Week 1 – Sarah’s Blog – Tuesday 19th January
Today, I started the development circle at The London Spiritual Mission. It is such a beautiful church, nestled away in a lovely street off Westbourne grove. Like a timeless oasis or secret garden, you wouldn’t know that between the elegant stucco houses, sits a place where two worlds, the spiritual and earthly, come together. We gathered in the church, situated on a plot that had been chosen by spirit over a hundred years ago. As I sat in the calm sanctuary of this illustrious abode of spiritualism, I felt like I had come across a portal to another world. Everywhere in London a thousand memories and spirits can be found, ready to be touched by those who hold the key…
There were lots of lovely faces, different ages, and clearly different expectations too, amongst the budding development group that first week. We all listened intently to Gordon Smith as he explained what we were to expect in the coming weeks. The mission’s new president – and known as one of the world’s most accurate mediums-, Gordon is as down-to -earth a person as can be. Like all good spiritual teachers, he cuts through the dross and fanciful notions familiar to anyone who has taken a journey through the world of spiritual development. He reminded us of the importance of humbleness, kindness and what we should be doing when we made contact with spirit. It was about bringing comfort and healing to those around us. It was not a power trip or about impressing others.
He explained we were to forget the idea that we were going to be platform mediums in a couple of weeks, or to even try and make contact with spirit. We had to discover what was in our own energy and minds before reaching out to the spiritual realms. It was a mistake a lot of people made. He shared that he had quietly ‘sat’ with spirit for many years before he started to receive and give messages publicly. Most of what came to people at the beginning was more about them and nothing to do with spirit. People couldn’t always recognize the difference. As he explained this, it made me think of the famous words inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi: Know Thyself.
I knew I was in safe hands.