A brief description of the 7 Principles of Spiritualism

The seven principles provide the ethical standard of Spiritualism. They provide a framework that supports personal growth, behavior, responsibility, compassion, honesty, and forgiveness. The Seven Principles are the core beliefs of Spiritualism and set it apart from other religions. The following is a brief explanation of each principle. 

1. The Fatherhood of God. My interpretation of this principle is that there is one God. God is not a person or an entity insomuch as a consciousness, a being. We came from God and through this human body we are able to experience physical form. In So Doing, our experiences are collected in the awareness of God and through us God’s awareness expands. God is everything and still we experience free will by which we can discover or rediscover awareness. I love this principle because it is so basic and so open to interpretation. It allows me to grow into it and see it in different ways. I was drawn to Spiritualism by way of wanting to develop the psychic faculty. All the feels that come with sitting in the power kept me coming back. Then, I wanted to see what’s on the other side of the one way mirror; I wanted to peer behind the curtain, see like the High Priestess and Judge like Lady Justice. I feel like now I just keep coming back to sitting in the power. I do not know or understand what is happening or what it is, but I am in awe. I think that through God I can come back to myself and maybe see something, life, I guess, differently. 

2. The Brotherhood of Man. When I think of the meaning of this principle, I think of Jung who used the term the collective unconscious to describe that we are all one spirit and that Spirit flows through God. In that way, we are all one spirit and all our experiences are in the collective unconscious. I have been taught that it is through this principle that we are able to do psychic readings since we are able to connect on the soul level for the reading and understand our sitter by way of our own experience. Additionally, I liked how Minister Barry Oates wrote that if we cannot be kind then we can at least be tolerant and patient with each other. I also know that sometimes, when I am in the wrong headspace it just does not work- I cannot be kind and patient. Still, this is the space where we can pray and ask for guidance and support. I like this principle, but I feel like it is one that is more complex than the first principle because it is not just about the “I” or the “other” insomuch as it is about the space in-between. Communication with others is so complicated with so many layers and oftentimes those walls and boundaries are more obvious than the ones between me and God. 

3. The Communion of Spirits and the Ministry of Angels. Humans have the ability to communicate with spirits and groups of spirits and spirits have the ability to communicate with us. Spirits include people, animals, and angels. Angels are those that have never been human who can help us when we call upon them. When we die then we too can communicate with the living and can help to guide the living. Maurice Barnabell said that while everyone has the ability to be mediumistic some have special skills in either case, it is a trained skill. Communication with spirit could come by way of prayer, sitting in the power, telepathy, and talking to them. Spirit can talk to us in the same ways and also through coincidence, song, sounds, images in our mind and in our environment, smell, touch, memories, ideas, and dreams. Spirit can reach us by any way possible. Spirit can help us grow, learn, provide company, offer solace, and just be with us. Spirit can help us grow spiritually. We can also help spirit by providing them a voice to communicate with the masses, small groups, or loved ones. I feel like this is what brought me to Spiritualism. 

4. The Continuous Existence of the Human Soul. This principle is about the fact that life does not end at death, but continues onward. In the afterlife, we have the ability to continue learning, growing, communing, experiencing, and just being. The Spiritualist text discusses that only humans have the kind of continuous existence that exists within the context of life after death. I disagree. I do think there is a possibility that humans can exist in different dimensions, worlds, universes, and planets. Of course, if they exist in other places, then they have to be adapted to those environments and so they could look differently than humans. Those beings are known to us as aliens. I believe aliens could exist and if they do then they all come from God. This is one part of the Spiritualist literature that I disagree with- that we are the only beings in the universe. Spiritualists do not believe in reincarnation. I do believe that we could take on different forms and lives and we could even come back to earth to re-experience life on earth. My interpretation of this principle is more inclusive of ideas I have collected from learning other cultures and religions and I believe the Spiritualist body is accepting of my interpretation of this principle. I am okay knowing that I might grow out of these beliefs and for now I know that it is okay for me to be where I am in my spiritual development.

5. Personal Responsibility. We are responsible for our actions. This is a principle about being open to learning and increasing our awareness so that we can have a deeper understanding of love. A deeper understanding of love would open us to a different level of compassion and in this context compassion is a bridge between the “I” of self and the “other” of people, animals, and sentient beings. I believe that when we know better we do better and actions and behaviors show what we know and what we do not know. I believe in a loving God who does not seek to kick me for kicking someone, but to see how someone else sees so that I can better enable that person to shine their own light while I shine mine. Ultimately, we are responsible for our thoughts, actions, and behaviors, but our God is a loving God who provides opportunities for learning and growing so that we can be better souls.

6. Compensation and Retribution Hereafter for all the Good and Evil Deeds Done on Earth. This principle is about the fact that after we die we have to reflect on the life we lived. We have to see the good things and the bad things. We have to see all the learning we have done and all the learning we need to continue doing to grow, shine brighter, and ultimately experience God more intimately. In the afterlife we have to understand right from wrong. Sometimes a lesson requires more intense learning circumstances, but it is not done in a form of retribution. In fact, the word, “Retribution” feels outdated and very Catholic. I remember reading about being a small thing on the hand of God- a God who at any moment could drop you to the pits of hell. In other words, I struggle with the word “retribution”, but I think I understand the principle. Sometimes growing is painful, but that does not mean we are bad. It means we are in a place where we need to learn more. If we ask for help, then we have access to help from spirit. 

7. Eternal Progress Open to Every Human Soul. We will all continue to grow and learn. As we progress we get close to God. As we get close to God we feel more love. 

These principles provide Spiritualists with moral guidance, law, and governance that explains what drives our decision-making in right from wrong and the justice thereafter. The Seven Principles are the core beliefs that provide the ethical standard, promote personal growth and responsibility, compassion, honesty, and forgiveness. The Seven Principles serve to unify the collective by establishing a shared set of beliefs and values. 

Reference

Leonard, John C. The Higher Spiritualism. SDU Publications, 2010. 

Oates, Barry. Philosophy of Spiritualism. SNU, 2007.

Oates, Barry. 21st-Century View of the Seven Principles of Spiritualism. SNU, 2017.

Britten Museum & Library. The Creed of the Spirits. SNU, 2013.