{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_26622/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_26622","id":"gutenberg_26622","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26622","summary":null,"tags":["Category: How To ...","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Crystal gazing"],"text":"Produced by Ruth Hart\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n[Note:  In the original text, the Concise Dictionary of\nAstrological Terms displayed a small astrological glyph illustration\nnext to each term, but I have not indicated these in this online text.]\n\n\n\nHOW TO READ THE CRYSTAL\nOR, CRYSTAL AND SEER\n\nWITH A CONCISE DICTIONARY OF ASTROLOGICAL TERMS\n\nBY\n\nSEPHARIAL\n\nAUTHOR OF \"BOOK OF CARDS,\" \"THE LITTLE BOOK OF MAGIC,\" ETC.\n\n\nLONDON FOULSHAM & CO., LTD.\n10 & 11, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET, E.C.\n1922\n\n\n_Printed in Great Britain_\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\nChapter I.     A Postulate                                5\nChapter II.    Qualifications                            13\nChapter III.   Preliminaries                             17\nChapter IV.    The Vision                                21\nChapter V.     Difficulties                              25\nChapter VI.    Symbols                                   29\nChapter VII.   Some Experiences                          35\nChapter VIII.  Directions for Using the Ovoids and\n               Spheres for Crystal or Mirror Vision      51\nChapter IX.    Consise Dictionary of Astrological Terms  53\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nA POSTULATE\n\nAny attempt at a scientific explanation of the phenomenon of\n\"crystal seering,\" to use an irregular but comprehensive term,\nwould perhaps fall short of completeness, and certainly would\ndepend largely upon the exercise of what Professor Huxley was\nwont to call \"the scientific imagination.\" The reasons for this are\nobvious. We know comparatively little about atomic structure in\nrelation to nervous organism. We are informed to a certain degree\nupon atomic ratios; we know that all bodies are regarded by the\nphysicist as a congeries of atoms, and that these atoms are\n\"centres of force.\" Primarily, the atomic theory would refer all\nheterogeneous bodies to one homogeneous substance, from which\nsubstance, by means of a process loosely referred to as\n\"differentiation,\" all the elements are derived. These elements are\nthe result of atomic arrangement, and the atoms of each are known\nto have various vibrations, the extent of which is called the \"mean\nfree path of vibration.\" The indestructibility of matter, the fact that\nall nature is convertible, and the absolute association of matter and\nforce, lead to the conclusion that since every change in matter\nimplies a change of force, matter must be ever living and active,\nand primarily of a spiritual nature. The great Swedenborg, no less\na scientist than a spiritual seer, laid down his doctrine of\n\"Correspondences\" upon the primary concept of the spiritual\norigin of all force and matter. Matter, he argued, was the ultimate\nexpression of Spirit, as Form was that of Force. Spirit was to Force\nwhat Matter was to Form--our ideas of Matter and Form being\nclosely related. Hence, for every _Spiritual Force_ there is a\ncorresponding _Material Form_, and the material or natural world\ncorresponds at all points with the world of spirit, without being\nidentical. This, in brief, is the conclusion to which the \"scientific\nimagination\" of the present day, extending as it does from the\nknown into the unknown, is slowly but surely leading up.\n\nTaking as our postulate the scientific statement of the atomic\nstructure of bodies, atomic vibration and molecular arrangement,\nwe turn to consider the action exerted by such bodies upon the\nnervous organism of man.\n\nThe function of the brain--which must be regarded as the bulbous\nroot of a nervous plant whose branches grow downwards--is\ntwofold; to affect, and to be affected. In its active or positive\ncondition it affects the whole of the vital and muscular processes\nin the man, finding expression in vital action. In its passive or\nnegative state it is affected by impressions coming to it in different\nways through the sense-organs, resulting in nervous and mental\naction. It is this latter phase of brain-function with which we are\nimmediately concerned.\n\nThe range of our sense-perception puts us momentarily and\ncontinually in relation with the material world, or rather with a\n_certain portion_ of it. We say a certain portion because we\nknow from scientific experience that the scale or gamut of\nsense-perception is limited, both as to its extent and as to its\nquality. Many insects, birds, and quadrupeds have keener perceptions\nin some respects than man. The photographic plate can register\nimpressions which are beyond the perception of our highest sense\nof sight. The Roentgen rays have put us into relations with a new\norder of impression--records quite beyond the range of our normal\nvision. The animalcule and microbic life, itself microscopic, has\nyet its own order of sense-organs related to a world of vitality\nbeyond our ken. These, and a host of other observations, serve to\nshow that our normal perceptions are extremely limited, and,\nfurther, that nature does not cease to exist where we cease to\nperceive her.\n\nThe relation of our sense-organs to the several degrees of matter,\nto solids, fluids, gases, atmospheric and etheric motions, vary in\ndifferent individuals to such a wide extent that the average\nwool-sorter leaves many an artist behind in his perception of\ncolour-shades. The same odour is perceptible by one person and\nunrecognisable by another. In the gradation of sound, too, the\nsame differences of perception will be commonly noticed. But\nquite apart from the scale or range of perception, the _quality_ of a\nsense-impression is found to vary with different persons. By this\nwe mean that the same body will affect different persons in\ndissimilar manner. Hence arises the variety of \"tastes\" in regard to\nforms, colours, flavours, scents, sounds, fabrics, etc., what is\nagreeable to one being highly objectionable to another. The\nexperience is to common to need illustration; but the conclusion to\nwhich we are led is that, in relation to the nervous system of man,\nevery material body has a variable effect. And this clears the\nground for a statement of our views in regard to the Crystal and its\neffects upon the seer.\n\nThe Crystal itself is a clear pellucid piece of quartz or beryl,\nsometimes oval in shape, but more generally spheroidal. It is\naccredited by Reichenbach and other researchers with highly\nmagnetic qualities capable of producing in a suitable subject a\nstate analogous to the ordinary waking trance of the hypnotists. It\nis believed that all bodies convey, or are the vehicles of, a certain\nuniversal magnetic property, variously called Od, Odyle, etc.,\nwhich is regarded as an inert and passive substance underlying the\nmore active forces familiar to us in kinetic, calorific, and\nelectrical phenomena. In this respect it bears a position analogous\nto the Argon of the atmosphere. It is capable of taking up,\nsympathetically, the vibrations of those bodies or elements to\nwhich it is temporarily related. But of itself it has no activity,\nalthough in its still, well-like, and calm depths it holds the\npotentiality of all magnetic forces. This Odyle, then, is particularly\npotent in the quartz or beryl, when brought into activity by the\nintention of the seer. It produces and retains more readily in that\nform the various images communicated to it from the soul of man.\nAnd the soul, in this connection, must be regarded as the\nrepository of all that complex mass of emotions, thoughts,\nimpressions, perceptions, feelings, etc., included in the inner life\nof man; for the soul of man is not the less a scientific fact because\nthere are those who bandy words concerning its origin and nature.\nReichenbach has shown by a series of experiments upon sensitive\nand hypnotised subjects that metals and other substances produce\nvery marked effects in contact with the human body. Those\nexperiments showed, too, that the same substance affected\ndifferent patients in diverse manner. The hypnotic experiments of\nDr. Charcot, the well-known French biologist, also demonstrate\nthe _rapport_ existing between the sensitive patient and foreign\nbodies when in proximity or contact; as for example, when a bottle\ncontaining a poison was taken at random from among a number of\nothers of exactly similar appearance, and applied to the back of the\npatient's neck, the hypnotised subject would once develop all the\nsymptoms of poisoning by arsenic, strychnine, prussic acid, etc., it\nbeing afterwards ascertained that the bottle thus applied actually\ncontained the toxine whose effects had been portrayed by the\nsubject.\n\nIt need not, then, be a matter of surprise to learn that the Crystal\nexerts a very definite and sensible effect upon the nervous system\nof a certain order of subjects. It does not affect all alike, nor act\nin exactly the same way on those whom it does so affect. Where its\naction is more or less rapid and remarkable, the quartz or beryl\nCrystal may be taken as the most effective medium for producing\nthe vision. In other cases the concave mirror, either of polished\ncopper or black japan, will be found serviceable for inducing the\nclairvoyant state. In some other cases, again, a bowl of water is\nsufficient. The ecstatic vision was first induced in the case of\nJacob Boehme by the sun's rays falling upon a bowl of water\nwhich caught and dazzled his eyes while he was engaged in the\nhumble task of cobbling a pair of shoes. As a consequence of this\nexaltation of the sense of sight we have those remarkable\nworks, \"The Aurora,\" \"The Four Complexions,\" \"The Signatura\nRerum,\" and many others, together with a volume of letters and\ncommentaries which, in addition to being of a highly spiritual\nnature, must also be regarded as scholarly when referred to their\nauthorship.\n\nIn cases like the above it may be said that the clairvoyant faculty is\nconstitutional and already fully developed, waiting only the\ncircumstances which shall serve to bring it into active play,\nEmanuel Swedenborg, if we remember rightly, was 54 years of\nage before he awoke to the consciousness of his spiritual vision.\n\nThe medium employed for inducing the clairvoyant state cannot\nbe definitely prescribed. It must remain a matter of experiment for\neach investigator. This, however, may be said:  _Every person\nwhose life is not wholly sunk in selfish and material pleasures, but\nin whom the aspiration to a nobler and purer life is a hunger the\nworld cannot satisfy, has within himself the power to see and\nknow that which he seeks behind the veil of his earthly senses.\nNature has never produced a desire she could not satisfy. There is\nno hope, however vague, that the soul cannot define, and no\naspiration, however high, that the wings of the spirit cannot reach.\nTherefore be patient and strive_.\n\nThat there are some in whom the psychic faculties are more prone\nto activity than in others is certain, as also some in whom these\npowers are native, by spiritual or hereditary succession; all of\nwhich may be determined from their genitures by the astrological\nart. In others, the determination of the natural powers takes a more\npractical and mundane tendency, making them more successful in\nthe affairs of daily life than in aught of a spiritual nature St. Paul\nhas spoken of a diversity of gifts. \"One star differeth from another\nin glory,\" he says, in very truth. This distribution of natural gifts\nproceeds from the celestial world, and is so ordered that each\nperson born on this earth may fulfil his part in the economy of\nlife. And because the spiritual needs of mankind are of primary\nimportance, there are those born in whom the power of spiritual\ninterpretation is the dominant faculty, such persons being the\nnatural channels of intercourse between the superior and inferior\nworlds. These are to mankind what a certain order of microbic life\nis to the body of man--organic interpreters, translating the\nelements of food into blood, nerve, fibre, tissue, etc., agreeably to\nthe laws of their being.\n\nFor those who would aspire to the gift of pure vision, and in whom\nthe faculty is striving for expression, the following pages are\nwritten. To others we would say, Be content. All birds are not\neagles. The nightingale has a song, the humming-bird a plumage\nwhich the eagle will never possess. The nightingale may sing to\nthe stars, humming-bird to the flowers, but the eagle, whose\ntireless eyes gaze into the heart of day, is uncompanioned in its\nlofty loneliness in the barren mountain-tops.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nQUALIFICATIONS\n\nThere are in existence certain magical works, such as those of\nTrithemius and Barrett, wherein the use of the Crystal is\naccompanied by certain rites and invocations. This ceremonial\nmagic we are disposed to repudiate as highly dangerous. It brings\ninto play a number of forces which may well prove disastrous in\ninexperienced hands. All action and reaction are equal and\nopposite. A child might easily fire a cannon, but could not\npossibly withstand its recoil. So in the education of the spiritual\nfaculties, it is better to encourage their natural development by\nlegitimate exercise than to invoke the action of stimulants which\nwe may not afterwards be able to control. The continual fretting of\nthe water will wear away a rock, though none doubts the water is\nsofter than the rock. If the barrier between this and the soul-world\nbe like granite, yet the patient and persistent action of a\ndetermined mind will sooner or later wear it away, the last layer\nwill break down, and the light will stream through, dazzling the\nunaccustomed eyes with its effulgence.\n\nIt is our desire to indicate by what means and by what persons the\nnatural development of the clairvoyant faculty may be achieved.\n\nFirst, in regard to the subject, medium or seer. There are two\ndistinct temperament in which the faculty is likely to be dominant,\nand capable of high and rapid culture. There is the nervous\ntemperament associated, with a high muscular development,\nclassified as the \"mental-motive\" temperament. It is characterized\nby extreme activity of body and mind, a certain nervous\nexcitability, prominent features, full osseous development,\nprominent brows, intent gaze, and generally a swarthy complexion.\nThis type represents the _positive_ seers, in whom the mind\ngoes out towards the images of the soul. The other, in whom\nthe _passive_ temperament is present, and to whom the soul-images\ncome by passive reflection, as things mirrored in a moveless\nlake, are known by the following characteristics: Full and\nlymphatic habit, pale or delicate complexion, generally blue\neyes, straight fine hair; small, plump, and cold hands; a high,\npiping or feeble voice, and languid disposition.\n\nThese two types--of which there are many varieties--achieve their\npsychic development by quite opposite means. The positive seer\nworks with effort, throwing out the soul-images by the power of\nhis will, perceiving them with more or less accuracy, and\nthereafter turning them over in the mind, reasoning and\nquestioning concerning their import and meaning. The passive\nseer, on the contrary, works not at all and makes no effort, the\nvisions coming slowly, almost imperceptibly, and in most cases\nhaving a literal interpretation. The visions in this case are not\nallegorical, emblematic, or symbolic, as in the case of the positive\nseer, but are actual visions of facts just as they have happened, or\nwill transpire in the future. Of the two orders, the passive is the\nmore serviceable because the more perspicuous, but it has the\ndisadvantage of being largely under the control of external\ninfluences, and hence is frequently incapable of \"seeing\" anything\nwhatever.\n\nThe positive type of seer exercises an introspective vision,\nsearching inwardly towards the soul-world whence the revelations\nproceed. Of what nature these revelations are will appear in the\nfollowing pages. The passive type of seer, on the contrary, remains\n_in statu quo_, open to impressions coming inwards towards the\nperceptive faculty, but making no effort towards either outward\nor inward searching. The success of each depends upon the\nobservance of that method which is agreeable to their respective\ntemperaments.\n\nIn regard to the qualifications which should supplement and\nsustain the natural aptitude of the seer or seeress, the following\nremarks may be of general service.\n\nSelf-possession and confidence in one's own soul-faculties must\nbe the firm rock upon which all revelations should rest. The purer\nthe intention and motive of the seer, the more lucid will be the\nvisions accorded. No reliable vision can be obtained by one whose\nnature is not inherently truthful. Any selfish desire dominanting\nthe mind in regard to any thing or person will distort the visions\nand render them misleading, while a persistent self-seeking spirit\nwill effectually shut the doors upon all visions whatsoever.\nTherefore, above all things it is essential for the investigator to\nhave an unflinching love of truth, to be resigned to the will of\nHeaven, to accept the revelations accorded in a spirit of grateful\nconfidence, and finally to dispel all doubt and controversy\nby appeal to the eyes of one's own immortal soul. These are\nqualifications with which the seer or seeress should be invested,\nand if with these the quest is unsuccessful after a period of earnest\ntrial, it must be taken as sufficient warrant that the faculty is not\nin the category of one's individual powers. Haply, the same\nqualifications brought to bear upon some other psychic faculty\nwill result in a rich recompense.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nPRELIMINARIES\n\nHaving obtained a good Crystal, as free as possible from blemish,\ncare must be taken to keep it is much as possible in a dark place\nwhen not in use. The best covering therefore is a black one of soft\nmaterial, such as velvet, which will not scratch the polished\nsurface of the quartz.[*] Exposure to the sun's rays not only scores\nthe faces of the crystal, but also puts the odylic substance into\nactivity, distributing and dissipating the magnetic force stored up\ntherein. It must not be understood that the visions are in the crystal\nitself. They are in the soul of the seer. But the odylic substance is\nacted upon by the nervo-vital emanations of the body of the seer,\nand reacts upon the brain centres by means of the optic nerves.\nThat is why it is necessary to keep the crystal as free as possible\nfrom disturbing elements. For the same reason, when in use, the\ncrystal should be overshadowed by the seer, and so placed that _no\ndirect rays_ of light from sun, or lamp, or gasalier may fall upon\nit. The odyle, as has been already stated, rapidly responds to\nsurrounding magnetic conditions, and to the vibrations of\nsurrounding Bodies, and to none more powerfully than the etheric\nperturbation caused by combustion--indeed, to light of any kind.\n\n[*] It is bad policy to buy a cheap article. A good crystal\nis more than worth the outlay. Our publishers supply crystals,\nvarying from 15s. 6d. upward, and from what we have seen of\nthem we can safely recommend them as reliable articles.\n\nFor similar reasons the room in which the sitting is conducted\nshould be only moderately warm and shady as possible, provided\nit be not actually dark. A light by which one can just see to read\naverage print is sufficient for the purpose in view. The crystal with\nwhich we have had the most satisfactory and surprising results is a\ncube of fine azure beryl, the deep blue of its serene depths being\npeculiarly restful and inspiring. But, as we have said, nothing is\nmore effective than the white quartz crystal when found suitable.\n\nIt is important that all persons sitting in the same room as the seer\nshould be at arm's length away from him--farther if possible.\nSilence should be uniformly observed by those present. A recorder\nshould be at hand to set down everything the seer may give voice\nto. If any questions are addressed to the seer while the sitting is in\nprogress, they should be spoken in an undertone and as nearly a\nmonotone as may be so that the seer is not suddenly surprised into\nconsciousness of his surroundings, and the psychic thread thereby\nbroken.\n\nAt first the sittings should not be of longer duration than fifteen\nminutes, but it is important they should take place _regularly_,\nevery day if possible, and always at the same hour and in the\n_same place_. By this method of procedure it will be found that a\ncumulative effect is produced and success more speedily ensured.\nThe reason is obvious. All actions tend to repeat themselves, to\nbecome automatic, to pass from the purposive into the habitual,\nand hence the psychic faculties will, if actuated at any set time and\nplace, tend to bestir themselves towards the same end as that to\nwhich they were first moved by the conscious will and intention of\nthe seer.\n\nUntil definite and satisfactory results are obtained, not more than\ntwo persons should be present at the sittings, and these should be\nin sympathy with the seer and each other. When the sitting is over,\nit will be found agreeable and useful to discuss the results\nobtained; or if none are elicited, the seer can give an account of his\nor her impressions and feelings during the sitting. It will be\ninteresting to note these experiences and to compare them from\ntime to time.\n\nThe seer or seeress must not be disheartened if at the first few\nsittings nothing of any moment takes place, but must persevere,\nwith patience and self-control. Indeed, when one comes to\nconsider the fact that for hundreds of generations the psychic\nfaculties inherent in mankind have lain in absolute neglect, that\nperhaps the faculty of \"clear vision\" has never yet been brought\ninto activity by any save the most remote of our ancestors, it will\nnot be thought remarkable that it should be at first difficult get any\ndefinite results. Rather should it be a matter of surprise that the\npower is still with us, that it is not wholly irresponsive to the voice\nof the soul. While, in the course of physical evolution, many\nimportant functions have undergone remarkable changes, and\norgans, once active and useful, have become stunted, impotent,\nand in some cases extinct; yet it is said that seeds have lain\ndormant in arid soil for hundreds of years, to spring into leaf and\nflower as soon as the rains have fallen and the climate changed.\nThe faculty of pure vision is like the latent seed-life. It waits only\nthe conditions which favour its growth and development; and\nthough for hundreds of years it may have lain dormant, yet in a\nfew days, weeks, or months it may attain the proportions of a\nbeautiful flower, a thing of wonder and delight, gracing the garden\nof the soul.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nTHE VISION\n\nVisions seen in the crystal are of two kinds, both of which may be\nconveyed to the perception of the seer in two ways. The two kinds\nof visions are: 1, Direct visions; 2, Symbolic visions. The first of\nthese is a representation of scene or incident exactly as it will\ntranspire, or has already happened, either in relation to the seer,\nthose sitting with him, or yet in relation to public affairs. The\nsecond order of vision is a representation, by means of symbol,\nideograph, or other indirect means, of events similar to those\nconveyed by direct vision.\n\nIn most cases it will be found that answers, to questions take the\nform of symbols. But this is not always so, as will appear from\nthe following remarks concerning the manner in which these\nimpressions or visions are conveyed to the perception of the seer.\n\nThe vision is conveyed in one of two ways--first, as a vivid picture\naffecting the focus and retina of the eye, perfect in its outline and\ncolouring, and giving the impression of being either distant or near\nor at moderate range, Secondly, it may be conveyed as a vivid\nimpression accompanied by a hazy and undefined formation in the\ncrystal field. In this form it becomes an apperception rather than a\nperception, the consciousness receiving the impression of the\nvision to be conveyed before it has had time to form and define\nitself in the crystal.\n\nThe _direct_ vision is more generally found in association with the\n_passive_ type of seer. It is not usually so regular and constant as\nthe symbolic vision, owing to the peculiarities of the negative\ntemperament. When it does appear however, it is particularly lucid\nand actual, and has its literal fulfilment in the world of experience\nand fact. It is an actual representation of past or future event, or\nyet of what is then presently happening at some place more or less\ndistant.\n\nThe _symbolical_ vision is more closely associated with the\n_positive_ temperament. It has the advantage of being more ready\nand constant in its manifestation than the _direct_ vision, while on\nthe other hand it is frequently a matter of speculation as to what\nthe symbolic vision may portend.\n\nThe positive temperament, centripetal and forceful in its action,\nappears to throw off the soul-images, afterwards going out towards\nthem in a mood of speculative inquiry. The passive temperament,\nhowever, centrifugal and sensitive, most frequently feels first and\nsees afterwards, the visionary process being wholly devoid of\nspeculation or mental activity. The one sees and thinks, the other\nfeels and sees that, in a word, is the distinction between the two\ntemperaments.\n\nIn the early stages of development the crystal will begin to cloud\nover, first becoming dull, then suffused with milky clouds, among\nwhich sparkle a large number of little specks of light like gold dust\nin the sunlight. The focus of the eyes is inconstant, the\npupil rapidly expanding and contracting, the crystal at times\ndisappearing entirely in a haze or film which seems to pass before\nthe eyes. Then the haze will disappear, and the crystal will loom\nup into full view again, accompanied by a lapse of the seer into\nfull consciousness. This may be the only experience of the first\nfew sittings, it may be that of many; but, sooner or later, there will\ncome a moment when the milky clouds and dancing starlights will\nsuddenly vanish--a bright azure expanse like an open summer sky\nwill occupy the field of vision; the brain will take up a spasmodic\naction, as if opening and shutting in the superior coronal region;\nthere will be a tightening of the scalp on a level with the base of\nthe brain, as if the floor of the cerebrum were contracting; the seer\nwill catch his breath with a spasmodic sigh, and the first vision\nwill stand out, clear and life-like, against the azure screen of\nheaven.\n\nThe danger at this supreme moment is that the seer will be\nsurprised into full waking consciousness. During the process of\nabstraction which precedes every vision or series of visions,\nthe consciousness of the seer is gradually and imperceptibly\nwithdrawn from his surroundings. He forgets that he is seated in\nthis or that room, that such a person is at his right hand, such\nanother at his left. He forgets that he is gazing into the crystal. He\nhears nothing, sees nothing, save what is passing before the eyes\nof his soul. He loses sight, for the time, even of his own identity.\n\nTherefore, when his vision is suddenly arrested by an apparition,\nstartling in its reality and instantaneous production, even though\nhoped for and expected, the reaction is so violent and rapid that\nthe seer is frequently carried back into the full consciousness\nof his physical conditions. Therefore, the qualifications of\nself-possession and confidence in one's own soul-faculties have been\nstated as of primary importance in this domain of research. Excess\nof joy or fear at sight of the vision will be fatal to its continuance\nand to the condition of mind required for the process of\ndevelopment. This fact must therefore be borne in mind.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nDIFFICULTIES\n\nUnder this head we propose to cite a few of the obstacles to be met\nwith in the process of inducing the psychic vision, and some also\nwhich may be expected in connection with the faculty when\ninduced.\n\nPutting aside the greatest of all obstacles--that of constitutional\nunfitness--as having been already discussed in preceding pages,\nthe first obstacle to be avoided is that of ill-health. The importance\nof a moderate and sustaining diet in regard to psychic development\ncannot be too strongly urged. All overloading of the stomach with\nindigestible food and addiction to alcoholic drinks tends to cloud\nthe spiritual perception, It depletes the brain-centres, gives the\nheart too much work, and overthrows the equilibrium of the\nsystem. Ill-health follows; the mind is centred upon the suffering\nbody, spiritual aspiration ceases, and the soul folds its wings and\nfalls into the sleep of oblivion. The consciousness of man works\nfrom a centre, which co-ordinates and includes all the phenomena\nof thought, feeling, and volition. This centre of consciousness is\ncapable of rapid displacement, alternating between the most\nexternal of our bodily functions and the most internal of our\nspiritual operations. It cannot be active in all parts of our complex\nconstitution at one and the same moment. Hence it follows that\nwhen one part of our nature is active another is dormant as\nhappens in sleeping and waking, dream-life being that wherein the\ncentre of consciousness hovers between the body and the soul.\n\nWith these considerations in mind it will be obvious to every one\nthat a condition in which the consciousness is held in bondage by\nthe infirmities of the body is not one conducive to psychic\ndevelopment. The constitution need not be robust, but it should at\nall events be free from disorder and pain. Some of the most\nethereal natures are associated with a delicate organism, but while\nthe balance is maintained the soul is free to develop its latent\npowers.\n\nIt is advisable not to sit for crystal reading, or indeed for any order\nof psychic exercise, immediately after or before a meal. The body\nshould be at rest, and the mind contented and tranquil. Again, the\nattitude of the seer should not be too expectant or over-anxious in\nregard to the production of the vision. Let the development take its\nnatural course. Do not force the young plant in its growth or it will\ncome to a premature end. Take time, as Nature does. It is a great\nwork, and much patience is needed. The acorn becomes the sturdy\noak only because Nature is contented with small results, because\nshe can afford to wait and is never in a hurry to see the result of\nher operations. And because she is patient and careful in her\nbeginnings, her works are wonderfully great and complete in their\nissues. Above all, they endure. Whoever breathes slowest will live\nthe longest. This is an Eastern saying which voices a fundamental\ntruth.\n\nThe vision is produced. The faculty of clairvoyance has become\nmore or less under the control of the mind. New difficulties arise,\nand, of these, two will be conspicuous. The first is that of\ntime-measure, and the other is that of interpretation. The former is\npeculiar to both orders of vision, the _direct_ and the _symbolic_.\nThe difficulty of interpretation is, of course, peculiar to the latter\norder of vision.\n\nTime-measure is, perhaps, the greatest difficulty encountered by\nthe seer. It is sometimes impossible to determine whether a vision\nrelates to the past, the present, or the future. In most cases,\nhowever, the seer learns by experience how to distinguish, and\nfrequently it will be found that an intuitive impression of\nthe period involved comes with the vision itself. In our own\nexperience the foreground, middle distance, and background, mark\noff the present, the approximate, and the distant future. In tracing\nthe succession of events, we have found it convenient to think of\ntime-measure at the outset, bending the sight upon, each month or\nyear separately and in succession, noting the visions that arise with\neach in order. And as regards the past or future, we distinguish\nbetween them by an intuitive sense rather than by any other\nmeans, and very rarely is this sense deceived, for it is part of the\npsychic faculty we had in training.\n\nTherefore, if the vision appears in the foreground and, as it were,\nat the feet of the seer, then it may be taken as relating to the\npresent or a quite recent date. In the same way, the middle distance\nindicates the near past or future, and the background denotes the\nmore distant past or future. The other difficulty we have\nmentioned is that of interpretation of such symbols as may arise.\nThe following pages will indicate some of the symbols and their\nmeanings. The rest must be left to the intuition of the seer.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nSYMBOLS\n\nSymbols are thought-forms which convey, by the association of\nideas, a definite meaning in regard to the mind that generates\nthem. They depend wholly upon the laws of thought, and the\ncorrespondence that exists between the spiritual and material\nworlds, between the subject and the object of our consciousness.\n\nAmong the ancients symbols were the original form of record, of\ncommunicating ideas, and of writing. The hieroglyphs of the\nEgyptians, the word-pictures of the aborigines of Central America,\nthe ideographic writing of ancient Mongolia, are all forms\nof symbolic writing, drawn from natural objects. The Hebrew\nalphabet, the names of its 22 letters, clearly indicate the nomadic\nand simple life of those \"dwellers in tents.\" Thus the names of the\nletters include such objects as ox, tent, tent-door, tent-peg, camel,\nfish, fish-hook, an eye, a hand, a basket, a rope-coil, a head, an\nox-goad, water, etc. From the combination of these simple forms the\nwords are constructed. Thus the word used to signify \"knowledge\"\nis derived from three letters, Yod, Daleth, Oin, which mean a\nhand, a door, an eye. The _hand_ denotes action, power, etc.; the\n_door_ denotes entering, initiation, etc.; the _eye_ denotes seeing,\nvision. Therefore the three ideograph; when combined, denote\n\"opening the door to see,\" which is a very graphic way of\nconveying the idea of acquiring knowledge. One cannot help\nseeing the hand of the young Hebrew drawing aside the canvas\ndoor of the tent and peeping in to see what secrets may be learned!\n\nAll symbols, therefore, may be translated by reference to the\nknown nature, quality, and uses of the objects they represent. Thus\na foot signifies a journey, and also understanding; a mouth denotes\nspeech, revelation; an ear news, information, and, if ugly and\ndistorted, scandal or abuse. The sun, shining brightly, denotes\nprosperity, honours. The moon, when crescent denotes success,\nincrease, and improvement. When gibbous, it denotes sickness,\ndecadence, losses, and trouble. The sun eclipsed shows death or\nruin of a man; the moon, similarly afflicted, denotes equal danger\nto a woman. These are natural interpretations.\n\nEvery symbol, however, has a threefold interpretation, and the\nnature of the inquiry or the purpose for which the vision is sought\nmust determine the meaning of the symbols. If they refer to the\nspiritual world the interpretation must be agreeable to the nature of\nthe spirit, and similarly if they refer to the intellectual or physical\nworlds. Thus a pair of scales would denote Divine Justice in the\nspiritual sense, judgment in the intellectual sense, and obligation\nin the material sense. If the scales were evenly balanced the\naugury would be good. But if weighed down on one side it is\n_Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin_, \"Thou art weighed and found\nwanting\"; it shows a corrupt judgment, a wrong conclusion, an\nunbalanced mind, failure in one's obligations, injustice, etc. And if\na sword should lie across the scales or be seen overhead, then a\nspeedy judgment will be meted out.\n\nA ship is a symbol of intercourse, of trading, of voyaging, etc. If in\nfull sail it shows that the communication with the spiritual world is\nincreasing, that news from far-off lands will come to hand, that\ntrade will increase, that a voyage will be taken. If aught is written\non the sails it will be an additional source of enlightenment. If the\nsymbol of death be written there, it shows speedy translation to a\nfar-off country in which the subject will die. That far-off country\nmay be the spiritual world itself in which case the death would be\na natural one. But if the ship's sails are drooping, then it denotes a\nfalling away of spiritual influx of intelligence, and of trade.\nExpected news will not come.\n\nBlack bread denotes a famine, and if it be spotted with yellow\nblotches it shows a plague. This symbol was seen, with a goat\nbutting at it, in June, 1896. There followed a famine and plague in\nIndia, which country is said to be ruled by the zodiacal sign\nCapricorn! The symbol was not deciphered till the event came to\nthrow light upon it. In the same way a leaf of shamrock, denoting\nthe Triple Alliance, has been seen split down the centre with a\nblack line, denoting the fracture of the treaty. It would also seem\nto indicate that Ireland, whose symbol is the shamrock, will be\nseparated by an autonomous government from the existing United\nKingdom.\n\nIn similar manner all symbols arising in the crystal may be\ninterpreted by reference to their known qualities and uses, as well\nas the associations existing between them and other things,\npersons, and places, in the mind of the seer. As we have already\nsaid, however, the meanings of most of the symbols will be\nconveyed to the consciousness of the trained seer at the time of\ntheir appearance in the crystal. Experience will correct many\nerrors, and a symbol, once known, will assume a constant meaning\nwith each seer, so that after repeated occurrence it will hold a\ndefinite signification.\n\nIt should be mentioned, however, that the same symbol will have\ndifferent meanings with different seers. It is difficult to say why\nthis is the case. But it probably arises from the difference of\nindividual temperament, and the Order to which the soul belongs\nin the spiritual world. These dissimilarities exist between\nindividuals down to the lowest of our sensations. We have the\nsame laws of thought and the same general constitution. Humanity\nholds us all within the bonds of a single nature. Yet, despite this\nfact, we have differences of opinion, of emotion, of sympathy and\nantipathy, of taste, and so forth, Therefore it would appear that the\nsoul images projected by the magical power of the mind must have\ndifferent significations with each of us, their interpretation being\nin some peculiar way in agreement with the nature of the person\nwho sees them. Necessarily no definite rule can be laid down as to\ninterpretation, but it is advisable that the seer or seeress should be\nhis or her own interpreter.\n\nThus, although every symbol has some general signification in\nagreement with its natural qualities and uses, yet it obtains a\nparticular signification in regard to each person. It is within\ncommon experience that this is the case in regard to dreams,\nwherein the faculty of seership is acting in its normal plane. Every\nperson is a seer in dream-life, but few persons pay that attention to\ndreams that their origin and nature warrant. The crystal is but a\nmeans of bringing this normal faculty of dreaming into activity in\nthe waking life. Yet, as stated above, the differences of import or\nmeaning, even in the dream-world, of any particular symbol is a\ncommon experience. Thus one person will dream to be wading in\nwater whenever there is trouble ahead. Another will dream of a\nnaked child when similar troubles are about to occur, Butcher's\nmeat will signify financial troubles to one person, to another a\nfortunate speculation. The controlling factor in this matter is\nprobably to be found in the constitution of the mental and psychic\nqualities conferred by the hereditary and psychic influences\nconverging at the conception of an individual, and expressed in the\nbirth. Probably, too, an argument could be established in regard to\nthe influence of the planets ruling at the nativity, and also from the\ndominion of the signs of the zodiac in the horoscope of birth. But\nthis would be beyond the scope and intention of this short treatise.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nSOME EXPERIENCES\n\nThe following facts, in connection with predictions made from the\nCrystal, have come within the knowledge of the writer, either as\npersonal experiences or in association with others in which the\nfaculty of clear vision is active.\n\nA lady of title visited the seer in the month of June, 1896, and was\ntold that she would hear news from abroad in some hot country\nconcerning the birth of a child, a boy, who would arrive in the\nfollowing year in the month of February. The lady did hear such\nnews, and in February, 1897, a boy was born to the lady's sister in\nIndia. The same lady was told that on a certain date, while\ntravelling, she would meet with an accident to the right leg. She\nfell between the platform and the footboard while getting into a\ntrain, and suffered severe abrasion of the right leg, together with a\nserious muscular strain which laid her up for several days.\nPrevious to that the lady was to be surprised by some good fortune\nhappening to her son in connection with papers and a contest. This\nhappened at the time specified. Her son passed his examination for\nthe military college with honours.\n\nMrs. H. was consulted by a lady of some ability in a special line of\nliterature. This fact was not, however, within the knowledge of the\nseeress. She was told that she would go up a certain staircase into\na dingy room with a roll of something under her arm. She would\nsee a dark man who was thick-set and of quiet demeanour. The\nman would take the roll, and it would be a source of good fortune\nto her at a later date.\n\nThe lady-consultant did so take a certain manuscript rolled up\nbeneath her arm. She went up the dingy staircase described by the\nseeress, and saw the man whose description had been given.\n\nThe manuscript was transferred from her hand to that of the\npublisher, for such was the man's occupation. The manuscript was\naccepted, and later on was published. So the prediction was\nliterally fulfilled.\n\nIn the first case cited the vision was _symbolical_, and the\ninterpretation was made by the seer himself. In the second case the\nvision was literal, and needed no interpretation. These two cases\nwill serve for an illustration of the two types of vision.\n\nMrs. A. was consulted by a lady of the writer's acquaintance in\n1893. She was told that she would not marry the person to whom\nshe was then engaged, but would have to wait till a certain person,\nwho was described, should come from a foreign country and take\nher away. This would happen, it was said, in the month of January,\nthree years later. This event transpired in due course exactly as\npredicted, though nothing was further from the probable course of\nevents; in fact, the lady was not a little irate at the allusion to\nthe breaking off of her then existing relations, while the idea of\nmarrying a person whom she had never seen, and for whom she\ncould have no sort of regard, was naturally revolting to one so\nwholly absorbed as she was at the time.\n\nMrs. G. consulted the seer on September 27th, 1894. She was told\nshe would have sickness incidental to the loins and shooting pains\nin the knees. [A figure was seen with a black cloth around the\nloins, the figure stooping and resting its hands upon its knees.] She\nwould be the owner of a house in the month of December. [A\nhouse was seen covered with snow; the trees were bare.] A\nremoval would be made when the trees were without leaf. [A bird\nwas seen on a branch without leaf; the bird flies off.] The\nconsultant would be engaged in a dispute concerning money.\n[Several hands seen grabbing at a pile of money.]\n\nThese events came to pass at the time predicted. It is advisable to\nnote that in the first instance the symbolical vision is seen; in the\nsecond, a _literal_ vision supervenes; and in the third and fourth\ncases the vision reverts to the symbolical. Here we have an\ninstance of the overlapping of the two conditions of the\ntemperament, the active and the passive state alternating.\n\nAs an illustration of the extreme difficulty of interpretation in the\nnormal state of consciousness a symbol may be cited which was\nseen in the crystal for Miss X. \"A shield, and a lion rampant\nthereon, in red.\" Now this might mean anything. It suggests the\narmorial bearings of a princely family. The lion rampant might\nmean the anger of a person in authority, as the lion is the avowed\nking of beasts. Its colour, red, and its attitude are naturally\nexpressive of anger. The shield might be a protection, though little\nneeded by a lion, especially if the assailant were the fragile Miss\nX. to whom the vision had reference.\n\nNow observe the interpretation of the seer. \"You will hear news\nfrom a man of medium height and fair complexion concerning a\nforeign country. A letter will come in reference to something\nwritten by you which will be the very best thing that could happen.\nYou will score a great success.\" This interpretation, which is quite\nin line with the fact and which afterwards transpired, is probably\nas far removed from all that one might have expected as anything\ncould well be. But we have to remember that the condition in\nwhich the seer voices the interpretation of symbols seen by him is\na psychological one, and no doubt in that state natural symbols\ntake on quite a different signification to that which they would\nhold in the normal state of waking consciousness. How often do\ndreams have a marked influence upon the dreamer while still\nasleep; how often do they assume proportions of magnitude and\nbecome pregnant with meaning to the dreamer, only to dissolve\ninto ridiculous triviality and nonsense as soon as the person\nawakes! It would indeed appear that a complete hiatus exists\nbetween the visionary and the waking states of consciousness, so\nthat even the laws of thought undergo a change when the centre of\nconsciousness is removed from the outer to the inner world of\nthought and feeling.\n\nThe writer has known cases of sickness predicted with remarkable\naccuracy, the time and the nature of the sickness being foretold\nwith more or less accuracy. The reception of unexpected letters\nand telegrams; their import and consequences; the various\nchanges, voyages, business negotiations and speculations\noccurring in the consultants' lives have been foretold by means of\nthe crystal. Deaths have been foreseen, and even changes in the\nreligious views of the consultant or his associates.\n\nIn one case the writer saw a vision of a public square in which was\nthe effigy of a lamb mounted upon a pedestal. The lamb was made\nof solid silver and was mounted on marble. A Catholic priest came\nalong and pointed at the lamb. Immediately a flash of lightning\ncame from the sky and struck the effigy, melting off one of its\nears.\n\nThis was stated to signify that the community to which the consultant\nbelonged would immediately lose a member by conversion to\nthe Roman Church. By the next mail the consultant learned\nthat such was the case--an important member of the community\nhaving gone over to the Roman Catholics exactly as predicted.\n\nIn another case a man was seen dressed in black and wearing the\nhabit of a judge. He held some papers in his hands which he was\nendeavouring to conceal. He appeared unsuccessful in his efforts.\nA snake was seen at his feet. It rose up against him. A change took\nplace in the field of the vision and the same man was seen lying on\nhis death-bed. From this it was predicted that the man designated\nby the vision would be guilty of misrepresentation, and would be\ncut off by death three years from that time. The prediction was in\nevery respect verified.\n\nNot unfrequently the visionary state is induced by excessive\nemotion, during which the prophetic faculty is considerably\nheightened. Some temperaments of a peculiarly sensitive order\nwill fall into the clairvoyant condition while engaged in thought.\nThe thread of thought is broken, and there appears a vision wholly\nunconnected with the subject but a moment ago in the mind. It\nwould appear that the soul of the sensitive, while probing the\ndepths of its inner consciousness, suddenly comes into contact\nwith the thin partition which may be said to divide the outer world\nof thought and doubt from the inner world of intuition and direct\nperception, and, breaking through, emerges into the light beyond.\nThe same may be said of cases which manifest the faculty of clear\nvisions while in the hypnotic state, whether spontaneous or\ninduced. The trance condition frequently manifests this faculty in\nconjunction with others, such as clairvoyance or clear-hearing and\nthe sense of psychic touch.\n\nThe following instance, which was reported in the _Morning\nLeader_ of Friday, 14th August, 1896, is remarkable for its\nextreme pertinence to the subject under consideration:\n\n\"Last month a man named David Thomas, who had for a short\ntime been employed by Lord Windsor as his estate carpenter, was\nfound shot dead in a lonely spot on the roadside near Fairwater, a\nvillage not far from Cardiff. No trace of the murderer could be\nfound, and no motive has been supplied for the fell deed.\n\n\"David Thomas was, from all accounts, a quiet, peaceable fellow,\nwell liked by his intimates, and happy in his domestic relations.\nHe was a native of the little fishing village Aberaeron, in\nCardiganshire, but he had lived in Glamorganshire for some years,\nand had married a respectable woman, a native of the Vale of\nGlamorgan. A few months ago he received the appointment of\ncarpenter on Lord Windsor's estate. He then removed with his\nfamily to live in the little village of St. Fagan's a few miles out of\nCardiff. He had hardly settled down there when the tragedy took\nplace. It happened on a Saturday night. He had given up work\nearly, and had come home to cut the grass in the little green in\nfront of his cottage, and to tidy up his new home. Early in the\nafternoon he seems to have grown tired of the work and went\nindoors. His wife asked him to take the children out for a stroll. He\nmade no reply, and his wife, busy in another part of the house, did\nnot pay much attention to his subsequent movements. She knows,\nhowever, that he washed and went upstairs to put himself tidy, and\nthen went out--without the children.\n\n\"He seems to have met a friend on the road, and went for a walk\nwith him. They called at a public-house, and had a glass or two of\nbeer. Then, about ten o'clock, they parted. Thomas was quite\ncheerful, and started for home at a brisk pace. He came presently\nto a lonely part of the road. A wayfarer heard a pistol shot and a\nscream, and presently met a man who was hurrying away from the\ndirection of the scream, and who wished him a gruff good-night.\nTwo hundred yards farther on the traveller saw in the dim night\nthe body of a man stretched out on the side of the road. He fetched\nassistance: the body was that of David Thomas. He had been shot\nabout a hundred yards behind, but he had not been killed outright.\nHe had run in terror up the road, spouting blood as he went, and\nleaving a ghastly trail behind him.\n\n\"But a weird story which is told in the _Western Mail_ of Cardiff\nserves to lend that touch of horror to the tale which renders it more\nthrilling than any story which the most daring novelist would\nventure to create.\n\n\"A young girl, who is not yet 20, has been in the habit for some\ntime past of attending seances held by the Cardiff Psychological\nSociety. One night at a seance, while in a state of trance, she was\nseized with a strange convulsion. Through her lips came the\nwords:\n\n\"'I--WILL--have--my--revenge.'\n\n\"'Who are you, friend?' asked the interlocutor.\n\n\"'David--Thomas. I--was--shot.'\n\n\"This entirely unexpected answer was followed by sensational\nstatements concerning the murder and the identity of the murderer.\nSome days after she was taken out to Fairwater--which she had\nnever before visited--and reenacted in a trance the scene of the\nmurder.\n\n\"The story leaked out, and came to the ears of the _Western Mail_.\nDoubts were cast at once on the _bona fides_ of the girl and the\nwhole story. An offer was made to repeat the experiment in the\npresence of two _Mail_ representatives. The offer was accepted,\nand one night this week, at ten o'clock, the little party met outside\nthe Railway Inn, where poor David Thomas had had his last drink.\n\n\"A start was made. The medium walked at an easy pace between a\nmale and female friend, whose arms were linked. The faint outline\nof the road ahead led always on towards a wall of blackness.\n\n\"At last they came near Fairwater. Suddenly the medium spoke:\n\n\"'I see a pistol right in front of me--held towards me--it is a shiny\none--there it is, held up--it has a large mouth.'\n\n\"Forty yards farther on the medium spoke again: 'Hark! I hear\nfootsteps! I see a man!'\n\n\"'Where?'\n\n\"'Right in front of us. There he is, creeping along the hedge. He is\nkeeping out of sight.'\n\n\"'What is he like? How is he dressed?'\n\n\"The medium described her vision very minutely. Her pace\nincreased suddenly; she dragged her linked companions on with a\nlurch forward. The farmhouse where she first saw the phantom\nstranger was well passed. She was following him, eagerly now.\n\n\"A piercing scream came from the girl. A pressman sprang to her\nside and helped to prevent her body pitching headlong forward.\n\n\"This was at the spot where David Thomas fell at the first shot.\n\n\"'O--o--oh!' moaned the medium, twisting her left arm round to\nthe back, to a spot immediately below the shoulder-blade, as if in\nintense agony. Then, supported on either side, she staggered\nforward.\n\n\"A light was struck to see her face. It was the hue of death. Her\neyes were turned until the whites only were visible.\n\n\"'Let her go down!'\n\n\"Moaning, she was allowed to sink, and lay there prone. Her\nmoans expressed intense agony, and were like those of a man\ndying, blood gurgling in the sound; it was scarce conceivable a\nwoman actually lay there.\n\n\"'Speak, friend,' said her interlocutor, and presently came the slow\nanswer, a whisper:\n\n\"'David--T-T-Thomas.'\n\n\"'What do you want of us, friend?'\n\n\"'I--was--shot!' The tones of the voice were those of a man.\n\n\"'Who shot you?'\n\n\"A name was given.\n\n\"'What do you want to do, my friend?'\n\n\"Slowly, distinctly, with relentless purpose came the answer:\n\n\"'I--will--have--my revenge. He shot me.'\n\n\"Then the medium told them where the pistol had been bought by\nthe murderer a year ago under an assumed name, and where the\npistol would be found. All this while the poor girl lay prone on the\nroadside under the thin sinister telegraphic pole.\n\n\"Gradually she revived. 'Look, look!' she cried, in a voice of\nhorror, 'Look at the blood.'\n\n\"'Where?'\n\n\"'Here--look! Look here!' indicating spots not visible to any one\nelse. 'Take me away,' she shuddered, but before her frightened\nexclamation could be obeyed her body suddenly stiffened.' He is\nthere!' she said, with a pitiful horror in her tone, but with her face\nexpressionless and her eyes still white.\n\n\"'What do you see?'\n\n\"'The ghost.'\n\n\"Then the party returned, shaken in mind and surfeited with\nhorrors.\"\n\nExamples of a similar nature might be multiplied indefinitely, and\nwould but serve to show what has already been stated as a matter\nof personal experience among all those in whom the psychic\nfaculties have attained any degree of development, viz., that the\n_rapport_ existing between the human soul and the world of\nsubjective consciousness is capable of being actively induced by\nrecourse to appropriate means, or cultivated, where it exists to any\ndegree, by means of the crystal and other accessories, such as the\nmetal disc used in China, or the Shiva-lingam stones used in India.\n\nThe following example of the psychic sense of feeling will serve\nto show that all the senses, not that of vision alone, are capable of\ndevelopment under suitable conditions. A contributor to the\n_Westminster Budget_, in December, 1893, sends the following\naccount of the use of the divining rod for the purpose of\nspring-finding:\n\n\"A few weeks ago took place some operations with the divining\nrod by Mr. Stears, of Hull, who was called to Mr. S. Campion's\nfarm at East Heslerton, near Malton, to search for a water supply.\nAt that time he marked two places near the farmhouse where, he\nsaid, the presence of water was indicated by the rod. Since then\nMr. E. Halliday, plumber of Malton, has bored an artesian well at\none of the places indicated, and found a very copious supply of\nwater at a depth of 87 feet, after going through sand, clay, and a\nbed of what Mr. Halliday says is quartz and lead ore. Mr.\nCampion, who was previously without a supply of pure water, is\ndelighted with the results of the visit of the 'diviner,' and has faith\nin his power with the rod. Mr. Stears has since been called in to\nexperiment on several farms on the Birdsall estate of Lord\nMiddleton, the operations being conducted in the presence of\nJulia, Lady Middleton, the Hon. Geoffrey and Mrs. Dawnay, Mr.\nPersons (Lord Middleton's agent), and others. Other farms were\nvisited, and Mr. Stears, after employing the rod, indicated the\npresence of water at each. Mr. Halliday has also received\ninstructions to make tests at these places, and operations are now\nin progress. Mr. Stears has successfully 'divined' for water on two\nof Mr. Lett's farms in the East Riding, and also at Amotherby, near\nMalton; and his success is drawing fresh attention to the 'divining\nrod' and its capabilities in the hands of a duly 'inspired' professor.\nMr. Stears claims that he can also discover metals as well as water,\nand he alleges that not one person in 10,000 can use the rod\nsuccessfully. His explanation of the power he possesses beyond\nthe ordinary run of his fellow-men is that it is what he would call\n'animal electricity,' because at times, after using the rod for a long\nperiod, he loses his power with it, and only recovers it after a short\nrest and refreshment. In the presence of Lady Middleton and the\nrest of the company he made several interesting experiments--for\ninstance, standing on a china dish, to show that china is a\nnon-conducting agent (the rod ceasing to oscillate even when over\nwater); finding metals hid in the ground, etc.\"\n\nMrs. Louise Cotton, writing of the operation itself, says:\n\n\"When a sensitive person who has the power of feeling the\nexistence of water or mineral under the surface of the earth, steps\nexactly over the course of a spring or running water, or metallic\nvein, etc., the piece of wood or other medium used turns in\nthe hands--in most cases upwards for water and downwards\nfor minerals. The motion varies according to individual\ntemperaments: in some hands the turning is slow and but slightly\nfelt, or scarcely perceptible by lookers-on; with others it rotates\nrapidly, and when held tightly by the thumb, the bark of the branch\nor twig often peels off; and, with very susceptible operators. I have\nseen the rod fly, out of the hands, or, if very tightly held, break.\"\n\nAs yet, however, the majority of people are wholly oblivious to\nthe fact that such psychic faculties exist, and even those who\npossess them, _i.e._, who have them in something like working\nefficiency, are conscious of having but an imperfect control over\nthem.\n\nProbably it is as suggested by Mr. F. H. Myers, these things are, as\nyet, imperfectly understood. Genius, far from being a condition\nbordering on neurosis or other nervous ailments--as Lombroso and\nNordau have erroneously taught--is an exaltation of faculty which\nbrings its subject into relations with a plane of life possibly far in\nadvance of one's normal experience; so that while new centres of\nactivity are as yet under imperfect control, the normal functions of\nthe brain and other centres of action are left in neglect. Hence, to\nthe casual observer, the erratic nature of Genius is not\ndistinguishable from some incipent forms of insanity.\n\nIn just the same way the opening up of new centres of activity in\nthe psychic nature of man is frequently attended by temporary loss\nof control over the normal brain functions. Loss of memory,\nhysteria, absentmindedness, unconscious utterance of one's\nthoughts, illusions and hallucinations, irritability, indifference to\none's surroundings, and similar perversions, are among the\nproducts of the newly-evolved psychic faculty.\n\nThese, however, will pass away when the faculty has been brought\nunder control of the mind. Nature is jealous of its offspring, and\nconcentrates the whole of its forces when in the act of generation.\nThat is the reason of its apparent neglect of powers and function\nalready under its control while the evolution of a new faculty is in\nprocess.\n\nThe would-be seer, therefore, must be prepared to pay the price of\nany success which may attend his efforts in the direction of\ninducing clairvoyance by means of the crystal.\n\n\"The universe is thine. Take what thou wilt, but pay the price,\" is\nthe mandate of Nature. \"What shall be the price of this new\nfaculty?\" the reader may ask. The answer is the same in regard to\nthis or any other faculty of the soul: \"What is it worth to yourself?\nThat is the price you must pay.\"\n\nWith this equation in mind the reader is asked to consider\nseriously the phenomena indicated in the foregoing pages.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nDIRECTIONS FOR USING THE OVOIDS AND SHPERES FOR CRYSTAL OR MIRROR\nVISION\n\nDaylight and artificial light are both equally suitable. A North\nlight is the best suited to the human eye.\n\nObserver should sit back to the light, holding the Ovoid or Sphere\nin the palm of the hand, which may rest comfortably on the lap, or\nit can be placed on a table with a stand under it, and a back screen\nof black velvet or dark material. The latter materially assists by\ncutting off side lights and reflections. Steady gazing in complete\nsilence is absolutely necessary, for unlike other occult phenomena,\nthe distraction the attention of primary (ordinary) consciousness is\na great disadvantage. Success depends chiefly upon idiosyncrasy\nor faculty in the gazers, for \"Seers\" are very often men and women\nof imperfect education, in fact they seem \"born rather than made\"\nbut the faculty may be developed in many people, seemingly at\nfirst insensitive, by frequent short trials, say fifteen to twenty\nminutes at a time, or less if they get tired.\n\nSuccess is indicated when the Sphere or Ovoid, ceasing to reflect,\nbecomes milky, a clouded colour following (generally red, and its\ncomplementary green), turning to blackness, which seems to roll\naway like a curtain, disclosing to the view of the student, pictures,\nscenes, figures in action, sentences of warnings, advice, etc., etc.\n\nRevival of latent or lapsed memory is one of the leading features\nof this experiment. A book of instructions, carefully copied by\nRaphael from the old astrological works, is prepared specially for\nhis crystals, price 1s. 2d. post free.\n\nTHE PRACTICE OF CRYSTAL VISION\n\nMagi Spheres are considered the best. The price a few years ago\nwas L3 3s. each, but the sale having become larger and the process\nless expensive, they are now sent packed with instructions for 15s.\n6d., in a velvet-lined specially made jewel case. \"Some persons\nsee at once, others after a time. Women see better than men\nvisions of the past, present, and future, on the subjects upon which\nthe mind feels anxious. It does not require a knowledge of\nastrology to be able to use the crystal.\"\n\n  No. 1, in case, with instruction, 15s. 6d.\n   \"  2,    \"          \"         \"  21s.\n   \"  3,    \"          \"         \"  50s.\n   \"  4,    \"          \"         \"  60s.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nCONCISE DICTIONARY OF ASTROLOGICAL TERMS\n\nAFFLICTION.--When a planet is on the cross (square) or in\nopposition, it is said to afflict.\n\nAIRY SIGNS.--Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. These are the mental\nsigns.\n\nANGLES.--The cardinal points forming the cross or square; the\nfirst, fourth, seventh, and tenth houses.\n\nAPPLICATION.--As its name implies, when one planet applies to\nanother. The Moon applies to all the planets, being the quickest\ntraveller.\n\nAQUARIUS (the Water bearer).--The eleventh sign of the zodiac,\nor 300 deg. from the 0 deg. of Aries. The Sun enters Aquarius \nabout the 21st of January each year.\n\nARIES (the Ram).--The first sign of the zodiac. In making up the\n360 deg. in the zodiac, we count from 0 deg. of Aries. The Sun enters\nAries on the 21st of March each year.\n\nASCENDANT.--This is the first house, or that point which rises at\nbirth.\n\nASCENDING.--When a planet is between the fourth and tenth\nhouse; it is always the east.\n\nASPECTS.--This means the relationship one planet, or sign, has to\nanother in the zodiac. The Table of Aspects should be well\nstudied; it is important.\n\nBENEFICS.--Jupiter and Venus are always good, because they\ngive Hope and Love, and, if we add the Sun, we have Faith, Hope,\nand Charity.\n\nBESIEGED.--A term used when a planet is found between two\nothers; if between Jupiter and Venus, it is good; if between Saturn\nand Mars, evil.\n\nBI-CORPOREAL SIGNS.--So-called because they are double. It\nis rarely used. The signs are Gemini, Sagittarius, and Pisces.\n\nCADENT.--The third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth houses are cadent.\nIt means falling from angles.\n\nCANCER (the Crab).--The fourth sign of the zodiac; it is 90 deg. from\n0 deg. The Sun enters Cancer on 21st June.\n\nCAPRICORN (the Goat).--The tenth sign of the zodiac, into\nwhich the Sun enters on the 21st of December.\n\nCARDINAL SIGNS.--Aries, Cancer, Libra, and, Capricorn. These\nfour signs form the\n\n         S\n       E + W\n         N\n\nthey are important signs.\n\nCOMMON SIGNS.--Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces.\n\nCONJUNCTION.--When two planets are close together, or within\norbs of each other. At New Moon the Moon is conjunction Sun.\n\nCULMINATE.--When a planet is in the mid-heaven, it is said to\nculminate; it means being on the cusp of the tenth.\n\nCUSP.--The beginning of any house. At noon the Sun is on the\ncusp of the tenth house. It means the first point of the houses.\n\nDECLINATION.--The distance any planet is North or South of\nthe Equator.\n\nDECREASING IN LIGHT.--When a planet is past the opposition\nof the Sun, it is then said to be weak.\n\nDEGREE.--The 360th part of the zodiac; its mark is  deg.; 90 deg. is a\nsquare; 120 deg. a trine of the zodiac.\n\nDESCENDANT.--The seventh house, or opposite to the\nAscendant; the West.\n\nDESCENDING.--When a planet is between the tenth and seventh\nhouses.\n\nDETRIMENT.--A planet in a sign opposite to its own house is in\nits detriment. The house of the Moon is Cancer. When the Moon is\nin Capricorn, it is in its detriment.\n\nDIGNITIES.--When a planet is in exaltation, or in an angle,\nincreasing in light, etc.\n\nDIRECT.--When the planets are moving in their true order\nthrough the zodiac.\n\nDIRECTIONS.--The period after birth. The position of the planets\nas life advances. The Sun moves about one degree per day, and\nthis is equivalent to one year. The thirtieth day after birth would\ndenote the thirtieth year of life, and the Directions would be taken\nout of the ephemeris for this day, the Sun's aspects forming the\nprimary directions and the Moon the secondary.\n\nDRAGON'S HEAD.--The Moon's North Node, or when she crosses\nthe ecliptic into north latitude. The Moon's course is of\nserpentine form, having a head and tail.\n\nDRAGON'S TAIL.--The Moon's South Node when she crosses into\nsouth latitude.\n\nEARTHLY SIGNS.--Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.\n\nECLIPSE.--An obscuration of a heavenly body, owing to the\ninterposition of another. The Moon in the shadow of the Sun is\neclipsed.\n\nECLIPTIC.--The circle of the heavens which the Sun appears to\ndescribe in the course of the year, in consequence of the earth's\nmotion round him.\n\nELEVATED.--The planet nearest to the mid-heaven is elevated\nover any other.\n\nEPHEMERIS.--A Table for each day, giving the latitude and\nlongitude of the planets. \"Raphael's\" _Ephemeris_, price 1s., is\nconsidered the best. It is all that is needed to cast the horoscope.\n\nEQUINOCTIAL SIGNS.--Aries and Libra.\n\nEXALTATION.--There are certain houses in which a planet is\nexalted, as follows: Sun, Aries; Moon, Taurus; Mercury, Gemini;\nJupiter, Cancer; Saturn, Libra; Mars, Capricorn; Venus, Pisces.\n\nFALL.--When a planet is in a sign opposite to its exaltation, it is\nweak.\n\nFEMININE SIGNS.--The odd signs, as Taurus, Cancer, Virgo,\nScorpio, Capricorn, Pisces.\n\nFIERY SIGNS.--Aries, Leo, Sagittarius.\n\nFIGURE.--A map of the heavens is called by astrologers a figure.\n\nFIXED SIGNS.--Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius.\n\nFORTUNES.--Jupiter, Venus, and the Sun when well placed.\n\nFRUITFUL SIGNS.--Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces.\n\nGEMINI.--The third sign, or house of Mercury. The Sun enters the\nsign about 21st May.\n\nGENETHLIACAL.--That which applies to the geneture in nativity.\n\nGEOCENTRIC.--As viewed from the centre of the earth.\n\nGELIOCENTRIC.--As seen from or having reference to the centre\nof the Sun.\n\nHOUSES.--One of the twelve divisions of the zodiac.\n\nIMUM COELE.--The fourth house, or lower meridian.\n\nINCREASING IN LIGHT.--When the Moon or any planet is leaving\nthe Sun, until the opposition is reached.\n\nINFORTUNES.--Saturn, Mars, and Uranus when afflicted.\n\nINTERCEPTED.--A sign lying between the cusp of two houses.\n\nLATITUDE.--The distance of any planet north or south of the\necliptic.\n\nLEO.--The fifth sign in the zodiac; the house of the Sun.\n\nLIBRA.--The seventh sign and house of Venus.\n\nLOGARITHMS.--Of great use to astrologers. A Table of artificial\nnumbers; to be found at the back of \"Raphael's\" _Ephemeris_.\n\nLONGITUDE.--The angular distance of a heavenly body from the\nfirst point of Aries, measured from the ecliptic as seen from the\nearth.\n\nLORD.--The ruler of a sign or house. Mars is the lord of Aries,\nand if Aries was in Ascendant, it would be lord and ruler.\n\nLUMINARIES.--The Sun and Moon.\n\nLUNATION.--A lunar period.\n\nMALEFICS.--See Infortunes.\n\nMASCULINE SIGNS.--Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius,\nAquarius.\n\nMASCULINE PLANETS.--Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn.\n\nMODERN ASTROLOGY.--A monthly magazine of interest to all\nthinkers.\n\nNORTHERN SIGNS.--Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo,\nVirgo.\n\nOCCIDENTAL.--The western portion of the map.\n\nOPPOSITION.--When two planets are opposite each other, or\n180 deg. distant.\n\nORBS.--The orbs of the planets are the number of degrees allowed\nto each in which their influence is felt. Five degrees all round is\nthe safest number to give.\n\nORIENTAL.--When a planet is in the eastern part of the heavens.\n\nPARALLELS.--The declination north or south of the equator. It is\na position considered of the nature of a conjunction.\n\nPART OF FORTUNE.--A point in the horoscope where the rays\nof the Sun and Moon converge.\n\nPISCES.--The twelfth sign of the zodiac.\n\nQUERENT.--One who asks a horary question.\n\nQUESITED.--The one enquired about.\n\nQUINTILE.--An aspect of 72 deg. in longitude.\n\nRADICAL.--That which is connected with the radix, or root,\ndealing with the horoscope.\n\nRECEPTION.--The planet that receives the aspect.\n\nRECTIFICATION.--A method by which the true Ascendant is\ndiscovered.\n\nRETROGRADE.--An apparent motion of a planet that is not in the\norder of the signs.\n\nREVOLUTIONS.--A solar revolution is the return of the Sun to its\nplace at birth.\n\nSAGITTARUS.--The ninth sign of the zodiac.\n\nSCHEME.--A map of the heavens.\n\nSEMI-SEXTILE.--A difference of 300 in longitude; a weak, good\naspect.\n\nSEMI-SQUARE.--An aspect of 450 difference in longitude; an\nevil aspect.\n\nSEPARATION.--When a planet is separating from another.\n\nSESQUIQUADRATE.--An evil aspect being a difference of 1350\nin longitude.\n\nSEXTILE.--A good aspect, a difference of 60 deg. in longitude.\n\nSIGNIFICATION.--The ruling planet, or word, of the Ascendant.\n\nSOUTHERN SIGNS.--Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius Capricorn,\nAquarius, Pisces.\n\nSPECULUM.--A Table of the aspects in the horoscope.\n\nSTATIONARY.--When a planet appears to have no motion, it is\nsaid to be stationary.\n\nSUCCEDENT.--Those houses which follow the angles. The second,\nfifth, eighth, and eleventh.\n\nTABLE OF HOUSES.--A Table for calculating nativities.\n\nTAURUS.--The second sign of the zodiac and the house of Venus.\n\nTRANSITS.--The passing of the planets over places or points in\nthe horoscopes by daily motion, as seen from the Ephemeris.\n\nTRINE.--A good aspect; a difference of 120 deg. in longitude.\n\nURANUS.--The name given to the planet Uranus, or Herschel.\n\nVIRGO.--The sixth sign in the zodiac; the house of Mercury.\n\nZENITH.--The point directly overhead. The pole of the horizon.\n\nZODIAC.--The belt of the heavens containing the twelve signs,\ndivided into 300 parts each, making 3600.","title":"How to Read the Crystal; or, Crystal and Seer","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":12151}