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1904 · 84583 — London: London Spiritualist Alliance 1904. Fifth Edition. Very Good condition. Front endpaper roughly folded. Uncommon in this condition from this time period.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ## William Stainton Moses 1839-1892: Anglican priest influential spiritualist and one of Victorian Britain's most prominent mediums<br /> <br /> William Stainton Moses is a fascinating figure at the intersection of religion psychical research and Victorian occult culture. An Oxford-educated Anglican clergyman he became one of the era's most celebrated spiritualist mediums known especially for his automatic writing and the influential book Spirit Teachings. His life embodies the tension between orthodox faith and the burgeoning spiritualist movement of the late 19th century.<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> ## Key Facts<br /> - Born: 1839 Donington Lincolnshire <br /> - Died: 5 September 1892 <br /> - Occupations: Anglican priest schoolmaster spiritualist medium <br /> - Known for: Automatic writing "psychography" Spirit Teachings leadership in early British spiritualism <br /> en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stainton_Moses<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> ## Early Life & Education<br /> - Educated at Bedford School University College School London and Exeter College Oxford. <br /> - Ordained in 1870 by Bishop Samuel Wilberforce. <br /> - Served curacies in the Isle of Man Dorsetshire and Salisbury. <br /> en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stainton_Moses<br /> <br /> His early ministry was marked by ill health which repeatedly interrupted his clerical work. During convalescence in London he became close to the Speer family-relationships that would shape his later spiritualist career.<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> ## Conversion to Spiritualism<br /> Moses initially dismissed spiritualism as "dreariest twaddle" but after reading Robert Dale Owen and attending séances in 1872 he reported receiving evidential messages from a deceased friend. This experience transformed him into a committed spiritualist. <br /> Psi Encyclopediahttps://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/william-stainton-moses/<br /> <br /> He soon began producing automatic writing which he believed came from advanced spiritual intelligences.<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> ## âœï¸ Mediumship & Writings<br /> ### Automatic Writing "Psychography"<br /> Moses coined the term psychography in his 1878 book Psychography: A Treatise on One of the Objective Forms of Psychic or Spiritual Phenomena. <br /> en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stainton_Moses<br /> <br /> ### Spirit Teachings 1872-1883<br /> His most famous work Spirit Teachings consists of 24 notebooks of automatic scripts presenting a moral and philosophical system communicated by spirit entities. These writings were enormously influential within British spiritualism.<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> ## ï¸ Institutional Influence<br /> - Co-founder of the London Spiritualist Alliance later the College of Psychic Studies. <br /> - Vice-president of the Society for Psychical Research SPR though he resigned in 1886 after disagreements over the investigation of fraudulent mediums. <br /> en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stainton_Moses<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> ## âš–ï¸ Controversies & Criticism<br /> Moses refused to allow scientific testing of his mediumship and conducted séances only with a small circle of trusted friends. <br /> en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stainton_Moses<br /> <br /> He also defended several mediums later exposed as fraudulent-most notably the spirit photographer Édouard Buguet-which damaged his credibility among psychical researchers.<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> ## ï¸ Legacy<br /> Despite controversies Moses remains a central figure in the history of spiritualism:<br /> <br /> - His writings shaped late-Victorian metaphysical thought. <br /> - His automatic scripts are still studied by historians of religion and psychical research. <br /> - The College of Psychic Studies in London traces its origins directly to his work.<br /> <br /> Moses is a particularly rich figure. His life sits at the crossroads of theology mysticism and the Victorian hunger for unseen worlds. London Spiritualist Alliance unknown