Physical Medium Stewart Alexander Publishes Memoirs

IT’S NOT everyday that a Spiritualist book is published by a world renowned physical medium. As such, I was delighted to receive Stewart Alexander’s Memoirs recently and have spent many a happy hour savouring the treasure trove of anecdotes and thought provoking views expressed therein.

Stewart Alexander has been involved with Spiritualism for over 40 years, firstly as a researcher and then combined with his work and development as a physical medium. For these reasons, this book offers the reader a quite unique perspective on the subjects he covers.

For we are not reading the views of a purely ‘armchair observer’ of physical phenomena here. We get to see things from the actual medium’s point of view - from behind the seance room curtain. This in itself offers the reader an invaluable opportunity.

The book is in two parts. The first - titled My Journey - details Stewart’s life excursion through Spiritualism. In it, we begin with Stewart coming across a copy of Arthur Findlay’s ‘On the Edge of the Etheric’, which was given to him by his brother. From there, Stewart gently takes the reader along with him as he describes how he first began to sit for and develop his mediumship. We hear how his first mentor, Kath Matthews, helped to bring about physical manifestations within Stewart’s home circle.

From there, Stewart describes meeting his second mentor, Alan Crossley, and the formation of The Elton Circle which met once a month at Alan’s home near Chester. It was here that the idea to film the phenomena of Stewart’s seance room was first proposed, and Stewart descibes in detail the events surrounding what was to become known as The Project . This was to turn out to be the most controversial episode in his life as a physical medium.

The Noah’s Ark Society for Physical Mediumship - which Stewart was the President of for several years - also gets a chapter devoted to it. And from there Stewart continues ‘onward’ to recount many more episodes and events in his mediumistic career such as “Evidential Communications”, his visits to Switzerland and much more.

The second part of the book deals with Stewart’s “Observations and Deductions.” And those looking for a ‘cosy’ essay on how nice and wonderful Spiritualism is - be warned! Stewart pulls no punches as he discects the problems affecting the Movement today:

“For a time the Movement appeared to be firmly on course to achieve its aims, and yet, following the passing through Parliament of the Fraudulent Mediums Act in 1951, it all started to go wrong. Instead of capitalising upon its hard fought victory for legalisation, it turned in upon itself and went into decline. The fighting spirit which saw its leadership, together with its rank and file, present a united front in the face of legal injustice slowly became a memory. The Movement’s central message became fragmented, diluted and corrupted, with the result that gradually it lost direction.”

The final two chapters encompass a valient and intelligent defense of probably the most controversial physical medium of all time - ‘Margery’ Crandon. Stewart has devoted many years of meticulous study and research into this remarkable woman and the fruits of his endevours are put to good use in his fine rebuttal of the sceptics’ allegations.

Stewart Alexander’s An Extraordinary Journey offers the reader a rare glimpse into the mind of a physical medium. Anyone interested in Spiritualism - and psychic phenomena in particular - will also delight in the varied, fascinating and detailed accounts contained in this most enjoyable book. As such, it is a welcome and most needed addition to the Spiritualist catalogue.

To order from Amazon.co.uk, please click the link, below:

An Extraordinary Journey: The Memoirs of a Physical Medium

To order from Amazon.com, please click the following link:

An Extraordinary Journey: The Memoirs of a Physical Medium