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303
The Book of Dreams and Ghosts
·
Andrew Lang
63
These
hallucinations
are
casual
and
unsought.
But
between
these
and
the
dreams
of
sleep
there
is
a
kind
of
waking
hallucinations
which
some
people
can
purposely
evoke.
Such
are
the
visions
of
crystal
gazing.
Among
the
superstitions
of
almost
all
ages
and
countries
is
the
belief
that
"spirits"
will
show
themselves,
usually
after
magical
ceremonies,
to
certain
persons,
commonly
children,
who
stare
into
a
crystal
ball,
a
cup,
a
mirror,
a
blob
of
ink
(in
Egypt
and
India),
a
drop
of
blood
(among
the
Maoris
of
New
Zealand),
a
bowl
of
water
(Red
Indian),
a
pond
(Roman
and
African),
water
in
a
glass
bowl
(in
Fez),
or
almost
any
polished
surface.
The
magical
ceremonies,
which
have
probably
nothing
to
do
with
the
matter,
have
succeeded
in
making
this
old
and
nearly
universal
belief
seem
a
mere
fantastic
superstition.
But
occasionally
a
person
not
superstitious
has
recorded
this
experience.
Thus
George
Sand
in
her
Histoire
de
ma
Vie
mentions
that,
as
a
little
girl,
she
used
to
see
wonderful
moving
landscapes
in
the
polished
back
of
a
screen.
These
were
so
vivid
that
she
thought
they
must
be
visible
to
others.
Recent
experiments
have
proved
that
an
unexpected
number
of
people
have
this
faculty.
Gazing
into
a
ball
of
crystal
or
glass,
a
crystal
or
other
smooth
ring
stone,
such
as
a
sapphire
or
ruby,
or
even
into
a
common
ink-pot,
they
will
see
visions
very
brilliant.
These
are
often
mere
reminiscences
of
faces
or
places,
occasionally
of
faces
or
places
sunk
deep
below
the
ordinary
memory.
Still
more
frequently
they
represent
fantastic
landscapes
and
romantic
scenes,
as
in
an
historical
novel,
with
people
in
odd
costumes
coming,
going
and
acting.
Thus
I
have
been
present
when
a
lady
saw
in
a
glass
ball
a
man
in
white
Oriental
costume
kneeling
beside
a
leaping
fountain
of
fire.
Presently
a
hand
appeared
pointing
downwards
through
the
flame.
The
first
vision
seen
pretty
often
represents
an
invalid
in
bed.
Printed
words
are
occasionally
read
in
the
glass,
as
also
happens
in
the
visions
beheld
with
shut
eyes
before
sleeping.
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