Gladys Franklin (1909 – 2000), medium and spiritual teacher

Gladys realised, however, that even were she to become a top medium, living a very comfortable life, this wasn’t what she wanted. Her innermost desire was to teach, a desire that drew a teacher from the higher realms of Spirit. Her training invariably brought hardship, because it was only through her own experiences, good and bad, and her investigations out of the body, that a deeper understanding of life in the earth and beyond could be acquired.

Gladys wrote prolifically about everything she learned, a process that continued right through her life. She began holding classes for people interested in discovering the fuller self. The set of unique lessons she produced specifically for the classes emphasised the importance of the soul more so than the psychic senses. This marked her gradual departure from Spiritualism, and the start of her own organisation, called in turn The Sanctuary of the Rising Spirit, The Fellowship of Truth, and The Universal Philosophy Study Groups, each name signifying the particular phase of the work she so lovingly undertook. Every successive phase added even greater depth to her understanding of the soul, which ultimately she was able to pass on to others willing to listen.

To hear Gladys speak on any subject, whether from the rostrum or in an easy chair at home, was a joy and a privilege. Even with a familiar topic she would invariably give a new angle, a different way of seeing things. Added to this was her genuine warmth of character, which gave her words an authority that inspired those present to want to look within and better themselves. That same warmth could be felt in the personal letters she sent to the many thousands of postal students across the world who requested her writings over the years.

In the last ten years of her earth life, Gladys changed the name of her organisation to Studies on Life, indicating a move away from large classes to smaller, self-sufficient study groups. This encouraged students to take more responsibility for their own progress, with better results. Following the passing of its founder, the work of Studies on Life has been continued by a small number of trustees (of which I am one) dedicated to helping sincere seekers in their search for truth by making available the invaluable accumulated wisdom of Gladys’ teachings.

When asked about her work and how one might help in it, Gladys gave this explanation: that the work is in the first place learning as individuals to value the feelings that add light to the soul, such as patience, tolerance, kindness, and sincerity. Using such feelings ‘cleans the atmosphere’ which is to say it introduces bright colours into the aura which move out into the atmosphere and displace darker shades. This indirectly helps other people, who can be encouraged through the dark and difficult times they may face.

You can read more about Gladys in her autobiography, Ghosts Walk! (see Book News for details). Browse this website to find out more about Soul Lore, which is based wholly on the teaching and example of Gladys Franklin. You may also like to visit the Studies on Life website.

C.E.J.