O Livro dos Médiuns — Part II, ch. XII — Pneumatography, or direct writing. Pneumatophony

146Direct Writing
Pneumatography is the writing produced directly by the spirit, without a medium; it differs from psychography in that this last is the transmission of the thought of the spirit by means of writing by the hand of a medium.
The phenomenon of direct writing is, without contradiction, one of the most extraordinary in Spiritism; but however anomalous it may appear at first sight, it is now a proved and incontestable fact. If theory is necessary to give a reason for spirit phenomena in general, it is still more so, perhaps, in this case, certainly one of the strangest yet presented, but which ceases to appear supernatural as the principle is understood.
At the first revelation of this phenomenon, the predominant idea was that of doubt; the idea of deception instantly entered the mind; in fact, everybody knew the action of so-called sympathetic inks, whose traces, at first completely invisible, could appear at the end of a certain time. It was very easy to abuse credulity, and we do not affirm that it' has never been done; we are even convinced that some persons, whether from a mercenary motive or simply from self-love and a desire to make others believe in their power, have employed these subterfuges. (See the chapter on Deceptions"
But, because a thing can be imitated, it would be absurd to conclude that the thing does not exist. Has there not been found, in these latter days, the way to imitate the lucidity of the somnambulist, so as to produce a perfect illusion? And because this jugglery has been exhibited at all the fairs, must we conclude that there are no real somnambulists? Because some merchants sell adulterated wine, is that a reason there should be no pure wine? It is the same with direct writing; besides, the precautions to insure its reality were very simple and easy, and, thanks to these precautions, it can no longer be the object of doubt.

147Since the possibility of writing without a medium is one of the attributes of the spirit, and since spirits have always existed, and have also always produced the various phenomena we know, they could as well have produced direct writing in olden times as to-day; and thus may be explained the apparition of the three words in the palace of Belshazzar. The middle ^ages, so fertile in prodigies, but which were stifled at the stake, must have known direct writing, and perhaps in the theory of the modifications which spirits can effect in matter, which we have developed in Chapter VIII., may be found the principle of the belief of the transmutation of metals.
Whatever may be the results obtained at various times, it is only since the manifestations have become common that there has been anything said of direct writing. The first who appears to have made it known in these latter days is Baron de Gujdenstubbe, at Paris, who has published a very interesting work on this subject, containing a great many facsimiles of writings he has obtained. (Note 7.) The phenomenon, had already been known in America for some time. The social position of Baron Guldenstubbe, his independence, the consideration he enjoys in the highest society, incontestably remove all suspicion of voluntary fraud, for he could have no interested motive.
It could more easily be believed that he was himself the subject of an illusion; but to that, one fact answers peremptorily: the same phenomenon has been obtained by others, surrounding themselves with all the precautions necessary to avoid all deception, and every cause of error.

148Direct writing is obtained, like most of the nonspontaneous spirit manifestations, by concentration of thought, prayer, and invocation. It has often been obtained in church, in tombs, at the foot of the statues or images of the persons called; but it is evident that the locality has no other influence than to produce a greater degree of reflection, and a more profound concentration of thought; for it is proved that it can be quite as well obtained without these accessories, and in the most common places, on a simple piece of domestic furniture, if the requisite moral conditions are found, and the necessary medianimic faculty enjoyed.
In the beginning, it was thought necessary to put a pencil with the paper; the fact could then, up to a certain point, be explained. It is known that spirits effect the movement and displacement of objects, that the} sometimes take and throw them to a distance; they could as well, then, take the pencil and use it to write; as they give it the impulse, in the hand of the medium, of a planchette, &c, they could just as well do it in a direct manner. But it was soon found that a pencil was not necessary; a simple piece of paper, folded or not, was sufficient, on which, after a few minutes, writing would be found. This completely changes the aspect of the phenomenon, and gives us an entirely new order of things; the characters were traced with some kind of substance; since none was furnished to the spirit, he must have made it, composed it himself; where did he get it?
That was the problem.
Turn back to the explanation given in Chapter VIII., Nos. 127 and 128, and there the complete theory of this phenomenon will be found. In this writing the spirit uses neither our substance nor our instruments; he himself makes the matter and the instrument he needs, gathering his materials in the universal primitive element, which he, by his will, causes to undergo the modifications necessary to the effect he wishes to produce.
Of course he can as well make red pencils, printer's ink, or ordinary ink, as black pencil; nay, even type solid enough to make a raised impression, as we have seen. The daughter of a gentleman whom we know — a child of twelve or thirteen years — has obtained whole pages written with a substance like crayon.

149Such is the result to which the phenomenon of the snuff-box, reported in Chapter VII., No. 116, has conducted us, and on which we dwelt to some extent, because we saw in it an occasion to search into one of the gravest laws of Spiritism — a law whose knowledge can clear up more than one mystery, even in the visible world.
It is thus that a fact, common in appearance, can bring out the light; all that is necessary is to observe with care, and that any one can do as well as we, when they do not limit themselves to seeing effects without searching out their causes. If our faith is strengthened day by day, it is because we understand; then make people understand, if you would make serious proselytes.
The knowledge of causes has another effect; it traces a line of demarcation between truth and superstition.
If we look at direct writing in regard to the advantages it can offer, we shall say that, until now, its principal utility has been the material verification of a grave fact: the intervention of a hidden power, which finds, in that way, a means of manifesting itself. But the communications thus obtained are rarely of any extent; they are usually spontaneous, and limited to words, sentences, often unintelligible signs; they have been obtained in all languages — Greek, Latin, Syriac, hieroglyphics, &c.; but they have not yet been given to those sustained and rapid conversations that psychography, or writing by mediums, permits.

150Pneamatophony
Spirits, being able to produce noises and rappings, can as well make any sound of nature, vocal sounds imitating the human voice, beside us, or in the air: this phenomenon we call pneumatophony.
From what we know of the nature of spirits, it may be believed that some of them of an inferior order delude themselves, and believe they speak as when alive. (See Revue Spirit ey February, 1858: History of the Ghost of Mile. Clarion)
It is necessary to guard against taking for spirit voices all sounds that have no known cause, or simple ringing in the ears, and, above all, thinking there is the least truth in the common belief that the ringing in the ears warns us that some one is talking of us. These ringings, whose cause is purely physiological, have, besides, no sense, while the pneumatophonic sounds express thoughts; and it is by that alone we can recognize them as due to an intelligent, and not to an accidental, cause. We may rely on the principle that the manifestly intelligent effects only are those which attest the intervention of spirits; as to the others, there are, at least, a hundred chances to one that they are due to accidental causes.

151It happens frequently that in half sleep we hear words, names, sometimes even entire phrases distinctly pronounced, and that, too, loudly enough to waken us with a start. Though this may, in some cases, be really a manifestation, there is nothing in it sufficiently positive to prevent it being attributed to a cause analogous to that we have developed in the theory of hallucination, Chapter VI., Nos. in, &c. What is heard in this way has, besides, no continuation; it is not the same as when entirely awake, for then, if it is a spirit who is making himself heard, there can almost always be an exchange of thought and a regular conversation, Spirit or pneumatophonic sounds have two very distinct methods of being produced; sometimes it is a voice which resounds in the soul; but while the words may be clear and distinct, there is nothing material in them; at other times they are exterior, and r.s distinctly articulated as if they came from a person at our side. In whatever manner they may be pro,- duced, the phenomenon of pneumatophony is almost always spontaneous, and can be but very rarely induced.