Of course, under the head of clairvoyance, etc., you will be given methods and exercise designed to develop clairvoyant powers—­some of them very valuable and effective methods, at that.  But, notwithstanding this, I feel that I should impress upon you the importance of laying a firm foundation for such instruction, by developing yourself first along the lines of telepathic power.  Such a course will not only keenly sharpen your powers of receptivity to such vibrations as you may wish to receive; but it will also train your mind in the direction of translating, interpreting, and recording such impressions when received.

You must remember that proficiency in a mental art is attained only by means of training the attention to concentrate upon the task.  It is the same way in clairvoyance and psychometry.  Telepathy trains your attention to concentrate upon the reception of impressions, and to hold them firmly and clearly in consciousness.  The result is that when you really develop clairvoyant receptivity, your attention has already been trained to do the necessary work.  I need not tell you what an advantage this gives you over the clairvoyant who has not received this training, for your own good common sense will assure you of it.

So, now for our training in telepathy—­not only for itself, but also as a means of preparing for the higher stages.

LESSON V.

Mind reading, and beyond.

The simpler forms of telepathic phenomena have received the name “Mind Reading” and by some have been regarded as something not quite within the class of real telepathy.  This last impression has been heightened by the fact that there has been offered the public many spectacular exhibitions of pseudo mind-reading, that is to say, imitation or counterfeit mind-reading, in which the result has been obtained by trickery, collusion, or clever artifice.  But, notwithstanding this fact, genuine mind-reading is actually a phase of true telepathy.

What is generally known as mind-reading may be divided into two classes, as follows:  (1) where there is an actual physical contact between the projector and the receiver; and (2) where there is no actual physical contact, but where there is a close relation in space between the two parties, as in the case of the “willing game.”  In the first class belong all cases in which the projector touches the recipient, or at least is connected with him by a material object.  In the second class belong those cases in which the recipient seeks to find an object which is being thought of by either a single projector, or by a number of persons in the same room.  You will notice that both of these classes were omitted from the experiments of the Society for Psychical Research, because of the possibility of fraud or collusion.  But, nevertheless, the student will do well to acquire proficiency in manifesting this form of telepathy, not alone for its own sake, but, also, because it naturally leads to higher development.