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
When one has succeeded in obtaining raps with contact, one of the
surest means of continuing to thus obtain them, is to keep the hands
resting on the table for a certain time, then to lift them _very
slowly_, keeping the palms turned downward toward the table, the
fingers loosely opened, but not held stiffly. It rarely happens under
such circumstances, that the raps do not continue to make themselves
heard, at least for some time. I need not add that the experimenters
should not only avoid touching the table with their hands, but even
with any other part of their bodies, or their clothes. The contact of
garments with the table may be sufficient to produce raps which have
in them nothing supernormal. It is necessary therefore to exercise
great care that the dresses of ladies do not come in contact with the
legs of the table. When the necessary precautions are used, the raps
sound in a very convincing way.
In the case of certain mediums, the energy set free is powerful enough
to act at a distance. I once happened to hear raps upon a table which
was almost six feet from the medium. We had had a very short sitting
and had left the table. I was reclining in an easy-chair; the medium,
standing, was conversing with me, when a series of raps was made upon
the table which we had just left. It was broad daylight in midsummer,
about five o'clock in the evening. The raps were forcible and lasted
for several minutes.
I have often observed facts of this kind. I happened once, while
travelling, to meet an interesting medium. He did not allow me to use
his name, but I may say that he is an honorable man, well informed,
occupying an official position. I obtained with him lively raps in
restaurants and in railway lunch counters. He did not suspect that he
possessed this latent faculty before he had experimented with me. To
have observed the raps produced under these conditions would have been
sufficient to convince anyone of their authenticity. The unusual noise
made by these raps attracted the attention of persons present and gave
us much annoyance. The result surpassed our expectations. It is to be
noted that the more we were confused with the noise made by our raps,
the more frequent they became. One would have said that some waggish
creature was producing them and amusing himself with our
embarrassment.
I also obtained fine raps upon the floors of museums before the
pictures of the old masters. The most common are those made, with
contact, upon the table or upon the floor; next, those made at a
distance upon various articles of furniture.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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