Spiritualism

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  Andrew Hadley resigns ...or does he?
May 3, 2012
Andrew HadleyJust what is going on within the upper echelons of the Spiritualists' National Union? A year ago, I broke the shock news that Duncan Gascoyne, chairman of the Arthur Findlay College (Stansted Hall), had resigned, without explanation, after 12 years in that post. For most of that time he was also the SNU president. Many people concluded that he had issues with Andrew Hadley (pictured), Ordinary Director, who immediately stepped into the chairman's role. Now comes news, in an exclusive story in Psychic News, that Hadley has not only resigned as chairman, 12 months into the job, but also as an SNU director. David Bruton, SNU president, has taken over at Stansted Hall. The curt announcement on the SNU's website makes no reference to Hadley's contribution to the Union or to the college. Although no reasons have been given.... more
  Still in the dark over Thompson seances
Apr 25, 2012
IN THE DARKLast year, in a report on a David Thompson physical seance, I offered two points of view about his mediumship: negative and positive. That discussion provoked numerous comments, for and against, which can still be viewed on this website. It is clear that people attending seances held under similar situations – total darkness – can come away with opposing opinions about the genuineness of what they experienced. I'd like to think that with the passage of time Thompson's mediumship could improve to the point where he can produce impressive evidence of spirit communication on a regular basis and maybe even exhibit convincing phenomena in red light. Currently, what he is offering is little more ... more
  Spiritist film festival opens in London
Feb 20, 2012
Chico film posterLONDON. A five-day free Spiritist film festival starts tomorrow in London. It features the teachings received at seances by Allan Kardec, on which Spiritism is based, as well as the remarkable abilities of some of its top automatic writing mediums – notably Candido "Chico" Xavier and Divaldo Franco – and the evidence for life after death they have provided. The event takes place at Queen Mary, University of London, at Mile End. Some of the screenings are already sold out. The 1st Lusophonic Spiritist/Spiritualist Film Festival kicks off with a 2005 film, Allan Kardec, the Educator. Lusophonic - for those unfamiliar with the word - means "Portuguese-speaking", reflecting the popularity of Spiritism in Brazil, which was once a Portuguese colony. The language is spoken by 263 million people, so it is ranked sixth in the world. The good news is that all the films will have English subtitles. To view the programme and reserve a seat ... more
  New 'Psychic News' gets warm welcome
Jan 20, 2012
Now that some initial technical problems with its website have been resolved, I'm delighted to report on the very successful relaunch of Psychic News as a magazine. The happy event took place with the support of one of London's oldest Spiritualist churches, the London Spiritual Mission, on 15 December 2011. It was heartwarming to see how much backing the publication was given from mediums, contributors and various organisations that have an interest in psychical and spiritual matters. There was warm applause for Eric Hatton, Hugh Davis and Margaret Davis - the three trustees of JV Trust, the charity that is the new owner of Psychic News. Susan Farrow, managing director of the new company ... more
  'Psychic News' returning as a magazine
Dec 1, 2011
Psychic News sample coverHaving provided evidence of life after death for nearly eight decades, Psychic News, the independent voice of Spiritualism, is about to demonstrate its own survival by returning more than a year after it was put to death. Regular visitors to this website will be well aware of the sorry saga, ever since I broke the news on 10 July, 2010, that its demise was imminent. (Those unfamiliar with the story can use the search facility on this site to look up "Psychic News".) The exciting news is that Psychic News is returning as a fortnightly magazine, and its first issue (actually issue number 4,067) comes out on 15 December, two days ahead of its actual publication date (17 December) when it will look similar to the early sample, shown right. I must, at this point, declare a personal interest, having... more
  Thompson decides to answer seance questions
Oct 21, 2011
SpiritofPN ThompsonBritish-born medium David Thompson, now based in Australia but travelling the world to demonstrate his physical mediumship, took exception to my report on one of his seances which I attended in the UK. He gave his own verdict on my report on his website, but refused to publish my response to the points he made or answer seven questions I put to him. But we now have the answers. My original report resulted in 70 comments, for and against the evidential nature of Thompson's mediumship, on www.ParanormalReview.com, and my follow-up account of Thompson's response led to 17 more, though technical problems (now resolved) made it impossible for many people to post their views. At the same time, SpiritofPN website, run by Susan Farrow, reported on my experiences at the Thompson séance, giving a link to this website. It also published an incredible 366 comments, showing just how much interest there is in physical mediumship and also how varied the views are about its value and the quality of the phenomena produced. Thompson even joined in those comments, saying in response to a contribution from me... more
 
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