Quotes:Eglinton, William

Zirkoff, Boris

Eglinton, William. Famous English medium bom on the 10th day of July, 1857, in Islington, North London, England. He was therefore exactly the same age as Damodar. The family on his father’s side was Scottish, and its descent can be traced from the Montgomeries of Ayr. His mother’s maiden name was Wyse, her father having been a prominent merchant from London.

William’s education was quite sketchy, however, as his father evidently had decided to have him pursue a business career. From school he passed into a well-known publishing house of a relative, where he did not stay long, as his psychic gifts were soon to be discovered.

As a boy, he was extremely imaginative, as well as dreamy and sensitive, but, unlike so many other great mediums, he showed no indications of the outstanding power which afterwards became the hallmark of the young man.

His father in early life had renounced Christianity, becoming an Agnostic. His mother, on the other hand, was distinguished by a sweet, gentle piety, and “between the two” he writes, “I was puzzled both ways, and was practically left to solve the problems of life and religious teaching for myself, the result being the 504 acceptance of materialistic notions, and the doctrine of total annihilation.”

His mother died in 1873. Writing of this event, he says: “The loss to me was irreparable; for she was my only friend and counsellor. She left a void which has never been filled.”

The year after his mother’s passing, William entered the family “circle” by means of which his father was investigating the phenomena of Spiritualism. Up to that time the circle had obtained no results, but when the boy joined it the table rose steadily from the floor, until the sitters had to stand to keep their hands on it. Questions were answered to the satisfaction of those present. The following evening another sitting was held, during which the young lad passed into a trance for the first time. Communications were received which allegedly came from his dead mother. His mediumship now began to develop very rapidly and he reluctantly decided to become a professional medium. Finally, he had to adopt this course in 1875.

Eglinton soon became one of the most respected mediums of the day and apparently never resorted to trickery to produce phenomenal occurrences, which so many mediums found it expedient to do.

Early in 1881 Eglinton sailed for Calcutta, where he had some friends among whom was a wealthy merchant, J. G. Meugens, who received him as his guest. Eglinton soon became the center of the Spiritualists in that city, and a magazine called Psychic Notes was published for a short time, describing his séances and other psychic manifestations. After a few months, Meugens returned to England. Eglinton then moved to Howrah where Col. and Mrs. Gordon were Theosophists. Eglington was placed in an ideal position to learn about Theosophy and the phenomena associated with H. P. B. However, he did not meet either of the Founders while in India, and it was not until 1884 that all three met in London.

While in India, Eglinton had an opportunity to become a secretary at Simla. He had for some time desired to live apart from Spiritualism as a profession, and soon after his return to England became a partner in the Ross publishing firm. His partner, however, was a man of an erratic temperament and the firm was dissolved in August, 1883.

He turned once again to mediumship for a living, and began a career which spread his fame throughout the world. He gave séances at the home of Mr. Sam Ward, the uncle of the well-known writer of occult novels, F. Marion Crawford, whose book, Mr. Isaacs, dealt with the subject of the existence of the Mahâtmans. It was at 505 Mr. Ward’s home that he met A. P. Sinnett for the first time.

Many prominent members of the Society for Psychical Research attended his séances, among whom were E. Dawson Rogers, the Hon. Percy Wyndham, C. C. Massey, who had been one of the seventeen Founders of the Theosophical Society, and the famous homeopath Dr. George Wyld, who figured in the early history of the T.S.

Eglinton died the 10th of March, 1933, at Heatherbank, Chislehurst, Kent. He was then Editor of the magazine The New Age, and a director of a firm of British exporters.

Consult Sven Eek, Dâmodar and the Pioneers of the Theosophical Movement, pp. 185-191, for interesting data concerning one of the early and best authenticated psychic phenomena, the so-called “Vega Phenomenon.” Further information concerning Eglinton may be had by consulting John S. Farmer’s work, Twixt Two Worlds.

Source: Boris de Zirkoff, «H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings», vol. 3, pp. 503-505