MEDIUMSHIP: SOMNAMBULISM AND SOMNAMBULIC MEDIUMSHIP   

 
Somnambulism Defined | More on the Somnambulic State  | 
 
The Somnambulic Medium  | 
 
Related Topics: Ecstatic Trance and Second Sight


Related Topics: Ecstatic Trance and Second Sight

 Ecstatic Trance

The magnetic action of soul liberation is manifested in different levels, from the lightest levels of the sleep state, to a lucid somnambulism, and finally to a state of almost total liberation of the spirit, called the ecstatic trance, in which the spirit is far more independent and travels to higher realms.  Kardec writes

In dreaming and induced trance states, the spirit wanders about the earthly realm.  In an ecstatic trance, it penetrates into an unknown world, that of illuminated spirits.  There it communicates with those spirits, being careful not to exceed certain limits, since to cross over completely would amount to severing the bonds connecting it with matter and bringing about the death of its body.  In this world, the spirit is immersed in radiant and bright surroundings, enraptured by harmonies unknown on Earth, and overcome by a bliss that defies description.  In short, it enjoys a foretaste of celestial ecstasy and may be said to have placed one foot on the threshold of Eternity. ("Spirits' Book" #455)

You can read more about this topic in "The Spirits' Book".  We only mention it here to make you aware of the condition, and we add one more note, the comment of the superior spirits in "The Mediums' Book" (item #190), which is the caution that "many ecstatics are the sport of their own imaginations, and of deceitful spirits, who take advantage of their state of mental excitement.  Ecstatics worthy of entire confidence are extremely rare."  

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