A Sunday in Southampton

My visit to a Sunday service at Southampton-Bitterne spiritualist church just before Christmas has proved to be another useful reminder to me that the typical Sunday service at any spiritualist church has not changed by one iota during the last ten- years. I could be forgiven by some people for believing that I had just attended a service from 1998, the year I resigned my Vice-presdendancy and SNU ‘B’ status of the spiritualists’ union. It was also the year I last chaired a spiritualist meeting in my official capacity.

Why should it change you may ask ?

Bitterne Spiritualist church is enchanting in every way. The church sits on high ground overlooking several views of Southampton City. During my visit to the church, the officials were welcoming and friendly. The atmosphere was inviting and cosy in every sense and above the platform within the church loomed a banner stating...... ‘60 years of spiritualism’

The service was shepherded in the usual pattern as I recall from my previous brushes with spiritualist churches. In other words, A loudly sung Christian hymn followed by prayer and a reading. This was followed by more Christian hymns followed by the address and even more Christian hymns and finally, the short slot of time at the end which is normally set aside for clairvoyance lasted approximately 15 minutes ( less than 15% of the time allocated to the service in total ). The Medium, a somewhat banal character, appeared to have consumed more than her fair-share of sherry during the eating of mince-pies prior to the service.

As I sat in the congregation altogether wearied, I tried to focus on the typical attendee and understand why some people in the congregation have probably attended the church since the doors opened in 1948. It dawned on me that many people were delighted to be here in Bittern on a weekly basis to experience the general atmosphere and the cosiness which was truly inviting and tranquil.

Not withstanding the short session at the end of the service where the Medium attempted to join with the Spirit World but in my opinion, failed to bring any real communication from loved ones in spirit, I concluded that the service I attended was not dissimilar to a Christian gathering. I did not regret coming here but I did wonder why I spent money getting here when I could have attended the Christian service at St Peters in Fareham.

Out With The Old, In With The New ( 2008 )

Spiritualism and other organisations which support this belief system have undergone a dramatic change during the last seventy years, since the like of Estelle Roberts, Leslie Flint and other historically gifted Mediums frequented the spiritualist platform.

Though the seven principles of spiritualism remain the core belief system within today’s Spiritualist movement, the values and standards of mediumship that were once witnessed within the spiritualist movement have changed so much that it would be improbable that a Medium or any other member of the public of yesteryear would identify with the trends of contemporary Spiritualism.

Let me substantiate this in a little more detail. Today's spiritualist’ service has remained relatively intact over the years. That is to say the usual order of service is approached with prayer followed by a reading and then an address by the Medium or speaker. This in turn is succeeded by more prayers and finally, the manifestation of mediumship that almost everyone has been eagerly anticipating from the outset.

However there is a growing number of people who have taken matters into there own hands in respect of the church service. They are the individuals who arrive late for the spiritualist services and in some cases, so late that almost 45 minutes of the service is conveniently excluded in favour of a 15 minute demonstration of mediumship. This behaviour on the part of congregation members is obviously registered with the committee members, but in spite of this, little if anything is ever addressed to rectify the position. Instead committee members tolerate this behaviour to the point of acceptance and treat it as the norm.

As far as I can see there is no official ruling that dictates the nature and order of the typical spiritualist service’ nor does it decree how officials of each church should conduct their services because how it is conducted is really a matter of choice and style, so long as certain standards are maintained.

Church officials are therefore given a free hand to conduct the service in a way which is deemed fit .

Is it therefore possible that the church service as a whole, which includes mediumship standards have declined so much and have become so uninspiring that many individuals feel the need to either ostracise the service or at least only attend the parts of the service that are of interest ?
The fact remains that church officials seem powerless or unwilling to counter the problem of certain behaviour and standards of service. This in turn only serves to compound the problem and enforces the poor image that many people hold about Spiritualism.

Any forward thinking person and anyone with an ounce of concern who holds a position of authority clearly has the mandate to reverse this trend by investigating he reasons why it is happening and addressing the problem. After all, the good businessman has need to change and keep abreast with market trends if he is to remain successful in his business. Likewise, church officials need to adopt a similar approach if they are to avoid empty churches.

At this time I see no positive steps being taken to reverse this worrying trend.

Once again we are faced with church officials who prefer to avoid confrontation and change and instead, have chosen to take a slice of lemon cake washed down with weak milky tea whilst they stare and drift aimlessly into the abyss.

The Healing Potential, by Adriano, Spiritual Healer

Anyone with a natural empathy towards others can become a healing medium. I deliberately use the term `medium` as a healer is solely a channel or instrument, to direct healing energies through them to a Patient. Spiritual Healing is a holistic therapy which treats the Patient as a whole; mind, body & spirit. Although a Healer cannot promise a cure I have witnessed remarkable changes in patients` attitude and state of mind. Often, healing can encourage a Patient to `live with` and come to terms with a condition.

Q: I believe I have the gift of healing, how do I get started?

Try researching on the Net for a healing group or centre near you which best suits your beliefs. http://www.ukhealers.info/ lists the main healing organisations here in the UK. There are Christian Spiritualist churches, Spiritualists`National Union (SNU) churches and NFSH centres . UK Healers is a self-regulatory body, which ensures healers work to a high standard and abide by a common Code Of Conduct. I would suggest getting to know a church or centre first and allow them to get to know you too before asking to be a trainee. Most advertise in the local paper but you should find all you need on the Net. A good way of connecting with `Spirit` is to sit in a meditation/distant healing circle. I was lucky enough to attend a well run and disciplined circle at my local SNU church. More on how I became a healer later.

Sitting in a well disciplined circle is an excellent way of learning how to attune to spirit and become a channel for Spiritual Healing. Without an experienced mentor there is a danger of using your own energies and depleting yourself. This is often referred to as `magnetic healing.` With practice, it will soon become second nature to attune with spirit and `blend` with your Patient. My partner & I are experienced sitters and we have converted the spare bedroom into a meditation /healing sanctuary. The energies are retained as the room is not used for any other purpose. Our cat Sooty loves to meditate in there too !

At 9pm, Sunday - Friday I conduct distant healing for about about half an hour. Feel free to email me the names of anyone who you would like Distant Healing for . I don`t need details of their condition, injury etc. I personally believe that it is counter-productive to dwell on a condition. The power of thought is an incredible force and I try to send only positive thoughts out to them, free of pain, anxiety etc.

Published by www.spiritvoice.biz with Kind Permission from Adriano, Spiritual Healer