Volume 4, Issue 4 Happy times at Havant Autumn 2011 One of the important ceremonies carried out at Havant church is the naming service; always a happy occasion, and a chance for our children to become part of the Spiritualist way of life. On Saturday 13 August we held a naming service for Mollie, daughter of Tina and Colin. Mollie follows in her brother, Noah’s footsteps. He was named two years ago at Havant church. We all wish Mollie health and happiness throughout her life on the Earth plane and welcome her into the Spiritualist movement. Church president and Spiritualists' National Union Officiant, Alan IRITUALISTS’ NATIONAL UNION Baker, lead the ceremony. Funerals, weddings and blessings can all be performed at Havant, a church registered with The Home Office. To discuss your needs speak, initially, to any committee member. Inside this issue: For your information: Emsworth Show 3 Another Open Day? 4 Although ‘Havant Spiritualists’ is available Val Williams 5 without charge, any Festival of Light 6 The Trappings of Christmas 7 donation towards the cost AFFILIATED TO THE SP Havant Spiritualists Library Report 8 of its production will be . What is Spiritualist Healing? 9 gratefully received What is a Circle? 10 Recommended Reading 11 From the Editor May you live through interesting times. On the face of it a pleasant blessing to give to someone, but in typical Confucian irony, it is an ancient Chinese curse. If you think about it, the only really newsworthy and ‘interesting times’ are those of strife and conflict. We are, indeed, living through interesting times. Since the last issue the internal troubles of Libya, and the Middle East continue. The Afghanistan conflict continues, and financial instability, worldwide, continues. Closer to home we have had our own civil unrest in some big cities, with death, violence and destruction shown on our news channels. We are all saddened by the actions of a very small minority of the population, and our prayers and healing energies go out to those who are suffering the aftermath. But shouldn’t we also send healing to those responsible for the carnage? As abhorrent their behaviour and actions are, surely we must hope that their minds can be soothed and their behaviour moderated, and that any grievance they may have with the rest of society can be resolved in a manner that will have a positive outcome? Talking of positive outcomes, in this issue we report on the Emsworth Show, where we manned a display to encourage passers by to find out more about Spiritualism, and our second Open Day of the year, where we tried something different. We also tell of two events for later in the year, our Festival of Light in December, and a trip to the Brighton Ice Show in January. Keep your eye on the notice board, because we will be announcing details of an extra-special social event in November. The observant ones among you may have noticed a change to the front page of the newsletter—we have a new logo. Recently issued by the SNU it is a more modern and artistic rendering of the original. Both are reproduced below. Do you like the new version? Let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy this issue, it is a little later than usual, but a little larger, too—there was just so much to squeeze in! Kim And in with the new ... Out with the old ... Page 2 HAVANT SPIRITUALISTS Emsworth Show—29 August The bank holiday was blessed with fine weather this year, and that meant loads of people out enjoying the fun and interesting stalls at the Emsworth Show. There were bird of prey and dog shows, jiving and country dancing, and lots of charity The Emsworth Team: stalls raising funds Kim, Ruth, Jamie, Heather, Velma, Alan and Maureen (seated) for their causes. At and Benson the far end was the marquee with the flowers and art. Lurking at the side were The Co-operative, Emsworth Maritime and History Society, the local Churches Together and a fitness establishment, Hampshire Police … and us. Our merry band of healers manned the tent and gave healing to all who asked. We introduced spiritual healing to a few who had never had any before, as well as some who knew what to expect. Unfortunately we couldn’t convince the lady PC to come and relax with us - not good for the image, I suppose. We handed out loads of leaflets to passers by. Some had visited a Spiritualist church before, and others were interested in something new, and we hope to see them at the Open Day in September. As expected, and hoped, we engaged in some philosophical discussion with some of the show-goers. The Healing team consisted of Alan and Velma, Maureen and Heather, and Ruth and Jamie. Benson was there, too, just to check any abandoned handbags. Julie and Kim did front of house, thrusting leaflets at the unsuspecting as they came within range. We had a good day and hopefully made some more people aware of what Spiritualism is, it would be great if some of them came to the church as well. Alan chats to some young seekers, while Julie is armed, ready for the next passer-by VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 Page 3 Another Open Day? Two open days in one year? Unheard of! Well, actually no, we had our second on Saturday, September 24th—and a very good day it was, too! There was a full programme of events starting with Nick Harper’s session about the use of sound and vibration in meditation. He demonstrated the subtle sounds of his ‘singing bowls’ and the audience participated in a short meditation. Another session was led by John Hocking on mediumship and all it means, what it is, how it works, and he talked of famous mediums of the past. Between giving private readings, Carianne Reilly gave a demonstration of mediumship. Our second medium, Pet Stowell, was also busy with a constant flow of clients, eager to here from loved ones beyond the veil. Pet rounded off the day with another demonstration session Richard Murphy, our circle leader, gave a talk on the benefit of sitting in circle. He described how it is primarily to develop the individual as a person, and this development may lead on to other abilities. Alan Baker and Nick Harper gave a talk on Spirituality. Healing was available all day and our healers did a great job distributing the energies to those in need. Our ‘sales team’ were busy at the far end of the social room, with Velma selling jewellery and verses, and our librarian, Julie, selling a range of second hand books suitable for those wishing to find out more. Books featured famous mediums, Doris Stokes, Tony Stockwell, Derek Acorah, Rita Rogers, Colin Fry, Gordon Smith, and spiritual guidance, such as some of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and The Celestine Prophesy. There were a few out-of-print collectors books available, too. The books were a popular addition to the event and sold well, although we couldn’t shift Derek Acorah - looks like we’ll have to put him on the ‘bogof’* list. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make the day a success—we made new friends, helped some along their chosen path and raised a few bob** for church funds. *Bogof - buy one get one free ** Few bob - for those of tender years a ‘bob’ was a term used for a shilling, now 5p. (As used in the Boy Scouts’ ‘Bob-a job Week’ 1949-1999, where Scouts would do tasks in return for a … unlike Jan Velma and Julie were trying to take things seriously ... small donation to their funds) Page 4 HAVANT SPIRITUALISTS The Annual Ice Show—January 2012 Sensuous from start to finish, this production of sheer extravagance and highly charged entertainment looks set to melt the ice. With a cast of over 40 world class skaters seamlessly gliding through smouldering boleros, sultry Latin rhythms, Big Band and high-octane Rock 'n' Roll, this show simply exudes Passion. Created and choreographed by Olympic champion Robin Cousins MBE, Tropicana celebrates love and life: with extravagant costumes, passionate dances and non-stop music this is one of the most thrilling ice spectaculars you will ever see. Robin Cousins MBE With an original musical score, Tropicana also features interpretations of some of the best loved songs from world-renowned songwriter Barry Manilow, including 'Can't Smile Without You', the iconic 'Mandy' and the one and only 'Copacabana'. For the first time in Holiday on Ice's history, Tropicana employs a giant, state- of-the-art LED screen as the backdrop to the show, enhancing the action on the ice with a thrilling light show and explosive effects. For the past couple of years we have arranged a trip to the Brighton Ice Show—and again it’s fully booked before we go to print. Watch out for our Spring edition for a report on the action! Val Williams In July we were lucky to have a visit by Minister Val Williams, from ‘up north’. She provided a demonstration of mediumship on Saturday 30th and was the speaker at our Sunday service on 31st. She donated a copy of her book, Two Worlds as One, to our library. It is an account of her spiritual development. In it she shares the events that have shaped her life working for Spirit. She tells of good times and those no so good, giving examples of evidence passed from hidden realms, for her, proof that life survives physical death.