Tuesday, November 23, 2004
AskMoses - What's Judaism's opinion in regard to psychics?
AskMoses: What's Judaism's opinion in regard to psychics?
There is no doubt that there exists people who possess genuine powers. The question remains: how are these powers to be regarded Does the fact that one possesses an inborn tendency towards spirituality indicate that this person is inherently holy?
The answer is no. In Judaism, the prophet (one who is able to foresee future events with absolute accuracy and unmatched precision) is regarded with the greatest admiration. Yet the psychic, possessed of seemingly identical ability, is at best regarded with apprehension.
The difference lies in the source of these spiritual powers. A prophet's powers do not stem from within him. It is a Divine influx which comes from without, from above. A prophetic experience occurs independent of the prophet; he is merely a conduit for it. The powers are generated and initiated by the will of G-d. The prophet must prepare himself for the eventuality, but ultimately he is but a vehicle for the manifestation of the Divine Will. The source of a psychic's abilities, on the other hand, is from within. Their spiritual intuition originates from within themselves. Because of the dissimilarity, there exists a marked distinction of quality between the psychic and the prophet. While the prophet is distinguished as a man of extreme humility and humbleness, prevalent character traits of many psychics are self-centeredness, ego and at times, even arrogance.
In a sense, the innate psychic power is a talent like any other talent, much like a musical ability, an artistic sensitivity and the like. Being that it is an inborn talent, a natural gift and not a revelation from above, it is subject to free will. On the other hand, prophecy or any other form of Divine inspiration is a direct expression of the supernatural, an emanation originating from above. Consequently, it is intrinsically divine and holy.
Since psychic power is a human potential, like any other human potential it is amoral, that is to say, neither moral nor immoral. It can be used in a positive manner or used in a negative manner. The power itself has no intrinsic value--it is neither good nor bad. You thus have good psychics and not-so-good psychics.
Sarah Levi
There is no doubt that there exists people who possess genuine powers. The question remains: how are these powers to be regarded Does the fact that one possesses an inborn tendency towards spirituality indicate that this person is inherently holy?
The answer is no. In Judaism, the prophet (one who is able to foresee future events with absolute accuracy and unmatched precision) is regarded with the greatest admiration. Yet the psychic, possessed of seemingly identical ability, is at best regarded with apprehension.
The difference lies in the source of these spiritual powers. A prophet's powers do not stem from within him. It is a Divine influx which comes from without, from above. A prophetic experience occurs independent of the prophet; he is merely a conduit for it. The powers are generated and initiated by the will of G-d. The prophet must prepare himself for the eventuality, but ultimately he is but a vehicle for the manifestation of the Divine Will. The source of a psychic's abilities, on the other hand, is from within. Their spiritual intuition originates from within themselves. Because of the dissimilarity, there exists a marked distinction of quality between the psychic and the prophet. While the prophet is distinguished as a man of extreme humility and humbleness, prevalent character traits of many psychics are self-centeredness, ego and at times, even arrogance.
In a sense, the innate psychic power is a talent like any other talent, much like a musical ability, an artistic sensitivity and the like. Being that it is an inborn talent, a natural gift and not a revelation from above, it is subject to free will. On the other hand, prophecy or any other form of Divine inspiration is a direct expression of the supernatural, an emanation originating from above. Consequently, it is intrinsically divine and holy.
Since psychic power is a human potential, like any other human potential it is amoral, that is to say, neither moral nor immoral. It can be used in a positive manner or used in a negative manner. The power itself has no intrinsic value--it is neither good nor bad. You thus have good psychics and not-so-good psychics.
Sarah Levi
