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Arthur Findlay

 

Arthur Findlay
(1883-1964)

12 minutes, recorded 1976

 

Windows Media

Findlay was the author of the classic of all survival books On the Edge of the Etheric and other books such as The Rock of Truth says he is disillusioned with the state of the spiritualist movement. He suggests the need for the development of more good mediums. He also shares his views on the state of Arthur Findlay College.

 
Arthur Findlay Seance

Sitters: Hello. A Lady then says something unintelligible to which Findlay responds.
Findlay: As a matter of fact, it's quite understandable, I would have thought. You're so deeply involved, both of you, with the work. And your endeavoring in your own way to serve, and my goodness me, you do serve. I only wish to goodness others who have this movement at heart would do as much as you do.
Sitter: Who are we speaking to? Bless you for coming.
Findlay: We are very saddened and very concerned about the state of the Spiritualist movement. Though you have still some excellent psychics—some excellent instruments—and I am quite convinced that others could be developed and brought into being, and the movement would prosper as a consequence. But I do regret that there does not seem to be any harmony, and it is a most unfortunate thing that this great truth, this great knowledge which you have been placed with, the help, and the guidance and the Spiritual realization that has been presented to you in your world, that so little has been done by so many who might be of great service, who might propagate these things of which we so long have endowed the wait. We are very depressed, you know, and I suppose that strikes you as odd that we on this side should ever be depressed, but it is our only crime in the conditions of life over here. We are not depressed, of course. When we enter into your world, when we enter into the conditions which have been created in your world by humanity or the worldwide, we get very disconsolate, very depressed, very sad, and particularly among those who profess to know these truths, who should be propagating them and demonstrating them, not only in the psychic and the Spiritual sense, but in their daily lives, as examples. They should be setting examples. How can you expect others to follow . . .
Sitter: Are you Mr. Findlay?
Findlay: Yes!
Sitter: I thought so, bless you.
Findlay: But I'm very disheartened. I realize that human beings are human beings. No one is perfect, of course. This is to be expected. And I know that there are sincere individuals who are doing their utmost as best they can in their own particular way but I do realize only too well that there is a great undermining of the movement going on here and there. I only wish to goodness it were possible to sort it out, and straighten it out and put the movement back on the pinnacle which I feel sure it should occupy.
Sitter: Mr Findlay. may I ask you a question about all this.
Findlay: By all means.
Sitter: Is it possible that if I were more often at Stansted Hall, you would be able to help people realize a lot more how wrongly they are going. And thank you very much for using me, for being able to use me.. Should I make myself more available for you.
Findlay: I hope so.....
Sitter: I know very well....
Findlay: I don't want you to get the wrong impression, but I want to clarify if I can, certain points. You know as well as I do that I've devoted many years of my life to the movement, of propagating the movement through my books, and the endowment that I gave to the Spiritualist movement. How that it should be an open forum, that it should be utilized, that the house should be utilized for propagating this truth for the development of instruments that could serve and be of great service in an outer world, and they should use the college as a college where they can be trained, and where they could be sent out. I'd always hoped that it could be used in that sense, that it could be a training college where people could learn about the movement, the aspects of mediumship, the development of mediumship. Where they could be trained, where they could be housed, where they could be educated, where they could find a way in which which they could best serve, and they could be sent out and about, to go to societies churches, to propaganda meetings, presenting this subject intelligently, rationally, and evidentially. But it seems to me as if it has developed into what is a second rate hotel, with not very good service. And poor food!! I'm sorry if I have to say this but the standard of mediumship by and large is enough to put most intelligent people off. I think this is very sad. I realize there is a shortage of first class mediums, and not enough encouragement and development is taking place for other forms of mediumship such as the physical, which after all is what convinced me. It was the physical aspect of this whole subject that gave me the conviction, through Sloane, and occasionally others, and I feel it is sadly lacking. I'm not suggesting that you mustn’t have or shouldn’t have mental mediums. Of course you must have mental mediums, and they are the absolutely necessary and essential you must have healing also. But the point is that I do feel there is a great dearth of good physical mediumship. And we need physical mediums. Why aren't they utilizing this form of mediumship. Why aren't mediums being developed. Why isn’t the college being used as a development center of good first class mediumship that can demonstrate the truth to the world. I feel there is a great lack of co-operation, a great lack of co-ordination. And it seems to me at the moment that your work is, well I don’t know whether I should say split, but it certainly seems bereft to a certain extent anyway of harmony and love and friendship and brotherhood. Why don’t they pool their resources? Why don’t they cast out for themselves all these stupidities and weaknesses which are wrecking the movement? Why don’t they get on with the job?
Sitter: Well unfortunately there’s a lack of finance here. I do what I can, Arthur, but I'm afraid I'm a voice in the wilderness, almost.
Findlay: My dear man. Finance in a sense I think it is true to say has got nothing to do with the development of first class mediumship. You don’t need to have money in the bank to become a good medium.
Sitter: No, that’s true.
Findlay: I'm not saying that the College does not need financial support, that it doesn’t need more money to run it as it should be run, but I do appreciate, and I think everyone should appreciate the fact that good mediumship invariably springs, and always did spring from often people who sadly lacked education, and had little background or money, or no money at all. Look at Sloan. You couldn’t have had a better medium than Sloan, but he had little or no background, little or no education. He was a sincere genuine honest man who developed a marvellous mediumship. This is what the movement needs. A dedicated group of people who come together in love and in friendship and in brotherhood to further the powers of the spirit. And then utilize those powers for the common good, for the propagating of this great truth. I don't see that happening down at Stansted. It seems to have become—well I don’t know what I should say—I know what I feel like saying. I don't know. Its like a second rate hotel. People seem to come to drink together down there, in scandal and heaven knows what else that goes on; this I find terribly depressing.
Sitter: I think that drink department should be removed. We've been suggesting this.
Findlay: It seems to me that they’re developing the wrong kind of spirits. I don’t object to anyone having a drink, don’t misunderstand me. I'm not suggesting that they shouldn’t have a certain amount, but it does seem to me all rather sad, that a place that should be a place of education and upliftment, and the realization of the power of spirit should be demonstrated to the best possible ability to the individuals concerned. And it seems to me now to be developing into something absolutely different to what I envisaged, and I'm getting very distressed about it, you know.
Sitter: We are trying Arthur to...
Findlay: I know you’re trying...
Sitter: . . . to extend activities into a wider field, and cutting out the sole ownership of the SNU. Trying to extend it, and we can hope that it will eventually be what I know you wished it to be, and that is a proving ground for human activity in the mediumistic sense.
Findlay: I visualized it as a center of light in a darkened world, where people would come...
Sitter: But it is very difficult, you know. One is up against a lot of human beings.

Where are the rest of the . . .

Findlay: When a medium passes out, or comes over here, I don’t know, I wouldn’t know. I regret to say this, but it seems to me that there is such a dearth of good mediumship, and those that are good are overtaxed and obviously they are doing too much, and in consequence their health will fail, or their mediumship will fail, and they will lose their powers. This is happening, of course here and there. It is all very tragic and very sad. I feel it's partially due to the fact obviously the reason as you say is money, but I would like to see the College used as a place where people could develop the powers of the Spirit, where under certain circumstances they could be helped financially during their development, and certainly be given encouragement in every possible and conceivable way, and gradually brought out into public to do the work of the spirit, to demonstrate the powers of the spirit. But it seems to me that they depend on anyone that they can get hold of, whether they are good bad or indifferent, and they have got to keep a programme up. And my goodness me, some of the programmes I'm afraid I wouldn’t want to be seen dead amongst them. You know it's a pity they don't get some poltergeist phenomena down there to brighten things up a bit.
Sitter: That’s true. Well, I do what I can, Arthur.
Findlay: I know you do. Bless you, I'm sure you do. My best wishes to all my friends, I presume I still have some left.
Sitters: Oh yes, oh yes.
Findlay: Of course I'm being facetious. But anyway, bless you. Continue the good work, and you too, my dear. Give my remembrances to all, and don't think that because I'm being a bit caustic that I'm being unkind. I don’t mean to be unkind, but I must admit that I am very disheartened and disillusioned and disappointed with the college. It's not what I anticipated. It's not what I intended, and it certainly isn't going in the way in which I hoped it might go. I realize the lack of finance. I realize that you have to run it more or less like a second rate hotel to keep it open. But it's all very sad, I think, because what is important is the work that is to be done.
Sitter: I wonder if it's possible for you to impress us to use again . . .
Findlay: The power is waning, I'm told, but bless you, and I trust we'll have another chance to have a conversation. Perhaps one of these days you might bring some of your friends, and we might get down to business and discuss these things. Goodbye.

 

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