Some time ago now, I decided to drag myself forward into this new technological age and construct a website to put me back in touch with the many people that I have missed ‘chatting’ with in the way that I did during my time at Psychic News – now fast receding into history! I know that there are even more people who didn’t read PN for whatever reason but who perhaps will find something of interest to them here. So in this way I felt I could rekindle and renew the contact that I used to have with the thousands of spiritually and primarily Spiritualistically minded people who used to read Psychic News, as well as the Hydesville Day Magazine that I instituted and edited annually for four years, and after that, the Spiritualist then Spiritual News way back in 2008/9/10!
An article on my friend and colleague in Spiritualism Colin Fry was printed in ‘ Spiritual News-i’ back then and is reproduced on a page here. It seems that this idea of mine has been well received because I have had emails via the ‘contact’ page letting me know how people are getting on. Also of course through my Facebook personal pages which are Lyn Gibb-de Swarte or Rev Lyn Gibb-de Swarte.
If you have checked into this website because you are of enquiring mind about all things psychic and spiritual, you may like to take a look at my other website that promotes a new approach to modern Spiritualism. It’s called http://www.newchristianspiritualistssociety.com
With promptings from the higher realms, some call heavenly, I inaugurated a new organisation for Spiritualists who needed a fulcrum for their non-conformist religious Spiritualist selves whereby they could feel part of an accepting group. Particularly if they considered themselves followers of Jesus’s teachings and example…
Now it has grown exponentially with many happy to be a part of this branch of Spiritualism.
In Littleport our Senior Minister and Suffragan Bishop to the NCSS founder and first minister, Right Reverend Nick Brown, conducts meetings every week at Littleport Village Hall – home of the First Church of the Society, the curate there is Reverend Wendie E Perry, along with Assisting Deacons Reverend Alan Sutton and Reverend Penny Sutton.
The NCSS has two archbishops, The Most Reverend Alan Acton and the Most Reverend Judith Freeman, both of whom have many years of experience in matters Spiritualist and spiritual having travelled extensively spreading the word of our philosophy and demonstrating and teaching too.
The NCSS has many outposts established around the UK and abroad as well.
In the Midlands we are delighted to have the services of a very famous showbiz personality, singer, author, writer of so many articles and features on Spiritualism too, and past contributor to Psychic news under my editorship and now regular contributor to Psychic World newspaper, our bishop, the Right Reverend Philip Solomon.
In England’s capital London there are NCSS gatherings with many Senior Ministers Reverend Garry Titheridge contact number 07505825605, Reverend Karren Cambridge, The Right Reverend Pollyanna Boothby – Tucker, Reverend Teresa Aveiro who are all on Facebook; and in Lincolnshire and Northumberland with Right Reverend Joseph Arthur Wright and Right Reverend Scott Williams.
In Bridlington we have Pastures Green Church with another of our wonderfully busy bishops, Right Reverend Jeanette Bolton and in Southern England we have Reverend Ross Bartlett. Reverend Guy Taylor also ordained by the NCSS, while meetings are held in the Worthing West Sussex area under the leadership of our esteemed bishop the Right Reverend Denise Mascherpa (SWANS) You may also call on the services of Reverend Karen Barker and Reverend Kevin Hopwood who are also in West Sussex – and Bulgaria.
In the old days of the weekly newspaper that was established in 1932 by medium and journalist, Maurice Barbanell, Psychic News, now unfortunately no more, morphed into a monthly magazine, and now combined with another magazine Two Worlds, I became editor in 1996. For nigh on 7 years I contributed articles and also wrote my weekly ‘Letter from the Editor’ as well as presenting a letters page that welcomed readers’ news and views.
So too in other, earlier publications of which I was editor, Sportswoman and Sportsworld International as well as the Rink Link newspaper among others.
I am assuming that you have come to this website because you are curious about me – and the work that I have done over a period of years and basically my interests that have propelled me into various activities.
I left Psychic News, aka PN, in May 2003, and after 5 years had elapsed – with no mention of my actual leaving or reports of my ensuing work gracing its pages – which included serving a Church in America and giving two days of public mediumship demonstrations at the Ideal Home Exhibition followed by private aura readings – I was asked to produce and edit another paper, Spiritualist News.
The proprietors left me high and dry as we say, so I tried to continue what I thought was a worthwhile project but had to throw in the towel once all savings were gone! In these publications too I penned a letter, feeling that I was in touch with every reader individually. I felt that I had a friend even though I may never have known that friend in the ordinary way, a penfriend in fact.
So here I am writing this letter to you, to tell you a little of my life and to perhaps offer you some interesting spiritual and Spiritualist items on these pages that I hope you will like. As a journalist, author and medium, communication, with both the living and the ‘dead’, has been my life for over a quarter of a century. For just over 19 years before that I’d devoted all my spare time to serious short track ice speed skating, running a speed skating club at Streatham and officiating at competitions both nationally and internationally, and ice hockey, founding the women’s ice hockey game with an association in 1981, some fen outdoor skating when the rare opportunity arose, and in latter years helping to develop opportunities in sport generally for women and girls. I was an executive founder member of the Women’s Sports Foundation and I published the first all sports magazine for women, Sportswoman, in 1985. I won an award as 1988 Magazine Sports Writer of the Year after editing Sportsworld in 1987/8, and was production and art editor for Cricket Life in 1990/1. In 1991/92 I coached The South African Speed Skating Squad after apartheid had ended and the boycott lifted, and accompanied them to the World Championships in America by which time the youngest of my six children had passed his 18th birthday.
Four years later I was appointed editor of Psychic News – then the world’s oldest weekly Spiritualist paper.
By this time I’d developed my mediumistic gifts at Lewisham Spiritualist Church, first serving there as a resident medium, healer and circle leader and had gone on to teach mediumship and healing both here in the UK and in Israel. After leaving PN I was ordained by United Spiritualists and in 2005 spent time as acting Minister to the Albertson Memorial Church in Connecticut USA. I have established churches and trained working mediums, spreading the word about our Spiritualist way of life however, and wherever I can, in as uplifting and encouraging a manner as I can…
In the early days of digital and satellite I appeared on UK Living TV in its ‘Why Files’ series with Phil Scott and presenter Dave Barratt. I was filmed at Drury Lane Theatre ‘ghost hunting’ and at the London Dungeon and The Clink Museum. I gave readings on Granada’s Breeze television channel and have taken part in more serious debates on BBC and ITV programmes such as ‘Esther’, ‘Kilroy’ and Lowrie Turner. I’ve spoken many times on radio on questions of Spiritualist science and philosophy. I answered questions for the internet portal provider Tiscali on their own web pages every week for about five years. On behalf of that company I demonstrated mediumship at the Ideal Home Exhibition in Olympia for two days in the theatre there. I gave readings to the many visitors including one that was filmed to Brian Conley. This gave many people a good laugh because I didn’t know who he was. Famous as a comic and actor, and who was good enough to agree to be filmed and tell viewers how accurate his reading actually was. Unfortunately the video clip expired – it belonged to Talk Talk, so unable to show it any more. I fought the Spiritualist corner politically on radio and in newspapers before the repeal of the Fraudulent Mediums Act and produced the crusading Spiritualist paper Spiritual News at that critical time.
I was the last medium of the Twentieth Century to sit at the Official Houdini Seance at the Magic Circle theatre in 1999, which was filmed by Italian film makers and have appeared on Japanese and Australian television. The Daily Express and the Mail featured my work and I have demonstrated mediumship at various theatres – including the ‘Medley of Mediums’ with Gordon Smith, Bryan Gibson, Colin Fry, Tony Stockwell, Ron Jordan and Andy Mulligan before they were tv personalities and with Keith Charles (Psychic Cop) for Life After Death Promotions (LAD) run by impresario and past President of Wimbledon Spiritualist Church Derek Robinson who started his venture with mediums Gordon Higginson and Doris Stokes. Derek who was always a supportive friend to me passed to Spirit in November 2014. He is a very great loss to the Spiritualist movement.
In 1988 I received the ‘Magazine Sportswriter of the Year’ award from the Sports Council and the Sports Writers Association and wrote the book ‘Women and Sport’. This is still in use as a college textbook and can still be found in libraries. In 1998 I was asked by the same publishers, Thorsons, to write another on Spiritualism that would interest the general public. The Principles of Spiritualism sold out and like its forerunner was doing the rounds on Amazon and Ebay etc. So many people were having to buy it second hand for large amounts that I thought I’d better write an updated version and one that could also be purchased for a reasonable price. This updated version of my book/diy manual ‘More Principles of Spiritualism’ is now also sold out. But it has been replaced with a much larger more comprehensive volume that includes information on ministry plus many services, called The Spiritualists’ Handbook which you can buy from amazon.com and you can find out more about it and its contents on Page 6 on this website.
I was a healer trainer with the Brighthelm Healing Trust (BAHA) for many years. I was Life President of the Littleport Ely and District Spiritualists that disbanded under SNU guidance to move into Ely with a changed name – allowing its original members to regroup under the auspices of our new society and to use the same venue as when we founded it in Littleport Cambridgeshire. I returned to Littleport as a serving speaker and medium and now have resumed the close association with Spiritualists thereabouts as I started the New Christian Spiritualists’ Society in Littleport that now has many ministers and churches in the UK and abroad. You can find out more at http://www.newchristianspiritualistssociety.com
After moving to the South Coast and starting the Doris Stokes memorial meetings there at various venues, I was asked to help restore the Corinthian Church and Healing Association’s HQ Church at Primrose Hall by the Head and Founder of the Corinthians, Reverend Ron Jones who has now sadly passed on to the spirit world he served, and which I did, assisted very ably by medium and healer Rev Cathy Gibb-de Swarte to good effect. I left after it was up and running – and then returned to London. A television news company from Australia came to the Doris Stokes mini meeting to film a service and table turning, and interview me prior to the repeal of the Fraudulent Mediums Act. This was screened on the Australian News Network. This can be viewed on You Tube if you type in my name. I hope you enjoy watching! Meanwhile there is an informative article on Page 27 referring to this meeting.
The table turning with Cathy Gibb-de Swarte mentioned in a following blog post is included in the You Tube videos! The New Christian Spiritualists’ Society has been gathering strength and now has ordained ministers of exceptional note and proven abilities of mediumship and healing. I would love to hear from you and hear your opinions on all matters spiritual and Spiritualist, so do get in touch! I am of course on Facebook!You can message me on that or send me a message by email to revlyn@btinternet.com or via the ‘contact form’ page. I look forward to hearing from you.
I am currently busy with my newly discovered sport of Bandy – called variously football on ice with a curved stick and ball, about the size of a field hockey ball, and ice hockey with a ball. I am president of the Great Britain Bandy Federation http://www.gbbandyfederation.uk I also am maintaining my interest in ice speed skating – particularly fen skating and long track… If you want more info on that aspect of my activities you may email me at gbbandyfederation@btinternet.com
It was my love of the ice that brought me into Spiritualism…
Kay Dibling had come to Streatham Ice Speed Club in 1975, and as well as becoming a world-class short track speed skater , became my friend. She was a Spiritualist and when I was upset over my dad’s passing in 1991, encouraged me to accompany her to a Spiritualist Church. The way of life and philosophy and science of it assuaged some of my upset, and set me on my pathway…
I am still looking forward to seeing the culmination of some years’ working on an Ice Stadium Project. A plan has been drawn by an architectural designer to my Client Brief for an enclosed 400 metre ice oval track around a 100x60metre soccer size Bandy ice pitch! I shall see where this might take us and hopefully be placed in the years from 2019 on.
I am on Facebook and have tutorials etc on YouTube. (You can find links for these on my contact page) I also contribute regularly to the one remaining Spiritualist newspaper in Great Britain – that was founded by Maurice Barbanell too – edited and published by the daughter of a Spiritualist pioneer Ray Taylor of the SNU Trust, who stepped into the breach very many years ago to keep it going, and who is doing a grand job of that since he passed, Candy Taylor, Psychic World.
I hope you enjoy the pages – and the music that I’ve chosen to share with you.
Yours in Love, Light and Truth, and Sport, Lyn
Lyn Gibb de Swarte 