Spiritualism today

david hobbs · Spiritualism today

I know that I often winge about the standard of mediumship in spiritualism today. I am not saying that they are all bad because i have seen some very good ones.

The thing is the hidden aspect that the public don't see is where it really is interesting. I am of course speaking of sitting in a closed circle.

I had some excellent years sitting in just such circles and I still think that Spiritualists do know how to run a circle properly,at least that was my experience.

So perhaps I should remember that the Churches are just the shop window and that the real goodies are all around the back.

Tommy

Thanks David it's nice to know they're not all showmen! In Closed Circles, the people are there because they want to be, and they only want to be there because they accept the value of what they're doing.

mark

i would love to see mediums who are able to give evidence ,that really hit the spot ,i dont fdeel one has to look that far ,just pay for them ,thing is i dont need a mediumship reading so i wont be paying ,but i hope to soon sit in a closed circle with physical mediums.i have noticed more psychic,mediums now doing readings as the money is good when they can get it ,maybee there will be more demonstartions as well ive noticed in southend there is more going on actually near to you as welll david

david hobbs

I have heard of a place in Grays in Essex where it costs very little to get in and the mediums are excellent.

This info came to me from a medium friend who is even more cynical about mediums than me.

No religion involved apparently just straight on with giving out the messages.

Just the type of thing that I would like a hand in.

Raymond

It's sounds similar to one I often go to in New Eltham. First Friday of every month they have a mediumship demonstration.
It's in a library hall, no singing, no prayers, no patronising addresses from the medium, no pleas to "Great Spirit" or "Father God" just straight into the mediumship.
And I have to be honest, so far I have been very impressed with the standard of mediumship I've seen so far.

evergreen

went to a spiritual church the other week not my cup of tea all the putting money in and passing around the collection tray felt like catholic church again.. and the hymns... anyway ... if that is spiritualism then I'm not it

david hobbs

I suppose that it is always easy to knock the beliefs and traditions of others, but the fact is that like everything from football to porn if there was not a need for it then it would not exist.

The underlying thing is that people,us, all need something in our lives to take us beyond the mundane and nothing quite does it as well as religion.

The ultimate desire.

Life after death.

Spiritualism offers something a little different. Not just the promise of life after death but the opportunity to contact loved ones who are lost to us not tommorow but today.

Believer or non believer that is a very powerful desire and that desire will be met in some way or the other be it spiritualism and the chance to meet again in the now or Christianity and the chance to meet in the hereafter.

evergreen

but is that what spiritualism is? I had never heard of it and was/am a medium the spiritual movement or religion did not offer me that ...

Raymond

I've been going to spiritualist churches since I was a kid and I can honestly say that I've never met anyone who, when asked what their religion is, has replied 'spiritualist'.

I think the time has come for the spiritualist movement to re-brand it's image.
Back in the 30's it pretty much had to conform to doing church-like stuff to make it more acceptable.
Making claims to contacting the dead goes against the Bible and is clearly un-christian. Adding all the hymns and prayers and collection plates makes it more 'christian'. It makes the bitter pill easier to swallow.

I know plenty of younger people who have a keen interest in spirit contact but never go to spiritualist churches because they are too "boring".
I think the only people who actually enjoy all that stuff are the old ladies because they were raised with the whole going to church and singing hymns - it's something of a comfort to them.

I think spiritualist churches need to find a way to appeal to a younger audience and make the whole experience more appealing to them because the sweet old dears who make the tea aren't going to be around as long as the younger people.

Which brings me to my next point. The spirit realm itself could do with a bit of a shake up too.

Younger people don't want to spend an hour meditating just to be told what someone's favourite flower was or a month of the year as an anniversary.
We live in an instant society. People want thing NOW.
They don't want to have to sit in a circle for 150 years before they can work with spirit.
Spirit needs to re-adjust it's way of working to make working with them a little easier and more relevant.

We have a saying in the craft; 'As Above So Below' which basically means that if you can affect change on the astral plane it will in turn affect change on the physical plane.

I see no reason why that shouldn't work the other way around as well.

Lilly

Raymond said; I've been going to spiritualist churches since I was a kid and I can honestly say that I've never met anyone who, when asked what their religion is, has replied 'spiritualist'.

Whenever I have a form to fill in which asks for ''religion'' I have always put down spiritualist.
Alright,maybe I am one of the 'old' brigade ,but I have been going to spiritualist churches since I was born,and I always refer to myself as spiritualist..sometimes- like the time I was admitted to hospital last year,I overheard the admission nurse whispering to her colleague,''they're the ones who believe in afterlife.'' I havent been much of late [to my church] because of the fact that I'm now a grumpy old woman...the kids there..YES the kids,get on my nerves and hog the cakes and bikkies at the end.
And we don't sing the old conventional hymns,we sing modern 'pop' songs with spiritual words. most of the time through the service we are creased up and crying with laughter at the quips and jokes the mediums and leaders make. there is no one tutting or hissing to stop this. We have a minutes silence to pray for the sick and suffering and the healing of our planet.
There are more young people including teenagers there than old farts like me,and we all have a great time.collection plate is there for tea/coffee and bikkies after the service. I could go on but won't bore you any further.

you can't lump all spiritualist churches into one bracket,I have been to a few boring ones.

david hobbs

david hobbs

I always gave my religion as Spiritualist when I was a keen member of the movement.

Still I am an old fart too.

Lilly

evergreen

i honestly never heard of it as a religion until recently..... so medium ship comes from spiritualism is that what you are saying

david hobbs

Raymond

Dunno.

david hobbs

Last night I went to an evening of clairvoyance down in Greys Essex.

The evening is held each Sunday and there are no hymns or prayers, just mediums being mediums.

Everything taken is given to charity on on this evening the people running the centre began proceedings by handing over a cheque for 400 pounds to the local Rape Concern charity which drew applause from the appreciative audience.

Then the medium came to the platform and you could tell straight away that she was used to churches and not halls as she began waffling on about attachment. This done she opened in prayer and no one seemed to object so all was well.

She struggled for twenty minutes and then said that she would not carry on for the full hour and a half. She then said that she was not making excuses but this was the first time in twenty years that she had ever called a halt. She explained that things such as presenting monies and making announcements should be done at the end of meetings and not at the beginning as the clapping upsets the vibes and the medium who is very sensitive to change.

She then stormed out of the building and a young guy took over and did very well, making the audience laugh.

No problem with the vibes for him it seems

What a strange evening.

Raymond

What a strange woman.

And what a load of w*nk.

evergreen

ha was much the same as the experience I had... apparently I give too much information .. hmm ?? whatever that means .. as I pointed out I give what I am told and shown .. so tell tell me tell them

white wolf

I started off in spiritualist churches and sat in circle,one thing i found was for some strange reason they were concerned i wanted to get up on stage and do what some of them were doing right there and then,so much so i found they thought me a threat.

I had to go to methodist church as a kid but never felt right in such places
at all but that said i do love old churches and their history etc etc.

I sometimes will go now to a spiritualist church to see the mediums there and see how they perform not because i want a reading but just to observe how they all do their thing. Have seen some very good people i must say..

ww

Raymond

I've sat in many circles and as soon as somebody comes along that shows a naturally high aptitude they are cut down by the circle leader and his/her cronies.

Every circle has a 'star' - one who thinks they are so much better than they actually are and who always says "Oh yeah, I got that too", AFTER the event, but I have seen some very talented people reduced to tears all because the leader of the group was jealous of them.

I even saw a woman turn to drink once because she was so badly bullied by the circle leader, although her psychic abilities were much, much better after she'd had a few.

white wolf

Yes Raymond i can well believe this to be the case and its what i picked up on when i joined . Its sad very sad that this sort of thing goes on.

ww

Raymond

Yeah it is a shame but at the end of the day it's just human nature.

david hobbs

evergreen

david hobbs

Your Yoga teacher is nervous about you coming.

Are you that good at Yoga then?

evergreen

LOl no I am new to it and I have attempted to explain to her that I am not at all interested in scanning and reading the other class members...

anyways I went today and all went well I didn't' speak to a soul and I think she was glad i just blended in- hhmm I'm not sure what people expect

laura

Raymond

Jumped up little twats most of them.

I have only once ever sat in a cicle where I actually thought the leader of the group was teaching me something. All the rest where in it for the ego boost.

That's ok though. There will always be leaders and there will always be followers.

I prefer to be neither.

david hobbs

Without wishing to big you up you teach people all the time by speaking to them.

To me any knowledge not passed on is wasted knowledge.

I find that I have very little patience these days, my fault of course, but next month I am defiantly starting a quickening group.

Should be interesting especially as it has nought to do with external spirit but rather coming to understand your own.

I am still working on it so the best I can do is try to help those who have not even started.

I have to laugh when I hear a person say that they are spiritual because they sit in circle.

In or out killer or saint we are all spirit and by talking and passing information we are in truth helping ourselves more that the recipient of our"vast" pool of knowledge.

mark

i have to agree here generally some that i have met i didnt quite get to grips with what they did and it was a ego trip 4 sure ,but there are exceptions luckily

Raymond

Oh hello Mark! Nice to know you're still alive.

evergreen

david hobbs

Nothing like a psychic in the room to bring the guilt out and what lies behind the welcoming smiles.

My mind wanders between the meaning of life and , she's got a nice arse.

It highlights the fact that we may cover up our true selves to most of those around us but inside we cannot escape being human.

Raymond

Well said Hobbs!

So don't bother hiding it in the first place.

evergreen

lol excately !