The Science of Seership the Science of Seership

THE SCIENCE OF SEERSHIP THE SCIENCE OF SEERSHIP This notable work comprises not only a record of clairvoyant research under test conditions with men of science in various fields, such as astronomy, bacteriology, physics, psychology, and medical diagnosis; but also practical information with regard to the rationale, development and utility of the higher psychic powers. With the rapidly approaching limit of refinement of physical apparatus, present-day science begins to feel the need of a new instrument of research. The author of this work claims that unsuspected powers of cognition lie latent in every mind, and eventually will be developed by all. The topics dealt with embrace subjects such as psychometry, explorations of the emotional, mental and spiritual levels of consciousness, and clairvoyance in time, or the reading of the “akashic records”. THE SCIENCE OF SEERSHIP List of works by Geoffrey Hodson FAIRIES AT WORK AND AT PLAY THE KINGDOM OF FAERIE THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH HEALTH AND THE SPIRITUAL LIFE AN OCCULT VIEW OF HEALTH AND DISEASE FIRST STEPS ON THE PATH THUS HAVE I HEARD THE BROTHERHOOD OF ANGELS AND OF MEN BE YE PERFECT THE ANGELIC HOSTS ANGELS AND THE NEW RACE THE SCIENCE OF SEERSHIP A study of the faculty of clairvoyance, its development and use, together with examples of clairvoyant research by GEOFFREY HODSON Diagrams by D. Kenrick FIFTH IMPRESSION LONDON: RIDER & CO. PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.4 Reprinted 1985 By Health Research P.O. Box 850 Pomeroy, WA 99347 www.healthresearchbooks.com THE SCIENCE OF SEERSHIP CHAPTER I SUPERNORMAL COGNITION THE study of the powers, attributes, and faculties of human consciousness has made such rapid progress during the last quarter of a century, that concepts which would have been impossible of acceptance before that period arc now gradually becoming accepted as demonstrable facts. The science of psychology has emerged as a result of this progress, and bids fair to keep pace with the remarkable evolution and growth of scientific knowledge which is such a marked characteristic of the post-War period. Those who have followed the development of psychology during recent years will recognize in this book much which is familiar to them under a different nomenclature and system of philosophy. The reader who approaches this subject for the first time, however, may well find the contents of this book to be well- nigh incredible to him. Yet the author would ask for patience, and that judgement may be reserved until the concluding chapters have been read. The phenomenon of supernormal cognition in man has presented itself continuously throughout the whole range of human history. The literature of the past races of mankind, of past civilizations, teems with accounts and incidents concerning the possession of faculties which are not possessed by the general order of mankind. The same phenomenon is with us today, and apparently in a degree which is far greater than ever it has been the case in the past. The purpose of this book Is to make a critical examination of the subject of supernormal cognition: to illustrate that study with a number of examples taken from the author’s own experience; and finally to offer an explanation of the rationale of psychic powers, together with some thoughts concerning their relationship to the five senses with which man is normally endowed. The author wishes to make it clear from the beginning that his approach to the subject of clairvoyance has nothing in common with that of the professional seer, fortune- teller, or spiritualistic medium; that such people do possess a certain form of hyper-sensitivity must be admitted, but the atmosphere in which their faculties arc employed is for the most part of such a nature that the scientific mind is inevitably repelled. If clairvoyance exists and is to be of real use to its possessor and his fellows, it must be capable of being developed into a positively controlled faculty and become as readily available as are any other of the five existing senses. It is unfortunate, therefore, that, with the exception of the records of the Society for Psychical Research, most of the available accounts of the possession and employment of supernormal faculties, both by ancient and modern psychics, refer to sporadic and uncontrolled psychism, and are frequently related in a manner which renders them practically useless for purposes of scientific inquiry. There does, however, seem to be a substratum of evidence, a persistence of belief, and a recurrence of phenomenal incidents which justify at least an inquiry into the subject. The ancient peoples of India, for example, are shown, by their scriptures and their highly developed systems of Yoga,1 to have been familiar with the manifestations of supernormal faculties, and even with laws which were supposed to govern their development and use. The ancient Chaldeans and Babylonians had their institutions for the instruction of astrologers, soothsayers, dream readers, who were maintained in their offices as public officials. The Jewish peoples, according to the Old Testament, had their schools of prophets, designed to give special methods of training for those who would undertake the priestly offices, with which was associated a very definite power of seership, and communion with God. King Saul is stated to have belonged to such a school. The peoples of Egypt and Greece also had their seers, as well as their mysteries, the greater and the lesser, where such as desired to tread the path of swift unfoldment could obtain die necessary instruction. The story of the Christian religion, both at its inception and during its later development, contains many accounts of the possession and use of supernormal faculties by its followers, many of whom have since been elevated to the rank of Sainthood. In our own day there would seem to be an emergence of a large number of people who possess some form of peculiar and unusual powers of cognition. The following account from The Medical World for May 10th, 1929, is of especial interest in this connection. THE CHILD WITH ROENTGEN RAY EYES AN INEXPLICABLE MYSTERY The well-known oculist, Dr. Pedro Niel of Madrid, not long, ago astonished the public by a bit of information which both in and outside scientific circles has created a great sensation. At a meeting of specialists in Paris, Dr. Niel spoke of his knowledge of a marvellous child whom he has had under observation for eighteen months. This remarkable child, Benito Paz, is the son of a village school teacher who had noticed nothing uncommon about the boy before his fifth year. When little Benito had reached the age of four-and-a-half his father began to teach him reading and writing in his own home. Then, for the first time, the boy surprised his father by suddenly exhibiting the mysterious power of being able to read the letters in a closed alphabet-book. The boy put in front of himself the dosed book and proceeded to read aloud in his clumsy way through the thick cover as though the book were open. His teacher at once jumped to the conclusion that his son had learned all this by heart, and was astounded at his perseverance. But the affair became more mysterious when the father was searching everywhere for a lost vest-button. Little Benito called out and said that his father had the button in a tobacco-box in his vest-pocket. The teacher opened the tobacco-box, and there was the button. Only then did he call to mind that on the previous day he had put the button there for safety. But how on earth could Benito have known this? On being seriously questioned, the boy, quite frightened, stated that he had seen the button in the tobacco-box. He had also seen in it four cigarettes. His father now tried a test. Benito could count as far as five. His father put three cigarettes into the tobacco-box, closed it, and ordered Benito to inform him how many cigarettes it contained. The boy counted: one, two, three. Other tests also gave similar results. One month afterwards the father travelled with his son to Madrid, and there called on the oculist, Dr. Niel. This gentleman carefully examined the child, and found nothing abnormal about him. Since that time he has kept little Benito in his house, in order to be able to make observations at all times. Later on, when the timid child had begun to lose his earlier fears, die doctor continued his experiments. He found out that the boy could clearly see and describe objects that were enclosed in a metal case. He could easily read letters enclosed in three or four coverings. He could, without difficulty, declare what you had in your various pockets. He could even indicate the colours of the objects, and that was perhaps the greatest puzzle of all. It seems as if this powerful vision can pierce through metal, cloth, and paper. That in this matter there is tip question of clairvoyance, but simply powerful vision, is shown by the fact that although Benito Paz, for example, can read letters between two metal plates, he could do nothing when plates of wood, instead of metal, were used. When Benito found this out he was terribly upset. The experimenters are still confronted by the puzzle. Translated from Heroldo de Esperanto by A. A. Hill, M.D.B The volumes of the Society for Psychical Research are full of examples of such phenomena, and of accounts of meetings at which psychics have been tested under scientific conditions. Examples of these could be here quoted in large numbers, but I will content myself with referring the reader to the many published volumes of their proceedings.

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