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".[1] 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.[2]
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.[3]
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.[4]
Phenomena ascribed to H. P. Blavatsky
- The Pillow incident is mentioned in Mahatma Letter Number 5.
- The Brooch incident is mentioned in Mahatma Letter Number 5.
Notes
- ↑ Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence Appendix I (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 476.
- ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Collected Writings vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 132.
- ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 320-321.
- ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 597.