An essay by Debbie Wojciehowski, Master Teacher c/o LWISSD Lisa Williams International School of Spiritual Development.
Regarding spirituality, I believes that it refers to the journey of the soul, not religion itself. Spiritualism, however, is the name that is given providing evidence that life continues after death (Mediumship).
Spirituality encompasses many different things to people. It is basically our personal well being and self-development which happens within. Spirituality is a way of life vs. being religious, although initially there was some that believed that Spirituality and Religion were the same. Spirituality is a balance of the mind, body, and soul. Regarding Spirituality, it is very important to have faith, integrity, focus, and to be present. Spirituality is also engrained with having clarity and having a sense of purpose for your life. Equally as important to having an understanding of your true self, it is important to have a connection with Spirit. In addition, while living a Spiritual life, it is important to surrender to what is “meant to be” and surrender the need to control. Spirituality is living life from the soul and from a place of love. I believe that living a Spiritual life makes our journey more meaningful and productive. We need to listen to our hearts and understand the path we are meant to follow in completing our life lessons. Living a Spiritual life is understanding that some of our greatest lessons are during our darkest hours and understanding that everything does happen for a reason! The difficulties that we face in this life and how we handle them are some of the toughest lessons of our faith and spirit. We all need to truly know and understand “who we are”! As Mediums, we need to truly “own” our gifts.
Spirituality and spiritualism do not necessarily always go together as evidenced from the actions of some mediums. There are indeed some they have “sold” themselves. This is usually based on financial gain, or from issues with their own “ego.” The first documented Medium to do this for financial gain occurred in 1888 by a Medium named Margaretta Fox. As my mentor and teacher Lisa Williams has shared with her students on many occasions, ego and spiritualism do not go together! There is a biblical scripture that says. “What does a man profit if he gains the world, only to lose his soul?”
Spiritualism is the name that is given to provide evidence that life continues after death; this is Mediumship. In fact, there are some that have adopted Spiritualism as a Religion. Spiritualism vs. Spirituality actually has a documented beginning, although various forms of Mediumship have been known for thousands of years. Depending on where you live, the Spiritualism movement has various principles associated with their beliefs. Specifically, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, and other countries, have seven principles based on the Spiritualist National Union of Great Britain; America has nine principles detailed in the National Spiritualist Association of Churches (NSAC).