THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MEDIUMSHIP

　

　　　　　　　　　　　　SILVER BIRCH

　Only a few months before the passing of Helen Hughes, one of Britain's greatest mediums and an old friend of Silver Birch, he spoke to one of her devoted companions when she visited the home circle.

 ❝She is a great soul imprisoned in a poor, weak body which is gradually coming to the end of its road and very little can be done about it. When the body is beginning to serve its purpose, it imprisons the spirit more than it has done before. But she has fulfilled herself.

　She has achieved what she came into your world to do. She has lifted up the hearts of many, many people, dried the tears of countless mourners and brought a smile of certainty where before there were only tears, grief and bewilderment. She can rejoice at the long road of service along which she has travelled, knowing that never, at any time, has she failed the power of the spirit.

　She is a magnificent exemplar of what an instrument of the spirit should be. Never by word, deed, or even thought, has she in any way betrayed the divine trust which has been reposed in her. As a result, she has pointed the way for others to follow, set a standard which others can emulate, because she has shown what the power of the spirit can achieve when it has a dedicated, selfless servant with whom to co-operate.

　She may not be rich in the goods of your world, but she is wealthy in the riches of the spirit and possesses bright jewels that will never lose their lustre which she has earned through her long, untiring service. You give her my love and the love of many here who are filled with admiration and gratitude for all that has been accomplished through her powers.

　The power of the spirit, which she has revealed and demon-strated in such a superb fashion, will not leave her. It will stay as a constant, divine radiance. She will always be aware of what is in her midst and also round and about her. If we had a lot more like her our work would be easier, but, alas, as was said a long time ago, "Many are called but few are chosen.",

　Here, in contrast, is a splendid example of how Silver Birch can speak on the same subject without repeating himself. He is addressing two husband-and-wife medium teams, one British, the other American.

❝The gifts of the spirit are submerged for a long time and can be called into the beginning of their expression only when the soul is ready. This is fundamental in the pattern, that the soul first comes into its own only when the depths of sorrow, illness, crisis, have been plumbed and it seems as if that nowhere in the physical world is there to be found any help.

　You cannot find yourself when your existence is un-troubled, when the sky is sunny and calm and all seems smooth and placid. It is only when the storm rages, the thunder roars, the lightning flashes and the rain beats down that this wondrous spiritual awakening comes.

　The path has not been easy, but this is good for you. Do not complain about difficulty; it is the spur of the spirit. Meet the challenge always with the knowledge that you have. The power of the spirit is greater than the power of matter. When confronted with problems, pause, let the spirit show the way and be determined that nothing will deflect from the service that you were born to give.

　You have helped many, you will continue to help many. You are on a path of service, accomplishing far more than is being done by dignitaries of the churches, however sincere they may be. You are bringing the truths of the spirit to those unaware of them.

　You are helping them to fulfil the purpose of their being. You are helping them to find their spiritual feet. You are spreading knowledge. All this is divine labour. You should be proud that you are called into this service.

　Life is full of problems. There are very few roses and mostly thorns. But the power that guides you is the power that created the universe, the power that is infinite. Pay no attention to the folly of those who should know better. Ignore the pinpricks and the jealousies. These are un-important.
　Try to feel sorry for those who do not measure up to what is expected of them. Anyway, that is their responsi-bility. 

Strive to discharge your duty as best you can. You are not called upon to do better than your best. Make yourselves as efficient instruments of the Great Spirit as you can. 

Strive so that even a greater measure of power flows through you and brings strength, guidance and love to those who need your service.

　There is much work to be done in your world, especially today. The forces of evil are rampant, selfishness rules, vested interests defend their crumbling castles. If you help one soul to find itself, it is all worth while. Just go on.

　Together, we can help those who need our help. Let us give it willingly, not force it on those who are unready, but to all who come within our radius. Let us help them so that they too may obtain an understanding which will en-able them to fulfil themselves. And so the power of the spirit will continue to spread.'

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❝I find it a privilege that you should want to come and talk with me because you both have very evolved beings who use you as their instruments and they have demon-strated their ability to guide you in the willing service on which you are engaged. You are living exemplars of the power of the spirit at work. You are treading a path which has been chosen and, as a result, you are able to help many who have come into orbit.

　There is nothing new I can say to you; I cannot add to the knowledge you have received. It has been dispensed to you by beings in my world who are very advanced and who are respected for their spiritual attainments. But perhaps if you hear it from lips other than your own, you might find it some source of satisfaction to you.

　What I would like to say to you, as a friend, as a co-operator, is that even with your own gifts you cannot be aware of the tremendous power which is round and about you. It is not possible, because you are restricted by being encased in physical bodies, to have a full awareness of this power of the spirit, the power of life itself.

　You have been called because you have been chosen to do a work which is very important. I do not say this to flatter you. I am not given to flattery. You are helping the spiritual evolution of the world in which you live. You are helping the Great Spirit in the infinite processes of creation.

　You are demonstrating fundamental realities upon which the whole of life is based. You are presenting the only way by which man can save himself and his world. You can demonstrate spiritual reality, the only unchanging factor in all life.

　In a world which constantly loses its direction, you are part of the vast army engaged in the task of combating the materialism, which is your world's malignant cancer that poisons and erodes all the time. It is the parasitical growth which has to be destroyed because it is making humanity sick in body, mind and spirit.

　The religious bodies cannot do this because the power of the spirit is not vested in them. They may have temporal power, but they have no spiritual power. They have no authority of the spirit which resides in the gifts of the spirit bestowed by the Great Spirit.

　You can show those who are heartbroken by bereave-ment that death is the great liberator, that it brings freedom to the soul and that reunion is a certainty. Where there is love you can bring this truth by demonstrationーthe churches cannot do that.

　When all the doctors have pronounced their verdicts of hopelessness you can bring hope because you can, in many cases, restore health. If you cannot cure you can alleviate, achieve betterment, give strength and vitality. And if you cannot do that you can help the soul in its passing from the physical body which has served its purpose. And that also is important.

　In a world which chases after illusion and shadow, you can show where truth is to be found. And you can prove what you say, which nobody else can do. This is a great task; it is a divine work; it is the labour of the spirit; it is a tremendous service.

　You must become weary sometimes. It is not easy to be a servant of the spirit in a materialistic world. Sometimes those who should be your greatest allies, in their foolish, stubborn pride become your enemies. You must be sorry for them. If they who have seen the light prefer the darkness, it is their responsibility. 

　You are the ambassadors of the spirit; you are the divine emissaries; you represent a power greater than anything in your world. And because of that, greater is your responsi-bility.

　All I say to you is, go on. It will not be easy. The soul that is evolving does not seek ease. It demands the challenge that will enable it to bring to the surface its latent strength and emerge stronger in spirit as a result. It will be worth while. There is much work to be done, so many souls to be helped, so many who have lost their way, and nobody else can help them but you.

　You will make mistakes, plenty of them, that is why you came into your world. If you had nothing to learn you would not be where you are. Yours is the schoolhouse where children come to learn their lessons. Were you perfect you would not incarnate into matter.

　You live in a vast continent where mammon is wor-shipped as a greater priority than God, so you have much work to do. Wherever you pitch your tent the power of the spirit will be there and the light of the spirit will radiate. You will help souls who are brought into your orbit.❝

　To the daughter of a famous medium and healer, anxious to begin her own Spiritualist ministry, Silver Birch said:

❝You must forgive me for leaving you to the last, but there is a precedent that says the last shall be first. I did this, not in seeming discourtesy, but I thought it would be easier for you to get used to the way in which I work and communi-cute.

　In any case, I observe no feeling of strangeness, because you are fortunate enough to have been cradled in these matters. What seems strange and difficult to others has been natural to you. Not that it has been easy for you. The soul that is strong and independent does not seek ease and you had to make your own way. You have had to display a necessary independence so as to follow your own path and the dictates of your own reason.

　You have been richly blessed. You have been the recipient of so much wisdom from a very great soul whom I know very well. This has helped you even more than you realise. Yet, despite all that, you chafe and are eager to do your own service in your own way. But the time has not yet come. The door has not yet opened for you, but it will.

　I will let you into a secret, which others here know already. If you knock on a door and it does not open, do not push. If you push the door gently and it opens, that is for you. You cannot go through a closed door. Too many people in your world waste time and effort banging at closed doors.

　You have seen how the power of the spirit works. When it has prepared what is necessary for you, there is nothing you need do except gently open the door. Meanwhile, serve wherever you can. There are always those to whom a service can be rendered. It need not be blatant. It can be the right word, the right touch, the healing thought, the healing action.

　The power of the spirit, as a result, effects lodgment where before it was inaccessible. And so you become the human catalyst. As a result, the power of the spirit has made a little wider circumference because of your act. So much is in store for you that you can regard each day as a prelude to wondrous spiritual adventures. In the days that are to come your heart will sing and rejoice at the op-portunities that have been presented to you.'

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　I think it appropriate to include in this chapter on mediumship Silver Birch's words to Ralph Rossiter, secretary of the Spiritualist Association of Great Britain, who has, despite many health setbacks, worked diligently to promote spirit truths.

❝Always it is a source of gratification when people like you and your wife ask to come and talk with me. I feel you have so much knowledge and experience that there is very little I can offer you. Sometimes, however, the words that come through the lips of another instrument are confirma-tory and enable you, in a different setting, to feel that you are more aware of the power that is always round and about you.

　Those who labour unceasingly, by day and night, for the spread of these truths are sometimes so close to them that they cannot see the wood for the trees. It is good to pause for a while and take mental stock of what is happening. You cannot measure adequately what is being achieved because, unfortunately, you have no means of registering spiritual results.

　You see many people come and go, some comforted, some healed, some cheered, some enlightened, some disappointed and some not touched because they are not ready. The ceaseless round of activity can sometimes tend to make you overlook the central, fundamental fact, which is that you are touching souls. You are enabling the divine spark within to be kindled and in many cases for the first time to come into its own.

　The sad tragedy of your world is the millions completely ignorant of any spiritual truths. Even many, who regard themselves as religious and attend places of worship, have no contact with spiritual reality. So they are dead spiritually to all the richness and beauty, to the exultation that life can offer to those who live on more than one plane of being.

　They are unaware of the earthly purpose, they have no knowledge of what it is they have to achieve before they leave it. Their values are wrong, as are their priorities, their perspective is out of focus, their standards are false. Their lives are sterile and barren, they do not fulfil themselves and they have lost their way. They live in a constant maze and cannot find the path out of it.

　You provide a spiritual lighthouse, with its beams constantly revolving, penetrating the darkness, offering sanctuary where truth can be obtained by those who are ready to receive it. We always say that at the end of your earthly term, if you have helped one soul to find itself, then your existence has been worth while.

　You can regard yourself as richly blessed in the know-ledge that not one, but many thousands, have been able to discover life's secrets, to enjoy living to the full and be equipped, without fear, to continue beyond physical death.

　I wish could realise the greatness of the service rendered by you, your colleagues and those much maligned instruments of the spirit who are engaged in this difficult task of helping man to find himself. Despite all the difficul-ties, problems and hardships and the necessity to find the money, you have won through and will continue to do so.

　If only you, and all who serve as a band, could be aware of the tremendous power of the spirit that accompanies you and of the many advanced, liberated beings who co-operate in this labour that is among the greatest that can be done in your world. It is not easy, I know, but everything that is worth while is the hardest to achieve.

　Alas, the churches of your world cannot perform this service. They cannot touch the soul, they cannot quicken the divinity within the children of the Great Spirit. Here and there, one inspired man of God can do this because he is naturally qualified by his psychic ability. The rest fall back on conventional utterances, repetition of creedal beliefs and resort to expediency. These have no connection with the inspiration and revelation that emanate from divine sources.

　What is important is that man should become aware of his true self and of the access he can have to the source of all being. He should know that the Great Spirit is not in-accessible, remote, far off, unreachable, but is within himself and that he has a spiritual armoury, a strength, a reserve, a potency on which he can call in times of difficulty and crisis.

　Moreover, in addition to this tremendous potential within himself, he can also reach out to the infinite power of the spirit without. He can climb a ladder, on which, rung after rung, there are beings waiting to help him as he is ready to reach them. And this is important.

　It has not been, nor will it be, an easy life for you. I would not be speaking the truth if I said otherwise. But this is the service you came to render. This is the debt that you have to pay. The torch has been handed on to you. Keep it bright, so that it can burn even more strongly when the time comes for you to hand it to others.❝

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