William Atkinson - Practical Psychomancy and Crystal Gazing

The Astral Body frequently travels from its physical counterpart, in Psychomantic phenomena, and visits scenes far distant, there sensing what is occurring. It also leaves the body during what are known as Psychomantic dreams; or under the influence of anaesthetics; or in some of the deeper phases of hypnosis; when it visits strange scenes and places, and often holds mental conversation with other Astral Bodies, or else with disembodied entities. The jumbled and distorted recollections of these dreams are occasioned by the brain not having received perfect impressions transmitted to it, by reason of lack of training, development, etc., the result being like a blurred or distorted photographic plate.

In order to intelligently grasp the underlying principles of the phenomena of Psychomancy, and its allied subjects, you must familiarize yourself with the truth concerning the Astral Senses, which we have just stated. Unless you understand and accept this truth and fact, you will not be able to grasp the principles underlying the phenomena in question, but will be lost in the quagmire of idle theories, and fantastic "explanation" hazarded by investigators of psychic phenomena who have not made themselves acquainted with the Occult Teachings which alone give the student an intelligent key to the mysteries of the Astral Plane.

The phenomena of Psychomancy, etc., may be grouped into three classes, each being produced by its own special class-cause. In either or all cases, the impressions are received by and through the Astral Senses, but there are three distinct ways in which, and by which, these impressions are received. These ways, which we shall now proceed to consider in detail, may be classified under the following terms:

(1) Sensing by the "quickening" of one's Astral Senses sufficient to perceive more clearly the etheric vibrations or currents, the auric emanations of persons and things; and similar phases of Psychomancy, but which does not include the power to sense occurrences happening in distant places; nor the power to sense the records of the past, or to receive indications of the future. (See Lesson III.)

(2) Sensing by means of the "Astral Tube," erected in the Ether by the operation of one's Will or Desire, and which acts as a Psychic "telescope," or "microscope," with "X Ray" features. (See Lesson IV.)

(3) Sensing by means of the actual projection of one's own Astral Body to the distant scene. (See Lesson VII.)

"Clairaudience" is a term sometimes used to indicate Astral Hearing. Some writers on this subject treat "Clairaudience" as a separate class of phenomena. But we fail to see the distinction they make. It, of course, employs a different Astral Sense from that generally employed, but both are Astral Senses functioning on the Astral Plane, just as the physical senses of Seeing and Hearing function on the Physical Plane. And, more important, both forms of Astral Sensing are subject to the same laws and rules. In other words, all that is said in the lessons of this book on the subject of Psychomantic Vision holds equally true of Clairaudience.

Thus, there may be Simple Clairaudience; Space Clairaudience; Past Time Clairaudience; Future Time Clairaudience, etc.; also ClairaudientPsychometry; Clairaudiencethrough Crystal Gazing, etc. Psychomantic Vision is the employment of the Astral Sight, while Clairaudience is the similar employment of the Astral Hearing.

In many cases of Psychomantic Vision there is an accompaniment of Clairaudience; while in others it may be missing. Likewise, Psychomantic Vision usually accompanied Clairaudience, although sometimes one may be able to hearastrally, although no seeing.

You will notice that in many of the instances of Psychomantic Vision related in this book, there is a mention of the person hearingwords or sounds, while seeing the vision – this, of course, is Clairaudience.

Passing to the actual practice, we desire to inform our students that the faculty of Psychomancy lies dormant in every person – that is the Astral Senses are present in everyone, and the possibility of their being awakened into activity is always present. The different degrees of power observable in different persons depend chiefly upon the degree of development, or unfoldment, rather than upon the comparative strength of the faculties. In some persons, of certain temperaments, the Astral Senses are very near the manifesting point at all times. Flashes of what are considered to be "intuition," premonitions, etc., are really manifestations of Psychomancy in some phase. In the case of other persons, on the other hand, the Astral Senses are almost atrophied, so merged in materialistic thought and life are these people. The element of Faith also plays an important point in this phenomena, as it does in all Occult phenomena, for that matter. That is to say, that one's belieftends to open up the latent powers and faculty in man, while a corresponding disbelieftends to prevent the unfoldment or manifestation. There is a very good psychological reason for this as all students of the subject well know. Belief and Disbelief are two potent psychological factors on all planes of action.

Occultists know, and teach, that the Astral Senses and faculties of the human race will unfold as the race progresses, at which time that which we now call Psychomantic Power will be a common possession of all persons, just as the use of the Physical Senses are to the race at the present time. In the meantime, there are persons who, not waiting for the evolution of the race, are beginning to manifest this power in a greater or lesser degree, depending much upon favorable circumstances, etc. There are many more persons in this stage of development than is generally realized. In fact many persons manifesting Psychomantic power, occasionally, are apt to pass by the phenomena as "imagination," and "foolishness," refusing to recognize its reality. Then, again, many persons manifest the power during sleeping hours, and dismiss the matter as "merely a dream," etc.

Regarding this matter of the dawning of Psychomancy, a well-known authority writes as follows: "Students often ask how this psychic faculty will first be manifested in themselves – how they may know when they have reached the stage at which its first faint foreshadowings are beginning to be visible. Cases differ so widely that it is impossible to give to this question an answer that will be universally applicable. Some people begin by a plunge, as it were, and under some unusual stimulus become able just for once to see some striking vision; and very often in such a case, because the experience does not repeat itself, the seer comes in time to believe that on that occasion he must have been the victim of hallucination. Others begin by becoming intermittently conscious of the brilliant colors and vibrations of the human aura; others find themselves with increasing frequency seeing and hearing something to which those around them are blind and deaf; others again see faces, landscapes, or colored clouds floating before their eyes in the dark, before they sink to rest; while perhaps the commonest experience of all is that of those who begin to recollect with greater and greater clearness what they have seen and heard on other planes during sleep."

Very many persons possess respectable degrees of Simple Psychomancy, varying from vague impressions to the full manifestation of the faculty, as described in these lessons. Such a person has "intuitions"; "notions"; "presentiments," and the faculty of getting ideas regarding other persons and things, other than by the usual mental processes. Others manifest certain degrees of Psychometric powers, which develop rapidly by practice. Others find themselves possessing certain degrees of power of "scrying" through Crystals, which power, also, may be developed by practice. The phases of Time Psychomancy, Past and Future; and that of Space Psychomancy, in its higher degrees, are far more rare, and few persons possess them, and still fewer persist in the practice until they develop it, they lacking the patience, persistence, and application necessary.