Second Sight by Sepharial

SECOND SIGHTA STUDY OF NATURAL ANDINDUCED CLAIRVOYANCE

BY

SEPHARIALAUTHOR OF "A MANUAL OF ASTROLOGY,"

"PROGNOSTIC ASTRONOMY," "A MANUAL OFOCCULTISM," "KABALISTIC ASTROLOGY," "THE

KABALA OF NUMBERS," ETC., ETC.

LONDONWILLIAM RIDER & SON, LIMITED

1912

Richard Clay & Sons, Limited,Brunswick Street, Stamford Street, S.E.,

and Bungay, Suffolk.

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CONTENTS

Introduction 7Chapter I. The Scientific Position 10Chapter II. Materials and Conditions 21Chapter III. The Faculty of Seership 29Chapter IV. Preliminaries and Practice 39Chapter V. Kinds of Vision 51Chapter VI. Obstacles to Clairvoyance 59Chapter VII. Symbolism 67Chapter VIII. Allied Psychic Phases 76Chapter IX. Experience and Use 84

Conclusion 93

INTRODUCTIONFew words will be necessary by way of preface to thisbook, which is designed as an introduction to a littleunderstood and much misrepresented subject.I have not here written anything which is intended todisplace the observations of other authors on this subject,nor will it be found that anything has been saidsubversive of the conclusions arrived at byexperimentalists who have essayed the study ofclairvoyant phenomena in a manner that is altogether




commendable, and who have sought to place the subjecton a demonstrable and scientific basis. I refer to theproceedings of the Society for Psychical Research.In the following pages I have endeavoured to indicate thenature of the faculty of Second Sight or Clairvoyance, themeans of its development, the use of suitable media oragents for this purpose, and the kind of results that maybe expected to follow a regulated effort in this direction. Ihave also sought to show that the development of thepsychic faculties may form an orderly step in the processof human unfoldment and perfectibility.As far as the nature and scope of this little work willallow, I have sought to treat the subject on a broad andgeneral basis rather than pursue more particular andpossibly more attractive scientific lines. What I have heresaid is the result of a personal experience of some yearsin this and other forms of psychic development andexperimentation. My conclusions are given for what theyare worth, and I have no wish to persuade my readers tomy view of the nature and source of these abnormalphenomena. The reader is at liberty to form his owntheory in regard to them, but such theory should beinclusive of all the known facts. The theories dependingon hypnotic suggestion may be dismissed as inadequate.There appear to remain only the inspirational theory ofdirect revelation and the theory of the world-soulenunciated by the Occultists. I have elected in favour ofthe latter for reasons which, I think, will be conspicuousto those who read these pages.I should be the last to allow the study of psychism tousurp the legitimate place in life of intellectual andspiritual pursuits, and I look with abhorrence upon theflippant use made of the psychic faculties by a certainclass of pseudo-occultists who serve up this kind of thing




with their five o'clock tea. But I regard an orderedpsychism as a most valuable accessory to intellectual andspiritual development and as filling a natural place in theprocess of unfoldment between that intellectualism that isgrounded in the senses and that higher intelligence whichreceives its light from within. From this view-point thefollowing pages are written, and will, I trust, provehelpful.

CHAPTER I.THE SCIENTIFIC POSITIONIt would perhaps be premature to make any definitepronouncement as to the scientific position in regard tothe psychic phenomenon known as "scrying," andcertainly presumptuous on my part to cite an authorityfrom among the many who have examined this subject,since all are not agreed upon the nature and source of theobserved phenomena. Their names are, moreover,already identified with modern scientific research andtheory, so that to associate them with experimentalpsychology would be to lend colour to the idea thatmodern science has recognized this branch of knowledge.Nothing, perhaps, is further from the fact, and while itcannot in any way be regarded as derogatory to thehighest scientist to be associated with others, of lessscientific attainment but of equal integrity, in thiscomparatively new field of enquiry, it may lead topopular error to institute a connection. It is still fresh inthe mind how the Darwinian hypothesis was utterlymisconceived by the popular mind, the suggestion thatman was descended from the apes being generally quotedas a correct expression of Darwin's theory, whereas he




never suggested any such thing, but that man and theapes had a common ancestor, which makes of the aperather a degenerate lemur than a human ancestor. Otherand more prevalent errors will occur to the reader, thesebeing due to the use of what is called "the evidence of thesenses"; and of all criteria the evidence of sensation isperhaps the most faulty. Logical inference fromdeductive or inductive reasoning has often enough been agood monitor to sense-perception, and has, moreover,pioneered the man of science to correct knowledge onmore than one occasion. But as far as we know or canlearn from the history of human knowledge, our senseshave been the chiefest source of error. It is withconsiderable caution that the scientist employs theevidence from sense alone, and in the study ofexperimental psychology it is the sense which has first tobe corrected, and which, in fact, forms the great factor inthe equation. A person informs me that he can see avision in the crystal ball before him, and although I am inthe same relation with the "field" as he, I cannot seeanything except accountable reflections. This fact doesnot give any room for contradicting him or any right toinfer that it is all imagination. It is futile to say the visiondoes not exist. If he sees it, it does exist so far as he isconcerned. There is no more a universal community ofsensation than of thought. When I am at work my ownthought is more real than any impression receivedthrough the sense organs. It is louder than the babel ofvoices or the strains of instrumental music, and moreconspicuous than any object upon which the eye may fall.These external impressions are admitted or shut out atwill. I then know that my thought is as real as my senses,that the images of thought are as perceptible as thoseexterior to it and in every way as objective and real. Thethought-form has this advantage, however, that it can begiven a durable or a temporary existence, and can betaken about with me without being liable to impost as




"excess luggage." In the matter of evidence inpsychological questions, therefore, sense perceptions areonly second-rate criteria and ought to be received withcaution.Almost all persons dream, and while dreaming they seeand hear, touch and taste, without questioning for amoment the reality of these experiences. The dreamingperson loses sight of the fact that he is in a bedroom of aparticular house, that he has certain relations with otherssleeping in the same house. He loses sight of the fact thathis name is, let us say, Henry, and that he is famous forthe manufacture of a particular brand of soap or cheese.For him, and as long as it lasts, the dream is the onereality. Now the question of the philosopher has alwaysbeen: which is the true dream, the sleeping dream or thewaking dream? The fact that the one is continuous ofitself while the other is not, and that we always fall into anew dream but always wake to the same reality, hasgiven a permanent value to the waking or external life,and an equally fictitious one to the interior or dreaminglife. But what if the dream life became more or lesspermanent to the exclusion of all other memories andsensations? We should then get a case of insanity inwhich hallucination would be symptomic. (The dreamstate is more or less permanent with certain poeticaltemperaments, and if there is any insanity attaching to itat all, it consists in the inability to react.) Imagination,deep thought and grief are as much anaesthetic aschloroform. But the closing of the external channels ofsensation is usually the signal for the opening of thepsychic, and from all the evidence it would seem that thepsychic sense is more extensive, acuter and in every waymore dependable than the physical. I never yet have metthe man or woman whose impaired eyesight required thathe or she should use glasses in order to see while asleep.That they do see is common experience, and that they see




farther, and therefore better, with the psychic sense thanwith the physical has been often proved. EmanuelSwedenborg saw a fire in Stockholm when he wasresident in England and gave evidence of it before thevision was confirmed by news from Sweden. A lady ofmy acquaintance saw and described a fire taking place ata country seat about 150 miles away, the incident beingtrue to the minutest details, many of which wereexceptional and in a single instance tragic. The psychicsense is younger than the physical, as the soul is youngerthan the body, and its faculty continues unimpaired longafter old age and disease have made havoc of the earthlyvestment. The soul is younger at a thousand years thanthe body is at sixty. Let it be admitted upon evidence thatthere are two sorts of sense perception, the physical andthe psychical, and that in some persons the latter is asmuch in evidence as the former. We have to enquire thenwhat relations the crystal or other medium has to thedevelopment and exercise of the clairvoyant faculty. Weknow comparatively little about atomic structure inrelation to nervous organism. The atomicity of certainchemical bodies does not inform us as to why one shouldbe a deadly poison and another perfectly innocuous. Weregard different bodies as congeries of atoms, but it is asingular fact that of two bodies containing exactly thesame elements in the same proportions the one ispoisonous and the other harmless. The only differencebetween them is the atomic arrangement.The atomic theory refers all bodies to one homogeneousbasic substance, which has been termed protyle (proto-hyle), from which, by means of a process loosely definedas differentiation, all the elements are derived. Theseelements are the result of atomic arrangement. The atomshave various vibrations, the extent of which is called themean free path of vibration; greatest in hydrogen andleast in the densest element. All matter is indestructible,




but at the same time convertible, and these facts, togetherwith the absolute association of matter and force, lead tothe conclusion that every change of matter implies achange of force. Matter, therefore, is ever living andactive, and there is no such thing as dead matteranywhere. The hylo-idealists have therefore regarded allmatter as but the ultimate expression of spirit, andprimarily of a spiritual origin.The somewhat irksome phraseology of BaronSwedenborg has dulled many minds to a sense of his greatacumen and philosophical depth, but it maybe convenientto summarize his scientific doctrine of"Correspondences" in this place as it has an importantbearing on the subject in hand. He laid down the principleof the spiritual origin of force and matter. Matter, heargued, was the ultimate expression of spirit, as form wasthat of force. Spirit is to force what matter is to form--itssubstratum. Hence for every spiritual force there is acorresponding material form, and thus the material ornatural world corresponds at all points to the world ofspirit, without being identical. The apparent hiatusbetween one plane of existence and the next he called adiscrete degree, while the community between differentbodies on the same plane he called a continuous degree.Thus there is community of sensation between bodies ofthe same nature, community of feeling, community ofthought, and community of desire or aspiration, each onits own plane of existence. But desire is translated intothought, thought into feeling, and feeling into action. Thespirit, soul (rational and animal in its higher and loweraspects), and the body appear to have been the principlesof the human constitution according to this authority. Allspirits enjoy community, as all souls and all bodies ontheir respective planes of existence; but between spiritand soul, as between soul and body, there is a discretedegree. In fine, mind is continuous of mind all through the




universe, as matter is continuous of matter; while mindand matter are separated and need to be translated intoterms of one another.Taking our position from the scientific statement of theatomic structure of bodies, atomic vibration andmolecular arrangement, we may now consider the actionexerted by such bodies upon the nervous organism ofman.The function of the brain, which may be regarded as thebulbous root of a plant whose branches grow downwards,is twofold: to affect, and to be affected. In its active andpositive condition it affects the whole of the vital andmuscular processes in the body, finding expression invital action. In its passive and negative state it is affectedby impressions coming to it in different ways through thesense organs, resulting in nervous and mental action.These two functions are interdependent. It is the latter orafferent function with which we are now concerned. Therange of our sense-perceptions puts us momentarily inrelations with the material world, or rather, with a certainportion of it. For we by no means sense all that issensible, and, as I have already indicated, our senseimpressions are often delusive. The gamut of our senses isvery limited, and also very imperfect both as to extentand quality. Science is continually bringing newinstruments into our service, some to aid the senses,others to correct them. The microscope, the microphone,the refracting lens are instances. It used to be said withgreat certainty that you cannot see through a brick wall,but by means of X-rays and a fluorescent screen it is nowpossible to do so. I have seen my own heart beating as itsimage was thrown on the screen by the Rontgen rays.Many insects, birds and animals have keener perceptionsin some respects than man. Animalculae and microbiclife, themselves microscopic, have their own order of




sense-organs related to a world of life beyond our ken.These observations serve to emphasise the greatlimitation of our senses, and also to enforce the fact thatNature does not cease to exist where we cease toperceive her. The recognition of this fact has been sothoroughly appreciated by thoughtful people as to haveopened up the question as to what these humanlimitations may mean and to what degree they mayextend.We know what they mean well enough: the history ofhuman development is the sequel to natural evolution,and this development could never have had place apartfrom the hunger of the mind and the consequent breakingdown of sense limitations by human invention. As to theextent of our limitations it has been suggested that just asthere are states of matter so fine as to be beyond therange of vision, so there may be others so coarse as to bebelow the sense of touch. We cannot, however, assertanything with certainty, seeing that proof must alwaysrequire that a thing must be brought within our range ofperception before we can admit it as fact. The future hasmany more wonderful revelations in store for us, nodoubt. But there is really nothing more wonderful thanhuman faculty which discovers these things in Nature,things that have always been in existence but until nowhave been outside our range of perception. The ultra-solidworld may exist.The relations of our sense-organs to the various degreesof matter, to solids, fluids, gases, atmosphere and ether,vary in different individuals to such a wide extent as tocreate the greatest diversity of normal faculty. Theaverage wool-sorter will outvie an artist in his perceptionof colour shades. An odour that is distinctly recognizableby one person will not be perceptible to others. In thematter of sound also the same differences of perception




will be noted. On a very still night one can hear the sugarcanes growing. Most people find the cry of a bat to bebeyond their range. The eye cannot discern intervals ofless than one-fiftieth of a second. Atmospheric vibrationdoes not become sound until a considerable frequency isattained. Every movement we make displaces air but oursense of touch does not inform us of it, but if we stand ina sunbeam the dust particles will show that it is so. Oursense of feeling will not register above certain degrees ofheat or below certain degrees of cold. Sensation,moreover, is not indefinitely sustained, as anyone maylearn who will follow the ticking of a watch for fiveminutes continuously.But quite apart from the sense and range of ourperceptions, the equality of a sense-impression is found tovary with different persons, affecting them each in adifferent way. We find that people have "tastes" in regardto form, colour, flavour, scent, sound, fabric and texture.The experience is too general to need illustration, but wemay gather thence that, in relation to the nervous systemof man, every material body and state of matter has avariable effect. These remarks will clear the ground for astatement of my views upon the probable effect a crystalmay have upon a sensitive person.

CHAPTER II.MATERIALS AND CONDITIONSThe crystal is a clear pellucid piece of quartz or beryl,sometimes oval in shape but more generally spherical. Itis accredited by Reichenbach and other researchers withhighly magnetic qualities, capable of producing in a




suitable subject a state analogous to the ordinary "wakingtrance" of the hypnotists. It is believed that all bodiesconvey, or are the vehicles of certain universal propertycalled od or odyle (od-hyle), which is not regarded as aforce but as an inert and passive substance underlying themore active forces familiar to us in kinetic, calorific andelectrical phenomena. In this respect it holds a positionanalogous to the argon of the atmosphere, and is capableof taking up the vibrations of those bodies to which it isrelated and which it invests. It would perhaps not beamiss to regard it as static ether. Of itself it has no activeproperties, but in its still, well-like depths, it holds thepotentiality of all magnetic forces.This odyle is particularly potent in certain bodies and oneof these is the beryl or quartz. It produces and retainsmore readily in the beryl than in most other bodies theimages communicated to it by the subconscious activityof the seer. It is in the nature of a sensitized film which iscapable of recording thought forms and mental images asthe photographic film records objective things. Theoccultist will probably recognize in it many of theproperties of the "astral light," which is often spoken of inthis connection. Readers of my Manual of Occultism willalready be informed concerning the nature ofsubconscious activity. The mind or soul of man has twoaspects: the attentive or waking consciousness, directedto the things of the external world; and the subconscious,which is concerned with the things of the interior world.Each of these spheres of the mind has its voluntary andautomatic phases, a fact which is usually lost sight of,inasmuch as the automatism of the mind is frequentlyconfounded with the subconscious. All purposive actiontends to become automatic, whether it be physical ormental, sensory or psychic.The soul in this connection is to be regarded as the




repository of all that complex of emotions, thoughts,aspirations, impressions, perceptions, feelings, etc., whichconstitute the inner life of man. The soul is none the lessa fact because there are those who bandy words about itsorigin and nature.Reichenbach has shown by a series of experiments uponsensitive and hypnotized subjects, that metals and othermaterials produce very marked effects in contact with thehuman body. The experiments further showed that thesame substance affected different patients in diversemanners.The hypnotic experiments of the late Dr. Charcot, thewell-known French biologist, also demonstrate therapport existing between the sensitive subject and foreignbodies in proximity. A bottle containing a poison is takenat random from a number of others of similar appearanceand is applied to the back of the patient's neck. Thehypnotic subject at once begins to develop all thesymptoms of arsenical, strychnine or prussic acidpoisoning; it being afterwards found that the bottlecontains the toxine whose effects have been portrayed bythe subject. But not all hypnotic subjects are capable ofthe same degree of sensibility.Community of sensation is as common a phenomenon ascommunity of thought between a hypnotizer and hissubject, and what are called sympathetic pains areincluded in common experience. Sensitive persons willsimulate all the symptoms of a virulent disease, e.g. mockmeasles. The phenomena of psychometry reveal the factof bodies being able to retain records and of the humanpossibility of reviving these records as sensations andthought images, although there is no direct community ofsensation between an inanimate object and the nervousorganism of a sensitive. It need not, therefore, be a matter




of surprise that the crystal can exert a very definite andsensible effect upon the nervous organism of a certainorder of subjects. It does not affect all alike nor act in auniform and constant manner on those whom it does soaffect. The modifications of sensibility taking place in thesubject or sensitive render the action of the agent avariable quantity. Where its action is more or less rapidand remarkable, however, the quartz or beryl crystal maybe regarded as the most effective agent for producingclairvoyance.In other cases the concave mirror, either of polishedcopper or black japan, will be found serviceable. Incertain cases where the faculty is already developed butlying in latency, any shining surface will suffice to bring itinto activity. Ecstatic vision was first induced in JacobBoehme by the sun's rays falling upon a bowl of waterwhich caught and dazzled his eyes while he was engagedin the humble task of cobbling a pair of shoes. Inconsequence of this exaltation of the visual sense wehave those remarkable works, The Aurora, The FourComplexions, Signatura Rerum, and many others, withletters and commentaries which, in addition to being of aspiritual nature, are also to be regarded as scholarly whenreferred to their source. In Boehme's case, as in that ofSwedenborg, whose faculty did not appear until he wasfifty-four years of age, it would appear that the facultywas constitutional and already developed, waiting onlythe conditions which should bring it into active operation.The agent most suitable for developing clairvoyancecannot therefore be definitely prescribed. It must remaina matter of experiment with the subject himself. Thatthere are some persons in whom the psychic faculties aremore prone to activity than in others is certain, and itwould appear also that these faculties are native in someby spiritual or hereditary succession, which fact is evident




from their genitures as interpreted by astrology. Manyplanets in flexed signs and a satellitium in the nadir orlower angle of the horoscope is a certain indication ofextreme nervous sensibility and predisposition totelaesthenic impressions, though this observation does notcover all the instances before me. It is true, however,where it applies. The dominant influence of the planetNeptune in a horoscope is also to be regarded as a specialindication of some form of psychic activity, as I havefrequently observed.In cases where the subject is not prepared by evolutionalprocess for the exercise of the psychic faculties, it will befound that the same or similar indications will tend to thesimulation of such faculties, as by mediumism, conjuring,etc., while they may even result in chicanery and fraud.But among those who are gifted in the direction spokenof, all are not clairvoyant. The most common form ofpsychic disturbance is involuntary clairaudience, andtelaesthesia is not perhaps less general. St. Paul indicatesa variety of such psychic "gifts," e.g. the gifts ofprophecy, of healing, of understanding, etc.; but thesemay also be regarded in quite a mundane sense. Thedevelopment among the early Christians of spiritual gifts,visions, hearing, speaking in foreign tongues, psychichealing, etc., appears to have given rise to a variety ofexceptional experiences by which they were induced tosay "we cannot but speak the things we have seen andheard." "One star differs from another in glory," says St.Paul, and this diversity of spiritual gifts proceeds from thecelestial world, and is so ordered that each may fulfil thepart required of him in the economy of life.Psychic tradition is as important a fact as is physicalheredity. The latter is a factor of immense importance asaffecting the constitution and quality of the organism in




and through which the soul is required to function. Butpsychic tradition is that which determines the power andfaculty brought to bear upon the physical organism. Pastevolution is not a negligible quantity, and its effects arenever wasted or lost to the individual. We are what weare by reason of what we have already been, as wellindividually as racially. "The future is, the past unfolded"or "entered upon by a new door," as it has been well said.We do not suddenly acquire faculties, we evolve them byeffort and successive selection. In our upward striving forliberty we specialize along certain lines which appear tous to be those offering either the least resistance or themost ready means of self-preservation, liberty andwell-being. Hence some evolve a special faculty formoney-making and, as schoolboys, will be expert tradersof alley-taws, jack-knives, toffee and all sorts ofkickshaws. Others of another bent or list will traffic inknowledge to the abounding satisfaction of their mastersand the jealous pride of their form.So that psychic tradition while disposing some to thespeedy revelation of an already acquired faculty, disposesothers to the more arduous but not less interesting workof acquiring such faculty. And because the spiritual needsof mankind are ever of primary importance, there arealways to be found those in whom the power of spiritualinterpretation is the dominant faculty, such persons beingthe natural channels of intercourse between the superiorand inferior worlds. The physical body of man isequipped with a corresponding order of microbic lifewhich acts as an organic interpreter, translating theelements of food into blood, nerve, fibre, tissue and boneagreeably to the laws of their being. What I have to say inthis place is addressed especially to those who wouldaspire to the faculty of clear vision and in whom thepsychic powers are striving towards expression. Everyperson whose life is not wholly sunk in material and




selfish pleasures but in whom the aspiration to a higherand better life is a hunger the world cannot satisfy, haswithin himself the power to see and know that which heseeks behind the veil of the senses. Nature has neverproduced a desire she cannot satisfy. There is no hope,however vague, that the soul cannot define, and noaspiration, however high, that the wings of the spiritcannot reach. Therefore be patient and strive. To others Iwould say: Be content. All birds cannot be eagles. Thenightingale has a song and the humming bird a plumagethe eagle can never possess. The nightingale may sing tothe stars, the humming bird to the flowers, but the eagle,whose tireless eyes gaze into the heart of day, isuncompanioned in its lofty loneliness amid the mountaintops.

CHAPTER III.THE FACULTY OF SEERSHIPUntil quite recently the faculty of seership has beenassociated in occult literature with various magicalformulae. There are in existence works by Tristemius,Francis Barrett, Ebenezer Sibley and others in which theuse of the crystal is made by means of magicalinvocations and a variety of ceremonial observances. It isnot within the scope of this treatise to determine thevalue of such rites or the desirability of invokingextraneous intelligences and powers by the use of magicalpractices; but I think we may conclude that communionof this order is not unattended by grave dangers. Whenthe Israelites were ill-content with the farinaceous mannathey invoked Heaven to send them meat. They got whatthey wanted, but also the dire penalty which it incurred;




and it is quite likely that in invoking occult forces beyondone's power to control great evils may ensue. All actionand reaction are equal and opposite. A child can pull atrigger but cannot withstand the recoil of a gun, or bymoving a lever may set machinery in motion which it canby no means control. Therefore without strength andknowledge of the right sort it is foolish to meddle withoccult forces; and in the education of the development ofthe psychic and spiritual faculties native in us, it is betterto encourage their natural development by legitimateexercise than to invoke the action of a stimulus whichcannot afterwards be controlled. Water will wear away arock by continual fretting, though nobody doubts thatwater is softer than a rock, and if the barrier between thisand the soul-world be like granite, yet the patient andpersistent action of the determined mind will sooner orlater wear it away, the last thin layer will break and thelight of another world will stream through, dazzling ourunaccustomed eyes with its bright effulgence.It is my object here to indicate by what means and bywhat persons the natural development of the clairvoyantfaculty may be achieved. In regard then to the subject,medium or seer, there are two distinct temperaments inwhich the faculty is likely to be dominant and capable ofhigh and rapid development. The first is the nervoustemperament, characterized by extreme activity of bodyand mind, nervous excitability, dark complexion,prominent features, and wiry frame. Types of thistemperament are to be seen in the descriptions of Dante,Swedenborg, Melancthon, Edgar A. Poe and others. Thistype represents the positive seers.The other temperament is of the passive type and ischaracterized by a full lymphatic habit, pale or delicatecomplexion, blue eyes, straight fine hair, small hands,tapering fingers, cold and fleshy to the touch; usually a




thin or high voice and languid manner.These two types of seers--of which there are manyvarieties--achieve their development by quite oppositemeans. The positive seer projects the mental images by apsychic process impossible of description, but by acertain psychic metabolism by which the apperceptionsof the soul are transformed into mental images of a purelysymbolical nature. The psychic process of picture-production is involuntary and unconscious, but theperception of the mental pictures is a perfectly consciousprocess and involves the exercise of an introspectivefaculty. The passive seer, on the contrary, is effortless,and receives impressions by reflection, the visions comingimperceptibly and having a literal interpretation. Thevision is not in this case of an allegorical or symbolicnature, as is the case with the positive seer, but is anactual vision of a fact or event which has alreadyhappened or as it will transpire in the future. Thus thepositive vision consists in the projection of the mindtowards the things of the soul-world, while the passivevision in the result of a propulsion of the soul-world uponthe passive sense. Of the two kinds of vision, the passiveis the more serviceable as being the more perspicuous andliteral, but it has the disadvantage of being largely underthe control of external influences and consequently ofgreater variability than the positive vision. It is, indeed,quite the common experience that the passive mediumrequires "conditions" for the proper exercise of thefaculty and where these are lacking no vision can beobtained.The positive type of seer exercises an introspectivevision, searching inwardly towards the soul-world whencerevelation proceeds. The passive seer, on the other hand,remains in a static condition, open to impressions cominginwards upon the mind's eye, but making no conscious




effort towards inward searching. Those who haveexperienced both involuntary and voluntary visions willreadily appreciate the difference of attitude, which isdifficult to convey to others in so many words.Now the exercise of this faculty does not exist apart fromsome definite use, and it may be of advantage to considerwhat that use may be. Primarily, I should be disposed toregard the mere opening up of a channel ofcommunication between the material and psychic worldsas adequate reason for the exercise of the faculty. TheGates of Heaven have to be kept open by humanendeavour and the exercise of the spiritual and psychicfaculties, otherwise a complete lesion and cutting off ofour source of inspiration would follow. Except we aspireto the higher world that world will come no nearer to us.Action and reaction are equal and opposite. It was neversaid that the door would be opened to others than thosewho knocked. The law of spiritual compensation involvesthe fact that we receive what we ask for. If we get itotherwise, there is no guarantee of its continuance or thatits possession will be a blessing. But if we ask accordingto our needs and strive according to our strength there isno law which can prevent a commensurate response. Theignorance of our asking and the imperfection of ourstriving will modify the nature of the response, but theycannot be negative of results. We can trust nature andthere is a spiritual law in the natural world as well as anatural law in the spiritual world, for they areinterdependent.But even our daily life affords numerous instanceswherein the use of the clairvoyant faculty is attended bybeneficial results. How many people there are who havebeen warned in dreams--wherein all people are naturallyclairvoyant--of some impending danger to themselves orthose around them, must have struck any casual reader of




the daily press; for during recent years much greaterinterest has been taken in psychological matters and weare continually in hearing of new facts which give usknowledge of the power of the soul to foresee danger,and to know what is determined upon the world for thegreater ends of human evolution. Some experiences ofthis nature will no doubt form a fit subject for asubsequent chapter. The qualifications which shouldsupplement and sustain the natural aptitude of the seer orseeress demand consideration in this place, and thefollowing remarks may not be without value in thisrespect.Mental stability, self-possession and confidence in one'sown soul-faculties must be the firm rock on which allrevelation should rest. The element of doubt eithernegatives results or opens the door to the ingress of allmanner of deceptive impressions.Integrity of purpose is imperative. The purer the intentionand motive of the seer the more lucid will be the visionaccorded. No reliable vision can be obtained by onewhose nature is not inherently truthful.Any selfish desire dominating the mind, in regard to anything or person will distort the vision and render itmisleading, while a persistent self-seeking spirit willeffectually shut the door to all revelation whatsoever.Therefore above all things it is essential for theinvestigator of psychic phenomena to have an unflinchinglove of truth, to be resigned to the will of Heaven, toaccept the revelations accorded in a spirit of gratefulconfidence, and to dispel all doubt and controversy by anappeal to the eyes of one's own immortal soul.These are qualifications with which the seer or seeressshould be invested, and if with these the quest of the




vision is unsuccessful after a period of earnest trial, itmust be taken as sufficient warrant that the faculty ofclairvoyance is not in the category of one's individualpowers. Haply the same qualifications brought to bear onsome other psychic faculty will result in a richrecompense.As for those triflers who at odd moments sit for theproduction of what they call "phenomena," with no otherobject than the gratification of an inquisitive vanity, Iwould drive them with whips from the field of psychicalresearch. They are people whose presence in this area ofserious enquiry does no good either to the cause of truthor the service of the race, and this loose traffic of sorts inthe hope of finding a new sensation would, were ittransferred to another sphere of activity, deservedlyreceive a very ugly name.The suggestion that the clairvoyant faculty is latent in allof us has no doubt been responsible for muchmisunderstanding, and not a little disappointment; but Idoubt if it is so far removed from the truth as that whichmakes the possession of the faculty a certain sign of asuperior degree of evolution. Although the faculty ofclear vision brings us into more intimate consciousrelations with a new order of existence, where the pastand future, the distant and the near, would seem to bebrought into immediate perception, it does not thereforeconfer upon us a higher degree of spirituality. It mayundoubtedly offer us a truer perspective than that wemay derive from the ordinary circumstance of our lives,and may suggest good grounds for a more comprehensiveethical system, but it cannot compel one to do the rightthing or to lead the virtuous life. Clairvoyance, indeed, isa faculty which has no direct moral relations. It is nomore the gift or property of the wise or the good manthan extraordinary muscular power is an adjunct of high




intelligence. And yet it is a curious fact that in all thesacred writings of the world there is a suggestion thatholy men, or "Men of God," have this and othertranscendent faculties, such as clairaudience and thepower of healing. Throughout the Hebrew Scripturesclairaudience seems to constitute the peculiar authority ofthe teacher or prophet. Thus we have expressions suchas: "The Word of the Lord came to me saying," etc., and"I heard a voice which said," etc., which is sometimes butnot always associated with direct vision. But becauseholy men of old were distinguished by this power ofdirect vision it is not to be supposed that all who have itare equally sanctified. By natural gift or by such meanswe are here discussing, the faculty may be brought intoactive function, but we should not lose sight of the factthat the attainment of righteousness implies that "all thesethings shall be added unto you."I think it right, therefore, to regard the quest ofclairvoyance as a legitimate occupation, providing that itis purposeful and carried out with a right spirit, while notbeing allowed to interfere with the proper performance ofone's ordinary duties in life. For it is possible to becomeover-zealous and even morbid over these mysteries ofhuman life, and to become so obsessed by the idea oftheir importance as practically to render oneself unfittedfor any ordinary pursuits, thereby producing an isolationthat is in the best sense unprofitable. Moreover, there aremental dangers as well as spiritual and social to be feared,and it is unfortunately not uncommon to observe thatneuraesthenia, nervous corrosion, and even insanityattends upon the tireless efforts of the enthusiast in thisdirection.If we regard clairvoyance as a normal faculty we aremore likely to treat it normally than if we give it aparamount and exceptional value and seek to beatify




those in whom it appears. I am convinced fromexperience that it is both normal and educable though notusually active in the large majority of people. I am also ofthe opinion that it is not peculiar, except in its higherfunctions, to human beings. I have known animals topossess this faculty; in a higher degree I have seenhumans in the exercise of it. Perhaps even the archangelsare yet seeking their vision of God.But to us as normal beings clairvoyance should appear apotentially normal faculty, to be studied and pursued bymethods that are efficient while yet harmless; and this isthe purport of the present treatise. I will therefore ask thereader to follow me in these pages with a mind divestedof all disposition to the supernatural.

CHAPTER IV.PRELIMINARIES AND PRACTICEThe first consideration by those who would developclairvoyance by artificial aids is the choice of a suitableagent. It has been the practice for many years tosubstitute the original beryl or "rock crystal" by a glassball. I admit that many specimens I have seen are verycreditable productions, but they are nevertheless quiteworthless from the point of view of those who considermaterial agents to be important factors in the productionof clairvoyance. The glass ball may, however, very wellserve the preliminary essential of concentration, and, ifthe faculty of clairvoyance is at all active, will be entirelyeffective as an agent.Those who have any experience at all in this matter will




allow that the rock crystal exerts an influence of anentirely different nature to that observable in the use ofglass. Indeed, so far as experiment serves us, it may besaid that glass only produces negative results and never atany time induced clairvoyance. If this state followedupon the use of a glass ball I am sure that the patient musthave been naturally clairvoyant, in which case a bowl ofwater, a spot upon a wall, a piece of polished brass orcopper, or a spot of ink would have been equallyefficacious in inducing the degree of hypnosis required.That glass spheres are equally efficient as those of crystalis true only in two cases, namely, when clairvoyance isnatural, in which case neither need be used; and when noresults are observable after due experiment, from whichwe may conclude either that the agent is unsuitable orthat the faculty is entirely submerged in that individual.In hypnotic clairvoyance the glass ball will be found asuseful a "field" as the best rock crystal. Yet it does notfollow that because the crystal is highly odylic and glassaltogether negative the former will induce clairvoyance.My own first experience with the crystal was entirelydisappointing, while very striking results followedimmediately upon the use of a black concave mirror.The mirror is usually circular in shape and aboutone-quarter-inch curve to a six-inch diameter. This givesa long focus, so that the mirror may be hung upon a wallat about two yards distance from the subject. A greaterdegree of concavity proportionate to the diameter willproduce a focus which allows the mirror to be held in thehand while resting in the lap.This disposes to a very easy and passive attitude andhelps towards results. The base of the mirror may be oftin, wood or other material, and it is usually filled with acomposition of a bituminous nature, the glass covering




being painted with a preparation of coal-tar on its netheror convex side. The exact focus and consequent size ofthe mirror employed as most suitable to the individual is amatter of experiment. It is also to be observed that thedistance of the mirror, as also the angle of vision, arematters of experiment. Beyond a certain distance it willbe found that the mirror has no "draw" on the subject. Ifbrought closer its pull is immediately felt.It is perhaps too early to theorize upon the modusoperandi of the "magic mirror," as it has been called. Itappears to induce hypnosis and consequent elevation ofnervous activity by refracting and throwing back the raysof magnetic energy which emanate from the subject.

In the foregoing illustration let A-B be the mirror with Ffor its focus. Let the subject be stationed at S. Then therays directed towards the surface of the mirror will berepresented by RR-RR. These rays impinge upon a




diamagnetic surface which is concave. The rays aretherefore bent inwards and thrown back upon the personat S in the form of a cone of energy which has the effectof producing auto-hypnosis. There are other forms ofagency, such as the zinc disc with the copper centre asused by Braid to induce the hypnotic sleep, but theseappear to depend upon tiring the optic nerves and thus,through their action upon the thalami to producetemporary inhibition of the whole basilar tract of thebrain.The mesmerist who throws streams of energy upon thepatient would appear to be working on the same principleas that by which the person using the concave mirrorinduces self-hypnosis. Possibly the latter method may befound to be conducive to the phenomena arising fromauto-suggestion, while the conditions induced by theaction of the hypnotist may be less liable to the effects ofauto-suggestion and more responsive to hypnoticsuggestion, i.e. the mental action of the hypnotist.These, however, are considerations which need nottrouble us overmuch, since by whatever agent the subjectis made clairvoyant, the results are equally curious andinforming. Auto-suggestion, at least, can hardly beregarded in the category of objections, since we cannotauto-suggest that which does not first of all arise as animage in the mind. It is in the spontaneous and automaticproduction of auto-suggested impressions that thephenomena of clairvoyance very largely consist; only wehave to remember that the suggesting self is a moreconsiderable quantity than the personality to which thesesuggestions are made, and is in touch with a worldimmeasurably greater and in every sense less limited thanthat to which the person is externally related. Looked atfrom whatever point of view we may choose, thephenomena of clairvoyance cannot be adequately




explained without recourse to psychology on the onehand and occultism on the other. Psychology is needed inorder to explain the nature and faculty of the human soul,and occultism to define for us the nature of that universalmirror in which the whole category of human events,both past and future, are reflected. Having decided upona course of experiments with a crystal or mirror, the bestof the kind should be obtained. A black velvet coveringshould be made in which to envelop the crystal when notin use. Mirrors are usually made with a suitable lid orcovering. Care should be taken not to scratch the surface,and all cleaning should be done with a dry silkhandkerchief kept for the purpose. Exposure to the sun'srays not only scores the surface of a crystal or mirror, butalso puts the odylic substance into activity, distributingand dissipating the magnetic power stored up therein.And now a word or two about the disposition and attitudeof the subject. The visions do not occur in the crystalitself. They may appear to do so, but this is due, when itoccurs, to the projection and visualization of the mentalimages. The visions are in the mind or soul of the seer andnowhere else. It is a matter of constitutional psychism asto where the sense of clear vision will be located.Personally I find the sense to be located in the frontalcoronal region of the brain about 150 to the right of thenormal axis of vision, which may be regarded as themeridian of sight. Other instances are before me in whichthe sense is variously located in the back of the head, thenape of the neck, the pit of the stomach, the summit ofthe head, above and between the eyes, and in one casenear the right shoulder but beyond the periphery of thebody. The explanation appears to be that the nervo-vitalemanations from the body of the seer act upon the staticodyle in the agent, which in turn reacts upon the braincentres by means of the optic nerves. And this appears tobe sufficient reason why the crystal or mirror should be




kept as free as possible from disturbing elements. Wateris extremely odylic and should never come in contactwith the agent employed as it effectually carries off alllatent or stored imports. I am forced to use a crudeterminology in order to convey the idea in my mind, but Irecognize that the whole explanation may appear vagueand inadequate. It is of course at all times easier toobserve effects than to offer a clear explanation of them.Yet some sort of working hypothesis is constructed whenwe collate our observations, and it is this that I havesought to communicate.For similar reasons, when in use the crystal or mirrorshould be shaded and so placed that no direct rays fromsun or artificial light may fall upon it. The odyle, asReichenbach so conclusively proved by his experiments,rapidly responds to surrounding magnetic conditions andto the vibrations of surrounding bodies, and to none morerapidly than the etheric vibrations caused by combustionor light of any kind. There should be no direct rays oflight between the agent and the seer.The room in which the sitting takes place should bemoderately warm, shady, and lit by a diffused light, suchas may be obtained by a light holland blind or casementcloth, in the daytime. The subject should sit with his backto the source of light, and the illumination will beadequate if ordinary print can be read by it.It is important that all persons sitting in the same roomwith the seer should be at least at arm's length from him.Silence should be uniformly observed by those present,until the vision is attained.It will then be found convenient to have two personspresent to act as Interrogator and Recorder respectively.




The Interrogator should be the only person whose voice isheard, and it should be reduced to a soft but distinctmonotone. The Recorder will be occupied in setting downin writing all questions asked by the Interrogator and theexact answers made by the seer. These should be datedand signed by those present when completed. It isperhaps hardly necessary to remark that precautionsshould be taken to prevent sudden intrusions, and as faras possible to secure general quiet without.I may here interject an observation which appears to mesuggestive and may prove valuable. It has been observedthat the inhabitants of basaltic localities are moregenerally natural clairvoyants than others. Basalt is anigneous rock composed largely of augite and felspar,which are silicate crystals of calcium, potassium, alumina,etc., of which the Moonstone is a variety. The connectinglink is that clairvoyance is found to be unusually activeduring and by means of moonlight. What psycho-physicaleffect either basalt or moonlight has upon the nervoussystem of impressible subjects appears to be somewhatobscure, but there is little difference between calciumlight and moonlight, except that the latter is moderated bythe greater atmosphere through which it comes to us. It isonly when we come to know the psychological values ofvarious chemical bodies that we can hope for a solutionof many strange phenomena connected with theclairvoyant faculty. I recollect that the seeress of Prevorstexperienced positive pain from the near presence ofwater during her abnormal phases. Reichenbach foundcertain psycho-pathological conditions to be excited byvarious metals and foreign bodies when brought intocontact with the sensitive. These observations areextremely useful if only in producing an awareness ofpossible reasons for such disturbance as may occur in theconditions already cited.




At the outset the sittings should not last longer than atmost half-an-hour, but it is important that they should beregular, both as to time and place. We are alreadyinformed from a number of observations that every actiontends to repeat itself under similar conditions. Habits oflife and mind are thus formed so that in time they becomequite involuntary and automatic. A cumulative effect isobtained by attention to this matter of periodicity, whilethe use of the same place for the same purpose tends todispose the mind to the performance of particularfunctions. In striving for psychic development of any sortwe shall do well not to disregard these facts. For since allactions tend to repeat themselves and to becomeautomatic, to pass from the domain of the purposive intothe habitual, the psychic faculties will similarly, ifactuated at any set time and place, tend to bestirthemselves to the same effects as those to which theywere first moved by the conscious will and intention ofthe seer. Until the clairvoyant faculty is fully assured andsatisfactory results obtained without any inconvenienceto the seer, not more than two persons should be presentat the sittings. These should be in close sympathy with theseer and with each other.When the sitting is over it will be found useful to repair toanother place and fully discuss the results obtained, theimpressions and feelings of the seer during the seance,and matters which appear to have a bearing on the factsobserved.A person should not be disheartened if at the first fewsittings nothing of any moment takes place, but shouldpersevere with patience and self-control. Indeed, if weconsider the fact that for hundreds of generations thepsychic faculties latent in man have lain in absoluteneglect, that perhaps the faculty of clear vision has notbeen brought into activity by any of our ancestors since




remote ages, it should not be thought remarkable that sofew find the faculty in them to be practically dormant. Itshould rather be a matter of surprise that the faculty isstill with us, that it is not wholly irresponsive to thebehests of the soul. While in the course of physicalevolution many important functions have undergoneremarkable changes, and organs, once active and useful,have become stunted, impotent, and in some casesextinct, yet on the other hand we see that seeds whichhave lain dormant in arid soil for hundreds of years canspring into leaf and flower under the influence of asuitable climate.The vermiform appendix, so necessary to the bone eatersof a carnivorous age, has no part in the physical economyof a later and more highly-evolved generation. The pinealgland and the pituitary body are adjuncts of the brainwhose functions have long been in latency. TheAnastatica hierochuntica, commonly called the Rose ofJericho, is a wonderful example of functional latency.The plant will remain for ages rolled up like a ball ofsun-dried heather, but if placed in water it willimmediately open out and spread forth its nest of mossygreen fronds, the transition from seeming death to lifetaking place in a few minutes. The hygrometric propertiesof the plant are certainly exceptional. They illustrate theresponsiveness of certain natures to a particular order ofstimulus, and in a sense they illustrate the functions of thehuman soul. The faculty of direct vision is like the latentlife of the vegetable world. It waits only the conditionswhich favour its activity and development, and thoughfor generations it may have lain dormant, yet in a fewdays or weeks it may attain the proportions of a beautifulflower, a thing of wonder and delight, gracing the Gardenof the Soul.




CHAPTER V.KINDS OF VISIONThere are two kinds of vision, and each of these may beperceived in two different ways. The two sorts of visionare called the Direct Vision and the Symbolic Vision.The first of these is an exact representation of some sceneor incident which has taken place in the past or willsubsequently be experienced in the future. It may haverelation to the experience of the seer, or of those who arepresent at the sitting, or yet may have a general or publicapplication.The second order of vision is a representation byideograph, symbol or other indirect means, of eventssimilar to those conveyed by direct vision. The visions ofEzekiel and John of Patmos are of the symbolic order,and although to the seers themselves there probably wasa very clear apperception of their import, yet for othersthey require interpretation. In most cases it will be foundthat the nature of the vision has relation to that sphere oflife and interest in which the seer or those for whom he isserving are concerned. But this is not always the case, forthere are some peculiarly sensitive seers whose visionshave a wider range and a more general application. In thefirst case it would seem that the impressions latent in theindividual sphere of subconscious activity are broughtinto evidence, and in the other case the seer comes intorelations with the world-soul or earth-sphere, so thatpolitical, social and cosmic events are brought out oflatency into conscious perception. In most cases it will befound that answers to questions are conveyed bysymbols, though this is not an invariable rule, as will




appear from the following remarks.The vision, when it occurs, may be conveyed in one oftwo ways: first, as a vivid picture affecting the focus andretina of the eye, perfect in its outline and colouring, andgiving the sense of nearness or distance; secondly, as avivid mental impression accompanied by a hazy or dimformation in the "field" of vision. In this latter form itbecomes an apperception rather than a perception, themind receiving the impression of the vision to beconveyed before it has had time to form and define itselfin the field.As already intimated, there appears to be a connectionbetween the temperamental peculiarities of the twoclasses of clairvoyants and the kind of vision developedin them. Thus the direct vision is more generally found inassociation with the passive temperament. The directvision is neither so regular nor so constant as thesymbolic vision owing to the peculiarities of the negativeor passive subject. When it does develop, however, thedirect vision is both lucid and actual, and has literalfulfilment in the world of experience and fact. It is anactual representation of what has actually happened orwill have place in the future, or yet may be presentlyhappening at some place more or less distant.The symbolic vision, on the other hand, is more generallydeveloped in the positive or active type of seer. It has theadvantage of being more regular and constant in itsoccurrence than the direct vision, while at the same timebeing open to the objection that it is frequentlymisinterpreted. Nothing shows this better perhaps thanthe various interpretations which have been made of theApocalypse.The positive temperament appears to throw off the




mental images as speedily as they are developed in thesubconscious area, and goes out to meet them in a moodof speculative enquiry. But the passive temperament mostfrequently feels first and sees afterwards, the visionaryprocess being entirely devoid of speculation and mentalactivity. In a word, the distinction between them is thatthe one sees and thinks while the other feels and sees.The manner in which the visions appear to develop in thefield requires some description, and for reasons whichwill presently appear it is essential that the earliestexperiments should be made in the light of a dulyinformed expectancy.At first the crystal or mirror will appear to beoverclouded by a dull, smoky vapour which presentlycondenses into milky clouds among which are seeninnumerable little gold specks of light, dancing in alldirections, like gold-dust in a sunlit air. The focus of theeye at this stage is inconstant, the pupil rapidly expandingand contracting, while the crystal or mirror alternatelydisappears in a haze and reappears again. Then suddenlythe haze disappears and the crystal looms up into fullview, accompanied by a complete lapse of the seer intofull consciousness of his surroundings.This may be the only experience during the first fewsittings. It may be that of many. But if it occurs it is anentirely satisfactory and hopeful symptom. For sooner orlater, according to the degree of susceptibility orresponsiveness in the subject, there will come a momentwhen the milky-looking clouds and dancing starlights willsuddenly vanish and a bright azure expanse like an opensummer sky will fill the field of vision. The brain will nowbe felt to palpitate spasmodically, as if opening andclosing again in the coronal region; there will be atightening of the scalp about the base of brain, as if the




floor of the cerebrum were contracting; the seer willcatch his breath with a spasmodic sigh and the first visionwill stand out clear and life-like against the azure screenof space.Now the danger at this supreme moment is that the seerwill be surprised into full waking consciousness. Duringthe process of abstraction which precedes every vision orseries of visions, the consciousness of the seer isgradually but imperceptibly withdrawn from physicalsurroundings. He forgets that he is seated in a particularplace or room, that he is in the company of another orothers. He forgets that he is gazing into a crystal ormirror. He knows nothing, sees nothing, hears nothing,save that which is being enacted before the senses of hissoul. He loses sight for the time even of his own identityand becomes as it were merged in the vision itself.When, therefore, his attention is suddenly arrested by anapparition, startling in its reality and instantaneousproduction, the reaction is likely to be both rapid andviolent, so that the seer is frequently carried back into fullwaking consciousness. When, however, the mind ispreviously instructed and warned of this stage of theprocess, a steady and self-possessed attitude is ensuredand a subconscious feeling of expectancy manifests at thecritical moment. I have known so many cases of peoplebeing surprised out of clairvoyance and so to have lostwhat has often been an isolated experience, that thistreatise will be wholly justified if by the inclusion of thiswarning the novice comes successfully through his firstexperience of second sight.We come now to the point where it becomes necessary toconsider other important reactions which thedevelopment of any psychic sense involves. To somefavoured few these supernormal faculties appear to be




given without any cost to themselves. Perhaps they aredirect evolutional products, possibly psychic inheritances;but to such as have them no price is asked or penaltyimposed.Others there are who are impelled by their ownevolutional process to seek the development inthemselves of these psychic powers; and to these a wordof warning seems necessary, so that at the risk ofappearing didactic I must essay the task. To some it mayseem unwelcome, to others redundant andsupererogatory. But we are dealing with a new stage inevolutional progress--the waking up of new forces inourselves and the prospective use of a new set offaculties. It is of course open to anybody to experimentblindly, and none will seek to deter them save those whohave some knowledge of the attendant dangers, andwhich knowledge alone can help us to avoid. I shouldconsider the man more fool than hero who, in entireignorance of mechanics and aeronautics, stepped onboard an aeroplane and started the engines running. Eventhe most skilful in any new field of experiment orresearch consciously faces certain but unknown dangers.The victims of the aeroplane--brave pioneers of humanenterprise and endeavour that they were--fell by lack ofknowledge. By lack of knowledge also have the humaneefforts of many physicians been cut short at the outset ofwhat might have been a successful career. It was thisvery lack of knowledge they knew to be the greatest ofall dangers, and it was this they had set out to remedy.It is not less dangerous when we begin to pursue a courseof psychic development. The ordinary functions of themind are well within our knowledge and control. There isalways the will by which we may police the territoryunder our jurisdiction and government. It is anothermatter when we seek to govern a territory whose peculiar




features and native laws and customs are entirelyunknown to us. It is obvious that here the will-power, ifdirected at all, is as likely to be effectual for evil as forgood. The psychic faculties may indeed be opened up andthe unknown region explored, but at fatal cost, it may be,to all that constitutes normal sanity and physicalwell-being; in which case one may say with Hamlet it bebetter to "bear those ills we have, than fly to others thatwe know not of."Some of the conditions imposed upon those who, notbeing naturally gifted in this direction, would wish toexperiment in clairvoyant development, mayconveniently be stated and examined in another chapter.

CHAPTER VI.

OBSTACLES TO CLAIRVOYANCEVarious impediments stand in the way of inducing secondsight, and certain others may be expected to arise inconnection with the faculty when induced. Putting asidethe greatest of all obstacles, that of constitutionalunfitness, as having already been discussed in thepreceding pages, the first obstacle to be encountered isthat of ill health. It can hardly be expected that new areascan be opened up in the mind without considerablechange and adjustment taking place by reflection in thephysical economy. The reaction is likely to be attendedby physical distress. But Nature is adaptable and soonaccommodates herself to changed conditions, so that anyresults directly attributable to the development of thepsychic centres of activity is not likely to be more thantransient, providing that due regard has been given to the




normal requirements of health.The importance of a moderate and nourishing diet cannotbe too strongly urged upon those who seek for psychicdevelopment. All overloading of the stomach withindigestible food and addiction to alcoholic drinks tend tocloud the higher faculties. The brain centres are therebydepleted, the heart suffers strain, and the equilibrium ofthe whole system is disturbed. Ill health follows, the mindis centred upon the suffering body, spiritual aspirationceases, and the neglected soul folds its wings and fallsinto the sleep of oblivion.But, on the other hand, one must not suppose that theadoption of a fruit and cereal diet will of itself induce tothe development of the psychic powers. It will aid byremoving the chief impediments of congestion anddisease. Many good people who adopt this dietetic reformhave a tendency to scratch one another's shoulder bladesand expect to find their wings already sprouting. If itwere as easy as this the complacent cow would be highup in the scale of spiritual aspirants.The consciousness of man works from a centre whichco-ordinates and includes the phenomena of thought,feeling, and volition. This centre is capable of rapiddisplacement, alternating between the most external ofphysical functions and the most internal of spiritualoperations. It cannot be active in all parts of our complexconstitutions at one and the same moment. When onepart of our nature is active another is dormant, as is seenin the waking and sleeping stages, the dream-life being inthe middle ground between the psychic and physical. Itwill therefore be obvious that a condition in which theconsciousness is held in bondage by the infirmities of thebody is not one likely to be conducive to psychicdevelopment. For this reason alone many aspirants have




been turned back from initiation. The constitution neednot be robust, but it should at all events be free fromdisorder and pain. Some of the most ethereal and spiritualnatures are found in association with a delicate organism.So long as the balance is maintained the soul is free todevelop its latent powers. A certain delicacy oforganization, together with a tendency to hyperaesthesia,is most frequently noted in the passive or direct seer; buta more robust and forceful constitution may well be alliedto the positive type of seership.As a chronic state of physical congestion is altogetheradverse to the development of the second sight or anyother psychic faculty, so the temporary congestionfollowing naturally upon a meal indicates that it is notadvisable to sit for psychic exercise immediately aftereating. Neither should a seance be begun when food isdue, for the automatism of the body will naturallydemand satisfaction at times when food is usually takenand the preliminary processes of digestion will be active.The best time is between meals and especially betweentea and supper, or an hour after the last meal of the day,supposing it to be of a light nature. The body should be atrest, and duly fortified, and the mind should be contentedand tranquil.The attitude of the would-be seer should not be tooexpectant or over-anxious about results. All will come ingood time, and the more speedily if the conditions arecarefully observed. It is useless to force the young plantin its growth. Take time, as Nature does. It is a great workand much patience may be needed. Nature is never in ahurry, and therefore she brings everything to perfection.The acorn becomes the sturdy oak only because Nature iscontent with small results, because she has the virtue ofendurance. She is patient and careful in her beginnings,she nurses the young life with infinite care, and her works




are wonderfully great and complete in their issues.Moreover, they endure. Whoever breathes slowest livesthe longest.This statement opens up a very important matterconnected with all psychic phenomena, and one thatdeserves more than casual notice. It has been long knownto the people of the East that there is an intimateconnection between brain and lung action, and modernexperiment has shown by means of the spirometer thatthe systole and diastole motion of the hemispheres of thebrain coincide exactly with the respiration of the lungs.The brain as the organ of the mind registers everyemotion with unerring precision. But so also do the lungs,as a few common observations will prove. Thus if aperson is in deep thought the breathing will be found tobe long and regular, but if the mind is agitated thebreathing will be short and stertorous, while if fear affectsthe mind the breathing is momentarily suspended. Aperson never breathes from the base of the lung unless hismind is engrossed. Hard exercise demands deep breathingand is therefore helpful in producing good mentalreactions. It is said that the great preacher De WittTalmage used to shovel gravel from one side of his cellarto the other as a preliminary to his fine elocutionalefforts. It is this obvious connection between respirationand mental processes which is at the base of the systemof psycho-physical culture known as Hatha Yoga indistinction from Rj Yoga, which is concerned solely withmental and spiritual development. The two systems,which have of late years found frequent exposition in theNew Thought school, are to be found in Patanjali's Yogasutr. Some reference to the synchronous action of lungand brain will also be found in Dr. Tafel's translation andexposition of Swedenborg's luminous work on The Brain.In this work the Swedish seer frankly refers hisillumination regarding the functions of the brain to his




faculty of introspective vision or second sight, and it is ofinterest to observe that all the more important discoveriesin this department of physiology during the last twocenturies are clearly anticipated by him. The scientificworks of this great thinker are far too little known by themajority, who are apt to regard him only as a visionaryand a religious teacher.Ad rem. The vision is produced. The faculty ofclairvoyance is an established fact of experience and hasbecome more or less under the control of the mind. Therewill yet remain one or two difficulties connected with thevisions. One is that of time measure, and another that ofinterpretation. The former is common to both orders ofvision, the direct and the symbolic. The difficulty ofinterpretation is, of course, peculiar to the latter order ofvision.The sensing of time is perhaps the greatest difficultyencountered by the seer, and this factor is often the onethat vitiates an otherwise perfect revelation. I haveknown cartomantes and diviners of all sorts to expresstheir doubt as to the possibility of a correct measure oftime. Yet it is a question that follows naturally upon aclear prediction--When?It is sometimes impossible to determine whether a visionrelates to the past, the present, or the future. In mostcases, however, the seer has an intuitive sense of thetime-relations of a vision which is borne in upon him withthe vision itself. It will generally be observed that inordinary mental operations the time sense is subject tolocalization, and a distinct throw of the mind will beexperienced when speaking of the past and the future.Personally I find the past to be located on my left and thefuture on my right hand, but others inform me that thehabit of mind, places the past behind and the future in




front of them, while others again have the past beneaththeir feet and the future over their heads. It is obviously ahabit of mind, and this usually inheres in the visionarystate so that a sense of time is found to attach to allvisions, though it cannot be relied upon to register onevery occasion. But also it is frequently found that thereis an automatic allocation of the visions, those that arenear of fulfilment being in the foreground of the field, theapproximate in the middle ground, and the distant in thebackground; position answering to time interval. In suchcase the vision has a certain definition or focus accordingto the degree of its proximity. These points are, however,best decided by empiricism, and rarely does it happenthat the intuitive sense of the seer is at fault whenallowed to have play.The other difficulty to which I have referred, that ofinterpretation of symbols when forming the substance ofthe vision, may be dealt with somewhat more fully.Symbolism is a universal language and revelation mostfrequently is conveyed by means of it. As a preliminaryto the study of symbolism the student should readSwedenborg's Hieroglyphical Key to Natural andSpiritual Mysteries, one of the earliest of his works andin a great measure the foundation of his thought andteaching. The Golden Book of Hermes containing thetwenty-two Tarots is open to a universal interpretation asmay be seen from the works of the Kabalists, and inregard to their individual application may be regarded in afourfold light, having reference to the spiritual, rational,psychic and physical planes of existence. It is by meansof symbols that the spiritual intelligences signalthemselves to our minds, and the most exalted vision is,as an expression of intelligence, only intelligible byreason of its symbolism. Something more may be said inregard to the interpretation of symbols which maypossibly be of use to those who have made no special




study of the subject, and this may conveniently form thematerial of another chapter.

CHAPTER VII.SYMBOLISMSymbols formed the primitive language of the humanrace, they spoke and wrote in symbols. The hieroglyphicwritings of the aborigines of Central America, of theancient Peruvians, of the Mongolians, and of the ancientCopts and Hebrews all point to the universal use of theideograph for the purpose of recording and conveyingideas.If we study the alphabets of the various peoples, we shallfind in them clear indications of the physical and socialconditions under which they evolved. Thus the Hebrewalphabet carries with it unmistakable evidence of thenomadic and simple life of those "dwellers in tents." Theforms of the letters are derived from the shapes of theconstellations, of which twelve are zodiacal, six northernand six southern. This implies a superficial intimacy withthe heavens such as would result from a life spent in hotcountries with little or no superstructure to shut out theview. The wise among them would sit beneath the stars inthe cool night air and figure out the language of theheavens.It was God's message to mankind, and they sought notonly to understand it but to make imitation of it. So

Second Sight by Sepharial

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