What is a miracle? According to Chamber's Dictionary, miracle is "an event or act which breaks a law of nature, especially one attributed to deity or supernatural force; a marvel, a wonder." Magic is defined as "the art of producing marvellous results by compelling the aid of spirits, or by using the secret forces of nature such as the power supposed to reside in certain objects as 'givers of life'; enchantment; sorcery; the art of producing illusions by sleight of hand; a secret of mysterious power over the imagination or will."

The Old and the New Testaments mention the miraculous phenomena performed by Moses and Jesus. Similar astonishing and most wonderful events are invariably reported as an occurrence in the lives of great beings like the Buddha, Zarathushtra and the apostles of Christ. A modern man or a man of science may class these as superstition or attribute them to human credulity. But the fact is that such miraculous events have been reported, century after century, among men of the east as well as the west, and are often well attested by men of keen intellect, high caliber and unimpeachable repute. Western travellers in the east have given vivid accounts of miraculous phenomena performed by fakirs and yogis. In the face of such vast testimony, one cannot continue to take an obstinate stand that seemingly miraculous events are all imaginary, sleight of hand, trickery, superstition, mere human credulity or hallucination.

If miracle is defined as an event or act which breaks a law of nature, we may inquire: Do any of the "miraculous" performances—such as, walking on water or rising in the air, defying the law of gravitation, appearing simultaneously at two places, healing the sick, raising the dead—involve breaking any laws of nature?

But what laws are we referring to? Are these the laws so far discovered by men of science—laws which have been established in the laboratories through repeated scientific experiments, giving consistent, measurable results in a given environment? Even if we refer to the laws established by science, are all so-called scientific laws infallible? Has science fully explored all the realms, discovered and established a firm framework of laws to which no more can be added subtracted or changed? We know very well that this is not true. Scientific history is full of hypotheses, contradictions, revisions and improvement of what was once considered to be finalities.

Laws work all the time, whether we know about them or not. Moreover, it is not the sole prerogative of scientific men to discover and know these laws. Their methods and their instruments may be more or less adequate to investigate the physical realm, but the same are ineffective to fathom deeper, invisible realms.

Behind the visible, tangible world, there exists an invisible but real world that has not yet been explored by our science. Man as well as nature possesses an invisible "astral" nature. It has its own laws. Science does not believe in the existence of "astral" nature and hence excludes a major influencing factor in the performance of all phenomena. Even the most thorough examination of an event by science is often like an attempt to describe an elephant by holding his trunk alone, or his tail, or his leg—without a synthetic view. What happens then is that the phenomenon is explained away as a superstition, or gullibility of ignorant men. Many others are bewildered, astonished and lured into believing it to be an act of some superhuman being or a miraculous intervention of God.

Theosophy does not deny nor ignore the physical laws discovered by science. It admits all such as are proven, but it asserts the existence of others which modify the action of those we ordinarily know. Behind all the visible phenomena is the occult cosmos with its ideal machinery; that occult cosmos can only be fully understood by means of the inner senses which pertain to it; those senses will not be easily developed if their existence is denied. (The Ocean of Theosophy, p. 153)

The performance of miraculous phenomena requires extensive knowledge of the various now forgotten branches of natural science, thorough acquaintance with all the properties of the vegetable, animal and mineral kingdoms, expertise in occult chemistry and physics, psychology as well as physiology. It requires an intimate practical knowledge of the laws of electricity and magnetism and their effect on human and lower kingdoms of nature. And above all, it requires a perfected human will, combined with powerful imagination. This is the reason why Theosophy emphatically states:

We believe in no Magic which transcends the scope and capacity of the human mind, nor in "miracle," whether divine or diabolical, if such imply a transgression of the laws of nature instituted from all eternity. Nevertheless, we accept the saying of the gifted author of Festus, that the human heart has not yet fully uttered itself, and that we have never attained or even understood the extent of its powers. (Isis Unveiled, p. v)

Further, in the article "The Science of Magic," she writes:

The exercise of magical power is the exercise of natural powers, but SUPERIOR to the ordinary functions of Nature. A miracle is not a violation of the laws of Nature, except for ignorant people. Magic is but a science, a profound knowledge of the Occult forces in Nature, and of the laws governing the visible or the invisible world.

Those who possess such powers are called by many names—Mahatmas, Masters, Elder Brothers, Magi, Sages, Seers, Adepts. They desire no recognition and toil for the good of humanity. Silence and secrecy are their watchwords, not because they want to keep the knowledge away from us, but so that they can work unobserved, unobstructed from the prying eyes of those who would grab the powers to plunder nature and harm fellow beings. Greater danger is from the masses who would be completely overwhelmed by the display of superhuman powers. They would worship or persecute the possessor of these powers, as Gods or Devils.

Men possessed of such knowledge and exercising such powers patiently toiled for something better than the vainglory of a passing fame. Seeking it not, they became immortal, as do all who labour for the good of the race, forgetful of mean self. Illuminated with the light of eternal truth, these rich-poor alchemists fixed their attention upon the things that lie beyond the common ken, recognizing nothing inscrutable but the First Cause, and finding no question unsolvable. To dare, to know, to will, and REMAIN SILENT, was their constant rule; to be beneficent, unselfish, and unpretending, were, with them spontaneous impulses. Disdaining the rewards of petty traffic, spurning wealth, luxury, pomp, and worldly power, they aspired to knowledge as the most satisfying of all acquisitions. They esteemed poverty, hunger, toil, and the evil report of men, as none too great a price to pay for its achievement. They, who might have lain on downy, velvet-covered beds, suffered themselves to die in hospitals and by the wayside, rather than debase their souls and allow the profane cupidity of those who tempted them to triumph over their sacred vows. (Isis Unveiled, I, 66-67)

The injunction of Gautama, contained in his answer to King Prasenagit, his protector, who called on him to perform miracles, must have been ever present to the mind of Hiouen Thsang. "Great king," said Gautama, "I do not teach the law to my pupils, telling them 'go, ye saints, and before the eyes of the Brahmans and householderrs perform, by means of your supernatural powers, miracles greater than any man can perform.' I tell them, when I teach them the law, 'Live, ye saints, hiding your good works, and showing your sins.'" (Isis Unveiled, I, 599-600)

Everything invisible is not necessarily spiritual. Possession of the powers must not be confused with the inner spirituality of the man possessing them. There are lower psychic powers and there are also higher spiritual powers. It requires great purity, strict discipline and devotion of many lifetimes to acquire the spiritual powers. It is the motive which determines the nature of the power. When a power is used for selfish purpose, it becomes Black Magic or sorcery and when beneficently applied, it is called White Magic.

Those great personages who possess the powers of psychic and spiritual realms are not violators of the law, but work strictly in accordance with the laws. Jesus did not perform miracles before King Herod to save himself. He, who had fed five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fish; he, who had cured sick persons, raised the dead daughter of Jairus and dead Lazarus, refused to perform miracles to save himself. The Buddha did not perform a miracle to bring to life the dead son of a sorrowful mother. Both of them knew the nature of "real death" in contrast to "apparent death."

The man is not dead when he is cold, stiff, pulseless, breathless, and even showing signs of decomposition; he is not dead when buried, nor afterward, until a certain point is reached. That point is, when the vital organs have become so decomposed, that if reanimated, they could not perform their customary functions; when the mainspring and cogs of the machine, so to speak, are so eaten away by rust, that they would snap upon the turning of the key. Until that point is reached, the astral body may be caused, without miracle, to re-enter its former tabernacle, either by an effort of its own will, or under the resistless impulse of the will of one who knows the potencies of nature and how to direct them. The spark is not extinguished, but only latent—latent as the fire in the flint, or the heat in the cold iron. (Isis Unveiled, I, 483-84)

H.P.B. observes that we may be perfectly willing to accept the fact that vegetation and fruitage of vines can be stimulated to an incredible activity by the artificial violet light—as per the well-known experiments of General Pleasanton, of Philadelphia. However, we cannot help but class as "miraculous" the ability of influencing the growth of the just-planted seed in a flower pot so as to develop it in less than two hours' time to a size and height which, perhaps under ordinary circumstances, would require several days or weeks. But for those who discern the working of the perfected human will directing the life currents in the invisible world, such a feat would not appear miraculous. Thus:

The fakir, coming to the help of nature with his powerful will and spirit purified from the contact with matter, condenses, so to speak, the essence of plant-life into its germ, and forces it to maturity ahead of its time. This blind force being totally submissive to his will, obeys it with servility....The will of the fakir-conjurer forms an invisible but yet, to it, perfectly objective matrix, in which the vegetable matter is caused to deposit itself and assume the fixed shape. The will creates; for the will in motion is force, and force produces matter. (Isis Unveiled, I, 140)

Man is a little copy of the universe, and he has in him a centre or focus corresponding to every force or power in nature. Once we accept the existence of the astral body and the astral light, many miraculous phenomena such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathic communication, mind reading, levitation, etc., can be easily explained. These are minor powers, which a Yogi acquires for his use, if required, but spiritual powers far exceed in their capability and effect. We are warned against trying to cultivate these powers before time. When a person reaches a particular state in his development, through inward purity and right motive, these powers come to him naturally. These powers are entrusted only to the "friend" of nature and to the Elder Brothers of humanity.

The Occult Science is not one in which secrets can be communicated of a sudden, by a written or even verbal communication. It is the common mistake of people that we willingly wrap ourselves and our powers in mystery—that we wish to keep our knowledge to ourselves, and of our own will refuse—"wantonly and deliberately" to communicate it. The truth is that till the neophyte attains to the condition necessary for the degree of Illumination to which, and for which, he is entitled and fitted, most if not all of the Secrets are incommunicable. The receptivity must be equal to the desire to instruct. The illumination must come from within.

—Master K.H.