tality and
emotionality of strangers and undesirable persons, just as would a
hypnotic subject if he placed himself under the control of such persons.
Moreover, in the case of the medium, there is a danger of his being so
influenced in this way that thereafter he may attract to himself a class
of undesirable spirit influences who would otherwise never have come
into his psychic aura or world. We call attention to the following
advice on this point given by an experienced mediumistic writer:

Detrimental Magnetic Influence.

"No sensible person should surrender himself to the magnetic influence
of a human being of whom he knew nothing; he should need to know and
have confidence in him before doing so; yet we find many who, impelled
by a desire to be a medium, without understanding how much the word
implies, sit down and invite any magnetizer who comes along to
experiment upon him. Under such circumstances, nothing but a high motive
and a pure purpose will protect them from the operations of unwise or
mischievous intelligences. As well might they go and sit in a public
place with their eyes blindfolded, and with an inscription on their
breasts, 'Who will come and magnetize me?' * * Mesmeric influence from
an experienced operator, for the purpose of inducing susceptibility, is
sometimes helpful to a sensitive. If the mesmerist can put you in the
trance condition and then hand you over to trustworthy spirits to
control you, well and good. In the same way, mesmeric passes may be
helpful in the liberation of your clairvoyant powers. The operator may
succeed in throwing you into the deep trance state, in which you may
travel or become clairvoyant, but we would not recommend you to submit
to mesmeric influence or hypnotic suggestions from anyone, unless you
know that he is experienced and a thoroughly honorable and trustworthy
individual. In circles for development one member is frequently
impressed, or controlled to make magnetic passes over another to aid in
his unfoldment; and if such a thing should happen to you, and the
influence is congenial, there need be no objection raised by you; but
beware of those people who claim to be able, by mesmerism, to develop
you into a medium in a given period of time."

Mediumistic Auto-Suggestion.

Other authorities have pointed out the fact that in some cases hypnotism
has resulted in a sort of pseudo-mediumship, or bogus mediumship, in
which the control is not that of a real spi