INFORMATION OF A SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE--THE WEDDING AND THE WEDDING TOUR TO
THE PLANET MARS.
For a long time I had regular slate-writing seances in the light and one
dark trumpet seance every week at Mrs. Green's residence, No. 309
Longworth street, and at that time were generally present the following
persons: Mr. and Mrs. Stebbins, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Remlin, Mr. and
Mrs. Helleberg, all of Cincinnati, and Mrs. Bogg, from Newport, Ky. In
these trumpet seances the spirits not only played on musical instruments,
which they carried over our heads, and very often touched us with them and
their hands, but talked and sung to us with or without the trumpet. The
12th of January, 1882, our son Emil astonished us with the information
that he was going to marry Miss Ida, the spirit daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Stebbins, and that she would be his spirit wife. In a slate-writing
seance, the 16th of January, he informed me that Mr. Swedenborg would
perform the nuptial ceremony, and who also had determined the wedding to
take place on Washington's birthday--the 22d of February. We were also
informed that the spirit, Mr. Henry Nieman, Ida's cousin, would be the
groomsman, and the spiritual Miss Mary Muth her bridesmaid, and that a
bridal trip had been arranged in which many bright and exalted spirits
would take part, including Madam Ehrenborg. Mr. Swedenborg would make the
wedding speech on the spiritual side, and he requested Mr. Green to make
one on this side. Mr. and Mrs. Stebbins, my wife and I, agreed that this
remarkable wedding ceremony should take place at Mr. Stebbins' residence
at the appointed time--the 22d of February--and we concluded to ask the
spirits who we should invite, and the 16th day of February, 1882, came on
the slate the following names:
"Pa and ma Stebbins, papa and mamma Helleberg, Mr. and Mrs. Green and
daughter, Mrs. Emma Muth, Mrs. Remlin, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, Miss Nettie
Williams, and Mrs. Keenan.
"EMIL AND IDA."
At a slate-writing seance, the 20th of February, came on the slate, among
many other communications, the following:
"The ceremonies are to begin at four, and immediately after
congratulation, supper. It will take one hour, Mr. Swedenborg says, to
show the medium the ceremony and Mr. Green's address. When the vision is
through, then Mr. Green, then supper, and, after that is settled, a
trumpet seance.
"EMIL."
According to this arrangement the above persons were all invited and
present, except Mrs. Keenan and Miss Nettie Williams, who could not come,
at the afternoon and evening seances the 22d, the 150th anniversary of
Washington's birthday. In the afternoon we assembled at 3 o'clock P. M.,
and at 4 Mrs. Green was in full trance, and Swedenborg controlled her and
blessed the contracting parties, after which Mr. Green made a very
appropriate and beautiful address. A private clairvoyant fell in a trance
and described not only the clothing of the bride and bridegroom, but many
other spirits present. The bride's dress was pure, sparkling white,
frosted with gold dust, with long train full of the finest lace, and a
very beautiful veil, frosted also, and adorned with a handsome wreath on
her head of white flowers set with three beautiful diamonds on her
forehead. She had also a diamond brooch and necklace, with a splendid ring
on her finger, and slippers on her feet to match. Our son Emil had
knee-breeches of royal purple, with a beautiful white toga frosted with
gold, and gold tassels and a purple and gold crown set with diamonds. (At
a subsequent seance Emil said: "Mine was Mr. Swedenborg's selection, Ida's
was Madam Ehrenborg's.") During the trance state of Mrs. Green, the spirit
Winnie described the dresses in the same way as the private medium already
had told us. After we had had a splendid repast the requested trumpet
seance was arranged, at which all were present, and had the pleasure of
being spoken to by Swedenborg, Emil, Ida, and many other spirits, and some
of them patted us with their hands. Madam Ehrenborg and my wife's father,
Otto Jacob Natt-och-Dag (Frederick Franks), sung Swedish with me, and Mrs.
Jennie McKee took my hand and lifted my arm up and putting it over the
table so I had to rise. It was a beautiful and most satisfactory and
wonderful manifestation over which we all were highly delighted.
The 23d of February, 1882, came from our spirit friends the following:
"Good morning, dear papa, we are here yet, but will immediately after this
sitting start on our bridal tour, accompanied by Swedenborg and a great
many exalted spirits. We expect to return by next Thursday, then Mr.
Swedenborg will give the marriage ceremonies, and we hope to have
something nice to write you then. Mr. Swedenborg is very much pleased
because he is able to speak and control Mrs. Green, and was very much
pleased also with the way it was conducted on your side. He says
altogether it was a splendid affair on both sides, and I think so too, and
now I will let my wife, Mrs. Ida Helleberg, write. Your loving son,
"EMIL HELLEBERG."
"Good morning, dear papa Helleberg; Emil makes me blush when he says my
wife. It used to be a joke, but now it is a reality, and that is quite
different. When we all meet on the evergreen shores of the summerland,
then we will return the compliment and have the infair at our own home, no
matter how far off it may be, you shall always receive our hospitality and
our love in the cottage. With my heart full of love for you and dear mamma
Helleberg and sister Emma, and my dear pa and ma, and Mrs. Green's family,
I bid you good morning.
"IDA STEBBINS HELLEBERG."
"Good morning, Mr. Helleberg: I was very much delighted with the exercises
of yesterday afternoon and evening. It could not have been more perfect on
both sides. I was with you all the time. It was witnessed by thousands of
spirits with much interest and delight. Whatever Mr. Swedenborg, does in
the spirit world causes great commotion and interest. He is in the spirit
world like some of your great men here, a leader. His every word, look,
and gesture, is chronicled by the spirits; therefore you may imagine the
interest they manifest towards him. Nettie could not and would not leave
mother. She is so lonely without me, but she was here heart and soul in
spirit. With my highest regards for you all, I am your friend,
"JENNIE."
"Good morning, my dear friend: As the marriage of our grand-daughter to
your son has united my son Edwin and your family, and that event caused or
rather brought us in a positive condition, and enabled us to pick up the
trumpet and manifest our appreciation of that event, I thought I would
write a few lines in regard to this happy marriage, and to show our very
high appreciation of this medium's family, for, as Ida said, it has
brought sunshine to her dear pa and ma that they could not find any-where
else outside the spirit communion, and express our very high appreciation
of your son Emil, and that we feel very proud of them both, and of our
hearts full of love for Edwin and his wife, and highest regards for
yourself and family and Mrs. Green's family, we subscribe ourselves your
dear spirit friends,
"AMARIAH STEBBINS AND PERMELIA STEBBINS."
"Good morning, my friends, Mr. Helleberg and Mrs. Green: To say I was very
much delighted, or, in fact, I have not language at my command to express
to you my appreciation of yesterday's proceedings, and happy of the
opportunity presented that I can write to-day. Winnie described me as I
was. Love to my dear daughter and her husband (Edwin Stebbins), and regard
to all,
"THOMAS KELLY."
"Good morning, dear son: Father, brother, and all of us are here to give
you our congratulations and to tell you how much we love dear Ida, and
that she is so sweet and beautiful. We were all with you last night, and
caressed you with the trumpet. It made us so happy. Father can not write
to-day, but will soon. With our blessings on you and all, your loving
mother,
"ULRICA HELLEBERG."
"Good morning: I must not fail to give a few words in appreciation of the
marriage feast. It was splendid, and I was very much pleased with the
ceremony spiritually and mortal. Love to dear Anna and yourself and
highest regard to all. Francis, Emily, Susan and Joseph join me and send
much love to all. With my prayers for you all, I bid you good bye.
"FREDRICK FRANKS."
"Now, dear papa, we are all through, and Gustaf and Charles join in
congratulations, and asked me to write for them, and tell you that they
are so much pleased with their sister-in-law. Mary, Henry, and little
Julia and Clarence, and many that I have not time to mention, join us with
much love for all. Two souls with but a single thought, two hearts that
beat as one, we bid you good bye,
"EMIL AND IDA."
The 2d of March came: "Good morning, my dear friend. The tourists,
according to promise, have not returned. I have been sent as a messenger
from Mr. Swedenborg to report to you that their reception on the planet
Mars was so grand, and they are there so nicely entertained by the spirits
of that planet that they have all been invited to participate in a similar
feast to take place to-day, and they all send their love and best wishes
to you, and hope to be with you at your next sitting. With my highest
regard and well wishes for your future prosperity, I am your spirit
friend,
"POLHEIM."
The 6th of March the exalted Swedenborg wrote on the slate: "Good morning,
friends: I am here to give you the marriage ceremony I promised in
pantomime on the 22d ultimo. It is brief, and does not include the address
and prayer given on that occasion. * * * As you have already been united
in the conjugal sense by the operation of the laws of spiritual attraction
and magnetic affiliation, no formal cementation or consecration is needed,
but in obedience to an ancient custom, originating in spirit life in the
early dawns of the physical earth-planet, and from thence projected to
mortal life, I have the pleasure of pronouncing the ceremony that blends
you, in obedience to the custom stated, into blissful spiritual
consociation as man and wife, which I now do in presence of the invited
guests here assembled. In blissful happiness you are to live in peaceful
joy, to move in heavenly love to act, so shall your onward march be
unobstructed, and as you advance increasing in wisdom, expanding and
abounding in love, and augmenting in power until the highest angels and
seraphims shall claim you for angelic companionship. Now, while the
choristers join in the marriage anthem, I present for your congratulations
this spiritually mated couple, who I now introduce as Emil Gabriel
Helleberg and Ida Stebbins Helleberg.
"EMANUEL SWEDENBORG."
Just as Madam Ehrenborg's communications were being copied for the
printer, the "Banner of Light"--the oldest spiritual paper in
existence--of date July 1, 1882, was placed in my hands, in which I find a
communication from Helen Barnard Densmore, of Philadelphia, in which she
says:
"Philadelphia has been favored recently with a course of lectures from Mr.
W. J. Colville, which have been well attended and received with
appreciation. This truly inspired speaker is doing a great work in
spreading the new gospel of spiritualism wherever he is called. His
discourses are of a high order, in an intellectual and literary sense, as
well as of great spiritual elevation. At one of the social receptions
given to him at the residence of Colonel S. P. Kase, he gave a very
interesting discourse on the physical life and development of the planets
of our solar system as compared with the earth, which was listened to with
an earnest attention and evident acceptance by those present. It was
taught in this discourse that worlds were brought into existence for the
sole purpose of furnishing a theater for souls to express themselves in
matter upon, to the end of gaining knowledge and overcoming temptations in
all forms and of all kinds; that these lives make up a system of
embodiments which closes with the soul's triumph over all the evils to be
found in material life.
"We were told that in Mercury the attainment of a high degree of physical
perfection was the highest ambition of its inhabitants; that that planet
was in a lower state of animal, vegetable and spiritual progress than the
earth, and the cultivation of the soil was their almost universal
occupation; that Venus was in a high state of artistic and aesthetic
cultivation; that art and music were the dominant passions there, with
less intellectual and spiritual development, sensuous delights every-where
abounding, and the cultivation of the beautiful the highest aim of life.
On the earth the demon to be overcome was declared to be intellectualism,
man's intellect being here worshiped and deified at the expense of the
spiritual.
"On Mars and Jupiter is to be found a much higher state of existence,
matter being dominated by the spirit to a much greater degree than on
either this earth or those planets nearest the sun; that exalted spirits
from those planets, especially from Mars, are sent as especial embodiments
to the earth, as teachers and messengers for spiritual truth.
"Life on the more distant planets from the sun, beyond Jupiter, was
declared to be of such an exalted character that there is no language
understandable on earth in which to depict its glories and achievements."