In memory of Emilio Servadio

Journal of Parapsychology, The, March, 1995 by P. Cassoli

It is not easy to accept the fact that Emilio Servadio is no longer with us and that in the future we will not have his valuable presence and help. He died on January 18, 1995, after much suffering but with a clear mind. He had turned 90 last August 14, and even though there was not much difference in our ages, I always considered him as my "Teacher" both in psychoanalysis and parapsychology.

In Italy he was renowned primarily for his contributions to psychoanalysis. In 1932 he and a few friends founded the Italian Psychoanalytic Society in Rome. He was President of this society for many years and was later Honorary President. He was also well known for his great interest in parapsychology, which developed at about the same time as his interest in psychoanalysis. He once told me that the two most important books in his life were Traite de Metapsychique by Charles Richet and Introductory Lectures to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud. In 1934 Servadio presented a paper, "Psychoanalysis and Telepathy," at the Congress of Psychoanalysis at Lucerne, and in 1937 he was one of the four founders of the Italian Society of Metapsychics in Rome. Thus, the general lines of his interests were already well established before the Second World War.

To escape racial persecution, he chose India as his place of exile. This country attracted him because of the opportunity it offered him to learn about oriental cultures and because of his concern to seek a path to inner illumination. This was a lifelong search, and it led him to a wider conception of life on earth with metaphysical and mystical implications.

He and I differed greatly in our evaluation of evidence concerning the existence of paranormal phenomena: He believed that the literature of the past century was sufficient to confirm the paranormal and that we should not need any further laboratory confirmation. I think he also was satisfied that, with his national and international authority, he had done everything he could to benefit parapsychology.

During his last years, he liked to think that paranormal phenomena might represent a "direction arrow" pointing toward something "other" lying beyond our senses. Recently he was pleased when I suggested that paranormal phenomena might be "soul bleats" (or "soul murmurs"), that is, an embryonic means of communication of the sort that might be used in a life after death.

This memorial tribute to Emilio Servadio is for the Journal of Parapsychology, whose readers are interested in parapsychology. But with these readers I wish to share another side of Emilio Servadio that is almost surely unknown to them. During his last years, he proved to be a poet. He wrote five books of poetry and was awarded several important literary prizes. His poetry is full of longing and is mainly devoted to Love, Life, Death, and Nature.

It is appropriate to say that a great Soul has left us.

P. CASSOLI Via Valeriani, 39 40134 Bologna Italy