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Glyn Edwards and Santoshan
From Tune in to your Spiritual Potential
Published by Foulsham/Quantum Books |
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I behold the Invisible in the visible.
I recognise Its Power manifesting through all.
People have understood and used psychic powers since ancient times, and their use can be found in nearly all religious traditions. The third part of Patanjali’s Yoga Aphorisms, which date back to around the 2nd century ce, deals with the development of the siddhis (psychic powers). Like the ‘superknowledges’ in Buddhism, these powers are basically aimed for in order to help overcome the effects of karma and attain liberation.
Much has been written about psychic and mediumistic phenomena. Some believe that psychic and mediumistic abilities are detrimental to the spiritual life. But this is only true if they are developed at the expense of spiritual awareness.
Others believe that mediumship is a spiritual gift and something separate from the psychic aspect of our nature. Indeed, many teachers of mediumship regard it as being higher than the psychic. Yet if we look closely at it, it is plain that it is in fact a psychic power and not a spiritual one.
Mediumship works through the same internal mechanisms of perception that are used to perceive things in the physical world. We would know nothing of the world if it wasn’t for our psychic senses: everything we perceive is processed through them. We experience everything in symbolic form, which has symbolic meaning to us, including language and all other sense-data. We can know nothing of life until it is first perceived as a psychic image.
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Psychic and Spiritual Awareness
Mediumship by itself does not require us to develop qualities of spirituality, such as compassion, kindness, wisdom, discernment, and other attributes of a spiritual life and consciousness.
To become in tune with the spiritual dimension of life will require personal effort. There are exceptions where spirit intervention during a peak/mystical experience has changed a person’s attitude and outlook on life. But this kind of experience may happen just once in a person’s life, and personal effort and responsibility are still required.
We should have practical understanding about the difference between the psychic and the spiritual. Throughout human history, there have been instances of people having mediumistic experiences which did not changed them spiritually in any way.
Mediumship is an ability much like any other. It operates through the mind and its results are coloured by the character and personality of the individual. There have been mediums who have developed their mediumistic powers to a high degree, who have not displayed any change in their personal and spiritual nature. From this we can deduce that we are dealing with a psychic, not a spiritual phenomenon.
We must remember that the majority of spirit communicators have only recently passed to the spirit world. They may not have spiritually progressed any more than when they were alive on this earth, and having the ability to be aware of them does not make us spiritual.
The dictionary defines a psychic as being someone who is sensitive to forces or influences not recognised by physical laws. The word psychic encompasses the soul, the spirit, the inner man/woman and the mind. Psychic ability is the ability to be aware of certain non-physical influences. People who have mediumistic experiences describe how they get an impression or flash of something, a sense of seeing or feeling someone. This occurs through the psyche and the unconscious and conscious mind.
These all relate to our inner being, to who and what we are. Because they relate to our inner self, we have to ask ourselves: “Are we spiritually aware?” “Do we practise spiritual disciplines?” Although a discarnate spirit can communicate through an individual’s psychic/mediumistic powers, we must ask ourselves whether the spirit communicator is spiritually aware.
These points are made, not to discredit the views of others, but to emphasise that our spiritual growth is in our own hands, and is not the responsibility of any exterior influence. Even though any effort we are prepared to make spiritually, will attract corresponding influences that will enhance our development, it is still up to us to make the effort.
Working at the Level of our Understanding
We sometimes can see mediumship working at a person’s individual level of understanding. For instance, there was a public demonstration by a medium who gave messages which, although accepted as reasonably good evidence by everyone he went to, were all to do with material things such as a pint of beer, a bottle of scotch, or a plate of prawn sandwiches! Some mediums give messages that are always centred around a person’s clothing or jewellery, and give little evidence of a person’s inner nature and character. This kind of evidence can be useful, but if the medium constantly works at this level, and none other, it shows that they are not developing or taking a wide enough view of mediumship.
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Levels of Being
There is much that we do not understand about the human mind and about consciousness. There is more that we do not understand about our spiritual nature. In the past we may have been influenced in our thinking about these matters by the beliefs of others. Now we must take the opportunity to discover for ourselves their truth or falsity.
There is danger in trying to distinguish between the prophet and the seer, the psychic and the mediumistic, the inspirational and the intuitive. All have their source in our being and their origin and expression in our soul, spirit and mind. All are but a flowing towards a discovery of the infinite potential within us.
These powers which manifest in our development are simply a means by which we can demonstrate that there is something beyond the physical. But ask yourself what is it? Psychic, mediumistic or spiritual? Beliefs will differ as to what these things may or may not be. But beliefs can conflict and confuse, whereas provable facts do not. So search, and discover the Truth for yourself: this is all part of what spiritual growth is about.
The Ultimate Goal
If approached correctly, psychic and mediumistic development should lead us to understand the whole of our being, and bring us in tune with all life around us. Development should be grounded in a dedication to awakening our spiritual consciousness: although it is already there within us, we still have to awaken to it. If we are to be representatives of the Supreme Spirit—either as mediums or as advocates for the spiritual life—then our lives should be a reflection of that Reality.
Psychic and mediumistic abilities by themselves do not necessarily indicate spiritual growth. They are no different from any other ability: they are neither good nor bad. It is what we do with these abilities that determine their worth. If we learn how to use them wisely and selflessly, then they may become something of real value.
Psychic and mediumistic abilities are neither unnatural nor supernatural, as they are a product of natural and intrinsic laws in all human life; which anyone who has had a premonition, or has followed up something as simple as a hunch, will have discovered for themselves. To deny these things exist can mean ignoring an inherent and integral part of our nature, which is as vital as any of our other senses; and we would hardly wish to stop them from working.
Many have been born with psychic and mediumistic abilities, and many have found these abilities naturally unfolding through a variety of spiritual practices. Masters of yoga, tell us that through practising yogic postures and breath awareness, psychic and clairvoyant abilities can develop, even if one is not trying to develop them.
But whatever use these abilities may have, the purpose in developing them should be to help us become aware of our ‘True Nature’ and to expand our spiritual awareness. They should lead and open us to a much wider vision, which expresses itself in every area of our life. The emphasis should be on personal development. This way, the problem of any ability becoming a distraction to spiritual growth, will be less likely.
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Visualisation Exercise
The following exercise is useful for developing one’s power of concentration and visualisation, and for stimulating the psychic senses from a visual and sensing point of view:
(1) Ask a friend to sit quietly for you, as a subject for this exercise. Visualise that you are together in a garden or meadow. Look about you to see what flowers there are. In the garden there will be cultivated flowers of all types. In the meadow there will be a variety of wild flowers. Take time to observe the flowers and get a sense and feel of them.
(2) While keeping in mind the friend you are sitting with; allow your senses to be drawn to one type of flower that represents his or her character and personality. Describe the flower, its colour, its variety and say why it represents these things to you psychically.
(3) Now move onto another type of flower which you feel links with your friend’s emotions and feelings. Say why the flower represents these things.
(4) Let your awareness be drawn to another type of flower which relates to your friend’s potential. Say why the image and colour of the flower is giving you this information.
(5) Now move onto another flower that draws your psychic senses towards it; one which relates to your friend’s spiritual aspirations. Once again, describe the information you are picking up from this flower, and why.
(6) Still in the garden or meadow, move away from your friend and move towards the spirit world that links with him or her. Become aware of a spirit presence that draws you towards another variety of flower. Ask yourself why this flower is being shown to you? How does it relate to that spirit presence? What message does it convey to your friend.
(7) Blend with the spirit presence and become aware of who they are, and what they are trying to convey to you. Ask why this presence is communicating?
(8) When you feel that this communication is ceasing, just sit quietly with your friend in the garden or meadow and start to perceive how nature and colour speak to you.
Note: Those who are artistically inclined, may wish to look for symbols and describe how they convey information to you. Or you may wish to try this exercise by visualising yourself and a friend in a room, standing before an easel with a canvas and some paints. You then visualise painting shapes or a scene which depict the main elements of the exercise, and explain what these shapes or scenes mean.
Those who are musically inclined may wish to find musical scales, chords, songs or hymns which depict the main elements of the exercise.
These visualisations are tools to give the mind something to concentrate on and train its powers of attention. In time you will let go of these props and allow the flow of the psychic self to function naturally.
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