187. Mediums may be divided into two principal orders:

 

PHYSICAL MEDIUMS: those who have the power of obtaining physical manifestations (No 160).

Intellectual mediums; those who are more especially apt for receiving and transmitting intelligent communications (No 65 et seq).

 

All the other varieties belong to one or other of these two categories; some belong to both. If we analyse the different manifestations obtained through medianimic influence, we shall see that there is, in all of them, a physical effect, and that, with the physical effect, there is usually combined an intelligent effect. It is sometimes difficult to establish a line of demarcation between the two; but this is of no practical consequence. We include, under the denomination of intellectual mediums, those who are specially able to serve as intermediaries for the transmission of regular and continuous communications (No 133).

 

188. Varieties common to all species of medianimity

 

SENSITIVE MEDIUMS: persons who feel the presence of spirits by a peculiar impression, general or local, vague or decided. Most of these distinguish good or evil spirits by the nature of the impression caused by them (No 164).

"Mediums who are very sensitive and delicate should abstain from communicating with violent spirits, or with those who cause painful impressions, on account of the fatigue which results from such communication."

 

NATURAL AND UNCONSCIOUS MEDIUMS:  those who call forth the phenomena spontaneously, without any action of their will, and for the most part unconsciously (No 161).

 

VOLUNTARY MEDIUMS: those who have the power of calling forth the phenomena by an act of their will (No 160).

"However strong may be their will, they can, however, do nothing if the spirits refuse to co-operate with them; which proves that the phenomena are the result of the intervention of a power exterior to the medium."

 

189. Special varieties of Physical Mediums

 

RAPPING MEDIUMS: those by whose influence noises and raps are produced. A very common variety of medianimity, whether voluntary or involuntary.

 

MOTOR MEDIUMS:  those who produce the movement of inert bodies. These, also, are very common (No 61).

 

MEDIUM FOR DISPLACEMENT AND SUSPENSIONS[1]: those who obtain the displacement of inert bodies, and their suspension in the air without any visible prop. There are some who are thus raised themselves, but these are very rare.

 

MEDIUMS FOR MUSICAL EFFORTS: these obtain the playing of certain instruments without human contact. Also very rare (No 74, quest. 24).

 

MEDIUMS FOR APPARITIONS: those who obtain apparitions, whether fluidic or tangible, which are visible to lookers on. Very exceptional (No 100, quest. 27; No 104)

 

MEDIUMS FOR THE TRANSPORT OF OBJECTS: those who are employed by spirits as auxiliaries in bringing objects to a circle. Exceptional  (No 96).

 

NOCTURNAL MEDIUMS:  those who only obtain certain physical effects in the dark.

Here is the answer of a spirit to our inquiry as to whether such mediums should be considered as forming a separate variety:

"This form of medianimity may certainly be spoken of as a specialty, although the necessity of darkness has to do rather with surrounding conditions than with the nature of the medium, or with that of the manifesting spirits; for, in fact, some of these mediums get over this peculiar necessity, and the greater number of those who are mediums only in the dark could, by exercise, obtain the same manifestations in the light. There are but few of this variety of mediums; and we feel bound to point out that this peculiar form of medianimity offers a wide field for trickery, ventriloquism, acoustic tubes, &c., enabling charlatans to play upon credulity, and to pocket money. But jugglers in rooms, like jugglers in public halls, will be unmasked in the long run, and spirits will show them that it is not prudent for pretenders to intermeddle with their work. There are charlatans who will by and by get such raps on their knuckles as will disgust them with playing at medianimity; it is only a question of time.

ERASTES

 

PNEUMATOPGRAPHIC MEDIUMS: those who obtain direct writing. This is a very rare phenomenon, and one easily imitated (No 177).

 

Remark - Our spirit-guides have insisted, contrary to our opinion, in placing direct writing in the order of physical phenomena, because, according to them,

"Intelligent effects are those for the production of which the spirit makes use of the medium's brain, which is not done in the production of direct writing; the action of the medium, in this case, being altogether physical, while, in the case of the writing, medium, though the action may be merely mechanical, the medium's brain always takes an active part in it."

 

HEALING MEDIUMS:  those who have the power of curing disease or relieving pain  by the imposition of hands or by prayer.

"This faculty is not essentially medianimic; it appertains to all true believers, whether mediums or not; it is often only a super-excitement of the mesmeric power, strengthened, in case of need, by the co-operation of benevolent spirits" (No 175).

 

DEVELOPING MEDIUMS: persons who, by their influence, have the power of developing the faculties of medianimity in others.

"This is rather an effect of animal magnetism than a fact of medianimity properly so called, for there is in it nothing that proves the intervention of a spirit. At all events it may be classed under the bead of physical effects." (See Part Second, Chap. XVII, Formation of Mediums).

 

190. Mediums for intellectual effects - Different aptitudes

 

HEARING MEDIUMS: those who hear spirits. Very common. (No 165).

"There are many who fancy they hear what is only in their imagination."

 

SPEAKING MEDIUMS: those who speak under the influence of spirits. These are very common (No 166).

 

SEEING MEDIUMS: those who see spirits when awake. An accidental and fortuitous sight of a spirit under some peculiar circumstances is very frequent; but the habitual view of spirits at will, and without distinction, is exceptional (No 167).

"This is an aptitude to which the normal state of the human organism is opposed; for this reason it is prudent not to accord a too ready belief to those who say that they see spirits."

Inspirational mediums; those to whom thoughts are suggested by spirits, most frequently without their being aware of it; whether in regard to the things of their everyday life, or to their intellectual labours (No 182).

 

PRESIENT MEDIUMS:  persons, who, under certain circumstances, have a vague intuition of future events in the domain of ordinary life (No 184).

 

PROPHETIC MEDIUMS: these are a variety of the inspired mediums, or of presentient mediums; they receive, by God's permission, and with more precision than do the presentient mediums, the pre-announcement of future things of general interest, which they are charged to predict for the enlightenment of mankind.

"Though there are true prophets, there are many more false ones, who mistake the dreams of their imagination for revelations, when they are not pretenders passing themselves off from ambition, for what they are not" (See The Spirit's Book, No. 624,Characteristics of the true Prophet).

 

SOMNAMBULIST MEDIUMS: those who, when in a somnambulic state, are assisted by spirits (No 172).

 

TRANCE MEDIUMS: those who receive revelations from spirits when in a state of trance.

"Many ecstatics are the sport of their own imaginations, and of deceitful spirits, who take advantage of their state of mental excitement. Ecstatics worthy of entire confidence are extremely rare."

 

PAINTING AND DRAWING MEDIUMS: those who paint and draw under the influence of spirits. We are speaking of those whose medianimically produced works are worthy of attention, for we cannot apply this designation to mediums who, under the influence of mocking spirits, obtain absurd productions that would disgrace the merest schoolboy.

Frivolous spirits are often imitators; when some very remarkable drawings of scenes in Jupiter[2] first appeared, there arose a vast number of pretended drawing mediums, through whom mocking spirits produced the most ridiculous things. One of them, desirous of eclipsing the drawings referred to, in dimensions, if not in quality, made a medium draw a picture filling so vast a number of sheets of paper as to attain the height of two storeys of a house. A number of other mediums were made to draw what claimed to be portraits, but which were mere caricatures (Revue Spirite, August, 1858)..

 

MUSICAL MEDIUMS: those who execute, compose, or write music, under the influence of spirits. They are mechanical, semi-mechanical, intuitive, and inspired; as are the mediums for literary communications (See Mediums for musical effects)