Part 9

At another time, Dr. Denton tested the psychometrist with a whalebone walking cane. She supposed it to be wood, but when she began to report her psychic impressions, they came as follows: "I feel as though I were a monster. There is nothing of a tree about it, and it is useless for me to go further. I feel like vomiting. Now I want to plunge into the water. I believe that I am going to have a fit. My jaws are large enough to take down a house at a gulp. I now know what this is--it is whalebone. I see the inside of the whale's mouth. It has no teeth. It has a slimy look, but I only get a glimpse of it. Now, I see the whole animal. What an awful looking creature."

Another time, Dr. Denton gave the psychometrist a minute piece of the enamel of the tooth of a mastodon, which had been found thirty feet below the surface of the earth. The psychometrist had not the slightest knowledge of the character of the tiny flake of enamel handed her, but nevertheless reported: "My impression is that it is a part of some monstrous animal, probably part of a tooth. I feel like a perfect monster, with heavy legs, unwieldy head, and very large body. I go down to a shallow stream to drink. I can hardly speak, my jaws are so heavy. I feel like getting down on all fours. What a noise comes through the woods. I have an impulse to answer it. My ears are very large and leathery, and I can almost fancy they flap in my face as I move my head. There are some older ones than I. It seems so out of keeping to be talking with these heavy jaws. They are dark brown, as if they had been completely tanned. There is one old fellow, with large tusks, that looks very tough. I see several younger ones. In fact, there is a whole herd. My upper lip moves curiously; I can flap it up. It seems strange to me how it is done. There is a plant growing here, higher than my head. It is nearly as thick as my wrist, very juicy, sweet, and tender--something like green corn in taste, but sweeter. It is not the taste it would have to a human being--oh no! it is sickenish, and very unpleasant to the human taste." These instances might be multiplied indefinitely, but the principle is the same in each. In my own experience, I gave a small piece from the Great Pyramid of Egypt to a psychometrist who was uneducated and who knew nothing of ancient Egypt or its history. Notwithstanding this, she gave me such a detailed and complete account of the life of ancient Egypt, which was in such complete accordance with the opinions of the best authorities, that I would hesitate about publishing the report, for it certainly would be regarded as rank imposture by the average scientific authority. Some day, however, I may publish this.

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 faculty. It may be developed by the methods that will be given to develop all psychic powers, in another part of this book. But much will depend upon actual practice and exercise. Take strange objects, and, sitting in a quiet room with the object held to your forehead, shut out all thoughts of the outside world, and forget all personal affairs. In a short time, if the conditions are all right, you will begin to have flashes of scenes connected with the history of the object. At first rather disconnected and more or less confused, there will soon come to you a clearing away of the scene, and the pictures will become quite plain. Practice will develop the power. Practice only when alone, or when in the presence of some sympathetic friend or friends. Always avoid discordant and inharmonious company when practicing psychic powers. The best psychometrists usually keep the physical eyes closed when practicing their power.

You have doubtless heard the sensing of sealed letters spoken of as clairvoyance. But this is merely one form of psychometry. The letter is a very good connecting medium in psychometric experiments. I advise you to begin your experiments with old letters. You will be surprised to discover how readily you 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 the subsequent history. One of the most interesting experiments I ever witnessed in psychometry, was a case 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 maiden. Although ignorant of the outside world, she 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. You may obtain some interesting results in psychometrizing old letters--but always be conscientious about it, and refrain from divulging the secrets that will become yours in the course of these experiments. Be honorable on the astral plane, as well as on the physical--more so, rather than less.

LESSON VII.

CLAIRVOYANT CRYSTAL GAZING.

As I have informed you in the preceding lesson, Crystal Gazing is the second method of getting en rapport with the astral plane. Under the general term "Crystal Gazing" I include the entire body of phenomena connected with the use of the crystal, magic mirror, etc., the underlying principle being the same in all of such cases.

The crystal, etc., serves to focus the psychic energy of the person, in such a way that the astral senses are induced to function more readily than ordinarily. The student is cautioned against regarding the crystal, or magic mirror, as possessing any particular magic power in itself. On the contrary, the crystal, or magic mirror serves merely as a physical instrument for the astral vision, just as the telescope or microscope performs a similar office for the physical vision. Some persons are superstitious regarding the crystal, and accord to it some weird supernatural power, but the true occultist, understanding the laws of the phenomena arising from its use, does not fall into this error.

But, notwithstanding what I have just said, I would be neglecting my full duty in the matter if I failed to call your attention to the fact that the continued use of a particular crystal often has the effect of polarizing its molecules so as to render it a far more efficient instrument as time passes by. The longer the crystal is used by one person, the better does it seem to serve the uses of that person. I agree with many users of the crystal in their belief that each person should keep his crystal for his own personal use, and not allow it to be used indiscriminately by strangers or persons not in sympathy with occult thought. The crystal tends to become polarized according to the requirements of the person habitually using it, and it is foolish to allow this to be interfered with.

The use of crystals and other bright, shining objects, has been common to psychic investigators of all times, and in practically all lands. In the earlier days of the race, pieces of clear quartz or shining pebbles were generally employed. Sometimes pieces of polished metal were so used. In fact, nearly every object capable of being polished has been employed in this way at some time, by some person. In our own day, the same condition exists. In Australia the native sooth-sayers and magicians employ water and other shining objects, and, in some cases, even bright flame, sparks, or glowing embers. In New Zealand, the natives frequently employ drops of blood held in the hollow of the hand. The Fijians fill a hole with water, and gaze into it. South American tribes use the polished surface of black, or dark colored stones. The American Indians use water, or shining pieces or flint or quartz. Shining pieces of metal are frequently used by the primitive races. Lang, writing on the subject, has said: "They 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."

In the present-day revival of interest in crystal-gazing among the wealthier classes of Europe and America, some of the high-priced teachers have insisted upon their pupils purchasing pure crystal globes, claiming that these alone are capable of serving the purpose fully. But, as such crystals are very expensive, this advice has prevented many from experimenting. But, the advice is erroneous, for any globe of clear quartz, or even moulded glass, will serve the purpose equally well, and there is no need of spending twenty-five to fifty dollars for a pure crystal globe.

For that matter, you may obtain very good results from the use of a watch-crystal laid over a piece of black velvet. Some, today, use with the best effect small polished pieces of silver or other bright metal. Others follow the old plan of using a large drop of ink, poured into a small butter plate. Some have small cups painted black on the inside, into which they pour water--and obtain excellent results therefrom.

Above all, I caution the student to pay no attention to instructions regarding the necessity of performing incantations or ceremonies over the crystal or other object employed in crystal-gazing. This is but a bit of idle superstition, and serves no useful purpose except, possibly, that of giving the person confidence in the thing. All ceremonies of this kind have for their purpose merely the holding of the attention of the person investigating, and giving him confidence in-the result--the latter having a decided psychological value, of course.

There are but few general directions necessary for the person wishing to experiment in crystal gazing. The principal thing is to maintain quiet, and an earnest, serious state of mind--do not make a merry game of it, if you wish to obtain results. Again, always have the light behind your back, instead of facing you. 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 good authorities advise making funnels of the hands, and using them as you would a pair of opera glasses.

In many cases, a number of trials are required before you will be able to get good results. In others, at least some results are obtained at the first trial. It is a good plan to try to bring into vision something that you have already seen with the physical eyes--some familiar object. The first sign of actual psychic seeing in the crystal usually appears as a cloudy appearance, or "milky-mist," the crystal gradually losing its transparency. In this milky cloud then gradually appears a form, or face, or scene of some kind, more or less plainly defined. If you have ever developed a photographic film or plate, you will know how the picture gradually comes into view.

W.T. Stead, the eminent English investigator of psychic phenomena, has written as follows regarding the phenomena of crystal-gazing: "There are some persons 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."

The same authority relates the following interesting experiment with the crystal: "Miss X., upon looking into the crystal on two occasions as a test, to see if she could see me 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, Madam 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 afterward, 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."

Andrew Lang, another prominent investigator of psychic phenomena, gives the following interesting experiment in crystal-gazing: "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 that he would discover during the week whether or not he had seen right. 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 toward me, so that I only saw the tip of his mustache.' 'Why, the blinds must have been up,' said Miss Preston. 'I was at Dulby,' said Mr. Baillie, and he undeniably was."

Miss X., the well-known contributor to the English magazine, "Borderland," several years ago, made a somewhat extended inquiry into the phenomena of crystal-gazing. From her experiments, she made the following classification of the phenomena of crystal-vision, which I herewith reproduce for your benefit. Her classification 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 effect, which does not come from the gazer's ordinary self. Revivals of memory. Illustrations 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.

As a matter of fact, each and every form or phase of clairvoyance possible under other methods of inducing clairvoyant vision, is possible in crystal-gazing. It is a mistake to consider crystal-gazing as a separate and distinct form of psychic phenomena. Crystal-gazing is merely one particular form or method of inducing psychic or clairvoyant vision. If you will keep this in mind, you will avoid many common errors and misunderstandings in the matter.

In order to give you the benefit of as many points of view as possible, I shall now quote from an old English writer on the subject of the use of the crystal. I do this realizing that sometimes a particular student will get more from one point of view, than from another--some particular phrasing will seem to reach his understanding, where others fail. The directions of the English authority are as follows:

"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 to the interior vision, or eye of the soul. In the pursuit of this effort only, the crystal becomes at once both 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:

"(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 district the attention. The room should be of comfortable temperature, in accordance with the time of year, neither hot nor cold. About 60 to 65 deg. 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, passive types, require a slightly warmer apartment than the more positive class 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 well screened off, so as to prevent the light rays from being reflected in, or in any 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.

"(2) The crystal should be placed on its stand on a table, or it may rest on a black velvet cushion, but in either case it should be partially surrounded by a black silk or similar wrap or screen, so adjusted as to cut off any undesirable reflection. Before beginning to experiment, remember that most frequently nothing will be seen on the first occasion, and possibly not for several sittings; though some sitters, if strongly gifted with psychic powers in a state of unconscious, and sometimes conscious degree of unfoldment, may be fortunate enough to obtain good results at the very first trial. If, therefore, nothing is perceived during the first few attempts, do not despair or become impatient, or imagine that you will never see anything. There is a royal road to crystal vision, but it is open only to the combined password of Calmness, Patience, and Perseverance. If at the first attempt to ride a bicycle, failure ensues, the only way to learn is to pay attention to the necessary rules, and to persevere daily until the ability to ride comes naturally. Thus it is with the would-be seer. Persevere in accordance with these simple directions, and success will sooner or later crown your efforts.