I attended a service at a Spiritualist church today

[MorningGlow]

It was quite interesting! Are there any Spiritualists here? I never thought to ask before--this is all new to me.

If it's all new to you too, the details are here: http://www.nsac.org/spiritualism.htm .

Basically, it's a mix of a traditional church service with some of the stuff we enjoy practicing here at ASAH.

The service began with a hymn and a welcome from the pastor (a very funny, cheerful woman), then the recitation of the tenets of the belief system. Then five reiki practitioners came to the front and stood by five small benches. Anyone in the congregation who needed healing could come up and receive reiki. This went on for quite some time, as the reiki practitioners took as much time as they needed with each person; while this was going on, the rest of the congregation meditated to some lovely music.

Then a keynote speaker gave the equivalent of a sermon. The woman who invited me gave the sermon; she often quoted from the Bible, so this type of belief system is not in contention with Christianity at all. (One of the tenets of Spiritualism is that the "highest morality" is contained in the Golden Rule.) After news and updates and another hymn, the mediums at the front (there were four including the keynote speaker today--I don't know if there are more or fewer on other Sundays) took turns stepping up to the podium and giving psychic messages to individual members of the congregation--whatever they were urged to point out by their guides.

I sat next to a lovely young woman with a breathtakingly adorable baby named Oliver. He really reminded me of MG Jr. at that age--huge blue eyes taking in absolutely everyone and everything--watching, watching, absorbing, absorbing. He was so alert and peaceful; when the woman carried him with her to receive reiki, he stared up at the practitioner (goggling at the energy, I'm sure), then rested his head against his mommy's shoulder and FELL ASLEEP. OMG it was amazingly cute.

During the psychic messages part of the service, the pastor closed with a message to the young mother--that her baby was an old soul and she's likely seen a wise look in his eyes before (she had), that he chose her as much as she chose him, and he was there to teach her as much as learn. The exact same thing was said about my son when he was born; it made me so happy to hear that so many babies are coming into the world with the same mission lately.

ANYway, it was an enjoyable hour and a half; the energy was very positive and everyone seemed very pleasant. I might go back sometime. :hi:

[Cleita]

1. There's one down the road from me, but I keep forgetting to go to the services.

I think this Church in my neck of the woods is more about New Age and psychic ideas than traditional church services other than holding them on Sunday. I believe it has more to do with people's work schedules than Sunday as a Holy Day.

[MorningGlow]

3. That could very well be, Cleita

I don't actually know anyone in this congregation to ask questions about it. Hmm.

What I do know is they still use Christian-type hymns, which grate on me something fierce. x( Good gawds, I hate church music...

[Cleita]

6. I'll try posting again. LOL!

I think I will drive down there today and snoop around.

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/temple-ofthe-people.html

[get the red out]

8. Whew, glad I'm not the only one!

I had a nice online conversation about my religion "problems" on Daily Kos one time with a gentleman from a nearby town. He told me I should check out his UU Church and my response was that I thought it sounded absolutely WONDERFUL except for the Bible reading and the singing, I just can't listen to those things comfortably. Christian-type hymns just do something foul to my insides, it's like an emotional allergy! I am glad to see I'm not the only person in the world who has a problem with them, most people I encounter are unaffected by them, even those who have similar religion problems to mine.

The service you attended sounds fascinating otherwise, the people sound extremely loving and inviting!

[MorningGlow]

11. I hope I don't offend anyone

as this is just my own opinion, but to me church hymns are not very melodious. To me they're sort of plodding and awkward, both musically and lyrically, and that just rubs me the wrong way. (Yeah everybody's a critic! :evilgrin:)

Then again, my favorite music is fast-moving and upbeat, and since most church hymns are neither, that could explain my aversion. ;)

[get the red out]

12. That's true!

The words are generally very strange and don't make sense to me, that's another problem I have. The Church my parents believe in won't allow musical instruments so hearing those strangly worded, plodding hymns as a child (sung horrifically off key, or rather in several simultaneous keys) stuck with me, especially since I was very involved in music in school.

But the words that make no logical sense, or seem to be some kind of death worship, that bothered me the most. It was all so dark to me.

I know my thoughts on this are offensive to some people, but they are still my thoughts.

[I Have A Dream]

2. That's lovely, MG.

If I were the church-going kind, this would be my kind of church. :)

[MorningGlow]

4. I was thinking the same, Dream!

I felt a resistance to the concept of "church service", even with the bonus bonbons of reiki and psychic messages. But if I HAD to choose a church, I would pick this or a UU.

[Cleita]

5. Oops wrong place!

[FirstLight]

7. Yay!

I hope this becomes another space for your to find extended "tribe" :D

The Unity church hereis really wonderful. The 'leader' is a longtime beloved local who used to be a chiropractor...now in his retirement he is a speaker and he is always being humorous and touching.. I enjoy it immensely...and mostly because the music is spiritual but not about sins or christ or worship...it's about oneness and I am/you are love, etc...
I can totally identify woth the church music grating. I tried to listen to my fave christian music station the other day just for some spiritual upliftment- and I turned it off by the time the first icky word hit me

Finding a spiritual community is really so sacred, and I am so glad you have one nearby...
I dig the reiki healing part too, that sounds neat.

:hug:

(ps...update, no daniel at church today...and I wore a skirt! hope to see him at class tuesday)

[Celebration]

9. I was just thinking

That it sounds a bit like the Unity Church here. I've only been to the service a couple of times. A friend of mine actually got some free type counseling from a minister there when she was going through bankruptcy. She talked me in to going on to some sort of special service where someone was going to be there from India. It was a bit weird, because this Indian woman, dressed all in white like a wedding gown, walked down the aisle, and everyone was bowing to her while doing prayer mudra. I wasn't really getting why we should be worshiping this person that looked like a bride. I like some of the people in the church, though. My friend and I have laughed and laughed about all that. She must have been some sort of ascended being???? Just a bit strange for me.

However, another service I went to there seemed pretty nice and normal. They do free reiki there on Sunday afternoons, and other good stuff.

[MorningGlow]

10. Maybe?

I felt sort of detached from it all--didn't feel a pull, if you know what I mean. It was pleasant to observe, but I felt like just that--an observer. Still, I'll leave my options open. After all, in the immortal words of Fats Waller, "One never knows...do one?" ;)

[FirstLight]

13. detached observer

Isn't that the usual way we enter into a community or group? we observe to see what we like & don't like...we then choose to either get more involved, or not.

I was just remembering that the psychic you saw last fall said something about finding a new spiritual family...so even if this isn't THE place, I am glad you are getting out there. and remember, any group or friendship you choose to engage in - you bring something very sopecial to the people you interact with, your light shines in your own unique way - and maybe someone NEEDS that...
:hug: you rock!

[MorningGlow]

14. Awwww

:hug:

Yeah, it was good to get back "out there" and see human beings besides my family and mommies involved in Cub Scouts! I almost couldn't remember how to behave among adults!
:rofl:

I guess I'll see what happens next. :D

[Habibi]

15. Was it Plymouth Spiritualist, MG?

I've been to a couple of services there, several years ago. I liked the vibe, but I agree, at the time I just about broke out in hives due to the Christian overlay. Then I started going to First Unitarian--I liked that, too, at one time, but now it's become a place I almost avoid. Maybe I'll check back at Plymouth. I did get used to the "churchy" aspects of UUism, so maybe the spiritualist service won't cause an allergic reaction this time. :-)

[MorningGlow]

16. It was!

Hi Habibi--good to hear from you! I keep forgetting you're a "local" (but my mind is a sieve lately, so forgive me)! :hi:

Is First Unitarian the one downtown or the one in Brighton? I went to the one in Brighton a while back because a friend asked me to go with her--I liked the multiculturalism of the place, but balked at the requirement that to join their church, you had to sign a document disavowing association with any other church. It was such an ultimatum. I didn't get it.

Anyway, you might want to give Plymouth another try; aside from the keynote speech (or whatever it's called--that essentially amounted to a sermon), there was no mention of Christianity.

Hey, if you want to give it another try, let me know and maybe we can meet there! :hi:

[Habibi]

17. Yikes! I joined First U (yes, the one on Winton)

a couple of years ago and didn't have to sign anything like that. Just the membership book. But it's not a great place for me at the moment.

I will certainly give you a shout if I decide to try Plymouth again! :toast: