Why I Left East Hamilton Spiritual Church.

November 15, 2013: Update... seems there has been a change at East Hamilton Spiritual Church.... a new web site.... I guess the old web designer and his mother are likely out of the church but I am sure all the other issues mentioned below are sadly alive and well... Change is a slow process it seems.

It has come to my attention that over a year after leaving East Hamilton Spiritual Church that I am being bad mouthed by some executive members on the church board. Up until now I have basically said nothing unless it came to my attention through others that I was still being talked about. Since some people cannot seem to tell the truth or not say anything at all I feel I must post the following letters so that people can know what I went through in the two months I was involved with East Hamilton Spiritual Church from March to May 2012 when I first moved to Hamilton.

It is also important to note that before that move in 2012 I was living and working in Toronto and moved to Hamilton with the intention of making the East Hamilton Spiritual Church my home church. In September 2011 I was added to a Facebook group East Hamilton Spiritual Church What's Going On? and defended the church because I was dragged into drama where 19 people were banned form East Hamilton Spiritual Church for reasons I never did quite understand. What I saw was people making accusations but I did not see actual concrete proof for. Most of what I saw was ex members accusing the board of fraud and to me without proof that is a very serious accusation.

That said, when I came to the church I discovered that the Vice President of the board (Kathleen (Kathy) Barnard)  was the worst gossip monger and took delight in targeting people whom she did not like or who challenged her authority and security in some way. Making fun of how people dressed on Sundays for church or spreading rumours about some people's sexual orientations and living arrangements are just two examples of the regular goings on at East Hamilton Spiritual Church that I personally witnessed. I also experienced subtle racism from the same woman who made a disparaging comment about one of the students who came to a mediumship  class I was teaching one Thursday night. He happened to be a young black guy in his early 30s who is into the rap scene as he is a DJ. She assumed "he is going to cause trouble" but I explained to the Vice President he was client and a student of mine for several years. So when she said to me "Oh no he is going to cause trouble" I was shocked and offend. I made it clear to her that I knew this man personally and that he was one of the nicest people I have ever met.  She was (from what I can tell) embarrassed and uncomfortable having been caught making such an assumption about someone.

The tipping point though for me through, was when I found out, through Facebook that the web designer for the church website who was a healer in the church was posting Nazi slogans on his personal webpage extolling the virtues of "exterminating the 'lesser desireables' in society who were fit to survive the struggle of society". And his target seemed to be people with Downs Syndrome.  I saw posts making fun of these people's intellectual impairment. As recall, the photo had the picture of a pre-teen girl with Downs Syndrome and the caption was "I can count to potato". The most disgusting thing of all this is that his mother (also a member of the board at East Hamilton Spiritual Church) was liking these prejudicial abusive posts.   After trying to talk to the young man about this behaviour and being told to "fuck off", I brought it to the attention of Vice President of  the board at East Hamilton Spiritual Church as was advised that "he is just a 19 year old fuck up who is trying to find himself".

This is when I knew that East Hamilton Spiritual Church was not "a safe haven for all who enter" especially not those with intellectual, or physical disabilities or who are not white. As a woman with Cerebral Palsy, who has over come such prejudice,  I did try to have the web designer and his mother removed from their positions at the church  and instead it was me that was banned for voicing my improperly addressed concerns on Facebook when I realize the church board was not going to do anything about it. I feel most sorry for the general congregation and the newly appointed board members who had nothing to do with this nonsense but are in the middle of it nonetheless.

The following letters represent the full exchange that Reverend Leonard (Len) Spicer and I had about the situation. It seems if you are good friends of the Reverend (as the web designer, his mother, and Kathleen (Kathy) Barnard  are) than any behaviour is acceptable.  It is also interesting to note that the web designer, his mother and the Reverend are not even residents of Hamilton. How is it they got so involved in controlling a Hamilton based church in the first place? That may never be clear but the letters are very clear for sure.

LETTER RECEIVED:

From the Desk of Rev. L.P. Spicer

President of East Hamilton Spiritual Church

May 25, 2012

Dear Catherine MacDonald,

On behalf of the officers and congregation, I wish to thank you for your service, which included emergency requests.

However, I have noticed some very distasteful acts of your conduct, which I find unacceptable. As a servant of this Church when you serve, you become a leader and your demeanour at all times must demonstrate social qualities, that encourages all who attend the Church to feel at east and at peace.

Your conduct over the pages of Facebook on the net is degrading from a worker who serves the congregation of East Hamilton Spiritual Church. Your actions and opinions have been humiliating, embarrassing, and offensive, especially in area’s that do not concern you.

Your treatment of the teenager Thomas Needle requires your apology. You accepted an invitation to join a private page on Facebook and in your gauche manner you turn this private page into a public gossip column (I printed the subject matter off) to maintain the Churches image, I have punished Thomas. You also have sent slanderous comments to Thomas’s mother.

For this reason you will no longer be considered to server in any capacity this Church. Your membership of this Church as of this date is withdrawn also your requirements to serve on June 9th 2012 as a reader are no longer needed.
Without prejudice

Reverend L.P. Spicer

MY REPLY:

From: Catherine MacDonald [mailto:cmac29@rogers.com]
Sent: May-28-12 4:50 AM
To: 'leonardspicer@yahoo.ca'
Subject: RE: Letter
Hello Reverend Spicer:

I have received your letter and can say that we are in agreement on only two matters and I am quite relieved that I am no longer a member of East Hamilton Spiritual Church and will no longer be required to serve.

As to the other parts of the letter I will simply say that I asked spirit to show me what I needed to see as I had requested them to and I am grateful for that.
Now let’s get the facts straight.

1. Thomas Needle is not a teenager by law he is considered an adult as it is my understanding that he is 19 years of age. He posted disparaging hate speech about people with down syndrome and had Hitler quotes on his page also that encouraged the extermination of undesirables who were not fit to survive the struggle in society. I did try to talk to him about the negativity of this kind of thing and was rudely rebuffed. I brought the situation to the Vice President of the board’s attention and it was blown off as “he’s just a 19 year old fuck up trying to find himself”. Is the an example of not being gauche? I just want to be clear on where you draw the line on what is gauche and what is not.

2. Thomas’ mother is a member of the board and she was the one who came after me threatening me that I needed “to watch what I said about Thomas as I had no idea what his intention was by sharing the posts he did on Facebook”. Was that a threat? I do not have to figure out his intentions and the fact that his mother also liked the posts he shared also puts in question her judgement. If I embarrassed and humiliated her then perhaps public shaming was necessary given the circumstances. I did not slander her. I challenged her distorted logic in her feeble attempts to defend and justify and defend her son’s behaviour and asked her directly if she shared her son’s views. I did not accuse her I simply pointed out how twisted her line of thought was and perhaps that is a good thing in the long run as it is Thomas who embarrassed and humiliated his mother by showing the lack of parental guidance that is obviously going on. She added me as a friend and comes after me on my wall and if it is bad conduct for me to embarrass her then I should think she would also be dealt with in the same manner as Thomas and myself for bad Facebook behaviour. Yet I am more than willing to bet that she is still a member of the board and that her membership in the church and her son’s membership were never actually in question because they are personal friends of yours. It is so nice to see that the rules are so evenly and ethically applied in all situations.

3. I have personally heard the Vice President of the same board gossip to me about people in the church that she does not like and systematically target them so they stop attending. I guess making fun of how someone dresses on Sunday or sings hymns and making fun of people you do not like by making up nasty nicknames for them is an example of acceptable leadership behaviour at East Hamilton Spiritual Church? Just want to be crystal clear what the expectations are here.

4. I heard this same member of the board tell me things that were “board business” when other board members would have been admonished for doing so. It seems she does this if it suits her purpose of belittling others and causing drama in the church to get her own way. Again we can see the value of applying the rules in a fair and balanced manner.

5. The vice president of the board was also so rude to me on the last occasion I was there because I was questioning things that are going on in the church and yes did so publicly as this nonsense was brought to my attention on Facebook and I refused just to let it be shoved under the rug. Is that becoming behaviour for a person in her position? If so I am in the wrong church.

Are these the examples of “a leader and [with a] demeanour at all times must demonstrate social qualities, that encourages all who attend the Church to feel at [ease] and at peace”? Is this what makes East Hamilton a “safe haven for all that enter”? I can say I think not.

You say I should apologize to Thomas and that these issues do not concern me but that Reverend Spicer is where you are absolutely wrong. Thomas is an adult and should know better and his mother should have parented him better no doubt. What is happening in the church is wrong. While there is not much I can do about it in real terms, I do have the right to ask the tough questions and make a decision if this organization is the right one for me to attach my name to. I think we all know the conclusion I came to. To that end revoking my membership and not asking me to serve will have little impact on my life except to reduce the huge amount of stress I had been dealing with since I got involved with the church last September due to the other Facebook group where I defended the church and its board. I do wonder if I defended the wrong people but no matter what that group was doing to the board by libeling the members on Facebook with no proof was wrong and so I spoke up. I am not sorry to do that then and now as it was the ethically right thing to do then and I would do it again if the situation arose. Now I see things that are wrong here within the church and I am calling them out. You and the board can ignore them and sweep them under the rug but that does not change the distorted culture that has taken hold in East Hamilton Spiritual Church. Spirit knows what is true and right and what is not and each of us has to live with our own consciences. I am not sorry for what has happened here as I now have a clear understanding of East Hamilton Spiritual Church specifically and Spiritualism in general and I can tell you that I do not like what I see. I am thankful not to have my name mixed up with the church any longer.
On a personal note, moving to Hamilton was for me about recovering my health and I thought the church was part of that but now I can see I am better off without it. It is obvious to me that the energy of this church and your involvement in Spiritualism has cost you our health and I do have to wonder if any church or Spiritualism itself is worth that kind of stress. If this kind of negativity is what is created in Spiritualism and the churches and this what it does to good mediums and ministers who are respected people in the community then I can say I am glad to be as far out of it as possible. I do know as a younger medium that I will take this as a profound lesson of where I do not want my future to be and I sincerely thank you for that lesson as it surely will prolong my life and allow it to be much more peaceful.

Catherine MacDonald

It is sad to see what happens when a few people have too much control of the decision making power and the outcomes that will undoubtedly have an impact on East Hamilton Spiritual Church for a long time into the future.

Spiritualism and the New Age Radio Show

As of October 2007 I started hosting a weekly radio show called Spiritualism and the New Age on www.radio.com that airs Thursday evenings at 8 pm! The experience has been very interesting and a heck of a lot of fun!

For me hosting the show has allowed me to meet a variety of spiritual seekers from a variety of spiritual paths. It has also given me the opportunity to talk in detail with trusted friends who I see as like minded seekers.

To check out the latest podcasts you can go to Spiritualism and the New Age Podcasts to listen to and download the podcasts You can also find the most recent podcasts on my website at my website www.spiritualcat.com

Spiritualism In Toronto Really Needs to Examine its Leaders!

Yep I have been reading discussions at www.beliefnet.com lately... There is a thread in Intuitive Counseling called Job Possibility where a a poster is asking advice on if they should claim potential work income since they are on Social Assistance...

The poster's Plan A is to claim the income and the Plan B is to "get paid off the books". Now as someone who is on Ontario Disability Supports I can understand the draw to the Plan B. What I don't understand is the first reply to that poster that encourages her to go for Plan B! The reason I find this advise reprehensible is because it is given to the said poster on an Intuitive Counseling discussion board where the person is basically asking for a reading! The most unbelievable thing though is the fact that it is a Spiritualist Minister from Toronto who is dispensing that bad advice!

According to this minister:
"

	spiritalk 4/19/2007 10:31 AM	2 out of 9
	Go with plan B. Unfortunately government programs do not come with any wiggle room for aiding the recipient to get on their own feet. There design is to stifle any growth. God bless, J"

That tells me two things... 1. that this so called minster is not above scamming the government in her own financial practices and 2. that she has no clue how irresponsible her off handed advice to that poster really is...

And when called on it this so called spiritual leader tries to excuse the crappy advice by making the following statement which Beliefnet has since removed from the thread: To see the original thread in its entirety at the time this blog was written you can go here

"

	spiritalk 5/18/2007 10:24 AM	8 out of 9
	I councel no one to do anything that is against their very nature. It is funny that cat can talk when she takes from the public coffers and then pays her bills from other sources of income. Pot calling the kettle black? Well.... The fact is that government plans have no wriggle room for the sincere worker. When that worker has come to terms with their own direction and found their feet, they tend to make excellent contributors to all of society. It just seems that the red tape can get in the way of sincere effort. The reason for saying go with plan B was simply to get yourself settled, then pay into the future with your own prosperity. I have seen it work time and again. And it was even reported as a newspaper story in our local paper. Wake up and smell the coffee...to be spiritual does not mean being a doormat for those who are so judgemental as the posters here. God bless, J"

I say balderdash! You are making these posts on an intuitive counseling thread and so you ARE counseling the posters who have asked for advise there! Gotta really wonder what goes through the heads of some people that is for sure...

I mean I guess the message from this so called minister is it is ok to cheat now and pay it back later??? And what happens if this poster falls out of favor with the said minster? How fast would she be the first in line to tell the person how she is lacking integrity and be threatening to report her?

Knowing how some folks can be vipers both on posting boards and off it is not a chance I would be willing to take! I can only hope that the poster has the good sense to ignore this woman's advice!

And for others who may have dealings with her it does put into perspective just how screwed up some so called spiritual leaders are! No wonder people treat spiritualist churches and their ministers as suspect! One thing is for sure she is clueless re her comments about the financial situation I am in and my status with regard to claiming income with the provincial government. But then given her logic she should have no issue if I WERE defrauding the government because she is advising another in writing on a public discussion board to take that action.... Go figure!

Yep I believe the word you are looking for is WTF???

Being Part of Spiritualism... True Free Thinking

Lately I have been reading a tirade about how people hide behind computers and are not involved in Spiritualism. The person behind the tirade assumes that because people no longer want what she is offering means that they are no longer involved in or interested in Spiritualism.

Funny how when you leave one Spiritualist Church its leaders assume you have left Spiritualism for good. Usually when one leaves a specific church they left because of leader ego issues and nasty politics.

As you search for a spiritual home have a good look at the congregation. Those with little no congregation usually have this problem because they are controlling and have tried to dominate others who used to willingly work for their churches and have now left.

The church I am now connected with has a growing congregation because the management really does work together. They don't have a Reverend and maybe this is a very good thing. Most of the Spiritualist churches that do have a Reverend are saddled with this individual's ego and need to control every aspect of the organization.

I am not saying that all Reverends are bad but way too many of the ones I have met have lost sight of working for Spirit because their warped egos have gotten in the way. This is a weakness of human nature that some folks think they are above. The sad fact is that those who think they are better than others they condemn are usually the worst offenders of the very personality faults they find in others in Spiritualism.

To them I would say just because I finally had to good sense to remove myself from your churches does not mean that I am no longer involved with Spiritualism. Now I am truly a free thinker and have never been more content.

Mediumship Demonstrations at Britten Memoiral Spiritualist Church

Emma Hardinge Britten 1823-1899

As mentioned, I have been invited to work at Britten Memorial Spiritualist Church. On Sunday, May 6, 2007 and Sunday, May 20, 2007 I will be providing demonstrations of mediumship.

If you are interested in learning more about what a Spiritualist church service is like you are welcome to attend Britten Memorial Spiritualist Church located at:

657 Lansdowne Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M6H 3Y2
Canada
416 - 532 - 1197

Hope to see you there!

Back on the Rostrum

I had a wonderful experience on Sunday night! I did some message work for Britten Memorial Spiritualist Church. Much to my enjoyment there was quite a large congregation of about 3o people!

Many of the folks entering Britten's doors are interested and interesting seekers of all ages and there is a true community spirit there.

Now as I understand it I was listed on the events calendar for April 15th and the date was later changed to the 22nd. Confusions aside, I am pleased to help were I can. What I like most about this church is the shared effort to get things done and the effort put forth into being a source of positive energy in the community.

I will be working again as a guest medium in May and will post the dates when I have them for those who might be interested in seeing me work and checking out other mediums as well.

Cosmic Triggers= Spiritualist/New Age Saviors? Avoiding Personal Responsibility?

As I read different posts and blogs in different places there has been much mumbo jumbo about Cosmic Triggers and the unbalancing impact these supposed triggers will have on people. I am not sure I buy this idea. More likely the people who are feeling the negative impact of these so-called cosmic triggers are just reaping the negative that they have put out in the universe in the past and want to find some other event on which to blame their problems and the related dissatisfaction in life that they are experiencing.

One might see how Cosmic Triggers are a crutch for those who do not want to take responsibility for what negativity they have drawn to themselves. I guess some Spiritualists can pontificate about personal responsibility but when it comes to themselves, they look to Cosmic Triggers to explain why their lives are circling the rim of the crapper spiritually, financially and on all other levels. If life were good these folks would not keep posting about Cosmic Triggers as a way to avoid taking personal responsibility for the condition their lives are in.

When Dogmatists Run The Show….

“Of all isms I think dogmatism the worst.”

-- English freethinker George Jacob Holyoake (1817-1906).

The most dogmatic individuals who are all about THEIR rules being the only GOOD Spiritualism constantly show their own inconstancy by trying to make all their students believe that their warped perceptions of Spiritualism are accurate and right while pontificating about the lack of dogma and creed in Spiritualism. While there may be no OFFICIAL dogma and creeds to follow, these leaders are so busy trying to fit everyone into their box that they cannot see how this action is a huge deterrent to building congregations and get mighty nasty when folks reject being boxed in. Hence why there are so many churches and so little true effort to work together and DEMONSTRATE The Brotherhood of Man by example from the leadership in Spiritualism.

While some churches and their leadership do see the badmouthing of other churches as a problem the norm is that “newbies” feed a bunch of negativity and nonsense (by those who profess positive attitudes) about how the other churches are “no good” and how "those people" are running other churches are degrading what they see as “true” Spiritualism. This rubbish comes from insecure folks who are so focused on trying (by any means) to keep people at their churches and lining their pockets.

Another inconsistency seems to be that certain people rail against “psychic parlor tricks” and “low level spiritual work”. They say that psychics are only reading from the physical energy/ aura around people. And yet these people are offering aura readings as a good example of mediumship? If the aura is only a reflection of the sitter’s mental, spiritual and physical state then offering aura reading is little more than a lazy way to read and is no better than the psychics that are supposedly lacking. It seems that the cheap psychic parlor tricks are ok if they draw in the cash though.

And more on burnout… some have the warped notion that to be truly spiritual you have to give till it hurts and that if you don’t then you are not truly a giver. Where is the balance of body, mind and spirit in that kind of thinking and expectation of others? Why then do such demanding leaders/ministers only have one or two workers that they drain to the point of burnout in the first place? Could it be that the more experienced workers see these leaders for the energy suckers they really are and have moved on long a go? Seems very likely and so if you enter a church and it is obviously a one woman/man show then you know that there is something wrong and to take a good look at what is really going on in the organization before you choose to get involved.

Good teachers learn and grow with the questions their students bring to them but too many are too wrapped up in their way being the right way to really consider the view of others who are just as qualified as they are! So the opinions of the “newbies” that have come to them as students will never be heard if truth be known. These so-called “teachers” pontificate about growth and evolution but when truly challenged to do so they balk at the idea and rant about why they must cling to the status quo. They even go so far as to become paranoid about others “taking over” the organization when all that is really offered are ideas to help move the organization in the direction the leader professes that he or she wants it to go. How is being so paranoid about one’s position and status a sign of positive connection to spirit?

Good teachers also are able to learn from other teachers and do not try to one up them in front of the students because they feel jealous and insecure. Good teachers make sure to check the content of guest teachers’ teaching materials BEFORE the class and make sure that everyone is on the same page! The sign of a truly inept teacher is one who does not do the prep work and then has so little respect for the other volunteers working for him or her that he or she insists on cornering them publicly in front of the class. Shoddy presentation if that is the way he or she runs the show! Yep natural law works well and negativity might be gauged by student responses to the course material’s lack of substance and negative attitude of the said teacher to the guest teachers who were working for free while the cash flowed into the said teacher’s pocket. Again I ask whose church is dying while other churches are building nicely and teachers have more students that space permits. Seems the said teacher who was belittled in front of a class of less then 5 has 17 of his own students and other home circles need more room to accommodate interested seekers! Where people are NOT going is a sure sign of where negativity exists in full force!

Yes the internet is full of information and yes discrimination and discernment is key but for those who do their church shopping online the ideas I have expressed in the last few blogs do not just apply to the online presence these organizations have but also should help interested seekers ask truly informed questions of those who set themselves up as “teachers” in Spiritualism. The savvy seeker will take what they read online from and about the said church and enter that organization with their eyes open. They will be asking questions about the leadership, the educators and the vitality of the organization which the dogmatists running the show may find difficult to answer! That open challenge by informed seekers is where the evolution lies. Questioning and taking their church membership to places that have reasonable answers to the questions forces dogmatic dinosaurs to be accountable to the public on the public’s terms.

How to find a TRULY HEATHY and THRIVING Spiritualist Church/Learning Centre! #2--Critical Media Literacy and Website Analysis--Spiritualism Content

On reflecting on my last blog entry I realized that I forgot to add a few other details about how a truly healthy and thriving Spiritualist Church promotes itself if it wants continue to attract the increasingly spiritually and internet savvy public.

As well as posting who the regular church workers are on their web site it is customary that the church calendar (if posted online) show which workers are working on what dates few months a head of time so that seekers can check out different workers and plan their busy lives accordingly.

Again, I cannot stress how important the detailed biographies of the Spiritualist Educators selling courses are to prospective students. Given that the bios are often how discerning people judge when choosing their teachers, one cannot blame seekers for wanting to know WHO the instructors are and WHAT qualifies them to teach the courses they are expecting students to shell out serious cash for.

If an instructor is truly up to snuff and current they will have no problem indicating this in a detailed bio online. Of particular interest to experienced seekers is how current the instructor’s education in Spiritualism is and what current research and articles they have written for Spiritualist publications. It is also helpful to know what postsecondary diplomas and degrees these folks have outside of their Spiritualism training as this will give you a good idea just how broad these “teachers’” knowledge base is and if they are able to teach to people who may or may not have more education than they do.

While it is true that there is less dogma and creed in Spiritualism it is NOT dogma free as much as some would like to delude themselves it is. As soon as one sets themselves up as a teacher selling courses in Spiritualism they are saying that "THIS is what Spiritualism IS!" And yet they do not see how they are telling others what spirit is or is not? Where does the personal journey of learning or individual understanding of Spirit (that is to come from within) fit in this case?



It is definitely a matter of personal interpretation and if that is the case why do you need to spend cash and time meeting the standards of one particular Spiritualist Minister or another when all you need to do is move on when you have had your fill? But wait isn't this kind of free thinking and fluid movement that is touted as part of the no creed no dogma kind of Spiritualism actually the same kind of attitude that the New Age is often faulted for by Spiritualist Leaders? Hmmm now I am confused... No dogma so move on when you have had enough but we need standards in education??? Who sets those standards if Spiritualism is supposed to be for free thinkers?

So the rub is this Spiritualism is for free thinkers and is apparently without dogma and creed but if you want to participate in the churches you then are saddled with what their ministers’ vision of what Spiritualism is or should be.

The even sadder truth is that some Spiritualist ministers are so disparate for a congregation and church workers that they will put new students up on the platform well before they are truly ready. For may of these "newbies" the experience of working in the churches starts out as gratifying and after a time will come to be a whole lot of work as they are asked to do more and more without consideration for their need for family/life balance. New church worker burnout is all too common and usually happens in a very short time.

More experienced mediums know to pace themselves and they know how not to get in over their heads. They have learned how to say "No sorry cant do that...." and they also look for Spiritualist Churches and Learning Centres where there is a group of people dividing the church duties so they do not become over whelmed. If you are a new church worker do not let the minister suck you into being at the church more than you are comfortable attending. Go to additional events if you are interested but do not let anyone make you feel obligated.

Organizational problems and politics aside, the history and methods of Spiritualism do need to be taught if Spiritualism is going to truly thrive, but how do leaders accomplish this in a way that allows for reasonable continuity between the churches if none of them is willing to truly work together? It is obvious that the principle of The Brotherhood of Man is pontificated about more than it is exercised in some cases!

Add to the infighting in and among the different organizations the fact that there are different styles/kinds of Spiritualist Churches and you have a combination where there is little hope to reasonably standardize the education offered. This being the case then begs the question, how is the public supposed to judge what is good or bad mediumship let alone what is good education and what is rubbish? Further if this lack of consistency and varying standards of education are the norm how can Spiritualists actually claim that mediums are better than psychics? I don't know but the argument is often made regardless.

The only way to find out what is good and what is not in Spiritualism is to check out the various Spiritualist Churches and Learning Centres and make up your own mind. My intent here is not to tell folks what they should do or think but rather to give useful suggestions based on thorough critical media literacy and web site analysis experience that will help the seeker read and interpret more carefully what they are viewing online so that they can use better discernment. If my experiences help others rethink and question more thoroughly those who set themselves up as "experts" and "educators" in Spiritualism so they can avoid the nonsense and the politics and yet enjoy what the religion, philosophy and science of Spiritualism has to offer then I am pleased to help.

How to find a TRULY HEATHY and THRIVING Spiritualist Church/Learning Centre!

Anyone who has been in Spiritualism any length of time knows that the sign of a healthy, truly thriving Spiritualist Church/Learning Centre is one that can list on an ongoing basis on their website/promotional materials etc. the variety active demonstrators that work for the church. These workers are the ones who make the Sunday services, Public Psychic/Message Nights and other community events happen. In fact these workers usually do most of the work for free as part of their so-called training and education that is supposed to qualify them for working within the said Spiritualist Church/ Learning Centre.

Now I fully understand the value of voluntarism but some so-called ministers choose to take complete advantage of others for years and then have the nerve to say that such folks are "deadwood" and "negative" when if it were not for the free labour of these people the so-called Spiritualist Church/Learning Centre would not have had the quality mediums, healers and lecturers it once did nor the advertising and web savvy that it currently does.

A truly blossoming Spiritualist Church will have a website or other promotional materials that will provide all the pertinent details for the interested seeker. This means that you can find out who is part of the board, the regular mediums on the roster and the instructors who teach the courses offered as a means to church worker credentials. If the information seems lacking or not freely available or the organization feels like a one woman/man show then the interested attendee should be aware that this is a very bad sign although unfortunately very common in Spiritualism.

If the Spiritualist Church/ Learning Centre is really doing as well as its promotional documents and websites profess then the courses offered should have a wide selection of teachers offering instruction and these folks should have the proper background of knowledge and actual ability to demonstrate (in a practical way) the material covered. Each teacher’s/instructor's bio/resume should be available to prospective students and online if the Spiritualist Church/ Learning Centre is promoting itself online. This information will be readily available to interested seekers if the organization is as up to scratch as it claims to be! If not then you might be better to keep looking elsewhere for real Spiritualism Education and Training.

More importantly though, good courses in Spiritualism should not be run by one person and should encompass more than just the lecture format. Lack of variety in presentation of the content indicates a lack of instructor's ability or lack of team support or both. It is amazing to me how many Spiritualist Ministers are truly not fit to teach and cannot perform to any real consistent standard when they should be able to. Given that much of what is learned in Spiritualism is learned by doing/practicing the methods not just lecturing about the concepts it is important that the instructor have the breadth of knowledge and practical ability and that their knowledge and ability is current! A proper Spiritualist curriculum will be interactive and use a full range of teaching methods and will be provided by an instructor whose knowledge is up-to-date! If the material and the instructor seems one dimensional or lacking in anyway take that as a sign that you should keep seeking to find better learning experiences elsewhere.

If you do not see a variety of workers listed on the events calendar or a clear list of who the teachers are (with detailed, current bios) that are supposed to teach the courses in Spiritualism then you have to ask yourself how viable the organization truly is. Glossy materials and bluster in blogs/websites/and documentation stating viability and a thriving status of the organization does not make it so. Bluster is just that and should be backed up by real substance but usually is not when it comes down to it.

When considering attending a Spiritualist Church/Learning Centre thoroughly check out the blogs of the minister and or the church website also ask for as much documentation on the organization, its leadership and instructors as you can get your hands on. If the documentation is not forthcoming or if you feel like it is a “one dog show” after reading the information they DO provide then likely your impression is right on the mark.

If you do decide to get involved with courses from a said Learning Centre teaching Spiritualism PLEASE take the time to attend other events they offer before you dig deep in your pockets! Take your time getting involved and be careful how much money you put into it. The longer you are around the more likely you will see the true level of viability (or lack there of) as the case may be of the specific organization. If it really is thriving you will know it very shortly.

If there is a lack of attendance or the minister makes negative comments about people who have left even if it is just a subtle derogatory reference to “deadwood” or supposed “negative people” either to you in person or in public writings you need to ask yourself what is really going on with that spiritual leader. Ask yourself why that person is still so focused on the negative people or situations they say are no longer a problem for the said organization? Keep reading what this person writes and keep listening to what he or she says over time. Eventually they will show you where the real problem rests.

Quite simply control freaks in the leadership of Spiritualist Churches and Learning Centres have the habit of driving good mediums/healers and teachers away BECAUSE are unwilling or unable to work with others as part of a team. If you are around these types long enough you will come to recognize them for who they really are as the pattern does repeat itself will become obvious over time!

Whatever Spiritualist Church/Learning Centre you decide to get involved with please take the time to fully examine what is offered and ask Spirit to help you focus your sense of discernment!

On the Road to Positive Change an Update!

Had an interesting conversation with the minister of Church of Universal Love last Wednesday night. Although their classes do not start until the fall I do think I will be interested in checking out their public meditation and message service on Tuesday nights. I also would not mind checking out their meditation and healing service on Friday evenings. It was very nice that someone took the time to call me back and share with me what the church is doing. It was also a relief that I could also be straight forward about who I am, where I am coming from, my experiences of late and what I hope to find in a church home in the near future.

I also spoke to the gentleman from Britten Memorial again and although I have had to put my involvement in their circle on hold until September because of the move, I am very interested their 6 week intro course to home circle development. I cannot wait to be moved and more settled so I can focus on new projects and activities.

As it stands now I know I will be opening my home to a home circle when I am finally moved and settled in. I expect that by late August early September that I will be inviting people to join the home circle. It will be good to have the freedom to work with people I respect and enjoy and a pleasure to see them develop their mediumship.

On another completely unrelated note, I read somewhere that blogs are like one’s résumé. I got the sense from the post that this is somehow a bad thing? I think employers are smart to do google searches and find out who their prospective employers are by what they post and involve themselves in on the world wide web. Yes it can mean risk of being eliminated from a potential job but it can also give your potential clients a sense that you are the real deal and do not put up with nonsense. This latter reason, in my opinion, is all the more reason for me to write about the topics that interest me and my experiences as a professional Spiritualist Medium/ Psychic. I stand by what I have posted in my blogs and on various discussion sites regarding the psychic aspect, mediumship, healing and Spiritualism and find that the honest and direct approach to hypocrisy, duplicity, scams and false accusations that are groundless is the best way to go.

At least when folks come to me for a reading or spiritual advice, they know they will get a no nonsense answer that is based on a combination of 12 years of practical experience, current involvement as a professional and up-to-date reading/research on the psychic aspect, mediumship, healing, Spiritualism and other related topics.

If folks are afraid that what they post will cost them employment opportunities and they cannot stand by what they post in blogs or on discussion sites then perhaps they should not post at all? As for me I have always called things as I see them. This is what makes me a strong medium and I am not about to fix something that isn’t broken as the saying goes.

On the road to positive change...

I had a very nice call from the president of the board at Britten Memorial Church today. It was so nice that he took the time to call and address my questions. I was really surprised that he took about a half an hour with me. I certainly did not expect that but the conversation was helpful and I think I will check out the church and enjoy meeting him should I have the chance.

He struck me as a very knowledgeable person and as someone who cares about what his church is offering the community. It was nice to be treated as an informed, experienced Spiritualist with something to offer! I was able to be forthright about where I was coming from and what I was hoping to gain from church attendance.

I will be attending the Divine Service on Sunday and if I feel at home I will commit to their 6 week series of classes to help with the building of home circles. I also am looking forward to attending the Message Service on Wednesday evening once in a while and also being able to work too. I am most looking forward to meeting new people and apparently they have a regular congregation of 20 to 40 people on a Sunday! That will be a nice change from what I was dealing with for the past 3 years!

I am still waiting to hear from Universal Love but given that it is a distance away and the Sunday Service is a morning service I am not sure that the TTC would get me there in time on Sundays. I will have another look at their website again and see when I can attend during the week and see where that takes me!

So nice to be on the road to positive change!

New Horizons!

Given the circumstances of late, I am now looking for a new church to call home. I have two locations in mind that are close to me in and readily available via the TTC. The first is Britten Memorial Church located at Lansdowne and Bloor and the other is The Church of Universal Love at Wilson and Duffern. Both have a lot of activities happening on their calendars which will be a nice change from the stagnation going on at the church I had attended for the last 3 years.

I will also be organizing a home circle once I move and am looking forward to seeing where that takes me. If you are interested in a home study circle for psychic mediumship development in the Etobicoke area you can contact me at through the email link attached to my profile here on Blogger.com to find out more. If there is enough interest I will look into renting a public location and working out a nominal fee per evening to offset the costs of the location rental.

Funny enough I thought that if I left the church I was attending that it would have an adverse impact on me and my plans for the future. In actual fact, the complete opposite it true. I am now looking to see what else is out there and going to continue my ministerial training with The Morris Pratt Institute and the Center of Spiritualist Studies through the National Spiritualist Association of Churches of America. I really hoped I would find good Canadian training but since there is nothing recognized in Canada and no real Spiritualist organization here fit to do the job so f

Personal Responsibility Requires More than Lip Service

It is interesting to note how those who manipulate and take advantage of others cry foul and say it is “abusive” when called on their actions. They claim to be spiritual and focused but in actual fact they are aging, grasping at old dreams, unfocused and jealous of younger folks who have their whole lives ahead of them.

The computer can be a useful tool and were it not of the more talented who are assumed to have so much time on their hands the one crying foul would not be as computer savvy and able to post her gripe as she has done these past days. Why is it that some folks insist on dishing out negativity but cannot understand when it is returned to them?

Law of attraction dictates as we put out there so we get back. Should the manipulator be surprised when their behaviour comes back to roost? Not particularly. They keep whining about the anonymity of being behind the computer screen but did they deal with issues as they came up or did they let them build and explode unreasonably when they could not get their own way? I do not consider rude, unfounded accusations to be a spiritual way to deal with problems. Perhaps I am missing something here?

What can be learned is that those who need title and feel this gives them power over others are shocked and angered when they discover that the title and the organization they have fritted their life away on is really of very little value to anyone other than themselves and their fragile egos. They accuse those who want to address real problems of organized religion and the position of minister of putting in bad words about them. Perhaps more accurately they have been shown an accurate mirror and they do not like the image they see from the life they have created for themselves? If that is so then it behooves them to take personal responsibility make changes and stop trying to place the blame for their short comings and discontent about their situation onto others who have better things to do with their energy, education and time. They advise others to be responsible for actions and yet are unable or unwilling to do so themselves. What a sad statement for a person in a position where they looked upon for guidance and with respect.

Free Like a Hawk

Those who take advantage of others time and effort and just assume that they can orchestrate how the people will give up time in their lives just because they are a member of a volunteer organization do not like it when the people whom they try to control and yet dump all the work on while they expect to take all the credit are usually dismayed when the underlings finally see the light and put a stop to the invasion into their lives. Standing up for me and talking about the things that have happened to me in the guise of church and spirituality and Spiritualism is the most healing.

To be obligated several nights a week and to be expected to give up weekends with friends and family for the sake of Church obligations planned without my input and with no respect for my personal life is such physical and emotional drain. Like a hooded hawk stuck waiting to be released.

To finally have the strength to break free of the constant demand and expectation of tasks to be done with little to no appreciation shown for work done is most healing. Now I can go anywhere I want and just be a member of a church. I do not have to put up with being told how I should think, what I should say, how I should act and how often I shall serve. So much to look forward to! As I rediscover again what it is like to live my own life on my terms unshackled!

The hawk has flown off the dark arm and is now truly free…

Is religious affiliation necessary to be a Spiritualist?

Source: http://www.statistique-canada.org/english/freepub/11-008-XIE/2006001/charts/chart_3.gif

The longer I am exposed to the organizations that call themselves Spiritualist Churches the more I wonder if these will become a thing of the past for the most part. Seems to me that most folks want to do psychic development and learn about spiritual healing without the trappings and politics of religious affiliation.

Consider the fact that the world is running on the mentality of being open and available 24-7 and for many this change in the world of business that allows us to have service on demand means that many folks work at times where traditionally they would have gone to church. For those who do have Sundays off (the common day of worship in western culture) is it any wonder that the last thing these folks really want to do is to kill a Sunday morning, afternoon or evening at church? This time my be the only real time they have to spend as a family and when it comes to Spiritualist Churches there are not enough of them around so that you can find one in your community. Then when you do there is the issue that each is doing its own thing and then there is the internal personality clashes and politics that are bound to send even the most ardent Spiritualist running for cover.

Does Spiritualism need to organize itself in the traditional religious structure or is there some other way that the principles of Spiritualism can be brought to the masses? What do we need to do to reach genuine seekers and to eliminate the pitfalls of the traditional religious organizational structure? Do we need churches or is it time to move ahead and on to new ways of sharing spiritualism? What other kinds of organizations would better suit our faster paced, jaded and spiritually seeking society? Just some of the questions I wonder about more often these days.

Catherine

My Life as a Psychic: What an Interesting Adventure! Where to begin?

The Crystal Ball--
John William Waterhouse

Hello there! Thanks for stopping and checking out my site! Lately I have not been posting much in the way of new writing these days but that is because I have been very busy trying to establish myself after making a career change! The last year or so has been a real challenge to say the least. Having moved from Brantford to Toronto over three years ago I was still finding that I was not settled and struggling to find a regular job! That being the case, I went through a bad spell of depression and could not focus on my writing.

It was time for a change but how to make that change was the issue! Well about a year ago I decided to take my spiritual interests and psychic abilities from a strictly volunteer situation and branch out into the New Age, Psychic/Mediumistc industry. Now to make such a decision was difficult enough, but with no money to work with and large debts the issue became how to make that happen. To make a long story short I have been building websites and working to establish them on the web so that folks could find me and seek out psychic readings for themselves or within groups.

I had no idea what I was in for regarding the technology but it has been an interesting experience for the most part. Now I am getting ready to get down to business and actually am starting to connect with customers all over the world! Also nice is the fact that I am finally feeling settled in my community and can say that my online work has helped me to connect with a vast array of people and through each individual I meet I discover more and more what folks need to know when it comes to finding the right psychic for them and what makes for a good psychic reading. The focus of this blog will be to share my experiences as a Medium and help folks to learn more about Spiritualism as a religion, philosophy and science. While I have chosen this path for my spiritual journey, I by no means feel that I know everything or that my way is the only way to connect one’s psychic nature to that which is spiritual and divine. That said I hope that folks who read this blog enjoy it and feel welcomed to respond to what they read in an honest and respectful manner.

Again welcome! I look forward to sharing my spiritual journey and experiences as a professional psychic with you!

Catherine