This phase of distant psychic influence is at the bottom of all the wonderful tales, stories and legends of supernatural powers, witchcraft, sorcery, etc., with which the pages of history are filled.  There is of course always to be found much distortion and exaggeration in these legends and tales, but they have truth at the bottom of them.  In this connection, let me call your attention to a very important psychic principle involved.  I have told you that by denying the power of any person over you, you practically neutralize his psychic power—­the stronger and more positive your belief in your immunity, and your denial of his power over you, the more do you rob him of any such power.  The average person, not knowing this, is more or less passive to psychic influences of other persons, and may be affected by them to a greater or less extent, depending upon the psychic development of the person seeking to influence him.  At the extreme of the sensitive pole of psychic influence, we find those persons who believe firmly that the other person has power over them, and who are more or less afraid of him.  This belief and fear acts to make them particularly sensitive and impressionable, and easily affected by his psychic induction.  This is the reason that the so-called witches and sorcerers and others of evil repute have been able to acquire such a power over their victims, and to cause so much trouble.  The secret is that the victims believed in the power of the other person, and feared their power.  The greater the belief in, and fear of, the power of the person, the greater the susceptibility to his influence; the greater the sense of power of neutralizing the power, and the disbelief in his power to affect them, the greater the degree of immunity:  this is the rule!

Accordingly we find that persons in various stages of the history of the world have been affected by the influences of witches, sorcerers, and other unprincipled persons.  In most cases these so-called witches and sorcerers themselves were under the delusion that they were assisted by the devil or some other supernatural being.  They did not realize that they were simply using perfectly natural methods, and employing perfectly natural forces.  For that matter, you must remember that magnetism and electricity, in ancient days, were considered as supernatural forces in some way connected with demonic powers.

Studying the history of witchcraft, sorcery, black-magic, and the like, you will find that the devotees thereof usually employed some psychometric method.  In other cases they would mould little figures of clay, or of wax, in the general shape and appearance of the person whom they wished to affect.  It was thought that these little figures were endowed with some supernatural powers or attributes, but of course this was mere superstition.  The whole power of these little figures arose from the fact that they aided the imagination of the spell-worker in forming a mental image of the person sought to be influenced; and thus established a strong en rapport condition.  Added to this, you must remember that the fear and belief of the public greatly aided the spell-worker and increased his power and influence over these poor persons.