CHAPTER I.--What is the Human Aura.

Transcriber's Note: Minor typographical errors have been corrected

without note. Irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have

been retained as printed. Words printed in italics are noted with

underscores: _italics_. Words printed in bold are noted with tildes:

~bold~.

PRACTICAL PSYCHOMANCY

AND

CRYSTAL GAZING

_By WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON_

_A Course of Lessons on_

_The Psychic Phenomena of Distant Sensing, Clairvoyance, Psychometry,

Crystal Gazing, Etc._

Printed by

YOGA PUBLICATION SOCIETY

ISBN 0-911662-41-3

Copyright 1908

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LESSON I--THE NATURE OF PSYCHOMANCY 5

Interesting, scientific principles underlying Psychomancy. Sensing

objects by the Astral Senses. The three classes of Psychomancy. The

phenomena of the Astral Vision. The Astral Tube. Projection of the

Astral Body.

LESSON II--HOW TO DEVELOP YOURSELF 15

The Dawn of the Psychic Faculties. Auric Colors. Visions. Development

Methods. Concentration. Visualization. Psychometry. The Magic Mirror.

How to use the Crystal and Mirror. General Instruction.

LESSON III--SIMPLE PSYCHOMANCY 27

Simple and Space Psychomancy and their differences. Sensitivity to

Impressions. "Feeling" the Thought of Others. Seeing Through Solid

Objects. Seeing Down Into the Earth. Telescopic and Microscopic Vision.

Diagnosis of Disease by Psychomancy.

LESSON IV--THE ASTRAL TUBE 36

This most interesting study is stated clearly, so that all may readily

understand this fundamental principle of Psychic Communication.

LESSON V--PSYCHOMETRY 41

Locating persons by a lock of hair, etc. Reading a person's

characteristics, past history, etc. Describing distant scenes from

flowers, etc. Describing mines from bits of minerals, etc. Reading the

past associations of an object.

LESSON VI--CRYSTAL GAZING 45

Revival of a Lost Science. Various forms of Crystal Gazing. Directions

of "How to Do It," etc.

LESSON VII--ASTRAL PROJECTION 51

Projecting the Astral Body. Materializing one's self. Taking part in

Distant Scenes, Events and Conversations. Showing one's self to Absent

Friends. What the trained experimentor may do. The English Society's

reports upon Psychic Phenomena along these lines. The Living Ghost

within each of us. Traveling in the Astral.

LESSON VIII--SPACE PSYCHOMANCY 59

What it means, and what may be accomplished by means of it.

Swedenborg's, and others', wonderful experiences. Truth stranger

than fiction. Scientific facts reading like a romance.

LESSON IX--PAST TIME PSYCHOMANCY 68

Sensing the scenes, occurrences and objects of the Past, by Astral

Vision. A most fascinating subject, and one of importance to those

having or developing Psychic Power.

LESSON X--FUTURE TIME PSYCHOMANCY 76

Reading the Future. Future events cast their shadows before. Destiny

and Fate. Premonitions, Previsions and Second Sight. The wonderful

prevision and prediction of Cazotte, and its amusing sequel.

LESSON XI--DREAM PSYCHOMANCY 84

Psychomancy during sleep. The Phenomena of Psychic Dreams and Visions.

Traveling in the Astral while asleep. Remarkable and well authenticated

cases of Psychic Dreams and Visions, true and verified. This lesson

will explain many similar instances in your own experience.

LESSON I.

THE NATURE OF PSYCHOMANCY.

The term "Psychomancy" (pronounced, "sy-ko-man-see"), is derived from

two Greek words, the first "psycho," meaning "the soul; the mind; the

understanding" (and generally used to indicate "psychic" or unusual

powers of the soul or mind); the second word, "mancy" meaning "to

divine; to foresee, or foreknow; to detect secret things,"--and in

occult parlance, "~to sense~," or "to receive impressions by the

Astral Senses." So the word, as we use it, may be said to mean "Psychic

Sensing," and in this work will be so used. The word "Psychomancer"

means "one practicing Psychomancy;" and the word "Psychomantic" means

"relating to Psychomancy."

The word "Clairvoyance" is frequently used by people to designate some

of the phases of Psychomancy, but strictly speaking this term is

incorrect when used in this sense, the true occult meaning of the word

"Clairvoyance," being "transcendental vision, or the perception of

beings on another plane of existence--the seeing of disembodied souls,

elementals, etc." And so, in this work, we shall consider the true

phenomena of Clairvoyance, as distinct from that of Psychomancy.

In this work, we shall regard as the true phenomena of Psychomancy, all

the various phenomena known as Psychometry; Crystal Gazing; Perceiving

Distant Scenes; a perception of Past Events, and Indication of Future

Events; either in the full waking state; the state of reverie; or the

state of dreams.

And, so this work will examine, consider, and explain, the various

phases of phenomena above indicated--in short, the phenomena of

~"sensing" objects by means of Astral Senses~, omitting the phenomena

of Clairvoyance, or seeing disembodied souls, etc., which we regard as

belonging to a different phase of the general subject, and which

require special consideration and examination.

The majority of works upon these lines begin by an elaborate attempt to

"prove" the reality of the phenomena in question. But we shall not fall

into this error, for such we regard it. The time for the necessity of

such proof is past. The records of the Societies for Psychical Research

are full of proofs, and evidence, which are as full, complete and

strong as ever required by any court to hang or clear a man. And the

book shelves of the libraries are full of other books, giving like

proof. And, for that matter, this work is not written to convince

people of the truth of this phenomena--it is intended for those who

have already convinced themselves of its reality, but who wish for

specific information regarding its nature, manner of manifestation,

etc. Where we quote instances of the manifestation of some form of

Psychomantic phenomena, in this work, we do so simply to illustrate the

characteristics of some particular form of the phenomena, and not as

corroborative proof. With this explanation, we propose plunging right

into the main subject itself.

There have been many attempted explanations of, and theories regarding

the phenomena of Psychomancy, some of which are more or less plausible,

while others are quite visionary, "wild," and fantastic. In this work,

we shall pay no attention to those more or less ingenious "guesses" of

the theorists, but shall, instead, give you plainly, clearly, and

simply, the time-honored teachings of the advanced Occultists which

teachings we believe to be the Truth, tested and tried by centuries of

investigation, and experiment.

THE ASTRAL SENSES.

The Occult Teachings inform us that in addition to the Five Physical

Senses possessed by man, viz: Seeing; Feeling; Hearing; Tasting; and

Smelling; each of which has its appropriate sense organ, every

individual is also possessed of Five Astral Senses, which form a part

of what is known to Occultists as the Astral Body. These Astral Senses,

which are the astral counterparts of the five physical senses, operate

upon what Occultists call the Astral Plane, which is next above the

Physical Plane, in the Sevenfold Scale of Planes. Just as do the

Physical Senses operate upon the Physical Plane, so do the Astral

Senses operate upon the Astral Plane.

By means of these Astral Senses, one may sense outside objects without

the use of the physical senses usually employed. And it is through this

sensing by these Astral Senses, that the phenomena of Psychomancy

becomes possible.

By the employment of the Astral Sense of Seeing, the Psychomancer is

able to perceive occurrences, scenes, etc., at a distance sometimes

almost incredibly far; to see through solid objects; to see records of

past occurrences in the Astral Ether; and to see Future Scenes thrown

ahead in Time, like the shadows cast by material objects--"coming

events cast their shadows before," you have heard. By the use of the

Astral Sense of Hearing, he is able to sense sounds over immense

distances and often after the passage of great periods of time, for the

Astral vibrations continue for many years.

The Astral senses of Taste and Smell are seldom used, although there

are abundant proofs of their existence. The Astral Sense of Feeling

enables the Psychomancer to become aware of certain occurrences on the

Astral Plane, and to perceive impressions, mental and otherwise, that

are being manifested at a distance. The Astral Sense of Feeling may be

explained as being rather a sense of "Awareness," than a mere

"Feeling," inasmuch as the Psychomancer, through its channel, becomes

"aware" of certain occurrences, other than by Astral Sight or Hearing,

and yet which is not "Feeling" as the word is used on the Physical

Plane. It may be well called "Sensing" for want of a better name, and

manifests in a vague consciousness or "awareness." But still we must

not overlook the fact that there are many instances of true "feeling"

on the Astral Plane, for instances, cases where the Psychomancer

actually "feels" the pain of another, which phenomena is commonly known

as "sympathetic pains," "taking on the condition," etc., etc., and

which are well known to all investigators as belonging to the phenomena

of the Astral Senses.

THE ASTRAL BODY

But, to understand the Astral Senses, one must be made acquainted with

the existence of that which Occultists know as "The Astral Body." There

is no point in the Occult Teachings better established; longer held; or

more thoroughly proven than that of the existence of the Astral Body.

This teaching of the Ancient Occultists is being corroborated by the

experiments, and investigations of the Psychic Researchers of the

present day.

The Astral Body, belonging to every person, is an exact counterpart of

the perfect physical body of the person. It is composed of fine

ethereal matter, and is usually encased in the physical body. In

ordinary cases, the detaching of the Astral Body from its physical

counterpart is accomplished only with great difficulty, but in the case

of dreams; great mental stress; and under certain conditions of occult

development, the Astral Body may become detached and sent on long

journeys, traveling at a rate of speed greater than that of light

waves. On these journeys it is always connected with the physical body

by a long filmy connecting link. If this link were to become broken,

the person would die instantly, but this is an almost unheard of

occurrence in the ordinary planes of action. The Astral Body exists a

long time after the death of the physical body, but it disintegrates in

time. It sometimes hovers around the resting place of the physical

corpse, and is mistaken for the "spirit" of the deceased person,

although really it is merely a shell or finer outer coating of the

soul. The Astral Body of a dying person is often projected to the

presence of friends and loved ones a few moments before the physical

death, the phenomenon arising from the strong desire of the dying

person to see and be seen.

The Astral Body frequently travels from its physical counterpart, in

Psychomantic phenomena, and visits scenes far distant, there sensing

what is occurring. It also leaves the body during what are known as

Psychomantic dreams; or under the influence of anaesthetics; or in some

of the deeper phases of hypnosis; when it visits strange scenes and

places, and often holds mental conversation with other Astral Bodies,

or else with disembodied entities. The jumbled and distorted

recollections of these dreams are occasioned by the brain not having

received perfect impressions transmitted to it, by reason of lack of

training, development, etc., the result being like a blurred or

distorted photographic plate.

In order to intelligently grasp the underlying principles of the

phenomena of Psychomancy, and its allied subjects, you must familiarize

yourself with the truth concerning the Astral Senses, which we have

just stated. Unless you understand and accept this truth and fact, you

will not be able to grasp the principles underlying the phenomena in

question, but will be lost in the quagmire of idle theories, and

fantastic "explanation" hazarded by investigators of psychic phenomena

who have not made themselves acquainted with the Occult Teachings which

alone give the student an intelligent key to the mysteries of the

Astral Plane.

THE THREE CLASSES

The phenomena of Psychomancy, etc., may be grouped into three classes,

each being produced by its own special class-cause. In either or all

cases, the impressions are received by and through the Astral Senses,

but there are three distinct ways in which, and by which, these

impressions are received. These ways, which we shall now proceed to

consider in detail, may be classified under the following terms:

(1) Sensing by the "quickening" of one's Astral Senses sufficient to

perceive more clearly the etheric vibrations or currents, the auric

emanations of persons and things; and similar phases of Psychomancy,

but which does not include the power to sense occurrences happening in

distant places; nor the power to sense the records of the past, or to

receive indications of the future. (See Lesson III.)

(2) Sensing by means of the "Astral Tube," erected in the Ether by the

operation of one's Will or Desire, and which acts as a Psychic

"telescope," or "microscope," with "X Ray" features. (See Lesson IV.)

(3) Sensing by means of the actual projection of one's own Astral Body

to the distant scene. (See Lesson VII.)

CLAIRAUDIENCE.

"Clairaudience" is a term sometimes used to indicate Astral Hearing.

Some writers on this subject treat "Clairaudience" as a separate class

of phenomena. But we fail to see the distinction they make. It, of

course, employs a different Astral Sense from that generally employed,

but both are Astral Senses functioning on the Astral Plane, just as the

physical senses of Seeing and Hearing function on the Physical Plane.

And, more important, both forms of Astral Sensing are subject to the

same laws and rules. In other words, all that is said in the lessons of

this book on the subject of Psychomantic Vision holds equally true of

Clairaudience.

Thus, there may be Simple ~Clairaudience~; Space ~Clairaudience~;

Past Time ~Clairaudience~; Future Time ~Clairaudience~, etc.; also

~Clairaudient~ Psychometry; ~Clairaudience~ through Crystal Gazing,

etc. Psychomantic Vision is the employment of the Astral ~Sight~, while

Clairaudience is the similar employment of the Astral ~Hearing~.

In many cases of Psychomantic Vision there is an accompaniment of

Clairaudience; while in others it may be missing. Likewise,

Psychomantic Vision usually accompanied Clairaudience, although

sometimes one may be able to ~hear~ astrally, although no seeing.

You will notice that in many of the instances of Psychomantic Vision

related in this book, there is a mention of the person ~hearing~

words or sounds, while seeing the vision--this, of course, is

Clairaudience.

LESSON II.

HOW TO DEVELOP YOURSELF.

Passing to the actual practice, we desire to inform our students that

the faculty of Psychomancy lies dormant in every person--that is the

Astral Senses are present in everyone, and the possibility of their

being awakened into activity is always present. The different degrees

of power observable in different persons depend chiefly upon the degree

of development, or unfoldment, rather than upon the comparative

strength of the faculties. In some persons, of certain temperaments,

the Astral Senses are very near the manifesting point at all times.

Flashes of what are considered to be "intuition," premonitions, etc.,

are really manifestations of Psychomancy in some phase. In the case of

other persons, on the other hand, the Astral Senses are almost

atrophied, so merged in materialistic thought and life are these

people. The element of Faith also plays an important point in this

phenomena, as it does in all Occult phenomena, for that matter. That is

to say, that one's ~belief~ tends to open up the latent powers and

faculty in man, while a corresponding ~disbelief~ tends to prevent

the unfoldment or manifestation. There is a very good psychological

reason for this as all students of the subject well know. Belief and

Disbelief are two potent psychological factors on all planes of action.

Occultists know, and teach, that the Astral Senses and faculties of the

human race will unfold as the race progresses, at which time that which

we now call Psychomantic Power will be a common possession of all

persons, just as the use of the Physical Senses are to the race at the

present time. In the meantime, there are persons who, not waiting for

the evolution of the race, are beginning to manifest this power in a

greater or lesser degree, depending much upon favorable circumstances,

etc. There are many more persons in this stage of development than is

generally realized. In fact many persons manifesting Psychomantic

power, occasionally, are apt to pass by the phenomena as "imagination,"

and "foolishness," refusing to recognize its reality. Then, again, many

persons manifest the power during sleeping hours, and dismiss the

matter as "merely a dream," etc.

Regarding this matter of the dawning of Psychomancy, a well-known

authority writes as follows: "Students often ask how this psychic

faculty will first be manifested in themselves--how they may know when

they have reached the stage at which its first faint foreshadowings are

beginning to be visible. Cases differ so widely that it is impossible

to give to this question an answer that will be universally applicable.

Some people begin by a plunge, as it were, and under some unusual

stimulus become able just for once to see some striking vision; and

very often in such a case, because the experience does not repeat

itself, the seer comes in time to believe that on that occasion he must

have been the victim of hallucination. Others begin by becoming

intermittently conscious of the brilliant colors and vibrations of the

human aura; others find themselves with increasing frequency seeing and

hearing something to which those around them are blind and deaf; others

again see faces, landscapes, or colored clouds floating before their

eyes in the dark, before they sink to rest; while perhaps the commonest

experience of all is that of those who begin to recollect with greater

and greater clearness what they have seen and heard on other planes

during sleep."

Very many persons possess respectable degrees of Simple Psychomancy,

varying from vague impressions to the full manifestation of the

faculty, as described in these lessons. Such a person has "intuitions";

"notions"; "presentiments," and the faculty of getting ideas regarding

other persons and things, other than by the usual mental processes.

Others manifest certain degrees of Psychometric powers, which develop

rapidly by practice. Others find themselves possessing certain degrees

of power of "scrying" through Crystals, which power, also, may be

developed by practice. The phases of Time Psychomancy, Past and Future;

and that of Space Psychomancy, in its higher degrees, are far more

rare, and few persons possess them, and still fewer persist in the

practice until they develop it, they lacking the patience, persistence,

and application necessary.

While it is very difficult to lay down a set method of instruction in

the Development of Psychomantic Power, owing to reasons already given,

and because of the varying temperaments, etc., of students, yet there

is possible a plan of giving general information, which if followed

will put the student upon the right path toward future development. And

this plan we shall now proceed to give the students of this little

book.

DEVELOPMENT METHODS

Concentration. In the first place, the student should cultivate the

faculty of Concentration, that is the power to hold the attention upon

an object for some time. Very few persons possess this power, although

they may think they do. The best way to develop Concentration is to

practice on some familiar and common object, such as a pencil, book,

ornament, etc. Take up the object and study it in detail, forcing the

mind to examine and consider it in every part, until every detail of

the object has been observed and noted. Then lay the object aside, and

a few hours after pick it up again and repeat the process, and you will

be surprised to see how many points you have missed on the first trial,

Repeat this until you feel that you have exhausted your object. The

next day take up another object, and repeat the process. A drill of

this kind will not only greatly develop the powers of Perception, but

will also strengthen your powers of Concentration in a manner which

will be of great value to you in Occult Development.

Visualizing. The second point of development for the student, is the

development of the faculty of Visualization. In order to Visualize you

must cultivate the faculty of forming Mental Pictures of distant

scenes, places, people, etc., until you can summon them before you at

will, when you place yourself in the proper mental condition. Another

plan is to place yourself in a comfortable position, and then make a

mental journey to some place that you have previously visited. Prepare

for the journey, and then mentally see yourself starting on your trip;

then seeing all the intermediate places and points; then arriving at

your destination and visiting the points of interest, etc.; and then

returning home. Then, later try to visit places that you have never

seen, in the same way. This is not Clairvoyance, but is a training of

the mental faculties for the exercise of the real power.

Psychometry. After you have developed yourself along the lines of

Concentration, and Visualization as above stated, you may begin to

practice Psychometry, as follows: Take a lock of hair; or handkerchief;

or ribbon; or ring; belonging to some other person, and then press it

against your forehead, lightly, closing your eyes, and assuming a

receptive and passive mental state. Then desire calmly that you

Psychometrize the past history of the object. Do not be in too much of

a hurry, but await calmly the impressions. After a while you will begin

to receive impressions concerning the person owning the object pressed

against your forehead. You will form a mental picture of the person,

and will soon begin to receive impressions about his characteristics,

etc. You may practice with a number of objects, at different times, and

will gradually develop the Psychometric power by such practice and

experiments. Remember that you are developing what is practically a new

sense, and must have perseverance and patience in educating and

unfolding it.

Another form of Psychometric development is that of tracing the past

history, surroundings, etc., of metals, minerals, etc. The process is

identical to that just described. The mineral is pressed against the

forehead, and with closed eyes the person awaits the Psychometric

impression. Some who have highly developed the faculty have been able

to describe the veins of mineral, metal, etc., and to give much

valuable information regarding same, all arising from the psychic clue

afforded by a sample of the rock, mineral, metal, etc. There are other

cases of record, in which underground streams of water have been

discovered by Psychometrists, by means of the clue given by a bit of

earth, stone, etc., from the surface. In this, as in the other phase

mentioned, ~practice~, ~practice~, ~practice~, is the summing up of

the instruction regarding development.

~Crystal Gazing.~ We consider the use of the Crystal Glass Ball,

or other forms of what the ancients called "The Magic Mirror," to be

the best plan of developing Psychomantic Power. As we have already

explained, this method serves to focus the concentrated desire, will,

and thought of the person, and thereby becomes the starting point for

the Astral Tube, of which we have frequently spoken in this work. The

student becoming proficient in this class of phenomena, passes by easy,

gradual and natural stages to the higher and more complex phases of the

subject. The "Magic Mirror" (of which the Crystal is but a form) was

used by the ancient Occultists in developing the powers of their

students, and in all countries, and in all ages, it has played a

similar part in the process of developing psychic powers, and serving

as a focal point for the erection and operation of the Astral Tube, in

Psychomancy and other forms of occult and psychic phenomena.

At this point, we wish to tell you that there is no special virtue or

magical properties or qualities in the Crystal itself--it is merely an

instrument for Astral Vision, just as the telescope, microscope and

other optical instruments are instruments employed in the phenomena of

physical vision. It is true that the atomic and molecular

characteristics of glass, crystal, etc., tend to produce the best

results, but, after all, water, ink, etc., have been, and may be

similarly used. No, there is no special "magic" in the crystal itself,

so do not allow yourself to fall into any superstition regarding its

use.

Various teachers use different forms of the Crystal, or substitutes for

it. Some of the teachers whose patrons are among the wealthier classes

of the community, insist upon their pupils possessing globes of pure

crystal, insisting that the latter alone gives the best results. But

others who have pupils among people with shorter purses, have found

that their pupils obtained just as good results by the use of a ball of

plain glass, which is inexpensive. Others have advocated the use of

watch crystals laid over a piece of black cloth, preferably velvet.

Others have used polished steel objects, or pieces of polished metal of

various kinds, a new silver coin, for instance. Others still, have used

a large drop of ink poured into a small dish, etc. Others have had cups

painted black on their inner surface, into which they poured water, and

claimed to have obtained the finest results. All the old talk about

magic ceremonies and incantations being necessary in manufacturing the

Magic Mirror, is pure nonsense, which has grown around the scientific

facts of the case, as is so often the case. Do not be deceived by any

such tomfoolery. A number of persons prefer to gaze into the bright

substance of a precious stone. So you see, when we use the term

"Crystal," we mean that the student may make his choice of any, or

several, of the above-mentioned objects, or that he may even substitute

some other object of his own choosing, possessing the requisite power

of reflection.

There are but very few directions to be given in the use of the

Crystal. Read what we have to say at the conclusion of our lesson on

"Crystal Gazing" in this book, (Lesson VI). The principal point

insisted upon by nearly all the teachers, is that of placing the back

of the gazer to the light, instead of having him face the light.

The simple general direction is that the gazer should practice by

himself, at first, in a quiet room, sitting with his back toward the

light, with the Crystal placed before him on a table, on a piece of

black cloth, or other dark material, and then gaze calmly at the

Crystal. Do not be afraid of winking, and do not strain or tire the

eyes. Some prefer making funnels of their hands, and gazing through

them just as if they were opera-glasses, and we think this plan a very

good one, for it serves to shut out distracting light, and sights. If

you fail to see anything at the first trial, do not be discouraged, but

persevere. A number of trials are necessary in some cases, while in

others wonderful results have been obtained at the first experiment.

An English authority recommends that beginners failing to get direct

results, then try to "visualize" something that they have already

seen--something familiar, such as a chair, a ring, a face, etc., and

then turning to the Crystal endeavor to reproduce it there. It is

claimed that this practice will often gradually lead to actual "seeing"

in the Crystal.

~The first signs of the actual "seeing" in the Crystal, comes in the

form of a "cloudiness," or "milky-mist" in the crystal, which slowly

resolves itself into a form, or scene, which appears gradually like the

precipitation of a photograph upon a sensitive plate in the developing

room. In some cases, the "misty" cloud deepens into a black one, from

which the pictures appear.~

~General Advice.~ In this work we give you a comprehensive, although

condensed, account of the various phases of the phenomena of

Psychomancy, together with a number of instances of typical

manifestations. By reading the following lessons, after having read

the present one, the student will be able to gather much practical

instruction on the subject of the manifestation of the power. He will

be able to understand the nature and general workings of the

phenomena, so that, when he undertakes the work of developing the

power within himself, he will recognize the indication of his

increasing power and unfolding faculties, which otherwise would "be

Greek" to him. In order to get the very best results of instruction in

this line, the student would of course do well to secure some

competent instructor who could give him personal lessons. But, the

person who has the patience and perseverance to "work the thing out

for himself," as many before him have done, will obtain results none

the less valuable because they were worked for without assistance.

We feel that we have given the students of this little work, such an

idea of the general subject, and its fundamental laws, together with

such general instruction in the methods of developing and manifesting

the power that it will be one's own fault if he fails to get at least a

fair degree of success from his undertaking self-development along

these lines. There is no royal road to occult or psychic power--or

"magic word" which when once pronounced will prove an "open Sesame" to

the Doors of Psychomancy. And we would warn the student against persons

who undertake to impart the "Secret" upon the payment of a goodly sum

of money. There is no "Secret" to be so imparted--it is all a matter,

first of general understanding, and then practice and work. To some it

comes easier than to others, but even to such, the higher degrees mean

work and practice. We trust that we have given you food for thought and

material for practice. The rest depends upon yourself.

LESSON III.

SIMPLE PSYCHOMANCY.

The phenomena of Psychomancy may be divided into three general classes,

depending upon the nature of the "seeing," as follows:

I. Simple Psychomancy, by which is meant the power of "sensing" by

means of the Astral Senses in the degree of a mere "quickening" of the

Astral Senses sufficiently to enable one to "sense" more clearly any

etheric vibrations or currents; the auric emanations of persons and

things; and similar phases of Psychomantic phenomena; but which does

not include the power to sense actual occurrences happening in distant

places; nor the power to sense the records of the past, or to receive

indications of the future.

II. Space Psychomancy, by which is meant the power to sense ~distant~

scenes, persons, or objects.

III. Time Psychomancy, by which is meant the power to sense objects,

events, persons, etc., in the records of the past; and also the power

to sense the indications of the future--the "shadows of coming events."

Simple Psychomancy is very much more common than is generally supposed.

Very many people are quite sensitive to "impressions" coming to them in

this way, which while akin to the impressions of Telepathy,

nevertheless belong to the higher grade of Psychic Phenomena known as

Psychomancy. It may be well to state here the difference between

ordinary Telepathic impressions, and those of Simple Psychomancy. Many

students are perplexed by the similarity between the two mentioned

classes of phenomena, and we think it advisable to set them straight

regarding the matter, at this point.

As we have stated in our previous work in this series, (entitled

"Practical Mind Reading") Telepathy is occasioned by the passage of

Thought Waves or Currents, passing from one brain to another, just as

pass the waves of Heat, Light, Electricity, etc. In Telepathy the brain

of the Transmitter sends forth the vibration, waves, or currents, and

the brain of the Receiver registers the same, receiving them by means

of the Pineal Gland which acts in a manner closer resembling that of

the receiving instrument in Wireless Telegraphy. In Telepathy there is

merely the sending and receiving of thought vibrations, ~over the

physical organs~.

But in Simple Psychomancy, the person may, and does, receive the

thought vibrations emanating from the mind of another, but not over

the physical channels, as in Telepathy, ~but by means of the Astral

Senses~. In this lies the difference.

Now, it follows that the Astral Senses being far more keen and acute

than the Physical Senses, the former will register vibrations and

impressions far more readily than the latter, and will often register

impressions that the Physical Senses (even the Pineal Gland organ) take

no account of. In this way the person in whom the Astral Senses are

even partially developed will receive impressions of the thoughts of

others that even the most acute Mind Reader will fail to notice; as

well as words actually spoken by the other person; and ideas forming in

the mind of the other person not yet expressed in active thought-waves.

But, it should be added, the development of Telepathic powers very

frequently grow into a development of Psychomantic powers, and so the

former is one of the easiest paths to the latter, and may be used in

developing Clairvoyant power, and in unfolding the Astral Senses. In

this way the person possessing even a moderate degree of Psychomantic

power often "feels" the thoughts, ideas, emotions, and other mental

states of the people around him, and knows without any words being used

just what the others are thinking and feeling. This is often perceived

by merely the increased power to receive and register the

Thought-vibrations, but in some cases the ability to sense the "Aura"

of the other persons heighten the impression.

THE AURA

The majority of our readers are familiar with the fact that all

persons, and objects, are surrounded by an emanation called an "Aura,"

or egg-shaped psychic emanation extending several feet around them.

This aura is charged with the thought-vibrations of the persons, and is

really the "atmosphere" that we feel surrounding people and by which we

feel attracted or repelled as the case may be. The trained and

developed Psychomancer is able to see the colors by which the various

emotions, thoughts, etc., are indicated, but even when that degree of

power is lacking, he may "feel" the general character of the various

component parts of the person's aura.

While it is not our intention to go deeply into this matter of Auric

Colors, in this work, still we think it well to indicate the same here,

by quoting from a well-known authority on the subject, who says: "As he

looks at a person he will see him surrounded by the luminous mist of

the astral aura, flashing with all sorts of brilliant colors, and

constantly changing in hue and brilliancy with every variation of the

person's thoughts and feelings. He will see this aura flooded with the

beautiful rose-color of pure affection; the rich blue of devotional

feeling; the hard dull brown of selfishness; the deep scarlet of anger;

the horrible lurid red of sensuality; the livid grey of fear; the black

clouds of hatred and malice; or any of the other hundredfold

indications so easily to be read in it by a practiced eye; and thus it

will be impossible for any persons to conceal from him the real state

of their feelings on any subject."

But only a comparatively few are able to distinctly ~see~ these Auric

Colors, by reason of their lack of development along these special

lines. But a great number of people are able to ~feel~ the subtle

vibrations which give rise to these colors. Just as there are well

authenticated cases of blind men and women being able to distinguish

by the sense of feeling (in touch) the various colors which their

blind eyes fail to see, so are thousands of people able to ~feel~

the auric shades which their imperfectly developed clairvoyant vision

fails to perceive. In this connection it is interesting to note that

science informs us that the sense of Feeling was the first developed

of any of the physical senses; in fact all the other senses are

developments of, and extensions of, the original sense of Feeling. And

there is a close correspondence between this phenomena of the Physical

Senses, and that of the Astral Senses.

But there are other, and perhaps more wonderful, features of Simple

Psychomancy. It is a well established scientific fact that nearly, if

not indeed all, objects are constantly emanating streams of Radiant

Energy, or Streams of Electrons as they are called by some. The

delicate instruments of science are able to detect and register some of

the coarser vibrations of this energy, but the more delicate ones have

so far escaped them. But the Astral Senses of the developed

Psychomancer register and record many of the finer vibrations, and in

this way many so-called "miracles" of occultism are explained. Let us

examine this phenomena at this point.

It becomes apparent to any student of the subject, early in his

investigations, that the Psychomancer is able to "see" things hidden

by other objects, and often surrounded by the densest matter. In other

words he is able to ~see through solid objects~--to see "through a

brick wall" to use the familiar phrase. Now this may seem almost

incredible to one at the first mention of the subject. But when the

skeptic's attention is called to the fact that the "X Rays" and

similar forms of energy recently discovered by science, readily pierce

through solid objects, and may be actually "seen" by the eye (aided by

the proper instruments), or recorded on a photographic plate--then the

impossible feat of "seeing though a brick wall" becomes a very simple,

understandable matter, indeed. And in an almost identical manner the

Psychomancer ~sees through solid object~--and ~the most solid material

becomes transparent to his Astral Sight~.

The fine streams or waves of energy constantly being emanated by all

objects, which are invisible to the naked physical eye, are registered

and recorded by the Astral Sense of Sight. The Psychomancer even by

means of the comparatively elementary power of Simple Psychomancy is

able to see what is going on in an adjoining room, or other nearby

place; to read the contents of a sealed letter; to describe the

contents of a locked, steel book; or to read a chosen passage in a

closed book.

To the developed and trained Psychomancer, when he concentrates his

power, the solid ground over which he is walking, becomes transparent,

and he is able to see down into its depths to a considerable distance.

In this way he may see living underground creatures at work, and play;

and to discover veins of mineral, coal, etc., or underground streams

of water. In these cases the Clairvoyant ~does not travel~ in the

Astral, but merely receives and perceives the subtle vibrations or

streams of fine energy constantly being emanated by the objects. Some

Clairvoyants have developed certain other less common faculties of

Astral Sight, which give the "telescopic" and "microscopic" vision in

these cases, in addition to the main faculty of "seeing" things

through solid coverings.

The question will naturally arise in the mind of the student, whether

there is any limit to the depths open to the Astral Sight of the

Psychomancer (in this phase of the phenomena), as for instance when he

is looking into the solid earth. It may be urged that as objects at

immense distances underground emanate rays just as truly as do objects

nearer the surface, then there should be no difference in the power of

vision. Answering this question we would say that the same objection

and obstacle arises in this case, as in the corresponding physical

phenomena, such as the X Rays. While a far distant object emits rays

just as well as a nearby one, still there is a loss of energy according

to distance, and the Astral Sense, like the Physical Sense, fails to

clearly register after a certain distance is attained. This distance

varies in the case of different persons using their Astral Vision, just

as it does in the case of the different degrees of eyesight possessed

by various persons. And then again, it must not be supposed that the

earth becomes as clear as glass to the Astral Vision. On the contrary

it presents a similar appearance to that obtained when one is seeing

objects through water or mist, with the physical eye. One can see quite

a way through water or mist with the physical eye, but after a certain

distance the impressions grow dim, and finally fade from view. Of

course in the case of the erecting of the Astral Tube better results

may be obtained, but this phenomena belongs to the class of Space

Psychomancy.

There is another power open to the Psychomancer along the lines of

Simple Psychomancy. We refer to the phenomena of "seeing into" the

physical bodies of other people; examining the internal organs;

diagnosing diseases, etc. Of course, in this case, before the

Clairvoyant is able to correctly diagnose a disease he must be

acquainted with the nature of the organs, and their appearance in their

normal state, etc., so that he will recognize a diseased condition when

he sees it. One must needs have an acquaintance with Anatomy and

Physiology, as well as possessing trained Psychomantic powers for this

work.

LESSON IV.

THE ASTRAL TUBE.

The term, "~The Astral Tube~," is frequently met with in the writings

of Occultists, but you will find very little more than a mention of it

in many of such works, the proverbial caution of the older writers

having acted in the direction of preventing their entering into a

fuller description or explanation, for fear of the information falling

into improper hands. This will be more readily understood, when we

tell you that the Astral Tube is, and may be, used for classes of

phenomena other than that of Psychomancy, notably that of Mental

Influencing, "treating", etc., which however forms no part of the

present work, but which will be discussed in a future volume of the

series to be called "Mental Influence, etc."

The Astral Plane is composed of an ethereal form of matter, very much

rarer and finer than the matter of the Physical Plane--but matter,

nevertheless, and subject to fixed laws and conditions. And, just as it

is possible to establish "lines of force" in the physical matter, so

may corresponding "lines of force" be established in Astral matter. And

this Astral Tube is really such a "line of force." In other words, it

is possible to set up and establish a "line of force" on the Astral

Plane, that will serve as a ready conductor of Astral vibrations,

currents, etc., and which affords a highly efficient channel of

communication between objects far removed from each other in space. And

this channel is actually created and used in a variety of forms of

Occult phenomena.

POLARIZATION.

You have heard of "Polarity," and "Polarization" in connection with

electrical phenomena. "Polarity" is defined by Webster as: "That

quality or condition of a body by virtue of which it exhibits opposite

or contrasted properties or powers, in opposite or contrasted parts or

directions; or, a condition giving rise to a contrast of properties

corresponding to a contrast of positions." And, "Polarization" is

defined by the same authority as: "Act of polarizing; state of having

polarity." Well, then, the process of erecting the Astral Tube is

practically that of the "polarization" of the particles of Astral

matter by an effort of the human Will, set in motion by means of a

strong Desire or Determination, under certain conditions.

When the human Will is directed toward a distant person or object,

under the proper psychic conditions, it tends to "polarize" a path or

channel through the Astral atmosphere toward the desired point, which

channel becomes at once an easy course of psychic communication for the

transmission or receiving of psychic impressions or expressions, as the

case may be. And, in the case of Psychomancy and kindred phenomena, the

Astral Senses of the person (even though his Astral Body be still

within its physical counterpart) are able to readily "sense" the

impressions being manifested at a far distant point in space.

The above mentioned channel of communication--the Astral Tube--has not

of course the advantages of actual travel in the Astral Body, and is

besides affected by certain Astral happenings, such as the breaking up

of the tube, or an impairment of its efficiency, by reason of some

stronger astral current or channel, etc., for instance. When one

considers the currents and cross-currents constantly in operation on

the Astral Plane, it will be seen how likely the above mentioned

interference is to happen.

Through the Astral Tube the Astral Senses actually "sense" the sights,

and often the sounds being manifested at a distance, just as one may

see distant sights through a telescope, or hear distant sounds through

a telephone, for instance. It also may be used as a microscope, as we

shall see as we proceed. The student's attention is especially directed

toward the fact that in this form of phenomena, the Psychomancer

remains within his physical body, and does not travel in the Astral at

all. He sees the distant scenes, just as a man sees them through a

telescope. His consciousness remains within his physical body.

A well known writer on this subject has truly said: "* * * the

limitations resemble those of a man using a telescope on the physical

plane. The experimenter, for example, has a particular field of view

which cannot be enlarged or altered; he is looking at his scene from a

certain direction, and he cannot suddenly turn it all around and see

how it looks from the other side. If he has sufficient psychic energy

to spare, he may drop altogether the telescope that he is using, and

manufacture an entirely new one for himself which will approach his

objective somewhat differently; but, this is not a course at all likely

to be adopted in practice. But it may be said, the mere fact that he is

using Astral Sight ought to enable him to see it from all sides at

once. And so it would, if he were using that sight in the normal way

upon an object which was fairly near him--within his astral reach as it

were; but at a distance of hundreds or thousands of miles the case is

very different. Astral sight gives us the advantage of an additional

dimension, but there is still such a thing as position in that

dimension, and it is naturally a potent factor in limiting the use of

the powers of its plane. * * * Astral sight, when it is cramped by

being directed along what is practically a tube, is limited very much

as physical sight would be under similar circumstances, though if

possessed in perfection it will continue to show, even at that

distance, the auras, and therefore all the emotions and most of the

thoughts of the people under observation."

The Astral Tube, in connection with Psychomancy, is used in a variety

of forms. It is often used unconsciously, and springs into existence

spontaneously, under the power of some strong emotion, desire or will.

It is also observed in some cases of hypnotic phenomena, in which the

hypnotist uses his will to cause his subject to form an Astral Tube,

and then report his impressions. It is also used by the trained

Psychomancer, without the use of any "starting point," or "focal

centre," simply by the exercise of his trained, developed and

concentrated will. But its most familiar and common use is in

connection with some object serving as a "starting point," or "focal

centre."

The "starting point" or "focal centre," above mentioned, is generally

either what is known as "the associated object" in the class of

phenomena commonly known as "Psychometry," or else a glass or

crystal-ball, or similar polished reflecting surface, in what is known

as "Crystal Gazing." In the two next succeeding lessons, we shall

consider these two forms of phenomena, respectively.

LESSON V.

PSYCHOMETRY.

The phenomena commonly known as "Psychometry," is but one phase of

Psychomancy--or it even may be said to be but a ~method employed~

to bring into action the Astral Senses. The Psychometrist merely

~gets into rapport~ with the distant scene; or period of time; or

person; or object; by using some bit of physical material associated

with that scene; time; person; objects; etc., in order to "open up

communications" along the usual lines of Psychomancy. This has been

compared to the use of objects associated with a thing in the case of

memory. We all know how the sight of some object will recall at once

memories of things long since forgotten to all appearances, but which

memories have been merely stored away in the great storehouse of the

mind, to be recalled readily when the "association" is furnished. What

"association" is in the case of Memory, so is the material object

presented as the "associated object" in Psychometry.

The Occult Teachings inform us that ~there is a psychic connection

ever existing between things once associated~, and that when we

throw ourselves into the psychic current surrounding an object we may

readily follow the current back until we reach the associated object

for which we are seeking on the Astral Plane. In the Akashic Records

(See Lesson IX) all memories are registered and recorded, and if we

have a good starting point we may travel back until we find that which

we desire. In the same way the "associated object" furnishes us with a

ready means of starting our Astral Tube into being and use. This is the

secret of the use of the lock of hair; the bit of clothing; the piece

of metal or mineral, etc., used by Psychometrists.

A well known authority on the subject has said concerning Psychometry:

"It may be asked how it is possible, amid the bewildering confusion of

these records of the past, to find any particular picture when it is

wanted. As a matter of fact, the untrained psychic usually cannot do so

without some special link to put him in rapport with the subject

required. Psychometry is an instance in point, and it is quite probable

that our ordinary memory is really only another presentment of the same

idea. It seems as though there were a sort of magnetic attachment or

affinity between any particle of matter and the record which contains

its history--and affinity which enables it to act as a kind of

conductor between that record and the faculties of anyone who can read

it. For instance, I once brought from Stonehenge a tiny fragment of

stone, not larger than a pin's head, and on putting this into an

envelope and handing it to a psychometrist who had no idea what it was,

she at once began to describe the wonderful ruin from which it came,

and the desolate country surrounding it, and then went on to picture

vividly what were evidently scenes from its early history, showing that

the infinitesimal fragment had been sufficient to put her into

communication with the records connected with the spot from which it

came. The scenes through which we pass in the course of our life seem

to act in the same manner upon the cells of our brain as did the

history of Stonehenge upon that particle of stone; they establish a

connection with those cells by means of which our mind is put in

rapport with that particular portion of the records, and so we

'remember' what we have seen."

THE FIVE METHODS

The method of Psychometry may be employed in a number of ways, among

which are the following, all of which are subject to many variations

and combinations:

1. Locating a person by means of a lock of hair, article of clothing,

handkerchief, ribbon, piece of jewelry, bit of writing, etc. In this

manner not only may a good Psychometrist locate the person, but will

also be able to give an idea of his characteristics, habits, health,

etc.

2. Describing a person's characteristics, past life, future, etc., by

means of the rapport condition made possible by the person's presence.

3. Describing a present distant scene by means of a bit of mineral,

plant, or similar object once located at the place.

4. Describing the surrounding underground characteristics by means of a

bit of mineral, etc.

5. Getting into touch with the past history of an object, or its

surroundings, by means of the object itself. For instance, a bullet

from the battle-field may give the history of the battle; a bit of

ancient pottery, the characteristics and habits of the people who made

or used it, as well as the appearance of the land in which they dwell,

etc.

In all of these phases, with their variations and combination, the

student will see the operation of the phenomena under the various heads

as classified by us in this work. Each Occurrence or manifestation will

be found to fit into the class of Simple Psychomancy; Space

Psychomancy; Past Time Psychomancy; or Future Time Psychomancy.

(See Lesson II, for suggestions regarding development of Psychometric

power.)

LESSON VI.

CRYSTAL GAZING.

There has been a great revival of interest in the subject of "Crystal

Gazing," particularly in England, of late years, and many interesting

accounts have appeared in the papers and magazines regarding the

results of the experiments. But the majority of the writers on the

subject persist in treating it as a thing separate and apart from other

forms of Psychomancy--in fact, many of them ignore Psychomancy

altogether and are apparently under the impression that there is no

connection between it and their favorite subject of Crystal Gazing.

This attitude is somewhat amusing to persons who have made a careful

study of Psychic Phenomena and who know that Crystal Gazing is not a

distinct phenomenon, but is merely a method of bringing into action the

Psychomantic faculties.

In many respects the Crystal acts in a manner akin to that of the

"associated object" in Psychometry, but there is one point of

distinction which should not be overlooked by the student. The

"associated object" gives to the Psychometrist a ~starting point for

the Astral Tube~, and also serves to "point the Astral Telescope"

(if one may use the term) in the right direction, by reason of its

affinity with the distant scene, etc. But the Crystal does not so act,

for it is not closely allied to, or in sympathy with other things, when

used in the ordinary manner. Instead of being the "eye-lens of the

telescope," it is really a "Magic Mirror" which is turned first this

way and that, and which reflects whatever comes within its field, just

as does any other mirror. The trained and developed Psychomancer,

however, may direct his Mirror to any desired point, and may hold it

there by means of a concentrated Will.

The favor with which Crystal Gazing meets with at the hands of

beginners is due to the fact that it is the easiest method known by

which the Astral Vision may be awakened. With the majority of people,

the power may be awakened only by the aid of some physical object which

may act as a starting-point for the Astral Tube, or as one writer has

expressed it, "a convenient focus for the Will-power." A number of

objects may be so employed, but the Crystal or Glass Ball is the best

for the purpose because of certain atomic and molecular arrangements

which tend to promote the manifestation of the psychic power and

faculties.

Crystal Gazing, as a method for inducing Psychomantic vision, has been

quite common among all peoples, in all times. Not only the Crystal but

many other objects are similarly used. In Australia the native priests

use water and shining objects, or in some cases, flame. In New Zealand

some of the natives use a drop of blood. The Fijians fill a hole with

water, and gaze into it. Some South American tribes use the polished

surface of a black stone. The American Indians used water and shining

bits of flint or quartz. And so the story goes. As Lang states it,

people "stare into a crystal ball; a cup; a mirror; a blot of ink

(Egypt and India); a drop of blood (the Maoris of New Zealand); a bowl

of water (American Indians); a pond (Roman and African); water in a

glass bowl (Fez); or almost any polished surface, etc."

We quote a typical case of Crystal Gazing, related by Mr. Andrew Lang.

He says:

"I had given a glass ball to a young lady, Miss Baillie, who had

scarcely any success with it. She lent it to Miss Leslie, who saw a

large, square, old-fashioned red sofa covered with muslin (which she

afterward found in the next country-house she visited). Miss Baillie's

brother, a young athlete, laughed at these experiments, took the ball

into his study, and came back looking 'gey gash.' He admitted that he

had seen a vision--somebody he knew, under a lamp. He said he would

discover during the week whether he saw right or not. This was at 5:30

on a Sunday afternoon. On Tuesday, Mr. Baillie was at a dance in a town

forty miles from his home, and met a Miss Preston. 'On Sunday,' he

said, 'about half-past five, you were sitting under a standard lamp, in

a dress I never saw you wear, a blue blouse with lace over the

shoulders, pouring out tea for a man in blue serge, whose back was

towards me, so that I only saw the tip of his moustache.' 'Why, the

blinds must have been up,' said Miss Preston. 'I was at Dulby,' said

Mr. Baillie, and he undeniably was."

Stead relates the following experience with the Crystal: "Miss X. upon

looking into the crystal on two occasions as a test, to see if she

could see men when she was several miles off, saw not me, but a

different friend of mine on each occasion. She had never seen either of

my friends before, but immediately identified them both on seeing them

afterward at my office. On one of the evenings on which we experimented

in the vain attempts to photograph a Double, I dined with Madam C. and

her friend at a neighboring restaurant. As she glanced at the water

bottle, Madame C. saw a picture beginning to form, and, looking at it

from curiosity, described with considerable detail an elderly gentleman

whom she had never seen before, and whom I did not in the least

recognize from her description at the moment. Three hours afterwards,

when the seance was over, Madam C. entered the room and recognized Mr.

Elliott, of Messrs. Elliott & Fry, as the gentleman whom she had seen

and described in the water bottle at the restaurant. On another

occasion the picture was less agreeable: it was an old man lying dead

in bed with some one weeping at his feet; but who it was, or what it

related to, no one knew."

As a matter of general interest, we also quote Mr. Stead's remarks on

crystal gazing, which agree with our own views and experience. He says:

"There are some people who cannot look into an ordinary globular bottle

without seeing pictures form themselves, without any effort or will on

their part, in the crystal globe. Crystal gazing seems to be the least

dangerous and most simple of all forms of experimenting. You simply

look into a crystal globe the size of a five-shilling piece, or a water

bottle which is full of clear water, and which is placed so that too

much light does not fall upon it, and then simply look at it. You make

no incantations, and engage in no mumbo-jumbo business; you simply look

at it for two or three minutes, taking care not to tire yourself,

winking as much as you please, but fixing your thought upon whatever

you wish to see. Then, if you have the faculty, the glass will cloud

over with a milky mist, and in the centre the image is gradually

precipitated in just the same way as a photograph forms on the

sensitive plate."

(See Lesson II, for further particulars on Crystal Gazing, and

suggestions for the successful development of the power.)

LESSON VII.

ASTRAL PROJECTION.

In our last three lessons we considered that class of Psychomancy

arising from the erection and employment of the "Astral Tube." In the

present lesson we pass to a consideration of the third class of

phenomena, namely, that occasioned by the actual projection of one's

Astral Body to distant points.

In this class of phenomena the consciousness of the person does not

remain within the physical organism, but is actually projected along

with the Astral Body to the point being psychically viewed or examined.

This form of Psychomancy is, of course, a higher degree of

manifestation than the class previously described. Here physical

consciousness is temporarily suspended (perhaps for but a moment or so)

and the Astral Body containing the consciousness of the individual is

projected to some point, perhaps far distant, with the rapidity of

thought, where it examines objects there situated, receiving sensations

through and by means of the Astral Senses. This phenomena may arise

while the person is in a trance, or sleep, etc., or else in a moment of

concentrated abstraction, when one is "day-dreaming"; in a "brown

study"; or "wrapped in thought," as the familiar terms run. When he

returns to his physical body he "comes to himself," and what he has

seen or heard seems to him like a "day-dream" or fantasy--unless he be

a trained seer, in which case the two planes of consciousness will be

closely related, and almost continuous.

Besides the more familiar phases of this class of phenomena, there are

wonderful possibilities open for the developed Psychomancer along these

lines. As a leading writer on this subject has said concerning it: "He

has also the immense advantage of being able to take part, as it were,

in the scenes which come before his eyes. If, in addition, he can learn

how to materialize himself, he will be able to take part in physical

events or conversations at a distance, and to show himself to an absent

friend at will."

The trained experimenter along these lines has also the advantage of

being able to search about on the Astral Plane for what he desires to

find or locate. He is able to direct his Astral Body to definite

places, either by means similar to finding one's way on the physical

plane, or else by following up the psychic clue afforded by a piece of

clothing, a lock of hair, a piece of stone, or some other object

connected with the person or place desired, by means of a higher form

of Psychometry. Of course, the person whose powers are not so highly

developed is not able to have such control over his Astral Body, or to

manifest such a degree of trained power. He is like a child learning to

walk, or read--he is awkward, and must learn to direct his movements.

There are many degrees of power, from the occasional, spontaneous

manifestations, to those of the highly trained Occultists who travel in

the Astral even more easily than in the physical, and with the same

degree of certainty and control.

The pages of reliable works on Occultism and Psychic Research are

filled with illustrations and examples of cases along these lines, in

which the Astral Body of persons have traveled to distant scenes, and

have reported occurrences and scenes witnessed there, sometimes

materializing so as to be seen by the persons in the places visited. We

herewith mention a few of these cases, in order to illustrate the

principle.

A well-known example is that of the Philadelphian, mentioned by the

German writer Jung Stilling, and quoted by some English writers. The

man in question was a well-known character, respected, of good

reputation and steady habits. He had the reputation of possessing

Psychomantic powers which he sometimes manifested for the benefit of

friends and others. He was once consulted by the wife of a sea captain,

whose husband was on a voyage to Europe and Africa, and whose vessel

had been long overdue, and from whom no tidings had been received for a

long time.

The Psychomancer listened to the story of the anxious and distressed

wife, and then excused himself from the room for a short time, retiring

into an adjoining room. Becoming alarmed at his continued absence from

the room, the lady quietly opened the connecting door, and peeped in

the second room, where much to her surprise and alarm she saw the old

man lying on a couch, showing all the appearances of death. She waited

in great alarm for a long time, when he aroused himself and returned to

her. He told her that he had visited her husband in a coffee-house in

London, and gave her the reasons for his not having written, adding

that he would soon return to Philadelphia.

When the husband finally returned, his wife questioned him regarding

the matter, and he informed her that the reasons given by the

Psychomancer were correct in every detail. Upon being taken into the

presence of the man, the old sea captain uttered an exclamation of

surprise, saying that he had seen the man on a certain day in a

coffee-house in London, and that the man had told him that his wife was

worried about him, and that he had answered the man, saying that he had

been prevented from writing for certain reasons, and that he was on the

very eve of setting sail for America. He said that he had then lost

sight of the stranger suddenly.

W. T. Stead relates the case of a lady of his acquaintance who has

spontaneously developed the power to travel in her Astral Body, and to

materialize the same unconsciously. She became a source of great worry

and distress to many of her friends, to whom she would pay unexpected

and involuntary visits, frightening them out of their wits by the

materialization of what they supposed must be the "ghost" of the lady,

whom they thought must have died suddenly. The occurrences, however,

became so frequent that her friends at last became familiar with the

nature of the appearances, and viewed them with merely great interest

and wonder.

The English Society for Psychical Research have several hundred

well-authenticated instances of such appearances in their published

records. One of the well-known cases is that of a gentleman described

as "S. H. B.," a member of the London Stock Exchange, and a man of

considerable business note. He relates his story as follows:

"One Sunday night in November, 1881, I was in Kildare Gardens, when I

willed very strongly that I would visit in the spirit two lady friends,

the Misses V., who were living three miles off, in Hogarth Road. I

willed that I should do this at one o'clock in the morning, and having

willed it, I went to sleep. Next Thursday, when I first met my friends,

the elder lady told me she woke up and saw my apparition advancing to

her bedside. She screamed and woke her sister, who also saw me." (A

signed statement of the two sisters accompanies this statement, both

ladies fixing the time at one o'clock, and saying that Mr. B. wore

evening dress.)

"Again, on December 1, 1882, I was at Southall. At half-past nine I sat

down to endeavor to fix my mind so strongly upon the interior of a

house at Kew, where Miss V. and her sister lived, that I seemed to be

actually in the house. I was conscious, but was in a kind of mesmeric

sleep. When I went to bed that night, I willed to be in the front

bedroom of that house at Kew at twelve, and to make my presence felt by

the inmates. Next day I went to Kew. Miss V.'s married sister told me,

without any prompting from me, that she had seen me in the passage

going from one room to another at half-past nine o'clock, and that at

twelve, when she was wide awake, she saw me come to the front bedroom,

where she slept, and take her hair, which is very long, into my hand.

She said I then took her hand and gazed into the palm intently. She

said, 'You need not look at the lines, for I never had any trouble.'

She then woke her sister. When Mrs. L. told me this. I took out the

entry that I had made the previous night and read it to her. Mrs. L. is

quite sure she was not dreaming. She had only seen me once before, two

years previously, at a fancy ball."

"Again, on March 22, 1884, I wrote to Mr. Gurney, of the Psychical

Research Society, telling him I was going to make my presence felt by

Miss V., at 44 Norland Square, at midnight. Ten days afterwards, I saw

Miss V., when she voluntarily told me that on Saturday at midnight, she

distinctly saw me, when she was quite wide awake."

We have related these accounts in order to show instances of the

appearance of a materialized Astral Body. But, we must remember that

these cases of materialization are very rare as compared to the cases

of Astral Projection (without materialization) in ordinary

Clairvoyance. And yet the phenomena is practically the same in both

instances, leaving out the phase of materialization. In many instances

the individual actually travels in his Astral Body to the distant scene

and there witnesses the events occurring at that point. There is a

"ghost" within each one of us, which under certain favorable conditions

travels away from our physical body and "sees things" at far-off

points. Under certain other conditions it materializes, and is visible

to others, but in the majority of cases it merely "sees" without being

seen. The Psychomancer, in this phase of the phenomena, actually

travels from the location of the physical body, to the other points

desired, and reports what he or she sees and hears there.

Astral Projection is frequently developed by faithful practice of, and

demonstration of, the simpler forms of Psychomancy. It is all a matter

of successive steps of development.

LESSON VIII.

SPACE PSYCHOMANCY.

As we stated in previous lessons, "Space Psychomancy" is the exercise

of the faculty in the direction of perceiving far-distant scenes,

persons, objects, etc.

Of course, there is really an exercise of Space Psychomancy in some

instances of Simple Psychomancy. But we make the distinction because in

the case of objects seen by Simple Psychomancy at some little distance

from the observer, the impression is received by means of the rays, or

vibrations from the objects themselves, by means of the developed

Astral Senses, acting in a simple manner; while in the case of Space

Psychomancy (in the technical sense of the term) the impression is

received by means of either the erection of the Astral Tube, or else by

the actual projection of the consciousness in the Astral Body--the

latter being an actual visiting of the scene.

A little illustration may perhaps make clearer the above distinction.

Let us suppose a man on the physical Plane with ordinary eyesight--such

a man could not see an object beyond the average distance of vision,

and he would be like a person devoid of Psychomantic powers. Then let

us suppose a man of extraordinary visual powers, such as many hunters

or seafaring men--such a one could see things invisible to the first

man, and would thus resemble the person manifesting Simple Psychomancy.

Then let us suppose a third man, using a telescope--this man could see

things that neither of the other two could perceive, and he would thus

resemble the person manifesting along the lines of Space Psychomancy by

means of the Astral Tube. And, finally, let us suppose a fourth man,

who possessed magical wings which would instantly transport him to the

distant scene, whence he could view the objects, personally, and at

close range--well this man would be like the person who was able to

project his Astral Body, and thus view the distant scenes at will, and

at short range, without the difficulties attendant upon the use of the

telescope-like Astral Tube--to see the object on any and all sides, and

from all points of view--~to get inside of it~, as well as outside.

The following interesting cases are quoted to illustrate the principle:

Captain Yount, of the Napa Valley, California, had a peculiar

experience while asleep. He had a remarkably clear vision in which

appeared a band of emigrants perishing from cold and hunger amidst a

mountain range. He noted particularly, and in detail, the scenery and

appearance of the canyon. He saw a huge, perpendicular cliff of white

rock; and the emigrants cutting off what appeared to be the tops of

trees arising from great drifts of snow; he even saw plainly the

features of some of the party. He awoke, sorely distressed by the

vividness and the nature of his "dream," for so he considered it to be.

But, by-and-by, he fell asleep again, and saw the scene repeated, with

equal distinctness. In the morning he found that he could not get the

"dream" out of his mind, and he told it to some of his friends. One of

the hearers of the story was an old hunter, who at once recognized the

place seen in the dream as a place across the Sierras, known as a point

in the Carson Valley Pass. So earnest was the old hunter, that Captain

Yount, and his friends, organized a rescue party and set out with

provisions, mules, and blankets to seek the perishing emigrants.

Notwithstanding the ridicule of the public, the rescuers persisted in

their search, and finally about one hundred and fifty miles distant, in

the Carson Valley Pass, they found the scene as described by Captain

Yount, and ~in the identical spot seen in the dream were found the

party of emigrants~, the surviving members of whom were rescued and

brought over the mountain.

Another interesting account is given in the reports of the Society for

Psychical Research, of England. It relates that an English lady, Mrs.

Broughton, awoke one night in 1844, and aroused her husband, telling

him that she had had a strange vision of a scene in France. She stated

that she had seen a broken-down carriage, evidently wrecked in an

accident, and a crowd gathered around the figure of a man, whose body

was then raised and carried into a nearby house. She said that the body

was then placed in a bed, when she recognized his features as those of

the Duke of Orleans. Then friends gathered around the bed, and later

came the king and queen of France, all weeping. She saw the doctor, who

stood over the Duke, feeling his pulse, with his watch in his other

hand, but she could only see the doctor's back. Then the scene had

faded from her vision. When daylight finally came, she recorded the

vision in her journal. It was before the days of the telegraph, and it

was more than two days before the newspapers announced the death of the

Duke of Orleans. The lady visited Paris afterwards, and recognized the

place of the accident. It then appeared that the attending physician

whose face she could not see in her vision, was an old friend of hers,

who then told her that as he watched the bed his mind had involuntarily

dwelt upon her and her family.

The well-known case of Swedenborg gives us another illustration of this

class of Psychomancy. It is related that in the latter part of

September, 1759, at four o'clock one Saturday afternoon, Swedenborg

arrived home from England, and disembarked at Gothenburg. Mr. W. Castel

met him and invited him to dinner, at which meal there were fifteen

persons gathered around the table. At six o'clock that evening

Swedenborg went out a few minutes, returning to the table excited and

pale. When questioned, he said that there was a fire at Stockholm, 200

miles distant, which was steadily spreading. He grew very restless, and

frequently left the room. He said that the house of one of his friends,

whose name he mentioned, was already in ashes, and that his own was in

danger. At eight o'clock after he had been out again, he returned

crying out cheerfully, "Thank heaven! the fire is out, the third door

from my house."

The news of the occurrence excited the whole town, and the officials

made inquiry regarding it, and Swedenborg was summoned before the

governor, and requested to relate what he had seen, in detail.

Answering the governor, he told when and where the fire had started;

how it had begun; how, when and where it had stopped; and the time it

lasted, the number of houses destroyed, people injured, etc. On the

following Monday morning a courier arrived from Stockholm, bringing

news of the fire, having left the town while it was still burning. On

the next day after, Tuesday morning, another courier arrived at the

governor's palace with a full report of the fire, which corresponded

precisely with the vision of Swedenborg--the fire had stopped precisely

at eight o'clock, the minute that Swedenborg had so announced it to the

company.

Stead relates the following instance of this class of Psychomancy,

which was told him by the wife of a Dean of the Episcopal Church. The

lady said: "I was staying in Virginia, some hundred miles away from

home, when one morning about eleven o'clock, I felt an overpowering

sleepiness, which drowsiness was quite unusual, and which caused me to

lie down. In my sleep I saw quite distinctly my home in Richmond in

flames. The fire had broken out in one wing of the house, which I saw

with dismay was where I kept all my best dresses. The people were all

trying to check the flames, but it was no use. My husband was there,

walking about before the burning house, carrying a portrait in his

hand. Everything was quite clear and distinct, exactly as if I had

actually been present and seen everything. After a time I woke up, and

going downstairs told my friends the strange dream I had had. They

laughed at me, and made such game of my vision that I did my best to

think no more about it. I was traveling about, a day or two passed, and

when Sunday came I found myself in a church where some relatives were

worshipping. When I entered the pew they looked rather strange, and as

soon as the service was over I asked them what was the matter. 'Don't

be alarmed,' they said 'there is nothing serious.' Then they handed me

a postcard from my husband which simply said, 'House burned out;

covered by insurance.' ~The day was the date upon which my dream

occurred.~ I hastened home, and then I learned that everything had

happened exactly as I had seen it. The fire had broken out in the wing

I had seen blazing. My clothes were all burnt, and the oddest thing

about it was that my husband, having rescued a favorite picture from

the burning building, had carried it about among the crowd for some

time before he could find a place in which to put it safely."

A well-authenticated case is that of the wreck of the ship

"Strathmore." Stead relates the story as follows: "The father of a son

who had sailed in the 'Strathmore,' an emigrant ship outbound from

Clyde, saw one night the ship foundering amid the waves, and saw that

his son, with some others had escaped safely to a desert island near

which the wreck had taken place. He was so much impressed by this

vision that he wrote to the owner of the 'Strathmore,' telling him what

he had seen. His information was scouted; but after a while the

'Strathmore' became overdue, and the owner became uneasy. Day followed

day, and still no tidings of the missing ship. Then, like Pharaoh's

butler, the owner remembered his sins one day, and hunted up the letter

describing the vision. It supplied at least a theory to account for the

vessel's disappearance. All outward-bound ships were requested to look

out for any survivors on the island indicated in the vision. These

orders being obeyed, the survivors of the 'Strathmore' were found

exactly where the father had seen them."

Another interesting case is reported by the Society previously

mentioned. It reports that Dr. Golinski, a physician of Kremeutchug,

Russia, was taking an after-dinner nap in the afternoon, about

half-past three o'clock. He had a vision in which he saw himself called

out on a professional visit, which took him to a little room with dark

hangings. To the right of the door he saw a chest of drawers, upon

which rested a little paraffin lamp of special pattern, different from

anything he had ever seen before. On the left of the door, he saw a

woman suffering from a severe hemorrhage. He then saw himself giving

her professional treatment. Then he awoke, suddenly, and saw that it

was just half-past four o'clock. Then comes the strange sequel. Within

ten minutes after he awoke, he was called out on a professional visit,

and on entering the bedroom he saw all the details that had appeared to

him in his vision. There was the chest of drawers--there was the

peculiar lamp--there was the woman on the bed suffering from the

hemorrhage. Upon inquiry he found that she had grown worse between

three and four o'clock, and had anxiously desired that he come to her

about that time, finally dispatching a messenger for him at half-past

four, the moment at which he awoke.

We could fill page after page with these interesting and

well-authenticated instances, but our lack of space prevents. We have

stated enough to illustrate the principle, and then, besides, many of

our readers will know of many similar instances in the actual

experience of themselves, relatives or friends. Volumes would not

contain all the true stories of phenomena of this kind--and still

people smile in a superior way at the mere suggestion of the phenomena.

LESSON IX.

PAST TIME PSYCHOMANCY.

As we have previously stated, "Time Psychomancy" is a term used to

designate that phase of the phenomena in which one senses objects,

events, persons, etc., in the records of the past; and also in which he

senses the indications of the future--"the shadows of coming events."

For convenience, we shall separate our consideration of the subject

into two parts, viz.: (1) Past Time Psychomancy; and (2) Future Time

Psychomancy.

Past Time Psychomancy is that phase of the phenomena which enables one

to use his Astral Vision to explore the records of the past, and we

shall now proceed to examine.

The first question that naturally arises in the minds of careful

students, in connection with this phase of the phenomena, is, "How is

the person able to sense the scenes, occurrences, and objects of the

past? There are no vibrations emanating from past scenes, and as they

no longer exist, how can anyone see them, by Astral Vision, or by any

other means?" This question is a most proper one, for even those who

readily grasp the explanation of Space Psychomancy find themselves at a

loss to understand the Past Time Phenomena without a knowledge of the

Occult Teachings on the subjects.

THE AKASHIC RECORDS

The secret of Past Time Psychomancy is found in the Occult Teachings of

the "Akashic Records" by which is meant that on the higher planes of

Universal Substance, there are to be found records of all that has

happened and occurred during the entire World Cycle of which the

present time forms a part. These records are preserved until the

termination of the World Cycle, when they pass away with the World of

which they are a record. This does not mean that there is any Great

Book in which the doings, good and bad, of people are written down by

the Recording Angel, as popular fanciful legends have it. But it does

mean that there is a scientific occult basis for the popular legend, in

spite of the sneers of the skeptics. We must turn to modern science for

a corroboration. It is now taught by scientists that there is no such

thing as a destruction of Energy, but that Energy always exists in some

form. The Occult Teachings verify this, and go further, when they state

that every action, thought, happening, event, occurrence, etc., no

matter how small or insignificant, leaves an indelible record on the

Akasha (or Universal Ether) with which Space is filled. In other words,

every action, or scene, that has ever occurred or existed in the past,

has left an impression in the Universal Ether, or Akasha, where it may

be read by developed Psychomancy.

There is nothing especially wonderful about this, when you compare it

with other facts in nature. Astronomy teaches us that light travels at

the rate of 186,000 miles a second--and that there are fixed stars in

space so far removed from the Earth that their light leaving them

hundreds, yes, thousands, of years ago, is only now reaching our sight.

In other words, when we look at some of the fixed stars, we do not see

them as they now are, or where they now are, but merely see them where

and how they were hundreds of years ago when the rays of light left

them. Astronomers tell us that if one of these stars happened to be

blotted out of existence hundreds of years ago, we would be still

seeing the light that left them before the event--in other words would

be seeing them hundreds of years after they had ceased to be. And our

children, and children's children, for several generations would still

see them, and would not learn of the terrible catastrophe for hundreds

of years after it actually happened. The vibrations of light once set

into motion would persist for centuries, and even for thousands of

years after their source had disappeared. This is no wild occult fancy,

but a well-proven and thoroughly-established scientific fact, as any

one may see for himself by reference to any work on astronomy. And the

same is true of waves of electricity, or electronic emanations, or

waves of any kind of energy. Really, even in the physical view of

things, nothing can exist without leaving a record in the Universal

Ether. And so the Occult Teachings now find their corroboration in

Modern Science.

Another illustration is found in the phenomena of the Memory of Man.

Stored away in our brain cells are records of things, events, scenes,

occurrences, people, and objects, registered there in past years. You

often find yourself thinking about people, things and events of years

long since passed away--and by a mere effort of the will you bring the

records of these people, things, or events before your mental vision

and see them reproduced in detail. Dissect a brain-cell and you will

find no trace of the thing there--but nevertheless every exercise of

memory proves that the record is there. And there is nothing more

wonderful, or miraculous, in the Akashic Records of Past Events, than

there is in the Memory Record of Past Events! The Universal Ether, or

Akasha, has within itself a true and full record of anything, and

everything, that has ever existed within its space. And if one develops

the power to read these records at will, he has a full and complete key

to the past, from the speaking of the Creative Word which began this

great World Cycle.

But, in order to avoid a misapprehension, we must say to our students

that none but the most advanced and highly-developed Occultists and

Masters have clear access to the planes upon which these records are to

be found. The majority of Psychomancers merely see on the "Lower Astral

Plane" a reflection of the Akashic Records, which reflection may be

compared to the reflection of the trees and landscape in a pond of

water, which of course, is often more or less imperfect--distorted and

disturbed by the ripples and waves occasioned by the passing breezes,

and sometimes being made muddy and clouded. The records of the Past,

open to the average Psychomancer, are merely "~reflections of

records~," which are apt to be more or less distorted, or cloudy, by

reason of the disturbances of the surface of the reflecting medium.

This is a brief and simple statement of an important Occult scientific

truth, which would require volumes to explain technically. The

illustration of the reflecting surface of the water, however, is so

true to the real facts that the student may confidently adopt the same

as his mental image of the phenomena of Past Time Psychomancy.

In actual practice we find the phenomena of Past Time Psychomancy

manifested principally along the line of Psychometry and Crystal

Gazing, the consideration of which phases of phenomena has been made in

previous lessons in this book. There are to be found, however, many

instances of at least a partial manifestation of this phase of power

among individuals in every-day life, who when meeting a person

frequently get impressions (more or less correct) of his or her past

life, past scenes, etc.

The German writer, Zschokke, in his autobiography, writes as follows

regarding this power of Past Time Psychomancy possessed by him, and

which was often set into operation when he came into the presence of

strangers for the first time. He states: "It has happened to me

sometimes, on my first meeting with strangers, as I silently listened

to their discourse, that their former life, with many trifling

circumstances therewith connected, or frequently some particular scene

in that life, has passed quite involuntarily, and, as it were,

dream-like, yet perfectly distinct, before me. During this time I

usually feel so entirely absorbed in the contemplation of the

stranger's life, that at last I no longer see clearly the face of the

unknown wherein I undesignedly read, nor distinctly hear the voices of

the speakers, which before served in some measure as a commentary on

the text of their features. For a long time I held such visions as

delusions of the fancy, and the more so as they showed me even the

dress and emotions of the actors, rooms, furniture, and other

accessories, but I soon discovered otherwise.

"On one occasion, in a gay mood, I narrated to my family the secret

history of a seamstress who had just before quitted the room. I had

never seen the young woman before. Nevertheless, the hearers were

astonished and laughed, and would not be persuaded but that I had a

previous acquaintance with her and the facts of her former life,

inasmuch as what I had stated was perfectly true. I was not the less

astonished than they to find that my vision agreed with reality."

"I then gave more attention to the subject, and as often as propriety

allowed of it, I related to those whose lives had passed before me, the

substance of my visions, in order to obtain from them a contradiction

or verification thereof. On every occasion the confirmation followed,

not without amazement on the part of those who gave it."

"One day, in the city of Waldshut, I entered an inn (the Vine) in

company with two young students. We supped with a numerous company at

the table d'hote, where the guests were making very merry with the

peculiarities of the Swiss, with Mesmer's magnetism, Lavater's

physiognomy, etc. One of my companions, whose national pride was

wounded by their mockery, begged me to make some reply, particularly to

a handsome young man who sat opposite to us, and who had allowed

himself extraordinary license. This man's life was at that moment

presented to my mind. I turned to him, and asked whether he would

answer me candidly if I related to him some of the most secret passages

of his life, I knowing as little of him personally as he did of me. He

promised, if I were correct, to admit it frankly. I then related what

my vision had shown me, and the whole company were made acquainted with

the private history of the young merchant--his school years, his

youthful errors, and, lastly, with a fault committed in reference to

the strong-box of his principal. I described the uninhabited room with

whitened walls, where, to the right of the brown door, on a table,

stood a black money-box, etc. A dead silence prevailed during the whole

narrative, which I alone occasionally interrupted by inquiring whether

I spoke the truth. The startled young man confirmed every particular,

and even, what I had scarcely expected, the last mentioned. Touched by

his candor, I shook hands with him, and said no more. He is, probably,

still living."

LESSON X.

FUTURE TIME PSYCHOMANCY.

"Future Time Psychomancy," as the term itself indicates, is the name

given to that class of phenomena in which one is able to sense the

Astral Plane impression of coming events--the psychic shadows thrown

before by coming events. In order to give the student a technical

nature of the occult cause behind this phenomena would require volumes

of the deepest metaphysical lore, which field is foreign to the

purposes of this work which deals with phenomena alone, and does not

enter into the metaphysical side of the subject.

It will be sufficient for the student to understand that in the Astral

as well as on the Physical Plane, "~Coming Events cast their Shadows

Before~." Without entering into a discussion of Destiny or Fate, or

anything of that kind, it may be stated that ~when Causes are set

into motion, the Effects follow~, unless other Causes intervene. In

some cases certain effects have been averted by reason of the previous

Vision--in such cases ~the other Causes intervened~, which showed

that the matter was not wholly "cut and dried." It is like a man

walking toward a precipice--he will walk over unless he is warned in

some way. He is not "fated" to walk over but over he will go, unless

warned and prevented. Do you see what we mean?

On the other hand, there seem to be cases in which the person seems

unable to escape the Effect of Causes once set into motion--he even

seems to run into the effect, while seeking to escape it. In this

connection the little fable of the Persians may be quoted. The story

goes that a friend was with Solomon when the Angel of Death entered and

gazed at him fixedly. Upon learning who the strange visitor was, the

friend said to Solomon, "Pray transport me on thy magic carpet to

Damascus, that I may escape this dread messenger." And Solomon complied

with his request, and the man was instantly magically transported to

Damascus. Then said the Angel of Death to Solomon: "O Solomon, the

reason that I gazed so intently at thy friend was because I had orders

from On High to take him from the body at Damascus, and lo! finding him

here at Jerusalem, I was sore perplexed as to how to obey my orders.

But, thou, by transporting him to Damascus hath rendered my task an

easy one. Many thanks, for thy help at thy friend's suggestion, O

King!" And saying which the Angel of Death was wafted away to Damascus

to take the man, according to orders.

The phenomena of Premonitions, Prevision, and Second Sight, are all

forms or phases of Future Time Psychomancy. In these various forms the

phenomena is of quite common and frequent occurrence, and is met with

all over the world. In the Isle of Skye many persons possess the gift

of Second Sight in varying degree, but they claim that a native of the

island loses the power when he moves to the mainland. In the same way

the Scotch Highlander (among whose people the gift is quite common) is

said to sometimes lose the faculty when he removes to the lowlands. The

Westphalian peasants also are noted for the power of Second Sight.

An instance of this phase of the phenomena, well known in England, is

that connected with the assassination of Mr. Percival in the lobby of

the House of Commons. This deed was foreseen by John Williams, a

Cornish mine manager, some nine days before its actual occurrence, the

vision being perfect down to the most minute details. Williams had the

vision three times in succession. He saw a small man, dressed in a blue

coat and white waistcoat, enter the lobby of the House of Commons, when

another person, dressed in a snuff-colored coat, stepped forward and

drawing a pistol from an inside pocket fired at and shot the little

man, the bullet lodging in the left breast. He seemed to ask some

bystander who was the victim, and he received the reply that it was Mr.

Percival, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Williams was so much wrought

up over the vision, that he seriously contemplated going to London to

warn the victim, but his friends, to whom he told the story, ridiculed

him and persuaded him not to go on "a fool's errand." A few days later

the news was received of the assassination of Mr. Percival, in

precisely the manner indicated by the vision.

George Fox the Quaker, experienced the impression of "a waft of death"

about Cromwell when he met him riding at Hampton Court, shortly before

his fatal illness. Fox also foretold the expulsion of the "Rump

Parliament;" the restoration of Charles II; and the Fire of London.

Caesar's wife had a warning of her husband's death. The Bible is filled

with similar instances.

We will conclude this lesson with a recital of the wonderful instance

of Cazotte, whose prediction, and its literal fulfillment, are now

matters of French history. La Harpe tells the story as follows:

"It appears but as yesterday, and yet, nevertheless, it was at the

beginning of the year 1788. We were dining with one of our brethren at

the Academy--a man of considerable wealth and genius. The conversation

became serious; much admiration was expressed on the revolution in

thought which Voltaire had effected, and it was agreed that it was his

first claim to the reputation he enjoyed. We concluded that the

revolution must soon be consummated; that it was indispensable that

superstition and fanaticism should give place to philosophy, and we

began to calculate the probability of the period when this should be,

and which of the present company should live to see it. The oldest

complained that they could scarcely flatter themselves with the hope;

the younger rejoiced that they might entertain this very probable

expectation; and they congratulated the Academy especially for having

prepared this great work, and for having been the great rallying point,

the centre, and the prime mover of the liberty of thought.

"One only of the guests had not taken part in all the joyousness of

this conversation, and had even gently and cheerfully checked our

splendid enthusiasm. This was Cazotte, an amiable and original man, but

unhappily infatuated with the reveries of the illuminati. He spoke, and

with the most serious tone. 'Gentlemen,' said he, 'be satisfied; you

will all see this great and sublime revolution, which you so much

desire. You know that I am a little inclined to prophesy; I repeat, you

will see it.' He was answered by the common rejoinder: 'One need not be

a conjuror to see that.' 'Be it so; but perhaps one must be a little

more than conjuror for what remains for me to tell you. Do you know

what will be the consequence of this revolution--what will be the

consequence to all of you, and what will be the immediate result--the

well-established effect--the thoroughly-recognized consequence to all

of you who are here present?' 'Ah!' said Condorcet, with his insolent

and half-suppressed smile, 'let us hear--a philosopher is not sorry to

encounter a prophet.' 'You, Monsieur de Condorcet--you will yield up

your last breath on the floor of a dungeon; you will die from poison,

which you will have taken, in order to escape from execution--from

poison which the happiness of that time will oblige you to carry about

your person.'

"'Monsieur de Chamfort, you will open your veins with twenty-two cuts

of a razor, and yet you will not die until some months afterward.' They

looked at each other, and laughed again. 'You, Monsieur Vicq d'Azir,

you will not open your own veins, but you will cause yourself to be

bled six times in one day, during a parozysm of the gout, in order to

make more sure of your end, and you will die in the night. You,

Monsieur de Nicolai, you will die upon the scaffold; you, Monsieur

Bailly, on the scaffold; you, Monsieur de Malesherbes, on the

scaffold.' 'Ah! God be thanked,' exclaimed Roucher, 'and what of I?'

'You! you also will die upon the scaffold.' 'Yes,' replied Chamfort,

'but when will all this happen?' 'Six years will not pass over, before

all that I have said to you shall be accomplished.'

"'Here are some astonishing miracles (and, this time, it was I myself

(La Harpe) who spoke), but you have not included me in your list.' 'But

you will be there, as an equally extraordinary miracle; you will then

be a Christian.' Vehement exclamations on all sides. 'Ah,' replied

Chamfort, 'I am comforted; if we shall perish only when La Harpe shall

be a Christian, we are immortal.'

"'As for that,' then observed Madame la Duchesse de Grammont, 'we

women, we are happy to be counted for nothing in these revolutions:

when I say for nothing, it is not that we do not always mix ourselves

up with them a little; but it is a received maxim that they take no

notice of us, and of our sex.' 'Your sex, ladies, will not protect you

this time; and you had far better meddle with nothing, for you will be

treated entirely as men, without any difference whatever.' 'But what,

then, are you really telling us of, Monsieur Cazotte? You are preaching

to us the end of the world.' 'I know nothing on this subject; but what

I do know is, that you, Madame la Duchesse, will be conducted to the

scaffold, you and many other ladies with you, in the cart of the

executioner, and with your hands tied behind your backs.' 'Ah! I hope

that, in that case, I shall at least have a carriage hung in black.'

'No, madame; higher ladies than yourself will go, like you, in the

common car, with their hands tied behind them.' 'Higher ladies! what!

the princesses of the blood?' 'Still more exalted personages.' Here a

sensible emotion pervaded the whole company, and the countenance of the

host was dark and lowering; they began to feel that the joke was become

too serious.

"Madame de Grammont, in order to dissipate the cloud, took no notice of

the reply, and contented herself with saying in a careless tone: 'You

see that he will not leave me even a confessor!' 'No, madame, you will

not have one--neither you, nor any one besides. The last victim to whom

this favor will be afforded will be----' He stopped for a moment.

'Well! who then will be the happy mortal to whom this prerogative will

be given?' ''Tis the only one which he will have then retained--and

that will be the king of France.'"

The amazing sequel to this historical prediction is that ~it was

verified in every detail~, as all students of the French Revolution

know--~and all within the six years~, as Cazotte foretold.

LESSON XI.

DREAM PSYCHOMANCY.

The Student will have noted that in many cases mentioned in these

lessons, the Psychomantic vision manifested during physical sleep. The

reason of this occurrence is that in the majority of persons the

physical nature, when awake, holds the attention of the individual to

such an extent as to prevent him from manifesting the psychic faculties

clearly. But when the physical body sinks into sleep then the field is

clear for the exercise of the Astral Senses, which not being fatigued,

are in fine condition to manifest. In fact the majority of persons do

manifest Psychomancy during sleep, but have little or no recollection

of the same when waking, beyond indistinct recollections of "dreams,"

etc. Still, many of you who read these lines will have a more or less

clear remembrance of certain "dreams" in which you seemed to visit

other places, scenes, lands, countries, etc., seeing strange faces,

land-scapes, etc., and upon awakening were somewhat annoyed at having

been brought back from your pleasant travels.

It is not our intention to enter into an extended consideration of the

general subject of Dreams, at this time and place. We write these few

lines merely for the purpose of calling your attention to the fact that

the phenomena of Psychomancy very frequently manifests itself in

dreams, for the reasons stated above. The principle in both the waking

and dream phenomena is precisely the same, the apparent difference

being that the dreamer very seldom carries back with him a clear and

connected memory of his vision, while the waking person is able to

impress his Astral vision upon a wide-awake physical brain, there to be

remembered.

You will find several instances of Dream Psychomancy recorded in the

various lessons of this work, inserted for the purpose of illustrating

the several phases of the phenomena. In such cases we have made no

distinction between the Psychomantic phenomena experienced in dreams on

the one hand, and that experienced in the waking state on the other

hand. The principle is the same in both cases, and there is no

necessity for making any such distinction between the phenomena

occurring under any of the several general classes. But as we still

have to spare a few pages of the space allotted to us in the

preparation of these lessons, we think that we should give you a few

more of the many interesting cases of record.

A well-known and interesting case is that mentioned in the Proceedings

of the Psychical Research Society, of London. It is related as follows:

On September 9th, 1848, at the siege of Mooltan, Major-General R. was

most severely and dangerously wounded; and, supposing himself to be

dying, asked one of the officers with him to take the ring off his

finger and send it to his wife, who at the time was fully 150 miles

distant at Ferozepore.

"On the night of September 9th, 1848," writes his wife, "I was lying on

my bed, between sleeping and waking, when I distinctly saw my husband

being carried off the field seriously wounded, and heard his voice,

saying, 'Take this ring off my finger and send it to my wife.' All the

next day I could not get the sight or the voice out of my mind. In due

time I heard of General R. having been seriously wounded in the assault

of Mooltan. He survived, however, and is still living. It was not for

some time after the siege that I heard from General L., the officer who

helped to carry my husband off the field, that the request as to the

ring was actually made by him, just as I heard it at Ferozepore at that

very time."

The following, related by Mrs. Crowe, is interesting, particularly in

its aspect as a warning:

"A few years ago, Dr. Watson, now residing at Glasgow, dreamt that he

received a summons to attend a patient at a place some miles from where

he was living; that he started on horseback, and that as he was

crossing a moor, he saw a bull making furiously at him, whose horns he

escaped only by taking refuge on a spot inaccessible to the animal,

where he waited a long time till some people, observing his situation,

came to his assistance and released him. While at breakfast the

following morning the summons came, and smiling at the odd co-incidence

(as he thought it), he started on horseback. He was quite ignorant of

the road he had to go, but by and by he arrived at the moor, which he

recognized, and presently the bull appeared, coming full tilt towards

him. But his dream had shown him the place of refuge, for which he

instantly made, and there he spent three or four hours besieged by the

animal, till the country people set him free. Dr. Watson declared that

but for the dream he should not have known in what direction to run for

safety."

This case is an instance of Future Time Psychomancy, as the student

will readily see. Here is another case coming under the same

classification. It is related by Dr. Lee:

Mrs. Hannah Green, the housekeeper of a country family in Oxfordshire,

dreamt one night that she had been left alone in the house on a Sunday

evening, and that hearing a knock at the door of the chief entrance,

she went to it and found confronting her an ugly tramp, armed with a

big club, who forced himself into the house in spite of her struggles,

striking her insensible with his club during the conflict. She awoke at

this point. A considerable period of time elapsed, and she had almost

forgotten her dream until it was recalled in a startling manner. She

was then in charge of an isolated mansion at Kensington, and on a

Sunday afternoon, when the servants had taken a holiday, leaving her

alone, she was startled by a loud knock at the door. At once the memory

of her dream flashed before her with singular vividness and remarkable

force. She knew that she was alone, but for the purpose of frightening

away the intruder she lighted a lamp on the hall table, and afterward

in other places in the house, and also rang the bells violently in

different parts of the house. She also made sure that the doors and

windows were fastened. She succeeded in scaring off the man, by making

him believe that the house was occupied by the family, or several

people at least, but not until she had thrown up the window over the

stair landing, and there to her intense terror saw the identical man of

her dream, armed with the same club, and demanding an entrance. Had she

not been warned by the dream of several years previous, she would have

met with a fate such as she had dreamed of.

The following case of Dream Psychomancy, which is a good example of

Astral Projection during sleep, is related by a correspondent of the

Psychical Research Society, as follows:

"One morning in December, 1836, he had the following dream, or, he

would prefer to call it, revelation. He found himself suddenly at the

gate of Major N. M.'s avenue, many miles from his home. Close to him

was a group of persons, one of whom was a woman with a basket on her

arm, the rest men, four of whom were tenants of his own, while the

others were unknown to him. Some of the strangers seemed to be

assaulting H. W., one of his tenants, and he interfered. 'I struck

violently at the man on my left, and then with greater violence at the

man's face on my right. Finding, to my surprise, that I had not knocked

down either, I struck again and again with all the violence of a man

frenzied at the sight of my poor friend's murder. To my great amazement

I saw my arms, although visible to my eye, were without substance, and

the bodies of the men I struck at and my own came close together after

each blow through the shadowy arms I struck with. My blows were

delivered with more extreme violence than I ever think I exerted, but I

became painfully convinced of my incompetency. I have no consciousness

of what happened after this feeling of unsubstantiality came upon me.'

Next morning A. experienced the stiffness and soreness of violent

bodily exercise, and was informed by his wife that in the course of the

night he had much alarmed her by striking out again and again with his

arms in a terrific manner, 'as if fighting for his life.' He, in turn,

informed her of his dream, and begged her to remember the names of

those actors in it who were known to him. On the morning of the

following day (Wednesday) A. received a letter from his agent, who

resided in the town close to the scene of the dream, informing that his

tenant had been found on Tuesday morning at Major N. M.'s gate,

speechless and apparently dying from a fracture of the skull, and that

there was no trace of the murderers. That night A. started for the

town, and arrived there on Thursday morning. On his way to a meeting of

magistrates he met the senior magistrate of that part of the country,

and requested him to give orders for the arrest of the three men whom,

besides H. W., he had recognized in his dream, and to have them

examined separately. This was at once done. The three men gave

identical accounts of the occurrence, and all named the woman who was

with them. She was then arrested, and gave precisely similar testimony.

They said that between eleven and twelve on the Monday night they had

been walking homewards altogether along the road, when they were

overtaken by three strangers, two of whom savagely assaulted H. W.,

while the other prevented his friends from interfering. H. W. did not

die, but was never the same man afterwards; he subsequently emigrated."

Stead relates the following case, which was imparted to him as a

truthful and correct account of the vision of a murder seen in all of

its details by a brother of the murdered man. It is a case of Astral

Projection, undoubtedly:

"St. Eglos is situated about ten miles from the Atlantic, and not quite

so far from the old market town of Trebodwina. Hart and George Northey

were brothers, and from childhood their lives had been marked by the

strongest brotherly affection. Hart and George Northey had never been

separated from their birth until George became a sailor, Hart meantime

joining his father in business. On the 8th of February, 1840, while

George Northey's ship was lying in port at St. Helena, he had the

following strange dream:

"'Last night I dreamt my brother was at Trebodwina Market, and that I

was with him, quite close by his side, during the whole of the market

transactions. Although I could see and hear everything which passed

around me, I felt sure that it was not my bodily presence which thus

accompanied him, but my shadow, or rather my spiritual presence, for he

seemed quite unconscious that I was near him. I felt that my being thus

present in this strange way betokened some hidden danger which he was

destined to meet, and which I knew my presence could not avert, for I

could not speak to warn him of his peril.'"

The brother having collected considerable money then started on his

ride homeward. The story then continues:

"'My terror gradually increased as Hart approached the hamlet of

Polkerrow, until I was in a perfect frenzy, frantically desirous, yet

unable, to warn my brother in some way and prevent him going further. I

suddenly became aware of two dark shadows thrown across the road. I

felt my brother's hour had come, and I was powerless to aid him! Two

men appeared, whom I instantly recognized as notorious poachers, who

lived in a lonely wood near St. Eglos. The men wished him "Good-night,

maister," civilly enough. He replied, and entered into conversation

with them about some work he had promised them. After a few minutes

they asked him for some money. The elder of the two brothers, who was

standing near the horse's head, said, "Mr. Northey, we know you have

just come from Trebodwina market with plenty of money in your pockets;

we are desperate men, and you bean't going to leave this place until

we've got that money, so hand over." My brother made no reply, except

to slash at him with the whip and spur the horse at him.

"'The younger of the ruffians instantly drew a pistol and fired. Hart

dropped lifeless from the saddle, and one of the villains held him by

the throat with a grip of iron for some minutes, as though to make

assurance doubly sure, and crush out any particle of life my poor

brother might have left. The murderers secured the horse to a tree in

the orchard, and, having rifled the corpse, they dragged it up the

stream, concealing it under the overhanging banks of the water-course.

They then carefully covered over all marks of blood on the road, and

hid the pistol in the thatch of a disused hut close to the roadside;

then, setting the horse free to gallop home alone, they decamped across

the country to their own cottage.'

"The vessel left St. Helena next day, and reached Plymouth in due

course. George Northey had during the whole of the voyage home, never

altered his conviction that Hart had been killed as he had dreamt, and

that retribution was by his means to fall on the murderers."

The sequel shows that the murder was actually committed in precisely

the manner in which it had appeared to the brother in the dream. The

crime aroused universal horror and indignation, and every effort was

made to discover the murderers and bring them to justice. Two brothers

named Hightwood were suspected, and a search of their cottage revealed

bloodstained garments, but no trace of the pistol was to be found,

although the younger brother admitted having had one and lost it. The

story continues:

"Both brothers were arrested and brought before the magistrates. The

evidence against them was certainly not strong, but their manner seemed

that of guilty men. They were ordered to take their trial at the

forthcoming assizes at Trebodwina. They each confessed in the hope of

saving their lives, and both were sentenced to be hanged. There was,

however, some doubt about the pistol. Before the execution George

Northey arrived from St. Helena, and declared that the pistol was in

the thatch of the old cottage close by the place where they murdered

Hart Northey, and where they hid it. 'How did you know?' he was asked.

George Northey replied: 'I saw the foul deed committed in a dream I had

the night of the murder, when at St. Helena.' A pistol was found, as

George Northey had predicted, in the thatch of the ruined cottage."

We trust that we have established the identity of Waking Psychomancy,

and Dream Psychomancy, to your satisfaction.

FINIS.

Practical Mind Reading

By William Walker Atkinson

_A course of Lessons on Thought Transference, Telepathy, Mental

Currents, Mental Rapport, etc._

This book is full of practical condensed instruction about every phase

of Mind Reading, Telepathy, etc. The exercises and directions are so

plain and simple that they can be understood and demonstrated by any

person of ordinary intelligence.

Here you will find complete instruction in all the latest points about

Mind Reading. It tells how Thought Transference is practiced in the

scientific laboratory as well as by a public performer. It tells you

how to perform feats that will mystify an audience and arouse the

deepest interest and enthusiasm, or you can conduct Telepathic

experiments with your friends right in your own home.

Here are the titles of the lessons and a few of the subjects treated:

~The Nature of Mind Reading~--A vast, mysterious subject. Power of

Etheric Vibrations; Mental wireless telepathy; the mysteries of

science; Action of mind upon mind; The mental battery.

~The Proofs of Mind Reading~--The Psychic post office: Wonderful

results; A convincing experiment.

~Contact Mind Reading~--The two classes of mind reading: The

simplest form; Nerve current theory; The truth about public

performances.

~Development Exercises~--How to begin; Rapport

conditions--Rhythmic breathing; Details of finding objects.

No. 8--95 Pages, Paper Bound, Size 6×4-1/2

THE HUMAN AURA

Astral Colors and Thought Forms

by

SWAMI PANCHADASI

Contents

CHAPTER I.--What is the Human Aura.

The human aura is a very important and interesting phase of every

personality.