The Mediums’ Book: Biographic Information

Description

"The Mediums’ Book" is not addressed to Materialists, who must be brought from Materialism to Spiritualism, if at all, by their personal ascertainment of the reality of the modern spiritist "manifestations" and by the proof they give of the continued existence of the souls of the deceased men and women by whom they are produced. It is addressed exclusively to those who already believe that there is, in man, a principle of conscious individuality which survives the body, and who consequently admit, 1st, the action of Law in the evolution of human life, and, 2nd, the existence of the Inscrutable Ordainer of the universe, of whose Wisdom and Will that Law is the expression. — Anna Blackwell PART FIRST. CHAPTER I. DO SPIRITS EXIST? 1 CHAPTER II. THE MARVELLOUS AND THE SUPERNATURAL 9 CHAPTER III. PLAN OF PROCEEDING 20 CHAPTER IV. THEORIES 32 PART SECOND. SPIRIT-MANIFESTATIONS. CHAPTER I. ACTION OF SPIRITS ON MATTER 51 CHAPTER II. PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS. TABLE-TURNING 58 CHAPTER III. INTELLIGENT MANIFESTATIONS 62 CHAPTER IV. THEORY OF PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS 66 Movements and liftings - Sounds - Temporary increase and decrease of the weight of bodies. CHAPTER V. SPONTANEOUS PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS 81 CHAPTER VI. VISUAL MANIFESTATIONS 106 Theoretical explanation of Apparitions - Theory of Hallucination. CHAPTER VII. BI-CORPOREITY AND TRANSFIGURATION 126 CHAPTER VIII. LABORATORY OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD 137 CHAPTER IX. HAUNTED PLACES 147 CHAPTER X. NATURE OF SPIRIT-COMMUNICATIONS 153 Coarse, frivolous, serious, and instructive communications. CHAPTER XI. SEMATOLOGY AND TYPTOLOGY 157 The language of signs; raps and tiltings - Alphabetical typtology. CHAPTER XII. PNEUMATOGRAPHY OR DIRECT WRITING - PNEUMATOPHONY OR DIRECT SPIRIT-SOUNDS 163 CHAPTER XIII. PSYCHOGRAPHY 169 Indirect Psychography: Planchettes, &c. - Direct or Manual Psychography. CHAPTER XIV. MEDIUMS 172 CHAPTER XV. WRITING MEDIUMS OR PSYCHOGRAPHS 189 CHAPTER XVI. SPECIAL MEDIUMS 195 CHAPTER XVII. FORMATION OF MEDIUMS 215 CHAPTER XVIII. DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS OF MEDIANIMITY 234 INDEX. CHAPTER XIX. PAGE THE ACTION OF THE MEDIUM IN THE OBTAINING OF SPIRITMANIFESTATIONS 238 CHAPTER XX. MENTAL AND MORAL INFLUENCE OF THE MEDIUM 254 CHAPTER XXI. INFLUENCE OF SURROUNDINGS ON SPIRIT-MANIFESTATIONS 266 CHAPTER XXII. MEDIANIMITY OF ANIMALS 270 CHAPTER XXIII. OBSESSION 277 CHAPTER XXIV. IDENTITY OF SPIRITS 296 CHAPTER XXV. EVOCATIONS 319 CHAPTER XXVI. QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE ADDRESSED TO SPIRITS 354 CHAPTER XXVII. CONTRADICTIONS AND HOAXINGS 373 CHAPTER XXVIII. CHARLATANISM 388 Mercenary Mediumship - Sham Spiritism CHAPTER XXIX. SPIRITIST MEETINGS AND SOCIETIES 398 CHAPTER XXX. PARISIAN SOCIETY FOR PSYCHOLOGIC STUDIES 415 CHAPTER XXXI. DISSERTATIONS BY SPIRITS 418 On Spiritism - Mediums - Meetings - Apocryphal Communications. CHAPTER XXXII. SPIRITIST VOCABULARY 446