Arthur Findlay-On The Edge of The Etheric

153 Pages·2011·0.49 MB·English

On The Edge of The Etheric
SurvivalAfterDeathScientificallyExplained
Arthur Findlay
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
If anymancan convince methat Idonot thinkaright
gladlywill Ichangefor Isearchafter truth,by
whichman never yet was harmed.MARCUSAURELIUS.
Ihavethought muchand ponderedlongoverthestrangeexperiences
Ihavehadduringthelast twelve years, experiences so strange,so
foreigntoall ouracceptedorderofthe phenomenaofnature,that Ican
readilyunderstandthedifficultymanymust have inacceptingmy
records as trueandaccurateaccounts ofwhat reallytookplace. Ican
expect onlythosewhohavehadsimilarexperiences themselves, to
accept what Iam about totell without questionorwithout doubt. I
knowthat ifthirteen years ago Imyselfhadbeenaskedtobelieve
thesestrange accounts Ishouldhavefoundit impossibletodoso, but
thenmymental development was not sufficientlyadvancedtoenable
metocomprehendthesubject. Ithendidnot understandthat these
psychical manifestations, whichit has beenmyprivilegeto
experience,areliketheothermanifestations ofnature,ruledbylaw
andgoverned byorder,and it is onlywhenourknowledgeadvances
sufficientlythat this new scienceis foundtoharmonizewithall that is
alreadyknown.
As Isay, Ihavehadstrange andwonderful experiences, because I
havebeenbrought into.contact withanewworld,aworldwhich even
thegreatest thinkers onthesubject areonlynow beginningto
comprehend.Mypositionhas beenapeculiarlyprivilegedone,as twelve
years ago Ihadthe good fortunetomeet Mr.JohnC.Sloan,
oneofthemost giftedmediums inthis country,andinhis presence,
whentheconditions weresuitable,voices quiteextraneous tothe
medium spoketome,claimingtobethoseoffriends who,inmy
ignorance, Ihadlookeduponas dead.Thesevoices arenot produced
bythemedium,andtheyoccur,not onlywhenothers arepresent,but
also whenhe and Iarealonetogether.
Theyarenot producedbyanymeans oftrickery, and Ihave come,
after years ofthought,to believethat thosewe
21
call dead live on as men and women in a duplicate etheric
body, and are able to manifest their presence again in this
material world of ours, by borrowing from the medium a
certain excretion, which emanates from his body. This
enables them, for the time being, to materialise their vocal
organs and thus vibrate our atmosphere.
We must first of all clearly understand that the etheric
world is part of this world. That it is all about us. That it
is material, though of a substance too fine for our senses
normally to appreciate; that here and now we are etheric
beings clothed in a physical body, and that death only
means a separation of this etheric body from the physical
covering. The etheric body is the real and enduring body,
an exact duplicate of its physical counterpart. When this is
appreciated it can be more readily understood how ,under
certain conditions which we do not yet fully understand, it
can again clothe itself in physical matter, and behave under
the control of mind in a manner similar to ourselves. So
long as the thought prevails that the spirit of man is some-
thing of the nature of a puff of wind or a fleecy cloud, of no
form or substance, so long will incredulity last among those
who believe that all that is can be seen and heard, and that
nothing exists outside the range of the physical world.
To enable those who once lived in this physical world of
ours to re-materialise their bodies, composed of this finer
etheric substance, certain conditions are necessary. The first
is the presence of someone possessing a superfluity of the
substance which of recent years has been termed ectoplasm
or teleplasm. Whichever word will be ultimately adopted
is a matter of no special importance. This individual is
termed a medium, though it is believed that most of us
have this quality of mediumship in a more or less degree,
as we all have this substance within our own bodies. The
recognised medium is different from us solely because he
or she has this substance to a greater degree than the
average individual, and it is thus more easily borrowed by
the other world men and women who make use of him or
her for the time being. In the case of the 'DirectVoice',
to which I am now referring, the best results take place in
darkness, as light vibrations make it more difficult for this
ectoplasm to be built up with sufficient solidity to vibrate
the atmosphere.
Therefore, though I have heard voices in daylight, yet
22
theyarestrongerandbetterdevelopedinthedark orinaredlight
whichhas not thesamedestructiveeffect as white light.Quiet and
harmonious conditions arealso essential,andthe conditionofthe
atmosphereat times interferes withtheresults. For example,whenthe
airis heavilychargedwithelectricitytheresults arepoor,thebest
manifestations occurringonclear crisp moonlight nights, whenthe
atmosphereis not tooloadedwithmoisture.At thebest the
conditions makingspeechpossibleareverydelicate,andonlyby
experiencecanthebest results beobtained,but whenthesedoprevail
themanifestations areindeedverywonderful.Voices ofall degrees of
cultureandintonationaddress thesitter,andtheir peculiartones can
againberecognised as thosepertainingtotheindividual whenlivingonearth.
Thescepticism ofthesittermayprevail for atime,but,ifhis
honest desirefortruthtakes thefirst place,convictionis inevitableif
theenquirybepursued.
Theobject ofthis introductionis, inthefirst place, toclearaway
certainprejudices andmisconceptions; inthesecondplaceto
emphasiseourcolossal ignoranceoftheUniverse; andinthethird
placeto stress the great limitations ofoursenseorgans. Weshould
approachthis newrevelationwithminds sufficientlyplastictoenable
us toreadjust ourviews, andput asideanypreconceivedideas we
mayhaveof what is possibleandwhat is impossible.
Before goingfurther,however,let melookback. Thehistoryofthe
ChristianChurchis typical ofall movements eitherreligious or
political.Thoseinauthoritypronouncedtheirdictaandthosenot in
authorityhadtoobeythem. It was not intheinterests oftheserulers
toimprovethelearningorrelievetheignoranceof thepeople,andthe
peoplewereso ignorant that theycoulddonothingmorethanobey
thoseinpower.That timeis nowlookeduponas thedarkages, but,
withtheinventionofprinting,light begantoshine intodarkness.Then
men's minds beganto growandtothink. In1543 Copernicus
publishedhis discoveries, andfrom that date anewoutlookbeganto
spreadoverEurope.Webegantocomprehendour relationshiptothe
rest oftheuniverse.Then cameKepler,tobe followedbyGalileo,
LeonardoDaVinci, Bruno,Newton,Darwinand manyothers who
carriedforwardthetorch oflearningandhelpedto dispel theignorance
oftheirtimes. Theywere denounced, excommunicatedandtraduced,
23
but still theyheldtothepathoftruth,andnowwe findtodayevery
intelligent person acceptingtheirviews.
It was about thebeginningofthepresent centurythat achange
begantocomeoverscientificthought,inthedirectionofviewingman
not onlyas aphysical but also as aspiritual orpsychical being.This
was causedbythediscoveryofthe compositionofmatter,andbythe
gradual acceptanceofpsychicphenomena.Matter inthenineteenth
centurywas lookedupon as composedof atoms, littleminutelumps
ofmatterwhich congregatedtogethertomakebigorlittlelumps as the
casemight be,just as aricepuddingis madeupof various particles of
rice.ThediscoveryoftheX-Raybrought about a furtherexamination
as totheconstitutionofthings wesee,andhas resultedinthe
extraordinarydiscoverythat matteris madeupof what are called
electrons andprotons. Thesearenot substances, as weunderstandthe
word.Theyareso minutethat it is impossibletoget downtothem,
andinconsequencethenatureand constitutionofmatteris onlya
questionofinference.
What,then,is thematerial universecomposedof ? Wereallydonot
know,but thereis onethingthat scientificthought has begunto
comprehend, andthat is that thereal universeis not thephysical
universe. Inthedays beforeCopernicus, it was thought that thesun,
likethemoon,circledroundtheearth,that thestars werepoints of
light hangingfrom ahugedome,andtheirsizewas quiteunrealised.
Theauthorof Genesis describedtheircreationinsix words as akindof
afterthought, 'andhemadethestars also'.This earthwas thought tobe
thecentreoftheuniverse; it was consideredtobe flat,andthat space
was emptyexcept forthe sun, moonandstars. That is howachild
would describethe earth andtheuniversetoday,andthat is howour
ancestors describedthem fourhundred years ago. Wearetodayin
asomewhat similartransitoryperiod.
Theaverageindividual wouldsaythat what hesaw,namely,
theearthand all that composes theearth, was real and
that thesun was areal andsolidmass,andthat space
was emptyexcept forthe stars andplanets. That, most of
us wouldsay,is a commonsensewayofdealingwithsuch
aquestion.What wesee andhandleis real,what wecannot
seeandhandleis unreal. But just as theearthrevolves
roundthesun andnot the sun roundtheearth,so weare
24
beingledbysciencetolookontheuniverseas something
completelydifferent from what it appears, andtoregard aworld
unseenas also real,and what is seenas onlyreal tous inhabiting
physical bodies.
Let me giveanexample ofwhat Imean.Supposingweweresitting
inachurchinthedark,neverhavingseenthe church,andcouldsee
onlyvarious glowlights movingslowlyininnumerabledifferent
directions, everyonewouldsaythat theonlythings real inthechurch
werethelights wesawmovingabout.That is our positioninthe
universetoday.Theselights represent thestars, thematerial universe,
but,whenthechurchis bathed insunlight,thelights wesawaremade
invisiblebythedaylight whichreveals tous anentirelydifferent
aspect.Whenwe aresittinginthedarkandlookat thepoints oflight
movingabout,it is thesameas lookingat theuniversewithmaterial
eyes. Whenwesit inthe darkwethinkthat is all thereis inthechurch,
andthat there cannot possiblybeanythingmore,but whenthe
daylight comes weseethepulpit,pews, windows andwalls; infact it
is anentirelydifferent viewwhichwebehold.
If two peoplewerewritingonwhat theysaw,one duringthetime
ofdarkness-andtheotherindaylight,theywould each give an
absolutelydifferent description,and yet it wouldbethesamechurch
andeverythingwouldbe inthesameplace.We,in ourphysical
bodies, arelookingat the universefrom thepoint ofviewofpeoplein
thechurchduringthetimeofdarkness.That is whyamaterial
explanationoftheuniverse,basedonthe arguments put forwardby
materialists, is unwise,as theyarelookingat and consideringonlythe
physical universe,whereas thereal universeis the etheric,and
physical matteris but an intrusioninwhat wecall spacewherethe
real universeexists. Spaceis thereal universe.We thinkit is empty,
but it is full oflifeandgrowth,areal objectiveworldtoits inhabitants.
It is when wedie anddiscardourphysical body,that welookonthe
universefrom thepoint ofviewofthepeoplesittinginthechurch
duringthedaytime.
Thehumanbeingis composedofbody,soul andspirit.Thebodyis
what wesee,thesoul is ourmind,andthespirit is ourethericbody
whichis anexact duplicateofourphysical body. Theethericbody
holds ourphysical bodytogether,anddeathis onlythepartingofthe
ethericbody
25
from thematerial body. This ethericbodycarries themindorsoul
withit,andthenwedonot lookontheuniversefrom thematerial
standpoint but from theethericstandpoint.Thematerial world
becomes ofno account, andtheethericworld,what wecall space,is
theonlyonethat counts. From what weknowofits constitutionit is
permanent,whilethematerial universeis constantlychangingand
decaying.Notraceofdecaycanbefoundinthis ethericuniverse;
everythingis constant andregular.
Themindofmanis somethingsuper-etheric,aplasticsubstance
whichnooneinthephysical bodyis abletoexplain,but it must be
super-ethericbecauseit functions, guides and controls theetheric
bodyafterdeath. Ifit werenot super-ethericit couldbedamagedor
destroyedbythoseevillydisposedintheEtheric World.Theycansee
theimages it forms inourforehead; but theycannot touchit norharm
it.Except that theycanseeit workingit is completelybeyondtheirreach.
Theethericbodyis thebodywhichholds together thematerial
bodyonearth,andthereis probablyanethericbodyforeveryliving
thing.Theminddoes not changebydeath,but onlyfunctions in
different surroundings. Theresult is that it is onlycharacter and
memorywhichreallycount,andthereason forcontinuingtodevelop
ourcharactermust receiveanimpetus whenit is knownthat as we
develophereso shall we behereafter.
Lifeis somethingquiteapart from physical matter as it appertains
totheethericworld.Whyor whenit enteredintoconjunctionwith
physical matterwedonot know,but therewas atimefarbackin
historywhen aliving-organism appeared.Thenit was that lifeand
thought inthemost minuteform tookbirth,andfrom it has evolved
thecomplicatedsystem ofthehuman bodyandof all livingthings. We
also donot knowwhenthis lifewas abletoretain individuality; all we
knowis thefact that,so faras humanbeings are concerned,it cannow
functionapart from the material body.
Thematerial worldis atransitoryandpassingworld,andmatteras
weseeit is theleast important thingintheuniverse,thoughtous
todayit seems tobethe most important.Thethings which areunseen
areeternal; thosethings whichareseen aretemporal.
Thenineteenthcenturyaddedmoretoourknowledge
26
ofthephysical universethanall theprevious centuries combined.
Todayknowledge grows so fast that themindbecomes incapableof
assimilatingmore,andwesometimes thinkthat wehavereachedthe
ultimateinwhat wecanlearn.Thenineteenthcenturyscientists dealt
onlywithphysical matter,andso wecametothinkthat onlyphysical
matterexisted.Knowledge advances bystages, andeachstageis the
foundationforthenext.Thefoundationofphysical sciencehas
certainlybeenwell andtrulylaid,andthesamelawandorderis found
toexist whereverthereis physical matter.
Physical matter,until comparativelyrecent times, was consideredto
besolid,andindividuals werebelievedbyHaeckelandHuxley,and
themajorityofnineteenthcenturyscientists, tobe onlyphysical
productions whosethoughts andactions wereproducedinapurely
mechanical manner,just as therewas noroom for anythingoutsidethe
physical world,so there was noplace foranythingapart from the
physical body. All was solidmatter,capableofbeingseen,touched
andheard, andsubject to certainwell understood,immutablelaws
whichgovernedtheuniverse. Inthesloworderof evolutionit was
doubtless wisethat this foundationtoourknowledgeshouldbeso
carefullylaid,but wewereinerrorinthinkingthat wehadreachedthe
bounds ofknowledgeandthat nothingexistedoutsideourphysical
senses.
Religionandscienceinthosedays werepoles asunder,whilethe
Churchwas abletokeep withinits folds onlythosewhosefaith
exceededtheirknowledge.Eventheological creeds intimefailedto
holdthemajority,and a blindfatalism settledonreligion.TheChurch,
nomorethanthescientist,knewanythingoftheafterlife,its Heaven
was, as thewell knownhymntoldus, 'far, far away',so faraway
indeedthat theaveragethinkingmanceasedtobelieveinits existence.
If hedid,hehadanebulous notionofanewJerusalem,paintedin
fantasticcolours, the abodeofthesaved,andof anequallynebulous
Hell,theabodeofthedamned.
Neithersciencenor religionknewthat there existedaroundand about
this worldofours anotherworldoffinermatterwherethosewhodied
immediatelyentered,withanethericbodyjust as tangible andjust as
real as its physical coveringwhichhadreturnedto theearthfrom whichit
27
hadcome. Faithaloneheldaloft adim andflickeringlight,prompted
bysomeunerringinstinct that deathdidnot constitutetheendofman,
but that hewas createdto fill alargerpart somewhereintheGreat
Beyond. Faith,however, receivednohelpfrom science,whichwas
lookeduponbythe faithful withdreadandfear.
If scienceand religionbothrepresent truth,such antagonism canbe
onlytemporary,bornofignoranceonbothsides. Thedawn,however,
is nowbreaking,andscienceis nowleadingus forwardtoanewday.
It is becomingthepartnerofreligion,and Icanseethetimecoming,
andcomingquicklytoo, whenscienceand religionwill gohandin-hand,
brought togetherbythediscoveries madebythose whohavedevoted
theirlives tothefurtheranceoftheknowledge gainedbypsychical
research.
It is inthenatureofman topress forward,andtopeerfurtherinto
themysteryoftheuniverse.Sothescientist has continuedhis search,
andbit bybit hehas foundthat theultimatewas furtherfrom his
reachthanever,andthat this physical world,whichweconsiderso
solid,is not so. Suchabeliefis oneofthemanydelusions whichwe
experienceeverydayof ourlives. Theoutlookof thetwentieth-
centurymanofscienceis vastlydifferent from that ofhis predecessor
oflast century. First theatom was discovered,then theelectron, and
wearenowaskingourselves ifwehavereachedfinalityandifthe
electronis theultimatebasis ofall substances.
Inthelast twentyyears theunknownhas widened anddeepened;
theAstronomer,ontheonehand,withhis telescopeis penetrating
furtherand furtherintospace, and,ontheother,themicroscopeis
revealingnewworlds whichthephysical eyeunaidedis unableto
perceive.Thephysicists havebrokenupmatterandnowdeclareit to
consist ofvarious electrical charges. Its solidityhas disappeared,it is
foundtobeinconstant rapidvibration,andthedistancebetweenthe
various electrons whichconstitutetheatom is foundtobe,relatively,
as great as thedistancebetweenthevarious planets whichconstitute
oursolarsystem.
Lastly,thoseengagedin thenewscienceofPsychics areslowlybut
surelydiscoveringanew worldabout andaround us, onehitherto
unsensed,but nevertheless veryreal.This etheric world,whichis
nowbecomingmoreand moreareality,is thesubject ofthis book,
andit is one
28
whichwill commandmoreandmoreattentionas the years roll on.
This newscience,which todayis theCinderellaof all thesciences,
will intimetakeits placeas theforemost and greatest ofthem all.We
areonthethresholdofa newageofthought.
ThepositionwhichthescienceofPsychics has nowreachedis due
tothosepioneers ofthepast wholabouredunceasinglyintheir
researches intothis hithertounknownrealm ofthought.Theybraved
thejeers and contempt of theirfellowmen,knowingthat theirlabours
restedonasureand certainfoundation.Duringthe latterhalfoflast
centurytheirdiscoveries receivedlittleattention,but,as thepresent
centuryadvanced,thehithertoincredulous andunbelievingpublichas
beencompelled,bythesteadyaccumulationoffacts, tomodifyits
formerhostileattitude. Consequentlywefindtoday, especiallyamong
the younger generation,a muchmoresympathetic attitudetowards
thesubject.
Totheseearlypioneers all honouris due.Theyweretobefoundin
all sections ofthecommunity,thoughit was thosemenofoutstanding
eminencewhosuffered most from theabuseofanignorant public.
Amongthe earliest men ofscientificeminence,SirWilliam Crookes
andAlfredRussel Wallacewill always be rememberedfortheir
courage andfortitudein proclaiminganewbut unpopulartruth.
RESEARCHES INTHE PHENOMENAOFSPIRITUALISM,
publishedbyCrookes in 1874,will forever remain amonument to
his honestyand courage.
Amongotherfamous menofscience,whowerenot ashamedto
acknowledgetheirinterest inPsychical Research, Iwould mention
LordRayleigh,SirArchibaldGeikie,SirJ.J.Thompson, Professor
Gilbert MurrayandProfessorWilliamJames ofHarvard. Another
American,Dr.Hyslop,whodevotedmost ofhis later years tothe
subject,publishedhis discoveries inseveral volumes whichareof
especial valueowingtothecareful mannerinwhichhis facts are
recorded. InEurope, Lombroso andFlammarion, after years ofstudy,
declaredtheirbelief,not onlyinthephenomena,but also inanetheric
worldandcommunicationbetween it andourselves. Richet,theworld
famous Frenchphysiologist,inhis great work THIRTY YEARSOF
PSYCHICAL RESEARCH, has acceptedthephenomenathoughhe
still reserves his opinionas totheirinterpretation.
29
He,however,alreadygoes alongwayonthe road most enquirers have
traveled,becauseafew years ago, writingin NATUREonthesubject of
PsychicScience,hestatedhis opinionthat 'Ourintelligenceis reached
byforces that disclose facts whichneithersight,hearingnortouch
couldreveal.'
This roll ofmenofsciencewould,however,beincompleteif
referencewerenot made totwoofourgreatest scientists whohave
identifiedthemselves withthesubject morethan anyoftheir
contemporaries. Ireferto SirOliver LodgeandSir William Barrett,
bothofwhom hadthecourageoftheirconvictions intheearlydays,
whenbeliefinthe realityofpsychicphenomenawas considered as a
crimeagainst all thetenets oforthodox science. Iwell rememberthe
pleasureit was toSirWilliam Barrett to deliveralectureonpsychical
researchtoan audiencenumberingthousands intheSt.Andrew's Hall,
Glasgow,some years ago. Ihadthehonourtopreside,andhe
mentionedtome,whenhesawhis audience,that fortyyears
previouslyhehadaddressedthemembers oftheBritish Association
from thesameplatform ontheimportanceofinvestigatingthethen
littleknownsubject ofTelepathy,but that hehad receivednosupport.
Thewhirligigoftime,he aptlyremarked,hadbrought about so
completeachangethat not onlyhadhebeforehim,onthepresent
occasion,alarge andsympatheticaudience,and ontheplatform
several universityprofessors, but his subject embraced all the
phenomenaproclaimedas truebytheSpiritualistsfortyyears
previously, andderidedbythe British Association ofthat day.Sir
William was oneofthefounders oftheSocietyforPsychical
Research, andmaintainedhis interest init totheverylast,as onthe
samedayas hediedhewas present at oneofits meetings. Hewas
activeandhis mindwagkeentothelast.Everyyearthat passedonly
strengthenedhis convictions, whichwill befound admirablyexpressed
inhis well knownbook ON THETHRESHOLDOFTHEUNSEEN.
SirOliver Lodge,fortunately,is still withus andloses noopportunityof
proclaiminghis beliefs. Hemaynowbe enjoyingthesatisfactionof
havingtheintellectual worldsittingat bigfeet,andacceptingthe
results ofhis manyyears ofresearch. Ithink,however,that heis too
modest amantofindsuchenjoyment,thoughhe wouldhardlybe
humanifhe,likeBarrett,
30
didnot also feel that the whirligigoftimeis responsible
formanychanges, especiallyintheworldofthought.(See
Forewordtothefirst impression.)
Inotherwalks oflife,W.E.Gladstonemust beremembered
as having givenhis great nametothesupport ofthe
SocietyforPsychical Research, andformanyyears before
his deathhewas anhonorarymember.TheEarl of Balfour,
anothereminent statesman,in1893was theSociety's president.
Bishop BoydCarpenter, ArchdeaconColley,SirE.
Marshall Hall, LordTennyson,. W.T.Stead; Watts and
Leightonthepainters, Ruskin,R. L.Stevenson andAndrew
Lang, amongtheprofessions, occurtoone,but the most
outstandingofall,apart from themenofscience, was
undoubtedlySirArthur ConanDoyle,whoprobablydid
moretoeducatethepublicin.thediscoveries ofpsychical
researchthan anyother man.Mentionmust also bemade
ofSidgwick,Myers and Gurney,whosedisinterestedcourage