"PSYCHIC NEWS" BOOKLET-3 TRANCE STATES in Relation to SPIRIT CONTROL By Harry Boddington Author of the series, " University of Spiritualism," in "Psychic News" Obtainable from the author at THE LONDON PSYCHIC EDUCATIONAL CENTRE 17 Ashmere Grove, Acre Lane, London, S.W.2 PUBLISHED BY PSYCHIC PRESS LTD. 144 High Holborn, London, W.C.1 vvtc~ LQ~~r~/ A6I5'&A CONTENTS WHAT SPIRIT CONTROL MEANS ...... ........... 1-5 BIBLICAL PARALLELS ...... ... ... ... .. ... ... 6-9 METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT ...... ... ... ... ... ... 10-16 CLASSIFYING STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS ... ... ... ... 17-22 HYPNOTISM IN THEORY AND PRACTICE ... ... ... ... ... 23-28 ANALYSIS OF PSYCHIC SENSATIONS ... .. .. ....... 29-32 MENTAL OBSTRUCTIONS ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 33-37 PROCESS EXPLAINED BY SPIRITS ....... ... .. ... ... 38-43 SUBCONSCIOUS INTERFERENCE ... ... ... .. ... ... 44-48 COLOURED SPIRIT CO-OPERATORS ... ... ... ... ... ... 49-55 SPECIMENS OF TRANCE ADDRESSES ... ... ... ... ... 56-61 CONCLUSIONS ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 62-64 WHAT SPIRIT CONTROL MEANS medium's own ideas or words during proved most conclusively how spirit control. This is akin to tele- HE recent Meurig Morris case T hazy most people are as to the pathy through a hypnotized subject, meaning of the word "trance." whose subconscious interference is Yet, if one said of scenery, " It is often discernible. entrancing; I was spellbound," or of a thrilling play, " I was hypnotized; RELIGIOUS IMPLICATIONS I could not take my eyes off the actor," Scientific investigators look with everyone would immediately realize suspicion on all forms of emotionalism, that a conditioned limitation of con- and even discount obviously religious sciousness was implied. implications in the messages them- In the Meurig Morris case, it was selves, not merely as non-evidential but abundantly clear the jury accepted as proving subconscious action. that idea of trance, and repudiated any Yet it is an incontrovertible fact suggestion of dishonesty on the that, almost without exception, medium's part. mediums able to give satisfactory The only difference of opinion pre- evidence of discarnate action, sooner sented was as to what caused the or later emphasize the religious trance. Those who had not satisfied aspects. themselves that spirit people exist The next point that forces itself capable of inducing trance states, re- upon the attention is that statements pudiated the theory offhand, and of themselves, during entrancement, do sought every other possible explana- not prove discarnate action. Lec- tion. turers may discourse for weeks with- out in any way revealing their identity. SPIRITS' MENTAL INTERFERENCE In the nature of things it must be so. Those who argued by inference that How, then, are we to decide whether Mrs. Morris, unaided by external in- a medium is entranced by a discarnate telligences, was incapable of producing entity or merely expressing a phase of the lengthy discourses that pour consciousness normally quiescent ? through her lips in a continuous, The answer is simple but clear. It is coherent stream, often repudiated all when fnediums speak foreign lan- other theories. guages they could not have learned, From my standpoint, both parties or deal explicitly with subjects of are right in varying degrees, because which they have no normal knowledge, all trance states are induced through that the spirit hypothesis is acclaimed a limitation or expansion of conscious- as the only one that satisfactorily ness in the instrument affected. covers all the facts. In addition, Spiritualists recognize, It is upon this groundwork that that the brain and vocal organs of a Spiritualists take their stand. Very sensitive cannot be employed by any few deny that the discarnate mentality discarnate entity without some mental is unaffected by the medium's own interference by the owner of the mind. mechanism. For a clear understanding of trance, In the result, no fact is more fully it is therefore essential that students recognized among Spiritualists than should grasp some theories of hypnot- that of the impingement of the ism as well as self-induced but little B WHAT SPIRIT CONTROL MEANS understood phases of mentality classi- organized two of the most successful fied under the head of psychology. societies in London. It is gratifying to note that those "OPEN DOOR" TO KNOWLEDGE who are following in our steps find it We must also note the medium's necessary to adopt our working hypo- religious beliefs, together with all thesis to secure results. This is at other possible sources of acquired least presumptive evidence that we knowledge and ideas, before we can were on the right track. clearly decide what part of the mani- But it is to be regretted that the festation is subnormal and what may rough and ready methods of pioneers be more correctly classified as super- are not improved upon and a deeper normal or normal. insight into the rationale of medium- Trance mediumship is the " open ship discovered and utilised. door " to boundless fields of knowledge Many and varied are the authorities and experience. Comparatively few who will assure you that my conclu- cross its threshold and retain complete sions are wrong. On examination it remembrance of all they realize, be- will be found that fully ninety per cause the physical brain dims the spirit cent. of these " authorities" are memory, and because we have no entirely ignorant of elementary seance- analogies by which psychic experience room experience. Impertinent assump- can be translated into language. tion is their sole qualification. Nor can everyone pass through that The remaining ten per cent. can door, though the vast majority can usually be dismissed because their un- glance through the portals of the warrantable fears, prejudice or in- mystic realm and forever realize "I tolerance render them useless as am a spirit." teachers. Others merely witness specific THE PSYCHIC'S EQUIPMENT phases of development and erroneously The pre-requisites for exploration conclude that what applies to one in- are physical adaptability and psychic dividual applies to all. This generali- or soul quality. You can discover zation is often wrong because the whether you possess these by sitting finished product is in no way com- calmly and prayerfully awaiting the parable to the stumbling, experimental " descent of the holy spirit." phases of early development. is as natural as the use Whether the possessor of these Mediumship of eyes and ears. It is merely a dif- qualifications will gain response from ferent mode of utilizing consciousness. a "holy" spirit or one of humanity's development, the sensa- misfits, is determined by his measure of During early tions induced often lead to widely aspiration, will, persistence and the- divergent conclusions. nature of his mental and physiGal sur- roundings, for all these affect the "A LITTLE LEARNING- " result. At this point it is emphatically true During the "opening of the door " that "a little learning is a dangerous many curious experiences befall the in- thing." Hundreds of people rush into vestigator. It is because these are so print with entirely misleading state- generally misunderstood that I shall ments which more mature experience narrate in simple language conclu- would correct. sions resulting from nearly forty years Hence it is that mediums uncon- experimental research, in which the scious of their powers, become the prey development of mediumship played a of rogues, or suffer under priestly con- conspicuous part. demnation. They greedily swallow For seventeen years, with my wife theories advanced by inexperienced as acting medium, we kept open house people whose " authority " is an free to all comers, and during that time isolated text from scripture, or quota- WHAT SPIRIT CONTROL MEANS tions from literature they completely saying while entranced, gradually be- misunderstand. comes part of normal consciousness. Too often, books are written for We therefore evolve an approximation mere sensationalism, or with the de- to genius in the developed medium. liberate purpose of scaring investiga- Genius was said to be allied to mad- tors. It is essential to clearly recognize ness because the instrument is so ex- these aspects in order that we may ceedingly delicate that the least over- immediately jettison fear and super- strain upsets mental poise. Mediumship stition, for until these go overboard it may likewise be defined as "mentality will be unwise for you to develop delicately poised," because the slightest psychic powers. interference often destroys its evi- The true Spiritualist attitude is dential value. scientific. First marshal and examine In the latter case, it does not indicate your facts. Philosophy and religion lunacy, but that the gates of heaven will evolve naturally from that basis. have suddenly closed, and the medium, No people have been more mis- like Paul, is left wondering whether he understood than mediums-at one time is "in the spirit or not." worshipped as fetish or saviour, and In development, the best results are anon burned as witches and wizards. gained by regular times of sitting with In modern life they figure as genius all minds definitely agreeable to the or crank, and may be considered for- work in hand. The home circle thus tunate if their eccentricity is insuffi- forms the bedrock of Spiritualism, ciently pronounced to land them in the because it is happily natural and free lunatic asylum. from the hypercriticism of pseudo Small wonder, then, that thousands scientific investigators, who invariably hide their experiences from the world "kill the goose that lays the golden rather than incur its ignorant con- eggs." demnation. Thanks to the advent of Their methods are often similar to modern Spiritualism, ignorance is those of the child who first pricks his gradually being ousted by knowledge, air balloon and then marvels that he and neither priest nor materialist can cannot afterwards inflate it. stay its onward march. In England alone we have over five SITTERS' ATTITUDE OF MIND hundred organized societies, and In seance work, thought is the thousands of independent investigators dominant factor. Injudiciously direc- advocating its claims.