nosis, more or less deep. Such a state is most undesirable,
not only by reason of its immediate effects, but also by reason of the
fact that it often results in a condition of abnormal sensitiveness to the
will of others, or even to the thoughts and feelings of others, on both
the astral and the physical planes of life. I emphatically warn my
students against any such practices, or anything resembling them.

While I dislike to dwell on the subject, I feel that I should call the
attention of my students to the fact that certain teachers seek to produce
the abnormal psychic condition by means of exhausting breathing exercises,
which make the person dizzy and sleepy. This is all wrong. While rhythmic
breathing exercises have a certain value in psychic phenomena, and are
harmless when properly practiced, nevertheless such practices as those to
which I have alluded are harmful to the nervous system of the person, and
also tend to induce undesirable psychic conditions. Again, some teachers
have sought to have their students hold their breath for comparatively
long periods of time in order to bring about abnormal psychic states. The
slightest knowledge of physiology informs one that such a practice must be
harmful; it causes the blood to become thick and impure, and deficient in
oxygen. It certainly will produce a kind of drowsiness, for the same
reason that impure air in a room will do the same thing--in both cases the
blood stream is poisoned and made impure. The purpose of rational and
normal breathing is to obviate just this thing--so these teachers are
reversing a natural law of the body, in order to produce an abnormal
psychic state. With all the energy in me, I caution you against this kind
of thing.

Along the same line, I protest and warn you against the practices advised
by certain teachers of "psychic development," who seek to have their
pupils induce abnormal physical and psychic conditions by means of drugs,
odor of certain chemicals, gases, etc. Such practices, as all true
occultists know, belong to the clans of the Black Magicians, or devil
worshippers, of the savage races--they have no place in true occult
teachings. Common sense alone should warn persons away from such
things--but it seems to fail some of them. I assert without fear of
intelligent contradiction, that no true occultist ever countenances any
such practices as these.

All the true teachers are vigorous in their denunciation of such false
teachi