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
