And when it is desired to look into the mind and catch the thoughts
of another and the pictures all around him of all he has thought and
looked at, the Adept’s inner sight and hearing are directed to the mind
to be seen, when at once all is visible. But, as said before, only a
rogue would do this, and the Adepts do not do it except in strictly
authorized cases. The modern man sees no misdemeanor in looking into
the secrets of another by means of this power, but the Adepts say
it is an invasion of the rights of the other person. No man has the
right, even when he has the power in his hand, to enter into the mind
of another and pick out its secrets. This is the law of the Lodge to
all who seek, and if one sees that he is about to discover the secrets
of another he must at once withdraw and proceed no further. If he
proceeds his power is taken from him in the case of a disciple; in the
case of any other person he must take the consequence of this sort of
burglary. For Nature has her laws and her policemen, and if we commit
felonies in the Astral world the great Law and the guardians of it, for
which no bribery is possible, will execute the penalty, no matter how
long we wait, even if it be for ten thousand years. Here is another
safeguard for ethics and morals. But until men admit the system of
philosophy put forward in this book, they will not deem it wrong to
commit felonies in fields where their weak human law has no effect, but
at the same time by thus refusing the philosophy they will put off the
day when all may have these great powers for the use of all.
Among phenomena useful to notice are those consisting of the moving of
objects without physical contact. This may be done, and in more than
one way. The first is to extrude from the physical body the Astral
hand and arm, and with those grasp the object to be moved. This may
be accomplished at a distance of as much as ten feet from the person.
I do not go into argument on this, only referring to the properties
of the Astral substance and members. This will serve to some extent
to explain several of the phenomena of mediums. In nearly all cases
of such apportation the feat is accomplished by thus using the unseen
but material Astral hand. The second method is to use the elementals
of which I have spoken. They have the power when directed by the inner
man to carry objects by changing the polarity, and then we see, as with
the fakirs of India and some mediums in America, small objects moving
apparently unsupported. These elemental entities are used when things
are brought from longer distances than the length to which the Astral
members may be stretched. It is no argument against this that mediums
do not know they do so. They rarely if ever know anything about how
they accomplish any feat, and their ignorance of the law is no proof of
its non-existence. Those students who have seen the forces work from
the inside will need no argument on this.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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