Magnetic Affinity.
A somewhat celebrated investigator of psychic and occult phenomena has said concerning this phases of Clairvoyance: "The untrained clairvoyant usually cannot find any particular astral picture when it is wanted, without some special link to put him en rapport with the subject required. Psychometry is an instance in point. 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--an 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 that wonderful ruin 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 pa.s.s in the course of our life seem to act in the same way 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 en rapport with that particular portion of the records, and so we "remember" what we have seen."
Distant En Rapport.
One of the most familiar instances of the production of clairvoyant phenomena by means of Psychometry is that ill.u.s.trated in the above quotation, namely the production of the en rapport relation with distant scenes by means of the connecting link of some small object which had at some time in the past been located at that point. In such cases the psychometrist usually presses the small object up to his or her head, and then induces a pa.s.sive, receptive psychical condition; then, sooner or later, the clairvoyant experiences a "sensation," or a "dream picture" of the scene in question. Often, once the picture of the scene is obtained, the clairvoyant may manifest more marked past-time clairvoyance, in the direction of running back over the history of the scene itself. The instance related in the above quotation is a case of this kind. Similar cases are frequently met with by the investigator along these lines, in which the clairvoyant is able to give the history of certain places in ancient Egypt, from the connecting link of a piece of mummy-cloth; or else to give a picture of certain events in antediluvian times, from the connecting link of a bit of fossil substance. The history of Psychometry is filled with remarkable instances of this kind. Bullets gathered from battlefields also serve very effectively as such psychometric connecting links. Old furniture, old pictures, and old jewelry also are common objects serving to produce wonderful phenomena of this kind. In fact, any physical object having past-time or far-distant s.p.a.ce connections may be employed effectively in such experiments.
Psychic Underground Exploration.
Psychometry is frequently employed to describe underground or "mine"
conditions existing at the present time at the particular place from which a particular piece of ore or mineral has been taken, which ore or mineral has been handed the psychometrist to be used as the connecting link. As many practical miners know from actual experience, many valuable coal, zinc, lead, silver and gold mines have been successfully located in this way. In such cases the psychometrist has been able to follow up the psychic "scent" given by the piece of mineral, and thus to describe the strata or veins of the mineral lying underground and unopened by the pick or drill.
Psychic Detective Work.
Many cases are recorded by the investigators in which the psychometrist is able to "sense" a particular locality, a house, a room, a place of business, for instance, by means of the connecting link afforded by some physical object formerly a.s.sociated with the said location. Some writers have called this cla.s.s of psychometric phenomena "psychic spying" or "psychic detective work." One writer records a case in which he gave to a young psychometrist a penholder from the office of a lawyer, the latter being located about eight hundred miles away; the psychometrist then gave a perfect picture of the interior of the far-distant lawyer"s office, the scene across the street visible from the office window, and certain events which were happening in the office and on the street at that particular time--all of which report was verified in detail by subsequent careful inquiry.
How to Psychometrize.
The following general remarks concerning Psychometry, given by a writer on the subject, will be found interesting and instructive. The writer says: "There are no special directions to be given the student in psychometry. All that can be done is to suggest that each person should try the experiments for himself, in order to find out whether he has, or has not the psychometric power in some degree of development. He may be able to develop his psychometric powers by the general methods given for psychic development; but, in any event, he will find that actual practice and experiment will do much for him in the direction of experiment. Let the student take strange objects, and, sitting in a quiet room with the object held to his forehead, endeavor to shut out all thoughts coming from the outside world, and forget all his personal affairs. In a short time, if the conditions be right, he will begin to have flashes of scenes a.s.sociated with the history of the object in question. At first these impressions may be somewhat disconnected and more or less confused, but before long there will be noticed a clearing away of the scene, and the mental picture will become quite plain.
Practice will develop the power. The student should practice only when alone or when in the presence of some sympathetic friend or friends. He should always avoid discordant and inharmonious company while practicing his psychic power. Many of the best psychometrists keep their physical eyes closed when practicing this power, thus allowing the inner senses to function without distraction from the outer senses.
Developing Psychometry.
"You have doubtless heard of the sensing of sealed letters spoken of as pure clairvoyance. But this phase of phenomena properly belongs to the realm of Psychometry. Letters frequently prove to be very excellent connecting links in psychometric experiments. I advise the student to begin with old letters. He will be surprised to discover how readily he will begin to receive psychic impressions from the letters--either from the person who wrote them, or from the place in which they were written, or from some one connected with their subsequent history. One of the most interesting experiments I ever witnessed in Psychometry was that in which a letter that had been forwarded from place to place, until it had gone completely around the globe, was psychometrized by a young Hindu maid. Although ignorant of the outside world of foreign lands, the young women was able to picture the people and scenery of every part of the globe in which the letter had traveled. Her report was really an interesting "travelogue" of a trip around the world, given in tabloid form. The student may obtain some interesting results in psychometrizing old letters--but let him always be conscientious about it, and be careful to refrain from divulging the secrets that will become his during the course of these experiments. Let him be honorable on the psychic plane as well as on the physical plane--more so, rather than less so, in fact."
Varieties of Psychometry.
Another investigator along these lines gives the following instructive comments regarding the practice of psychometric power: "Persons of a highly-strung nervous organization, with large perceptive faculties make the best psychometrists. Phlegmatic people seldom psychometrize clearly, and usually lack receptivity to the finer forces. Letters, clothes, hair, coins, ornaments, or jewels--in fact, almost any article which has belonged to, or has been worn by, its possessor for any length of time, will suffice to enable the psychometrist to relate himself to, and glimpse impressions of, the personal sphere of that individual. Some psychometrists succeed better with certain kinds of objects than with others. Metals and minerals are not good "conductors"--if we may use that term--to some operators; while they are very satisfactory to others. In the same way, some psychometrists are very good character readers, others are very successful in the diagnosis of diseases; some can read the book of Nature, while to others it is a sealed book, or nearly so, but they are able to gauge the mental qualifications of their visitors, while others realize their moral and spiritual states. Again, some read the Past, and enter into the Present states or condition of their clients, while others are successful in exercising prophetical prevision. These differences may be modified, and the boundaries of the perceptive power may be extended by self-study, experiment, and culture; but every psychic has his qualifications and his limitations; one will succeed where another may fail; hence it is well and wise for each one to discover what he can do best, what sphere he can best occupy, and then endeavor to fill it.
Psychometric "Getting in Touch."
"A psychometrist may, by holding a letter in his hand, or putting it to his forehead, be able to perceive and delineate the personal appearance of the writer thereof, and, in a way, to "take on" his conditions, describe his feelings and thoughts to such an extent as to identify himself with him and to feel, for the time being, as if he, himself, were the writer; he may even tell what is written in the letter, although unable to see the writing. Human hair is found by some psychometrists to give them the best means of coming into touch with their subjects, and it is said that such hair should be cut from the head just behind the ears, as close to the scalp as possible. It not infrequently happens that a psychometrist gets started upon a false trail, so to speak, and especially so when the inquirer is suspicious, or where there is a mixture of psychic influences. A fan pa.s.sed by a lady to a sitter in the front row at a meeting, and held in the hands of the latter for a few minutes while awaiting a chance to be handed to the psychic, has resulted in a blending of vibratory influences which has caused an imperfect or confused "reading." In one case the gentleman who held the fan said "I fully recognize the part of the description which the lady does not admit--it applies to myself quite perfectly." Hence the necessity for care in providing articles for psychometrists in a public meeting. A ring, for instance, which has been in the family for generations, and handed from one wearer to another in the course of years, may afford such a blending of psychic vibrations that the psychometrist may be unable to sense distinctly each distinct stratum of influence therein.
Psychometric Readings.
"The person who sits for the psychometrist for a "reading" should not be antagonistic nor frivolous, neither should he desire special information, nor concentrate his thought forces upon any given point, as otherwise he may dominate the psychic and thus mislead him into perceiving only a reflex of his own hopes or fears. He will do well to preserve an open mind, and an impartial though sympathetic mental att.i.tude, and then await results. It is unwise to interrupt, explain, or question during the time that a delineation is being given, for by so doing the psychic sphere is disturbed and the thought projections caused to act like the breezes upon the surface of a lake, producing confused and distorted appearances. It is best to allow the descriptions to be given in its entirety before asking questions regarding any of its details; it is quite possible or probable that the very points upon which inquiries seem necessary will be more fully elucidated before the close of the reading. If a special reading, and not a general one is required--say, for instance, a diagnosis of diseased conditions--a hint of what is desired at the outset should be sufficient."
Crystal Gazing, Etc.
The second of the three general cla.s.ses of the methods employed to obtain the manifestation of clairvoyant phenomena is that known as Crystal Gazing. In this cla.s.s of methods the clairvoyant establishes the en rapport condition by means of a crystal, magic mirror, or similar object, which serves princ.i.p.ally to concentrate the psychic visual powers to a focus, and thus to enable the psychic to raise his or her psychic vibrations at that concentrated focused point.
Crystals and Bright Objects.
The use of crystals and other bright objects for this purpose has been common to occultists and psychics at all times, past and present, and at all places, oriental or occidental. The earlier races employed shining pieces of quartz or other clear crystal rock for this purpose. Later polished metals were used in the same way. The native soothsayers of barbaric lands employ clear water, glowing embers, or sparks, for this purpose. In some places the soothsayers hold drops of blood in the hollow of their hands for divining purposes. Others bore a hole in the ground, and fill it with water, and then gaze into it. Some tribes use dark polished stones. A writer on the subject has said: "They stare into a crystal ball, a cup, a mirror, a blot of ink, a drop of blood, a bowl of water, a pond, water in a gla.s.s bowl, or almost any polished surface, etc." In fact, it may be said that almost every object capable of presenting a polished surface has been employed by some race as an aid to psychic vision. In Europe and America, at the present day, quartz or gla.s.s crystals are so used; but others obtain quite satisfactory results from the use of watch crystals laid over a black cloth, preferably a piece of black velvet cloth. Others use highly polished bits of silver; while others content themselves with the use of a little pool of black ink lying on the bottom of a small saucer, while others have cups painted black on the inside, into which is poured water.
The Care of the Crystal.
There is no particular virtue in any particular object used for this purpose, as such object acts merely to focus the psychic power of the person, as has been said. Certainly the student should not fall into the error of supposing that the crystal, or similar object, has any miraculous or supernatural power whatsoever, it is simply an instrument, like the microscope or telescope, nothing more or less. But, at the same time, it must be admitted that there is much truth in the claim of certain crystal gazers, to the effect that the use of a particular crystal seems to have the effect of polarizing its molecules so as to render it a more effective instrument in time. In fact, the phenomenon seems to bear a close relation to the well known case of a long-used violin becoming a more perfect instrument, and giving forth richer and fuller notes than a new instrument. The longer a gazing crystal is used, especially by the one person, the better does it seem to serve the purposes of that particular person. Experts in crystal gazing insist that the crystal gazer should keep his own crystal for his own particular use, and not allow it to be used indiscriminately, particularly in the case of strangers or of persons not sympathetic with psychic subjects. They claim that each crystal becomes polarized according to the individual character and needs of the person habitually using it, and that it is unwise to allow others to disturb this quality in it.
How to Use the Crystal.
The best authorities on the subject of crystal-gazing insist that all experiments along the said lines should be conducted in a serious, earnest manner, and that all frivolity or trifling should be avoided if the best results are wished for. This, of course, is true concerning all phases of psychic investigation, as all true students of the subject know. All the authorities agree that the crystal gazer should sit with the light behind his back, and never in front of him. While an earnest steady gaze is desirable, there should be no straining of the eyes. As one writer has said: "Gaze calmly at the crystal, but do not strain your eyes. Do not try to avoid winking your eyes--there is a difference between "gazing" and "staring," remember." Some authorities advise that the crystal gazer should make funnels of his hands, using them as he would a pair of opera-gla.s.ses.
The "Milky Mist."
While some experimenters obtain results almost from the time of the first trial, others find that it requires a number of sittings before they begin to obtain even faint results. The psychic picture in the crystal usually begins by the appearance of a cloudy "milky mist,"
succeeding the former transparent appearance of the crystal. The milky cloud becomes more dense, and finally there appears in its midst a faint form, outline, face, or scene of some kind. Some have compared this gradual emergence of the picture to the gradual development of the picture of the photographic plate when the latter is subjected to the action of the developing fluid.
Cla.s.ses of Psychic Pictures.
An English writer on the subject furnishes the following general cla.s.sification of the psychic pictures manifested in the process of crystal gazing. The said authority might well have added that each and every form of clairvoyant picturing is possible in crystal gazing; for crystal gazing is merely one particular form or method of inducing clairvoyant or psychic vision, and is not a distinct branch of psychic phenomena in itself. The cla.s.sification of the English authority, however, is as follows:
"1. Images of something unconsciously observed. New reproductions, voluntary or spontaneous, and bringing no fresh knowledge to the mind.
"2. Images of ideas unconsciously acquired from others. Some memory or imaginative effort which does not come from the gazer"s ordinary self.
Revivals of memory. Ill.u.s.trations of thought.
"3. Images, clairvoyant or prophetic. Pictures giving information as to something past, present, or future, which the gazer has no other chance of knowing."
General Directions for Crystal Gazing.
An old English authority on the subject of crystal gazing handed down to his students a certain set of general directions and rules to govern the conduct of their experiments. These rules and directions have never been improved upon by the later writers on the subject, according to the opinion of the best authorities; and such stand today as perhaps the simplest and best set of general rules and directions on this important subject. For this reason we have thought it advisable to include the same in this chapter, for the guidance of our own students. Here follow the said general rules and directions:
"What is desired through the regular use of the translucent sphere is to cultivate a personal degree of clairvoyant power, so that visions of things or events, past, present, and future, may appear clearly in the interior vision, or eye of the soul. In the pursuit of this effort only, the crystal becomes at once a beautiful, interesting and harmless channel of pleasure and instruction, shorn of dangers, and rendered conducive to mental development. To the attainment of this desirable end, attention is asked to the following practical directions, which, if carefully followed, will lead to success:
Selection of Place, Etc.
"(1) Select a quiet room where you will be entirely undisturbed, taking care that it is as far as possible free from mirrors, ornaments, pictures, glaring colors, and the like, which may otherwise distract the attention. The room should be of comfortable temperature, in accordance with the time of year, neither hot nor cold. About 60 to 65 degrees Fahr. is suitable in most cases, though allowance can be made where necessary for natural differences in the temperaments of various persons. Thus thin, nervous, delicately organized individuals, and those of lymphatic and soft, easy-going, pa.s.sive types, require a slightly warmer apartment than the more positive cla.s.s who are known by their dark eyes, hair and complexion, combined with prominent joints. Should a fire, or any form of artificial light be necessary, it should be screened off, so as to prevent the light rays from being reflected in, or in any other manner directly reaching the crystal. The room should not be dark, but rather shadowed, or charged with a dull light, somewhat such as prevails on a cloudy or wet day.
Adjusting the Crystal.