A Christmas Seance

[Skye]

A Christmas Reading as described by Hannen Swaffer.

The Christmas tree sittings have to be experienced to be realised. What joy it is to hear the little ones from the other side of life exclaim in wonderment when they see the huge tree laden with toys of every description.

Belle had invited nearly forty people to attend a direct voice séance at which there was a big tree, covered with toys. They had been sent – over three hundred of them – from all over the country, many of them for spirit children whose names were given. Others came from former sitters of Mrs Perriman, or people who had been helped. A huge doll was sent to Belle by someone overseas.
It is hard for non-Spiritualists to understand, but these toys, sent after the party to poor children living in London slums, have astral counterparts which are taken back to the Other World by the “dead” children to whom they are first given.

For over two hours, we sat listening to the voices of more than fifty children, who all inspected the tree, chose their various toys – yes, and played with them. Indeed, when the séance was over, the great mass of toys grouped around the tree was scattered in violent disarray.

Sometimes we heard a toy trumpet blown, “I am blowing two at once,” said one of the child voices.
We heard little ones arguing about which fairy doll they could have. Boy after boy said “I want a motor car.”

One remarkable feature of the séance was the great difference in the spirit voices. There were some who spoke with a broad Scots accent. There were Lancashire voices, Cockney tones, and all sorts.

When I heard one voice, that of little David Evans, I said “I remember you. You came last year.”
Remembering me David carried on quite a long conversation. He came from the valleys, he said, and when I said I had recently been down South Wales he corrected my pronunciation of Bargoed and two or three other towns which I could neither spell nor pronounce.

Mrs Leonard’s Freda turned up, Mrs Duncan’s Peggy, and also Jimmy Sparrow, from Lady Caillard’S home circle.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, too spoke, and gave me a special message. “There are many of my old friends who have come to the spirit world lately, many rejoicing. Some have got to extend in some ways. When I tried to tell them about survival, years ago, they would not listen”

Walter Coulhard said “Do you realise you have taken part in a great occasion? There have been children from the other side of life here, amidst surroundings of joy. They have come to you in their innocence and love, bringing with them peace and understanding, taking away with them memories. They will have replicas of these toys for their joy in the Other World. Remember, every toy has been claimed by spirit children who have been present, both in this room and the other. Every toy has now a spirit owner. You are giving joy on earth.”

Several children were recognised by sitters. Several were addressed by their pet names.

The chief lesson to be drawn from it is the lesson to the bereaved parents. Your “dead” children are not dead. They are as human and as humorous as they were on earth.

[glenos]

Wow, how wonderful is that..

[Adrienne]

Skye, that was beautiful ! Thank you for sharing.

blessings,
Dream Angel xx

[Skye]

Thank you glenos and Dream Angel.

It was my pleasure to share this on here.

I hope people will find comfort in it's words.

[mac]

It's a heart-warming account which I haven't read for quite some time. :smile:

The sad part is that it's historical and we have nothing similar to offer from the present day....:icon_frown:

[Skye]

It's a heart-warming account which I haven't read for quite some time. :smile:

The sad part is that it's historical and we have nothing similar to offer from the present day....:icon_frown:

Sadly that is true mac.

[deepsea]

Sadly that is true mac.

Skye,that is so heart warming.
A beautiful message for folks worldwide as well.
Spread it around as much as you can,love.
That is my first time in reading it,brought a lump to the throat.
:hug2:
J.

[Skye]

Thanks deepsea, yes, it is a beautiful message and one to be shared with the spirit of Christmas.:hug3: :hug3:

[Tricia]

That was so wonderful to read Skye and thanks for sharing :) As Mac said, the sad part is, it's in the past, I can't say I have heard of this going on in our present day, which is a pity.
When you think back to how things were, the post that you made here Skye, there were so many more things going on and all very touching. It makes you wonder why we rarely hear of experiences like this.
Could it be because in this day and age, many have become so very materialistic and therefore has taken away the true meaning of spiritualism?

[mac]

That was so wonderful to read Skye and thanks for sharing :) As Mac said, the sad part is, it's in the past, I can't say I have heard of this going on in our present day, which is a pity.
When you think back to how things were, the post that you made here Skye, there were so many more things going on and all very touching. It makes you wonder why we rarely hear of experiences like this.
Could it be because in this day and age, many have become so very materialistic and therefore has taken away the true meaning of spiritualism?
Undoubtedly our society has become a more material one but with increasing prosperity that was almost inevitable. I don't think that's of major significance, though...

Spiritualism is described as a philosophy and religion. All religions have their important day and then become stale. Look at all the mainstream religions and none have much to offer outside of belief and dogma. Fundamental truth became submerged beneath everything that its practitioners embellished it with, or dumped on it as they substituted man-made edicts for the simple ideas communicated by the emissaries of The Great Spirit.

Spiritualism would have gone a similar way were it not for the withdrawal of the spiritually evolved teachers and guides who brought simple truths in the manner of their predecessors. They've gone and there are no replacements - no teachers, no guides. no nothing....:icon_frown:

Now there are few, high-quality, mental evidential mediums. Physical mediums are in even scarcer supply and many readers will know of the shenanigans surrounding the few still around.

The once proud Psychic News newspaper which once brought wonderful news is now no more, symbolic of the way that Modern Spiritualism is also all but finished.

[Tricia]

'The once proud Psychic News newspaper.........
I loved this newspaper, so much so, I used to have it mailed to me when I lived overseas.

[Skye]

Hi Tricia

My sentiments lie in par with mac's. Although I do feel the length of time it takes for developing physical mediumship is another factor. Some people may not have the time to commit and dedicate for various reasons. I often wonder though if mental mediumship has now replaced pm because times have changed and mediumship in general is more widespread, although this in no way implies it is necessarily better.

[deepsea]

I know of one person who could be a physical medium,but she is young and has a family.
She is also terrified of the gift she may have.
All she can remember is, as a child she produced what she learned was ectoplasm.
She thought she was being sick when Ectoplasm issued from her mouth.

Deepsea

[Tricia]

Hi Tricia

My sentiments lie in par with mac's. Although I do feel the length of time it takes for developing physical mediumship is another factor. Some people may not have the time to commit and dedicate for various reasons. I often wonder though if mental mediumship has now replaced pm because times have changed and mediumship in general is more widespread, although this in no way implies it is necessarily better.

I came across this earlier:
Evidence of Survival Through Mediumship.
The situation of trying to gain evidence of survival from mediums is far from satisfactory at this time.
This unfortunate state of affairs has only become a problem in the last decade, with many mediums also now taking on the role of 'counsellors' and fortune-tellers, although it must be said that this prevails because the vast majority of sitters actually require this form of 'mediumship'. Some mediums are genuinely surprised when I advise them that I am seeking evidence of survival.

However, this was not so just twenty years ago when I found sittings with Doris Stokes, Jessie Nason and others to be extremely evidential. I am aware of the criticisms made of Mrs Stokes, but the fact remains that she was able to convey specific information both to myself, and to others for whom I arranged sittings.

As noted, the amount of quality mediumship is depressingly meagre at present, and although it involved a good deal of time, it was possible up to twenty years ago to obtain good evidence. Now it is extremely difficult, but I believe that evidence can nevertheless still be obtained if someone is prepared to dedicate sufficient time and energy. However, the number of people prepared to do this appears to be quite minimal.

[mac]

We comment on the lack of quality mediumship and it's understandable that we do. What's not obvious, perhaps, is that quality mediumship can come about only when all active parties work to high standards.

For communication through mediumship there has to be at very minimum a competent transmitter and a competent receiver of the message - no revelation there but that's not all. Without competent, experienced helpers on 'the other side' mediums are greatly limited in what they can achieve.

The impression I have is that the impetus from the spirit-side of things has largely ceased. For whatever reasons, the era of cross-dimensional communication as it was once experienced is now over. We can argue about why but it has gone. Maybe temporarily, maybe forever in the form we knew.

What little is known about the mechanism of mediumship is known only from this side. Mediums can do nothing about conditions on the other side. They have to rely on whoever is around and maybe the low standard of mediumship is a reflection not so much of the mediums as their spirit-side co-operators?

[Skye]

I agree Tricia with the comments you have posted.

It's clear there are mediums who do receive wonderful pieces of information as evidence of survival to be passed on. I suspect at the same time that it's likely to be from those mediums who have spent a far bit of time in both developing and unfolding their mediumship to reach such a high standard. This does not include all mediums, just those rare few.

[Skye]

We comment on the lack of quality mediumship and it's understandable that we do. What's not obvious, perhaps, is that quality mediumship can come about only when all active parties work to high standards.

For communication through mediumship there has to be at very minimum a competent transmitter and a competent receiver of the message - no revelation there but that's not all. Without competent, experienced helpers on 'the other side' mediums are greatly limited in what they can achieve.

The impression I have is that the impetus from the spirit-side of things has largely ceased. For whatever reasons, the era of cross-dimensional communication as it was once experienced is now over. We can argue about why but it has gone. Maybe temporarily, maybe forever in the form we knew.

What little is known about the mechanism of mediumship is known only from this side. Mediums can do nothing about conditions on the other side. They have to rely on whoever is around and maybe the low standard of mediumship is a reflection not so much of the mediums as their spirit-side co-operators?

I understand what you are saying mac. Not every spirit communicator has experience of working with a medium and they have to learn how to improve the link just as a medium does. Having said that another spirit communicator will usually intervene to assist them.

Another possibility is when a medium demonstrates in a church service, the congregation play an important part as they provide some of the energy to raise the vibrations so as to enable spirit messages to come through. If they lose interest for whatever reason, the energy in the room will affect the working medium.

[Tricia]

My thoughts on this, it can take a long time for both the medium and whomever works through him/her to reach the point where they are at one with each other. Conditions/circumstances have to be right, the vibrations of both have to be on the same level. It's not just the medium that learns but also the spirit guide ( I so know you don't like the word guide mac :) ) They both learn how to gel/harmonise with one another, how to put trust in one another.

A friend (medium friend) when she began on her pathway to become a medium, she knew of her guide, who he was, what he looked like, this was told to her by another medium. She worked really hard and was so very dedicated, knowing that one day, this guide would be the one who would help her, work with her and be her teacher, to the point that he would be her link to the spirit world and he would work through her.

Over the years, she reached the point where the two of them became one and this continued until the day she passed on.

[mac]

I understand what you are saying mac. Not every spirit communicator has experience of working with a medium and they have to learn how to improve the link just as a medium does. Having said that another spirit communicator will usually intervene to assist them.

Another possibility is when a medium demonstrates in a church service, the congregation play an important part as they provide some of the energy to raise the vibrations so as to enable spirit messages to come through. If they lose interest for whatever reason, the energy in the room will affect the working medium.
Well yes but perhaps no..... The knockings in the Fox sisters' house ushered in an era of probably unprecedented spirit communication - I certainly am not aware of any equivalent time before then.

During the following century many volumes of spirit teachings were written, inspirational books came from Modern Spiritualism's pioneers and numerous remarkable mediums became household names, performing sometimes to huge audiences.

Over the past few decades the scene has changed so much that Spiritualism is hardly spoken about, mediumship has faded almost out of sight and spiritually evolved teachers and guides have become silent. It's almost as if an unprecedented outpouring of spiritual energy had been provided to spread the message of survival to the willing masses but now is exhausted, finished. What's left is little more than a pale likeness of what Spiritualism once was.

Mediums will continue to try to improve the attributes they were blessed with. Their spirit-side counterparts will co-operate to the best of their abilities to communicate the old message. But the energy seems to have gone along with those whose teachings underpinned the whole movement. What is left is mostly historical, accounts of the undoubted successes of yesteryear.

The problems evident in the modern world seem as great as ever they were and yet the direct involvement, the direct support of our unseen friends, is now missing. Maybe it's all going on behind the scenes? Who knows? The teachers are no longer there to question in the way that Silver Birch could once be asked.

The weak mediumship reported all too often may be down to the absence of that spiritual energy which once was a conduit for the great things of the past. Not because society has become materialistic. Not because mediums do not sit for hours, days, weeks or years to develop their particular attributes. Not because practitioners seek to line their nests by using their gifts. Not because church congregations are not what they used to be....

Not because of these factors but because those who started and then orchestrated our once magnificent movement have withdrawn, pulled back from a project which had run its intended course.

Isn't that the most likely reason?

[Enya]

Not because of these factors but because those who started and then orchestrated our once magnificent movement have withdrawn, pulled back from a project which had run its intended course.

Isn't that the most likely reason?
I say - yes. It was taken as far as it could and now that the spiritualist movement is rife with egotism and is falling apart, it is time to prepare for the next stage, to return to the beginning as all things do, then take it a level higher. This is an exciting place to be, so don't waste time on what was... get excited about what is going to be! :D

[Tricia]

I say - yes. It was taken as far as it could and now that the spiritualist movement is rife with egotism and is falling apart, it is time to prepare for the next stage, to return to the beginning as all things do, then take it a level higher. This is an exciting place to be, so don't waste time on what was... get excited about what is going to be! :D

Oooooh, I like that thought:smile: Back to basics and then........... off we go:D

[mac]

I do believe that there will be something to replace Spiritualism and maybe we're seeing - in the 'stuff' posted on websites such as this - the beginning of it.

It could take quite a time to become established and I may not see that happen. Not confident I want to....

I can only hope the eventual form proves to be a worthy successor and provides answers for seekers in this new millennium.

[deepsea]

What would you like to see in a new kind 'Spiritualism' Mac?
Deepsea

[mac]

What would you like to see in a new kind 'Spiritualism' Mac?
Deepsea
I don't know. :confused3:

Provided it provides at least as much as Modern Spiritualism did (however one might see that) then the form doesn't matter I don't suppose?

Might make a good thread for someone to start, nudge, nudge....?

[deepsea]

I don't know. :confused3:

Provided it provides at least as much as Modern Spiritualism did (however one might see that) then the form doesn't matter I don't suppose?

Might make a good thread for someone to start, nudge, nudge....?

Get cracking then.
:wink:
I'll have a 'think' about it tomorrow.
:D
J.