There is no Death

We do not die – we cannot die;
We only change our state of life,
When these Earth temples fall and lie
Unmoving mid the world’s wild strife.

There is no death in God’s wide world;
But one eternal scene of change;
The flag of life is never furled,
In only taketh wider range.

And when the spirit leaves its frame,
Its home in which it hath long kept,
It goes, a life that’s real to claim,
As if in this it had but slept.

Then let us not speak of the “dead,”
For none are dead – all live, all love:
Our friends have only changed, have sped,
From lower homes to homes above.

J.S. Adams

Spiritualism should be the world’s happiest and most uplifting news. In a world where so much is dark and negative, coloured by the fear of death, Spiritualism is a shining light, pointing the way to eternal joy and spiritual fulfilment. This can be misleading though for it sounds as if Spiritualism only concerns itself with the eternal spiritual future of humanity. Nothing is further from the truth. The philosophy of Spiritualism gives clear guidance on the conduct of our lives here and now. Although a key factor in our philosophy is the proof, through mediumship, that life continues and communication between those departed and our selves is a reality, it is not all.

Guided by the words that have come to us through trance mediums and automatic writing over the years, our philosophy is not one just for dreamers and those with their heads in the clouds. We have been given detailed information about the physical universe that has been ignored by scientists and yet has been proved correct by subsequent scientific research years later. The most notable example is the description of Dark Matter and Dark Energy given from spirit in 1914 and only very recently proved and accepted by science. Our knowledge of healing and natural medicines is undoubtedly due to guidance through ancient psychics, called shamen or witchdoctors. I even wonder about the discovery of how to make fire and the invention of the wheel; both of which revolutionised and enriched human physical life.

In the realm of higher sensitivity and spirituality, the guidance from spiritual teachers through various mediums has always eschewed the way of power. It has cautioned us against opening ourselves to the temptations that power brings in its wake. To use Christian metaphor, it has urged upon us the “Sermon on the Mount,” rather than the vengeful philosophy of the Old Testament. Personal responsibility is a corner stone of its philosophy and it absolves none of us from the necessity to try harder to love one another. At the same time it acknowledges the distinction between loving and liking. Above all it emphasises that there are no such things as eternal damnation and a vengeful God. Instead it espouses the doctrine of eternal progress open to every human soul. In other words, not one of us is ever so bad or evil even, that we are deserted by God. There is no limit to the number of opportunities we are given to change and progress. Because of our obsession with time, it is impossible for us to imagine eternity and hence we make hasty judgements of things and people. We talk of those who are “beyond the pale” or irredeemable. No such condition exists and the fact we think this way is due to what I call, the ‘blindness of incarnation,’ that condition which insists nothing can be real that is not measurable by our five, poor, physical senses.

Spiritualism really is the world’s happiest news but unfortunately, the spread of its philosophy is in the physical hands of those who are just as weak and imperfect as the rest of humanity. We have I believe, been lured by the false gods of flattery and adulation, into focussing almost entirely upon its phenomena, its mediumship. One prays for the emergence of a greater sense of humility, particularly amongst mediums, for without it, Spiritualism will continue to be marginalised. I do not deny that the evidence of survival provided by mediums has brought and continues to bring, enormous joy and peace to those who mourn the loss of a loved one. However, the vast majority of the population is not in mourning but is seeking in vain for a teaching that makes sense out of our modern world, so filled with fear and uncertainty; is seeking in vain for a better explanation than that furnished by the leading religions, with their fascination with temporal power which has emasculated their ability to give true spiritual leadership.

I urge all seekers after spiritual truth to look beyond mediumship, without discounting its worthiness. I urge all Spiritualists to search their hearts and consciences to discover where and why we have strayed and continue to stray. Above all I urge them to listen again to the voice of the Spirit. Early Spiritualists never stopped doing this and the body of philosophy they were able to construct as a result offers the best hope for struggling humanity. We Spiritualists have been handed a torch of truth whose flame is at present flickering and spluttering. Let us resolve to turn once more to the pure light of the spiritual world and restore brilliance to our torch so that its flame becomes so bright it cannot be ignored.