Unfolding Physical Mediumship: Historical, Philosophical, and Personal Perspectives

By Susan B. Barnes PhD CSNU

Spiritual awareness is happening all around us. We are living at a spiritual turning point. As individuals, we are learning how to tune into the spiritual voices of our loved ones and guides. The media has a fixation with mediums, death, and altered consciousness. Throughout these changes, physical mediumship is now becoming more prevalent in contemporary culture. In Unfolding Physical Mediumship, author Susan B. Barnes offers a basic understanding of physical mediumship, its phenomena, and its practices. She provides an overview of the subject with some practical guidelines on how you can experience physical mediumship yourself, also exploring the philosophy, religion, and science of Spiritualism, which is essential for developing physical mediumship with a spiritual connection. Unfolding Physical Mediumship can help you understand the philosophy, religion, and science behind physical mediumship as well as show you how both mediumship and Spiritualism can play a central role in your daily life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Sep 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781483490090

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Unfolding Physical Mediumship

Historical, Philosophical, and Personal Perspectives

Susan B. Barnes, PhD, CSNU

Copyright © 2018 Susan B. Barnes, PhD, CSNU.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9010-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9009-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018909922

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 08/31/2018

For Dennis, a natural-born medium

Previously Published Books by

Susan B. Barnes, PhD

Branding as Communication (2017) New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing.

Social Networks: From Text to Video (2013) New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing.

Socializing the Classroom (2012) Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

An Introduction to Visual Communication (2011) New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing.

Computer-Mediated Communication (2003) Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Online Connections: Internet Interpersonal Relationships (2001) Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The work of the Afterlife Research and Education Institute promotes knowledge about physical mediumship. Thanks to Victor and Wendy Zammit, Craig Hogan, and Susanne Wilson for encouraging me to write this book. Additionally, Peter Aykroyd’s A History of Ghosts provided inspiration through a wonderful family history of séances and the search for physical phenomena. Thank you, Dan, for gifting the book to me.

I would also like to acknowledge Cori and Brad Bettis for their friendship and skills turning a house into a place for spirit. They helped create a wonderful séance space for spirit communication. Additionally, Shannon Taggart and Donna Sinclair Hogan have accompanied me on my spiritual journeys. I thank them for their support.

INTRODUCTION

The movie Ghost helped make people aware of paranormal activities and how the power of love can bridge the world of spirit and earth. Through the ties of love, individuals can sense and feel their loved ones who have crossed over to the other side.

Spiritual awareness is happening all around us. We are living at a spiritual turning point where spiritual consciousness is openly discussed. As individuals, we are learning how to tune in to the spiritual voices of our loved ones and guides. The media has a fixation with mediums, death, and altered consciousness. Throughout these changes, physical mediumship is becoming more prevalent in contemporary culture.

The philosophy behind the text is Spiritualism, a religion that was at its height at the end of the 1800s. It still survives today, and Spiritualist churches can be found in the United States and Great Britain. Spiritualism is considered a philosophy, a religion, and a science. Its philosophy is essential for developing physical mediumship with a spiritual connection. Other traditions will not be covered here.

This text was written to give you a basic understanding of physical mediumship, its phenomena, and practices. It provides an overview of the subject with some practical guidelines on how you can experience physical mediumship for yourself. Each chapter explains a different topic, and these can be read individually or in order. However, it is suggested that you start with the first chapter, which defines physical mediumship’s terms and concepts.

1

WHAT IS PHYSICAL MEDIUMSHIP?

Physical mediumship is depicted in popular culture through the idea of the séance. People get together, light some candles, hold hands, and wait for the medium to bring through a spirit entity. Movies generally put a negative spin on this because the contacted spirit may be a murderer or an annoying presence. Hollywood tends to like films that scare people. All these images and ideas have absolutely nothing to do with the reality of a séance or physical mediumship. So, forget what you learned on TV or in the movies, and open your mind to the existence of how mediumship works.

Understanding physical mediumship requires a person to be open-minded and willing to accept spiritual messages. Spirit is defined as this: Life or intelligence conceived of entirely apart from physical embodiment. It is a vital essence, force, energy, as distinct from matter.¹ There are always people who will not believe, no matter what they experience in a séance. The experience is too much for them to understand. So first, you need to decide whether or not you can keep an open mind. However, keeping your mind open does not mean you should not be discerning about what you see and hear.

Moreover, cultural attitudes can shape our understanding about mediumship. These include media misrepresentation, lack of knowledge about natural law, and human behavior. Images of mediumship in the movies and on television are often exaggerated for theatrical purposes. Additionally, most people are not familiar with the natural laws that govern the phenomena that occur during séances. Finally, human behavior that is grounded in materialism can prevent people from understanding spiritual truths.

Fox Sisters

Physical mediumship was first widely acknowledged in the United States through the knockings of the Fox sisters. The knockings revealed a real ghost story, one that could be made into a Hollywood film. Similar to the movie Ghost, the spirit was just trying to right a wrong.

On March 31, 1848, rappings began in the Hydesville home of the Fox family. Hydesville is close to Rochester, New York, which was a hotbed of the Underground Railroad, women’s rights, and religious movements. Neighbors of the Fox family were immediately called over to hear the noise. The Fox sisters were able to establish a communication system with the spirit. Neighbors called in other people, and the news began to spread like a virus. Moreover, they began to collect evidence. The spirit messages revealed that a previous owner had killed a peddler named Charles B. Rosna in the Fox cottage and buried him in the basement. Through raps, Rosna’s spirit could communicate this information to the Fox sisters.

Attorney E. E. Lewis published the first recorded information about the event on April 30, 1848, and newspapers near and far told the tale of the spiritual visitation. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said, Not only did they collect and record the impressions of everyone concerned, but they actually had the evidence in printed form within a month of the occurrence.² The event brought six significant issues to the public’s attention:

1. It is possible to communicate with the spirits of the so-called dead.

2. The communications were made easy because of a simple code. The rappings used a simple alphabet system that people could easily understand.

3. Certain people are mediums. In addition to the Fox sisters, numerous mediums developed around the United States and formed spirit circles.

4. Professional societies emerged to study the science of mediumship.

5. The religion of Spiritualism was started.

6. Physical phenomena were publicly acknowledged.

Fifty-six years after the rappings and the beginning of modern Spiritualism, the walls of the humble cottage in Hydesville began to weaken. When the walls caved in, the peddler’s skeleton with his trunk was revealed.³ Thus, the Fox sisters’ communication with the spirit of Charles Rosna was confirmed. The testimonies of witnesses in 1849 were proven to be correct. In the meantime, mediums flourished in the United States and Britain. During the mid-1800s, many of the manifestations were of a physical nature, including levitation, knockings, and spirit voices. Spiritualism as a religion flourished in the late 1800s.

Spiritualism

Spiritualism is a religion, a philosophy, and a science. Its outlook provides a basic understanding of how to set up the right type of conditions for physical mediumship to occur. The ethos covers knowledge about the spirit world and behavior in everyday life through its principles.

Numerous people and organizations have tried to define Spiritualism. One of the earliest definitions dates to 1859. At a conference in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Spiritualism was defined as the true up-building of man’s highest spiritual welfare and destiny. In other words, Spiritualism focuses on the spiritual well-being of individuals. This idea is lost when people consider Spiritualism to be an outsider or occult religion.⁴ In reality, the Spiritualist principles, which lay the foundation for its philosophy, are grounded in common beliefs of other religious practices. Following are its principles:

• The fatherhood of God.⁵ This principle is a belief in a divine and intelligent energy. The force created and sustains life. It is part of everything, and we are all children of God, making us all one family. Spiritualists recognize God as our Father.

• The brotherhood of humans. We are all one family and part of the universal creative force. Because we are children of God, we are a true brotherhood of humans. As Spiritualists, we should attempt to understand the needs of others and help all people. This principle brings to mind the golden rule as an essential aspect of Spiritualist philosophy.

• The communion of spirits and the ministry of angels. Two concepts are covered by this principle. First, communication with spirits and divine energy is a natural part of life. The ability to communicate between worlds is innate in all of us. The primary reason for this communication is to provide evidence, which supports the Spiritualist philosophy of the continuous existence of the human soul. Second, the ministry of angels offers spiritual wisdom. These insights bring inspirational healing and guidance to our world. Often, they communicate through spirit guides, entities that provide spiritual advice and support.

• The continuous existence of the human soul. Energy cannot be created or destroyed; energy can only change its form. When we die, our physical bodies are left here on earth as our souls continue to exist on a different plane. This dimension is referred to as the spirit world. As a result, an individual continues on unchanged. Communication with the spirit world occurs through the phenomenon of mediumship. Thus, some will say there is no death.

• Personal responsibility. Individuals have the ability to improve and change their lives. How we live is our own personal responsibility. No religious or spiritual force can absolve us of our sins. The sooner we right our wrongdoings, the better our lives will become. Positive actions bring about positive returns.

• Compensation and retribution hereafter for all the good and evil deeds done on earth. This principle represents the natural law called cause and effect. Both the physical and spiritual worlds are subject to this concept. As people make decisions in their lives, the choices influence how their souls grow. Wrongs not righted on the earth plane can be corrected when we are in the spirit realm. Thus, people can always progress.

• Eternal progress open to every human soul. We, as individuals, have the opportunity to change and develop our souls’ growth at any time. The chance to move forward and embrace the love that surrounds us through the grace of God is always present. These principles were not proposed as required rules. On the contrary, they only provide a moral and ethical foundation upon which people can center their lives.

The more the principles are followed, the purer and higher the vibration of the individual. This high vibration is necessary for physical mediums to work without fear of attracting the wrong spirits. Persons living and working on higher spiritual vibrations will repel negative energies and not allow them in their consciousness.

As the soul progresses, its vibrational frequency and quality increase and people improve their spiritual development. This development occurs in the material and spiritual worlds, and its goal is to become more spiritual. Spiritualist principles can help us obtain this goal.

Every sect of Spiritualism has a version of the principles, and they unite Spiritualists across the world. Moreover, the principles help define Spiritualism as a religion and set the philosophy for mediumship. Spiritual, physical phenomena need to be created in a positive emotional environment that works in the service of spirit.

In 1926, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle defined the religious aspects of spiritualism in the following way:

Spiritualism is a system of thought and knowledge which can be reconciled with any religion. The basic facts are the continuity of personality and the power of communication after death. These two basic facts are of great importance to a Brahmin, a Mohammedan, or a Parsee as to a Christian. Therefore, Spiritualism makes a universal appeal.⁶

Similar to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Spiritualist National Union (SNU) describes Spiritualism as

many things to many people to some it is a philosophy, to some a religion, to some the science behind mediumship and evidence of life after death along with the natural laws of cause and effect, to some it is the lifelong study and attainment of spiritual wisdom.⁷

A common element in all these definitions is the concept of communication between the living and spirit worlds. This is generally accomplished through a medium. The General Assembly of Spiritualists defines a medium as one whose organism is sensitive to vibrations from the Spirit World, and through whose instrumentality, Intelligences in that World are able to convey messages and produce phenomena of Spiritualism.⁸ These phenomena are produced by natural law.

Physical phenomena occur because of natural law. Also, natural law can protect mediums against earthbound entities and harmful spirits. A person following the natural law will raise their vibration to a higher spiritual level. Additionally, over the years, many Spiritualist