Spiritualist Basics

Introduction
Many people associate Spiritualism with psychic readings and "predicting the future". Reactions to this association often range from "it's of the devil" to healthy skepticism to a complete dependence on readings to continue daily living. Many people have a very flat understanding - you go to the medium, get a reading, and that's the end of it.

You're familiar with those movies that show the end of the story in the first 15 minutes and then spend the next hour and a half showing you how everything came together that way? Readings can be compared to the first 15 minutes of the movie. The problem is that many people watch the first 15 minutes and walk away thinking that they know everything they need to know.

The purpose of this writing is to give you the hour and a half that you missed so that you have a more accurate understanding, a greater appreciation for what Spiritualism is, and a clear perspective of how readings and "predicting the future" fit into the overall picture. The purpose is not conversion but exposure. (Spiritualists never convert anybody.) You decide what to believe. You are encouraged to continue your learning beyond this writing and experience things for yourself. Make an effort to understand and don't be too quick to dismiss something that may have value for you. Keep an open mind.

The Earth Plane
It is best to start out with square one - the earth plane. This existence that we commonly share is called the earth plane. The cars, houses, roads, grass, trees, streams, towns, cities, countries, mountains, deserts, and oceans, are all part of the earth plane. So is the sky, stars, moon and planets. Everything that is part of your "normal" perception is on the earth plane, man-made or natural.

The Spirit World
There is an existence called the spirit world. The spirit world exists in the same space that the earth plane does and is all around you. Imagine you are standing in a fog. The fog is all around you. Everything else that is normally around you is there also, whether you see it through the fog or not. Where does the fog stop and the "everything else" begin? In this way the spirit world exists in the same space as the earth plane. This is not a perfect analogy but it illustrates the point.

Spirits, Spirit beings or Spirit
People on the earth plane always have people from the spirit world around them. Whether you are Catholic, Jewish, Baptist, Hindu, Christian, Indian, Spiritualist, Buddhist, Moslem, or Atheist, it makes no difference.

Spirits are not normally visible. To continue the fog analogy, someone standing 10 feet away from you in a dense fog can't be seen, although the person is there. Spirit people can be perceived. Sometimes you may actually see a spirit person - often just a face or head, or perhaps the entire body. This appearance may be visible to you only (subjective), or may be for everyone to see (objective). You are not "just seeing things". Spirits can and do show themselves to people on occasion, and when they do, it is usually on a subjective basis.

Who are these people? They are people who have passed over ("died") and are now living in the spirit world. They are commonly loved ones or relatives, but they may be your guides and teachers.