William Atkinson - Genuine Mediumship; or, The Invisible Powers

So much for the conceptions of modern western science, which agree in the main with those of the ancient oriental occultists, although of course different names and terms are employed. But, we think it worth while to call your attention to the fact that the western scientists have failed to note the significant presence of a peculiar organ in the human body, which is regarded as most important in its functions and offices by the oriental teachers, and which we believe has a very close connection to the subject just discussed by the western scientists. We refer to that strange organ or gland known to western science as the Pineal Gland. Let us see just what this is.

The Pineal Gland is a mass of nervous substance which is found located in the human brain in a position near the middle of the skull, almost directly above the extreme top of the spinal column. It is shaped like a small cone, and is of a reddish-gray color. It lies in front of the cerebellum, and is attached to the third ventricle of the brain. It contains a small quantity of peculiar particles of a gritty, sand-like substance, which is commonly known as "brain sand." It derives its scientific name from its shape, which resembles a pine-cone. Western physiologists are at sea regarding the function and office of this interesting organ, or gland, and the text books generally content themselves with stating that "the functions of the Pineal Gland are not understood." The oriental occultists, on the other hand, claim that the Pineal Gland, with its peculiar arrangement of nerve-cell corpuscles, and its tiny grains of "brain-sand," is intimately associated with certain forms of the transmission and reception of waves of mental vibrations. Western students of occultism have been struck with the remarkable resemblance between the Pineal Gland and a certain part of the receiving apparatus employed in wireless telegraphy, the latter also containing small particles which bear a close resemblance to the "brain-sand" of the Pineal Gland; and this fact is often urged by them to substantiate the theory of the oriental occultists concerning the function and office of this interesting organ of the human body which is located in the brain of man.

Many other facts set forth by modern western science could be cited in our consideration of the question of the existence of any possible organ for the reception of thought vibrations, but it is thought that sufficient evidence of this kind has already been submitted to your attention—sufficient to remove any reasonable doubts, and to give the student at least a clear and open mind on the subject. Summing up such evidence, we may say that modern science is fast approaching the position which is so well expressed by Camille Flammarion, the eminent French scientist, as follows: "The action of one mind upon another at a distance—the transmission of thought, mental suggestion, communication at a distance—all these are not more extraordinary than the action of the magnet on iron, the influence of the moon on the sea, the transportation of the human voice by electricity, the revolution of the chemical constituents of a star by the analysis of its light, or, indeed, all the wonders of contemporary science. Only these psychic communications are of a more elevated kind, and may serve to put us on the track of a knowledge of human nature. What is certain is this: That Telepathy can and ought to be henceforth considered by Science as an incontestible reality; that minds are able to act upon each other without the intervention of the senses; that psychic force exists, though its nature is yet unknown."

At this point we wish to impress upon the minds of the students of this book that what has been above said regarding that class of mental communications generally classed under the head of Telepathy also applies to many much higher phases of occult phenomena and psychic manifestations. In fact, this is one of the reasons why we have paid such close attention to the scientific evidence substantiating this class of phenomena. It is not too much to say that in what has been said in the foregoing pages there is to be found a scientific basis for the phenomenon of "spirit communication," at least in many of its phases. It is but a step in thought—and a natural and easy step at that—from the matter of the communication of thought from the mind of one person or the material plane of life to another person on the same plane, on to the matter of the communication of thought from the mind of an individual entity on a higher plane of life to a second person who is abiding on the lower material plane occupied by us at this stage of our existence. It is seen that the difference consists largely in the matter of the degree and rate of vibratory energy employed, and the preparation of a proper receiving instrument for the reception and translation of such messages. This phase of the subject will be considered in fuller detail in a subsequent portion of this book.

One of the things which seem to greatly puzzle the average student of the subject of mental vibrations, and thought-transference, is that which may be called "thought waves." The student is unable to conceive of a wave of "thought" being projected into the air, and then traveling along until it reaches the mind of other persons. The difficulty, upon analysis, is seen to consist of the inability to conceive of "thought" as being a material substance capable of traveling in "waves." It is no wonder that the student finds this conception difficult, for there is no such thing as "thought" traveling in this way. The phenomenon of thought transference is accounted for scientifically in quite another manner, as we shall see in a moment. The student is advised to carefully note this distinction, for upon its understanding depends greatly the intelligent comprehension of the entire subject of thought vibrations and thought-transference.

Perhaps this matter may be best explained by means of illustrations of the operation of electricity and light—electric vibrations and light vibrations. In both cases the secret of the transmission of the vibrations or waves of vibratory energy may be summed up in the word " transformation." For instance: When we transmit electric vibrations over a fine wire or thread of carbon, the electric vibrations are transformed into light vibrations and manifest as "electric light." In another form of transmission the electric vibrations are transformed into "electric heat." But this is merely one phase of the transformation; consider carefully the more complex phases, as follows: We speak into the receiver of a telephone and the sound vibrations produced by our voice are transformed into electrical vibrations and in that form travel over the telephone wire; arriving at the other end of the wire, these electric vibrations enter into the receiver, and are there transformed into sound vibrations, and as such are heard by the person holding the receiver. Now note this: the sound vibrations do not travel at all; instead, they are transformed into electric waves, which in turn are transformed at the receiving end of the line into sound vibrations once more. And unless the receiving apparatus be present, and properly adjusted, there is no second transformation at all; and in such case the electric vibrations remain such.

Likewise, in the case of the wireless telegraphy, the electric energy produced by the sending instrument is transformed into subtle and finer etheric waves, which travel to the receiving instrument, and are there transformed into electric waves, the latter producing physical changes in the receiving apparatus which enable them to be read by the observer. In the case of wireless telephony there is still more complex process of transformation, as follows: the speaker conveys sound vibrations into the instrument; these are transformed into electric vibrations; and the latter into the etheric vibrations which travel through space to the receiver. Reaching the receiver, the etheric vibrations are transformed into ordinary electric vibrations, and these in turn into sound waves capable of being sensed by the listener.