Asa Mahan (1799-1899) was an American theologian, abolitionist, and the first president of Oberlin College. His book, "Modern mysteries explained " is divided into 4 parts. Part I discusses the contemporary American clairvoyant and religious leader Andrew Jackson Davis (1826-1910); part II investigates the new phenomena of American spiritualism; part III is devoted to Biblical revelation; part IV discusses the Swedish seer and visionary Emmanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772). Mahan attributes the phenomena of spiritualism to communication "between the unconscious minds of those taking part in the séances rather than from disembodied spirits. The manifestations were, he believed, powered by a force of nature, the ‘odylic force’ of Reichenbach."
