Though deeply sceptical with regard to spirits, I often wondered, whenever I saw an experiment of this kind, whether or not some natural force had not been brought into play, with which we were totally unacquainted. I merely state the facts without further comment. -on the "trick" of "the magic stick" Spirit forces that make leaves dance in still air and buoyant wooden sticks sink in water and fakirs who levitate themselves and induce plants to grow overnight. A European observer in mid-19th century India reports-in the straightforward and unsensational fashion of a religious skeptic-the seemingly wondrous feats of Indian mystics, offering a unique first-person perspective on extraordinary phenomenon that continues to be referenced today by modern spiritualists and those interested in the paranormal. First published in English in 1884, this intriguing book also includes a translation of esoteric works of Indian magic that have been likened to the Jewish Kabbalah. French writer and jurist LOUIS JACOLLIOT (1837-1890) served in French India as a government official. Among his extensive works on Indian culture are Voyage au pays des fakirs charmeurs (1881).