The Psychic Force

THE PSYCHIC FORCE

With acknowledgement to Psychic News 24th October 2009 where this was first published. All Rights Reserved Jim & Lis Warwood

These days, the word ‘psychic’ is seen as a mandatory inclusion in any discussion relating to mediumship.  Typically, during unfoldment lessons new members are told that all mediums are psychics but not all psychics are mediums. Yet, in discussion it becomes clear the word is widely misunderstood and many people regard psychics and mediums as one and the same. Indeed, few understand the meaning or origin of the word or know its historical relationship to the Spiritualist movement.

It was 24 years after the movement began that the word psychic was first used in Spiritualist literature. Until then Spiritualists claimed all the contact they received, either by rapping, table tipping, or from whatever other means, had, at its source, a contact from Spirit. In response, their detractors claimed it was all caused by either conscious fraud, or by some unconscious action of the person.

The famous scientist Professor Michael Faraday was the first to try and disprove that table tipping was contact with Spirit.  He constructed a specially designed table to rigorously test the claims being made.

Faraday's seance

On June 30th 1853, the London Times published a letter from Faraday concerning his investigation, where he stated he firmly disbelieved in the claimed causes.
“The effect produced by the table-turners has been referred to as electricity, to magnetism, to attraction, to some unknown or hitherto unrecognized physical power able to affect inanimate bodies, to the revolution of the earth, and even to diabolical or supernatural agency,” he wrote.

Faraday argued the cause was “a quasi involuntary muscular action,” and had designed his table and experiments to verify that hypothesis.
A copy of his letter to the Times and details of his experimenmts are on pages 382-391 in his 1859 book Experimental researches in chemistry and physics (https://archive.org/download/experimentalrese00fara_0/experimentalrese00fara_0.pdf ). The Spiritual Magazine Vol III from London has on pages 254-281, of the June 1868 magazine, some coverage confirming Faraday's continued opposition  https://archive.org/download/The_Spiritual_Magazine_New_Series_Vol_Iii_1868/The_Spiritual_Magazine_New_Series_Vol_Iii_1868.pdf

The publication of his findings and their failure to discourage table tipping inspired others to start research.  Each researcher approached matters in a different way, although they were all intent upon establishing whether the phenomena really occurred, and if it did what the cause may be. The most detailed work was conducted by Professor Robert Hare in the USA. The book is here https://archive.org/download/experimentalinv00haregoog/experimentalinv00haregoog.pdf
Prof. Robert Hare M.D.

His findings were published in 1855 in the book ‘Experimental Investigations of Spiritual Manifestations,’ probably the first serious work of scientific research produced. Hare was converted to Spiritualism as a result of his investigations.

Concurrently, another major figure was researching table tipping in France. Count Agenor de Gasparin, a French politician, published ‘Des Tables Tournantes’ in 1854. The book described experiments he conducted in Switzerland under stringent test conditions.

He found that the movement and weight changes were genuine but rejected any spirit hypothesis, arguing that in a certain condition of the human organism, the will can act from a distance upon inert bodies, by other than physical effort. Gasparin also believed that in the same conditions an individual could communicate directly, albeit unconsciously with another. Volume 1 is here https://archive.org/download/treatiseonturnin01gaspuoft/treatiseonturnin01gaspuoft.pdf and Volume 2 is here https://archive.org/details/treatiseonturni02gasp
Count Agenor de Gasparin

Gasparin’s work was followed up by a Swiss scientist Marc Thury. He published a pamphlet on his findings in 1855, rather unimaginatively also titled “Les Tables Tournante” . Though supporting Gasparin’s findings he differed in one crucial respect, saying “the known facts are not as yet sufficient for the demonstration of the Spirit theory” but “the absurdity of the belief in the intervention of Spirits has not been scientifically demonstrated”. If you speak French then an edition is available https://docnum.unistra.fr/digital/collection/coll12/id/83677.
Marc Thury

Thury believed the medium could exercise their will through a link between soul and body which he named “psychode,” manipulated by a force he named the “ectenic force”. Interestingly, Thury was also the first exponent of the concept of ectoplasm.

Both of these researchers concluded that to deny the existence of the phenomena was untenable. The theories of Gasparin and Thury, based upon stringent research, led others to consider how the phenomena associated with Spiritualism could be occurring, and the nature of the forces involved.

If you are French Speaking you can also read the experinecs of the famous French Novelist these links require obtaining free membership and borrowing the book https://archive.org/details/victorhugospirit00gril/page/32/mode/2up  https://archive.org/details/cequedisentlesta0000gaud/page/20/mode/2up  https://archive.org/details/cequedisentlesta0000gaud/page/20/mode/2up

Recent discoveries, especially the telegraph and electricity, opened up the idea that there might be other as yet undiscovered forces which might explain the apparent ‘spirit manifestations’.

At the same time many Spiritualists saw parallels between the telegraph system and the means by which spirit communicated. This association was stengthened because Cromwell Varley, a key figure in the creation of the Atlantic telegraph, was a committed Spiritualist. Richard J. Noakes, in ‘Telegraphy is an Occult Art: Cromwell Fleetwood Varley and the Diffusion of Electricity to the Other World’ (1999) (https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10036/33792/Telegraphy%20occult%20art.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y) writes in detail on the subject.  It is clear that Varley wished to extend his telegraphic expertise to communication with the spirit world. Indeed at a séance with the Fox Siosters he was allowed to bring in equipment to experiment with their energy. https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/10036/25652/1/Noakes%20Varley%20Electrical%20Discharge%20and%20Spiritualism%20Preprint.pdf



However, struggling in the dark, the most he could achieve was to accidentally run electrical current through his own body. He was, however, impressed that when spirit was questioned which way the energy was flowing they accurately responded on each occasion.  Varley saw a very close relation between the flow of electrical energy and spirit contact.

Of course others thought that they already had the answer. For a start the famous Isaac Newton developed a concept of ‘Ether’ as a universal force affecting motions of the planets. His concept was to form a major influence on natural philosophers through the 18th century as they looked at the phenomena of chemistry, electricity and magnetism, and physiology. The story of Afether or Ether is recurrent through the early days of Spiritualism. Sir Oliver Lodge was a great supporter of the idea. This is confirmed by this 1909 version of his book The Ether of Space and other writings he has done  https://archive.org/download/etherofspace00lodguoft/etherofspace00lodguoft.pdf

The supporters of Mesmerism believed Gasparin and Thury’s idea was a vindication of the magnetic fluid that Anton Mesmer had said pervaded all things. His ‘Memoir on the Discovery of Animal Magnetism’, Paris, 1799, contained 27 separate propositions which define his position on how he saw the magnetic force working and its relationship to the universe. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5592528/pdf/brforeignmedrev70026-0005.pdf

Similarly, the supporters of Baron Carl von Reichenbach believed that the idea of such a new force proved the validity of his experiments in the theory of human energy emanations and the ‘Odilic Force’. Pictures he produced seemed to verify this proposition with a clear emanation around the hand not unlike like early versions of Kirlian photography. http://www.iapsop.com/ssoc/1850__reichenbach___physico_physiological_researches.pdf
Baron Von Reichenbach
Odilic Force

Reichenbach’s ideas were reviewed by the Society for Psychical Research in 1883, but though the results seemed positive no further tests were conducted.
Following the work of Gasparin in France, the Astronomer Cammille Flammarion became very involved in studying the events at séances. Writing in ‘The Unknown’, in 1891, Flammarion recorded that at 16, after he had read the ‘Spirits Book’, he made contact with Allan Kardec who, in Flammarion’s words “had made of Spiritism a veritable religion.”  https://archive.org/download/in.ernet.dli.2015.38213/2015.38213.The-Unknown.pdf
Cammile Flammarion

Flammarion “assisted at the séances” experimented, and became a medium. He claimed that in one of Allan-Kardec’s works, called Genesis, the chapter on Cosmogony was written by him in a “mediumistic condition.”

He was not, however, convinced that Spirit were truly involved and was certain that his mediumistic writing came from his own sub conscious because of his deep interest in astronomy and the planets. Flammarion was unconvinced that any of the communication came, in truth, from spirit. In 1865 he produced a booklet called “Unknown Natural Forces” where he stated in detail his thoughts on the subject, and put forward the idea that the world might be on the verge of establishing the existence of a new and important natural energy field that he named the “Psychic Force”. Th eoriginal booklet is reprinted on pps xii to xxiv and his commentary on genesis is pn pps26-62 in his book Mysterious Psychc Forces 1906.https://archive.org/download/in.ernet.dli.2015.88597/2015.88597.Mysterious-Psychic-Forces.pdf
Flammarion is a fascinating figure, involved in the early work of Allan Kardec, speaking teh Eulugy at Kardecc's funeral, one time President of the SPR, an excellent writer, one time Director of the Paris Observatory as ne was a noted Astronomer. All to often his work is overlooked.

Strangely, no one really picked up on this beautiful concept and its interlinking with the great Greek word ‘Psyche’. This is illustrated by a quote from Emma Hardinge Britten , taken from a  May 1 1871 article in the ‘Spiritual Magazine”  entitled “WHAT RELATION DOES SPIRITUALISM BEAR TO SCIENCE?”. In this we see Emma refer to both the “unknown force” and the fact there are two different effects at play in the communication. As she writes “Feats of physical strength have been. exhibited, chemical combinations have been produced, bodies have been carried, through the air, and a world of influence acting upon the minds of those called the media, has been evolved, proving that there are two classes of manifestation: the one which acts through a force that emanates, in all probability, from the person of the medium, an invisible unknown force, and the other a power which psychologically impresses the mind and compels the action of the medium.” p202 on in http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/spiritual_magazine_uk/spiritual_magazine_s2_v6_n5_may_1871.pdf
Emma Hardinge Britten

Then in 1872 Sir William Crookes began to investigate the physical mediumship of D. D. Home. Crookes’ findings, published in ‘Researches in the Phenomena of Spiritualism’, provided detailed records of the research he conducted. The experiments included tests where D. D. Home was able to cause an accordion to play when it was placed beyond his ability to influence it. Additionally he repeated a test, previously conducted by Prof. Hare that showed Home had the ability to affect the weight recorded on a set of scales despite the fact that his hands were placed in water and not in contact with them.
Sir William Crookes
DD Home and the tests.


At this stage Sir William Crookes and another major participant in the research, Sergeant Edward William Cox, agreed that the results failed to prove any reality for spirit contact. Despite this, Crookes remained open to the ‘spirit’ hypothesis, ultimately believing it proven after his significant study of Florence Cook, and the ‘Katie King’ materialisations associated with her mediumship. Cox was, however, of the definite opinion that the phenomena were related to unknown natural forces which he and Crookes agreed to call the ‘Psychic Force’. Sir William Crookes - Researches Into Modern Spiritualism 1904  https://archive.org/download/sir-william-crookes-researches-into-spiritualism/Sir_William_Crookes_Researches_Into_Spiritualism.pdf also Spirtualism Answered by Science by Cox 1872 https://archive.org/download/spiritualismansw00coxe/spiritualismansw00coxe.pdf
Serjeant at Law Edward William Cox

So determined was Cox that this was a natural part of the human psyche he joined the move to establish a Psychological Society. On 15th November 1871, W. W. Harrison, the editor of the ‘Spiritualist’ newspaper, had called for this to be established outside of the Spiritualist belief, to encourage scientists to be involved. He wrote, “It is thought desirable that most of the members of the society shall not be Spiritualists”. It eas this society, in conjunction with Light Mgazine that moved to ban Dark Seances in 1882 https://www.spiritualismlink.com/t2043-light-and-psychological-review-lead-ban-on-dark-seances

The Society came into being in 1875 but because Cox was the major driver of the project it ceased soon after his death in 1879.

With the failure of the Psychological Society, it would be a few years before a new body was formed; the Society of Psychical Research, in 1882. By its very name the Society acknowledged an acceptance of the concept of ‘Psychic Force,’ and was devoted to its study.

However, the first objects of the society published in the 1882-3 Proceedings said it would investigate “debateable phenomena designated by such terms as mesmeric, psychical and Spiritualistic”.

Initially the Spiritualist community was supportive, with the newspaper ‘Light’ being very confident that it would aid Spiritualism. Unfortunately, the Spiritualist members soon became alienated when an 1886 report by Eleanor Sidgwick denounced the medium William Eglinton as a fraud. The issue came up in 3 copies of teh Journal of the Society Of Psychical Research June http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/spr_proceedings/spr_journal_v2_n29_jun_1886.pdf October http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/spr_proceedings/spr_journal_v2_n33_oct_1886.pdf and November http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/spr_proceedings/spr_journal_v2_n34_nov_1886.pdf
William Eglinton
Eleanor Sidgewick

The London Spiritualist Alliance rose in support of Eglinton with ‘Light’, its newspaper, leading the defence. This event caused mass resignations by the Spiritualists and created an uneasy relationship between these former compatriots.

There is little doubt that the research of Crookes and Cox, supporting the hypothesis of Flammarion, created a new theory about the production of the phenomena. A new term had entered the language and rapidly spread into common use in the journals and publications of the day.

By 1882 it was clear that the concept of ‘psychic force’, reflecting a natural form of energy interaction which did not involve the existence of Spirit, was widely accepted by those scientifically investigating Spiritualist phenomena. Even the great medium, Daniel Dunglas Home did not dispute this possibility, although the majority of Spiritualists at that time were strongly opposed to such a ‘non-spirit’ interpretation of the manifestations associated with mediumship.

Since that time, much of the research, and most para-psychologists, have focused on those aspects of the phenomena that appear to support the ‘psychic force’ hypothesis. In the main, their efforts have been concentrated on such things as telepathy, remote-viewing, and telekinesis, all areas that might best be described as demonstrating ‘psychic’ ability.

The idea of a ‘psychic’ force or ability, has progressively infiltrated society’s thinking and the word ‘psychic’, and the idea people might have ‘psychic abilities,’ has become widely accepted.

It is important, however, for us, as Spiritualists, to realise this concept has never related to a belief in Spirit Contact. In fact, it is fundamentally in conflict with the reality of Spirit communication. From the earliest days it has been associated with the idea that there exists a force that interpenetrates all things, and allows us to exercise our will upon matter, and to read the minds of others. From this perspective, all apparent ‘spirit’ communication can be explained away in terms of ‘psychic force,’ thus denying the reality of Spirit.

The current trend of viewing ‘psychic’ and ‘mediumship’ as synonomous, is not only inaccurate, but undermines the Spiritualist movement.

Although it is entirely possible that communication with Spirit utilises this force, thus all medium’s are ‘psychic,’ mediumship does not reflect the individual will of the medium, rather it demonstrates that of the spirit world and the intent of those in spirit to provide irrefutable evidence of their survival, an outcome totally different to the physical effects associated with the ‘psychic force’.

The Theosophist
H. P. Blavatsky, editor
VOL. I., No. 4 - JANUARY, 1880



DEATH OF MR. SERJEANT COX.
Great consternation was caused at the Middlesex Sessions on Tuesday, by the announcement, before the commencement of the business of the day, of the sudden and unexpected death of Mr. Serjeant Cox, the presiding judge in the second court at these sessions.

Mr. Edward William Cox, Serjeant-at-law, was the eldest son of the late Mr. William C. Cox. He was born in the year 1809, so that he would be in his 71st year. He was called to the bar at the Middle Temple in 1843, and raised to the degree of a Serjeant-at-law in 1868.

Than Mr. Serjeant Cox no man was better known in all London. At the Middlesex Sessions he has been judge for nine years. As one of the few still remaining wearers of the coif, he was a marked man amongst lawyers. He owned more papers than any man in England, and most of them, like the Field, the Law Times, and the Queen, have an unassailable position.

He was a philosopher, and made psychology his special study, having written a portly work of two volumes called "What am I?" as an introduction to the study of philosophy. He was also an elocutionist, and not only read in public, but wrote a work which was intended to explain to other people how to read and how to speak. Over and above all this, he was an ardent Spiritualist, and fought the materialists hand to hand with the evidence he thought he had of a spiritual world.

The death was sudden. Late in the afternoon he had sentenced a convicted prisoner to undergo a term of imprisonment. After dinner he, though a man of 70, went out to help in a penny reading. He came home, entered his library, sat in his chair, and died of heart disease. His death leaves a vacancy at the Middlesex Sessions, a vacancy in the magisterial bench of magistrates, a void in the philosophical world, and inflicts a heavy blow on the votaries of Spiritualism. It leaves, too, so much the less good-fellowship and geniality in the world.

We little thought when reviewing in our last issue, "The Mechanism of Man," it would so soon become our melancholy duty to record the death of its talented author.