Mysterious Psychic Forces: An Account of the Author's Investigations in Psychical Research, Together with Those of Other European SavantsFlammarion, Camille
Philosophy
Mysterious Psychic Forces: An Account of the Author's Investigations in Psychical Research, Together with Those of Other European Savants
Flammarion, Camille
Parapsychology -- Investigation; Spiritualism
During the last six months Miss Cook has been a frequent visitor at my
house, remaining sometimes a week at a time. She brings nothing with
her but a little hand-bag, not locked. During the day she is
constantly in the presence of Mrs. Crookes, myself, or some other
member of my family, and, not sleeping by herself, there is absolutely
no opportunity for any preparation even of a less elaborate character
than would be required for enacting Katie King. I prepare and arrange
my library myself as the dark cabinet, and usually, after Miss Cook
has been dining and conversing with us, and scarcely out of our sight
for a minute, she walks directly into the cabinet, and I, at her
request, lock its second door, and keep possession of the key all
through the seance. The gas is then turned out, and Miss Cook is left
in darkness.
On entering the cabinet, Miss Cook lies down upon the floor, with her
head on a pillow, and is soon entranced. During the photographic
seance, Katie muffled her medium's head up in a shawl to prevent the
light falling upon her face. I frequently drew the curtain on one side
when Katie was standing near, and it was a common thing for the seven
or eight of us in the laboratory to see Miss Cook and Katie at the
same time, under the full blaze of the electric light. We did not on
these occasions actually see the face of the medium because of the
shawl, but we saw her hands and feet; we saw her move uneasily under
the influence of the intense light, and we heard her moan
occasionally. I have one photograph of the two together, but Katie is
seated in front of Miss Cook's head.
During the time I took an active part in these seances Katie's
confidence in me gradually grew, until she refused to give a seance
unless I took charge of the arrangements. She said she always wanted
me to keep close to her, and near the cabinet, and I found that after
this confidence was established, and she was satisfied I would not
break any promise I might make to her, the phenomena increased greatly
in power, and tests were freely given that would have been
unobtainable had I approached the subject in another manner. She often
consulted me about persons present at the seances, and where they
should be placed, for of late she had become very nervous, in
consequence of certain ill-advised suggestions that force should be
employed as an adjunct to more scientific modes of research.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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