SPEAKER - KAREN SMITS (SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2024)
Personal Responsibility in A Rapidly Evolving World
Thank you to the Church Committee and the Community here at Mornington Spiritualist Church: I am humbled by the warm welcome and love that it’s a community desiring to welcome new and energetic people.
Authentic Spiritualism does take a sharing and diverse community. Personal Responsibility feeds and is fed by our community and general society. What happens in society can challenge, enrich and rejuvenate our Personal Responsibility. As Spiritualist's, this principle calls on us to examine our individuality and virtue, both inside Spiritualism and inside our wider community. I was inspired that it’s the only principle that can be challenged by changes within society. And Boy! So many changes! Sometimes I ask Spirit: Why did I choose to incarnate now?
How do you search for answers to questions about life now? Is it asking a friend, or perhaps using Google to find a quick answer? Remember your response as this inspired talk progresses.
For millennia, personal responsibility has been relatively stable and generally tied to orthodox Anglo-religious beliefs. Steadily this religious connection has shifted. Not only is there a vast exit from orthodox religion; the ways of everyday life and our reliance on technology have changed society and the social definition of Personal Responsibility at warp speed. Sending the human race into an unknown brave new world.
No longer are our moral values or sense of Personal Responsibility built on the values of generations that have come before us. Society no longer has a generalised and similar moral compass. Rather, there is a vast array of differing values and experiences. Rapid change and differing values has led to generalised confusion within society. And, thanks to technological advances and widespread usage, very visible and loud confusion.
One such example can be found in our search for friendships or romantic love. It is natural to seek companionship. Reports of singles seeking a life partner loudly echo a common confusion with maintaining individual rights at the forefront. It may surprise some that over 65% of Australians have lost their ability to trust and know when to compromise.
The 'old-school’ values seem to have vanished from the modern search for a partner. But reliance on technology for close connection as highlighted by an episode of 'Insight’ 23/7 has shown its own problems. Old-school compassion, co-operation and compromise are now needed to be re-taught. Personal Responsibility is a call to educate others or personally revisit the areas of loyalty, virtue, boundaries and compromise. It seems that for a few generations, teachings have focused on making citizens aware of their rights within society.
As enlightened souls we understand that with each 'Right’ comes a 'Responsibility’. I'm inspired that at a base level, this is a typical Yin Yang element of life. However, Rights seem to now outweigh Responsibility.
Learning our rights was an important step forward. However, leaving out responsibilities created an incomplete and imbalanced picture. The incomplete picture seems to have been adopted by society via technology that visually repeats the “Rights” only version.
Modern technology and instant sharing fostered higher levels of competition. Competition lives in ego and not in the world of spirit. The rise of the ego has extended into how we behave in society. Think further of those who may have ceased holding a door open due to fear of reproach. As a result, this kind gesture diminished over time. There are many more examples of how we may have withdrawn from a former level of Personal Responsibility.
As individuals within a community, if we desire certain behaviours to continue, we have a Personal Responsibility to lead by example and encourage positive and helpful behaviours.
Another aspect to consider is the Ego driven catch phrase 'Spiritual’ is given to many forms inside and outside of Spiritualism. Don't get me wrong: I am not calling out anyone nor devaluing the benefits of motivation, manifestation, meditation, karma, rest or rejuvenation. Individual beliefs and free will allow us all to arrive at our own conclusions. Understanding societal changes and social norms can act to inform and enhance our conclusions.
Current Spiritualist members mostly consist of those who are all too familiar with the loss of loved ones. Modern spiritual seekers are driven more by desire for higher connection to Guides, the Universe or the Divine rather than the loss of a loved one. I'll explain.
Ancestry has become more about scientific, DNA zones of heritage in place of the familial individual stories of very real and live ancestors. This societal change, combined with advances that extend our lives, has also seen an exponential growth in individuals seeking spiritual explanations. How citizens find spiritual connection or answers is shifting.
Fostering a rise of psychic, intuitive or tarot, believing the modern use of 'Spiritual’ will lead to a connection with Spirit Guides. Unfortunately, as a direct consequence, there's an increase of psychic and tarot readers who claim the title of spiritual for their works without ever having stepped inside a Spiritualist service or connected to the world of Spirit. Tarot readers provide modern seekers the visual demand for spiritual connection but lack spiritual evidence. As we are all aware; there can be very gifted intuitive, however that is not Spiritualism.
Modernity has demonstrated that the Psychic/Intuitive is a battle of ego rather than faith. COVID lockdowns opened the world to ZOOM when other avenues had already emerged. Especially YouTube, Tik-Tok, Discord, Facebook and Instagram. With Facebook now being considered an old-fashioned app. 'Spiritual’ activity that is easily discoverable within technology now awakens a lot of people to seek a deeper connection with Spirit. Remember that this way is easy and 'Rights’ driven rather than accurate and authentic. However, it does provide Spiritualism with a unique opportunity. Yet very few Spiritualists with Evidentiary Mediumship appear on these modern platforms despite a 'Live’ option. In no way am I advocating we all join modernity; rather that we foster an understanding and restore Balance in favour of Authentic Spiritualism.
Just like the confusion surrounding interpersonal connections, Spiritualism with its defining 7 Principles needs to flood the easily searchable wave of 'Spiritual’ to educate the ‘rights’ driven influx of the value of providing evidence of Authentic Spiritual Connection.
As Spiritualists, we are called upon to lead by example for the coming generations of Spiritually gifted souls who have less connection to ancestral knowledge and a greater connection with the easy to find technology based 'Spiritual’. If you're feeling helpless in this - DON'T! Remember your own answer to the search question asked at the beginning. You can be an active member of modernity.
Those who possess “Intuition” outside of Spiritualism can be welcomed as halfway to connecting with a higher Spiritualist power. They need Spiritualism, not Google to continue their journey. Encouragement through modern platforms seems a small way to start the conversation and encourage attendance at a Spiritualist Church.
The numbers of people willing to admit being Spiritual has risen dramatically. Even though it’s a broad spiritual banner associated with technology searches, Spiritualism has so much more to offer than the intuitive world, and only our Personal Responsibility to Spiritualism and willingness to engage with modernity, can guide others to authentic Spiritual practice and the 7 Principles of Spiritualism.
Modernity has a less flattering impact in that, society is finding their spiritual and moral compass from the loudest online voices with the most 'likes’ or 'shares’, leading to a misguided, incomplete or personality based Spiritual version where the squeakiest wheel gets the metaphorical grease. Attention has rapidly gone to individual self-promotion rather than evidence-based Mediumship. Modernity requires visual representation of real Spiritualism within the Modern platforms used by less informed spiritual seekers.
We've all heard of the gold standard set by Stanstead Hall and the story of Arthur Findlay College. Show of hands those who have heard of the Psychic Medium College? Yes, it is Australian based and in N.S.W. I cannot comment on the teachings as I've never had contact with them. The numbers of new students enrolling is impressive. At this point of my talk, it’s important to note that those under 30 have heard more about a NSW college than the revered Stanstead Hall. Why? Understanding that societal changes are having an impact on Spiritualism may help. Being vocal in modernity about Spiritualist Churches will help more.
Take a minute after this service to take an honest stock of your own Personal Responsibility. Ask if modernity has evolved or changed your own level of Personal Responsibility? Ask if your Spiritual Personal Responsibility could be positively improved? Have you spent time learning about platforms? It is vital that the interpersonal interaction provided in Sunday Services or Workshops continue for upliftment and harmony. Personal Responsibility is the Spiritualist Principle that asks us to be honest with our own souls, in private or in conjunction with a mentor.
We are now called upon to also be sensitive to those stepping into a spiritual journey without knowledge of grief. To those who are only being brought to Spiritualism through misinformation spread via social media.
Why not use your Personal Responsibility and share your Spiritualist affection by using hashtags. For example, Hashtag Mornington Spirituality on any social media platform. Engage on social media with a supportive mindset. Do something simple! Share Workshop information or hashtag a Sunday Service. Who has done this?
Personal Responsibility in a truly graceful and positive way is beautiful and trustworthy. Spiritualists’ have their arms wide open and are ready to lead by example rather than try to dictate or introduce ego. Keeping our arms and hearts open and beginning to engage with modernity on those social media platforms gives Spiritualism a unique advantage.
Mind, Body, Spirit Festivals and other Spiritual Events use modern platforms without the respectfulness found in Spiritual Churches. Are you ready to use your Personal Responsibility to let others know the magic of Spiritualism? Are you ready to learn about modern platforms? Who has used hashtags when attending a Spiritualist Church?
It is Personal Responsibility to place our community on a level playing field and grow within Modernity. Personal Responsibility, understanding and compassion can balance the incomplete picture of a “Rights” view. In order to accomplish this, we need Spiritualist Churches to be represented in Modernity.
It is after all important to keep Spiritualist Churches in operation (butts in seats and donations in the plate) as the Authentic Spiritual voice. To keep serving Spiritualism we need to be discoverable within modernity. Welcoming new members with our hearts open. Word of Mouth is now more to do with word of phone, yet it can be successfully done without compromising our integrity.
Our Personal Responsibility toward Spiritualism is to make positive use of modern technology. Let spiritual seekers hidden from view by the confusion of modernity find the path to Authentic Spiritual fulfilment by using your power to share.
Thank you Karen
