Metapsychical Phenomena: Methods and Observations — John Shaqi
Metapsychical Phenomena: Methods and ObservationsMaxwell, J. (Joseph)
Philosophy
Metapsychical Phenomena: Methods and Observations
Maxwell, J. (Joseph)
Parapsychology -- Investigation
With certain mediums the energy liberated is great enough to act at
a distance. I once heard raps upon a table which was nearly six feet
away from the medium. On that occasion we had had a very short seance,
and had left the table. I was seated in an armchair, the medium was
standing by, talking to me, when a shower of raps suddenly resounded
upon the table we had just left. The experimenters are all personally
known to me, and I am persuaded that they are above suspicion;
but this circumstance is quite insufficient in itself to entail a
favourable conclusion of the phenomenon, for I cannot too strongly
put experimenters on their guard against blindly confiding in their
neighbours. Serious experimenters should exclude all susceptibility
amongst themselves, and agree beforehand that reciprocal verification
and control will be freely exercised without any one taking offence.
In the case I am speaking of, the table on which the raps were heard
was about six feet away from the medium and myself; it was daylight,
towards five o’clock on a summer’s afternoon; the table had never been
touched by the medium or the experimenters before the seance; the raps
were loud, and were heard for several minutes.
I have had several opportunities of observing facts of this kind. Once,
when travelling, I came across a medium among my fellow-travellers.
He has not given me permission to name him, but I may say he is an
honourable, highly-educated gentleman, occupying an official position.
He had no suspicion of his latent faculties before experimenting with
me. I obtained with him loud raps in buffets and restaurants. It would
suffice to observe these raps produced under the conditions this medium
offered me, to be convinced of their genuineness. The unusual noise
attracted the attention of persons present and greatly embarrassed us:
the result surpassed our expectations, for the more we were confused by
the noise of our raps, the louder they became; it was as though some
one of a teasing turn of mind was amusing himself at our expense.
I have also heard, when in company with a medium, some very fine raps
given on the floor in museums before the works of old masters, and
especially before religious pictures. I particularly remember the
intensity of certain raps I once heard when standing before a painting
representing the burial of Christ,—the work of a celebrated artist.
I also heard some fine raps in a house which is celebrated as having
been the last home of a famous writer; in the room in which he died,
the raps were so loud as to attract the suspicious attention of the
guardian.
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