History of Modern Spiritualism
Modern Spiritualism gives special attention to children, since the movement was started by two perceptive children, Margaret Fox, (15yrs.old) and Catherine Fox, (12yrs. old.) at their home in Hydesville, Wayne County, New York State. On March 31, 1848 the children contacted a deceased peddler though “knockings” or “rappings” from the deceased that signaled answers to questions the children asked. These knocks on the floor, table, chair or other furniture seemed to appear out of nowhere and the Fox sisters snapped their fingers and clapped their hands with the spirit matching the rhythm and number of times with his knocks. The spirit identified himself as a peddler that had died in the house in 1843. The parents and neighbors were called in to experience the phenomena. The peddlers box and bones were later found in the basement of the house and people who heard this story wanted to know more and to experience communication with the deceased themselves.
Soon after the first knockings, the family moved to Rochester, NY and formed “home circles” to demonstrate spirit communication. By November of 1849, the circles had become so popular that the girls were invited to Corinthian Hall in Rochester to demonstrate spirit communication. The Fox Sisters proved that mediumship, communication with other dimensions, was not just available to the elite, but was available to all of us.
Modern Spiritualism teaches Natural Law and that communication with the deceased is not extra-ordinary, but ordinary and natural to all who are willing to learn and recognize spirit communication. The movement soon spread across the continent and across the ocean where Spiritualist churches were formed.
Spiritualism is a recognized religion and well established in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
The Spiritualist school for children is called the Lyceum and is named for the Greek word "lyceum" meaning “grove of trees”. In ancient Greece, students and teachers met out in nature, to learn from nature. Andrew Jackson Davis took this concept and the knowledge he learned through trance to develop a system of teaching children. He channeled information from children on the other side of life and how they were learning in the “Summerland” or heaven. Andrew Jackson Davis put his dream of a Lyceum within the Spiritualist movement to the Conference on the 25th of January 1863 at Dodsworth Hall in the United Kingdom.
To assist in the Lyceum sessions, he wrote a manual that would give guidelines to the Lyceum leaders enabling them to have a format on how to impart the knowledge. Andrew Jackson Davis had his own religion called Harmonialism and was closely associated with Spiritualist in the 1800s but was never a member of a Spiritualist church.
In the morning, be resolved to do nothing against, but everything for, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
At night, retire in peace with yourself – at peace with all the world.
Be content with the Past, and with all it has brought you.
Be thankful for the Present, and all that you have.
Be patient for the Future, and for all it promises to bring you. Andrew Jackson Davis
