On transports and other tangible phenomena

Whoever wishes to obtain a phenomenon of this order must have with him mediums whom I will call — sensitives, that is to say, endowed, in the highest degree, with the mediumistic faculties of expansion and penetrability, because the easily excitable nervous system of such mediums allows them, by means of certain vibrations, to project abundantly, around themselves, the animalized fluid that is proper to them.

Impressionable natures, persons whose nerves vibrate at the least impression, at the most insignificant sensation; those whom moral or physical influence, internal or external, renders sensitive, are very apt to become excellent mediums for the physical effects of tangibility and of transports. Indeed, being almost entirely deprived of the refractory envelope which, in most other incarnates, isolates it, the nervous system of these persons equips them for the production of these various phenomena. Thus, with an individual of such a nature and whose other faculties are not hostile to mediumship, one will easily obtain the phenomena of tangibility, the raps upon the walls and the furniture, the intelligent movements, and even the suspension, in space, of the heaviest inert matter. A fortiori, the same results will be achieved if, instead of a single medium, the experimenter has several at his disposal, equally well endowed. But, from the production of such phenomena to the obtaining of those of transport there is a world of difference, for, in this case, not only is the work of the Spirit more complex, more difficult, but, above all, it cannot operate except by means of a single mediumistic apparatus, that is to say, several mediums cannot concur simultaneously in the production of the same phenomenon. It even happens that, on the contrary, the presence of some persons antipathetic to the operating Spirit radically obstructs its operation for it. To these motives, which, as you see, are not lacking in importance, let us add that transports always require greater concentration and, at the same time, greater diffusion of certain fluids, which can be obtained only with superiorly endowed mediums, with those, in a word, whose electromediumistic apparatus is the one that offers the best conditions. In general, facts of transport are and will continue to be extremely rare. I need not demonstrate why they are and will be less frequent than the other phenomena of tangibility; from what I say, you can yourselves deduce it. Furthermore, these phenomena are of such a nature that not all mediums serve to produce them. Indeed, it is necessary that between the Spirit and the influenced medium there exist a certain affinity, a certain analogy: a certain resemblance capable of allowing the expandable part of the perispiritic fluid of the incarnate to mix, to unite, to combine with that of the Spirit who wishes to make a transport. This fusion must be such that the force resulting from it becomes, so to speak, one: in the same way that, acting upon the carbon, an electric current produces a single focus, a single brightness. Why this union, this fusion, you will ask? It is that, for these phenomena to be produced, it is necessary that the essential properties of the motor Spirit be augmented with some of those of the medium; it is that the vital fluid, indispensable to the production of all mediumistic phenomena, is the exclusive prerogative of the incarnate, and that, consequently, the operating Spirit is obliged to impregnate itself with it. Only then can it, by means of certain properties, unknown to you, of your surrounding environment, isolate, render invisible, and cause to move some material objects and even incarnates.

It is not permitted to me, for the time being, to unveil to you the particular laws that govern the gases and the fluids that surround you; but, before some years have elapsed, before a man's lifetime has run out, the explanation of these laws and these phenomena will be revealed to you, and you will see arise and come forth a new variety of mediums, who will act in a special cataleptic state, once they are mediumized.

You thus see how many difficulties surround the production of the phenomenon of transports. Very logically you can conclude from this that phenomena of this nature are extremely rare, and with all the more reason, since the Spirits lend themselves very little to producing them, because this gives rise, on their part, to an almost material labor, which causes them annoyance and fatigue. On the other hand, it also happens that, frequently, notwithstanding the energy and the will that animate them, the state of the medium himself opposes to them an insurmountable barrier.

It is evident, then — and your reasoning, I am sure, will sanction it — that facts of tangibility, such as raps, suspension, and movements, are simple phenomena, which operate by means of the concentration and the dilation of certain fluids and which can be provoked and obtained by the will and the labor of the mediums apt for this, when seconded by friendly and benevolent Spirits, whereas facts of transport are multiple, complex, require a concurrence of special circumstances, cannot operate except by a single Spirit and a single medium, and necessitate, besides what tangibility requires, a very special combination, in order to isolate and render invisible the object, or the objects, destined for the transport. All of you Spiritists understand my explanations and perfectly grasp that this concentration of special fluids is required for the locomotion and the tactility of inert matter. You believe in it, as you believe in the phenomena of electricity and of magnetism, with which mediumistic facts have great analogy and of which they are, so to speak, the confirmation and the development. As for the incredulous, it is not my task to convince them, and I do not concern myself with them. They will be convinced one day, by force of evidence, for they will be obliged to bow before the testimony of Spiritist facts, as they were obliged to do before other facts which they at first repelled. In summary: the phenomena of tangibility are frequent, but those of transport are very rare, because the conditions under which they are produced are very difficult to realize. Consequently, no medium can say: at such an hour, at such a moment, I will obtain a transport, since often the Spirit itself sees itself obstructed in the execution of its work. I must add that these phenomena are doubly difficult in public, because in public there are almost always found energetically refractory elements, which paralyze the efforts of the Spirit and, with all the more reason, the action of the medium. Hold, on the contrary, as certain that, in intimacy, the said phenomena are produced almost always spontaneously, most often without the mediums' knowledge and without premeditation, being very rare when the mediums are forewarned. You must deduce from this that there is cause for suspicion every time a medium flatters himself that he can obtain them at will, or, in other words, that he can give orders to the Spirits, as though to servants of his, which is simply absurd. Hold also as a general rule that Spiritist phenomena are not produced to constitute a spectacle and to amuse the curious. If some Spirits lend themselves to such things, it can only be for the production of simple phenomena, not for those which, like those of transport and others similar, require exceptional conditions. Remember, Spiritists, that, if it is absurd to systematically repel all the phenomena from beyond the grave, neither is it good counsel to accept them all blindly. When a phenomenon of tangibility, of visibility, or of transport operates spontaneously and in an instantaneous manner, accept it. But — I will never repeat it too much — accept nothing blindly. Let each fact be submitted to a minute, thorough, and severe examination, for, believe it, Spiritism, so rich in sublime and grandiose phenomena, has nothing to gain by these small manifestations, which skillful conjurers can imitate.

I know well that you are going to say: but these are useful for convincing the incredulous. But, know this, if you had not had at your disposal other means of conviction, you would not count today the hundredth part of the Spiritists that exist. Speak to the heart; it is by that means that you will make the greater number of serious conversions. If you judge it convenient, for certain persons, to avail yourselves of material facts, at least present them under such circumstances as cannot permit any false interpretation and, above all, do not depart from the normal conditions of these same facts, because, presented under bad conditions, they furnish arguments to the incredulous, instead of convincing them. Erastus.

[1] Translator's note: See The Mediums' Book, 2nd part, chapter V, item 98.

[2] It is seen that, when it is a matter of expressing a new idea, for which terms are lacking in the language, the Spirits know perfectly well how to create neologisms. These words: electromediumistic, perispiritic, are not of our invention. Those who have criticized us for having created the terms Spiritist, Spiritism, perispirit, which had no analogues, may also make the same criticism of the Spirits.

[3]

[cf. Thomas Erastus.]