Phsyical Mediumship Coalville

Pathway to Spirit, via Joan Hughes is committed to promoting physical mediumship. Over the coming months we intend to expand the website to include articles on physical mediums, some well known, for example , and other mediums, less well know.

These county pages will be devoted to local groups where physical mediumship is of interest, and also provide a place for publication of physical circle activity.

Please feel free to send us an update from you circle's activities and let us have any news or articles you think relevant to physical mediumship. Contact Joan Hughes for advice on sitting in physical circles. See also information on the development circle at Swadlincote Spiritualist Church..

Notice Board for this Area

Nothing to post for this area as yet. In the meantime here is an extract from one of my favorite books, "The Power of Now".

There is nothing personal in this: I am not teaching you. You are consciousness, and you are listening to yourself. There is an Eastern saying: "The teacher and the taught together create the teaching." In any case, the words in themselves are not important. They are not the Truth; they only point to it. I speak from presence, and as I speak, you may be able to join me in that state. Although every word that I use has a history, of course, and comes from the past, as all language does, the words that I speak to you now are carriers of the high-energy frequency of presence, quite apart from the meaning they convey as words. Silence is an even more potent carrier of presence, so when you read this or listen to me speak, be aware of the silence between and underneath the words. Be aware of the gaps. To listen to the silence, wherever you are, is an easy and direct way of becoming present. Even if there is noise, there is always some silence underneath and in between the sounds. Listening to the silence immediately creates stillness inside you. Only the stillness in you can perceive the silence outside. And what is stillness other than presence, consciousness freed from thought forms? Here is the living realization of what we have been talking about.

Don't get attached to any one word. You can substitute "Christ" for presence, if that is more meaningful to you. Christ is your God essence or the Self, as it is sometimes called in the East. The only difference between Christ and presence is that Christ refers to your indwelling divinity regardless of whether you are conscious of it or not, whereas presence means your awakened divinity or God-essence. Many misunderstandings and false beliefs about Christ will clear if you realize that there is no past or future in Christ. To say that Christ was or will be is a contradiction in terms. Jesus was. He was a man who lived two thousand years ago and realized divine presence, his true nature. And so he said: "Before Abraham was, I am." He did not say: "I already existed before Abraham was born." That would have meant that he was still within. the dimension of time and form identity. The words Iam used in a sentence that starts in the past tense indicate a radical shift, a discontinuity in the temporal dimension. It is a Zen-like statement of great profundity. Jesus attempted to convey directly, not through discursive thought, the meaning of presence, of self realization. He had gone beyond the consciousness dimension governed by time, into the realm of the timeless. The dimension of eternity had come into this world. Eternity, of course, does not mean endless time, but no time. Thus, the man Jesus became Christ, a vehicle for pure consciousness. And what is God's self-definition in the Bible? Did God say "I have always been, and I always will be?" Of course not.

That would have given reality to past and future. God said: "I AM THAT I AM." No time here, just presence. The "second coming" of Christ is a transformation of human consciousness, a shift from time to presence, from thinking to pure consciousness, not the arrival of some man or woman. If "Christ" were to return tomorrow in some externalized form, what could he or she possibly say to you other than this: "I am the Truth. I am divine presence. I am eternal life. I am within you. I am here. I am Now." Never personalize Christ. Don't make Christ into a form identity. Avatars, divine mothers, enlightened masters, the very few that are real, are not special as persons. Without a false self to uphold, defend, and feed, they are more simple, more ordinary than the ordinary man or woman. Anyone with a strong ego would regard them as insignificant or, more likely, not see them at all. If you are drawn to an enlightened teacher, it is because there is already enough presence in you to recognize presence in another. There were many people who did not recognize Jesus or the Buddha, as there are and always have been many people who are drawn to false teachers. Egos are drawn to bigger egos. Darkness cannot recognize light. Only light can recognize light. So don't believe that the light is outside you or that it can only come through one particular form. If only your master is an incarnation of God, then who are you? Any kind of exclusivity is identification with form, and identification with form means ego, no matter how well disguised. Use the master's presence to reflect your own identity beyond name and form back to you and to become more intensely present yourself. You will soon realize that there is no "mine" or "yours" in presence. Presence is one. Group work can also be helpful for intensifying the light of your presence. A group of people coming together in a state of presence generates a collective energy field of great intensity. It not only raises the degree of presence of each member of the group but also helps to free the collective human consciousness from its current state ofmind dominance. This will make the state of presence increasingly more accessible to individuals. However, unless at least one member of the group is already firmly established in it and thus can hold the energy frequency of that state, the egoic mind can easily reassert itself and sabotage the group's endeavors. Although group work is invaluable, it is not enough, and you must not come to depend on it. Nor must you come to depend on a teacher or a master, except during the transitional period, when you are learning the meaning and practice of presence.

Phsyical Mediumship Coalville

Extracts from Robert Monroe's Journey's out of the Body

How did all of this happen? Was there some avenue or approach that made sense? The best answer seemed to lie in data analysis. This precluded use of the underground, the only area that considered or accepted my "problem" as something beyond hallucination, since much of the underground data dealt principally in vague generalities. I wanted specifics. I reasoned that there must be some way to organize the conflicting data I was accumulating. So I began to extrapolate sound possibilities and probabilities from what was known. The accepted method is to keep one foot in the light and on solid rock as you step cautiously onto dark, shifting grounds. The known data were sequence of events, symptoms, and results. The sum of my experience and experimentation fell easily into four chronological stages.

PRELIMINARY STAGE This includes all events and activities prior to the symptom of solar plexus cramp described earlier. Early life patterns disclosed two instances of unexplained paradoxes that seemed relevant to this research. The first incident occurred when I was eight years old. I reported to my parents a dream in which I sat in a room paneled in red-brown wood. In one corner was a cabinet from which came music and voices, which looked much like a vic-trola. In the front of the cabinet was a window, and there were moving pictures in the window. The voices from the cabinet matched what the people in the window seemed to be saying. It was like the moving pictures shown at school except that the people's words were heard rather than spelled out on the screen. Also, the moving picture in the cabinet was colored just as people and things really were. (Thirty years later I sat in a mahogany-paneled room and watched color television for the first time.) As best as can be recalled, I had never seen any color motion pictures at the age when the dream took place. The second unusual event happened at the high school level at about age fifteen. On a given Friday night, I had been looking forward expectantly to a parry the next night I had estimated that my cash requirements for the coming event were two dollars. The problem was to find a source for the two dollars before Saturday night. There had been no work available during the week to earn the money. For one reason or another, my parents had been exhausted as a resource. No prospect for work on Saturday was in sight. I went to bed Friday night worrying over this immediate problem. Upon awakening Saturday morning, I had an immediate vivid conviction that two dollars were under an old plank lying outside on the ground beside the house. I knew of the existence of the plank, as it had been there for some time. However, I dismissed the idea as a wishful dream and went down to breakfast. After eating, still preoccupied with the dire financial problem, I thought again of the board and the two dollars under it. Idly, in order to dismiss the idea, I went outside and around the house to where the plank lay on the ground. It looked undisturbed, half-covered with dirt and leaves. It was impossible that someone could have inadvertently "lost" some money or placed it under the board. Still, as long as I was there, it wouldn't hurt to look just to get rid of the compulsion. I pulled at the plank and raised it upward. There were hundreds of ants and bugs on the damp dirt underneath, running frantically in all directions. Also on the wet earth, in the center of the area where the board had lain, were two folded, crisp, dry one-dollar bills. I did not stop to consider how the money happened to be under the board. I made no mention of the incident at the time, except to a friend. I was too concerned that someone might claim the money. The problem for the night was solved. The incident had been forgotten completely until recalled under the personal history search. There was nothing more. No great traumas, just a basic American upbringing in a scholastic family. In view of the fact that it was a "mental" problem, psychiatry seemed to be the answer. Still, no outward evidence of the strong repressions, compulsions, anxieties, and/or phobias which normally show up in mental illness could be found. Close examination of the events leading up to the first out-of-the-body symptom (the severe cramps) brings to light several factors which deserve consideration. In the year immediately preceding the first incident, there was only one relatively unusual physiological change. During that year I had seven lower teeth capped in a rather lengthy dental process. This was examined in detail in relation to the later symptom of "tuning" the Second State condition by movements of the jaw. It is possible that the bits of assorted metal comprising part of the tooth-capping fabrication acted electrically or in some other fashion on the brain. This still remains an unexplored possibility. Physicists, physiologists, and electronics specialists have no theory relating to this. Proper research could prove or disprove the hypothesis. There are hundreds of thousands of people walking around with bits of metal in their teeth, and other such incidents have been reported. A survey might prove interesting. There were no other physiological changes significant enough to be recalled consciously. The only above-ordinary nutritional factor was that of vitamin intake. Since my wife believed strongly in nutrition, daily dosages of vitamins A, B complex, C, and E, plus mineral tablets, had been a norm for several years. Again, a cumulative effect could have been the cause, but no reports or research studies indicated any factors resembling the Second State. Other than this, a normal diet was the rule, with no major changes for five years at the least. At the psychological and physical activity levels, there is much to be noted. It is quite conceivable that the causes of the phenomenon lie here. The first consideration might be termed the anesthesia episode, which took place some six months prior to the first symptom. The beginning came when I noticed an unusual "heady" effect from the fumes of a gallon can of contact cement. I was installing a cubbyhole desk top in the wall of a bedroom at home when I became aware of the sensation. The can clearly stated on the lid that the cement should be used in well-ventilated areas. I correctly assumed that this was a fire-hazard warning from the manufacturers. The sensation reminded me of the strange effect I had experienced in the past just as I was "going under" from anesthesia. Curious, I experimented with the effect of the fumes a number of times in the following month, with very significant results. Upon learning that the fuming agents were toluol (a common commercial hydrocarbon detergent) and acetone (once used as anesthetic), 1 made several experiments with the subjective effects of light anesthesia, utilizing a less volatile and relatively safe inhalant, Trilene. In retrospect, the results of these experiments seem to parallel closely the reports of those who have undertaken the LSD experience. Intensely vital and not at all unpleasant, the effects may well have triggered an inner desire or need for experiences beyond those I had had to that date. Reluctantly, I stopped the experiments, as there seemed inherent dangers of physiological side effects if they were continued. Although I had set up rigid controls, there was no certainty that they would always work. However, I did find out some interesting facts about anesthesia to satisfy my curiosity. In Ireland, it seems, ether was sold by the spoonful by peddlers who ladled it out at streetside each morning. In the early days, medical students often had "ether parties," much like the parties of the "black market" LSD users today. Doctors have reported that ether addiction has been quite common through the years. Captains of gasoline tankers have problems with a seagoing version of the wino. When signed on as crew, these men appear completely normal, until they are found unconscious alongside a cargo vent. I understand they are labeled "sniffers." Further, I learned the relationship between alcohol and other anesthetics. Any anesthetic produces a trail from consciousness to an unconscious state beyond which is death. The job of the anesthetist is to "put down" or place the patient in a deep unconscious state as quickly as possible, avoiding any "violent" intermediate condition (which is the area I evidently explored). The technique then is to hold the unconscious patient just above death. The major advantage of ether when it was first introduced was that it had fewer possible side effects than alcohol and offered greater control of the degree of unconsciousness. The period of consciousness following administration was quite short, and the unconscious state was quite extended before the terminal point (death) was reached. The period of consciousness following the administration of alcohol, on the other hand, is quite long. When deep unconsciousness is reached, the distance to the terminal point is much shorter. The margin is so narrow that continued administration of alcohol to a patient after he has "passed out" can well cause death. Another fact I discovered is that archaeological and geological studies of the sites of several ancient Greek and Egyptian temples of worship, where many visions and miracles took place, have indicated the probable escape of underground gases, including nitrous oxide, at and around the particular spot sometime in the past Nitrous oxide is one of the present-day anesthetics, odorless and tasteless. Some three months after this "drug" experience, which by then was almost forgotten, I developed an interest in the possibilities of data learning during sleep. I do not know what brought about this interest. Perhaps it was an outgrowth of an early academic environment coupled with my immediate observation of the teaching methods applied in the primary grades to my own children. To explore the potential of this interest, I made some studies of past and present concepts of the waking-unconscious mind. There was supporting evidence that the unconscious recorded all sensory input data while awake and asleep. The problem was to introduce intelligent and organized data during sleep and to provide conscious recall when desired. The limited formal research material available showed contradictory conclusions. Simple reading of data to a sleeping subject produced only fragmentary and erratic results. No comparative studies between induction during deep (delta) sleep and the dreaming state (now termed REM sleep) had been made. Nor had any attempt been made to create deliberately a receptive sleep state with a Pavlovian type of conditioned reflex induced to bring recall at will. To carry out this research in a convenient pattern, I made autohypnotic sound recordings to test various approaches to a workable technique. This seemed to be the first logical step, as results had been obtained along similar lines utilizing hypnotic sleep instead of the natural sleep state. The reason for the use of tape recordings was to depersonalize the technique and to ensure identical tests among different subjects. The tapes were designed for use in a booth isolated from light and sound. The tapes used were deliberately simple in content. There was a period for induction to create hypnotic sleep. Following this, a series of direction-suggestion units were incorporated into a continuing pattern. These varied according to the test and the results desired. Data learning, for example, was confined to multiplication tables (from twelve to twenty-four) and to Spanish and French vocabulary and idiomatic phrases. These were always accompanied by suggestion of full and complete memory and by posthypnotic suggestion that recall could be obtained in the conscious state by a mental-physical cue (such as thinking of the number 555 and tapping fingers on a table five times simultaneously). Each induction tape recording also included a suggestion that the subject would improve both physically and mentally. This affirmation was somewhat more than a generality. No details were suggested as to how this improvement would take place. Yet each functional area of the bodyâ€”the nervous, circulatory, glandular, and digestive systemsâ€”were to be completely "normal," according to the instructions given the subject Both the health and recall suggestions, then, were reinforced with each induction or use of the tape. In light of later incidents, this may have been important Each experimental tape was carefully annotated, with every spoken word identically following a prepared script and routine. The tapes closed with a pattern to bring the subject back to complete and normal wakefulness. Suggestion here was extremely simple and effective, with no elaborate words that might be misinterpreted by the subject. The tapes were played to about eleven subjects, ranging in age from seven to fifty. The results implied a definite potential value, with some improvement in techniques. It must be stated here that I applied the tapes experimentally first and most frequently to myself. This quite naturally brought them into the greatest area of suspicion in relation to the out-of-the-body experimentation. All the tapes have been examined word by word, sound by sound, and at low background level for clues to a possible later "effect" No clues seem evident, yet the suspicion remains. Such experimentation terminated with the appearance of the first symptom.

BEGINNING STAGE (September 1958-July 1959) In the expectation of some correlation between effects, events, characteristics, theories, and conclusions, a sorting process was instigated. It soon became evident that three stages had taken place within this period. There may be additional stages beyond the three, but these remain unknown. Both the "beginning" and the cutoff point of the Beginning Stage are fairly clear. Effects. The first unexplained effect was the cramp or constriction, as reported earlier. Several weeks later, this was followed by the sensation of a "ray" from the north, with resultant catalepsy. Cautious experimentation brought the discernment of the vibration sensation. This sensory impression was later discovered to be reported consistently in the experiences of spiritualists, occultists, and others in the late nineteenth century. It still is referred to casually in much underground talk. The vibrational sensory effect was the single consistent symptom throughout the Beginning Stage, However, it appeared to be evolutionary. The early vibrations seemed to be rough, sometimes accompanied by a visual image of a localized ring of electrical "sparks." The frequency was on the order of ten cycles per second, according to visual clock-timing. At the conclusion of the Beginning Stage, the frequency had increased to approximately eighteen c.p.s., with much less discomfort to the physical body. This effect was induced willfully some 59 per cent of the time in the latter portions of the period. The second effect was the awareness of a high-pitched "hiss" heard softly yet constantly in the aural centers. Once established, it continued uninterrupted throughout the period. An ear specialist diagnosed this as "hearing of the blood through the veins." Otherwise, hearing was normal. Separation from the physical body took place approximately three months into the period, inadvertently in the first instance. Most subsequent incidents were induced deliberately. All took place only when the vibration effect was present. It became easier to create this effect as the period progressed, No other pronounced or repetitive effects were observed. Any physiological results seemed to be restful rather than enervating or debilitating. At this stage infrequent subsequent physical effects of excitement and stimulation were evident, but not to an extreme degree. These included accelerated pulse rate, perspiration, and sexual response. Emotional patterns. For fully half of the period, fears of mental and/or physical disability were dominant. These fears were greatly assuaged by consultation with and examination by medical and psychiatric authorities. The main subsequent factor was curiosity, tempered by strong undercurrents of anxieties related to undirected and uncharted exploration of the unknown, possible community and/or familial censure, and the fear of being unable to return to the physical body. Sequence of experimentation. From the first out-of-the-body experience, the experiments ranged from gradual familiarity of "local" separation (ten feet or less) to objective examination through partial separation and finally visits into areas of Locale I (present space-time). Methodology. Means of inducing the vibrational state were explored, centering chiefly on tape recordings described earlier and methods of producing complete relaxation with full consciousness, the prerequisite for the vibrational state. It was determined that achievement of the vibrational state was relatively simple once the consciousness-relaxed condition was established. The evidence of oral breathing as a condition was confirmed. "Tuning" of the vibrational state by minute movements of the physical jaw proved to be an effective method. It became apparent that separation occurred only during the vibrational state. The technique of separation evolved into a simple uncluttered thought of "up" or "away." Successive tests indicated that any non-physical movement in the Second Body was instigated by desire or thought alone. Problems of controlled movement to predetermined location and unhampered immediate return to the physical body remained unsolved. Conclusions. The following conclusions were reached during this period, (i) There does exist a Second Body interspersed or in conjunction with the physical body. (2) The Second Body can move and act independently of the physical body. (3) These movements and actions can be made partially under the control of the conscious mind. (4) Some sensory inputs in the Second Body register as they do in the physical, others are beyond translation. (5) Some movements in the Second Body occur in identical space-time to that of the physical counterpart.

MIDDLE STAGE (August 1959-September 1962) Effects. This period is identified as beginning with a mild coronary. There was no evidence of a relationship between experimentation and the illness, though absence of evidence does not necessarily eliminate this possibility. The vibrational state evolved until it was manifested only as a sense of warmth in latter portions of period. This change resulted from a gradual "speeding up" of frequency until single pulsations were not perceptible. The auditory "air hiss" phenomenon continued unchanged throughout the period. Separation from the physical became less procedural and more natural, with only occasional re-entry problems. The vibrational state was deliberately induced during daylight hours, and occurred spontaneously late at night. Apparent physiological effects remained the same: no resulting enervation or debilitation, some stimulation. These were observed most carefully in view of the coronary occlusion, Emotional patterns. Early in the period, there was some anxiety about possible physiological effects. The inability to control the experience totally at will contributed to these fears, which lessened considerably by the middle of the period, due principally to the lack of supporting evidence and growing confidence. Still present were concerns relating to return-to-physical controls, and the possibility of serious errors through ignorance in unknown areas. Sequence of experimentation. Extended visits to Locale I became less frequent, to be replaced by initially inadvertent trips into Locale II. In the latter portion of period, entry into Locale III was discovered and subsequently explored. The intertime state was discovered late in period. Methodology, "Countdown" techniques of relaxation were applied in daylight tests. Late at night, borderland sleep states were converted to the now recognizable vibration-warmth condition. Oral breathing became an automatic function, with some further experiments with "jaw tuning." Separation from the physical body via the 180Â° (out-of-phase-back-away) method proved to be the most effective and reliable. Consistent technique of positive return to the physical (K recall) was tested and put into practice. Conclusions, (i) Existence of the Second Body was reaffirmed. (2) Locale II, with specific characteristics different from those of Locale I, was discovered. (3) The existence of Locale III was hypothesized, with related characteristics to Locale I, but in different stages of scientific development. (4) Human personality survives the transition of death and continues in Locale II. (5) Communication between human beings can take place above the oral level, in the waking or sleeping state and/or the Second State. (6) Some (or most?) human living physical entities separate from the physical body during sleep. The reason for this is not known.

LATER STAGE (October 1962-October 1970) Experimentation was limited during this period, due principally to lack of opportunity. Preoccupation with material affairs took precedence, with evaluation of previous work as a secondary effort Effects. The sense of vibration disappeared completely during the period, evolving into warmth, then to an indefinable "being." Separation from the physical was possible only in this "being" state, with minimal effort. The only physical effect noted was a slight feeling of disorientation, headiness, and minor discomfort for some nine hours after a particular experiment. No special experiment had been performed, and the causes for this are unknown, In the middle of the period, I suffered a thrombus hemor-rhoid believed attributable to an experience during an experiment some four days prior to the appearance of the symptom. There was no previous medical history of this physical problem. Sleep requirements lessened during the period. However, when sleep appeared necessary, it became imperative to comply with the need. Non-compliance brought physical and mental debilitation. As little as five minutes of sleep brought major regeneration. The only other significant effect recorded was the occurrence at two separate times of a complete awareness of "near bi-location." This was full consciousness at a level where full sensory awareness of physical surroundings was active, yet the self was "one notch away." On both occasions, it required a deliberate decision to integrate completely into the physical environment. The effect of remaining in the "one notch away" environment is unknown. The "air hiss" sound continued. Emotional patterns. The fears found in previous stages were completely dissipated in this period. The most important reason for this was complete confidence in the methods of bringing about an immediate return to the physical when desired. Furthermore, the evaluation of previous data brought acceptance of the condition in terms of an evolution rather than deterioration. At the same time, minor concerns for continued existence in the physical body began to manifest themselves. Disregard for physical dangers lessened considerably as a result The reason for this is not known. Sequence of experimentation. No preplanned sequence was instituted during the period, due to the exigencies of other matters. Thus experimentation was sporadic and took place only when it was opportune. Several strong evidential visits were made to both Locale I and Locale II. Most visits were to Locale II, with unspecified results as related to the physical world (Locale I). Experimentation on strictly scientific grounds began late in the period under controlled laboratory conditions. Methodology, Little attention was given to this area, as two principal problems remained unsolved. The first problem was the development of deep relaxation techniques, which were obtained with increasing difficulty. The second was the chronic problem of controlling the destination point. Various techniques were applied, all with indeterminate results. The heart of the difficulty lies in the conflicting desires between conscious mind and superconscious when both are operating at full capacity. In the Second State, the superconscious is the stronger deciding element Conclusions. (i) While in the Second Body, it is possible to create a physical effect on a physically living human entity while the latter is awake. (2) There are unfolding areas of knowledge and concepts completely beyond the comprehension of the conscious mind of this experimenter.

The first step in making some kind of sense out of this mass of raw data was to set up standards for measurement and analysis. After several attempts, it became apparent that only a few of the typical yardsticks could be applied. Therefore, assumptions or premises were made to permit identification in the sorting process, and the conclusions brought forth are only as valid as the premises on which they are based. The following are the primary assumptions.

Whitwick Thringstone Shepshed Snibston Swannington Ravenstone Newbold - Verdon Markfield Market Bosworth Hinckley Ibstock Hugglescote Ellstown - Donisthorpe National Forest Barlestone Appleby Magna Bardon Hill Coleorton - Ellistown Greenhill Oaks In Charnwood Ravenstone Swannington Swepstone Whitwick -

Pathway to Spirit 7 Princicpal of Spiritualism

Phsyical Mediumship Coalville

Phsyical Mediumship Coalville

Pathway to Spirit
7 Princicpal of Spiritualism