Psychic and Other Powers

Vortices
by
MaatRaAh
High Priest of The Goddesses
Update: September 2015

Whatever name people give to supernatural phenomenon, be it mystical, metaphysical, psychic power, psychic abilities, extrasensory perception (ESP) or paranormal phenomenon, most - about 19 person in 20, or 95% of the population do not believe that they personally possess any special metaphysical gift. Some of this rejection of personal metaphysical ability is due to fear of ridicule. This is shown by the various terms which are used to describe the phenomenon. Mystical powers, the metaphysical, psychic powers, psychic ability, psychic phenomenon, extrasensory perception (ESP) and paranormal ability are sometimes used interchangeable and they all seem to refer to same thing. But there are differences, some of which are subtle while others are extreme. What they all have in common is a stigma which has caused each to be rejected by most of society.

Mysticism has the connotation of occult religions, which of course it is. Mysticism is the very heart of the Mysteries which had occult [hidden] doctrines and rituals. But the occult is deemed as Satanic or evil by the trinity religions, though occult actually refers to the hidden or concealed - that which is not open to normal view or perception. That is precisely what the Mysteries are, knowing what others do not know, seeing what others cannot see; going beyond physics into the metaphysical and embracing the spiritual.

Metaphysical is often used interchangeably with mysticism. But mysticism, whether it is true mysticism or lesser or profane mysticism, it is all part of metaphysics. Metaphysics also has the connotation of "Greek" philosophy with its implicit connection with the Greek religions that Christianity rejects.

"Psychic powers" attempts to lose the association with the religious-mystical-occult-metaphysical. The word "psychic" is derived from St. Paul's use of the Greek, "Psyche" (Pyskios) which the pseudo scientists of 1858 [when the word was coined] believed was the power of the spirit. By 1883 "psychical" powers were being bantered around as not only the power of the spirit but the "expression" (the observable phenomenon) of that powers. Not one of those using the word Psyche knew anything about Psyche and Cupid, which is the key to true "Psychic Power". But among scientists, pseudo scientists and the ignorant who want to cling to religious views which oppose mysticism, "psychic powers" still had a metaphysical, if not occult ring to it. By the turn of the century "Psychic Powers", had taken on the haunting disgrace of mind control which was characterized by the evil domination of Svengali, and the term, "Psychic Ability", came into fashion. Replacing "psychic power" with "psychic ability" made the subject more appealing, but not appealing enough.

In the 1940s, extrasensory perception (ESP) began to replace "psychic ability". But ESP did more by attempting to describe the function of how "psychic abilities' worked; that is, through an "extra" sense of perception, as opposed to the perception of our five senses. The problem is, ESP was a generic catch-phrase which made it the fuel for neo-psychic cult practices. With every "nut-case" and charlatan in the country claiming ESP, extrasensory perception, was no longer considered to be "normal".

To make the subject normal, what could be more normal than "paranormal"? And even though the word, paranormal, had been coined long before, we find paranormal beginning to replace ESP in the early 1960's. Paranormal has a ring of clinical sterility, and it was that sterility that allowed for a wider acceptance of the "study" of the phenomenon in colleges and universities.

But academia, being what it is, had to take the paranormal a step further and invent "parapsychology" in an attempt to add intellectual validity to the subject. After all if the pseudo science of psychology could be accepted as a true science, [which it is not] then why not "parapsychology"? But "parapsychology" and its study of the "paranormal" was still not intellectual enough. This "new science" needed further refinement, so Dr. Rhine at Duke university coined a new word which described the essence of ESP, [whatever that was imagined to be] "psi". Psi is not from the Greek as some would believe, but from "psychic". However, it is quite likely that Rhine chose psi because it has a "Greek" sound.

In the 1940s, extrasensory perception (ESP) began to replace "psychic ability". But ESP did more by attempting to describe the function of how "psychic abilities' worked; that is, through an "extra" sense of perception, as opposed to the perception of our five senses. The problem is, ESP was a generic catch-phrase which made it the fuel for neo-psychic cult practices. With every "nut-case" and charlatan in the country claiming ESP, extrasensory perception, was no longer considered to be "normal". To make the subject normal, what could be more normal than "paranormal"? And even though the word, paranormal, had been coined long before, we find paranormal beginning to replace ESP in the early 1960's. Paranormal has a ring of clinical sterility, and it was that sterility that allowed for a wider acceptance of the "study" of the phenomenon in colleges and universities.

But academia, being what it is, had to take the paranormal a step further and invent "parapsychology" in an attempt to add intellectual validity to the subject. After all if the pseudo science of psychology could be accepted as a true science, [which it is not] then why not "parapsychology"? But "parapsychology" and its study of the "paranormal" was still not intellectual enough. This "new science" needed further refinement, so Dr. Rhine at Duke university coined a new word which described the essence of ESP, [whatever that was imagined to be] "psi". Psi is not from the Greek as some would believe, but from "psychic". However, it is quite likely that Rhine chose psi because it has a "Greek" sound.

When viewed objectively, it appears that what really happened was a new, pseudo science coined a term which had no meaning, in an attempt to describe a subject about which its proponents have little or no knowledge. Still, psi did not go far enough, so the new "in phrase" became [now get ready for this one], "paraconceptual". And just when you would think that paraconceptual had taken the movement as far as credibility would allow, "past life psychology" emerged to prove that there is no limit to absurdity.

I find it strange that science, the very discipline that destroyed mysticism in the first place, would come full circle and attempt to make the mystical into a science. Where Initiates were once instructed in the Mysteries under solemn oath never to reveal what they possessed to the profane, now profane psychologists and profane parapsychologists are using double blind studies to test the "paranormal" abilities of their profane subjects in an attempt to produce psi - which probably does not even exist. To date, despite all those "scientific" studies, there is not one clear case of reproducible paranormal ability.

To be continued.


Copyright 1986, 1990, 1997, 2012, 2015 by Sabrina Aset. All rights reserved.