realize--it gives almost the same results as
astral-body clairvoyance, without a number of disadvantages and
inconveniences.

In India, especially, this form of clairvoyance is comparatively frequent.
This by reason of the fact that the Hindus, as a race, are far more
psychic than are those of the Western lands, all else considered; and,
besides, there are a much greater number of highly developed occultists
there than in the West. Moreover, there is a certain psychic atmosphere
surrounding India, by reason of its thousands of years of deep interest in
things psychic and spiritual, all of which renders the production of
psychic phenomena far easier than in other lands.

In India, moreover, we find many instances of another form of psychic, or
astral phenomena. I allude to the production of thought-form pictures
which are plainly visible to one or more persons. This phase of psychic
phenomena is the real basis for many of the wonder tales which Western
travellers bring back with them from India. The wonderful cases of magical
appearance of living creatures and plants, and other objects, out of the
clear air are the result of this psychic phenomena. That is to say, the
creatures and objects are not really produced--they are but astral
appearances resulting from the projection of powerful thought-forms from
the mind of the magician or other wonder-worker, of whom India has a
plentiful supply. Even the ignorant fakirs (I use the word in its true
sense, not in the sense given it by American slang)--even these itinerant
showmen of psychic phenomena, are able to produce phenomena of this kind
which seems miraculous to those witnessing them. As for the trained
occultists of India, I may say that their feats (when they deign to
produce them) seem to overturn every theory and principle of materialistic
philosophy and science. But in nearly every case the explanation is the
same--the projection of a strong and clear thought-form on a large scale.

Although I have purposely omitted reference to Hindu psychic phenomena in
this book (for the reason given in my Introduction), I find it necessary
to quote cases in India in this connection, for the simple reason that
there are but few counterparts in the Western world. There are no
itinerent wonder-workers of this kind in Western lands, and the trained
occultists of the West of course would not consent to perform feats of
this kind for the amusement of persons seeking merely sensations