Marcel Forhan (alias Yram) (November 1884, Corbeil-Essonnes, France – 1 October 1927, Shanghai, China) was an electrical engineer, specialized in the electrical installations of trams and TSF stations and an occultist writer. He owes his notoriety to a metaphysical trilogy published in many countries. His books relate experiences lived outside the physical body using a technique named astral projection. The deductions he reaches found in his eyes a new paradigm, perhaps utopian, capable of creating a more equitable society which would no longer fear the advent of death and act in a philanthropic way. Some of its themes are common (but not specific) to

Theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...

(the notion of

karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

, astral body, successive higher planes and

spiritual evolution Spiritual evolution, also called higher evolution, is the idea that the mind or spirit, in analogy to biological evolution, collectively evolves from a simple form dominated by nature, to a higher form dominated by the Spiritual or Divine. It is di ...

) and to representative authors such as

Arthur Edward Powell Arthur Edward Powell (September 27, 1882 – March 20, 1969) was a Theosophist whose books were published beginning in the early 1900s. He studied the major esoteric works of Helena Blavatsky, Charles Webster Leadbeater and Annie Besant. Biogra ...

. He died of

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

on October 1, 1927 in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

Biography

Marcel Louis Forhan was born on November 17, 1884 in

Corbeil-Essonnes Corbeil-Essonnes () on the River Seine is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Although neighboring Évry is the official seat of the Arrondissement of Évry, the sub-prefecture building ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Son of Louis Forhan and Céline Berthelot, he had a brother, Julien, and two sisters, Marcelline and Léa. He worked as an electrical engineer for the French company of tramways and electric lighting which sent him to settle, shortly before the First World War, in the French concession of Shanghai. This was in order to install an important power station there, which provided electricity on which French

Tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

s depended. He also participated in the installation of TSF broadcasting stations. His fiancée, Suzanne Garbe (Born February 4, 1892,

Guise Guise (; nl, Wieze) is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. The city was the birthplace of the noble family of Guise, Dukes of Guise, who later became Princes of Joinville. Population Sights The remains ...

), joined him in China from Egypt where she lived with her mother. They got married on August 17, 1914, in Shanghai. In China, they had three children, Max (born in 1915), Marcel-André (born in 1919) and Robert (born in 1920). In 1927, he contracted

which developed into

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

. Forhan died on October 1, 1927 in Shanghai.

Works

His books describe several

out of body experiences An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is a phenomenon in which a person perceives the world from a location outside their physical body. An OBE is a form of autoscopy (literally "seeing self"), although this term is more commonly us ...

he claims to have had.

Published works

* ''Love each other'' (volume 1) published by Adyar, 1925. * ''The doctor of the soul'' (volume 2) published by Adyar, 1925 (later republished). * ''Evolution in the Superior Worlds'' (volume 3) published by Adyar, 1926, published by GVP, 2000 (). * ''From dream to action'' (unpublished book, its notebooks having been lost) * ''Practical astral projection'' , Kessinger Publishing co / Samuel Weiser Inc., New York * ''Amaos los unos a los otros - Análisis y síntesis del amor universal'' , Colección Horus Mayor, Kier, 1959, 158 p. * ''El Medico del alma'' , Colección Horus Mayor, Kier, 1959 () * ''La Evolución de los Mundos Superiores'' , Colección Horus Mayor, Kier, 1959, 190 p. (Argentina) * ''Secretele Luminor Astrale'' , Editurii Shambala, 1998 (Romania)

References

External links

Yram (1884–1917)
''OccultHealth.com'' {{Authority control French occult writers