Clairvoyance - The Secrets of Mentalists.

Clairvoyance, or divination, is a means of perception that allows one to see clearly, in a heightened form of lucidity and awakened consciousness—such as that taught by certain religions, including Buddhism in its Zen, Tibetan, Chinese, or Japanese forms—events, people, or objects.

It is used alongside a range of practices—divination, prophecy, mediumship—to predict the future. Those who practice it often interpret it as a “gift,” one that can be developed through techniques such as parapsychology, esotericism, magic, mentalism, and so on.

In the word “clairvoyance,” there is “voyance,” from voir, meaning “to see,” or “to perceive with the eyes.” When we speak of clairvoyance, it is simply a matter of “seeing differently.”

Verbeck, a famous mentalist in the 1940s, added a fortune-telling act to his repertoire, which he called “psychomotism.” He would ask a young woman to perform actions on stage that had been secretly commanded by spectators. He achieved this feat by using a method of perception through contact with unconscious reflexes.

Blair Robertson, another mentalist, made this presentation even more elaborate by involving two clairvoyants at the same time: Madame Lucile and Miss Lucy Loves. One answered the questions asked, while the other performed acts of somnambulism commanded by the spectators.

This faculty of clairvoyance is not considered by everyone to be a supernatural power. In mentalism, it is often explained by secret codes exchanged between the mentalist and his assistant.

“Being clairvoyant” should not be confused with “being a medium.” A medium is said to be capable of perceiving, through supernatural means, messages from the spirits of the dead, serving as an intermediary between the living and the dead, and conversing with the other world.

A Few Famous Clairvoyants

Edgar Cayce (1877–1945) was an extraordinary visionary who left behind many documents and works. He possessed a strange gift of clairvoyance and healing. Many scientists wanted to discover the secret behind his curious powers. It was in a state of “semi-trance” that his intelligence operated and allowed him to make predictions. He even predicted his own death.

Pythagoras (sixth century BCE), the genius of Greece, also possessed this faculty. This extraordinarily lucid mathematician had the ability to perceive events taking place far away from him. He claimed to be able to transport his astral body into other lives and converse with the dead.

According to legend, seers came to predict for Buddha (sixth–fifth century BCE) a humanitarian future, and it was thus that he devoted his entire life to the search for a way to escape human suffering and attain enlightenment.

Michel de Nostredame, known as Nostradamus (1503–1566), was a physician and practiced astrology. Known for his predictions, he is considered by many to be one of the most accurate augurs in history. In his work entitled The Prophecies, he wrote more than a thousand visionary poetic verses, or quatrains. He possessed extraordinary gifts of clairvoyance: he would gaze into a bowl filled with water, stare at it for a certain time, and then receive visions of the future.