Man the Microcosm; Part 7
The subject of Rays is abstruse and complicated. With our limited minds and consciousness we are able to only perceive and comprehend an over-all picture. Consciousness may play a role in unfolding the ability we have of ourselves, or rather SELF. It is that is why that spirituality is equated with the expansion of consciousness, for the more conscious we have been, the more divine our expression; the harder we apprehend Cosmic purpose, the more responsive we are to sentient contiguity. The inner differences between one kingdom and another is the quality in the consciousness. Those considering delving more on the subject of Rays must study the works of Alice Bailey.
Now we'll discuss the interesting subject of consciousness. Consciousness may very well be as a stream of one's limited in their awareness in the lower planes because of the sheaths that it occupies. This limitation causes an illusory, dualistic feeling of fragmentation--of separation from your other elements from the Omniverse. This thread of Ariadne, or the stream of consciousness, is rarely disconnected or severed since the waking consciousness would have us believe. It is actually a continuum. There is just one divine consciousness functioning at various levels. These levels are:
1) Waking Consciousness--both the goal and subjective aspect
2) Subconsciousness
3) Superconsciousness or Christ Consciousness
4) Cosmic Consciousness
In Hindu philosophy they correspond to:
1) Jagrat
2) Swapna
3) Sushupti
4) Turiya
The first spiritualitate 2 classifications include the consciousness levels in the Personality; superconsciousness may be the state of awareness from the Ego. Turiya is the consciousness-state from the Monad--Buddhism call it Adi Buddha or Alaya Vijnana. Sushupti is the Christ-state that we have been immediately concerned with. We are typical striving to acquire this state by spiritual living. It is the intermediate state ahead of the attainment of Cosmic Consciousness. Sushupti is the "dreamless state," the Christ Consciousness that we are told in order to create within us by St. Paul:
"My small children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed inside you . . . " (Ga 4:19)
To possess Egoic Consciousness would be to dwell inside the secret place in the Most High. This secret place is Munsalvaesche, or Mt. Salvation inside the Grail Mysteries. Initiates in the Huna teachings of Hawaii, the "Kahunas," reference superconsciousness as, "Aumakua." Expansion from the consciousness causes a parallel development within the brain, its structure changes to conform to the excellence of the operating consciousness.
Swapna, the "dream-state," is our subconsciousness. It is the storehouse of unprocessed impulses we create and record inside waking state, including our phobias. Our instincts have their own source here too. The subconsciousness can be the channel for psychic connection with other intelligences--disembodied and embodied. Impulses with this "Id," as Freud calls it, often emerge inside the form of dreams once the waking consciousness is quiescent. Sometimes it erupts within the waking consciousness, and thus we now have the interesting phenomenon of hallucinations, which can occur from the auditory or visual faculty. The subconsciousness runs our involuntary functions such because the pulsations in the heart, the peristaltic movement from the bowels, and also the pumping from the lungs. The Swapna-state is very receptive to suggestion. It carries-out commands presented to it from the waking mind without question--that is, to a particular degree. Hypnotism can be a practice that will reach the subconsciousness by bypassing the awareness with the waking consciousness.
Our waking consciousness is dual naturally: it really is objective, and it's subjective. Objective consciousness may be the result of external stimuli, the perception of vibrations emanating from the world around us. Our subjective consciousness is related to psychic processes occurring in the psyche and are within voluntary control, like reasoning, visualization, and imagination. Here inside the subjective consciousness lies most in the tools of Transcendental Magic. Quantum physics starts to realize the principle that consciousness affects that which it observes. This is evident in the atomic level. Occultists have long known with this law and still have applied it in the art of transmutation.
Mantras are of help tools in producing an altered state of consciousness. Every initiatic tradition employs its use to help expand Man's spiritual unfoldment. It is interesting to remember that strong emotions including fear causes intense change and orientation of your respective consciousness state. For instance, each time a person is in the state of fear or shock, he often faints. the consciousness shifts from Jagrat to Swapna. This occurs similarly, although backwards, when one experiences fright inside dream state. One is often jolted back to waking consciousness. Between the various degrees of consciousness are what we call the borderline state. We are most familiar with the borderline between Jagrat and Swapna. In this state, psychic manifestations occur more readily. Psychology calls the interesting images observed in this consciousness-level "hypnogogic." What really occur in this state will be the thinning of certain etheric webs which facilitates the entrance of impulses and vibrations emanating in the etheric and astral planes.
The brain of person produces waves of electromagnetic energies, and these are recorded in EEG machines. Four primary forms of brain waves are recognized plus they represent his state of consciousness. These waves are called Alpha, Beta, Theta, and Delta.
In an esoteric sense, the classification of humanity to the caste system with the lawgiver Manu symbolizes the amounts of consciousness of Man because he evolves and expands his awareness. Jagrat corresponds to the Sudras--the laborers, the lowest class among mankind. Vaishas will be the skilled workers and also the merchants--they correspond to Swapna. Ksatriyas, or even the ruling class are with the Sushupti-state; while the Brahmans are of Turiya. By evolving his consciousness, Man progresses from state on the next.
Man's Purpose on Earth
Ever since fires from the mind begun to grow, several profound questions have vexed Mankind, like , where did we originate? who're we? what makes we here? Such questions caused Man to formulate a huge selection of philosophies and dogmas made to provide him having a meaning to his existence. Sometimes Man experiences pain, suffering, and struggle in the life--and then asks "why." If one's philosophy doesn't adequately answer the query or offer solace, then a philosophy itself has to be looked into in regards to what intrinsic value it has, and whether it can be wise to keep it, to switch or to change it out altogether.
The subject of Man's origin and true nature may be discussed previously in the succinct manner; and although our presentation only agreed to be the tip from the iceberg, they do provide food for thought. In this section we're going to concentrate on Man's purpose here on earth, because of this gives us some insight on Man's collective destiny.
There is a clue to man's purpose here in the world if we consider what Man takes together with him before so-called death; for if we acknowledge the existence with the higher worlds and the continuity of consciousness over the change called death, then Man's descent into this physical plane of coarse matter features a definite purpose which is normally forgotten as soon as incarnation takes place. A newly-developed brain doesn't contain the soul-knowledge acquired in the past lives along with heavenly planes. It is only by the attunement and alignment of brain-consciousness while using Soul which will bring this state of knowingness to the fore-consciousness.
It is clear when we glance at the great change called "death" that Man is not able to carry his earthly goods or material things in addition to him when he becomes deceased from this earthly scene; what he does reap and it is able to take as well as him from his earthly sojourn are immaterial treasures--things which are often considered valueless from the materialist and in most cases only realized by great worth in the higher worlds whenever a greater perspective of life is perceived. The apostle Paul said:
"For those things which are seen are temporal; but the points which are not seen are eternal." (II Cor 4:18)
As we analyze the problem, we can easily only conclude the immaterial essence, the "things that happen to be not seen" that Man benefits from being in our planet and takes as well as him once the mortal body's shed, include the practical experiences he gains from manipulating matter and the conditions of space and time; also his associated with sentient beings while encumbered inside a form made from clay. The resistence of matter tries the mettle with the soul. It is this resistance of matter that evolves soul-consciousness. The interaction between consciousness and dense matter creates the illusion of your energy and space. these factors, although unreal, play a part inside the evolution of Man's consciousness. As we can see because of this, spiritual evolution is expressively the key purpose of Man's presence here on Earth.
Evolution can be stated to be the law of the expansion of consciousness of a life-unit. It could be the principle of becoming aware--aware from the All, in the total expression and essence from the Cosmos. From another point of view, it really is simply being--to get our True SELF. This is often a state that transcends space and time. Abiding in the SELF could be the perception of God "face to handle." In case someone of a Christian persuasion thinks this as impossible just make reference to the incident where Jacob wrestled by incorporating force and wound up by saying:
" . . . for I have seen God face to face, and my every day life is preserved." (Gen 32:30)
An one that lives in this spiritual condition constantly, don't lives like a Personality, or Soul, but lives as Spirit. St. Paul knew of this higher state of Be-ness. He wrote concerning it a single of his epistles:
"The first Man Adam, was made a living soul, the past Adam is made a quickening spirit." (I Cor 15:45)
Evolution will be the process of manifesting the qualities of God inherent within the consciousness. Heretofore, evolution was worked upon Man by external agencies; now, at our present evolutionary stage of self-consciousness, we are to participate within our own soul-progress. It is said in Genesis, in the Pentateuch, that God rested for the seventh day. The "seventh day" is often a symbolical term expressing the inception of Man's personal involvement together with his own soul culture, for where God's works ends, Man's labour begins. The twelve tasks of Hercules will be the tasks from the soul because it acquires the immortal qualities with the signs in the zodiac. Mortal concepts and behaviour caused the fall of Man. So long as our belief-structure contains ideations and feelings of unworthiness and mortality, we are going to continue to live inside abyss and never feel the light in the Sun. As Man climbs the steep slopes of the abyss, he learns more and more from the laws in the Cosmos governing his being. Obedience to those laws aligns Man with all the Tao.
At each step in the way, evolving Man earns certain symbolical appellations which indicate his spiritual status. In ancient writings these stages of Man's unfolding consciousness are identified as "the darkened spark," the "flickering light," and "the radiant son of God." Relating these stages on the rays, we might say that each stage is influenced by one with the Rays of the triune aspect of Man's being; as an illustration, the individual with a "darkened spark," could possibly be said to get ruled from the Personality Ray; one who is spiritually awakened, that's described being a "flickering light"--such a person is ruled from the Ray with the Ego; and so it goes with all the monadic Ray as well as the person of the third classification. Oriental mystics have their own own unique means of describing these stages based around the condition of discipleship. Buddhism classifies them inside following:
1) Srotopati--"he who has entered the stream."
2) Sakridagamin--"he who will receive birth only once more."
3) Anagamin--"he that will be reincarnated no longer."
4) Arhat--"he who sees Nirvana during his life."
There are higher classifications based on the bhumis in the Bodhisattva.
The steps in the growth of Man's consciousness are also delineated for the reason that esoteric "book" known as the tarot. Each card of the major arcana denotes a certain stage of Man's spiritual unfoldment. Evolution is God's Plan. The formulation of this divine idea had its inception in archetypal worlds--in Kether, the first emanation of Ain Soph inside Qaballistic "Tree of Life." According to this magickal system, to evolve, Man needs to balance and embrace the polarities, the various opposites that individuals experience in life for example, love/hate, wealth/poverty, thinking/feeling, etc. These dualities are symbolised by Boaz and Jachin, both the pillars in King Solomon's Temple. Man is pulled into entirely different directions by both of these conditions; it really is Man's task to harmonize them and walk the central path. The middle way will be the Royal Road home.
Conclusion
Man is endowed with several different faculties that assist him in determining along with creating his destiny and reality. Reason, imagination, free-will, are all tools that should be used to appreciate the true nature of things, the essence of life. Man's belief-framework determines to a large extent his reality--the environment can be a reflection from the contents from the mind and emotions. Replacement of beliefs with a direct knowing of the Spirit liberates man from all of conditions that binds and limits divine expression. The Orphics of ancient Greece called the body "the prison house from the soul"--and Man could only free himself from a real dungeon by widening the cracks that emit light. In order for Man to find out eternal verities and manifestations of Cosmic life in celestial spheres he could have to develop the essential apparatuses, the spiritual mechanisms that will aid in the reception of impressions and cognizance of higher vibratory activity. "As above so below" can be a truism that Man needs to prove for himself; for if your macrocosm creates, and is limitless rolling around in its nature and creativity, so likewise may be the microcosmic being of Man. At present humanity is patterning and expressing almost no of what lies above within the Kingdom of Souls. The potentiality to manifest God's Kingdom exists, however. Mastery in the elements of our being leads us to management in the cosmos.
Life can be a Mystery School. Each day Man faces trials and tribulations--the overcoming that gives him a greater strength and understanding. Man's manifold experiences disciplines his mind, body, and soul. Man's philosophy and attitudes towards life are tested about their wholesomeness and truthfulness. Revisions to his philosophy are created when they fail to provide him using the peace and energy to grow through life. The look for one's SELF may be the search for enlightenment that is already part of the Spirit. Vajrayana Buddhism teaches the practice of knowing, feeling and imagining the enlightened state were a part from the consciousness level in the "now," inside eternal present. This they call the divine pride for being a Buddha. The whole subject of Man can be complex in the simplicity, or simple rolling around in its complexity. It all is determined by our understanding as well as the perspective we hold, whether we desire to "become" or maybe "to become," or maybe both?
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Copyright ?? 2006 Luxamore
