Brano “Luminosità, apporti, profumi, levitazione”, tratto dal libro DAI MONDI INVISIBILI,[1] pp. 13-22.
Traduzione a cura di Maria Giovanna Vitale
Talking about mediumship phenomenon, we cannot avoid presenting Lilli, a little girl who comes in every meeting; passed away at the age of six for typhus, she lived in the Tuscan countryside, near Vernio. Right from the beginning she praised us to call her Lilli, because she had never liked her true name Geltrude. Through a typical Tuscan accented speeching and a simple childish language, she reveals a sharp as well as a good natured intelligence. When we ask her news about far people, she suggests to think of them deeply for some instants, then she answers our questions, making previsions that come out to be exact. Her jokes, or what we believe are, always have a meaning for those to whom they are addressed; some time they are strictly personal and reserved messages other funny critics of our deeds.
We have a photo of her obtained through an unusual way. During a séance a signed wrapped and scaled glass photographic plate was put on the medium’s knees in deep trance. After the participants had concentrated for a while and tried to visualize the symbol of a cross in the darkness of the room, it was communicated that the phenomenon had occurred. We took the sealed bag containing the plate to the photographer for the development and print; none of us could imagine what would have come out. When seeing the image of a girl in thoughtful attitude, with very short hair for the deadly disease, our joy was great. It was Lilli, indeed.
The Entity presiding the physical phenomena told us that to obtain that effect the concentration of the thought had been on a living Lilli, right to the materialization of the image in x rays, so to expose the photographic plate (1)
It is hard to suppose anything acceptable on the base of the present scientific knowledge , nevertheless it is known that x rays expose the developing solution.
This image is not very clear, but thinking of its origin, it is interesting anyway. During Lilli’s manifestation, we often hear the sound of a trumpet from different points in the room. This phenomenon also occurred when Professor Jan Stevenson’s from the University of Virginia attended a séance after his request. Lilli managed to leave him a trumpet as a gift, asking to keep it always with him: in case of personal danger it would have rung. That wooden, 15-centimeter long, red trumpet of English label with small feathers opposite the embouchure did not exist in the room before the reunion. The manifestation of this girl often occurs with optical phenomena; sometimes it is a slight brightening point moving here and there in the room; other time the medium’s hands are surrounded with indirect lighting. In a recent séance this light has been transmitted to a participant’s hands through contact, persisting even when Lilli had gone off to talk to the others sitting in a circle, so that our friend could show it to those next to him; then little by little the light reabsorbed.
During her intervention, Lilli often brings small objects of no intrinsic value, but meaningful for those receiving them: buttons, odd cuff links, unuseful coins, small medals, very small toys. She takes into her hands those of the person she wants to give the contribution, stays silent for a while, then you can hear the falling object that can be seen at the end of the séance with lights on. The person who has been caressed by Lilli, has felt on the face and on the palms the light touch of a little girl’s hand, absolutely unique, not to be confused with the medium’s long and nervous one.
***
A new participant joined the séance one evening; Lilli got near and told him that his recent dead father would have appeared in the séance one day and she gave him affectionate and comforting words. While Lilli was holding our obviously moved new friend’s hands, we heard the sound of a small metallic object falling, “ Here it is” Lilli said “ From your father”. At the end of the séance we switched on the lights and could see it was a military high uniform button. Then we acknowledged that the new participant’s father had been a carabineer officer. That small object had a lot of significance.
***
Another contribution which conveyed a deep emotion in the person it was addressed, consisted in a medal of four centimeter in diameter, showing St Francis from Assisi. The story of the man who got this gift is worth mentioning. He had been engaged with a young teacher with whom he had been on a trip to Assisi where he had bought a medal as souvenir for her. The two could not meet so often and during one of the following reunion, he expressed his wish to keep the object for a while remembering their romantic excursion, but his fiancée did not want to separate from it. As usual they separated to reach their job in different towns, full of hopes for their future marriage. Nevertheless the woman fell ill and in a short time her death arrived. After many years she wished to fulfil her fiancée’s wish and she managed to let him have their beloved medal through Lilli. ( photo 2)
***
The evening we are now talking about there was a teacher who was participating for the first time. He got an extraordinary contribution as a welcome. We report his description of the phenomenon happened thanks to Lilli’s intervention as usual:
“While Lilli was getting closer, I heard the noise of a metallic object falling on the ground; then I felt my face slightly touched as a caress; at the end Lilli found my hand and let slip a quite heavy ellipsoidal object in my palm. When the light was switched on , I could see it was a reliquary. I opened it : it contained different remains with Latin inscriptions, put in an order vaguely reminding the drawing of the lily of Florence and separated by golden filigree. The year 1785 and the names of the Saints from which the remains come are inscribed under the lid. They are more or less saints born or lived in Florence and in Tuscany. The objet, which seems to have been taken from a Florentine convent, for the whole evening and the day after continued to release a very particular fragrance of dried flowers, still today recognizable ( photo 3-4).
***
Sometimes the contributions take place during the manifestation of affective entities thanks to the intervention of the entity that chairs the physical phenomena.
Once the entity of a participant’s grandfather on the mother side revealed himself; he took his grandson’s hands in his, keeping them together in the shape of a cup. Some silent moments followed , then our friend felt something metallic, round shaped falling in his hands. The entity told us it was a watch he had given to one of his children before departing for war that had been lost. “ There you are, I’ m taking it back and giving it to you” the entity said addressing his grandson.
When we switched on the light, we could see it was a breech-loading pocket watch in perfect conditions, with double silver watchcase, a white enemellad dial, the hours in Roman letters and simple engraved handcrafted decorations.
***
One evening the famous medium Daniel Douglas Home revealed himself. He talked with a very strong English accent about a sad experience he had had during his stay in Florence . While he was going back home where he was a guest, he was stabbed three times and a stab might have killed him if the key of the flat he had in his pocket would have not deflected it. He also talked about his mediumship which had the purpose to show the possibility of the communications and the physical phenomena but not teaching.
“I was deeply religious” he said “ and I would have been glad to be the medium of a spiritual teaching; your medium is the most completed that exists and has existed. Now I like to leave you a present: my lucky charm. Yes, a key I would always bring with me and that is in my grave at St Germain in France”. The entity stopped talking; the medium took the hands of a participant and after a few seconds, a metallic object fell on the ground. When the séance finished and the light was on, a 10 centimeter key, old fashioned and with a fret-worked mechanism was found in the middle of the room, a little eaten away by rust. ( photo 7)
***
During our usual reunions, we heard a voice calling twice: “ Liana, Liana”. A participant soon recognized her husband’s voice, died a young man a few years before, who addressed her shortening her name as he was used to do. The entity went through the room then got near his bride, we heard a two voices whisper, suffocated by emotion. At the end of the séance, our friend could hardly stop her tears; she showed us the gift her husband had put to her left ring finger: a filigree silver ring, telling us that day was their 25th wedding anniversary ( photo 8).
***
A young friend of us, whose parents have been participating to the séances for over twenty-five years, has been himself a follower for a year of our evenings rich in paranormal events. For his admission, for having listened talking about transcendental problems, following his parents discussions with friends, reached the age in which most young people totally refuse the religious teaching and profess atheism, he has not had such a troubled phase, but has tried to transmit to his friends through animated discussions his internal clearness reached thanks to this preparation. One evening the entity which chairs the physical phenomena, prayed him to get closer the medium, announcing he would have received a gift. Soon after the medium’s hands lit up of a phosphorescent light, moving as if they had to shape an object and release a visible halo. Then the physical Guide put in the young man’s hands closing them, a hot metallic object. We could see the contribution the light on: it was a kind of plate or convex medal in heavy bronze of three centimeters per two and half, ovoid shaped. On its surface you can see two opposing faces joined at the top of the head: the facial features are marked, with almond eyes. ( photo 9)
A lady who took part to our séances had just lost her husband, a doctor who really loved antiquities, especially tiny things: miniatures, small crosses, pendants and small paintings. He had already presented in a previous séance to greet his wife, but he seemed too moved and had stayed just for a while. He came back after some months, he got near the lady and gave her an affectionate greeting, thanking her for the care she had had for him during his long disease. He took his wife’s hands in his and whispered: “ I would like to give you a gift; it is a humble thing, but you know I loved such those small objects”. After a few silent seconds, something fell on the ground. When the séance ended we could see it was a silver frame embellished with a love knot on a delicate oval spiked miniature with the portrait of Paolina Bonaparte. It is the reproduction of a painting by the painter S. G. Counis ( photo 10). It is useless to say that the lady keeps it as her most treasured possession.
***
One evening the Egyptian entity we already know called Nephes came and said:
“Dear friends, I come for a special mission this evening to do a loved thing to one of you. For you, daughter N. for you who with good will follow us in the teaching and work so hard for us. You must know that more than one thousand years ago you lived in China. It’s been possible to give you a graded thing, find an object in which you used to eat: You lived during the Tang dynasty. This small cup is a symbol for all of you. You can verify its authenticity but it mustn’t be touched by anyone except you”. Nephes put the cup directly in the participant’s hands adding:” This is a symbol for you all: stay united in a brotherly love”. Inside the cup of a very delicate transparent porcelain, with tenuous and harmonious colours, human figures are represented in a rustic landscape ( photo 11).
What makes this contribution unique is the story that the lady it was addressed to told us; it refers to an episode she had lived many years before while as an actress she interpreted a Chinese character whom she affectionated a lot since the very beginning. Her interpretation of Min Li ( the main character’s name) awoke the spectators’ interest to each performance. At the performance of the opening night the famous critic Marco Ramperti reached her in the dressing room and asked:” But tell the truth. Did you live in China?” She answered no while she was still shaken for the particular emotion she had lived and could not explain except in an interpreter suggestion. Ramperti added: “ But you are incredibly Chinese! The make up is perfect, your voice turned into light and harmonious high notes and the slipping step! You wear the costume, adorable, as if it were your everyday dress; you are Min Li , my dear!” The identification with the character is a rule for a particular, sensitive actor but not to the point of fainting on the stage. It had been undoubtedly a case of reminiscence of a previous life.
The personality of the entity Teresa who comes quite at every séance will be described lately in details, nevertheless we would like to give a heads up to some phenomena occurred through her. Beyond an intense and enduring fragrance of rose which always accompanies her manifestation, the brightness which appears at the height of her hands, we must signal the clinking of the grains of the rosary and the levitation which becomes particularly perceptible at the end of her manifestation.
An evening while Teresa was in levitation repeating the prayer that has taught us, from the medium’s chest released a scattered blue light thanks to which we could see his and the participants’ faces. The phenomenon was so unexpected and gradual that quite everybody could have the perception of it right after Teresa had pronounced her last words and abandoned the medium’s body, then the luminescence disappeared fast.
***
During another manifestation while Teresa was addressing us with her soft voice coming from above us, we heard a prolonged rustle accompanied by the usual fragrance and we imagined that something very light was falling upon us from the ceiling. When the light was switched on, we realized that the ground was literally covered with petals of white roses while an entire rose with leaves and two buds had been laid on the lap of a friend of us, another one was on the writing desk near the medium and a third one had been put directly in the hand of another participant at the séance. A similar phenomenon of rain of roses petals, this time pink and red, occurred during the séance of May 24th 1975.
During another circumstance, Teresa put in the palm of a lady who participated to the reunion as an observer, a rosary with wooden grains and cross. The object released an intense fragrance of rose ( photo 12).
The phenomenon we are now signaling is described by doctor C.P. : “ Teresa in levitation invites us to pray, her last words sound like this:
Brothers, never lose the mystical sense of life!… Think of us as creatures like you who are stretched out to try to help you understand the sense of what is waiting for you”. After the prayer the levitation stopped; we heard the medium’s body falling heavily on the ground. I was kneeled near him, with his right hand in mine; suddenly the levitation restarted and the medium, quite dragging me, forced me to stand up at the maximum height allowed to my stretched arm. Right that moment in the palm of his hand and in mine I would say, I felt as in an explosion of forces, the bustle of tiny materializations, and I thought they were petals or leaves; in fact when we switched on the lights the ground was covered with fresh olive leaves. The séance occurred during the week of Easter. There were so many leaves that everyone could pick up handfuls.
[1] DAI MONDI INVISIBILI: Incontri e colloqui. Cerchio Firenze 77. Roma: Edizioni Mediterranee, 1977.
La Logica della Morale 