Observations placeholder
Marryat, Florence – The Spirit World – The Possession of Charlie H by the late Edward Ogilvie
Identifier
028040
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
Florence Marryat – The Spirit World
When I first became interested in Spiritualism, and, in my ignorance of the subject, was apt to sit with anyone who asked me to do so, a young man, called Charlie H , whom I must not designate more particularly, for the sake of his friends, used to frequently join our circle.
His father was a tutor, and amongst his pupils had been a young man of the name of Edward Ogilvie, to whom Charlie and his brothers and sisters had been, as children, much attached. Mr. Ogilvie had long before drunk himself to death, but Charlie H cherished a great affection for him, and never sat without asking some of the communicating spirits to fetch his friend to speak to him.
One evening, the name Ogilvie was rapped out, and we thought he had come. It proved, however, to be the spirit of William Ogilvie, a cousin to Edward, who manifested for the sole reason of begging Charlie H not to try and recall the spirit of his friend, as it was not fit to visit earth, without danger to itself and to him. Charlie, however, would not be advised, and continued to entreat that Edward might be allowed to return, if only for once. At last he came, and continued to come for some little time. I observed, however, that, directly Edward appeared, Charlie would fall across the table in a deep sleep, so that he did not derive much benefit from his friend's communications.
But, from that time, from having been a sober, well-conducted young man, Charlie H became so careless, that three times during the ensuing season I was compelled to warn him that, if he took so much liquor at my house, I should leave off inviting him to come there. He made one or two faint efforts to shake off the influence that was creeping so fatally over him; but without success, and in the course of a few years he, too, had drunk himself into an early grave. This case always recurs to my mind when I hear people entreat for certain spirits to be allowed to manifest.
We are not the best judges of who should, or who should not, come back to us. I would receive every spirit, who wished to communicate with me, with attention and respect; but once I found them to have been careless livers whilst on earth, I would be very careful how I encouraged them to return.