From the Unconscious to the Conscious 



These characteristics are found, more or less, in 

 all mediums of whatever intellectual level. 



The psychological instability of mediums does not 

 prevent strength of will and perseverance, at least among 

 those of a superior type, but both strength of will and 

 perseverance only appear when supported by a suggestion 

 or an auto-suggestion. If these are not present, a 

 strange falling off may be manifest ; the opinions of the 

 medium are unstable and eminently open to surrounding 

 influences when he is not on his guard. One may hear 

 him with the utmost good faith from one day to another, 

 sustain quite diametrically opposed opinions; indeed 

 it often happens that in a short space of time he passes 

 from one extreme of opinion to another. 



The want of regulating power of the Self on his 

 mentality is shown by marked tendency to disjunctions 

 in the latter. These disjunctions sometimes end in 

 the formation of secondary personalities, following a 

 sequence which we shall study later on, and more 

 frequently to incipient duplications; owing to which 

 the medium is essentially complex, difficult to judge, 

 and capable of extremely contradictory words and acts. 



In daily life the sudden predominance of some single 

 pervading idea, impression or feeling, may constantly 

 be observed; and then, all the psychological powers 

 escaping from the control of the Self, group themselves 

 round the usurping idea and give it unexpected force. 

 It is for this reason that mediums make exceedingly 

 good actors. 



This dominance by a single idea may have fruitful 

 results; but in most cases the pseudo-centralisation 

 round the idea lasts but a short time. A new idea takes 

 the place of the former, and determines a new grouping 

 and a new impulse. Being at the mercy of the momen- 

 tary impressions, the medium is liable to a sudden 

 throwing out of gear of the psychic forces, thus producing 

 a disproportionate effect in the sense given by the 



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