CLAIRVOYANCE AND OCCULT POWERS/PART 7
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.
"(3)
Commence by sitting comfortably with the eyes fixed upon the crystal, not by a
fierce stare, but with a steady, calm gaze, for ten minutes only, on the first
occasion. In taking the time it is best to hang your watch at a distance,
where, while the face is clearly visible, the ticking is rendered inaudible.
When the time is up, carefully put the crystal away in its case, and keep it in
a dark place, under lock and key, allowing no one but yourself to handle it. At
the second sitting, which should be at the same place, in the same position,
and at the same time, you may increase the length of the effort to fifteen
minutes, and continue for this period during the next five or six sittings,
after which the time may be gradually increased, but should in no case exceed
one hour. The precise order of repetition is always to be followed until the
experimenter has developed an almost automatic ability to readily obtain
results, when it needs no longer to be adhered to.
"(4)
Any person, or persons, admitted to the room, and allowed to remain while you
sit, should (a) keep absolute silence, and (b) remain seated at a distance from
you. When you have developed your latent powers, questions may, of course, be
put to you by one of those present, but even then in a very gentle, or low and
slow tone of voice; never suddenly, or in a forceful manner.
"(5)
When you find the crystal begins to look dull or cloudy, with small pin-points
of light glittering therein, like tiny stars, you may know that you are
commencing to obtain that for which you seek—viz., crystalline vision.
Therefore, persevere with confidence. This condition may, or may not, continue
for several sittings, the crystal seeming at times to alternately appear and
disappear, as in a mist. By and by this hazy appearance, in its turn, will give
place quite suddenly to a blindness of the senses to all else but a blue or
bluish ocean of space, against which, as if it were a background, the vision
will be clearly apparent.
"(6)
The crystal should not be used soon after taking a meal, and care should be
taken in matters of diet to partake only of digestible foods, and to avoid
alcoholic beverages. Plain and nourishing food, and outdoor exercise, with
contentment of mind, or love of simplicity in living, are great aids to
success. Mental anxiety, or ill-health, are not conducive to the desired end.
Attention to correct, breathing is of importance.
"(7)
As regards the time at which events seen will come to pass, each seer is
usually impressed with regard thereto; but, as a general rule, visions
appearing in the extreme background indicate time more remote, either past or
future, than those perceived nearer at hand, while those appearing in the
foreground, or closer to the seer, denote the present or immediate future.
"(8)
Two principal classes of vision will present themselves to the sitter—(a) the
Symbolic, indicated by the appearance of symbols such as a flag, boat, knife,
gold, etc., and (b) Actual Scenes and Personages, in action or otherwise.
Persons of a positive type of organization, the more active, excitable, yet
decided type, are most likely to perceive symbolically, or allegorically; while
those of a passive nature usually receive direct or literal revelations. Both
classes will find it necessary to carefully cultivate truthfulness,
unselfishness, gratitude for what is shown, and absolute confidence in the
love, wisdom, and guidance of God Himself."
As
the student proceeds with the study of these lessons, he will become acquainted
with various details and methods concerned with the various phases of
clairvoyance, which knowledge he may then combine with the above, the whole
aiding him in the successful manifestation of the psychic phenomena of
crystal-gazing, which, as I have said, is merely one phase of clairvoyance and
under the same general laws and rules of manifestation. Remember that present,
past and future clairvoyance all is possible to the highly developed crystal
gazer.
THE
ASTRAL TUBE. Closely allied with the phenomena of crystal-gazing, and that of
psychometry, is that which occultists know as "the astral tube,"
although this psychic channel may be developed in ordinary clairvoyance by
means of the power of concentrated attention, etc. I shall not enter into a
detailed or technical discussion of the astral tube, at this place, but I wish
to give you a general and comprehensive view of it and its workings.
In
case of the strong concentration of the mind, in cases of psychometry or
crystal-gazing, a channel or "line of force" is set up in the astral
substance which composes the basis of the astral plane. This is like the wake
of a ship made on the surface of the water through which the ship has passed.
Or it is like a current of magnetic force in the ether. It is caused by a
polarization of the particles composing the astral substance, which manifest in
a current of intense vibrations in the astral substance, which thus serve as a
ready channel for the transmission of psychic force or astral energy.
The
astral tube serves as a ready conductor of the vibrations, currents and waves
of energy on the astral plane which carry to the astral senses of the person
the perception of the things, objects and scenes far removed from him in space
and time. How these things far removed in space and time are perceived by the
astral seer is explained in subsequent lessons of this course. At this place we
are concerned merely with the "channel" through which the currents of
energy flow, and which has been called the astral tube.
As a
writer well says: "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. The astral tube is used in a variety of forms of psychic
phenomena. It is often used unconsciously, and springs into existence spontaneously,
under the strong influence of a vivid emotion, desire or will. It is used by
the trained psychometrist, without the use of any 'starting point,' or 'focal
centre,' simply by the use 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 generally known as psychometry, or else a glass or crystal
ball, or similar polished surface, in what is known as crystal-gazing."
Another
authority tells his readers that: "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. * * * But, it may be said, the mere fact that he is using astral
sight ought to enable him to see things from all sides at once. And so it
would, if he were using that sight in a 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 on that plane. * * * 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 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."
The
student will find that, as we progress, many of these points which now seem
complicated and obscure will gradually take on the aspect of simplicity and
clearness. We must crawl before we can walk, in psychic research as well as in
everything else.
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