By the 1920's however, physical phenomena was on the wane leaving us with that one product, which itself was in doubt due to a wide range of abuse and fraudulent practices, prompting one of the early American pioneers, Dr. F W Prince, to comment on the state of mediumship at the time: “Mediums”, he observed, “are a different kin, for some are out and out frauds and know it, others are honest but self deluded in thinking they have psychical powers when they have none, some have a little and produce mediocre results, and a very few are able at times to produce results far beyond normal chance or circumstance and are separated from the garden variety by an enormous distance”. There’s a measure of truth in this, for mediumship is a rare gift; we must strive to protect its integrity for we diminish the communication by enslaving it to mediocrity and subjecting it to scepticism. We must continue to raise the bar and our expectations.
In the short space of 158 years we have raced from a world of horse and buggy into a Post Modern World of instant communication and instant gratification. We now six years into the 21st Century and we’re still facing significant change; we are, in fact, being redefined. We are caught between the need to satisfy a popular emotional drive to spirituality, the lure of diminished mediumship, the energy of new thought, the inertia of old thought, and an unwillingness to acknowledge our own philosophy and, in the process, are establishing a new paradigm for our religion. Spiritualism no longer has the giants of philosophy or mediumship in its religion (that is, as opposed to personalities engaged in commercialism) and it’s now reaching outside for its inspiration. In many areas of our religious practices a vacuum has been created and is being filled by a rising tide of new ideas and practices premised on enhancing spirituality. Personally I neither support them nor reject them; I speak only in the name of Spiritualism as a reasoned philosophy. They appear under the umbrella of what some call “new age” practices; emotional concepts which are centred on such beliefs as Eastern mysticism, extraterrestrial communications, spiritual rather than spirit healing, Past Life Regression, an increased emphasis on prophecy, and a drift towards psychical powers replacing mediumship; all being promoted as legitimate components of Spiritualism. And they are gaining an unparalleled acceptance by those becoming involved with Spiritualism and have moved beyond mere curiosity to become an integral part of our religious beliefs and practices.
And it is this which has led to a division within our ranks and separates us, and in many ways has split us into two distinct camps, each believing they are the way: the “New Agers” whose collective personality manifests itself in a desperate search for spirituality under the mantle of Spiritualism, bent on reshaping the religion in their own image; and the “Traditionalists” whose collective personality manifests itself in a desperate search for Spirit under the mantle of spirituality, bent on protecting their concept of the religion. And caught in between are those who are new to Spiritualism and wondering what in the world is going on!
Strangely enough, in many quarters, each camp officially engages in the commercialization of their religious practices; we’re given a gift and we put a price tag on it; there are private readings, public readings, private circles, public circles, workshops, psychic fairs, past life regressions, and spiritual counselling; all fees for service under the rationalization of spirituality and/or educating the public for the benefit of our religion. When we rationalize, we should keep in mind Oscar Wilde’s admonishment that “rationalization is the homage Ignorance pays to Truth”. A new term has been added to our wonderful trinity of philosophy, science, and religion. In many ways we are now in the business of Spiritualism. I would ask you to think about that: Is this to be the legacy of Hydesville?
The natural evolution of man’s spirit is to move closer to its’ creator, the divine source; a lifetime process of continual change ever moving closer to the purity of spirit. It’s an individual process yet is a collective process, for the spirit of man embodies the spirit of mankind. The collective spirit of mankind must therefore be on a similar path, moving closer to its’ divine source; a spiritual extension of Darwin’s theory, an evolutionary process which started at the dawn of civilization and will reach its’ ultimate conclusion somewhere off in the future history of the Universe. Society tends to measure this drive to spirituality in religious values, but polls suggest that religion is not the driving force, so how do the two relate, and are we meeting the challenge?
The common theme among religions is religiousness, ie: praying and worshipping, the practice of paying homage to a deity normally performed in churches or religious structures. But the evolution of the spirit is not a practice it’s a process, and an individual process independent of religion or church influence. This is significant because the move toward spiritual awareness by one individual will ultimately affect the spiritual values of all individuals, regardless of the time frame.
Eventually the spirit force, that great force of love, will dominate; social justice will prevail on this earthly plane, and our world will be a different place. Spiritualism defines this process and its’ ultimate conclusion. The grand design of that Great Original Mind is the purity and perfection of the Spirit, an objective of timeless relevance; yet our religious practices centre around communion with spirit and spiritual enterprise, both specific in their relevance. The process is of divine influence yet the practices are the product of human endeavour. So we must look to ourselves. We must look within ourselves and ask whether the protection of practices, the preservation of self interest, and the ego of self righteousness have unwittingly replaced those noble faculties, and for all Spiritualists who are ultimately accountable for this, are we satisfied with that?
Spiritualism represents a process; proof of spirit, the existence of a future life, and the eternal progression of the soul; a long slow deliberate process; no question of instant gratification, no quick formulae, no short cuts, no mysterious connections, no smoke and mirrors. It transcends religion for religion is based on beliefs, whereas Spiritualism is a fact; it’s a Truth.
If we accept this then it’s time to move beyond the parochialism and limitations of both the “New Age” and the “Traditional”. There is an opportunity here! If we are to have any purpose, if we are to have a true future, we must rise to the challenge of this individual drive to spirituality in a meaningful way. We must bridge the gap between the emotions of the new and the traditions of the old, and move on to a “Higher Ground”, those noble faculties, with a renewed emphasis on the true process. And we cannot go just half way; we must address the question of entrepreneurship and commercialization within our religion for it diminishes us and our credibility.
We must reach out with a clarion call to all Spiritualists to embrace our fellow human beings in true harmony; in the understanding that the principles of Knowledge, Reason, Wisdom, and Love are the true essences of Spiritualism and the Spiritual Universe, and with the simple realization that the welfare of mankind is the never ending goal of the Divine Spirit.
Andrew Jackson Davis defined the key to individual harmony as the ability to; “Keep an open mind, be willing to learn, and willing to forgive”. He also defined the moral position of a Spiritualist as one who stands erect between social and religious extremes, a central influence, a medium for the expression of progressive principles, a friend to all who would grow in wisdom and harmony. How do we measure up to that?
“The voice of our spirit is like the spirit of truth, most eloquent when manifested in deeds.” Do we manifest our deeds through the ego of self interest and self righteousness or through the voices of reason and love? We must meet that test; we owe it to our forefathers, to our children, to ourselves, and to Spiritualism.
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