“Psychic News was officially relaunched as a fortnightly magazine at the London Spiritual Mission on Thursday evening. The editor Sue Farrow, Eric Hatton of JV Trust the new owners, and Roy Stemman, chair of the new paper paid tribute to those who had brought PN through the ordeal of death and resurrection.
Among well-wishers who toasted the new beginning were Tony Ortzen ( now editor of Two Worlds), Candy Taylor, editor of Psychic World, Colum Hayward resident minister at the White Eagle Lodge London, Stephen Chapman acting president of the College of Psychic Studies, Jennifer Howard editor of the Quarterly Review of CFPSS, and Alan Murdie of the SPR spontaneous phenomena committee.
Roy pledged that the archives of PN were safe in the new offices, and displayed a photograph from a half century ago. It showed Maurice Barbanell conducting a naming ceremony for the family of PN bookshop manager Gordon Adams on the same rostrum at the Mission.
Grateful thanks are extended to the JV Trust not only for their part in saving PN but for organising the celebration. There was a strong sense of continuity – the church also had long associations with such mediums as Nan Mackenzie, Albert Best and Don Galloway.
At the end of the evening, the first copies were distributed, and eagerly studied. Here’s to the new generation!”
After all the back slapping has ended what have we got, in my opinion very little has changed most of the content has all been debated and been banded around web sites before. As far as I am concerned the jury is out and may not return a verdict for some time. I wish the PN well however I feel it will do nothing to rock the boat. Please feel free to comment L&L Jock
Can’t disagree Jock. The original PN served more as a local magazine than as a ‘Voice of Spiritualism’, in my view.
I finally abandoned it about 30 years ago after reading a ‘news report’ from some enthused circle leader informing the readers that: Elvis had come to their latest circle and that ‘his presence was so strong you could almost feel his breathing’
Oh dear.
There has been a rash of abusive comments on web sites about my comments which are unfounded. Unfortunately the PN has been taken over not bankrupted and sold to the highest bidder. When a company is liquated then it is sold with no strings attached In the case of the PN this appears to be different due to the complex nature of the way it is or was set up. Andrew Hadley is an expert in this field and he would have along with his fellow directors on the SNU placed a gagging order on the future content of the PN.
Any-one who thinks otherwise would doubt the interrogatory of the Directors of the SNU and I for one cannot believe they would give some-one a stick to beat them-selves with. I wish the owners of the PN well in their endeavors and I have subscribed to it.
I hope the PN can reward the patrons who have put their trust in them how-ever I am not convinced if it will, all I can say the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The first edition did not set the heather on fire and I can only hope the next one will be better. To this people will say oh they have only just started and to this I say when a bricklayer lays his first brick in a foundation of a grand building it can also be his last one, if the first brick is misplaced the all are misplaced. After months of planning I cannot access the web site and was eventually sent a link after a few emails and even that did not work properly.
I eventually did get it down loaded I can only trust others did likewise.
My second issue of the PN eventually arrived and it looks much better, also good news for us PN has honoured its debts and Dunfermline ASK has been given a voucher to the amount lost when the PN folded. We have used the voucher to pay for copies of the PN for six months
Now have the 5th issue to hand and it is beginning to come together at last.
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From the pages of PN:
11th February 2012
Sally Morgan press batterings are likened to a witch hunt
Sally Morgan (left), publicised as “Britain’s best loved psychic,” has demanded £150,000 from Associated Newspapers over a Daily Mail story which cast doubts on her mediumship…
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Paedophile self-styled psychic found hanged in prison cell
A convicted paedophile, self-styled medium and former TV psychic was found hanged in his Manchester prison cell on the evening of 23rd January…
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Psychic services available at indoor market
Stevenage Indoor Market, which advertises some 50 businesses under its roof, now includes psychic services among its many facilities…
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Hearing Dogs for Deaf People charity receives profit from circle’s work
Over a period of eleven years, Katie Halliwell (left) has painstakingly chronicled the work of Stewart Alexander’s circle, writes Sue Farrow.
The writing of her three books – known collectively as The Alexander Project Trilogy – has been a labour of love for which she has taken no payment at all. As a mark of appreciation, Stewart and his circle have now decided to donate all profits from the books and their accompanying CDs to a charity which has special meaning for Katie…
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Stewart Alexander joins PN
We’re delighted to announce that physical medium Stewart Alexander will be joining Psychic News as a columnist…
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Mediumistic doctor is not afraid to speak out
North London GP Dr Ian Rubenstein (pictured) came to public attention in 2009 when he took part in a Channel 4 documentary about Walthamstow Spiritualist Church. In the first part of his PN interview he described the extraordinary events that heralded the awakening of his mediumship. Here, he talks to Sue Farrow about his development, a wholly unexpected first meeting with his spirit guide, and some of the ethical questions surrounding mediumship in a doctor’s surgery. Sue began by asking Ian if he was still sitting in a development circle…
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Why I believe in an afterlife
Marc Berman’s psychic quest led him to TV mediums John Edward and Jeffrey Wands, among others. He now believes in spirit communication and life after death…
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Council refuses to hire room to homeless church
Middleton Independent Spiritualist Church has been forced to hold its services in a room in a public house due to the local council’s refusal to allow its community centres to be used for religious events…
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Life Before Life
by Lis Warwood
The words ‘Life before life’ are not a reference to any reincarnation theory, but to the notion that every spirit has some form of existence in the spirit realms before entering into physical incarnation…
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Colin Fry joins PN
We’re delighted to announce that medium Colin Fry will be joining Psychic News as a columnist…
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Ev or Rev?
by David Hopkins
As 2011 came to a close there were the usual reminiscences. For me, it is often the looking back at the lives of people and what they did (and why), that proves of real interest. One such review was a two-parter about a man I think played an enormously important role in the latter part of the century, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev…
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When Emma came to Lancashire
by Leslie Price
“As my sister, Mrs Wilkinson, after being with us some time, at length felt obliged to return to England to rejoin her husband, who was unable to leave his engagement there, and our dear and now aged mother required the quiet and seclusion of home, we finally broke up our Boston practice, and took our beloved mother to England, there to rest and live peacefully with my sister and her husband.” Autobiography, Mrs Britten, p.225…
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Impressions of a physical séance…
PN reader Freddie Giddings shares his personal impressions of a recent sitting with physical medium Bill Meadows (pictured left)…
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28th January 2012
Respected SNU minister resignsIn a move which is unlikely to bring much comfort to the upper echelons of the Spiritualists’ National Union (SNU), one of its ordained ministers has resigned, writes Susan Farrow.
Margaret Preece has been closely associated with the popular and successful Paignton Spiritualist Church and Centre for some twenty-five years. She has served the SNU in various capacities at both local and national levels and was ordained a minister in 2008.
She has also fostered strong links with other local faith groups via the Torbay Inter-Faith Forum, one of the oldest such groups in England.
Margaret’s resignation has come as a shock to many who know and respect her, but when asked to reconsider, she decided that she must stand by her decision… More
Do animals have souls?
Your chance to read opposing views
on a spiritual subject and then join in
the debate via our comments facility
Against
by Andy Byng
The notion that animals are immortal may appear to be a truism. However, when we critically examine the issue at hand it becomes rather more clouded. The relationships we experience with our pets, and the appreciation most of us have for the animal kingdom, foster sentimentalism…
For
by Sue Farrow
What is a soul? That’s an article in itself. For Wikipedia it’s the “incorporeal essence” – the non-physical part of ourselves. From the book Philosophy of Spiritualism it’s “the immortal spiritual component of a living being.”
I love animals, as Andy says he does. I have a dog who brought my soul (the essence of me) back to life after the death of my partner…
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Spiritualists tell of their ordeal on sinking cruise ship Costa ConcordiaThere can be few of us who did not stare in horrified amazement on Friday 13th January at the real-time television coverage of the sinking Italian cruise-liner, the Costa Concordia. The sight of such a massive ship listing ever closer to the water, its funnel almost parallel to the sea, was an awesome spectacle.
But if viewing the television pictures in the safety and comfort of our own homes was horrifying, it’s almost impossible to imagine what it must have been like to experience the events as a passenger on the stricken vessel…
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A Hankering after Ghosts: Charles Dickens and the supernatural
by Angela Redditch
This is the title of a small, intriguing (and free!) exhibition showing in London at the moment. Why intriguing? Well, for any exhibition to feature the supernatural is, to say the least, unusual: and this one is in a major national venue – the British Library, no less…
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Happy Release to Release the Unhappy?
by David Hopkins
Recently a Commission on Assisted Dying suggested that MPs should consider changing the law relating to assisted suicide in order to allow terminally ill people to end their lives at home with the help of a doctor, as long as strict safeguards are observed. These would include having two independent doctors being satisfied with the diagnosis, the individual concerned being made aware of all the help available and making the decision voluntarily without any pressure…
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Found – the house that Emma built
Researcher Marc Demarest unearths Massachusetts home of Spiritualist pioneer Emma Hardinge Britten (left) and discovers it largely in its original form.
A new link has been discovered in the much-travelled life of the great pioneer Spiritualist, Emma Hardinge Britten…
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Mediumistic doctor keeps an open mind
Dr Ian Rubenstein is a north London GP with a difference – he’s a medium and makes no secret of it with his colleagues and patients. He studied medicine at Nottingham University, qualifying in 1978, and is also a medical acupuncturist and bereavement counsellor.
Since 1984 he has practised medicine at the Eagle House Surgery in Enfield. Sue Farrow put it to him that it might be an unusually open-minded surgery…
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Part 2 of White Feather on reincarnation through the trance mediumship of Robert Goodwin
In the previous issue of PN we published the first part of a philosophical trance address given at Stourbridge church by White Feather through the medium Robert Goodwin (pictured). Part 2 of White Feather’s address is reproduced here, with Robert’s kind permission…
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Lily Dale UK – a residential community for Spiritualists?
At Lily Dale, America’s longest established (and the world’s oldest) residential community for Spiritualists, they still remember what a New York Times reporter said to interviewee Hilda Wilkinson.
According to the story, he told Hilda, then still a working medium who had first arrived in Lily Dale over seventy-five years earlier, and after she’d fed him a nice lunch, that he didn’t believe a thing he’d heard. He added that he didn’t know how anyone could believe such nonsense…
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14th January 2012
Pioneer’s gravestone has been discovered
UK Spiritualists are well aware of the tremendous effort led by Norwich Spiritualist Church president Linda Smith to restore the dilapidated grave of pioneer Emma Hardinge Britten.
New Zealand Spiritualists are showing a similar respect for one of their most remarkable pioneers, Jane Elizabeth Harris-Roberts (pictured) who passed in 1942…
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Psychic News’ return was the ‘best ever Christmas present’
News of Psychic News’ resurrection has been received with great delight in New Zealand.
The Spiritualist Alliance’s Communicator leads its December issue with the headline: ‘Spiritualism’s Best Ever Christmas Present!’
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Last minute reprieve for famous occult shop
A 113-YEAR-OLD esoteric bookshop, temporarily closed in February 2010, was rescued at the last minute by an American entrepreneur.
When reporting the story at that time we were not to know how closely it would resemble the future closure and rebirth of Psychic News itself…
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David Thompson’s former circle leader on physical mediumship
Paul Barker (pictured) is an experienced and respected leader of physical circles, including David Thompson’s. He is known for his uncompromising determination that all things in a séance room, whether occurring in light or pitch dark, should be carried out with absolute integrity. He set out on his spiritual journey with a distinctly sceptical mindset, initially pursuing his search for answers as the result of a bet.
Here, he talks to Susan Farrow about the frequently misunderstood world of physical medium- ship (PM). Sue began by asking him how he first became interested in PM…
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Spiritualist or Survivalist: which are you?
by David Hopkins
I choose to describe myself as a Spiritualist and in so doing align myself with the religious philosophy of Spiritualism.
The long-running discussion of ‘religion’ or ‘way of life’ was tackled in The Religion of Spiritualism…
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Spotlight on the churches: Wimbledon Spiritualist Church – a family affair
by Paul Brett
A spirit message by way of a ouija board was all that Richard Arthur Bush needed to set up a regular meeting place for Spiritualists in and around south west London’s Wimbledon…
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So you want to run an open development circle
by Jim Warwood
You want to help your Spiritualist church or centre develop, so you offer to run an open circle. You hope that people will find out more about their own potential whilst being exposed to the philosophy of Spiritualism. You have a good knowledge of Spiritualism, an understanding of psychic development and maybe some mediumistic abilities…
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White Feather on reincarnation through the trance mediumship of Robert Goodwin
We’ve all heard (or made) the complaint that today’s mediumship is not up to the standard of the past, and nowhere is that trend more apparent than in the area of philosophical trance communication.
The teaching that came from guides such as Silver Birch, Red Cloud and White Eagle is loved and revered by Spiritualists around the world, but which guide today can speak with a similar combination of gentle authority and great knowledge?
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What can jigsaw puzzles teach us about spirituality?
by Lynda Flower
It’s hard to imagine that a jigsaw puzzle has anything in common with spirituality. But as anyone trying to investigate the spiritual side of life will tell you, it is often like putting together a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Looking at the picture on the box, it seems straightforward and simple enough. But once you open the box, take out the pieces and start putting them together, it can be much more difficult than you first imagined.
So just what is the connection between a jigsaw puzzle and spirituality…
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31st December 2011
Sacked Spiritualist takes case to European Court of Human Rights
Spiritualist Alan Power, sacked from his job with Greater Manchester Police (GMP), for what he believes are his religious and psychic interests, has applied for his case for unfair dismissal to be heard by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Mr Power, 64, of Birkenhead, Merseyside, lost his job in October 2008 after it was learned that he had tried to involve officers in his psychical research. Police cited “his interests in the psychic field” which were “not compatible” with his employment. Alan Power has always maintained that the case is one of religious discrimination…
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Was red-top right to be uncomplimentary about ‘Our Ken’s’ 2012 views?
Actor William Roache, famous as Coronation Street’s Ken Barlow, has been described in the Daily Mirror as having given “a bizarre TV interview”.
Columnist Simon Boyle wrote that 79-year-old Roache “has gone Lancashire hot potty” in an appearance on Sky TV’s The Moore Show. Roache told host Kevin Moore that all humans will soon communicate by telepathy…
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Spirit of Youth: how Andy Byng views future Spiritualism
A glance around many of our Spiritualist churches and centres (and many orthodox churches, too) will quickly reveal that young people are heavily outnumbered by those from older generations.
It might be something we’d rather not talk about, but can we afford to ignore it? Without a steady influx of younger members a religion will inevitably wither and die…
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Aboriginal Spirituality: respecting spirit presence
For the Aboriginal people of Australia, spirituality and an ongoing connection with their spirit ancestors have been a fundamental part of life for tens of thousands of years.
In an interview with Australian journalist Lynda Flower, Aboriginal senior man and academic Michael Williams gives a fascinating insight into the rich spiritual heritage which links past and present with unbroken continuity…
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Have researchers found a skeleton in Emma’s cupboard?
Emma Hardinge Britten (1823-1899) is best known as the medium for the Seven Principles of Spiritualism.
She was the leading early Spiritualist historian, whose works are still indispensable today.
But she was also involved in a literary controversy, which has just been revived by a new book…
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The way of the White Eagle Lodge
White Eagle Lodge is a worldwide spiritual organisation with centres in the UK, mainland Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The organisation, now a registered charity, was founded in 1936 by the medium Grace Cooke, through whom White Eagle communicated his gentle philosophy of spiritual living, attracting large numbers to his legendary trance addresses.
Colum Hayward is a grandson of Grace Cooke and is deeply involved in the day-to-day work of what is still in many respects a family-run organisation…
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The Principles in a new light
by David Hopkins
It would be not unreasonable to assume that someone brought up as a Spiritualist and who has spent over fifty years as a member of the SNU would consider the Seven Principles sacrosanct and virtually untouchable, as they are so bound up with that body, its beliefs and its presentation.
How many times have I heard it said that the philosophy of Spiritualism is based on those Seven Principles? Well, what if we turned that on its head and said that the Principles are based on the philosophy of Spiritualism?…
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17th December 2011
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Spiritual videos
Click on the videos below to play, click again to open in new window
David Hopkins
Interviewed on
The Moore Show
On the meaning
of being Spiritual
Eric Hatton
A Review of
Modern Spiritualism