Thirty Years Among the Dead by Dr. Wickland

Thirty Years Among the Dead by Carl Wickland, 1924, Global Publications, 2014, 592 pp.

Carl Wickland was a Swedish-born American psychiatrist who created a novel way of treating patients with some mental or emotional disorder. His wife Anna was a medium who seemed to specialize in talking with disturbed spirits which her husband believed were responsible for the mental disorders in his patients. Carl’s technique was to pass a small electric current through his patients while Anna communicated with the attached disturbed spirit. This enabled the spirit to detach from the living patient and move on to spiritual development.

This book gives detailed accounts of these conversations involving several dozen patients. The first chapter is devoted to convincing the reader that there is such a thing as discarnate existence and that these accounts are genuine and then in the second of the seventeen chapters we move on to the discussions themselves. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries there have now been many books about spiritualism which, unless you dismiss the whole genre as fiction, present a convincing body of evidence of continuing discarnate existence. Whether or not the psychopathology of Carl Wickland’s patients was really due to the presence of malignant spirits and whether it was Carl’s electric shock treatment or Anna’s counselling that brought patients back to health we shall never know. Whatever the methodology, this treatment obviously worked in restoring patients to health and the book, written in what reads like Victorian English, presents a useful body of treatment of some kinds of mental disturbance.

Another one of Mrs. Wickland’s guiding spirits is Movilia, an Eskimo, who brings

strength and power to the circle. He lived in Greenland and was a traveling lecturer,

doctor and entertainer, a Medicine Man of high order with a profound knowledge of

Nature.

He journeyed among his people as an organizer and a philosopher, accompanied by his

wife, a poetess and singer, and his children, who danced symbolical dances.

Some of the Eskimo songs, when given through Mrs. Wickland by Movilia and his

wife, have been recognized by an Alaskan traveler as being a part of certain Eskimo

ceremonies. These Eskimos do not speak English but one evening Movilia brought

another Eskimo who acted as interpreter for him and told us something of the Eskimo

religion.

338

EXPERIENCE, MAY 12, 1921

Spirit: ESOVILIA CHEVILIA speaking for MOVILIA AND WIFE

Psychic: MRS. WICKLAND.

My name is Esovilia Chevilia, Eskimo, and the ones for whom I talk are Movilia and

his wife.

We believe in the Great Spirit of Love, Wisdom and Knowledge, and that we are a part

of that Great Spirit, and that when we pray from our hearts we shall receive what we ask

for.

The Medicine Man is the one who knows the Secret of the Universe, the Secret of

Love, the Secret of Knowledge and the Secret of Wisdom and Truth.

It is in that Spirit we live, and each tries to do the best he knows how.

Sometimes there comes a missionary who thinks we are not Christians and that we do

not live right, and does not think we love God, as they call The Great Spirit.

We love the Great Spirit of Love, the Great Spirit of Truth, The Great Spirit, and we

worship Him. We do not believe, we know. We know the truth and we know that we are

a part of that Divine Spirit that is within us, and when we are in contact with that Great

Spirit of Truth we have much in our hearts. We can understand His meaning of Life, His

meaning of Love for His children here on earth.

Some of the missionaries who come to us say that Christ died for our sins. Dear

friends, we do not have sins for Christ to die for, for God is Love and Power; He is

Wisdom, Knowledge and Truth. We are a part of that wonderful Being. When we are a

part of that wonderful spirit how could we be full of sin?

We could not fall away from Him because we are a part of Him; we live in Him and

are a part of Him. We could not get away from Him because He is everywhere. He is the

whole Universe, the whole Love, the whole Life of everything.

How can anyone think we could believe in such a doctrine that He, the Great Spirit that

knows everything, is everywhere, and knows the past, present and future, could, in all His

power and greatness, let us go down and down and fall in sin? How could He?

The missionary says we must be born in His image, and must believe in Him, that He

died for our sins, and if we believe that we will go to Heaven when we die.

We pray to the wonderful Spirit that you call God. You have dogmas and dogmas, and

creeds and beliefs. We put ourselves in rapport with that Great Spirit and we believe in

His power. We try to get the power from the Great Spirit for healing and for other

purposes. We have Hope in that power; we have Wisdom in that power.

The Christians believe and believe that they fall in sin and that somebody must raise

them up.

If you step outside of the Law you know what will happen. If you put your hand in the

fire you know you have broken the Law and must suffer.

If you have the belief that you have fallen in sin you have transgressed the Law and

you will suffer.

We must find the Great Spirit within, not look outside. Find ourselves and we will find

Him, for we are a part of that wonderful Mind, that wonderful Power. Let us all try to get

in rapport with Him in His wonderful, wonderful glory.

---

339

---

When you are in rapport with the Great Spirit you will feel happy. You have then

learned your lesson and will go on your way and not overstep the Law. You will get out

of your ignorance.

You travel on the pathway of Life; if you walk out of the pathway you may remain as

long as you wish, but you must finally get back on the road again. What made you go

from the pathway? You overstepped the law of Nature.

You finally get so weary of breaking the laws of Nature that you will ask, “What am I

here for, and where am I going?”

Then you will find you are a Truth-Seeker; you will knock and the door will be opened.

You will look within, instead of, as before, without.

You have been living in the material with all its dogmas, here one, here another. And

then there is so much condemning. You are all Christians, and yet you condemn and

fight, and fight each other, and you have so much turmoil.

This condition will continue until you ask yourself: “What is it all about?” Then you

will try to find out. When you seek for things from your heart, you will find. Ask God to

reveal Himself to you. Ask God to manifest Himself in your heart before you leave the

broad road of Experience for the narrow road of Reason.

When you get on the narrow road you will feel happy and contented, and you come

into the Glory of the Infinite. There all is beautiful. There is no selfishness. The narrow

road is only for Love, Kindness, Knowledge and Wisdom of God.

The Christians look for God outside; we look for God within ourselves. Within

ourselves we look for the Great Spirit. We do not have so many creeds and dogmas, and

so many religious speculations. We do not have to speculate for we know.

One gets the truth one way, one another, and so they go, all divided, nothing definite.

People must change, for they have had enough of dogmas. Let them get more of the

Wisdom of God, on the narrow road of Reason, and find themselves. When they have

found themselves, they will have no sorrow and no unhappiness, because they will be

happy with the Love of God.

When they love God they will love others, for they cannot keep it to themselves. You

want your friends to love God with you. You want them to see the glory of God.

We never saw such a thing as you Christians call The Devil; we call it Selfishness and

Ignorance.

Find yourself now. If you do not you will have to stop here, there and everywhere.

When you have that beautiful knowledge all is happiness. You must experience this

feeling within yourself before you can teach it to others.

This is the Religion of the Eskimos.

I was a Medicine Man on earth, and I was also a teacher.

Eskimo Movilia was the one that came to me and wanted me to say to you what he

wishes to say. I have only repeated what he told me to say.

We have no wars. We try to live as near Nature and the Great Spirit as we can. We

are not a pretty people, and we do not have so much changing as you do in dress. We

have our beauty within us. Prettiness is only skin deep, so we do not care.

The Christian has to be awakened through suffering and trouble. Then you begin to

look for what is called the truth. You think that Jesus died for your sins. He could not,

and He did not.

340

The sins that are committed now are many more than when He was on earth. Many

things have been discovered that were not known then, so how could he die for

something that was not known? I think that is very strange.

God made us and He knew. When you find God within yourself you cannot do wrong.

You sing and are happy, and happiness is something we all want.

We had one man come to us and preach. He took away with him one of the best men

we had and tried to bring him up with your Christians. He returned to us a ruined man,

full of diseases. We do not have such diseases, because we live up to the highest laws of

Nature. He came back and told us how you, who call yourselves Christians, live.

We all felt so horrified to know that the Christians were so diseased in mind and body.

That is what the Christians did for our fellow Eskimo.

So I felt that I wanted to come and tell you of our religion.

Let all in this little circle find themselves and God, because you and God are one.

Here is a big light, say a candle, which stands in the center. Around it are smaller

candles, but they are all a part of the same material as the larger candle. You take the

smaller candles and light them from the big one, then you have the spark of Life. Can

you then understand what is meant by being a spark of God?

When you die, as the Christians call it, you only blow out the candle. The tallow has

gone back to the elements.

Find God within you, then you have Power, Strength and Love, and are learning to get

Wisdom. Then you have learned to get strength and conquer material, to conquer sorrow

and sickness. You cannot be sick for you have the light of understanding, and the more

understanding you have the more strength you have.

All of you here are a part of that Universal Light, and you must all have that light from

the candle. Do not worship the candle, but worship the Light of Understanding and God.

Do not let anyone come in your way and make you think you cannot reach God.

The Christians do not truly understand God. They must have somebody to talk for

them – their “Savior,” as they call him. They worship Christ.

“Christ” is Truth, and when you find Truth, that is “Christ.” Worship God. When you

understand how to worship God you will have strength and power, and success will be

yours.

We say: “Find God within your heart and all else will come to YOU.”

We do not believe, we know.

Have the true knowledge of God in your heart and you will be happy.

Good Night.

__________

From the time Mrs. Wickland first developed as a psychic she has been especially

under the protection of the spirit, Dr. Root, who has fostered this obsession work and

urged us to bring it before the public.

He has come often to speak with encouragement and to lecture to invisible, as well as

visible, audiences on the higher philosophy of life.

341

EXPERIENCE, DECEMBER 24, 1919

Spirit: DR. ROOT Psychic: MRS. WICKLAND

As we are gathered together in this little hall I wish you could open your psychic eyes

to see the many spirits who have come here for an understanding of the life hereafter.

There has never been real happiness on earth and there will not be so long as people

are kept in ignorance of the truth of religion. In all times there have been many different

kinds of religion, and always there has been selfishness.

You now live in the Twentieth Century, and since this is an enlightened age why

should not people be more intelligent and know more about the world here and the world

beyond?

People worship the Golden Calf more than they worship God. The churches are falling

to pieces, because they cannot make people believe as they used to in olden times.

People now want knowledge, not belief, and if the churches would teach true religion

people would be better.

Many ministers know in their hearts that people do not believe the old stories. It is the

Golden Calf again – they worship money and they stand in the pulpit and talk against

their better nature.

Some day this world will conquer selfishness, but I am sorry to say that at present most

of the people are insane regarding money making. They seem not to be able to get

money enough. There is little honor, only money, money.

There is little sympathy; all want only what they can get from others through moneymaking

schemes. In time this money scheme will fall to pieces.

We should study the other side of life as well as this, when we are on earth. If you

want to become a minister, doctor, lawyer or lecturer you have to study to acquire

knowledge. Why should we not study ourselves?

It is very important that all on earth should know where they are going after passing

out of the physical, for they will then go to the right place and will not stay in the homes

they have left.

Without this knowledge many do not realize they are dead and they remain in their

earthly homes. Some one of the family may be sensitive and may become obsessed.

Then the doctors will declare that person insane and send him to the asylum, for there is

no pity for one who is controlled by earthbound spirits.

People should be taught the truth, then, when they pass out, they will look for the spirit

world and a happy place beyond instead of a fictitious “Heaven.”

Heaven or hell is only a condition within yourself and “Heaven” must be found within

before you can be happy in the spirit world.

Some say : “What is the spirit world?”

The spirit world is a counterpart of this with only one exception – here you are thrown

together with every sort of person, while there you cannot go anywhere unless you have

understanding of where you are going.

The spirit side of life is like a school – you progress by degrees. There is no belief.

You learn where you belong and where you are going. It takes time to understand, but

there is plenty of time in eternity to study and learn.

342

The time is not far distant when people will open their eyes and see, and the churches

will have circles and try to understand life.

This is Dr. Root. I wish you all happiness and success in your work.

Good Night.

__________

EXPERIENCE, MARCH 23, 1921

Spirit: DR. ROOT Psychic: MRS. WICKLAND

I am glad I can be with you tonight to tell you of the beautiful conditions we have on

the spirit side.

The greater number think that when death comes they will go to a certain place and

stay there until the last of this earth.

The “Last Day” is every day that you throw away selfishness and ignorance. That is

“Death.”

Life is Love and Wisdom. Let us die daily to our ignorance and selfishness. Let us

awaken to the truth and an understanding of God who has given us that truth, and who

has sent forth His messengers to tell us what life is on the other side. It is a life which is

more spiritual, more congenial and more beautiful in every respect than the one on earth.

When you have Truth in your heart you are happy. When you have selfishness and

ignorance in your heart you are sorrowful. Sorrow will follow you until you say: “Not

my will, but Thine.”

When others come in your way and try to keep you down, rise and say: “No, I will be

firm, and I will conquer,” and then you can create happiness and contentment in your

soul, and you will have happiness around you.

When you think only of selfishness and creeds you have sadness and sorrow, and you

will have to burn these out by suffering, and say: “Not my will any longer, but Thy will.”

Let us pray to God, because He is All in All. He is with you all. We could not live

one minute without that wonderful power. Do not let us pray to anyone else, because

God is within ourselves. You do not need to go anywhere except your own heart to pray

to Him.

Have communion with God in your heart and you do not need to take communion

outside. When you have learned the truth then communion is within you. You do not

need to be reminded to take communion with God because you know He is there to help

you.

You have opened your heart to God and He has heard you and you can then commune

with Him. Communion is not understood as it should be.

You take communion. It is only a reminder that you should be united with God. When

you have learned and have progressed higher and higher you do not need a physical

reminder, because you understand. When you have communion with God you do not

need bread and wine.

You cannot go anywhere without God. God is in the air; He is everywhere. You

cannot walk on the earth without stepping on His creation, and you should try to

understand His work.

343

There has been so much theorizing. One has one theory, someone else another. One

goes into this corner, another into that corner, and one says this is the proper way, and the

other says that is the proper way; one has one creed, and one has another.

They go around in a little circle and forget they are in the midst of life, of God

Himself.

When you do a kind act to another you do it unto God, because he is one part of God

and you another. We only serve God when we serve others. Live to serve and do all you

can for others, then you will progress in understanding.

To go to church to serve God is only to remind you of what you should actually do.

Act, and do good to those who are in trouble. Why should you go to any place to

worship? “Enter into thy closet and pray to thy Father which is in secret.”

Pray earnestly and your prayers will be heard. Do not pray idly, but pray

earnestly. Live so that people will know you have done your duty in life.

On the spirit side we find it is difficult to open the spiritual eyes of many. They are all

so blinded by creeds and dogmas that we have to do all within our power to help them

understand that God did not make dogmas and creeds, but that God made the Universe,

and the people in it should worship Him alone, without any creed or dogma.

When we understand and realize love – not what people call love here, but the love

which springs out everywhere – then love is like the sun.

When there is love in your heart you are like a sun to others. You have found God in

your heart and this shines forth just as the sun shines on all.

Those who have only creed, dogma and selfishness, and are ignorant, feel gloomy;

they have a fear of God, a fear of everything around them. They have not opened their

souls’ eyes to ask for the light, for understanding of God.

These come to the spirit side of life in darkness and gather together, one group here,

another there, all in deep gloom. They pray and sing and moan from morning until night,

year after year.

It is very difficult to make them understand that they have passed to the spirit side of

life; very hard for them to wake up and see the mistake they made in accepting dogmas

and creeds. They have clothed themselves with gloom and have shut out the light that

should have been shining throughout their lives.

If you love God in the sense I have spoken of, then you will be happy.

This is Dr. Root.

Good Night.

__________

Another extract is taken from a lecture recently given by Dr. Root to a gathering of

earthbound spirits, as well as to our circle.

EXPERIENCE, JANUARY 1, 1924

Spirit: DR. ROOT Psychic: MRS. WICKLAND

Let us concentrate for happiness and contentment, for the betterment of the world. Let

us never look backward, but forward. Let us all try to do the best we can and help others.

344

If little groups such as this one would concentrate in an effort to cheer the world the

world would be better. This little light of concentration does not seem much but it will

do much good for the ones in darkness and those in trouble.

If all the churches would have concentration circles to help the people and would give

them cheer and courage, and try to help them into a brighter condition, instead of

condemning them and telling them they are lost forever if they do not believe a certain

doctrine, the world would be much happier and better.

You must find yourselves within before you can find yourselves without. You must be

born again – not in Jesus Christ, no, – you must realize your own self and that you are a

part of God.

God gave you light and understanding. Go out and help the people in trouble and

those who have not awakened to an understanding of God. Do not merely believe in God

but find Him within yourselves, then you will not need belief.

Belief and faith are only the key. If you have the key in your hand and do not know

where it belongs, do not know which door it opens, if you have only faith and belief, and

nothing more, you only hold the key but do not use it.

Seek for knowledge until you can open the door of Wisdom and Understanding.

Most people have the key but they only hold it in their hands and do not use it. They

say: “If I believe in God and Jesus Christ I will be saved.”

When the time comes for them to pass to the spirit side of life they merely hold that

key, they have only belief and they find themselves in darkness because they have not

used the key of understanding that God gave them with which to investigate and find God

within themselves.

You do not need to go anywhere; you must open the door of your own heart. Find God

and find that you are a part of that wonderful power. When you open the door you have

power and strength and health – you have everything and the strength of God’s power will

flow in and you will do wonderful things.

Christ was a great teacher, but do people carry out His teachings? They believe, but

they do not do what he told them.

Each one is a part of God, and when you do what you can for others you love God and

worship Him by so doing.

The people and the churches should unite as one power and help each other and try to

conquer selfishness.

Spread the truth; find God within yourself and open your heart to Him through

understanding. You have power so far as your mind has developed. If you try to develop

for more power you will have it. Widen out and try to know God’s wonderful mystery in

the world.

Let us find God in Nature, everywhere. Look at a snowflake – it is wonderful. It has

many beautiful designs. Who made it? It is so natural that people do not realize its

beauty. They say: “It is just snow.”

When individuals step out of the physical the worst hindrance they have is desire,

which must be overcome. Creeds and dogmas hold them down; they are not free. They

are, as Jesus said, bond servants, and will be held down.

They think, when they pass to the spirit side of life they will go to Heaven. Stop to

think – where is Heaven? Christ said the kingdom of Heaven is within you if God dwells

there.

345

The majority believe that what you call death is a long sleep, and many who have not

learned the lesson of life go to sleep. Some will sleep for years because they are selfhypnotized.

They think: “I am dying, and I will go to the grave and stay there until the

Last Day, and then will be awakened.”

Others pass to the spirit side of life believing in certain creeds and dogmas. They go to

certain places in the earth sphere where they sing and pray and do not progress any

further. They go over and over the same things. It is only mouth prayers they offer.

Sometimes they remain in that sphere for years.

Sometimes they go about in the earth sphere and try to convert people. They attach

themselves to some mortal and that mortal will be called insane on religion.

What is done then? The victims are sent to the insane asylum and left there for the rest

of their lives. They will not be free from the obsessing spirits until the body dies. Then

those spirits often attach themselves to other mortals.

Let us understand the truth. Let us do what we can to help ourselves and others to an

understanding of God. Worship Him everywhere.

Let us look at the sky and see the beautiful planets and stars. If this earth disappeared

tomorrow the suns and stars in the heavens would be just the same. This earth would not

be missed. Do you think God sits on this earth and controls nothing more? No, let us

think, and understand and study.

Let us all worship God in His whole Universe. There is Life everywhere. The

grandeur of the heavens cannot be described – the wonderful stars in the heavens, the

planets and all the Universe.

Look through the microscope and you will find you are in another world. You will see

germs, one or two of which will kill a big body. They are all under one power – God.

Some say, Why did God make all these germs to torment humanity?

They must be, in order to have you realize and think and overcome. When

you have trouble and try to overcome you become strong.

A child that is protected constantly by its parents and sent into the country grows up in

a fine atmosphere. He is good because he has had no temptation. But he has no

knowledge that he is good.

A boy from the slums, who has had trouble, will more readily develop into a man who

can conquer than the one who has been protected. He will be strong and able to help

others.

Let us find ourselves. Let us all concentrate and try to help and give light to every one

we find needing help.

Worship God in His true sense and not in a little narrow belief. Let us add knowledge

to our faith.

You are the bond servants that Christ speaks of. He was a wonderful teacher, but you

believe in His blood and not in his teachings.

Who killed Christ? The very ones that belonged to the church. They did not believe in

Him.

Christ is an allegory; He is the Truth. “Christ” is born within you when you have

attained understanding. Then you will see, and know, and realize God. When you pass

to the spirit side of life you will have knowledge and you will go into a world that is far

more beautiful than this. You can then reach the spirit world.

346

You do not need to call it “spirit world” – some object to that name. Every one is a

spiritual being. You may call it the “Higher Sphere”; you may call it “Heaven” – but

Heaven is not a place.

If you think you are going to Heaven you will have to take it with you, because it is a

condition. When you have suffering you are in hell, and many have a hard struggle to get

out of that hell. When you are happy you are in Heaven – the Heaven within yourself.

You have trouble and sickness, but everything is to help you learn to find yourself.

When you have found yourself, within yourself, you can conquer all conditions from

without.

You say: “I am very sick.” You attract those forces unto you, and after a while your

own mind has created your condition. You are a part of God, the wonderful Creator.

What you think, you create. You have power and you can use it for good or evil.

If you have trouble, disease, or suffering, and have not learned to throw it off, you hold

it to yourself. Then you become sensitive, and after a time you draw influences around

you, and these in turn throw disease and bad thoughts on you, and you are bound.

First, find God within yourself, then you will have power to rise.

Trouble, sorrow, sickness, obsession, everything can be conquered after you find the

truth; Christ is born in you and you can conquer.

When you have found Christ within yourself you will still have struggles. Others will

say: “Do this, or this, and you will be wise.” Some will say: “Overcome the world –

overcome.”

There will be a cross, because there is a tempter. You have found yourself, but the

tempter speaks to you: “Do this! Come with me and I will show you the world and

happiness.”

Here is the cross which shows Christ is born within you. Jesus, the Son of Man, must

be crucified on the cross of matter that Christ-enlightenment may live.

When you have reached that stage you see everything as good. You cannot see bad.

When you look back you see that what you thought bad only taught you to understand

God. Should you condemn it? No. If you had not had that experience you would not be

where you are now.

You must teach others and help them to rise with you. If every one would do that the

world would be happier.

Let us send out thoughts that all may conquer and that they may understand. You

should strive to gain knowledge of God’s finer forces. Find yourself and you will find

God.

Before I go I want to say that we have a room full of earthbound spirits. I often talk to

them to help them. This group we have here tonight are spirits we could not waken

because they could not see us. A spirit in ignorance cannot see an intelligent spirit.

So we have to bring them here. I talk through this body and they hear me, but they

could not hear me from the spirit side of life because they had no understanding.

Every time you have circles here we have more spirits present than we have mortals.

When they see an earthbound spirit control they learn their first lesson, and then we can

take them to the spirit side of life and help them find happiness.

We are never idle in the spirit world. Mind cannot stand still. God’s wonderful

thoughts go on. Planets do not stand still. All is development. Mind is never inactive so

long as one tries to develop.

347

This is Dr. Root. Good Night.

__________

For many years, upon various occasions, a symbolical morality play has been given

through Mrs. Wickland by a group of spirit actors.

They are twelve in number, eleven actors and a director, all of whom were Russian-

Slavonic when in earth life.

Under the direction of the stage manager they successively assume control of Mrs.

Wickland with such ease and rapidity that the change is scarcely noticeable.

The play is given in the Russian-Slavonic tongue, a language which Mrs. Wickland

herself has never heard, but which is spoken perfectly through her by these actors, as has

been stated by different persons, witnessing the play, who are familiar with the language.

The costumes worn by the spirit actors, and unseen by the average mortal audience,

have been described by clairvoyants as being authentically Russian-Slavonic and very

beautiful.

These actors, with one of Mrs. Wickland’s guides as interpreter, have given the

following account of “The Morality Play” and its purpose.

“We are twelve actors controlling this psychic sensitive in order to prove spirit return

and spirit control, and that we can act as we acted while in the body.

“We come to help people understand that we are still living, that we are not dead but

are just as active as we were when in earth life.

“We give this play in the spirit world for the earthbound spirits, many of whom do not

realize they are dead to their earth life. We find them in the sphere next to the earth,

often in a semi-sleep.

“Preceding the play we have music by excellent musicians; this wakens the earthbound

spirits, one after the other. They rise slowly, not realizing where they are, but the music

brings them a little understanding of the higher life.

“We then play our drama as a lesson to these spirits. Each character is symbolical,

showing that selfish, trivial and debasing attributes must be overcome before spirits can

progress.”

The leading lady represents Love; the leading man, her lover, personifies Truth. The

ruffian typifies Selfishness; the elderly maiden lady depicts Frivolity; the officer

represents Justice, and the Judge, Wisdom. The witnesses in the court trial portray

Knowledge, Drunkenness, Misery, Sickness, Miserliness and Robbery.

Love, the young maiden, cherishes a true, deep affection for the hero; she dwells in the

same abode with Frivolity, who entertains an unrequited love-sentiment for Selfishness.

(Here is shown the close association in life of the True and False.)

Truth enters and proposes to Love, who accepts him; he then departs and is followed

by Selfishness, who desires Love for himself.

When his advances are rejected, Frivolity, with her most fascinating coquetries,

endeavors to charm the Ruffian (Selfishness) from Love to herself. This angers him and

he threatens her with death, then leaves in a rage, swearing to kill his rival, Truth.

Love writes a frantic note of warning to her lover and hastily sends her servant to

deliver the message, but the servant arrives too late, for Selfishness has attacked Truth by

the wayside and fatally wounded him in a sword duel.

348

Truth dies a lingering death, representing the murder of man’s higher nature by

selfishness.

The servant hurries back to his mistress with the news of the death of her lover. She

rushes to the place of the attack and, finding Truth dead, falls on her knees beside him.

With a prayer she draws her dagger and stabbing herself, dies.

When Selfishness sees that Love, as well as Truth, is dead he becomes infuriated,

declares there is no God and swears that he will have fullest revenge.

An officer, Justice, arrives, and handcuffing the murderer, takes him into custody, after

which follows the funeral of the lovers.

Justice brings selfishness before the Judge, Wisdom, and at the trial the witnesses,

Knowledge, Drunkenness, Misery, Sickness, Miserliness and Robbery all testify that had

it not been for Selfishness, Love and Truth had not died.

Wisdom then banishes Selfishness from the land.

During a psychic circle held at our Institute, in May, 1923, at which Sir Arthur Conan

Doyle and Lady Doyle were present, this play was given, and later, in his book “Our

Second American Adventure,” Sir Arthur briefly described the play, commenting further:

“It was certainly a most extraordinary performance and left us all in a state of amazed

admiration . . .

“I have seen all the greatest actresses of my generation, Modjeska, Bernhardt, Duse,

Terry – but I do not think that any one of them could have played these eleven parts

without a stage or a costume in so convincing a way.

“The spirits’ own account is that they are a band of players on the other side, who

represent this play before the undeveloped dead in order to teach them the moral, and that

they use the wonderful mediumship of Mrs. Wickland in order to demonstrate their

power to us mortals. It was very impressive.”

Recently these invisible performers have presented through Mrs. Wickland another

drama, “The Soul’s Passion Play,” symbolical of the development of the soul.

In “The Morality Play,” Selfishness kills Truth, and causes the death of Love, while in

“The Soul’s Passion Play,” Truth and Love conquer Selfishness.

“The Soul’s Passion Play” represents the contest of the Soul with opposing principles

and symbolizes the victory of Truth and Love over Selfishness through Understanding,

and the attainment of Bliss.

Dwelling in the Home of Happiness, with Obedience as the servant, are Kindness and

Friendship, father and mother of the maiden, Love.

Truth, a young man, admires Love, while Selfishness, another maiden who is found in

the same society with Love, but whose father and mother are Hatred and Envy, living in

the Home of Unhappiness, boldly attempts to attract the young man to herself.

Truth finally wins Love and they are united in marriage, after having sent Selfishness

away from the Home of Happiness.

Selfishness, overcome by jealousy and humiliation, goes to seek some means of

revenge in the slums, where, in the Home of Misery, lives the villain Revenge with his

father and mother, Temptation and Evil.

Together, as time goes on, they plot that Selfishness shall return to the Home of

Happiness and, pretending repentance, wait for an opportunity to steal the child Victory,

which has been born to Love and Truth.

349

The child is to be given to Evil, who will bring him up in squalor and sordidness,

forcing him to commit crimes and finally become imprisoned.

Selfishness will then go to Love and Truth, tell them of the disgrace of Victory, and,

with Revenge, gloat over the ruin of the Home of Happiness.

Selfishness succeeds in stealing Victory, who, for some years, is cruelly mistreated by

Evil and Temptation, but is at last discovered by his parents and taken away from the

Home of Misery.

Enraged at her defeat, Selfishness becomes insane through anger and dies a violent

death.

Truth and Love bring Victory back into the Home of Happiness, and there, with

Selfishness vanquished, they dwell together in Bliss.

350

CHAPTER XVII

Conclusion

Demonstrative evidence clearly indicates that much which now seems mysterious can

be brought to light by appropriate research. “The supernatural is only the natural not yet

understood.” Psychical research should he placed on a scientific basis, and made safe and

sane by eliminating the dwellers on the threshold of the unseen, who, through deception

and falsehood, frequently pervert the truth which the enlightened spirit intelligences are

constantly endeavoring to convey to humanity.

Advanced intelligences on the invisible side continually urge that broad minded

investigators on the physical plane cooperate with them in establishing research centers in

asylums, churches, universities and other institutions.

It is imperative that psychical research should be in the hands of men of science, men

who are willing to set aside prejudice and, with unbiased minds, weigh the evidence and

classify findings.

In the Chicago Daily Tribune, March 30, 1905, the late Dr. I. K. Funk, of New York,

urged that inquiry be made into cases of mental phenomena, and, after reviewing the

work which we were carrying on in obsession, concluded with an appeal to the press for

further investigation.

“Let us remember,” he said, “a single scientifically demonstrated fact of the existence

of even an evil discarnate spirit will do more to prove the continuance of life after death

than all the sermons on immortality that have been preached in the last ten years.

That single demonstration would be the death knell of materialism. . . .

“Genuine cases, wherever occurring, should be searched for by the press more than if

they were lumps of gold and should be verified if possible to the minutest incident, and

given, not jocosely, but seriously, to the world.

“Why will not the press soberly take up this matter? Rightly handled, there is sensation

in it worthy of the most royal purple journalism.

“Gladstone was right when in his membership letter to the Society for Psychical

Research he said that this work of investigation ‘is the most important work which is

being done in the world by far the most important.’”

Scientific bodies, willing to thoroughly master and observe the governing laws, could

readily obtain evidence similar to that presented in this volume. Especially could such

evidence be obtained in Institutions for the Insane, as most inmates of the same are

potential psychics who could be developed into instruments for psychical research.

After having dislodged the ignorant, obsessing spirits, the psychic faculties of the

sensitive could be developed by attracting intelligent spirits, who are always willing to co

operate from the invisible side, and who will protect the instrument against untoward

results.

Psychic research circles, formed to learn the truth of life and spirit existence should be

of inestimable value to churches, for such investigation would prove positively the

continued existence of the soul, and convert mere faith and belief in a life hereafter into

definite knowledge.

351

The practice of calling for specific or particular spirits should not be indulged in, as this

may lead to deception by mischievous spirits, who may step in and attempt to

impersonate the spirit called for.

It should be left to the guiding intelligences to bring whatever spirit is suitable for

demonstration, and interesting information will be given from time to time by the

advanced spirits, clearly showing the difference between intelligent and ignorant entities.

As a nucleus for more comprehensive investigation the National Psychological Institute

was organized and incorporated in Los Angeles, California, for the purpose of placing

those problems on a rational, scientific basis. This Institute a “Spiritual Clearing House”

has no interest in cult or ism of any kind, but is striving only to obtain data, in the hope of

encouraging other institutions to take up similar work, as an enormous field for research

has been opened by our experiences.

It is not presumed or held that this avenue of research is a panacea for, or a full

explanation of, all mental aberrations or obscure mortal vagaries, but indicative of the

need for fuller knowledge of the role which the invisible world plays in human problems.

FOR ENTIRE PDF BOOK:  [PDF]

Thirty Years Among the Dead – A Spiritual Journey