220. The medianimic faculty is subject to intermittence and temporary suspension, both as regards writing and all other modes of spirit-manifestation. In regard to this subject the questions addressed by us to spirits have elicited the following replies: -

 

1. Can the medianimic faculty be lost?

"That often happens, whatever may be the specialty of the faculty; but the interruption is more frequently of short duration, and ceases with the cause that produced it."

 

2. Is that cause the exhaustion of the medium's fluid?

"Whatever may be the faculty possessed by a medium he can do nothing without the sympathetic concurrence of spirits; when he obtains nothing, it is not always his faculty that is at fault, for it often happens that spirits will not, or cannot, make use of him."

 

3. What are the causes that lead spirits to abandon a medium?

"Good spirits are mainly influenced, in regard to a medium, by the use he makes of his faculty. We abandon the medium who uses his faculty for frivolities, or for the furtherance of ambitious designs, or if he refuses the exercise of his faculty for the convincing of those who seek his aid, or who need to witness our manifestations in order to acquire conviction. God has not granted this faculty to a medium merely for his own pleasure, and, still less, to subserve his ambition, but as a means of aiding his own advancement and that of his fellow men. If a spirit sees that a medium no longer subserves his intentions, and does not profit by his instructions and advice, he withdraws from him, and seeks some one more worthy of his assistance."

 

4. Is not the place of the spirit who withdraws often filled by another? And, if so, how are we to understand the suspension of the medium's faculty?

"There is no lack of spirits who ask nothing better than to communicate, and who are quite ready to take the place of those who withdraw; but, when the spirit who leaves a medium is a good one, he sometimes quits him only for a moment, depriving him, for a certain time, of all communication, in order to give him a lesson, and to show him that the exercise of his faculty does not depend on himself; and should not be regarded by him as a thing to be vain of. This temporary powerlessness also serves to prove to the medium that he writes under an influence foreign to himself, as, were it otherwise, there would be no discontinuance of the impulsion.

 

"But this interruption of the medianimic faculty is not always a punishment; it is sometimes due to the spirit's solicitude for the health of his medium, to whom he wishes to give a rest that he sees to be necessary to his physical well-being; and, when this is the case, he allows no other spirits to take his place."

 

5. Nevertheless, we sometimes see mediums of great moral worth, and who are in no need of rest, abandoned by their spirit-friends, and much distressed by these suspensions of their faculty, which they are quite unable to account for.

"In such cases, the suspension occurs as a trial of their patience and constancy; it is for the same reason that spirits rarely assign any fixed time for the duration of such interruptions of medianimity. Such suspensions, moreover, are sometimes useful by giving the medium time for thinking over the communications already made to him. It is by the use a medium makes of our instructions that we recognise those who are really worthy of our assistance; we cannot regard as such the experimenters who regard our manifestations only as an amusing curiosity."

 

6. In such a case, should the medium still endeavour to write?

"Yes, if the spirit advises him to do so; but if he tells him to abstain, he should cease the attempt, until some sign from the spirit announces the end of the suspension.

 

7. Is there any way of abridging such a trial?

"Resignation and prayer are the only means to which you can resort under such circumstances. All you can do is to make the attempt each day, but only for a few minutes at a time, as it would be unwise to lose time and strength in fruitless efforts.

The attempt should be made simply with a view to ascertaining whether the faculty is recovered or not."

 

8. The suspension of the medianimic faculty does not, then, always imply the withdrawal of the spirits who habitually communicate with the medium?

"Not in the least, then the medium is in the position of one who is suffering from an momentary attack of blindness, and would not be less surrounded by his friends, although he does not see them. The medium therefore can, and should, continue to communicate by thought with his familiar spirits, and may feel assured that he is heard by them. The loss of medianimity deprives the medium of ostensible communication with his spirit-friends, but it cannot deprive him of mental communication with them."

 

9. The interruption of the medianimic faculty, then, does not necessarily imply displeasure on the part of the spirits who usually communicate through a medium?

"By no means, for, on the contrary, it may be a proof of their consideration and kindness for him."

 

10. How can we find out when such interruptions are caused by their displeasure?

"Let the medium examine his conscience; let him ask himself what use he has made of his faculty, what good others have derived from it, what profit he himself has derived from the counsels he has received from his spirit-friends, and he will hardly have much difficulty in ascertaining that point."

 

11. When the medium finds himself unable to write, may he not have recourse to some other medium?

"That depends on the cause of the interruption. A spirit, after having given you counsel, often leaves you for some time without communications, in order that you may not get into the habit of consulting us incessantly, and especially in regard to the details of your earthly life; when we have left a medium on this account, he will get nothing satisfactory through the aid of any other medium. And these suspensions are sometimes intended to subserve yet another end, viz., to prove to you that spirits are free agents, and are not to be made to come at your beck and call; and for the same reason, those who are not mediums, do not always succeed in learning all that they desire to know."

 

12. To what end has Providence endowed certain individuals with special medianimic faculties?

"Mediumship is a mission, and should always be exercised as such. Mediums are the interpreters between spirits and men."

 

13. But there are some mediums who only use their faculties with reluctance?

"They are imperfect mediums; they know not the worth of the favour accorded them."

 

14. If mediumship is a mission, why is it not the exclusive privilege of good men, and why is this faculty so often possessed by persons who are far from estimable, and who make a bad use of it?

"It is given to them precisely because they need it for their own improvement, and in order that they may be open to good counsels; if they do not profit by the gift, they must bear the consequences of their unfaithfulness. Did not Jesus address his teaching specially to sinners?"

 

15. When those who have an earnest desire to write as mediums, find themselves unable to do so, should they conclude that there is a want of kindly feeling towards them on the part of spirits?

"No, for this faculty may be lacking in their organisation, just as may be that of poetry or of music; but the lack of this faculty may be compensated by the possession of some other one, equally valuable."

 

16. How is a man to benefit by the teaching of spirits, if he has not the means, either of himself or through other mediums, of receiving this teaching directly?

"Has he not books, as the Christian has the Gospel? In order to practise the morality taught by Jesus, it is not necessary for the Christian to have actually heard Him utter the words in which He embodied it."