Theos-Talk Archives (January 2005 Message tt00996)

Dear Murray,

Glad to see your words again after so many years! You wrote:


> 
> In any case, Hodson was no kid in this matter; he was totally 
aware of the tendency for the brain-mind to put pre-existing images 
around the primary hyper-sensory input, and I recall taking part in 
a 3-way discussion that Hodson had with his doctor and research 
assistant, David Lyness, about the role of the brain-mind in 
clairvoyance, about this very phenomenon.
> 

We can go a step further back than that and say that the questions 
one seeks to answer via clairvoyance are rooted in assumptions of 
which the investigator may not be conscious. What you say below 
here of Hodson:

> In short, the dominant impressions I got of Hodson were:
> 
> 1 Well aware of his own limitations and not claiming 
infallibility.
> 2 Relentless integrity, well beyond the point where most 
would be satisfied.
> 3 Total dedication to finding, as best as possible, the 
truth of a matter.
> 4 Willingness to admit being wrong and having another go.
> 5 A great funneling or reduction of the primary information 
in its path first into the brain, then into language.
> 6 Caution in stating his findings, because experience had 
shown him how the theosophical mob can both put a person with 
extended abilities up on a pedestal, and pull them down - both far 
from the truth.

reminds me very much of impressions of Edgar Cayce from those who 
knew him-- Harmon Bro in particular who wrote a biography of him.
When I was first becoming interested in Cayce and Theosophy 
simultaneously, I had the idea that his clairvoyant investigations 
of past civilizations etc. were "independent confirmation" of the 
Theosophical doctrines on such topics, to the extent that they 
coincided. After all, the conscious Cayce was not an adherent of 
such doctrines, and was rather a traditional evangelical Christian 
who had little interest in them-- so he couldn't be "contaminated" 
with literary influences, right? WRONG-- even though he himself 
wasn't a believer in (or student of) Theosophical doctrines when 
they started to come out in the readings, those readings were for 
people who were occultists. Hence he "found what he was looking 
for" not in confirmation of his personal beliefs but rather those of 
his counselees. Whether there was anything paranormal about this is 
an open question.

I've never heard anything about Hodson that suggests conscious 
deception, unlike CWL. But like Cayce, even with the best of 
conscious intentions he could certainly be self-deceived and subject 
to ideological influences.

Cheers,

Paul

> Reminds me of some of the discussions on this list.
> 
> I certainly revised my ideas about him, on spending time with him. 
It's 
> inevitable.
> 
> Murray