lecture03-第3节

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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　alternates　between　warmth　and



coldness　in　his　faith。　　Other　examples　will　bring　this　home　to



one　better　than　abstract　description；　so　I　proceed　immediately　to



cite　some。　　The　first　example　is　a　negative　one；　deploring　the



loss　of　the　sense　in　question。　　I　have　extracted　it　from　an



account　given　me　by　a　scientific　man　of　my　acquaintance；　of　his



religious　life。　　It　seems　to　me　to　show　clearly　that　the　feeling



of　reality　may　be　something　more　like　a　sensation　than　an



intellectual　operation　properly　so…called。







〃Between　twenty　and　thirty　I　gradually　became　more　and　more



agnostic　and　irreligious；　yet　I　cannot　say　that　I　ever　lost　that



'indefinite　consciousness'　which　Herbert　Spencer　describes　so



well；　of　an　Absolute　Reality　behind　phenomena。　　For　me　this



Reality　was　not　the　pure　Unknowable　of　Spencer's　philosophy；　for



although　I　had　ceased　my　childish　prayers　to　God；　and　never



prayed　to　IT　in　a　formal　manner；　yet　my　more　recent　experience



shows　me　to　have　been　in　a　relation　to　IT　which　practically　was



the　same　thing　as　prayer。　　Whenever　I　had　any　trouble；　especially



when　I　had　conflict　with　other　people；　either　domestically　or　in



the　way　of　business；　or　when　I　was　depressed　in　spirits　or



anxious　about　affairs；　I　now　recognize　that　I　used　to　fall　back



for　support　upon　this　curious　relation　I　felt　myself　to　be　in　to



this　fundamental　cosmical　IT。　　It　was　on　my　side；　or　I　was　on　Its



side；　however　you　please　to　term　it；　in　the　particular　trouble；



and　it　always　strengthened　me　and　seemed　to　give　me　endless



vitality　to　feel　its　underlying　and　supporting　presence。　　In



fact；　it　was　an　unfailing　fountain　of　living　justice；　truth；　and



strength；　to　which　I　instinctively　turned　at　times　of　weakness；



and　it　always　brought　me　out。　　I　know　now　that　it　was　a　personal



relation　I　was　in　to　it；　because　of　late　years　the　power　of



communicating　with　it　has　left　me；　and　I　am　conscious　of　a



perfectly　definite　loss。　　I　used　never　to　fail　to　find　it　when　I



turned　to　it。　　Then　came　a　set　of　years　when　sometimes　I　found



it；　and　then　again　I　would　be　wholly　unable　to　make　connection



with　it。　　I　remember　many　occasions　on　which　at　night　in　bed；　I



would　be　unable　to　get　to　sleep　on　account　of　worry。　　I　turned



this　way　and　that　in　the　darkness；　and　groped　mentally　for　the



familiar　sense　of　that　higher　mind　of　my　mind　which　had　always



seemed　to　be　close　at　hand　as　it　were；　closing　the　passage；　and



yielding　support；　but　there　was　no　electric　current。　　A　blank　was



there　instead　of　IT：　　I　couldn't　find　anything。　　Now；　at　the　age



of　nearly　fifty；　my　power　of　getting　into　connection　with　it　has



entirely　left　me；　and　I　have　to　confess　that　a　great　help　has



gone　out　of　my　life。　　Life　has　become　curiously　dead　and　



indifferent；　and　I　can　now　see　that　my　old