There are many who seek after various powers, and study occultism and mysticism with the purpose of achieving unique ‘super powers’. Traditional practices of yoga, while acknowledging that certain powers may result from the practices, make it clear that they are not the object and, indeed, should not be developed or used when they arise, as they can lead to distraction and failure to achieve the true object of yoga in the form of liberation and oneness of the Self.

In a world where many people feel helpless, and powerless against forces far beyond their control, we find that popular culture is fixated on the development of superpowers and their uses to provide a balancing force against the overwhelming issues that we face in the world today, both on a macro and on an individual level.

Sri Aurobindo takes a different view by examining the role and importance of these developing powers of perception and action that come about through entry into the inner planes of consciousness, which are in touch with the larger subtle physical, vital, mental and overmental ranges, and the powers that operate at those levels and in those planes. For Sri Aurobindo, the goal is not to seek after these powers, but as the seeker enters into the inner realms, these things arise naturally and should be understood as part of the process of the growth of consciousness and its widening beyond the limitations of the body-life-mind complex and the ego-personality.

He points out that the active individual is generally under the manipulation and control of powers and forces that remain for the most part unseen by him. In order to extricate oneself from the control of these forces, the individual needs to be able to see and understand the hidden springs and impulsions to action that actually push him into action.

People are now starting to become aware, generally, of the subtle influence of targeted misinformation and tightly controlled ‘messaging’ on the opinions and ideas one accepts. In today’s world, with the advent of the information-gathering and sorting capabilities of modern technology and artificial intelligence applications, every detail of an individual’s existence, contacts, relationships, preferences, income and social status, habits and interests are now collected and specific messaging is then fed through social media, news and advertising to elicit the response desired by those undertaking this manipulation, whether for political or economic gain. This is obviously an extreme application that has become much more pervasive with the rise of modern internet technology and AI, but there is no doubt that political and economic power manipulated results throughout human history. What is not generally seen is that behind these overt forces, there are larger powers at work on the mental, vital and subtle physical planes that use the tools available at any point in time, to maintain control over the individual. It is through the process of gaining inner knowledge and understanding, that the seeker can see these forces at work and thereby begin the process of liberating oneself from their control and stand outside the process, first as a witness consciousness, and later with a form of mastery over their action in the being.

Sri Aurobindo notes: “The utility of psychic experiences and knowledge of the invisible worlds as of other yogic experiences is not to be measured by our narrow human notions of what may be useful for the present physical life of man. In the first place these things are necessary for the fulness of the consciousness and the completeness of the being. In the second place these other worlds are actually working upon us. And if you know and can enter into them then instead of being the victims and puppets of these powers we can consciously deal with, control and use them. Thirdly, in my yoga, the yoga of the supramental, the opening of the psychic consciousness to which these experiences belong is quite indispensable. For it is only through the psychic opening that the supramental can fully descend with a strong and concrete grasp and transform the mental, vital and physical being.” Sri Aurobindo, Integral Yoga: Sri Aurobindo’s Teaching and Method of Practice, Chapter 7, Experiences and Realisations, Supraphysical Vision, Audition, Sensation, pp. 189-193

Author's Bio: 

Santosh has been studying Sri Aurobindo's writings since 1971 and has a daily blog at and podcast at He is author of 16 books and is editor-in-chief at Lotus Press. He is president of Institute for Wholistic Education, a non-profit focused on integrating spirituality into daily life.