< Visions in Mirrors and Crystals (continued from page 7-58) >
throwing flowers into the water.” Turning it over she saw another vision, and yet another. Finally, she handed it backhand I asked her what she thought of it. “Exceedingly pretty.” Then said I, “I can’t see it,” and an explanation followed, when she insisted upon it that it was a transparent glass letter weight with pictures in it. X then produced the mirror, and she saw a vision of the Champs Elysees at Paris lighted up for a fete, and then she gradually perceived that the phenomena, whatever they were, were unusual, and not in conformity with known laws of vision.
On another occasion, accompanied by a person having spirit sight, I went to the British Museum in search of Dee’s crystal. It was found in an obscure case. The seer beheld what I at once perceived to be a minute picture of the city of Prague in Bohemia, where Dee and Kelly passed many years of their lives, this being unknown to the seer.
In the course of my inquiries I was led to adopt certain methods in recording such results as I obtained, and I have found it of great service. Without waiting to criticise anything that might take place I at once committed it to writing, leaving any intellectual consideration of the matter thus obtained until a future time, when it would be possible to compare passage with passage, and correct by such comparison the main issues of the subject, and this method I found most useful. I was able by these means to classify the relative value of my experience and obtain a better view of the whole results. I even submitted spiritual communications obtained in one way to those obtained in another. Where I found difficulties I was thus able to clear them away, and so prevent erroneous ideas on the main issue creeping in. I regarded the seers with whom I made my experiments as so many delicate human instruments, myself as a mere recorder of what those instruments gave me, and the question itself as one which was simply scientific and tentative in character. Often from media of inferior calibre and comparative insensitiveness, I obtained singular confirmations of matters only lightly hinted at by superior seers to whom they appeared too trivial to notice. I recommend this system of investigation to all those who desire to arrive at truth.
It was thus by very slow degrees I was able to build up from statements of the most varied character some definite idea of a systematic nature of the constitution of the spirit world as seen through crystals and other means at my disposal, and I now propose to give you a general outline of what this proved to be.
Without entering into theology at all, but merely regarding this immense realm of intellectual activity in a geographical sense, the statements of the spirits may be thus summarised:—First, we have the earth as a starting point, encompassed by several luminous spheres having properties of interpermeability, that is, several conditions of spirit-life occupying the same relative position to the earth as a globe, partially Unconscious of their relative existence, as we perceive in the relations of human society itself—as the poor are close to the rich—so apparently dark states would interpermeate the lighter states; while the higher powers could perceive the darker states, these latter could have, and perhaps mercifully, no knowledge of the higher. Bound to matter in the first instance would seem to be the lowest spirits, clinging, because not purified, to that place in which they had originally been born to existence. Next beyond these, but occupying no greater distance, the elementary powers of nature, possessing their own individuality, but yet only half human. Beyond this, the luminous earth mirror of record, in which every deed, and thought, and emotion is preserved, and in which our spiritual doubles, acting on us in dreams, pass a semi-independent existence. To this section of spiritual life I would earnestly commend the attention of observers. It is in this sphere, or state, that predictions concerning human events are often obtained, and thence from the semi-independent condition of its inhabitants— our own fluidic emanations—do we obtain many singular spiritual facts. It is not until we reach a superior condition of being that we are actually in conference with spirit, or spirits, and the higher our aspirations the farther we penetrate spiritually into the ultramundane world. It is not until we have—to use the bold figure of Lord Lytton—until we have surmounted the presence of the Dweller on the Threshold, and divested ourselves of a supernatural and superstitious dread, that we can enter upon unrestrained and familiar converse with these beings, some of whom claim never to have been embodied, but all of whom possess organisations, knowledge, duties, and faculties vastly different and superior to our own. Some of these purified spirits exhibit little or no knowledge of the physical conditions of human nature, and hence have little sympathy with our physical needs. Others seem as if appointed to labour on our behalf, with us, sincerely and heartily, if we accept their aid, but never in such a manner as to constrain our free will. They warn, but do not prevent. Nor do they attach any paramount importance to any special creeds; they know that, in the future life, errors in judgment will be corrected by a better acquaintance with Spiritual existence. But in no sense are they apologists for sin, for vice, for any acts capable of palliation; nor is it likely they should be, knowing, as they do, that error of whatever degree causes its own punishment in an exact ratio: for* eternal punishment they reject. Time and distance, in our sense of the word, are comparatively unknown to them, and of this 1 had a remarkable instance. A certain spirit, formerly a Moorish inhabitant of Spain, but one who had made hieroglyphics his study, professed his willingness to translate some of the Egyptian and Assyrian inscriptions: it had been a study he had continued in his present state of existence. He made an appointment to take copies of these inscriptions, and took them by a species of Spiritual photography. And he subsequently appointed another time to appear and give the interpretations. I was present at the first meeting, but, by some inadvertence, was not called to the meeting when he was to re-appear. He did so, however, at the time named, walked up apparently close to the seer in the mirror, looked all round the room, did not see me there, and went away, taking his rolls with him which he had brought for the purpose. Now, the time was nothing to him, but the conditions of the persons expected to be present was everything. It was, therefore, a matter of finding a state in which he could properly communicate: he never appeared again. Then, as to distance or proximity. I have been frequently told that the spirits are actually no nearer, but their superior spiritual power allows them to pierce the intervening space, and overcome the force of grosser matter. This brings me at once to another point. The crystal possesses in itself an inherent power of making to sensitives a window in the spirit-world—of which the mirror is only a larger kind, and of which the water vessel is a variant. But while the crystal possesses it naturally, the mirror and vessel of water, being of human construction, require forms to expressly consecrate them to the purpose. These vary in their nature, and it would be impolitic this evening to explain them in a general paper; it is enough to say that they are efficient when confided to genuine searchers into the subject.
The mirror spirits reside within their own spheres, and have their own occupation and a classification intelligible to themselves, and they rank in proportion to their essential purity. The following vision seen in September, 1857, during the time the Indian mutiny was going on, and reported in the seer’s exact words, will give some idea of the spiritual world and its inhabitants. When the spirit was called no vision at first appeared, but presently the mirror went thick, and reading came:—“S—was unaware previously of being called. Therefore, unless you see him as he is now engaged, you cannot see him before half-past nine.” I replied, “As—S cannot appear, will he oblige us with the astrological work he has promised?” It was responded, “You can either see him as he is now at this time engaged, or at the time appointed.” Answer was made that we would see him, as he was at that time engaged, and would invoke him at half-past nine. It was then ten minutes to nine. Presently the seer said: The mirror’s veiled; now it’s quite clear. There are little spots of light flying about like sparks—a perfect shower, in all directions; the air seems full of them; they seem to fill a large space, and in the distance they are so fine, it seems like a mass of fire. In the middle of the distance there’s a bright red cross; it looks so curious standing out amongst the bright yellow; it’s a solid cross about six or eight inches long and an inch thick, a bright crimson. Now, there are shadows of forms going backwards and forwards, and under them a large black hole ; they are spirits with wings, but very shadowy; they keep round the hole, but do not cross it. On the other side of the black hole, opposite to them, there is a clear white cross, lying downwards; it looks like glass, and there are such swarms of figures coming up out of the black hole—quite a stream; they seem to scramble up arid lay hold of this red cross to get up by, and as each lays hold of it, it appears to shake backwards and forwards. Each one lays hold, and directly it shakes he lets go, and passes on; they do not touch the cross till they are half up; they are all black, as though a black veil or mist was over them, and the spirits are standing on the other side of the white cross. In the first row there are four or five just opposite to me; they have no wings, and are dressed in colours, some quite black, all dark; one is in a blue dress, one in a brown, fastened round in a girdle. The next row behind are fairer, and got more white about them, and something white about their heads, and in the next row behind them there’s a number of little curly headed children amongst them; and behind them there stand two very fair and white, their arms bare, more statue-like, and more spirits behind them with wings, and stones in their hair, white dresses and coloured robes over them, and a cloud round them. Above them there are three figures, like shadows, robes, faces, and wings, but only a. faint shadow; then at the very top of the mirror there’s a round ball of light, and from that comes a ray of light, that falls over the black hole at the foot.
The ray of light is just the size of the black hole; the ray seems redder than light. On this side [a]—the right—there is a kind of wheel going round, only of light, but something the shape of a wheel, and the people who come up go to the right side of the wheel; the ray does not reach the people or the black hole. S— (the spirit) stands on the other side of the golden wheel, looking through at the people on this side, and the first mortal that has come up through the black hole he is looking at and speaking to him. The wheel has seven spokes, and at the end of each is a little cross. S—seems addressing this person. Now S—turns to the first row, and appears speaking to them; he moves his hand to them, and points to the person. The others still keep thronging up through the hole, and all the spirits in colours seem to answer at once, as though they were singing. Now S—turns to the mortal again. Now he has turned the wheel one spoke further round, and the person goes in on this side black, and comes out a thick white mist on the other side; when he comes out as a white mist he changes again into the shape of a body. Now there is a kind of greyness comes over them; there is another going through the same spoke. The grey seems to hang like a mist over them; they look down, and stand as if they were waiting; there’s another gone through, that’s three, and they’ve all changed and got the grey on. There is another form. Still S—talks to the first row before he turns each spoke round. There is another fire, and the spirit in the brown robe with a bright face has gone out of sight with the fire all round him. Now, the crowd coming up through the black hole is opening, and there is something in white coming up the middle of the hole. It looks like a square board with a heap of something on it, and a white cloth all over it very large. It goes up to the wheel, and the people keep scrambling up again; it stops this side of the wheel and falls down like dust, but the shape of it continues. Every particle has fallen away like dust to the bottom, but a mist remains which is going through the wheel, and the first row of spirits opens, and it goes through them, <... continues on page 7-60 >