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Many
advanced occultists are able to produce such
phenomena, consciously, by an act of pure will,
accompanied by the power of mental picturing.
This does not take away from the wonder of the
spiritistic phenomena; and does not discredit
the motives and power of the mediums, but much
is possible without the aid of 'spirits'. The
occultist will first picture the astral extension,
and then will the projection of the astral and
the passage of the prana (or vital force) around
the pattern of the mental image. In the case
of some very highly developed occultists the
astral thought-form of their body becomes so
charged with prana that it is able to move physical
objects.
It
can be argued that many cases of materialisation
of 'spirit-forms' take place because of the
unconscious projection of the astral body of
the medium. Such a projection of the astral
body may take on the appearance of some departed
soul (the mind of the medium having been influenced
by the minds of the persons present who knew
the dead person). In most cases the medium is
unable to produce the phenomenon without the
psychic assistance of those in the circle.
In
his latest best-selling book "Through My
Eyes" Gordon Smith writes about his life
as a medium and how he has used his powers to
bring healing and comfort to the bereaved. He
has taken part in many scientific experiments
which examine the evidence given by mediums
to their recipients. Professor Archie E Roy
in the foreword of 'Spirit Messenger' says "Gordon
Smith is a medium, a person who, in every other
way, leads a normal life, working as a hairdresser,
yet who demonstrates again and again his ability
to receive information he simply could not have
obtained through the use of the five senses.
This is precise, detailed information, startling
relevant to the recipient, conveyed either at
a meeting-place or during a private sitting."
Whether
or not the revelations of mediums can be attributed
to spiritualism or to occultism, the comfort
a good medium can bring to the bereaved who
so often are haunted by worries for their loved
ones and things that have been left unsaid cannot
be denied.
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