Glimpses Of The Next State.Pdf - Spiritualists' National Union

CHAPTER XI.171ANALYSIS AND CORRELATIONSThe numbered incidents—Mental phenomena—Physical phenomena—No investigation of useunless both types are considered— Richard Hodgson, Thomson Jay Hudson, and James Hyslop—Miss Ada Besinnet — Mind-reading considered —Analysis of mental phenomena—Analysis ofphysical phenomena—Correlations—The alleged “Dope” book—A group of investigators in eachAmerican city—Difficulty of declaring themselves—Powerful psychics only to be found in NorthAmerica—Alleged collusion between mediums— Evidence to the contrary—Spirit controls nodoubt communicate with one another — Grayfeather’s feelings hurt — Correlations numerous inmy notes—Conjurers are useful people—Can do no harm to psychics such as are mentioned in thisbook—A conjurer convinced me finally in 1909 of the genuineness of the Bangs Sisters.ON summing up the numbered incidents, those which appear to me to be somewhat moreremarkable than other phenomena in my narrative, I find that forty belong to the class called“mental” and seventy-five to that called “physical” types, in my varied experiences. I regardclairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, table-tilting, automatic writing, inspirational writing,ouija-board, planchette, all as mental phenomena, because I am convinced that the material objectmoved is set in motion by the psychic, whose brain is impressed by the invisible intelligence. Inmost cases the psychic is unaware of what his hand is doing; nevertheless, it is his muscles which actsubconsciously. In table-tilting the psychic is often conscious of the letter coming, sometimes of awhole word; in automatic writing he is more often than not unconscious of what is on the paperuntil he reads what he has written. When writing inspirationally the psychic is always aware ofwhat he is doing, and frequently constructs the sentences, using his own language and style.Physical phenomena are wholly different. Force is exerted and intelligently directed byinvisible beings—dynamic force, which cannot be attributed in any way to the psychic (assumingthe honesty of the latter), and which produces results such as telekinesis, materialisation,etherealisation, the direct voice in the trumpet, or independent of it, writing between slates,precipitating pictures, passing matter through matter, and so forth.If we set out to try and obtain evidence of the existence of discarnate spirits, we are gropinghopelessly in the dark if we do not take into consideration both physical and mental instances ofspirit action: mental phenomena are specially liable to be leavened by the personality of themedium or psychic, but any amount of power in that direction will not enable them to construct ahuman form, or even a hand, a throat, a mouth, or a face; nor will it assist them to cause a voice tosing, whistle, or speak to the sitter and give him definite information.Therefore, when I hear a man laying down the law about any of the manifold types ofspiritistic phenomena, who has not made a careful study of physical energy exerted by the unseen, Ismile, and as soon as possible disengage myself from any participation with his labours. RichardHodgson and Thomson Jay Hudson were thoroughly honest expositors of the mental phenomena,but neither knew anything worth knowing of the physical types. James Hyslop, the presentsecretary, and practical head, of the American Society for Psychical Research, writes voluminously.All that he states is as so much chaff before the wind, because he is lamentably ignorant ofmaterialisation and all other forms of physical manifestation. His late report upon Miss AdaBesinnet (whom he calls Miss Burton) is a shocking instance of obstinate incredulity. It is out of thequestion that Oma Yoant’s loud, rich voice can be mistaken as emanating from the mouth of thepsychic by the observer controlling her right hand, or that the whistling of “Pietro” from above canhave any direct connection with that young lady. Miss Ada, in her normal condition, possesses nogift of singing or whistling. That the invisible intelligences who do these things are borrowingsomething from her organism I do not deny. We cannot obtain these phenomena unless she ispresent; therefore it is evident that, in some mysterious way, she unconsciously aids in their