SOCIAL
TRANSFORMATION
Since long before the dawn of history, social transformation
has been going on. Sometimes this has occurred in a dramatic fashion, and at other
times it has gone on quietly and unannounced. But
it is a fundamental element in the scheme of things and in the uninterrupted evolution
of mankind. And so it is that social transformation
has occurred in past times in many different forms, sometimes beneficial to the
many, and sometimes only to the few, depending upon the goals and purposes of
those who led the changes.
In
this present age, it seems fairly obvious that a new and unprecedented level of
social transformation is required if we are to save ourselves, and perhaps even
our planet, from an untimely demise. Mankind has unlocked the mysteries of science
to the level where we can, by misuse of our knowledge, set in motion the seeds
of our own destruction, because our scientific understanding
is not matched by our inner wisdom. Mankind appears to be in a somewhat
adolescent state. It is not necessarily all doom and gloom though, because this
situation that we are in is the very spur that we seem to need, in order to do
what we have to do to move out of planetary adolescence.
We have the knowledge to do this. The big question is, do we have the will?
We all seem so caught up in progressing our individual and family
lives that it seems ok to leave things to do with the running of countries and
of the world to politicians, and to those who have a vested interest in controlling
and manipulating things. This may have worked as things were in past times, but
no longer is it workable. This must be all too obvious from recent events. The
social transformation required to rescue things now demands the coming into being
of a powerful grass-roots movement.
Many
of the groups and organisations that already exist could be key elements in the
creation of a major alliance for a wisdom-based movement
for wholesome planetary change. This, of course, would require the enthusiastic
help and support of a great many more people than show any interest in the problem
so far!
How
this situation can be turned around is the key question. What would have to happen
to bring many of the populace into enthusiastic and active support for such a
planet-wide movement?
To answer such a question requires us to confront the reasons
why people in general may be so apathetic, or so self-centred that they can't
find it in their hearts to demand to be part of mankind's impulse to lift things
out of the danger that besets us. Let's list and then discuss some of the
possibilities:
1.
People have fallen into acceptance of ideas that undermine their belief that there's
anything they can really do about the situation.
2. They are confused about what is happening on the
planet, and so have given up.
3. Past efforts to do something
about it have been defeated, leaving them feeling overwhelmed.
4.
A lack of understanding of what life is really about, and about the real nature
of the individual self, and the real relationship of the individual to the spiritual
soul centre of one's being.
5. The holding
of ideas and attitudes that have been generated from bad experiences and from
a sense of having been marginalized, alienated, or rendered generally powerless.
6. The person's life is motivated and run
by the lower centre of human consciousness (mind + emotions + alienated ego) instead
of the love/ wisdom centre (soul).
7. Life
has become a struggle for mere survival, leaving no sense of there being time
available for anything else.
8. The idea
that we each only need change self and the planet will take care of itself. This
would be true if everyone were going to be working on themselves for inner transformation.
But only a small minority will actually do this without receiving a great
deal of education, help, and guidance, from those who understand how to successfully
achieve such a thing.
This list is probably incomplete, and I
will leave it to the reader to add any other reasons that may exist. Nevertheless,
the above are some important ones. If we analyse what are the most basic common
factors in our list, it seems that two factors dominate. The
first is that morale is not what it needs to be for the job of turning things
around. The second seems to be a lack of real
understanding of the nature of the self, and its proper relationship to the reality
of the spiritual centre that is present at the deepest level of our being, whether
this is functioning or is in a dormant and atrophied state.
It
seems to me that the remedy for both of these maladies lies in the direction of
the coming into being of a proper understanding about life,
the nature of the inner self, and the empowerment and insight
that is generated in people's lives when such an understanding comes about.
Any attempt at social transformation
that does not remedy these factors will fall short of what is required to rectify
the situation that now faces humankind. We require a widespread
educational program to bring mankind to a new level of practical and wholesome
unity with all of life and with the intelligent beingness of the Universe
at large. We have to foster a new and deeper level of inner
wisdom for mankind in general. As this program begins to bear fruit, the
various solutions to the dilemma of mankind will present themselves to our human
consciousness, and become incorporated into the general activity of the planet.
To conclude, I now invite all interested
parties who may wish it, to make contact
with me
so that we can have meetings to brainstorm, and come to a consensus for a plan
to become catalysts for activating a new level of wisdom for our world. There
are many organisations with which we may do networking, and there are groups throughout
the world of the Internet with whom we can communicate. The
know-how for a new type of inner-wisdom educational course already exists. Let
us put it to use.
If you would like to accept the
challenge and the invitation to take part in initial brainstorming sessions, please
contact Laurence Black, Phone Auckland 818-7362, or e-mail me at: meteorite@paradise.net.nz
WHAT IS A HUMAN BEING?
This is a very
fundamental and important question, and yet, one that almost anyone alive would
say they know as much about as they need to know. Well, I'm sorry to disillusion
you, but I would say that most people have only a sketchy
and very limited idea on this subject. If you read on, you will see what
I mean, and you will comprehend how important is a good understanding of this
to the welfare of every human person, and to the welfare of our world. Let's
first do a little sketch of what our 'average' citizen of the Western world would
probably say if asked to answer such a question: "Well,
a human being is what I am, and so are all others of any race of people. We have
human type bodies, and we seem to be the most highly evolved species on the Earth,
because we have well developed minds and our brain material is advanced beyond
the level of other species. So human beings are able to control things to do with
our environment, and dominate the other creatures."
That
might even be more than you would get from a lot of people. Most would agree that
we have emotions, and several would say that we are supposed to have a 'soul'.
Possibly around ten percent might have some definite idea of what that is, but
the answers would vary greatly. Some
would think it has something to do with our emotional being, and some, an inner
conscience, but that it isn't that practical to be much concerned with it when
it comes to every day life.
A few would say that it is to do with the spiritual side of our natures, but most
if they mentioned that at all, would have a very hazy idea about it. A great many
people would think that we are just bodies, and there is nothing after the body
is gone.
All
in all, a vast majority would have only a vague idea if you asked them to define
some of the words used in their descriptions. Terms
like emotions, mind soul, and so on. There would not be much clarity, and the
answers from person to person would be very different from each other. Not only
that, but there would mostly only be the ability to give the sketchiest idea of
how these items function. Those with education touching
on such matters could give more detail, but the understanding would be mostly
intellectual knowledge, rather than a deep understanding of details of the functions
of those things, or how they work and interact. Not
too good a state of things for 'the most advanced species on the Earth',
and no wonder that the human condition is beset with grave
problems to do with interaction amongst ourselves, other countries, other species,
and the general environment.
The
key to the solution of the problems of mankind and the human condition is described
by the timeworn saying,
"Man, know thyself, and the truth shall set
you free".
Let us now begin a tour of
the inner territory of the human being, as I would describe it if asked the question
'what is a human being'?
A
HUMAN BEING
1. Primarily, a human
being is a spiritual being having a physical experience in a human, biological
body.
This means that we are a composite
being, not just a single, simple unit.
We
have so to speak one foot in each of the two main worlds, the spiritual, and the
physical domains.
Some would say that
our purpose in this is to play a special part in the unfolding evolution of the
world, perhaps even of the Universe. Others would say that our purpose is to partake
of an adventure and all of the drama it contains. Perhaps it is both of these
things. It has been called the dance of the Infinite
into its creation, and eventually, the dance to return home to the Infinite.
2.
The spiritual self is a chameleon-like, rather magical entity. It is projected
from the Awareness of Infinite-being, (the 'transcendental'
mode of God rather than the indwelling 'God- in the world' mode), and
is the territory of the Total Power of Creative Being, which is not of itself
contained within the realm of time, space, energy and matter.
However,
this magical Universe of Pure Awareness, is a Universe that contains within itself
the potential of projecting from within its' mind's eye', so to speak, visualisations
and conceptions of space, energy, solidity, form and time, along with every quality
needed for an adventure universe.
As spiritual
beings, even when we 'enter' the stream (illusion) of space, time, and form, our
most fundamental spiritual essence doesn't really depart from its home as part
of Eternal Consciousness.
This has a parallel
in the technology that we call 'Virtual Reality', only what we are describing
is at a much more fundamental level than virtual reality.
In
order to experience an adventure, it is necessary to be subject to misadventure.
How can you have an adventure if you have total power and total
knowing with regard to the territory that you occupy?
And
so it is that we enter the world of illusion. In doing so, we take unto ourselves
a 'lower level of awareness and reduced powers, whilst,
fundamentally we remain a part of the Eternal, but asleep to it in varying degrees,
differing from person to person.
What
this really means is that our separate existence as individual beings is an illusion
that is required for our adventure. Behind all
of this is the reality of the ONENESS of all being. We can illustrate it
diagrammatically like this:
This is akin to a lampshade with a source of light at the centre. There are
a number of holes in the outer surface of the shade. There
is one light within the shade, and several individual
beams issuing from the holes in the lampshade. This is similar to how things
are in the spiritual domain, but there, the source is the
light of Infinite Awareness and Power. Each beam issuing through its 'hole'
experiences itself as a 'separate' individual being. But
if it were to slide its awareness back through to the inside of the hole, it would
experience no separation, but the unity of being of the one light. The
soul is like the hole, and the light coming through is the 'light of the soul'.
However, if the ego is allowed to usurp as controller of
our being, the hole gets progressively blocked up, and the soul's light (awareness)
is prevented from coming through into the world. The behaviour of this
individual person will now be regulated by the awareness of the ego
rather than the greater awareness of the light of the soul.
This is where the problems of the human condition have their
origin.
3.
The Soul of man is our personal 'spark' of Divine Awareness, the 'God within us',
which is the source of the spiritual love and brotherhood and sense of our unity
with all other beings, and people, and the whole of existence. We
can cloud or shut off our contact with the soul to varying degrees. We
do this by giving over control of our lives to the mind, and its offspring, the
human ego.
In this way, the mind with its
ideas and attitudes, falls under the dominion of the ego instead of the dominion
of the soul. Our sense of unity with all beings and people and all of life
is reduced, being replaced by a dominating sense of our separateness. If
this deepens, it can turn into a sense of isolation and alienation. Here
is where the ills of the Human Condition are generated. Wars,
bad relationships, mental and emotional difficulties, greed, criminality, lack
of care for the welfare of others, a lowering of morale, and flowing on from that,
a predisposition to physical illness. The sense
of love carried by the soul centre is replaced by a sense of underlying fear and
suspicion, because that
which we perceive to be separate from us is considered to be different, not understood,
and potentially harmful to our wellbeing and survival. Thus
is lost, the awareness that when we act destructively to the welfare of other
people, other creatures, and to the environment, we cause
damage to ourselves at a deeper level of our our own being.
This leads eventually to a lower level of survival
and morale, even if in the short term it seems to do the opposite.
4. The Mind of man is a complex series of faculties and abilities, which
all have a common factor in that they are creative, in one way or another.
The various functions of the mind are so numerous, that
for the sake of simplicity, only the main ones are listed. Although they are listed
into approximate categories, the magic of the mind defies being contained by categories,
so that close analysis shows that these abilities span more than one single category.
Also, they are here described in everyday, rather than scientific language, to
make it easier to follow:
Group
A:
The processes of cognition and apprehension (understanding);
Intellect, logical reasoning and the ability to evaluate,compute, calculate,
analyse, synthesise, estimate, judge, discriminate, select, assign labels to things
(give them significance and meaning).
Perception,
including the ability to recognise differences and similarities;
Group
B:
Creative imaging in mind-space ( the mind's eye), including not only mind-generated
visual pictures, but also mind-generated equivalents of
all the other sensory perceptions such as sounds in the mind's ear, inner
senses of taste, smell, touch, personal motion, pressure, weight, gravity, bodily
somatic sensations etc (we
could label all this, creating one's own inner-world).
Group
C:
Conditioned awarenesses, such as the creation and holding of ideas, attitudes
opinions, biases, stances to life (and
to anything else in life, such as other people, things events, etc).
Also, the relinquishing and changing of such attitudes and beliefs, etc.
Group
D:
The creation and holding of habits and reflexes of the mind, mind-grooves,
and mentally-created sub-entities.
A mind-groove
is another name for a mind habit,
but is a more useful term because it better describes how sub-entities are created.
The mind-groove is a mentally created groove in the inner mental field. Its
purpose is to channel and direct selected mind energies, emotions, ideas, attitudes,
opinions, biases, stances to life, conditioned awarenesses and reflexes, into
a collective group or sub-entity. Sub-entities
have skills and purposes. They can be positive in nature or negative.
An
example of a positive one would be a group of work-skills
and relationship skills, in combination with enabling personality features,
attitudes, emotions, empowering stances to life and activity in the work area.
Another would be a group of sporting skills, with
supporting attitudes, personality, and other enabling features such as general
confidence.
Examples of negative ones would be disabling
or limiting mentalities such as a 'victim-complex', an 'inferiority-complex,
a defeatist personality, an aggressive personality and so on. Each
one would have its selected purpose, selected attitudes, fixed ideas, chronic
emotions, memories, sensitvities, and other personality features, but
designed to accomplish the purpose for which it was formed.
Group
E:
Memory; the totality of stored images and perceptions of past events containing
energies that record emotions, ideas, sensory experiences, etc.
Some
of these will be readily available to recall. Others, which are too overwhelming,
may be repressed, and and not so easily recalled.
Group
F:
Intentionality, the creation and holding of goals
and purposes. The selection of sub goals and
actions that are deemed to enable one to achieve one's goals and purposes. The
making of decisions to do with goals and purposes
and desired future states and conditions of existence.
Group
G:
Mind energies, flows of consciousness, focus and awareness within the mental
mode that enable all mental activity, its creation, alteration, or dissolution.
Attention
is defined as
focus of awareness.
Worthy of special note is that WHERE
ATTENTION GOES, ENERGY FLOWS. This is the principle that allows counselling
and any mind healing therapy to work and succeed.
THUS,
ONE CAN CREATE MIND-HEALING METHODS BY PLAYING THE FOCUS
OF ANY ONE MENTAL FUNCTION ON THIS LIST UPON ANOTHER DIFFERENT ONE ON THE LIST,
OR BY PLAYING THE FOCUS OF ONE MODE OF AWARENESS UPON ANY OTHER AND DIFFERENT
MODE.
Examples:
The interplay of attention and awareness
upon memory, as with regression.
The
play of awareness onto goals and goal setting, combined with motivational work
for activating intention and accomplishment.
Focussing
the mode of spiritual-soul awareness upon any antisocial habit or sub-enity,
leading to the relinquishment of old established patterns, and the creation of
more enabling and positive ones.
Playing the faculty
of creative imaging (working with mental images)
upon overwhelming and upsetting items in the memory so as to release harmfully
repressed emotions, thus bringing about catharsis.
Doing drills involving physically moving and
controlling an item that has been troublesome or overwhelming
in the past, or likewise drilling the person to control something
that symbolizes the troublesome item.
And many others.
Additional
to this list of mind functions, are the different levels
of the mind, like the superconscious,
the conscious mind, the subconscious
mind (possibly better to be called the sub-awareness
level of mind), and what is generally referred to as the unconscious.
I believe that this will be found to be covering a rather confused idea, because
it seems to be used to describe two totally different areas. Firstly
it is used to represent the level that contains memory that is totally repressed,
but often, it is also used to cover what is better called the superconscious.
Then
there is the ego, which is most likely a mentally
generated and potent sub-entity, but may also be in combination with the body
control-centre or body-mind, which along with
the instincts, is generated from the DNA of the body. We
could use the term lower mind to cover it, however it is
generated.
5.
Human Emotions. These act as a bridge between mind
and matter, between thought and effort, and between intention
and action. This is a two-way bridge. Mind
can influence matter, and matter can have an effect on mind.Thought
can stimulate effort, and effort can stimulate thought.
Intention can motivate action, and action can certainly motivate intention. Emotion
has a heavier energy wavelength than thought and the creative mind energies, but
has a lighter energy wavelength than matter.
The
following is a list of the main human emotions:
love
- serenity - joy - happiness - cheerfulness - enthusiasm - interest - friendliness
- appreciation - acceptance - boredom - antagonism - anger - hostility - resentment
- antipathy - hate -- fear - grief - uhappinessness - gloom - apathy -- depression
- terror.
6. Body healing energies: sometimes
refered to as etheric or auric energies (connected
to the human aura), and in the Chinese healing system, as chi
energies. These energies circulate and flow along merridians which
originate from the human aura, and extend and flow along set pathways in the human
body. They correspond to the acupuncture meridians.
When these meridians become blocked, illness occurs.
Conversely, when meridians become unblocked, the etheric healing energies begin
to circulate freely again, and illnesses are healed.
7.
The human body: This includes
all our familiar body-parts and organs, our bodily senses and bodily perceptions,
all too familiar to need further description.
I
hope that this outline on the subject of 'what is a human being' has given you
a deeper understanding of the human condition, and of the reasons for the problems
we face that undermine our sense of wholeness, and the wellbeing and survival
of the human race. I hope also that it leads to an enhanced
idea of how we can turn these problems around and create a better future for ourselves,
and for the planetary environment. This can begin with a growing understanding
that we need to find the will to enhance our conscious connection
with the mode of the inner soul. Following
that, to allow the soul's sense of love and unity with others, with all creatures,
with Nature and the planetary environment, to shine forth, transforming our relationships
and behaviour for the benefit of all, and for non-destructive
stewardship of our environment. In this way can the
problems of the world be turned around, and new cooperative adventures and challenges
be undertaken and enjoyed broadly the world over, with the coming of a new age.
Do
not believe the voice of the ego, or those who would have you believe that such
a life would be dull and boring. Perfection
is not the aim, but a sense of completeness is!
Anyone who has experienced the sense of unity generated
by opening to the soul, will tell you that life becomes more interesting, more
enjoyable, more challenging, happier, and more complete. I
challenge anyone who hasn't experienced this to take on the adventure of a new
life by testing it for themselves.
THE
SPIRITUAL CENTRE OF MAN
At the deepest
level of our existence is the spiritual centre, known as the soul, or the spiritual
soul. It is the part of our being that is at one with Universal
Consciousness, the basic Intelligence behind the
Universe, Eternal Being, God, or however you want to call the Creative Intelligence
which animates the whole of existence. As stated earlier, we are spiritual
beings having a human experience, and an adventure in the material plane of existence.
In order to have this adventure, we have to some
degree to fall away from our spirituality, or at least from some awareness of
it. Otherwise we might just as well remain entirely on the spiritual plane,
and not partake of physical existence in a human body at all.
To
take upon ourselves existence on the material plane, we have to move away to some
extent from being centred in the spiritual soul. Just how much someone does this
depends upon the individual, and what sort of life they're fashioning for themselves.
Soul awareness can be a changing factor, depending on what
stage of life we are at, and upon what experiences we have. It also depends upon
the way we choose to respond or react to those experiences, and
to the attitudes and stances to life that we are influenced to adopt. Another
thing it is very much dependant upon, is what kind of lifestyle we choose
to create for ourselves.
By
such means it is possible to move well away from being spiritually oriented. In
doing this, we move our awareness away from being focussed in the soul, and into
centreing in the other areas of consciousness which
we human-beings possess. Centres that were described in the last section, 'What
Is a Human-being', such as the mind with its created sub-entities,
as well as the ego, the emotions, and the body.
Further
beyond this too, there are the social factors and pressures
which act to channel and condition our attitudes, and many of the directions in
which we use our energies. Most people seek the highest level of physical and
material plenty that is possible for themselves, and this usually requires a corresponding
level of income.
And
so it is that many fall into the temptation to accept and hold for themselves
those attitudes and stances to the world that would be most acceptable to an employer.
This is so whether that employer is a Multinational Corporation where the standard
of ethics can leave much to be desired (as witness recent diclosures in the U.S.A.),
or a Secret Police with its State-sponsored Torture Division. These may be extreme
examples,
but in most walks of life these temptations exist in one
form or another. When succumbed to, they very often
lead a person to further abandon alignment with the direction of the soul, and
the sense of completeness and happiness that goes with that, and
to centre in attitudes and mentalities that breed division and growing unhappiness.
The mind and ego are allowed to tolerate actions that are harmful to our fellow-beings,
or to the environment. Such a situation is, of course nothing
new. But in this way people can be led to move down
pathways of life that lead to eventual unhappiness, or even despair, despite the
short-term gains acheived. These are pathways that
they probably would never have entertained, had they realised what the end result
would be.
This also is no great new revelation,
you might say. But the point being made here is two-fold. Firstly, because of
the power for good or for evil that has been released into our hands by modern
science, a new level of human ethics and wisdom is
required of mankind, if we're going to survive. This doesn't just mean
on the part of other people, it means on the part of absolutely each and everyone
of us! The second point, concerns providing an indicator
for the need to move back into alignment with the
soul for those who have departed too far from it, and
who would like to return to a happier and more fulfilling life once more. For,
depending on how far they may have departed along an unhappy pathway of life,
it is possible for them to get into a state of the loss of awareness of the deepest
sense of beingness and fulfilment that exists, and into a sense of encompassing
depression or despair. This can easily lead a person to
become so confused about the situation, that the way out of it is not known, or
even suspected.
I
believe that a new holistic philosophy and grass-roots movement is required in
order to head mankind in the direction needed so as to surmount the dangers that
we face. This
should be an all encompassing and inclusive movement, to
be
taken on board in all directions, and at all levels of society, as a transformative
influence.
This
philosophy which we advocate as being the means of bringing the Human Race to
the required level of wisdom to safeguard our planetary survival and wellbeing,
is the philosophy of WHOLENESS, personal and planetary
fulfilment and a sense of completeness.
For
this reason, we give it the title WHOLISM, and we describe the healing
methods and solutions it provides as WHOLISTIC. This
philosophy contains within its boundaries a group of technologies. The
technology of spiritual energies and how to partake of them; a technology of connection
and alignment with the spiritual soul; a technology of healing and stress-release
for mind and emotions; it encompasses technologies already in existence in the
realm of natural healing, and maintenance of health (ambulance
at the top of the cliff, preventative philosophy); it
encompasses existing technologies of environmental protection and preservation;
it very definitely includes a technology of wholistic assessment in order to accurately
determine the area or areas, in which healing is required for any group, person,
or organisation.
Ultimately, it will also include
a new technology of economics which will be more
compatible with enabling us all to remain better aligned with our spiritual natures,
and it will lead to the coming into being of A
NEW POLITICS, where the welfare of all, and of
the PLANET AS A WHOLE UNIT, is the motivating drive!
It
will not have the intention to displace any existing religion, but rather, to
provide a wholistic influence and technology that religious organisations may
find useful in their own unfolding evolution.
THE
MATERIAL UNIVERSE, AWARENESS, CONSCIOUSNESS AND CREATION
Metaphysical
thinkers generally seem to express the view that the material
universe is but an illusion of consciousness. The famous mystics, who are
believed to have penetrated what are referred to as the 'veils
of illusion', seem certain of this. If this view
of material existence be the truth, then what is the true nature of reality, and
by what mysterious process or processes does such an impressive, seemingly real,
and often painful seeming 'reality' come into being? These
are the very deep questions that we will be exploring here, and they penetrate
right into the nature of the very Intelligence that lies both within, and behind
the whole of existence, as well as the creative processes of this Intelligence.
Do not be daunted by the idea that such understanding is beyond our mortal
grasp. For, the first important thing to be realized, is
that every intelligent being in the universe is an
integral and co-existent 'part' of the intelligent beingness that lies behind
and inhabits the universe. As such, at some level
of our superconscious existence this understanding already exists within us, even
if we operate in the mortal world with much of the knowledge obscured from our
consciousness. Yet, its conscious realization is
certainly ours to be attained, and does not need to remain an unfulfilled potential.
To
go any great distance along this road, which ultimately allows one to 'see through
the veils of illusion', there are some basic requirements we will be required
to fulfil. The
first one is to engage upon this search with a sense of it being a great adventure.
For it is indeed an adventure of the discovery of the true
nature of the immortal beingness that lies behind the illusion of our human mortality.
In entering into human life, we take upon ourselves
the consciousness of being a human body. A great
many on this earth, will never in their lives, expand awareness outside of the
dominion of the life of the body. To regain an understanding
of the real nature of our being that is not merely an intellectual one, but is
a deeply experienced and living pulsating understanding, is the real adventure.
Anything less is in the end, of little merit. To
make real progress requires of us that we relinquish the idea that we are just
a human body only. In truth, our consciousness occupies other modes beyond
the mortal bodily existence. This area has been outlined earlier under the section
'What is a Human Being'.
A second requirement for our process is self-honesty. The
human condition embraces all manner of vices, as well as virtues. Many of our
habits are useful, and many are undermining of our own wellbeing, and the wellbeing
of others. We often opt for the short-term gain that results in long-term pain.
Reaching the state of deep and insightful wisdom
that leads to spiritual and metaphysical understanding, and transcendance of the
human condition, is what is going to be required of the Human Race, if we are
to overcome the dangers that we, and our planet face in this coming age. I'm sure
that you are well aware of what many of these are! To accomplish this requires
the willingness to undergo a certain amount of the 'fires
of purification'. As part of this we need to be willing to 'see through
ourselves', and be willing to become aware of and amend habits that undermine
our own or the long-term wellbeing of others. To do this requires us to
drop any defensive stance about ourselves and to also be compassionate to our
human selves. Recognise that human faults and frailties
are habits that sometimes take time and determination to overcome. But we will
find that , though we are responsible for them at a fundamental level, they
are not part of our deeper nature. They are but sub-entities that we have created
for purposes of short-term gain. Be willing to view them without any
self-condemnation and realize that in the long run they undermine our own state
of being. To cease from energizing and activating such sub-entities leads to the
gaining of a wonderful sense of freedom, completeness and fulfillment.
In
order to come to any real understanding of this territory, we
must enter into and complete a process containing a series of insights. Think
of each of these as pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Some
of these pieces, you may already possess. Others may have eluded you so far.
But as the various pieces come together, a new 'picture'
begins to emerge, which at a certain point generates a consciousness-shift of
major importance to personal awareness and insightful wisdom.
It
would be impossible to know which are all the missing jigsaw pieces for the readers,
and so to cover all of them. However, I am assuming that many who are drawn to
read this work will not be total newcomers to the territory. For those who are,
I will be including at the end, a bibliography that
will enable a reasonably comprehensive understanding of the more basic insights
to be gained, after which, another study of this material may be more rewarding.
SOME PIECES OF THE JIGSAW-PUZZLE
The material universe: Most
of us are aware of the physical makeup of our material universe. We are told that
matter is composed of several sub-particles, the most basic of which are the atoms.
Then there are the sub-particles that make up the atoms. We have long known
about the protons and electrons, and then, during the course of scientific discovery
of the twentieth century, several other sub-particles that make up the central
nucleus of the atom have been discovered. We don't need
to describe them here. But what we do need to look at, is the fact that
within the atom, the quantity, or total volume of the so-called
'solid' particles is very tiny when compared to the space within the atom. It
is said that if we were able to just take all of the 'solid' particles that make
up the earth, and compress them together so that there was no space between them,
then we would have a mass about the size of a small tennis ball. If future
scientific discovery reveals that the particles so far discovered, are also made
up of sub-particles with most of their content also consisting mostly of space,
then we don't have far to go to find that there is zero of solidity left.
At
this point, according to science, quantum physics reveals that everything is actually
composed of non-solid energy particles
which go through a seemingly magical process of disappearing, only to reappear
at other unpredictable locations. In
the book
The Tao of Physics,
by Fritjof Capra, (Fontana
Paperbacks) chapter ten, the following extract appears:
| | | At
the atomic level, then, the solid material objects of classical physics dissolve
into patterns of probabilities, and these patterns
do not represent probabilities of things, but rather probabilities of interconnections.
Quantum theory forces us to see the universe not as a collection
of physical objects, but rather as a complicated web of relations between the
various parts of a unified whole. This, however,
is the way in which Eastern mystics have experienced the world, and some of them
have expressed their experience in words which are almost identical with those
used by atomic physicists. |
It
seems, then, that we don't have to stretch very far to come to the realization
that the nature of how the physical universe appears to us, depends upon the way
in which we are able to observe it. More accurately, the
mode of consciousness that we occupy whilst observing it. Looking at it
from the conditioned consciousness of our human bodies, we see and experience
it as solid. Looking at it from either the consciousness
and methods of experimental quantum physics, or from the consciousness of the
mind of the mystic, the universe appears as a unity
of interconnected energies. I suggest that but one
more shift of consciousness into the domain of the spiritual mode would reveal
what the Sufi mystics assert, ---- that the material universe is at its
most fundamental level, an experiential unity that is formed out of related ideas
in the mind of God, or, shall we call it 'Cosmic Consciousness?'
Awareness
and consciousness: In the territory of language,
these two words are mostly used as synonyms, both having the same general meaning.
When it comes to the territory of the metaphysical, however, this presents a difficulty,
because, analysis reveals that there are both conditioned
and unconditioned forms of awareness. An example of conditioned consciousness,
would be an awareness coloured by a specific and limiting idea. For instance,
the idea that you must bow whenever you come into the presence of someone specified
as a 'superior' would be an example of conditioned consciousness. Another
form of conditioned and limiting consciousness, is body consciousness, in which
reality is perceived within the limits imposed by
the nature of the bodily organs of perception.
It
can be implied that before consciousness enters into the
limitation of any kind of conditioning which narrows the field of what
that consciousness is able to perceive or experience,
it must have begun in an unconditioned and unlimited form of consciousness. We
need a word to describe this, so that we can discuss the metaphysical states and
phenomena surrounding the subject. We can either coin a new word for unconditioned
consciousness, or we could use the term 'pure awareness' for it. The
latter is what I am going to employ from here onwards. In that regard, from here
on,
I use the word consciousness to mean some form of conditioned
consciousness. I use the term awareness to mean human attention or awareness
that is free flowing, unfixed and potentially capable of accepting ideas that
would turn it into conditioned consciousness. Likewise,
any conditioned consciousness which is brought to let go of fixed and limiting
ideas that caused it to become conditioned, would therupon resume the role of
unconditioned free attention or in other words, what we now call awareness.
When we refer to awareness that is totally without any trace
of limiting ideas or conditioning, we are using the term 'pure awareness'.
This pure awareness is the totally free, Unlimited Creative Awareness of the Cosmic
Realm, the Infinite, Divine Beingness, or that aspect of God which lies 'beyond'
space, time, and form. In other words it is Cosmic Awareness
as transcendant to the worlds of space time and form, and
not in its immanent aspect where it inhabits the material universe (and continuously
creates it) by fully and powerfully projecting its own form of conditioned awarenesses,
in order to form (and hold in place) space, energy, form, and time. This
is similar to, but much more powerful than our human level creative power to project
awareness into the form of mental images in the mind's eye, and project other
parallels of the physical senses at a mental level,
for example, sounds in the mind's ear, and other paralells to sensory perception
in the mind's domain.
Creation:
The above reveals something of the nature of creation, whether it be at the Cosmic
level, or at the level of the human mind. Creation is shown to consist of awareness
projected as consciousness in the form of that which
is created. In this sense we have the key to why the mystics say that the
Creator and the Creation are 'One'. At the cosmic level, the Pure Awareness
/ Cosmic Energy of Infinite Being, is projected forth as consciousness of the
form and nature of the creation. And so, at this level,
consciousness of something is the mechanism of
its becoming created. At the cosmic level, because
of the high power of Pure Awareness, the creations have the 'illusion' of total
reality/solidity. At the level of the human mind,
the creative projections of consciousness (images), can be strongly, or weakly
projected, depending on the volume of free attention available
to the individual. They are perceived in the 'space' of the mind as non-solid
images and other parallels to sensory perception.
Transcending
human consciousness: It is possible for human
beings to tune into and experience an awareness of Cosmic Unity and Reality.
Self honesty when added to potent metaphysical insight,
can trigger a purification whereby enough conditioned consciousness is transformed
into Pure Awareness.This results in a temporary experience
of transcendental unity such as that described by
the lamp analogy on the second page of the section titled 'What is a Human Being.'
Many interesting examples of such mystical experiences are described in William
James's well known book, The Varieties of Religious Experience,
(Penguin Books).
MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES, CHAKKRAS, AND CENTREING
This section contains material of a personal nature.
To elaborate on the subject I have to draw upon this material, as it is the main
source of my understanding. Until last year I had not read much about the famous
mystics, other than an occasional note in a book I would be reading. In
any case, when I was twenty years old, I began having mystical experiences. I
did not realize what they were at the time. All I knew was that during the course
of discussion or reading upon metaphysical things, I would sometimes, somehow
receive a completely new insight, accompanied by
a spontaneous sense of liberation and uplift of spirit. It would feel as
though I'd been transported to a different sphere of personal perception and insight.
In just one tiny moment, all worldly cares would be dissolved away. Instead of
experiencing myself as a separate individual, living in connection with other
separate individuals, I would experience self differently. Not so much as a separate
human person, but as an interconnected awareness, and as
part of a Unity of the whole of existence. Whilst
in one of these states I felt immortal, (not as a body), but as a spiritual being.
I felt tuned into an inner sense of knowing that
had no apparent relationship to the knowledge I possessed as an ordinary human
person. I felt able to go into situations where emotional healing was required,
and be able to help repair things. This mode of things
would only last for a while, maybe for a few hours, or sometimes for a day or
two. Then, the ordinary limited human awareness would return. However,
the intellectual insight would remain with me afterwards. It was a long
time, many years in fact before I could tell anyone about it, partly because I
did not have a vocabulary which was adequate for the description, and partly,
because in the early 1950's, any such talk, and I would have probably been assigned
some labels from other people that I would not have enjoyed! Today,
in the year 2003, many more people are aware on metaphysical and spiritual subjects,
and also, I've gradually aquired a vocabulary that can to some degree, though
not fully describe such experiences.
The
challenge now is to be able to convey to others, how they may be able to 'tune'
into and have such experiences for themselves. I do use the analogy of tuning
into a different radio station, or TV channel, as a parallel to how such states
are achieved, and how to switch from the ordinary mode of consciousness into the
transcendental unity or mystical awareness mode. However, though that may convey
an intellectual appreciation of the matter, it brings the reader no closer to
being able to actually tune in to that mode. I must therefore find other ways
to convey it for practical use. But
before going in detail into that, perhaps the question should be explored as to
what value, if any, is there in being able to enter mystical
states. Perhaps some may even be fearful to have such an experience, in
case it be too overwhelming.
Let
me first assure the readers on this point. It is a totally
benign experience. Some of the famous mystics had advanced mystical experiences,
beyond the realms that my experiences took me. But they always returned, safe
and sound. The main complaint, if any, is of not being
able to stay in the mystical unity state long enough! My
average time in it was about two days, and one, the most special single one, lasted
three and a half weeks. This was a lovely experience, and I will describe it fully
a little later. My main comment is that there was no loss of full bodily or mental
awareness or sensibilities. Rather, every sense was
heightened, and in addition, there was a great sense of integration with the body-self,
and there was also a full consciousness of being transcendant in awareness to
the human self. In no way would one not want to experience
this!
As
to what use these experiences are -- they are definitely
a major growth experience; I believe that such experience results in a
special kind of awareness. It reveals to the individual
what is the way ahead for mankind, in the quest to transform the human condition.
It will take very great many people to have this kind of awareness, before mankind
can rise above its larger difficulties and afflictions. This
is the key to better moral and ethical living, and to the diminishing of our grosser
human problems. This will not do away with our having
challenges and problems. We need them in order to
remain mentally and emotionally alive, and interested in life. But,
it will change the kind of problems and challenges that we have, to more positive
or benign ones. This is the main motivation that
I have in writing all of this material in the first place, in the hope that it
will somehow light a few fires, and who knows what that may set off at the right
time and place. You yourself may be a link in the
chain of such a process. The time for it is certainly right if humanity
is to gain the required wisdom to step back from endangering our planet and all
of humankind. Let us return now, to mystical awareness, and how to obtain it.
These experiences seem to fall into four categories in terms
of how they arose.I'll describe these, and give an
example of each of them, and I will call each of them a
'pathway'.
The
first pathway I experienced was in 1951, when I was twenty years old. I had not
been brought up in any religion. Due to the mental breakdown of a family member,
for the previous few years I'd begun a quest to understand how the mind functions,
and how people in trouble in that area of life could be helped. This was before
modern methods were available.
I joined a group of people who seemed to have interesting ideas on this subject.
One evening, after a group meeting, a middle-aged gentleman approached me with
a request that I hadn't expected. He said that he felt it
would be beneficial to both of us if we were to meet one evening each week, and
to exchange and discuss knowledge and viewpoints to do with the mind and spirit.
I accepted gladly, and so began my entry upon the first pathway, which I will
call the pathway of insight.
Our
first evening, Mr. R., I will call him, brought with him a book from which he
wanted to read to me passages. The book was called In
Tune With The Infinite, by Ralph Waldo Trine.
It had been first published in 1899. The book was
mostly about spiritual matters, with a lot of discussion about the power and energy
of God, and how we may allow this to enter into our own lives. Though not
particularly a believer in God at the time, I was willing to keep an open mind,
because I noticed that this approach to the subject held no dogma, and it didn't
lay down the law, or try to push belief upon the reader. This made it unusual
in my sight, and somehow I found the notions in the book to be interesting. However,
I did argue a different point of view, and Mr. R. seemed to be enjoying our 'crossing
of swords' in the discussion process, as was I. Toward the end of the evening,
something unexpected began to happen. I noticed the dawning of a fresh new awareness
beginning to open up in my perception. I was beginning to
see new possibilities about the nature of existence. I
was not yet able to express it in words, and so was unable to describe to Mr.
R.what was happening, but I remember a smile of joy sweeping over my face as the
new insight was arising. It was very liberating.
I was experiencing my first taste of mystical insight and unity. Looking
back on it with the benefit of hindsight, I realise that what I had actually done
at the time, was to open up my being in acceptance, (for the first time ), of
all this liberating energy. I had seen the exciting
possibility that this radiant energy was everywhere and around us, and at all
times, there just for the having, and so decided to let it flow into me.
In that moment, some sort of energy barrier or blockage
dissolved away, and the beautiful and cleansing energy flooded into me!
Since
that time, and over many years, both during discussion, or whilst reading on spiritual
or metaphysical subjects, this joy of mystical 'release' and the feeling of unity
has occurred,
at moments of a deep and new insight.
The second pathway to experiencing the state of transcendental
union is meditation and/or contemplation. I have
never gone much in for meditation, probably because when I was younger, there
seemed to be no teachers of the art of meditation available, unlike how things
are nowadays. But there was one special occasion when I
was meditating on a particular subject. This was probably more what would be called
'contemplation', and not one of the methods of meditation
where one finds mystical union through emptying the mind.
The state of 'union' is beyond the mind level, and so emptying the mind gives
access to it.
My experience of it was a time when I was soaking
in a nice warm autumn bath a few years after the first experience of mystical
union, and was cogitating upon how it could be that
people were accepting into their being the pure Cosmic spiritual energy that we
all receive, whether knowingly or unknowingly,
and transmuting it in such a way as to bring discord
and upset into life. In order to come to grips
with this matter, I began to draw a picture in my minds eye. Put briefly, the
question was, "how do we turn pure spiritual
energy into the energy of dissension and discord".
I
drew a line in my mind, across the middle of my mindspace. Above the line, I labelled
it 'pure energy of Spirit, drawn
upon by all sentient beings in the universe'. On
the line, I labelled it "zone of mistranslation
of pure energy of Spirit". Then, the area
below the middle line, I labelled "impure
mistranslated energy of Spirit". In using
the term mistranslation, I'm indicating that, like with words in a language, they're
meant to be translated with their original meaning remaining intact and unchanged.
Likewise, I had come to the belief that the Spirit-energy
that I observe as entering the human being via the crown chakkra, is meant to
be relayed via the other energy vortexes or chakkras of the human 'etheric field'
into activity in human life, in the same pure form
in which it existed in the Cosmic-field of the energy of the Spiritual Domain.
Yet it's quite obviously, very often coming through into
action in life, in a very impure form of energy. Otherwise, why do we have corruption,
discord, greed, persecution, criminality, war, mental and emotional troubles,
and all the other ills and vices that human beings are wont to partake of! So,
to repeat the question, by what exact means do we
turn it into a grosser more impure energy?
The
first thought that arose in my field of awareness was that the energy must go
through some kind of filter, and what's inside the
filter must have an effect upon the energy. Next question, "What's
inside the filter?" The only way I could figure to find that out,
was to thicken the line marked "mistranslation of pure energy of spirit".
When that had been visualized, I then in mind's-eye, cut out a section of this
now three-dimensional dividing zone. The small section now
looked rather like a matchbox in shape, so I opened it up and viewed the
contents. What I saw inside were, not surprisingly, a collection of things that
looked like matches, but they had labels, and so I read the labels. They
named a collection of unhelpful and impure ideas, about people and things, that
the person concerned had experienced in their lives. Some
of these were just ideas, but attached to them were bad
decisions, misunderstandings, unhelpful stances to life and to certain other people.
These would infect the pure energy and render it in accord with the ideas, attitudes,
and decisions that were in this person's mistranslation zone. Also
attached to these ideas, attitudes, and unhelpful decisions were the energies
of emotional upset of the various kinds; anger, hate, fury,
fear and so on. Eureka! In an instant, this new insight somehow opened
me up to the intoxicating delight of that wonderful sense of transcendental union
and harmony that now revealed itself as the true perfection, which is the real
inner reality that lies behind life in the human domain. Not
seen from the human viewpoint, but clearly seen in the experience of the UNITY
BEHIND THE WHOLE OF EXISTENCE.
The
third pathway
is through experiencing distress, or something that is too big or overwhelming
to cope with and there is no one else around to help. This
may be a personal loss or hardship, being overstressed, or even one’s life
being in danger.
One example of this was in 1982, when my wife died of
leukaemia. After all the arrangements, and the funeral were over, I went home
to an empty house. I felt overwhelmed and totally alone.
Though by this time I believed in the existence of a ‘Divine intelligence’
or God, I didn’t really think it would answer any personal communication
I might make with it. I often felt in harmony, and some sort of communion with
it. Yet in this moment of despair, I knew I felt a deep
anger, and that the anger was directed at God! I knew that I must express all
of the anger to its ‘target’! So that’s exactly what I did,
out loud in the privacy of my home.
What happened
next was totally unexpected. It felt as though the room now contained a beneficial
presence, and it began to communicate with me. Not exactly in words, but telepathically.
Although I knew there was no person in the room, yet I
felt comforted, ‘as if’ someone had put their hand on my shoulder, and
conveyed the following to me:
"You have
been dealt a major blow. It’s like a huge wave has picked you up, and dropped
you right at the bottom, and abandoned you there. But there are many more waves
still to come, and each one will lift you up a bit
more, until after a time you will feel better and stronger to handle the future."
Then in one split moment, all my cares and loneliness
were washed away, and I went into the lovely feeling of Union with all
of existence. This lasted two days. During the next weeks, there was still much
grief to release, BUT SINCE THAT TIME I HAVE NEVER FELT
ABANDONED OR ALONE. No matter what else is going on at the human level,
I have this general sense of at-oneness with everything.
A
second example of this ‘pathway to a state of union’ I read about in
the book ‘The Teachings of the Mystics’
by Walter T. Stace, (A Mentor Book).
In chapter nine, it describes an experience of mystical union by the philosopher
Arthur Koestler.
He was in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, and was
arrested by General Franco’s men, and accused of being a spy. Prisoners
in adjacent cells were often taken out, and he could hear the shots as they were
executed. He believed that the same fate might be his. At
this time he experienced the ‘ ‘Unity State’, and
felt as though being merged with the Infinite, or dissolved in the ‘universal
pool’. He described this as "the
peace that passeth all understanding."
A
fourth pathway is through ‘communion with Nature.’
I have known several people who from time to time experienced this, as I also
have done’ The most striking of these was someone who had been for a while
in Kenya. He had one day climbed a hill and looked across a large plain with Acacia
trees, and herds of wild animals in sight. He
said to me that though he was not really a believer in a God, he had a strong
feeling that looking down on that scene, he was somehow ‘looking at God’
and felt a part of it.
A fifth pathway is in doing something that though inconvenient,
requires putting aside that consideration, and putting
aside one’s self-interest, to help another,
or others who have a greater need.
An example of that happened to me in
1984 when after a long stay in England, I was preparing to return home to New
Zealand. I had visited someone I knew in another town about 30 miles away, thinking
to say goodbye. We had a picnic at a park.
Near the end of the time there, she mentioned having bad back trouble, and was
selling up, and herself going abroad to get treatment. She mentioned that there
were a lot of her things in the attic to be brought down to sell, but
she had a problem doing it because of her back trouble.
If
she’d mentioned it earlier in the afternoon, I’d have helped straight
away, but it was now dusk, and the attic had no light, so to help would have meant
another trip there, on another day. This was awkward
because I’d already placed several advertisements covering the next weeks,
in the local newspapers, for selling my own things. I
felt there wasn’t time to get everything done myself, and importantly, I
didn’t want to be away and miss phone calls from people answering my adverts.
So I didn’t respond to the broad hint that she wanted my help.
I
went home, but that evening, increasingly I had the sense that I should have offered
to help, so that evening I rang her and offered the needed help. As it turned
out, she’d already found someone else to do it, but at least I had offered.
Over the course of that evening a
gradually increased sense of well-being grew upon me, and then blossomed into
a full sense of at-oneness with everything in existence.
A
sixth pathway is directly addressing, and communing with
the Cosmic Being, or the Intelligence that lies behind all things. An example
was one evening when I felt a strong sense of gratitude for everything that life
had given me, and I felt moved to express that to the ‘Source of all Things’.
In my being I felt somehow I could open up a channel of communion, and, somehow
conveyed my feelings of gratitude. This resulted in experiencing once again the
great peace and serenity of the Union experience.
Finally,
the last pathway that I know of,
is opening one’s inner being to receive the healing
and uplifting energies of Divine Being. An example
of this has already been given under the first pathway
of insight, because that was also a major factor
in that particular experience. How one does this
‘opening up’ is difficult to convey. All I can say is that on reading
about the Divine energies, it somehow made sense, I
made a decision to open my heart and being to receive it, and it happened!
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Note: Permission to reproduce the above is freely
given, provided that acknowledgement of origin is shown, and contact details are
included.
