EXPLANATIONS OF TERMS 43 



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Umbratiles. — Shadows ; astral appearances becoming visible and 

 sometimes tangible (modern spiritistic form manifestations) ; ^ 

 the Scin-lecca, or wraith, or the German Doppelgaenger of a 

 person. They may become visible by attracting ethereal material 

 elements from the body of a medium, or any other person in 

 whom there is little cohesion of his lower elements in conse- 

 quence of some disease, or on account of inherited peculiarities 

 of his organisation ; or they may attract them from the surround- 

 ing atmosphere. Their life is borrowed from the medium, and 

 if it were prevented to return to the medium, the latter would 

 be paralysed or die. (5ee Evestrum.) 



Vampires. — Astral forms living at the expense of persons from 

 whom they draw vitality and strength. They may be either 

 the astral bodies of living persons, or of such that have died, 

 but which still cling to their physical bodies buried in the grave, 

 attempting to supply them with nutriment drawn from the 

 living, and thereby to prolong their own existence. Such cases 

 are especially well known in the south-east of Europe — Moldavia, 

 Servia, Russia, &c. (Vourdalak).^ 



Xeni nephidei. — Elemental spiriio that give men occult powers 

 over visible matter, and then feed on their brains, often causing 

 thereby insanity.' A great number of physical mediums have 

 become insane from this cause. 



Yliaster. — Primordial matter out of which the universe has been 

 formed in the beginning of time. 



^ Ruland says about them : " Umbratilia transmutata sunt in hominem 

 conspectum ab astris et suis ascendibus occultis oblata, quae non sicus 

 lemures apparent oculis, idque per magiam efficaciam." — Lexic. Alchemic., 

 p. 466. 



^ Well- authenticated cases of vampires may be found in Maximilian 

 Perty's works and in H. P. Blavatsky's *' Isis Unveiled." 



' They assist •• physical mediums " to lift material objects without any 

 visible means. 



