The Reiki Cafe 

I go to a spiritualist church because it is the closest religion I can find to my own personal beliefs but I have to admit that I find it a bit odd in some ways.

Firstly, at every service there is a medium who talks to people in the congregation and gives messages from their relatives or friends who have passed over. This is referred to as "evidence". I find it funny for this reason - Why should we need evidence/proof of the after life since the reason we are in a spiritualist church in the first place is because we already believe in it.

Also, surely the point of these messages is not to give proof of the spirit world but to aid or instruct us in some way with a view to living our lives more fruitfully and learning more. I find that the messages given are rarely of any 'spiritually educational/instructive' use.

In my life I tend to work directly with my guides and not my relatives who have passed over. I once asked the reason why messages given in church never come from guides and was told that guides cannot communicate well with this world because their vibration is too high so they use relatives from the 'summerlands' as go-betweens!

I can see that one reason for this use of family and loved ones is to make spiritualism more user-friendly or more palatable for the general public. But I don't understand why the church should be shy about educating people about spirit guides. After all, one of the seven principles is 'Eternal progress open to every human soul'.

I keep getting told things in church about my grandparents and great-grandparents. This is very interesting but I don't understand how it fits in with the spiritualist philosophy of re-incarnation. My great-grandfather died nearly 100 years ago and I would have thought that he would be re-incarnated again by now, or at least that he would have better things to do in the afterlife [like reviewing his life and learning from it] than to hang around in the summerlands to act as an interpreter for me every week.

What do you guys think?

Love and blessings all round,

Nelys.

Hi,

Maybe time in the spirit world is different or we live in many dimensions and who knows, you could be advising someone as your body sleeps and your spirit goes traveling.

What kinds of things does your great-grandfather reveal if I may be so bold. I like your post. It's interesting for sure. And it's good you are a bit sceptical in my opionion.

with love and spirit,

Prosperity

Otoharo!

nelys, I am with you on what you say. I have never been to a spiritualist church, but your reasoning is relevant to what I believe. I can hear my own guides. It is the angels who translate for those we can not hear or understand. Angels being those who are not humans, who are nothing but angels. Were created as angels to start with. It seems logical to me that the church would be more useful to people by focusing on being able to hear your own guides. May be you could start a group within the chruch to do that.

finality

Hi Nelys,

I understand what you are saying. I really enjoyed my previous church but outgrew the dogma. I have yet to try a spiritual church because some of my experiences from some of these groups don't seem to be teaching what I am looking for.

I seem to be looking for something in between. I like to hear the messages of how to keep my mind aligned with the Holy Spirit and to come from love and compassion. But hearing about past relatives doesn't give me the impression that this will benefit me while here. Plus, I kind of hope they have moved onward to their attachment to this realm.

Maybe it is time to share with another group? I usually just put the intention out their that I would like to gather with like-minded folks and miraculously, they come!

Love,
Kimberlee

Well my thoughts are that even if a particular group is close to who we are at people. There's bound to be some points that differ. Also maybe some people need this verification. Even if you believe a certain thing, seeing it in action is quite different and helps to keep any doubts that may arrise at bay. I think it's easy to have beliefs, but many people are afraid to put them to the test. If we never test them how do we know our beliefs are not just a security blanket but really are every bit as real as we claim to believe they are.
Maybe it's not so important what your grandparents or great grandparents have to say but the point that they are communicating with you is the part of the experience you personally should focus on? I do disagree with them about guides being to high vibrationally to speak with us directly. Many people do it all the time. Maybe the medium can hear the ancestors easier than their own guides?
As far as reincarnation goes. My understanding is that the age of the soul itself determines how fast we reincarnate. While we always hear stories of how old a soul such and such has, i've always hear that old souls are a big rarity. The older the rarer. And most folks have only had an incarnation or two previously, if any at all. Which would then mean reincarnation time for the vast majority is a longgg time. But someone who has had many lifetimes will reincarnate faster.
Also keep in mind in some cultures communication with the ancestors was sought out. Some say guides are our ancestors who no longer incarnate. They choose to speak with us and share their wisdom. Even for one who does still incarnate, once passed over they understand more about the nature of the universe than we do. So even if not some grand enlightened being they are more enlightened than ourselves.

Hi everybody.

Thanks for all your messages.

I think you're right there, Conflagration, about people needing that verification. And I reckon you definitely have a good point about the necessity to test your beliefs. It got me thinking.

With this path, it can be easy to fall prey to a lot of doubts. Sometimes I find myself thinking "Is this really true or am I just going nuts?" Some of the messages I receive in church don't really seem right and then I think "No, this person is just guessing". But then sometimes they are right in a very freakish way; like one time I got told about a pretty significant disagreement I would have with a woman called Anne and I didn't know anyone called Anne at the time but then about six months later I met someone called Anne and funnily enough we did have a disagreement that proved a pretty significant learning experience for me. It was wierd.

Hi again,

Sorry this is in parts, I keep running out of credit.

Where was I? Oh yeah - reading minds. I feel very isolated with my beliefs, that's why I go to this church. A lot of my friends think it's all just a confidence trick, like the mediums read your mind or something.

That's why when I get a bad reading from a medium I do have doubts and I start to think that maybe all the stuff I experience is just my own mind playing tricks on me, like I've been brainwashed or something and you know what they say about the power of the mind.

Then again some of the stuff they say is very accurate. And anyway if they do read your mind then surely that in itself is proof that we are beings who consist of more than just matter. We must have some kind of energy in our make-up to make mind reading possible. So then all the sceptics I have ever argued with have just shot themselves in the foot with that point.

I didn't know this about older souls re-incarnating faster. Why is that?

Kimberlee, you put your finger on what it was that bothers me about the church - it's the dogma. I wasn't brought up with religion so I'm really unaccustomed to the indoctrination process. It feels really wierd to me saying prayers and chanting the ten commandments, oops, I mean the seven principles.

Starting a group is a great idea but a bit scary. How would you advertise that without getting every crank in the universe ringing up?

My great grandfather was just saying that he used to read a lot even though he came from a very poor background and never had the chance to make anything of it. I guess he was just trying to encourage me.

running out of cred again

Love all round

Nelys.

Otoharo!

nelys, I keep reading this thread, because it really interests me. I, too, sought out a different church. That is I came to the place where my old beliefs no longer fitted me therefore, the church I had always gone to and learned from was no longer a benefit to me. In the 50's I began going to the Unitarian church in my city in Florida. Then eventually, this, too, was not fitting me, nor satisfying. in the 70's I learned about Coll and belonged to the Peace Community Church and became an ordained minister of this. Eventually, this no longer fulfilled my desire which simply was singing with other people. I dearly love to pour out my heart to the Universe, of all the joy that fills me these days. Eventually then, i created a Church I called, Healing Hands, because of Reiki. All my clients who were interested in extending their involvemnt with me, came. Now we call one another, and chat over the phone but we do not meet in person. I still long for a group to sing with. My voice is an excellent harmonizer, so I look for strong melody singers to share with. Music to me is the best communicator with the Holy that I have found, except of course, meditation. So a good church that combines meditation and congregational singing is to me the ultimate.

That brings me to the issue of the words of the songs. It is hard to find songs that express what I want to express. That has spurred me on to write these songs. I am now in the process of creating hymns of joy from some of the pieces I have already written. Such great fun! I still have no one to sing with, nevertheless!

finality

Dear Finality,
Otoharo.... Music was a noticeable change for me when I was attuned to Reiki 1. I preferred to listen to softer, more gentle music. So I was influenced by the music that was played in the background.
That is awesome that you started a church! What I've noticed is that Reiki attracts artists or inspires art as I've seen amazing art, singing and dancing etc.. I totally agree with you about how wonderful and fun singing in a group can be. I used to sing in a choir and boy could we belt out some tunes. There was a bit of competition I noticed within the group but I loved it! Where there is a desire, there is a possibility.
happy holidays,
Prosperity

A bit late on this topic.

Good for you for finding a place with some of your own spiritual thinking.

As for mediums... we come in all different sizes and shapes.
I find the ancestors really just tell the people they are loved and whatever decision they make will be their choice.
They usually reference something held by or family knowledge to help you feel that it is them. John Edwardish.

Guides tend (to me) give more of a spiritual message. Very frustrating when you want a clear cut answer. But those smart buggers make you figure it out on your own. They usually make me smile when giving what I would call cryptic answers.

It is not really reading minds. We don't dig in your mind and fish around for stuff. It just is a knowing. I am not explaining this well. I can look at you and I just know some things. I don't know what some of the messages are just feel the need to tell you the message. Usually it will mean something to the recipient. It doesnt usually mean much to me.

Old Souls. When I see (feel) old souls I get the imagine of the earth as in older than dirt... older than the fields. It doesn't happen very often. I feel honored to have met them. I have no idea how the time thing works but have felt ancient ancestors for some people. One of the things to ask when we pass over.

I would join your church.
Have a great day.
Be

Dear Be,
That is awesome. Can you pick up anything by our posts like for instance about me. Feel free to say anything.
peace
Prosperity

Dear Nelys,

Yes I agree very scary. Maybe it's not your thing or maybe it is. Feel the fear and do it anyway. I do believe we ought to take things lightly on what others say. I have done readings and always have said to clients "to take what I say with a grain of salt."

peace,

Frances

Otoharo!

nely I only want to comment on how to go about it. Since I was a social worker and usually working for a county or hospital, I did not advertise. After I retired, I sort of came out of the closet as a psychic. So I placed an ad for giving readings. The people who came for this purpose, seemed to want something that continued, so there would be more contact with me. So eventually, I designed a group that I called Locksmith, as a metaphor for learning how to help another person unlock themselves, as well as to unlock self. Among these were some who were interested in church. I started a church which I partially designed myself, but know that church is a group undertaking. Those who came, however, were frightened off at the prospect of contributing to the choosing of precepts etc. Thirty years before that, I had become an ordained minister of Peace Community Church. I asked them to allow me to be a branch of them especially to be able to give backup for reiki healing. They were not interested. So I continued. Some years there would be 8 or 9 of us. In my slipping into the age that I am, I no longer put out the energy for this.

Trying to find another church that had something to offer me was pretty much impossible. I felt more qualified than they were in the area of precepts.

Oh, but I miss singing with people. but singing in a church somewhere, is not it because the words are not true to me.

Once I applied for incorporation status, the form supplied by the state was very simple. I keep this current all the time because this is a backup for everyone of us who are now reiki masters. There is a church near Portland Or, that is a mission of a Church of Christ. I really like what they offered. They met at other times than when the whole church was in session. We could share poems, songs, and stories in the general open session, and the singing was good. Then they broke into small groups one of which was a reiki group. When I sought to receive my third level initiation from them, I could not do so because they included some of their church doctrine in it. But they have a good idea for the way a church can operate. They just need to be free of the mother church and the doctrines of that church.

finality

It is not for me to say sometimes. I get a.... I guess you would call it a nudge when I need to say something. I don't intentionally read anyone. Sometimes there is a message about someone but until I get the go ahead I don't reply.

If someone is really afraid I usually feel compelled to say words of encouragement but I think that is what we all feel.

Everyone has the same knowledge.... some of us have just tapped into it sooner than others.

And yes. I can see you.... Great smile.

Be