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Lily Dale is a hamlet located on the east side of Cassadaga Lake in southwestern New York state. Incorporated in 1879 as the Cassadaga Lake Free Association, it was first a camp and meeting place for Spiritualists and other free thinkers. It eventually became the Lily Dale Assembly in 1906, with the purpose of furthering science, philosophy and Spiritualism.

I first visited Lily Dale in August of 2004. At that time, I was new to the concept of Spiritualism and mediumship. I had mustered the courage to go to Fredonia, NY to take my first mediumship classes with Rev. Leonard Young.  After class one day, he announced that we were having dinner at the house of a friend in Lily Dale.  My first thought was, what and where is this place? I have to admit that I was a little skeptical about visiting a town full of Spiritualists.  But as I entered the grounds and strolled around the lake, I was overwhelmed by calming energy.

I had had a connection with the spirit world since having a near death experience at the age of five. I soon discovered Lily Dale was a place where this kind of activity was wide open and accepted. I was really intrigued by Harmony House located in the center of town. It was built in 1895 and was originally the Temple of Health and the site of healing services in the early 1900s. The current owners have renamed it in honor of Andrew Jackson Davis and his Harmonial Philosophy, but it still retains its aura of healing and peace.

That didn’t prepare me for my visit to the current Healing Temple which was opened in 1955. The new temple was dedicated to be a place of peace to all those who come to renew their energy through healing, meditation and prayer. I was truly amazed when I first entered the building. I had never had an experience with spiritual healing, and I was changed by my experience there.

Lily Dale was where I first learned about Spiritualism and what it truly meant. I remember going into the Maplewood hotel and seeing all the precipitated paintings.  These are works of art which appear on canvas without the use of human hands during a séance. All the pieces were very professional looking and some very large. I could not believe that they were done by the spirit world.

I next visited Inspiration Stump. Found at the end of a quiet trail in the Leolyn Woods, the old stump has been the site of mediumship demonstrations and services since 1898. My first time walking down the path was one of wonder. I thought of all the people who had demonstrated there and were true to their beliefs in Spiritualism. Today, I find that sitting alone in silence at the Inspiration Stump always restores my energy.

I watched numerous mediums demonstrate at Lily Dale, and I must admit, I was in awe. For the first time, I felt I had found a place with likeminded people. Later, I read that Susan B. Anthony was supposed to have given a speech at Lake Chautauqua, but when they turned her down, Lily Dale opened its doors to her. It has also been said that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini used to sit on the porch of one of the guest houses, involved in conversations about life beyond death.

Lily Dale is certainly a place that makes you look within yourself and trust your inner feelings and thoughts. It is a place that is one with the spirit world.   When I think of all the great Spiritualists who walked the very grounds that exist today, I realize what they had to give up to follow their faith. The library offers a large collection of books on Spiritualism. Reading about subjects like inspirational writing, automatic writing, mediumship, spirit guides, home circles, physical mediumship, and mental mediumship, opened my mind to what is possible.

If you have never been to Lily Dale, I urge you to make a trip there just once in your life. Lily Dale’s year-round population is about 275. During Summer, they offer classes, workshops, public church services and mediumship demonstrations, lectures, and private appointments with mediums. Take advantage of what they have to offer. I’m sure some part of you will be changed in a special way, just as I was changed.