REMEMBRANCE

We are in the month where, each year, quite rightly we recall and give thanks for the sacrifice made by so many young men and women in wars: Sacrifices that remind us of  the philosophical dictum, “Greater love hath no man than that he lay down his life for his friends.”

When we consider the sacrifices made, particularly over the past 150 years, it is important to stress this dictum. It is all too easy to get caught up in the jingoistic claptrap that is used by rulers when they call upon young people to go out and fight, “for their country”.

Only rarely, if ever, is the call to arms much to do with serving one’s country. More likely it is serving the vested interest of certain individuals or groups in one’s country.   Even the 1939/1945 war which came closest to being a just war, that description is only apposite if one ignores what happened before.  In 1938, when the true horrors of Nazism were being realised and Britain and the free world knew its freedoms were threatened, the need to fight for the survival of our democratic principles was the result of the myopic refusal to see what was happening earlier. Had those in power and good people everywhere, really resisted the Nazis in the early days, it is doubtful Hitler would have become so powerful. One can go even further back and argue that the French insistence on draconian sanctions on Germany in 1918, was directly responsible for the rise of Nazism. Thus do we learn that a decision today may be the cause of a calamitous event only ilyears later. 

It is vital to separate the national/political reasons for remembrance ceremonies from the private, family reasons. We must take the greatest care to ensure in remembering “officially” we are not innocently furthering the justification for war. 

Many are the moving stories of true gallantry where men and women gave their lives to protect or to save their comrades. I am sure at the time of their heroic exploits, nothing was further from their minds than the benefits to their country of the sacrifice they were about to make. No, it was their friends and families they were thinking of.

It is not surprising many people feel humanity learns nothing from experience. There is ample evidence that conflict leads to yet more conflict and that even after the most bitter war both sides still have to co-exist. Despite this, war is still seen as a viable method of settling differences. The inescapable conclusion is that morally, humanity has progressed not one jot over millennia. 

Unfortunately for human happiness, we have learned in other areas.  We have developed ever more sophisticated and terrifying methods of killing one another.   The argument always put forward when a new weapon is invented is that this is such a terrible weapon it will end warfare forever. Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki?  For how long did those atrocities protect us from war? (And we believe we have more intelligence than animals!!) Albert Einstein, the one great physicist to always see the spiritual side of human nature, steadfastly refused to work on the creation of the atom bomb. This even though it was his theory that led to its development. Inevitably it seems, the possible military uses of new inventions are what receive priority. Such is the effect on us of the dark cloud of negativity with which we have surrounded our planet.

Why do wars lead to more wars? The answer is simple but clearly inconvenient for those who desire to exercise control over others for their own endsiq. The viciousness with which wars are conducted and the terror and fear they generate, creates a dark pall of negative energy that takes many years to dissipate. Imagine, if a sensitive can feel the negative energy in a building years after a tragic event, how long will it take to dissipate the energy generated by war? This energy weighs upon our atmosphere and the spirit world tell us the Earth is surrounded by such darkness, they find it painful to come too close.  Without us consciously realising it, this pall exercises a huge influence over our minds.  We cannot divorce ourselves from the spiritual awareness that is an essential part of our mental makeup. Therefore much of our thinking becomes mired in this dark cloud of negativity.  It is possible to overcome this using great effort and by consciously directing our inner light, but each descent into conflict makes that more difficult.

We must change our ways!  “Global darkening” is a greater threat than global warming, for it threatens our spiritual not just our physical future.

Aggressors cannot go to war at the drop of a hat. Only when sufficient ordinary people side with them is war inevitable. Unfortunately, those in power take steps to subjugate their citizens.  Consequently, questioning the wisdom or justification for going to war never occurs to them; they are too frightened to do so. Where subjugation is insufficient, conscription is used. Even though more enlightened forms of government exist in many countries today, the control over propaganda is so complete that those in power have little difficulty in enforcing their views.

Most people are not naturally belligerent. Like hatred, belligerence must be taught.

 

Look at what happened on Christmas Day on the Western front in 1914! Soldiers from both sides spontaneously put down their arms to celebrate that religious festival together.  Look also at how many individuals on both sides of any conflict have been executed by their own side for “cowardice in the face of the enemy”. The only crime these unfortunate individuals committed was to be true to their basic humanity and refuse to slaughter others merely because they were told to do so. Added to which, the horrors they witnessed unhinged them  psychologically.

It is often stated that war settles nothing and this is true. Indeed not only has it always been necessary to spend huge resources on rebuilding after wars but usually, the long term effects on social cohesion have been irreparable. Wars solve nothing and have always led to to more ferocious subsequent wars. 

As Spiritualists, we have long been aware that human beings are spirit and very much part of God or the Great Spirit. Whilst we are spirit, we are under the enormous influence of our five senses. Senses that focus almost exclusively on our physical selves. It is an unfortunate fact that we have so far been unable to reconcile these two sides of our nature. As a consequence, power in society has invariably been placed in the hands of those under the strongest influence from their physical senses. Those to whom might means right and who are so enslaved  by their own singular, materialistic vision, they cannot even imagine an alternative. The corrupting influence of power is irresistible it seems and yet we continue to encourage people to exercise power without proper checks and balances. Granting power, often absolute power so carelessly, whether, political, military or religious is the reason humanity is today trapped in a materialistic cul de sac.  

We are creatures of light, therefore colour has a far bigger influence upon our lives than we realise, for colour is a vital function of light. The spirit world have explained to us the significance of the different colours. We have already mentioned black, the colour of darkness. Purple, they tell us is the colour of power. Hence its use by royalty and bishops over the ages. But there is too much purple in the world! It is the colour with which spirit say, humanity in its present state of evolution, is ill equipped to deal.  We should take heed of this warning.

It is power corrupted that has led to wars down the ages and it is what has prevented humanity from properly using the light of our spirit to create a better world. By that I do not mean a world with more motor cars, more washing machines and more computers but a world that recognises the primacy of life, all life:  A world and a society that sees life as eternal, no matter what form that life takes: That recognises our life on Earth is all about using  our physical environment to further our growth spiritually not just physically.

Remembrance Day should not be overshadowed by the military but rather be a civil celebration to commemorate those who gave their lives unselfishly to save their friends and families.  It should be a stark reminder that their sacrifice has been in vain if we continue to ignore the true nature of warfare and allow conditions and systems of government to develop that make war unavoidable. We must learn to do better in order to honour the memory of those who gave so much. 

Spiritualism has a vital role to play in fostering a change in attitudes. We know that the power of the light within us, when combined with the light of those in the spirit world, is far superior to the power of darkness that is responsible for the horrors of warfare. Let us use our light to illuminate a new, spiritual pathway for humanity, one uncluttered by the detritus of our warring past.

ACCEPTANCE

                                                

GOD GRANT ME THE COURAGE TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE

THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN CHANGE

AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE

Known as “The Wisdom Prayer,” this truly is wise advice but how very difficult it can be to put into practice.

Acceptance is often considered to be weakness in our modern, ego-centric society but in reality knowing when the time has come to accept what we cannot change, no matter how much we wish to, is a sign of great strength. If only individuals and nations put this advice into practice, how different and less belligerent would be our world. 

For some reason, many human beings find it difficult to accept that not everyone thinks or acts in the same way as themselves. It’s as though such people believe there is a stigma attached to being different; that uniformity should be the norm.  Children for instance, often react aggressively towards other children perceived as being different. These differences can range from physical deformity to colour of skin or mode of speech.  Children can be taught how wrong such attitudes are and maturity often brings understanding. In surprisingly many people however, these attitudes persist into adulthood.  We can perhaps sympathise with individuals but in nations it is a different matter entirely.  

You do not need me to enumerate those times one nation’s insistence that theirs is the only acceptable way to behave, their willingness to back this up with force of arms and the  immense suffering and loss of life that has resulted.  History is littered with examples of such action which is always promoted as being for the greatest good for all but has invariably had the opposite effect.  This is true as much for the aggressors as those invaded or co-erced into acceptance in other ways.

Today, in addition to the age old differences between individuals, groups and nations, we have immense differences being wrought by climate change and the interference by human beings into the balance of nature in many different ways. Without exception, these are rooted in selfishness and the lust for power or money. What justification can there ever be, for instance, in genetically changing viruses so that they can attack humans instead of just the animal hosts they historically attacked? Only immature human beings incapable of seeing beyond their own limited aspirations for dominance, can do this type of thing. They are grown up children whose toys are the lives and happiness of others.

Two factors combine to produce the type of madness that leads to diverting human ingenuity into such terrifying activities. One is the hunger for power and the other is fear. If only we could all remove the blindfolds and see the world and the universe of which it is a part, as it really is.  If we could cease believing that human beings are the pinnacle and therefore the dominant power in creation.  As the great eighteenth century poet, Alexander Pope puts it, “All are but parts of one stupendous whole.” 

In this “whole” referred to by Pope, no species is more important than another. Each is dependent upon the other and only by working in harmony can progress be achieved. The natural world is the perfect place to study the truth of Pope’s claim. Many species of animal for instance, are stronger and more aggressive than others but except to provide themselves with food and to protect their young, such aggression is contained. Balance is the key word in nature.  If balance is upset, action takes place to restore the balance. If one species becomes too numerous for it to be supported, its numbers are reduced because there is insufficient food to sustain too large a number. In reverse if numbers are reduced by some natural disaster, reproduction increases until numbers are restored. 

Human beings are given a unique power to reason and to visualise the effects of actions so we can plan our lives in ways not available to other species. This power also unfortunately, enables us to control the lives of other species and indeed to force the views of one group of human beings upon another. What we frequently fail to understand however is that this power comes at a price.  All actions have consequences and for all our much heralded powers of reason, we often fail to foresee the true impact of our actions. The early farmers in California failed to understand the effects of growing the same crops year after year and the great dust bowl was the result. Frequently, pharmaceutical companies fail to see the full impact a new drug or medication will have long term. In their desire to help alleviate one condition, they overlook the impact on others.  The list goes on.

To return to the large challenge of climate change being faced by us today. In addition to focusing on renewable energy we are trying to find other means to halt or reverse the change which has been exacerbated by human activity. These attempts, though admirable in many ways are really failing to face the real issue. This failure is probably because we feel once the reality of climate change is accepted, it will amount to giving in; to surrender.  

What are we doing to prepare for the possibility that climate change is irreversible?  It is more than a possibility that this is the case and whilst our contribution to it through burning fossil fuels is regrettable, we should be planning our strategy to survive as a species in the type of world we will inhabit in future. For instance food production and the ready availability of water. Both these things will be different as climate change proceeds. Also, due to the melting of ice at the Poles, sea water levels are going to rise significantly. 

In order to meet these changes, should we not move to  the stage of acceptance?  We need to plan now for the consequences and be prepared to place resources behind such plans, rather than pouring millions into trying to prevent what now looks inevitable. We need to look at ways of producing sufficient food and water for the population of Earth under the changed climatic conditions. We need to find ways of moving huge numbers of people from low-lying locations. We need to recognise the inevitable changes that will take place in various countries as the warming impact of climate change progresses. 

It seems to me that at the moment we are mainly wringing our hands in despair and trying to make changes that are far too late to have a meaningful impact. Surely now is the time to accept the inevitable. Take steps to ensure we don’t make matters worse of course but our main focus should be on changing our ways to adapt to what will soon become reality.  It is little use bemoaning our past actions and placing blame here and there for what is happening. We need to be acting, so as a species and in support of other species, we can all survive in the new reality. It will not be easy but it is a wonderful chance to work together constructively for the benefit of all life on Earth. We must bury our ideological differences for if we don’t the consequences for future generations will be dire. 

We know that humanity is supremely gifted and has the intelligence to surmount the greatest challenges; what we do not have at present is the conviction that this challenge is so unique that what has dictated human behaviour in the past can no longer work if we are to survive. Once that has been accepted, I have no doubt that human ingenuity will find ways for us to live successfully in our changed world. 

I urge those in authority to recognise the need to plan ahead rather than just trying to stem the tide: The need to pool resources, especially of brains: The need to accept our limited ability to change things. 

If these things can be achieved it will herald a new era of human co-operation and understanding. There is no other way. Narrow, national interest must be sacrificed in the interest of all life on Earth. Climate change is nature’s way of calling time on humanity’s selfish, unthinking, hedonistic race towards destruction. It can be our salvation as a species and teach us our true role in maintaining the balance essential to sentient life on Earth. Let us grasp this opportunity with both hands whilst there is still time. 

FEAR

                                             

I have just returned to the UK from South Africa and one thing that I have noticed is the level of fear in the country. The feeling is most palpable and is far worse than it is in South Africa.  I wonder why?

That Covid is the root of the fear is obvious but why should people feel so frightened? After all there have been serious epidemics in the past, I remember Asian flu for instance back in the late fifties.  People became very ill and there were many deaths but it did not engender the fear that I feel now. Yes, dying because it becomes impossible to breathe is a frightening way to go but the number of people dying measured against those who contract the disease is not enormously high.  The recovery rate is really quite substantial. Whilst I do know of people who have died from Covid, I know of more who have recovered. So why this widespread fear?
Undoubtedly, the bodies politic in nearly all countries panicked in the face of the pandemic, the like of which, no one living can recall. In their anxiety to stop the spread of the virus many resorted, with the support of the scientific community, to control and compulsion.  They could see no other, speedy, way of keeping people safe. There are two problems implicit in the use of compulsion to enforce compliance. First, many people see it as an invasion of their basic liberties:  The freedom to make up their own mind about how to respond to new and potentially deadly, challenges.  Second, many become conditioned to accept the government must know best and they slavishly follow the dictats of the politicians. After a while resentment builds up both in those who resent their freedom being curtailed and those who assume restrictions are temporary and accept them. Resentment that is fueled by perceived selfish actions by whichever group one is opposed to.  This easily turns nasty in some cases.
All this is in complete contrast to the widespread welcome of the first lockdown, which many found resulted in levels of peace and tranquility that were wonderful and most unexpected. So what changed?  First of all, the economic consequences of the lockdowns became really serious despite government efforts to alleviate the worst effects. People were unable to manage financially and the enforced restrictions on social intercourse were mentally and emotionally damaging, particularly to the young and the elderly.

In order to administer all the new restrictions, governments empowered a host of bureaucrats. Not unexpectedly, bureaucracy often failed to take the human dimension into account when fulfilling their new responsibilities. Also, governments, in their anxiety and haste to overcome the threat of the virus became overly dependent upon statistics. Statistics, which with the best will in the world, were bound to be massaged by those wishing to impress their masters or by hard pressed medical staff who saw compiling statistics as a totally unnecessary burden placed upon them. 
To the politicians, statistics seemed the ideal way to bring home to people the true seriousness of the virus. Unfortunately  it, unintentionally I’m sure, produced a mindless fear in many hearts. Speaking to people since I returned, I find they saw this fear and resentment grow, not only towards the authorities but also against individuals refusing to be vaccinated for instance, when a second lockdown was implemented. Human beings are naturally gregarious and a lengthy period of social isolation raises high levels of resentment. After all, few, apart from those  living through WW 2 had experienced such restrictions. Restrictions which were in some ways even worse than those in wartime.
Fear unfortunately feeds upon itself and spreads like a black cloud over the planet.  We have been reminded before that the greatest problem is fear itself, rather than its underlying cause. Fear is completely irrational and under its influence the actions of human beings become totally illogical and hurtful to others. We cease to act with compassion and understanding and become slaves to outlandish ideas and theories. Without compassion, humanity becomes aggressive and makes no allowance for normal human weakness. We create a world where the strong are allowed to rule the roost without !et or hindrance. 
The challenge facing us all now is not this terrible virus but how to get rid of the underlying fear:  How to return to normal social interaction once more.  Covid is undoubtedly here to stay and, like it or not, we have to learn to live with it. After all,  the terrible flu pandemic in 1919 was little different and we have learned to live with its presence in our lives. Flu is still deadly to certain people, but we don’t live in fear of it anymore. So it must become with Covid. The sooner we accept this and allow it to become one of the many risks we face in life, the better. It will need us to exercise sensible precautions but if we do, things should return to what passes for normal fairly quickly.  Let us vow to return to helping each other again and not adopt uncompromising attitudes towards our fellow beings.   Let us try to become less intolerant and more empathetic. Do that and life will resume its normal pattern quite quickly.



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POWER

                                                         

Spiritualists talk of power in relation to the power of spirit: The Power to produce physical phenomena: The power that is felt when sitting in circle and the presence of spirit is detected: The power mediums sometimes feel when the spirit people are very close.  No-one who has experienced this power would deny its reality nor the significant effect it has: An effect that is positive and uplifting: An effect which touches the soul and remains long afterwards. I have experienced it and never have I felt such reverence.  It was as though I was truly in the presence of God.

This power is clearly positive and a demonstration of the love which the enlightened ones in the spirit world have towards us all.  However, not all the power comes from the spirit world, a proportion of the power in a circle or séance comes from the sitters themselves. We are all spirit beings and spiritual love and power is within each one of us should we choose to use it. In circle or séance, we place ourselves at the service of the spirit world and the loving power generated is the result. I have often wondered why power in everyday life is often so negative when this kind of enlightened and positive power can be generated, with the help of those in the spirit world.  

Lord Acton, many years ago wrote, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.  The truth of this has been repeatedly demonstrated over the centuries.  You  will not need me to enumerate the long list of individuals to whom Lord Acton’s words apply today. As with many abuses of privilege and authority or of neglect and cruelty to others, many ask, “Why does God allow this to happen?” 

Is that a fair question?  To those who believe passionately that God is an individual who is all powerful, it seems very fair.  To those of us who accept that God is not an individual but is the motivating power of all life, animate and inanimate: That humanity creates its  own heaven or hell, it is not. To us God is encapsulated in the poem of the nineteenth century American, Lizzie Doten, entitled “God of the Granite and the Rose.” In it she describes God’s power as running in a circle throughout the whole of creation and returning to God:

“Thus round and round the circle runs,

A mighty sea without a shore,

While men and angels, stars and suns

Unite to praise Thee evermore.”

Why, therefore do human beings find it so difficult to avoid being corrupted by the exercise of power? To understand this, one has to try to understand as far as we are able, the cycle and even the purpose of life.  It may well be impossible to define this beyond doubt. However, the experience of Spiritualists and the communication received from those advanced souls in the spirit world, who speak to us from time to time, gives us some clear pointers. We are told that life is a spiritual, not merely a physical process. Physical existence is a phase through which the individual spirit passes in order to learn spiritual lessons from being imprisoned for a time in a physical body. Some claim this process is repeated more than once, though many Spiritualists dispute this, claiming re-incarnation is unproven.

All creation we are told, is part of God, the motivating power of the universe.  That being the case, it seems reasonable to suppose that God is not a static but an ever-changing power.  As spirit in its many and varied physical forms grows, so the power of God grows with it. If that is so we need to know what constitutes growth. The spirit we are  told is light and the light of each individualised spirit is brighter or duller depending upon its spiritual growth. That’s all very well but how does the light of spirit grow brighter? Silver Birch a wise and learned soul, who spoke to humanity through a trance medium, maintained that spiritual growth is earned through service to others. In relation to human beings, the value of our service is in proportion to the gifts with which we have been endowed and the privileges we have been accorded by virtue of our role in Society. The greater the privilege the greater the effort that is required from us.

Almost all examples of the abuse of power throughout history can be placed at the feet of those, who have either by force of arms or by way of gift from the general population, gained tremendous privilege.  To a lesser degree, those who have been appointed to positions of authority within commercial enterprises are also given privilege and exercise power over others. When our spirit, our true self, is encased in a physical body on birth, the influence of our five senses becomes overpowering. For many people this influence is irresistible and disconnects them from their spiritual selves throughout their adult lives. It is this disconnection which has led to the overwhelmingly materialist nature of modern society. It has influenced most scientists to dismiss any idea of a spiritual basis to life which  has led inevitably to materialism and measuring human progress purely in monetary terms. It is also responsible for consumerism, the widespread pollution of Earth and is a major contributor to climate change.

There was a time when religion and science were considered to be inseparable. That is until religion itself became a victim of the corruptive influence of power. Instead of being organisations that kept people in touch with their spiritual heritage, helping them to live better lives, they became self-serving. They used their influence to enhance their own power over people and to generate immense wealth for themselves and their leaders. Instead of the church serving the people, people became the servants of the church. Thus a dichotomy developed between science and religion.

How therefore can life on Earth lead to spiritual growth if so many fall victims to the corruptive influence of power?  Fortunately, not all individuals do fall victim. Some exercise their power benevolently. Others live lives devoted to helping others and eschew the trappings of power. We must never forget that life is eternal and throughout that life we are individually and collectively faced with choices.  This is so both here on Earth or in the spirit world. The choices we make determine the pattern our lives will take but such choices are never irrevocable. When we make poor choices, there will always be opportunities to correct them. Added to this, many in the spirit world devote themselves to guiding those of us in physical bodies. Helping us to avoid the many pitfalls of life or to benefit from mistakes we have made and cancel their negative effects. 

Earthly life is an incredible challenge and I believe no one ever completely fails.  It is also a challenge which I believe each of us undertakes willingly and knowingly. When we have passed from Earth we, with the help of our guiding friends in spirit, review our life here.  Not merely from our own perspective but also from that of the people whose lives we have touched.  Only then can we be sure exactly what spiritual growth we have achieved. Of course those in spirit will be able to tell if we have made significant spiritual progress by the light we generate. It may well be that we have failed to progress as much as we hoped we would when we chose to be born. Nevertheless, no Earthly life is wasted and the clear memory of the mistakes we made and why will help us to move forward in the spirit world. We may have to start from a lower point there than we would have liked and it will not be easy but we are able to serve there in capacities that will put us on an upward path once more. Above all, we will never be alone. Others will always be on hand to encourage and to support us no matter how hard we find the challenges we must face.

It seems to me life on Earth is beset by conflict. There seems no limit to the different areas of human endeavour where conflict and apparent unfairness reign supreme.  Being so widespread, this cannot be a matter of chance.  It must be part of God’s  design, but why?  Is the reason perhaps the vital importance for our souls of how we deal with conflict and unfairness?  Do we turn a blind eye or do we do what we can to oppose them?  Perhaps these challenges are needed if physical life is to achieve its objective of preparing our spirit for its onward journey?  Does conflict have a greater effect upon materialists than those who consciously or not, give their spiritual selves freer reign?  Perhaps you have an answer to these questions.

Lionel Owen