Bhakta Vishita - Genuine Mediumship: The Invisible Powers

Bhakta Vishita

Genuine Mediumship:

The Invisible Powers

New Edition

London

Copyright 2018 Adelphi Press

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 9781787362338

Contents

PART I

NATURES FINER FORCES

One of the most common mistaken conceptions of the average student of the occult sciences, and of so-called psychic phenomena in general, is that which may be expressed by the term supernatural. This term, as you know, is used to express the idea of that which is outside of the realm of Nature, and of Natures laws.

Knowledge Versus Faith

As a matter of fact, as all the advanced students and teachers of the occult doctrine know full well, we have no direct knowledge whatsoever of anything that is outside of the realm of nature, and of Natures laws. It is true that we may, by an act of faith, profess to believe in powers and beings entirely apart from the great realm of Naturein fact, most persons do believe in such powers and beings in connection with their formal religionbut their belief is entirely within the category of Faith, and is not even pretended to be based upon actual experience and phenomenal manifestation.

The moment that there appears any manifestation which is possible of being known to, or experienced by, the human senses, ordinary or extraordinary, that moment the phenomena and the immediate cause thereof must be regarded as being properly classed in the category of natural. This is true not only of such phenomena as are perceived by means of our ordinary five senses, but also of those which are perceptible only to the highest powers of perception, or higher senses, which are latent in all 8human beings but which are unfolded only in the case of a comparatively few individuals of the race.

It should be clearly understood by all students of occultism or psychic phenomena that mans knowledge and experience, normal or supernormal, is confined to the realm of Nature. There is a ring pass-not around the boundaries of the Kingdom of Nature which mortals cannot pass, no matter how high may be their degree of development and advancement. Even those great mystics whose writings are filled with the startling revelations of union with the Divine, and of At-one-ment with Deity, are under no illusion concerning this fact they know full well that only in so far as Deity involves itself in Naturewraps itself up in the garments of Naturecan it be directly experienced by man, and thus actually known by him.

Supernormal, Not Supernatural

Perhaps a clearer understanding of this important subject will be had if we but substitute the term supernormal for that of supernatural. The term supernormal is not commonly employed, and but few know that such a word is to be found in the dictionaries, much less know its meaning; but a study of its meaning, and its adoption in our thinking, will serve to give us a clearer conception of the true nature of many strange phases of experience of which we have become conscious, either by reasons of their manifestation by ourselves, or else by the manifestation on the part of others. It will accordingly be well for us to carefully examine this term and its meaning.

Subnormal means: Beyond, above, or exceeding that which is normal; extraordinary, inexplicable perhaps, but not supernatural. Now, the term normal means: Conforming to a certain standard, rule, or type; hence, anything that is supernormal is something that is above the usual pattern, rule, or type.

There is an important distinction to be noted here, to-wit: a thing may be outside of the usual pattern, rule, or type, in the sense of being inferior to or under the ordinary standard, and in this case is known as abnormal, the latter term being employed as a term of depreciation. On the other hand, the outside of the standard quality may consist of a superiority to the prevailing standard, and accordingly is entitled to be classed in the category of the supernormalthe prefix super meaning above, over, higher, etc.

It is important that the distinction be made clearly between the use and meaning of these two terms, abnormal and supernormal, respectively. The first named denotes inferiority, and the latter denotes superiority. This distinction may be more clearly apprehended by means of a concrete example, as follows:

On our own plane of existence the senses of sight and hearing, respectively, are included in the usual standard, pattern, and type of sense normalityevery normal person possesses these senses in a certain general degree of power; hence, on this plane of existence, a person born blind, or deaf, is spoken of as abnormal, that is to say, such a person is deficient in regard to the sense powers.

On the contrary, let us imagine a plane of existence, in which the great majority of individuals lack the power of sight and hearing, respectively. On such a plane of existence, the occasional individual who was born possessed of the powers of sight and hearing, respectively, would be properly regarded as supernormal, that is to say, such a person would be superior to the ordinary run of individualsabove them, in fact. The term abnormal means minus the ordinary standard quality; and the term supernormal means plus the ordinary standard quality. And yet both the plus and the minus would be outside the normal type, though there is a difference as wide as that between the two poles, in this outsideness.

Supernormal, Not Abnormal

The above important statement concerning the distinction between the abnormal and supernormal is not made merely for the purpose of academic differentiation and classification. On the other hand, it is made because there is a most pernicious tendency on the part of the ignorant and unthinking portions of the public to regard and to classify certain high phases of occult and psychic manifestation of power as abnormal, hence below the standard; whereas, properly speaking, such manifestations of power are far above the standard, and, hence, clearly entitled to the term supernormal.

The Prevailing Ignorance

The ignorant and unthinking attitude of certain portions of the general public toward this class of phenomena is akin to that of a community of blind and deaf persons, satisfied that their own three sense standard is the highest possible one attainable by living creatures and that all variation therefrom must be considered as abnormal. In such a community there would occasionally be born certain individuals possessed of the senses of sight and hearing, in addition to the common three senses possessed by the entire community. Judging by what we know of the tendency of human nature in such cases, we are warranted in conjuring that the ordinary run of persons in such a community would revile the seeing and hearing individuals as abnormal, and their possessors therefore to be pitied, and perhaps shunned. Only the intelligent and thoughtful members of such a community would be able to grasp the fact that these exceptional individuals were really not only not abnormal, and inferior to type, but that they were really supernormal, and superior to type.

Prejudice Against the Unusual.