Metaphysical Beliefs » self-improvement

A General Look at Alchemy Part 1

admin — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:29:03 +0000

Alchemy’s Origin

Alchemy, according to esoteric writers, is said to be the invention of an ancient Egyptian sage called Hermes Trismegistus. The “Father of Alchemy” lived in an unknown age of Egyptian history, though he is thought by some Rosicrucian schools to have lived during the time of Moses and the Exodus of the Israelites. If true, being an Initiate of the mysteries of Isis and Osiris, Moses must have been tutored by Hermes himself, which later enabled him to carry out his mission and to realize his I AM Presence symbolised by the burning bush. The various precepts and the Ten Commandments of the Lord of Hosts revealed to the Israelites by Moses are the first alchemical steps of purification and putrefaction. Further steps were later added to the Mosaic revelation by the Nazarene Master. Indeed, the Christ declared that he came not to abolish the previous revelation, but to fulfill it.

It is thought by some that “Hermes Trismegistus” constituted a title assumed by distinguished hierophants of the Mystery Schools, in a somewhat similar manner that Zoroaster, the founder of the “Fire Religion” is regarded by certain scholars. Incidentally, alchemy may also be considered a Fire Religion, or at least a philosophy, because of its symbology of fire related to the alchemical principles, its prerequisite in the art of transmutation, and to the respect and honor paid to it by alchemists.

Jewish mystics identify Hermes as the antediluvian prophet Enoch, or Idris, as the Muslims call him; while ancient Egyptians see Hermes as Thoth, the god of Wisdom, Learning, and Writing. He was given this apotheosis along with Imhotep, the great architect under the reign of King Zoser of the Fourth Dynasty. It would appear that both men were overshadowed by the archetypal figure of Thoth, and were acknowledged as such by both the inner and outer circles of initiates of the Mystery Schools. Thoth, or his Greek counterpart, Mercury, was a messenger of the gods; and as an archetypal incarnation of this god, Hermes lived up to his name by his literary productiveness. Ancient writers declared that the “Trice Greatest” wrote thousands of books on what later became known as Hermeticism and Alchemy. It is unfortunate that very little of Hermes’ works survived the conflagration and destruction of libraries and books by Roman and Christian zeal in the early dawn of the Piscean Age. The world as a whole is still ignorant of the great loss, and it will take some time before the invocation is made by the masses for the Greater Light, for disclosure of eternal principles that would shine upon the paths of men, and consequently, for a full restoration and establishment of an occult library of the world, with an archive and database of every known system and tradition of the metaphysical side of life. Although little is known of Hermes, it is evident through the works attributed to him that he was an intermediary of the Wisdom Ray of the Supreme Being.

One of the most famed works on Hermetic doctrine written, and in concise form, is the Smaragdine Tablet attributed to the authorship of Hermes. Its discovery is traditionally believed to have been made by Alexander of Macedonia in a cave near Hebron. This conqueror of nations who had Aristotle for a Master, was in search of immortality. Although he failed to attain his personal immortality, Alexander did uncover a philosophical jewel that would have given him what he had sought if he had only applied the principles that the Emerald Tablet contained. Tradition relates that the Tablet was wrought out of artificial emerald, as a result of transmutation, with the Hermetic doctrine embossed on it.

Alchemy, as a philosophy and an art in the Western hemisphere in the past two millenia, existed concurrently in other ancient cultures and civilizations–it was practiced intensely by Hindu Yogis and Taoists, in India and China. This parallel growth is probably the result of the Great White Brotherhood’s periodic presentation of a spiritual method designed for the development of certain types of temperaments and belief-framework of those aspirants belonging to a certain era and stage of mankind’s collective evolution.

Based on this parallel growth of alchemy in the Orient and the regions of the Fertile Crescent suggested to some Esoteric historians that alchemy may have had a common origin in that sunken continent Atlan, or Atlantis, as it is more generally known. Esoteric Tradition declares that a handful of the Atlantean Root Race survived the submergence of the land and transmigrated to Egypt, China, and the Americas. It is reasonable to assume that they brought with them their sciences, art, and culture, which influenced the inhabitants indigenous to the regions where they settled. This would explain the similarities in the traditions and beliefs of native cultures to be found both East and West.

Principles of Alchemy are the principles that Nature herself works with, and thus alchemy, scientifically, existed in the inner planes long before it was brought down to the earth plane by Master teachers. A study of Nature’s mysteries would reveal to the discerning student that the higher Intelligences, the Elohim, and the Great Architect of the Universe utilized alchemical principles to precipitate the starry bodies out of Chaos, out of Cosmic Root Substance or “Sunyata,” as termed by the Buddhist. Qabalists believe that Adam was taught by the angels in Paradise the art of transmutation, to prepare him for his “Fall” and his climb back toward his Monad, toward godhood–his involution and evolution from a Divine Consciousness to Divine Self-Consciousness.

There is no general concurrence among scholars as to the origin of the word “alchemy.” The consensus is that the word is derived from the word “Khem,” the ancient name for Egypt, added to the Arabic article “al,” meaning “the,” thus forming the word “al-Khemy.” However, Sir Wallis Budge is of the opinion that alchemy comes from the Egyptian word “khemein,” meaning the “black powder” or “ore” which is presumed to be an ingredient in alchemy. No matter where it secured its name, the word “alchemy,” it would seem, first came into prominence in the Mystery Schools in Alexandria.

Purpose of Alchemy

But just what is alchemy, and what role does it play in the promotion of the welfare of mankind? If alchemy has any true value, it must be based upon eternal values, upon the things that support Heaven’s purposes; in other words, upon God’s plan of humankind’s becoming into the true Elohimic image of the divine. If alchemy simply had an earthly objective, masterminds of the Ages would not have concerned themselves with it. It would have been considered as something so trivial, so transient, as to distract Man from the real work of extricating himself, specifically, from his bondage to the carnal self, the kama manas, or animal soul; and generally, from samsara. Greed was never the impulse that prompted the invention of alchemy. It was, is, and always will be Man’s desire for Truth and enlightenment of his true nature and estate that motivates him to seek through every channel and avenue for that certain something that he subconsciously feels he had “lost” and which is his to re-acquire–call it “the Lost Word,” “the Philosopher’s Stone,” or “the Holy Grail,” it matters not. Alchemy teaches Man the principles of regeneration and resurrection, laws of creation and transmutation; laws that would assist Man to regain his former estate lost in “the Fall.” This “Fall” from Paradise symbolically represents involution of the human life wave into physical matter. The way back to the Throne of God is scientifically called “evolution,” and the acceleration of the latter is the art of the hermetic gnosis. This Path of Return is esoterically and graphically symbolised by Jacob’s Ladder, and the paths of the Qaballistic “Tree of Life.”

The drama of Jesus’ life is an alchemical allegory of the steps of regeneration and ascension to the I AM Presence within, the “Father who art in Heaven.” Orthodox Christianity does not recognize or is unaware of this vital truth, and because of the lack of mystical insight among most members of its priesthood coupled with the absence of esoteric truths in the doctrines and dogmas of the Church, the average Christian is ignorant and unaware of the true message of Christianity–of the Light, the Christ substance, and the true saving blood that Christ introduced to humankind. Esoteric Christianity is fundamentally an alchemical science and religion; its promulgator was a Master Alchemist–being taught in the initiatory halls of the Mystery Schools. It is related in the Gospels how the Master transmuted water into wine, multiplied loaves and fishes, and walked on water–all of which were manifestations of the applied principles of alchemy, the Hermetic philosophy–or perhaps these events were all allegories conveying some spiritual teaching.

Alchemy is defined as an art of transmutation and precipitation–the changing of base metals into gold. The work of alchemical transmutation is designated as “the Labor of the Sun.” This “Eye of Ra” symbolically represents the perfection with which Nature is gradually unfolding in her creations. At the physical level the Sun of Perfection is represented by gold. Alchemy is the science and art which hasten the creations of Nature to attain perfection at their own respective level. Gold is the perfection attain by metals and minerals. Minerals, however, are also following another line of perfection–that of its ability to sustain life and consciousness. And Man, the acme of organic life, is evolving to the state where he acquires perfection in Divine Self-Awareness.

From the above it can be summarized that alchemy is the art of raising vibrations of an object in order to hasten its development or evolution into a higher expression or state. The result is perfection of the object of the transmutation.

Alchemy’s Transmission to Christendom

Alexandria was the philosophical capital of Egypt, and perhaps of the whole civilized worlds in the early centuries of Christianity. Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Alchemy and Hermeticism flowered abundantly; these philosophies are intrinsically related, and to comprehend the Royal Art fully, the student of alchemy is advised by Master teachers to be familiar with their doctrines. Alexandria’s Golden Age of occult philosophy did not last long, for the reptilian mind of the fallen angels had seized control of the rising new religion of Christianity (no offence to our Christian brothers and sisters). The philosophical sons and daughters of Hermes were persecuted and murdered brutally by Christian fundamentalists and fanatics. Fear and hatred were aroused among the masses and the ousting of the so-called pagan religions from the land ensued. One sad event was the cruel assassination of Hypathia, an illustrious daughter of the Mysteries–the Widow Isis, and propounder of Neoplatonism. She hardly had a philosophical equal during her day, and this caused the envy and jealousy of a certain priest who contrived her murder.

During the decline of the Roman Empire, the Secret Doctrine, or the Ancient Wisdom were passed on to the guardianship of the Arabian and Persian mystics. The tenets of occult wisdom were later incorporated into the Muslim faith with its higher aspects promulgated secretly in the traditional oral manner in certain sects, Orders, and mystical groups such as the Sufi and Dervish Orders, and among the community of Druzes in Lebanon and Syria.

In the 8th to the 11th centuries A.D., in the era of the golden period of alchemic-Islamic culture, we hear of eminent names in the field of the Royal Art, such as al-Farabi, Rhazes, Geber and Avicenna. These men studied the mystery teachings and occult wisdom of the Egyptian and Greek schools. They were most notably influenced by Hermetic, Alchemic and Neoplatonic ideas, and the knowledge that they acquired was synthesized with Islamic and Sufic doctrines. The Sufi adepts produced one of the most beautiful symbols of spiritual unfoldment and progression: the rose. Its symbolism is comparable to the lotus adopted by Hindu mystics.

The Knights Templer was an important link between both East and West, between Islamic culture and the world of Christendom. The alchemical doctrine was passed on by the Sufi adepts to these “Knights of the Holy Sepulchre,” as the Templers were originally called. Even the mythical Christian Rosencruez of Rosicrucianism is said to have acquired his occult knowledge from the Sufi Masters and adepts in Arabia.

After the days of the disbandment of the Templer Order by Philip the Fair of France, and the death-sentence of their last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay in 1314, the surviving Knights sought refuge in various countries; and in England some of them founded an alchemical Order which later became known as the “Elder Brothers of the Rose Cross.” It is said that this Order comprised 33 members and that this group exists even to this very day in our computer age.

When the believers of Allah invaded and settled in Iberia, they brought with them the Secret Teachings. Colleges were established that had mysticism, metaphysics, and alchemy in the curriculum. With the establishment of the various schools, the Ancient Wisdom finally took definite root in European soil, and it spread gradually throughout the other regions of the Continent. This expansion was no doubt the result of the efforts put forth by the spiritual hierarchy of this planet. Man’s evolution is divided into certain steps, stages, and cycles, and these have “time-tables” or schedules associated with them. It was expedient that the Flames of Truth and Freedom be given to the custodian of the Islamic world if it were not to be extinguished by some of the ungodly minds of Christendom of the Dark Ages which would have caused a setback to the Divine Plan already established.

The deviation from the right use of free will by Christian fundamentalists had made them unsuitable vessels for the Christic wine. In spite of exoteric Christianity’s blind attack on th Light that gave it birth, the esoteric circle continued its existence clandestinely, preserving the secret teachings of Jesus and transmitting it to a selected few who had the vision of the divine plan within their hearts and minds.

Idries Shah, the eminent Sufi of contemporary times, mentions in his book “The Sufis,” how an Englishman, one Robert of Chester, was instrumentally in 1144 A.D., in introducing alchemy to the Christian world by translating an alchemical manuscript originally written in Arabic. There were many others like him, for bearers of the Flame were not few.

Levels of Alchemy

Most of the principles of alchemy conveyed to the public were made up of images, mandalas, and jargon. These obscure languages were necessary considering the era that alchemical science was struggling–struggling for a recognition from the masses as a system of spiritual development in the midst of ecclesiastical persecution. The mentality of the masses of the Middle Ages were not much different from the time of Jesus. Ignorance, superstition, and fear still ruled the day. The letter of the law, as propagandized by Orthodox Christianity were still at odds, and at conflict with the spirit of the law, as advanced by enlightened mystics. The inquisition, which lasted for centuries, showed how far the Church had strayed from the original precepts of Christianity. The Christ taught love, forgiveness, charity and kindness; the Church Fathers and Christian leaders only knew personal ambition, with sadism, and egoism set-up upon an unholy pedestal. The personal “I” was worshipped, the “Yekhidah,” or the Divine I AM, was forgotten.

Neophytes of the Mysteries were given the keys of interpretation of Sacred literature when they were accepted in the various secret brotherhoods. The candidates of alchemical initiation were noticed by the Masters when they had proven their sincerity, and the sacrifices and effort that they had made. To the world at large, the existence of the Masters was unknown and unsuspected, even though their presence in the world of men was hinted at in various alchemical manuscripts. It was only in the last century that Helena P. Blavatsky, among others, who brought their existence to the world’s attention; and even then, the world scoffed and derided at the idea. This is a little unreasonable, as people of various spiritual unfoldment and mental development may easily be seen and recognized. If some men and women are more perfect than others, why should not there be men and women totally perfect from our human point of view?

Esoterically, when a Master alchemist gave a student of alchemy the “Philosopher’s Stone,” what was actually conveyed were the teachings of the Ancient Wisdom, and a certain yogic system that when applied and practiced, would transmute an initiate into a god.

To the public eye, alchemical icons and terminology conveyed no sense whatsoever, but the mystiqueness of alchemical texts and images aroused interest in potential practitioners of the Royal Art, and it turned the average person into a seeker. This was perhaps one of the intentions of the authors of alchemical manuscripts. Modern chemistry, feeling a little perplexed by alchemical ideas, contemptuously considers her sire as a pseudo-science, in the same manner that astrology is usually frowned upon by the students of astronomy. Modern research will in time change the opinions and prejudicial beliefs of a materialistically-inclined science; already pioneers of quantum physics are hypothesising what the Ancient Wisdom has been teaching for ages.

One key to understanding alchemy is to determine the objectives and the subject of transmutation. Without keeping this principle in mind, one would be lost in the alchemical wilderness. Alchemy is categorized into four levels:

1) Physical alchemy

2) Biological alchemy

3) Psychological alchemy

4) Transcendental alchemy

Darkness Visible

admin — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:06:15 +0000

In the creation myths of the world there is always a time of darkness before the birth of the human race and, within this darkness, an undifferentiated oneness where all is God and everything is one. There are no human beings, only God-beings, or rather, aspects of God waiting to be born â€“ if a unified consciousness can have aspects at all.

And then something happens. God becomes lonely and longs for a partner, a beloved, or becomes curious about his powers and potential as a God. In order to know himself and what he might be capable of, God must do two things: he must separate himself into at least one other form so he can look back at himself and know what it is to be God. And, so he can see what he has become, the God of darkness must create light.

God said, â€˜Let there be lightâ€™, and there was lightâ€¦Genesis I

Then he realised, I indeed, I am this creation, for I have poured it forth from myselfâ€¦Upanishads

And so it is that with Godâ€™s â€˜illuminationâ€™ comes separation and the arrival of opposites, parts in conflict with one another. The universal consciousness we all once knew becomes split into many – a chaos of fragments, a world unknown, a oneness divided.

This notion of separation and the fate of man within it is there in mythology the world over, whose stories speak of the distance and ambiguity of God (this original first consciousness) from man (what God has now become).

The Greeks, for example, regarded human beings as the playthings of the Gods, who were multiple and often at war with themselves, with mankind a tiny and insignificant concern. In Christian mythology we also have a God who is unavailable to us, and so we are given angels, archangels, and even fallen angels to keep us company instead.

â€œWe come to God in bits, dismembered. We don’t know if the bits can be made to fit in the way they used toâ€, writes Michael Begg, an Irish philosopher. His prayer is a simple one: â€œWe ask God to re-member usâ€. But to do so, we must first remember ourselves by going back to that primal darkness and experiencing a world without forms.

RECONNECTION

Man has been searching for reconnection with the infinite and for a meaning to life ever since his realization of separation. Most often, if it is serious, this search will take place in darkness â€“ of a physical kind rather than the metaphysical â€œdark night of the soulâ€, as Carl Jung defined it.

Recognizing the primal union that was present in that first darkness, sages and mystics have always used the dark as a vehicle for returning to a state of bliss and understanding. This return to peace and stillness enables them to break through the concerns and anxieties of their earthly lives, with all of its socially-prescribed reality and the conditioning of the world outside, so that they might, in some way, attain reconnection with an undifferentiated consciousness where all is One once again.

Within the Shinto tradition of Japan, for example, there is a discipline known as komori – seclusion – undertaken in the darkness of a cave, a temple, a shrine, or even a room in oneâ€™s house, which is specially prepared and purified so it may bring the gift of power and illumination. Japanese texts make frequent mention of sojourns in places such as these and in windowless huts, known as the komorido, which can be found on various holy mountains where ascetics undertake their dark retreats.

The practice of spending extended periods within caves can also be found in the remote peninsula of Landâ€™s End in Cornwall, where Iron Age communities felt compelled to construct subterranean passages, known as fogou, a word which translates from the Cornish as â€˜underground chamberâ€™ and may derive from ogo, meaning cave. These typically consist of a long passage with walls built up in horizontal courses of rough granite stones, some 40-50 feet long, six feet in height and five to six feet in width, constructed in a deliberate curve, and entered through a low restrictive doorway, so the initiate must bow to the darkness on entering.

On the other side of the world, among the Dagara tribe of Burkina Faso, the darkness is also sacred. Indeed, in common with other ancient tribes, it is forbidden even to illuminate the darkness, for light is known to scare the sprits away.

When Malidoma Some â€“ who was born a Dagara tribesman but abducted and raised at a Jesuit Mission â€“ returned 15 years later to his tribe he discovered that no-one in the village wanted any form of light, and that the villagers were expected to function in the dark. â€œI was given light because I had lost the ability to deal with darknessâ€, he writes, but â€œeach time people saw the timid light of the shea-oil lamp in my room, they would walk away from it as if it signaled the presence of someone playing with the elements of the cosmos. No young man ever came to sit by me at nightâ€

Somewhere for us all, darkness holds the answers to our being and our destinies â€“ and yet all we need do is close our eyes to reconnect with our source.

EXPERIENCING THE SACRED DARKNESS

To get a sense of what the darkness may hold for you, you may care to try the following exercises. These are taken from my book Darkness Visible: Awakening Spiritual Light Through Darkness Meditation, which explores the use of darkness worldwide as a means of spiritual enrichment.

Close your eyesâ€¦

The first step in darkness work is just to experience the dark, but actively instead of passively. We are all consumers of darkness every time we blink or lay down to sleep, after all, but most of us think of these things as interruptions to our normal life of doing things in the world – if we think of them at all.

To become a voyager into darkness, spend some time with your eyes closed, as if in meditation, and just be aware of what thoughts, images, and other information start to surface, all of which you might never have noticed before because your attention was so firmly on the world â€˜out thereâ€™.

Starting small is recommended â€“ no more than 15 minutes at a time â€“ but you can build up to longer periods of an hour or more. Then, when you are comfortable with the darkness, try moving, dancing, or eating in the dark. How do these taken-for-granted activities feel now you are using other senses to guide you?

Playing Godâ€¦

The religious texts of the world tell us that there was a time before separation, when we all knew the mind of God because we were part of that mind. With your eyes closed, allow an image or sensation to form of what this primal God-like state would have been like, when you were a part of this conscious and undifferentiated energy. Feel how it is to be at One with this soul-community. Drift with it for a while.

At some point, you decided to separate from this energy so you could be born and experience life as your self, one form divided from the whole. What was your purpose for doing so? What did you come here to explore? When you consider your life now, have you fulfilled this purpose or, if not, what is there still to do?

Forgiving Godâ€¦

In my healing practice clients often seek help because of some schism or great divide in their life. They feel alienated, lost, or apart from someone, who might present as a parent or a partner but underlying it is often a greater existential separation: the client feels alone.

That feeling is valid. Since we fell from grace and were thrown out of Eden we are all alone. The first person to forgive, then, is God â€“ or, if you prefer, the essence of Life Itself – for having visited upon you in this way.

Close your eyes and let an image emerge of whatever you consider God or Life Itself to be, and your relationship to it. Talk to this being, expressing honestly your grief and rage and fear, as well as your joy; whatever you need to say about the situation you find yourself in and the abandonment you feel.

And then switch places. Become God or Life Itself and look back at yourself. Then, from this perspective, answer your own complaints. Let God explain to you why things are this way. Continue with this dialogue, switching places when you need to, until you reach some understanding and agreements for the future.

When you are ready to forgive, step back from this image and see yourself and God facing each other as separate beings, then allow them to walk towards and into each other so these two beings merge and become one image of a new God-Self. Breathe in the energy of this union and see it as a light that fills your heart.

Open your eyes. How does the world look now?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darkness Visible: Awakening Spiritual Light Through Darkness Meditation is available from bookshops or from www.amazon.com and www.amazon.co.uk.

Ross Heaven also runs Darkness VisibleTM retreats in the UK and overseas. For information on these, visit http://www.thefourgates.com/darknessvisible.html, where you will also find further information on the author and his forthcoming books and workshops.

Self Improvement and Spirituality – your Personal Journey of Discovery!

admin — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:31:16 +0000

“The way you think, not only affects your own life, but others around you – it affects your world. You have the power to change the world you live in.” â€“ White Star

So who, you may ask, is White Star?

On face value, White Star is a character in the series of books The Blue Star Millennium and Quest for Genesis. Many readers, after viewing these books, have invariably asked the question â€œwere these books channeled?â€

Of course, that query begs another question, â€œWhat is channeling?â€

Well, there are various possibilities, including the Channel being a vehicle for another entity to speak through them, or simply verbalizing their own subconscious thoughts. Hmmm, subconsciousâ€¦Yes! But what about the super-conscious?

“There are several parts of your Essence living simultaneous lives. A part of you will always remain in the higher realms. This is your Higher Self, which is a spark of the Essence that permeates all of creation, and which is the Creator. You are all Sons and Daughters of this Essence, Co-creators of all that you see and experience.”

Okay, from this point of view, isnâ€™t it possible that we are ALL capable of channeling these higher wisdoms? After all, isnâ€™t it just tapping into the higher force, the fountain of wisdom of which we are all a part? So why do so many of us choose to go to others to hear the messages?

Admittedly, in times of emotional trauma itâ€™s often comforting to go to others for guidance. Such experiences, perhaps, could be viewed as valuable stepping stones that eventually lead to the question â€œAre they any more capable of tapping into the source than you are?â€

“Every individual has the potential to heal the planet and to help unify the people in co-operation and understanding. Every individual has the power of creative visualization. Each of you has the potential to use your power of thought to bring about change in your own environment. There is power in numbers and the more people who project positive thought-forms at the same time, the more powerful the effect. Now the future is in your hands. Put a little effort into creating the future that you desire, and you will achieve miraculous rewards. It is up to you!”

In that case, you may ask, why do we limit ourselves by incarnating on this physical plane at all? It is as though we have temporary amnesia of our true origins â€“ our true divinity.

“You are on a wondrous journey of self-improvement and discovery. From the moment you separated from the Source you chose to go through certain experiences in order to learn and develop through these trials. It is not wise to seek the end of the journey prematurely. There is much to be gained along the way. Become engrossed in the excitement of your quest and you will suddenly realise that you are a Co-Creator in the Divine Plan. You create your own reality. You re-affirm your reality through your beliefs. If you dwell on the negative, you will manifest that negativity in your life. Similarly, if you concentrate on the positive, you re-affirm that reality, in your personal life, and throughout the universe.”

So is it all positive, love and light? You would be right in pointing out that there seems to be so much negativity in the world. How does this equate with the above metaphysics philosophy statements? Hmmm … perhaps we should ask the White Star.

“Each of us has a negative aspect of ourselves, although most of us would prefer not to acknowledge that darker side. The darker side can be so powerful as to form its own identity. We keep it alive through feeding it on a constant diet of negative thoughts and emotions. It can reach a stage where it will fight for its very survival, as a separate entity. If its existence is threatened, the Dark Side will come out from the shadows to confront us. It will try and destroy us if we allow it to do so.”

Whew! Okay, so if weâ€™re honest with ourselves, we all have the potential for the destructive negative side of our nature to gain the upper hand. If this happens, how do we conquer that negative aspect?

“You cannot fight your negative side. The more you deny it, the more you empower it. The ultimate test is to accept and recognize the negative aspect of your Being. As long as you deny it, it will have power over you. When you accept it, you love it into submission. By merging with it, you transform it.”

So why, I hear many of you ask, would we come to the Earth in the first place. Why come to a world where duality exists, where positive and negative forces are in perpetual conflict?

“The physical plane holds the greatest lessons. It is the ultimate testing ground. When trapped in the physical form, you are forced to confront your main obstacles to spiritual development. If you are able to conquer these tests while in the physical body, you make the greatest progress spiritually.”

“The choice is yours. The choice has always been yours. You can either use your power of thought to manifest unity and harmony in your life, or you can add to the discord by allowing negative thoughts to dominate. Which is it to be? It is your decision. The way you think, not only affects your own life, but others around you; it affects your loved ones; it affects your world. You have the power to change the world you live in.”

White Star, as stated above, is a fictional character in a series of metaphysical books. The intention of making these mind, body, soul/spirit quotes available is to stimulate ideas in YOU, the reader, to help you discover your own power. The initial response to White Star quotes has been very positive and in recent times, many ezine, newsletter and magazine editors use these quotes as a supplement to their articles.

The quotes are excerpts from the new age spirituality books displayed on the web site http://www.1-inspirational-quote-book.com The stories are fiction, written in an exciting and action packed format that is a medium for ideas to help bring about positive change in our world. Some view them as new age spirituality, others as simply inspirational. Regardless of personal beliefs, all have found them entertaining and enlightening. As one reader wrote â€œThe story slowly engulfed me, drew me in until I was on my own journey, opening my mind, enticing me to read more. I ask, is this just a novel or a key to our future …?

Unlike any other books, if you take the time to read and digest these thought provoking stories, I guarantee your outlook on life will never be the same â€“ it will certainly change for the positive. As the White Star would say “You have the power to change the world you live in!”>

Mudras & Hand Symbolism: Hand Mysteries? Part 1

admin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 04:07:44 +0000

[Note: This paper contains images which may be seen as originally published at our website]

Before we begin discussing mudras, let us first consider some interesting topics concerning hands. This and the following article will be devoted to hand mysteries, symbolism, esotericism, signs, and beliefs. Although our treatment of these subjects may be inadequate, from the scholarly point of view, the lay person may find them interesting and we especially dedicate this work for their peruse.

The miraculous hands–we usually take them for granted and do not see how invaluable they are to us. We only miss their use should a mishap befall them–just like everything else. In the absence of hands civilizations would not have been built. No progress would have been made in our social, industrial, technological, and spiritual life. Human hands are partly responsible for our evolutionary growth from our past animal, primitive state to our present high-tech era. The hands are a projection of our soul-desire to interact and function on the physical plane, and it took million of years for this desire to manifest in the three-dimensional state. Prior to that, during the involutionary cycle, the creature called man lived in an etheric state and with a form devoid of any bodily appendages as recounted in Blavatsky’s “Secret Doctrine.”

At least one ancient philosopher acknowledged the worth of the human hands: Aristotle called it the “organ of organs, the instruments of instruments.” As one of the Karmaindriya, hands are the active agents of the cerebral system, and by extension, the human soul. It is what Immanuel Kant called “the visible part of the brain.” The nature of our thoughts and emotions are reflected in ideodynamic movements of the hands that are normally visible with their gestures but at times goes unnoticed, or is invisible to the naked eye. Proof of this may be found in the occult art of dowsing where the imperceptible movement of the hand as motored by nerve impulses causes a pendulum to sway under direction of an unseen subconscious intelligence–the pendulum merely acting as an amplifier for the conscious aspect of the psyche.

Benjamin Walker in his book, “Body Magic,” notes that no other part of the human body is so intimately related to human behavior than the hands. Hand movements are expressive of human thoughts, character, emotions, and attitudes. Graceful, flowing movements reveal a person who is generally poised and tranquil, a person with culture and refinement. In men, when these gestures are too exaggerated, or when they become too artificial, it indicates effeminate tendencies. A person with a dignified, noble character makes hand gestures quite differently from a person who is debased and boorish in nature. Aggressive hands can be seen by their violent and abrupt movements; just as materialistic subjects are known by their heavy, pendulous, impassive hands. A fidgety hand is reflective of a fidgety mind–someone with a nervous disposition and lacking a positive self-image. Such a person knows not how to control his energy. He releases it through unconscious drumming of his fingers and fiddling around with any available object. Limp hands betray the owner’s lack of goals, self-confidence, and zeal for life. Individuals who have the habit of hiding their hands and closing their palms with their fingers reveals that they are secretive, cautious, and perhaps stingy. Hiding the hands behind the back have several possible meanings among which are prudence, restrain and observation or inspection. It is a diplomatic gesture and most nobles often unconsciously assume it.

Man not only differ from animals by possessing reason, he also differ from them by possessing hands that are able to fabricate things, to convey his intentions, to communicate his thoughts and feelings. Anthropoids may possess hands, but they lack a superior reason to take full advantage of them. Dolphins and other cetaceans may be equal or superior to man in spiritual unfoldment–according to modern New-Age thought–yet, without hands they do not have the ability to manifest certain forms of creativity. Perhaps they do not need to, it is not for us to debate over this here. We know that every life-form has its own uniqueness; and Man, in his own distinction can rightly be called “the builder” endowed as he is with the tools–his hands, to manifest his creative will. Herein lies the blessing or curse of man. With his hands he may build heaven on earth, or he may use it destructively to manifest chaos and anarchy–a hellish pandemonium that stalls evolutionary progress.

Understanding this religiously, man “the builder” constructs magnificent temples to worship his gods or representatives of his embodied ideals. That the hands may sometimes symbolize excessive mundane activity and focus to the detriment of spiritual unfoldment can be understood from the esoteric saying that the true spiritual aspirant ought to spend his time and forces building a temple “not made with hands.” This in fact is what Freemasonry, one of the “esoteric brotherhoods” is all about. Though the body is regarded as a temple of the soul not made by mortal hands, a higher house of God, the Holy of Holies, the Sanctum Sanctorum, is meant in this spiritual precept. The brothers of this august fraternity through rites, rituals and ceremonial initiations are taught how to utilize carpenter’s tools, esoterically understood, to build this fabulous celestial House of God in a spiritual dimension–the true “Temple of the Spirit,” or to be more precise, the Causal body which relates to the many mystical symbols representing the Higher Self such as the Ark of the Covenant, the candelabra, the Holy Grail, the Philosopher’s Stone, etc.

The Causal body is the lotus that forms the seat of every enlightened being as portrayed by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in Buddhist iconography. Though the Causal body is not built by mortal hands, personal effort in its fabrication is still required by worship, devotion, service, and spiritual exercises. We are essentially told in every religion that salvation lies in our own hands. The higher Intelligences will only assist us if we first help ourselves. No external aid is forthcoming if we refuse to take responsibility for our own liberation, salvation, enlightenment, or evolution. The saying of Jesus that heaven is “at hand,” or approaching, may be construed to mean that heaven lies in our own grasp-”in our own hands,” if we allow it to be so by working for it, by awakening to the Truth, to a higher awareness and consciousness. It entails personal responsibility. The New Jerusalem, King Solomon’s Temple, the Causal body, the Diamond body, or whatever you may call that evolving spiritual body of the microcosm, must be perfected and made manifest on the physical plane through personal effort. Doubts of our own divine, heavenly nature prolongs the sleep of the ages and prevents us from cooperating with the Divine Architect. Later on in these series of articles we will apply the above precept literally and use our hands as mudras to awaken and unfold our divine potentials like the blossoming of a lotus flower.

Anatomy of the Hand

What is a hand? Below we quote from the Funk and Wagnall’s Encyclopedia that explains this comprehensively:

The hand is explained to be a,

“terminal portion of the arms or anterior limbs of humans and other primates, especially adapted for grasping. The grasping appendages of other mammals and lower forms of animals are sometimes called hands in order to distinguish them from the feet of the hind limbs, but true hands appear only in the primates.

“Superficially the hand consists of a broad palm attached to the forearm by a joint called the wrist. At one side and at the outer edge of the palm are five digits, the thumb and four fingers. The thumb in humans is articulated so that it can be brought opposite to the fingers and thus be employed for grasping small objects. The fingers themselves can be folded forward over the palm for the holding of objects. The chief difference between the hands of humans and those of the other primates is that the thumbs of the latter cannot be opposed to the fingers.

“The human hand has 27 bones: the 8 bones of the carpus, or wrist, arranged in two rows of four; the 5 bones of the metacarpus, or palm, one to each digit; and the 14 digital bones, or phalanges, 2 in the thumb and 3 in each finger. The carpal bones fit into a shallow socket formed by the bones of the forearm.

“The movements of the human hand are accomplished by two sets of muscles and tendons: the flexors, for bending the fingers and thumb, and the extensors, for straightening out the digits. The flexor muscles are located on the underside of the forearm and are attached by tendons to the phalanges of the fingers. The extensor muscles are on the back of the forearm and are similarly connected. The human thumb has two separate flexor muscles that move the thumb in opposition and make grasping possible.”

Four fingers and a thumb on each hand is the norm. There are cases though, when a person may have extra fingers or thumb on one or both hands. Technically, this anomaly is called polydactylism. What causes this is a mystery. According to one of the current scientific theories is that this is an atavistic condition, a genetic remnant of a bygone age that appears from time to time for an unknown reason. This anomaly not only occurs in human beings, they also appear in animals, and this the writer of this article can vouch for as he is well familiar with it personally. In his youth the writer once reared domestic chickens in his parents’ farm–one had an upturned hind toe. Other than that she had the normal amount of toes on each foot. However, all of her progeny were polydactylies. They boasted five toes on the terminal part of each leg. According to popular superstition, extra digits in a hand is a sign of great good or evil. An extra finger on the right hand is supposed to bring good luck, ill-fortune if on the left. Six fingers on both hands indicates that its possessor will be famous or infamous in some way, like Gath, the Philistine giant mentioned in the Bible (1 Chr 20:6).

How does the occult scientist explain polydactylism? From the metaphysical point of view, we know that the physical body is a replica of the etheric body which is the blueprint of its physical counterpart. The structure of the etheric body is amendable to the will of the Higher Self and to a lesser extent to the psychological condition of the lower psyche. If a pregnant mother were shocked in some way, for instance, this could have a disastrous effect on the fetus or embryo disfiguring it in some way. Embryonic hands could possibly acquire extra digits as a result of its host’s sudden experience of fright or terror. Another explanation of polydactylism is that for karmic reasons, the Higher Self manufactures a vessel in accord with the soul’s spiritual needs. Whatever physical deformities it manifests in the physical form is for the teaching of the soul some required lesson. However, how does that apply to animals without a “soul”? As we have stated above the etheric body as blueprint of the physical form may be altered by the will. At a lower level of consciousness the imagination play a role in influencing the matrix that a higher intelligence has formed. The subconscious mind is likewise impressionable. What it perceives in a constant fashion it eventually outpictures in physical form. This is how creatures evolve camouflages on their physical forms. But how do these principles relate to our question above? In the case of animals, the evolution of their physical form and consciousness aspects are directed by what is called “group-spirits” in occultism.

These angelic spirits are always experimenting in producing forms that would best adapt to the environment so that the Law of Evolution may be best fulfilled. So abnormalities in nature are experiments done by the Directors of Nature. However, as the tale of Jacob (See Genesis) of how he influenced the nature of the wool of the sheep under his care would indicate, animals may likewise influence the form, or color of their own progeny through the power of their subconscious minds. Apropos to this, shamans are said to have the occult ability to shape-shift into various forms, just like the Greek god Proteus. But this most likely concerns the astral body.

One other anomaly are webbed hands. Although not too common, this atavistic characteristic does appear from time to time in human beings. In Buddhism, webbed hands and feet are one of the marks of a Buddha; this, however, should not be construed in a literal sense. Gaskell, the author of the “Dictionary of all Scriptures and Myth” interprets this as the ” . . . as yet, fettered organs of action,” or in other words, the emotional/mental glamour and illusions working through the senses, hands, feet, and sexual organ. Gaskell’s interpretation actually does not make sense when we consider that a Buddha is supposed to be enlightened and to have transcended such mortal errors. A better interpretation in our opinion would be that webbed hands signify spiritual service in the cosmic sea of life.

One of the mysteries of nature regarding human hands is that there are plant-roots resembling them. These roots originate from several species of the Dactylorhiza orchids and is commonly called “Lucky-Hand Root.” The number of digits vary from 3 to 10. It is normally carried in a pouch as an amulet or all-round lucky charm. Although the subject of charms and hand amulets are fascinating, they will not be discussed here; we will deal with them in another article.

The brain has more sets of nervous pathways leading to the hands than to any other part of the body. In stress and anxiety, the temperature of the hands increases and it readily becomes sweaty. Lie-detectors take advantage of this phenomenon by measuring the differences in the psychogalvanic skin response of subjects during their interrogation.

It is said that hands make more than a thousand different movements every day. A single repetitive motion of the hand may lead to serious injuries, as in the case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). This is the swelling of the tendons in the carpal tunnel and the compression of nerves resulting in numbness in the hand. Hands, especially the fingernails, are indicators of one’s state of health. For instance, horizontal ridges on the fingernails may indicate malnutrition; pitted nails may be symptomatic of psoriasis; blue nails show problems in the circulation.

Function of the Hands

Hands may be used to bless or curse; to build or destroy, to harm or heal. It all depends upon how well man attunes himself and understands the Will of the Cosmos or his True Self. This reaching-out to a higher consciousness is symbolically depicted in the famous fresco painting by Michaelangelo upon the ceiling of the Sistine chapel in Rome. “Genesis: the Creation of Man” as it is called, shows Adam reaching out his hand attempting to touch the fingers of his Maker.

The banishment from the Garden of Eden or paradise is symbolic of man’s descent upon a lower level of consciousness where he unwittingly lost contact with higher intelligences and alternate realities and thus forgot his spiritual roots and purpose of being. Just like Persephone who was abducted by Hades and brought to the netherworld, the soul of man is chained to a dark materialistic consciousness by his ignorance. Ceres, the mother of Persephone, or man’s Christ nature ever seeks to redeem her or the human soul from the clutches of avidya, ignorance. Adam (the generic term for man), after consuming the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was faintly aware of the existence of the Tree of Life of which he was previously oblivious. The “Lord,” anxious that man would not consume this fruit prematurely, banished him from Paradise. Man’s subsequent search for immortality became a powerful passion that millions of deaths have not diminished. Man must look in the proper direction for that which he now seeks. It is not to be found in the glamorous and illusory worlds of lower psychicism and materialism. Until the false ego and all that is mortal within man are given up, until all of that false sense of egoic grandeur be displaced by the expression of the Higher Self, man will not begin to sense the immortal life running through his course and subtle veins and realize that immortality is already his as a Cosmic inheritance.

As man is a reflection of God and the Universe, a veritable microcosm, so hands can well be said to be a miniature microcosm representing the physical man as a whole. For instance, we have the five elements represented in the fingers just as we have all of the organs in the body reflected in various parts of the hand. This is basically the science of reflexology originated in China by the ancient Taoists physicians and the practitioners of alchemy. These ancient doctors discovered that massage or pressure upon specific points of the feet and hands benefit other parts of the body and promote good circulation of the chi, or life-force.

Hands are often “read” for divinatory purposes and for determining the inner nature of their possessor. In China such analysis of the hand is called Shou Hsiang. In the West it is known as “palmistry” or “cheiromancy,” or to give its more accurate name, cheirogrammeomancy. Related to this is “cheirogrammeognomy,” “cheiromorphognomy,” and “cheiromorphomancy,” all of which concerns the study of the hand–its shape, features, lines, and qualities.

Man, the Microcosm; Part 1

admin — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 08:12:44 +0000

Of all the mystical symbols known to Initiates, Man (we use the term “Man” to refer to both genders) is considered as the most ancient among them. Man possessing the masculine and feminine natures, is the epitome of the Cosmos on a microcosmic scale. Within Man’s being lies all of the forces, powers, and principles of Nature; embodied within Man are the laws of the universe; mysteriously written within the sacred heart you will find the source of the sacred scriptures of the world. Mystery schools of the past and present regard that being created and considered “good” by the Archcreator as a reflection of the macrocosm; hence the term “microcosm” to refer to the totality of Man, and the usage of mirrors to symbolically convey the teaching of Man’s true pristine nature as exemplified in the teachings of Taoism and Dzogchen.

Paracelsus, the medieval alchemist, believed Man to be a miniature solar system. All of the creative powers utilized in the making of a solar-system are to be found inherent within this cosmic child, within Man–the god-in-becoming. Creative and spiritual powers, however, lie dormant in a latent state within Man; their unfoldment will occur as the result of evolution, the process of growing into God’s perfect image. It really takes a great deal of involvement with the study of the “Book of Man”–with internal inquiry, with introspection, with the application of principles of mysticism and the occult, and the practice thereof to discover exactly why Man is the universe on a lesser scale, on a lower octave. St. Martin, the enlightened “Theosophist,” taught that the study of the nature of Man was the most proper for humanity, especially for the “Man of Desire,” for the aspirant–the seeker of Truth. Qabalists of the Jewish mystical tradition refer to Man as the “microprosopus,” or lesser countenance,” that is, a reflected God upon the realms of formlessness and form. This belief is based on the statement in Genesis of Man being created in God’s image. In Javanese mysticism, Man is known as the “Jagad Alit,” or the “small universe.” There are parallels of this in almost every mystical tradition of the world.

While posing as a microcosmic being, Man is a macrocosmic system to the lower kingdoms in his charge. This is in accord with the principles and famed verse of Hermes; “as above, so below”–to the Law of Correspondence. By studying the microcosm, we in fact study the macrocosm. One of the Quarternary laws of Martinism propounds this particular principle of the “Thrice Greatest.” Sentient beings of the lower lifestreams look upon Man as a God–sometimes as a wrathful one. Animals, with their fine instincts developed for them by their group-spirits, their directors of evolution, perceive Man with a sense of love, and a sense of awe and fear. This ambivalent feeling and response in animals are caused by the complexity of Man’s egoistic expression, the imperfect manifestation of his innate divinity and his relationship towards life as a whole. Primitive Man, or the primitive mind responds in a similar manner towards Nature, but for a different reason–ignorance, the lack of understanding towards God and Self. The problem of apparent inharmony within Nature therefore, lies within Man himself, and only within his Self, within the microcosmic kingdom of God, will he truly find the solution to right living and right relationships. Though the ordinary mind is the slayer of the Real, it is the spiritualized mind that will nullify its miscreations. Such a principle of the mind, the function of reason of which imbued by Buddhi–intuition, love, and the higher intellect–the “intelligence of the heart” of the hierophants of ancient Egypt, would reveal to Man his “Naked Face,” his “Natural State,” his true nature, the foundation of his existence, and the unreality of phenomena–the impermanence of form and aggregates.

Initiates of the hoary past, such as to be found among the secret societies of the Compagnons, Knights Templer, Dionysiac Artificers, and the Operative Masons, designed and built their temples, cathedrals, lodges, and places of worship after the geometric design and anatomy of Man’s body. King Solomon’s Temple and the Great Pyramid are just two examples of sacred edifices constructed after the harmonic proportion embodied within Man. In one sense, Man is the source of all measures, and is himself, the measurer of all things. Within archetypal Man, lies a tome of cosmic measurements, harmonics, and balance. Ancient Greeks produced art-forms–sculptures of the human physical form that stimulated the aesthetic sense and subtly aroused and awakened in the onlooker the memory of his divinity, spiritual nature, and origin. Symmetry in an artist’s soul results in the symmetry of created forms, the harmony and beauty of which triggers in the witnessing soul through impressions impinging upon the consciousness, an alignment with the spiritual SELF. By gazing at spiritual beauty one instinctively feel the presence of the Divine.

Various symbols in the past have been used by esotericists to represent Man. Among the well-known emblems are the pentagram, the five-pointed star, numerologically the pentad; and the hexagram, the six-pointed star–the hexad. The former represents Man’s occult nature, while the latter symbolizes the unity of Man and God; or “coordinated Man”–Man with the perfect harmonization of the lower principles of his four-fold personality and his spiritual triad.

The cross, of which there are many versions, is another ancient design that portrays Man. The use of this symbol probably had its inception during the age of Man’s adoration and veneration towards the Sun. Awakening at dawn, man would face the rising sun with outstretched hands to receive the beneficent rays of life. This pose casts a shadow on the ground in the form of a cross. This was how man was symbolically equated with it. The daily ritual of sun veneration and adoration is still to be found in some cultures, in India especially. It is believed that the rite invokes an additional amount of vital force, or prana that fills the energy-structure of the microcosm. Mantras such as the beautiful Gayatri are also sometimes recited in the rite in conjunction with physical movements, making it a sacred exercise.

At a later period, in the days of the mushrooming of esoteric schools and secret societies in Spain and the rest of Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries, the mystic rose was added to the cross, thus expanding and elaborating upon its symbolism. The union of cross and rose, is in a dynamic sense, the unity of Islamic and Christian mysticism unified by the Knights Templar and expressed in their doctrines. The “Rosy Cross” as it came to be called, was adopted by a certain mystical brotherhood that called itself “Rosicrucian” after the appellation “Rosy Cross,” or “Rosae Crucis,” to give its original Latinized version. So exquisite in form, and so sweet its perfume that the rose signified Man’s unfolding spiritual nature, his innate God-attributes. Qabalistically speaking, the cross has its origin in Malkuth, whereas the rose has its roots in Kether. The substance of the rose is divine, being composed of light, life and love; whereas crystallized spirit is the substance of the cross. Hindu philosophers would say that the rose is a manifestation of Purusha, or Soul; and the cross, Prakriti, or Matter. From one point of view, the rose attached to the cross represents the unfoldment of the anahata (heart) chakra. Rich with metaphysical significance, the Rosy Cross may be considered as one of the Secret Doctrine’s most profound Word made manifest in symbolical form. Meditating upon such a symbol, like the Holy Grail, puts us in touch with a vast fount of wisdom–with the egregore, the archetypal force, the group consciousness, and the psychic pool of spiritual ideas represented by the symbol.

Helena Blavatsky, the messenger of the Himalayan Masters of the 19th century, taught that Man is a being whose highest and lowest principles are linked together by the mental principle, by human intelligence. According to the Ancient Wisdom all beings that exist, have been, or will be Man at a certain phase of their spiritual evolution. It is believed by some occult students that Man lies midway between the higher and lower kingdoms in Nature. He is the link between the celestial kingdoms of be-ing and the natural kingdoms of becoming. St. Martin considered Man as an enigma, for although a divine son of God, with a “superior principle,” generally, Man believes himself to be a contemptible creature, a lowly being devoid of any divine spark and moral strength who was born a sinner and doomed to the eternal flames of Hell unless his faith in an external saviour is strong enough to save him.

Another puzzling feature of Man is the way he expresses himself, the way he contradicts his inner nature; he thinks of one thing, on one hand; then he says another, and later he goes on to act in a manner in opposition to his original thoughts and words–while all along the inner voice is prompting the outer consciousness with its wisdom–quite a queer creature this being called Man. Man is also regarded as a puzzle by the mortal mind because much of Man’s being and function lies hidden in his occult nature, in his immortal identity waiting to be discovered and realized by the progressive mind. Man’s spiritual, invisible being is Man unrevealed, the veiled Isis. To solve the puzzle of Man’s true identity and of his relationship to the universe, Man would have to look within, to stretch his mind and imagination, to allow his intuition full play and to expand his consciousness to new spiritual vistas. The narrow, closed, biased, caged mind will never succeed in the quest of Self-discovery. It is the open mind that will allow the unfoldment of divine seeds; for they are to sprout into the Light and ascend to new spiritual frontiers and possibilities. The mature mind is thoughtful of its place and origin in the scheme of things; the puerile mind is thoughtless regarding its raison d’etre. The riddle of the Sphinx propounded to Oedipus, and his subsequent answer, sums up the main concern of the Mystery Schools of the past of which Man was the prime subject.

Man, evolving from the quadruped phase of a dependent child-on-fours to the adult biped cycle and the tripodal phase of being, in the plane of mind corresponds to the growing spiritualized consciousness of Man. A person who thinks in finite terms is a mortal entrapped by the limitations and constrains that he imposes upon Self. Conversely, a person who regards the Self in the proper light of infinity, eternity, and immortality, commences the process of liberation and salvation. Man, on earth, in the kingdom of Malkuth, is the expression of Self in a certain phase of becoming. The carnal mind, or finite consciousness, subjects Man to the laws of Samsara, to Maya, to the laws of mortality. Attaining the spiritual mind, even that which was in Jesus Christ, we acquire or realize immortality as our true estate. We must first; however, sacrifice our animal indulgences in order for the Christ to appear in our consciousness. We should “die daily” to our self-centeredness like St. Paul. Manly Hall, an occult philosopher of the 20th century and last millennium, made this pertinent statement in his monumental work, “The Secret Teachings of All Ages”:

“Man’s status in the natural world is determined, therefore by the quality of his thinking. He whose mind is enslaved to his bestial instincts is philosophically not superior to the brute; he whose rational faculties ponder human affairs is a man; and he whose intellect is elevated to the consideration of the divine realities is already a demigod, for his being partakes of the luminosity with which his reason has brought him into proximity.”

Man, through his involvement and evolvement in matter, reveals various facets of the dark side of his psyche in the symbolical picturization of his consciousness with objects of mundane experience, such as the parasite, the beast, the robot, and the zombie. Devoid of divine illumination, Man expresses himself with such carnal personas. For instance, one moment he lives upon the sweat of another’s brow like a blood-sucker, and the next moment, he moves mechanically like a machine and aimlessly like an undead with no feeling and mental or spiritual direction in his consciousness and will. As can be seen from this, Man plays a part on the world’s stage in more ways than one, and Shakespeare probably had an inkling of this situation. The protean transformations and expressions of Man’s psyche are the manifestations of the false ego’s unstable nature, and also of Man’s false conception of his true Ego. Man identifies himself with forms, with his desires and mortal aggregates. It deludes him into thinking that he is a separate being, a unique creation, apart from the essence of all manifestations. This causes needless pain and suffering, for the identification with the false, the ephemeral, results in spiritual death and degradation, and the loss of divine light–or “Nur,” to give the Sufic designation. Unity of existence is the basis of Life, and it is wisdom to realize this fundamental condition of the Cosmos. A being who loves, extends out of its Self, to its greater SELF–the universe as a whole, the vital energies and forces that sustains the harmony of the Tao, the orderly functions of the Cosmos.

Wisdom is the way of thinking from God’s point of view, and it is acquired by attuning one’s heart with the heart of the All. Man must grow out of the personality cult, to cease worshipping this idol, this mark and symbol of the beast. This self-proclaimed god is carnal in nature, it is self-centered and egoistic. Its breath is that of sulphur, and the anguish experienced by Man who considers himself as this idol is great, and Man, as a result, undergoes a self-triggered cosmic penalty–that of suffering.. Suffering is the consequence of Man’s own willful violation or the misuse and abuse of the laws of God, of Omneity, for his self-centered purposes. One of the major laws that Man breaks each day is his identification with the false image that he creates for himself. Man should instead realize the true Self, the image of God that he essentially is. God saw that this image, this archetype, this blueprint, was good; therefore Man should likewise see the goodness in this archetypal image which is the reflection of God’s, instead of demeaning and condemning his basic identity. Man must shed his mortality, his mortal habits, his finite way of thinking and living before the “coat of various colors,” the vesture of immortality is bestowed upon him. Man’s focus should be upon his innate divinity and not on the shadow upon the wall of matter. Thinking that Man is mortal is the sin of Adam and Eve, and it caused Eden to fade from their gaze and awareness. The consequences of sin is death–spiritual deal–and this operates in an automatic fashion. Gautama Buddha declared that we are punished by our sins, our karma, and not for them. The all-merciful compassion of God, as embodied by the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin, does not throw the first stone and never will at any misguided individual. Man’s mistakes rebound back to him of their own accord, and this law is inexorable and immutable in its application in the samsaric worlds.

Man, Know Thyself

“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that thou visitest him?” (Psalms 8:4)

The above biblical quotation shows that the concern and enquiry into Man were of prime importance not only to the Greek sages who admonished their disciple to “know thyself,” but also to their Hebrew brethren across the Mediterranean; in fact, the wise men of all ancient cultures were of the opinion that unless one occupied one’s time and energy with the seeking out of one’s true nature, of knowing one’s Self, knowing one’s Reality–one’s presence in this physical plane is wasted and not easily acquired again for aeons; one would linger in a hell-like realm called “Hades,” or what Tibetan Buddhism calls “Bardo,” remorsing over all of one’s karmic mistakes and sins. The human form is really a precious jewel, very fragile in its structure and precious in the eyes of Divinity–for it is its instrument in this plane of existence. We should not make the mistake of thinking that the physical form would endure for a considerable period in this three-dimensional world. There are no guarantees in life. The Angel of Death may at any given moment say that our alloted time is spent. Living a hedonistic life robs us of a considerable amount of life-energy that should be returned to our Source in joyous gratitude. The energy at our disposal does not really belong to us–not to the false ego or personality–it belongs to God. For so long we have given to Caesar that which is his and not thought about rendering to God his due. It is an error to utilize the energy given for self-indulgence, for egoistic purposes. Understanding this, we should occupy ourselves with spiritual pursuits, even in the midst of everyday living.

Forsaking egoism or self-centeredness which is Qabalistically, the qlipphotic side of Man, we automatically dethrone most, if not all of the lesser gods, the devils in disguise, such as greed, sloth, jealousy, and lust. On the converse side, transcendental virtues–the Paramitas, such as giving, morality, patience, and perseverance ought to be practiced and lived by Man. Expressions of compassion, mercy, and the serving of life are just some of the many ways that we “cast bread (energy) upon the waters” and have it returned to us tenfold. Spiritual aspirants must learn to be responsible for their own actions, and to control their minds and emotions. Thinking compassionately, calmly, and impersonally is the way of the Divine.

[Note: This paper contains images which may be seen as originally published at our website]

Mudras & Hand Symbolism: Mudra Power Part 2

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:04:20 +0000

[Note: This paper contains images which may be seen as originally published at our website]

What Would Occur During Practice?

Having described briefly the effects of mudras, their theory and practice, it is important that some knowledge regarding the actual occurrences during practice be known as these might cause some unnecessary alarm and consternation. Below we list some points that are likely to occur during mudras practices and should be understood as a natural result of the generation, accumulation and flow of the Shakti principle:

Warm sweat–this is a good sign. It means that the body is undergoing a cleansing and healing process.

Swaying and rotation of the body–this shows that the body’s attunement with the influx of the invoked energies is taking place.

Hands moving and resting at various chakra points–this is the result of energy being channeled into specific parts of the body.

Hands moving and resting at various layers of the biofield–this indicates that certain areas of the aura is being cleansed or being magnetized.

Hands moving in an up and downward chopping movement–this is one of the signs that the nadis or subtle channels are being opened and unblocked, or that the aura is being cleansed.

Hands moving in a forward-backward movement–same as above.

Hands moving left to right–same as above.

Hands moving in circles or ellipses–same as above.

Hands moving in arcs or in figure-eights–same as above.

Hands moving erratically or with other definite patterns–same as above.

Hands vibrating intensely–same as above.

Sudden jerks of the hands–same as above.

A strong sense of energy surrounding the hands and body–this is a sign of a build-up of cosmic forces in the body.

A sensation of warmth, tingling, and power in various parts of the body–same as above.

A sense of tingling, and energy flowing throughout the whole body–this means that the nadi channels have been purified to a certain degree and that energy now flows freely without any obstructions in its path.

Movement of the head–a sign that the energies have moved up to the head to clean the energy pathways.

Cold sweat–this is an indication of circulatory problems. Cease mudra practices for the time being until the body regains a certain degree of health. Physical gymnastics at this point would help.

Breaking up of hand formation–this shows that the body has absorbed enough energy for the time being or that it is being overcharged. Whatever happens here just go with the flow.

Yawning and belching–this denotes that stagnant chi (prana), or energy is being removed.

Spontaneous pranayama, or control of the life-force flowing with the breath–this shows that the Shakti flowing in the body has taken control over the respiratory processes and as a result, the mind may slowly undergo a transformation and the awareness-principle will be heightened. Should spontaneous pranayama occur, one finds oneself doing kumbhaka (the retention of the breath) effortlessly and naturally.

Activity of inner perception or the manifestation of psychic visions, sounds, etc.–this signifies that the contents of the subconscious mind is being cleansed of all dross. During this process visions of gods and demons may occur, landscapes may be seen, unusual sounds heard.

Jerking movements of the body like a frog-leaping as though levitation were to take place.

Experiencing negative emotional states of anger, hatred, etc.–this is caused by the Shakti force purifying sushumna, or the central channel of the etheric body corresponding to the spine. All of our karmas, traumas, pain, and emotional feelings of our past and present lives are lodged there and when Shakti encounters them she releases and expels their crystallizations and the psyche temporarily re-experiences them. Positive feelings of bliss, joy, and mirth are also lodged in sushumna and these may likewise be experienced.

If one were standing while doing the mudras, one might suddenly feel an inner force taking over and the movements of the hands, feet and limbs in a dance is a possibility as iconically displayed by Shiva in the Cosmic dance.

It should be noted that all of these sensations and hand-movements are temporary and represent certain phases of pranic or energy influence. The motions may start out strongly at first in early sessions but later evolve to graceful movements or even to stillness. Convulsions and spasms are common manifestations of the activities of energies within the subtle and physical bodies. These are positive signs so let them happen. Yoga kriyas such as bandhas, and the types of mudra processes mentioned in the yogic text Gheranda Samhita may likewise happen naturally. Spontaneous occurrences of these are safe–much safer than doing the yogic exercises through your own conscious volition and forcing their manifestation. If none of the above are observed during practice, a knowledgeable spiritual Guru may empower the disciple at his own discretion so that progress may proceed at a greater pace.

Whatever spontaneous movements or yogic processes occur are necessary and appropriate for you. The Shakti energy that flows through you knows what to do to spiritualize and transform your whole being. Shakti is an evolutionary force and she will lift you up to greater heights if you will let her. When Shakti flows through your being you may find yourself spontaneously practicing all of the yoga systems. For instance, you may find yourself withdrawing your senses and focusing within to your Higher Self, as in Raja Yoga; find yourself emanating an overflowing love for Nature and all life, as in Bhakti Yoga; or even acquiring divine knowledge effortlessly, as in Jnana Yoga. One may even find oneself chanting as in Mantra Yoga.

Do not be startled or afraid of the movements that occur naturally without your conscious volition or direction. You can exert your will at any moment to stop them if you wish; however, by doing so you will be hampering the occult work that is being done to you by the presence of the spiritual force. It would be best to let it run its course. Only in this manner will you reap the full benefit of mudra practices.

There are many stories of spiritual practitioners experiencing spasms and involuntary movements of the body and hands while engaging in meditation. One of the spiritual messengers of God referred to as “the Seal of the Prophets” is an instance:

One day while meditating in a cave at Mt. Hira, Muhammad, the future Prophet of Islam was said to have shivered uncontrollably. This occurred when a voice commanded him to “recite” or “read.” Replying to the voice that he was unable to do so, he was instantly seized by a spiritual presence (Shakti) that was previously sensed to be in his vicinity (forcefield).

What was the real nature of the Prophet’s experience? Were the convulsions that he experienced symptomatic of an unusual energy flowing throughout his body? What were the spiritual yogic exercises that he was engaged in that brought about such an experience? Did he make use of mudras, or any other esoteric practices? It is said that the Prophet was a “widow’s son.” In esoteric language this refers to an initiate of the Mystery Schools; the latter was called a “widow” after the goddess Isis lost her husband, Osiris, to the machinations of their brother Set, who is the personification of evil and materialism. Isis was the symbol of the Mysteries. In these mystical schools spiritual disciplines and practices were taught to the initiate. Mudras were undoubtedly one of the many teachings given. After mastering the teachings and attaining a higher level of consciousness, the initiate would emerge out of the womb of Isis and become Horus, the would-be slayer of his evil uncle.

Mudras & Spirituality

It is vital to keep in mind that the sensations, effects ,and powers that mudras help unfold are not an end in themselves–they are simply a means to an end. They are tools that may support us to achieve Self-Realization. Evolving to a higher state of awareness or experiencing oneness with All That Is should be our primary aim. Other motives are just baubles that should be given up. Mudras, meditation, or any other religious discipline when exercised for the sake of acquiring the gifts of the spirit is not spiritual work nor is it spirituality. Offering unsolicited advice is not spirituality; predicting people’s future is not spirituality; perpetuating a sense of mortality and helplessness in people is not spirituality; causing others to maintain materialistic attitudes is not spirituality. To seek the Giver rather than the gift is spirituality; to give of oneself without thought of self is spirituality; to cease forcing one’s desires, or imposing one’s will upon others is spirituality. So long as the sense of separation exists, the sense of duality, the illusion that we are separated from everything else, we shall never attain the state of true spirituality where only divine love is the law. The “heresy” of dualism in one’s mental conception and spiritual blindness is what prolongs the “sleep of the ages” where one is ignorant, unaware, and unresponsive to the eternal Truth of Oneness.

Spirituality has many expressions, however, none of them have anything to do with acquiring or vainly displaying psychic powers. Initiates are not always psychic or magickally powerful, but they are sensitive to inspiration, to spiritual impulses emanating from celestial spheres and the Spirit within. Those that ambitiously seek psychic powers and abilities for self-centered purposes normally end up shackled in the astral realm where they become the playthings of malicious spirits. It is much wiser to first purify the mind, body, and soul of all negative energies, congestions, sense of limitations, and blockages and developing the love-wisdom-intelligence aspect of the soul before embarking on any psychic development. Without the proper spiritual and moral preparation we would be deluded, deceived and entrapped by wayward psychic forces. Mudras are definitely a help on the Path of Purification, but it should be accompanied by other practices and studies that awakens the heart, and the acquisition of esoteric knowledge and wisdom.

Preparation

Empowering the Hand

There are energy points in the hands and fingers just as there are all over the physical/etheric bodies. Called chakras (lit.”wheels”) in Yoga philosophy, these vortexes of energy may be detected and their existence verified in various ways. Perhaps the most simple method is to directly feel them in one’s hands. This requires a certain amount of sensitivity though, which may be acquired through an exercise that we will provide below.

Pendulums may also be used for detection. Hold a pendulum (any sort will do) in your right hand and hold it above the palm of the left hand. Watch it slowly move in circles. The swing may be clockwise or counterclockwise depending upon the flow of the energy from the palm whether it is outwards or inwards. The circumference and velocity of the swing indicates the size and activity of the chakra. At various points of the fingertips the pendulum might swing too indicating the presence of a minor chakra.

As related to Mudra-Vidya, or the “Science of Mudras,” what sort of unfoldment or empowerment do the hands require? What sort of preparation is necessary for the successful performance of mudras?

First of all it would be helpful to massage the hands often so that they would be flexible enough to assume the positions of the mudras. Most of the mudras are easy to do; some, however, may require isometric exercises of the hands as a preparation. Flex your hands often–bend it, contract/relax it, stretch the fingers, and massage them. This would create a greater flexibility in the hands and would be conducive to a better performance of the mudras and enhance the circulation of blood. Massage of the hands after mudra practices is also suggested to help circulation of the blood and remove stiffness.

Those with short, stubby hands may have some problems doing certain mudras, unlike individuals with long slender fingers that palmistry identify as “philosophical” and “psychic.” However, subjects with short fingers normally are not the type that would be interested in yoga, spiritual training, or mudras; logically speaking, as the person reading this series of articles is intent in developing spirituality, they should not encounter any obstacle practicing the mudras or executing the forms.

The next essential step is to empower the hands to increase the sensitivity, activity and size of the hand/finger chakras. This may be done through such exercises as the focused attention upon the palm of the hands and the fingertips. This particular exercise enlarges the hand chakras so that there may be a greater stream of energies flowing bi-directionally according to need. To carry-out this exercise follow these steps:

1) Focus upon each fingertip for about a minute each. Feel them tingling and vibrating. Begin with one hand and then move on to the other.

2) Now concentrate upon the palm of either hand for about 3 minutes and then move on to the palm of the other hand. Feel as though a flower were blossoming in your palms.

Do this every day for about 40 days during which time the size of the chakras should be permanently extended and greater sensitivity achieved. In the meantime, it would be permissible to commence mudra practices simultaneously with the hand-empowerment exercise.

Meditation Pose and Inner Tranquility

Generally, most of the mudras may be done while seated in a chair, cross-legged, or standing. Certain mudras may call for specific body-positions. If you are knowledgeable on Hatha yoga and flexible enough, you may assume the various asanas or body positions while practicing mudras such as, “Padmasana,” “Siddhasana,” and “Vajrasana.”

Before commencing mudra-exercises, the practitioner would reap the most benefit by first relaxing the mind and body so that a certain degree of inner tranquility may be attained. Any relaxing method taught in occult schools may be employed; one may use contraction of the muscles, perhaps even coupled with visualization and auto-suggestion–the point is that the physical body and mind should be deeply relaxed so that they may not hamper the energy-flow coursing through the subtle channels.

Mantras, or Words of Power

Mudras may be accompanied by chanting and vibrating certain bija (seed)-mantras (words-of-power) that stimulates/activates the chakras and enlarge the subtle channels, or otherwise affect the psycho-physical body in some metaphysical way. Whenever possible, appropriate mantras would be given in association with the mudras in the following papers of this Mudra series. Chanting may be verbal or mental–directions will be given for this.

Seed-mantras should be vibrated strongly as you chant them so that the power of the mantra would be felt in the various psychic centers. Vibrating the mantras does not imply raising the volume of your voice, it implies chanting the words-of-power in a peculiar way so that the vibes are felt palpably in the microcosm; some seed-mantras requires right intonation.

Breathing Exercises and Visualization

Pranayama, or the art of controlling the life-force through rhythmic or specialized breathing, may be engaged in while simultaneously doing the mudras. Some mudras may specifically call for a certain breathing technique. Generally, though, if instructions are not given, breathing should be allowed to flow naturally without any conscious direction. Visualization may be employed to support specialized breathing. Cosmic energy may be visualized as a brilliant silver, white, or gold force–each of these colors do have their specific properties. You may experiment to feel the sensation and know the effects of each of these forces. As a general rule, always inhale as you visualize energy flowing into you, exhale as you channel energy to a certain object, area, or space.

In the following papers of these series, an extensive amount of mudras of various traditions will be presented for practical application.

The 99 Beautiful Divine Names of Allah

admin — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:34:10 +0000

“And Allah’s are the best Names, therefore call on Him thereby, and leave alone those who violate the sanctity of His Names; they shall be recompensed for what they did; God’s alone are the attributes of perfection; invoke Him, then, by these, and stand aloof from all who distort the meaning of His attributes.” Quran Al A’Raf 7:180

“Say: ‘Call upon Allah or call upon the Beneficent God; whichever you call upon, He has the Best names.’ Say: ‘Invoke God, or invoke the Most Gracious: by whichever name you invoke Him, He is always the One — for His are all the attributes of perfection.’” Quran Al Isra 17:110

“Allah is He, other than Whom there is no other god; Who knows both what is hidden and what can be witnessed; He is the Most Compassionate and Merciful. Allah is He, other than Whom there is no other god; the Sovereign, the One, the Source of Peace, the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Security, the Exalted, the Compelling, the Supreme. Glory be to God, beyond any associations. He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Form. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: Whatever exists in heaven and earth declares His Praise and Glory. And He is Exalted in Power, the Wise.” Quran Al Hashr 59:22-24

“He is the First and the Last and the Ascendant (over all) and the knower of hidden things, and He is Cognizant of all things. He is The First (Al-Awaal) and The Last (Al-Aakhir), The Outward (As-Zhahir) and The Inward (Al-Batin); He is The Knower of All Things.” Quran Al-Hadid 57:3

The Divine Names

As humanity evolved along the path of spirituality, various aspects and attributes of divinity were sensed. Climbing higher on the scale of the holy path, Man discovered more facets of Allah, or whatever one may call the Absolute. Gradually, the hidden Isis unveiled, and is still unveiling her beauty–her naked Truth. This revelation is an on-going process, for humanity will not cease to struggle for enlightenment being unsatiated with the crumbs or the milk of the Word.

Discovering himself, man discovered God; and the more he grew in self-awareness, the more he discovered the treasures, the various divine elements unawakened within his essence. This was how the various names of God came into existence. Primitive cultures might have referred to the unseen Intelligence with a single appellation, but as they grew in maturity, in awareness, wisdom and understanding, as they unfolded their own innate divinity, more attributes were realized and names were assigned to the God they worshipped, for man inherently felt that the awakened virtues he had are possessed in full perfection by the Source of All. The amount of God-names expands as man develops his Spirit-awareness.

What man formally understood broadly, he now began to apperceive the details, the minor rays of the One Light; and these details, he may subsequently discover, further differentiate themselves ad infinitum. These divine rays or virtues of Allah were personified by the ancients ushering man from the animistic stage to the polytheistic phase. Almost all of the ancient cultures had their pantheons of gods and goddesses, representing externally the inherent, and somewhat dormant spectrum of divine virtues lying hidden within man. Though man be made in God’s image, possessing the seeds of divinity, he still reflects poorly the divine attributes and aspects of his Progenitor; thus humanity still needs to grow into God’s image and attain its own beautification, acquiring the state of perfection, the evolutionary stage called “Insan Kamil,” or “Perfect Human Being.”

Polytheism is not merely a concept or untrue. Human beings do evolve into perfection and attain god status as exclaimed by the prophets, “ye are (intrinsically) gods!” An adept on the spiritual path might make a divine virtue a predominant part of its expression that the embodiment of the attribute causes the adept to be universally and celestially recognized as a god of the divine ray itself. Thus, we have Venus, the goddess of Love, Kwan Yin, the goddess of Mercy, Thoth, the god of Wisdom, etc. The gods are embodiments of the ideal and various esoteric practice revolves around the assumption of the forms and characteristics of the gods and goddesses in order to quicken the magician’s own divinity and to produce occult effects. The gods, however, do bow in reverence to Allah, the One Essence recognizing and understanding more than what is known to mortal minds.

In Islam, and in al-Hikmah, in general, human figures are not permitted to represent Allah or the divine attributes, as they are considered sacrilegious. Even the portrait of the Prophet was not saved for posterity. This was to avoid making a cult around the personality of the Messenger as was unfortunately done with the Piscean Master.

One of the teachings of Islam is that angels do not descend into houses filled with dogs and images. Though fundamentalists may adhere to the rule of the letter, esoterically, this refers to the unrestrained desires and the idols of the mind. The Divine Ray of the Holy Spirit has trouble entering man through the crown chakra blocked with psychic toxins generated by the impure mind and emotions. This is the esoteric interpretation of Christ knocking at the door and waiting for entry. He who would not purify himself causes the portal to remain barred.

There is an interesting account about images: during the early days of the promulgation of Islam by the walis or saints in Indonesia, the Islamic leaders encountered a problem as the indigenous people of Java were fond of the shadow-puppet theatrical plays. These puppets were in the shape of human figures. In keeping with the Islamic law that human icons were not allowed to be portrayed, they sought to ban this traditional entertainment but feared causing an uproar as a consequence. One of the Walis known as Sunan Kalijaga, intervened, however. His keen mind saw the potential of the plays as a media in conveying the moral teachings of Islam and suggested to the council of the “9 Saints” to allow the continuance of the practice. To comply with the teachings of Islam, he proposed that the human figures of the puppets be caricaturized. Thus deformed images of the shadow-puppets came into being. Samples of these may be found all over our website.

The Divine Names in Islam that have traditionally been passed on to us are 99 in number; the word “Allah” rounds the number to 100. The “Beautiful Divine Names” is probably the development of the 72 divine names of the Schemhamphoras, the 10 God-Names of the Qaballistic Tree of Life, and the other numerous appellations of God to be found in Jewish scriptures. Scholars of Islam may debate as to the legitimacy of the 99 names as a whole, whether they are a revelation from God and a true teaching of the Prophet, or whether they are simply concocted by man; but as occultists, this is of no import. The names are archetypal and may be experienced as realities within the recesses of one’s psyche.

Each letter of the Arabic alphabet has a numerological value and is said to be associated with khodams, or angelic servants. The letters are embodiments or are representative of cosmic energies. The combined letters forming the Divine Names are in turn associated with other spirit khodams or classes of the angelic hierarchy. Having numerical values, the combined letters of the Divine Names represent metaphysical structures mathematically-based that possesses esoteric significances. Practitioners normally chant the Names the number of times in accord with its total value. The numerical value of a Name resonates with the power that it represents. Thus chanting the value of a Name or one of its expression mathematically derived therefrom, invokes the power, grace and virtues of the Name into the magician’s consciousness. The figures in the table below, extracted from old manuscripts, is the result of just one numerological method of calculating the value of the Names. The Arabic letters, not the Latin, have been used as a basis for this calculation; the various methods of acquiring the value of a Name will not be given here as they are related to initiatic transmissions.

The khodam familiars assigned to the Divine Names may actually represent an angelic class rathers than to specific individual spirits judging from the vague statements of certain Islamic authors. Various lists assign different angels to the Divine Names, however, most of these are probably due to the variations in pronunciation/spelling of the angelic names. According to our compilation of the list below, some angels are associated with more than one Divine Name; thus for instance we have ‘Athfayail as the guardian of Al-Lathif and Ash Shakur. As to the accuracy of the list, we leave that to the practitioner to discover through direct experience.

Practical Usage

Above we initimated that the angels of the Divine Names may be known through direct experience. In the occult practices of Ilmu Hikmah, the beautiful appellations of Allah are recited for thousands of times per day, sometimes for consecutive months in order to evoke the khodams to “material” appearance. The purpose of the evocation are varied. The angelic servers may be called upon to assist the practitioner in solving the varied problems of life; to provide familiars, to acquire occult powers and abilities, mystical objects, general information and magickal knowledge; to assist in magickal operations, etc.

In Islamic occultism, the interaction with angelic spirits are preferred to the socializing with jinns or the trafficking with demons. Jinns are unpredictable and deceptive while demons are malicious. Orthodox Islam as a rule, does not condone the practice of conjuration as it presents too many dangers for the evolving soul. Al-Hikmah, however, teaches the subject but with the stipulation that the novice be fully guided in the process and apply the strenuous disciplines that refines the soul, awakens the heart and will, and uplifts the intelligence so as to offer protection against the temptations, illusions, deceptions, glamor and maya along the way. Conjurations in al-Hikmah are confined to angels and jinns, and in rare cases to human spirits. “Demons” are not sought for except by the strayers of the path.

Methods of conjuration are numerous. They may be done through the methods of the magickal schools of the Western Tradition (the Golden Dawn, etc), the shamanic process, or the simple zikir in Tasawuf, or Islamic mysticism; though the latter, viewing from a spiritual perspective, does not consider conjuration as of any importance or even as causing obstacles along the path. Al-Hikmah, being eclectic, combines many methods, depending upon various factors. Different methods are also used by different schools of the al-Hikmah tradition. These occult lodges guard their methods with secrecy–or sad to say, with a price.

So far we have mentioned the lower goals and effects of the recitation of the Divine Name. This comes under the province of thaumaturgy. We would like to point out that the chanting of the Divine Names has a more lofty purpose and this is theurgical in nature. Islam refers to the chanting of Divine Names as “zikr.” It is widely practiced in the tarikat aspect of Islam. Zikr means “remember.” It is the remembrance of Allah, done through contemplation of the name and not mere mechanical chanting. Practitioners of Tasawuf recognize the psychic effects of zikir but stand aloof from them. Their purpose is to unite with Allah, the “unio mystica,” through his Divine Names. Zikr somewhat plays the same role as the occult practice of the assumption of godforms.

In the teachings of the Asma ul-Husna or the “Divine Names” of Islamic mysticism, the first step is to know and memorize the names intellectually. Then one contemplates upon the Names, striving to express the divine attributes in daily life. Concomitant to this, one would chant the Names in one’s daily practice until overshadowed by them. Knowing all of the Divine Names, not merely intellectually, but experentially is part of the gnostic stage of Islam. Termed “marifat,” the gnosis offers the practitioner a greater awareness of the Spiritual Source. Zikr of the Divine Names is just one method of attaining the gnostic state. It leads to the Inner Light and Sound emanating from the Divine Throne.

Divination

The Divine Names, like the Urim and Thurim of Judaism, long vanished, may be used as a divinatory system approximating the spiritual consultation system of the I Ching. Chips with the Names inscribed thereon may be constructed and consecrated with the associated Name. These are placed in a talismanic pouch. Inquiries may be made and the chip/s drawn to answer the questions. We will not over-dwell on the mechanics and process of this, leaving it to the ingenuity of the practitioner to develop his/her own methods and reading style. We would just like to add that our many inquirers were amazed at the accuracy of the system as we presented it to them.

Spiritual Discipline

Before engaging in any magickal practice, one should undergo a strenuous period of purification, sensitivity training, the unfoldment of the heart and will, the spiritual culture of one’s character, the accumulation and comprehension of essential knowledge, the practice of goodwill, and the development of intuition. These would greatly protect and shield the practitioner from assorted problems presented by astral glamor and the illusions on the mental plane.

Such a period of discipline ought to be supervised by a spiritual adept or his representative. This is essential for various reasons; one being that the novice may not know the appropriate standard or criteria with which to evaluate his advancement. Lacking the overseership of an adept might cause the novice to be filled with illusions of personal grandeur, pride, vanity, etc. The pitfalls are indeed numerous. Being predominantly a magician or a mystic causes problems. The way of the heart and the head/will should be in equilibrium. It is the magi that balances both qualities to perfection.

How to Invoke

Prior to commencing a rite of invocation of one of the Divine Names, undergo an ablution–a holy wash. Then sit in a quite room and do some rhythmic breathing. If you are conducting your obligatory prayers at the same time, then begin the chanting of the Divine Names after the prayers; if not, offer a general prayer of worship to Allah prior to the zikr. If you know the Al-Fatihah verse, commence with this.

Carefully choose a Divine Name in accord with your need, or you may pick one from your divination pouch as explained earlier. Then recite the name for the amount of times equal to its value; or you may multiply the value with the sacred numbers 19 or 11 to be found structurally in the Quran and chant the resultant amount.

Another method is to chant the Name until you feel that you have reached an inner response. In some specific rites you may be asked to chant for a certain number of times unrelated to the value of the Names. This is permissible so long as there is ground for this. There is much leeway in the practice of the Divine Names. We might also point out that Allah loves odd numbers.

To count the number of chants, a tasbih (rosary) may be used. Use one tasbih for one Divine Name, Mantra or Prayer, as this would charge the rosary with a specific energy and not fill it with cross vibes derived from charging with too many different Names. They may cancel each other out. Stick to this rule–one mantra or Name–one rosary. This would transform the counter into a powerful talisman as the energy of the Name accumulates. Practitioners have found that rosaries are the best counting device, as mechanical counters and watches tend to dysfunction because of the influence of the energy build-up.

When reciting do not phrase the Names with the prefix Al but begin with Ya; and add the suffix “u” to it. Thus for instance, “Al Jabbar” is invoked as “Ya Jabbaru.” “Ar Rahim” as “Ya Rahimu.”

Begin the recitation with a voice volume-level neither loud nor soft.You may then shift to whispers or to a mental recitation; and back and forth–for variations. Avoid monotony. Recite with full focus, mentally and emotionally, on that attribute of God of the Name in question. Let your consciousness absorb the power of the Names. Do not chant mechanically, but do it with feelings of awe, respect, love, and admiration for the Divine Attribute. Visualize yourself as being filled with rays of light from the celestial realms. Contemplate the names. Chant with a sense of devotion and faith expecting no rewards. Conduct the chanting rite for no other purpose other than to approach closer to the Throne.

After completing the zikr close the session with a brief prayer of thanks.

Other Effects of the Names

Regular chanting of the Divine Names affects one psychologically. The practitioner tends to express strongly in his everyday life the Name that he regularly recites in his spiritual disciplines. This is one of the great benefits of the Divine Name recitation. Transforming one’s character and evolving the soul should take precedence over the acquisition of earthly possessions. The practice of the chanting also have its effects in the improvement of mundane affairs or unfolding the dormant psychic faculties. This should be considered as blessings and not as the main purpose of the discipline.

Evoke the Angel, “Qanyail”

Chanting the Divine Names as mentioned before may be done for thaumaturgical or theurgical purposes. Physical needs should be met so that greater time, energy and resources are available for spiritual works. So long as there is a realization that the goals of mundane life do not represent life’s purpose, they may be temporarily attended to by any harmless means at one’s disposal. Magicians resort to magick.

Below we present an example of a rite of evocation in al-Hikmah of an angel:

If you are interested in evoking the angel Qanyail to assist you with your needs, recite daily after the 5 obligatory prayers the Divine Name “Al’Aziim” (Recite “Ya Aziimu”) 1020 times. Do this in a clean room and wearing clean clothings. Repeat this rite daily for two months (perhaps more) on a vegetarian diet until the angel appears. When the spirit manifests, state your need. At each session after reciting the Divine Name for the stated amount of times say the following prayer once:

[Note: Table, prayer and notes may be seen as originally published at our website]

Further Use of the Will

admin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 07:32:03 +0000

YOU cannot retain a true and clear vision of wealth if you are constantly turning your attention to opposing pictures, whether they be external or imaginary.

Think of the riches the world is coming into, in- stead of the poverty it is growing out of; and bear in mind that the only way in which you can assist the world in growing rich is by growing rich your- self through the creative method–not the competitive one.

You can aim at nothing so great or noble, I repeat, as to become rich; and you must fix your attention upon your mental picture of riches, to the ex- clusion of all that may tend to dim or obscure the vision.

Some people remain in poverty because they are ignorant of the fact that there is wealth for them.

Others are poor because, while they feel that there is a way out, they are too intellectually indolent to put forth the mental effort necessary to find that way and by travel it.

Others still are poor because, while they have some notion of science, they have become so swamped and lost in the maze of metaphysical and occult theories that they do not know which road to take.

The very best thing you can do for the whole world is to make the most of yourself.

You can serve God and man in no more effective way than by getting rich.

You can form things in your thought, and, by im- pressing your thought upon formless substance, can cause the thing you think about to be created.

Man, the Microcosm; Part 4

admin — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:21:39 +0000

The Principle Nadis & Kundalini

The etheric body, according to Hindu mystics, is said to be composed of 72,000 nadis, or subtle nerves. This figure as the actual number is questionable; it is more likely to be symbolic and should not be taken literally. Sushumna, Ida and Pingala are the major nerves of this vital body. Sushumna is the etheric counterpart of the cord of the central nervous system in the spinal column. Ida and Pingala correspond to the two branches of the autonomic nervous system situated along side of the 33 segments of the vertebrae. Ida and Pingala are rooted in the perineum. They rise and flank each side of the sushumna, and they terminate in the openings of the nostrils. Ida is negative in polarity; Pingala, positive. These subtle nerves are the channels for the Yin and Yang energy absorbed through the breath. Hindu yogis have recognized the fact that the breath does not flow equally through the nostrils. A certain cyclic law causes the breath to flow easily through one nostril at a time for an hour or so, and then switching the mechanism to the other nostril. Nature has designed this operation for a certain reason connected with the growth of man’s psyche.

Sushumna has its bottom end at the root chakra, or Muladhara. Its upper end terminates in the brow chakra. Within Sushumna are to be found even subtler nadis called Vajrini-nadi, Chitrini-nadi, and Brahmarandha-nadi. The etheric chakras are anchored in the Chitrini-nadi, and it is this fine nerve in particular that is the pathway for the “serpent-fire,” that electrical, magnetic energy called Kundalini. Five deities are believed to reside in the Brahmarandha-nadi : Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Sadasiva, and Ishvara. These gods are the personifications of certain seed faculties that lie dormant until aroused by their consort, their shakti, the divine Kundalini. Sushumna is one of the repositories in the microcosmic being for the past and present records of the psyche, the subconscious feelings and thoughts of the “Mr Hyde” side of Man. These records are cleansed and transmuted as Kundalini rises and burn her way through.

The Great Central Sun, that spiritual fire burning in the celestial realms, is recognized by occultist as the source of all forms of energies within the galaxy and in our solar system. It radiates its rays into our solar system through the sun, the Solar Logos or deity. This energy qualified by our sun is the divine shakti, the Cosmic Kundalini. An aspect of this cosmic energy is solar prana–that energy that gives and sustains life in physical organism. Cosmic energy is distributed throughout the solar system. Each planetary body receives and assimilates Cosmic Kundalini and qualifies this energy, bestowing upon it its own peculiar quality, and then radiating it out again for the benefit of the other planetary centers. Our satellite, the moon, is also a transformer of Cosmic Kundalini emanating from the sun. The energy that it receives from the sun is transmuted and rayed down upon our earth. Our planet, therefore, is the recipient of various energies emanating from the sun, moon, and the planets; and incidentally, this is the basis of astrology. These energies of the planets, moon, and sun combine with the earth forces in our planetary center and it rises to affect every sentient being that has its abode on Terra. Herein lies the source of Kundalini within Man, for the serpent fire has its origin within the conglomerate energies in the bowels of the earth. It ascends to reside in the vessel prepared for it in the etheric body. This vessel is called “kanda” and it is the etheric counterpart of the coccygeal gland.

Kundalini lies “coiled” within Kanda. It slumbers until awakened through the evolutionary process. Kundalini is the creative potential within Man. It is a dynamic force, a dormant static power that releases atomic energy when aroused. Normally, at Nature’s pace, it may take thousands of millions of years for kundalini to fulfill her destiny within Man. By treading the spiritual path; however, kundalini may be awakened within a single lifetime–with the careful guidance of a true Spiritual Master–though this step should not be attempted by all men who simply desires or is interested in it. It is enough for the average person simply to initially engage in purification exercises and living in accord with spiritual laws. Premature kundalinic activation without certain preparations may cause pain and suffering as the fiery force scorches its way up the spine.It may burn the nervous system causing disorders, mental derangements, and even death. Its awakening should be preceded by the yogic or alchemical steps of soul cultivation so familiar to students of the occult and mysticism. It might surprise some to learn that Kundalini is actually not a “fiery” energy but a cool force. It is the friction between Kundalini and impurities that causes the sensation of heat.

Kundalini energy accelerates evolution, there is no doubt of this; however, unwieldy handling of this energy may cause the opposite effect. Kundalini may give abundant life, or kill the foolish individual who attempts to raise it without full knowledge. Be wary of the so-called Masters that seek to awaken your kundalini for a fee–most of them are deluded and have not even raised their own Kundalini. Energy rising in the back in the form of any sensation does not indicate that the full Kundalini force is rising. There are three aspects to Kundalini and any of one of them may rise up the spine. There is the Kundalini force circulating around the meridian nerves; there is the kundalini force manifesting as sexual energy; and the true kundalini at the base of the spine. Observing the so-called masters of Kundalini energy and we still find them short of the spiritual standards as exemplified by the Saints and Hierophants of the Almighty. The true instant rising of the Kundalini as triggered by Masters of shaktipat are not given indiscriminately but wisely to those who are prepared for it and not for the mere asking of it by the immature soul. Even in shaktipat, it is not the true Kundalini that rises but simply an aspect of it. There is too much sensationalism involved in Kundalini awakening.

The serpent fire, or the force of shakti, when awakened, rises within sushumna to unite with the Shivaic energy from the Ego that may lie within the third ventricle of the brain. Egoic energy, like kundalini has to be evoked for it to be present at the marriage bed inside the cranium. When united, they stimulate the head centers and glands, and the third-eye begins to unfold. It raises Man to a higher plane of consciousness. Inside the cranium, kundalinic fire stimulates the pineal gland. The magnetic union of these head centers causes an explosion of energy which illuminates the entire cranium and causes physical changes in the brain. Kundalini is the source of Man’s regenerative potential. She vitalizes the chakras, and via the chakras, the glands. The glands then secrete hormones that are life and youth preserving. Kundalini is related to the serpent in the story of Genesis. The true interpretation of this book as known to the initiate, remains to be revealed to a wider audience. The Tree of Knowledge with its branches corresponds to the central nervous system with its various plexuses. It is through this nervous system and the senses that we acquire knowledge of the physical plane. The Tree of Life represents the autonomic nervous system to some extent but specifically to the etheric nervous system, or the nadis.

Protecting the body from an untimely kundalinic stimulation and a bombardment of astral forces are certain network of nadis, or “etheric webs,” which are found along the subtle spinal cord. In Yogic philosophy, these webs are called “granthi,” meaning “knots.” There are three granthis of considerable importance. They are called “Brahma’s knot,” “Vishnu’s knot,” and “Rudra’s knot.” These are located in the vicinity of the Muladhara, Anahata, and Ajna chakras, respectively. They offer a maximum resistance to Kundalini when she ascends.The shielding off of Kundalini by these knots as she rises, causes manifestations of a painful nature in the body–but this is for the general well-fare of the psychosomatic system. The brain is safe if the warning of pain is heeded and kundalinic arousal halted. These protective shields, or etheric webs are “dispersed” naturally, or raised in frequency through spiritual living and the purification of the nadis. Kundalini herself, however, burns away the subtle dross within sushumna and in the body which the normal purificatory process is unable to accomplish completely. The proper way for raising the fiery force is through magnetization of the higher centers and sushumna and not through direct arousal by the focalization of the consciousness on the slumbering serpent. Kundalini rises as the male and female polar energies within the body are balanced. Yogic mystics often resort to certain contractions and locks of the muscles called “bandhas” to arouse Kundalini and to assist her ascent upwards. These bandhas are applied in the following areas:

1) In the urogenital-pelvic diaphragm

2) In the chest diaphragm

3) In the cranial muscles

These locks are called in Yoga teachings “Mula Bandha,” “Uddhivana Bandha,” and “Jalandhara Bandha,” respectively. These contractions or “locks” rejuvenate the chakras, glands, nerves and nadis. The exercises of these locks are accompanied by directing the internal wind–”prana” and “apana,” which must be balanced in the root chakra.

Kundalini awakening in general, must be supervised by an adept who is well-experienced in these matters and who has had his own Kundalini raised. It is a matter of right timing, the ripeness of the disciple which the Adept-Guru must determine carefully for his disciple. Kundalini arousal can be safe or it can be a dangerous matter depending on the readiness and prior preparation of the chela. One of the dangers of Kundalini arousal which should be noted is the motion of the force–whether it rises upwards or downwards. The right course is upwards, and it is symbolically called the “serpent of wisdom.” The downward course causes sexually deviations and an amplification of the carnal instincts and desires, which are represented by the “red dragon” in myth and allegories. The raised serpent giving heath and vitality may be found in the symbols adopted by the medical and apothecary professions : the caduceus and the coiled serpent around a chalice.

As we have seen, Kundalini is represented by the serpent and dragon, depending on her motion. Her downward spiral is also represented by the scorpion. When she reaches the Sahasrara chakra, when she has united with her Lord Shiva, the Christ force, she is transformed into an eagle, which symbolizes a transcendental consciousness. The wings of an eagle together with the other components of the subtle body are portrayed in that emblem held in the hands of the god Hermes or Mercury–the caduceus–and appropriated by the medical profession as mentioned above. The passage and journey of Kundalini upwards from the base chakra into Sahasrara may be found in the allegories of the Rosicrucian tale of CRC in the Fama Fraternitatis, in the Exodus of the Israelites, in the story of Jesus, in the Grail myth, and in the opening of the seven seals in Revelation. Some occult students believe that the central mystery of the Holy Shekinah in Qabalism refers to Kundalini. The circumambulations of the pilgrims around holy sites such as the Ka’ba in Mecca and Mt. Kailash in the Himalayas are symbolic of the spiralling ascent of the serpent fire. When interpreted esoterically, Moses is believed to have received instructions on Kundalini as implied in the following verse:

“Make thee a fiery serpent and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it shall live.” (Num 21:8)

This serpent upon the pole is the caduceus with Kundalini flowing harmoniously in the three nadis. With the help of Kundalini, every one bitten by ignorance although spiritually dead, shall live as they are spiritually illumined and perceive through the eyes of wisdom.

In Masonry, Kundalini is represented by Hiram Abiff. The 33 degrees of attainment of this esoteric brotherhood, which have degraded in modern times, represents the 33 segments of the spinal column. The resurrection of Hiram is the work undertaken by the Masonic initiate. The life of Jesus also represents kundalinic ascent. The number 33 again appears as the age of the Nazarene Master as he was crucified upon the hill of Golgotha, the place of the skull–the initiate’s skull. In this context Jesus represents the power of Kundalini. More of this will not be revealed here.

Incense plays a role in sanctifying an environment as a preparation for spiritual work. It is used in almost all religions and mystical traditions. Its smoke spiralling upwards to convey Man’s prayers to the gods–as believed by some cultures–represents the rising energy of Kundalini.

Chrism Oil & the Brain Dews

Kundalini alone is incapable of illuminating or transforming brain-consciousness–this is a principle often over-looked by New Agers. Kundalini has to unite with Egoic energies and also convey the etheric substance called by some “Chrism Oil” to the third ventricle of the brain. This oil is produced by the prostrate gland in the male and the uterus in the female. It is transported to the brain by the serpent force where it mixes with the crystallized energies of the Ego called “Brain Dews.” These are then released into the bloodstream and into the nervous system. This results in psychological and biological changes–in the acceleration of the vibratory rate of the body; and it brings about rejuvenation and an improvement in the quality and extent of the magnetic field, the aura surrounding the physical body–but these are the least important of the changes wrought. The important transformations occur in the consciousness.

Chrism oil, sometimes called “the Golden oil,” is developed out of the sexual fluids. If it is not held in the body by conservation and sublimation of semen and the sexual force, is wasted in the act of procreation and generation, especially if the carnal nature is excessively expressed. When conserved, this oil, this “balm of Gilead,” does not automatically reach the third ventricle where it is to blend with its mate unless directed there with the aid of the Kundalini force in the practice of spiritual acclivity techniques. By conserving, transmuting and sublimating sexual energy–called “Ojas-shakti” by yogis–together with the Chrism oil to the cerebrum, we stimulate brain cells and awaken to a higher intelligence. In Taoist yoga, this is called “reversing the flow.” Taoists refer to sexual energy as “ching chi,” which is a transformation of Kundalini and the chi or prana in the gonads. This spiritual force is willed and directed mentally to the head center where it again undergoes some changes to develop into a higher energy called “shien chi.”

Religious and esoteric groups of the past and present practice sexual restrain–some call it “encratism.” All mystical schools in the East and in the West believe that ejaculation of the seminal fluid is detrimental to the mind, body, and soul. It should be noted, however, that the object is not sexual expression, but transformation, sublimation and assimilation.When conserved and sublimated, seminal energy tones up the whole organism. It makes the senses more acute; it brightens the eyes, and causes a certain sheen to be seen on the skin; it also unfolds psychic abilities. Sexual energy is the force that assists man to raise his consciousness to a higher state. Thus we see from this that the energy of procreative sex is a potential power which could and should be transmuted into a higher expression and used for spiritual purposes in right living and in the exercising of certain esoteric techniques to evolve the consciousness to Superconsciousness. Metaphysical sexual unions would occur within the microcosm as a result of sexual sublimation and the absorption of the Chrism oil; and they are as follows:

1) Union between the energies of the lower and higher chakras in the heart and throat centers.

2) Union between the force-field of the pineal and pituitary glands.

3) Union between the Personality and the Ego.

4) Union between the Monad and the Personality-Ego.

Brain-dews, called “Ros” by the ancient Rosicrucians, is a spiritually magnetized fluid that transforms human blood into a river of life, into the saving blood of Christ, into the “redeeming blood of the lamb.” It is the true waters of baptism. Ros is the crystallized Christ substance. The Christ force emanates from the Godhead of the omniverse; it is the son aspect of the cosmos that enters this solar system via the sun. This Christ force, called “Azoth” by alchemists, stands at the door of the Sahasrara chakra and knocks:

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20)

Normally, the Christ force stands at the portal uninvited into the sanctum sanctorum. This is because its presence is usually unacknowledged and the way for its entry obstructed and hindered by impurities, psychic toxins, as a result of a materialistic life style and orientation; Other factors also prevent the Christ force from entering the brain to densify into Christ substance or Ros and to have a spiritual effect upon the lower aspects of the microcosm. These are:

1) An unpurified blood stream.

2) Unresponsive chakras.

3) An unconstructed antahkarana or spiritual channel between the Ego–the Spiritual Triad, and the Quarternary.

We therefore, invite the Christ into our system by purification of the chakras, nadis, and bloodstream; and a change in the life-style that is partial to the spiritual life. The latter builds the antahkarana (we will elaborate upon this later).

As we have said before, brain-dews are the condensations of the Christ force or ethers of the higher planes. The bloodstream, as the vehicle of the Ego, determines an individual’s spiritual state, as understood metaphysically. The more Christ substances are assimilated into the blood, the greater will be the body’s etherealization and perfection. It should be noted, however, that the body will absorb only as much Christ substance as the state of an individual’s consciousness would allow. It should also be realized that unless the brain-dews mixes with the Chrism oil, it would simply evaporate and leave no effect upon the whole organism. Love and its manifold expressions greatly increases one’s ability to assimilate the Christ substance. Ros, the condensed fluid of the Christ substance, is believed to impregnate saliva in an adulterated form; the saliva of spiritual people, are therefore said to possess therapeutic and rejuvenative qualities. This can be seen in the gospel stories of the Master Jesus healing the blind with his spittle. Certain Sufi methods of healing also employ the spittle.

[Note: This paper contains images which may be seen as originally published at our website]

Your Metaphysical Well-being

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:49:35 +0000

Many people go through life and work essentially blind and deaf to the myriad of possibilities that exist around them. They are on paths that at surface levels of awareness appear to be satisfactory, but that at deeper levels of consciousness are neither meaningful nor fulfilling. Some individuals fortunately awaken to their situation through various experiences that serve to enlighten them, while others regrettably don’t.

For those whose eyes and ears are opened, the world becomes a place filled with countless mysteries that can often overwhelm their abilities to understand how the universe operates, let alone why it exists. Although easier to simply accept “what is” and not question any further, many individuals persist nonetheless with their quest for understanding even when the answers seem few and far between. These are people who can be described as spiritually-active, i.e. proactively involved in their spiritual growth. They invariably stretch themselves beyond the “here and now” in a glorious attempt to touch upon the “there and then,” while simultaneously striving to seize all the points in between. Their quest is for something beyond the tangible, beyond the obvious, and beyond the ordinary. Whether they conceptualize it as such or not, these people are not only spiritually-active, but they are on a metaphysical journey of well-being.

What is metaphysics? How can it help people achieve well-being? Why even consider it as a field of study for spiritually-active people?

Simply stated, metaphysics is the study of truth, meaning and purpose. It helps us understand the world and our lives in it in ways that go beyond the physical. It leads us to the non-physical realms of consciousness that govern our beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions, and that in many ways influence how we think about ourselves, what we know about ourselves, and how we experience ourselves.

There are two branches of metaphysics that are most pertinent to our life and work. The first is Vocational Metaphysics, which, as defined for our purposes in personal growth and professional development, is the study of truth, meaning and purpose as related to our life calling and our lifework. It is in spirit all about what we can learn regarding our life calling and lifework so that in practice we can redefine who we want to be and what we want to do. Vocational Metaphysics is much more than simply about a job or a career. A job is what we do to earn money. A career is a natural progression of jobs within a field of endeavor. But a lifework is a unique answer to our individual life calling.

Our well-being derives from an understanding that our life calls us to a particular path of work, not just to any job that will occupy our time. For many people it is not enough any longer to perform a job in the traditional sense, punching in at 9:00am and punching out at 5:00pm. The experience has actually become the converse, checking out in consciousness at 9:00am so that they can do their job, then checking back in at 5:00pm so that they can resume their life. They earn a living on the job, but they live outside the job.

Spiritually-active people desire a more holistic balance between life and work, integrating both with each other so that their overall experience becomes much more fulfilling and satisfying. Vocational Metaphysics focuses on our well-being from a vocational perspective, blending the “doing” aspects of our work with the “being” aspects of our life. Followed spiritually and faithfully, it will give rise to a new level of unitive consciousness that enters the realms of sacredness.

This new level of unitive consciousness leads to the second branch of metaphysics: Sacred Metaphysics. As defined for our purposes in personal growth and professional development, Sacred Metaphysics is the study of truth, meaning and purpose as related to our consciousness. It is in spirit all about what we can learn regarding our life story so that in practice we can reinvent who we are and what we do. Stated in different terms, sacred metaphysics is about “re-storying” our lives and work and elevating our awareness to the level of intuitive guidance of divinity, thereby leading us to a more comprehensive and thorough understanding of what is most appropriate for us at our stage of metaphysical evolution. The “re-storying” of our lives allows us to gather our recollections of the past and our aspirations for the future in a manner that infuses our consciousness with sacredness.

This process of re-storying can be termed the “Gathering of Sacred Consciousness.” In many ways, such a gathering of sacred consciousness becomes a personal religion, if by personal religion we mean “the intimate relationship between who we are and what we do, and the universe that inhabits us.” More than simply seeking our way in the external world, a personal religion based on sacred metaphysics honors the ways of the divine within us.

There is evidently much more that can be discussed with respect to Vocational Metaphysics and Sacred Metaphysics, and this article offers only the first step in the study of truth, meaning and purpose as they relate to you. There are many books, articles and publications that deal with personal growth and professional development, and you are encouraged to remember at all times that your life and work are all about you, intended for you, and governed by you. It is your well-being through your vocation and your sacredness that matters most, not what the gurus or pundits think.

Consider metaphysics as the study of truth, meaning and purpose as related to you. You are the only person who truthfully, meaningfully and purposefully knows “you.” You are therefore the vehicle for the journey, and the substance of the voyage. You are the author, the authority, and the authenticity. It is your well-being at issue, thus it is incumbent on you to be who you are really meant to be, in order to be well

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