Gordon Higginson's Visitor from the Ascended Realm

 

During recent epochs, people from the ascended realm chronicled to interact with humans in the physical world have been typically termed 'ascended masters' and 'spirit guides.'  Some unusual anecdotes of encounters beyond the seance room may be found in biographical books about mediums.  One  example may be read in the life story of Gordon Higginson compiled by Jean Bassett On The Side of Angels (1993).  Higginson served as president of the Spiritualists' National Union and was a medium whose work may now be seen on YouTube as mentioned in a previous article.  The following is an excerpt from Chapter 19 of the book.
 

I was born to be a medium and at first thought that was my destiny.  Then I met Arthur Finley, who lit a blaze of idealism for Stansted Hall within me, one which has never died.

It was really in the early part of 1970 I was to be helped — or led — into the dual nature of my life's work.  I really wonder sometimes which way it was, but this is what happened.

I was taking the service at Portsmouth one Saturday evening and due at my own church on the Sunday afternoon.  I decided to travel back through the night.  I had done this a number of times, but it was a shock to find that I had, somehow, lost my directions.  I was on my way to Stansted Hall!

I knew that Walter Sills and his wife May would be at the hall.  Mr. Sills was then union treasurer and, at that time, the acting manager of the hall.  There would be no guests as it was closed during the winter months at that time until about April.

I rang to check they would be willing to give me a bed as I would be arriving rather late.  I was fairly certain it would be all right because I knew Mr. Sills quite well, and he was a very nice man, very kind.  He waited up for me with tea and sandwiches.  We spoke for a while about the union, of which I was then vice-president.

In the morning I got up and went downstairs.  Mr. Sills greeted me and to my surprise told me there was someone waiting to see me.  The person had told him I would know he was coming.

Well I didn't.  Indeed, I should not have been there that day and did not know until late the previous night that I would be.  I really had no idea who it could be and said so.  Mr. Sills had asked the visitor to wait in the library so I had breakfast before going in to find out who it was and what he wanted.

Quietly, I looked round the door.  To my surprise, my visitor was a monk in a brown habit and sandals.  I was quite astonished.  Well, I didn't know any monks!  I went back to Mr. Sills and said: "I don't know of any monk who would want to see me.  I didn't expect any visitors.  No one knows I am here."

"Well," Mr. Sills replied, "he asked for you by name."

I was really curious by now.  I went back in and asked the monk what he wanted.  "Did you know that you were to meet me here?" he asked.  I said "No."  Then the monk inquired, "Where should you have been this morning?"  I told him I ought to have been at home, and explained what had happened, that I had lost my way.

"Didn't you stop to think that perhaps there was some reason why you should have to stay here the night?" asked my visitor.  "I have come to bring you a message."  "Oh dear," thought I.  "This is a peculiar thing to be happening."  But I was very curious.

The monk went on: "You have a mission in life.  You have turned down an opportunity that is important to the mission you have in life."

"Well," I said, "the only thing I can think of that I have refused to do is to stand as the president of the SNU."  I couldn't think of anything else.  I very seldom found it in me to say "No" to people.  It always seems such a hard and final word to me.

"We would like you to reconsider," said the monk.  "You have a job to do, a mission to fulfill.  A lot will depend on what you intend to do."  I asked if he would mind if I spoke with the treasurer of the union as I could not give him my answer straight away.

I went out and said to Mr. Sills: "This man is crazy.  I can't possibly take on the presidency.  I have a very demanding job.  I have my own church; I am the vice-president; I work for the college; I take services.  I can't possibly take on any more."

I cannot remember wondering what it had to do with a strange monk whether I should or should not accept the presidency as it all happened quite quickly and there was an air of unreality about the whole thing.

But Sills offered to speak to the monk for me.  We both returned to the library — to find he had disappeared!  We looked around, but there was no sign of him.  We searched the hall, the grounds, even down to the village asking if people had seen anyone dressed like a monk.  They must have wondered if we were crazy, but no one had seen him.

I rather wanted Mr. Sills to hear what the monk had to say because I could hardly believe it myself.  I also wanted him to be a witness.  This particular experience, which had been shared in part by Mr. Sills, left me shaken.  You see, there was no way  the monk could have left the library without our seeing him.  We were standing on the stairs, opposite the only door.

We had searched because it seemed he must have slipped out.  We knew in our hearts he could not have done, but still wanted to accept the normal rather than the supernormal.  That, of course, is human nature.

I decided to write to Richard Ellidge, the then general secretary, and tell him I withdrew my objection and would now stand for office.  Again, I believed it would only be for a few years.  How strange it is that 22 years later I should still be holding the same office!  And what changes there are.

At that time, we were practically bankrupt.  The hall owed thousands of pounds with no clear view that we could ever pay our debts.  There was no obvious way out of our dilemma.  I did not want to be the president who was responsible for winding up the SNU yet here I was accepting this position.

Now, we still have financial problems.  Often we work from week to week with few reserves, but we have paid our debts.  The college has become a symbol of Spiritualism that is accepted all over the world.  From having a few guests per week and a limited season we now fill the hall most weeks of the year.

Foreign students come in chartered plane-loads.  Name any country and we have people who travel from there to take what we can give at Stansted, something they cannot get anywhere else in the world.  I believe that Stansted Hall is the center of Modern Spiritualism in the world.

I also believe that the SNU was chosen to take on this responsibility because it teaches pure Spiritualism.  It has no prefixes, but a definite message that all religions can accept.  There is nothing they cannot accept because life after death can be proven.

It is a fact.  Therefore, we have that uniting principle to bring people together.  I believe there is a greater force than man operating in this world.  This force — which always has been and always will be — has moved men and women in their hearts and minds to bring good into this world.

Previous blog articles including descriptions of 'visitors from the ascended realm' include last week's article about Muhammad and the articles "Excerpts from the  Philo T. Farnsworth Biography by Elma Farnsworth" and "Phenomena and Madame H. P. Blavatsky".