lecture03-第3章

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Although　I　felt　it　to　be　like　unto　myself　so　to　speak；　or　finite；



small；　and　distressful；　as　it　were；　I　didn't　recognize　it　as　any



individual　being　or　person。〃







Of　course　such　an　experience　as　this　does　not　connect　itself　with



the　religious　sphere。　　Yet　it　may　upon　occasion　do　so；　and　the



same　correspondent　informs　me　that　at　more　than　one　other



conjuncture　he　had　the　sense　of　presence　developed　with　equal



intensity　and　abruptness；　only　then　it　was　filled　with　a　quality



of　joy。







〃There　was　not　a　mere　consciousness　of　something　there；　but　fused



in　the　central　happiness　of　it；　a　startling　awareness　of　some



ineffable　good。　　Not　vague　either；　not　like　the　emotional　effect



of　some　poem；　or　scene；　or　blossom；　of　music；　but　the　sure



knowledge　of　the　close　presence　of　a　sort　of　mighty　person；　and



after　it　went；　the　memory　persisted　as　the　one　perception　of



reality。　　Everything　else　might　be　a　dream；　but　not　that。〃







My　friend；　as　it　oddly　happens；　does　not　interpret　these　latter



experiences　theistically；　as　signifying　the　presence　of　God。　　But



it　would　clearly　not　have　been　unnatural　to　interpret　them　as　a



revelation　of　the　deity's　existence。　　When　we　reach　the　subject



of　mysticism；　we　shall　have　much　more　to　say　upon　this　head。







Lest　the　oddity　of　these　phenomena　should　disconcert　you；　I　will



venture　to　read　you　a　couple　of　similar　narratives；　much　shorter；



merely　to　show　that　we　are　dealing　with　a　well…marked　natural



kind　of　fact。　　In　the　first　case；　which　I　　take　from　the



Journal　of　the　Society　for　Psychical　Research；　the　sense　of



presence　developed　in　a　few　moments　into　a　distinctly



visualized　hallucinationbut　I　leave　that　part　of　the　story　out。







〃I　had　read；〃　the　narrator　says；　〃some　twenty　minutes　or　so；　was



thoroughly　absorbed　in　the　book；　my　mind　was　perfectly　quiet；　and



for　the　time　being　my　friends　were　quite　forgotten；　when　suddenly



without　a　moment's　warning　my　whole　being　seemed　roused　to　the



highest　state　of　tension　or　aliveness；　and　I　was　aware；　with　an



intenseness　not　easily　imagined　by　those　who　had　never



experienced　it；　that　another　being　or　presence　was　not　only　in



the　room；　but　quite　close　to　me。　　I　put　my　book　down；　and



although　my　excitement　was　great；　I　felt　quite　collected；　and　not



conscious　of　any　sense　of　fear。　　Without　changing　my　position；



and　looking　straight　at　the　fire；　I　knew　somehow　that　my　friend



A。　H。　was　standing　at　my　left　elbow　but　so　far　behind　me　as　to　be



hidden　by　the　armchair　in　which　I　was　leaning　back。　　Moving　my



eyes　round　slightly　without　otherwise　changing　my　position；　the



lower　portion　of　one　leg　became　visible；　and　I　instantly



recognized　the　gray…blue　material　of　trousers　he　often　wore；　but



the　stuff　appeared　semitransparent；　reminding　me　of　tobacco　smoke



in　consistency；〃＇24＇　and　hereupon　the　visual　hallucination



came。







＇24＇　Journal　of　the　S。　P。　R。；　February；　1895；　p。　26。















Another　informant　writes：







〃Quite　early　in　the　night　I　was　awakened。　。　。　。　I　felt　as　if　I



had　been　aroused　intentionally；　and　at　first　thought　some　one　was



breaking　into　the　house。　。　。　。　I　then　turned　on　my　side　to　go　to



sleep　again；　and　immediately　felt　a　consciousness　of　a　presence



in　the　room；　and　singular　to　state；　it　was　not　the　consciousness



of　a　live　person；　but　of　a　spiritual　presence。　　This　may　provoke



a　smile；　but　I　can　only　tell　you　the　facts　as　they　occurred　to



me。　　I　do　not　know　how　to　better　describe　my　sensations　than　by



simply　stating　that　I　felt　a　consciousness　of　a　spiritual



presence。　。　。　。　　I　felt　also　at　the　same　time　a　strong　feeling　of



superstitious　dread；　as　if　something　strange　and　fearful　were



about　to　happen。〃＇25＇







＇25＇　E。　Gurney：　　Phantasms　of　the　Living；　i。　384。















Professor　Flournoy　of　Geneva　gives　me　the　following　testimony　of



a　friend　of　his；　a　lady；　who　has　the　gift　of　automatic　or



involuntary　writing：







〃Whenever　I　practice　automatic　writing；　what　makes　me　feel　that



it　is　not　due　to　a　subconscious　self　is　the　feeling　I　always　have



of　a　foreign　presence；　external　to　my　body。　　It　is　sometimes　so



definitely　characterized　that　I　could　point　to　its　exact



position。　　This　impression　of　presence　is　impossible　to　describe。



It　varies　in　intensity　and　clearness　according　to　the　personality



from　whom　the　writing　professes　to　come。　　If　it　is　some　one　whom



I　love；　I　feel　it　immediately；　before　any　writing　has　come。　　My



heart　seems　to　recognize　it。〃







In　an　earlier　book　of　mine　I　have　cited　at　full　length　a　curious



case　of　presence　felt　by　a　blind　man。　　The　presence　was　that　of



the　figure　of　a　gray…bearded　man　dressed　in　a　pepper　and　salt



suit；　squeezing　himself　under　the　crack　of　the　door　and　moving



across　the　floor　of　the　room　towards　a　sofa。　　The　blind　subject



of　this　quasi…hallucination　is　an　exceptionally　intelligent



reporter。　　He　is　entirely　without　internal　visual　imagery　and



cannot　represent　light　or　colors　to　himself；　and　is　positive　that



his　other　senses；　hearing；　etc。；　were　not　involved　in　this　false



perception。　　It　seems　to　have　been　an　abstract　conception　rather；



with　the　feelings　of　reality　and　spatial　outwardness　directly



attached　to　itin　other　words；　a　fully　objectified　and



exteriorized　IDEA。







Such　cases；　taken　along　with　others　which　would　be　too　tedious



for　quotation；　seem　sufficiently　to　prove　the　existence　in　our



mental　machinery　of　a　sense　of　present　reality　more　diffused　and



general　than　that　which　our　special　senses　yield。　　For　the



psychologists　the　tracing　of　the　organic　seat　of　such　a　feeling



would　form　a　pretty　problemnothing　could　be　more　natural　than



to　connect　it　with　the　muscular　sense；　with　the　feeling　that　our



muscles　were　innervating　themselves　for　action。　　Whatsoever　thus



innervated　our　activity；　or　〃made　our　flesh　creep〃our　senses



are　what　do　so　oftenestmight　then　appear　real　and　present；　even



though　it　were　but　an　abstract　idea。　　But　with　such　vague



conjectures　we　have　no　concern　at　present；　for　our　interest　lies



with　the　faculty　rather　than　with　its　organic　seat。







Like　all　positive　affections　of　consciousness；　the　sense　of



reality　has　its　negative　counterpart　in　the　shape　of　a　feeling　of



unreality　by　which　persons　may　be　haunted；　and　of　which　one



sometimes　hears　complaint：







〃When　I　reflect　on　the　fact　that　I　have　made　my　appearance　by



accident　upon　a　globe　itself　whirled　through　space　as　the　sport



of　the　catastrophes　of　the　heavens；〃　says　Madame　Ackermann；　〃when



I　see　myself　surrounded　by　beings　as　ephemeral　and



incomprehensible　as　I　am　myself；　and　all　excitedly　pursuing　pure



chimeras；　I　experience　a　strange　feeling　of　being　in　a　dream。　　It



seems　to　me　as　if　I　have　loved　and　suffered　and　that　erelong　I



shall　die；　in　a　dream。　　My　last　word　will　be；　'I　have　been



dreaming。'〃＇26＇







＇26＇　Pensees　d'un　Solitaire；　p。　66。















In　another　lecture　we　shall　see　how　in　morbid　melancholy　this



sense　of　the　unreality　of　things　may　become　a　carking　pain；　and



even　lead　to　suicide。







We　may　now　lay　it　down　as　certain　that　in　the　distinctively



religious　sphere　of　experience；　many　persons　（how　many　we　cannot



tell）　possess　the　objects　of　their　belief；　not　in　the　form　of



mere　conceptions　which　their　intellect　accepts　as　true；　but



rather　in　the　form　of　quasi…sensible　realities　directly



apprehended。　　As　his　sense　of　the　real　presence　of　these　objects



fluctuates；　so　the　believer　alternat