Gordon
Higginson's authorised biography, On the Side
of Angels, written by Jean Bassett,
details his action-filled life, and
records his views on a range of topics and some
of the compelling evidence of survival he
received, and gave, from people in the afterlife.
He recounts that his mother received predictions
from the spirit world about his birth and his
mediumistic abilities, both of which were
fulfilled. His gifts included not only trance and
clairvoyance, but also the dramatic faculty of
materialisation when the so-called dead appear in
the seance-room to be reunited with their loved
ones - though his materialisations were not as
consistently impressive as those of Helen Duncan
and Alec Harris.
Gordon began his mediumsitic calling when he was
twelve years old: his mother, Fanny Higginson
(herself a medium) trained him, and in the course
of his lifetime of service to the spirit world he
travelled relentlessly up and down the United
Kingdom, appearing before hundreds of thousands
who witnessed his brilliant clairvoyance not only
in Spiritualist churches, but also in halls and
theatres, including London's Royal Albert Hall.
His messages often contained the full names and
sometimes the addresses of his recipients.
A dedicated Spiritualist, he held on to the
Presidency of the Spiritualists' National Union
(SNU) for over 20 consecutive years, and he was
one of its ordained Ministers. In addition to
being the Principal of the Arthur Findlay College
(right),
which he thought of as his 'second home', he
was also the long-standing President of Longton
Spiritualist Church, Staffordshire, England.
top of columns
|
In his book he
recalls a wartime, spirit-world intervention:
"One
time we became trapped behind the enemy lines.
Our escape route, a bridge, had been blown up.
There seemed to be no way out; there was a river,
but we knew it was treacherous and very deep in
places. I had been taught how to swim in full
kit, but not everyone could do so. I was in
charge and wondered what I could do to save these
men and get back to our lines.
"I
went aside and spoke with my spirit friends, desperately
asking for help. Cuckoo (his black child
guide) was there, and she said I was to
trust her. She promised to show me the way, and
said, 'Remember the bouncing ball!' Cuckoo
reminded me of the first game we used to play
together; now she would use that to bring us all
to safety. Approaching the water, I saw the ball.
I knew that I must follow it, and I must trust.
We crossed that river with the water sometimes up
to our chins.
"We
all got through, even the shortest men. How pleased
we were to be safe on the right side of that
river. It is little wonder that the platoon loved
my little black guide. Some of them collected
pictures of black children and named them Cuckoo."
_________________
Following
a series of mini-strokes, Gordon passed over from
a heart attack at his home in Longton, in 1993.
Stansted
Hall in Essex, England, the former home
of Arthur Findlay, and now the
headquarters of The Spiritualists' National Union
and The Arthur Findlay College of Psychic
Science, which is visited by thousands of
students each year.
|
