This page from parapsychologist Nandor Fodor’s scrapbook contains a highly offensive portrayal of a Jewish man who is said to be Rabbi Isaac, the control of medium Lajos Pap. It was very common for mediums to have controls that displayed harmful stereotypes of groups they deemed as “other.” The depiction of Indigenous Americans and particular tribes’ use of peyote in the title “My Initiation in Devil Root” draws from prevalent negative perceptions of indigenous peoples as devil-worshippers. Fodor’s use of mescalin was conducted in a laboratory setting, taking it out of the cultural and sacred contexts with which it is meant to be used. While Nandor Fodor was not a Spiritualist, his experience with mescalin – the psychedelic compound found in peyote – references elements of Spiritualist belief.
A page from Nandor Fodor’s scrapbook, contains articles of Nandor Fodor’s experience with mescalin and a depiction of Lajos Pap’s spirit control, Eileen J. Garrett Parapsychology Foundation Collection, Collection 331, Special Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD).