ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE....1918..THE NEW REVELATION..AND THE VITAL MESSAGE...SPIRITUALISM ......

WRITING IN 1918, ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE PUTS FORWARD THE CASE FOR SPIRITUALISM.

After a brief introduction of his own life in chapter one, he goes on to argue for the truth of Spiritualism as he sees it.  Calling it a 'New Revelation'

For more information about Doyle and Spiritualism:

.http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/doyle/spiritualism.html

THE NEW REVELATION...Continued: 

Chapter 2 ...The Revelation (Excerpts from the actual text now follows...)

'I can now turn...to a more impersonal view of this great subject. Allusion has been made to a body of fresh doctrine.  Whence does this come?  It comes in the main through automatic writing where the hand of the human medium is controlled, either by an alleged dead human being,as in the case of 

miss Julia Ames, or by an alleged higher teacher, as in that of Mr Stainton Moses

                       

Doyle then describes various methods by which communication has come from the spirit world....

such as Trance, Direct Voice, verbal messages from mediums, the family circle and table tilting.  

'Now, of course, we are at once confronted with the obvious objections....how do we know that these messages are really from beyond?' he asks.  He asserts that this is a perfectly just criticism, and one that must be rigorously applied in every case.

'The answer must be that we require signs which we can test...In old days they demanded a sign from a prophet....', examples are then given of evidence from well respected mediums of the time....Stainton Moses, Mr Stead, Arthur Hill,...

This book makes good background reading for those wishing to learn more about the early history of modern Spiritualism in a short volume.  The language is a little dated for modern taste, but it gives a good insight into the ideas surrounding the subject, over a hundred years ago.  

Doyle criticises Christianity for losing the important teachings of 'Christ':

'When I read the New Testament with the knowledge which I have of Spiritualism, I am left with a deep conviction...When we read so many references to the phenomena with which we are familiar, the levitations, the tongues of fire, the rushing wind,the spiritual gifts, the working of wonders, we feel that the central fact of all, the CONTINUITY OF LIFE and the COMMUNICATION WITH THE DEAD, (my capitals) was most certainly known.'

Well, that is it for today.....Phoebe my dog is refusing to be ignored.....to be continued

NO BOOK TODAY - JUST RANDOM THOUGHTS...HAS ANYONE EVER THOUGHT THAT THEY HAVE SEEN A 'GHOST' ?

Hi People, Is there anyone there?  I wonder if anyone is out there. Be nice if someone would acknowledge.  

I thought I would have a change today, because featuring a book each day is somehow not enough. I want to re read them, and then maybe share some thoughts about the contents with you.

That is of course presuming anyone is interested.  I realise that the subject is not for everyone - although I find it hard to believe.

Understanding what or who we are as humans, why are we existing? What is this Universe that we live in?  What is the point of it all? Is there a reason? Is there a creator? How or why did it all begin? All my life I have been curious about these things.  I have craved for answers.

I am in the middle of reading the Autobiography of Eileen Garrett. ( see my earlier post about this book) It has been there in my bookcase for years.  Some of the things she talks about concerning her sensitivity, and psychic senses, bear a common thread in my own life.  My Dad went through similar experiences in the 1960's as Ms Garrett did decades earlier.  Like her, he was born with the ability to 'see' the so called 'dead!'  Then later in his life he discovered that he was a natural 'trance medium'. He was sitting at home with a group of family members and friends, when he must have fallen asleep. Or so he thought. Wondering why everyone was staring at him, he was informed that he had been speaking for over an hour.  He had a 'control' who had been speaking to the family and giving evidence of life after death.  'Dead' relatives had been speaking to those present, and my Dad had no knowledge of any of it.  Thinking that he had just 'nodded off.'

I learned about all these things when I was very young, and it became normal.  But later, I began to ask questions. I realised that not everyone knew about things. Yet it had happened. It was a normal part of my family life.  Why did others find it so difficult to believe?  

Anyway I am just wondering if anyone else out there has had a similar experience?  

I will leave the question open, please get in touch.

Have a nice weekend.

Sharon x

SILVER BIRCH SPEAKS - BY SYLVIA BARBANELL - BOOK 4 OF MY LIBRARY TOUR -

Silver Birch Speaks by Sylvia Barbanell. Psychic Book Club 2nd impression, 1954, London. Hard back red binding. No dust cover.

This is the next book taken from my bookcase in the corner.  One of my favourites, Silver Birch is /was a Spirit Guide, that spoke through an entranced Medium.

 In the words of Sylvia Barbanell, speaking about Silver Birch, 'He expounds a way of life to the people of this day and age. This highly evolved being has adopted the anonymity of a simple North American Indian in order to cloak his true spiritual status. He always stresses the fact that it is the message that is important and not the messenger.'

Add caption

Picture of Silver Birch (from Google images)

Silver Birch was the Spirit Guide of Maurice Barbanell, the founder of the Spiritualist newspaper,'Psychic News'.

Here is a link to further information about Silver Birch:

http://www.silverbirchpublishing.co.uk

There are many books published about the Medium and the Spirit Guide's Teachings.

It's ages since I read this book, but I remember being impressed by it at the time. I will be reading it again. 

It is a little dated,being first published in 1949....

but the wisdom contained is timeless.

'The message of Silver Birch is to spread knowledge of the unchanging truths that govern the universe...

It is to spread this spirit guide's wisdom that the members of what is called Hannen Swaffer's home circle meet regularly. Silver Birch's words are taken down verbatim in shorthand during the sittings.'

Sylvia Barbanel in the foreword.

You can see from the Contents page, illustrated above, that this book gives examples of Silver Birch's teachings on a wide variety of topics.

He answers questions such as, 'How do the dead pass their time?',

What is a Medium, and what happens when a Medium is in Trance.

Who or what are our guides?

If you have not read any of Silver Birch, then I would recommend that you look into it.  There are many books and articles available.

Until next time, I wish you happy reading and if you are inspired to begin your own Spiritual search, please leave comments to encourage others.

Sharon x