Some experimenters have been quite successful in experiments along the lines of Automatic Writing from living persons, produced by means of long distance telepathy. In these cases the recipient sits passively at the hour agreed upon for the experiment, and the projector concentrates intently upon a sentence, or several sentences, one word at a time—at the same time "willing" the other person to write the word. The famous investigator of psychic phenomena, the late W.T. Stead, editor of a London newspaper, who went down on the "Titanic," was very successful in experiments of this kind. His written records of these are very interesting and instructive.
You will, of course, understand that in all cases of long distance telepathic experiments there should be an understanding between the two persons regarding the time and duration of the experiment, so as to obtain the best results. Personally, however, I have known of some very excellent results in which the receiving of the message occurred several hours after the sending—thus showing that telepathy is in a measure independent of time, as well as of space. But, as a rule, the best results are obtained when the two persons "sit" simultaneously.
Do not rest content with accepting the reports of others regarding these things. Try them for yourself. You will open up a wonderful world of new experiences for yourself. But, remember always, you must proceed step by step, perfecting yourself at each step before proceeding to the next.
LESSON VI.
CLAIRVOYANT PSYCHOMETRY.
The word "clairvoyance" means "clear seeing." In its present usage it covers a wide field of psychic phenomena; and is used by different writers to designate phases of psychic phenomena differing widely from each other. The student is apt to become confused when he meets these apparently conflicting definitions and usages. In the glossary of the Society for Psychical Research, the term is defined as: "The faculty or act of perceiving, as though visually, with some coincidental truth, some distant scene; it is used sometimes, but hardly properly, for transcendental vision, or the perception of beings regarded as on another plane of existence."
Mrs. Henry Sidgwick, a distinguished writer on the subject of psychic phenomena, in one of her reports to the Society for Psychical Research, says: "The word clairvoyant is often used very loosely and with widely different meanings. I denote by it a faculty of acquiring supernormally, but not by reading the minds of persons present, a knowledge of facts such as we normally acquire by the use of our senses. I do not limit it to knowledge that would normally be acquired by the sense of sight, nor do I limit it to a knowledge of present facts. A similar knowledge of the past, and if necessary, of future facts may be included. On the other hand, I exclude the mere faculty of seeing apparitions or visions, which is sometimes called clairvoyance."
The above definitive explanation of the term clairvoyance agrees with the idea of the best authorities, and distinguishes between the phenomena of clairvoyance and that of telepathy, on the one hand; and between the former and that of seeing apparitions, on the other hand. I, personally, accept this distinction as both scientific in form, and as agreeing with the facts of the case. You will, of course, see that the acceptance of the existence of the astral senses throws light on many obscure points about which the psychic researchers are in doubt, and reconciles many apparently opposing facts.