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A Tribute to Our Dear Friend, Eileen Roberts
Why are we doing this? For no other reason than this: We love her! Throughout the Greater Boston area -- and, now, the world, the First Spiritual Temple is well known for its deep respect for Spirit and Spirit communication. For 124 years, we have stood firm upon sound ethics and a well-balanced perspective on this most wondrous gift of the Spirit and its multitude of manifestations. "Mediumship With Integrity" is the motto for our School for Mediumship. 28 years ago, we invited a woman from England to come to our Church and share her mediumship with us and our community. She was invited at the recommendation of Mr. Donald Galloway, himself a fine and reputable medium and tireless worker for Spirit. As soon as we shook hands with this woman, at the airport, we knew, without question, that we had made a lifelong friend. This woman is Eileen Roberts. At first glance, Eileen appears to be a typical British lady, with a lovely peaches-and-cream complexion and a most delightful accent (although Eileen still insists that it is we who have the accent). But underneath that lovely exterior lies the Spirit of a woman who has tirelessly devoted most of her life to the investigation of mediumship and the promulgation of sound ethics in the work. It was her obvious love and commitment to the work of Spirit that spoke to us, with profound clarity, that first year, and it is that same love and commitment which has caused us to invite her, year in and year out, as a regular guest of the Church. In this, she has become far more than a guest; she has become a most cherished friend and companion of the Spirit. Eileen Roberts loves Spirit. She exudes natural joy and enthusiasm every time she steps forward to lend herself as a voice and escort for the Spirit people. Over the years, Eileen has studied, and studied hard, always endeavoring to understand more and more of what lies at the foundation of this most wondrously elusive gift of the Spirit. She has never been satisfied remaining settled where she is in her understanding of mediumship and has always challenged herself to take another step. Yet, in her continuous pursuit of understanding and knowledge, she remains anchored in her faith that where she may be lacking, God and Spirit fill the void. Indeed, Eileen represents a dying era in Spiritualism and mediumship: an era where hard work, study, and patience became cobblestones which marked the road to mediumship; an era where the straight and narrow was preferable to the easy way; where fame, publicity, and money did not outshine the genuine work of Spirit. Eileen, also, represents an era which must be reborn, as we enter the new Millennium. Anyone who has visited our site and taken the time to read through its multitude of pages knows that we, at the First Spiritual Temple, are strongly committed to doing our part in keeping the flames of that amazing era aglow, for us and for those in Spirit. Eileen comes from a more traditional Spiritualist background than we do. Nonetheless, over the years, we have shared and learned so much from each other. We have agreed to disagree on some issues, while benefiting from each other's perspective on others issues. For over thirty years, Eileen Roberts has devoted her energies as President of the Institute of Spiritualist Mediums. She has traveled the globe, sharing her wisdom, experience, charm, grace, and obvious love for Spirit. As a teacher of mediumship, she is one of -- if not the -- best. She relies heavily upon Spirit guidance, while tapping into her own wealth of insight and experience. Above all, Eileen stands for ethics, integrity, and respect when it comes to mediumship. We know, only too well, what it is to be criticized for trying to uphold sound ethics and responsibility in this work. She, too, has been scoffed by some of her peers for being too firm and responsible in her approach to mediumship. We each know from where the other comes, and we have learned from each other's trial and tribulation. Eileen continues in her work, sometimes with the roar of a lion, but always with the gentleness of a lamb, following wheresoever her Shepherd may lead her. There is a tender -- yea, almost innocent -- side to Eileen, and you can see this when she teaches, lectures, and offers communication. Jesus taught us that we should all be as children; not childish, but child-like. We should have, within us, a purity of faith and trust in God and the Spirit. Eileen follows this command in the simple purity with which it was given to us 2,000 years ago. Last year, Eileen retired as President of the Institute of Spiritualist Mediums. Since then, she has had to face a few challenges, all of which have tempered her faith even more. She has had to confront the harsh reality of a movement which can, sometimes, be dominated by ego and self-fulfilling agendas. True to her style and always indicative of a servant, she moves on, willing to step aside and do the work on her own, for the sake of a cause beyond herself. Bravo, Eileen! Eileen Roberts is, now, 91 years young and still going strong. We love you, Eileen. You have done your work well; indeed, very well! We conclude this tribute with some pictures of Eileen while at the First Spiritual Temple. We have chosen pictures which, we feel, show the many and diverse facets of the gem, known as Eileen Roberts. Yes, she works hard and she plays hard.
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Tributes
are generally given for those who have passed to Spirit. Our work
with mediumship has shown us something very important: do not
wait until a loved one departs from the Earth plane to say what
could have been said when together. So, we want to take this opportunity
to express our thoughts and feelings concerning a lovely lady
and colleague of the Spirit.