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Genuine Mediumship or The Invisible Powers by Swami Bhakta Vishita

V CLAIRVOYANCE: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

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Viewing Distant Scenes.

A writer has said of this form of clairvoyant perception: "The view of a distant scene obtained in this way is in many ways not unlike that seen through a telescope. Human figures usually appear very small, like those upon a distant stage, but in spite of their diminutive size they are clear as though they were close by. Sometimes it is possible by this means to hear what is said as well as to see what is done; but as in the majority of cases this does not happen, we must consider it rather as the manifestation of an additional power than as a necessary corollary of the faculty of sight. It will be observed that in cases of this kind the clairvoyant does not actually leave his physical body at all--he simply manufactures for himself, and uses, a kind of psychic telescope. Consequently he has the use of his physical powers while he is examining the distant scene; for example, his voice usually describes what he sees even while he is in the act of making the observation."

Time Clairvoyance.

In what is called Time Clairvoyance the clairvoyant is able to perceive objects, persons, scenes, and events removed from him in past time or future time. That is to say, the clairvoyant perceives things which have existed in the physical world in times long past, which things have long since vanished from physical existence; or, on the other hand, he perceives things which belong to future existence--this which have never as yet been in physical existence, and of course are not in such existence at the present time. The careful student will see at once that the principle of manifestation governing these two respective phases of clairvoyance must be quite different; and, accordingly, the two respective phases must be considered separately and apart from each other.

Past Time Clairvoyance.

In what is known as Past Time Clairvoyance there is the manifestation of clairvoyant vision in the direction of scenes and occurrences of the past. Here, the clairvoyant perceives the events and scenes of past time just as clearly and plainly as if such were present before him in time and in space. Just as in Distant Clairvoyance it is just as easy for the clairvoyant to see things at a great distance as those at a short distance, so in Past Time Clairvoyance it is just as easy for the clairvoyant to see things and events occurring five thousand years ago as it is to see things occurring one year ago, or one week ago for that matter. The principle involved is the same in either case.

The Mystery of Seeing the Past.

To persons investigating the phenomena of clairvoyance for the first time, however, there seems to be a much greater mystery attached to the phenomena of Past Clairvoyance than in the case of Distant Clairvoyance. To such persons it seems that while the perception of distant objects, scenes, and events is wonderful and mysterious, still at the last it is merely the perception of something now actually in existence--merely the extension of one's normal powers of vision so as to include objects beyond the range of the ordinary vision, but, still, actually in existence though at a distance. The idea of the telescope enables the mind to grasp the naturalness of this kind of phenomena. But when it comes to the perception of things, scenes, and events WHICH ARE NO LONGER IN EXISTENCE--things which have passed entirely out of existence--the mystery seems to be increased, and incredulity becomes more insistent. But to the occultist there is really no more mystery in the one case than in the other--both sets of phenomena are seen to be perfectly reasonable and within the realms of Nature. Let us now see how and why the occultists view the matter in this light.