Practical Mind-Reading / A Course of Lessons on Thought-Transference, Telepathy, Mental-Currents, Mental Rapport, &c.

by William Walker Atkinson

HIGHER PHENOMENA.

In the demonstrations described and explained in the previous parts of this work, the mental impressions travel from one mind to another over the channels of the "telegraphic wires" of the nervous system of the Transmitter and Receiver. In other words the Mind Reading that is employed in the feats and demonstrations given, is akin to the ordinary "telegraphic current" travelling over the wires from sending station to receiving station—the nervous system of the two persons furnishing a very close counterpart to the telegraphic wire, etc. But there is a step beyond this—many steps in fact. While the "Contact Mind Reading" which we have described and explained is surely wonderful enough to attract the attention of all thinking minds, still when the advanced student passes on to the field of the Higher Phenomena he is destined to meet with marvelous results which in some cases almost surpass belief. This Higher Phenomena of Mind Reading, or "Telepathic Mind Reading," when compared to the Contact Mind Reading, is as the "wireless telegraph" when compared to the ordinary telegraph using wires.

In [Lesson I], of this book, we have given you the theories held by scientific men regarding the nature of the waves or currents that proceed from one mind to another, and the mechanism by which these waves are registered. We think it will be interesting to many of you to know that certain Occultists have their own theory regarding this matter, which while not widely known is still of the greatest interest to earnest students of the scientific side of the subject. We allude to what is known as "The Pineal Gland" theory.

The Pineal Gland is a small gland, cone-shaped, and of a reddish-gray color, situated in the brain about the middle of the skull, nearly above the top of the spinal column. It is a compact mass of nervous matter, containing a quantity of what has been called "brain-sand," which is composed of very small particles of gritty matter. The anatomists and physiologists confess their ignorance of the function and purpose of the Pineal Gland, and it remains for the Occultists to explain its real nature, which is the receiving and registering of the waves or currents, or vibrations of thought and Will received from another person. This Pineal Gland is, according to the Occultists, the receiving instrument for the "wireless Mind Reading," and in fact it resembles the actual receiver of the wireless telegraph in more than one respect.

THE FIRST STEPS.

In the first place, the student who is practicing the experiments given in previous chapters, and who is making the demonstrations given there, will find that at times he is able to do away with the physical contact. He will loosen his hold upon the hand of the Transmitter, and at times will sever the contact entirely, and after the feat is demonstrated he will realize to his astonishment that he has performed the principal part of the feat without contact at all. He may be almost unconscious of this fact, for the reason that he was so much immersed and absorbed in his work that he did not have time to think of these details. At other times he will find that even before he has made the physical contact with the Transmitter, he will receive a flash of mental impression which will enable him to proceed to the selected location, or object, at once.

DEMONSTRATIONS WITHOUT A TRANSMITTER.

These experiences will become so frequent and so strong that he may often (in the cases of peculiarly sensitive people) perform the entire feat without the physical contact of the Transmitter, and perhaps without any Transmitter at all. In well developed cases the Receiver may perform the simple feats, and sometimes some of the more complicated ones, merely by the aid of the Concentrated Will of the audience.

We have known of cases in which a pocket-knife was the selected and hidden object, and when the demonstrator would enter the room he would receive a sudden mental impression of the word "knife," followed by the impression "under the sofa-pillow," etc., and upon going to the designated spot the knife would be found. Every person who carefully practices the demonstrations given in this book will be able to add actual experiences of this kind, of his own, which have been experienced by him during the course of his work.