Psychic powers should be seen not as something contrary to nature but as an ordinary extension of the sensory processes of our personality.
In the human spiritual journey many powers develop, including various aspects of psychism. Psychism, often called "extrasensory perception," is best understood by comparing it with spirituality. The difference between the two becomes clearer when we examine the human constitution. Theosophy teaches that we function in three main fields: spirit, soul and body.
Moreover, the human being has a sevenfold nature: a personality made up of four "lower" aspects, and an individuality made up of three "higher" aspects. These aspects are not layers stacked one on top of another; they interpenetrate. The personality consists of:
- The dense physical body.
- The etheric sheath, sometimes also called the "health aura" (a layer of subtle matter that carries vital energy to the physical body).
- The emotional vehicle (sometimes also called the astral vehicle or astral body).
- The factual or analytical aspect of the mind, which is aware of the world around us.
The physical body and the etheric sheath that animates it work very closely together. Under anesthesia or in deep sleep, however, our physical senses stop functioning; the etheric body separates somewhat from the physical body, and sense impressions do not reach the consciousness of the brain.
The individuality consists of:
- The higher, spiritual aspect of the mind: the center of true "knowing," subjective by nature, known in Theosophical teachings as Manas.
- Insight, intuition, compassion and understanding: known in Theosophical teachings as Buddhi.
- The spiritual principle that embraces all and is the source of all: known in Theosophical teachings as Atma.
The individuality, then, is the permanent spiritual essence of our being, and at the same time it is one with the Supreme Spirit, with the One Life, the source of all existence. Over the course of evolution the individuality learns to express itself fully through the personality; for this it reincarnates many times, using a new personality in each life.
Balanced Development
The balanced development of our spiritual nature and our physical/psychic nature is very important for our evolution. But the two do not always work together; each can develop independently of the other. If psychic faculties flourish together with spiritual development, they can become valuable tools that widen our awareness of the universe.
If our true spiritual nature is neglected, the training of psychic faculties leads to unbalanced development and can be dangerous.
During our waking hours our physical senses are constantly stimulated, yet we are highly selective about what we see and hear. The senses can nevertheless be trained: we can learn to see more keenly, as a painter trains the eye to distinguish shades of color, or to hear more finely, as a musician trains the ear to catch small changes in sound. Taste, smell and touch can be trained in the same way. When it comes to the use of psychic faculties, this kind of training becomes very important.
Extrasensory Perception
Extrasensory perception (ESP), or psychism, is an extension of the physical senses and also involves the analytical mind. Such psychic perceptions, however, are often influenced and colored by the emotions and can therefore be misleading. ESP includes clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy, psychokinesis (influencing matter by the power of the mind) and similar phenomena.
Developing extrasensory perception may leave a person with the same character traits they had before these faculties awakened: the same greed, the same self-centeredness, the same narrow-mindedness. Spiritual vision or insight, on the other hand, if it is truly spiritual, can change human nature at its roots and make a person kinder, more loving and more compassionate.
Clairvoyance
Clairvoyance literally means "clear seeing." But for what is "seen" on a higher level to be communicated to others, it has to be brought down to the physical level. This inevitably means that the reasoning mind and language come into play, and both color the perception according to the personality of the clairvoyant. That is why clairvoyants observing the same phenomenon may disagree with one another, and there are known instances of this.
There are great differences in the quality and kind of clairvoyance in different people. Broadly, there are two main types. The first are passive clairvoyants, who often cannot fully control their psychic faculties and sometimes work in a semi-trance state. The second are those who keep their psychic faculties actively under control and integrate them with their daily lives. People in this second group are more self-aware; they have usually developed a balanced and controlled mind, often by using meditation to quiet the outer mind. Their psychic perceptions are therefore more accurate.
Practical Uses of Psychic Perception
When sufficiently trained, awakened psychic faculties can be put to practical use in various ways. In education, for example, many difficult problems with children can be prevented or handled positively and wisely. Another field is medicine: trained clairvoyants can help health professionals determine whether an ailment is psychological or physiological in origin. Police around the world have also at times drawn on such help in tracking down crimes.
Spiritual Vision
There is a difference between spiritual perception and psychic perception. Spiritual inspiration flows through our individuality; it is in this way that we gain the spiritual vision and illumination that can transform our lives. True and deep spiritual perception is of inestimable value in understanding life on every level, whereas the scope of psychic perception is more limited. As spiritual perception develops, our consciousness merges with the consciousness of others; we truly understand them and discover our common ground as human beings.
Spiritual insight increases our awareness of the unity of all life, transforms our minds, and brings a deep sense of wholeness, care and responsibility toward the world and all forms of life.
Remembering that in our essence we are Divine, we can learn to use the psychic faculties that awaken within us, illumined by spiritual vision, to bring peace and happiness to our troubled world.
