Spiritual Life
Psychic Defense for Yogis
A Yogic Manual on Psychic Phenomena, Protection, and Self-Mastery
Psychic Defense for Yogis addresses a subject frequently surrounded by fear, sensationalism, superstition, or outright dismissal. Swami Nirmalananda Giri approaches psychic phenomena differently: with the sobriety of a lifelong practitioner of yoga who insists that spiritual seekers must avoid both credulity and skepticism.
The book explains what is meant by psychic influence, psychic attack, and psychic defense within the traditional yogic understanding of the subtle dimensions of human existence. It also distinguishes genuine psychic phenomena from physical, psychological, and emotional conditions that may easily be mistaken for them.
Its purpose is not to make readers fearful. On the contrary, Swami Nirmalananda repeatedly emphasizes caution, balance of mind, discrimination, and self-mastery. The danger lies as much in becoming fascinated or frightened by psychic phenomena as in refusing to recognize them when discernment is genuinely required.
Drawing upon decades of spiritual practice and firsthand experience, the book examines forms and symptoms of psychic disturbance, practical means of protection, the use of prayer and mantra, Soham theurgy, protective objects, and traditional yogic perspectives on more serious forms of psychic interference. Throughout, inner stability and sound spiritual practice remain the foundation.
Psychic Defense for Yogis is therefore not a manual of psychic combat. It is a practical guide to maintaining clarity and spiritual independence while navigating experiences that serious meditators and spiritual seekers may sometimes encounter. Its ultimate concern is not psychic phenomena themselves, but the yogi’s continued progress toward freedom and Self-realization.
A book to live with
Why Read This Book?
Distinguish psychic phenomena from fear and imagination by approaching unusual experiences with neither automatic disbelief nor the assumption that every disturbance is an attack.
Develop discernment in spiritual practice by separating genuine psychic influence, physical or psychological causes, and fascination with phenomena that can itself obstruct the path.
Learn practical yogic methods of protection involving spiritual discipline, prayer, mantra, Soham practice, theurgy, and other means of maintaining inner stability.
Make self-mastery the real defense through clarity of consciousness, ethical stability, disciplined meditation, and spiritual independence.
Experience the writing
From the Book
From the Book
Neither Superstition nor Skepticism
The most important principle in the consideration of psychic attack and psychic defense is to beware of both oversimplification and over-romanticizing. It is a serious mistake to cry “psychic attack” at every disturbance when, as Scrooge told Marley’s ghost, it might just be “a bit of undigested cheese or underdone potato” that has been eaten, or some other alteration in body chemistry that we are experiencing. However, it is also a serious mistake to ignore the signals and be slow in determining the real state of things. I am saying this because caution and balance of mind are necessary lest our knowledge of these things degenerate into either baseless superstition or baseless skepticism.
From the BookWhat Do We Mean by Psychic?+
First of all, what do we mean by “psychic,” “psychic attack” and “psychic defense”? The word “psychic” refers to the subtle levels of our own nature and that of the worlds which metaphysicians call “astral” and “causal.” These are very real levels of subtle energies that exist in us and all things in the material universe. The astral and causal levels and energies link us and the world of relative existence with the psychic levels which are above and separate from them. Each one of us is a complex entity consisting of four basic levels: spirit, causal energies, astral energies and matter. Except for spirit, which is consciousness, the other levels consist of vibrating energies of various sorts.
Since these simple facts are unknown to most people, most of the time psychic attack is not even recognized for what it is, and if it is, few people know how to shield themselves from it. For we are speaking of psychic defense, not counterattack.
From the BookThe Real Defense Is Inner Strength+
Avoid those who are obsessed with evil and the Devil, demons and black magicians, etc., and keep company with those who are devoted to God and his holy ones.
Though thousands of words have been produced on the subject of psychic defense, in the final summation it will be seen that the secret of psychic defense is simply strength within one’s own spirit-self. If our physical, psychic and spiritual levels are all strongly vibrating with higher consciousness, the “whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11-13), then we are effortlessly invincible. The motto “God is my strength,” is no poetic fancy, but bedrock fact. So our real defense is good spiritual health.
The best psychic defense is to keep up the level of your personal energies. If you do so, many onslaughts of negativity will be so effortlessly and automatically turned back that you will not even be aware of them.
In time of negative bombardment, the correct method of defense is to put your mind fully on God. For the essence of defense is strength of personal vibration. When your aura is strong with the Divine Light, no evil thing can penetrate it. Therefore the constant japa and meditation of Soham are the highest defenses. Again, I strongly recommend that you obtain and read the book, Soham Yoga: The Yoga of the Self.
