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An Introduction to Spiritualism

Spiritualism is a recognised religion in the UK. Its main objective, through mediumship, is to prove the continuation of life after physical death.

Spiritualism is not so much a religion, but rather a framework, uncomplicated and unrestrained by dogma and ritual. Perhaps that is what attracted me back when I was skeptical of all religions. It's simple churches, it's gentle presentation which posed thoughts for you to consider, yet never preached. It's basic 7 principles rather than rules, allowing those who follow to grow in a way which best suits them. It's mixture of evidence of a greater life & open-plan architecture of belief meant I could investigate what I wanted, when I wanted and not be condemned for it. Stricter religions serve their purpose, but we all have different needs, and the psychic path is one open for those whose needs are less clearly defined.

About the Churches & Services

For England, spiritualist churches have a number of different events on different days, mostly adopting an evening presentation. These usually include; an evening of clairvoyance, a healing night, and a Sunday evening service but other events may also be available.

Perhaps it is the very simple presentation which attracts people, the fact you are welcome whether you drop in just once or regularly. There are no sermons as such, but you may hear the `Thoughts of the day`, and many offer a cup of tea at the end should you wish to stay and talk to people there. Spiritualists accept all races, it doesn't matter what other beliefs you have, they are NOT interested in `signing you up`. Their interests lie simply in helping people, which should be the founding interest of any religion.

ANCIENT AND MODERN SPIRITUALISM

So often in a lecture or a book, we hear the term "Modern American Spiritualism". Why Modern? It is Modern Spiritualism to distinguish it from the ancient form of Spiritualism, for spiritual manifestations and communications between the physical world and the spiritual world have been evident and recorded by all civilizations. In fact, every religion that has ever been, has registered Spirit manifestations. Most all of the great spiritual leaders conversed or communicated with spirits although they were called other names, such as devas, pitris, gods, ancestral spirits, ghosts and magic.

Often, in the beginning of recorded history, people believed in many gods. There was a god that dwelled in all of natures manifestations, such as a sun god, a god of wind and storms, a god of earth, etc. If some problem arose, the individual or group felt that they had in some way displeased the gods. Sometimes offerings or sacrifices were made to appease the gods. Those in the past believed in many gods that were apart from them, where we in Spiritualism believe in one God, that we call Infinite Intelligence, which is All in All or within everything.

The people were uneducated as a whole so much that happened must have been rather frightening, or seemed like miracles or magic.

We, in Modern Spiritualism, know that all flows according to Natural Law. Where the ancients believed in the supernatural, miracles and magic, punishment and rewards, we believe in the natural, God's Laws, growth and love. We are a truth seeking religion that incorporates science and testing as a part of our philosophy.

Often the people of the past thought of phenomena as the work of devils and demons. Some religions today still see communication in this manner. We know that the phenomena is a work through those in the Spirit World and that we attract to us spirit guides that correspond to the level of our vibration.

Ancient (625 BC to 476 AD) humanity thought objectively. By this we meant that the early people made their reflections upon life by looking at the universe as a whole, then attempting to see the interconnections between things. The early thinkers looked at the differences between things; the realities and non-realities, then tried to figure out how the world was constructed based upon this point of view of the world.

Medieval Philosophy (476 AD - 1453 AD) is considered traditional in their thinking which means that they had a set of authoritative doctrines from the past. During the Middle Ages, it is said that humanity, no matter how deeply they reflected, was constrained by a set of religious traditions and censors.

Modern thought is subjective. Here we refer to an entire change in the type of intellect where the starting point is not considered the world, but the individual. We now see that truths can be found within rather than externally. Reality is personal rather than the cosmos of the ancients of the political state of the middle period.

Modern American Spiritualism began on March 31, 1848 with the Fox family establishing communication with the departed murdered spirit of Charles B. Rosna. Much of the basic philosophy that we have tested was given to our pioneers through spirit communication. While Spiritualism began in America, it has spread over the entire world. Thus, to make a short phase long, this is why we call our religion, MODERN AMERICAN SPIRITUALISM.

SPIRITUAL MEDIUMSHIP

A medium is one whose organism is sensitive to vibrations from the Spirit World and through whose instrumentality, intelligences in that world are able to convey messages and produce the phenomena of Spiritualism. The phenomena of Spiritualism consists of:
prophecy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, gift of tongues, laying on of hands, healing, visions, trance, apports, revelations, raps, levitation, automatic and independent writing and painting, photography, materialization, psychometry, direct and independent voice, and any other manifestation which proves the continuity of life.

SPIRITUAL HEALING

Spiritual healing, recognized in many ancient religions, has been a principle of Spiritualism since its beginning. Today, on a national basis, evidence is growing in the medical community of the importance of spiritual healing to the cure of the individual in need. Evidence is growing that the whole person needs treatment, not just the illness.

A Spiritualist Healer is one who, either through his or her own inborn power or through mediumship, is able to transmit curative energies to physical conditions. The results of Spiritual Healing are produced in several ways:

By spiritual influences working through the body of the medium to transmit curative energies to the diseased parts of the recipient's body.

By spiritual influences enlightening the mind of the medium so that the cause, nature and seat of the disease in the recipient is made known to the medium.

Through the application of absent healing treatments whereby spiritual beings combine their own healing energies with the energies of the medium and cause them to be absorbed by the system of the recipient.

A Spiritualist Healer works with the spirit, mind, emotions, and the body of the recipient. A Spiritualist Healer is aware that once stress is removed from the mind and emotions, the body will respond naturally. This brings about holistic healing in the patient.

Spiritualist Healers acknowledge the importance of the medical community and work in cooperation with it at all times. Spiritualism recognizes that the medical community is an instrument of healing of the Infinite.

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