WHY NAMES AND DATES ARE DIFFICULT TO GIVE

 

Names and dates are far more difficult to impress than thoughts, and under the conflicting conditions of public circles, the only thing to astonish us is that any attempt made in that direction succeeds. Full names are frequently given, showing that when all conditions are favorable this is possible. That they are not at others shows that there are difficulties too great to surmount.

 

HOW CAN A SPIRIT WRITE A MESSAGE WHEN HE WAS ILLITERATE IN THIS LIFE?

 

Mediums, almost invariably, have some spirit friend who understands the process of writing, and is amanuensis for those who desire to communicate but are prevented, from not being acquainted with the process, or other inabilities.

 

A spirit not knowing how to write, may influence by impressions, an impressional medium, and the latter write the thoughts received. For, as has already been stated, thoughts, not words are impressed, and the clothing of such thoughts with words is the work of the medium, consciously or unconsciously, and the correctness and beauty of this clothing depends on his culture.

 

The exception to this is in that phase of perfect control, wherein the subject becomes a pliant instrument.

 

A communication was received by automatic writing at a circle, purporting to come from a spirit, and afterwards it was found that this person was yet living in the earthly body.

 

According to Mr. Stead's experience, it would be possible for such a message to be given, but it is more probable that some other spirit has misrepresented. This experience of receiving messages from living persons claiming that they are in the spirit world is not rare, and usually comes from a misunderstanding, or erroneous transmission of the communication at first, and this is sustained by the positiveness created by the eagerness and expectancy of the circle.

 

A spirit might claim to be a living person, to gain attention, or from some other object, or bring a message from some living person.

 

These phases should be carefully discriminated and errors which might thus arise be guarded against.

 

Purporting spirits urge those who consult them through mediums, to cultivate their own gifts, for they have wonderful capabilities, and yet after long trial they are disappointed, for they manifest no susceptibility whatever. The spirits are not infallible and cannot know until a trial has been made. Sitting alone, or with a circle now and then, is not a fair test. Only sitting in a well-organized circle for a prolonged series of seances, would prove or disprove the truthfulness of messages received. If nothing came of such sittings, it would be useless to go on. Our spirit friends are as anxious as we are, to communicate, and it devolves on us to supply the means, without which their presence must remain unrecognized.

 

If communications came as readily and certainly as messages through the telegraph, all the criticism of the foregoing questions would hold, but it must be remembered that there are great difficulties in the way.

 

No one denies that it is possible for a hypnotist to control a subject so as to make him think, speak and act as his manipulator desires, yet, probably, not one in a thousand subjects can be perfectly controlled, and not one in ten thousand made to speak the thoughts of the operator. The spirit is in the position of the hypnotist, and influences by the same law and methods, and only amidst many failures are correct messages given and received. You go to a medium and receive a suggestive message. You go to another medium, and your influence is stronger than that of the spirits, and you receive a reflection of your own thoughts. It would be useless to go for confirmation to other mediums, for the same result would surely follow.

 

AN INSTANCE OF CONTINUITY OF CHARACTER.

 

A lady went to a medium hoping to get a word from her friends, because she had unearthed a criminal. The murderer steps in and uses such vulgar language that she refuses to hear him, and whatever medium she visits she receives the same. Why are such things allowed?

 

A cardinal principle of Spiritualism is that the spirit remains the same after the death of the body as before, until changed by the processes of growth in morals and intellect. By potent, yet not well understood laws of repulsion and attraction, those not in accord are restrained from interfering with each other, far more strongly than in this life. There are exceptions, some avenues being opened whereby the annoyance may approach. In this case, if the murderer came it would be expected that be would retain his hatred, and the disposition with which the lady met him was the open gateway for his approach. He was a spirit in prison, and she should have bailed with gladness the opportunity it afforded her to extend the hand of loving charity, and redeem him to the light. Instead, she attempted to thrust him away, and the lower nature excited in her was the means of still stronger attraction so that whoever she consulted as a medium, she brought the same atmosphere and received the same result.

 

INFLUENCE OF THE MEDIUM.

 

The reverse of the foregoing is presented in the following where the medium changed the message of one who on earth was a professional gentleman, unusually bright and well educated. In his communications he is ungrammatical and spells as it were at random. It is also observed that the control of a medium, continuing for many years, makes no advance although the medium does so. To these queries it may be said in reply that so many conditions enter into the control, determining its character, that general statements have to be modified for each instance. A spirit having control of a medium may by some unrecognized law of sympathy, hold its position, regardless of the advancement in knowledge of that medium. It may do this, without intending harm, or recognizing that it is not right. This spirit has not learned that it is more practicable to express thoughts than words, and is vainly struggling to make his personality distinct by directly impressing the words which express his ideas. To do this successfully, the control must be nearly perfect, and this the spirit cannot attain.

 

The same explanation applies in the first instance. A spirit ignorant of the best method of communication is holding back the advance of the medium. In the first a spirit well-informed finds that the instrument is deficient, and his messages suffer in phraseology. If this spirit could have automatic control over the medium, the messages would be given by words, not thoughts, and their wording would be perfect.

 

In the second instance the spirit should impress the medium with ideas, allowing her mind to clothe them with words, and in the second case the spirit should gain such perfect control that it can impress words instead of thoughts which to embody, the medium being uncultured, has no alternative but to use the limited vocabulary at her command. Water no more certainly takes the form of the vessel into which it is poured, than a spirit communication formulates in the mind of the recipient. And here is illustrated the necessity of culture, of spiritual attainments, of purity of life in those who would transmit the thoughts of spirit intelligences.