The day tables and trumpets levitated
One of my passions is Spiritualism. To call it an interest is not enough In both subtle and overt ways I'm connected with Spirits--the dead who choose to communicate with us-- and with Spirit--the Divine Essence, the Source of everything. That's why I joined the Spiritualist church and I attend its services every Sunday. That's why I took a week long workshop in Upstate NY. It was the annual meeting of the International Spiritualist Federation. Spiritualists from all over the world flocked in a very pastoral location--green, lush, and filled with deer.
It was an uplifting, touching and enlightening experience. I felt elated singing "I Have a Dream" with a bunch of fellow spiritualists. I felt inspired by medium readings (my parents contacted me expressing encouragement) and by an amazing lecture on precipitated art (paintings produced without a brush). However, the reason I enrolled in the workshop is that I wanted to study with the president of the Federation, Robin Hodson. I'd met him a few months ago during his visit to the Spiritualist church in Santa Barbara (my church) and I'd attended a beautiful seminar on trance mediumship. I was thirsty for more. At the convention, he was scheduled to teach a workshop on trance and physical phenomena. HIs co-teacher was a brilliant, energetic and compassionate medium from NY, Richard Scholler.
At registration, my determination to get into the class kicked in and I ended up imploring both Robin and Richard to let me in even though the class was closed. I made it.
The first day we learnt about trance, then we started to experiment with trance. The third day in a dark room, without anyone touching the tables, the first physical phenomenon occurred. The tables turned and apports (small crystal materialized from Spirits) rained on us. Finally, the last day of classes, in a dark and totally sealed room, Robin entered a cabin. Richard zipped him up. Robin went into a deep trance and started to talk with voices of his different trance personas. Outside the cabin, we sang with loud and enthusiastic voices. Suddenly, the tables turned and levitated, crystals sitting on top of the tables levitated and trumpets, also initially placed on the table, levitated, too, and flew around. At this point we all screamed with joy.
They say that the essence of Spiritualism is to prove the continuity of life beyond death. They also say that spirits want to communicate with us. They will use any means available, even flying tables and trumpets.