The Mediumship Of Maria Silbert
By David J. Nicholls Dip.Th(Camb), B.A.(Hons), M.Phil
Maria
Silbert is described as "a medium who was a simple ever-smiling woman
[who] never gained anything by her mediumistic faculties. She was
always ready to help, she saved thousands from despair and misery, and
sacrificed herself, in spite of years of illness, for science and her
suffering fellow-creatures". Maria (1866-1936) was born at Friesach,
the eldest child of three, and as so often happens in such cases, was
often in trouble when her mediumistic faculties became apparent. After
leaving school, she became a teacher and then married: amidst a growing
family, with a child being born to the couple each year, her
mediumistic abilities continued, these often causing her anxiety. When
her husband, a government official, had to work in Baden-amder-Main, he
met someone who, on hearing about Maria's abilities, asked that he have
a sitting with her; she was reluctant, but eventually agreed, but no
phenomena occurred.
After
her husband exerted some pressure, she agreed to sit regularly, for a
short time, every day, and within a short time, rappings were heard:
'Maria Silbert's mediumship had begun'. Following this, regular
rappings were heard when Maria sat: one of the first regular
communicators was Dr Franciscus Nell, who occupied the leading role in
Maria's sittings from thereon. In contrast to this good news, in 1915
with World War I raging, Maria was confronted by her husband's death,
the critical illness of one of her sons, and the news that another of
her sons had gone missing. With her husband's death, Maria lost her
home and moved to Graz where Adalbert Evian, the author of The
Mediumship of Maria Silbert, met her. He began to have sittings with
the developing medium, and in the first, rappings were heard and he
recalls how, in addition to this phenomenon, "Suddenly I felt as if a
hand were being laid on my knee. I distinctly saw the impressions of
the five fingers". Following this, he witnessed the levitation of the
table and rapping being made on the surface, by which a message for him
was given. He records how, "this, my first sitting, impressed me
deeply". He adds that the seances were held in a large dining room: the
table was situated in the middle, and he comments that it, "was so
heavy that one person couldn't lift it alone". Furthermore, "the light
came in unhindered" and that in this room, "nearly all the sittings
took place, generally in full daylight or with artificial light".
Questions In Foreign Language Evian continued to have sittings with
Maria and noticed how she began to fall into trance more frequently; in
these, she was able to answer questions, but of significance was the
fact that she would answer questions that were merely thought rather
than spoken aloud. Of further significance was that questions could be
asked in a foreign language (e.g. Latin, Greek) and yet the answer
would still be given through Maria even though she only spoke German.
The rapping phenomenon continued and Evian reports how on one occasion,
this was particularly forceful: "The blows came as if with an axe on
the table, and the wood began to split. Finally it burst asunder . .
.".
During
the years of the First World War, Maria was able to bring comfort to
the wives and mothers who had lost husbands and sons in the fighting.
In these sittings, materializations occurred: one sitter, a Mrs W.,
whose son had been missing for a year, had a sitting with Maria and
during this, the other sitters saw a figure in uniform aside Mrs W.,
who said, "I seemed to have my son standing by me. I even felt his kiss
on my neck, just as he used to kiss me". She then realized through this
manifestation that her missing son was actually dead and asked those
present: "Was it really my son that you saw?". At this, "there was a
loud knock and then came the message: ÒMother, don't grieve, I am
safe". Due to the pressures experienced, i.e. sittings being held every
day, and often to the early hours of the morning, Maria agreed to a
period of rest. During this time, her missing son returned home, and
after a period of recuperation, she decided to resume the séances: at
these, "besides the phenomena already experienced, new types of
phenomena occurred".
"One
of the more remarkable types was the engraving of initials or a name on
objects brought to the séances. The engravings, by the next-world
visitors, were sought after by most sitters and Evian notes that during
this time, Maria was continually under control . . . never allowed out
of sight...could not, with the best will in the world, in this short
moment, even if she had been the best possible juggler, have engraved
these". In addition to object movement, Maria's mediumship, still not
fully developed, sometimes effected unpleasant phenomena. Loud
Breathing On one occasion - the sitters heard loud breathing that was
followed by each sitter being punched; this was followed by them being
drenched in what appeared to be a downpour of rain even though they
were in the seance room. Maria's dog, who was present during the
seance, was whining and after the lights were turned on, was as wet as
the sitters. Evian notes that Nell was not overseeing the seance in
this instance. Nell had warned Maria of the serious nature of
mediumship and the communications that took place: he stressed the
problems that would occur if frivolous communications were given
freedom. Evian describes one seance when Nell was once again not
present and the very events about which he had warned, occurred. A
communicator made himself known when Maria's children were present and
were becoming bored with the lack of activity. One of the sitters was
punched, the table levitated and was followed by the musical
instruments in the room being played. After this, the sitters could
hear footsteps in the nearby bathroom. At this point, the séance came
to a close and Evian continues by detailing how there were some
twenty-five pairs of shoes in the bathroom that were intended for the
district's poor. He describes how, "Now the first pair marched out,
followed by a second and third pair, and then a whole line of others .
. . We stared speechless".
The
sitters were now becoming unnerved and Maria called for this activity
to cease which it duly did. Not surprisingly, Nell subsequently warned
against allowing this type of phenomenon to happen again. Wholly
Misunderstood After the War ended, Maria had many more sitters,
although some, as today, wholly misunderstood the purpose of
mediumship. Evian records how, "questions about lottery-numbers were
everyday events, questions about horses and so forth. But Nell always
refused to answer questions that had to do with money or personal
advantage". Fortunately, there were many who appreciated the true value
of Maria's abilities and through this, she could provide excellent
evidence of survival. On one occasion, Maria had a sitting with six
members of the medical profession and in the midst of a pleasant
sitting, urgent rapping by Nell interrupted the proceedings: "It was
like a madman, beating both his fists on the keys of a piano". Nell
requested the prayers of the sitters for someone who was at that very
moment dying; after their prayers, they asked Nell to whom he was
referring and he gave the name of a member of the secret police who had
been seen only the night before.
Shortly
after the séance, Maria received a call from the wife of the man whom
Nell had mentioned, and she told Maria that her husband had been shot
by rioters earlier that same evening. Evian also details how Maria was
able to prevent suicides by people grieving the loss of their loved
ones. Herr W., was the only son of a devoted mother, and he often had
sittings with Maria, an activity of which his mother disapproved. Herr
W. died and subsequently communicated at Maria's séances pleading that
his grieving mother be helped. However there was obviously nothing that
could be done, as Maria could not demand that people attend her
séances; and particularly so in this case when the mother was so
hostile to spirit communication. Some time passed and a regular sitter
asked whether she could bring another woman, whom she had just met at a
local cemetery, into the séance; Maria agreed and the woman came into
the house and apart from the usual greetings, no other conversation
took place. Much to Maria's dismay, rappings began to be made; she had
in fact asked Nell to ensure that this did not occur as she thought the
woman would be unnerved. The rappings became louder and the message was
taken down and Maria was bewildered by its contents; this being a
warning that the woman should not do as she had planned as "you would
only get further away from me". The woman began to weep and then told
Maria that she in fact was Herr W.'s mother, and had become more and
more depressed and that very day had decided to take her own life by
poison.
Entranced After this, "Maria Silbert became entranced and [Herr] W. spoke simply to his mother in words that fell like balm upon her heart . . . Maria Silbert awakened and saw a completely changed Frau W. before her. Out of her eyes looked new courage to face life". From this time, she had regular sittings with Maria, also bringing her husband. Maria travelled to Britain and gave successful demonstrations of her mediumship with the British College of Psychical Research. Here, "for instance, she was sewn into a sack, electric handcuffs were placed upon her wrists . . . Instantaneous photographs of her were simultaneously taken by flashlight, from every side". These séances were attended by various professional magicians and academics. Fodor refers to Maria Silbert as a "powerful Austrian medium", and that "the standing of Frau Silbert on the Continent is high"; he also refers to séances with unsympathetic English investigators. Bestermann gave an account of a séance with Maria (Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, (38), November 1928), and while admitting that some of the phenomena were interesting and he could not explain, he nevertheless accused her of fraud. Fodor adds that his report "was scathingly criticised and denounced by well-known investigators all over the Continent and in England". Evian continues by noting how "in time Maria Silbert's fame spread so far abroad that every day enquiries came to her from the most varied institutes". Maria continued to provide séances despite her poor health (she suffered from diabetes) and died on 30, August, 1936, after which Evian wrote: "Now she is where, all her life, she longed to be; now she can understand and know all that is still hidden from us, all that we seek, all that we desire".
Reproduced here by kind permission of the Noah's Ark Society