Q: Some people say that the Soul cannot influence the physical world, because it is an immaterial essence. Others contend that the Soul does indeed operate on the physical world, and point to various miracles attested to in different spiritual traditions as evidence for their claims. What is correct?

A: We see there is a spectrum of postures through which the Soul relates to the personality and the world, which encompasses both of these viewpoints. Here is the range:

1. No relationship between the Soul and the physical world and personality – during different segments of the Soul’s journey across the Continuum of Consciousness, it has an experience that it does not wish to transmit through the personality, so we see no evidence of the Soul’s activity.
2. Correspondence – In this posture, we see the one-to-one correspondence of karma layered on the tracks behind the Soul (Adi Karma), behind the Soul’s vehicles (stored Kriyaman Karma), or in the unopened channels of the Nada (Sinchit Karma) and behavior or physical symptoms. When this karma underlying the condition is effaced, the symptoms ameliorate and disappear. Long-standing bad habits, mysterious aches and pains, and chronic illnesses can be seen to drop away as these karmic precursors are dissolved.
3. Spiritual gift – In this scenario, the Soul anchors one or more of its abilities via an energetic connection to the physical brain, which you can access voluntarily in your waking state of consciousness, upon request. Artistic and psychic gifts commonly express through this pathway.
4. Direction – In this type, the Higher Self directs the behavior of the personality through an inner commandment. It may overrule your choices that arise from the level of the ego and the Self, and guide your personality to carry out your Soul Purpose. This overshadowing of the personality typically occurs when your Soul undergoes the Third Planetary Initiation.
5. Detectible change in matter and energy – The academic discipline of parapsychology has, as its mission, an inquiry to determine whether a spiritual being can create a change in matter or energy. They have studied phenomena such as moving objects with the mind (telekinesis); deformation of physical objects, like Uri Geller’s spoon bending; influence of healing energy on the growth of plants or the rate of healing of wounds; and the purported levitation of objects or the physical body, among others. When psychic powers awaken in the Soul, some people experience these phenomena spontaneously arise. A few individuals train themselves to produce them at will.
6. Miraculous change in energy and matter – Miracles recounted in the world’s scriptures—walking on water, teleportation, manifesting food for the multitudes, and resurrecting a dead body, among many others—appear to operate from the interface with the higher volitional nexus, which we call the siddhi yantra, and the subatomic matrix substanding matter. There are many anecdotal stories of living savants and seers, who demonstrate these miraculous powers (siddhis), after having opened these strata of the mind where these potential abilities dwell. We show our students in the Mudrashram® Advanced Course in Meditation where to locate these siddhi yantras, and to assess the powers which are now available to their Soul.
7. Transmutation of matter – in the alchemical lore of the Western mysteries and the legends of the Shaivite Siddhars, through secret methods, initiates learn to transmute lead into gold, charcoal into diamonds, and sand into precious gems. The legend of the Philosopher’s stone hints at this ability; the methods to make this stone, alas, are veiled in cryptic language and symbol—opaque to all but those who have been trained to penetrate the arcane language to identify the intimate secrets of the craft.

Most aspirants, during their spiritual journey, will experience elements of types two to five. Types six and seven are much rarer—special training is required to wrest these powers from their hidden lair, and to uncover the secrets of miracles and transmutation. We suggest that exploration of the volitional channel along its higher octaves will disclose where your potential siddhis dwell, and will allow you to determine whether your Soul has chosen to express them. We further point out that the Soul may not choose to manifest powers that have no relevance to its mission and purpose, so many miracle-manifesting abilities are left dormant as the Soul progressively journeys to the shores of Mastery and Liberation.

We train those who complete one of our intermediate classes, the in-person Mudrashram® Master Course in Meditation or the by-mail and online Accelerated Meditation Program and take the Mudrashram® Advanced Course in Meditation in accessing this volitional channel as part of our advanced Raja Yoga training.

Those who are interested in learning to develop their psychic powers may enjoy taking The Psychic Powers Workshop available on the Public section of our Public Webinar Access page.