Imperator and Rector
THE MEDIUMSHIP of Rev. William Stainton Moses, an Anglican minister,
began in 1872. According to his biographer, Charlton Speer, who often
sat with Moses during his séances, it started with a variety of raps and
progressed to the direct voice, direct writing, the trance voice, and
automatic writing. Speer wrote that direct voice, in which voices came
through in the air above them, was not clear or distinct, while direct
writing, in which a pencil untouched by human hands gave short messages,
such as that received from the distinguished musician, was rare. Speer
further reported that the trance voice, in which the spirits used Moses’
entranced body, came through in a dignified, temperate, clear and
convincing tone. Moreover, it was always apparent that the personality
addressing the group was not that of the medium. The voices were
different and the ideas expressed were often contrary to Moses’. While
different spirits came through, the chief communicator in the early days
called himself Imperator. Mrs. Speer, Charlton’s mother, did the
recording of the trance messages, but she said it was impossible for her
to capture the beauty and refinement of the manifestations or the power
and dignity of Imperator’s influence.
“I, myself, Imperator Servus Dei, am the chief of a band of forty-nine
spirits, the presiding and controlling spirit, under whose guidance and
direction the others work,” Mrs. Speer recorded. “I am come from the
seventh sphere to work out the will of the Almighty; and, when my work
is complete, I shall return to those spheres of bliss from which none
returns again to earth. But this will not be till the medium’s work on
earth is finished, and his mission on earth exchanged for a wider one in
the spheres.”
Imperator added that spirits named Rector and Doctor were his immediate
assistants. He had come, he said, to explain the spirit world, how it is
controlled, and the way in which information is conveyed to humans. “The
ladder between Heaven and earth has always been,” Imperator voiced
through Moses, “but man’s unbelief cut him off from the ministry of
angels.”
When Imperator was speaking through Moses, the sitters observed a large,
bright cross of light behind Moses’ head and rays surrounding it. The
lights seemed to culminate in a beautiful line of light of great
brilliancy several feet high and moving from side to side. One of the
sitters asked Imperator to explain the lights. He responded that the
pillar of light was himself, the bright light behind him his attendants,
and the numerous lights seen in the room belonged to the band of 49. In
all, there were seven circles of seven spirits each. Each circle
composed one presiding spirit with a particular mission and six
ministers.
On March 30, 1873, spirit messages started coming through Moses’ hand by
means of “automatic writing.” This method was adopted, Moses was
informed, for convenience purposes and so that he could preserve a
connected body of teaching. Initially, the writing was very small and
irregular, and it was necessary for Moses to write slowly and
cautiously. However, the writing quickly became more regular and more
legible. Most of the early messages came from Doctor, but after a time
others started using Moses’ hand. Each was distinguished by a different
handwriting as well as peculiarities of style and expression. When some
spirits found that they could not influence Moses’ hand, they called
upon Rector for assistance. Rector even acted as an amanuensis for
Imperator. In 1883, Moses compiled his writing into a book entitled
Spirit Teachings.
Moses wondered how he could be sure that Imperator and his band were not
evil spirits - wolves in sheep’s clothing - attempting to lead him
astray. He was continually concerned that much of what they had to say
was contrary to Christian dogma and doctrine. Imperator responded,
commending Moses for his questioning frame of mind and pointing out that
this was one of the reasons he was chosen as their vehicle. “We hail
your doubts as the best evidence of our successful dealing with you,” he
said, going on to mention that there is a point beyond which it is
impossible to provide evidence. He called for Moses to use the standards
of Jesus, “By their fruits shall ye know them” and “Men do not gather
grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles,” further telling him that he must
consider the whole tenor of their teachings for proof that it is Divine.
For definite proof, Imperator continued, Moses must be content to wait
until he too stood in their company. The most they could hope for is the
gradual establishment of conviction. “We desire that you should apply to
us the same law by which the Master judged - the Divine law of judging
others as you would yourself be judged.”
Moses continually asked for the earthly identifications of Imperator and
the others. Imperator initially resisted, informing Moses that revealing
their earthly names would result in casting additional doubt on the
validity of the messages. However, Imperator later revealed their names,
advising Moses that they should not be mentioned in the book he would
write. It was not until after Moses’ death that the identities were made
public by A. W. Trethewy in a book, The Controls of Stainton Moses.
Imperator was Malachias, the Old Testament prophet. Rector was
Hippolytus and Doctor was Athenodorus. Imperator took directions from
Preceptor, who was Elijah. Preceptor, in turn, communed directly with
Jesus. Other communicators included Daniel, Ezekiel, John the Baptist,
Solon, Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Plotinus, Alexander Achillini,
Algazzali, Kabbila, Chom, Said, Roophal, and Magus.
Moses died in 1892, but the Imperator band began communicating again in
1895 through the mediumship of Leonore Piper of Boston, Massachusetts,
USA. Until then, Piper had been controlled by Phinuit and “George
Pelham” (a pseudonym for George Pellew). The quality of the messages
coming through Piper had begun to deteriorate and there were indications
that devious earthbound spirits were able to control Piper’s organism.
Deceased writers Sir Walter Scott and George Eliot supposedly
communicated directly through Piper’s hand, but the nature of the
communication suggested impostors.
Pellew and Phinuit gradually gave way to “Rector,” who told them that
Piper’s organism was weakening and needed a rest. While Rector and the
band of 49 continued to use Piper’s organism, it was with more care than
Pellew and Phinuit could provide. Rector said they were substituting a
“softer melody” for the rough, inharmonious and uncultivated dialect,
referring primarily to Phinuit. While not “earth earthy,” Rector said
that Phinuit was too bound by the attractions of earthly minds. He
further cautioned Dr. Richard Hodgson, the chief investigator for the
Piper phenomena, not to rely too much on Pellew as he was “too far
away,” i.e., too advanced, to be effective. “His spirit is pure, his
mind sincere, his whole life here is one of honor and one to be
respected by us all,” Rector wrote through Piper’s hand. “Yet, we would
speak the truth and say his work in your field is done.”
Some researchers questioned whether Piper’s Rector was the same as
Moses’ Rector, even though her Imperator group claimed to be the same
one that controlled Moses.
“It is a rather puzzle to me why Mrs. Piper’s
personalities should have assumed the same set of names,” wrote Sir
Oliver Lodge, the distinguished British physicist and psychical
researcher. “In general characters they are similar, but I see no very
close resemblance in detail. And hitherto the Piper ‘Imperator’ has not
given us the same old earth name as the original ‘Imperator’ to Stainton
Moses. So it would appear as if they did not very seriously pretend to
be identical.”
Soon after his death in 1905, Hodgson began communicating through Piper.
During a 1906 sitting with Piper, researcher George Dorr asked Hodgson
about Rector. Hodgson explained that Rector was in complete control and
that Rector spoke for him. Hodgson went on to say that Rector reported
for everyone, i.e., he reported in the first person for all
communicating spirits. He further explained that Rector understood the
conditions of spirit better than any individual spirit and that Rector
was constantly under the direction of Imperator.
References:
Barrett, Sir William, On the Threshold of the Unseen (New York:
E.F. Dutton & Co., 1917).
Holt, Henry, On the Cosmic Relations (Boston and New York:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1914).
Lodge, Sir Oliver, The
Survival of Man (London: Methuen & Co., Ltd., 1909)
Moses, William Stainton, Spirit Teachings (New York: Arno Press,
New York, 1976, reprinted from 1924 edition published by London
Spiritualist Alliance)
Moses, William Stainton, More Spirit Teachings
Myers, F. W. H., Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death (2 vols)
(London: Longmans & Green, 1903; reprint, New Hyde Park, NY: University
Books, Inc., 1961).
Source: Michael E. Tymn, vice-president of The Academy of Religion and
Psychical Research. |