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A DINOSAUR SPEAKS In a strongly worded editorial, PN has supported a bill, now in parliament, to remove the Church of England’s exemption from equality laws. This follows the recent decision by the Synod of the church to reject proposals to consecrate women priests as bishops. But is it wise to intervene in the affairs of another religious body? The C of E has a democratic voting system which divides power between bishops, clergy and laity. Big changes require a two-thirds majority in each house. There were not quite enough votes among the laity. If we look more closely we find that the C of E had already accepted the principle of women bishops. What was rejected was a particular scheme. Even some supporters of women bishops voted against this scheme. They held that it broke a promise to provide safeguards for those who took the traditional view, safeguards which go back to when women were first ordained in the church...
Images of Native American spirituality: Artist James Ayers is renowned for his paintings of historic North American native cultures. His most popular images are those that involve American Indian spirituality – a complex and delicate topic for any artist to portray.
FROM THE PN ARCHIVES It is a practice among those of us who belong to certain groups to retire to the inner spheres at two festivals which long pre-date your Christian counterparts, Christmas and Easter. These, as you know, have their origin in the celebrations in ancient times of the passage of the sun as it appeared to those who saw in its appearance, its lengthening and shortening, the symbols of divine activity. When the sun attained its full glory it was regarded as the period of resurrection, when nature sang its paean of praise and displayed its profound beauty for all to see. That which had been sown was reaped in its splendour of growth.
Uniting for a better world
From the editor
Mission's devoted servant passes Larry Taylor, a devoted servant of the London Spiritual Mission (LSM), has passed to spirit, writes Sue Farrow.
The Gordon Higginson Fellowship's It's well known that physical mediumship (PM) is rare. In the UK there are just a handful of demonstrating physical mediums, and in other parts of the world PM is equally scarce. No one is entirely sure why this should be. We only know that it seems a very particular physiological make-up is required in order for the spirit world to manifest physical phenomena in this material world of ours. We also know that with very few exceptions (most notably the materialisation medium Minnie Harrison) physical mediums typically spend many, many years in development. PMs walk a difficult and rocky road, and almost inevitably attract scepticism and controversy, mainly because their séance room events are at times so spectacular and inexplicable as to seem beyond belief - too good to be true.
Readers choose Eric Hatton as Psychic News' Spiritualist of the Year When we announced our revival of the original Psychic News Spiritualist of the Year Award we had no idea how many of you would choose to nominate the special person you thought most deserved to receive it. In fact, we've been overwhelmed by the huge number of nominations you've sent in. It's clear that there are some amazing people out there - people who have helped you, healed you, inspired you, guided you, taught you, given you great survival evidence, led your churches and centres, and generally been shining examples of how to live life as a Spiritualist...
Andy Byng asks... Can we be optimistic about the current state of Spiritualism? From the outside looking in, it probably seems that there is little to be optimistic about: political in-fighting, jealousy, a declining membership, a philosophy in need of re-examination and modernisation, and constant complaints about the standard of mediumship demonstrated on our platforms. It also seems that we've not moved forward since the 1920s, as the issues we were then debating are the same as those we debate today. Should we have Christian trappings within our churches? Should our churches actually be called churches, or be renamed as centres? But all these things seem trifling when one considers the degree of apathy that exists within our movement.
Eric Hatton's historic book on Stourbridge now available The long-awaited second book by SNU honorary president Eric Hatton (pictured below) is published this week, writes Sue Farrow. A History of Stourbridge National Spiritualist Church tells the story of what many regard as Spiritualism's most successful church, through the eyes of a man who has been at its heart for almost seven decades. Eric first visited the church in 1947, following the death of his much-loved brother. While there, he received astonishingly accurate evidence of his brother's survival from a young Gordon Higginson, who would quickly become one of the world's most highly regarded mediums. That evidence quite literally changed the course of Eric's life and marked the start of an association with the church that continues to this day.
Former FBI employee saw angels at Flight 93 crash site A former FBI employee sent to the Flight 93 crash site on 11th September 2001 claims she saw angels guarding the scene when she arrived. Lillie Leonardi retired from the FBI due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which began after the terrorist attacks. She has now written a book, In the Shadow of a Badge: a Spiritual Memoir, in which she describes her experience upon arrival at the still-smouldering crash site. Four al-Qaeda terrorists had hi-jacked the passenger jet, United States Airlines Flight 93, during a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco. It crashed into a field at Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers tried to regain control of the aircraft. There were no survivors. Leonardi was brought up as a devout Catholic, but says she now practises Spiritualism. She was working as a liaison officer between law enforcement and the victims’ families.
Mediumship is the theme in this week’s issue. And so it should be. It’s the cornerstone of Spiritualism. Whether it be evidential or philosophical, it’s what distinguishes Spiritualism from all other religions and belief systems. How often have we heard it said that the difference between Spiritualism and all other religions is that Spiritualism is based on hard evidence, whereas all other religions depend on faith? It’s the ‘hard evidence’ bit that has given many of us cause for concern in recent years. The credibility of Spiritualism rests on our ability to demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that there really is survival beyond physical death. As Maurice Barbanell, the founding editor of Psychic News, wrote: “Spiritualism stands or falls on its evidence for survival. Either it is a cruel hoax or it is one of the greatest truths ever revealed to mankind. There can be no choice between these two extremes.”
Diamonds, bunting and the AFC’s best-kept secret Medium Paul Brereton (pictured) has given an outstanding demonstration of survival at the Arthur Findlay College, in Stansted, writes Sue Farrow. The demonstration, which formed part of the regular Wednesday evening service, was given to a near-full congregation in the college sanctuary as part of the annual Senior Citizens’ Week organised by the SNU’s Fund of Benevolence whose chairman is SNU honorary president Eric Hatton. Paul has been in development for many years but, under the guidance of Doreen Elston, a wise and experienced teacher now in her eighties, was not allowed to step onto a platform until he knew how to do his job properly...
The PN experiments - will you take part? By Sue Farrow Spiritualism has long been known as a religion, a philosophy and a science. But it seems that the ‘science’ bit (thorough, methodical investigation of mediumship with the aim of learning more about it) is now a thing of the dim and distant past.
The UK has been buzzing with jubilee fever in recent weeks, all leading up to the nationwide celebrations of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s 60-year reign earlier this week. She is now the second-longest reigning monarch in British history, Queen Victoria having been on the throne for almost 64 years.
The ongoing debate about whether or not animals have souls (Sue Farrow/Andy Byng, Issue 4070) is something the Christian church is quite clear about.
Stand up and speak up The Arthur Findlay College and Stansted Hall are in the news again. From the safety of my position (behind a computer screen!), I am adding some comments. I need to declare an interest, not financial, but an interest, and long-standing at that. Like others who comment, I trace my links back to the early days of the Union’s link with the Hall. My first visit was just after the Hall had been given to the Union in 1964; my parents and I went to visit what seemed a fantastic acquisition for the Spiritualists’ National Union. In those days you could walk from the station, under the archway of the lodge (part of the acquisition) and up the drive, past the lake to the Hall. The door was answered by Edith, Arthur Findlay’s long-time maid. We looked around and had traditional afternoon tea at a refectory table in the dining room (now the lecture room). The kitchen gardens were filled with flowers and vegetables and I have an abiding memory of vast numbers of butterflies.
Rare Lily Dale recordings now available on CD Thanks to the dedication of a New York Spiritualist minister and his son, more than 70 unique lecture recordings have become available as CDs. The New York Spiritualist Community of Lily Dale played a great part in this project, as it was there that the Rev Dominic J. Fioretti met his wife Lynn, (now the Rev Lynn Fioretti), in 1970. Both are lifetime members of Lily Dale Assembly, where the original recordings of the wide-ranging Spiritualist topics were made on reel-to-reel tapes between the 1950s and 1970s. Lily Dale became a Spiritualist centre and place of pilgrimage in 1916, when the childhood home of Kate and Margaret Fox was moved there from Hydesville. Since then the centre has greatly developed and now attracts approximately 22,000 visitors during the course of a year. They attend workshops and lectures given by experts from all over the world, including some of the finest mediums and healers.
Council needs more information before A former mayor of Glynneath, South Wales, announced at a recent town council meeting that she knew someone who committed suicide as a result of mediumship. The topic under discussion, as reported in the South Wales Evening Post, was whether or not a Spiritualist group should be allowed to hold meetings in the newly converted former Bethania Chapel, now the Council Chamber and community centre. With the first Beacon of Light Spiritualist meeting already advertised, the council refused to allow it to go ahead until they had more information...
Andrew Hadley’s meteoric rise ends with shock departure Andrew Hadley, controversial chairman of the Arthur Findlay College, has resigned. Or has he? writes Sue Farrow. A statement posted on the SNU website on Friday 13th April 2012 reads:
British medium to take a spiritual look at historical places A new TV series now in preparation will provide a rare treat for those interested in the spiritual aspects of historical events and legendary geographical sites. The Aegis Film Group seeks answers to a series of questions asked for generations, such as Where is the Ark of the Covenant buried? Where is the true final resting place of Mary? Where is the final resting place of her son Jesus? What was it like in the final hours of Pompeii? What did Nostradamus really want to know? In its advance publicity for the series, Aegis Film Group says, “Dead History takes a page from time itself and marries it with an intriguing twist – the psychic. With this pairing of history and present-day psychic interpretation, we hope to present historical events through re-creation, current investigation and in-depth analysis, and in the process perhaps uncover the truth behind events surrounding historical mysteries.”
Widow reveals war hero’s spirit messages The story of Staff Sergeant Olaf (Oz) Schmid was remarkable enough. An improvised explosive device brought the life of this top bomb disposal expert to an abrupt end, at the age of 30, on the last day of a five-and-a-half-month deployment to Afghanistan, in October 2009. He was awarded a posthumous George Medal for his heroism, which The Queen presented to his widow, Christina, at Buckingham Palace in 2010. Now Christina (pictured left) has written a book about their life together which reveals a new dimension to the story: spirit messages from Oz have convinced her that he is still very much with her. Always By My Side, which has been serialised in the Daily Mail, also reveals that both she and Oz had premonitions that he wouldn’t be coming home from Afghanistan. Her own foreboding coincided precisely with the time of his death.
Plenty to celebrate on anniversary of Hydesville A cake decorated with an image of the Fox Sisters was enjoyed by the congregation of Woolston Spiritualist Church, Southampton, Hampshire, on Spiritualism’s anniversary (31st March). They certainly had plenty to celebrate. It’s hard to believe, looking at the line-up of smiling faces, that a month earlier the SNU closed the church in response to a request from its committee. Declining attendance at the church, which has been in existence for over two decades, was said to be the main reason. But local medium Peter Doswell came to the rescue. His offer to breathe new life into the church prior to closure apparently came too late for the Spiritualists’ National Union’s Southern District Council to change its decision. But he has gone ahead, independently, and been rewarded with an influx of new people.
The Hydesville Debate Modern Spiritualism officially began in March 1848. The Fox family in Hydesville, New York State, were troubled by unexplained raps. It was learned by means of a code that they came from a murdered peddler. Recently the Australian Spiritualist scholar Lis Warwood found a near-contemporary newspaper which named the peddler. She graciously permitted a reprint in the monthly journal Psypioneer in January 2012, whose editor Paul Gaunt had found an early book which gave a different name. Both names differ from the one used by the SNU, which derived from Emma Hardinge Britten. A fourth name appeared in a later American newspaper.
The Harry Edwards Healing Sanctuary The UK’s healing jewel in the crown by Sue Farrow
Anyone who has visited Burrows Lea, the world-renowned Harry Edwards Healing Sanctuary, will know that from the moment you turn into its long driveway you are met with a view so beautiful that it takes your breath away. Parking my car about twenty metres in, I stared out across the Surrey Hills from my high vantage point and stood for a moment absorbing the absolute stillness. It’s easy to see why in 1946 the legendary healer chose Burrows Lea as his home and workplace. It’s a setting so serene and remarkable that I felt moved to phone a friend and try to describe it before going into the house to do the interview I’d come for. I was there to meet Toni Jode, the Healing Services Manager, a trained nurse who first arrived at the Sanctuary as a volunteer in 2003, initially working just one day a week. She became full-time in 2005 and took on her present role in 2007. I began by asking about her first encounter with spiritual healing...
Abortion: David Hopkins considers some of the complex issues involved... There are many issues to consider when dealing with abortion, and this article will touch on some of them. When you have finished reading, you might want to consider this emotive and sensitive matter in a slightly different light. Certainly there will be no attempt to reach a definitive standpoint on the morality or ethics of abortion. As in all things, we have personal responsibility for the view we take; I have no right to say that the ideas I express have any more validity than anyone else’s. I simply ask you to take time to assess your own views. Abortion is the process of ending a pregnancy before normal birth, thereby ‘killing’ the foetus, the unborn child. It must be an extremely difficult and painful process for any woman who faces the dilemma of whether or not to have a termination carried out, both at the time and subsequently.
Marc Berman’s psychic quest led him to TV mediums John Edward and Jeffrey Wands, among others. He now believes in spirit communication and life after death. I will never forget that horrific moment when our lives were shattered forever. I was resting on my bed, an innocent teenager just three weeks shy of turning 20, when the doorbell rang downstairs. Minutes later, two police officers were at our door and my mother was lying on the floor screaming, “Jeffrey was killed in a car accident.”
Respected SNU minister resigns In a move which is unlikely to bring much comfort to the upper echelons of the Spiritualists’ National Union (SNU), one of its ordained ministers has resigned, writes Susan Farrow. Margaret Preece has been closely associated with the popular and successful Paignton Spiritualist Church and Centre for some twenty-five years. She has served the SNU in various capacities at both local and national levels and was ordained a minister in 2008. She has also fostered strong links with other local faith groups via the Torbay Inter-Faith Forum, one of the oldest such groups in England. Margaret’s resignation has come as a shock to many who know and respect her, but when asked to reconsider, she decided that she must stand by her decision. She told Psychic News: “I now feel threatened by being a minister of the SNU. I cannot do the work of the spirit impeded by internal politics.”
White Feather on reincarnation through We’ve all heard (or made) the complaint that today’s mediumship is not up to the standard of the past, and nowhere is that trend more apparent than in the area of philosophical trance communication. The teaching that came from guides such as Silver Birch, Red Cloud and White Eagle is loved and revered by Spiritualists around the world, but which guide today can speak with a similar combination of gentle authority and great knowledge?
Spirit of Youth - how Andy Byng views the future A glance around many of our Spiritualist churches and centres (and many orthodox churches, too) will quickly reveal that young people are heavily outnumbered by those from older generations. It might be something we’d rather not talk about, but can we afford to ignore it? Without a steady influx of younger members a religion will inevitably wither and die. Spirit of Youth was founded in 1994 by then SNU president Eric Hatton with the intention of inspiring young adults to find out more about Spiritualism. Since that time it’s had a number of chairpersons, including the high-profile medium Tony Stockwell, but doesn’t seem to have achieved the hoped-for increase in young Spiritualists.
Sacked Spiritualist takes case to European Court of Human Rights Sacked Spiritualist takes case to European Court of Human Rights Spiritualist Alan Power (left), sacked from his job with Greater Manchester Police (GMP), for what he believes are his religious and psychic interests, has applied for his case for unfair dismissal to be heard by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Mr Power, 64, of Birkenhead, Merseyside, lost his job in October 2008 after it was learned that he had tried to involve officers in his psychical research. Police cited “his interests in the psychic field” which were “not compatible” with his employment. Alan Power has always maintained that the case is one of religious discrimination against his Spiritualist faith. On these grounds he attempted to sue the police force for unfair dismissal, but a Manchester employment tribunal rejected his case in December 2009. They concluded that it was not his beliefs which had prompted his dismissal.
Aboriginal Spirituality - respecting spirit presence For the Aboriginal people of Australia, spirituality and an ongoing connection with their spirit ancestors have been a fundamental part of life for tens of thousands of years. In an interview with Australian journalist Lynda Flower, Aboriginal senior man and academic Michael Williams (pictured) gives a fascinating insight into the rich spiritual heritage which links past and present with unbroken continuity. Michael Williams was born into the Goorang Goorang peoples of the South East Queensland area. He has had a long career in public life, mainly in the tertiary education sector, and has recently retired as Director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at the University of Queensland after almost 20 years. He is currently working independently as a consultant and holds an honorary position as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland where he continues his research interests.+63 He is also a long-serving member of the Council of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) in Canberra.
From the editor - Our huge debt of gratitude It’s tempting to start this first editorial by stealing a line from the journalist Bernard Levin, a columnist on the times when it was closed down in 1978 due to an industrial dispute. When the paper reappeared almost |