Spiritualism in the 1990s

In these times of change and transition, we hear of many people outside the Spiritualist Church becoming aware of spirit presence around them. We read of other mediums in New Zealand and other countries, both on new age noticeboards and in magazines such as the Rainbow Network. Few of these belong to the Spiritualist Church. Many people who practise meditation regularly become aware of the presence of spirit guides and family members in spirit. Indeed, people who are opening out and learning to fully understand their innermost selves are allowing themselves to be sufficiently sensitive to recognise the presence of spirit. They may “see – in clairvoyance, or “hear” – in clairaudience, or “feel” – in clairsentience.

So why go to the Spiritualist Church? This is a question to which I have given some consideration after receiving guidance and healing from therapists and healers outside the Spiritualist Church and outside conventional healing and counselling practices. Spiritualism gives us the opportunity to focus specifically on our links with spirit both here on the earth plane and beyond, throughout the universe. Since the dimensions of time, place and words belong to us only in our physical bodies, it is difficult to describe spirit and the universe in a way which everyone relates to, so I use the words “spirit” and “universe” in this article.

I have been finding in the last few years that more and more people are willing to say that they see, hear or feel spirit presence. They seek explanations when they don’t understand and seek reassurance when the spirit presence worries or frightens them. These people are often turning to the Spiritualist Church to increase their own understanding.

I began attending the Spiritualist Church nine years ago. After participating in circles and other church activities in that time, I have become aware of how much that non-physical realm of life wants to love, support, heal and guide us in partnership. This was shown to me most clearly in January 1991, when the Gulf war started. There was all day coverage of it on TV but I didn’t watch it except for the 6pm news, which I usually watched anyway. Nor did I buy the newspaper every day. I sent absent healing and prayed for the planet and the human race while the war lasted, but I did not want to absorb its negativity any more than I could help.

For some reason, quite a few Spiritualist Churches started up again in January that year instead of February as usual. For three Sundays in a row, I found I was channelling very strong addresses about the spirit realm’s perception of the war, and its full impact on earth. At one church I was told that I was the third medium to give an address on the war. This was really making the church think very seriously about it. Most of my addresses at that time were channelled in light trance, and I kept my eyes closed to make this process easier. Each time I channelled an address about the Gulf war, I used to see a vast crowd outside a hospital operating theatre, awaiting the outcome of a life-or-death operation. And an urgent operation at that.

The Spiritualist Church began to be established late last century. Its seven principles were drawn up in the first decade of this century. Even then members were determined that the Spiritualist Church would not dictate its members’ beliefs. The interpretation and practice of the seven principles have evolved and changed through each decade. The increasingly rapid and deep seated changes in society are a challenge to us all to see how relevant the Spiritualist Church remains as times and people move on.

– Glenys Doull, President, Wellington Church.

Source: Vision, The Magazine of the Spiritualist Church of New Zealand, Autumn 1994.