Is Spiritualism a Religion?

The nameplate above for this site contains the well-known statement –  “The religion, philosophy and science of spiritualism.” Few of us would argue about the presence of philosophy in the spiritualist movement nor would we quibble about the fact that for 160 years spiritualist phenomena has inspired a lot of scientific research. But when it comes to calling spiritualism a religion we have to acknowledge that among spiritualists there those who are comfortable with that and many who are not. At the outset I’m certain my contribution to the topic will not calm the waters but I’m determined nevertheless to do my share of stirring.

The always quotable J. Arthur Findlay wrote that religion is associated in our minds with “saviours, creeds, ceremonials, rituals, churches, mosques, temples, priests and sacred books….  Without knowledge of the truth [people] rely for their salvation on forms and ceremonies, on the repetition of formulae and creeds, on acts of worship, on baptism, eucharists, the last rites and such like, until their church or temple becomes a sacred shrine, and the purveyors of the dogmas and doctrines are considered holy men set apart by God from the rest of mankind.” (The Way of Life, p. 207-8)

Some spiritualists have their church buildings but I doubt there are many who consider it a “sacred shrine” as Findlay states it. Findlay’s creeds, rituals, sacred books, saviors and such, however, are rejected by most all spiritualists outright. So that makes spiritualism a non-religion? Let’s not be too hasty in coming to a conclusion!

Dr. Charles T. Tart’s recently-published book The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal is Bringing Science and Spirit Together is an amazing read and it will no doubt spark some future blogs on this site. But for now let me quote (page 315) Tart’s observation about organized religions – “Religions start from the way of experience: a founder has profound spiritual or psychic experiences, or both. While there are small numbers of people in all religious traditions who try to work from this basis, by themselves having and expanding the basic kinds of experiences that started it all, their efforts are swamped by the theoreticians, the people who make some kind of intellectual and emotional ‘sense’ of the experiences. These people too often have had no direct experiences themselves, but they’re smart people, capable organizers, creative theorizers.”

Findlay, our foremost spiritualist scholar and historian, agrees 100% with Tart’s analysis as far as it goes. In fact, Findlay wrote a complete book of nearly 1,200 pages providing historical detail amplifying Tart’s first sentence above (The Psychic Stream first published in 1939). “Religion is based on the interaction between the two worlds [the material world that we are aware of now and the world of spirit or etheric world], which is appreciated by those sensitive people called mediums,” Findlay wrote in The Psychic Stream, page 27. “Because of them man has become aware that surrounding him is another order of life, and another order of beings. In his ignorance he believed that these beings were the cause of all the phenomena of nature, and that on their whims and caprices his welfare on earth, and his destiny hereafter, depended. Because he failed to appreciate his true relationship towards them he produced those beliefs which make up the various world religions. From what was true and real, he erected a mass of speculation which in many cases has hidden the truth from view.”

In a nutshell, then, here is the origin of organized religions and the superstitions surrounding them according to spiritualist thinking. Such a view can be verified by scholarship as Findlay so ably proves in his books.

“…[S]uperstition and religion are often mixed up and confused,” Findlay points out in Rock of Truth (page 160-161) "People think, for instance, that they are religious if they go to church; if they attend Holy Communion; if they cease from doing certain things on holy days; if they read the Bible; if they repeat prayers, and if they believe certain words and certain documents to be inspired by God. Less civilized people believe in offering up sacrifices, or beating tom-toms, or worshipping images. Those outward forms and ceremonies have, however, nothing whatever to do with real religion. They are the draperies, the superstition which surrounds it. Real religion does not consist in believing that God, the maker of this immense universe, which no human mind is capable of fathoming, came down to earth and lived for two years wandering about Palestine. Neither is it religion to consider a certain book is holy and inspired by God. It is not religion to repeat certain words either by yourself or after a parson, or to partake of Holy Communion, whether you consider that what you eat and drink is part of God, or the service is only one of remembrance. These things are only the clothes that have been put on to religion; religion is the something underneath the outward drapery.”

Furthermore, Findlay goes on to say that “Superstition is that which has accumulated around religion. Religion is a central truth in man’s life, which has always been and always will be. One might say that superstitions come and go but religion goes on for ever.”

Victor Zammit on his fabulous after-life site (link at the left) recently made the same point as Findlay. “BEING 'RELIGIOUS' IS NOT BEING SPIRITUAL. There are those who believe that being 'religious' is the same as being 'spiritual'. NO, they are NOT the same thing,” he wrote. “Being 'SPIRITUAL' has absolutely nothing to do with being religious or anything to do with any Church or Temple or Mosque or organized religious activities. It has nothing to do with being atheist or agnostic or whether one is a medium or psychic. Being spiritual is all about expanding your consciousness and unselfishly helping others.” This is a point made over and over again by teaching guides such as Silver Birch.

Now, from the above it seems apparent that it may prove difficult to classify spiritualism. But let’s move on a bit further before we try. In rejecting the cardinal tenets of Christianity and going so far as to label them as “superstitions,” spiritualism has distanced itself from the chief religion of the Western world. “Spiritualism and Christianity have no connection whatever,” Findlay wrote in The Torch of Knowledge (page 15). “They are as far apart as the poles. Spiritualism is a philosophy of life and claims that life after death has been proved, that those who die live on in a world much the same as this, with the same characteristics as they had on earth, and that given suitable conditions they can communicate with us on earth. Christianity on the other hand, is a sacrificial religion and the Christian Church is an organisation, to keep alive a belief in a sacrifice for sins, and for the performance of the rites and ceremonials connected with this belief. For this reason Spiritualism and Christianity will never join, and no Spiritualist who thinks deeply desires such a fusion.”

I must interject here, though, that there are some congregations of spiritualists that classify themselves as so-called “Christian spiritualists.” I understand that they do accept certain aspects of organized Christianity in addition to their traditional spiritualist teaching. Also, Spiritists whose churches are most numerous in Brazil seem to be more closely aligned with Christianity than are most spiritualists. Obviously, Findlay would have none of that!

So, where does all this lead us as we attempt to answer the question, “Is Spiritualism a Religion?” Organized spiritualism does maintain many of the outward trappings of the Christian church (being much more Protestant in organization and practice, borrowing little if anything from liturgical churches such as the Roman Catholic). But its teachings are definitely not Christian nor are they borrowed from any other organized religion. In my view, spiritualist churches are more like educational institutions than “houses of worship.” There the findings of spirit communication are discussed and parishioners are encouraged to deepen their spiritual life.

At the core of genuine spiritualist activity is the quest for knowledge and a deeper understanding about who we are and the nature of our ultimate destiny. Coupled with that should be the response of each seeker to go into the world and do good (i.e., service to others). According to Findlay, this would constitute a legitimate religious quest. Seen this way, does that make spiritualism a “religion” without superstition? Yes, I believe it does. And if spiritualism is, indeed, a religion, then it is the only one that has any empirical evidence that what it says is true.

Apology & Postscript

I apologize to my readers for more than a month of silence on this blog. Summer is our busiest time because of travel and home/farm chores. The usual pace of twice-monthly posts may be interrupted because of these responsibilities during the summer but I do have several articles in the works nonetheless. One is posted today (next entry below) and it requires a short explanation. The post concerns our experience with some physical mediumship several years ago and each segment of the account was written the day after the occurrences described, while memory was still fresh. The separate accounts were later compiled into the unified whole that is presented here. We are quite convinced the manifestations were genuine and that there was no possibility of fraud. This also is the opinion shared by all our friends who participated in these circles.

Now, I want to provide an appropriate quote to accompany my May 9 blog about confusion experienced by some recent arrivals to the spirit world due to erroneous expectations about life after so-called death. This is taken from Sir Arthur Findlay’s fascinating Where Two Worlds Meet (page 398) wherein he reproduces verbatim transcripts of direct voice séances conducted with the medium John Sloan in Glasgow, Scotland, during the early 1940s. Speaking is a Mr. Hardman who died believing there was no afterlife –

“…I was very much in the land of wonder for some time [immediately after passing over]. I will explain it to you, and I hope you will forgive me for taking up so much of your time. You see, I did not believe in the after-life, and when I came here I was bewildered with the wonder of the knowledge that it was all true. I did not deserve the kindness showered upon me by those who came to help me. I knew then that I had made a mistake…. I know what it is to be lonely. That is how I felt when I first came over, until some friends took me in hand and led me kindly along….”

There are several other similar recollections shared in the book and each stresses the importance of becoming aware of the facts of the afterlife before bodily death takes us there.

Now, please proceed to read the new post below and thank you for your patience this summer.

Spirit Painting & Billet Reading

On January 16, 2010, my wife, Georgetta, and I attended a circle at the Church of the Living Spirit in Glendale, Arizona (a suburb of Phoenix). The medium was the Rev. Hoyt Robinette from the spiritualist center at Camp Chesterfield, Indiana. The circle had been limited to 25 individuals.

Upon entering the church we were each handed a quarter-sheet paper (called a billet) with instructions to do the following:

   • Write down complete names of family or friends who were in spirit;

   • Write down a question to be answered by spirit; and

   • Write down our complete name at the bottom of the billet.

These slips were completed and folded by each of us and eventually collected in a basket by Rev. Janet Tisdale, minister of the church. They were in full view for the complete evening and were not given to the medium until after he was blindfolded as explained below.

Rev. Robinette then proceeded to explain for the group the process for the spirit paintings. He had a tightly-woven wicker basket (with a lid) like those made in Mexico to be used for serving rolls or hot tortillas. He took everything out and showed us the empty interior. Since it was thin and woven from reeds there could be no “secret compartment.” After showing us the basket he had a member of the audience open a brand new pack of plain blank, unruled 3x5 cards. She pulled off the shrink wrap and fanned the cards to ascertain that nothing appeared on any of them (and we were each witness to this). He then picked up big bunches of assorted colored pens and markers that had previously been in the basket, each with its cap in place. These were tossed into the basket a handful at a time with about a quarter or fifth of the cards thrown in between layers of pens. He continued to do this until the basket was entirely full and the lid was placed on it. The full basket was then positioned on a small table in front of the lectern where it remained untouched and in full view of us all until it was opened at the end of the evening.

Medium Hoyt Robinette (right) with Dave &
Georgetta Howard in Tucson, March 2010

Next, the medium gave a short talk about billet reading, stating that he would pick up impressions by using the gift of psychometry. Following that explanation he applied several strips of adhesive tape to each eye so there was no possibility of peeking out. He then put a blindfold over his bandaged eyes. His eyes were completely useless.

Rev. Tisdale handed Robinette the basket with the billets which he proceeded to unfold and hold altogether in his hand while pacing back and forth behind the lectern. The billets remained in his hands, usually at waist level. For the next hour or so he called out one-by-one, first names, in most cases, of those of us in the circle. Sometimes, though, he gave a last name and at other times he made contact with one of us by first calling out the name of one of our deceased friends or loved ones. Each person in the circle was spoken to at length and from the verbal acknowledgements it was obvious the other people’s information was as accurate and revealing as was ours. (This was later confirmed by me in conversations with several participants.)

We will now describe the messages given to us.

I was alerted that it was my turn when I heard the medium say “Does someone here recognize ‘Prince’?” I had written this name at the top of his billet – “Prince” is the nickname given to my lifelong teacher/mentor A.K. Mozumdar. I acknowledged my recognition of the name and Rev. Robniette continued by saying others in spirit were present with me that evening. Each person he next named were those below which I had written on the billet:

   • Eric (Eric Poole, a college friend)

   • Hal (Hal Howard, Dave’s father)

   • Annie (Annie Howard, Dave’s paternal grandmother)

I was called “David” by the medium even though I had written “Dave” on the billet. Neither one of us had ever met or seen Rev. Robinette before and had not been introduced on this evening.

The medium continued by naming several of my spirit guides who were present as well:

   • Sister Fernanda (a healer who would help heal through me; but the name on the back of the card turned out to be “Sister Mary Celeste” – explanation below)

   • Dr. Roberts

   • Dr. Rink (who would be pictured on the card)

   • The master Obadiah (“look him up – he was a powerful figure in history, in the Bible”)

This list of names was in answer to my written question, “who are my guides and others in spirit who are helping me.”

When it was Georgetta’s turn the medium summoned her attention by calling out the name “George,” who was Georgetta’s father (one of the names she put on her billet). He then said, “is your name Georgette or Georgetta?” Other names given that matched those Georgetta had written on her billet were:

 • Alice (her grandmother; the medium also gave her last name as ‘Ware’ which was correct but that surname had not been written on the billet)

 • Lavelle (Lavelle Cooper, Georgetta’s mother)

 • Pat (Pat Kene, a friend who passed over the previous year)

Guides named were Dr. Ballinger (who would be pictured on the card) and Chief Anadarko. Georgetta’s written question concerned our cat Lucy who had disappeared a month previous. Robinette said, “Someone will pick up where you left off,” and that we apparently had lost something – an object or a pet. He proceeded to say the animal would be safe and be given a good, new home – spirits said “we will make sure that happens.”

That evening we were sitting with a friend who received an exceptionally accurate statement from the medium regarding her home situation – all in response to her question written on the billet.

The front of my painting
 appears above. It depicts
Dr. Sara Rink, M.D.

When all the billet reading was complete, the medium removed the hoodwink and tape. He then opened the basket and pulled out all the 3x5 cards. Many were still blank but those that were painted were separated and there was one for each person in the circle. On the back of each card was the name of the person in the circle for whom the card was created as well as the name of the person pictured on the reverse and names of other spirit guides. On Georgetta’s card appeared her name, Chief Anadarko, Dr. Ballinger and Sister Silvia. Georgetta recognized the face of Dr. Ballinger from dreams. Names on the back of my card included Sky Hawk Chief, Master Obadiah, Sara Rink, M.D., and Sister Mary Celeste. (The paintings and signatures are pictured here. The face on each picture has photographic qualities. When holding the paintings up to the light there are several other facial images that become visible, almost like watermarks. These do not show up in the scan.)

The following day (January 17) we returned to the church along with our friend of 30 years, Pat. Rev. Robinette did another demonstration of billet reading which was as impressive and conducted in a manner identical to that of the previous evening. There was a large crowd and apparently everyone had filled out a billet but some obviously were not addressed as there was not ample time to speak to each individual. Pat and I were two of the lucky ones, however.

The back of my card.

Curiously, the blindfolded medium addressed individuals in the row in front of us one at a time, starting on the left and proceeding to the right. Then he moved to our row, going in the same direction. Each individual was singled out either by their own name or by calling out the name of a loved one. The precision of this demonstration for our two rows in and of itself further strengthened its evidential nature. Billets were in a random order, not arranged by row. Furthermore, the medium did not know any of us in our party – perhaps he could have recognized Georgetta and me from the previous night but he had never seen Pat before.

The front of Georgetta's
card.

Coming to Pat, Robinette started by saying “I feel there’s a Day here – O’Day” which is Pat’s last name. After she responded he asked, “Is your name Pat?” He proceeded to name off several loved ones on her list including her mother May and another relative named Mary. There was also an obscure reference to a car (apparently referring to Mae’s last name which was “Dodge”).

Georgetta was not given a message, perhaps because she wrote on the billet her wish that Pat be singled out instead.

When he finished responding to Pat’s question on the billet he called out the name “Vera,” which was Dave’s mother’s name that was on the billet. He went on to name others who were on the list as well –

 • Ruth (Ruth Snoderly, Dave’s aunt, whose role the night previous in an exceptionally vivid dream was still fresh in Dave’s mind)

 • Joe (Joe Burchell, Dave’s maternal great-grandfather who has been the elusive subject of Dave’s genealogical research)

 • Louise (Louise Bond, Dave’s maternal grandmother)

Reverse of Georgetta's card.

Robinette then said, “There are many others with you, too many to count.” In answer to his written question seeking explanation of his future work, ministry or role, Dave was told it was to help people to know what their need was. “It will help you to know that your best gift is to help or lead people.”

A week after the experiences above several of us who were present at the Robinette circles got together and discussed the event. While portions of our cards resembled photographs or engravings, some friends had completely different images. A couple even looked like they had been painted from scratch. The name “Sister Fernanda” named by Robinette turned out to be not the guide for me but, rather, for a friend who was sitting directly behind me. Sister Fernanda’s name appeared on this friend’s card. This “bleed-through” or mixing up of messages for people who are in close proximity is not uncommon for mediums and in this instance it was very evidential. The blindfolded Robinette could not have “arranged” the mix-up for two individuals unknown to him who happened to be sitting close together any more than circumstance could account for the Sunday morning string of readings that went down one row of people in order then down ours as well.

On March 9, 2010, we had another opportunity to witness some remarkable physical mediumship through Rev. Hoyt Robinette, this time in Tucson. Robinette was in Tucson for two weeks working with the Temple of Universality and we participated in a circle of 11 who were sitting for silk paintings and billet reading.

We arrived at the location and met the other sitters shortly before Robinette got there. The séance room was a small one in an apartment of one of the church’s ministers. The procedure followed by the medium was similar to the events we’d experienced before but the target was six-inch squares of silk instead of the 3x5 cards.

When Robinette began he brought out the materials to be used – the silk pieces, several bottles of artist’s ink, a red-lens flashlight and 8½x11” pieces of construction paper. He showed us the blank, white silks and they were in our view throughout the evening. The ink bottles were opened but left on the small table in the center of our circle. We were each given a piece of construction paper.

Previous to his arrival, everyone received a billet identical to those used in the demonstrations in Glendale. Georgetta and I had previously written down a list of names of those in spirit and a question so we would be prepared this time. We filled out our billets and folded them. Just before the circle began these were collected by the Rev. Kristine Fossatti of the Temple and they were in our view at all times. Rev. Robinette taped his eyes as before and put on the blindfold, then proceeded to unfold the billets and give messages. Again, each person in the circle received evidential messages.

Georgetta was singled out before me this evening and was alerted that it was her turn when the medium said “There is someone here by the name of Adams” which prompted Georgetta’s acknowledgement. This was the name of one of those listed on her billet – David Adams who was a friend of nearly 30 years before passing several years ago. Our home in the Phoenix area was purchased from his widow three years before and we have felt his presence with us numerous times.

A humorous incident occurred next: the medium said there also was a George here but he felt his name should have been mentioned first. This was extremely evidential. George was, of course, Georgetta’s father (George Cooper) who passed in 1988. When Georgetta was filling out her billet she was writing down the names from the list she had brought but decided at the last moment to add the name of her father even though he was not on the list. She started to write “George” at the bottom of the names on the billet but then she mentally heard the instruction to put it at the top of the billet. She crossed out what she had written at the bottom and then re-wrote it at the top. So when the message came through from George that he should have been named first it was a surprising but pleasing confirmation that this was, indeed, a true manifestation of spirit.

Other names of spirits present as given by the medium were Edith (McCullom-Grenz), a teacher’s aid who worked with Georgetta prior to her death, and James (Linhart), a social worker with whom she had worked many years ago. Jim was also a friend of mine – and a whole lot of other people as well (there were more than 700 people at his funeral several years ago in Albany, Oregon). Robinette also said there was a Margaret present – “that’s with an ‘O’ – she will know where it goes,” the message continued. At the time this was puzzling because there shouldn’t be an “O” in “Margaret” but after the circle we reflected and realized it was referring to Margaret’s last name which was “O’Day.” She was the previous mother-in-law of our friend Pat who is mentioned above and her manner of reference to the “O” was quite characteristic of her way of talking and sense of humor. Also mentioned by the medium as present was “Pat” and this referred not to our friend Pat but to another of Georgetta’s friends, Pat Keen, who was named in a previous circle (see above). Each of these names was on the billet.

Georgetta’s question written on the billet was “are there any suggestions for me to develop mediumship skills?” The answer was precise. Without repeating the question, the message was “we are working in that direction already. Ask and you shall receive.”

My message was the last in the circle and it began with the name “Tony” being mentioned by the medium. This corresponded to the name on the billet of my friend Tony Milewski of Olympia, Washington, who had passed over just a few weeks previous. Also named were Ethel (Ethel Miller – my aunt), Cecil (the Rev. C.A. Brown who I knew in Spokane during college years), and Austin (Austin Bond – my maternal grandfather who died in an accident in 1919). The name “Anita” was also given but this was not written on the billet (as were all of the other names). After the circle I realized this must refer to Anita Berry, a woman who worked with me in Seattle for nearly seven years during the 1980s. The medium fumbled with another name – it sounded like “Lavada” – no doubt a misunderstanding of the name “Lavelle,” Georgetta’s mother. (Her name was not on my billet but her face appeared on Georgetta’s silk – see below.)

Dave's silk.

Now, the answer to my question was quite remarkable. I had written on the billet the following: “Are we supposed to be preparing for 2012 and, if so, what preparations should we make?” This refers to countless psychic warnings we have received since the 1970s about pending earth changes and recently there have been many books and TV programs about the correlation between the year 2012 and the Mayan calendar that ends at Dec. 21, 2012. It is thought by many that 2012 will see many drastic earth changes that may seriously disrupt civilization. The answer was: “You are doing it (making preparations) every day – not just one day or next week. Don’t wait until year-after-next. It is at your own behest because Spirit has given you that direction. Many people will be left wondering why they aren’t warned. You will be ready.”

Georgetta's silk. Because the images appear
on rough fabric, they are faint and
difficult to capture in a scan. They
are much more clear than the scan shows.

After the billet readings were complete Robinette proceeded to explain the silk paintings. This had to be accomplished in total darkness (this is a requirement for many spirit manifestations because, as they explain, light tends to disrupt the energy needed to perform physical phenomena). When the lights were out we were to have our piece of construction paper on our lap. The medium would walk around the circle holding the stack of silk squares and as he approached each one of us he would speak to that person (saying “who is next?”). With the response the seated individual was to raise his/her hand to meet his (remember this is in total darkness) then direct his hand to the construction paper where he would place the square of silk, making sure it was securely being held before going on to the next person. We were to hold the silk on the construction paper with our thumbs grasping two corners so the silk would not slip off the paper onto the floor. After the silks had been distributed Robinette continued with a few more messages for individuals in the circle. I received one of these but since it was dark I was unable to take notes. One part of the message concerned the Ascended Master whose portrait would appear on his silk – “It will be the biggest one there” is a paraphrase of what was said. Another part of the message emphasized again the importance of the preparations for 2012.

We had been told that some would feel energy in their fingers as they held the silk during the painting process. Georgetta later reported that she felt intense heat in her fingers, emanating from the silk.

Coincidentally, some were told in the darkness how many faces would appear on their silk and after the red light examination mentioned below it was determined that not everyone had the same number of portraits.

When the medium was told by spirit that the painting was complete he went around the circle with the red-lens flashlight (red light does not disrupt spirit manifestation as badly as does white light), shining it upon the silks. We could clearly see that images of faces had appeared on our silks while we were holding them in the darkness. After each individual looked at his/her silk in the red light, the silk was rolled up in the construction paper and secured by a rubber band given by the medium. We were told to leave them rolled up in this fashion for a minimum of 12 hours so the images could “develop” properly and be set firmly on the silk.

We were anxious to see the images in daylight and in our hotel room we carefully unrolled them around 9 a.m. the next morning. Each one had several portraits painted on the cloth – large ones, small ones, in color or black and white. They were faint but most had amazing detail. All of the faces (except for two) are of people unfamiliar to us at this time but further study may result in some identification. One of the faces on Georgetta’s silk is strikingly similar to her mother’s appearance (a presumption subsequently confirmed by her sister without prompting) and another resembles Dave’s father. Since our spirit cards shown here have several almost-hidden images on them, we will need to compare those with the silk portraits to see if there are duplicates.

The manifestations we witnessed on March 9, 2010, are further evidence that there is continuity of life after death and that those on the “other side” are still very much in our presence.

Postscript...

There is a sequel to the above story. The portrait on my card is of Sara Rink, M.D. At a trance séance in the spring of 2011 I asked the spirit control if “Dr. Rink” was present. The guide working through the medium said (and I paraphrase) “Yes, Dr. Rink is here and HE is happy to see you.”

I then commented that the Dr. Rink on the card was a woman. The guide suddenly left the medium and she came out of trance immediately but then she heard (clairaudiently) the guide inquiring about this discrepancy and learned that there were actually two Dr. Rinks – the male physician, Charles, was present that evening. The mention of the name “Charles” did not register with any of us in the circle as it was said softly and quickly. It was only later when I was feeding the recording of the session into a PC from the voice recorder that it was heard.

I later did some Internet genealogical searches and found record of a Charles Rink, M.D., who practiced in Pennsylvania prior to World War I. A page was printed from the Pennsylvania Medical Journal for which this Dr. Rink served as a correspondent. The search continues for confirmation of Dr. Sara Rink.

To us, the casual dropping of the name “Charles” in association with the unusual surname “Rink” was very evidential when coupled with the Internet data that was later unearthed. No other Rink was found online who had been a physician although there are one or two now living and practicing medicine.

Rev. Hoyt Robinette has a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Kentucky and a master’s in clinical psychology.

Lost on the ‘Other Side’

There were only five of us last Wednesday evening for our regular spiritualist circle. It was a fairly quiet evening with no one going into trance, the trumpet did not fly about but there were a few messages delivered to various ones via mental mediumship.

Just a few days before, one of the sitters had lost a sister in a distant state after a lengthy illness. The older sister had been a life-long Baptist, committed to her church and its doctrines which included certain expectations about life after bodily death. The sister in our circle is sometimes blessed with clairvoyant vision and last Wednesday she saw her older sister “over there,” confused, alone, and very puzzled. She had not been met by Jesus – or anyone else that she could see for that matter – and everything was different from what she had been told on earth.

Our sitter reported this to the circle and we all immediately went into meditation and attempted to send help to the lost sister. Within a few minutes her vision cleared up a bit, some of the clouds of confusion apparently lifted and another spirit was finally able to get her attention and lead her away for rest and help. This was seen clairvoyantly.

This personal incident brought home a tremendous problem that a lifetime of misinformation creates for our friends and family members when they first encounter the afterlife. Even when individuals are fully aware that they are “dead” and separate from the physical body, they may be so confused and disoriented that they find themselves unable to fully comprehend their surroundings. Misguided religious teachings are the most often cited culprit for this painful confusion.

We are told that the majority of folks upon passing over soon realize they have left their physical body. Perhaps they can see their body lying there, family members mourning, etc., and soon they begin looking about to determine where they are now. With this attitude their awareness sharpens and they often see others who came to greet and help them – usually friends or family members who have already passed over.

Some people – even some with religious convictions – cannot accept that life continues after so-called death. When these individuals pass over, the confusion sets in immediately as they realize they are still alive and not annihilated through the death experience. Or perhaps they deny their death and insist they are still in a physical body despite the fact that nobody seems to hear or see them. They wander about their familiar surroundings attempting to continue with normal activities of work and interaction with others but find it all impossible.

A variation of this is the individual who has been taught that when one dies he/she goes to an intermediate spot and “sleeps” until the alleged final resurrection of the body. Sometimes their expectation plays itself out in reality and they go into something similar to a coma where they remain unreachable by helping spirits. This is perhaps the most devastating outcome of Christian religious teachings concerning life after death.

Still others, we are told, have such preconceived notions about life after death they expect that to be dead in the body is to be alive with Jesus. Perhaps they are met on the other side by a spirit they assume to be Jesus but often it is simply family members in “Etheria*” who try to align the new arrival’s ideas with reality. If they refuse to understand what spirit life is really like, they may have an option to join others of like mind who gather at a church similar to those back home where they conduct familiar religious services. This continues until they finally “see the light” and move on.

There are many different experiences that those passing over undergo but what they find is dictated by the life they lived here in the material world AND their beliefs and understanding. By beliefs and understanding I mean that their belief and conception of what life after “death” is like shapes their experience. If they have ideas that are totally out of sync with the way it really is, then their entrance to Etheria probably will be bumpy and confusing. If, however, they have studied some of the vast material describing our spirit life after bodily death, then the transition is smooth and pleasant.

Unfortunately, most people never get a clear conception of what spirit life is like and, instead, rely upon the fuzzy and inaccurate descriptions provided by mainstream religion. We are told over and over again by spirit communicators that spirits are kept busy over there trying to help new arrivals – and the overwhelming majority of the newly arrived desperately need help because they have not been adequately prepared. The books by Anthony Borgia provide an excellent and accurate description of what these new arrivals have to work through.

I make it a practice to hold a mental conversation with spirits of those I know shortly after I learn of their passing. We are told that these messages are usually heard by the ones we address them to. I make it simple and after expressing my love I encourage them to look about if they have not done so already because there are other spirits anxious to greet and assist them. Sometimes you can actually sense a response.

Countering misinformation about the afterlife was a principal reason for renewing spirit communication according to messages received after the beginning of modern spiritualism. Helping lost spirits find their way to their proper spiritual home is also the function of many circles (called “rescue circles”). Last Wednesday evening we apparently were able to assist one of our sitter’s relatives who had just passed over in a state of confusion. This is important work that highlights one of the many contributions modern spiritualism makes.

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* “Etheria” is the term coined by J. Arthur Findlay to identify the realm of spirit life where we go following physical death. He also liked to refer to residents there as “Etherians.”

Automatic Writing Champions

April 15 was the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic and here at Spirit Communion we joined the commemoration by taking note of Michael Tymn’s interesting new book on spirit communications from some of the ship’s victims (March 25 post). As noted in the blog, one of the principal communicators was William T. Stead, a British journalist, reformer and well-known spiritualist who went down that night with more than 1,500 others.

What we didn’t mention about Stead was the fact that he was a gifted automatic writer (automatist) who had given the world important messages from the world of spirit. After Death or Letters from Julia was a slim volume of observations from the other side dictated to Stead by his friend Julia who had passed over to spirit in 1891. The messages provide Julia’s interpretations of what happens upon death of the physical body and awakening in the realm of spirit. After being available for more than 100 years the letters are still captivating reading and nowadays can be downloaded from the Internet.

“Automatic writing, I may explain for those unfamiliar with the term, is writing that is written by the hand of a person which is not under control of his conscious mind,” Stead explained in the book’s introduction. “The hand apparently writes of itself, the person to whom the hand belongs having no knowledge of what it is about to write. It is a very familiar and simple form of mediumship, which in no way impairs the writer's faculties or places his personality under the control of any other intelligence. This writing may proceed from his sub-conscious mind, or it may be due to the direct action of independent, invisible intelligences. What is certain is that it does not emanate from the conscious mind of the writer, who often receives messages containing information as to past events of which he has never heard, and sometimes perfectly accurate predictions as to events which have not yet happened. It was in this way that I began to receive the communications, some few of which are collected in this little volume. All the ‘Letters from Julia’ were received by me in the same manner. Sitting alone with a tranquil mind, I consciously placed my right hand, with the pen held in the ordinary way, at the disposal of Julia, and watched with keen and skeptical interest to see what it would write.”

Stead was certainly not the only medium in those days who was being given information via automatic writing. Early spiritualist literature is full of messages that were conveyed that way with some mediums, like Stead, fully conscious and aware during delivery and others who practiced their talent while in a trance state.

Frederick Bligh Bond

Certainly one of the most novel uses of automatic writing was during excavation of the buildings at Glastonbury Abbey in the U.K. An architect, Frederick Bligh Bond, was hired by the Church of England to supervise archeological investigations of the ancient abbey in 1908 and he remained in that capacity until 1921. Throughout the project Bond consulted an automatic writing medium, Captain John Allan Bartlett, who wrote down detailed instructions and maps allegedly dictated by deceased Glastonbury monks. Bond even recorded that he usually read out loud unrelated literature to Bartlett while the automatic writing was in process in order to make certain that the medium’s conscious mind was occupied with things other than what was being written by his hand. Messages – written in Middle English, Low Latin and modern English – often had to be deciphered or translated but they were always on target which resulted in amazing finds at the site. Bond recorded the experience in his book The Gate of Remembrance (available for download on the Internet). Another Bond book which reveals even more about Glastonbury and automatic writing predictions of World War I is The Hill of Vision, also available online.

Pearl Curran

Perhaps the most remarkable automatist in North America was Pearl Leonore Curran, a poorly educated woman who lived in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1913 while passing time with the Ouija board she made contact with a seventeenth century Englishwoman named Patience Worth. Over a period of several years Patience Worth dictated to Curran a string of literary masterpieces including complete novels, poetry and plays, each being far beyond Curran’s capability. For example, in a compilation of America’s best poetry of 1917 appeared five of Patience Worth’s creations alongside fewer compositions each by other acclaimed poets such as Amy Lowell, Vachel Lindsay and Edgar Lee Masters. Some of the Patience Worth titles are still in print nearly 100 years later and scholars continue to marvel at the quality of the material Curran received. Also, several in-depth studies of Curran’s career have been published.

A modern-day Pearl Curran would be Stella Horrocks, a retired teacher in the U.K., who has in longhand written down complete novels under the pen names of several well-known deceased authors. She claims the material is given automatically and that she breathlessly awaits unfolding of the plot just as any reader would.  There is an interesting British TV video of Stella available on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TTmIibV30s) but, unlike Pearl Curran, I cannot find that any of the books dictated through Stella Harrocks have been published.

Chico Xavier

The all-time champion of automatic writing title will have to be given to a man who never wrote a word of English and who is largely unknown in North America or Europe – Chico Xavier (1910-2002). This humble, slightly educated Brazilian holds the record as being the second most prolific author in the Portuguese language and every word of it, he claimed, was dictated by spirit guides. His output was greater than 458 published books which combined by 2010 had sold more than 50 million copies.

Chico’s books cover a wide range of literary fields from historical novels, poems, and religious teachings to philosophy and medicine. He took no payment for any of the books, donating all proceeds to charity which, in part, earned him a nomination in 1982 for the Nobel Peace Prize.

“When I am writing automatically,” he said, “I can see, hear and I have often registered the presence of the communicator without knowing anything about the subject matter on which he is writing.” Indeed, most of what came through Xavier’s pen was beyond his capability and understanding.

Chico Xavier (born Francisco de Paula Cândido) was a Spiritist, the philosophy and religion very similar to spiritualism that emanates from the teachings of Frenchman Allan Kardec. Spiritism is very prominent in Brazil and followers make “a clear distinction between…automatic writing and what they call psicogr afia. The former is held to be no more than the manifestation of one’s subconscious, while the latter – ‘psychography’ – is that of a separate entity, presumably a spirit.” (Quoted from the amazing biography and analysis of Xavier, Chico Xavier, Medium of the Century by Guy Lyon Playfair; published in 2010 in the U.K. by Roundtable and the International Spiritist Council.)

Regrettably, few of Chico Xavier’s works have been translated into English.

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Finally, I want to share one last thing this week, a communication from W.T. Stead who was referred to above (in the first few paragraphs). He was, of course, a Titanic victim who returned through mediums within hours of his tragic demise on the ship and he continued to reappear for decades. The transcript below comes from the book My 4,000 Ghosts by Australian actor Edwin Stanley Brookes published first in 1968. In addition to a few Titanic comments, Stead shares some profound thoughts about the importance of sitters in circles to focus upon their spirituality. These truths relate directly to posts on this blog concerning the current state of the spiritualist movement (several posts, actually, but especially the one of Feb. 2). This transcript from the book was courtesy of Richard Rowley who posted it on the Yahoo Spiritualist group. Thank you Richard.  

“Spiritualists and others, when they arrive here from the earth, are surprised to find how hard and rare it is to have direct and true spiritual communication with those they have left behind.  Often you people sitting in circles on the earth are victims of lower spirits, but this happens only when the spirituality of the sitters is on a low plane. Like attracts like.  When sitters have progressed to a higher spiritual plane, it is almost impossible for deception by lower orders of spirits, or for impersonation to take place.  People have visions that are positively misleading , because they are in low grade of spiritual development, and actually believe all they are told – and many want to be directed in practically all they do. 

“These people are not Spiritualists, they are ‘Egyptian mummies!’

“In the Bible we are told to “Try the spirits and prove them.”  Too few do this.  We should ever be at the door to check those spirits who come through who claim to speak with such positive authority.  I think our Spiritualism is scoffed at so often because of those who TRADE on it, and it becomes mixed up with outright fortune-telling, which certainly is not any part of our religion and philosophy.  What we know as fortune-telling must be completely separated from our movement, if we are to expect a greater degree of respect from the people at large.  People get one or two correct messages, and they believe that they must forever be guided by those who conveyed the messages. This is wrong – terribly wrong and stupid.  But those who seek truth and honesty, will receive guidance from the Beyond according to their entitlement.  To watch the ordinary low type of uninformed and irresponsible Spiritualist meeting is enough to make the angels weep.  Not by sitting in circles and ever seeking “tests” will man develop spiritually, but he can do this only by growing closer, day by day, to the Giver of all Light.  Each man must be his own savior – there is no other way – and we all more or less have the power within us to do this.  Even angels are powerless to raise up a spirit – every man is spirit, here and now.  We must first learn to do this ourselves.

“As your father told you years ago, soon after he found himself in the Beyond, spiritual advancement comes from trying to lift others to something higher – and there it is.  When you on earth become sufficiently civilized to do away with war, then and then only, will you begin to evolve out of the slimy mess that, to our vision here, covers your earth. Your world is filled with men in high places who want war.  War is the greatest cause of all the troubles on your earth.  If your warmongers could see the millions of lives here blasted by wars, some from wars fought hundreds of years ago, they would freeze with horror. For some reason or other, I had to tell you of these heartbreaking things.  Now we will end on a brighter note.

“Materialized forms on the earth are more common than is known.  Many spirits walk your streets and would not be distinguished from an ordinary person. Photos of these have been taken, as you know … without a camera. The ordinary mind would not understand this, because it would try to understand a spiritual thing, with a material mind.  Man makes the mistake of looking for spiritual realities in material things. This is the answer to a question asked at your last sitting, I am informed.”

Are Spiritualist Groups Really Necessary?

Our last blog focused on research that shows aging of the organized religious spiritualist movement in the U.S.A. This trend bodes poorly for the movement unless younger blood is attracted to keep things advancing. However, it also should be noted that many new “converts” are joining – but the vast majority of those are at least in middle age.

It is a sad reality, though, that in many parts of the nation (U.S.A. again) there are no spiritualist congregations any more and in others their numbers have been drastically reduced.

In light of this decline, one could ask, “Why bother? Maybe organized spiritualism has seen its day and eventually all the congregations will be gone. So what?”

Before we get to possible answers to those questions, let’s first try to pin down what spiritualism is. As I see it, the core of modern spiritualism can be summed up in two statements: (1) Every human is more than a physical body – each individual is a spirit occupying a physical body and when that physical body dies, we live on in the etheric world; and (2) Those in the etheric world can, under certain conditions, communicate with us who are residing on earth.

These ideas were central to the movement that began in New York state in 1848 with the rappings in the Fox home. After the rappings became public there was rapid emergence of mediumship and investigations by people from all walks of life who confirmed over and over again those two fundamental principles of spiritualism. In a short time there were folks around the world who were convinced and they flocked to those who apparently possessed mediumistic skills. Unfortunately, many charlatans were ready to take advantage of the situation so spiritualists got together, formed associations and churches. These evolved into centers where spiritualists could get together and, just as important, they were able to set some standards that tended to expose the fraudulent mediums while at the same time provided a ready-made audience for the genuine ones.

Since most of these new spiritualists had emerged from other Christian churches, they brought to their new groups the familiar trappings from those traditional orthodox bodies. These included hymns, structure of services, and the tendency to codify or reduce their new religion to a set of doctrines, albeit a shortened and very liberal collection of doctrines.

I am not aware that any organized spiritualist denomination (with the possible exception of Spiritism launched by Allan Kardec) that were established after clear instructions to do so from those on the other side so I will step out on a limb and contend that they were all man-made institutions – but, nevertheless, spirit has worked mightily within those institutions. Hundreds of thousands of individuals have received proof of survival and had their grief abated by it. A massive amount of evidence for survival has been accumulated as well, much of it probably due in large part to the existence of organized spiritualism. Those churches have also been channels for healing and education, touching the lives of many over the past 160 years.

So, in looking at what spiritualism is and at what its organized groups have accomplished in the past we can begin to sense why it is still hanging around and why a particular subset of our population finds it so attractive and helpful. One of the reader comments posted for our last blog made some very good points about the type and age of people attracted to spiritualism. Let me quote: “…the loss of a loved one tends to spur a person to seek explanations and possible hope. In effect, one needs to have lived a while before becoming cognizant of one's physical mortality. In that sense, there is a natural selection in which people who are motivated to understand their relationship with the greater reality are more attracted to Spiritualism than are the idle curious.” This certainly provides an understandable and rational explanation about why spiritualism tends to attract older folks as well as those of all ages who are looking for a deeper understanding of spiritual realities. It has no doubt always been so.

Coincidentally, on the Psychic News website there are two recent articles discussing the so-called “failure” of modern organized spiritualism. The first is rather negative but the second, while acknowledging problems, provides some hope. Lis Warwood’s rebuttal makes the valid point that spirit communication was initiated by the “other side” with the express desire to prove to humankind that there is life after so-called death. That message is still vitally needed and apparently spirit has been successful in impressing a vast majority of the human race that life does continue indefinitely. Polls indicate belief in life after death is still entrenched and, furthermore, those believing that communication with the spirit world is possible far outnumber the members of spiritualist congregations. Television programs featuring mediums are common nowadays and several popular dramatic series have afterlife communication as part of their plot line. While these statistics and trends dismay the materialistic skeptics, they are somewhat encouraging to the rest of us because of the possibilities they present. The central message that we are spirit and that those beyond the grave can communicate is still interesting to many people worldwide. If our spiritualist churches and associations are finding an eager audience with this message then they are bound to continue. If their presentation of this message is not receiving much notice, then eventually there will come a time when either a change or a termination will be necessary.

I encourage my readers to peruse the Psychic News articles and the many comments that were posted there by readers. They can be accessed at  http://psychicnews.subhub.com/content/hydesville-debate .

A couple of blogs back I made the comment that it is difficult if not impossible to be a solitary practicing spiritualist – the very heart of spiritualism is communication with the spirit world and communication by definition requires two or more individuals. Also, the New Testament promise stating that spirit will be present where two or more are gathered together in spiritual agreement is very true. That premise is the working framework for each and every spiritualist circle and it also holds true for other spiritualist gatherings as well – both religious and secular. This all leads me to believe that there will always be spiritualist groups of some sort. The message is there, the need is there and the interest is there. Those gatherings may or may not resemble traditional spiritualist church services – I tend to think the churchlike structure will probably continue to diminish over time. But get-togethers of like-minded folks are still helpful and necessary. What form they may take we can only guess at this point. But if we ask spirit for guidance and direction I’m sure it will be gladly given.

Spiritualism – A ‘Graying Religion?’

A few days ago the Annual Proceedings for The Association for the Scientific Study of Religion – Southwest appeared on the Internet and it was refreshing to see one of the papers presented at their March 9-11 symposium concerned organized spiritualism.

Titled “Messages from Heaven: A Research Study on Spiritualist Ministers and Their ‘Calling’ to Serve Spirit,” the paper was written by Dr. Todd Jay Leonard, a professor at Fukuoka University of Education in Japan. I read one of his books shortly after it was published in 2005 – Talking to the Other Side: A History of Modern Spiritualism and Mediumship and he promises that this current research paper will later appear as part of another book he is writing on spiritualism.

While I found the entire paper very interesting, by far the most intriguing paragraphs were those where Leonard talked about the relationship between spiritualism and the New Age movement. This, of course, was the topic of my March 3 blog and it’s flattering to see that Leonard and I largely agree about this topic. After going through all the demographic discoveries his research dug up (which I’ll summarize below), Leonard concedes that “in many ways, Spiritualism has become a part of the ‘mainstream’ over the years, adopting a system that is still on the fringes of the more traditional belief systems but ‘churchified’ enough to be considered somewhat mainstream. Many younger people currently prefer more freedom of choice and flexibility in their religious proclivities, choosing belief systems that offer even less structure and dogma than Spiritualism.”

Coincidentally, Victor Zammit’s weekly Afterlife Report opens today with some similar remarks about today’s young people. “Youth around the world in the twenty-first century has become more questioning and cynical than ever before – demanding proof for the ancient religious beliefs they are asked to accept blindly, without questioning. Youth is rebelling against some of the most obscene beliefs in religious writings none of which can be independently supported. The Old Testament for example makes God an ethnic cleanser, a cause of genocide, inspiring murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children. This God is viciously against women – and is described as a 'God of War', a 'jealous' God, and an 'Envious God'. That is NOT spirituality. That is not inspirational. That is not acceptable. Youth – and others – are protesting with their feet, abandoning the Churches and causing a serious crisis to religion around the world. Youth is rejecting the traditional beliefs created by a few men in ancient times who gave themselves AUTHORITY and POWER to control the minds and hearts of people using horrific fear.”

Absence of structure and dogma has drawn many of these young people out of mainstream Christianity to the so-called New Age movement, Leonard notes. Spiritualism, of course, is a “creedless” religion like the far-flung New Age movement, but the difference according to Leonard is that the New Age is still a “trend” while spiritualism has set itself apart as a religion. (Spiritualism is much more than a religion, but for this discussion we need to limit ourselves to its religious aspect.) Spiritualism is, like most religions and Christian denominations, a “group thing.” To be a spiritualist, one usually belongs to a spiritualist community of some sort such as a church or perhaps only a small home circle. That requires some commitment such as attending meetings, contributing money, reading and study. None of these traditional “churchly” activities are associated with the New Age because that “trend” has not coalesced into structures comparable to churches. Yes, there are meditation groups, yoga groups, and similar organizations out there working loosely under the New Age banner, but each only represents a small part of what is considered “New Age.” Spiritualist churches, on the other hand, try to incorporate it all under one roof. Unlike spiritualism, Leonard says New Age “is more culturally than religiously based, focusing on spirituality as it pertains to various peoples and traditions, rather than to a singular belief system.”

I might add that one can consider him/herself a “New Ager” and never participate in anything outside of the home. To be a spiritualist, however, is to interact in some way with others sharing that belief system. Leonard hints at this by saying that “Spiritualism requires a certain degree of dedication and perseverance, and not mere dabbling.”

Eleven years ago Dr. Robert Putnam, a professor at Harvard University, wrote a compelling book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. The strange title comes from research that showed the number of lines bowled in American bowling allies was going up but that the number of lines bowled by league players was dropping drastically. This launched Putnam’s research that concluded that Americans were withdrawing in droves from group activities and staying at home or doing things outside the home on an informal basis with only close friends or family members. In other words, institutions such as churches, lodges, bowling leagues, Boy and Girl Scouts, and many more, were hurting for members – especially active and engaged members. In the back of Putnam’s book is a listing of many membership and volunteer groups with statistics showing declines in participation, many of them drastic, over the previous two decades.

This research relates directly to our current discussion about spiritualism and the New Age movement. My generation and those before it grew up with parents and other relatives or neighbors who were generally involved in one or more organization. Today’s youth as a rule has missed that experience and, hence, they do not flock to organizations themselves. Instead, they “hang out” in commercial locations – shopping malls, night spots, theaters, school activities, etc. If they think about such things, the New Age is appealing but it is pretty much of a solitary activity requiring nothing.

This leads me to the title of this posting – “Spiritualism, a ‘Graying’ Religion?” Leonard’s demographic research points quite clearly to the fact that leadership in spiritualist communions is held almost entirely by middle-age and, predominantly, elderly individuals. In his study sample of ordained spiritualist ministers, none were under the age of 35 and only 3% were between the ages of 35 and 44. A whopping 39% were aged 55 to 64 and 35% were older than that. What’s more, these ministers also provided revealing statistics about when they became a spiritualist. Only 12% were raised in a spiritualist church while 11% more became involved as a “young adult.” A huge majority (70% of the total) became spiritualists in middle age.

These numbers indicate two things: First, the majority of those sitting in the pews at a spiritualist church are sporting a lot of gray hair and, second, those in charge are even older because they were attracted to spiritualism at an older age and then began their long development of mediumship plus additional years of study for ordination. “Spiritualist mediumship and the ministry as we know it may eventually reach a state of extreme crisis if more younger people do not begin to pursue studies toward ordination,” Leonard summarizes. This, I contend, will be difficult to resolve given the downward trend of the general population in all organizations.

As I’ve indicated here before, and Victor Zammit apparently feels the same way, young people today in the Western world are generally educated enough and shrewd enough to reject the religious status quo. Many of them drift toward the New Age ideas because they long for spiritual fulfillment without the church trappings. Somehow we need to draw their attention and enlist their involvement and support – for their good as well as ours. “Spiritualist churches must work to devise a way to attract these ‘spirituality seekers’ if they are to survive the current crisis of being a ‘graying religion,’” Leonard says.

Some of the other demographics Leonard outlines are equally interesting. Although his focus was entirely on ordained spiritualist ministers, we can probably be comfortable in extending these figures to the entire congregation but further research would be necessary to determine if that is fitting. Leonard’s sample showed that 70% of spiritualist ministers were female and this he attributes to two factors: (1) Unlike most other churches, organized spiritualism since its inception has been totally open to female participation and, indeed, its presence today is no doubt due largely to efforts of women; and (2) the majority of those with mediumship abilities are female. Leonard also discovered that 28% of responding clergy were gay, lesbian or bisexual and this, too, illustrates positively the open attitude of spiritualists concerning gender issues. He also theorizes that mediumship tends to function best when the medium possesses an abundance of “feminine energy” but quickly adds that he does not suggest the gay mediums and clergy “are ‘feminine,’ but that perhaps the spiritual aspect and vibratory energy needed to make spirit contact is somehow feminine in nature.” He then goes on to quote a male heterosexual spiritualist minister: “When you do this kind of work, we are all electromagnetic, and we all have male/female energy – which is not sexual. When you do mediumship, you use the ‘feminine’ energy more than the ‘male’ energy. Many straight men are uncomfortable with tapping into this female energy. Gay men are more comfortable tapping into it, so more male mediums tend to be ‘gay.’ Straight men are often conditioned from childhood to deny their feminine energy side, so they do not tap into it very much. Society tends to emphasize to men that they are not supposed to ‘feel,’ for instance, ‘real men don’t cry.’ You can’t be a medium without being able to feel deeply.” This, I feel, is an excellent description.

Another finding in Leonard’s study reveals a great deal about the religious background of spiritualists and their quest for spiritual understanding. Remember that only 12% were raised in the faith meaning that 88% converted to spiritualism – most in their middle-age years. Almost all of those had previous experience in other Christian denominations and went searching for something that would meet their spiritual needs (implying that their previous church home was not doing so). Thirty-nine percent of those came from Catholicism with the second highest group being Methodists at 24%. Baptists came in third at 17%. Nearly 13% identified themselves as former atheists or agnostics and many other groups were also represented including Judaism and Buddhism.

The link to this important study appears at the end of this post.

Another research paper in the Proceedings also caught my eye and it has some relevance to the current discussion – “Jesus at Disneyland or Spiritual Innovation: The Enmeshment of Consumer Culture and U.S. Evangelical Religious Practices” by two sociologists at Stephen F. Austin State University, J.B. Watson Jr., Ph.D., and Walt Scalen, Ed.D. They identify our current culture as being predominantly consumerist in nature and point to the rise of the so-called “mega-churches” as evangelicalism’s answer to the shopping mall. I’ve been to one of these “new paradigm” churches complete with its coffee and snack bar, soda machines, gym and so forth. On Sunday morning most of the parishioners stand around in this food area, chatting and munching, many not even bothering to enter the assembly hall to hear the sermon. When they do, they are treated to a pretty bland presentation devoid of the fire and brimstone and altar calls common in traditional evangelical churches. Down the hall is the office of the staff psychologist and on the calendar board are listings for various support groups meeting at the building through the week. All in all, I found the experience to be very much like a friendly shopping mall!

This seems to be evangelicalism’s answer to today’s spiritual needs. These huge mega-churches with membership in each reaching into the thousands are to be found in most large cities. In no way would I criticize bringing friends and neighbors together in a social venue and these churches do that. But for what purpose? Helping families with problems and presenting good ethical standards to live by is wonderful, but for many of us that isn’t nearly enough. There’s much more to learn on this walk through life on earth and, for me and many others, spiritualism and afterlife research fills the bill much better than a coffee bar in a church. That reality makes examination of Leonard’s findings even more important – spiritualism has a great deal to offer today’s spiritual searchers but the organizational arm of the spiritualist religion and philosophy is suffering. Let’s put our heads together, listen to spirit, then come up with some answers. It would be wonderful in a few years to read a scholarly report on how spiritualism has rebounded again! Let it be so!!!

The Proceedings in which these research papers can be read in full are located online at www.envirecon.com/assrproceedings2012.pdf .