COMMUNICATING WITH THOSE IN THE SPIRIT WORLD
Who are we? Why are we here? What happens when we die? Is there life after death? If so, what is that like? These are perennial questions asked by many, and there are many answers. The question of the continuity of life, or the survival of the personality, is studied by philosophers, teachers, scientists, religious leaders, and people in every walk of life.
How long after passing can a spirit person make contact?
The short answer is immediately. There is nothing stopping us from contacting our loved ones the minute we leave our physical bodies. Having said that, however, people who have no knowledge of the continuation of life may take a little longer to adjust to their new surroundings, meet with family and friends and when they realise they can contact their families left on earth, they will seek the necessary help to do so. A medium, or someone who has extensive knowledge of spirit communication, will know what has happened and will adjust very quickly to their new life and can make contact as soon as they wish.
It must be remembered that not everyone has developed their psychic faculties to the extent that they can link with the people in the spirit world and, therefore, to communicate with spirit a medium is required. It is a sad fact that many people who have just lost someone they dearly love sit, waiting and watching for some form of contact from that person. That soul could be there trying to make direct contact but unless the required energies are available, as with mediumship, then it is not, and cannot happen.
However, there is nothing stopping you, or anyone else for that matter, from finding a reputable and/or recommended medium at any time after the passing of a loved one, and making it possible for them to commentate, should they so wish. A visit to your local Spiritualist Church is another avenue worth investigating as it is possible a contact may be made amongst the many which take place within the service. There are also a number of spiritual sites on the Internet in which readings take place and could be another opening for contact to occur.
In the late 1800s, many people felt they had the answer to this question, and that they had experienced proof of the existence of the personality after death. Spiritualism was at its peak of popularity, and mediumship was providing answers to questions about life after death. This study will explore the beliefs of the Spiritualists in that time period, and provide their answers to what the spirit world is, how it operates, and how it looks. Questions like the following will be answered. Where do we go after the physical body dies? What are our initial experiences like? Where do we live? Do we eat? What kind of clothing do we wear? Do we see people we know? What do we do? What happens to children when they die? What about pets? How does the landscape appear?
The early Spiritualists had answers to all these questions, obtained through mediumship. Some information came from deceased loved ones through a medium to relatives and friends. More detailed descriptions came through from Spiritualists after they passed "through the veil." Sometimes questions were put by researchers to a medium who received answers from sources in the spirit world. Naturally, some information is contradictory. For example, one source may say that food is not necessary; another will say that only fruit is eaten. Reports often vary with the personality that is communicating. This study will consolidate these descriptions, and give a picture of Summerland, or the spirit world, as it appeared to Spiritualists in the late 1800s.
Major religions believe in some form of life after death. Spiritualism carries this one step further, by saying that life after death is a fact, proven by mediumship, or communication with those in the spirit world. As a Spiritualist, I believe that is indeed possible to communicate with those whose physical bodies have died. The personality and soul live on, and sometimes those in spirit can get in touch with those who are still living on the earth plane. Not only have I had experiences myself, I have had contact with many others who have had similar events happen. My reading about evidence for life after death, and that we do indeed live on, has been extensive. There are many anecdotal accounts, and studies undertaken in a scientific manner. This paper is based on my assumption that we do live after death, and there is a spirit world.
Mediumship, or spirit communication, is not always accurate. A good medium is probably right about 70% of the time. Some have an accuracy rate that is closer to 90%; others are often just lucky, and may rely on psychic ability or the reactions of the person they are working with.
There are many factors at work here. The spirit may be new at communicating, and have trouble getting through. He or she may only know what they are experiencing at the time; just because one has died does not make him all knowing. The medium may have his or her own biases, or may not have the words to accurately communicate what the spirit is describing. The medium may simply be tired that day. This study points this out in many instances. There is agreement in general, but specific details of life in the spirit world are often different.
There is a parallel with the study of near death experiences. There are a number of common factors in this kind of experience, but not everyone has them all, and the details vary. The reasons for this are unknown, but in my opinion we all bring our own knowledge, biases, and experiences to what happens. Mediumship is no different.
There is a wide range of perspectives on the issue of spirit communication. At one end are those who believe that there is no God, or creative force, and that when you die, that is the end of everything. At the other end of the spectrum are those who believe that life indeed does go on, in another form, and that it is possible to communicate between the physical and spiritual worlds. Some believe that when the physical body dies, you wait in some form until you are called forth by God, or what is called Judgment Day. Religious beliefs about life after death vary greatly, and could be the subject of another paper.
My purpose is not to convince anyone that there is a spirit world, and that we can communicate with those who are there. It is simply to describe what that spirit world may look like, based on the spirit communications of the writers that lived at the time that Spiritualism was at its height in the late 1800s.
Definitions
Medium - "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 the phenomena of Spiritualism" (National Spiritualist Association of Churches, 1991, p. 40).
A medium is one who communicates with entities in the spirit world.
Spirit world - The term used by Spiritualists for the dwelling place for those who have died, or left their physical bodies.
Spiritualism - "The science, philosophy and religion of continuous life, based upon the demonstrated fact of communication, by means of mediumship, with those who live in the spirit world" (NSAC, 1991, p.40).
Spiritualist - "One who believes, as the basis of his or her religion, in the communication between this and the spirit world by means of mediumship and who endeavors to mold his or her character in accordance with the highest teachings derived from such communication" (NSAC, 1991, p. 4
How long after passing can a spirit person make contact?
The short answer is immediately. There is nothing stopping us from contacting our loved ones the minute we leave our physical bodies. Having said that, however, people who have no knowledge of the continuation of life may take a little longer to adjust to their new surroundings, meet with family and friends and when they realise they can contact their families left on earth, they will seek the necessary help to do so. A medium, or someone who has extensive knowledge of spirit communication, will know what has happened and will adjust very quickly to their new life and can make contact as soon as they wish.
It must be remembered that not everyone has developed their psychic faculties to the extent that they can link with the people in the spirit world and, therefore, to communicate with spirit a medium is required. It is a sad fact that many people who have just lost someone they dearly love sit, waiting and watching for some form of contact from that person. That soul could be there trying to make direct contact but unless the required energies are available, as with mediumship, then it is not, and cannot happen.
However, there is nothing stopping you, or anyone else for that matter, from finding a reputable and/or recommended medium at any time after the passing of a loved one, and making it possible for them to commentate, should they so wish. A visit to your local Spiritualist Church is another avenue worth investigating as it is possible a contact may be made amongst the many which take place within the service. There are also a number of spiritual sites on the Internet in which readings take place and could be another opening for contact to occur.
In the late 1800s, many people felt they had the answer to this question, and that they had experienced proof of the existence of the personality after death. Spiritualism was at its peak of popularity, and mediumship was providing answers to questions about life after death. This study will explore the beliefs of the Spiritualists in that time period, and provide their answers to what the spirit world is, how it operates, and how it looks. Questions like the following will be answered. Where do we go after the physical body dies? What are our initial experiences like? Where do we live? Do we eat? What kind of clothing do we wear? Do we see people we know? What do we do? What happens to children when they die? What about pets? How does the landscape appear?
The early Spiritualists had answers to all these questions, obtained through mediumship. Some information came from deceased loved ones through a medium to relatives and friends. More detailed descriptions came through from Spiritualists after they passed "through the veil." Sometimes questions were put by researchers to a medium who received answers from sources in the spirit world. Naturally, some information is contradictory. For example, one source may say that food is not necessary; another will say that only fruit is eaten. Reports often vary with the personality that is communicating. This study will consolidate these descriptions, and give a picture of Summerland, or the spirit world, as it appeared to Spiritualists in the late 1800s.
Major religions believe in some form of life after death. Spiritualism carries this one step further, by saying that life after death is a fact, proven by mediumship, or communication with those in the spirit world. As a Spiritualist, I believe that is indeed possible to communicate with those whose physical bodies have died. The personality and soul live on, and sometimes those in spirit can get in touch with those who are still living on the earth plane. Not only have I had experiences myself, I have had contact with many others who have had similar events happen. My reading about evidence for life after death, and that we do indeed live on, has been extensive. There are many anecdotal accounts, and studies undertaken in a scientific manner. This paper is based on my assumption that we do live after death, and there is a spirit world.
Mediumship, or spirit communication, is not always accurate. A good medium is probably right about 70% of the time. Some have an accuracy rate that is closer to 90%; others are often just lucky, and may rely on psychic ability or the reactions of the person they are working with.
There are many factors at work here. The spirit may be new at communicating, and have trouble getting through. He or she may only know what they are experiencing at the time; just because one has died does not make him all knowing. The medium may have his or her own biases, or may not have the words to accurately communicate what the spirit is describing. The medium may simply be tired that day. This study points this out in many instances. There is agreement in general, but specific details of life in the spirit world are often different.
There is a parallel with the study of near death experiences. There are a number of common factors in this kind of experience, but not everyone has them all, and the details vary. The reasons for this are unknown, but in my opinion we all bring our own knowledge, biases, and experiences to what happens. Mediumship is no different.
There is a wide range of perspectives on the issue of spirit communication. At one end are those who believe that there is no God, or creative force, and that when you die, that is the end of everything. At the other end of the spectrum are those who believe that life indeed does go on, in another form, and that it is possible to communicate between the physical and spiritual worlds. Some believe that when the physical body dies, you wait in some form until you are called forth by God, or what is called Judgment Day. Religious beliefs about life after death vary greatly, and could be the subject of another paper.
My purpose is not to convince anyone that there is a spirit world, and that we can communicate with those who are there. It is simply to describe what that spirit world may look like, based on the spirit communications of the writers that lived at the time that Spiritualism was at its height in the late 1800s.
Definitions
Medium - "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 the phenomena of Spiritualism" (National Spiritualist Association of Churches, 1991, p. 40).
A medium is one who communicates with entities in the spirit world.
Spirit world - The term used by Spiritualists for the dwelling place for those who have died, or left their physical bodies.
Spiritualism - "The science, philosophy and religion of continuous life, based upon the demonstrated fact of communication, by means of mediumship, with those who live in the spirit world" (NSAC, 1991, p.40).
Spiritualist - "One who believes, as the basis of his or her religion, in the communication between this and the spirit world by means of mediumship and who endeavors to mold his or her character in accordance with the highest teachings derived from such communication" (NSAC, 1991, p. 4
posted by mwesigye herbert at 8:18 AM
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