Mesmeric Revelation by Edgar Allan Poe
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Mesmeric revelation

by Edgar Allan Poe

whatever doubt may still envelop the rationale of mesmerism, its startling facts are now almost universally admitted . of_these latter, those who doubt, are your mere doubters by profession - an unprofitable and disreputable tribe . there can_be no more absolute waste of_time than_the attempt to prove_, at_the present day, that man, by mere exercise of will, can so impress his fellow, as_to cast him into an abnormal condition, of_which the phenomena resemble very closely those of death_, or at_least resemble them more nearly than they_do the phenomena of any_other normal condition within our cognizance ; that, while in_this state, the person so impressed employs only with effort, and then feebly, the external organs of sense, yet perceives, with keenly refined perception, and through channels supposed unknown, matters beyond the scope of_the physical organs ; that, moreover, his intellectual faculties are wonderfully exalted and invigorated ; that his sympathies with_the person so impressing him are profound ; and, finally, that his susceptibility to_the impression increases with its frequency, while, in_the same proportion, the peculiar phenomena elicited are more extended and more pronounced .

I_say that_these - which are the laws of mesmerism in its general features - it would_be supererogation to demonstrate ; nor shall I inflict upon my readers so needless a demonstration ; to- day . my purpose at present is a very different one indeed . I_am impelled, even in_the teeth of a world of prejudice, to detail without comment the very remarkable substance of a colloquy, occurring between a sleep-waker and myself .

I had_been long in_the habit of mesmerizing the person in_question, ( Mr Vankirk,) and_the usual acute susceptibility and exaltation of_the mesmeric perception had supervened . for many months he had_been laboring under confirmed phthisis, the more distressing effects of_which had_been relieved by my manipulations ; and on_the night of Wednesday, the fifteenth instant, i_was summoned to_his bedside .

the invalid was suffering with acute pain in_the region of_the heart, and breathed with great difficulty, having all the ordinary symptoms of asthma . in spasms such as_these he had usually found relief from_the application of mustard to_the nervous centres, but to- night this had_been attempted in vain .

as I entered his room he greeted me with a cheerful smile, and although evidently in much bodily pain, appeared to_be, mentally, quite at ease .

" I_sent for_you to- night," he_said, " not so_much to administer to my bodily ailment, as_to satisfy me concerning certain psychal impressions which, of late, have occasioned me much anxiety and surprise . I_need not tell you how sceptical I_have hitherto been on_the topic of_the soul's immortality . I_cannot deny that there has always existed, as_if in_that very soul which I_have_been denying, a vague half- sentiment of_its own existence . but this half- sentiment at no time amounted to conviction . with it my reason had nothing to_do . all attempts at logical inquiry resulted, indeed, in leaving me more sceptical than before .I had_been advised to study cousin .I studied him in_his own works as_well as in those of_his European and American echoes . the 'Charles Elwood' of Mr Brownson, for example, was placed in my hands . I_read it with profound attention . throughout I_found it logical, but the portions which were_not _merely logical were unhappily the initial arguments of_the disbelieving hero of_the book . in_his summing up it seemed evident to_me that_the reasoner had_not even succeeded in convincing himself . his end had plainly forgotten his beginning, like the government of Trinculo . in short, i_was not long in perceiving that if man is_to_be intellectually convinced of_his own immortality, he_will never be so convinced by_the mere abstractions which_have been so_long the fashion of_the moralists of England, of France, and of Germany .Abstractions may amuse and exercise, but take no hold on_the mind . here upon earth, at_least, philosophy, I_am persuaded, will always in vain call upon us to look upon qualities as things . the will may assent - the soul - the intellect, never .

"I repeat, then, that I only half felt, and never intellectually believed . but latterly there_has_been a certain deepening of_the feeling, until it has_come so nearly to resemble the acquiescence of reason, that I_find it difficult to distinguish between_the two . I_am enabled, too, plainly to trace this effect to_the mesmeric influence . I_cannot better explain my meaning than by_the hypothesis that_the mesmeric exaltation enables me to perceive a train of ratiocination which, in my abnormal existence, convinces, but which, in full accordance with_the mesmeric phenomena, does_not extend, except through_its effect_, into my normal condition . in sleep-waking, the reasoning and its conclusion - the cause and its effect - are present together . in my natural state, the cause vanishing, the effect only, and perhaps only partially, remains .

" these considerations have led me to_think that some good results might ensue from a series of well- directed questions propounded to_me while mesmerized . you_have often observed the profound self- cognizance evinced by_the sleep-waker - the extensive knowledge he displays upon all points relating to_the mesmeric condition itself ; and from_this self- cognizance may_be deduced hints for_the proper conduct of a catechism ."

I consented of_course to_make this experiment .a few passes threw Mr Vankirk into_the mesmeric sleep . his breathing became immediately more easy, and he_seemed to suffer no physical uneasiness . the following conversation then ensued: - V . in_the dialogue representing the patient, and P . myself .

P . are_you asleep ?

V . yes - no i_would rather sleep more soundly .

P .[_After a few more passes .] do_you sleep now ?

V . yes .

P . how do_you_think your present illness will result ?

V .[_After a long hesitation and speaking as_if with effort .] I_must die .

P .Does the idea of death afflict you ?

V .[_Very quickly .] no - no !

P . are_you pleased with_the prospect ?

V . if I were awake i_should like to die, but now it_is no matter . the mesmeric condition is so near death as_to content me .

P . i_wish you_would explain yourself, Mr Vankirk .

V . I_am willing to_do_so, but it requires more effort than I_feel able to_make . you_do_not question me properly .

P . what then shall I ask ?

V . you_must begin at_the beginning .

P . the beginning ! but where is_the beginning ?

V . you_know that_the beginning is god .[_This was said in a low, fluctuating tone, and with every sign of_the most profound veneration .]

P . what then is god ?

V .[_Hesitating for many minutes .] I_cannot tell .

P . is_not god spirit ?

V . while i_was awake I_knew what you meant by " spirit," but now it seems only a word - such for instance as truth, beauty - a quality, I mean .

P . is_not god immaterial ?

V . there_is no immateriality - it_is amere word . that which_is not matter, is_not at all - unless qualities are things .

P . is god, then, material ?

V . no .[_This reply startled me very_much .]

P . what then is he ?

V .[_After a long pause, and mutteringly .] I_see - but it_is a thing difficult to_tell .[_Another long pause .] he_is_not spirit, for he exists . nor is he matter, as_you understand it . but there_are gradations of matter of_which man knows nothing ; the grosser impelling the finer, the finer pervading the grosser . the atmosphere, for example, impels the electric principle, while the electric principle permeates the atmosphere . these gradations of matter increase in rarity or fineness, until we arrive at a matter _unparticled - without particles - indivisible - one and here the law of impulsion and permeation is modified . the ultimate, or unparticled matter, not_only permeates all things but impels all things - and thus is all things within itself . this_matter is god . what men attempt to embody in_the word " thought," is this_matter in motion .

P . the metaphysicians maintain that all action is reducible to motion and thinking, and_that the latter is_the origin of_the former .

V . yes ; and I now see the confusion of idea . motion is_the action of mind - not of thinking . the unparticled matter, or god, in quiescence, is ( as nearly as_we_can conceive it) what men call mind . and_the power of self- movement ( equivalent in effect to human volition) is, in_the unparticled matter, the result of_its unity and omniprevalence ; how I_know not, and now clearly see that I_shall never know . but the unparticled matter, set in motion by a law, or quality, existing within itself, is thinking .

P . can_you_give me no more precise idea of what you term the unparticled matter ?

V . the matters of_which man is cognizant, escape the senses in gradation . we_have, for example, a metal, a piece of wood, a drop of water, the atmosphere, a gas, caloric, electricity, the luminiferous ether . now we call all these things matter, and embrace all matter in one general definition ; but in_spite of_this, there can_be no two ideas more essentially distinct than that which we attach to a metal, and_that which we attach to_the luminiferous ether . when we reach the latter, we_feel an almost irresistible inclination to class it with spirit, or with nihility . the only consideration which restrains us is our conception of_its atomic constitution ; and here, even, we_have to seek aid from_our notion of an atom, as something possessing in infinite minuteness, solidity, palpability, weight . destroy the idea of_the atomic constitution and we_should no longer be_able to regard the ether as an entity, or at_least as matter . for want of a better word we_might term it spirit . take, now, a step beyond the luminiferous ether - conceive a matter as_much more rare than_the ether, as_this ether is more rare than_the metal, and we arrive at once ( in_spite of all the school dogmas) at a unique mass - an unparticled matter . for although we_may admit infinite littleness in_the atoms themselves, the infinitude of littleness in_the spaces between_them is an absurdity . there_will_be a point - there_will_be a degree of rarity, at which, if_the atoms are sufficiently numerous, the interspaces must vanish, and_the mass absolutely coalesce . but the consideration of_the atomic constitution being now taken away, the nature of_the mass inevitably glides into what we conceive of spirit . it_is clear, however, that_it_is as fully matter as before . the truth is, it_is impossible to conceive spirit, since it_is impossible to imagine what_is not . when we flatter ourselves that we_have formed its conception, we_have merely deceived our understanding by_the consideration of infinitely rarified matter .

P . there seems to_me an insurmountable objection to_the idea of absolute coalescence ; - and that_is_the very slight resistance experienced by_the heavenly bodies in their revolutions through space - a resistance now ascertained, it_is true, to exist in some_ degree, but which_is, nevertheless, so slight as to_have_been quite overlooked by_the sagacity even of Newton . we_know that_the resistance of bodies is, chiefly, in proportion to_their density . absolute coalescence is absolute density . where there_are no interspaces, there can_be no yielding . an ether, absolutely dense, would put an infinitely more effectual stop to_the progress of a star than would an ether of adamant or of iron .

V . your objection is answered with an ease which_is nearly in_the ratio of_its apparent unanswerability .- as regards the progress of_the star, it can make no difference whether the star passes through_the ether or the ether through it . there_is no astronomical error more unaccountable than that which reconciles the known retardation of_the comets with_the idea of_their passage through an ether: for, however rare this ether be supposed, it would put a stop to all sidereal revolution in a very far briefer period than has_been admitted by_those astronomers who_have endeavored to slur over a point which they found it impossible to comprehend . the retardation actually experienced is, on_the other hand, about_that which might_be expected from_the friction of_the ether in_the instantaneous passage through_the orb . in_the one case, the retarding force is momentary and complete within itself - in_the other it_is endlessly accumulative .

P . but in all this - in_this identification of mere matter with god - is_there nothing of irreverence ? [_I was forced to repeat this question before_the sleep-waker fully comprehended my meaning .]

V . can_you say why matter should_be less reverenced than mind ? but you forget that_the matter of_which I speak is, in all respects, the very " mind" or " spirit" of_the schools, so_far as regards its high capacities, and_is, moreover, the " matter" of_these schools at_the same time . god, with all the powers attributed to spirit, is but the perfection of matter .

P . you assert, then, that_the unparticled matter, in motion, is thought ?

V . in general, this motion is_the universal thought of_the universal mind . this thought creates . all created things are but the thoughts of god .

P . you say, " in general ."

V . yes . the universal mind is god . for new individualities, _matter is necessary .

P . but you now speak of " mind" and " matter" as do_the metaphysicians .

V . yes - to avoid confusion . when I_say " mind," I mean the unparticled or ultimate matter ; by " matter," I intend all else .

P . you were saying that " for new individualities matter is necessary ."

V . yes ; for mind, existing unincorporate, is merely god . to create individual, thinking beings, it_was necessary to incarnate portions of_the divine mind . thus man is individualized .Divested of corporate investiture, he were god . now, the particular motion of_the incarnated portions of_the unparticled matter is_the thought of man ; as_the motion of_the whole is_that of god .

P . you say that divested of_the

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