CHAPTER X.

THE POTENTIAL VALUE OF COMMUNICATION

BEFORE closing this short record, it may be of use to refer briefly to the potential value of communication from "the other side" in general, and to touch on the opinions and criticisms expressed by those who have entered into this subject with us during the last two years, in many cases for the first time.

Owing to the careful system of introduction pursued throughout, I have been fortunate and privileged in coming into contact only with those who have approached the matter in a dignified and thoughtful spirit, the only spirit in which such investigation is, to my mind, justifiable.

In the case of public mediums, the protection of careful private introduction is often lacking, and they are at the mercy of an indiscriminate collection of sitters, who come with very mixed, and even unworthy, motives.

In the latter cases, the communications received must necessarily be on a low level, and detrimental to all concerned.

Many of the public mediums are high minded and honourable people, who, owing to their sensitive nature, undergo a considerable amount of real suffering from unworthy influences such as these. If the extreme sensitiveness of this heightened consciousness were more generally recognised, sitters would, no doubt, hesitate to make use in the manner just indicated, of the rare powers placed at their disposal.

On the other hand, it is a real refreshment and inspiration to high-minded mediums when they are brought into touch with sitters and communicators of a higher type, and the communications received under such conditions are often valuable, and a worthy outcome of the delicate vital force expended.

There has often been a certain hesitation on the sitter's part with regard to entering into communication with the departed, and this is probably due to a natural and healthy sense of self-protection, which halts before the exploration of unknown ground, where even experts tread cautiously, and confess to only fragmentary knowledge. A very common attitude on the part of survivors seems to be expressed in the following words: "Can we not leave them in God's hands? Why attempt to call them back?

It may be well to point out that they cannot be "called back" against their will; they come at their own wish if at all.

Perhaps the expression "call them back" is in itself an unfortunate one, as it suggests a sharp division between the spirit-world and our own, which is out of accord with much of the scientific thought of the day.

Recent telepathic experiments have shown that thought-transference is unhampered by the limitations of space, and for all we know, the worlds of spirit and matter may interpenetrate, as matter is interpenetrated by the ether of space.

What limits can be set to the attraction-power of thought, especially when the thought is permeated by love? If it is true that "neither life nor death can separate from the love of God," may this not also be true of human love?

Love demands expression by intercourse of some kind, and intercourse with the spirit-world in the past has been limited to communion with. God by means of prayer, and in the case of the Roman Church, the invocation of saints. It is at least worth considering whether communication with our own departed friends may not be a perfectly natural and legitimate extension of the above.

An important fact noticed by us is, that those on "the other side" often seem anxious to take any opportunity open to them of re-establishing the intercourse interrupted by death, and some of their attempts to do this have an element of pathos in them, as they try one channel after another in the hope of success.

If, as is so often the case, the would-be communicator is a man of mature judgment, well-tempered mind, and unselfish character, such action on his part should be respected by his friends on earth, even though this involve some departure from their habitual ways of thought.

It may be supposed that those in the next stage of existence are better judges on this question, so far as they themselves are concerned, than their friends on earth, who have had no experience of the change wrought by death.

The decision that inevitably rests with the survivors is, what attitude they should wisely adopt towards such communication if it comes, and whether they themselves are in such a condition of mind and body as to render such communication beneficial to all concerned.

We have had many personal testimonies as to the beneficial and uplifting effect of communication, but these letters are naturally of a private character. No case of detrimental effect has so far come into my personal experience.

That such communication, if entered upon at all, should be moderate and restrained, is as necessary as in the case of all friendships undue absorption of, one personality in another would be as limiting and inadvisable in the spirit-sphere as in any other.

It is often stated that messages received in this manner are concerned mainly with trivialities, or else are of so abstruse a nature that no evidential value can be attached to them. This accusation is one which might equally well be brought against our communications with each other in earth-life, and it is not surprising to find the same mental conditions persisting after death.

For proof of identity it will readily be granted that trivialities are invaluable; do we not single out our friends here from many others, by small peculiarities of dress or manner?

The difficulty on the part of communicators must be very great, as either type of communication is liable to be classified as unsatisfactory by the recipients.

As a matter of fact, the messages that I have received have been of a very varied character, and would scarcely fall into either of the above categories.

Some communicators tried to convey definite advice, some desired to give help of various kinds to their relations, some gave news of "Missing" persons (correct in the majority of cases), some expressed a wish to heal a misunderstanding, whilst others impressed upon their friends the fact of their continued and intensified love and interest, and spoke of the mutual efforts needed to link their world with ours.

The messages have sometimes indicated that help needs to be received on the other side, as well as given; a few extracts follow which make this clear: "Do not grieve only...grief is so short-sighted, I mean, it blocks the outlets, dear.... I am close at hand, you must feel it surely? I cannot return, no.... You face that one chasm, and then turn your back on it. I return in spirit, and we must learn to meet in this realm. It is a tremendous step, and uplifting to us both...a stepping-stone upwards...you will see when grief is tamed...tamed, yes...it is a force which ravages."

A curious appeal, made directly to ourselves, came one day from a stranger killed in the war, who gave the name of Sogno. He wrote with much agitation:

"Sogno is getting no help at all, no help, I say...cruel war.... God is indeed cruel to men. I am bitter and so sad....

"Miss, I am appealing to your charity. I was called to fight against my will and better judgment. I am sad and alone here. We are not ready for this sudden change, how can we be? Help me, to you I appeal. You are reposeful, I felt it, and came like a hunted thing I was and am, but I want to understand. I cannot follow yet, I am confused.... You are at rest, I see and feel. I remain near at present, may I? I am no one you need fear at all. I drink repose.... I feel it, so it must be at hand. I get so perplexed, see glimpses at times only. I am helped.

"Ah, the sign of death...how we saw it on all hands.... Your charity I appreciate.... I go now.... Ah...ah...you women are lucky to be where you are...ah...ah...so late and dark...so wet.... Sogno. Thank you."

The case of "Sogno" is one of acute appeal for help. I am told that special private circles exist for the help of such cases, and that they are still carrying on the steady work begun in the stress of the war-need. Testimony from those helped in these circles tends to show that in some cases, especially where the grip of physical conditions has been strong and painful up to the moment of death, the spirit finds himself best able to receive help from those still on earth, in order to prepare him for the further help that awaits him beyond.

The close of earth-life has come to these men in an unnatural catastrophic fashion, for which our world in general is responsible. They have missed the maturing influences of normal life at its later stages, and the responsibility of compensating partly for this loss rests with parents and friends here, as well. as with those who are helping them directly in the spirit-world. The thought of help by prayer is accepted by many, but the possibilities, of direct thought-help are as yet very inadequately used or understood.

No one is without experience of such help in his earth-life, and the appeal made by death is surely that we should transmute the power so commonly expended in hopeless grief into a fruitful, developing influence of mind upon mind.

The growing belief in the continuity of life, and the fast-vanishing fear of death, are two of the most marked effects of the new thought which has grown up around this subject.

Another effect is the development of a new receptive attitude on the part of those here, as the realisation slowly grows that the difficult process of rebuilding the social order need not be undertaken by ourselves alone, but maybe a joint effort, inspired by those whose wider outlook gives a larger scope to human enterprise, and a deeper insight into the ultimate possibilities of human life.