Phenomena

Phenomena is the plural of the Greek word phenomenon (φαινόμενoν), and refers to any occurrence that is observable. The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with noumenon, the "thing-in-itself" that is not directly accessible to observation.

In Theosophical literature the word is often applied with the meaning of "appearances" or "illusion", in a similar sense to the Hindu concept of maya.

A second usage is related to psychic and occult manifestations which, though regarded as "miracles" by the masses, are in reality "manifestations of natural law". These phenomena are produced by the occultist through his/her will-power:

Occult manifestations are produced by the will of the Occultist, that one or a hundred men should see realities, generally hidden from the profane, e.g., certain things and persons thousands of miles away, whose astral images are brought within the view of the audience.

H. P. Blavatsky qualifies the different kinds of phenomena with several adjectives such as physical, psychic, mental, occult, and spiritual.

Physical phenomena

Many of the physical phenomena were related to spiritualistic occurrences such as raps, materializations, etc.

As a rule, physical phenomena are produced by the nature-spirits, of their own motion and to please their own fancy, still good disembodied human spirits, under exceptional circumstances, such as the aspiration of a pure heart or the occurrence of some favoring emergency, can manifest their presence by any of the phenomena except personal materialization.

Psychic phenomena

But, while it is our firm belief that most of the physical manifestations, i.e., those which neither need nor show intelligence nor great discrimination, are produced mechanically by the scin-lecca (double) of the medium, as a person in sound sleep will when apparently awake do things of which he will retain no remembrance. The purely subjective phenomena are but in a very small proportion of cases due to the action of the personal astral body. They are mostly, and according to the moral, intellectual, and physical purity of the medium, the work of either the elementary, or sometimes very pure human spirits. Elementals have naught to do with subjective manifestations. In rare cases it is the divine spirit of the medium himself that guides and produces them.

Consequences of their production

The production of phenomena is not without a price. It involves the use of elementals, altering the natural balance, and needing the use of an important amount of energy:

The production of phenomena is not possible without either the aid or disturbance of elementals. Each phenomenon entails the expenditure of great force, and also brings on a correspondingly great disturbance in the elemental world, which disturbance is beyond the limit natural to ordinary human life. It then follows that, as soon as the phenomenon is completed, the disturbance occasioned begins to be compensated for. The elementals are in greatly excited motion, and precipitate themselves in various directions. They are not able to affect those who are protected. But they are able, or rather it is possible for them, to enter into the sphere of unprotected persons, and especially those persons who are engaged in the study of occultism. And then they become agents in concentrating the karma of those persons, producing troubles and disasters often, or other difficulties which otherwise might have been so spread over a period of time as to be not counted more than the ordinary vicissitudes of life. This will go to explain the meaning of the statement that an Adept will not do a phenomenon unless he sees the desire in the mind of another lower or higher Adept or student; for then there is a sympathetic relation established, and also a tacit acceptance of the consequences which may ensue. It will also help to understand the peculiar reluctance often of some persons, who can perform phenomena, to produce them in cases where we may think their production would be beneficial; and also why they are never done in order to compass worldly ends, as is natural for worldly people to suppose might be done,—such as procuring money, transferring objects, influencing minds, and so on.

The display of phenomena was reluctantly allowed by the Masters. One of them wrote to Mr. Sinnett that the production of "real, genuine phenomena" had brought them "well nigh into the Chohan's disgrace". In spite of the Masters' reticence and the negative effects their production had on her health, Mme. Blavatsky insisted that this was promoting the cause of the Masters. As Mahatma K.H. wrote in one of his letters:

And thus she kept on killing herself inch by inch, ready to give — for our benefit and glory, as she thought — her life-blood drop by drop.

Phenomena produced by H. P. Blavatsky

• The Portrait of the Yogi Tiravalla is a painting produced in New York, in December 1877, mentioned in Mahatma Letter Number 92.
• The Pillow incident is mentioned in Mahatma Letter Number 5.
• The Brooch incident is mentioned in Mahatma Letter Number 5.

See also

• Psychism
• Siddhi

Online resources

Articles

• Occult Phenomena by H. P. Blavatsky
• What of Phenomena? by H. P. Blavatsky
• Imagination and Occult Phenomena by William Q. Judge
• What Do We Know about Psychic Phenomena? by Lawrence LeShan
• Psychic Phenomena and the Early Theosophical Society by Pablo Sender

Audio

• Spiritual Powers and Psychic Phenomenon by L. Gordon Plummer