The New York Times has a series running, during this 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, detailing events unfolding at that time. The story today outlines Mark Twain’s response to the coming war – instead of choosing North or South, he went West.
But first, he consulted a clairvoyant in New Orleans, which, as a steamboat pilot, he often visited. Madame Caprell, a small and pretty 28 year old woman, advertised in the New Orleans Daily Picayune – the ad with the story was dated May 3, 1861.
The story doesn’t give us all that Mark Twain heard, and is quick to point out inaccuracies in what she told him – for instance, that he would be married twice, when he married only once. We, as spiritual folk, would know that likely there was a second relationship very close to marriage or that he, with free will, turned away from an opportunity. She picked up something valid, but expressing right brained concepts in left brained language can be quite challenging.
She told him he would have 10 children, but he only had four. Then the story goes on to detail the African American students he put through Yale University. There could be some of those additional children, not in terms of birth but of the investment of love and time and dollars.
And she said, though he was unknown at the time, ?You have written a great deal, you write well ? but you are rather out of practice; no matter ? you will be in practice some day.?
The Times has had more and more stories and information on our side of the aisle lately. Quite a demonstration to me that the paradigm shift is moving along, and that we will be mainstream one day soon. I’m certainly looking forward to that!