167. Seeing mediums are those who are endowed with the faculty of seeing spirits. There are some who possess this faculty in their normal state and when they are perfectly awake, and who preserve an exact recollection of what they have seen. Others only see spirits when they are in a somnambulic state, or one bordering on it. This faculty is rarely permanent; it is almost always the effect of a momentary and passing crisis. We may place in the category of seeing mediums all persons endowed with second sight. The possibility of seeing spirits in dreams, results, undoubtedly, from a sort of medianimity; but, properly speaking, it does not constitute the seeing medium." We have already explained this variety of mediums. (See Chap. VI - Visual Manifestations.)

The seeing medium thinks he sees with his bodily eyes, like those who have second sight, but it is in reality his soul that sees; which accounts for the fact that seeing mediums see with their eyes shut just as well as when they are open, and that a blind man can see spirits as well as a man possessed of eyesight. This seeing of spirits by blind men is a very interesting point; it would be important to ascertain whether this faculty is more common among the blind than among others. Spirits who had been blind during life have told us, after their death, that, when in the flesh, they had, through the soul, a perception of certain objects, so that they were not plunged in utter obscurity.

168. We must distinguish between the accidental and spontaneous sight of apparitions and the faculty of seeing mediums properly so called. The first is frequent, especially at the moment of the death of persons whom have been loved or known by us, and who come to tell us that they are no longer of this world. There are numberless examples of this nature as well as mention visions during sleep. At other times, relatives or friends who have been dead, as regards the flesh, for a longer or shorter time, appear to us, either to warn us against danger, to give us good counsel, or to ask of us a service. The service which a spirit asks is generally that something may be done which he was unable to accomplish before his death; or he may ask for the help of our prayers. The seeing of these apparitions is an isolated fact which has always an individual and personal character, and does not constitute a faculty, properly so called.

The faculty consists in the possibility, if not permanent, at least very frequent, of seeing any spirit who comes near us, even though a perfect stranger. It is this faculty which constitutes, strictly speaking, a seeing medium. Among seeing mediums, there are some who only see the spirits who are evoked, and of whom they are able to give minute descriptions; they describe, in detail, their gestures, expression, features, costume, and even the sentiments by which they appear to be animated. There are others with whom this faculty is more general, who perceive all the spirit population around us, and see spirits going and coming, and performing all the acts of their routine of life.

169. We once went to the Opera, when Oberon was being performed, in company with an excellent seeing medium. Many of the seats were vacant, but these were seen by the medium to be occupied by spirits who appeared to be attending closely to what was going on. Other spirits were seen to approach the spectators, and seemed to be listening to their conversation. Upon the stage, quite another scene was being enacted; behind the actors were several jovial looking spirits, who were amusing themselves by making grotesque imitations of their gestures; others, more seriously disposed, seemed to be influencing the actors, and endeavouring to inspire them with energy. One spirit remained all the evening close to one of the principal female singers; as it appeared to the medium, with somewhat questionable intentions. We evoked this spirit, during one of the interludes, and he came to us, and reproached us severely for our rash judgement of him. "I am not what you imagine", said he, "I am her spirit guide and protector; it is I who am charged to direct her." After some minutes of very serious conversation, he left us, saying: "Adieu! She is in her box; I must go and watch over her." We then evoked the spirit of Weber, and asked him what he thought of the execution of his work. "The performance is not bad;" he replied, "but it lacks energy; the actors sing, and that is all; there is no inspiration in their work. Wait a moment," he added, "I will try to give them a little of the sacred fire." He was then seen hovering over the stage; an effluence seemed to proceed from him and to envelope the actors, and a decided increase of energy was observable in their acting through the rest of the performance.

170. Here is another fact proving the influence that spirits exercise over men, without the latter being aware of it. We were one evening at a theatre, accompanied by another seeing medium. Having entered into conversation with a spirit spectator, the latter said to us: - "You see those two ladies who are alone in that box, in the first tier; I am going to make them leave the theatre!" No sooner had he said this, than he was perceived to enter the box in question and to speak to the two ladies, who had been very attentive to the performance, but who suddenly looked at each other, appeared to consult together, quitted their box, and did not return. The spirit then saluted us with a comic gesture, to show that he had kept his word; but we saw no more of him, and were therefore unable to ask him for an explanation of what he had done. We have often been a witness, in this way, to the part that spirits play among us; we have observed them in many of the places where men and women meet, at balls, concerts, sermons, funerals, weddings, etc.; and we have everywhere found that some of them were stimulating bad passions, fanning discord, exciting disputes, and rejoicing in their power for evil, while others, on the contrary, were seen combating this pernicious influence with counsels that were, alas! but rarely listened to.

171. The faculty of seeing spirits may doubtless be developed; but it is one of which it is wiser to await the natural development, without urging it, thus avoiding the danger of becoming the sport of our imagination. Where a faculty exists, it manifests itself spontaneously, sooner or later; and we should, as a rule, rest content with such power as God has given us, without seeking for what may be impossible, as by desiring too much, we risk the loss of what we have.

When we said that spontaneous apparitions frequently occur (No 107), we did not mean to assert that they are very common; as for seeing mediums, properly so called, they are comparatively rare, and we must always be on our guard with respect to those who claim to be such, and not admit anything short of positive proof in judging of such cases, we must take into consideration the character of the medium for morality and sincerity; but it is, above all, the details given by the seer that prove the genuineness of his vision. There are cases which leave absolutely no doubt in the mind; as, for instance, when a medium gives us, by description, an exact portrait of the spirit of someone whom he has not known in his life. The following fact speaks for itself.

A widow lady, whose deceased husband frequently communicated with her, found herself one day in company with a seeing medium who knew nothing of her or of her family, and who presently exclaimed: - "I see a spirit near you". "Ah!" replied the lady, "it is probably my husband, who hardly ever quits me."- "No",  said the medium, "it is a woman. She is no longer young; she wears a singular headdress; she has a white band over her forehead."

By this peculiarity, and by other descriptive details given by the medium, the lady fully recognised her grandmother, about whom she had not been thinking at the moment. If the medium had wished to simulate the faculty, he might easily have guessed the widow's thoughts; yet, instead of the husband of whom she was thinking, he saw a woman with a peculiar headdress, of which he could have had no idea. This fact proves, moreover, that what the medium saw was not a reflection of his own mind.