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Osty, Dr Eugene - Supernormal faculties in Man – Mme Morel and the dangers of 'prophecy' driven by desire
Identifier
025615
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
Supernormal faculties in Man- Dr Eugene Osty
In December, 1910, M. Louis D., manager of some factories in Northern France, was in desperate straits by the failure of some speculations on the Stock Exchange. All that he possessed was swallowed up in paying differences between the price of his purchases and sales.
Other purchases falling due .after some months gave him hopes of minimizing his losses, but the brokers demanded a deposit against the securities in their hands. In this state of mind M. Louis D. went to visit Mme M. on December 20th, 1910
"Look," he said," for my present situation and what will be the outcome."
She said, "I see a terrible situation; a fortune swallowed up, and great anxiety at inability to pay debts . . . a fear of utter ruin. But I see that all this will be wiped out . . things will turn out better . the lost fortune will be regained."
"How is this to occur?"
“. . . .by assistance, money lent . operations now in suspense which will be more lucky. . . . I see also unforeseen inheritances."
"Look to see where the money lent will come from".
" . . . I see you writing to a widow, tall and getting grey, gentle and pious . . she seems to belong to your family by marriage, for I do not see links of blood relationship. . . I see her living near Nancy. You will ask her to help you . she will come to you and lend you the needful money : so you will be able to deposit the sums required.
There will be more difficulties in January and February, but you will make fresh arrangements. You will not give up your business, and by summer you will have made good."
"Now see the legacies of which you spoke."
" . . . There will be an important legacy following on the death of a man who is still young, clean-shaven and fair-haired, very tall. He is living with an older woman, who appears to be his mother-. . she will die almost immediately after. Both deaths will occur this year.
I see a little later another legacy by the death of another relation a man who, however, is not old, hair hardly grey yet, tall, living abroad alone . also a relation by marriage . . . seem in good health . . . but is not really so. His life will not be long, only one or two years at most."
What came to pass.
In the descriptions given him by Mme M., M. Louis D. easily recognized the relations by marriage indicated-an aunt of his wife, living near Nancy, two more relations of hers (mother and son) living at Epernay, and a bachelor cousin living abroad, alone.
He had already thought of writing to the aunt, but had put the idea aside for fear of letting the family know a state of things that he had every reason to conceal.
But encouraged by the surprising promises of the percipient, he wrote to this lady, showing the great service that a loan would be to him. Some days later he received a sympathetic and very kind reply, but no offer of assistance.
Nevertheless, M. D., despite the urgent advice I gave him to count on nothing and to undertake nothing on the faith of predictions that could not be verified at the time, borrowed the money- elsewhere, and thus made sure that his later purchases should stand till they fell due. The losses increased, and not only had the fortune disappeared, but debts mounted up. This was the end of the race for money.
Twelve years have passed since then.
The young man and his mother are still in good health and do not know of their death-sentence.
The tall bachelor living abroad went ahead of the part assigned to him: he died in 1914, but left his money to a friend. Such was the sequel to the seance which filled M. D. with astonishment on December 20th, 1910.
The sensitive had only taken in M. D.'s thought that which she found there represented, whether consciously or subconsciously: the notion of his terrible situation and the means by which he might logically expect to get clear.
And consider, in this connection, the morality of our subconscious thought.
M. D. is honest, generous, devoted, and possessed of qualities such that I esteem him greatly: nevertheless, his subconscious thought did not hesitate to imagine the death of those relations by which he might profit.
When he reads these lines he will be astonished that his thought had these homicidal desires. These are the psychological dramas which are constantly taking places in us when from the depths of thought there rise up judgments, desires, and formulated suggestions which our consciousness rejects with shame at their baseness.