Only One Life

For more than 160 years non-Spiritualists condemned Spiritualists for their knowledge that life continues after the change called death. They were also condemned for believing that mediums could contact the "dead" and communicate with them. Mediums have been communicating with spirit people for thousands of years and were able to document the information that spirits, the dead, provided.

One of the main things that mediums were able to show is that all people when they die go to the spirit world, heaven. The Bible says in John 14:2 "In my Father's house there are many places to live in; otherwise I would have told you..." (New Jerusalem Bible) Spiritualists believe that all humans when they die go to a place in the spirit world where there are people who are just like them. That is, a place for the average good person and a place for criminals, but all humans go there no matter who or what they were like when physically alive. The Christian church tells us that only those who have accepted Christ as saviour go directly to heaven and all others sleep in the grave until the great day of judgement.

In this world there are people who believe that this is the only life that they will ever have, when they die, that's it, life for them ends. Many more people believe that this will not be their only life and that life does continues after the change called death. But where does our belief in an afterlife come from?

In the Encyclopedia of the unusual and unexplained How the Major Religions View the Afterlife. "With all their diversity of beliefs, the major religions are in accord in one great teaching: Human beings are immortal and their spirit comes from a divine world and may eventually return there. Since the earliest forms of spiritual expression, this is the great promise and hope that religions have offered to their followers".

Anthropologists who study ancient man found proof that those early people had a belief in an afterlife. The Book of the Dead, the Enuma Elish, the I Ching, and the Avesta, they are among the most ancient religious texts still in existence and all of them have references to an afterlife. (Www.sacred-text.com) "Until recently, it was believed that the “primitive” cave paintings were merely depictions of hunting animals, but new research show that the cave paintings are evidence of travels to the spirit world these travels could be of a similar nature as the near-death experience, and therefore, it is possible that experiences of the ultimate reality are as old as humanity". (www.awakeningafterlifethebook.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=artice&id=67&Itemid=65)

As shown above, belief that life continues after the change called death, has existed for tens of thousands of years. The Bible even has many references indicating that even in the time of Noah man believed in an after life. In the Bible's New Testament 1 Peter 3:18 it says "For Christ ... was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit". If Christ continued to live as a spirit after his body was put to death, it means that every human, past, present and future, when their body dies will continue to live as spirit beings.

Christianity teaches that man is "body", "soul" and "spirit" and that when the body dies, the soul and spirit live on, believing that the soul is the body of the spirit. Other than the findings of scientists that there is an afterlife, Christianity is the source of our belief today that we, man, are created in the image of God. In the Bible, Gen. 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness..." It says in John 4:24 "God is spirit...” this Bible verse tells us that we were created in the likeness of God as spirit beings long before we were born of woman. We don't know exactly when God created us (spirits). It could have been when God made mankind or untold millennia before that time, we just don't know. However, some people even believe that life only begins at the moment the male sperm unites with the egg of a woman and not before that moment.

Allen Kardec in his "The Spirit Book" asked his spirit guide Zefiro in question #78. "Have spirits had a beginning, or have they existed, like God, from all eternity?" "Zefiro replied
if spirits had not had a beginning, they would be equal with God; whereas they are His creation, and subject to His will. That God has existed from all eternity is incontestable; but as to when and how He created us, we know nothing. You may say that we have had no beginning in this sense, that, God being eternal, He must have incessantly created as to when and how each of us was made, this, I repeat, is known to no one. It is the great mystery."

An afterlife as mentioned above is a controversial subject in many respects but by the same token something that has been known for countless centuries. For us living in this physical world at this time the thought of an afterlife is a question. The church tells us that the bad person sleeps in the grave until judgement day, but do we. According to what is written above life continues after the change called death for all

Another question that comes up quite often is "do humans reincarnate"? The debate over reincarnation has been going on for hundreds of years. In the Far East, their is a strong belief in reincarnation. In the West, man believe that he has only one life to live. Whether you accept reincarnation as a fact or not makes no difference as to whether you go to heaven when you die, you will. I know that there are thousands of people who read this will say the reincarnation doesn't exist so, therefor, why debate the issue, if it is an issue.

One life to live, or many. You are the one who has to make up you own mind. For me, I'll wait and see what happens.

Time

Time may be an invention of man but it allows man to know when certain happenings in history and his life took place. Time is something we all know about but do we really?

Since the beginning of human history, man has used nature in order to tell time. He devised methods of recording the passage of the constellations throughout the sky, the phases of the moons in order to know when it was time to plant and a time to harvest. Later on man devised the sun dial and other devices to help him tell time, determining the number hours in a day and even the number of days in a year. In China and India and other parts of the world, water clocks were being used as early as 4000 BC. Water clocks advanced in sophistication for countless years until the development of the mechanical and electronic clocks of the type we use today.

When I was a young man, I read several articles by prominent scientists on the subject of time. Each man had a different interpretation on exactly what time is. However, each man conceded that he just didn't know what time really was.

"Time exists as an expression of change. Our human reality is a three dimensional material universe that includes movement and, therefore, a passage of time with the aging of all things physical. However, in the spirit world Souls exist in a NOW moment which is not on any kind of timeline and is not absolute". (The Newton Institute: The Spirit World and The Soul)

In the spirit world, time has no meaning for those who are there. Life consists of a multitude of "now" moments strung together so that they blend together without any kind of division. The spirit world consists of perpetual daylight with a constant warm temperature making it impossible for a person to know the passages of time, something that becomes irrelevant and of little or no importance the longer an individual is there.

At certain times of the year, those who live in the most northern countries on earth require a clock to tell time due to the fact that they experience night for weeks at a time. The only way they can tell time without a clock is by the requirements of their physical body. Those in the spirit world have no physical body, but a spirit body that has no physical require-ments. The passage of time is indeed a human invention and is extremely important to him. However, time is really irrelevant because life is continuous without a beginning or end.

For a person in the spirit world, life is filled with pure happiness. On earth life is quite different in that it is often filled with chaos, stress and despair, to put it mildly. But all is not lost, for life in the physical provides an individual with experiences that cannot be experienced in the spirit world. It is for this reason that spirit people come into this physical world.

The physical world provides the spirit person an opportunity to grow spiritually through the multitude of challenges that the physical has to offer. As a physical being, the individual then has an opportunity to once again find and live a spiritual life needed for true spiritual advancement.

Like so many of my human friends, I find it difficult to understand why anyone would choose to live in a place where there is war, famine, sickness and upheaval all the time. I can only hope that it is the kind of life that those individuals require as a way in which they can develop a greater faith and knowledge of God.

We all need to experience physical life, maybe many times, in order to truly be able to grow spiritually. Time spent in a physical body is a means, however short, to grow.

At the internet site: library.thinkquest.org/16665/afterlifeframe.htm is I listing of the beliefs of the numerous religions of the world concerning heaven titled (The Great Unknown - Some Views of the Afterlife).

Christmas Time

Christmas comes but once a year

To light our life and stir our soul

It brings great joy and peace within

To sing of Christmas all year long

This is a special time of year and one that is especially meaningful for me. I was born in December and enjoy the season a lot. Christmas has always been a special time with all the colored lights, the decorated houses with their Christmas trees all lit up, the snow and the trains my Dad put under the tree each year. Yes, special because it is the time when we celebrate, not only the birth of Christ, but the spirit of giving. To sing all the special song of the season and a time for celebrating life and the birth of all in creation. December 21st is the shortest day of the year (Winter solstice). Winter solstice was celebrated for thousands of year as a “pagan” holiday with music, dancing, and drinking. It was a time to celebrate the fact that each day will become longer as we look forward to spring. Spring, the time of reborn that brings forth its abundance and fills us with hope.
As we look at this time of year, we can’t help thinking about all of the people who have so much and all those who have so little. We all share in this time. We all think about family, friends and giving. We give to those who are in need, and we give to each other as an expression of love that says “you’re special to me”. As you think about this time, I hope you will think about all the people in your life now and all those who were part of your life in time past. Send each one a special blessing and a prayer of love for the New Year.

A Friendly Reminder

Sometimes it is difficult for me to understand why it is that we need to be reminded that we are Spiritualists or Christians.

Far too many of us forget the seven principles of Spiritualism the teaching of Christ, that we repeat and take part in each time we attend a church service. We seem to forget the one principle that governs our lives more than any other.  That principle is "We believe in Personal Responsibility". This doesn't mean that we only believe in this principle when it is convenient for us. It means that we believe in it 24/7.  We are to practice what we believe and preach and not like so many other people in this world who only practice what they preach when it is convenient.

In part, it is one of our responsibility to allow each individual to be who and what they are without judging them in any way.  However, I know that it is almost impossible for us to not judge others.  We learned how to judge other from the time we are born.  Judging others is within us and we as Spiritualists/Christians must start doing something about this in our lives.  I know that it is sometime impossible to for us, but it is a must done.

How many time have you had to prove to others that you are very much qualified for the position you applied for whether that position be on the job or at church?  Why is it that there are so many independent churches in this world?  Why aren't they affiliated with a national association or national union?  Is it because of there beliefs or money, or is there more to it than that?  Yes, there is more to it than that it boils down to the personalities of those who are running things.  You are not me and I am not you but some how you may believe that I should think and act exactly like you do.  That I should have the same personality as yours and do what you do. Could you accept me if I was?  What a boring world this would be.

In this world there are wars going on all the time and those wars are nothing more than the result of certain persons personalities and there outlook on life that gets in the way of common sense and logic.  When we use common sense and logic we look at all the possibilities of a situation and not what our narrow views dictate.  We consult with others and get there views on a subject so that we can make informed decisions.  Informed of the consequences of a wrong decision.

You and I have to think. Make informed decisions and give others the benefit of any doubt.  Way the pros and cons and think of how our decision(s) may affect others.  Thinking is something we all do but do we do it with others and the end results in mind?  You say yes.  OK but do you really?

Do you need to be reminded that of the principle of personal responsibility every time you are confronted with another person or a situation in your life that could potentially affect the lives of others?  Can you give others the benefit of the doubt and even help them to see your point of view if it differs from theirs?  Are you sure that your decision was the correct one?  \kind of makes you think...

Rights and Wrongs of Killing

Recently, two female police officers were killed in a gun and grenade attack in Greater Manchester. Various MPs and other leading figures have called for the return of the death penalty for such crimes.*

I wondered if you are willing to give your view on this matter and whether the spirit world has given guidance on the rights and wrongs of executing those found guilty of murder – Marcus Mackenzie, by e-mail.

All spirit teachings state that the taking of life, for whatever reason, is wrong. Thrusting a person convicted of murder into the next world creates more problems than it solves, as spirit people constantly tell us.

What is spiritually wrong cannot be physically or morally right. Murder by a citizen or the state can never be justified. Forming judgments when all the facts can never be known is an extremely dangerous step to take. As Lord Birkenhead, a former Lord Chancellor of Britain explained, his eyes were opened when he saw the effects in the spirit world.

It is worth studying his communication which came through the direct voice mediumship of Leslie Flint. In his excellent book, “Voices in the Dark,” he states that Lord Birkenhead, who passed on in 1930, manifested in his séance room and spoke eloquently and urgently for almost an hour on the necessity for total abolition of the death penalty.

He quotes him as saying: “This is an aspect of criminal law most in need of change; whether it is through the hangman’s noose or whether it is done by some other supposedly more humane method, nothing justifies the taking of life outside the law or inside it.”

Admitting the views he now expressed were quite opposed to those held on earth, Lord Birkenhead explained this by saying: “I have seen the effects on this side of life when the law sends here souls who are unprepared and unready, their minds in turmoil, filled with thoughts of hate, revenge and fear.

“These souls linger near the earth. Often what are known as carbon-copy murders are due to such earthbound revengeful entities who impinge their thoughts on individuals in your world who may already be mentally unstable and cause them to commit the same kind of crime for which the entity forfeited his life under the law.”

As an alternative to capital punishment, Lord Birkenhead suggested that “the unfortunate people who commit murder could be put to useful work.

“They should be made to serve society in some way and given the opportunity to work out their own salvation and repentance.”

Towards the end of his impressive speech, he declared: “There is no death. We live and try constantly to inspire you. I ask you, I beg of you, I plead with you to do all in your power to bring this truth to all humanity.”

This may be a “How long is a piece of string?” question, but how much free will do you think we have in our lives? I really cannot work out how much is preordained or due to fate and our own decisions – Susan Simpson, Manchester.

In answer to a question about this subject, Silver Birch once stated: “You have free will. You may make your choice. Life is not chance, accident or even coincidence. The whole of life is governed by immutable natural law.

“Whatever aspect of being you examine, it is due to natural law. Human beings are not outside the operation of natural law. They are integral parts of it.

“There is a limitation placed by natural law on what man can do to the planet on which he lives. He cannot destroy the whole of the planet and all that it contains. Now this is part of man’s free will, his choice as to whether he will rise to the divinity within him or whether he will fail.

“In that case, he will not fulfill himself. He will pass to our world unequipped and unready, and have to learn all over again.

“No man, and no combination of men, have the power to thwart divine will. They can delay, they can harass and they can impede.”

The guide continued: “Infinite wisdom and love rule the universe. These will prevail because that is the law. The whole of life is regulated by natural laws. Nothing is left to freakishness, to miracles or to chance.

“All is cause and effect, sowing and reaping, otherwise the universe would be chaotic. You have evidence of the  infinite plan of an infinite intelligence in the operation of natural laws wherever you look.

“It is to be seen in the sequence of the seasons, the movement of planets and galaxies, the ebb and flow of tides and the growth of a myriad forms of floral life, where natural law reigns supreme.

“So there is the limit which the divine power has placed because nothing can occur beyond the framework of natural law. But there are laws within laws. There are not only physical laws; there are mental and spiritual ones.

“You live, you breathe, you exist. You have your being because from the moment of conception spirit begins to associate with matter in individual form and gradually that individuality unfolds.

“It is part of the plan that you should have an element of free will, the power and the ability to make choices in certain circumstances.

“Used for its best and highest, you can play your part in the spiritual unfoldment and evolution of the race, the world, the universe and the cosmos because your spirit is part of the Great Spirit.

“You share in the divinity that is responsible for all that exists everywhere. You are the Great Spirit in microcosm. All that the Great Spirit has of that infinity you have. You will have eternity in which to unfold it.

“Your free will is limited because your choice is restricted. There is another limitation placed on your free will. It is the mental and spiritual stage which you have reached in your development.”

Silver Birch added: “You are free to kill, but your character will ensure that you refrain. So even when you have choices these are limited by who and what you are at the time. Like many things in the universe you have a paradox. You have free will within limitation all the time.

“Now I must go a stage further because you introduced the question of karma. This, too, is a very important consideration because many of those who have work to do in your world chose to do it beforehand. Though awareness may not come immediately, the choice imposes another restriction in free will.

“Nobody has perfect free will. It is free will within a restricted range. Your will is subject to circumstances which you cannot control. The soul knows before it reincarnates what it has to achieve.”

* From Two Worlds Magazine. Founded in 1887

How Much Free Will Do We Have?

In answer to a question about free will, Silver Birch once stated: “You have free will. You may make your choice. Life is not chance, accident or even coincidence. The whole of life is governed by immutable natural law.*

“Whatever aspect of being you examine, it is due to natural law. Human beings are not outside the operation of natural law. They are integral parts of it.

“There is a limitation placed by natural law on what man can do to the planet on which he lives. He cannot destroy the whole of the planet and all that it contains. Now this is part of man’s free will, his choice as to whether he will rise to the divinity within him or whether he will fail.

“In that case, he will not fulfill himself. He will pass to our world unequipped and unready, and have to learn all over again.

“No man, and no combination of men, have the power to thwart divine will. They can delay, they can harass and they can impede.”

The guide continued: “Infinite wisdom and love rule the universe. These will prevail because that is the law. The whole of life is regulated by natural laws. Nothing is left to freakishness, to miracles or to chance.

“All is cause and effect, sowing and reaping, otherwise the universe would be chaotic. You have evidence of the infinite plan of an infinite intelligence in the operation of natural laws wherever you look.

“It is to be seen in the sequence of the seasons, the movement of planets and galaxies, the ebb and flow of tides and the growth of a myriad forms of floral life, where natural law reigns supreme.

“So there is the limit which the divine power has placed because nothing can occur beyond the framework of natural law. But there are laws within laws. There are not only physical laws; there are mental and spiritual ones.

“You live, you breathe, you exist. You have your being because from the moment of conception spirit begins to associate with matter in individual form and gradually that individuality unfolds.

“It is part of the plan that you should have an element of free will, the power and the ability to make choices in certain circumstances.

“Used for its best and highest, you can play your part in the spiritual unfoldment and evolution of the race, the world, the universe and the cosmos because your spirit is part of the Great Spirit.

“You share in the divinity that is responsible for all that exists everywhere. You are the Great Spirit in microcosm. All that the Great Spirit has of that infinity you have. You will have eternity in which to unfold it.

“Your free will is limited because your choice is restricted. There is another limitation placed on your free will. It is the mental and spiritual stage which you have reached in your development.”

Silver Birch added: “You are free to kill, but your character will ensure that you refrain. So even when you have choices these are limited by who and what you are at the time. Like many things in the universe you have a paradox. You have free will within limitation all the time.

“Now I must go a stage further because you introduced the question of karma. This, too, is a very important consideration because many of those who have work to do in your world chose to do it beforehand. Though awareness may not come immediately, the choice imposes another restriction in free will.

“Nobody has perfect free will. It is free will within a restricted range. Your will is subject to circumstances which you cannot control. The soul knows before it reincarnates what it has to achieve.”

* From Two Worlds Magazine. Founded in 1887

Programmed from Birth

Can you sense that at times "you are a man/woman, son/daughter, worker, student, husband/wife, teacher, tax payer, healer, patient, citizen, rebel, member of a particular tribe, ethnic group or religion? All are roles. Each due to circumstances and conditions".

We see things not as they are, but as we are. We are a product of life's programming where we play a role that we believe we were meant to play. However, in spite of who we think we are it is not the real person we are. In many cases we put blinders on ourselves that we wear with little knowledge of and through fear we are far too often blinded as to who we can really be.

Through life's programming we are the product of our parents training, our schools and society.

Programming of our minds started while we were still in the womb. We adopted the programming of our mothers. We then adopted the programming of our fathers shortly after our birth. As time went on, we adopted the programming of others we came into contact with. We even adopted parts of the programming of our teachers, the radio and television programs we listened to or watched over the years.

There is no such thing as independent thinking. Thoughts are products of our minds in light of all the programming up to the present moment.

Yes we believe that we are inspired by something other than what we believe came from that programming, but how can we be sure? Is it possible for us to be anything other than what we have been programmed to be?

I question the influencing of the people I come in contact with as to how it affects my programming. Are those people trying to make me into another them? Is it possible that in spite of my own programming that I am incorporating some of their programming into me? Believe it or not, I am. Yes, I can't help it. I try very hard to discriminate between what I'll accept into my programming and just what I'll discard, do I have free will?

In the past I have written on the subject of how others try to influence us into adopting their ideas of how we should act, think and work. For example, when we were in grade school, we were taught to study the text books we were given and answer questions on what we read. At the end of the day, the teacher would give us a text that required a text book answer, if we gave a different answer than the book, are answer was marked as wrong. To me, this was a type of control where I was required to comply or I would fail the course - programming.

Other people can help us get out of a rut where we had been doing the same old things day after day that prevents us from progressing. We need to be jolted into progressing through taking a new look at the place we're at, where we're going, the things we play at, the way we perform our daily work, just about everything in our life. Sometimes what others were trying to do was to help us take a closer look at ourselves and for us to better understand our way of thinking and working. We need to develop new objectives for ourselves that will make our life more interesting, worth while, and being more independent of our programming while keeping us happy and enjoying life.

Other peoples ideas can help us in many ways to better ourselves, but they can hurt us as well. Those hurtful ideas of others are to be reject without question. We are free thinkers and need to develop and redevelop our personal programming to brings us true happiness, individuality that is independent of our programming.

"As we can see, nobody has a complete vision of (him/herself) everything and never will. That is why we are so different. Even so, every human being egotistically thinks that his is the utmost, maximum knowledge and information. Each believes he owns the absolute, naked, total truth, the best and only perception of the universe around him, when in reality he grasps just an insignificant fraction of a bigger whole. This situation prevents us from not only having a more intimate, deeper relationship with other human beings, but also from having a better comprehension of ourselves and of our role in this small planet and the Universe". (Sorrows of Life, Pg. 5)