This Classic Spiritual work is now copyright expired and therefore in the public domain.

Genuine Mediumship or The Invisible Powers by Swami Bhakta Vishita

III THOUGHT TRANSFERENCE

page 9 of 10 | page 1 | Genuine Mediumship or The Invisible Powers - home

Development of Telepathic Power.

Practically every person may develop a certain degree of telepathic power, sending, receiving, or both, by means of a moderate amount of regular and earnest practice and experiments. In developing sending power, the person should cultivate concentration, and the use of the will in the direction of projecting mental states; in the case of the desired development of the receiving power, the person should develop receptiveness and passivity, and a certain recognition of an actual telepathic impulse which is impossible to describe in words but which comes to every investigator, and which when once experienced is always recognized thereafter.

"Mind Reading."

Perhaps the best plan for the beginner is to practice the popular "mind reading" experiment or game, which is quite popular in some localities, and among persons interested in this line of thought. The experiments of this kind are performed, generally, about as follows: The receiver leaves the room, and during his or her absence the company in the room select some object, large or small, such as a chair or a small penknife, etc., and the same is shown and named to the sender. Then the receiver is called back into the room for the experiment, and is blindfolded securely. Then the receiver takes the right hand of the sender and places it in his (the receiver's) left hand, holding it firmly there. The sender then concentrates his mind upon the object to be "found," and mentally wills that the receiver move toward it. The receiver then experiences a peculiar faint impulse in the direction of the object, and accordingly moves toward it. After considerable practice, the receiver acquires the faculty of not only finding large objects, but also is able to locate small objects, such as concealed rings, pins, etc.

Development Practices.

This class of experiments, while open to the objection that there may be more or less muscular direction consciously or unconsciously given by the sender, nevertheless tend to develop proficiency in both sender and receiver. In fact, such experiments are perhaps one of the very best methods of developing projecting or receiving power along the lines of occult or psychic forces. This because the persons become familiar with the psychic processes involved, and their efficiency becomes increased by practice and experiment. This plan is like that of teaching a child how to walk by means of holding its hand, allowing it to rest on chairs, etc. In practicing such experiments, the receiver will soon become conscious of receiving the thought message in what may be called a "wireless flash," instead of by the slower, and less clear process of transmission through the physical body of the sender, and thence through his own nerves. When the sender begins to experience these flashes of consciousness, he is ready to proceed to the next stage.

The "Willing Game."

The second stage on telepathic development is much akin to that just described, with the difference that there is no physical contact between the sender and the receiver--no holding of hands, etc. A variation of this is found in the familiar "willing game" in which the whole roomful of persons concentrates upon the receiver, and "wills" that he find a selected object. On the whole, however, the private experiments conducted by the sender and the receiver, with perhaps a few intelligent and sympathetic spectators, are far better than the "willing game" plan, in which there are usually many triflers present ready to make a joke of the whole thing, and thus taking away that true concentration under which the best results may be obtained.

Formal Tests.

The third step in telepathic development is that of conducting experiments similar to those originally conducted by the Society for Psychical Research, previously mentioned. That is to say, the sender may select cards from a pack, coins from a pile, small objects from a collection, etc., and then endeavor to transmit the impression of the same to the receiver--the latter then reporting his flashes of impression received. This may be rendered more complicated by having the sender in one place, and the receiver at another, the time having previously been agreed upon between them. In experiments conducted at long range, it has been generally found better for the receiver to write down the word, thought, or mental, picture which has been transmitted to him by the sender; and for the sender to write down the name or picture of the thing the idea of which he has transmitted. These memoranda serve not only as scientific proof of the experiment, but also serve as a barometer of progress being made during the experiments.