Learn The Basics - Contents
Note: This content is from the original Spiritualist Religion Page, which became Alseyon.com, and is now here on Musings On Mediumship.
Mediumship
What is a medium?
A medium is a person who is sensitive to the vibrations of the Spirit world in some manner. Mediums often communicate messages from people in the Spirit world to us here on the Earth plane. Although there are many forms and expressions of mediumship, mental mediumship is common. The medium is in tune with people in the Spirit world who want to communicate and they speak through the medium to the person getting the message. The medium is the message bearer.
What’s the difference between a medium and a psychic?
The primary difference is in how the information is obtained and where it is coming from. The medium’s approach is passive. The medium gets information from the spirit people and then gives it to you. The medium is not personally involved in the process. It’s like being on the telephone – when you and a friend are talking on the phone line, the actual phone wire is there to make the connection. The phone wire just passes the information through from your friend to you. In mediumship, the medium is the “phone wire” that is passing information through from the spirit people to you.
A psychic’s approach is more active than passive. The psychic plays an active part in getting the information. Psychics get information by either picking it up from your vibration or they get it from themselves personally, then give it to you. Spirit people are generally not involved.
Mediums can get information using either mediumship or psychic ability. Psychics get information using their psychic ability (only). The statement “all mediums are psychics, but not all psychics are mediums” is an accurate one. Mediums prefer to use mediumship instead of their psychic ability because mediumship can prove the continuity of life. If your aunt is in the Spirit world, and the medium tells you something only you and your aunt knew about then it proves that your aunt does indeed continue to live on in the Spirit world. Additionally, mediumship should be more accurate than psychic ability because the information is coming from the spirit people and not personally from the medium.
Psychic, medium, and psychic medium
People who give readings or messages will generally describe themselves as either a medium (giving spiritual readings) or a psychic (giving psychic readings). Sometimes, a person will describe themselves as both, hence the term “psychic medium”. Any person who is giving a reading or a message could be doing so mediumistically, psychically, or some combination of both. It is not a simple matter to tell where the reading is coming from.
What is a message and a reading?
A message is exactly that – a message. If you get a message from someone, it is a quick communication, as opposed to a lengthy conversation. In the same way, a medium will bring you a message from someone in the Spirit world, which usually lasts a few minutes. A reading is the same thing but longer, anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes. The content of a message or a reading is really between the people in the Spirit world and yourself – the medium is the message bearer and provides the avenue for the message to come through.
Mediums only tell you what you want to hear. Anyone can call themselves a medium.
Mediums only tell you what you want to hear anyway. I could open a 900 line tomorrow, call myself a medium, and just say anything to whoever calls me up and make a fortune.
First – the medium conveys the information from the Spirit people around you. The medium is not personally interested in or involved in the content of the message. If the medium IS interested, then the message can get clouded by the medium and not received correctly or the message may be coming from the medium personally which can also lead to inaccuracies. If the medium is only “telling you what you want to hear” then you are being done a disservice. How can you tell? It’s not that easy – through personal experience and the experiences of others.
Second – yes, unfortunately, you could open a 900 line and call yourself a medium. You don’t have to be certified by any particular Spiritualist organization to call yourself a medium. As a result, you have plenty of good mediums who aren’t certified, and you also have people who know absolutely nothing about mediumship but are claiming the title anyway. How do you tell the difference? It’s not that easy – through personal experience and the personal experiences of others. Incidentally, you learn about your good mechanics, doctors, and lawyers the same way, regardless of their credentials (or lack of them).
As far as the psychic 900 lines themselves go, do people actually get good information from Spirit this way? Maybe. Is it an avenue that people can spend their whole paycheck on because they have made themselves dependent on readings for their every decision? Unfortunately. Is it right to be dependent on readings for every little thing that comes up in your life? NO.
Third – yes, unfortunately, you could “just say anything” to whoever calls. Will you make a fortune? Maybe. It’s your conscience, not mine. Yes, you could set up a business with a 900 line and lie to people all day and probably make money at it. For your sake, I hope that none of them jump off a bridge because of something you told them. Sincere, genuine mediums take that kind of responsibility every time they give someone a message or a reading. And it is a BIG responsibility. Genuine mediums practice mediumship for a positive good, and part of that involves being honest and taking responsibility. If you decide that you want to lie, cheat, and make money off the suggestible, that’s up to you. Natural Law, however, has a way of handling repercussions that come from both good and not-so-good acts.
How could anyone talk to spirits?
Even if Spirit people do exist, you can’t talk to them anyway. How could you do that?
People seem to have no problem at all believing that God talks to them, or that priests and similar spiritually learned people can talk to God. If you called it mediumship instead, these very same people would condemn it, even though it is mediumship. Communicating with others in the Spirit world is mediumship. GOD is the most important “other” in the Spirit world there is! Since you can communicate WITH GOD through mediumship, why not with anyone else living in the Spirit world?
Spirits can appear as anyone they want – they can deceive you.
How do you know that the spirit you’re communicating with is who they say they are? Couldn’t an evil spirit pretend to be a good one and trick you?
I call this the deception argument. I hate to sound like I’m picking on Christianity, but the deception argument is a common one amongst Christians, and generally speaking, the more dyed-in-the-wool Christian a person is, the more tightly they stick to that argument. The problem is that there some delicate points to make regarding this issue, and when discussing it with someone with an axe to grind, they usually miss those delicate points.
Let me start with some blunt points and then refine them:
1. Spirit people do good and bad things, just like people do on the Earth plane.
2. You could call spirit people who do enough bad things “evil” just like you would if they were on the Earth plane.
3. Excessive fear of spirits deceiving you is paranoia.
4. Not enough fear of spirits deceiving you is naivety.
5. Spirits can present themselves to you as someone else (which is called impersonation).
6. Impersonation is frequently used for positive benefits, although it is true that it can be used for negative ones.
7. When you get a message from a medium whose content only you and the deceased could have known, you have proof that you are talking to the deceased person (actually, you’re as close to having absolute proof as you’re ever going to get).
About #2 - spirit people do good and bad things, just like people do on the Earth plane. You could call spirit people who do enough bad things “evil” just like you would if they were on the Earth plane.
Spirit people are people, just like us here on the Earth plane. Some of us are “very good”, others are “not so good”, and there are all shades of gray in between. When you first get over there, you are the same person as when you left. Over time, you might change, but some things like your basic personality will pretty much stay the same indefinitely. You have to deal with spirit people just like you do with people on the Earth plane – some you like, others you don’t.
About # 4 -excessive fear of spirits deceiving you is paranoia. Not enough fear of spirits deceiving you is naivety.
This is the delicate part. 3 & 4 are the two extremes of the same issue – trust. The place to be is somewhere in the middle – not paranoid, not naive, but eyes open and critically thinking for yourself. Real objectivity requires that you are willing to listen to what you hear and willing to make your own judgements about it. Actually, the best way is to not judge at all initially, but to keep your eyes open and draw conclusions from what you see happen over time. Dyed-in-the-wool Christians have a very hard time with this because they want to jump up and down and say “you could be deceived!”. In an absolute sense, they are right, but realistically, I don’t think of it as a quite that big of a deal. For example, if some “evil” spirit appeared to me as someone of notoriety such as God or Jesus and told me to jump off a bridge, I’m not about to do it – I decide things for myself, it’s against my moral code, and it doesn’t matter who’s telling me to do such a foolish thing. The bottom line is that I’m not going to let somebody lead me somewhere that I don’t want to go.
About # 6 - spirits can present themselves to you as someone else (which is called impersonation). Impersonation is frequently used for positive benefits, although it is true that it can be used for negative ones.
People get very upset at the idea of impersonation because they immediately think of the negative aspects of it. There’s so much of it out there that there’s no need to explain it – the movies and TV shows will do it for you.
Let’s put that aside for a minute and focus on a positive example. Let’s say that we have a woman who is very dyed-in-the-wool Christian, and there is a spirit person who wants to work her for healing purposes. The spirit person is truly on the up-and-up. The woman isn’t going to accept anyone who isn’t Christian, and the spirit person really wants to work with her because of the positive benefits that their teamwork can bring. The spirit what amounts to three choices – appear as Jesus, God, or the Holy Ghost. Jesus is the best choice because the woman expects Jesus to look like a man, which is easy for her to accept. The spirit person chooses Jesus, the woman finds this acceptable, and the two of them get right to the real work, which is healing.
Why is Jesus the best choice? If the choice was God or the Holy Ghost, the spirit person would have to appear as something that meant God or the Holy Ghost to the woman. A king on a throne is a common Christian image of God, and a flame is a common Christian image for the Holy Ghost. The spirit person could appear as either one of these to her. But Jesus is the best choice because he looks like a common man, which is easy for her to relate to. Also, the Christian Bible is full of accounts of Jesus healing the sick.
Remember that the spirit person is NOT God or the Holy Ghost themselves, but has to appear as if they are because that’s what the woman is predisposed to seeing. Due to limitations at the woman’s end, impersonation is required if any healing is to be done.
Impersonation of this kind is very common because the spirits want to accomplish good things and they don’t want their identity to get in the way of the good work. In the example, if the spirit person was actually a Hindu or a Wiccan, and appeared as themselves to the woman, she’d probably never accept it, no matter how capable or well intended the spirit person was. The spirit person’s identity just became a roadblock in the path of the healing, and it will be a never-ending battle trying to gain credibility with her. It is more efficient to take the woman’s limitations into account and appear as someone she will accept so that the healing can take place.
Healing is beautiful, and that’s the positive benefit. The impersonation is a side step on the way to the positive benefit. How do you know that the person is on the up-and-up? Well, in an absolute sense, you don’t, but, a spirit who wants to do healing through you is probably a better person than one who wants you to jump off a bridge. It’s a matter of trust. Not blind trust, but trust with open eyes and ears. If you’re looking for absolutes, you’re going to have a hard time dealing with this, because they aren’t any. We are talking about relationships – in this case between you and your spirit people, and there are few absolutes in relationships.
When you get a message from a medium whose content only you and the deceased could have known, you have proof that you are talking to the deceased person (actually, you’re as close to having absolute proof as you’re ever going to get).
The proof is in the pudding. It’s not going to be absolute proof because you just can’t get that – it’s a one way trip from here to there, so you don’t get to come back with the answers. The question becomes one of reasonableness and trust.
Realistically, there’s no way for anyone to tell you with absolute certainty that the spirit people are who they say they are, and that they aren’t deceiving you. The sad part is that some people drop the whole thing right then and there and call it worthless. Often they use less kind terms.
Honestly, I can’t convince people that the spirits are who they say they are, nor do I want to. Besides, why should you take my word for it? For that matter, why should you take anyone’s word for it? Experience things for yourself and make up your own mind – it is the best way. What you learn will be truly yours, and it will be worth much more to you than the words of others or attempts by others to prove it to you. Far too many people are willing to be led by what others tell them, instead of thinking for themselves. Thinking for yourself is more work, but it is infinitely worth it. Be sure to keep an open mind.
Mediumship is just fortune-telling.
If mediumship was only fortune telling, then everyone would be rich beyond their wildest dreams, because all they would have to do is ask the medium for the winning numbers to the Lottery. Actually, you would have a hard time finding a medium, because they would be rich beyond their wildest dreams. They would be vacationing in the sunshine and being served umbrella drinks. And they wouldn’t have the time or desire to talk to you.
Obviously, it doesn’t work like that.
So how does it work? Spirits have a different view of time than we do. Part of that view is the ability to see things that may happen in the future. As much as some people will brag about how everything the spirits say comes true, they can and will be wrong from time to time. Why? If not for any other reason, because free will exists. The spirit’s “forecast” can be clouded by unforeseen changes caused by an act of free will on your part.
Mediumship shouldn’t be purely about the predictions for your next car or house or whatever else you want in your future. The spirits can also provide that little bit of guidance you need in your life, exactly when it’s needed. I have been the grateful recipient of such guidance on multiple occasions, and that is worth far more than all the material things the Earth plane can offer.
Spirit people don’t exist and mediumship is a bunch of superstition. Spirit people don’t exist, mediumship is a bunch of superstition, and when you die you die and that’s it. Besides, you don’t have any proof.
Come on now, we’re talking about things along the lines of religion, not Geometry. Save your proofs for math class. Religions don’t have to prove themselves, and most people believe in their religion without any proof at all. Christians believe in Jesus, but there is not much proof, if any, of his actual existence. A book saying that Jesus existed isn’t proof, and a shroud isn’t much more. This is not just picking on Christianity, it illustrates a point.
Some people are the first to demand proof from Spiritualism but never point the finger back at themselves and ask for proof of their own religion. To make matters worse, you can argue endlessly about what constitutes valid proof. Even so, Spiritualism provides proof. Is that proof going to be laboratory-grade, constantly reproducible the-same-way-every-time proof? No. Does it have to be? No. Spiritualism proves that people do continue living in the Spirit world – particularly when a medium gives you information about a “dead” person, something that only you would have known about that person. It’s your choice to believe it, or not.
Meditation
When to meditate?
On a regular basis is best. Make it part of your routine like brushing your teeth. It is best to do it at the same time every day, whatever time of day that happens to be, but it isn’t strictly required. I do it in the morning every day before I go to work because I have a time slot I can easily allocate. However, evening actually works better for me. So I am working towards twice a day.
How long to meditate?
You can do whatever you want, but if you want to ease into it, start with several minutes at a time, like 5-7 minutes. Over time you will become more comfortable with it, and it will be easier to go longer, like 10, 15 or 20 minutes. The amount of time is not directly related to the quality of your meditation. A good meditation is not necessarily a long one. Sometimes your best meditation is also one of the shortest. You’ll find that you come back from meditation when you’re ready, and if you’re called back early, it’s ok. Don’t worry. Just DO it.
Meditation and religion
Is meditation a religious thing? What is the connection (if any)?
Meditation is often done to increase one’s spirituality, to come closer to God. Meditation is used in many religions, if not most of them. Strictly speaking, meditation and religion are not connected. But meditation and religion often go hand in hand. Focusing your thoughts is one place where meditation and religion meet, as meditators often focus on God, or aspects of God based on their definition.
What is meditation like?
Well, probably a little bit different for everybody. And it’s a little different every time you do it as well. But when you first start doing it, you may find your mind racing with thoughts, things left over from your day (or day ahead of you), various miscellaneous things, or perhaps anxiety that you have to be thinking the right thing or meditating the right way to get something out of it. As your thoughts race by, try to separate yourself from them, watch them go by, as if you were merely a spectator. Gently guide yourself back to whatever you decided to focus on, and don’t browbeat yourself about it. Focusing on your breathing can help you relax. Experience your breathing – let it become slow, even and relaxed.
Over time, as you meditate more frequently and regularly, the thoughts won’t be racing by, they’ll be walking by. Eventually, the thoughts stroll by every so-often. As the thoughts slow down, you’ll experience your feelings more. You’ll begin feeling (if you haven’t already) the peace and harmony that mediation brings. In mediation, you might go places, see various things, and feel things.
Meditation is often done to increase one’s spirituality, to come closer to God. Meditation is used in many religions, if not most of them. Strictly speaking, meditation and religion are not connected. But meditation and religion often go hand in hand. Focusing your thoughts is one place where meditation and religion meet, as meditators often focus on God, or aspects of God based on their definition.
What are those things? They’re different for everybody, and impossible to generalize. However, I can give you an example of my own. There is a place I like to drive to by myself every so often. It’s a beautiful place. From my car, I can see the high cliffs and water, although it is impossible to walk to it. When I go there I feel peaceful and filled. One evening during meditation, I went there. I could see the cliff and the water, and could feel the peace of that special place. I was standing in mid-air near the edge of the cliff, over the water.
It is possible to see, hear, feel, smell, or taste in meditation, almost like you do during normal waking existence. Your experiences are internal to you instead of external, that’s all. For example, I saw the cliff face and the water in my mind’s eye. If someone (in my meditation experience) would have been standing next to me in mid-air and would have said hello, I would have heard it in my mind’s ear.
What does your mind do during meditation?
This is by far the hardest question to answer. Meditation is like rest, but it is done with awareness, unlike sleep, which is rest without awareness (practically speaking). In meditation, you don’t have to focus on anything in particular, although people often do so because it helps.
Generally, you focus on whatever brings peace and harmony to you. You can use your imagination and create a special place or object (or whatever) in your mind, and go there in your meditation. It can be commonplace or special, uniquely yours. Some meditation methods use a special sound that is repeated (a mantra) to bring focus.
Listening to soothing background music is a common meditation aid. Guided meditation is where a leader and the sitters focus on the leader, who takes them through a peaceful, pleasant experience using various visualizations and the like. Guided meditations can be live and are available in recorded formats as well.
There is plenty of room for creativity and experimentation to find what works for you. Don’t be afraid to let your mind go. Start with something that you think will work for you, try it several times, and if you find it too distracting instead of relaxing, try something else. Or use nothing at all, just sitting in the quiet works too. In any event, don’t worry. Just DO it.
Tell me more about what meditation is like – where do spirits come into this, if at all?
Spirits will often show you things in meditation. Mediation can be an opportunity for your guides, teachers, and loved ones a chance to come through. The trouble with it is that far too many people are looking for the literal, a “lightning bolt”. They’re looking for something that will blow them out of the water, and they miss the boat entirely, for exactly that reason. I’m sure there are people who have meditated many years and are still looking for the lightning bolt, some type of sign that will tell them without question that God-by-their-definition is in their presence, or some other rock-solid, indisputable verification of the truth of their thinking.
What you typically get in meditation is far more subtle. Experiences like my trip to the cliff and water are far more common in meditation than any of the things people commonly expect, such classic religious images, religious symbols, clergy, and the like. It doesn’t mean you can not get that kind of stuff. Just don’t dismiss the value of the cliff and water because it’s not a “lightning bolt”.
Posture – how to sit?
As far as how to sit, posture is not an overriding thing – you don’t have to do the full lotus position like monks do in order to meditate. Generally, you want your back to be straight and relaxed but not stiff. You can cross your legs or not, but I prefer uncrossed. As far as your hands go, it is best to put your left hand over your right – your left hand has less nervous energy in it and will help settle down the right. If your primary hand is your left, then reverse this.
The truth of the matter is that you can meditate in nearly any position. Your hands don’t have to be in a particular position. Your legs don’t have to be in a particular position. Your back doesn’t have to be in a particular position. The general idea is to be relaxed.
Generally, you focus on whatever brings peace and harmony to you. You can use your imagination and create a special place or object (or whatever) in your mind, and go there in your meditation. It can be commonplace or special, uniquely yours. Some meditation methods use a special sound that is repeated (a mantra) to bring focus.
Monks (at least Zen monks) often meditate as they go about their daily work. So don’t go worrying about exactly how to arrange your body parts in the chair, floor, or other place you decide to mediate in. To quote a famous Zen master, Yoda (from Star Wars) “There is no try. Do.” So don’t confuse yourself about it. Don’t try to do it, just DO it.
How do I sit?
I sit on the floor next to my bed with my back to the bed. The bed helps keep my back straight – a wall would be as good. I used to sit cross-legged (Indian style, not half or full lotus) and put my hands together, left over right. Lately I have moved to a comfortable chair where I sit legs uncrossed, hands on the chair arms, back supported and relaxed, and basically straight. It seems to work better for me.
About what you get in meditation (content)
I am getting various things in my meditations. What should I make of them?
Most of it takes place in the mind, which is why it is so hard to talk about. You usually don’t have the same meditation experience as any of people you may be meditating with, so there is no one to verify your perceptions, to say “yes, I experienced the same thing, so it must be true”. You have to decide for yourself how you are going to handle these experiences. So, as I see it, you can do one of several things:
(1) Deny it all – whatever experiences you have don’t really affect you either way, and therefore don’t matter
(2) Deny it all – you decide that you are crazy and stop meditating
(3) Accept it all as “divine” – believe that everything you experience must come from spirit(s) and/or God as you define God
(4) Run away – get scared & confused, fear for the the worst, and therefore stop meditating
(5) Carefully consider – remember what you experience and try to sort it out, knowing that any given portion can be coming from either your inner self or from spirit(s) and/or God as you define God.
Number 5 is the way to go. Stay somewhat detached from your experiences, take them in, review them, think them over, and drop them into the back of your mind for later. Some people find that maintaining a log is helpful because they can go back over the months or years to see what patterns (if any) have developed.
Find what works for you in meditation. Try things. Keep what works for as long as it benefits you. Toss aside what doesn’t. Change things when it is needed. Don’t obsess over the particulars of how to and when to meditate. Don’t obsess over your progress or (apparent) lack of it. Don’t obsess about analyzing and understanding the meaning of each experience you have in meditation.
Natural Law
What is Natural Law?
The philosophical component of Spiritualism is Natural Law. It consists of many laws, including the laws of Vibration, Attraction, Cause and Effect, Continuity, Harmony, and Thought.
Law of Vibration
There is a quality of the universe called vibration. Every thing and every one vibrates. Vibration can be thought of as being on a scale from low (and slow) to high (and fast). Your vibration is low when you are depressed because you have lost your job or have turmoil in your family. You walk into a room where two people have just had a violent argument and you can “cut the tension with a knife” the vibration is low also. When you get up in the morning, it’s a beautiful day and you have that feeling that “everything is perfect” or you are feeling love for someone, the vibration is high.
Vibration is more than your moment-to-moment happiness or unhappiness. When you walk into your aunt’s house, the vibration is different than it is when you walk into a friend’s house or your workplace or a church or an auditorium. The feelings you have are somewhat of an indicator of the vibration.
Things vibrate the same way people do. Buildings, cars, trucks, bridges, roads, houses, hills, mountains, and streams. Rocks vibrate – it is just so slow and solid that you don’t normally perceive it.
Animals and plants vibrate. Cats, bats, rats, dogs, hogs, spiders, snakes and elephants. Trees, plants, flowers and grass vibrate too.
Color is vibration – black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, and white.
The God of your understanding is of the highest and purest vibration.
The person you are, the way you treat others (and your self), the things you do (and don’t do), and the way you live your life largely make your vibration what it is. Your vibration is built up from life’s everyday experiences and how you approach and handle them. Positive thoughts help bring about positive (higher) vibration.
Law of Attraction
The Law of Attraction states that like attracts like. The simplest way to see this law in action is to look at your self and the people around you. The people you are the most comfortable with and relate to are of a “like mind” in some way. Look for the similarities in the people around you – family, co-workers, and friends – their attitudes, opinions, outlook on life and spiritual makeup. Now think about the people who you can’t stand, are very uncomfortable with and don’t want to be around unless you have to. See the difference? Like attracts like.
Apply this law with the Law of Vibration. Your vibration is determined by who you are and how you live your life. People with a similar vibration will be attracted to each other (on a spiritual level). If you are a hateful, jealous and cruel person then you will attract people who are hateful, jealous and cruel. If you are a kind, loving, and warm person, then you will attract people who are kind, loving, and warm. The Law of Attraction operates in the spirit world also. You tend to attract the spirit people that are “just like you”. As you live your life closer to God (and Natural Law) your vibration raises and people of a higher vibration will be attracted to you both on the Earth plane and from the spirit world.
You can see the Law of Attraction and Law of Vibration working together when a person makes genuine, positive changes to their life. Alcohol abusers who quit the habit are a fine example. Initially, the abuser’s life revolves around getting drunk. Their “drinking buddies” lives also revolve around getting drunk. They are together because they have something in common they can relate to, similar needs, interests, and outlook (i.e. have a similar vibration). When the abuser changes his or her life and stops drinking because they honestly “don’t need it” (i.e. have begun progressing spiritually) the drinking buddies fall by the wayside. The abuser is not interested in the drinking buddies (and vice versa) because he or she is “not like them” anymore.
Since the abuser’s vibration is now a bit higher and different than the drinking buddies’ vibration, the attraction for them is broken. The Law of Attraction hasn’t stopped working at all – before long, the abuser will be with other people whose vibration is also “a bit higher”. Like is still attracting like.
Law of Cause and Effect
In physics, for every action there is an equivalent reaction. In spiritual matters there is a similar rule – the Law of Cause and Effect. The common phrase for this is “what goes around comes around”. People seem to have a more immediate understanding of this law because they can apply it to the negative. Ask someone about “what goes around comes around” and you will most likely get a story about how they hurt a person in some way or did something that was really rotten and it “came back to haunt” them or an event occurred that “made it all even”.
Natural law is unbreakable, and there are no exceptions. You may have done something that was very rotten and think you have gotten away with it. There is absolutely, positively no “getting away with it”. It may take a while for the effect to come back to you. It may take years. It may take a lifetime. It may not happen until you have left the Earth plane and are living in the spirit world. But come back it will. You may not recognize the connection between the effect and its original cause but there is a link in there somewhere, whether you ultimately learn what it is or not. This includes your thoughts. Keep this in mind when you are about to unduly criticize someone or wish something horrible upon them.
If you have done some of those “really rotten” things and are suffering from the consequences of those actions you are not doomed. Yes, you will have to pay for those transgressions and you won’t get out of it. But the Law of Cause and Effect, like other Natural Laws, works in both the positive and negative directions. You can stop the negative thoughts and actions and replace them with positive ones, and before long those positive effects will be coming your way. Start with something simple like a heartfelt “have a good day” to the next person you meet. You don’t have to “perform a miracle” in order for this to start working. Remember that Natural Law is always working. Start small and go from there. You will be amazed at the results. You will have a whole new appreciation for “what goes around comes around”.
Law of Continuity
The Law of Continuity states that Natural Law is continuous and applies to both the Earth plane and the spirit world. Life is continuous. You don’t die. Your body does. Your body is a physical thing and you are not. You are spirit (“essence”).
What is the shape of water? Shapeless. Water assumes the shape of the container it is put in. When the water evaporates into a cloud, the container can not hold it any longer and is discarded. The cloud used to be water and still is water, although in a changed form.
In the same way, spirit is shapeless. Your spirit is in the container called your body. When you “die” your body can not hold your spirit any longer and it is discarded. You remain the same, although there is a change of form. Your personality, attitudes, thoughts, actions, sense of humor, your “essence” is unchanged.
Life is continuous growth and progression, both here and in the spirit world. When you get to the spirit world you are going to keep growing and learning (unless you choose otherwise). Part of that growing and learning may be to teach others the things you have learned (the way your spirit teachers teach you now). Your spirit teachers are teaching and learning at the same time. Some of them may be around you for a while and then leave because they have other people to teach (or need to learn something themselves). Others may be around you for a very long time.
Everyone is always learning life’s lessons and becoming better people – leaving the Earth plane (“dying”) and living in the spirit world is merely one transition in that process. Dying doesn’t call everything to a halt. Life is continuous, and so is Natural Law.
Law of Harmony
When you listen to good music, you appreciate the sound you are hearing and how it all blends together as one. Everything sounds “just right”. Often you are not paying attention to this “blending together” as you are listening because the band is in harmony and all the instruments are in tune. But if the piano is badly out of tune and the guitar has a broken string you would notice it. The sound would be off and the music not right until you tuned the piano and replaced the guitar string.
Your life is like a band that is always playing music. The song you’re playing is the song of your life, a song that is uniquely yours. Your music can be anything – classical, rock, folk, blues, rap, country, jazz, or heavy metal, it doesn’t matter, as long as it is in harmony.
The instruments in your band have to be tuned up and work together well to sound best. As you bring more instruments into tune, the music gets better because the overall harmony improves. Musicians are continually tuning their instruments so that they are always sounding their best. Keeping your instruments in tune and in harmony with each other is an ongoing process. Of course, “stuff happens”. You just finished tuning the piano, then the lead guitar snaps a string and one of the drums needs to be replaced. You have that almost finished when someone hands you a new instrument you’ve never played before.
What are the “instruments” in your band? The important forces that affect your life. Work, school, family, friends, and your love life are some obvious examples. Your thoughts, actions, attitudes and outlook are more subtle examples. Your body is an instrument that needs tuning also – are you eating/exercising/sleeping too much or not enough?
How do you “tune” these “instruments”? By using your awareness. By staying in touch with yourself and responding to your needs. You can start by paying attention from moment to moment. “How much do I want to eat right now?” “Should I go to bed now or stay up for a while longer?”
Overeating is a common example of being out of tune. Your mind is busy telling you to eat and you’re not paying attention to the fact that your stomach is getting full and don’t need all that much to eat. Bring your eating and sleeping habits into tune by being aware of (and responding to) your needs.
Maintaining harmony in your life is a dynamic, ongoing process. This is not exactly the same thing as balance. The term “balance” implies a teeter-totter with two sides going up and down over a fixed point in the middle. Harmony is more of a smooth flow without any fixed point, a blending.
Take the time and make the effort to bring your life into harmony. Live in harmony with Natural Law. Improving your harmony can affect your vibration in a positive way.
Law of Thought
Have you noticed that people with a negative outlook seem to be surrounded by negativity and negative thinking in general? Think about these people who are chronically miserable – complaining that the world has short changed them, others are always getting ahead faster than they are, and how things could be so much better if only things were done their way instead. Their world is largely a reflection of the negative thoughts that they generate.
Thoughts, both positive and negative, play a large role in your life. Your thoughts and your way of thinking are part of your being and vibration. Everyone is living in an ever-changing sea of thought. The waves, tides, and currents produced by your thoughts has an affect on others (and their thoughts affect you too.)
Don’t dismiss this by saying that your thoughts don’t have an affect on anything. They do. Negativity, bitterness, and jealousy cast darkness over your being as surely as love, kindness, and compassion spread sunshine. That sunshine (or darkness) affects how you feel and react to things, and is also reflected towards others when you come into contact with them.
Thoughts are very powerful. Thoughts (with feelings behind them) are just as powerful as actions. Your thoughts (and your way of thinking) are the base for your being and vibration. Since “you are what you think” (to a degree), change your thinking for the better and you will change yourself as well. Of course, it won’t happen over night, but will change over time.
Your thoughts are not isolated to yourself. You don’t think in a vacuum. Thoughts with enough energy behind them can be perceived by others. For instance, how many times has a friend or relative called you on the phone and you tell the person that you had just been thinking about him or her? Or vice versa? You probably just take this experience for granted, but there is more to it. You sent out a thought (most likely subconsciously). Your friend picked up on the thought (most likely subconsciously) and was many miles away from you.
A phone call is a simple example that shows the point, but do not dismiss this whole idea as trivial nonsense. It is not. And it is not as easy as arbitrarily thinking whatever you want and having it immediately happen either. If it worked that way then everyone would be a lottery winner and never have to work again!! There’s no “faking” here, be genuine. It bears repeating – thoughts (with feelings behind them) are just as powerful as actions, and everyone is living in an ever-changing sea of thought. If your friend on the Earth plane is sensitive enough to pick up on your thoughts from time to time, you can be sure that the spirit people around you pick up on your thoughts also. Spirits are more sensitive than your friend on the Earth plane and can perceive your thoughts more easily.
Consider the implications. Thought can travel any distance and be perceived by others. Thought can become a method of communication. Thought is the basis for Spirit communication. Spirits send a thought which is perceived by the medium and passed onto you.
Both thought and action are subject to Natural Laws. For example, if your thinking and outlook is negative you will draw negativity toward you (through the Law of Attraction). On the other hand, positive thinking and outlook will draw the positive toward you.
Healing
What is healing?
Healing is a form of mediumship that restores health and well being in all four realms of existence – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
Healing is a form of both mental and physical mediumship. Spiritual healing can reduce pain and suffering, lessen or eliminate symptoms, and promote quicker recovery. The positive healing energy that comes from the spirits through the healer is very powerful and can cure ailments and diseases, oftentimes after medical science has given up and the patient comes to the spiritual healer as “a last resort”. But spiritual healing is not a substitute for seeing a doctor.
There should be no contest between medical science and spiritual healers. Each have the same goal, which is to restore and promote health. It should not be an either-or proposition – use them both for your benefit, in any combination, as needed.
How does this work? There is a lot of positive energy freely available. Where does this positive energy come from? Positive thoughts and actions are a source of positive energy. The healer raises his or her vibration and becomes the pathway for the energy to come through. The spirits around the healer (who are healers themselves) can also come through the healer to work on the person in need. Since the healer is just providing the avenue for the energy and spirits to come through, it is mediumship.
Laying on of hands
How does healing take place? You sit down on a comfortable chair (like a padded piano stool) and just relax. The healer stands behind you and places their hands close to you (they typically touch very little). The healer often works through the aura to promote healing. The healer will start at the top of your head and work down your back and shoulders, then come around the front and work the kneecaps and shin down to the ankle. The healer will work on the areas that need it according to Spirit’s directions. The healer will often hold your hands for a few moments and/or talk with you just before the healing is completed. Be sure to say thank you.
Absent healing
Healing can also take place without the person who needs it being physically present. This is called absent healing. The healer can put themselves in a meditative state, for example, and become the pathway for the positive healing energy to flow, which can be sent forth to anyone, anywhere.
Spiritualism
What is Spiritualism?
Spiritualism has a belief in God, Natural Law, and spirit communication. Spiritualism is called a religion, a philosophy, and a science.
Spiritualism is a Religion
Spiritualism believes in God. God goes by several names such as Infinite Intelligence, Mother Father God, or most often the “God of your understanding”. Spiritualism does not define God in any particular manner if you were to ask every Spiritualist what God is, you would get a different answer for each person you spoke to, but a general consensus might be that God is an everpresent, positive force in the universe. A belief in Spiritualism often does not require you to change your view of or definition of God. Spiritualism has been called a “religion of conviction not conversion”.
Spiritualism is a Philosophy
Spiritualism believes in Natural Law, which provides a basis for a philosophy of life. The Declaration of Principles is a general set of principles that Spiritualists believe in and go by. While the specifics vary across Spiritualist organizations and countries, generally, the principles acknowledge the existence of God in an undefined way, belief in spirit communication, personal responsibility, the golden rule, and Natural Law.
Spiritualism is a Science
Science is concerned with the collection of observations and facts, and Spiritualism also concerns itself with the collection of observations and facts regarding spiritual communication and spiritual phenomena. Spiritualism does not believe that everything is already known and set in stone.
There is much to learn about the spirit world and spiritual phenomena. Spiritualism is willing to accept new facts and new truths as they come up, even if they refute present thinking and ideas. Spiritualism is one of the few religions that is willing to ask questions, encourages people to do so, and will honestly admit that it doesn’t know when necessary.
Spiritualists don’t often concern themselves with trying to prove spiritualism to the scientific community. The scientific community largely believes in lab experiments, which in many cases are nearly useless in relation to spiritualism and spiritual phenomena. Lab experiments are supposed to approximate natural conditions. Spiritual phenomena occurs under natural conditions not approximately natural conditions.
The rationale often used by the scientific community is often like using a flashlight to prove that darkness exists. You shine the flashlight in an area and say that you are looking for the darkness. All you can see with the flashlight is the light it produces. You therefore conclude that there is no darkness because you can’t see it with the light.
There is a variety of case studies, some experiments, and physical evidence that you can look at regarding proof of spiritual phenomena. Weeding out the counterfeit phenomena is important. Phony phenomena has only aggravated and confused matters. The best proof comes from your own experiences.
Spiritualism is a continuous learning experience. There is much studying and reading you can do to increase your understanding. As far as proof is concerned, it is up to each individual to prove it to him or her self. Be objective. Ask questions and be skeptical. Some of the finest Spiritualists are also among the most skeptical.
Does Spiritualism believe in God, Jesus, or the Devil?
Does Spiritualism believe in God?
YES! Absolutely. Spiritualism lets you define God in your own personal way. Spiritualism does not dictate that God be a person on a throne or even a person at all. Your definition of God is personally yours, and Spiritualism recognizes that. It is certainly possible to have a religion that does not define God, because there is more to Spiritualism than just a definition of God.
If you have to have someone define God for you in concrete terms, then you won’t be comfortable with this, but nevertheless, Spiritualism definitely believes in God. Spiritualist literature commonly refers to God as “the God of your understanding”, or “infinite intelligence”. If I haven’t made it clear already, let there be no doubt – Spiritualism believes in God.
Does Spiritualism believe in Jesus?
Not the way Christians do. Spiritualism does not believe in the Jesus-as-savior concept supported by many Christian religions. However, Jesus is viewed as one of the greatest mediums that ever lived on the Earth plane, and the Christian Bible may be used as a source of inspiration for a lecture, but Spiritualism does not give either Jesus or the Christian Bible a central role. Spiritualism does not limit itself to any particular Spiritualist or other material – it is free to draw inspiration from material found in Christian and other religions provided that there is an appropriate fit.
Does Spiritualism believe in Hell or the Devil?
No and No. This doesn’t mean that you can do whatever you want to and still end up in a good place in “heaven”. Natural Law has a way of taking care of the “I can do what I want – no consequences” idea that people seem to fear if there is no belief in Hell or the Devil.
Does Spiritualism believe in Reincarnation?
Spiritualism as a religion, especially in the United States used to be anti-reincarnation but has recently made an official change to a more neutral position. It is a mixed issue, primarily because people have received conflicting answers and experiences from Spirit relating to reincarnation. Since Spiritualism as a religion used to be anti-reincarnation, I would say that Spiritualism doesn’t believe in it. No one has measured it though. Many Spiritualists believe in reincarnation, but no one is running around taking surveys to find out if it is a majority. Believing in reincarnation is not a conflict with Spiritualism, at least not as I see it. The basis of Spiritualism is spirit communication, which says nothing about whether you or the spirit you are communicating with have been reincarnated in the past, present, or will be in the future.
Why would people get conflicting answers from Spirit about reincarnation? I would say that part of the problem could be that the spirit people around you are there based on the law of attraction. Since “like attracts like”, Spirit people around you are similar to you. So if you don’t believe in reincarnation, you may attract those who also don’t believe in it. Naturally, it’s not as arbitrary as it may sound, but it may apply.
I would also say that not everyone in the Spirit World has studied or learned enough about reincarnation to say whether it is true or not. It may sound unusual to think of spirit people as having beliefs and that they do not “know everything”, but remember that they are people – just like you. When your body dies and you go to the Spirit World, you are still the same person you were on the Earth plane, and that includes your beliefs in God and reincarnation and all the other aspects of your personality.
I think the problem people have with reincarnation is that they think you are recycled endlessly like just so much waste paper, and you have to start out as some type of lower form of life and incarnate upwards from there. I don’t buy into that, but my personal belief is that reincarnation does exist. I believe that a person’s soul is an entity which has many aspects to it. Those aspects are individual incarnations. I prefer to think of an individual incarnation as an aspect, and the soul as the greater aspect. Individual incarnations are related to the soul in the same way flower petals are to the flower – all connected and integral. You as an individual on the Earth plane are one incarnation that is part of your soul, which has multiple (and likely concurrent) incarnations. Some of your incarnations may even be on the Earth plane at the same time you are. Incarnations aren’t limited to the Earth plane – there is the Spirit World and many other worlds an aspect could incarnate on.
A soul chooses an incarnation in order to learn something. While an incarnation may not consciously have all the knowledge of its greater aspect, it does have some access to that knowledge. When an incarnation expires, the knowledge is not lost because it is part of the greater whole, which continues. The physical form that a particular incarnation takes is secondary to the learning that is to occur.
It is a real change of reference to think this way. All your life you have been going along thinking you are a complete individual entity. I suppose that if you asked a flower petal what it thought of itself you would get the same thing. Then you learn that you are an aspect of something larger. It does not diminish my individuality to think of myself this way.
Does Spiritualism believe in spirit boards (Ouija), Tarot cards, Astrology, and the like?
Note that Ouija is a trademark of Hasbro. The generic term used on this site to refer to these boards is spirit board.
Strictly speaking, Spiritualism as a religion generally does not endorse or believe in these as valid methods of mediumship.
My personal opinion is somewhat different. I believe that the spirit board is the most misused item there is relating to Spirit communication. My belief is that nearly anything can be used as a method of mediumship if used in a sincere and honest way. This would explain why some people use Tarot cards, Astrology, etc. I think that a medium can use the method that works for them, whatever that method may be. If that happens to be the spirit board, so be it. My past experience with the spirit board (long before I became involved in Spiritualism) has been quite positive.
My belief is that the “magic” is not so much in the method used but more in the person using it. If the spirits find that they have to use the cards or whatever in order to communicate with you, then they will use them. The limitation is at your end, not theirs.
Personally, just because the religion of Spiritualism does not officially endorse or use these methods, I don’t look down on them or on people who use them. It does not invalidate those methods either. I just think that you should put the weight of your faith in yourself and your Spirit guides and teachers – the method(s) used are a secondary consideration.
About Spiritualist church - it's only for mediums, isn’t it? I would feel like a fool, or at best a rank amateur in such a place, because I am not a medium.
Do you have to be a priest to go to Christian church? Is Christian church just for priests? Obviously not. Christian church is for all people – priests are there to run/administer/enlighten/guide/etc. Spiritualist church is similar. Natural law is your guide, and mediums bring evidence of the continuity of life on the other side through messages and phenomena. Although mediumship is a noble endeavor involving heavy responsibilities, spiritualists do not worship people who become mediums.
Spiritualist church is for everybody. Who says you have to be a medium? It’s not a requirement. Most of the congregation aren’t mediums, aren’t going to be mediums, and aren’t planning on it either. But they are Spiritualists just the same. Living your life in tune with nature’s physical and spiritual laws is what makes a person a Spiritualist, not the ability to give messages from the podium.
Besides, there is another, bigger podium than the one in the church, and that is found in everyday life. The way you live your life should provide an example that inspires others. Touching other people’s lives in a positive way is something that everyone can do, medium or not.
Don’t you have to be a member of the church?
There is no requirement to be a member of the church. My experience has been that Spiritualist churches have never canvassed its congregation or the public to recruit members. You could attend church forever and not become a member. You won’t be asked about it, nor will you be forced to join, because the choice is up to you.
Of course, every church wants more members, and Spiritualist church is no different. Perhaps being able to attend church forever without having to become a member isn’t a good thing, and maybe churches should actively encourage non-members to join, but the choice is yours. The primary benefit in being a member is that members have more say-so in church doings than non-members. However, attendance is more important than membership. Membership aside, it is far better to see people in church than to have empty pews.
So what is a Spiritualist church service actually like?
Spiritualists sing hymns and listen to the lecture (sermon) and take a collection the same way other religions do. There are some significant differences though.
A healing service often takes place before the regular service. When the regular service begins, the healing list is read. The healing list is a list of people who are in need of some form of healing. If you know someone who is in need of healing, be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, you can put their name on the healing list. The list is read before the congregation, who are asked to focus their thoughts and to see the people on the list in perfect health. The Prayer for Spiritual Healing is then read aloud.
The Declaration of Principles is also read aloud. After a few short announcements the lecture begins. Lectures are commonly about the applications of Spiritualism to daily living and are very down-to-earth and easy to understand. Many lectures are often based on quotations from the Bible or other inspirational works.
After the lecture, the message service begins. Mediums are called one at a time to the rostrum (podium) and give messages to people in the congregation. The service concludes with a hymn and a closing prayer.
Spiritualist Basics
What is Spiritualist Basics?
Spiritualist Basics is a book that covers the basic concepts of Spiritualism for those who are completely new to the subject. It was one of the first documents I created for my first web site back in 1997. I was going to rewrite it a few times, but my attempts to do that became drafts for other books.
Currently, a fair portion of the Spiritualist Basics is already on the various pages here on this site. If you’d like a copy, just let me know and I’ll be happy to email it to you.
The book is free, but if you would, please contribute to the First Spiritualist Temple church where I began learning about Spiritualism.
Image Credits
Mediumship image is a derivative of Out of the mist … by Tim J Keegan used under CC BY.
Meditation image is a derivative of free texture – purple dream by Angela Marie used under CC BY.
Natural Law image is a derivative of balance scale by winifredxoxo used under CC BY.
Healing image is a derivative of Indiana State fair Ferris-wheel of light (114) by Kevin Pennington used under CC BY.
Sunflower image is a derivative of Sun …. flower by James Rickwood used under Creative Commons licensing.
