By Steven Woods.
My journey into Spiritualism began relatively late in life. I was 49 years old and knew virtually nothing about Spiritualism. About the only exposure I had experienced was my wife encouraging me to watch Colin Fry on television.
Then something happened that began to change the direction of my life.
A relative of my wife’s came to our house. He was a medium whom I had never met before, although my wife had known him when she was younger. He left me his card and, the following day, I went to see him.
During that meeting, he gave me a message which included information about my grandfather, who had passed before I was born. At the time, I did not understand much of what he was telling me, but afterwards I checked the information with my parents and found that what he had told me was correct.
During the reading, he also said something unexpected: “You have healing potential.”
I didn’t really understand what he meant. He explained that healing could be done through the hands, although there were many different ways of giving healing. At that point I knew nothing about spiritual healing. He simply told me that I would hear more about it in time.
Discovering Spiritual Healing
Around three months later, I experienced a series of vivid dreams over five consecutive nights. They seemed to last from midnight until around five in the morning.
For me, those experiences provided an understanding of the spirit world that I could no longer simply dismiss. I felt that I was being taught about healing and, when those experiences ended, something had changed.
Several years later I began attending a Spiritualist church, joined a development circle and learnt more about mediumship. But healing has remained a particularly important part of my spiritual work.
One of the things I have come to understand is that healing does not necessarily mean placing your hands upon somebody.
Sometimes healing can come through words.
It can be the help we give someone who is struggling. It can be a kind thought, a conversation or simply being present for somebody at the right moment. Something that might seem very small to us can sometimes help another person through a difficult period and enable them to move forward.
The Meaning of Absent Healing
Absent healing has also been an important part of my experience.
In Spiritualist churches, we often read aloud the names of people who have been placed in our healing books. For us, this is an expression of absent healing – directing loving and healing thoughts towards people who may be nowhere near the church itself.
Over the years, I have occasionally received feedback about people for whom healing thoughts have been offered. One experience in particular has always stayed with me.
Meeting Daisy
My wife and I were out one day and stopped at a restaurant for something to eat. The owner initially explained that the restaurant was closed because his family were coming in for a meal, but he kindly invited us to stay and offered us a table by the window.
When his family arrived, among them was a little girl called Daisy. She was only about two years old and was clearly very unwell. She had tubes in her nose and had lost her hair.
Despite not knowing us, Daisy came over and wanted to sit with us. We chatted and laughed together until her father eventually came over to take her back to the family so that we could eat.
Her father was surprised.
He told us that Daisy normally wouldn’t approach strangers. Even when she was in hospital, despite knowing the nurses, she needed a member of her family with her.
We expressed our sadness at seeing that she was so poorly. Her father explained that the family had been told Daisy might have only around six months to live. They were hoping and praying, he said, while concentrating on giving her the best life they possibly could.
We returned to the restaurant several times afterwards and saw that Daisy was still there. Eventually, however, we lost contact with the family.
Years later I happened to meet her father again.
He remembered us and told me that Daisy had eventually passed away. But she had not lived for only another six months. She had reached eight years old.
During those additional years, her father told us, Daisy had been involved with his charitable activities. He had raised a considerable amount of money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, and Daisy had been part of that journey.
I have always remembered her.
A Little Sign on the Journey Home
My son is also a medium and, some years later, we were travelling home together after visiting a Spiritualist church in Romford.
During the journey, Daisy came into our conversation.
I said that I could never forget her and hoped she was happy in the spirit world.
Then, as I was driving, I suddenly saw something like a tiny flash of lightning from the corner of my eye. It seemed to strike the side of my glasses and made me jump.
My son immediately said, “That was Daisy.“
I asked him what he meant. He felt that Daisy was letting us know that she was there and was being playful.
Then I took my glasses off – and one of the arms fell off.
I joked that if it really was Daisy, she had broken my glasses!
My son laughed and reminded me what young children in our family often did when they were sitting with me. They would grab my glasses and sometimes pull an arm off them.
For us, it became one of those little moments that carried a personal meaning.
Recognising the Little Things
That experience illustrates something I have come to believe about communication with the spirit world.
Sometimes it isn’t something dramatic.
People sometimes talk about a light that repeatedly flickers despite changing the bulb or having the electrics checked. Others notice that something seems to have moved or experience some other small occurrence that reminds them strongly of somebody they have loved.
Within Spiritualism, experiences like these may be interpreted as a loved one in spirit simply saying:
“I’m here. I’m with you.”
Of course, we should not try to force these experiences to happen. When we desperately look for a sign, we can end up trying so hard that we lose sight of the simple things happening around us.
Instead, perhaps we can simply send out a loving thought.
Think of the person you love and acknowledge them. Let them know that you remember them and that your love continues.
I cannot promise that something will happen.
But you never know when one of those little moments might occur – something meaningful to you that gives you the sense that those we love remain close.
God bless.
This Spiritual Address was given by Steven Woods during our Sunday Divine Service at Thundersley Christian Spiritualist Church.
This article was drafted using Chat GPT AI from a transcript of the medium’s spiritual address during our Divine Service. Edited by humans. Featured image by Chat GPT.
