The talismanscabalistic medal
Mr. M... had bought a medal in an antique shop that seemed remarkable for its originality. It
was the size of a crown of six pounds. Had a silver looks but a bit oxidized. It held several
engraved markings on both sides, among them the planets, intertwined circles, a triangle,
unintelligible words and some initials in common characters; then some others in bizarre
characters, somehow similar to Arabic, all arranged in a cabalistic way, resembling the witchery
books.
Mr. M... sought the help of a somnambulist medium, Ms. J..., who told him that it was made of
seven metals; that belonged to Cazotte and that it had the power of attracting the spirits,
facilitating evocations.
Mr. Caudemberg, who was the author of a series of communications that supposedly he had
received from the Virgin Mary, told him that it was a malefic thing, proper to attract the
demons. Ms. Guldenstube, medium, sister of Baron Guldenstube, author of a book about
pneumatography or direct writing, told him that the medal had a magnetic virtue and that it
could provoke somnambulism.
Unsatisfied with those contradictory answers, Mr. M... showed us that medal, requesting our
opinion about it, while he also wanted us to evoke a superior spirit to inquiry about the real
value of that object, regarding the influence it might have.
Here is our answer:
The spirits are attracted or repelled through thought and not through material objects that have
no influence on them. The superior spirits have condemned, at all times, the use of signs and
cabalistic forms and every spirit who attributes any power or that intend to give talismans that
denote magic power reveal their own inferiority; acting in good faith or out of pure ignorance;
driven by old Earthly prejudices that they still carry or when consciously play with peoples
beliefs, as a jester spirit. The cabalistic signs, when not a mere fantasy, are symbols that remind
superstitious beliefs in the virtue of certain things, like numbers, the planets and their
association to the metals, beliefs born at times of ignorance and that are based on plain
mistakes, to which Science has made justice, showing what is behind the seven metals, the
seven planets, etc. The mystic and unintelligible format of such symbols has the objective of
self-imposing onto the crowds, always inclined to consider marvelous everything that they
cannot understand. Whoever has studied the nature of the spirits could not rationally admit that
they would be influenced by conventional forms or substances mixed in certain proportions. It
would be the same as to revisit the caldron of the witches, the black cats, black chickens and
other secret plots. This is different from the effect of a magnetized object as it is a known fact
that it has the power of provoking somnambulism or certain nervous phenomena on the organic
structure. However, the power of such objects resides exclusively on the fluid that it is
momentarily impregnated by and that thus indirectly passes on, and not in the form, color and
particularly not on the signs that it may show.
A spirit may say: “Make a given signal and I will know that you call me and I will come.” But
in such a case the drawn signal is the expression of the thought; it is an evocation translated into
a material format. Well, whatever the nature of the spirits they do not need similar means of
communication. The superior spirits never utilize them. The inferior spirits may use them
aiming at seducing the believers who they wish to control.
General rule: Form is nothing to the superior spirits. Thought is everything. Every spirit that
gives more importance to the form than to the meaning is inferior and unworthy, even when
they may say good things once in a while, as the good things are sometimes a means of
seduction.
This was, generally speaking, our thoughts with respect to the talismans, as a means of entering
into communication with the spirits. Unnecessary to say that it also applies to other means
superstitiously employed, like avoiding diseases and accidents. Nevertheless, to the benefit of
the medal owner and in order to get better knowledge into the subject, we asked the spirit of St.
Louis, in the session of the Parisian Society on July 17th, 1858, who kindly communicates with
us whenever there is an opportunity for instruction, to give his opinion regarding the subject.
Here is his answer about the value of such a medal:
“You do well not admitting that such material object may have any power over the
manifestations, be it to provoke or to impede them. Very frequently we have said that the
manifestations are spontaneous and even further, that we never refuse to respond to your appeal.
Why do you think we would be obliged to obey something that was manufactured by man?”
Q – What was the objective of fabricating such a medal?
A – It was made with the objective of calling the attention of those who could believe in such a
thing. But only magnetizers could have made it with the intention of magnetizing and inducing
a sensitive to sleep. The symbols are mere fantasies.
Q – Some say it belonged to Cazotte. Could we evoke him to give us some information about
it?
A – It is unnecessary. Occupy yourselves with more serious things.”
