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EXPERIENCES IN SPIRITUALISM WITH MR. D. D. HOME. BY VISCOUNT ADARE, [Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin 1841-1926] WITH INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE EARL OF DUNRAVEN. [Viscount Adare's father]  [1869]

No. 9 Seance-July 26th, 1868

Present: Mrs. Jencken, Mrs. Hennings, Mr Jencken, Home, and myself. Physical manifestations very slight;  Home passing almost immediately into a trance, in which he delivered the following address, purporting to come from the spirit of Dr. Jencken [father of Mr and Mrs Jencken]; to prove identity several tests were given

Dr. Jencken, during the last few years of his life, had been quite blind, and was in the habit, when-dictating, of going through the form of writing with great rapidity on his knee with his finger; he also had a peculiar habit of clasping his hands together, and. speaking with his head bent very low down.

Home imitated him in both respects to the very-life, and. Also mentioned some circumstances that had occurred many years before at Mayence.

The first words Home spoke were in a very low voice, telling us to go on talking. He then got up, threw away a silk cushion he had been sitting on, and –said, “Remember, Dan must not sit on a silk cushion while this very hot weather lasts." He remained silent for a few minutes, and then commenced speaking with a clear voice, and in a very impressive manner. Part of the discourse was in verse, but owing to the partially darkened state of the room and the rapidity of his utterance, it was quite impossible to write it down. - The following notes taken by Mr. Jencken are for these reasons very imperfect.

“There are laws which govern the approach of spiritual beings to earth, and their organic life, and there are  epochs of darkness when the spiritual spheres are far removed from the earth; when the approach of spirits is all but impossible.

These epochs have been called by those on earth the dark ages, they mark the absence of spiritual intercourse. There are also times of near approach, not unlike your winter and summer seasons. This alternate action is a great law; great principles rule all things. There was such an epoch of easy approach at the time of the Ancient Egyptians. They knew this and understood the laws better than you do. Before that time spirits had not taken sufficient pains to encourage the invention of means for the perpetuating of knowledge. There was no printing, nor mechanical contrivance, in those, days. Since then, during the period that their approach to earth was more difficult, they have turned their attention more to those matters, so that now knowledge can never be so lost again.

You are now entering upon a period of very near approach.. It is coming like the tide in a river-irresistible, overriding the current, overcoming all; it is coming grandly and Godly.- What has already been seen is but the smallest wavelet of the tide that is coming upon the earth. Some of you here present will see it; others among you will have joined us, and will be helping on the Great Work we have in hand.

The echoes of it are coming; they sound like the notes of the organ rolling up the aisles of those grand like cathedrals that men have built-notes signifying the heart-felt prayer of an earnest soul ascending to the throne of God; never lost but echoing on for ever. Spiritual truth must come;  truth is a lighthouse, a beacon, a speck, a point, leading onward to realms of love.

We have no power, we can do so little, that we often wonder that we are able to do anything for you; language is too imperfect, we cannot convey to you our meaning; you cannot understand us ; our state is so different from your material state, that it is with great difficulty that we can work upon it to make our presence known; not that it is painful to us - no, no, it is a labour of love. But still it is an actual labour to us; the earth is still so imperfect-so undeveloped-that we have much difficulty in dealing with material objects. Why, even such a little thing as the silk cushion that Dan was .sitting on, prevented us from making physical manifestations tonight; yet we did succeed in giving you each a token of our presence, though it was very slight.

Henry, the floor vibrated- under your chair. Adare, your chair was touched. Amelia and Mary, you both felt the current of cold air pass over your hands.

You all felt something.

The earth is as yet very immature, but progressing. A period of very near approach is at hand; after that there will be one, probably two epochs of darkness. We are entirely dependent upon atmospherical conditions. Now, tonight, the atmosphere is so surcharged with electricity, that it appears to us quite thick, like sand. It is so unlike our own that it is almost impossible for us to get near you. We feel like men wading through a quicksand-slipping back as fast as we advance.

At other times, when your earthly atmosphere is in a natural state, it is more like our own and we have no difficulty in being near you.

You wonder if we wish you to be better than you are.

You are all good. The germs of good are in all.

We can see further than you can; and know all your trials, all your doubts and difficulties. Were we not once mortals as you are? We see the troubles and the thorns that beset your path. Stretch forth your hands-thrust them through the brambles-draw them not back or the blood will flow-stretch them out and let them remain, there shall they find rest.

We know not of time;  to us yesterday, to-day, to-morrow are all one. Had we hours, days, years, even age, like-you, we should say time passes slowly, or time passes fast. We never tire; we are eternity.

Happiness is not idleness.

Labour is joy, the labour of love.

Even on earth it is not the spirit that wearies of a labour of love;  it is the poor weak body, that tires, that faints, that falls to sleep.

We have work to-do, to elevate ourselves, and to draw you onward and upward. We constantly watch over you, and sympathize with all your cares.

We never weary; we do not judge you; we were as you are.

God alone is the Judge. You ask why we always speak of Love; it is love that brings us to you. - God is Love.

Spirit messages are always breathing love for God. God is Love.

Henry your father is pleased that you are engaged upon his works, he too has his work to do. He was aided in writing and knows now that higher spirits aided him. Do you remember at Mayence, how he was affected ? (Here Home imitated peculiar mode of writing upon his knee, and manner of speaking).

An inferior spirit had got-influence over him. I see him now he had great self-esteem, and was very opinionated, and only wanted his own ideas to become prominent; this is very dangerous and must be guarded against. Truth, truth worship truth:   particle by particle build up the temple of truth; be consistent, for God is truth.

Here we have no narrowing creed, no four church walls, with a cushioned pew for the rich, and .a plain board for the poor man to limit the worship of truth. The great four walls of eternity; the blue ether, set with sparkling stars, gems made by the hand of God, ever lustrous diamonds of the heavenly orb, peep-holes of heaven; it is there we worship, and through them we peer in our search for truth.

One great objection made to Spiritualism, is, that we do not disclose all the truth if true, why not tell all ?

Are you capable of perceiving the truth ? The man has not yet been formed upon the earth-fitted to know the whole truth. Immortality is before you ! Immortality gleams upon earth -gleams like a lighthouse, like a beacon to you. The future is not even understood by all of us,* but we draw nearer and. nearer to God, for here there is no one to hold you back, to say you are mad: peals of angel voices call you onward and upward;  cheer you in your struggles, and aid you.

There are great laws of development that draw the organic and the inorganic together; you on earth witness the onward course of all things in the organic world, rising to higher conditions, as, for instance, the development of the child into manhood. Onward is the progress; onward and upward. Search,  -search for truth,-be true, be brave, be prayerful; ye are all children of God created by Him. The time is rapidly coming for a great change in spiritual life; we are nearing the cycle, so near that some of you here present will witness the change, others will have gone to their homes, to their rest, to the blessed.

Are you weary of life? weary of the earth? 'The soul tires not, it is only the body.

(In answer to questlon.by H. J.) You are right, Henry; your father is clearer in his views now, more to the-point, sees things clearer than he did when on earth. - .Oh, how much he wished to know Daniel; had he but known him !

You remember how anxious he was about him."

* The meaning is obscure. The words, “The future is not even understood by all of us; but we draw nearer and, nearer to God, for here there is no one to hold you back-to say that you are mad”, evidently refer to spirits, and the sentence should stand : " for here there is no one to hold us back-to say that we are mad." Substituting the words “us” and.”we” for “you” which is evidently improperly used. lt is an open question whether the remaining lines belong to the same sentence or not;-the context would rather lead me to suppose not. If the lines constitute one sentence with the same train of thought running all through it, then the word ,you, should be altered to “us” in the last two lines also, which should read thus: peals of angel voices call us onward and upward; cheer us in our struggles and aid us. But it appears to me more probable that the reference to the state of the spirits concludes with line 8, and that the two remaining lines are an aspiration or prayer that “peals of angel voices may call you" (that is, mortals) “onward and upward; cheer you in your struggles and aid you”.