西方的扶乩 - 古德明

西方的扶乩 - 古德明

ForalmostayearPearlCurran,aStLouishousewifewithlittleeducationandnoliteraryambitions,hadbeenplayingwithaOuijaboard.Suddenly,onahotsummerevening,somewordsappearedthatchangedherlife:"ManymoonsagoIlived.AgainIcome.PatienceWorthmyname.Ifthoushaltlive,soshallI."Worthclaimedtobethespiritofa17th-centurywomanwhohadgonetoAmericalateinlifeandhadbeenmurderedbyIndians.
Overthenextquarter-century,letters,shortstories,poems,andplaysflowedfromPatience,viaCurran.Twoofherbooksandnumerouspoemswerepublishedtocritialacclaim.Atherinsistence,theCurransadoptedachild,whomthespiritcalled"mineownbaby".CurrancontinuedtorecordcommunicationsfromPatienceuntilshortlybeforeherowndeathin1937.
珀爾.柯倫是密蘇里州聖路易斯市一家庭主婦,沒有受過什麼教育,也無意從事文學。她玩靈應盤將近一年,在一個炎熱夏夜,靈應盤上突然出現了些文字,改變了她一生:「吾乃佩興斯.沃思,久已作古,今復降臨,將與爾同生。」佩興斯自言是十七世紀一婦人的靈魂,晚年赴美洲,遭印第安人殺害。
其後將近四分之一世紀,佩興斯假柯倫之手,寫下很多書信、短篇小說、詩歌、戲劇等,出版的兩本書和不少詩篇,甚獲好評。她堅請柯倫夫婦收養一個孩子,還叫這孩子做「吾之嬰兒」。柯倫一直記錄佩興斯的靈示,直到一九三七年將近去世為止。