irvoyance in time." It is said that visions of the future are
sometimes seen in crystals also--a further development to which we
must refer later.

I have seen a clairvoyant use instead of the ordinary shining surface
a dead black one, produced by a handful of powdered charcoal in a
saucer. Indeed it does not seem to matter much what is used as a
focus, except that pure crystal has an undoubted advantage over other
substances in that its peculiar arrangement of elemental essence
renders it specially stimulating to the psychic faculties.

It seems probable, however, that in cases where a tiny brilliant
object is employed--such as a point of light, or the drop of blood
used by the Maories--the instance is in reality merely one of
self-hypnotization. Among non-European nations the experiment is very
frequently preceded or accompanied by magical ceremonies and
invocations, so that it is quite likely that such sight as is gained
may sometimes be really that of some foreign entity, and so the
phenomenon may in fact be merely a case of temporary possession, and
not of clairvoyance at all.

CHAPTER VI.

CLAIRVOYANCE IN SPACE: UNINTENTIONAL.

Under this heading we may group together all those cases in which
visions of some event which is taking place at a distance are seen
quite unexpectedly and without any kind of preparation. There are
people who are subject to such visions, while there are many others to
whom such a thing will happen only once in a life-time. The visions
are of all kinds and of all degrees of completeness, and apparently
may be produced by various causes. Sometimes the reason of the vision
is obvious, and the subject matter of the gravest importance; at other
times no reason at all is discoverable, and the events shown seem of
the most trivial nature.

Sometimes these glimpses of the super-physical faculty come as waking
visions, and sometimes they manifest during sleep as vivid or
oft-repeated dreams. In this latter case the sight employed is perhaps
usually of the kind assigned to our fourth subdivision of clairvoyance
in space, for the sleeping man often travels in his astral body to
some spot with which his affections or interests are closely
connected, and simply watches what takes place there; in the former it
seems probable that the second type of clairvoyance, by means of the
astral current, is called into requisition. But in this case the
current or tube is formed quite unconsciously,