183. Men of genius of all kinds — artists, scientists, men of letters — are doubtless advanced spirits, capable oy themselves of understanding and conceiving great things; but it is precisely because they are considered capable that the spirits who desire the accomplishment of certain work suggest to them the necessary ideas ; and thus they are most frequently mediums without knowing it. Yet they have a vague intuition of a foreign assistance ; for he who appeals to inspiration makes but an invocation ; if he did not hope to be heard, why should he so often cry, " Aid me, my good genius!"
The following answers confirm this assertion: —
" What is the primary cause of inspiration ?"
" Spirits who communicate by the thought."
" Has not inspiration the revelation of great things for its object ?"
" No ; it often has relation to the most ordinary occurrences of life. For example, you wish to go somewhere : a secret voice tells you not to do so, for there is danger for you ; or it tells you to do a thing you had not thought of; that is inspiration. There are very few persons who have not been more or less inspired at certain moments."
" An author, a painter, a musician, for instance, could they, in moments of inspiration, be considered mediums ?"
" Yes, for in these moments the soul is freer and more withdrawn from matter; it recovers a portion of its faculties as spirit, and more easily receives the communications of other spirits who inspire it."
