The prime requisite for a successful demonstration of Mind Reading is
the acquirement, or possession, by the Transmitter, of a clear idea of
_direction_ in his mind. The associated requisite is that the
Transmitter be able to _concentrate his will_ upon the mind of the
Receiver, impressing upon him the _Sense of Direction_ so strongly that
he will move in accordance with the Will of the Transmitter. Remember
the two points to be observed by the Transmitter.
Begin by having the Transmitter standing beside you in the centre of the
room, _you being blindfolded_. Have him mentally select some one corner
of the room, saying nothing to you of his choice. Then let him
concentrate his mind upon that one corner, forgetting every other part
of the room. Then have the Transmitter grasp your Left Hand with his
Right Hand, you grasping his fingers in your hand and lifting the hand
to your forehead. Hold the hand against your forehead, just above your
eyes. Instruct him then to _will_ that you go to the corner of the room
that he has selected, shutting out all other thoughts from his mind, and
_concentrating_ his entire Attention upon the projection of his Will. He
must not content himself merely forming a Mental Picture of the
selected corner, but must think of the _Direction_ of that corner, just
as he would in case he were to wish to walk there himself. He must not
simply think "That Corner"--he must think "_There!_" using the sense of
Direction. He must _will_ that you shall _go there_, carrying the words
"_Go There!_" in his mind.
You, the Receiver, must place yourself in a perfectly _passive_ and
_receptive_ state of mind, resigning your own Will for the time being,
and being perfectly willing and desirous of being mentally _directed_ or
_led_ by the Will of the Transmitter. He is the Active factor, and you
the Passive. It is the strength of his Will, and the degree of your
Receptivity that makes the demonstration a success.
Keep your eyes closed, even though you be blindfolded, for by so doing
you induce a Passive state of mind, and even the stray glimpses that you
may catch through the handkerchief will serve only to distract you. You
must shut out sights, and even thought of sights.
Stand quiet a moment or two, awaiting impressions from the mind of the
Transmitter, who is making the mental command: "_Go there; go there, I
say!_" while at the same time he is _willing_ that you follow his
command.
After a moment or two of passive and receptive waiting, you will begin
to feel an impulse to move forward. Obey this impulse and take the
first step, which will often be in an entirely opposite direction from
the selected corner. The idea of this first step is to "get started."
While you are taking the first step or two, you will feel a clearer
impulse toward the real selected corner, and will find yourself swinging
around to it. Do not grow impatient, for you are but learning to receive
the impressions. Advance one foot forward, hesitatingly, resting your
weight on the ball of the other foot, and you will soon feel yourself
being _compelled_ to move in a certain direction, which will end in your
moving toward the right corner. You will soon become conscious of being
directed by the _Will_ of the Projector, whose mind is acting upon yours
and leading and directing you toward the right place.
It is difficult to describe to you the exact feeling that you will
experience, but a little practice will soon make it clear to you. Follow
the impulse, and you will soon begin to feel the mental command, "This
way--this way--no, not that way but _this way_," until you will reach
the desired spot, when you will feel the command: "That's right--stop
where you are--this is the place." If you start to wander off in the
wrong direction you will begin to feel the correcting impression: "_This
way_--_this_ way, I tell you," and if you will but passively receive and
follow the mental telegraph message you will find the impulse growing
stronger and stronger until you walk right into the corner selected,
when you will feel that you have "reached Base," as the children say in
their games. When you walk in the right direction you will feel the
mental message, "Right, right you are"; and when you move in the wrong
direction you will feel the mental message, saying "No, no, not that
way--_This way_, I say, come along, _come_!" By practice you will soon
become quite sensitive to these guiding thought-waves, and will act upon
them almost automatically. Practice will soon so sharpen your perceptive
faculties that you will often be able to move right off to the desired
corner at once, sometimes actually running right to it, dragging the
Transmitter after you.
You will soon begin to notice that there is quite a difference in the
power of Concentration on the part of different people acting as the
Transmitter. Some will be able to Concentrate so forcibly that they will
send you the message clear and sharp, while others will send only a
feeble and wavering message. The more Concentration the Transmitter has
the stronger will be the message. It will be very advisable for you to
experiment with a number of persons acting as the Transmitter, so that
you may become familiar with the different degrees of Concentration,
personal characteristics of people in Transmitting, etc. This will aid
you when you begin your parlor performances.
When you find a lazy Transmitter who is sending only feeble messages,
you must remonstrate with him, telling him that he must exercise his
_Will-Power_ more. This plan will often arouse in them a desire to give
a good exhibition of their Will-power, and they will begin sending you
strong mental impulses. It is a good plan, when you have an
unsatisfactory Projector, to extend his arm out its full length and hold
it up about the height of your eyes. In this way he feels the strain,
and it arouses his Will in order to hold it there, which seems to act in
the direction of his sending sharper and clearer messages and impulse.
In case the Transmitter proves very unsatisfactory, substitute another
for him. But as a rule this unsatisfactoriness arises from the fact that
he does not fully understand his duties--does not know what is required
of him. A little practice and instruction will bring him out all right.
It is often advisable to let the Transmitter read this book of
instructions, if he happens to be a personal friend who is helping you
out in your practicing and experiments. The Transmitter will find that
by _looking_ toward the selected corner, he will be aided in
concentrating his attention and directing his Will Power.
Practice this exercise and experiment, in different rooms, and with
different Transmitters, until you can go readily to the selected corner.
Do not be discouraged, but remember that "practice makes perfect," and
that like any other thing the art must be learned by patient practice and
repetition. It is like learning to play the violin--skating--dancing,
or anything else. If after a number of trials you begin to feel tired,
stop practicing and adjourn the experiments until the next day. Do not
unduly strain yourself, or tire out your mind. When the next day comes
you will be surprised at the added proficiency you have gained.
You may vary the above method by holding the Transmitter's hand out at
arm's length, instead of holding it up to your head. Some find one plan
more effective, and others prefer the second. The principle is the same
in both cases, so adopt either plan, or any variation thereof, providing
it proves effective.