The book begins by challenging the materialist rejection of the unseen, arguing that the ordinary five physical senses are merely specialized developments of touch. Atkinson posits that humans possess additional latent physical and astral senses, which serve as natural channels for receiving super-physical impressions. The text distinguishes between physical-plane telepathy, operating through brain and nervous system vibrations akin to wireless telegraphy, and higher clairvoyant perception on the astral plane. Subsequent sections detail the scientific investigations of telepathy conducted by the Society for Psychical Research, highlighting controlled experiments that demonstrated thought transference far beyond mathematical probability. The author explains mind-reading through physical contact and in the 'willing game,' providing practical, step-by-step instructions for developing these receptive faculties safely through concentration and rhythmic breathing.
Moving beyond simple telepathy, Atkinson explores clairvoyance in space and time. He examines psychometry, where physical objects serve as connecting links to past environments or events, and crystal gazing, which acts as a focal point for psychic energy and astral vision. The mechanics of the astral tube are analyzed as a conducting channel of vibratory force across distance. The text addresses clairvoyant reverie and meditation, strictly warning against artificial, dangerous, or hypnotic methods of inducing abnormal states, advocating instead for the disciplined mastery of attention and concentration.
The final portions of the work cover simple clairvoyance, including the perception of auras, prana, and dynamic thought-forms emitted by human personalities. Atkinson tackles the complex subjects of past-time clairvoyance through the Akashic Records and future-time clairvoyance through prevision, second-sight, and prophecy. He reconciles these phenomena by examining the nature of time as relative and demonstrating how trained astral vision can access records where past, present, and future coexist. The book concludes with instructions on astral-body traveling, psychic influence at a distance, and the basic principles of psychic and magnetic healing, offering a comprehensive manual for the serious student of occult science.
