CHAPTER VI

COMMUNICATING

Very many methods have been discovered of communicating with discarnate spirits; but it is not needful in the present volume to deal with any system of incantation or “magical” rites. What is proposed is to describe such practices as have in modern times been found to yield good results and have become customary.

1. EXPECTANCY

This is suitable where an individual person desires to ascertain whether he or she is endowed with any psychic powers. By sitting in some place quite alone and free from interruption, and by adopting a mental attitude of passive receptivity and expectancy, the soul becomes ready to perceive and be affected by any spirits that may be in its vicinity and that may attempt to open up communications. A Quakers’ meeting--though not a case of solitary individuals--is a good illustration of the method of expectancy in actual practice. No one is supposed to speak without being “moved thereto by the Spirit”; and it is by no means an uncommon event for the meeting to begin, continue and end without a single word being said--the necessary vocal impulse being wanting, although various members of the congregation may be distinctly conscious, in a less definite way, of spiritual presence and thought-suggestion.

The manifestations in the course of expectancy sittings may vary from thought-suggestion to positive physical phenomena, such as the sensation of being touched or gently blown upon, the movement of some inanimate object, the hearing of a voice or even the visual appearance of some supernormal object. All depends upon whether the sitter is or is not susceptible to psychical influence, and also upon whether the locality or the sitter personally is or is not haunted. This word “haunted” must not be understood as implying that the sitter--any more than the locality--is conscious of the proximity of spirits or is in any way inconvenienced thereby. It merely means that, as explained in a previous part of this book, discarnate spirits tend to remain near the places and persons with whom they were familiar during life--perhaps in the hope of being able to make their presence known.

2. AUTOMATIC WRITING

It is very rarely that the results of “expectancy” go beyond thought-impression and subsidiary physical manifestations, neither of which can be regarded as in the nature of practical communications. For the giving of a message or the carrying-on of a conversation something more is required. Accordingly, when an enquirer sits alone it is customary to have at hand a pencil and paper or some apparatus--as, for example, a planchette--by means of which writing is possible. It is then frequently found that the sitter’s hand, without any conscious guidance by the sitter, will manipulate the pencil or the apparatus so as to produce a “script” on the paper. This is read and may be followed up by _vivâ voce_ comments and questions, and thus a regular verbal interview takes place.

Automatic writing does not depend upon solitude. It may take place in the presence of any number of observers, and is frequently employed by mediums as being an expeditious method of communication.

3. TRANCE WRITING AND SPEAKING

In cases where the sitter is markedly “psychic” and adopts the method of Expectancy it frequently happens that normal control over the body is lost. A condition of trance supervenes, and while this continues the spirit--which may be either a “second personality” or a soul from the outside--that has gained the upper hand makes use to a greater or less extent of the brain and other organs subject to its mastery. The hand may write: the mouth may speak: the whole body may be engaged in some impersonation; and all this may take place beyond the scope of the sitter’s normal consciousness. When the trance is over the sitter is not able to recall anything that has been written or said or enacted. The services of some recording observer are therefore necessary if any practical result is to be obtained.

The trance condition is particularly likely to occur when the sitter, or one of the sitters, is a genuine “medium,” or, in other words, a person who either is naturally endowed with special susceptibility to psychical influences or is the habitat of two souls, normal and “subliminal” respectively. Accordingly in the majority of _séances_ with professional mediums the communications from discarnate spirits are received during trance, and take the form of script executed by the medium’s hand or words spoken by the medium. Frequently, moreover, the medium is not completely entranced but retains partial consciousness; the result being that what may be described as a dazed condition ensues, and the utterances from “the other side” become mixed with, and qualified by, various halting and imperfect statements emanating from the medium’s own mind. This is why so many of the published reports of spiritualistic _séances_ contain what appear to be merely such erroneous and ignorant remarks as might be expected from comparatively uneducated persons who have become acquainted with the tricks of a trade. And as the simulation of a partially-entranced and semi-conscious state is a very easy matter for persons who have any dramatic turn, it is often difficult to know how far a communication is genuine and how far it is inadvertently or designedly sophisticated. But if the recipients of the communication do not allow themselves to be swayed by emotion, and bring a little common sense to bear, they will find in the great majority of cases that the matter can be made clear enough for all practical purposes.

4. SIGNALLING

Communication need not be confined to writing and speech. It is found that codes of signals can be arranged with discarnate spirits desirous of opening up intelligent relations with living persons.

The methods of signalling depend upon the ingenuity and preferences of the parties concerned. They are not restricted to any particular proceedings; though it has become customary with the majority of sitters to make use of “raps” and “table-tilting.” It is also usual to agree with the spirits that a single rap or tilting movement shall signify “No,” that three raps or tilts shall mean “Yes,” and that words shall be conveyed letter by letter, the system adopted being for the living person to pronounce the letters of the alphabet in their due order and for the spirit to give a rap or tilt when the right letter is reached.

It must not, however, be supposed that the employment of a table is in any way necessary. The method has come into vogue merely because people assembling together for intercourse with discarnate spirits have found it convenient to sit round a table. Any idea that spirits have a predilection for, or an attachment to, a table or any other article of furniture is a popular delusion and is most assuredly contrary to common sense. All available evidence goes to show that spirits find much greater difficulty in operating on matter than on mind. The setting of any physical mass in motion is a particularly arduous task; and the work becomes lighter in proportion as the mass to be moved is smaller and less weighty. To expect a spirit to set a bulky article like a table in movement is unreasonable; and the fact that tables are moved by spirits is not an argument to the contrary. Spirits are sometimes asked how they contrive to do such physical work, and a conventional reply has become current, namely, that the sitters “supply magnetism which is gathered in the medium and goes into the table.” From a scientific point of view this answer is nonsensical. It is, in all probability, a “sophistication” repeated, wittingly or unwittingly, by medium after medium. Another explanation which is put forward occasionally seems to be nearer the mark, _i.e._ that where heavy articles are moved the work is done by a number of spirits acting together.

However all this may be, it is clear that those sitters who use less cumbrous means than tables for signalling are more likely to be satisfied. And it is also clear that the customary “once for No” and “three times for Yes” are not imperative. Any other code may be adopted. Communications are not subject to any arbitrary regulations. They have all the freedom of ordinary personal intercourse.

5. DIRECT MESSAGES

These have already been mentioned under the heading of Expectancy; but they are occasionally found to occur in conjunction with other methods of communicating. A pencil is sometimes seen to be apparently writing of its own accord on a sheet of paper; no human hand being near it. Sometimes it is seen to be guided by the simulacrum of a hand--a phenomenon that takes place more frequently when the sitting is held in a dimly-lighted locality or even in the dark. In the latter case the visibility is due to the object seen being self-luminous. The script produced by such direct writing is, of course, the message to be received.

In like manner a message is sometimes conveyed by a voice which is unconnected with any person present at the sitting; and the utterance may vary from a whisper addressed to some individual ear to a loud discourse audible by the whole company.

6. MATERIALISATION

This is a development of direct communication. The spirit becomes either visible or tangible, and sometimes is both. Its form and appearance are akin to those of a clothed human being; though the similarity is not in any way complete. The substance of which such phantasms are composed is as yet unknown to science; but its perceptibility by normal sight and touch suggests a material character, without, however, necessitating the idea of solidity any more than in the case of an evanescent cloud or mist. So, too, the form assumed must not be regarded as being necessarily the real form of the spirit in the apparition, the tenuous substance of which is obviously capable of any desired configuration; while the comparative rarity of the phenomenon implies that it is only here and there that a spirit is found possessing the requisite knowledge and artistic capacity for the work of putting together and shaping such a production.

Some of the materialised beings seem unable to speak or to display much power of movement. Others can speak and move about with facility. Others again can handle various objects, such as musical instruments, books, flowers and the like, and can convey them from place to place.

The manifestations here touched upon are much more frequent in dark _séances_ than in the light; and even when some degree of illumination is allowed the usual practice is to provide “cabinets” or screens under the cover of which the psychical effects are developed. This naturally gives ample opportunity for trickery to persons who, whether for money-making or for other motives, pose as mediums without having any real qualifications for the work; and it is unquestionable that many instances of sham materialisations have from time to time taken place. On the other hand, the well-evidenced instances of real materialisations and of many other analogous kinds of psycho-physical phenomena are much more numerous. We must consider, moreover, that a good reason exists for dim light and darkness in connection with attempts to communicate with discarnate spirits. When the eyes are

## active the mind receives continual impressions of numerous objects

and occurrences that engage its attention and render it much less receptive of occult influences. Hence by minimising or shutting out the distractions of sight the soul of a sitter becomes very much more attuned to whatever telepathy may exist in connection with such external spirits as are present.

With regard to communicating in general the old proverb, “Practice makes perfect,” holds good. Mediums, it is true, are born, not made; but, as is the case with all human beings, their powers are at first immature, and have to be developed by long-continued exercise and more or less skilled training before the best results become attainable. Every person who wishes to speak with the dead is--as is also every other person in the world--at least a potential medium so far as he or she knows at the outset. If it be found on trial that psychic powers exist to an appreciable extent it may be taken for granted that they are capable of very great increase by persevering effort and systematic employment; and the growth may be such as to lead through the lower to the higher forms of communicating. If, however, after repeated experiments it appears that a susceptibility to psychical influences is lacking or very moderate in degree, or if, for any other reason, a continuance of personal effort be not desirable, then it becomes necessary to have recourse to the services of mediums. These latter may be either amateur or professional; but, whichever they are, their utility depends upon the stage of development they have reached.

The term “development” as here used means an increased sensitiveness of the perceptive faculty by which the medium becomes aware of and influenced by the proximity of discarnate spirits. It means also an intensified passivity of the normal soul, thus facilitating control by the secondary mind or by external spirits. And it signifies furthermore the placing of a larger proportion of the medium’s substance and physical powers at the disposal of the controlling beings, thereby enabling these existences to produce manifestations which otherwise would be impossible. The actual _modus operandi_ of the use by a control of a medium’s body and vitality is not yet understood; but the fact of such use has been a matter of observation and experiment in all ages of which we have any record. Hence the communication with a discarnate spirit will be fuller, freer and more extended in proportion to the better adaptation of the intermediate psychical mechanism.

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