Spiritualism is a very difficult subject to discuss and the concept varies greatly for each of its followers. We have no bible and our philosophy is based on unconditional love for all things. Our “God” is the creator of all things and we believe that the Universe is a perfect place, designed by a perfect architect. “God” is in all things and represents all life, light and love. Science is as important to us as philosophy and I’ve used this page to explain how Spiritualism works in my eyes.
Q. Is Spiritualism a religion?
A. That depends on who you ask. Spiritualism is recognised as a religion in most countries. However, those who practice it are divided into those who follow it as a religion and those who believe it to be a way of life.
Q. What is your opinion?
A. In my opinion, Spiritualism is more a way of life. To me, religion generally suggests a form of dogma and as a general rule, spiritualists are opposed to dogma. However, I am a registered member of the Spiritualists National Union and Spiritualist Church Movement and therefore, I recognise it as my religion too. Spiritualists have long fought for the right to practice their faith in a religious manner as it grants us certain rights which we otherwise wouldn’t have.
Q. Do you have a place of worship?
A. That depends on who you ask. I often go to church where I sing hymns and pray. Unlike a Christian church, we send out healing to the world and a medium communicates with spirit to provide us with messages from our loved ones. It’s a beautiful, emotional experience. As well as churches, services may also take place in communal places such as community halls, libraries or even people’s homes. We don’t have the same level of resources as most mainstream religions. Many spiritualists also attend open or closed circles. These are places where like-minded people go to learn more about themselves and their faith. They’re also a great place for us to socialise!
Q. Is spiritualism a cult or business?
A. Absolutely not. A true spiritualist will never ask for money unless it is as a donation. Spiritualism is a registered religion and has many charitable causes. Like Christian churches, we may ask for donations during a service but these are not compulsory. Unfortunately, we live in a world where money is needed to pay for our buildings, resources, furniture, heating etc. so please do donate if you are able to do so. Please rest assured that all money will be spent very wisely; we are not a rich establishment and have to be very thrifty!
Q. Can you see/communicate with dead people?
A. Ah yes, that old chestnut! Indeed, I am what many people refer to as a “medium”. I communicate with “spirit” as opposed to “dead people”. The concept of death is a tricky one because life for a spiritualist is infinite. We never die, so to speak. We simply move on to the next experience! Not all spiritualists are mediums. I should stress that many people who purport to be mediums are fraudsters. Be particularly aware of people who offer to “contact the dead” for large amounts of money. Unfortunately, these people do incredible damage to our community; it’s extremely frustrating for us. Those most in tune with spirit would never seek to take advantage of people for material gain. After all, we know the truth, we know where we’re going, we know that life is infinite and we don’t need money where we’re going!
Q. What do you actually see?
A. That’s very difficult. I don’t see with my eyes when I communicate with spirit. In my mind I am shown a series of images or hear certain words. These can be quite confusing. Sometimes I get names and dates. Other times, I may receive simple messages of love; it all depends on the message spirit wants to pass on.
Q. How can you prove such a thing?
A. Can you prove that you’re alive right now? Can you prove that you exist, that I exist, or that any of your experiences are real? We only accept what we want to and it’s much easier to believe things when we can “see” them. I don’t force beliefs upon anyone else. Always take what anyone says with a pinch of salt; none of us are prophets! I’m simply a human trying to live my life. I don’t tell anyone else what to believe or ridicule them for believing something which is incompatible with my own beliefs. The world would be a boring place if we all believed the same thing. However, the world would be a wonderful place if we all accepted the diversity of everyone’s beliefs.
Q. Is Spiritualism incompatible with scientific evidence?
A. In what way? Science constantly changes. For example, we used to believe that the speed of light was constant but now we know it can be changed. We still can’t get our heads around the theory of flight; that’s a theory which seems to change all the time. Why should it be weird to believe in different dimensions as we spiritualists do? “Death” is just the passing of our soul from one dimension to another and who says you can’t communicate across different dimensions? All energy must go from somewhere and go somewhere. We use mediumship as an attempt to prove existence after death; it’s not an exact science but it’s the best we have!
Q. Isn’t it a sin in most religions to communicate with the dead?
A. Most of these religions would also have you believe that it’s a sin to be a homosexual or shave one’s beard! For the record, Spiritualism was one of the first religions to recognise women’s rights, support the abolition of slavery and support gay rights. If these are not things you believe in, fair enough; that’s your choice. Besides, if you were dead, wouldn’t you still want to communicate with your loved ones here? Communication between the worlds is a beautiful thing. It gives us hope, messages of love and something to look forward to when it’s our time to move on. Trying to prove that there is a wonderful afterlife awaiting us when we die is one of our greatest objectives.
Q. Who/what is “God”?
A. That depends on who you ask. In my opinion, God exists in everything; it is the force that lives in each of us and in everything. We are all a part of God, so to speak. I don’t believe that God is some bearded white man holding a lightning bolt in the sky! As they say, God is love. There is no such thing as a “wrath of God”, “fear of God”, “vengeful God” or “Hell”. These are all human ideas used to control and manipulate people.
Q. What is the meaning of life?
A. I genuinely get asked this a lot and my answer is pretty much always the same. This is going to sound cryptic but how on earth could I possibly tell you what your meaning of life is? I can’t even work out what mine is! Think of physical life as a lesson. You have to fulfil your own destiny; don’t worry if you don’t know what it is. None of us really knows what our true purpose is; it is a soul’s objective to learn and achieve perfection. We will never ever reach perfection but we’ll keep working to get closer and closer to it. Many religions refer to this as being “closer to God”. Within each of us is the knowledge of our creator; what will you do with that knowledge? Will you use it to improve the universe or for your own material gain? I could ask you all sorts of rhetorical questions. Your life is your own – your experience and journey are as unique as you are. Good luck!