- 196 - minutes, 8 pages in Chinese on: “Buddhistic Apology”; in 15 minutes, 8 pages in Syria-Egyptian on: “The Fundamentals of Legislation”; in 32 minutes, 3 pages of hieroglyphics that have not yet been deciphered, and so on. Mirabelli’s mediumistic writing was done under the supervision of scholars who took the following measures to guard against fraud: the medium was led by two investigators into the séance room, where his clothing and body were carefully searched. Paper and pencil were laid on a small table that had neither drawers nor compartments. Mirabelli, who is always in a state of great agitation before such séances, sits on a chair in bright light. His examiners and the other participants form a circle around him and follow all his motions closely. The presiding member then calls for silence until the spirit guide of the medium announces its presence. The medium, now in a state of great ecstasy, calls loudly for Divine aid, and, in trance, begins to sing a hymn. His hand seizes a pencil, hurls it away repeatedly, grasps it again, and falls to writing feverishly. The pencil glides over the paper at lightning speed without stopping. While writing, Mirabelli turns his eyes upward and sighs, without any reduction of the speed at which his pencil travels. Then, with a radiant look, he gazes straight upward, where he claims to see his guiding spirit, which guides his hand while he writes, and with which he converses affectionately. A secretary standing beside the medium takes up the sheets of paper as they are written, and keeps them in proper order. It sometimes happens that the medium’s state passes from ecstasy to apathy, and then undergoes yet another change: Mirabelli seems quite beside himself, laughing, weeping, singing, calling out names, answering questions, turning and twisting about like a tightrope walker, spitting right and left without regard for anyone, assuming indecent postures, trying to run his head against a wall, or to drink chemicals, frothing at the mouth and striking out in all directions. In the end he grows calm, and the séance can be concluded. The manifestations just described should be explained before we proceed. The agitation of the medium before a séance is caused by the great number of spirits, good and evil, that crowd around him and force themselves upon him in order that they may guide his hand, knowing that he is about to write. A battle ensues between the good and the evil spirits, as evidenced by his seizing, throwing away and again picking up the pencil. If the evil forces get the upper hand temporarily, they use the medium’s body to commit the improprieties of speech and behaviour mentioned above. • The power of evil is bent on accomplishing the physical and moral ruin of mediums serving the good cause. Mirabelli endeavours to attract only the good spirit world and to serve as its instrument, as proven by his prayers for Divine assistance, but the fact that he also lends himself to séances held only to satisfy the scientific interests of the participants, and in many cases merely their sensationalism, is an error on his part that gives the evil spirit beings a great hold on him. • Were he to confine his activities to religious gatherings exclusively, thus devoting his mediumistic talents only to the cause of good, the forces of evil would have no power over him and the low and vulgar exhibitions he makes of himself would never occur. Moreover, his mediumistic power would be maintained, while it is to be feared that it will dwindle little by little if he continues to lend himself as a medium for worldly purposes. The weakening of his odic power by the evil spirits will assume such proportions in the long run that he will fail utterly as a medium, and also lose his physical health entirely and possibly be driven to something even
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