Metapsychical Phenomena: Methods and ObservationsMaxwell, J. (Joseph)
Philosophy
Metapsychical Phenomena: Methods and Observations
Maxwell, J. (Joseph)
Parapsychology -- Investigation
The facts of premonition which I have observed or controlled, and
of which I have just given a few examples, cannot, I think, be
reasonably regarded as coincidences. I have already said that this
hypothesis, without being inadmissible, is insufficient. Think of the
immense proportion of probabilities, which accumulate in favour of
the reality of a fact, as soon as the details themselves accumulate.
The visions relative to the foreign friend, and to the wounded man,
are instructive from this point of view, given the great number of
circumstances seen beforehand:—exact locality, exact details of the
wound, the costume, etc. It is a pity these facts were not observed
under good conditions. That of the _Deutschland_ is much less
demonstrative, because of the inaccuracy in the foreseen issue.
If we compare these facts with those which have been already registered
by the Society for Psychical Research, we will come to a conclusion,
which confirms the simple impression that my own observations have
given birth to in my mind. What is the cause of these premonitions?
What signification have they with respect to the reality of time? Why
do these visions come to people, who often have no interest whatever
in knowing of them? These are all so many questions I am putting,
without being able to indicate their solution. We must observe, with
the greatest care, the facts which are presented, accumulate them in as
great a number as possible, and, before considering their causes, be,
first of all, doubly sure of their reality.
I have indicated, further back, the analogy of the greater part of
these visions with dreams. I will point out finally another resemblance
which is, perhaps, not the least interesting. This is, that these
visions are often quickly forgotten. We must make the sensitives we
observe write down their visions immediately; for, in the greater
number of cases, a rapid amnesia mixes up the details and causes them
to disappear. These visions, therefore, react upon the memory in the
manner of dreams.
_F._ Certain visions are of a doubtful character. Here are some
examples:—Several times a sensitive sees, in the crystal, a long
procession of personages clothed in white enter a sort of crypt,
which looks like the entrance to a tunnel. The vision presents no
incoherence, but appears to have no signification, either as a souvenir
evoked unconsciously or as a subconscious symbolical image admitting of
interpretation.
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