J o u r n a l of Religion and Health, Vol. 19, No.

3, Fall 1980

Transmigration, Liminality, and Spiritualist Healing

ROBERT G. F I S H M A N
A B S T R A C T : Observations made in a n u r b a n spiritualist organization in western New York led to the following conclusions. A symbolic event basic to this total belief system is the creation of a liminal state t h a t allows church members to transcend the e a r t h plane and experience an alternate reality, the spiritual world. The creation of this symbolic suspension serves to reinforce the basic belief system and legitimize the healing and message rituals. This paper will explore the church service as the symbolic event t h a t serves to take church members into the liminal state. The t r a n s i t i o n occurs as a collective experience, c u l m i n a t i n g in the healing and message services.

Introduction

In his study of Ndembu Ritual, Victor Turner found that there appeared to be ~a close connection between social conflict and ritual," and ~that a multiplicity of conflict situations is correlated with a high frequency of ritual performance. ''1 My research in a spiritual community, the Unity Science Church, 2 in Buffalo, New York, shows that during periods of acute stress the ritual experience is intensified for the individual, and the stress is manifested in the sick role. Spiritualist ritual acts as a mechanism for promoting the physical, social, and psychological well-being of the church members. 3 Much of this is accomplished through the creation o f a liminal state 4 that allows believers to experience the alternate reality of the spiritual world, which forms the basis of their belief system. This transmigration experience s serves as proof to church members that their belief system is real. As long as church members continue to experience this transmigration, they have a mechanism--spiritual intervention--which offers them a way to deal with their daily problems, including those associated with health problems and the fulfillment of social roles. The creation of a liminal state and accompanying transmigration experience is accomplished during the church service and culminates with the healing and message service at the end of the ritual.

This is a n expended version of a paper, ~Spiritual Liminality: Mechanisms of T r a n s m i g r a t i o n in Spiritual Ritual," read at the 77th A n n u a l Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November 14-19, 1978. Robert G. Fishman, M.A., is a n a d m i n i s t r a t i v e coordinator and instructor in the D e p a r t m e n t of Anthropology at Georgia State University. He t h a n k s Robert Blakely, Ina J a n e Wundram, and Robert A. Rubinstein for t h e i r helpful comments and criticisms.

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The church
The membership in the Unity Science Church consists of community members from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. Economically, the believers belong to the lower socioeconomic levels of society. At the time of this study, there were thirty-five church members, the majority of whom were widows and housewives over sixty years of age. Most church members share common feelings of despair and anomie as a result of rapid change in the sociopolitical and economic structures of the city brought about by rapid urbanization, resulting in alienation from family, friends, and previous group affiliations. 6 Many of the church members were unable to perform their social role satisfactorily on a day-to-day basis. By means of the spiritualist rituals, the church provided psychological relief, often altering a person's behavior, which alleviated some problems, and in some cases provided symptomatic relief for those experiencing illness episodes. 7 This was especially apparent when the illness was a result of psychosomatic and sociosomatic causes, s Often, change in a person's condition came as a result of the information given during the message and healing rituals and as a result of a belief in the reality of the spiritual experience.

Beliefs
Spiritualism is a ~belief in, and practice of, regular communication with the dead. ''9 According to members of the Unity Science Church, it is expressed as a belief in the ability of gifted individuals to communicate with spirit, a major purpose of which is to aid in healing close friends and relatives who are still residing on the earth plane. The medium, the individual who exhibits an ability to communicate with the spirit world and acts as a liaison between the earth and spiritual planes, makes contact with a spiritual entity that assumes a form recognizable to kin and friends, and in the process personalizes the relationship and reason for concern. The spirit world is conceived as an indeterminate number of spiritual planes arranged in a hierarchy. Movement within the spirit world is upward, the highest planes being unable to communicate with the earth plane. Contact is believed to occur between the earth plane and the lower spiritual planes. Spirit guides, or those members of the spirit world who serve as links between the earth and spiritual planes, function in a role similar to the one played by the medium, and are often replaced by o t h e r spirits as they move on to higher planes. This potential upward mobility is available to all spirit entities regardless of the position held in life. Within this belief system, class, materialism, and occupational status have little influence on one's ability to experience upward mobility in the spiritual planes. The uniqueness of this religious approach lies in the extent to which a believer is accorded the privilege of understanding and experiencing the sacred aspects of his or her belief system, an insight usually limited to religious

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practitioners. Through the medium, believers are allowed to develop personal relationships with spiritual entities. Through the church ritual, the ministry serves to bridge the earthly plane and spiritual plane, allowing believers a glimpse at an alternate reality. This serves as proof to the believers that their belief system is real, and this religious experience validates two of their basic assumptions: 1) one m a y heal and teach through divine power; 2) life is continuous, and under proper conditions one m a y communicate with deceased loved ones. Thus, healing is dependent on a continued belief in the spiritual world in which the importance of developing and maintaining a belief in the ability to transcend the earth plane cannot be overstressed. It is the responsibility of the religious practitioners to maintain these beliefs, consistently offering proof of the belief system, by allowing church members to experience the spirit world firsthand. Once the medium fails to bridge the planes, believers will turn from the church. This, in part, accounts for a high turnover in the membership of spiritual churches.

T h e l i m i n a l state

Consequently, a belief in transmigration is a necessary requirement for spiritualists. The recognition that a sacred plane, available to the believer, is encountered during the church ritual is provided as a collective experience. This is accomplished by taking all members of the church into a liminal state during the church service. The term l i m i n a l means that the ~characteristics of the ritual subject are ambiguous. ''1~ A basic attribute of those in a liminal state is the feeling of community that results in a collective awareness which serves as proof of the belief system. Also believers share a communality of sorts, an egalitarianism not often experienced in their daily lives. This feeling assures believers that their concerns are valid and as important as anyone else's. The spirit works in a beneficial manner for all believers, regardless of their social status. As originally introduced, the l i m i n a l p h a s e 1~ w a s defined as the second phase by which all ~rites of transition" are marked. If it is analyzed as a rite of transition, one can easily place the rituals into the three phases: separation, margin, and aggregation. The separation occurs when believers physically enter the church and symbolically become part of the spiritual community. The margin, or liminal phase, is the most important ritual state for the believer to experience. This phase occurs throughout the service, continually intensifying so that the healing ceremony and message service are taken seriously. The third phase, aggregation, is experienced as a return to the original state. Yet there is an underlying assumption that one's condition will be improved and one's attitude made more optimistic through participation in the rituals and as a result of spirit intervention. It is through the church service that the group is collectively taken from its usual cultural conditions into a state of symbolic suspension, a liminal state,

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during which time the believers experience a merging of earth and spiritual planes. This alternate reality is explained by some informants as a kind of warm current t h a t permeates the room when the transitional state has been reached. Some informants say this feeling is a result of spirits congregating in the chapel, a union of the living and spirit world in fellowship and prayer. It is at this time t h a t the benefits of spiritualism are realized.

The rituals

Two rituals are basic to the creation of spiritual liminality. Belief in these rituals is dependent upon the church leaders motivating the congregation and upon the medium's ability to create the symbolic suspension of the earth and spiritual planes. The church service continually works in this direction, using hymns and creating an intensity in the rituals t h a t serves to bring the congregation together for the collective experience. Therefore, it is important to look at the service as the mechanism for creating the spiritual liminality. The service opens informally one-half hour before the designated time, allowing church members to discuss the week's happenings. Often, the information exchanged deals with spiritual and psychic experience and personal information about the believer's physical and mental conditions. At the designated hour (usually Sunday evenings at 7:30) the church pastor, the Reverend Mr. Williams, an experienced medium and healer, opens the service with the singing of a h y m n chosen for its spiritualistic content. The h y m n often questions the congregation's desire to enter the liminal state. Consider ~'Higher Ground," taken from the Church Service Hymns, one of Pastor Williams's favorites, often used to open the service: I'm pressing on the upward way, New Heights I'm gaining everyday; Still praying as I onward bound, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground: Lift me up and let me stand, By faith in heaven's tableland; A higher plane than I have found, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. The h y m n is followed by the opening benediction presented by a church elder or visiting medium or healer. The following is typical of the content of opening benedictions, which further serve to intensify the service, inducing the spiritual liminality: Thank you, Imrd for allowing each and everyone of us to meet here this week. Thank you for all you have done for us during the previous week, and all you will do for us in the future. We know spirit has been working for us on our behalf, and we welcome help. For those who could not be here with us this week, we pray that they are able to attend next week, and the situation around them improves.

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After the hymn comes the recitation of the Lord's Prayer, followed by the reading of the church's seven fundamental beliefs, which emphasize communication with the spirit world and the ability to heal through spirit. This is followed by another hymn, which further reinforces the belief system. This hymn is usually chosen for its optimistic content and is followed by the responsive reading, which once again reiterates the beliefs. The next phase of the service is the weekly sermon. This lecture continues to stress the spiritualistic belief system and is often based on an aspect of the scriptures that deals with spirit, reinforcing the church member's belief in the ability to make contact with the spirit world. Pastor Williams's sermon is vital in promoting the necessary transitional state, intensifying the congregation's liminal experience. He says that he is a spiritual prophet or translecturer, his sermons coming from the spiritual plane. Pastor Williams believes he is an instrument of spirit, saying, "I am taken into a level of consciousness that allows the entity of my teacher and guide to bring whatever message they have, in a trancelike state." Thus, he himself experiences an alternate reality, possession. Pastor Williams does not remember the sermons he gives and must be told about them after the service. To create further the necessary conditions that allow the transitions to take place, Pastor Williams blindly stares into the congregation. He says that his vocal cords are taken over for use by his spirit guide or teacher. The structure of his sermon is very disconnected, his voice sometimes inaudible, and the message disconnected. The sermons follow a regular pattern, the message offering a more practical religious approach to life through spirit intervention. Assurance is given that there are spirits willing to cross the barrier from the spiritual to the earthly plane when help is needed. This reassures all congregational members of the spirit's ability to make the transition. By this time believers say they are experiencing a growing unity among themselves and between the two planes. This feeling of solidarity and shared alternate reality opens the way for the two basic symbolic events that serve as proof to church members of the validity of their belief system, the healing service and the message service. As this feeling of group solidarity and alternate reality, experienced as a unifying current, settles on the congregation, one of the healers rises, walks over to the podium, and announces that it is time for the healing service. A total silence falls over the congregation as members hold both hands out, palms up, and close their eyes. It is believed that this allows church members to offer or receive healing energy, depending on their individual needs. ~An aggregate energy is believed to be created through the transfer of personal, physical, and spiritual energy from the healer and participants of the healing ceremony, to the bodies of individuals needing healing. ''12 This energy is explained as mental energy that is released through the power of prayer and redirected, as spirit sees fit, to those in need of healing. The minister calls upon the ~Christ Principle of Healing": "In the name of Christ, we ask that we be given the power to assist in healing these persons' conditions." This is followed

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by a minute of silence during which church members believe they are giving and receiving energy. This is immediately followed by the singing of the only h y m n t h a t is consistently sung week after week as a prelude to the message service. The hymn, ~In the Garden," is said to be "very dear to spirits" and tends to ready both spirit and church members for the upcoming message service. Consider the words: I come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses; And the voice I hear falling on my ear, The Son of God, discloses. And He walks with me, And He talks with me, And He tells me I am his own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known. The hymn, taken quite literally, reinforces the belief in the ability to transcend the earth plane, experience the alternate reality of the spiritual planes, and communicate directly with spirit forms. The singing of this h y m n creates a heightened emotional state among believers who are now anxiously awaiting contact with their deceased loved ones during the message service. At this time, mediums who will give messages to congregational members are readying themselves for this task. This is accomplished in a number of ways. The medium gazes out into the congregation while breathing unusually heavily. Many mediums t u r n their heads toward their shoulder while mumbling a couple of words, as though contact has already been made and the spirit is standing behind them. Some mediums close their eyes and wait for the message to become available. The methods used by mediums to attune themselves with the spirit world are varied and personal. While some go through elaborate and dramatic rituals, others remain calm in order to show how n a t u r a l the contact is. This further cultivates the already existing feeling of liminality and is followed by another mechanism t h a t serves as proof t h a t the transition has t a k e n place. It is customary for each medium to try and bring a "test" to the individual to w h o m he is bringing a message. The test is believed to be scientific proof t h a t the medium is actually in contact with the spirit world. The test comes in one of three ways t h a t are not m u t u a l l y exclusive. The medium m a y bring the name of the deceased to the living relative or friend, the gender, or the m a n n e r in which the deceased died. The dramatic medium m a y even take on the symptoms t h a t the deceased person had before death. ~I have a terrible pain in my chest; can anyone place this spirit? It is a m a n who has been in the spirit world for around ten years." The medium m a y demand t h a t someone accept the spirit in order to rid himself of the symptoms he says he is experiencing. This kind of proof is usually sufficient to bring about a positive response from a believer on the reality of the message and reason enough for following the advice given.

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At this point each medium will take a turn at the podium, and each congregational member will receive a message that offers practical advice on matters that relate to the well-being of church members. Many of the messages deal specifically with matters pertaining to health and include such advice as: ~You should eat more green vegetables." The church encourages members to take good care of themselves. Messages question the individual's spiritual and psychological condition. It is believed that negative thoughts lead to negative conditions. Messages advise the individual on how to release the negative thoughts that are believed to create the negative conditions, and in turn begin the healing process. The message service, though geared primarily toward communication between the physical and spiritual planes, acts as a maintenance program for continued health among church members. On a very practical level, spirit as interpreted by the medium consistently gives advice on how to live, what to eat, when to consult a medical physician, and how to ward off illness. The medium gives reasons for the conditions and advice for dealing with them. Spirit m a y be recognized as the cause of the disorder, for example, spirit possession, or as the solution. In many cases the individual is told that spirit is helping, ~lifting some of the burdens from your shoulders." Conceiving of this as an actual weight, many believers say they can and do experience the weight leaving their bodies, leaving them feeling lighter and more relaxed. A believer who thinks he is receiving spiritual help in dealing with his problems experiences less anxiety and stress. He is no longer facing the problems alone, because spirit is sharing the burden. This immediately improves the surrounding conditions in the minds of the believers. At the same time, advice can alter an individual's behavior patterns, and this in itself can cause improvement in areas of physical, psychological, and social well-being. 13 The message service is followed by the closing benediction and a coffee hour, where some of these matters may be more fully explored.

Analysis

Consistently, throughout the service, the congregation and church officials collectively affirm and reaffirm the basic beliefs of their religious approach. Healing is the dominant theme, and the group constantly reasserts that spiritual healing and the ability to communicate with the spirit world are the basic foundations of their religious approach. As the service progresses, the importance of creating a collective consciousness becomes apparent, the feeling of community being a necessary prerequisite for the most important rituals, the healing and message services. This feeling of collective awareness grows as the service intensifies. The believers become emotionally charged and begin to experience what they believe is an alternate reality, the spirit world. A process of transmigration, in which the earth and spiritual planes are merged together in a spiritual liminality that allows church members a glimpse at an alternate reality, serves to strengthen

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the belief system, offering proof of the beliefs associated with this church. Furthermore, as a collective experience, there is more validity to the encounters. One becomes part of a real and symbolic community of spiritual believers in which the needs of all church members are taken into consideration. This in turn legitimates the advice offered by the individual on the human condition. In most cases, the mediums interpret spirit as being interested in the wellbeing of the believers. Spirit is said to be working always for the benefit of congregational members, with or without their knowledge. The implication is that there are greater powers working in one's behalf; thus the worry of dayto-day living is in the hands of sacred entities. The solutions to these problems will be brought from the spirit world to the medium, who will act as the messenger, offering practical solutions. Within the community, an intricate communication system develops in which the medium plays a crucial role. Information is exchanged between church members and practitioners prior to the service and upon conclusion of the service during the coffee hour. Thus, information is interpreted by the medium and given back to the church members during the message service, in private healing ceremonies14 and circle groups, 15 in the form of practical advice on how to handle the situation. In conclusion, spiritualism functions to alleviate the physical, psychological, and social disorders of church members. This is accomplished through a belief system that stresses the accessibility of spiritual healing and spiritual contact to all members. The creation of a liminal state, in which the believer experiences an alternate reality, is basic to the belief system. This state occurs as a result of ritual intensification and a feeling of transmigration during which time the earth and spiritual planes are merged. It is achieved each week during the service, and at the same time the problems of church members are dealt with on a personal level. Advice coming from sacred origins is believed to be given to the medium, who acts as the instrument of spirit giving the information back to the believer. If the church member no longer believes he is experiencing an alternate reality, then the advice and messages expressed by the medium have little validity. Thus, the belief system is dependent on the creation of a liminal state, within which problems of health, interpersonal relationships, and the day-today issues of living can be effectively dealt with through sacred intervention.

References
1. Turner, V. W., The Ritual Process. Chicago, Aldine Publishing Co., 1969. 2. Pseudonyms have been used throughout this paper to protect the privacy of the church and church members. 3. Fishman, R. G., '~Spiritualism in Western New York: A Study in Ritual Healing," Medical Anthropology, Winter, 1979, 3, 1-22. 4. For a discussion of liminality see Gennep, A. V., The Rites of Passage. London, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1960. 5. Within the context of this paper, transmigration means the process of migrating from the earth plane to a point within which one can personally experience the spiritual planes without passing over by death.

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6. Kearney, M., "Oral Performance by Mexican Spiritualist in Possession Travel," a paper delivered at the 75th A n n u a l Meeting of the A m e r i c a n Anthropological Association, November, 1976. 7. Fishman, op. cir. 8. For a discussion of the use of~'sociosomatic '' see Skultans, V., Intimacy and Ritual: A Study of Spiritualism, Mediums and Groups. London, Routledge and K e g a n Paul, 1974, p. 29. 9. Nelson, G. K., Spiritualism and Society. New York, Schocken Books, 1969, p. 3. 10. Turner, op. cit., p. 94. 11. Gennep, op. cit. 12. Fishman, op. cir, pp. 12-13. 13. Ibid. 14. Private healing ceremonies are set up between the leader and patient and often occur immediately following the service. 15. A circle group is a message service t h a t occurs without benefit of the religious service in the home of a medium.