects of Spiritualism will find an endless supply of research material. [See 'Reading for all / book list' at the top right hand side of the page.]

The philosophy provides as excellent basis for living. When considered fully, it opens up a vast area for expansion of thoughts, on the whole concept of life. We worship one God. We are Spirit, here and now, within a physical ‘overcoat’.

Spiritualism is not just another 'religion’. Its principles offer a completely new way of life, turning material values into eternal values, Spiritualists accept Personal Responsibility for all their actions. Our years here on earth are just a small part of our full life span. What we are doing today is building the foundations for a far greater tomorrow. The way forward is open to everyone who is willing to overcome the obstacles of inherited tradition.

There comes a time when we must ask ourselves does our religion provide us with any factual answers about the purpose of life and death?

Spiritualism does!

Our world is suffering because of the selfish desires of materialism and skepticism, yet there is so much apathy when we offer an opportunity for personal progression.

Ask yourself this, " What does my religion do for me?"

If the answer is 'not a lot' then you are in the wrong place and need to re-think the whole aspect.

Where are you looking?

Are you making any effort to up-date your philosophy of life?

If so, come to a Spiritualist Church Service and find for yourself a way of life that makes sense, and it is only around the corner.

Remember the old saying ... "Every journey starts with one step."

But first maybe try a quick request from the spirit world for guidance, and see what happens - it can't hurt!

Wishing you a happy journey!

Stella

2,839 visitors to this page alone - to date July 2008

For all his learning or sophistication, man still instinctively reaches toward that force beyond.

Only arrogance can deny its existence, and the denial falters in the face of evidence on every hand.

In every tuft of grass, in every bird, in every opening bud, there it is.