Review done by GuruDave
Lillian Bradley’s latest book The Magick of Crystals is an exciting look into the world of crystals. The author takes the reader on a fascinating journey exploring the latent powers held within an ordinary quartz crystal. Unlike most books of its kind, the author gives the reader practical information that can be used right away.
Chapter one breaks down the concept of energy, and goes on in chapter three to provide the reader with practical information on how to use it. The reader learns how to control and manipulate energy for love, protection, and healing. The book also includes information on how to self attune to Divine Protection Reiki which was developed by the author.
The real meat of the book, for those that are interested in astral projection, begins in chapter nine. The reader learns the concepts of time travel in relation to the past, present, and future. The author provides practical information on how it done, and what to expect during explorations. According to author, time travel during astral projection can be used to view lottery numbers, visit family, friends, and discover all kinds of ancient truths. The author seems to have a knack for providing practical information; the exercises are surprisingly simple and quite good!
Personally, I loved this book. It’s not a book written for scholars-just everyday folks that want to experience astral projection. The exercises actually worked well, and surprisingly quick. If you are interested in crystal or astral projection try this one. You will not regret it!
Listen to astral projection podcast, great episode! http://astralprojection.podomatic.com/
Taken from my did you know series......
Did you know the third eye often known as the second sight is a tunel vision of the Akashic records?
It is here we read the ancient records of the present,past, and future. This reading takes place from the lower Akashic records. Prophets like Moses was said to read often from the higher Akashic records.
These records are inward toward consciousness, and to read from them we focus our attention toward the center(meditation).
author Lillian Bradley
Description: The Brotherhood begins a series of autobiographical dream accounts most pertinent to advanced calendar study. Calendar cycles often extend beyond the duration of our mortal lives. Dreams told by testimony reflect our sprit and soul. The Bible and church teach the afterlife. Faith in the Holy Ghost is the supernatural.
The Brotherhood
Author: Clark Nelson
Word Count: 1172
Article URL: http://www.timeemits.com/tat/The_Brotherhood.htm
Format: 64cpl
Author's Email Address: article@timeemits.com
The Brotherhood
My first sojourn across the great abyss (Luke 16:26) that divides living people from the intangible world belonging to the dead came at the tender age of 13-years. On a chilly December night, some two or three fortnights before Christmas, I saw in dreaming state spirits of the dead for the first time. Two other neighborhood friends and I had gone camping by ourselves. We rode bicycles to the golf course a few miles away. G. was my age and K. was a year older. Bordering the first tee and practice range, there was a strip of woods before reaching the four-lane highway. At the end of the driving range is a large cemetery. Hundreds of union brothers rest in neat rows. Simple white headstones give their names, birth and death dates. We took the narrow dirt service road that led between the golf course and graveyard to reach the fenced wooded area. We played regularly in the nearby woods. Finding lost golf balls was a favorite activity. We resold used golf balls for clubhouse snack money.
We usually walked or rode bikes on the service road where hearses and funeral processions were common. A small shack kept chairs, cloth sunshades, some digging equipment and padded ropes. There was a single cold-water faucet next to the shack. On the other side of the fence, a trail led into the woods. Our campsite was a small clearing over a hundred feet away. The path continued a slightly less distance through thick foliage until ending at a swampy pond. We packed coffee, sandwiches, beans or Vienna sausages and drinks. Old cooking pots and pans from home were a necessity with a campfire. We brought at least one small tent and blankets for cozy sleeping.
We arrived shortly before sunset. Overcast skies threatened our fun. We were on Christmas holiday vacation from school. I remember looking forward to Christmas morning. I was not aware of the winter solstice at 13; however recollect the night to be either December 22 or 23. We collected some more firewood for the pile left since our last visit. We then built a fire and cooked supper. After a few hours, a light rain began to dampen our camping enthusiasm. We huddled in an old pup tent in our attempt to wait it out. Rain in Central Florida brings mosquitoes, which were in abundant supply so close to the swamp. Nobody wanted to go home. We were “men” and planned to tough it out for the whole night. We were all miserable by midnight.
The little pup tent soon was sopping wet inside and out. We burrowed into our sleeping bags to avoid the mosquito onslaught and I tried to sleep. About 2 am, I decided to give up the stinking, muggy tent in favor of sleeping outside. The rain had subsided and I pulled my damp sleeping bag from the tent. Our warm campfire was now smoldering rubble. The ground around me was soaked. I spread out the remaining wet wood and threw the sleeping bag on top. I climbed in, pulling the canvas end piece over my face. Tired and cold, I drifted off to the most traumatic ghost story of my life.
I was standing on the woods side of the fence facing the graveyard in the dream. I looked to my left and saw several white sails moving up and down. They randomly jumped into the air, maybe 20 feet or more. When they came down, they never quite touched the ground. I saw one, then many, all dancing up to the sky in rapid, random order. I had no idea what I was witnessing. I found the scene most beautiful. Vertical sheets (Acts 10:11, Acts 11:5) oscillated up and down against a silhouette outline of the orange grove across the way. Above the nearly ordered rows of tombstones, these sail-shapes seemed large, white to grey in color and two-dimensional. Sometimes they hovered individually above the grave. I looked across the cemetery and to the left. I saw hundreds. They would remind you of a lightly winded boat sail. I was seeing undulating, vertical squares or rectangles on edge.
I had a joyous feeling watching them. They seemed oblivious to me and I became mesmerized. I could not, at any time during this dream move my head, or field of view, toward the right side. I was only able to look left and back toward center. The whitish sails dropped sometimes near the ground, budging horizontally in pulsating, staccato movements. An irony presented itself. Where I could not turn my dreaming head toward the right side, I could not see any of them moving to the left side. Only in short, bursting successive steps did they move right. They never bumped into one another. They never went through one another. As I peered over the fence in the dream, I began to crouch down in fear. I knew that any might become aware of me watching. The spectacle continued to unfold before me. I finally turned my head to the right in the dream. Just as I saw the small storage shack, I awoke.
I reflected on the dream for an hour or more. I had seen something marvelous and very rare. Ideas of ghosts never entered my conscious thoughts. It was like seeing a strange animal for the first time. Surprised, amazed and a bit afraid, this dream would lay foundations in my religious life. I fell back to sleep.
The next morning I was still laying on the woodpile when I awoke. G. and K. soon awoke and we made coffee. While G. packed away camp, K. and I headed for the water faucet to wash up. I remember walking up to the fence and suddenly the entire dream came flooding back to me. Apprehensive about telling the dream, K. and I proceeded to wash the pans and utensils in silence. I then decided to talk about my dream. I began to speak and told K. what I had seen. About midway through the fourth sentence, K. straightened from the pan he was washing. His eyes grew to the size of saucers and he exclaimed in a loud voice, “My God, don’t say that, Man! You are freaking me out!” Startled at his reaction, I stopped abruptly. He said more quietly, “My church teaches that stuff.” With a meek, trembling voice, I replied. “Well, what church do you go to?” He answered, “Church of God.” I knew I was about to start Lutheran confirmation classes. I never spoke about this experience with K. again, nor did I mention it during any confirmation classes. On those rare occasions when I did choose to tell this story, I usually became the target of obvious scrutiny and ridicule. Scorn is the fate endured by God’s witness.
Much of the original golf course is developed. A church bearing the name of the former union brotherhood now stands upon the property. May the interred brothers always Rest In Peace.
Are you a pastor, educator or a student of the Holy Bible? Timeemits.com seeks anointed people to review and contribute to the Ages of Adam ministry. Ancient lunar/solar calendars like the Jewish and Mayan calendars provide the background to understanding early time. Ancient calendars of the Holy Bible use differences between the moon and sun, numerical matching and a 364-day calendar year to describe X-number of days that match with X-number of years. Ages of Adam is a free read at http://www.timeemits.com.
Clark Nelson is webmaster for www.timeemits.com and author of Ages of Adam and sequel, Holy of Holies. Contact article@timeemits.com for more information. © Copyright 2006 Clark Nelson and timeemits.com All Rights Reserved.
Brothers, sprit, soul, ghost, graveyard, golf, camp, church, testimony, dream, timeemits, Bible, Genesis
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
Copyright © 2006 Luxamore
FINDINGS
In this chapter we will consider the four perspectives in greater detail. We will look into the dying process and the nature of life in the higher planes, as seen through the eyes of Western and Eastern occultism. Analysis of the religious concepts anent death, dying and the after-death state will offer us a clearer picture of what is commonly believed by the average person. We will deal with religious concepts not from the perspective of any particular religion, but from an overall, general view. The findings of modern researchers of the paranormal will greatly enhance our comprehension of nature's laws, while Tibetan teachings concerning death will offer us a better insight into the purposes of life and the liberating nature of the death process. We will discuss these various perspectives with a metaphysical understanding.
The metaphysician is a seeker of empirical and pragmatic truths--truths and laws that are applicable and relevant to one's life. The metaphysician, as a healer of man's souls, is a searcher for not merely theoretical, but practical, factual, and experiential knowledge. Such knowledge, as an accumulation of relevant data, offers the material required to gain wisdom, insight and understanding of God's plan, and the privilege of participating in the creative work of the universe. Knowledge of the death process and the purposes of life offers us a certain power to pre-determine our fate in the higher worlds and in subsequent incarnations with the exercise of our God-given gift of free-choice and the divine-will of our Higher Self.
Religious Beliefs
Followers of religions have viewed death, or the passing over to a new dimension, in contradictory terms. On one hand, there is a lively anticipation and hope for a glorious future-state in a heavenly paradise, and on the other, a pronounced fear of eternal damnation and torture in an everlasting burning hell. The concepts of heaven and hell are common to most religions, and from the occult point of view, there is a basis for these ideas; however, heaven and hell as understood by the masses and unenlightened clergymen are a distortion of the reality underlying those states.
Hell, according to religious ideas, is a place in the afterlife for the punishment of wicked, immoral and sinful men and women. It is described to be a place of eternal torture, a place filled with fire and brimstone, a place of horror and terror, a locality where one suffers pain and misery indefinitely. Judaism refers to this hell as Sheol and Gehenna, while the ancient Greeks called it Hades and Tartarus. In Buddhism, the hell-state is known as Avitchi. Hell has been described in literature as the Inferno, the Abyss, the Pit, the Darkness, Limbo etc. In Paradise Lost, Milton called the capital of Hell, Pandemonium, which figuratively, refers to a state of chaos, lawlessness and anarchy. In the Gospel stories the Piscean Master referred to a pit outside the walls of Jerusalem--a pit utilized as a garbage incinerator. This burning pit was used as an illustration, in a metaphorical and symbolical manner, of the nature of Gehenna. Not understanding the symbolism, followers of Christ have accepted the Master's explanation in a literal sense. It should also be noted that ancient mystics considered this earth plane to be one of the hell regions.
In the scriptures we are told that God is a consuming fire. This fire is synonymous with the fires and flames of hell; to the soul, higher vibrations are always fiery in nature. What do the flames of God consume? They consume temporarily the manifestation of the false ego with its expressions of pride, hatred and cruelty. They cleanse the subtle bodies of psychic dross. In the alchemical tradition, fire has been a symbol of the processes of transmutation and purification. In the same esoteric sense, the fiery stimulus of hell causes a purification and transmutation of the soul which results in soul-awakening. Once the soul realizes its mortal errors and repents, it rises from the fires of hell and enters into the planes of "purgatory" for the next phase of the purification process. From another perspective, the flames of hell may symbolize a soul's lust for the physical world--its ungratified consuming desire, and rage or resentment towards all that opposes its egoistic will. Freedom from such a hell is a simple matter of extinguishing lowly desires and the acquisition of humility. Sufferings one experience in hell, aside from the above conditions could also be the result of remorseful feelings for one's past negative deeds, one's "sins" of omission and commission; or the result of one's anger and displeasure for not possessing the ability to resume the life-style one had previously known. This often cause what is called an "earth-bound spirit."
The concept of purgatory was first formulated by Pope Gregory I, who lived in the sixth century AD. Although turned into a dogma in some Christian sects, this particular doctrine is based on reality, as it is validated by the experiences of psychics and mystics. Purgatory is an intermediate plane between heaven and hell; however, in actuality, all planes are purgatorial in nature. Purgatory, in a specific sense, is a plane of consciousness, a dimension where souls sojourn temporarily to cast off material and carnal habits, attitudes and feelings. It is a realm of purification of one's thoughts, emotions and desires. Purgatory is where one also commences the assimilation of experiences of one's incarnated life. Once this purification has taken place, the soul goes to one of the heavenly regions appropriate for its expression. This occurs automatically without any authoritarian decree or overseeing.
To believe that a loving, kind and merciful God would banish and exile wayward souls to eternal condemnation and punishment is a sacrilegious attitude and feeling, and an injustice towards our Creator. The loving Omniversal Mind of the Cosmos would never have conceived of such an idea. God does not punish. The many hell regions were not created by God but by man's guilty conscience, by man's evil tendencies and propensities, by man's willful disobedience and violation of the Cosmic Law of Harmony. This is not to say that hell and its tortures do not exist. They do exist, but as an illusion of maya. They are tangible but are phantasmagorias. Hell is an inner state of darkness within the consciousness projected and objectified onto astral substances. Hell is a state of mind and consciousness externalized and reflected in one's astral, or even physical environment. Sojourners of hell unconsciously build, share, and experience a collective thoughtform.
Religion in the collective sense, paints hell in frightful forms and images. In actuality though, most of the devils and demons torturing souls in hell are mere phantasms arising from the psyche. The wrathful deities, creatures and demons found in hell, such as Satan, Beelzebub, Ashtaroth, Mara, the Raksasas, the Furies, the Harpies, the Erinyes, Chimaeras, Cerburus and Hydras, are all negative thoughts and feelings within one's soul externalized in an illusory, hallucinatory sense to torment oneself for one's past misqualification of soul-energies. Aside from hell, these gruesome and grotesque images are also seen and experienced at a certain phase of the bardo. These terrifying demons are mere symbols of negative human behaviour. The guilty conscience of men and women evilly-inclined erupts from the unconscious to manifest as horrible illusions. Simply put, a bad conscience and temperament creates the experience of hell. Cornelius Agrippa, the eminent occultist of the 16th century, referring to the illusory nature of hell as experienced by hell-sojourners says that souls,
". . . are most cruelly tortured in the irascible faculty with the hatred of an imaginary evil, into the perturbations whereof, as also false suspicions, and most horrible phantasms they then fall, and they are represented to them sad representations; sometimes of the heaven falling upon their head, sometimes of being swallowed up into the earth . . . and sometimes of being taken, and tormented by devils." (1995:596)
In the Gathas, one of the holy scriptures of Zoroastrianism, hell is described as the place of the worst thought, and as the House of Lies. The people of Ahura Mazda believed and still believe that in hell one is tormented by the daena, or conscience; however, they do not propose this to be construed and considered as a permanent state--a concept expounded by theologians of many other living faiths. Eternal punishment is illogical, senseless, and without purpose, and goes against all spiritual principles and values. It would be more realistic to view a merciful God ending soul-identity and consciousness rather than to picture the Almighty banishing and gloating at the sufferings and miseries of wayward souls. Hence, the purpose of hell is not that of punishment but to awaken the soul of its spiritual poverty, of its need to turn towards the Divine Light. Here we emphasize the concept of hell from the perspective of Zorastrianism for it has greatly influenced the Semitic religions which somehow distorted the transmission of esoteric knowledge.
Hell should not be seen as an eternal state. It exists for the soul only for as long as the soul refuses to acknowledge and face the Light of God, of Truth, and give up its resentments, hatreds, and other negative feelings. Not all souls sojourn in hell or purgatory. Lofty, pure souls bypass the lower worlds to head straight for their place in the heavenly regions. Every soul goes to the plane most appropriate for its nature. This process or procedure is not directed arbitrarily by any being, there is no one to coerce and force us to be in any realm. This is all executed according to the Law of Correspondence. Man's spiritual attainment or lack of it determines where he would go. It is a matter of frequencies. One's personal frequency attunes one into the appropriate dimension vibrating at the corresponding wavelength. Imagine if you will, a wicked sinner obtaining forgiveness at the last hour and goes to the heavenly worlds. The very presence of the sinner would transform heaven into hell, for his innate wickedness, his negative character, would pollute the surrounding environment. Death does not transmute our character. We carry our same personality, character, minds and emotions wherever we go. If we are in constant discord with our environment, with our many relationships here on this earth plane, we would express no differently in the subtle worlds. The presence of negativity causes the soul, the astro-mental bodies, to assume a certain density in its energy-structures and fields, a certain atomic weight which binds it to the lower regions of hell or purgatory. Heaven is thus protected from trouble-makers. Whether in hell or purgatory, the soul suffers all of its misqualified and misspent energies alone. The length of time that one sojourns in hell or purgatory is dependent upon one's self, upon one's own inner desire to improve one's character, upon one's desire to be free, the desire to forgive self and others--to request forgiveness from those wronged, and the desire to serve others.
Concerning heaven, Christians have long visualized it to be a magnificent city with streets paved in gold and ornamented with precious stones. The book of Revelations has done much to mould Christian beliefs regarding this matter. What is not known to the average Christian is that the apocalypse in Revelations is symbolical and that it is a work written by great initiates for lesser initiates studying the mysteries of God, and that to interpret it literally is to deceive and mislead oneself. It takes a great deal of familiarity with the occult, the Qaballah, and the initiatory teachings of the ancients to properly interpret the real significance of its spiritual contents.
Heaven, generally, is believed to be a place of rewards, of eternal rest. Ancient Greeks called heaven the Elysian Fields or Olympus. Followers of Zoroaster describe it as the House of Suns, and the abode of the best thought--a place where the sun never ceases to shine--no doubt alluding to the luminous nature of the plane. To Hindus, heaven is Surga, and it lies in the higher lokas. Theosophists call heaven "Devachan." Ancient Egyptians referred to it as Sekhet-hetepet. To Scandinavians it is Asgard; and spiritualists call it Summerland. Heaven as an abode of peace, happiness, and abundance is a fundamental religious belief in every culture, ancient and modern. As hell is believed to be a place of punishment, so heaven is believed to be a realm of rewards due to the virtuous, the "poor in spirit" and to those who serve God faithfully.
Like hell, followers of religion have likewise misunderstood and misconceived the nature of heaven. In their theology, most religions lay too much stress on externals without considering the mystical nature of their teachings; this applies most specifically to such concepts as heaven and hell. The Bahá'i faith, as an exception, believes heaven and hell to be spiritual conditions, and not mere places. In their theological teachings, heaven is defined as the proximity of the consciousness to the throne of God, and hell as a remoteness from the heavenly Godhead. This is in accord with the words of the Nazarene that the kingdom of God is within. Eventhough the concept of paradise among Christians has a different meaning from the kingdom of God as enunciated by the Master--the former believing it to be a place--it could indeed be considered as such, as a place or places reflecting the inner state of the soul, just like hell--eventhough we apparently contradict our previous statement concerning Christian emphasis upon externals. As mentioned before, heaven and hell as places have been substantiated by the discoveries and experiences of mystics and psychics. However, we have to realize that the external protean reality is but a reflection of the inner state or condition of the mind. We have considered this before, but it is necessary to reiterate because of its importance.
Although heaven is as beautiful and glorious as described by religions, it is not a place of eternal rest. A heaven of ease and idleness is a static state. Inertia does not exist in the universe. All is in motion and in a continuous flux. The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, said that "everything is becoming." All Sparks, or creatures of God are forever evolving. Everything is in a dynamic state moving towards a higher expression and manifestation. Heaven as experienced and understood by mystics, is a state of intense activity. Heaven is not a place where one sings hymns and play on the harp all day long (unless that is what gives us pleasure), it is a place of continued education for the evolving soul, where the mysteries of the universe, and Cosmic laws are studied. In the higher worlds one learns to exercise one's creativity in myriads of ways. One also spends one's time in heaven serving the whole of creation in various capacities, in accord with one's innate abilities and talents. In the heavenly regions, there are no angels ornated with wings and halos, as represented by painters in their artwork. In heaven, angelic beings are adorned with their purity, love and other positive virtues. What are supposed to be wings are simply magnetic radiations streaming from their persons.
One of the salient features of religious beliefs is that during transition, before one passes over to heaven or hell, one has to undergo a judgment. The Ancient Egyptians, Tibetans, Christians, Muslims and many others all have and had their judgment scenes in their theological concepts. This is ingrained in the eschatology of religion and has, as a matter of fact, a basis of truth which we shall see later as we consider the bardos. It will suffice here to describe certain aspects of the Judgment scene.
The Judgment scene of almost every religion consists of a judge, a weigher of the scales, a scribe, and of course, the soul being judged. To Ancient Egyptians, Osiris was the judge of the soul, Anubis the weigher of the scales, while Thoth was the scribe. The human soul was often depicted as hawk-headed. In Zoroastrianism, Mithras or sometimes Zoroaster sits on the judgment seat, with Rashnu acting as weigher and Sraosha as recorder. Tibetans called their magistrate Dharmaraja and their scribe Shinje--the monkey-headed one. Christians believe that Jesus would be the one to judge the "quick and the dead," with angelic personnel acting as his amanuensis.
In the Judgment scene, as conceived by the ancient Egyptians, the Ab, or heart of the soul is weighed against Maat, or Truth, symbolised by a feather. The deceased makes a long confession, affirming his or her goodly works. The negative works of the soul goes unstated and unproclaimed--the soul hoping that its past sinful deeds are overlooked and not revealed. But then comes the weighing of the scales, where the statements of the soul are gauged of its truth. When found not to measure up to its honesty, the soul is led to hell to be tormented by Typhon, who is one of the presiding demons; otherwise, it is shown the way to paradise. The Judgment scene of all religions follows more or less along similar lines.
According to some religious and cultural beliefs, prior to the Judgment or the entry into the underworld, the soul had to cross a river or rivers, before passing on to its destination. The soul is usually led across the river in a boat or by using certain bridges. Ancient people used these symbols to signify the processes of transition. Muslims call the bridge "Sirat," while followers of Zoroaster call it "Chivat." Ancient Greeks called the underworld rivers Styx, Acheron, Cocytus, and Phlegethon. These named rivers correspond to the four streams of the Garden of Eden: Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel, and Phrath. Occultly, they probably refer to the four etheric planes. Scandinavians also believe in a river that souls in the cthonian world had to cross. They call this "Wimur." Ancient Babylonians believed that the soul had to cross the Huber river prior to reaching the "mountain of justice," or the Judgment scene.
Psychologically, rivers, oceans, pools, and lakes all refer to the subconscious element within man. In the depth of the Freudian "id," lurk various monsters--phobias, psychosis, neurosis, and repressions. In an occult sense, these monsters of the psyche are known collectively as the Dweller on the Threshold. Crossing rivers in the context of its symbolism, entails encountering these monsters, these repressed images in the death process; and indeed, according to Tibetan thanatology, this is exactly what occurs in the bardo. All religious doctrines teach of the danger that the soul may have to face in the intermediate state.
Copyright © 2006 Luxamore
In general, the various branches of parapsychological study related to the soul are Near-Death Experience (NDE); Out-of-the-Body Experience (OBE); Biomagnetic Radiation/Field (aura); Hauntings; Posessions; Bilocation; Past-Life Regression, and ESP.
Many instruments and methods are used in the investigation of psychic phenomena. Hypnosis is often used to uncover subconscious knowledge on a subject. Such a method has been successful in regressing a person to a past life and even between lifetimes. Much knowledge related to the after-life and the soul's continued existence have thus been acquired.
Unorthodox methods that purports to contact disembodied intelligence might include séances, the Ouija board, the planchette, automatic writing, and the pendulum; some of these methods are similar to the Indonesian Jailangkung and Nini Towok.
One of the former presidents of the Society of Psychical Research, C.D. Broad (1887-1971), believed that paranormal research might eventually prove that psychological events can survive bodily death. He theorized that man had an invisible constituent; this he called the psi-component, or "psychogenic factor." Ever since the days of Broad, parapsychology has indeed made much progress.
METAPHYSICAL VIEWPOINTS
When we speak of the viewpoints of metaphysics questions might arise inquiring of the source of these teachings. Generally speaking, the tenets of metaphysics are derived from the esoteric transmissions of lofty beings to select members of the human family. These beings have already evolved far beyond the human kingdom and its pinnacle--the perfect human being as portrayed by the archetype Adam Kadmon. These teachings are based on their personal experiences and awareness of the Truth of all things. Some of the students of these lofty beings were able to verify, again by personal experience, part of the teachings that was conveyed by these Spiritual Masters. This would leave aspects of metaphysical teachings as theoretical or hypothetical from the student's perspective.
There are also metaphysical teachings that have been formulated by students intellectually without knowing its truth experientially before-hand and may consequently be without a foundation in reality. This is the reason why certain metaphysical doctrines are ever-evolving. May the reader ever keep this in mind.
From the superficial investigation of metaphysical conceptions one comes to the conclusion that they are as diverse as the many theories developed by science or theology; however, in essence they all share a common thread in that the soul, the spirit intelligence, is regarded as being a distinctive part of the human organism and has a divine origin. One of the most basic fundamentals in contemporary metaphysics is that there is only One Substance, One Power, One Life, One Mind, One Law in the whole Universe, and each being in its innermost "I AM" core, is part of that One. The other laws and principles of metaphysics stems from this basis. The above statement is not entirely accurate, however. We referred to the One as being in the Universe, when in fact, it is entirely opposite. The Universe is in the One, or is a partial manifestation of the One. To the metaphysician, everything has a divine origin and is essentially eternal. We emphasize the word "essentially," for there is a difference between form and expression, and its divine essence. For instance we may liken the essence with electricity, the form-the electric bulb, the clarity and power (wattage) of the bulb its expression. Electricity is indestructible, so is the Spirit, the divine intelligence in man. The bulb, the form of man, is ephemeral in nature. The clarity and the wattage, the power that it gives off, is the evolving aspect of man called the soul. The clarity is dependent upon the purity of the bulb, or the soul. It is often tainted by dust and dirt--or the negative emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes. This illustration would indicate that the Spirit is immortal, the form transient, and the soul that aspect of the microcosm that seeks to ever grow spiritually until it is aware of its essential nature. By being aware it becomes immortal, meaning that it is continually conscious of its essential nature. The soul, therefore, is only potentially immortal.
After making our statements above, it should be understood that the soul-concept is ever-evolving, whether from the scientific, theological, philosophical, or metaphysical point of view. One could argue that truth is changeless and that what was true in the past is likewise true for the present and the future. We concur with this, but the problem here is man's understanding of truth, and the presentation of truth, and not truth itself. Metaphysics may be understood intellectually--this has its limitations; or it may be understood mystically--this provides real knowledge that the intellect has trouble analyzing, formulating into ideas, and putting into words.
One school of metaphysical thought believes the soul to be a function or development arising out of the vital life force that animates all living forms. This vital life force permeates the whole universe. Matter is evolving to the point where it may support life while living organisms evolve to the point where they may eventually support the development of self-consciousness, and this we call "the soul." However, this does not signify that souls are dependent upon matter for their existence. They are associated with the vital principle of the universe. Some scientists regard the universe as a living organism, or a living thought rather than something lifeless or mechanical. The soul or self-consciousness may be regarded as a higher expression of the life-force that permeates the universe. This signifies that the soul is a dynamic potential inherent within energy. As energy is indestructible, so is the soul in its essence indestructible. As energy is kinetic, forever in movement, so is the soul never the same in its expression--it continually evolves.
Esoteric teachings classify the microcosm into, three, five, or even seven aspects. In the threefold division we have Personality, Soul, and Spirit; or in Indonesian we may say Jiwa, Roh, and Sukma--but keep in mind what we have said before that there is no standard agreement as to the terms used. Sukma may be called "Ingsun," "Atma," "the Self," whatever. Terms are not important in this context, principles are. In the Judaic Qaballa, the threefold microcosm is designated as Nephesh, Neshamah/Ruah, and Yechidah. In Buddhism as Nirmanakaya, Sambogakaya, and Dharmakaya. In Theosophy as Personality, Ego, and Monad. In Hinduism as Rupa, Jiwa, and Atma. In ancient Egypt as Khat, Ka , and Ba.
These threefold divisions have subdivisions. In certain Hindu teachings they are subdivided into five. Theosophical and Rosicrucian teachings divides the microcosm into seven:
[Please visit this page for table: http://www.indotalisman.com/mystsoul.html]
In the Rosicrucian system, the Divine, Life and Human Spirit may be considered as the Soul. The Monad as the Spirit, and the other lower components as the Personality. Each of these components of the microcosm reside in their own plane or dimension, and they are composed of the substances of their respective realm. Each has its own particular function in the operation of the microcosm. Each component vibrates at a certain frequency. Vibrations may be perceived as sound, light, or hue. The seven components of the microcosm, therefore, collectively produces a musical chord, or as a certain color--the conglomeration of all the colors of the components. This collective sound or color may be said to be our "soul" name. This sound may be dissonant or harmonious depending upon one's soul-development. Each microcosm vibrates at a different frequency; there are no two microcosms quite alike, just as there are no two snowflakes of the exact same pattern. Each component of the microcosm has its primary faculty. The intellect is the faculty of the Lower Mental, the imagination of the Higher Mental, the Intuition of Buddhi, and Inspiration of Atma.
Since this is not a thesis on the occult anatomy of man we will not delve too deeply into the subject, suffice to say that there are many more components in the microcosm than what we have referred to above that are vibrating at a frequency undetectable as yet by our modern technological instruments. However, we will discuss a little so as to give a brief picture of man's hidden composition.
Aside from the seven major components in man, the microcosm, there is also the thread that connects them all. This is called the sutratma. Forces and impulses from the highest aspect of the microcosm flows to the lower aspects via this connecting bridge. Our reaching up towards our divine Source builds another bridge called the antahkarana. This antahkarana grows from the lowest aspect of the microcosm and eventually anchors itself to the Monad.
The etheric body of man is constructed out of "lines of force." These are the counterpart of the physical nervous system. Where they criss-cross a power-spot is formed. These are the acupuncture points, the minor and major chakras, and the tan-tiens. Certain energies from external sources accumulate in the etheric body of man. Kundalini is one of them. Kundalini is the cosmic fire, the force that has the power to purify and awaken the lower energy structures of the microcosm. When it awakens it flows through certain pathways of the etheric body. There are various main channels associated with kundalini awakening.
Another vital aspect of the microcosm are the seed atoms. These atoms are records of the evolutionary development of the soul, physically, emotionally, and mentally. They also store our karmic tendencies, expressions, and records. Though each of the seven components of the microcosm has its seed, only three are normally considered in esoteric writings. These are the Physical Seed-Atom, the Emotional Seed-Atom, and the Mental Seed-Atom. Each of these seed atoms has its position in the physical body. The mental seed atom lies in the pineal gland, and this is where our consciousness is seemingly focused. As can be seen from this, Descartes was not entirely wrong in presuming the pineal gland to be the seat of the soul.
As we said before, the seeds are records. They may be thought of as our recording angels. They record our every thought, feeling, and action. Our karma are stored in these seeds as well, and from time to time, when the time is ripe, they release the effects of the karma that we put into motion in our past. The timing of this is determined by a higher aspect of the microcosm, the Ego and our Solar Angel in conjunction with the advice and decree of the Lords of Karma--those beings that assists humanity in balancing and harmonizing all karmic actions.
The pineal gland is also the host of other spiritual components, and this is what makes it the most important gland of the endocrine system. The pineal and pituitary glands are psychic complementaries and their harmonized functioning results in a more perfect human expression. They are there not merely to secrete the known hormones but they play an important role in occult physiology. We regret that very little can be said in this paper.
Within the physical heart lies a spark of the Ego, the Soul, or the Higher Self. The Upanishads refer to this as the "Supreme Person, the size of the thumb." This spark is threefold in nature, in has three aspects-power/will, love/wisdom, intelligence/activity. They are represented by three colours-blue, pink, and yellow, respectively.
According to mystical thought the physical body is the temple of the soul, and although religion is in agreement, many religious persons have turned their temple into a tomb, with its occupant dead asleep in the darkness of ignorance. Outward ceremonies, forms, and rituals are actually devoid of any true spiritual benefit when mechanically conducted. They may please the emotions but they deceive devotees into believing in their piousness. The outward forms are merely signs of spiritual realities within. It is by understanding and living these realities that one progresses in a true religious sense. For instance, formal religion may ask us to pray once a day, or five times a day; but in true religion we have to be in a constant state of prayer, "25 hours a day, 8 days a week." Prayer is a certain mental attitude and awareness. It is not in requesting something but accepting that all that we could ever ask for is ours and is being done to us right now. Succinctly, Religion is Mysticism poorly understood as Science is its child that is undergoing a maturing process. More could be said of this but we would stray too far from our main subject.
Origin of the Soul
Man's innermost being is the Monad. This is the SELF, the God within Man. Its nature is Sat-Chit-Ananda--Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss. The Monad is a spark of the Divine Flame which is the One Existence. The Monad is not a creation, it is an emanation. It is God individualized within the microcosm. The Ego, or the Soul, is in turn an emanation of the Monad, and the Personality an emanation of the Soul. It is the Soul that "creates" the physical body.
All things are manifestations of the One. IT manifests as energy. Energy is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. It is indestructible and eternal. Man, like everything else is made up of energy. He has certain magnetic fields and structures all composed of energy. The Monad within man qualitatively speaking is of God, is God. Quantitatively, the Monad is but a miniscule fragment of the infinite whole. When man is aware of his divine SELF-nature, he experiences the inner essence, the God within and thus declares "unification" with his Source. He realizes that essentially he is "God"--however, keep in mind that this refers to the God nature within and not to God's totality, to the essence of man and not to his physical form or false ego. Like Jesus Christ he affirms: "I and my Father are one." This is not blasphemy as theology might teach us. It is the recognition of the love of our Source who has bestowed ITs very being upon us. IT has given us ITs identity. This whole notion might be incomprehensible to some, nevertheless, it is a Truth experienced by mystics of all generations and cultures. There is no separation between God and Man, between God and the Universe. God is immanent within all, and also transcends all. The forgetfulness of this divine union is Man's fall from divine grace. Man ate the forbidden fruit of intellectual knowledge and has forgotten his essential nature. This densified his being and he was made to wear "animal skins," that is, the physical body. Man's innermost being is Light, but because of ignorance he fell into the lower dimensions. Each dimensional descent enshrouded his light with a thicker and thicker vestment until finally he wore animal skins in the three-dimensional world and entrapped himself in matter--the most stupid part of the Mind as Leibnitz said. Man's original sin is the sin of ignorance and forgetfulness. He who will hear let him hear!
Purpose of the Soul: Evolution
Change is one of the laws of the universe, it results in the cycles of creation/destruction; involution/evolution, etc. The Monad, a spark of the One, is in essence divine. It possesses a divine collective consciousness without any particular awareness of individuality and separation from its Source. However, it was emanated by its Progenitor for a purpose. As a focus point of the One Being it was manifested so that the One could experience various aspects of Itself, to grow in awareness of ITs inner potentiality, nature and power. In order to do that it had to further densify ITs being to the lowest possible dimensional reality. This is the act of involution. Thus, the Monad issued from itself a threefold-Soul which in turned manifested the four-lower bodies: the physical, etheric, astral, and lower mental. Having undergone the involutionary cycle, man is now on the upward path. Humanity is presently on the path of evolution as a continuance of its soul-journey and purpose. Along the path of evolution humanity's consciousness grew through various lower consciousness levels typified by the consciousness of the minerals, plants, and animals, until finally it attained human-consciousness. What is the end of the soul's journey? It probably has none. There is no end to evolution in the school of life, or spiritual and cosmic growth. We could say that the end is to merge with God but that is only half the truth. Words cannot express what goes on beyond that, neither can the intellect conceive. Absolute Inertia does not exist in the universe. Galaxies are born, and galaxies die, this goes on eternally. By attaining God-Consciousness, or a higher consciousness level, one goes on to even more lofty spiritual heights that are beyond human understanding. The human kingdom is not the ultimate achievement, infinite possibilities lies before the evolving soul. With God all things are possible--and God partly lies within our being experiencing all things through us. We concede that what we have said above is not easily assimilable and is controversial; however, realize that we do not force ideas upon anyone. It is rather difficult for us to convey abstract ideas with words, therefore, a debate upon this is needless. What we have explained above is simply the main points regarding the soul's purpose and its cosmic trek, and is not to be considered as the whole-truth. It is merely a partial revelation. The whole subject of the soul's purpose would take us deep into the study of cycles, rhythms, spiritual races, etc.
There are two aspects of evolution: the evolution of form and the evolution of consciousness; and also two factors regarding the soul to consider: soul essence and soul expressions. When we speak of evolution we refer to the consciousness aspect, and the expression of the soul of its innate divinity.
It takes a complex nervous system and brain to support a higher expression of the Soul, or the sense of Self; and an even greater unfoldment is required for the sustenance of a higher form of consciousness called "Christ Consciousness" or "Cosmic Consciousness." This is, however, related to organic development.
The evolution of Darwinism refers to the form aspect of life and need not be considered further in this paper except to say that what Darwinism refer to as evolution might simply be a case of adaptation or genetic mutation.
Above we mentioned "soul-essence" and "soul-expression." The soul's inner essence is God-essence. It has all the powers, virtues, potentialities of God inherent within it. All of God's attributes are encoded within the fundamental nature of the soul, just as the human blue-print is encoded in the DNA of every cell of the physical body. Though the soul's inner nature is divine, its expression or personality is ever-evolving. While incarnated in physical form the soul has a dual task of removing the stains accumulated upon its personality, and of awakening its inner divine being that its expression would reflect the perfection of its essence.
Copyright © 2006 Luxamore
AGE OF THE SOUL
Although generally speaking, spirit essence is ageless and eternal, it is possible to classify souls in terms of its evolutionary unfoldment or development. Here we do not speak of the origin of the soul, for from a certain occult point of view, not all human souls originated at the same "time" or from the same imaginary point in space. According to this viewpoint, not all humans are of the same spiritual race. Our many racial conflicts have its source in the very depth of our souls where our metaphysical blueprints are diverse and heterogeneous. In the channeled teachings of the New Age, our points of origin are associated with certain constellations in the starry sky.
The so-called age of the soul may be determined in various ways and there are many forms of classifications. These methods of determining the evolutionary stage of the soul assists us to greatly understand the behavioral patterns and mental/spiritual differences in human beings.
We call some of the various methods of classifying soul development, "the Caste-System," "the Planetary Initiatory System," and "the Chronological-Aging System." Each system has its own method of delineating soul-progress. We believe that psychology would improve its understanding of the human psyche if it took the issue of soul-age under consideration.
The Caste System
According to the Hindus, thousands of years ago Manu, the progenitor of humanity, instituted the caste system called jati in Sanskrit. In this system there are four classes called varna. The highest varna is the Brahmin, the priests and scholars. Next in rank is the warrior/ruler-caste, called Kshatriya. Below this are the merchants and the farmers--the Vaisyas. The lowest class is that of the Sudras, the laborers. Outside of the class systems are the "Untouchables." These are the Dravidians, the original inhabitants of the land colonized by the Aryans. This caste-system is still in existence today, however, its rigidity has caused a great amount of civil problems and unrest; fortunately though, numerous political and social reformers have caused positive changes and abolished many of the caste-system strict rules.
According to the exponents of the caste system every soul is born into the caste in accord with its karma. If one is born in a lower caste, it is because of its karma. Only if it ameliorated its karmic condition would it be born in a higher caste in a next life. Members of a certain caste were not allowed to marry those of another class. In such a strict system the opportunity to progress was not provided. The lower class eventually became the slaves of the higher.
Although the physical form of the caste-system is abhorrent to the fine, sensitive nature of the evolved soul, its essence has a basis in truth. Spiritually speaking, every person belongs to one of the class of the caste system. In other words, our soul functions at a certain caste-level and it eventually evolves through all of the castes. At present we may function at a Sudra-consciousness level, or a Ksatriya-consciousness level, etc. From the spiritual point of view, there are also classes above the Brahmin level. These are the great souls, men and women who have reached the state of perfection.
Briefly, the soul begins its evolutionary journey as an Untouchable, this is the soul-stage where one simply struggles to survive. One has no concept of sin at this stage, one simply lives according to the basic instincts. The Untouchables are simple, ignorant people. Their mentality and spirituality are not yet awakened. At the next stage, as a Sudra, the soul has evolved an egoic sense and begins to work for self-aggrandizement and self-centered purposes. As a Vaisya the soul becomes very ambitious and materialistic and seeks money for its sake alone. The Vaisya cares for none but for self alone. Everything that exists the Vaisya seeks to own. The Ksatriya on the other hand has evolved a sense of responsibility. He seeks to serve humanity, however, his attempts are still tainted by his ego which is now functioning in a subtle manner. The Brahmin has commenced to renounce the many vices and negative traits that acted as hurdles towards his spiritual progress. There is now little ego left in him. He often has a mystical disposition. In his mind and heart he often feels that he has "seen it all" and "have known it all." This results in his distaste for the mundane world, and he usually becomes a renunciate. The Brahminic soul finds more pleasure in things of the spirit rather than in worldly pleasures.
From the above we can see the hypothetical situation where a Vaisya, spiritually speaking, is born into a physical Ksatriya caste, or becomes president of a country. This results in a ruler with tyrannical tendencies. Someone who misuses the trust that people places upon him. He exploits his position in order to own and acquire the riches of the world for self-centered purposes.
We can see the difference in soul development as related to class by an individual's understanding of the concept of power. Each class has its own characteristical understanding of the word "power." Ask someone with a Sudra soul-development what his understanding of power is. He will show you his muscles--"muscle-power." The Vaisya on the other hand, will declare that money is power, or even that psychism is power. To the Ksatriya, position, rank, or office is power . . . perhaps his sword too. Brahmins would maintain knowledge to be power. The person who said that the pen is mightier than the sword was a Brahmin. The higher spiritual classes without doubt would declare love to be the highest power.
Though the Caste-system has four, five, or even six classes, they are not clearly distinct. In some cases we have an overlapping of classes. For instance, a soul may be a Sudra-Vaisya, or a Vaisya-Ksatriya, etc. Or a much more precise way of classifying this is to consider each class as having four sub-classes. The following is an example: Sudra-Sudra, Vaisya-Sudra, Ksatriya-Sudra, and Brahmin-Sudra. The next set of sub-classes would be Sudra-Vaisya, Vaisya-Vaisya, Ksatriya-Vaisya, etc. This would make 16 sub-classes in all, and each sub-class would have its own characteristics.
We can also see how the pattern of the caste-syetem corresponds with the four-fold personality of the microcosm: Sudra--physical body; Vaisya--astral or emotional body; Ksatriya--the lower mental (concrete mind); Brahmin--the higher mental (the abstract mind).
The Planetary Initiatory System
In order to understand the planetary initiations and its relationship to the stages of soul-unfoldment, we should first discuss briefly the meaning of initiation and the institution behind it.
Initiation may be defined as the "act of inducing, introducing, or instructing." It is often ritualistic in nature and is to be found in various social ceremonies. Fraternal organizations often extend an initiation to their member-candidates to impress upon their minds the importance of the step that they would be taking. There are many forms of initiation related to the life of a human being; for instance, birth, adolescence, adulthood, parenthood, etc.-all of these are stages of growth and in certain cultures they are marked by certain initiatory rituals. These rituals are often called rites of passage. Initiation in that sense, is an announcement or revelation of what one has attained, or reached.
In schools of esotericism, initiations are given to candidates requesting occult wisdom. In such initiatory ceremonies, mystic instructions are often conveyed to the one being initiated. Often the candidate had to undergo certain tests and trials to prove his worthiness. In the Initiatory schools of Ancient Egypt, for instance, the candidate had to face the challenges of the four elements. These trials would reveal whether the candidate had the necessary qualifications, such as sincerity, courage, determination, perseverance, etc., in order to progress in the occult teachings and to preserve them from misuse. When these arduous tests had been completed the candidate would be led to a special chamber where he or she would be caused to experience what has been called, "dying while living." Through mystic methods the high priest conducting the initiation would release the ka, the "soul" from the candidate's corporeal form. In these initiations yogic instructions are given to the initiated one to practice. In most initiatory systems, there are three stages of occult advancement--each stage represented by an initiation. In the initiatory systems of ancient Egypt, these three steps are referred to as the initiations of Osiris, Isis, and Serapis.
Planetary initiations are quite different from what we have discussed thus far. Man is in a state of evolution, and every stage of his unfoldment is marked by an initiation. Often these initiations are ritualistically conducted by the members of the Planetary Spiritual Hierarchy. This Spiritual Hierarchy is the unseen government of this planet.
The Spiritual Hierarchy, according to the Ancient Wisdom, was established about 18 million years ago by an interplanetary being from Venus called Sanat Kumara. This exalted entity is the god or president-director of planet earth. It was he who sent many beings to appear on the world scene to instruct humankind on the Path of Truth, Love and Wisdom. These beings are our avatars, saints and prophets. Many of these entities now hold important positions in the spiritual government headed by Sanat Kumara.
The purpose of the Spiritual Hierarchy is to guide and assist humanity's evolutionary struggle towards higher levels, towards the fifth kingdom--the kingdom of the gods and even beyond. Their goal is to release humanity from all of its self-imposed limitations and false beliefs preventing the attainment of god-hood, divinity, and immortality. The members of the Hierarchy teach every person the way out of the cycle of reincarnation, and the elimination of karma.
As mentioned above, the many initiations that the Spiritual Hierarchy conducts relates to the various stages of humanity's evolution. These initiatory ceremonies are either formally or informally given. They usually take place in the higher dimensions, those above the astral planes. The candidates of these initiations experience them in the Out-of-the-Body state, and is normally recalled during the waking state as a "lucid dream."
The consciousness of life begins at the mineral level. It progresses to the plant kingdom, moving on to the animal kingdom, and finally enters the human stage. The human kingdom is marked by various evolutionary phases. Most people have passed the early primitive stage of humanity's collective evolution--and when we say "primitive," we refer to the consciousness aspect and not to form. The Hierarchy's consideration of mankind, therefore begins with the stage of the average person. When the average person begins to awaken spiritually, he is considered an aspirant. This is analogous to the stage of novice in any religious institution. After this stage comes the grade of discipleship.
After many tests, a disciple qualifies for his first initiation. There are 9 initiations associated with this planet. At each stage and initiation there are certain soul qualities that the person has to develop, certain traits and habits that has to be eliminated, and certain tasks carried-out. It is a person's soul-development or expression that gives us a clue as to where he or she stands on the evolutionary scale or spiritual path as reckoned by the Hierarchy. Most saints and prophets are third and fourth degree initiates. The fifth initiation marks the level of the "Perfect Man."
Generally speaking, the initiate of the first degree strives to overcome and balance the physical appetites and instincts. The second degree initiate works upon purifying and harmonizing the emotional nature. The third degree initiate has the onus of purifying, developing, and transcending the mind. The human ego would have to be eliminated or transcended in the fourth initiation. Perfection is attained in the fifth initiation. What lies above that, the sixth-ninth degree, is beyond the understanding of the lower degree initiates and the average person. Between two initiations there are several minor ones, not all of which are celebrated in a ceremonious manner. The various events in the life of Jesus as recorded in the New Testament represents the planetary initiations. This is a hidden truth not yet understood by orthodox Christianity. The gospel stories are actually narratives of our own soul-journey and development.
Not all of the initiations are attained in one incarnation. It takes many lives to pass through them. Because of this a person may be born as a second or third degree initiate; a first or fourth degree initiate; or even as an average person who has not yet set his foot on the path of spiritual unfoldment. Our children may be more advanced than us, spiritually speaking, just as candidates may be more highly developed than their seniors when they are first accepted or initiated into a spiritual organization.
The Chronological Aging System
Another method of gauging the soul's age is what we personally call the Chronological Aging System. This method has attained some publicity when the manuscript, "The Michael's Handbook" was published; however, this system is not new and have been taught by mystics throughout the ages.
Basically, this system follows the same chronological stages that an organism goes through in its life. An organism begins its life as an infant and progresses in the following stages: baby, youth (young), adult (mature), and the aged (old). Now the soul also undergoes all of the above stages in its development, and even more. Those souls that have passed the stage of "Old-soul" may be said to be Transcendent and Infinite souls. At each stage or age there are seven sub-stages or levels. At every level and every stage, the soul has identifying traits and characteristics, and these have positive and negative aspects. Generally speaking, by knowing the traits of someone we may tell their soul age, and hence, where they stand in their evolution. Below is a table of the soul stages and their basic traits as described in the book "Michael's Handbook," written by Jose Stevens.
[Please visit this page for table: http://www.indotalisman.com/mystsoul.html]
Generally, Infant souls are more concerned with survival issues than anything else, and they often live far from the complexities of technological societies. It is said that Infant souls tend to congregate in the equator for survival is much easier and simpler there. Negatively, Infant souls are aggressive, animalistic, fearful, superstitious, and ignorant. Their redeeming qualities are simplicity, child-like, psychical, and instinctive.
Baby souls are those beings that strictly play the rules of society. They are unshakeable in their beliefs and they have a tendency to succumb to fanaticism, whether it be religion or some other. Baby souls are comfortable with formal rites and ceremonies and are strict conformist to the tenets of theological dogmas. The good aspects of Baby souls might include loyalty and obedience, while their negative aspects dogmatism, pettiness, and brutality.
Young souls are struggling to express their innate identity, their divinity; however, they mistakenly do this by asserting their false ego, by misusing power, and by manipulating others. Hence, with such tactics, they are often the conflict-makers. They are possessive in nature and are deeply concerned with power issues. They love to be known and worshipped and are often the success-hunters. Young souls are ambitious and competitive and ever seek to be prominent in their field of expertise. They are great winners but sore losers. They are materialistically and atheistically oriented, and are greatly fearful of death. They love luxury and the many comforts of life. Positive traits of Young souls are productiveness and industriousness. Negatively, they are competitive, self-righteous, manipulative, and given to exploitation.
Mature souls are less materialistic than their younger brethren. Relationships, cultural and intellectual pursuits are of more importance to Mature souls than the lower activities of the personality. This is the stage where the soul commences to search for a meaning in life. The soul begins to feel an emptiness in its heart for all the mundane things that it sought after in the early stages offered no lasting enjoyment. Mentally, it begins to be open-minded, is introspective, and commences its inquiry into the nature of Truth. Mature souls have a sense of caring, they are perceptive, and are open to others-these are their positive traits. Negatively, they can be over-attached, over-emotional, and neurotic.
Old souls are the teachers and guides of the younger souls. Having experienced life and its many facets, spiritually speaking, they are the ones among human souls most qualified to show others the Way. Usually, they possess not mere intellectual knowledge of Universal Truths, but have experienced them personally through soul-perception. Old souls enjoy their freedom and have a sense of inter-relatedness. All things to the Old soul are inseparable from itself, and are but aspects of itself. They see and feel God in everything. From the perspective of Young souls, old timers are sometimes hard to fathom. The Old ones seem to lack any powerful ambition, motivation, and enthusiasm for earthly life. They appear to be detached, reticent, and aloof. Old souls enjoy unorthodox spiritual practices, and alternative forms of healing. They are esoterically inclined--always searching for the inner truths in religion rather than conforming to its formalities; they are more spiritually aware than the soul groups of any other soul stage. Old souls are adept in choosing and expressing any of their past-life personalities according to the situations that they face in life. They might appear authoritative one moment, and at another they may act docile, sweet and innocent. Old souls know that life is a play and that they are merely actors playing roles. From the viewpoint of Baby and Young souls, the Old ones with their spiritual vision and mystical understanding are simply heretical. Old souls have often been persecuted and executed by the ignorant younger souls. The Young ones tend to attack what they fear and do not understand in the Old ones and thus create unnecessary karma. The Old soul is easygoing, eccentric, kind, gentle, loving, insightful, intuitive, and harmless, these are just some of their positive traits; Old souls have very little negative traits and ego left, although there are some "species" that can seemingly be obnoxious for certain karmic reasons. Old souls are at times lazy, weird, and unmotivated.
Copyright © 2006 Luxamore
Basically, Baby, Infant and Young souls do not have as yet coordinated personalities and their souls are often governed by the lower instincts and impulses of their personality. Mature and Old souls are more in control and their personalities are integrated and functioning under the direction of the Higher Self, the Soul. At each stage and level the soul's consciousness level expands. It becomes more spiritually aware. Almost all prophets were Old souls. They gave teachings to the younger ones that eventually was misunderstood by them and created into dogmas. Young souls are incapable of spiritually guiding Old souls. Young souls merely believe that which they feel to be true; Old souls know what they know. Young souls guess, Old souls perceive. It is said that Infant souls learn their karmic lessons through suffering; Baby souls through pain; Young souls through losing; Mature souls through anguish; and Old souls through terror.
There is one principle that ought to be understood, and that is the appropriateness of activity and expression of souls no matter what stage they are on. It is alright for a Baby soul to act as a baby, but for an Adult soul to act as one is inappropriate and is retrogressive. It is possible to draw a correspondence between the three systems discussed above.
The eyes have long been considered as the windows of the soul. This is an occult fact. The soul's age may be intuitively felt by its eye-emanations, by the way it gazes, the force and quality that it's eyes radiates. Younger souls are said to have clear energetic eyes while older souls possess a deeper, worn-out, experienced look. Transcendental souls, or those bordering upon perfection, the Old souls, have eyes that radiates power, warmth, love, compassion, and sincerity. They often have a faraway look as though they were looking towards infinity. They have eyes that see through you.
The predominant soul age of the population of any country reflects upon its social life, its social mores, beliefs, and the perpetuation of its cultural and traditional values. A country's soul-age can clearly be seen in how their internal and external diplomatic affairs are conducted, and how their people act in a crisis. A materialistic nation is basically composed of Young souls whereas a mystically-oriented society is comprised fundamentally of Old ones. Indonesia, the country where this writer lives is mainly composed of Infant and Baby souls; with a smaller percentage of Young souls trailing behind. Adult and Old souls are few in comparison.
TYPES OF SOULS
There are no two Monads exactly alike, just as there are no two Souls exactly of the same similarity. Each Monad, Soul, or entity are one of a kind, each a distinctive facet of the One Divinity, of the One Reality. Nevertheless, generally speaking, it is possible to broadly classify the psychological aspects of souls. There are many systems of classifying humanity based upon body type and psychological nature. Physically speaking, bodies may be classed as ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph; and psychologically as introverted or extroverted, etc. In metaphysics there are also various methods of classification. The astrological method seems to be the most popular one.
It is no coincidence that both the Chinese and Western astrological systems have twelve signs representing twelve types of men. However, esoteric astrology teaches that this sum is erroneous. According to the esoteric teachings there are actually 144 basic types. Exoterically speaking, since the characteristics of each sign, both Western and Chinese have been well-documented in books we will not trouble ourselves explaining them here.
Still related to astrology are the planetary types. This gets its name from the planets of our solar system and the sun and moon, although the latter two are not technically planets. Below we list the positive and negative characteristics of these planetary types of men (excluding the Plutonian, for much is still not yet known of this type) as extracted from Michael's Handbook:
The Moon or Lunar Type
Positive: Calm, methodical, passive, patient, tenacious, maternal, sympathetic, and receptive.
Negative: Moody, introspective, cold-hearted, incommunicative, willfull, stubborn, unforgiving, depressive, and destructive.
The Sun or Solar Type
Positive: Radiant, creative, elegant, dignified, refined, innocent, fun-loving, and childlike.
Negative: Airy, aloof, intolerant, naïve, indiscriminate, greedy, and juvenile.
The Mercurian Type
Positive: Intellectually active, perceptive, witty, clever, versatile, and clarity of expression.
Negative: Inconsistent, impulsive, explosive, nervous, sarcastic, argumentative, and cynical.
The Venusian Type
Positive: Harmonious, socially warm, loving, gentle, non-judgmental, loyal, easy-going, and friendly.
Negative: Lazy, dependent, indecisive, careless, sentimental, and sloppy.
The Martian Type
Positive: Vigorous, energetic, passionate, decisive, brutally honest, heroic nature, and forthright.
Negative: Impulsive, irritable, pugnacious, defensive, quarrelsome, brutal, rude, lacking forethought.
The Jupiterian Type
Positive: Grand, generous, benevolent, compassionate, kind, loyal, caring, affectionate, and philosophical.
Negative: Self-indulgent, extravagant, conceited, wasteful, and craving attention.
The Saturnian Type
Positive: Paternal, calm, secretive, just, moderate, and self-controlled.
Negative: Immutable, inflexible, overly intellectual, despondent, severe, aloof, and feelingless.
The Neptunian Type
Positive: Spiritual, quiet, idealistic, imaginative, sensitive, graceful, and artistically creative.
Negative: Impractical, unworldly, uncertain, and melancholy
The Uranian Type
Positive: Independent, original, strong-willed, loathing restriction, and humanitarian.
Negative: Eccentric, rebellious, and deviant.
***************
7-Ray Types
Aside from the methods of classification above, the 7- Ray types have acquired popularity in recent years with the teachings of the early Theosophical leaders and the writings of Alice Bailey. The study of the Seven Rays is an abstruse subject and there is much concerning it that has not yet been revealed by the Spiritual Masters. Nevertheless, that which has already been given to humanity in the Alice Bailey teachings are substantial and it takes more than mere intellect to apprehend them.
Before briefly explaining the Seven Ray types, it would be appropriate to clarify matters regarding the Rays. We will attempt to present this simply, in accord with our present understanding of the subject. What are these Rays? Every object, entity, being, and particle radiates energy. The Sun in our solar system radiates tremendous amount of cosmic energies for the purpose of nourishing the planets and all beings therein. The Spiritual Sun, or the Spirit of the Sun, radiates a spiritual energy of a certain quality. This energy has three aspects to it and four attributes, just as the physical light spectrum has three primary colors and four lesser ones. Each aspect and attribute of this primary spiritual energy in turn have specific qualities. These seven differentiations of the primary energy of the Sun are called the Seven Rays. These Seven Rays are much higher in frequency than those detectable by our present scientific instruments.
Every component in the microcosm of man is predominantly imbued by one of the Seven Rays. The physical body, for instance may be ruled by one of the Seven Rays, the emotional or astral body may be ruled by another. When the four lower bodies of the microcosm functions in harmony their ruling Rays are in turn coordinated by one specific Ray. When this occurs there are three ruling Rays in the microcosm of man to consider: the Ray ruling the Monad (the Spirit), the Ray ruling the Soul, and the Ray ruling the Personality. Each microcosm, or each human being as a totality, may not have the same ruling Rays. For instance, one person's personality may be ruled by the second ray, another the third, or fourth, etc.
A study of these Rays help us to understand the Soul's make-up, its potentialities, its weaknesses and strengths, its quirks, and karmic destiny. One's Ray type/s may be considered as the nature of the power assumed in order for one to play one's role in the cosmic scheme of things. The Seven Rays have spiritual, psychological and physical attributes, powers, and virtues. Their characteristics are represented by the seven fields of endeavor:
[Please visit this page for table: http://www.indotalisman.com/mystsoul.html]
Each Ray may be perfectly or imperfectly expressed, and thus would seem that they have positive and negative qualities. However, the Rays are actually neutral in nature. Some of their attributes are:
[Please visit this page for table: http://www.indotalisman.com/mystsoul.html]
The Seven Ray types of men are represented by the: King-First Ray, Sage-Second Ray, Server-Third Ray, Artisan-Fourth Ray, Scholar-Fifth Ray, Priest-Sixth Ray, Warrior-Seventh Ray.
We regret that we are not able to elaborate upon the teachings of the Rays and how the raw data given above adds up together. To do so would go beyond the scope of this paper. We advice those who wish to delve further to study the teachings of Alice Bailey and her modern interpreters.
SOUL AND IMMORTALITY
Immortality in a religious sense, is the conception of the survival or continuation of self-identity, self-awareness, and all of the soul's innate qualities and attributes through the "Great Initiation," as death is sometimes called. Some conceive immortality as a potential condition to be attained by the individual through good works and moral living; others believe that immortality is an innate state of the soul. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), the German philosopher, defined immortality of the soul thus:
"The immortality of the soul means the infinitely prolonged existence of one and the same rational being."
The above statement implies that Kant believed souls would perceive and rationally understand themselves to be the same as they were in the mortal state.
Among the people of ancient cultures, the Egyptians were perhaps the first to give credence to immortality. For the departed they formulated specific rituals that would guide those souls in the many events of the afterworld, such as the Judgement in the Hall of Osiris. It was believed that their angel of death, the god Anubis, would assist the newly deceased to pass over to the Otherside where in the Judgement Hall it would be weighed on the scales against Maat, or Truth.
The famed "Book of the Dead" was a guide for the Ba, the soul, written in hieroglyphics upon the walls of the tomb so that the soul would know the things awaited it and what it had to do. That immortality was a salient point in Egyptian beliefs may be seen by one of the inscriptions found on a wall of a Fifth-Dynasty tomb:
"They depart not as those who are dead, but they depart as those who are living."
The belief that the soul survived the body and its eventual return was one of the exoteric reasons that the Egyptians mummified their dead thus preserving it from deterioration. However, the real reason why cadavers were mummified is yet undisclosed. That they did not really expect their departed to return to the same body and be resurrected therein can be seen by their practice of the removal of the internal organs and placing them in special urns. If the body was to be reused they certainly would not have evacuated the internal organs. The practice of mummification is analogous to our modern practice of cryogenics in which newly deceased bodies are frozen. There is always a hope among men that future technology would be able to resurrect the dead. What motivates men to preserve the dead body is the instinctive desire for immortality. Men have always believed that a future life is possible, whether in this dimension or in some other realms. Cicero once wrote that,
"There is in the minds of men, I know not how, a certain presage of a future existence; and this takes deepest root in the greatest geniuses and most exalted souls."
Why is the immortality of the soul believed in so emphatically in most religions and philosophical thought? In ancient times man was considered to be a dual creature. He had a physical body that was tangible and corporeal; however the ancients also recognized the fact that man had feelings and thoughts, and this was related to an intangible factor that they conceived of as spirit or soul. In addition to this, the many supernatural phenomena such as hauntings and psychic contacts convinced man that the soul was indeed immortal and survive the death of the physical body. To the ancients, another factor that gave credence to immortality is that the life-force accompanies the breath when man as a newly-born child makes its first inhalation, and that they also depart simultaneously at the time of death. The soul was conceived of as being released together with the last breath. Since the breath is indestructible, so likewise was the soul. The living body breathes, the dead does not. Many cultures used the same word to mean both breath and soul, or life-essence. The ancient Greeks for instance used the word, "pneuma" to designate the breath and likewise the vital force that animates man. They also used the word psyche to designate the mind and soul.
Another concept of immortality is that the soul was never created and that it had always existed though its consciousness may not be as developed as it is now. What has no beginning has no end. Whatever had an inception is conceived to have a termination. In the Phaedo, Plato has Socrates arguing for the immortality of the soul.
It is said that the belief in immortality is a direct extension of man's instinct of self-preservation. All creatures struggle to survive, to maintain the life-force; all of man's finer instincts imbues within him the sense of the continuity of self-identity notwithstanding the transitory process. It is instinctive in man to believe in a continuation of life rather than its cessation. Subconsciously man knows what the conscious mind only has a faintest realization. In "Ethics" Spinoza affirmed:
"We feel and know that we are eternal."
From the scientific point of view, granted that the soul survives the physical form, it is still no assurance that it will maintain its integrity or structure forever. For instance, why is it that some religious doctrines believe that the soul may experience "the second death"? In what sense? Also, when the soul is considered to be immortal does this refer to its form or its essence? If its essence is considered immortal science would agree, for it knows that matter and energy are interchangeable one for the other and is essentially indestructible. Nothing is ever destroyed only converted or transmuted. However, as to the permanency of form, of structure--the structure of the soul--this is questionable. Another vital scientific inquiry would be, "Is self-identity and consciousness related to the essence, function, or form of the soul?"
Copyright © 2006 Luxamore
The many theological hypotheses and theories regarding the survival of consciousness are without a basis from the scientific standpoint. Orthodox science even look askance towards the findings of parapsychology. Accounts such as Near-Death Experience, spontaneous past life recall, hypnotic regressions, Out-of-the-Body Experience, and psychic phenomena in general seemingly point to the immortality of the soul; however, conventional science still find such occurrences inconclusive. Fundamentally, science, however, does not oppose the notion of the existence of the soul or of its immortality; it is at present researching through empirical methods to prove or disprove it. However, it is realized that the phenomenon of the soul does not readily submit to objective analysis. Science realizes the limitations of its instruments in the detection of the existence of the soul.
There is another aspect to immortality and this concerns the physical form. Physical immortality is an ancient belief and is to be found in many cultures. In legends and in tales we find the theme of physical immortality repeatedly. The possibility of its attainment is well believed in among most metaphysicians. There are many highly spiritually developed yogis who are said to have reached the state of physical immortality. We personally possess the secret teachings that according to our preceptors in metaphysics, allow one to acquire immortality not only of the soul, but of the physical body as well--at least, it extends man's life-span way beyond the norm.
In Taoism spiritual and physical immortality are both given careful consideration. Regarding physical immortality, there are many alchemical formulas supposed to immortalize the material body. Those who achieve physical immortality are called hsien. To the ignorant these alchemical formulas are supposedly made out of mineral or herbal substances; but to the knowledgeable, they refer to the internal processes of chi or energy. The methods for attaining spiritual immortality is associated with the spiritual realization of Tao, the Absolute, the "Mother," the "Source of all things." To Lao Tzu, death does not touch the one who has realized the Tao.
According to certain spiritual teachings immortality is the continuous awareness of Self-existence and being without ever lapsing into an unconscious state no matter what psychological and physical conditions or transformations take place such as sleep, concussions, or death. It is the state of realizing one's divinity and unity with the Source of all. Immortality and the state of being eternal are associated with one's divine Parent. Unless one recognizes and is aware of this unified state between one's identity and the Divine Being, one is not immortal, one merely undergoes various changes and is subjected to the whimsical forces of nature. Immortality from this point of view is not something that we automatically acquire when we pass through transition. It is a state that we may acquire here and now. The realization of one's unity with God is the confirmation of one's perpetual existence. There are many systems that purport to teach the aspirant the methods of acquiring mystical realization and unification with the divine being, they usually belong to the esoteric section of our world-religions; like religion proper, some of these mystical schools believe theirs to be the best. Popular metaphysics as a whole, embraces many of the above concepts regarding immortality.
The desire for immortality have also taken hold on the minds of computer engineers. To these scientists the computer is analogous to the human brain. They hope that one day a super-computer would be created where every function of the brain would be duplicated, and that it would be possible to transfer or download the human mind and consciousness into it thus creating an artificial habitation for the soul-intelligence. This is their strategy for immortalizing the soul-"a ghost in the machine" reality. Related to this is the supposition that computers and micro-chips would be so advanced and sophisticated in the near future that it would probably generate artificial intelligence-that is, thoughts and feelings of their own.
SOUL FACULTIES
The soul has various psychic faculties though most of them are not being used by the average person. The use of these faculties often result in strange paranormal activities or phenomena. Most psychic phenomena associated with the dead are actually caused by the living. For instance, hauntings are often believed to be "dead persons" appearing to the living, while in most cases hauntings are caused by the astral forms of people who are asleep and inadvertently appearing to others.
Some of the various psychic faculties are: Clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, telepathy, psychokinesis, precognition, soul-travel, and bilocation. These psychic faculties may be developed. It is not merely a gift. Those who are born with them usually have acquired them through psychic-training programs in past-lives. The "powers" that we mentioned above are considered to be the lower faculties of the soul. These powers belong to the etheric, astral and lower mental bodies. There are higher spiritual faculties and these are associated with the higher components in the microcosm, such as the Higher Mental, Buddhi, and Atma.
SOUL CULTURE
Spiritual evolution, when left to nature, progresses at a snail's pace. Plant-like consciousness may take millions of years just to reach the animal consciousness stage. Human beings, likewise, in the natural course of evolution would similarly require eons just to attain human perfection or godhood--the next kingdom above humankind. However, there are spiritual practices that assists one to shorten this time tremendously. What would take a million years could all unfold in a single lifetime. This was alchemy's biggest secret discovery--the transformation of lead, which is symbolical of the imperfect human being, into gold, which represents the perfect man. Why wait for nature to transmute lead into gold when it could be done in the laboratory by duplicating and accelerating nature's processes? This was the alchemist's reasoning. Though they exoterically referred to metals as the subject of their transformation, they were actually referring to the human soul.
The acceleration of evolution was referred to by the Master Jesus when he mentioned the "strait and narrow path." According to him only the few would discover this path. These are the teachings that the Master promised to give to his disciples at a time when they were totally prepared for it. These esoteric doctrines and mystical practices are "lost" in the present-day teachings of the Churches. We need not say any more of this.
At present there are many esoteric schools and organizations, both East and West, helping mankind to evolve at a rapid pace. Among the creatures of the four kingdoms, man is the only one able to take his evolution into his own hands. By working with nature, humanity would make much progress. If society en masse reaches the consciousness level attained by the saints there would be no more wars and needless conflicts. This is not an impossibility. Mortal, human thoughts make us believe in our limitations--limitations that actually do not exist.
Soul culture helps us to rapidly evolve and to reach the goal set for us human beings by our Progenitor. In soul-culture there are three basic practices to consider: meditation, energy-work, and soul-refinement.
Meditation
Meditation is the most basic practice in soul-culture. It has been engaged in by saints, prophets, sages, and mystics throughout the ages. There are many meditational methods designed for various purposes. The Hindu yogis have their own methods of meditation, just as the Buddhists and the Taoists have theirs. The Western Tradition also possesses its own forms of meditation.
The basic purpose of meditation is to attune one's conscious mind with one's Higher Self, one's Soul, or one's inner divinity. In prayer we speak and the higher Intelligences listen; in meditation, the higher Intelligences speak and we listen. Hence, meditation helps us to receive spiritual and divine impulses emanating from God and one's highest being. Inspiration and self-empowerment are the result of true meditation.
In the more advance practices of meditation we are led gradually to higher and higher dimensions or planes of consciousness where we would ultimately unite or become aware of our Spirit--the Monad. This attainment is referred to by Western writers as "Cosmic Consciousness." In an ancient scripture we are taught a method of meditation:
"The Self, the inner spirit, ever dwelleth within the hearts of men. Patiently separate Him thou from the cover of the body in which He liveth, even as thou takest off the blades of a reed-plant. Him know thou as pure and immortal; know thou, He is pure and immortal." (Kathopanishad, II. 6.17)
Energy-Work
Before the advanced practices of meditation may be successfully carried-out, one's whole force-field and energy-structure would have to be purified, strengthened, refined, awakened, restructured, and empowered. This practice is referred to as energy-work.
The various components of the microcosm that has to be worked upon in energy-work includes the physical body, the chakras, the aura, the etheric channels, the etheric webs, the electronic belt, and the subconscious mind. There are material and psychic toxins accumulated in the vehicles of the Personality that have to be eliminated; and karmic stains that have to be removed. These negative energies causes lots of problems, not only in one's higher spiritual cultivation practices, but also in daily life. Many of our so-called bad-luck stems from these etheric rubbish accumulated upon our system.
Soul-Refinement
Evolution requires soul-refinement. In order to raise one's vibrations and improve the quality of one's force-fields it is also necessary to refine one's soul-nature, one's character. It is a person's low character that generates and attracts negative energies and it would be senseless to constantly perform energy-work when the time could be spent in more beneficial meditational practices. For this reason, aside from energy-work, one has also to work upon spiritualizing one's character--getting to the root of the problem, so to speak. Almost all religions teaches this aspect of mysticism--a moral standard is set for us to follow. However, sometimes we find it difficult to live up to the standard laid out for us. Sometimes we may consciously know a thing to be right, but subconsciously we are impelled to think, feel or do the opposite. We experience an inner conflict. Metaphysics offer certain methods to overcoming this conflict, and to restructure the subconscious mind with positive energy patterns.
CONCLUSION
It is regrettable that this work could not be presented in a more perfect manner, and that it remains much to be desired. What we have written in this paper merely represents the tip of the iceberg. There is much more to be taken into consideration than what we have addressed in this paper. The Ancient Wisdom is a storehouse of metaphysical knowledge and we advise the interested reader in mystical matters to delve into its study. Certain aspects and knowledge concerning the whole immaterial part of man, as well as the destiny of the Soul goes way beyond the understanding and reach of conventional science and psychics. Nevertheless, There are many more things that could be said about the Soul, not only from the metaphysical point of view, but also from the anthropological, psychological, philosophical, and religious perspective. It is for this reason that we appeal to the reader to do some personal research and acquire the necessary information that would lead to a greater understanding of the Soul--not solely in an intellectual way, but also experientially in a mystical manner through spiritual cultivation. In the early stages of this paper we spelled the word Soul with a small first capital-letter; now we end this work using an upper-case. After studying this paper the reason should be obvious. One last advice: Know Thyself!
Copyright © 2006 Luxamore
Bravenet Blog 
Blog Community
Get a Free Blog
Manage your Blog
bravenet.com