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The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1863 > July > Human duality demonstrated by somnambulism
Without referring here to the several phenomena that come out of experimental Spiritism and demonstrate with the latest evidence the independence between Spirit and matter, we will draw your attention to a common fact whose consequences, as far as we know, have not been completely exhausted and that, nevertheless, has characteristics that impress every serious observer.
We want to discuss what happens during natural and artificial somnambulism and the strange outcomes that occur with the cataleptic such as double sight. This will illustrate, even to nonbelievers whose cause to discredit Spiritism, although worthwhile, is not justified.
A distinct doctor of Tarn sent us the letter below, demonstrating the train of thought of a person going from incredulity to belief just supported by reason and observation carried out in good faith.
“Dear Sir,v
Confused in the crowd of doubters and unbelievers, the reading of The Spirits Book produced a lively sensation in my soul. The sooth satisfaction that remained after the reading gave rise to the very natural desire to believe, without restrictions, in all teachings of the Spirits given in the book. I wanted to attest the reality of the communications myself to achieve such objective. Hence, I struggled to become a medium but it did not work out and I had to stop the researches. Tired of living my own uncertainties I decided to refer to other people’s observations. However, since I have a personal trait that makes it hard to persuade I had the need to get to know those phenomena to be able to evaluate their authenticity.
After having gone through the four initial years of the Spiritist Review and particularly after having noticed the precaution used to report the events there and that the manifestations of the Spirits and their communications are always attested by respectable, selfless and truthworthy persons, it is no longer possible to have any doubt about their authenticity. Once admitted the communications, however, I wanted to have an idea of the degree of confidence that one should attribute to the revelations, particularly those that constitute the foundation of the Spiritist doctrine. In those observations, I could not be stopped by the flames of hell unless I denied the infinite benevolence of God. The difference in religions did not create an obstacle to my logic either since according to common sense by doing good one cannot harvest bad. The essential point of reincarnation, however, was still missing. In that case somnambulism was a great help to me and, if it does not entirely solve the problem in my opinion, it makes it so likely that one does need a great dose of ill-faith in order to deny it.
To begin with, if the existence of the soul had not been sufficiently demonstrated by the manifestations and communications of the Spirits, it would be clearly proved by the remote sight and sight through opaque bodies that cannot be explained otherwise. Furthermore, leaving aside the faculties of the soul when separated from matter such as remote sight, transmission of thoughts, etc. somnambulism leads the sensitive to discoveries that are much more extensive than when in the state of vigil. The consequence of that is preexistence of the soul to the body because if it were created at the same time it could not acquire knowledge beyond the knowledge of the body. But, after attesting that the soul is older than the body there is no rejection of the idea of reincarnation because, if the current life is not the beginning, there is nothing to prove that it is the last one; on the contrary, they become very natural and even indispensable. There is more: the somnambulist, in the state of vigil, has no memory of what was said or done during the sleep but during the sleep recovers the memory of not only what was done during the preceding sleeps but also during vigil. Isn’t that the accurate picture of the existence of the soul in their numerous states in Iranicity and incarnate with their memories and forgetfulness?
I am a son of the people, with an extremely mediocre education, self-taught that has only been granted in the latest 1/3 of my life of forty two years. Hence it seems that a much more experienced pen would explain the truths that I discovered more clearly. However imperfect the approximations they sufficed to determine my conviction and I would be happy if you consider them worthy of having he same influence upon others.
Although my conviction is very recent it has started to produce effects and irrespective of the fortunate changes in my behavior it is a source of kind consolations to me. These happy changes are sole result of your books. Thus, Sir, I ask you to receive the eternal recognition of the one that in the future would like to count among your keenest followers.
G.”
Remote vision, the impressions felt by the somnambulist, and, according to the place that is visited, prove that part of the being is transported. Well, if it was not the physical, visible body that changed places, it can only be the invisible and sensitive body. Isn’t that the most positive proof of double physical and spiritual existence?
But leaving aside that singular faculty that is not wide spread it is enough to observe what happens to the most common somnambulists. The duality occurs in a not less positive way, as observed by our correspondent in the phenomenon of forgetting at the wake up. No one that has observed magnetic phenomena has not notice the instantaneous nature of such obliviousness. A somnambulist speaks and the conversation is perfectly logical and sequential. If suddenly awaken in the middle of a word or an unfinished sentence and that person is asked about the conversation the answer is that there is no memory of the word or that nothing was said.
If thought was the result of the cerebral material, why such an oblivious if matter is always there and it remains unchanged? Why an instant is enough to change the train of thoughts? But what is even more characteristic is the absolute memory in a new event of what was said in the preceding sleep, sometimes with the interruption of a year. Only this would prove that there is the life of the soul side by side with the body and that the soul may act and think independently. If the soul can manifest such independency during the life of the body more or less suffering the effects of the obstacles even with more reason what can the soul do when enjoying total freedom! The consequences that our correspondent draws from these phenomena to demonstrate the preexistence of the soul and the plurality of the existences are perfectly logical. The somnambulistic phenomena, like many others, seems to be brought about by the Providence to direct us to the route of the mysteries of mind. Science, however, does not consider them worthwhile.
With the purpose of looking at them, it will not veer its eyes from a polyp, a mushroom or a nervous ramification. It is true that the soul cannot be seen at the tip of a scalpel but since the causes are assessed based on the effects the effects of the soul are before your eyes and you don’t see them. You would drive a hundred miles to see an astronomical phenomenon without any practical utility while you only show sarcasm and disdain when the subject is the phenomena of the soul that are at your reach and are of the interest of the whole humanity, in its present and its future.
If official science hardly renounces to its prejudices it would be unfair to blame all scientists. There is a positive movement manifesting among them with respect to the new ideas. The tactical and individual adhesions are innumerous but perhaps even more than others they are afraid of being in evidence. It will be enough to have a few celebrities holding the flag to mute the scruple of others, impose silence to the scorners of bad taste and give food for thought to the selfish aggressors. That is what we will soon see.
We want to discuss what happens during natural and artificial somnambulism and the strange outcomes that occur with the cataleptic such as double sight. This will illustrate, even to nonbelievers whose cause to discredit Spiritism, although worthwhile, is not justified.
A distinct doctor of Tarn sent us the letter below, demonstrating the train of thought of a person going from incredulity to belief just supported by reason and observation carried out in good faith.
“Dear Sir,v
Confused in the crowd of doubters and unbelievers, the reading of The Spirits Book produced a lively sensation in my soul. The sooth satisfaction that remained after the reading gave rise to the very natural desire to believe, without restrictions, in all teachings of the Spirits given in the book. I wanted to attest the reality of the communications myself to achieve such objective. Hence, I struggled to become a medium but it did not work out and I had to stop the researches. Tired of living my own uncertainties I decided to refer to other people’s observations. However, since I have a personal trait that makes it hard to persuade I had the need to get to know those phenomena to be able to evaluate their authenticity.
After having gone through the four initial years of the Spiritist Review and particularly after having noticed the precaution used to report the events there and that the manifestations of the Spirits and their communications are always attested by respectable, selfless and truthworthy persons, it is no longer possible to have any doubt about their authenticity. Once admitted the communications, however, I wanted to have an idea of the degree of confidence that one should attribute to the revelations, particularly those that constitute the foundation of the Spiritist doctrine. In those observations, I could not be stopped by the flames of hell unless I denied the infinite benevolence of God. The difference in religions did not create an obstacle to my logic either since according to common sense by doing good one cannot harvest bad. The essential point of reincarnation, however, was still missing. In that case somnambulism was a great help to me and, if it does not entirely solve the problem in my opinion, it makes it so likely that one does need a great dose of ill-faith in order to deny it.
To begin with, if the existence of the soul had not been sufficiently demonstrated by the manifestations and communications of the Spirits, it would be clearly proved by the remote sight and sight through opaque bodies that cannot be explained otherwise. Furthermore, leaving aside the faculties of the soul when separated from matter such as remote sight, transmission of thoughts, etc. somnambulism leads the sensitive to discoveries that are much more extensive than when in the state of vigil. The consequence of that is preexistence of the soul to the body because if it were created at the same time it could not acquire knowledge beyond the knowledge of the body. But, after attesting that the soul is older than the body there is no rejection of the idea of reincarnation because, if the current life is not the beginning, there is nothing to prove that it is the last one; on the contrary, they become very natural and even indispensable. There is more: the somnambulist, in the state of vigil, has no memory of what was said or done during the sleep but during the sleep recovers the memory of not only what was done during the preceding sleeps but also during vigil. Isn’t that the accurate picture of the existence of the soul in their numerous states in Iranicity and incarnate with their memories and forgetfulness?
I am a son of the people, with an extremely mediocre education, self-taught that has only been granted in the latest 1/3 of my life of forty two years. Hence it seems that a much more experienced pen would explain the truths that I discovered more clearly. However imperfect the approximations they sufficed to determine my conviction and I would be happy if you consider them worthy of having he same influence upon others.
Although my conviction is very recent it has started to produce effects and irrespective of the fortunate changes in my behavior it is a source of kind consolations to me. These happy changes are sole result of your books. Thus, Sir, I ask you to receive the eternal recognition of the one that in the future would like to count among your keenest followers.
G.”
Remote vision, the impressions felt by the somnambulist, and, according to the place that is visited, prove that part of the being is transported. Well, if it was not the physical, visible body that changed places, it can only be the invisible and sensitive body. Isn’t that the most positive proof of double physical and spiritual existence?
But leaving aside that singular faculty that is not wide spread it is enough to observe what happens to the most common somnambulists. The duality occurs in a not less positive way, as observed by our correspondent in the phenomenon of forgetting at the wake up. No one that has observed magnetic phenomena has not notice the instantaneous nature of such obliviousness. A somnambulist speaks and the conversation is perfectly logical and sequential. If suddenly awaken in the middle of a word or an unfinished sentence and that person is asked about the conversation the answer is that there is no memory of the word or that nothing was said.
If thought was the result of the cerebral material, why such an oblivious if matter is always there and it remains unchanged? Why an instant is enough to change the train of thoughts? But what is even more characteristic is the absolute memory in a new event of what was said in the preceding sleep, sometimes with the interruption of a year. Only this would prove that there is the life of the soul side by side with the body and that the soul may act and think independently. If the soul can manifest such independency during the life of the body more or less suffering the effects of the obstacles even with more reason what can the soul do when enjoying total freedom! The consequences that our correspondent draws from these phenomena to demonstrate the preexistence of the soul and the plurality of the existences are perfectly logical. The somnambulistic phenomena, like many others, seems to be brought about by the Providence to direct us to the route of the mysteries of mind. Science, however, does not consider them worthwhile.
With the purpose of looking at them, it will not veer its eyes from a polyp, a mushroom or a nervous ramification. It is true that the soul cannot be seen at the tip of a scalpel but since the causes are assessed based on the effects the effects of the soul are before your eyes and you don’t see them. You would drive a hundred miles to see an astronomical phenomenon without any practical utility while you only show sarcasm and disdain when the subject is the phenomena of the soul that are at your reach and are of the interest of the whole humanity, in its present and its future.
If official science hardly renounces to its prejudices it would be unfair to blame all scientists. There is a positive movement manifesting among them with respect to the new ideas. The tactical and individual adhesions are innumerous but perhaps even more than others they are afraid of being in evidence. It will be enough to have a few celebrities holding the flag to mute the scruple of others, impose silence to the scorners of bad taste and give food for thought to the selfish aggressors. That is what we will soon see.