nemies, as well as from the sudden attacks of his human enemies, he began
to use this sense less and less. Finally, in the course of many
generations, it became almost atrophied from disuse, and ceased reporting
to the brain, or other nerve centres. Or, if you prefer viewing it from
another angle, it may be said that the nerve centres, and brain, began to
pay less and less attention to the reports of this sense (trusting more to
sight and hearing) until the consciousness failed to awaken to the
reports. You know how your consciousness will finally refuse to be
awakened by familiar sounds (such as the noise of machinery in the shop,
or ordinary noises in the house), although the ears receive the
sound-waves.

Well, this is the way in the case of this neglected sense--for the two
reasons just mentioned, the average person is almost unaware of its
existence. Almost unaware I have said--not totally unaware. For probably
every one of us has had experiences in which we have actually "felt" the
presence of some strange person about the premises, or place. The effect
of the report of this sense is particularly noticed in the region of the
solar plexus, or the pit of the stomach. It manifests in a peculiar,
unpleasant feeling of "gone-ness" in that region--it produces a feeling of
"something wrong," which disturbs one in a strange way. This is generally
accompanied by a "bristling up," or "creepy" feeling along the spine. The
organs registering the presence of a strange or alien creature consist of
certain delicate nerves of the surface of the skin, generally connected
with the roots of the downy hair of the body--or resting where the hair
roots would naturally be, in the case of a hairless skin. These seem to
report directly to the solar-plexus, which then acts quickly by reflex
action on the other parts of the body, causing an instinctive feeling to
either fly the scene or else to crouch and hide oneself. This feeling, as
may be seen at once, is an inheritance from our savage ancestors, or
perhaps from our lowly-animal ancestral roots. It is a most unpleasant
feeling, and the race escapes much discomfort by reason of its comparative
absence.

I have said that occultists have developed, or rather re-developed this
sense. They do this in order to have a harmonious well-developed
seven-fold sense system. It increases their general "awareness." Certain
other knowledge of the occultist neutralizes the unpleasant features of
the ma