Mysterious Psychic Forces: An Account of the Author's Investigations in Psychical Research, Together with Those of Other European Savants — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Mysterious Psychic Forces: An Account of the Author's Investigations in Psychical Research, Together with Those of Other European Savants
John Stuart Mill · en
TWELFTH CLASS: _Special Instances which seem to point to the Agency of
an Exterior Intelligence._--It has already been shown that the
phenomena are governed by an intelligence. It becomes a question of
importance as to the source of that intelligence. Is it the
intelligence of the medium, of any of the other persons in the room,
or is it an exterior intelligence? Without wishing at present to speak
positively on this point, I may say that whilst I have observed many
circumstances which appear to show that the will and intelligence of
the medium have much to do with the phenomena, I have observed some
circumstances which seem conclusively to point to the agency of an
outside intelligence, not belonging to any human being in the room.
Space does not allow me to give here all the arguments which can be
adduced to prove these points, but I will briefly mention one or two
circumstances out of many.
I have been present when several phenomena were going on at the same
time, some being unknown to the medium. I have been with Miss Fox when
she has been writing a message automatically to one person present,
whilst a message to another person on another subject was being given
alphabetically by means of "raps," and the whole time she was
conversing freely with a third person on a subject totally different
from either.
Perhaps a more striking instance is the following:
During a _seance_ with Mr. Home, a small lath, which I have before
mentioned, moved across the table to me, in the light, and delivered a
message to me by tapping my hand, I repeating the alphabet, and the
lath tapping me at the right letters. The other end of the lath was
resting on the table, some distance from Mr. Home's hands.
The taps were so sharp and clear, and the lath was evidently so well
under control of the invisible power which was governing its
movements, that I said, "Can the intelligence governing the motion of
this lath change the character of the movements, and give me a
telegraphic message through the Morse alphabet by taps on my hand?" (I
have every reason to believe that the Morse code was quite unknown to
any other person present, and it was only imperfectly known to me.)
Immediately I said this, the character of the taps changed, and the
message was continued in the way I had requested. The letters were
given too rapidly for me to do more than catch a word here and there,
and consequently I lost the message; but I heard sufficient to
convince me that there was a good Morse operator at the other end of
the line, wherever that might be.