Introduction to Mysticism
Hermetic Philosophy and the Mystery of Being
Painting by Francine Hart
* Introduction to Mysticism * A Reflection On Duality * Reflection on Reality and Consciousness * A Higher Aspect of Contemplation part 1 * A Higher Aspect of Contemplation part 2 * A Higher Aspect of Contemplation part 3 * About Spiritual Emptiness or the Void * We are the Weavers of our Destiny * Pilgrimage and Quest * Mystery of Man * Mystery of Man part 2 http://www.plotinus.com/mysticism.htm (1 of 5)14-2-2005 18:25:15
Introduction to Mysticism
* Mystery of man part 3 * Mystery of man part 4 * Importance of Dreams in the Mystical Process (consciousness & Dreams) * Guidelines to Dream Interpretation * Inner Quest * Plato's Allegory of the Cave * Alice's Interpretation of Plato's Allegory of the Cave * The Sixth and Seventh Senses of Man * The Dark night of the Soul * The Master Within * Mystery surrounding the Black Virgins * The Mystic Heart * What are Subpersonalities? * Reincarnation and the Psyche * Reincarnation and the Soul * The Subtle Bodies of Man * Who and What is the Daemon? * Raymond Bernard - Visualizing and Contacting Cosmic Masters 1 - 2 - 3 * Consciousness and the Perfect Model part l * Consciousness and the Perfect Model part 2 * Consciousness and the Perfect model part 3 * Consciousness and the Perfect Model part 4 * How to Work with the10 special Exercises * Introducing the 10 special Exercises * Unfolding the "Perfect Model" a List of 10 Special Exercises * Consciousness and the Grail
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Introduction to Mysticism
* Buddha and Christ as Perfect Models * The Spiritual Teacher and the Perfect Model * The Pleiades * Hermetic Jesus Christ * Jesus a Gnostic point of view * A Collection of Exercises on Spiritual Psychology and Hermetic Meditations * To Copy all the Exercises in Black & White
* Christ or Cosmic Consciousness * A table of all the List of Exercises that you can copy and paste in black and white * Dzogchen : The Six Vajra Verses * Dzogchen : Practice * Healing Sounds : Exercise * Longchenpa a Dzogchen text (an excerpt) * Zhine Tibetan Dream Yoga * Zhine Tibetan Dream Yoga Part 2 * Living as a Perfect Model * Wei Wu Wei: 1 _ This World of "Ours" * Wei Wu Wei: 2 _ Do You Exist? * Wei Wu Wei: 3 _ Dialogue with Wei Wu wei * Wei Wu Wei: 4 _ Genesis - Metanoesis * Hsin - Hsin Ming by Seng - Ts'an * What is Advaita ? * Questions & Answers Ramana Maharshi * What is Jivamukti ? * Enlightenment * Acceptance & Surrender
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Introduction to Mysticism
* Why use the Perfect Model as a Tool? * What is Subjectivity? * Who is the Seeker of truth? * Human Relationships * Non Dual Action * The Ego and Subjectivity * The Sage * Mind Being and Consciousness * Zen in Practice * Autobiography of a Fool part 1 - part 2A - part 2B - part 3 - part 4A - part 4B * Personal Coat of arms * The Mystery of Janus * Mysteries of the Androgyny * Mysteries of Eros * Mysteries of Aphrodite * Myth of Cupid and Psyche * Who was Plotinus? * Glossary of Terms used on this Website * List of Link pages: 1 to 29 (and to add your Link - Go to page: 30) * Essays From Readers - Essay by Dianah 1 - Essay by Dianah 2 - Essay by Dianah 3 * Essays on Kabbalah by Robert Green 4 * Search Engines Page : 1 * Search Engines Page : 2 * Discussion Board * Application Form for Secure Forum (free) * Webmaster's Note
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Introduction to Mysticism
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Hermetic Philosophy , Mystery of the Soul, Plotinus, Platonism, Mysticism, Gnostic and early Christian Initiatory Process and Sacred Knowledge
Dear Friend, I invite you to take a mystical Journey into Yourself This website is based on personal experiences and research into the Western and Eastern Mysteries. More than thirty years of involvement with mystical and esoteric traditions such as the Rosicrucian and Templar traditions have helped me discover a most natural and direct way of unfolding Primordial Knowledge. My name is Alice Ouzounian, and I run a spiritual center in Cyprus based on Hermetic, Gnostic and Mystical Traditions. The result of my research and personal experiences are published on this webpage. You can read more about who I am and what I do in the section: “Autobiography”. The purpose of this website is to encourage interested seekers to discover the true Self which is the center of Absolute Being within oneself and is linked to the same center as the Source of Primordial Wisdom. You will also find many essays on Gnosticism, Hermetic, Esoteric and Mystical concepts concerning: the Ego, Consciousness,- Being, Soul, Psyche, which are different and interrelated aspects of the same subject and which could help you the seeker unfold your personal spiritual “seed ideas” and concepts. Painting by Gilbert Williams with permission from http://www.gilbertwilliams.com
You will also come across a collection of different types of exercises to help you as an ego personality to open up your horizon and experience Cosmic Consciousness, Absolute Consciousness, Buddha Nature or Christ Consciousness, the Source of which is the Real You. Thus, you will have a choice of many different types of exercises to choose from. These hermetic exercises and meditations have been specially chosen to accompany certain messages and the intention behind them is to help you experience and realize your natural state of Consciousness, which is the pure level of Absolute Consciousness. Furthermore, this website is dedicated to those of you who earnestly seek to explore the inner dimension of their own Mystery which is Absolute Consciousness and cross the threshold of the of the unknown through the Portal of "Inner" Initiation where the words “Know Thyself” are inscribed. May you be encouraged and inspired to let go of your old concepts and trust your intuition with an open mind to follow “the Intelligence of the Heart”, in order to answer the ultimate question: “Who Am I?” and receive the simple answer: I = I Apart from my own writings on Transcendence and my perception of the mystery of Consciousness and its relation to Absolute Being, seekers will also find a collection of philosophical and hermetic excerpts taken from the written works of Eastern and Western enlightened masters who have expressed their concepts on the same philosophy of transcendence and of Absolute Consciousness and Being. (sometimes the name given to the unfathomable state of Being will be different, but this should not upset anyone, since names are just names and concepts are just concepts, but the Transcendence remains the same). This site is for the seeker of spiritual truth and personal growth The purpose of this site is to provide information to those who are seeking spiritual truth and to advance their personal growth. It is intended to be a guiding light and not a destination. Each of us must find our own truth.
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Hermetic Philosophy , Mystery of the Soul, Plotinus, Platonism, Mysticism, Gnostic and early Christian Initiatory Process and Sacred Knowledge
This web site: www. plotinus. com and underlying HTML documents are copyrighted by Alice Ouzounian. No copyright claimed to the writings can be made by anyone else, except the "excerpts" taken from books by authors like Ramesh Balsekar, Raymond Bernard, Wei Wu Wei and others who are mentioned by name and with whom I feel some resonance. As for the images please read Copyrights Notice. To go back to the list of pages without frames please click on this line images not loading? | broken links? | suggestions? | criticism?
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A Reflection On Duality
A Reflection On Duality
What is duality? A natural law governing the whole of creation and life as we know it. Now life itself is an ethereal substance in search of a vehicle of some kind to express its intangible and immaterial nature, and the invisible and unmanifested energy of life impregnates and forms what seems to the naked eye to be solid matter. We know that matter itself is condensed and compressed universal energy in spiritual alchemy, this energy is generally termed "primordial matter." Science calls it "chaos," and sees it as a formless substance that permeates creation in its entirety. That is why primordial matter incessantly waits to be energized and transformed by its unmanifested and intangible partner the unmanifested Light of Being. Now, matter expects and anticipates to be transmuted into an infinite variety of multidimensional forms. By this ingenious method, the incomprehensible and unmanifested Source of Life manifests itself in the comprehensible and tangible substance called primordial matter, giving it an infinite and unimaginable variety of attributes and characteristics. Thus, together, the unmanifested Center of Pure Being and primordial matter impregnate all animate and inanimate manifested creations alike with their ethereal characteristic. Primordial matter fills the whole of creation, and yet, under the influence of spirit, it incessantly transforms itself into new shapes and forms. Hence, through these two completely opposite and contrary poles that govern the whole of creation, the Law of Duality comes into play, controlling the whole process of life and creation. As individuals, we personally experience the effects of the Law of Duality on a daily basis, since it is part of creation itself. However, in simpler terms, we could say that duality is based on the law of attraction and repulsion, and therefore creation itself is founded on the Law of Duality. But why is this so? First, let us clarify that the invisible complement of primordial matter is the unfathomable nature of unmanifested Being. Here is the inconceivable and extraordinary paradox that demonstrates that an unmanifested essence, an essence that does not belong to creation itself, and therefore does not exist as such for us, incomprehensible to scientific and rational minds alike, can somehow mysteriously cause of all creation. Similarly, this inconceivable essence is also the source and cause of consciousness. Why? Because without consciousness, we would not be able to understand the goal of creation, and the reason and cause for experiencing duality. Clearly, without the Law of Duality, consciousness and creation alike would have remained formless and completely unconscious. Hence, we, as conscious beings, would not be able to grasp our own mystery, let alone question our nature. Why does this Law of Duality exist at all? Simply because if we didn’t have duality, we would not yearn and http://www.plotinus.com/reflection_on_duality.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 18:26:03
A Reflection On Duality
strive for wholeness and unity. In other words, we would not be impelled to return to the unmanifested Source of Being. Duality, therefore, makes us conscious beings, tying and binding the concrete and abstract parts of our thought processes and intuition. It is apparent also that through duality, we can learn to harmonize our unmanifested essence with our incarnated body. Hence, it is clear that both need each other to manifest the light of consciousness here on earth. Thus, we can conclude that, on an individual level of consciousness, our physical body is the cup that receives and manifests the unmanifested spirit, and that and through their blending and harmonization, duality dissolves into unity and wholeness. We can further say that duality governs creation and nature, since it is only through its action and workings that we are led to the unmanifested Center of Pure Being.
We could compare the physical body to a sacred toolbox in which are all manner of sophisticated functional and unknown psychic processes, hidden within the duality of the body and psyche of all humanity, waiting to be awakened by Cosmic Consciousness. This implies that when consciousness is awakened in being, it has the possibility and impelling desire to ascend to higher levels of consciousness, and that these higher levels of consciousness are in themselves pathways taking incarnated beings back to their unmanifest Source? However, consciousness can be awakened only gradually, and the Law of Duality comes into play here, since consciousness is linked to eternity and infinity. Consequently, because, as human beings, we all belong to distinct and varied levels of consciousness, then there exists a parallel plane of reality, since creation is governed by the Law of Duality, and duality itself is based on the natural power of attraction between the unmanifested and the manifest. We could also add that numerous planes and levels of consciousness exist, which explains why, say, the physical body of an illuminated mystic differs from that of an athlete. One is more muscular but both are physical vehicles for spirit and soul. But, what can we say about their levels of consciousness? Of course, both carry soul and spirit, but will they both be on the same level of awareness? Will they both be conscious of the same things and understand them in the same way? Of course not, unless the athlete happens to be a mystic at heart, meaning that he has also opened his consciousness to the realm of the abstract and spiritual. Lastly, let us clarify that by the word "mystic," we mean any human being who knows how the Law of Duality can affect him or her, and still chooses to pass through its heavy portals, learning from trial and error, which in turn harmonizes the poles of duality within human nature. Consciousness, the harmonizing http://www.plotinus.com/reflection_on_duality.htm (2 of 3)14-2-2005 18:26:03
A Reflection On Duality
factor that blends the two extremes together, has, within its ethereal substance, the essential component that unfolds what is called "mystical love." Hence a mystic is a human being who unites the two extremes within him, transforming them into a rod of illumination that draws self-consciousness back to the unmanifested Center of Pure Being. 02/02/2005 To copy in black and white - Please click on the line below A Reflection On Duality - copy To read on "The Thinking Process" - please click on this line COPYRIGHTS
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THINKING PROCESS - THINKER
About The Thinking Process The Thinking Process and the Thinker
According to Advaita Philosophy Mysticism is just a word symbolizing a way of looking at and being in the world… it is an understanding that whatever is known, be it scientifically or philosophically is always based on a personal way of “seeing things”… Let me explain … anything that a scientist or any other human being “sees” and understands is based on a concept that is a projection of his own level of Consciousness. Therefore a scientist’s way of understanding the world will be different and probably more complex and objective than the way an artist sees. However, both have the same five senses and use their intuition and imagination to describe the world they see and understand, though, the messages received by the same senses will be perceived differently…because their concept of the world is for most of the time totally or partially different… A scientist and a “mystic” are both human beings living in duality…meaning in a world in which the mind functions as a mirror of subjectivity…so, what is subjectivity? It is the unknown Subject that can never be “projected in duality” because it is the noumenon… It is the thinking process itself…and not the thinker…so, we can ask ourselves, what do we mean by objectivity?…to be objective…pragmatic… scientific…or mystical are different approach sometimes diametrically opposed to each other and yet their origin is the same… it is based in subjectivity…What is subjectivity? It is the “mirroring” in the mind, of the noumenon… each human being will mirror “outside” of him, through his mind and feelings his own subjectivity, his own way of “looking” at the world – through his own perception - understanding… and this is how opinions, concepts, philosophies develops… Let us look at the meaning of "I am"? When we say “I am”, we are unconsciously projecting the noumenon in the world of “objectivity” and automatically we make "that I am" an object… which it is not…and can never be… thus subjectivity cannot appear in duality …and therefore it cannot be conceived as an object. But subjectivity manifests as the thinking process… and we do not realize that when we describe who: “I am”… This “I am” becomes necessarily an object, because, it cannot be. It can only project concepts of what it is NOT… In fact a subject becomes necessarily an object in so far as it is seen as a subject. We are here in a very deep mystical domain… sorry if this sounds strange or new to you. So we can ask ourselves: What, then, is the subject of which I am the object? Sorry for the repetitions… We said that there is only one subject that cannot become an object, the reason is that a subject cannot be conceived as an object, since the subject does not exist in the world of duality (as it is beyond it)…The mind is the mirror reflecting subjectivity, which functions as the noumenon in manifestation…but it can become apparent only through concepts, so the subject the “I am” in the world of duality is in itself: “I AM NOT” …since it cannot be apprehended conceived as an object…. Since it is the http://www.plotinus.com/thinking_process.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 18:28:22
THINKING PROCESS - THINKER
THINKING and not the thinker! So, what about the subject behind the “thinker”…the noumenon… Here is the mystery! and this will remain one until object and subject merge and become one… To explain it will mean to explain it through other concepts… this takes us back to the process of thinking…thinking will always change and our experiences will change with our thinking process and as a result Consciousness unfolds the Source if Being which is NOT… and cannot be conceptualize… This is beautiful! Because it shows us that as sentient beings we have the scope of discovering always more and more about ourselves – creating, generating, producing, discovering…projecting manifesting more and more…in the world of duality…which is the phenomenal, objective, relative world of sense impressions and is therefore an interpretation by divided reasoning mind (which operates by a comparison of opposites) of noumenon, the absolute, subject, (the whole Mind) none of which (if you regard them as different in any way or as aspects of one whole) it is able directly to perceive. So the absolute Being or the Source of Consciousness (Who is NOT and cannot manifest as a phenomenon can only manifest as subjectivity… but in the world of oneness - wholeness…which is the world beyond duality… everything is in potential… static… beyond concept…the real unknown subject of the objectification … through the thinking process….via Consciousness…. So, the so called mystery of the “Who Am I?” is in itself trying to objectify something that it can never be… Let us find out, who is asking this question? Is it the thinker an object of the thinking process? Remember that, we said that the thinker is an object, a projection of subjectivity and the thinking process…and we also said that Consciousness can never be objectified, since it is the “projector” through which the thinking process unfolds “objects”, thoughts and feelings …that is the reason why the noumenon (the Whole the Source) cannot be something since it is the: “I am not” an object…I am beyond the object…I am the hidden unmanifest subject…the one that runs the projector and directed the movie…. And here is a paradox that might sound strange to you… so, I as the consciousness unmanifest (noumenon or Soul – Source) do not exit in the world of duality, since I am not an object – and therefore in the deepest sense of the: “Who am I?” – the answer is simply: “I AM”, and this realization cannot reveal the subject that remains unmanifest, and because "I" cannot be an object and yet, I know that " I AM"…. How? Because I express the unmanifest through the thinking and feeling processes…and by doing so, become an object…Therefore, I come to the realization that both aspects of being need each other and they are at a certain level of the awakening process seen as one…. They are complementary….the two opposite and yet complementary polarities that sustain by their difference each other… the unmanifest (I am not an object) with the manifest (I am and become an object all the time to reflect the unknown)… just like day and night… two aspects of ONE …part of the Source of Consciousness, which is the noumenon. We are both subject and object, alternatively in duality, simultaneously, fused, in wholeness and pure Consciousness. If Being or Consciousness is the real subject, and everything, including myself is object, then I am object, and subject only in so far as I am Being, like everything else. But Being or Consciousness is also an object and is not. As we said the reason is that seen from the world of duality it becomes an object…projecting itself through the expressions of our psyche and subjectivity, but beyond it…it is NOT and can never be apprehended as an object… So, what becomes clear (I hope) is the fact that everything that sentient beings think and feel are projections in duality of their own subjectivity… the source is unique and it is the universal and cosmic Consciousness, the noumenon…the One… call it with whatever word you prefer… I call it sometimes Consciousness…Being… the Presence…God, etc… Subjectivity is a reflection of this unique Source the noumenon and in man it is the thinking process in duality…and everything that we imagine, create, think, feel, compare, foresee, etc… are based on personal experiences, which are later developed into concepts… and on their turn, concepts unfold new discoveries which unveil “new” ways of seeing the world – followed by new creations and new concepts… and, this is the "game" of life... the world goes round and round…creating to destroy and destroying to create anew…all having their source in the thinking process…which is pure Consciousness. Hence, every aspect of a human being changes, from birth to death, the thinking process in him unfolds according to his needs and the inner "programming" or "software" implanted in his psyche. And by this creating and destroying process, each human being realizes that without this law of nature, he would never be able to know and express himself in the world never understand that he is an expression of pure Consciousness - the Source of Being and further more, Know that it is the thinking process and not the "thinker" that unfolds wisdom in him. To go back to "Reflection on duality"- Please click on the line below
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Reflection on Reality
Reflections on Reality and Consciousness
What is consciousness, and what is the unconscious? Can we really judge who is conscious and who isn’t? Is it possible that a yet higher level of consciousness, unknown and unfamiliar to our own, envelops itself around our unconscious selves? And could we venture to say that unconsciousness is a necessary dormant and inactive state of consciousness waiting to be activated? Or, could it be that what we’re calling "unconsciousness" is, in fact, the other side of consciousness, its antithesis? In other words, if consciousness is an active agent, does it not need a receptive and passive medium upon which to operate that could, indeed, be called an "unconscious" state of being? Regardless, it is the function of consciousness itself that is important, for if we accept that consciousness is an attribute of Being, then it follows that it is also that part of the psyche that makes us discover and reveal to ourselves and others our own truth and creativity. It does that by expanding and exhibiting every minute detail on which our thoughts and feelings focus, and by helping us unravel our own ever-changing vision of reality. Moreover, as well as helping us discover the meaning of our personal lives, consciousness also assists us in unraveling the profound mystery of our own essence and our relationship with the infinite and eternal aspects of God, or the unmanifested Light of Pure Being. Indeed, consciousness is the guiding tool that unravels this mysterious and amazing process. Hence, we could add that consciousness projects continuously on the screen of our receptivity (or unconscious state) an ever-changing world, a world that mirrors back to us our own experiences of it. However, these experiences are always directly connected to our own individual level of perception and understanding, both of which are connected to our level of consciousness. Let us further propose that the unconscious state is also related to primordial matter. Now, we have already seen that the unconsciousness is inherent in primordial matter and appears to be the antithesis of awareness and consciousness. In other words, it is its own shadow, a complementary and formless part of Being that could be likened to a receptacle in which are subtly exposed the various spiritual archetypal ideas of the higher levels of consciousness. By this, we simply mean that consciousness and unconsciousness are two sides of one unique essence. This essence, or awareness, is obviously related to Being, since only Being can become aware, hence conscious.
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Reflection on Reality
Now, as conscious beings, we are part of creation itself and because of this, our center of consciousness is the same as the Center of Pure Being. Moreover, we understand that we can only go as far as our level of consciousness allows, so to go beyond this level means that we must first have reintegrated with the Center of Pure Being. This, in turn, means that our Center of Pure Being and that of the Unknown God (or unmanifested Light) coincide and unite absolutely, merging and blending completely into the unmanifested Center of Pure Being. Reintegration means the re-absorption of the self-conscious essence of our being into its own center, the unmanifested Center of Pure Being. But how many could claim to have reached this Center that is everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and still be living? While still incarnated in a world governed by the Law of Duality, we cannot possibly "know" about reintegration, so it is impossible for us to speculate about it. We have seen that consciousness and unconsciousness are two opposite poles, and paradoxically, we could add that they need each other to project and express the Divine qualities and attributes of Being. Thus we could say that consciousness and its counterpart, unconsciousness, complement each other and belong together in the world of duality, which is the world governing all of creation. What does this show us? That consciousness and unconsciousness are the two ethereal and invisible tools that the soul uses to imprint in us and reflect the infinite and incredibly rich variety of expressions of its own unmanifested essence back to the Center of Pure Being. Hence everything that is not yet manifest and that remains hidden or dormant in creation will be revealed at the appropriate moment through the light of consciousness. Gradually, consciousness is awakened in unconscious matter, and with the unfoldment of the spirit in consciousness, then consciousness awakens in primordial matter. And when spirit is totally incarnated in matter, they both surrender all their powers, letting themselves melt into the ocean of the unknown Void. Formless once more, but united again, they become one unique essence. And so, the Law of Duality has no further dominion over them. Having taken the final leap, reintegration into the unmanifested Center of Pure Being is within reach eternally. .If you want to copy this page in black and white - Please click on the line below
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A Higher Aspect of Contemplation part 1
A Higher Aspect of Contemplation Part I A mystic once said, “If any one saw God and understood what he saw, then it was not God that he saw, but something that belongs to Him.”(1) Some mystics contemplate the formless God and others meditate on the forms that God takes, but the wise mystic knows that the unmanifest and unknown God is beyond both. Even the formless God is an “idea” created in our own mind as an archetypal ideal to help us describe an unknown God, obscure, remote, and outside of us, that remains an abstract thought in our mind.
The last statement reveals that both the visible and invisible God take external appearances so that our own thoughts and feelings about these irrational and abstract ideas are rendered more rational and concrete for our intellect. For these reasons, abstract thoughts acquire different forms and remain concealed in various archetypal symbols in our conceptual world. Therefore, all philosophies and belief systems may be nothing more than complex and interesting concepts created to help us understand our relationship with an unknowable God. We should add that our conceptual world and everything in it help us to enliven our spirit. In fact, the language of our conceptual world is an intuitive language coming from the psyche. These ideal models are indeed meaningful and significant to sincere seekers of truth since all images and representations of an invisible and unknown God within their psyche serve a Divine purpose. In truth, these symbolic images are designed to attract, enchant, enrapture and vitalize our passion and ardor towards our own source or Center of Pure Being that is the unknown God. Ruysbroeck, a Flemish mystic, once expressed a similar idea: “God devours us and feeds us at the same time.” Now, we could add, “All the appearances that the unknown God takes on for us, with or without form, are still godly and holy guises, and thus are profoundly significant and meaningful to the one receiving these impressions, since all of God’s expressions enliven and excite the soul of man.” We could further add, “Any concept we have of God, even a most intricate and abstract one encompassing the idea of the Void, will still remain personal and, therefore, even this idea of the Void will still reflect and externalize an idea we have of it. Hence, the concept of the Void will, in itself, be a reflection of one of God’s faces or guises, compatible with our own level of understanding.” So, what does this mean? Simply that any image or face that you may make of the Divine still remains a creation of your own thoughts and feelings, and hence will be rooted in your ego. That is why all thoughts and ideas you have of an unknown God will always belong to the world of duality, meaning that the world in which everything that you conceive and feel is first projected outside of you so that your intellect can recognize and absorb it. This is why projections of spiritual ideas are actually reflections coming from your http://www.plotinus.com/contemplation_part1.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 18:29:43
A Higher Aspect of Contemplation part 1
conceptual world, drawing you back towards your own inner center. We can now better understand how God’s Divine guises reflect in our own being so as to harmonize, endear and unite our ego with God’s own Center of Immanence and Presence. All the images and aspects that God may take in our imagination will be represented by a multitude of symbols conceived psychically and mentally in the world of duality in which ego prevails. Through these inner attractions and enticements, ego is also invited to join in, after its transmutation and absorption into the Center of Pure Being. Consequently, we see that it’s impossible for us to jump suddenly from a world of duality into a world of Pure Being. We know that the Law of Duality governs man’s daily life, which is the law of observer/ observed. By keeping ourselves in that state of separation and division, we persist unconsciously in keeping ourselves apart from our own Center of Pure Being. So, if we focus solely on the external rather than going within ourselves to our Center of Pure Being, we will find it impossible to find that Center, since the presence of the unknown God is the same center as our Center of Pure Being.
The Seed Within So, what are we saying? Simply that any description we may have of God, be it contemplative or otherwise, with or without form, belongs to a world of duality where object and subject, observer and observed, challenge each other incessantly. However, to help us overcome this entrapment, God, with His unlimited wisdom, uses our imagination to open before us the gates of the conceptual world that serves as a bridge to link the world of duality to the world of wholeness and unity. However, these two opposite poles—duality and wholeness—harmonize in a neutral zone within our being, a state of peace and silence in which the unknown presence of God resides as a seed within our psyche. All types of meditation guide us towards this zone, and teach us to gradually blend our consciousness with the Cosmic Consciousness residing in the seed. God Is the Consciousness of the Present Moment When you are in touch with your Center of Pure Being, you learn to weave and surf via the subtle and sublime energies existing within that intimate center. By this spiritual and subtle process, your ego is attracted to your Center of Pure Being. Then, an indescribable level of consciousness opens up, harmonizing and blending your ego with your Center of Pure Being to fulfill Ruysbroeck’s, “God devours us and feeds us at the same time.” Your body is indeed your temple, so by blending your ego with your Center of Pure Being, your temple becomes holy. As a result of these transformations, you are made a perfect witness to your own awakening since, from that moment, your consciousness enters a new dimension, your ego no longer living a separate existence. You are reborn, twice-born, and your will effortlessly expresses God’s will in http://www.plotinus.com/contemplation_part1.htm (2 of 3)14-2-2005 18:29:43
A Higher Aspect of Contemplation part 1
the miracle of your ordinary, everyday life. Please note that the words “He” or “Him” are not used to imply gender but rather to simplify the text. Gender exists only in a world of duality, and Consciousness and Being are beyond them.
A Higher Aspect of Contemplation Part : 2
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A Higher Aspect of Contemplation part 2
A HIGHER ASPECT OF CONTEMPLATION PART II
The tender and loving "Faces" or guises of the Divine that the Unknown God chooses to take for our understanding touch us deeply, enticing and pulling us gradually inwards behind the invisible veils of our psyche, to give us the opportunity of bringing change and metamorphosis in our consciousness with a whole range of pure and untapped energies. This is done to help us live life more intensely and earnestly. Hence, ignorance and narrow-mindedness and bigotry gradually vanish from our minds. These specific mystical experiences also bring about something different, something indescribable but crucial and important. We could even go as far as to say that the whole spiritual process is to help us reach a certain level, and this level is a center within ourselves and yet it is also beyond ourselves since this center is nowhere and everywhere at the same time… What do we mean.
We are here, immersed in the heart of Omnipresence. These hallowed "Faces" are symbolic images reflecting the Unknown God’s Presence in us, they often vary and take different expressions according to different religions. We could say, that they leave their imprints in our psyche, and through them gradually we are shown our way back to the Center of God's Omnipresence. These "Faces" or "Guises" are deeply personal infusing directly our soul with the intimate qualities of God’s infinite Love and Wisdom. Consequently, through this secret and sacred "Face to face" encounter, a hallowed merging occurs, a union of man with God’s Image, which we can refer to as a "Veil". Usually these divine "Faces" leave us with a strong impression that transform us for ever. With these intimate contacts, we are rejuvenated and a new world appears in and around us. Things start to look quite different from all angles and yet nothing really changes from the exterior. We are the ones that change because only consciousness can move and change the energies in and around us. It is indeed consciousness that harmonizes, blends and transforms our perceptions. Man on all his planes of manifestations and in all his different aspects, is made of pure energy. Hence the same law affects his intellect and his emotions. In other words, it affects his ego self, and his individuality. Different spiritual energies pour into our psyche all the time, but we remain unaware of them until a direct mystical experience brings us "Face to face" with an aspect of the Unknown God, which reveals and reflects in us our own angelic nature. This is interesting since it shows us that unless we look into the mirror of our own purified heart, we will never be sensitive and change into our own angelic essence. http://www.plotinus.com/contemplation_part2.htm (1 of 4)14-2-2005 18:30:18
A Higher Aspect of Contemplation part 2
A Pythagorean way of saying the same thing would be: it is only after we cooperate in the purification process of our psyche that the muses pour upon us their gifts. Yes, indeed, it is only afterwards, that we can receive these ineffable and transcendent gifts. We should ponder on what this means, and consider that with each Divine "Face" emerging from within the darkness of our own unconsciousness a new level of consciousness appears in the light of our conscious mind. A new "Face" manifests Itself within our heart. We are using the word "Face" to emphasize the fact that to understand something spiritual, man must project or receive an image, even if this image reflects an abstract idea ... he must be moved and excited from within by what he sees; be enthralled and aroused intellectually by it, so as to attract to himself and learn to blend with one of the divine Faces.
What is meant by this statement is difficult to explain, since each divine FACE represents a level of consciousness. Hence, for a mystic such an experience means that his psyche is about to, or has blended already with one of the Unknown God's, emanations. We could call the Unknown God, "the Clear Light", "the Source", or use any expression or wording that expresses our own understanding of this unknown PRESENCE within our own Center of being… we should allow ourselves to be magnetically pulled in by the divine FACE that attracts our psyche. We are openly saying here, that no man can perceive the Unknown God "face to Face" simply because the God we are trying to describe is the: UNCREATED LIGHT - THE IMMACULATE PRESENCE - OF PURE BEING. There is a hidden Path opening up from within a disciple and this Path belongs to his inner and divine Self. To unfold the path of initiation, and tread on it consciously, the mystic must desire with all his heart to succeed in his Quest and persevere until the end of the process. This means until the end of his incarnation...and when the time comes and he is "ripe" to let the Divine Light appear in him, this Energy will take the most appropriate Divine "Face" for him, to attract and transform him with LOVE from within his being. To receive such divine gift, he must first learn to let go and discard his old ego patterns, his old "faces" and models, so as to be able to be reborn anew. Indeed it is true to say that as personalities, we do change and with those changes our traits change too. As we purify our psyche from the complicated "stories" and "excuses" that we make up, we enter slowly into a new-world, unveiling subtly a Divine "Face" - an appropriate one that corresponds to our personal need of the moment. This Divine Face projects an imprint into our own face like a hologram… and in this way our level of consciousness is affected by these subtle energies and as a consequence of these delicate operations, our traits and attitudes soften and mature. They become more beautiful, and therefore more attractive and magnetic. We also understand however, that there is an important spiritual work going on within our psyche. These are subtle alchemical operations that must remain sealed in the darkness of an inner "cocoon" for our own http://www.plotinus.com/contemplation_part2.htm (2 of 4)14-2-2005 18:30:18
A Higher Aspect of Contemplation part 2
protection. If we are to be called mystics or disciples, our first step on this path is to learn to OBSERVE ourselves. Generally, man finds excuses to cover his own mistakes, faults, weaknesses. This is disastrous to someone who wishes to call himself a mystic since it is only on that level of spirituality that a disciple will learn to let go of his egotistic patterns and experience what is meant "to vanish completely into the Center of God’s OMNIPOTENCE, OMNIPRESENCE, and OMNISCIENCE". This Center is the Center of PURE BEING and is also called the UNCREATED LIGHT. Consequently, we understand that one must desire to climb the ladder of Light within himself so as to reach higher levels of Consciousness. One does that guided by the inspiration, impulses and gifts given to him through the HOLY SPIRIT.
We understand therefore, that before one is able to acquire the appropriate level of consciousness which allows one to receive the inspiration and guidance of the divine wisdom, one must first free oneself of all the chains and fetters of the ego. One must be prepared to embrace the different emanations and qualities embodied: the divine "Faces" of the uncreated God... This means that each Divine Face embodies in Itself a divine EXPRESSION, and QUALITY, as each "Face" purifies, and transforms the ego into a more refined expression. However, to reach the center of the Uncreated Light one has to abandon at a certain point of his journey all the divine Aspects letting go of everything including the most spiritual gift received by the Holy Spirit. Hence by first embracing one by one all the divine qualities of the unknown God, the disciple has at the end of his Quest to "return" them back to the Source, to the Center of the Uncreated Light of BEING. From that level of Cosmic Consciousness, he abandons them one by one releasing them into the Source. It is only then, that the Center of the Uncreated God's Omnipresence in the disciple becomes active.. Ponder and contemplate on what is meant by this statement... In the same context of what we just said, I would like to make a point on the importance of spiritual psychology since the world of the "observer" and the "observed" belong to it. Spiritual psychology teach us to be Vigilant, Alert and Conscious of our own mistakes, faults, and weaknesses. We all create around us a personal "STORY", meaning that we skilfully make up excuses for our own shortcomings, accusing others, or blaming instead of looking objectively into our own cynicism. We should understand that faults are in themselves distortions of qualities. For example: compassion and love can turn out to become jalousie or hatred, but what concerns us specially here is the fact that spiritual awakening cannot happen unless we become conscious of our own patterns and have a strong need to change them. The role that our IMAGINATION plays in the creation of spiritual and sacred Ideas is very important. Through these ideas we create mental images and sacred "Faces", giving form to the formless God. We could say that the role or mission that our imagination takes for us is to make "visible" and "understandable" different manifestations of unknown, uncreated, unmanifested impulses So, as we have said, before we can have an "idea" and give meaning to what God is for us, even if the idea is an abstract one it will still remain in a world of duality where God and us humans remain separate. Hence, we understand by this statement that to approach the Unknown God or the Clear Light we have first to recognize and be "penetrated" by His Divine "Face", in other words by His Divine Emanations… His divine Qualities... and we receive these impulses only when we are ready and well prepared. However, this process is indeed a life long spiritual project that demands our entire dedication. This project comprises the purification of our astral and mental bodies and a simplification of the way we live. That is why a wise mystic knows that God is nearer to him than he is to himself… and therefore, God is a better Judge of his personal needs… http://www.plotinus.com/contemplation_part2.htm (3 of 4)14-2-2005 18:30:18
A Higher Aspect of Contemplation part 2
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A Higher Aspect of Contemplation: part 3
HIGHER ASPECT OF CONTEMPLATION PART: III.
Though we speak of his form, the Eternal Buddha has no form but can manifest in any form. Although we describe his attributes, the Eternal Buddha has none but can manifest in any and all attributes. So if anyone sees the form of Buddha distinctly, or visualizes his attributes clearly without becoming attached to the form or to the attributes, he has the capacity to see and know the Buddha.
When we are touched by Grace, our ego unceasingly finds itself being purified of all past misconceptions and mistakes, and gradually learns to integrate with its loftier and divine counterpart—the soul. This delicate and refined blending of ego and soul manifests in our everyday consciousness as an unclouded, bright and clear presence, guiding our every step from within. This presence within our being is the awareness of the I Am. The emergence of this I Am Presence within our consciousness makes us suddenly see life differently, so clearly that it looks as if we have instantaneously entered a new world. From the moment the I Am Presence directly animates our consciousness, our life is never the same, even though to others and the outside world, things seem unchanged. In reality, however, nothing remains the same, as if a Divine hand gently pushes us forward, accompanying and encouraging us silently from within to adopt the right and suitable path. When we learn to trust the I Am Presence absolutely and follow its directive to the point of letting God’s hand lead us wherever He wants us to go, purification proceeds in earnest. From that moment on, we feel a sudden release of our burdens, onerous duties, and obligations. We then become aware that we have become a rightful follower of God’s infinite love and will.
.The I Am Presence within us is God in action in our world. Feelings of liberation and joy enter an "awakened" ego because, at last, it becomes aware of its real function, which is to become an empty receptacle ready to be filled with the Divine Presence. When does this happen? Simply when the desires and needs of the ego are unconditionally and completely drawn to, and attuned to, the vibration of the http://www.plotinus.com/contemplation_part3.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 18:31:06
A Higher Aspect of Contemplation: part 3
soul. Then, God’s will becomes the ego’s will, too, manifesting fulfilment and happiness into our life. However, this transformation remains a delicate and mysterious process, as it is not of our doing, but the doing of the soul and the Grace of God. When God’s reflection moves in our individual soul, it enlivens our ego, too. Signs and evidence of this potent presence begin to appear in our everyday life, impacting our consciousness as events become deep and meaningful, and affect the core of our being. These everyday occurrences and incidences are initiated by the Divine hand of God and our receptiveness does the rest. However, we must experience for ourselves the incredible and moving events in profound silence, awe, humility, and amazement. From then on, we know that we ourselves have become the never-ending quest. Gradually, like a child entering wonderland, we begin to understand that these miracles originate in ourselves, and are indeed projections of our own I Am Presence. Real transformation sets in our being, shifting completely our sense of perception; our whole world is altered and yet nothing changes. How can that be? The I Am Presence is responsible for these transformations, and we are changed forever. When the process of opening up to the energy of the soul begins in us, our level of consciousness attunes itself completely with the I Am Presence and progressively masters the method of embodying the loving and exquisite energy of integration and oneness. It lets itself flow and breathe through us, bringing with it a new level of consciousness—egolessness—marked by a lack of personal judgment or reaction to anything of any kind. Therefore, the ego becomes the vessel of the soul, allowing the I Am Presence to pour its qualities and powers into our consciousness. We then become free of our past shortcomings, and become self-reliant in carrying our Divine mission. When we learn to live in the present, we are awake, living and experiencing life through this transparent and magnetic presence. We are then guided and attracted to the right places at the right times, and we live each instant with new wonderment and awe
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With the simplification and clarification of our life, a new kind of reality appears before us, and a new order of existence unfolds its truth in our being. In a strange way, this new existence fills our whole consciousness with new kinds of vibrant perceptions and thus all phenomena and events in our life are suddenly perceived as being new and yet friendly, surprising and yet humbling, moving and loving, sad and joyous at the same time. We feel at home everywhere, and nothing seems foreign. The I Am Presence in us is also the center of Cosmic Consciousness in which the whole cosmos and creation have their foundation. This follows since truth unfolds from within our being; from within the center of the I Am, hence, when we are in harmony with our own inner center, then, the Divine Presence in us is also eternally awake. It is from this point of the I Am that our soul merges with the Universal Soul. The more we are allowed to integrate and unify with the Divine Source, the more Cosmic Consciousness manifests in our life. As the center core of who we really are is infinite, our ego becomes simply a tool, a limited and limiting one at that, but still an important vessel, as it represents also the purified ego, the Grail and Eucharist Cup of our sacred communion with God. We certainly need the ego, for a http://www.plotinus.com/contemplation_part3.htm (2 of 3)14-2-2005 18:31:06
A Higher Aspect of Contemplation: part 3
consciousness without ego means simply a purified one in which the soul and I Am Presence are completely living the ordinary and extraordinary life of man. We all strive for happiness and contentment, but few realize that we have a choice between two paths, one leading to the empowerment of the ego, and the other to the empowerment of God’s Presence in us. We must choose. This is the law! Generally our choice is unconscious, through karmic possibilities. Once the choice has been made, a set of energies unfold their powers and qualities, influencing our tendencies and reactions in life that automatically lead us to one path or the other. The soul can guide the ego only when the ego has made its choice, and has an unquenchable thirst and desire to unify with it. The choice is yours. Or is it? Are you really free to choose? Esoteric teachings tell us that once on the path, there is no turning back and so, if some of us have trodden this path in the past, is it possible to regress? Each one of us is unique, each a path to ourselves, and yet all individual paths draw towards one unique point, a mysterious and invisible Center. The wind blows where it wants, so why question the direction it chooses?
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About Spiritual Emptiness or the Void
ABOUT SPIRITUAL EMPTINESS OR THE VOID
What is Spiritual Emptiness, or the Void? To answer this, we must first find out if it is possible to discover its essence within our being. Since the essence of Being is complete peace and stillness without reflection or any kind of manifestation or projection, could the essence of Being in of itself be called Emptiness? We must turn to the language of symbols to convey what it means, since Emptiness is a level of mind and consciousness, a level of realization that belongs to all traditions. For example, in the Vajra, a ritualistic instrument used in Tantric Buddhism, Emptiness is represented by the central dot and symbolizes a focal point, the seed of the spirit in which everything is in a potential but static state. It also characterizes the central axis and heart of the universe. Vajra literally means the diamond scepter, or the thunderbolt.
Painting by Alex Gray
Emptiness is also linked to the creative Void, meaning that it is a state of complete receptivity and perfect enlightenment. It represents the disappearance of, or more precisely the merging of, the ego with its own essence, which in Western tradition is called the Universal Soul or the Unknown God, and in Buddhism is called the Clear Light. This merging of ego with its source could also be explained as the experience of infinite space, a frame of mind that confers us with the realization of the interdependence of all phenomena in creation, an experience that bestows an incredible degree of being true to ourselves, in that when our ego merges with its source, truth becomes impersonal, "being without reflection, personal opinions and judgments." Consciousness in such a case blends and becomes part of the Unknown God, the Unmanifested Light of Being. In Western Hermetic tradition, this level of attainment is called the Philosopher’s Stone. So again, what do we mean by Emptiness? In Christianity, it is represented by the center of the cross and the swastika, the basic principle at the center of the Wheel of the Universe, from which all flows and to which all returns; the center that is everywhere and nowhere.
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About Spiritual Emptiness or the Void
Has reality a connection with Emptiness? Reality changes all the time. It moves and is transformed incessantly by the interpretation and experiences of our individual ego. Reality is part of life as it brings the necessary changes and meanings that we all need to express ourselves. However, with the incessant changes that we all need, realities seem to change with the transformation of consciousness. It can never be fixed, never be constant, but remains limited in time and space. Reality is as fluid as water, as ephemeral as air, and therefore, in itself, can never be rooted, anchored or possessed, since it comprises nothing other than changing appearances. So clearly, since reality is a projection of our own understanding of something, Emptiness is devoid of reality.
However, as the letters of the alphabet are "tools" to build and interpret the written word, realities are the tools that our psyche uses to interpret and understand the world around it. Our psyche translates and perceives realities as symbols, but since this process of reading and understanding realities takes place in a world of duality, then realities belong to the world of the ego, which interprets and understands them. Hence, realities have nothing to do with the level of consciousness called Emptiness or the Void, since in the Void, there are no manifestations. Emptiness designates a state of mind, an inner level of consciousness based upon the renunciation of what one believes to be real, beyond all comprehension or lack of comprehension. Emptiness is, therefore, a higher level of the mind, an attunement with "nothing," i.e., with Pure Being that has no reflection at all. This is the revelation that the abstract or higher mind of a spiritual man receives. He is called "spiritual" because his mind is open and in harmony with the whole of creation, or the Unknown God. Hence, such a man is empty of a personal "interpretation" and is in touch with the world of spirit. As he manifests the world of spirit within him, a new one opens up before him, giving him a new understanding of life. A spiritual man is a mystic at heart, and his mind mirrors the mind of Pure Being. Therefore, his mind and thought processes are enlightened. And, since this transformation comes from the source of all knowledge, it automatically opens the gates of Divine Wisdom for him. Such a man is devoid of personal feelings or opinions, unless it be the feeling of deep compassion for all living things. Returning to the question of what we mean by Emptiness, it is difficult to explain because it represents a purified level of consciousness in which objects and creatures are seen as transitory realities. Hence, we could say that Emptiness in itself is the source of Being and therefore formless. However, since it is the source of Being, it nevertheless nurtures all realities. Symbolically, we could say that Emptiness is the dark womb of creation.
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we are the weavers of our destiny
WE ARE THE WEAVERS OF OUR DESTINY.
As weavers of our own lives, we see objects of the ordinary world, external or internal, beings, events, feelings, and actions as multicolored threads giving meaning and linking us to life. While observed from the outside world, these disparate and unrelated objects and beings take on for us their "usual" appearance and separateness for us. However, seen from the level of our awakened awareness, they jointly develop a wonderful and harmonious relationship analogous to the threads in a tapestry. Worldly facts, events, memories, feelings and beings—or rather the ideas and symbols that we give to them—somehow change in value when seen from the perspective of a weaver. We are the weavers of our own lives, in which each experience can become an important thread used by our consciousness to connect with one another. Hence, when at a certain point in our lives, we decide to become the weaver, these entangled threads of our experiences and knowledge blend into a beautiful and useful tapestry. Cloth, thread, loom, spindle, and whatever else is used in spinning and weaving, all represent symbols of our future and destiny. They are used to denote all that rules predetermine and join together our different and ever-changing realities, consciously harmonizing them in ourselves. They are also used to create and make something of our own substance and essence, as the spider does in spinning a web. Many fairy tales feature goddesses holding spindles or weaving instrument whilst presiding over the birth of a prince or princess. In other instances, they represent time and the chain of cause and effect, or karmic laws. However, when man becomes the weaver of his own destiny, he naturally unfolds the qualities of the creative artist, and becomes the sacred fool whose intuition is guided by the thread of his soul. On the Symbolism of the Thread Turning to the archetypal meaning of the thread, it symbolizes the agent that links all states of being to one another and to the First Cause. This symbolism finds its best expression in the Upanishads, where the thread (sutra) "links this world to the other world and to all beings." The thread is both the soul (atman) and the breath (prana). The thread must in all things be followed back to its source because it is linked to a main central point, often depicted as the Sun. This is reminiscent of thread, the active ingredients of Theseus’ return to the light of day.
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we are the weavers of our destiny
ARIADNE'S BALL OF TWINE.
Ariadne’s ball of twine or rope stands for the spiritual assistance needed to overcome the minotaur. The minotaur is the creature with a man’s body and a bull’s head, which king Minos imprisoned in the Labyrinth, built as tribute by Athens to Crete. The minotaur was regularly fed with seven youths and seven maidens, and the king’s son, Theseus, offered himself as one of them. Thanks to a ball of twine that Ariadne gave him to escape from the Labyrinth, Theseus was able to kill the beast. The minotaur symbolizes the labyrinth of our unconscious, ignorant, perverted human nature, an ugly and soiled embroidery that is dominated by our ego, symbolized by king Minos. Hence, Ariadne’s ball of twine, like the thread, stands for the guidance coming from our soul and our higher intuition to overcome the beast of ignorance and selfishness. This myth symbolizes the spiritual struggle against repression. However, this struggle cannot be won without the weapons of light and the presence of our soul, symbolized by Ariadne herself.
In a spiritual context, the thread also represents the energies and magnetic stimulation and intuition coming from the soul. Therefore, we become the channels for the expression of our soul, and the threads linking us to it are a combination of our http://www.plotinus.com/weavers_of_destiny.htm (2 of 3)14-2-2005 18:32:13
we are the weavers of our destiny
own thoughts and emotions blending with those of the soul. Together they form the tapestry of our life. We have already seen that the thread is one of the meanings of the word sutra of the Buddhist scriptures. It should be added that the word "tantra" is also derived from the notion of thread or weaving. Threading a needle is the symbol of passing through the gateway of the Sun and escaping from the cosmos. It also has the same meaning as the arrow piercing the center of the target. In this context, the thread may be regarded as the link between the different cosmic levels (infernal, terrestrial and celestial) or those of spiritual psychology, (subconscious, conscious, superconscious, or pure Being or Soul awareness). All around the Mediterranean Basin, weaving is to woman what ploughing is to man—participating in the work of creation. Through myths and tradition, weaving has an equal archetypal importance as ploughing, although the way they operate remains different. Both, however, are conscious acts involving all the qualities necessary for creating and producing. Hence the thread of the soul links the weaver’s full awareness and qualities on his/her work, which becomes beautiful. Similarly, the farmer ploughs his field with the same attention and devotion, also linking his consciousness to the thread of his soul.
"As the spider weaves its thread out of its own mouth, plays with it and then withdraws it again into itself, so the external unchangeable Lord, who is without form, without attributes, who is absolute knowledge and absolute bliss, evolves the whole universe out of Himself, plays with it for a while, and again withdraws it into Himself." (by Bhagavatam) The one who really sees this Truth, realizes his own nature as the Soul or pure Being.
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Pilgrimage and Quest
PILGRIMAGE AND QUEST
Our consciousness or inner presence reflects the way in which everything in the universe organizes itself and exhibits a dimension of subjective spontaneity. From the beginning of creation, from galaxy to planet formation, consciousness was always there, revealing an extraordinary ability to unfold powerful forces and exquisite imagination in an incalculable complexity of forms, moving, expanding, collapsing, exploding, and fulfilling through creation its own unknown and mysterious destiny. Man is a part of creation, and consciousness in him takes another dimension, another level. Should this be called an evolution of consciousness, or better still, an awakening? The journey into the depths of self begins with the adventure of consciousness, starting with a limited and narrow appreciation of our real essence, and expanding our consciousness with our mind and imagination. We do that to experience and understand that we, as consciousness, are mirrors reflecting the whole of creation. However, we are not just mirrors; we must also discover that we are also centers of creation. Consciousness in man has two functions. Firstly, it reflects our own understanding and interpretation of creation, which helps us to develop our inner potential, innate wisdom, and individuality. Secondly, it shows us that consciousness will always remain a mystery—the realization of which is our real mission in life— because consciousness itself takes all kinds of forms in creation and yet we know that, as an inherent part of the Essence of the Unknown God Himself, consciousness can never be created. So, who is man? What purpose does he fulfill, and what is his "mission" in creation? Man is not consciousness itself, but consciousness grows and transforms him, so man is inhabited by consciousness. Henceforth, he is no more mind, nor love. His role in creation is to be a vessel, a chalice, a grail cup, and to receive those mysterious energies that consciousness bestows upon him—the gifts of mind and love. We are not the creators of these essences but the receivers of them, and our mission is to incarnate and manifest them in our lives. When we become the center of these mysteries, then, we are no longer just human. We become an awakened consciousness reflecting the whole of creation in ourselves, and when we experience that portion of consciousness, then we realize that consciousness, through us, is also the source of this creation. Then we live on both levels of consciousness at the same time. Different traditions use different names for such a person, such as the Son of Man, Christ Consciousness, the Buddha, and the Enlightened One. Initiations such as the one explained in Pilgrimage by author Paulo Coelho open in the seeker a genuine and true dimension of what a real quest and initiation is all about. As seekers, we unfold the quest in ourselves, since we are both the quest and the path. The goal of initiation is the direct awakening of our consciousness
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Pilgrimage and Quest
to a higher level. However, initiation also reveals to us that while we are awakening a new level of consciousness in the world, we are also letting go of our previous one. "When the disciple is ready, the Master appears," so, strange encounters and inexplicable events take place in our lives when we are open to receive initiation. It can happen suddenly in a most ordinary and natural way, and rupture our consciousness, helping our soul to intervene and awaken us to our true Self. Consciousness could be transformed by any event in our life. However, an initiator or catalyst is needed, an awakened, enlightened soul who knows what kind of initiation each seeker needs, a master in whom the seeker has complete trust. Some seekers need to be "handled" subtly, others more roughly, but what counts is the rupture, the opening that initiation brings. Pilgrimage and quest are therefore levels of passage, levels of transformation, of dying and of being reborn. Although initiation can take place anywhere, certain locations around the world have mysterious strong and powerful egregore due to the higher levels of consciousness of millions of pilgrims of pure heart soul. These powerful energies give us courage and strength to continue and, in return, we give them our love and gratitude. So, the Light shines in darkness. Come along and follow the sacred Fool. There is nothing to fear.
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Mystery of Man: Part 1
About the Mystery of Man PART : 1
Logia 5: The Gospel of Thomas: Jesus said: "Know Him who is before your face and what is hidden from you shall be revealed to you, for there is nothing hidden that shall not be manifest.
Before discussing the Mystery of Man, let us examine what is called the "unmanifest Center of Pure Being" that influences and governs the soul entity behind each individual soul. We must also address the essence of man, the energy incarnating life in us. From where does this invisible and mysterious substance come that gives us our unique individuality, our creative powers, and our courageous impulses? From where does consciousness come? Is that not also part of the Mystery of Man? Consciousness enhances and expands throughout our life. No two of us are the same; each of us experiences life differently, since experiences are the result of the various conditions and unique circumstances created just for us. Why are brothers and sisters unique even though they have received the same education? Is it solely based on intelligence, ambition and will alone? Or is there some other reason? And if so, what? One indication is that this mysterious element that makes us unique is closely linked to consciousness. Consciousness in itself remains a mystery, and no two of us are conscious of the world and of ourselves in exactly the same way. Therefore, consciousness affects the thoughts and emotions of each us, transforming in us how we experience and understand our world. Depending on our level of consciousness, it will unfold in us the experiences necessary to help us understand ourselves and give meaning to what goes on in our lives. However, these inner processes do not modify or affect the mystery of consciousness itself, nor our unmanifested soul entity. To prove the presence of the soul entity, we must look at "being-ness," and turn our attention to within ourselves, with a purified mind and heart, since consciousness affects and is, in turn, affected by, our thoughts and feelings. Therefore, consciousness could be compared to a mirror that reflects and manifests everything that is projected on to it. Consequently, to probe the mystery of man, we must go beyond the reflected and projected outer realities on the surface of this mirror and, instead, let intuition—the http://www.plotinus.com/mystery_of_man_part1.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 18:33:18
Mystery of Man: Part 1
intelligence of the heart of the soul entity—guide us to the center core of consciousness, the presence of the unmanifest Center of Pure Being, and the center of our unmanifest soul entity. In general, man remains unconscious and captive of his own reactions. Why? Simply because most of us are unaware of the different levels of consciousness lying dormant within us. So, what can we do to increase our awareness? First and foremost, we must learn to observe our own thoughts and emotions, so as to understand why we behave and react the way we do. This kind of inner work and self-analysis unfolds and develops our spiritual intelligence, or intuition. Hence, we come to "know" ourselves; indeed, through these subtle operations and transformations, we gradually awaken in ourselves refined psychic and spiritual faculties—our inner senses and "tools" opening for us the inner gates of consciousness where pure knowledge and wisdom reside. The goal is to reach our own mystery—the core and heart center of our own Being—and to unite with the presence of the unmanifest light within. This means that we must go beyond the "mirror" of reflections of consciousness, to a place where our ordinary level of consciousness is transmuted and transformed into the light of the soul itself. This is where the subtle impulses concerning the mystery of man are revealed and known. The mystery of man cannot be understood or explained; it can only be lived in a fully awakened consciousness in the present moment; in other words, when our self-consciousness is fully awaken and living in the now! This means that we have successfully united our self-conscious state with soul consciousness or Cosmic Consciousness in ordinary, everyday circumstances that transforms how we experience life. Through the effects of Cosmic Consciousness, the permanent seed of our soul awakens and unfolds its spiritual qualities. Together, they both energize in us the presence of our soul entity; they make known and clarify for us our inner archetypal models, our blueprints, the parts in us that can never be manifested independently, since they are Divine ideas and ideals that we must learn to integrate and manifest within ourselves here on our ordinary level of consciousness. What are these spiritual qualities, and where do they come from? We could use the symbol of the seed as the center from which these qualities emerge. However, the power and intelligence behind the seed are the presence of the unmanifest soul entity. The soul entity projects the light and love of "being-ness" in our symbolic seed from where unfolds a mysterious spiritual process of awakening under the guidance of our soul entity. Let us examine the abstract process that unfolds Cosmic Consciousness in us. The soul entity activates within our seed or blueprint, two complementary, co-existing energies, one active, positive, and masculine, and the other passive, nurturing, and feminine —our two inner witnesses. These components of our soul entity are complementary to each other and together form the seed. We must awaken these two sacred witnesses in ourselves, and incarnate their respective qualities in our individual consciousness so as to harmonize and "marry" them in our own mind and heart. This is indeed the only way for us to reach enlightenment and finally be re-united with our soul entity. Various traditions term these two aspects of the soul entity "soul" and "spirit." While these two elements of our soul entity are asexual, they behave in relation to each other as two complements that can differentiate themselves like the Father-Mother archetypes from which they come, and they do that without abandoning their unity. Spiritual psychology has shown that we must come to know our inner nature—our feminine and masculine aspects within us—so as to harmonize them and become whole again. We could say that consciousness, in its purest and simplest form has to disconnect and disassociate itself from all transitory preoccupation, mundane teachings, and indoctrination, opening itself to higher and deeper levels. These states could be best described as peaceful, silent levels of consciousness, unveiling and revealing what lies hidden behind the center of the soul entity. In other words, reaching this level of consciousness means that we no longer have reflections on the mirror of our consciousness or shadows in our consciousness, but instead a fully awakened consciousness, filled with the bright light of the pure consciousness of the soul entity. http://www.plotinus.com/mystery_of_man_part1.htm (2 of 3)14-2-2005 18:33:18
Mystery of Man: Part 1
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Mystery of Man Part 2
ABOUT THE MYSTERY OF MAN.
PART II.
As we saw in the previous part, the two witnesses, being spiritual elements of our unmanifested soul entity, are asexual but behave in relation to each other as two complementary parts of a same Unity. They were likened to the Father-Mother archetypes in each of us, since each activates separately masculine or feminine Divine qualities. Emanating from the one and unique spiritual entity of our Being, they gradually manifest and infuse in us some of those qualities. So we receive and are transformed by them, but only when our psyche and ego are harmonized with the vibrational levels of those spiritual qualities. Hence, receiving and being impregnated by these sublime qualities depends solely on our own level of consciousness and the degree to which we "attune" to them, come to know them, and be one with them. In other words, our level of consciousness must "allow" the transfer from our level of understanding the spiritual quality, so as to embody it in ourselves, and make the quality an integral part of us. By this transfer of energy, we stop being the observer, the onlooker, since a spiritual quality cannot be apprehended in a world where the law of the observer/observed still applies, as this law belongs solely to the world of duality. Instead, we must let our level of consciousness be assimilated into the spiritual one. All the laws governing the spiritual realms belong to unity, i.e., to "know" a spiritual realm, consciousness must be absorbed and impregnated by it. In part 1, we saw that we possess within ourselves all the hierarchies and spiritual worlds, each one of which is, in itself, a level of consciousness that awakens more and more as it approaches the level of unity, where resides our unmanifested spiritual entity. All spiritual hierarchies within us represent degrees of purified and spiritual consciousness in potential, like seeds awaiting the right conditions to germinate and vitalize our ordinary consciousness. However, to reach this point, the two divine witnesses have to guide our intuition before trusting us with important keys that are necessary tools to open and enliven one of the parallel spiritual dimensions within our consciousness. By this process, our ordinary level of consciousness gradually begins to reflect the qualities belonging to that specific level in our ego. However, these delicate inner processes of transformation must manifest in our ordinary life before our consciousness is allowed to blend and merge completely with it. Furthermore, the awakening processes of consciousness become more subtle, refined and purer as it approaches the Center of Pure Being Part 1 likens consciousness to a mirror reflecting whatever is projected on its surface, so understanding a Divine quality makes it shimmer and reflect the quality on the mirror of our consciousness. However, consciousness itself could never be affected since consciousness is a projection of Pure Being. Hence, it remains an element of the invisible presence in us. And
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Mystery of Man Part 2
since the source of consciousness is not the mirror itself, we must let our consciousness go beyond the mirror, letting itself plunge into the abyss of immaculate consciousness in our unmanifested soul entity. Part 1 revealed that the two divine witnesses of the soul entity transform the mystic from within, when his ego is attracted to their energies. Spiritual psychology has validated the importance played by the masculine (Father archetype) and feminine (Mother archetype) energies within us. However, these two energies in our psyche are usually shadows awkwardly reflecting their real spiritual counterparts. Because they are unconscious of their existence and are not yet in touch with their own higher spiritual principles, most people usually mishandle and distort these archetypal qualities. So, our unconscious ego generally distorts the projections of these two Divine witnesses, which is why our behavior in life reflects some of the same deformities and mutilations. To get in touch with and harmonize with our ideal archetypes — Father and Mother, or the spiritual spouse and bride — we must first become conscious of how we distort the pure emanations of our two Divine archetypal witnesses. We do that by observing how our masculine and feminine energies act and react within ourselves, and by meditating and attuning to their archetypal ideals. Then we allow our intuition to guide and teach us how to open up to their spiritual qualities. Intuition is a Divine gift granted to us by our two witnesses to help us restore our light of pure Cosmic Consciousness. The trumpet blows. It is time to awaken, my friends, and let all the shadowy figures in your psyche dissolve, evaporate and disappear into the light of your soul entity. Then, the mirror reflecting your different stages of consciousness is finally broken, nothing remaining but the level of pure consciousness of your soul entity. .
Mystery of Man Part : 3 What is Christ Consciousness? Reincarnation and the Soul Who and What is the Daemon?
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Mystery of Man Part 3
ABOUT THE MYSTERY OF MAN PART : 3
Painting by Rassouli
THE TWO WITNESSES OF THE SOUL ENTITY. The numerology of the soul entity. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Isha Schaller de Lubicz’ who wrote an inspiring and precious esoteric book entitled Journey into the Light. Her inner wisdom and spiritual Knowledge have guided me in this discourse. At the core of its essence, each human soul has a spiritual number, a very specific and unique number. This particular number gives the soul its own entity. Moreover, every spiritual number originates in the absolute unity of the unmanifested source of the soul and is contained in the Divine Totality. Consequently, all created souls have distinctive numbers, and are blessed with the characteristics inherent in their particular number, characteristics that distinguish one soul from all other souls. These numbers are seed ideas originating from the unmanifested Center of Pure Being. Esoterically, because they represent abstract divine ideas, numbers allow us to understand what is beyond ordinary human comprehension. The meaning of numbers and the role that each number plays is rooted in the esoteric meaning of sacred numbers and the fact that each number is the embodiment of a Divine idea. By opening our intuition, we can distinguish their intangible and spiritual qualities. Numbers are interconnected with levels of consciousness, so when we meditate and work with an esoteric number, we are working from a corresponding level of consciousness within ourselves and allow the number to affect our own level of consciousness and intuition. Esoteric meditation and work with numbers, therefore, helps us attain the meaning of existence and of causality. Numerology is one of the oldest sciences of symbols. Plato called it "the highest level of knowledge" and Pythagoras regarded it as "the essence of cosmic and inward harmony." No two numbers are identical, and as each soul is blessed with the characteristics of its own number, these distinctions make each soul different from all other souls.
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Mystery of Man Part 3
Painting by Rassouli
Some traditions liken souls to stars. Now, a star emits its own light, but this visible star is only the physical body of the spiritual star. However, the visible light emitted is not its only emanation. Our sun emits other types of radiation, differentiated by the number of their vibration, the sum of which constitutes a vibrating sphere that embraces the planets of the solar system. That we can detect each type of radiation individually (infrared, light, ultraviolet, etc.) shows that they co-exist without blending, due to their various vibratory states. However, despite their diversity, all of these emanations are part of a single sun. This image sheds light on the twin aspects of the soul entity that together constitute a unique essence: the characteristics of its number called the permanent witness, which imprints its signature on the newborn, and that divine essence (pure eternal light, which is impersonal and non-specific) termed the spiritual witness. Early Christian doctrine referred to the spiritual witness simply as spirit, and the permanent witness as soul. So, what we call soul and spirit are both aspects of the soul entity that unfolds within us when our level of consciousness allows us to attune and harmonize with these two aspects of the immortal soul, the two witnesses of man’s number-entity.
Unless we know who we are, how can we genuinely give ourselves to others? So, probably the most important journey we shall ever take is the one inward. The quest can be long, but help is at hand, and we are never left alone. Our two witnesses are our divine guides and they accompany us on our sacred quest to the core of our soul entity from whence they came. Therefore, approach the quest without fear, look inward, and awaken your two witnesses within your soul entity and allow them to carry you to fulfill your destiny. And from two, you will become three a trinity and a star is born.
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Mystery of Man Part 3
It is important to recognize and understand the differences between the witnesses’ functions and roles. Our psyche is governed on a lower level by these two distinct energies, one masculine and the other feminine. Spiritual psychology tells us that the feminine energy, or the passive part of the soul, cannot function properly without her masculine counterpart, and that in turn, the masculine element of the soul cannot work correctly without its feminine counterpart. The feminine soul element represents the inner "womb" in which archetypal seed ideas are allowed to germinate and grow; and the masculine executes and acts upon these archetypal seed ideas. So we must first create a pure space within ourselves (the passive and feminine aspect of God or Pure Being) so as to be able to cultivate good thoughts and kind feelings towards everything around us. Then, from that level of consciousness, our ego manifests and executes our spiritual seed ideas as harmoniously and blamelessly as they are in their original state. What is Christ Consciousness? Reincarnation and the Soul Who and What is the Daemon? 02/02/2005
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Mystery of Man Part 4
ABOUT THE MYSTERY OF MAN The Method of the Quest. Part 4
The Method of the Quest. A path has no value if it does not lead to a clearly defined goal. Similarly, no one can resolve our personal problems if they are not clearly exposed in the mirror of our own mind that reflects, on the surface of our consciousness, everything that engages us. Consequently, the mirror of consciousness is like a magnet that attracts all manner of energies, from the most positive to the most negative thoughts and feelings. That is why as mystics, we must develop spiritual discipline, since without observing and mastering our own negative thoughts and emotions, they will project on the mirror of our consciousness and disturb our inner harmony. As a symbolic image of self-consciousness, the mirror also reflects what lies in a deeper part of our subconscious. What is the difference between the psyche and the permanent witness? The previous three parts portrayed the permanent witness as that part of our soul entity that contains the qualitative blueprint of its sacred number, which is projected as an impulse and an energy into the newborn child, or "engrained’’ in the child’s essence. In other words, it is the part of our soul that bonds and connects with our psyche as a baby, and guides our developing psyche and ego for the duration of our incarnation. The permanent witness is the active part of our soul entity since it possesses its unique sacred number, and therefore is the part of each of us that guides our psyche and ego through intuition, insight, and dreams. In return, it participates in the purification and awakening process of its shadowy and sleepy psyche and ego selves.
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Mystery of Man Part 4
Visualize soul entity as five circles, the innermost being the center of our unmanifested soul entity or Pure Being. The circles represent: The Soul Entity comprises: 1 - The Uncreated Center of the Soul Entity.- the Presence of Pure unmanifested Being 2 - The Spiritual Witness. - Perfect Model - Christ - Buddha Consciousness 3 - The Permanent Witness - the blue-print - the SEED for a given incarnation 4 - The Psyche.- "the bridge" linking - "I Am" 5 - The Ego - Limited consciousness - self consciousness - ego - "I am, me" These circles overlap and project their own qualities and light on to each other as the various energies and impulses circulate between themselves. Thoughts and emotions are projected on the mirror of selfconsciousness, revealing to us the light or shade aspect of each circle. From the undifferentiated unity of the Center of Pure Being to the circumference of the outermost circle representing self-consciousness, we understand intuitively that the inner work awakens self-consciousness to the unifying level of consciousness called Christ Consciousness, the self that is aware of breathing and being the consciousness of the whole.
The psyche is the manifested part of the needs and impulses coming from the permanent witness, directed http://www.plotinus.com/mystery_of_man_part4.htm (2 of 4)14-2-2005 18:35:45
Mystery of Man Part 4
towards our developing and spiritualizing ego. In other words, the psyche represents the soul personality in incarnation, unfolding our individual karma. However, what goes on in our ego also influences our psyche. Hence, the psyche could be compared to a very sensitive instrument that registers all the emotions and thoughts that affect our ego and the permanent witness. The psyche is also a bridge, since it attends to the exchange of experiences between the two via dreams, intuitions, creativity, etc. Via the channels of emotions and thoughts, the psyche sends and receives "messages" through strong or subtle impulses that leave their mark and make an impact. How do we go about harmonizing the psyche and ego with the permanent witness? We must first purify the thoughts and emotions of our ego and psyche so that the mirror of consciousness can clearly and perfectly register the impulses coming from the permanent witness. However, it is not so much the intellectual ideas and thoughts that impact our psyche or change our level of consciousness, but more our personal intent, commitment, and understanding and intuitive knowledge of the transcendent meaning of our ideals. Indeed, we must learn to concentrate and meditate as often as possible on them, since they are the leaven helping the rising and unfoldment of our spiritual qualities and, consequently, of the manifestation of higher levels of consciousness in us. These, then, are the materials that forge their way deeply in our psyche. However, our consciousness must also take part in these subtle operations. Hence, our personal discernment and focus in our daily activities will also develop a deep and intimate method of working reflecting our personal ideals and goals in life. This is a good and safe way of doing inner work since it guides us from within, showing us how best to experience what needs to surface and become apparent on a conscious level. Of course, these delicate operations are always tailored to our individual possibilities and level of consciousness. Now, a strong link exists between the psyche and the mirror of consciousness because the psyche reflects the permanent witness concealed and imprinted in the seed of man. Moreover, since, the psyche is also sensitive to what appears on the mirror of our consciousness, it can also be influenced by the reflected images that our ego projects on to it. Hence, the psyche reflects the seed ideas of our permanent witness to our ego but, at the same time, projects our ego’s thoughts and emotions to our Permanent Witness.
The Soul Entity comprises: (recapitulation) 1 - The Uncreated Center of the Soul Entity.- the Presence of Pure unmanifested Being 2 - The Spiritual Witness. - Perfect Model - Christ - Buddha Consciousness 3 - The Permanent Witness - the blue-print - the SEED for a given incarnation 4 - The Psyche.- "the bridge" linking - "I Am" 5 - The Ego - Limited consciousness - self consciousness - ego - "I am, me"
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Mystery of Man Part 4
Please remember that the use of symbolic words are to facilitate and explain as much as possible the unfolding spiritual process within a seeker. Explanations about "the Spiritual and Permanent Witnesses" are given on this website. To find them please refer to: "The Mystery of Man part 1-2-3-4". (Remember that you can change terminologies and words, replacing them with your choice of symbols and wordings. What is important is the meaning and the understanding you have of them. By discovering "your" inner process, you unfold the path that is best suited to you.) If you want to know more about this fascinating subject, it is suggested that you read the articles written on the subject of the "PERFECT MODEL" (You will find them on this website)
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Mystery of Man Part 4
ABOUT THE MYSTERY OF MAN Diagrams
1 - Absolute Consciousness 2 - Essence of Pure Being-ness 3 - Divine Face of the Perfect Model 4 - Spirit or the Spiritual Witness, the "blueprint" of the Perfect Model 5 - Divine Soul or Permanent Witness 6 - The Perfect Model manifests in one's life when the psyche has been purified, then the psyche is "remodeled" in a new "Perfect Mold" that is the "spiritual DNA" within each human being Please remember that the use of symbolic words are to facilitate and explain as much as possible the unfolding spiritual process within a seeker. Explanations about "the Spiritual and Permanent Witnesses" are given on this website. To find them please refer to: "The Mystery of Man part 1-2-3-4". (Remember that you can change terminologies and words, replacing them with your choice of symbols and wordings. What is important is the meaning and the understanding you have of them. By discovering "your" inner process, you unfold the path that is best suited to you.)
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Mystery of Man Part 4
If you want to know more about this fascinating subject, it is suggested that you read the articles written on the subject of the "PERFECT MODEL" (You will find them on this website) Remember also that both Witnesses are archetypal symbolic images representing two complementary expressions of the Absolute and Perfect Being
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Importance of Dreams in the Mystical Process
IMPORTANCE OF DREAMS IN THE MYSTICAL PROCESS
There is basically no difference between the waking state and that of dream, except that one seems more stable than the other. Only after there is awakening in the form of enlightenment is it realized that the waking world itself is indeed nothing but a long dream resulting from mental dis-position - a movement in Consciousness in which what seems a solid body and its sufferings are really an illusion. Ramesh Balsekar This chapter is dedicated to readers who have proven to themselves that dreams are more than just dreams, that they are indeed "tools" teaching us to look at ourselves in an impartial and impersonal way. Dreams are tools of transformation. Moreover, at a certain level of inner work, dreams stop being dreams and instead become spiritual levels of consciousness. But, in the meantime, dreams open invisible doors to subtler levels of spiritual growth, awakening in seekers of truth and wisdom, our permanent witness or soul within our conscious selves. Let us first introduce the symbol of the trident, the logo of the sea-god Poseidon/Neptune. What connection does that have with the process of dreaming? Poseidon, the god of seas and oceans, holds the trident as a mark of his command of the waters. In the context of dream work, he represents the king of the subconscious levels of the psyche. In fact, with his trident, Poseidon also commands the monsters of the deep, which reminds us of the deep waters of the subconscious and its own monsters and shadowy figures. The subconscious can therefore be compared to the abysmal depths of the ocean; the bottomless deep waters symbolize the subconscious and unconscious parts of our psyche where emotions and instincts mingle and mix without purpose or direction.
The three menacing elongated prongs of the trident look like weapons and are used for penetrating, scratching and wounding, so in the symbolic context of dream work, the trident is a penetrating device, http://www.plotinus.com/dreams_in_the_mystical_process.htm (1 of 7)14-2-2005 18:38:29
Importance of Dreams in the Mystical Process
effectively "wounding" and scraping what is useless and needs to be separated and removed from the virginal aspect of the psyche. But this wounding opens three deep holes that allows the penetration by the spiritual light of the soul that nourishes and illuminates the unconscious part in us. Through this purification, our unconscious becomes conscious of itself. Thus the trident symbolically opens these three "gates" to higher levels of enlightenment. Let us examine these three "wounds" and three "gates."
The three wounds have the power of transmuting our self-consciousness from its dualistic awareness to its source, Cosmic Consciousness. In piercing and perforating our "self-conscious" aspect, the prongs transmute the egotistic and lower psychic character traits into their spiritual perfect ideals. Thus the trident is an awakening device a powerful symbol for our purification and spiritual advancement through dream work. From a religious aspect, the trident and the net represent two symbols of Christ as "Fisher of Man." Furthermore, the trident’s prongs are of an equal length, symbolizing the Trinity. Hence, the trident is an effective instrument of purification and purgation for awakening the inferior parts of the psyche and sensitizing them to higher spiritual impulses coming from the psyche that are influenced by the permanent witness. Moreover, the trident, as a symbol of Trinity, impregnates and penetrates with its triune spiritual energies the lower and higher aspects of our self-consciousness. In Christian tradition, the trident is placed in Satan’s hands as an instrument of punishment. However, esoteric tradition and spiritual psychology tell us that we need to go deep within ourselves to discover the blocked energies, and then, "fish" them out, as it were, so as to bring them into the light of consciousness. Turning our attention within subtly develops the intuitive faculty of our sixth sense to help us understand who we are and what we need to do to reintegrate our perfect model.
In Buddhism, the trident is taken as a symbol of the Tiratna, or triple jewel (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, meaning the Awakened One, the Truth expounded by Him, and the followers living in accordance with this Truth). It may also be regarded as the triple current of energy in man. And in our own spiritual context, the trident represents the instrument moving these same energies within our psyche. Dreams help us look deeper within our own psyche, to discover the Mystery of Man. But unless we devote ourselves and allocate time to work with the energies and meaning of dreams, they will always remain unsolicited and strange phenomena. That is why our psyche needs to dream, since dreams are a source of knowledge helping us in the process of releasing unwanted garbage. Dreams are given to us to rescue us http://www.plotinus.com/dreams_in_the_mystical_process.htm (2 of 7)14-2-2005 18:38:29
Importance of Dreams in the Mystical Process
from lethargy and unconsciousness. Previous chapters have compared the psyche to a mirror reflecting whatever preoccupies it. What is reflected in dreams are the thoughts and emotions of our good and bad intentions and experiences. It is in the mirror of our psyche that real purification and understanding take place, since we must become conscious of what appears on the surface of our psyche. The conscious impressions coming from a dream have an important role to play in the awakening process as a whole, and each dream, each symbol enriches this process, since spiritual dream work takes into account the subtle purification process of the whole man. Dreams about purification are given to those of us who want to awaken our permanent and spiritual witnesses. To do that, we must unite them in our "ordinary" level of self-consciousness. Therefore, we must become aware of our unconscious traits that need transformation. Without this, our ego cannot continue on this journey.
Trident of Purification
This kind of spiritual work in itself exposes the psyche to the influences and intuitions pouring in from the permanent witness (see About the Mystery of Man, parts 1 – 4). This is the first important means of access, the "key" opening the door of Poseidon’s mysterious palace in which are gathered all the past and present experiences, all the fears and stresses imprisoned since time immemorial. Those unconscious doubts and worries linger hopelessly in the depth of darkness awaiting the right moment for the thunderbolt of consciousness to penetrate them and bring them to the light of understanding. As a consequence of these delicate operations, the retrieved or "fished out" blocked energies float on the surface of dreams captured by our self-conscious ego. To help us understand their meaning, they take, in dreams, the shape of potent personal and universal symbols and archetypes. The ego must process these with subtlety, intuition and sensitivity, so that their meaning becomes clear and illuminating. At first, these types of dreams are usually experienced as nightmares since our consciousness has to reorganize and focus its attention on the inner dynamics of dream work. With phantasmagoric, incomprehensible, and senseless dreams, we must try to focus our attention and use our intuition to grasp the irrational within ourselves. So, we should not ignore dream sequences that might have nothing in common with each other or appear nonsensical. It really doesn’t matter if the beginning of a dream doesn’t match what follows it. Analogous to a jigsaw puzzle, we should use our intuition to retrieve the "seed idea" and meaning of each part of our dreams. The expansion of the "seed ideas" and "meaning" is important, and it doesn’t matter if our intuition reveals different symbols or meanings to the dream. What counts is the effort exerted by our psyche to unravel a new dimension. Our ego must turn its attention to within itself, in the silent space within Being, where the impelling magnetic presence of the intelligence of the heart reigns.
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Importance of Dreams in the Mystical Process
Thus, if dreams first appear confusing, it is because these types of dreams release the pressure and stressed energies blocked in our psyche. To release stress in dreams, the symbols are magnified so as to make an impact and emphasize certain aspects of a problem. Another reason for disturbing dreams is to help us become conscious of the nature of our stress or anxiety. We should use our intuition to look at the incongruous symbols in our dreams, trying to "respect" their meaning. Intuition assists us in "reading" what goes on in our psyche, since like a mirror, it reflects what goes on within us. This is how, from our permanent witness, we receive some practical solutions and interpretations. However, the exchange of intuitive ideas and feelings between our psyche and ego occurs only if our ego is open to change. If we are willing to work with the symbols, then a special flow of energy streams from our permanent witness, allowing us to understand what we must do to remove the problem, and transform what needs to change.
Detail of the hermetically sealed vessel with the Sun and Moon symbols of our Permanent and Spiritual Witnesses.
Spiritual psychology looks at the esoteric and intuitive aspect of dream work, and is based on inner guidance. However, psychology is based on the interpretation and analysis of psychologists or facilitators. These two approaches may sound and even look the same, but they are not. The first is solely based on inner revelation and the second on feedback and outside guidance. The first is used by mystics, those guided by their soul, who seek a closer relationship with their permanent witness. The second is used by those who are only interested in finding solutions to problems, new directions and meaning in times of crisis. Both are useful and important dream work tools to purify and transform the psyche. If we want to know who we are, then we should start with the psychological approach, either alone, in a group, or with a therapist. We should also seek the guidance of the inner master, or presence within. Whichever way we choose, our first step should always be with the psychological approach before starting any other kind of spiritual work, since, this approach takes us to the depth of our psyche and is part of an alchemical process. This is our descent into the world of Poseidon where our unconscious self waits. The quest to awaken our spiritual awareness can begin only after a certain amount of purification and transformation of the psyche. Our consciousness, having taken the downward journey, is eventually drawn towards an ascending path. Then, what we receive becomes more subtle and enlightening since it comes without distortion directly from the http://www.plotinus.com/dreams_in_the_mystical_process.htm (4 of 7)14-2-2005 18:38:29
Importance of Dreams in the Mystical Process
soul.
In the sealed vessel sits Poseidon/Neptune, with his trident and the two Witnesses.
If we are serious in our work with the spiritual level of dreams, we must also realize that dreams are like seeds containing potential whole trees. Dreams, therefore, contain the seed ideas coming from the permanent witness. Their purpose is to transform our ordinary levels of consciousness to higher spiritual ones, since some dreams are in themselves examples of spiritual planes co-existing in our psyche that are the seeds waiting in our subconscious to be recognized and awakened by our ego. In other words, they are our spiritual levels of consciousness that permeate into our everyday consciousness. This is the grounding aspect of the whole process of dreams since, if we need to fathom the Mystery of Being and experience our own harmony and unity with it, then the nature of our dreams changes. Moreover, the essence and meaning of our dreams take a more abstract and irrational quality that cannot be shared with anyone, since they come directly from our permanent witness as a language of our soul, a language that can only be understood only intuitively. .
The spiritual dimension of dreams could be described, at best, as delicate and subtle experiences given directly by our permanent witness to our consciousness in order to foster a healing and purifying, leading to a new level of consciousness in us, which we must allow to unfold in our ordinary lives. What really matters here is our wish for inner transformation, since strong desire to unfold a higher level of consciousness is an illuminating catalyst that energizes our psyche. This is an important element in dream work. The power of concentration and a strong desire to work with dreams as tools for our own transformation opens naturally and directly the inner path to the permanent witness.
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Importance of Dreams in the Mystical Process
Painting by Marica S. Lauck & Deborah Koff-Chapin To Visit Deborah Koff-Chapin Gallery go to "The Society for Art of Imagination"
Dream work is comparable to learning a new language. First we must learn the alphabet. Dreams are a new symbolic world opening up in our self-consciousness. Why do we say "self-consciousness"? Because, unless our self-consciousness awakens whilst dreaming, our dreams will have no impact and we will not remember anything of great importance. Thus we must gradually stimulate and awaken our self-consciousness during dreams so that they can be something more than mere stress release. Later, when our ego or self-consciousness "awakens" to its true nature—the impersonal Cosmic Consciousness—then dreams and the inner process take a new direction, and we see, understand and experience them in a totally different way since, from then on, our ego or self-consciousness realizes that it is just a vehicle for Cosmic Consciousness. We then perceive all kinds of dreams and astral projections differently, since the veil separating them from Cosmic Consciousness is no more. Our ego knows that it is just a reflection of the blazing light of the presence of God or Pure Being. When the veil is torn, and ego and soul meet and merge, the true identity of the Creator and initiator of our inner process becomes even clearer. The impersonal Cosmic Consciousness within us is the sole creator of dreams, and its limited selfconscious counterpart, our ego, it is seen at the other end of the process as the receiver of dreams.
The mission of Cosmic Consciousness within man is to enlighten man’s ego. In other words, Cosmic Consciousness actively guides the process of awakening the ego to its true nature, hence it directs the inner world of dreams and astral projections during sleep. Cosmic Consciousness takes over and creates whatever is necessary for our self-consciousness to understand and experience our ego. That is why prophets, saints and disciples of all religions and philosophies have been enlightened and have received knowledge and wisdom through their dreams, visions and astral travels. The ways that our soul carries out its initiatory course of action to awaken our ego and open up the "rainbow bridge to infinity" is a source of great gratitude and awe. to know more about dream Yoga click on:
"Zhine - Dream Yoga part 1" "Zhine - Dream Yoga part 2"
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Importance of Dreams in the Mystical Process
A good manual to read about a step-by -step introduction to working with dreams is: "The Dreamwork Manual" by Strephon Kaplan Williams - Published by "The Aquarian Press".
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Guidelines to Dream Interpretation
Guideline to Dream Interpretation. (Author Unknown) taken from a Psychosynthesis paper
Painting by John Vega
All dreams work to accomplish one of two things: 1
To solve the problems of your conscious, waking life.
2 To present you with access to new potentials and creativity. Because dreams come from all levels of your being, understanding the imagery and type of dream is the key to understanding and actualizing the messages you receive during sleep. 3 Symbols express those things for which we have no words. By working with them, we use both hemispheres of the brain and tap the subconscious mind more fully, which in turn opens the doors to our intuitive self
A dream symbol could literally represent itself as well as its possible interpretations. The images and symbols may also represent aspects of your personality. When you begin to reflect on the symbols, always start by registering your first impressions but don’t stop with the obvious. Dreams are symbolic representations, not reproductions. The dream images always represent more than themselves, and so the more you work with them, the more you will understand them. Dreams do not come to tell you what you already know. Look at the dream images and symbols as pieces of a puzzle that you can put together only by finding out what they mean to you.
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Guidelines to Dream Interpretation
Painting by Bob Venosa How do you relate to the dream? 1
Start by looking at how the dream could be reflecting something going on in your daily life.
2
Then move on to the more subtle, free association with the dream images.
3 What’s the first thing you would normally think about in connection to that symbol or image, activity or person appearing in your dream scenario? 4 doing more than representing themselves. They may also represent qualities or characteristics that you have "projected" on them. For example, you may dream of your grandfather, a man who was very kind to you. The quality of kindness is therefore associated with your grandfather, so dreaming of him could symbolize kindness. (You will know the difference between a symbolic representation of a quality or characteristic and a real "psychic" contact with a loved one.) 5 Examine the emotions within the dream scenario. What is the predominant emotion associated with the dream? Remember that it may be the emotion aroused that is the key and the scenario is simply a vehicle to deliver the message. 6 When you wake up, does a particular feeling remain? For example, are you frightened, frustrated, happy, excited? Dreams often exaggerate emotions, qualities and situations to get a particular message across to you. This does not mean that you have that quality or will experience that situation to the intensity you experienced within the dream. When this occurs, you are often being given a strong thump on the head to pay attention! This is what nightmares do. They are dynamic calls for your attention. They show you your greatest fears, fears that must be confronted.
Dreams often come in a series. Various dreams in a single or successive nights may be different ways of saying the same thing. The subconscious mind may be communicating the same message to you in different ways to make sure that you get it. Look for relationships and symbols that reoccur and notice the similarities. Ask yourself what they have in common. Proper dream interpretation leads towards greater understanding of yourself, but do not lose touch with your common sense in dream work. On the surface, dreams may seem to predict futures events or alarming situations, but do not jump to conclusions. With practice, you will be able to discern if a dream is precognitive (reflecting future events) or not.
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Guidelines to Dream Interpretation
Dreams use symbols to make you develop and understand your personal symbolic language. This language comes directly from your soul and uses symbols and images from impersonal archetypes and from personal experience to make a strong or subtle impact on your psyche. This symbolic language is unique, given just to you, in the hope that it will make you conscious of your real needs and problems. This language of the soul also helps you to unfold your creativity and activates the spiritual dimension within your psyche.
A framework for dream work might be: 1
Choose a dream.
2
Determine the dream type, issue, crisis, a block, a resolution already included in the dream.
3
Make a list of the symbols in the dream.
4
Find out the relationships between symbols.
5
Find out the relationships between the dream ego and the symbols.
6
Find out the similarities and contrasts in the dream.
7
List what the dream ego is and is not doing in the dream
8
Find out about the ego’s relationships with other items in the dream.
9
Make a summary, and list what you have discovered.
This is a basic method of working with dreams that helps you develop self-analysis, observation, and a "conscious" and "lucid" state of consciousness. You can follow it up with different methods.
Dream work helps those who want to know themselves, since like a mirror, it not only projects who we are but also displays what we need to do. In other words, dreams are the best guides to reveal what you have on your conscience, what needs to be worked out in your life, and how to become a better and happier person. Finally, keep a dream journal that represents the "mirror of your soul" and helps you understand yourself better. Write your dream down as soon as possible, even just a few words, to remind you of your dream, for the more importance you give to your dream work, the more inner messages and intelligent guidance you will receive It is during my Psychosynthesis training, in London in 1984, that I was given this Guideline to Dream Interpretation. * Zhine: Tibetan Dream Yoga part 1
* Zhine: Tibetan Dream Yoga part 2 COPYRIGHTS
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Guidelines to Dream Interpretation
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Inner Quest
INNER QUEST
What is the quest? Who guides it? Is there an inner presence that truly guides you from within the inner planes? These are important questions that you do not need to answer, because you already know and have experienced that such a presence really exists within you. This presence leads and unfolds the spiritual dimension of your process from within the inner planes of your being. Indeed, for you, there is no doubt, since the presence is linked to you by an ethereal "umbilical" thread. Thus, you gradually realize that this presence is a projection sent by the essence of your soul. The thread joining you with your soul is an invisible one that directs you towards the beauty and mystery of the inner spiritual planes. In fact, the inner planes are levels of consciousness through which you travel and navigate as you discover new horizons and constant realities. In your long inner peregrinations and while in search of your soul, you let yourself be bathed in a variety of rich, indescribable energies that purify your consciousness to such an extent that you are no longer the same person, and you discover to your amazement that you are linked to this presence by a spiritual thread. When you become aware of this process in your personal life, then the invisible presence comes even closer to you, infusing you with teachings of a different kind, spiritual processes that awaken higher levels of consciousness within you. This enables you to experience for yourself that everything you see, feel, touch, hear, and think penetrates and resonates in your own center of consciousness like a harmonious symphony. This center is the one within you that reflects the rhythmic and melodious waves of energies inhaled and exhaled by everything that exists in creation.
When you realize this, you grasp the enormity of what has happened to you. You understand that your consciousness has merged and integrated into your sacred Center of Pure Being. Having reached this enlightened center, you are granted a precious gift, a grace that permeates your being and bonds you forever with your soul. Your consciousness, now integrated in the Center of Pure Being, casts no more shadows because it has entered the axial pole wherein lies the center of pure consciousness. Therefore, the presence that accompanied you in your travels reintegrates into the sacred axial center from http://www.plotinus.com/inner_quest.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 18:39:32
Inner Quest
whence it emerged. Why, and how? Because the presence is a beam of the purest light radiating out from the same Center of Pure Being. Hence, once you have merged with this Center, you no longer speak about levels of consciousness since you have reached the place of pure Existence and Being. However, this is by no means an unconscious way of existence. On the contrary, it is one that encompasses all levels of consciousness for within that center is only Being. Thus the gift that you receive at this point resembles that of a weaver who works lovingly with the multicolored threads of life, weaving different designs and patterns, blending the colors beautifully into a panoramic vision of life. This he does naturally, since his consciousness is now at the center of all creation. Thus his nature becomes the nature of creation, and he is called the weaver of God, the weaver of beautiful patterns, driven by the Divine love pouring out of his center. This love compels him to do his sacred weaving since the patterns of his weaving are made with his own substance, the substance of everything that exists. The sacred weaver does his work so that each onlooker recognizes a part of himself in this tapestry. The inner process of awakening your consciousness is a gradual thing that unravels the qualities of the soul while purifying your subtle bodies. Experiences are in themselves linked to consciousness, since you cannot experience something of which you are not conscious. Thus, experiences, be they physical or spiritual, have the same value. "Inner" experiences are no different from physical ones since both are realities that you experience and digest through your purified level of consciousness. Hence, vivid dreams, intuition, altered states of consciousness, or acute awareness of the beauty and interdependence of everything in creation are all experiences that converge in your heart center, where the intelligence of the heart radiates its everlasting presence.
The gradual process of awakening consciousness opens the doors of a new world to you. You are given to experience for yourself the interdependence of everything in creation. This conscious realization reverberates in your heart, awakening the center from where the resonance between you and the world transmits and receives a new quality of information. When this new way of discovering the world takes place, you are no longer the same, and your way of being in the world is transformed into one in which there is no longer an inner and an outer world. You no longer observe the world but simply exist in it. Or, should we say that the world exists in you? There is no difference; the mirror and its projection have finally merged. And while you continue to live in the world of duality, where continual change and movement are the law of nature, your level of consciousness remains anchored and fixed in the Center of Pure Being where the essence of everything has its source. What is the purpose of this message when none of this can be proven to others? Seekers are simultaneously compelled and bound to divulge as well as hide the truth. One divulges truth by being subtle, whilst hiding it to allow others to search within themselves for their invisible thread, the thread that will lead them to their own truth. Also Masters, visible or invisible, are here to help you cross the bridge from this world into the other beyond duality. This "other" world exists in the Center of Pure Being from where the invisible presence casts its light. However, when you reach the "other" world, you come face-to-face with your own presence and your own shadow evaporates and merges with the everlasting presence in the center of existence. So, dear traveler, cease your outward, distracted and superficial way, and try to find Ariadne’s golden thread. When you find it within your being, hold it tight; do not let it slip away, since it is a precious gift offered to you by your soul. It will lead you to the center of your inner labyrinth where lies the minotaur. Persevere with courage, never give up hope, and follow this invisible thread carefully since it will help you resolve your own Mystery — the mystery of your death and rebirth, just like the Phoenix reborn from its own ashes.
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Inner Quest
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Plato's Allegory of the Cave
PLATO'S ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE
Plato's Allegory of the Cave (4th c. BC.) (From Plato, Republic, Book 7)
This excerpt from Plato’s Republic, Book 7: "Allegory of the Cave" conveys his wise observations and philosophy on the human condition. This allegory has inspired my own research since it discloses a most exciting and mystical process that prepares and awakens man to his true destiny. Plato's Allegory of the cave " And now, I said (Plato), let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: -Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. - I see. And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent. - You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners. Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave? - True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads? And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows? - Yes, he said. And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them? - Very true. http://www.plotinus.com/plato_allegory_of_the_cave.htm (1 of 8)14-2-2005 18:40:31
Plato's Allegory of the Cave
And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow? - No question, he replied. To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images. - That is certain. And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him? - Far truer. And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him? - That is true.
And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he 's forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities. - Not all in a moment, he said. He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day? - Certainly. Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is. - Certainly.
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Plato's Allegory of the Cave
He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold? Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him. And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the cave and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them? - Certainly, he would. And if they were in the habit of conferring honors among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honors and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer, Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner? - Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner.
Imagine once more, I said, such an one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness? - To be sure, he said. And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the cave, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death. - No question, he said.
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Plato's Allegory of the Cave
CONTINUATION: PLATO'S INTERPRETATION This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prisonhouse is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed. - I agree, he said, as far as I am able to understand you. Moreover, I said, you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs; for their souls are ever hastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell; which desire of theirs is very natural, if our allegory may be trusted. - Yes, very natural. And is there anything surprising in one who passes from divine contemplations to the evil state of man, misbehaving himself in a ridiculous manner; if, while his eyes are blinking and before he has become accustomed to the surrounding darkness, he is compelled to fight in courts of law, or in other places, about the images or the shadows of images of justice, and is endeavoring to meet the conceptions of those who have never yet seen absolute justice? - Anything but surprising, he replied. Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter light, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other; or, if he have a mind to laugh at the soul which comes from below into the light, there will be more reason in this than in the laugh which greets him who returns from above out of the light into the cave.
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Plato's Allegory of the Cave
- That, he said, is a very just distinction. But then, if I am right, certain professors of education must be wrong when they say that they can put a knowledge into the soul which was not there before, like sight into blind eyes. - They undoubtedly say this, he replied. Whereas, our argument shows that the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of being, and learn by degrees to endure the sight of being, and of the brightest and best of being, or in other words, of the good. - Very true. And must there not be some art which will effect conversion in the easiest and quickest manner; not implanting the faculty of sight, for that exists already, but has been turned in the wrong direction, and is looking away from the truth? - Yes, he said, such an art may be presumed.
And whereas the other so-called virtues of the soul seem to be akin to bodily qualities, for even when they are not originally innate they can be implanted later by habit and exercise, the of wisdom more than anything else contains a divine element which always remains, and by this conversion is rendered useful and profitable; or, on the other hand, hurtful and useless. Did you never observe the narrow intelligence flashing from the keen eye of a clever rogue --how eager he is, how clearly his paltry soul sees the way to his end; he is the reverse of blind, but his keen eyesight is forced into the service of evil, and he is mischievous in proportion to his cleverness. - Very true, he said. But what if there had been a circumcision of such natures in the days of their youth; and they had been severed from those sensual pleasures, such as eating and drinking, which, like leaden weights, were attached to them at their birth, and which drag them down and turn the vision of their souls upon the things that are below --if, I say, they had been released from these impediments and turned in the opposite direction, the very same faculty in them would have seen the truth as keenly as they see what their eyes are turned to now. - Very likely. Yes, I said; and there is another thing which is likely. or rather a necessary inference from what has preceded, that neither the uneducated and uninformed of the truth, nor yet those who never make an end of their education, will be able ministers of State; not the former, because they have no single aim of duty which is the rule of all their actions, private as well as public; nor the latter, because they will not act at all except upon compulsion, fancying that they are already dwelling apart in the islands of the blest. - Very true, he replied.
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Plato's Allegory of the Cave
Then, I said, the business of us who are the founders of the State will be to compel the best minds to attain that knowledge which we have already shown to be the greatest of all-they must continue to ascend until they arrive at the good; but when they have ascended and seen enough we must not allow them to do as they do now. - What do you mean? I mean that they remain in the upper world: but this must not be allowed; they must be made to descend again among the prisoners in the cave, and partake of their labors and honors, whether they are worth having or not. - But is not this unjust? he said; ought we to give them a worse life, when they might have a better? You have again forgotten, my friend, I said, the intention of the legislator, who did not aim at making any one class in the State happy above the rest; the happiness was to be in the whole State, and he held the citizens together by persuasion and necessity, making them benefactors of the State, and therefore benefactors of one another; to this end he created them, not to please themselves, but to be his instruments in binding up the State. - True, he said, I had forgotten. Observe, Glaucon, that there will be no injustice in compelling our philosophers to have a care and providence of others; we shall explain to them that in other States, men of their class are not obliged to share in the toils of politics: and this is reasonable, for they grow up at their own sweet will, and the government would rather not have them. Being self-taught, they cannot be expected to show any gratitude for a culture which they have never received. But we have brought you into the world to be rulers of the hive, kings of yourselves and of the other citizens, and have educated you far better and more perfectly than they have been educated, and you are better able to share in the double duty. Wherefore each of you, when his turn comes, must go down to the general underground abode, and get the habit of seeing in the dark. When you have acquired the habit, you will see ten thousand times better than the inhabitants of the cave, and you will know what the several images are, and what they represent, because you have seen the beautiful and just and good in their truth. And thus our State which is also yours will be a reality, and not a dream only, and will be administered in a spirit unlike that of other States, in which men fight with one another about shadows only and are distracted in the struggle for power, which in their eyes is a great good. Whereas the truth is that the State in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst. - Quite true, he replied.
And will our pupils, when they hear this, refuse to take their turn at the toils of State, when they are allowed to spend the greater part of their time with one another in the heavenly light?
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Plato's Allegory of the Cave
Impossible, he answered; for they are just men, and the commands which we impose upon them are just; there can be no doubt that every one of them will take office as a stern necessity, and not after the fashion of our present rulers of State. Yes, my friend, I said; and there lies the point. You must contrive for your future rulers another and a better life than that of a ruler, and then you may have a well-ordered State; for only in the State which offers this, will they rule who are truly rich, not in silver and gold, but in virtue and wisdom, which are the true blessings of life. Whereas if they go to the administration of public affairs, poor and hungering after the' own private advantage, thinking that hence they are to snatch the chief good, order there can never be; for they will be fighting about office, and the civil and domestic broils which thus arise will be the ruin of the rulers themselves and of the whole State. - Most true, he replied. And the only life which looks down upon the life of political ambition is that of true philosophy. Do you know of any other? - Indeed, I do not, he said. And those who govern ought not to be lovers of the task? For, if they are, there will be rival lovers, and they will fight. - No question. Who then are those whom we shall compel to be guardians? Surely they will be the men who are wisest about affairs of State, and by whom the State is best administered, and who at the same time have other honors and another and a better life than that of politics? - They are the men, and I will choose them, he replied. And now shall we consider in what way such guardians will be produced, and how they are to be brought from darkness to light, --as some are said to have ascended from the world below to the gods? - By all means, he replied. The process, I said, is not the turning over of an oyster-shell, but the turning round of a soul passing from a day which is little better than night to the true day of being, that is, the ascent from below, which we affirm to be true philosophy. And should we not inquire what sort of knowledge has the power of effecting such a change? - Quite so.
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Plato's Allegory of the Cave
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Alice's Interpretation of Plato's Allegory of the Cave
INTERPRETATION OF PLATO'S CAVE BY ALICE
Interpretation of Plato’s Allegory For me, the purpose of this allegory defines clearly the process of enlightenment. For a man to be enlightened, he must above all desire the freedom to explore and express himself. This urge has to become an intense need, a driving force that unlatches deep within him a necessity to discover a new way of understanding and experiencing his relationship with himself and the world in which he lives.
This driving force that pushes him to explore and search for something that he cannot initially define is the same one that pervades and operates in nature, pushing everything within creation to transform itself continuously. Therefore, we understand that this force is a natural underlying energy permeating and influencing the physical, psychic and spiritual substance of all created and living species, allowing them to continually transform and develop. Hence, we observe, that this same process of transmutation and change also affects and influences man’s physical, psychic, and spiritual characteristics and attributes. Indeed, these three aspects in man come under the same governing laws of nature, and there is no exception to the process. In other words, man is bound by an unknown driving force that pushes his whole being towards an unknown goal and destiny. This wondrous and unfathomable energy urges him to move on, and follows a specially designed path. This path unfolds gradually, subtly shifting his ways of perception and understanding. However, man’s destiny remains a mystery to him for a long time to come; indeed, it stays concealed within his being through many cycles of incarnation until consciousness within him is able to adjust and expose itself, helped by a new surge of universal influence. This influence is a cosmic and Divine energy that pervades everything within creation and the center of this source is found within his own spiritual dimension This energy is called consciousness, and consciousness unfolds in creation gradually. Why does it do that? Simply, to manifest, awaken and reflect back myriad manifestations through the whole and unique Center of Pure Being.
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Alice's Interpretation of Plato's Allegory of the Cave
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The Dark night of the Soul
THE SIX AND SEVENTH SENSES OF MAN.
In this essay, we shall try to focus our attention on the Soul using some simple examples. As we know, we live and develop self-consciousness with the help of our five physical senses. In turn selfconsciousness gradually develops an ego. From childhood the ego is the part in man that learns and separates itself from others. It teaches him to discriminate between this and that, putting limits around himself and others, develops traits of character, expresses the impulses coming from the Soul in creative and unique ways. However as part of his human inheritance there exists in him two more subtle senses. In some people these two senses are awakening and in a process of development. We shall call them the intuitive and spiritual sixth and seventh senses. Their role is to let our level of consciousness be influenced by the impulses coming from the Soul and Spirit levels of man. Nonetheless, these two germinal centers within man will one day in the future manifest their qualities perfectly when the sixth and seventh subraces in humanity will have arisen. The two subtle senses in man reveal a new and unique knowledge that influences and unfold in him corresponding qualities. Trying to activate these two spiritual senses in us depends entirely on our level of purification and of mastering the functions and impulses coming from the ego. This means that we must first learn to master and transmute our animalistic instincts and stop over rationalizing with our cerebral intelligence so that these two spiritual senses unfold their spiritual attributes and qualities in us.. The true sages of all epochs have based their teaching on the seventh sense. This sense is based on the innate knowledge that belongs to the Spirit of man in which dwells the sublime knowledge of the creation of the universe and of its Source. Moreover, it also includes the knowledge and processes of the mystery of incarnation and of reintegration into the Absolute Uncreated Light. We therefore, understand that for us, this knowledge is still incomprehensible, since, to be able to enter in its dimension, we must have first perfected the seventh sense and its corresponding level of consciousness in our being.
The sixth and seventh senses function properly in man only when the Intelligence of the Heart is open in his psyche and is in harmony with his two Divine Witnesses (Soul/Spirit) What is the Intelligence of the Heart? It is the awakened functions of the Soul in man. The qualities which evolve gradually through intuition, and reveal the Soul’s divine gifts of an awe-inspiring quality. The seventh sense is of a much higher spiritual nature and is not based on ordinary human understanding and logic. This is so, because its target is not the five physical senses, nor the rational emotional and mental faculties of man, but rather the AWAKENING AND MERGING FACULTIES OF THE SOUL AND SPIRIT IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF MAN http://www.plotinus.com/sixth_seventh_senses_of_man.htm (1 of 5)14-2-2005 18:41:38
The Dark night of the Soul
HIMSELF. This is indeed the target and goal of the sixth and seventh senses. Moreover, the aim of the sixth and seventh senses is to awaken two higher functions, which are for the time being still dormant in most men. The mission of these spiritual functions cannot be revealed since they belong to the spiritual part in each one of us. The sixth sense allows the Soul’s impulses to filter into the consciousness of man. As for the seventh sense it performs perfectly well when the Spirit and the Soul blend and harmonize within the transfigured self-consciousness of man.
The manner in which one enters these very subtle levels of intuition cannot be explained or shown, since these refined senses are in themselves levels of consciousness and inner Paths of knowledge and enlightenment. The only way we could describe and comprehend their subtleties is through the development of our own personal and individual intuitive faculties. We get in touch with our Ideal Model and learn to unfold our personal goals and ideals through the impulses and intuition received and under their direction and guidance look out, and discover our personal goals and ideals in life.
Who, and what is this Ideal Model? It is an expression of our Soul. It is if you will, an appearance and the emergence in our consciousness, of one of the Images and reflections of the Divine Presence and it is our Soul that selects it so as to attract us towards Itself. Thus, the Soul selects a divine guise according to our karmic needs and attunements. At the beginning of this spiritual process, the Soul needs to take a certain appearance so as to attract our ego, and harmonize it to a specific spiritual level. And since the ego and the five physical senses belong to the same physical world in which we live, they must first be magnetically attracted to something more ethereal and spiritual than themselves in order to be purified. Consequently, the Ideal Model’s "Holy Face" must be attractive to our ego, and should move us to the core of our being, so that it reverberates and energizes in all our subtle bodies. This means that our Ideal Model takes on the aspect of our ego's spiritual complementary. We should understand that this Ideal Model or "Holy Face" is a symbolic expression chosen to explain how the Soul attracts its shadow and unconscious counterpart, the ego. First, the Soul attracts and operates within our etheric, astral and mental bodies whilst purifying and refining the limiting characteristics of the ego. It also takes the personal boundaries and limitations of each person into account.
The sixth senses is the spiritual faculty of the Intelligence of the Heart. Basically, it is the part in us that
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gives us a sudden "hunch", an inspiration, an intuition and our creative and artistic faculties. It makes us care, nurture and sympathize with people. Example, it helps us to interpret our dreams. The language of the Soul is a spiritual faculty that can be developed only through the Intelligence of the Heart. The seventh sense is something different. It activates, awakens and harmonizes all man's subtle bodies through the action of the HOLY SPIRIT. It means that the Soul and Spirit of man have finally united and reintegrated their Pure Essence. This means that there are three major processes in the complete transformation of man. The first phase consists of the PURIFICATION of the old process that involves and uses our sixth sense of intuition with the help of our Permanent Witness. The second phase involves the process of RESURRECTION. The Permanent Witness, having purified the mental and emotional bodies, ascend together with the regenerated conscious self of man. Together they blend with the Soul's complementary partner: the Spiritual Witness. Finally, the third phase brings about REINTEGRATION of the whole Essence of Being meaning that the three aspects have reintegrated back into the Source. Consequently each of the three parts of man embody their unique SACRED NUMBER. Hence, they reintegrate back into the Source which is the Uncreated Light or the Absolute Unknown God.
However, before all these stages can unfold their spiritual procedures in us, the sixth sense of the Soul must integrate and function properly in man's ego. But even before this stage, the ego must have reached a very high level of purification. More explanations on these very delicate operations are futile, as they do not help. What counts is the beginning of this sublime Quest. And what is relevant to this Quest is how determined we are to follow it through. So the most important question that we should ask ourselves is this: are we ready to open up the energy and impulses coming from our Ideal Model? If the answer is yes, then we have nothing to fear, since all these inner phases and planes of discovery will open up their secrets to us in their own time. As we said, this sublime transmutation of our lower energies into their spiritual counterparts can only happen through the development of our sixth and seventh senses. Knowledge received through the seventh sense makes us participate instantly and fully with what is being received. In other words, the knowledge and the one receiving the knowledge unite, and become one and the same thing. By the reaction of their union they become something altogether new. In this case, it is the Intelligence of the Heart that is functioning as an instrument totally of the Soul and Spirit in man, since the seventh senses operates only through the energy of Divine Love and Knowledge. When do we become aware of Divine Love and Knowledge? This occurs when the ego, the Soul and Spirit of man unite in the acceptance of the enlightening Wisdom.
We hope that this is clear. The sixth sense allows the ego to take part in receiving a slice of pure knowledge and therefore it is knowledge still tinted with the expression of the ego and Soul Personality of a person. Example an inspired artist like Leonard De Vinci. An extraordinary genius like Einstein, or Jung the psychologist who brought changes in the ways we understand the psyche, or Soul Personality of man. Or, we could take the example of a perfect athlete. Why take an athlete as an example? Because it is actually a good one. An athlete focuses and concentrates himself on an IDEAL MODEL, and learns how to transform himself, gradually into this Ideal Model. His talent resides in his trying to SURPASS his own limited possibilities, always attempting to better himself in his skills, patiently devoting himself to his sport. Pleasurable habits take a second place for him, and this might look from the outside as if he is making a http://www.plotinus.com/sixth_seventh_senses_of_man.htm (3 of 5)14-2-2005 18:41:38
The Dark night of the Soul
great sacrifice. But to the athlete, it is not so. Through his athletic skills and performance his ego transcends its human limitations and conditions, and during such moments his perfect model and his conscious self merge making them become a whole new Soul Expression. Thus, our athlete becomes the physical expression, and the manifestation on this plane of the DESTINY that his Soul had prepared for him. We could go as far as to say that " during his athletic performance" he totally incarnates the Ideal Model engraved in his Soul. What does this example teach us? It shows us, two important things: firstly, that through the faculty of our sixth sense we can open our sensitivity to the vibrations of the Soul and receive the necessary impulses to overcome our weaknesses, and transcend our limitations. Through this process, we discover to our amazement, a world of new possibilities. Secondly, what we learn from this example is the fact that in the process of discovering our Ideal Model we are on the verge of discovering our real QUEST and GOAL in our life, and, even perhaps the meaning of our incarnation.
Thus, by following our intuition, we end up discovering our Ideal Model. However, this happens only if we choose to do so. It is therefore up to us to act now. Hence, the sixth sense takes us behind the veils of the illusions of the five senses and of the ego, helping us unfold within the subtle planes of intuition that brings CHANGE and TRANSFORMATION. However, the path of those changes and transformations entirely depends on our ego wanting to recognize its true Ideal Model. Thus, from the Ideal Model or Archetype of the perfect athlete to the inspired scientist or the illuminated prophet, it is most crucial and important to allow the process of our sixth sense to unveil for us whatever the Soul or Permanent Witness wants us to become. This is our destiny... Through the channel of our sixth sense of intuition our spiritual development unfolds more subtle qualities in our ego. This process is based on the purification and transmutation of the lower energies of our Soul Personality to their higher counterparts, so that the pure Knowledge and Divine Love of the Absolute can flow freely and filter its intense and radiant Light through our transformed ego.
Recommended Exercises It is recommended that you become the observer of your own actions and reactions. That you keep a personal diary in which you write your personal observations and your dreams. Find your personal way of COMMUNION with your Inner Self; that sacred space within, in which Silence reigns. It is in that Silent Place that your Ideal Model will appear whenever you are attuned to your Soul or Permanent Witness. The Intelligence of the Heart and its attributes begin to function from within this Silent Space... COPYRIGHTS
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The Dark night of the Soul
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The Dark night of the Soul
The Dark Night of the Soul and the Mystic Way
When we search for our real self, we must learn to release our ego from selfish and egotistic thoughts. To be able to do that, we must attune with an ideal model that lies within ourselves. This search for the self is important because it helps us to unfold a different aspect of being based on the ideal model that is, in reality, an image of our soul, a Divine archetypal image dormant within us. By focusing and reflecting upon it, we energize our spiritual nature, which puts us in better touch with our intuition. Iamblichus used the word daemon or daïmon to express an inner guiding presence that escorts and inspires our search for truth on our spiritual journey. The daemon is an invisible presence linked to each one of us from birth, whose purpose and bond with us remains sacred and mysterious, since it is linked to our spiritual awakening process. However, at the beginning of our spiritual quest, the daemon, as an inspiring initiator, guides and attunes our consciousness towards our ideal model. Because the ideal model is our spiritual counterpart, our ego needs to recognize it, and the daemon is that inner presence that shows us the way. Through spiritual exercises such as meditation, contemplation, prayer, dream work, etc., the daemon’s presence is awakened and our attunement with it animates the process of purification. Thus, when we become aware of this inner work, we gradually to let go of our past ego identifications and cooperate willingly with the daemonic inspiration. Learning to let go of past ego identifications is a challenge, but must be done. Thus, ego identifications such as "I am a teacher, a mother, a businessman, a mystic, or whatever" have no more meaning to us, for we realize that these ego identifications are just "masks" and "subpersonalities" and transient illusions covering our real center of Being. Moreover, we understand that they were necessary protections sheltering the elusive and hidden center of Being. This realization marks the beginning of a turning point in our life, bringing with it various trials and tribulations. It is a self-inflicted and salutary initiation that brings a high level of spiritual transformation. Likewise during this process of initiation, our ego, having no more protective masks, opens up to a new dimension of being within consciousness that relates directly to existence.
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The Dark night of the Soul
The first step of letting go of our ego’s hold on life brings about a complete transformation in our psyche. The second step—immersion into pure Being—brings about the revelation that our ego is itself just a limited projection of pure existence and being. This happens after we pass through what has been described by mystics of all ages as the dark night of the soul. For some, this process lasts longer than others, but there are different stages of this spiritual work, belonging to different levels of Cosmic Consciousness. Cosmic Consciousness opens up the intuitive perception of our center of Being, which unfolds our own mystery and reveals a new way of receiving knowledge. However, our ego personality does not disappear; on the contrary, by merging with the source of pure existence, our ego becomes its receptacle, the sacred grail, the clear mirror wherein impulses projected from the center of Divine Intelligence and Wisdom are reflected.
The dark night of the soul is a blessing in disguise because it saves us from the delusions and fantasies created by our ego. This is the initiation that imprints the likeness of the ideal model upon our ego. Thus, we can see that the dark night of the soul is the passage that takes us from a world of duality to a world of wholeness and unity, and makes us beacons of light for others to follow. We become living models who inspire in others the same spiritual process that leads them to their own understanding of primordial knowledge and truth.
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The Dark night of the Soul
The dark night of the soul teaches us to look at the horrors and joys of the world, the cycles of birth and death, the wars and destructions of nature and of the world economies with a quiet heart and a peaceful mind. On this level, our consciousness becomes a part of the center of everything happening in the world since we empathize with all the pains and joys that humanity experiences. Together they are transformed and united in the hallowed Holy Grail that, from here on, enlightens and illuminates our center of Being. The dark night of the soul liberates our limited and limiting consciousness into one that is unlimited and universal, as Cosmic Consciousness makes us aware of our true cosmic nature.
In Hinduism, Advaita Vedanta calls this level the "nondual" that contains everything and nothing. Christian mystical tradition refers to such a state as Divine Apathy. Through this mystical and spiritual perspective, we observe that we are nothing and yet everything, and from this central place of balance, we experience what meant by the words: "To be in the world but not caught by a single thing in it."
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The Dark night of the Soul
An Exercise: " Who is the Doer of Actions in my Life?" COPY RIGHTS
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The Dark night of the Soul
An Exercise on Self Enquiry - Who is the "Doer"? by Ramesh Balsekar An exercise proposed by Ramesh Balsekar
At the end of the day sit alone, quietly, for about 20 to 30 minutes, and think of one or more actions during the day which you were convinced were "your" actions. Find out if you decided, out of the blue, to do that action; or, was it some thought or event which started that action over which you had absolutely no control? Then, investigate the course or process of that action and find out how much real control you had over it. If your investigation has been thorough and honest, you will come to the conclusion in every case that every action which you thought was "your" action turns out to depend on several factors over which you had truly no control. In other words, you come to the conclusion that no action was truly your action. Of course, it is needless to say that you are doing this investigation - and observe how honest and thorough it is – even this investigation itself depends upon God's will! Once this investigation begins - and proceeds, day after day - you may find that it has become an obsession which could be termed "the dark night of the soul"! But this need not necessarily be so. How smooth or difficult the process of this investigation becomes, would itself be the will of God. The important point is that when the ego is finally convinced that he cannot truly call any action "his" action, the ego is faced with the significant question: if no action is my action, and actions actually happen without any necessity of a "me", then who is this "me" I am so concerned about? Is there a "me" at all?! The question becomes an unbearable pain, arising from the gut, from the Source, and the answer finally comes from the Source: "My dear child, there never was a 'me' to suffer the pain of life and all there has ever been is “I”, the Source from which the manifestation has emerged, and it is “I” alone who has been functioning through the billions of human beings." An action happens because that is the will of God; the results or consequences, whatever they are, are also the will of God. The human object cannot know the results or consequences of any action - the same action need not produce the same consequences every time. And what is more, the consequences of any action will not be restricted to only the individual organism through which it happens - it could affect many others who had nothing to do with the original action. Thus, for instance, a decision made by the head of a large business enterprise could affect, for better or worse, not only the one who made that decision but many others: the many other businesses connected with the large enterprise and the many employees of the business concerned.
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The Dark night of the Soul
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Read Message: " Dark Night of the Soul" Read Message: "The Master Within" COPY RIGHTS
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The Dark night of the Soul
The Master Within
Painted by William J.D Doran
An individual, at the human level, consists of soul, mind and body. While it is relatively easy to realize that one's true self is not the body, the soul and mind are so helplessly knotted together that it is almost impossible for us to distinguish the one from the other. Our human sense of self therefore consists of a fusion of these two. This can be called the 'individual. Sometimes one speaks of the soul, but in the Mind regions this always means the soul and mind in combination. The soul and mind, then, when simplified, purified and concentrated enough to leave the body, pass through the door of brightness, through the single eye or third eye, and there upon it enters the threshold of the astral realms where the Soul meets with the radiant, astral light form of Its own sacred blueprint, which is Its complementary part, or Pure Spirit. As disciples on the path, the meeting of our Soul with its complementary part form and materializes the Presence of our individual Perfect Model in our being. This Presence becomes alive and is cherished from within our mystical heart, in our inner sacred space, and in that holy conscious space our hallowed Master appears. Just as in this physical plane the “Word” of God took form in the “flesh” and manifested on the physical plane in the physical body of Jesus. So too, when as disciples, we gradually awake on the higher astral planes, our consciousness, recognizes and attunes with its own Perfect Model. Hence, in the higher regions of the Soul, the “Word” which is the energized powerful Essence of the Spirit of God integrates and immerses in the body of a disciple taking for him/her the appropriate and recognizable form of divinity.
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The Dark night of the Soul
Our Perfect Model is the divine manifestation of our pure Essence, and the psyche is the bridge that unites us with our Perfect Model. How does it do that? When the psyche is purified, and the Images that emerge from it are holy, pure and sacred ones, then the Image of our divinity makes its Presence felt within it… and gradually the spiritual world and the physical one begin to merge, the physical world of the senses and the spiritual world of the sixth and seventh senses harmonize and begin to work in unison in a disciple who has awaken his/her Perfect Model in his/her own flesh. Hence we can say, that the Master Within and Perfect model has successfully been freed from its subconscious and unconscious imprisonment. We understand, therefore that when our Master within is freed, the Word penetrates and is personified as the Perfect Model in a disciple. The Word comes and becomes powerfully energized in a disciple only when the Master Within has left its imprisoned state within the ego of man… It is if you will the crucified Perfect Model, or blueprint that needs to be detached from the flesh so as to rise and ascend to its true source. The Holy Spirit descends on disciples only when their crucified divine part has escape the prison of the ignorant ego…
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The Dark night of the Soul
perceive the astral form of the manifested appearance of the Master within, the disciple sees and feels it within his consciousness as a shining Presence with a deep radiance, scintillating in the aura as if sprinkled with star dust, and permeating the environment with an atmosphere of great bliss and love. From then on, the soul is continuously encouraged to speed onwards – and the Master showers his/her incom-parable love and blessings upon the soul and, moving inwards and upwards, the enraptured soul follows its destiny. And this light form of one’s divine Self 'talks' to and communicates with the purified psyche. And all its questions are answered. All possible guidance is given to that soul. In this world, many questions have no answers. Words are quite insufficient to describe the inner realities. But there, the awakener is ever present to guide. So, listening to the "voice of the Presence of divinity within our being, is like listening to the melody of the Word. We are washed and purified by the Word made Flesh…contemplating upon the light form of the Master, and receiving guidance at all times, our soul is continuously encouraged to speed onwards. "And with the love of divinity within us, we are drawn to trust and continue our quest.
The light form of our Perfect Model, the liberated Master Within, thus constitutes the 'second coming' of the Master, as described by the Master Jesus in the fourteenth chapter of St John's gospel: In my Father's house there are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; That where I am, there ye may be also. 4/12/00 COPYRIGHTS
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ABOUT THE BLACK VIRGINS
A Reflection on Black Virgins
The Black Virgin of Rocamadour, France
Intentionally hundreds of icons of Mary have black faces and hands. In France they are called "Vierge Noires" or Black Virgins. In other countries they are called Black Madonnas. Some call her "the other Mary". Jung said she is Isis whilst others consider her to be the iconic remains of prehistoric Mother Earth worship. She is linked with Cybele/Demeter, Diana/Artemis, Isis and Venus/Aphrodite. Cross-culturally she is associated with Kali, Inanna & Lilith. Historically she has ties to the Crusades and the Moorish occupation of Spain, to the Conquistadors, who brought her to the New World and to the Merovingians and Knight Templars. For modern psychologists she is said to express the archetype of the Dark Feminine. In other words, She represents our individual subconscious in which all the experiences, qualities and distortions of past incarnations are kept, engrained and hidden. They are until such time when the bells of “salvation” reverberate in one's Psyche and the time for transformation appears in one's life. The feminine Principle, like Marie Magdalene, manifests in consciousness and like the essence that she represents, follows the guidance of the Inner Voice... the real Master, or the Cosmic Christ within… Whoever the enigmatic Black Virgin may be, she holds a powerful attraction for her millions of devotees around the world. Her sacred sites stand on highly charged earth energy centres, enhanced by megalithic ley-lines and sacred architecture. From ancient times to the present, people have undertaken pilgrimages to her shrines as a way to explore her mysteries and to enable her to do her miraculous work of healing, transformation and inspiration. France has more than 300 Black Virgin places of worship and over 150 Black Virgin statues still in existence. What does the Black Virgin represent? In the context of esoteric tradition, she represents a collection of all the Feminine Qualities that are hidden but ready to express through an individual. This kind of energy has the qualities of Demeter, Aphrodite, Isis, Marie Magdalena and so on, all in one. Thus, she corresponds to the powers of transformation in each one of us. The hidden part of Nature's characteristics. These different qualities reflect through the mirror of the PSYCHE. In other words the Black Virgin represents the AWAKENING SPIRITUAL PROCESS OF NATURE.
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ABOUT THE BLACK VIRGINS
A Symbolic Icon of the Black Virgin painted by St Andre Rublev
The meaning of this important feminine symbol becomes obvious and we can relate and understand her power intuitively when the "inner energies" unfold their varied characteristics allowing the possibility to become more intuitive and transforming grosser feelings and mental processes to more refined and spiritual ones. The unfolding of these qualities, are inherent in the Soul. As for the location of these venerated icons and statues, we should examine the places where they are found. The Black Virgins are usually placed in strategic ley-line paths and points where the earth’s power radiates its most potent energies. Each one of these power points has a unique quality that affects the subtle bodies of pilgrims. These specific energies of the earth penetrate and are activated in their subtle bodies, thus harmonizing the chakras of the earth with that of prepared and sensitive pilgrims. Hence, the Black Virgins represent the process of inner TRANSFORMATION. The transformation and changes that take place in an individual. Transmuting his/her limited human nature to an unlimited and ever growing Spiritual one. The Black Virgin can be seen as the awakener who manifest and brings to life the hidden qualities within each one of us. This means that a completely new level of understanding of” being” in the world occurs. However, from my personal experience, I can say that those hidden spiritual qualities are part of past spiritual experiences, an inheritance that comes from past incarnations.
If one believes or has his/her own proof of the existence of past incarnations, one should concentrate and focus on the inherited and attuned qualities... and follow the trails, find the connections that guide to their source. In this source, one finds different qualities coexisting within our Psyche... they send their impulses and energies as well as their varied tendencies through the impressions, preferences and moods that we http://www.plotinus.com/black_virgins.htm (2 of 4)14-2-2005 18:44:53
ABOUT THE BLACK VIRGINS
have in this one. These impulses and intuitions help us continue on our quest, a quest that never ends. It is the Soul’s mission that does not belong to just one individual, but to all the different soul personalities that have lived and are still living in us… and through us. What does this means? It simply means that nothing is lost... and we reap now what we sowed in the past... The reason for this quest is to awaken Consciousness. Awaken consciousness to its true Essence...beyond the masks of past incarnations…and reach the bottomless source where lies pure Being. Beingness, is the source of all the manifestations of creation. The Black Virgin unfolds Beingness through a secret process that unveils and unravels the mysteries of all our past and future incarnations. Symbolically, we could say that she represents the “sign” of our Redemption.
The Black Madonna of Brazil After reading this message on the "Black Virgin", a friend from Brazil send me the following picture and article. The Brazilian legend of the Black Madonna is very interesting. It reveals the power and impact that all Black Virgins and Madonnas have on the psyche.
She says: " In Brazil, in 1717, 3 fishermen found a Black Madonna in the Paraiba River in São Paulo - Our Lady Aparecida, patroness of Brazil, venerated today in the city which has her name. She is a small and beautiful black female figure supporting herself on a crescent moon. First her body was fished... then her head... and when she was made whole again, fish could be fished again in that river. Says the legend that when she was discovered, this tiny figure became extremely heavy, preventing the fisherman to take her away from that place. A small sentry-house was made for her there. Today there is a sanctuary city with Basilicas, numerous churches and the whole infra-structure of a city that has already welcomed the Pope, and which all year round receives pilgrims from the whole country in a great happy and colorful religious celebration. And, in the Afro-Brazilin tradition, the Black Madonna is the Orixá Oxum, Great Mother, patroness of pregnancy and of babies, of the Rivers and of the Seas, of Gold, of Honey, of Laughter, of Beauty, of Seduction, of Shrewdness and Wisdom, the Supreme Ancestral Mother: Iyami-Akko. "
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ABOUT THE BLACK VIRGINS
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Mystic Heart
THE MYSTIC HEART
"Artwork courtesy of and copyright by Daniel B. Holeman Gallery: http://www.AwakenVisions.com
In Sanskrit the name anahata was given to the fourth chakra, which literally means "unstricken" It refers to the subtle vibration that is the creative energy of the Void and is chanted as the sacred syllable OM. It is said to be heard inwardly in meditation when consciousness awakens in the heart or kundalini has reached this chakra. The fourth chakra is also, commonly referred to as the Mystical Heart in the Christian mysteries and as the Intelligence of the Heart in the Egyptian Mysteries. When the heart center is awakened, then the impulses of spiritual inspiration and altruistic love pour in and an ardent desire for all beings to enjoy the love and beatitude available at this level of awareness is, felt. In the Buddhist tradition, this urge is, expressed as the vow to assist all sentient beings to reach Enlightenment. A person who actualizes this vow becomes a Bodhisattva. All forms of romantic love are, motivated by this search for union with the source of love. However, it is an unconscious distortion of the ego and a great misfortune that this search is directed outward and that the source is misunderstood as being “a person” outside of oneself. This misunderstanding is due to the ego being divorced from its source, which is its Perfect Model or, “inherent blueprint” - its complementary divine Self. It is in the heart center that the union of the female and male (Yin/Yang) energies takes place. In other words, when the two opposite and complementary energies within each one of us occurs, then Cosmic Consciousness awakens in the ego of a seeker – the bud becomes a rose… and unfolds the quality of unconditional love in his/her mystical heart.
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Mystic Heart
triangles. Together they make the Vayu mandala, which represents the harmonious rela-tionship between the male and female forces of the cosmos. Within the Vayu mandala, which also symbolizes the air element, there is an antelope. Noted for its rapidity, the antelope is a good vehicle and symbol for the ancient God of the wind, Vayu. In Buddhist Tantra, the fire element is associated with the heart center. Its symbol is a red triangle pointing upwards. Lama Govinda claims that this fire is not physical but psychic. It is the fire of religious devotion and inspiration. He goes on to say that the heart center is the seat of the intuitive mind and transmuted feelings (divine love and compassion), and that it is a primary focus in meditation because it is where the universal is realized in human experience.'
The Primordial Buddha Aksobhya sits on the throne of the heart chakra. His Mirror-like Wisdom dispels the illusion of the separateness of things and reflects their innate Voidness. His negative passions are anger and aversion. For the Christian Mysteries it is the place of the sacrificial God. The center where the "Perfect Model" dissolves (the Sephirah of Tipheret in Kabbalah) completely in the Great Void of the seat of Being…
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Mystic Heart
The Tree of Life in Kabbalah (Please note that you should look at this image from the point of view of the figure on the diagram)
As the heart center begins to unfold, it attracts a teacher who serves as the embodiment of this level of consciousness. This happens on both planes, the inner and outer physical planes of existence. In other words, it is the place from where the Perfect Model of a seeker makes an impact on his ordinary level of consciousness. It may also open his/her level of consciousness to conscious communication with the spiritual hierarchy of beings guiding the souls of this planet through intuition, vivid dreams, strange encounters and the like. Disciples may in turn act in the heart of a group working to guide terrestrial evolution.
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Mystic Heart
Christian Kabbalah
Currently, the energies of the heart center are becoming more active as we collectively evolve beyond the stages of consciousness related to the lower, three centers. One problem in this transition, so prevalent in the New Age movement, is the attempt to live in the heart without dealing with the repressions and ego drives in the lower centers. If, for example, we are angry, arrogant, desperate, or emotionally insecure, love does not flow freely. A forced decision to be loving cannot be the same as a spontaneous outpouring of deeply felt love. Confusion also arises between romantic love and altruistic love. Romantic love is associated with the projection of the anima and animus and the desire for the perfect relationship. Romance is an ideal that can only unfold from within, a projection of an ideal complementary that can only unfold from within. Altruistic love, on the other hand, is an empathy and compassion that enables us to act in a deeply caring way. It is an unconditional acceptance of life and respect of others. There is a depth of understanding and wisdom in this love that only comes from a profound experience of life, which includes suffering. It is not a projection or a form of control, but a very sincere openness and surrender to what is. A seeker experience disappointments, but he/she will never be broken hearted if he/she remains open to his/her potential for being in this state of unconditional love. We might think that opening the heart center brings only peace and love. Aside from meeting with our own repressed grief and fear of being vulnerable, there are many obstacles that arise as the chakra of the heart unfolds. The heart center invokes intense forces from the soul and inner spiritual realms. The activities, or mere presence of a person with an enlivened heart center may either attract or create negative reactions in others, as the love vibration penetrates barriers and stimulate the love that has been buried beneath untold pain and suffering. In Esoteric Healing, Alice Bailey points out that the difficulties accompanying the opening of the heart center are some of the most problematic experienced on the spiritual path. These include reactions from others that range from wild devotion to extreme hatred, causing much confusion and turmoil for the seeker. However, with time, the seeker learns to ignore these reactions and withdraw personal attachments and expectations from this kind of love. With compassion and patience, he/she allows others to accept or reject the forces of unconditional love in the heart center. The process of unfolding the mystical Heart can be compared to a rose which starts off as a root beneath the darkness of the soil gradually emerging as a resplendent rose with its delicate scent, as with the seeker whose heart has unfolded and experienced the subtle perfume of unconditional love. http://www.plotinus.com/mystic_heart.htm (4 of 5)14-2-2005 18:45:28
Mystic Heart
Mystic Heart - click to copy in black and white For a special exercise please click on: Exercise for Mystic Heart COPYRIGHTS
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Exercise The Mystic Heart
EXERCISE THE MYSTIC HEART
The Meditation
Painting by Deborah Koff Chapin
Your Mystic Heart and the Divine Radiance Within.
1 - Close your eyes and relax on your chair. Sit straight but not rigid, be at ease. 2 - Bring all of your attention into your heart region. Remain there for a moment. 3 - Now visualize, use your intuition and feel a tiny light emerging from within the cave of your heart. It is the place from where the seed of your Perfect Model is found and manifests … 4 - Remain silent for a few moment, becoming conscious of this fact 5 - Now expand the light from your heart to fill all of space around your heart,… then let it immerse your whole body in its light…just like the sun fills all of space. Feel all the radiance and goodness of the light purify your aura… and gently radiate this tiny light from your body and aura into infinity… 6 - Remain in Silence for a few minutes. 7 - Now visualize that the world around you is spinning, going round like a merry go round… use your intuition.. Now see everything on the earth, the desert, the city, the forests, the ocean and mountains, people, animals, nations see everything spinning… feel everything spinning... rotating…going round and round… (pause) 8 - While visualizing everything spinning and turning round…keep in touch with your inner silence for a moment... Remain in your own axis…and observe everything else spinning…(pause) 9 - Now see the earth spinning in the infinite radiance of the light…(pause) 10 - Take a moment to reflect that this great infinite light is but a divine spark that originates in your heart… (pause) 11 - And now, take another moment to reflect on the fact that the earth itself is a microscopic seed spinning in this radiance in your heart…(pause) http://www.plotinus.com/exercise_mystic_heart.htm (1 of 2)14-2-2005 18:46:04
Exercise The Mystic Heart
12 - Remain in a deep silence within the region of your mystical heart… let go of all images, thoughts, feelings and just let yourself float and bathe in the radiance of the Divine Light that blazes in it... and open your consciousness to embrace it… 13 - Just breathe... and BE… BACK TO : THE MYSTIC HEART
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What are Subpersonalities?
ON SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY
WHAT ARE SUBPERSONALITIES One of the most harmful illusions that can beguile us is probably the belief that we are an indivisible, immutable, totally consistent being. And finding out that the contrary is true is among the first tasks and possibly surprises that confront us in our research. We can easily perceive our actual multiplicity by realizing how often we modify our general outlook, changing our model of the universe with the same facility with which we change dress. Thus, life may appear to us at any time as a routine, a dance, a race, an adventure, a nightmare, a riddle, a merry-go-round, etc. Our varying models of the universe color our perception and influ-ence our way of being. And for each of them we develop a corresponding self-image and a set of body postures and gestures, feelings, behaviors, words, habits, and beliefs. This entire constellation of elements constitutes in itself a kind of miniature personality, or, as we will call it, a subpersonality. Subpersonalities are psychological satellites, coexisting as a multi-tude of lives within the overall medium of our personality. Each subpersonality has a style and a motivation of its own, often strikingly dissimilar from those of the others. Says the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, "In the very corner of my soul there is an altar to a different god." Each of us is a crowd. There can be the rebel and the intellectual, the seducer and the housewife, the saboteur and the aesthete, the organizer and the bon vivant, each with its own mythology, and all more or less com-fortably crowded into one single person. Often they are far from being at peace with one another. As Assagioli wrote, "We are not unified; we often feel that we are, because we do not have many bodies and many limbs, and because one hand doesn't usually hit the other. But, metaphorically, that is exactly what does happen within us. Several subpersonalities are continually scuffling: impulses, desires, principles, aspirations are engaged in an unceasing struggle."
EXERCISE 1- Consider one of your prominent traits, attitudes, or motives in life. 2- With your eyes closed, become aware of this trait, attitude and motive… feel and focus on Its energy in you. Then let an image emerge representing it. It may be a woman, a man, an animal, an elf, an object, yourself in disguise, a monster, or anything else in the universe. Do not consciously try to find an image. Let it emerge spontaneously, as if you were watching a screen, not knowing what will shortly appear on it. 3 - As soon as the image has appeared, give it the chance to reveal itself to you without any interference or judging on your part.
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What are Subpersonalities?
Let it change if it tends to do so spontaneously, and let it show you some of its other aspects if it wants to. Get in touch with the general feeling that emanates from it. 4 - Now, let this image talk and express itself. Give it space, so to speak, for doing so; in particular, find out about its needs. Talk with it (even if your image is an object, it can talk back to you; anything is possible in the imaginary world). You have in front of you a subpersonality , an entity with an energy, a life and intelligence of its own. 5 - Now, open your eyes, and record in a notebook everything that happened so far. (keep a special diary to discover more about the different subpersonalities that cohabit and form your ego) Then give this sub-personality a name any name that fits and will help you to identify it in the future: the Complainer, the Artist, the Bitch, Santa Claus, the Skeptic, "Jaws," the Insecure One, the Octopus, the Clown, "I Told You So," the Judge, the Victim, the Rebel, the Mother, the Boss and so on. Finally, write about its traits, habits, and peculiarities. 6 - After you have identified and exhaustively described one sub personality you can go on to the others. But take your time and work on each one alone until you feel finished. The process requires merely picking a few more of your prominent traits, attitudes, or motives and going through steps 1 to 5 for each one. You can also discover other subpersonalities by taking stock of the various ways in which you look at life, by reviewing your behavior in various situations, and by considering your various styles of being you. Discovering our subpersonalities in these ways gives us a quick means to gain a relatively clear picture of our inner life. In turn, this clarity can enable us to be more at home with all those unknown inner guests having their own party or battle inside us. When we recognize a subpersonality, we are able to step outside it and observe it. In psychosynthesis we call this process "des-identification." Because we all have a tendency to identify with to become one with this or that sub-personality, we come implicitly to believe that we are it. Des-identification consists of our snapping out of this illusion and returning to our self to the real Presence within and its level of consciousness. It is often accompanied by a sense of insight and liberation. At certain other times subpersonality recognition is also accompa-nied by a healthy feeling of dismay or alarm, as, for instance, when a woman who had suddenly recognized her “Victim” subpersonality exclaimed: "If I stop complaining, what else can I do?" Still other people, after having recognized a sub-personality, especially a very deeply ingrained one, suddenly feel naked and defenseless, as if their armor had dissolved, which is exactly what .has happened. In all cases, however, no matter what the initial emotional response, there is more real awareness and, therefore, more freedom. But let's look at a concrete example. Andrew, a young doctor, is blocked by an inner rigidity, which interferes with his relationships and is otherwise a nuisance. A subpersonality is continuously judging and criticizing whatever he and others do or say. It's like having a nonstop internal moralist preaching all the time. When he deliberately evokes this quality and tries to let an image emerge, Andrew sees a respectable, old-fashioned priest, grim, stern, and dressed entirely in black. As soon as he can see the image clearly, he also discerns the outlines of the rigidity, which has been controlling him. While before he would feel this as a vague discomfort and merely endure it, now for the first time he is able to shake it off. We must remember that there are no good or bad subpersonalities. All subpersonalities are expressions of vital elements of our being, however, negative they may seem to us at first. After all, the “Saboteur” or “judge” may have a strong sense of humor, and the “Mystic” may at times only a boring moralist. The “Rebel” may come handy once in a while and even save a life. Sub-personalities become harmful only when they control us. One of the aims of our workshops is to prevent us from becoming dominated and consequently limited by them, and to aid us in identifying with and des-identifying from them at will.
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What are Subpersonalities?
The ultimate aim in sub-personality work is to increase the sense of self or center of Being by deepening our awareness and acquaintance with our own subpersonalities, so that instead of disintegrating into a myriad of sub-selves at war with each other, we can again be one. From the center of Being, we can get into this subpersonality or another one, we can regulate them, correct them, care for them. The skill to be learned is flexibility, so as not to be dominated by our subpersonalities, nor to suffocate their expression and ignore their needs. In other words, to have a sense of compassion, playful mastery. Working on each of our sub-personalities one by one is the first, essential step. Later we may become aware of the dynamic interplay between them and notice the ways in which our wholeness is violated and stopped. Although the possession of several sub-personalities makes us rich, their many different needs may also cause dispersion. Such an inner experience of dispersion is especially likely to occur during times of great outer changes and activity. Before we work with subpersonalities they seem to us to be fairly distinct universes, ignoring or misunderstanding each other. But as soon as awareness penetrates them, their communication tends to increase. AWARENESS not only liberates, it also integrates. Often sub-personalities are degradations or distortions of universal qualities existing in the higher levels of the psyche. For example, the hyperactive sub-personality can be seen as a distortion of the archetype of energy. The compulsive seducer is a distant relative of love in its higher aspect. The obstinate subpersonality may be seen as a distortion of will, and so on. Hence, we could say that subpersonalities are like exiled gods and goddesses – caricatures and degraded specimens of the original, luminous archetypes. But there is a difference: while there seems to be little hope for the exiled gods, subpersonalities are clearly susceptible to transformation. Instead of degraded archetypes, they can be regarded as psychological contents striving to emulate an archetype, as a gross version of what is to appear later in a much more refined form. If we keep this dynamic conception in mind, subpersonalities won’t look to us like a bunch of nonsensical patterns anymore. On the contrary, they will reveal to us the hidden potential they carry. However far a subpersonality may be from its origin, it may well come to serve us as a means for reconnecting ourselves with it.
For more exercises on Self-Identification and Subpersonalities Click: Self-Identification Subpersonalities Archetypes and Subpersonalities To make a copy of this essay in black and white click: What are Subpersonalities? COPYRIGHTS
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Exercise: Spiritual Psychology - Self Identification exercise
SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY
A MULTITUDE OF LIVES EXERCISE : SELF IDENTIFICATION
1 - Become aware of your BODY. For some time, just notice in a neutral way - and without trying to change them - all the physical sensations you can be conscious of. Be aware, for example, of the contact of your body with the chair you are sitting on, of your feet with the ground, of your clothes with your skin. Be aware of your breathing. When you feel you have explored your physical sensations long enough, leave them and go on to the next step. 2 - Become aware of your FEELINGS What feeling are you experiencing right now? And which are the principal feelings you experience recurrently in your life? Consider the apparently positive and negative ones: love and irritation, jealousy and tenderness, depression and elation... Do not JUDGE. Just view your usual feelings with the objective attitude of a scientific investigator taking an inventory. When you are satisfied, shift your attention from this area and proceed to the next step. 3 - Turn your attention to your DESIRES. Adopting the same impartial attitude as before, review the main desires which take turns in motivating your life. Often you may well be identified with one or the other of these but now you simply consider them, side by side. Finally, leave your desires and continue with the next step. 4 - Observe the world of your THOUGHTS. http://www.plotinus.com/exercises_self_identi.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 18:48:00
Exercise: Spiritual Psychology - Self Identification exercise
As soon as a thought emerges, watch it until another one takes its place, then another one, and so on. If you think you are not having any thoughts, realize that this too is a thought. Watch your stream of consciousness as it flows by: memories, opinions, nonsense, arguments, images. Do this for a couple of minutes, then dismiss this realm as well from your observation. 5 - THE OBSERVER The one who has been watching your sensations, feelings, desires, and thoughts - is not the same as the object it observes. WHO IS IT THAT HAS BEEN OBSERVING ALL THESE REALMS? It is your CENTER OF PURE BEING. The Center of Being is not an image or a thought; it is that ESSENCE which has been observing all these realms and yet is distinct from all of them. And you are that CENTER OF PURE BEING. Say inwardly: "I AM THE CENTER OF PURE BEING, A CENTER OF PURE CONSCIOUSNESS" Seek to realize this for about two minutes. (Always take notes in your diary) For more explanations click on: What are Subpersonalities
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Exercise: Spiritual Psychology - Self Identification exercise
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Psychology: Exercises: Subpersonalities 1
SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY A MULTITUDE OF LIVES
WORKING WITH SUBPERSONALITIES EXERCISE : 1
The basic purpose of "inner work" is to help you release the inner Qualities and Energies that are dwelling and slumbering in your Being. Prior to this, the purpose of these exercises and meditations are to help integrate and synthesize your personal ego with the Soul. This will be done through a symbolic "bridge" which represents the "PSYCHE. I just hope that by giving you a few exercises and some basic comments on the techniques of spiritual psychology, you will be able to understand how to use an important "tool" that will develop the OBSERVER in you. By becoming the "observer" of your life, you will start guiding and advising in a better way, the "actors" “living” within yourself, which are the sub-personalities that enter the scene of your life. You will, as a director be able to show them how to play their "roles" according to your understanding and desire. And since, the actors are your different sub-personalities and you are the central observer/director of your life, your position and role, play a crucial part in your life. Hence, my suggestion is that you should develop the part in you that OBSERVES your own process, as no one else can help you except yourself. RECOGNIZING SUBPERSONALITIES. The following exercise will introduce you to this concept in a more direct manner 1 - Consider one of your prominent traits, attitudes, or motives. 2 - With your eyes closed, become aware of this part of you. Then let an image emerge representing it. It may be a woman, a man, an animal, an elf, an object, you in disguise, a symbol, or anything else in the universe. Do not consciously try to find an image (but always accept the first image that appears or the first impression that comes up - this is one of the techniques to develop intuition). Let the image or impression emerge spontaneously, as if you were watching a screen, not knowing what will shortly appear on it. http://www.plotinus.com/exercise_subpersonalities.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 18:48:42
Psychology: Exercises: Subpersonalities 1
3 - As soon as the image has appeared, give it the chance to reveal itself to you without any interference or judging on your part. Let it change if it tends to do so spontaneously, and let it show you some of its other aspects if it wants to. Get in touch with the general feeling that emanates from it. 4 - Now let this image talk and express itself. Give it space, so to speak, for doing so; in particular, find out about its needs. Talk with it (even if your image is an object, it can talk back to you; anything is possible in the imaginary world). 5 - Now open your eyes and record in your notebook everything that happened so far. Then give this sub-personality a name - any name that fits and will help you to identify it in the future: example, "the Complainer" - "the Artist" - "the Bitch" - "Santa Claus" "Jaws" - "the Clown" - "the judge" - "the I Told You So" and so on. Finally write about its traits, habits and peculiarities. 6 - After you have identified and exhaustively described one sub-personality you can go on to the others. But take your time and work on each one alone until you feel finished. The process requires merely picking a few more of your prominent traits, attitudes, or motives and going through steps 1 to 5 for each one. (Take one sub-personality per week and OBSERVE the unfolding of its energy very carefully and in an impersonal and impartial way). Read more on subpersonalities, click on : What are SubPersonalities? To make a copy of this page in black and white click on: Exercise Subpersonalities
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Psychology: Exercises: Subpersonalities 1
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Psychology: Subpersonalities - Archetypes 2
SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY
EXERCISE
- Page 2
SUBPERSONALITIES
In order to work with subpersonalities, we must first try to understand their separate qualities. We can consult many good books on archetypes, some of which are listed below. We may find them useful in determining the different dynamic roles they have in the forming of our ego. Examples of subpersonalities INNOCENT This subpersonality is developed in childhood when the infant/child is dependent upon others for survival. The innocent wants to be loved and to be a part of things, to be socially acceptable, to fit in and to make others love and be proud of us. ORPHAN This subpersonality tries to protect us from being abandoned, hurt or victimised by helping us to recognise and avoid situations that are 'likely to hurt us'. This may or may not be useful. The Orphan uses phrases like 'I don't care' - 'Leave me alone' - and may manifest itself as a rebellious attitude. WARRIOR This subpersonality is responsible for getting things done. Acting in terms of our own self-interest or to help others. It may manifest in the form of the shadow warrior, which will 'do' at all costs whatever it things will help to avoid negative feelings and the influence of other subpersonalities. CAREGIVER In its shadow form, the Caregiver wants to take care of everyone. Like the mother, who does everything for her children at the expense of herself. A healthy expression of the caregiver may be witnessed in nursing others when they are sick or providing opportunities for children by paying school fees and the like. A healthy caregiver is one step back from the recipient of the care as true nurturing means allowing room for others to grow. SEEKER The seeker can be witnessed in the child who continually asks 'why?' The seeker is always searching for something as life feels meaningless and empty. The goal of the seeker is to find our true purpose in life, what will really make us happy. DESTROYER The destroyer is responsible for quitting jobs, leaving spouses and ending unhealthy friendships. In a http://www.plotinus.com/exercise_subpersonalities2.htm (1 of 4)14-2-2005 18:49:28
Psychology: Subpersonalities - Archetypes 2
shadow sense the destroyer might get out of control and destroy some of the things we'd be better off keeping. CREATOR The artist, writer, poet types the maker of dreams, the inventor that discovers ways of making new things and of unfolding new dreams. The creator subpersonality will assist you in making your life less stale, more flowing, in conveying your ideas to others, contributing to the collective dreams of humanity. LOVER The lover is gentle and reaches out gently to others. Following a loving acceptance of ourselves, we may gently reach out to others, contributing ones unique abilities for the greater good of all. This subpersonality can be activated, when love comes to us in the form of romantic or idealistic love somehow to help us transform the fear of losing the taste of living, at the superficiality, cruelty and indifference around us. Integrating this personality can help us to find a way forward as true human beings, loving and nurturing one another. FOOL The fool makes us laugh when things are bad. The fool is the observer of the illusions of this man made world, he is a kind of an outsider who is not touched by responsibilities. He can get away by being sometimes nasty, critical and childish in a funny way… because he is the “fool” people cannot “touch” him. He is the subpersonality that teaches us how to laugh at ourselves… Examples, when we have to work all day at a job we don’t enjoy doing, the fool kicks in to find a humorous way of accepting and working in that situation… the fool helps us transform a stale or negative situation into something different. The Fool is open, an outsider that has some magic attached to itself because he feels free from conditioning of any kind. A very useful subpersonality. MAGICIAN The Magician could be symbolised by the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly through its cocoon. The magician winds a protective cover around itself, reorganises the elements of the personality and emerges, renewed, energised and somehow truer. SAGE The sage is quiet and stable and holds the quality of knowingness. A good subpersonality to draw on when feeling stressed and caught up in the flow of life. Hold onto the calm centred knowingness of the sage and progress calmly, quietly and reliably through your journey. RULER/ORGANISER The rulers job is to blend the other subpersonalities into a continuous expression. The Ruler makes the decisions to leave something and start a new (enacted by the destroyer and the creator). The Ruler decides who will do what in order to ensure the completion of the goal in a timely manner. If the ruler were to be a computer program he/she would be Microsoft Project, the planner with the ultimate authority! Exercise: 1 - Read about these subpersonalities… become familiar with their characteristics… Choose one that is the most familiar to you. -
2 -Take some notes on the way you use this subpersonality
GUIDED MEDITATION 3 - Close you eyes and relax… take a few deep breaths and imagine yourself in a beautiful valley going for a long walk with your chosen subpersonality. Together, you are walking and enjoying your surroundings… http://www.plotinus.com/exercise_subpersonalities2.htm (2 of 4)14-2-2005 18:49:28
Psychology: Subpersonalities - Archetypes 2
the fields of flowers, the trees… a mountain and anything else that appears around your stroll in the countryside…. Take some time to become aware of the sounds of nature around you - birds chirping, the wind in the trees and the like…. (pause) Now begin to walk up the mountain with your subpersonality. As you keep ascending, you can imagine seeing all kinds of scenery, keep in touch with the increasing sense of height and altitude... (pause) Pay attention to your subpersonality. You might see it change mood, facial expression or dress, or even a radical transformation into something else. When you reach the top of the mountain, let the sunrays and the light of the sun shine on both of you… on your subpersonality and yourself… now look again at your subpersonality… what do you see…has the essence of your subpersonality changed… just describe what you see and feel for yourself…(pause). Now look around and focus your attention on something impressive and imposing like a big tree or a powerful rock… when you find it, go towards that powerful spot accompanied by your subpersonality… when you are both near your chosen place… stand in silence in front of that power spot…become aware of each others presence…(remember that your subpersonality can take any shape and become even an object) and when you feel that you are in contact with your subpersonality, asks its name?…what is its quality?… what does it need from you or another subpersonality?… What do you need from it? Take a few minutes and exchange a dialogue, and when you are ready… open your eyes and continue your dialogue in writing. (pause)
4 – Choose two or four of your subpersonalities – Write down their names and try to see how they can complement and help each other. After pairing them, let them have a dialogue with each other, so that you can figure out what they are going to do in your life. 5 – One useful exercise for discovering subpersonalities is intuitive drawing. Draw what comes to mind when thinking of that subpersonality or object, write words on the paper to describe your impressions of your version of this subpersonality
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What are SubPersonalities?
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Reincarnation and the Psyche
Reincarnation and the Psyche
The Psyche is that part in man that unfolds his unique individuality and allows him to develop his particular characteristics. In turn, these characteristics helps, in their turn make him observe the world in a personal and distinctive way. From one incarnation to the next, the way man observes and understands his world changes and grows, along new experiences, his individual distinctive personality and characteristics change too. Moreover, these changes affect his level of consciousness, unfolding within him unsuspected or unknown qualities. These new discoveries allow him to continue enrich his individuality. When does logic dictate that one develops and unfolds different characteristics and creative attributes only to loose them at the end of one’s life when death reclaims the ego and body of man? Thinking that the end of our life is the end of our existence goes against what nature teaches us… Nature demonstrates that everything created is destroyed so as to be recreated. This follows the laws of change and the cycles of transformation that are necessary for the evolution of all the species. So, why should we be governed by a different law? After death, were we to loose all our increased wisdom and with it the corresponding levels of consciousness, this would go against the law of nature itself. If on the other hand we observe carefully our own nature and see how many cycles of transformation we have undergone – of deaths and rebirths and of new patterns and ideas, we understand the complexity and richness of our own existence…the diverse and unique ways of unfolding our individuality. Who we are, and what we are today has been based on the same law of death and creation… We are born with implanted and engrained ideas, desires and thought-forms… these are particular to each one of us…If, as I am convinced, the law of reincarnation exists, I would like to give you my way of experiencing this law. As an ego personality… I will at the end of this life be “destroyed” – and that is the end of it…Here you will say, death exists… since I am claiming that I will not remember to have been “Alice” in my next life and therefore I will disappear into oblivion… Yes in this case, if we think that the ego is the only thing that exists in life, then yes, after death it will not survive and death will bring an end to the whole saga. However, I know for myself that this is not so. There is a misunderstanding of what reincarnation is… The ego does disappear…but it goes back to the source, which is the Soul. The ego is a reflection of the Soul… and in each incarnation this reflection takes a new feature… a feature that corresponds to whatever the Soul needs to unfold in this new incarnation… In each new reflection of the Soul, an ego will unfold and develop gradually what it had done in the past. By this process there is a continual and changing cycle of destruction or death to create a new life and continue where one has left off…
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Reincarnation and the Psyche
Evolution for man means an AWAKENING process. So how do we rekindle our past developed characteristics, attributes and qualities? Where do they gather since the ego of a new born is “virgin”, how can it rediscover the inborn qualities? The answer is simple – each child is different from another… each child grows to become an adult and while growing he/she experiences inner impulses, gifts, likes and dislikes, temperaments, intellectual characteristics that make each person unique. The environment in which we are born plays a part, so does the physical genes of our parents and the schooling we have received. However, there is a subtle difference between the spiritual and psychic development that has no bearing to our environment or academic background. The answer is simply this, the more one awakes the more one realizes that the ego is just an aspect of the Soul… and by opening to its resonance one begins to find the thread that links one from incarnation to another.
However, we could ask why do we need to remember the past? The answer is that we do not need to do that at all! The important part of all this essay is to make you realize that as an “ego” you will not survive, because the ego is just a convenient and necessary TOOL that gathers and stores useful experiences this time around and continues to keep the torch of Life and renewal process ALIVE. We may ask the question where do we find the “thread” that links our incarnations on our journey? The thread is the psyche… It is the reservoir of our past achievements, “failures” qualities and faults… everything is in there… But as the ego is just a reflection of an aspect of the Soul, it cannot choose what it needs to unfold and develop in any given incarnation. That task comes under the responsibility of the Soul. This is what karma means… The possibilities that are available to the psyche and the ways it will present them to the ego. The gathering “place” in the psyche is not physical, but an intangible part of the memory of the Soul. In other words, nothing is lost, all developed qualities and characteristics gather in the Soul’s memory. The Soul uses its own memory to unfold Divine Wisdom and Knowledge. What does this mean? It means that from incarnation to incarnation the learned experiences and developed qualities in an individual Soul continue to develop manifesting and unfolding more of its divine qualities and creative attributes. Hence, we can see that karmic law fulfils the necessary experiences to allow the manifestation of divine qualities in one’s life. Moreover, if one accepts the law of reincarnation, then one understands that the Soul’s memory as part of the Soul remains hidden from consciousness and the ego could never be able to explore it, unless the Soul wishes and allows it.
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Reincarnation and the Psyche
The Psyche is the mirror of the Soul and could be compared to a dual aspect mirror reflecting all kinds of impulses coming from the Soul and the ego at the same time. This inner process allows consciousness to receive and understand the psychic and spiritual impulses that come from within, thus influencing our everyday experiences. However, there is another aspect of the Psyche that we have not explored yet. I feel that the time has come to impart these few ideas to help you reflect on the importance of the psyche, which should not be confused with the Soul. First of all, ask yourself this question… Why is it, that as human beings, we have to develop a psyche? What does it mean and what is its use? Most people do not give any importance to the psyche, preferring to accept the fact that they have developed their own personal ways of dealing with problems and solving them. They acknowledge however, the fact that they have personal likes and dislikes, phobias and things, that they love or hate, goals and ideals. However, very few people, stop to ask themselves the question? Why is it that my interests in life, my goals and ideals are different from those of the rest of my family, from the circle of my friends? Why am I the way I am, in certain ways unlike any other person that I am acquainted with. Why am I pushed to unveil the meaning of my life, when my sister and brother with whom I have received the same attention are not? What is it that pushes me to inquire, search, explore, my inner self? Physically, my physical traits could resemble those of my parents, I might pick up some external characteristics due to education and environment, but why is it that I have an urge and a dream that is unique and belongs just to myself? If reincarnation was not a logical explanation, if consciousness and the Soul essence and Personality did not continue from incarnation to incarnation, then, what is the reason of developing such complex beings? Why are we so different and unique? We should all have been like robots, having no subtle spiritual depth, acting and reacting mechanically…Why do we develop such an array of different tastes, moods and creativity? Why is there such a difference in the intelligence, imagination and feelings of people? How can we accept the fact that one person is born a genius and another a poor idiot? Some people might simply say that it is due to an accident of circumstance, or of parental genes and DNA, of the environment, of culture and education, etc… I personally find this to be a simplistic answer to this crucial question. Other than that, let us imagine for a moment that the laws of nature are simple, but the result of their creations very intricate.
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Reincarnation and the Psyche
We shall gradually come to understand and appreciate these reasons. I have written a lot about consciousness, and science tells us that every animate thing in nature has some kind of consciousness. We are told that mother earth is alive and changing and therefore everything that grows and manifests on her, lives and vibrates to various degrees of consciousness. Everything changes and transforms through consciousness. From rocks to plants and from insects to animals, from animals to humans and from humans to enlightened beings, everything belongs to a level of consciousness which “awakens” gradually by passing from the same law of cycles of destruction and creation. The Psyche gives us a clue… I have compared the Psyche to a mirror. A mirror reflects and creates a DOUBLE…For example, when you look at yourself in the mirror, you will see your own PROJECTION…You will be able to see yourself physically when you see your own reflection in the mirror…Likewise, you know that you exist when you compare yourself to others… when you make a separation between the world and you… This simply proves that to be able to recognize your own existence, you must live in a world of DUALITY… and thereby experience your own DUALITY… What is the result of this realization? What happens when you become conscious of your own image and reflection in the mirror? You instantly have a REACTION. You react and a flood of emotions and thoughts rush into your consciousness. What happens next, is that MEMORY opens the gate of the subconscious and feelings and thoughts that are related to that experience make their appearance in your psyche and affect the way you interpret and understand your own reflection. Hence what you see in front of you in the mirror is based on your past experiences…the experiences that are gathered in your Psyche. So the question arises, can you separate yourself from your Psyche and look at the image reflected in the mirror without being affected by it? The answer is simply “No you can’t” because all experiences in life are lived in the world of duality, a world that functions and works through the projections of each individual Psyche. The reservoir and mirror in which the Soul projects parts of its own memory… transferring the need to develop whatever needs to be continued. However, when in the mirror of the psyche CONSCIOUSNESS reflects only pure CONSCIOUSNESS, then the world of duality is transcended… and Being awakes through CONSCIOUSNESS To make a copy of this article in black and white click here:
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Reincarnation and the Soul
Reincarnation and the Soul
Painting by Daniel B. Holman
When the embryo of your physical body was forming within your mother's womb, and you were hovering near waiting to incarnate within the new "tomb" of flesh, you brought down with you from the causal plane a "cloud of glory" which was attached to you and as much a part of you as the embryo which was to become your physical vehicle. This auric cloud did not enter the physical form at your birth, but only attached itself to your psychic centers (chakras) and remained as the vehicle of the Soul (Permanent Witness) above your head. This auric cloud is the focal center of the real You. The "home" from where your intuition and superconscious mind unfold... This auric cloud is a "magnetic field" in which your Soul (Permanent Witness), the all-wise, the god you will become resides. It is the "place" from where your "Perfect Model" appears... and from where Primordial Wisdom unfolds its mysteries. The question is often asked: Is the Permanent Witness or Soul an all-wise Being separate and apart from your self consciousness and ego self? Or is it simply a level of consciousness manifesting on a higher plane of your inner life such as a sixth and seventh sense? (To know more about the sixth and seventh senses click: the sixth and seventh senses of man ) The answer is that it is both. It is a great BEING of which you are a part and a small "being" of which you are also a conscious self...just a fragment of that infinite YOU. This limited fragment of who you are operates on your waking conscious level as your everyday personality, aware somewhat of the subconscious mind and its mysteries, and only vaguely aware, if at all, of the operation of the higher aspects of your Real Being (the superconscious levels of the Permanent and Spiritual Witnesses)... the pure Being which is the real YOU expresses on four levels of consciousness: the waking conscious - the subconscious - the superconscious - and the WISDOM MIND. Your Spirit Self (Spiritual Witness) is often called the Parental Spirit in that you are its child. It exists in states of consciousness on the Causal Plane that cannot be known or attained by anyone except initiates and invisible Masters. The Spiritual Witness (the Monad) exists beyond time and space in an impenetrable dimension of its own... (For more explanations on these two spiritual aspects of man look at : "Mystery of Man" parts: 1 - 2 - 3 4 -)
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Reincarnation and the Soul
The Spiritual Witness is your Immortal Spirit, it is immortal since it does never incarnate or take "form", that is why it remains "uncreated and "unmanifested". On the other hand, the Permanent Witness, or your Soul is only now becoming immortal through its many and various incarnations in the field of matter. As a substance and an essence the Permanent Witness is immortal, yes, in the sense that it does not die... However, the "role" and goal of the Permanent Witness is to awake Cosmic Consciousness in the ordinary level of consciousness of man and reach the Cosmic level of its Spiritual Witness - the level of the Perfect Model. Therefore, we could say that the Spiritual Witness is the truly immortal part of who you are... it is the subtle Presence of Being within...the part that you call your Existence... the Being within you that cannot reflect because it simply "IS" and "EXISTS"... and remains fully conscious always, whether in incarnation or out of it; whether you are asleep or awake. The purpose and the object of the Soul or Permanent Witness is to perpetually evolve and awake consciousness through the creation of your various personalities. It is through the experiences of these various personalities that the Soul ultimately completes its cycle of evolution, at the end of which it may return to the exalted level of its Spiritual Witness (or Monad) and unite with it. That is when "you", uniting with the Divine Spark of your Perfect Model become divine...In hermetic and mystical writings this divine accomplishment is called "Union with the Beloved" and "Alchemical and Mystical Wedding".
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THE SUBTLE BODIES AND CONSCIOUSNESS
THE DIFFERENT BODIES OF MAN
The same level of experience found in the universe as a whole can be found within the human Soul as well. The same levels of "Being-ness", the same divine Hierarchies found in the "immaterial" etheric, astral and higher planes of the universe as a whole can be found within the human Soul as well. This realization of being a "MIRROR" of the Macrocosm is central to unfold the mystical process. This whole process circles around the magnetic axial pole of pure Being. The principle of macrocosm and microcosm, which represents this mirroring of levels is the foundation of all the spiritual and metaphysical traditions. From the formation of stars, to the collapses of galaxies, from our humble meditation practices, to world affairs... Everything in the universe affects and resonates with everything else. In the same manner, our own spiritual practice and level of consciousness affect and resonate in all the Planes of existence in the universe... This is also a reminder that, however strange the universe may seem to us, we and it share one nature and one life. The individual human being, then, is understood in mystical terms as a reflection of the whole universe, and the same levels we have traced in the universe as a whole can be traced in the Soul as well. This is another way of repeating what we have previously said, that our own level of consciousness projects outwardly the way we "see" and understand reality. The universe and the spiritual Hierarchy are mirrored in us through many subtle bodies. We have, the biological or physical body - the etheric body, which is made of ether or life-energy - the astral body, which is the body of concrete consciousness shaped by the psyche (thoughts, feelings) - the mental body, which is the body of abstract consciousness perceived by pure awareness, which opens on realms of experience not bounded by space and time; and the spiritual or causal body named also the Light body, which is the root of consciousness and the innermost essence of the Soul. As with the levels of the macrocosm, each body can be seen as governing the body "below" it — that is, denser or more material than itself; thus, for example, the astral body is shaped and directed by the mental body, and in turn shapes and directs the etheric body.
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THE SUBTLE BODIES AND CONSCIOUSNESS
physical body, for its part, is the body known to medical and biological science. It serves as the material foundation and instrument of the other parts of the Soul, enabling the Soul to perceive and act in the realm of material experience. Traditional lore assigns each of its parts to one or another part of spiritual symbolism; thus, for instance, each of the five fingers is assigned to one of the five elements. The etheric body is usually divided, for clarity, into two parts. The first of these is the etheric double; this closely resembles the ordinary body of matter, extending out perhaps an inch beyond the surface of the skin, and provides the framework of subtle formative energies on which the material body is built. It contains a series of channels (the meridians of Oriental medicine) and energy centers, which have an important role in mystical work. The second part of the etheric body is called the aura or, in another context, the Sphere of Sensation. This is a roughly egg-shaped field of energies surrounding the etheric double, extending out several feet from the physical body. It serves as the interface between the etheric body of the individual and that of the cosmos, and all the forces of the universe are reflected on its surface. The astral body cannot be so easily mapped out in this kind of spatial language. A body of consciousness, it comes closer to the modem idea of "mind" than to that of "body," although neither of these too-rigid categories fits well anywhere in the mystical view of the Soul. The astral body can be thought of as a field of energy occupying roughly the same space as the aura, but constantly shaped and reshaped by patterns of thought and feeling. All images, words, and sensations affect this body, and are affected by it in turn; it interacts freely with the astral level of the cosmos, and with the astral bodies of other human and non-human beings. It contains most of those parts of the self we normally think of as "mental" or "inner"— intellect, emotion, imagination, will, and memory, the instruments of concrete consciousness — and it is also the basis for the individual personality.
The mental body can be thought of as the essential pattern of the Soul. It can be described as a subtle "body" only in a highly metaphorical sense, and cannot be located in a spatial sense at all. This body is the instrument of abstract consciousness — that is, thought that does not involve forms and images of the sort we perceive with our senses — and thus makes it possible to perceive the core ideas or structures of experience, which exist outside of space and time. The Spiritual body, or Causal body finally, is the root of the Soul, the essence or "divine spark" around which all the other layers of the Soul are built up; it represents the point of contact between the human microcosm and that unity of Being that, in theological terms, we may as well call the unknown God. It can best be imagined as pure Being, without any other definition or quality. In practicing mysticism, each of these levels of the Soul comes into play in one way or another in one's life, and specific aspects of these levels provide the principal tools by which the powers of the macrocosm are directed
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THE SUBTLE BODIES AND CONSCIOUSNESS
through the Soul (Permanent Witness) and resonate in the subtle bodies of man. A seeker's "role" is to become a pure vehicle, open to receive these high impulses and magnetically resonate with them. These impulses manifest in the bodies certain spiritual qualities, which are inner states of realization. In order to make sense of this very abstract material, it is necessary to get a clearer sense of the mystical and magical understanding of what is meant by the hidden potential qualities of the Soul. These qualities are inner states of consciousness that the Soul unveils gradually to the consciousness of a seeker. These inner states appear during dreaming, meditation, or at any appropriate moment in a seeker's life. They make a "rupture" in time - opening a gap to allow a higher level of resonance to impregnate the astral and etheric bodies of the seeker. Each one of these Soul potential qualities vibrates and resonates in all the various subtle bodies of man. The result of this resonance within all the subtle bodies reveals something too complex and beautiful to explain... One has to experience them to understand what happens...It is linked to the intangible Presence of "I"... As we consider the different bodies and levels of the Soul and understand that their awakening process depends on our need to purify the psyche (etheric and astral bodies) then, the spiritual purification and transformation process unfold and we increasingly come closer to manifest whatever is engrained and inherent in our spiritual “blueprint” – the karmic plan which the Soul (Permanent Witness) has prepared for a given incarnation. The quest of how to unfold the inner process is given to you on this website - It is explained through my personal experiences... My only wish is to help you find your own way... as each seeker is a path to himself...The only most important thing to understand is that we all resonate to different rates of vibrations... What we must learn to do is to resonate with the pure part of our psyche - the part that is open to the impulses coming from the Soul, so that the resonance of the Higher impulses are felt and manifested in the lower astral, etheric and physical bodies as well. These divine operations are karmic "gifts" that are given to awake our subtle bodies and receive sublime initiations. That which is Above, is as that which is Below That which is Below, is as that which is Above to perform the miracle of the One
BEING
Head of Athena The Pituitary and Pineal glands form together the "Bridge" of the Soul. The Pentagram - Quintessence
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THE SUBTLE BODIES AND CONSCIOUSNESS
WHO AND WHAT IS THE DAEMON?
Painting by Odilon Redon
The most important injunction on the spiritual path of the ancient Mysteries was ascribed over the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi: Gnothi Seauton— "Know Thy Self." The initiates of the ancient Mysteries were after Gnosis, which meant the knowledge of self knowledge, the knowledge of the “Who Am I?”. They used to say: “Whoever has not known himself has known nothing, but he who has known himself has at the same time already achieved Gnosis about the depth of all things. In an early Christian Gnostic book entitled the Testimony of Truth, Jesus advises a disciple to become "a disciple of his own higher mind," and continues to say that one’s higher mind is "the father of Truth." Elsewhere, The Gnostic sage Silvanus encourages his disciples in this way: “Knock on yourself as upon a door and walk upon yourself as on a straight road. For, if you walk on the road, it is impossible for you to go astray. Open the door for yourself so that you may know what is.”
The Daemon and the Eidolon
But what is the Self? The ancient sages taught that every human being has a mortal lower self, called the eidolon and an http://www.plotinus.com/the_daemon.htm (1 of 4)14-2-2005 18:53:11
THE SUBTLE BODIES AND CONSCIOUSNESS
immortal Higher Self (Soul) called the DAEMON. The eidolon is the embodied self, the physical body, and ego personality. The Daemon is the Spirit, the true Self, which is each person's spiritual connection to God. The Mysteries were designed to help initiates realize that one’s eidolon is a false self and that one’s true identity is the immortal Daemon. From the eidolon's point of view the Daemon appears to be an independent Guardian Angel. Disciples and seekers who still identify with the eidolon, therefore, do not experience the Daemon as their own true Self, but as a spirit guide, whose job it is to lead them to their spiritual destination – hence it is a separate entity that entices them to advance and awake to their true essence. Plato teaches: "We should think of the most authoritative part of the Soul as a Guardian given by God which lifts us to our heavenly home." The Gnostic sages of the past taught exactly the same Mystery doctrine. Valentinus, a gnostic sage who lived in Alexandria explains that a person receives Gnosis from their Guardian Angel, or Daemon but that this angelic being is actually the seeker's own Higher Self or Soul. In ancient Egypt the Daemon had for millennia been pictured as a Heavenly Twin of the eidolon. This image is also found in Gnosticism. The Gnostic sage Mani was said to have been conscious of having a protecting angel from the age of four and, at aged 12, to have realized it was his Heavenly Twin, whom he called the "most beautiful and largest mirror image of my own person. " In the gnostic version of The Acts of John, John observes that Jesus sometimes held conversations with a Heavenly Twin who descended to join him: He says: “When all of us, his disciples, were sleeping in one house at Gennesaret, I alone, having wrapped myself up, watched from under my garment what he did; and first I heard him say, "John, go thou to sleep," and thereupon I pretended to be asleep; and I saw another like unto him come down, whom I also heard saying to my Lord, "Jesus, do the ones that you have chosen still not believe in you?" And my Lord said, " You say well, for they are men." As a comment, we could faintly enter into the mystery of the two complementary aspects of our pure Being, and understand the real meaning of the mystery of Jesus Christ …in other words what the Acts of John is hinting…which is the TWIN aspects of the One and unique Essence of Being. Hence the One Essence projects a part of Itself into the world of duality and seems to become two - A part incarnating as the consciousness of divinity in human beings – this means that the initiate becomes a pure reflection and mirror “Jesus” in which the part of himself that never incarnates appears…that is the Presence of the Christ Consciousness… a level of consciousness that goes beyond the world of creation and duality. The Pistis Sophia relates a charming myth of the child Jesus meeting his own Heavenly Twin for the first time. His mother Mary recalls: “When you were a child, before the Spirit had descended upon you, when you were in the vineyard with Joseph, the Spirit came down from the height, and came unto me in the house, like unto thee, and I knew Him not, but thought that he was you. And he said unto me, "Where is Jesus, my brother, that I may go to meet him?" Mary relates to Jesus that when his Twin finally found him, "He embraced you and kissed you, and you also did kiss him and you became one and the same being." The goal of Gnostic initiation was, likewise, to bring the lower self into union with the Higher Self or Soul, for it is when they are made one that enlighten-ment occurs. Irenaeus relates that the Gnostic "believes himself to be nei-ther in heaven nor on earth, but to have embraced his Guardian Angel." The great Gnostic master Valentinus writes: When the human self and the divine "I" are interconnected they can achieve perfection and eternity.
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THE UNIVERSAL DAÏMON 'The quest for Self-knowledge leads the ancient or Gnostic initiate on a remarkable journey of discovery. At first initiates experience themselves as the eidolon, the embodied personality, and see the Daïmon as a Guardian Angel or Heavenly Twin. The more mature initiate, experiences the Daemon as a higher manifestation of their own Higher Self or Soul. To those blessed with the final vision of complete Self-knowledge or Gnosis, the Daïmon is found to be more awesome still. It truly is the "divine I,” the Essence that has no appearance and yet takes all kinds of appearances in the world of creation. Valentinus puts it like this: “Although it appears as if each person has their own Daïmon or Higher Self, the enlightened initiate discovers that actually on the axial Pole of Being there is one Daïmon shared by all, a universal Self, which inhabits every being. Each Soul is a part of the one Soul of God. To know oneself therefore is to know God. These mystical teachings are found both in the ancient Mysteries of Egypt, Greece and in the early Gnostic Christianity. In the ancient Mysteries the initiates used to say: "I am Thou, and Thou art I" and it can also be found in the Gnostic text of the Pistis Sophia and in the New Testament in Gospel of John, we read: " I in Thou, and Thou in me." (I in you and you in me.) The Pagan sage Sextus writes: "If you would know Him by whom you were made, you would know yourself." Similarly, the Christian philosopher Clement writes: "It is the greatest of all disciplines to know oneself; for when a man knows himself, he knows God." Clement taught his Christian initiates to "practice being God" and that the true Gnostic had "already met God. Gnostic means "Knower," but it is not some piece of spiritual information that Gnostic initiates know. They “know” because it is their Higher Self that Knows… Hence they are conscious that they are not the ones who know, the ones who experience, it is the Soul, the Higher Self within, the divine "I," the Daemon who KNOWS! The Daïmon communes on the Axial Pole of Being – the Pole of pure Consciousness. The true Gnostic, like the enlightened initiate of the ancient Mysteries, discovers that the Daemon is actually the one Soul of the Universe — the pure level of Consciousness that inhabits each one of us. According to the ancient Gnostic sages who have traversed the path of Self-knowledge and reached enlightenment, when, we finally discover who we are, we discover that there is only one Perfect Being, one God.
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(some parts of this article are taken from the book of T. Freke & P.Gandy "the Jesus Mysteries" ) However, I have added my own way of experiencing the Daemon... Please read the articles on this website that explores and explains the mystical role of the Daemon and Its relationship to the Permanent and Spiritual Witnesses
Mystery of Man- Part 1 Mystery of Man- Part 3
Mystery of Man- Part 2 Mystery of Man- Part 4
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Who and What is the Daïmon? JESUS AND THE DAïMON OR GUARDIAN ANGEL JESUS AND THE GNOSTIC DAÏMON
* There are two ways of writing the word "Daemon or Daïmon"
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JESUS AND THE DAEMON
JESUS AND THE DAEMON part: 2
Odilon Redon The word Jesus is a figure who must be understood on many levels. Since the destruction of the esoteric and hidden mystery of the early Christian initiations, we have only been taught the lowest level of understanding, the exoteric story of a historical Jesus and have been denied access to the secret Inner Mysteries of the Western Tradition, which reveal the true allegorical nature of the Jesus story. This story helps us to unfold our true nature, the inner quest that allows us to awake and become conscious of being pure Cosmic or divine Beings. As in the ancient Mysteries, enlightened Christian mystics and Gnostics who were initiated into the Inner Mysteries of "Jesus" understood that it was not important to know if the story of Jesus was based on an historical truth or was a mythical allegory. The Christian Initiates and masters of Wisdom did not necessarily deny the historicity of the gospels, but considered the Jesus story as being a first stage in their Mysteries. Why is that? because if Jesus is an archetypal Perfect Model called also the universal Daemon and if this Perfect Model has to become a reality in the mind of a seeker, so that it makes an impact on his psyche, then for such a person the allegorical story must first become a visualized truth, a manifested reality, so that the mystery of the life of Jesus becomes a "concrete" and down to earth story... something that he can visualize, and understand. For such "believers" the reality of Jesus has to become a "physical" reality. Hence, Jesus symbolizes the Daemon of the initiate. The Resurrection / Awakening
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Symbolic representation of the purified nature or the Perfect Mold in which the Daemon or Christ appears Remembering that the Daemon is just a "projection" of the Soul or pure Being and appears to the initiates to guide and unfold in him/her the manifestation of the Cosmic Christ. Hence, the Daemon as a Perfect Model integrates the level of consciousness of mystics until the level of Iesous/Yeheshua or Jesus. becomes the leaven that awakes the divine Nature in the human psyche. We could say that the Cosmic Christ never incarnates, since it represents Universal and Cosmic Consciousness, the Source and Origin of Pure Being. Each one of us as human beings have the same origin and Christ or Buddha Nature in us. The SEAL for a Christian mystic who is unfolding Christ Consciousness within is called Yeheshua Jeshua or Jesus. This is so, because the Seal represents Cosmic Consciousness or pure Awareness of the Presence in incarnation. In other words, when Cosmic Consciousness is awaken in an individual he/she receives the Seal of Yeheshua/ Jeshua (for a Christian Mystic) As in ancient myth, sometimes another figure representing the eidolon is symbolically portrayed as dying the godman's death as a substitute. Just like the myths of the Egyptian god Osiris and the greek god Dionysus. In the same way that the ancient sages understood the myths of Osiris-Dionysus as allegorical teaching stories, so the Western Christian initiates understood also that the Jesus story represents a mystical initiation myth leading to spiritual resurrection. In other words, the eidolon unites with its own higher complementary aspect which is the Daemon. As in the ancient Mysteries, there is a mystical "wedding" between the Lover and the Beloved, an inner initiation and unification of the Daemon and eidolon. Taken into the context of the Christian Mysteries and spiritual alchemy, we could also look at the mystical relationship of Mary Magdalena and Jesus on the one hand, and the continue with the Ascension and then the Coronation of the Virgin Mary by Her Son Jesus. Both women names were Mary - one represents the first phase of transformation and the second the unification process of the Permanent Witness with the Spiritual Witness. ****as representing the sacred inner Marriage of the eidolon and the Daemon which represents the union of the two opposite parts of Being. The union and unification of the limited part of being - the eidolon with its unlimited and Perfect Model, or the unification with the divine Face of the Daemon, meaning the union with the universal Essence of the Daemon. This inner process of transformation from the eidolon to the Daemon can only be explained through myths, because myths are explanations of our inner awakening process, therefore like the myth of Osiris and Dionysus, Iesous/Yeheshua or Jesus represents the Perfect Mold which is a universal one... a perfect Mold in which the initiate must enter to die first so as be reborn...Osiris and Dionysus had to be dismembered so as to be re-membered. Initiates in the ancient Mysteries who realized their true nature as the Universal Daemon became an "Osiris" or a "Dionysus." Likewise, Christian initiates became first a "Jesus/Yeheshua" - the Perfect Mold in which after their "mystical death" they were raised once more and being reborn they were called a "Christ" Like the Ancient philosophers, the Western Initiates used gematria and number symbolism to encode complex sacred mathematical teachings. The name lesous, which we translate as "Jesus," is an artificial transliteration of the Jewish name Joshua into Greek to make sure that it equals the mystically significant number 888.
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JESUS AND THE DAEMON
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Gnostic Jesus or Jesus the Sun behind the sun
The Gnostic Jesus The Invisible Sun Behind the Sun by David Fideler
Painting by Daniel B. Holman http://www.AwakenVisions.com
A Gnostic Point of View
In numerology, the number of the physical world is six, the number of the spiritual world is eight. 600 is the number of "COSMOS", while 800 is the number of the lord of the cosmos. Similarly, the sacred number of Jesus, 888, symbolizing the Spiritual Sun, is contrasted with the number 666, that of the physical sun. In geometry, it is the figure of the Cube, which unites the numbers six and eight. That is because a cube has six sides and eight corners. God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, which was a Saturday. Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday, which for the early Christians became the "eighth" day, symbolizing the new spiritual creation and the regeneration of time. The number 8, the Ogdoad, symbolizes the new order of Christianity, and Jesus, 888, was known as the Ogdoad to the early Christian Gnostics. In the lower illustration, a cube is shown in isometric projection. Six rays emanate from a seventh inner point. These "seven stars" are the planets of traditional cosmology, led in their choral dance by the central point of the sun. Viewed from another perspective, as in the upper illustration, we can see that there is more to the lower arrangement than meets the eye. Here, a seventh hidden ray is revealed, as is an eight point, the hidden Spiritual Sun from which all things flow.
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Gnostic Jesus or Jesus the Sun behind the sun
The Relation of the Spiritual Sun to the Physical Sun
According to the Gnostics, most people are asleep and do not realize that there exists a higher spiritual reality; it is as though they see the lower illustration, take it at face value, and assume that there is nothing more. Through the faculty of gnosis (intuition), however, it is possible for the higher Mind (logos) to discern the existence of a more inclusive reality. Jesus, the Ogdoad, the Sun behind the sun, is both a symbol and an expression of this higher knowledge. The literal-minded, like the proponents of materialism, see the world as through the lower diagram and see no further: Literalism reads the letter of the law but does not grasp its spirit; materialism holds matter to be the only reality, but does not see that it is merely the effect of a higher cause. Those with the spark of the higher intuition or gnosis, however, catch an occasional glimpse of the higher pattern — the Universal Logos or (Perfect Model ), the Intelligent Pattern (Perfect Mold) of order and harmony which informs all of existence. According to the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, God is the "Intelligible the "Sun behind the sun." The early Christian symbolism of Jesus as the ogdoad, the Spiritual Sun, is both in keeping with this notion and with the geometrical shown above. Likewise, there is evidence to suggest that similar views were held concerning the solar divinity Mithra. As the Roman emperor Julian the Apostate points out, Mithra is not to be identified with the physical sun and in his fifth discourse refers to Mithra as "the seven-rayed god."
"Jesus the Sun behind the Sun" is an excerpt taken from the book written by David Fideler entitled "Jesus Christ Sun of God" a fascinating and important book on the subject! Jesus Christ Sun of God 02/02/05
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Raymond Bernard 1
Visualization and Cosmic Attunement By Raymond Bernard Part 1 • Who is Raymond Bernard? • Introduction • Visualization • Method • Cosmic Contacts
How to contact Cosmic Masters and Attune to Sacred Egregores An Introduction Raymond Bernard is one of the leading esoteric philosophers and mystics of our time. Now completely retired, he was formerly an international leader of a Rosicrucian organization and a founder of sacred initiatory and traditional school of mysticism for Frenchspeaking countries. As an Elder Brother and mystic, Raymond has traveled extensively all over the world, to initiate and encourage seekers from every kind of background and denomination to find their own personal way of expressing the divine goodness in human nature. His books have been translated in many different languages. In my autobiography, I describe him as "an Invisible Master" whom I refer to as 'John'. John is actually a pseudonym that I gave to Raymond Bernard to protect his identity from curious intruders. However, I am now allowed to use his real name. According to the Tradition, there are invisible masters who appear when the seeker is ready, attuned and in resonance with the master. An invisible master is an enlightened person who gradually reveals himself to seekers. To the outside world, of course, Raymond is simply the charming and good human being that he in fact is. I am grateful to Raymond for urging and encouraging me to write this book based on my personal experiences and sacred knowledge that I have been receiving from the inner planes, a process in which Raymond has also played a role.
TOP Visualization an Introduction
Before reading the messages which I transmit to you in these pages, an important point must be made. As you will see, for myself, I give the appearance of a cathedral to the Celestial Sanctum. You, yourselves, may adopt this visualized form or may well choose another. Only the visualization is important, and I shall remind you of this as often as necessary. I must remind you also that the circumstances related in this work are essentially symbolic. They are the condition and the result of the visualization I have adopted, but the messages retain their importance nevertheless. They are the results of my own Cosmic contacts, http://www.plotinus.com/raymond_bernard1.htm (1 of 6)14-2-2005 18:57:46
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that is, the expression of the light which I have received at the level of the Celestial Sanctum. The "Masters" to whom I refer designate the inner state attained at the moment of a particular contact. If the realized contact concerns a practical question, this inner state will be called "the Master of Experiments". If the purpose of the contact is a question dealing with the law of Universal Love, it is called "the Benevolent Master", and so on. Careful reading of the the way to commune with the center of pure Being, our own spiritual center has been entitled "Visualization, and Cosmic Attunement". This message will permit you to understand the form taken by this work, so that you can learn to reach the Celestial Sanctum easily, and to profit from its rays of Cosmic Light. Your contact will vary in degree depending on the motive which determines it, and this motive is up to you, yourself. Thus your inner state will be more or less intense, more or less elevated, depending on the nature of the motive which you have chosen, or the question which has led you to contact the Celestial Sanctum. The intuition which you will experience, the Light which you will receive, the help which you will obtain, you will be able to personalize for yourselves, attributing its origin to a Master, giving it form, as it were, within the framework of all-powerful visualization. Actually the greatest satisfaction that you will obtain in your contacts, the comprehension which you will gain, originate solely from Cosmic omniscience in all its impersonality. To attune with this supreme wisdom and draw from this communion incomparable fragments of Light, or assistance, there is no more efficient means than the method of visualization explained at length in this message. It is by impregnating yourselves intensively by a careful reading of it that you will be able to receive satisfaction from the Cosmic for the valid questions that you will wish to have clarified, and for all your needs and legitimate desires. After you have finished reading, it rests with you to put into practice what will have become an integral part of your being, because each time that you feel the need for it, you will know how to re-enter into yourselves to attain the Celestial Sanctum, (or your chosen sacred place) the only state, the only focal point, the only place where man may find the definitive and true solutions to his problems and the best answers to his questions. Raymond Bernard
Visualization Visualization is a fundamental element in the search for contact with the Higher Planes of Consciousness. It is an important tool that helps seekers to enter and commune with their sacred center of Being. I have given a symbolic name to this visualization and called it the "Celestial Sanctum". In mystical life in general, one forgets too often that reasoning and speech are the faculties which man enjoys to express himself on the physical plane only, and to communicate with others on the same plane. One does not communicate with other planes and with the Inner Self in this manner. The only means to do this, the only faculty given to man to achieve this, is visualization. That is why, in every initiatory technique, mystical and even religious, words and gestures, speech and movement, sound and ritual, have no other purpose than to facilitate (in truth, to create) an inner visualization whereby attunement will be established. Chants, prayers, hymns, incantations, processions, statues, and images, and the different forms adopted in all countries have no other aim. Also, visualization is of prime importance in all spiritual life, whatever its form, and the most humble of the faithful visualize without knowing it. The initiate and the adept, for their part, learn to visualize methodically in order to reach masterfully the realm of knowledge and to pass successfully the various stages in their evolution. To visualize means "to see inwardly", and it is evident that none may arrive at this point without having first developed the faculty of http://www.plotinus.com/raymond_bernard1.htm (2 of 6)14-2-2005 18:57:46
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objective observation. There are many who look "without seeing". They go about like robots, completely withdrawn, without observing their surroundings. That is why, when they want to construct a mental "image" they encounter insurmountable difficulties. Observation is voluntary. It is necessary, in the beginning at least, to want to observe and, with this objective, to want to draw the attention from the inside toward the outside. It is necessary to look around oneself consciously, to examine faces, people, and things, with the same intensity as a photographer or a painter concentrating on every detail. In the beginning, it is a difficult undertaking, but perseverance results in automatic reaction, so that consequently, there is established an observation more and more rapid, a memory more and more faithful, and a greater ease in effective visualization. TOP
Painting by David B Holeman The Method In visualization, the results of observation are linked with imagination. In the image to be constructed, the foundations are built by observation. In my own case, I am in the habit of visualizing a Celestial Sanctum, a place of worship, which has the appearance of a cathedral. I could just as well choose a mosque, a synagogue, a temple, or some other place, even secular, but a cathedral inspires me more, and that is why I have chosen it as the foundation of my personal visualization. Certainly I have seen more than one cathedral, and in each one "something" has greatly inspired me. Observation gives fundamental knowledge of the subject. The determining role of the imagination will be to improve the effectiveness of the mental picture by adding whatever may arouse inner emotion and spiritual exaltation. In my own case, this is achieved by combining in the imaginary cathedral all those "things" which have inspired me in the different cathedrals, which I have visited, down to the last detail. First of all I must "see" the cathedral in its entirety, as if I were flying over it; next, I examine the special exterior features, and finally I approach the central doorway and go inside, continuing to use the same care in visualization and adding to it, if possible, the impression of the fragrance of incense and whatever other particular elements I wish. The necessary rule is, then, to "live" the visualization, to become part of it as if it were our own actual conscious experience. This participation is comparable to the state produced in watching a movie, which greatly interests us. At that time, we actually "integrate" with the plot and the setting. We are entirely part of the film, and this is exactly the effect, which must be produced in visualization. Visualization, naturally, has an end, and is succeeded by the passive phase of experience, the most important part. Visualization is the means of attaining a determined state. Once having attained that state, the means ought to be forgotten. The mental creation is achieved, and the time to derive benefit from it has arrived. It is time, therefore, to stop the work of building up, and to give way to the passive state, with its own pictures, thoughts, emotions, and impressions. When has that time come? It is impossible to state, exactly. One can say that, in a way, the transference works by itself-the active phase is transformed slowly into a state of receptivity, and one knows that visualization is ended and that attunement is taking place. Two questions are often asked: How long does this communion last? And what impressions are drawn from it? The answer to the first question is simple. This question is actually an error in itself. In the flowing life of the objective consciousness, everything is evaluated with the idea of time. But in the State of Cosmic http://www.plotinus.com/raymond_bernard1.htm (3 of 6)14-2-2005 18:57:46
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Attunement, time does not exist. It is only after the experience, having returned to the state of ordinary consciousness that one notices that the experience, in its phase of receptivity, has lasted a second, a minute, or a quarter of an hour. One will notice also, that the result obtained is identical, whether the experience has taken place for a period of a second or even more, which leads us to the second question and answer. TOP
During the attunement, there is knowledge in the most absolute sense of the term. The being is completely immersed in omniscience and omnipotence. If visualization has been conducted with a predetermined aim, such as the solution to a problem, a health question, or a request for help or protection, the attunement works in such a way that the goal will be reached in its universal context. If visualization has been undertaken only to attune, without a definite purpose, attunement will take place as a whole, and the being will draw from it whatever is profitable to it at that time. This is without doubt the best form of contact; the Inner Self knowing better than all reasoning what may be useful to the person in attunement. The point to remember is this: in every case, attunement is made with the universal, that is, with the all, with this sole difference-that in the case of a visualization directed towards a definite goal, the response will arise out of the general context suitable for all forms of contact, without exception. It is important to remember that at the instant of attunement there is no perception. Knowledge is unformulated. It is in the very brief time of one's progressive return to objective consciousness, during the time between the attunement itself and full consciousness on the physical plane, that the reply, or the expected help, or even the possible message and the impressions properly expressed, take "perceived or conscious form". In other words, it is as one progressively returns to the outer world that "attunement" reveals a perceptible form, that it is clothed in human comprehension. Naturally the attunement may be so short in relation to temporal ideas, and the "return" may be so rapid, that perception may seem concomitant with attunement, but this is not the case. In some way it produces an inverse process to that of visualization. Visualization has ceased just before attunement, and, after this, knowledge takes "form" progressively and is "understood" in the particular aspect desired by who ever has been searching for it. Frequently there is at the same moment an impression of pictures, incense, or other things. Such manifestations vary with each person, and are the evidence of realized contact, because this, on the level of integrated knowledge, has made possible attunement with a Master, a mystic assembly, or other adepts in attunement at the same moment. It is also possible to do some particular "work" on this high plane under the direction of a being from another sphere, or an initiate still on the earthly plane. These differing conditions may be felt when the return takes place. TOP
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Cosmic Contacts This is an important point: do not hasten the return to objective consciousness. It is advisable to let things take their course, in order to assist passively with this return, in contemplating and observing the impressions, which, little by little, take form. It is necessary to observe oneself. If the thought seems to wander, if the association of ideas takes form, it is enough to follow it as it unfolds. The will should not intervene. As soon as it does, the objective consciousness will take control of the being, and the experience will end. It is also possible to have no particular impression, but that does not mean the attunement has been a failure. This may be due solely to the fact that there has not been proper perception at the desired time. The objective consciousness may have had to take up its activities again too quickly, or else the return may have been accomplished with receptivity not being sustained, as it should have been. In any case, comprehension has not had the opportunity of fulfilling its role. But whoever has carried out the experience in the manner that I have just described, will be convinced that attunement has indeed taken place, and that it has been a complete success, which means that in every way one will draw benefit from it. Whatever has been obtained will be retained, and the Inner Self will function in such a manner that the objective comprehension will perceive it ultimately if it did not do so at the time. That will take place in the course of a period of relaxation, before sleep, or even at the moment of awakening. In every case the fruit of attunement will be perceived as soon as the Inner Self encounters again the desired passive condition, whenever the objective consciousness will be least active, including the moments of emotion, fear, or surprise. Comprehension can even take place after the problem has been solved, help granted, or health restored, because the result of attunement is present in him who has achieved it, and this result works even without his knowledge. Thus the appropriate response is adopted in the particular circumstance, the necessary inspiration appears for the solution of a problem, and medical advice produces rapid effects. A little reflection will then reveal that if one has been "guided" in this way it has been as a result of the preceding attunement. Thus each person measures the fundamental importance of visualization and the Cosmic contacts it makes possible. Such contacts are helped and made considerably easier in their ultimate comprehension if they have taken place in the sublime setting of a sacred and sanctified place such as a Celestial Sanctum. It is almost commonplace in our day to affirm the creative force of thought, and to emphasize that this is a powerful and effective ally. The Celestial Sanctum has been built with the help of this creative force, which means that it really exists. To be sure, it is of such a nature that it cannot be perceived by the objective senses- but are thoughts limited in this way? Now, each person is the reflection of his thoughts, and his life, his happiness, and his actions are the result of them. This Celestial Sanctum is also known by its effects on those who attune with it regularly, and on those who have been helped through it. It is as real, as living, as the soul personality of which our body is the Sanctum. It is as real as the building of stone where the faithful go to pray, but it is more easily accessible, since it may be reached in the place where one is at any time, which may be in the quietude of home, or in the uproar and excitement of the street. It is necessary only to put into practice some very simple instructions, and if the circumstances are against it, even to proceed with a brief mental purification. Visualization will be the decisive point, and if it seems long in the beginning, perhaps difficult, repetition will make it progressively so http://www.plotinus.com/raymond_bernard1.htm (5 of 6)14-2-2005 18:57:46
Raymond Bernard 1
rapid and so effective that the Celestial Sanctum will be attained almost simultaneously with the desire to reach it. It is almost unavoidable for a seeker, not to profit each day by this marvelous creation. It should be at the heart of both his mystical and his secular existence. It should become the place to which, by a simple reflex, whenever the need arises, he/she can raise himself in consciousness to receive a message, a directive, an inspiration, or help. It is actually the Celestial Sanctum, which ought to preside over a seeker's spiritual studies, his mystical research, and his experiences. It is under its guidance, in its presence, that he should build his mystical life. His entire existence will then be bathed in harmony and infinite understanding, and his interior evolution will then unfold in an ambiance of high spiritual vibrations. Human difficulties and distressing experiences will be illumined by perfect understanding, helping him to overcome them, to see and to accept them as temporary burdens. In other words, he will constantly share in the privilege of a wisdom always available to the degree of understanding he has attained on the Path, and he will bathe in the Greater Light ready to manifest itself in him and through him. My most ardent wish is that this manuscript will encourage my readers, whether mystics and seekers or not, to use more extensively the exceptional advantages offered by Cosmic contacts. These advantages are not reserved for the author of these pages, nor, is it for any particular person. They are for the use of everyone, and in order to take part in them, as I do, it is only necessary, with a sincere desire, to assume with confidence the path leading to the sublime meeting place of the Celestial Sanctum.
•A reminder that words like "The Celestial Sanctum" - "the Cosmic" and "Masters" are symbolic images of an archetypal nature to help seekers get in touch with their own center of Consciousness. You may choose to change these words, this is unimportant, what counts is the visualization and the getting in touch with the sacred Center of Being and Consciousness within... (To continue - see next page)
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Raymond Bernard- Cathedral of the Soul
Visualization and Cosmic Attunement By Raymond Bernard Part : 2
ON A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE No particular ceremony is anticipated today in the Celestial Sanctum. I have participated in the period dedicated to prayer, and I have fulfilled the duties which are my daily responsibility at the level of the Celestial Sanctum. After my usual activities on the objective plane, I return for a period of contact and, this ended, I feel the need to retire for some moments into my private sanctuary (in the Cosmic). On the way I notice that some of the twelve sanctuaries of 'my' aisle are occupied and that those who are there are meditating or working. I sit down immediately at my desk and, abandoning myself to reverie, I contemplate, through the little window, in the distance, the highest Mountain of Illumination where the greatest of all the Masters reside. A little lower, in the compact mass of this unique spiritual mountain, I perceive other summits; here is the permanent retreat of the 'Brothers in White'; there, a little farther on, the Akasha Mountain. Farther yet, toward infinity, my thought flies from one valley to another, recognizing truth and unity in the many paths climbed by an innumerable throng of people who do not know that the goal is near and that it will be 'one' stage. Nor do they understand how those who they think are mistaken will attain, by different paths, summits as high, and that all will be reunited in the final path leading to the crowning height.... Then my glance comes back toward the Mountain of Illumination where the Sublime Ones work. My heart intones AUM, filled with hope that the particular Master, he who gives aid, will recognize it and respond to the particular need of my soul. In the Celestial Sanctum, which for me is the cathedral which I have described, the call is always heard, and, as a result, in a more powerful AUM which reverberates throughout space, striking the stained glass window near me with its extraordinary vibrations, and enveloping me in an elating perfume of the purest incense, the Master enters my private sanctuary. After making a benediction with his hand and accompanying it with a look of his dark eyes, he sits down before me. I know immediately that I must take my pen and prepare before me the fresh pages of my memory. I am going to write these notes under the dictation of the Mater. I am ready, and he speaks:: Today it is again to me that the duty falls to enlighten you further on one of the great principles which you have had the privilege of learning through the Hermetic teachings. I have already dealt with it, but I want to review it, since it is fundamental in the mystic quest. It is about visualization that I want to speak again.
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Raymond Bernard- Cathedral of the Soul
"The mistake which the seeker generally makes, and which tragically impedes his inner development, is dissipation of effort in his search, even though it is conducted with the best intentions. Now, dissipation is the exact opposite of concentration and, consequently different from visualization. Anyone who dissipates his efforts in many ways, such as thoughtless reading, or the study of various techniques, is certain to get no result except the illusion of an over-burdened mind and the disappointment of repeated setbacks in practice. That does not mean that he must adopt only one way of knowledge, although this is evidently the ideal solution for effectiveness and success. Knowledge may be obtained from many authentic sources, provided that these sources do not teach different techniques, valuable in themselves, but generating inner conflict and unproductive confusion if they are mixed. Contrary to appearances, they are never complete and are radically different even if, in the end, a similar result seems to have been attained. Consequently the first step toward effectiveness in the initiatory life and, I repeat, today I am considering this in the practical phase exclusively is the careful and definitive choice of a specific technique. Thus will be avoided the danger which I have just stressed that of dissipation. How many people are there yet who err in psychic matters! They are not able to free themselves from the matrix of their dreams. The emotions which they seek are imprinted with vague sentimentality and they take pleasure in a paralyzing sentimentality. What they call 'knowledge' is made up of the fantasies of an intellectual or emotional satisfaction in which all sorts of obscure sentiments are mixed in their ignorance. And in an illusion which they believe to be truth, they search for similar illusions, sometimes from disciples whom they would make pontiffs, the veneration of whom will easily fill the consciousness submerged in false wisdom. Alas! How many disciples having passed an important stage, are pushed by some childish nostalgia to return to this stage of illusion, and how serious is their responsibility when the knowledge acquired and misunderstood gives a false glow to the way supposedly traversed, and catches unawares the guilelessness of an imprudent soul! In all this are found illusion and the ineffectiveness of dissipation. Visualization, on the contrary, assumes that a choice is made and a technique definitely adopted.
If this is done, then the power of visualization will develop with each step accomplished on the chosen way, and the results will be obtained with increasing ease. However, from the first attempts, if the method is well followed, a success, even partial, will reward the effort made and will be a great encouragement. The Master that we are in contact within "KNOWS" and shows to the seeker which particular visualizations and techniques are best suited for him. Subconsciously All thoughtforms in the seeker become conditioned by this voluntary adherence to a particular initiative way, and the deep reactions of the seeker follow a precise direction toward a goal at first uncertain, then more and more "defined' and distinct in proportion as progress is made. This 'inner created atmosphere' may be further extended by the method of visualization adopted and this, from certain basic elements, notably observation and creative imagination, can be progressively developed in a personal technique having as a framework the inherent characteristics of the individual. Thus it is necessary to progress slowly; and, for a long time, a visualization including the smallest details will be essential. Recalling the role of observation, no problem can be solved until it proceeds to the mental picture. On the blank canvas, after the main lines have been traced, each detail will take its place and each color will be in its exact shade. The painter, he who is visualizing, undertakes an elating task. He creates for himself the most magnificent picture possible, a picture which will arouse his enthusiasm, his higher emotions, and finally his Soul. His picture is a 'mandala' which he executes to its final phase, wherein lies the truth which he seeks. He appreciates each step, but, having arrived at the goal, he will forget them all in ultimate attunement, from whence he will draw power and the desired effect. Why insist so much on visualization? The reply is simple: visualization is the key to all hidden things. It is the way of http://www.plotinus.com/raymond_bernard2.htm (2 of 3)14-2-2005 18:58:41
Raymond Bernard- Cathedral of the Soul
knowledge, it is the source of all abilities and all realization—spiritual, mental, and even material. It is the fundamental principle on which are dependent all the others, whatever they may be. This key, which opens all doors, is the essential tool given to man for the realization of his legitimate desires, and above all for his spiritual evolution. It is clear that a visualization perfectly carried out will always produce the anticipated result, unless the objective is in some way intended to be harmful to others, or is something which man would achieve without weighing the bad consequences which his realization would have for him. Only a visualization for spiritual evolution will always be effective, while it is emphasized that the progress thus obtained will be determined by the degree already attained on the Path. In every case it will always result in greater Light. No realization is useless. If for some reason the desired realization has not been granted, one will at least have the consciousness of the moment of realization, and if such is not the case, inspiration will come sooner or later, in one way or another, to direct the attention toward another way or another solution. "You now have material for useful reflection, and the question of visualization, as I have dealt with it previously and in my talk today, is clarified in all its details. If each one understands its importance, a big step will be taken, but insist on practice! Knowledge of principles is useless if it remains purely theoretical. May Peace Profound accompany your Way!" •A reminder that words like "The Celestial Sanctum" - "the Cosmic" and "Masters" are symbolic images of an archetypal nature to help seekers get in touch with their own center of Consciousness. You may choose to change these words, this is unimportant, what counts is the visualization and the getting in touch with the sacred Center of Being and Consciousness within.. COPYRIGHTS
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Raymond Bernard 3
Visualization and Cosmic Attunement By Raymond Bernard Part 3
The Master rises. I do the same, and, the left hand on the heart and the right on the left, with a last look he gives me his farewell. To the sound of AUM, which echoes again, he leaves me alone in my private sanctuary and immediately I feel him in deep meditation on the Mountain of Illumination, beyond, in the distant place which I gaze on with faith, trust, and veneration. It is time to reenter my earthly domain and, curiously, I find it is accomplished by a kind of inverse visualization. The 'descent' is done actually by degrees, and I notice that it is possible to further slacken the grip of the objective consciousness in order to analyze the steps, and in this case the 'vibration' of recall develops in more numerous pictures, clearer, and more precise. This is a lesson to remember in visualization and all its phases, slowly is a key word. The comments of the Master on the principles of visualization lead me to think, at the moment of writing, that the fruit of an experience may be useful to many, and I shall not hesitate, therefore, to record my own here. Hermetic Traditions, teaches that anything may be requested from the Cosmic (Absolute Consciousness - God) on the condition that the desire includes, in equal part, personal interest and altruism. Now this requirement is a source of problems to a great many people. Actually, where does personal interest stop, and where does altruism begin? If someone needs money to meet urgent liabilities, how may it be defined in the reflections (which precede visualization) on that which, in the request to the Cosmic, is obviously useful to another? There is a reply to this question. In the case mentioned, if the date of payment cannot be met, someone will suffer, perhaps the one to whom the sum is due, and with him, perhaps, his colleagues and employees, or it may be himself, the debtor, and the family which is dependent on him. But how can one be sure? How be certain as to the manner in which this particular request or some other should be made? There is a personal method, developed while I was still a beginner, which I have used for a long time, and which I still use on occasion, which has been of considerable help to me. Here is the method: The Cosmic, by definition, is the sum total of everything. It is the entire universe and everything therein that is to say, in particular our Earth and all humanity, embracing all its characteristics, the good and those which, for want of wisdom and understanding, one 'judges' less good. The Cosmic is, then, you, me, and all the others. Consequently if I make a request to the Cosmic it is, then, to the universe that this request is made, but it is also to humanity — to you, and you, and all the others. Now my request, in order to be understood by the Cosmic and be accepted by It, must be conveyed by means of visualization. I have explained this in the previous message, and the Master has brought new understanding to this subject. If I should present myself to you or to some human assembly to make my request, and I must express it aloud, as if from a stage, it is evident that if previously I have not fully considered whether or not my wish is absurd, impossible to satisfy, or hurtful to someone, I should certainly realize it at the moment of submitting it to you, or after the first words of the statement I should be making to you. Light would dawn on me, and I should withdraw, realizing the futility of my request.
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Raymond Bernard 3
Having meditated on this aspect of things, I resolved that in all my visualizations, even those that my reasoning considered justified, I would act as if I were solemnly presenting my request to a human assembly. And I state quickly that the means employed helped me even to completely forget my wish after having visualized it in this way, and every seeker knows that this is absolutely necessary in order that the Cosmic may 'hear' the request which is submitted to it. I worked then, and I still work, in the following manner, whatever the wish I have to express or the object of my request:
I visualize a vast edifice which, at the time of my visualization becomes, for me, the 'residence' of the Cosmic. I ascend the high stairway leading to an immense door which I pass through, and crossing a huge vestibule I approach an old usher dressed in black, to tell him that I have come to 'express' a request to the Cosmic. He presents me with a form on which I write my surname, my first name, and address. He immediately gives the form to a younger usher who makes his way toward a wooden double door, which he half opens to hand the document to a hand which takes it and shut again the door. I have had time meanwhile to hear an orator present a request in a loud voice to an assembly which I cannot see. I sit down on a bench to gather my thoughts. The wait is not long. The wooden door opens and I am called. I rise and enter a room of gigantic dimensions and, preceded by an usher, I advance the length of the central aisle whilst thousands of heads turn to look at me attentively as I pass. I recognize some of those who are going to hear my request — there are, especially, my family, my friends, my relatives, my co-workers, and my departed ones, and everyone looks at me with great benevolence. At the end of the room, on a dais, near which I shall soon be, in a semicircle, are seated the Masters whom I venerate, and above shines the cloud of the Sacred Presence. Then I am on the dais, faced with this innumerable mass of 'spectators', whose eyes and attention are fixed on me. I feel around me those who are closer. I feel behind me the Sacred Presence.... Then in the absolute silence, having pronounced my name, I distinctly present my request before the assembly, and I hear my voice reverberate to infinity under the high arches. As soon as I have finished with the words 'with confidence, certain of the answer, I convey to you my request (or my problem). So mote it be!', I leave the dais, leave the room, cross the vestibule, and I descend the stairs and become objectively conscious again. Several points are to be emphasized with this visualization: First of all, as soon as my request has been made, and I leave the dais, I immediately cease to think about it, and I pay attention only to the assembly through which I pass, then to the door, the vestibule, and finally the great staircase. Once again on the objective plane, I attend to other things, and I wait for the reply with confidence. I know that it will come in one way or another, by a sign, an intuition, or a suggestion perhaps. I do not doubt that my request is in the best of hands, those of the Cosmic, and the Cosmic never leaves a request without an answer. If, while on the dais, I am not seized with doubt, nor perceive that my request is not valid; if I have completed it, sure of myself, I shall have my answer. Facing the assembly, my request has been complete, precise, detailed. Nothing has been left indefinite. I have set out my problem in all its phases without exception and without concealing anything which could risk making my request useless. I did not at any moment suggest a solution to the assembly. I did not tell them how my problem should be resolved, my request satisfied, or my wish fulfilled. If I knew the solution, my visualization would have been useless. I conveyed my earnest request to the all-powerful Cosmic, and my earnest request only. I have confidence because the Cosmic knows how to work it out the best way for me, including the good of all, and it will be realized. Finally, in order to be effective, this visualization must be lifelike, vivid. It is necessary to see the assembly, to feel it, to hear oneself speak, without losing sight of those who listen to the request. It is necessary to live each phase of the visualization as if it were real, and it is real, because the Cosmic, I repeat, is all, and in this visualization it is to It that you address yourself. I hope that a great many will adopt this method, which has been my own for a long time. There is no reason why it should be unceasingly effective for me and not for any others. Moreover, it contributes to the development of concentration, and if, at the beginning, visualization is long, practice makes it easy and fast, without which it will lose its effectiveness. May it give you the intense satisfaction that it has lavished on me! This is the ardent wish that I make for each of you in the presence of the Cosmic, at the close of this first message received in the Celestial Sanctum.
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Raymond Bernard 3
• A reminder that words like "The Celestial Sanctum" - "the Cosmic" and "Masters" are symbolic images of an archetypal nature to help seekers get in touch with their own center of Consciousness. You may choose to change these words, this is unimportant, what counts is the visualization and the getting in touch with the sacred Center of Being and Consciousness within..
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CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE PERFECT MODEL - PART 1
CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE PERFECT MODEL PART : I
Visualizing, Imagining and Creating A Perfect Model "THE LIPS OF WISDOM ARE CLOSED EXCEPT TO THE EARS OF UNDERSTANDING"
In these pages, I share my spiritual and mystical experiences with whomever can attune and resonate with the messages and seed ideas contained herein. Those readers will welcome them as confirmation of their own quest and inner discoveries, while those who are not yet open to discover or understand their own mystery will find them outrageous. What I reveal on this part of my essays is a secret and sacred part of my life of which even my closest family and friends know nothing. In the following pages, you will find ways to unfold your spiritual self, this being your center of Being-ness. I demonstrate how to become aware of seed ideas that are engraved in the soul of all human beings, and ways to energize and awaken them. These messages have been written to help you, the reader, discover how to approach your own mystery. The search begins in earnest when the need to discover your real identity unfolds within you and a question reverberates and echoes in the center of your heart: “Who Am I?” Affectionately Alice
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CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE PERFECT MODEL - PART 1
Exploring Consciousness and the Essence of Reality
The theme of this website is the exploration of the nature of consciousness. The problem, however, is that words, those limited expressions of the mind, cannot explain the unchanging, unlimited nature of pure consciousness. All they can do is point to the absolute state of consciousness that is the Center of Pure Being, the nature of which cannot be described in words. What, then, is the purpose of writing about this subject if words cannot convey the truth about it to others? What is the point of writing about consciousness, when the result will not change anybody’s level of consciousness? The point is that this website can potentially steer you in a new direction, show how to proceed in your quest, and inspire those who are in harmony with the essence of these messages coming from the Source of Being. The messages are intended to harmonize you with seed ideas, signs and symbols scattered here and there in the messages, keys that will open up for you the abstract world of hidden and dormant knowledge that is inherent in your center of pure consciousness. These seed ideas will resonate within you, become clearer, and fall into place in your psyche because, through their essence and symbols, you will be prepared to intuitively pass through the gateway to your own inner universe. Subsequently, your own Center of Pure Being and the center of the Universe will gradually blend and harmonize, and consciousness will have recognized its own reflection in the mirror of consciousness.
Our own consciousness creates the world around us that we take to be real. Why “consciousness” rather than intellect or mind? Because unless we concentrate and become conscious of things in which we are interested, our “thinking” and “emotional” processes will not register their existence. We will remain unconscious and ignorant of them since these things will not make an impact on us, therefore they will not exist for us and thus will not be created. If your mental and emotional creations are not in harmony with mine, my creation will remain unknown and non-existent to you, and in the same manner, your creations will not exist for me. From our own perspective, none of us will be able to register our different visions of reality, unless I can show you how you can be involved and interested in what I do, and how I see and live my personal reality, and you do the same for me. Thus, at a certain point, if we want to “meet” each other, we must go beyond our limited perception of reality and search for common ground. Unless we open up and become interested in each others’ way of being, and search for common understanding of the essence of reality, life will remain a mystery to us. So the first step in opening up and understanding our differences is to be aware of the limitations imposed by our ego. It is our egos that separate “my” reality from “your” reality. Fortunately, there are ways of interacting and respecting each others’ different ways of “being in the world.” The average person who is not a seeker identifies perfectly with his ego, and is not worried about his ego or how others perceive truth and reality. The seeker, on the other hand, knows that ego is the problem, that it must be under the control of the soul, that it needs to loosen and open up, that it must be transformed so that the soul can express the Divine qualities within the human psyche. For its part, the ego, the self-consciousness in a human http://www.plotinus.com/perfect_model1.htm (2 of 5)14-2-2005 18:59:51
CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE PERFECT MODEL - PART 1
being, must understand and realize intellectually through life’s experiences that it is only a distorted “image” of the soul, because the ego “is” the identified consciousness of the center of pure consciousness. The goal of the spiritual process is simply to make the ego realize that it has no independent existence, that it is merely a reflection of the Divine Essence that is at the source of consciousness. Thus, we can say that the ego, or limited consciousness of man, is a restricted perception of creation. What is creation, anyway? The manifestation of consciousness itself. Since consciousness needs a vehicle to become aware of itself, it can only do so by expressing itself in the world of duality. Is this a paradox? Not at all! The impersonal level of consciousness, or Cosmic Consciousness, the Essence of Being remains unchanged and does not create anything. It is the Void, the center of inactivity, of silence and just being, the “stuff” from which impersonal Cosmic Consciousness expands and enters vehicles that become individual, limited reflections of it. However, apart from the self-consciousness of the ego, which makes one aware that “I am me,” there are two more important levels of consciousness. The second awakening of consciousness still functions in the ego and the world of duality and dualism and it says, “I AM conscious of being a direct individual expression of the soul or God.” The third level of consciousness can be defined as, “I AM the central source of consciousness pervading everything that is created and uncreated.” The ego cannot experience this third level of Consciousness because it belongs to the “neutral axial pole” within being, in which the Law of Duality disappears. This level of consciousness no longer takes “form” since it is the source of omnipotent and omnipresent consciousness itself. Thus from this axial center of Being within man, limited consciousness of the ego returns to merge into its own Uncreated Center of Absolute Consciousness.
This is the key that will unleash the gates of your true Being. You will pass through various inner processes that will, throughout your life, reflect different levels of consciousness, until that moment when you become aware that you have an inner “model” that follows each of your steps, a spiritual mapping showing you how to proceed in your quest. It is a thread that you must follow to reach an inner purified plane that leads to pure consciousness, in which your astral and mental bodies will be ready to be “reshaped” in the Divine “mold.” In this Perfect Mold, your self-consciousness will blend with the essence of your soul, encompassing within it its divine ethereal features. This mold will chisel your Divine Face within all of your subtle bodies, and in time, you will become conscious and know it well. DUALITY VERSUS DUALISM When you, the seeker, attune and connect with your Divine Face and express it here on the physical plane, you will still have to “live” in duality. This means, that your Divine Face manifests and is attuned to everything you do through your
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CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE PERFECT MODEL - PART 1
human faculties. Hence, all your experiences and the work you do bear the imprint of the essence of your soul and are therefore reflected in whatever you do, say or think on this plane of existence. This is “living in duality,” and is completely different from the world in which people “live as dualism.” Duality in this sense means that the Divine faculties in you express through human attributes, here on this plane of existence, while the world of dualism means that self-consciousness and soul-consciousness are separate and therefore in conflict. Dualism is a world of paradoxes and extreme opposites that co-exist, yet are at war with each other. An obvious example: I was given a name at birth, I am a married woman, and enjoy the company of family and friends, yet I also know that I must share whatever my intuition and “intelligence of the heart” dictate. Hence this website. On my journey, I discovered my Divine Face (a symbolic expression) and entered the Perfect Mold, in which I am taking the shape imprinted in my consciousness. On one level, my name is Alice, yet it is a mask, a clever disguise. In truth, I am simply energy coming from the unmanifested Presence of Being. Through the essence of our Soul or pure Essence, each of us is impregnated by a “Perfect Model”, the manifestation of the unmanifested and uncreated Spirit that is potentially engrained in our Being and reflects in our psyche. As individuals, we become conscious of its existence only when certain impulses and experiences have been aroused and stimulated in the subconscious and subjective parts of our psyche. This means that our quest to understand our own mystery, the mystery of the meaning of life itself, begins just then and can never really exist before that crucial moment. On this website, I encourage you to begin in earnest your search for the beloved Presence within you that is your Divine Face. This presence will gradually reflect itself back to you through dreams, insights and intuitions, slowly revealing the mold of your pure Being in which you will have to enter so as to take a “new shape” and receive the new features (qualities) of your Divine Face. That is indeed, my dearest wish.
One of the Perfect Models "I will explain my nature: It is a unique Essence that infuses consciousness in everyone. It is the Presence of Beingness in consciousness"
To go to the list of these special exercises Please click on the Triangle
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CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE PERFECT MODEL - PART 1
02/04/05 To make a copy in black and white
Consciousness and the Perfect Model part 1 Why use a Perfect Model as a Tool of Perfection? What is Christ Consciousness? COPYRIGHTS
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WHY USE THE TOOL OF A PERFECT MODEL?
WHY USE THE PERFECT MODEL AS A TOOL?
How can we link the archetype of the Perfect Model with the idea of an Absolute Being? The answer to this question is that even the most abstract idea of what is Absolute Being remains a human concept. So, why do we have to create a Perfect Model if it is a concept that we create in our minds? Each person be it a philosopher, a mystic or an atheist has a certain perception of what the origin of creation of man is and he will try to explain it according to his conditioning and understanding. Since it is consciousness that creates and recognizes the world in which we live in, it is therefore natural to say that anything that man imagines and creates is rooted and based on a concept. Thus even the most profound truth can only be delivered to others through ideas and words and these are only human ideas that originate in the ego of man. Consequently, even when a mystic receives an insight or truth based on intuition, his understanding and explanation of it will have to be expressed through a concept and then be explained to others. Accordingly, intellectual understanding of a concept is an important first step, as it helps unfold a resonance in the psyche of the listener. Moreover, even enlightened masters must use concepts to explain away their experiences and wisdom to others. Since the center of an enlightened person and that of Absolute Being coincide and are the same, Divine Knowledge and Wisdom pour in him as divine impulses. These impulses, however, are the living Presence of Being and cannot manifest in the world of duality. To do so they should first be reflected in the thought process of a sage before being transformed into words and communicated to others. That's why an enlightened person’s thoughts come directly from the source of Absolute Being before being interpreted and developed into concepts which he simplifies to the level of understanding of his audience. We live in a world of duality, meaning a world in which the ego plays the game of “this is me – and this is not me”. Therefore whatever one receives from the depth of one’s being has to be projected into the world of duality in order to take substance and be formed as ideas and concepts. Therefore, no one can really prove anything to anyone else in a belief of an Absolute Being because this has been created as a concept. The same goes for believing in reincarnation, or in a Perfect Model. So why insist on explaining away the concept of a Perfect Model?
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WHY USE THE TOOL OF A PERFECT MODEL?
For an unenlightened being, an enlightened person will look like an ordinary man, someone just like him. Why and how can that be? The answer is because between the two of them there is no resonance. On the other hand, for someone who resonates with an enlightened person, even without knowing it, an enlightened person will be a catalyst and a living model. The spiritual charisma and magnetic attraction between the two cannot be explained, because it is not a physical attraction, but more a spiritual one that is based on resonance. This is the way that intuition and divine Knowledge unfold in a disciple. The psyche of such a disciple becomes a clear mirror in which the wisdom of his physical master is projected and transmitted. Why is such a divine transmission perceived only through the mirror of the psyche? The answer is that whatever is perceived by a disciple has first to pass from his own psyche so as to be experienced by him alone and make it his own. In the same manner a Perfect Model, is an abstract archetypal model, a catalyst that awakens Absolute Consciousness in a disciple. This Perfect Model is slumbering in our subconscious and our innermost center of Being and when the right moment comes it manifests itself to us so that we can become conscious and resonate with it in the world of duality. The Perfect Model is a powerful symbol that is a key unfolding the Perfect Nature of Absolute Being in our consciousness. However, it is important to understand the process of its unfolding, because it is not the ego that chooses its Perfect Model, but the guise that Absolute Being takes to appear in our psyche and this guise becomes a reality that transforms us when we start resonating with it. Thus, it is clear that we cannot choose the features of our individual Perfect Model. However, by resonating with the Presence of Absolute Being within, the Presence gradually unfolds its perfect Image in our mind and psyche. Therefore, we can say that it is the Presence of Absolute Being within each one of us that activates the characteristics and features of our Perfect Model and these are recognized and manifested according to our conditioning and culture. Hence at the source of Absolute Being, the Perfect Model remains unchanged, unique and whole as an uncreated Essence which manifests in the psyche of a disciple in different ways and guises so as to blend and become a reality in him. A similar question arises when determining whether it is the master who chooses his disciple or if it is the disciple who chooses the master? The answer is simply that it is neither but the resonance between the two of them that attracts them to each other and creates for one the role of master and for the other the role of disciple… one mirrors Absolute Being and beams its Light through the mirror of one’s impersonal level of Consciousness in the clear mirror of the disciple. Thus the Light of the physical Master adds itself to the Light of the Perfect Model, both are catalysts that awaken him to his true Self. One resonates from within the inner plane of one’s Being and the other from the physical plane. Crisscrossing within his heart the disciple identifies his true nature and recognizes himself in both Perfect Models that is to say the immaterial and ethereal Presence of Absolute Being within and without.
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WHY USE THE TOOL OF A PERFECT MODEL?
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HERMETIC MYSTERY OF CHRIST
What is Christ Consciousness? "THE HERMETIC MYSTERY OF CHRIST"
In the context of hermetic and metaphysical philosophy, what do we mean by the words Cosmic Christ? In addition to this and mystically, what does the essence of Christ represent? We have to understand that the essence and nature of the Cosmic Christ is universal and beyond the scope of any kind of investigation because in itself it is not and never will be a personality, something that can be objectively proven due to the fact that it has never been an individualized Energy. How could it be? The Essence of the Cosmic Christ is simply the REGENERATIVE and RECONCILING aspect of the force of pure Being and the Soul Essence within each one of us. Hence in itself, it represents the unfolding energy of wholeness in human nature. In other words, Christ Energy is a divine Energy that brings and blends together the essence of Soul and Spirit within each one of us (to use a symbolic image, we could say that Christ Energy brings together and "marries" the Permanent and Spiritual Witnesses within each individual – for more details on these two aspects, please refer to the essays on "The Mystery of Man" parts:
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However, as seekers of Truth, we should make a distinction between the Cosmic Christ and the manifestation of the force that descends and unfolds through the channel of consciousness in an enlightened being. In other words, we should differentiate between an individualized expression of the Cosmic Christ and the Essence of the Cosmic Christ itself. To facilitate our task, we could begin by asking this question. What do we mean by an individualized expression of the Cosmic Christ? The answer is simply that it represents an enlightened and self-realized expression of pure Being. However, such a level of enlightenment can only manifest in a purified and well prepared vehicle, in which consciousness is awakened fully. By purified vehicle, we mean the purified physical, psychic and spiritual bodies in which the energy and characteristics of the Force of the Cosmic Christ become apparent. This Christic Force is an active and universal power house that functions through "human vehicles" forever. Hence, nothing gets lost, and the vehicle and characteristics of Master Jesus still continue functioning through all enlightened and realized human beings. The same principle is applied to all enlightened beings. Why is this so? Simply because, purified vehicles are all molded from one specific Perfect Mold that is at the source of all traditions, Eastern and Western alike. It is the power source that is inherent in Primordial Wisdom and in Nature. Thus, it is also inherent in human nature too. However, it needs to be awakened and activated by consciousness . For Buddhism, all seekers and disciples of Buddha are known as having Buddha nature inherent within their nature. In the same manner, for the hermetic and esoteric Mysteries of the Western tradition, the essence of the Cosmic Christ is innate to all sentient beings and part of his spiritual blueprint, (the Perfect Mold), in the West and in the East.
However, JESUS THE CHRIST represents a perfected vehicle that has existed, and still continues to exist eternally, since it represents one of the perfected Expressions of Primordial Wisdom. That is why, to a Western approach, Jesus or Jeheshua represents a process of manifesting Primordial Wisdom to a Western http://www.plotinus.com/perfect_model19.htm (2 of 5)14-2-2005 19:02:20
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approach. Since, the Perfect Model and Mold are themselves expressions of the Primordial Wisdom. Hence, Jesus or Jeheshua represent a channel and a vehicle in which a high level of initiation takes place. He represents one of the Perfect Mold in which the process of awakening and of enlightenment takes place. The Perfect Mold of a Cosmic Christ or of a Buddha exists everywhere…and remains the same, for everyone, since they are made of the same pure essence of Primordial Wisdom and therefore, all Perfect Molds and Models are ALIVE and ACTIVE expressions of the same unique source, which are inherent to Pure Being. The meaning of the Perfect Mold and Perfect Model should be understood intuitively by the genuine seeker because these two symbolic expressions should clarify the understanding that it is not the ego personality and the intellect as such that choose a Perfect Model and discovers its corresponding Perfect Mold. The Perfect Model within each one of us is hidden within consciousness. When consciousness "awakens" in a seeker, then the Presence of the Perfect Model appears. It is through the purification of the psyche and the unfoldment of the inner process that the expression of the Perfect Model becomes clearer and is revealed. However, we should also realize that the world of the psyche belongs to the world of duality, since the mirror of the psyche transfers and projects, images, ideals, intuitions, which are reflections of the Perfect Model. The Perfect Model unfolds the process of awakening and its vehicle, the Perfect Mold is the "ground" on which the awakening process takes place. It is the purified psyche - the mirror of the Soul in which ideal "images" of Heroes and Heroines can still be projected like in the time of childhood. However, for seekers of truth, these faints projected ideal models of heroes and heroines, of gods and goddesses are replaced by a direct impulse coming from the Presence of pure Being. To begin with, this new impulse appears like a divine and complementary counterpart and gradually reveals the Presence of the Perfect Model. Until such time that consciousness reveals that the psyche does not really exist...it was a perfect mirror reflecting purified impulses that disappear leaving a silent space within... a level of consciousness in which the world of duality is non-existent and in its place appears the Presence the uncreated and immortal Essence of Being, the "I AM" Presence and the sudden realization that : "I AM ... WHAT I AM"
PART II MEANING OF THE NAME JESUS CHRIST THE NAZARENE The word "Jesus" represents an individualized level of enlightenment and experience. Christ, on the other hand represents an epithet, an explanation of the quality of enlightenment reached by "Jesus". For this reason, and in the context of Western Mysteries, "Jesus" represents the Perfect Mold, the inner workings of the purified "Substance" and the vehicle in which the path of AWAKENING the level of Christ Consciousness takes place... The word "Consciousness" (in Syriac means Messiah and in Greek Christos means the Anointed One). As for the word "The Nazarene", the meaning is: "He who reveals what is hidden". As for the word "Messiah", it has two meanings, "Christ or the Anointed One" and "The Measured One" http://www.plotinus.com/perfect_model19.htm (3 of 5)14-2-2005 19:02:20
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"Jesus" in Hebrew means "The Redemption" and the word "Nazara" means "The Truth". Thus, "The Nazarene" means "Truth". Jesus had attained "Nazirutha", perfect spiritual enlightenment, and that he also taught that path to others. Hence, Jesus and his disciples were Nazarenes or Nazoraeans: meaning, followers of the mystic path to God, or Pure Being. The apostles before us used to employ the terms: 'Jesus the Nazoraean Messiah', which means 'Jesus, the Nazoraean, the Christ "The Anointed One". Remember: The last name is "Christ", the first name is "Jesus", the middle name is "The Nazarene". Hence the Name "Jesus Christ the Nazarene" means; The Anointed One, the Giver of Truth - The Bringer and Source of Redemption - The Revealer of what is hidden - The Enlightened One who has the gift to Awaken others... . In the language of the Christian mysteries, we could say that the Name IESHUA corresponds to Jesus's existence as a heavenly power in eternity (the Perfect Model). The INITIATOR and SAVIOR in the Christian Mystical Mysteries... Hence it is the transcendent Spirit beyond the realm of physical matter... On the other hand, Yeheshuah, or (Jeshua) - Jesus represents the immanent Spirit present within physical matter. (the Perfect Mold). In God (pure Absolute Being) we are born In Jeshua we "learn" to die, Through the Power of the Holy Sprit and the Redemption of IESHUA/YESHUA we rise again! This is a Mystery... and it involves the three levels of the unfolding inner process (1) - Ego consciousness experiences and trusts the unfolding inner process of the Soul (2) - Divine Grace reveals the Cosmic Perfect Mold in which the old self has to "enter" and "die" so that (3) - The Holy Spirit can descend to awake and manifest the Perfect Model, or Christ Consciousness
In the Gospel of Thomas - 108 Whosoever drinks from my mouth Shall become as I am. I too shall become like him. For him, the hidden will be revealed. If the Teachings are truly understood and put into practice, we will become a "Jesus", meaning a pure
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"container" in which the Essence of the Cosmic Christ will fully manifest, just as it did with the Master. Moreover, when the Spirit of Christ emerges completely in our level of consciousness, we will have realized that the Christ Essence and Spirit are the REAL part of who we are... the silent Witness... the Unmanifest "I" that belongs to the level of unity and wholeness... the level within us that has no reflection... You have been given many hints and clues to unravel the unfathomable Mystery of your own spiritual Substance and Essence...! The use of Christian symbolism in mystical practices may seem strange to modern eyes, but the inner process of the Western Mysteries include psychic symbols that belong to the Soul and which are inherent of the early Christian Mystery teachings. For this purpose, they remain an important element of the Western Initiatory tradition since ancient times. While the actions of some modern versions of Christianity have succeeded in giving many mystics a bad case of "Jesus allergy", it's important to remember that the meaning and value of a symbol is independent of the theology built around it or the atrocities committed in its name The Moral Code of the Perfect Model To make a copy of this article in black and white click on:
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PERFECT MODEL PART 2 : CONTACTING AND CREATING THE PERFECT MODEL
THE PERFECT MODEL AND CONSCIOUSNESS PART : 2
Contacting and creating the Perfect Model About Free Will We have free will only when our soul personality is not yet in touch with our ego personality, in other words, when the soul and ego are not in harmony, when there is no direct contact. Hence, the soul leaves the ego alone to experience whatever it wants to experience. Pleasures, desires, strong emotions of all kinds, and compulsive needs are all necessary steps that we have to take in the process of awakening. However, things start to change when the ego ripens and needs to experience another aspect of its own mystery. Then, a Divine image appears, a Divine face calls the ego to awaken and look in the mirror of its true self. There, an invisible presence makes its appearance and influences the ego. From that moment on, we are no longer free. A higher will guides our steps and we feel ready to attune to the impulses coming from a different source. Where and what is this source? It is the inspiration and guidance coming from what Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Plotinus and others called the daemon, which is a reflected image and a projection, an extension and manifestation of the Energy of the Soul, a guiding influence, a good invisible companion that accompanies each ego personality towards its awakening process. In other words, the daemon is the projection of our inner guide, a counselor and intimate friend, a teacher and advisor who takes care of us while we are traveling in the inner and outer worlds of our experiences. ("Deamon" should not to be confused with a demon). If you choose to take this path, you should not be surprised to discover that synchronicity follows you everywhere and directs your steps, veering you in unsuspected and sometimes unknown directions. When this time comes, do not hesitate. Follow your lucky star and allow your intuition to guide you. And when your mind lets go, abandon everything, follow the intelligence of your heart, and let this magic moment happen. Like the bouncing ball, trust and let yourself fall into the abyss of your own being, for there, you will never be alone. An invisible hand will hold you all the way down where sweet Eros (pure spiritual love) awaits you. Then, real life and existence bounces back into your life and it appears in the form of a good friend, the daemon, which is a projected image of your soul, that gradually manifests in your inner life, directing your spiritual unfoldment until you meet with someone who is enlightened being and with whom you will begin working. He or she will be your physical initiator, the silent guide who will skillfully take you around the maze of your psyche. True initiation awakens pure consciousness of Being and has nothing to do with outer rituals that are only the preparatory steps towards this end. The real awakening process begins on this plane of existence but its goal is to reach another one http://www.plotinus.com/perfect_model2.htm (1 of 4)14-2-2005 19:03:52
PERFECT MODEL PART 2 : CONTACTING AND CREATING THE PERFECT MODEL
that belongs to the soul. Thus at the right moment, an enlightened person living on this plane should show up in your life and guide you through the various realms that need to be awakened within your being. This teacher will subtly show you that a physical plane event could also open a passage to another dimension. In other words, the role of such a wise teacher is to activate the dormant spiritual energies within you and show you how to live on “two planes” at the same time.
"KNOW THYSELF" and the process of Spiritual Psychology
However, remember that it is your intuition that will tell you if you are resonating with it. Your Soul will then do the rest and unveil for you the perfect MOLD in which as “self conscious being” you will gradually integrate. meditate and resonate with the center of beingness and allow an impression and a feeling to emerge. This process of attunement to your Perfect Model can be a long one, or a short one. This does not matter. Remember that within you exists your Perfect Model - The Essence and Quality of the Perfect Model is one. It is omnipresent and Omnipotent in every human being. What changes, is the reflection of its Image. For some it is the Cosmic and androgynous aspect of Christ, for other it is an expression and quality of a Cosmic Buddha (Samantabhadra), or of any other great avatar. Avatars are the expressions of the unique and universal Perfect Model. The blueprint and image engrained in our psyche. This is the key that invites the Perfect Model to appear and take "form" within our consciousness and express itself in the world of duality. Hence, this is my gift to you, dear readers. I am giving you the same opportunity as I was given many years ago to work with a sacred icon, remembering always, that its "magic" happens only if you can RESONATE with it and attune to your own Perfect Model and enter gradually its consecrated MOLD. However, remember that your Perfect Model can "look" different, but the Energy and Quality of its inner Wisdom and Quality remain forever the same in your consciousness. To unfold the "Perfect Model" is a step in the right direction... it helps you to RESONATE with the concealed Energy of your sacred Image.. your concentration may help you to merge into a state of openness and alert passivity, in which true contemplation becomes possible, but on the other hand, it could result in some kind of false, incomplete or confused contemplation... Just be aware that the divine Ground of all being reveals itself only to those in whom there is no egoconcentration of any kind of volition, thought or feeling... This truth is summed up when Meister Eckhart says: " He who seeks God under settled form lays hold of the form, while missing the God concealed in it. " The point clearly is to seek God or the Source of Being provisionally under a form which from the beginning is clearly recognized as merely a SYMBOL OF REALITY, a mere signboard or a pointer that must some time or other be discarded in favor of what it stands for : " To seek Him under a settled form - settled because regarded as the very shape of Reality - is to commit oneself to illusion and a kind of idolatry."
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PERFECT MODEL PART 2 : CONTACTING AND CREATING THE PERFECT MODEL
Affectionately, Alice
SHIVA AS A PERFECT MODEL
One of the Perfect Models "I AM ONE AND UNIQUE IN ESSENCE AND AM THE SAME IN ALL PERFECT MODELS" . I will explain my nature: It is a unique Essence that infuses consciousness in everyone. It is the Presence of Beingness in consciousness" the single state of consciousness of the individual
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THE PERFECT MODEL PART 3 - PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
THE PERFECT MODEL AND CONSCIOUSNESS PART : 3
A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE One of the Perfect Models "I AM ONE AND UNIQUE IN ESSENCE AND AM THE SAME IN ALL PERFECT MODELS" . I will explain my nature: It is a unique Essence that infuses consciousness in everyone. It is the Presence of Being-ness in consciousness" the single state of consciousness of the individual (The following explanations are given to situate my inner process and show how I came to recognize and unfold "my" Perfect Model) Who I am? I remain a mystery to myself, a mystery that I share with every incarnated soul on this planet. For those with whom I come into worldly contact, I must look a bit odd and mysterious. Why? Simply because I am empty and open, involved yet detached from everything I do. I have fun and enjoy life, but I have no strong opinion on anything, since intuition and contemplation make me see things in ever-changing perspectives. I am a free traveler, a constant pilgrim, open to experience everything coming my way. As a human being, the most important thing is to awaken the spiritual dimension of consciousness and in so doing, experience a more profound reality that I can share and pass on to whoever comes my way and has the same ideals.
My inner quest Since childhood, I had received meaningful teachings in my dreams. Through lucid dreaming, I explored a very different world from my everyday reality in which one moment I could be experiencing blissful and uplifting experience, and would suddenly fall into a hellish and infernal one. From ecstasy and awe, I would plunge into pain and distress. These inner states were no dreams but part of the subtle inner adjustments that were necessary for my psyche to help awaken to its http://www.plotinus.com/perfect_model3.htm (1 of 4)14-2-2005 19:04:26
THE PERFECT MODEL PART 3 - PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
true nature. I knew that my spiritual inner quest needed to be rooted in a psychological approach. I had to ground these two different approaches and find a way to blend and harmonize them. This was a much better way to heal and unblock the trapped subconscious energies. Thus, I found that my training in Psychosynthesis was definitely helping me to look at myself from a new perspective. This “new way” was emerging through my process as a silent witness from within the center of consciousness. I was becoming a silent observer of myself, and through this incredible transformation, a subtle ethereal bridge was starting to link the two opposite energies within me, uplifting my consciousness to new heights. In retrospect, this “inner” bridge was the link that grounded me. Like Jacob’s Ladder, it was a channel opening new doors within myself. I noticed, however, that bridging and harmonizing the two extreme energies within me made me aware of some subtle qualities that were starting to emerge from my psyche. For example, I noticed that when I observed my own psychological process, something different was operating within me. My conscious self accepted whatever was surfacing from within, with a kind of compassion and understanding, a peaceful feeling towards my own ego. From the depths of my psyche, something was telling me that everything was going to be okay. When negative things surfaced in my consciousness during meditation, or dreams, rather than the old embarrassment was a more loving and nurturing way. My dreams were filled with vivid, powerful experiences that were initiations, doors within doors opening and unfolding new levels of consciousness. At first, it was a mixture of levels of consciousness coming from past incarnations that needed to be purified. Other levels appeared, too, more uplifting and blissful. I saw the quickening and awakening levels of consciousness as “seeds” that needed to be purified and protected from the outside invading paradoxes that psychology was offering me. And, while maturing in the silent darkness of my subconscious, these “seeds” were impacting my dreams. So, without understanding how this inner process worked, I was nonetheless starting to empty and purify an inner space within me in which these experiences were delicately transformed as “new seeds.” Through intuition and inner guidance, I realized that I had to transform the psychological aspect of my ego into a pure empty vessel to be used by my soul. So, everything that was hidden in my subconscious had first to surface gradually to the level of my consciousness. I knew intuitively that I needed to find a “Middle Way,” an approach that would show me how to merge the two extreme poles of ego and soul, synthesizing and uniting them into something new, so that the ego became the empty vessel for the soul to pour in its essence. However, I later discovered that by being “emptied” of its past patterns, the ego transmuted itself into a vehicle of pure awareness and consciousness. Yes! My ego was just starting to become a medium for the soul. This was how I discovered the “Middle Way,” which meant that the light of consciousness was no longer trapped in a cloudy and opaque vessel, but started to shine through a cleansed and clearer level of consciousness.
A DIVINE PERFECT MODEL "Or The Consciousness of Pure Being-ness"
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THE PERFECT MODEL PART 3 - PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
An Incredible Experience
The Ideal Model in these essays is the one that "appeared" to me as a real Living Presence of pure dazzling Light during a sacred initiation that I received from within the inner planes in 1985 whilst studying psychosynthesis in London. Strangely, nine years later in 1994, while visiting my teacher Raymond Bernard at his home, in Paris, (John in my autobiography) I received the shock of my life when, out of the blue and unexpectedly, Raymond silently reached for a small mosaic painting out of a dark corner behind a door of his office and handed it over to me. I could not believe what I was holding in my hands …I was in total disarray. The impact that this image had on me was one of, stupefaction, amazement and incredible awe. How could the Presence of Christ that I lived and experienced during my extraordinary and important inner experience, suddenly appear on the physical plane and how could I be holding the Image in my hands…here, in the house of my Teacher? Long after these two experiences, I passed a copy of this beautiful Perfect Model of the Cosmic Christ to special people with whom I work and that I felt could be in harmony with it. These are members of different spiritual groups that I associate with here in Cyprus and from different parts of the world. As a result, many have received the same impulses and impressions that I had received. This Image has had an amazing effect on seekers who attune and resonate with it, because it affects and awakes their energy fields and consciousness. ( Remember that for your Perfect Model to "appear" and become part of your ordinary level of consciousness, your ego must first let go of distorted "models" and let itself "merge" with the center of pure Being.) . An other advice, is that you cannot turn to God or your pure center of Being [or, the Self] without turning away your attention from the little ego self, - from the "me" and "mine"... A REMINDER AND AN IMPORTANT ADVICE ON THE PRACTICE To unfold the "Perfect Model" is a step in the right direction... it helps you to RESONATE with the concealed Energy of your sacred Image.. your concentration may help you to merge into a state of openness and alert passivity, in which true contemplation becomes possible, but on the other hand, it could result in some kind of false, incomplete or confused contemplation... Just be aware that the divine Ground of all being reveals itself only to those in whom there is no egoconcentration of any kind of volition, thought or feeling... This truth is summed up when Meister Eckhart says: " He who seeks God under settled form lays hold of the form, while missing the God concealed in it. " The point clearly is to seek God or the Source of Being provisionally under a form which from the beginning is clearly recognized as merely a SYMBOL OF REALITY, a mere signboard or a pointer that must some time or other be discarded in favor of what it stands for : " To seek Him under a settled form - settled because regarded as the very shape of Reality - is to commit oneself to illusion and a kind of idolatry."
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THE PERFECT MODEL PART 3 - PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
Love came and like blood filled my veins and tissues, Emptied me of myself and filled me with the Friend, The friend has taken possession of every atom of my being. The name is all that I have left now — all the rest is He. Truth did not come into the world naked, but it came in the types and images. It will not receive it in any other fashion. There is a rebirth and an image of rebirth. It is fitting for those who do not only receive the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, but have obtained them for themselves. If anyone does not obtain them for himself, the name also will be taken from him. But one receives them in the chrism of the fullness of the power of the Cross, which the apostles call the right and the left. For this one is no longer a Christian but a Christ.
(From :Meditations: Trinity Sunday)
"THE LIPS OF WISDOM ARE CLOSED EXCEPT TO THE EARS OF UNDERSTANDING" from the Kybalion
Read my new essay on the Perfect Model
Why use a Perfect Model as a Tool of Perfection? Here are two books that are relevant to this subject: The Jesus Mysteries
A Selection from the Gospel of Thomas
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PERFECT MODEL 4 - THE MASTER OF WISDOM AND THE PERFECT MODEL
PERFECT MODEL AND CONSCIOUSNESS
The Master of Wisdom and the Perfect Model
PART: 4
Master of Wisdom and the Perfect Model
1 - At the top of this diagram, we see a sun symbolizing Primordial Wisdom and the source of our Perfect Model (which is also the center of pure Being and Consciousness). 2 - The rays descending from the sun represent different individual paths of enlightenment. 3 - These rays carry the Essence of pure Wisdom in enlightened beings and incarnated masters of wisdom. (presented here by different colors). 4 - Enlightened masters of wisdom all represent the unique Essence of Being and Consciousness. As role models and guides they show us the way to unfold and awaken consciousness and wisdom. PRIMORDIAL WISDOM IN THE CONTEXT OF THE MASTER OF WISDOM The wisdom of a world avatar or of an enlightened being comes directly from the source of Primordial Wisdom and the way to open up to its influence comes by following a special path. A path that unfolds the Perfect Model within. In other words, an avatar and a realized master are both incarnated beings who manifest and incarnate Primordial Wisdom through their chosen Perfect Model. In other words they activate the expressions and qualities of their Perfect Model and its Wisdom through their enlightened level of consciousness. Hence, avatars such as Jesus, or Buddha , Krishna and so many other known and unknown enlightened and realized human beings have all drawn their wisdom from the same unique Primordial Source. However, each mystical and religious tradition expresses the same Primordial Wisdom in a particular and different way, according to the cultural background of its their religion and philosophy. So, all realized beings vibrate and are in resonance with the Source of Primordial Wisdom and they vibrate and resonate incessantly with their Perfect Model. Moreover, the essence of their wisdom and degree of compassion reverberate for ever within the center of being in every incarnated person. However, the seeker has to recognize and follow the "inner Path" that unfolds the initiatory process of reaching the Perfect http://www.plotinus.com/perfect_model4.htm (1 of 5)14-2-2005 19:05:56
PERFECT MODEL 4 - THE MASTER OF WISDOM AND THE PERFECT MODEL
Model. However, the seeker must take into account the karmic links that have been forged in the past and discover the special requirements that he/she must still develop and experience. Gradually, by attuning and merging with the Essence of his/her Perfect Model, the seeker's level of consciousness unites with the center of Primordial Wisdom. This explains how the Perfect Model appears within oneself. It appears, when the inherent qualities of the Perfect Model manifest and enlighten the consciousness of a seeker. For this reason, we understand that a realized person's level of consciousness is a manifestation of the Primordial Wisdom. However, for the rest of humanity enlightenment is hidden and inactive within the psyche. For this reason the Perfect Model's reflection in consciousness remains obscured and veiled in the subconscious of all human beings. Inner Purification When the seeker purifies his/her psyche and thought processes, this means that his/her subtle bodies have entered the pure container or "Perfect Mold" and that the qualities of the Perfect Model are gradually revealed. However, we can ask, what is the Perfect Mold? It is the inner purified space and the fertile ground in which the divine qualities of the Perfect Model are revealed and expressed - "The Perfect Mold" or pure container represents the field in which the alchemical transmutation of the ego takes place. It is the space in which the limited and gross energies of the seeker are transformed and purified. In other words the "Perfect Mold" is used as a symbol to describe a "mysterious substance" in which the mystery of the inner process unfolds and nurtures universal and divine qualities - The Perfect Mold is the "fertile space" in which the metamorphosis of consciousness takes place...It also represents the "Nuptial Chamber" in which the ego enters willingly to vibrate, resonate and unite with the Beloved - the Perfect Model.
As an example: Visualizing a vortex of pure White Light or spiritual Fire entering through your crown chakra and purifying the etheric and astral bodies within you. This is a simple way of creating and energizing the Perfect Mold Here are some pictures of incarnated and realized masters of wisdom who are perfect role models. Each one of them represents a human expression of Primordial Wisdom and these expressions are infinite... to each realized being exists a unique way of expressing Primordial Wisdom.
A FEW INSPIRING ROLE MODELS 1- Babaji 2 - Maharishi - 3 - Jesus 4 - Saint Francis of Assisi & Sainte Clair 5 - Master Kuthumi 6 - Confucius 7 - Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj 8 -Yogananda 9 - Sri aurobindo 10 - Master DK 11 - Dalai Lama 12 - Krishnamurti 13 - Roerich
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PERFECT MODEL 4 - THE MASTER OF WISDOM AND THE PERFECT MODEL
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PERFECT MODEL 4 - THE MASTER OF WISDOM AND THE PERFECT MODEL
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PERFECT MODEL 4 - THE MASTER OF WISDOM AND THE PERFECT MODEL
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02/04/05 Here is a book that is relevant to this subject: The Jesus Mysteries Even if I don't agree with all the concepts found in this book, it is still an interesting reading.
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How to use the Exercises
HOW TO USE THE EXERCISES
A few hints may help you to maximize the beneficial effects the exercises are meant to bring about. 1 - Take time. Devote some undisturbed period of time away from the computer to do the exercise. Even if this is only 5 minutes, make sure it is a universe of its own, un-invaded by outer disturbances. 2 - Prepare. Take a comfortable position, with spine erect and muscles relaxed. Close your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly a few times. Take at least 2 to 3 minutes for this stage. I also suggest recording the instructions for some exercises on blank tape cassettes, so you can work with them repeatedly and listen to them without interruption. 3 - Persist. Pick the exercise of the month and stick to it for some time, even if you do not, notice immediate results. Repetition of an exercise, multiplies its power. 4 - Connect. After you have performed an exercise, it will keep working silently for you. But if you want its influence to be greater, remind yourself of the experience and its meaning right in the midst of everyday life - your true and ever-present laboratory. 5 - Work in silence. Sharing your insights prematurely with people who may not understand them often dissipates the psychological energy you have built up. 6 - You may also want to KEEP A WORKBOOK - NOTEBOOK in which you write about the insights and subtle transformations that take place. NEXT: LIST OF SPECIAL EXERCISES
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How to use the Exercises
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How to Use the Special Exercises to Unfold the Perfect Model
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PERFECT MODEL 5 : A PROGRAM OF 10 SPECIAL EXERCISES
THE PERFECT MODEL AND CONSCIOUSNESS A Program Of 10 Special Exercises To Unfold The Perfect Model
INTRODUCTION This section offers ten exercises and one of the Perfect Model, a diagram that explains how this particular inner process works once you have put into practice all ten exercises. These exercises should be done on daily for at least five to six months. However, intuition is the best guide and, if there is a need to prolong the time you practice a particular exercise, or wait between two exercises, please honor your intuition. These exercises show you how this profound mystical process unfolds within your psyche. It explains how the Perfect Mold, or spiritual DNA, transforms your self-consciousness into a unity with the Cosmic Consciousness of your Perfect Model. I can only hint at the process here, for your intuition will bring you answers that are yours alone, each answer being a seed idea that will awaken a subtle energy or vibration within your consciousness and, in time, these seed ideas will work together to manifest their qualities in your life. The whole process begins and ends with consciousness, starting with self-consciousness and ending with Cosmic Consciousness. The Sacred Chalice and Sacred Grail diagrams contain symbolic and potent “keys” that explain the unfolding inner process of purification, illumination and enlightenment. These exercises are to be developed on your own with the aid of your intuition. What follows is a general idea of the inner spiritual process that has worked for me and brought me face-to-face with my ideal model so as to integrate my conscious self into its Divine Mold, but please allow your intuition to customize them for you. They are one way of unfolding this incredible process within you, one that I hope will help you as much as it has helped me. Please read this entire chapter and begin only when you are sure that you understand all the steps. If you wish, you can tape them. Each of the phases of this work will unfold your inner process and energize seed ideas for your awakening and enlightenment, hence when performed in the right frame of mind, they will develop in your psyche in a natural way.
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PERFECT MODEL 5 : A PROGRAM OF 10 SPECIAL EXERCISES
The symbols you will be working with are universal “keys” opening to powerful subtle energies within your being. The exercises are: 1.
- Breathing
2.
- Rainbow cocoon.
3.
- Cave Meditation.
4.
- Creating your Sacred Cell.
5.
- Manifesting your Inner Guide.
6.
- Attuning to your Soul.
7.
- The Temple of Light.
meditation.
8. - The Flame and the Divine Mold. 9. - Creating your Divine Mold. (Unfolding your spiritual "DNA" and template) which means manifesting your Divine Perfect Model. - your divine Self If pauses occur naturally between the phases, accept them for they represent assimilation time. Also, keep a journal of your inner journey, as this will be helpful later.
Before starting any mystical work: 1. A - Make sure that you will not be disturbed. 2. B - Sit comfortably on a chair or the floor with your back erect, or lie down. Make yourself comfortable. 3. C - Close your eyes and relax as deeply as possible. 4. D - Always begin with the breathing exercise, inhaling the pure atmosphere that you have created around you and exhaling all the stale air and stresses that you carry within you. Later you will learn how to visualize and create a consecrated atmosphere in and around you
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PERFECT MODEL 5 : A PROGRAM OF 10 SPECIAL EXERCISES
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A Program of 10 Hermetic Exercises to unfold the Perfect Model
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List of Perfect Model Hermetic and Mystical Exercises
THE PERFECT MODEL AND CONSCIOUSNESS List of Special Exercises A Group of Ten Hermetic and Mystical Exercises to unfold the Perfect Model
"Oversoul" a painting by Alex Grey To go to the gallery - click on: Alex Grey
How To Work Introduction 1 - Breathing Meditation & 2: Rainbow Meditation 2 - Meditation Creating your Inner Cave 3 - Creating Your Special Sacred Cell 4 - Manifesting your Inner Guide 5 - Attuning to your Soul or Higher Self 6 - Creating The Temple Of Light 7 - Creating Your Divine Perfect Mold 8 - Subtle Explanations On the Perfect Mold & Model
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List of Perfect Model Hermetic and Mystical Exercises
9 - Working With The Sacred Chalice 10 - Working With The Holy Grail 11 - Comments On The Inner Process And The Grail 12 - End Of The 10 Exercises 13 - Christic Essence 14 - Buddha Nature & the Cosmic Christ 15- Moral Code to Unfold the Perfect Model
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PERFECT MODEL AND WORDS ON THE GRAIL
THE PERFECT MODEL AND CONSCIOUSNESS A Chalice shall you be, a Holy Grail All emptied and receptive to my filling.
In the practical work that we have before us we shall regard the Grail as our receptivity to the divine vocation that we are called to perform. In some Eastern systems of yoga a small picture of the master or guru is visualized in the heart center. Do the same, but instead of projecting an image become your Perfect Model and then visualize the Grail. You may choose to visualize the one that worked for me, but it can be any other cup or dish or any form of container that your intuition and imagination suggests. Remember that the Perfect Model represents - the lost Heavenly Beloved - Your Divine Self.. Visualize, the Grail, before your heart. You may well find that it tends to coalesce with your physical heart inside your breast. You may feel your heart blazing or receive other reactions. This is a subjective test showing you that your inner process is working and a sign that you are unfolding the "Perfect Mold" - "your spiritual DNA" - and that you are entering a new level of concentration and attunement with the Masters of Wisdom and the source of Primordial Wisdom. The building of this symbol of the Grail aligns one with the whole Eucharistic tradition, going back to pre-Christian days of the sacrament of bread and wine. In written tradition this goes back to the strange being Melchizedek, whose effigy is to be found in Chartres Cathedral, to whom Christ was likened in the Epistle of the Hebrews. This Melchizedek, King of Salem, priest of God Most High, met Abraham returning from the rout of the kings and blessed him; and Abraham gave him a tithe of everything as his portion. His name, in the first place, means "King of righteousness"; next he is king of Salem, that is, "king of peace". He has no father, no mother, no lineage; his years have no beginning, his life no end. He is like the Son of God; he
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PERFECT MODEL AND WORDS ON THE GRAIL
remains a priest for all time. Consider now how great he must be for Abraham the patriarch to give him a tithe of the finest of the spoil. (So far, Hebrews Chapter 7. The original reference to Melchizedek is to be found in Genesis 14.)
The use of this symbol of the Grail is in itself an act of consecration and one's readiness to become aware of the Will of God or Pure Being in one's own life and destiny. In this consecration to Destiny, one does well to realize that one is never alone, however lone or long the furrow one has to plough may seem.
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THE MORAL CODE OF A PERFECT MODEL
The Moral Code of a Perfect Model
Love that which is good Ignore that which is evil Be goodness, justice and compassion Never criticize Be patient, calm and considerate Never give way to anger or pride Be pure, compassionate, and gentle Never resort to sarcasm Be confident, content, and open to others Do not doubt and never be envious Be moderate in all things Avoid excess Be humble, kind, modest, generous, and respectful of others Never be spiteful Be honest in words and in deeds; speak the truth Never lie and never slander Be helpful and considerate in everything Never deceive nor betray anyone
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THE MORAL CODE OF A PERFECT MODEL
Love and protect life; spread peace and harmony Under no circumstances be aggressive.
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PERFECT MODEL: FINAL WORDS ON THE EXERCISES
THE PERFECT MODEL AND CONSCIOUSNESS
FINAL WORDS END OF THE SACRED EXERCISES 1 – MEDITATE EVERY MORNING AND NIGHT for about 10 minutes to be in harmony with pure consciousness. 2 – During your daily occupation and at work become the OBSERVER of what you do and say. Remain positive – and if you have to make a negative remark to yourself or others, try to find a positive way of doing it. Remember that your present thoughts have arisen dependent upon past thoughts and desires. Your future thoughts will arise dependent upon your present thoughts and desires. It is no good for you to worry and think about the past or try to envisage the future. That is the way to more suffering and unrest. You must learn to control your thoughts now. You must bring your mind to peace tranquillity now – and you will be sowing the seeds for like thoughts in the future.
3 – This preparation is a long process - do not be impatient. By following closely these suggestions you will come closer to your Perfect Model, Your Spiritual "other half" - unfolding your sacred "blueprint" or "Spiritual DNA" A Chalice shall you be, a Holy Grail All emptied and receptive to my filling.
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PERFECT MODEL: FINAL WORDS ON THE EXERCISES
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WHY USE THE TOOL OF A PERFECT MODEL?
WHY USE THE PERFECT MODEL AS A TOOL?
How can we link the archetype of the Perfect Model with the idea of an Absolute Being? The answer to this question is that even the most abstract idea of what is Absolute Being remains a human concept. So, why do we have to create a Perfect Model if it is a concept that we create in our minds? Each person be it a philosopher, a mystic or an atheist has a certain perception of what the origin of creation of man is and he will try to explain it according to his conditioning and understanding. Since it is consciousness that creates and recognizes the world in which we live in, it is therefore natural to say that anything that man imagines and creates is rooted and based on a concept. Thus even the most profound truth can only be delivered to others through ideas and words and these are only human ideas that originate in the ego of man. Consequently, even when a mystic receives an insight or truth based on intuition, his understanding and explanation of it will have to be expressed through a concept and then be explained to others. Accordingly, intellectual understanding of a concept is an important first step, as it helps unfold a resonance in the psyche of the listener. Moreover, even enlightened masters must use concepts to explain away their experiences and wisdom to others. Since the center of an enlightened person and that of Absolute Being coincide and are the same, Divine Knowledge and Wisdom pour in him as divine impulses. These impulses, however, are the living Presence of Being and cannot manifest in the world of duality. To do so they should first be reflected in the thought process of a sage before being transformed into words and communicated to others. That's why an enlightened person’s thoughts come directly from the source of Absolute Being before being interpreted and developed into concepts which he simplifies to the level of understanding of his audience. We live in a world of duality, meaning a world in which the ego plays the game of “this is me – and this is not me”. Therefore whatever one receives from the depth of one’s being has to be projected into the world of duality in order to take substance and be formed as ideas and concepts. Therefore, no one can really prove anything to anyone else in a belief of an Absolute Being because this has been created as a concept. The same goes for believing in reincarnation, or in a Perfect Model. So why insist on explaining away the concept of a Perfect Model?
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WHY USE THE TOOL OF A PERFECT MODEL?
For an unenlightened being, an enlightened person will look like an ordinary man, someone just like him. Why and how can that be? The answer is because between the two of them there is no resonance. On the other hand, for someone who resonates with an enlightened person, even without knowing it, an enlightened person will be a catalyst and a living model. The spiritual charisma and magnetic attraction between the two cannot be explained, because it is not a physical attraction, but more a spiritual one that is based on resonance. This is the way that intuition and divine Knowledge unfold in a disciple. The psyche of such a disciple becomes a clear mirror in which the wisdom of his physical master is projected and transmitted. Why is such a divine transmission perceived only through the mirror of the psyche? The answer is that whatever is perceived by a disciple has first to pass from his own psyche so as to be experienced by him alone and make it his own. In the same manner a Perfect Model, is an abstract archetypal model, a catalyst that awakens Absolute Consciousness in a disciple. This Perfect Model is slumbering in our subconscious and our innermost center of Being and when the right moment comes it manifests itself to us so that we can become conscious and resonate with it in the world of duality. The Perfect Model is a powerful symbol that is a key unfolding the Perfect Nature of Absolute Being in our consciousness. However, it is important to understand the process of its unfolding, because it is not the ego that chooses its Perfect Model, but the guise that Absolute Being takes to appear in our psyche and this guise becomes a reality that transforms us when we start resonating with it. Thus, it is clear that we cannot choose the features of our individual Perfect Model. However, by resonating with the Presence of Absolute Being within, the Presence gradually unfolds its perfect Image in our mind and psyche. Therefore, we can say that it is the Presence of Absolute Being within each one of us that activates the characteristics and features of our Perfect Model and these are recognized and manifested according to our conditioning and culture. Hence at the source of Absolute Being, the Perfect Model remains unchanged, unique and whole as an uncreated Essence which manifests in the psyche of a disciple in different ways and guises so as to blend and become a reality in him. A similar question arises when determining whether it is the master who chooses his disciple or if it is the disciple who chooses the master? The answer is simply that it is neither but the resonance between the two of them that attracts them to each other and creates for one the role of master and for the other the role of disciple… one mirrors Absolute Being and beams its Light through the mirror of one’s impersonal level of Consciousness in the clear mirror of the disciple. Thus the Light of the physical Master adds itself to the Light of the Perfect Model, both are catalysts that awaken him to his true Self. One resonates from within the inner plane of one’s Being and the other from the physical plane. Crisscrossing within his heart the disciple identifies his true nature and recognizes himself in both Perfect Models that is to say the immaterial and ethereal Presence of Absolute Being within and without.
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WHY USE THE TOOL OF A PERFECT MODEL?
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PERFECT MODEL: WORDS ON BUDDHA AND CHRIST
A REFLECTION ON THE BUDDHA AND THE COSMIC CHRIST
And To Conclude on the Perfect Model Our thoughts and mind cannot become a Buddha or a Cosmic Christ Our feelings and emotions cannot be come a Buddha or a Cosmic Christ Our body and physical senses cannot become a Buddha or a Cosmic Christ Only what cannot become a Buddha or a Cosmic Christ can become the Buddha and t he Cosmic Christ which means that The Essence of the Buddha and of the Cosmic Christ can only be found in BEING and manifest through Your Perfect Model!
It is through personal experiences that the Essence of Being-ness unfolds its mystery! it is hoped that these exercises and essays will help you discover the awesome mystery of your own being!
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PERFECT MODEL: WORDS ON BUDDHA AND CHRIST
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THE SPIRITUAL TEACHER AND YOUR PERFECT MODEL
SPIRITUAL TEACHER AND YOUR PERFECT MODEL
As long as we regard ourselves superior to others or look down upon the world, we cannot make any real progress in the spiritual life. As soon, however, as we understand that we live in exactly that world which we deserve, we begin to recognize the faults of others as our own — though they may appear in different form. It is our own karma that we live in this "imperfect" world, which in the ultimate sense is our own creation. This is the only attitude which can help us to overcome our difficulties, because it replaces fruitless negation by an impulse towards selfperfection, which not only makes us worthy of a better world but partners in its creation. Some of the preconditions and preliminary exercises of meditation for bringing about this positive and creative attitude are to unite as much as possible with our Perfect Model which will bring about unselfish love and compassion towards all living beings. This is the first prerequisite of hermetic meditation, as it removes all self-created emotional and intellectual limitations; and in order to gain this attitude we should look upon all beings like upon our own mother or our own children, since there was not a single being in the universe that in the infinity of time had not been closely related to us in one way or another. In order to be conscious of the preciousness of time we should realize that any moment might be the last of this life and that the opportunity which it offers might not come again easily. Finally we should realize that what we learn from books about meditation are not comparable to the direct transmission of experience and the spiritual impetus that the Perfect Model within each one of us can give if we open ourselves to its divine Essence in all sincerity.
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THE SPIRITUAL TEACHER AND YOUR PERFECT MODEL
MEDITATION To this purpose, you should imagine your Perfect Model of the Buddha, the Cosmic Christ, or any other Perfect Model in the form of your ideal spiritual Teacher, and having done so to a degree that you feel his/her very presence, you should visualize him/her seated in the posture of meditation above your head and finally merging into your own person, to take his/her seat on the lotus or rose throne of your heart. For, as long as the Perfect Model of the Cosmic Christ or the Buddha (or any other Model) is still imagined outside yourself, you cannot realize him/her in your own life. The moment, however, you become conscious of his/her PRESENCE as the light in your innermost being, the Mantra which belongs to your Perfect Model such as (OM MANI PADME HOM - or KYRIE ELEISON CHRISTE ELEISON – or any other mantra that expresses the energy and essence of your Perfect Model) begins to reveal its meaning, because now the “lotus or rose throne” is your own heart, in which the “jewel or divine “seed”, namely the Buddha,” Cosmic Christ or any other is present. The OM and the HOM, however, represent the universe in its highest and deepest aspects, in all its forms of appearance and experience, which we should embrace with unlimited love and compassion like you’re own Perfect Model. Do not think of your own salvation, but make yourself an instrument for the liberation of all living beings. This is an inner attitude… Once the Perfect Model has become awakened within you, you are no more able to act other than in accordance with his/her Law and become one with it, which means that you become a unique resonance, a path and an expression of your Perfect Model. In other words a “son or daughter” of the Buddhas or of the Cosmic Christ.’
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THE PLEIADES 1
THE PLEIADES
The Pleiades: Source of Inspiration The Pleiades consists of seven stars, to which certain seekers are invited to receive, while asleep or in deep meditation, knowledge that is engrained in pure Being. However, those who are attuned to the Pleiades must first have integrated their Perfect Mold and should have started to consciously unfold the qualities that are inherent in their Perfect Model. Prior to their invitation, the seekers invited to the Pleiades have been purified and cleansed of the blocks to their astral and mental bodies so that they can assimilate the knowledge received, which their purified mental bodies will later translate and interpret into simple words for the rest of humanity. The Pleiades have a tremendous influence on our consciousness, and contact creates a sacred “void” in seekers to allow them to integrate with a higher and more subtle level of the Divine and Abstract Mind. The void is a “mental energy” that transforms intuition into consciousness. How? Because receiving such a high dosage of Pleiadian energy unites consciousness and mind so that both can simultaneously perceive spiritual and divine knowledge. Moreover, such sacred receipt of Divine Wisdom also resonates in the self-consciousness of these seekers, which helps them to harmonize their mental and intellectual faculties with those of the Pleiades. This in turn helps them to become powerful “transmitting stations” that broadcast, albeit on a lower level, their own understanding and interpretation of what they have received. The Pleiades, therefore, open a higher level of consciousness in seekers, unfolding within them the potentials and gifts that are inherent and manifest on the higher planes of Being. Thus, the Pleiades have the power to manifest and energize the qualities that are inherent in the seed ideas of seekers by enhancing their intuitive and mental faculties, or the intelligence of the heart. The seven planets of the Pleiades thus represent a “school” of learning whose influence awakens and transforms the rational mind into becoming a clear vehicle that can receive and translate into simple words what consciousness experiences and lives. In turn, seekers on that spiritual plane receive an enhanced level of consciousness that overflows with divine seed ideas that must be expressed and shared with others. The Pleiades open up the intuitional intelligence of the seekers to a high level in which consciousness and knowledge become one. This is the only way that Divine Wisdom and Knowledge express themselves in seekers so that they may share them with others. To be able to impart wisdom to others, seekers must first become that wisdom. The Pleiades’ role, then, is to help seekers become consciously aware of Divine Knowledge and Wisdom, which is why their etheric, astral and mental bodies must be purified before being able to integrate with that spiritual realm. The Pleiades represent a spiritual “station” where the Perfect Model within seekers is energized and comes alive on earth.
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THE PLEIADES 1
Seekers who resonate with their Ideal Model gradually integrate their consecrated Perfect Mold so as to be assimilated and “remodeled” in it once they have dissolved the illusionary creations of their egos. However, if we want to start the inner process and enter our consecrated Perfect Mold, we must first consider it our “inner tomb.” The first phase of the process involves great changes within yourself, dying to your old patterns before being “reshaped” in it. Once you are in the mold, you will never be the same, and will remain in it until you and the mold unite, manifesting your Perfect Model in and around you. In due course, you will emerge renewed from the Mold. Initially, however, look upon it as much more than just your tomb. In fact, after the complete purification of your “old” self and purging of deceptive thought and emotional forms, you will discover it to be your sacred “womb,” in which your Divine nature within the Christ Child waits like a sacred seed for the right moment to germinate in your life. That will be the day of your rebirth
EXCERPTS ON THE PLEIADES FROM THE BOOKS OF ALICE BAILEY There is a saying in the Christian Bible concerning the Pleiades in which Job speaks of "the sweet influences of the Pleiades," whilst some of the Oriental Scriptures affirm that our connection to the Pleiades are made through sound and vibration. In Alice Bailey, it is suggested that perhaps the Pleiades are the source of the atomic life of our Logos, the active intelligent aspect, that one, which was first developed, and which we might call electrical matter. Hence it concerns the astral and etheric aspects of electric matter. We can understand therefore that the influence of the Pleiades concerns the transformation of the vibrational rates of matter. The word "electricity," may be traced back to the star Electra, which is supposed to be one of the little lost sisters of the seven Pleiades. Perhaps the Pleiades are the source of the atomic life of our Logos, the active intelligent aspect, which we might call electrical matter. Then there is the relationship of the Pleiades with the Great Bear. There is much that is said about them in Oriental writings. The seven sisters are said to be the seven wives of the seven stars of the Great Bear. Now what is perhaps the truth back of that legend? If the Pleiades are the source of the electrical manifestation, the active intelligent aspect of the solar system, and their energy is that which animates all matter, the we might think that maybe they represent the opposite and complementary aspect, the feminine forming aspect, the negative pole of electrical energy, whose polar opposite, or the positive aspect of the same energy is their seven husbands, the seven stars of the Great Bear.. Perhaps the union of these two cosmic energies is what produces our solar system. Perhaps these two types of energy, one from the Pleiades and the other from the Great Bear, meet, and in their conjunction produce what we call our solar system. Another type of energy reaches man from the Pleiades, passing through the Venusian scheme to us. It has a definite effect upon the causal body, and serves to stimulate the heart center. Hence we begin to understand that the Pleiades are to the solar system, the source of electrical energy, and just as our sun is the embodiment of the heart, or love aspect, of the Logos (Who is Himself the heart of ONE ABOUT WHOM NAUGHT MAY BE SAID) so the Pleiades are the feminine opposite of the Logos. Ponder upon this idea, for much is contained in this statement. Hence we can say that the feminine aspect of this electrical cosmic energy is the active intelligence that gives birth to CONSCIOUSNESS. As far as man is concerned at present, the energy coming from the Pleiades converges, and seeks to energize man's astral, etheric and physical bodies via the seven etheric centers. (These centers receive the force in a threefold manner, just like the Greek letter PSY does for our mandala number: 10, which shows 4 TRIDENTS around a Chalice. This parenthesis has been added and is in the context of the Perfect Mold and Model) It Purifies... Transforms... and Protects... just like a mother would to nurture her child. Hence, the Force that comes from the Pleiades passes first via the Solar Angel or Soul of man. Alcyone is the brightest star in the Pleiades and its energy impregnated the substance of the universe with the quality of mind Therefore, we can understand that electric and cosmic initiation affects the subtle bodies of man and are given from within the inner planes. The result is that it affects the level of consciousness liberating the higher level of intuition and http://www.plotinus.com/pleiades1.htm (2 of 3)14-2-2005 19:15:34
THE PLEIADES 1
abstract Mind. Most disciples and initiates go this way, and it is the way of liberating humanity from its imprisoning condition. According to Alice bailey, the seven stars of the Pleiades are the goal for the seven types of the Soul Rays, in other words, the 7 Soul Rays receive the influence of the Pleiades, and this is hinted at in the Book of Job, in the words," can you not see the importance of connecting with the sweet influence of the Pleiades?" (Loose modem translation by me) In the mystery of this influence, and in the secret of the sun Sirius, are hidden the facts of our cosmic evolution, and incidentally, therefore, of own our solar system. Being the feminine aspects of electrical energy, the Pleiades represent as the mothers of the seven aspects of form life and the "wives" of the seven Rishis of the Great Bear." They are connected with the Mother aspect which nurtures the infant Christ. We can guess the importance of the role played by the Pleiades in the REBIRTH process. According to Alice Bailey through the divine center of intelligent activity, which we call humanity, the fourth kingdom in nature, which is man will eventually act as the mediating principle to all the three lower kingdoms. Humanity is the divine Messenger to the world of form: it is essentially Mercury that brings light and life to all divine manifestations it is the AWAKENING ENERGY of Kundalini and divine world Saviors and Avatars are its eternal symbols. Again according to Alice bailey, the energy of will—newly released by Sanat Kumara upon our planet—emanates, via the head center of the planetary Logos, from the Great Bear; it is stepped down in vibration via one of the Pleiades (hence its influence upon matter and hence also its pronounced effects upon humanity) and so enters into the solar system. It is there absorbed by that major center of our planetary life to, which we give the name. Shamballa. Its effect is necessarily twofold. It produces in certain nations, races and individuals, a welling up of the self-will or of the will-to-power, which is characteristic of the developed lower nature, the personality aspect of integrated selfhood. It produces—though less readily —a stimulation of the will-to-serve the plan as it is grasped by the world aspirants, the world disciples and initiates. Thus are the purposes of Deity materialized. All the Masters (and not only Those upon the fifth ray) receive careful training in the manipulation of energies, and hence the statement of the Master K.H. to His disciples that the occultist has to learn to master and control the forces and energies within himself; the disciple and the initiate work with hierarchical energies and with the forces of the kingdoms of nature in the three worlds; the Master receives instruction in the handling of the energies which are extra-planetary but within the solar ring-pass-not. Those Masters Whose decision it is to tread the second Path are taught the control and direction of systemic energies and of certain energies emanating from Libra and from one of the stars in the constellation of the Great Bear. In the more advanced stages of Their work, and when the Master is far more advanced than the word indicates. He works consciously upon the cosmic mental plane; His activities will then be concerned with the relation of the energies of the Great Bear to the Pleiades, and their dual relationship (a higher correspondence to atma-buddhi) to the solar system and only incidentally to our Earth. Great is the interlocking, the interdependence and the interpenetration! COPYRIGHTS
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HERMETIC MYSTERY OF CHRIST
What is Christ Consciousness? "THE HERMETIC MYSTERY OF CHRIST"
In the context of hermetic and metaphysical philosophy, what do we mean by the words Cosmic Christ? In addition to this and mystically, what does the essence of Christ represent? We have to understand that the essence and nature of the Cosmic Christ is universal and beyond the scope of any kind of investigation because in itself it is not and never will be a personality, something that can be objectively proven due to the fact that it has never been an individualized Energy. How could it be? The Essence of the Cosmic Christ is simply the REGENERATIVE and RECONCILING aspect of the force of pure Being and the Soul Essence within each one of us. Hence in itself, it represents the unfolding energy of wholeness in human nature. In other words, Christ Energy is a divine Energy that brings and blends together the essence of Soul and Spirit within each one of us (to use a symbolic image, we could say that Christ Energy brings together and "marries" the Permanent and Spiritual Witnesses within each individual – for more details on these two aspects, please refer to the essays on "The Mystery of Man" parts:
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However, as seekers of Truth, we should make a distinction between the Cosmic Christ and the manifestation of the force that descends and unfolds through the channel of consciousness in an enlightened being. In other words, we should differentiate between an individualized expression of the Cosmic Christ and the Essence of the Cosmic Christ itself. To facilitate our task, we could begin by asking this question. What do we mean by an individualized expression of the Cosmic Christ? The answer is simply that it represents an enlightened and self-realized expression of pure Being. However, such a level of enlightenment can only manifest in a purified and well prepared vehicle, in which consciousness is awakened fully. By purified vehicle, we mean the purified physical, psychic and spiritual bodies in which the energy and characteristics of the Force of the Cosmic Christ become apparent. This Christic Force is an active and universal power house that functions through "human vehicles" forever. Hence, nothing gets lost, and the vehicle and characteristics of Master Jesus still continue functioning through all enlightened and realized human beings. The same principle is applied to all enlightened beings. Why is this so? Simply because, purified vehicles are all molded from one specific Perfect Mold that is at the source of all traditions, Eastern and Western alike. It is the power source that is inherent in Primordial Wisdom and in Nature. Thus, it is also inherent in human nature too. However, it needs to be awakened and activated by consciousness . For Buddhism, all seekers and disciples of Buddha are known as having Buddha nature inherent within their nature. In the same manner, for the hermetic and esoteric Mysteries of the Western tradition, the essence of the Cosmic Christ is innate to all sentient beings and part of his spiritual blueprint, (the Perfect Mold), in the West and in the East.
However, JESUS THE CHRIST represents a perfected vehicle that has existed, and still continues to exist eternally, since it represents one of the perfected Expressions of Primordial Wisdom. That is why, to a Western approach, Jesus or Jeheshua represents a process of manifesting Primordial Wisdom to a Western http://www.plotinus.com/perfect_model19.htm (2 of 5)14-2-2005 19:16:14
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approach. Since, the Perfect Model and Mold are themselves expressions of the Primordial Wisdom. Hence, Jesus or Jeheshua represent a channel and a vehicle in which a high level of initiation takes place. He represents one of the Perfect Mold in which the process of awakening and of enlightenment takes place. The Perfect Mold of a Cosmic Christ or of a Buddha exists everywhere…and remains the same, for everyone, since they are made of the same pure essence of Primordial Wisdom and therefore, all Perfect Molds and Models are ALIVE and ACTIVE expressions of the same unique source, which are inherent to Pure Being. The meaning of the Perfect Mold and Perfect Model should be understood intuitively by the genuine seeker because these two symbolic expressions should clarify the understanding that it is not the ego personality and the intellect as such that choose a Perfect Model and discovers its corresponding Perfect Mold. The Perfect Model within each one of us is hidden within consciousness. When consciousness "awakens" in a seeker, then the Presence of the Perfect Model appears. It is through the purification of the psyche and the unfoldment of the inner process that the expression of the Perfect Model becomes clearer and is revealed. However, we should also realize that the world of the psyche belongs to the world of duality, since the mirror of the psyche transfers and projects, images, ideals, intuitions, which are reflections of the Perfect Model. The Perfect Model unfolds the process of awakening and its vehicle, the Perfect Mold is the "ground" on which the awakening process takes place. It is the purified psyche - the mirror of the Soul in which ideal "images" of Heroes and Heroines can still be projected like in the time of childhood. However, for seekers of truth, these faints projected ideal models of heroes and heroines, of gods and goddesses are replaced by a direct impulse coming from the Presence of pure Being. To begin with, this new impulse appears like a divine and complementary counterpart and gradually reveals the Presence of the Perfect Model. Until such time that consciousness reveals that the psyche does not really exist...it was a perfect mirror reflecting purified impulses that disappear leaving a silent space within... a level of consciousness in which the world of duality is non-existent and in its place appears the Presence the uncreated and immortal Essence of Being, the "I AM" Presence and the sudden realization that : "I AM ... WHAT I AM"
PART II MEANING OF THE NAME JESUS CHRIST THE NAZARENE The word "Jesus" represents an individualized level of enlightenment and experience. Christ, on the other hand represents an epithet, an explanation of the quality of enlightenment reached by "Jesus". For this reason, and in the context of Western Mysteries, "Jesus" represents the Perfect Mold, the inner workings of the purified "Substance" and the vehicle in which the path of AWAKENING the level of Christ Consciousness takes place... The word "Consciousness" (in Syriac means Messiah and in Greek Christos means the Anointed One). As for the word "The Nazarene", the meaning is: "He who reveals what is hidden". As for the word "Messiah", it has two meanings, "Christ or the Anointed One" and "The Measured One" http://www.plotinus.com/perfect_model19.htm (3 of 5)14-2-2005 19:16:14
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"Jesus" in Hebrew means "The Redemption" and the word "Nazara" means "The Truth". Thus, "The Nazarene" means "Truth". Jesus had attained "Nazirutha", perfect spiritual enlightenment, and that he also taught that path to others. Hence, Jesus and his disciples were Nazarenes or Nazoraeans: meaning, followers of the mystic path to God, or Pure Being. The apostles before us used to employ the terms: 'Jesus the Nazoraean Messiah', which means 'Jesus, the Nazoraean, the Christ "The Anointed One". Remember: The last name is "Christ", the first name is "Jesus", the middle name is "The Nazarene". Hence the Name "Jesus Christ the Nazarene" means; The Anointed One, the Giver of Truth - The Bringer and Source of Redemption - The Revealer of what is hidden - The Enlightened One who has the gift to Awaken others... . In the language of the Christian mysteries, we could say that the Name IESHUA corresponds to Jesus's existence as a heavenly power in eternity (the Perfect Model). The INITIATOR and SAVIOR in the Christian Mystical Mysteries... Hence it is the transcendent Spirit beyond the realm of physical matter... On the other hand, Yeheshuah, or (Jeshua) - Jesus represents the immanent Spirit present within physical matter. (the Perfect Mold). In God (pure Absolute Being) we are born In Jeshua we "learn" to die, Through the Power of the Holy Sprit and the Redemption of IESHUA/YESHUA we rise again! This is a Mystery... and it involves the three levels of the unfolding inner process (1) - Ego consciousness experiences and trusts the unfolding inner process of the Soul (2) - Divine Grace reveals the Cosmic Perfect Mold in which the old self has to "enter" and "die" so that (3) - The Holy Spirit can descend to awake and manifest the Perfect Model, or Christ Consciousness
In the Gospel of Thomas - 108 Whosoever drinks from my mouth Shall become as I am. I too shall become like him. For him, the hidden will be revealed. If the Teachings are truly understood and put into practice, we will become a "Jesus", meaning a pure
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"container" in which the Essence of the Cosmic Christ will fully manifest, just as it did with the Master. Moreover, when the Spirit of Christ emerges completely in our level of consciousness, we will have realized that the Christ Essence and Spirit are the REAL part of who we are... the silent Witness... the Unmanifest "I" that belongs to the level of unity and wholeness... the level within us that has no reflection... You have been given many hints and clues to unravel the unfathomable Mystery of your own spiritual Substance and Essence...! The use of Christian symbolism in mystical practices may seem strange to modern eyes, but the inner process of the Western Mysteries include psychic symbols that belong to the Soul and which are inherent of the early Christian Mystery teachings. For this purpose, they remain an important element of the Western Initiatory tradition since ancient times. While the actions of some modern versions of Christianity have succeeded in giving many mystics a bad case of "Jesus allergy", it's important to remember that the meaning and value of a symbol is independent of the theology built around it or the atrocities committed in its name The Moral Code of the Perfect Model To make a copy of this article in black and white click on:
What is Christ Consciousness? Consciousness and the Perfect Model COPYRIGHTS
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Gnostic Jesus or Jesus the Sun behind the sun
The Gnostic Jesus The Invisible Sun Behind the Sun by David Fideler
Painting by Daniel B. Holman http://www.AwakenVisions.com
A Gnostic Point of View
In numerology, the number of the physical world is six, the number of the spiritual world is eight. 600 is the number of "COSMOS", while 800 is the number of the lord of the cosmos. Similarly, the sacred number of Jesus, 888, symbolizing the Spiritual Sun, is contrasted with the number 666, that of the physical sun. In geometry, it is the figure of the Cube, which unites the numbers six and eight. That is because a cube has six sides and eight corners. God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, which was a Saturday. Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday, which for the early Christians became the "eighth" day, symbolizing the new spiritual creation and the regeneration of time. The number 8, the Ogdoad, symbolizes the new order of Christianity, and Jesus, 888, was known as the Ogdoad to the early Christian Gnostics. In the lower illustration, a cube is shown in isometric projection. Six rays emanate from a seventh inner point. These "seven stars" are the planets of traditional cosmology, led in their choral dance by the central point of the sun. Viewed from another perspective, as in the upper illustration, we can see that there is more to the lower arrangement than meets the eye. Here, a seventh hidden ray is revealed, as is an eight point, the hidden Spiritual Sun from which all things flow.
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Gnostic Jesus or Jesus the Sun behind the sun
The Relation of the Spiritual Sun to the Physical Sun
According to the Gnostics, most people are asleep and do not realize that there exists a higher spiritual reality; it is as though they see the lower illustration, take it at face value, and assume that there is nothing more. Through the faculty of gnosis (intuition), however, it is possible for the higher Mind (logos) to discern the existence of a more inclusive reality. Jesus, the Ogdoad, the Sun behind the sun, is both a symbol and an expression of this higher knowledge. The literal-minded, like the proponents of materialism, see the world as through the lower diagram and see no further: Literalism reads the letter of the law but does not grasp its spirit; materialism holds matter to be the only reality, but does not see that it is merely the effect of a higher cause. Those with the spark of the higher intuition or gnosis, however, catch an occasional glimpse of the higher pattern — the Universal Logos or (Perfect Model ), the Intelligent Pattern (Perfect Mold) of order and harmony which informs all of existence. According to the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, God is the "Intelligible the "Sun behind the sun." The early Christian symbolism of Jesus as the ogdoad, the Spiritual Sun, is both in keeping with this notion and with the geometrical shown above. Likewise, there is evidence to suggest that similar views were held concerning the solar divinity Mithra. As the Roman emperor Julian the Apostate points out, Mithra is not to be identified with the physical sun and in his fifth discourse refers to Mithra as "the seven-rayed god."
"Jesus the Sun behind the Sun" is an excerpt taken from the book written by David Fideler entitled "Jesus Christ Sun of God" a fascinating and important book on the subject! Jesus Christ Sun of God 02/02/05
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CHRIST AND COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS
CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS or COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS
Painting by Rassouli Spiritual Art Gallery : http://www.rassouli.com
CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS The word Christ means "The Anointed One". The First Emanation of the Essence of God, the Absolute - the Source of our Beingness - in Judeo Christian terminology the Spirit of God is referred to as: The Father's Son or, Christ Consciousness - and in hermetic and esoteric terminology, It is referred to as: the first Blueprint of possibilities. This divine BLUEPRINT when activated awakens Consciousness to its divine Nature, and allows It to accomplish and complete the Divine Plan. In terms of our physical universe, and the world in which we have our being, the Christ or Cosmic Consciousness represents the healing and REDEMPTIVE medium, the vehicle that sets in motion the spiritual "blueprint" or spiritual DNA in our own limited level of consciousness, healing the "wounds" created by the illusionary separation of the ego personalities of man - thus, this Redemptive Power stops and brings to a close the divine Hypnosis in which the ego was plunged. However, this divine Hypnosis was a necessary step to help Consciousness create the EGO of man; this was a necessary step in the evolutionary cycle of life.... from unconsciousness to self consciousness and from self consciousness to Cosmic Consciousness... These are evolutionary steps on the ladder of CONSCIOUSNESS - these steps unfold different stages and planes of existence that allow Consciousness to take form and express whatever it needs to commune...and manifest.
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CHRIST AND COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS
As we have just said, the ego is formed so that UNCONSCIOUSNESS of BEING becomes CONSCIOUS of BEING... Reflect on this idea... To begin with the ego needs to believe that it is a separated subject from the rest of creation - it is still far from understanding its own function and remains ignorant of its own Source... Later, as a seeker, the ego's level of self-consciousness unfolds a inner process of inquiry into the nature of Being... and gradually it discovers its own uncorrupted Nature, which is unveiled with the appearance of the Seal of the "Anointed One" or Christ Consciousness... This divine Nature gives rise to the "ego" the realization that it is nothing more than a projection and a shadow of Christ or Cosmic Consciousness functioning in duality - in other words the ego self represents the stage when the Blueprint of Christ or Cosmic Consciousness is still in its unconscious and ignorant state... So when Redemption happens then self-consciousness is Baptized with Fire and Light and it becomes the ANOINTED One, the One who knows that all forms of creation are "God's dreams, thoughts, ideas and children". These are all creations of the same Absolute Intelligence - the Source of our Beingness...
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CHRIST AND COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS
Light... Thus, the seeker becomes an enlightened being working from within the inner Spheres where the Spirit of Christ Consciousness dwells. We, as self-conscious seekers are living in a world of duality, a world created by our mental and emotional patterns, a world in which we feel alienated and divided between "me and you" - between "good and evil". This is called in certain circles "the Fall", which simply means that at the level of the Fall, consciousness is still slumbering and unconscious of its own Source...of its own possibilities. Christ Consciousness comes to restore the Perfect IMAGE - the PERFECT MODEL and the semblance that was lost, and this spiritual BLUEPRINT or DNA unfolds in Intuition… New horizons... New possibilities... New threshold gates - A new Initiation that reveals the actual Garment of Light that was for eons inactive and latent in our Spiritual Blueprint and DNA... When the hour of our Redemption happens, then, this Garment of Light unfolds the SON of Man... the AWAKENED ONE... in the flesh (which is the original Adam Kadmon). And through the power of the HOLY SPIRIT, awakened seekers are transformed into Holy Grails- the purified vehicles for the Spirit of YESHUA to function properly as Christ Consciousness in the world of duality. This is a great mystery... but what can be said about it is, that it means the level of the " ego self" assumes a new relationship with the Source of Being - which is the Center of the Absolute God, the Father of us all. Another esoteric and hermetic teaching is that CHRIST Energy unfolds the BODY OF LIGHT: The sanctified body working and witnessing in harmony with Christ or Cosmic Consciousness.
09/02/2005
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lLIST OF HERMETIC AND MYSTICAL MEDITATIONS
A Mystical Way of Unfolding Cosmic Consciousness
HERMETIC & MYSTICAL MEDITATIONS Come and Visit often - New Meditations and Exercises added regularly
Here is a list of different types of exercises that you might want to try. Choose the ones that correspond to your needs of the moment. Some of the exercises are based on spiritual psychology and others on mystical and hermetic meditations. The psychological exercises have been created to help you unfold the "OBSERVER" in you. The hermetic and more mystical ones are to help you connect with your invisible silent "WITNESS" - the part in you that unfolds and guides your real individual "inner process". In this context, the word, "inner process" means unfolding a personal way of attuning your consciousness to the impulses, impressions and intuitions coming directly from your Soul or Higher Self. The goal of this Website is to help you harmonize your ego self with its counterpart the Soul aspect of who you really are and receive from it, direct Divine Knowledge. In addition, all the messages, pictures and exercises that exist on this website have been carefully selected to help you, the searcher of truth unfold the subtle levels of consciousness that lie inactive within your Being.
Spiritual Psychology : Exercises Gravity And Relaxation Meditation Breathing exercise (1)
Meditation Breathing Exercise (2) Meditation : Pore Breathing (3) Meditation : Soft Belly Meditation
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lLIST OF HERMETIC AND MYSTICAL MEDITATIONS
Visualization Exercises
Creating Visualizing Taste Reflective Meditation Self - Identification Exercise Working With Sub-Personalities
Meditation with Subpersonalities/Archetypes Making Intuitive Decisions Healing With Light
Floating in Water And Dissolving In the Earth. Two Exercises on Self-Protection.
Hermetic : Exercises Awakening The Astral Body Creating A Sphere Of Light
The Cave (2): A Way To Unfold The Symbolic Language of the Soul The Inner Temple Of Light Kundalini Purification Exercise Your Angelic Nature Tree Meditation
The Tunnel of Light Ascension Meditation Meditation Sun Moon Chakra Awareness Exercise Being of Light
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lLIST OF HERMETIC AND MYSTICAL MEDITATIONS
Entering into the Beauty of the Heart Am I the "Doer of Actions?" Night Revision - by Ramesh Balsekar Breathing in a Quality
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DZOGCHEN: THE SIX VAJRA VERSES
DZOGCHEN THE SIX VAJRA VERSES The nature of phenomena is nondual, but each one, in its own state, is beyond the limits of the mind. There is no concept that can define the condition of "what is" but vision nevertheless manifests: all is good. Everything has already been accomplished, and so, having overcome the sickness of effort, one finds oneself in the self-perfected state: this is contemplation.
In Tibetan: "sNa tshogs rang bzhin mignyis kyang Cha shas nyid du spros dang bral ]i bzhin ba zhes mi rtog kyang rNam par snang mdzad kun tu bzang Zin pas rtsol ba'i nad spangs te IHun gyis gnas pas bzhag pa yin "
(Personally I am not a Buddhist but have a great empathy with their philosophy. This website is the fruit of my own experiences and reflections on the meaning of life and my humble conclusion is that it remains a MYSTERY until one unfolds higher levels of consciousness. Each one of these levels opens up a new way of experiencing the "PRESENT MOMENT". Each new level of awakening makes us realize that there is no mystery outside of our own Mystery - The Mystery of Being... Hence, Dzogchen may be a Tibetan word that represents a sacred way of living life and yet we find the same philosophy awaken in individuals that have never heard of the word Dzogchen. Hence, as I feel a great attraction and resonance with their way of "Being", in my humble opinion, Dzogchen is an "Inner Path of Initiation" a path linking the adept to the Primordial Wisdom ) Some interesting books on Dzogchen, that I personally recommend.. 1 - Dzogchen the Self-Perfected State by ChoGyal Namkhai Norbu 2 - Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light by Namkhai Norbu 3 - Dzogchen (hard cover) a new release. with the Dalai Lama, Geshe Thupten Jimpa, Patrick Gaffney editor 4 - MIPHAM'S Beacon of Certainty - The view of Dzogchen - The Great Perfection 5 - The Golden Letters - foreword by Namkhai Norbu Rimpoche 6 - Namkhai Norbu The Cycle of Day and Night. 7 - Chogyal Namkhai Norbu The Crystal and the way of Light.
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DZOGCHEN: THE SIX VAJRA VERSES
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DZOGCHEN: PRACTICE
AWAKENING THE INFINITE INNER ENERGIES OF HEALING A DZOGCHEN PRACTICE
Taking one or two deep breaths, release all your stress and worries and enjoy the relaxed feelings in your body and mind. Then slowly and calmly go through the following exercises, taking a minute or two for each step.
1. When you wake up in the morning, or at any time of the day, feel devotion to the source of power. (It could be the Buddha, Guru Rinpoche, the Cosmic Christ, your Perfect Model, or any other source of power.) Devotion wakes up your body and mind and makes them blossom. Devotion brings warmth, bliss, strength, and openness.
2. Visualize and feel that your heart, the center of your body, is in the form of an amazing flower of light, blossoming in the warmth of devotion. As a result, from that devotional flower-heart arises your wisdom, compassion, and power, the enlightened qualities in the form of the source of power. The source of power, in the form of a light body with heat and bliss, rises up through the central channel a spacious channel made of clear and pure light of your body. Then the source of power adorns the stainless and limitless sky, as if thousands of suns have arisen as one body. 3. Believe that the source of power is the embodiment of wisdom, compassion, and power of all the divinities and of the universal truth. Feel that your whole body and mind are filled with heat, bliss, and boundless energy by being in the presence of the source of power. 4. Then see that the whole earth is filled with various beings. Their hearts are filled with devotion and their faces are blossoming with Joyful smiles. Their wide-open eyes are one-pointedly watching the source of power with wonder. Joining you, they are all expressing the power of their devotion in prayers, singing harmoniously with various resonances, like a great symphony. Sing the prayer with great celebration in which there are no limits or restrictions. 5. Singing the prayers, imagine that the prayers have invoked the compassionate mind of the source of power. From the source of power, its wisdom, compassion, and power come toward you in the form of multiple beams of blessing lights of various colors (or streams of nectar). These beams of light touch every pore of your body. Feel the heat of their mere touch. Feel the blissful nature of the heat. And feel the power of the blissful heat. http://www.plotinus.com/dzogchen_practice.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 19:21:15
DZOGCHEN: PRACTICE
6. Then the beams of light enter your body. Visualize and feel that all your negative habits, mental ills, emotional conflicts, lack of fulfillment, fear, physical sicknesses, and circulation or energy blockages are in the form of darkness in your body. By the mere touch of the blessing light, all the darkness is completely dispelled, without any trace, from your body and mind. Your body is filled with amazing bright light, with the sensation of heat, bliss, and strength. Then see and feel that your whole body is transformed into a blessing light body. Feel that every cell of your body is transformed into the cells of blessing light with heat, bliss, and strength.
7. Then think of a cell on your forehead (or any other place in your body). The cell is made of bright blessing light. It is vast and beautiful. Slowly, enter into the cell. It is limitless and boundless as the sky. Feel the vastness of the cell for a while. 8. Then see and feel that your body is made of billions of the same kind of vast, beautiful, blissful cells. Each cell is adorned with the presence of the source of power. Be aware of the amazing display and energy of your miraculous body. All the cells are Meditations in love and harmony with each other. Feel the power of these billions of blissful cells in your body adorned by the sources of power. 9. All the cells of the channels, organs, and muscles of your blessing light body are breathing. They are breathing heat and bliss openly and spontaneously like the waves of the ocean. Feel the waves of blissful movement. The waves caress, relax, and melt any place where we have hardness or rigidity, any fixations of unresolved emotions and unhealed wounds with their traces. Feel the energy aura. Feel the feeling. Be one with the feeling. 10. Then you could sing om, ah, and hung, (or any other sacred mantra which is sacred to you) as the healing movement generates strength and openness in your cells, unite with them. You can sing your mantra loudly, softly, or silently in your mind. ●
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As you repeatedly sing om (or your sacred mantra) slowly and continuously, be aware of how the waves of sound powerfully resonate in every cell, from your vocal cords through your whole body like the waves of the ocean. Delight in the feeling of power and strength, the qualities of the Buddha-body - Cosmic Christ or your Perfect Model. In the same way, singing ah, be aware of the opening, releasing, and blossoming energies, the qualities of the Buddha-speech.
Singing hung, be aware of merging yourself with the union of power and openness, which is the boundless power, the qualities of the Buddha-mind. In the same way, make a gesture of a blossoming flower at your heart. Holding the fists upward, unfold the fingers of your fist (one after another, starting with the little fingers) and open your hands and arms and be aware of the delightful feeling of opening, releasing, and blossoming, the qualities of the Buddha-speech.
Make a contemplative gesture, placing your hands palms up in your lap, the right hand over the left hand, with the thumbs slightly touching, and be aware of merging yourself with the union of power and openness, which is the boundless power, the qualities of the Buddha-mind.
11. You could see an amazingly vast aura of bright blessing light filled with energy power around your body. It is a protective aura that prevents any negative effects from coming in. It is also an http://www.plotinus.com/dzogchen_practice.htm (2 of 3)14-2-2005 19:21:15
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aura of transmutation that transforms everything in the energy aura into blessing light, like snowflakes falling into warm water. Share the blessings
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DZOGCHEN: HEALING SOUNDS
HEALING THROUGH BLESSED SOUNDS
The sounds om, ah, and hung (pronounced hoong, with a soft H) are viewed as the "seed syllables" of the body, speech, and mind of the Buddha, the fully enlightened nature. Because of the universality of these sounds, anyone can benefit from them. These three syllables comprise one of the most powerful chants in Buddhism. They are pure and archetypal in nature, free from elaboration, concepts, grasping, and rigidity. So just giving voice to these sounds allows us to be more open.
For Buddhists, these sounds also embody special meaning in their expression of all the qualities of the Buddha: om is the changeless strength and beauty of the true nature we all possess, the Buddha body; ah is the ceaseless expression and prevailing energy of reality, the Buddha speech; hung is the unmoving per-fection of reality's primordial openness, the Buddha mind. Long used in healing practices, these sounds have been blessed by many Buddhas and enlightened beings throughout the ages. Each syllable represents particular healing qualities. Singing om brings peace, bliss, clarity, firmness, courage, stability, and strength; ah brings energy, openness, expansion, and empowerment; hung is associated with enlightenment, infinity, essence, and oneness. You can sing each syllable with equal emphasis. Or else emphasize and repeat one syllable according to the particular healing qualities you need. For example: OOOOOOOOOOMMMM
AHHHHHHHHHHHH
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM OOOOMM OOOOMM
HUUUUUUUNNNNNGGG
AHHHHH
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHH
HUUUUNNNGGG HUUUNNNGGG
HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNGGG
Sing the syllables however you feel is soothing in a tune that rises and falls or on one note, quietly or loudly, with high pitch or low, with feelings, and images. Feel as if sadness or painful emotion is contained within the sound of om in the form of clouds, smoke, or mist. As you sing ah, let go of the problems forever. With hung, feel the healing of peace and openness of the sound.
You can work with these sounds to transform difficult thoughts, You can also call forth your source of power with these syl-lables (or with the sound of ah alone). Feel that the sound is invoking and generating all the healing forces of the universe, and that the source of power emerges from and is
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itself an em-bodiment of the sound. See and feel warm, bright light radiating from the sound and the image. The light gradually fills your head and entire body. As you continue chanting, take your time cele-brating the sound and the light, which brings healing to every part of mind and body. Purifying Our Emotions Silently Chanting can be silent too. An exercise called "threefold breathing" involves saying the three seed syllables to ourselves in unison with our breathing. This develops concentration and strength of mind, purifies negative emotions, and can be a good preliminary to any other healing meditation. In threefold breathing, mentally say om as you inhale. Say ah as you pause, in the moment when the breath is about to begin moving the other way. Say hung on the out-breath. Feel that you are breathing in unison with the body, speech, and mind of the Buddha, all the Buddhas of all time, or the Cosmic Christ or your Perfect Model. If you are more comfortable with a secular approach, appreciate these syllables as the universal embodiment of strength, openness, and oneness. Let your breath and the syllables flow naturally. Give yourself fully to this, so that your breathing, the syllables, and your mind become one. Finally, allow your silent chanting to dissolve into relaxed breathing, let go of the syllables, and merge within the silence of your breathing. Amid the noise of modern life, it is tempting to fall back on noisy distractions that take us away from our true selves. Perhaps we are afraid of silence, like children afraid of the dark. By giving ourselves wholly to chanting or singing, produced by the body in union with the mind, we learn to appreciate sound. Then it becomes easier to fully appreciate silence. Why not try in your home or in your city, to chant or sing, even near a busy, noisy street where no one will notice or care. Warm up slowly and with your relaxed out-breath build to a loud ah or any sound that feels natural. Really let go, it's your right to make a joyful noise. COPYRIGHTS
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LONGCHENPA
A TEXT FROM LONGCHENPA Dzogchen Way of Living
Know the state of pure and total presence to be a vast expanse without center or border. It is everywhere the same, without acceptance or rejection. Blend the nature of mind and its habit patterns into non-duality. Because entities, whether subjectively conceived or directly experienced, Are present as ornaments of one's own state of being, Do not accept or reject them. And, Because they are not divided into self and other, The apparitional, spontaneously present objects are the play of pure experience. Listen: this majestic awareness, freely transforming itself, Displays the integrated structure centered around the inner reality of form.(*1) Everything that exists and appears Displays itself in the space of unborn reality. In this inner reality there is nothing to accept or reject. All that exists is displayed by me, the supreme ordering principle. Listen: this teacher of teachers, the majestic creative intelligence, Displays the integrated structure centered around the inner reality of communication. Everything that exists and is designated Displays itself as linguistic communication coming from the unborn field And is gathered into this inexplicable inner reality of communication, The supreme ordering principle's symphony. Listen: this teacher of teachers, majestic creativity Displays the integrated structure centered around the inner reality of awareness. Know everything thought or attended to
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LONGCHENPA
To be the substance of the unborn ordering principle itself. The realms of form, communication, and awareness of the creative intelligence Are the three naturally occurring, uncontrived integrated structures of reality. One who understands the reality of these integrated structures as complete in a moment without having been set up, Has understood the core meaning of the spontaneously complete inner reality. Thus, because all that is present as form, sound, and thought ever since they appeared in time has existed as these three unborn inte-grated structures, from the start live this great natural non-duality without going into any conceptual analysis. Through realizing beings and their worlds to be these integrated structures, affirmations, negations, antidotes, and hindrances will definitely be freed in their own place. (*1) This is the distinction between the path of self-liberation and the lower paths.
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Zhine Tibetan Dream Yoga
TIBETAN DREAM YOGA CALM ABIDING "ZHINÈ"
Concentration on the Tibetan letter "A"
An interesting way of unfolding the mysteries of the inner process is through dream yoga. A successful seeker in dream-work must be stable enough in presence to avoid being swept away by the winds of karmic emotions and lost in the dream. As the mind steadies, dreams become longer, less fragmented, and more easily remembered, and lucidity is developed.. Waking life is equally enhanced as we find that we are increasingly protected from being carried away by the habitual emotional reactions that draw us into distraction and unhappiness. Dream -work can instead develop the positive traits that lead to happiness and support the seeker in the spiritual journey. All yogic and spiritual disciplines include some form of practice that develops concentration and quiets the mind. In the Tibetan tradition this practice is called calm abiding (zhine). We recognize three stages in the development of stability: forceful zhine, natural zhine, and ultimate zhine. Zhine begins with mental fixation on an object and, when concentration is strong enough, moves on to fixation without an object. (Same principle as working with the Perfect Model presented to you on this website). Begin the practice by sitting comfortably on a chair or in the five-pointed meditation posture: the legs crossed, the hands folded in the lap in meditation position with palms up and placed one on top of the other, the spine straight but not rigid, the head tilted down slightly to straighten the neck, and the eyes open. The eyes should be relaxed, not too wide open and not too closed. The object of concentration should be placed so that the eyes can look straight ahead, neither up nor down. During the practice try not to move, not even to swallow or blink, while keeping the mind one pointedly on the object. Even if tears should stream down your face, do not move. Let the breathing be natural. Generally, for practice with an object, Zhine practitioners use the Tibetan letter A as the object of concentration. This letter has many symbolic meanings but here is used simply as a support for the development of focus. Other objects may also be used — the letter A of the English alphabet, an image of your Perfect Model, or any other sacred Image , the sound of a mantra, the breath — almost anything. However, it is good to use something connected to the sacred, as it serves to inspire you. Also, try to use http://www.plotinus.com/zhine_tibetan_dream_yoga.htm (1 of 6)14-2-2005 19:23:34
Zhine Tibetan Dream Yoga
the same object each time you practice, rather than switching between objects, because the continuity acts as a support of the practice. It is also somewhat preferable to focus on a physical object that is outside the body, as the purpose is to develop stability during the perception of external objects and, eventually, of the objects in dream.
. Concentration on the Tibetan letter "A"
If you wish to use the Tibetan "A" you can write it on a piece of paper about an inch square. Traditionally, the letter is white and is enclosed in five concentric colored circles: the center circle that is the direct background for the "A" is indigo; around it is a blue circle, then green, red, yellow, and white ones. Tape the paper to a stick that is just long enough to support the paper at eye level when you sit for practice, and make a base that holds it upright. Place it so that the "A" is about a foot and a half in front of your eyes.
The Tibetan Letter "A"
Many signs of progress can arise during the practice. As concentration strengthens and the periods of practice are extended, strange sensations arise in the body and many strange visual phenomena appear. You may find your mind doing strange things, too! That is all right. These experiences are a natural part of the development of concentration; they arise as the mind settles, so be neither disturbed by nor ex-cited http://www.plotinus.com/zhine_tibetan_dream_yoga.htm (2 of 6)14-2-2005 19:23:34
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about them. FORCEFUL ZHINE The first stage of practice is called "forceful" because it requires effort. The mind is easily and quickly distracted, and it may seem impossible to remain focused on the object for even a minute. In the beginning, it is helpful to practice in numerous short sessions alternating with breaks. Do not let the mind wander during the break, but instead recite a mantra, or work with visualization, or work with another practice you may know, such as the development of compassion. After the break, return to the fixation practice. If you are ready to practice but do not have the particular object you have been using, visualize a ball of light on your forehead and center yourself there. The practice should be done once or twice a day, and can be done more frequently if you have the time. Developing concentration is like strengthening the muscles of the body: exercise must be done regularly and frequently. To become stronger keep pushing against your limits. Keep the mind on the object. Do not follow the thoughts of the past or the future. Do not allow the attention to be carried away by fantasy, sound, physical sensation, or any other distraction. Just remain in the sensuality of the present moment, and with your whole strength and clarity focus the mind through the eye, on the object. Do not lose the awareness of the object even for a second. Breathe gently, and then more gently, until the sense of breathing is lost. Slowly allow yourself to enter more deeply into quiet and calm. Make certain that the body is kept relaxed; do not tense up in concentration. Neither should you allow yourself to fall into a stupor, a dullness, or a trance. Do not think about the object, just let it be in awareness. This is an important distinction to make. Thinking about the object is not the kind of concentration we are developing. The point is just to keep the mind placed on the object, on the sense perception of the object, to undistractedly remain aware of the presence of the object. When the mind does get distracted and it often will in the beginning, gently bring it back to the object and leave it there.
NATURAL ZHINE
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Zhine Tibetan Dream Yoga
As stability is developed, the second stage of practice is entered: natural zhine. In the first stage, concentration is developed by continually directing the attention to the object and developing control over the unruly mind. In the second stage, the mind is absorbed in contemplation of the object and there is no longer the need for force to hold it still. A relaxed and pleasant tranquility is established, in which the mind is quiet and thoughts arise without distracting the mind from the object. The elements of the body become harmonized and the prana moves evenly and gently throughout the body. This is an appropriate time to move to fixation without an object. Abandoning the physical object, simply fix the focus on space. It is helpful to gaze into expansive space, like the sky, but the practice can be done even in a small room by fixing on the space between your body and the wall. Remain steady and calm. Leave the body relaxed. Rather than focusing on an imagined point in space, allow the mind, while remaining in strong presence, to be diffuse. We call this "dissolving the mind" in space, or "merging the mind with space." It will lead to stable tranquility and the third stage of zhine practice. ULTIMATE ZHINE Whereas in the second stage there is still some heaviness involved in the absorption in the object, the third stage is characterized by a mind that is tranquil but light, relaxed, and pliable. Thoughts arise and dissolve spontaneously and without effort. The mind is integrated fully with its own movement.
In the Dzogchen tradition, this is traditionally when the master introduces the student to the natural state of mind. Because the student has developed zhine, the master can point to what the student has already experienced rather than describing a new state that must be attained. The explanation, which is known as the "pointing out" instruction, is meant to lead the student to recognize what is already there, to discriminate the moving mind in thought and concept from the nature of mind, which is pure, non-dual awareness. This is the ultimate stage of zhine practice, abiding in non-dual presence, rigpa (awareness) itself. OBSTACLES In developing the zhine practice, there are three obstacles that must be overcome: agitation, drowsiness, and laxity. http://www.plotinus.com/zhine_tibetan_dream_yoga.htm (4 of 6)14-2-2005 19:23:34
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Agitation Agitation causes the mind to jump restlessly from one thought to another and makes concentration difficult. To prevent this, calm yourself before the practice session by avoiding too much physical or mental activity. Slow stretches may help to relax the body and quiet the mind. Once you are sitting, take a few deep, slow breaths. Make it a practice to focus the mind immediately when you start the practice to avoid developing the habit of mentally wandering while sitting in meditation posture. Drowsiness The second obstacle is drowsiness or sleepiness, which moves into the mind like a fog, a heaviness and torpor that blunts awareness. When it does this, try to strengthen the mind's focus on the object in order to penetrate the drowsiness. You may find that drowsiness is actually a kind of movement of the mind that you can stop with strong concentration. If this does not work, take a break, stretch, and perhaps do some practice while standing. Laxity The third obstacle is laxity. When encountering this obstacle you may feel that your mind is calm, but in a passive, weak mental state in which the concentration has no strength. It is important to recognize this state for what it is. It can be a pleasant and relaxed experience and, if mistaken for correct meditation, may cause the practitioner to spend years mistakenly cultivating it, with no discernable change in the quality of consciousness. If your focus loses strength and your practice becomes lax, straighten your posture and wake up your mind. Reinforce the attention and guard the stability of presence. Regard the practice as something precious, which it is, and as something that will lead to the attainment of the highest realization, which it will. Strengthen the intention and automatically the wakefulness of the mind is strengthened. Zhine practice should be done every day until the mind is quiet and stable. It is not only a preliminary practice, but is helpful at any point in the practitioner's life; even very advanced yogis practice zhine. The stability of mind developed through zhine is the foundation of dream yoga and all other meditation practices. Once we have achieved a strong and reliable steadiness in calm presence, we can develop this steadiness in all aspects of life. When stable, this presence can always be found, and we will not be carried away by thoughts and emotions. Then, even though karmic traces continue to produce dream images after falling asleep, we remain in awareness. This opens the door to the further practices of both dream and sleep yogas. Note: The extracts contained here are for personal use only, and may not be reproduced for commercial distribution.) (These are excerpts from two different Dzogchen Dream Yoga books - "Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural light" by Namkhai Norbu and "The Tibetan yogas of dream and Sleep" by Tenzin Wangyal Rimpoche)
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A
To read more on this subject click on this line "Teachings in Dreams" You can also read on this website: *Importance of Dreams in the Mystical Process * Guideline to Dream Interpretation
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ZHINE: TIBETAN DREAM YOGA
TIBETAN DREAM YOGA Part : 2
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama said: "Tibetan Buddhism considers sleep to be a form of
nourishment, like food, that restores and refreshes the body. Another type of nourishment is samadhi, or meditative concentration. If one becomes advanced enough in the practice of meditative concentration, then this itself sustains or nourishes the body."
Dreams are a significant part of our life. They are as real and unreal as life itself. Dreams are extremely personal - and transpersonal, too. Our dreams are a reflection of ourselves: in dreams, no matter how many characters appear, we meet ourselves. Dreams are mirrors to our soul. They can help us to better understand ourselves, our world, and the nature of reality. Dreams introduce us to other dimensions of experience. Here, time and space are much more liquid and plastic; they can be shaped and reshaped almost at will. Dreams hint of other worlds, other lives. They are a glimpse of our afterlife. Everyone dreams, although not all dreams are remembered equally. Fifty-six percent of Americans have had a lucid dream - that is, a dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming. Twenty-one percent say they have a lucid dream once a month or more. Meditators report vividly clear, self-aware dreams weekly and even more often.
How Dreams Can Help Us Great healers have long recognized the power of dreams to inform and support us. Hippocrates said, Dreams are one of the most important ways to diagnose a patients illness." Sigmund Freud's turn-ofthe-century work. The Interpretation of Dreams, marked the beginning of the era of modern psychology and psychoanalysis. Certain dreams can convey subconscious, valuable information to the dreamer. A week before the event, Abraham Lincoln dreamed that he would be assassinated. The emperor Constantine dreamed of radiant Greek letters spelling the name of Christ and was converted, leading to the dramatic conversion of the entire Byzantine Empire. I, myself, have received messages, teachings, and blessings through my dreams from the spiritual masters I have known and loved in this lifetime. Some contemporary psychologists consider lucid dreaming a valuable practice for personal growth. This model is, however, different from Tibetan dream yoga. The spiritual practice goes deeper, helping us work with the great passages of life and death. Tibetan dream yoga teaches us how to navigate the
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ZHINE: TIBETAN DREAM YOGA
groundlessness of moment-to-moment existence, which typically makes no intellectual sense. It is at this level that we cut through the illusory nature of mind and truly experience our marvelous human existence.
Cultivating our innate ability to wake up within the dream can: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Increase clarity and lucidity, both waking and sleeping Help us realize the transparent, dream-like nature of experience Free the mind Release energy blockages and accumulated tension and stress Loosen habits and make us more open, attuned, and flexible Unleash and mobilize creativity Bring repressions and denials into consciousness Clarify and dispel confusion Solve problems Reveal the process of death and rebirth Heal and relax us Expose fantasies Unlock aspirations and potentials Facilitate direct encounters with our shadow nature Provide spiritual blessings, visions, and guidance Help open our innate psychic capacities Remove hindrances and obstacles Help prepare (rehearse) us for death and the afterlife
Awakening within the dream The seminal Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu dreamed he was a butterfly. Upon awakening, he wondered whether he was a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was a man. Chuang Tzu's musings underscore a fundamental truth: life is like a dream.
Spiritual life is about awakening from the dream of unreality. The word Buddha itself is from the word bodhi, "awakeful." Buddhist wisdom and practice help us to awaken to who and what we truly are, and to recognize the difference between the real and the unreal in our daily life. All of our spiritual practices are designed to awaken us from the daydream of illusion and confusion, where we are like sleepwalkers, semiconsciously muddling our way through life. Self-knowledge through spiritual awakening helps us become masters of circumstances and conditions, rather than victims. This is why the Armenian spiritual master George Gurdjieff said: "Contemporary man is born asleep, lives asleep, and dies asleep. And what knowledge could a sleeping man have? If you think about it and at the same time remember that sleep is the chief feature of our being, you will soon understand that if man wishes to obtain knowledge, he should first of all think about how to awaken himself, that is about how to change his being." South American shamans call this awakening from the dream of life "shapeshifting": entering into a spiritual journey with the explicit purpose of transformation. Shapeshifting and other forms of conscious dream-work can, through regular practice, help us experience other realms of existence, visit our dear departed, and achieve spiritual mastery.
Australian aborigines say we all live in the dreamtime: we are like dream characters, living out our lives beyond the illusion of being born and dying. Tibetan masters call this dreamtime the bardo, or intermediate stage. Bardos exist between the ending of one state and the beginning of another, such as birth and death - or death and rebirth. Dreaming, too, is a bardo, marking the seemingly unstructured zone between waking and sleeping. Tibetan Buddhism is unique among Buddhist schools in teaching us how to awaken within the dream and http://www.plotinus.com/zhine_tibetan_dream_yoga_part2.htm (2 of 9)14-2-2005 19:24:21
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how to practice spiritually while sleeping. This is the essence of Tibetan dream yoga, and the focus of all the practices associated with it. The Yoga of the Dream State, an ancient Tibetan manual on the practice of dream yoga and lucid dreaming teaches that we can learn five spiritually significant wisdom lessons
through assiduously practicing this path of awakening: • Dreams can be altered through will and attention
• Dreams are unstable, impermanent, and unreal — much like fantasies, magical illusions, mirages, and hallucinations
• Daily perceptions in the everyday waking state are also unreal • All life is here today and gone tomorrow, like a dream; there is nothing to hold on to
• Conscious dreamwork can lead us to the realization of wholeness, perfect balance, and unity.
For centuries, Tibetan masters have taught their students how to use dreamtime and dream space to further spiritual progress by increasing awareness during the dream state. Tibetan Dream Yoga brings you these same techniques for realizing the five wisdom lessons and reaping the benefits of awakening within the dream. The Six Yogas of Tibet Tibetan dream yoga is one of the renowned Six Yogas of Tibet, an ancient Buddhist teaching that originates with the enlightened yogic adepts (siddhas) -of ancient India. These yogas (or practices), utilized for a millennium by all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, help us to utilize the body/mind/ spirit as a vehicle for awakening and enlightenment — by day, by night, and in the afterlife (bardo). The Six Yogas are: • Inner heat (mystic incandescence) yoga • Illusory body yoga • Dream yoga • Clear light yoga • Bardo yoga • Conscious transformation yoga The Six Yogas tradition was first brought to Tibet thirteen hundred years ago by the Indian tantric master Padmasambhava, founder of the Ancient School (Nyingmapa) of Tibetan Buddhism. Padmasambhava himself received the teachings he codified as The Yoga of the Dream State from a mysterious yogi named Lawapa. In ensuing centuries, as Buddhism grew and flourished in Tibet, Marpa the Translator and other Tibetan sages made the grueling journey on foot to India to study from yogic masters, then brought the teaching back with them.
Through practicing the Six Yogas, we come to realize the infinite emptiness/openness, ungraspable quality, and luminosity that is the true nature of reality. Dream interpretation, the use of dreams for predictions and healing, and the development of psychic powers and healing abilities can arise naturally from the continuous practice of dream yoga and the related yogas (especially clear light, inner heat, and illusory body). The Spiritual Benefits of Tibetan Dream Yoga
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama has this to say about awakening our dream body and using it for spiritual progress and development: "There is said to be a relationship between dreaming, on the one hand, and the gross and subdue levels of the body on the other. But it is also said that there is a 'special dream state.' In that state, the special dream body is created from the mind and from vital energy (prana) within the body. This special dream body is able to dissociate entirely form the gross physical body and travel elsewhere." One way of developing this special dream body is first of all to recognize a dream as a dream when it http://www.plotinus.com/zhine_tibetan_dream_yoga_part2.htm (3 of 9)14-2-2005 19:24:21
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occurs. Then you find that the dream is malleable, and you make efforts to gain control over it. Gradually you become very skilled in this, increasing your ability to control the contents of the dream so that it accords to your own desires. Eventually it is possible to dissociate your dream body from your gross physical body. In contrast, in the normal dream state, dream-ing occurs within the body. But as a result of specific training, the dream body can go elsewhere. This first technique is accomplished entirely by the power of desire or aspiration. There is another technique that arrives at the same end by means of prana yoga. These are meditative practices that utilize the subtle, vital energies in the body. For these techniques it is also necessary to recognize the sleep state as it occurs.
According to sleep researchers, we typically experience four stages of sleep.
• Hypnagogic sleep - the state of drowsiness we experience as we begin falling asleep • Ordinary sleep- here, we enter a true sleeping state, but can still be easily awakened
. Deeper sleep - vital functions slow down, and we are more likely to sleep through disturbances • Deep sleep - muscles are totally relaxed, and it would be difficult to wake us up (we only spend about fifteen percent of our sleeping hours at this stage) It takes about an hour to cycle through all four stages; then we go back in reverse order to stage 1. Before beginning the cycle again, however, we experience rapid eye movements (REM) under our closed lids. Research shows that this is when we dream. We spend twenty to twenty-five percent of our sleep time in this state. In order to practice dream yoga, we must introduce awareness during the
periods of REM sleep (which last from a few minutes to half an hour). If we can identify that stage while asleep -perhaps with the help of an assistant or a dream-light device - we can further incubate, develop, and enhance the awareness practice of becoming conscious and lucid within the dream state. Dreaming Tibetan dream yoga texts teach us that, in general, there are three types of dreams: Ordinary, karmic dreams, arising mostly from the day's activities, and from previous life activities, thoughts, experiences, and contacts.
• "Clear light" dreams: spiritual visions, blessings, and energy openings • Lucid dreams, which are characterized by awareness that one is dreaming Under these three broad divisions, dreams can be divided into a further six categories: • • • • • •
Dreams of events that occurred while we were still awake Dreams about other people, alive or dead Forgotten elements emerging from the subconscious Archetypal content, evocative symbols, and so on Extrasensory perceptions, profound dreams, and omens Radiant, luminous, spiritual dreams
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fall within the first four dream categories. In the interests of developing deeper awareness of your dreams, you may find it helpful to identify the category that applies whenever you recall a particular dream. The Practices of Tibetan Dream Yoga It is important to create a spiritual context for the practice of Tibetan dream yoga. Lucid dreaming can easily be misused to perpetuate the problems we experience in our waking lives. For example, one might direct one's dream toward a gratifying encounter or a vengeful fantasy. You will find that the techniques on Tibetan Dream Yoga somehow don't work as well when used for such purposes. Tibetan dream yoga practice comprises three parts: • Daytime practice, designed to help us recognize the dreamlike nature of all existence and thereby prepare us to experience our dreams as vividly as we do our waking activities • Morning wake-up practices that help us recall our dreams, and confirm our determination to recall more of them
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Nightime practice, which prepares the ground for lucid dreaming and spiritual
Daytime Practice : During the day, practice these four points: • Contemplating the body as illusory and unreal • Contemplating the mind and mental activities as similarly insubstantial • Regarding the world and all phenomena and experience as dreamlike, insubstantial, impermanent, and unreal • Recognizing the relativity and ungraspable quality such as time, space, knowledge, and awareness Reminding ourselves of these four truths throughout our waking hours helps to dissolve the barrier between the dream of life and the sleeping dream. As we become more adept at these practices, we begin to regard our nighttime dreams as continuations of our waking dream and we learn how to bring habitual awareness to both. Mirror Practice
The following mirror practice is an effective way of perceiving the dreamlike nature of “reality”, and especially of “self”. From time to time during the day, take a few minutes to do it. 1 Stand in front of a mirror and look into your own eyes. 2. Hold up a hand mirror behind your right or left ear and look at its reflection in the larger mirror. Keep angling the hand mirror so as to fragment and multiply your image as much as possible. Let your mind fragment along with the image. 3. After a few minutes, angle the hand mirror back until you return to the original, single image in the mirror in front of you. The analogy of a mirror image is, like dreams, traditionally used to describe the insubstantial nature of our everyday experience. The mirror practice helps bring that teaching to life. The fragmented image is the kind we might see in a dream; yet we are seeing it while we're fully awake — or are we? http://www.plotinus.com/zhine_tibetan_dream_yoga_part2.htm (5 of 9)14-2-2005 19:24:21
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Allowing your mind to "fall apart" also helps ventilate the solidity we typically attribute to our world, and especially to our "self." Partner Exercise
Here is a traditional dream yoga practice you can do with a partner. This is an immensely useful technique, not only for challenging the distinction between sleeping dreams and the dream of being awake, but also for applying your training to practical, everyday situations. 1 - Insult, blame, and criticize your partner. Your partner should listen to all of this as echoes; empty sounds. 2 – Trade places. Now have your partner disparage you, while you practice just hearing the sounds and not taking the words to heart 3 – Try doing this same exercise using praise and flattery instead of blame. In either case, the listening partner should practice not reacting in any way, recognizing what is being said as a dream. At first, you may find it difficult to maintain equanimity while you do this practice. Stay with it – you will find that doing so yields rich rewards over time.
Wake-up Practice
The moments immediately after waking are the most fertile for recalling dreams. The following practices are designed to support and strengthen your recall. They will also facilitate a mindful transition between the sleeping and waking dream states. Upon waking in the morning, practice: • The lion's out-breath - breathing out with the sound "ah" • The lion-like posture for awakening and purifying - sitting up in bed with raised head and gazing and emphasizing the exhalation, repeating the "ah" out breath three times • Raising the energy - standing up, reaching the fingertips to the sky, and repeating the lion's outbreath • Entering into mindful reflection on the transition between the states of sleeping, dreaming, and waking reality - coming into the present moment, recording dreams. Thus, you will enter the day recognizing that all things are like a dream, illusion, fantasy, mirage, and so forth.
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Nighttime Practice
After going to bed, practice these four points in order to create the conditions for mindful, lucid dreaming.
• Chant the following prayer three times to remind you of and strengthen your resolve to awaken within the dream, for the benefit of the ultimate awakening of all beings: “May I awaken within this dream and grasp the fact that I am dreaming, so that all dreamlike beings may likewise awaken from the nightmare of illusory suffering and confusion”. • Lie on one side with your legs together and knees slightly bent. Let your bent arm take the weight of your torso by resting your head on your open hand. This is the posture of the sleeping Buddha, as he has been traditionally depicted at the moment of passing into nirvana (death).
• Bringing your attention to your throat chakra, visualize your energy rising up out of your body. Feel it rise up from your heart chakra with your breath and pass into your "third eye" or brow chakra: the point between your eyebrows. Visualize it as a full, luminous moon behind your eyes. Go into the light.
• Visualize the letter "A" (symbolizing infinite space) on the surface of the moon.
• Notice whatever images begin to appear on the sphere of light behind your eyes.
Deepening Your Practice To progress still further in Tibetan dream yoga, • Pay careful attention to your dreams • Record your dreams in a dream journal upon waking each morning
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• Recognize recurrent images, themes, associations, and patterns • Contemplate the archetypal, symbolic content and meanings of your dreams • Reflect on the similarities and differences between night dreams, daydreams, fantasies, visions, ideas, projections, and so on • Wake yourself up during the night to reaffirm your resolve to awaken within the dream and grasp the fact that you are dreaming • Sit up in meditation posture while sleeping to maintain continuous awareness while inducing and incubating lucid dreaming • Have a dream assistant at hand to guide you while asleep, helping you learn to retain conscious presence during dreams • Meditate alone in darkness to develop the inner clarity of the Clear Light Mind - the mind unaffected by illusion • During the day, maintain awareness that everything you experience is like a dream • Chant the dream yoga prayer by day and by night to help reinforce your intention to awaken within the dream. (if you want, or change the wordings)
A THE LIFELONG PRACTICE OF TIBETAN DREAM YOGA Like any spiritual practice, Tibetan dream yoga will reveal more substantial benefits the longer and more consistently you practice it. In the Buddhist tradition, however, discipline alone is not enough to bring your practice fully alive. Motivation — the reason you practice in the first place - is considered as crucial as technique and commitment. You will have noticed that the Tibetan dream yoga chant includes an aspiration to help free all beings of their suffering. This intention lies at the root of all Buddhist practice. The underlying teaching is that all living beings are interconnected: none of us can be completely free so long as any of us is still asleep.
As you practice Tibetan dream yoga, recognize that the suffering you seek to alleviate through spiritual practice is, in fact, universal. Recognize, too, that the more awake you are, the more helpful you can be to those you care about in fact, to, to everyone you come into contact with. Practice with the intention of working with your own individual part of the whole, in order to bring all of human awareness to a new level. In this way, you will derive the greatest possible benefits from your dream yoga practice. Some sayings about dreams: “Dreams are a reservoir of knowledge and experience, yet they are often overlooked as a vehicle for exploring reality”- Tarthang Tulku Yoga Practice http://www.plotinus.com/zhine_tibetan_dream_yoga_part2.htm (8 of 9)14-2-2005 19:24:21
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“All that we see is but a dream within a dream”- Edgar Allen Poe "A dream not interpreted is like a letter not read"- The Talmud “Dreams are real as long as they last. Can we say more of life?” – Henry Havelock Ellis
“You beings on earth who are deep in slumber… Stop sleeping! Wake up! What are you waiting for?”- The Zohar “There are some who are awake even while asleep, and then there are those who, apparently awake, are deeply asleep” – Lalla “Do not sleep like an animal that mixes sleep and reality” - Tibetan instruction for dream yoga practice “Let sleep itself be an exercise in piety, for such as our life and conduct have been so also of necessity will be our dreams” – Saint Basil
.A Note: The extracts contained here are for personal use only, and may not be reproduced for commercial distribution.) (These are excerpts from three different Dzogchen Dream Yoga books Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural light by Namkhai Norbu - The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Rimpoche - Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying by the Dalai Lama ) You can also read on this website:
* Importance of Dreams in the Mystical Process * Guidelines to Dream Interpretation HOME To go back to the list without frames, please click on this line or the star below
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LIVING AS THE PERFECT MODEL : EXERCISE
Your Perfect Model as your real Master A Daily Exercise
Relax on your chair and after a few deep breaths enter into a state of quiet meditation., visualize the perfect, gracious and precious Perfect Model as your Master [the source of power]. On the crown of
your own head receive the blessing Lights. This unites your own mind with the realized mind of your Perfect Model and Master. While you are doing daily activities, see that all the appearing forms are the forms of the Master, All sounds are the melodies of his/her speech, and All your good and bad thoughts are his/her wisdom mind. This is the instruction on phenomenal existents arising as the virtues of the Master.
While eating, visualize the Master in your throat and offer him/her the nectar of food and drink. Then food and drink will create no defilements in you, and it will be turned into a sacramental celebration. While sleeping, visualize him/her in the center of your heart. The lights of his/her body illuminate the world and all beings. Transform them into light and then dissolve them into yourself. This is the instruction on
turning sleep and dreams into luminous absorption.
When you are leaving for the next existence [death], Without shuffling in too many worries, Contemplate on the unification of your own awareness, and the enlightened mind of the Master. 02/02/05 COPYRIGHTS
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LIVING AS THE PERFECT MODEL : EXERCISE
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WEI WU WEI
This World of "Ours" By Wei Wu Wei
Painting by Hayashi
Samsara is a subjective state.It is a see-ing whereby subjectivity projects apparent objects by means of apparent subjects. This is called Duality. These apparent subjects, negative as are all subjects, project apparent objects, positive as are all objects, via a psychic mechanism known as skandhas* whenever their subjectivity becomes identified with a supposed aggregation of such skandhas. The apparent subjects and objects, as objects, are in no way different but, the subjects being negative and the objects positive, when they are perceived in the same direction of measurement, or dimension, or are "superimposed, " mutually fulfil one another (as do a photographic negative and positive), and then present a blank uniformity. So regarded they are no longer apparent as subject and object: they are one and void. Nirvana is also a subjective state. It is a no-seeing whereby subjectivity, since it cannot perceive itself, is not manifest. This is called Nonduality. Both states, which as subjectivity are identical, can only be differentiated by the projections known as sentient beings, whose faculty of apprehension is itself subjectivity, via the skandha-mechanism, and whose objective appearance is a projection of subjectivity as Samsara. Consequently, by a union or "superimposition" of the two states, negative and positive, they mutually fulfil one another and become a blank uniformity or void, which is represented by the term " pure consciousness. " This is the resolution of false dualities such as Non-duality and Duality, of Nirvana and Samsara, of subject and object, and it is always void. Note: There is no objective state, and there "are" no objects. Consciousness, experienced as subjectivity, alone "is" and it is NOT.
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WEI WU WEI
Neti Neti Samsara is not things, but a seeing of things. This seeing is the positive counterpart of the negative which is Nirvana. Therefore Nirvana is also not any thing, but is a negative seeing or a seeing of no-things (a seeing that is a no-seeing, as Dr. Suzuki has put it). There are no things in either—any more than there are in photographs, but light and shade only, distributed negatively as in Nirvana, then positively, when reversed, as in Samsara. The photographic film, however, is a projected object, whereas Nirvana is the subjective vision of the apparatus itself. Where a positive photograph shows a dark tree against a pale sky, the negative shows a pale tree-shaped hole in a dark background. The tree is a product of the imagination, an interpretation projected on to a pattern of light and shade.
Skandha*: Term for the five aggregates, which constitute the entirety of what is generally known as "personality":. The are corporality or form, sensation, perception, mental formation and consciousness. These aggregates are frequently referred to as " aggregates" of attachment, since (excluding the case arhats and buddhas) craving or desire attaches itself to them and attracts them ot itself; thus it makes of them objects of attachment and brings about suffering. (an excerpt from the Rider Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion)
An Excerpt from the illuminating book of Wei Wu Wei: "Ask the Awakened" - The Negative Way. Publishers: Sentient Publications. For those of you who are interested in Advaita, Chan, Zen or Tao, this book is a treasure to have and read re-read again and again until subjectivity unfolds its secrets. Only by Failure - A biography of Wei Wu Wei - by Paul Cornwell
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WEI WU WEI 2
Objets Perdus By Wei Wu Wei
Painting by Kield Tidman
Do you exist? Noumenally I feel that I am, but I cannot find myself. And the same goes for you and for every living being. Why is that? For the same reason that prevents us from seeing our own face. But you can see my face, and I can see yours. Nonsense, perfect nonsense! We see nothing of the kind. What we see when we look at one another and at anything we can see at all, including our own feet, is just our object. And our object is part of ourselves as its subject. Nobody else can see us, because we have no objective existence whatever, and we cannot see anybody else because they have none. All of us can only see our own - objectivisations whatever they may be. We do not exist as objects? Of course not! No thing exists as an object. That is why there is no such thing as an entity. How could there be? Space and time are purely mental, concepts in mind. Where else could an entity extend itself? Then no object is independent? None is dependent either. 'Others' are yourself as whatever you 'both' are, and their apparent otherness as your objects is entirely a part of your phenomenal mind. Phenomenal existence or being, noumenally is not-being. Absolutely, it may be called as-it-isness. I begin to understand! Of course you do! 'Is that all it is?,' as the T'ang dynasty monk said, laughing, to his Master when he suddenly understood, or 'found himself awake', as they put it.
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WEI WU WEI 2
No thing is—in its own right? Not even us? No thing. Therefore there is no 'us'—for 'we' are only one another's objects as 'us'. Then in what way are we? Just total objective absence, which is the presence of that-I-amness, which is what-I-amness, which is thisI-amness. All of us are that? All of us are not 'that', not 'this', not any concept at all. Nothing mysterious about it. Nothing holy. Just phenomenal notness, and the absence of the concept of that (notness). Then we have no positive being whatever? Positivity and negativity are phenomenal concepts. We are not conceivable at all. Then who lives? You cannot find the doer of any deed, the thinker of any thought, the perceiver of any perception. The unfindable is all that we are, and the unfindable is the found. If you still cling to the notion that something, even if it be as small as the hundredth part of a grain, might exist objectively, then even a perfect mastery of the entire Mahayana canon will fail to give you victory over the Three Worlds. Only when every one of those tiny fragments is seen to be nothing can the Mahayana achieve this victory for you. - HUANG Po, Wan Ling Record 24, p. 86. There is no 'self and no 'other'. There is no 'wrong desire, no 'anger', no 'hatred', no 'love', no 'victory', no 'failure'. Only renounce the error of conceptual thought-processes and your nature will exhibit its pristine purity—-for this alone is the way to attain enlightenment. - HUANG Po, Ibid. p. 88.
Terrence G. Gray - Wei Wu Wei Excerpts from the excellent and most absorbing books on Tao, By Wei Wu Wei entitled " The Pathless Way". - "All Else is Bondage" - "Open Secret" Hong Kong University Press
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WEI WU WEI 2
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WEI WU WEI 3
DIALOGUE WITH WEI WU WEI
THE PURE LAND Is IT possible to be rid of the concept of “other” without at the same time being rid of the concept of “I”, or to be rid of the concept of “I”' without at the same time being rid of the concept of ”other”? • It is not possible. With which should one begin? • With neither. An identified subject cannot rid itself of either concept. That is news, bad news! I thought that was what is required of us? • As well be required to scoop up the moon by baling its reflection out of a puddle! What then? • Until an identified subject knows what he is, he cannot be expected to realize what he is not. Cannot I say also that until he knows what he is not, he cannot realize what he is? • You can. You should. You must. There seems to be no way out! • That is why we are not all Buddhas. If it seemed to be possible should we not have done it long ago? But there must be a way out! • There is no 'way', and nothing 'out'. It is here and now. Then what is it? • What it is—is quite obvious. Not to me. • If you can't find it by looking—don't look, if you can't find it by thinking—don't think! It is where there is http://www.plotinus.com/wei_wu_wei_3.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 19:26:41
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no looking, and no thinking. Because it cannot either be seen or thought? • Not at all. Why, then? • Not because it cannot be seen or thought, but because there is no 'one' to look or to think! Then what does one do? '• One' does not do. 'One' does not even cease to do. And so? • It is better for you to tell me. Is what your identified subject is—anything he can know? Surely not. • Is what he is—anything he can not-know? What he is—is not likely to be an object of knowledge. • Can he see, know, or find what he is or what he is not? I do not think so. • Why is that? Probably because what he is looking for, trying to know, seeking to find, is what is looking, trying, seeking? • Exactly. That is the answer. But is it an answer? • It is the only answer. Finding no 'thing', he finds that he is what he is, which is also what he is not. So that what he is not is what he is? • In so far as words can suggest it. But does that answer my question? • You asked me how to be rid of the interdependent concepts of 'other' and “I”. They have been mutually abolished. So that. . . ? • No 'other', no “I”. And what I am is also what I am not, and what I am not is also what I am! No room for self, no room for other-than-self! Is that not a definition of Nirvana or of the Pure Land? • It is also a definition of the Kingdom of Heaven. Is there a historical precedent for such an approach? • There are many. For instance when Hui K'o had 'his' supposed mind tranquillized by Bodhidharma, by being unable to find it—that was not the result of his having no mind to find, but because there was no 'he' to have anything. The mind was not missing: it was he that could not be found. It was mind that was looking for mind and not finding itself as an object? • And not-finding was finding!
An excerpt from the remarkable book: "Open Secret" by Wei Wu Wei Hong Kong University Press
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WEI WU WEI 3
Terrence G. Gray - Wei Wu Wei
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WEI WU WEI 3
WEI WU WEI GENESIS
I move... Space becomes ( as the result of my movement), Time is born (as a result of my movement in space), I have objects (because I have become the subject of space and time), Dualism is established, The Universe appears, I identify myself with my objects (and there are illusionary egos), I suffer illusorily (and suffering becomes universal).
METANOESIS
I repose Space vanishes (for I have ceased to move), http://www.plotinus.com/wei_wu_wei_4.htm (1 of 2)14-2-2005 19:28:03
WEI WU WEI 3
Time ceases (for there is no movement to measure), There are no objects (for I am no longer a subject), Dualism is no more, The universe disappears, There are no illusory egos, There is no suffering, I am, but there is no 'me'.
An excellent book by Wei Wu Wei to read and meditate... on "Non - Volitional Living" These are two beautiful excerpts from his book : "All Else is Bondage" Hong Kong University Press
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HSIN - HSIN MING
Hsin - Hsin Ming By Seng - Ts'an Third Zen Patriarch
When you try to stop activity to achieve quietude, your very effort fills you with activity. As long as you remain attached to one extreme or another you will never know Oneness. Those who do not live in the Single Way cannot be free in either activity or quietude, in assertion or denial.
Deny the reality of things and you miss their reality; Assert the emptiness of things and you miss their reality. The more you talk and think about it, the further you wander from the truth. So cease attachment to talking and thinking, and there is nothing you will not be able to know.
To return to the root is to find the essence, but to pursue appearances or "enlightenment" is to miss the Source. To awaken even for a moment is to go beyond appearance and emptiness. http://www.plotinus.com/hsin_hsin_ming.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 19:28:39
HSIN - HSIN MING
Changes that seem to occur in the empty world we make real only because of our ignorance.
Do not seek for the truth; only cease to cherish opinions.
Do not remain in a dualistic state; avoid such easy habits carefully. If you attach even to a trace of this and that, of right and wrong, the Mind-essence will be lost in confusion. Although all dualities arise from the One, do not be attached even to ideas of this One.
When the mind exists undisturbed in the Way, there is no objection to anything in the world; and when there is no objection to anything, things cease to be—in the old way. When no discriminating attachment arises, the old mind ceases to exist. Let go of things as separate existences and mind too vanishes. Likewise when the thinking subject vanishes so too do the objects created by mind.
An excerpt from the beautiful and inspirational small book : HSIN - HSIN MING written by the Third Zen Patriarch SEN - TS'AN and translated from the Chinese by Richard B. Clarke White Pine Press - Buffalo, New York.
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WHAT IS ADVAITA ?
WHAT IS ADVAITA? Advaita means in Sanskrit "non-duality"; a state that can be ascribed to God or the Absolute alone. It is not accessible to reason, for the ego-bound mind in the waking condition cannot step out of the duality of the subject-object relationship. The concept of non-duality has acquired meaning in the West through the latest discoveries of nuclear physics. Advaita-Vedànta, (in Sanskript) represents one of the three Systems of thought in Vedânta; its most important representative is —> Shankara. Advaita-Vedànta teaches that the manifest creation, the soul, and God are identical. Just as particle physicists have discovered that matter consists of continually moving fields of energy, so the sages (rishis) of Vedânta recognized that reality consists of energy in the form of consciousness (—» chit) and that human begins perceive a gross universe by means of gross senses, because of identification with the ego-limited body. That which is real and unchanging is superimposed in the mind (—* vikshepa) by the notion of an ever-changing manifest world of names and shapes (—> nàmarùpa).
Shankara's best-known example is the piece of rope that in the dark is taken for a snake. Anxiety, repugnance, heart palpitations are induced by a snake that was never born and never will die, but that exists only in one's mind. Once the rope is recognized under light as a rope, it cannot turn back into a snake. The initial error involves not only nescience of what is, but also the superimposition (vikshepa) of a notion that has nothing to do with what is. Advaita teaches that we in essence of the ritual, understood beyond the mere enactment of the rite, which in reality serves to prepare and sustains the practice of contemplation. For more reading on this subject I would recommend books written by these authors Ramana MaharshiSri Nisargadatta Maharaj - Ramesh S.Balsekar.
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WHAT IS ADVAITA ?
Ramesh Balsekar
Sayings of Ramesh from his daily meditation book: "A Net of Jewels" The sage lives in complete apprehension of the fact that there is no individual doing anything, whether it be writing, walking, talking or anything else. Thus, he may be said to walk a thousand miles without setting a foot outside of his house or speak for forty years without saying a word. The human being as an entity is only the result of thought, of the accumulated and constantly repeating conditioning that there is something in us which survives through time. Thus our private identity has been established in each of us as our own personal tradition. Thought, desire and fear are all based on time or duration through memory - they are not of the present moment. They dis-appear along with time itself when voli-tion has been abandoned or surrendered. The nature of Consciousness is such that it simultaneously pervades the past, pres-ent and future and can experience infinite varieties of universes. But all is merely the play of Consciousness itself. Man frees himself from the world, its ills, its suffering, its chaos simply by seeing the absurdity of it all. The ultimate understanding can come neither by straining to hang on to the material pleasures of the world nor by making efforts to seek and grasp the infi-nite Absolute. It comes by recognizing that the universe is the objective body of the subjective SELF. The only condition for the realization of Truth is that the knowledge of it be de-sired with tremendous intensity. You can-not see IT, you cannot feel IT, you cannot feel IT only because you do not really want IT - you are too preoccupied with enjoying and sorrow-ing over your finite existence. The sense of being alive, being present, is so intoxicating that one is enchanted by the manifestation it presents and gets so involved as to forget to find out if the spectacle really exists or is merely a hallucination, a dream, a mirage. Space and time, male and female, subject and object, being and nonbeing — all are lost in the flood of Realization. Intellect is what brings about the sense of fear, because it is the intellect that rejects change and wants security. It is the swallowing up of all differences that brings into light and points the finger at our impersonal source - the true nature of what we ARE. It is a curious fact that one's chances of survival are best when there is no anxiety to survive. There is a http://www.plotinus.com/advaita.htm (2 of 3)14-2-2005 19:29:19
WHAT IS ADVAITA ?
special effectiveness or power of virtuality that is available to those who do not exhaust and dissipate themselves with anxiety. The subtlety, however, is that anxiety also includes any positive effort to eliminate anxiety and this is precisely where true under-standing comes into its own by accepting wholeheartedly whatever life brings without resistance or recoil. The word "surrender" is used where there is a duality between "me" and God. When this surrender happens, this will, which we think of as ours drops off, and there is total acceptance that all that pre-vails is His Will. However much we think and believe that we're living our own lives, the fact of the matter is that our lives are being lived. It is impossible for the human intellect to understand the working of the universe. When you stop searching and let the impersonal consciousness take over, then it lets you in on the mystery of its own source, and you will know that things have no substance When you stop searching and let the impersonal consciousness take over, then it lets you in on the mystery of its own source, and you will know that things have no substance 02/02/05 Note: The extracts contained here are for personal use only, and may not be reproduced for commercial distribution. All his books can be purchased at Advaita Fellowship Store:
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Ramana Maharshi - Questions and Answers
Guru and His Grace
Ramana Maharshi
• Questioner. What is Guru-kripa ? How does it lead to Self-realization? • Maharshi. Guru is the Self.... Sometimes in his life a man becomes dissatisfied with it, and, not content with what he has, he seeks the satisfaction of his desires, through prayer to God etc. His mind is gradually purified until he longs to know God, more to obtain His Grace than to satisfy his worldly desires. Then, God's Grace begins to manifest. God takes the form of a Gu:ru and appears to the devotee, teaches him the Truth and, moreover, purifies his mind by association. The devotee's mind gains strength and is then able to turn inward. By meditation it is further purified and it remains still without the least ripple. That calm Expanse is the Self.The Guru is both 'external' and 'internal'. From the 'exterior' He gives a push to the mind to turn inward; from the 'interior' He pulls the mind towards the Self and helps in the quieting of the mind. That is Guru-kripa. There is no difference between God, Guru and the Self. • Questioner. In the Theosophical Society they meditate in order to seek Masters to guide them. • Maharshi. The Master is within; meditation is meant to remove the ignorant idea that He is only outside. If He be a stranger whom you await, He is bound to disappear also. Where is the use for a transient being like that ? But as long as you think you are separate or that you are the body, so long is the Master 'without' also necessary, and He will appear as if with a body. When the wrong identification of oneself with the body ceases, the Master will be found as none other than the Self. • Q . Will the Guru help us to know the Self through initiation etc.? • M . Does the Guru hold you by the hand and whisper in the ear? You may imagine him to be what you are yourself. Because you think you are with a body, you think He has also a body, to do something tangible to you. His work lies within, in the spiritual realm. • Q. How is the Guru found? • M. God, Who is immanent, in His Grace takes pity on the loving devotee and manifests Himself according to the devotee's development. The devotee thinks that He is a man and expects a relationship as between two physical bodies. But the Guru, who is God or the Self Incarnate, works from within, helps the man to see the error of his ways and guides him in the right path until he realizes the Self within. http://www.plotinus.com/advaita_questions.htm (1 of 4)14-2-2005 19:29:56
Ramana Maharshi - Questions and Answers
• Q. What should the devotee do then? • M. He has only to act up to the words of the Master and work within. The Master is both 'within' and 'without', so He creates conditions to drive you inward and at the same time prepares the 'interior' to drag you to the Center. Thus He gives a push from 'without' and exerts a pull from 'within', so that you may be fixed at the Center. You think that the world can be conquered by your own efforts. When you are frustrated externally and are driven inwards, you feel 'Oh! there is a Power Higher than man!' The ego is like a very powerful elephant which cannot be brought under control by any less powerful than a lion, which, in this instance, is no other than the Guru, Whose very look makes the elephant-like ego tremble and die. You will know in due course that your glory lies where you cease to exist. In order to gain that State, you should surrender yourself. Then the Master sees that you are in a fit state to receive guidance, and He guides you. • Q. How can the Silence of the Guru, Who gives no initiation nor does any other tangible act, be more powerful than His word etc. ? How is such Silence better than the study of Scriptures ? • M. Silence is the most potent form of work. However vast and emphatic the Scriptures may be, they fail in their effect. The Guru is Quiet and Grace prevails in all. This Silence is more vast and more emphatic than all the Scriptures put together. • Q. But can the devotee obtain Happiness ? • M. The devotee surrenders himself to the Master and it means that there is no vestige of individuality retained by him. If the surrender is complete, all sense of self is lost, and then there can be no misery or sorrow. The Eternal Being is nothing but Happiness. That comes as a Revelation. • Q. How can I obtain Grace ? • M. Grace is the Self. That also is not to be acquired: you only need to know that it exists. The sun is brightness only. It does not see darkness. Yet you speak of darkness fleeing on the sun's approach. So also the devotee's ignorance, like the phantom of darkness vanishes at the look of the Guru. You are surrounded by sun-light; yet if you would see the sun, you must turn in its direction and look at it. So also Grace is found by the proper approach you make, though it is here and now. • Q. Cannot Grace hasten ripeness in the seeker? • M. Leave it all to the Master. Surrender to Him without reserve. One of two things must be done: either surrender yourself, because you realize your inability and need a Higher Power to help you; or investigate into the cause of misery, go into the Source and so merge in the Self. Either way, you will be free from misery. God or Guru never forsakes the devotee who has surrendered himself. • Q. What is the significance of prostration to the Guru or God? • M. Prostration signifies the subsidence of the ego, and it means merging into the Source. God or Guru cannot be deceived by outward genuflexions, bowing and prostrations. He sees whether the ego is there or not. • Q. Will not Bhagavan give me some Prasad from His leaf as a mark of His Grace ? • M. Eat without thinking of the ego. Then what you eat becomes Bhagavan's Prasad. • Q. Is not the literate man better qualified for Enlightenment in the sense that he stands in no need of Guru-kripat • M. Even a learned man must bow before the illiterate sage. Illiteracy is ignorance and education is learned ignorance. Both are ignorant of the true Aim. The Sage is ignorant in a different line. He is ignorant because there is no 'other' for Him.
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Ramana Maharshi - Questions and Answers
• Q. Is it not to obtain the Guru's Grace that presents are offered to Him? So, the visitors offer presents to Bhagavan. • M. Why do they bring presents? Do I want them? Even if I refuse, they thrust the presents on me! What for ? Is it not like giving a bait to catch the fish? Is the angler anxious to feed them? No, he is anxious to feed on the fish! • Q. Is the Theosophical idea of giving successive initiations before attaining Moksha true? • M. Those who attain Moksha in one life must have passed through all the initiations in their former lives. • Q. Theosophy says that Jnanis after death have to choose four or five lines of work, not necessarily in this world. What is Bhagavan's opinion? • M. Some may take up work, but not all. • Q. Are you conscious of a Brotherhood of invisible Rishis ? • M. If invisible, how can you see them ? • Q. In consciousness. • M. There is nothing external in Consciousness. • Q. Can I realize them ? • M. If you realize your own Reality, then that of the Rishis and Masters will become clear to you. There is only one Master, and that is the Self. • Q. Is reincarnation true ? • M. Reincarnation exists only so long as there is ignorance. There is really no reincarnation at all, either now or before. Nor will there be any hereafter. This is the truth. • Q. Can a Yogi know his past lives ? • M. Do you know the present life that you wish to know the past? Find the present, then the rest will follow. Even with our present limited knowledge, you suffer so much; why should you burden yourself with more knowledge? Is it to suffer more? • Q Does Bhagavan use occult powers to make others realize the Self, or is the mere fact of Bhagavan's Realization enough for that? • M. The Spiritual force of Self-realization is far more powerful than the use of all the occult powers. Inasmuch as there is no ego in the Sage, there are no 'others' for Him. What is the highest benefit that can be conferred on you? It is Happiness, and Happiness is born of Peace. Peace can reign only where there is no disturbance, and disturbance is due to thoughts that arise in the mind. When the mind itself is absent, there will be perfect Peace. Unless a person has annihilated the mind, he cannot gain Peace and be Happy. And unless he himself be Happy, he cannot bestow Happiness on 'others'. Since however there are no 'others' for the Sage who has no mind, the mere fact of His Self-realization is itself enough to make the 'others' Happy. Note: The extracts contained here are for personal use only, and may not be reproduced for commercial distribution.) Excerpt from "The Spiritual Teachings of Ramana Maharshi''
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JIVANMUKTI - ADVAITA
WHAT IS ADVAITA? “Jivanmukti in transformation” by Andrew O. Fort.
Here I will focus on the traditional Advaitic, not the neo-Vedantic, conception. In traditional Advaita (nondual) Vedanta, liberation (moksa, mukti) is, broadly, release from bondage to the cycle of transmigratory existence (samsara). This realm of phenomenal appearance is experienced by embodied beings due to ignorance (avidya) of their true nature; this ignorance causes desire-filled action (karma) continually binding them to the transmigratory cycle. One gains release through immediate knowledge (vidya, jnana) of partless, pervasive, unchanging, and self-luminous reality known as Brahman. Brahman is realized to be one's true self (atman), this self is not tied to the body or intellect and is free from all limitation and sorrow. Such knowledge rises through proper understanding of sacred texts, not by devotion or works. Jivanmukti is knowing, while still in the body, that you are really the eternal nondual self (which is Brahman), and knowing further that the self is never embodied, since the body (and all world appearance) is not ultimately real. Somewhat like a reflection in a mirror, the world appears and exists, but it is not finally real. One is bound to the realm of transmigratory existence by (karma-bearing) ignorance, not by the body, and liberation arises from knowledge, not from dropping the body. Knowledge alone is the necessary and sufficient condition for liberation. Thus our problem is not the presence of a body, but identification of the quality (less) self with the conditioned body. Believing you are the body, and that the body is real, is the cause of (re)-embodiment. Since destroying this idea that the self is embodied, not the fall of the body, brings liberation, we can conclude that knowing the self's identity with Brahman does not contradict bodily existence though cessation of ignorance will eventually bring eternal release from the body. If, from this perspective, the one true liberation is freedom from the bonds of ignorance, then the presence or absence of the body is (in a sense) irrelevant. However, looking more closely, a (human) body is in fact useful and even necessary, since it provides the vehicle for liberation. One might underline here that Advaitins say little about the liberation of divine beings. In his chapter in Living Liberation in Hindu Thought, Lance Nelson makes a fascinating argument, never made
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within Advaita, for regarding Advaitic isvara as a jivanmukta, as both are free from ignorance and ego-ism, although the jivanmukta is not a cosmic creator or controller and has a trace of karma remaining. In the Bhagavad-Gita, the person with firm wisdom, is said to act with egoless detachment, like Krishna himself. Perhaps even more interesting is the idea that isvara, like the jivanmukta, is limited by being in samsara: he is constrained by the karma of creatures and the necessity of conforming to name and form arising from ignorance (as mentioned in Sankara's commentary on Brahmasutra II. 1. 14). Thus, as Nelson writes, isvara is, "like the jivanmukta, liberated but somehow not yet fully liberated." Both await final bodiless (videha) release, but the lord will actually have to wait far longer than a human. Such an unwelcome conclusion is perhaps why this idea was never explored within the tradition. To return to the issue of human embodiment, one sees a tension in Advaitic thought between the idea that all mukti is necessarily originally jivanmukti because one becomes liberated (i.e., gains knowledge) only when in a body, with mind and senses, and the notion, consistent with the world-denying aspect of Advaita (in which one finds empirical experience regularly compared to an illusion, a dream, or an eye defect), that full liberation is only gained after death (sometimes, generally in Yogic Advaita, called videhamukti). Because Advaita's non-dualism devalues empirical reality (unlike the in-theworld monism of Tantra or Kasmiri Saivism), it is unsurprising to find a variety of statements in Advaita that imply that bodiless liberation must be superior to embodied mukti, since the body is the locus of bondage; it inevitably decays and is not the self. It is said to be just a shadow, like a shed skin of a snake, or a piece of burnt cloth. This tension is related to the fact that the notion of liberation solely as knoediate liberation (sadyomukti), annihilating all karma, including the body. Since the body does not cease when knowledge rises, ignorance of some form must remain, and how can there be avidya post-vidya? This question can be said to be the central problem in the Advaitic conception of jivanmukti. It is so serious because Advaitins largely accept that there is total opposition between, rather than degrees of, knowledge and ignorance. They sometimes use the analogy of the opposition of d wledge of brahman/atman identity is quite different from another important Indian conception of liberation that finds resonances in Advaita: that of mukti as freedom from the inevitable suffering of transmigratory existence samsara) or as the absence of pain. This more "negative" idea of liberation generally requires some form of world renunciation that normally includes some kind of yogic practice and ends in perfect isolation of the spirit. From this perspective, the body is quite a significant limitation, since only when free from embodiment can one gain freedom from suffering (the final goal). Still, until we reach what I call the "Yogic Advaita" of the Yogavasistha and the Jivanmuktiviveka, the relative absence of reference to yogic practices and meditation is remarkable. I will point out later that to Advaitins like Sankara, meditation is a helpful support for attaining liberating Brahman knowledge, but it is still an action of a deluded individual agent in the dualistic realm of means and ends. The notion of liberation as absence of suffering and sorrow (and thus embodiment) raises an important question: If liberated, why is one still in a body? From the earliest Upanisads on, many strands of the Hindu tradition shared the notion that being embodied impedes release and that death brings it. Despite the Advaita position that knowledge and not embodiment is the key issue, a thoughtful reader can argue that a rationale for continued embodiment is needed to satisfy both reason and experience. Experience seems to show that embodiment inevitably entails suffering, disease, and seeing illusory duality. It is reasonable to hold that none of these should exist for a truly liberated being. Holding to embodied liberation also presents some problems for basic Advaitic doctrines. To Advaitins, the body is a result of prior activity (karma)," which is part of ignorance (avidya), and thus is in some sense opposed to knowledge (vidya). Gaining knowledge of nondual Brahman is said to destroy ignorance, thus it should bring imm arkness and light. Yet while light and darkness can be said to be opposed, one can also point to twilight, and other degrees
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JIVANMUKTI - ADVAITA
of light and dark. This response is, of course, an argument from everyday experience, used to counter a theoretical problem.
Advaitin Rationales for Embodiment after Liberation There are at least three answers to the problem of the continuity of embodiment post-realization, an issue that received a great deal of attention in later Advaita. The first answer is that you are "bodiless" while embodied, when you know the self is not the body. As Sankara states in his BS I. 1.4 commentary, embodiment (sasariratva) is caused by ignorance, that is, identifying body and self. Knowing that the eternal self is not and never was embodied shows one is by nature eternally bodiless (asrira), so the knower is in a sense asarira while living (or "bodiless" while embodied). Bodilessness is complete detachment, not lack of a physical body. As BdUTV. 4. 7 states, the body is to a Brahman-knower like a castoff skin is to a snake. Put another way, the body "disappears" for the knower (as in sleep or lose consciousness, swoon), although the knower's body doesn't disappear. The second answer focuses on a more practical point: jivanmukti exists so that we can learn from enlightened teachers, who compassionately remain in a body to assist ignorant humans. Sankara mentions such teachers in Chandogya Upanisad bhasya VI. 14. 2 (the acarya who removes the blindfold of delusion that one is a body) and BaU bhasya II. 1. 20 (the young hunter [embodied being] is awakened to his true nature as a prince [supreme Brahman] by a teacher). Vimuktatman, following Sankara, adds Gita IV. 34, which says that only the wise sages who realize the truth teach the highest knowledge. We could not know about (or reach) liberation unless enlightened teachers exist, and they could not exist if the body falls immediately after knowledge. This would at least be the case according to the all-or-nothing view of vidya. In everyday experience, we actually see many teachers without perfect knowledge helping those with even less knowledge. Also, if (as Advaitins argue) sruti reveals nondual Brahman, we could learn about moksa from a nonhuman source, interestingly, both Sarvajnatman (chapter 3) and Prakasananda argue for the idea that, from the highest perspective, the liberated teacher is only imagined yet can still bring liberation to the ignorant. Modem neo-Vedantins make much of the role of enlightened teachers, and add another rationale for a jivanmukta's continuing existence here to provide selfless social service to suffering humanity. There is little discussion of the idea that the liberated being would return to teach or help when the current embodiment ends. This certainly differentiates jivanmukti from the Buddhist bodhisattva ideal. Sankara opens this possibility once, in response to BS III. 3. 32, which suggests a being might take birth again if there is a commission (adhikara) to perform. The third explanation for the body's continuation after liberation is given great attention in the later Advaita scholastic tradition. It begins with the general rule that when Brahman is known, all ignorance (and thus karma) is destroyed, so how can the karma-based body continue? Later Advaitins assert that a remnant or trace of avidya can exist even after one gains release; this remnant is based on karma whose fruits have already commenced manifestation (prarabdha karma). Before one's final disembodiment, one must experience "enjoy," the fruits of those actions, which cannot be removed by knowledge. Put another way (following Sankara in Ch U bhasya VI. 14. 2), one can know Brahman without quite yet attaining Brahman. This interpretation is much elaborated on in later Advaita and requires further explanation. Most important is that, for Advaitins, there are three kinds of karma, only two of which are removed by knowledge. The first is samcita karma, the accumulated mass of past karma that has not yet borne fruit. Knowledge bums all such karma. The second is agami karma, karma to be obtained in this life that would bear fruit in the future. After Brahman knowledge, this karma will not bind, since the false notion of agency has disappeared (so it seems that "backsliding" is not possible). The third type of karma, mentioned earlier is currently manifesting or prarabdha karma. Such karma, which produced the current body, is not destroyed by knowledge and must bear fruit before the body falls. http://www.plotinus.com/jivanmukti.htm (3 of 4)14-2-2005 19:30:36
JIVANMUKTI - ADVAITA
(This is an excerpt from the book of Andrew O. Fort. “Jivanmukti in transformation” it is a part of the Introduction – What is Jivanmukti? - a very interesting book - State University of New York Press )
Glossary ●
●
Jivamukti means liberated while still in the body by means of discrimination
Mukti – Moksha means the final liberation and release from karma and the cycle of life and death through the union with God or the knowledge of the ultimate reality.
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THE PROCESS OF ENLIGHTENMENT
THE PROCESS OF ENLIGHTENMENT Consciousness is all there is… Consciousness is the manifestation of Pure Being. Consciousness creates the world in which we live and have our being. Just like a mirror, Consciousness reflects things on its own surface. It would be interesting to compare the characteristics of a mirror with those of Consciousness and what is really perceived on the “mirror” of consciousness. There is a Buddhist saying that explains Consciousness and Enlightenment. It describes Consciousness as having three levels. The first level of consciousness is about how an individual sees and understands the world as something outside of him. In other words, he himself is the subject observing objects. The second level of consciousness is about a certain degree of awakening. The individual’s consciousness realizes that the way he sees and understands what goes on around him depends on the level of awakening of his own consciousness. He knows that he is the one who projects reality and gives meaning to his world. Finally, the third level Consciousness allows one to fully understand that the only truth is that Consciousness is the Creator of Creation and that without consciousness nothing can exist.
Here is the summary of that Buddhist saying: it goes like this: In the first degree, first, mountains and rivers are seen as mountains and rivers. This statement represents an individual identifying himself as the subject and seeing an object. In this case the individual is totally involved as a subject with whatever he is perceiving and observing as an object. This is what the ordinary person does. In the second degree of Consciousness awakening, mountains and rivers are no longer seen as mountains and rivers. Objects are seen as the mirrored projection of the subject. They are perceived as illusory objects in Consciousness and therefore unreal. Finally, in the third degree of awakening or Enlightenment, mountains and rivers are once more seen as mountains and rivers. That is, when the individual is awakened and whatever is perceived is known as Consciousness itself manifesting as mountains and rivers. Subject and objects are not seen as being separate. Let us try to explain the three levels of Consciousness in more detail. In the first level of consciousness it is the ego that replaces Consciousness and is under the illusion that it is the perceiver and therefore the subject observing the world of manifestation. And therefore in this case, http://www.plotinus.com/enlightenment.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 19:31:06
THE PROCESS OF ENLIGHTENMENT
mountains and rivers are seen as separate realities. In the second level of consciousness the awakening process allows the ego to realize that mountains and rivers and the whole world that exists around it is just like a dream and unreal, hence, in this case the view of the individual changes. He sees everything around him as unreal because, as the subject, his ego becomes more aware of the Presence of Consciousness within and gradually an inner transformation takes place that makes things appear to be quite different. When understanding rises to this level, there is a release of pressure generated by his own ego and a sense of freedom appears on the surface of consciousness. He wants the whole world to know about what his discovery. He wants to broadcast that everyone is a world to himself, everyone creates his own world and therefore, he is convinced and wants to communicate and convince others that the truth is that each person creates a world of illusion! There is no real world as such, since each individual will have a different view of it. Therefore, for such a person mountains and rivers do not exist, they are seen as illusions. Moreover, he feels the need to change the world and tries to convince others to see the world in the same way as he does. He advises and tells them what to do and how to change. He still hasn’t realized that no matter how illuminated he is, he cannot pass his experiences to others, he can change no one, because real change can only come from within each person. However, it is his ego that wants to change the world and therefore he goes around creating problems for him-self. In the final awakening stage, the individual realizes that everything that he sees depends on consciousness, the pure impersonal level of Consciousness that permeates everyone and everything. He realizes that as an ego he cannot perceive anything. Everything that he becomes aware of is perceived and created by Consciousness. He recognizes that everything that he perceives around him is perceived not by his thinking self, (the ego) but by Consciousness. And suddenly it dawns on him that the true perceiver in him is Impersonal Consciousness - the same Consciousness that creates and manifests everything in the Universe – the same Universal Consciousness that identifies everything created by itself. Therefore the enlightened individual realizes that the only thing that exists is Impersonal Consciousness without which nothing could exist. Since the Creator of manifestation and the Created manifestation are both the same. There is no more, subject and no more object, since Impersonal Consciousness is the creator and Consciousness is the perceiver. This level of awakening is what is sometimes referred to as Enlightenment, the ultimate realization that makes Mountains and Rivers and the whole world unreal, but, also real! We have said that the world is real for the ego that sees itself as the subject and things as perceived as objects. However, the world is also unreal in the sense that it is dependent on Consciousness for its existence. It has no independent existence of its own. Hence the world can only exist when it is identified by Consciousness. If every human being and every animal suddenly became unconscious, who's to say that there is a world? The world not only wouldn't appear, but it wouldn't exist. Let us take the mirror as an example…let us say that consciousness is the mirror, the quality and function of a mirror is to reflect whatever appears on its surface. In the same manner, objects appear reflect and disappear on the surface of consciousness… this is clear. However, Whatever appears on the surface of the mirror is still part of the mirror… since nothing has been added to the surface of the mirror… whatever appears on its surface is still part of the same material as the mirror. If however nothing appears on the surface of the mirror the reason is simply that there is nothing reflecting on it, but still the mirror remains the mirror. In the same manner, consciousness has two aspects, an active one on which manifestations appear all the time and a passive aspect on which nothing appears. The first aspect concerns the waking state of being, in other words it concerns our daily activities and also our dreaming activities during the night. In this state, Consciousness witnesses its own activities through the reflections of all kinds of manifestations on its own surface (just like a mirror). In its passive state, Consciousness seems to disappear because this level concerns the process of deep sleep, unconsciousness and death. In this case, Consciousness remains in the recesses of its own Nature, which is the pure essence of Being, the Source of the “I AM”. In this instance Consciousness cannot reflect itself and as a result it remains as the formless Presence of Being. In this condition, as human beings, we remain unconscious of our true Nature, since Consciousness does not reflect its own Presence and has nothing to manifest and reflect its own nature. If as we have described the Universal Consciousness is the sole creator and reflector of all manifestations in creation, then where do we fit in the scheme of creation? What role do we have to play as individuals? The http://www.plotinus.com/enlightenment.htm (2 of 3)14-2-2005 19:31:06
THE PROCESS OF ENLIGHTENMENT
answer is simply that we have to realize that the ego itself is a reflection and a manifestation of consciousness. Our “role” as individuals is to allow Consciousness to reflect itself through us…and through Creation In the same spirit, we could add for those who have read the essays on the Perfect Mold and the Perfect Model that both represent manifestations of the Impersonal Consciousness in an individual that is about to be enlightened. Both of them represent the Impersonal level of Consciousness manifesting and recognizing itself in an individual. So, we could ask ourselves how could we explain what is real and what is unreal? How could we explain this paradox? Here is an analogy that will explain it. During the day, the sun shines on everything and at times casts shadows, on trees for example. In this instance, could we say that the shadows of the trees are real? Yes they are, since we can see them. But what happens when the sun disappears, the shadows disappear also… Hence shadows are both real and unreal at the same time. All manifestation is dependent on Consciousness for its existence. In the same way when in deep sleep, in a coma or dead, consciousness seems to disappear and becomes unreal. However, conversely, when a child is born, or when we are conscious of being awake, active consciousness seems to be present and seems to us to be real. The truth is that the essence of Consciousness is inherent in all creation and it also transcends it, since it is also the Source of all manifestation.
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ACCEPTANCE AND SURRENDER
ACCEPTANCE AND SURRENDER Ramesh says that acceptance is more of a jnana process, and surrender is more of a bhakti process, and that dispassion is another term for the same two processes. "They really mean living in the present moment without being attached to anything. He has many stories that illustrate this point. "There was a saintly man, a Sufi. He lived his life quietly in his own small house. Then one of the neighboring young women got pregnant and she gave birth to a child. Everyone wanted to know who the father was. She didn't want to give up the name of her lover, so she gave the name of the Sufi. The community then insisted that the Sufi bring up the child. They came to him and he said, ‘All right, leave the child’. He brought up the child with whatever means he had. Two or three years later, the mother relented and she was sorry. She and her lover got married and they confessed that the Sufi was not the father of the child. They went to the Sufi and said, ‘We are very sorry that we made this mistake. Please give us the child back.’ He said, ‘Take it’.
These two anecdotes of Ramana Maharshi's are examples of deep acceptance of whatever is going to occur. "Perhaps even more relevant and pertinent, and I would say shocking in modern times, is the answer given by Ramana Maharshi to a query put to him by a sincere young seeker. The seeker said, ‘I am carried away by the sight of the breasts of a young woman neighbor and I am afraid of committing adultery with her’. He implored Ramana Maharshi, ‘Please tell me what I should do’. The answer given by Ramana was amazingly straightforward. He said, ‘You are always pure. It is your senses and body which tempt you, and which you confuse with your real self. So first know who is tempted and who is there to tempt. But even if adultery does take place, do not think about it afterwards because you yourself are always pure. You need not feel guilty. You are not the sinner’. "Some robbers came into Ramana Maharshi's place and beat up many people including Ramana Maharshi. http://www.plotinus.com/acceptance_surrender.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 19:31:46
ACCEPTANCE AND SURRENDER
His comment was. ‘You all worship me with flowers; they worship me with a stick. That is also a form of worship. If I accept yours, should I not accept theirs as well?’ The following stories continue the illustration of acceptance of the nature of things. ‘A Brahmin was having his bath in the river. Then he noticed a scorpion almost drowning. So he lifted the scorpion and put it on the ground. But before he could put it on the ground, the scorpion bit his hand. Many people were sitting around and some said to him, ‘What have you achieved? You have spared him only to get yourself bitten’. His answer was, ‘I did what I had to do according to my nature. The scorpion did what it had to do according to its nature’. ‘A rabbi who had the Understanding lived in a tiny room with no stools to sit on and a desk which served as his bed at night. Anybody who came to see him had to sit on the ground or stand to talk. One of his visitors said, ‘Rabbi, where is your furniture?’ The rabbi said, ‘Where is yours?’ The visitor replied, ‘I am only passing through.’ The rabbi replied, ‘So am I.’ This is a famous Zen story which Ramesh frequently quotes. ‘A farmer lived in the days when fighting was going on between small kingdoms in China. This farmer had a son. His son, with the aid of the horse, was tilling a small field. One day the horse ran away. The neighbors came and said, 'It's a very bad thing. You have such bad luck.’ The farmer said, ‘Maybe.’ So the next day the horse came back with half a dozen other wild horses. The neighbors came again and they said, ‘What tremendous luck.’ So he said, ‘Maybe.’ On the third day the son, while trying to ride one of the wild horses, fell and broke his leg. Again, the neighbors came and said what bad luck it was, and the farmer said, ‘Maybe.’ The next day the king's people came to recruit strong healthy farmers into the army. When they found this farmer's son with a broken leg they left him alone. So, again, the neighbors came and said it wasn't such bad luck after all and that everything had turned out well. The farmer said, again, ‘Maybe.’’
Mandala by Rahul Gajjar
This metaphor is by Chuang Tzu, and is called ‘The Empty Boat.’ "He who rules men lives in confusion. He who is ruled by men lives in sorrow. The Tao therefore desires neither to influence others nor to be influenced by them. The way to get clear of confusion and free of sorrow is to live with Tao in the land of the great void. If a man is crossing a river and an empty boat collides with his own skiff, even though he be a bad-tempered man, he will not become very angry. But if he sees a man in the boat he will shout at him to steer clear. If the shout is not heard, he will shout again and yet again, and begin cursing. Yet, if the boat were empty he would not be shouting and not angry. If you can empty your own boat, crossing the river of the world, no one will oppose you. No one will seek to harm you. He who can free himself from achievement and from pain descends and is lost amid the masses of men. He will flow like Tao, unseen. He will go about like life itself, with no name and no home. Simple is he without destination. To all appearances he is a fool. His steps leave no trace. He has no power. He achieves nothing. He has no reputation. Since he judges no one, no one judges him. Such is the perfect man. His boat is empty."
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ACCEPTANCE AND SURRENDER
‘Being unattached is quite different than being an ascetic’ - Ramesh says about the following story. ‘King Janaka still worked as a king after enlightenment happened. He did all his kingly duties, including the pleasures and the entertainment that came with his role. Once a guru had a disciple with a great deal of understanding, but who put a great deal of importance in asceticism. The guru sent the disciple to King Janaka. The disciple arrived at King Janaka's court in the evening and he found the king enjoying his usual entertainment. There was a feast going on, girls dancing, and everything that was expected of a king. So this disciple said, ‘Why has my guru sent me here? This is just entertainment. King Janaka is enjoying all this just like a rich man. ‘King Janaka said to him, ‘Go and rest for the night. In the morning at six o'clock I'll pick you up and we'll go for a walk in the garden and talk about things which your guru has asked you to discuss with me. So the next morning King Janaka picked up this disciple. As they started walking the disciple noticed a big fire in the quarters where he had spent the night. He said to the king, ‘Your Majesty, there's a fire there.’ The king said, ‘Yes, yes, yes. Let's go on and talk. They go a little further and the disciple says again, ‘There is a fire there!’ And the king says, ‘Yes, yes. Let's talk.’ The disciple takes a few more steps and then he couldn't wait any longer. So he said, ‘Your majesty, you may have many clothes, but my only other loincloth is in there, hanging on a string and drying.’
Ramesh Balsekar
An Excerpt from the Unique Teaching of Ramesh S. Balsekar "It So Happened That". Edited by Mary Ciofalo - Published by Zen Publications You can purchase Ramesh Balsekar's books at: Advaita
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SUBJECTIVITY TOOL OF CONSCIOUSNESS
What is subjectivity? Subjectivity is the manifestation of Consciousness
We are told by Buddhist sages that samsara and nirvana, the manifest and the unmanifest, being and non-being and all such interdependent concepts are not things or objects created in a world filled with appearances and observable facts, but are two different modes of seeing subjectively, in fact, both can only be perceived subjectively and for this reason remain inseparable in Consciousness as pure Subjectivity. Hence, the declaration of the Buddha that: "Nirvana and samsara are not two." Therefore, we can understand that both aspects of subjectivity are ways of understanding and expressing Consciousness. That is why, Nirvana and samsara are two different modes of being conscious: one works through perception and the other through gnosis or apperception. Hence, we realize that Nirvana and samsara can only be experienced through Consciousness. However, Consciousness needs the tool of our subjective self, without it nothing can be reflected, or experienced. Nevertheless, both are inseparable and need each other, since they are both the two complementary elements forming our subjectivity. We could once more use the metaphor of a mirror and say that the mirror represents Consciousness, but more to the point, it is the matter and stuff that makes a mirror. In this example, we can observe that the polished surface of the mirror represents subjectivity on which everything connected to Nirvana and Samsara reflects. However, when viewed dualistically through the eyes of the ego, meaning through a subject-object relationship, then, both "Nirvana and samsara" are seen as different and conflicting. However, in reality they are both the two interdependent but opposite poles of subjectivity and will remain so as long as we operate as separate ego personalities... in this case, they will remain for ever separate and opposite to each other. What is the reason for this separation and opposition? The reason is that they will remain an opposite pair as long as we do not recognize that both poles are the reflections of subjectivity (like the ripples and waves of the sea) and that the real "Doer" and "Subject" of everything we do is our SUBJECTIVITY and CONSCIOUSNESS. As we explained, the Mirror itself symbolizes Consciousness and its polished surface represents our subjectivity on which Nirvana and samsara reflect. Therefore, we can see that the real subject and doer in life is our subjectivity. This is a crucial point that needs to be meditated and well understood. Hence, we recognize that Consciousness can only act through our subjectivity and on its turn, subjectivity needs the Presence of Consciousness to manifest the Presence of Absolute Being in duality. This is the reason why Raymond Bernard like so many other sages, tells us that awakening means the sudden, instantaneous, intuitive (and therefore subjective) perception that the subject-object relationship is totally illusary and a fantasy of our imagination. In reality, subject and object do not exist except as illusions interpreted in a dualistic fashion. Therefore like all products of the mind they are based on concepts that can change. This is recognized by all sages and they agree in saying that in reality there is neither a perceiver nor a perception – there is only the act of perceiving, which is http://www.plotinus.com/subjectivity.htm (1 of 2)14-2-2005 19:32:17
SUBJECTIVITY TOOL OF CONSCIOUSNESS
the subjective aspect of Consciousness, called sometimes Unicity, pure Consciousness, the Presence or the Void.
Shen Hui a Zen Master says: “It is the absence of the absence of subject and object as phenomena that is the ultimate Truth that awakens.” And Ramesh Balsekar continues by adding: “there is only a subjective happening, never an action done by any entity.”
All thinking must necessarily refer to a person or anything and an event concerning the person or thing. Therefore all thinking is necessarily based on the existence of 'space' and 'time'. But, surely, space-time does not 'exist' objectively. Therefore there cannot be any phenomena or any thinking about anything in the absence of spacetime. And if space-time is not something perceptible or cognizable, it can only be the SUBJECTIVITY - and that is what, surely, we must be: the Noumenon, the Source, spaceless and timeless INTEMPORALITY. The past is an impression, a belief, a memory. The 'future' is a presumption, a conjecture. The 'present' is gone before we can recognize it as such. What is 'present', therefore, can only be 'PRESENCE', outside of horizontal time, in the moment - INTEMPORALITY. (These last two paragraphs are taken from Ramesh Balsekar's new book 'The Ultimate Understanding'.) Books of Ramesh Balsekar can be purchased at : Advaita Fellowship Bookstore
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WHO IS THE SEEKER OF TRUTH
Who is the Seeker of Truth?
Ever since a baby is born and seeks its mother's breast intuitively, life is nothing but seeking — but this is done instinctively, automatically, without the need of thoughts. Hence the question arises – Who is the seeker? Am I in control of my seeking? If seeking is a natural process belonging to nature, could we then say that maybe “I think that I am the seeker, but the truth is that I am not the seeker” - Then, if I am not the Seeker, who is? The answer could be that in reality there is no seeker as such, but instead an impulsive, in-built need to seek something that has been programmed within me. Something within the ego (me) pushes my thought and emotional processes to seek whatever is written in the programming of my Psyche – However, I think that I want to seek something, when in reality it is the impulse within that pushes me to act. An analogy could be helpful here: if we take a computer for example, we know that for it to function it needs to have inbuilt special computer programs. In the same manner, we have as human being an innate, engrained program with which we are born and which I have previously called our natural "blue print" or the "Perfect Model". To make it sound more mystical and nearer to the truth, I have always called this programming with the name of - the Psyche. Each human being has of course a Psyche, which has been programmed before incarnation. Therefore the seeking in human beings depends on the programming, over which, we as human beings have no control. Let us take some examples. There are some people who consider themselves seekers of money. Some seek fame. Some seek power. And some seek among other things to known themselves and to know God. This kind of seeking, let's call it spiritual seeking, or seeking Absolute Being or God, and seeking freedom from the ego — what we call it is immaterial — is happening to everyone through the impulses coming from their Psyche, which bridges and links the Unlimited aspect of Consciousness which is Absolute and Infinite to its “shadow” or limited and subjective aspect that is anchored and engrained in every human being, because each person’s Psyche has been programmed before birth for a certain kind of seeking to happen. Therefore spiritual seeking begins with an individual ego — seeker — seeking enlightenment, or Self-realization, as an object, which will give him or her more pleasure than he or she can ever imagine getting from the material world. That is where it starts. The seeking by the ego for enlightenment can end not with intellectual understanding but only with the absolute understanding intuited in the heart that there never was a seeker, a doer—there never was a seeker for any seeking. There is seeking but no individual seeker. There is doing but no individual doer thereof. That is the end of it! And the end of the seeking can be brought about only by that Power which started the seeking. In other words by the grace of God or Absolute Being Inspired by Ramesh Balsekar - Ramana Maharshi and Wei Wu Wei whose books have been of great importance in my life... http://www.plotinus.com/who_is_the_seeker.htm (1 of 2)14-2-2005 19:32:52
WHO IS THE SEEKER OF TRUTH
My greatest wish is that they can transform yours as well. 02/04/05
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HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
About Human Relationships
Painting by Katherine Ace
To be awaken, one needs to simplify one's life and realize that it is the ego (or the collective thought and emotional patterns) that create a world that separates you from the rest of the world... and thus the process of awakening can never be reached, since "life" then is based on a fabrication of your thoughts and emotions... this is because the ego hasn't yet integrated its real function, which is to SERVE the physical body and protect it... But the ego is also important to help us live in the world and develop interrelations with other things and human beings... So are there ways to help the sincere seeker to change the ego's mental and emotional patterns? Yes there is a very good way of bringing the necessary transformations... and this new way allows you to perceive others differently. Let me explain: In practical daily living, a human being hardly ever lives alone - awaken masters living alone are rare and scarce. In our ordinary lives we usually develop intimate relationships. Such relationships, which seemed perfect for a while, when the two are 'in love', somehow quickly turn into love-hate relationships as arguments and conflicts begin to occur with increasing frequency and intensity. The end result can usually be easily foreseen; divorce, or a break in partnership... Each partner may feel that the next relationship would certainly be better, ... and the same pattern appears with other partners and the ideal picture of what a partner should be evaporates as in a dream... and when this illusion is realized, the interactions amongst humans usually end up into frustration. So what are we to do to change this kind of unhealthy situations? The fact of the matter is that intimate human relationship is basically not any different from any relationship between 'me' and the 'other'. And avoiding any kind of relationship in life is just not feasible or practical, and is just not the answer. The answer is to be sought in seeking the basis of any and every relationship, intimate or otherwise. The basis of a relationship an office colleague, or a cat or a dog that visits you regularly, is truly not different from any intimate relationship. The basic reason for the relationship going unpleasant is the same: the 'other' does something that you do not like, and likes and dislikes must necessarily be different in different people. In other words, the only way a relationship - formal or intimate -can continue smoothly in peace and harmony is when both persons concerned are able to accept that the 'other person' and everyone else in the world has an ego, each with a different "inner programming"... It is this inner programming that http://www.plotinus.com/human_relationships.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 19:33:37
HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
unfolds in one's life... it is this same psyche that dictates to the ego (or mind) how to behave, act and react in life... Hence, it is not the ego personality that lay down the rules of anything...it can only follow inner and outer conditioning and impulses... which are translated into mental thoughts and emotional reactions... the ego is a functioning of a body-mind and in reality it is, we repeat, restricted by the programming in the psyche [or body-mind organism].. By unfolding the inner programming in an individual, the psyche develops gradually an ego from childhood - this ego is also known as the ego personality,. What we have to understand therefore, is that as human beings we are not governed by the ego... but by other factors which are the psyche or inner programming - the persona or ego personality of an individual can only reflect whatever the inner programming allows (some call it karma) in addition to the genes and the conditioning in the body-mind organism... So why is it that we easily make judgment and condemn and criticize others, when we know that the ego reflects only the positive and negative aspects of the psyche and the genes of a person? The only way any relationship with the 'other' (whomever it might be) can function smoothly and harmoniously is for both the partners to understand the unavoidable limitations of the psyche, the genes and environmental conditioning in both body-mind organisms. In practical terms, what this means is that each 'me' must be able to accept that the 'other' truly has no control over what he or she seems to be 'doing'. His/her 'thinking' is based on the programming (psyche, plus genes, plus environmental conditioning) and his/her 'doing' is based only on his/her destiny, or the Will of God or the Source of Being, and this is done according to a conceptual eternal Cosmic Law, the basis of which no human being can ever possibly understand. When you accept that the 'other' has his/her own destiny to unfold and experience... you respect that destiny... you honor that life and let it be... and therefore as a result, you do not interfere... However, you might be asked to give an advice or, you might feel an impulse and a need to do so, and you should go ahead and say it... but will that advise be accepted and taken aboard, will it be taken into account?... This is completely another matter and the outcome should not concerns you anymore... I have applied this philosophy in my life, because I know that it works for me and my husband... I am married and live a very happy and content life with my partner because we both understand and have realized that this Cosmic Law is true... I have a son, a daughter in law and two grandchildren... I know that these children will grow in a certain atmosphere with certain conditioning imposed upon them... will they later in life carry the same conditionings or will these be discarded to be replaced by more powerful conditioning? Or will they have a middle life crisis and decide that the real positive conditioning comes from within? When one reaches this point of no return... one simply enters the Path... that takes one to his/her divine ROOTS... called with different names: the Soul or Consciousness for some the Mind or the Self for others... whichever word you choose is the best one for you... and this is when your QUEST begins... which is to discover your true Self... your true Divine Origin...
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HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Painting by Alan Senior
1- Observe and accept the needs of others... acknowledge that people need to have different experiences to express their inner programming 2 - Contemplate and meditate on the concept that there is a unique Energy that penetrates all creation. Call it what you will: Absolute CONSCIOUSNESS - the UNIVERSAL SOUL - the HIGHER SELF - GOD ... this Unique Energy makes your body-mind, your psyche and ego consciousness stay alive - without that absolute Energy there could be no creation...no universe... no world... no life - this knowledge and realization could be helpful to you in making you empathize with all sentient beings and with the whole of creation ... unfolding gradually in you a deep feeling of compassion and unconditional Love. 3 - Realize that individuals are different from each others because they each have a different inner programming that unfolds in their psyche and manifests in their ego or persona... Each sentient being is an expression of the Source of Being or of God - so can we condemn it...? Each object and sentient being has its place and role to play... be it grand or insignificant to you... Use your intuition and know that there are many truths and reasons for things to be as they are for reasons that are beyond the scope of our understanding.. be humble.... 4 - If you meditate on these points you will soon come to feel very different and therefore you will notice that you are not stressed or frustrated anymore...or at least not as much as before... and this is because you have stopped judging and imposing your points of views and moral values on others and as a result you feel much more energetic - your thoughts and feelings give give you a sense of FREEDOM and You know that you are AWAKE... So ask yourself this crucially important question, which is: How do I perceive the ego now... and what is its role in my life? COPYRIGHTS
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Gnostic Jesus or Jesus the Sun behind the sun
What is Non-dual Action?
Painting by Helene Nelson Reed
A long as there is the sense of oneself as an agent distinct from one's action, that act can only be partial. In other words, when we think that we are the doers, the subject (as an ego, or self) of actions... then whatever we do will be tinted and reality will be masked and distorted by our mental and emotional constructs... In these cases, the fact of thinking that we are the subjects of all our actions and therefore of our mental and emotional patterns imprison us in a world limited by our own creation.... However, when the mental and emotional patterns do not participate in action... or put it differently, when we are not influenced by our past conditioning while doing whatever we are doing.... there is no residue of selfconsciousness...we are action... nothing comes in between to spoil the experience... our mind doesn't come to interfere - nor does our past emotional experience... and as a result the observer is no more...there is only an act of experiencing; this is called WU WEI in Chinese: which is a quiet center within that does not change although activity constantly occurs, as in what Chuang Tzu's wrote: "tranquility in disturbance"., which is as you might have read elsewhere in this website : The central "pole" of Beingness and Presence.... Take the cases of children playing, artists, scientists, a cook, agardener, or someone completely involved and absorbed in doing something... for that person, time and space are non existent...thoughts and feelings disappear... and what remains is only the ACT of doing ... We all have in the past experienced such moments... take some time to meditate on the meaning of "Nondual action" - and you'll be surprised of your insight.... Ask yourself how many times during the day you as an ego find yourself not to be directly involved in what you are doing... just notice that I have written the words: "You are doing...!" - so reflect on your experiences and then decide how many times during the day you were the "non-doer" Try this experience a few times during your daily routine... stop for a moment and remember your meditation on this subject...and reflect on your experiences... take a few notes.... If you want to take this experience a bit further, then take a few moments of meditation and ask yourself the question: "Who or What is PRESENT and ACTS when I am not the doer... who and what IS behind the mask of my ego...?
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Gnostic Jesus or Jesus the Sun behind the sun
02/04/05
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Mystical and Esoteric approach to the Ego and subjectivity
The Ego and Subjectivity
As seekers the first most important thing to realize is the fact that no one is a “doer” – but our interrelationships and conditioning say that we are the subjects and “doers” of everything... and this is why and how the ego begins from childhood to be conditioned in believing that it is the sole responsible of everything that happens to it... that it is a hero or a coward, an artist or a scientist or a nobody.... But these conditioning are based on mental and emotional forms and nothing more than that... The basis of this confusion is the perpetual and persistent feeling that it is the individual seeker - the ego who is responsible for the awakening process, when in reality it is the opposite that is true; in other words, the final awakening is not the achievement of the seeker ... because the seeker has to realize that what he seeks is within and not something “outside” of himself, when the seeker lives this truth... he begins to focus and concentrate on what goes on within... The seeker becomes the observer... of “things” that happen in and around him... However, still there is a “seeker” seeking something within... the process has not ended... In other words, the apparent progress in becoming the observer of what goes on inside and around oneself becomes an obstruction because this apparent progress strengthen the sense of personal “doership”: (like too much work in spiritual psychology - to begin with spiritual psychology is a good thing... but after self analysis and self enquiring... something else has to shift... and happen) The way out, the gateway, is not something the individual seeker can find... The way out can only HAPPEN: and it has to do with the seeker’s inner “programming” which means that there is a sudden shift from objective seeing to subjective seeing – a sudden apperception that there never has been an ego-doer or a ‘me’ doing anything ... the first glimpse of this understanding arise when there is only an intellectual comprehension that no action is anything done by an individual entity, but a divine happening.... this can also be realized by the heart... or both together... however, it is when the honest investigation by the ego, reaches the intellectual understanding and conclusion that the ego with volition and all its desires and wishes is totally unnecessary for any action to happen, for life as we know it happens... this brings the ego to realize that in conclusion there is no individual “doership”...and from there on, the ego’s role changes.... So, in everyday life what happens to the ego that has realized that it is not the “doer” of anything.... is the realization that it is a functioning of Consciousness or (Soul – Higher Self) so that it can protect and interrelate in life... so, the ego come to realize of its own emptiness – which gives it a sense of freedom and a release from all kinds of metal and emotional blockage... the ego identifies completely with the bodymind mechanism, and reacts normally with a name... like “James” or “Alice”... The new experience of the “empty ego” becomes the protector of the Grail cup – the guardian of the sacred container in which pure Consciousness or the Holy Spirit descends... entering enfolding and then unfolding a pure sense of affectivity, empty of pride and arrogance, of guilt and shame, of jealousy and hate. When this transformation happens there is an imperceptible resonance with the Divine – and a radiation that impregnates whoever comes near such a person... http://www.plotinus.com/ego_subjectivity.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 19:36:29
Mystical and Esoteric approach to the Ego and subjectivity
And to conclude: A sage once said to a disciple: “Produce your ego and I shall smash it to bits before your very eyes”... What this means is that what the seeker seeks is not an object, it cannot be seen in three dimensional form, since “enlightenment” or “awakening” is pure SUBJECTIVITY, the Impersonal, universal MIND or CONSCIOUSNESS functioning in each one of us, in a specific and unique “programming” (found in the psyche) totally devoid of the slightest touch of objectivity. In other words, what the seeker seeks is what HE ALREADY IS! what he has always been, and will be... To apperceive this profoundly is to awaken to what is known as “enlightenment” So, I would say that my concept of the ego is that it is a functioning of Consciousness or Mind or Soul... the choice of wording is a personal one... therefore the ego is a necessity.... because to exist as an individual and function properly in the world, one has to live with others and interact with them... therefore one needs to develop an ego.... “A harmless ego”. However, for most people the ego is the “doer” or the subject doing things... and this conditioning of the ego is based on a Cosmic and Natural Law..... It is an illusion lived by the mass of sentient beings, because such is how the world functions... it is again a HAPPENING - a vivid dream lived by Consciousness ... acted by Consciousness... Witnessed by Consciousness Most people need to develop a strong ego to protect themselves from outer and inner perilous and unsafe worlds... so the ego becomes their guardian and their shield. But with divine Will something appears to shift in a few people, the inner process is reversed, and an honest seeking begins to manifest in their lives... and their egos begins to search and seek something beyond their comprehension... this is due because intuition knocks at the door of their intellect and their feelings and it send a clear message that something important is missing.... and as a result the “seeker” makes its appearance and even this “subpersonality” of the seeker or mystic is due to the functioning and the impulses received from their “inner programming” ( and a new way of using the software is discovered) and the ego learns to function differently... accepting that it is a functioning of Consciousness... linked to simply protect the body-mind of sentient beings.... So, Consciousness is the pure impersonal Subjectivity... and it needs an ego to function in the world of duality... (Taken from a message that I had written on the Message Board)
Painting by Fabry
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Mystical and Esoteric approach to the Ego and subjectivity
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The Sage
The Sage
Self Portrait by Nicholas Roerich
The Buddha has given a simple definition of enlightenment or awakening as 'the end of suffering'. Indeed, this definition is complete in itself because the end of all seeking, desiring, willing is to end stress and suffering and be in peace. So let us find out what is the meaning of suffering? The direct and honest answer to this question is that we can only know what suffering is and how it stops through our own experiences, which is that it is the end of wanting, of desiring , of longing, of craving, etc… so, what happens after these emotional and thought patterns of personal needs evaporate and disappear? The simple answer to this is that when these mental and emotional patterns stops, our mental and emotional suffering stop and vanish as well… To ask what is left when there is no more suffering is to miss the point altogether. What is left is that there is no more of what was considered 'suffering', which had completely cancelled all the other advantages that life might have bestowed on us: Such as: good health, good looks, money, fame, etc. The real point to consider, therefore, is what could the Buddha have meant by the word 'suffering'? Obviously he didn’t mean just how to be in good physical health, or how to be handsome and beautiful, and have a lot of money to be happy… because we can have all these ‘things’ - be good looking - be very rich and successful in life, even famous and be in very good health, and yet feel compelled to SEEK something… that we feel is still missing in our lives… something that makes us feel incomplete and unfulfilled. In other words, what the Buddha meant was not about physical suffering… he knew that it was ridiculous to expect that anything could possibly remove the very basis of life and living, that is to say, to change the natural law which is that duality exists in everything, meaning that there is always two opposite poles, two extremes such as the poles of pain and pleasure, the poles of hot and cold, black and white, night and day… feminine and masculine, negative and positive, etc… all the poles of nature have their opposite and complementary counterpart at the same time… they are the two complementary ingredients that makes life as we know it possible. Hence, everything created comes under the rule of polarities, and polarities can function solely in duality… Therefore, the Buddha had obviously known that the law of polarity was the basis of life and that the present moment would bring sometimes different kinds of pleasure or sometimes different kinds of pain. This is based on Cosmic Law and is the very foundation of life. Therefore, the sage accepts that pain, fear and suffering are the counterparts of joy, contentment and peace. So, what happens when a mystic or sage accepts that there will always be some kind of suffering in his life, since it is a matter of polarity? He will observe this fact in his own personal experiences and by embracing this law of polarity as the ingredients of life …he will be satisfied with whatever happens to him or others as his or their destiny… This is the secret of his happiness, peace and contentment… He knows also how to love someone http://www.plotinus.com/the_sage.htm (1 of 7)14-2-2005 19:39:30
The Sage
and not expect to be loved in return… this is called unconditional love… hence, the sage has no fear of being judged,, criticised or rejected… he accepts and trusts God’s Will in his life and accepts his destiny… So why is it that humans usually have a fear of losing someone or something that they desire, love, or want to keep? Why is there fear of loosing what they have? Why are they afraid of the future? How can they remove the fear of the unknown…isn’t all these fears and frustrations mental and emotional suffering? And does this not show that one can be rich and in good health and yet have these inner stresses and uncontrollable fears?
Sri Aurobindo
Let us examine what the specific goal of a sincere seeker is in itself…and if it is a feasible goal or is it an imaginary one? Can he be satisfied with his life and accept what is without stress and anxiety? The sage certainly knows the answer: He knows that most people experience this absence of 'suffering' at odd moments in their lives, but the experience doesn’t last beyond a certain time… We all have as children experienced such wonderful moments… moments of sheer joy and happiness… Therefore, the sage tells the seeker that 'the end of suffering' is a possibility for everyone, since as children; we too had such magical moments…So the sage continues to encourage us by saying that the secret of getting rid of the obstacles which prevents the 'absence of suffering' from being established and anchored for ever in our hearts can be found only within! He goes on by telling us that this is what real spiritual seeking is all about: To discover how to get rid of fear and suffering… so that we can be in peace with our own destiny…The sage continues and says that suffering and fear are gone for ever only when Consciousness awakens…and he continues by explaining that when Consciousness is awakened “suffering stops being a mental and emotional suffering”, it is a suffering of a different kind. And the sage goes deeper in his explanation by stating that the goal of the quest is not something imaginary, it isn’t something that cannot exist in daily living… the goal of spiritual seeking is in fact part of the seeker’s daily ordinary life and cannot be something imaginary or romantic or out of this world, like being able to fly out of a window, or walk on water, or make other kinds of miracles. Now that we know what it is that is being sought - the end of suffering - and what the suffering referred to is NOT, we have to find out what it is that obstructs the happening of that experience which most of us have experienced at some time or other - some more than others – but these experiences were fleeting and did not allow the experiences to remain anchored in our hearts whenever they happened. Any personal investigation would quickly reveal that what disturbs these wonderful experiences is usually a THOUGHT. And, of course, it is generally well accepted that the arising of any thought in anyone is absolutely not in anyone's control. Thought comes and thoughts disappear… We get trapped by them, or we just observe them and let them pass… I have read some place that the physicist explains that any thought happening anywhere is the actualizing of a particular probability among thousands of probabilities, and, therefore, not in the control of the individual concerned.
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The Sage
Now the question really is: WHAT KIND OF THOUGHT MERELY STIRS THE ABSENCE OF SUFFERING that is being experienced, and what is the opposite kind of THOUGHT that absolutely SHATTERS the very foundation of the experience of peace? Any thought that concerns life as it is happening will be countered by another thought suggesting the solution for the problem created by the earlier thought: again we have the law of polarity in action here… the experience is only stirred but not shaken or shattered. What then is the kind of thought that cannot be controlled and could shatter the very foundation of those rare, wonderful experiences? I think everyone's experience would confirm that this is the kind of thought that arises from the subconscious and MEMORY – again both are BEYOND ANYONE’S CONTROL – it comes from one’s CONSCIENCE – ETHICS – SCRUPLES – these are ideas, feelings hidden in the subconscious that refers to something that we are not proud of, something negative that we did or say to someone, or something we could have done for a friend, a parent which the friend or parent expected from us, but which we did not do, for some reason, with the result that the friend or parent suffered because of us. It is this thought of something one did to someone or something one did not do for someone - and these feelings of regrets and guilt could have happened many, many years ago! And they suddenly surface in consciousness – these sudden burst of hidden ideas and emotions truly shatter the very foundation of those great moments and experiences of joy, peace and contentment. There is of course, other stronger feelings; enormous loads of hatred and malice, jealousy towards 'the other' who, did some harm or injustice towards us and as a result we can’t forget what they did to us and won’t let go of these past memories. Therefore, what really totally shatters the experiences of peace and harmony are either the load of guilt or shame for something one did or did not do or the load of hatred and malice for what the 'other' did or did not do to us. In other words, what shatters the very foundation of inner peace is the SENSE OF PERSONAL DOERSHIP, which means that the ego in most people ‘thinks’ that it is the sole responsible subject… doing things as it chooses and has the power and will to judge and condemn… and by these mental and emotional attitudes, these negative patterns suddenly emerge from the depth of the subconscious bringing along the way suffering and painful memories that block the harmony that was about to unfold in Consciousness. So what we have arrived at, from almost everyone's experience, is the fact that all human beings at one time or another has had the actual experience of 'the end of suffering' in their daily living, but that it does not last because it is shattered by the PERSONAL WILL or the sense of personal doership in the life of the human being. So now the question is: is it at all possible to give up the sense of personal doership so that one can be anchored in the experience of 'the end of suffering' while facing life from moment to moment? The answer, of course, is YES! It can be done because there have been people who have been accepted by the world as 'sages' and who have indeed been actual examples of individuals for whom 'the end of suffering' has happened. What this 'end of suffering' means positively can be clearly seen in the way these sages get on and live their own lives. What we see is that these sages seem to live from moment to moment, enjoying the same kinds of pleasures and suffering as most of us, the same kind of pains that we are all subjected to, but the difference is that the life of a sage is anchored in peace and harmony. The question arises at this stage then, what precisely is meant by 'the end of suffering' in the Buddha's terms? What it obviously means can clearly be seen in the daily living of the sage: the sage lives his life, doing his daily tasks, and takes his responsibilities seriously and nothing changes in his regular daily work in order to earn a living, and he also enjoys the usual pleasures and suffers the usual pains from moment to moment like anyone else. Yet it can be clearly seen that his face is usually without anxiety, his body usually relaxed, and he has an acute sense of humour that is very pleasing and appealing to others. (I know such a person…) People seem to seek his company because of his presence, or to listen to his melodious voice, or seek his advice in difficult situations; they see him offering his advice, only when it is sought, and the sage does that with an astonishing sense of humility combined with compassion, and affection. Seekers see the sage as http://www.plotinus.com/the_sage.htm (3 of 7)14-2-2005 19:39:30
The Sage
someone transparently open, without any cleverness at all and, yet, the seeker knows that the sage is obviously no one's fool! This is perhaps what is meant by the words: . But what the seeker actually sees is that while the sage is not particularly keen to offer any advice, he does so when asked, with a great deal of simplicity, confidence, and utter humility. One is so impressed by the personality of the sage, by his total simplicity and naturalness that one finds himself to want to be in his company more frequently than one would imagine, even when there is no particular situation to be discussed with him, he simply enjoys his company. On such an encounter, one might have the time to sit with him and ask the sage what made him what he is - so likeable. The sage would perhaps smile and say, again with utterly simple humility, "nothing”, but it is GOD’S ‘GRACE’ and you would know that he really genuinely meant it. If you were to gently pursue the matter, the response you would get is quite likely to be that the sage has a deep conviction in GOD’S WILL BEING PRESENT ALL THE TIME, AT ALL PLACES and that is the reason for his total simplicity and trust. Indeed, he goes on explaining to you that he has accepted with total conviction that, whatever one may think one is doing, whatever is actually happening, could not be happening unless it was God's Will, according to a Cosmic Law. At this point, you find yourself asking whether the sage truly believes that all action is not anyone's doing… that what he does and says are not his actions but a happening that simply had to happen? The sage may seem to hesitate a little, but the answer will come with great confidence, "without any exception!” Whatever I do and say is a happening and I am not as an ego the doer of anything… You are, frankly, not quite ready to accept this unequivocal assertion. So you persist: and say to the sage: “Doesn’t that mean withdrawing your responsibility for your actions? The sage would probably look at you a little piercingly but when he finds total sincerity in your questioning, he would open up completely. He is likely to explain to you:
Raymond Bernard
-- "There is really no question of any responsibility because I do believe totally, without any reservation, that nothing can happen unless it is God's Will, I certainly don’t mean that in a fatalistic manner. What it means is simply that if there is something for me to do in my daily living, I shall, of course, make a decision on what to do and how to do it. Having made the decision, I shall put in my best effort to make that decision fructify. However, having done that, I know with total certainty that whatever happens, thereafter, will be put OFF MY CONTROL and will depend entirely on the Will of God. I shall be waiting comfortably without any stress and strain for the result of 'my action'. The result could be successful or not successful and, therefore, the consequences of that result would again depend entirely upon God's Will. This is what I call A HAPPENING … a result of my efforts IS in GOD’S HANDS and is HIS WILL that prevails… I am at rest …my mind is tranquil and I TRUST completely in the outcome of my actions as the consequences - good, bad or indifferent – as being God's Will and my DESTINY. There's truly no problem, no avoiding responsibility." I am in peace with myself because I tried my best and the outcome is not in my hands… as I have explained. By this time you are ready to accept the concept that there is truly no individual doer as such. But you know that this readiness to accept has not brought you the quiet confidence of the sage; your ego is still refusing to accept and understand this new “conditioning” of the mind… and even if you are fascinated by what you have just heard, you still know http://www.plotinus.com/the_sage.htm (4 of 7)14-2-2005 19:39:30
The Sage
that the reason for this is that you are by no means ready to analyze yourself about your conviction. Therefore, your confidence of what the sage told you are not total - indeed, you are not really even willing to want to believe in what the sage is suggesting because of the conditioning of thousands of years: - "If I am truly convinced that I am not the doer and, more important, no one else is a doer either, how can I live my life from now on in a society which simply will not accept this fatalistic attitude of everything happening because of God's Will?" You put this difficulty before the sage, and you are surprised that the sage agrees that this is a valid difficulty. He strengthens your argument by adding that if you thought that you are not the doer of anything, and yet continued to live as if you were the “doer” and the sole subject responsible for all your actions, you would have the most inconvenient feeling of being a fake and a hypocrite, and you would say to yourself: “How can I truly accept that no one is a doer, and yet proceed to do actions and to live my life as if nothing has changed?” Then he proceeds to give you the answer: - "I assure you that all you have to do is to live your life as if you are the doer." You look surprised and puzzled by this answer, so the sage anticipating your problem and say: - When you realize that you are not the “doer” you will not feel like a hypocrite nor a fake because that is what you have been doing all your life. I’ll give you an example: You know that the sun does not move and that all the planets revolve around the sun; yet, you have no hesitation in using the words, 'sunrise' and 'sunset' as if it is the sun that is moving. Similarly, you don’t need to change anything…go ahead and continue doing your actions AS IF you are the doer, just like anyone else. In other words, in any given situation, go ahead and consider all the facts and the information very carefully and then decide between the various alternatives available, use your intellect and your intuition; and when you feel ready take the decision, go ahead and put in your best effort to bear fruit to your decision. So far, nothing has changed; you have set a goal based on what you want to achieve, you had a strong desire, an insight and there has been a proper 'motivation' - you have made an effective plan and put in your best effort; no one, not even you, can accuse yourself of being a hypocrite or a fake, you tried your best. So far, your conscience is clear and what has happened is precisely what has always happened in your life meaning that you go on in being in charge of your actions and nothing has changed. What happens after your ego accepts that it is not the “doer” of anything will be remain the same as it has always been before...just a “happening” in your life : in other words, the result of your efforts, before the ego’s acceptance and afterwards is the same… nothing has changed… you had no control before when you thought that you as an ego was the "doer" and now, after understanding that you as the ego are not the "doer" - you will still have NO CONTROL OVER WHAT HAPPENS AFTER putting all your effort and energy in a project. And from experience, you will know that any one of three things can happen as the result of your action… 1) It will be successful, or 2) It will not be successful, or 3) There will be no result. The point that the sage is trying to make is that nothing changes in your life… thinking that you are the “doer” of your actions or not… the result is the same. He tells you that all you can do is to set a goal, make a plan and put in your best effort; (just like before) what happens thereafter has never been in your control. Life continues to be what it was." - Then you ask him - "where is the big change?" The sage answers you back: "There is a very big change - it is not what happens in your life, which is precisely the same as before - the big change is not in what happens in life outwardly... but in your OWN PERSONAL ATTITUDE TO LIFE, which truly decides whether you are comfortable with yourself and comfortable with others, whatever happens in life."
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The Sage
You confess you are still puzzled. The sage continues: - "Even previously having done what you felt you had to do, it was your life's experience - and everyone else's too – that after trying your best as the “doer” you knew that you had no more control over the result of your actions. Now, with your new understanding, there is really no change in what happens. You know that… But there is from now on, A BIG CHANGE IN WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU. Previously, accepting that it was your doing, success meant pride and arrogance, failure meant guilt, shame, resentment. Now, with the understanding that your doing was not really your doing but only a happening, success means only pleasure but not pride and arrogance; failure may mean a sense of regret but not frustration, guilt or shame - was never your doing, but a happening over which you truly had no control. THIS IS THE BIG DIFFERENCE: INSTEAD OF FIGHTING WITH THE FLOW OF LIFE, NOW YOU GO WITH THE FLOW WITHOUT ANY STRESS." You remain for a while with your eyes closed, enjoying the sense of living your life without stress. It is an unusually fulfilling feeling, brought about by the absence of volition, the sense of personal doership. The Ultimate Understanding works very simply in daily living; daily living becomes the going with the flow, witnessing impersonally whatever happens not as anyone's doing but a series of happenings according to a Cosmic Law - total freedom from personal doership, total freedom from pride and arrogance, from guilt and shame, total freedom from hatred and malice towards anyone. That is living one's life as a sage. One point needs to be very clearly understood. The Ultimate Understanding of non-doership - Self-realization - does not mean the total annihilation of the ego. This cannot happen for the simple reason that the ego is necessary for the sage to live the rest of his allotted span of life. The sage responds to his name being called and functions as an individual entity in his chosen role in life. But the ego of the sage is without any sting because the sense of personal doership has been annihilated. In the words of Ramana Maharshi, the ego of the sage is like the "remnants of a burnt rope" - absolutely helpless and harmless.
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The Sage
02/04/05
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Mind Being and Consciousness
Mind, Being and Consciousness
The real question before the spiritual seeker would finally be: Is there something really that I have to seek - and if yes, what is it? is it something physical or on the contrary a state of Being, a state of peace and therefore it cannot be a 'thing'. As what he seeks is not an object, the seeker can't touch or intellectually grasp what his seeking is all about. Is he seeking God, the Source, Absolute Being... outside of himself or within? If his answer is 'within' himself, what does it mean? Will words created in the mind, prove the existence of God or Absolute Being? Would concepts explain it? No, words and concepts are 'things' meaning that they are all intellectual concepts created in the mind. So, if it is not the mind that asks such questions because they are beyond its reach... who is doing the seeking? Which part of the seeker is seeking enlightenment? And what is enlightenment? The spiritual seeker knows that an intellectual approach and all sorts of explanations on the subject are just encouragements pushing him to be inspired and seek deeper, but the mind could never discover the source of Enlightenment... because the mind is a tool of Being... What is Being? It is the spirit in human beings, the noumenon, the Presence of the "I" which can never be reflected in the mind or intellect of man. What manifests in his mind and Consciousness is the Presence of the "I AM" ...that is this search cannot be force it to happen by it cannot do anything more more a force, a power within that pushes him to seek. But what is this power, this force? Definitely this power and force is not a 'thing' an object, but an energy that unfolds from within the human psyche. So, what is this energy? Electricity for example manifest in our physical world as light, or heat, but its source remains invisible and yet our physical bodies ran also on electrical currents COPYRIGHTS
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ZEN IN PRACTICE
ZEN IN PRACTICE : PART 1
According to Zen, man is of the nature of Buddha, therefore in truth he is perfect... an archetypal Model, so nothing is lacking in him...However, he is unconscious of this truth and doesn't realize it because he is entangled in his mental projections... and lives his life through them. Therefore man creates his world through his own created reality, through his thoughts and likes and dislikes...which are then picked up by his imaginative activity which helps him to function in a dualistic mode. We could say that imaginative mental activity, such as visualization, guided meditation, concentration and attunement on some sacred object, an image, a mantra or anything that is sacred to the person attuning to it... is an important step to begin the process of transformation in a seeker's life for it helps him in the recognition of his True Nature... his Buddha Nature... These sacred objects are tools facilitating the seeker to concentrate and switch his imagination, from his emotional and mental processes, his daily routine activities to a higher and more lofty way of training his imagination... these tools help him recognize, in these sacred "tools" hidden meanings which are in reality projected on to them by his Perfect Buddha Center and they reveal to him a different and new way of using his imagination... with a new symbolic Language. This symbolic Language has been created by millions of seekers like him who have projected on these sacred tools... the Wisdom of their Buddha Nature... Therefore, instead of just gazing at this sacred object from a dualistic point of view, meaning as an outsider...Contemplating and meditating on one of these sacred objects, the seeker becomes imbued with its energy and symbolic meaning. Moreover, this phase of the "Inner Work" is an important level in all mystical discipline - same principle is used in the Eastern as much as in the Western traditions. This training should not be discarded as unimportant, on the contrary it should be encouraged because it develops the intuitive and abstract intellect ... moreover, and these "tools" help the seeker to awaken a totally different way of using his imaginative power and use it in the world. As we know most of man's inner functioning is performed automatically. An example would be that man's conscious self has no control on his heartbeat, or blood circulation, nor does he knows what part in him functions when he is in deep sleep... these are just a few examples showing that man doesn't have control over most natural functioning because these are performed spontaneously in him by another Power another Presence within himself... and therefore out of the control of the part in him that he calls "me"... Once this truth is recognized by the ego... then with the help of imagination the seeker will begin to live more and more spontaneously... attuning to this inner Intelligence that operates in the moment... spontaneously... For Zen the normal spontaneous awakening of consciousness is called satori... What is satori? Satori is simply a term used for the experience of awakening or enlightenment... the verb derives from the verb "satoru" meaning "to know"... However, it has nothing to do with knowledge in the ordinary or philosophical sense, because in the experience of enlightenment or satori there is no more distinction between knower and known. Consciousness is AWAKENED and UNIQUE in the http://www.plotinus.com/zen.htm (1 of 3)14-2-2005 19:40:36
ZEN IN PRACTICE
moment... there is no "gap" between them... Satori, or the process of AWAKENING is the same in all creation... The bulb of a rose will grow and unfold all its beauty and perfume in exactly the same way as the awakening of man's true Nature... But it is man's mental and emotional activities that color and distort the way his imagination works and this is because the ego in man usually 'thinks' and most of the time is convinced that "it" is the "I AM" = the subject in control of what goes on in consciousness... when in reality it is the opposite that is true... However, thoughts and emotions are creations of the ego ... and this ego is blocking the wisdom and spontaneity that comes from within the Presence of his Buddha Self... But, because ordinary man is ignorant of it he has no other choice than to project outwardly whatever he emotionally feels and thinks... therefore his imagination is influenced by them and whatever is projected into his experiences, become tinted by them and thus they become real and the only truth for him... when what he really is doing is blocking and disturbing the natural flow of energy that comes from within his Buddha Nature which always unfolds spontaneously... innocently in a beautiful and natural way... An old Zen master said: "What conceals Realization? - nothing but myself!" Another saying which is a typical Zen way of being in the world goes like this: "Not knowing how near the Truth is, people look for it far away...what a pity!" So, what is important to emphasize on this webpage is the difference that exists between two kinds of imagination: the first one is the imagination that develops and unfolds an abstract and intuitive language coming from the depth of Being Buddha Nature which allows the person to live the MOMENT... creatively. and the second type of imagination the one that projects and accepts all the mental and emotional processes coming from the ego or the environment which have their source in the world of duality and the ego... the first one puts us in touch with WHAT IS - WHAT GOES ON IN THE MOMENT -and the second one, takes its "food" from what "was in the past" from emotional and mental memories... from the psyche... so that the past is projected in the present... instead of letting new realities unfold... allowing the creation of new possibilities...new ways of "SEEING" the world... We know that the bulb of a rose grows naturally in its own environment, its power and energy comes from within the seed of its own nature and potentiality... in the same way, man's potentiality is in his Buddha or Christ Nature... the Perfect Model within - the Spiritual DNA... within each one of us... So, the first step for “rebuilding” our inner Language is an important step for the seeker of Truth and this should not be scorned at... It is like going to school or evening classes to learn a foreign language...one learns first words... Later on, when one becomes fluent in that language, one discovers the cultural richness of its people...this is an eye opener... and a new horizon opens in front of such a person... he wants to know more about the people speaking that language...know more about their culture, etc... In the same manner the ego has to accept that it is just a functioning of a deeper and higher dimension of INTELLIGENCE and MIND from within his BEING which is Buddha Nature... and that Nature when awaken grows spontaneously and naturally just like a rose or lotus bud unfolds all its potential and becomes a resplendent rose, or a dazzling lotus flower. In the same way, when the time is ripe for man's Buddha Nature to manifest Its Presence...Then, the knower and the known unite as ONE in the PRESENT MOMENT... and man's pure and Real Nature enfolds and unfolds together... at the same moment, spontaneously in everyday experiences....
To be continued...
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ZEN IN PRACTICE
ZEN IN PRACTICE - PART II
What is Tao (or Truth, God, or the Source of Being? Ordinary mind is Tao. Should we try to get it? As soon as you try you miss it....
We have said in part I that Zen functions in non-duality, The process of thought, of reasoning, of conceptualizing takes place in the field of duality. It follows that no thinking process will achieve Zen. Thought in itself can go a very long way; the seeker can by reason intellectually understand the concept of the ONE, the abstract concept of the VOID, think that mentally he understands what awareness is... But still all these concepts even the most abstract intellectual ones are still made in the world of reasoning and duality...So, Zen philosophy is to discard all kind of concepts and challenge the mind and intellect of the seeker by Zen KOANS which are not easily cracked... What is a Koan? Essentially a koan is a paradox, i.e., that is 'beyond' thinking which transcends the logical or conceptual. Thus, since it cannot be solved by reason, a koan is not a riddle. Solving a koan requires a leap to another level of comprehension. Since the koan eludes solution by means of discursive understanding, it makes clear to the student the limitations of thought and eventually forces him to transcend it in an intuitive leap, which takes him into a world beyond logical contradictions and dualistic modes of thought. For Zen masters, WORDS are sounds or marks of agreed meaning in terms of ideas, thoughts or feelings. They are symbols, when therefore, a master wishes to transmit to another some spiritual experience, he must descend to the level of thought and present the discovery in words that will touch the feelings of his student. On his turn the seeker unwraps the words and their symbolic meaning, extracting and resonating whatever he can understand from his master's Koan... or symbolic Words...
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ZEN IN PRACTICE
To be continued...
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Autobiography - Alice Ouzounian
AUTOBIOGRAPHY PART: 1
I have been asked by some friends, known and unknown, to write an autobiography. How will I begin this difficult task is a mystery. I will let inspiration guide me and unfold my "story" as much as I can. Nothing extraordinary happened to me in my life, except for a turning point that changed my entire existence. This happened, when at the age of 23, I had polyathritis of all the joints and had difficulty in walking. Specialists in England, France and Switzerland told me that before the age of 30, I would probably have to use a wheelchair. However, five years later I was miraculously healed through a kundalini experience that projected and brought me face to Face with an incredible experience that healed me completely... However, I will leave this episode of my life for part 2 or 3 of this autobiography. As I was saying, I don't know how I will present myself since I have nothing special to say about myself... physically I do have a name and I do have a family that I love very much, but to answer the question of who I am? That will be a tricky thing to do since I remain a mystery to myself, a mystery that I share with each and every incarnated Soul on this planet. Thus, for those with whom I come into worldly contact, I must look a bit odd and mysterious. Why is this? Simply because I am empty and open, involved and detached from everything I do... I have fun and enjoy life, but I have no real opinion on anything, since intuition and contemplation make me see things in different perspectives all the time. In reality, I am a free traveller, a constant pilgrim open to experience everything coming my way. As a human being, the most important thing is to awaken the spiritual dimension of consciousness and in so doing, experience a more profound Reality that I can share and pass on to whoever comes my way and has the same ideals. What is it that I do in life? Write, read, travel, give workshops, enjoy my family and circle of friends. My spiritual training started in 1968 with the Rosicrucian Order AMORC, I was a conscientious neophyte for 22 years... I then met my spiritual Master in 1984 at the Plaka near the Parthenon in Athens Greece...As a result of that incredibly moving encounter, I left my family in Cyprus for 3 years and went to become a psychosynthesis counsellor in London. A new cycle started to unfold a painful but redeeming experience. Even during these difficult years I always kept an inner contact with my physical Master, and once I must confess I met him by "coincidence" in Paris...
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Autobiography - Alice Ouzounian
Painting by Rassouli
So What is my name? I am called Alice Ouzounian. I was born in Cairo Egypt on the 4th June 1939 and like all good "ancient" Egyptians, from a very early age (around 4) I was yearning to understand the mystery of life and death. This was very important because I distinctly remember that from the age of 4, I had vivid and conscious out of body experiences that marked my life. Dreams and altered states of consciousness, astral projections were part of my childhood experiences, and being very shy, I lived and felt an incredible mystery surrounding me. My physical spiritual Master is French and when I was only 4 my parents put me in an English school in Cairo, I used to escape from it and go further down the street to a French kindergarten... This went on for a while until my parents decided that I should go to another English school. I also escaped from that second school and found myself running home... As a result of my not complying with my parents' wishes, they wisely decided that if I wanted to have a French education, so be it, I should. Thus at home, my first language was Armenian and my second one French. So why did I want to give myself a French education? is it because I had in later life to rekindle my disciple's relationship with my Initiator who happened to be French? My answer is yes, no doubt about it... So my childhood out of the body experiences and my giving myself a French education make me ponder and ask myself the question "Do we have really free will?"
I know that people say that we have free will... But are we really free to choose? do my words sound like a paradox? I don't think so. Let me explain. From my experience, I find that we only have free will when the http://www.plotinus.com/autobiography_of_a_fool.htm (2 of 4)14-2-2005 19:41:47
Autobiography - Alice Ouzounian
Soul Personality or the DAEMON is not yet in touch with the ego personality, in other words, there is no harmony between the Soul and ego, thus no direct contact. Hence, both of them, the Soul and the Daemon leave us alone to experience whatever we want to experience as egos. Pleasures, desires, strong emotions of all kinds, and compulsive needs... All these are the necessary steps that one has to take in the process of awakening. However, at a certain stage, things start to change. This happens when the ego ripens and needs to experience another aspect of its own mystery. Then, a divine Image appears, a Divine face Calls the ego to awaken from its long slumber...so as to look in the mirror of its true Self. ...There, an invisible Presence makes its appearance and influences the ego... From that moment on, we are no longer free... a Higher Will guides our steps and we feel ready to attune to the impulses coming from a different Source. Where and what is this Source? It is the inspiration and guidance coming from what Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Plotinus and others called the Daemon. Who or what is the Daemon? It is a projection, an extension and a manifestation of the Soul, a guiding influence, a good invisible companion that accompanies each ego personality towards its awakening process. In other words, the Daemon is the projection of our inner guide... a REAL ONE, a counsellor and intimate friend, a teacher and advisor who takes care of us while we are travelling in the inner and outer world of our experiences... The inner Journey unfolds its mystery very subtly... Each step that one takes is a discovery filled with painful and pleasant experiences... I know that consciousness needs them all so as to grow ethereal wings and converse with the Soul's Daemonic Presence... Each conscious step taken in one's life enriches the Soul Personality... painful or pleasing experiences are all the necessary "fuel" that enflame and enliven the mystic heart... Is this really an autobiography? Yes it is one for me...From a very early age I wanted to understand why I am here on earth... I wanted to know God... and like saint Thomas, I needed to have my own proof and not the ones given by others. Well I do have my own proof... and yet I must confess that the mystery continues... and this is wonderful... because the mystery must always be there and continue... so that we expand... embrace everything and become whole... Was I free really to be different? How could I, since astral projections were awakening my childhood consciousness and intellect to ask questions, and remain in awe. No I was not free to choose, I had chosen long ago to be here on this path and I hope that I will have the opportunity to continue to do so for a very long time. Later on in my life, when I studied painting in Egypt and then Paris, the hidden beauty of the soul and the mystery of life continued to fascinate and influence my artistic work... However, I realized that my painting was just a tool and was used as a process to discover my inner world.
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Alice Ouzounian autobiography part2
AUTOBIOGRAPHY - PART : II
Introduction (Please read part I first) How will I continue with this autobiography? Should I follow the "normal" way of writing my story, or should I follow my intuition and choose an unconventional way? I will choose the second option since intuition has a strong link with everything that has happened to me and for this very reason I feel it would be a more appropriate way of telling my story. Accordingly, what I am about to reveal has its source here in the meanderings of a confused and ignorant world. However, my hope is that through these autobiographic pages you will discover with me, another parallel world that co-exists in and around us all the time. This "other" world has links with this one and with the ways we live our truths. Reality changes with our eagerness to discover new realities. However, these new realities remain part of the physical world but they have the ability to give us the impression that we are seeing them through a new pair of eyes. To give you an example, let us consider a tree. We could say that a tree is recognized by our conscious self to be a tree because we have previously seen many similar trees... but what happens if we go beyond the appearance of the tree? What reaction do we get when we focus our attention on a more profound aspect of our intellect and contemplate the workings and affinities of all the different parts of the tree? in other words, what takes place in us when we look at its roots, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruit and then let our intuition guide us to a different level from where we can observe the tree, synthesizing and unifying all the parts together? What do we learn from this experience and how do we feel then about the tree? Is it not true to say that this kind of contemplation helps us enter into an attunement with the tree's own essence? And when this attunement takes place can we not say this takes us into a new level of reality? Therefore can we not see that this experience projects us into a new level of consciousness? We could go further and add that by this example, we are showing you that each time we discover and realize something, this means that a new world opens up in front of us and with it a new way of looking at it. This is so because our inner perception and understanding is then projected around us in the world. To conclude, we could express the idea that this world is composed of as many layers and planes of existence and realities as we can create that become visible to man only when he is ready to plunge into his own mystery and from there awaken... to this truth. And then, when he does that, it means that a new layer and part of this world awakens with him...
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When we feel that we are ready to take such a plunge and allow our consciousness to follow the silent voice of intuition, then "things" start to change and happen around us. It is as if we are knocking at the sacred door of initiation. This door is the entrance of many inner worlds...and for each inner plane we discover a corresponding "perceptible" reality. This is part of a process that activates around us parallel worlds that coexist within us and that manifest at the same time outwardly. Each one of these worlds leads us to the same unique center of pure clear light which some like to call cosmic consciousness. And like a rolling ball following the natural direction of the slope of a mountain, each one of us resembles this rolling ball tumbling down the slope...and karma teaches us to "bounce" and "jump" on our way down the slope, just like a ball. However, to be able to do that, we need the help of a mysterious element, an inner impulse, a power and a Will that directs us safely down the hill... This power within shows us ways of counteracting the obstacles and also teaches us how to bounce back into life, just like a ball, while sliding all the way down the hill to its resting "place".... The point that I am trying to make is that the hidden path of initiation and of awakening begins within each one of us, but it also takes into consideration how we are living our life. How many changes do we wish to bring about. This inner desire is the fuel that starts the whole process and quest and it unfolds for each one of us a unique way of awakening. Therefore, the inner path becomes clearer when we take the plunge and trust the process to unfold itself in front of us. As we have said before, this world accommodates and is overlapped by many other ones...So, we could add that the mystical path becomes visible to those only who are willing to see with their "inner eyes" and "listen" with their " Inner ear "... However, unfortunately, few people are ready to look and see within themselves to find the other side of reality in life and fewer still have the courage to trust the impulse that pushes them "down the hill" like a rolling ball, letting themselves "spin" down towards the unknown but unifying center of existence and pure Being. However, if one chooses to take this path, he should not be surprised to discover that the law of synchronization follows him everywhere and like a roller-coaster directs his steps through his entire existence, veering him towards unsuspected and sometimes unknown directions. When this time comes, do not hesitate, follow your lucky star and allow your intuition to guide you...And when your mind lets go, abandon everything and follow the Intelligence of your Heart, just let this magic moment happen... and like the bouncing ball trust and let yourself fall into the abyss of your own being... There you will never be alone... An invisible hand will hold you all the way down where sweet Eros (pure spiritual Love) awaits you... Then, Real Life and Existence bounces back into your life and it appears in the form of a good Friend... the Daïmon or projected Image of your Soul suddenly manifests in your life directing you to a particular physical place where you will meet with someone who is enlightened and with whom you will be working... He will be. your physical Initiator. The silent guide who will take you around the maze of your psyche.
Athens April 1984
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What I have written up to now is the preliminary part of my story. However, my intention in doing so was to prepare you to understand the whole process of initiation. Real initiation awakens pure consciousness of Being and has nothing to do with rituals and physical initiations which are only the preparatory steps towards this end. Hence, the real awakening process begins on this plane of existence but its goal is to reach another one that belongs to the Soul. Thus an enlightened person living on this plane should at the right moment show up in our lives and guide you through the different realms that we need to awaken within our being... We will subtly be shown by such an enlightened person that an event taking place on the physical level could also open a passage to another dimension. In other words, the role of such a wise teacher is to activate the slumbering spiritual energies within each one of us. So my spiritual quest started in 1968, but the "master appeared" only fourteen years later. Here is that part of my real story and it started, one night at the Plaka in Athens, Greece. This was triggered by an extraordinary man. A man who helped me awaken and live on "two planes" at the same time. In due course, I hope to be able to explain what I mean... but for the moment, let me just say that in this second part of my autobiography I will reminisce and relate certain experiences and encounters that I am allowed to reveal here. But let me start with the first encounter that I had with my spiritual Teacher whose mission is to awaken Consciousness. This meeting took place in Athens on Sunday April 29 1984. And if at a later date I am prompted to continue with my story, then, I will add my experiences and initiations that took place in France, England, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Jerusalem, Cyprus and Peru. Before beginning my story, I should give you a few preliminary explanations concerning my psychic and spiritual condition and preparation that I went through prior to my meeting in Athens. On Thursday 11 August 1984 and the following few nights, I had a series of lucid dreams in which I was passing through purification processes involving the four elements (earth, water, air, fire). From childhood, if you remember in part 1 of this autobiography, I said that often during the night my consciousness remained awake while my body was asleep. So, when in 1968 my interest in mysticism and the esoteric opened up, dreams started to become very important again because through them I began to receive meaningful teachings. By being awake during sleep and through lucid dreaming I started to open up to a different intelligible world in which a new kind of exploration and discovery was taking place. This awakening process opened in me a mysterious path, a path that was taking my consciousness to extremely contrasting experiences... One moment I was experiencing blissful and uplifting experiences and the next I was suddenly falling into hellish and infernal ones. From feelings of ecstasy and awe... I was being pulled down to painful and distressful experiences.... These inner states were no dreams... but part of subtle inner "operations" and adjustments that were necessary for my psyche to help awaken to its true nature...This mystical "operation" will probably have to be explained thoroughly in a new message, (to help you and give you a hint about what I am talking about, let me refer you to the myth of Psyche and Eros). This painful period of my life with all its ups and downs lasted for nearly four years: from 1984 to 1988. So my story begins in Athens on April 27. 1984.
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I had been invited to attend for the first time a Greek cultural convention in Athens as the representative of Cyprus. The reason for this invitation was to present a slide-show of my paintings and explain the mystical philosophy behind each one of them. With me were two others guests, a French couple whose wife only spoke French. Being the only available French speaking guest, I was asked if I would be kind enough to accompany them around Greece. Now how can I start this strange story...The French gentleman in question to whom I will give a different name, to respect his anonymity, was known to me not in the "flesh". I had lucid dream experiences with him in which he was teaching me certain things about the process of "purification". But more than that, even before having been involved with mysticism, I had often heard his voice just before waking early in the morning. He used to whisper or shout short comments, usually in my right ear, on certain aspects of the lucid dream that I had just had. So you can imagine my shock and surprise when I suddenly saw him and heard his voice... Was I dreaming? I could not believe that such a thing was possible...This man was not a fiction of my imagination, but really existed in the flesh... I was suddenly given the opportunity to be with him and his wife in the flesh... I could not believe my luck and immediately accepted this incredible offer. Having said that, I could not guess what was about to happen next. The last time that I had visited Greece was when I was twelve years old. So I was as much a tourist as they were, but fortunately we had two of our Greek hosts accompanying us on our tour of Athens and its environment... Here was I having to travel around Greece with the same person who had accompanied me in a lucid dream. He was there with me when in 1970 this incredible initiation took place. Suffice it to say that during this experience I was awakened spiritually from within the astral planes as a "Being of Light" and realized that I was baptized and transformed... awakening at the same time a level of consciousness which made me recognize myself as a "Cosmic Being". During this episode, this wonderful man was there with me, accompanying me to the place where the transformation was about to take place...And now here he was in the flesh in front of me in Athens... I did not expect anything special from him, the fact that he really existed was enough to make an incredible "rupture" in my consciousness and this contact made a breach, a crack in my perception and my way of looking at the world around me and in myself... A strange exciting feeling started to operate in me, was I really capable of understanding what was happening to me? Was I really worthy and strong enough to face and open up to this person and would I be open and intuitive enough to understand what was expected of me? Those were questions rushing to my mind and they were being mixed with feelings of excitement, joy and wonderment. What happened on Wednesday 21 January 1970 happened again on Sunday 29 April 1984, between the two, a gap of fourteen years had passed (7x7= two cycles of 7 years ). If in 1970 the awakening process activated a certain level of consciousness in the inner planes, I still needed a long time to digest what had taken place on the inner planes. So, the second phase which started on Sunday 29 April 1984 was about to unfold for me in Athens, it was the actualization of what had happened on the inner planes fourteen years ago, but I could not guess nor imagine this at the time. It is only now with hindsight that I understand its meaning. and importance.
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After all five of us, (John his wife, two Greek friends and myself), had visited certain important sites and temples around Greece over the period of a few days, on the last day, in the afternoon of Sunday 29 April having come back to our hotel to rest around six o'clock and before separating from the small group, I heard John (I will call him by this name to respect his anonymity) turn and say to the two young Greek friends, who I will call Harris and Andreas < "see you later to go to Plaka ". John's wife was tired after the long journey and traveling, so she asked to be excused and said "a demain" (see you tomorrow) and retired to her room. As for me, having heard what John had just said to Harris and Andreas, a kind of anxiety and torment penetrated my heart. Should I ask him if I could join them and go with them at Plaka? or will that be improper because they are three men and I am a woman inviting myself to join an "all men outing!" maybe I was going to spoil their plans... and be rejected... was I ready to take the risk? Yes, yes I was and I jumped enthusiastically, like a little child and said to John I will never forget John's facial expression, he turned around and in a gentle and amusing way said " but of course Alice you can. meet us downstairs in the hall at 8 PM." That was all... I had invited myself to follow them at the Plaka.
Plaka is the most touristic place in Athens, in 1984 there were much fewer souvenir shops around and many more restaurants called "bouzouki" where Greeks and tourists blended. Greeks are very friendly people and they love life, singing and dancing all night with guitars, wine, broken plates and loud laughter are part of the soul of Plaka... So my joining the group of three men was a "first" for me, because in those days, not only was I very shy, but to top it all hated such ambiences...Full of noise, cigarettes and sounds of all kinds. It was not an atmosphere conducive to deep thoughts , nor could it help in listening to the wise words of John... No, I realized that nothing very "deep" was about to happen. We were genuinely going out just to have a bit of fun, feel the Greek "pulse" and penetrate the Soul of Athens. I should add here for those who don't know, that Plaka is underneath the Acropolis where the Parthenon stands. At five minutes to eight o'clock I was downstairs waiting in the hall, very excited but still a bit embarrassed to have invited myself in this way. John was there with Harris and Andreas, we waited for a taxi which was quite a problem to find even in those days. After a short time, we managed to find one in front of our hotel and Harris gave the direction in Greek to the driver. .
We alighted from the taxi and took one of the main streets in Plaka... and Andreas and Harris were discussing about finding a good place to dine, but John was oblivious of what was said, he was preparing something else... He was walking on his own, in front of me, hands behind his back, looking straight ahead. Our Greek friends were following behind me... John started chanting unintelligible words. Words which were incomprehensible but very impressive and powerful... He was intoning them aloud, with a strong voice... http://www.plotinus.com/autobiography2a.htm (5 of 6)14-2-2005 19:42:19
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and at a certain place he stopped and staring at the window of one old house, he turned around and looking into my eyes, said < Alice, regardes bien, c'est ici que c'est passée la rencontre... > translation in English: < Alice look, it is right here that the meeting took place...> I was shocked and embarrassed because I did not know what he was talking about... No I knew what he was saying but could not believe that John was making such a revelation to me... who was I to enter into his personal confidence... Harris and Andreas were still disputing between themselves about where to go for dinner and they were altogether living in a different world, not realizing was really happening...
New Beginnings
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AUTOBIOGRAPHY - PART : II Continuation
Well what was going on was very strange to say the least, the more we proceeded and passed through the narrow streets of Plaka, the more I was immersed and engulfed by the power of the vibrations of the words that John was showering me with... The impression was, and I will never forget it that he was in a mysterious way opening a "no man's zone", or more precisely, it gave me the effect that we were passing over "the other side" of the Red Sea just like Moses had done... cutting the sea into two, opening a gap for us to cross over and reach "the other side". Why did I have that impression? I think it is because, I knew and experienced that John and I were crossing another dimension - going through an extraordinary experience where time had stopped and space disappeared. We were "out of time" and "out of the body" living full awakened consciousness...just observing and being untouched by what was going on around us. However, Harris and Andreas were becoming more and more nervous and Harris whispered in Greek in my ear <" Is John going crazy or what?"> I did not respond, but was saddened by the fact that our Greek friends were not part of this mysterious event. They were both very busy trying to find a restaurant, entering in each one of them, looking around and asking John to follow them in... But John was ignoring their appeal and our friends started to become more nervous and anxious. At one point, I can't remember which one of our Greek friends said to me in Greek < " Tell John that it is very late and the restaurants are full, he should stop climbing higher, because there are no more restaurants up there, it is just the slope and rocks of the Acropolis. Look up, there are no more lights, no road, just a narrow passage curving around the rocks of the Acropolis, only the very poor live there. We never venture up there, because they say that it is dangerous, the Plaka and the restaurants stop right here, look... let us turn back, please tell him to stop climbing higher"> . The other friend tried again without success to make us stop: < Let us hope that we can find a table in any one of the restaurants here> he said. But John was in a different world, an invisible thread was guiding every one of his steps, he was going somewhere, I knew that intuitively, so I silently followed him, ignoring the pleas of our Greek hosts. I myself had started to LIVE IN TWO WORLDS. I was listening to the voices and sounds on this world, but was crossing, passing through this world at the same time... was I in a kind of limbo? A mysterious space was starting to appear, it was taking me back into the past
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A past that had suddenly become the present and alive again in my consciousness... the more John intoned his incredible incomprehensible words, the more I was entering and penetrating deeper into a different level of reality...The soul and egregore of the Ancient Mysteries of Greece were awakening in my heart and as we proceeded in our climb, the lights surrounding us became dimmer. We were penetrating a dark side of Athens...There was no more electricity around, just petrol and oil lamps hanging near the windows and doors carved in the rocks of the hills of the Acropolis. We could detect a few flower pots of geranium here and there. These were the only human touches that told us that people live in here, in the rocks they had built their homes, it was touching and surreal...Only silence reigned, and the noise of our own steps on the stones and rough soil under our feet. John's chanting had suddenly stopped... and our two friends were still trying to make us return back down where all the noises, sounds and glitter of Plaka had long disappeared from the scene... Harris attempted for the a last time and said <"It is dangerous to stay here, as you can see John there are no more restaurants here, no more road, no more lights and on top of this, we can be attacked because it is not a safe place, please let us turn back"> but John was not listening and went on higher up climbing the narrow pathway round the hill as if he knew where he was going...His chanting had suddenly stopped... It seemed that his search had come to a close and that he was about to reach his destination...
Suddenly, out of nowhere appeared on our right, a little hut made of mud and painted white... it was a very strange looking mud house. John entered it first... the owner of this humble and poor tavern came out immediately with a worried look on his face and said to Harris <" tell your foreign friend that this place is not right for him, the good restaurants are down there in Plaka, this place is only frequented by the poor living around the rocks of the Acropolis">. So, John asked Harris to say that on the contrary this was exactly the right place that he wanted to be in. Now I have to describe the interior of this humble dwelling. I will never forget what I saw that night...We entered a simple room in which were a few benches and tables. There were no chairs, no electricity, but enough oil lamps to be able to see... very uncomfortable surroundings, with strange looking people sitting around dirty tables. But what was amazing and shocking at the same time was the paintings or frescoes on the walls surrounding this humble place... This tiny little Greek tavern was filled with naive frescoes of drunken characters, with bottles in their hands, red noses, throwing up drunkards, dogs pissing on lampposts... in other words very disturbing scenes... really, how could people sit there and eat! But my shock was not an unpleasant one, because I knew that this was no ordinary "dinner party" John who I had first met in such extraordinary circumstances during an initiation on
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one of the astral planes, was a real person that I had just met for the first time a few days ago... This was real! and here I was now witnessing something strange, sharing my dinner with drunken, gross and vulgar people looking at me from the walls of an old Greek tavern filled with lewd and who knows what kind of people...Strangely, I felt completely at home because of John of course... If he wanted to dine in this place, I trusted his judgment and it was fine with me... but... John did not stop there... he turned around the corner of the small dining room and entered through a doorway on his right... the owner of the tavern came again surprised by what was going on and said to Harris, that if we wanted to sit in the tiny adjacent room, we were welcome to do so as this was his own little corner and personal table... John was satisfied and at last we sat down on the two benches facing each other... Harris and Andreas had to give in, they were too hungry and probably did not want to offend John who was, after all, their guest of honor. John is a well known French mystic who has written many books, some of which are translated in English, but as he wants me to keep his name secret, I have to respect his wishes. So, coming back to my story, our two Greek friends started asking many interesting questions on the Greek Mysteries, philosophy, esoteric and mystical subjects of all sorts, and I was doing the same, hungrily absorbing what John was saying... this conversation went on for a couple of hours when suddenly out of the blue... John's facial expression and body started to change...he looked as if he was growing in size and becoming a man possessed of a god like power, a power and an extraordinary aura enveloped him. His countenance became so powerful that all three of us stopped breathing for a moment and we were speechless... something was suddenly going on, there was a mystery unfolding and we were to witness it... John was transfigured in front of us and he started laughing aloud in a frightening manner... it shattered, cut deep into our consciousness... a slumbering unconscious part within us was forcefully awakened ... it smashed our indolence and I was electrified... Andrea started sobbing like a child, Harris was shocked and froze, I could tell because they were both sitting opposite me... I was buoyant and excited with joy... Why? For no reason... This is what happened and then something extraordinary happened... John spoke with a loud and explosive voice
< " I AM THE ONLY ONE ALIVE HERE - YOU ARE ALL STILL DEAD...!!!">
At that exact moment I looked up at the wall behind my two Greek friends. I had not noticed it before, but facing me there was a fresco painted on the wall - why had I not seen the fresco before? I don't know, maybe the reason was that my head was turned to my left where John was sitting... Well, the fresco on this wall was painted by another artist. It was a very fine and beautifully painted scene representing a shepherd sitting under an olive tree, playing his pan flute, he looked as if he was waiting and protecting three little lambs... who were sleeping next to each other... surrounding the whole scene was a wooden fence... I
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understood immediately the meaning... the "coincidence" and the "magic" of what had happened... I was overjoyed by what I witnessed. John was indeed my guide, the master who is about to help me awaken on this plane.. On our return to our hotel, we had to separate from our Greek friends, because they were going back to their homes and we were going to our hotel. Once alone in the taxi, I told John about my discoveries and my excitement at what I had seen and felt... he smiled and said something that is personal... But what he said transformed my whole life.
Athena and the Mystery of Awakening
Two months later, I was in London, and as a consequence of this incredible true story and encounter, I stayed there for three years and a half, to study psychosynthesis... for a while I had to abandon my esoteric studies and learn to "wound" myself and open my vulnerability and heart to the world in which I had to live and come ALIVE. It was a painful process but I had to pass through it...and having done so, I have absolutely no regrets... On 17 March 1999 I went back to Athens with three good trusting friends from Cyprus, we did not know what was going to happen, but we knew that we had to go to Eleusis. This part of my own autobiography will be added at a later date... When I feel ready to do so. Thank you my friends to have followed me as far... You can see why I am calling this autobiography, "the autobiography of a Fool" it is because everything that I have written is true, but seen from a different perspective, it is one of a FOOL...
New Beginnings
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AUTOBIOGRAPHY - PART : III 1984-1988
After my return from Athens, it took me a long while to settle down and be my usual self again. The euphoric and exciting feeling of wonder and amazement at what had happened to me could not simply vanish and evaporate into thin air. The feeling of elation had become part of my consciousness and it remained within me as though a living Presence had set my heart ablaze. Moreover, I could not yet grasp or imagine how much this hallowed Presence glowing within me as a sacred flame would protect me during my three and a half difficult and painful years in London...Many years later, this same inner Presence became more evident and clear. Suffice it to say, for the time being, that I will have to go back to the time of my return to Nicosia from Athens. However before describing this, I should put you in the picture and tell you about my mental state before going to Greece and give you some description of my mystical background. Having become a Rosicrucian member in 1968, four years later I had already created and organized a Rosicrucian Chapter here in Nicosia. During all these years, from 1972 to 1984, I had to do everything for the members of the chapter, from being their master, lecturer, mother, confident, artist/ painter, to cleaner of the premises and cook for the group. I had to travel all over the world as their Cypriot representative which was fun and interesting because it gave me the opportunity to meet many interesting people and take a closer look at human nature. Titles and seniority in years of studies did not really impress me, but human frailties and egotistic behavior amongst members were projected and exemplified in front of me. At the time, I was a naive idealist wanting to see perfection in others, especially in those who were calling themselves "mystics". Hence, it was a very hard thing for me to accept what I was witnessing during these kind of gatherings. I still was not wise enough to understand that human nature can change only when the Soul and ego accept to work and commune together aiming to reach and manifest their spiritual ideal in this life. However, what I understood later was that if one focuses on one's ideal all the time, never giving up hope, then, this is a sign that the ego is ready to surrender and open up to the guidance of the Soul allowing the alchemical process of purification and transformation to reveal and accept the frailties, distortions and misconceptions of human nature. However, I was not ready to surrender myself to that tremendous power, since there was still fear in me... So I went on being disappointed and never giving up hope, I continued... Thus, it gradually dawned on me that mystical organizations are run and directed by ordinary human beings just like me. No one is perfect. therefore, I kept my disappointments to myself.
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So when, in April 1984 John appeared suddenly in my life, he was about to present me with a life opportunity, a new lease of life and even much more since he was actually going to become the catalyst and the TRIGGER that reversed the process and turned my life upside-down. This created a tremendous "rupture" in myself thereby awakening and freeing me from the vicious trap in which I had been engulfed. However, it is only now, with hindsight that I understand the impact of what John had said in the humble "taverna" at the foot of the rock of the Acropolis. The energy and mystery of the "Living Spirit in his words"
The encounter that I had with John had left a strong and indelible imprint in my psyche and as a consequence of this encounter it had activated within my heart an invisible Presence. A subtle and intangible Witness had just been awakened... and even to this day, John's words still echo back to me and fill me with gratitude and joy. What I had realized then, was that after so many years of searching and coming to accept that the real "role model" and Master cannot be found outside of oneself, since we carry within us an archetypal model, I had instead and out of the blue come across a real "invisible" Master in the physical world. There was no doubt in my mind, I could have recognized him wherever and whenever... there was no question about it, since he had appeared first in my "inner life" and had initiated me and awakened me from within the mystical and spiritual astral planes. But here he was now, appearing in front of me in the flesh ... He was the exact antithesis and opposite model of those that I had encountered amongst important and influential personalities in the mystical and spiritual circles of Europe and the USA. When I met him for the first time in Greece, everyone around John found him to have a charismatic character and people were attracted to him because of his magnetic and humorous personality. His humanity and humility reflect the power and concentration of his unconditional pure Love and his brilliant intuition coupled with his intellectual capacity trigger an incredible new world in those who http://www.plotinus.com/autobiography_part3.htm (2 of 6)14-2-2005 19:43:28
Autobiography_part4
can "hear" and understand the "language of birds".... in a few words, I immediately sensed the "contact" between Master and disciple and this was confirmed to me by John in a subtle way , when driving back in a taxi from the Plaka he declared, what in my heart I had become suddenly aware of , that "the Master appears only when the disciple is ready " and I was now ready...
Once again, I have to go back to my return to Nicosia from Athens. No doubt you can better understand how important the experience that I had undergone in Athens on Sunday 29 April 1984 was for me. It had helped me replenish my depleted energy and gave me back an incredible burst of enthusiasm, especially after becoming conscious of this living sweet Presence within my heart. Moreover, later on, when I had to live in London, for more than three years, this presence within my being saved me from drowning. Every summer I used to spend two to three months in London, so like every other year I went to London in June1984 and met a good friend with whom I had already planned to take a three week course in Psychosynthesis. It was supposed to be a "retreat" and a training place for those who would like to become councilors. This course was called the "Fundamentals" a prerequisite for the three year training course. Personally I had no intention of taking such training, since I did not even know what psychosynthesis was...and lived for most of the year in Cyprus and not in England.. Moreover, my sole interest in taking this course was to learn more about spiritual psychology and how workshops function.
But fortunately things were about to change. For most of us in the group, what happened during the last week was an amazing experience, because it aroused in us a new level of consciousness that allowed us to face ourselves and start looking within ourselves without fears. During this last week, I suddenly realized http://www.plotinus.com/autobiography_part3.htm (3 of 6)14-2-2005 19:43:28
Autobiography_part4
that whenever people in the group were sharing their suffering and pain, something in me was empathizing with them in a different way... it was as if the Presence within my heart was part of them and at the same time it was unmasking and unveiling my own "hidden" pains... as a result of these mysterious exchanges of energies between members of the group, a beautiful release had started to operate within each one of us. There was recognition that the more we shared and opened up, lighter and freer we felt and became. Our hugging and embraces empowered us, our cries and tears purified us and as a result of what was going on within the group, a healing energy surrounded us with a halo of goodness...Our being felt redeemed from our sufferings and painful memories. Personally I realized at the end that the whole process of the retreat was to open up and activate a Soul response to our plea for help. I needed to bring changes in my life, a process had started to operate mysteriously in me in Athens, and it was now being revitalized and activated even more here, How could I give this new process up! It was impossible, I had to stay in England
So, once back in my flat in London, I rang my husband in Cyprus and told him about my decision... I wanted to stay and become a psychosynthesis councilor... There was no other way, I would come and visit him during my holidays, and he could do the same. My son was a grown up young man, so I felt free to undergo this training and remain for the following three and a half years in London. Sometimes, when I reflect back on those years, remembering everything that I had to pass through and experience during the training, I am amazed at my courage and the determination that I had to go through with it... because it was a very hard and suffocating atmosphere, and yet, I remember, that while I was undergoing the training, I knew that I had to overcome my own weaknesses and hidden complexes... Yes, these were painful experiences emerging from the depth of my subconscious but they were promising a release from my protective illusions and fears and announcing a freedom from my own limitations and judgments. I wanted to crack and burst out from the protective shell of my cocoon. Hence, I knew that I had to take the mask off and come clean like cutting the umbilical cord with my past, yes I had to come alive again and rekindle the days of my childhood, when everything seemed to be natural and beautiful... During the three and a half years spent in psychosynthesis training, a certain level of psychic healing and bonding was created between members and this was quite empowering. Fears and stresses were more apparent then usual amongst members of the groups but we had to learn to let ourselves become transparent... taking off the protecting layers and masks of our "subpersonalities". Becoming transparent was an easy word... but could we really face our own vulnerability and emptiness in the mirror of truth? What was truth for me? A whole world was collapsing around and in me... I knew that the process that John had started to awaken in me in Athens was now entering a new phase... My faith in him and in what was going on for me in a mystical sense had not changed at all. My determination in pursing my ideals were unequivocal and my faith in the whole process total. But I had to pass through very stressful and difficult times as it was time for me to look at my own wounds so that I could open and let the wounds of others in...
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But my dreams were still unfulfilled! I would not like to go into the details of my psychosynthesis training simply because it would be out of context here, but let me just say, that it is an intense training and very effective provided that one stays focused and grounded on one's spiritual ideals. Let me just say that I had to learn to get in touch with my childhood pains, my secret fears and the ways I was often put down and taken for granted by my parents and teachers... this rediscovery had opened a great chasm in my being, I could not stop now, there was no question about ending this process now...My eyes and my consciousness had suddenly awakened and I was facing myself in the mirror of my own subconscious as if for the first time. In Athens John had invisibly cut "the umbilical cord" that linked me to my Rosicrucian background and now, suddenly I was facing life as it really was with its good and bad parts. These were projections coming from my subconscious and I had to redress the situation and learn to live in a completely new way. I had to learn to open my heart and "unlock the doors and discover the protective "masks" that were harboring my fears and vulnerability. I was diving, plunging head down first into the intricate process and impulses coming from my psyche... Was there something to rescue in it? and was there a lot to let go and abandon? Had I wasted 16 years studying esoteric and spiritual studies? No! not at all...I knew that, I felt one of the lucky ones, because my mystical experiences during my childhood and my Rosicrucian training had opened these experiences even further, but I was still "out" of this world, this training in psychosynthesis was about my "coming back into the world" it was for me like the baptismal font announcing my rebirth.... I should add that I had to keep my own mystical background and personal experiences to myself... I could not be too transparent about them because they were out of context and not approved by the training staff... So, there was no way that a psychological atmosphere like the one in which I found myself could change or alter anything about my own way of perceiving my own goals and ideals. I had been ridiculed and mocked as well as abused sometimes during my three and a half years, but even if it did hurt, it never changed me.
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Alice Ouzounian autobiography_part 3a
AUTOBIOGRAPHY - PART : III - Continuation 1984-1988
My first contact with the groups was quiet negative, I did not understand half of what they were talking about... and I was horrified to see how much stress there was in the groups... What was all this about! Get in touch with my pain? What did this mean? I had no pain since I could not feel anything!... I was a good meditator and a creative person, why go back into my childhood and look for pain! Why dig into my subconscious? At first everything looked and sounded ridiculous and even sometimes hilarious... I had to go out of the group a few times, because I could not stop laughing and giggling... I had always been in touch and guided from childhood by my Soul through dreams and astral projections, my Rosicrucian background had reinforced that communion, so why bother about pain... I had overcome all this stuff through mystical and spiritual discipline.. These were my protective inner arguments and excuses. I did not need to be humiliated in front of others... Indeed, this course was a great shock to my ego. I was after all a representative of a well known mystical organization, how could I embarrass myself in this manner. All these defensive arguments rushed to my head and it was one of the most difficult and stressful two weeks in my life. I did not know yet how to open up my to my hidden "wounds" and expose them to myself... because in them is contained the mystery of Life and of our Humanity. I was still afraid of the world, and especially of being with people...I had been living in my "Ivory Tower". for so long and was afraid to "jump" from the Tower just like the young man from the Tarot card number 16 called The Tower..
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Alice Ouzounian autobiography_part 3a
But fortunately things were about to change. For most of us in the group, what happened during the last week was an amazing experience, because it aroused in us a new level of consciousness that allowed us to face ourselves and start looking within ourselves without fears. During this last week, I suddenly realized that whenever people in the group were sharing their suffering and pain, something in me was empathizing with them in a different way... it was as if the Presence within my heart was part of them and at the same time it was unmasking and unveiling my own "hidden" pains... as a result of these mysterious exchanges of energies between members of the group, a beautiful release had started to operate within each one of us. There was recognition that the more we shared and opened up, lighter and freer we felt and became. Our hugging and embraces empowered us, our cries and tears purified us and as a result of what was going on within the group, a healing energy surrounded us with a halo of goodness...Our being felt redeemed from our sufferings and painful memories. Personally I realized at the end that the whole process of the retreat was to open up and activate a Soul response to our plea for help. I needed to bring changes in my life, a process had started to operate mysteriously in me in Athens, and it was now being revitalized and activated even more here, How could I give this new process up! It was impossible, I had to stay in England
So, once back in my flat in London, I rang my husband in Cyprus and told him about my decision... I wanted to stay and become a psychosynthesis councilor... There was no other way, I would come and visit him during my holidays, and he could do the same. My son was a grown up young man, so I felt free to undergo this training and remain for the following three and a half years in London. Sometimes, when I reflect back on those years, remembering everything that I had to pass through and experience during the training, I am amazed at my courage and the determination that I had to go through with it... because it http://www.plotinus.com/autobiography_part3a.htm (2 of 4)14-2-2005 19:44:07
Alice Ouzounian autobiography_part 3a
was a very hard and suffocating atmosphere, and yet, I remember, that while I was undergoing the training, I knew that I had to overcome my own weaknesses and hidden complexes... Yes, these were painful experiences emerging from the depth of my subconscious but they were promising a release from my protective illusions and fears and announcing a freedom from my own limitations and judgments. I wanted to crack and burst out from the protective shell of my cocoon. Hence, I knew that I had to take the mask off and come clean like cutting the umbilical cord with my past, yes I had to come alive again and rekindle the days of my childhood, when everything seemed to be natural and beautiful... During the three and a half years spent in psychosynthesis training, a certain level of psychic healing and bonding was created between members and this was quite empowering. Fears and stresses were more apparent then usual amongst members of the groups but we had to learn to let ourselves become transparent... taking off the protecting layers and masks of our "subpersonalities". Becoming transparent was an easy word... but could we really face our own vulnerability and emptiness in the mirror of truth? What was truth for me? A whole world was collapsing around and in me... I knew that the process that John had started to awaken in me in Athens was now entering a new phase... My faith in him and in what was going on for me in a mystical sense had not changed at all. My determination in pursing my ideals were unequivocal and my faith in the whole process total. But I had to pass through very stressful and difficult times as it was time for me to look at my own wounds so that I could open and let the wounds of others in...
But my dreams were still unfulfilled! I would not like to go into the details of my psychosynthesis training simply because it would be out of context here, but let me just say, that it is an intense training and very effective provided that one stays focused and grounded on one's spiritual ideals. Let me just say that I had to learn to get in touch with my childhood pains, my secret fears and the ways I was often put down and taken for granted by my parents and teachers... this rediscovery had opened a great chasm in my being, I could not stop now, there was no question about ending this process now...My eyes and my consciousness had suddenly awakened and I was facing myself in the mirror of my own subconscious as if for the first time. In Athens John had invisibly cut "the umbilical cord" that linked me to my Rosicrucian background and now, suddenly I was facing life as it really was with its good and bad parts. These were projections coming from my subconscious and I had to redress the situation and learn to live in a completely new way. I had to learn to open my heart and "unlock the doors and discover the protective "masks" that were harboring my fears and vulnerability. I was diving, plunging head down first into the intricate process and impulses coming from my psyche... Was there something to rescue in it? and was there a lot to let go and abandon? Had I wasted 16 years studying esoteric and spiritual studies? No! not at all...I knew that, I felt one of the lucky ones, because my mystical experiences during my childhood and my Rosicrucian training had opened these experiences even further, but I was still "out" of this world, this training in psychosynthesis was about my "coming back into the world" it was for me like the baptismal font announcing my rebirth.... I should add that I had to keep my own mystical background and personal experiences to myself... I could not be too transparent about them because they were out of context and not approved by the training staff... So, there was no way that a psychological atmosphere like the one in which I found myself could change or alter anything about my own way of perceiving my own goals and ideals. I had been ridiculed and mocked as well as abused sometimes during my three and a half years, but even if it did hurt, it never changed me. http://www.plotinus.com/autobiography_part3a.htm (3 of 4)14-2-2005 19:44:07
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Autobiography - Alice Ouzounian
AUTOBIOGRAPHY PART : 4
Again I ask myself the same question, how am I going to continue this autobiography? how will I reveal what happened next in my spiritual life? Here is a reminder of what I had already said in part 3. I lived alone in London for 3 years, leaving my family in Cyprus. From 1984 to 1987, I stayed there to be trained as a Psychosynthesis counselor. When I returned to Cyprus I had to fly back to London every couple of months for the next six months to finish my training. I often visited Paris as well. Why Paris? Because my husband's business used to take him frequently there, another reason was that I also had very good friends. Hence, it was very convenient and a good change for me to meet him in Paris instead of London. The contrast of lifestyle between the one I was living in Paris during my short visits and the one that I had to endure during my training in London was tremendous to say the least. Pure luxury and sophistication in Paris, versus difficult and painful processes unfolding in London. However, I was very lucky to be left completely alone in London, no family around to disturb my "inner work" and plenty of time to search, analyze, discover and experience what was gradually emerging from the deepest recesses of my subconscious. These were indeed difficult times for me, due to the fact that I intuitively knew that I had to reconcile two opposite energies that were co-existing within myself. One part was trying to empower my ego and the other one was questioning the wisdom of such an attempt. What was happening during this process? Was I really trying to empower the ego or the Soul? I was receiving intuitive feedbacks through dreams, which were telling me that everything was not yet in harmony. I had to keep on working at my process incorporating and synthesizing the spiritual impulses and intuitions that I was receiving through my psychosynthesis training. Moreover, I knew that a psychological approach needed to be rooted in my spiritual inner Quest. I needed to ground these two different approaches, and find a way to blend and harmonize them. This was a much better way to heal and unblock the trapped subconscious energies. Thus, I found that my training in Psychosynthesis was definitely helping me to look at myself from a new perspective…This "new way" was emerging through my process as a silent Witness from within the center of consciousness… I was becoming a silent observer of myself… and through this incredible transformation, a subtle ethereal bridge was starting to link the two opposite energies within me, uplifting my consciousness to new heights. In retrospect, this "inner" bridge was the link that grounded me… Again I ask myself the same question, how am I going to continue this autobiography? how will I reveal what happened next in my spiritual life? Here is a reminder of what I had already said in part 3. I lived alone in London for 3 years, leaving my family in Cyprus. From 1984 to 1987, I stayed there to be trained as a Psychosynthesis councillor. When I returned to Cyprus I had to fly back to London every couple of months for the next six months to finish my training. I often visited Paris as well. Why Paris? Because my husband's business used to take him frequently there, another reason was that I also had very good http://www.plotinus.com/autobiography_of_a_fool4.htm (1 of 4)14-2-2005 19:44:39
Autobiography - Alice Ouzounian
friends. Hence, it was very convenient and a good change for me to meet him in Paris instead of London. The contrast of lifestyle between the one I was living in Paris during my short visits and the one that I had to endure during my training in London was tremendous to say the least. Pure luxury and sophistication in Paris, versus difficult and painful processes unfolding in London. However, I was very lucky to be left completely alone in London, no family around to disturb my "inner work" and plenty of time to search, analyze, discover and experience what was gradually emerging from the deepest recesses of my subconscious. These were indeed difficult times for me, due to the fact that I intuitively knew that I had to reconcile two opposite energies that were co-existing within myself. One part was trying to empower my ego and the other one was questioning the wisdom of such an attempt. What was happening during this process? Was I really trying to empower the ego or the Soul? I was receiving intuitive feedbacks through dreams, which were telling me that everything was not yet in harmony. I had to keep on working at my process incorporating and synthesizing the spiritual impulses and intuitions that I was receiving through my psychosynthesis training. Moreover, I knew that a psychological approach needed to be rooted in my spiritual inner Quest. I needed to ground these two different approaches, and find a way to blend and harmonize them. This was a much better way to heal and unblock the trapped subconscious energies. Thus, I found that my training in Psychosynthesis was definitely helping me to look at myself from a new perspective…This "new way" was emerging through my process as a silent Witness from within the center of consciousness… I was becoming a silent observer of myself… and through this incredible transformation, a subtle ethereal bridge was starting to link the two opposite energies within me, uplifting my consciousness to new heights. In retrospect, this "inner" bridge was the link that grounded me…
Like Jacob's Ladder it was a channel opening new doors within myself. However, I had noticed that bridging and harmonizing the two extreme energies within me made me become aware of some subtle qualities that were starting to emerge from my psyche. For example, I noticed that when I was the observer of my own psychological process, something different was operating within me. My conscious self accepted whatever was surfacing from within, without fear… there was a kind of compassion and understanding, a peaceful feeling towards my own ego and from the depth of my psyche something was telling me that everything was going to be okay… When negative things surfaced in my consciousness during meditation, or during "inner work" or, even dream time, there was no more embarrassment, on the contrary, I used to feel more centered, because another part within me was taking over in a loving and nurturing way. Intuitive thoughts and feelings were emerging within my inner Silent place. I discovered that both processes, the psychological and spiritual ones were important and even crucial for the well being of the psyche. However, they had to operate in unison and harmonize within my conscious self. This is how I kept myself "grounded". During my whole training, I was trying to keep a balance between the psychological aspect of empowering myself with the unfoldment of a higher aspect of intuition and inner guidance. However, what I gradually discovered during my third year of training is that once the blocking energies are released, they empower the Higher Self or Soul and not the ego. My first year was the hardest as I had not yet managed to harmonize the two opposite powers within me. I was projecting my fears and failures towards everyone specially my family, who fortunately were not around. My ego was crying out - I tried to empower it like the rest of the group… but something else was stopping me… I knew that this was just a "play" something else had to happen… Again, I will use Jacob's Ladder, to describe the help that I was receiving through dreams. http://www.plotinus.com/autobiography_of_a_fool4.htm (2 of 4)14-2-2005 19:44:39
Autobiography - Alice Ouzounian
I used to have vivid and powerful experiences, which were awakening an inner process within my dreams. These actually were initiations, doors within doors opening and unfolding new levels of consciousness. At first, it was a mixture of levels of consciousness coming from past incarnations, which needed to be purified… There were other levels appearing too, these were more uplifting and blissful. Moreover, the quickening and awakening levels of consciousness were perceived as "seeds" that needed to be purified and protected from the outside invading paradoxes that psychology was offering me. And, while maturing in the silent darkness of my subconscious, these "seeds" were appearing and making strong impacts on my dream experiences. So, without understanding how this inner process worked, I was nonetheless starting to empty and purify an inner space within me in which these experiences were delicately transformed as " new seeds". I realized through intuition and inner guidance that I had to transform the psychological aspect of the ego into a pure emptied vehicle to be "used" by the Soul. So, everything that was hidden in the subconscious had first to surface gradually to the level of consciousness. This was just the beginning of a process that went on for another 10 years (my purification process started well before my training, it began in 1968).
However, I knew intuitively that first I needed to find a "Middle Way", a personal method of practice that would show me how to merge the two extreme poles of ego and soul energies within my being. Synthesizing and uniting them into something "new", so that the ego transforms itself into a pure and emptied vehicle for the Soul to pour in Its Essence. However, what I discovered, later, was that by being "emptied of its past patterns, the ego transmuted itself into a vehicle of pure Awareness and Consciousness. Yes! My ego was just starting to become a medium for the Soul. This, was how I discovered the "Middle Way", which meant that the light of consciousness was no longer trapped in a cloudy and opaque vehicle, but it had started to shine through a cleansed and clearer vehicle. And progressively, within this purified "vacuum" of the ego, a Presence began to emerge. But this is another story… At first, this silent Presence used to appear to me while meditating or contemplating on one or both of these extreme energies. However, soon, I realized that facing my own pain and accepting what I was seeing within myself helped me release a higher aspect of Being. COPYRIGHTS
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Autobiography - Alice Ouzounian
AUTOBIOGRAPHY PART : 4.B - Continuation
This was so, because reliving every painful experience in my life was a kind of sweet "fuel" that enlightened the "new" center within me and this inner operation revitalized my consciousness. It seemed as if a part of myself had separated from the ego and another part was becoming the observer of my own pain. At first, this Presence within was a faint and silent Witness listening and accepting whatever was emerging from the depth of my being. Moreover, it used to appear first, during sleep, emerging as a kind of "double", to offer me comfort. It did not manifest as often as I would have wished, but this Inner Presence was there often explaining certain things or showing me methods of working at my process. During these three years, I received sublime inner initiations that helped and gave me hope for the future. As an example, I saw John (Raymond Bernard) giving me an initiation… accompanying me into an invisible brotherhood… being a silent witness while I had to answer questions… But the "I" in these psychic and vivid experiences was of a different kind. I was just Consciousness…and the experiences were empowering and impersonal forces that were awakening within consciousness. During these experiences I became more alert and focused then in my ordinary level of consciousness. In other words, in my inner life I was living on two different levels. On the one hand, I was purifying and taking off the different protective masks of my "subpersonalities" which were my ego's defensive traits. And on the other hand, I was being trained from within my psyche for something that I did not know or understand anything about yet… At the time, I thought that this was a ploy coming from within to help me overcome the difficulties of my training in London and I remember ceasing to be a Rosicrucian during my second year in training. It took me 22 years to say enough, I need to explore spirituality in a different manner, I trusted the inner guidance that I was receiving, which was unfolding in a completely new way, it was an amazing new discovery! Moreover, I had no intention to belong to any other Mystery School or Organization. I thought that after ending my Psychosynthesis training, I would come back to Cyprus and help people who wanted to develop and unfold their own spiritual path. I wanted only to help and encourage them to purify and transform their inner blockages, so as to allow the unfoldment of their creativity. That was my goal and I was very happy and content with this decision. But my night experiences continued to make an ever stronger impact… They were showing me something different that did not make sense…it was a new way of receiving inner knowledge, which I am not allowed to discuss. Sometimes from within my dreams, I became aware that from the deepest part of a dark cosmos a beam of light descended from a sun… I could see it. This light was illuminating my head and penetrating my skull… and this was as if rays of this light http://www.plotinus.com/autobiography_of_a_fool4a.htm (1 of 5)14-2-2005 19:45:15
Autobiography - Alice Ouzounian
beamed through my eyes…it was strange to say the least and wherever my eyes turned and focused, the beam of light illuminated it and followed me everywhere. This went on for a while even after waking up in the morning. This light seemed to follow and illuminate my head, face and entire body. What was that? I was not even sure if this light was following me. Or, if on the contrary, I was following it? Had John anything to do with it, I used to ask myself? And the logical answer used to be "of course not, I don't even know where he is! How can he follow my process when he does not know if I am still living in London!" I had seen John only once just a few months after starting my psychosynthesis training. It was around November 1984, six months after our first encounter in Athens. This short meeting was a pure "coincidence". I'll explain.
While I was in Paris in November 1984, a friend who knew of him through his books informed me that John and his wife had moved to Africa. So, it never crossed my mind to write to him or find a way to get in touch with him, since he was no longer living in Paris. But fate decided otherwise! And strangely enough we met one evening at a concert hall. A friend had invited me to a concert. During the interval, an elegant French gentleman approached me and my friend and calling me by my name he looked and smiled at me. He introduced himself and asked if I could follow him out of the hall, saying: . I was taken aback not knowing how to react, but as he knew my name and it was a "surprise" I followed him, asking my friend to wait for me. The gentleman that I had never met before took me through a few narrow passages and into a small office. When the door opened… what a surprise and a cry of joy! It was he! John sitting behind a desk, his eyes radiant with affection. . He said. Apparently he had spotted me amongst the people sitting in the concert hall and asked a friend of his to call me during the interval. Of course, I was thrilled to see him and with much excitement, I related all my adventures during my training - I told him what had happened with my process after our strange encounter in Athens six months before. I also said that I was living in London and wanted to do a three years course in Psychosynthesis. John listened attentively but remained strangely silent. Did he understand what I was telling him? Did he have a clue of what my training was all about? I was not sure because there were no comments about it whatsoever. For the next two years, I had no contact with John. I only knew that I was in a completely different world in London, my life had changed and my mind-blowing experiences of Athens were engraved in my heart but they nevertheless belonged to the past. My goal now, was just to complete my three years training and unfold my own way of harmonizing the two extreme poles within my being. So, after that very brief encounter in Paris, John was part of my past. Hence, whenever during the following two years I had to go to Paris, I had no desire to find or contact him as I thought that he was still in Africa.
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However, John used to appear regularly during my vivid inner experiences, which were not dreams… He used to awaken my consciousness in subtle and gentle ways… and guide me towards something… why was he doing that? And where was he taking me? I was delighted and puzzled by all these inner experiences and felt that something was brewing from within but for what purpose? So what were these experiences? Was John really preparing me for something to come? Was this the next step after our incredible encounter in Athens? Maybe my psychosynthesis training was part of an "inner training". I had to go through it before taking the next step? I needed first to purify and understand my own negative traits. In 1987 I passed my third year tests in Psychosynthesis and had another six months to go on and find "clients" to counsel on my own. This was part of the training and during that time I had decided to go back to Cyprus and work from there. In Nicosia, people willingly started coming for private sessions and I began giving workshops in Nicosia, Limassol and Paphos, so, for me, everything was going according to plan. But to do this I still had to commute every other month to London. I was becoming popular with a certain circle and my work spread around the island attracting about 100 members. Cyprus is a small place and this was a tremendous success. I was proud to have achieved the goal that I had set for myself. And my ego was bursting with joy and enjoying the adulation and importance given to my work. But my inner voice was not happy… something was missing, I was not at peace, there was a kind of pretence, and I felt insecure, I wanted to please and be popular with everyone and this tiring process went on for another two years, until Decembe1989.
In December 1989 I was in Paris with my husband, we were staying at the Intercontinental hotel rue de Castiglione near rue de Rivoli. I was just giving the key of our room to the concierge, when turning around I came face to face with John. I could not believe it, he was looking at me with a big smile, we both were http://www.plotinus.com/autobiography_of_a_fool4a.htm (3 of 5)14-2-2005 19:45:15
Autobiography - Alice Ouzounian
overjoyed to meet like this once more in a hotel, just like in Athens… I replied that I had just finished my training and was accompanying my husband as he had business meetings during all day, I was free and was planning to go and visit an exhibition at one of the galleries…< Strange, I am with Yvonne and we were going to have lunch here in this hotel, the restaurant is very good, if you are free would you like to join us? > This is what John said with an enigmatic smile. , I replied. After lunch, John took something out of his pocket casually, it was a small brooch; some kind of symbol and he just pinned it on my jacket. I did not even have a chance to ask him what it was, he just said < Well it is about time that you start you work in Cyprus, I have been waiting for quite sometime now>. I was still puzzled… He then continued, I was thrilled but still puzzled with John's mysterious talk about the "Private Order of Chivalry" and the "work awaiting me in Cyprus". We went to the new center by taxi and we entered the luxurious premises. I did not know what to say, as I did not recognize anyone there… Most of them were young people and some older. They were all overjoyed to see John and his wife visiting the new premises… but who was I? They did not know me. But soon after the first introductions we all became good friends. John took me around and showed me everything on all five floors even the most sacred and secret room… I felt strange… why me? I am not yet a member… Why me? When John took me to his private office he asked me when would I be leaving Paris. I told him that we had to be in London in two days time. . I had not even a chance to think about what John was saying. What was I going to say to my husband? Yes of course he is used to my numerous travels, but we had other plans for January… To cut my story short, I was in Paris for the 19 January 1989… and this is the beginning of a new chapter in my life that will unfold many new and exciting experiences that I will in the future write about, through my "Autobiography of a Fool".
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Personal Coat of Arms
(D'argent a un phenix d'azur surmenté d'une ombre de soleil du même)
The Abyss that is my Soul invokes unceasingly The Abyss that is my God. Which may the deeper be? Angelus Silesius HOME To go back to the list without frames, please click on this line or the star below
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Personal Coat of Arms
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The Mystery of Janus
THE MYSTERY OF JANUS THE GOD OF GATEWAYS
Janus a "Key"
EXPLORING THE SYMBOL OF JANUS. Janus, the ambivalent Indo-European deity with two faces, one on each side of the head, was one of the earliest gods of Rome. Originally the god of gods and benevolent creator, he became the god of change and transitions such as the progression of past to future, of one condition to another, of one vision to another, and of one universe to another. He was god of the gate and the presiding deity of the beginning of anything. The opening month of the year (January, from janua, "gate") was sacred to him, as was the first day of each month. He presided over the start and the vestals took care of the completion of any enterprise. He ruled the birth of gods, the cosmos, mankind and its undertakings. As warden of gates, which he opened and closed, he was depicted with a doorkeeper’s keys and staff. His two faces meant that he watched entrances as well as exits, and saw into the internal as well as the external world, left and right, above and below, before and after, for and against. His shrines were archways, such as gateways or arcades at crossing places. (Taken from Dictionary of Symbols, Jean Chevalier & Alain Gheerbrant).
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Let us look now at the esoteric symbolism of Janus, especially in connection to arcane Christian Mysteries. A curious document expressly representing Christ in the form of Janus shows a cartouche painted on a detached page of a fifteen century manuscript found at Luchon, in France. This painting ends the leaf for the month of January in the prefatory calendar of the book. At the summit of the medallion is the monogram "I.H.S" (for Hiesou, Greek for "Jesus") surmounted by a heart. The rest of the medallion features a bust of Janus and his dual function in the harmonization and blending of his/her dual nature. The two faces represent a male and female; they both share one crowned head, which we will discuss later on. The male figure holds a scepter in his hand and his female counterpart holds a key. In reproducing this document, Charbonneau-Lassay writes: "On Roman monuments, Janus is shown crowned as in the cartouche of Luchon, with the scepter in the right hand, because he is king; he holds in the other hand a key which opens and closes the epochs; this is why, by extension of this idea, the Romans consecrated to him the doorways of houses and the gates to cities. Christ, also like the ancient Janus, holds the royal scepter to which he is entitled by his Heavenly Father as well as by his earthly ancestry. His other hand holds the key to the eternal secrets, the key colored by his blood which opens the doorway of life for lost humanity." To translate the Christ mystery into our own language, the "cartouche" shows the process and the result that it brings about in a seeker. It shows us the level of consciousness we call the Cosmic Christ or Cosmic Consciousness. In the Christic Mysteries, the seeker who has reached this level of attainment is called a "Son of God." Before going deeper into the symbolic meaning of Janus, let us look at what Charbonneau-Lassay meant by the word "blood." In an esoteric and spiritual context, blood represents all the integral qualities of fire, heat and vitality inherent to the Sun and the Cosmic Christ. Therefore, according to mystical tradition, blood represents new life, new beginnings and resurrection. By "blood of Christ," Charbonneau-Lassay means a spiritual and alchemical process of purification from all past karma so as to receive "new blood" and reach a new level of spiritual energy. This means that this process brings about a complete renewal and the birth of a "Son of God" in the flesh. The symbolic image of Janus/Jana is androgynous, since the masculine and feminine energies and qualities are in complete balance and harmony and their respective attributes makes the head of Janus/Jana crowned. This shows us that their dual nature unites at the mind level and becomes one complete new being. Some authors regard Jana as Diana/Artemis, a lunar goddess representing the feminine aspect of Janus. Janus is also a lunar symbol but it represents another aspect of the lunar process that is more active and masculine. Hence when observed separately, each of the figures of Janus/Jana represents the psychic energies within the seeker that have been transformed and purified, each holding his/her own virtue and function. The crown that harmonizes and unites them after their "mystical wedding" gives rise to the third face, which remains invisible and represents the crowning of the great work, the androgynous level of http://www.plotinus.com/janus.htm (2 of 7)14-2-2005 19:46:24
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consciousness where God incarnates in the seeker. Thus, the seeker knows in all humility that he is a Son of God. For this reason, the crown is a solar symbol and, therefore, the two streams of the moon within the seeker blend, and from a level of duality, they unite with the Sun symbol of the Father and God. The alchemical symbol of the rebis reminds us of the same principle hidden behind the cartouche of Janus/Jana. Whenever the symbolism of Janus relates to time, between the past (which is no longer) and the future (which is not yet), the true Face of Janus—that which looks at the present and is supposed to face us—is not shown; it is neither one nor the other of the two we can see. This third face is, in fact, invisible because the present in its temporal manifestation is but an intangible and imperceptible instant. (This is also why certain languages, such as Hebrew and Arabic, do not have present tense verbs.)
Thus, the seeker lives on a different plane of existence, since he is "invisible" and does not dwell in the past or the future. He is awake in the present, and is not affected by his past or his future. He trusts only the present moment because he lives in the spirit, which contains all reality. This third, invisible face of Janus reminds us of the sacred and divine face of the Cosmic Christ, the Divine Face hidden within the "seed." Thus this little cartouche contains all the keys and tools of the mystical process of this great mystery.
Hindu tradition has a similar symbol: the third eye of Shiva that is also invisible and not represented by any corporeal organ. This invisible eye represents the "sense of eternity," and its glance is said to reduce everything to ashes, to destroy all manifestation, and purifies and transforms karma, keeping only what is http://www.plotinus.com/janus.htm (3 of 7)14-2-2005 19:46:24
The Mystery of Janus
pure in the eternal present. Thus the apparent destruction is, in reality, a transformation of the old ways into no ways, no opinions, no judgments, no limitations, living "out of time" and yet in it. Thus we see that Janus represents he who is not only the "master of the triple time (past/future/present—a designation that Hinduism also applies to Shiva), but also, and above all else, he is the Lord of Eternity.
In the New Testament, Christ said, "I am the alpha and omega," the beginning and the end. The master of time cannot himself be subject to time, which has its principle in him, just as, according to Aristotle, the prime mover of all things or the universal principle of movement is necessarily immobile. It is the center that is everywhere, and its circumference nowhere.
Janus is portrayed as holding the scepter and the key. Now, like the crown, the scepter is the emblem of royal power. Seen from a mystical perspective, they symbolize one who has reached the highest level of Cosmic Consciousness as an awakened master of himself and of his own destiny. Furthermore, since the scepter is on his right, or masculine, side he represents, in an initiatory sense, the inner spiritual power of the mystic. The key, on his left, or feminine, side represents Jana, his complement, or Sophia, the higher intuition and intelligence within a mystic that holds the key to the kingdom. The crown symbolizes the three principles in a mystic, i.e., his mystical wedding or the union of the two opposites on the axial neutral pole of pure Consciousness and Being. According to Hebrew Kabbalah symbolism, the right and left correspond respectively to two Divine attributes: mercy (CHESED) and justice (GEBURAH). On one level, this shows that the seeker judges no one except himself, and on a more spiritual level, it proves that the invisible part or third face is the real judge of the living and dead, the one that conveys harmony and peace. This small cartouche, therefore, shows us that when the masculine and feminine energies within the mystic function properly and in harmony, then the mystical wedding takes place in the seeker, bringing about his/her own http://www.plotinus.com/janus.htm (4 of 7)14-2-2005 19:46:24
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invisible face and presence of Cosmic Consciousness. This invisible presence also has the symbolic name of Melchizedek.
Sometimes Janus is shown with two keys, those of the solstice gates, Janua Celi and Janua Inferni, corresponding respectively to the winter and summer solstices, the two extremes in the sun’s annual course, for as master of time, Janus is the janitor who opens and closes this cycle. Janus is also the god of initiation into the mysteries. (The word "initiation" derives from in-ire, or enter (again the symbolism of the gate). Christ said, "I am the Way"—another connection between Janus and Christ?)
Now here is an important mystery and a key.
Turning to their initiatory symbolism, Janus as the god of initiation has two keys, gold and silver, that represent the greater mysteries and the lesser mysteries, and the celestial and terrestrial paradises, respectively. Because Janus is also the master of the solstices, with ascending and descending cycles that begin at the winter and summer solstice respectively, he is also the Master of the Two Ways to which the solstice gates give access, the ways of the right and the left, which the Pythagoreans represented by the letter "Y," represented exoterically in the myth of Hercules as the ways of virtue and vice.
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Ganesha In Hindu tradition, these same two ways are termed the "Way of the Gods" (deva-yana) and the "Way of the Ancestors" (pitri-yana). The symbolism of Ganesha has many parallels with that of Janus. He, too, is the Master of the Two Ways and therefore Lord of Knowledge, echoing the idea of initiation into the mysteries. Finally these two ways could be construed as those of the heavens and of the hells. However, for seekers, these two ways are part of an initiatory process, the right side representing ascension into heaven and the left, descent into hell—cycles of purification that the seeker must undergo.
So Janus/Jana acquire their powers and virtues only after the seeker has successfully entered and purified his own karmic "inner hell," a long and gradual process. The more the soul of the seeker "allows" him to descend into the depth of his personal "hell," the more he is elevated and ascends to a level of "heaven" that corresponds to the level of consciousness that he has achieved through purification. These spiritual "operations" are linked together and can never be separated.
Our next message will consecrate its research on the inner process of the androgynous level of being The picture on this page have been carefully chosen to make you use your intuition and prepare yourselves for the next message which will be a continuation of this one
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Mysteries of the Androginynous
FROM DUALITY TO THE ANDROGYNOUS STATE
PART : 2
The axial invisible pole of Awareness and pure Consciousness
The androgynous state of being can only be explained in the abstract, which is why we approach this subject on a mystical and esoteric plane and let intuition guide us through the subtle meaning behind these lines. The previous chapter portrayed Janus with an invisible face, engulfing the ever-changing presence of the moment. We also suggested that the invisible face of Janus stood on an axial pole, fixed in the eternal present that simultaneously connects and separates the past and the future, the two visible faces and the invisible. The description of the invisible face that emerges from the ever-changing ephemeral moment suggests that this ethereal presence is, in itself, a permanent element within consciousness, since the presence represents the ever-changing awareness of the moment. Consciousness, then, is the invisible presence of an immutable axial center within all human beings, fixed, neutral, and unchanged and untouched by time or space. Why is this? Because the axial pole does not belong to the world of duality, of matter and manifestation. Therefore, within its own pole, it remains neutral and never manifests, for to manifest, consciousness would need to come out of its neutral center into the world of duality, of contrasts and opposites, where it would manifest in different shapes and sizes in the world. In other words, when consciousness expands itself out of its axial position, it "comes out" and permeates the realm of duality. By projecting itself out of its axial point, consciousness intersects with time and space, with past and future through the left and right faces of Janus. But by expanding our consciousness, we are given the opportunity of becoming aware of creation and of using our mind, intellect, emotions and feelings to express consciousness.
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The three aspects of Janus are indivisible, since the axial center of being is the pivotal Center of Pure Being. Accordingly, whenever "being" becomes conscious of something, this means that it has focused its attention either outwardly or inwardly towards a chosen objective. It is as if, from its fixed and unchangeable position, consciousness willingly radiates its light to "enlighten" the past and future.
So, the androgynous invisible face of Janus represents the one who is fully awake but hidden from physical view, holding in his awareness of the present moment, his "inheritance" or the karmic enfoldment of his past and his future. This is because, paradoxically, the invisible face of Janus is the only one that faces the eternally transforming present moment, so we know that it is awake. In other words, consciousness can only function from its axial position and as such, it is the divider and synthesizer of past and future events in our life. Furthermore, the invisible face of Janus remains imperceptible because it is a spiritual face, a perfect archetype, the unmanifested side of a human being, in which the androgynous state represents the perfect balanced center within our psyche.
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creation, or focus totally on creating something, we are using our higher intelligence and intuition. And in these moments of intense creativity, we as creators stand on the axial pole of consciousness, in the neutral zone, living in the present moment. In such states of awareness, we cannot reflect on the past or project our thoughts into the future. The creative act itself is intuitive, linking our ego with our psyche, and it often does that unconsciously. Furthermore, the act of creating remains a mystery since it is a direct projection of consciousness in a world of duality. Once the conscious action is projected out of its neutral central pole, it emerges into a world of duality, where things past and future are reflected, analyzed and rationalized by our overeager ego.
We should look at consciousness as a bridge mirroring the qualities of the soul and the characteristics of the ego. Our own interpretation of the content of our consciousness colors, interprets and rationalizes everything coming under the laws of manifestation and duality. We should also add, that whenever we think or reflect on something, ask ourselves questions, feel, sense and ponder on life in general, asking questions about who we are, what we are doing, then, our creativity comes to a sudden spontaneous end and we find ourselves "outside" of the neutral focal center. This happens even with momentary distractions, because we have inadvertently projected our attention to one or both of the visible faces of Janus, to one or other pole, and have left the vertical axis of our being in the present moment.
Now, in the act of creating, which part of us creates? From where do the impulses, the energies of the act of creation, come? The psyche transmits them through the medium of our consciousness. Since consciousness operates only in the present moment, then the psyche is at the receiving end of the axial pole. The Center of Pure Being, the source of its root, always remains invisible, everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The answer then, albeit abstract, is that when consciousness is awakened, it illuminates the present moment and is in touch with the universal soul. What happens when we think of a past event, or project our consciousness into the future? The axial pole of consciousness within our being simply brings everything towards its own center, into the present moment, and transforms the past or future event into an eternally changing aspect of the present moment.
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Hermes/Mercury and the Mystery of the Androgynous
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Eros and the Mystery of the Inner Process
EROS AND THE MYSTERY OF THE INNER PROCESS Eros and the Mystery of the Inner Process Eros is a mysterious energy inherent in the whole of creation, fascinating seekers all over the world. Across the cultures, Eros takes different names but still remains the same agent that has to be awakened from within, since it is the only element that can transform the human psyche. Psyche has to be pacified and Eros’ "fire" has to be transformed into "light" so that he can become the mediator and guide that gently pushes and pulls the seeker towards the source of divine love—Eros the Beloved—that awakens from within, guides and accompanies the seeker from within the inner planes. He is the inner witness, the agent within the seeker that unfolds gnosis, or divine knowledge. This divine knowledge awakens higher levels of consciousness within him and, in turn, these levels of consciousness aroused by Eros lead the seeker back to the source of light. The Greek mysteries relate that at the very beginning of creation, only chaos existed, and from chaos was born Eros. Elsewhere, according to mythology, we are told that amongst the gods, Eros was the most handsome. This is how theogonia (the birth of the gods) begins and we are assured that the poet Isiodos heard it from the mouth of the Muse herself. According to Isiodos, Eros represents the driving force behind the entire theogonia. The Orphics agree that Eros appears at the beginning of theogonia and cosmogonia in general, and they tell us that his mother was Night, the dark goddess, and his father the Wind. From their first cosmic and elemental embrace, Eros was born from a silver egg.
For the Greeks, the essence of Eros is the unfoldment of human thought, and in Greek philosophy, he is described as a liberating agent who releases and activates the creative process of the mind. Eros inspires and opens the channel of intuition to the higher and abstract understanding and communion with beauty and truth. The myth of Eros and Psyche describes in detail the inner process of transformation. In fact, Eros cannot be separated from his beloved Psyche, since they are united by a secret and sacred bond, invisible and unconscious in man. In fact, man’s psyche remains filled with erotic, sensual, carnal desires that keep him and his mind trapped on the physical plane along with his emotions and consciousness. But a seeker must transmute the attraction of Eros and awaken the bond with his psyche so that he can rise towards the "beloved," the invisible golden thread that links his consciousness to the universal qualities of beauty and love. The gifts of Eros affect the emotional and thought processes of humanity, especially those of a seeker who has to learn how to open up and integrate these gifts in his psyche. From the lowest and most physical http://www.plotinus.com/eros.htm (1 of 6)14-2-2005 19:47:45
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levels of consciousness to the most spiritual ones, Eros remains forever present, gradually transforming the inner fire into pure light. Eros operates in every living creature, and Greek poetry and philosophy describe how nature partakes of the gift of Eros. Hence we could say that Eros’ contribution to humanity is not only inherent in man’s psyche, but that it is also involved in the process that awakens the ego to its true nature, the beauty and unconditional love of the soul.
This awakening activated by Eros and Aphrodite reveals the qualities of pure love and gnosis in the consciousness of the seeker. This level of consciousness cannot be described, however, because it is itself a higher aspect of intelligence in which abstract knowledge and impersonal love are combined. We could simply call this level of awakening, wisdom. So, on one hand, Eros can simply mean carnal love and desire for material possessions, but on the other, it can also express the spiritual energy that attracts and leads the psyche towards the Center of Pure Being, where the beauty and love of the soul are revealed. Many Greek philosophers, Plato and Pythagoras included, said the same thing—that beauty and gnosis are inseparable and inherent in the essence of Eros. Thus, we understand that in the psyche of man, Eros rules over his carnal desires but also over his higher aspirations and longing for wisdom. This is not the playful cupid, the winged son of Aphrodite and Mars, but an elderly primordial deity, worshiped by the ancient Greeks as the first element of the primordial creative cause, the element that binds and attracts spirit and matter together. Greek philosophers saw the spirit of Dionysus penetrating the whole of nature and binding together the two aspects of Eros, the penetration and blending energy of matter with its counterpart and complement, spirit. Esoterically, Eros is the leading force within a seeker that takes him away from a level of duality to a level of unity and wholeness. Furthermore, Eros is the key to transforming psychic vibratory rates. He does that by placing a seeker on his axial center, the neutral and timeless zone within his conscious self. This level of being brings about the integration of ego with soul. Hence, Eros is the god or essence that gives us the possibility of letting go of the past and living in the present moment, embracing spontaneously everything within and without our reach.
Eros accompanying Psyche during an initiation
Eros allows us to see everything as part of our own nature. He also shows us how to transmute carnal and unconscious attractions and desires of all kinds, and how to re-direct and reintegrate their energies back into the center of pure love and wisdom. This inner process must be conscious, because the ego and psyche http://www.plotinus.com/eros.htm (2 of 6)14-2-2005 19:47:45
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must harmonize and unite before being invited to enter into the higher realms, where the qualities and gifts of Eros are awakened. On that level of achievement and realization, the seeker receives more gifts from Eros who directs him towards his own invisible and sacred Center of Pure Being, not really a "place" at all, but more a level of being and attunement. This is a level of consciousness where the essence of pure love and beauty manifest themselves through ordinary consciousness and can be said to be a part of the undivided unique consciousness of the whole of creation. In Symposium, Plato expounded that Eros had two aspects, one physical the other intellectual, i.e., wisdom. He knew that they had to harmonize and blend so as to transform ordinary men into heroes. According to Empedocles, "Aphrodite is Eros himself," the immortal force that unites and harmoniously blends together all the elements in nature, the "bringer" and "giver" of life. He also said, "the path to knowledge can be achieved only through Eros himself. The energy represented by Eros brings about a balance between pleasure, delight and gnosis, and this harmonious and enthusiastic search for gnosis comes not so much from the answers one receives but more from the search itself."
Eros guiding Psyche seen here as a butterfly in Greek "psyche" means Soul and butterfly
Hence the quest goes on forever, since pleasure and gnosis go hand-in-hand and cannot be separated. Eros questions everything because he loves wisdom and is, therefore, the living source at the center of Greek philosophy. So Eros teaches the Greeks how to become free and fearless in the face of the unknown. He invites them to follow the path of knowledge and apply the sacred principles of freedom and equality, qualities that belong to Eros’ mother, Aphrodite, whom Empedocles identifies with Eros for, without the freedom and courage to explore our inner nature with imagination and intuition, we remain unconscious prisoners of conventional ideas, routines and vicious circles. Hence, Eros is himself the "mixer of the seeds and sperms" in creation, the primal cause, the bringer of life in the womb of nature. Eros’s gift to the seeker, therefore, is the transmuting energy of pure love, which is synonymous with the Logos. The oldest mythology of Homer does not mention Eros. Apparently Eros was not born out of a popular tradition but he is the creation of an abstract philosophical conception. In Greek esoteric philosophy, the Eros of theogonia took part in the creation of life itself. Eros pulls the sexes together and rules over all living creatures through the need for procreation and, for that reason, we see Plato, Sophocles, Eurepides, etc., praise his irresistible influence along with his mother, Aphrodite, as they both give life and rebirth.
Phanes - Eros
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Phanes Cosmocrator An interesting picture shows us orphic firstborn god Phanes Protogonus, known also as Eros, Pan and Phanes-Jupiter who sprang from the primeval egg. In the picture, he seems to be emerging in flames from the sundered halves of Phanes’ egg, above his head and below his feet. The symbolism also includes solar rays and a lunar crescent behind his head and shoulders; masks of ram, lion and goat on his torso; thunderbolt and staff in his hands (the attributes of Serapis), while around him are the familiar circle of the zodiac and the square of the winds. The inscription "Felix Pater" and an erased female name suggests a Mithraic environment, thereby identifying this picture also as Aion.
Major Arcana: Tarot Card 6 — Lover/ Eros
Tarot card 6 is the Lover, representing an inner process. It portrays Eros, the universal power of union and http://www.plotinus.com/eros.htm (4 of 6)14-2-2005 19:47:45
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love, the agent that brings a new level of consciousness to the seeker, and of "being alive" in the world. Eros is shown pointing his arrow towards the seeker’s crown chakra, meaning that the seeker is in a higher initiation that will unite the two opposites and paradoxical sides within himself, and blend them on his axial level. In that axial inner space within his being, the soul reveals itself to the seeker in many subtle ways. The gifts of Eros are many and they manifest in the ever-fleeting present as sudden bursts of enlightenment and intuition that are part of a transcendent primordial knowledge that gradually unfolds in his life. I personally interpret this card as representing a high level of initiation that corresponds to a baptism of fire, or the awakening in a seeker of a higher level of the abstract mind that remains a grace and a sacred mystery. Receiving the "wound" of the arrow of Eros illuminates the ego, or the limited mind of a seeker, and opens it up to receive higher truth, from where it unites itself with the source of the primordial tradition. The conscious choice of the seeker to enter a new dimension of being comes after his spiritual transformation and rebirth when the arrow of Eros opens his crown chakra, and from that opening, spiritual love pours down and inundates the psyche of the seeker who, from that moment on, transforms from being a lover of self to a lover of God. Furthermore, the color red on this card represents the color of spirit and the green, the color of life. Hence Eros brings about conscious spiritual transformation in a seeker, unfolding in him higher levels of consciousness. Later on, Eros appears as a cruel, playful child who torments gods and mortals alike, giving them more sorrow and misery than harmony and joy. Cupid aims his arrow directly at the human heart, piercing it, but we should look at this as purifying, as awakening and introducing the spiritual element into the nature of psyche itself. It also teaches us how to escape the entrapment of the lower energies Eros as seen In the Kabbalah The imagery of love, or eros, is crucial for a discussion of Shekhinah. Eros implies a yearning for unity, harmony, and completion. Shekhinah is the aspect which receives an impulse from its masculine counterpart, Yesod, and engages in the creative activity of harmonization. It is a mystical marriage bringing balance to the world. This marriage is God’s call to Himself in a transfiguration of His harmony in love. One important principle in Zoharic thought is man’s role in maintaining the sefirotic balance. What is found in heaven is found in transfigured parallel in the world. The actions of man affect sefirotic harmony, balance, and wholeness. In following Torah, one influences one’s sefirotic counterparts, thereby helping to keep the divine realms in harmony.
Pre-Raphaelite Passion - Psyche COPYRIGHTS
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The Esoteric Mystery of Venus/Aphrodite
THE ESOTERIC MYSTERY OF APHRODITE IN THE INNER PROCESS Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty emerged from the froth of the sea in Paphos on the island of Cyprus in 3200 B.C. She was given many names, one of which was Anadiomeni, which in Greek mean "the one who emerges." Most of the time, she was depicted as an innocent virgin with an incorruptible ethereal body, a naked body filled with divine radiance. As an invincible, irresistible and enthralling goddess, Aphrodite exerts her great powers over human beings as well as animals and plants, maintaining and sustaining life. Most of the time, she is portrayed in beautiful, alluring clothes woven specially for her by the Graces. Sometimes, she is depicted as a temptress because she excites human instincts, thoughts and emotions. Ancient Greek hymns dedicated to Aphrodite always praise her beauty and splendour. She is also mentioned as a goddess of light, the "shining star of Heaven," Ourania (daughter of heaven) and wife of Hesphastios /Vulcan, the god of celestial fire, the lame and ugly son of Zeus and Hera, who represents another symbol of the "inner process" in which the qualities of fire, both celestial and terrestrial, work within human and divine nature. Hesphastios is an embodiment of the flickering and changing aspect of the flames that transform and transmute into the "heat" of life.
Mostly known as Venus/Aphrodite, her most popular portrayal is as the goddess of love and fertility, beauty and regeneration, who calms the sea and pacifies nature, meaning that her qualities balance and harmonize human instincts and emotions. The symbols associated with Aphrodite include the swan, the dolphin, the rose, and the dove. Hence, she is called Galinaie and Efrlia, meaning "the one who brings calm and the protector of safe journeys and ships." She is also the goddess of spring and, each spring, reunites with her Cypriot lover, Adonis, who dies at the end of each summer only to resurrect every spring and reawaken nature from its winter sleep. As an archetype of beauty and love, Aphrodite always wore a beautiful wreath (efstefanos in Greek). Through her attributes, she represents the feminine aspect of Eros, the part of love and beauty that has http://www.plotinus.com/aphrodite.htm (1 of 4)14-2-2005 19:48:19
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plunged in the darkness of matter and unconsciousness, awaiting her emergence from the unconscious sea of the instincts. Her materialization signals the appearance of her real uncorrupted essence pure love.
Aphrodite's transformation
Aphrodite is the pure essence of beauty and love that redeems the dark matter of unconsciousness and ignorance, for just like her son, Eros, or the great Phanes/Eros, she represents the divine power within her celestial virgin nature that attracts and guides human consciousness from within back to its source. She represents the divine and transcendent nature within humans as it emerges from unconsciousness. Eros, on the other hand, represents the magnetic force that activates the soul’s qualities of Divine love and beauty that extend and manifest in human nature. Eros, the pure essence of love and beauty, descends from Heaven, as Aphrodite, our divine Nature within, ascends. Both are part of the same inner process and together they guide human consciousness back to its source. Thus some myths portray Eros as the son of Aphrodite. In her myths, Aphrodite rules over the heart of all humans and, according to her will, she either saves people from their trials and ordeals, or recklessly pushes them into adventurous love affairs that usually end up disastrously, such as those of Helen of Troy, Medea, Phaedra, and Pasifae. The hardships, ordeals and trials are those that every sincere and earnest seeker must go through. Indeed, they are the purification trials and initiations of the elements, (fire, water, air and earth) that each seeker must experience in order to overcome his animal nature, as depicted in the sixth card of the Tarot’s Major Arcana.
Birth of Aphrodite/Venus
In Sumerian mythology, Aphrodite/Venus was called "she who shows the way to the stars." She was the Moon’s daughter and the Sun’s sister and, since she appeared at dawn and dusk (as a star), it was only natural that she be regarded as some sort of link between the deities of light and darkness. So, although the Sun was her brother, she had the underworld goddess as a sister. The Sumerians knew her as the "Valiant One" and "the Lady of Battles." The Orphics called Aphrodite Pontogenis, meaning "born from the sea." She was not seen as a goddess who rules over carnal love but rather as the cosmogonic goddess who gives the irresistible urge to the http://www.plotinus.com/aphrodite.htm (2 of 4)14-2-2005 19:48:19
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Ether/Zeus to create forms out of the substance of the Earth. In another tradition, Aphrodite was born from a dove’s egg that fell from heaven. Intuition tells us that Aphrodite is the mistress of thought-forms, who governs human etheric and astral bodies. Hence, her inner process cannot be separated from that of Eros as they both, through their individual powers and essences, refashion the etheric and astral bodies of the seeker according to a perfect archetypal model. As part of the inner process, we know that Mars, the god of war, was captivated by Aphrodite’s beauty and charm. In esoteric psychology, he represents uncontrolled emotions and thoughts, and blind force and power within human nature. Hence, at a certain level of the inner work, we interpret this description of Mars as representing the uncontrollable instincts within the psyche. He must let himself be attracted by Aphrodite’s charm and be overwhelmed and tamed by her compelling and magnetic appeal. The myths concerning Aphrodite also show us that she has power over the sexual and carnal urges of the energy of love, which is why she has control over the instincts and emotions of the psyche, specially in seekers as they become more aware of their inner processes. Depending on their behaviour and reactions, she imprisons them in their animalistic instincts, or transforms them into heroes, rewarding them with precious gifts. According to Plato, love is attributed to Aphrodite, prophecy to Apollo, the mysteries to Dionysus and poetry to the Muses. Plato tells us that the most important of these divine gifts is Divine love for two reasons. Firstly, without pure love’s impulse, the other gifts prophecy, mysteries and poetry remain uncreative, inactive, and sterile. They need the vibrant, pulsating impulse of Divine love so as to be constantly nourished and sustained. Secondly, because only the essence of love can carry the lover into the beloved, and as long as that love is directed to the sublime, it unites the mind of a seeker more closely. For Screen resolution 1024x768 - please click on this line
HYMNS OF ORPHEUS TO APHRODITE
Hymns of Orpheus to Aphrodite Child of Ocean amazing beauty, we honor you. You rule deep earth, encircling heaven, the stormy seas http://www.plotinus.com/aphrodite.htm (3 of 4)14-2-2005 19:48:19
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and everything in them. Mother of sweet marriage, you join the world together with laughter and harmony; even the Fates obey you. Every eye seeks you. Give us beauty and love. Delighted by secrets and lavish feasts you are concord and persuasion. You are beautiful necessity even in the frenzy of the shark, delicate as sea foam of Cyprus, fragrant as Syrian oils, bright as golden chariots on Egyptian plains by the sandy bank of the turquoise Nile, a choir of the loveliest Nymphs sings a hymn to your beauty. With reverence we ask for the gift of grace .HOME
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CUPID AND PSYCHE
CUPID AND PSYCHE by Apuleius
THE MYTH A certain king and queen had three daughters. The charms of the two elder daughters were more than common, but the beauty of the youngest was so wonderful that the poverty of language is unable to express its due praise. The fame of her beauty was so great that strangers from neighboring countries came in crowds to pay her that homage due only to Venus herself. In fact Venus found her altars deserted, while men turned their devotion to this young virgin. As she passed along, the people sang her praises, and strewed her way with chaplets and flowers. This perversion of homage due only to the immortal powers to the exaltation of a mortal offended the real Venus, and shaking her ambrosial locks with indignation, she exclaimed, "Am I to be eclipsed in my honors by a mortal girl? In vain then did that royal shepherd, whose judgment was approved by Jove (Zeus) himself, give me the palm of beauty over my illustrious rivals, Pallas (Athena) and Juno (Hera). But she shall not so quietly usurp my honors. I will give her cause to repent of so unlawful a beauty." Thereupon, she calls her winged son Cupid (Eros), mischievous enough in his own nature, and rouses and provokes him yet more by her complaints. She points out Psyche to him and says, "My dear son, punish that contumacious beauty; give thy mother a revenge as sweet as her injuries are great; infuse into the bosom of that haughty girl a passion for some low, mean, unworthy being, so that she may reap a mortification as http://www.plotinus.com/myth_cupid_psyche.htm (1 of 10)14-2-2005 19:48:56
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great as her present exultation and triumph."
Cupid prepared to obey the commands of his mother. There are two fountains in Venus’s garden, one of sweet waters, the other of bitter. Cupid filled two amber vases, one from each fountain, and suspending them from the top of his quiver, hastened to the chamber of Psyche, whom he found asleep. He shed a few drops from the bitter fountain over her lips, though the sight of her almost moved him to pity; then touched her side with the point of his arrow. At the touch she awoke, and opened eyes upon Cupid (himself invisible), which so startled him that in his confusion, he wounded himself with his own arrow. Heedless of his wound, his whole thought now was to repair the mischief he had done, and he poured the balmy drops of joy over all her silken ringlets. Psyche, henceforth frowned upon by Venus, derived no benefit from all her charms. True, all eyes were cast eagerly upon her, and every mouth spoke her praises; but neither king, royal youth, nor plebeian presented himself to demand her in marriage. Her two elder sisters of moderate charms had now long been married to two royal princes; but Psyche, in her lonely apartment, deplored her solitude, sick of that beauty which, while it procured abundance of flattery, had failed to awaken love. Her parents, afraid that they had unwittingly incurred the anger of the gods, consulted the oracle of Apollo, and received this answer: "The virgin is destined for the bride of no mortal lover. Her future husband awaits her on the top of the mountain. He is a monster whom neither gods nor men can resist." This dreadful decree of the oracle filled all the people with dismay, and her parents abandoned themselves to grief. But Psyche said, "Why, my dear parents, do you now lament me? You should rather have grieved when the people showered upon me undeserved honors, and with one voice called me a Venus. I now perceive that I am a victim to that name. I submit. Lead me to that rock to which my unhappy fate has destined me." Accordingly, all things being prepared, the royal maid took her place in the procession, which more resembled a funeral than a nuptial pomp, and with her parents, amid the lamentations of the people, ascended the mountain, on the summit of which they left her alone, and with sorrowful hearts returned home. While Psyche stood on the ridge of the mountain, panting with fear and with eyes full of tears, the gentle Zephyr raised her from the earth and bore her with an easy motion into a flowery dale. By degrees, her mind became composed, and she laid herself down on the grassy bank to sleep. When she awoke refreshed with sleep, she looked round and beheld nearby a pleasant grove of tall and stately trees. She entered it, and in the midst discovered a fountain sending forth clear and crystal waters, and fast by, a magnificent palace whose august front impressed the spectator that it was not the work of mortal hands, but the happy retreat of some god. Drawn by admiration and wonder, she approached the building and ventured to enter. Every object she met filled her with pleasure and amazement. Golden pillars supported the vaulted roof, and the walls were enriched with carvings and paintings representing beasts of the chase and rural scenes, adapted to delight the eye of the beholder. Proceeding onward, she perceived that besides the apartments of state
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there were others filled with all manner of treasures, and beautiful and precious productions of nature and art.
While her eyes were thus occupied, a voice addressed her, though she saw no one, uttering these words: "Sovereign lady, all that you see is yours. We whose voices you hear are your servants and shall obey all your commands with our utmost care and diligence. Retire, therefore, to your chamber and repose on your bed of down, and when you see fit repair to the bath. Supper awaits you in the adjoining alcove when it pleases you to take your seat there." Psyche gave ear to the admonitions of her vocal attendants, and after repose and the refreshment of the bath, seated herself in the alcove, where a table immediately presented itself, without any visible aid from waiters or servants, and covered with the greatest delicacies of food and the most nectareous wines. Her ears, too, were feasted with music from invisible performers; of whom one sang, another played on the lute, and all closed in the wonderful harmony of a full chorus.
She had not yet seen her destined husband. He came only in the hours of darkness and fled before the dawn of morning, but his accents were full of love, and inspired a like passion in her. She often begged him to stay and let her behold him, but he would not consent. On the contrary, he charged her to make no attempt to see him, for it was his pleasure, for the best of reasons, to keep concealed. "Why should you wish to behold me?" he said; "have you any doubt of my love? Have you any wish ungratified? If you saw me, perhaps you would fear me, perhaps adore me, but all I ask of you is to love me. I would rather you would love me as an equal than adore me as a god." This reasoning somewhat quieted Psyche for a time, and while the novelty lasted, she felt quite happy. But at length, the thought of her parents, left in ignorance of her fate, and of her sisters, precluded from sharing with her the delights of her situation, preyed on her mind and made her begin to feel her palace as but a splendid prison. When her husband came one night, she told him her distress, and at last drew from him an unwilling consent that her sisters should be brought to see her. So, calling Zephyr, she acquainted him with her husband’s commands, and he, promptly obedient, soon http://www.plotinus.com/myth_cupid_psyche.htm (3 of 10)14-2-2005 19:48:56
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brought them across the mountain down to their sister’s valley. They embraced her and she returned their caresses. "Come," said Psyche, "enter with me my house and refresh yourselves with whatever your sister has to offer." Taking their hands, she led them into her golden palace, and committed them to the care of her numerous train of attendant voices, to refresh them in her baths and at her table, and to show them all her treasures. The view of these celestial delights caused envy to enter their bosoms, at seeing their young sister possessed of such state and splendor so much exceeding their own. They asked her numberless questions, among others what sort of a person her husband was. Psyche replied, "He is a beautiful youth, who generally spends the day hunting upon the mountains." The sisters, not satisfied with this reply, soon made her confess that she had never seen him, and proceeded to fill her with dark suspicions. "Call to mind," they said, "the Pythian oracle that declared you destined to marry a direful and tremendous monster. The inhabitants of this valley say that your husband is a terrible and monstrous serpent, who nourishes you for a while with dainties that he may by and by devour you. Take our advice. Provide yourself with a lamp and a sharp knife; put them in concealment that your husband may not discover them, and when he is sound asleep, slip out of bed, bring forth your lamp, and see for yourself whether what they say is true or not. If it is, hesitate not to cut off the monster’s head, and thereby recover your liberty." Psyche resisted these persuasions as well as she could, but they did not fail to have their effect on her mind, and when her sisters were gone, their words and her own curiosity were too strong for her to resist. So she prepared her lamp and a sharp knife, and hid them out of sight of her husband. When he had fallen into his first sleep, she silently rose and, uncovering her lamp, beheld not a hideous monster, but the most beautiful and charming of the gods, with his golden ringlets wandering over his snowy neck and crimson cheek, with two dewy wings on his shoulders, whiter than snow, and with shining feathers like the tender blossoms of spring.
As she leaned the lamp over to have a nearer view of his face, a drop of burning oil fell on the shoulder of the god, and startled, he opened his eyes and fixed them full upon her. Without saying one word, he spread his white wings and flew out of the window. Psyche, in vain endeavoring to follow him, fell from the window to the ground. Cupid, beholding her as she lay in the dust, stopped his flight for an instant and said, "O foolish Psyche, is it thus you repay my love? After having disobeyed my mother’s commands and made you my wife, will you think me a monster and cut off my head? But go; return to your sisters, whose advice you seem to think preferable to mine. I inflict no other punishment on you than to leave you forever. Love cannot dwell with suspicion." So saying, he fled, leaving poor Psyche prostrate on the ground, filling the place with mournful lamentations. When she had recovered some degree of composure, she looked around, but the palace and gardens had vanished, and she found herself in the open field not far from the city where her sisters dwelt. She repaired thither and told them the whole story of her misfortunes, at which, pretending to grieve, those spiteful creatures inwardly rejoiced. "For now," said they, "he will perhaps choose one of us." With this idea, without saying a word of her intentions, each of them rose early the next morning and ascended the mountain, and having reached the top, called upon Zephyr to receive her and bear her to his lord; then leaping up, and not being sustained by Zephyr, fell down the precipice and was dashed to pieces. http://www.plotinus.com/myth_cupid_psyche.htm (4 of 10)14-2-2005 19:48:56
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Psyche, meanwhile, wandered day and night, without food or repose, in search of her husband. Casting her eyes on a lofty mountain having on its brow a magnificent temple, she sighed and said to herself, "Perhaps my love, my lord, inhabits there," and directed her steps thither. She had no sooner entered than she saw heaps of corn, some in loose ears and some in sheaves, with mingled ears of barley. Scattered about, lay sickles and rakes, and all the instruments of harvest, without order, as if thrown carelessly out of the weary reapers’ hands in the sultry hours of the day. This unseemly confusion the pious Psyche put an end to, by separating and sorting everything to its proper place and kind, believing that she ought to neglect none of the gods, but endeavor by her piety to engage them all in her behalf. The holy Ceres (Demeter), whose temple it was, finding her so religiously employed, thus spoke to her: "O Psyche, truly worthy of our pity, though I cannot shield you from the frowns of Venus, yet I can teach you how best to allay her displeasure. Go, then, and voluntarily surrender yourself to your lady and sovereign, and try by modesty and submission to win her forgiveness, and perhaps her favor will restore you the husband you have lost." Psyche obeyed the commands of Ceres and took her way to the temple of Venus, endeavoring to fortify her mind and ruminating on what she should say and how best propitiate the angry goddess, feeling that the issue was doubtful and perhaps fatal. Venus received her with angry countenance. "Most undutiful and faithless of servants," said she, "do you at last remember that you really have a mistress? Or have you rather come to see your sick husband, yet laid up of the wound given him by his loving wife? You are so ill-favored and disagreeable that the only way you can merit your lover must be by dint of industry and diligence. I will make trial of your housewifery." Then she ordered Psyche to be led to the storehouse of her temple, where was laid up a great quantity of wheat, barley, millet, vetches, beans, and lentils prepared for food for her pigeons, and said, "Take and separate all these grains, putting all of the same kind in a parcel by themselves, and see that you get it done before evening." Then Venus departed and left her to her task. But Psyche, in a perfect consternation at the enormous work, sat stupid and silent, without moving a finger to the inextricable heap. While she sat despairing, Cupid stirred up the little ant, a native of the fields, to take compassion on her. The leader of the anthill, followed by whole hosts of his six-legged subjects, approached the heap, and with the utmost diligence, taking grain by grain, they separated the pile, sorting each kind to its parcel; and when it was all done, they vanished out of sight in a moment. Venus, at the approach of twilight, returned from the banquet of the gods breathing odors and crowned with roses. Seeing the task done, she exclaimed, "This is no work of yours, wicked one, but his, whom to your own and his misfortune you have enticed." So saying, she threw her a piece of black bread for her supper and went away. Next morning Venus ordered Psyche to be called and said to her, "Behold yonder grove which stretches along the margin of the water. There you will find sheep feeding without a shepherd, with golden-shining fleeces on their backs. Go, fetch me a sample of that precious wool gathered from every one of their fleeces." Psyche obediently went to the riverside, prepared to do her best to execute the command. But the river god inspired the reeds with harmonious murmurs, which seemed to say, "O maiden, severely tried, tempt not the dangerous flood, nor venture among the formidable rams on the other side, for as long as they are under the influence of the rising sun, they burn with a cruel rage to destroy mortals with their sharp horns or rude teeth. But when the noontide sun has driven the cattle to the shade, and the serene spirit of the flood has lulled them to rest, you may then cross in safety, and you will find the woolly gold sticking to the bushes and the trunks of the trees." Thus the compassionate river god gave Psyche instructions how to accomplish her task, and by observing his http://www.plotinus.com/myth_cupid_psyche.htm (5 of 10)14-2-2005 19:48:56
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directions, she soon returned to Venus with her arms full of the golden fleece; but she received not the approbation of her implacable mistress, who said, "I know very well it is by none of your own doings that you have succeeded in this task, and I am not satisfied yet that you have any capacity to make yourself useful. But I have another task for you. Here, take this box and go your way to the infernal shades, and give this box to Proserpine (Persephone) and say, ‘My mistress Venus desires you to send her a little of your beauty, for in tending her sick son she has lost some of her own.’ Be not too long on your errand, for I must paint myself with it to appear at the circle of the gods and goddesses this evening." Psyche was now satisfied that her destruction was at hand, being obliged to go with her own feet directly down to Erebus. Wherefore, to make no delay of what was not to be avoided, she goes to the top of a high tower to precipitate herself headlong, thus to descend the shortest way to the shades below. But a voice from the tower said to her, "Why, poor unlucky girl, dost thou design to put an end to thy days in so dreadful a manner? And what cowardice makes thee sink under this last danger who hast been so miraculously supported in all thy former?"
Then the voice told her how by a certain cave, she might reach the realms of Pluto (Hades), and how to avoid all the dangers of the road, to pass by Cerberus, the three-headed dog, and prevail on Chiron (Charon) the ferryman, to take her across the black river and bring her back again. But the voice added, "When Proserpine has given you the box filled with her beauty, of all things this is chiefly to be observed by you, that you never once open or look into the box nor allow your curiosity to pry into the treasure of the beauty of the goddesses." Psyche, encouraged by this advice, obeyed it in all things, and taking heed to her ways traveled safely to the kingdom of Pluto. She was admitted to the palace of Proserpine, and without accepting the delicate seat or delicious banquet that was offered her, but contented with coarse bread for her food, she delivered her message from Venus. Presently the box was returned to her, shut and filled with the precious commodity. Then she returned the way she came, and glad was she to come out once more into the light of day./ But having got so far successfully through her dangerous task, a longing desire seized her to examine the contents of the box, "What," said she, "shall I, the carrier of this divine beauty, not take the least bit to put on my cheeks to appear to more advantage in the eyes of my beloved husband!" So she carefully opened the box, but found nothing there of any beauty at all, but an infernal and truly Stygian sleep, which being thus set free from its prison, took possession of her, and she fell down in the midst of the road, a sleepy corpse without sense or motion.
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But Cupid, being now recovered from his wound, and not able longer to bear the absence of his beloved Psyche, slipping through the smallest crack of the window of his chamber which happened to be left open, flew to the spot where Psyche lay, and gathering up the sleep from her body closed it again in the box, and waked Psyche with a light touch of one of his arrows. "Again," said he, "hast thou almost perished by the same curiosity. But now perform exactly the task imposed on you by my mother, and I will take care of the rest." Then Cupid, as swift as lightning penetrating the heights of heaven, presented himself before Jupiter with his supplication. Jupiter lent a favoring ear, and pleaded the cause of the lovers so earnestly with Venus that he won her consent. On this, he sent Mercury/Hermes to bring Psyche up to the heavenly assembly, and when she arrived, handing her a cup of ambrosia, he said, "Drink this, Psyche, and be immortal; nor shall Cupid ever break away from the knot in which he is tied, but these nuptials shall be perpetual."
Thus Psyche became at last united to Cupid, and in due time, they had a daughter born to them whose name was Pleasure. The fable of Cupid and Psyche is usually considered allegorical. The Greek name for butterfly is Psyche, and the same word means "soul." There is no illustration of the immortality of the soul so striking and beautiful as the butterfly, bursting on brilliant wings from the tomb in which it has lain, after a dull, groveling, caterpillar existence, to flutter in the blaze of day and feed on the most fragrant and delicate productions of the spring. Psyche, then, is the human soul, purified by sufferings and misfortunes, and thus prepared for the enjoyment of true and pure happiness.
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Milton alludes to the story of Cupid and Psyche in the conclusion of his "Comus": "Celestial Cupid, her famed son, advanced, Holds his dear Psyche sweet entranced, After her wandering labors long, Till free consent the gods among Make her his eternal bride; And from her fair unspotted side Two blissful twins are to be born, Youth and Joy; so Jove hath sworn." The allegory of the story of Cupid and Psyche is well presented in the beautiful lines of T. K. Harvey: "They wove bright fables in the days of old, When reason borrowed fancy's painted wings; When truth's clear river flowed o'er sands of gold, And told in song its high and mystic things! And such the sweet and solemn tale of her The pilgrim heart, to whom a dream was given, That led her through the world,- Love's worshipper,To seek on earth for him whose home was heaven! "In the full city,- by the haunted fount,Through the dim grotto's tracery of spars,'Mid the pine temples, on the moonlit mount, Where silence sits to listen to the stars; In the deep glade where dwells the brooding dove, The painted valley, and the scented air, She heard far echoes of the voice of Love, And found his footsteps' traces everywhere. "But nevermore they met! since doubts and fears, Those phantom shapes that haunt and blight the earth, Had come 'twixt her, a child of sin and tears,
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And that bright spirit of immortal birth; Until her pining soul and weeping eyes Had learned to seek him only in the skies; Till wings unto the weary heart were given, And she became Love's angel bride in heaven!"
The story of Cupid and Psyche first appears in the works of Apuleius, a writer of the second century of our era. It is therefore of much more recent date than most of the legends of the Age of Fable. It is this that Keats alludes to in his "Odes to Psyche" "O latest born and loveliest vision far Of all Olympus' faded hierarchy! Fairer than Phoebe's sapphire-regioned star Or Vesper, amorous glow-worm of the sky; Fairer than these, though temple thou hast none, Nor altar heaped with flowers; Nor virgin choir to make delicious moan Upon the midnight hours; No voice, no lute, no pipe, no incense sweet, From chain-swung censer teeming; No shrine, no grove, no oracle, no heat Of pale-mouthed prophet dreaming." In Moore' s "Summer Fete" a fancy ball is described, in which one of the characters personated is Psyche"...not in dark disguise to-night Hath our young heroine veiled her light;For see, she walks the earth, Love's own. His wedded bride, by holiest vow Pledged in Olympus, and made known To mortals by the type which now Hangs glittering on her snowy brow, That butterfly, mysterious trinket, Which means the soul, (though few would think it,) And sparkling thus on brow so white Tells us we've Psyche here to-night."
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Who was Plotinus?
PLOTINUS
NOUS "Knowledge has three degrees: opinion, science, illumination. The means or instrument of the first is sense; of the second dialectic; of the third, intuition." Plotinus, (Letter to Flaccus)
"Therefore must we ascend once more towards the Good, towards there where tend all souls. Anyone who has seen it knows what I mean, in what sense it is beautiful. As good it is desired and towards it desire advances. But only those reach it who rise to the intelligible realm, face it fully, stripped of the muddy vesture with which they were clothed in their descent....Those who have witnessed the manifestation of divine or supernatural realities can never again feel the old delight in bodily beauty." Plotinus
LIFE OF PLOTINUS Plotinus was born at Lycopolis, in Upper Egypt in 204 CE, and died at Campania in 270 CE. In the twentyeighth year of his life he applied himself to philosophy, and attended the lectures of the most celebrated men of that time in Alexandria. After studying under Ammonius for some ten years, he accompanied the Emperor Gordian in his campaign against the Persians, in order to learn something of their philosophy. In this object he failed, owing to the unsuccessful issue of the undertaking; he was even obliged to flee for his life to Antioch. In 244 he went to Rome and won numerous adherents to his teaching, among them the Emperor Gallienus and his wife Salonina. He conceive the idea of founding an ideal city in Campania, with the approval and support of the emperor: this city was to be called Platonopolis, and its inhabitants were to live according to the laws of Plato. Gallienus was not disinclined to enter into the plan; but it was thwarted by the opposition of the imperial counselors. He taught in Rome until about 268, retiring then to the country estate of a disciple in Campania. Plotinus did not reduce his doctrine to writing until toward the close of his life, and then did not publish it. His pupil Porphyry, arranged the fifty-four treatises of Plotinus in six Enneades, placing them in logical order from the simplest to the most abstruse, as well as chronological sequence. They were first printed in a Latin translation by Marsilio Ficino at Florence in 1492, then in Greek and Latin at Basel, in 1580.
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ABOUT THE "ONE" What principally distinguishes Plotinus from both Plato and his immediate predecessors is the assumption of a principle higher than the nous. This assumption proceeds from the requirement of unity as an attribute of the highest principle; the nous, as at once subject and object of perception, nooun and nooumenon is twofold. Therefore something higher must be sought, which is absolute unity, the One, identical with the Godhead and wholly transcendent-the first cause, the source of all thinking and being, all the good and beautiful, and all activity. The utter transcendence of God being was taught by Plotinus in a more extreme form than by any of his predecessors. He admits the insolubility by human reason of the most difficult of all metaphysical problems i.e. (how becoming arose out of immutable being and plurality out of unity). The theory of Emanation, which he accepts, also cannot answer the question. Following Plato, he suggests that the explanation may be found in the goodness or benevolence of God. All other beings produce yet others; and how should the most perfect of all beings, the primal goodness and the highest power, remain absorbed in itself as though impotent to produce? This, of course, is rather an anthropomorphic-ethical than a metaphysical explanation. His attempt to supply the metaphysical explanation is found in the view that the highest being is over-full, and, as the higher, does not precisely contain the lower in itself but allows it to flow forth from its superabundant perfection. This doctrine may possibly show oriental influence; but the idea of emanation occurs in the Stoic teaching, and still more in Philo, though in neither so fully developed as with Plotinus. "NOUS", THE WORLD SOUL. That which first issues from the One is the nous, which is conscious of being a product and image of the One and receives from its relation to the One its power to produce other existences. It is not mere thought but actual being, comprehending all things as the genus comprehends the species. Plato conceived of actual being as being contained in one idea, that of good. Plotinus conceived of it as containing the ideas. Another difference is that whereas Plato asserted the existence of ideas only for such objects as had a common concept or name, Plotinus attributes them to all single existences. From the nous proceeds further the soul, the third principle. As the highest principle has neither thought nor consciousness, so the nous, which is purely contemplative, has no reflective, logical thought. This is the work of the world-soul, which is the link between the intelligible and the phenomenal world, carrying on the process of emanation down to its lowest terms. Matter is conceived by Plotinus not exactly as an emanation from the world-soul, but rather (as with Plato) in the guise of a receptive or passive principle in contrast to the formative or active. What the worldsoul sees in the nous, with that it is pervaded and that it strives to reproduce. The content of the soul descends to lower stages. This content is composed of the ideas; and thus in the image of the nous and soul images of the ideas are also contained. These are the logoi, concepts, whose sum, the Logos par excellence, like the world-soul itself, is an emanation from the nous. These logoi are the essential factor in the giving of form to matter, which is formed in an organic, not a mechanical, manner. This formative process presupposes purpose, but not knowledge or deliberation-just as in Heraclitus all becoming takes place on rational principles, yet without any conscious foresight. If everything, therefore, is formed and pervaded by rational powers, the world-soul with its content permeating all, all must be rational or reason. Although the logoi are lower than their prototypes, and their relations with formless matter go lower still, yet Plotinus finds in the world of phenomena traces of the highest; the absolutely Good and Beautiful is visible even in the world of sense. The spirit of Plato, as expressed in the close of the Timoeus, the idea that the sensible http://www.plotinus.com/who_was_plotinus.htm (2 of 6)14-2-2005 19:50:00
Who was Plotinus?
world is a great and beautiful and perfect thing, dominates Plotinus also, so that in spite of matter producing evil, he is far from regarding this world as evil or hateful, representing rather in this point the general optimism of Greek philosophy than the tendency of the early Christian writers to despise the visible world. On the whole, in his explanation of the existence of evil in the universe and his justification of the higher powers in respect to it, he follows the Stoics.
RELIGION AND ETHICS. From the world-soul proceed individual souls, but they are not parts of it. Going down into bodies, they have forgotten the higher, the divine, from which they came, and have believed themselves independent. Thus, they have gone continually lower, and stand in need of a return to the better. Plotinus does not make it plain whether this can be executed With freedom by men. The ethical goal is sometimes represented, after Plato, as approximation to the Godhead, sometimes in a more Aristotelian fashion as operation in conformity with the nature of the operator, and again, with Heraclitus and the Stoics, as obedience to reason. Among the virtues Plotinus distinguishes first the "political" or social, which are the four commonly accepted by the Greeks-prudence, courage, temperance, and justice; but these can not make the soul like God. Above them are the purifying virtues, which have that effect. They consist in freeing oneself as far as possible from the body and from sin by an avoidance of what is sensual, though without any exaggerated asceticism. Man, however, is not to be satisfied by mere freedom from sin, but must strive actually to become God. To this end serve the deifying virtues, which are the reproduction on a higher plane of the primary or political virtues. Through these the true nature of man comes to its fulfillment; and thus his beatitude consists in the maintenance of his proper attitude toward himself, undisturbed by external happenings or relations. The supreme aim, indeed, with Plotinus as with Philo, lies not in the realm of thought (as the detailed exposition of the deifying virtues might suggest), but in ecstatic elevation to the highest good, to the Godhead. Logical knowledge is only a preliminary to this, which consists in immediate knowledge of and union with God. To this Plotinus himself, according to the testimony of Porphyry, attained only four times in the six years that the disciple was with him. The reason why man on earth can not remain permanently in this state is that he has not yet succeeded in turning wholly away from the earthly; the time of permanent union will come when he is no longer tormented by any restlessness of the body. On the immortality of the soul Plotinus wrote a separate treatise, in which he follows Plato in the main, especially emphasizing the fact that the soul, as incorporeal and incomposite, is incapable of dissolution. A reunion of soul and body in the after life is inconceivable to him, since the passage into this higher life is conditioned by the desertion of the body, whose nature is in essential opposition to that of the soul. (From the Internet Encyclopedia of philosophy)
Some Sayings of Plotinus Creation. The One, perfect in seeking nothing, possessing nothing and needing nothing, overflows and creates a new reality by its superabundance. [5.2.1.] The process is like the unfolding of a seed, moving from simple origin to termination in the world of sense, the prior always remaining in its place, while begetting its successor from a store of indescribable power power that must not halt within the higher realm . . but continue to expand until the universe of things reaches the limit of its possibility, lavishing its vast resources on all its creatures, intolerant that any one should have no share in it. Nothing is debarred from participation in the Good, to the extent of its receptivity. [4.8.6] http://www.plotinus.com/who_was_plotinus.htm (3 of 6)14-2-2005 19:50:00
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The One is omnipresent. This All is universal power, of infinite extent and infinite in potency, a god so great that all his parts are infinite. Name any place, and he is already there. [5.8.9.] It has not deserted its creation for a place apart; it is always present to those with strength to touch it. [6.9.7] Soul is present in all things. The power and nature of Soul encompasses heaven and guides it according to its will. To all this vast expanse, as far as it extends, it gives itself, and every interval, both large and small, is filled with Soul. . . Soul enlivens all things with its whole self and all Soul is present everywhere. . . And vast and diversified thought this universe is, it is one by the power of soul and a god because of soul. The sun is also a god, because ensouled, and the other stars, and if we ourselves partake of the Divine, this is the cause. [5.1.2.] Nothing is detached or severed from its prior, so that the higher soul seems to extend as far as plants; and in a way it does so extend, because the life in plants belongs to it. Not that soul is wholly within plants, but only to the extent that they are the lower limit of its advance, another level of existence created by its decline towards the worse. [5.2.1.] Every participant partakes of the power of Being in its entirety, while Being is unchanged and undivided. [4.4.8] Soul in its unity is not extended by fragmentation into bodies, but is entirely present where it is present, and omnipresent and undivided throughout the universe. [6.4.12] The universe is a living being. This universe is a single living being embracing all living beings within it, and possessing a single Soul that permeates all its parts to the degree of their participation in it. Every part of this sensible universe is fully participant in its material aspect, and in respect of soul, in the degree to which it shares in the World Soul. [4.4.32.] A sympathy pervades this single universe, like a single living creature, and the distant is near. . . Like parts lie not in contact but separated, with other parts between, yet by their likeness they feel sympathy . . and in a living and unified being there is no part so remote as not to be near, through the very nature that binds the living unity in sympathy. [4.4.32] Matter [Matter] is an image and phantom of corporeal mass, a mere tendency to substantial existence, static but without position; it is invisible in itself, eluding all attempts to observe it, present yet unseen. . . Images of intelligible beings pass in and out of it . . without cutting, as if through water, or like shapes floating through the Void. [3.6.7.] If evil exists, it exists in non-being . . . Such is the whole world of sense and all experience of the senses. [1.8.1] [Matter] is the substrate which underlies figures, forms, shapes, measures and limits . . a mere shadow in relation to real Being, the very essence of evil, if such is possible. [1.8.2] Rejection of the body and sense experience. http://www.plotinus.com/who_was_plotinus.htm (4 of 6)14-2-2005 19:50:00
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Sense-perception belongs to the sleeping soul, the part of the soul immersed in body; and the true awakening is a rising up, not with the body, but from the body. . . To rise up to very truth is altogether to depart from bodies. Corporeality is contrary to soul and essentially opposed to soul. [3.6.6.] If life and soul survive death, then there will still be good, and the more so now that soul acts purely according to its nature, unimpeded by body. [1.7.3.] What else could true moderation be but to avoid association with bodily pleasures, and to shun them as impure affections of a thing impure? . . The soul when purified becomes pure form and formative power, all disembodied and intellective, and wholly within the Divine. [1.6.6.] The One transcends the Universe. The source is not fragmented into the universe, for its fragmentation would destroy the whole, which would not longer come to be if there did not remain by itself, distinct from it, its source. [3.8.10.] The One is all things and yet no one of them. It is the source of all things, not itself all things, but their transcendent Principle. . . So that Being may exist the One is not Being, but the begetter of Being. The ascent to union with God. Intellect can veil itself from the world and concentrate its gaze within, and though it sees nothing, it will behold a light - not an external light in some perceived object, but a solitary light, pure and selfcontained, suddenly revealed within itself. . . We must not enquire whence it comes, for there is no "whence". . . He does not come as one expected, and his coming knows no arrival; he is beheld not as one who enters but who is eternally present. [5.7-8.] Our thought cannot grasp the One as long as any other image remains active in the soul . . To this end, you must set free your soul from all outward things and turn wholly within yourself, with no more leaning to what lies outside, and lay your mind bare of ideal forms, as before of the objects of sense, and forget even yourself, and so come within sight of that One. [6.9.7] Beyond duality. A bolder course would be to abandon the duality of seer and seen, and count both as one. In that vision the seer does not see or distinguish, or even imagine, two; he is changed, no longer himself nor owning himself there, but belongs to God, one with him, center joined with center. [6.9.10] If he remembers who he became when he merged with the One, he will bear its image in himself. He was himself one, with no diversity in himself or his outward relations; for no movement was in him, no passion, no desire for another, once the ascent was accomplished. Nor indeed was there any reason or though, nor, if we dare say it, any trace of himself. [6.9.11.] Please take note that for Plotinus "evil" means the absence of GOOD, or complete UNCONSCIOUSNESS and IGNORANCE of what is GOOD.
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Who was Plotinus?
PLOTINUS
Painting by Barry Stevens
Plotinus and the Gnostics In his Enneads 11,9, the Neoplatonic philosopher Plotinus (205 -270) turned against the gnostics - in particular against the Valentinians - and in this manner made a significant contribution, as a non-Christian author, towards the survival of gnostic ideas. Ficino, who used Plotinus as a focus with which he looked at the original Platonism, translated the Enneads in the Renaissance. One of Plotinus's objections concerns the gnostic contempt for the world: the Demiurge was regarded as a being of lower rank and in a cosmos ruled by fate the power of evil plays an important role. Plotinus counters this view by saying that the cosmos is a structured complex of divine origin, in which the creative spirit manifests itself as Logos. This makes criticism of the structure of the cosmos unjustified. In his opinion, evil is not a power in itself, but a lower degree of good. Furthermore, Plotinus accuses the gnostics of immoral behaviour, because they deny the moral law of the creator through their contempt for the world. He also accuses them of practising magic: In yet another way they infringe still more gravely upon the inviolability of the Supreme. In the sacred formulas they inscribe, purporting to address the Supernatural Beings - not merely the Soul but even the Transcendents - they are simply uttering spells and appeasements and evocations in the idea that these Powers will obey a call and be led about by a word from any of us who is in some degree trained to use the appropriate forms in the appropriate way. Although Plotinus grants that the gnostics have philosophical pretensions, in fact what they present is mythology only: they assume a great number of different levels to exist between the One and man: aeons, personified to form pairs, such as for instance Depth and Silence, Thinking and Truth, and Sophia, who fell from Fullness (pleroma). Plotinus recognizes the Platonic features in gnostic systems: the immortality of the soul, the intelligible world, the first God and the necessity for the soul to escape from the cycle of birth and rebirth. However, he denies meaning to the gnostic additions. The essential difference between the gnostics and Plato is that for the former, truth can only be attained by 'pneumatists', whereas according to Plato, truth can be attained by anyone.
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(From the Internet Encyclopedia of philosophy)
NOUS The beginning of each hypostasis constitutes a particular discontinuity in the ontological spectrum. So The One is characterised by absolute Unity, perfection, eternity, and creativity. The Nous is still eternal, creative, perfect blissful, and totally spiritual, but it is no longer unitary. Rather, this is the region of Plato's Spiritual Forms. This idea has its roots ultimately in the Middle Platonic view of Forms as thoughts of God. At the level of the Nous, the individual still has his own identity, but his contemplation embraces the whole Intelligible world and everything in it. And since on this level subject and object are identical, each member of the Intelligible order is identifiable with the whole of that order, and every other member thereof. So Universal Intelligence is a sort of unity-in-plurality. This is an idea advocated earlier by the Neopythagorean philosopher Numenius, the "all is in all" Intelligence (Nous) is the level of intuition, where discursive thought is bypassed and the mind attains a direct and instantaneous vision of truth. The distinction between Soul and Intelligence corresponds to the difference between discursive and intuitive thought. Discursive thought means reasoning from premise to conclusion, or being aware of first one thing, then another THE SOUL
Painting by Barry Stevens
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requires sequence in which to occur). Whereas the Nous embraces the whole of the Noetic world in one timeless vision, the Soul's contemplation is forced to change from one thing to another. The Soul thus constitutes the Nous projected into Time. Although still creative and spiritual, is no longer eternal, or perfect in its consciousness. It cannot see things in a holistic and all-embracing way, but only successively, imperfectly, moment by moment, in terms of past and future. In keeping with Greek thought generally, Plotinus refers to an original cosmic and therefore Divine World-Soul, which is the creator of the visible cosmos, and the individual, for example the human, soul. The Stoics conceived of individual souls as parts of the World-Soul. For Plotinus in contrast, the World-Soul is herself an individual soul, albeit a very large one, whose body is the cosmos which she forms and administers. But both the individual and the World- souls are manifestations of the one Universal Soul. This is essentially the same as the monistic Hindu philosopher statement that the individual soul or Jiva and Ishwara or God the creator and ruler of the universe are both the result of super-imposition or Maya over the one Absolute or Atman-Brahman As well as this "horizontal" division there is also a "vertical" one. Plotinus and his successors integrated the Platonic distinction between the rational and irrational souls with the Aristotlean distinction of vegetative, sentient (animal), and rational soul-levels. They thus postulated a whole range of levels of psychic consciousness. Being an intuitive and inspirational rather than a systematic thinker, Plotinus sometimes divides the Soul into higher/rational and lower/irrational, and sometimes into three or even more levels, the various classifications often being contradictory with each other. Sometimes the rational soul as a whole is identified with the "unfallen" soul. Plotinus went so far as to say that the soul, as an "intelligible cosmos", contains not only all other soul-principles (or Logoi) but also the levels of Intelligence and the One, and is therefore able to attain any of those principles; an idea close to the Vedantic and Buddhist concept of Enlightenment or Liberation. Plotinus' psychology is as follows: ●
●
●
The summit of Soul is an unfallen level which does not descend into this world; the Noetic Soul. It is in constant transcendent contemplation of the eternal Nous.
The Rational Soul is the highest level of the ordinary human psyche, which is able to approach the spiritual.
The Irrational or Animal Soul, which is limited to the bodily or animal passions and desires; the equivalent perhaps of the Catholic "seven deadly sins". This is the bodily or "vegetative" soul (phytikon) responsible both for physical growth and nutrition, and also for the bodily appetites and emotions
The soul is thus an "amphibian", belonging to both the physical and the intelligible (noetic) worlds. This concept of "vertical psychology" was later to figure prominently in Kabbalah and Sufism, and is still with us (minus the higher or spiritual/noetic element) in the Freudian psychoanalytical distinction of Ego (= Rational Soul) and Id (= Irrational Soul). In modern Theosophy and Occultism also, this gradation appears as the distinction between the Mental and the Astral (or Emotional or Desire) bodies. Sometimes Plotinus adds a further hypostasis, phusis or Nature, as the lowest projection of Soul and the dim consciousness within plants, between Soul and the Sensible World. The Theosophical version of this is the "etheric plane".
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The Soul is the lowest hypostasis, the lowest irradiation of the Divine. Deficient as it is, it still retains a trace of the original on-tological authenticity or Spiritual-Being-ness of the higher principles. Below the Soul there is only non-conscious matter - hyle - which Plotinus equated with "non-being" and total deprivation. Plotinus describes Matter as "non-being", in view of its formlessness and utter unsubstantiality, although he denies that this means absolute non-existence Written by M. Alan Kazlev If you want to know more visit this Website Neoplatonism/Plotinus by M. Alan Kazlev (From the Internet Encyclopedia of philosophy)
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Glossery of Terms
Glossary of Terms (Words in italics denote terms that are also defined in the Glossary. Aka means “also known as.”)
Absolute Consciousness: Consciousness that encompasses all levels of consciousness and belongs to Absolute Being. (aka Pure Being, Unknown God, and Unmanifested Being.) Abstract Mind: A higher level of intelligence that is directly linked to intuition (or intelligence of the heart.) It is called abstract because it cannot be comprehended or rationalized by ordinary intellect. It is through the Abstract Mind (or Buddhi), that we receive and translate higher realities and Divine knowledge into pure wisdom. Antahkarana: An inner organ, an instrument with which we think, feel, remember and discriminate. It activates and functions properly with the unfoldment of the inner spiritual process. It is the link between the personal and the impersonal, the ego and the soul. Hence, it is the channel where the inner impulses, battles and transmutations take place, and becomes a conduit for the impulses of the soul to reach the psyche. Archetypes: Archetypes are seed ideas that are engrained within the “blueprint” of man. There are many types of archetypes: the Jungian types come from the “unconscious” and are biological; the Freudian archetypes are also unconscious but are personal and biographical. On this website, the term “archetype” represents spiritual and initiatory “mediums” (or vehicles) and “keys” into which a variety of divine impulses are poured so as to form a language of the soul. Archetypes are universal symbols ingrained in the psyche of human beings, and are interconnected to unfold a meaningful idea or a teaching. Archetypes are also linked to seed ideas and are part of a subtle and refined spiritual teaching method that unfolds the Intuition and Abstract Mind. http://www.plotinus.com/glossery_of_terms.htm (1 of 5)14-2-2005 19:51:46
Glossery of Terms
Astral Body: Emotional body that transforms with our feelings, emotions, desires and higher ideals. It can be refined by our feelings and then register and become part of the higher realms. This, of course, reflects our self-conscious part and is one of the most important parts of the inner process because it is through the astral and mental bodies that we can gradually enter our Perfect Mold. Axial Pole: The central, immutable pole or core of being within human beings that is Absolute Consciousness. It also corresponds to states of being, as in Dante’s axial journey. Hence, those who have reached the mid-point (i.e., the edenic or primordial state), may rise along this axis to higher levels of consciousness. In Kabalistic terms, it corresponds to the Middle Pillar, the Pillar of Consciousness. Being: The part in us that we perceive as the Presence within that pervades the whole of creation. However, it needs consciousness to become aware of its being-ness.
Chalice: Represents the place where the purification and transformation of the ego occurs. (See Perfect Mold.) Consciousness: The substance and intelligence that envelops, surrounds and penetrates everything in creation to gradually make it aware of itself. However, to do that, it needs spirit and soul as the vehicle to contain, unfold and manifest its inherent qualities. There are different levels of consciousness, each with a corresponding attuned “instrument” to express its own level. Hence consciousness is the medium used by the impersonal will and unconditional Love of Pure Being, or of the Unknown God. In different Traditions, Consciousness is referred to as MIND or Universal or Cosmic Soul Cosmic Consciousness: Consciousness of universality, of being in harmony and attunement with the whole of creation. An infinite sense of intuitive wisdom that bestows knowledge and experience of being part of the infinite tapestry of creation upon the one who has it. At this level of consciousness, we find the quality of “Thy Will Be Done.” Daemon (aka daimon): A manifestation of our soul’s intent and direct guidance, such as, Pythagoras', Socrates', Platos', Plotinus'. It is made of astral and mental matter and takes the bearing and aspect corresponding to our own level of consciousness and purity. It is the projection of the inner master and guide that opens for us the way of real soul initiation. It is also our witness, who takes us through the various inner planes of purification and being. A Christian version of the daemon is the guardian angel. Duality versus Dualism: In the context of this website, we have chosen the word "dualism" to express the world in which we live as a separate entity, in other words: "I am me" separate from you". As for the word duality in these messages, it reflects the fact that one can be enlightened and remain as the impersonal conscious Self witnessing the world of duality. Ego: A distorted reflection of Pure Being that says, “I am me” and differentiates between “This is me and this is not me.” It is an important tool and a “looking glass” for the soul. However, the “lenses” usually need a good cleaning so that the soul can properly recognize and register what it “sees” through them and send the appropriate impulse back to the ego via intuition. However, the ego is an important functioning of Consciousness in the world of duality. We need an ego to interrelate with each others... Divine Face: The unmanifest “face” of Absolute Consciousness that remains hidden behind the veil of Pure Being. Its presence arises gradually within the consciousness of a seeker as a manifestation of Cosmic Consciousness and reflects in the guise of his Perfect Model. Essence of the soul: The foundation of the soul. (See Pure Being.) Grail: On this website, the Grail represents a divine substance that transforms self-consciousness into Cosmic Consciousness. It is a Divine Energy that leads the seeker towards his/her complete regeneration. The Grail is linked with the Chalice, with the latter representing the place where the purification of the ego takes place. (See Perfect Mold.) Amongst its countless powers and qualities, the Grail grants immortality and resurrection, signifying that the seeker of truth has entered his own axial pole of pure Absolute Consciousness. The Grail also represents Christ Substance. http://www.plotinus.com/glossery_of_terms.htm (2 of 5)14-2-2005 19:51:46
Glossery of Terms
Thus, in this book, the Grail and the Perfect Model are firmly connected, since in reality, when you enter your Perfect Model, you are automatically in “touch” with the gifts and powers of the Grail. Higher Mind: The permanent level of consciousness that remains forever engrained in the soul or Permanent Witness. It is a higher faculty of intuition and a more subtle way of forming concepts. Higher Mind or Abstract Mind expresses a different and transfigured level of comprehension and perception of truth. (aka Intuition, Intelligence of the Heart.) I AM: The state in which self-consciousness turns its attention from the outside world to the inner, focusing and opening up to the impulses coming from the soul and reacting accordingly. It is a level of consciousness that prepares consciousness to unify and reach wholeness with Absolute Consciousness or Pure Being. I Am Me: Self-identification of the ego. A state of self-consciousness that is focused and absorbed only with activities outside of itself. Intelligence of the Heart): During the spiritual process, the ego opens itself to the impulses coming from the soul, and intuition unfolds its intelligence and knowledge in one’s consciousness. However, intuition needs the impulses of unconditional and impersonal love to function properly since the knowledge that one receives on this physical level is not for personal gain but belongs to one’s impersonal self. (aka intuition.) Intuition: The impact that the intelligence of the soul has on our conscious level of being. The more attuned we are to the soul, the more deeply we resonate with intuitive knowledge. (aka intelligence of the heart) Invisible God: The part of the higher intelligence within us that can be apprehended only through the functioning of higher mind, or refined intuition. (See Visible God.) Invisible Master: An enlightened person who has awakened Cosmic Consciousness. He/she is a person who lives on the physical plane as an ordinary human being, but remains in constant touch with the inner spiritual planes. Thus he/ she becomes a living “role model” for others who have recognized his/her gifts. Seekers who need to unfold the same soul qualities are magnetically pulled towards such charismatic persons. jnana: Sanskrit, from the root 'jna' - 'to know' (1) general knowledge - (2) spiritual wisdom and illumination; knowledge of the ultimate reality; the transcendent realization that Atman and Brahman are one. (The Rider Encyclopedia of Eastern philosophy & Religion.) Lower mental body: The body formed by our thought-forms, the energy field that registers and sends thoughts made of astral matter. Noumenon: 1- object of intellect: something beyond the tangible world that can only be known or identified by the intellect, not by the senses Noumenon: 2 - independent object in Kantian philosophy: in Kantian philosophy, something that exists independently of intellectual or sensory perception of it, for example the soul in some beliefs [Late 18th century. Via German from Greek , from the present participle of noien ‘to apprehend, conceive’.] Microsoft® Encarta® Premium Suite 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Perfect Model: The manifested reflection and countenance of our Soul Entity (the "Ba" in Ancient Egyptian Mysteries) within the inner planes of Being. It is our perfected nature, i.e., the features that Cosmic Consciousness and enlightenment take within our being. Perfect Mold: The blueprint with which our subtle body energy fields must attune and blend. It is the mold of the Perfect Model or archetype of our angelic prototype, our original Divine pattern that becomes the vehicle of pure spirit or of Cosmic Consciousness. In the Ancient Egyptian Mysteries it was called the purified "Ka". Permanent Witness: The intuition that emanates from the Permanent Witness becomes intelligible through our purified
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Glossery of Terms
mind and heart, and is translated into words through the inspiration coming from our Abstract Mind. In other words, the impulses coming from the P.W. can be put into words to encourage and help others do likewise. The P.W. is the part of the soul that is nearer to human consciousness, the intermediary between the ego’s self-consciousness and the Spiritual Witness. Hence the P.W. is our inner guide that initiates and opens the path to our inner quest, and uses our psyche to send and receive impulses to the ego. It is the wise teacher we meet when we focus on our sacred center within. In the Ancient Egyptian Mysteries it was the "Ba" Presence: The invisible part of Being that appears from the Center of Pure Being and gradually takes different sacred Divine Faces to make an impression on the conscious self. It is the immaterial, invisible part of our soul entity, or Pure Being that attracts us through the inherent divine qualities within them. These qualities are of unconditional and pure love and compassion. Primordial Matter: The primary universal substance, the womb wherein all worlds gestate, from which all are born, and to which all return. (aka prakriti) Psyche: The bridge between ego and soul. The mirror in which impulses coming from the soul (or Permanent Witness) and the experiences and memories of the ego meet. The psyche can only be purified when the antahkarana has been activated correctly. Pure Being: (aka Soul Entity) Sacred Cell: The archetypal place where we learn to become “intimate” with ourselves. A holy space within which we encounter our Divine Face and that reveals our own mystery. Sacred Seed: The qualities ingrained in the soul. The spiritual DNA inherent to man but dormant within him, awaiting the light of consciousness to germinate, grow and manifest its inherent attributes and its angelic and divine nature. Soul Entity: Essence of the soul, or of the Permanent and Spiritual Witnesses. It is the seed of both parts of the soul and is conscious only of itself. However, the goal of unfolding the two witnesses within the soul is to expand and manifest consciousness to different levels and manifest it through the existence of human beings. (aka Pure Being.) Subjectivity: All thinking is based on time and space - must necessarily refer to a person or a thing, an event or experience concerning the thing or the person. But time and space do not exist objectively. Therefore how can any kind of phenomena or thinking and experience about any thing be possible in the absence of time and space. Therefore, if time and space are not objectively perceived because they cannot be perceptible or recognized by the senses, but only through a different knowledge - it can only be the SUBJECTIVITY - which is the evasive "I" , the Noumenon, pure Beingness the Source - spaceless and timeless - INTEMPORALITY Spiritual Witness: The pure unmanifested Divine Light that is part of the Universal Consciousness. When as individual consciousness, we are in contact with it, it unfolds within us an illumination of the intelligence of the heart, which gives us a state of beatitude, or a level of consciousness and an inner conviction that cannot be explained in words, for the knowledge imparted by the S.W. can only be given through, enlightenment and illumination of consciousness. It is as if the S..W. opens for us a window to let sunlight into the dark recesses of our consciousness, so as to illuminate it and unfold within us more subtle ways of perceiving the depth and mystery of consciousness. Hence the knowledge received through the S.W. cannot be put into words; rather, it is an enlightenment that becomes part of consciousness itself. Unknown God: The source of all creation. It is beyond human comprehension since this Unknown Presence is immanent, omnipresent and omnipotent. It remains latent in Pure Being and in the essence of our Sacred Seed. However, like Unmanifest Being, the divine source that remains incomprehensible to human intelligence, it can be intuitively felt through the impulses sent by the soul. Unmanifested Being: The Source of Being before creation. (See Unmanifest Light and Absolute Being.) Unmanifested Light: The Source of Light before creation and manifestation http://www.plotinus.com/glossery_of_terms.htm (4 of 5)14-2-2005 19:51:46
Glossery of Terms
Universal Soul: The Center of the Essence of Being. (See Cosmic Consciousness.) Visible God: The higher self or higher intelligence within human beings with which we can attune, understand and come in touch. (See Invisible God.)
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Hermetic and Mystical Essays from Readers
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Essays From Dianah Beattie About Mind - 1
Thought is the very essence of unlimited potential. It is consciousness bringing forth its nature (life force) into pliable, visible form, in order to experience what it is. The unconscious mind does not form thoughts, it vibrates feeling, the conscious mind in turn, creates a form around the flow of the vibration/feeling, creating parts and parcels of the vibration into thought forms. And so, thought follows vibration, creating or manifesting itself. Energy does not follow thought; energy is encapsulated within a thought form, manifesting a viewable form. This is subjectivity. Subjectivity is an impression that is manifested into a form. Thought is consciousness manifesting itself. Everything that we are, everything that we experience is first a feeling, then its housed into a thought, which gives it definition, which becomes a visible expression. All is feeling that manifests itself through consciousness. It is unconsciousness manifesting itself. Consciousness is the ‘see-able’ movement of vibration/feeling/sensation. Consciousness is realization; realization is understanding through experience. Consciousness is the movement from no-movement or the unconscious mind. They are but one and the same. In the deepest depths of the unconscious mind is the unknowable unknown. It is darkness that moves not, and yet it does. It is within these deepest recesses of the unconscious mind, that consciousness is formulated. It is within the unfathomable depths of the unknown that lie beyond the deep recesses, that one truly remembers. The conscious mind experiences all that it is, it formulates and demonstrates all viable forms of existence. Then the conscious mind inverts upon itself, (for all external avenues of movement have been taken) and follows its vibrations/feeling/sensation into the depths of itself. It is here that the true dark night of the soul resides. It is here they find the dark parceled pieces of self that have operated fully in their existence that they understood not. In this aspect of self, one circulates through all their feelings. All must begin the journey into the negative aspects of self, for they are the true receptors of self. They are the aspects that drive men to seek. For in their deepest empty void, lie the seed of the question/answer. The divine negative energies are the fertilized possibilities that await its conscious self, to spring forth the seed of divine wisdom. As the conscious self penetrates its dark unknowns, the thoughts that created them are seen, and expanded. The vibration that was housed in a thoughts form is expanded back into the harmonic flow of self. As the thoughts are expanded and the harmonic flow begins flowing in ones awareness, the positives of self are revealed. The positive energies are the growth of the seed, from the darkness of its roots springs forth the head, heart, and eye of wisdom. There is no difference from the
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Hermetic and Mystical Essays from Readers
negative and positive energies, only that of transformation, from one to the other, starting first with the positives, that transformed into the negatives, (individuating) to once again impregnate itself with self, transforming into the all seeing eye. The conscious and unconscious mind, the negatives, and positives are only that of perception. One perception being that of sensation, (unconscious) The other being that of movement (consciousness). When the two perceptions are expanded and brought back into the flow of self, pure consciousness emerges. Pure consciousness is simply pure existence, and knowing that you ARE. And so the seed, the void, the conscious and unconscious minds are the seed of existence experiencing it’s existence. The seed, the created, returns to its creator, nestled in the bosom of itself, and the true heart, mind, and eye merge into the omnipotent that it is. Thought is the conscious mind reflecting the unconscious mind that reflects pure consciousness. (Thought is vibration enfolding unto itself. It’s the breath, encapsulated by the word, that was issued from pure consciousness) in this being so, there are no illusions, distortions, lies, or truths. What is being reflected is pure existence experiencing itself.
The negatives that one feels, the emptiness they hold within themselves, are but the vessels of receptiveness. Each individuated ego is the Holy Grail, all unto themselves and knows it not. Their brim runneth over with the manifested waters of self. It spills out, yet never empties, onto and into all that they are. They are the tears of emptiness, and the tears of joy, they are the waters of self, and the emotions that know themselves not, they are the thoughts that bind them to the waters, and in every movement they experience all that they are. The positives that one feels are the potentials of self, everlasting, and all encompassing. They are the light of self, that walk into the darkness of self, merging themselves (light and dark) into the sea of self. Once merged they exist no more, and yet they do. They exist in the vast knowledge that they ARE, being fully developed potential expressing itself no more, for potentiality then knows, that it exits, simply through experiencing its existence. Dianah
About the Silent Witness
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Hermetic and Mystical Essays from Readers
In my last meditation I found and experienced the silent witness, or the calm observer. From what I was shown this calm observer is the dreamer who watches his dream. This aspect of consciousness is totally aware of itself and completely un-attached to its movements of feelings and thoughts. It just observes. This consciousness impedes nothing, and from this point of calmly observing it sent forth its consciousness into its movement of experiencing. So the calm observer is the dreamer and the dream. It is like the calm observer sent forth an aspect of itself to become an active experience of consciousness. All the planes of existence are the process of the dreamer becoming his dream. The silent witness is consciousness that stands in the centerline of the unconscious mind and conscious mind. It is aware of its totality and it breathes into itself the sensations of the unconscious mind and breathes it out into the movement of conscious experience, then it just observes. The calm observer is the consciousness of the unconscious that can perceive itself. So there are many levels of the silent witness, to that of the physical where we observe our surroundings, and observe our feelings and thoughts, to observing our inner selves, to observing our spiritual natures until we come to our first witnessing of self. I also experienced the awareness of the unconscious mind. I can’t explain it very well, but the best words I can think of is that it has an awareness totality different then consciousness it is aware of its totality without any feelings or thoughts. Where as consciousness is totality aware of its feelings and thoughts yet un-attached to them, ( I’m talking about the higher aspects of consciousness) it seems that each aspect starts from a point of calmly observing itself to becoming what it observes. It’s much like the unconscious mind aware its sensations, that became consciousness, that could then observe its unconscious sensations, then bring the sensations into itself then expressing it with the movement of feeling/thought, who then merged into what it observed to manifest it. Upon seeing this, it brought to my awareness the function of existing all at once, how consciousness shifted in consciousness yet always being the same. So within our being is our totality reflecting our totality. Each and every aspect of consciousness within its limited form of thought/feeling reflects perfectly how consciousness ‘shifts’ in consciousness. Our physical experience and every minute aspect of that experience is a reflection of its totality. One can take just one feeling/thought and follow its creation into existence and follow it to its expansion and in this pathway of just one tiny thought all knowledge of self is held. For how it becomes and how it creates and how it unfolds follows the original first cause. It’s the pattern for all existence. There is a silent witness to every pattern, the silent witness, or calm observer is just an aspect of consciousness that observes itself, fully un-attached to what it observes. So every pattern starts with the observation of self that shifts its consciousness into what it observes, becoming what it observes and ceasing the observance of self, and becoming attached to what it experiences. I understand better what I wrote about the ego being the experience and the one who experiences. The ego is totally attached to what it feels/thinks, this attachment personalizes what it thinks/feels that shifts consciousness from it totality to individuality. The ego, this human experience is the sum total of pure consciousness experiencing itself, and that is why we the ego are the ones who must expand our consciousness or ‘shift’ our consciousness back to pure consciousness. It has to be expanded from this point for we are the point of totality, condensed. This is why we have to travel through all parts of ourselves before we can expand back to all that we are. And expansion cannot occur until a pattern has been fully traversed in feeling/thought. Every person, place, thing is within its cycle of experience and it cannot be expanded until its traveled through all http://www.plotinus.com/readers.htm (3 of 4)14-2-2005 19:53:31
Hermetic and Mystical Essays from Readers
its experiences. This explains why we can work with someone and then all of a sudden hit a ‘barrier’ and they seem to be stuck and can no longer expand. They just haven’t traveled through all the cycles of a certain pattern of experience. So, there seems to be a universal silent witness, or calm observer that is, was and shall always be and in our daily practices of being a silent witness we shift our consciousness back into the ONE silent witness from whence we came. And it is this universal aspect of consciousness that expands into pure consciousness. Well I must ponder on this a bit more. I look forward to hearing from you. With much love Fondly Dianah
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Mystical Essays from Readers part 2
Essays From Dianah Beattie "Know Thyself" - Part: II
Dear Alice, I thought I would share with you my recent inspired thoughts and feelings. My soul seems to be directing my attention and experiences to that of thought forms, and to their creation, as well as 'un-creating' them. I thought I would list the definitions of what I understand certain words to imply to aid in the understanding of what I share. Thought; a line of focus that defines an impulse, it limits perception creating 'conditionings' (the creative force of the soul aspect, the thinker of our thoughts) (can also be referred too, the positives, the male energies, the mind, intellect, will) Feeling; the inner consciousness of a thought form, its impulse, movement, intuitive sensing (the creative force of spirit, our intuition) (can also be referred too, the negatives, the female energies, the heart, womb, impulse) Thought form; the impulse and will manifested into a viable and viable perception through the enfoldment of the will and impulse, with each enfoldment creating a layer or level of consciousness within the 'idea' bringing forth patterns of experiences. (the manifested, and active creative forces, the vessel of expression, man) Harmony; consciousness intuitively aware of all that it is without thought. The pure reflection of non-movement as movement, the sound from no sound (can be referred too as, the womb, mother, void, bliss, cool calm darkness, the unknown, unconscious awareness etc.) (this is also the horizontal wavy line, or primordial waters) The will; the line of focus creating definition, without feeling or form. (can be referred to as the Father, bright light, conscious awareness etc., this is also the vertical straight line, or pure thought) The universal self, or Cosmic Christ; the creative forces of the impulse and will as one force, (the center of the cross, where the vertical line of pure thought intersects the wavy line or impulse, creating a circle and the four points of manifestation, The active conscious movement of the creative forces) It is the circle within the circle or the first manifestation of a subjective thought form, it is the inner consciousness of the first idea, created by the impulse 'touching' (becoming aware) its line of thought and enfolding its definition within its impulse, merging the will and impulse into active creativity (the heart and mind). It is 'know thy self (will) and its reflection 'I know not' (impulse), it is the seed or the knowing within its unknown, or the question within the answer etc...Hierarchy; the levels of consciousness created by each enfoldment of the will into the impulse creating the inner consciousness of an 'idea' (This is Jacobs ladder, or the involution and evolution of consciousness). The present; the same as harmony, the infinite and intuitive awareness of our totality. Aware of all conscious aspects as being that of one aspect and intuitively aware of all forms of consciousness and their expressions of the one, the state of just 'Being' and that of pure acceptance. My higher self has been guiding me into pure thought, it is like harmony in the way of it being that which it http://www.plotinus.com/readers2.htm (1 of 4)14-2-2005 19:54:04
Mystical Essays from Readers part 2
is harmony is intuitive knowing and it just is, thought is pure thought (a focus) without form or intuitive knowing and it just is and it is their very reflecting or enfoldment that creates the experiencing of consciousness itself. The will creates a line of thought and this creates a field or vessel for potential expression. A line of thought is a definition that houses or defines the Impulse. The impulse now becomes as many vessels of expression an example of this would be like submerging a glass ball into the ocean, the glass ball now holds within it the water of the ocean, but this water cannot flow within its totality, it can only flow within the limits of the glass jar. With the water unable to flow in it totality and only able to flow within its definition it becomes as its definition the glass jar and what it holds now becomes a vessel of expression it is a form that now holds 'something within it, it becomes as two ideas a vessel, and its contents, and yet it is always within the ocean, filled with the ocean, moves with the ocean and always as the ocean, but it knows this not. The ocean holds within it infinite pieces of salt (the knowledge of itself), and so it is the salt within the water, and contained by the jar (line of thought, definition) that manifests and becomes as individualized perception. Man is the 'jar' (line of thought), our 'feelings' are the inner conscious movement (impulse) and our emotions are the manifested blending of our thoughts/impulse into creative active intelligence/perception. Our conscious minds are the will, or the line of focus that have defined our impulse into infinite parcels of knowing, or into infinite thought forms. Lets take me for example. I am one form, housing within me infinite forms or aspects of what make me, me. Each aspect is within a definition that is moved by its inner impulse. Each aspect has become what they think they are (their definition) and they can only move, or exist and express this definition. For example; my heart is perceived as just an organ that has a function and purpose. My heart works within this definition and it performs as its definition. My heart is constructed of many atoms; each atom holds within it its totality. But as the atoms colligate into the form of a heart, they become as the heart, they become its definition and it now operates within its inner consciousness (impulse defined). My heart being just one aspect of me, affects the whole of me, as well as being effected by the other aspects of me. So lets say that my heart is working just fine and moving within its definition and is harmonious with the many other aspects of me. But as I go about my life I have to experience all that I have defined myself to be, so lets say I have defined myself as being lonely and without love. Over the course of my life I experience many ways to enforce this self definition, and with each experience I add more focus to it I begin to 'become' that which I think and with each thought added to my original thought, it will move to the appropriate area of my body. So, my heart is whole and harmonious, working within its definition and as I experience my aspect of no love, my very thoughts will move into my heart. This thought now moves into the hearts definition and if I add many thoughts to it, the inner impulse will begin to create it. My heart will begin to not work harmonious with the rest of my body, it will slowly isolate itself into its new definition, and eventually my heart will cease to work within it original definition and I will then have heart problems. When we encounter any definition or line of thought, we will always encounter some form of 'discomfort'. This is the impulse unable to flow within its totality, and becoming aware of its line of thought that defines it. Herein comes the importance of observing through detachment. As long as we ignore, turn away from or in anyway deny that which we feel, think, or sense, we will always exist within our definitions and keep experiencing them in infinite ways. Our very existence is to 'know thyself', in order to truly know thyself we have to know that which defines us. We have to become aware of our creations and cease its creative movement so we can move into its inner consciousness and expand the very line of thought that defines it, and to allow the impulse to flow within its totality. First we must become aware of our creative forces, our emotions that perpetuate our experiences. Then we must quiet the emotions through observing them, in observing we are detached from them, and we do not move into and become that which we observe. Through this state of detachment we can then become aware of the impulse that has been defined or the inner consciousness of a thought when entering into the inner consciousness the line of thought or the definition can also be known we enter into the very 'thinker' of the thought or its impulse by entering into the inner consciousness, we also experience it, through experiencing it we then know it, in knowing it we can understand it, and in understanding it, it is then accepted, and it is through total acceptance that a line of
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Mystical Essays from Readers part 2
thought and its impulse are released into its totality. For with total acceptance no more thought or definition is place upon the impulse, and it no longer has to create its definition, for the definition no longer exists within ones consciousness as a creative force, and one can just BE. All that we are has to be known, this is the statement 'know thyself', what we are to know is our very selfcreations. We are to know our lines of thought that define our inner impulse that creates a conscious aspect that exists within an individualized definition. This starts with the personality, with each thought expanded ones awareness flows into the higher consciousness, until one expands into harmony (via the soul, spirit, universal mind) and intuitively knows itself infinitely without definition for the impulse flows within its wholeness. In order for this process to manifest, one must first develop their intellectual minds, and experiences all lines of thought through the various levels of consciousness. One must intellectually be aware of the higher consciousnesses, and then one must move through the thoughts that individualize the impulse creating the perception of being separate. As they expand their lines of definition into the higher consciousness it must then be experienced for it is through the intellect that a potential is made aware of, it is through the heart that this potential is expressed/felt, then it is known, then it can be understood and accepted releasing the higher consciousnesses into its higher awareness. True acceptance does not manifest without understanding. So one can accept the worlds conditions, or the things that happen to them, and give them no thought, but these things are not fully understood, or seen as the creative forces of the perceivers inner realities. They are viewed as things that just occur, not realizing that every perceiver is a co-creator of every experience. All experiences must be brought into the heart for the inner consciousness of each experience to be understood and released into its totality. The words thought, feeling, emotions, are also the same as the will, impulse, experience, or spirit, soul, man, or Mother, Father, son.. It's the triad of creation and so what has been used before to describe this process, is to 'ignore the physical, fuse with the soul, and enter into bliss'. But this only opens the MIND to its potential, and it only the opens the heart half way for if we float within the waters paying no attentions to the infinite jars that float within its current, we will always encounter the jars, we will forever try to not 'see' them, and they will forever exist within the water but when we bring each encounter into our hearts and release its inner contents back into the flow of its totality, then the heart is fully open we will then be able to see the 'jars' as not but jars, but as expression and totally accept all that they are. This is of the new energies of Aquarius, the water bearer releasing his jar of water freeing the impulse from its line of thought and allowing it to flow within its totality. Well, these are the concepts that have been flowing into my awareness I look forward to hearing your comments, insights or thoughts regarding them. Much love Dianah
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Hermetic and Mystical Essays from Readers
Essays From Dianah Beattie Mind - Soul - Psyche - Ego - Part: III
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What is the psyche, how does it serve the individual seeker, what is its relation to the ego and the Soul Personality? I can only share my understandings of the psyche, and its relationship with the individual seeker and soul personality. The psyche or soul is the aspect of the soul personality that perceives all experiences that in turn projects what it perceives into what we call an ego, the ego then experiences what is perceived (through impulses) by the soul, these impulses are experienced by ones feelings/senses into thoughts, that further define the experience into more concrete experience, or into more definitive form. The soul personality is a ‘sea’ of potential WITHIN its potential form or impulse, and it as the ONE SOUL that observes its totality or subjectivity. Through observance the soul personality takes form (becomes aware) and holds within it all potential form (awareness) of expression, the soul personality observing its potentiality is as the ‘many’ souls, who in turn observe its potentiality through the projection of an ego…observing it potentiality through BECOMING that which it observes and this is as experience. As the ego experiences BEING as that, which is observed, or defining self through action-reaction, the subjective form within the soul personality develops its potential or it develops the many levels of consciousness within their very level of potential. Subjectivity is the potential of form, form is merely potential within it’s potential (form aware of its form = soul personality), and potential within its potential is merely expression, and expression (form aware of its form = awareness = psyche/soul), is perceiving or being aware or simply being conscious of consciousness (subjectivity within observance). All levels of awareness are functions of perceiving the one that the one perceives itself to be, all functions are a reflection of potentiality (subjectivity), in being a reflection they can only mirror that which observes, in being within the reflection, the reflection can only observe itself, in observing itself the totality of that which observes is ‘forgotten’ in order to experience and to awaken (bring to conscious expression) that which IS. The souls are that, which interpret the impulse (subjectivity within form or awareness) the egos are the souls interpretations…and an interpretation makes sense out of what it feels…we make sense out of what we feel (thoughts = self knowledge) so basically what all egos sense is the UNKNOWN (subjectivity/unconscious or unmanifested form of potential), and we interpret it into the knowledge of self through experiences creating the FORM or becoming aware of our potentiality whilst in potentiality. Egos are the experience or the observer within that which he/she observes (that is but itself), seeking that which IS, and this is but ITSELF. All egos must ‘dance’ to the song of its soul and become the dance. In becoming the dance, the song is brought into expression, the song is perceived through the very dance or movement…each step is made conscious through ‘reason’ and each step leads to another step creating the direction of the dancer within the dance. Each step to the song creates a ‘memory’ or a thought/a definition of movement…and each step is the ‘song’ within the awareness of its note…all notes are
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Hermetic and Mystical Essays from Readers
‘held’ within the song itself, each note ‘plays’ upon all other notes to create the infinite thrill/vibration of the song… It is my understanding that nothing is differentiated, and what appears to be differentiated are only levels of or functions of self-observance. When the observer awakens, the dream awakens to the dreamer, and the dreamer awakens unto itself… that is no self at all. So, there is only the ‘thought of one’ that is pure inspiration, and this is potential form or potential conscious expression, and this inspiration thrills through inspiration bringing forth the inspired idea to issue through the breath the words…”I AM”. I AM is pure subjectivity, it is potential within its potential or the awareness aware…it is without thought, yet the very thought itself…and the inspired idea, ponders upon its inspiration through pure awareness of ‘I AM’. The thought inspires itself through the observance (pure awareness) of self…or the ‘I’ creates the eye in which to envision the song into dance. Each level of creative conscious expression is but a reflection within its reflection, the ego is the reflection that becomes what it perceives…it is through the ‘becoming’ that the soul develops its interpretations, each interpretation is but of the ONE song…and through interpretation the many eyes of one come into being…each step of the dance creates an awareness until the dance is done (the 8 is in full manifestation)…and the dancer awakens unto that which it dances too, and it must then follow the song through the ‘hum’ of self, unfolding the note or that, which it has interpreted through the heart of all subjectivity…and the ONE that perceives itself to be through the unconscious impulse to the conscious thought (song to dance) unfolds the form of self that is the unfolding of awareness/consciousness into the brilliance of that which IS. Egos are the experience of the soul, the soul is that which interprets, the soul personality is pure potential of expression (form/subjectivity) that is but the inspired idea of pure inspiration, creating the one within the thought of one…that is no-one at all…it is through the many eyes (egos) of one, that the one awakens to the one that it perceives itself to be, it is through the opened heart of each eye that the dream awakens unto the dreamer…
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The Kabbalah-Emanations from the Source By Robert Green
The following passage is from an old copy of Kabbalah. It is explaining the emanations flowing from God to the world of form. Kabbalah "conceals" with the terms it uses, so here are some definitions to help you understand this passage: En-Sof is a complicated term that means "potential in the center, or heart"...It also is thought of as concentrated"...for the mystics, it's symbol is a circle with a dot in the center. Also, some commentators of the Kabbalah call it the "Dark Waters". Put simply, it is potential. Shekhinah is the female essence of God. God in the Kabbalah sense is both male and female. The emanations that flow downward from God and give the illusion of form come from the "female part of God". We as mystics call this female part of God the COSMIC, the HOLY GHOST, or the MOTHER. Sefirah are emanations, or we might call them waves, or vibrations. It is these waves, or emanations that we sense with our 5 senses and give us the illusion of a unversed that is separate from self. With these definitions, this passage will make sense to you... Sefirah is also symbolically representative of God's feminine counterpart, the Shekinah to whom we shall devote several pages shortly. It is through her that the divine grace of the En-Sof passes through into the lower world. THE LAST few pages have concentrated on presenting the manner in which the En-Sof made Himself known through the agency of his emanations the Sefiroth. The Sefiroth should always be thought of as different aspects of the En-Sof, different colors along a spectrum, and as intimate portions of His process. The greatest mistake would be to view them as aspects of His creation instead of the result of His divine efflux. Creation implies the establishing of something other than oneself, outside of oneself, wholly capable of existing as an independent unit or entity. Emanation on the other hand is an act of flowing (from the Latin, emanare, to flow), which implies not only the existence of a source, but that the activity of flowing is dependent on the source if it is to remain an activity. What flows through the Sefiroth is the light of the En-Sof which they need for their existence. They are composed of that light in much the same way as a bowl is composed of clay. The intimacy of the connection between the Sefiroth and the En-Sof extends to the relationships between the different Sefiroth themselves. Participating in a common reception of the En-Sof s emanations, they share also each other's qualities. The nature of their differences is marked only by the degree of predominance of the quality after which they are named. Apart from that they are equal in both power and value.
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Kabbalah-The Shekhinah
This is a continuation of unveiling the Kabbalah. Again the Kabbalah uses mysterious words to conceal, with some words meaning the same as another, so here are some definitions to help understand the following pages: Binah means understanding and represents the "self" on the "middle pillar". Malkuth means the kingdom of the feminine emanation. It is called by mystics the Cosmic. It is another name for the Shekhinah. Tetragammation are the four consonants of God's name. God's name was always written without vowels. Neshamah is the soul. The soul in Kabbalah is divided into 3 qualities...Neshamah is the highest, finest vibration. Anything in ( ) are my comments. THE SHEKHINAH The saddest note in the whole fabric of the Kabbalistic theory of the soul is struck by the idea that a man who is not aware of the precepts of righteousness may never see the Neshamah until he has left this world. Only then may he understand that the Shekhinah, God's bride, is the Neshamah and that he had for a brief time shared her presence in him. In terms of the Sefiroth, the Shekhinah, represents the middle pillar of the three pillars. She is also known as the Superior Mother and the Inferior or Infernal Mother, the mother and the daughter, the upper Shekhinah and the lower Shekhinah—all appellations referring to the Sefiroth Binah and Malkuth respectively. She therefore also figures in the figure of the Tetragrammaton, the upper (first) and lower (last) He. In short, she is the anima mundi, the world soul who gives a portion of herself to each man in the form of the Neshamah. We mentioned in Part I of this book that the Shekhinah was originally thought of as God's indwelling or presence. We also mentioned that the Kabbalists later took up this idea of a presence and made of it A part of God, a feminine part. What the Kabbalists are stating is that God in Man in His whole state (oneness) is androgynous and that in His present condition He is incomplete. The Kabbalists assign the statement 'Let us make man,' to the lips of the Shekhinah and go on http://www.plotinus.com/kabbalah1.htm (2 of 4)14-2-2005 19:55:22
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to further stipulate that because man was made in God's image he too is androgynous. It is for this reason that one constantly finds statements to the effect that a man must always be male and female. That is, in order for a man's faith to be firm( have confidence) he must always remain in contact with the feminine portion of himself. In an exceedingly beautiful passage in the commentaries on the “Zohar” the “Shekhinah is likened to a lovely woman courting her lover: “Truly, the Shekhinah releases a word and emerges a bit from her sheath, and then quickly hides herself again. This she does only for those who know her...The Shekhinah is like a beautiful and stately woman, hidden in a secreted chamber in her palace with a secret lover...This lover constantly passes the gate of her house, searching for her...She opens her chamber door and reveals her face to him but for an instant...He alone sees it. The passage continues to relate how the mystic is the one who haunts her house and that he had been drawn to her when she once beckoned to him, revealing a portion of her face to him, and he came at the first sign without hesitation. Then she begins to speak to him, simply, within the range of his understanding, from behind a curtain until “insight” (intuition) comes to him. Then she takes up a veil through which she speaks allegorical words (symbols and archetypes). Only by the latter may he become familiar with her, and only then does she reveal her face. She tells him of all the hidden secrets contained in her, and only then for the first time does he understand the true meaning of the soul.” According to this passage, therefore, it is not impossible for a man to meet his Neshamah face to face before his death, if he is a Kabbalist. The union of the mystic with his soul, and therefore the restitution of the original divine order, may be Ultimately, the whole of Kabbalistic speculation. Yet it is only a key to the chamber of the sub conscious mind in which each of us may find the Shekhinah.
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Kabbalah and the meaning of Resonance - Balance - Harmony.
In the Kabbalah the "Tree of the Garden of Paradise" is arranged into different configurations to explain certain Cosmic Laws. To explain "harmony and balance" the tree is arranged as 3 pilliars and the emanations, or "Sefiroth", are connected between the three pilliars with a zig zag line in the form of stairs. These zig zag lines are mathematical conclusions.
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The pillar on the left is called the pillar of Judgement. The pillar on the right is called the pillar of Mercy. The pillar in the middle represents SELF and is called Understanding. Everything in Kabbalah is mathematical. So, in Kabbalahian mathematics the left pillar of Judgement has an emanation of Darkness; the right pillar, an emanation of Light, and the Middle pillar, an emanation of Beauty. So in solving the equation of Kabbalah mathematics of these 3 pillars, we have: By understanding the Darkness we understand the Light and this equals Beauty to the Self. Beauty then is the balancing point; Beauty is the harmony of dark and light, or of evil and good. We also see from this arrangement of the pillars that SELF must Judge, it is the way that we UNDERSTAND, but to balance or harmonize our Judging there must be Mercy/"Tolerance" to have resonance or harmony within Self. Bob
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ACCEPTANCE AND SURRENDER
The Kabbalah-Emanations from the Source By Bob Green
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Three pilliars with a zig zag line in the form of stairs. These zig zag lines are mathematical conclusions.
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Kabbalistic Astrology
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