A Spirit at the funeral of his body.

— The Spirits have always told us that the separation of the soul and the body does not take place instantaneously; sometimes it begins before real death, during the agony; when the last pulsation makes itself felt, the detachment is not yet complete, operating more or less slowly, according to the circumstances, and, until its complete liberation, it experiences a perturbation, a confusion that do not allow it to take account of its situation; it finds itself in the state of someone who awakens and whose ideas are confused. Such a state has nothing painful for the man whose conscience is pure; without knowing how to explain well what he sees, he is calm, awaiting, without fear, the complete awakening; it is, on the contrary, full of anguish and terror for the one who fears the future. We say that the duration of this perturbation is variable; it is much shorter in those who, during life, have already elevated their thoughts and purified their soul, two or three days being sufficient, while for others, at times, eight days or more are necessary. We have frequently witnessed this solemn moment and have always seen the same thing; it is, then, not a theory, but the result of observations, since it is the Spirit who speaks and depicts his own situation.

— Here below is an example much more characteristic and interesting for the observer, since it does not refer to an invisible Spirit writing through a medium, but to a Spirit who is seen and heard in the presence of his body, whether in the mortuary chamber, whether in the church, during the funeral service:

Mr. X… had just been stricken by an attack of apoplexy; a few hours after his death Mr. Adrien, one of his friends, was in the mortuary chamber with the wife of the deceased; he saw the Spirit of the latter, very distinctly, walk in every direction, look alternately at his body and at the persons present, and then seat himself in an armchair; he had exactly the same appearance he possessed in life; he was dressed in the same manner: black frock coat and trousers; he had his hands in his pockets and a preoccupied air. During this time his wife was looking for a paper in the writing desk. Looking at her, the husband said: "However much you search, you will find nothing." She suspected nothing of what was then happening, for Mr. X… was visible only to Mr. Adrien.

— On the following day, during the funeral service, Mr. Adrien again saw the Spirit of his friend wandering beside the coffin, although he no longer wore the attire of the previous day; he had himself enveloped in a kind of tunic, and there was established between the two the following conversation. Let us note, in passing, that Mr. Adrien is absolutely not a somnambulist and that at this moment, as much as on the day before, he was perfectly awake and the Spirit appeared to him as if he were one of those attending the burial. [see the article: Adrien, seeing medium.]

Q. Tell me one thing, my dear Spirit: what do you feel now?

Answer. – Well-being and suffering.

Q. I do not understand that.

Answer. – I feel that I am living my true life and, nevertheless, I see my body here in this coffin; I touch myself and yet I do not perceive myself, nevertheless, I feel that I live, that I exist. Am I, then, two beings? Ah! Let me come out of this night: I am having a nightmare.

Q. Will you remain thus for a long time?

Answer. – Oh! No; thank God, my friend; I feel that I shall soon awaken. Otherwise it would be horrible; my ideas are confused; everything is fog; I dream of the great division that has just been made… and of which I still understand nothing.

Q. What effect did death produce upon you?

Answer. – Death! I am not dead, my son; you are mistaken. I was getting up and, suddenly, I was seized by a darkness that descended over my eyes; then I raised myself: judge of my astonishment on seeing and feeling myself alive, perceiving, at my side, upon the slab, my other self lying. My ideas were confused; I wandered to collect myself, but I could not; I saw my wife arrive, watch over me, lament, and I asked myself: Why? I consoled her, I spoke to her, but she did not answer nor understand me; it was this that tortured me, leaving my Spirit still more perturbed. Only you did me good, because you heard me and understand what I want; you help me to put my ideas in order and you do me a great good; but why do the others not do the same? Here is what tortures me… The brain is crushed in the face of this pain… I shall go see her; who knows, perhaps she will understand me now… Until soon, dear friend; call me and I shall come to see you… I shall make you a friend's visit… I shall surprise you… Until soon.

— Afterward Mr. Adrien saw him approach his son, who was weeping. He bent over him, remained a few instants in that position, and then departed rapidly. He had not been understood, but he imagined, no doubt, that he had produced a sound. As for Mr. Adrien, he was persuaded that what Mr. X… said reached the heart of his son, undertaking to prove it. Later he saw the young man: he was calmer.

Note. – This narration agrees with all that we had observed about the phenomenon of the separation of the soul; it confirms, in rather special circumstances, this truth: after death the Spirit is still present there. While everyone believes they have before them an inert body, he sees and hears all that happens around him, penetrates the thought of those present, and knows that, between himself and the latter, the only difference that exists is visibility and invisibility; the hypocritical tears of the greedy heirs do not deceive him. How many disappointments the Spirits must experience at that moment!