Aims of the Chiltern Society for Psychical Research - Web Version December 2008

 

1.0 The Society

 

1.1 The Chiltern Society for Psychical Research (CSPR) is a secular non-profit making organisation dedicated to the study of and research into what is currently termed ‘paranormal’ phenomena.  The Society exists to promote the above aims by operating a membership structure that allows like-minded individuals to meet and take part in investigations of suitable venues as well as to attend lectures and demonstrations on various relevant topics. 

 

1.2 Subjects that come within the Society’s area of study include spontaneous phenomena – hauntings and poltergeist cases – and induced phenomena such as mediumship, psychometry, dowsing and the physical phenomena of spiritualism.

 

1.3 The Society operates as a platform for Members to express and discuss their own findings and viewpoints on the whole subject of ghosts, hauntings, mediumship and survival through its meetings, talks and publications; however, the Society does not have a collective or corporate viewpoint and the opinions of Members and those of the Society’s Council (see 2.1 below) are entirely their own.

 

2.0 Structure of the Society

 

2.1 The Society will be run by a Council of founding members, who will oversee the development of the organisation, administer membership, organise events and investigations and oversee the production of the Society’s publications.  In order to assist what is hoped will be the future expansion and development of the Society, additional places on the Council will be created and Society Members will be invited to take up these roles as the needs of the organisation dictate.  The current CSPR Council Members are Eddie Brazil (Vice President), Paul Adams (Secretary) and Janice Fleckney (Treasurer).

 

2.2 The CSPR Council will appoint a President to head the Society for a minimum period of two calendar years from the Society’s official launch date, after which the current President will either be re-elected or a new officer chosen.  The Presidential candidate will be either an invited Honorary Member or an ordinary Member of the Society.  The President will contribute material to the Society’s publications and give an address at the CSPR AGM.

 

2.3 The CSPR promotes the study of paranormal phenomena through its meetings and investigations in the Chilterns (Beds, Bucks and Herts area) and elsewhere.  In order to cater for the interests of Members there will be two groups operating within the Society that cover all aspects of both spontaneous and induced phenomena.  The Spontaneous Phenomena Group (SPG) under the direction of Eddie Brazil will organise and conduct on-site investigations into allegedly haunted locations; reports of these visits will be published in the Society’s Journal.  The SPG will also organise regular lectures on paranormal subjects that are open to Society Members as well as members of the public.

 

2.4 In order to encourage a dialogue and promote co-operation with mediums and spiritualist groups in the Chilterns area and elsewhere, the Experimental Phenomena Group (EPG) under the direction of Paul Adams will organise events and demonstrations reflecting the spiritualistic hypothesis.  Members of the Society are encouraged to take part in the activities of both these Groups as their own preferences dictate.

 

3.0 Membership

 

3.1 Membership of the CSPR is invited from members of the public who have an interest in the subject matter of the Society and wish to either take part in investigations or in other ways involve themselves with the Society’s events.  Membership will be in the following categories – Associate Member (for individuals), Family Member (for partners and their families), Group Member (for similar organisations and societies) and Concessionary Member (senior citizens and students).  Annual subscriptions for each of the above classes of membership will be published in the CSPR Journal and website.  Further details of membership of the Society will be found in the separate document CSPR – General Guidelines of the Society.  Honorary Membership will be granted at the discretion and agreement of the CSPR Council.

 

3.2 Membership of the CSPR in the various categories described will be afforded providing the annual subscription is paid in full and candidates agree to follow these Aims of the Society and to abide by and follow both the General Guidelines of the Society together with the specific protocols of both the SPG and EPG. 

 

3.3. Membership of the CSPR is open to all members of the public as set out in the membership literature noted in 3.1 above; the Society will not discriminate against any Member on the grounds of their race, sexual orientation, background, religion or disability. 

 

3.4 Revenue from membership subscriptions and donations will be used to fund the Society’s regular Journal and other publications as well as for covering other on-costs of the organisation i.e. production of membership documentation, hire of venues for lectures and demonstrations, fees for visiting speakers and the purchase of relevant equipment for both SPG and EPG investigations.  Equipment purchases will be at the approval of all members of the CSPR Council.

 

3.5 A yearly summary of the Society’s accounts will be prepared by the Treasurer and published in the subsequent issue of the Society Journal following the CSPR AGM. 

 

3.6 On joining the Society, each member will be entitled to receive a Members’ Handbook containing relevant information, guidelines and the aims of the Society, together with a Membership Card which should be brought to all meetings and events.

 

4.0 Publications

 

4.1 The Society aims to produce a regular quarterly Journal which will include reports of CSPR investigations, articles by Members, book reviews as well as notices of forthcoming lectures and meetings.  The Journal will be distributed free to Members in both printed and electronic form.

 

4.2 The Society will also make available for nominal charge audio recordings of its various lectures and talks which will be available to purchase through the Journal and website.  The Society may also, with the approval of the Council, publish relevant one-off publications as funds allow.

 

5.0 Events

 

5.1 The Spontaneous Phenomena Group and the Experimental Phenomena Group will both hold regular meetings throughout the year to which Society Members are invited to attend.  In order to ensure that every Member of the Society has the opportunity to take part in events, it may be necessary to set up a rota system which Members can add their names to for various investigations and visits.  All attendees are expected to comply with the guidelines for these events as included in the Members’ Handbook.  Both SPG and EPG investigations and meetings will normally be for CSPR members only.

 

5.2 The CSPR will undertake a regular yearly programme of events related to the activities of the organisation over and above the investigations and meetings organised by both the SPG and EPG.  These will include monthly lectures on paranormal subjects by Society Members or invited speakers alternating with demonstrations of mediumship and Psychometry etc. by guest mediums and psychics.  The venues will be notified in advance but will normally be held either in Hazlemere, High Wycombe, Bucks or in Luton, Beds.  CSPR Members can attend these events free of charge; the events will be advertised to the general public both at the venue, in the local press and/or on local radio, who will pay an entrance fee to help cover the cost of hiring the venue etc.  Where a visiting speaker or medium requests a fee (which will be approved beforehand by the Council), the general public entrance fee will reflect this and CSPR Members may be asked to pay a reduced fee.

 

6.0 Website

 

6.1 The Society will maintain a website which will be used for publicity of the CSPR and will include details of relevant forthcoming meetings and events. 

 

7.0 Public Relations

 

7.1 The Society will actively promote its activities in the local press, via its website, on local radio and in the specialist paranormal magazines and newspapers.  The conduct of the CSPR is at all times with the serious study of paranormal phenomena as set out in 1.2 above and the Society does not connect its activities with so-called ‘psychic entertainment’.  As such, the Society will only associate itself with other organisations and members of the media who have a likewise attitude to the relevant subject matter.

 

Illustration on this page: Ettington Park, Warwickshire by Eddie Brazil.

 

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