Archive for the ‘Spiritualist’ Category

Mulling over the local geography

Saturday, February 21st, 2009

As I mentioned in my previous post, Hydesville is Southeast of Rochester, NY (US).  It’s the foundation point for Modern Spiritualism, and is where the Fox sisters heard raps from a deceased peddler.  The town of Palmyra is nearby.  It is the foundation point for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), (a.k.a. the Mormons), and is where Joseph Smith talked with the angel Moroni and discovered the plates, which became the book of Mormon.

Lily Dale is in Cassadaga, NY, which is about two hours drive from Rochester, and it is the capital of Spiritualism in the US.

The Genessee river runs through the middle of Rochester, and it flows from South to North, which is a rarity on our planet.  (In addition to the Nile, there are other rivers that flow from South to North.)

Do these spiritual influences and the geography of the region somehow go together?  I’m not sure, but I’d like to know.

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The House in Hydesville

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

The Fox sisters lived in a small cottage in Hydesville, which is a very small town that is Southeast of Rochester, New York (US). They heard spirit raps in the cottage, and learned how to communicate with the spirit there, who was a peddler who had been murdered in the house years before.  The news of their ability to communicate spread like wildfire and became the catalyst event for the foundation of Modern Spiritualism.  Here is an excellent first-person account of their experience, and a historical account that describes their lives and experiences with Spiritualism. The Lily Dale Museum has items from the Fox family.

The House in Hydesville is a play that just finished running in the Geva Theatre in Rochester.  I went to see it.  The acting was excellent, and the stage was well done.  It’s a beautiful place.  There’s not a bad seat in the house, and it was two or three seats short of a sellout.

As a Spiritualist, I found the story very disappointing.  On the way out, one of my spirit folks said “Skeptics win on this one”, and that describes it quite accurately.  I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone.

Posted in Fox Sisters, Mediumship, Spiritualist | No Comments »

Spiritualist themed book for kids

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

If you have teenagers who like to read, you may want to offer them Blind Faith by Ellen Wittlinger.  I haven’t read it, but the reviews on teenreads.com and amazon.com look good.

This may be good for kids who are dealing with a death situation, but I would read it myself first, just to be sure I was comfortable before offering it.

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Defining the term ‘Spiritualist’

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008

I used to think that a Spiritualist was a person who believed in Spiritualism as described by the National Spiritualist Association of Churches (NSAC) in the US or possibly the Spiritualists National Union (SNU) in the UK.  Nothing more.

But I now see the term cropping up in areas I wouldn’t expect.  For example, in reference to a Sikh guru.  Or a domestic and international Strategy Consultant.  Or in an article about Yoga Spirituality, based in India.

“Spiritualist” doesn’t have the type of narrow and exclusive meaning like “Catholic” or “Muslim” have.  Spiritualism never claimed exclusivity or copyright or what-have-you on it.

Perhaps the first type of Spiritualism should be called Classic Spiritualism, just to differentiate it from the other uses of the term.  Classic Spiritualism seems to be more prevalent in the US, the UK, and Australia, than it is in other places.  So if you’re in the context of these countries, “Spiritualist” it’s likely to be Classic Spiritualism. Any other country, all bets are off.

Posted in Spiritualism in the UK, Spiritualist | No Comments »

Sex and spirituality

Thursday, September 18th, 2008

Sex and spirituality, as wonderful as they are, are best enjoyed separately.  It keeps the confusion down, and helps avoid problems with sex in the name of spirituality.

In my mind, taking unfair advantage of someone is one of the most unethical things you can do.  It’s bad when it’s done from a position of power, and under the guise of religion, even worse.  Combined with sexuality, worse yet.  Here’s an article about a couple of guys in Australia who think it’s just the thing to do – they pretended to be Spiritualists, purported to cast evil spirits out through sex with their client/victims, and made a lot of money in the process.

I’m feeling like a broken record here, but I have to say it – the Law of Cause and Effect is always working, affects everyone equally, and operates in both the positive and negative directions.  Needless to say, this one’s negative.  As the Aussies might say, “No worries mate, it’ll come around to them.”

Thank goodness that they weren’t actually Spiritualists, only pretenders! The last thing we need is yet another slur on our good name.

Posted in Ethics in mediumship, Law of Cause and Effect, Sex, Spiritualist | No Comments »

Crossroads in Cassadaga

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

The flickr photo below was taken at the Spiritualist camp at Cassadaga Florida, uploaded by Willy Volk.Spiritualist St and Mediumship Way

I agree with Iva that the namer of streets has taken it to another level. In comparison, Lily Dale is very classic – First Street, Second Street, etc…

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Undeserving of the title

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

No Spiritualist I know of (or want to know of) would EVER tell a couple of parents that their their nine-year-old son was possessed by witchcraft and should be left to die.  They should be called something other than Spiritualist, something that’s certainly not complimentary!  Apparently, that’s exactly what happened, and the child died.  How unnecessary……

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