The Adventures of a Modern Occultist-Oliver Bland-1920-234pgs-OCC

7/27/2019 The Adventures of a Modern Occultist-Oliver Bland-1920-234pgs-OCC

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THE ADVENTURES OFA MODERN OCCULTIST






BYOLIVER BLAND

NEW YORKDODD, MEAD AND COMPANY

19520



I

COPYRIGHT, 1920

B: DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, INC .

96t eulnn&ROOM CempmtpBOOK MANUFACTURERS .RAHWAY NEW JERSEY



INTRODUCTIONT a m i n d i v i d u a l w h o d e a l s w i t h t h e b y - p a t h s a n d

. m y s t e r i e s o f t h a t g r e a t S c i e n c e w h i c h w e t e r m

l o o s e l y O c c u l t i s m , . c o u r t s n e i t h e r p e r s o n a l n o -

t o r i e t y n o r p u b l i c i t y f o r t h e s t r a n g e p r o c e e d i n g s ,

i n w h i c h h e p l a y s a p a r t .

I h a v e a l w a y s b e e n a n e n e r g e t i c s t u d e n t o f

p s y c h i c m a t t e r s , d r a w n t h e r e t o b y t h e p o s s e s .

s i o n o f c e r t a i n u n u s u a l g i f t s w i t h w h i c h N a t u r e

has endowed me . ( T h r o u g h o u t t h e h i s t o r y o f

m a n k i n d t h e r e h a v e a l w a y s b e e n a c e r t a i n n u m -

b e r o f i n d i v i d u a l s w h o h a v e k e p t a l i v e t h e s a c r e d

f i r e a n d h e l d t h e s e c r e t k e y s o f m a n y m y s t e r i e s ,

a n d f r o m t i m e t o t i m e a n a d v a n c e i n g e n e r a l

h u m a n k n o w l e d g e o r i n a n a p p l i e d a r t o r s c i e n c e

h a s r e v e a l e d t o t h e v u l g a r s o m e s m a l l p a r t o f

the outer mysteries that have always been

k n o w n t o t h e i n i t i a t e s . T h e s e d i s c l o s u r e s a r e

h a i l e d a s d i s c o v e r i e s a n d s e t i n t h e i r o r d e r e d

p l a c e i n t h e c a t a l o g u e o f h u m a n k n o w l e d g e . )

T h e r e a r e i n t h i s b o o k c e r t a i n d i s c l o s u r e s o f

h i d d e n f a c t s which a r e g i v e n t o t h e w o r l d s i m p l y

v



v i INTRODUCTIONb e c a u s e t h e t i m e i s r i p e w h e n t h e y s h o u l d b e

m o r e f u l l y k n o w n a n d t h e i r r e v e l a t i o n i s c o u n -

s e l l e d b y w i s d o m .

H u m a n n a t u r e h a s a l w a y s s u f f e r e d f r o m i t s

l a c k o f d i s c r i m i n a t i o n b e t w e e n P r o p h e t s a n d

F a l s e P r o p h e t s , a n d o n e o f t h e g r e a t e s t d i f f i c u l

t i e s t h a t b e s e t s t h e O c c u l t i s t i s t o k n o w w h a t i s

s a f e t o r e v e a l . I t i s f o r t h i s r e a s o n t h a t s e c r e t s

a r e h i d d e n f r o m t h e v u l g a r a n d t h e c h a r l a t a n ,

f o r t h e s e t h i n g s m u s t b e h i d d e n l e s t t h e y a r e

t u r n e d t o b a s e e n d s .

T h e r e v i v a l o f d e e p p u b l i c i n t e r e s t i n p s y c h i c

m a t t e r s i s o n l y a m a t t e r o f t i m e , a n d t h e n t h o s e

t h i n g s w h i c h h a v e b e e n o f a b s o r b i n g i n t e r e s t

t o t h e f e w w i l l b e c o m e o f v i t a l i n t e r e s t t o t h e

many .

Th e . f o l l o w i n g c h a p t e r s a r e s i m p l y t r a n s c r i p t s

o f s o m e o f t h e , a s t o u n d i n g l y i n t e r e s t i n g m a t t e r s

w h i c h h a v e b e e n r e p o s i n g f o r y e a r s i n , m y d i a r i e s

a n d n o t e - b o o k s .

T h e y h a v e b e e n s e t o u t i n c o n v e n t i o n a l n a r -

r a t i v e f o r m w i t h n o g r e a t c h a n g e s e x c e p t o f

n a m e s a n d p l a c e s a n d t h e e l i m i n a t i o n o f t h e

r a t h e r i n v o l v e d s c i e n t i f i c t e r m i n o l o g y o f t h e

p s y c h o l o g i s t a n d t h e l a b o r a t o r y . I n t h e s e d a y s



INTROI)tt CTt ON v i i

w h e n m e u a r e t u r n i n g f r o m t h e c r u d e m a t e r i a l -

i s m o f t h e n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y a n d t h e t r u e s c i e n -

t i s t i s t h e l a s t p e r s o n t o d e n y t h e r e a l i t i e s

w h i c h w e r e d e e m e d m y t h i c a l a f e w s h o r t y e a r s

a g o , t h e y m a y s e r v e t o f i l l a c e r t a i n n e e d .

A n i n t e r e s t i n O c c u l t i s m i s c o m m o n t o m o s t

p e o p l e , b u t a d e e p s t u d y o f i t s p r i n c i p l e s a n d i t s

p h e n o m e n a i s a t t a i n a b l e o n l y b y t h e f e w . I t i s

n o t a d v i s a b l e t o s e e k t r a n s c e n d e n t a l e x p e r i e n c e s

w i t h o u t a s o u n d w o r k i n g k n o w l e d g e o f t h e r o o t -

s p r i n g s o f t h e s e p h e n o m e n a , a n d o n e o f t h e p u r -

p o s e s o f t h i s v o l u m e i s t o r e n d e r i n v a l u a b l e

a s s i s t a n c e t o t h o s e w h o p o s s e s s p s y c h i c g i f t s i n

g r e a t e r o r l e s s e r d e g r e e .

T h e S p i r i t u a l i s t , t h e T h e o s o p h i s t , a n d t h e

s t u d e n t o f P s y c h i c R e s e a r c h w i l l a l l f i n d i n t h e s e

p a g e s m u c h t o i n t e r e s t t h e m a n d m u c h t o p o n -

d e r . I t t h r o w s l i g h t i n s o m e o f t h e d a r k p l a c e s

which have seemed obscure to those of t he

m o d e r n s c h o o l s o f t h o u g h t w h o h a v e n o t s t u d i e d

a n c i e n t k n o w l e d g e .

A s i t i s i m p o s s i b l e t o e x p o u n d a n i n f i n i t e m a s s

o f f a c t w i t h i n t h e l i m i t s o f a s l e n d e r v o l u m e ,

I h a v e a d d e d f o o t n o t e s h e r e a n d t h e r e w h i c h w i l l

d i r e c t a n y i n t e r e s t e d r e a d e r t o f u r t h e r s o u r c e s



v i i i INTRODUCTION /o f i n f o r m a t i o n t h a n m y c o n d e n s e d t e z t " f f o r d s ,

b u t t h e p u r p o s e o f t h e b o o k i s d i r e c t e d t o t h e

g e n e r a l r e a d e r r a t h e r t h a n t o t h e s t u d e n t o r

s p e c i a l i s t w h o w i l l d o u b t l e s s k n o w m o r e t h a n

t h e s e p a g e s c a n t e l l h i m .

OLIVER BLAND.



CONTENTSCHAPTER PAGEIIIIII

THE DEAD RAPPER .

THE AUTOMATISTASTRAL LIGHT AND PSYCHO-LAS-

1

1 7

TROMETER . . 36IV AN EXTERTMENT ON THE THEORY OF

PROTECTIVE VIBRATION 5 6

V. SEX IN THE NEXT WORLD 76

VI . THE REALITY OF SORCERY . 9 3

VII . INCENSE AND OCCULTISM 1 1 7

VIII. BEASTS AND ELEMENTALS 141IX POSSESSION' . 157X SOME NEW FACTS AND THEORIES 171XI. ORIENTAL OCCULTISM . . 194





" R e a d n o t t o c o n t r a d i c t a n d c o n f u t e ,

n o t t o b e l i e v e a n d t a k e f o r g r a n t e du t t o w e i g h a n d c o n s i d e r .

Ba c o n ' s Es s a y s .










THE ADVENTURES OF AMODERN OCCULTISTCHAPTER I

THE DEAD RAPPERI HAD k n o w n H a r r y C a r t h e w a s a s e c o n d - y e a r

m a n a t O x f o r d . H e n e v e r c o m p l e t e d - h i s c o u r s e

o r t o o k a d e g r e e b e c a u s e f a m i l y r e a s o n s , s o m e

c a t a s t r o p h e o f s o m e k i n d o r a n o t h e r :m a d e i t

i m p e r a t i v e f o r h i m t o e a r n a l i v i n g a t o n c e . As

an 'undergraduate he was an ardent anti -

S p i r i t u a l i s t .

H e d r o p p e d o u t o f s i g h t o f o u r l i t t l e w o r l d

a n d I h a d o i l y h e a r d o f h i m c a s u a l l y a s h a v i n g

s o m e t h i n g t o d o w i t h o i l w e l l s i n M e x i c o a n d

h a d n o t c o m e i n t o c o n t a c t w i t h h i m f o r y e a r s .

I w a s t h e r e f o r e r a t h e r s u r p r i s e d t o r e c e i v e a

l e t t e r f r o m h i m w h i c h s h o w e d t h a t h e w a s i n

London and knew that I was working on re-

s e a r c h s u b j e c t s . H i s l e t t e r w a s c o u c h e d i n

r a t h e r n o n - c o m m i t t a l t e r m s , a n d t h o u g h h e w a s

i



2 A MODERN OCCULTISTa man whom I had never known well, he ex-

p r e s s e d a n a n x i e t y t o m e e t m e a g a i n a n d l a y

b e f o r e m e c e r t a i n p s y c h i c a l p r o b l e m s t h a t w e r e

p u z z l i n g h i m .

I m a k e i t a n i n v a r i a b l e r u l e n e v e r t o d i s c u s s

p s y c h i c m a t t e r s w i t h p e o p l e w h o a r e i g n o r a n t

o r s c e p t i c a l o f t h e m , u n l e s s t h e s c e p t i c s a r e o f a

c l a s s s u f f i c i e n t l y e d u c a t e d t o b e a b l e t o a p p r e -

c i a t e t h e a b s o l u t e f a c t s o f t h e p h e n o m e n a a s -

s o c i a t e d w i t h S p i r i t u a l i s m .

I t i s i m p o s s i b l e t o c o n v i n c e a n o n - s c i e n t i f i c

p e r s o n b y f a c t s , a s h e c a n n e v e r a s s u r e h i m s e l f

t h a t t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f f r a u d h a s b e e n a b s o l u t e l y

e l i m i n a t e d . A s c i e n t i s t o r a n e n g i n e e r c a n a s -

p u r e - h i m s e T f f a i r l y e a s i l y o f t h e g e n u i n e n e s s o r

o t h e r w i s e o f p h e n o m e n a p r o v i d e d t h a t h e i s

g i v e n e v e r y l a t i t u d e f o r r e s e a r c h . B u t i t i s

d i f f i c u l t t o c o n v i n c e e i t h e r a c l e r g y m a n o r a n

o r d i n a r y m e d i c a l m a n o f t h e r e a l i t y o f a n y

p s y c h i c p h e n o m e n a b e c a u s e h e i s n o t m e n t a l l y

t r a i n e d i n t h e s a m e i n e x o r a b l y l o g i c a l p r o c e s s e s

o f t h o u g h t a s a r e t h e e n g i n e e r s a n d s c i e n t i s t s .

E x p e r i e n c e h a s t a u g h t m e t o m i s t r u s t t h e m a n

w h o a p p r o a c h e s w i t h i n d i r e c t a d v a n c e s t o t h e

s u b j e c t o f S p i r i t u a l i s m . I p r e f e r t h e d e f i n i t e



THE DEAD RAPIER 3

c h a l l e n g e o f a c r i t i c a l , j o u r n a l i s t w h o d e m a n d s

f a c t s a n d j u d g e s o n f a c t s , f o r i t i s u n d o u b t e d l y

a n a x i o m t h a t t h e S e e k e r a f t e r T r u t h , h o w e v e r

s c e p t i c a l h e m a y b e , h a s n o h o s t i l e i n f l u e n c e i n

a p r o p e r l y c o n s t i t u t e d c i r c l e .

I t h a s e v e r b e e n a m a t t e r o f r e g r e t t o m e t h a t

t h e m a s s o f S p i r i t u a l i s t s h o l d t h e f a l l a c i o u s i d e a

t h a t a s c e p t i c a l i n f l u e n c e c a n h i n d e r a s e a n c e .

F o r i t i s n o t t h e l a c k o f b e l i e f o r d i s b e l i e f o f t h e

o n e o r f e w s c e p t i c s t h a t w e a k e n s t h e i n f l u e n c e .

I t i s t h e m a s s b e l i e f o f t h e w h o l e c i r c l e i n t h e

h o s t i l e i n f l u e n c e o f t h e s c e p t i c t h a t d o e s t h e

h a r m .

A f t e r t h i n k i n g m a t t e r s o v e r I d e c i d e d t h a t i t

m i g h t b e w r o n g t o p r e j u d i c e C a r t h e w b y h i s

u n d e r g r a d u a t e v i e w s . ' A f t e r a l l , s o m e y e a r s h a d

p a s s e d , a n d i f e v e r y O x f o r d m a n h e l d t o t h e

e c c e n t r i c h a b i t s a n d b e l i e f s o f h i s p u p p y d a y s

t h e w o r l d w o u l d b e a s o r r y p l a c e . I w r o t e t o

him asking him to dine wit h me at my c l u b

d u r i n g t h e f o l l o w i n g w e e k .

H e h a d c h a n g e d s o m u c h t h a t w h e n h e e n t e r e d

t h e s m o k i n g - r o o m I d i d n o t r e c o g n i z e h i m .

T r o p i c a l s u n l i g h t h a d b r o n z e d a n d w r i n k l e d h i s

s k i n , h i s e y e s h a d t h e c l e a r h a r d s t e e l - g r e y



4 A MODERN' OCCULTISTf a d e d n e s s o f t h e b l u e i r i s t h a t c o m e s t o m e n w h o

h a v e g a z e d l o n g a c r o s s d e s e r t s . Malaria had

t h i n n e d d o w n h i s f o r m a n d h i s h a n d s w e r e b i g -

v e i n e d a n d t r e m u l o u s w i t h q u i n i n e .

O v e r t h e m e a l h e t o l d m e a g o o d d e a l a b o u t

h i s l i f e a b r o a d , a n d I r e a l i z e d s o m e t h i n g o f t h e

d e a d l y l o n e l i n e s s o f a w h i t e m a n ' s l i f e i n t h e

d u l l o i l f i e l d s o f M e x i c o . Four other whites

t o s p e a k t o a n d f o r t h e r e s t n a t i v e p e o n s , I n -

d i a n s a n d a s p r i n k l i n g o f C h i n e s e c o o l i e s .

A bottle of good wine is a s p l e n d i d l u b r i -

cant for the human tongu e, and the Burgundy

- a " C l o s d u P o i , " ' 8 4 - s o o n e a s e d h i m o f a l l

awkwardness . O v e r t h e c o f f e e a n d c i g a r s h e

c a m e t o ' h i s p o i n t .

'You s t i l l g o o n w i t h S p i r i t u a l i s m , d o n ' t y o u ,

( T r e y $ "

" Y e s , " I a n s w e r e d h i m , " b u t I t h o u g h t t h a t

y o u d i d n o t b e l i e v e i n i t ." His answer almost

s h o c k e d m e w i t h i t s v i o l e n c e .

Go d ! b u t I w i s h t h a t I d i d n o t ! " He w as

silent wit h emotion for a moment, then re-

sumed : "You know I never b elieved in it at

the Hous e . I a l w a y s t h o u g h t y o u f e l l o w s w e r e

s i m p l y r u n n i n g i t a s a c r a z e , b u t u p a t L o s



THE DEAD RAPPER 5

C h i c h a r r a s - - = t h a t w a s t h e t h i r d b i g o i l g u s h e r

t h a t t h e C o m p a n y o w n e d - t h e r e w a s a C o r n i s h

m i n i n g e n g i n e e r , B i l l T r e g a r t h e n .

" He w a s . a q u e e r f i s h , a s i l e n t m a n ; s q u a t -

s h a p e d , b r o a d a s h e w a s l o n g a n d f u l l o f q u e e r

f a n c i e s . H e h a d a l i t t l e p l a n c h e t t e b o a r d t h a t

h e u s e d t o c o n s u l t a b o u t e v e r y t h i n g , a n d I h a v e

s e e n h i m s i t t h e r e i n t h e p a t i o o f t h e o f f i c e

b u i l d i n g w i t h t h e l i t t l e j i g g e r d a n c i n g a b o u t

o v e r r e a m s o f p a p e r .

" I t h o u g h t h e w a s c r a z y , b u t h e p e r s u a d e d

m e t o t r y t h e t h i n g , a n d I g o t m e s s a g e s , t o o .

O n e d a y i t s p e l t o u t a m e s s a g e f r o m E l l e n , a n d

E l l e n h a s b e e n d e a d f o r f o u r y e a r s - s h e w a s

m y o l d n u r s e - E l l e n

" E v e n t h e n I w a s o n l y h a l f c o n v i n c e d . O n e ' s

b r a i n p l a y s o n e s t r a n g e t r i c k s d o w n t h e r e i n

t h e T i e r r a C a l i e n t e , a n d I h a v e s e e n a n u p .

t u r n e d m o u n t a i n s t a n d i n g o n i t s h e a d i n t h e

d e s e r t - m i r a g e o f c o u r s e , a n d I u s e d t o t h i n k

t h e p l a n c h e t t e m e n t a l m i r a g e , s u b c o n s c i o u s

s t u f f o f s o m e k i n d - a n d I d i d n ' t b e l i e v e .

" T h e n T r e g a r t h e n u s e d t o l a u g h a t m e f o r

a f o o l , a n d o n e n i g h t h e b l a z e d u p i n t o a s t r a n g e

b i t o f r a g e a n d s t o o d t h e r e i n t h e m o o n l i g h t



6 A MODERN OCCULTISTs h a k i n g h i s f i s t a t m e . ' W e C o r n i s h f o l k h a v e

k n o w n t h e u n w r i t l o r e f o r a l l t i m e , ' s a i d h e .

` O , i d o d d p e o p l e w e a r e a n d w e k n o w o l d o d d

t h i n g s . I t e l l y o u . I w i l l t e l l y o u t h a t I a m

r i g h t w h e n I am dead . Y o u w i l l n o t l i s t e n t o

m e n o w , b u t y o u s h a l l l i s t e n t h e n , i n d e e d . '

" L o t s o f t h e s t u f f h e r a v e d a t u s t h a t n i g h t ,

b u t I a n d a n o t h e r m a n a t l a s t c a l m e d h i m d o w n

a n d g o t h i m o f f t o b e d . I t h o u g h t l i t t l e e n o u g h

o f i t a t t h e t i m e , a n d a w e e k l a t e r I w e n t b a c k

f r o m L o s C h i c h a r r a s t o t h e O f f i c e s a t -Tam -

p i c o .

` I s u p p o s e i t w a s a m o n t h l a t e r t h a t I h e a r d

t h e f i r s t k n o c k . I t w a s p a s t m i d d a y , r i g h t i n

t h e h e a r t o f t h e s i e s t a h o u r . N o t a s o u l m o v -

i n g , t h e v e r y d o g s s i l e n t i n t h e s t r e e t s , a n d t h e

w h o l e p l a c e a b l i n d i n g b l a z e o f s u n l i g h t .

` ° I k n e w a t o n c e - t h a t ' s t h e o d d t h i n g a b o u t .

i t . I k n e w i n s t a n t l y i n m y h e a r t t h a t T r e g a r -

t h e n w a s d e a d .

" T h a t w a s s i x m o n t h s a g o , a n d s i n c e t h e n

I k e e p o n h e a r i n g t h e r a p s . I k n o w t h a t T r e -

g a r t h e n i s k e e p i n g h i s p l e d g e , b u t I c a n n o t a n -

s w e r h i m b a c k ; I c a n n o t g e t i n t o t o u c h w i t h

hi m .



THE DEAD RAPPER r 7

" N o w t e l l m e t h i s - w i t h a l l y o u r k n o w l e d g e

o f t h e s e t h i n g s , c a n y o u h e l p m e l "

I a s k e d h i m w h a t h e h a d d o n e , a n d h e t o l d

m e a l o n g c h r o n i c l e o f v i s i t s t o m e d i u m s i n

N e w Y o r k , o f an a t t e m p t t o t a l k t h r o u g h a v o o -

d o o w o m a n i n N e w O r l e a n s , a n d o f h o n e s t , p a -

t i e n t s i t t i n g s i n a l i t t l e s u b u r b a n c i r c l e i n I r o n

don .

C a r t h e w w a s c l e a r l y d e s p e r a t e a n d a b s o l u t e l y

i n e a r n e s t . I k n e w w i t h o u t h i s t e l l i n g me what

w a s a t t h e b a c k o f h i s m i n d .

The prob lem was a pe culiar one, for her e

w a s a l i v e m a n t o a l l i n t e n t s h a u n t e d b y a m a l i -

c i o u s s p i r i t n o w o n . a n o t h e r p l a n e . Car thew's

c h a r a c t e r w a s a s t r o n g o n e , t h o u g h o f a l o w

a n d v i o l e n t t y p e . T h i s m e n t a l p e r s e c u t i o n h a d

p r o d u c e d a p r o d i g i o u s f e e l i n g o f h a t r e d f o r t h e

d e a d m a n - a f e e l i n g o f h a t r e d t h a t h a d n o t e x -

i s t e d w h e n h e w a s a l i v e , f o r t h e n t h e h a t r e d

w a s a l l o n T r e g a r t h e n ' s s i d e .

T h e r e w a s a l s o t h e p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t t h e k n o c k

was pure h a l l u c i n a t i o n a n d n o t a g e n u i n e c l a i r -

a u d i e n t p h e n o m e n o n a t a l l .

I a s k e d C a r t h e w i f h e c o u l d g i v e m e p a r t i c -

ular s of how Tregar then died, and I was not



i

8 A M ODERN, OCCULTIST

s u r p r i s e d t o l e a r n t h a t h i s e n d h a d b e e n a v i o -

l e n t o n e .

A s m a l l o i l g u s h e r h a d b r o k e n o u t a s a n o f f -

s h o o t f r o m t h e l a r g e r o n e . I n o r d e r t o c u t o f f

t h e f l o w a n d w a s t e o f o i l i t i s t h e p r a c t i c e t o

f o r c e a d y n a m i t e c a r t r i d g e i n t o t h e s e s m a l l

l e a d s . T h i s w h e n e x p l o d e d b r e a k s t h e n a t u -

ral channel of the o i l and b l o c k s t h e

o u t l e t .

T r e g a r t h e n , t h r o u g h a n a c c i d e n t o r c a r e l e s s -

ness-he was a deep drinker-had destroyed

h i m s e l f w h e n p r e p a r i n g t h e c h a r g e. ,

I a s k e d - C a r t h e w i f h e w a s p r e p a r e d t o a t -

t e n d a s e a n c e o r t w o a n d i f h e w o u l d p u t h i m -

s e l f c o m p l e t e l y i n m y h a n d s . H e a s s e n t e d r e a d -

i l y , r e a s s e r t i n g h i s d o m i n a n t d e s i r e t o b e a b l e

t o t a l k b a c k t o T r e g a r t h e n . .

I w a s h o l d i n g p r i v a t e s e a n c e s t w i c e a w e e k

t h e n , b u t m y l i t t l e c i r c l e w a s , t h o u g h p o w e r f u l

e n o u g h f o r r e s e a r c h w o r k , q u i t e u n s u i t a b l e f o r

d e a l i n g w i t h a n ` a b n o r m a l c a s e o f u n d e s i r e d

c o m m u n i c a t i o n . D u r i n g t h e - w e e k I g o t i n t o

t o u c h w i t h a p r i v a t e m e d i u m w h o s e f a c u l t y o f

c l a i r a u d i e n c e w a s c o u p l e d w i t h a n e x c e l l e n t n e r -

v o u s s y s t e m , a n d I r e i n f o r c e d t h e c i r c l e b y t h e



THE DEAD RAPPER 9

a d d i t i o n o f D r . M i l l e r , * w h o , t h o u g h n o t a p r o -

f e s s e d S p i r i t u a l i s t , i s n o s c e p t i c c o n c e r n i n g o c -

c u l t p h e n o m e n a a n d i s a d m i t t e d l y o n e o f t h e

m o s t s u c c e s s f u l p r a c t i t i o n e r s o f c u r a t i v e p s y -

c h o l o g y t h a t w e h a v e ,t o - d a y .

A f e w d a y s l a t e r C a r t h e w c a m e t o m y c h a m -

b e r s i n t h e T e m p l e a n d w a s i n t r o d u c e d t o t h e

m e m b e r s o f t h e c i r c l e . I pl aced him on the

l e f t - h a n d c o n t a c t s i d e o f t h e m e d i u m a n d l o w -

e r e d t h e l i g h t s .

T h e m e d i u m e n g a g e d i n t h i s c a s e w a s u n d e r

d o u b l e c o n t r o l s , o n e a s p i r i t c a l l e d " L o u i s , "

t h e o t h e r a r a t h e r e l u s i v e a n d i n t e r m i t t e n t c o n -

t r o l t h a t a n s w e r e d t o t h e n a m e o f " M o n t e c a -

t i n i . "

T h e t r a n c e s t a t e w a s e n t e r e d a l m o s t i m m e -

d i a t e l y a n d "Lo uis" t o o k c o n t r o l . I a s k e d h i m

t o f i n d T r e g a r t h e n a n d h e s h o w e d c o n s i d e r a b l e

r e l u c t a n c e , i n s i s t i n g t h a t h e w a s " n o t t h e r e . "

T h e c o n t r o l " L o u i s " w a s t h e n d i s p o s s e s s e d b y

Montecatini," who answered i n an enti rely

d i f f e r e n t v o i c e a n d s h o w e d a d i s t i n c t a n d s e p -

a r a t e p e r s o n a l i t y .

*All names of people and places have b een c h a n g e d , b u t

Dr . M i l l e r ' s c u r e s o f " s h e l l s h o c k " d u r i n g t h e w a r h a v e s h o w n

t h a t o n e ' s e s t i m a t e o f h i s p o w e r s w a s p e r f e c t l y c o r r e c t.



1 0 A MODERN OCCULTIST"I can find him," said Montecatini, and

a l m o s t o n t h e e c h o o f t h e w o r d s a d i s t i n c t

audible r ap came from the ceiling of the

r o o m .

C a r t h e w r e c o g n i z e d i t i n s t a n t l y a n d f l i n c h e d

a s i f i t w e r e a p e r s o n a l b l o w a t h i m .

" H a v e y o u g o t T r e g a r t h e n t h e r e ? " I a s k e d .

"No, they won't let him come here," was

t h e a n s w e r .

"Why won't they l et him come?"

"Afraid o f hi m . "

" W h o i s i t r a p p i n g , t h e n ? "

" I t ' s a s e n t r a p f o r s o m e b o d y . I d i d n ' t d o

i t . "

"Who is the rap for?"

"For the brown man . " ( C a r t h e w w a s s u n -

b u r n t . )

" H e w a n t s t o s p e a k t o t h e s p i r i t w h o s e n d s

i t . "

" H e c a n ' t , i t ' s f r o m a b a d s p i r i t . "

` B u t y o u s a i d y o u c o u l d f i n d T r e g a r t h e n . "

" I h a v e f o u n d h i m , b u t I c a n ' t b r i n g h i m . "

" w h y n o t ? "

" H e i s t o o h e a v y . "

"What do you mean?"



I

THE DEAD RAPPER 1 1

"Too heavy-too low down-t oo mu ch

h a t r e d . " i

" C a n ' t L o u i s h e l p y o u b r i n g him f "

T h i s w a s a n s w e r e d a f t e r a p a u s e b y t h e v o i c e

o f L o u i s .

` I W e w i l l t r y i f you a l l h e l p - b u t t h e b r o w n

m a n i s h i n d e r i n g u s . "

I t h e n d e t e r m i n e d t o b r e a k t h e c i r c l e a n d s e t

C a r t h e w o n a c h a i r o u t s i d e . " I f y o u w a n t t o

g e t t h r o u g h t o T r e g a r t h e n , " I t o l d h i m , " y o u

m u s t s u b d u e t h a t h a t r e d o f y o u r s . I a m g o i n g

to try for Tregarthen by the direct voice

method . "

I p l a c e d a n o r d i n a ~ y g r a m o p h o n e t r u m p e t o n

a l i g h t t a b l e w i t h i n t h e c i r c l e , t h e n w e r e j o i n e d

h a n d s a n d c o n c e n t r a t e d .

" C a n y o u g e t T r e g a r t h e n n o w ? " I a s k e d .

` Y e s , h e i s c o m i n g - - b u t h e d o e s n ' t w a n t t o

come . "

" I w a n t h i m t o s p e a k t o u s t h r o u g h t h e t r u m -

p e t , " I t o l d t h e m .

A l m o s t i m m e d i a t e l y t h e r e w e r e t h r e e k n o c k s

o n t h e t a b l e c l o s e b y t h e t r u m p e t . Then t he

v o i c e c a m e o u t o f t h e t r u m p e t , n o t o u t o f t h e

m e d i u m , b u t i t w a s t h e v o i c e o f M o n t e c a t i n i .



12 A MODERN OCCULTIST" H e ' s a b a d s p i r i t a n d h e w o n ' t t a l k , " s a i d

t h e c o n t r o l .

" A s k hi m i f h e k n o w s w h o ' s h e r e ? "

"Cart hew ! " b l a r e d t h e t r u m p e t i n t h e v o i c e

of Tregarthe rn .

I h e a r d t h e c r a s h o f C a r t h e w ' s c h a i r f a l l i n g

b a c k a s h e r o s e , a n d t h e n h i s w o r d s

"Tregarthen-at last!"

T h e t r u m p e t c h u c k l e d a t h i m , a h a r d s a r -

d o n i c c h u c k l e , a n d i t w a s a d r e a d f u l t h i n g t o

h e a r .

" S t o p t h a t , T r e g a r t h e n , " I s a i d s h a r p l y .

"Now list en to me . You must stop sending

t h e s e k n o c k s . You hav e pr oved t o Carthew

t h a t y o u w e r e r i g h t , a n d f o r t h e f u t u r e t h e r e

i s n o s e n s e i n i i . "

A g a i n t h e t r u m p e t b e g a n t o c h u c k l e .

" I w a n t C a r t h e w - h e r e , " s a i d t h e v o i c e o f

T r e g a r t h e n . "I want hi m to ke ep me com-

pany wh ere I am now . "

T h e m e d i u m b e g a n t o w r i t h e u n e a s i l y , a n d

I s u d d e n l y r e a l i z e d t h a t s o m e t h i n g d a n g e r o u s

had happened . The two nor mal control s,

"Louis" and "Montecat i n i , " w h o m w e h a d s e n t

t o f e t c h T r e g a r t h e n ' s s p i r i t , h a d d i s a p p e a r e d



I

THE DEAD RAPPER 1 3

and Tregarthen hi mself had t aken over con-

t r o l . S o m e t h i n g o f a s p i r i t o f u n e a s i n e s s a n d

a general sense of danger began to spread

t h r o u g h t h e c i r c l e .

I c a l l e d t o C a r t h e w t o c o m e i n t o t h e c i r c l e

a g a i n a n d t o c r o s s h i s h a n d s , g r a s p i n g m y w r i s t

a n d M i l l e r ' s , s o a s n o t t o b r e a k t h e c h a i n w h e n

e n t e r i n g .

"No w m a n ! " I t o l d h i m , ` h e r e i s y o u r c h a n c e .

W e h a v e T r e g a r t h e n h e r e , a n d w e w i l l h e l p y o u

a l l w e c a n . Y o u m u s t f i g h t h i m w i t h t h e w h o l e

o f y o u r w i l l - p o w e r . D e f y h i m , r a i s e h i m t o

a n g e r , a n d a t t h e c r u c i a l p o i n t I w i l l d o s o m e -

t h i n g w h i c h w i l l d e s t r o y h i s p o w e r o v e r y o u

f o r e v e r l N o w 1 "

C a r t h e w ' s g r i p b u r n t i n t o m y w r i s t s a s h e

t o o k h o l d o f h i m s e l f , a n d t h e n a l l t h e b i t t e r ,

d o m i n a n t h a t r e d t h a t w a s i n t h e m a n f l a m e d

o u t .

H e s t o o d i n t h e c i r c l e t o w e r i n g a b o v e u s o n

o u r c h a i r s a n d h e p o u r e d i n t o t h a t t r u m p e t a

b r e a d t h o f b i l i n g u a l S p a n i s h a n d E n g l i s h i n -

v e c t i v e t h a t w o u l d h a v e l e d t o m u r d e r a n y -

where .

H e p a u s e d f o r b r e a t h a n d f r o m t h e t r u m p e t



1 4 A MODERN OCCULTISTc a m e n o c h u c k l e , b u t a s p l u t t e r i n g , s t a m m e r i n g ,

f u r i o u s a t t e m p t t o r e p l y . I had no need to

p r o m p t h i m t o g o o n . H e l a c e d i n t o h i s g h o s t l y

a n t a g o n i s t a s i f h e h a d t h e e a r t h l y b o d y t h e r e

i n f r o n t o f h i m . A l l t h e p e n t - u p h a t r e d o f t h e

p a s t m o n t h s w i n g e d h i s w o r d s . T h e c o n s c i o u s -

n e s s o f h i s t o r m e n t m a d e h i s q u a r r e l j u s t , a n d

a t t h e h e i g h t o f h i s p e r o r a t i o n I c o n c e n t r a t e d

t h e w h o l e o f m y p s y c h i c e n e r g i e s a n d m a d e t h e

f o u r e x o r c i s m s i g n s o f t h e m a r t i n i s t r i t u a l , b i d -

d i n g T r e g a r t h e n , b e g o n e , n e v e r t o r e t u r n a n d

n e v e r t o b e a b l e t o s e n d a r a p , a n d i n s t a n t l y

b r o k e t h e c i r c l e . I then rou sed the mediu m

f r o m t h e t r a n c e w i t h a c o u p l e o f s i m p l e p a s s e s .

T h e r e a c t i o n f r o m t h e v i o l e n c e o f t h e s e a n c e

l e f t u s a l l s p e n t a n d s h a k e n . The medium r e-

c o v e r e d , r e m e m b e r i n g n o t h i n g , b u t f e e l i n g u n -

u s u a l l y e x h a u s t e d . L a t e r e x p e r i m e n t s w i t h h e r

s h o w e d t h a t t h e d o m i n a t i o n b y t h e T r e g a r t h e n

c o n t r o l w a s , p u r e l y t e m p o r a r y a n d t h a t " L o u i s "

a n d " M o n t e c a t i n i " h a d r e a s s e r t e d c o m m a n d .

M y o w n o p i n i o n i s t h a t n o t h i n g b u t t h e i n -

t e n s e " h a t e c o n c e n t r a t i o n " o f C a r t h e w t o w a r d

h i s g h o s t l y a n t a g o n i s t c o u l d h a v e e n a b l e d T r e -

g a r t h e n t o a s s u m e c o n t r o l a t a l l .



rTHE DEAD RAPPER 1 5

I t w a s a d u e l o f w i l l s b e t w e e n t h e l i v i n g a n d

t h e d e a d , f o u g h t o v e r t h e n a r r o w n o - m a n ' s l a n d

o f t h e e a r t h a n d s p i r i t p l a n e s , a n d I a m n o t

s u r e t h a t i t w a s n o t a d u e l w h i c h e n d e d f a t a l l y

f o r t h e s o u l o f T r e g a r t h e n . Carthe w at any

r a t e w a s f r e e o f a l l t r o u b l e a f t e r w a r d s , b u t w i l d

h o r s e s c o u l d n o t d r a g h i m t o a s e a n c e .

M i l l e r w a s m o r e c o n v i n c e d b y t h i s a s t o n i s h -

i n g s e a n c e t h a n b y f a r m o r e m a t e r i a l p h e n o m e n a

t h a t h e h a d s e e n . T h e f o l l o w i n g d a y , t h o u g h ,

h e s e n t m e a n e x p l a n a t i o n o f t h e w h o l e a f f a i r

a r g u e d o u t o n h i s o w n l i n e s . H e h e l d t h a t C a r -

t h e w w a s t h e s u b j e c t o f a n o b s e s s i o n a n d t h a t

t h e w h o l e o f t h e p h e n o m e n a w e r e d u e t o s u b -

c o n s c i o u s h y p n o t i s m o f t h e m e d i u m a l t e r n a t i v e l y

b y m e a s a b e l i e v e r i n S p i r i t u a l i s m a n d b y C a r -

thew .

T h e d i r e c t v o i c e h e a s c r i b e d t o u n c o n s c i o u s

o r s u b c o n s c i o u s v e n t r i l o q u i s m b y t h e m e d i u m ,

a n d h e p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h e w o r d s u t t e r e d b y

T r e g a r t h e n w e r e p r e c i s e l y w h a t o n e w o u l d e x -

p e c t C a r t h e w t o s a y i f C a r t h e w w e r e i n T r e -

g a r t h e n ' s p l a c e . I n o t h e r w o r d s , w e w e r e p r e s -

e n t a t a n a m a z i n g d u e l b e t w e e n C a r t h e w ' s c o n -

s c i o u s m i n d a n d a n o b s e s s i o n o f h i s s u b c o n -



1 6 A MODERN OCCULTISTs c i o u s m i n d t h a t h a d b u i l t i t s e l f i n t o a m a l i g -

n a n t i d e n t i t y .

I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g a s a p s y c h o l o g i c a l t h e o r y ,

b u t i n p o i n t o f f a c t I h o l d i t t o b e e n t i r e l y

w r o n g . W e a r g u e d i t o u t a g o o d d e a l t o g e t h e r ,

b u t e x p e r i m e n t s i n p s y c h i c s c i e n c e c a n s e l d o m

b e r e p e a t e d , a n d , a s I s a y , C a r t h e w r e f u s e d t o

s u b m i t t o a n y f u r t h e r a t t e m p t t o e v o k e T r e -

g a r t h e n .

As a man I sympat hize wi th hi m, and he

was r e a l l y v e r y g r a t e f u l t o u s - b u t a s a s c i e n t -

i s t I w o u l d h a v e l i k e d t o t r y a g a i n i n o r d e r t o

a t t e m p t t o c o n v i n c e M i l l e r .



CHAPTER II

THE AUTOMATISTA wt r a,-KNOWN p s y c h i c i n v e s t i g a t o r o n c e j o k -

i n g l y c o m p l a i n e d t o m e t h a t t h e t e l e p h o n e s e r v -

i c e o f t h e s p i r i t w o r l d s e e m e d t o b e a s u n r e -

liable and badly damaged as that of Great

B r i t a i n . C e r t a i n l y , c o m m u n i c a t i o n i s o f t e n

f r e a k i s h . a n d i n t e r m i t t e n t , a n d t h e e t h i c a l

v a l u e o f t h e t e a c h i n g s r e c e i v e d a t g r e a t l e n g t h

a n d p a i n s t a k i n g l y t r a n s c r i b e d i s o f t e n c o m -

p l e t e l y v a l u e l e s s .

I t m u s t b e r e m e m b e r e d t h a t w e w h o a r e c o n -

d u c t i n g e s e a r c h i n p s y c h i c m a t t e r s h a v e a p o o r

r a n g e o f i n s t r u m e n t s o r t o o l s t o w o r k w i t h .

T h e r e m u s t i n e v i t a b l y b e t h e h u m a n m e d i u m ,

a n d l o n g e x p e r i e n c e h a s t a u g h t m e t h a t i n t h e

c a s e o f a u t o m a t i c w r i t i n g o n e m u s t b e p r e p a r e d

t o r e c o g n i z e t h e i n t r u s i o n o f t h e m e d i u m ' s o w n

t h o u g h t - p r o c e s s e s i n t o t h e r e c o r d r e c e i v e d f r o m

t h e s p i r i t w o r l d .

T h a t t h e s e i n t e r p o l a t e d w r i t i n g s a r e c o n s c i o u s

1 7

T



1 8 A MODERN OCCULTISTf r a u d s b y t h e m e d i u m s w e c a n u n h e s i t a t i n g l y

d e n y , b u t t h e y a p p e a r t o b e e i t h e r u n c o n s c i o u s

r e c o r d s o f t h e m e d i u m ' s o w n t h o u g h t s o r e l s e

t h e r e - t r a n s m i t t e d s u b c o n s c i o u s t h o u g h t - p r o -

c e s s e s o f t h e m e d i u m e c h o e d b a c k b y t h e c o n -

t r o l .

I h a v e h o p e s t h a t i n t h e f u t u r e w e s h a l l b e

a b l e t o d e v i s e a n a p p l i a n c e f o r t h e r e c o r d i n g

o f a u t o m a t i c w r i t i n g i n w h i c h t h e f u n c t i o n o f

t h e m e d i u m w i l l b e p u r e l y t h a t o f a b r i d g e

b e t w e e n t h e t w o p l a n e s a n d i n w h i c h t h e p h y s i -

c a l a c t o f w r i t i n g w i l l b e m e c h a n i c a l l y p e r -

f o r l p e d . '

T h e d i f f i c u l t y i n a u t o m a t i c w r i t i n g l i e s i n t h e

a s s o c i a t i o n o f i d e a s , a n d o n e w o r d w r i t t e n b y

a p l a n c h e t t e o r s p e l t o u t b y a n o u i j a t r a v e r s e r

l e a d s t o t h e s t i m u l a t i o n o f a t r a i n o f t h o u g h t

i n t h e s u b c o n s c i o u s m i n d e v e n t h o u g h t h e c o n -

s c i o u s b r a i n m a y b e i n t h e t r a n c e s t a t e .

* I c a r r i e d o u t a l o n g s e r i e s o f e x p e r i m e n t s w i t h t h e i d e a

o f d e v e l o p i n g a n a u t o m a t i c r e c o r d e r o p e r a t i n g o n t h e l i n e s o f

the f ami l ia r t ap e machine, and exp e r imented at length bo thin London and in Paris, where my work was done in con-nection with t he student Du l'lessis, who was one of the heroes

who gave his l if e ,at Verdun . Lat te r l y we abandoned the idea

o f a n a c t u a l p r i n t - r e g i s t e r i n g m a c h i n e f o r a d e v i c e d e s i g n e d

t o r e g i s t e r i m p u l s e s o n ' a wax cylinder, something on the

l ines of a p honograp h . Some resu l ts were ob ta ined, bu t the

m a c h i n e w a s n o t s u c ce s s f u l o r r e l i a b l e .



THE AUTOMATIST 1 9

Th e d i f f i c u l t y i s t o ' p i e c e t o g e t h e r what c a n

b e t e r m e d t h e t r u e s p i r i t m e s s a g e s o u t o f t h e

m a s s o f p s e u d o - c o m m u n i c a t i o n s t h a t s u r r o u n d

them . T h e a n a l y s i s o f , t h e f a m i l i a r e x a m p l e s

o f " c r o s s - c o r r e s p o n d e n c e " a r e a v a l u a b l e g u i d e

i n t h e c o m p l e x i t i e s t h a t a r e i n v o l v e d i n t h e

q u e s t i o n .

A p o p u l a r i d e a o f t h e d i f f i c u l t y o f c o m m u n i c a -

t i o n c a n b e g a i n e d b y i m a g i n i n g a m a n i n a

t e l e p h o n e e x c h a n g e i n L o n d o n t r y i n g t o t a l k t o

N e w c a s t l e . H e c a n g o f r o m i n s t r u m e n t ' t o i n -

s t r u m e n t a n d s p e a k t h r o u g h , b u t a l l t h e i j n s t r u -

m e n t s k e e p o n g o i n g o u t o f o r d e r , , s o t h a t o n l y

d i s c o n n e c t e d f r a g m e n t s o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n p a s s

o v e r o n e w i r e .

T h i s w o u l d n o t m a t t e r i f , t h e p e r s o n w i t h

w h o m h e w i s h e s t o t a l k w e r e a l s o i n a n e x -

c h a n g e a t N e w c a s t l e . H e , t o o , c o u l d p a s s t o

o t h e r i n s t r u m e n t s , b u t w e m u s t i m a g i n e t h e

m o r t a l r e c i p i e n t o f s p i r i t m e s s a g e s a s a s u b -

s c r i b e r w i t h o n l y o n e d e f e c t i v e i n s t r u m e n t . *

*It is -a saddening and depres sing thought to 'think of a

recently passed over spirit racing from medium to medium in

an attempt to get through bit s of messages to an individual

on th is p lane . - The sp i r i t of F . W. H. M y e r s h a d t o com-

m u n i c a t e t h r o u g h m e d i u m s a s d i s t a n t a s M r s . Ho l l a n d in

In d i a a n d M r s . Verrall at Cambridge . L a t e r c o m m u n i c a t i o n s

were received in complex fashion from other sources and the







2 2 _ A MODERN OCCULTISTs e c t i o n o f t h e E n g l i s h S p i r i t u a l i s t s , a n d t h e i r

. t a c i t n e g a t i o n o f t h e o t h e r d a r k e r s i d e o f t h e

r e v e l a t i o n s i s e n t i r e l y c o n t r a r y t o F r e n c h , R u s -

sian, and certain La tin-American schools of

t h o u g h t .

T h e h i s t o r y o f a l l r e l i g i o n s a n d a n a l y s i s o f

t h e i r t e n e t s r e v e a l o n e g r e a t o u t s t a n d i n g f a c t .

T h e r e h a s a l w a y s b e e n a n e l e m e n t o f f e a r a n d

t e r r o r c o n n e c t e d w i t h a l l c o n c e p t i o n s o f t h e

a f t e r - l i f e . T h e r e i s n o t h i n g i n r e v e a l e d S p i r i t -

u a l i s m t o s u g g e s t t h a t a b s t r a c t j u s t i c e i s m o r e

p r e v a l e n t o n t h e n e x t p l a n e t h a n o n t h i s i m p e r -

f e c t e a r t h . T h e v e r y f a c t o f t h e a d m i t t e d e x -

istence of bad and evil spirit s capable of

m a l i c e , i s i n i t s e l f f a t a l t o t h e b e d o f r o s e - l e a v e s

t h e o r i e s .

I n s c i e n c e i t i s t h e a b n o r m a l p r o p e r t i e s o f a

n e ' w g a s , c o m p o u n d , o r e l e m e n t t h a t l e a d s c i e n -

t i s t s t o s t u d y i t , s o i n t h e r e a l m o f p s y c h i c

s c i e n c e i t i s o n l y t h r o u g h c l o s e s t u d y o f t h e a b -

n o r m a l t h a t w e c a n a t t a i n t o a n y c l e a r i d e a o f

the normal .

I t h a s b e e n c a s t a t m e a s a r e p r o a c h t h a t I

h a v e p u r s u e d v a i n a n d e x t r a o r d i n a r y p a t h s o f

r e s e a r c h , n o t d i s d a i n i n g t o d e l v e i n t o d a r k s e -



THE AUPOMAPIST' 2 3

c r e t e o f o c c u l t i s t r i t u a l w h o s e p r o c e e d i n g s , w o u l d

b e u n o r t h o d o x a n d b l a s p h e m o u s i f l a i d b a r e t o

t h e o r t h o d o x a n d a n a e m i a S p i r i t u a l i s t c i r c l e s o f

Bal nam .

Y e t S h a m o n n i s n 4 i s S p i r i t u a l i s m , a n d t h e o l d

s c h o o l s o f s o r c e r y a n d a r t m a g i c h e l d p s y c h i c

s e c r e t s t h a t a r e s t i l l r e p r o d u c i b l e b u t y e t i n e x -

p l i c a b l e i n t h e s e t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y d a y s .

O n e o f t h e m o s t w o n d e r f u l a u t o m a t i s t s , I e v e r

m e t w a s t h e l a t e J u l e s C a r r i e r , A t a l l s p a r e

f i g u r e , b l a c k - b e a r d e d , a q u i l i n e - n o s e d , v i v i d l y

p a l e i n c o m p l e x i o n , h e h a d d a r k h a z e l e y e s w i t h

b r o w n m o t t l e d r i n g s a b o u t t h e p u p i l . t h a t s u g -

g e s t e d i n a v a g u e w a y s o m e t h i n g f e l i n e o r l e o p -

a r d - l i k e .

I m e t h i m q u i t e b y c h a n c e i n a b o o k s h o p i n

t h e Ru e d e V a l e n c i e n n e s w h o s e p r o p r i e t o r h a d

w r i t t e n t o m e a b o u t s o m e c u r i o u s e a r l y n i n e -

t e e n t h - c e n t u r y m a n u s c r i p t s t h a t h a d c o m e i n t o

h i s p o s s e s s i o n .

T h e s e b o o k s c o n s i s t e d o f s o m e r a t h e r c o m -

m o n p l a c e m a n u s c r i p t s o f c e r t a i n p h i l o s o p h i c a l

transactions dealing with occult phenomena .

P a r i s i n t h e e a r l y t h i r t i e s o f t h e l a s t c e n t u r y

w a s ' s e a m e d w i t h s e c r e t o r g a n i z a t i o n s d e v o t e d



"The lib rary a nd papers o f Alphonse ,Louis Constant are, I

b e l i e v e , s t i l l i n e x i s t e n c e b u t I n a c c e s s i b l e .

I

24 A MODERN OCCULTISTt o s c i e n t i f i c a n d p o l i t i c a l s t u d i e s . T h e g r e a t i m -

p u l s e o f t h e R e v o l u t i o n h a d p r o d u c e d i n t u r n

N a p o l e o n a n d t h e n t h e B o u r b o n r e a c t i o n . The

s t r o n g a r m o f t h e c l e r i c a l p a r t y d r o v e t h e p h i l -

o s o p h e r s u n d e r g r o u n d , a n d o n l y f r o m t i m e t o

t i m e c a n o n e f i n d t h e s e p e c u l i a r a r c h i v e s o f o c -

c u l t i s t a c t i v i t y i n o d d b o o k s e l l e r s ' s h o p s a n d

t h e l i b r a r i e s o f s t u d e n t s .

T h e p r o p r i e t o r o f t h e s h o p k n e w m y i n t e r -

e s t i n t h e s e m a t t e r s a n d h a d b e f o r e b e e n a t p a i n s

t o s e c u r e m e c e r t a i n p e r s o n a l s o u v e n i r s f r o m

h i s l i b r a r y o f E l i p h a s L e v i , * s o w h e n e v e r a n

o d d " G r i m o i j e " o r e a r l y m a t t e r o n o c c u l t i s m

f e l l t o h i s l o t h e w o u l d p u t i t b y a g a i n s t m y

n e x t v i s i t .

H e i t w a s w h o i n t r o d u c e d C a r r i e r t o m e a s

a f e l l o w - s t u d e n t , b u t h e m a d e i t a b u n d a n t l y c l e a r

t h a t C a r r i e r w a s t o o p o o r t o b e a book buyer

a n d t h a t h e h i m s e l f l o o k e d o n h i m a s a p e c u l i a r

a c q u a i n t a n c e r a t h e r t h a n a s a c u s t o m e r .

W e f e l l i n t o c o n v e r s a t i o n , a n d I w a s d e l i g h t e d

t o f i n d t h a t C a r r i e r h a d a w i d e a n d e r u d i t e

k n o w l e d g e o f e a r l y b o o k s o n m a g i c a l p r a c t i c e .



T h i s h e t o l d m e h e h a d g a i n e d p r i n c i p a l l y b y

s p a r e - t i m e s t u d y a t t h e L i b r a i r i e d e P a r i s , b u t

a l s o f r o m t h e l o a n o f b o o k s f r o m f r i e n d s . He

h a d , i t a p p e a r e d , c a t a l o g u e d s e v e r a l p r i v a t e c o l -

l e c t i o n s o f w o r k s o n p s y c h i c a n d s u p e r o o r m a l

s u b j e c t s .

I took hi m off to lunch wit h me a t t h e

C a f e B a s t i e n , a n d h e e x p l a i n e d t h a t h e w a s

c o m p l e t i n g a c a t a l o g u e o r b i b l i o g r a p h y o f b o o k s

o n m a g i c p u b l i s h e d p r e v i o u s l y t o 1 8 5 0 . 1

cT h e r e

a r e , " s a i d h e , a n u m b e r o f m i s s i n g w o r k s r e -

f e r r e d t o b y c o n t e m p o r a r y a u t h o r s . O th ese

t h e r e i s l i t t l e k n o w l e d g e , b u t l i t t l e b y l i t t l e I

a m r e w r i t i n g t h e m . I I

"Automatic writing or o r i g i n a l d e d u c t i v e

work?" I asked him .

"Automatic-pur e t s i m p l e , " h e r e p l i e d .

" M y c o n t r o l i s c a l l e d F e r n a n d d e F e q u w e s a n d

w a s a m o n k o f t h e A b b e y o f S a i n t - B a r n a b e n e a r

B l a g u e s . T h a n k s t o h i s h e l p , I h a v e r e c o v e r e d

a m a z i n g , t h i n g s t h a t w e r e l o s t . "

H e s a n k h i s v o i c e a s h e t o l d m e a n d h i s l e o p -

a r d e y e s s e e m e d t o g l o w g o l d e n a s t h e w i n e i n

h i s g l a s s . - " I k n o w t h e s e c r e t s o f t h e l o s t i n n e r

r i t u a l o f t h e I l l u m i n a t i , " h e t o l d m e . "I have



a

2 6 A MODERN OCCULTISTr e c o v e r e d P i e t r o Z a r a n t i n o ' s i n v o c a t i o n , a n d

c o u l d I o n l y m a s t e r a n c i e n t G r e e k I c o u l d l a y

t h e s e c r e t s o f t h e B a c c h e e b a r e . B u t t h e i r c o n -

f u s e d s c r i p t p a r a l y s e s m y h a n d a n d I m u s t k e e p

to French and Latin . "

I k n e w t o o m u c h o f t h e v a s t b r e a d t h a n d h e r -

i t a g e o f k n o w l e d g e t h a t t h e H e r m e t i c p h i l o s o -

p h e r s i n h e r i t e d f r o m t h e G n o s t i c s t o d o u b t h i s

words . R e v e a l e d , k n o w l e d g e m a y s o m e t i m e s a p -

p e a r t o b e w i t h d r a w n f o r a w h i l e , b u t i t w i l l

i n e v i t a b l y b e r e - d i s c l o s e d .

Having an appoi ntment to k eep, I made a

n o t e o f h i s a d d r e s s a n d p r o m i s e d t o r e s u m e o u r

a c q u a i n t a n c e s h i p o n a n o t h e r d a y .

A w e e k l a t e r I h a d h a d l e i s u r e t o g o t h r o u g h

my manuscripts . T h e y w e r e v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g ,

b u t v e r b o s e , a n d w e r e f u l l o f c u r i o u s l y i n v o l v e d

o b l i q u i t i e s o f m e a n i n g a n d c o n t a i n e d s o m e p e c u -

l i a r H e b r e w c h a r m s o f K a b b a l i s t i c s i g n i f i c a n c e .

B y e i t h e r b a d l u c k o r t h e d e s i g n o f s o m e e a r l i e r

o w n e r , t w o p a g e s o f t h e i n v o c a t o r y r i t u a l f o r

t h e r a i s i n g o f t h e s p i r i t s o f t h e d e a d w e r e m i s s -

i n g .

I t o c c u r r e d t o me t h a t C a r r i e r m i g h t b e a b l e

t o f i l l t h e g a p b y m e a n s o f a u t o m a t i c w r i t i n g ,



THE AUTOMATIST 2 7

s d I w r o t e t o h i m s u g g e s t i n g t h e a t t e m p t , ' a n d

asking him to my rooms . H e r e p l i e d b y r e t u r n ,

e x p r e s s i n g h i s w i l l i n g n e s s t o h e l p , a n d a d d i n g

t h a t h i s c o n t r o l h a d a s s e n t e d , b u t d e s i r e d m e

t o v i s i t h i m i n h i s o w n r o o m s i n o r d e r b r a t h e

m i g h t n o t b e d i s t u r b e d b y n o v e l s u r r o u n d i n g s .

T h e n e x t n i g h t I w e n t t o C a r r i e r ' s . H e J i v e d

i n one o f t h o s e d u l l m e a n d e r i n g s t r e e t s t h a t r i s e

f r o m t h e m a s s o f t h e c i t y t o w a r d M o n t p a r n a s s e .

T h e h o u s e w a s a n o l d t u m b l e d o w n w a r r e n , , d i r t y

a n d i l l - k e p t , t h e v a r i o u s f l o o r s l e t o u t i n ' r o o m s

o r s u i t e s o f a p a r t m e n t s t o t e n a n t s w h o w e r e n o n e

t o o p a r t i c u l a r i n t h e i r c h o i c e o f l o d g i n g . 1 ~ y \ t h e

l i g h t o f a match I exa mi ned the grimy cards

pinned in t he hallway, and at last located

C a r r i e r ' s n a m e a s o w n e r o f t h e b a c k r o o m on

t h e t h i r d f l o o r .

He opened t o my k nock and I found my self

i n a r o o m w h i c h m a d e n o p r e t e n s i o n t o d i s g u i s e

t h e p o v e r t y o f i t s t e n a n t . M o s t o f h i s f u r n i t u r e

was books . A g l o b e l e s s g a s j e t b u r n t ' f e e b l y

o v e r a s i d e t a b l e o n w h i c h w e r e s o m e d i s h e s and

t h e r e w a s a n o l d a n d u n c l e a n l y b o x b e d ; i n t h e

c o r n e r . I n t h e c e n t r e o f t h e r o o m w a s a ! h e a v y

o l d f a s h i o n e d c i r c u l a r p e d e s t a l t a b l e a n d o n t h i s



2 8 A MODERN OCCULTISTh e h a d l a i d o u t g l a s s e s , a b o t t l e o f w i n e ,

paper .

H e s h o w e d m e h i s b o o k s , a n d f o r a w h i l e w e

d i s c u s s e d G u l d e n s t u b b e . * I l o o k e d a t s o m e o f ,

h i s a u t o m a t i c w r i t i n g s t h a t g a v e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s

o f s o m e a s p e c t s o f E t t e i l l a a n d w a s i n p a r t i c u l a r

i n t e r e s t e d i n a n e w r e n d e r i n g o f h i s B o q k o f

Thot n . f

I n t h e m e a n t i m e C a r r i e r w a s g l a n c i n g t h r o u g h

t h e i m p e r f e c t M S . t h a t I h a d b r o u g h t w i t h m e .

T h i s i s r a t h e r d i f f e r e n t f r o m m o s t o f t h e

b o o k s o f t h e p e r i o d , " s a i d h e . " I t i s m o r e l i k e

a n o t e - b o o k of l e c t u r e s o r a p r e c i s o f a n e x i s t i n g

m a g i c a l r i t u a l a s p e r f o r m e d b y a s m a l l c h i l d .

What do you make of it?"

" T h a t i s j u s t h o w i t s t r u c k m e , " I t o l d h i m .

" I t i s a b o u t t h e p e r i o d o f t h e e n d o f t h e s e v e n -

t e e n t h a n d b e g i n n i n g o f t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y .

T h e w r i t e r m i g h t h a v e b e e n o n e o f t h e a d e p t s

t r a i n e d b y F r a n c i s B a r r e t , b y C a g l i o s t r o , o r b y

Dom Gerl e, but it mi ght ev en be as la te as

M a d a m e L e n o r m a n d . "

* Baron de Guldenst ubb& La Rdali td d e s E s p r i t s e t l e

Phdnomene Merv eille ur de leer Eeriture Directe . 1 8 5 7 ,

t Les Sept Nuances de l'tEuvr e Philos ophiqu e Herm€t ique .

Leone ThOsoriques et Pratique du Livre de Thotn . 1786 .



" H a r d l y 1 8 1 5 , I t h i n k , " s a i d C a r r i e r , ° ' b u t

n o m a t t e r . T h e i n t e r e s t i n g t h i n g i s t h a t { t h i s

w r i t e r s e e m s t o h a v e s h o r n h i s r i t u a l o f l o t s o f

t h e i n e s s e n t i a l m a t t e r s . F o r i n s t a n c e , i n l t h i s

m a t t e r o f t h e i n v o c a t i o n o f s i m p l e e l e m e n t s h e

h a s r e s o l u t e l y r e d u c e d h i s f o r m u l a t o m e r e e s -

s e n t i a l s . T w o k i n d s o f t h e w e a r i s o m e H e b r e w

p r a y e r s a r e g o n e a n d t h e a c t u a l mechanie4l a d -

j u n c t s ' t o t h e i n v o c a t i o n a r e s i m p l i f i e d .

" H i s c o n s e c r a t i o n s t o o a r e l i m i t e d s i m p l y t o

t h e ' r e p e t i t i o n o f w o r d s o f p o w e r . This man1

h a d i n h i s w a y r e d u c e d h i s a r t m a g i c t o ! w h a t

o n e m a y t e r m w o r k i n g f o r m u l a . "

" S o m e t i m e I w i l l e x p e r i m e n t w i t h t h e m , " I

t o l d h i m , " b u t f o r t h e p r e s e n t l e t u s s e e i f w e

c a n r e c o v e r t h e r i t u a l o n t h e m i s s i n g p a g e s . "

C a r r i e r s o o n p a s s e d u n d e r c o n t r o l . H i s m o u t h

s e e m e d t o f a l l s l a c k a n d o p e n i n r a t h e r g h a s t l y

f a s h i o n a n d t h e e y e b a l l s t u r n e d u p u n d e r t h e

l i d s s o . t h a t t h o u g h h e w r o t e w i t h h a l f - o p e n e d

e y e s o n l y t h e b l u e - t i n t e d w h i t e o f t h e e y e b a l l s

c o u l d b e s e e n u n d e r h i s h e a v y l i d s . His hand

a n d f o r e a r m b e g a n t o t w i t c h s p a s m o d i c a l l y , b u t

t h e p e n c i l s t a y e d a l m o s t i m m o b i l e o n t h e ! p a p e r

f o r m i n g a l i t t l e k n o t o f s c r a t c h e s , b u t n o , b e t t e r s .



30 A MODERN OCCULTISTF i n a l l y I s a w t h a t h e h a d c o m p l e t e l y e n t e r e d t h e

t r a n c e s t a t e a n d w a s d i r e c t l y u n d e r c o n t r o l ."Who i s t h e a u t h o r o f t h e s e m a n u s c r i p t s ? "

I a s k e d .

W i t h o u t a p a u s e t h e p e n c i l w r o t e r a p i d l y i n a

s h a r p a n g u l a r s c r i p t : I M a r c e l T h e o t , A d e p t a n d

M i n o r M a s t e r o f t h e A r c a n a . "

"Under whom did you study?"

" U n d e r t h e d i v i n e G i u s e p p e B a l s a m o C o u n t

C a g l i o s t r o , t h e G r a n d C o p t o f t h e U n i v e r s e , a n d

l a t e r u n d e r D o c t o r J u l e s L e m e r e i e r p u p i l o f

L a v a t e r a n d C a g l i o s t r o . "

" W i l l y o u r e v e a l t o u s t h e m i s s i n g p a g e s o f

your manuscript?" The answer was unex -

p e c t e d .

" T o y o u t w o , " t h e p e n c i l w r o t e , " I c a n r e -

v e a l t h e s e s e c r e t s , f o r y o u t o o a r e i n i t i a t e a n d

k n o w w h a t p r o g r e s s i s p e r m i t t e d t o t h e c h i l d r e n

o f m e n . T h i s I s a y u n t o y o u . I n t h e t h i r d d e -

c a d e o f t h i s c e n t u r y s h a l l t h e r e b e a r e v i v a l o f

a r t m a g i c , b u t m u c k t h a t h a s b e e n s e a l e d t o t h e

p h i l o s o p h e r s s h a l l b e k n o w n t o t h e h e a l e r s o f

m e n . "*

*This wou ld seem t o p o i n t t o the present r e s e a r c h i n

p s y c h o l o g y a n d p s y c h o t h e r a p e u t i c s a n d i t s a p p l i c a t i o n s t o c a s e s

o f " s h e l l s h o c k " and kindred mental disturbances .







THE AUTOMATIST 3 3

dash of wine, soon restored him to himself .

T o g e t h e r w e w e n t o v e r t h e s c r i p t w h i l e I I t o l d

him of the curi o us phenomenon that I had

w i t n e s s e d .

"That may account for the way my hand is

a c h i n g , " h e s a i d . " I t h o u g h t i t w a s m o r e t h a n

u s u a l , " a n d s p r e a d i n g h i s h a n d o u t i n f r o n t o f

h i m w e b o t h n o t i c e d f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e t h a t ! b o t h

t h e f i r s t j o i n t o f t h e t h u m b a n d t h e n a i l a n d ' ' , f i r s t

j o i n t o f t h e f o r e f i n g e r w e r e a c t u a l l y s w o l l e n , a n d

b r u i s e d .

" T h i s M a r c e l T h e o t s e e m s t o b e a t e r r i b l e

f e l l o w , " s a i d h e r u e f u l l y .

" I t i s t h e l a s t p a r t o f t h e m e s s a g e t h a t h e

h a s a t t a c h e d t o t h e r i t u a l t h a t p u z z l e s m e , " I

s a i d . "Assuming that he is actually a bad

s p i r i t , h e y e t s e e m s t o b e a b l e t o r e p e a t t h e , c o n -

s t r u c t i o n o f a p r o t e c t i v e c i r c l e o f e x o r c i s m i n

w h i c h t h e n a m e s o f G o d a r e f r e q u e n t l y r e p e a t e d

a n d w h i c h i s i n ' i t s e l f s u p p o s e d t o b e d e m o n -

proof and t hen warns u s, that Nahemah will

answer . N a h e m a h i s t h e s p i r i t q u e e n w h o ' , p r e -

s i d e s o v e r t h e f e m a l e d e v i l s o f o b s e s s i o n s - - t h e

S u c c u b i . T h u s C a r r i e r , m y f r i e n d , I d o n o t q u i t e

s e e w h a t t o e x p e c t . "



I

3 4 A MODERN OCCULTIST" T h e S u c c u b i , " s a i d C a r r i e r , I I are known t o

b e a b l e t o a s s u m e t h e f o r m s o f t h e m o s t d e s i r -

able of women . This M arcel Theot st udie d

thaumaturgy and magic under Cagliostro and

h i s f o l l o w e r s , a n d you know to what amazing

p r a c t i c e s t h e G r a n d C o p t s e t h i s f e m a l e d e v o t e e s .

I t i s p r o b a b l e t h a t t h e i n v o c a t i o n i n i t s p e -

c u l i a r l y c o n d e n s e d s t y l e o p e n s t h e d o o r s t o d a n -

g e r s t h a t a r e n o t p r e s e n t w h e n t h e f u l l r i t u a l i s

a p p l i e d . Y o u n o t i c e t h a t h e s t y l e s h i m s e l f m i n o r

master . "

i

I a g r e e d , a n d l a t e r a n a l y s i s o f t h e r i t u a l a s

c o m p a r e d t o o t h e r s - s h o w e d t h a t i n t h e p r o c e s s

o f c o n d e n s a t i o n m a n y o f t h e s a f e g u a r d i n g c e r e -

m o n i e s a n d p r o p i t i a t o r y i n v o c a t i o n s h a d b e e n

d i s c a r d e d .

M y o w n o p i n i o n i s t h a t M a r c e l T h e o t w a s o n e

o f t h a t n u m e r o u s c l a s s o f p e o p l e w h o u n d e r -

took the study of magic only i n . o r d e r t o

o b t a i n t h e s u p e r n a t u r a l q u a l i f i c a t i o n o f c a r n a l

d e s i r e s . I n a n y c a s e I h a v e d e e m e d h i s r i t u a l

u n s a f e f o r èxperi ment and have taken steps

so that it can never fall into unsuitable

hands .

T h e a c t u a l m a t e r i a l i s m o f a s p i r i t h a n d t o a i d









3 9 , A MODERN OCCULTISTc o n d i t i o n s o f a r t i f i c i a l l i g h t i t i s a l m o s t i m p o s -

s i b l e t o s e e t h e a s t r a l l i g h t a t a l l , u n l e s s o n e i s

c l a i r v o y a n t o r u n l e s s t h e c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f s p i r i t

f o r c e i s s o m a r k e d t h a t t h e r e i s n o p o s s i b i l i t y

o f m i s t a k i n g i t .

T h e n o r m a l a p p e a r a n c e o f a s t r a l l i g h t i s t h a t

o f i n d e f i n i t e g l o b u l a r o r p e a r - s h a p e d m a s s e s o f

f a i n t p h o s p h o r e s c e n c e . T h e s e a p p e a r n e a r s i t -

t e r s o r o n o b j e c t s i n t h e r o o m a n d f r e q u e n t l y

m o v e a b o u t , w a x a n d w a n e , o r g a t h e r i n t o c l o u d s

b e f o r e a m a t e r i a l i s m o r i n s u p p o r t o f a p a r t i c u -

l a r e f f o r t . *

I n o t h e r c a s e s t h e y t a k e t h e f o r m o f d i r e c t

r a y s a n d i n c e r t a i n i n d i v i d u a l s h a v e b e e n k n o w n

t o o c c u r a s f l a s h e s l i k e d u l l e l e c t r i c d i s c h a r g e s .

Another not uncommon form is the projection

from - t h e b o d y o f a d i s t i n c t l y d e f i n e d a u r a o r

r a d i a t i o n o f l i g h t w h i c h i s f a i n t l y l u m i n o u s l i k e

t h e g a s e s i n a G e i s s l e r t u b e s u b j e c t e d t o o s c i l -

l a n t d i s c h a r g e s .

W e m u s t g o f a r b a c k i n t o h i s t o r y a n d i n d e e d

b e y o n d t h e b o u n d s o f h i s t o r y b e f o r e w e c a n c o m e

t o a t i m e w h e n t h i s m a n i f e s t a t i o n o f l i g h t w a s

"Notes of an Enquiry into the Phenomena Called Spiritual .William Crookes, F.R .S . , p. 91 ; Class VIII: Luminous A p -

p e a r a n c e s .



ASTRAL LIGHT 3 9

n o t o n e p a r t o f t h e c o m m o n s t o c k i n t r a d e o f

t h e t h a u m a t u r g e o r w o n d e r w o r k e r .

T h e m a n i p u l a t i o n and c o n t r o l o f a s t r a l l i g h t

phenomena were . p a r t o f t h e r e l i g i o u s m y s t e r i e s

o f t h e m a g i c i a n s o f C h a l d e a w h o t r a n s m i t t e d

t h e s e c r e t k n o w l e d g e t o t h e s e e r s o f E g y p t . Wef i n d i t i n t h e m y t h o f t h e l u m i n o u s b u l l ' , , i n t h e

G r e e k m y s t e r i e s a n d a g a i n a s a n a t t r i b u t e o f

t h e g r e a t h e a l e r A p o l l o n i u s o f T y a n a . ' ' T h i s

m y s t e r i o u s r a d i a n c e p l a y s e q u a l p a r t s i n t h e

r e c o r d s o f t h e l i v e s o f t h e s a i n t s a n d i n t h e

t e r r i b l e a r c h i v e s o f t h e t r i a l s f o r s o r c e r y ;

C o n f u s i o n e x i s t s b e c a u s e t o t h e u n t r a i n e d e y e

o f m a n k i n d a l l f o r m s o f a s t r a l l i g h t a r e i d e n -

t i c a l .

T h e g r e a t e r p r o p o r t i o n o f t h e a s t r a l ' , l i g h t

s e e n b y c i r c l e s i s t h a t g e n e r a t e d a n d g i v e n o f f

b y t h e h u m a n m e n t a l e n e r g y o f t h e c i r c l e i t s e l f .

T h e s p i r i t - f o r m s a r e a l l t o o o f t e n t h o u g h t - f o r m s

b u i l t u p o u t o f t h e l i b e r a t e d p s y c l i o p l a s m o r

thoughtm a t t e r g i v e n o f f b y s i t t e r s .

T h e p h y s i c a l n a t u r e o f t h i s p s y c h o p l a s ~ n h a s

s o f a r d e f i e d a l l a t t e m p t s a t s c i e n t i f i c r e s e a r c h ,

b u t i t a p p e a r s t o b e s o m e t h i n g m o r e s u b s t a n t i a l

t h a n t h e m e r e e m i s s i o n o f v i b r a t i o n s t h a t i t i s



I

40 A MODERN OCCULTISTcommonly held to b e

. I t a p p e a r s t o b e a n a l l -

p e n e t r a t i n g i m p o n d e r a b l e e m a n a t i o n w h i c h d i s -

s i p a t e s r a p i d l y , b u t w h i c h u n d e r c e r t a i n c o n d i -

tions is capable of being energ ized by t he

i n t e l l i g e n c e o f t h e l i v i n g o r b y d i s c a r n a t e i n t e l -

l i g e n c e U n d e r th e s e c on d i t i o n s i t b e co m e s l u -

m i n o u s a n d u n d e r c e r t a i n f u r t h e r c o n d i t i o n s c a n

b e u s e d a s t h e v e h i c l e f o r t h e t r a n s m i s s i o n o f

f o r c e .

I t c a n b e s t b e r e a l i z e d a s b e i n g t o t h e m i n d

w h a t e c t o p l a s m * i s t o t h e b o d y o f t h e m e d i u m ,

b u t t h e p r e c i s e l i m i t a t i o n s o f b o t h t h e a s t r a l

b o d y - m a t t e r - e c t o p l a s m , a n d a s t r a l m i n d - m a t t e r

p s y c h o p l a s m a r e n o t y e t a s c e r t a i n e d .

I t i s a c o n c e i v a b l e h y p o t h e s i s t h a t b o t h a r e

f u n c t i o n s o f t h e v a s t u n k n o w n m e c h a n i s m o f t h e

s u b c o n s c i o u s s e l f , b u t w h e r e t h e c a p a c i t y f o r t h e

p r o j e c t i o n o f e c t o p l a s m i s r a r e , t h e e m i s s i o n o f

p s y c h o p l a s m i s t h e b a s i s o f m o s t S p i r i t u a l i s t

p h e n o m e n a .

' I t i s t o t h i s r a d i a t i o n o f p s y c h o p l a s m t h a t

we mus t look for the explanation of such a

s i m p l e t h i n g - a n d a t t h e s a m e t i m e s u c h a c o m - ,

* For details concerning ectoplasm see GUM i» S o l i d F o r m,

Gambi er Bolton, etc .

I







ASTRAL L IG15 43

matters psy chic who h a s n o t h a d e i t h e r personal

o r a b s o l u t e l y c r e d i b l e s e c o n d - h a n d e x p e r i e n c e o f

t h e e x i s t e n c e o f b a d o r l y i n g s p i r i t s I t i s t r u e ,

t h a t i n s i s t e n c e u p o n t h e i r e x i s t e n c e h a s l a t t e r l y

b e c o m e u n f a s h i o n a b l e i n S p i r i t u a l i s t c i r c l e s - - -

b e c a u s e i t d o e s h a r m t o t h e p r o f e s s i o n a l m e d i u m ,

b u t n o t e v e n t h e m o s t i n s i s t e n t o f s u p p r e s s i v e

p r o p a g a n d a c a n l i v e d o w n t h e w r i t i n g s a n d t e s -

t i m o n i e s o f t h e p a s t a n d t h e e v e r - r e c u r r e n t u n -

d e n i a b l e p h e n o m e n a o f t h e p r e s e n t .

I t i s n o t t o o m u c h t o s a y t h a t i n n i n e c a s e s

o u t o f t e n w h e r e a c r u d e a n d h u m b l e b e l i e f i n

S p i r i t u a l i s m i s p u t i n p r a c t i c e b y a c i r c l e o f

o p e r a t o r s w h o s e s t a n d a r d o f e d u c a t i o n a n d i n -

le l l e c t u a l a t t a i n m e n t i s l o w , t h e e t h e r e a l i z a t i o u

o f t h e p s y c h o p l a s m o f t h e b e l i e v e r s i s m i s t a k e n

f o r t h e m a t e r i a l i z a t i o n o f t h e s p i r i t . *

S o m u c h f o r t h e v i s i b l e l u m i n o u s a p p e a r a n c e s

. o f a s t r a l l i g h t . N o w l e t u s c o n s i d e r t h e r a n g e

o f p r o b a b i l i t i e s t h a t m a y a f f e c t t h e s e . I t m u s t

b e b o r n e i n m i n d t h a t i t i s t h e p r o c e s s o f , t h e i r

r e a b s o r p t i o n i n t o t h e s i t t e r s a f t e r b e i n g c h a r g e d

' So m e t h i n g of this - v i e w m a y b e f o u n d i n t h e c h a p t e r o n

"Pseudo Sp i r i t Phenomena" i n Borderland o f Payo I Re-search ., H . J. Hysl op . A book deservi ng of attenti on', by a l l

Interested i n Spiritual ism .



44 A MODERN QCCULTISTw i t h o u t s i d e i n f l u e n c e s t h a t i n t r o d u c e s t h e e l e -

m e n t o f d a n g e r .

P s y c h o l o g i s t s k n o w t h a t c e r t a i n f i x e d l a w s

g o v e r n m e n t a l p r o c e s s e s . T h e r e i s t h e L a w o f .

S i m i l a r i t y , w h i c h e v o k e s t h e a s s o c i a t i o n o f

i d e a s ; t h e r e i s t h e L a w o f I n t e g r a t i o n , w h i c h

s p l i t s m e m o r i e s a n d p i c t u r e m e m o r i e s i n t o i n -

t e g r a l f r a g m e n t s ; a n d t h e r e i s t h e L a w o f R e d -

i n t e g r a t i o n , w h i c h e n a b l e s t h e s u b c o n s c i o u s m i n d

t o r e a s s e m b l e t h e p a r t m e m o r i e s i n t o o n e c o m -

p l e t e d p i c t u r e o f a p a s t s c e n e o r e v e n t .

T h e a s t r a l l i g h t , o n c e b e y o n d t h e c o n t r o l o f

t h e s i t t e r , i s a t t h e c o m m a n d o f ( 1 ) s t r o n g e r

h u m a n w i l l s i n t h e c i r c l e , ( 2 ) t h e l o w e r o r b a s e r

f o r m s o f d i s c a r n a t e i n t e l l i g e n c e , ( 3 ) s p i r i t s o f

e x - m o r t a l s , ( 4 ) h i g h e r s p i r i t s .

I t i s t h e d o m i n a n c e o f t h e h u m a n w i l l t h a t i s

t h e f i r s t p o s i t i v e d a n g e r . P a r t o f t h e a c c e p t e d

d o g m a o f S p i r i t u a l i s m i s t h a t h o s t i l e o r u n -

b e l i e v i n g i n f l u e n c e s a r e a n t a g o n i s t i c t o t h e

s p i r i t s . T h i s i s b y n o m e a n s a c c u r a t e , b u t c a n

b e c l a s s e d f o r p r a c t i c a l p u r p o s e s a s a h a l f - t r u t h .

t h e s t a t e o f m e n t a l c o n c e n t r a t i o n a n d m u s c u l a r

r e l a x a t i o n t h a t i s n e c e s s a r y t o t h e s e a n c e b e a r s

a c l o s e a n d a n a l o g o u s r e s e m b l a n c e t o t h e s t a t e



ASTRAL LIGHT 45

o f c o n s e n t t h a t t h e h y p n o t i s t d e m a n d s o f h i s

s u b j e c t .

, T h e f i r s t r e q u i s i t e o f t h e S p i r i t u a l i s t i s t h e

q u e s t i o n p u t t o h i m o r h e r b y o t h e r s o f t h e c u l t .

" D o y o u b e l i e v e i n S p i r i t u a l i s m ? "

T h e h o n e s t s c e p t i c , t h e u n r e a s o n i n g m a n - i n -

t h e - s t r e e t o b s e r v e r i s s o o n c o n v e r t e d b y e v i -

d e n c e , t h e n f a i t h i n t h e i n e x p l i c a b l e w o n d e r s

o f S p i r i t u a l i s m i s b o r n .

I n o t h e r w o r d s t h e m i n d o f t h e n e o p h y t e a c -

c e p t s t h e w h o l e l o o s e d o c t r i n e o f S p i r i t u a l i s m

a n d i s p r e p a r e d t o b e l i e v e t h a t a l l p h e n o m e n a

a r e due t o s p i r i t i n f l u e n c e , a n d d o e s n o t a t t e m p t

t o f u r t h e r a n a l y s e t h e a c c e p t e d s p i r i t i n f l u e n c e .

T h e m e n t a l o r e m o t i o n a l s t a t e p r o d u c e d b y

t h e p a r t i c i p a t i o n o f a d e v o u t b e l i e v e r i n a

s e a n c e , l e a v e s t h e m i n d r e c e p t i v e o f i d e a s ' and

t h e i d e a s r e c e i v e d b a c k i n t o t h e m i n d a r e t h o s e

i m p r e s s e d u p o n t h e p s y c h o p l a s m t h a t i s ' , l i b e -

r a t e d a n d i s v i s i b l e a s a s t r a l l i g h t a n d i s r e -

a b s o r b e d i n t o i t s s o u r c e s a f t e r i t h a s ' ' b e e n

b e y o n d t h e c o n t r o l o f i t s o r i g i n a t o r ' s c o n s c i o u s -

n e s s .

I n a c i r c l e o f t e n o r f e w e r p e o p l e w h e r e t h e

s e x e s a r e m i x e d , i t i s i m p o s s i b l e t o s a y W h a t



4 6 A MODERN OCCULTISTs u p p r e s s e d ' d e s i r e s m a y b e l a t e n t i n t h e m i n d s

o f t h o s e w h o c o m p o s e i t . E v e n i n t h e c a s e o f

c i r c l e s c o n f i n e d t o o n e s e x a l o n e t h e r e i s t h e

p o s s i b i l i t y o f s e x p e r v e r s i o n b e i n g a s e c r e t l y

d o m i n a n t m e n t a l f o r c e i n t h e m i n d of someone

t h e r e .

I t i s a n i n e x o r a b l e l a w t h a t t h e c o n s c i o u s o r

s u b c o n s c i o u s w i l l o f t h e m o s t p o w e r f u l a n d d e -

termined member of t he circle dominates the

m i n d s o f t h e o t h e r s t h r o u g h i t s i n f l u e n c e o n t h e

p s y c h o p l a s m o r a s t r a l l i g h t .

E v e n w i t h o u t t h e k n o w l e d g e o f t h e d o m i n a n t

i n f l u e n c e h i s o r h e r w i l l o r t h o u g h t - f o r c e e mi s -

s i o n w i l l g a i n m a s t e r y o v e r t h o s e o f t h e o t h e r s ,

a n d i f t h e r e i s a n y v i o l e n t s e x d i s t u r b a n c e a t

t h e b o t t o m o f t h e d o m i n a n t w i l l , t h i s w i l l b e

c o m m u n i c a t e d t o t h e o t h e r s o r t o t h e s e l e c t e d

o t h e r f u r t h e r i n g t h e d e s i r e .

T h e n e x t s t a g e o c c u r s w h e r e p a s s i o n o r d e s i r e

o n t h e p a r t o f o n e m e m b e r o f t h e c i r c l e f o r

a n o t h e r i s a b s e n t . D e s p i t e r e p e a t e d s t a t e m e n t s

t h a t t h e d e s i r e o f t h e m e m b e r s o f t h e c i r c l e i s t o

m e e t p u r e s p i r i t s , t h e r e m a y b e m e m b e r s w h o s e

s e c r e t w i s h e s a r e n o t t h o s e o f t h e p a t h w a y o f

l i g h t . Love for those who have passed over



ASTRAL LIGHT 4 7

may b e s t i l l c a r n a l l o v e i n t h e h e a r t s o f t h o s e

w h o r e m a i n .. A b e l a r d m a y h a v e p a s s e d b e y o n d

p a s s i o n i n t o t h e r e a l m o f d e a t h , b u t Helo se may

r e f u s e h i s p l e a o f i m p o s s i b i l i t y a n d s t i l l p u r s u e

i n t h e s p i r i t t h a t w h i c h e s c a p e d h e r i n t h e , f l e s h .

C a r n a l i t y i s n o t c o n f i n e d t o t h i s p l a n e n o r d o e s

i t c e a s e u p o n t h e , n e x t , b u t t h e e n d e a v o u r o f

m o r t a l s t o g e t , i n t o u c h w i t h t h e s p i r i t world

w h i l e t h e r e i s l a t e n t i n t k e m e i t h e r k n o w n o r

s u p p r e s s e d , a n d u n r e c o g n i z e d d e s i r e i s f a t a L

E v e r y s e x u a l d e s i r e t h e m i n d h a s e x p e r i e n c e d

i s i n d e x e d o r p i g e o n - h o l e d i n t h e r e c e s s e s o f t h e

s u b l i m i n a l m i n d . P e o p l e w h o s e c o n s c i o u s ' I m a t e d

i s f r e e o f a n y v e s t i g e o f s u c h d e s i r e m a y g o t o a

s e a n c e a n d u n d e r t h e i n f l u e n c e o f t h e e m o t i o n a l ,

f o r c e s o f a s e a n c e l i b e r a t e a l l t h e r e p r e s s e d

e n e r g y o f t h e i r p a s t u n g r a t i f i e d s e x u a l d e s i r e s - -

w i t h o u t k n o w i n g i t .

T h e s e f o r c e s a t t r a c t l o w - g r a d e s p i r i t s s o m e o f

whom have never been human and the lowest

a n d m o s t v i c i o u s o f s p i r i t s w h o s e h u m a n l i v e s

h a v e b e e n a c y c l e o f d e b a u c h e r y . L i k e a t t r a c t s

l i k e , i s o n e o f t h e l a w s o f N a t u r e . The Luw o £

S i m i l a r i t y i s o n e o f t h e r u l e s o f p s y c h o l o g y .

T h e g a t e w a y s o f t h e s o u l a r e t h r o w n , o p e n



48 A MODERN OCCULTISTn o t t o w h o e v e r m a y e n t e r i n , b u t w i t h a n e x p l i c i t

m e n t a l i n v i t a t i o n t o t h o s e s p i r i t s t h a t d e r i v e

g r a t i f i c a t i o n f r o m t h e l u s t s a n d d e s i r e s o f

m o r t a l s .

T h e w h o l e b o d y o f t h e p s y c h o p l a s m o f a c i r c l e

i s a t t h e m e r c y o f t h e m i n d o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l t o

w h o s e c a l l t h e s p i r i t s c o m e .

T h e p r a c t i c a l r e s u l t s o f t h e s e o p e n - h o u s e i n

v i t a t i o n s t o t h e s p i r i t s a r e d e v a s t a t i n g . Th e

i d e a s o f g r a t i f i c a t i o n b e c o m e r o o t e d . n o t i n t h e

c o n s c i o u s m i n d b u t i n t h e s u b c o n s c i o u s m i n d ,

; w h e r e t h e y w o r k s l o w l y b u t i n e v i t a b l y t o t h e

s u b v e r s i o n o f c o n s c i o u s " g o o d . "

T h e f i r s t s t e p t o w a r d p o s s e s s i o n and o b s e s s i o n

a r e o f t e n t h e r e s u l t o f s e a n c e s , w h e r e T r u t h h a s

b e e n s o u g h t w i t h t h e t o n g u e a n d E v i l w i t h i n

t h e h e a r t o f o n e p r e s e n t . I t i s n o t t h e g u i l t y

a l o n e w h o s u f f e r , b u t t h e w e a k a n d i n n o c e n t w h o J

s i t b e s i d e t h e m .

T h e r e a r e n o bounds to the m a l i g n a n c y o f

t h e i m p u r e s p i r i t s . T h e y a r e s l y a n d n o t a b l e

l i a r s - t h e y c a n a s s u m e t h e f o r m o f m o r t a l s w h o

h a v e p a s s e d o v e r a n d t h e y c a n a s s u m e p e r s o n a l -

i t y a n d k n o w l e d g e t h a t w a s k n o w n t o t h e d e a d .

B y d e g r e e s t h e y i n c u l c a t e e v i l , p r e d i s p o s i n g t h e







ASTRAL LIGHT 5 1

c o v e r e d w i t h t i n f o i l . T h e c e n t r e o f t h i s c o r k

s h o u l d b e p i e r c e d b y a p i e c e o f b r a s s w i r e f i v e

i n c h e s l o n g , b e n t a t o n e e n d t o f o r m a h o o k .

T h i s e n d i s i n s i d e t h e j a r a n d f r o m t h e h o o k

hangs the p l a t e o f t h e l a s t r o m e t e r . To t he

p r o j e c t i n g e n d o f t h e b r a s s w i r e o u t s i d e t h e j a r

s h o u l d b e s o l d e r e d a c i r c u l a r c o l l e c t i n g d i s c o f

b r i g h t l y p o l i s h e d b r a s s o r t i n p l a t e t h r e e i n c h e s

i n d i a m e t e r . This should standup ver tically

t o t h e a x i s o f t h e w i r e , b e i n g t h u s o n e d g e i n -

s t e a d o f f o r m i n g a f l a t t a b l e .

T h e p l a t e o f t h e l a s t r o m e t e r c o n s i s t s ' , o f a

r e c t a n g l e o f t h i n a l u m i n u m t w o a n d h a l f i n c h e s

w i d e b y f o u r i n c h e s d e e p . Half an inch from

t h e t o p e d g e t h r e e s l i t s s h o u l d b e c u t i n t h e

m e t a l s o t h a t a p o r t i o n o f a m a g n e t i z e d ' . k n i t -

t i n g n e e d l e t h r e e i n c h e s l o n g m a y b e t h r e a d e d

t h r o u g h t h e b r e a d t h o f t h e p l a t e , p r o j e c t i n g h a l f

a n i n c h o n e a c h s i d e .

T h i s n e e d l e f o r m s a c r o s s b a r a t t h e t o p o f t h e

p l a t e a n d s h o u l d b e a c c u r a t e l y a d j u s t e d s o t h a t

t h e b r o a d s u r f a c e o f t h e p l a t e i s a l w a y s i j n t h e

s a m e p l a n e a s t h e a x i s o f t h e n e e d l e .

T o t h e p r o j e c t i n g e n d s o f t h e n e e d l e i s s e c u r e d C

a l o o p o f c o p p e r w i r e f o u r i n c h e s l o n g w h o s e



5 2 A MODERN OCCULTISTo t h e r e n d i s m a d e f a s t t o t h e o t h e r e n d o f t h e

n e e d l e a n d w h o s e c e n t r e p a s s e s o v e r t h e h o o k e d

e n d o f t h e w i r e t h r o u g h t h e c o r k . T h e p l a t e

t h u s s w i n g s l i k e a m i n i a t u r e s i g n b o a r d s u s -

p e n d e d f r o m t h e b o o k .

T h e s u r f a c e o f o n e s i d e o f t h e p l a t e i s n o w

p a i n t e d w i t h s e v e r a l s u c c e s s i v e l a y e r s o f a

s a t u r a t e d s o l u t i o n o f g u m a r a b i c - i n o n e o u n c e

o f w a t e r t o w h i c h h a s b e e n a d d e d o n e a n d a h a l f

d r a c h m s o f l u m i n o u s z i n c s u l p h i d e o r S i d o t ' s

p r e p a r a t i o n ( p r e f e r a b l y t h e l a t t e r ) a n d o n e

l i q u i d d r a c h m o f a t e n p e r c e n t . s o l u t i o n o f

b a r i u m p l a t i n o - c y a n i d e . T h e o t h e r s i d e o f t h e

p l a t e s h o u l d b e p a i n t e d w i t h " o p t i c a l b l a c k " o r

a n y o t h e r s u i t a b l e d e a d b l a c k v a r n i s h .

B e t w e e n t h e e d g e o f t h e b u n g a n d t h e c e n t r a l

w i r e s h o u l d b e i n s e r t e d a t c o n v e n i e n t i n t e r v a l s

t h r e e o r f o u r s e c t i o n s o f g l a s s t u b i n g w h o s e i n -

t e r n a l b o r e e x c e e d s h a l f a n i n c h . T h e s e s e r v e t o

a d m i t e x t e r n a l i n f l u e n c e s t o t h e i n t e r i o r o f t h e

l a s t r o m e t e r .

W h e n c o m p l e t e i t w i l l b e f o u n d t h a t t h e p l a t e

o f t h e l a s t r o m e t e r i s h i g h l y f l u o r e s c e n t a n d c a n

b e e n e r g i z e d i n t o - g r e a t e r a c t i v i t y b y e x p o s u r e

t o s u n o r a r t i f i c i a l l i g h t . I t i s d e s i r a b l e t h a t





5 4 A MODERN OCCULTISTI t m a y b e u r g e d t h a t t h i s a p p a r a t u s i s n o t

f r a u d - p r o o f a n d t h a t i t w o u l d r e s p o n d t o c e r -

t a i n a g e n c i e s s u c h a s t h e c o n c e a l m e n t o f a n

e l e c t r o m a g n e t i n t h e room . To t h i s i t m a y b e

answered that an ordi nary pocket compass

p l a c e d o n t h e t a b l e b y t h e l a s t r o m e t e r w o u l d

a l s o r e s p o n d t o t h e s e f o r c e s a n d t h e f r a u d w o u l d

b e t r a n s p a r e n t , t o a n y o b s e r v e r .

S o f a r a s b e a n t e l l , n o h u m a n m e n t a l e f f o r t

c o n s c i o u s o r s u b c o n s c i o u s c a n a f f e c t t h i s s i m p l e

i n s t r u m e n t . I t i s n e c e s s a r y t o g u a r d a g a i n s t

i l l u s i o n b y i m a g i n i n g t h a t t h e l a s t r o m e t e r i s

g a i n i n g r a d i a n c e , a n d t o t h i s e n d i t i s a d v i s a b l e

t o p r e p a r e a s t a n d ' a n d t e s t - p i e c e m a d e o f a l u m -

. i n u m a n d c o a t e d w i t h p r e c i s e l y t h e s a m e s o l u -

t i o n a s i s a p p l i e d t o t h e p l a t e . These should

a l w a y s b e k e p t t o g e t h e r a n d a l l o w e d t o b e c o m e

e q u a l l y r a d i a n t . I f t h i s i s p l a c e d o n t h e t a b l e

n e a r t h e , l a s t r o m e t e r , a n y v a r i a t i o n s i n t h e l a t -

t e r c a n b e r a p i d l y v e r i f i e d b y c o m p a r i s o n w i t h

t h e n o n - i n s u l a t e d and n o n - o r i e n t e d t e s t - p i e c e .

Antipathy on the part of the presiding

m e d i u m t o t h e u s e o f t h e p s y c h o - l a s t r o m e t e r i s

i n v a r i a b l y a b a d s i g n . S p i r i t m e s s a g e s o b j e c t -

i n g t o i t a r e t h e m o s t v a l i d r e a s o n s f o r i t s r e -



t en t i on, and such communications should be

v i e w e d w i t h t h e d e e p e s t s u s p i c i o n . T h e c o s t o f

t h e a p p a r a t u s i s a f e w s h i l l i n g s , i t c a n b e m a d e

by . , a n y b o d y i n a n h o u r o r s o o f s p a r e t i m e , a n d

i n a c t u a l p o i n t o f f a c t t h e r e i s n o t h i n g a b o u t i t

t h a t i s o f f e n s i v e t o t h e s p i r i t s o f " g o o d " o r t o

t h e p u r e .

T o t h o s e w h o a r e l e a r n e d i n s y m b o l i s m ! I m a y

s u g g e s t t h a t t h e r e c e i v i n g d i s c a t t h e t o p ' o f t h e

w i r e n e e d n o t b e i n t h e f o r m o f a d i s c , b u t ca n

b e c u t o r p i e r c e d w i t h o r n a m e n t s u c h a s s a c r e d

s y m b o l s o r w i t h a n y d e c o r a t i v e d e s i g n .

I t i s d e s i r a b l e , h o w e v e r , t h a t t h e l i g h t s u r f a c e

b e r e t a i n e d a n d t h a t t h e a v a i l a b l e m e t a l l i c s u r -

f a c e o f t h e d i s c s h o u l d n o t b e d i m i n i s h e d m o r e

t h a n i s n e c e s s a r y .









PROTECTIVE VIBRATION 69

e t h e r ' i s t h e u n d e r l y i n g s u p e r h e i e n t i f i e . s t r u c t u r e

o f m o d e r n S p i r i t u a l i s m . L i t t l e b y l i t t l e t h e i r

d i s c o v e r i e s f a l l i n t o h a r m o n y w i t h o u r c l a i m s ,

a n d w e m u s t l o o k u p o n s c i e n c e a s t h e h a n d -

m a i d e n r a t h e r t h a n t h e a n t a g o n i s t o f o u r t r u t h .

T h e t h e o r i e s o f a p p a r i t i o n t h a t a r e h e l d v a r y

a c c o r d i n g t o t h e c l a s s i f i c a t i o n o f t h e a p p a r i t i o n .

T h e r e a r e n u m e r o u s i n s t a n c e s o f a p p a r i t i o n s o f

t h e l i v i n g * a n d t h e r e i s a n i n f i n i t e m a s s o f d a t a

c o n c e r n i n g v e r i d i c a l a p p a r i t i o n s o f t h e d e a d . A

s t a t i s t i c a l a n a l y s i s o f 1 7 , 0 0 0 c a s e s c o l l e c t e d b y

S o c i e t y f o r P s y c h i c a l R e s e a r c h r e s u l t e d i n t h e

f i n d i n g b y t h e C o m m i t t e e t h a t " B e t w e e n d e a t h s

a n d a p p a r i t i o n s o f t h e d y i n g p e r s o n a c o n n e x i o n

e x i s t s w h i c h i s n o t d u e t o c h a n c e a l o n e . " t

A c l e a r d i s t i n c t i o n m u s t , h o w e v e r , b e d r a w n

b e t w e e n a p p a r i t i o n s w h i c h m a y a p p e a r t o r e l a -

t i v e s , f r i e n d s , a n d a c q u a i n t a n c e s , a n d t h e n d i s -

a p p e a r f o r e v e r , a n d t h o s e d e f i n i t e a n d p e r s i s t -

e n t l y r e c u r r i n g a p p a r i t i o n s t h a t g o b y t h e n a m e

o f h a u n t s .

T h e t e r m i n o l o g y o f m a t t e r s p s y c h i c i s ' l o o s e

a n d i n e x a c t , b u t i t i s w e l l t o h a v e a c l e a r m e n t a l

"Proccxd4 gs B . P .R .

t I b i d . , V o l . X, p . 394 .






t a k e m o r e t h a n t h e w e l l - m e a n i n g e f f o r t o f s o m e

anaemic amateur psychic to lay i t . The ve ry

l a s t p e r s o n w h o s h o u l d g o n e a r a v i o l e n t ' , g h o s t

i s a n y o n e w h o s e c a p a c i t y f o r m e d i u m s h i p i s i n

any way developed . M e d i u m s s h o u l d only b e

present when adequate a n d experienced mortal

c o n t r o l s a r e t h e r e a l s o .

I n t h e W e s t o f E n g l a n d t h e r e i s a n e x c e l l e n t

e x a m p l e o f a g e n u i n e l y h a u n t e d h o u s e t h a t h a s

s o ` f a r r e s i s t e d a l l a t t e m p t s t o s o l v e t h e o r i g i n

o f t h e h a u n t , t h e p r e c i s e . n a t u r e o f t h e s u p e r -

n a t u r a l i n t e l l i g e n c e t h a t d i r e c t s t h e m a n i f e s t a -

t i o n , o r t h e m o t i v e o f t h e p h e n o m e n a . *

I t i s n o w e x t r e m e l y d i f f i c u l t t o g e t p e r m i s s i o n

t o c a r r y o u t i n v e s t i g a t i o n s , a s a d e q u a t e p r e -

c a u t i o n s h a v e b e e n t a k e n t o s a f e g u a r d b o t h t h e

phenomena and the incautious dabb ler in mat-

t e r s b e y o n d t h e v e i l .

I may tak e occasion here to warn my r eaders

a g a i n s t t h e l e g a l r i s k s a t t a c h e d t o s t a t i n g t h a t

a h o u s e i s h a u n t e d . I n t h e e y e s o f t h e l a w s u c h

* T h i s p a r t i c u l a r g h o s t ' h a s b e e n e x o r c i s e d w i t h o u t e f f e c t .

The ho use h a s b e e n v i s i t e d b y p s y c h i c , e x p e r t s o f c o n s i d e r a b l e -

e m i n e n c e , i n c l u d i n g H . B a r s o n a n d o t h e r s . T h e r e s u l t s o f a l l

t h e s e i n v e s t i g a t i o n s w e r e u n i f o r m l y d i s a s t r o u s a n d d i s a g r e e -

a b l e , a n d t h e r e i s r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e t h a t i n s o m e c a s e s t h e h e a l t h

a n d m e n t a l i t y o f l e s s e x p e r i e n c e d i n v e s t i g a t o r s w e r e a d v e r s e l y

a f f e c t e d .



6 2 A MODERN OCCULTIST- a s t a t e m e n t i s a c t i o n a b l e , , a s i t t e n d s t o d e -

p r e c i a t e t h e m a r k e t v a l u e o f t h e p r o p e r t y . I t i s

f o r t h i s r e a s o n t h a t s t o r i e s c o n c e r n i n g h a u n t e d

houses when printed in newspapers have to

b e o b s c u r e d i n t h e i r i n d i c a t i o n o f t h e p r e c i s e

l o c a l i t y a n d s i l e n t w i t h r e g a r d t o t h e n a m e ,

n u m b e r , o r a d d r e s s o f t h e s u s p e c t e d d w 6 l l i n g .

T h e v e r b a l r e p e t i t i o n o f s u c h s t a t e m e n t s i s a l s o

a c t i o n a b l e a n d s u c h c a s e s a s , t h e b o g u s h a u n t i n g

o f a h o u s e b y t h e t e n a n t s o r b y c a r e t a k e r s i n

o r d e r t o a v o i d p a y m e n t o f r e n t o r t h e l e t t i n g o f

t h e h o u s e a r e m a n i f e s t r e a s o n s w h y t h e m a t t e r

o f h a u n t e d h o u s e s s h o u l d a l w a y s b e t r e a t e d w i t h

t h e u t m o s t d i s c r e t i o n .

P a r t i c u l a r s c o n c e r n i n g a r e p u t e d h a u n t c a n ,

h o w e v e r , b e c o m m u n i c a t e d t o a newspaper w i t h

s a f e t y . A l l c o m m u n i c a t i o n s t o a j o u r n a l a r e

p r i v i l e g e d , a n d t h e y c a n b e t r u s t e d n o t t o p r i n t

a n y t h i n g w h i c h r e n d e r s t h e m p a r t y t o a n a c t i o n

f o r d a m a g e s .

I n 1 9 1 3 a w e l l - k n o w n s t u d e n t o f o c c u l t m a t -

t e r s a n n o u n c e d h i s t h e o r y o f , P r o t e c t i v e V i b r a -

t i o n s . * I t w a s i n e f f e c t a n a n a l y s i s o f t h e a c t u a l

* Capt, Hugh Pollard was th e auth or of thi s theor y . Hi smonograph was never printed, but ty pescripts o f h i s s e n s a -

t i o n a l l e c t u r e b e f o r e t h e m e m b e r s o f t h e n o w d e f u n c t O d i e C l u b



PROTECTIVE VTEATJONp h y s i c a l m e t h o d s r e p o r t e d t o b e e m p l o y e d b y

s p i r i t f o r c e s i n b u i l d i n g u p t h e i r v i s i b l e a n d

m a t e r i a l f o r m s . H i s t h e o r y c o n t a i n e d s e v e r a l .

. a s s u m p t i o n s w h i c h i t i s i m p o s s i b l e t o d i s r e g a r d

and . w h i c h c e r t a i n l y d o n o t a d m i t o f r e j e c t i o n .

T a k e n i n s e r i e s h e s t a t e d t h a t " T h e p r e s e n c e

o f h u m a n b e i n g s w a s a n e s s e n t i a l t o t h e a p p e a r

a n c e o f t h e g h o s t . " T h i s a d m i t s o f n o d i s p r o o f ,

a s u n l e s s h u m a n w i t n e s s e s a r e p r e s e n t t h e r e c a n

b e n o t e s t i m o n y t o t h e p r e s e n c e o f t h e m a n i f e s -

t a t i o n . A g e n e r a l c o n s e n s u s o f o p i n i o n d i s -

c r e d i t s g h o s t p h o t o g r a p h s u n l e s s t a k e n u n d e r

t h e s t r i c t e s t t e s t c o n d i t i o n s w h i c h a g a i n i m p l i e s

t h e p r e s e n c e o f t h e h u m a n e l e m e n t .

" T h e e n e r g y o r t h o u g h t - m a t t e r " ( i . e . p s y c h o -

p l a s m ) " e x t e n d e d b y t h e m o r t a l s i s t h e m a t t e r

o u t o f w h i c h t h e a s t r a l f o r m i s c o n s t r u c t e d .

T h e y a r e , s o t o s p e a k , t h e p r i m e m o t o r s o r t h e

e n e r g y a n d m a t e r i a l , p r o v i d i n g u n i t s o u t o f

w h i c h t h e d i s c a r n a t e i n t e l l i g e n c e b u i l d s i t s c a r -

n a t e h a b i t . "

T h i s c o n c e p t i o n e m b r a c e s p s y c h o p l a s m a n d

w e r e c i r c u l a t e d t o ce r t a i n i n t e r e s t e d p a r t i e s . He tells me .

t h a t h e h a d p r e v i o u s l y s p e n t a n i n t e r e s t i n g n i g h t a t a h a u n t e d

h o u s e . He was in the company of Mr . lio tt O'Donel l' and

o b t a i n e d a p u z z l i n g a n d u n s a t i s f a c t o r y f l a s h l i g h t p h o t o g r a p h

of the manif esta tion t hat occurred on that occasion .

6 3



6 4 A MODERN OCCULTISTectoplasm as one, but the resear ches of

S c h r e n c k - N o t z i n g w e r e n o t t h e n k n o w n . These

a n d o t h e r s i m i l a r e x p e r i m e n t s a l l p o i n t t o t h e

e s s e n t i a l p r o b a b i l i t y t h a t t h e b r o a d s e n s e o f h i s

r e a s o n i n g i s ` c o r r e c t .

F r o m t h i s p o i n t o n w a r d h e t r a c e s t h e d e v e l o p -

m e n t o f t h e m a t e r i a l a s t r a l b o d y a s a p r o c e s s o f

t h e c o n v e r s i o n o f t h e o r i g i n a l v i b r a t i o n s i n t o

l o w f o r m s o f a c t u a l e n e r g y w h i c h a r e a b l e t o

m a n i p u l a t e t h e a t o m s o f m a t t e r a n d u n d e r t h e

d i r e c t i n g w i l l o f t h e i n t e l l i g e n c e o r e n t i t y b u i l d

u p t h e m a t e r i a l i z a t i o n .

H e m a k e s o n e n o t a b l e r e s e r v a t i o n , a s s e r t i n g

t h a t " t h e r e i s n o e v i d e n c e t o p r o v e t h a t d i s -

e a r n a t e ' i u t e l l i g e n c e i s t h e d i r e c t i n g f o r c e . Pur e

a u t o - s u g g e s t i o n , d u e - t o c o n c e n t r a t e d b e l i e f a n d

a n t i c i p a t i o n t h a t a s p e c i f i e d g h o s t w i l l a p p e a r ,

m a y a c h i e v e t h e s a m e r e s u l t . "

B u t t h e p u r p o s e o f h i s p a p e r w a s n o t t o a r g u e

c o n c e r n i n g t h e r e a l i t y o f s p i r i t s , b u t t o p u t f o r -

w a r d a n i n g e n i o u s s c i e n t i f i c t h e o r y c o n c e r n i n g

t h e i r m e c h a n i s m . T h e s u m - t o t a l o f h i s t h e o r y

i s t h a t t h e p h y s i c a l s t r u c t u r e o f t h e h a l l u c i n a r

t i o n - s p i r i t o r g h o s t - f o r m i n i t s e a r l y s t a g e s o f

c o n c e n t r a t i o n i s d e s t r u c t i b l e b y m a n y f o r m s o f




e t h e r i c v i b r a t i o n o f g r e a t e r f o r c e o r d i f f e r e n t

w a v e - l e n g t h .

G h o s t s a n d s p i r i t s a r e i n t e g r a l l y b o u n d u p

w i t h t h e c o n d i t i o n s o f d a r k n e s s a n d d u s k T h e

r a y s o f s o l a r l i g h t a r e a d m i t t e d l y i n i m i c a l t o a l l

t h e s e m a n i f e s t a t i o n s . I n , o t h e r w o r d s , ma-

t e r i a l i z a t i o n c a n n o t b e p e r f o r m e d u n d e r c e r t a i n

c o n d i t i o n s o f l i g h t w h i c h m e a n s c e r t a i n c o n -

d i t i o n s o f v i b r a t i o n . T h e l i g h t r a y s w h i c h a r e

v i s i b l e t o t h e h u m a n e y e r e p r e s e n t a b o u t o n e -

t e n t h o f t h e c o m p l e t e r a n g e o f l i g h t r a y s k n o w n

t o e x i s t f r o m u l t r a - v i o l e t t o i n f r a - r e d . * A t

o t h e r p o i n t s i n t h e s c a l e o f e t h e r w a v e s c o m e

t h e v i b r a t i o n s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h s o u n d ; w i t h e l e c -

t r i c i t y a n d m a g n e t i c p h e n o m e n a a n d w i t h r a d i o -

a c t i v i t y .c t i v i t y .

T h e c o m p l e x i t y o f t h e s e w a v e - l e n g t h s o f v i -

b r a t i o n i s e n o r m o u s , f o r w i t h i n t h e r a n g e o f

l i g h t - r a y s t h e r e a r e r a y s o f a n o t h e r k i n d o f

l i g h t , s o t h a t t h e s u m - t o t a l o f t w o k i n d s o f l i g h t

i s , p a r a d o x i c a l l y e n o u g h , d a r k n e s s . -

* A complete scale of all known ether waves, i n c l u d i n g the

visib le spectrum, has been drawn by Professor $ebedefta n di s gi v en on p age 383 of the Engl ish edi t i on of Eolb&sE l e c t r i c i t y .

t T h i s i s a littl e-known fact, but never theless a common-p l a c e o f p h y s i c s d e m o n s t r a b l e i n a n y l e c t u r e r o o m .



6 6 A MODERN OC6ULTISTP a s s i n g , l o g i c a l l y e n o u g h , f r o m s t a g e t o s t a g e

t h e " T h e o r y o f , P r o t e c t i v e ' V i b r a t i o n s " p o i n t s

o u t t h a t a s s u m i n g t h e e x i s t e n c e o f . g h o s t s o r

m a l e v o l e n t s p i r i t s , t h e s e c a n n o t t a k e m a t e r i a l

s h a p e w h e n o p p o s e d b y h o s t i l e v i b r a t i o n s . C e r -

t a i n k i n d s o f l i g h t , s o u n d ( s u c h a s t h e s o n o r o u s

v i b r a t i o n s o f c h u r c h b e l l s o r g o n g s o f s p e c i a l

n o t e ) , a n d h i g h - f r e q u e n c y e l e c t r i c c u r r e n t s a l l

d e s t r o y t h e i n i t i a l s t a g e s o f m a n i f e s t a t i o n b y

p u r e l y m e c h a n i c a l m e a n s . L a s t l y h e p o s t u l a t e s

t h a t ` ~ i n t h e p r e s e n c e o f a r a d i u m s a l t ( o f s p e c i -

f i e d i n t e n s i t y ) . . . a g h o s t c a n n o t m a n i f e s t . "

P r o t e c t i o n o r e x o r c i s m b y r a d i u m s a l t s i s u n -

d e n i a b l y a t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y p o s s i b i l i t y , f o r t h e

t e r r i f i c a n d i n c e s s a n t d i s c h a r g e o f e t h e r w a v e s

consequent upon the disintegrati on of the

r a d i u m a t o m s i s s o p o w e r f u l ' t h a t e v e n s u c h a

k n o w n a n d p o w e r f u l f o r c e a s e l e c t r i c e n e r g y i s

c o m p l e t e l y d e s t r o y e d b y i t .

I n t h e p r e s e n c e o f a , r a d i u m s a l t n o n - c o n d u c -

t o r s o f e l e c t r i c i t y b e c o m e c o n d u c t o r s . D i f f e r -

e n c e s o f p o t e n t i a l c e a s e t o e x i s t a n d e l e c t r o -

s c o p e s a n d L e y d e n j a r s f a i l t o r e t a i n t h e i r

c h a r g e s .

U n d e r t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s , t h e n , i t w a s h a r d l y









7 0 A MODERN OCCULTISTi s t e r r i b l y p o w e r f u l , b u t i t s e e m s t h a t b e y o n d

t h a t l i m i t t h e t e r r o r c a n n o t g o .

T h e a c t u a l r o o m w h e r e t h e p r e s e n c e i s a t i t s

s t r o n g e s t i s a , c h a m b e r a t t h e e n d o f t h e f i r s t

f l o o r . T h e r o o m w a l l s a r e o u t s i d e w a l l s o n t h r e e

s i d e s , t h e r e m a i n i n g p a r t i t i o n w a l l i s t h e o n e i n

w h i c h i s t h e d o o r t o t h e m a i n c o r r i d o r t h a t r u n s

t h r o u g h t h e h o u s e . I n t h e c e n t r e o f t h e f l o o r

i s a d e e p c a v i t y . T h i s h a s b e e n a p r i e s t ' s h i d i n g

h o l e o r s e c r e t t r e a s u r e c l o s e t , a n d f r o m s i g n s

i n t h e w o o d w o r k i t i s m a n i f e s t t h a t t h e t r a p d o o r

w a s o n c e c o n c e a l e d b e n e a t h a b i g f o u r - p o s t e r

b e d .

T h e w i n d o w s a r e b a r r e d w i t h h i g h s h u t t e r s

t h a t l e t i n n o l i g h t . T h e r a y s o f m y e l e c t r i c

l a n t e r n d i s c l o s e t h e m a t s o f c o b w e b s t h a t h a n g

f r o m t h e r u s t e d c r o s s b a r s , a n d i t i s e v i d e n t t h a t

n o h u m a n h a n d h a s d i s t u r b e d t h e s h u t t e r s f o r

y e a r s . A trial shows me that some of the

bolts are indeed rusted home with age-old

n e g l e c t .

I u n p a c k e d m y h a n d b a g , i n w h i c h I . c a r r y t h e

f e w s i m p l e n e c e s s i t i e s I n e e d on t h e s e o c c a s i o n s ,

a n d w r a p p i n g m y s e l f u p i n m y t r a v e l l i n g r u g

c o m p o s e d m y s e l f t o r e a d b y t h e l i g h t o f m y













CHAPTER VSEX IN THE NEXT WORLD

TH=E i s i n e x i s t e n c e a n e n o r m o u s m a s s o f

r e c o r d e d s p i r i t c o m m u n i c a t i o n c o n c e r n i n g l i f e

a n d d e a t h . T h e o n e o u t s t a n d i n g f e a t u r e c o n -

c e r n i n g t h e s e r e v e l a t i o n s i s t h a t t h e y t e l l u s

e x t r e m e l y l i t t l e . S o m e t i m e s t h e r e a s o n g i v e n

f o r t h i s w i t h h o l d i n g o f i n f o r m a t i o n i s t h a t i t

i s _ f o r b i d d e n b y h i g h e r s p i r i t s , a n d i t i s c e r -

t a i n l y r e m a r k a b l e t h a t d e s p i t e t h e g r e a t e n t h u s -

i a s m s h o w n f o r t h e p r i n c i p l e s o f d e m o c r a c y i n

t h i s w o r l d , t h e r e h a v e n e v e r b e e n a n y r e v e l a -

t i o n s o f a d e m o c r a t i c p r i n c i p l e o n t h e h i g h e r

p l a n e .

T h e r u l e o f t h e n e x t w o r l d a p p e a r s t o b e

t h a t o f a b e n e v o l e n t a u t o c r a c y , w o r k i n g t h r o u g h

a h i e r a r c h y o f d i r e c t i n g s p i r i t s c o n t r o l l i n g o t h e r

s p i r i t s o n c l e a r l y d e f i n e d p l a n e s . W e k n o w

n o t h i n g o f t h e p o l i t i c a l s y s t e m o f t h e o t h e r

w o r l d e x c e p t t h a t t h e r e i s n o s u c h t h i n g a s a n y

f o r m o f e l e c t i v e s y s t e m , n o m a j o r i t y r u l e , a n d

l i t t l e s o c i a l s t r u c t u r e .

76



T h e g r e a t d o m i n a n t f a c t o r o f t h e h e r e a f t e r a s

d e s c r i b e d b y t h e b u l k o f S p i r i t u a l i s t i c l i t e r a t u r e

a p p e a r s t o b e t h e a c c e p t a n c e o f authority . Th e

recently arrived spiri t is taken in hand by

"guides" who instruct, and the spiri t then

p a s s e s f r o m g r a d e t o g r a d e o r p l a n e t o p l a n e ,

u n t i l i t a c h i e v e s a n e m i n e n c e e n t i r e l y b e y o n d

t h e b o u n d s o f h u m a n t h o u g h t .

T h e r e i s p e r h a p s n o l i m i t t o t h e s p e c u l a t i o n

t h a t c a n b e i n d u l g e d i n c o n c e r n i n g t h e a f t e r -

l i f e , b u t t h e r e a r e c e r t a i n a s p e c t s o f i t t h a t a p -

p e a r c o n t r a d i c t o r y . T h e r e a r e g o o d s p i r i t s a n d

bad spiri ts, low grades and high gr ades and

a l l i n t e r m e d i a t e s t a g e s . There ar e also l ow

s p i r i t s t h a t a r e s a i d n e v e r t o h a v e b e e n h u -

man and high spirits of the same non-mortal

n a t u r e . But badness and goodness exis t

o n t h e s p i r i t u a l p l a n e s a s much as on this

e a r t h .

T h e s p i r i t s w h o v i s i t s e a n c e s r e t a i n m a n y o f

t h e i r e a r t h l y c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s . They state that

t h e y a r e s t i l l m a l e a n d f e m a l e d e s p i t e t h e a s -

s u m p t i o n o n t h e p a r t o f m a n y w r i t e r s t h a t s e x

d o e s n o t e x i s t u p o n t h e s p i r i t u a l p l a n e . The

l e a s t p o s s i b l e e x p e r i e n c e o f s p i r i t c o m m u n i c a -







8 0 A MODERN OCCULTISTbeen unable t o effect a menta l compromise be-

tween the mora l and monogamous Christian andd

the moral and polygamous Mohammedan, at-

t e m p t e d t o s o l v e t h e w h o l e b u s i n e s s b y a b l a n d

s t a t e m e n t t h a t t h e r e w a s n o sex in the other

w o r l d .

So m e w r i t e r s d o i n d e e d r e co g n i z e t h i s p e r -

manence of sex, but gloss it over . * The y i g n o r e

t h e f a c t t h a t i f a thing exists it exists for a pur-

pose and the fatal conception that the gratifica-

tion of a sex desire i s a si n p er s i s t s t h r o u ghou t

t hei r p ages .

On the ot her hand, gratification of ot her vo-

l u p t u o u s s e n s e d e s i r e s s u c h a s a u r a l p l e a s u r e s

f r o m m u s i c o r s e l f - a b a n d o n m e nt t o a n y o f t h e

pleasures of the i n te llect, appears to be re-

garded not only as perm issible but as pra ise-

w o r t h y . In f a c t, a n y a n a l y s i s o f t h e r e p o r t e d

habit s and customs of the next worl d, plunges u s

into a mass of paradoxical contradictions .

In point of fact it i s impossibl e to draw a

h a r d - a n d - f a s t l i n e b e t w e e n t h e a c t u a l s p i r i t

`People l i v e in communi t ies as one would expect if like

attracts like, and the male spirit sti ll finds his true matethough there is no sensuality in the grosser sense and no child-

b i r t h . " Sir A . Conan Doyl e, Chap ter III, Th e New Revelat ion .



SEX IN THE NEXT WORLD 8 1

r e v e l a t i o n a c i d i n t e r p o l a t e d i d e a s b y t h e m e d i u m .

I t i s a l s o n o t o r i o u s t h a t a s s o o n a s a n y n e w

c o n c e p t . o f t h e n e x t w o r l d i s p u b l i s h e d i n b o o k

f o r m , t h e " r e v e l a t i o n s " f r o m a n y d i f f e r e n t

s o u r c e s s e e m t o t a k e o n a n u n m i s t a k a b l e t i n g e

a c c o r d i n g t o t h e , l a t e s t t h e o r i e s . I n f a c t, a l i t e r -

a r y p s y c h o a n a l y s i s o f r e p o r t e d n e x t w o r l d s

s h o w s t h e u n m i s t a k a b l e t r a c e s o f b o o k s r e a d i n

t h e p a s t .

C e r t a i n a c c o u n t s o f t h e s p i r i t l i f e o b t a i n e d

through Mohammedan mediums by Fr ench i n -

v e s t i g a t o r s i n A l g i e r s s h o w w h a t m a y b e c a l l e d

a p e c u l i a r l y a c t i v e s e x u a l l i f e i n t h e a f t e r - w o r l d .

T h i s m a y p o s s i b l y b e a t t r i b u t e d t o e i t h e r e a r l y

religious belief in a sensuous Mohammedan

p a r a d i s e o r a l t e r n a t i v e l y t o t h e p a r t i c u l a r t y p e

o f A r a b s p i r i t s w h o f u r n i s h e d t h e d e s c r i p t i o n .

I n a n y c a s e , t h e a c c o u n t s c o u l d n o t b e p u b l i s h e d

f o r g e n e r a l o r e v e n p r i v a t e r e a d i n g , b u t t h e r e

i s n o c o n c e i v a b l e r e a s o n w h y t h e y s h o u l d b e

d e e m e d m o r e u n r e l i a b l e t h a n o t h e r s p i r i t c o m -

m u n i c a t i o n s .

S o m e i d e a o f t h e t h e m e o f t h e s e r e v e l a t i o n s

c a n b e g a t h e r e d i f I m a y s a y t h a t o n e o f t h e

c o m m u n i c a t o r s , c a l l e d S i d i A i s s a B e n S ' d u b ,



8 2 A MODERN OCCULTISTp r e f a c e s h i s w o r d s b y t h e c r y p t i c s t a t e m e n t

" K n o w t h e n , 0 m o r t a l s , t h a t h e r e a r e n e i t h e r

c a m e l s n o r h o r s e s --nor vir tuou s women,-for

u s v i r t u e , a s y e k n o w i t , e x i s t s n o t . And, as I

h a v e r e l a t e d , t h e r e b e i n g n e i t h e r c a m e l s n o r

h o r s e s n o r v i r t u o u s w o m e n , w h a t t h i n k y e t h e n

o c c u p i e s t h e t i m e o f u s w h o w e r e s t r o n g m e n ' s "

O r i e n t a l i m a g e r y i s r i c h i n t e r m s c o n c e r n i n g

s e x , a n d t h e r e v e l a t i o n a s t a k e n d o w n i n A r a b i c

i s a d o c u m e n t of s o m e l i t e r a r y v a l u e . I t s t r a n s -

l a t i o n i n t o p r e c i s e F r e n c h l e a v e s u s u n d e r n o

m i s a p p r e h e n s i o n a s t o t h e a c t u a l t e c h n i q u e o f

s e x - g r a t i f i c a t i o n o n t h e n e x t p l a n e . Thei r

m e t h o d s a p p e a r t o b e o u r m e t h o d s , b u t i t i s o f

c o u r s e i m p o s s i b l e t o a r r i v e a t a n y c o n c e p t i o n

o f r e l a t i v e d e g r e e s o f p l e a s u r e . I t i s a l s o c u r -

i o u s t o n o t e t h a t i n t h e A r a b r e v e l a t i o n s g i v e n

t h e r e w a s n o r e f e r e n c e a t a l l t o a n y e n s u i n g

s p i r i t b i r t h , b u t o n e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f a n d o b -

s c u r e t e x t m i g h t l e a d o n e t o s u p p o s e t h a t . t h e

o f f s p r i n g o f t h e s e u n i o n s w e r e " d j i n n i , " i . e .

non . - m o r t a l a n d s o u l l e s s s p i r i t s .

C a s e s o f i n t e r c o u r s e b e t w e e n d j i n n s a n d m o r -

t a l s a r e t h e b a s i s o f m a n y M o s l e m t a l e s a n d

l e g e n d s i n w h i c h t h e s e x i n t e r e s t i s p a r a m o u n t .



SEX IN THE NEXT WORLD 8 3

B u t i t m u s t b e b o r n e ' i n m i n d t h a t t h e M o h a m -

m e d a n i d e a o f t h e i n v i s i b l e w o r l d i s s o d i f f e r -

e n t f r o m t h a t p r e s c r i b e d e i t h e r b y E a s t e r n o r

W e s t e r n t h o u g h t t h a t i t i s a l m o s t i m p o s s i b l e

t o c o - o r d i n a t e i t w i t h a n y o f o u r a c c e p t e d

t h e o r i e s .

O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , no S p i r i t u a l i s t r e v e l a t i o n

o r t h e o r y i s o f v a l u e u n l e s s i t f i t s a l l l a n d s a n d

a l l c r e e d s . T h u s , w h e n t h e n u m b e r o f s p i r i t

v i s i t a n t s o f A f r i c a n , R e d I n d i a n , o r o t h e r o r -

i g i n , i s t a k e n i n t o a c c o u n t , i t i s m a n i f e s t t h a t

n o a b s t r a c t t h e o r y o f mora lity which is n o t i n

a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e k n o w n p h y s i c a l f a c t s c o n -

c e r n i n g t h e s p i r i t w o r l d , i s l i k e l y t o b e p r a c -

t i s e d t h e r e .

A s t i m e g o e s o n , i t w i l l b e c o m e i n c r e a s i n g l y

i m p o s s i b l e f o r t h e p r a c t i s i n g S p i r i t u a l i s t t o i g -

n o r e t h e e n o r m o u s f a c t o f s e x . A t p r e s e n t v a -

r i o u s b e l i e f s a r e h e l d . T h e s e r a n g e f r o m t h e

p u r e s e x l e s s n e s s t h e o r y , w h i c h i s m a n i f e s t l y u n -

t e n a b l e t o v a r i a t i o n s l i k e aI( p e r f e c t l y p u r e a n d

s p i r i t u a l s e x r e l a t i o n s h i p i n n o w a y p h y s i c a l , "

o r s o m e s u c h p l a t i t u d e .

T h i s k i n d o f e x p r e s s i o n i s p u r e m e n t a l f l a t u -

l e n o e , f o r i t i s c l e a r t h a t i n t h e s p i r i t w o r l d t h e r e







8 6 A MODERN OCCULTISTd o n o t f a l l i n w i t h t h e t h e o r i e s w h i c h w e h a v e

accepted on the str ength of similar state-

ments .

T h e c o n t i n u a t i o n o f s e x u a l a c t i v i t y o n t h e

p s y c h i c p l a n e s m a y b e a s t a g g e r i n g c o n c e p t i o n

t o s o m e p e o p l e , b u t a l i t t l e t h o u g h t w i l l s h o w

t h a t W i s n o t h a l f s u c h - a s h a t t e r i n g i d e a a s t h e

p e r f e c t l y u n j u s t i f i a b l e h y p o t h e s i s t h a t t h e r e i s

none .

T h e e x i s t e n c e o f s e x i n t h e s p i r i t w o r l d l e a d s

u s t o t h e s u p p o s i t i o n t h a t t h e r e a r e t h e r e s o m e

o r g a n i z e d f o r c e s o f l a w a n d o r d e r , o t h e r w i s e

t h i s c o n c e p t i o n o f t h e n e x t w o r l d w o u l d s e e m

t o b e a f i e l d w h e r e a h i g h l y i n t e l l e c t u a l , i n t e l l i -

g e n t , a n d p o w e r f u l i n d i v i d u a l s o u l m i g h t e n j o y

a l i m i t l e s s org y o f p s y c h i c r a p e .

T h e r e i s n o r e a s o n t o t h i n k t h a t s u c h a t h i n g

i s i m p o s s i b l e , f o r c a s e s o f d e m o n i a c o r s p i r i t

p o s s e s s i o n a r e i n e f f e c t c a s e s o f p s y c h i c r a p e

o f a m o r t a l a n d o f t e n p r e s e n t i n s t a n c e s o f t h e

most amazing sexual aberration owing to the

t e r r i b l e d e s i r e s o f t h e u n i n v i t e d t e n a n t o f t h e

mind .

T h e b e l i e v i n g S p i r i t u a l i s t h a s b u i l t o n s l e n -

der grounds a wonderful conception of t he



SEX IN THE NJ XT WORLD 8 7

s p i r i t w o r l d , b u t i t i s a o n e - s i d e d s t r u c t u r e , a n d

i t i s i m p o r t a n t t o n o t e t h a t t h e "Every thing i n

t h e g a r d e n i s l o v e l y 1 " i d e a o f t h e n e x t ' w o r l d

i s n o t b y a n y m e a n s b o r n e o u t b y t h e r e v e l a -

t i o n s o f i t s i n h a b i t a n t s . One can ind eed as k

o n e s e l f w h a t g r o u n d i s t h e r e f o r optimism?

W h a t r e a s o n s o t h e r t h a n s e l f - d e c e p t i o n , s e l f -

a s s u r a n c e , a n d s e l f - f l a t t e r y a r e t h e r e f o r s w e e p -

i n g a w a y t h e i d e a o f t e r r o r , p u n i s h m e n t , a n d

t h e i n e x o r a b l e l a w o f A b s t r a c t J u s t i c e t h a t h a s

f o r a g e s b e e n h e l d t o b e i m p l i c i t i n t h e l i f e

h e r e a f t e r ?

T h e s c e p t i c i s i n d e e d j u s t i f i e d w h e n , a f t e r

r e a d i n g r e a m s o f w e l l - m e a n t p s e u d o - r e l i g i o u s

t w a d d l e , h e a s k s t h e s u p p o r t e r s o f t h e n e w r e v -

e l a t i o n : "And w h y s h o u l d i t a l l b e c o u l e u r de

rose?"

Faith may do many things, but Faith can-

n o t m a k e b l a c k w h i t e - e v e n i n t h e r e a l m o f t h e

s p i r i t .

- T h e r e i s g o o d r e a s o n t o s u p p o s e t h a t i n t h e

p a s t m a n y r e v e l a t i o n s c o n c e r n i n g s e x - l i f e i n t h e

s p i r i t p l a n e h a v e b e e n s u p p r e s s e d o r d e s t r o y e d .

T h e w e l l - m e a n i n g S p i r i t u a l i s t w i t h m e d i u m i s -

t i c g i f t s o r t h e c a p a c i t y f o r a u t o m a t i c w r i t i n g



8 8 A MODERN OCCULTIST'd o e s n o t a l w a y s g e t t h e p r e c i s e k i n d o f s p i r i t

t e a c h i n g e x p e c t e d . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e r e i s

a w i d e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t h e m e a n i n g l e s s o b -

s c e n i t i e s t h a t a r e s o m e t i m e s s e n t a n d v a r i o u s

c o h e r e n t s t a t e m e n t s t h a t c a n b e c l a s s e d a s d e f i -

n i t e r e v e l a t i o n s . T h e p r i v a t e o p e r a t o r , k n o w i n g

l i t t l e o f t h e m a t t e r s w i t h w h i c h h e o r s h e i s

d e a l i n g , i s frequently ashamed to let these

s t r a n g e , f r a n k m a n u s c r i p t s o r r e c o r d s b e s e e n

b y o t h e r s . Often the y are shown t o a wrong

p e r s o n , c l a s s e d a s e v i l s p i r i t w r i t i n g s , a n d t h e

g r e a t q u e s t i o n t h a t a n i m a t e s t h e s p i r i t w o r l d

" S h o u l d m o r t a l s b e t o l d , ? " a g a i n g o e s o n .

A t - a s e a n c e h e l d i n P a r i s s o m e i n t e r e s t i n g

s t a t e m e n t s c o n c e r n i n g t h e p s y c h i c w o r l d w e r e

v o u c h s a f e d b y a s p i r i t c a l l i n g i t s e l f Z a z a G u i l -

b e r t . T h e r e w e r e f i v e o f u s a t t h e t a b l e a n d

t w o o f t h e p a r t y w e r e p r a c t i s e d a u t o m a t i s t s .

F i r s t c a m e s o m e p e r s o n a l p a r t i c u l a r s o f t h e

s p i r i t . She was b orn near Grenobl e, in Dau-

p h i n e , i n 1 8 2 6 , b u t w a s i n P a r i s w h e n N a p o l e o n

t h e T h i r d w a s p r o c l a i m e d E m p e r o r ( 1 8 5 2 ) a n d

was employed with theatrical dressmaking .

S h e m a r r i e d a n d l e f t t w o g i r l c h i l d r e n .

I t w a s t h e q u e s t i o n : " I s l i f e i n t h e s p i r i t



SEX- IN THE -NEST WORLD 8 9

w o r l d a s g a y a n d g a l l a n t * a s i t w a s i n t h o s e

d a y s i n t h i s s p h e r e ? " t h a t s e t t h e b a l l r o l l -

i n g .A. T h a t d e p e n d s o n h o w y o u l o o k a t t h i n g s .

W e a r e m e n a n d w o m e n o v e r h e r e i n s o f a r a s

t h a t g o e s .

Q . I s l i f e o n t h e s p i r i t p l a n e s e x l e s s ?A. Cert ainly not t (Emphasis conveyed by

v i o l e n t k n o c k i n g o f t h e t a b l e . )Q . ( B y o n e o f t h e l a d i e s o f t h e p a r t y .) Is

t h e r e c h i l d b i r t h i n t h e s p i r i t w o r l d ?A. Not in t he same way as on eart h . ( No

a n s w e r w a s r e t u r n e d t o s o m e f u r t h e r i n q u i r i e s

o n t h i s s u b j e c t . )Q. I s t h e r e s e p a r a t i o n o f t h e s e x e s ?A. N o ; i t w o u l d b e i n t o l e r a b l e .

Q . I s m o r a l i t y o f e a r t h b i n d i n g o n t h e s p i r i t

p l a n e ?A. N o ; t h a t w o u l d b e s t i l l m o r e i n t o l e r a b l e .Q. H a v e y o u a h u s b a n d t h e r e ?A. N o ; s e v e r a l a f f i n i t i e s .Q. I n t e l l e c t u a l a f f i n i t i e s o n l y ?A. By no means .

*The word "gallant" carries rather different implications

i n F r e n c h t h a n a r e c o v e r e d b y t h e l i t e r a l E n g l i s h h r e n d e r i n g o f

"gal lant . "





SPIT' IN THE-, NEXT" WORLD- 91

ealled du Paits Herbault, who was a monk of

Montpel lier in the sixteenth century . He was

not on our pla ne but higher up, but was pe r-

mitted to come down to us for certain purposes .

Being on a higher pl a ne, there was no way of

ke e ping him out when he was not wante d, for

he ha d the power of passing through all psycho-

material substances that serve us as material

substances'se rve you .

"His persecution of Be ned e tta was rema rk-

a bl e , for he wa s astonishingl y enamoure d of

her. At length matters got to such a pitch that

the others protested through the guides . But

they got cold comfort. They were told not to

interfere with the higher spirits or it would be

the worse for them, and Benedetta was told

that it was natural for her to have to expiate

her earthly shortcomings in this manner ."

The results of other sittings at which other

spirits have mad e communications are in some

cases quite as d etaile d and a great de al more

startling than the above . In addition, a great

mass of what may be d efinitel y termed abnormal

sex literature has come from the pens of people

practising automatic writing-and it is an in-



92 A MODERN 000ULTISTdubitable fact that some of these writings have

bee n written unde r , control by people of irre-

proachable life and character .

The common-sense e xpla nation is that these

writings and communications have nothing what-

ever to do with spirits and that these are, so

to speak, a seething up of ill egal desires and

ide a s which have bee n re pressed by the con-

scious mind into the censorship of the sublim-

inal self . This theory is only tenable if the

whole basic doctrine that these things are com-

municated by spirits i s given up .

If, on the other hand, we hold that there is

anything at a l l in Spiritual ism we a re fa ced

with the inevitable conclusion that, however

much we may desire to get rid of it, sex is as

troublesome in the next world as in this . *

* The notes and papers concerning the physiological side ofsex in the next world that have been collected are not suitablefor general reading. Experienced spiritualists will have nodifficulty in surmising the general character of these records .



CHAPTER VITHERRALITY OF SORCERY

I HAVE often been asked by folk who were pe r-

fectly serious in their inquiry if there "was

anything in" latter-da y sorcery, and whether

the practice actually existed outside the realm

of fiction. It is a difficult question to answer,

for the average man mixes up witchcraft, sor-

e ery and necromancy, and one cannot be cer-

tain whether he is alluding to the dark ceremony

of the Black Sabbath, to the use of occult knowl-

edge for mal evolent purposes, or whether he i s

thinking of wax images and pine, incantations

and night rides astride a broomstick .

Put in a simpl er form, the question comes

to this : Can experienced occultists utilize spirit

or unknown natural forces for malevolent

uses t The a nswe r is an unhesitating affirm-

ative. Und e r certa in conditions, it can be

done

Magic has a lways been =d ivide d into white or

03



4

94 A MODERN OCCULTISTgood magic, and black or bad magic. Both

have been liberally endowed with ritual observ-

ance, but shorn of non-essential s the determin-

ing factor that d ecide s whether magic is black

or white is the .secret intent of the operating

magician .

In the past the great popular attribute of

the magician washis knowledge of healing. He

was not only a se er of the future a nd a finder

of lost things, but also a he aler. On the re -

-verse side may be se t against his-capacity for

hea ling his power for casting spel ls or doing

harm ; against his draughts of beneficent medi-

cine, his vials of poison .

The doctor who uses hypnotic treatment, prac-

tises suggestion or act as a psychotherapeutist,

is to-day the d irect twentieth-century descend-

ant of the magicians of 'the past . Apoll onius of

Tyana is his patron ; Merlin worked his won-

d ers by the same , rules .

It is to the modern studies in psychic science

that we must, turn to find the underlying mechan-

isms of magic practices, for a full three-quarters

of art magic is due to the little-known effects

of hypnotism or suggestion, and but a sha dowy



THE REALITY OF SORCERY 95

balance to the powers of discarnate intelligences

of e v i l .

The d iscoveries of the existence of "animal

magnetism" by Mesmer was the first step which

brought the psychic phenomena of will domina-

tion out of the realm of the occult into the\do-

main of medical knowledge . For a century Mes-

mer's theory has bee n discredited , but to-day

modern stude nts of psychic science a re begin-

ning to pay attention to it again .

It fell into discredit owing to the discoveries

of Braid, the Manchester physician, who dis-

covered that Mesmer's phenomena could be pro-

duced independently of the theory of "animal

magnetism" by pla in hypnosis .

Braid's theories were followed out by Cher-

oot and, the Paris School of Hypnotists, and

their theories were in turn demolished by Lie-

bault and Bernheim of the Nancy School, who

held that a l l the phenomena of hypnotism in

their turn were produced by suggestion .

In point of actual fact, advanced thinkers of

to-day hold that the same e ffect may be pro-

duced by call three methods of practice . In the

same way we may produce a given el ectrical





THE REALITY OF SORCERY ` 97

the people who are what is known as good hyp-

notic subjects.

In the histories of the great sorcerers of the

past the assistant, that is to say the subject,

pla ys as important a role as does the mage

himself, . for the subject is the instrument of

the master .

The a vera ge pe rson who possesses me d ium-

istic or psychic qualities in the Spiritualistic

sense, i s in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred

in a greater or lesser degree a sensitive hyp-

notic subject .

The odd few who do not come in the a bove

category may be cla ssed as hermaphroditic or

doubly gifted individuals who possess both rad-

ating power and subjectivity. One or two noted

materializing med iums of the past have bee n

thus end owe d .

In the usual circle there is the med ium, and

the sitters. Some of these may be neutral, but

in an average circle there are one or more who

possess unknown to themseles a certain amount

of radiant force. It i s this which passes a long

the chain of hands to the medium where it is

arrested and condensed to pla y its mysterious



98 A MODERN OCCULTISTpart in the liberation of psychic elements that

can be utilized by the unsee n spirit workers . '

If there is present in the circle an individual

who is greatly endowed with this force-and

whose mental desires approximate to black

rather than white magic, we have a n instance

of those d rea d d a nge rs that beset those who

unwittingly pass beyond the threshold of the

known

The trance state of the me d ium is akin to

light hypnosis and the subject or medium of a

well-meaning little circle of Spiritualists may,

unknown to him or herself, become the sla ve

of one or other of the members of the circle.

It is an a sseve ration with hypnotists that

they have no power without the consent of the

individual . But once the y have won the e ntry

of the mind that entry is theirs for ever, and

even the bodily presence of the operator is not

required to achieve this domination of the mind

of the Subject . *

The common instances where this kind of

thing occurs cannot be cla ssed as true sorcery,

Chapter Xof Professor Boirac's Psychic Science " Ex.perimental Researches in Sleep Provoked a t a Distance."



TIM REALITY OIL SORCERY 99

for in most cases the operator i s unconscious

of how or whythe fulfilment of his desires comes

a bout. The true sorcery only comes in when

an individual possessing the- required psychic

faculty, and in addition, occult knowledge, ex-

erts these of set purpose in orde r to gratify

his desires .

Vengeance of an enemy, the subjugation of

anther's w i l l , the satisfaction of a sex pas-

sion, all these a re motives for sorcery. The

witch-doctor of `West Africa, the voodoo priest-

esses of Cuba and Hayti practise these accom-

plishments no le ss than their white brethren

in black magic. Sorcery lives to-day no le ss

than it lived centuries ago. There a re severa l

road s to its portal s-but not a track le ad ing

back to the regions of light for those that pa ss

its gates .

The first aim of the sorcere r is to get the

victim in- a state of suggestibility . This can

be a ccomplished in a d ozen different ways well

known to the practised , student .

In the first, fumes of a special sort of in,

ee nse played no inconside rable part in the role

of sorcery. According to ritual they are to pro-






time before,*` or something that the magician

has see n before . Put the net result is that she

- i s convinced of the occult powers possessed by

him.

TVs is the prelude to other visits and little

by little her wil l yields to that of the sorcerer

and the suggestions that he has implanted in

her subconscious mind begin to take e ffect . If

he is a daring scoundre l, his domination maytake any form . Undonscious that she is not act-

ing of her own free will, she may yet be brought

to place at his disposal everything and anything

that he may require of her .

He has invoked no spirit aids, but has caused

the powers of hypnotism and suggestion, tak-

ing advantage of the light condition of hypnosis

induced by the crystal-gazing . Police and press

persecutions of the Se ers of Bond Street are

not altogether unjustified in many cases . The

rea l facts may not be brought out a t the court,

owing to the shame that publicity would inflict

upon the d upes, but the prosecution is, in nine

cases out of ten, justifiable .

*See Proceedings of La Soci6te Universelle d'Etudes P s y r

ehiques and Proceedings S.P.R , V and VIII







104 A MODERN OCCULTISTthe forces and make them propel a . projectile

to a given target. Experiment with e l ementa l

forces is analogous and the greater part of the

ritual deals with the protection of the operator

or sorcerer himself from those dread spirits who

obey his summons .

In 1912 I attended the course of lectures on

psychic science given at a sub-school of the Uni-

versity of Jena . A fel low-stude nt there gave

me a letter of introduction to Gottlieb Bentle -

meyer, a professor of law at one of the Hanover

Hochschule n and a n ard ent stud ent of bl a ck

magic

At that time he ha d rooms in the Wiesen .

strasse and had in his charge one or two pri-

vate pupils whom he wa s cramming for their

necessary examinations . One of these lads, a

youngster from Stettin, in North Prussia, was

his assistant in the necromantic art, and was a

most highly gifted sensitivee or hypnotic subject. ,

It was not until we had had several ordinary

sea nces and he ha d shown me some a stounding

experiments, in the externalization of sensibility

and cl airvoyance unde r hypnosis that I d eemed

it fit to mention the subject of necromancy .









108 - A MODERN OCCULTISTsummons had d ied d own, a ' col d wind seemed

to burst out in the very hea rt of the room it-

s e l f , making the candl es flicker and the shad .

ows flit and dance in arabesques across the low

ceiling.

I felt for the poniard at my belt and drawing

it from its sheath held the naked bla de ready . *

The second a nd third utterances of the words

of power intensified the effect and the boy

moaned pitifully .

Bentle meye r signe d to me with his rod to

look toward the blood bowl .

The surface of the liquid was being slowly

agitate d, strong swirls a nd broken wave mo-

tions appea red on the . surface, sluggish, irides-

cent bubbles floated for a while and burst, and

at la st the whole body of fluid within the bowl

was in a state of violent agitation .

The sorcere r bent to a vessel on the ground

and threw upon the brazier some new essence-

not an incense . The "smoke wrea thed itsel f

above the brazier, then seemed to take shape like

a pillar and curve toward the blood bowl .

* Elementals cannot face pointed steel . Probably becausethe latter concentrates radiation of psychic force from the

ahuman body which are destructive to them




Slowly yet distinctly the vapours clustere d

a bove the blood and slowly took semi-human

shape . Incessantly they changed and mel ted

now limb-like, here betraying the outline of a

demon face, there a pillared, smoothly working

trunk .

From the bowl came a noise like cats' tongues

lapping and now and then the bowl itself would

tilt and move a fraction of an inch or so about

the floor. For a moment we watched this mon-

strous manifestation in sile nce . Then the sor-

cerer resumed his ritual and bound the spirits

prese nt to do his bidd ing to the spell of the

Three Known and One Unknown elements .

"What are your names?" he asked, and the

e l e mental d emons or spirits spea king through

the tra nce-bound boy gave them .

"Who is your leader?" There was a mo-

mentary hesitation, and then a spirit answer-

ing to the name of Aonalik assumed the le ad er

ship . -

"Have you been a mortal?"

"No, I was never mortal. I wa s an e a rth-

spirit, serving the priests of Odin till the Cross

came. " -



110 A MODERN OCCULTIST"What brought you here to-night?"

"The Blood Libation and the summons .

What d o you want of us? We wish to depart ."

"You are bound to do my bidding by the

words of Might. Youmaynot go . I want you

to find for me the spirit of one of the men of

blood who used the torture instruments in the

Museum."

I Ì d o not know the men ."

"I command you to seek them. I command

all of you by the powers that are mine to seek

a nd bring them ."

For a moment -there was sile nce, broken only

by the l aboured breathing of the boy . Thenhe spoke again .

"I have found one, 0 Masters ."

"What is his name?"

"Kurt Ettethurm."

"He is to answer my questions himself,

Where d id you l ive ?"

A new and harsher voice issued from the

boy's lips.

"By Sa chsenha usen, nea r Augsburg ."

"When?"

"In the time of Charl es the Fifth of Spain ."



THE REALITY OP SORCERY 3l1

"Wereyou one of his . torturers ?"

"No, I served Count Anton of Torneu ."

"Who were your victims 1"

j' Criminals, bandits, and Lutherans . "

"When did you diet"

"At Muhlberg."

"When--not where R"

"At Muhlberg kill ed in the battle of, Muhi-

berg . "

"Where are you now?"

"Why ask? I am in a lower state ."

"Do you revisit this sphere unless sum-

moned?"

"I am al ways here, but you cannot see me ."

"Where are you usually?"

"By the sl aughter houses ."

"Do you move from place to pla ce I"

"Yes, I foll ow the Scharfrichter ( hea ds-

man) . "

"Why?"

' "To watch . "

"Are you bound tot"

"No, I - l i k e i t ."

* In Germany capital punishment fs still carried out bythe headsman, who beheads with a sword .





THEREALTTYOF SORCERY 113-

A swirl of icy col d wind se emed to sweep

about us, and I stabbed at the invisible grasp

that see med to be plucking a t my ga rme nts .

Two of the candles went out and the windows

rattle d violently in their frames. Then with

frightening suddenness - the manifestations

ceased .

The boy was gasping for bre ath once more

and the terror had passed .

Not, until the last of the valedictory phrases

of the ritual had been said did either - of us da re

leave our stations . Thenboth of us, shocked

and terrified by what we had see n, went over

to the boy Walther .

He was deeply entranced y e t , breathing hea v-

i l y ; the colour had not yet ebbed from his face

and on his brow were beads and runnels of

perspiration .

Bentlemeyer made a few passes, breathed on

his eyelids, and brought him round . But there

on his uncollared neck was the d ark, bruised

imprint of strangling fingers .

This experience was phenomenal . We exam-

ine d the room careful ly afterwards and came







116 A MODERN OCCULTISTremed ied by people who understand the subject .

Exorcism is valuable and is as rea l as sorcery,

and it is by no means a lost art among those

occultists who have studie d the d ark side of

spirit phenomena in orde r to know all that we

are all owed to know of this dangerous subject .

Above al l things, the Spiritua list who has

certain hea ling qualities in connection with me-

diumistic gifts should avoid a ny attempt at e x .

orcism. Cases have been known when the at-

tempt was successful, but only in so far that

the e vil was transferred from the original vic-

tim to the would-be hea ler. As a rule, the re-

sults are bad for both parties. The mental and-consequently physical dangers of this kind of

thing are far too serious to be lightly meddled

with One cannot insist on this too strongly .







INCENSE AND OCCULTISM 119

Anal ysis of some of these cul ts shows that

the initiates partook of a ceremonial drink or

brew of some kind a nd that there is amore than

mystical use of the censer . Nine-tenths of the

so-called propitiatory ritual was symbolic, but

there remains an unexpla ined tenth part whose

agency was prima rily that of mechanical e x-

citant of what one may term "psychism"-

those qualities of perception that we class as

psychic gifts .

It is precisely these extraordinarily valuable

secrets that were among the deepest arts of, the

priestcraft. There was no record of these-

nothing direct is to be found in the writings,

and a lthough it is possible to recover the phil-

osophic,bases of the myths these rule-of-thumb

mysteries still el ude us .

After al l, many other simila r secrets, and

even fairly well-known common facts of an-

tiquity, have been lost to us. We do not know

the composition of the cel ebrate d Roman fish

sauce "garum." We cannot tell what are the

ingred ients of Stradivarius' violin varnishes or

some ol d master's colours . Neverthel ess, it is

unrea sonable to suppose that the necessary ma-



120 A MODERN OCCULTISTae rial s have vanished from the earth. We have

the whole known world to ransack for them

where the ancients had only a limited and c i r -

cumscribed number of pla nts, beasts, and min-

eral s from which to gather their ingred ients .

The function of some d rugs 'is to produce

mental effects, visions, hal lucinations, dreams,

and phantoms. The logical assumption is 'that

the ancients knew certain rule -of-thumb meth-

ods of utilizing some forms of these drugs in

such a way as to loosen the hold of the body

(and the consciousness) upon the mind, and to

produce an artificial state of clairvoyance .

The wizard of the Middle Ages was also a

doctor, and it is claimed that the familiar that

inhabited the sword of P,aracelsus-which

sword he always had by him and could never

be parte d from-was none other than a certain

amount of opium concealed in the hollow

pommel. *

The function of hypnotic drugs is known 'to

a point. That is to say, we know what effect is

produced on a normal individual by a given

dose of an unknown drug, but in nine cases out

• Paraoe lsus, Fr . A nufni .




of ten we d o not know precisel y how this effect

i s brought about and have few clues to the ser-

ies of physiological rea ctions that bring about

the mental state .

The connection betwee n a physical d raught

and a .mental state is indicated throughout the

history of magic . Ceremonial libations, ritual

consumption of potions or `"devil's' brews" of

one kind and a nother are part and parcel of

the traditions of necromancy and sorcery,

The connection between these hypnotic

draughts and the practice of poisoning was not

cle arly perceived by most writers of the past .

Sorcery and poisoning were inde ed twin prac-

tices of the Midd le Ages, for where the spell

might fail white a rsenic would succee d, but it

is not fair to class all magical potions as prep-

arations of secret poisons, although in point of

fact most of the hypnotic drugs are toxic .

The methods of ad ministering the drugs are

two-namely, by draught, that is to say by di

rect consumption, and inhalation . The function

of the incense used in thaumaturgical ceremon-

ies was primarily to intoxicate the audience .

Just as the Pythoness of the Delphic oracl es



122 A MODERN OCCULTISTinhaled, the vapours of the magic cave, so the

Egyptians inhaled prepared incenses in their

temples . The casting of herbs upon the fire,

the burning of prepared sacrificial candles or

fiambeaux, all these . play their part in the me-

chanical induction of the psychic state .

Frankincense a nd myrrh, and in particula r

gum benzoin, possess soothing properties that

effect the throat and nasal passages . Beside s

being ple asant, these gums formed an excel lent

vehicle for disguising the scent of other matters

and preventing their spasmodic or instant ac-

tion on the throat .

The kyphic or incense of ancient Egypt* was

compounded of myrrh, gum-mastic, aromatic

rush roots, resin, and juniper berries . To these

aromatics were a dded small quantities of sym-

bolic elements, such as grapes, honey and wine,

and a portion of bitumen or asphateum, whose

purpose might be either symbolic or to serve

a s a binding me dium for the mass .

In addition to these, various spices and per-

fumes were used . Cinnamon bark, sandalwood,

cardamom, and even ambergris and musk . The

* See Ebers papyri .



INCENSE AND OCCULTISM 123influe nce of scent upon the e motions i s wel l

known and the Egyptians favoured the use of

ambra and musk as definitely aphrodisiacal per-

fumes . To-d a y pure e ssence of patchouli is

used in the Orient to serve the same end, and

anybody who has ever smelt a vial of the pure

oil w i l l recognize the instant disturbance of cer-

tain nerve centres that it produces .

The clue to the secret of the ancient incense

lies not in what we have been able to recover

from the papyri, but in the word itsel f. Kyphi

is recognizable to-day in "keef," the popular

name for the smokable variety of the herb can-

nabis indica .

Ca nnabis indica is none other than our old

friend hashish, the hasee sh of the writers of

the time of the Crusades, who gave us those de-

scriptions of the Old Man of the Mountains

and his Hasch-hassins. From them we get ourcommonplace word-assassin .

It is not, after a ll, a far cry from the mys-

teries of Osiris in Egypt to the Thammur or

Dumvuri-absu of Syria a nd Babylon .

"Thammur came next behind

Whose annual wound in Lebanon all ured






ferred to, their new setting in the Le banon by

Hassan ibn Sabbah at the end of the e le venth

century. Outwardl y Moslem,' the inner myster-

i e s had no connection with either Mohamme dan

or any other religion, and indeed the cult seems

to be in many ways a kind of bastard Masonic

organization .

Nominally a Moslem sect of Ismailites, the or-

ganiza tion was under a commande r, the Sheik-

al -Tebel , or Chief of the Mountains, who was

served by minor chiefs or priors-the three Dai-

a l-kirbal . Foll owing these came the Dais or

a d e pts, and bel ow them thre e minor grad es,

Refigos, Fed a is, and Lasigos . *

The. Fedais or "entered apprentice" grad e

furnished the rank and file of the fanatical ex-

ecutants of the paramount will, and these

Fedais, who were customarily mentally and

physically pathic, never rose above this step in

the mysteries .

The Society of the Assassins was nominally

suppressed by Ha l aga, the Mogul invad er of

the midd le of the thirtee nth century, but the

* See Geachichte der Asaesinen . By T. von Hammer . Burgstall, an Grand Maitre des Assassins au Temps duSaiadinAlso Are Quatuo Coronati, vol







128 A MODERN OCCULTISTmental occultists . Just as hashish itself is miss .

ing from the recipient, the Ebers papyri, so i s

the bal ancing coefficient . `

On the other hand, the same secret of priest-

craft is known on the other side of the Atl antic .

We may or may not believe in the myth of lost

Atlantis and the transmitted ritual, but both the

Zaquis of Sonora a nd the Ta machee ks of Gua-

tema l a possess a ritual observance in which

cannabis Ame ricana , a ne w cousin of the can-

nabis indica, is the stimulant agent .

'Other tribes use a brew of the mescal bean,

but this a purel y American species and the ac-

tive principle anhalonium, f does not act on pre-

cisel y the same nerve centres as the cannabin-

ote principle of the hemps .

In both cases the induction of a species of

intoxication by means of the sacred herbs gath-

ere d in certain lunar or astrological aspects is

hel d by the natives to be the basis of the com-

munion with the spirits of the d eparted de ad .

The Spiritualist believes that there are spirits

of the d ead, the physiologist cla ims that the

* The public interest would not be served by the revelationof the second missing ingredient, but it i s now knownt See monograph on Mescal by Havelock Ellis .




spirits are hallucinatory or that they are

merely reflex as from the subconscio-ds mind of

the individual or of other individuals . This

twin explanation runs through all psychic phe-

nomena, but not until all phenomena known to

be produced by Spiritualist circle s can be pro-

duped unde r hynopsis will the Spiritua list

theory be finally disproved

The rank and file of Spiritualists are unaware

that the scientific world has a demonstrable

answer to nine-tenths of the wonde r that the

bel ieving Spiritual ist is convinced can only

occur by means of discarnate spirit intelli-

gences. But the honest investigator should

bear in mind that only certain rare phenomena

remain unchalle nged a nd are at present unat-

tainable by practising psychologists .

When the phenomena of material ization-the

externalization of force-are producible by hyp-

notists, then the whole spirit hypothesis is im-

perilled, for the scientists will be able to pro-

duce these effects not by spirit intervention but

at the behest of human will .

Still, for the moment, the uncritical white,

like the barbarous Indian, is justified in his be-

11



130 A MODERN OCCULTISTlief in external spirit agency as the only ex-

pla nation for the apparently miraculous .

A friend of mine who had been a member of

an exploring expedition whose mission was to .

trace a tributary of the river Usmacinta in

Chiapas on the Mexico-Guatema la borde r to its

source in the volca nic country round the un-

known Lago de Peten, mad e a careful study of

the ritual of the Tamachacks . .

These people still carry out a pre-Columbian

religion which antedates that of the Aztec and

Toltec civiliza tions both of Mexico and the

Yucatan peninsula .

Essentially symbolic in that it takes into ac-

count primitive nature and ancestor worship,

the basis of the cult is the evocation of the

spirits of the departed dead for tribal and per-

sonal counsel and consultation. The me a ns e m-

ployed in the production of the psychic state is

the smoke of the cannabis americana. The na-

tive name of this herb is marihuana .

The foll owing i s my friend 's d escription of

one of the actual native ceremonies at which he

was present :

"We were up in the Intama l country about,





132 A MODERN OCCULTISTglutinative inflective speech similar to NanhatL

The l ea de r, who wore a peculiar breastplate of

fea therwork, could , however, talk Spanish com-

paratively fluently .

"My gre a test troubl e wa s to ind uce him to

understand that we ' were not a prospecting

party and were not after gold . Talk with our

men who had bee n with us some months fina l l y

reassured him -4chance compliment of mine

a bout his fea ther bre a stpl a te, which was of

quetzal feathers, opened the magic door to ze .

ÌIt was astonishing to that Indian, who had

probably not seen a hundred white men, as dis-

tinct from Mexicans, in all his l i f e , t o f i n d i n mea man who knew more about the mythological

importance of the -quetzal bird than he knew

himself .

My work on the rained cities of Yucatan

sand my studies of the Mittall codices and simi-

lar work )iad given me a sound knowledge of

the worship of Quetzalcoatl the god of the

Morning Star, to whom the wond erful emera l d-

plumaged quetzal bird is sacred .

"To cut a long story short, I arranged things

with the head-man so that we could camp in his




village that night . The peopl e were kind ly,

once they und e rstood that we were not gold

hunters and meant no harm, and my friend the

head-man, having introduced me to certain

e ld ers and d iscussed with them my knowledge

of their almost extinct faith, invited me to be

present as a participant in a religious feast to

be held that night .

The fea st was that of the Cozca cuaptli

the feast of vultures, birds as important in the

Mayan underworld as in the Egyptian cere-

monies .

I'Shortly after dusk I left the village with

them, going alone a nd to al l e xternal se eming

unarmed. We made a long journey through the

bush, climbing higher all the time, and I real-

ized that we were actually on the sacred hill that

they had forbidd en us to ascend .

"Here and there along the route we were

stopped by sentries or guards, but at last gained

the top of the hill . Here, encircled by trees,

was a flat table top or pla teau a few acres in

extent .

"Rising on the platea u was a series of three

square terraces culminating in a small ruined



134 A MODERN OCCULTISTbuilding, roofless yet sound as to its walls. The

lowest pla tea u was packe d with Indians ; on

the second were congregated the elect-the

tribal seniors and the priests . Above them a

figure or two moved in the building .

"My friends took some time explaining mypresence, and it _was obvious that I was re-

garded with da rk disfavour by the mass of the

natives . Soon it dawned on me that I was

unde r guard, an unobtrusive guard, but never-

theless under guard . • At last I was taken to the

high priest of the ceremonial .

"He was a wond e rful old Indian who spoke

the accented Latin Spanish of forgotten gen-

erations . He examined me, and though I could

not reply to certain mysterious ritualistic ques-

tions that he put, t o me, he was at length satis-

fied that I had an efficient working knowledge

not only of his ritual but of its underlying astro-

nomical and philosophical significance. Even-

tually he was satisfied, and on a word from him

I was taken in hand by two native youths who

bound a fillet of red-dyed wool worked with

fea ther de vices round my brow and gave me a

pee led rod surmounted by a vulture's skull to




hold as a wand of office. Over my clothes was

put a loose d ark brown cotton robe sewn with

charms and trimmed at each shoulder with

tufts of sombre plumage .

"Thus dressed I took my place among the

elders. For a while nothing happened , then

slowly the noise of the crowd died down and

expectancy gave pla ce to clamour . From some-

where in the forest came the sudd en rhythm of

native drums seemingly casual , inopportune,

and meaninglessly cad enced .

"Little by little the monotony of the drum

throbbing beca me more insistent, more d efi-

nitely rhythmical.

A brazier -in the temple

building began to glow red, and far bel ow in

the valley mists we could see a group of flaring

torches dancing like fireflies as their bearers

scaled the difficult trail .

"Suddenly the voice of the chief priest rose

in a high-pitched wailing call, and as he hailed,

a new and brilliant star seemed to spring into

being over the dark crest of a nea rby hill .

"The assemblage bowed to the star and

broke into a wailing Indian chant that kept time

to the beating of the hidd en throbbing drums .



136 A MODERN OCCULTISTAfter the prayer came the dance . To the

centre of the second terrace bearers carried

what looked l ike a bundle of blankets ; then

nude but for fea ther a dornments, the young

initiates came forward in processional dance .

Every tenth man hel d a torch, and the dancers

carried out a long ballet symbolical of the burial

or consumption of _the mortal body of the

vultures .

"They hopped grotesquely like the ill-omened

zopilotes or scavenger vultures they initiated .

A querulous . clucking accompaniment was ut-

tered by the chorus of spectators and the files

of bronze bodies advanced and retreated,swayed and circled in slow-hopping processions

around the blanketed heap upon the ground

that represented the body .

"Suddenly the dram rhythm changed and a

curious whistling pipe music was heard . The

hea p of blankets stirred and rattled, from the

heap an arm flung out white bones, a skull rolled

to the feet of the spectators, then the blankets

were fl ung aside and a n Indian youth, com-

pletely nude, but painted white and marked with

ritual signs, leapt from the pile .



~TCENSE AND OCCULTISM 137

""Rising\to his full height he, donned a tower-

ing feather headdress of humming bird and

quetzal feathers which gleamed like a myriad

jewels in the torchlight .

"Three times the spectators claimed him as

the risen' God, then the drums broke out into a

violent triumphant dance in an infectious meas-

ure in which both dancers and spectators

joined .

"In the meantime a cloth or canvas housing,

had be e n drawn over the roofl e ss temple by

minor priests . The brazier was carried inside,

and suddenly the Boy God, leaving the d ancers,

ascende d the steps and e ntered the prepared

pavilion.

"As suddenly the drums fell silent and the

shrill pipes alone kept up the eerie tune .

"My friend touched me on the shoulder, the

sea ted el d ers rose, and, fol lowing the high

priest, we mad e our way into the sanctuary .

"Ranging oursel ves a long the walls we sat

down in an open square . In the centre was the

youth stretched on a skin-covered native bed -

stead, at its head the brazier .

` I Swiftly the door was sea led with skin mats ;

I













BEASTS AND EUMEN ALS 145

dead and evil -cults on -which a great deal of

human thought-energy had been expended dur-

ing some time in the world's history .

Proof is not possible, and it is not yet the

time to marshal the facts which would seem to

indicate that a dead cultus can yet live on, sup-

ported, as it were, by the emotional sin of the

present-day world, although the sin is divorced

from its old ritual significance. This theory of

the continuation of the sacrificial value of sin

i s of course one of the most serious aspects of

the art of sorcery. Propitiation and symbolism

are often linked up in a waythat perplexes, the

most agile-witted student of the occult, and it

may well - be that certain seemingly innocent

ritual acts have contributed their quota to the

maintenance of life in certain forgotten cults--

whose entities come suddenly into being again

in a most alarming manner .

Tò the occultist + who thinks this matter out,

the identity of beast materializations with in-

carnate prototypes of -sin will probably be

manifest .

As it is, the essential quality of the evil that

these entities typify and attempt to induce does









BEASTS AND-ELEMENTAL$ 149

In effect only phenomena where no apparent

organic or physical materialization or incarna .

tion of any kind occurs should be classified as

purely elemental .

Of these the heat elemental is a phenomenon

that is occasionally obser*ed . Air or wind phe-

nomena are also known, but I know of no case

where earth or water phenomena apart from

' ` apports " by a materialized presence claim-

ing to be an earth or water elemental, have been

noted. To my mind the organic presence de-

stroys the evidential value of the latter ac-

counts due to the effect of elementals as distinct

from spirits .

The elementals are properly those intelli-

gences (the word spirits conveys a wrong im-

plication) that are termed in the old rituals the

Powers of Fire, Air, Earth, and Water . Inmagic it was held that these Powers were

served by spirits, but there is reason to sup-

pose that this view rose from the too literal in-

terpretation of the old rituals and maltrans

lation of the occult "Grimoires" of the fifteenth

and sixteenth centuries .

The appearance of these elementals is rare





BEASTSAND ELEMENTALS 151

mountain painter whom we will call Calvin

Muir

He had been down in the Welsh Marches

where the low foothills . of the mountains just

change into stretches of rocky moors above the

low-lying wooded valleys .

Muir was by habit and training a keen ob-

server. He was also a Frater of the Rosicru-

cian Society and had a wide general knowledge

of many strange aspects of occultism .

"I was staying down at Pwhyll-gor, a little

hill village with a few cottages and two inns of

small-attractiveness," said he ."

I had been

there some six weeks or so, sketching and wan-

dering and doing a little trout fishing when the

mood, took me . One evening I found the tap-

room learnedly discussing the blight that was

affecting an orchard in a nearby farm.

"According to them, half the affected trees

appeared burnt or seared and there was great

discussion whether lightning could strike with-

out a oonettrrent storm or thunderclap .

I Òthers held that it was probably a mischiev-

ous trick by small boys, but one old man de-

clared it had happened before in the same dis-



152 A MODERN OCCULTISTtrict in his father's time and that it was due to

eowl blasting . '

"This, it seemed, was a form of witchcraft'

or magic, but more closely related to the malevo-

lent forces of nature than to mortal ill will .

He was not, communicative, but disclosed

enough t o make me determine to visit the farm

next day.

"I found it up on the hillside in a little

natural valley or gap where a few. f e r t i l e

acres had been reclaimed . It was a poor

enough small homestead, bleak and barren, and

the wretched l i t t l e orchard was poor enough

in all conscience without suffering supernatural

violences .

"The farmer's wife received me and made no

secret of her troubles . Together we went out

to view the damage, and I found two cider-

apple trees whose foliage and fruit had been

literally burnt in an area as l arge . a s a good-

sized cart wheel .

"That was the queer thing about it, the close

circular or rather spherical limits of the

damage. It was just as if a red-hot round bite

had been taken out of the thick of the tree, and





154 A MODERN OCCULTIST

"T he farmer was no wiser and rather s u r l i e r

than his wife, but both were manifestly op-

pressed with fear . Their boy alone was cheer-

ful and unmoved .f

"The next day I rose at cock-crow, passed

through the orchard and out on to the hills to

a patch of-rock-and heather some two hundred

yards away .

"By seven- o'.cloA had watched in a good

stretch of the farm and the orchard in which not

a soul had moved. All at once, I stood with

my brush poised in amazement, as there . h i g h

above the trees was poised a small, blue-yellow

lambent flame that seemed to drift sideways in

the windless air .

"For a moment I thought it was a f i r e bal-

loon, then saw my error . Without a thought I

ran toward it just in time to see it settle downon to a tree whose leaves in a moment turned

from green to darkening brown and burst

almost immediately into crackling flame . Mycries brought out the boy and the woman from

the house and on their coming it vanished and

we were left gazing at the damage it had done .

"I told them what I had seen, and the woman











POSSESSION 159

hypnosis, and Leonore in a deeper condition . * ,

Even a popular knowledge and comprehen-s i o n , o f t h i s peculiar disease of the subeonsciQus

i s d i f f i c u l t t o attain without a sound elementary

grasp of the principles of psychology . T he bulk

of books on the subject are written for the

medical' or scientific mind, but Coriat's book'

is a sound and easily grasped introductory

manual. t

The normal form of mental trouble is an ob-

session, the fear or "phobia" of some perfectly

normal things a desire to touch objects. There

are dozens of variations of these obsessions

which spring to mind. The state of possession

can only be said to exist when the mind is under

the dominance of another individuality distinct

from the normal personality .

It is curious to note that cases of possession

by good spirits are absolutely unknown. Amedium may be "controlled" by spirits said to

be good, but this does not amount to a pos-

session. In every case where normal person-

ality has been overthrown and another or

* Pierre Janet : L'automatisme Psychologique .

t Abnormal Paychology isador H. Coriat, Rider, 1911 .





POSSESSION 161

that the _secondary or possessing personality

-can overthrow consciousness,and take charge.

The victim is often horrified to find his or her

mind continually filled with terrible desires, in-

tolerable passions, and thoughts utterly repug-

nant to the sedate conscious self .

Sometimes ,the idea of possession is stimu-

lated by messages received through mediums or

by automatic writing-this is one of the many

frequent cases where undigested, uneducated

Spiritualism is often abominably 1harmful.

Anything that helps the idea of possession to

grow in the afflicted mind should be avoided .

Gradually the nature of the possession be-

comes more acutely defined and is recognized as

a different 'personality-au evil personality

resident in the same body using the same mind .

It is in all human probability only the re-

pressed wishes---all the pent-up unfulfilled evil

of a lifetime taking shape and urging gratifica-

tion rather than repression in a new and secon-

dary personality .

Possession by evil spirits is invariably con-

nected with violence and vice . Sometimes the

attacks are periodic ; always they are signs of











166 A MODERN OCCULTISTbody; and those in which a vicarious satisfac-

tion is achieved through the astral body . The

possibility Qf intercourse between spirit and

mortal has been held . to be a possibility since

Biblical times, and the expulsion of the fallen

angels was due to this sin . *

Stainton Moses held that much of the lower

phenomena was caused by spirits who had not

yet reached man's plane of intelligence, just as

some was produced by others who had pro-

ceeded further and returned to enlighten man . f

This belief occurs in folklore, in Oriental re-

ligions, and in a myriad variations .

The djinn of the Arabian Nights is a very

real thing to the modern native, and a consider-

able literature exists in which the intercourse

between djinn and mortal is the main theme .

In the same way the belief in fairy wives or

husbands is not so long dead in Europe and

alive to-day among the hill tribes of the Pamirs .

T he whole theory` of spirit possession or

demon possession "is linked with this idea. In

the "possessed" state the victim is unconscious

*Jude VI, 7 .

t Stainton Moses, Spirit Identity, Appendix II .

















r

174 A MODERN OCCULTISTphysical medium is a human intermediary and

serves as a dynamo or battery for the genera-

tion of a necessary force .

Just as table levitations and similar phe-

nomena are produced by the extrusion of psy-

chical rods or levers which are invisible' , butut

which are directed to a definite task by intelli-

gence, so the poltergeist phenomena seem to be

similar phenomena but without any directing

intelligence.

This statement needs qualification in the cases

where' the child medium has become partly

aware that in some strange way he or she is

the prime motor for the phenomena. Then the

child's mind consciously or subconsciously di-

recting the impulse may focus the manifestation

in the way of .impish, malicious tricks afflicting

an individual .

The "psyche force" or psyehoplasm extended

by the medium is very closely akin to what is

termed "animal magnetism"-it seems to be of

nervous origin and physiologically connected

with internal secretory organs .

*For details of leverage, etc ., see : The Reality of PayohioPhenomena and Fixperimenta in Payohioai Beience. By W. TCrawford .



8OMFNEWFACTS AND THEORIES 175

A slight nervous derangement of one of the

many complexes associated with the, age of

puberty may quite conceivably endow occasional

children with a transient power of physical

mediumship .

The next point is the accumulatory effect of

surroundings. Here we are very much in the

dark, but the manifestations do not occur un-

less physical limits, such as walls, are present . ,

In a poltergeisted house two unconscious agents

of the activities may, particularly while asleep,

but also while awake, saturate the surroundings

with this peculiar -form of energy .

There is nothing to show that this vitality

ceases with death ; it certainly continues dur-

ing the state of sleep, and if it is borne in mind

-that even when the soul has passed from the

body after death, life-that is to say, intense

bacterial activity-continues, it is conceivable

that the continued extension of this force may

continue from unascertained physiological con-

ditions, and so explain some of the baffling and

distressing phenomena that have occurred in

vaults and given rise to the theory of bodies

being buried alive in a cataleptic condition .







178 A MODERN OCCULTISTwith occult knowledge and experience they are

pregnant with soul- and body-destroying capaci-

ties, and it is, fair to say that certain other

occult powers are the least defence against

them

I am inclined to favour the theory that in all

oases of poltergeists, where non-human sources

of power are indicated, careful psychic analysis

will reveal someinanimate matter which has

been in contact with either evil-living mortality

or the dead, and is serving as the focus and

reservoir of the force. The power appears to

be sporadic and cumulative, but it can be de-

stroyed or dissipated both by material and,

by occult means if it can be traced to its

source .

The latent cumulative effect of such an evil

relic may possibly stimulate the extension of

psychoplasm by unconscious mediums brought

within its sphere of influence. This seems indi-

cated where an exchange of physical mediums

in the one, centre of inflection has produced

parallel results . There is also some ground

for supposing that the phases of the moon af-

fect the manifestation .







SOME NEW FACTSAll) THEORIES 181ened at the occurrences. Myhost and I were

personal witnesses of flying stones and still

more remarkable the scattering of a big sheaf

of straw .

T he sheaf was being carried from the barn

to,the cow-house by the girl herself at about

three in the afternoon. We were talking to the

bailiff's wife. Suddenly the girl stopped and

the big bundle of straw seemed to be lifted out

of her arms at least two feet above her head .

It balanced for a moment or two like a captive

gas ' balloon, then whirled into thousands of

separate straws which flew all about the yard .

No conceivable trick of wind-and it was a

wettish, windless day-nor any human effort

could have accomplished it . The truss burst

like a shell, some of the straws flying right

over the roofs of the outbuildings .

The terrified girl burst into tears and ran to

her mother for comfort and protection .

That night we sent the girl away, and though

manifestations continued for another two days,

these were of decreas i n g violence .

The cottage. was only a few years old and no

deaths had occurred there, but the farmstead











186 A MODERN OCCULTIST

genuine scientific, as opposed t oamateur, eat

conditions .

In a word, the spirit Image is imprinted on

the negative under conditions not normally sus-

pected by the photographers .

There are several methods of 'attaining, the

result, even when the photographer brings his

own plates and dark slides and his own

camera.

First is the background trick. An acid solu-

tion of sulphate of quinine is invisible to the

eye, but shows in the photograph . "Phe-

nomena" painted on the wall or near by the

objects appear in the photograph though in-

visible to the eye .

Second i s the contact process by which a

small negative of the "spirit" face is mounted

on a background of card prepared with radio-

active salt solution. Many of these salts are

rich in infra-red rays which will project an

image through a metal dark slide . The

'medium" has only to handle the dark slide

during the sitting or the plate in the dark room

previous to development, in order to make a

contact image .



SOME NEWFACTS AND T$EORIES 187,A cruder variation of this, the°electrio -pencil

flashlight with a rubber cup over the end con-

taining the "spirit face" negative contact with

the exposed plate, is achieved in the dark room .

The instrument lies hidden in the medium's

sleeves .

The third method is that most commonly

used. The "spirit image" is projected through

a minute lens in a hole in the wall of the studio .

The beam of light is sometimes passed through

a prism series in order to allow a room parallel

to the studio to be used for the purpose of pro-

jecting, and it is possible for the apparatus to

be arranged inside a piece of furniture in the

studio .

The sitter usually has his back to the source

of the projection and the "medium" takes the

photograph and makes the exposure, so the

fraud is childishly easy .

Even expert photographers are fooled by this

trick, as they are satisfied that if plates, slide,

and camera are not tampered with, fraud i s

impossible .

When stereoscopic cameras with twin lenses

are used the fraud is manifest. Sometimes the







190 AMODERN- OCCULTISTtaneous photography by Black-light." Inci-

dentally a common incandescent gas mantle

possesses quite enough radioactive properties

for ordinary experiments .

It is only by the destruction of fraudulent

phenomena that the phenomena will be rightly

understood and generally accepted . The Spir-,

itualist who accepts and bolsters up dubious

phenomena does far more harm to his own

cause than the most pronounced sceptic .

The main point about spurious spirit photog-

raphy is this . It claims that mechanical chemi-

cal relations are produced by spirit agency-

yet though this chemical reaction is said to be

produced with ease, by certain individuals and

circles, it flinches from facing a simple test

which would, if proved to be true, convert the

bulk of the sceptical world to an acceptance of

the truth of spirit photography .

I have. met many credulous folk who cherish

blurred plates, obvious double exposures, `°ac-

cidents," such as imperfectly cleaned plates

and even the most blatant swindles . Nothingtan shake their convictions-but credulity does

nothing to prove fact .











ORIENTAL OCCULTISM 195

lowest kind. He is usually a low-caste and dis-

reputable native or half-breed, and it may be

accounted to his credit that after all he is not

expected to know any better. His dupes, on the

other hand, the white men and women that

listen to his balderdash and sit at his seances,

are even guiltier parties than he is. They at

least ought to know better than to listen to the

first black-and-tan "Swami" or "Guru" that

establishes a bogus tabernacle in the backwaters

of Balham or Bayswater .

The second point is that the true Eastern oc-

cultist, whatever liis grade of adeptship in his

mysteries, never practises any of his arts or

knowledge for money or equivalent reward .

This is a lesson which might well, be learned

by the fraternity of mediums and so-called oc-

cultists that infest London and other great

cities at home and abroad .

A medium in receipt of fees for seances or

lectures will never and can never develop his or

her powers, beyond the stage at which they have

arrived when it becomes possible to use them as

a direct or indirect means of making money .

In the East this is realized, and the vow of







198 A MODERN OCCULTISTreason-its lost criminal powers-it is opposed

to. British rule.

It is noteworthy that the English Society of

Theosophists, whose jig-saw religion is largely

compounded of Oriental elements, is now

prominently identified with schemes for the po-

litical emancipation of India, which will rein-

force the tyrannous power of the Brahmin .

T he whole scheme of Oriental occultism is

quite incomprehensible without a sound basic

knowledge of the religious systems of which it

is part and parcel . These enjoy a difficult and

complex nomenclature, and their words havebeen borrowed indiscriminately without due

respect to their precise meaning .

Yoga conveys a certain popular meaning, but

it must be remembered that there are number-

less Yogas, subdivided again into endless sub- .

variants .

The initiate undergoes a prolonged course of

mental and physical training designed to stimu-

late concentration of the will and subdue the

body .

Little by little the faculties of surrender to

ecstatic forms of self-hypnosis are induced,








in the way of the physical induction of the psy-

chic state .

The basis of a great many Yogas is the libera-

tion of psychoplasm and ectoplasm by a com-

bination of concentration on certain internal

centres and the repetition of spells or sonorous

magical evocations .

These affect the breathing so that in effect the

body is subjected to a definite rhythmical vi-

bration. It is physical exercise of mind and

brain, applying mind-force to the stimulation

and excitement of internal nerve centres .

These six centres are visualized mentally as

lotuses . T hey cannot be,precisely located in

scientific anatomy, but correspond in most cases

with central nervous plexuses and they are as

well known in Mohammedan and Zoroastrian

mystic cults, as they are in the Indian Upani-

shads and Tantras,and are-familiar to the In-

dians of Yucatan and Guatemala, where ritual,

combined with a species of physical massage,

is employed to initiate the hierophant into the

tribal mysteries .

The school of Western occultists who hold the

theory of the all-pervading astral or magic light










The tales of life on other planes brought back

by native spirits evoked by Oriental magicians

in I no way tally with Western accounts, but as

phallic worship is integral with many Eastern

beliefs, it is no matter for wonder that some

Eastern spirit evidence concerning the next

plane would make the most hardened Western

libertine blush. They also affirm with consid-

erable emphasis that on the next plane nation-

alities and colour lines are unknown, a point

which is reinforced by the number of ex-

coloured spirits which frequent Western

seances .

It is indeed difficult to know what to believe .

The Yogis can produce phenomena of ma-

t e r i a l i zation, prolonged trance states, and can

sometimes act as powerful hypnotists and seize

the Durga, literally citadel, of another's body .

On the other hand, the net yield of all purely

Indian occultism is very disappointing. This

may be due to the selflessness inculcated in their

religious teaching, which subdues love and

hatred as equal enemies of spiritual progress .

If their magic were efficient, much more would

be done with it, and the consensus of general






keeted with serpent worship and astronomical

observances . Their festivals- of the solstices

have an outward-seeming Muslim connection,,

but, the inner hidden occult religion is a far

older thing .

The Berbers are not of Arab stock ; they are

Semitic and they are probably pre-Aryan

Some writers * trace their connection to the

original Firbolgs of Iceland, and the ethnology

of this mysterious race is still a matter of specu-

lation and doubt .

Pre-eminent among their distinctive differ-

ences from the ordinary Arab is the esteem in

which they hold women. Women are, chief-

tainesses among them, and above all the women

are the repositories of the lost lore of magic .

It is to them that the tribesmen turn for the

carrying out of the mystic harvest ceremonies,

the charming of unfruitful fields, and the light-

ing of the magic Beltane fires .

Fire plays no inconsiderable part in their

rituals, and is only called by its Arabic name

ei-aafeats (the comforter) when used for do-

mestic purposes . The sacrificial and cere-

* See The Arabs of Tripoli . Alan Ostler.

c



208 A MODERN OCCULTISTmonial fires are always spoken of either in the

Shil-luh or Schluch tongue-the true Berber

language or referred to as B'lnisac, a term

whose philology is unknown, but which appar-

ently contains the age-old Bel or Baal motive .

This fire cult, coupled with _a still more mys-

tical inner creed symbolized by serpent worship,

may be noted by the student explorer among

the Berber folk. Riffis, Mashed Hojja Tuareks

of the Sahara, certain Kabyles of Tripoli, and

other tribes alll belong to the same strange race,

and there are reasons for believing ,that the

Berbers are identical with the mystical Fairies

-the Good People-sb 'called from a propitia-

tory irony because they were so amazingly bad .

Berbers alone of savage folk raid and kill at

night. They are essentially a people of the dark,

and he who sifts the mass of terrible folklore

about the earliest fairies in Britain will find

a parallel between these terrible unholy bar-

barians given to sorcery, necromancy and un-

holy rites, the stealing of children for sacrificial

purposes, and other glossed horrors attributed

to the Good People-and the Berber races of

to-day .




The practices continue .

In 1909 I was travelling in the Gharb country

of Morocco, where there is a large Berber ele-

ment. The French occupation of the Shawiah

and the meteoric rise of Sultan Mulai Hafid had

left the country unsettled and dangerous .

Beyond a war correspondent or two and a

handful of German engineers-or spies, em-

ployed by the firm of Marmesman-there were

no Europeans in the country s outside of the

coast towns. For the capital and Manahesh

the big cities of the South were closed, and a

Christian's life was nowhere worth a moment's

purchase among the fanatics .

I am but an indifferent Arabic scholar, but a

certain knowledge of classical Hebrew served

one well, for there are many debased Jews in

Morocco. For the rest, as the high-class Moors

are a fair race and often blue-eyed, travelling in

native clothes and well bronzed by the sun I

suffered no molestation and could rely on the

fidelity of my four body-servants .

Some five days' ride northwest of the argan

forests of the coast belt, I was well 'within'

Berber territory. This was mostly stony hill



210 A MODERN OCCULTISTlands, for Morocco is simply rock deserts and

hills, interspersed with lightly watered fertile

valleys and occasional oases of poplar-sheltered

walls .

The holy city of Tarudant lay to the north of

me, and I had crossed the Wadi Sifan river and

was going south from the I ber Kaken Pass on

the caravan route east into the Ait Jellal

country .

There, deep in the hills, lies the ruin of aRoman city of which strange tales are told . It

is even not certain , that it is Roman, for a

volume of notes, painstakingly compiled for

fifteen years by a resident in a coast town, dis-

closes unmistakable Phoenician characteristics,

but I at least cannot tell, for my expedition

had to beat a swift retreat a bare two days'

march from the nominal valley of the dead

city.

It was on the way there that my little troop

of horsemen and pack mules halted at the

Berber village of M'Aerbil Ida and were re-

ceived as guests of honour for the night . Thevillage was a curious medley of thorn and cactus

fences, cane-thatched huts, and deep caves cut




in the friable freestone rock of -the mountain

side.

The men wore the close-knitted wool caps of

the country and had the curious snake-like head

angles and the long, curving sidelock and thin,

beards of coarse hair that just distinguish these

strange, elf-like folk. Something in their broad

cheekbones and curious pale eyes suggests the

snake.

Mohammed-el-Suissi, my horse boy, told me

as he, pitched my tent that he did not like the

village or the people; "they were," he said,"not good Moslemin." As religious orthodoxy

was not one of Mohammed's strong points, I

did not worry much, but when Hassan-el-Askri,

my soldier muleteer, warned me to keep my

arms about me I realized that my Moors con

sidered that not even the law of desert hospi

tality was held inviolate among these folk .

There is, however, a brotherhood of initiates

of which I am a member, whose signs are rec-

ognized in many parts of the globe. Gesticu-

lation is a feature of polite Arabic conversation,

and I soon secured an answering sign from one

of the head-men of the tribe. Within half an_



212 A MODERN OCCULTISThour nobody in -that village would have dared to

steal the least of my belongings .

I had considerable difficulty in carrying on

my conversation as my Arabic, apart from ordi-

nary needs of travel, was weak and classical

rather than popular. The Berbers, too, always

spoke of these things in their own tongue, Shil-

luh, and none of my entourage being initiate I

had no interpreter .

My host was Sidi-el-Belarni, an old chieftain

who was also a shereef-=that is, a lineal de-

scendant of the Prophet and a person of sane-

' t i t y . He soon dropped the mask of orthodoxy

and conversed freely on the metaphysical side

of his cult. I found it easier to understand than

to converse with him, but gained an easier ap-

preciation as I got'used to it .

I stayed a second day in the village, as one

.of our animals was badly lamed and needed

rest, and took occasion to ask him concerning

the art of reviving the dead to temporary life

which the Berbers are commonly held to pos-

sess .

He made no objections to my questions, and,

to my delight, offered to give me a demonstra-





214 A MODERN OCCULTISTmore than a dried watercourse. At the head of

our little procession were two men with flaming

argan wood torches tied to long canes, behind

them came four men with long silver-decorated

Remington rifles, and then the little group of

sorceresses followed by myself and the elders .

The burial ground was a scanty clearing

among the scrub and dwarf oaks, and bushes

encroached upon the outer graves. Each tomb

was marked br a stone monolith or pillar,

rough-hewn, with a :knob at the top in pur-

suance of the Muslim custom. The graves

radiated in circles from the central - stone,

whereon fluttered little bundles of 'rags and

similar votive offerings .

We made our way to a recent grave, which

was rapidly opened by the men, disclosing, a

bare two feet beneath . the surface, the bent body

of a man buried in sitting posture . It was a

ghoul-like business and the whole air of the

graveyard carried the tainted scent of the

dreadful carrion they were unearthing .

In the meanwhile, the women were busy, and

.from behind the tombs brought forth skulls

which they anointed with some strange grease




and set on sticks in a circle round the central

altar.

At last the corpse, in its foul, -earth-stained -

wrappings, was exhumed and carried in a piece

of sheeting to the altar. The men who had

served as guards and grave diggers then with-

drew out of earshot, and the ceremonies began .

Fire was applied to the, circle of skulls and

they began to burn. I noticed that the eyes and

ear sockets were stuffed with old rags which

served as wicks for the unclean oil . They flared

smokily, sending off a foul-scented sooty smoke .

The women began to chant their monotonous

wailing rhymes, and their leader rocked to and

fro leading this strange chorus .

Suddenly a power seemed to come upon her

and she became frenzied, dancing round the

skull circle in time to the refrain, but undulat-

ing her body in a strange, snake-like manner .

Then she knelt down on the ground, and from

somewhere about her person produced some-

thing which she rubbed on her hands . At first

it resembled phosphorus, a quick, flickering,

faint blue light, but gradually it grew in

strength until streamers of blue flame, some six



216 ' A MODERN OCCULTISTinches long, seemed to project from her fingers

while her whole person seemed outlined in a

faint shape of flame .

From the ground she picked up a short length

of cane which in her grasp seemed to project

this blue emanation:hen with a final chorus

of evocation, she leapt upon the altar and knelt

astride of the dead man .

With quick passes, she ran her hands the

length of his slack limbs and then poised both

hands above the navel of the corpse, about afoot higher than the shroud.

The emanation curved down like a blue-green

waterfall of flame and seemed to enter the man .

Incredible as it may seem, the dead limbs slowly

began to stretch out jerkily, uneasily, as if

awaking, yet--instinct with a new vitality .

The ghastly, lolling head, stained with cor-

ruption and bound with the jaw bandage, began

to oscillate on the dreadful neck and the whole

corpse began to phosphoresce with a dull green

luminosity .

The chorus now ceased chanting and a small

fire was lighted on a cairn of stones . Fromthis certain objects were taken and placed in




the dead' man's hands . The fingers slowly

curled up and grasped them 1

The singing began again and the sorceress,

still across the body, took the cane she carried

and, breaking the bandage that bound the dead

man's jaw, inserted the end in his mouth.

Then making certain passes and signs with

her hands, she began to exhale deep breaths into

the body, seeming to make the mystic passes

as if to force the living breath down into the

dead, man's lungs .

Little by little life seemed to creep back into

that unholy shell . The dreadful contours of

death sunk back, the form became more human

and the motions not the strange jerky rigors of

the first part of the ceremony, but the very signs

o f l i f e .

The eyelids flickered and retracted, the dread-

ful drawn lips relaxed and in a minute or so the

dead man sat up in his cerements-and spoke .

Then followed the dread consultation_ of the

dead. It was evident from the awe and respect

with which he was addressed that he was treated

not as a reanimated individual, but as an august

visitant from another world .



218 AMODERN OCCULTISTThin, high and shrill, the usually coarse gnt

turals of the Shilluh tongue seemed strange

from I t s l i p s ., I suspected ventriloquy for a

while, but could see the slow movements of its

throat muscles and glottis and the rise and f a l l

of the shroud over the sunken abdomen.

Nevertheless it was sheer horror to listen to

and dreadful, monstrous to see .

I was only permitted to ask one question, and

I asked would my quest be successful. I re-

ceived an unequivocal answer that it would fail,

but not through my, fault, but because of the

will of the spirits of the departed and the curse

of the dead that hung over the city .

Incidentally this discounted the advice given

by other spirit communicants before the ex-

)edition was undertaken,-but later proved

true .

The ritual of re-dissolution was shorter but

far more terrible. Again the sorceress made

passes. The objects were taken from the hands

of the dead and slowly the life left the body,

which swelled and twitched as it returned to its

original state of terrible decomposition . Athin wailing chant seemed ` to symbolize the




Bight of the spirit back to its own realms .

I pressed unsuccessful inquiry concerning the

details of this astounding piece of necromancy

which was neither more nor less than that ter-

rible old mystery, the raising of the dead in the

f l e s h .

I could obtain no details of the objects placed

in the man's hands or the material used to

produce the astonishing outpouring of blue,

luminous matter .

So far as I could ascertain, the life force of

the sorceress herself entered the body, but the

ceremony of creating it was essential in com-

bination with the charms in the hands before

the spirit could return . -

Neither could I ascertain that it was the soul

of the departed or some other spirit that en-

tered into the reanimated corpse .

Some powerful communities are able, it is

said, to 'despatch these dreadful reanimated

dead on missions of evil. But their power only

lasts throughout' the night and fails at sun-

rise .

Here there is an undoubted suggestion of the'



220 A MODERN OCCULTISTpractical possibility of vampirism, but I could

not learn that these folk possess the lost art of

imprisoning a human or spirit soul within the

body of an animal. *

I am nevertheless convinced that among the

Berbers of North Africa will be found the key

to many legends that have come down to us

from our ancestors in Great Britain, and above

all I counsel those good folk who read the pleas-

a n t l i t t l e fake stories of pretty little fairies in

some of the magazines of what passes for popu-

lar occultism to abandon the delusion .

The term good folk is a paradox . They were

the demons o r , spirits of the unholy aborigines

working in contact with the savages themselves,

and it is good,-exceedingly good, that there are

no fairies loose in Britain to-day and that the-

art of summoning them is well-nigh lost .

This chapter completes all that I have to say

for the time being. There is in this book much

food for careful thought. Those who read i t

carefully will find in it keys to iiuch that has

*This practice is claimed to be possible of achievement byboth Finn and certain Red Indian wizards. But no factssusceptible of proof have ever been adduced .





Documents

The Adventures of a Modern Occultist-Oliver Bland-1920-234pgs-OCC