Clairvoyance and Occult Powers, William Walker Atkinson [best book clubs TXT] 📗

was meant by them, if mentioned, in the absence of a long stage of preparatory teaching. After all, the theory is not of so much importance to most of you as are the practical working principles. I ask your careful attention to what I have to say in this subject of the astral tube.

The Astral Tube is formed by the person forming in his imagination (i.e., on the astral plane by means of his imagination or visualizing powers), a tube or small tunnel between himself and the person whom he wishes to influence. He starts by picturing it in his mind a whirling vortex, similar to the whirling ring of smoke emitted from a "coughing" engine, and sometimes by a man smoking a cigar, about six inches to one foot in diameter. He must will the imagined vortex-ring to move forward as if it were actually boring a tunnel through the atmosphere. When the knack of producing this astral tube is acquired, it will be found that the visualized tunnel seems to vibrate with a peculiar intensity, and will seem to be composed of a substance far more subtle than air. Then, at the other end of this astral tube you must picture the other person, the one whom you wish to influence. The person will seem as if viewed through the wrong end of an opera-glass. When this condition is gained, there will be found to be a high degree of en rapport between yourself and the other person. The secret consists in the fact that you have really established a form of clairvoyance between yourself and the person. When you have induced this condition, proceed with your mental commands and pictures just as if you were in the presence of the person himself. That is the whole thing in a nutshell.

In order that you may have another viewpoint from which to consider the astral tube, or what corresponds to it, I wish to give you here a little quotation from another writer on the subject, who presents the matter from a somewhat more technical standpoint. Read this quotation in connection with my own description of the astral tube, and you will form a pretty complete and clear idea of the phenomenon. The writer mentioned says: "It is impossible here to give an exhaustive disquisition on astral physics; all I need say is that it is possible to make in the astral substance a definite connecting-line that shall act as a telegraph wire to convey vibrations by means of which all that is going on at the other end of it may be seen. Such a line is established, be it understood, not by a direct projection through space of astral matter, but by such action upon a line (or rather many lines) of particles of that substance as will render them capable of forming a conductor for vibrations of the character required. This preliminary action can be set up in two ways—either by the transmission of energy from particle to particle, until the line is formed, or by the use of a force from a higher plane which is capable of acting upon the whole line simultaneously. Of course this latter method implies far greater development, since it involves the knowledge of (and the power to use) forces of a considerably higher level.

"Even the simpler and purely astral operation is a difficult one to describe, though quite an easy one to perform. It may be said to partake somewhat of the nature of the magnetization of a bar of steel; for it consists in what we might call the polarization, by an effort of the human will, of a number of astral atoms reaching from the operator to the scene which he wishes to observe. All the atoms thus affected are held for the time being with their axes rigidly parallel to one another, so that they form a kind of temporary tube along which the clairvoyant may look. This method has the disadvantage that the telegraph line is liable to disarrangement or even destruction by any sufficiently strong astral current which happens to cross its path; but if the original creative effort were fairly definite, this would be a contingency of only infrequent occurrence. The view of a distant scene obtained by means of this 'astral current' is in many ways not unlike that seen through a telescope. Human figures usually appear very small, like those on a distant stage, but in spite of their diminutive size they are as clear as though they were close by. Sometimes it is possible by this means to hear what is said as well as to see what is done; but as in the majority of cases this does not happen, we must consider it rather as the manifestation of an additional power than as a necessary corollary of the faculty of sight."

I would feel that I had not done my whole duty to the student, or reader of this book, were I to conclude this chapter without pointing out a means of protection against the use of this phase of psychic influence against them on the part of some unscrupulous person; or for that matter, against the meddling influence of any person whatsoever, for any purpose whatsoever, without one's permission and consent. Therefore, I wish now to point out the general principles of self-protection or defense against this class of psychic influence.

In the first place, you must, of course, refuse to admit to your mind any feeling of fear regarding the influence of other persons—for that is the open door to their influence, as I have pointed out to you. If you have been, or are fearful of any persons psychic influence, you must get to work and drive out that feeling by positive and vigorous denials. The denial, you remember, is the positive neutralizer of the psychic influence of another person, providing you make it in full belief of its truth. You must take the position (which is a true one) that you are immune to the psychic attack or influence. You should say, mentally, "I deny to any person the power to influence me psychically without my consent; I am positive to all such influences, and they are negative to me; I neutralize them by this denial!"

If you feel sudden impulses to act in some way which you have not thought of doing, or toward which you have had an aversion, pause a moment and say, mentally, "If this is an outside influence, I deny its power over me; I deny it, and send it back to its sender, to his defeat and confusion." You will then experience a feeling of relief and freedom. In such cases you may frequently be approached later on by the person who would have been most benefitted by your action; he will appear surprised when you "turn him down," and will act in a confused way. He may not have consciously tried to influence you, but may have merely been wishing strongly that you would do as he desired.

It should encourage you to know that it requires much less force to repel and neutralize psychic influence of this kind, than is required to send forth the power; an ounce of denial and protection overcomes a pound of psychic attacking power. Nature gives you the means of protection, and gives you "the best end of the stick," and it is your own fault if you do not effectively use it. A word to the wise is sufficient.

LESSON XIX.

LAWS OF PSYCHIC ATTRACTION

The third phase of Psychic Influence is that which may be called Indirect Psychic Influence, in which psychic induction is manifested in the minds of other persons coming in contact with the thought vibrations of the person manifesting them, although no deliberate attempt is made to influence the mind of any particular person or persons. Closely connected with and involved in this phase of psychic influence, is that which is called the Psychic Law of Attraction. So closely are these two connected that I shall consider them together in this lesson.

The fundamental principle of this phase of psychic influence is the well-known psychic fact that mental and emotional states not only induce similar vibrations in those who are similar attuned on the psychic vibratory scale, but also tend to attract and draw to the person other persons who are vibrating along similar lines, and also tend to repel those who are vibrating in an opposing note or scale of psychic vibration.

In the preceding lessons I have shown you how by induction we tend to arouse in others mental and emotional states similar to our own. But there is a law in effect here, which must be noted if you wish to thoroughly understand this phase of psychic influences. Omitting all technical explanations, and getting right down to the heart of the phenomenon, I would say that the general principle is this: Psychic induction is difficult in proportion to the opposing quality of the characteristic mental and emotional states of the person affected; and easy in proportion to the harmonious quality thereof. That is to say, in plain words, that if a person's habitual thought and emotions are along the same lines that you are trying to induce in him, you will find it easy to induce the same in him; if, on the contrary, they are of an opposing nature, then you will find it difficult to so influence him. The many degrees of agreement and difference in the psychic vibrations of persons constitute a scale of comparative response to any particular form of mental or emotional vibrations.

It is hard to change the spots of a leopard, or the skin of an Ethiopian, as we are told on ancient authority. It is almost as difficult to change the characteristic mental and emotional states of a person by psychic induction, except after long and repeated efforts. On the contrary, let a person have certain characteristic mental and emotional habits, then these may be aroused in them with the greatest ease by means of psychic induction. For instance, if a person is characteristically and habitually peaceful, mild and calm, it will be very difficult to arouse in him by psychic induction the vibrations of anger, fight and excitement. On the other hand, if the other person is combative, fierce and easily excited to wrath, it is the easiest possible thing to arouse these feelings in him by psychic induction. So much for ordinary psychic induction; let us now consider indirect psychic induction, in which the same principle operates.

In indirect psychic induction, that is to say in cases in which psychic vibrations are aroused by induction without deliberate attempt or design to influence any particular person or persons, there is noted the manifestation of a peculiar law of attraction and repulsion along psychic lines. This psychic law operates in the direction of attracting to oneself other persons who, actively or passively, vibrate on the same note, or on some note or notes in general harmony therewith. In the same, way, the law causes you to repel other persons who vibrate on a note or notes in general inharmony or discord to yourself. So, in short, we go through life attracting or repelling, psychically, others in harmonious or inharmonious psychic relation to us, respectively. An understanding of this law and its workings will throw light upon many things in your life which you have not understood previously.

You of course understand that you are constantly radiating currents of psychic vibrations, some of which flow out to great distances from you, and affect others often far removed from you in space. But you may not also know that on the astral plane there is manifesting a similar sequence of cause and effect. A strong emotional vibration, or a strong desire or will, tends to manifest on the astral plane by attracting or repelling others in psychic harmony or inharmony with you. This phenomenon is not