During the process of this evolution, this unfoldment, various transformations arise in the individual upon five different levels of his being. On the physical level, various changes and experiences are seen. Upon the psycho-mental level (the mind and the Prana), certain changes take place, certain abilities come in the natural course, and certain phenomena are witnessed, subjectively by some, and objectively by others. Thirdly, certain phenomena occur at the level of the astral plane which is even more interior than the psycho-mental level. Fourth, you have your spiritual level, and with spiritual unfoldment, you begin to experience many inner experiences. Here it is more subjective, and it is the seeker who is aware of what is going on, and not other people who are not able to know, for it is a still finer realm, still deeper, in the depths of his being. The fifth is the highest level of super-Consciousness. It is universal consciousness—God Consciousness—and upon this level, the phenomena that are witnessed are the true miracles as we know them. Christ operated upon this level and whatever was witnessed in His life was the manifestation of the glory and the power of this supreme level of cosmic consciousness, of Divine Consciousness. He performed the miracles not as an individual, but as a Divine Being.
So, upon all five levels of the Yogi’s being, occult phenomena are witnessed. When the practice of Yoga is started in earnest, even the physical processes like the Yogic postures and breathing exercises, or a little concentrated attention on the breath in Pranayama, may bring various mystical experiences.
If one honestly tries to practise the Yogasanas (Yogic postures) and keeps on with this practice until one acquires what is known as Asanajaya or “Victory over posture”, extraordinary sensations may be experienced from time to time. You may feel that you weigh a ton, that you are pressing into the earth and the earth itself is being depressed with your weight, that you are so heavy that nothing can move you from that place. At times you may feel the very opposite of this and feel feather-light (absolutely weightless) and you may not even be aware that you are sitting. Both of these experiences come when one attains Asanajaya, but they are subjective experiences. At other times, when sitting in one of the meditative poses, one may get ‘jerks’; and it is not uncommon, when one of these poses is held for quite some time, for the aspirant to find himself seated several feet away from where he was at first seated. This is not actual levitation, there is no injury to the aspirant, nor is the aspirant aware of the movement. This is something that anyone who has been doing Asanas for a long time may experience in the course of a year or two. This is why many Masters ask aspirants not to sit in any high place, on boulders, etc. Rather, the aspirants are asked to sit in a room with something covering the floor.
How does this come about? In Hatha Yoga, much insistence has been placed upon purification. Yoga means “the ascending into purity”. When this purification process is at work, there come about changes in the body cells, and also changes in the psychic energy through the various inner currents or channels (“Nadis” as they are called). When this happens, a new nerve current, which hitherto has been inactive, is set into motion by the prevalence of an excess of Sattva in the body, and the body reacts, and sometimes these ‘jerks’ are experienced.
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Next: Chapter 2: Occult Phenomena—Their Place In Yoga, 3.Some Psychic Powers
Energy Enhancement Enlightened Texts Sri Swami Sivananda The Path Beyond Sorrow
Chapter 2
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, The term Yoga, unfortunately, has been connected with notions of strange and extraordinary experiences, mysterious occurrences and mystical powers. The term Yogi is popularly understood to mean not an adept in Yoga, but one capable of doing certain things which ordinary people are not able to do. In a way this is true, as a Yogi is capable of doing certain things which are not possible for many persons, but a Yogi should not be conceived of merely as one who is capable of flying through the air, going without food for months and being buried alive underground for several weeks, or of such other feats as are considered spectacular, extraordinary and unbelievable unless seen at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 1.Yoga Is Conscious Hastening of the Process of Evolution
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 1.Yoga Is Conscious Hastening of the Process of Evolution, First of all, it is necessary for us to have a clear conception of what the Yogic way of life is. The destiny of the human being is evolution and we are all progressing towards ultimate perfection, since we are all meant to realize once again our innate divinity. However, the normal course of human evolution is very, very slowperhaps spread over countless years and requiring many lives, taking only a few progressive steps in each life at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 2.Changes Upon Five Levels of the Yogis Being
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 2.Changes Upon Five Levels of the Yogis Being, During the process of this evolution, this unfoldment, various transformations arise in the individual upon five different levels of his being. On the physical level, various changes and experiences are seen. Upon the psycho-mental level (the mind and the Prana), certain changes take place, certain abilities come in the natural course, and certain phenomena are witnessed, subjectively by some, and objectively by others at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 3.Some Psychic Powers
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 3.Some Psychic Powers, On the psycho-mental level it is the very common experience of those who have done a little sincere seeking (whether they have known it by the name of Yoga or just been seeking and practising certain physical exercises) to find that they have developed certain abilities. The most common of these abilities or inner occult experiences is thought-reading. You may be talking to someone, and before the other person speaks, you know what that person will say at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 4.Pure Occultism Which Is Not Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 4.Pure Occultism Which Is Not Yoga, Here I have to tell you a fact of which you had better take serious note. The first three powers upon the mental level, the psycho-mental level, and the astral levelall these powers one can have by sheer effort. If the necessary effort, with determination, is made, one can develop them. In Yoga they come through purification, and in the second case, which I have just mentioned, they come through will-power, practice and unceasing efforts at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 5.Playing With Kundalini Is Playing With Fire
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 5.Playing With Kundalini Is Playing With Fire, When your spiritual practice takes the form of Kundalini Yoga and you begin the inner occult process of Hatha Yoga, then, with the rise of the power of the Kundalini from the lower mystical centres (Chakras) into the higher mystical centres, which are in the occult body of each being, there arise various extraordinary powers and experiences at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 6.Persons Blessed with Mystic Powers
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 6.Persons Blessed with Mystic Powers, There is a totally different type of mystic phenomena and powers that come through the Grace of God and a person who has not practised any of the Yogic techniques may just obtain all of these powers spontaneously. This happens only when God wants to make use of a person for some Divine purpose and He has found a person who, through absolute life-long moral perfection, is found fit as a perfect channel, as an instrument which is fit and worthy at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 7.Occult Powers and the Spiritual Seeker
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 7.Occult Powers and the Spiritual Seeker, What is the place of these various inner powers in Yoga? What are their uses and abuses? What is the attitude of the true seeker to these powers? What are the attitudes of Masters towards these powers? What is the place of these powers and the various experiences in the life of the Yogi? at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 8.Uses of Occult Phenomena
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 8.Uses of Occult Phenomena, To seekers, to aspirants, to those who want God and are trying to make use of their life to attain God, there is no question of the uses of these powers, for the true seeker just ignores them, and for him they have no content or value, but are things which he passes by on the way. However, if I may speak of these powers independently of the seeker, then there are uses to which these powers can be put, in a limited way. Supposing a person is not in any way a seeker of God, and especially if these powers are in the nature of healing, or magnetism or of prophetic vision (where one is able to know of certain things before they happen, due to clairaudience or clairvoyance), then use may be made of them, but it has been observed that in such situations when these powers are made use of, after some time, they leave the individual at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 9.Avoid All Occult Phenomena
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 9.Avoid All Occult Phenomena, On the lower level, these occult powers can become the greatest of corrupters, the greatest of obstacles for all true seekers. Ultimately, seekers have to realise God and once one has realised through his own discrimination that everything except God is just transitory, evanescent, just a shadow-play, a momentary thing with which one has no lasting connection, once one knows this, then everything except He, from the little speck of dust to the highest power, all occult phenomena, mystical experiences, become devoid of substance. They all partake of the same nature of this passing, transitory, evanescent world. They are not real. They are not true and they have no ultimate value, no inherent worth at energyenhancement.org
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