| Spiritism is scarcely heard of
anymore in the U.S., but this may be due to an
unwillingness to speak about the somewhat unusual topic
rather than it not being present in our lives. Ever since
the frequency of seances stormed the turn of the century
only to be just as often revealed as fraudulent, true
spiritism has remained alive by breathing the shallowest
of breaths. Proving to be quite unsensationalistic on the
most part, and serving more as a conduit for spiritual
growth in this realm or within others than as a
tempestuos display of the supernatural, the true séance
is all but non-existent. Though movies like Poltergeist, The Exorcist, The Haunting, The Shining and so on have played around with the spirit world, none has taught us anything about how to really cope with it. In fact, these movies almost suggest that we should steer clear from the whole matter. But in true contacts with the no longer living, objects need not fly, voices impersonating those once living may not be heard, and ominous warnings or tales of horror from the dearly departed may never even come into play. Instead, like porters in a celestial train station, we may be asked to guide those no longer living, or be counselled by an entity much the way a sympathetic friend might. Real spirit manifestations include changes in temperature and/or atmospheric pressure (though not necessarily tactile); hearing sounds or voices whether externally or internally; apparitions including full figure manifestations, shadows, distortions, objects being obscured and/or materializations; intuitive impressions; partial occupancy of the medium body while in trance to communicate verbally or in writing; and the manipulating of material objects. I live in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and find the southeastern end of the state to be almost completely devoid if not ignorant of spiritual contact. I started sensing fear as a child of something that was to come but never did, especially in the hallway of my parent's house. At the age of twelve, this foreshadowing came to light as a "blue" hand materialized in my path and swiped at my stomach. The odd thing was, the apparition itself did not scare me. I told my father, who is of a very scientific mind, what I had just seen and his reaction was a bit surreal to me. He brought out several books on spirits and mediumship and began telling me about how spirit-contact had been present in our family for years. As we settled more comfortably into the topic, it was as if rain was falling down a window pane and the cloudy images of people were being revealed to me, filling the house. They had come because it was my time to sense them. That night I told my father of visions I was having, people and places I could not have possibly have known about. With time, I was able to convince myself I wasn't going crazy because my father and sister were seeing and sensing some of the same things I did. Sometimes we'd just look up at each other without a word and knew someone was present. At this time, we began attending a spirit center but was eventually disillusioned by their misdirection. It was almost as if they were growing more afraid to deal with contacting spirits and were getting caught up in the hype that surrounded it indirectly. At times, the people attending seemed unable to express their ideas or defend theories on the spirit world since many came from humble beginings with poor educations. Their intentions were good, their hearts in the right place, their beliefs firm, but their motivations to use their gifts to their full potential was tainted with fear and inhibitions. Within a few years, attendance at the centers diminished as well as the number of centers. In short, the centers did not seem to try their best to explore the other realm. My father and I began to have seances on our own, but because the energy was being drawn solely from me, I would walk away exhausted. At about age 15, my guardian came to me and said there would be a hiatus. This would be a time for me to focus on myself and not the spirit-world. He did not mention how long the period would last, but said that after it was over, I would begin contacting them again. I have been seeing the signs within the last year and while at a reading in Cassadaga, I asked the question, "Where do I need to go?" The reply was one I knew within myself all along but dreaded hearing. "You have to seek what you're looking for. Things won't be placed in your lap anymore." During my teen years, things would "fall in my lap". People would walk up to me and say, "I don't know why, but I felt I should ask you about -- (ex. dying or fear of death, spirits, sounds I'm hearing, an illness in the family...)" But then all got quiet, until recently. And so the e-mail. I am looking for people (in the Broward and Dade area preferably, but location is not of major importance) who are interested in spiritism. I am not talking about those who think it amusing or a novelty, but rather those who see it as something that needs exploring. I am particularly interested in those who have had experiences with spirits of some sort, whether the individual has been affected by or come in direct contact with a spirit or spirits. I would appreciate any e-mails recounting the experience (the frequency of the occurrence if more than once, what was experienced, etc.) and how it was or is being dealt with. I will be happy to answer any questions about my own experiences. I would eventually also like to be able to meet, perhaps as a small group, to discuss the topic more and possibly even plan a séance along the line. If this is not possible for whatever reason, e-mail is fine. If interested, please respond to argema40@hotmail.com or forward this e-mail to anyone you may know who might be interested. May your God bless you. |
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