The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 22, 1901, Page 17

. BFRINCE HE ADAME CALVE is making a specialty of spooks. Not that she calls them that—mon dieu, non! She will hold up her hands in horror when she reads the words—those adorable tapering pink-palmed hands —and it would be worth the pain of horrifying her to see them saying “Mon dieu, non!” “Spooks!” she will shriek. The word will shock her. She calls then representations of intricate phases of psychological lore: she calls them projections of the astral from the ma- terial body; she never, under any circumstances, calls them spooks. And yet, to the uninitiated, they look dreadfully like them. Some of them, from their photographs, might even be taken for bogie men. The uninitiated has not entered an inner circle of occultism. Emmes Calve has. She has been ad- 10itted to the presence of Egypt’'s fa- mous seers, for she is partly Egyp- tian herself and she is a psychic. Not only has she studied the occult in Oriental lands where it is developed tc the highest degree, but she keeps ir touch with it wherever she goes. Here in San Francisco she devoted some of her time to seances. In fact, several of the grand-operaites did lkewise, judging from revelations which have come to light since the departure of the Grau constellation. Sembrich, De Reszke and Salignac, were they proselyted by this magnetic prima donna, or are they, too, invet- crate dabblers in the black arts? One San Francisco spiritualistic medium says that all of the four had ‘ 'sittings” with him and corroborates his statements with a collection of photographs, autographic letters.and presents of almost incredible walue given by these astral notables in ap- reciation of the supernatursal secrets revealed. At the foot of a Buddhist altar in this medium’s house, where pot-bel- lied gods of brass and ebony sit grin- ning complacently in terraces one above another, leans a long panci frameswith a full-‘figure photograph of Calve in either end, and between, in scrawly red ink, is the prima conna’s own inimitable signature. Above this autograph are three lines in Franch addressed to this me- Gim: It seems he was known to Calv:e in Paris and it is said that immedi- ately upon her arrival here she called upon him for superhuman advice, and that after her Salignac, De Reszke and Sembrich consulted the black cabinet in quick succession. And then, too, upon that mystic altar sits = little marble deity colored te resemble porcelain which Calve brought from India, and underneata is another picture of Calve. But ftly—these are mere bagatelles ;’mpared with the ring which she gave the medium in token of her gratitude. It is said to be worth thousands of dollars. According to her own story, she had a remarkable psychic experience in Pasadena. It is told in the follow. ing article by herself, together wi other stories of phenomena to which she has been witness. T 1S true 1 am a student of T fact I am a wor- shiper at the shri of occultism, un- understan: ng in my efforts to nknow rces of the universe. ear was partly for r purposes of in- ir 1 could, the c from those cient mys stodians o priests of Egypt ps successful in my e aps, to the fact I blood flows « 1 a sense I This coupled am said to possess chic power admitted ypt's famous me, if not to the inner the inner to one of the terms magic and phenomena called by are neither the one nor the the result of scientific tural forces of nature ted clairaudiance, :ght telegraphy or telepathy and vari- ces of mediumship are only ordi- . primal result of scientific n. The more intricate phases ogical lore in which 1 am at much interested is that of de- materialization, or of the power to pro- the ego or astral from a material bod through space as it were, to come and go, using the material self or body simply as a domicile or temporary for the ego. chical sciences have in this decade made most wonderful strides, benefits which humanity owes to scoveries tnus made are too many to estimate. This domain of advanced psychology has rendered incalculable service in the trcatment of neurotic affec- tions and of many very pitiable mental Psychology approaches more to the problems of philosophy and t simply d the home and t the Rl DORLEANS of religicn than any other science, and it is pre-eminently more satisfying in re- gard to the great problem of the origin and destiny of man than any known re- search. The facts made manifest' by scientific investigation have seized upon the attention of most of the profound thinkers of the age. Psychical phenomena are no longer a question of self deception, of hallucina- tion. It is not hysterical patients we have to deal with, but people. of mind, and those who would deny the -eality of such phenomena must confront a multitude of our most capable men of science, who are individuals unhampered by -creeds and prejudice, men who, for the enlightenment of world, as well as for their own satisfaction, are willing to sacrifice time and money for purposes of strict i gation—for exposing fr ing truth. Ti when we come into the knowl these unseen, and now unused fo nature, which are manifestly intended for our use, but of which we are to-day al- most entirely nt chometry is perhaps the most uni- 1 development of this natural force or power of intuition. We are ali con- stantly leaving the impress of our char- acter upon everything we touch. A mas- netism, a psychic force, constaitly udes from us, the very air around us is impregnated and a sensitive or developed psychic or advanced student of psychol- ogy can unerringly tell before seeing the person his or her characteristics and whether his or her life be a good one or a bad one. The magnetism our foot leaves ige es- of vers ex- upon the ground gives the clew to our dog who follows as more tangibie characteristics of ou life allow our friends to read us. We are surrounded by a sensitive vapor, and when we mect each other as strangers we unconsciousiy and silently take estimates and impres- s which develop into either mutual congeniality or antagonism. As physical facts are seen by the eve of the material body, so'can the eye of the soul look close into nature’s temple and there read that which to the physical is unseen. Another unrecognized power, si and one which is, except in the circle of science, almost unknown, is the force of hypno- tism. yet by aid there remains little in the realm of psychology that cannot be accomplished. It is a well known fact that hypnotic suggestion is a force more strong than drugs in all maladies over which the mind dominates, but aside from its medicinal vglue, it proves more read- ily than any other known force that the astral body can be separated from the material and has the power after an absence to return to earth.- That this 1s not merely a statement but a proved fact 1 myself can bear testimony. For the benefit of the students and in- vestigators in this line of thought I will cite an instance which took place in Paris one vear ago, myself being the subject. Before the organization of the Interna- tio: Res 2l Society of Psychical arch. which now centered in Paris, and of which, upon my return to that coun- try, 1 will become a member, a number in the advanced thought were in the cus- tom of meeting and discussing these questions of universal interest In the home of Camille Flammarion, who is an astronomer and psychologist of world- wide reputation. Among those who ar- tended were Dr. Eucausse, the occuit writer, who will be better recognized by his pseudynom, “Papus,” and the Count de Rochas, the administrator of the Poly- technic School of France, the greatest school of naval engineering in the world. 1 give the professions of these men that all may know they are men of high au- thority and standing in their country, and that those meetings were held strictly for scientific investigation, and were not what is commonly known in this land as seances. Upon request of Mrs. Flammarion, who was also present, I submitted myself as a subject, and by Count de Rochas, who is an ardent exponment of the varying phases of hypnotism, was magnetized, or hypnotized. By the testimony of those present 1 soon entered into a state of deep catalepsy, my physical body being entirely insensible to feeling, The soul, or ego, had separated from the material, but still remained and spoke in a voice recognized as my own, saying that I wad very happy to be released. When it was thought advisable to recall me I protest- ed, and refused to respond to the most earnest efforts of the hypnotist, and 1t was only by the combined will force of all present tbat I returned to the ma- terial body. The theory which Count de Rochas puts forth after ten years' investigation THE SUNDAY CALL. 17 )y 7 DM ) ) Ty, > %) % 7 1s tnat a subject under hypnotic influ- ence can exteriorize the astral body, make it depart a certain distance from the material body, and when the air is grasped, as one would grasp an arm where the astral body is, it will be felt in the material or physical. It has been verified by eminent seers that the breath of this projection or astral body carries sensibility with it. Another instance showing the advance- ment of psychology by means of hypno- tism is that of Count de Rochas and the well-known Parisian model, Lina, his subject. To this meeting, which also took place in France in the residence of M. Gailhard, the director of grand opera in Paris, came Swami Vivikananda, who 18 known in San Francisco, and my friend and fellow student, who was also one of the organizers of the International Psy- chical Institute of Paris, Professor Van der Naillen, besides Count de Rochas, Prince Roland Bonaparte, Prince Henri @’Qsleans and many others. whose stand- LINA . DURINMG & e <A THE — ing is unquestioned. The object of this particular meeting was to note the effact of music upon the astral body and to witness, if possible, a demonstration of dematerialization. For this purpose the director of the Conservatory of Music brought a book containing some very ancient dances. No one present had previously heard a note of the music or had any knowledge of the motions which should be shown in the dance. So there was no possibility of mental suggestion. The girl Lina was chosen particularly for her grace, for she was physically perfect, but in intellect somewhat deficlent. However, upon the first chord of this music, which was played by M. Paul Vidal, Mile, Lina, under influence, began to dance, executing the most graceful movements, swayed by the music when gay or sad. Finally some one present called for the Spanish habanera, which I, also en- chanted by the rhythm, began to sing. TUpon my joining, Lina, apparently ex- alted by the combined symphony of CAMILLE B Frarwiarmag ] tirely melted into those streams of light and the head bad completely disap- peared. Count de Rochas in an article in a paper. devoted to science states that he afterward made a careful examination with a magnifying glass of the plates showing the extraordinary results of the experiment, but that he falled to find any tmperfection In the negative and found no flaws whatever in the method of pho- tography used. The subject, Lina, upon recovering her normal state felt no phy- s alive now and still follows her pro« ion as a model in Paris, I had a remarkable experience in Pasa~ de during my recent visit there. One day my maid and I were driving out of Pasadena along a quiet, shady road when we met a little, decrepit old man trudging along laboriously with a staff. As we neared him he doffed his hat reverently, and bowing in unison remarked, “I been wanting to see you.” frightened, and one of us ejaculated some- thing about robbers, but reassuring us with a pacific wave of his hand he con- tinued: “Yes, it is you, Calve, that I have been wishing to see.” Whereupon we stopped the carriage and listened. He was from India, he said, and his bronze features set the stamp of truth on his utterance. He was on a divine mis- sion from his beloved “guru” (teacher) to gather followers for the great Gautama, known to Christendom as Buddha. Im- parting his blessing upon me and receiv- ing my well wishes in return, he turned repeating several times, “I will see ain; I will see you again,” and I returned, mystified, to the hotel. That evening I learned to my horror that the keys to my trunks had been lost during the drive, and I was mourning over this catastrophe when word cams from the office that a dwarfish old man waited at the desk with my keys, but was desirous of delivering them in person. I consented, thinking that he sought a re- ward, but on his appearance was amazed to recognize the same little man whom I had encountered during the drive and who had disappeared mumbling, “I will see you ag I suspected some supernatural agency and resolved to put it to test. Taking some dried and withered flowers from a vase I demanded that the dwarf prove his claims of being the authorized emis- sary of the Buddhist cult by instantly re- oring flowers, foliage and stems to their istine freshness. He called for a bowl of water and a cloth, which I gave him, but I smiled at his simplcity, for the bouquet had dried to the point of brittle- ness. Nevertheless the little man pro- ceeded with all confidence, placed tha flowers in the bowl and covered them with the cloth, after the accepted manner of all masters of legerdemain. Then he be- gain repeating the holy mantra of Bud- dhism and the ed a-u-m of his caste, exorcising by various incantations the spirits of darkne conjuring those of light and summoning them to his aid. The cloth moved, and lifting it away I beheld * my dead and shrunken flowers as fresh and bright as when they came from the garden sparkling with dew. I have cited but a few of the wonderful experiences which I have had In investi- gating the occult. In conclusion let me say that I am not a spiritualist, but in sounds, became much excited, and danced with even greater abandon, and her poses and grace became so ravishingly beautiful that M. Gailhard, who had a camera with him for the purpose, caught her in several of her most grace- ful poses. Upon the development of the negatives thus made some astonishing results of dematerialization, which our eyes had failed to see, were found. Through the influence of hypnotism and the power of musie Lina was discovered, by the sen- sitized plate of the camera which' de- tects what is invisible to the physical eye, to have partially dematerialized. The anterfor portion of Lina's body had given forth effluvia or emanations of magnet- ism which surrounded her with irregular luminous bands. The posterior part be- came so transparent that through it could be distinguished the decorations of . ’ the tapestry in the room. In a second picture the emanations ning paralle/, the rower une taking root given forth condensed and formed into in the vital knot, or cerebellum. By evi- brilliant rays of variable density, run- dence of the camera the arms had en- . the reality of psychic phenomeza and the existence of psychic fo.ce L do unreserve edly believe.