Newsletter

Table of contents

Pastoral Message by Rev. Hugo Ruiz

Mission Statement: The Temple of Metaphysical Science

How Could I!!! by Colette Helfer

Happy Birthday!!!!

Rusty Nail by W. Charles Tabron

Volunteers Needed!!!!

As spring approaches, we hold the light of faith on our hearts with great expectation. To be worthwhile, faith must be constantly active and never be allowed to become idle. You may ask, “What is faith?” Faith is the mother of all virtues leading up to God; and its duty is to keep a watch over the development of its offspring. From our faith, hope and love we form an inseparable trinity that can carry all of us over the highest mountains. Faith is the inspiration that awakens humanity’s noblest impulses and impels it toward good. Faith is also the base of all spiritual renewal. In 2005, we must build our faith on solid foundations. As we nurture our faith, we will become stronger than the futile arguments of critics and firm enough to withstand the ridicule of disbelievers. Always remember that sincere faith is infectious and captivating for it touches the soul of people who lack it or even reject it. Sincere faith inspires persuasive words that can touch the heart, as opposed to false faith which only uses high sounding words and leaves listeners cold and indifferent. We must teach by example of our works and we will demonstrate the merit of faith.

In 2005, I urge you to have faith. Let yourself be enraptured by all its beauty, goodness and purity. Do not accept faith that can not stand up to reason, for that faith is an offspring of mental blindness. Love God, but know well why you love God. Believe in God’s promise, but have a clear understanding of why you believe in it. Listen to the voice of Spirit, trust and be patient without ever losing heart, for miracles are the works of Faith.

I have faith that with the guidance of Spirit we will continue to illuminate the Temple of Metaphysical Science to reach new heights in 2005. We will continue to practice the Religion of Spiritualism as a Science because it investigates, analyses and classifies fact and manifestations demonstrated from the spiritual plane. We will continue to practice the Religion of Spiritualism as a Philosophy because it studies the laws of nature both on the seen and unseen sides of life and bases its conclusions upon present observed facts. We will continue to practice Spiritualism as a Religion because it strives to unders tand and to comply with the Physical, Mental and Spiritual Laws of Nature, which are the Laws of God.

I offer my sincere invitation to you to visit the Temple of Metaphysical Science. Each Sunday morning at 11:00am our established congregation welcomes newcomers to join us at services. We provide a haven in which you are led in guided meditation, offered an opportunity to receive hands on healing and experience messages from love ones and those who live in the Spirit World, which is the heart of Spiritualism. Join us in fellowship after each service in order to make connections with like-minded people. Our doors are open to all. We support the concept, “One Spirit, one truth, many paths.” God Bless!!!

It is the mission of The Temple of Metaphysical Science, a chartered church of the National Spiritualist Association of Churches, to teach and proclaim the science, philosophy and religion of Spiritualism, which us the religion of continuous life, based on the demonstrated fact of communication, by means of mediumship, with those in the spirit world.

We encourage lectures on all subjects pertaining to our spiritual and secular welfare; we do not compel, urge or advocate any attempts by or to another person to worship God in any particular or prescribed manner; we advocate and promote spiritual healing; we protect and encourage spiritual teachers and mediums, who are followers of the light, in their efforts to prove the continuity of life; we encourage all people to keep an open mind as growing thought and investigation reveal new truths; we believe in personal responsibility; and finally, we believe that all individuals should be free to follow their hearts and minds in spiritual as well as secular matters, provided they remember to act with the highest, best and truest intent in any given situation.

It is our goal and objective to continually improve and maintain a harmonious relationship between all members, and to achieve these objectives through advocating love of one another.

This was going to be the end of a joyful life for me. I knew that my companion of 40 years was going to depart for the “Other Side.” I felt anguish, fear and despair.

2004 instead became a new beginning, because one day I followed my divine guidance and walked into the Temple of Metaphysical Science. I was showered with warm welcomes. For the first time, since my husband had been battling cancer (4 years), I was able to forget for a few hours my fears. Peace descended upon me. I was infused with the love all around me. Each Sunday did not come soon enough! At last I had found a refuge, a place to ease my burden. David, my husband, has since passed over. Yes, I miss him terribly and shed many tears, but I no longer feel confused, desperately alone, lost, and drowning in grief. I know, now, that I have my own journey. A journey of discovery, learning and spiritual growth.

I know because Hugo, our Pastor and our Mediums pointed the way. They opened the road for me. A road of recovery mentally and spiritually.

I will not fail! How could I? Can I describe the feeling of receiving messages from Angels, Spiritual Guides and loved ones!

How could I? When our Mediums guided by their unconditional giving and love raise and gather their energy to bring us words of comfort and guidance from the Spirit World.

How could I? When I hold hands with everyone in our church and feel that surge of joy and love of being together, sharing the same belief, the same faith!

Eileen Gabriele Ralph Wachtel Deedee Reinleib David Nichols Elise Scott Rev. Hugo Ruiz Hector Valle

Gloria Ferrantino Violet McNally Rose Travis Mary Willette Connie Renna Margaret Nye

Please see the Corresponding Secretary, Ed Freidlein, if your name is missing or the information is incorrect.

“Up to a point a man’s life is shaped by environment, heredity, and movements and changes in the world about him; then there comes a time when it lies within his grasp to shape the clay of his life into the sort of thing he wishes to be… Everyone has it within his power to say, this I am today, that I shall be tomorrow.” [Louis L’Amour]

How do we learn? How do we build experiences? There is a school of thought that says about 75% of human learning is done through the eyes. If this is true, we are then left with 25% of our learning to be obtained through experiences. What about a person who has lost their eyesight in very early childhood or is born blind? What about Helen Keller or Ray Charles, how did they learn and accomplish all the greatness which we now know and have benefited from?

Learning through using the five senses is something that most of us take for granted. It’s like breathing; we do it all the time. But let something hinder even one breath and we are struggling to reach a phone to dial 911. Most of us could not imagine not being able to see with our baby blues or our gorgeous browns, especially during the fall of the year when the leaves with their beautiful colors are going through their various changes. In most cases, experiences are obtained through the school of hard knocks. But simply experiencing a thing does not always mean we have learned from that experience.

Years ago, while living in the South, I would stop by my friend’s house to give him a ride to school some mornings. His grandfather would always be sitting on the front porch chewing tobacco with his Maxwell House coffee can spittoon next to his chair. As soon as I pulled into the yard an old flea-bitten hound would walk around to the front, bark at me a couple of times and then go up on the porch and flop down beside the grandfather’s chair right on top of a rusty nail that was sticking up through the floor. Now this didn’t happen once or twice, it happened almost every time I was there. That old dog would flop in the exact same spot on top of that rusty nail. Out of respect for the grandfather I never said anything to him. I figured it was his dog and the nail had apparently been that way for quite awhile, maybe he and the dog knew what they were doing. However, my curiosity finally got the better of me and on the way to school one day I asked my friend why the dog would continually simply flop down on that rusty old nail. He said he had asked his grandfather the same thing. His grandfather told him that the dog would continue to lay on that nail until he had hurt enough and would then find somewhere else to lay.

Oftentimes God will allow us to manifest problems for ourselves because he knows that many of us need to experience that particular problem directly. There are some of us who are able to learn through the indirect vicarious method. But many of us are like a child in a toy store. We simply have to touch, feel, smell every toy we come in contact with. But unlike a child, as adults we don’t have the loving hands of our parents with us to guide us through the problems of life. Sometimes problems bring us pain. Sometimes our problems bring pain to others. Each problem is an experience that we can learn from and if we don’t learn whatever it is we need to learn, the problem will return. It maybe in a different form, but it will return until we learn whatever it is that we are supposed to learn. Running away from a problem is not a guarantee that the problem won’t catch you and bite you in the area that is most exposed.

It has been my experience that reaching out to help someone else who is having problems, and has asked for my help, helps me to understand and handle my own problems better.

Giving of your time, your energy and your effort to another person is one of the greatest things you can do to lessen the burdens that are weighing on your shoulders. A smile, a handshake, taking the time to listen to another person may often be more therapeutic for you than the person you are listening to.

As Spiritualists we are all aware of the highest morality that is contained in the Golden Rule, but do we practice it on a continuing basis? It is not enough to mouth the words on Sunday and forget them on Monday. We must also live with the words in our heart for the rest of the week.

We all have the capability to do better. We have the ability to treat ourselves better through reaching out a loving hand to the person whom you dislike, or who you believe dislikes you. Learned experience will bring change in your life, and not all experiences will need to be painful. Get up off that rusty nail, find a better place to flop.

“Everyone has it in their power to say, this I am today, that I shall be tomorrow.”

The advent of Modern Spiritualism is remembered on March 31, 1848, with gratitude to the brave Fox Family of Hydesville, New York.

When their home was disturbed with noises and raps, the young girls, Catherine and Margaretta, made a game of the sounds, creating a method of communication with the spirit, Charles Rosna, the peddler, who spoke from the higher side of life. This began their unfoldment o f m e d i u m s h i p , wh i c h d e v e l o p e d in many ways, proving the continuity of life. They faced many difficulties, yet continued to serve spirit. Because of their dedicated effort and hardships, their circle of supporters became a nucleus of organized Modern Spiritualism.

Their stories encourage us to assist the mediums of today, who are serving through their own difficulties, to unfold their abilities to communicate with Spirit.

On Gratitude day, which is celebrated each year on the fourth Sunday in March, please contribute to the Spiritualist Benevolent Society. SBS helps the workers of Spiritualism by sending a monthly stipend to those who, after devoting their life to the cause, may now find, upon retirement, that they are existing on limited funds.

Sections of this article were reprinted from the March 2003 issue of The National Spiritualist Summit.