file which includes the original illustrations4 ,see #bffcc-;h4htm or #bffcc-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/dirs_/#b_/ f_/f_/c_/bffcc_/bffcc-;h_/#bffcc-;h4htm7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/dirs_/#b_/ f_/f_/c_/bffcc_/bffcc-;h4zip7 ,,second ,,sight ,a ,study of ,natural and ,induced ,clairvoyance by ,,sepharial ,author of ,a ,manual of ,astrology1 ,prognostic ,astronomy1 ,a ,manual of ,occultism1 ,kabalistic ,astrology1 ,the ,kabala of ,numbers1 ,etc41 ,etc4 ,london ,william ,rider ,son1 ,limited #aiab ,richard ,clay ,sons1 ,limited1 ,brunswick ,street1 ,stamford ,street1 ,s4,e41 and ,bungay1 ,suffolk4 ,,contents ,introduction #g ,chapter ,i4 ,the ,scientific ,position #aj ,chapter ,,ii4 ,materials and ,conditions #ba ,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,faculty of ,seership #bi ,chapter ,,iv4 ,preliminaries and ,practice #ci ,chapter ,v4 ,kinds of ,vision #ea ,chapter ,,vi4 ,obstacles to ,clairvoyance #ei ,chapter ,,vii4 ,symbolism #fg ,chapter ,,viii4 ,allied ,psychic ,phases #gf ,chapter ,,ix4 ,experience and ,use #hd ,conclusion #ic ,,introduction ,few words will be necessary by way of preface to this book1 which is designed as an introduction to a little understood and much misrepresented subject4 ,i have not here written anything which is intended to displace the observations of other authors on this subject1 nor will it be found that anything has been said subversive of the conclusions arrived at by experimentalists who have essayed the study of clairvoyant phenomena in a manner that is altogether commendable1 and who have sought to place the subject on a demonstrable and scientific basis4 ,i refer to the proceedings of the ,society for ,psychical ,research4 ,in the following pages ,i have endeavoured to indicate the nature of the faculty of ,second ,sight or ,clairvoyance1 the means of its development1 the use of suitable media or agents for this purpose1 and the kind of results that may be expected to follow a regulated effort in this direction4 ,i have also sought to show that the development of the psychic faculties may form an orderly step in the process of human unfoldment and perfectibility4 ,as far as the nature and scope of this little work will allow1 ,i have sought to treat the subject on a broad and general basis rather than pursue more particular and possibly more attractive scientific lines4 ,what ,i have here said is the result of a personal experience of some years in this and other forms of psychic development and experimentation4 ,my conclusions are given for what they are worth1 and ,i have no wish to persuade my readers to my view of the nature and source of these abnormal phenomena4 ,the reader is at liberty to form his own theory in regard to them1 but such theory should be inclusive of all the known facts4 ,the theories depending on hypnotic suggestion may be dismissed as inadequate4 ,there appear to remain only the inspirational theory of direct revelation and the theory of the world-soul enunciated by the ,occultists4 ,i have elected in favour of the latter for reasons which1 ,i think1 will be conspicuous to those who read these pages4 ,i should be the last to allow the study of psychism to usurp the legitimate place in life of intellectual and spiritual pursuits1 and ,i look with abhorrence upon the flippant use made of the psychic faculties by a certain class of pseudo-occultists who serve up this kind of thing with their five o'clock tea4 ,but ,i regard an ordered psychism as a most valuable accessory to intellectual and spiritual development and as filling a natural place in the process of unfoldment between that intellectualism that is grounded in the senses and that higher intelligence which receives its light from within4 ,from this view-point the following pages are written1 and will1 ,i trust1 prove helpful4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,scientific ,,position ,it would perhaps be premature to make any definite pronouncement as to the scientific position in regard to the psychic phenomenon known as scrying1 and certainly presumptuous on my part to cite an authority from among the many who have examined this subject1 since all are not agreed upon the nature and source of the observed phenomena4 ,their names are1 moreover1 already identified with modern scientific research and theory1 so that to associate them with experimental psychology would be to lend colour to the idea that modern science has recognized this branch of knowledge4 ,nothing1 perhaps1 is further from the fact1 and while it cannot in any way be regarded as derogatory to the highest scientist to be associated with others1 of less scientific attainment but of equal integrity1 in this comparatively new field of enquiry1 it may lead to popular error to institute a connection4 ,it is still fresh in the mind how the ,darwinian hypothesis was utterly misconceived by the popular mind1 the suggestion that man was descended from the apes being generally quoted as a correct expression of ,darwin's theory1 whereas he never suggested any such thing1 but that man and the apes had a common ancestor1 which makes of the ape rather a degenerate lemur than a human ancestor4 ,other and more prevalent errors will occur to the reader1 these being due to the use of what is called the evidence of the senses2 and of all criteria the evidence of sensation is perhaps the most faulty4 ,logical inference from deductive or inductive reasoning has often enough been a good monitor to sense-perception1 and has1 moreover1 pioneered the man of science to correct knowledge on more than one occasion4 ,but as far as we know or can learn from the history of human knowledge1 our senses have been the chiefest source of error4 ,it is with considerable caution that the scientist employs the evidence from sense alone1 and in the study of experimental psychology it is the sense which has first to be corrected1 and which1 in fact1 forms the great factor in the equation4 ,a person informs me that he can see a vision in the crystal ball before him1 and although ,i am in the same relation with the field as he1 ,i cannot see anything except accountable reflections4 ,this fact does not give any room for contradicting him or any right to infer that it is all imagination4 ,it is futile to say the vision does not exist4 ,if he sees it1 it does exist so far as he is concerned4 ,there is no more a universal community of sensation than of thought4 ,when ,i am at work my own thought is more real than any impression received through the sense organs4 ,it is louder than the babel of voices or the strains of instrumental music1 and more conspicuous than any object upon which the eye may fall4 ,these external impressions are admitted or shut out at will4 ,i then know that my thought is as real as my senses1 that the images of thought are as perceptible as those exterior to it and in every way as objective and real4 ,the thought-form has this advantage1 however1 that it can be given a durable or a temporary existence1 and can be taken about with me without being liable to impost as excess luggage4 ,in the matter of evidence in psychological questions1 therefore1 sense perceptions are only second-rate criteria and ought to be received with caution4 ,almost all persons dream1 and while dreaming they see and hear1 touch and taste1 without questioning for a moment the reality of these experiences4 ,the dreaming person loses sight of the fact that he is in a bedroom of a particular house1 that he has certain relations with others sleeping in the same house4 ,he loses sight of the fact that his name is1 let us say1 ,henry1 and that he is famous for the manufacture of a particular brand of soap or cheese4 ,for him1 and as long as it lasts1 the dream is the one reality4 ,now the question of the philosopher has always been3 which is the true dream1 the sleeping dream or the waking dream8 ,the fact that the one is continuous of itself while the other is not1 and that we always fall into a new dream but always wake to the same reality1 has given a permanent value to the waking or external life1 and an equally fictitious one to the interior or dreaming life4 ,but what if the dream life became more or less permanent to the exclusion of all other memories and sensations8 ,we should then get a case of insanity in which hallucination would be symptomic4 7,the dream state is more or less permanent with certain poetical temperaments1 and if there is any insanity attaching to it at all1 it consists in the inability to react47 ,imagination1 deep thought and grief are as much anaesthetic as chloroform4 ,but the closing of the external channels of sensation is usually the signal for the opening of the psychic1 and from all the evidence it would seem that the psychic sense is more extensive1 acuter and in every way more dependable than the physical4 ,i never yet have met the man or woman whose impaired eyesight required that he or she should use glasses in order to see while asleep4 ,that they do see is common experience1 and that they see farther1 and therefore better1 with the psychic sense than with the physical has been often proved4 ,emanuel ,swedenborg saw a fire in ,stockholm when he was resident in ,england and gave evidence of it before the vision was confirmed by news from ,sweden4 ,a lady of my acquaintance saw and described a fire taking place at a country seat about #aej miles away1 the incident being true to the minutest details1 many of which were exceptional and in a single instance tragic4 ,the psychic sense is younger than the physical1 as the soul is younger than the body1 and its faculty continues unimpaired long after old age and disease have made havoc of the earthly vestment4 ,the soul is younger at a thousand years than the body is at sixty4 ,let it be admitted upon evidence that there are two sorts of sense perception1 the physical and the psychical1 and that in some persons the latter is as much in evidence as the former4 ,we have to enquire then what relations the crystal or other medium has to the development and exercise of the clairvoyant faculty4 ,we know comparatively little about atomic structure in relation to nervous organism4 ,the atomicity of certain chemical bodies does not inform us as to why one should be a deadly poison and another perfectly innocuous4 ,we regard different bodies as congeries of atoms1 but it is a singular fact that of two bodies containing exactly the same elements in the same proportions the one is poisonous and the other harmless4 ,the only difference between them is the atomic arrangement4 ,the atomic theory refers all bodies to one homogeneous basic substance1 which has been termed protyle 7proto-hyle71 from which1 by means of a process loosely defined as differentiation1 all the elements are derived4 ,these elements are the result of atomic arrangement4 ,the atoms have various vibrations1 the extent of which is called the mean free path of vibration2 greatest in hydrogen and least in the densest element4 ,all matter is indestructible1 but at the same time convertible1 and these facts1 together with the absolute association of matter and force1 lead to the conclusion that every change of matter implies a change of force4 ,matter1 therefore1 is ever living and active1 and there is no such thing as dead matter anywhere4 ,the hylo-idealists have therefore regarded all matter as but the ultimate expression of spirit1 and primarily of a spiritual origin4 ,the somewhat irksome phraseology of ,baron ,swedenborg has dulled many minds to a sense of his great acumen and philosophical depth1 but it maybe convenient to summarize his scientific doctrine of ,correspondences in this place as it has an important bearing on the subject in hand4 ,he laid down the principle of the spiritual origin of force and matter4 ,matter1 he argued1 was the ultimate expression of spirit1 as form was that of force4 ,spirit is to force what matter is to form--its substratum4 ,hence for every spiritual force there is a corresponding material form1 and thus the material or natural world corresponds at all points to the world of spirit1 without being identical4 ,the apparent hiatus between one plane of existence and the next he called a discrete degree1 while the community between different bodies on the same plane he called a continuous degree4 ,thus there is community of sensation between bodies of the same nature1 community of feeling1 community of thought1 and community of desire or aspiration1 each on its own plane of existence4 ,but desire is translated into thought1 thought into feeling1 and feeling into action4 ,the spirit1 soul 7rational and animal in its higher and lower aspects71 and the body appear to have been the principles of the human constitution according to this authority4 ,all spirits enjoy community1 as all souls and all bodies on their respective planes of existence2 but between spirit and soul1 as between soul and body1 there is a discrete degree4 ,in fine1 mind is continuous of mind all through the universe1 as matter is continuous of matter2 while mind and matter are separated and need to be translated into terms of one another4 ,taking our position from the scientific statement of the atomic structure of bodies1 atomic vibration and molecular arrangement1 we may now consider the action exerted by such bodies upon the nervous organism of man4 ,the function of the brain1 which may be regarded as the bulbous root of a plant whose branches grow downwards1 is twofold3 to affect1 and to be affected4 ,in its active and positive condition it affects the whole of the vital and muscular processes in the body1 finding expression in vital action4 ,in its passive and negative state it is affected by impressions coming to it in different ways through the sense organs1 resulting in nervous and mental action4 ,these two functions are interdependent4 ,it is the latter or afferent function with which we are now concerned4 ,the range of our sense-perceptions puts us momentarily in relations with the material world1 or rather1 with a certain portion of it4 ,for we by no means sense all that is sensible1 and1 as ,i have already indicated1 our sense impressions are often delusive4 ,the gamut of our senses is very limited1 and also very imperfect both as to extent and quality4 ,science is continually bringing new instruments into our service1 some to aid the senses1 others to correct them4 ,the microscope1 the microphone1 the refracting lens are instances4 ,it used to be said with great certainty that you cannot see through a brick wall1 but by means of ,x-rays and a fluorescent screen it is now possible to do so4 ,i have seen my own heart beating as its image was thrown on the screen by the ,rontgen rays4 ,many insects1 birds and animals have keener perceptions in some respects than man4 ,animalculae and microbic life1 themselves microscopic1 have their own order of sense-organs related to a world of life beyond our ken4 ,these observations serve to emphasise the great limitation of our senses1 and also to enforce the fact that ,nature does not cease to exist where we cease to perceive her4 ,the recognition of this fact has been so thoroughly appreciated by thoughtful people as to have opened up the question as to what these human limitations may mean and to what degree they may extend4 ,we know what they mean well enough3 the history of human development is the sequel to natural evolution1 and this development could never have had place apart from the hunger of the mind and the consequent breaking down of sense limitations by human invention4 ,as to the extent of our limitations it has been suggested that just as there are states of matter so fine as to be beyond the range of vision1 so there may be others so coarse as to be below the sense of touch4 ,we cannot1 however1 assert anything with certainty1 seeing that proof must always require that a thing must be brought within our range of perception before we can admit it as fact4 ,the future has many more wonderful revelations in store for us1 no doubt4 ,but there is really nothing more wonderful than human faculty which discovers these things in ,nature1 things that have always been in existence but until now have been outside our range of perception4 ,the ultra-solid world may exist4 ,the relations of our sense-organs to the various degrees of matter1 to solids1 fluids1 gases1 atmosphere and ether1 vary in different individuals to such a wide extent as to create the greatest diversity of normal faculty4 ,the average wool-sorter will outvie an artist in his perception of colour shades4 ,an odour that is distinctly recognizable by one person will not be perceptible to others4 ,in the matter of sound also the same differences of perception will be noted4 ,on a very still night one can hear the sugar canes growing4 ,most people find the cry of a bat to be beyond their range4 ,the eye cannot discern intervals of less than one-fiftieth of a second4 ,atmospheric vibration does not become sound until a considerable frequency is attained4 ,every movement we make displaces air but our sense of touch does not inform us of it1 but if we stand in a sunbeam the dust particles will show that it is so4 ,our sense of feeling will not register above certain degrees of heat or below certain degrees of cold4 ,sensation1 moreover1 is not indefinitely sustained1 as anyone may learn who will follow the ticking of a watch for five minutes continuously4 ,but quite apart from the sense and range of our perceptions1 the equality of a sense-impression is found to vary with different persons1 affecting them each in a different way4 ,we find that people have tastes in regard to form1 colour1 flavour1 scent1 sound1 fabric and texture4 ,the experience is too general to need illustration1 but we may gather thence that1 in relation to the nervous system of man1 every material body and state of matter has a variable effect4 ,these remarks will clear the ground for a statement of my views upon the probable effect a crystal may have upon a sensitive person4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,materials ,,and ,,conditions ,the crystal is a clear pellucid piece of quartz or beryl1 sometimes oval in shape but more generally spherical4 ,it is accredited by ,reichenbach and other researchers with highly magnetic qualities1 capable of producing in a suitable subject a state analogous to the ordinary waking trance of the hypnotists4 ,it is believed that all bodies convey1 or are the vehicles of certain universal property called od or odyle 7od-hyle71 which is not regarded as a force but as an inert and passive substance underlying the more active forces familiar to us in kinetic1 calorific and electrical phenomena4 ,in this respect it holds a position analogous to the argon of the atmosphere1 and is capable of taking up the vibrations of those bodies to which it is related and which it invests4 ,it would perhaps not be amiss to regard it as static ether4 ,of itself it has no active properties1 but in its still1 well-like depths1 it holds the potentiality of all magnetic forces4 ,this odyle is particularly potent in certain bodies and one of these is the beryl or quartz4 ,it produces and retains more readily in the beryl than in most other bodies the images communicated to it by the subconscious activity of the seer4 ,it is in the nature of a sensitized film which is capable of recording thought forms and mental images as the photographic film records objective things4 ,the occultist will probably recognize in it many of the properties of the astral light1 which is often spoken of in this connection4 ,readers of my ,manual of ,occultism will already be informed concerning the nature of subconscious activity4 ,the mind or soul of man has two aspects3 the attentive or waking consciousness1 directed to the things of the external world2 and the subconscious1 which is concerned with the things of the interior world4 ,each of these spheres of the mind has its voluntary and automatic phases1 a fact which is usually lost sight of1 inasmuch as the automatism of the mind is frequently confounded with the subconscious4 ,all purposive action tends to become automatic1 whether it be physical or mental1 sensory or psychic4 ,the soul in this connection is to be regarded as the repository of all that complex of emotions1 thoughts1 aspirations1 impressions1 perceptions1 feelings1 etc41 which constitute the inner life of man4 ,the soul is none the less a fact because there are those who bandy words about its origin and nature4 ,reichenbach has shown by a series of experiments upon sensitive and hypnotized subjects1 that metals and other materials produce very marked effects in contact with the human body4 ,the experiments further showed that the same substance affected different patients in diverse manners4 ,the hypnotic experiments of the late ,dr4 ,charcot1 the well-known ,french biologist1 also demonstrate the rapport existing between the sensitive subject and foreign bodies in proximity4 ,a bottle containing a poison is taken at random from a number of others of similar appearance and is applied to the back of the patient's neck4 ,the hypnotic subject at once begins to develop all the symptoms of arsenical1 strychnine or prussic acid poisoning2 it being afterwards found that the bottle contains the toxine whose effects have been portrayed by the subject4 ,but not all hypnotic subjects are capable of the same degree of sensibility4 ,community of sensation is as common a phenomenon as community of thought between a hypnotizer and his subject1 and what are called sympathetic pains are included in common experience4 ,sensitive persons will simulate all the symptoms of a virulent disease1 e4g4 mock measles4 ,the phenomena of psychometry reveal the fact of bodies being able to retain records and of the human possibility of reviving these records as sensations and thought images1 although there is no direct community of sensation between an inanimate object and the nervous organism of a sensitive4 ,it need not1 therefore1 be a matter of surprise that the crystal can exert a very definite and sensible effect upon the nervous organism of a certain order of subjects4 ,it does not affect all alike nor act in a uniform and constant manner on those whom it does so affect4 ,the modifications of sensibility taking place in the subject or sensitive render the action of the agent a variable quantity4 ,where its action is more or less rapid and remarkable1 however1 the quartz or beryl crystal may be regarded as the most effective agent for producing clairvoyance4 ,in other cases the concave mirror1 either of polished copper or black japan1 will be found serviceable4 ,in certain cases where the faculty is already developed but lying in latency1 any shining surface will suffice to bring it into activity4 ,ecstatic vision was first induced in ,jacob ,boehme by the sun's rays falling upon a bowl of water which caught and dazzled his eyes while he was engaged in the humble task of cobbling a pair of shoes4 ,in consequence of this exaltation of the visual sense we have those remarkable works1 ,the ,aurora1 ,the ,four ,complexions1 ,signatura ,rerum1 and many others1 with letters and commentaries which1 in addition to being of a spiritual nature1 are also to be regarded as scholarly when referred to their source4 ,in ,boehme's case1 as in that of ,swedenborg1 whose faculty did not appear until he was fifty-four years of age1 it would appear that the faculty was constitutional and already developed1 waiting only the conditions which should bring it into active operation4 ,the agent most suitable for developing clairvoyance cannot therefore be definitely prescribed4 ,it must remain a matter of experiment with the subject himself4 ,that there are some persons in whom the psychic faculties are more prone to activity than in others is certain1 and it would appear also that these faculties are native in some by spiritual or hereditary succession1 which fact is evident from their genitures as interpreted by astrology4 ,many planets in flexed signs and a satellitium in the nadir or lower angle of the horoscope is a certain indication of extreme nervous sensibility and predisposition to telaesthenic impressions1 though this observation does not cover all the instances before me4 ,it is true1 however1 where it applies4 ,the dominant influence of the planet ,neptune in a horoscope is also to be regarded as a special indication of some form of psychic activity1 as ,i have frequently observed4 ,in cases where the subject is not prepared by evolutional process for the exercise of the psychic faculties1 it will be found that the same or similar indications will tend to the simulation of such faculties1 as by mediumism1 conjuring1 etc41 while they may even result in chicanery and fraud4 ,but among those who are gifted in the direction spoken of1 all are not clairvoyant4 ,the most common form of psychic disturbance is involuntary clairaudience1 and telaesthesia is not perhaps less general4 ,st4 ,paul indicates a variety of such psychic gifts1 e4g4 the gifts of prophecy1 of healing1 of understanding1 etc42 but these may also be regarded in quite a mundane sense4 ,the development among the early ,christians of spiritual gifts1 visions1 hearing1 speaking in foreign tongues1 psychic healing1 etc41 appears to have given rise to a variety of exceptional experiences by which they were induced to say we cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard4 ,one star differs from another in glory1 says ,st4 ,paul1 and this diversity of spiritual gifts proceeds from the celestial world1 and is so ordered that each may fulfil the part required of him in the economy of life4 ,psychic tradition is as important a fact as is physical heredity4 ,the latter is a factor of immense importance as affecting the constitution and quality of the organism in and through which the soul is required to function4 ,but psychic tradition is that which determines the power and faculty brought to bear upon the physical organism4 ,past evolution is not a negligible quantity1 and its effects are never wasted or lost to the individual4 ,we are what we are by reason of what we have already been1 as well individually as racially4 ,the future is1 the past unfolded or entered upon by a new door1 as it has been well said4 ,we do not suddenly acquire faculties1 we evolve them by effort and successive selection4 ,in our upward striving for liberty we specialize along certain lines which appear to us to be those offering either the least resistance or the most ready means of self-preservation1 liberty and well-being4 ,hence some evolve a special faculty for money-making and1 as schoolboys1 will be expert traders of alley-taws1 jack-knives1 toffee and all sorts of kickshaws4 ,others of another bent or list will traffic in knowledge to the abounding satisfaction of their masters and the jealous pride of their form4 ,so that psychic tradition while disposing some to the speedy revelation of an already acquired faculty1 disposes others to the more arduous but not less interesting work of acquiring such faculty4 ,and because the spiritual needs of mankind are ever of primary importance1 there are always to be found those in whom the power of spiritual interpretation is the dominant faculty1 such persons being the natural channels of intercourse between the superior and inferior worlds4 ,the physical body of man is equipped with a corresponding order of microbic life which acts as an organic interpreter1 translating the elements of food into blood1 nerve1 fibre1 tissue and bone agreeably to the laws of their being4 ,what ,i have to say in this place is addressed especially to those who would aspire to the faculty of clear vision and in whom the psychic powers are striving towards expression4 ,every person whose life is not wholly sunk in material and selfish pleasures but in whom the aspiration to a higher and better life is a hunger the world cannot satisfy1 has within himself the power to see and know that which he seeks behind the veil of the senses4 ,nature has never produced a desire she cannot satisfy4 ,there is no hope1 however vague1 that the soul cannot define1 and no aspiration1 however high1 that the wings of the spirit cannot reach4 ,therefore be patient and strive4 ,to others ,i would say3 ,be content4 ,all birds cannot be eagles4 ,the nightingale has a song and the humming bird a plumage the eagle can never possess4 ,the nightingale may sing to the stars1 the humming bird to the flowers1 but the eagle1 whose tireless eyes gaze into the heart of day1 is uncompanioned in its lofty loneliness amid the mountain tops4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,faculty ,,of ,,seership ,until quite recently the faculty of seership has been associated in occult literature with various magical formulae4 ,there are in existence works by ,tristemius1 ,francis ,barrett1 ,ebenezer ,sibley and others in which the use of the crystal is made by means of magical invocations and a variety of ceremonial observances4 ,it is not within the scope of this treatise to determine the value of such rites or the desirability of invoking extraneous intelligences and powers by the use of magical practices2 but ,i think we may conclude that communion of this order is not unattended by grave dangers4 ,when the ,israelites were ill-content with the farinaceous manna they invoked ,heaven to send them meat4 ,they got what they wanted1 but also the dire penalty which it incurred2 and it is quite likely that in invoking occult forces beyond one's power to control great evils may ensue4 ,all action and reaction are equal and opposite4 ,a child can pull a trigger but cannot withstand the recoil of a gun1 or by moving a lever may set machinery in motion which it can by no means control4 ,therefore without strength and knowledge of the right sort it is foolish to meddle with occult forces2 and in the education of the development of the psychic and spiritual faculties native in us1 it is better to encourage their natural development by legitimate exercise than to invoke the action of a stimulus which cannot afterwards be controlled4 ,water will wear away a rock by continual fretting1 though nobody doubts that water is softer than a rock1 and if the barrier between this and the soul-world be like granite1 yet the patient and persistent action of the determined mind will sooner or later wear it away1 the last thin layer will break and the light of another world will stream through1 dazzling our unaccustomed eyes with its bright effulgence4 ,it is my object here to indicate by what means and by what persons the natural development of the clairvoyant faculty may be achieved4 ,in regard then to the subject1 medium or seer1 there are two distinct temperaments in which the faculty is likely to be dominant and capable of high and rapid development4 ,the first is the nervous temperament1 characterized by extreme activity of body and mind1 nervous excitability1 dark complexion1 prominent features1 and wiry frame4 ,types of this temperament are to be seen in the descriptions of ,dante1 ,swedenborg1 ,melancthon1 ,edgar ,a4 ,poe and others4 ,this type represents the positive seers4 ,the other temperament is of the passive type and is characterized by a full lymphatic habit1 pale or delicate complexion1 blue eyes1 straight fine hair1 small hands1 tapering fingers1 cold and fleshy to the touch2 usually a thin or high voice and languid manner4 ,these two types of seers--of which there are many varieties-- achieve their development by quite opposite means4 ,the positive seer projects the mental images by a psychic process impossible of description1 but by a certain psychic metabolism by which the apperceptions of the soul are transformed into mental images of a purely symbolical nature4 ,the psychic process of picture-production is involuntary and unconscious1 but the perception of the mental pictures is a perfectly conscious process and involves the exercise of an introspective faculty4 ,the passive seer1 on the contrary1 is effortless1 and receives impressions by reflection1 the visions coming imperceptibly and having a literal interpretation4 ,the vision is not in this case of an allegorical or symbolic nature1 as is the case with the positive seer1 but is an actual vision of a fact or event which has already happened or as it will transpire in the future4 ,thus the positive vision consists in the projection of the mind towards the things of the soul-world1 while the passive vision in the result of a propulsion of the soul-world upon the passive sense4 ,of the two kinds of vision1 the passive is the more serviceable as being the more perspicuous and literal1 but it has the disadvantage of being largely under the control of external influences and consequently of greater variability than the positive vision4 ,it is1 indeed1 quite the common experience that the passive medium requires conditions for the proper exercise of the faculty and where these are lacking no vision can be obtained4 ,the positive type of seer exercises an introspective vision1 searching inwardly towards the soul-world whence revelation proceeds4 ,the passive seer1 on the other hand1 remains in a static condition1 open to impressions coming inwards upon the mind's eye1 but making no conscious effort towards inward searching4 ,those who have experienced both involuntary and voluntary visions will readily appreciate the difference of attitude1 which is difficult to convey to others in so many words4 ,now the exercise of this faculty does not exist apart from some definite use1 and it may be of advantage to consider what that use may be4 ,primarily1 ,i should be disposed to regard the mere opening up of a channel of communication between the material and psychic worlds as adequate reason for the exercise of the faculty4 ,the ,gates of ,heaven have to be kept open by human endeavour and the exercise of the spiritual and psychic faculties1 otherwise a complete lesion and cutting off of our source of inspiration would follow4 ,except we aspire to the higher world that world will come no nearer to us4 ,action and reaction are equal and opposite4 ,it was never said that the door would be opened to others than those who knocked4 ,the law of spiritual compensation involves the fact that we receive what we ask for4 ,if we get it otherwise1 there is no guarantee of its continuance or that its possession will be a blessing4 ,but if we ask according to our needs and strive according to our strength there is no law which can prevent a commensurate response4 ,the ignorance of our asking and the imperfection of our striving will modify the nature of the response1 but they cannot be negative of results4 ,we can trust nature and there is a spiritual law in the natural world as well as a natural law in the spiritual world1 for they are interdependent4 ,but even our daily life affords numerous instances wherein the use of the clairvoyant faculty is attended by beneficial results4 ,how many people there are who have been warned in dreams-- wherein all people are naturally clairvoyant--of some impending danger to themselves or those around them1 must have struck any casual reader of the daily press2 for during recent years much greater interest has been taken in psychological matters and we are continually in hearing of new facts which give us knowledge of the power of the soul to foresee danger1 and to know what is determined upon the world for the greater ends of human evolution4 ,some experiences of this nature will no doubt form a fit subject for a subsequent chapter4 ,the qualifications which should supplement and sustain the natural aptitude of the seer or seeress demand consideration in this place1 and the following remarks may not be without value in this respect4 ,mental stability1 self-possession and confidence in one's own soul-faculties must be the firm rock on which all revelation should rest4 ,the element of doubt either negatives results or opens the door to the ingress of all manner of deceptive impressions4 ,integrity of purpose is imperative4 ,the purer the intention and motive of the seer the more lucid will be the vision accorded4 ,no reliable vision can be obtained by one whose nature is not inherently truthful4 ,any selfish desire dominating the mind1 in regard to any thing or person will distort the vision and render it misleading1 while a persistent self-seeking spirit will effectually shut the door to all revelation whatsoever4 ,therefore above all things it is essential for the investigator of psychic phenomena to have an unflinching love of truth1 to be resigned to the will of ,heaven1 to accept the revelations accorded in a spirit of grateful confidence1 and to dispel all doubt and controversy by an appeal to the eyes of one's own immortal soul4 ,these are qualifications with which the seer or seeress should be invested1 and if with these the quest of the vision is unsuccessful after a period of earnest trial1 it must be taken as sufficient warrant that the faculty of clairvoyance is not in the category of one's individual powers4 ,haply the same qualifications brought to bear on some other psychic faculty will result in a rich recompense4 ,as for those triflers who at odd moments sit for the production of what they call phenomena1 with no other object than the gratification of an inquisitive vanity1 ,i would drive them with whips from the field of psychical research4 ,they are people whose presence in this area of serious enquiry does no good either to the cause of truth or the service of the race1 and this loose traffic of sorts in the hope of finding a new sensation would1 were it transferred to another sphere of activity1 deservedly receive a very ugly name4 ,the suggestion that the clairvoyant faculty is latent in all of us has no doubt been responsible for much misunderstanding1 and not a little disappointment2 but ,i doubt if it is so far removed from the truth as that which makes the possession of the faculty a certain sign of a superior degree of evolution4 ,although the faculty of clear vision brings us into more intimate conscious relations with a new order of existence1 where the past and future1 the distant and the near1 would seem to be brought into immediate perception1 it does not therefore confer upon us a higher degree of spirituality4 ,it may undoubtedly offer us a truer perspective than that we may derive from the ordinary circumstance of our lives1 and may suggest good grounds for a more comprehensive ethical system1 but it cannot compel one to do the right thing or to lead the virtuous life4 ,clairvoyance1 indeed1 is a faculty which has no direct moral relations4 ,it is no more the gift or property of the wise or the good man than extraordinary muscular power is an adjunct of high intelligence4 ,and yet it is a curious fact that in all the sacred writings of the world there is a suggestion that holy men1 or ,men of ,god1 have this and other transcendent faculties1 such as clairaudience and the power of healing4 ,throughout the ,hebrew ,scriptures clairaudience seems to constitute the peculiar authority of the teacher or prophet4 ,thus we have expressions such as3 ,the ,word of the ,lord came to me saying1 etc41 and ,i heard a voice which said1 etc41 which is sometimes but not always associated with direct vision4 ,but because holy men of old were distinguished by this power of direct vision it is not to be supposed that all who have it are equally sanctified4 ,by natural gift or by such means we are here discussing1 the faculty may be brought into active function1 but we should not lose sight of the fact that the attainment of righteousness implies that all these things shall be added unto you4 ,i think it right1 therefore1 to regard the quest of clairvoyance as a legitimate occupation1 providing that it is purposeful and carried out with a right spirit1 while not being allowed to interfere with the proper performance of one's ordinary duties in life4 ,for it is possible to become over-zealous and even morbid over these mysteries of human life1 and to become so obsessed by the idea of their importance as practically to render oneself unfitted for any ordinary pursuits1 thereby producing an isolation that is in the best sense unprofitable4 ,moreover1 there are mental dangers as well as spiritual and social to be feared1 and it is unfortunately not uncommon to observe that neuraesthenia1 nervous corrosion1 and even insanity attends upon the tireless efforts of the enthusiast in this direction4 ,if we regard clairvoyance as a normal faculty we are more likely to treat it normally than if we give it a paramount and exceptional value and seek to beatify those in whom it appears4 ,i am convinced from experience that it is both normal and educable though not usually active in the large majority of people4 ,i am also of the opinion that it is not peculiar1 except in its higher functions1 to human beings4 ,i have known animals to possess this faculty2 in a higher degree ,i have seen humans in the exercise of it4 ,perhaps even the archangels are yet seeking their vision of ,god4 ,but to us as normal beings clairvoyance should appear a potentially normal faculty1 to be studied and pursued by methods that are efficient while yet harmless2 and this is the purport of the present treatise4 ,i will therefore ask the reader to follow me in these pages with a mind divested of all disposition to the supernatural4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,preliminaries ,,and ,,practice ,the first consideration by those who would develop clairvoyance by artificial aids is the choice of a suitable agent4 ,it has been the practice for many years to substitute the original beryl or rock crystal by a glass ball4 ,i admit that many specimens ,i have seen are very creditable productions1 but they are nevertheless quite worthless from the point of view of those who consider material agents to be important factors in the production of clairvoyance4 ,the glass ball may1 however1 very well serve the preliminary essential of concentration1 and1 if the faculty of clairvoyance is at all active1 will be entirely effective as an agent4 ,those who have any experience at all in this matter will allow that the rock crystal exerts an influence of an entirely different nature to that observable in the use of glass4 ,indeed1 so far as experiment serves us1 it may be said that glass only produces negative results and never at any time induced clairvoyance4 ,if this state followed upon the use of a glass ball ,i am sure that the patient must have been naturally clairvoyant1 in which case a bowl of water1 a spot upon a wall1 a piece of polished brass or copper1 or a spot of ink would have been equally efficacious in inducing the degree of hypnosis required4 ,that glass spheres are equally efficient as those of crystal is true only in two cases1 namely1 when clairvoyance is natural1 in which case neither need be used2 and when no results are observable after due experiment1 from which we may conclude either that the agent is unsuitable or that the faculty is entirely submerged in that individual4 ,in hypnotic clairvoyance the glass ball will be found as useful a field as the best rock crystal4 ,yet it does not follow that because the crystal is highly odylic and glass altogether negative the former will induce clairvoyance4 ,my own first experience with the crystal was entirely disappointing1 while very striking results followed immediately upon the use of a black concave mirror4 ,the mirror is usually circular in shape and about one-quarter-inch curve to a six-inch diameter4 ,this gives a long focus1 so that the mirror may be hung upon a wall at about two yards distance from the subject4 ,a greater degree of concavity proportionate to the diameter will produce a focus which allows the mirror to be held in the hand while resting in the lap4 ,this disposes to a very easy and passive attitude and helps towards results4 ,the base of the mirror may be of tin1 wood or other material1 and it is usually filled with a composition of a bituminous nature1 the glass covering being painted with a preparation of coal-tar on its nether or convex side4 ,the exact focus and consequent size of the mirror employed as most suitable to the individual is a matter of experiment4 ,it is also to be observed that the distance of the mirror1 as also the angle of vision1 are matters of experiment4 ,beyond a certain distance it will be found that the mirror has no draw on the subject4 ,if brought closer its pull is immediately felt4 ,it is perhaps too early to theorize upon the modus operandi of the magic mirror1 as it has been called4 ,it appears to induce hypnosis and consequent elevation of nervous activity by refracting and throwing back the rays of magnetic energy which emanate from the subject4 ,illustration of magic mirror ,in the foregoing illustration let ,a-,b be the mirror with ,f for its focus4 ,let the subject be stationed at ,s4 ,then the rays directed towards the surface of the mirror will be represented by ,,rr-,,rr4 ,these rays impinge upon a diamagnetic surface which is concave4 ,the rays are therefore bent inwards and thrown back upon the person at ,s in the form of a cone of energy which has the effect of producing auto-hypnosis4 ,there are other forms of agency1 such as the zinc disc with the copper centre as used by ,braid to induce the hypnotic sleep1 but these appear to depend upon tiring the optic nerves and thus1 through their action upon the thalami to produce temporary inhibition of the whole basilar tract of the brain4 ,the mesmerist who throws streams of energy upon the patient would appear to be working on the same principle as that by which the person using the concave mirror induces self-hypnosis4 ,possibly the latter method may be found to be conducive to the phenomena arising from auto-suggestion1 while the conditions induced by the action of the hypnotist may be less liable to the effects of auto-suggestion and more responsive to hypnotic suggestion1 i4e4 the mental action of the hypnotist4 ,these1 however1 are considerations which need not trouble us overmuch1 since by whatever agent the subject is made clairvoyant1 the results are equally curious and informing4 ,auto-suggestion1 at least1 can hardly be regarded in the category of objections1 since we cannot auto-suggest that which does not first of all arise as an image in the mind4 ,it is in the spontaneous and automatic production of auto-suggested impressions that the phenomena of clairvoyance very largely consist2 only we have to remember that the suggesting self is a more considerable quantity than the personality to which these suggestions are made1 and is in touch with a world immeasurably greater and in every sense less limited than that to which the person is externally related4 ,looked at from whatever point of view we may choose1 the phenomena of clairvoyance cannot be adequately explained without recourse to psychology on the one hand and occultism on the other4 ,psychology is needed in order to explain the nature and faculty of the human soul1 and occultism to define for us the nature of that universal mirror in which the whole category of human events1 both past and future1 are reflected4 ,having decided upon a course of experiments with a crystal or mirror1 the best of the kind should be obtained4 ,a black velvet covering should be made in which to envelop the crystal when not in use4 ,mirrors are usually made with a suitable lid or covering4 ,care should be taken not to scratch the surface1 and all cleaning should be done with a dry silk handkerchief kept for the purpose4 ,exposure to the sun's rays not only scores the surface of a crystal or mirror1 but also puts the odylic substance into activity1 distributing and dissipating the magnetic power stored up therein4 ,and now a word or two about the disposition and attitude of the subject4 ,the visions do not occur in the crystal itself4 ,they may appear to do so1 but this is due1 when it occurs1 to the projection and visualization of the mental images4 ,the visions are in the mind or soul of the seer and nowhere else4 ,it is a matter of constitutional psychism as to where the sense of clear vision will be located4 ,personally ,i find the sense to be located in the frontal coronal region of the brain about #aej to the right of the normal axis of vision1 which may be regarded as the meridian of sight4 ,other instances are before me in which the sense is variously located in the back of the head1 the nape of the neck1 the pit of the stomach1 the summit of the head1 above and between the eyes1 and in one case near the right shoulder but beyond the periphery of the body4 ,the explanation appears to be that the nervo-vital emanations from the body of the seer act upon the static odyle in the agent1 which in turn reacts upon the brain centres by means of the optic nerves4 ,and this appears to be sufficient reason why the crystal or mirror should be kept as free as possible from disturbing elements4 ,water is extremely odylic and should never come in contact with the agent employed as it effectually carries off all latent or stored imports4 ,i am forced to use a crude terminology in order to convey the idea in my mind1 but ,i recognize that the whole explanation may appear vague and inadequate4 ,it is of course at all times easier to observe effects than to offer a clear explanation of them4 ,yet some sort of working hypothesis is constructed when we collate our observations1 and it is this that ,i have sought to communicate4 ,for similar reasons1 when in use the crystal or mirror should be shaded and so placed that no direct rays from sun or artificial light may fall upon it4 ,the odyle1 as ,reichenbach so conclusively proved by his experiments1 rapidly responds to surrounding magnetic conditions and to the vibrations of surrounding bodies1 and to none more rapidly than the etheric vibrations caused by combustion or light of any kind4 ,there should be no direct rays of light between the agent and the seer4 ,the room in which the sitting takes place should be moderately warm1 shady1 and lit by a diffused light1 such as may be obtained by a light holland blind or casement cloth1 in the daytime4 ,the subject should sit with his back to the source of light1 and the illumination will be adequate if ordinary print can be read by it4 ,it is important that all persons sitting in the same room with the seer should be at least at arm's length from him4 ,silence should be uniformly observed by those present1 until the vision is attained4 ,it will then be found convenient to have two persons present to act as ,interrogator and ,recorder respectively4 ,the ,interrogator should be the only person whose voice is heard1 and it should be reduced to a soft but distinct monotone4 ,the ,recorder will be occupied in setting down in writing all questions asked by the ,interrogator and the exact answers made by the seer4 ,these should be dated and signed by those present when completed4 ,it is perhaps hardly necessary to remark that precautions should be taken to prevent sudden intrusions1 and as far as possible to secure general quiet without4 ,i may here interject an observation which appears to me suggestive and may prove valuable4 ,it has been observed that the inhabitants of basaltic localities are more generally natural clairvoyants than others4 ,basalt is an igneous rock composed largely of augite and felspar1 which are silicate crystals of calcium1 potassium1 alumina1 etc41 of which the ,moonstone is a variety4 ,the connecting link is that clairvoyance is found to be unusually active during and by means of moonlight4 ,what psycho-physical effect either basalt or moonlight has upon the nervous system of impressible subjects appears to be somewhat obscure1 but there is little difference between calcium light and moonlight1 except that the latter is moderated by the greater atmosphere through which it comes to us4 ,it is only when we come to know the psychological values of various chemical bodies that we can hope for a solution of many strange phenomena connected with the clairvoyant faculty4 ,i recollect that the seeress of ,prevorst experienced positive pain from the near presence of water during her abnormal phases4 ,reichenbach found certain psycho-pathological conditions to be excited by various metals and foreign bodies when brought into contact with the sensitive4 ,these observations are extremely useful if only in producing an awareness of possible reasons for such disturbance as may occur in the conditions already cited4 ,at the outset the sittings should not last longer than at most half-an-hour1 but it is important that they should be regular1 both as to time and place4 ,we are already informed from a number of observations that every action tends to repeat itself under similar conditions4 ,habits of life and mind are thus formed so that in time they become quite involuntary and automatic4 ,a cumulative effect is obtained by attention to this matter of periodicity1 while the use of the same place for the same purpose tends to dispose the mind to the performance of particular functions4 ,in striving for psychic development of any sort we shall do well not to disregard these facts4 ,for since all actions tend to repeat themselves and to become automatic1 to pass from the domain of the purposive into the habitual1 the psychic faculties will similarly1 if actuated at any set time and place1 tend to bestir themselves to the same effects as those to which they were first moved by the conscious will and intention of the seer4 ,until the clairvoyant faculty is fully assured and satisfactory results obtained without any inconvenience to the seer1 not more than two persons should be present at the sittings4 ,these should be in close sympathy with the seer and with each other4 ,when the sitting is over it will be found useful to repair to another place and fully discuss the results obtained1 the impressions and feelings of the seer during the seance1 and matters which appear to have a bearing on the facts observed4 ,a person should not be disheartened if at the first few sittings nothing of any moment takes place1 but should persevere with patience and self-control4 ,indeed1 if we consider the fact that for hundreds of generations the psychic faculties latent in man have lain in absolute neglect1 that perhaps the faculty of clear vision has not been brought into activity by any of our ancestors since remote ages1 it should not be thought remarkable that so few find the faculty in them to be practically dormant4 ,it should rather be a matter of surprise that the faculty is still with us1 that it is not wholly irresponsive to the behests of the soul4 ,while in the course of physical evolution many important functions have undergone remarkable changes1 and organs1 once active and useful1 have become stunted1 impotent1 and in some cases extinct1 yet on the other hand we see that seeds which have lain dormant in arid soil for hundreds of years can spring into leaf and flower under the influence of a suitable climate4 ,the vermiform appendix1 so necessary to the bone eaters of a carnivorous age1 has no part in the physical economy of a later and more highly-evolved generation4 ,the pineal gland and the pituitary body are adjuncts of the brain whose functions have long been in latency4 ,the ,anastatica hierochuntica1 commonly called the ,rose of ,jericho1 is a wonderful example of functional latency4 ,the plant will remain for ages rolled up like a ball of sun-dried heather1 but if placed in water it will immediately open out and spread forth its nest of mossy green fronds1 the transition from seeming death to life taking place in a few minutes4 ,the hygrometric properties of the plant are certainly exceptional4 ,they illustrate the responsiveness of certain natures to a particular order of stimulus1 and in a sense they illustrate the functions of the human soul4 ,the faculty of direct vision is like the latent life of the vegetable world4 ,it waits only the conditions which favour its activity and development1 and though for generations it may have lain dormant1 yet in a few days or weeks it may attain the proportions of a beautiful flower1 a thing of wonder and delight1 gracing the ,garden of the ,soul4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,kinds ,,of ,,vision ,there are two kinds of vision1 and each of these may be perceived in two different ways4 ,the two sorts of vision are called the ,direct ,vision and the ,symbolic ,vision4 ,the first of these is an exact representation of some scene or incident which has taken place in the past or will subsequently be experienced in the future4 ,it may have relation to the experience of the seer1 or of those who are present at the sitting1 or yet may have a general or public application4 ,the second order of vision is a representation by ideograph1 symbol or other indirect means1 of events similar to those conveyed by direct vision4 ,the visions of ,ezekiel and ,john of ,patmos are of the symbolic order1 and although to the seers themselves there probably was a very clear apperception of their import1 yet for others they require interpretation4 ,in most cases it will be found that the nature of the vision has relation to that sphere of life and interest in which the seer or those for whom he is serving are concerned4 ,but this is not always the case1 for there are some peculiarly sensitive seers whose visions have a wider range and a more general application4 ,in the first case it would seem that the impressions latent in the individual sphere of subconscious activity are brought into evidence1 and in the other case the seer comes into relations with the world-soul or earth-sphere1 so that political1 social and cosmic events are brought out of latency into conscious perception4 ,in most cases it will be found that answers to questions are conveyed by symbols1 though this is not an invariable rule1 as will appear from the following remarks4 ,the vision1 when it occurs1 may be conveyed in one of two ways3 first1 as a vivid picture affecting the focus and retina of the eye1 perfect in its outline and colouring1 and giving the sense of nearness or distance2 secondly1 as a vivid mental impression accompanied by a hazy or dim formation in the field of vision4 ,in this latter form it becomes an apperception rather than a perception1 the mind receiving the impression of the vision to be conveyed before it has had time to form and define itself in the field4 ,as already intimated1 there appears to be a connection between the temperamental peculiarities of the two classes of clairvoyants and the kind of vision developed in them4 ,thus the direct vision is more generally found in association with the passive temperament4 ,the direct vision is neither so regular nor so constant as the symbolic vision owing to the peculiarities of the negative or passive subject4 ,when it does develop1 however1 the direct vision is both lucid and actual1 and has literal fulfilment in the world of experience and fact4 ,it is an actual representation of what has actually happened or will have place in the future1 or yet may be presently happening at some place more or less distant4 ,the symbolic vision1 on the other hand1 is more generally developed in the positive or active type of seer4 ,it has the advantage of being more regular and constant in its occurrence than the direct vision1 while at the same time being open to the objection that it is frequently misinterpreted4 ,nothing shows this better perhaps than the various interpretations which have been made of the ,apocalypse4 ,the positive temperament appears to throw off the mental images as speedily as they are developed in the subconscious area1 and goes out to meet them in a mood of speculative enquiry4 ,but the passive temperament most frequently feels first and sees afterwards1 the visionary process being entirely devoid of speculation and mental activity4 ,in a word1 the distinction between them is that the one sees and thinks while the other feels and sees4 ,the manner in which the visions appear to develop in the field requires some description1 and for reasons which will presently appear it is essential that the earliest experiments should be made in the light of a duly informed expectancy4 ,at first the crystal or mirror will appear to be overclouded by a dull1 smoky vapour which presently condenses into milky clouds among which are seen innumerable little gold specks of light1 dancing in all directions1 like gold-dust in a sunlit air4 ,the focus of the eye at this stage is inconstant1 the pupil rapidly expanding and contracting1 while the crystal or mirror alternately disappears in a haze and reappears again4 ,then suddenly the haze disappears and the crystal looms up into full view1 accompanied by a complete lapse of the seer into full consciousness of his surroundings4 ,this may be the only experience during the first few sittings4 ,it may be that of many4 ,but if it occurs it is an entirely satisfactory and hopeful symptom4 ,for sooner or later1 according to the degree of susceptibility or responsiveness in the subject1 there will come a moment when the milky-looking clouds and dancing starlights will suddenly vanish and a bright azure expanse like an open summer sky will fill the field of vision4 ,the brain will now be felt to palpitate spasmodically1 as if opening and closing again in the coronal region2 there will be a tightening of the scalp about the base of brain1 as if the floor of the cerebrum were contracting2 the seer will catch his breath with a spasmodic sigh and the first vision will stand out clear and life-like against the azure screen of space4 ,now the danger at this supreme moment is that the seer will be surprised into full waking consciousness4 ,during the process of abstraction which precedes every vision or series of visions1 the consciousness of the seer is gradually but imperceptibly withdrawn from physical surroundings4 ,he forgets that he is seated in a particular place or room1 that he is in the company of another or others4 ,he forgets that he is gazing into a crystal or mirror4 ,he knows nothing1 sees nothing1 hears nothing1 save that which is being enacted before the senses of his soul4 ,he loses sight for the time even of his own identity and becomes as it were merged in the vision itself4 ,when1 therefore1 his attention is suddenly arrested by an apparition1 startling in its reality and instantaneous production1 the reaction is likely to be both rapid and violent1 so that the seer is frequently carried back into full waking consciousness4 ,when1 however1 the mind is previously instructed and warned of this stage of the process1 a steady and self-possessed attitude is ensured and a subconscious feeling of expectancy manifests at the critical moment4 ,i have known so many cases of people being surprised out of clairvoyance and so to have lost what has often been an isolated experience1 that this treatise will be wholly justified if by the inclusion of this warning the novice comes successfully through his first experience of second sight4 ,we come now to the point where it becomes necessary to consider other important reactions which the development of any psychic sense involves4 ,to some favoured few these supernormal faculties appear to be given without any cost to themselves4 ,perhaps they are direct evolutional products1 possibly psychic inheritances2 but to such as have them no price is asked or penalty imposed4 ,others there are who are impelled by their own evolutional process to seek the development in themselves of these psychic powers2 and to these a word of warning seems necessary1 so that at the risk of appearing didactic ,i must essay the task4 ,to some it may seem unwelcome1 to others redundant and supererogatory4 ,but we are dealing with a new stage in evolutional progress--the waking up of new forces in ourselves and the prospective use of a new set of faculties4 ,it is of course open to anybody to experiment blindly1 and none will seek to deter them save those who have some knowledge of the attendant dangers1 and which knowledge alone can help us to avoid4 ,i should consider the man more fool than hero who1 in entire ignorance of mechanics and aeronautics1 stepped on board an aeroplane and started the engines running4 ,even the most skilful in any new field of experiment or research consciously faces certain but unknown dangers4 ,the victims of the aeroplane--brave pioneers of human enterprise and endeavour that they were--fell by lack of knowledge4 ,by lack of knowledge also have the humane efforts of many physicians been cut short at the outset of what might have been a successful career4 ,it was this very lack of knowledge they knew to be the greatest of all dangers1 and it was this they had set out to remedy4 ,it is not less dangerous when we begin to pursue a course of psychic development4 ,the ordinary functions of the mind are well within our knowledge and control4 ,there is always the will by which we may police the territory under our jurisdiction and government4 ,it is another matter when we seek to govern a territory whose peculiar features and native laws and customs are entirely unknown to us4 ,it is obvious that here the will-power1 if directed at all1 is as likely to be effectual for evil as for good4 ,the psychic faculties may indeed be opened up and the unknown region explored1 but at fatal cost1 it may be1 to all that constitutes normal sanity and physical well-being2 in which case one may say with ,hamlet it be better to bear those ills we have1 than fly to others that we know not of4 ,some of the conditions imposed upon those who1 not being naturally gifted in this direction1 would wish to experiment in clairvoyant development1 may conveniently be stated and examined in another chapter4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,obstacles ,,to ,,clairvoyance ,various impediments stand in the way of inducing second sight1 and certain others may be expected to arise in connection with the faculty when induced4 ,putting aside the greatest of all obstacles1 that of constitutional unfitness1 as having already been discussed in the preceding pages1 the first obstacle to be encountered is that of ill health4 ,it can hardly be expected that new areas can be opened up in the mind without considerable change and adjustment taking place by reflection in the physical economy4 ,the reaction is likely to be attended by physical distress4 ,but ,nature is adaptable and soon accommodates herself to changed conditions1 so that any results directly attributable to the development of the psychic centres of activity is not likely to be more than transient1 providing that due regard has been given to the normal requirements of health4 ,the importance of a moderate and nourishing diet cannot be too strongly urged upon those who seek for psychic development4 ,all overloading of the stomach with indigestible food and addiction to alcoholic drinks tend to cloud the higher faculties4 ,the brain centres are thereby depleted1 the heart suffers strain1 and the equilibrium of the whole system is disturbed4 ,ill health follows1 the mind is centred upon the suffering body1 spiritual aspiration ceases1 and the neglected soul folds its wings and falls into the sleep of oblivion4 ,but1 on the other hand1 one must not suppose that the adoption of a fruit and cereal diet will of itself induce to the development of the psychic powers4 ,it will aid by removing the chief impediments of congestion and disease4 ,many good people who adopt this dietetic reform have a tendency to scratch one another's shoulder blades and expect to find their wings already sprouting4 ,if it were as easy as this the complacent cow would be high up in the scale of spiritual aspirants4 ,the consciousness of man works from a centre which co-ordinates and includes the phenomena of thought1 feeling1 and volition4 ,this centre is capable of rapid displacement1 alternating between the most external of physical functions and the most internal of spiritual operations4 ,it cannot be active in all parts of our complex constitutions at one and the same moment4 ,when one part of our nature is active another is dormant1 as is seen in the waking and sleeping stages1 the dream-life being in the middle ground between the psychic and physical4 ,it will therefore be obvious that a condition in which the consciousness is held in bondage by the infirmities of the body is not one likely to be conducive to psychic development4 ,for this reason alone many aspirants have been turned back from initiation4 ,the constitution need not be robust1 but it should at all events be free from disorder and pain4 ,some of the most ethereal and spiritual natures are found in association with a delicate organism4 ,so long as the balance is maintained the soul is free to develop its latent powers4 ,a certain delicacy of organization1 together with a tendency to hyperaesthesia1 is most frequently noted in the passive or direct seer2 but a more robust and forceful constitution may well be allied to the positive type of seership4 ,as a chronic state of physical congestion is altogether adverse to the development of the second sight or any other psychic faculty1 so the temporary congestion following naturally upon a meal indicates that it is not advisable to sit for psychic exercise immediately after eating4 ,neither should a seance be begun when food is due1 for the automatism of the body will naturally demand satisfaction at times when food is usually taken and the preliminary processes of digestion will be active4 ,the best time is between meals and especially between tea and supper1 or an hour after the last meal of the day1 supposing it to be of a light nature4 ,the body should be at rest1 and duly fortified1 and the mind should be contented and tranquil4 ,the attitude of the would-be seer should not be too expectant or over-anxious about results4 ,all will come in good time1 and the more speedily if the conditions are carefully observed4 ,it is useless to force the young plant in its growth4 ,take time1 as ,nature does4 ,it is a great work and much patience may be needed4 ,nature is never in a hurry1 and therefore she brings everything to perfection4 ,the acorn becomes the sturdy oak only because ,nature is content with small results1 because she has the virtue of endurance4 ,she is patient and careful in her beginnings1 she nurses the young life with infinite care1 and her works are wonderfully great and complete in their issues4 ,moreover1 they endure4 ,whoever breathes slowest lives the longest4 ,this statement opens up a very important matter connected with all psychic phenomena1 and one that deserves more than casual notice4 ,it has been long known to the people of the ,east that there is an intimate connection between brain and lung action1 and modern experiment has shown by means of the spirometer that the systole and diastole motion of the hemispheres of the brain coincide exactly with the respiration of the lungs4 ,the brain as the organ of the mind registers every emotion with unerring precision4 ,but so also do the lungs1 as a few common observations will prove4 ,thus if a person is in deep thought the breathing will be found to be long and regular1 but if the mind is agitated the breathing will be short and stertorous1 while if fear affects the mind the breathing is momentarily suspended4 ,a person never breathes from the base of the lung unless his mind is engrossed4 ,hard exercise demands deep breathing and is therefore helpful in producing good mental reactions4 ,it is said that the great preacher ,de ,witt ,talmage used to shovel gravel from one side of his cellar to the other as a preliminary to his fine elocutional efforts4 ,it is this obvious connection between respiration and mental processes which is at the base of the system of psycho-physical culture known as ,hatha ,yoga in distinction from ,rj ,yoga1 which is concerned solely with mental and spiritual development4 ,the two systems1 which have of late years found frequent exposition in the ,new ,thought school1 are to be found in ,patanjali's ,yoga sutr4 ,some reference to the synchronous action of lung and brain will also be found in ,dr4 ,tafel's translation and exposition of ,swedenborg's luminous work on ,the ,brain4 ,in this work the ,swedish seer frankly refers his illumination regarding the functions of the brain to his faculty of introspective vision or second sight1 and it is of interest to observe that all the more important discoveries in this department of physiology during the last two centuries are clearly anticipated by him4 ,the scientific works of this great thinker are far too little known by the majority1 who are apt to regard him only as a visionary and a religious teacher4 ,ad rem4 ,the vision is produced4 ,the faculty of clairvoyance is an established fact of experience and has become more or less under the control of the mind4 ,there will yet remain one or two difficulties connected with the visions4 ,one is that of time measure1 and another that of interpretation4 ,the former is common to both orders of vision1 the direct and the symbolic4 ,the difficulty of interpretation is1 of course1 peculiar to the latter order of vision4 ,the sensing of time is perhaps the greatest difficulty encountered by the seer1 and this factor is often the one that vitiates an otherwise perfect revelation4 ,i have known cartomantes and diviners of all sorts to express their doubt as to the possibility of a correct measure of time4 ,yet it is a question that follows naturally upon a clear prediction--,when8 ,it is sometimes impossible to determine whether a vision relates to the past1 the present1 or the future4 ,in most cases1 however1 the seer has an intuitive sense of the time-relations of a vision which is borne in upon him with the vision itself4 ,it will generally be observed that in ordinary mental operations the time sense is subject to localization1 and a distinct throw of the mind will be experienced when speaking of the past and the future4 ,personally ,i find the past to be located on my left and the future on my right hand1 but others inform me that the habit of mind1 places the past behind and the future in front of them1 while others again have the past beneath their feet and the future over their heads4 ,it is obviously a habit of mind1 and this usually inheres in the visionary state so that a sense of time is found to attach to all visions1 though it cannot be relied upon to register on every occasion4 ,but also it is frequently found that there is an automatic allocation of the visions1 those that are near of fulfilment being in the foreground of the field1 the approximate in the middle ground1 and the distant in the background2 position answering to time interval4 ,in such case the vision has a certain definition or focus according to the degree of its proximity4 ,these points are1 however1 best decided by empiricism1 and rarely does it happen that the intuitive sense of the seer is at fault when allowed to have play4 ,the other difficulty to which ,i have referred1 that of interpretation of symbols when forming the substance of the vision1 may be dealt with somewhat more fully4 ,symbolism is a universal language and revelation most frequently is conveyed by means of it4 ,as a preliminary to the study of symbolism the student should read ,swedenborg's ,hieroglyphical ,key to ,natural and ,spiritual ,mysteries1 one of the earliest of his works and in a great measure the foundation of his thought and teaching4 ,the ,golden ,book of ,hermes containing the twenty-two ,tarots is open to a universal interpretation as may be seen from the works of the ,kabalists1 and in regard to their individual application may be regarded in a fourfold light1 having reference to the spiritual1 rational1 psychic and physical planes of existence4 ,it is by means of symbols that the spiritual intelligences signal themselves to our minds1 and the most exalted vision is1 as an expression of intelligence1 only intelligible by reason of its symbolism4 ,something more may be said in regard to the interpretation of symbols which may possibly be of use to those who have made no special study of the subject1 and this may conveniently form the material of another chapter4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,symbolism ,symbols formed the primitive language of the human race1 they spoke and wrote in symbols4 ,the hieroglyphic writings of the aborigines of ,central ,america1 of the ancient ,peruvians1 of the ,mongolians1 and of the ancient ,copts and ,hebrews all point to the universal use of the ideograph for the purpose of recording and conveying ideas4 ,if we study the alphabets of the various peoples1 we shall find in them clear indications of the physical and social conditions under which they evolved4 ,thus the ,hebrew alphabet carries with it unmistakable evidence of the nomadic and simple life of those dwellers in tents4 ,the forms of the letters are derived from the shapes of the constellations1 of which twelve are zodiacal1 six northern and six southern4 ,this implies a superficial intimacy with the heavens such as would result from a life spent in hot countries with little or no superstructure to shut out the view4 ,the wise among them would sit beneath the stars in the cool night air and figure out the language of the heavens4 ,it was ,god's message to mankind1 and they sought not only to understand it but to make imitation of it4 ,so they built an alphabet of forms after the pattern of things in the heavens4 ,but when we come to the names of these forms or letters we come at once into touch with the life of the people4 ,thus aleph1 an ox2 beth1 a tent2 daleth1 a tent-door2 lamed1 an ox-goad2 mem1 water2 tzadde1 a fish-hook2 quoph1 a coil of rope2 gimel1 a camel2 yod1 a hand2 oin1 an eye2 vau1 a hook or link2 heth1 a basket2 caph1 a head2 nun1 a fish2 phe1 a mouth2 shin1 a tooth2 resh1 a head2 etc41 all speaking to us of the ordinary things of a simple1 wandering life4 ,these symbols were compounded to form ideographs1 as aleph a1 and lamed l1 being the first and last of the zodiacal circle1 were employed for the name of the ,creator1 the reverse of these1 la1 signifying non-existence1 negation1 privation4 ,in course of time a language and a literature would be evolved1 but from the simple elements of a nomadic life4 ,knowledge came to them by action and the use of the physical sense4 ,they had no other or more appropriate confession of this than is seen in the root ,hebrew letters yedo-- knowledge1 compounded of the three symbols yod1 daleth1 oin-- a hand1 a door1 an eye4 ,the hand is a symbol of action1 power1 ability2 the door1 of entering1 initiation2 the eye1 of seeing1 vision1 evidence1 illumination4 ,hence the ideograph formed by the collation of these symbols signifies1 opening the door to see1 i4e4 enquiry4 ,the ,chinese alphabet of forms is entirely hieroglyphic and symbolical in its origin1 though it has long assumed a typal regularity4 ,what were once curved and crude figures have become squared and uniform letterpress4 ,but the names of these forms bring us into touch at once with the early life of the ,mongolian race4 ,we have1 however1 indications of a wider scope than was enjoyed by the primitive ,semites1 for whereas we find practically all the symbols of the ,hebrews employed as alphabetical forms1 we also have others which indicate artifice1 such as hsi1 box2 chieh1 a seal or stamp2 mien1 a roof2 chin1 a napkin2 kung1 a bow2 mi1 silk2 lei1 a plough1 and many others1 such as the names of metals1 wine1 vehicles1 leather in distinction from hides1 etc4 ,but further1 we have a mythology as part of the furniture of the primitive mind1 the dragon and the spirit or demon being employed as radical symbols4 ,considered in regard to their origin1 symbols may be defined as thought-forms which embody1 by the association of ideas1 definite meanings in the mind that generates them4 ,they wholly depend for their significance upon the laws of thought and the correspondence that exists between the spiritual and material worlds1 between the subject and object of our consciousness1 the noumenon and phenomenon4 ,all symbols therefore may be translated by reference to the known nature1 quality1 properties and uses of the objects they represent4 ,a few interpretations of symbols actually seen in the mirror may serve to illustrate the method of interpretation4 ,a foot signifies a journey1 and also understanding4 ,a mouth denotes speech1 revelation1 a message4 ,an ear signifies news1 information2 if ugly and distorted1 scandal and abuse4 ,the sun1 if shining brightly1 denotes prosperity1 honours1 good health1 favours4 ,the moon when crescent denotes success1 public recognition1 increase and improvement2 when gibbous1 sickness1 decadence1 loss and trouble4 ,the sun being rayless or seen through a haze denotes sickness to a man1 some misfortune1 danger of discredit4 ,when eclipsed it denotes the ruin or death of a man4 ,the moon similarly affected denotes equal danger to a woman4 ,these are all natural interpretations and probably would be immediately appreciated4 ,but every symbol has a threefold or fourfold interpretation and the nature of the enquiry or purpose for which the vision is sought will indicate the particular meaning conveyed4 ,for if the enquiry be concerning things of the spiritual world the interpretation of the answering vision must be in terms of that world1 and similarly if the question has relation to the intellectual or the physical worlds4 ,thus a pain of scales would denote in the spiritual sense1 absolute justice2 in the intellectual1 judgment1 proportion1 comparison1 reason2 in the social1 debt or obligation1 levy1 rate1 or tax2 and in the material1 balance of forces1 equilibrium1 action and reaction4 ,if the scales are evenly balanced the augury will be good and favourable to the purport of the quest1 but if weighted unevenly it is a case of mene1 tekel1 upharsin2 for it shows an erring judgment1 an unbalanced mind1 failure in one's obligations1 injustice4 ,a sword seen in connection with the scales denotes speedy judgment and retribution4 ,this is an illustration of an artificial symbol4 ,a ship is a symbol of trading1 of voyaging1 and is frequently used in the symbolical vision4 ,if in full sail it indicates that communication with the spiritual world is about to be facilitated1 that news from distant lands will come to hand1 that trade will increase1 that a voyage will be taken4 ,if writing should appear on the sails it will be an additional means of enlightenment4 ,if flying the pirate flag it denotes translation to another land1 death4 ,the land indicated may be the spiritual world itself1 in which case the death will be natural2 but if it should be a foreign country1 then death will take place there by some unlooked-for disaster4 ,the ship's sails being slack denotes a falling off of afflatus or spiritual influx1 loss of trade1 misfortune1 delays and bad news1 or if news is expected it will not come to hand4 ,black bread denotes a famine2 spotted or mottled bread1 a plague4 ,this symbol was seen in ,june #ahif1 with other symbols which connected it with ,india1 and there followed a great outbreak of bubonic plague in that country4 ,this symbol1 however1 was not properly understood until the event came to throw light upon it4 ,the following note is from a seance which took place in ,india in the spring of #ahic3 ,a leaf of shamrock is seen4 ,it denotes the ,united ,kingdom or the ,triple ,alliance4 ,it is seen to split down the centre with a black line4 ,it symbolizes the breaking of a treaty4 ,also that ,ireland1 whose symbol is the shamrock1 will be separated by an autonomous government from the existing ,united ,kingdom and will be divided into two factions4 ,in this way all symbols seen in the crystal or mirror may be interpreted by reference to their known properties and uses1 as well as by the associations existing between them and other things1 persons and places1 in the mind of the seer4 ,nor is it always required that the scryer should understand symbology1 for as already said1 the meanings of most of the symbols will be conveyed to the consciousness of the seer at the time of their appearance in the field4 ,experience will continually throw new light upon the screen of thought1 and a symbol once known will assume a constant signification with each seer1 so that in course of time a language will be instituted by means of which constant revelations will be made4 ,it will thus be obvious1 ,i think1 that symbolism is to a large extent subject to a personal colouring1 so that the same symbol may1 by different associations1 convey a different meaning to various seers4 ,this may arise in part from the diversities of individual experience1 of temperament1 and the order to which the soul belongs in the spiritual world4 ,these dissimilarities between individuals may be noted from their highest intellectual convictions down to the lowest of their sensations1 and it is difficult to account for it4 ,we all have the same laws of thought and the same general constitution4 ,humanity comprehends us all within the bonds of a single nature4 ,yet despite these facts we are divided by differences of opinion1 of emotion1 of sympathy1 of taste and faculty4 ,it is probable that these differences obtain in spheres immeasurably higher than our own1 the sole element of consent being the recognition of dependence upon a ,higher ,power4 ,god is the co-ordinating centre in a universe of infinite diversity4 ,therefore1 despite the fact that symbolism is capable of a universal interpretation1 it would appear that the images projected by the magical power of the soul must have different significations with each of us1 the meanings being in some mysterious way in agreement with the nature of the person who sees them4 ,hence we may come to the conclusion that every person must be his own interpreter1 there being no universal code for what are peculiarly individualized messages4 ,for although every symbol has a general signification in agreement with its natural properties and uses1 it yet obtains a particular signification with the individual4 ,it is within common experience with those who have regard to the import of dreams1 wherein the faculty of seership is acting on its normal plane1 that a dream constantly recurring is found to have a particular meaning1 which however is not applicable to others who have a similar dream4 ,every person is a seer in dream life1 but few pay that attention to dreams which their origin and nature warrant4 ,the crystal or mirror is an artificial means of bringing this normal faculty of dreaming into activity in waking life4 ,those who are capable of making the dream life normal to the working consciousness1 rise to a higher plane when they sleep4 ,but1 as stated above1 the differences of import or meaning1 even in dream life1 of any particular symbol is a common experience4 ,one person will dream of wading in water whenever there is trouble ahead4 ,another will dream of a naked child1 and yet another of coal1 when similar trouble is in store4 ,butchers' meat will signify financial trouble to one person1 to another the same will denote a fortunate speculation4 ,the controlling factor in this matter would appear to be founded in the mental and psychic constitution conferred by physical heredity and psychic tradition1 converging at the conception of the individual and expressed in the birth4 ,probably an argument could thence be made in regard to the influence of the planets and the general cosmic disposition attending upon birth3 ,i have frequently found that dreams may be interpreted by reference to the individual horoscope of birth1 and if dreams1 possibly also visions1 which are but dreams brought into the field of conscious reality4 ,but any such argument1 however tempting1 would be beyond the scope of this work4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,allied ,,psychic ,,phases ,the faculty of second sight is not by any means the most common of the psychic powers4 ,psychometric impressions which proceed by the sense of touch into that of a superior order of feeling are far more general4 ,we are affected much more than is generally recognized by the impressions gathered from the things we have contact with1 and it is quite a common experience that very delicate and sensitive people take the atmosphere of places into which they go4 ,i have in mind an instance of an extremely high-keyed person who invariably takes on the atmosphere of new localities1 houses and even rooms4 ,going to view a house with the object of taking it on rental1 she will as likely as not pronounce against the moment she enters on the ground that it is a house of death or a quarrelsome house1 full of sickness1 intemperance or what not1 and wherever enquiry has been possible it has invariably confirmed her impressions4 ,on one occasion she had telegraphed to engage a room at an hotel in a seaside town1 and on being shown to it by the maid found that it was locked4 ,while the maid went to fetch the key the young lady tried the door and immediately received a psychometric impression4 ,oh1 ,m--1 she said to her companion1 we cannot possibly have this room1 there's a corpse in it6 ,this was confirmed1 almost as soon as said1 by the appearance of the proprietor1 who explained that the maid had made a mistake in the number of the room1 and then1 feeling that there was a state of tension1 confidentially informed his visitors that the locked room had really been booked to them but the old lady who was to have vacated it that morning had unfortunately died1 and in order not to distress the other visitors the door had been locked pending the removal of the body1 and even the servants had not been informed of it4 ,the experiments of ,denton recorded in his ,soul of ,things are full of interest for those who would learn something more about the phenomena of psychometry4 ,the suggestion is that every particle of matter has its own aura or atmosphere in which are stored up the experiences of that particle4 ,what is said of the particle applies also to the mass of any body1 and in effect we get the aura of a room1 of a house1 of a town1 of a city2 and so successively until we come to that of the planet itself4 ,these stored-up impressions are not caused by the mental action of human beings in association with the material psychometrized1 they appertain entirely to the associations of the material itself1 and the psychometric sense consists in recovering these associations and bringing them into terms of human sense and consciousness4 ,the experience seems to suggest a nexus between the individualized human soul and the world-soul in which the generic life is included2 also that the human soul is a specialized evolution from the world-soul1 and hence inclusive of all stages of experience beneath the human4 ,i think it was ,draper who suggested in his ,conflict that a man's shadow falling upon a wall produced an indelible impression which was capable of being revived4 ,the cinematograph film is that brick wall raised to the nth power of impressibility4 ,the occultist will point you to a universal medium as much above the cinema film as that is above the brick or stone1 and in which are stored up the memoria mundi4 ,it is this sensitized envelope of the planetary atom that your sensitive taps by means of his clairvoyant1 psychometric and clairaudient senses4 ,clairaudience is far more general than second sight1 but there is the same variability in the range of perception as is seen in clairvoyance and psychometry4 ,thus while one hears only the evil suggestions of obsessing spirits or discarnate souls being dinned into his ears1 another will be lifted to the third heaven and hear things unutterable4 ,brain-cell discharges will hardly account for the phenomena of clairaudience4 ,a brain-cell discharge never goes beyond the repetition of one's own name in some familiar voice1 or at most the revival of a phrase or the monotonous clang of a neighbouring church bell4 ,these are not clairaudiences at all4 ,clairaudience consists in receiving auditory impressions of intelligible phrases not previously associated with the name of person or place involved in the statement4 ,these impressions may be sporadic or may be continuous4 ,in the case of a genuine development where the interior sense is fully opened up1 the communication will be continuous and normal1 as much so as ordinary conversation1 and the translation of consciousness into terms of sense will be so rapid and unimpeded as to give the impression to an ,englishman that he is listening to his native language and to a ,frenchman that he is listening to ,french1 though the communication may proceed from a source which renders this impossible4 ,the universal language of humanity is neither ,volapuk1 nor ,esperanto1 nor ,ido4 ,it is ,thought1 and when thought proceeds from a point beyond the plane of differentiation it can be determined along the line which makes for ,english as readily as that which makes for ,french1 or any other tongue4 ,it is they of the soul-world who convey the thought1 it is we of the sublunary world who translate that thought into our own language4 ,the ,hebrew prophets were almost uniformly instructed by means of clairaudience4 ,but as ,i have already said there are degrees of clairaudience1 as of any other psychic faculty4 ,the danger is that a false value may be set upon the experiences1 especially during the early stages of development when everything is very new and very wonderful4 ,telepathy is another and yet more general phrase of psychic activity4 ,it may consist in the transmission from one person to another of a feeling or impression merely1 which results in a certain degree of awareness to the state of mind in which the transmitter may be at the time1 as when a mother has a feeling that all is not well with her absent child4 ,or it may yet take a more definite and perspicuous form1 even to the transmission of details such as the names of persons and places1 of numbers1 forms and incidents4 ,telepathy commonly exists between persons in close sympathy2 and when two persons are working along separate lines toward the same result1 it is quite usual that they unconsciously telepath with one another1 their brains being for the time in synchronous vibration4 ,spiritual communication in any degree is nothing more or less than sympathy--those who feel together1 think together4 ,the modern development of the aerial post is a step towards the universal federation of thought1 but it is not comparable with the astral post which carries a thousand miles an hour4 ,in this sort of correspondence the communication is written like any ordinary letter designed for transmission1 but instead of stamping and posting it1 a lighted match is applied to the finished work4 ,the material part is destroyed1 but the intangible and only real and lasting part remains behind4 ,this is attached1 by the direction of the will1 to a particular person and set in a certain direction4 ,if all the conditions have been properly observed it will not fail to reach its destination4 ,i have fortunately been able to demonstrate this fact in public on more than one occasion4 ,the phenomenon is repeated in a less striking form in every case of what is called crossing1 as when one correspondent feels suddenly called upon to write urgently to another and receives a reply to his enquiries while his letter is still in course of delivery4 ,nature is full of a subtle magic of this sort for which we have no organized science4 ,it is said that if you put snails together and afterwards separate them1 placing each upon a copper ground to which electric wires are attached1 a shock given to one snail will be registered by the other at the same moment4 ,i have not tried this theory1 but the idea is fundamental to a mass of telepathic observations which have found practical expression in wireless telegraphy4 ,some thirty years ago1 however1 ,i made trial of the twin magnet theory and was entirely successful in getting wireless messages from one room to another4 ,the performance was1 however1 clumsy and tedious1 and ,i did not then know enough to see how it could be perfected4 ,the idea is now in the very safe custody of the ,patents ,office4 ,community of taste can be demonstrated under hypnosis4 ,it is not otherwise usually active in sensitives1 and ,swedenborg was hence of opinion that the sense of taste could not be obsessed4 ,this1 however1 is incorrect4 ,i have illustrated community of all the senses under hypnosis in circumstances which entirely precluded the possibility of feint or imposition on the part of the subject4 ,another phase of psychic activity is that illustrated in dowsing or water-finding by means of the hazel fork4 ,it may be accounted a form of hyperaesthesia and no doubt has a nervous expression1 but it is not the less psychic in its origin4 ,i have already referred to the action of water upon psychic sensitives1 and there seems little room for doubt that it is the psychometric sense which1 by means of the self-extensive faculty inhering in consciousness1 registers the presence of the great diamagnetic agent4 ,professor ,barrett has written a most interesting monograph on this subject1 and there are many books extant which make reference to and give examples of this curious phenomenon4 ,the late ,british ,consul at ,trieste and famous explorer and linguist1 ,sir ,richard ,burton1 could detect the presence of a cat at a considerable distance1 and ,i have heard that ,lord ,roberts experiences the same paralyzing influence by the proximity of the harmless feline4 ,if1 therefore1 one can register the presence of a cat1 and another that of a dead body1 ,i see no difficulty in others registering water or any other antipathetic4 ,all we have to remember is that these things are psychic in their origin1 and not ignorantly confound sensation with consciousness1 or hyperaesthesia with the various psychopathic faculties we have been discussing4 ,but it is necessary to return to our main subject and consider where our developed clairvoyant or second-sight faculty will lead us1 and what sort of experience we may expect to gain by its use4 ,these points may now be dealt with4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,experience ,,and ,,use ,first let us have the facts1 we can then best see what use we can make of them4 ,this ,i think is the correct position in regard to any abnormal claim that is made upon our attention4 ,everybody has heard of the prophecies of the ,brahmin seer1 most people have some acquaintance with the phenomena attending the clairvoyance of the seeress of ,prevorst1 while the experiences of ,emanuel ,swedenborg have been set forth in many biographies1 but in none more lucidly and dispassionately than that by ,william ,white4 ,traditions have come to us concerning the clairvoyance of the ,greek exponent of the ,pythagorean teachings1 ,apollonius of ,tyana1 and the case of ,cavotte1 who predicted his own death and that of ,robespierre and others by the guillotine1 is on record4 ,the illumination of ,andrew ,jackson ,davis1 the ,poughkeepsie seer1 and that of ,thomas ,lake ,harris of ,fountain ,grove1 are modern examples of abnormal faculty of a nature which places them outside the field of direct evidence4 ,a prophecy made from the use of the super-sense which is followed by exact fulfilment appears to be the best criterion1 though it is a very imperfect illustration of the scope of clairvoyance4 ,the following instances are within my personal experience1 and being already on record and well attested1 will serve equally to illustrate the fact of clairvoyance as would numerous others within my knowledge4 ,in ,june1 #ahif1 a lady visited me in ,manchester ,square and1 being anxious on several points1 asked that ,i would scry for her4 ,a blue beryl was used as agent4 ,she was told that she would have news from a tropical country concerning the birth of a child1 a boy1 who would arrive in the following year in the month of ,february4 ,that on a certain date while travelling she would meet with an accident to the right leg4 ,previous to this1 in ,october she would have a welcome surprise connected with papers and a contest in which her son was engaged4 ,now here was a network of disaster for any would-be prophet who relied upon what is called the lucky shot4 ,if we enumerate the items of prediction1 on any of which a fatal error could have been made1 we shall find a very formidable list3-- ,a tropical country4 ,a birth4 ,a boy then unborn4 ,february1 #ahig4 ,a journey on a particular date4 ,the right leg4 ,the son4 ,october4 ,papers4 ,at least nine points on which the faculty could have been wholly at fault4 ,the fulfilment1 however1 came in due course4 ,the lady heard that her sister1 then vicereine of ,india1 was about to have a child1 and in ,february1 #ahig1 a son was born to ,lord ,elgin4 ,in ,october the lady referred to was agreeably surprised to learn that her son had passed his examination for the military college with honours4 ,further1 while boarding a train at ,victoria station she had the misfortune to slip between the platform and the footboard1 so that the shin of the right leg was badly damaged and severe muscular strain was also suffered1 in consequence of which she was laid up for several days4 ,mrs4 ,h4 was consulted by an authoress1 her profession being unknown to the scryer4 ,she was told that she would go up a dingy staircase with a roll of papers under her arm2 that she would see a dark man1 thickset and of quiet demeanour4 ,he would take the roll of papers and it would be a source of good fortune to her4 ,the prediction was literally fulfilled4 ,the first case cited is an example of the positive and symbolic type of vision2 the second being of the passive and direct type4 ,mrs4 ,a4 was consulted by a lady of the writer's acquaintance and was told that she would not marry the man to whom she was then engaged as there was a certain other person1 described1 coming across the seas to claim her4 ,she would meet him three years later in the month of ,january4 ,the event transpired exactly as stated1 though nothing at that time appeared less probable1 and indeed the lady was not a little irate at the allusion to the breaking off of the engagement and of marrying a man whom she had never seen and for whom she could have no sort of regard4 ,in fact1 the whole revelation was very revolting to one so wholly absorbed as was she at the time4 ,it cannot be argued that this was a case of suggestion working itself out1 for one cannot auto-suggest the arrival of a person of a particular description from a distant land to one's own drawing-room at any time1 and there is here a prediction as to the date which was duly fulfilled4 ,this was a case of direct vision4 ,mrs4 ,g4 consulted a seer on ,september #bg1 #ahid4 ,she was told she would have sickness affecting the loins and knees2 that she would be the owner of a house in the month of ,december2 that a removal would be made when the trees were leafless2 that there would be a dispute about a sum of money4 ,this is positive or symbolical clairvoyance4 ,the symbols seen were as follow3 a figure with a black cloth about the loins1 the figure stooping and resting the hands upon its knees4 ,a house covered with snow1 bare trees around it4 ,a bird on a leafless branch2 the bird flies away4 ,several hands seen grabbing at a pile of money4 ,all the predictions were fulfilled4 ,interpretations of symbols when made during the vision are frequently far removed from what one would be led to expect4 ,but we have to remember that the seer is then in a psychologized state1 and there is reason to believe that interpretations made from the inner plane of consciousness are due to the fact that the symbols appear in a different light4 ,our ordinary dreams follow the same change4 ,while asleep we are impressed by the importance and logical consistency of the dream incident1 which assumes1 possibly1 the proportions of a revelation1 but which dissolves into ridiculous triviality and nonsense as soon as we awake4 ,the reason is that there is a complete hiatus between the visionary and the waking state of consciousness1 and even the laws of thought appear to undergo a change as the centre of consciousness slides down from the inner to the outer world of thought and feeling4 ,in the ,eastern conception the three states of jagrata1 waking1 swapna1 dreaming1 and sushupti1 sleeping1 are penetrated by the thread of consciousness1 the sutrtma1 a node of complete unconsciousness separating one state from the next4 ,the centre of consciousness1 like a bead on the thread1 alternates between the three states as it is impelled by desire or will4 ,illustration of the three states of jagrata ,i have known sickness predicted1 both as to time and nature of the malady2 the receipt of unexpected letters and telegrams with indications of their contents and resulting incident2 changes1 voyages1 business transactions1 deaths1 and even changes in the religious views of individuals1 all by means of the crystal vision4 ,it sometimes happens that the visionary state is induced by excessive emotion during which the prophetic faculty is considerably heightened4 ,some temperaments on the other hand will fall into the clairvoyant condition when engaged in deep thought4 ,the thread of thought seems suddenly to be broken1 and there appears a vision wholly unconnected with the subject but a moment ago absorbing the mind4 ,it is as if the soul1 while probing the depths of its inner consciousness1 comes into contact with the thin partition which may be said to divide the outer world of reason and doubt from the inner world of intuition and direct perception1 and breaking through1 emerges into the light beyond4 ,in trance there is generally a development of other super-senses1 such as clairaudience and psychic touch1 as well as clairvoyance4 ,examples might be multiplied and would but serve to show that the rapport existing between the human soul and the world soul1 the individual consciousness and the collective consciousness1 is capable of being actively induced by recourse to appropriate means and developed where it exists in latency by means of the crystal1 the black concave mirror or other suitable agent4 ,as yet1 however1 the majority are wholly ignorant of the existence of such psychic faculties1 and even those who possess them are conscious of having but an imperfect control of them4 ,as in the case of genius where nature is opening up new centres of activity in the mind1 the casual observer notes an eccentricity hardly distinguishable from some incipient forms of insanity2 so the development of new psychic faculties is frequently attended by temporary loss of control over the normal brain functions4 ,loss of memory1 hysteria1 absent-mindedness1 unconscious utterance of thought1 illusions1 irritability1 indifference1 misanthropy and similar perversions are not infrequent products of the preliminary stages of psychic development4 ,these1 however1 will pass away as the new faculty pushes through into full existence4 ,nature is jealous of her offspring and concentrates the whole of her forces when in the act of generation1 and that is the reason of her apparent neglect of powers and functions1 normally under her control1 while the evolution of a new faculty is in process4 ,let it be understood therefore that the faculty of clairvoyance or any other super-sense is not to be artificially developed without some cost to those who seek it4 ,the universe is thine2 take what thou wilt1 but pay the price1 says ,emerson4 ,this is the divine mandate4 ,it is not merely a question of the price of a crystal or a mirror1 the sacrifice of time1 the exercise of patience3 it may mean something much more than this4 ,it is a question of the price of a new faculty4 ,what is it worth to you8 ,that is the price you will be required to pay4 ,and with this equation in mind the reader must consider the use to which1 when obtained1 he will apply his faculty2 for the virtue of everything is in its use4 ,it is reasonable to presume that one's daily life can supply the true answer4 ,to what use are we employing the faculties we already have1 all of them acquired with as much pain and suffering1 it may be1 as any new ones we are ever likely to evolve8 ,if we are using these faculties for the benefit of the race we shall employ others that are higher to even greater effect4 ,in other case it is not worth the effort of acquiring1 nor is it likely that anybody of a radically selfish nature will take the trouble to acquire it4 ,natural selection is the fine sieve which the gods use in their prospecting4 ,the gross material does not go through4 ,,conclusion4 ,the foregoing short treatise will gain some practical value by a statement of the conditions most suitable for scrying4 ,a diffused natural light1 preferably from the north1 is always better than an artificial light4 ,the subject should sit with his back to the source of light1 at a distance from the mirror determined by its focus2 or if the agent be a crystal it should be held in the hands1 one supporting the other4 ,steady gazing in complete silence should be maintained for a quarter of an hour1 which may be afterwards gradually extended to half or even a full hour4 ,success depends largely upon idiosyncrasy and temperamental aptitude4 ,seers are often to be found among men and women of imperfect education owing to fitness of temperament2 seers of this order are born with the faculty4 ,others1 seemingly non-sensitive at first1 may develop the faculty after a few short sittings4 ,the eyes should not be strained1 but the gaze should be allowed to rest casually yet steadily on the agent as if one were reading a book4 ,it will be found that the sight is presently drawn inwards to a focus beyond the surface of the agent4 ,this opening up of the field of vision is the symptom of success4 ,the next step is indicated by a change in the atmosphere of the field4 ,instead of reflecting or remaining translucent1 the agent will appear to cloud over4 ,this will appear to become milky1 then to be diffused with colour which changes to black or murky brown1 and finally the screen appears to be drawn away1 revealing a picture1 a scene1 figures in action1 symbolical forms1 sentences1 etc4 ,the physiological symptoms are3 first1 a slight chill along the spine like cold water trickling from the neck downwards2 secondly1 a returning flush of heat from the base of the spine upwards to the crown of the head2 thirdly1 a gaping or spasmodic action of the brain2 and lastly1 a deep inward drawing of the breath1 as if sobbing4 ,when these symptoms follow closely upon one another1 vision will be assured4 ,it generally happens1 however1 that the various symptoms are separately developed by repeated sittings1 only appearing in proper sequence when the experiment is finally successful4 ,one of the most interesting phases of this development of second sight is the opening up of lost impressions1 the revival of lapsed memories2 looking for one thing1 you find another is an experience in daily life which has a psychological application4 ,the things which pass into the limbo of forgetfulness are never lost to us4 ,they remain stored up in latency and are ready to spring into activity as soon as the depths of the mind are probed4 ,necessarily this experience is more generally interesting than pleasant1 but it serves to give one a sense of the connectedness of life's incident and to show a certain sequential necessity in the course of events4 ,the whyness of our various experiences is revealed when they are displayed in their true relations and given their true value in the scheme of individual evolution4 ,as detached experiences they appear without reason or purpose1 apparently futile1 often painful and even cruel2 but as a consecutive scheme1 completed by the revival of all the connecting links1 the wisdom1 justice1 kindness and beneficence of the ,great ,arbiter of our destinies are fully and conspicuously revealed4 ,my own first suspicions of a former embodied existence were derived from psychic experiences1 and later on were confirmed by the course of events4 ,i saw myself reaping that which ,i had sown1 and ,i observed that what was sown in ignorance might be reaped in the light of a fuller knowledge2 only we must henceforth be wise in the sowing4 ,i would say in conclusion that it is the duty of man to himself and humanity not only to hold himself in readiness1 but also to fit himself for the reception of new light4 ,since evolution is the law of life and the glory of going on man's highest guerdon1 and since we are all candidates for responsibility1 asking as reward for work well done to-day a task of greater magnitude on the morrow1 it appears that the development of the psychic faculties may well form an orderly step in the process of human perfectibility1 and help to bring us nearer to the source of all good4 ,if it serves only to keep open the door between the two worlds it will have filled a good purpose1 and if in the writing of this little exposition1 ,i may have contributed to the confidence and security of any who may adventure these obscure paths1 ,i shall be well content4