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..:: The Path ::..

By

Alan Schneider

             As we make our way through the confusion and turbulence of this life, we are occasionally confronted with logical anomalies in our perception – things that cause us to suspend our struggles for a moment as we consider what they may imply for our volatile existences. These are messages that seem to be from an organized, intelligent source of some kind somewhere that call our attention to some higher purpose beyond the rote struggle for material advantage that we know in the flesh. Jung classified these events as synchronicities – meaningful coincidences – that stand out in our consciousness beyond the common run of life’s experiences. Jung felt that everyone was exposed to these fleeting messages at some point in their lives, although only certain individuals would notice them, and only a relatively small number of the sufficiently sensitive ones would choose to investigate them further. In the Mystery Studies, the synchronicity is frequently the first instance of the Calling to spiritual awareness and consciousness, the first potential step along the Path of spiritual growth and development. That Path that is the subject of this SYNERGY article.

           The synchronicity is, in fact, the subtle voice of the Logos calling out to human beings from beyond the Abyss of Ignorance that blinds and confuses our perception of events in this existence, although many beginning Seekers on the Path do not initially realize this, since there is rarely a spoken voice heard, nor spoken words uttered.  Rather, the synchronicity is a message presented to the human mind using symbolic images and processes that may initially perplex the perception of the observer. For Jung, symbols were larger than life, and indicated the action of a world of constructs that presupposed the apparently random events of existence in the senses. This is how the synchronicity, once identified, must be considered by the observer who sincerely wishes to grasp its extended meaning and purpose in personal existence. One must consider the entire class of events and images suggested by the symbolic information present in the process of understanding the symbol itself. The more instances of that class, or those classes, of images that can be brought into consideration, the clearer will be the conclusion in our understanding of the underlying meaning, or meanings, present. Depending on our personal, and group, Karma, we may spend lives or lifetimes working with only synchronistic messages, until this phase of our spiritual “introduction” has been fulfilled. I still experience synchronistic messages to this day, but have also “graduated” to the next levels of spiritual perception – the subsequent Steps along the Path described in the following paragraphs. It is quite possible that the full meaning of synchronistic symbolism can never be known by the human mind, limited as it is by the physical senses, brain morphology, and personal ego. But sufficient understanding can be arrived at to recognize the symbolic significance of the information for our spiritual existences as Souls, and assimilate this information as spiritual lessons in living. 

            Synchronicities tend to eventually assemble themselves into comprehensive systems of conceptual thought. These may be of strictly psychological import, psycho-spiritual import, or specifically only spiritual in valence, but the Seeker needs to maintain an awareness that these three categories are ultimately interchangeable from the perspective of the Logos, who sees only the Light of the Soul, and this as the abiding Truth of Consciousness. At this, highest, level of Awareness, all lesser expressions, including the physical body and senses, are seen as temporary vehicles of Karma that serve the evolution of the Soul. For the Logos, the life that seems so real to us in the senses is an illusion placed before us to condition our consciousness, nothing more. In the informational context on the Astral Plane, the systems of conceptual thought referred to here have taken the many forms of communication and content demonstrated by the Mystery Schools and Mystery Theories, including those currently in practice, and those surviving from historical antiquity. And, again, it must be noted that one can spend additional lives and lifetimes working only at this level of development, until this Karmic requirement for the evolution of the Soul has been fulfilled. One must not judge this process too harshly – the Soul must pass through many experiences and levels of refinement along the spiritual Path back to its Origin in the Logos, and all are necessary and instrumental for spiritual growth. 

            At some point in this tempering and refinement process, the Mysteries of Yoga and Meditation will be encountered by the Seeker.  Either activity is of the utmost importance in the development of higher consciousness, and both have been noted extensively in these articles. However, some additional information and commentary may be useful at this time, particularly as regards meditation. It is often not clearly perceived that the Eight Limbs of Yoga defined by Patanjali in The Yoga Sutras, and still considered by scholars today as completely comprising the Yoga System, are all essentially methods of meditation practiced from various functional perspectives.  Meditation itself is a psychic practice that uses various different techniques to still the agitation of the mind represented by the action of the senses and ego, thus enabling the perception of higher states of awareness as they occur in the Soul, which is capable of its own independent perception completely apart from the ego. The Seeker will eventually assume the practice of meditation as part of spiritual involvement, and this in turn will ultimately result in the development of more refined perceptions of the Presence of the Logos, including the forms of spoken and written language! 

            As the meditation process opens the Lotus of the Heart Chakra, the resultant compassion released among the Spiritual Planes of Awareness initiates a state of Divine Grace in the total consciousness of the Seeker. The presence of this compassion creates the psychic sensitivity required to hear the Divine Voice, and eventually see and enter the Divine Light. I regularly converse with the Logos as I would with human beings using physical language, with the exception of the observation that those “higher conversations” take place on the Planes above even the Astral Plane, and are verbally silent from the Physical Plane perspective. Nonetheless, I perceive myself as internally speaking words, and also internally receiving intelligent, meaningful verbal responses.  On occasion, these conversations take place within the Divine Light, although this does not appear to be required – they also occur within my Heart, at the Astral Level, and in my normal waking consciousness on the Physical Plane, with equal candor. 

            These conversations involve several different modalities. Some are simply exchanges of vibrational energy with the Logos, using words as the medium – what would be referred to as “socializing” on the Physical Plane.  Some are task oriented, and involve requests for information, guidance, or intervention. Occasionally, I complain to the Deity about my problems and limitations experienced while locked away in my body of flesh, but I know that my frank disclosure of these matters is always understood and appreciated. Often, I offer prayers and requests for the well being of afflicted persons I have met along the way in life, regardless of their circumstances, material condition, or spiritual orientation. Sometimes, I simply sit in the Presence without any other interaction taking place – in silent Communion. I may or may not meditate in conjunction with any or all of the above activities as well. Thus, the perception of the Divine Word is another, higher level of interaction with the Logos, beyond synchronicities and Astral interaction, one initiated in the Fourth, or Heart, Chakra, and comprehensively developed in the Fifth, or Throat, Chakra, through internal discourse with God, and external discourse about God. 

            Furthermore, the nature of the Logos as the Divine Light can be seen from the perspective of Ajna, the Sixth Chakra, nominally located between the eye brows, with the caveat that this is an Astral perception concerning a post-Astral manifestation. Ajna actually looks within at the Logos, perceived as the Divine Light. Many incredible visions of Ascension are possible at the level of Ajna – including the full comprehension of the meaning and purpose of life, Karma, and the Soul. What cannot be known at this level is the Omnipresent state of unconditional Love and Light that is the essence of the Logos – this can only be experienced at the level of Sahasrara, the Seventh Chakra, which lies completely outside the body, immediately above and beyond the head. Since perception at this level requires the release of the illusion of all physicality associated with the body and senses – including the “physicality” of personal emotional perception – functionally in a dead state, very few Seekers manage to achieve this experience. Even the desire to end desire is still a desire, and this demonstrates enough residual ego to prevent entry into Sahasrara – one must approach the Logos with an absolutely innocent, clear, open, and expectation-free consciousness.  

            Beyond even the Seventh Chakra experience of full Communion with the Logos in the Divine Light is the condition of the Brahmin, the omnipresent Divine Essence permeating all objects and processes, yet not specifically represented in any single sensory condition perceptible on the Physical Plane. The Brahmin is analogous to the Buddha Mind of Buddhist philosophy – the indefinable condition of being in not being/not being in being – direct experience of the state of profound nothingness that exists beyond the duality of any subject/object perception. To my knowledge, this condition can be initially accessed only in deep meditation, but, with repeated experience, becomes a readily accessible state of mind for the Mystic, who well knows that the nothingness of the Primal Void is the fertile source of all manifestation, and additionally represents the most absolutely peaceful condition that can be known in the flesh. This is the utter limit of perception for human beings, as the last remnant of the personal mind dissolves into the unknown and unknowable. 

            Synchronicities, extended Astral perception, Divine conversations, Divine visions, intimate personal Communion, and, lastly, the Nondual experience of the Divine Essence, describe the sequence of interactions along the Path that the Seeker may experience as the Word progressively permeates the flesh. Even the darkest practices of Black Occult intent represent the initial stumbling onto, and along, the Path to Ascension, albeit from a pointedly selfish, unenlightened initial perspective. This matters not – all sentience – all self awareness – must continuously seek out the highest possible level of expression as a consequence of its nature. Eventually, even the darkness seeks out the light, because light is what we are. So I say to you all, “Vibrate Consistently at the Highest Level Attainable!”

                                          - With Love, Alan -

                                  (CR2008, Alan Schneider)

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