THE PHILOSOPHY OF SPIRITUALISM

Spiritualism is a Philosophy

The Philosophy of Spiritualism

As was said in our introduction to this "About" section, the philosophy of Spiritualism is at the heart of the Spiritualist Movement. Spiritualists have no fixed creed, but they are asked to adhere to seven guiding principles. "The Seven Principles", as they are known, form the cornerstone of Spiritualism. They are principles to guide us, not a creed, and different Spiritualists will interpret them differently. They are the bones of a philosophy of living and each individual Spiritualist will put different flesh on those bones, according to his or her understanding and level of spiritual development. Spiritualists realise that it is very important to allow freedom to everyone, because we are all at different levels in our understanding and practice of all the many spiritual virtues. If we look critically at ourselves, all of us will find that we are forward in some of the virtues and backward in others. For example a person might be very courageous, but prone to jealousy and possessiveness, while another might be very loving and compassionate but not very strong willed. For all of us, there are areas of our spiritual life that we need to pay more attention to and develop. It is presumptious in any case to try to control the spiritual destiny of another. We have enough to concern us in trying to fulfil our own responsibilities.

The only way one can enforce compliance with a particular set of beliefs is by inculcating fear. There are, sadly, sections of all the major religions that do this, but Spiritualism is very opposed to it. Forcing compliance by engendering fear is counter-productive, spiritually destructive and dangerous. Fear is a negative emotion, closely related to other negative emotions like anger and hatred. When fear, anger and hatred mix together, the result can be explosive. Fear drives out love. If there is one thing that our "communion" with evolved spirit beings has taught us, it is that God - The Divine Spirit - is infinitely loving and infinitely compassionate. When we experience this love and respond to it, fear is removed. We are then free to experiment, question, test things for ourselves, and learn by trial and error and experience, knowing that a loving, merciful God tolerates this, indeed expects it. This is why Spiritualism has no fixed creed, just guiding principles, which we try to relate to everything we do. Released from all fear of some stern, avenging deity, we are also free to try to live our lives with love. As everyone knows, this is not always easy, but as long as we try to the best of our ability, we will be moving forward, and will be a part of that "eternal progress" that is open to everyone.

Spiritualism declares that it is a philosophy as well as a religion and a science, and when you study it you begin to appreciate that it is a highly developed metaphysical system. For that we have to thank the many highly-evolved spirit beings who have patiently explained so much to us over the last 160+ years about the afterlife, and the meaning and purpose of the relatively short time that we spend here in a physical body in this material world. Their communications have been brought to us thanks to the dedicated service of many gifted mediums, whose talents have included mental mediumship, trance mediumship, physical mediumship, direct-voice mediumship, automatic writing and psychic art. Whether channelled from spirit, inspired by spirit, or thoughtfully composed by the author, Spiritualist writings have much to teach us about morality, spirituality, life's enduring values, the meaning and purpose of life, and what we might expect on our eventual arrival in the Spirit World.

excerpt courtesy of http://www.yorkspiritualistcentre.co.uk

Our Seven Principles are legally accepted and a lawfully recognised definition of the religious philosophy of Spiritualism. A brief explanation of each one follows:

1.The Fatherhood of God

By the study of Nature - that is, by trying to understand the Laws of Cause & Effect which govern all that is happening around us - we recognise that there is a creative force in the universe. This force, or energy, not only created the whole universe, but also life itself in its many forms and is continuing to create today. The effects of this eternal creation can be seen around us and this leads us to the evidence that 'God' - 'The Creative Force' - manifests directly, or indirectly, in all things. We know this power as God and as we are part of the Life created by God, we acknowledge God as our Father.

2.The Brotherhood of Man

Because we all come from the same universal life source we are, in effect, one large family, small individual offshoot from the whole. This means that all mankind is part of a brotherhood. A brotherhood is a community for mutual support and comfort. We are all members of the same divine family. We need to share our joys as well as our burdens; we need to understand the needs of other individuals in order to assist them as part of our service to each other. As we learn to give so must we also learn to receive thereby achieving the necessary balance for our life. We must look not only to the material necessities of our fellow creatures but also to their spiritual needs and help those in need to become strong and worthy of their relationship in the Family of God.

3.Communion of Spirits and the Ministry of Angels (This is the key Principle to our Religion)

All religions believe in life after death but only Spiritualism shows that it is true by demonstrating that communication with departed spirits can and does take place. Spiritualist Churches provide one of the venues where communication, through mediumship, is possible and many loved relatives and friends take advantage of this opportunity to continue to take an interest in our welfare. There are also spirit people/teachers who are dedicated to the welfare and service of mankind. Some (e.g. Silver Birch) bring inspiration and teachings whilst others work within the healing ministry.

4.Continuous Existence of the Human Soul

It is scientifically proven that matter (being part of the creative force, or energy) cannot be destroyed; it merely changes its form. Spirit, as part of the Creative Force is, therefore, indestructible. On the death of the physical body, the spirit continues as an integral part of a world, which interpenetrates our world but in a different dimension. This world is referred to as the SpiritWorld. In spirit life we have a spirit body, which until we progress far enough, is a replica of our earthly body. We are the same individuals in every way with the same personalities and characteristics and we change only by progression, or otherwise, as a result of our own efforts. Our personal responsibilities do not stop at death.


5.Personal Responsibility

This principle is the one which places responsibility for wrongful thoughts and deeds where it belongs - with the individual. It is the acceptance of responsibility for every aspect of our lives and the use to which we place our lives depends entirely upon ourselves. It is not possible for any other person, or outside influence, to interfere with our spiritual development, unless we are willing to allow this. No one can put right the wrongdoing except the offender. As we are given freedom of choice (freewill) so also are we given the ability to recognise what is right from what is wrong. We are totally, as well as personally, responsible.


6.Compensation and Retribution hereafter for all Good and Evil Deeds done on Earth

As with all the other Principles, the natural laws apply and this one echoes the law of Cause and Effect (as you sow, so shall you reap). One cannot be cruel and vindictive towards others and expect love and popularity in return. It must be understood that the compensatory or retributive effects of this law operate now -on earth - they do not wait until we begin to live in the Spirit World.

7.Eternal Progress open to every Human Soul


In every heart there exists the desire for progress and to every human spirit belongs the power to progress in wisdom and love.
All who desire to tread the path that leads to perfection are able to pursue it. The rate of progress is directly proportional to the desire for mental and spiritual understanding. If we do our best in earth life to follow our inward prompting or intuitions; we shall find progress very easy, on earth as in spirit; if not, every step in advancement will follow a struggle against imperfections, which we ourselves will have worked into our natures. Within the Family of God, with all the advantages that our realisation of that state can give us, we are all given the opportunity to be responsible for our own eternal progress.


As a final note to these principles, Spiritualism, through an intelligent and thorough investigation of its Seven Principles, reveals the understanding, the deepest significance of service to others and transforms life from selfishness to unselfishness, from individualism to social co-operation.Only on such a foundation can love and truth and all other spiritual values have any practical meaning or reality.











Maggie Brown (Author)
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PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENT 1.

PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENT 1.

In my many years of working with Spirit and it has been a lifetime, often I am asked about disturbing dreams or experiences, when waking in the night or just drifting off to sleep. These often manifest as frightening faces, or eyes or a sensation you are being attacked. These experiences tend to come when you are very tired and off guard. These experiences are typical of the activities of lower entities and elementals that inhabit the astral plane. The Astral plane is the closest vibration of the several spiritual realms, to earth and it is on this realm we travel when we sleep.

Now everybody is capable of developing their psychic ability, this is not the same as mediumship, where you can communicate with spirit, this psychic ability is inherent to all of us and was designed as a protective mechanism to keep us safe. Animals still use theirs, we have just got out of the habit and in this day and age we do not use it for survival. However some are more psychically aware than others so are able to sense these entities on the Astral Planes. I might add it is the Astral Plane that Psychics use as it is a lower vibration that the ones used by Medium's when they communicate with loved ones in spirit.

Unfortunately when you are developed or starting to develop this psychic ability, it's almost as if you have a beacon above your head and these lower entities can detect who can see them, so they get up to mischief and have what is fun to them, hence the activity and experiences. Firstly no being, no spirit can ever possess you, this is a myth put about by various religious orders, that is simply nonsense, your spirit and your spirit only is the only one who can inhabit your body, however if you brainwash people into believing this, mass hysteria will prevail, it just cannot happen I assure you, only you are in control of your body. These entities can maybe give you a fright, but only if you let them, they cannot harm you in anyway, you are in total control at all times.

So what can you do about these experiences, well you have a choice, we all do for remember no matter for whatever reason we came to earth to experience we also have free will. So we can choose to develop our experiences and many latent Mediums start off in this way, some don't progress this far but do develop their psychic abilities, or we can suppress and ignore these abilities, we all have free will. If you wish to develop your ability, then its best to find a good development group and many of these groups can be found in Spiritualist Churches, many others can be found under the guidance of an experienced Medium. If you do not want to take this ability any further that is fine also, but if you do not want these experiences and disturbances, then you need to refrain from reading and dabbling in psychic subjects and if you do get disturbed you have to show no fear when these experiences happen. If this doesn't work then simple table salt sprinkled in the corners of rooms, should be enough to chase them away.

Supposing you will to follow the development path, well remember Universal Laws, there is good and bad, there is a continual balancing of the Universe and Like attracts like, the more spiritual you become the less likely you are to be bothered in this way, if you have good and pure thoughts and don't dwell on the lower side of life, you wont attract this type of energy. At some point all developing Mediums will be shown the dark side, it's a right of passage and I defy any Medium to say they haven't experienced this. In order to understand good, you need to understand the bad, so you can deal with it. How do we deal with the negative and bad we do this through strength of mind for to chase away the bad we need to do so with conviction. We develop strength of mind through the art of Meditation. You will find the better we become in meditating the stronger our minds become, so we are able to turn on and off psychic and mediumistic abilities. We need to be able to do this so we can deal with these entities and communicate more effectively with the world of spirit and also it's very exhausting being tuned in all the time, it uses a great deal of energy up. We also need to learn to protect ourselves from negative energy as this can be terribly exhausting too and you don't need to be a psychic or medium to benefit from this. How many of you have a friend or associate who comes and tells you all their troubles, they make you feel low and tired, of course they go away feeling great, they've off loaded all their negativity onto you. Simple exercises, simply by using visualisation can make the world of a difference when dealing with these negative people and protect us when entering negative surroundings.

One of the simplest protection visualisation exercises is to simply visualise you surround yourself in either golden or silver light, like stepping into a sphere or egg shape and you seal it completely. Next time you feel vulnerable or know you are meeting negative people try this exercise and see how it makes a difference.

MPB ©
 

Maggie Brown (Author)

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SMUDGING WHAT IS IT? AND WHY DO IT?

Sage & Sweetgrass with Abalone shell

Smudging what is it? and why do it? 

In an earlier article I talked about Universal law, in order to understand why smudge you will have read about Universal Laws, if not click on the link below.

The Law of Vibration and Attraction-

* Everything vibrates, nothing rests.
* Conscious awareness of vibration is called feeling. Your thoughts control your paradigms and your vibration (which dictates what you attract).
* When you are not feeling good, become aware of what you are thinking, then think of something pleasant. In other words negativity attracts negativity and likewise positivity attracts positivity
Well over time energy builds up, every time we think, we create a 'thoughtform'  this thoughtform is energy and it become tangible, in other words it creates an effect. When you think how many thoughts you have in a day, you can see that is an awful lot of energy built up. What is worse when you get into a negative state of mind and you worry you put all this negative energy out in to your surroundings and because of the "The law of vibration and attraction" negative attracts negative, so this energy builds up and attracts even more and before you know it you worry even more, you attract back luck into your life and its a hard cycle to get out off. So what do you do. Well first no matter what you focus on the positive but that alone is not easy, you need to give your surroundings a bit of a helping hand hence 'Smudging'

Before you begin smudging to help attract positive energy around you need to de-clutter and clear out and tidy up. Any dead or dying houseplants/flowers have got to go. Empty bins and get rid of belongings that no longer serve you well, if you haven't worn it or used it for a year chances are you wont ever, so recycle it. Do the laundry, and tidy and clean your home, you can now smudge your surroundings.

Some people like to have a regular schedule for smudging and you don't have to stop at homes, you can work on people (if they allow it) yourself and your possessions. It's a good idea if you feel the energy in your home has changed or you are feeling down to smudge. There are many methods and the traditional method is with sage and sweet grass and an abalone shell and with a feather. You light the sage and sweet grass bundle blow on it till smouldering and carry it in the abalone shell, this will induce smoke. The feather is used to waft the smoke to the areas you wish to smoke, remember you are dealing with a naked flame so be sensible and don't use it near combustible  materials or gas sources etc. You can use incense Frankincense is ideal or a bell or even clap your hands if you have nothing available to hand. What is important is the intent. You are smudging to remove negative energy and attract positive energy in its place.

With rooms, homes, after you have de cluttered and cleaned, in each corner of each room, either waft the smoke, ring the bell or clap and with your mind focused and with intent ask that the negative energy is changed into positive energy. The reason I say changed if you simply ask for the negative energy to be removed, you are moving it out into the atmosphere and sending it to someone else.

You may find you have a bit of interference from Lower Elementals.

The universe has its own vibration, Earth having the lowest in spiritual terms. After Earth comes the Astral realm, it is on this realm that we travel when we dream, its not unusual to see friends etc, in dream state, after all they will be traveling this realm too at night lol. It is on this realm where lower Elementals reside, i.e. wood nymphs, nature spirits, elves and fairies amongst others, and as often as in the case spirit who are trapped unable to move on also reside in this vibration. this is the same vibration used in psychic work. There are several spiritual realms each having a different vibration, with the most Celestial where the realms of the Angels are.

These entities live in the lower astral realms and they feed on negative energy, like everything else there is balance in the Universe, cause and effect, good and bad, so obviously they do not like the shift in negative energy, so you may find light bulbs will blow, computers act up, it will pass, focus on the positive and visualise this positive energy flowing throughout your home.

When it comes to smudging people and possessions its basically the same technique wafting the smoke around yourself and visualising covering you and washing and cleansing all the negative energy into positive energy, same with the bell, its often easier to get a helper to do this for you, remember the key is by thought and intent.

If you use incense or sage and sweet grass be careful when dealing with flames.

You should notice a difference almost immediately the atmosphere will feel lighter and you may get a sudden energy rush.

Maggie Brown (Author)

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UNIVERSAL LAW

THE SEVEN NATURAL LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE

The Law of Perpetual Transmutation-
* Energy moves into physical form.
* The images you hold in your mind most often materialise in results in your life. In other words every great plan, building, structure began as "A castle in the air"Your dreams can become a reality if you believe in them.
The Law of Relativity-
* Nothing is good or bad, big or small... until you RELATE it to something.
* Practice relating your situation to something much worse and yours will always look good. There is ALWAYS someone worse off than YOU
The Law of Vibration and Attraction-
* Everything vibrates, nothing rests.
* Conscious awareness of vibration is called feeling. Your thoughts control your paradigms and your vibration (which dictates what you attract).
* When you are not feeling good, become aware of what you are thinking, then think of something pleasant. In other words negativity attracts negativity and likewise positivity attracts positivity
The Law of Polarity-
* Everything has an opposite: Hot - Cold ... Up - Down ... Good - Bad.
* Constantly look for the good in people and situations. When you find it, tell the person. People love compliments and the positive idea in your mind makes you feel good. Remember, good idea - good vibrations. Encourage the good it will change a negative to a positive and this will reverberate throughout the Universe.
The Law of Rhythm-
* The tide goes out ... night follows day ... good times - bad times.
* When you are on a down swing, do not feel bad. Know the swing will change and things will get better. There are good times coming - think of them. Always focus on the positive, nothing stays the same and the bad times will come to an end
The Law of Cause and Effect-
* Whatever you send into the Universe comes back. Action -- re-action are equal and opposite.
* Say good things to everyone; treat everyone with total respect and it will all come back. Never worry about what you are going to get, just concentrate on what you can give. What YOU give out YOU get back. This is Karma
The Law of Gender-
* Every seed has a gestation or incubation period. Ideas are spiritual seeds and will move into form or physical results.
* Your goals will manifest when the time is right. KNOW they will. There is a correct time for everything, if it didn't happen it wasn't the right time, when it is IT WILL HAPPEN.

Maggie Brown (Author)

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HEALING

Healing

When I first got into healing I had this idea that I could physically heal people and this is a misconception the vast majority of the public have. What healing does is heal the soul, our souls are our life force energy, the very essence of what makes us unique and who we are. You can liken it to the mind. we know that when we think we hear our own voices as we think we hear it in our mind and that's really what our souls are, our inner voice our thoughts. It is often referred to as our 'Higher self', and when people are following their hearts we are listening to our 'Higher self'. Remember whilst we are incarnated we are spirit in a human body.

What is the difference between our hearts and mind? Well when we think about something rationally and logically we are using just our mind, our physical mind, those physical processes and go on inside our brains, but when we use our hearts, we follow our intuition which is our 'Higher self'. In following our intuition we listen to what the Universe is telling and guiding us. The Universe has all the answers we ever need out there, all the knowledge that mankind should ever want is there, as we have evolved in the modern world we have forgotten how to listen. Animals haven't, they are still very much in touch with nature and the world and they know instinctively when its time to hibernate, time to fly south for the winter and for some species like homing pigeons they know the correct distance to fly home. Animals instinctively know when to trust, whom they feel safe with and if we think about it, we do too. How often have to walked into a room where there has been a quarrel and may not have known about it at the time but you feel the energy is so dense you could cut the atmosphere with a knife, that is you using your intuition and listening to your hearts.

So what has this got to do with healing? well its not about healing the physical body but healing the troubled soul. When your soul is in perfect balance there is no 'dis-order' or 'dis-ease'. Ill health begins with the spirit, which in turn affects the mind and this then influences the functioning of the bodies internal organs. How does this happen? Well in Holistic terms we have seven major 'Chakras' these are spinning vortices of energy spaced out the length of our head and spine and each chakra is assigned to a major Endocrine gland, they are also responsible for the governing of the internal organs and structures of the body in their region too e.g. if we take the Throat Chakra this chakra governs the Thyroid and Parathyroid glands, the structures surrounding these glands e.g. throat, trachea. upper oesophagus, neck etc, and because it covers the trachea and thus larnynx is is responsible for communication. When I say there are seven major Chakras, there are many minor ones e,g, Healers use the Palm Chakras to convey Healing Energy from the Universe via the Healees body to the recipient through the Palm chakras which are situated in the centre of the plams.

Anyway to get back to the subject of Healing in healing the spirit we do this by balancing the Chakras, When we are troubled on a spiritual level it begins to affect the mind, causing symptoms such as anxiety, sadness and depression, this then causes our Auric field (more about the Aura in a later article)to retract in on itself causing an inbalance in the functioning of the chakras, which in turn begins to affect the structures and Endocrine glands associated with the Chakras.

Let me explain, supposing we have a communication problem with those or someone specific around us, whether it is them that have caused the problem or whether it was ourselves who failed to communicate adequately, it will eventually affect the Throat Chakra which governs communication. Remembering that this chakra governs the throat, larnyx, neck etc, if these issues are not resolved it could lead to constant sore throats, tightness on swallowing, feeling there is a lump in ones throat, stiff neck, tension in the neck leading to tension headaches to name but a few, not forgetting it could eventually affect the functioning of the thyroid and parathyroid glands with the detrimental effects this would lead to affecting our metabolic rate and thus our appetite. How much of this now begins to make sense?

The Chakra system has been around for thousands of years and is the basis of the Indian system of Ayurvedic medicine, the word 'Chakra' comes from the ancient Sanskrit meaning spining wheel

To be continued:

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Maggie Brown (Author)
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