Ivy Northage
was well known for her teaching abilities; and in
Britain she set up the Ivy Northage School for
Mediums, which helped many acolytes to hone and
perfect their mediumistic skills. Because they
were put through their paces and were subjected
to Ivy's disciplined training strategies, many of
her pupils eventually took to the public
platforms and successfully represented the spirit
world.
Ivy's
teaching was tempered with discipline; she told
one of the ladies who was attending her
mediumship instruction course, 'I would suggest
that you go to night-school and learn to speak
the English Language properly. As your speech is
now, you are of little use to the Spiritualist
Movement because you are not projecting the kind
of image that is required.'
And, of
course, she was right.
Ivy
demonstrated clairvoyance and, in her earlier
days, Transfiguration - where the spirit people
endeavour to build-up their features over the
medium's face in order to be seen again by their
loved ones on Earth. Her spirit guide, known as
Chan (pictured above), delivered many
inspirational and trance lectures through her
mediumship, some of which were recorded.
For nearly
40 years, from 1956 onwards, Ivy served at the
SAGB (Spiritualist Association of Great Britain,
at 33, Belgrave Square, London), and Stella
Blair, its President at the time of Ivy's passing
at the age of 92, said in Psychic News,
'Ivy touched so many lives with her teachings and
lectures that we will remember her with the love
and respect she so rightfully earned over the
years. I feel very privileged to have known such
a great and wonderful person, for not only was
she our "First Lady", she was also our
friend.'
But Ivy
Northage will be most remembered for her teaching
skills, and for the books she wrote to accompany
her study-courses - and she also left us her
life-story, called While
I Remember,
which features some fascinating accounts of the
mediumship that she witnessed.
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Beneath is a
short extract from her autobiography, which was
written by Brenda Marshall, and which still makes
readers smile, and gasp, at its content. This
recollection is of a part of Ivy Northage’s
sitting with the famed Welsh materialisation
medium, Alec Harris. It was a remarkable July night
in Cardiff, and she had already witnessed the
astonishing sight of an American Indian Guide,
known as Running Water, materialise - he had
lifted up a vase in the séance room and poured
out its water, which was a clever way of
confirming his name. Ivy goes on to say something
quite educational, but also very amusing:
Then, again with the
same suddenness, the guide was no longer there.
In his place was a rather hunched old lady. (All
this time, Alec continued to be visible in his
cubicle; we could see that he had not moved.) She
had a wrinkled face with deep lines down from the
mouth, suggesting a bad temper. In a very
querulous voice with a strong welsh accent, she
said, "My daughter is here." As a voice
answered her, this old lady trod in the water
which Running Water had poured onto the floor.
"I think it’s disgusting," she
remarked, looking down at this. "People are
so slovenly. Why don’t they wipe up these
messes?"
As the embarrassed
daughter tried to explain what had happened, her
mother interrupted, "I don’t care who
it was, they shouldn’t have left it like
this!"
The daughter tried
again. "I’m so pleased to see you,
mother."
"Are you?"
demanded the old lady crossly, then she went on
to criticise her daughter for all the things she
was doing wrongly at home. It became very clear
to us all that just being in the spirit world and
not in a physical body did not, in itself,
improve the character.
Everyone was staggered
by the wonder of it all; and we all felt that we
were indeed loved.
Titles
by Ivy Northage:
While I
Remember
Mediumship
Made Simple
Spiritual realisation
Journey Beyond
The
College of Psychic Studies address:
16 Queensbury Place, London, UK, SW7 2EB
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