yourself. This means you would have to close off to a certain
degree.
When you start using your eye, you realise that a similar process
takes place, unconsciously, with the electric light going on and off
many times per second. It is ‘hard’ on the brain. Deep inside,
something has to close off in order to protect yourself.
Of course the general direction of perception is one of opening.
We have already discussed how when trying to ‘see’, one of the
main obstacles is this tendency of the mind to retract (section
5.10). You are starting to see an aura for instance, and suddenly
your mind gets surprised, or startled, or very interested...
Instantaneously, this reaction of the mind creates a closing off. In
a fraction of a second your perception is lost and you have to start
reopening again. Electric light creates a similar process of closing,
at a deep unconscious level.
But let it be very clear that I am not advocating getting rid of all
the electric lights in your house! For instance, when reading or
writing, use electric light of course. Insufficient light would tire
your eyes, which will not help you become any more clairvoyant.
The Clairvision techniques have been designed for those who are in
the world, and presently you can't be in the world without using
electricity, computers and so on.
The point I want to make is that when you practise eye contact or
other techniques of seeing, it is far better to use candles. Apart
from that, there are many circumstances such as eating, or
talking with a friend, when we use electric lights out of habit and
not because we really need them. So we could take advantage of
those occasions to give our brain a break, and to practise the
techniques of vision. This is one of the secrets of success in
spiritual practice: use more and more of your daily activities to
put the processes into practice. Integrate your work of opening
with the simplest actions.
Yet in the long run it should become a concern that electric light
is stressful. It would be a blessing for humankind if somebody
could invent a form of artificial light that was softer on our
unconscious perception.
7.3 In quest of the ultimate wall rendering
When trying to see an aura you will get much better results if the
wall behind the object or the person is blank, and white, or
painted in a very light hue. If seeing is really one of your essential