n at one and the same moment. Hence it follows that
when one part of our nature is active another is dormant as
happens in sleeping and waking, dream-life being that wherein the
centre of consciousness hovers between the body and the soul.

With these considerations in mind it will be obvious to every one
that a condition in which the consciousness is held in bondage by
the infirmities of the body is not one conducive to psychic
development. The constitution need not be robust, but it should at
all events be free from disorder and pain. Some of the most
ethereal natures are associated with a delicate organism, but while
the balance is maintained the soul is free to develop its latent
powers.

It is advisable not to sit for crystal reading, or indeed for any order
of psychic exercise, immediately after or before a meal. The body
should be at rest, and the mind contented and tranquil. Again, the
attitude of the seer should not be too expectant or over-anxious in
regard to the production of the vision. Let the development take its
natural course. Do not force the young plant in its growth or it will
come to a premature end. Take time, as Nature does. It is a great
work, and much patience is needed. The acorn becomes the sturdy
oak only because Nature is contented with small results, because
she can afford to wait and is never in a hurry to see the result of
her operations. And because she is patient and careful in her
beginnings, her works are wonderfully great and complete in their
issues. Above all, they endure. Whoever breathes slowest will live
the longest. This is an Eastern saying which voices a fundamental
truth.

The vision is produced. The faculty of clairvoyance has become
more or less under the control of the mind. New difficulties arise,
and, of these, two will be conspicuous. The first is that of
time-measure, and the other is that of interpretation. The former is
peculiar to both orders of vision, the _direct_ and the _symbolic_.
The difficulty of interpretation is, of course, peculiar to the latter
order of vision.

Time-measure is, perhaps, the greatest difficulty encountered by
the seer. It is sometimes impossible to determine whether a vision
relates to the past, the present, or the future. In most cases,
however, the seer learns by experience how to distinguish, and
frequently it will be found that an intuitive impression of
the period involved comes with the vision itself. In our own
experience t