447- Does the phenomenon called “second sight” have any connection to dreaming and somnambulism?
“All of this is one and the same thing. What you call second sight is, again, the spirit in a state of greater freedom, even though the body is not asleep. Second sight is the sight of the soul.”
448- Is second sight permanent?
“The faculty, yes; the ability to exercise it, no. On worlds less material than yours, spirits disengage themselves more easily, and while still maintaining articulated language, they communicate with one another through thought only. Second sight is also a permanent faculty for the majority of them. Their normal state may be compared to that of your lucid somnambulists, and that is also why they manifest themselves to you more easily than those who are incarnated in denser bodies.”
449- Does second sight develop spontaneously or by the will of those who possess it?
“Most of the time it is spontaneous, but the will can often play a large role too. Thus, you can take certain individuals called fortune tellers, for example, some of whom possess this faculty of second sight, and you will see that it is their own will that helps them enter such a state – what you call vision.”
450- Is second sight capable of being developed through practice?
“Yes, effort always leads to progress, and the veil that covers things becomes clearer.”
– Is this faculty linked to one’s physical organization?
“Certainly, physical organization plays its role, and there are organizations that are incompatible with this faculty.”
451- Why does second sight appear hereditary in certain families?
“It is due to similarity of organizations – transmitted like other physical qualities – and afterwards, development of the faculty through a kind of education, which is also transmitted from one to the next.”
452- Is it true that certain circumstances can cause second sight to develop?
“Illness, the approach of danger or a large crisis may develop it. In such instances, the body is sometimes in a particular state that allows the spirit to see what you cannot see with the eyes of your body.”
Times of crisis, calamity and great emotion; in short, all the causes of mental over-excitement sometimes bring about the development of second sight. It seems that in the presence of danger, Providence has given us the means of calling on it. All persecuted sects and individuals offer numerous instances of this fact.
453- Are persons gifted with second sight always aware of it?
“Not always. For them it is a completely natural thing, and many believe that if others paid closer attention to themselves, they would realize they possess the same faculty.”
454- May we attribute to a sort of second sight the astuteness of certain persons who, without appearing to have anything extraordinary about them, judge things with more precision than others?
“It always involves the soul. The soul radiates more freely and judges better than when under the veil of matter.”
– In certain cases, can this faculty provide foreknowledge of future events?
“Yes. It may also provide a presentiment. There are many degrees of this faculty and the same individual may possess all or only some of them.”
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