
IM MEMORIAM

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The Seven principles described here were given in the
19th century through the mediumship of Emma Hardinge Britten. they are
widely accepted by Spiritualists and Spiritualist organisations around
the world. Here is an interpretation of the principles, not as dogma,
but to cause others to at least give them some thought. At the bottom of
the page you will find a short piece about Emma
Hardinge Britten.
The
Fatherhood of God
The
Brotherhood of Man
The
Communion of Spirits and the Ministry of Angels
The
continuous existence of the human soul
Personal responsibility
Compensation and retribution hereafter for all the good and evil
deeds done on earth
Eternal progress open to every human soul
The Fatherhood of God
By the study of Nature - that is, by trying to understand the Laws
of Cause & Effect which govern all that is happening around us - we
recognise that there is a creative force in the universe. This
force, or energy, not only created the whole universe, but also life
itself in its many forms and is continuing to create today. The
effects of this eternal creation can be seen around us and this
leads us to the evidence that 'God' - 'The Creative Force' -
manifests directly, or indirectly, in all things. We know this power
as God and as we are part of the Life created by God, we acknowledge
God as our Father.
The Brotherhood of Man
Because we all come from the same universal life source we are, in
effect, one large family, small individual offshoot from the whole.
This means that all mankind is part of a brotherhood. A brotherhood
is a community for mutual support and comfort. We are all members of
the same divine family. We need to share our joys as well as our
burdens; we need to understand the needs of other individuals in
order to assist them as part of our service to each other. As we
learn to give so must we also learn to receive thereby achieving the
necessary balance for our life. We must look not only to the
material necessities of our fellow creatures but also to their
spiritual needs and help those in need to become strong and worthy
of their relationship in the Family of God.
Communion of Spirits and the Ministry of Angels
All religions believe in life after death but only
Spiritualism shows that it is true by demonstrating that
communication with departed spirits can and does take place.
Spiritualist Churches provide one of the venues where communication,
through mediumship, is possible and many loved relatives and friends
take advantage of this opportunity to continue to take an interest
in our welfare. There are also spirit people/teachers who are
dedicated to the welfare and service of mankind. Some (e.g. Silver
Birch) bring inspiration and teachings whilst others work within the
healing ministry.
Continuous Existence of the Human Soul
It is scientifically proven that matter (being part of the
creative force, or energy) cannot be destroyed; it merely changes
its form. Spirit, as part of the Creative Force is, therefore,
indestructible. On the death of the physical body, the spirit
continues as an integral part of a world, which interpenetrates our
world but in a different dimension. This world is referred to as the
Spirit World. In spirit life we have a spirit body, which until we
progress far enough, is a replica of our earthly body. We are the
same individuals in every way with the same personalities and
characteristics and we change only by progression, or otherwise, as
a result of our own efforts. Our personal responsibilities do not
stop at death.
Personal Responsibility
This principle is the one which places responsibility for wrongful
thoughts and deeds where it belongs - with the individual. It is the
acceptance of responsibility for every aspect of our lives and the
use to which we place our lives depends entirely upon ourselves. It
is not possible for any other person, or outside influence, to
interfere with our spiritual development, unless we are willing to
allow this. No one can put right the wrongdoing except the offender.
As we are given freedom of choice (freewill) so also are we given
the ability to recognise what is right from what is wrong. We are
totally, as well as personally, responsible.
Compensation and Retribution hereafter for all Good
and Evil Deeds done on Earth
As with all the other Principles, the natural laws apply and this
one echoes the law of Cause and Effect (as you sow, so shall you
reap). One cannot be cruel and vindictive towards others and expect
love and popularity in return. It must be understood that the
compensatory or retributive effects of this law operate now - on
earth - they do not wait until we begin to live in the Spirit World.
Eternal Progress open to every Human Soul
In every heart there exists the desire for progress and to every
human spirit belongs the power to progress in wisdom and love. All
who desire to tread the path that leads to perfection are able to
pursue it. The rate of progress is directly proportional to the
desire for mental and spiritual understanding. If we do our best in
earth life to follow our inward prompting or intuitions; we shall
find progress very easy, on earth as in spirit; if not, every step
in advancement will follow a struggle against imperfections, which
we ourselves will have worked into our natures. Within the Family of
God, with all the advantages that our realisation of that state can
give us, we are all given the opportunity to be responsible for our
own eternal progress.

The most respected advocate in the early
modern spiritualist movement is a lady named
Emma Hardinge Britten. Emma was born in
London. Her name at birth was Emma Floyd. At
an early age Emma had shown an interest in
and and excelled in singing and as a
musician but also as a 'speaker'. She was
somewhat a child 'prodigy' a she was earning
her living as a music teacher at the young
age of 11.
It was as a child that Emma began predicting
the futures of people that she met, telling
them what she had seen in visions as well as
relating information about their deceased
relatives, of whom she had no prior
knowledge.
In 1855, wanting to pursue a career in
acting, Emma moved to New York but her
career took a much different path. A year
later Emma became converted to the
Spiritualist philosophy and found fame as a
Psychic Medium. She was influenced heavily
by the mediumship of Miss Ada Hoyt and began
to develop her own abilities as a medium.
As a young medium, she furnished one of the
best genuine cases of early Spirit return.
The young Emma, in trance, was controlled by
the spirit of a member of the crew of the
mail steamer, Pacific, which had sunk and
disclosed the facts of the tragedy. Because
of the nature of the details given through
her mediumship, Emma Hardinge was threatened
with prosecution by the owners of the boat
when the story was made public, but all the
details were found to be true and accurate.
Impressed with Emma's accuracy, she was
invited to the Society for the Diffusion of
Spiritual Knowledge by the famous
Spiritualist, Horace Day and began and began
hosting seances for them.
Emma's mediumistic gifts included
Psychometry, Automatic Writing, Prophecy and
Inspirational Writing/Speaking. Emma was
best known for her inspiration writings and
addresses which were very informative and
inspiring. They were almost always given out
or written without any preparation and, more
often than not, the subject was chosen in
the auditorium by the audience, giving Emma
no time to prepare them.
As a propagandist for Spiritualism, Emma she
was unequalled. She committed herself to
spreading the truth about Spiritualism and
related areas of thought and travelled
extensively throughout England, the United
States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia
with zeal and enthusiasm.
In 1870 Emma published the book "Modern
American Spiritualism", a huge encyclopaedia
of the people and events associated with the
early days of the movement. That same year,
Emma married an ardent spiritualist, William
Britten, from Boston. Emma continued to
publish under the surname Hardinge, however,
since her professional career was
well-developed before this late-life
marriage.
She also edited a book called Art Magic or
Mundane, Sub-Mundane and Super-Mundane
Spiritualism: A Treatise in Three parts and
Twenty Three Sections on the subject of
Theosophy. It was published in 1898 and was
written anonymously. There remains a mystery
regarding its authorship and has often been
attributed to Emma.
In 1887 Emma founded and edited for five
years the Two Worlds of Manchester a
Spiritualists' Newspaper. She was also among
the six founders of the Theosophical Society
in New York, in 1875.
Emma's dream of having a training school for
Mediums was realised in 1900 with the
founding of the Britten Memorial Institute
and Library in Manchester, UK but sadly she
never lived to see it, having passed into
the spirit world the year before it was
opened. Emma passed away in Manchester, UK.
(In the Spiritualist tradition, it is also
proper to acknowledge the "Motherhood of God
and the Sisterhood of Man".)
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