Printed in the Winter 2023 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Ulics, Rozi, "Members’ Forum: Parapsychology from the Therapist’s Couch" Quest 111:1, pg 9
By Rozi Ulics
Wir sterben viele Tode solange wir leben, der letzte ist nicht der bitterste.
We die many deaths throughout life, the last is not the most bitter.
—Karl Heinrich Waggerl
Many years ago, personal tragedy landed me on the therapist’s couch. My brother had passed away from a brain tumor, and I was struggling to cope. During one particularly intense therapy session, something unexpected happened. A large black bird launched itself from a strand of trees in the distance, soared across the parking lot, and alighted on the ledge outside the window. Fixing me in its gaze, it started to peck at the glass. And then kept pecking—for an uncomfortable length of time. We gaped, my therapist and I. “How remarkable,” she said, more than a little unnerved. “What do you think your Theosophists would say about that!?”
At the time, I had just found the Theosophical Society, and as far as my therapist was concerned, the verdict was still out. It wasn’t the Society’s stance on the paranormal that concerned her, for she was very open-minded. It was more the potential for “cultish” influence that gave her pause—especially for a client already on shaky ground.
I myself wasn’t yet quite sure what “my Theosophists” would say about this black bird. I was still new to Theosophy. Was it an omen? A ghost? A warning? Nothing at all?
To me personally, it seemed like a message: “Come.” Perhaps like many of us, I have always found that the pull of the so-called “other side” has always been a bit stronger for me than life in this one. Even without the guarantee that there even was an “other side,” in my state, the current world seemed pretty meaningless. What was the point?
The powers of the mind, especially when paired with strong emotion, are extraordinary. These powers sometimes get unleashed when we are least in control. High fever, head injury, trauma can cause people to display extraordinary skills not present before. When these are entertaining skills. such as the power to suddenly compose full orchestral sonatas without ever having touched a musical instrument, society nods its head in indulgent approval. But when the power involves invoking the tap-tap-tapping of a raven on our chamber door, then it’s a different story. Superstition or dismissal creep in. Such things are most often explained away as random occurrence. But this is harmful. People who are already struggling become even more confused. Helpful messages are then rejected or misinterpreted. Arbitrary things “out there” happen to us, and the world becomes a very scary place. Who can be surprised when vulnerable people fall under the influence of bad actors then?
Theosophy tells us a different story. The universe is full of meaning. The unexplained powers of the mind are real. They can give us signs to follow to what is authentic in life. Rather than things “out there” happening to us, it is the other way around. The things in the inner world, over which we can have full control if we know how, project out into our environment and draw experience to us. How we respond to these experiences is also in our control, although it takes hard work. And for some of us, professional help.
It seems my powers of the mind were posing a choice I couldn’t ignore, and thankfully my therapist didn’t dismiss. I could either invest in life and be useful, or go already. But I couldn’t stay where I was, feeling sorry for myself and lost.
I bless my therapist for turning me in that moment towards Theosophy. That we have a society where such things as parapsychology and other uncomfortable topics are not only openly explored but given a sensible, nondogmatic context, is remarkable! How lucky we are. What a force for good we can be in the modern world. People are starved for meaning. They are starved to know there is order and purpose in life—even in the events that have no explanation. Ultimately, they are starved to know that they are not alone in this world. If they are not alone, they don’t have to cling to one person or organization to feel safe. Because all of humanity is in this together. That’s the role of the Theosophical Society: to help offer meaning to those who feel meaningless. Because we are all Theosophists in the end. Some of us just need an unnerving tap to know it.
Rozi Ulics is past president of the D.C. National Capital Lodge of the TSA, and has served on the board of directors of the Mid-South Federation and Theosophical Order of Service. She currently serves as Eastern district director on the board of the Theosophical Society in America.