26 Chapter XXVI: The Utilization of Magical Powers
In Chapter XXVI, Vicente Beltrán-Anglada addresses the critical distinction between lower psychic powers and the higher spiritual faculties required for advanced Ashramic work.
As the disciple advances through the training of the Aula del Conocimiento, the latent faculties of the Soul begin to awaken. These are not the lower psychic abilities he once possessed—clairvoyance, astral perception, or psychic displacement—but spiritual powers, the subtle counterparts of the five physical senses, synthesized in intuition and in perfect telepathic transmission and reception.
The author recalls that, during his first meeting with the Master, after being told he would not see Him again for a long time, the Master warned him that he must relinquish certain psychic faculties he had valued deeply. He had believed, in good faith, that these abilities were indispensable for spiritual work. The Master corrected him with unmistakable clarity:
“One cannot penetrate deeply into the spiritual life of an Ashram while carrying the burden of psychic powers. They are astral in nature—remnants of the Atlantean past—and remain subtle enemies of the disciple. Between them and the spiritual purpose, you must place the mind’s discernment and the will.”
This renunciation, though simple in principle, is often painful. Many disciples had built part of their occult exploration upon these psychic tendencies. But the Ashram’s purpose is not to cultivate astral sensitivity; it is to develop the mind into a beacon of light capable of illuminating both the spiritual and material worlds, revealing the mission of the causal Self and the evolving personality.
Such mental development is impossible if the astral body remains overly sensitive to psychic impacts or attached to powers that should have been dismantled as humanity entered the early subraces of the Fifth Aryan Race.
The author testifies that, during his training in the Aula del Aprendizaje, he gradually lost the psychic powers he had possessed since youth. In their place, he rapidly developed the mental principle, rising from the ajna center toward the crown.
All true spiritual powers unfold as the Antakarana progresses—the luminous bridge between the higher centers of the head and the two brain zones involved in the process. As the disciple builds this bridge, aiming toward spiritual intuition, the physical brain suffers. The Antakarana is woven of solar fire, and when this fire converges into the brain through the etheric nadis—the subtle aspect of the nervous system—it produces genuine “burns.” The energies of the Antakarana strike the brain cells and perform a real alchemy of transmutation, based on the activity of creative fire.
The author affirms this from experience. To enter the Aula del Conocimiento, he had to endure these “fiery transmutations” and withstand the pain of the brain cells receiving the impact of the Antakarana’s fire. At times the pain was so intense that it felt as though his head might burst. Then came a period of relative calm, during which—between one wave of pain and the next—intuition and subtle telepathic receptivity to the Master’s will began to unfold.
Other disciples, assuming different responsibilities, developed other spiritual powers: psychometry (reading the akashic records), clairaudience, and higher mental clairvoyance. The Master considered that intuition and telepathic receptivity were the most useful for the author’s assigned mission. Yet, exceptionally, he sometimes perceived the hidden world through those other powers, knowing that the evolution of time would eventually lead him, like many others, to the full development of all the powers of the Soul.
Keynotes
Renunciation of Lower Psychism: Upon entering the Ashram, the Master instructed the author to abandon astral clairvoyance and psychic displacement. These are described as "Atlantis reminiscences" and subtle enemies that hinder deep spiritual penetration.
The Path of the Mind: The goal of the Ashram is to develop the mind into a "lighthouse" that provides direct perception of both the spiritual and material worlds. This requires a mental principle that is no longer sensitive to astral impacts.
Transmutation via Antakarana: True spiritual powers (Intuition and Telepathy) develop through the building of the Antakarana. The author describes this process as physically painful, as the "solar fire" of the Antakarana causes "actual burns" in the brain cells in the process of alchemical transmutation.
Specialized Spiritual Powers: While all disciples eventually develop all soul powers, the Master encourages specific faculties based on their mission. For the author, intuition and telepathic receptivity were prioritized over psychometry or high-level mental clairvoyance.
Summary
| Faculty Type | Source/Nature | Author's Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Psychic | Astral; remnants of the past. | Sacrificed during the transition from the Hall of Learning to the Hall of Knowledge. |
| Mental Principle | Development of the Ajna toward the Coronary center. | Rapidly developed as the lower powers faded. |
| Antakarana | A bridge of light created by solar fire. | Caused "atrocious pain" in the brain cells during the transmutation process. |
| Causal Powers | Synthesis of the five physical senses into Intuition. | Became his primary tool for fulfilling the Master's mission. |
The "Igneous Transmutations"
The author honestly recounts a period of intense physical suffering where it felt as though his "head would explode." This stage was necessary to clear the etheric nadis (the subtle nervous system) and allow the high-frequency energy of the Soul to manifest as clear, telepathic reception of the Master's will.