Table Turning: A form of psychic phenomena in which a table is made to rotate, tilt, or rise completely off the ground by the mere contact of the operator's finger-tips, and without the conscious exercise of muscular force. The modus operandi is exceedingly simple. The sitters take their places round a table, on which they lightly rest their finger-tips, thus forming a " chain." In a few moments the table begins to rotate, and may even move about the room, seemingly carrying the experimenters with it. It was, and is, in high favour among spiritualists as a means of communicating with the spiritual world. The alphabet was slowly repeated, or a pencil was run down the printed alphabet, the table tilting at the letter which the spirits desired to indicate. Thus were dictated sermons, poems, information regarding the spirit-world, and answers to questions put by the sitters. [Read complete article]

Taboo, Tabu or Tapu: A Polynesian word meaning " prohibited " and signifying a prohibition enforced by religious or magical power, which has come to be applied to similar usages among savage peoples all over the world. Taboo, or prohibition is enforced in the cases of sacred things and unclean things. In the first instance, the taboo is placed on the object because of the possession by it of inherent mysterious power. But, taboo may be imposed by a chief or priest. It aims at the protection of important individuals ; the safeguarding of the weak, women, children and slaves from the magical influence of more highly-placed
individuals; against danger incurred by handling or coming in contact with corpses ; or eating certain foods; and the securing of human beings against the power of supernatural agencies, or the depredations of thieves. Taboo may also be sanctioned by social use or instinct. The violation of a taboo makes the offender himself taboo,. for it is characteristic of the taboo that it is transmissible, but can be thrown off by magical or purificatory ceremonies. It may last for a short period, or be imposed in perpetuity. It may be said, generally speaking, that the practice of taboo was instituted through human instinct for human convenience. This applies of course merely to the most simple type of taboo. It is, for example, forbidden to reap or steal the patch of corn dedicated to an agricultural deity, for the simple reason that his wrath would be incurred by so doing. Similarly it is taboo to devour the flesh of the totem animal of the tribe, except in special circumstances with the object of achieving communion with him. It is taboo to interfere iri any manner with the affairs of the shamans or medicine-men : this again is a type of the imposed taboo for the convenience-of a certain caste. It is prohibited to marry a woman of the same totem as oneself, as all the members of a totemic band are supposed to be consanguineous, and such a union might incur the wrath of the patron deity. A very strict taboo is put upon the beholding of certain ritual instruments belonging to some barbarian tribes, but this only applies to women and uninitiated men: the reason for such taboo would be that it was considered degradation for women to behold sacred implements. Taboo, if it does not spring directly from the system known as totemism, was strongly influenced by it—that is, many intricate taboos arose from the totemic system. We have also the taboo of the sorcerer, which in effect is merely a spell placed upon a certain object, which makes it become useless to others. Taboo, or its remains, is still to be found in strong force even in the most civilised communities, and from its use the feeling of reverence for ancient institutions and those who represent them is undoubtedly derived.

Tai Chi: (pronounced "tie chee" and also known by some other names and spellings) is a mind-body practice that originated in China as a martial art. A person doing tai chi moves his body slowly and gently, while breathing deeply and meditating (tai chi is sometimes called "moving meditation"). Many practitioners believe that tai chi helps the flow throughout the body of a proposed vital energy called qi (pronounced "chee," it means "air" or "power").

Talisman: An inanimate object which is supposed to possess a supernatural capacity of conferring benefits or powers in contradistinction to the amulet (q.v.), the purpose of which is to ward off evil. It was usually a disc of metal or stone engraved with astrological or magical figures. Talismans were common in ancient Egypt and Babylon. [Read complete article]

Talmud, The: From the Hebrew lamad, to learn; the name of the great code of Jewish civil and canonical law. The Talmud is a compilation of ancient teachings regarded as sacred and normative by Jews from the time it was compiled until modern times. It is divided into two portions—the Mishna and the Gemara; the former constituted the text and the latter was a commentary and supplement. But besides being the basis of a legal code, it is also a collection of Jewish poetry and legend. The Mishna is a development of the laws contained in the "Pentateuch."
It is divided into six sedarim or orders, each containing a number of tractates, which are again divided into peraqim or chapters.

Taoism: hhhhh

Tarot:  is the French name for a species of playing cards, originally used for the purpose of divination, and still employed by fortune-tellers. Tarot cards, however, form part of an ordinary pack in certain countries of southern Europe, whence the name of tarocchi given to an Italian game. The derivation of the word is uncertain. One suggestion is that these cards were so called because they were tarotees on the back; that is, marked with plain or dotted lines crossing diagonally. Confirmation of this theory may be found in the German form of the word ; a tarock-karte being a card chequered on the back. Not improbably, however, there is here a confusion between cause and effect.

De 1' Hoste Ranking, who dismisses as " obviously worthless " the explanations of Count de Gebelin, Vaillant and Mathers, refers the name to the Hungarian Gipsy tar, a pack of cards, and thence to the Hindustani tai'u. The figures on these cards are emblematic, and are believed by many to embody the esoteric religion of ancient Egypt and India ; but on this subject there is much difference of opinion.
" The tarot pack most in use," observes Ranking, " consists of seventy-eight cards, of which twenty-two are more properly known as the tarots, and are considered as the ' keys ' of the tarot; these correspond with the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, or, according to Falconnier and to Margiotta, with the ' alphabet of the Magi.' The suits are four: wands, sceptres, or clubs, answering to diamonds ; cups, chalices, or goblets, answering to hearts; swords, answering to spades; money, circles, or pentodes, answering to clubs. Each suit consists of fourteen cards, the ace, and nine others, and four court cards : king, queen, knight, and knave. The four aces form the keys of their respective suits." As already indicated, the twenty-two " keys of the tarot," which consist of various emblematic figures, are assumed to be hieroglyphic symbols of the occult meanings of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet; or, alternatively, " the alphabet of the Magi." " Immense antiquity is claimed for these symbols," observes Ranking. '' Alliette or (by transposition) Etteilla, a French mystic of the beginning of the nineteenth century, ascribed their origin to Hermes Trisme-gistiis, under the name of The Book of Thoth, or The Golden Book of Hermes. Others have sought to identify the tarot with the sibylline leaves." Raymond Lully (1235-1315) is said to have based his great work, Ars Generalis sive Magna, on the application of the occult philosophy contained in the tarot.

The idea that the tarot was introduced into Europe by the Gypsies appears fo have been first broached by Vaillant, who had lived for many years among the Gypsies, by whom he was instructed in their traditional lore. Much of the information thus obtained is incorporated in Les Rdmes, histoire vraie des vrais Bohtmiens (c. 1853), La Bible des Bohemiens (1860), and La Clef Magique de la Fiction et du Fait (1863). Vaillant's theory has been fully accepted by a French writer, " Papus," who published in 1889 Le Tarot des Bohemiens: Le Plus Ancien Livre du Monde describing it as " la clefabsolue de la science occulte," " The Gypsies possess a Bible," he asserts ; " yes, this card game called the Tarot which the Gypsies possess is the Bible of Bibles. It is a marvellous book, as Count de Gebelin and especially Vaillant have realized. Under the names of Tarot, Thora, Rota, this game has formed successively the basis of the synthetic teaching of all the ancient peoples."

Although it may not be possible to accept this dictum in its entirety, it is of interest to note that Ranking concludes that these and all other playing-cards were introduced into Europe by the Gypsies. " I would submit,' he says, writing in 1908, " that from internal evidence we may deduce that the tarots were introduced by a race speaking an Indian dialect; that the form of the Pope (as portrayed in the tarots) shows they had been long in a country where the orthodox Eastern Church predominated ; and the form of head-dress of the king, together with the shape of the eagle on the shield, shows that this was governed by Russian Grand Dukes, who had not yet assumed the Imperial insignia. This seems to me confirmatory of the widespread belief that it is to the Gypsies we are indebted for our knowledge of playing-cards." It will be seen that this conclusion is based upon independent judgment. As early, however, as 1865—two years after the appearance of Vaillant's last book—E. S, Taylor supported the same hypothesis in his History of Playing Cards. Willshire (Descriptive Catalogues of Cards in the British Museum, 1877) controverts Taylor's conclusion, on the ground that " whether the Zingari be of Egyptian or Indian origin, they did not appear in Europe before 1417, when cards had been known for some time." But this objection is nullified by the fact that the presence of Gypsies, in Europe is now placed at a date considerably anterior to 1417. There was, for example, a well-established feudum Acin-ganorum, or Gypsy barony, in the island of Corfu in the fourteenth century. To examine in detail the various emblematic figures of the, tarot would demand a disproportionate amount of space. Ranking's reference to the Pope and the King points to two of these twenty-two figures. The others are : the Female Pope, the Queen, Osiris Triumphant, The Wheel of Fortune, Justice, Prudence, Temperance, Strength, Marriage, The Philosopher, The Juggler, Death, The Devil, The Fool, The Lightning-struck Tower, The Sun, The Moon, The Star, The Universe, The Last Judgment. There is great diversity of opinion, even among " initiates," as to the meaning of these symbols. They are very fully discussed in the work of " Papus " already cited; to which the reader is specially referred. On the whole, there is much to be said in favour of the theory that the origin of the tarot is traceable to the esoteric philosophy of-the schools of ancient Egypt and Chaldea, by whatever means it has found its way into Europe.

Task companion: From the Michael teachings, an essence you team up with in the beginning of a grand cycle (or during the infant soul cycle) to help you with each lifetime's life task, either by having the complement of your life task on the physical plane, or by being one of your spirit guides. It is the second-closest bond an essence can have, after that of essence twin. However, an essence twin relationship is inward-looking, whereas a task companion relationship is outward-looking.

Tatwic Yoga: meaning "The Science of Breath." The title of a little book translated from the Sanscrit some years ago by the Pandit Rama Prasad. The " breath " referred to is the life-giving breath of Brahman, and in it are contained the five elementary principles of nature, corresponding to the five senses of man. These principles are know as Tatwas, and of them the body is composed. The knowledge of the Tatwas is believed to confer wonderful power.

Telekinesis: A term denoting the hypothetical faculty of moving material objects by thought alone. The movement of objects without contact—a frequent phenomenon of the seance-room, including in its wider sense rappings, table-tiltings, levitations, the conveyance of apports, practically all material phenomena, with the possible exception of materialization—is exceeding difficult of explanation on rational grounds, and the attempt to explain it thus, without the intervention of discarnate spirits, has given rise to the telekinetic theory, which holds that all these varied feats are accomplished by the thoughts of medium and sitters, independent of muscular energy, whether direct or indirect. How thought can possibly act in this immediate way on inanimate matter is beyond comprehension in our present state of knowledge. The evidence for telekinesis is very much less than, say, that for telepathy. The telekinetic theory is akin to that offered by the magnetists, who regarded a fluidic or energetic emanation as the cause of the movements.

Telepathy: Of the various branches of psychic phenomena there is none which engages more serious attention at the present day than telepathy or thought transference. The idea of inter-communication between brain and brain, by other means than that of the ordinary sense-channels, is a theory deserving of the most careful consideration, not only in its simple aspect as a claimant for recognition as an important scientific fact, but also because there is practically no department of psychic phenomena on which it has not some bearing.

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Templars: The Knights Templars of the Temple of Solomon were a military order, founded by a Burgundian, Hugues de Payns, and Godeffroi de St. Omer, a French Knight, in 1119, for the purpose of protecting pilgrims journeying into the Holy Land. They were soon joined by other knights, and a religious chivalry speedily gathered around this nucleus. Baldwin I., King of Jerusalem, gave them as headquarters a portion of his palace, contiguous to a mosque which tradition asserted was part of the Temple of Solomon, and from this building they took their designation. One of the purposes of the Society was to convert and fender useful knights of evil life, and so many of these entered the order, as to bring it under the suspicion of the Church, but there is every reason to believe that its founders were instigated by motives of the deepest piety, and that they lived in a condition akin to poverty, notwithstanding the numerous gifts that were showered upon them, is the best proof of this. They had properly constituted officials, a Grand Master, knights, chaplains, sergeants, craftsmen, sensechals, marechals, and commanders. The order had its own clergy exempt from the jurisdiction of diocesan rule, and its chapters were held as a rule in secret. The dress of the brotherhood was a white mantle with a red cross for unmarried knights, and a black or brown mantle with a red cross for the others. The discipline was of the very strictest description and the food and clothing stipulated were rough and not abundant. By the middle of the twelfth century, the new order had got a footing in nearly all the Latin kingdoms of Christendom. Its power grew apace, and-its organisation became widespread. It formed, as it were, a nucleus of the Christian effort against the paganism of the east, and its history may be said to be that of the crusades. Moreover it became a great trading corporation, the greatest commercial agency between the east and west, and as such amassed immense wealth.

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Tephramancy: A mode of divination in which use is made of the ashes of the fire which had consumed the victims of a sacrifice.

Teraphim, The: Of the nature of oracles. The teraphim were taken away from Jacob by his daughter, Rachel, and this mention of them in the Bible is the earliest record we have of " magical" apparatus. Their form is not known, nor the exact use to which they were put; but from an allusion to them in Hosea III., 4, they were-evidently not idols. Spencer maintains that they were the-same as the " Urim " of Mosaic ritual; at any rate it seems likely that they were used as a means of divination.

Tesla, Nikola:  kkkkk

Tetragrammaton: (Gr.) The deity-name in four letters, which are in their English form IHVH. It is a Cabalistic term and corresponds on a more material plane to the sacred Pythagorean Tetraktys.

Teutonic: or " Germanic " nations, embracing peoples of High and Low German speech, Dutch, Danes, and Scandinavians, have always displayed and still display a marked leaning towards the study and consideration of the occult. We are, however, concerned here with their attitude towards the hidden sciences in more ancient times, and must refer the reader to the article on " Germany " and the other countries alluded to for information upon mediaeval and modern occultism in them. But little can be gleaned from the writings of classical authors upon the subject, and it is not until we approach the middle ages, the contemporary manuscripts concerning the traditions of an earlier day, and the works of such writers as Snorre Sturluson and Saemund (The Eddas) Saxo-Grammaticus, and such epics or pseudo-histories as The Nibelungenlied that we find any light thrown upon the dark places of Teutonic magical practice and belief.
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Thelema: From the Greek, meaning will, Thelema is the embodiment Aleister Crowley's doctrine of true will, after Rabbelais, the catholic monk who envisioned an "Abbey of Thelema" in his Adventures of Gargantua and Pantagruel. Followers of Crowley are often called Thelemites.

Theomancy: The part of the Jewish Kabbala which studies the mysteries of the divine majesty and seeks the sacred names. He who possesses this science knows the future, commands nature, has full power over angels and demons, and can perform miracles. The Rabbis claimed that it was by this means that Moses performed so many marvels; that Joshua was able to stop the sun; that Elias caused fire to fall from heaven, and raised the dead; that Daniel closed the mouths of lions; and that the three youths were not consumed in the furnace. However, although very expert in the divine names, the Jewish rabbis no longer perform any of the wonders done by their fathers.

Theosophia: (Gr.) Lit., "divine wisdom or the wisdom of the gods."

Theosophical Society: was founded in 1875 by Helena Petrvna Blavatsky and Henry Steele Olcott. They met in America in 1874 where Colonel Olcott was engaged in spiritualistic investigation at the house of the Eddy Brothers in Vermont. Madame Blavatsky was, of course, deeply read in everything pertaining to the occult and similarity of tastes very naturally drew them together. Scientific materialism was then engaging general attention and making no little progress, and since theosophy is the antithesis of materialism of any kind, it was decided that some society should be formed to combat this movement. In May, 1875, a Miracle Club was formed, but it was a failure. Later in the same year, in the month of September, a fresh attempt was however, agreed on and this was made in November with Col. Olcott as president and Madame Blavatsky as corresponding secretary, and a membership of twenty. This attempt seemed also to be doomed to failure, many members dropping off because no phenomena were manifested and indeed only Col. Olcott and Madame Blavatsky remained with two of the founders of the society and a few other members. Not discouraged by this, however, they decided to amalgamate with the Indian Society, but even this met with no more success, and it was not till by a happy inspiration of the society was moved to India, that it began to attract attention and make headway. From that time its success was assured and, whatever opinions may be held of the soundness of theosophical teaching, no doubt can be entertained of the extent and influence of the society during the turn of the century, with members in both India and America.

In accordance with the spirit of theosophy, no dogma is demanded of members save acceptance of the belief in the brotherhood of man, so that Christian and Mohammedan may meet on equal terms without any necessity of varying their religious beliefs. Its activities include study of everything germane to theosophy, religion, philosophy, laws of nature, whether patent to all mankind as in the domain of science, r hidden as yet from all but those with special knowledge, as in the domain of the occult.

Theosophy: From the Greek theos, god, and sophia, wisdom; a philosophical-religious system which claims absolute knowledge of the existence and nature of the deity, and is not to be confused with the later system by the founders of the Theosophical Society. Nowadays, however, theosophy has come to signify the tenets and teachings of the founders of the Theosophical Society. This society was founded in the United States in 1875 by Madame H.P. Blavatsky, Col. H.S. Olcott, and others. Its objects were to establish a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, to promote the study of comparative religion and philosophy and to investigate the mystic powers of life and matter. The conception of the Universal Brotherhood was based upon the oriental idea of One Life -- that ultimate oneness which underlies all diversity, whether inward or outward. The study of comparative religion was materialized into a definite system of belief, the bounds of which were a dogmatically fixed. It is set forth in the Theosophical system that all the great religions of the world originated from one supreme source and that they are merely expressions of a central "Wisdom Religion" vouchsafe to various races of the earth in such a manner as was best suited to time and geographical circumstances. Underlying these was a secret doctrine or esoteric teaching which it was stated had been the possession for ages of certain Mahatmas, or adepts in mysticism and occultism.

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Thera: Near Crete, Thera is a volcano which erupted in the 1400s BC, leaving a ring-shaped island now known as Santorini. This is one possible source of the legend of Atlantis being destroyed.

Therapeutic Touch: is derived from an ancient technique called laying-on of hands. It is based on the premise that it is the healing force of the therapist that affects the patient's recovery; healing is promoted when the body's energies are in balance; and, by passing their hands over the patient, healers can identify energy imbalances.

Theologically speaking, theurgy is divine intervention in human affairs, or the performance of miracles- specifically, the harnessing of spiritual forces through ritual to effect transcendent spiritual change. Kabbalah and Hermetic magic are both theurgic practices. Theurgic intent is what distinguishes so-called 'high' magick from 'low' magic (magic used for healing, love, personal gain, etc.)

Thoth: hhhh

Thumos: (Gr.) A Pythagorean and Platonic term; applied to an aspect of the human soul, to denote its passionate Kamarupic condition: almost equivalent to the Sanskrit word tamas: "the quality of darkness," and probably derived from the latter.

Tibet: hhhhh

Tigris river: One of the first four rivers of creation. The others were Euphrates, Gihon, and Pishon.

Timæus of Locris: The earliest known writer on the doctrines of magic. The Timæus theory of God, the Universe, and the World-soul is thus set forth by Büsching: "God shaped the eternal unformed matter by imparting to it His being. The inseparable united itself with the separable; the unvarying with the variable; and, moreover, in the harmonic conditions of the Pythagorean system. To comprehend all things better, infinite space was imagined as divided into three portions, which are -- the center, the circumference, and the intermediate space. The center is most distant from the highest God, who inhabits the circumference; the space between the two contains the celestial spheres. When God descended to impart His being, emanations from Him penetrated the whole of heaven, and filled the same with imperishable bodies. Its power decreased with the distance from the source, and lost itself gradually in our world in minute portions, over which matter was still dominant. From this proceeds the continuous change of being and decay below the moon, where the power of matter predominates; from this, also, arise the circular movements of the heaven and the earth, the various rapidities of the stars, and the peculiar motion of the planets. By union of God with matter, a third being was created, namely, the world-soul, which vitalizes and regulates all things, and occupies the space between the center and the circumference."

Time Travel: kkkkk

Tiromancy: Divination by means of cheese. It is practiced in diverse ways the details of which are not known.

Toltecs: hhhhh

Tongues, Speaking and Writing in: The speaking and writing in foreign tongues, or in unintelligible outpourings mistaken for such, is a very old form of psychic phenomenon. It was a frequent accompaniment of the epidemic ecstasy which was so common in mediaeval Europe. Thus the Nuns of Loudon (q.v.) are declared to have understood and replied to questions put to them in Latin, Greek, Spanish, Turkish, and other even less-known languages. The Tremblers of the Cevennes (q.v.) spoke in excellent French, whereas French was to them a foreign language. And practically every epidemic of the kind was characterised by the speaking in tongues, which seemed to be infectious, and spread rapidly through whole communities. In these early cases the phenomenon was ascribed to the power of supernatural agencies, whether demons or angels, who temporarily controlled the organism of the ''possessed." But analogous instances are to be found in plenty in the annals of modern spiritualism, where they are of course regarded as manifestations of the spirits of the deceased through the material organism of the medium. Comparatively early in the movement there are evidences of speaking and writing in Latin, Greek, French, Swiss, Spanish, and Red Indian languages, Judge Edmonds, the well-known American Spiritualist, testified to these faculties in his daughter and niece, who spoke Greek, Spanish, Polish, and Italian at various times, as well as Red Indian and other languages. Some of thess cases are well attested. Two professional mediums (J. V. Mansfield and A. D, Ruggles) are known to have written automatically in many languages, including Chinese and Gaelic, but whether or not they had any previous acquaintance with these languages remains at least a matter of doubt. In still more modern times speaking in tongues has been practised, notably by Helene Smith, who invented the " Martian language." On the whole, we may take it that the so-called foreign tongues were generally no more than a meaningless jumble of articulate sounds, of which the spirits themselves sometimes purported to offer a translation. Where there is good evidence to show that the writings were actually executed in a foreign language, as in the case of the professional mediums mentioned above, there is generally some reason to suppose a former acquaintance with the language, which the exaltation of memory incidental to the trance state might revive. When unknown tongues were written they-were seldom found to correspond with any real language.

Toolemak: Eskimo familiar spirits. (See Eskimos.)

Totemism: (See Fetishism.)

Tower of London: The jewel-room of the Tower of London is reported to be haunted, and, in 1860, there was published in Notes and Queries by the late Edmund Lenthal Swifte, Keeper of the Crown Jewels the account of a spectra! ' illusion witnessed by himself in the Tower. He says that ia October, 1817, he was at supper with his wife, her sister, and his little boy, in the sitting-room of the jewel-house. To quote his own words : "I had offered a glass of wine and water to my wife, when, on putting it to her lips, she exclaimed, ' Good God ! what is that ? ' I looked up and saw a cylindrical figure like a glass tube, seemingly about the thickness of my arm, and hovering between the ceiling and the table ; its contents appeared to be a dense fluid, white and pale azure. This lasted about two minutes, when it began to move before my sister-in-law; then, following the oblong side of the table, before my son and myself, passing behind my wife, it paused for a moment over her right shoulder. Instantly crouching down, and with both hands covering her shoulder, she shrieked out, ' 0 Christ! it has seized me !' " " It was ascertained," adds Mr. Swifte, " that no optical action from the outside could have produced any manifestaion within, and hence the mystery has remained unsolved." Speaking of the Tower, we learn from the same source how '• one of the night sentries at the jewel-house was alarmed by a figure like a huge bear issuing from underneath the jewel-room door. He thrust at it with his bayonet which stuck in the door. He dropped in a fit and was carried senseless to the guard-room. ... In another day or two the brave and steady soldier died."

Trances: An abnormal state, either spontaneous or induced, "bearing some analogy to the ordinary sleep-state, but differing from it in certain marked particulars. The term is loosely applied to many varied pathologic conditions— e.g., hypnosis, ecstasy, catalepsy, somnambulism, certain forms of hysteria, and the mediumistic trance. Sometimes, as in catalepsy, there is a partial suspension of the vita! functions ; generally, there is insensibility to pain and to any stimulus applied to the sense-organs ; while the distinguishing feature of the trance is that the subject retains consciousness and gives evidence of intelligence, either his own normal intelligence or, as in cases of possession and impersonation, some foreign intelligence. In hypnosis the subject, though indifferent to sensory stimuli applied to his own person, has been known to exhibit a curious sensitiveness to such stimuli applied to the person of the hypnotist. (See Community of Sensation.)

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Trance Personalities: Trance messages purporting to come from the medium's spirit control do not as a rule reveal a very definite personality. The control reflects the thoughts and opinions of the medium and the sitters, possesses little knowledge that they do not possess, and is in general a somewhat colorless creature. Yet not infrequently a trance medium is controlled by a spirit of distinct, not to say distinguished, personality, whose education and culture are on a much higher plane than the medium's own, and whose ideas and opinions are quite independent. Such spirits are generally given distinguishing names. They often control the medium alternately with other controls. On the other hand, the medium has generally a monopoly of one or more of these spirits, though sometimes one control may be shared by a number of mediums. Among those who may justly be regarded as the common property of the mediumistic fraternity are the spirits of certain great men—Virgil, Socrates, Shakespeare, Milton, Benjamin Franklin, Victor Hugo, Swedenborg, and so on. The messages delivered through their control seldom resemble anything they wrote during their lives. It would indeed be ludicrous to hold these great men responsible for the feeble outpourings delivered in their name. But these spirits come and go; it is perhaps hardly accurate to call them trance personalities at all. Among the best known of the latter class are the, spirits who purported to control the late Mr. Stainton Moses—Imperator, Rector, Mentor, Prudens, and others. What the real names of these controls may be is not known, for Mr. Moses only revealed the secret to a few of his most intimate friends. Imperator and Rector were among the controls of Mrs. Piper in still more recent years, and indeed much of her automatic discourse did not come directly from the communicating spirits, but was dictated by them to Rector. It is suggested, however, by Sir Oliver Lodge and other authorities, that the controls of Mrs. Piper are not identical with those of Stainton Moses, by whom were written through Ms hand the well-known Spirit Teachings, but are merely masqueraders. But Mrs. Piper has several interesting trance personalities of her own, without borrowing from anybody. One of her earliest controls was Sebastian Bach, but ere long he gave place to a spirit calling himself " Dr. Phinuit," who held sway for a considerable time, but gave place in his turn to George Pelham—" G.P." Pelham was a young author and journalist who died suddenly in 1892. Soon after his death he purported to control Mrs.. Piper, and gave many striking proofs of his identity. He constantly referred, with intimate knowledge, to the affairs of Pelham, recognised his friends, and gave to each his due meed of welcome. Not once, it is said, did he fail to recognize an acquaintance, or give a greeting to one whom he did not know. Many of Pelham's old friends did not hesitate to see in him that which he claimed to be. Only on one occasion, when asked for the names of two persons who had been associated with him in a certain enterprise, " G.P." refused, saying that as there was present one who knew the names, his mentioning them would be referred to telepathy! Later, however, he gave the names—incorrectly. When "G.P." ceased to take the principle part in. the control of Mrs. Piper, his place was taken by Rector and Imperator, as mentioned above. Another well-known medium, Mrs. Thompson, had as her chief control" Nelly," a daughter of hers who had died in infancy; also a Mrs. Cartwright, and others. These controls of Mrs. Thomson are said not to have shown any very individual characteristics, but to resemble Mrs. Thomson herself very strongly both in voice and manner of speech, though Mrs. Verrall has stated that the impersonations gave an impression of separate identity to the sitter. Mrs. Thomson's early trance utterances were controlled by another band of spirits, with even less individuality than those mentioned. Frequently the mediums and investigators themselves, on. reaching the discarnate plane, become controls in their turn. The late Mr. Myers, Mr. Gurney, Dr. Hodgson, and Professor Sidgwick purported to speak and write through many mediums, notably through Mrs. Piper and Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Verrall and Mrs. Holland. Many of the statements made by these controls were correct, and some matters revealed which were apparently outside the scope of the medium's normal knowledge, but at the same time several fatal discrepancies were found to exist between the controls and those they were supposed to represent. Thus the script produced by Mrs. Holland contained grave warnings, purporting to come from Myers, against Eusapia Palladino and her physical phenomena, whereas Myers was known to hold in his lifetime opinions favorable to the physical manifestations. On the whole these trance personalities show themselves decidedly colored by the personality of the medium. In cases where the latter was acquainted with the control the trance personality is proportionately strong, whereas when there was no personal acquaintance it is often of a neutral tint, and sometimes bad guesses are made, as when Mrs. Holland represented the Gurney control as of a brusque and almost discourteous temperament. But such instances must not be taken as impeaching the medium's good faith. Even where the trance personality is patently the product of the medium's own consciousness, there is no reason to suppose that there is any intentional deception. While in some of the most definite cases the evidence for the operation of a discarnate intelligence is very good indeed, and has proved satisfactory to many prominent investigators.

Transmutation of the Body: This is indeed the end and aim of all Alchemy -- to restore man to his primordial condition of grace, strength, perfection, beauty, and physical immortality. With this in view the alchemists of all the ages have labored to discover the Elixir of Life, which mystics believed would, literally, achieve this renewal of youth, and therefore immortality. Endless receipts for this medicine have been given, and some honestly believed they had attainted it; but all to no purpose, as the great secret still remains hidden from human eyes.

Triad or Trinity: In every religion and philosophy-the three in One.

Tumah: According to the Kabbala, physical or moral uncleanness. The latter is divided into three main divisions -- idolatry, murder, and immorality. Sin, says the same authority, not only rendered imperfect man himself, but also affected the whole of nature, even to the sphere of angels, and the Divinity himself. In physical uncleanness there is a coarser and more subtle form. The latter causes a dimness in the soul which is most keenly felt by those who are nearest to sacred things. Organic things which come into contact with the human body are more liable to the Tumah than remoter things. The human corpse is more unclean than that of the lower animals, because its more complex nature involves a more repulsive decay. Thus the corpse of an unholy man is the most unclean of all.

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