I shared this a few months ago during a service at Plymouth Spiritualist Church, and I’ve been wanting to share it with everyone on here:
When I heard that the theme of the month was Renewing Spirit and Creating Positive Change, my mind immediately went to the historical roots of Spiritualism. That Spiritualism, as a movement, a church, was born among American Reformers; I wanted to find something to share that would tie in the past and present, and our local community as well. I’d like to bring your attention to Amy and Isaac Post. Amy and Isaac were extremely influential Quaker Spiritualists that lived here in Rochester, our city. Their home was on Plymouth Ave…there’s actually a plaque marking it as a historical monument, I recommend checking it out. They’re also buried in Mt. Hope cemetery. They were both very influential with the early Women’s Suffrage movement Amy attended the Seneca Falls Convention (the first Women’s Right’s Convention) and returned home to organize Rochester’s first Women’s Right’s Convention. They were both founders of the Western New York Anti-Slavery Society. Their house was a location on the Underground Railroad, at one point having fifteen people in their house going to make their way to Canada to escape slavery. They were friends with Frederick Douglas; and Amy encouraged Harriet Ann Jacobs, an Abolitionist, Reformer, and women who was formerly enslaved, to write her famous book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Isaac was a fairly well accomplished Medium, and would practice automatic writing. He at one point published a small volume of these writings, and I wanted to share an excerpt from one: My dear friend Isaac, Mine is the privilege to often visit those in body, and impress upon their minds their duty to themselves; their God, and their fellow man. It is my business to impress the minds of those that are engaged in the Anti-Slavery, Temperence, Women’s Rights, and other reforms. I often inspire them with courage and determination, to persevere through all opposition. I feel to encourage thee to give thyself as much as possible to the direction of thy spirit friends; such as are actuated by good motives; such as have the advancement of the world at heart; such as are joined in spirit with the good in all ages, to promote the best interests of man, and the highest attainment of his nature. I give thee my full liberty to use this, whenever it may seem to thee best. I will now leave thee with my best wishes for thy welfare in every sense of the word. Thy Friend, Adin T. Corey The Posts are amazing examples of people, but what they believed in isn’t limited to the past. Spirit moved them to help others, and to better their community, their country, and the world. Spiritualism still stands for so many amazing things. If you just open your heart and mind to Spirit, it will allow you to create positive change in the world. Thank you.
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Stephen PatrickYour friendly neighborhood Spiritualist Archives
January 2019
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