226 - (1). Does the development of medianimity depend on the moral development of the medium?
"No; strictly speaking, the medianimic faculty depends on the organism, and is independent of the moral nature. This, however, is not the case as regards the use made of medianimity, which may be good or bad, according to the moral qualities of the medium."
(2). It has always been asserted that the medianimic faculty is a gift of God, a grace, a favour; why, then, is it not the exclusive privilege of the good, and why is it bestowed on persons who are unworthy of it, and misuse it?
"All faculties are favours for which you should be grateful; but you might just as well ask why God grants good eyesight to malefactors, sharp wits to sharpers, eloquence to men who use it for evil purposes. It is the same in regard to medianimity; unworthy persons are often endowed with it, because they need it more than others, and in order that it may aid their improvement. Do you suppose that God refuses the means of amendment to the wicked? On the contrary, He multiplies those means about them at every step; He places them in their hands; it is for those to whom they have been given to profit by them. Was not Judas endowed, as an apostle, with apostolic gifts? God permitted him to be thus endowed, that he might afterwards see more clearly the odiousness of his treason."
(3). Will mediums who misuse their faculty suffer in consequence?
"They will be punished doubly, because they possess, beyond others, the means of enlightenment. He who, having the use of his eyes, fails to follow the right road, is judged otherwise than the blind man who falls into a ditch."
(4). Some mediums receive communications spontaneously, and almost constantly, on the same subject; on moral questions, for example, or certain faults. Is this allowed to occur for any special object?
"Yes; for their own enlightenment in regard to the subject so frequently treated of; and to cure them of the faults thus pointed out. It is to this end that spirits constantly speak, to one, of pride, to another, of charity; for there are natures that need this incessant repetition of warning and advice to open their eyes to a perception of their own defects. The medium who misuses his faculty through ambition or selfishness, or who disgraces it by some glaring fault, such as vanity, egotism, levity, etc., is sure to receive, from time to time, warnings from the spirits about him; but unfortunately, he often fails to take such warnings to himself."
Remark - Spirits are often extremely cautious in their remonstrances, and make them indirectly, in order to leave the greater merit to him who profits by their homilies. But there are persons so blinded by pride and self-conceit as not to recognise their own portrait, even when placed before their very eyes; nay, more, if a spirit gives them to understand that the picture is meant for them, they get angry, which shows that spirits are right to act with caution in their endeavours to moralise those to whom they address themselves.
(5). But are there not cases in which a homily is thus dictated to a medium in a general way, without its being intended for him; and in which he merely serves as an instrument for the instruction of others?
"Undoubtedly; the advice we give is often intended for others, whom we can only address through the intermediary of the medium, but he, too, might sometimes reap benefit from the lesson, if he were willing to do so, although you are right in assuming that the medianimic faculty is intended, not merely for the moral improvement of the medium himself, but for that of all mankind. We regard a medium as an instrument, and we prize him as such, but without regarding him as being individually of any more importance than other people; and accordingly, as we give our teachings for the general good, we make use, indifferently, of any medium who offers us the requisite organic conditions. But you may be very sure that the time will come when good mediums will be so common, that superior spirits will be able to choose their instruments, and will no longer make use of mediums of inferior mental and moral advancement, merely because of their medianimic organism."
(6). Since the moral goodness of a medium keeps away imperfect spirits, how is it that false or unseemly statements are sometimes transmitted through a medium who is morally good?
"Can you look into all the recesses of a medium's soul? Though not vicious, he may still be frivolous, or may be but imperfectly cured of some defect; and he may need an occasional lesson to keep him on his guard."
(7). How is it that superior spirits permit persons endowed with great medianimic power, and who might therefore do much good, to be the instruments of error?
"Spirits try to influence all mediums for good; but when mediums persist in following a wrong road, we leave them to themselves. We use mediums of slight moral advancement, but reluctantly, and from lack of better ones; for we know that truth cannot be duly transmitted by a liar."
(8). Is it absolutely impossible to obtain good communications through a medium but little advanced in point of morality?
"Such a medium may sometimes obtain good communications, because, if possessed of good medianimic faculties, the higher spirits may use him, as we have just said, under particular circumstances, or for want of a better; but they will only make a momentary use of him, and will give him up as soon as they find another whose moral qualities suit them better."
Remark - It is to be observed, that, when superior sprits see a medium becoming, through his moral delinquencies, the prey of deceitful spirits, they almost always bring about incidents which show up his faultiness, and thus prevent serious and well-intentioned inquirers from being taken in by him. In such a case, however great may be the faculty of the medium, his exposure is not to be regretted.
(9). What are the qualities that would constitute a perfect medium?
"Perfect? Alas! You well know that perfection is not to be found upon the earth; and that, moreover, if it were, you would not be in it! Say, rather, a good medium; and that is saying a good deal, for 'good mediums' are rare. The 'perfect' medium would be one whom evil spirits would not even dare to attempt to deceive; the best your earth can furnish at present is he, who, sympathising only with good spirits, is least often deceived."
(10). If a medium sympathises only with good spirits, why do they allow him to be deceived?
"Good spirits sometimes permit deception to be practised even on the best mediums, in order to exercise their judgement, and to teach them to discern the true from the false and besides, however good a medium may be, he is never so perfect that he has not some weak point which lays him open to attack; and so he now and then gets a lesson. The false communications which he receives from time to time are warnings not to think himself infallible, and not to give way to pride; for the medium who obtains the most admirable communications has no more reason to be proud of them than an organ-grinder who should grind out the most splendid music by merely turning the handle of some unusually well-constructed barrel organ."
(11). What are the best conditions for ensuring the correct transmission of the communications of superior spirits?
"Good intentions, and the renunciation of selfishness and pride; both these conditions are essential."
(12). If the communications of superior spirits can only be correctly transmitted to us under conditions so difficult to secure, does not this difficulty constitute an obstacle to the propagation of truth?
"No; for light always comes to those who are willing to receive it. The darkness you have to dissipate results from impurity of heart. Get rid of pride, cupidity, uncharitableness, and good spirits will help you to light, even without the aid of ostensible medianimity.
"Let all who, not having a medium at hand, are desirous to obtain enlightenment, use their own reason in learning more and more of the infinite power and wisdom of the Creator; they will thus give the best evidence of their sincerity, and that sincerity will ensure to them the occult assistance of spirits of high degree."
227. Although a medium, as such, is only an instrument, he nevertheless exercises a very considerable influence on the communications from the spirit-world. The communicating spirit is obliged, in order to communicate, to identify himself with the spirit of the medium; and as this identification can only take place in proportion to the sympathy, the "affinity," to borrow the expression of Erastes, existing between them, it follows that the soul of the medium attracts or repels disincarnate spirits, according to the degree of their similitude or dissimilitude. Thus good mediums attract good spirits, and bad mediums attract evil spirits; because the moral qualities of the medium necessarily determine the kind of spirits who communicate through his medianimity. If a medium is vicious, inferior spirits come around him in crowds, taking the place of the good spirits who may have been evoked. The qualities t attract good spirits are kindness, good-will, single-mindedness, love of the neighbour, and detachment from earthly things; the defects that repel them are pride, vanity, selfishness, envy, jealousy, hatred, greed, sensuality, and all the passions by which man attaches himself to matter.
228. All moral imperfections are so many open doors, giving access to evil spirits; but what brings us most often under their influence is pride, because it is the defect which of all others we are least apt to recognise in ourselves. Pride has been the ruin of numbers of mediums endowed with the highest faculties, and who, but for that defect, might have become equally remarkable and useful; instead of which, their pride having subjected them to the domination of deceptive spirits, their medianimic faculties have been first perverted, then annihilated, and, in more than one instance, such mediums have brought upon themselves the most humiliating retribution.
Pride shows itself in mediums by unequivocal signs, to which it is all the more necessary to draw attention, because it is the defect which, more than any other is fatal to the veracity of their communications. Pride puffs them up with a blind confidence in the superiority of the communications obtained by them and in the infallibility of the spirit from whom they emanate; and leads them to disdain whatever does not come through their own medianimity, and to look upon themselves as having a monopoly of truth. Dazzled by the great names unscrupulously assumed by the spirits who communicate through them, their self-love prevents them from seeing that they are deceived, and causes them to repel all advice, and to keep away from everyone who might open their eyes to the reality of their position. Even should they condescend to listen to advice, they pay no attention to it, and resent as a profanation the suggestion of a doubt as to the excellence of their familiar spirit. They are offended by contradiction or criticism, detest those who warn them of their delusion, and gradually withdraw into an isolation in which they become the sport of obsessing spirits, who make them accept the most glaring absurdities as something sublime. Thus - a blind confidence in the communications made through their agency, contempt for those that are made through other mediums, an overweening confidence in great names, repudiation of advice, angry rejection of all criticism, estrangement from those who would give them disinterested counsel, belief in their own infallibility, - such are the distinguishing signs of pride in mediums.
It must be admitted; however, that pride is often excited in a medium by the injudicious flattery of the persons about him. If possessed of faculties at all remarkable, he is sought out, cried up, and courted, until he comes to look upon himself as indispensable, and affects an air of self-sufficiency and superciliousness when condescending to lend himself to his work. We have more than once had cause to regret the praise we had given to certain mediums, for the purpose of encouraging them.
229. In contrast to the class of mediums just referred to, let us turn to the picture of the really good medium, one in whom we may safely confide. We will suppose him, in the first place, to be endowed with a faculty sufficiently developed to admit of the free communication of spirits, unimpeded by physical difficulties. This being premised, the next thing to be considered is the nature of the spirits with whom he is habitually in communication; and for the ascertainment of this point we must rely, not on the names they give themselves, but on the tenor of their communications. We must never forget that the sympathies which a medium conciliates among spirits are in direct proportion to what he does to attract the good ones and to keep off the evil ones. Believing that his faculty is a gift bestowed on him for good, the true medium neither prides himself upon it, nor makes any merit of it. He accepts the manifestations made through him as a blessing of which he should strive to render him-self worthy by modesty, kindness, and good-will. The proud medium takes credit to himself for his medianimity the good medium is rendered more humble by his intercourse with superior spirits, because regarding himself as unworthy of such a favour.
The Spirits' book » BOOK SECOND -THE SPIRIT-WORLD, OR WORLD OF SPIRITS » CHAPTER IX - INTERVENTION OF SPIRITS IN THE CORPOREAL WORLD » Occult influence of Spirits on our thoughts and actions » 466