he existence in us of this impersonal self, which in academical
language is called the subliminal consciousness. The work of the
subliminal consciousness exhibits itself in various ways, such as
clairvoyance, clair-audience, and conditions of trance; all of which
either occur spontaneously, or are induced by experimental means, such
as hypnotism; but the similarity of the phenomena in either case shows,
that it is the same faculty that is in evidence.

In those hypnotic experiments in which the operator merely makes the
subject do some external act, we get no further than the fact that the
person's individual will has been temporarily put to sleep, and that of
the hypnotist has taken its place; still even this shows a power of
impressing upon the subliminal consciousness a personal quality of its
own, but it does not enable it to exhibit its own powers. The object of
such experiments is, to exhibit the powers of the hypnotist, not to
investigate the powers of the subliminal personality, which is of more
importance in the present connection. But where the hypnotist employs
his power of command to tell the subliminal self of the patient to
exercise its own powers, merely directing it as to the subject upon
which it is to be exercised, very wonderful powers indeed are exhibited.
Places unknown to the percipient are accurately described; correct
accounts are given of what people are doing elsewhere; the contents of
sealed letters are read; the symptoms of disease are diagnosed and
suitable remedies sometimes prescribed; and so on. Distance appears to
make no difference. In many cases time also does not count, and
historical events of long ago, with the details of which the seer had no
acquaintance, are accurately described in all their minutiae, which have
afterwards been corroborated by contemporary documents. Nor are cases
wanting in which events still future have been correctly predicted, as,
for example, in Cazotte's celebrated prediction of the French
Revolution, and of the fate that awaited each member of a large
dinner-party when it should occur--though this was a spontaneous case,
and not under hypnotism, which perhaps gives it the greater value.

The same powers are shown in spontaneous cases also, of which my own
experiences related in a previous chapter may serve as a small example;
but as there are many books exclusively devoted to the subject I need
not go into further details here. If the reader be curious for