HOW HAMAR, CURTIS AND KELSON ENTERED THE ASTRAL PLANE
In order to explain the manner in which Hamar, Kelson and Curtis were
initiated into their new properties, I must now go back to the day
preceding the gratis performance of the Modern Sorcery Company, that
is to say the last day of stage one of the compact.
To Kelson the day had been one of surprises throughout. When he
arrived at the building in Cockspur Street (he preferred living alone,
and, consequently, rented a handsome suite of rooms in John Street,
Mayfair), he was not a little astonished to meet Lilian Rosenberg on
the staircase.
"I thank you so much!" she exclaimed, shaking hands with him most
effusively. "It is all owing to you I got the post."
"Then Hamar has engaged you," Kelson ejaculated.
"Why, yes! didn't you know!" Lilian said with a smile. "I had a letter
from him the very evening of the day I called here."
"Did you! He never told me anything about it! How do you think you
will get on?"
"Oh, splendidly! The work is interesting and full of variety.
Moreover, I like the atmosphere of the place, it is so weird. I
believe the three of you really are magicians!"
"If that be so," Kelson said, "then we have only acted in accordance
with our character in engaging the services of a witch--a witch who
has already bewitched one member of the trio. Now please don't go to
the expense of lunching out: lunch with me instead. Lunch with me
every day."
"It is very kind of you," Lilian Rosenberg replied, "and I will gladly
do so when I am not lunching with Mr. Hamar. But he has invited me to
have all my meals with him."
"That doesn't mean you are obliged to have them with him every day!"
Kelson cried. "Lunch with me this morning."
"I am very sorry," Lilian Rosenberg replied, looking at Kelson with
mock pleading eyes, "please don't scold me, but I've really promised
Mr. Hamar."
"Have tea with me, then," Kelson said.
"I've promised him that, too."
"Supper then!" Kelson said, savagely.
"I'm awfully sorry, but I'm engaged all this evening, and practically
every evening."
"With Mr. Hamar?" Kelson asked suspiciously.
"Oh no! my own private business," Lilian Rosenberg replied. "Do
forgive me. I should so like to have been able to accept your
invitation. Now I must hurry back to my work," and she gave him her
hand, which Kelson held, and would have gone on holding all the
morning, had he not heard Hamar's well-known tread ascending the
stairs.
"Look here!" he said, as they entered his room together, "I want Miss
Rosenberg to have luncheon with me one day this week, and she tells me
you have already invited her. Let her come with me to-morrow."
"It is impossible," Hamar said. "Now I'll tell you what it is, Matt, I
anticipated this the moment I saw you two together, and its got to
stop. You would genuinely fall in love with that girl--or as a matter
of fact any other pretty girl--if you saw much of her--and love, I
tell you, would be absolutely disastrous to our interests. You must
let her alone--absolutely alone, I tell you. I have given her strict
orders she is to confine herself to her work, and to me."
"I think you take a great deal too much on yourself. I shall see just
as much of Miss Rosenberg, when she is disengaged, as I please."
"Then she never shall be disengaged. But come, do be sane and put some
restraint on this mad infatuation of yours for pretty faces. Can't you
keep it in check anyhow for two years--till after the term of the
compact has expired! Then you will be free to indulge in it, to your
heart's content. For Heaven's sake, be guided by me. Harmony between
us must be kept at all costs. Don't you understand?"
"Oh, yes! I understand all right," Kelson said, "and I'll try. But
it's very hard--and I really don't see there would be any danger in my
taking her out occasionally."
"Well, I do," Hamar replied, "and there's an end. To turn to something
that may spell business. Just before I got up this morning I saw a
striped figure bending over me!"
"A striped figure?"
"Yes! A cylindrical figure, about seven feet high, without any visible
limbs; but which gave me the impression it had limbs--of a sort--if it
cared to show them."
"You were frightened?"
"Naturally! So would you have been. It didn't speak, but in some
indefinable manner it conveyed to me the purport of its visit.
To-night, at twelve o'clock, we are to go to the house of a Hindu,
called Karaver, in Berners Street, where we shall be initiated into
the second stage of our compact."
"I hope to goodness we shan't see any spectral trees or striped
figures--I've had enough of them," Kelson said.
"Then take care you don't do anything that might lead to the breaking
of the compact," Hamar retorted, "otherwise you'll see something far
worse."
Shortly before midnight, Hamar, Curtis and Kelson, obeying the
injunctions Hamar had received, set off to Berners Street, where they
had little difficulty in finding Karaver's house.
To their astonishment Karaver was expecting them.
"How did you know we were coming," Curtis asked.
"A gentleman called here early this morning and told me," Karaver
explained. "He said three friends of his particularly wished to be on
the Astral Plane, at twelve o'clock this evening, and that they would
each pay me a hundred guineas, if I would show them how to get there.
I demurred. The secrets that have come down to me through generations
of my Cashmere ancestors, I tell only to a chosen few--those born
under the sign of Dejellum Brava.
"The stranger showing me the sign--written plainer than I have ever
seen it--in the palm of his hand, I at once consented, and I had no
sooner done so than he vanished. I knew then that I had been speaking
to an Elemental--a spirit of my native mountains."
"My nerves are not in a condition to stand much. Is there anything
very alarming in this astral business?" Kelson asked.
"It depends on what you call alarming," the Indian said coldly. "I
shouldn't be alarmed."
"Don't be a fool, Matt," Hamar interposed. "I never saw such a
frightened idiot in my life. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
Think of what there is at stake."
"Think of Lilian Rosenberg," Curtis whispered, "and be comforted."
Karaver took them upstairs into a dimly lighted attic. In the centre
of the carpetless floor was a tripod, around which the three were told
to sit. Karaver then proceeded to pour into an iron vessel a mixture
composed of: 1/2 oz. of hemlock, 3/4 oz. of henbane, 2 oz. of opium, 1
oz. of mandrake roots, 2 oz. of poppy seeds, 1/2 oz. of assafoetida,
and 1/4 oz. of saffron.
"Are these preparations absolutely necessary?" Kelson asked.
"Absolutely," Karaver said. "English clairvoyants will, doubtless,
tell you they are not necessary. It is their custom, with a few
slipshod instructions, to lead you to suppose that getting on the
Astral Plane is mere child's play. It is not! It is extremely
difficult and can only be done, in the first place, through the
guidance of a skilled Oriental occultist."
He then took a sword, and with it making the sign of a triangle in the
air, afterwards scratched a triangle on the floor, over which, in red
chalk, he superscribed a tree, an eye, and a hand. Then he heated the
mixture in the iron vessel over an oil stove. As soon as fumes arose
from it, he placed it on the tripod, crying, "Great Spirits of the
mountains, rivers and bowels of the earth, invest me with the heavy
seal, in order that I may conduct these three seekers after knowledge
to the realms of thy eternal phantoms."
Immediately after this oration Karaver, dipping a twig of hazel in the
fumigation, waved it north, south, east and west crying "Give me
authority! Give me Ka-ta-la-derany;" and then kneeling down in front
of the brazier, in a droning voice repeated these words:
"Green phantom figures of the air,
A ready welcome see that you prepare.
Black phantom figures from the earth,
Of friendly salutations see there is no dearth.
Red phantom figures of the furious fire,
For kindly greeting change your usual ire.
Grey, grizzly googies from the woods and dells,
To gentle whisperings change your harrowing yells.
Flagae, Devas, Mara Rupas,[19] hie to the Plane, the Astral Plane,
And to these three poor fools, explain, explain
The secrets that they wish to learn, to learn!"
The mixture in the iron vessel was now giving off such dense fumes that
Hamar, Curtis and Kelson felt their senses slowly ebbing away. The
dark, lithe form of Karaver, his swarthy face and gleaming teeth
receded farther and farther into the background, whilst his voice
appeared to grow fainter and fainter. They were dimly conscious that
he sprayed them all over with some sweet-smelling scent,[20] and that
he whispered (in reality he spoke in his normal tones) these words:
"Darkona--droomer--doober--parlar--poohmer--perler. A--ta-rama--
skatarinek--ook--drooksi--noomig--viartikorsa."[21] Then there came a
temporary blank, which was broken by a sudden burst of light. The
light, at first, was so blinding that they involuntarily closed their
eyes. It was quite different to any light they had been accustomed
to--it was far more vivid, and was in a perpetual state of vibration.
When they had got sufficiently used to this dazzling effect to keep
their eyes open, they became aware that they were standing, apparently
on nothing, that the atmosphere was not composed of air such as they
knew, but of an indescribable something that rendered the act of
breathing wholly unnecessary, and that all around them was no ground,
no scenery, but only--space!
They had barely finished remarking on these facts, when there suddenly
glided across their vision, forms--of every conceivable shape, _i.e._,
those resembling corpses of human beings and animals, with bloodless
faces, glassy eyes and stiff limbs--some apparently just dead and
others in an advanced state of decomposition, all possessed and
propelled by Impersonating Elementals; phantoms of actual earthbound
people--misers, murderers, etc., several of whom approached the trio
and tried to peer into their faces.
"For heaven's sake keep off!" Kelson shrieked, as the vibrating form
of an epileptic imbecile, with protruding blue eyes and pimply cheeks,
came up to him, and thrust its face into his.
"This is a bit thick," Hamar said, vainly attempting to elude the
phantom of a short, stout woman with a big head and purple face, who,
putting out a large black, swollen tongue, leered at him.
"Curse you! d--n you!" Curtis screamed, throwing out his hands in a
vain endeavour to beat off the phantoms of two idiot boys, who were
trying to bite him with their loose, dribbling mouths. "A little more
of this, and I shall go mad!"
Seeing a tall, grey phantom with a man's body and wolf's head bounding
up to them, Kelson would have run away, had not Hamar, whose presence
of mind never quite deserted him, gripped him by the arm. "If you
leave us, Matt," he said, "we are lost. I feel our safety depends on
our keeping together. If I'm not mistaken this is a cunning dodge on
the part of the Unknown to separate us. If that happens, I feel we may
never get back to our bodies--and the compact will then be broken. We
must hang on to each other at all costs." So saying, he slipped his
free arm through that of Curtis, and the three stood linked together.
Hamar clung on to the other two, until his hands grew numb, and
the sweat stood on his chest and forehead in great beads. As figure
after figure stealthily and noiselessly approached them, Kelson and
Curtis writhed and shrieked; and, at times, it seemed as if the
chain must be broken. But alarming as were these harrowing types of
Vice-Elementals--_i.e._, nude things with heads of beasts and bodies of
men and women; grotesque heads; malevolent eyes; mal-shaped hands;
headless beasts, etc.; none had so dangerous an effect on the unity of
the trio as the alluring types of Vice-Elementals, _i.e._, shapes of
beautiful women that smiled seductively at Kelson, and resorted to
every device to entice him away with them. It was then that Hamar was
taxed to the utmost, that he exhausted voice, strength, and patience,
in holding Kelson back.
He was about to give in, when to his astonishment these Vice-Elementals
vanished, and a phantasm, the exact counterpart of Karaver, only much
taller, appeared before them, and commenced giving them instructions
as to Stage Two.
"You," he said, addressing Hamar, "will possess the property of second
sight, _i.e._, the power to see, at will, earthbound spirits,
conditionally, that you fumigate your room, for ten minutes every
night, before retiring to rest, with a mixture composed of 2 drachms
of henbane, 3 drachms of saffron, 1/2 oz. of aloes, 1/4 oz. of
mandrake, 3 drachms of salanum, 2 oz. of assafoetida; that you abstain
from animal food and wine, and give up smoking; that, three times
every day, you bathe your face in distilled water, to which has been
added three drops of the juice of the whortleberry, one drop of the
juice of the mountain ash berry, 1 oz. of lavender water, 1 oz. of
nitre, and 1/2 oz. of tincture of arnica; and that, just before going
to sleep, you look for three minutes, without blinking, at an
equilateral triangle, transcribed in blood, on white paper, and
composed of these letters and figures." And he handed Hamar a piece of
paper, on which were written these symbols:
K.T.O.P.I.6.X.7.4.H.I.P.3.S.4.W.V.2.8.
"So long as you observe these conditions the power will remain with
you. To-morrow, only, it will be awarded you without any
preparations."
"You," he went on, turning to Kelson, "will possess the property of
projection, _i.e._, the power of leaving your body, and of visiting,
where you will, on the material plane. You will continue to possess
the same, conditionally, that you carry out the same rules as Leon
Hamar, with the exception that, instead of looking at a triangle
before going to sleep, you will repeat these words. See, I have
written them down for you." And he handed Kelson a slip of paper, on
which were transcribed "Darkona, droomer, doober, parlar, poohmer,
perler. A--ta--rama--skatarinek--ook--drooksi--noomeg--viartikorsa."
"You," he said, turning to Curtis, "will be endowed with the property
of overcoming gravity, _i.e._, you will be able to fly, to jump great
heights, and to lift and move prodigious weights; and this property
will remain in your possession during the prescribed period, provided
you abstain from all animal food, from smoking and from drinking
alcohol; and observe the same rules with regard to fumigating your
sleeping apartment, and bathing your face, as Hamar and Kelson. But,
always, before you attempt to fly or to jump, it will be necessary for
you to set in motion certain vibrations, in the ether, that counteract
the attraction of gravity. You must repeat the words 'Karjako
Mandarbsa Guahseela,' which I have written on this blue paper; and
when you want to move or lift objects, you must first repeat the words
'Perabibo Henlilee Oko-kokotse,' which I have written on this green
paper. Gravity, as you will see, is entirely dependent on sound--sound
can move mountains. It did so in Atlantis, it did so in Egypt."
Making the sign of a triangle, an eye, and a tree in the air, with the
forefinger of his left hand, he slowly repeated the words
"Barjakva--ookpoota--trylisa." and the concluding syllable was no
sooner uttered, than the trio found themselves standing in Berners
Street. But of Karaver's house--the house they had just quitted--there
was no trace.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 19: According to Brahminical teaching there are seven
main classes of spirits; some having innumerable sub-divisions.
They are--
1. Arrippa Devas, with forms.
2. Arrippa Devas, without forms. (Both Classes 1 and 2 are
intelligent, sixth principles of certain planets. I style them
Planetians, and classify them with all other spirits hailing from
Jupiter Neptune, etc.)
3. Mara rupas (identical with Vice-Elementals).
4. Pisachas, _i.e._ male and female elementaries. (I have termed
them Impersonating Elementals, since they consist of the astral
forms of the dead, that may be utilized by Elementals.)
5. Asuras, _i.e._ gnomes, pixies, etc. (Corresponding to those
I have designated Vagrarian Elementals.)
6. Monstrosities. (These I include among Vice-Elementals and
Vagrarians.)
7. Kaksasas, viz. souls of wizards, witches, and of clever people
with evil tendencies, scientists with cruel or harsh
tendencies--such as vivisectionists and sophists. All these come
under my division of "earthbound phantasms of the dead"--spirits
tied to this earth by passions or vices; and I should add to the
list--militant suffragettes, strike agitators, hooligans, apaches,
pseudo-humanitarians, religious bigots, misers, all people
obsessed with manias, idiots, epileptic imbeciles and criminal
lunatics. All such may at times be encountered on the lowest
spiritual plane.]
[Footnote 20: Composed of 2 drachms of myrrh, 1/2 oz. of sweet oil,
2 oz. of attar of roses, 1/2 oz. heliotrope and 1/4 oz. of musk.]
[Footnote 21: These words are so arranged as to set in vibration and
loosen the atmosphere, that keeps the spirit incarcerated in the
physical body, and so set the latter free.]