Intuitive Mediums
180. The transmission of thought takes place by the intervention of the medium's spirit, or, rather, of his soul; for by this name we designate the incarnated spirit. The foreign spirit, in this case, does not act on the hand to make it write; he does not hold it, does not guide it; he acts on the soul with which he is identified. The soul, under this impulse, directs the hand, and the hand directs the pencil.
Let us remark here one important thing to know ; it is, that the foreign spirit is not substituted for the soul, for he cannot displace it: he controls it at his will, he impresses his will upon it. The part of the soul is not absolutely a passive one; it receives the thought of the foreign spirit, and transmits it. In this case the medi- um' is conscious what he writes, though it is not his own thought; this is what is called intuitive medium.
If this be so, it may be said, nothing proves that it is any more the thought of a foreign spirit than of the medium. The distinction is, in fact, sometimes quite difficult to make, but it may happen that this will be of little consequence. The suggested thought can always be recognized, in that it is never preconceived ; it is born as it is written, and often is contrary to the idea previously formed; it may even be beyond the knowledge and capacity of the medium.
The part of the mechanical medium is that of a machine, the intuitive medium acts as an interpreter. In fact, to transmit the thought, he should understand it; appropriate it in some sort, in order to translate it faithfully; yet this thought is not his — it but passes through his brain. Such is exactly the part of the intuitive medium.
