SPIRITUALISM AND MONEY

SPIRITUALISM AND MONEY

by

John Roberts

Being notes on the relevance and importance of the need for Spirituality in relation to all Psychic activity.

I have already spoken on the need for Spiritual people to maintain a strict control over the desire to profit from the practice of Spiritual, or Psychic gifts. (See my “Observations on the Principles and Practices of Spiritualism” in this website.) Naturally, we all need to maintain ourselves in this highly materialistic world and wish to do so to a comfortable standard. But, if we are to be associated with any organization calling itself, “Spiritual” or relating to any form of religious practice and, particularly, the Spiritual Communion, one has to establish a firm set of standards for the operation of the work.

There is no doubt that, for many years, some calling themselves, “Spiritualists” have been content to supplement their normal working income with funds derived from “Private Readings. This has been regarded as “Perfectly Proper” conduct by Spiritualists, generally and Non-Spiritualists have been content to pay money, to obtain a “good reading.”

It seems to me that, with the proliferation of, what could be termed, “New-Age” Practitioners, offering a wide=range of Psychic Services, that there has been a great increase in this type of “Cash-conscious” dealing, within the ranks of those who profess to possess Psychic or Spiritual Gifts. (Witness the number of messages on Facebook, offering readings for cash or advertising meetings, requiring a cash-payment on entry to the premises). This is a great method of fund -raising and tradition permits such money-gatheriug. Indeed, witness the existence of world-wide religious, which enjoy tax-free access to great wealth.

The Spiritualist Movement, traditionally, did not demand contributions from its patrons, otherwise than in the form of a voluntary donation, towards the conclusion of meetings. Nor did Spiritualists, at any time, specify a fixed sum for admission to Services. (One has to allow for the fact that certain expenses have to be met by groups which either possess real-estate or rent premises on a regular basis The Spiritualist Movement has not accumulated wealth, as have some other Denominations.

The Christian Community has long forgotten the mandate of its founder, Jesus of Nazareth, who sent his disciples out, into the World, with the commandment to deny themselves, what are now considered to be, “the good things of life”. He ordered them to take no thought for material things: “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast-out devils; freely ye have received, freely give!” (Matthew Ch. 10, v 8). There can be no doubt that this direction was in relation to the practice of Spiritual-gifts. They had received, freely, of the Spirit and were required to serve, without thought of payment in regard to material terms. “Where your treasure is there will your heart be, also. (Ch 6,v21). The New Testament is full of quotations, from Jesus, as to the need for the rejection of worldly standards, by those who would lead the Spiritual Life. Finally, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” (v33)

In fact, it may be validly averred that the application of the teachings of Jesus are fundamental to a correct understanding of the Spiritual Law. This is not to deny that there are many faults in the sum-total of doctrine, relating-to the life and teachings of the Nazarene, yet these can be attributed to a failure to comprehend the nature of his work, during the course of his Ministry. His intentions were, clearly, to instruct his auditors in the standards to be established by all mankind during the course of the physical life, if our individual lives are to be productive of good. If we confine our inquiry into the nature of his teachings, we must become convinced that he taught his disciples to “Love one another” and to reject the worldly-standards of the times.

He emphasized, clearly, the need to reject too-great a preoccupation with physical demands. “You cannot serve God and Mammon!” (The latter signifying a pre-occupation with the accumulation of worldly possessions.) Chapters 5 to 7 of the Book of Matthew contain a comprehensive statement of Spiritual Principles: one that should be perused by all those who wish to possess Spiritual Gifts. “The Sermon on the Mount” encapsulates the greater part of his spiritual doctrines. It is a sublime statement of “self-evident” Truth.

It was not until the coming of George Fox, the founder of the “Society of Friends”, (The Quakers) in the 17th Century, that a serious attempt was made to put the “Sermon upon the Mount” into literal practice, at least, in England. Fox was, in fact, an early Spiritualist, although the condition of the Nation, in his time, would have made a clear declaration of the “Communion of Spirit”, somewhat dangerous. As it was, he was often accused of Blasphemy, in rejecting the Church’s teaching on many points of Doctrine. At a time of major civil-strife, his preaching had a great influence on many of the thinking people of Britain and laid the foundation for the great reformers of later years.

We live in a materialistic World, in which the teachings of Jesus are taught less and less. As a result, people are growing-up, with no concept of the importance of the teachings of the Nazarene or of the need for us to apply his principles in our world, today.

We see cynicism and indifference to human-life on a massive scale. During the 20th Century, we have borne witness to a panorama of Butchery and Wickedness that has extended into the present Century and shows no sign of abatement. Militarism is dominant in all the Western Nations and we are subjected to a continuous parade, in the form of the glorification of War. Instead of an emphasis on the brutality and wickedness of War, we are subjected to a torrent of propaganda, eulogizing the exploits of our “Brave Warriors”, in several major conflicts. All of these Wars have slaughtered millions of God’s Children, with no improvement in the lot of the Poor. It is continuing still, all over our World: instigated, usually by persons who consider themselves to be, ”Moderately Religious”.

We have now reached the stage, whereby murder is now carried out, when convenient, by remotely-controlled Drone.

For those of us who are not “Religious”, our lives are often filled with a pre-occupation with Sporting activities, of diverse types. Sport is beneficial to a degree, as it is health-giving and enjoyable. But, given the excessive zeal of many of our sports-people and promoters, (often associated with large gambling concerns), Spectator Sport has become, largely, a substitute for religion, in the lives of millions of people, World-wide. Such distractions detract from the more serious aspects of life and leave many of us with a superficial attitude towards life, its problems and difficulties. Hence, there is often no “depth” to our thinking. Questions pertaining to the “possibility” of the existence of a Supreme Intelligence or of a future life for human-beings, do not take an important place in our deliberations.

Many “Psychic Practitioners” advertise their services as Specialists in a variety of “Extra-terrestrial” activities. These might include such devices as “Tarot Cards”, “Psychometry” (Physical-links with “Departed Friends”) Flower-Reading, Astrological references, etc..

There are, no doubt, other methods available, with which I am unfamiliar, although I understand that there are many Western disciplines which provide training and advice, for a fee. My own view is that any link between Matter and Spirit, that has to resort to physical agencies, is undesirable, the obvious reason being, that the search for truth via “Spirit-revelation” has to be invoked at a genuinely spiritual level. We have to understand that there is no “gulf” separating Matter and Spirit: the two States are co-existent. Matter is dependent upon the primary existence of Spirit. Each one of us is in continuous communication with Spirit, during every moment of our existence. The “Quality” of that contact is maintained at each person’s varying mental level.

Everyone, during the physical life, is either linking with progressive or not-so-progressive spirits, according to the level of one’s personal thought-processes. When entering into a Communion with Spirit, it is desirable that the contact should be at a higher, rather than at a lower level of spirituality.

Paul, The Apostle, who was familiar with the processes of the “Communion of the Spirit”: advises that one should seek the “Higher Gifts”: (Ministry, Healing and Prophecy: Clairvoyance): Paul said, “Covet earnestly, the Best Gifts: ( 1 Corinthians, Ch. 2, verse 13)

This is a matter of common-sense, as linking with confused spirits is unwise. It is a question of the “quality” of the experience. If one is content to dabble with spiritual things one cannot expect to derive great satisfaction from the experience.

During the early 50’s, my wife, Teresa, and I attended a meeting at a Christian-Spiritualist group, held at the West Walls, Carlisle. This Saturday-afternoon Service produced the most sublimely beautiful addresses, from the mouths of elderly-ladies, who demonstrated the qualities of Christian Love and Virtue: possible when a high spiritual standard is established in the Communion of Spirit.

The fact that the Christian Churches have generally failed to comprehend the true nature of the life and teachings of Jesus, should not deter us, in this generation, from seeking to understand the importance of His Life and Teachings, as a basis for the leading of the Spiritual life. More than ever now, we live in a world in which materialism is predominant. We are losing the sense of the Spiritual, in our Day-to-Day affairs. The New Testament is invaluable as a guide to the Spiritual Life, for those who are interested in more than a superficial understanding of the Spiritual and Moral Law. The first Christians were privileged to enjoy a unique experience of the working of the Spirit in the lives of men and women, accompanied by the teachings of Jesus, as later developed by the cultivated mind of Paul, the Apostle. Spiritualism has erred, in largely disregarding the profound wisdom of Jesus and, instead, substituting an over-simplified Doctrine of Spirit, that has been increasingly distorted and corrupted, in the last 50 years.

When we seek to commune with our Spirit-friends, we are doing something that is serious, in the extreme. It requires a deeply conscientious application of our minds to the most pressing questions of Life. Is Man a spiritual creature or is he a microbe of no significance in the scheme of evolution? The Scientific-mind looks with scorn and contempt on the futile attempts of the Spiritualists, Swedenborgians and New-Age Practitioners to prove the existence of a Supreme Intelligence.

When seeking to communicate with spirit-people, we are not engaging upon a jolly and entertaining process. As a lad of 16yrs, I discovered the fact of the “Resurrection”, when my “deceased” mother appeared to me one night, during a time of crisis in my life. I deduced that, “if the dead still live”, then there must be a “God.” This was a life-changing moment for me. Almost eighty years of additional human experience have reinforced my conviction as to the reality of this proposition. If this is true, then it behoves us all to acknowledge, primarily, the reality of Divine-Guidance and of the need for all of us to seek for personal development. We can only progress, if we make an effort to lead a moral life: to raise our intellectual level and to establish contact with friends in the Spirit-World who will prove to be a progressive influence upon us. What is certain, is that if we maintain sloppy moral standards, during our physical lives, this will be reflected in the nature of the Spirit-friends, with whom we associate, so often unwittingly, whilst we are in the body. Once or twice, I have had occasion to remark upon the, evidently, regressive level of the spirit companions of some “psychic” people, who have a very high opinion of themselves. We are all human and need to be careful to maintain control over our mental processes. This is hard for people, in a world that is full of stress for most folk. When pride takes-over, the consequences can be disastrous. I am aware of at least two instances, in which a vain-glorious and inflated pride has resulted in ordinary people becoming involved in disputes; resulting in great stress and loss to the parties concerned.

Properly understood, the “Communion of Spirit” is the most wonderful and valuable gift to Mankind. It confirms the promise of Immortality and Divine-guidance to every person born into this world, of whatever Race or Creed. Millions of people pass into Spirit each year, yet how many of them really understand the process that has happened to them? The Christian Churches and, I am sure, the other great religions of the world, have largely misunderstood the principles enunciated by the Nazarene..

A great many of our deceased friends and relatives enter the Spirit-World, in ignorance of the fact of their discarding of the body: that they have “passed through the Vale of Death”: in other words, “that they have died!” A great many of these people have struggled against their passing and are now in confused or darkened conditions. They are now “Earth-bound” spirits and may remain in this state for countless years of our time.

“Rescue work” has been part of Spiritualist experience, since the commencement of the Movement in the 1840’s in the USA. Many Spiritualist workers have spent years in assisting such “Earth-bound spirits” during “Rescue Circles”, when such unhappy folk are advised of their true situation. They are assisted in taking the first steps in the process of re-habilitation to the new life of The Spirit.

The “Salvation Army” has long seen the need for this work of reformation: witness the hymn “Rescue the Perishing; Care for the dying”..... William Booth spent his life in the reformation of folk in this world. Whether he understood the need for assistance to those, who have passed into the darker aspects of the World of the Spirit, I am not aware. He certainly worked to improve the lot of those who were still in the body. Whilst numerous, they are not so prolific as those who have gone-over into Spirit, in ignorance of their true condition.

Since 2009, it has been my lot and privilege to have been of assistance to many folk who have gone into Spirit in confused circumstances. I believe that they have been enabled to take the pathway of progression, following a visit to my home during the day, although usually in the morning. By returning to the physical environment for a few minutes, they can be informed of their true situation and assisted in adjusting to their new condition. In addition, their loved-ones and family members in Spirit are enabled to approach them: to introduce them to the new life that lies before them in the Spirit-world.

Whilst such a statement may appear to be fatuous to the unbeliever, I am satisfied that the Work is a most important part of the Spiritual-Communion. I see this work as a way in which, in advanced old-age, I am able to be of service to humanity.

“Service” is the key-note for all those men and women who would undertake a study of the Spiritual Law. One can only, really, serve one’s Creator via the medium of service to one’s fellows. These include one’s immediate family and, thereafter, every human-being with whom one comes into contact.

The Parable of the “Good Samaritan” ( Luke, Ch 10,v30} illustrates the principle; applicable in fulfilling the duty of “Love to the Lord and to the Neighbour.”)

Whatever form of employment or activity we undertake in life, if it is to be a satisfying career, it must fulfil the obligation of “Service”. Of course, we are entitled to enjoy a moderate standard of living but it is necessary that our requirements be limited in accordance with the above precepts. Our daily activities must seek to include a measure of service towards one’s fellows, wherever this is possible. When Jesus of Nazareth suggested that it is “hard” for a rich man to enter the “Kingdom of Heaven", he was referring to the hold which great possessions take upon the individual mind. It is not hard to envisage such a situation arising, when a man is fiercely attached to his material wealth. When the time comes for him to abandon all his property, he is, understandably, most unwilling to do so.

Spiritualism offers its practitioners a wonderful opportunity to be of Service towards Humanity. Millions of people, world-wide, live in ignorance of its truths or have no proper religious experience of any nature. The loss of beloved family-members is distressing, as anyone, who has lost parents, siblings, or children, is aware. Even with some knowledge of the “Resurrection”: grief and sense of loss are very real. Yet, to have no concept of the Immortality of the Soul, is a calamity indeed, as there is no comfort available, in such a case. This is an added factor, in the question of the quality of the service that is available for those who are seeking comfort and consolation, via the work of those possessing Spiritual-gifts.

The fact is, that Jesus set too high a standard for His followers. This has been demonstrated during two-thousand years of Western History, in the sustained disregard of His teachings. This does not mean that they are irrelevant in our day and Age. More than ever, it is necessary for Christians and Spiritualists, alike, to review His teachings and attempt to apply them in our lives, as far as we, possibly, can. People who claim to have greater insight into Spiritual Truths, particularly, are required to attempt to apply these truths within their own lives, more than others who show no interest in their personal progress in this world. If we deny this, what commenced in 1840 in the USA, as an astonishing revelation of survival after death, will continue to deteriorate into something more relevant to the environment of the Music-hall or the Television Party-game., There has already been a sad decline in the concepts of “Worship” and “Communion”.

In conclusion, I reiterate what I have said previously: that it is the quality of the work that is of the utmost importance. You only get out of the spiritual search what you are prepared to put into it. You, yourself, set the standard for yourself and those whom you seek to influence by your activity. If that standard is mediocre, it will be valueless, in influencing your auditors. If your work is based upon cash-considerations, your only real reward will be pecuniary and of no worth, in Spirit. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be, also.” (Math. Ch. 6,v21)

People who are gifted with Spiritual-gifts do have a binding obligation of Service, above and beyond the normal duties of daily-life. This is particularly evident at a time of doubt and distrust, arising out of the unchristian conduct of many “Ordained Ministers” of Christ.

If Spiritualism could be redefined, to more clearly reflect the Mandate of Jesus of Nazareth, then there is no doubt that the Movement would have a greater impact upon our troubled World, at this time of Crisis in the history of Mankind.

Finis

John Roberts

22nd Oct 2013

(Revised 23 Jan 2022.)