The Nature and the Process of Enlightenment

BLISS AND ECSTASY & BECOMING ONE WITH GOD.

 

  • Levels of Enlightenment
  • Self-Awareness
  • Total Acceptance
  • Becoming One with God
  • True Detachment
  • Timelessness
  • Desirelessness
  • Going into the Silence
  • Becoming Totally Empty – Entering into Nothingness
  • The Unknown
  • Bliss and Ecstasy
  • The Unknowable
  • Enlightenment and Psychic/Spiritual Powers
  • Enlightenment and Physical Ascension

The word, “enlightenment,” can mean a lot of different things, and it often refers to numerous states of consciousness. Of course, the literal meaning of the word is to be filled with Light, which is certainly one of its definitions. Below, we have given several descriptions that correspond to its various meanings, as they apply to soul evolution and beyond.

Before we talk about the levels and types of enlightenment, let us examine the cycles that most souls go through on their way to enlightenment.

 

CYCLES OF SOUL EVOLUTION

There is a natural cycle that occurs as souls go through their long journey of evolution in the lower worlds. A Zen saying offers one way to describe these cycles: “First, you don’t know that you don’t know, which is ignorance, then you know that you don’t know, which is humility, then you don’t know that you know, which is being asleep, then you know that you know, which is enlightenment.”

From a psychological point of view, there are also four cycles to soul evolution. First the soul is asleep, dreaming that it is a separate self, all alone in a hostile universe, and becomes identified with material things and pursuits. Then there is a satori experience, a sudden shift away from materiality, perhaps as a consequence of a near-death event, accident or illness, or through meeting a teacher or going to a spiritual workshop.

Perhaps this temporary enlightenment occurs during the soul’s early attempts at meditation, and then returns again after many years of daily practice. Following the satori experience, the soul’s entire life and focus changes and he or she is now on a conscious spiritual path. There may be several more satori episodes, but at some point, the enlightenment seems to fade and is replaced with what is called a consolidation phase. This is where all the old patterns of emotion, thought and behaviour tend to return, and the young seeker may get discouraged and think he or she has gone backward. However, the door never closes once it has been opened, and very soon, the young soul makes a commitment to grow and evolve. He or she might undergo therapy, a disciplined spiritual practice, or follow the instructions of a teacher, in an effort to heal all the negativity that is rising to the surface.

Once the soul has undergone this period of purification and cleansing of the old self, the Higher Self starts to become more apparent. The soul now strives to experience integration of the various levels and dimensions of the self. As all the parts and aspects become integrated, true enlightenment occurs.

There are often mini-cycles within the larger cycle of satori, consolidation, integration and enlightenment. The ideal soul path usually consists of a pattern resembling a stairway to heaven, with graceful curves between each step, rather than hard, fast turns. The upward part of each step represents periods of rapid soul growth, where significant changes are occurring. The flat part of each step represents an inward time of patiently working on the self, where there does not seem to be a lot of obvious change.

Souls in the rapid phase of soul growth are ready to make major outer changes in their lives, while souls in the inner phase of soul growth should refrain from making major decisions in the outer world until they enter another period of rapid soul growth.

As the soul gradually enters into the phase of integration, these cycles of rapid soul growth, followed by a quiet, inner period, are welcomed as necessary steps on the path. There is no longer resistance to the inevitable pauses between temporary enlightenment experiences. When all phases of the cycle are accepted unconditionally as part of the unfolding of the evolving self, this means all parts of the soul are opened to God’s Loving Light. This unconditional love and acceptance of the various aspects of soul growth are a precursor to enlightenment.

The length of time necessary to reach integration and enlightenment will vary, depending on many factors, including the soul’s free will, past lifetime experiences, and strength of desire to overcome obstacles. No two souls reach enlightenment at the same rate or in the same way. There are always variations in length and quality of experience.

That said, in this current world cycle, it typically takes about 20 to 30 years for a soul who is committed to growing spiritually to reach a high level of integration. A few souls evolve more quickly and may reach enlightenment in only 10 years, while others may seem to struggle for 40 to 50 years before having a solid and permanent breakthrough.

It is important not to judge yourself if your journey seems to be taking longer than the average. The more you can accept yourself exactly where you are, the faster you will overcome resistance and move forward on the path.

What do souls experience when they are fully integrated? In the section below, we have described several levels of enlightenment commonly experienced by souls as they move along the spiritual path.

Some of these you may have already undergone in a profound, energetic way, while others you may understand intellectually, but not yet energetically.

 

LEVELS OF ENLIGHTENMENT

One thing all forms of enlightenment have in common is that before you get there, there are barriers and obstacles to realizing that all is Light.

There are two reasons for the information we have given in this book.

One is to prepare you for the new Golden Age on Earth, and to show you what must be done within yourself in order to be a part of this new Earth, and the second is to assist you in reaching your full potential and realizing Who you are. This is enlightenment.

There are a lot of sayings that go with enlightenment. Whether or not they are true depends on what state of consciousness is being referred to. For example, “There are no roads to enlightenment,” refers to the timeless and desireless states we will describe below. “No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth,” refers to the enlightenment of self-awareness. Let us begin there.

 

SELF-AWARENESS

Self-awareness is both a method and a state of consciousness. If you are aware, moment by moment, of what is taking place both within you and outside, then you have reached a level of enlightenment. In fact, the key to experiencing all of the states of enlightenment is to begin with practicing self-awareness.

There are two levels to self-awareness. The first is becoming aware of all the obstacles and negativity that stand between you and full awareness of your powerful, creative, spiritual Self. On a mundane level, you notice everything that gets in the way of being fully present with yourself and others. If you have linear goals and projects in the world, you observe all the ways you become identified with your worldly activities and how you might sabotage yourself or make things more difficult than they need to be. Perhaps you tie your self-worth in with how well you appear to be doing in the world, according to some pre-programmed idea or image of what it means to be successful.

You may notice how your conscious mind is continually preparing for the future or trying to escape into the past. You might observe how the mind behaves when there are things that seem to challenge the safety and well-being of the physical body. You are already aware of the difference between actual danger and imagined or perceived danger that has no basis in outer reality, known as psychological fear.

You observe all the ways you are attached to your goals and visions. Attachment is a major barrier to enlightenment because you are not being fully present in the moment if you are constantly futurizing about what you desire as an outcome. The mind will tend to obsess, constantly strategize, and worry about the possible outcomes of your worldly affairs.

If you really take notice of the movement of consciousness, you will see that almost everything within the unenlightened mind has to do with the safety of the body, or the preservation of a cherished self-image that you have developed through growing up in this world.

Let us go into a few more dynamics of how the mind typically prevents pure observation. As we talked about earlier, you live in both a linear and nonlinear world. From a linear perspective, planning and goalsetting is inevitable, even if it is merely to set appointments or take care of household tasks. A part of the mind is appropriately configured to deal with worldly matters, but when that level of mind interferes with meditation and pure observation, this takes you away from the enlightenment of self-awareness.

The most beneficial response to such mental chatter is to notice, without judgment, how the mind is endlessly preparing for the future. Watch the movement of consciousness. See how it is constantly envisioning scenarios of what might happen. “What if this, what if that,” it cackles, on and on, endlessly.

The mind thinks its task is to protect you and keep you safe, and to some extent it does that. But it fails to take into account that your body has a built-in intelligence that can alert you if there is any real danger. Unless someone is pointing a gun at your head, or a tiger is attacking you for being in its den, or a boulder is falling down a hill toward you, etc., you are likely not in any real danger.

Your ego has all sorts of imagined scenarios that bring up fear. If you have fallen into the ego’s illusions, you will immediately notice the feelings of fear in your body as the ego contemplates all the imagined disasters that could happen. If they are physical dangers being anticipated, then this is because the ego does not trust the body’s intuitive intelligence. If you tune in carefully, the body will tell you if there is any real danger. There is a difference between the ego worrying about what is around the next bend in the road, and your body’s sense that there is an accident and you had better slow down before you become involved.

As you meditate and practice self-observation, you will become more aware of the difference between real and imagined dangers. It is not possible to attain the other states of meditation described below if you are constantly on guard about potential dangers, or are spending a lot of time and energy trying to protect the body.

In addition to preoccupation with protecting the body and self-image, start to notice what else takes you out of pure self-observation. Is it judgment? The state of consciousness known as “judgment” occurs when you have core negative belief systems or unresolved emotional issues that you have labeled as “bad” or “wrong.” In fact, judgment, as we are defining it, means the act of making someone or something wrong, including you. This implies that you believe that someone or something can take away your peace, joy or other desirable state.

A simple example is when you are trying to meditate, and the neighbour is running a leaf blower. It is possible to incorporate the leaf blower into your meditation, or at least observe the feelings it generates in you. However, if you slip into judgment, a likely response would be something like this: “That insensitive rude neighbour. How could he run a leaf blower on Friday morning at 7am? What an idiot!” After the thought comes the feeling of irritation or outright anger. Your breathing becomes shallow and erratic and your meditation is no longer.

Self-awareness suggests you simply notice the reaction and then choose to return to pure observation.

This form of enlightenment leads to the so-called more desirable forms because it breaks the cycle of illusion. Illusions are dispelled when they are brought to Light. Pure observation brings all that is hidden out into the Light to be revealed for what it is – mostly nothing in the grand scheme of things.

The biggest barrier to enlightenment is the over-reaction of the mind to perceived dangers, and the ego’s insistence that you need more and more of this, and less and less of that, before you can be happy. In fact, noticing the self-image and how it distorts reality, is part of self-awareness.

One teacher calls the ego, the “needy little me.” If you were to voice its concerns, you might say, “I am never good enough. I must always strive to be more and more, better and better. Nothing I do measures up. I cannot rest and relax, because there is always something more to do. The chores are not done. The bills are not paid. How can I possibly relax when I have so many problems in my relationship? What if the neighbour starts running the leaf blower again?” On and on it goes, chasing its tail, until self-awareness finally puts it in its place.

Remember, you must observe the unenlightened self without judgment. Trying to make it go away, or condemning and evaluating it as bad or wrong, keeps you in the vicious cycle. Simply notice, watch, and follow its antics, without getting caught up in the dynamics or drama of it.

As you continue to practice self-observation, it will eventually get easier to stay detached from the ego and its musings. Then, at some point, you might be able to enter into one of the other states of consciousness associated with enlightenment.

As you continue to observe, without judgment, all the various twists and turns in your emotions and thought processes, there is a possibility that you can transcend the constant ramblings and rantings of the mind and enter into a higher state, such as realizing the perfection inherent within all things and seeing how everything fits together in wholeness.

 

TOTAL ACCEPTANCE

The opposite of judgment is acceptance. Total acceptance means that you look at exactly what is taking place, moment by moment, with no sense of making anything or anyone wrong. This is the natural outcome of pure observation, as described in the previous section.

When there is total acceptance, all resistance to what is, ceases. There is no longer any desire to escape into the past (to avoid something you have made wrong) or fantasize about the future (because you find the present intolerable due to your resistance).

Acceptance is not the same thing as resigning yourself to a life of drudgery or dreariness. It is not putting up with things that are essentially unacceptable, such as being treated with disrespect by people around you.

In fact, before you can truly change things that are unacceptable, you must first have complete non-judgment and be willing to face things exactly as they are, with pure observation.

The best analogy we have, is to think of driving between two cities. If you want to drive to Seattle, and you think you are in San Francisco, but you’re really in Dallas, you’ll end up in Chicago. For those of you who are geographically challenged, Seattle is north of San Francisco, and Chicago is north of Dallas. If you want to get to Seattle, you must first accept that you are in Dallas instead of San Francisco, which means you must drive west as well as north to get to your destination.

Regarding the subject of enlightenment through total acceptance of everything (and nothing), the requirements include accepting where you are in any given moment. If you have total acceptance, then you can get to where you truly desire, because there will be no distortion or deception present. You see everything laid out before you in crystal clarity and it becomes evident exactly what path you must travel to achieve your goals, dreams and visions.

Earlier, we stated one of the sayings about enlightenment, that there are no paths to it. You might be thinking that this is a paradox (and you would be right). How can you reach enlightenment if there are no paths to it?

Remember that you live in both linear and nonlinear time. Using our travel analogy once again, within the realm of linear time, you make plans, pack your car, and begin driving. From a nonlinear perspective, you are already everywhere, so the idea of driving from one city to another is meaningless.

We are beginning this section with the states of enlightenment that require some sort of “doing” or method, and gradually moving into those states that cannot be reached by any known method. All you can do is create the right environment and state of consciousness for the deeper and higher enlightenment to happen.

 

BECOMING ONE WITH GOD

As the mind becomes quiet, it is possible to tune into anything and everything, with no labels. This is called direct perception. Now, instead of thinking, “That is a tree. It is an oak tree. It produces acorns and has dark green leaves in summer,” etc., you will simply perceive the object directly without the reference to its species and behaviour. Of course, if need be, you will have those references available in your subconscious and they might be useful when communicating with others, but your consciousness becomes free of identification with what you are observing.

At some point, there is no longer an observer and you become one

with the thing you are perceiving. That means there is no sense of “I” or “me” perceiving a thing outside of the self (such as the oak tree).

A common definition of enlightenment is, “Becoming aware of your Oneness with God.” You no longer perceive any separation between you and Creation. There is a simple exercise for achieving a satori experience of this. Simply go into meditation and imagine that everything you think you are does not exist, and everything you think you are not is who you really are. If you continue to do this meditation, you will notice that all the labels and conventions of what you call, “your life,” fade away, but your awareness of the cosmos and everything within it remains. You simply know that everything exists, exactly as it is, and you can tune into any part of it and perceive accurately what is taking place. This is beyond the mental level, although the mind can be engaged as an observer, if needed.

How does becoming One with God work when a soul is engaged in worldly activities? One of the characteristics of someone who is in a God-conscious state is that he or she “sees God in everyone and everything.”

There is no longer any “make-wrong” or judgment. The God-conscious soul takes delight in every person, place or thing and sees the inherent beauty in everything. The ego, with its bodily needs and preservation instincts, etc., is quiet. The focus is on what is actually taking place around (and within) the soul. There is no interpretation or evaluation involved.

A God-conscious soul may be an outer teacher, or may stay in a very private realm, depending on what he or she is guided to do, but every person the soul meets becomes part of a Divine encounter, a sacred meeting, an opportunity for merging and Oneness. There will be a natural and easy form of communication present, if need be, that does not depend on identification with the ego. This is because everything is coming from the perception of union. There is no separation. Out of this state, a natural loving compassion is born.

Souls in this Divine state of grace will naturally be giving and considerate of others, without trying too hard to be spiritual. There is nothing to prove, and nothing to achieve, but to simply act spontaneously in ways that increase the Divine grace of Being.

 

TRUE DETACHMENT

Let us take a further look at pure observation. When you have achieved a non-judgmental state regarding everything that is taking place, outer and inner, you become aware that everything is simply consciousness. There is no “I am” or “me” doing anything. It is simply the movement of consciousness. The consciousness itself is generating states of mind. There is no longer a self that is watching it. The self has become part of what is being watched. Now there is just the “what is.” Nothing more, nothing less.

There is no sense that “I am angry.” There is just a pattern of energy that part of the mind labels “anger.” It becomes a curiosity, a peculiar colour, flavour or texture, rolling across the screen of consciousness. It is watched, by consciousness, until it rolls out of sight and is replaced with a different colour, flavour or texture.

There is a physical body, not mine or yours, just a body, part of consciousness, having sensations and energy movement within it. There is a natural world, or human-made world, or a combination of both. There are planets, stars, galaxies, and such. There are thought forms of humanity and other creatures. There is a movement of Spirit, vast and timeless.

At some point, the state of true detachment will cease, and the self will return to take care of Earthly tasks. However, some degree of detachment can remain at all times, enough to loosen the grip of the ego so that you can see that nothing truly matters any more or less than anything else, except perhaps for self-awareness.

 

TIMELESSNESS

It is possible, during meditation, to enter into the nonlinear realms so completely that time becomes meaningless. Of course, this is difficult to achieve in the world because of the incessant demands on souls to work, relate, and take care of daily tasks.

If you set up your life in such a way that your basic needs are met, and you have quieted your ego sufficiently so as not to interrupt your meditation, then it is possible to live in a state of timelessness.

This does not mean time stops. On the contrary, physical, linear time is still going forth in its usual way. But your consciousness is no longer identified with it. Instead, you find yourself in a timeless place, without thoughts of the past or future. Again, this is pure observation, but now something has shifted. Instead of observing the ego with its endless gyrations, you are observing the essence of life itself, a timeless dance with no goal or desire.

 

DESIRELESSNESS

It is extraordinarily difficult to be in a state of desirelessness for more than a few moments at a time, but it is a most sublime experience. True desirelessness occurs when you realize, on a deep and profound level, that you truly have everything you need, right here and right now. There is nowhere to go and nothing to do, but to simply be in this present moment.

As you enter into a timeless state, all desire ceases, and you become One with everything. To many seekers, this is the ultimate goal of meditation and spiritual growth, but it is not the end of the journey. In some ways, it is the beginning.

The last thing to be given up is the desire for enlightenment. Until you reach that point, your one burning desire is to be free of Maya, illusion, Leila, whatever you call it, and to embrace the Divine. This may become an all-consuming obsession, perhaps the only obsession worth having.

There was a Zen master and an arrogant disciple. The disciple would try half-heartedly to practice the principles of Zen, but seemed to lack motivation. One day, his master suddenly and unexpectedly pushed the disciple’s head into a barrel of water and held it there until he was about to drown. At the last possible moment, the master lifted the disciple’s head out of the water. The disciple gasped for breath for several minutes and when he finally calmed down, the Zen master said to him, “If you desire God as much as you desire your next breath, then you are finally on the path.”

So, it is fine to desire enlightenment. Just know that all desire, including this one, will eventually fall away. That is what teachers mean when they say there is no path to truth, no way to attain it. The very act of trying to attain something negates enlightenment.

 

GOING INTO THE SILENCE

Closely associated with timelessness and desirelessness is the state of true silence. When all desire and thoughts of the past and future have ceased, the mind no longer has any reason to continue its restless ways and so it finally falls silent.

Krishnamurti, in his notebook and in many of his other writings, describes the state of silence. “A blade of grass becomes a thing of wonder. Something nameless and faceless, something sacred comes into being, uninvited, unanticipated. It comes in through the open window when the mind has ceased it endless chatter….”

If you have had a few moments without any movement of thought, then you know that the state of silence is worth more than all the lofty experiences that souls accumulate during their journey through the world. When you return to the realms of time and space, nothing is the same. You are forever changed.

In a state of true silence, every moment is brand new. It is as if you are seeing everything for the first time, all the time.

This is the state of which Krishnamurti writes, “Truth is a pathless land.” If you are on a path, then by definition, you are locked in time and space, looking forward to some attainment in the future. Yet, you can choose to simply be with that experience, since it is part of what is.

Consciously deciding to get off the path is not the answer, because you are still on a path, in this case the path of renunciation. Ultimately, renunciation works if it is taken all the way to its extreme, because to renounce means to deny, in the true sense of the word, and if you deny everything, then the only thing that remains is absolute truth, which can never be denied. (Here, we are not using the conventional definition of denial, which means refusing to look at the truth. Instead, we are emptying out our consciousness of everything until there is nothing left except that which exists below and beyond all perception.)

 

BECOMING TOTALLY EMPTY – ENTERING INTO NOTHINGNESS

Some spiritual teachers talk about merging with everything, and that is one path to enlightenment, or should we say, attribute of enlightenment. Another is what could be called the opposite path, which essentially involves the ending of the ego, or death of the little self. In this state, there is total emptiness, nothing. There is no longer any concept of God, or even Creation. There is simply the void, beyond all manifested form and substance. There are really no words to describe this space, but it has tremendous significance to those who have entered into it. About all we can do is describe some of the states of consciousness experienced when souls emerge from this state of non-being.

 

THE UNKNOWN

One of the keys to enlightenment is a willingness to face the unknown. The ego always retreats into the comfortable familiarity of the known, but becoming attached to it is, ultimately, a slow death. While real death is an ending of the known, the fear of death stems from attachment to the known.

Humanity is in a great crisis because of its attachment to the known. Einstein said that our problems cannot be solved at the level where they were created. This means we must be willing to venture forth into the unknown and let go of attachment to our mountains of knowledge. Accumulated memories, while useful at times, are a trap to the soul on a path of enlightenment.

When one is willing to say, “I do not know,” then there is humility and a willingness to try a new approach.

The real reason the ego fears the unknown is that it fears its own demise and it thinks if it does not have something tangible to hang on to, it will cease to exist. Perhaps that is true, from one perspective, but it is also possible to bring the ego into alignment with the soul. This requires faith, something the ego is not comfortable with.

With self-awareness, we can notice all the subtle and not so subtle ways the ego tries to go back to the familiar. Yet we are committed to going beyond the neat little box we have built for ourselves.

Most souls, when they talk about living outside the box, do not realize that they are still living in a box. Perhaps it is a larger and more colourful box than most of humanity is living in, but it still has boundaries.

Spirituality is typically a bigger box. Instead of believing in material things, now we believe in things of a larger nature. Yet belief itself is a box, so we have traded a very narrow, crowded, colourless box (the quest for materiality) for a more elaborate and expansive one (our belief in God, or a spiritual universe). We are still trapped, because we have now made God in our own image. We have convinced ourselves that this is real, and we think we have arrived at some lofty place, but we are fooling ourselves. God is not limited. If we have a static, fixed image of what God is, we are trapped in a bigger box of our own making.

To get completely outside the box, outside of all boxes, we must let go of all concepts of God. This is akin to letting go of the desire for enlightenment. Until we are in a state of enlightenment, we really do not know what it is. We have ideas about it, we have read countless books about it, we have sat at the feet of gurus and have been told about it, but that is not it. As one Zen master said, “Enlightenment is not what you think.” Therefore, we must go beyond the mind in order for enlightenment to dawn on us.

 

BLISS AND ECSTASY

Souls who go beyond the mind and enter into timelessness, desirelessness and silence often feel ecstatic as they return to the world.

Bliss and ecstasy are natural states that occur when one is free of the negativity of the ego. In a technical sense, they occur when one has total acceptance of everything. Interestingly, this is the opposite of the total denial mentioned earlier. Acceptance and denial are opposite paths up the mountain, but they both lead to enlightenment (or to the pathless land spoken of by Krishnamurti). Herein lies the paradox. In order to be in a blissful and ecstatic state, you must accept non-enlightenment as well as enlightenment.

In the Sufi tradition, sorrow and grief are celebrated as much as joy and success. If you are willing to accept all emotions, then it is possible to feel ecstatic joy even in the midst of sorrow and grief. While this paradox is lost on those who are attached to the ego, it makes perfect sense to those who have accepted “what is” totally and completely. If there is acceptance for everything, including negativity, then there is no resistance. When there is no resistance, there is no pain or attachment. When there is no pain or attachment, there is boundless energy, bliss and ecstasy.

 

THE UNKNOWABLE

Beyond the mind is the realm of the unknowable. It is unknowable because we cannot know it, but we can experience it. The mind must remain silent in the face of the unknowable because there is no way to comprehend or contain it. It has no borders, no boundaries. There is no box. We cannot go running for the safety of our ideas and concepts. They are no more. We are in uncharted territory and our compasses and maps are useless here. Even attempting to talk about it in this book is an exercise in futility. Yet by talking about it, we trigger something deep within the soul, something brand new every moment, something that cannot be defined, ever.

Ecstasy and bliss do not happen in the unknowable; they happen when we return from our journey and enter back into the world. The unknowable is the void, but something happens in the void, something we cannot explain, and when we return, it is entirely possible to be filled with God’s Limitless Love and Compassion. We return to the world gladly because we are free of it, even as we notice a body/mind/personality that is part of it. That little self has a name, title, occupation, family, etc., which are of little consequence, yet we celebrate all of it because it is part of what is.

Once we have ventured into the realms of enlightenment, we have a choice. We can either stay there, forever blissed out, sitting in a cave somewhere high in the mountains, or we can bring some of that state back into the world with us and teach others. We cannot teach them how to reach enlightenment, but we can share with them the energy of our experience and give them tools and techniques that can help them on their way. A Course In Miracles says “The last step is taken by God.” That means we can instruct souls on how to create the proper environment for enlightenment to take place, but God has the final say.

That is the purpose of this book – to lead souls to the place where God within can take the final step.

The environment for enlightenment begins with soul integration. Once all the parts of the self are in alignment, it is like unlocking a combination padlock with many chambers. Only when all of the chambers are lined up can the shackle be pulled and the lock opened.

Most of you who are reading this are here on Earth to learn about enlightenment and to help others find it. Your purpose is simply to lead other souls as far as they can be led toward enlightenment. This means being in the world, at least for a while. In the next chapter, we will take a look at how to bring enlightenment into the world. Before we go there, let us look at a couple more popular topics

 

ENLIGHTENMENT AND SPIRITUAL / PSYCHIC POWERS

A few questions inevitably arise when we work with human beings, including the nature of miracles, spontaneous healing and advanced psychic and intuitive powers, so we would like to take a brief look at these abilities.

As you are probably aware, a soul does not need to reach a state of enlightenment in order to function psychically or intuitively, and in fact, there are miracle workers who have only a rudimentary level of awareness (compared to the yogis, rishis and sages who have spent their whole lives in meditation and service).

Conversely, souls who are enlightened may or may not consciously function psychically and intuitively. In some ways, having these powers amounts to winning the consolation prize. In other words, such abilities become insignificant or irrelevant when one is enlightened.

Nevertheless, let us take a look at the so-called “powers” of psychic and intuitive ability.

It is possible to train the mind (and body) to perform miracles, but unless these acts are imbued with unconditional love and higher consciousness, the healings are rarely permanent and complete.

Sometimes it is appropriate for a soul to learn about spiritual and psychic powers early on in their soul evolution. It is like the dangling carrot analogy spoken of in psychology. The soul may give the human ego/personality a satori experience involving the use of “higher powers,” in the hopes that this will spark the motivation necessary to commit to a life of service and spiritual growth.

Many souls, who have been on the spiritual path for a long time, find it difficult to develop their psychic and intuitive powers. This is not because they lack the ability to perform miracles, do healings, communicate telepathically, or such. It is most likely because each soul’s path is different, and one being’s Higher Self might determine that focusing on psychic and spiritual powers could be a distraction from what it deems to be more important focal points in the learning process.

Once a soul has progressed to a high level of integration, psychic and spiritual powers are a natural by-product of such a level of awareness. You do not need to seek them out; they come to you.

Those who have highly developed advanced powers and abilities almost universally report that they feel a Oneness with the person, place or thing involved in the miracle healings or telepathic communication. For example, if they have learned the advanced art of psychokinesis (moving objects with the mind), they will feel a resonance or kinship with the objects and become One with them. This consciousness link can be formed between people, places and things throughout the universe.

Demonstrating these advanced abilities consistently means you have truly moved into a state of Oneness with all.

For those who are seriously moving along a spiritual path, it is not necessary to worry about using your powers and abilities for the good of humanity. This just naturally occurs without much thought. If you are concerned about whether or not you will use these gifts for the good of all, then you need to work through your own self-doubts and fears. Perhaps your core negative fear is that you will fall back into darkness and lose all that you have gained in your path of soul liberation. In this case, you may need to work through such a fear before you are ready to consistently use your psychic and spiritual powers.

If you meet a teacher who demonstrates advanced abilities and offers to teach them to you, go within and ask your Higher Self if this is the best use of your time and energy. Know that these abilities are already within you, but they might be lying dormant, waiting for the right trigger. When the trigger occurs, synapses fire in the brain, connecting the tensor and cortical regions in such a way that the gifts are restored.

Do not compare yourself to others who seem to have greater powers and abilities. This is not a measure of a soul’s level of evolution. Concern yourself with healing your own fears and belief in littleness. Engage the powers of self-awareness. This is a far more potent power than influencing people psychically.

Next, let us look at the relationship between enlightenment and ascension.

 

ENLIGHTENMENT AND ASCENSION

We have heard the question, “If yogis and gurus are so enlightened, then why do their bodies still grow old and die?” The answer to this question depends on the level of focus of the enlightened soul. If the teacher’s purpose is to help souls transform their emotions and mind, then it is of little importance what they do with the body. They may have long ago completed their Earthly lessons and are simply staying around for a while to make sure their teachings are assimilated by souls with a deep commitment to spiritual growth.

If, on the other hand, the primary teaching is about how to respect the holy temple called the physical body, then they might demonstrate some superior powers of anti-aging, or longevity. Up until the shift, it was extraordinarily difficult for most souls, even yogis and gurus, to maintain their physical body for hundreds or thousands of years. This is because the vibration of Earth had dropped so low that within a short time, they would begin to take on the negativity of the masses.

Now that Earth is ascending in vibration, it will become easier for souls to demonstrate the immortality available to the physical body. In the next 30 to 40 years, a large number of souls will go through physical ascension. This is detailed in our previous writings.

Let’s get back to our initial question, “What is the relationship between enlightenment and ascension?” We would say that if the soul is truly integrated, there will be both physical and spiritual enlightenment, and a resurrection of the human body into the crystal light form. Many teachers that leave the Earthly body behind, do not have enough soul fragments integrated into the parent part of the self in order to immortalize the physical body. If they have just come to Earth for a short time in order to bring a particular form of teaching, the parent part of the soul may remain safely in the higher realms and could call the primary fragment residing in a human body back to reunite with his or her soul family, thereby dropping the body.

As more and more souls bring their parent parts down into physicality through integrating their human aspects, the dividing line between the material and spiritual realms will dissolve, allowing souls to experience true Heaven on Earth.

In the meantime, we recommend that you continue healing and evolving your six lower bodies and integrating your soul fragments. We, the Higher Self of Sal and the Founders, will be your guides in this process. Call on us for assistance. We are grateful to help.

 

Excerpt from the book “Soul Integration” by Sal Rachele