How I entered into Spiritualism.

By Emma Louise Wright, Naturopath, Birth professional and Spiritualist in Melbourne, Australia.

As a teenager, I discovered the book, "The Mists of Avalon," by Marion Zimmer Bradley, in the high school library at Catholic College Bendigo. It is the story of King Arthur, but written through the eyes of the women at Camelot. In particular, his sister, Morgaine, who is wise woman, seer and priestess of Avalon. She was brought to Avalon as a young girl to be trained and fostered, because her Aunt Vivianne, high priestess of Avalon and Lady of the Lake was childless. Morgaine showed clairvoyant gifts, which they called "the Sight," and Vivianne said that she must be trained properly with her gifts, she was born to be a priestess. Eventually she would be high priestess when Vivianne was to step down. Morgaine is trained in herb lore, how to control all body functions and the elements, trance, healing and other clairvoyant and priestess arts.

This sparked my interest in my future career as a naturopath. I started reading herbal books from the library, and eventually moved to Melbourne on turning 18, to study Bachelor of Health Science - Naturopathy at the Southern School of Natural Therapies (now Torrens University) in Fitzroy. At the time, it was by far the most reputable college of Natural medicine, where I embarked on a long period of study. The course was a challenging combination of science and medical subjects predominating, however of course we studied naturopathic subjects such as herbal medicine, vibrational medicine (homoeopathy and flower essences) and iridology. Some of our subjects contained healing components. In Philosophy of Science and Naturopathy, and in shiatsu, we learnt about chakras, as well as energy, which the chinese call "chi" and naturopaths call "vital force," perhaps what spiritualists call 'spirit,' our bodies innate healing system. It is that internal life force that animates us, and becomes diminished and deranged when we become ill or dis-eased.

Interestingly, all traditional medical and healing fields recognise this "vital force," except for allopathic medicine that only recognises the physical body. Allopathic medicine tends to neglect this vital force, even finding it erroneous. I once heard a joke "If you're talking to God, it's prayer, but if God talks back, it's schizophrenia." This highlights the medical paradigm's disconnection from spirit, finding something wrong with dabbling in the spirit realm. However, alternative medicine recognises the importance of good spiritual health as being part of good health care. There are even flower essences that improve spiritual components such as telepathy, clairvoyance, spiritual development and communication with nature.

We also studied counselling, where as a part of this subject, we learnt to guide various types of meditation and relaxation techniques, including guided meditations, and progressive relaxation. We also learnt about mindfulness, which is gaining high reputation in the medical and psychological professions. Many years later, I was priviledged to facilitate meditation and relaxation groups, first as part of the brunswick spiritualist lyceum and then as a paid employee and Ramsay healthcare's Melbourne CBD pharmacy wellness centre.

For shiatsu, I studied the vibrations of medicine - where I sat in the student clinic and felt the vibrational energy of the remedies. I held the remedy bottles and got a feel of their essence and vibration. I felt that the flower essences and homoeopathy had a very high vibration and a very high energy aura. The liquid herbs that are minimally processed still had a palpable vibration compared to the tablet herbal and nutritional supplements that had more processing. In massage class we learnt how to 'feel' auras, but mostly this class focused highly on the physical body. As a clinical massage practitioner, I was lucky to naturally have healing hands, but nethertheless, I operated in a highly physical way, with great expense to my body. At that time, I went into my chosen field of sports and therapeutic massage. However, touch therapy is still definitely a useful form of healing, and the longer my career progressed, the more I was able to control and be aware of the natural healing power in my hands.

However, back to my very first massage job I worked at, I worked for an employer, Sophie, who was trained as a clairvoyant, tarot reader and reader of coffee grounds in teacups. She was trained by her auntie, who was a gypsy in Cyprus. Sophie helped pave an interest in tarot, oracle cards and clairvoyance. I also had a best friend from high school who had an interest in Wiccan and clairvoyant arts (today she is the owner of a prosperous wiccan business in Seaford). Occasionally I was able to catch up with her, despite at the time, she lived at a long distance. Upon leaving the massage centre, I would regularly catch up with Sophie, and she sometimes gave me coffee readings.

I regularly did yoga at the gym and sometimes at a yoga studio, and still am a member of the gym, regularly attending the class. I also attended the gnostic movement, for their astral travel and self knowledge courses, where they do a lot of meditation and and exercises to quieten the mind in order to ground yourself. This further highlighted my fascination with the esoteric, and furthermore helped balance out my very scientific mind and physical body.

Upon graduating from the Southern School of Natural Therapies in 2001, I worked part time with a lady, Christine, who does a technique similar to Pleiadian light work, called "full sensory perception." I had some sessions with her in order to remove any blocks and contracts that are holding me back from building up my business and working with naturopathic patients, as well as general personal development. Blocks are removed from various parts of the body, cords are removed from the chakras, to remove blocks that are inhibiting us within ourselves, our body and our lives. Christine also ran full moon meditations and other personal development groups that I attended. Her meditations at the time, I could feel a very high vibrational energy. Both her meditation and workshops were fantastic, but also fairly expensive, so I needed to find an alternative to enhance my personal and spiritual development, whilst also interacting with spiritually minded individuals.

I had seen advertised the Victorian Spiritualist Union (VSU) in the "Living Now!" magazine for about a year prior to attending my first Sunday service. I had been through a severe trauma at the time, and a colleague had suggested that attending a church group might be helpful for me as a part of the healing process. At a similar time, two other people said something similar to me. I got the hint! The universe had given me a helping hand to my future destiny. I first went to Unity of Melbourne, which is part of the New Thought movement, a similar branch to Swedenborg and Spiritualism. Then I went to the VSU in the city, where I received healing, spiritual development, made friends and much more.

I had a reading at the VSU several months later, saying I would be accepted into a circle. I went to the Brunswick Spiritual Lyceum's Open Circle on the Sunday night, and was 'snapped up' by Kalin, Gaylene Brill's main guide into her Thursday night circle. Getting into the circle allowed me to develop clairvoyance, spiritual healing, lecturing , personal development and guiding meditation, and much more. I have gained many friends and skills to help myself and others. I have gained confidence and life skills which I can use to help others out in the real world, as well as church people.

I did originally want to increase my intuition, so I could actually listen to my inner voice, to protect myself from any potential future trauma. The guidance was there, but I was having difficulty following it at the time. Now for me it is still a working progress, but all the other skills I have gained and all the people I have helped and can continue to help is amazing. I have learnt far more than I could have imagined, and I am wholly grateful for the journey and experience. Back at the start, I wouldn't have believed I would be able to do clairvoyant demonstrations in the church, however it has progressed to that level.

To this day, about 15 years later, I am still closely involved in the Spiritualist church and will continue to be involved and to use my skills, both voluntarily and part of my naturopathic, healing and birth professional business. Recently I have increased connection to spirit in my home life more, with challenges prevailing, I have chosen to regularly take part in prayer and meditation, usually on a daily basis in my own home. I look forward to what the future holds in Spiritualism. I am grateful to any past, present and future spirit guides working with me.