Published in the Providence Journal on July 2, 1998
It was not the typical college course work that one might find when browsing through Roger Williams University’s 1998 course catalogue.
For the novice students of spiritualism, the course title for the week of workshops, lectures and healing seasons might have read: Spiritualism 101: A Beginners Journey into the Spiritual Realms.
For more seasoned students, the program was more than just the basics. It provided them with sound tips on how to further enhance their mediumistic gifts – the ability to channel communication between the earthly world and world of spirits- and to sharpen their skills in giving public demonstrations.
More than 200 people, from 21 foreign countries, including New Zealand, Japen, Egypt, Israel and Finland and 12 states, came to Roger Williams last month to attend the 75th Congress Programme sponsored by the International Spiritualist Federation (ISF). The umbrella organization, based in the United Kingdom, represents world-wide spiritualist groups with a combined membership of about 200,000 members.
Best selling book author James Van Praagh who wrote Talking to Heaven: A Medium’s Message About Life and Death, is a member of ISF. ISF held the event in Rhode Island to celebrate the 150th anniversary of spiritualism, which began in the United States.
Although the life styles and occupations of the novice and practicing mediums who came to the conference widely- including full-time practicing mediums, college students housewives, carpenters and elections, school teachers, artists, physicians, business owners and retirees – each had a common desire to experience communication between the world and the spirit world and to connect with their inner selves.
Internationally-known mediums and healers, conducted workshops, teaching techniques in healing and mediumship, according to ISF President Lionel Owen, a retired banker from the United Kingdom. Throughout the week, the 3rd generation spiritualism helped budding mediums and reminded the more experienced in his group on how to link up with their inner selves, become physically sensitive to inanimate objects and to the energy of people. On the last day, students under Owen’s supervision tested their mediumistic powers.
In a second-floor classroom in South Hall, Matthias Guddenstein, 58, bearded with long flowing black and gray-streaked hair, sat in a circle of 22 fellow students, totally fixated on his drawing.
During the two-hour session, which fellow mediums practiced giving each other messages from departed loved ones, the casually dressed primary school teacher wearing Birkenstock sandals, continued to sketch.
When finished, the six-foot-tall medium from Switzerland stood up and faced Jospeh Chishom, a 56-year-old carpenter from Wilmington, Mass, to deliver his message.
Guddenstein said that the departed relative, an older woman with white hair in a bun, wearing a string of pearls, had come through him. Chishom accepted the information telling the group that this described his mother.
“She is very outspoken and had keen insight,” stated Guddenstein, adding that the disincarnate being gives her son encouragement and tells him to become more discipline and urges him to practice his healing. Again, a hit. Chisholm tells his group that it seems like his mother.
Throughout the week fellow mediums, like Guddenstein in this circle gave each other messages from the spirit world at events, lectures, healing services and even at lunch breaks.
Guddenstein became interested in spiritualism more than 26 years ago when he served as a translator for British mediums in public seasons and private readings in Switzerland. “At first I was a skeptic.” But after listening to sitters deny facts coming through the mediums and then to later learn that they verified the messages by family made him a true believer.
“The conference is a good vehicle to meeting spiritualists from all over the world,” Guddenstein added. “It provides me with enrichment of knowledge as well as opportunity for personal growth.”
While many might not understand spiritualists and view those practices as unconventional, Mervyn Johnson, 52, a full-time healer and medium from London, who attended the conference, does not buy into this belief. “We’re basically very sound people from all walks of life,” stated the life-long spiritualist,” from solicitors, doctors to ordinary bricklayers.”
According to Johnson, spiritualists have a common belief of love, light and the existence of the human soul far beyond the physical Earth plane. “We believe in the great love of God without restrictions to that power,” he said, adding that spiritualists churches are open to all religious denominations. Spiritualist churches, whose ministers have the same rights and privileges under the law as ministers of other religions, are open to all religious denominations, he said.
Adds speaker Jean Holms, 52, a full-time Colorado-based practicing medium: “Spiritualists know that life continues after death.” Their beliefs can take away mankind’s fear of death and sense of abandonment when a loved one dies.
“Our loved ones and ancestors are readily available to us and can give us proof that they existed,” Holmes said. “They are around us every day and often give us thoughts of love, strength and support.”
For the novices, the intensive mediumship training and fellowship opened up new horizons revealing to them a whole new world, Owen stated. “They will never be the same,” he predicted. But for all the ISF leader said, “attending the conference reaffirmed the main principles of the ISF that all life, not just human, comes from the same source and is linked together by the power of spirit. That the human personality survives death and can communicate with us in many difference ways.”
For more information on ISF, write to Lionel Ownes, 12 Hillswood Drive, Endon, Stoke-on-Trent., Staffs. ST9 BI, United Kingdom. For details about the nearest spiritualist church, contact The Spiritualist Church of Brockton, 75 County St., Seekonk, Mass.
Herb Weiss 