Mother's Chronicles - Book Three

18

A Skilled Occultist

In spite of all the astonishing happenings at Tlemcen with which we have become acquainted, Mother still had other startling news up her sleeve.

"There were some amazing things," she said.

Then she dropped her bombshell of a revelation. "Theon also showed me how to deflect lightning."

"Can it be done?" asked an astounded Satprem.

"Ah, yes!" she was positive. "He used to do it."

"But it takes a formidable power!"

"Oh, he had a formidable power!" She laughed, "Theon had a formidable power.

"I saw him deflect a bolt of lightning! I SAW it !''

She mused awhile. "One stormy day —there were

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terrible thunderstorms over there- he climbed to the high terrace above the sitting room.

"'It's a strange time to be going up there,' I said to him.

"He started to laugh, 'Come along, don't be afraid!'

"So I went up with him. He began chanting some invocations and then I clearly saw a bolt of lightning that had been heading straight towards us swerve abruptly MIDWAY IN ITS COURSE."

Satprem gasped.

"You'll say it's impossible; but / saw it swerve. It went and struck a tree farther away.

"I asked Theon, 'Did you do that?' He nodded."

Mother left no doubt about the Occultist's power. "Oh, that man was terrible, you know. He had a terrible power. But outwardly, perfectly correct!"

And Theon could outrank any teacher of occultism. "At least, he taught me well occultism. At that time I was really very skilled! I too," Mother added with a laugh, "I have performed a number of miracles! But I set no value on them nor attached any importance to them."

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Sri Aurobindo's sentence will perfectly lit this case. "Great saints have performed miracles; greater saints have railed at them; the greatest have both railed at them and performed them."'

One of the miracles Mirra performed took place on the high seas. This time, Theon went with her on her return journey.

"When I went back from Tlemcen the second time, Theon accompanied me. He was going to go on a tour of Europe."

This was 1907. Not planes but steamships were then the means of transport across the seas, five years later, the Titanic was to sink in North Atlantic.

"While we were at sea, related Mother, "a violent storm broke out. The sea became very rough. High waves lashed the ship continually, tossing it up and down. There was apprehension of a catastrophe. The Captain himself was lull of anxiety and said,

"'The passengers may be in danger.'

"The passengers on board got very nervous, many were rather pale, and some of them even began to cry.

1. Thoughts and Aphorisms.

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"Theon looked at me and said, 'Go and stop it.'

"The Captain was most astonished. He didn't at all understand what Theon meant! But naturally, I did. So I went to my cabin and lay down on the bunk.

"Then, leaving my body there, I went up out of it and moved freely to the open sea. There I found innumerable entities, but formless, madly jumping about. They were the ones that were creating all this havoc! I went near and, approaching them gently, said very sweetly,

"'What can you gain by torturing these poor people?' I appealed to them, 'Please calm down and spare their lives.'

"For half an hour I went on cajoling and remonstrating with them, until they gradually began to calm down. When they had completely ceased their activity, the troubled sea was calm once more.

"I returned to my body and went out of the cabin. Arriving on the saloon-deck I found everybody thoroughly enjoying themselves. They were all gathered at the bar, making merry and boasting," said Mother with half a mocking smile.

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