The Campaign for Philosophical Freedom

by Michael Roll, March 1983
An edited version of the first part of this article was published in Psychic News, 1992.

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Barry sat by the locked door alongside a lighted candle. Rita (the materialisation medium) was on the same side of the room in the other corner, sitting in an easy chair. Pat was in the opposite corner to Barry. She worked the tape recorder which played light opera music like the Student Prince, quite softly. I was about two yards from Pat. There were a number of other empty chairs around the room. A small wooden table stood in the middle of the room. Rita signalled she was ready and relaxed in the chair. Barry asked me to be very still while Rita went into trance but said once the people from the unseen universe arrived I could relax and join in the conversation. Barry then put the candle out. All I could see was the luminous drum sticks left in the middle of the room by Barry.

After a few minutes there was a loud bang from Rita's direction. It sounded like her chair had been lifted a few inches and dropped. The proceedings started by rapping on the table. The number of raps indicating which Etherian was present. Helen Duncan spoke first.

"Michael, you are very welcome, it is a great privilege to have you with us."

She then said some very complimentary remarks about me to reassure Barry and Pat that I was perfectly trustworthy and to tell Rita when she awoke.

"I will speak to you later Michael."

The small table was moved across the room and came to rest very gently against my legs. A young girl's voice said, "Laura." A hand gently touched my knee. Then Laura broke into a beautiful song, with great feeling. She was standing about only two feet from me. It seemed that she was singing this song especially for me, a newcomer.

While she was still singing she took hold of my hand and held it for about twenty seconds. It was undoubtedly the hand of a young lady. Warm and exactly the same feeling as our hands. Bones and finger nails. There was also a delightful smell of hyacinths.

After this wonderful welcome the Etherians showed me a breathtaking demonstration of physical phenomena. Boyrie, a musical director on earth, showed me the power he could generate with the drum-sticks. I was a little apprehensive that the sticks would smash into my face, but as a sign of reassurance Boyrie gently touched my knee. Raymond Lodge then put on an illuminous jacket and boots that Barry had also provided. Raymond then came over and stood in front of me. A very tall man, over six feet. With one of the drum sticks he hit his body, arms and legs to show me how solid he was. He then walked back and forward straight through the table. He then stamped round the room before sitting down next to me in a wicker chair. As a gesture of assurance he squeezed my hand very tight. I said I was using his father's work every day. He answered that he knew I was. He got up and took off the coat and boots. He threw the boots at my feet, one striking me on the shin. I felt it but it was not painful.

After this awe-inspiring demonstration Russell brought us down to earth with some first class clowning. Before we started I could not understand what these intellectuals were doing allowing a nine year old to take charge. In fact I was secretly annoyed and very disappointed. But now I understand perfectly. It is solely to break up the highly charged atmosphere.

The visit from the Etherians lasted from 8.45pm to past midnight, and without the light relief and laughter, I and the other's present would have been emotionally drained.

"Hello Michael," he said, "Your name's not Michael, I am going to call you by your real name, Rolly Polly."

This is my nickname. Russell continued,

"It sounds a bit clownish and you are not really a clown, but you can sometimes turn yourself into a clown."

All my friends at the golf club call me Rolly Polly at stag nights, I do clown about just like my old rugby days. Russell went on,

"I was with you and Rita this afternoon, fancy saying that you thought I was earthbound. I am definitely not earthbound. By the way I saw the food you ate, one of those funny egg things with sausage round it."

Helen said it was time to give Rita a break. Rita woke up and had a cup of coffee while we excitedly told her all that had happened. It does seem so unfair that Rita never sees all the wonderful things that happen. The Etherians will not even allow a tape recorder. I understand that recording will be allowed but they are not ready yet.

Second Period

Boyrie takes the drum sticks, now freshly dipped in luminous paint. He uses paint to show his hands. Laura also shows me her small delicate hands. I can see all the lines. She sings another beautiful love song, moving freely all around the room. After a while she takes hold of my hands, lifts them right up into the air and then down to the ground. After the song Russell clowns with Rita's coffee cup. It sounds like he is pouring pints of water about. The table comes over to me. Helen, I think, takes my hands and gently pulls me forward, placing my hands on a very wet table. Another firm hand grips my left arm. I say "Who is that?" No answer. Helen now says

"We have a lovely surprise for you, Michael."

A voice says something I cannot understand. Helen calls across to Pat in a broad Scottish accent,

"Pat, please turn down the tape." A voice says, "James Arthur Findlay here Michael."

He grips me very firmly on the left arm. I am still leaning forward. Helen says, "Now keep very still Michael" Arthur Findlay then puts his other arm around my shoulders and squeezes me tight. Then patting me on the back says,

"I am right behind you Michael, all the way."

He then repeated it then let go of me. I have been working continually for a number of years to try and bring Findlay's work to the attention of the public. Can you begin to imagine how I felt? To diffuse this electric atmosphere Russell came clowning across. "I have a present for you Rolly Polly." I could hear something being unwrapped. I said that it sounded like Christmas. Russell said,

"You should have been here at Christmas, what fun we had, the sack of presents came down from the ceiling."

Russell's small hands took mine and placed a doll in them. Then with a loud shout, he said, "It's a clown."

Helen then began a long talk about her plans to bring enlightenment. I said that my only aim was to try and change the way people think and behave throughout the world. If only I could try and change the Irish situation by telling the people how badly they have been let down by the priests. She agreed with me that there are no such things as Christians, Jews, Moslems or any other sects. They were all invented by man for his own selfish aims. She also pointed out that there were no racial differences. In the etheric world we are all the same. Helen told us that it suits her mission to keep the old Helen Duncan identity at the moment and said that,

"Perhaps one day I could graduate to a higher plane and then I could easily lose my old identity."

I mention the names of a few famous people who I would like to bring one day. Helen said we do not care who comes here whether they are kings or dustmen. The only attraction famous people have for us is their ability to tell a lot of people about the truth of survival.

I get the impression in spite of the fun, this work of Helen and Raymond is far from flippant. There is a very serious purpose to this work of physical mediumship. Nothing less than a very serious attempt to bring enlightenment to mankind and to bring to peoples attention the existence of the vast unseen universe that we all graduate to after we have finished our short stay on earth. If only people could be told that they are accountable for every thought and action. What a transformation there would be.

Another five minute break. Boyrie started with the xylophone, sitting next to me. He played perfectly with the music on the tape recorder. When he had finished Raymond Lodge came and sat in the chair next to me. We talked for about thirty minutes about many subjects. He asked if I had anything I wanted to ask him. Of course I had 10,000 questions, but I am afraid I was suffering from shock or excitement and my mind had gone blank. Raymond sensed this and started to talk about his large, happy family, while I settled down. After a while the question of flying saucers cropped up. I said I thought they came from one of the million inhabited planets that the astronomers estimate to be in our physical Milky Way galaxy. He confirmed this is correct. This is why they need a vehicle, as Etherians do not need transport to move about. He pointed out that obviously the people from other planets are much more advanced than us. This is why they do not make contact as we are still not well enough developed to receive them. We would probably shoot them. (Next time I will remember to ask how they are able to travel faster then the speed of light 186,000 miles a second.)

I asked on behalf of my millions of fellow sportsmen if sport is played. Raymond confirmed that every sport was indeed played with great enthusiasm. All those that do not involve killing animals. I pressed him on my favourite, cricket. I thought his answer was charming and also very exciting. He obviously sensed my deep love of cricket. He said it is played in a different way in the etheric world. No animosity, rather like it used to be played on the village green. He said,

"However, I will not go deeply into this Michael as it will spoil the wonderful enjoyment of finding out when your time comes to join us."

Raymond already knew my plan to bring one of the world's greatest nuclear physicists. He confirmed that this would be in order, but insisted that when the scientist came a certain person should also be present. During this conversation Raymond said,

"Just a moment - somebody is approaching the house."

A key went into the front door and a relation of Barry and Pat's, whose house we were in, went down to the hall to the kitchen. The Etherians have lookouts. How well everything is organised.

Raymond, like Russell, also referred to the private conversation I had with Rita during the afternoon. He reminded us that it was Foxes (The Fox sisters in America) who first gave the clue to the unseen universe. Rita and I had talked about the plates on the wall with foxes. Raymond then got up from the chair and walked away.

Russell quickly came on the scene and said,

"Rolly Polly, we play golf here but some golfers call it GOF. They knew they were in heaven because they leave the 'L' (hell) out."

Russell then said very sincerely that he is going to come home with me down the motorway to make sure that I get home safely. A number of very interesting things happened on that journey that only he and I would know about. I am certain he will tell me the details the next time we meet.

Helen then said it had been a wonderful night and that I must bring my mother the next time I come. She said my mother is a very wonderful woman who has had a hard life. She would be very welcome in the group. Helen then said, "We must close now," then suddenly, "No we still have more time."

Laura then came to me and sang another beautiful love song, holding my hands most of the time, sometimes stroking the back's of my hands. She also kept throwing her dress over my head and pulling it away so that my hair was pulled forward. All the time there was this delightful smell of hyacinths. I have never experienced such a feeling before in my life of overwhelming love. I will explain in my summing up. At the end of the song Helen said goodnight and Pat said goodnight to her son Michael. Michael had not taken part in the proceedings. Michael Jeffries then spoke to his mother with great affection, explaining that he did not take part this evening as he had been asked to stay in the background because it was to be a special night for Michael Roll. He then came across to me and said how welcome I was in his house. He said,

"You know Michael this is the best house in the world, its so full of love."

I thanked him very much for allowing me in his home. I was too overcome to say anymore or what I would have liked to have said. On this dramatic note of love the Etherians departed.

Rita came round from her trance and Barry lit the candle. I was completely overcome and did not really recover for another 48 hours. If this experience has such a shattering effect on me, a person who has read psychic science all my life, what must it be like for an outsider? Needless to say I could not eat any of the lovely food that Barry and Pat offered me. As if all this was not enough, when Rita was driving me home to her house in another part of Leicester, the car cassette switched itself on. "Oh that's Russell, he's always doing that." Said Rita. I borrowed that tape of Chopin and played it all the way home to Bristol.

Thoughts after the State of Shock Wore Off

Perhaps shock is the wrong word. Excitement and happiness combined with the state of shock would be a better description. Not once was I nervous because I have spent thirty years reading the subject on and off.

The physical phenomena demonstration was not done as a cabaret act. Raymond Lodge showed me that he could take a physical object, a drumstick, strike it hard on the physical table with loud bangs (How my nuclear physicist friends are going to like this). Then by altering the consistency of the physical atoms of the table, he pushed the drumstick through the table. It did not go effortlessly through and I have thought hard for an analogy. It was like a sharp knife going through soft polystyrene...

When Raymond was wearing the boots and coat he also walked back and forwards through the table. Again the physical boots passed through the physical table. Again the consistency of the atoms must have been altered. I cannot wait to show my nuclear physicist colleagues. I take it Raymond was able to alter the consistency of physical atoms by using his mind. I feel I have let my scientific colleagues down by not being more scientific with my questions. I promise to try and rectify this if I am kindly invited again. However I would not be surprised if the Etherian's refused to answer certain questions. Maybe we are not sufficiently advanced to be allowed to receive the answers to every question.

When Raymond stood in front of me, striking himself all over with the physical drumstick, he opened his coat and thrust the stick into his heart; This time the stick did pass effortlessly through. The knife and polystyrene effect.The other wonderful thing that happened was the fact that I fell desperately in love with Laura. The same sort of 'teenage love feeling' or the William Holden and Jennifer Jones type of love in the film 'Love is a many splendid Thing.' Again this was done to me for a purpose not just for fun. I am aged forty five and until now have been scathing about this type of love. Insisting that it is purely sexual infatuation, specifically designed for our physical universe to perpetuate the species. This experience made nonsense of this dogma. I have since found out that all the other men who have been to the circle have also had this wonderful feeling.

Apart from my clown there were many other objects round the room that have appeared at previous meetings. The Etherians insist that they come from our physical universe and that they will not be missed. What a fascinating subject for the scientists.

I will finish with a warning to my fellow psychical researchers. There are a number of us who have been trusted to protect our medium's wonderful gift. We will never allow her to be interfered with as happened so often in the past. The Etherians are working very hard to perfect the communication. We must do nothing to obstruct this.

Second Visit

Michael Roll concludes his article on his encounter with the Etherians.

Some interesting points raised during my second visit, 9th April 1983.

On this second visit I was allowed to feel Laura's shoes, feet and ankle. She sat next to me on the settee and showed how she could gently pin my hands by stepping on them. Her shoes felt like what they obviously were, dancing shoes.Helen took a physical drumstick and used it to materialise yards of material which covered the floor of the room. All the sitters were allowed to feel it. Unlike an apport, when the interval came the floor was clear of any material. This material was from the etheric world and not our physical world. The Etherians are adamant that apports, like my clown, come from our physical world.

The Etherians proved to me that they can use physical objects, change tape recorders etc. I then asked the vital question about nuclear war. Could they make the buttons inoperable? Raymond answered this by saying decisions of this type were above his responsibility, this type of decision which involves the destruction of the planet must rest with God. (By God Raymond meant the unknown power in the universe that creates galaxies and puts life onto planets.) Decisions of this magnitude are not for Raymond Lodge or anybody else.

There seems to be a definite hierarchy based on character. The Etherians who are organising this vital communication with us come from the plane of existence that the vast majority of people on earth graduate to. When we leave our physical bodies we are not suddenly given the secrets of the universe. Those who are prepared to make the effort to gain knowledge and do the right thing will progress to more advanced planes of existence. Helen, Raymond and Russell have perfected the art of speaking to us over a period of two years. They cannot just make any Tom, Dick or Harry appear and speak when the fancy takes us or them. This time with great difficulty they did manage to bring my father who died of cancer in 1967. He embraced and kissed my mother and me. He spoke very softly and I did not recognise his voice. However I knew without any doubt that it was my father, because I smelt him. He was completely overcome with emotion. As Helen led him away I heard her say consoling words like

"Now this is only your first time, perhaps in the future."

A question was asked about atmospheric conditions. Does this effect the communication? Helen said it makes no difference except that a thunderstorm overhead would not be very good because it would affect the magnetism.

"That's one for you Michael and your scientific friends."

I carried on the conversation with Raymond Lodge about flying saucers. If, as you say, flying saucers come from our physical universe, dare I ask how they can travel faster than the speed of light?

"The advanced civilisations that visit your planet have learnt how to dematerialise matter. They have to travel in a vehicle because they have not learnt to transport themselves independently like we do in the etheric world. They are very advanced but not as advanced as we are. You need never worry about their intentions because they are good people and would never hurt the inhabitants of earth."

Our pets, what happens when they die? Helen replied that if a dog is walking along a street and it is run over by a bus, its etheric body carries on down the street and returns to its home. It carries on with all its usual familiar things. It never suffers any sense of shock and for an animal that has a love bond with its owners there is no sense of separation for the animal. Pets are always reunited with people that showed them affection in due course. This includes any pet, goldfish, birds, any living creature. Love is the bond. Love seems to be stronger than the atomic glue in the nucleus of an atom, and as any nuclear physicist friend will confirm, this is very strong indeed.

When a physical object is passed through another physical object by the Etherians, my analogy of a knife through soft polystyrene was shown not to be correct at all times. The Etherians are able to alter the consistency of the atoms at their ease. This time they demonstrated this by showing me how they pass the physical drumstick through the physical table with the knife and polystyrene effect, then again without this effect. The second time the drumstick passed effortlessly through.

I asked about the Bristol Cancer Clinic 'A Gentle Way With Cancer'. Raymond Lodge said how correct they were to work together with the surgeons and more orthodox medicine. In some cases a cancer can be cured by will power or tremendous concentration. Imagine the cancer as a large cauliflower and start to break it down into thousands of pieces this sometimes has the effect of destroying the cancer. I understand this method is already being taught at the clinic. Again the Etherians we are in contact with do not know the cure for cancer anymore than we do. Why should they?

It was also very interesting that Raymond Lodge did not seem to know very much about acupuncture, in fact he called it "aquapuncture". He said that if a patient has complete faith in the acupuncturist, it is wonderful what can be accomplished. I reminded him that major surgery can be carried out under acupuncture anaesthesia, and it worked on animals. This proves it is nothing to do with faith. He did not seem to have an answer for this. He mentioned something about nerve systems in the body. I said that orthodox medicine does not know of any nerve system that connects the thumb with deadening the chest cavity. He said that the orthodox doctors do not recognise acupuncture only because they are prejudiced against it. Again I was so pleased that Raymond made these elementary mistakes because it proves that just because somebody is in the etheric world it does not mean that they are automatically an expert on every subject. These people are exactly the same as us but now they are living in the universe that is made-up of atoms that are much finer then our physical atoms.

Martin Masters was scathing about some remark that Brother John made in the Psychic News. Brother John said it was possible for a carpenter to carry on with his profession in the etheric world. What rubbish Mr. Masters said, just as if we could destroy trees in the etheric world. Raymond answered that maybe Brother John did not explain himself very well. Carpenters can certainly carry on with their work. The wood requires materialises, there is no question of destroying any trees.

I asked if the Etherians would be able to communicate with one of our world's leading scientists if he accepted my invitation to attend. They answered that they could, but no answers will be given if it is considered that we have not advanced sufficiently to receive the knowledge.

"But surely your colleague as a scientist would be very interested to see and speak to us anyway."

I asked if the Etherians could clear up once and for all the question of reincarnation. They answered no they could not. They do not know any more about reincarnation than we do. Raymond said.

"Who am I to tell little Russell it's his time to return to earth. If there is such a thing again it must come from a higher authority."

This certainly made sense to me. I said who in their right mind would want to leave your wonderful world and come back to earth. "Exactly." said Raymond Lodge.

I asked Helen why she could not arrange to materialise in daylight as she used to do on earth. She answered that I had been misinformed, because all her meetings took place in the dark. She also said that this new method is much improved because we have now done away with ectoplasm. We are trying very hard to improve the method of communication all the time.

I asked Raymond about food. He said he did not need to eat and drink, but you can if you want to. Imagine Churchill not smoking a cigar. He will carry on until he realises he does not need it.

In conclusion I feel that we must do away with the word "spirit". All the time we use this word we are playing into the hands of our sworn enemies. This word gives the wrong impression completely. The people I have been touching and talking to are exactly the same as us. Definitely not spirits or ghosts. This is a legitimate branch of nuclear physics, let's keep it that way. All this has happened in the past, but the vital difference this time is that we have the nuclear physicists and astronomers on our side.

Let the bigots do their worst. This time they will not succeed.

Taking part:

Physical World:

Rita Goold Pat Jeffery Barry Jeffery Michael Findlay Roll (Named after Arthur Findlay in 1938)

Etheric World:

Russell Vernon Byrne: Age 9, died of cancer twenty years previously. Helen Duncan: Martyred physical medium who was jailed in 1944 under the Witchcraft Act. This led to its abolition. Raymond Lodge: Son of the scientist Sir Oliver Lodge. Raymond was killed in the first World War. Boyrie: Rita Goold's father. Did not speak. Laura Lorraine: Rita Goold's grandmother, but appearing as a young lady with a beautiful operatic voice. James Arthur Findlay: Philosopher and historian, died in 1964. Michael Jeffery: 16 year old son of Barry and Pat, killed on his motorcycle.

This is the report that made the Glasgow University astrophysicist - Professor Archie Roy - beat a path to my door in Bristol.

It was censored by the Spiritualist hierarchy from their newspaper - The Psychic News. That is until a change of Editor and pressure from readers. It was then published in synopsis form in 1992. It was not published in full until March 8th 1997!

Of course it is still censored by the powerful religionists and materialists who have infiltrated and are running the Society for Psychical Research.

Readers will ask, why has the Spiritualist hierarchy fought so hard against the scientific back up for mediumship and this crushing proof of survival? For exactly the same reason as the Vatican. They have declared war on Arthur Findlay's secular scientific approach to the subject of life after death at 'The Arthur Findlay College'. The Spiritualists have made the terrible mistake of making yet another one-god religion out of natural forces in the universe. It's a question of censoring the truth in order to keep power structures intact from the wrath of public opinion.

"Monotheism is easily the greatest disaster ever to be inflicted on the human race."
Gore Vidal

We only have to just switch on our television sets or read the papers for confirmation of this statement.