Research source

George Wyld, in a paper read before the Psychical Research Society, London, “is French, and means clear-seeing,…

Date of account: Published 1893
Source: How to thought-read: A manual of instruction in the strange and mystic in daily life, psychic phenomena, including hypnotic, mesmeric, and psychic states, mind and muscle reading, thought transference, psychometry, clairvoyance, and phenomenal spiritualism
Reference: How to thought-read: A manual of instruction in the strange and mystic in daily life, psychic phenomena, including hypnotic, mesmeric, and psychic states, mind and muscle reading, thought transference, psychometry, clairvoyance, and phenomenal spiritualism · selected passage 26
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-24

Record summary

George Wyld, in a paper read before the Psychical Research Society, London, “is French, and means clear-seeing, but it appears to me to be an inadequate term, because it might signify clear optical vision, or clear mental vision

Published source text

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Source passage

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What is clairvoyance? “The term, clairvoyance,” says Dr. George Wyld, in a paper read before the Psychical Research Society, London, “is French, and means _clear-seeing_, but it appears to me to be an inadequate term, because it might signify clear optical vision, or clear mental vision. What is signified by the term is the power which certain individuals possess of seeing external objects under circumstances which render the sight of these objects impossible to physical optics. In short, by clairvoyance, we mean the power which the _mind_ has of seeing or knowing thoughts and psychical conditions, and objects hidden from or beyond the reach of the physical senses; and if the existence of this faculty can be established, we arrive at a demonstration that man has a power within his body as yet unrecognised by physical science--a power which is called soul, or mind-seeing, and for the description of such a power the term might be auto-nocticy (αυτονοητικος), or psychoscopy.” Psychoscopy, or soul sight, would, perhaps, be the better term.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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