A Special Time of the
Year
The next week is of major importance to all who accept
that life does not end upon physical death.
March 31st is Hydesville Day, the anniversary of
the night in 1848 when the spirit of a pedlar murdered and buried in a cottage
in Northern New York State, broke through the barrier between the spiritual
world and the earth to prove his life did not end with his murder. Thus began
Spiritualism. April 5th is
Easter Day, the anniversary of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, who by
appearing as a materialised form to his mother and his disciples, also proved
that his life had not ended.
The really important lesson for us all in these two events,
separated by over 1800 years, is the proof they provide that life continues for
the true self, the spirit or soul, after we lose our physical bodies. These are temporary bodies, constructed
purely and simply, to enable us to experience, as spiritual beings, life in a
physical environment, with all its restrictions: To learn spiritual lessons from physical,
mental and emotional experiences. Physical
existence is not an end in itself but a means whereby we each equip ourselves
for the next stage in our eternal journey: Forever learning and growing: Forever moving from darkness towards light: Forever moving from ignorance to knowledge
and with the growth of that knowledge, trying to develop wisdom.
You may ask why it was necessary for the events at
Hydesville to happen when the Nazarene had already demonstrated life was
eternal for one and all? The answer I’m
afraid is that human beings lost the plot.
By accepting the misleading claims of theologians, we had so misrepresented
the teachings of Jesus that his message was lost; buried under a mountain of
theology, hypocrisy and doctrine. In the
pursuit of power and worldly wealth, the established religions had changed the
simple message that every human is an eternal spirit, into a means of
instilling fear and building up untold wealth.
Jesus and others taught of love, tolerance and care for those less
fortunate than ourselves. By 1848 the
churches were teaching of a vengeful God and claiming the only way to eternal
life was through membership of the church.
The Hydeville pedlar changed all that!
The religion of Spiritualism, that grew out of the events at
Hydesville, teaches “Eternal progress open to all,” not only to Spiritualists.
It also teaches “Personal Responsibility,” meaning each one is
personally responsible for all their words, thoughts and deeds. There is no-one
to vicariously atone for our sins. Neither can there be any death bed conversions
to ensure entry to heaven by those who have led selfish, uncaring lives. Spiritualism considers Jesus not as God but as
brother: God as a loving presence, not a
tyrant waiting to punish erring humanity at every turn. Through the evidence provided by its mediums,
Spiritualism tries to persuade us all to live our earthly life in the knowledge
of the life which is to come: A life,
the quality of which is determined by the kind of life we live on earth. It asks us to care for one another and accept
that angels and spirit guardians are forever close by to help us. We have only to ask. It proves that the love of family and friends
persists beyond the grave and that our loved ones will always try to show that
love in help and guidance to us. It
teaches that heaven and hell are within the mind and are not spiritual
locations, though an earthly life spent in evil can, as a result, mean an
individual, when he passes to the spiritual world, finds himself in a hellish
place created by that evil. The law of
cause and effect cannot be circumvented.
The person concerned has to show true contrition and face and compensate
those he injured, before he can move on to a brighter part of the spiritual
world.
This is a very special
time of the year, a spiritual time of the year.
Enjoy it to the full and offer a prayer of thanks for the love that God
has demonstrated by giving us this lovely Earth on which to live and the family
and friends with whom to share it.
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