Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-03

| NsSMI p mzsslf to a tefl f h% p my
! own experie C e
something Of the conditions through which
| spirits operate. 'ts9~
| I confess / made this venture in nowise
hilarious and scarcely cheerful frame of
mind. / had before me very clear picture
of the awful "dweller on the THRESHOLD
that according to Zanoni bars the progress
| Of the intruder in the spiritual world. Then
| Annie Besant once personally warned me
against toying with occult forces without
| a previous prepare tion of protracted self
| denial and profound study. l felt very
! much like Eve about to so on an excur-
sion with the serpent as 1 rang at my
! developing mediums door.
| A colored boy opened the door, and
| simultaneously there appeared from one
| side and the opposite end two silent wide
| eyed women. They just appeared-nothing
more; appeared and stood there. They
| looked alive, yet l was by no means GER
| tain of this until one spoke, suggesting that
| 1 send my card to the medium, for whom
| 1 had asked. CHANGING up, I then dis
| covered another apparition at the head Of
| the stairs. 1t was the medium herself.
| reckoning me to ascend. The swift still,
automatic suddenness with which these
| thiee figures came into view was like the
phantasmagoric stage setting of the Black
| Crook, or DEVILS Auction. 1t puzzled me,
| but not more than the personality Of the
| medium, as l sat down to visit with her.
The Medium.
A woman Of about fifty-fve years, she
was characterized by perfect refinement.
| and decided force both Of will and intel
| lect, that commanded ones respect and a
| certain liking Her face was chalky white
| and deeply furroYed. Her eyes had the
| direct gaze of once who knows herself, and
| has nothing to cohceaR
II have been a hediam all my hfe," she
| said; from a little child l have both seen
and heard in the ispirie world. l spent two
years in the homie ofsMadame Blavatsky,
| her daily associate ana pupil But Helen
! Blavatsky could teach me nothing. All
that she knew had n early youth been
taught me by my 'cGntror Of the spirit
Taught you hd@y' 7 asked.
Taught by impressions and Voices.
Sometimes by impressions conveyed to
my mind as whehI have been made aware
| of the substance Of bopks written in unfa-
miliar languages. But more often, by voices
| that address nsyt ear. Sometimes these
voices seem to be In nay own head. Again
| they sound as If some one were speaking
! beside me. They always speak at my left
| side. Frequently, when persons are talking
| to me, l am greatly confused by these
| spirit voices contradicting what is being
said to me. For instance, the other cay, a
! wealthy woman came to me in disguise
| and was telling me story that enlisted my
sympathieS when Crow, NY Indian control
| spoke at my elbow saying: Don't you be-
! lieve her, Medic; she's lying to you; she's
| lying to you l tried to pay no attention
! to him, but he was persistent finally, 1
| said to her. My control" tells me you are
| lying to me. She broke down crying and
| owned that II was So"
i n; rlNaI r
what Crow might be informing her about
| me. However. l spoke the truth when 1
| said: Il have been told that am medium
istic myself. Is medium necessarily
clairvoyant?"
No." she answered.
'"They usually are, but as you sit in the
circle this evening you will be able to de-
termine just what form your mediumistic
powers take"
With vital Forces.
There was a rap at the door, and three
! women entered-a mother and two daugh-
| tiers. The latter were honest, simple looking
girls. despite their badly drug stored hair;
the mother, stolid. stupid and serious in ap
pearance. Following close upon these came
| two others-one a sweet-faced woman, with
| sad questioning eyes. The other made me
sorry i had come myself. She was not ex-
actly monster, though suggesting to me
| the hunchback Of Notre Dame Her head
| was drawn over to one side; her face bright,
smiling. was marked by the most imperson>
| al eyes 1 ever saw. A table was then
| brought ina small table mounted on glass
feet. "Ah," said one of them, Il am glad
| you have an insulated table. 1t holds the
magnetism so much better"
Yes, rejoined the medium, ut Is a great
! pity we do not all wear shoes that insulate
us in the same way. Our vital forces would
| be so much greater"
1T is odd" said the woman with the
twisted neck, how little is generally under
stood of the natural harmonles that affect
us. Do you KNOW" addressing me, that
certain metals and certain precious stones
antagonize or aid the powers of the person
wearing them?'
1 owned that I did not know this, but
| the developing medium instanced how she
had been cured of rheumatism acting on
the advice of her control who told her
that pair Of silver bracelets she wore
constantly liked the disease upon her.
Being Developed.
When we had drawn our chairs around
the table the medium who was to develop
us said she would not sit In the circle.
because the superior means she offered
would draw all spirit communications from
us to her. How are you accustomed to
sit," she asked, with or without lght3
1 like light myself she said, very de-
cidedly, and that settled 1t. To my great
relief we had light, turned down, how
ever. we all put our hands on the table s
scared L couldn't drawa long breath. The
medium had placed herself directly be-
hind me and was informing something in
Hindostanee that sent cold chills chasing
up and down my back Then she laid her
hand on my headp and said my prayers.
Scripture was verified. The prayers Of the
righteous did avail. She gave me up for
the time, and passed on to the girl beside
me- whose hand and arm were twitching
in a most horrible manner. This girl was
clearly good subject The medium, still
delivering her stranger incarnation, rubbed
the girls head down her spine-rubbing
hard between her shoulders and at the
| small of the back. Then her white bony
fingers tapped the girls hand that was
jumping about in a way impossible to de-
scribe. At the opposite end of the table the
old woman with the twisted neck was not
an altogether cheerful spectacle in the half
light Her eyes were shut, her head rolled,
her fingers twitched, her arms jerked. If
l could have made use of a fire escape
would have lost no time In doing so. When