The San Francisco call., 1897-06-03
From the p'one Of architect Samuel Ne'csonp,I

often used by human souls of a rather
unprogressed type who are awake and
active on the lower levels OF The astr
world. In trance writing and speaking
more advanced souls are generally the
agents, and most OF these have lately
passed through death. In some cases
souls, still using physical bodies, will use
this means of communication with an in
structlve purpose in view, and occasion
ally but very rarely - inteliigences OF
superhuman power will thus utilize
medium OF an exceptionally pure nature.
The value of the communication made
must IN every case depend on the knowl-
edge OF the entity making it. and for the
most part the knowledge of those who use
the mediums is of a very limited charac-
ter. The human souls that press into the
seance-room to communicate with the
world they have quilted are generally
very little evolved, and what they have
to say is profoundly uninteresting;
limited TO very narrow range of the
astral world by their low grade of evoiu-
ton, they can imp part next 10 nothing as
TO its conditions. They gossip as they
gossiped here. and are as petty as they
were during earth life. The higher COM
munications can only be obtained where
fitting conditions are provided J. e.
where the medium is Of a good type,
where the stters are carefully selected,
where no low-class entity is permitted TO
communicate, where harmonious and
benevolent thoughts prevail. 1t must
always be remem bered that a communica-
ton gains nothing in value By coming
from the astral world, and if it be foolish
In itself It's source does not give it dignity.
Thus far every thoughtful spiritualst
friend will go hand in hand with me.
But they Will dissent from the next point
L regard the practice OF medium ship as
injurious alike to the medium, the sitte1s
and the departed souls affected by it,
First, as to the medium. TO be success
tul he must make himself passive and al
low himself to be played on by any astral
entity who comes along. The result is
the weakening of the i'll, a growing SEN
sltlveness 20 all external influences, an
increasing incapacity to defend himself
from being taken possession Of; his
nervous system suffers from the use made
OF 1t by beings of most varied magnet
lsms, and also from he wrenching apart
OF the dense and etheric parts of the phys
zeal body; the exhaustion caused In these
ways readily leads to q craving for stimu-
lants, and the weakened will is little able
To resist Hence the melanch DIV list of
mediums who have fallen victims to nery-
Gus diseases and to intemperance Fur
ther, the play upon his sensitive organ
ISM OF the mixed, often impure and often
hostile magnetlsms OF the sitters is dis
tinctly injurious, and he is sometimes hvp.
Noticed into the commission of frauds
without his mental consent or conscious
participation. If mediumship is to be
practiced at all, al least the medium should
De protected against these dangers by rigid
precautions.
Secondly, as to the stters. They sub
lect themselves, in proportion to their
psssivity, to u serious drain on their vi
tality; and, If sensitive, are very apt to
be directly affected by the lower types of
qOnlS u hn atfpud "a
has brought away from seance most
undesirable companion, difficult to shake
OIL, and have known person prosecuted
for weeks by a oepraved soul picked up
at a sesnce.
Thirdly, as to the departed souls. These
are dehnitely injured by their recall to the
world they have leil, being again en-
tangled in its interests and prevented
from passing peacefully onward. When
the soul has once shaken off he BODY il
may be safely reached by those who
can follow it into the superphY-
SicaI state, but ought not to be
dragged back to earth. liz it be of a
pure type 1t will, If lett undisturbed. pass
easily through the intermediate state
ana quickly reach heaven, whereas if il De
drawn back to the earth lis progress NAV
be indefinitely delayed
souls OF lower type who in any case
remain within the earth's atmosphere for
time should be helped out of II as
quickly as may be-not retained and hin
dered. Souls OF the worst type when
allowed TO manifest in the seance-room
ind the very opportunity in which thew
delight, gladly obsess the medium or
any sensitive sitter, and thereby incur adj
ditional responsibilities, adding to a bur-
den already sufficiently heavy.
When to this it is added that the de.
parted souls cannot act through mediums
after they leave the intermediate state
and that only undeveloped souls seek for
opportunity of such communication
through ordinary mediums while in that
state, there seems sufficient reason for
avoiding seances.
Exception may, however be made when
the initiative is taken by some departed
soul who is retained in the earth atmos-
phere by some anxiety or undischarged
liability pertaining 10 mundane affairs.
In such case the soul itself will urgently
seek to communicate, and as it is held
back from pursuing its onward path by