Automatic writing is the
process, or product, of writing material that
does not come from the conscious thoughts of
the writer. The writer's hand forms the
message, and the person is unaware of what will
be written. It is sometimes done in a trance
state. Other times the writer is aware (not in
a trance) of their surroundings but not of the
actions of their writing hand.
Automatic writing
is used in Spiritualism, Spiritism and the New
Age movement as a form of channeling. One of
the best-known automatic writers was Hélène
Smith, an early 20th-century psychic who felt
that her automatic writing was the attempt of
Martians to communicate with Earth. She claimed
she could translate their Martian language into
French.
Another
well-known author, Neale Donald Walsch, wrote
the book series Conversations with God,
claiming to have used automatic writing to
speak with God. The Brazilian medium Chico
Xavier was probably the most prolific medium in
the 20th Century and possiblly of all time,
with more than 400 books written by
him
Automatic writing
is essentially writing that is done in an
altered state of consciousness that is
attributed to spirits of the dead. It is
believed by some that the spirits literally
manipulate the writing utensil in the hands of
the medium to communicate, as the writer is
often unaware of what is being written and
often even scrawls out text in handwriting that
is markedly different than his own. Others
believe that perhaps the spirits may also
communicate by forming messages in the mind of
the medium, which reproduce on the page. Most
likely though, the medium is writing
unconsciously and messages are formed from
material in the subconscious mind or from a
secondary personality that is gifted with
extrasensory perception.