with it which has the slightest
claim to be honoured by so lofty a name.

For the purpose of this treatise we may, perhaps, define it as the
power to see what is hidden from ordinary physical sight. It will be
as well to premise that it is very frequently (though by no means
always) accompanied by what is called clairaudience, or the power to
hear what would be inaudible to the ordinary physical ear; and we will
for the nonce take our title as covering this faculty also, in order
to avoid the clumsiness of perpetually using two long words where one
will suffice.

Let me make two points clear before I begin. First, I am not writing
for those who do not believe that there is such a thing as
clairvoyance, nor am I seeking to convince those who are in doubt
about the matter. In so small a work as this I have no space for that;
such people must study the many books containing lists of cases, or
make experiments for themselves along mesmeric lines. I am addressing
myself to the better-instructed class who know that clairvoyance
exists, and are sufficiently interested in the subject to be glad of
information as to its methods and possibilities; and I would assure
them that what I write is the result of much careful study and
experiment, and that though some of the powers which I shall have to
describe may seem new and wonderful to them, I mention no single one
of which I have not myself seen examples.

Secondly, though I shall endeavour to avoid technicalities as far as
possible, yet as I am writing in the main for students of Theosophy, I
shall feel myself at liberty sometimes to use, for brevity's sake and
without detailed explanation, the ordinary Theosophical terms with
which I may safely assume them to be familiar.

Should this little book fall into the hands of any to whom the
occasional use of such terms constitutes a difficulty, I can only
apologize to them and refer them for these preliminary explanations to
any elementary Theosophical work, such as Mrs. Besant's _Ancient
Wisdom_ or _Man and His Bodies_. The truth is that the whole
Theosophical system hangs together so closely, and its various parts
are so interdependent, that to give a full explanation of every term
used would necessitate an exhaustive treatise on Theosophy as a
preface even to this short account of clairvoyance.

Before a detailed explanation of clairvoyance can usefully be
attempted, however, it will be necessary for us to devote a little
t