Swami Panchadasi

Lessons in Clairvoyance and Occult Powers Swami Panchadasi

The "occult" is Latin for clandestine or secret. However, in common parlance the "occult" now refers to knowledge that is secret or hidden, specifically paranormal knowledge. While evidence based experimentation is more properly in the realm of science, the occult is the study of a spiritual reality that is difficult to quantify and measure. Throughout history, the occult has dominated magical organizations, cults, and some orders of ill repute, which has likely encouraged many people to overlook its teachings. Today, the occult represents a growing science based on spirituality and the supernatural. The teachings present within this genre may seem foreign to the uninitiated, even implausible, however it would be foolhardy to dismiss the occult as pure fantasy. Generally, the genre is aimed at teaching the "the inner nature of things," a topic we probably all know to be familiar but difficult to verbalize. Arthur Schopenhauer designates this "inner nature" with the term "Will." He suggests that that science and mathematics are unable to penetrate beyond the relationship between one thing and another in order to explain the "inner nature" of a thing itself, independent of any external causal relationship of other "things." Ultimately, by defining a thing solely in terms of its external relationship or effects, we are limited in our discovery; we can determine only the external or explicit nature of something. In contrast, the study of the occult seeks to discover the "inner nature" of something, that intangible quality we are aware of but is difficult to measure. Historically, if something possessed a characteristic we could not explain, it was said to have "occult" properties. For example, before humans uncovered the science behind magnetism, magnetic fields and their mysterious pull on objects were considered occult properties. This classification should be telling for the discerning reader. Studying the occult raises awareness of qualities we have difficulty explaining but nonetheless observe. This book ventures to educate the reader about exactly those qualities, and more importantly, how to use them. The chapters are organized in lessons, each dedicated to a specific practice or power. For example, the first chapter is entitled "The Astral Senses" which discusses how the familiar five senses that humans possess are inadequate to describe the true capabilities of man. The second chapter aims to provide a foundation for two meta-human capabilities we know as telepathy and clairvoyance. While modern television and popular movies have certainly conflated these very real abilities to only that of the super human, this book adopts a scientific approach on how to adapt our current knowledge on the subjects to serve a function. Panchadasi has written an in depth foundation for many occult powers that is certain to enlighten even the most incredulous of readers.