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YSC York MediumsSpirit ? 
York Spiritualist Centre in Wilton Rise - approaching from St Pauls Terrace
York Spiritualist Centre in Wilton Rise
YSC - Exterior Windows & Brickwork
YSC - View across the Main Hall set out for the Sunday Divine Service
The former Spen Lane Spiritualist Church - now a private dwelling.
Only the front wall remains of the original building.
The former Spen Lane Spiritualist Church
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The Key to Spen Lane Spiritualist Church
The key to the future is contained in the past.
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River Ouse from Lendal Bridge, showing Guildhall and City Screen
Willows by the River Foss
The Minster from the City Walls
The Shady Tower Gardens
The Ruins of St Mary's Abbey in Spring
"The Bar Walls" in Spring
Stonegate
A historic street, which has been traffic-free for over 40 years.
River Foss and Foss Bridge
Foss Bridge connects Walmgate to Fossgate
Anchorage behind All Saints, North Street
There was an anchorage here in mediaeval times, but this building dates from the early 20th Century.
It has been twice used by contemplatives - Sister Adeline Cashmere and Brother Walter Wilman.
Memorial to the Fallen in the Battle of Kohima, Burma ~ 4 April - 22 June 1944
The "Stalingrad of the East"
Black Madonna - All Saints North Street
Shadows on an Ancient Wall
Mediaeval Stained Glass - All Saints North Street
St Anne teaching the young St Mary to read
Ouse Bridge
Beyond, Skeldergate Bridge is visible.
North Street Gardens
The Central Tower of York Minster from Dean's Park
Gladys Osborne Leonard - (1882-1968)
A great trance medium of great integrity
Worked with her trance control 'Feda', her Hindu great-great grandmother.
She was able to give outstanding survival evidence to bereaved families during the First World War.
Leonora Piper - (1887-1950)
One of the greatest trance mediums ever. Her trance control gave wonderful afterlife evidence.
One of the mediums involved in the famous "Cross Correspondences".
Eileen Garrett - (1893-1970)
Great Psychic and Medium, known as 'the sceptical medium', because of her frequent
doubts and questioning.
She allowed scientists to scrutinise her abilities and co-operated in countless experiments.
Emma Hardinge Britten - (1823 -1899)
Trance Medium and Inspirational Speaker. Writer and Promoter of Spiritualism.
Founded 'The Two Worlds' magazine. Brought Spiritualism its 7 Principles from spirit.
Very instrumental in setting up the Spiritualist National Union.
Some of her trance addresses are available from the SNU website.
Albert Best - (1917-1996)
Clairvoyant, Trance Healer, Uncle of George Best, footballer.
Gordon Higginson - (1918-1993)
Clairvoyant & Physical Medium
Longest serving SNU President (1970-1993)
Arthur Ford - (1897-1971)
The medium who cracked the Houdini Code
Daniel Dunglas Home (pronounced 'Hume') - (1833-1886)
Sensational Victorian Scottish Medium
Clairvoyant, Trance Speaker, Direct Voice and Physical Medium
Doris Stokes - (1920-1987)
This ever-popular medium was renowned for her down to earth manner and her cheerful friendliness.
Her mediumship gave comfort and hope to thousands of people.
Helen Duncan - (1897-1956)
Arguably one of the greatest physical mediums ever. She was also a gifted mental medium.
Her main control was Albert, who was tall and slim while Helen Duncan was small and rounded.
When Albert materialised, it was obvious that it was impossible to be Helen Duncan dressed up.
Her mediumship brought back men killed in WW2, which in one case led to her infamous trial
under the Witchcraft Act of 1735 and her subsequent unjust imprisonment.
The real reason was that the wartime government believed that her brilliant mediumship could be
a threat to national security. A materialised sailor who had just drowned when HMS Barham
had been sunk, had given news of its sinking before the government wished for it to be reported.
Estelle Roberts - (1889-1970)
Outstandingly accurate mental medium
Gifted all-round medium - demonstrated also
physical mediumship, direct-voice mediumship and healing gifts.
Lisa Williams (born 1973)
Contemporary British circuit and television medium, who impresses with her accuracy.
John Campbell Sloan - (1869-1951)
Glasgow born direct-voice medium of outstanding ability.
He is now the spirit control for the Hameau Montcabirol Physical Circle in France.
His mediumship was rigorously tested by Arthur Findlay, who rated it of the highest quality.
Tony Stockwell (born c1969)
Contemporary British medium, who is brilliant at "building the evidence" in his readings.
Well-known now as a circuit and television medium
Gordon Smith (born 1962)
Contemporary Scottish medium, a seventh son of a seventh son,
who is renowned for his detailed and accurate messages.
David Thompson (born 1960s)
Contemporary British physical medium, who now lives in Australia.
He is one the best known physical mediums alive now, and his seances
are said to have yielded spectacular evidence.
Towton area
We are grateful to Jill for sharing these photos taken at night not far from Towton battlefield
with a digital camera. Jill was out walking with a friend. There was no mist and no frost.
Jill was able to see strange lights in the air, which she tried to capture.
Several orbs can be seen on the full-scale images and can be made out in our smaller versions.
Jill and her friend were surprised by these "spiritous mists" and "wraith-like" forms.
In some, human-like forms are suggested.
Of course there may be a natural explanation, but we could not think of one.
As Spiritualists we know that mysterious phenomena do occur,
and that "The Other Side" can break through in sudden and unexpected ways.
So we will not commit the fashionable fallacy of saying that there has to be a natural explanation,
because "supernatural" events cannot happen.
If you can think of a natural explanation, which is credible, please let us know.
It was not a fault in her camera, which has behaved normally since.
The actual Battle of Towton, fought not far away on high ground between the villages of
Towton and Saxton, was the bloodiest battle ever fought on British soil.
It occurred in the civil war known as "The War of the Roses" on Palm Sunday, 29th March, 1461.
The exact number of slain is not known, but it is said that as many as 30,000 men were killed.
In the parley before the battle it was agreed that no quarter would be given or asked for.
Even today, the visitor to the battlefield will find that the whole area
leaves a haunting and indelible impression.
Many of the dead were buried in the churchyard at Saxton to the south.
The routed Lancastrians were pursued to Tadcaster,
to the north, where they were butchered mercilessly.
Mediums and sensitives will pick up information there, which perhaps remains locked in the place
and, hopefully, the spirits responsible for that furious energy expended for ignominious reasons have finally moved on to the light. Could that terrible event, which raged all over this area, have left these imprints? Or do other energies account for them? What would a "natural" explanation be? Spiritualists, of course, understand spirit activity to be natural, very common, and in the overwhelming majority of cases nothing to fear, but, on the contrary, to be welcomed as bringing comfort and hope.
St Germain ?
This photo shows a detail from a photo taken by Michael, inside a suburban church in York.
He is adamant that the church was empty when he took the photo. Normally he would have discarded
this blurred result, except that it shows a person sitting in a long purple dress or robes
on the far side of the church, where there was no-one visible.
Michael called it St Germain, because it reminded him of typical depictions he has seen of that being.
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