The Church of England on Spiritualism

The Church of England in 1937 set up an investigation into the matter of communication with the dead, and the report was completed in 1939. The Church then more or less suppressed its publication.

It can now be seen online.

It is interesting to see the arguments about lack of scientific proof, but they do have to admit that their own teachings lack scientific proof as well.

It is a fascinating fact that one of the authors, Archbishop Lang, is recorded as communicating to Leslie Flint after death and apologizing for his part in suppressing the report.
http://www.leslieflint.com

There are many problems associated with after-death communications, depending on the state of those involved and the level of fear that can exist, and those opposed to the idea always stress this aspect.

I have found nothing but Love and Light and great edification from around ten different sessions over the last few years. Love casts out Fear. Fear creates demons and devils that have no actual existence in Basic Reality. The Devil is an invention of Fear.

I am not a Spiritualist; some of their official beliefs include the idea of retribution for sin, and I do not think this is an accurate picture of what happens. Also, Leslie Flint himself, who was a powerful direct voice medium for fifty years, gave an address in which he lamented the low level of activity of many spiritualists compared to what they could be achieving with their gifts. This is not to criticize; all communications however patchy can bring enormous comfort. It is not a perfect world, and it's not meant to be.

What is Life after Death? Does it matter?

What is Life after Death? and why it matters.

Understanding what death is about would transform our lives to a considerable extent. In the last few decades the medical profession seems to have come to regard death as an enemy to be fought. Many doctors actually believe that they have some control over postponing death.

Medicine is great; it helps us to live healthier lives at times. Doctors have a vital role to play. But the underlying reality is that we each create our own reality by the habitual thoughts we hold dear to us, and we choose to live or die.

The body tends naturally towards health! Endless advertisements bombard us these days about all sorts of ailments that we might have if we don't take the pills they are selling. How long before they tell us: "One in six of you are already dead and you don't know it. Contact your mortician for a check-up!"

Death is part of Life as we have set it up here on this particular earth plane. Our cells die all the time, and we still live on. Birth and Death are the Entrance and Exit doors to this reality. Therefore we must accept death as part of our plan.

Knowing that you will live on after death is bound to change how you live your life. If you knew you would have to face yourself, and also face all those with whom you interact, you would think twice about ever doing anybody deliberate harm.

Perfect justice is found in facing yourself in the Light. There is no separate external Judge awaiting you. Many of those passed over speak of vividly reliving their lives and seeing everything, both good and bad, as it affected those around them. If you cause pain to someone deliberately or even thoughtlessly, you get to enter into that pain and feel it for yourself. You don't need anybody to rebuke you or punish you; you feel it so deeply.

Grieving and Bereavement

Grieving after bereavement is a lonely business...

I personally found that I had to make the pain of bereavement count for something. In psychic sessions from several top-class mediums my wife insisted that her early death was planned and had specific meaning and intention. She merely used the cancer as a way to go. If it hadn't been cancer it would have been something else.

Obviously it was not all about me, though it certainly felt like it sometimes in my state of depression and loss. On the other hand my part in the events was all about me, for we are all at the centre of our own universe. We had six children, (in fact seven when I discovered a still-born daughter was alive in the spirit world.) She had other relatives and friends who were touched by it as well.

We do receive comfort, but for the main part grief is endured alone. You can be lonely in a crowded room, and often that is our experience.

The traditional Christian belief is that those who pass over, provided they are "saved", are asleep in the arms of Jesus awaiting the resurrection of the dead and the Great Judgement. The "saved" have nothing to fear at the Judgement, but the unsaved are in for a very bad time for ever and ever.  Atheists tend to believe that beyond death is oblivion. In my lifetime I have believed all of this at different times.

What I discovered as I searched however was that none of these things are true. My wife and other relatives and friends showed themselves to be fully alive in bodily form. They are fully aware of us here on earth. In fact, their own "space" is probably on or around the earth in a dimension that is invisible to us. They are still the same personalities that they were here on earth, though still developing and learning. They have to "wind themselves down", as it were, in order to communicate with us. We probably don't get the full picture of who they have become.

If you dispute the idea of invisible reality just think about this: your thoughts are real....yet they take up no space and they cannot be seen. Your knowledge grows enormously over a lifetime yet your head doesn't get bigger nor does it feel too full.

There are spectrums, or spectra,  of light and sound that once we did not know about. There are bound to be more of such realities that are still invisible to our earth perception.

Love is the great bond between us and our lost loved ones. The emotional power keeps us in touch.

For those losing a spouse whom they didn't like, there is no coercion to join up again. Matters can be sorted and each can go their own way.

If a spouse remarries and has another strong loving relationship like the first, it is totally possible to split oneself off in the afterlife and continue with both relationships. There are no limits to the soul.

More about Life After Death

It is possible to reject all religious thought and still acknowledge the reality that life is never-ending.

When we look into the history of all religions, including Christianity, we see massive storms of conflict about doctrines and philosophies. Anti-religious thought is full of the same kind of thing. Science freed itself from religion and then went on to be just as intolerant. The seething mass of human thought is almost frightening.

Today we need to exercise very fine discrimination to discover eternal truths that are always there under the mass of conflicting intellectual argument.

It may seem a cliche, but truly the answers are within each individual. Follow your own instinct and thought.

Yet outward scientific knowledge does not any longer contradict what has been known mystically since the dawn of time. Atoms and sub-atomic particles are now known to be capable of being present in many places at once. Logically then, since we are made up of such particles we too are capable of existing in many realities at once. Our basic reality is greater than the physical part of us that we currently know. We have deliberately chosen to focus on this existence to the extent of shutting out the greater part of us. We have a purpose in this which is evolutionary.

I recommend "What the Bleep Do We Know", both book and DVD, and "Through the Wormhole", the series of DVDs narrated by Morgan Freeman, in order to get up to date with the stunning discoveries of modern science. I find it frustrating that many people still quote out-of-date science to support theories that say life is random and accidental. There is overwhelming evidence in modern science that huge intelligence creates all universes.

Our perception from this limited viewpoint of exploding stars and black holes etc. may be very misleading. An exploding star, for instance, far from dying, may actually be progressing into a new plane of existence, just as we at death progress to a higher plane of existence. The cosmos is one thing in our perception; it is in basic reality something beyond our perception that one day we will discover when we evolve that far.

Since time is a local illusion, of course, humanity is already evolved to dimensions so glorious as to be completely beyond our imagination. Those molecules and atoms that make up your being already have a presence in those realms.

Intellectual Folly

It is only possible to arrive at balanced perceptions of reality by combining the intellect with the emotions and intuition.

The ego intellect sees itself as separate from objects. The true reality is that we are both observer and observed; there is no separation. Science now confirms this.

If you are born with a great intellect you may become unbalanced by it. The man with a huge penis often pursues sexuality as his main purpose of fulfillment.  Equally, the ability to think and write great stuff can make you think you know better than everyone else. Your great brain is your powerful penis.

On the other hand many people choose to only pursue emotional paths and they discount all "complicated" thought. Often such people just accept what government and society tells them.

Be yourself! Believe your own beliefs! The individual is king.

The tabloid mentality is pathetic. It is not possible to be an evolving human being and be a tabloid editor or reporter at the same time. (Well, it's all evolution, so qualify that statement.)

In today's media we search out "perverts', "abusers" etc etc , as if these were different from who we the observers are. Observer and observed are not separate! At real levels above this one we are all related.

Think for yourself! Always. And stop buying that tabloid rag!
http://www.edenvalebooks.com

Atheism, Religion and Bereavement

If Atheism means that not only is there no God but that life as we know it is random, accidental  and temporary, then it is no more sensible than believing in a flat earth. Darwin saw true things, and then misinterpreted them; his modern followers have made it even worse.

The traditional idea of God as the creator of humanity is probably naive, but not entirely ridiculous. God is "All-That-Is", the source of all kinds of life; all life is not humanoid by any means. The main difficulty in discussing these issues is words and what we mean by them.

"Consciousness" is probably the best word we can use to describe the underlying source of energy that creates all things. It creates all things continuously; it has no beginning and no end. It is very much related to Thought when it is manifested in form.

We are all part of that Consciousness and there are many other dimensions in which we all exist simultaneously to the world we know now. Think of yourself as a vast consciousness that straddles universes, taking the form appropriate to each part. Here you are a physical man or woman or child; in many other dimensions you are something else.

When a loved one passes out of this system it is painful in the extreme. Yet that loved one is fully alive beyond a very thin veil. You can contact them in several ways. A genuine medium can connect you in ways that leave no doubt; you can also tune in to their energy by yourself and experience unmistakable contact.

The purpose of pain in bereavement is to develop your soul, your psyche. It deepens your understanding of life and makes you more compassionate and tolerant. There is no judgment or punishment. We are good people. There is no sinful self in spite of what religion and psychology will tell you. What we see as evil is energy gone wrong.

My chief source of knowledge comes from years of studying the Seth Material, several volumes through Jane Roberts. I recommend them. I have written my own book detailing why I believe what I believe. Some have described it as a primer, or a cheat-sheet, and it can be a good introduction to the many sources of intelligence in the mysteries of life. It is called:
"Wings of the Dawn, 
Finding God Beyond Religion and Darwinism, and Making Sense of Bereavement"

It is on Amazon and is available at:
http://www.edenvalebooks.com

If you prefer to delve into the real source then go for the Seth books right away, although my own book expands on just the Seth material.

Good hunting.

My life in the Exclusive Brethren

I was born into the Christian sect known as Exclusive Brethren, a movement started by J N Darby around 1832 in Dublin and Plymouth, hence "Plymouth Brethren" which is the softer part of this movement.

The EB gradually became more extreme over the years, especially after 1959 when the son of the long-ruling leader James Taylor took over the leadership worldwide. He was James Taylor Junior and he lived in New York as did his father. The central tenet of the Brethren was always "separation from the world", but under James Taylor Junior this was pushed to an extreme, based on 2 Timothy 2, verse 19, "Let him that names the name of the Lord separate from iniquity." From 1959 onwards, until his death in 1970, Taylor issued a stream of what he called "directives" which he claimed to get direct from the Lord.

These directives covered almost all aspects of our lives: not to eat or drink with "unbelievers", (in practice this was all non-members of the EB fellowship), not to have TV or radio, to attend church meetings every day, and much much more. He eventually claimed to be God's Representative on Earth, and the "Personification of the Holy Spirit". His many henchmen around the world enforced the rules with very little, if any, compassion, and numerous families were split apart in bitterness and sorrow.

His one concession to freedom was alcohol, largely due to his own addiction. He got everybody drinking alcohol as a matter of course. We couldn't smoke or eat with outsiders or have radio or theatre or TV, but boy could we drink!

Ironically, a few months before he died this supposed holy man was found in bed with a naked lady not his wife. This resulted in a great schism and thousands of members left the fellowship. The vast majority stayed, though, believing his explanation that he had been directed by God all along. I, alas, was one of these deluded followers and it took another thirteen years before I finally freed myself. On this blog I am exploring how I found my way out of this darkness into a more positive and (in my opinion) sensible view of the world and of greater realities beyond. In the process I lost my way a few times, and then had the bitter blow of losing my lovely wife to cancer at the age of 52.

This finally set me on the Great Search, first of all for where she went, (and I found her!) In the process I discovered an exciting multidimensional universe of never-ending life beyond the distortions of religions and science. In case you wonder at this point: I do not subscribe to any of the weird conspiracy theories and dark views of how the world is run. I see no doom or spectacular end of the world. I believe that we each one create our own reality and that we have always been alive and always will be. I believe in the essential goodness of human beings. I believe in Love, Faith, Hope, and in Service to our fellow men and women. If you want to read my story have a look at:
http://www.edenvalebooks.com

What is life after death?

Religion and Science parted company during the last four to five hundred years. Partly this was due to the Church refusing to accept the evidence that went against its traditional teaching. This is the drawback of establishing "once-and-for-all" Truth; you simply can't accept any progress even when the evidence is staring you in the face. For centuries man believed the earth was the centre of the universe and everything else revolved around it. The idea that the earth and planets revolved around the sun was regarded as blasphemous heresy and people were actually burned at the stake for suggesting it.

Nowadays the images taken by the Hubble telescope and other such equipment dwarf these ideas completely; no longer do we think of heaven and earth in the old cosy terms. There are numberless universes out there and we can't find any boundary so far.

In spite of this, both scientists and religious believers still cling to the absurd notion that there is no life anywhere else except here on earth. This was excusable in the past when we could see the sky as a dome over the earth and we knew the movements of the stars in time and space. Believers could be content with a God in Heaven and his apparently flawed creatures on earth. Atheists could postulate that it was all a random accident and would dissolve into meaningless nothing again.

The fact that we can now see endless universes in previously "empty" space would suggest that there is in fact no empty space at all anywhere. There are simply infinite dimensions that we do not understand. Physical life is a tiny but vital part of a spectrum of dimensions.

So what is the evidence for Life after Death?

First of all, the vast body of evidence provided by psychic experience is valid. Both Church and Science have battered the reputation of psychic experience so brutally and consistently that many people are afraid to acknowledge its existence. Yes there have been, and there still are, fraudulent mediums who take advantage of people in distress. This does not invalidate the true reality of psychic experience. Everything real can be imitated. Because your wife or girlfriend fakes an orgasm, does this mean orgasms don't exist?

I personally used to believe in traditional Christianity and then I left it because I became disillusioned with the distortions that had taken it away from the simple truths that Jesus had apparently taught. Like many others I then became agnostic, believing that in all probability life was brief and accidental and ultimately meaningless.

I now know from several sources that life never ends. We are alive both before and after this current life. Death on this earth is merely a doorway into another reality that is greater than this one. There is no place of the dead. There is no traditional heaven and hell. Immediately on passing over through what we call death we are alive in bodily form in a realm of being not unlike earth in many ways, but much better. We survive as personalities; we meet up with old friends and loved ones; we continue to develop and learn; there is music and dancing, fellowship, social intercourse, and much more.

This means that the idea of a physical resurrection of the dead is a great error. It is not necessary to raise the dead, because there are no dead. There is no place where all the dead are asleep awaiting judgement. I think it would be better if the Christian Church would revise its opinions on this. The Church of England did set up an inquiry into psychic matters in 1939 and ended up suppressing it because they did not like what they saw. The Church of Scotland also set up an inquiry in 1923 and a member of the team, Sir Arthur Findlay, went on to promote spiritualism afterwards.

I intend to continue to discuss my findings on this blog. If you wish to have a fuller explanation of my reasons for saying all this have a look at:
www.edenvalebooks.com

Thinking makes it so.

You create your life by your own thoughts.
This a literal, physical truth. The very body that you have is created in the "now" by your own inner thoughts. The physical world we live in is the solidified manifestation of our individual and collective thoughts.

This means that you are never a victim of outside influences, unless you allow it. This has enormous implications; it is a complicated subject and requires a lot of study to be able to understand it. People get angry when you say there no victims; you have to learn the context of this truth. Nothing ever excuses the perpetrator of abuse or violence in this physical reality, but the overall context of our multidimensional life is one where each person is ultimately responsible for what happens to them. There are many who willfully misunderstand this statement because it is easier to claim victim status, especially on behalf of others, than to work out our own salvation.

There are many levels of consciousness underlying the physical world that we know. Most of us are aware of the subconscious mind, but there are many more levels. The soul is not contained within you, but is in fact the larger part of you that cannot be fully manifested in flesh. It is more accurate to say that you are a small part of your soul; your soul is too vast to be squeezed into your body. Yet every tiniest part of you has everything that belongs to the whole, just like a hologram.

There is a life plan, which you yourself planned, but nothing is predestined as such. You create and live the life in every moment, maybe sticking to the plan or making detours within the overall setting. There is no destiny of doom or place of failure and punishment. Earth is about learning how to handle the energy of our thoughts.

On this site we are going to explore the evidence for this, plus a lot more. There have been so many distortions over many centuries and millennia. These distortions may well have just been a vital part of our evolving consciousness and therefore useful rather than wrong.We will always have distortions, but hopefully they will be less and less.

Hundreds of great religions have come and gone. To those who were devoted to them in their time the idea of abandoning them would have been unthinkable. The current main religions in our world still have enormous influence on our collective thought processes. They cannot just be abandoned because atheists dismiss them. Yet Thought evolves, and the enlightened person is the one who is open to forward movement. Religion is a collection of Thoughts, and no thought stands still for ever.

Christianity is already under stress because the effort to preserve it in its "purity" is not working. Various issues, such as the intolerance of homosexuality and of women's equality, to name two of the main ones, can no longer be sustained in our modern society. Christianity must evolve, or else it will become irrelevant. It will become a set of ideas in a pickle jar on a museum shelf.
www.edenvalebooks.com