Light After Life

Exploring the mysteries of our existence: Life, Death and Beyond. Afterlife, Mediumship, Spiritualism ~ Death is not the end; I am but waiting for you for an interval ...

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    Silver Birch

    Candlelight.kk
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    Post by Candlelight.kk Mon 24 Apr 2017 - 17:04

    (originally posted on 23 Jul 2016 09:30 am )

    Silver Birch is a high level spirit teacher who transmitted information through the trance medium Maurice Barbanell (1902-1981). He came through to a group which met monthly in the home of London author and drama critic Hannen Swaffer for over forty years.

    He claimed to have been a spokesperson for a collective of higher spirits: “There is a vast concourse, all with wills perfectly attuned, with minds in harmony, with souls all at one. They use me, even as I use this instrument, to tell your world the truths that have been buried for too long but which are now being restored and given their rightful place in the lives of thousands of men and women”.

    The above is an extract from SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO SILVER BIRCH: WHY IS SILVER BIRCH IMPORTANT?
    (by Leo Bonomo | Aug 23, 2013)
    Full reading here: http://www.leo-bonomo.com/special-tribute-to-silver-birch-why-is-silver-birch-important/


    Silver Birch speaks:















    Silver Birch - Questions & Answers:







    mac
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    Post by mac Mon 24 Apr 2017 - 17:06

    Doubtless Jon Donnis will say that SB's medium, Maurice Barbanell, was as big a fraud as all other mediums are and always have been and that the many communications, the uplifting teachings, the questions and answers sessions so eloquently delivered, were just figments of Maurice Barbanell's own imagination.
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    JDBP

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    Post by JDBP Mon 24 Apr 2017 - 17:08

    mac wrote:Doubtless Jon Donnis will say that SB's medium, Maurice Barbanell, was as big a fraud as all other mediums are and always have been and that the many communications, the uplifting teachings, the questions and answers sessions so eloquently delivered, were just figments of Maurice Barbanell's own imagination.

    Not sure what he would say, but personally, I would say that clearly they are all frauds.
    But dont you find it interesting the kind of characters they invent to be these spiritual knowledge bases.
    Never a dead scientist, never a dead mathematician.

    Never someone who could actually explain their continued existence in a way that could be understand by physics and help the living scientists understand the physics of their existence.

    Just look at things logically, even from the position of a believer. Where are all the dead scientists? Where are all the dead particle physicists?
    Where is Houdini? The one person you would expect could escape the bonds of the afterlife.

    Instead we either get ridiculous foreign characters that are thousands of years old, yet bizarrely speak and understand modern English.
    Or we get impossible to trace characters that despite having no real world job or knowledge, are suddenly experts in the afterlife. And thirdly we get mediums who have died and come back.

    Notice how Colin Fry has not come back? Or Sylvia Browne etc.

    Seriously, just look at the claims of spiritualists, and ask yourself why they never bring back someone who is more intelligent or knowledgeable about a real life subject than they are. Thats why we never get dead particle physicists, thats why Einstein doesn't come through, hell you could go back to the legendary ancient Greeks, like Aristotle and so on. They never come back.

    Be objective, and ask yourself why these people dont come through, even if you are 100% believer, surely you must be suspicious?

    Lets say its all real, and I dunno, lets say David Thompson suddenly got in contact with famous dead physicist Hannes Alfven, (google him), an incredible important person in history, a Nobel prize winner too. So real pedigree here.
    Now David Thompson announces publicly that he has made contact with Hannes, and that he is inviting any world renound physicist in the world to join him in a seance, whereby they can ask questions to Hannes, the kind of question that only a physicist could answer, in other words not something David could do a bit of googling on, or even read a few books.

    You could bring a Swedish physicist, lets make it harder to cheat, they can ask their questions in Swedish. If David was the real deal, he would be able to answer ANY question they asked, and answer fluently and instantly in Swedish as Hannes spoke through him.

    There is not a skeptic on the planet who could deny that as proof.

    Yet this NEVER EVER happens.
    Never!

    WHY? Believers ask yourself why this never happens. Now someone will throw the athiest/skeptic argument at me. Ok fine, there is plenty of dead scientists who believed in God, an afterlife etc, I am always shown these people as evidence that smart people believe. So lets bring one of these dead people back.

    I just want one believer to THINK logically, and if that is impossible, then answer me why this has never happened.

    Yoichiro Nambu died just last year, Nobel Prize winner. His knowledge on the field is almost upto date with all other physicists, NO MEDIUM ON THE PLANET could fake being him, or bringing him through. Ask and answer physics questions in Japanese! In perfect native tongue!

    NO ONE CAN FAKE THAT!

    Instead why get 2000 year old dead ethiopeans, or native americans who bizarrely can speak modern English despite the fact they would have never have learned it, or they would have hated the white man, so they would never want to speak to them, and many of them were cannibals too! Yet suddenly they are the experts on the afterlife!

    When you say these things out loud, can you understand why skeptics mock you so much, why we laugh at the absurdity of it all.

    And then you try to patronise us skeptics by making out we just dismiss such things without thought.

    WE HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT A HELL OF A LOT MORE THAN YOU!!
    That is why we mock it!

    So come on Mac, answer my questions, or admit that these people are clearly and obviously frauds.
    Remember it only takes one medium to prove mediumship, and it is insanely easy to do, and to a level that no skeptic can deny.

    Rudolf Haag, died just 6 months ago, let a medium bring him through, and then answer questions in German about algebraic formulation of axiomatic quantum field theory.

    A medium does that successfully, and I am a 100% believer.

    This is what us skeptics mean when we ask for proof, something that just cant be faked.
    mac
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    Post by mac Mon 24 Apr 2017 - 17:11

    So everything we 'believers' consider to be Silver Birch's words, ideas, were actually Maurice Barbanell's all along, eh? Silver Birch Icon_wink Ah well. Bash on. It'll all be alright for us all in the end, one way or the other.

    I wonder how frustrating it must be to be unable to prove to us 'believers' that we are wrong to 'believe' what we do - that we survive death and live on elsewhere in another form? More frustrating - I'd guess - than our being unable to help others enjoy the spiritual comfort we enjoy, I imagine.
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    JDBP

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    Post by JDBP Mon 24 Apr 2017 - 17:15

    mac wrote:So everything we 'believers' consider to be Silver Birch's words, ideas, were actually Maurice Barbanell's all along, eh?   :wink:   Ah well.  Bash on.  It'll all be alright for us all in the end, one way or the other. 

    Of course it was Maurice Barbanells ideas, who else could it be? Maybe one of the other mediums they were associated with came up with bits.

    But the fact you ignore every single one of my points tells a much bigger story.

    I wonder how frustrating it must be to be unable to prove to us 'believers' that we are wrong to 'believe' what we do - that we survive death and live on elsewhere in another form?   More frustrating - I'd guess - than our being unable to help others enjoy the spiritual comfort we enjoy, I imagine.

    It is not frustrating that i am unable to prove to believers you are wrong, because I have done that exact thing many many times.
    What is frustrating is when people like yourself ignore really important points that I make, that blow you entire belief system out of the water, using the simplest of logic.

    What is frustrating is when I do exactly what you tell me to do, bring on intelligent discussion, ask questions, and I am ignored and you resort to ridiculous nonsense whereby you post smilie faces as if you are in possession of some special knowledge that you cant tell me.

    I do what you want, I ask questions, I make intelligent points, I break things down in a logical and critical manner, and I am ignored.
    And You wonder why I get frustrated and resort to just mocking you, and taking the piss.

    I did what you asked, and you reacted in the way you always do, by burying your head in the sand.

    So next time I am rude, next time I call you stupid, dont ask me why, dont say "why are you rude instead of asking questions"

    Because I have tried many many times to engage you in an intelligent logical discussion. I spend time writing down IN DETAIL long posts giving you something to really think about, and instead if get a 2 sentence reply dismissing every single logical point I bring up.

    NOW you understand why I get frustrated with believers, i do EVERYTHING you ask me to do, and the sheer ignorance and blind nature just cant be broken down.

    Oh well, I did what you said, you failed, so back to taking the piss, as clearly you cant deal with someone who rips you to shreds with simple logical arguments.
    mac
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    Post by mac Mon 24 Apr 2017 - 17:17

    It's a quick response as I'm preparing lunch. Silver Birch Icon_biggrin

    You say "Because I have tried many many times to engage you in an intelligent logical discussion. I spend time writing down IN DETAIL long posts giving you something to really think about, and instead if get a 2 sentence reply dismissing every single logical point I bring up."

    As I see many of your postings, Jon, they're simply rants about the same old, same old, sometimes logical I'll accept but not necessarily. My experience is - and here I am using the 'senior trump card' - long responses to equally long replies are pointless as few readers actually respond to points I make. To illustrate my point, earlier you simply ignored what I said about my persuasion not being on the basis of visiting mediums. The logical response would have been to ask what it WAS based on but that way doesn't fit your m.o.

    You give the impression you delight in your notoriety and celebrity as a debunker of individuals who we 'believers' consider to be mediums. When they're frauds we'll support that stance or at least I will. [You can't actually debunk them as mediums, of course, because you've declared in effect that there's no such thing as a medium and there's no such thing as mediumship - they're all bogus.] You don't give me the impression of someone who cares about the individuals you insist on returning here to engage with. How logical is it to routinely come here to spin the same old chestnuts, Jon? What do you think you'll achieve? We understand your approach and don't feel motivated to accept everything you conclude - I hope I'm summarising what others feel here but if not then let's just say it's how I feel about your approach.

    More later I think..... Silver Birch So+there
    mac
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    Post by mac Mon 24 Apr 2017 - 17:18

    JDBP wrote:
    mac wrote:Doubtless Jon Donnis will say that SB's medium, Maurice Barbanell, was as big a fraud as all other mediums are and always have been and that the many communications, the uplifting teachings, the questions and answers sessions so eloquently delivered, were just figments of Maurice Barbanell's own imagination.

    JDBP wrote:Not sure what he would say, but personally, I would say that clearly they are all frauds.
    But dont you find it interesting the kind of characters they invent to be these spiritual knowledge bases.
    Never a dead scientist, never a dead mathematician.

    Never someone who could actually explain their continued existence in a way that could be understand by physics and help the living scientists understand the physics of their existence.

    Just look at things logically, even from the position of a believer. Where are all the dead scientists? Where are all the dead particle physicists?
    Where is Houdini? The one person you would expect could escape the bonds of the afterlife.

    Instead we either get ridiculous foreign characters that are thousands of years old, yet bizarrely speak and understand modern English.
    Or we get impossible to trace characters that despite having no real world job or knowledge, are suddenly experts in the afterlife. And thirdly we get mediums who have died and come back.

    Notice how Colin Fry has not come back? Or Sylvia Browne etc.

    Seriously, just look at the claims of spiritualists, and ask yourself why they never bring back someone who is more intelligent or knowledgeable about a real life subject than they are. Thats why we never get dead particle physicists, thats why Einstein doesn't come through, hell you could go back to the legendary ancient Greeks, like Aristotle and so on. They never come back.

    Be objective, and ask yourself why these people dont come through, even if you are 100% believer, surely you must be suspicious?

    Lets say its all real, and I dunno, lets say David Thompson suddenly got in contact with famous dead physicist Hannes Alfven, (google him), an incredible important person in history, a Nobel prize winner too. So real pedigree here.
    Now David Thompson announces publicly that he has made contact with Hannes, and that he is inviting any world renound physicist in the world to join him in a seance, whereby they can ask questions to Hannes, the kind of question that only a physicist could answer, in other words not something David could do a bit of googling on, or even read a few books.

    You could bring a Swedish physicist, lets make it harder to cheat, they can ask their questions in Swedish. If David was the real deal, he would be able to answer ANY question they asked, and answer fluently and instantly in Swedish as Hannes spoke through him.

    There is not a skeptic on the planet who could deny that as proof.

    Yet this NEVER EVER happens.
    Never!

    WHY? Believers ask yourself why this never happens. Now someone will throw the athiest/skeptic argument at me. Ok fine, there is plenty of dead scientists who believed in God, an afterlife etc, I am always shown these people as evidence that smart people believe. So lets bring one of these dead people back.

    I just want one believer to THINK logically, and if that is impossible, then answer me why this has never happened.

    Yoichiro Nambu died just last year, Nobel Prize winner. His knowledge on the field is almost upto date with all other physicists, NO MEDIUM ON THE PLANET could fake being him, or bringing him through. Ask and answer physics questions in Japanese! In perfect native tongue!

    NO ONE CAN FAKE THAT!

    Instead why get 2000 year old dead ethiopeans, or native americans who bizarrely can speak modern English despite the fact they would have never have learned it, or they would have hated the white man, so they would never want to speak to them, and many of them were cannibals too! Yet suddenly they are the experts on the afterlife!

    When you say these things out loud, can you understand why skeptics mock you so much, why we laugh at the absurdity of it all.

    And then you try to patronise us skeptics by making out we just dismiss such things without thought.

    WE HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT A HELL OF A LOT MORE THAN YOU!!
    That is why we mock it!

    What BS, Jon!  You mock because that's the path you've chosen for yourself!  You MAY have thought about things a lot more than 'we' have  (whoever 'we' are) but how can you prove that?  However much you feel you've thought about things you still don't see that what happens here isn't automatically going to be similar to a situation elsewhere. I DON'T KNOW WHY the things you challenge me about don't happen in the way you feel they ought.  But I DON'T KNOW WHY many of the crazy things in this world happen the way they do.  It's a world full of 'don't know why' but a state of not knowing why one or more things don't happen doesn't invalidate the status of a different situation.  That would be illogical. 

    I DON'T KNOW why the events came about that led me to a persuasion about life after death but it sure as hell wasn't down to a medium telling me.  I do know, though, how they came about but YOU didn't experience them, and YOU don't know what led up to them, and YOU don't know the impact they had on my life etc.  But I wouldn't expect you to be influenced by what I've experienced and learned from those experiences yet you expect others to be persuaded by your personal scepticism. I suppose I didn't really expect you even to show a scrap of interest in learning about my experiences because you're no longer a seeker - if you ever truly were - and it would need something of earth-shattering impact to ever stand a chance of denting the barrier of cynicism that surrounds you.  Prove to me that you could be ever be reached or influenced by anything.  There's YOUR challenge.

    JDBP wrote:So come on Mac, answer my questions, or admit that these people are clearly and obviously frauds.
    Remember it only takes one medium to prove mediumship, and it is insanely easy to do, and to a level that no skeptic can deny.

    You answer my challenge, Jon.  Prove to me that there's no such state as life-after-death.  Prove that there is no such thing as communication with those we loved and who have passed over.  Then I'll admit you've been right all along and the individuals we consider to be mediums were all, each and every one of them, frauds.  Remember it only takes one Jon Donnis to prove there is no life after death, and it must be insanely easy to do for someone as knowledgeable about the subject as yourself to a level that no believer can dismiss.

    JDBP wrote:Rudolf Haag, died just 6 months ago, let a medium bring him through, and then answer questions in German about algebraic formulation of axiomatic quantum field theory.

    A medium does that successfully, and I am a 100% believer.

    This is what us skeptics mean when we ask for proof, something that just cant be faked.
     
    I'll leave someone else to respond to this.  I have a cold beer calling me.   yay
    mac
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    Post by mac Mon 24 Apr 2017 - 17:25

    JDBP wrote:
    mac wrote:So everything we 'believers' consider to be Silver Birch's words, ideas, were actually Maurice Barbanell's all along, eh?   Wink   Ah well.  Bash on.  It'll all be alright for us all in the end, one way or the other. 

    Of course it was Maurice Barbanells ideas, who else could it be? Maybe one of the other mediums they were associated with came up with bits.

    But the fact you ignore every single one of my points tells a much bigger story.
    Prove they were Maurice Barbanell's ideas or some other individual's.  I ignore your rantings but I certainly don't (quote) "ignore every single one" of your points.

    I wonder how frustrating it must be to be unable to prove to us 'believers' that we are wrong to 'believe' what we do - that we survive death and live on elsewhere in another form?   More frustrating - I'd guess - than our being unable to help others enjoy the spiritual comfort we enjoy, I imagine.

    JDBP wrote:It is not frustrating that i am unable to prove to believers you are wrong, because I have done that exact thing many many times.
    What is frustrating is when people like yourself ignore really important points that I make, that blow you entire belief system out of the water, using the simplest of logic.
    PROVE we're wrong.  PROVE there is no afterlife, no communication from loved ones.  You've proven that some individuals are frauds and extrapolated that result to cover every other situation.  And you expect that approach should persuade us, that it's logical?  Gimme a break, Jon. blah

    JDBP wrote:What is frustrating is when I do exactly what you tell me to do, bring on intelligent discussion, ask questions, and I am ignored and you resort to ridiculous nonsense whereby you post smilie faces as if you are in possession of some special knowledge that you cant tell me.
    Oh, Jon!  Upset by a smiley face?  Of course I'm in possession of special knowledge I can't tell you and so are many of those you see as 'believers'.  But one day you might, just might, become receptive to hearing what we have to say and at that time I'll tell you all you'd like to know....

    JDBP wrote:I do what you want, I ask questions, I make intelligent points, I break things down in a logical and critical manner, and I am ignored.
    And You wonder why I get frustrated and resort to just mocking you, and taking the piss.
    No, Jon, you don't ask questions without following them with a prolonged rant about issues you're always on about.  You ask questions only what you already have your responses prepared.  If you were ever open-minded you don't now appear to be so.....

    JDBP wrote:I did what you asked, and you reacted in the way you always do, by burying your head in the sand.
    Perhaps I was tired of you berating us?

    JDBP wrote:So next time I am rude, next time I call you stupid, dont ask me why, dont say "why are you rude instead of asking questions".
    Is that the way you need to behave, Jon, because often that's how it appears?  If you ever call me stupid it may be a pot-calling-the-kettle-black situation. Wink

    JDBP wrote:Because I have tried many many times to engage you in an intelligent logical discussion. I spend time writing down IN DETAIL long posts giving you something to really think about, and instead if get a 2 sentence reply dismissing every single logical point I bring up.

    NOW you understand why I get frustrated with believers, i do EVERYTHING you ask me to do, and the sheer ignorance and blind nature just cant be broken down.

    Oh well, I did what you said, you failed, so back to taking the piss, as clearly you cant deal with someone who rips you to shreds with simple logical arguments.
    So I suffer from a "...sheer ignorance and blind nature.." situation that prevents me understanding your jewels of wisdom, eh?  If you can't conduct yourself with composure, Jon, if you continue to let your frustration get the better of you, few will put up with it.  But that's up to you and I have no desire to try to change you.  As for your being (quote) "...someone who rips you to shreds with simple logical arguments...." well, you know what?  It sure don't feel that way to me!   yay
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    Post by Misty Mon 24 Apr 2017 - 17:28

    JDBP wrote: we either get ridiculous foreign characters that are thousands of years old, yet bizarrely speak and understand modern English.
    This is something I have questioned before.  Just like Gary Mannion and his Abraham.
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    Post by Candlelight.kk Mon 24 Apr 2017 - 17:33

    Whiskers wrote:
    JDBP wrote: we either get ridiculous foreign characters that are thousands of years old, yet bizarrely speak and understand modern English.
    This is something I have questioned before.  Just like Gary Mannion and his Abraham.

    I'm not sure that "Gary Mannion and his Abraham" is a pertinent example to be using here.  Gary himself has admitted that he believes himself to be practised and "good" at four accents, "Irish, UK Cockney, UK English and UK Posh" (lol).  http://www.starnow.co.uk/garymannion/.  The "UK Posh" is obviously the one he concentrated on when producing his so-called 'Abraham' speaking in trance.  Even if his "Abraham from the Bible" had been conversant in the Queen's English, on numerous occasions his command of grammar left a lot to be desired; coincidentally as does Gary's - as is apparent in this critical review relating to the documentary featuring Gary and broadcast some time ago on TV: (from orange.co.uk/entertainment/television)
    On the face of it, Gary seems like a pretty normal twentysomething. He likes bling and his ex-girlfriend is a pole dancer. We tried to keep an open mind throughout this hour-long film, but it was hard to not to find Gary's claims laughable. One of the most amusing scenes comes as he supposedly goes into a trance so that Abraham can communicate with Onono directly.
    Assuming the accent and demeanour of a member of the royal family, circa 1932, Gary/Abraham proceeds to discuss his abilities in a series of buttock-clenching clichés ("great leaders are not chose [sic] because of their ability to lead, but because of their ability to be led."). And Abraham may be an ancient prophet, but his grasp of the English language leaves something to be desired. He talks about not "deterring" from the path ahead, for example... we think he means "deviating". [   ] ............


    As for Silver Birch, I am not sure whether those teachings recordings are purported to have been done using Direct Voice (?) (in which case the communicator's own voice would be heard coming not from the Medium's mouth but in a separate part of the room where all present could hear and pinpoint from where the voice was coming - i.e. from the floor/ceiling area/corner of the room, etc ...).   I have experienced what I have since learned to be termed as 'Direct Voice' on two separate occasions (years apart) in my own home and not in any sort of séance environment or situation - on both occasions very loud and clear, almost boomed out from a corner of my ceiling, by a distinct male voice (same one each time) which I could not recognise as anyone that I know. 

    It does seem to be the case that depending on the level of the trance that the Medium is in, on some occasions the communicator is able to use the medium's own voicebox to speak their words through the medium (and so in the medium's own voice).  Different communicators will work in different ways.  I don't know enough about the Silver Birch communications to be able to say whether that was the case or not.  Hopefully someone a bit more knowledgeable on the subject can fill us in (mac, perhaps?).

    Meantime, here is an article going some way to explain the development of the phenomenon known as Direct Voice:
    Penned by (A.W. (Billy) Austen, who was the first official stenographer for the teachings of Silver Birch.)

    Direct Voice Develops

    Hannen Swaffer's Home Circle.
    By Maurice Barbanell

    My first contact with Hannen Swaffer’s home circle was in 1932, when I attended as a visitor on the same night that Frank Decker, the American physical medium, was invited to attend. That was a big night for me, because White Shadow asked me to join the circle, and for all of us, because it was Decker’s visit that paved the way to our own development of the direct voice.

    Some psychic gifts seem, to some extent, “infectious”. There must, of course, be the psychic power latent, but sometimes a fillip is given to its development by contact with a medium possessing the same gift. Dennis Bradley “caught” the direct voice from Valiantine; we “caught” it from Decker.

    We had both the direct voice and materialization phenomena that night, Decker’s mediumship, of course, being responsible. We were sitting quietly in the darkness when suddenly Decker’s guide, White Eagle, gave his “war cry”. It was so loud and sudden we all nearly jumped out of our skins and the wires of the piano vibrated. Later, Patsy, another of Decker’s guides, shouted out, “Good night.” I felt a materialized hand laid upon mine and, at the same time, Decker said he saw clairvoyantly the word “Test”. He wondered what it meant. White Shadow explained that White Eagle intended the materialized hand to be a test for “the man who writes for the paper”. He could not speak, as he was not controlling the medium, so he had caused the word to be seen clairvoyantly.

    At this sitting, Decker told us that we had latent the power for developing direct voice mediumship. We asked White Shadow about it and he agreed and encouraged us to try to develop it. ‘With his permission, we started sitting with trumpets on the floor in the centre of the circle. Within eight months, we heard the direct voice independently of the trumpet. Then, six weeks after Decker visited us again, the trumpet was used and longer talks in the direct voice were possible.

    When I joined the circle, we had two good trance mediums, used by White Shadow and Silver Birch. Gradually, as the physical phenomena developed, Silver Birch took the place of White Shadow as the teacher, while the other medium was used more and more for direct voice. Both spirits, though they claimed to be simple “savages” - later communications have convinced us that they are really highly evolved spirits, using the astral bodies of the Indians as “mediums” - were most eloquent. Their language would put any earthly orator to shame. But, as White Shadow’s medium could be used better as the “focal point” of the direct voice, Silver Birch became the teacher.

    It was explained to us that all the sitters and their guides had been carefully chosen by the spirit people. For over two years they had been working for a perfect circle, one in which all the sitters and all the guideswould blend in harmony. At last they were satisfied they had got it. Each sitter brought some necessary power for the phenomena; each guide and spirit helper had some special task. Gradually the sitters would develop their mediumistic gifts. Each had some special work in front of him. The guides took us into their confidence, told us what they had to do and encouraged us to question them about their work. Their descriptions were supplemented by those who could see the spirits at work. We began to learn psychic laws and cooperation reached a fine point.

    For weeks before we heard the direct voice we saw the trumpet moved in graceful motions in all directions. The guides told us the voice was nearly ready. “We have had rehearsals,” they said. “We can make the voices all right, but we cannot make them heard in your world.” On that first night, we heard just a few words. The guide spoke from the floor, from near the ceiling, from positions all over the circle, but mostly from the floor. He said it was easier to speak from there. The voice did not come through the trumpet, though this was moved with perfect control. Each sitter was gently touched by the trumpet, in the order we asked, and one of us felt a materialized hand.

    The guides had never used the vocal cords of the medium, even in trance.  They said there was healing power in her voice and if they used her cords that property might be impaired. They used vocal cords of their own construction. When Anny Ahlers, the actress, controlled the medium a few weeks after her death, she complained that it was very difficult because White Shadow would not let her use the medium’s vocal cords.

    The materialization phenomena grew as the direct voice developed. The father of White Shadow’s medium was able to materialize his hands
    sufficiently to make, for evidence, the loud clicking noise peculiar to his habit during earth life, and strum on the wall in his accustomed manner. The favourite dog of one of the sitters was sometimes materialized and we heard its tail wagging against the leg of a chair. A pet cat scratched at the carpet and a bird which the medium had taken into shelter when she found it injured used to materialize and fly about the room. Often ornaments were moved from a high mantelshelf and were found after the sitting in the middle of the circle. ‘We often felt materialized hands.

    One of the guides must have been huge - he told us that on the earth he was over seven feet tall, which was corroborated by the medium’s clairvoyant vision - for I would sometimes feel both my ankles grasped in one large hand. We heard the heavy tread of the guides going about the room and one of them, for our amusement, repeated a dance he used on earth, chanting while he did it an Indian tune which was always played for that particular dance.

    At one sitting I shook hands with my “dead” sister, who passed on at the age of seven about twelve years before. I had been told that she acted as my guide, and I had had various messages from her, but this was the first occasion on which she had spoken directly to me. She controlled White Shadow’s medium in trance and spoke so quietly we could hardly hear what she said. She asked me to stretch out my hand towards the medium and she grasped it with her own - one she had manufactured out of ectoplasm.

    She told us that trance control was very difficult as White Shadow would not allow the vocal cords to be used. Usually, cords were made of ectoplasm for the spirits’ use, but in her case, she told us, a different system had been specially arranged. By some method of using compressed air - we would not have understood, she said, even if she were able to explain it exhaustively - she was able to make her voice heard without using any vocal cords.

    At this sitting, one of the guides explained to us that the circle was formed as much for the “dead” as for the living. Many in the spirit world, it was said, are held back by their desire to communicate with their friends on this side of the veil. Until they are able to do this, their advance is impeded. We were also told something of the difficulties experienced by the guides. Before any new phenomenon was introduced, consideration had to be given to the mental reactions of the sitters, for on that depended to a large extent the psychic power that was available.

    Frank Decker sat with us again in 1933 - about nine months after his first visit - and a few weeks later our own trumpet was used for the direct voice. When Decker was there, one of the guides was speaking to us through a trance medium and we were surprised suddenly to hear Patsy, Decker’s newspaper-boy guide, announce himself in the direct voice. Later on, Patsy sang two songs, White Eagle, another of Decker’s guides, spoke to us and White Shadow had a talk with his medium. This was the first time she had heard White Shadow speak, as always before she was in trance when he manifested. We saw wonderful control of the trumpet at this sitting, Patsy taking it all round the circle at lightning speed. The whizzing trumpet came so near to us that we felt a distinct breeze as it went by, but no one was touched by it.

    Then, a few weeks later, after Decker had gone back to America and we had no outside help, we experienced our first voice through our own trumpet. It had taken three years of constant sittings to reach this stage and that voice gave us all a thrill. Only one word was spoken. The spirit merely announced her name - it was Lottie, Hannen Swaffer’s “dead” sister-in-law - but it showed that our own direct voice phenomena had started. At the next sitting, a guide said two or three words to his medium. The next time there were seven voices, and so it went on, gradually improving until we were able to hold long, sustained conversations directly with those living in another world, hearing their own voices speaking to us and giving us evidence of their continued existence.

    At first the voices were weak, though each was distinctive, and the “personality” spread even to the movements of the trumpet. In many cases, we were able to tell who was about to speak by the way in which the trumpet was moved. One guide always traced in the air the letter “S”, the initial of his name. Another always made peculiar movements which suggested the name by which he was known. One spirit, the father of White Shadow’s medium, always tapped the trumpet with his fingers before speaking, recalling an earthly habit as a means of identification. Each of the regular communicators had a special way of introducing himself before the voice was heard.

    In the early stages of the direct-voice phenomena, White Shadow’s medium was in trance. The communicating spirits seemed to get additional power from her for, after leaving the floor, the trumpet would always move towards her before a voice was heard. Later, she was sometimes able to hear the voices while she remained out of trance.

    Within the first month of hearing our first voice, we had talks with four of the guides of the circle, the father and sister of White Shadow’s medium, the mother, father and brother of the medium’s husband, Hannen Swaffer’s sister- in-law, my sister, Hall Caine, Gilbert Parker and Lord Northcliffe, Swaffer’s former “Chief” in the newspaper world.

    A.W. Austen

    As Published by Zerdini on: http://www.spiritualistchatroom.forumotion.com
    mac
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    Silver Birch Empty Re: Silver Birch

    Post by mac Mon 24 Apr 2017 - 17:35

    Taking more care this time after I goofed up an almost-complete response and lost the whole thing - idiot me! Trying again...

    I'm reluctant to rely on memory and it's getting on for three decades anyway since I studied Silver Birch's words. To the best of my recall communication from him weren't via 'The Direct Voice'. It was via Maurice Barbanell in trance, presumably using his voice box and vocal chords hence sounding somewhat like Barbanell I'm guessing.

    But SB indicated that he had had to work hard to achieve the necessary 'blending' with 'his instrument' (as he called Barbanell), to find the appropriate words in Barbanell's word store and then create sentences using them. We can only guess at how that might work but it seems rather different from the almost casual 'channelling' of so-called Ascended Masters popular elsewhere. SB also indicated that his association with Barbanell began long before Barbanell became aware of the work that would eventually become such an important way of life and the publication of so many compilations of his words and teachings.
    Candlelight.kk
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    Silver Birch Empty Re: Silver Birch

    Post by Candlelight.kk Sun 18 Jun 2017 - 14:34

    Silver Birch comments on why teachers choose to communicate with humans on earth and their struggle against the “falsities” of misunderstood ideas in religion:
    “Our work is to give that which has a purpose, significance, so that, while it demonstrates the existence of Law, it also enables comfort to be given and knowledge to be spread.  Our work is not only to reveal the existence of laws beyond the physical but to reveal truths of the spirit.  We have a gigantic system of misrepresentation to oppose.  We have to undo the world of centuries.  We have to destroy the superstructure of falsity that has been built upon the foundations of creeds.  We are striving always to teach the children of matter how to be free and how to bask in the sunlight of spiritual truth..”

    Read more ........ arrow  The Search For Life After Death
    mac
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    Silver Birch Empty Re: Silver Birch

    Post by mac Sun 18 Jun 2017 - 14:44

    Candlelight.kk wrote:Silver Birch comments on why teachers choose to communicate with humans on earth and their struggle against the “falsities” of misunderstood ideas in religion:
    “Our work is to give that which has a purpose, significance, so that, while it demonstrates the existence of Law, it also enables comfort to be given and knowledge to be spread.  Our work is not only to reveal the existence of laws beyond the physical but to reveal truths of the spirit.  We have a gigantic system of misrepresentation to oppose.  We have to undo the world of centuries.  We have to destroy the superstructure of falsity that has been built upon the foundations of creeds.  We are striving always to teach the children of matter how to be free and how to bask in the sunlight of spiritual truth..”

    Read more ........ arrow  The Search For Life After Death
    Not sure where I was after following the link above - is that Jenn's blog on Wordpress?
    Candlelight.kk
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    Silver Birch Empty Re: Silver Birch

    Post by Candlelight.kk Sun 18 Jun 2017 - 14:49

    mac wrote:Not sure where I was after following the link above - is that Jenn's blog on Wordpress?

    Yes, mac.
    Here is the home link:  link   https://thesearchforlifeafterdeath.com/
    mac
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    Silver Birch Empty Re: Silver Birch

    Post by mac Sun 18 Jun 2017 - 14:56

    Candlelight.kk wrote:
    mac wrote:Not sure where I was after following the link above - is that Jenn's blog on Wordpress?

    Yes, mac.
    Here is the home link:  link   https://thesearchforlifeafterdeath.com/
    thanks, kk - I think I may have been there in the past.  Senior's complaint that we can't remember the details or even the vagueness!! very happy
    Candlelight.kk
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    Silver Birch Empty Re: Silver Birch

    Post by Candlelight.kk Sun 18 Jun 2017 - 15:04

    Oh, I dunno, mac .... your memory seems pretty much up to speed there. Your guess was spot on as to the source!
    Misty
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    Silver Birch Empty Re: Silver Birch

    Post by Misty Wed 21 Jun 2017 - 14:22

    Candlelight.kk wrote:
    mac wrote:Not sure where I was after following the link above - is that Jenn's blog on Wordpress?

    Yes, mac.
    Here is the home link:  link   https://thesearchforlifeafterdeath.com/

    I like Jenns Wordpress Blog.  I particularly like what she writes here -
    https://thesearchforlifeafterdeath.com/2016/12/27/evidential-spirituality-how-to-build-spiritual-beliefs-from-life-after-death-research/


    How do we distinguish ourselves from those who derive their spirituality based on faith or personal development alone?


    Evidential Spirituality



    I have decided to coin the title “Evidential Spiritualist” and “Evidential Spirituality” to create a real distinction for what I, and many others, practice to distinguish ourselves from faith-based spiritualism, or spiritualists who follow the religion of spiritualism.

    So with any new term, we need a definition:

    Evidential Spirituality-

    The practice of defining spiritual, philosophical, or religious beliefs through study and content analysis of supernatural, paranormal or spiritual experiences of the self or others, scientific evidence and research, or veridical observations relating to the survival hypothesis including, but not limited to; near-death experiences, death-bed visions, after-death communications, mediumship and channeling demonstrations, the philosophy of duality and the study of consciousness, instrumental transcommunication, past-life/pre-birth memories, and certain hypotheses in quantum physics.

    This matches how I feel about the subject.  And I believe I am right in thinking it matches the philosophy of this forum (lal) also.  How I read it anyway.  lal has taught me the importance of research, how not to just accept everything just on face value, to question and research everything and to compare other opinions and views.  I have learned a lot from here. 
    Thankyou lal  thanks
    Candlelight.kk
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    Silver Birch Empty Re: Silver Birch

    Post by Candlelight.kk Wed 21 Jun 2017 - 18:26

    Misty wrote:I like Jenns Wordpress Blog.  I particularly like what she writes here -
    https://thesearchforlifeafterdeath.com/2016/12/27/evidential-spirituality-how-to-build-spiritual-beliefs-from-life-after-death-research/
    How do we distinguish ourselves from those who derive their spirituality based on faith or personal development alone?


    Evidential Spirituality


    I have decided to coin the title “Evidential Spiritualist” and “Evidential Spirituality” to create a real distinction for what I, an many others, practice to distinguish ourselves from faith-based spiritualism, or spiritualists who follow the religion of spiritualism.

    So with any new term, we need a definition:

    Evidential Spirituality-

    The practice of defining spiritual, philosophical, or religious beliefs through study and content analysis of supernatural, paranormal or spiritual experiences of the self or others, scientific evidence and research, or veridical observations relating to the survival hypothesis including, but not limited to; near-death experiences, death-bed visions, after-death communications, mediumship and channeling demonstrations, the philosophy of duality and the study of consciousness, instrumental transcommunication, past-life/pre-birth memories, and certain hypotheses in quantum physics.

    I like it too, Misty.  yes

    Misty wrote:This matches how I feel about the subject.  And I believe I am right in thinking it matches the philosophy of this forum (lal) also.

    Certainly mirrors my own way of thinking, but as for matching "the philosophy of the forum", I'm not so sure if that's an accurate picture.  LAL provides the tools and opportunity for individuals to think outside of the box, to share, question and compare the experiences, views and opinions of others - but for that very reason, the Forum itself holds no collectively-held view on any specific subject that is shared and discussed herein.  If that were the case, LAL would simply be a blog-type platform with everyone agreeing with a specified claim or philosophy, and offering no leeway for educated exploration or discovery.  That really is not the intention for LAL and I would hate to think that it would come across in that vein. I would like to think that LAL is a shared platform which encourages the enquiring mind and helps to develop free-thinking and awareness in tackling the age-old existential questions that have beguiled humankind since what we perceive to be the beginning of time.

    Misty wrote:How I read it anyway.  lal has taught me the importance of research, how not to just accept everything just on face value, to question and research everything and to compare other opinions and views.

    thumb And that is so much of what it's all about. happyheart
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    Silver Birch Empty Silver Birch & Maurice Barbanell

    Post by Candlelight.kk Thu 11 Jan 2018 - 21:16

    Silver Birch gave his teachings through a medium named Maurice Barbanell.
    Barbanell was the founder and editor of the weekly Spiritualist newspaper, Psychic News, and for half a century devoted his life to spreading spiritual knowledge through its columns and those of other publications with which he was associated.
    In his own obituary, which he wrote before his passing at the age of 79 on 17th July 1981, he revealed that he was told by Estelle Roberts’ Red Cloud — a spirit guide for whom he had the greatest admiration and affection — that in a previous incarnation he had made a promise to reincarnate and devote his life to spreading Spiritualism. Though he had no conscious knowledge of that life or promise, events certainly conspired to make it possible.

    Read more:  https://www.spiritualtruthfoundation.org/barbanell-silverbirch/
    mac
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    Silver Birch Empty Re: Silver Birch

    Post by mac Thu 11 Jan 2018 - 23:48

    One of the best loved teachers and guides.
    avatar
    Mat Barns

    Posts : 20

    Silver Birch Empty Re: Silver Birch

    Post by Mat Barns Fri 12 Jan 2018 - 0:29

    mac wrote:One of the best loved teachers and guides.
    Better than Sparrow?   lol

    QUOTE="mac, post: 47606, member: 1820"]For everyone's information, I had checked with Sparow that it was OK to link and quote.  [/QUOTE]

    SparRow
    A spirit guide.
    You contacted a spirit guide.
    By email.
    Even though the website was written by Samantha aka Amethyst.
    Spirit Guide Sparrow does not have an official site.
    smh

    Spirit Guide Sparrow is an anonymous poster from http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=10902 of which no validation has occurred that HE (not SHE) is an incarnated ET being, THE VOICE OF THE ASCELEOTT(YI).
    mac
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    Silver Birch Empty Re: Silver Birch

    Post by mac Fri 12 Jan 2018 - 0:34

    Mat Barns wrote:
    mac wrote:One of the best loved teachers and guides.
    Better than Sparrow?   lol

    QUOTE="mac, post: 47606, member: 1820"]For everyone's information, I had checked with Sparow that it was OK to link and quote. 

    SparRow
    A.......alforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=10902 of which no validation has occurred that HE (not SHE) is an incarnated ET being, THE VOICE OF THE ASCELEOTT(YI).

    Oh here you are - I've missed you in your normal spot.  Easier to post here, eh, mi duck?  pirat

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