The Theory

Automatic writing is defined by Merriam-Webster as “writing produced without conscious intention as if of telepathic or spiritualistic origin.” Automatic writing is not something that simply happens to you; it is not at all arbitrary. Automatic writing is a method of writing used by occultists. Occultists have a process in which they discard their conscious thoughts while holding a pen or pencil above a piece of paper. Occultists believe that by doing this they will become the medium for their own subconscious thoughts or the thoughts of a spirit that is trying to communicate with them. Automatic writing sometimes occurs in a language that the physical writer cannot speak; therefore, it would clearly be the product of an outside or supernatural force.

Automatic writing as a spiritual practice was first reported in 1878 in Hyppolyte Taine’s book titled “De I’intelligence,” which means, “On Psychology.” Ferando Pessoa claimed to have actually experienced automatic writing along with ethereal visions and magnetic auras. He described automatic writing as a felling of being, “owned by something else.” Pessoa also claimed that he would have a feeling of sensation in his right arm as it was lifted into the air by some unknown force.

In the case of Fernando Pessoa, automatic writing seems very spiritual because the other phenomenon he claimed to have experienced are out of this world but not quite frightening. For example, ethereal visions are often described as being heavenly. In addition, magnetic auras are a form of protection; therefore, Fernando Pessoa seemed to have experienced positive phenomenon.

Yeats also found that the automatic writing of his wife, Georgie relieved his anxiety and broadened the possibilities of his writing. However, it is believed that Georgie’s knowledge that Yeats was interested in mediums and spiritually receptive people led her to experiment with automatic writing as distract Yeats from the rejection of two previous women. Her intentions aside, automatic writing improved his health and his writing.

“The strange thing was that within half an hour after writing of this message my rheumatic pains and my neuralgia and my fatigue had gone and I was very happy. From being more miserable than I ever remember being since Maud Gonne's marriage I became extremely happy. This sense has lasted ever since (Letter 633--Harper 1).”

Although Pessoa and Yeats found automatic writing to be not just harmless but actually beneficial, it is considered to be very dangerous by some. Automatic writing is like using a ouiji board. When on sits down to automatic write he or she is conjuring spirits. Automatic writing is believed by some to be writing controlled by demons. Research has found that spirits begin with kind words of praise and flattery in order to gain acceptance from the medium. Then the medium is more likely to become addicted to writing and look to automatic writing when they are lonely or unhappy as a source of comfort.

Once the spirit has gained the trust of the medium and has created a relationship with them then the spirit could manipulate the medium to body and mind to carry out actions they can no longer perform. Automatic writing is dangerous because the medium does not know who is using their body to communicate. It could be the spirit of a criminal. Automatic writing has been compared to opening your front door and allowing any stranger on the street to walk in.

When reading online posts written by people that have tried automatic writing I have found that it is important to be very cautious in experimenting. Many mediums stress the importance of not experimenting with automatic writing while alone.

While some find automatic writing to be beneficial and others find it to be dangerous, others find it to be purely fictional or a trick of the imagination. Gertrude Stein is one among those who have never accepted automatic writing.

Gertrude Stein is known for her home at 27 rue de Fleurus in Paris. It was the popular place to meet on Saturday evenings. Many writers and artists such as Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso met at this salon. Hemmingway even wrote about it in A Movable Feast.

Stein attended Harvard where she was taught by Psychologist William James. Under James, Stein performed experiments on normal motor automatism, which is the performance of actions without actually intending to perform them. Her experiments resulted in examples of writing, which became known as “stream of consciousness.”

Although she shared James' interest in automatic writing Stein never accepted the theory of automatic writing. She believed there could be automatic movements but not automatic writing. But it is believed that the idea of automatic writing helped Stein shape her own styles of composition. 

Automatic writing is a very controversial theory that states that when letting go of conscious thought and being open to becoming the medium for ones own subconscious or for a spirit, one can write without free will. Whether the theory is factual or not, it has influenced the writing of famous American Authors.

The impact the theory of automatic writing had on society is clear in this advertisement for an ordinary  fountain pen.

Works Cited

"Automatic writing, is it dangerous or not?." Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo!, Web. 17 Feb. 2014. <http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080319124553AALWGum>.

Harper, George Mills. The Making of Yeats's `A Vision'. Vol 1. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1987.

Hedayati-Rad ,  Arjang . "W. B. Yeats, George Hyde-Lees, and the Automatic Script." CSNU. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. <http://www.csun.edu/~hceng029/yeats/hedayatirad.html>.

            Meyer, Steven (2001), Irresistible Dictation: Gertrude Stein and the             Correlations of Writing and Science, Stanford: Stanford University             Press

"Mysterious Planchette." : A Survey of Automatic Writing (not Written Automatically). Web. 17 Feb. 2014. <http://mysteriousplanchette.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-survey-of-automatic-writing-not.html>.

"Paranormal Discovery." Paranormal Discovery. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. <http://paranormaldiscovery.org/?page_id=37>.

"Wikia." Superpower Wiki.  Web. 17 Feb. 2014. <http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Magnetic_Aura>.

"automatic writing." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/automatic%20writing>.