Hellsehen (Clairvoyance)

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they must develop the abilities themselves which are necessary to make their own experiences through clairvoyant means. This applies particularly to the better-educated classes who know that clairvoyance exists, who are sufficiently interested in it, and who are grateful to obtain information about its methods and possibilities. These readers are assured that what is presented here is the result of careful study and experience. Although some of the abilities described may seem new and strange enough to them, not a single one is mentioned of which the author has not personally seen examples.

Furthermore, although technical terms are avoided as much as possible, since the primary audience consists of students of Theosophy, standard theosophical terms will sometimes be used for the sake of brevity and without further explanation. It is assumed that these terms are sufficiently well known.

Should this manual fall into the hands of someone for whom these terms cause difficulties, they are referred to simple theosophical books for these introductory explanations, such as Mr. Sinnett's The Growth of the Soul original: "Das Wachstum der Seele" or Mrs. Besant's Man and His Bodies original: "Der Mensch und seine Körper". All the teachings of the theosophical worldview and philosophy of life are so closely connected, and their various parts are so interdependent, that in order to give a precise explanation of every term, one would have to write a detailed treatise on theosophical teachings as an introduction even for this short treatise on clairvoyance.

Before I can give a detailed explanation of clairvoyance in a practical manner, however, we must occupy ourselves for a short time with some introductory considerations. This will help us learn some general facts about the various planes distinct levels of existence or consciousness on which the faculty of clairvoyance can be exercised and the conditions that make this exercise possible.

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*) Appeared in 1909 in German translation. Theosophical Publishing House Leipzig.

Vocabulary: Clairvoyance, Theosophy, Sinnett, Besant, Growth of the Soul, Planes

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In theosophical writings, we are constantly assured that all these higher faculties will later be the heritage of all humanity. We are told that the power of clairvoyance, for example, lies latent in every human being, and that those in whom it already manifests are only a little ahead of others in this particular ability. Although this assertion is true, it nonetheless seems quite vague and unreal to most people. This is simply because they view such a faculty as being entirely different from anything they have experienced so far, and they feel quite certain that they themselves are at least very far from developing it.

If one seeks to get rid of this feeling of unreality, one will understand that clairvoyance, like so much in nature, is simply a matter of vibrations and is actually only an extension of the faculty that everyone exercises daily. Each of us and all physical objects swim in the great sea of air, which is entirely filled with ether a hypothetical substance once thought to occupy all space and act as a medium for the transmission of light and heat, and the impressions from outside reach us mainly through vibrations in this great sea of matter. This is perfectly clear to people, but perhaps many have never thought about the fact that the number of these vibrations that can be reacted to is actually unlimited.

Among the extraordinarily rapid vibrations that touch the ether, there is a certain small number, a very small number, to which the retina of the human eye is capable of reacting. These particular vibrations produce the sensation called light. That is, one is capable of seeing only those objects from which light of this particular kind can either radiate or be reflected.

In exactly the same way, the eardrum of the human ear is capable of responding to a certain, very small number of relatively slow vibrations. These are slow enough to act on the air surrounding us. Therefore, the individual tones we can hear are produced by those objects that can vibrate in some way within this number.

In both cases, it is well known to school science mainstream or academic science taught in schools that...

Vocabulary: Humanity, vibrations, ether, retina, light, eardrum, school science