I started this blog over a year ago because I wanted to share my paranormal experiences and connect with others of like mind. I have certainly done that! One thing I have learned quite quickly was that everyone…the world over…experiences the paranormal and are often left as I have been…curious, frightened and hoping for more answers. Many comments I get are from people who have experienced something that they don’t understand…they want answers and validation that they are not crazy. Oh how I know the feeling!

I often suggest that those needing a little more help than I can offer, should visit a Spiritualist Church. I learned about Spiritualist churches from a camper who came to stay at the campground I use to own and operate (a military retirement venture that was given up after three years of financial struggle and exhaustive work!). I knew about Temple Heights, of course, which is a Spiritualist Camp in Northport, Maine (not far from where I live) but I didn’t realize they were part of a church organization. Temple Heights is the place to go if you want to consult with a medium and I have visited them a few times … with great success. In fact, my mother was told during a “circle” we attended that she needed to take care of something going on in her stomach. At the time my mother wasn’t experiencing any problems there and so she didn’t think much of it. But when she later noticed a problem, she wanted it checked out right away because of what the medium told her. Turned out to be ovarian cancer, Stage 1, which is nearly unheard of to catch it that quick! Most of the time this fast-acting cancer is in its later stages by the time its discovered. A great success story that!

So anyway, I obviously missed all the literature about Temple Heights or I would have seen that it was part of the Spiritualist Church! So, I find out from this camper that there is a church (not a camp) in Augusta (Maine’s capitol city and quite close to where I live!). I went on line to check it out and yet it took me several months more before I finally decided to try one of their services. That was two years ago and I’ve been going ever since. In fact, I’ve become an official member! This church best suits my beliefs and I fit right in. Another feature I love about the church is their Thursday night “circles”. Now … about the circles. It is called that because we often sit in a circle when gathering together. At Temple Heights, circles are what they call sessions where a medium connects with spirit and passes on messages. They like to keep the circles small so everyone gets a message. The Thursday night circles at church cover different subjects every week. Church services as well as Thursday night circles always begin with prayer and meditation.

I often recommend that people needing help with spiritual matters should try to attend one of these church services because so many mediums attend them and often the kind of help they need is the kind of help a medium can give. The pastors for these churches are also mediums. They must all go through a certification process to prove their ability. Basically, whenever one of their mediums makes recognizable contact with a spirit, the person for whom they are reading is encouraged to fill out a testimonial saying so and that is sent to church officials who decide if it meets their strict guidelines for “proof” of spirit contact. I know this much…every medium that has given me a message has been right on, especially the pastor of the Augusta church!

The first time I attended, I wasn’t sure what to expect (by the way, the picture on the top left is from the old church building that was recently destroyed. It was on display right above the alter area and I loved looking at it during services). I thought I might feel a little out of place and awkward. But no. I did not. I was warmly welcomed at the door and then when we went through a guided meditation for the “healing portion” of the three-part service, I immediately relaxed into the calming atmosphere. The church believes that the power of healing comes from spirit (God, Infinite Intelligence!) and they offer the opportunity for healers (those who are particularly attuned to spirit and offering themselves as a conduit between spirit and the person needing healing) to pray over you. Church healers go through the same certification process as the mediums! I tell you, the benefits of this healing portion of the service can be felt right from your seat … without the added benefit of sitting in the healing chairs! The energy is that high in their services. The next part of the service involves a “message”. They prefer to call it that rather than a “sermon” for they don’t “preach” to you … they impart messages they feel moved to share. Those sharing the message of the day are also the mediums who will be conducting messages from spirit during the last portion of the service. Visiting mediums from other churches often come to share their talents and so we get to meet many wonderful people from all over!

The first time I attended church I received a message from my uncle who passed to spirit when I was fourteen. I loved him dearly and was very close to him and his passing was very hard for me. He was only 29 years young. The pastor was the one passing on the message and he got everything right. He described my uncle perfectly. He knew how and when he died, he knew that he smoked a pipe and was left handed. I was floored by this. Although I had been to many mediums before this point, none of them were as accurate or brought through someone from the other side that I quickly, easily and without mistake recognized! I KNEW my uncle was in that church with me and it was quite an emotional experience. The next visit my grandmother came through. He knew so much about her that was specific to only my nana that I knew once again that he truly was in contact with her. I have received many wonderful messages from loved ones during church services and I am so very grateful for it.

Spiritualist believe not only that life goes on after death but that we should be in contact with those in spirit as well. Thus, all the mediums to be found at their services! They believe in Jesus as well so in that respect, they are also Christian. But their doctrine is quite different from most Christian churches … mainly their focus on keeping communications open between our world and the spirit world. They don’t pass judgment on things like the Tarot cards, palm reading and the like. They welcome everyone and don’t consider gays to be a sinful lot. They accept without question those who are in same-sex marriages. They just don’t pass judgment on those things. Now, I know some of these things are very controversial but it is all a matter of faith and belief and this is a very accepting church! Their number one, golden rule? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Spiritualists are a unique group of people and I enjoy their company and their acceptance of everyone. They do not in any way condemn other churches. All are welcome to attend their services and there is no attempts to change their faith or their beliefs. There is no … believe-this-or-else kind of policy.

Several years ago I had a beloved great-uncle Norman who lost his wife, my dear aunt Tine, after 65 years of marriage! Imagine that … sixty five years! They had known each other most all their entire lives. They didn’t have any children so they went through life only with each other. When Tine died, my uncle Norman was devastated and he wanted to follow her into the afterlife. But one day some church folks knocked on his door and they saw he was quite aged, living alone and in grief. They wouldn’t leave him alone and visited him regularly. At first he enjoyed their sympathy and their company. BUT (there is always a “but” isn’t there?), they convinced him that he needed to be baptized or he was going to go to hell. That scared him for aunt Tine wasn’t baptized either and he became very worried for her soul. Especially so when they told him that since she didn’t attend church either, she really needed his prayers! Now, my aunt Tine was one of the sweetest ladies ever. She was kind to everyone and she was very loved. No freaking way would God send someone like her straight on to hell because she didn’t get baptized or go to church. But my uncle Norm was frightened by these people who told him otherwise. He wrote to me his fear of dying and his fear that his wife might be in hell. Since he was too sick to attend his scheduled baptism at church, he told me he was scared because he didn’t want to die and go to hell. Also, he wasn’t sure he had prayed enough to save his beloved Tine from that horrible fate as well. I wrote to him and I told him that so many people loved him, everyone that knew him in fact, and that he was the BEST of men. He lived a good life and God loved him way more than I did or anyone else for that matter. I told him that God loved aunt Tine more than he loved her. Would he send her to hell? NO! Well, God was much more loving and forgiving than him so why would he do something like that? “Go in peace, Uncle Norm. Go be with Tine and know that you will be happy and loved and in a beautiful place together.” I told him he had nothing at all to fear and he died the day after receiving my letter. I do not doubt for a second …in fact, I KNOW my uncle Norm and aunt Tine are together in glory with God. A Spiritualist Church would never have done that to a person. Never.

We are a race of judges. It is part of our nature to judge all things and these judgments are driven by our Egos. Most everyone passes judgments on everyone else and tries to use their bible of choice as their authority to do so. Well, I don’t buy into it. I use my own moral compass (my conscience, my soul) to determine what I think is right or wrong. I understand that others are not going to agree with me on every issue and so be it. That’s fine. We must all live our own life as we see fit. Every one of us have the right to our beliefs. One of my beliefs is that others’ beliefs should bring NO harm to anyone. All of life should be respected and treated justly. That’s not to say that evil doers should be left alone to do as they believe and conduct their evil. But that’s another whole discussion we won’t get into!

Now, I will be vocal as anyone else on passing judgments concering sins that we ALL can usually agree on … murder and stealing for example. But even in that we have disputes. Is capitol punishment murder? Is abortion murder? Is military operations that result in deaths murder? See? It’s all a matter of belief. Nothing is cut and dried. Not for me. It is for many others, though, and there’s nothing I can do about that. I am responsible for my SELF … for me. You are responsible for you. You make your choices and I make mine and if we must stand before some sort of spiritual judge someday … well, then I guess we’ll learn who was right and who was wrong then won’t we? Until that possible day, so long as I am not hindering your life in any way and causing you harm, I see no problem with me carrying on as I do.

But, back to the Spiritualist Church. They have camps … such as the one I mentioned earlier, Temple Heights, all over the country. You can locate them from the Spiritualist Church website. But one of their most famous camps here in the States is Lily Dale. It is truly a unique community. My husband and I were fortunate to stay there for a couple days a few years back and we totally enjoyed it. Many mediums make their homes there and several circles are offered throughout the day. They also hold classes covering a variety of spiritual subjects and they have many guests come in to share their unique gifts as well. The whole place has an air of peace and well being. I hope to make it back again someday. We even looked longingly at some of the homes within the community that were up for sale. What a great place to live, we thought. Who knows … maybe someday …

Anyone and everyone is welcome to visit and stay at the Spiritualist Camps. They have very reasonable rates and if you are looking for an interesting experience, you should check them out!

My advice to readers of this blog who write asking for help with paranormal issues is often a suggestion that they visit a Spiritualist Church to find a medium or people experienced in such matters. If you ever read my replies to comments asking for help with ghosts, that’s what I often tell them. It’s good advice. I take it myself.

One thing I love about this blog is all the sharing done here. So many people experience the paranormal and it can be quite frightening. Well, I hope here they can discover that it isn’t all negative and bad and evil. No. The spirit world is as much God’s world as is the physical world! We are all beings of SPIRIT, possessors of the eternal soul. May peace be with you!!!

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