Do you remember the modest epitaph that Robert Louise Stevenson composed for himself?  “Here lies one who meant well, tried a little and failed much.”  I expect that those words would suit both you and me.

There comes to my mind an old story of an American whose store caught fire and in a few hours was completely gutted – burnt out!  In the morning the passers-by, as they stopped to look at the smoking ruins saw a notice pinned up to a part of the wall that was still standing.  ‘Every thing lost except hope; business will be resumed as usual tomorrow’.  I have remembered this story quite often because there seems to me to be a deep and essential truth within it about life.  So often that which keeps us going is hope; if we lose that we come to a complete standstill.Continue Reading

WHAT DOES THE NEW YEAR HOLD FOR SPIRITUALISM?

The past year has been one of considerable activity and progress.  The searchlight of publicity has once again been turned upon our movement, most of it exposing our weaknesses and in some cases highlighting the limitations of some members of our movement.  However, there occasionally emerges the one great central factor which is the foundation of Spiritualism – man’s survival beyond the grave.

As we advance, so too will the forces who attempt to retard our progress double their efforts to oppose us.

I remind you of the immortal words spoken to Mrs. Estelle Roberts, one of the world’s finest mediums, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle at the Royal Albert Hall Remembrance Service in November 1934. “Go forward!  Prove to the world the continuity of life after death and don’t give an inch.”  I believe these words mean as much for Spiritualism today as they did fifty-eight years ago.   Our mediums must make every effort to prove that life continues after so-called death.Continue Reading

The year 1991 opened with evil clouds of war again smothering our earth.  You may ask, how can this be when Christianity has dominated the world’s history for twenty centuries, teaching and preaching, “Love one another”?  England, a devout Christian country, in less than three hundred years has spent in the game of human slaughter billions of millions of monies drawn from the people of our country for the persecution of war.  But no figures can estimate the horror, suffering, torture, heart-rending misery and privation – not to speak of the terrible cost in human life or the inhuman suffering of those children left orphans to battle with the hardship of living.

We may ask, “Is there a pure, spiritual, religious nation on earth?  When shall we become civilised, spiritualised, true followers of the world’s great spiritual leaders?”  When indeed?  In an age of guided missiles we need guided men.  It is certain that religion has less influence in today’s world.  Millions profess spirituality – being Christian – but our civilisation has never been spiritualised because we measure the degree of civilisation by the accumulation of the means of living, wealth, gold, jewels, national wealth, instead of its true definition: ‘the character and value of the life lived’.Continue Reading