Isis Unveiled, vol. I
Chapter XIII – Realities and Illusion
Pages : 487- 493
Subject: Mediumship and Mediatorship (continued)
Passive Mediums and active Mediators:
Both of these opposite characters have appeared in all ages. How can we distinguish between them ? By their character and actions, it is answered, as we judge a tree by its fruits.
Character of impure mediums:
They have in them “familiar spirits” who control them. They generally make of their gift a trade. Indian jugglers, African and Asian sorcerers and serpent charmers exercise their gifts for money. They become physically, psychically and morally sick, and reduced to pitiable condition. They are harassed by various intelligences, and their weak and nervous natures are unable to shake off these possessing entities which over-power them. Their disability become chronic and are prevented by these “influences” from undertaking any profession or occupation. They are thus driven to extreme helplessness and are constrained trade their mediumship for money. They are to be pitied, not persecuted.
There are, of course pure and genuine mediums, who are benevolent and do good. The above is not said of these. It is the sickly mediums who are players in séances and dabble with the so-called “spirits of the dead” who suffer.
Not so with Mediators and Hierophants.
Character of Mediators
Buddha was a mendicant who refused his father’s throne. The “Son of Man had not where to lay his head.” Apostles provided “neither gold nor silver, not brass in their purses.” Apollonius gave away one half of his fortune to his relatives and the other half to the poor. Iamblichus and Plotinus were renowned for their charity and self-denial. High character of Fakirs and holy mendicants of India is well described by the French Orientalist, Jacolliot. The Pythagorean Essenes and Therapeutae believed their hands defiled by the contact of money. When Apostles (except Peter, as showed himself a coward and thrice a renegade, according to Gospels) were offered money to impart their spiritual powers, indignantly spurned the offer, saying, “Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.” These men were Mediators, guided merely by their own personal spirit, or divine soul, and availing themselves of the help of the spirits so long as these remain in the right path.
Mediums are controlled by inferior spirits or what are called gods. But Mediators have mastery over themselves and over all inferior potencies which obey their irresistible will. When Plotinus was asked to attend public worship of gods, is said to have proudly answered, “It is for them (the spirits) to come to me. In the Hindu sacred book, The Institutions of Manu, it said that the gods control the worlds, but that the gods are subservient to Mantras (incantations), and that Brahmans know the secret of Mantras, and, therefore, Brahmans exercise power over the gods.
Iamblichus asserted and proved by his own example that our soul can attain communion with the highest intelligences, with “natures loftier than itself,” and drove away every inferior spirit or bad demon from his theurgic ceremonies. He taught his disciples how to recognize them. He and Proclus attained and taught how to attain divine powers, over-power mundane life, rendering oneself an organ of Deity. Jesus declared man the lord of the Sabbath, much like the ancient Indian Rishis declared that Man is Deity himself (That Thou Art),and at his command terrestrial and elementary spirits fled from their temporary abodes. Apollonius and many of the Brotherhood of Essenes of Judea and Mount Carmel exercised divine powers. Upanishad declare man to be non other than Deity itself but is ignorant of it, and can overcome ignorance and realize himself to be God Himself.
Why in ancient times unregulated mediums were persecuted.
There must have been very good reasons. Moses had stringent laws against those who practiced such mediumship. Moses, David, Samuel maintained colleges for teaching their students to develop deific powers in themselves, and encouraged to study prophesy, astrology, soothsaying, but discouraged unregulated mediumship by which witches exercised divination by the spirit of Ob ( Astral Light) The latter were put to death, or exiled from the city walls and driven to tombs and waste places. Why was this ? Why were they not tolerated ? Because the ancients had the discerning power by which they could see the difference between good and evil spirits which possessed the poor witches. They knew well that unregulated intercourse with inferior evil spirits brought ruin on the medium and disaster to the community. This is supported by experience of mankind from time immemorial.
Can one develop powers of mediumship ?
It is a wrong question, as a medium has no powers, and he develops none. How then mediumship develops ? It is developed by a certain moral and physical condition of man which induces emanation, or an aura, in which controlling intelligences can live, and by which they manifest themselves. He will be channel through which they act and display their power. Their aura changes day by day, and hour by hour. The medium’s moral state determines the kind of spirits that are attracted to him, and influence him intellectually, morally and physically.
Mediumship, passivity and possessions
The perfection of mediumship is in ratio to his passivity, and the danger he incurs is equal in degree. When he is perfectly passive, his own astral spirit may be benumbed, even crowded out of his body, which is occupied by an elemental or what is worse, by a human fiend of the eighth sphere who proceeds to use as his own. Causes of most celebrated crimes is to be sought in such possessions.
Passive mediumship and possessions.
Mediums are possessed by elementals or Elementaries, the latter being the spooks of the evil-minded men who are dead. These latter seek such sensitives and weak-minded people and take possession of their bodies and minds, and drive them to vice and crime. Poor mediums labour under the mistaken notions that they are guided by their “guardian angels.” If they were really so guided by benevolent spirits, then they must answer why, in the history of mediuship, are mediums are allowed by these “guardian angels” to suffer nervous and mental disorders, not given them good health and domestic happiness, why deserted them when they faced trial of practicing fraud, driven them to abnormal vice, and so on.
On the contrary, ancient Apostles and thaumaturgists enjoyed good health, and their magnetism never conveyed to the sick patients, whom they sought to cure, their physical and moral taint, nor were they ever accused of vampirism, like the mediumistic healers are.
How to overcome mediumship ?
If one unfortunately develops mediumship it is difficult to overcome it. But it is not impossible to get over it. Physical mediumship depends upon passivity. The remedy lies in its antidote, that is—to be active in mind and positive in attitude. Let him cease to be passive. Spirits never control persons of positive character who are determined to resist all extraneous influences. The weak and the feeble minded fall victims to these ghoulish entities and are driven into vice.
More discussions follow.
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