The Portsmouth Temple
of Spiritualism

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The Power Within

Within all sentient beings there rests a gentle, spirit nursling, Respondent to both internal and external forces. This child of grace is nourished by the foods of compassion, love, understanding and tolerance; and to the spirit they are the staff of life itself.

This beauteous, immortal being enveloped in the protection of spiritual love, rests not within the womb of life and is not tangible to the physical being, but when its needs are met  it becomes a sacrament to the greatest revelation within all men. This child is of the divine creator himself, its life is your life, its needs are your needs, its passage through eternity is your passage, you are as one.

How then is this nursling nourished, how is it provided for in order that it may grow and thrive?

The divine spirit would be a lacking father indeed if his offspring were left to starve and perish within the world of matter, cut off from the force which gave it life and is life itself.

How then has provision been made in order that its needs are met?

There is no man which has been left devoid of the ability to sense, to feel and to come to know the most vital and everlasting aspect of himself, his spiritual being.

Through experience in life both good and bad his spirit responds.

He feels elation, grief, love; he learns compassion, patience, understanding and tolerance through the many myriad of sensory encounters which infiltrate his mind and body constantly.

These experiences build within a powerhouse of energy which cannot be explained in physical terms, this energy motivates, inspires, directs and both quantifies and qualifies his own divinity.

And yet these gifts cannot be detached from the physical being, they cannot be seen through a microscope, stored or made material, they manifest only when they speak and direct through the superior senses.

These are the attributes of soul, the true gifts of your divine inheritance and the coin of spirit. They cannot be bought, sold, acquired, traded or bartered for. Likewise they cannot be stolen, rusted, or become moth eaten; they are the greatest treasure indeed.

Often there are those who will say that their path to greater spiritual enlightenment seems too difficult, too rugged and beset by many heartaches and miseries, so often they feel like giving up and at times there is appreciation of past ignorance which seemed to spare them from this level of pain. But there can be no turning back for those who have truly experienced the rich and rewarding gifts of the spirits growth, they know they must go on, quantifying and refining that spirit not only within themselves but through acts of service to others in order that they too might come to know the richness and uniqueness of their own immortal being. They know the true worth of such struggles.

Great are the rewards in progression, when we draw upon the divine power within us and allow its expression in the physical world. When we can inspire and awaken within those we meet, recognition of their own God energy we perform the most honourable and love filled act of service to the Great Spirit, and this is his will.

The more we nurture our spiritual gifts, the greater their power until they flow from our being into this world, touching the next person and the next and next, like one candle touched to another, the flame of this almighty power spreads.

Light envelopes the lives of those who are suffering and in need, grief, is replaced by the light of love and understanding they become empowered which in turn evokes within them the recognition of their own spirit nurslings hunger.

Go out into the world, fear nothing, welcome all that comes into your life for truly, no matter how difficult it may seem, it brings with it much greater gifts than you can know. You hold within you, the seed of the divine power, there are no obstacles in this world which cannot be overcome, that you cannot claim victory over. The rewards are the greatest treasure you can ever know, they are the coin of the spirit and lead to greater journeys, they feed and fuel the hunger within, the authentic and motivating spirit which lies beneath the mask of physical existence, directing and inspiring all who will acknowledge and respond to its hungering voice.

Author -Ally Gardner

Sent in by-Ally Gardner

27/07/09 

 There is no “death” 

You know life, you experience all that it brings to the soul but you cannot know death. The state of being “dead” does not exist, death is merely a word. Men of religion officiating at the funeral of a loved one will often refer to the words “in death”, this is a nonsense, a misconception, there is no existence in “death”, no lingering, there is only dying, a process of transition from one life to the next.

There can be no cessation of life for the transient being that carries within it the spirit of immortality, who steps from one existence into the next with such a lightness and surety of foot.

You are delivered into your world of consciousness for a short time, you experience both the joy and fragility of a temporal existence and it is here that your minds are subjected to the fear and dread of death, the feeling of separation from those things which you have come to love and to rely upon.

In your world there is little understanding of the greater joys which lay ahead, there is a sense of incompleteness of the soul, of the heart, of the senses, there is a void which you all carry deep within.

There are many who succumb to this void, there are many who have tried to explain in material terms the reason and the rhyme of its existence. Some call it the need for love, the need of a soul mate, others call it a “searching” and yet they do not know for what they search. Whatever each believes “it” to be, there are very few who have not experienced it.

This great inner longing and feeling of incompleteness is not fully pacified by things the material world can offer, though you may find the greatest love you have ever experienced or the most fulfilling career you could have hoped for, there remains within a silent but nagging voice amid the stillness of your soul.

What then can this voice within that stillness be and why, when your life is sometimes so seemingly complete do you experience a sensation of dissatisfaction and of doubt?

There are those who will say that “you are never satisfied” or that “you don’t appreciate what you have,” such statements can instil within you feelings of guilt, of self doubt about the choices you have made or you may simply begin to believe that you are ungrateful, possibly even selfish in wanting and needing something more.

Likewise, when you experience the personal loss, of a loved one, a friend, or a pet who has shared a part of your life, those who have touched your soul, given you a feeling a completeness in their company, you experience such great depths of emptiness, grief and incompleteness as to be inconsolable.

So many cultures within the physical world have cultivated the notion that loss and death should be acknowledged by a tangible expression of the inner feelings, an outward display of misery which stems from the painful void you are experiencing only to be told that “time is a great healer” and that “you need closure”!

These are rituals of expression, of loss and the subsequent progress brought about by the stages of personal mourning. They are experienced whether you make them tangible or not but it is the depths to which these feelings are felt, the level of disharmony they create within the personality and how they may be assuaged which are important.

Let us not forget that in your world, worry, concern, anguish and all other negative emotions are there for a reason and it is hoped that through these experiences you come to know compassion, love, unity and the fulfilment of the spirit as gradually, you purge from your hearts and minds the darkness they bring to your lives.

If you were merely a physical being then this could not be done, for there are times during your lives when you exhaust all that you have, all your guile, your strength and your knowledge only to be left feeling at your wits end, defeated and at a loss as to how to deal with such situations.

These circumstances and feelings draw the attention to that indefinable something which you feel is missing, that nagging sense of incompleteness. You feel that although you have exhausted all that you are equipped with; there must be something more, something greater than flesh, greater perhaps than all that you have come to know, that some form of help is there but as yet it remains beyond your comprehension and experience.

Some say that they are completely satisfied and fulfilled in their lives and that anything beyond their physical reality does not interest them, that they do not believe in anything that they cannot touch, control or which cannot prove itself in a material way and that those who do believe are perhaps deluded or foolish.

Yet inherently within them there slumbers the truth of their being, the spirit child who seeks to grow in wisdom, in experience and who seeks greater fulfilment upon the path of progression, the evidence of which they cannot accept.

This child of immortal energy is not separate from you but shares a deep and enduring connectedness; it unites you with soul and to the greater world of spiritual truth of which you are an integral part.

Here lays the answer to that sense of “something missing” of incompleteness and through knowledge of this internal being, this divine essence, you come to the realisation that you are intrinsically linked to a power beyond all that you have so far experienced, a power so great that it has mastery over flesh and has bestowed upon you the reality of immortality.

Through the realisation of this divine link there begins to come into your life much greater meaning, greater satisfaction, greater strength as the void is slowly filled with spiritual enlightenment.

Life’s events suddenly have deeper meaning, love is strengthened and death no longer claims victory over your hearts your minds and your senses because you know that not only does life continue beyond death but that the power of this immortal energy is with you now and forever more.

When the spirit can find itself, there is great peace, there is love which transcends all other love, there is hope, joy, comfort, there is God, nestled within your breast and seated within your heart and mind. When this is found, the void is no more, you are complete, you are home.

Angels of mercy.

Where angels fear to tread

Where children can not move

The light shines upon the earth

The rains fall down on me

The children learn to listen

They know?  Who we are!

Thy angels tread wisely?

They listen to us!

We came from the heavens above

We came to light your way

All the children around us will be guided

We will be brave and true.

God brought peace to all

He showed us the way?

The graves we left behind

The sunshine that shined

The flowers that died

The loved ones we left behind

Our lives have gone forever

Rise upon the ashes

Rise upon the stars

Share the love and understanding

Share thy wise words

Look at our creators

Take a look at what we have become

Allow the earth and heaven

To be en-twine in the wonderful gift

Love be tender

Let the love be sweet

Allow the nature of the world

Be left in peace

Harmony and soul

Provide thy highest of high

Blessed heaven Amen. 

Sent & written by Shirley Arnold .

17/05/09

Time with spirit

There is a time when all is still,and I can sit and think

There is a time in this world,to stop and make that link

There is a time when I believe that I will see,and do

But most of all there is a time when I can be with you

Sent in by:Lesley-Anne Lynton

23/09/08

Letter from Heaven

To my dearest family some things I'd like to say
But first of all to let you know that I arrived today,
I'm writing this from Heaven. Here I shall dwell with God above
Here, there's no more tears of sadness. Here is just eternal love.
Please do not be unhappy just because I'm out of sight
Remember that I am with you every morning, noon and night.
That day I had to leave you when my life on earth was through
God picked me up and hugged me and He said "I welcome you,
It's good to have you back again,
you were missed while you were gone,
As for your dearest family, they'll be here later on.
I need you here badly, you are part of my plan
There's so much that we have to do to help our mortal man."
God gave me a fist of things that he wished for me to do
And foremost on the list was to watch and care for you
And when you lie in bed at night, the days chores put to flight
God and I are closest to you . . in the middle of the night.
When you think of my life on earth and all those loving years
Because you are only human, they are bound to bring you tears
But do not be afraid to cry, it does relieve the pain
Remember there would be no flowers, unless there was some rain.
1 wish that I could tell you all that God has planned
If I were to tell you, you wouldn't understand
But one thing is for certain though my life on earth is o'er
I'm closer to you now than I ever was before.
There are many rocky roads ahead of you and many hills to climb
But together we can do it by taking one day at a time.
When you're walking down the street and you've got me on your mind
I'm walking in your footsteps, only half a step behind
And when it's time for you to go . . from that body to be free
Remember you're not going . . you're just coming here to me.

Sent in by:Anonymous

05/11/07

Put The Glass Down

A lecturer was giving a lecture to his students on stress management.
He raised a glass of water and asked the audience,

"How heavy do you think this glass of water is?"

The students' answers ranged from 20g to 500gm.
"It does not matter on the absolute weight. It depends on how long you hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, it is OK.
If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance.
It is the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
"If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
we will not be able to carry on, the burden becoming increasingly heavier."
"What you have to do is to put the glass down,
rest for a while before holding it up again."
We have to put down the burden periodically,
so that we can be refreshed and are able to carry on.
So before you return home from work tonight, put the burden of work down.
Don't carry it back home. You can pick it up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you are having now on your shoulders,
let it down for a moment if you can.
Pick it up again later when you have rested...
Rest and relax.
Life is short, enjoy it!!

Sent in by: Anonymous

 19/09/07

Death and the Other Side

A sick man turned to his doctor, and said,
as he was preparing to leave the examination room
"Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."
Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know." "You don't know?
You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"
The doctor was holding the handle of the door;
on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he
opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager
show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog?
He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside.
He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened,
he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death,
but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough."

Sent in by: Anonymous

20/09/07

Becoming Enlightened

Becoming enlightened is like being a pumpkin.
God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you.
He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff -
including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc.
Then He carves you a new smiling face
and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.

 Sent in by:John

26/11/2007

The chain of life

We take so much for granted, and never stop to think that life is but an endless chain, and each of us a link.While the chain remains unbroken, and all is going right, we never spare a moment, for other people's plight.We feel that life can't hurt us, it will always be the same; for other folks with problems, they've but themselves to blame, until the day that tragedy comes knocking at the door, and death or illness breaks the chain, that just the day before, was strong enough to hold us, and keep us safe and warm.To shelter us from misery, protect us from the storm.But time and help from someone else can mend the broken chain, can forge the links together, and make it whole again.So spend the time to lend a helping hand upon the way, for somewhere, someone else's chain gets broken every day.

Sent in by:Anonymous

02/06/08

Old proverb

If there be righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the charactor.If there is beauty in the charactor there will be harmony in the home.If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.When there is order in each nation there will be peace in the world.

Sent in by:Anonymous

02/06/08

What is Religion

Whatever your Religion, Faith, Calling, or Belief, it could be easily described as individual people in seperate rooms of a large building, looking out onto a beautiful sunlit garden.Each has a different veiw of the garden.Each argues that his veiw is the correct view.The quicker we all understand that it is the same garden, the easier it will be for us to find the door, to allow everybody to walk in the sun together. 

Sent in by:Lynda P

16/03/08

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