William Stainton Moses was born on 5th November 1839 in Donnington, England at
precisely 7.20am. He was a young clergyman who left parish work and became an English master at University College School, London. In 1872, he began to investigate Spiritualism and soon developed powerful mental and physical mediumship. He published the teachings he received under the pseudonym M.A. Oxon.
Stainton Moses received messages mainly by automatic writing. He recalls: "I procured a pocket-book, which I habitually carried about with me. I soon found that writing flowed more easily when I used a book that was permeated with the psychic aura". The spirit communicators, he continues, "were distinguished, each by its own handwriting, and by its own peculiarities of style and expression. I could tell at once who was writing by the mere characteristics of the calligraphy." The College archive holds a selection of William Stainton Moses' automatic writing notebooks, seen above.
Why was the quality of the messages so high? Stainton Moses tells us: "Where the messages were in regular course, I was accustomed to devote the first hour of each day to sitting for their reception. I rose early, and the beginning of the day was spent in a room that I used for no other purpose, in what was to all intents and purposes a religious service".
Stainton Moses was deeply involved with the British National Association of Spiritualists founded in 1873 which ended in discord. He wanted no more involvement with organisations but his spirit guides in late 1883 asked him to form a new one with trusted and harmonious friends in psychic studies.
The resulting body, this College, founded under the name The London Spiritualist Alliance was born.
See Stainton Moses' original automatic writing notebooks on display in the Creative Spirits exhibition.
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