I was born in England a long time ago to a family that had no money, but a great deal of old fashioned love and discipline. The family in those days was the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins – like the Maori families of today. All of the children in the family went to Sunday School and church from around five years until teenage years.
I belonged to the Brownies and was the leader or in those the Sixer of the Elves and when it came to going up to the Guides I had to walk, not fly because of failing the cooking test. I burnt the rice pudding.
Other activities were outside pursuits, such as tiddler fishing, explorind Epping Forest (it was safe then). I belonged to the Young Britons, the Junior Red Cross and was trained for that. I formed a Girls Training Corp; my desire was to a nurse but that did not happen because I had not matriculated.
I joined the Air Force and served for four years as a radar operator. I was seventeen years old and had never slept away from home and out I went into a very, very wide world – and experienced bombs, rockets and being machine gunned.
In the W.A.A.F.S I learnt a lot about people (sleeping in a hut with 31 others helps) – a great many religious beliefs. This was one topic that was taboo in the services (as was politics) but they were both discussed at great length, especially religion. It was always very interesting and revealing and when I heard about Catholicism, I was always glad I was Church of England because no-one bothered you in that.
I recall as a child the Curate telling us that you can only pray to God in a church and I said (always outspoken) that I did not think that was right. I was given a black mark for being cheeky, but I could not believe the statement he had made.
As radar operators, we had great nights of saving pilots lives – one by the buckle of his parachute being caught in our transmitter. But other days we lost – I remember plotting dog fights, the thrill of war and the sadness and the friendships. When I was demobilised I went to work for the Admiralty in the Mall. Again I met more people of various stations in life and then I met Jack.
We married in 1947 and we lived in Jack’s father’s pub – a great big barn of a place. The dance hall held 500, which sounds good, but we had to do all of the scrubbing and cleaning. The pub was another chance to get to be with people; many regulars used the publican as a confidante; that’s how I got to know whole families, their highs and lows – another great learning experience.
Our daughter Pat was born and we bought our own house. Four years later I went as nurses aide to a geriatric hospital, which was in an old work house with no labour-saving devices to help with lifting, bathing etc. It was hard slog but it was there I found out about Spirit.
In a geriatric hospital, like hospices, there is a lot of death and here I felt Spirit. I saw faces light up as their loved ones came to fetch them home to their Father God. I cried many a tear as I nursed there for eight years. Laughter was also a great part of the work as however sick people are, humour is everywhere. I made many friends with patients and staff – again a great learning period.
HOW GOT INTO SPIRITUALISM
In 1961 Jack, our daughter Pat and I emigrated to New Zealand and fell in love with the country and people as soon as we arrived. We left family in England and it was hard not to be able to see them; but made many friends and had a wonderful full life with dinner parties, balls, picnics and morning teas. So it a very full social life, besides going to work.
We had friends who kept asking us to go to Petone Spiritualist Church. We were not enthusiastic and only went to humour them but that night was to change our lives and we attended church every Sunday after that. We became members of the Federation of Spiritual Healers, participated in discussion groups and sat in circle.
Some tremendous teachers taught us discipline, that Spirit cannot be hurried, that there is no such thing as Instant Mediums, to be of service requires patience and patience to wait for the correct timing.
The then Petone President, Mrs Swaby, had a wish that a healing group be set up in Tawa and Jack and I and two others started this (circa 1978-1979). 1980 Queens Birthday weekend we held a healing seminar, with Ron Gibbs as the chairman. What a weekend – over 250 people attended!
The following we held another seminar in Wellington on a marae with the worst southerly of the century and we had to bring as many electric heaters as possible from our homes. The Tawa healing group is still going from strength to strength; it has just moved into new healing rooms, with a grand dedication attended by some 70 people. Norm Stark officiated (Norm officiated at the first rooms) and Gary Williams, the National President, gave us encouraging words and thoughts for the future.
As the Healing Group took shape, the natural progression was to open a church in the area. We advertised in the local press and held a meeting. Norm Stark, Warwick Fry, Mary Fry and Wai McGregor helped in all ways with that evening. It funny to see in the audience three or four policemen in civvies but still with the blue shirts and boots on. The general consensus was to go ahead and open a church, which we did. As the hall that we found was in Porirua we decided to call it the Porirua Spiritualist Church and we have now been going ten years as an accredited Church of the S.C.N.Z. The church too is going from strength to strength.
I was chosen by the committee to have my name go forward for the position of minister. It took me a long time to come to terms with this. I was thinking I had not had the education, I had not got this and hadn’t done that. Others were telling me differently and in 1986 I became the Minister of the Church. On the morning of the service, I was in the garden and I had a visit from my old Vicar, who had christened me and married me and whom I had nursed in the hospital. I heard him say he was with me and would work with me. (This was verified last year at Stansted in England by Gordon Higginson.)
So I became a Minister and I went to various counselling courses to help me understand more. One was run by the Presbyterian Support Services and there were two male ministers from other churches. After a few wecks I spoke to the tutor and told her that I was not happy, not feeling right. She took me aside and talked to me at length on the progress of the course, the questions that had been answered, the analysis of the situations put before us.
She said, “Muriel do not worry that they went to Theological College; you have come through life education and have much to offer those in need.” That helped me a great deal.
WHAT MAKES ME TICK
I am a great believer in the Fatherhood of God and in God as my constant companion. Our principle of “Personal Responsibility” – I take notice of this principle by being responsible for all that I do, say and think. I love life and people.
I believe Spiritualism has much to offer, much to teach and that Spiritualism is a way of life to be used seven days a week, not just on Sunday. I love my fellow travellers along the way, regardless of who they are. The biggest drunk may have more to offer than the apparently loftiest creature who only preens himself for others to see. When my husband died three years ago it was the philosophy of Spiritualism, the love of my friends and the deep belief in life after death that helped me through.
I am still learning. Last year I went to Stansted to avail myself of more teachings and was very pleased to learn that the teachings I had received from very dedicated people in Petone and the teachings I gave to groups in my church were of the very highest standard.
I have hopes and dreams the future of the Porirua Church, the Tawa Healing group and for the S.C.N.Z. itself. The potential is there to give love, strength, comfort and learning to so many as long as we always reach for the highest and we do not lower our standards in any way.
– Muriel E. Clapton, President & Minister at Porirua Church, National Vice-President S.C.N.Z.
Source: Unknown