THE AMERICAN SPIRITIST CONGRESS
HOTEL DUPONT PLAZA CENTER, MIAMI, FL, OCTOBER 5TH-8TH 2000
(More information at www.spiritistcongress.com)

It is with great pleasure that the United States Spiritist Council (USSC) invites you to take part in the last great Spiritist event of the 20th century, the American Spiritist Congress (ASC).

Everything possible has been arranged to show our hospitality. From discount airline tickets, lodge and meals at reasonable prices, to our warm welcome, all is in place to make your stay an enjoyable one. Pack your bags! Come and share four incredible days of learning and fellowship with us!

WELCOME TO THE AMERICAN SPIRITIST CONGRESS!
That is how we will be greeting you at the opening of the American Spiritist Congress!
 

INTERVIEW WITH WANDERLEI D C MARQUES
(ON THE IDEA AND DETAILS OF THE AMERICAN SPIRITIST CONGRESS)

I) How did the idea or need to create the United States Spiritist Council arise?

The idea arose from observing the constant growth-without much guidance-of the Spiritist Movement in the country. Problems such as religious eclecticism, administrative difficulties, and lack of communication between the spiritist institutions were indicative of the urgent need of finding solutions, of the need to unite them, and the need for the unification of the Spiritist Movement.

II) When and how were the first measures put into place?

At the First Spiritist Meeting in Florida, in August of 1994, we made the first contact with the International Spiritist Council (CEI) and some of its directors, specially its current Secretary General, Nestor Masotti, Treasurer Benjamim Rodriguez Barrera, and Altivo Ferreira, Representative of the Brazilian Spiritist Federation (FEB) at the CEI. These preliminary contacts were subsequently expanded through our travels to Brasilia, and their travels to Washington D.C.
As a result of follow-up conversations with Benjamim Rodriguezp-who besides his post at CEI was also President of the Spiritist Federation of Florida letter was sent by him to the directors of all known spiritist institutions in the U.S. territory inviting them for a First Meeting of U.S. Spiritist Directorates in Washington, D.C., to be held on 24 November, 1996. At the same time, Benjamim Rodriguez sent an invitation to Nestor Masotti to conduct a seminar on Organization and Unification of the Spiritist Movement to take place during this meeting.

The event was attended by 20 U.S. institutions among them the Spiritist Federation of Florida, a Spiritist Study Group from Toronto, Canada, and sixty persons in their individual capacity. During the meeting, an Interim Commission, composed of six people, was created with the purpose of finding and listing all existing U.S. spiritist institutions, and to prepare a draft of by-laws and articles of incorporation for the proposed national organization.

III) What was the result of this undertaking?

Exactly a year later, on 15 November 1997, at the Second Meeting of Spiritist Directorates, seventeen institutions and eighty people in their individual capacity met in Washington, D.C., to analyze and approve the proposed by-laws and articles of incorporation. The national non-profit entity, to be head quartered in the nation's capital, was then created under the name United States Spiritist Council . Also at that time, the Board of Directors, the Administrative Council, and the Auditing Council were established and names assigned to fill the different posts.

IV) Was this initiative supported by any of the international lecturers who normally visit the spiritist institutions in the U.S.?

Yes. Nestor Masotti, who is responsible for the Spiritist Movement at the international level, has given us total and unconditional support and invaluable guidance, as he has done with new organizations in many continents.

We also are extremely grateful to Raul Teixeira for his constant incentive and support - along with his encouraging phone calls from Brazil - in the creation of this council. He was present at the Second Meeting of U.S. Spiritist Directorates where he gave a lecture on "The Codification of the Spiritist Doctrine." We also would like to mention Durval Ciamponi's early support during his trips to Washington at the beginning of the movement in 1994.

V) Why the name "Council"? Why not "Federation"?

The name "Council" was chosen by the General Assembly at the same time the By-laws and Articles of Incorporation were approved. The name "Federation" was not chosen because at the time the Council was created the states represented through member institutions were relatively low, if you consider the fifty states in this country. Hopefully one day we will have members from many more states, which would then justify the name "Federation."

VI) What is the official language of the Council?

The official language is English. All our documents are written in English notwithstanding the fact that the great majority of people in the spiritist groups are Hispanics and Brazilians. Although they conduct most of their meetings in Spanish and Portuguese, our goal is to reach the American public. The majority of spiritist institutions offer at least one weekly public meeting in English

VII) What are the objectives of the Council?

According to its By-laws, they are the following:

- To promote the fraternal union of the U.S. Spiritist institutions and the unification of the Spiritist Movement.

- To promote the study, diffusion, and practice of the Spiritist Doctrine in the United States according to its principles and postulates, and in all its fundamental scientific, philosophical, religious, ethical, and moral aspects.

- To promote the practice of spiritual and material charity, in the light of the Spiritist Doctrine; and

- To represent the Spiritist Movement in the United States.
It is also emphasized in the By-laws that the Council’s purposes and objectives are based on the Spiritist Doctrine as codified by Allan Kardec.

VIII) What are your principal activities?

 Again, as provided in the By-laws, the following are under the responsibility of the Council:
The promotion of periodic meetings of its members for the exchange of information and expertise.

- The promotion of efforts in providing permanent support and encouragement to its members in their quest to improve their activities, whether educational, clerical, or administrative.

- The coordination and promotion of courses, meetings, symposia, conventions, and other events aimed at the diffusion of the Spiritist Doctrine,
the improvement of the Spiritist Movement, and the Spiritist institutions; and

- The publication of books, magazines, bulletins, and other printed materials regarding the Spiritist Doctrine in particular, and the Spiritist Movement in general.

IX) What are the Council's guidelines regarding supporting materials?

Each and every program as well as any supporting materials offered by the Council are not mandatory. It remains at the discretion of each member institution whether to adopt them, in whole or in part, or to adapt them to their own necessities and conveniences.
Samples of by-laws and articles of incorporation (to be adapted to any local and state laws) are offered to spiritist groups not yet duly incorporated in order to help and facilitate their process into becoming institutions recognized by the law.

X) How is the current Council structured?

The Council is currently composed of twelve U.S. Spiritist societies duly registered and incorporated who outline their activities according to the principles established in the Kardecian Codification. These societies are located in the states of Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
The institutions which compose the Council maintain their autonomy, their independence, and their freedom of action.
Affiliation to the Council is always voluntary, aiming principally at the fraternal union, the strengthening of the activities of the institutions and the Spiritist Movement.

XI) How many spiritist institutions are there in the U.S.?

According to data from 1997, there are approximately 45 spiritist groups throughout the states of California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Texas. From these, sixteen are societies or spiritist centers, meaning that they are duly registered and incorporated. And from this group of sixteen, twelve societies are affiliated to the Council.

XII) Do you have any information regarding the beginning of the Spiritist Movement in the U.S.?

We do not have complete information yet. A search is being conducted which we expect will be concluded by the time the American Spiritist Congress takes place in October 2000, in Miami, Florida. Because we might err, we will not further our remarks on this issue. We can tell you, however, that Divaldo Pereira Franco had a prevalent role in the implantation and consolidation of the Spiritist
Movement in the United States.

XIII) Would you like to make any other comments regarding the American Spiritist Congress?

Gladly.On behalf of the United States Spiritist Council, I would like to extend an invitation to our fellow spiritists and to anyone else interested - from any part of the world - to attend this event taking place from 5-8 October, 2000, in Miami, Florida, and which is so important for the strengthening of the Spiritist Movement in this country.

Moreover, throughout this publication, readers will be able to notice the Congress Executive Commission's efforts in securing discount rates in lodge and transportation. This should greatly contribute to their access to other attractions while in this country.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE (subject to change without previous notice)

AUDITORIUM I

Thursday, Oct. 5th

9:00am-5:00pm Reception

5:00pm-6:30pm Moments of Art

6:30pm-7:45pm Official Opening

7:45pm-9:00pm Divaldo Franco - Spiritism:Science, Philosophy and Religion for the Third Millennium

Friday, Oct. 6th

9:00am-9:05am  Opening Prayer

9:05am-10:05am Juan Durante (Argentina) - Spiritism and Self Reform

10:05am-10:35an Altivo Ferreira (Brazil) - The Meaning of Love in the  Third Millennium

10:35am-10:55am Break

10:55am-11:55am Roger Perez (France) - Allan Kardec: The Apostle of the Third Revelation

11:55am-12:55pm Alberto Almeida (Brazil) - Sexual Energies and Spiritism

12:55pm-3:00pm Break

3:00pm-3:30pm Sergio F de Oliveira (Brazil) - Science with Jesus

3:30pm-4:00pm T/D

4:00pm-5:00pm Marlene Nobre (Brazil) - Sex and Responsibility

5:00pm-5:15pm Break

5:15pm-6:00pm Moments of Art

6:00pm-7:00pm Raul Teixeira (Brazil) - Reencarnation and the Third Millennium

Saturday, Oct. 7th

9:00am-9:05am Opening Prayer

9:05am-10:05am Sergio F Oliveira (Brazil) - Medicine and Spiritism

10:05am-10:35am Luiz Sell (USA) - Jesus: the Doctor of the Law

10:35am-10:55am Break

10:55am-11:55am Cesar Reis (Brazil) - The Spiritisty Way of Living

11:55am-12:55pm Edwin Bravo - Spiritist Treatment for Obsession

12:55pm-3:00pm Break

3:00pm 3:30pm Nestor Masotti (Brazil) - Spiritism in the World

3:30pm-4:00pm Katy Meira (USA) - Fraternal Reception in the Spiritis Center

4:00pm-5:00pm Antonio C P Carvalho (Brazil) - Spiritual Aspects of the  Discovery of America

5:00pm-5:15pm Break

5:15pm-6:00pm Moment of Art

6:00pm-7:00 Jorge Andrea (Brazil) Mediumship through the eyes of Science

Sunday, Oct. 8th

9:00am-9:05am Opening Prayer

9:05am-9:35am Janet Duncan (England) - Home Meetings as base for Spiritist Institutions

9:35am-10:05am Jusara Korngold (USA) -  Angels and Demons

10:05am-11:05am John Zerio (USA) - Spiritism in America

11:05am-11:25am Break

11:25am-11:55am Henrique de Sa (USA) - Pain and Evolution

11:55am-12:55pm Divaldo Franco (Brazil) - The Human Being in his Integrity

12:55pm-3:00pm Break

3:00pm-4:15pm Judy Guggenheim - After Death Communication

4:15pm-5:15pm Moment of Art

5:15pm-6:00pm Closing Ceremony

6:00pm-7:00pm Raul Teixeira (Brazil) - Happiness: Everyone's Destiny

AUTITORIUM II

Friday, Oct. 6th

9:00am-9:05pm Opening Prayer

09:05am-09:35am Maria de Ender (Panama)  - Divine Love

09:35am-10:35am  Santiago Gene Mateu (Spain) - New Attitudes For a New Millennium

10:35am-10:55am Break

10:55am-11:55am  Antônio C. Perri Carvalho (Brazil) - Death: Return to Life

11:55am-12:55pm  Ana Guimarães (Brazil) - Jesus: A Role Model For Humankind

12:55pm-3:00pm Break

Saturday, Oct. 7th

9:00am-9:05am Opening Prayer

09:05am-10:05am  Heloísa Pires (Brazil) -  Obsession through the Spiritist View

10:05am-10:35am  Alvaro Velez (Colombia) -  Regeneration: Earth's Next Step

10:35am-10:55am Break

10:55am-11:55am  Nilton Andrade (Brazil) - Education of Feelings

11:55am-12:55pm  Alberto Almeida (Brazil) - Faith which gives Freedom

12:25pm-12:55pm  Benjamim Rodriguez (USA) -  Kardecian Codification

12:55pm-3:00pm  Break

3:00pm-3:30pm  Gladys Ledesma (Uruguay) - Reborn Christianity
 
3:30pm-4:00pm Armando Velez (USA) - The Spiritist Center: School of The Soul

4:00pm-4:30pm  Marlene Nobre (Brazil) - Abortion and Free-Will

4:30pm-5:00pm  Roger Perez (France) - The Law of Progress

Sunday, Oct. 8th

9:00am-9:05am  Opening Prayer (Prece Inicial)

9:05am-9:35am  Edwin Bravo (Guatemala) - Instrumental Transcommunication

9:35am-10:05am  Carolina Fernandez (Argentina) -  To Progress Always, That Is The Law!

10:05am-10:35am Alamar Regis (Brazil) - Spiritist Dissemination  (Divulgacion Espirita; Divulgação Espírita)

10:35am-11:05am  Miguel de Jesus Sardano (Brazil) -  Life In The Spiritual World

THE MEDIUMSHIP OF FLORENCE COOK
Sent by Antonio Leite

Source:
http://www.noahsark.clara.net
http://www.noahsarksoc.freeserve.co.uk
http://home.freeuk.net/noahsark
 

Florence Cook (1856-1904) is best remembered as the medium who was able to produce the full materialization of her controls, the first of these being Katie King. Following the widespread attention that she attracted, becoming a household name within nineteenth century Spiritualism, she continued her remarkable physical mediumship into the current century. Although she married in 1874, becoming Mrs. Corner, it is the name of Florence Cook that has continued to be associated with some of the most remarkable physical mediumship witnessed in this country.

It was after her fourteenth birthday, that the Cook household noticed that Florence began to fall into trance states. One record of how Florence developed her mediumship is that she began experiments with her friend and her family, and it was at this time that her talents became evident. She was advised by spirit communicators of her future skills and directed to the Spiritualist Association at Dalston, in East London, and participated in their activities.

With support and encouragement from the circle that she joined, Florence's mediumship continued to develop; her abilities came to public notice with mention of her mediumship in the "Spiritualist" in 1871. She worked with other physical mediums, and further development occurred with her becoming acquainted with her own control, Katie King, the daughter of John King and his wife (also called Katie). Under Katie's direction, Florence, still a young girl, began to use a cabinet in her mediumistic work; initially, there were materializations, but only in a basic form, and attempts were made to assist the next- world visitors to manifest themselves entirely.

When only fifteen years of age, Florence lost her employment as a teacher due to poltergeist-type phenomena that occurred when she was present at the school, and consequently, she was able to fully devote herself to her development. In this period, when physical mediumship was not so rare as the present time, there was a definite pressure on novice mediums to develop. Two other young physical mediums, e.g. Kate Cook (Florence's sister) and Mary Showers, were coming to prominence and attracting attention; Florence therefore continued to develop her mediumship to facilitate full materializations. This occurred in 1873 when the materialization of Katie King joined the circle: a momentous event indeed, as, 'she represented for confirmed Spiritualists the final empirical evidence for the reality of spirit life and the existence of an unseen world'.(1)Florence had agreed that a reporter from the Daily Telegraph be present during her seances; on the first occasion, he saw faces, and the following year he witnessed the materialization of Katie King and took photographs of her. In view of the the precautions taken, i.e., Florence bound with seals, 'he was baffled'.(2) The reports by the journalist appeared in the "Daily Telegraph"  of 10 October 1872 and 12 August 1873.
 
The success of Florence's abilities led to various prominent persons attending her seances and the inevitable patronage. In 1872, she had begun to receive financial support from the businessman and Spiritualist, Charles Blackburn, that ensured she would be able to develop her mediumship. Podmore remarked on how she 'took no money from her seances', and through Blackburn, she was 'free to give her services when required'.(3) In December 1873, Volckmann (who later married the medium, Mrs. Guppy, who was extremely jealous of Florence's success), was present at a seance and attempted to seize Katie King. Two other sitters took hold of him (in the course of which, he lost part of his beard) and prevented any serious damage occurring. Dunphy, a barrister and writer, witnessed the event and said that Katie partly dematerialized during the escapade. On examining Florence, she was still secure with tape and a seal, as at the beginning of the seance.

As reported in the "Daily Telegraph", 13 January 1880, Sitwell, one of the sitters at a seance at the BNAS, seized the materialization and found Florence to be missing from the cabinet, and declared her to be a fraud. It was admitted by one of the sitters who had the responsibility of securing Florence that it had been deliberately arranged that the medium could free herself. Supporters of Florence argued this was a case of unconscious fraud, as claimed with Eusapia Palladino in following years, while in a trance-state; there was also of course a state of confusion after Sitwell's action. However the incident is interpreted, it is interesting to note that in his book, "Lights and Shadows of Spiritualism" (1877), D. D. Home, who was highly critical of other mediums and described fraudulent behaviour in the book, referred to the materializations produced by Florence as providing 'undeniable certainty of the phenomenon'.

Florence encouraged a happy and lively atmosphere at her seances, believing that it assisted the phenomena. Undoubtedly, Katie King promoted this as she 'was known for her fun-loving attitude and a certain amount of roguishness was accepted with good grace'.[4] After Crookes became involved in Florence's mediumship in 1872, he wrote in the "Spiritualist" (April 1874) of a recent seance, and related how, 'Katie never appeared to greater perfection, and for nearly two hours she walked about the room, conversing familiarly with those present'. Unfortunately, Katie's forwardness and Crookes's fondness for her created problems that has soured his involvement ever since: Crookes's response to Katie 'caused offense amongst some spiritualist observers who were apparently unimpressed by Crookes' standard of morality and scientific impartiality'.(5) There were accusations about Crookes allowing fraud to be committed by Florence due to the relationship with her, but Beloff, while recognizing the difficulties that are present, offers a number of decisive reasons for rejecting the accusations made.(6)

Something needs to be said about Crookes's involvement with Florence's mediumship as the accusations made against him may be viewed as invalidating at least some of Florence's mediumship. Firstly, Crookes brought about much of the criticism that was directed towards him, e.g. he unwisely quoted from "Don Juan" to describe Katie's 'perfect beauty'.
Additionally, he was less than consistent in his attitude: he was initially prompted to enquire into Spiritualism after the death of his brother in 1867. By 1870, he apparently accepted that the dead could communicate, and his biography stated that at this point, he was a 'convinced spiritualist',(7) and certain events support this view. However, he chose not to openly display this belief, and offered a clinical view of the subject, referring to some aspects of Spiritualism as 'worthless' that should be categorized as 'the limbo of magic and necromancy'; he further argued that it was 'a subject which, perhaps, more than any other lends itself to trickery and deception'.(8) By 1874, he wrote that he had been unable to obtain proof that the dead were able to communicate, and believed that spirit communications might originate from non-human agencies rather than the dead,(9) a view that surely arose from his interest in the Theosophical Society, of which he was a member for over thirty years.
 
When he spoke at the SPR on 2 November 1895, he stated that all the mediums that he had seen, 'with hardly any exception [the exception being D. D. Home]...resorted to trickery'. Later, with age, and certainly after 1916, with the death of his wife, he not only returned to his earlier stance, but went further, e.g. accepting spirit photography of his wife that was felt by others to have been produced by fraud. While persons are of course fully entitled to be skeptical or develop their thinking, Crookes's change of opinion that went more than full circle, and was primarily effected through his own personal circumstances, hardly inspires much confidence in his conclusions. This is apart from the fact that he 'left no records of his seances...that would satisfy a skeptic's thirst for precise data', and he was 'accustomed...to have [his] word believed without witnesses' and took exception to persons challenging his record of events.(10) In sum, his contribution to the mediumship of Florence Cook is problematic, and it is unfortunate that it was he rather than another researcher who investigated her. Fortunately, despite the customary image presented, the mediumship of Florence Cook was certainly not dependent upon the testimony of Crookes, and her talent, as Spiritualism itself, is more than capable of standing on its feet without having to gain endorsement from elsewhere. The accusations made concerning Crookes is not a major concern as Florence's mediumship was witnessed by many others who made the quality of this more than evident.

An example of the many testimonies given concerning Florence Cook's mediumship is that of Aksakoff, a Russian aristocrat; he reported how, when attending a seance, the medium was bound 'with twined tape and sealed knots', and her hands were brought behind her back and these were also bound. Then, a lengthy piece of tape was fixed to her that was brought outside from where she was sitting: this would indicate any movement by her. After a short period, and light from a lamp being present, they saw 'a human figure standing upright... it was completely clad in white...That was Katie...All the time the sitting lasted Katie chattered away with the sitters'. Katie asked whether there were any questions and Aksakoff asked to see Florence; Katie invited him to where Florence sat and on not being able to see her adequately was told by Katie to use the lamp. He did so and there was Florence, 'in a deep trance... sitting on a chair, with both her hands bound fast behind her back'.(11)

Such occasions were important as the common challenge was that Katie King and Florence Cook were in fact the same person, as they were very similar in appearance. Apart from Crookes seeing both women at the same time during a seance on 29 March 1874, Katie was taller than Florence, her ears were not pierced as Florence's, her face was larger, her hair was of a different colour, together with other physical differences. In addition to these disparities, Florence wore black during seances, but Katie was always clad in white apparel. Furthermore, at one seance, Florence was suffering from a blister on her neck, but when Katie materialized, no blister was present on her. There was also the occasion when Katie had dye placed on her hands, but none was found on Florence. In addition to the photographs taken of Katie by the Daily Telegraph reporter, Crookes took forty-four himself. When Florence Marryat detailed her experiences, she related how, through the complexities of materialization, that Katie sometimes resembled Florence, while at other times 'she was totally different' She added that she possessed a photograph of Katie taken while Florence looked on. She had also seen Florence's 'dark curls nailed down to the floor, outside the curtain, in view of the audience, whilst "Katie" walked about and talked with us'.(12)

In March 1874, Varley, a Fellow of the Royal Society, conducted a test where platinum wires were fastened to Florence with a low electric current running through her body and making her part of an electrical circuit. Varley demonstrated how even a movement of her hands would register on the galvanometer through which the current passed. After Florence fell into trance, Katie materialized (with no wires attached), moved around the seance room and spoke to the sitters. Varley testified that 'the current was not interrupted an instant during the whole seance', and when Florence became conscious, he found the wires 'were exactly as I had left them them'.(13)

It is claimed that Katie has materialized in other locations since the time of Florence's mediumship, e.g. Philadelphia, Winnipeg and Rome. In the case of the latter (in July 1874), a series of remarkable photographs were taken of the event that lasted a full thirty minutes. In this, Katie greeted the twenty- three sitters present, and after embracing the medium, dematerialized leaving gladioli and rose petals behind. Interestingly, when Katie made her last appearance with Florence Cook as the medium, she left a flower with each sitter. After Katie King departed in 1874, Leila became Florence's control; in 1875, Mrs. Crookes wrote to Florence saying that 'most of the seances have necessarily been held here, but Leila has also appeared at three other houses...on several occasions we have all seen you and Leila at the same time'. Mrs Crookes also referred to physical differences between Leila and Florence in this letter.(14) Other materializations occurred through Florence's mediumship: in an undated letter to Blackburn, Florence told him how 'A full form appeared in less than 5 minutes...The spirit was neither Katie nor Leila.'(15)

After the period of Leila as control and a period of inactivity by Florence, a French girl calling herself Marie took on this role; she remained Florence's control for much of the period until shortly before Florence's death. A photograph was taken of her at a seance in about 1902, and appeared in "Psychic Science" (January 1927); one of the sitters made the important observation that those present 'saw the form of the tall slim young woman that appears in the picture; Mrs Corner [Florence Cook] being short, rather stout, and of darker complexion'. As Medhurst and Goldney note: '"Marie" and other "spirit forms", would emerge, sometimes singly and sometimes together. Most of the reports stress that "Marie", normally bare-footed, was a number of inches taller than Florence, this being stated by several authors to have ascertained by direct measurement'. Although the writers refer to the difficulty in determining the accuracy of such reports, they agree there are a number that 'give a fair amount of detail'.(16)

Florence's ability as a medium was still very much present in her later life as can be seen by events in 1900 when the sitters declared: 'We, the undersigned, testify...we saw Mrs. Corner and her control, "Marie", at the same time'. Before this seance, Florence dressed in the garments provided and 'was not left a moment alone. She was most securely bound to her chair, which was fastened to an iron ring in the floor and each hand was tied to an arm of the chair...everything was found intact afterwards'.(17) In addition to materializations, Florence's mediumship also facilitated direct writing. This was reported to have occurred on tables some considerable distance from her, and written communications from persons who had been known to the sitters were provided.

Through Florence's mediumship, communicators other than the control could speak to the sitters. Although there was a dearth of sitters from the SPR (Society for Psychical Research), on an occasion in May 1903 when one was present, Miss Dallas, 'a respected figure in the Society', she recorded that a figure in white emerged after Florence, dressed in black, had been secured to her chair. This was followed by a noise from the cabinet, the unrefined voice of a man who spoke affectionately about Florence, saying that she had helped him grasp the reality of the next life. Until only months before her death in South London in 1904, Florence was continuing to demonstrate her mediumship. The final words may be those of the communicator referred to above. Miss Dallas also detailed how after he had spoken of the assistance received from Florence, he reminded the sitters of the reality that he had now discovered through her patient help: he did this in one succinct statement: 'You are never dead'.(18)

References

[1] A. Owen, "The Darkened Room"(London: Virago, 1989), p.48.

[2] B. Inglis,"Natural and Supernatural" (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1977), p.267.

[3] F. Podmore,"Modern Spiritualism" (London: Methuen, 1902), p.97.

[4] Owen,Op. Cit., p.228.

[5] Owen, Op. Cit., pp.229,230.

[6] J. Beloff, "Parapsychology: A concise history" (London: Athlone Press,  1993), pp.53-55.

[7] F. d'Albe,"Life of Crookes", (London: Fisher, Unwin, 1923), pp.181,190,215.

[8] W. Crookes, 'Spiritualism Viewed by the Light of Modern Science', "Quarterly Journal of Science", July 1870.

[9] The letter was reproduced in "Light", May 12, 1900.

[10] J. Oppenheim,"The Other World"(Cambridge: CUP, 1985), p.342. Gauld also refers to an instance where Crookes's account 'is so sketchy that one can hardly form any proper opinion as to what was going on' (A. Gauld, "The Founders of Psychical Research" (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1968), p.81). Salter also remarks on Crookes's lack of care saying that in the early stages, Crookes showed 'a complete disregard of commonsense precautions against fraud' "Zoar"(London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1961), p.65). An example of Crookes's carelessness is demonstrated by the contradictory content of a report concerning a seance on 25 November 1871 in his "Reserches in the Phenomena of Spiritualism"(London: Burns, 1874), and later in "PSPR", XV (1889), pp.121-124.

[11] Cit., G. Zorab, 'Foreign Comments on Florence Cook's Mediumship',"PSPR", 54 (1964), pp.174,175.

[12] F. Marryat, "There is no Death"(London: Psychic Book Club, 1917, p.143.

[13] "Spiritualist", 20 March 1874.

[14] Cit., R. G. Medhurst and K. M. Goldney, 'William Crookes and the Physical Phenomena of Mediumship',"PSPR", 54 (1964), p.69.

[15] Cit., Medhurst and Goldney, Ibid., p.71.

[16] Medhurst and Goldney, Op.Cit., pp.82,83.

[17] Cit., Medhurst and Goldney, Op. Cit., pp.84-85.

[18] "Light", 14 October 1916.

SPIRITIST ART:"THE INTERACTION GROUP"
Flavia

We've had a little release of our  artistic group work called Grupo Interação ( Interaction Group) published in the Portuguese edition of GEAE #382, asking for appreciation and support.

By accessing your site, we thought we could ask you to consider having our page published in your  New Links - Brazil / Spiritist Artist Pages. What do we have to do?

Please, we'd be very pleased to have your comments on our site and suggestions to better reach other links in Spanish too.
 
Thanks in advance for your attention.

http://pessoal.mandic.com.br/~grupointera

Grupo Interação
Flávia

INFO ON SPIRITIST GROUPS
Francisca and Genival Barros

Thanks for the information. My husband and I were pleased to share this  moment too. Since we came from Brazil to Rochester-NY we are looking for a Spirit center  in our city, but it seems that such information is not available very often. Doing us a favor, is it possible from your group of studies to help us find  any contact from the Spirit center group in Rochester_NY-USA?

Francisca and Genival Barros
345 Hawks Nest Circle - Rochester- NY 14626 - USA

MIRABELLI MATERIALIZATION PHOTOS

Greetings to everyone at GEAE!

Do you know, if the very seldom Photographs, made while the historic sittings with Carlos Mirabelli round 1930, are somewhere to be seen in the web?
Do you have the Internet address, or the address with other photos made my materializations while sittings in Brazil?
Thank you

Kai Mügge Hanau/Germany

Suggestions write to editor@geae.inf.br

The great river follows its own course before joining the vast sea. Likewise, the soul follows equally varied routes and passes through different stages, receiving here and there tributaries of knowledge, strengthening its personality and perfecting its qualities before  reaching the Ocean of Eternal Wisdom.

The closing of our earthly eyes is such a simple event.

The shedding of the physical body does not solve the fundamental problems of enlightenment, just as changing ones clothes has nothing to do with the deep questions of life and destiny.

Ah, paths of the soul, mysterious ways of the heart! One must walk their full lengths before facing the supreme equation of Eternal Life. It is essential for you to live all their conflicts and to know them fully in the long process of spiritual ascension.

How childish to imagine that the mere "ringing down of the curtain" would settle transcendental questions of the Infinite.

One life is but a single act.

One body - a garment.

One century - a day.

One task - an experience.

One triumph - an acquisition.

One death - a breath of renovation.

How many lives, how many bodies, how many centuries, how many  tasks, how many triumphs, how many deaths are still allotted to us?

And yet religious philosophers will speak of final decisions and  immutable situations!

Alas, everywhere we find scholars in doctrine who are spiritual  illiterates!

It takes great effort for man to enter the School of the Gospel, and his admission thereto nearly always comes to pass in a strange manner - he finds himself alone with the Master, struggling through a difficult course, learning lessons in an invisible classroom, and attending long lectures of unspoken words.

Long, very long therefore, is our arduous journey. Here our humble efforts can bring you only a glimpse of this fundamental truth.

I speak to you as an anonymous friend, in this anonymity which stems from brotherly love. The great majority of mankind is like a fragile vessel which cannot yet contain the whole truth. Therefore, we restrict ourselves here to conveying only the profound experience itself in its collective values. We will not torment anyone with the idea of Eternity. Let the vessels first become stronger. Thus we dedicate this brief record to the eager spirits of our brothers struggling for their  spiritual ascent, who understand, as we do, that "the wind blows where it wills".[John, 3:8]

And now, my friend, let my thanks fall upon this paper, and thence rise and merge into a great silence of sympathy and gratitude. Attraction, appreciation, love and joy live in the soul. Be sure that in the depths of mine I hold these sentiments toward us.

May the Lord bless us.

Andre Luiz.