Details of Mollie Perriman's mediumship are supplied by Mr
A. E. Perriman, her husband, in his book, Broadcasting From Beyond,
from which the following information has been taken.
Mr Perriman describes how, through being dissatisfied with the usual
opinions expressed about death and life after death, he discussed the
matter with a friend who advanced the Spiritualist view. He
admits to being very sceptical about this, but considered it only fair
to test the possibility, and began to sit twice a week with his
wife: an example of their dedication is revealed by the
fact that they did this for some twelve years before they heard the
first rap. As he says, 'Just remember the best things
of life are the hardest to get, and to enjoy them to their
fullest, one has to work very hard'.
After moving to Llandaff in Glamorgan, when Mollie's mediumship was in
the initial stages of development, a sitting was held at short
notice due to a request by a visiting friend. At this, the
phenomena were of a better quality with table vibration and
levitation, together with the sitters also being levitated. As Mr
Perriman notes, 'Our combined weight totalled nearly thirty-five
stones, yet we were lifted off our feet by some unknown power
with such ease'. He also admitted that the sequence of
events, that took place in the dark, had unsettled him and, 'We
were unnerved, and not ashamed to admit it'.
It was only with considerable reluctance that Mr Perriman consented to
a further seance a week later, and this was only forthcoming when it
was agreed there would be a handy box of matches in the
room. At this seance, Mr Perriman, Mollie and their friend, heard
rappings soon after it began. However, these were not only on the
table on which the sitters had placed their hands, but on various parts
of the walls. Only fifteen minutes later, the sitters witnessed
the manifestation of ectoplasm that Mr Perriman described as
looking like 'snow'. While discussing this, a noise was
heard and the sitters discovered that a cross from another room had
been apported, but were further astounded to see that a piece of
honeysuckle, from the garden, had been attached to it. After
their friend departed, Mollie and her husband continued with their
investigation of the subject and in the next sitting, witnessed
the manifestation of lights that Mr Perriman describes as
'huge patches of lights twinkling like stars in the
heavens'. In fact, the illumination was so great that the couple,
despite sitting in a room without any normal light, could see each
other. On hearing the noise of rappings, they began to ask
the communicator questions, but on this occasion, sadly, Mr Perriman
reports, 'we failed to get any message'.
Despite the lack of success, they continued to hold seances and
while nothing dramatic occurred, they were intrigued by the fact that
the name 'Belle' was rapped out on several occasions.
The phenomena improved when their friend, together with his wife,
visited and participated; this effected the phenomenon of
physical touches along with object movement . At a later seance, a
message was rapped out asking that the sitters obtain a trumpet and
promised, 'We will try to speak'. The sitters complied
with the request and on the next occasion when they sat together, after
about twenty minutes, they witnessed a movement of the trumpet:
'It circled round, dipping and rising... This went on for a little
while, and then the trumpet gently tapped our heads'.
As so often happens with this type of phenomenon, the sitters
began to hear hissing and then gurgling noises, and eventually a voice
was heard. This only greeted those present and then promised to
speak again at a later date. Mr Perriman adds how he and Mollie
realized the problem of communicators being able to speak, and
furthermore, do so in their pre- mortem voice.
With the obvious progress made, the Perrimans were anxious to improve
the communications and shortly afterwards, another seance was held in
which: 'we observed the trumpet leave the table and rise above
our heads where it remained suspended'. Fully expecting yet more
inarticulate noises to occur, as before, those present were astonished
when, 'a terrific "voice" bellowed through the
trumpet... It was deafening, and vibrated the whole room'. The
communicator was a Welsh clergyman who spoke at length; indeed
those present were held 'spellbound' by his speaking.
After this, details given by the clergyman, concerning his home and two
daughters, were checked and found to be as he had described them.
In the course of time, as Mollie's mediumship developed, other
next-world visitors became a regular part of the seance, and took
on the role of controls. Belle, a young Indian girl
communicator, became firmly attached to the circle and often assisted
in organizing the next-world interaction with the circle. Despite
the progress being made, the Perrimans experienced one particularly
disturbing seance in which the atmosphere became unpleasant and
suffocating and a voice was heard, swearing and cursing. Even a
dog, present in the room, began to react, snarling at the being who had
interrupted the proceedings. After this event, the Perrimans
decided that it was essential that the appropriate mental attitude be
adopted for seances; after this episode, much greater care was
taken concerning the procedures carried out, and they were not troubled
again in such a manner.
Further development later occurred when Belle gave instructions for the
seances and shortly afterwards, a materialization joined the sitters,
going up to each one and speaking. Belle then partly materialized
and also went to each sitter and spoke. Following her departure, Mr
Perriman describes how, 'twenty-two entities communicated, among
them being my wife's four brothers who were killed in World War I, my
mother, my brother-in-law, my two regimental pals... who were killed...
during 1916'.
Belle's abilities were surely demonstrated when she described someone
who had burgled the Perriman's home; only after she insisted that
no action be taken against the man as, 'He was poor, his wife was
seriously ill, and his children had no food', did she supply enough
details about the man by which Mr Perriman could trace him; the
enquiries that he made, 'confirmed Belle's statements'.
Not surprisingly, after it was evident that the communications were
both valid and strong, the Perrimans were told by one of the
regular communicators that the 'direct voice is intended for the
many and not for you alone', and they were to move to
London. There was some argumentation about this and it was only
after a considerable number of hurdles, that Mollie and her
husband followed the instruction to move and she was able to provide
evidence of survival to a greater number of people.
In the usual Spiritualist tradition, the Christmas parties were an
occasion always welcomed by the Perrimans. Hannen Swaffer
recorded one such occasion referring to it as 'the most
remarkable seance'. At this, one child communicator explained
that in the case of the toys brought into the seance room:
'We take back with us the impression of them, and then each has
one like the one chosen here'. Hannen Swaffer noted that after
the celebrations, the actual toys were sent to children living in the
slum areas of London.
The seance lasted for over two hours; during this period the
sitters could hear the children having heated discussions about who was
to have a certain toy, although Belle endeavoured to keep some order in
the proceedings. The seance was also not only enjoyable, but
evidential: 'Several children were recognised by sitters. Several
were addressed by their pet names'.
The seances conducted by the Perrimans also provided an opportunity for
those killed in the war to demonstrate their survival. One, in
1932, began with the usual prayer and hymn, and within a short
time 'a trumpet, with bands of luminous paint, was seen
above our heads beating time with the music'. Furthermore,
'many spirit lights, too, were observed in different parts of the
room'. On this occasion, there were communications with the
sitters, from those who had killed, in which personal conversations
took place. Mr Perriman notes of this particular
event: 'The seance lasted two hours, and there were fifty-three
spirit communicators'.
In view of the success, Mollie gave public demonstrations at
which a microphone was installed in order that the hundreds of
sitters would hear what was being said; at the demonstration on 15
October, 1933, one communicator after another spoke to the audience,
and a number of sitters who were there issued a statement,
'that they had received from relations and friends who have departed
this life unmistakable messages'.
A short time later, another demonstration was organized by Noah Zerdin,
and once again numerous persons who had departed this life made
themselves known. One communicator spoke on behalf of
another who was unable to speak and asked that his message be relayed
on to his sisters, also supplying their address. A letter was
then written to the sisters who confirmed details about the person who
had been unable to communicate.
Further evidence was forthcoming at the public seance held at the
Victoria Hall in London on 27 April, 1935. It was decided that,
despite the problems caused, light would be permitted in order that the
sitters could see Mollie while the communicators spoke. The light
was in fact 'sufficient to enable all sitters to see each other
clearly', and although Mollie was shielded from the light during
the main part of the seance, the voices were heard before this
when Mollie was in view. Despite this being an experiment, 'the
voices were strong and clear, and came plainly through the
microphone'. One of the communicators was a clergyman from
Bourton-on-the-Water who asked that people be assured of his
survival. The voices that were heard on this occasion were
recorded, and when the recording of the clergyman speaking was later
played to those who had known him before his death, they
confirmed 'His voice is the same'.
One of the more interesting features of Mollie's mediumship
was that the same communicators would manifest themselves not only at
her own circle, but that of Hannen Swaffer. As her mediumship
developed, the phenomena became even more impressive with full
materializations. On one occasion, Noah Zerdin's wife
materialized and the couple were able to embrace each other: the
description of the time following was that 'the form moved
round the room. The face was distinctly seen... An odour of
ozone mingled with perfume filled the room'. In addition to this
visit, and after over thirty different communicators had spoken, the
sitters enjoyed the manifestation of apports.
One of the more spectacular demonstration of Mollie's
mediumship was undoubtedly the occasion when a seance was conducted in
a garden. As successful communications had taken place in both
red and white light (sometimes as strong as one hundred watts), a
seance in a garden environment at dusk, seemed to be the next logical,
and surely the most pleasant step for those seeking communication with
their loved ones.
In this instance, Mr Perriman together with three friends sat in the
garden of one of the friends and he records how, 'we
noticed that the medium appeared to be covered with some luminous
substance... The voices spoke apparently from the air'. After Belle had
spoken, 'then came the father of one sitter. He gave
very good evidence, mentioning family names and telling of
incidents which were at once recognised'. After other
communicators made themselves known to those present, the conclusion
of the sitters was that, 'the seance was remarkable, having
regard to the close proximity of the garden to a main London road
with its continual stream of motor traffic. During the seance,
psychic lights flitted around our feet'.
Illustrating that mediumship is not limited to only providing evidence
of survival, Mollie was also able to prevent suicides by those
who were grieving the passing of their loved ones. In one case a
woman had a sitting with Mollie, with nothing being known about her
beforehand. After the seance began, a boy began speaking to the
sitter saying that his father was also present. He referred to
her grieving and told her that she should not carry out the action she
had been contemplating as 'you won't join us, as you think you
will'.
After the seance ended, the sitter explained that after her husband and
only son had died, she had often thought of committing suicide
and had even attempted it on more than more occasion. However,
after hearing the words of wisdom from her son, Mr Perriman
notes, 'it was a very different person who left our house that
evening'.
Mr Perriman relates how, after just seven years following the move to
London, 'we have held some two thousand five hundred sittings,
and have listened to over ten thousand spirit entities
discourse'. In these and the many that followed, Mollie Perriman
was able to demonstrate, through her remarkable physical mediumship, to
so many people, the reality of the life that follows physical
death.