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The Maniac – A Realistic Study of Madness from the Maniac’s Point of View – E Thelmar

“You aren’t here bodily, I know. It sounds as if you were sitting on the edge of the big table in my room; where are you really?"

"In the easy-chair, smoking, in my own study. That is where I am bodily, and I am merely sending my thought to you. But shall we try an experiment?"

“What experiment?" I asked.

"Shall I try if I can send my spirit to you?” inquired the voice,

"Yes! That will be a most interesting experiment!" I exclaimed. Try it!"

It seemed to me as if I were divided up into three distinct layers of being-layers that should, normally, interpenetrate each other, but now were arranged in three separate, superimposed strata.

On the bed lay my physical body, fully awake and conscious. Directly over it, at the distance of a few feet up, was poised in mid-air my human soul, consisting of a replica of my physical body made of a substance like flame.

Above that again, at about an equal distance up, was my spirit, which seemed to be composed of cold white light -more like electric light than anything else.

Almost immediately after the preceding remarks, I experienced a vivid and most distinct sensation; not in my physical body at all, but high up near the ceiling in my “top layer."

As I have never felt any sensation in the least like it, I cannot describe it. It seemed as if two electric lights – my own spirit and another's - had merged into one light, with a sort of electric shock. Directly I felt it I exclaimed excitedly (for I was most interested in the experiment)

“You have managed it! I can feel you here!”

The voice answered- "I feel absolutely nothing!"

"Oh, what a pity!" I exclaimed. “You don't know what you are missing! Evidently you must be unconscious in your spirit. That is most unfortunate. If you are unconscious you might as well not be here at all, as far as you are concerned. Try and send your soul, and see if you are conscious in that, apart from your body."

The next instant I felt another, totally different sensation; this time in my "second layer."  It was a warm, magnetic sort of sensation, and seemed caused by the mingling of two fiery flames.  

"I can feel that exclaimed the voice. “This is good enough for me!"

"Ah! that is because you were unconscious in your spirit” I said. “That utterly surpassed this! However, it is useless trying spirit-experiments if you are unconscious in the spirit,-you had better just stay here in your soul."

He stayed, talking, some time, and then remarked- "Are you aware that I am still up and dressed, in my smoking-room, and that it must be between two and three in the morning now, I should think? I am afraid I shall have to leave and go and get into bed."

"Very well," I said. "Good-night! Try this experiment again to-morrow night-but go to bed first, as I have done."

"All right.-Good-night!"

"Good-night," I answered, and went off to sleep.