merely sensations.  The trained wills of the West are given rather to materializing objectively on the physical plane, creating great railroads, buildings, bridges, etc., from the mental pictures, rather than devoting the same time, energy and will to the production of astral though-forms and pictures.  There is a great difference in temperament, as well as a difference in the general psychic atmosphere, between East and West, which serves to explain matters of this kind.

An American writer truly says:  “The first principle underlying the whole business of Hindu wonder-working is that of a strong will; and the first necessary condition of producing a magical effect is an increase in the power of thought.  The Hindus, owing to that intense love for solitary meditation, which has been one of the most pronounced characteristics from time immemorial, have acquired mental faculties of which we of the Western and younger civilization are totally ignorant.  The Hindu has attained a past master’s degree in speculative philosophy.  He has for years retired for meditation to the silent places in his land, lived a hermit, subdued the body and developed the mind, thus winning control over other minds.”

In India, I have seen scenes of far distant places appearing as a mirage in clear air, even the colors being present to the scenes.  This, though some what uncommon, was simply a remarkable instance of thought-form projection from the mind of a man highly developed along occult lines.  You must remember that in order to produce a picture in the astral, of this kind, the occultist must not only have the power of will and mind to cause such a picture to materialize, but he must also have a remarkable memory for detail in the picture—­for nothing appears in the picture unless it has already been pictured in the mind of the mind of the man himself.  Such a memory and perception of detail is very rare—­in the Western world it is possessed by only exceptional artists; however, anyone may cultivate this perception and memory if he will give the time and care to it that the Hindu magicians do.

You have heard of the Hindu Mango Trick, in which the magician takes a mango seed, plants it in the ground, waves his hands over it, and then causes first a tiny shoot to appear from the surface of the ground, this followed by a tiny trunk, and leaves, which grow and grow, until at last appears a full sized mango tree, which first shows blossoms and then ripe fruit.  In short, in a few moments the magician has produced that which Nature require years to do—­that is he apparently does this.  What he really does is to produce a wonderful thought-form in the astral, from seed stage to tree and fruit stage; the astral picture reproducing perfectly the picture in his own mind.  It is as if he were creating a moving picture film-roll in his mind, and then projecting this upon the screen of the air.  There is no mango tree there, and never was, outside of the mind of the magician and the minds of his audience.