Asport

The opposite of APPORT: an object that allegedly is made to disappear or be transported through matter. During the height of physical MEDIUMSHIP, in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, apports produced at SEANCES often became asports, mysteriously vanishing from the seance room, sometimes to be found in another room. This allegedly was accomplished with the help of the spirits of the dead present at the seance. The Neopolitan MEDIUM EUSAPIA PALLADINO reportedly often asported her sitters’ valuables, to their chagrin. Sometimes the items were recovered when the sitters returned home, but in many cases they remained forever with the spirits. According to a story repeated by stage magician HARRY HOUDINI in his book, A Magician Among the Spirits, the famous physical medium D.D. HOME, who had a fondness for jewels, asported an exquisite emerald necklace lent him by a member of the Russian Court to please the spirits. Unfortunately, the capricious spirits did not rematerialize the emeralds, and their owner appealed to the chief of police to urge the spirits to reconsider. After searching Home, the chief found that an evil spirit had apported the jewels in Home’s pocket—without his knowledge, of course. The chief, not as sympathetic to the whims of spirits, suggested to Home that the climate of the Russian Court might be injurious to his health. He left the country soon thereafter. Asports also occur in the alleged miracles of modern Eastern avatars, who are believed to be the incarnations of God. Sai Baba of India, famous for his apports of holy ash, food, precious jewelry, religious objects and other items, has been said to dematerialize apports if the recipients do not like them, and change them into something else.