What other proof of immortality is needed? But in order to have a more striking effect on hearts overwhelmed by unbelief, God sometimes sends people from the other world to announce to those living here about their afterlife fate.
1. “On the night of September 28-29, I dreamed about it,” reports Count M. V. Tolstoy, - as if I was standing in my hall and heard - the voices of children are heard from the living room. I watched various children pass me into the hall and between them Volodya, our recently deceased son. I happily rushed to him, he smiles at me with his old angelic smile. I held out my hands to him - Volodya, is that you? He threw himself on my neck and hugged me tightly, tightly.
- Where are you, my joy, are you with God? - No, I am not yet with God, I will soon be with God. - Do you feel good? - Okay, better than yours. And I often visit you, everything is around you. I am almost all alone, only Mary Magdalene is with me. Sometimes I get bored. - When are you bored? - Especially when they cry for me. And it comforts me when they pray for me, when they give the poor for me. I keep praying, praying for my mother, for you, for the brothers, for Pasha (sister), for everyone who loves me. Hug my dear mother for me, like this, tightly. “You would see her, my joy. - And I will see, I will certainly see. - When? - When will stop crying.
Then I heard the voice of my wife from the corridor, I turned to her, then looked back - he was gone.
I woke up with an intensified heartbeat, in such excitement that I could not resist the loud sobs with which I woke my wife. At the same moment, I jotted down on paper what I had seen in a dream, word for word, as it was (M. Pogodin, "A simple speech about tricky things").
2. The Mogilev Diocesan Gazette contains the following incident from the life of Metropolitan Platon. “In my life,” says the Right Reverend, “there is one case in which I saw the shadow of another person, and, moreover, as vividly and clearly as I see you now, addressing my listeners. This was in the 30s, when I was an inspector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Among other students we had Ivan Krylov, from the Oryol seminary, known to me when I was a mentor there. He studied well, was of good behavior, good-looking. Once he comes to me and asks me to let him go to the hospital. I think to myself: sure, he was exhausted, let them feed him better there, and he will recover. And maybe he will write a term essay there. A few time passes, I don't hear anything about him, the doctor says nothing. But then, one day,I was lying on the sofa and reading a book, I looked - Krylov was standing and looking straight at me. I see his face as clearly as you do, but his body was as if in a fog or cloud. I looked at him. He … I shuddered. The ghost seemed to rush to the window and disappear. I was still wondering what that would mean - I heard a knock at my door, the hospital watchman came in and said to me: "Student Krylov gave his soul to God."
- How long? I asked in amazement.
- Yes, that's five minutes, I just got ready to you.
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“If you please, solve this mystery,” said the archpastor, addressing all those present at the story. All were silent. “All this,” concluded Vladyka, “undoubtedly proves to us some kind of mysterious connection between us and the souls of the dead” (Mogilev. Eparch. Ved., 1883).
3. Lord Thomas Erskine recounts the following vision.
“When I was a young man, I happened to be absent from Scotland for a while. On the afternoon of my return to Edinburgh, in the morning, walking down from the bookstore, I met the old butler of our family. I found in his appearance a strong change: he was pale, thin and gloomy.
- And, old man, why are you here?
“To meet your grace,” he replied, “and to ask your intercession before my lord: our manager cheated me at the last calculation.
Struck by his appearance and tone, I told him to follow me to the bookseller's shop, where I went back; but when I turned around to speak to the old man, he was gone. I remembered the house and apartment where he lived, and therefore I went to him. But what was my surprise when I entered his apartment and saw his wife in mourning. “My husband died,” she said, “several months ago. Before his death, he told me that our steward had cheated him, but you, surely, will help to find the money he was following. I promised to do so, and rather, at my insistence, the unpaid amount was given to the widow (Controversial region between two worlds, R. D. Owen).
4. At the end of the last century, the landowner 3., a man not yet old, burdened by a large family and having at the same time a rather limited fortune, served as his only support for the family.
Once Z. got seriously ill and, apparently, began to approach death, the doctors refused to treat him. The grief-stricken wife mourned her sick husband as if he had died, presenting her desperate situation with a bunch of young children. Seeing all this, the hopeless patient began mentally asking God to extend his life while he would find accommodation for his eldest sons and thus leave his family in their care. After this prayer, he fell asleep and slept for a long time. Waking up, he immediately calls his wife to him and joyfully informs her that he saw in a dream the archpastor of Belgorod, Joseph Gorlenko, whom he remembered while still alive. In a dream, the archpastor told him that by the Mercy of God, for the sake of innocent babies, he was given another twenty years of life. But after 20 years, exactly on this day, the Lord will call him to himself.
Having told his dream, the patient asked his wife to write it all down from his words in the prayer book, which was done, and the hitherto hopeless patient Z. began, to the surprise of the family and the doctors who treated him, to recover quickly and soon recovered completely.
Exactly 20 years later, on the appointed day, Z. rested in eternal sleep in the arms of his sons and daughters, already attached and secured, with a grateful prayer on his lips.
His prayer book with a record is still kept by his descendants, as a family rarity ("Mental Reader", 1868, parts 1-3).
5. In one parish, on the occasion of the death of a priest, the place was taken by another. The new man who was taken to the place of the deceased died a few days later, another did in his place, but this one also died a few days later. Thus, the parish lost three priests in a very short time.
These two events eliminated priesthood candidates, which is why the said parish remained vacant for a considerable time. The spiritual authorities themselves appointed a candidate for this position. The incoming priest, entering the temple for the first time and then into the altar, saw here, away from St. a throne, an unknown priest in full priestly vestments, but bound hand and foot with heavy iron chains. The new minister of the altar did not lose his presence of mind: he began the usual sacred service with proskomedia, and after reading the 3rd and 6th o'clock he performed the entire Divine Liturgy, not at all embarrassed by the presence of an outsider, a mysterious person who, at the end of the service, became invisible. Now the new pastor realized that the chained priest he had seen was an inhabitant of the afterlife. He only did not understand the reasons for his appearance, but this soon became clear. The chained priest, throughout the entire service, did not utter a word and only from time to time raised his chained hands and pointed them to one place on the platform in the altar. The same thing was repeated at the next service, during which, at the entrance to the altar, the priest paid special attention to the place to which, as before, the ghost pointed. Peering intently in that direction, the priest noticed an old small sack lying there on the floor against the wall. He lifted this bag, untied it and found in it a considerable number of notes with the names of the dead and living persons, which are usually served to the ministering priest for commemoration at the proskomedia about the repose of souls that have passed into eternity, and about the health and salvation of the living.of time, he raised his chained hands and pointed them to one place on the platform in the altar. The same thing was repeated at the next service, during which, at the entrance to the altar, the priest paid special attention to the place to which, as before, the ghost pointed. Peering intently in that direction, the priest noticed an old small sack lying there on the floor against the wall. He lifted this bag, untied it and found in it a considerable number of notes with the names of the dead and living persons, which are usually served to the ministering priest for commemoration at the proskomedia about the repose of souls that have passed into eternity, and about the health and salvation of the living.of time, he raised his chained hands and pointed them to one place on the platform in the altar. The same thing was repeated at the next service, during which, at the entrance to the altar, the priest paid special attention to the place to which, as before, the ghost pointed. Peering intently in that direction, the priest noticed an old small sack lying there on the floor against the wall. He lifted this bag, untied it and found in it a considerable number of notes with the names of the dead and living persons, which are usually served to the ministering priest for commemoration at the proskomedia about the repose of souls that have passed into eternity, and about the health and salvation of the living.the priest noticed an old small sack lying there on the floor against the wall. He lifted this bag, untied it and found in it a considerable number of notes with the names of the dead and living persons, which are usually served to the ministering priest for commemoration at the proskomedia about the repose of souls that have passed into eternity, and about the health and salvation of the living.the priest noticed an old small sack lying there on the floor against the wall. He lifted this bag, untied it and found in it a considerable number of notes with the names of the dead and living persons, which are usually served to the ministering priest for commemoration at the proskomedia about the repose of souls that have passed into eternity, and about the health and salvation of the living.
Now the priest realized that these notes during the life of his bound fellow who stood here, who was formerly the rector of the same church, probably remained unread by him during the Divine Liturgies he performed. Therefore, starting the service, he began to remember on the proskomedia the names of the living and the dead, indicated in the notes of the bag he found, and as soon as he finished reading them, like heavy iron chains, with which the afterlife prisoner was bound, in an instant with a noise they slept from his hands and his feet and fell to the ground; and he himself, having become free from bonds, went up to the ministering priest and, without saying a word, bowed down to his feet to the face of the earth. Then, suddenly, neither he nor the iron shackles became visible. After that, the being after the grave no longer appeared during the divine services (The Wanderer, 1867, March, p. 125).
6. Senator Rezanov's daughter, Anna Dmitrievna, soon after the death of her mother, saw her in a dream; the deceased said to her: “How long will you, my friend, cry for me? Take comfort: on April 15 we will unite forever. Anna Dmitrievna told this dream to her family and friends, and they assured her that this dream was an empty dream, and in July she got married. But there came April 15, 1822, the day when her daughter was safely born. Remembering the mother's word, A. Dm. On the eve of April 15, she confessed and received communion, and on April 15 she blessed her newborn daughter and said: “It’s not for me to bring you up,” and in the evening of the same day she died (“Psychic Reading”, 1862, Apr. Book, 463-468)
7. In early September 1848, Father Archpriest Ye-v saw in a dream the deceased priest Poselsky whom he knew, who told him: "Write to your friend, Countess Anna Alekseevna Orlova-Chesmenskaya, so that she will prepare for death." But the archpriest did not believe the dream and did not write to the countess. A week later, the same priest dreamed of him again and repeated the same to him. But the archpriest did not dare to write this time either. Finally, the deceased dreamed again, reprimanded him for non-fulfillment and added: if you miss at least one mail and do not write it, then your news will no longer find her alive, and God will exact from you. The archpriest woke up, thought, fell asleep again, and now - a new dream: it is as if in a cemetery, in the land where the countess lived, and the countess in a crowd of people asks some old man for money; but he refused, and the archpriest gave her so much money,as needed, and after that I saw in the same cemetery a small room of the countess. Awakening from sleep, he immediately wrote a letter to the Countess and advised her to be ready for death every hour. She showed this letter to her confessor and confessed on the same day, and the next day she received the Holy Mysteries and soon after the communion on the same day she suddenly died, on October 6, 1848 ("Holy Spirit", 1862, Feb. book, 242-245).
At this point in our common path with the reader, I think it would be useful to look around and clarify what we have managed to achieve so far. The reader, perhaps, will admit that we have, indeed, now established on fairly solid grounds the possibility of the appearance in some cases (whether through bells or in some other way) of various noises, which we can logically ascribe only to Supramundane or spiritual reasons; but what, he asks, do we achieve by this proof? He may further point out that the evidence of the afterlife should, in essence, have a solemn and awe-inspiring character, and not be expressed in such trifles and pranks as ringing bells or banging the wall.
One could answer this with one general consideration. Between the phenomena of the nature around us, no matter how low some of them may be placed by man, there is nothing petty and insignificant in the eyes of Him, Who is from the height of His sovereign power, As the God of all that is - alive
And not alive, looks with an equal eye
For all creation … Does it fall from the branch
A wounded bird, or a hero, Struck in battle, gives up the spirit;
Does one atom die, or with it
The system ends; disappears
A bubble swollen from the face of water, Or suddenly crumbles to dust and ashes
Beautiful planet … it doesn't matter!
But, bypassing this great truth, I ask you: is there anything solemn or awe-inspiring for the ordinary mind, for example, in the fall of an apple from the tree that nurtured it? The child sees the fall and hits his palms; a simple peasant takes it as a sign that the orchard is beginning to ripen, but it leads Newton to the trail of the law governing the motion of the planets and acting in more than half of all natural phenomena that are found in the world.
To the question of what we achieve by establishing such facts, I will answer with the remark of Southey. In the second book, The Life of Wesley, speaking about similar concerns in the pastor's house of Samuel Wesley and about what good purpose can be expected in such phenomena, he thoroughly notes: it will be good if “the stated truth of one such story as no matter how petty and aimless the history itself may be in other respects,”will sometimes make one of these unfortunate skeptics, who see nothing beyond the narrow circle of their earthly existence, ponder, and will lead him to faith in immortal life.
We'll go one step further. Between the world in which we now live, and the one into which we pass after death, there is no true, constant message: only at times, very rarely, the inhabitants of one world notice the inhabitants of another. We appear to be immortals, probably something like ghosts, just as they do to us - in those minutes when they visit the earth. But if someone has ever truly loved and admits a future life, there can be no doubt that the best of the creatures who left the earth and left their friends and relatives here, for some time still seek their closeness and sympathize with them. We see many examples of this, even on these pages, that they often ardently wish to convince us, to convince us to the point of complete certainty - in their continuing being, their well-being and in their never-dying love. Examples showthat they are very intensely seeking communication with us, sometimes out of a feeling of love, sometimes for other reasons; but they reach us only with great difficulty. And these difficulties were put between us and them, of course, not without a wise goal: because if spiritual relations were as simple as worldly connections, who else would agree to live and languish in this vague and difficult world?
At times a desire comes to them to visit us. But, appearing from his spiritual world, in his spiritual image, invisible to our eyes and silent to our hearing, how can they reveal their presence before us? How can they get our attention?
What does a traveler who approaches the doors of a locked house in the dead of night, if he wants to penetrate those living in it, wants to declare his presence to them? Does it not reach its goal with a knock or a ring.
Why not admit that the words of Scripture are read in the other world, that they also find application there? And why immortal love, yearning for the earthly, could not follow these words of Christ: “Seek and you will find; knock and it will open to you!"
The inhabitants of the house, to which the traveler asks, not seeing anyone in the darkness, may at first ignore his knocking or ringing, and the traveler at that time, perhaps, will leave, having been deceived in expectations. This could be the case in cases like the one described above. In many, perhaps, in all such cases, some spirit was looking, perhaps, for communication with the earth (Robert Del-Owen. "The Disputed Region Between Two Worlds", St. Petersburg. 1881, pp. 51-67).
8. In the Dankovsky district of the Ryazan province, the landowner Muromtseva, nee Countess T-taya, lived in her own estate, and still lives in the Dankovsky district. The countess had two siblings, both military men and both participants in the glorious Crimean campaign. At the very first stages of hostilities in Sevastopol, one of the brothers was either killed at the beginning of the campaign, or, dangerously ill, died in the hospital; another brother was constantly in Sevastopol. The mysterious phenomenon, which I want to talk about, happened on the first day of Holy Easter and happened under the following circumstances: Mrs. Muromtseva, returning from church in the morning and feeling tired, wished to rest. As soon as she lay down in bed, she heard quite clearly and distinctly someone's footsteps, which were clearly directed towards her bed, closed by a canopy. Someone stopped and suddenly opened the curtain;she looked and was dumbfounded with horror: before her stood a dead brother, who said to her: “Christ is risen, sister, I congratulate you on the holiday! I came to tell you that our brother was killed today in Sevastopol! " Having said these words, the ghost with the same steps left the bedroom. All this lasted for several moments, and now, when the ghost of her brother disappeared, the countess, trembling all over, burst into hysterical crying. In response to her screams and sobs, a servant immediately appeared and immediately took all measures to calm the lady. Coming to her senses, the Countess told about what had happened to her. This story soon became known to the entire population of the city of Dankov and the Dankove district and reached the local authorities. The police officer at that time in the Dankovsky district was Colonel Nikanor Petrovich Belokopytov, now a most respectable elder, who lived in retirement in the city of Borovsk, Kaluga province. He and his wife repeatedly recounted this mysterious incident, which happened almost before their eyes and remarkable in that, a few days after the described incident, the countess received the news that on the night of Christ's Bright Resurrection, at the very time when she appeared to her a ghost, her second brother, in fact, was killed during a sortie undertaken by him, together with other officers, against the enemy (from "Petersburg leaf", sn. "Rebus", 1884, no. 25);together with other officers, sorties against the enemy (from "Petersburg leaf", sn. "Rebus", 1884, no. 25);together with other officers, sorties against the enemy (from "Petersburg leaf", sn. "Rebus", 1884, no. 25);
9. An acquaintance of ours, a person with a higher education, who deserves complete trust, A. N. S-in, told us the following incident from his life.
“Several years ago,” he said, “I fell in love with a girl with whom I intended to legally marry, and the day of our wedding had already been set. But a few days before the marriage, my bride caught a cold, got fleeting consumption and died three or four months later. No matter how great the blow was for me, but time has taken its toll - I forgot about the bride or, at least, did not grieve for her as much as in the first time after her death. It happened to me once on business to pass through one city of our Ya-skaya province, where I had relatives, with whom I stayed for one day. I was given a separate room for the night. I had a dog with me, smart and devoted. The night was, as I remember now, moonlit, at least read it. As soon as I started to fall asleep, I hear my dog starts to grumble. Knowing that she never grumbles in vain, I thought that probablya cat was accidentally locked in the room or a mouse ran. I got out of bed, but did not notice anything, the dog grumbled stronger and stronger, apparently, was frightened of something; I look - and her wool stands on end. He began to calm her down, but the dog was more and more frightened. Together with the dog, I was unconsciously frightened of something, although by nature I was not a coward, but I was so frightened that the hair on my head stood on end. Remarkably, my fright intensified as my dog was frightened and reached such a degree that it seems like one more minute, I probably would have fainted. But my dog began to subside, and along with it I began to calm down and at the same time began to feel, as it were, someone's presence and wait for the appearance, without knowing which one. When I calmed down completely, my fiance suddenly came up to me and, kissing me, said: “Hello AN! You don't believe there is life behind the gravehere I appeared to you, look at me, you see - I am alive, I even kiss you. Believe me, my friend, that with death a person's life does not stop. At the same time, she pointed out to me what to read from the Holy Scriptures about the afterlife and from various other spiritual writings. She told me something else that she forbade me to tell others about. When I got up the next day, I saw myself completely gray overnight, so my family got scared when they saw me at morning tea. At the same time, I must confess, - continued our acquaintance, - that until now I believed in nothing - neither in God, nor in the immortality of the soul, nor in the afterlife; for several years he did not go to church, remaining without confession and St. communion, laughed at everything sacred; fasts, holidays and sacred rites of the Orthodox Church did not exist for me. But now, by the grace of God,I became a Christian again, a believing man, and I don't know how to thank the Lord that he pulled me out of the abyss of pernicious delusions.
We will add on our own that AN S-in is currently, being a magistrate in one of the county towns of the northwestern region, so devout that, it seems, there was no case when he would have missed the service of God (“From the world beyond the grave , priest D. Bulgakov).
10. “In 1871, a member of the choir A Ya., Having lived no more than 24 years,” says Archbishop Nil of Yaroslavl, “died of epidemic cholera. Ten days after death, on the morning of July 16, he appeared to me in a dream. He was wearing the familiar coat, only extended to the heels. At the moment of my appearance, I was sitting at the table in my living room, and he entered from the hall at a rather rapid pace, as it always happened, showing signs of respect for me, approached the table and, without saying a word, began to pour copper on the table from under his vest money with a small admixture of silver.
I asked in amazement: "What does this mean?" He replied: "To pay the debt."
This struck me very much, and I repeated several times: "No, no, your money is not needed, I will pay your debt myself."
With these words, Ya. Cautiously told me: "Speak more quietly so that others do not hear." He did not mind my expressed willingness to pay the debt for him, and he was quick to shovel the money off the table with his hand. But where he put them, I did not manage to notice, but, it seems, they immediately disappeared.
Then, getting up from the chair, I turned to I. with the question: "Where are you, having departed from us?"
- As if in a locked castle.
- Do you have any rapprochement with angels?
- We are alien to angels.
- Do you have any relation to God?
- I'll tell you about this later.
- Isn't Misha in the same place with you?
- Not in one.
- Who is with you?
- Any rabble.
- Do you have any entertainment?
- None. We never even hear sounds; for spirits do not speak among themselves.
- Do the spirits have any food?
- No no…
These sounds were uttered with obvious displeasure and, of course, because of the inappropriateness of the question.
- How do you feel?
- I miss.
- How can we help this?
- Pray for me, so to this day funeral liturgies have not been performed for me.
At these words, my soul was indignant, and I began to apologize to the deceased that I had not ordered the magpie, but that I would certainly do it. The last words, apparently, reassured the interlocutor.
Whereupon he asked for blessings to go on his way. At the same time, I asked him: "Do I need to ask someone for permission to leave?" The answer was in just one word: yes. And this word was pronounced drawn out, sadly and as if under compulsion.
Then he asked for a blessing a second time, and I blessed him. He left me by the door facing the Mulberry Mountain, on which his ashes rest ("Soul, Reflections" 1880-1881).
11. And here is a case recently in Paris. One morning a lady appeared to the priest and asked him to go with her in a prepared carriage for admonishing the holy secrets of her dying son. Taking spare gifts and everything necessary for communion, the priest, accompanied by a lady, soon arrived at the indicated house. But when he went up to the apartment, the lady quietly disappeared. The priest's call was answered by a young officer with a flourishing health.
- What do you want, father? he asked the shepherd who had entered.
“Some lady invited me here to her dying son, to confess and commune him,” the priest answered.
- There is an obvious misunderstanding, - objected the officer, - I live alone in this apartment and did not send for you, I am quite healthy.
The interlocutors, meanwhile, entered the living room. A large portrait of an elderly woman hanging over the sofa involuntarily attracted the attention of the priest, and he said:
- Yes, this very lady was with me, one and showed me your apartment.
- Have mercy, - the owner answered, - this is a portrait of my mother, who died 20 years ago.
Struck by this circumstance, the officer expressed a desire to confess and receive communion, and the next day he died of a broken heart ("From the Mysterious Realm" by priest D. Bulgakovsky, published in 1895).
12. From the memoirs of V. I. Panaev.
In the fall of 1796, a serious illness of my parent called my father to Turinsk. He hastened to him with his wife, dearly beloved by him, and with almost all the children, and had the sad consolation of personally giving his father his last duty; but a few days later (October 26), on his way back from Siberia, he died of bilious fever in Irbit, where he was buried near the cathedral church.
The marriage of my parents was exemplary; they lived, as they say, in perfect harmony. My mother, already saddened by the recent loss, having now lost her unexpectedly dearly beloved spouse, left with eight young children, of whom the eldest was 13 years old, and the youngest was only one year old, fell into complete despair, went to bed without taking any food, and only occasionally asked for a drink. The wives of Irbit officials, seeing her in such a position, established a watch between themselves and did not leave her either day or night. Thirteen days had passed so, when on the last of them, around midnight, one of the ladies on duty, who was sitting on a feather-bed laid for her on the floor and knitting a stocking (the other was sleeping next to her), ordered the maid to lock all the doors, starting from the front, and go to bed sleep in the room in front of the bedroom, directly opposite the unlocked doors, in order toif necessary, you could call her soon. The maid obeyed the order: she shut and bolted all the doors, but had just laid her bed on the floor and wanted to cover herself with a blanket, when the sound of the opening door in the third room stopped her; leaning on her elbow, she began to listen. A few minutes later the same sound rang out in the second room and, in the silence of the night, reached the ears of the lady sitting on the bedroom floor; she left her stocking and also began to listen attentively. Finally, the last door clicked, leading to the room where the maid was … And what then? My recently deceased father enters, slowly shuffling his feet, with a drooping head and groans, wearing the same vest and shoes in which he died. The lady on duty, hearing the steps and groans familiar to her, because she was with my father during the last two days of his illness, hurriedwithout rising from the floor, reach and close the curtain of my mother's bed, which was thrown open for air, who did not sleep and lay facing the door, but, seized with horror, did not have time. Meanwhile, he entered with the same painful groans, with the same drooping head, pale as a sheet, and, not paying attention to anyone, sat down on a chair that stood near the door, at the foot of the bed. My mother, not obscured by a canopy, saw him at the same moment, but out of joy, completely forgetting that he had died, imagining him only as sick, she asked vividly: what do you want, my friend? And she had already lowered her legs to walk towards him, as his unexpected answer: give me a knife better - an answer completely contrary to the well-known way of his thoughts, his high religious feeling, stopped her and made her embarrassed. The vision arose and, still not looking at anyone, with slow steps departed in the same way. Recovering from her numbness, the lady on duty woke her friend up, and together with her and the maid went to inspect the doors: they were all open!
The event is incomprehensible, inexplicable, and for people who doubt everything supernatural, and incredible; but it is confirmed by the testimony of three persons! If the vision was presented to only one of my mother, then, perhaps, it could be called a consequence of the upset imagination of a sick and grieved woman, all whose thoughts were focused on the loss she had suffered. Here, on the other hand, there were two more outside women who did not have a similar mood, who were in two different rooms, but who saw and heard the same thing. Let us humble ourselves before the phenomena of the spiritual world, so far inaccessible to the studies of the human mind and, apparently, completely contrary to the laws of nature, known to us. Have we fully comprehended them? ("Vesti. Evropy" 1866, Sept.).
13. Vision of Sofia Alexandrovna Aksakova. The following story refers to the time of the first marriage of my late wife (reports A. Aksakov) and was written by her, at my request, in 1872; I reproduce it here verbatim from her manuscript. When in 1873, while in Bern, we met with prof. Perty, who is known to have specially studied such phenomena, became very interested in this story; having received it from his wife in a German translation, he placed it in the Psyhische Studien (1874, pp. 122 and 166) with his own footnote explaining why this vision could not be purely subjective; here is also placed my, as it seems to me, a rather suitable explanation for the mysterious "parchment roll." This story later appeared in English in the Spiritualist magazine in 1874; I, p. 183, and the book: "Spirits before our eyes" ",published in London, in 1879, by Harrison.
This was in May 1855. I was nineteen years old. I had no idea about spiritualism then, I never even heard that word. Raised in the rules of the Greek Orthodox Church, I did not know any prejudices and have never been prone to mysticism or daydreaming. We lived then in the city of Romanov-Borisoglebsk, Yaroslavl province. My sister-in-law, now a widow by her second marriage, Colonel Varvara Ivanovna Tikhonova, who at that time was married to Dr. A. F. Zengireev, lived with her husband in the city of Ranenburg, Ryazan province, where he served. Due to the spring flood, any correspondence was greatly hampered and for a long time we did not receive letters from my sister-in-law, which, however, did not bother us in the least, since it was attributed to the above reason.
In the evening, from May 12 to May 13, I prayed to God, said goodbye to my girl (she was then about six months old, and her crib was in my room, four yards away from my bed, so that I could see her at night), lay down into bed and began to read some book. As I read, I heard the wall clock striking twelve o'clock in the hall. I put the book on the bedside cabinet next to me and, leaning on my left elbow, raised myself a little to put out the candle. At that moment I clearly heard the door open from the hallway to the hall and someone stepped into it with male steps; it was so clear and distinct that I regretted that I had time to extinguish the candle, convinced that the one who had entered was none other than my husband's valet, probably going to report to him that they had sent for him from some patient,as happened very often in the post of district doctor he then held; I was somewhat surprised only by the fact that it was the valet who was walking, and not my maid, who was entrusted with this in such cases. Thus, leaning my elbows, I listened to the approach of steps - not fast, but slow, to my surprise - and when they were finally heard in the living room next to my bedroom, with the doors constantly open into it for the night, and did not stop, I called out: "Nikolay (valet's name), what do you need?" There was no answer, but the steps continued to approach and were already quite close to me, right behind the glass screens that stood behind my bed; here, in some strange embarrassment, I lay back on my pillows.that it was the valet who was walking, and not my maid, who was entrusted with this in such cases. Thus, leaning my elbows, I listened to the approach of steps - not fast, but slow, to my surprise - and when they were finally heard in the living room next to my bedroom, with the doors constantly open into it for the night, and did not stop, I called out: "Nikolay (valet's name), what do you need?" There was no answer, but the steps continued to approach and were already quite close to me, right behind the glass screens that stood behind my bed; here, in some strange embarrassment, I lay back on my pillows.that it was the valet who was walking, and not my maid, who was entrusted with this in such cases. Thus, leaning my elbows, I listened to the approach of steps - not fast, but slow, to my surprise - and when they were finally heard in the living room next to my bedroom, with the doors constantly open into it for the night, and did not stop, I called out: "Nikolay (valet's name), what do you need?" There was no answer, but the steps continued to approach and were already quite close to me, right behind the glass screens that stood behind my bed; here, in some strange embarrassment, I lay back on my pillows.were already heard in the living room next to my bedroom, with the doors constantly open to it for the night, and did not stop, I called out: "Nikolai (name of the valet), what do you need?" There was no answer, but the steps continued to approach and were already quite close to me, right behind the glass screens that stood behind my bed; here, in some strange embarrassment, I lay back on my pillows.were already heard in the living room next to my bedroom, with the doors constantly open to it for the night, and did not stop, I called out: "Nikolai (name of the valet), what do you need?" There was no answer, but the steps continued to approach and were already quite close to me, right behind the glass screens that stood behind my bed; here, in some strange embarrassment, I lay back on my pillows.
Before my eyes was a figurative icon case standing in the front corner of the room with a lamp burning in front of him, always deliberately so bright that there was enough light for the nurse when she had to feed and swaddle the baby. The nurse slept in my own room behind the screens to which I lay my head. With such an icon-lamp light, I could clearly distinguish, when the person entering came level with my bed, to my left, that it was my son-in-law, A. F. Zengireev, but in a completely unusual form for me - in a long, black, like a monk's robe, with shoulder-length hair and a large, thick beard, which he never wore while I knew him. I wanted to close my eyes, but I could no longer, feeling that my whole body was completely numb; I had no power to make not the slightest movement, not even to call in my voice for help;only hearing, sight and understanding of everything that was happening around me remained in me completely and consciously - to such an extent that the next day I literally told how many times the nurse got up to the child, at what hours, when she only fed him, and when she swaddled and so on. This state of mine lasted from 12 hours to 3 am, and this is what happened at that time.
The newcomer came close to my bed, stood sideways, turning to face me, on my left side, and putting his left hand, completely deathly cold, flat on my mouth, said aloud: "Kiss my hand." Not being able to physically free myself from this influence, I mentally, by force of will, resisted the command I had heard. As if foreseeing my intention, he pressed the lying hand more firmly on my lips, and louder and more imperiously repeated: "Kiss this hand." And I, for my part, again mentally resisted the repeated order even more strongly. Then, for the third time, with even greater force, the same movement and the same words were repeated, and I felt that I was suffocating from the weight and cold of the hand that was leaning on me; but still she could not give in to the command and did not want to. At this time, the nurse for the first time stood up to the child, and I hopedthat for some reason she would come up to me and see what was happening to me; but my expectations did not come true: she only slightly shook the girl, without even taking her out of the crib, and almost immediately lay down in her place and fell asleep. Thus, not seeing help for myself and thinking for some reason that I was dying - that what is being done to me is nothing more than sudden death - I mentally wanted to read the Lord's Prayer "Our Father." Just now this thought flashed through my mind, as the one standing next to me took his hand from my lips and again said aloud: “You don’t want to kiss my hand, this is what awaits you,” and with these words he put his right hand on the night cabinet quite beside me, a parcel of parchment, the size of an ordinary sheet of writing paper rolled into a tube; and when he took his hand away from the bundle,I clearly heard the rustle of a half-thick parchment sheet unfolded, and with my left eye I even saw from the side a part of this sheet, which, thus, remained in a half-unfolded or, rather, in an easily folded state. Then, having laid it down, turned away from me, took a few steps forward, stood in front of the icon case, blocking the light of the lamp from me, and loudly and clearly began to say the prayer I had planned, which he read from beginning to end, bowing at times with a slow bow at the waist, but not making the sign of the cross. During the bows, his lamp became visible to me every time, and when he straightened up and became motionless, as if waiting for something; my condition did not change in anything, and when I wished to read the prayer to the Mother of God for the second time, he immediately began to read it as clearly and loudly;The same thing was repeated with the third prayer I planned - "May God rise again." Between these last two prayers there was a long period of time in which the reading stopped, while the nurse got up on the crying of the child, fed him, swaddled him and put him back to bed. During the entire reading, I clearly heard every chiming of the clock that did not interrupt this reading; I also heard every movement of the nurse and the child, whom I passionately wished to somehow instinctively bring to her in order to bless him before the death I expected and to say goodbye to him; there was no other desire in my thoughts, but it also remained unfulfilled.swaddled and re-laid. During the entire reading, I clearly heard every chiming of the clock that did not interrupt this reading; I also heard every movement of the nurse and the child, whom I passionately wished to somehow instinctively bring to her in order to bless him before the death I expected and to say goodbye to him; there was no other desire in my thoughts, but it also remained unfulfilled.swaddled and re-laid. During the entire reading, I clearly heard every chiming of the clock that did not interrupt this reading; I also heard every movement of the nurse and the child, whom I passionately wished to somehow instinctively bring to her in order to bless him before the death I expected and to say goodbye to him; there was no other desire in my thoughts, but it also remained unfulfilled.
Three o'clock struck; here, I don’t know why, it came to my mind that not yet six weeks had passed since the day of Easter, and that in all churches the Easter verse was still sung - "Christ is risen!" And I wanted to hear him … As if in response to this desire, suddenly the divine sounds of a familiar great song performed by a numerous full choir in an unattainable height rushed from somewhere far away … The sounds were heard closer and closer, more fully, more sonorously, and poured into such an incomprehensible, never before I heard, unearthly harmony, that my spirit died away from delight; the fear of death disappeared, and I was happy with the hope that, behold, these sounds would take me all over and carry me away into boundless space … During all the time I was singing, I clearly heard and discerned the words of the great irmos, carefully repeated behind the choir and the man standing in front of me. Suddenly, all of a sudden, the whole room was flooded with some kind of radiant light, also unseen by me, so strong that everything disappeared in it - both the fire of the lamp, and the walls of the room, and the vision itself … This light shone for several seconds with sounds that reached a higher, deafening, of extraordinary strength, then he began to thin out, and I could again discern in him the person standing in front of me, but not the whole person, but from head to waist she seemed to merge with the light and gradually melted in him, as how the light itself faded or dimmed; the bundle that had been lying near me all the time was also captured by this light and disappeared with it. With the dimming light, sounds were receding, just as slowly and gradually as they were at first approaching.and the vision itself … This light shone for several seconds at sounds that reached a higher, deafening, extraordinary power, then it began to thin out, and I could again discern in him the person standing in front of me, but not the whole, but from head to waist she was like as if it merged with the light and gradually melted in it, as the light itself faded or dimmed; the bundle that had been lying near me all the time was also captured by this light and disappeared with it. With the dimming light, sounds were receding, just as slowly and gradually as they were at first approaching.and the vision itself … This light shone for several seconds at sounds that reached a higher, deafening, extraordinary power, then it began to thin out, and I could again discern in him the person standing in front of me, but not the whole, but from head to waist she was like as if it merged with the light and gradually melted in it, as the light itself faded or dimmed; the bundle that had been lying near me all the time was also captured by this light and disappeared with it. With the dimming light, sounds were receding, just as slowly and gradually as they were at first approaching.how the light itself faded or dimmed; the bundle that had been lying near me all the time was also captured by this light and disappeared with it. With the dimming light, sounds were receding, just as slowly and gradually as they were at first approaching.how the light itself faded or dimmed; the bundle that had been lying near me all the time was also captured by this light and disappeared with it. With the dimming light, sounds were receding, just as slowly and gradually as they were at first approaching.
I began to feel that I was beginning to lose consciousness and approaching fainting, which, indeed, came, accompanied by the strongest cramps and convulsions of the whole body that have ever happened to me in my life. This attack, by its strength, awakened everyone around me and, despite all the measures taken against him and the help provided to me, lasted until nine o'clock in the morning; then it was only possible to finally bring me to consciousness and stop the convulsions. Then for three days I lay completely motionless from extreme weakness and extreme exhaustion due to severe throat bleeding accompanying the seizure. The day after this strange event, news was received about Zengireev's illness, and two weeks later, about his death, which followed, as it turned out later, on the night of May 13, at five in the morning.
The following is also remarkable: when my sister-in-law, six weeks after the death of her husband, moved with her whole family to live with us in Romanov, then one day, quite by accident, in a conversation with another person, in my presence, she mentioned that interesting fact, that the late Zengireev was buried with shoulder-length hair and a large, thick beard, which had managed to grow back during his illness; She also mentioned the strange fantasy of those who were in charge of the burial - which she could not do herself - who did not think of anything more decent than putting the deceased in a coffin in a long, black cloth garment, like a shroud, which they had deliberately ordered for this.
The character of the late Zengireev was strange; he was very secretive, uncommunicative; he was a sullen melancholic; sometimes, very rarely, he was animated, cheerful, free-spirited. In his melancholy mood, he could sit for two, three, even eight, ten hours in one place, without moving, without even saying a single word, refusing all food, until such a state of itself, or on some occasion did not stop. A mind not particularly outstanding, he was, by his convictions, perhaps as a doctor, a complete materialist; in anything supersensible - spirits, ghosts and the like - he did not believe; but his way of life was very correct. My relationship with him was rather strained due to the fact that I always stood up for one of his children, a little son,whom he has constantly persecuted from his very birth for no reason; I defended him in any case; it made him very angry and turned against me. When, six months before his death, he, along with his entire family, was staying with us in Romanov, I had a violent collision with him, all for the same reason, and we parted very coldly: These circumstances are not without, perhaps, meaning for understanding the extraordinary phenomenon I have described (see "Rebus", 1890, No. 13).meaning for understanding the extraordinary phenomenon I have described (see "Rebus", 1890, No. 13).meaning for understanding the extraordinary phenomenon I have described (see "Rebus", 1890, No. 13).
fourteen. Proof of an afterlife. On the eve of Christmas, December 24, 1890, at 6 o'clock in the afternoon, - says Mr. Gladkevich, - I returned with my now deceased younger sister and 10-year-old brother exhausted from the funeral. We buried one of our good acquaintances, an elderly lady, who, having been ill for a very short time, died on December 22 from the so-called "sugar disease". Three hours after our arrival from the funeral and the arrival of my relative with his wife, we sat down to dinner, during which my father, who sometimes liked to joke, asked: "What would you do if the dead Elena Konstantinovna suddenly appeared between us?" “Well, well,” I replied, “I would invite you to sit next to me and ask how she feels after death and how she generally lives in that world.” But my sister, who was at the funeral and saw the deceased in the coffin,who, with her height and appearance, made an unpleasant impression on her, protested and demanded to stop such an unpleasant conversation for everyone at night, which, of course, was done. Dinner, to the delight of all those present, passed in a cheerful and unanimous mood. After dinner, at about 11 o'clock, my father, mother, sisters and brother went to their rooms, and I stayed with a relative at the table, continuing our conversation, which, in the end, took on the character of a reproach to my address for what I had not acquired he received tickets to the opera, where he hoped, as a music lover, to spend a pleasant holiday time and listen to the best operatic forces. And indeed, this time, because of the funeral, I did not take care of tickets, and the opera's repertoire was selective and attractive. To correct my mistake and satisfy the desire of a relative, I went deep into thought,how to get the necessary number of tickets for the best shows tomorrow, knowing well that the box office will be open while I am busy. At the moment of my thoughts on how to buy tickets, I was startled by some strange crackling that I heard in the kitchen, where my mother and the servant were, or in the living room opposite us, or in my room, where they were crowded my three sisters, conducting some kind of lively conversation, - in a word, I could not determine where and how this strange crackle occurred, which brought me out of my reverie and which was heard by everyone, but for everyone in different places, as explained later. It seemed to me that in the kitchen a maid was breaking wood chips. At the same time, I raised my head and looked through the open doors of the unlit living room, where, to my horror, I sawhow red tongues of fire wriggle around the edges of the tablecloth of a round table, and a second later, on the same table, among the growing tongues of fire, I saw a living bust of the deceased, whose face seemed to me all sweaty and red, her eyes looked frightened at me, and her hair on the forehead were in disarray, that is, she presented herself to me in a form in which I had never seen her during my lifetime, despite the fact that there were times when I visited her house quite often. This sight, completely unexpected, struck me so much that I could not utter a single word for 10-15 seconds, and what is strange - I did not feel any fear, but only wondered and pondered, thinking, what is it? Finally, I turned to a relative leaning over the dining table, who was also thinking about something, and said to him: “Look,what is this going on over the table? " And since I did not explain where and over what table "was happening", he began to examine the table at which we were sitting, and repeat: "Nothing, I see nothing." This angered me, and I directed my gaze again to the vision, but … it was no longer there, there were no fiery tongues either.
It is clear, I immediately told all my family about the vision, and after an hour or an hour and a half I went to bed. Instead of the sleep that was necessary for me, I racked my brains almost all night - what could it be? I know perfectly well that I do not suffer from hallucinations, did not allow myself an excessive "libation to Bacchus" at dinner, and at the moment of the vision I did not think about the deceased at all. It was only towards the morning that I remembered that one evening I went to her - as I remember it was in the summer - and she invited me to drink tea, over which they talked privately about incomprehensible phenomena in the world, etc., and then, when the conversation touched upon the existence of mankind beyond the grave, she, without thinking twice, stretched out her hand to me and said: “I am already old, and you, although young, are in poor health; whoever of us dies earlier, he will try to manifest himself to another and thereby prove the real existence of the afterlife,if it only exists. " In turn, I shook her hand and promised her to come from the other world if I die before she. When I remembered all this, I started to shake and for several days walked like a murdered man: I did not know what to think, what to do and where to go; although the image of the vision did not haunt me, the thought of the afterlife, proved by the deceased, made me indifferent to everything around me. Since then I have changed my way of life ("Rebus" 1897, no. 41). Since then I have changed my way of life ("Rebus" 1897, no. 41). Since then I have changed my way of life ("Rebus" 1897, no. 41).
15. Posthumous phenomenon. Someone B-sky, now a retired artillery lieutenant, who enjoys deep respect among his acquaintances, conveyed to me the following incident that happened to him at the end of September 1864, an incident that took place in the house of his distant relatives, wealthy landowners of that time, the village of Tselesssev, Minsk lips., Mozyr district. In September 1864 he planned to make a trip from Zhitomir to Minsk province. to their highly respected relatives, Messrs. L-skim, whose 18-year-old daughter Camilla, a beautiful and educated person, had died of consumption six months ago from consumption, a beautiful and educated person who had some indifference to Mr. S-tskoy during her lifetime. The latter, knowing perfectly well about her incurable illness, ignored this disposition and fully realized that in the near future she would die.
Having received leave, Mr. S-cue set off under the most favorable conditions of the autumn time: the roads are dry, the nights are moonlit and cloudless, and the horses, as they say, are eagles. He arrived at the scene, as he says, in a very good mood and was received very cordially. Despite even the late evening hour, which forced us to wish each other a good night, the hospitable host and his respected family and the visiting relatives, the doctor and his wife, settled down to drink tea and talk about current everyday affairs. When they had had enough of a conversation and wished mutually good night, they all went to their bedrooms; For me, for lack of a free room, they made a bed on the sofa in the hall, where, of course, I was left alone and, taking advantage of my complete freedom, tired after the trip, took off my uniform,he took tobacco out of his suitcase and began to chop it almost on the whole table with the aim of drying. While doing this with a lit candle, I suddenly heard behind me, near tropical flowers and near the piano, the rustle of a silk dress, which made me get out of some reverie and turn around. But before I had time to completely turn around and figure out why there was a rustle, as it were from a silk dress, in an empty room, I suddenly saw a real female figure, dressed in a long black silk dress and a red bow around her neck, which was either walking or floating through the air along the piano, and, having passed the last one, disappeared into the partition between the piano and the doors leading to the room of the arrived doctor and his wife. As long as I peered at the mysterious visitor and could not yet see the face, vigor and that warlike courage existed in me,which every military man is proud of, and even more so an officer; but when I saw the profile of the visitor's face and recognized it as the dead Camilla, all the energy and self-control in me disappeared: frost went all over my body, my hair rose, and, instinctively grabbing my uniform in one hand, I automatically ran out of the room into the corridor. How many doors I ran through - I don't remember; I think I stopped before the latter and remembered that I was in a strange house, where it would be indecent to run around with a uniform in my hands. Hastily putting on my uniform in the dark, I somehow caught my breath, gave myself, as it seemed to me, a vigorous and heroic look, took the handle of the door and, opening the door, entered the room without any permission. This room, which I did not know much, turned out to be a nursery, and, to my great happiness, there were, in addition to my two little cousins, an old woman mother,wife and adult, healthy and tall cousin E., son of Mr. L-sky. They have not slept yet. I called the latter into the corridor and told him that I would not sleep in the hall alone due to some ill health. “Yes,” he said with some embarrassment, “it is clear from your pale face that you are unwell and, besides, you are agitated,” and he asked me to explain the reason for my noticeable excitement, and what exactly happened to me, hitting on “happened” … Unable to give myself an idea of whether this was really a supernatural, incomprehensible phenomenon for me, or simply the consequences of my path, which could unexpectedly upset the nervous system, I reassured him that tomorrow I will explain in detail, but under great secrecy. G. E., as expected, agreed to spend the night on a couch in the hall; before I had time to lie down completely and turn off the light,as he was already snoring, which encouraged me very much. Having put out the light, I lay down, as if nothing had happened, although my thought worked to an insignificant extent to explain what had happened, and involuntarily I had to look for the motives of such an unprecedented incident with me, which could only take place in a person suffering from hallucinations or prone to alcoholism. Lying and thinking in this way, at last, I plunged into a pleasant sleepy stupor, which did not last long, because I had to pay attention to the noise of an upholstered chair approaching in the middle of the room, which stood in front of it somewhere at my head, near a piano or a wall. I slowly directed my gaze, without getting out of bed, towards a chair that was moving spontaneously and, to my horror, saw this very figure, in a black dress with a red bow around his neck,moves the chair towards me; when the chair had already stood just opposite me, the figure puts both hands on the back, and bows its head on its hands and stubbornly looks at me with its dull eyes, with a face white as marble, illuminated by the moon. I was neither alive nor dead; My condition at that time is difficult to explain in words: I try to mentally pray - I get confused, I want to scream - my tongue is dead and my jaws are frozen; coldness, trembling all over my body and overwhelming fear overwhelmed me, which never before in my life; did not experience. However, thanks to my strong temperament, I managed to overcome myself and say in a frightened, deathly voice three times the name of my sleeping nephew: “Edward ?! Edward?!" Simultaneously with the awakening of Edward, who jumped to his feet as if stung, the doctor came out of the bedroom with a candle in his hands, and they both began to ask,what happened to me? Then I had to explain to them what was the matter and ask Edward to move me immediately to another room for the rest of the night. After listening to my statement, the doctor smiled ironically and, turning to his room, said that I was talking nonsense, and Edward asked, for the sake of everything, not to tell his family about it, especially to keep it a secret to his mother and grandmother. Since all this was very unpleasant for me too, I gave my cousin my word of honor that I would keep it a secret, but from his worried and changed face, I noticed that he was well acquainted with the appearance of this ghost. Without thinking twice, we both moved into the dining room and lay down on one wide sofa; despite several sleepless nights spent on the road, I could not sleep until 5 or 6 in the morning. I woke up at 10 o'clock in the afternoon,and just at that time an old Pole lackey came to me with cleaned boots, who with a certain familiarity inherent in him pestered with the question why I had not slept in the hall, but went with a panic to the dining room. I did not give him explanations, but he did not calm down and began to annoyingly say that he guesses what was going on, and knows well that the reason for all this is the late "lady", which is often and which is not only "you, panich, continued he saw, but we all, in the same way, the gentlemen and the children of the gentlemen saw the panna, now in the hall, now on the balcony, now in the garden on the terrace, and she is not at all scary to us "(" Rebus "1895, no. 20).but he did not calm down and began annoyingly to say that he guesses what was the matter, and knows well that the reason for all this is the late "lady", which is often and which not only "you, panich," he continued, saw, but we everyone, in the same way, the gentlemen and the children of the gentlemen saw the panna, now in the hall, now on the balcony, now in the garden on the terrace, and she is not at all scary to us”(“Rebus”1895, no. 20).but he did not calm down and began annoyingly to say that he guesses what was the matter, and knows well that the reason for all this is the late "lady", which is often and which not only "you, panich," he continued, saw, but we everyone, in the same way, the gentlemen and the children of the gentlemen saw the panna, now in the hall, now on the balcony, now in the garden on the terrace, and she is not at all scary to us”(“Rebus”1895, no. 20).
16. The late Lord M. went to Scotland at the end of the last century, leaving his wife perfectly healthy in London. At night, on the very first day of his arrival at his Scottish estate, he was awakened by a bright light that illuminated his bedroom. The curtain of the bed parted and Lord M. saw the ghost of his wife standing by the bed. He called and asked the servant who entered: "What do you see?" The frightened footman exclaimed with horror: "This is my lady." Lady M. died suddenly that night in London. This story made a lot of noise at that time. George III sent for Lord M. and, having received confirmation of this incident from him, asked him to set out in writing all the circumstances of this case, which was done, and the servant signed with his signature the correctness of the description.
About a year later, Lord M.'s five-year-old youngest daughter rushed into the nursery, shouting: “I saw my mother! She stood at the top of the stairs and beckoned me to her. That very night, this child, little Arabella M., fell ill and died.
I can fully vouch for the veracity of both of these incidents, for I received a written account of these incidents from one of the family members of Lord M. (Robert Del-Owen: "Burial Echoes").
We could indefinitely increase the number of these authentic stories. Cases of messages at a distance at the time of death, or during life and under normal conditions, such as the above, are not so rare - although, of course, not particularly frequent - so that each of our readers does not hear about them and even personally observe something- something like this, perhaps more than once.
On the other hand, experiments carried out in the field of living magnetism also show that in certain psychological cases the experimenter can act on his subject at a distance of not only a few sazhens, but several versts and even hundreds of versts, depending on the subject's sensitivity and ability to clairvoyance. and also, no doubt, by the will of the magnetizer himself.
Can't two brains vibrate in the same manner, in one tone, at several versts of mutual distance, be set in motion by the same psychic force? Excitation of a certain part of the brain can not, like gravity, be transferred through the ether and transmitted to another brain, vibrating at any distance, as a sound produced in one corner of a room makes the strings of a piano or violin tremble in another corner? Let us not forget that our brain is composed of particles that do not touch each other and are constantly vibrating.
And why talk about the brain? Thought, will, in general, the psychic power of one being, whatever its essence may be, cannot act through a distance on another being associated with the first sympathetic and indissoluble ties of intellectual kinship. And isn't the beat of one heart suddenly transmitted to another, beating with it in unison?
Well, do we really have to admit that in the above cases of phenomena the spirit of the deceased really took on a corporeal form and was near the observer? For most of the cases, there seems to be no need for such an assumption. During sleep, we are sure that we see different people, although they are not at all in front of our, though closed, eyes. We see them as clearly as in reality, listen to them, answer them, talk to them, obviously, we see them not with the help of the retina, not with the help of the optic nerve, just as we hear them not with our ears; - the whole thing is just one brain cells.
Some visions can be objective, external, material, while others are purely subjective; in the latter case, the appearing being can act through a distance on the seer, and such an influence on the brain of the latter can produce an internal vision, which, while remaining purely subjective and internal, could seem external, as is the case in dreams, without being at the same time simple trick of the senses.
Recent experiences with the phenomena of suggestion, hypnotism, and somnambulism seem to indicate a path, if not to explanation, then at least to a rational view of some of the facts in this area. The essence of such phenomena lies in the fact that here the thought of one person acts on the thought of another. Of course, the soul is not transported across distances and does not really take on a human image; before the one to whom the vision appears, there is no human being in clothes made by a tailor or seamstress, wrapped in a cloak, in a woman’s dress, in a wide or narrow coat with all the accessories of a man’s or woman’s clothing, with a cane or umbrella in his hands, etc. But maybe the soul that has to appear acts directly on the soul of another person, producing in the latter such a feeling that it seems to him that he sees, hears,he even perceives the creature that appears to him in the very form in which it was known to him before.
Just as a thought or memory evokes in our soul images that reach great vivacity and brightness, so a person acting on another can make the latter see some subjective image, which for a moment will seem to him quite real. Those engaged in hypnotism and suggestion at the present time can already arbitrarily induce such phenomena, and although such experiments have just begun, the results obtained already deserve the greatest attention both from a psychological and physiological point of view. In all such cases, not the retina is excited by external reality, but the optical layers of the brain are directly excited by the action of psychic force. Here the very thinking principle gets the impression, but - in what way? -we don't know.
These are the most rational, as it seems to us, inductive conclusions from the phenomena just considered - phenomena that are inexplicable, but known from time immemorial, because their examples are found in the history of all peoples from the most ancient times, and it would be difficult to deny them or go to silence.
So really - they will object to us - in our age of experimental method and positive knowledge, we must admit that a dying or downright dead person can have communication with us?
But what is a dead man?
The earth inhabited by us today is composed, among other things, of these billions of once-thinking brains, of these billions of organisms that once lived. We trample our ancestors with our feet, as they will walk on us later. Everything that lived and thought, everything now lies in this damp earth. We cannot take a single step on our planet so as not to step on the ashes of the dead; we cannot take a piece in our mouth, swallow one sip of liquid without introducing into ourselves what has already been eaten and poured out millions of times; we cannot die without taking in the breath of the dead. The constituent elements of human bodies, taken from nature, have not returned again, and each of us carries in ourselves atoms that previously belonged to other bodies.
What? Do you really think that nothing more noble, higher and more spiritual is left of all humanity? Is it possible that each of us, emitting his last breath, returns to nature only these sixty or eighty kilo-dams of meat and bones, which will immediately decompose and turn into elements? Can't the soul that animates us continue to exist in the same way as any of the particles of oxygen, nitrogen or iron? Can't the souls who once lived always live?
We have no reason to assert that a person consists of only material elements and that thinking ability is only a property of his organization. On the contrary, very important reasons force us to admit that the individual essence is precisely the soul, that it is it that controls the material particles, forming a living human body out of them.
Light joy, as if even a smile that appears on the face of a person who has just died, peace that spreads like a radiance of happiness after death's suffering, does this not show us that in the solemn moment of separation from the body, the last impression of the soul is the impression of light, the consciousness of liberation
Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko