May and June 2026 Newsletter

As I sit here looking out of the window of the nursing home, the sky is grey with small breaks of blue, the rain is falling gently and dampening the ground, preparing the winter growth. The traffic flows to wherever the people are going, and yet here it is the same as yesterday and the day before.

It is quiet in this room, and yet outside someone’s TV is blaring and there is a small amount of chatter from the staff as they prepare for lunch.

My 99-year-old mother lies quietly asleep, waiting for death to come and take her home to my dad. She has been here 12 months now and hates every minute of the process, and has just been diagnosed with diabetes, and apart from that, is fine, except she cannot live alone anymore at home.

Throughout life, I would hear my mum say she did not want to be in God's waiting room, and yet here she is waiting, waiting(we need to be careful with what we put out into the universe).

It is sad to watch someone who has had enough of life and does not like to mix with other people or do activities to break up the day, so she lies in bed and waits for family to visit, and I must say that that is every day.

Having a large family allows us to come in shifts, so there are at least 5 visitors per day every day. The grandchildren bring in the new babies for her to see, although she cannot hold them anymore, as my mum loves all of her grandchildren, and there are plenty of them. Conversations are the same, many on repeat, but that is ok it keeps the communication alive.

One of my grandsons came with his children and wife to see grandma, and at the reception desk asked to see his grandma, and they said " We have lots of grandmas here. What is her name? " He then texted me what Grandma's name is, and confused, I answered him, Aileen Clarke.

When I thought about it, none of them knew her name as they had never heard it mentioned; they had only heard the names mum, nana, grandma, and great grandma. No one spoke her given name at any time.

Is it the same in your family?

When she leaves this life, she will be sadly missed by those who surround her, as she has been an important part of all of their lives.

As I sit here behind the glass, life continues, and life will continue when she passes, but there will be a lot of memories and funny stories to share for a lifetime to come.

Bali Retreat

We stayed at a new hotel this year in Sanur for our annual retreat, and it was great to catch up with those who attend every year, as well as welcome those who were joining us for the first time. They now refer to themselves as a spiritual family on holiday, forging bonds that will last a lifetime.

The hotel was beautiful, and the food was amazing. There was so much available for lunch and during the breaks, and it was all so beautifully presented that no one went hungry, that is for sure. Best of all, everyone has already booked in for 2027.

At last, Vita is teaching trance for two days on the retreat, and it was exhilarating to watch participants make breakthroughs and speak through the trance exercises they were given. One lady surprised herself. She had been trying to speak for the last two years and finally broke through, delivering the most beautiful words from the spirit world, which brought both her and us to tears.

I continued their journey with mediumship, and it is wonderful to see the progress they have made. If they had any doubts about their growth, those doubts were put to rest this year by the way they presented their mediumship with such professionalism. I was, and still am, very proud of each of them.

A lady from Canada joined us and brought so much to the retreat with her presence and knowledge. She is a sound therapist, and of course, it would not be a trip to Bali without visiting my favourite sound shop, where we bought some instruments and held our own sound journey during one of the evening sessions.

The feedback was that it was even better than the Pyramid of Chi in Ubud, and they did not have to travel to experience it.

We also had a cultural evening, as some people only come to Bali for the retreat and have not experienced much of the local culture. Everyone enjoyed the food and the dancers, who performed the timeless story of the battle between good and evil.

Memories Are Made With Us

This year has seen some of our students represent those in the spirit world through their mediumship, communicating with loved ones who have passed.

I am very proud of them all as they have continued to put in the work and have progressed so much. They have come a long way in their presentation and in the way they bring through their communication. I look forward to seeing them progress even further, and hopefully 2027 will see more new students taking to the platform.

The only way we can achieve this is through continually learning. As a teacher, there is so much to teach, and I am learning at the same time alongside them.

If you have not signed up for our August retreat, then go to our Upcoming Retreats & Workshops page and check it out to see if it resonates with you and your learning. You will also find videos by Minister Christine Gregson-Sharp OSNU explaining our principles on our Interview page here.

If there is anything you would like us to share about Spiritualism, then by all means, please let me know, and I will see if I can make it happen.

Our congregations are evolving, and it is so lovely to see so many people attending the services each month. The community we are creating will hopefully continue for many years to come. This is our 19th year, and it was in June that Willie Moore, a Perth medium, opened the church for us. Sadly, he passed away in our second year, so he was unable to celebrate that milestone with us.

If there is any way we can improve, or if you have any ideas, please remember that you can always put them forward to me.

We thank you for your continued support of both our community and us. To all those who help out at both centres by setting up, packing away, assisting with the healing, or working in the kitchen, your support is always greatly appreciated.

Warmest blessings,

Beverley.