the unknown guest-第35节

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nsciousness　that　governs　the　instinctive　movements　of　the　organic　life　of　both　the　species　and　the　individual　and　passing　by　imperceptible　degrees　till　it　rises　to　the　superior　psychism　whose　power　and　extent　appear　to　have　no　bounds。　The　voice　of　the　medium；　or　that　which　we　hear　within　ourselves　when；　at　certain　moments　of　excitement　or　crisis　in　our　lives；　we　become　our　own　medium；　has　therefore　to　traverse　three　worlds　or　three　provinces：　that　of　the　atavistic　instincts　which　connect　us　with　the　animal；　that　of　human　or　empirical　consciousness；　and　lastly　that　of　our　unknown　guest　or　our　superior　subconsciousness　which　links　us　to　immense　invisible　realities　and　which　we　may；　if　we　wish；　call　divine　or　superhuman。　Hence　it　is　not　surprising　that　the　intermediary；　be　he　spiritualist；　autonomist；　palingenesist　or　what　he　will；　should　lose　himself　in　those　wild　and　troubled　eddies　and　that　the　truth　or　message　which　he　brings　us；　tossed　and　tumbled　in　every　direction；　should　reach　us　broken；　shattered　and　pulverized　beyond　recognition。

For　the　rest；　I　repeat；　were　it　not　for　the　absurd　prominence　given　to　our　dead　in　the　spiritualistic　interpretation；　this　question　of　origin　would　have　little　importance；　since　both　life　and　death　are　incessantly　joining　and　uniting　in　all　things。　There　are　assuredly　dead　people　in　all　these　manifestations；　seeing　that　we　are　full　of　dead　people　and　that　the　greater　part　of　ourselves　is　at　this　moment　steeped　in　death；　that　is　to　say；　is　already　living　the　boundless　life　that　awaits　us　on　the　farther　side　of　the　grave。

8

We　should　be　wrong；　however；　to　fix　all　our　attention　on　these　extraordinary　phenomena；　either　those　with　which　we　unduly　connect　the　deceased　or　those　no　less　striking　ones　in　which　we　do　not　believe　that　they　take　part。　They　are　evidently　precious　points　of　emergence　that　enable　us　approximately　to　mark　the　extent；　the　forms　and　the　habits　of　our　mystery。　But　it　is　within　ourselves；　in　the　silence　of　the　darkness　of　our　being；　where　it　is　ever　in　motion；　guiding　our　destiny；　that　we　should　strive　to　surprise　that　mystery　and　to　discover　it。　And　I　am　not　speaking　only　of　the　dreams；　the　presumptions；　the　vague　intuitions；　the　room　or　less　brilliant　inspirations　which　are　so　many　more　manifestations；　specific　as　it　were　and　analogous　with　those　that　have　occupied　us。　There　is　another；　a　more　secret　and　much　more　active　existence　which　we　have　scarcely　begun　to　study　and　which　is；　if　we　descend　to　the　bed…rock　of　truth；　our　only　real　existence。　From　the　darkest　corners　of　our　ego　it　directs　our　veritable　life；　the　one　that　is　not　to　die；　and　pays　no　heed　to　our　thought　or　to　anything　emanating　from　our　reason；　which　believes　that　it　guides　nor　steps。　It　alone　knows　the　long　past　that　preceded　our　birth　and　the　endless　future　that　will　follow　our　departure　from　this　earth。　It　is　itself　that　future　and　that　past；　all　those　from　whom　we　have　sprung　and　all　those　who　will　spring　from　us。　It　represents　the　individual　not　only　the　species　but　that　which　preceded　it　and　that　which　will　follow　it；　and　it　has　neither　beginning　nor　end：　that　is　why　nothing　touches　it；　nothing　moves　it　which　does　not　concern　that　which　it　represents。　When　a　misfortune　or　a　joy　befall　us；　it　knows　their　value　instantly；　knows　if　they　are　going　to　open　or　to　dose　the　wells　of　life。　It　is　the　one　thing　that　is　never　wrong。　In　vain　does　reason　demonstrate　to　it；　by　irresistible　arguments；　that　it　is　hopelessly　at　fault：　silent　under　its　immovable　mask；　whose　expression　we　have　not　yet　been　able　to　react　it　pursues　its　way。　It　treats　us　as　insignificant　children；　void　of　understanding；　never　answers　our　objections；　refuses　what　we　ask　and　lavishes　upon　us　that　which　we　refuse。　If　we　go　to　the　right；　it　reconducts　us　to　the　left。　If　we　cultivate　this　or　that　faculty　which　we　think　that　we　possess　or　which　we　would　like　to　possess；　it　hides　it　under　some　other　which　we　did　not　expect　and　did　not　wish　for。　It　saves　us　from　a　danger　by　imparting　to　our　limbs　unforeseen　and　unerring　movements　and　actions　which　they　had　never　made　before　and　which　are　contrary　to　those　which　they　had　been　taught　to　make：　it　knows　that　the　hour　has　not　yet　come　when　it　will　be　useless　to　defend　ourselves。　It　chooses　our　love　in　spite　of　the　revolt　of　our　intelligence　or　of　our　poor；　ephemeral　heart。　It　smiles　when　we　are　frightened　and　sometimes　it　is　frightened　when　we　smile。　And　it　is　always　the　winner；　humiliating　our　reason；　crushing　our　wisdom　and　silencing　arguments　and　passions　alike　with　the　contemptuous　hand　of　destiny。　The　greatest　doctors　surround　our　sick…bed　and　deceive　themselves　and　us　in　foretelling　our　death　or　our　recovery：　it　alone　whispers　in　our　car　the　truth　that　will　not　be　denied。　A　thousand　apparently　mortal　blows　fall　upon　our　head　and　not　a　lash　of　its　eyelids　quivers；　but　suddenly　a　tiny　shock；　which　our　senses　had　not　even　transmitted　to　our　brain；　wakes　it　with　a　start。　It　sits　up；　looks　around　and　understands。　It　has　seen　the　crack　in　the　vault　that　separates　the　two　lives。　It　gives　the　signal　for　departure。　Forthwith　panic　spreads　from　cell　to　cell；　and　the　innumerous　city　that　we　are　utters　yells　of　horror　and　distress　and　hustles　around　the　gates　of　death。

9

That　great　figure；　that　new　being　has　been　there；　in　our　darkness；　from　all　time；　though　its　awkward　and　extravagant　actions；　until　recently　attributed　to　the　gods；　the　demons　or　the　dead；　am　only　now　asking　for　our　serious　attention。　It　has　been　likened　to　an　immense　block　of　which　our　personality　is　but　a　diminutive　facet；　to　an　iceberg　of　which　we　see　a　few　glistening　prisms　that　represent　our　life；　while　nine…tenths　of　the　enormous　mass　remain　buried　in　the　shadows　of　the　sea。　According　to　Sir　Oliver　Lodge；　it　is　that　part　of　our　being　that　has　not　become　carnate；　according　to　Gustave　Le　Bon；　it　is　the　〃condensed〃　soul　of　our　ancestors；　which　is　true；　beyond　a　doubt；　but　only　a　part　of　the　truth；　for　we　find　in　it　also　the　soul　of　the　future　and　probably　of　many　other　forces　which　are　not　necessarily　human。　William　James　saw　in　it　a　diffuse　cosmic　consciousness　and　the　chance　intrusion　into　our　scientifically　organized　world　of　remnants　and　bestiges　of　the　primordial　chaos。　Here　are　a　number　of　images　striving　to　give　us　an　idea　of　a　reality　so　vast　that　we　are　unable　to　grasp　it。　It　is　certain　that　what　we　see　from　our　terrestrial　life　is　nothing　compared　with　what　we　do　not　see。　Besides；　if　we　think　of　it；　it　would　be　monstrous　and　inexplicable　that　we　should　be　only　what　we　appear　to　be；　nothing　but　ourselves；　whole　and　complete　in　ourselves；　separated；　isolated；　circumscribed　by　our　body；　our　mind；　our　consciousness；　our　birth　and　our　death。　We　become　possible　and　probable　only　on　the　conditions　that　we　project　beyond　ourselves　on　every　side　and　that　we　stretch　in　every　direction　throughout　time　and　space。

10

But　how　shall　we　explain　the　incredible　contrast　between　the　immeasurable　grandeur　of　our　unknown　guest；　the　assurance；　the　calmness；　the　gravity　of　the　inner　life　which　it　leads　in　us　and　the　puerile　and　sometimes　grotesque　incongruities　of　what　one　might　call　its　public　existence？　Inside　us；　it　is　the　sovereign　judge；　the　supreme　arbiter；　the　prophet；　almost　the　god　omnipotent；　outside　us；　from　the　moment　that　it　quits　its　shelter　and　manifests　itself　in　external　actions；　it　is　nothing　more　than　a　fortune…teller；　a　bone…setter；　a　sort　of　facetious　conjuror　or　telephone…operator；　I　was　on　the　verge　of　saying　a　mountebank　or　clown。　At　what　particular　instant　is　it　really　itself？　Is　it　seized　with　giddiness　when　it　leaves　its　lair？　Is　it　we　who　no　longer　hear　it；　who　no　longer　understand　it；　as　soon　as　it　ceases　to　speak　in　a　whisper　and　to　act　in　the　dark　recesses　of　our　life？　Are　we　in　regard　to　it　the　terrified　hive　invaded　by　a　huge　and　inexplicable　hand；　the　maddened　ant…hill　trampled　by　a　colossal　and　incomprehensible　foot？　Let　us　not　venture　yet　to　solve　the　strange　riddle　with　the　aid　of　the　little　that　we　know。　Let　us　confine　ourselves；　for　the　moment；　to　noting　on　the　way　some　other；　rather　easier　questions　which　we　can　at　least　try　to　answer。

First　of　all；　are　the　facts　at　issue　really　new？　Was　it　only　yesterday　that　the　existence　of　our　unknown　guest　and　its　external　manifestations　were　revealed　to　us？　Is　it　our　attention　that　makes　them　appear　more　numerous；　or　is　it　the　increase　in　their　number　that　at　last　attracts　out　attention？

It　does　indeed　seem　that；　however　far　we　go　back　in　history；　we　everywhere　find　the　same　extraordinary　phenomena；　under　other　names　and　often　in　a　more　glamorous　setting。　Oracles；　prophecies；　incantations；　haruspication；　〃possession；〃　evocation　of　the　dead；　apparitions；　ghosts；　miraculous　cures；　levitation；　transmission　of　thought；　apparent　resurrections　and　the　rest　are　the　exact　equivalent；　though　magnified　by　the　aid　of　plentiful　and　obvious　frauds　of　our　latter…day　supernaturalism。　Turning　in　another　direction；　we　are　able　to　see　that　psychical　phenomena　are　very　evenly　distributed　over　the　whole　surface　of　the　globe。　At　all　events；　there　does　not　appear　to　be　any　race　that　is　absolutely　or　peculiarly　refractory　to　them。　One　would　be　inclined　to　say；　however；　that　they　manife