Abu — Principal Spiritual Teacher
The principal spiritual teacher was affectionately known to the sitters as Abu, meaning “father”. His earthly incarnation took place 3,500 years ago in Egypt, where he was a member of the priesthood and met an untimely end through assassination.
During the intervening years in the spirit realm, his growing understanding enabled him to reach the fourth plane of consciousness. His own learning and experiences allow him to speak to us with knowledge and love, expressed with such simplicity that no one can fail to understand or be touched by his teachings. He comes from a spirit realm far removed from the Earth plane, often referred to as the fourth plane or fourth heaven. His teaching is a message of love, conveying warmth, compassion, tolerance and understanding.
Alf Harris — Doorkeeper to the Circle
Alf Harris was a typical London-born Cockney and a costermonger (barrow boy). He lived on Earth during the late 19th century and until 1914, when he was killed in France at the beginning of the First World War (1914–1918). He served as the doorkeeper to the circle.
Alf had a great sense of humour, which shone through alongside his warm and caring nature. He often coughed heavily when communicating through the medium’s physical body because he had been a cigarette smoker on Earth, and the medium, Rick, was also a smoker.
Alf referred to his medium as his “bloke” and to Norman, the circle leader, as the “guvnor”. Out of respect, he called the teacher “Mr Abu”. His words and phrases were never intended maliciously. Although some may seem inappropriate today, please remember that they were in common use at the time.
Mr Andrews — Chemist to the Circle
Mr Andrews was concerned with the workings of mediumship between Earth and spirit. He discussed his work with the sitters, including blending auras and vibrations, removing the etheric body during trance, and tapping into the “wire”, or silver cord. He had also been a chemist on Earth.
Bartholomew — Scientist
Bartholomew speaks of his scientific interests in the spirit world, where matter is flexible. His talk explores time, the basic angle of each individual, and the group soul concept as it affects animals. He also describes his growing interest in more eternal matters beyond science and the opportunities to continue working. Bartholomew had also worked as a scientist on Earth.
Dr Chang — Spiritual Healing
Spiritual healing was Dr Chang’s life’s work. He talks about magnetic healing, “X-ray eyes”, and the potential healing abilities of a circle member. He also discusses the hands of a spirit doctor working with a healer, hot and cold rays, the use of sound in healing on the spirit side of life, colour, and the use of the etheric body in healing.
Black Hawk — Rescue Work
Black Hawk was a Native American during his life on Earth. His mission was to help those who were earthbound. He was involved in all the circle’s rescue work, an important role, and gave advice on how it should be carried out.
He also speaks of the help being given from the spirit side of life. His accounts are informative and helpful to those interested in rescue work and how a rescue circle operates.
Rescue Cases Available for Public Release
The following are a few rescue cases from the Norman Hunt Home Circle that have been made available for public release.
Vanessa Morton: This rescue case concerns an educated and cultured woman who had evidently been selfish and unloving towards others on Earth. With love and understanding, the circle helped her recognise the errors that had held back her spiritual progress.
William Thompson: A miner who died in a coal-mine collapse near Brighouse, Yorkshire, England. When he was first brought to the circle, he had no idea that he had died and passed over to the spirit world, where he found himself recovering in hospital. A lovely friendship develops between William and the circle members, helping him realise what had happened.
Donald and Jeannie: This remarkable and emotional case involves a father and daughter speaking through two mediums in deep trance. This is the only way Jeannie can be brought to speak with her father, who had wronged her on Earth. He begs for her forgiveness, something she cannot bring herself to believe.
Josh Whitehead: Norman Hunt, the circle leader, introduces the case of an old sea captain, privateer and smuggler who had wandered the waterfronts of the world since about 1800. Pride had prevented him from taking a position under anyone.
Reuben: An Orthodox Jew brought to the circle who had been held back by some erroneous thinking. After a number of visits, he made good progress and was able to meet his wife, who was also in the spirit realms. He wanted to help his family still on Earth, a joy shared by the circle members.
Questions and Answers
From the Norman Hunt Home Circle
1. Soul and Spirit
Questioner: What is the difference between soul and spirit?
Abu: The difference between soul and spirit is, in the first instance, a difference in pronunciation of words, for, before we can commence to discuss the difference, if difference exists, we must be clear as to what is meant by the use of those earthly words. It is pointless and futile for me to attempt to lay down the law in respect of the nature of the soul or the nature of the spirit unless and until we shall have arrived at agreement as to what we mean by those terms.
I would therefore take the word “soul”, which you have used, and translate it, I hope correctly, by using a term which I believe to be Greek, which is “psyche”. You will correct me if I am wrong in this respect.
2. The Meaning of Psyche
Questioner: There is certainly a Greek word “psyche”, but as to whether it has the same meaning for people now as the word “soul”, I cannot be sure.
Abu: I offer you my own definition of these terms; not that it is a unique definition or that my definition has greater validity than any other, but simply and solely for the reasons which I have already expressed, namely that we must be in agreement.
And since, throughout the course of our discussions, I have always used the term “spirit” to indicate the fundamental essence (be it undifferentiated or be it individualised is of no material moment), I prefer to make use of the word “soul” in the sense of the “psyche”, from which will stem, as you will see, faculties which you know as “psychic” (but not necessarily spiritual). Then we shall be upon common ground when endeavouring to discuss any difference.
3. The Soul, Spirit and Physical Body
Questioner: I think that the idea in my mind was that the soul was something which contains the spirit, in the same way as the physical body contains the two during Earth life. But what I cannot grasp is when the soul enters the physical body and when the spirit enters the physical body. Is it a simultaneous happening, or is it the case that, as some schools of thought believe, the spirit does not enter the body until after the soul?
Abu: It would be unkind if I were to say that you are totally wrong in the whole conception.
4. How Soul and Spirit Are Associated
Questioner: That, of course, is what I want to know. It is a line of thought — I did not say it was mine.
Abu: I thank you. The falsity in the first premise which you laid down lies in your use of the word, perhaps a little carelessly, “contains”. For, after all we have spoken of together, you cannot suppose that a physical body can contain spirit.
Neither can nor does the physical body contain the soul or psyche, but the three (for it is a form of trinity, as you will observe) are in close association. The psyche or soul-body is more closely associated with the physical body than is the spirit, for the spirit is never contained; it manifests through different bodies, be it the psyche (or the soul-body) or be it the physical body, which itself is operated upon by the psyche. The two bodies, coincidentally as it were, are informed by the power of spirit, not containing that spirit.
Neither must you envisage the spirit as an aura surrounding the physical body or the psychic body — the “soul”, that is to say, under the terminology that we are using — because the spirit is not existent within your time and space. It impinges thereupon, and it uses as a means — as a medium — for such impingement the soul or psychic body (it has other names). But the soul, so-called, is the link between the essentially material physical body and the quite essentially non-material spirit, and that process continues.
You posed a supplementary question as to whether of the two, the soul or the spirit - the psychic body or spirit - entered into possession, as it were, of the physical body the one before the other or the other before the one. No such question arises. As to the time of such union, for it is well- nigh a union - there is still a tenuous one in that under certain circumstances the soul, the psyche, the astral - body, of the situation as to enable the physical body to live at all, but the linkage is otherwise firm, much firmer then the bound between spirit and either body.
For the spirit is NOT CONSTRAINED, whereas the psyche, whilst the physical body is in a condition to live, is so constrained and must remain associated with the physical body even whilst disassociating itself at times, during sleep, for example, or during periods of unconsciousness due perhaps to injury. Whilst it disassociates itself to a large degree, nonetheless it is still conjoined therewith and linked thereto, and the link may not be broken without the death of the physical body supervening. But the spirit is not constrained. That is the essence of the point that I would make.
5. Animals, Love and Individualisation
Questioner: We do hear of animals who have died on the Earth plane and are retained for us by our loved ones over there. So, apparently, it is a communal love which can retain these?
Abu: You will understand, my son, that it is the affection transmitted. It would not individualise a creature that you, or any human being, should fall violently in love. The creature must learn to respond. That is the nexus of the process of individualisation. But do not forget the more sombre picture also. Great agony, great hatred will also individualise. For individualisation is primarily of the emotional body, since the spirit itself is unaffected, quite evidently.
But the emotional body is strongly affected. An individualisation can result from great love, or the reverse. Such creatures will not, obviously, live in the happy realms among loving persons. They will be in the same position as the unloving human being. And it is a sad thought, for there is room, and much room, for rescue work among tortured animals, as there is among tortured human beings.
It is a darker side to our picture, my son, to which we must not close our eyes. We must not pretend that it is a pretty Christmas card, with nothing but gleaming and shiny tinsel upon it. There is the darker side. And the darker side stems, as I have told you in the past, always from man’s misuse of free will upon Earth, in the first instance.
That is why there is a great necessity for education, the greatest necessity for love and the teaching of love to the people upon Earth, in order that these lower, unhappy planes may be emptied in time; that they may not be refilled and refurnished by fresh material from Earth.
Earth, being the plane of individualisation, is also the “fork in the road” where the spirit, having a large degree of free will in the spiritual sense, can choose the path he shall follow.
So many have been misguided. So many have not been guided at all that they will choose the wrong, the faulty path, for one reason or another.
And it is our task, and yours, the kindly, loving task, to educate such ones: to bring them to “see” that which, to dwellers in spirit, is so simple, so patent and so obvious that it astounds us that it is not seen at all upon Earth — that to love and be loved will, automatically, produce much happier conditions than to hate and be hated.
Then, my children, even though you may not concern yourselves about your own conditions in life after the death of the physical body, why not live in the happiest possible conditions whilst you are upon the Earth?
Since, as I say, it is obvious that to love and to be loved will produce more happiness than to hate and to be hated, we do not really understand you, my children, even though we are kin and the same spirit. The necessity for this laborious teaching and begging and imploring of the spirit persons dwelling upon Earth: “Will you not please create conditions in which you can be happy?” What is wrong with that, my children? I do not know.
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