CHAPTER XXV
ON INVOCATIONS
General Considerations. — Spirits who map be invoked.
— Language to hold with Spirits. — Utility of
Special Invocations. — Questions on Invocations. —
Invocations of Animals.—Invocations of Living
Persons: — Human Telegraphy.
General Considerations
269. SPIRITS can communicate spontaneously, or
come at our call; that is, on invocation. Some persons
think we should abstain from invoking such or
such a spirit, and that it is preferable to wait for the
one who wishes to communicate. This opinion is
founded on the fact that, in calling a designated spirit,
we are not certain that it is he who presents himself,
while he who comes spontaneously, and of his own impulse,
better proves his identity, as he thus announces
his desire to converse with us. In our opinion this is
an error; firstly, because there are always spirits
around us, most often of a low class, who ask no better
than to communicate; in the second place, and for this
last reason alone, in not calling any one in particular,
the door is open to all who wish to enter. In an
assembly, not to give the word to any one is to leave
it to every one ; and the result of that is well known.
The direct appeal, made to a designated spirit, is a
bond between him and us ; we call him by our desire, and thus erect a kind of barrier against intruders.
Without a direct appeal, a spirit would often have no
motive for coming to us, unless it might be our familiar
spirit. These two methods have each their advantages,
and the difficulty would be only in the absolute
exclusion of one of the two. There is no trouble in
regard to spontaneous communications where one is
master of the spirits, and is certain not to let the bad
gain any dominion ; then it is often useful to wait the
good pleasure of those who desire to communicate, because
their thought is under no restraint; and in this
way very admirable things may be obtained, while you
cannot be sure that the spirit you call will be disposed
to speak, or capable of doing so, in the sense that is
desired. The scrupulous examination we have advised
is a guarantee against evil communications. In regular
reunions, especially in those engaged on a continu- '
ous work, there are always the accustomed spirits,
who are at the rendezvous without being called, because,
by reason of the regularity of the stances, they
are pre-engaged ; they often begin • spontaneously to
treat a certain subject, develop a proposition, or prescribe
what should be done ; and then they are easily
recognized, whether by the form of their language, or
by their writing, or by certain habits familiar to them.,
270. When it is wished to communicate with a designated
spirit, he must of necessity be invoked. (No.
203.) If he can come, this answer is usually obtained :
Yes; or, / am here; or, What do you want of met
Sometimes he enters directly into the matter, answering
by anticipation the questions it is proposed to
address to him.
When a spirit is invoked for the first time, it is best
to designate him with some precision. In the questions addressed to him, we should avoid dry, imperative
forms ; they might be a reason for his withdrawal.
The forms should be affectionate or respectful according
to the spirit, and in all cases testify the kindness
of the innovator.
271. We are often surprised at the promptitude
with which an invoked spirit presents himself, even
the first time ; it might be said he has been forewarned
; this is, indeed, what has been done when
we are thinking of making an invocation. This thinking
is a kind of anticipated invocation, and as we
always have our familiar spirits, who are identified with
our thoughts, they prepare the way, so that nothing
opposes it; the spirit whom we wish to call is already
present. When this is not the case, the familiar spirit
of the medium, or of the interrogator, or one of the
habitues, goes to find him, which does not require
much time. If the invoked spirit cannot come instantly,
the messenger (the heathens would have said
Mercury) asks for a delay, sometimes of five minutes,
a quarter of an hour, and even several days, and when
he arrives, says, He is there; and then we can begin
the questions we want to ask him.
The messenger is not always a necessary intermediary,
for the appeal of the invocator may be heard
directly by the spirit, as is said, No. 282, Question 5,
on the mode of transmitting thought.
When we say, Make the invocation in the name of
God, we mean that our recommendation should^ be
taken seriously, and not lightly; those who see in it
only a formula, and of little consequence, would better
abstain from it.
272. Invocations often present more difficulties to
mediums than spontaneous dictation, especially when exact answers are wanted to circumstantial questions;
For that end special mediums are required at once
flexible and positive; and we have seen (No. 193), that
these last are quite rare, for, as we have said, the fiuidic
relations {rapports) are not always instantaneously established
with the first spirit comer. It is, therefore,
best that mediums should not attempt special invocations,
until assured of the development of their faculty,
and of the nature of the spirits who assist them ; for
with those who are badly surrounded, the invocations
could have no character of authority.
273. Mediums are generally much more sought for
invocations of private interest than for communications
of general interest; this is explained by the very
natural desire we have to converse with those who
are dear to us. We consider that we ought to make
several important recommendations on this subject to
mediums. First, to accede to this desire only with the
utmost reserve with persons in whose sincerity they
cannot completely trust, and to be on their guard
against the snares that malicious persons might set for
.them. Secondly, not to lend themselves to it. under
any pretext, if they discover motives of curiosity or
interest, and not a serious intention on the part of the
invocator; to refuse themselves to all idle questions,
or those aside from the circle of questions th.it may
rationally be addressed to spirits. The suggestions
should be put with clearness, perspicuity, and without
evasion, if categorical answers are desired.
All those that have an insidious character should
be declined, for it is well known that spirits do not
like those intended to put them to the proof; to insist
on questions of this nature is to wish to be deceived.
The invocator should go frankly and openly to the desired end, without subterfuge or windings: if he
fears to explain himself, he would better abstain. If
invocations are made in the absence of the one who
has requested them, it should be done with the greatest
prudence ; it is even oftentimes preferable to abstain
entirely, those persons alone being fit to criticise the
answers, to judge of .the identity, to challenge explanations
if there is cause, and to put incidental questions
brought up by circumstances. Besides, their presence
is a bond which attracts the spirit, often little disposed
to communicate with strangers for whom he has no
sympathy. In a word, the medium should avoid all
that could transform him into a consulting agent,
which, in the eyes of many persons, is synonymous
with a fortune-teller.
Spirits who may be invoked.
274. All spirits, to whatever degree of the scale they
belong, may be invoked — the good, as well as the bad ;
those who have left this life but lately, and those who
have lived in the most remote times ; illustrious men
and the most obscure; our relatives, our friends, and.
those who are indifferent to us; but it is not said
that they will or can always come at our call: independently
of their own will, or of the permission that
may be refused them by a superior power, they might
be prevented by motives which it is not always given
us to penetrate. We would say, there is no absolute
hindrance to communications except what we shall
presently give ; the obstacles that might hinder the
manifestation of a spirit are almost always individual,
and pertain to circumstances.
275. Among the causes that might oppose the manifestation
of a spirit, some are personal to him, some foreign. We must place among the former his occupations,
or the missions in which he is engaged, and
from which he cannot turn aside to yield to our wishes;
in such case, his visit is only postponed.
There is, again, his own situation. While the state
of incarnation may not be an absolute obstacle, it may
be a hindrance at certain given, moments, especially
when it takes place in inferior worlds, and when the
spirit himself is. but little dematerialized. In the
superior worlds, in those where the ties of spirit and
matter are very feeble, the manifestation is almost as
easy as in the wandering state, and in all cases easier
than in those where the corporeal matter is more
compact.
The foreign causes pertain principally to the nature
of the medium, to that of the invoker, to the sphere in
which the invocation is made, and, lastly, to the end
proposed. Some mediums receive more especially
communications from their familiar spirits, who may
be more or less elevated ; others are capable of serving
as intermediaries to all spirits ; that depends on the
sympathy or antipathy, the attraction or repulsion,
which the personal spirit of the medium exercises over
the foreign spirit, who may take him for interpreter
with pleasure or with repugnance. That, again, setting
aside the innate qualities of the medium, depends
on the development of the medianimic faculty. Spirits
come more willingly, are more explicit with a medium
who offers them no material obstacle. All things,
besides, being equal as to moral conditions, the greater
facility a medium has in writing or expressing himself
the more his relations with the spirit world may be
generalized.
276. The facility with which the habit of communieating with such or such a spirit gives, must also be
taken into consideration ; with time the foreign spirit
identifies himself with the spirit of the medium, and
with him who calls him. The question of sympathy
aside, fluidic relations are established between them
which render communications more prompt: this is
why a first conversation is not always as satisfying as
might be desired, and it is also why the spirits themselves
often ask to be recalled. The spirit who is in
the habit of coming is as if at home ; he is familiarized
with his auditors, and with his interpreters ; he
speaks and acts more freely.
277. To recapitulate: from what we have just said, it
results that the power of invoking any spirit whatever
does not imply that the spirit is at our orders ; he
can come at one moment, and not at another, with
such medium or such invocator as pleases him, and
not with such other; say what he pleases, without
being constrained to say what he does not wish to say;
go when it is agreeable to him ; finally, from causes
dependent or not upon his will, after having shown
himself assiduously during some time, he may suddenly
cease to come. It is from all these motives that
when we desire to call a new spirit, it is necessary to
ask our guide protector, if the invocation is possible ;
in cases where it may not be, he quite generally
gives the motives, and then it is useless to insist.
278. An important question presents itself here —
that of knowing whether or not there would be disagreeable
consequences from invoking a bad spirit.
That depends on the end proposed, and the ascendency
that can be had over ,them. There is no difficulty
when we call them with a serious and instructive aim,
or with a view of improving them ; it is very great, onthe contrary, if it is from pure curiosity or pleasantry,
or if one puts himself in their power by asking of
them any service whatever.
The good spirits, in such case, can very well give
them the power to do what is asked of them, safe to
punish severely afterward the rash man who dared to
invoke their help and believe them more powerful than
God. It is vain that he may have promised himself
to make a good use of it in the end, and to dismiss the
servitor once the service is rendered ; the very service
solicited, however minute it may be, is a veritable pact
concluded with the bad spirit, and he never lets himself
be used easily. (See No. 212.)
279. Ascendency is exercised over the inferior spirits
only by moral superiority.
The perverse spirits feel their masters in good men ;
with those who oppose to them only strength of will,
a kind of brute force, they struggle, and are often the
stronger. A person tried in this way to tame a rebellious'spirit,
by his will; the spirit answered him,
" Let me alone, with your bullying airs, you who are no
better than I; they might say, a thief preaching to a
thief.'
One is astonished that the name of God invoked
against them should often be powerless. St. Louis
has given the reason in the following answer: —
"The name of God has influence over imperfect
spirits only in the mouth of him who can use it with
authority by his virtues; in the mouth of a man who
has no moral superiority over the spirit, it is a word
the same as another. It is the same with the holy
things opposed to them. The most terrible arms are
inoffensive in hands unskilled in their use, or incapable
of bearing them."
Language to hold with Spirits.
280. The degree of superiority or inferiority of the
spirits naturally indicates the tone it is proper to take
with them. It is evident that the more elevated they
are, the more right they have to our respect, to our
regard, and to our submission. We should show them
as much deference as we should have done during their
lives, but from different motives; on the earth we should
have considered their rank and their social position ;
in the world of spirits our respect is addressed only to
moral superiority. Their very elevation raises them
above the puerilities of our adulatory forms. It is not
by words that we can secure their kind feeling, but by
the sincerity of our sentiments. It would be ridiculous,
then, to give them the titles which our usages
consecrate to the distinction of ranks, and which, during
their lives, might have nattered their vanity; if
they are really superior, not only will they not care
for them, but to do so will displease them. A good
thought is more agreeable to them than the most flattering
epithets; if it were otherwise, they would not
be above humanity. The spirit of a venerable ecclesiastic,
who, in this world, was a prince of the church, a
good man, practicing the law of Jesus, answered once
to a person who invoked him under the title of "my
Lord," " You should at least say, ex-my Lord, for here
there is no other Lord but God ; know that I see who
on earth knelt before me, and those before whom I myself
bowed."
As to the inferior spirits, their character shows us
the language proper to use with them. Among the
number there are some who, though inoffensive, and
even kind, are trifling, ignorant, stupid: to treat themthe same as serious spirits, as some persons do, is
about the same as to bow before a schoiar or an ass
muffled up in a professor's cap. A tone of familiarity
would not be out of place with them, and they do not
take offense at it; on the contrary, they willingly receive
it.
Among the inferior spirits there are some who are
unhappy. Whatever may be the faults they are expiating,
their sufferings entitle them to our consideration,
so much the more as no one can flatter himself
that he does not deserve these words of the Christ:
" Let him who is without sin among you cast the first
stone." The kindness we show them is a comfort to
them : in default of sympathy, they should find the indulgence
we should wish them to show to us.
The spirits who reveal their inferiority by the cynicism
of their language, their lies, the baseness of their
sentiments, the perfidy of their counsels, are assuredly
less worthy of our interest than those whose words
show their repentance; we owe them, at least, the pity
we accord the greatest criminals, and the way to reduce
them to silence is to show ourselves superior to them :
they indulge in their perversity only among persons
with whom they think there is nothing to fear ; for the
perverse spirits feel their masters in good men as in
superior spirits.
To recapitulate: as much as it would be irreverential
to treat the superior spirits as equals, just so much would
it be ridiculous to extend the same deference to all without
exception. Have veneration for those who deserve
it, gratitude for those who protect and assist us, for all
the others that kindness we may some day need for
ourselves. In penetrating into the incorporeal world
we learn to know it, and this knowledge should regulate us in our relations with those who inhabit it. The
ancients, in their ignorance, elevated altars to them ;
for us, they are only creatures more or less perfect, and
we raise our altars only to God.
Utility of Special Invocations.
281. The communications obtained from very superior
spirits, or from those who have animated the great
personages of antiquity, are precious from their exalted
teachings. These spirits have acquired a degree of
perfection which permits them to embrace a more extended
sphere of ideas, to penetrate mysteries beyond
the ordinary limits of humanity, and, consequently, to
initiate us better than others into certain things. It
does not follow that communications from less elevated
spirits should' be without utility; the observer may
draw more than one instruction. To know the manners
of a people, it must be studied in every degree of
the scale. He who has seen it under one aspect only,
would illy know it. The history of a people is not that
of its kings and upper social circles; to judge it, one
should see it in its private life and customs.
Now, the superior spirits are the upper circles of the
spirit world: their very elevation places them so much
above us that we are frightened at the distance that
separates us. Spirits more bourgeois (may they excuse
the expression) make the circumstances of their new
existence more palpable to us. With them; the tie between
corporeal life and spirit life is more intimate;
we comprehend it better, because it touches us more
nearly. In learning from themselves what has become
of the men of all conditions and of all characters, what
they think, what they experience, good, as well as
vicious, the great and the small, the happy and the unhappy of the age, in a word, the men who have lived
among us, whom we have seen and known, with whose
real life we are acquainted, whose virtues and whims
we know, — we comprehend their joys and their sufferings,
we are associated with them, and draw therefrom
a moral instruction as much more profitable as the relations
between them and us are more intimate. We
put ourselves more easily in the place of him who has
been our equal than of him whom we see only through
the mirage of a celestial glory.
Ordinary spirits show us the practical application
of the great and sublime truths of which the superior
spirits teach us the theory. Besides, in the study of
a science nothing is useless ; Newton found his law of
the forces of the universe in the simplest phenomena.
The invocation of ordinary spirits has, besides, the
advantage of putting us en rapport with suffering spirits
who can be comforted, and whose advancement may
be facilitated by useful advice, so that we can be useful
while, at the same time, instructing ourselves ; there
is egotism in seeking only one's own satisfaction in
intercourse with the spirits, and he who disdains to
extend a helping hand to the unhappy gives proof of
pride. Of what use to obtain grand teachings from
spirits of the highest order, if it does not make us inwardly
better, more charitable, more benevolent for
our brothers, both in this world and in the other?
What would become of the diseased if the doctors refused
to touch their sores ?
282. Questions on Invocations.
I. ." Can we invoke spirits without being mediums?"
" Every one .can invoke spirits, and if those you call cannot manifest themselves materially, they are nevertheless
near you, and listen to you."
2. " Does the spirit invoked always come at the call
made to him ?"
" That depends on the conditions in which he is, for
there are circumstances in which he cannot do so."
3. " What causes might prevent a spirit from coming
at our call ?"
" Firstly, his will; then his corporeal state, if he is
re-incarnated ; the missions with which he may be
charged ; and still further, permission may be refused
him. There are spirits who can never communicate —
those who, by their nature, belong still to worlds inferior
to the earth. Neither can those who are in the
spheres of punishment, at least without a superior permission,
which is granted only for the general good.
That a spirit may be able to communicate, he must
have attained the same degree of advancement as that
of the world to which he is called; otherwise he is
strange to the ideas of that world, and has no point
of comparison. It is not the same with those who are
sent on missions, or in expiation, to inferior worlds;
they have the necessary ideas to reply."
4. " For what motives may the permission to communicate
be refused to a spirit ?"
" It may be a trial or a punishment for him, or for
the one who calls him."
5. " How can spirits, dispersed in space or in different
worlds, hear from all points of the universe the invocations
that are made ?"
" They are often forewarned by the familiar spirits
that surround you, who go to seek them; but here is a
phenomenon difficult to explain to you, because you
cannot yet understand the transmission of thought among spirits. All I dan tell you is, that the spirit
you invoke, however distant he may be, receives, as it
were, the rebound of the thought as a kind of electrical
commotion, which calls his attention to the side from
whence comes the thought addressed to him. It
might be said he hears the thought, as on earth you
hear the voice."
" Is the universal fluid the vehicle of thought, as the
air is that of sound ?"
" Yes, with, this difference, that sound can be heard
only within a very limited radius, while thought attains
the infinite. The spirit, in space, is like the traveler
in the midst of a vast plain, who, hearing his name
suddenly pronounced, directs his attention to the side
on which he is called."
6. " We know that distances are but trifles to spirits ;
yet one is astonished to see them sometimes respond
as promptly to the call as if they had been all ready."
" And so, indeed, they are sometimes. If the invocation
is premeditated, the spirit is forewarned, and
often finds himself there before he is called."
7. " Is the thought of the invocator more or less
easily heard according to circumstances ?"
" Without doubt; the spirit called by a sympathetic
and kind sentiment is more quickly touched: it is to
him the voice of a friend which he recognizes ; without
that it often happens that the invocation miscarries.
The thought that springs from the invocation strikes
the spirit; if it is not well directed, it strikes in the
void. It is with spirits as with men; if he who
calls them is indifferent or antipathetic, they may hear,
but do not often listen."
8. " Does the spirit invoked come voluntarily, or is
he constrained to come ?"
" He obeys the will of God, that is, the general law
that rules the universe ;• and yet constraint is not the
word; for he judges if it be useful to come , and there
still is his free will. A superior spirit always comes
when he is called for a useful end ; he refuses to anwer
only in circles of persons either not serious, or treating
the thing as a joke."
9. " Can the invoked spirit refuse to come at the call
made on him ?"
" Perfectly ; or where would be his free will ? Do
you think all the beings in the universe are at your
orders ? And do you consider yourselves obliged to
answer all who pronounce your name ? When I say
he can refuse, I mean on the demand of the invocator,
for an inferior spirit may be constrained to come by a
superior spirit."
10. "Is there any means by which the invocajtor
may oblige a spirit to come against his will ?"
" None, if the spirit is your equal or your superior
in morality; I say in morality, not in intelligence, because
you have no authority over him: if it is your inferior,
you can, if it is for his good, for then other spirits
will second you." (No. 279.)
11. "Is there any difficulty in invoking inferior
spirits ? and is there any danger, in calling them, of
putting ourselves in their power ?"
" They rule only those who allow themselves to be
ruled. . He who is assisted by good spirits has nothing
to fear: he controls the inferior spirits; they do not
control him. In isolation, mediums, especially those
who are beginning, should abstain from such invocations."
(No. 278.)
12. " Is it necessary to be in any particular frame of
mind for invocations ?"
" The most essential of all dispositions is concentra
tion of thought, when we desire aught of serious spirits.
With faith and the desire of good, one is more powerful
to invoke superior spirits. In elevating the soul
by concentration of thought, at the moment of invocation,
we are identified with good spirits, and attract
them to us.
13. " Is faith necessary in invocations ?"
" Faith in God, yes ; faith will come for .the rest if
you desire good, and wish for instruction."
14. " Have men more power to invoke spirits when
united by community of thought and intention ?"
" When all are united by charity and for good, they
obtain grand things. Nothing is more injurious to the
result of invocations than divergence of thought."'
15. "Is making a chain by joining hands for some
minutes, at the beginning of reunions, of any use ?"
" The chain is a material means, which does not promote
union among you if it exist not in the thought:
what is more useful is to be united in one common
thought, each one calling to his side good spirits. You
do not know all you might obtain in a serious reunion,
from whence is banished every sentiment of pride and
personality, and where reigns a perfect sentiment of
mutual cordiality."
16. "Are invocations for fixed days and hours preferable
?"
" Yes, and, if it be possible, in the same place; the
spirits come to it more willingly: it is the constant desire
you have that aids the spirits to come and put
themselves into communication with you. Spirits have
their occupations, which they cannot leave at a moment's
warning for your personal satisfaction. I say,
in the same place; but do not suppose this to be an absolute obligation, for spirits come everywhere: I
mean, a place consecrated to that is preferable, because
there concentration of thought is more perfect."
17. " Have certain objects, such as medallions and
talismans, the property of attracting or repelling spirits,
as some pretend ?"
" This is a useless question, for you know very well
that matter has no action on spirits. Be very sure
that no good spirit ever advises such absurdities ; the
virtue of talismans, of whatever nature they be, has
never existed save in the imaginations of credulous
people."
18. "What must we think of spirits who give rendezvous
in dismal places, and at undue hours ?"
" These spirits amuse themselves at the expense of
those who listen to them.- It is always useless, and
often dangerous, to yield to such suggestions: useless,
because one gains absolutely nothing but to be mysti- .
fied ; dangerous, not for the evil the spirits might do,
but on account of its influence on weak brains."
19. " Are there days and hours more propitious than
others for invocations ? "
" For spirits that is perfectly indifferent, as is everything
material, and it is a superstition to believe in
the influence of days and hours. The most propitious
moments are those in which the invocator can be the
least disturbed by his accustomed occupations ; when
his body and mind are most calm."
20. "Is invocation an agreeable or a painful thing
for spirits ? Do they come voluntarily when they are
called?"
" That depends on their character and the motives
from which they are called. When the object is praiseworthy,
and when the surrounding is sympathetic to them, it is agreeable to them, and even attractive; the
spirits are always happy in the affection testified for
them. There are those to whom it is a great happiness
to communicate with men, and who suffer from
the indifference in which they are left. But, as I have
said, it depends upon their character ; among spirits
there are also misanthropes, who do not like to be
disturbed, and whose answers show their ill humor,
especially when they are called by indifferent people,
in whom they are not at all interested. A spirit has
often no motive for coming at the call of an unknown
person, who is indifferent to him, and almost always
moved by curiosity; if he comes, he usually makes
but short visits, unless there may be a serious and
instructive end in view in the invocation."
Remark. We see people who invoke their relations
only to ask them the most ordinary things of material
life ; for instance, one to know if he shall rent or sell
his house, another to know what profit he shall have
from his merchandise, the place where money is deposited,
whether or no a certain business will be
advantageous. Our relations from beyond the tomb
are interested in us only by reason of the affection we
have for them. If all our thought is limited to thinking
them sorcerers, if we think of them only to ask
favors of them, they cannot have any very great sympathy
for us, and we should not be astonished at the
little benevolence they sometimes evince.
21. "Is there a difference between good and bad
spirits, in regard to their readiness to come at our
call."
" There is a very great difference; bad spirits come
voluntarily only inasmuch as they hope to govern and
make dupes; but they experience a strong contrariety when they are forced to confess their faults, and only
ask to go away again, like a pupil called up for correction.
They can be constrained to come, by the superior
spirits, as a punishment, and for the instruction of
the incarnated. Invocation is painful for good spirits
when they are called uselessly, for frivolities ; then
they do not come at all, or soon withdraw."
" You may take it as a principle, that spirits, whatever
they be, like no more than yourselves to serve as
amusement for the curious. Often you have no other
end, in invoking a spirit, than to see what he will tell
you, or to question him on the particulars of his life,
which he does not care to tell you, because he has no
motive for giving you his confidence ; and think you
he is going to put himself at the bar for your good
pleasure ? Undeceive yourselves: what he would not
have done during his lifetime, he will not do as a
spirit."
Remark. Experience proves, in fact, that invocation
is always agreeable to spirits, when made with a
serious and useful motive ; the good come with pleasure
to instruct us ; those who suffer find comfort in
the sympathy shown them ; those whom we have
known are satisfied with our remembrance. Frivolous
spirits like to be invoked by frivolous persons, because
that gives them an opportunity to amuse themselves at
their expense ; they are ill at ease with grave persons.
22. " In order to manifest themselves, do spirits
always need to be invoked ?"
" No; they very often present themselves without
being called, and that proves that they come willingly."
23. "When aspirit comes of himself, can we be sure
of his identity ?"
" Not at all; for deceiving spirits often employ this
means, the better to delude."
24. "When we invoke the spirit of a person by
thought, does he come to us even when there are no
manifestations by writing or otherwise ?"
"Writing is a material means by which the spirit
may attest his presence ; but it is the thought that
attracts him, and we show it by writing,"
25. When an inferior spirit manifests himself, can
we oblige him to withdraw ?"
"Yes; by not listening to him. But how do you
expect him to withdraw when you amuse yourselves
with his vileness ? The inferior spirits attach themselves
to those who listen to them with complacence,
like the fools among you."
26. " Is invocation, made in the name of God, a
guarantee against the intermeddling of bad spirits ?"
"The name of God is not a check for all perverse
spirits, but it restrains many ; by this means you
always remove some, and you would remove many
more, if it were made from the bottom of the heart, and
not as a common formula."
27. " Could several spirits be invoked by name at
the same time ?"
" There is no difficulty in that; and if you had three
or four hands to write, three or four spirits could answer
you at the same time : this is what does happen
when there are several mediums."
28. "When several spirits are simultaneously invoked,
and there is but one medium, which one
answers ?"
" One answers for all, and he expresses the collective
thought."
29. " In a stance, could the same spirit communicate
with two mediums at the same time ?"
" As easily as you have men who can dictate several
letters at the same time."
Remark. We have seen a spirit answer at the same
time by two mediums,— to one in English, to another
in French, — and the answers were identical in sense;
some were the literal translation of the others. Two
spirits, invoked simultaneously by two mediums, might
establish a conversation with each other ; this mode
of communication not being necessary for them, as
they can read each other's thought, they sometimes do
it for our instruction. If they are inferior spirits, as
they are still imbued with terrestrial passions and corporeal
ideas, it might happen that they would dispute
and apostrophize each other with big words, upbraid
each other with their wrongs, and even throw pencils,
baskets, planchettes, &c, at each other.
30. " Can a spirit, invoked at the same time in different
places, answer simultaneously to the questions
addressed to him ?"
" Yes, if it is an elevated spirit."
—"In this case does the spirit divide himself? or has
he the gift of ubiquity ?"
" The sun is one, yet he radiates all around, throwing
his rays afar without subdividing himself: it is the
same with spirits. The thought of the spirit is like a
star that projects its light to a distance, and may be
seen from all points of the horizon. The purer the
spirit, the more his thought radiates and extends, like
the light. The inferior spirits are too material; they
can answer only to a single person at once, and cannot
come if they are called elsewhere. A superior spirit,
called at the same time to two different points, will answer both invocations, if they are equally serious
and fervent; if not, he will give his preference to the
more serious."
Remark. The same with a man who can, without
changing his place, transmit his thought by signals
seen from different points.
In a s&ance of the Parisian Society for Spirit Studies,
when the question of ubiquity had been discussed, a
spirit dictated spontaneously the following communication
: " You asked, this evening, what is the hierarchy
of spirits as to ubiquity ? Compare us to an
aeronaut, who rises little by little in the air. When
he leaves the ground, a very small circle can perceive
him ; as he rises, the circle enlarges for him ; and when
he has reached a certain height, he appears to an infinite
number of persons. So with us : a bad spirit, who
is still attached to the earth, remains in a very restricted
circle, in the midst of persons who see him. If he
grows in grace, if he becomes better, he can talk with
several persons ; and when he has become a superior
spirit, he can radiate like the light of the sun, show
himself to many, persons, and in many places, at the
same time. CHANNING."
31. "Can the pure spirits be invoked —those who
have ended their series of incarnations ?"
" Yes, but very rarely : they communicate only with
pure and sincere hearts, and not with the haughty and
egotistical: you must be careful to distrust inferior
spirits, who take this quality to give themselves more
importance in your eyes."
32. " How is it that the spirit of the most illustrious
men comes as readily and familiarly at the call of the
most obscure ?"
' Men judge spirits by themselves, and that is an error: after the death of the body, terrestrial rank no
longer exists ; there is but the distinction of goodness
among them; and those who are good go wherever
there is good to be done."
33. " At what length of time after death can a spirit
be invoked ?"
" It can be done at the very instant of death ; but
as, at this moment, the spirit is still in trouble, he
answers but imperfectly."
Remark. The duration of the trouble being very
variable, there can be no fixed time to make the invocation
; yet it is rare if, at the end of eight days, the
spirit has not sufficiently recovered to be able to answer
: he can sometimes very well do so two or three
days after death; it can, in any case, be tried with
care.
34. " Is the invocation at the moment of death more
painful for the spirit than if made later ? "
" Sometimes ; it is as if you were torn from sleep
before you are fully awakened. There are some, however,
who are not at all disturbed by it, and even
whom it helps out of their trouble."
35. " How can the spirit of a child, who has died
very young, answer with knowledge, when, during rfis
life, he had as yet no consciousness of himself?"
" The soul of a child is a spirit still enveloped in the
swaddling-clothes of matter; but, disengaged from
matter, he enjoys his spirit faculties, for spirits have
no age ; which proves that the spirit of the child has
already lived. Yet, until he shall have become completely
disengaged, he may preserve in his language
some traces of the character of childhood."
Remark. The corporeal influence which makes
itself felt on the spirit of the child, for a longer or shorter time, is sometimes remarked, in the same way,
on the spirit of a person dying in a state of insanity.
The spirit himself is not crazy, but we know that some
spirits, for a time, believe themselves still in this
world: it is, then, not astonishing that the spirit of an
insane person should still feel the fetters which, during
life, opposed his free manifestation, until he become
completely disengaged. This effect varies according
to the causes of the insanity, for there are some maniacs
who recover the lucidity of their ideas immediately
after their death.
283. Invocation of Animals.
36. " Can the spirit of an animal be invoked ?"
"After the death of the animal, the intelligent
principle that was in him is in a latent state; he is immediately
utilized, by spirits charged with such cares,
to animate new beings, in whom he continues the
work of his elaboration. Thus, in the spirit world
there are no spirits of wandering animals, but only
human spirits. This answers your question."
" How is it, then, that some persons have invoked
animals and received answers ?"
•
" Invoke a stone and it will answer you. There is
always a crowd of spirits ready to speak for anything."
Remark. Just the same if you invoke a myth, or
an allegorical personage, it will answer; that is, it will
be answered for, and the spirit who would* present
himself would take its character and appearance. One
day, a person took a fancy to invoke Tartufe, and
Tartufe came immediately ; still more, he talked of
Orgon, of Elmire, of Damis, and of Valire, of whom
he gave news ; as to himself, he counterfeited the hypocrite with as much art as if Tartufe had been a real
personage. Afterward, he said he was the spirit of
an actor who had played that character.
Trifling-spirits always profit by the inexperience of
interrogators, but they take good care never to address
those who they know are enlightened enough to discover
their impostures, and who would give no credit
to their stories.
It is the same among men.
A gentleman had in his garden a nest of goldfinches,
in which he was much interested ; one day the
nest disappeared ; being certain that no one about the
house had been guilty of its destruction, he thought
of invoking the mother of the little ones ; she came,
and said, in very good French, " Do not accuse any
one, and be easy about my little ones ; the cat overthrew
the nest by jumping; you will find, under the
grass, all the little ones that have not been eaten."
He looked, and found it so. Must he conclude that
the bird had answered him ? No, assuredly; but
simply that a spirit knew the history of it. This
proves how much appearances should be distrusted,
and how just the above reply: Invoke a stone, and
it will answer you. (See, further the chapter on
Mediumship among Animals, No. 234.)
284. Invocation of Living Persons.
37. " Is the incarnation of the spirit an absolute
obstacle to his invocation ?"
' No; but the state of the body must be such, at
the time, as to permit the spirit to disengage himself.
The incarnated spirit comes as much more easily as
the world in which he finds himself is of a more elevated order, because the bodies there are less
material."
38. " Can the spirit of a living person be invoked ?"
" Of course, as you can invoke an incarnated spirit.
The spirit of a living person can also, in his moments
of liberty, come without being invoked; that depends
on his sympathy for the person with whom he communicates."
(See No. 116 — History of the Man and
the Snuff-box)
39. " In what state is the body of the person when
the spirit is invoked ?"
" He sleeps, or is dozing; it is then the spirit is
free."
" Could the body awaken while the spirit is absent ?"
" No; the spirit is obliged to reenter it; if, at the
moment, he may be talking to you, he leaves you, and
often tells you the reason for so doing "
40. " How is the spirit, when absent from the body,
warned of the necessity of its return ? "
" The spirit of a living body is never completely
separated ; to whatever distance it may transport itself,
it is held to the body by a fluidic bond, which serves
to recall it when necessary ; this tie is broken only by
death."
Remark. This fluidic tie has often been noticed by
seeing mediums. It is a kind of phosphorescent train,
which is lost in space in the direction of the body.
Some spirits say it is by that they recognize those who
arc still boumd to the corporeal world.
41. "What would happen, if, during sleep, and in
the absence of the spirit, the body should be mortally
wounded ?"
"The spirit would be warned, and would reenter
before death."
— " So it could not happen that the body could die in
the absence of the spirit, and that on his return he
could not reenter it ?"
" No ; it would be contrary to the law regulating the
union of the soul and body."
— "But if the blow was struck suddenly, and without
premeditation ?"
" The spirit would be warned before the mortal blow
could be given."
Remark. The spirit of a living person interrogated
on this point, answered, —
" If the body could die in the absence of the spirit,
it would be too convenient a method of committing
hypocritical suicides."
42. " Is the spirit of a person invoked during sleep
as free to communicate as that of a dead person ?"
" No ; matter always influences it more or less."
Remark. A person in this state, to whom this question
was addressed, answered,—
" I am always chained to the ball I drag after me."
— "In this state, could the spirit be hindered from
coming because of its being elsewhere ?"
" Yes ; the spirit might be in a place where it
pleased him to remain ; then he would not come at the
invocation, especially if it were made by some one in
whom he felt no interest."
43. " Is it absolutely impossible to invoke the spirit
of a person who is awake ?"
" Though difficult, it is not absolutely impossible;
for if the invocation carries, it may produce sleep in
the person ; but the spirit can communicate, as spirit,
only in those moments when its presence is not necessary
to the intelligent activity of the body."
Remark. Experience proves that invocation madeduring a waking state may produce sleep, or, at least
an absorption bordering on sleep; but this can take
place only through a very' energetic will, and when
the ties of sympathy exist between the two persons;
otherwise the invocation does not cany. Even in a
case where the invocation causes sleep, if the moment
is inopportune, the person not wishing to sleep will
resist, and, if he yield, his spirit will be troubled, and
answer with difficulty. It thus results that the most
favorable moment for the invocation of a living person
is during his natural sleep, because his spirit, being
free, can as well come toward the one who calls him
as- to go elsewhere.
When the invocation is made with the consent of
the person, and he seeks to sleep for the purpose, this
very desire may retard the sleep and trouble the spirit;
an unforced sleep is preferable.
44. " Has a living person, on waking, a consciousness
of having been invoked ? "
" No ; you are yourselves invoked more often than
you think. The spirit alone knows it, and may sometimes
leave with him a vague impression, like a dream."
— " Who can invoke us if we are but obscure beings ?"
" In other existences you may have been known
either in this world or in others, and have had your
relations and friends the same in this world or in
others. Suppose your spirit may have animated the
body of the father of another person: well, then, he
invokes his father ; it is your spirit who is invoked, and
who answers."
45. "Would the invoked spirit of a living person
answer as spirit, or with the ideas pertaining to a
waking state ?"
" That depends on his elevation ; but his judgment is more healthy, and he has fewer prejudices, exactly
like somnambulists ; it is a nearly similar state."
46. " If the spirit of a somnambulist in a state of
magnetic sleep were invoked, would he be more lucid
than that of other persons?"
" He would, doubtless, answer more lucidly, because
more disinthralled ; all depends on the degree of the
spirit's independence of the body."
— "Could the spirit of a somnambulist answer a person
at a distance, who might invoke him, at the same
time that he is verbally answering another person ?"
"The faculty of communicating simultaneously at
two different points pertains only to spirits completely
disengaged from matter."
47. " Can the ideas of a. person in a waking state
be modified by acting upon his spirit during sleep ?"
" Yes, sometimes ; the ties that bind the spirit to
matter are not then so close ; he is more accessible to
moral impressions, and these impressions may influence
his mode of seeing in the ordinary state."
48. " Is the spirit of a living person free to say or
not to say what he will ? "
" He has his faculties of spirit, and consequently
his free will ; and as he has more perspicacity, he is
even more circumspect than when in a waking state."
49. " In invoking a person, can he be constrained to
speak when he wishes to be silent ? "
" I have said that the spirit has his free will; but it
can very well be that, as spirit, he attaches less importance
to certain things than in the ordinary state;
his conscience may speak more freely. Besides, if he
does not wish to speak, he can easily escape importunities
by leaving, for a spirit cannot be retained as
you can retain his body."
50. •'Can the spirit of a living person be forced by
another spirit to come and speak, as can be done
among wandering spirits ?"
" Among spirits, whether of the dead or the living,
there is no supremacy, save from moral superiority;
and you may well believe that a superior spirit will
never lend his support to a cowardly indiscretion."
Remark. This abuse of confidence would, in fact,
be a bad action, which, however, would have no result,
since you cannot tear from a spirit a secret he desires
to keep, at least unless, influenced by a sentiment of
justice, he avows what, under other circumstances, he
would withhold. A person, by this means, desired
to know of one of his relatives if his will was in her
favor. The spirit answered, " Yes, my dear niece, and
you shall soon have the proof of it."
The thing was true; but a few days afterward the
relative destroyed his will, and was mischievous enough
to let her know of it, though he did not know he had
been invoked. An instinctive feeling, doubtless, urged
him to execute the resolution his spirit had taken at
the time of his having been questioned. It is cowardly
to ask of a spirit, either of the dead or living, what you
would not have dared to ask him in person, and this
cowardice is not even compensated by the expected
result.
51. " Can one invoke a spirit whose body is still in
the mother's womb ?"
" No; you know that, at such time, the spirit is in
utter trouble."
Remark. The incarnation takes place actually only
at the moment of the child's first breath ; but from
the conception the spirit designated to animate it is
seized with a trouble, which increases as the birth approaches, and takes from him his self-consciousness,
and consequently the faculty of answering. (See
Book on Spirits— Return to the Corporeal Life,
Union of the Soul and Body, No. 344.)
52. " Could a deceiving spirit take the place of a
living invoked person ?"
" That is not doubtful, and it very often happens,
particularly when the intention of the invocator is not
pure. But the invocation of living persons is interesting
only as a psychological study : it is necessary to
abstain always when it can have no instructive result."
Remark. If the invocation of wandering spirits
does not always carry, — to use their own expression, —
it must be much more frequent for those who are incarnated
; then, especially, do deceiving spirits take their
place.
53. "Are there dangers in the invocation of a living
person ?"
" It is not always without danger ; that depends on
the person's position, for if he is sick, it might add to
his sufferings."
54. " In what case could the invocation of a living
person have most dangers ?"
" You should abstain from invoking children of a
very tender age, persons seriously ill, infirm old men ;
indeed, there are dangers in all cases when the body
is very much enfeebled."
Remark. The sudden suspension of the intellectual
faculties during a waking state might also be dangerous,
if the person at the moment should find himself
in need of his presence of mind.
55. " During the invocation of a living person, does
the body experience fatigue by reason of the work his
absent spirit performs ?"
"A person in this state, who said his body was
fatigued, answered this question: ' My spirit is like
a balloon tied to a post; my body is the post, which is
shaken by the strugglings of the balloon.' "
56. " As the invocation of living persons may be
dangerous when made without precaution, does not
the danger exist when we invoke a spirit we do not
know to be incarnated, and who might not find himself
in favorable conditions ?"
" No ; the circumstances are not the same: he will
come only if in a position to do so ; and besides, have
I not told you to ask, before making an invocation, if
it be possible ?"
57. " When, at the most inopportune moments, we
experience an irresistible desire to sleep, does it warn
us that we are invoked by some one ?"
" It may occur, but most often it is a purely physical
effect; either the body or the spirit has need of its
liberty."
Remark. A lady of our acquaintance, a medium,
one day invoked the spirit of her grandson, who was
sleeping in the same room. His identity was confirmed
by the language, by the familiar expressions of the
child, and by the exact recital of several things that
had happened at his boarding-school; but one especial
circumstance confirmed it. Suddenly the hand of
the medium paused in the middle of a sentence, and
it was impossible to obtain anything further: at this
moment, the child, half awake, moved in his bed.
Some moments after, he again slept; the hand went on
anew, continuing the interrupted talk.
The invocation of living persons, made under good
conditions, proves, in the least contestable manner, the
distinct action of the spirit and the body, and consequently, the existence of an intelligent principle independent
of matter. (See Revue Spirite of i860,
pages 11 and 18, several remarkable examples of
invocation of living persons.)
285. Human Telegraphy.
58. ''Could two persons, by invoking each other,
transmit their thoughts, and thus correspond?"
" Yes ; and this human telegraphy will some day be
a universal means of correspondence'.'
" Why should it not be practiced at present ?"
" So it is, with some persons, but not with every
one: men must purify themselves, in order that their
spirit may be disengaged from matter ; and this is still
another reason for making the invocation in the name
of God. Until then it is confined to chosen and
dematerialized souls, who are rarely met in the actual
state of the world's inhabitants."
