Spiritualism! Fact or Fiction?

[Left Behind]

People can see whatever they want to see, and people do see whatever they see in dreams or hallucinations: but what's the relevance of this to Modern Spiritualism?

160 years of well-documented Spiritualist contact, corroborated by 40 years of near-death studies, have revealed that the spirit world is much like ours, only better. People there live in physical bodies and on a physical plane. It is a completely rational and orderly world.

If someone tells you he knows that people live on after corporeal death, because he had a vision of his grandmother, who morphed into a cat playing a banjo, and mice jumped out of the banjo and the cat chased them around the room until they all dissolved into a rainbow. . . this person hasn't seen the afterlife, he's merely had a hallucination.

Originally Posted by Sybilline

I guess what most of us can agree with is that there is "something" beyond the physical realm. Now, since in the world that we live in, intelligent beings have two legs, feet, arms, hands, eyes, ears, a mouth, a nose, a head, a neck, etc, we try our very best to "define" these non-physical beings, we try to imagine what they might be like, best on how we see "reality".

So the spirits we see, they are sometimes in the form of beasts, animals in OUR world, just modified a little bit, or "human-like" in appearance, modified a bit again.

I am not saying that Spiritualism is not real. I am saying that it is, but there's a good chance it has no form, and follows no logic such as ours. BUT, since the human mind is extremely powerful, it can bring into reality pretty much anything it wants to.

People CAN see whatever they want to see, it's not any more or less real than this monitor in front of me right now...

Wait... This spiritualism, is this spirituality in general or is this strictly about spirits?... Hehehe... :P

"I am not saying that Spiritualism is not real. I am saying that it is, but there's a good chance it has no form....." It appears you may be confusing Spiritualism - the religion and philosophy based on survival beyond physical death and communication via mediumship - with survival itself and the forms it takes etc.

Originally Posted by phoenix101

As a scientist I maintained a high degree of skepticism when it came to communication with the "spirit world", despite "lucid dreams" and "thought messages" I had received throughout my life from friends and family who has recently passed on. After a woman whom I had never met "spoke to me" about what was to happen with her family and asked me to help (which I did) I decided to perform a "thought experiment" by stopping meditation and prayer. The dreams and messages also stopped, leading me to the notion that I was the one who was creating them.
Shortly after my mother passed on four years ago I "asked her" to show me that her spirit exists after death. One week later I picked up a feather in the chair outside where I sit during my morning coffee. The same thing the next day, and the next.. for 14 consecutive days.. and on the fourteenth day a bright turquoise blue feather (my mothers favorite color). The rather high improbability that I could create such as series of events (try flipping a coin heads 14 times in a row) would occur became my proof that there exists some force with the ability to manifest itself in the physical realm. I'll leave the formal proof to the theoretical physicists :)

Now you've had some personal evidence that life goes on beyond what we call death it wouldn't be too difficult (I imagine) for you to take a look at the abundance of evidence that others have received.

And my friend 'Left Behind' emerged from a no more evidential situation to become a Spiritualist so I suspect you could find a similar level of persuasion.....

[Left Behind]

Originally Posted by mac

Now you've had some personal evidence that life goes on beyond what we call death it wouldn't be too difficult (I imagine) for you to take a look at the abundance of evidence that others have received.

And my friend 'Left Behind' emerged from a no more evidential situation to become a Spiritualist so I suspect you could find a similar level of persuasion.....

Yes, there's hope for us all, Mac!

Originally Posted by mac

"I am not saying that Spiritualism is not real. I am saying that it is, but there's a good chance it has no form....." It appears you may be confusing Spiritualism - the religion and philosophy based on survival beyond physical death and communication via mediumship - with survival itself and the forms it takes etc.

I guess I must rephrase:
I am not saying that Spirits are not real. I am saying that it is, but there's a good chance it has no form.

[Left Behind]

Originally Posted by Sybilline

I guess I must rephrase:
I am not saying that Spirits are not real. I am saying that it is, but there's a good chance it has no form.

The chance of that is much less than you would think. Both Spiritualism and Near Death studies have revealed that in the next life after this one, we continue to live in a body that greatly resembles the one we have on earth, but a perfected version thereof.

We have form and substance.

The explanation is that we are matter, just as we are on earth, but matter vibrating to different levels than on earth.

Now, the inner essence - our souls or minds or psyches - could well be another matter. (Bad unintentional pun! ). But I'm concerned with my present life, and the one that follows this one.

[knightofalbion]

Our appearance in the spirit world will be much as it is now, only in spirit form instead of physical, and with blemishes and imperfections removed.
Your loved ones will be instantly recognisable to you and vice versa.
The more love you have in you, the more your spirit body will 'shine'.

[knightofalbion]

Going back to an earlier point...

Spirit guides and teachers and loved ones on the Other Side communicate with us in numerous ways, one of which is through mediumship, but also through signs, often involving creatures, birds especially (perhaps the analogy of the freedom of the spirit is being highlighted) and clocks is another favourite.
A very dear friend of mine lost her husband at a rather young age. He was not religious, she was a lapsed Catholic. So they were not very spiritually minded.
The funeral was held, at 3 p.m. When it was all over, she returned home. Took off her coat, went into the kitchen to fix herself something to drink, looked up at the clock and noticed that it had stopped...at 3 p.m.
It was something profoundly comforting to her.
I have no doubt that everyone who passes over tries to get a message back, in some form, to their loved ones on earth.

Originally Posted by knightofalbion

Going back to an earlier point...

Spirit guides and teachers and loved ones on the Other Side communicate with us in numerous ways, one of which is through mediumship, but also through signs, often involving creatures, birds especially (perhaps the analogy of the freedom of the spirit is being highlighted) and clocks is another favourite.
A very dear friend of mine lost her husband at a rather young age. He was not religious, she was a lapsed Catholic. So they were not very spiritually minded.
The funeral was held, at 3 p.m. When it was all over, she returned home. Took off her coat, went into the kitchen to fix herself something to drink, looked up at the clock and noticed that it had stopped...at 3 p.m.
It was something profoundly comforting to her.
I have no doubt that everyone who passes over tries to get a message back, in some form, to their loved ones on earth.

Yes,they do,in many ways.
Like the smell of our favourite flower.
Like hearing their voice.
Objects being moved.
Doors open when shut a short time ago.
I could go and on.....

Oh yes, they do come back, for sure. I wish that every one could be aware of the fact.

G