S*U*P*E*RCONSCIOUSNESS

THROUGH

MEDITATIONDOUGLASBAKER

B.A.M.R.C.S.L.R.C.P.

Youask,howcanweknowtheInfinite?Ianswer,notbyreason.Itistheofficeof reason to distinguish and define. The Infinite, therefore, cannot be rankedamongitsobjects.YoucanonlyapprehendtheInfinitebyafacultysuperiortoreason,byentering intoastate inwhichyouareyourfiniteselfno longer—inwhich the divine essence is communicated to you. This is ecstasy. It is theliberationofyourmindfromits finiteconsciousness.Likecanonlyapprehendlike;whenyouthusceasetobefinite,youbecomeonewiththeinfinite.Inthereduction of your soul to its simplest self, its divine essence, you realise thisunion,thisidentity.

Plotinus:LettertoFlaccus

CHAPTER1ANCIENTMYSTERIES

CosmicConsciousness

Thegoalofallmajoresoterictraditionsandofallworldreligionsisentryintoahigherkingdomofnature,intotherealmofthegods.ThiskingdomisknownastheFifthKingdom,andone’sawarenessandexperienceof itsworldconstitutewhatisreferredtoasthesuperconsciousexperience.Ithasbeendescribedbyallthose who have had this extraordinary glimpse of another world, in ecstaticterms, as a state of boundless being and bliss in which one’s individualconsciousnessmergeswiththeuniversalconsciousness,withtheGodhead.Itisastateofbeingnessandawareness that farsurpassesone’susual limited,narrowviewofrealityandtransportsone,forabriefmoment,beyondthelimitsoftimeandspaceintoanotherdimension.

TheunionoftheselfinmanwiththeSelfoftheuniverseiscalledyoga,theyokingorjoiningtogetherofthefiniteselfwiththeInfiniteSelf,andtheprocessormethodforattainingthisunionisalsocalledyoga.

ThenamegivenbytheHindustothehigheststateofconsciousnessiscalledSamadhi; theZenBuddhistsrefertoitasSatori; inTaoism, it isknownas theabsolute Tao. Thomas Merton calls it transcendental unconscious, while theQuakers label it the InnerLight,andGurdjieffcalls itobjectiveconsciousness.Jungdescribes it as theprocessof individuation, and inWesternmetaphysicaltraditions,itiscalledthefifthstate,cosmicconsciousness,illumination,andthemysticalorreligiousexperience.

Nomatterwhat name is given to this phenomenon, the condition implies astateof awareness radicallydifferent from thatofourordinarynormalwakingconsciousness. These terms are all descriptive of the merging or union ofindividual consciousnesswith that of aGreaterBeing and becoming onewithHim. When this occurs, there is really no loss of individuality or sense ofannihilation, but rather an expansion into a greater beingness in which youdiscover that you are your finite self no longer, you are something far moregloriousthanyoucaneverimagineandthatthelossofyourfiniteselfisreallynolossatall.Infact,itisnot,asisstatedinthefamousline,thatthe‘dewdrop

slipsintotheShiningSea’,butratherthatthedewdropbecomestheShiningSea.

In order to achieve this extraordinary development in awareness andbeingness, many disciplines and methods have been developed over thecenturies,bothbyreligionandbyesoterictraditionsknownasmysteryschools.Only those who proved themselves worthy and who could be trusted werepermittedtoentertheseschoolsandbegiventhekeyswithwhichtounlockthehidden potentialswithin, for themisuse of this information could lead to direconsequences, not only to themselves, but to others. Even the world’s greatreligionshadinformationwhichwaswithheldfromthemassesandreservedforthosefewwhohadearnedtherighttohavethisknowledge.

TheMysterySchools

Itisalittleknownfactthateveryancientreligionandphilosophicalsystemhadanesotericorsecretteachingfortheselectfew;esoterichasatwo-foldmeaning:knowledgeheld in secret,knownonly toa fewand includessecretsconcealedfrommankindbynature,andtheknowledgethatcomesfromwithin.Therewasalso an exoteric or public teaching for the masses. These ancient teachings,whichareknownasTheMysteries,dealtwiththegreatTruthsaboutthenatureof Reality and of being and non-being. Among other things, the Mysteriesincluded in its teachings the studyof theoriginof the cosmos, calledCosmo-genesis,andthestudyoftheoriginofman,knownasAnthropogenesis.Needlessto say, these views differ somewhat from those introduced later by modernscienceandbypresent-daytheology.

In theworldof theancientcivilisationsofGreece,Egypt, India,Caledonia,and Samothrace, there existed the greater' (secret) mysteries and the lesser(public)mysteries.Thepriestsofthosedays,fromtheHierophantsofEgypttotheBrahminsof India,and later theHebrewRabbis,kept their inner teachingshiddenfromthepublic for fear that theywouldprofaneanddistort thissacredknowledge. The Jewish Rabbis called their outer religious ceremonies TheMercavah,meaningtheexteriorbody,thevehicleorcoveringwhichcontainsthehiddensoul,i.e.,thehighestteaching.TodaytheiresotericteachingispreservedintheformoftheKabala.Thenwehavethecelebratedpublicritualsknownasthe Eleusinia in Greece, and the greater and lesser teachings of NorthernBuddhism.Pythagoraspreserved thehigher teachings forhispledgeddisciplesonly,bindingthembyoathtosecrecyandsilence.

InEgypt, the initiatedpriestsdevelopedoccult alphabets and secret ciphersfor theirpledgeddisciples topreserve theirancientwisdom. It is interesting to

notethattheTarotcardswhicharesopopulartodayaresaidtocontainthekeytothe Egyptianmysteries. Even in the history of early Christianity, we find theinner teachings preserved for the initiated, while the husks, the outer vehicle,weregiven to thepublic. ‘Toyou’, saidChrist, speaking tohisdisciples, ‘it isgiven toknowthemysteriesof thekingdomofheaven;butunto themthatarewithout, all these things are done in parables.’ (Mark 4:11)And in theBible,what is recorded are parables of Jesus, but the ‘mysteries of the kingdom’ arewithheld.

Today, the mystery schools are no longer in existence, and the world’sreligionspossessonlyafractionofthisinformation.Whatevervestigesofsuchknowledge that remain in religious teachings have been distorted into ameaninglessdogmaandritualwhichislittleunderstoodbythecommonmanandwhichhasonlyservedtoseparatemankindtoagreaterextentthanbefore.Theseparateness occurs because of the disagreements which have arisen in theunderstandingandinterpretationofscripturesproducedbyindividualswhohavehad the superconscious experience. Those who have not had this experiencewould,ofcourse, interpret it in termsof their levelofunderstandingbasedontheirownexperiencesinourlimitedthreedimensionalworld.Unfortunately,allreligionsthatareknowntousintheirchurchformareonlypseudo-religionsandpresentonlyatravestyofthegreatTruths.

Thequestionarises,then,ifesotericknowledgeexists,wherecanitbefound?Theanswer,ofcourse, is that the truescienceofspiritualdevelopmentalwayslayinthehandsoftheMastersoftheWisdomwhoconstitutetheinnercircleofhumanity and who guide the evolution of mankind on this planet. All that ispossibleisdonebythemtohelpman,buthemustseekhelp.Moreover,hemustfirst understand that there is a knowledge that far surpasses all ordinaryknowledgeandthattheonlywaytogainaccesstothatknowledgeistoseekitthrough contact with theMasters, and from deep within his own inner beingthroughmeditation.

Butman,whenfacedwiththeideaofahiddenknowledgethatwouldchangehimfromordinarymanintoagod,largelyignoresit,andthosewhodohearthecall of the Pied Piper get lost in the cul-de-sac of psychism and pseudo-esotericismbecausetheythemselvesdonotknowwhattheyarelookingfor,andinordertoreceive,onemustknowwhattolookfor.Clearly,esotericknowledgecanbegivenonly to thosewhoseek it, for inorder toacquire thisknowledgeand the power that accompanies it, one must go through many preparations,tests,andhardwork.

SpiritualDevelopment

Thescienceofspiritualdevelopmentisacknowledgedtobeoneofthemostdifficultofall tasks thatmanvoluntarilysetshimselfbecausehehas tosearchfor heavenwith the properties of heaven itself. For in order to find the realmwherein thequalitiesofLoveandCompassionexist,wehave tomanifestsuchqualities in ourselves first. In otherwords,wemust be able to cultivate theseattitudesandvirtuessothattheybecomeapartofourverynature.Thatiswhy,in the teachings of all esoteric traditions, we have the moral and ethicalinjunctionsplaced first, beforemethods and techniques aregiven to acceleratethesnail-likepaceofevolution.InRajaYoga,theclassicalsystemofmeditationthat is set forth in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, we find the Yamas (the fiveabstentions),andtheNiyamas(thefiveobservances),listedasSteps1and2oftheeightfoldlimbsofyogathatleadtoSamadhi,thesuperconsciousexperience.

Practisingthismethodorthattechniquealonedoesnot,inandofitself,bringabout spiritual growth and unfoldment or ensure entry into the fifth kingdom.Many false advertisements and claims abound promising quick results inmeditationandtheunfoldmentofpsychicabilitiesandpowerswithoutincludingthesemoralandethicalcodesofconduct.Someindividuals,becausetheyhavetemporarily activated a chakra through some method, begin to have psychicexperiences, and they naively believe that they are making spiritual progresswhen,infact,growthandunfoldmenthavenotoccurredatall.Whattheyhaveacquiredarepseudo-giftswhichareofatemporarynature.

TherealSiddhis(powers)areaby-productofspiritualunfoldment,andintheYoga Sutras of Patanjali, we are warned not to make the psychic powers theprimary focus, as we can be diverted from the goal of self-realisation intobypathsofnospiritualconsequence.

When, however, these powers develop, one may use them in service tohumanity, with complete detachment and dispassion. Progress in spiritualunfoldment is first registered in thediscipleas increasedability tomanagehisdaily affairs, increased responsibility to handle his portion of the Plan of thePlanetaryLogos(theGreaterBeinginwhichweallliveandmoveandhaveourBeing.SeePostulate2inDouglasBaker’sTheJewelintheLotus).Thedisciplemustalsobegintoeliminatenon-essentialsfromhislife.ThuseliminationastheSoul’s purpose is allowed to express itself, and a growing awareness,understanding, and expansion of consciousness of Life itself. (See EsotericHealing,VolumeOnebyDouglasBaker):“After25yearsofpatientresearchin

thewaysofOrthodoxMedicineanditsesotericcounterpart,IhavenoreasontochangemyfirmbeliefthatthecauseofninetypercentofalldiseaseliesintheinabilityofMan toexpresshimselfaccording to thepurposesofhisownSoulwhetherhebeawareofthesepurposesornot.”

CHAPTER2BUILDINGTHEBRIDGEHEAD

TheAntakarana

The essence of spiritual development is that we need to build a bridgeheadbetween the Soul and the personality to establish communication between theSoulanditslowervehicle.ThisbridgeheadiscalledtheAntakaranainSanskritand is described as a channel alongwhich the energy of the Soul flowswithever-increasingforceintotheenergyvorticesofthebodyknownaschakras.Inaverageman,onlyfivepercentof thesoul’senergiesareavailabletohim,butthroughthepracticeofmeditation,hebeginstoestablishabridgehead,tobuildtheAntakarana or Jacob’s ladder.Diagram1. illustrates the bridgehead that isconstructedbetweenthesoul(theHigherTriad)andthepersonalityvehicle(theLowerTriad).When theSoul is functioningcompletelywithin thepersonality,we have what is known as the soul-infused personality, depicted as twointerlacedtriangles(Triads)knownastheStarofPerfection,orStarofDavid.

Consider thespace rocketsofman foramoment.Each rocketcontainspartofourculture,ourscience. In thecarefullyadjustedradiosignals thatbleepfromtherocket,hovertheghostsofEdisonandMarconi.IntheflashofitsdeparturelietheeffortsofRutherford,ofDalton,ofOliverLodge.Inthemathematicallycalculated course it takes is the skill ofKepler, the perception ofGalileo, theintuition of IsaacNewton, aswell as the geometry of Euclid and Pythagoras.(SeeDiagram1)

It is all there—our greatest efforts duplicated and reduplicated in theworkingsoftherocket—thestrugglesofrootraces,theriseandfallofdynasties,theshacklingandunshacklingofreligions,thefreeingofsciences,Hargreaves,Coulomb,Watt,andStevenson!Theirmentaldepositslieinourrocketsassurelyastheirtransmittedchromosomeslieinmanyofus.Andwhatdowedowiththisproduct of our ingenuity?We shoot it out into space, probably never to see itagain.Eachrocket improveson thenextand thegraspout intospacebecomesfirmerandlonger,likeaplantshootingupwards—asortofantakarana.

The same occurs in man. After reaching a certain stage of spiritualdevelopment, we eventually begin to use our finest energies to build abridgeheadoutintoinnerspace,orratherupwards.ThisisthescienceofYoga,the yoking of the lower man with the infinite which lies in inner space. Themany techniques for procuring this growth in man, of his flowering intoperfection,lieinsuchprocessesasmeditation,inone-pointedconcentration,inrelaxation, and in breathing. The projection of ourselves into inner space hasbeen successfully achievedbymanybefore us and their records constitute the

WisdomoftheAgesofwhichtheesotericsciencesarebutapart.

ExamplesfromNature(SeeDiagram2.)

Thepathtoself-unfoldmentandadeptshipisalwaysbestillustratedfromnature,for all of nature ismoving towardsperfection.Thegreat teachers ofMankindhavealwayslikedtocompareMan’sstruggletowardslightwiththatoftheplantkingdom,whichundergoesthesametrialsatitsownlevel.Manisrelativelylessadvanced in the journeyof thekingdoms towards theirgoalofperfection thantheplantkingdom,thoughwayaheadoftheothertwo.However, thisdoesnotimplythatplantsaremoreadvancedbeingsthanhumans,foralltheliveswithinplants have yet to reach the human stage. The kingdoms of nature, includingMan,maybelistedasfollows:

(1) The Mineral Kingdom: This has barely started to stir in its spiritualdevelopment, except for the glorious jewels and semi-precious stones whichrepresent the highest lives in its spiritual stream. It has even produced certainelements that are radiatory such as uranium and radium. These radioactiveminerals manifest the qualities of high spiritual activity on the mineralkingdom’sownlevel.

(2)ThePlantKingdom:Thiskingdomis themostdevelopedofall those innature.ThePlantKingdomaccelerated in its evolution about 60millionyearsago, when, as a result of stimulation from the lives on Venus, it developeddicotyledonousplants;thesewereabletoproducegynaeciums,inwhatwenowknowasthefloweringplants.Byfloweringtheywereabletomanifest,attheirlevel,thesameradiatoryactivitesasthemineralelements.

The radiation of plantsmanifests today as its aroma,which is sufficient toattractcreaturesofahigherkingdom,likethebeesoftheanimalkingdom.Itissaidthatabeeisabletodetectthepresenceofaflowerinsomeinstancesuptosevenoreightmilesaway.

Theplantalsomanifests radiatoryorspiritualqualities in itsbrightcolours.Theconfigurationonthepetalsofaplantpointtowardsitsnectariesandpollenchambers. In this way, higher creatures are encouraged to assist in cross-pollination. This ability raised the plant kingdom to a very great height ofspiritualunfoldmentsothattodayitisnearertoperfection,respectively,thananyoftheotherkingdomsofnature.Wearesurroundedeverywherebyexamplesofitsradianceandadeptship.

(3)TheAnimalKingdom:Thisismoredevelopedthanthemineralkingdom,

butnotquiteasdeveloped,atitsownrespectivelevel,astheplantkingdom.Weshouldnotconfusetheseideas;livesthatuseplantswilleventuallyuseanimals.Nevertheless,theplantkingdomismuchmoredevelopedthantheanimal,atitsownlevel.

(4)TheHumanKingdom:Thisisveryadvancedinitsspiritualdevelopment;some of the advanced elements of humanity are manifesting radioactivity, orwhatwecallinitiatorycapacity.Bythiswemeanthattheadvancedelementsofthe fourth kingdom are radiatory in that their head and heart centres arebecoming highly active, and attract to them through groups, other humanelements in the spiritualising process. The most advanced human initiatesbecomeMastersof theWisdom, Initiatesof the sixthandseventhdegreesandeventually,Nirmanakayas. This is a processwhich takes the advanced humanelements into the fifth kingdom, the kingdom of Souls, whilst retaining aphysicalbody.SuchhighlyevolvedhumansbegintoactwithinthekingdomofSoulswhilst still in physical form. In so doing, they are treading the Path. InordertounderstandtheextentofthisspiritualprocessoftreadingthePath,itisveryhelpfultostudywhathappensintheunfoldmentofaflower.

Ifwehad trodden the surfaceof theplanet70millionyearsago,wewouldhaveobservedjunglesandvastexpansesofgreenplants,allveryappropriatetotheirstageofdevelopment,butallofthemgreen,andwithnomanifestationofradiation or spiritual psychosynthesis. There were no flowers anywhere to beseen.Onemust imagine the extraordinary effect of the great spurt of spiritualpower that enabled some of the green plants to produce species capable offlowering.

Weourselvesmaybecompared tosucha floweringentity.Weare thrustasencapsulatedMonadsintotheharshsoiloftheplanetEarthandweexplorewithour roots the elements of earthly forms which are available to us for ourexpression.Wethenseekotherformsofexpression,notintheobjectiveworldofthe material but the inner and subjective world of spirit. We send part ofourselvesupwardsintoanotherrealm,comparing,inthisfashion,tothegrowthoftheplumulepartoftheseedasitpenetratestheworldabovetheharshsurfaceoftheEarth.WelikenthistotheAntakaranawhichreachesinwardlytothelotusoftheSoul,andthroughit,makescontactwiththetremendousforcesofthesun.Inthatinnerworld,we,liketheplant,unfoldspecialorganswhichenableustoaccepttheenergyofthespiritualsuninnewplanesofendeavour,ratherthanthesimpleenergieswhichareavailabletousinphysicalform.Weunfoldspiritualleaveswhich accept the higher energies of photosynthesis, and eventually,we

swell inwardly, and begin to unfold a bulb-like structure which is themanifestationoftheSoul.

Highly developed Souls continue to grow in their buds until the preciousmomentofinitiationarises,whenaspiritualspurt,againfromtheplanetVenus,enables the individual bud to burst into flower. The flowering of the humanentity constitutes the final goal of treading the Path. Thus the Soul and itsunfoldmentislikenedtotheopeningofalotusbud.

Suchhighlyevolvedbeingsradiatetheirenergiestoeveryoneandeverythingaboutthem.Thisiswhywesaythatspiritualityistheeffortputintoraisingtheconsciousness of those around you: the consciousness of plant, animal andmineralelements,aswellastheelementsofthehumankingdom.

Thisiswhyweareinterestedintheprocessesinvolvedinthefloweringofaplant.Wetooundergotheprocessofbudding.Weknowwhatitisliketohavestressplaceduponussothattheconditionbecomesalmostunbearable,relievedonlybyanextensionofconsciousness.Whenwelookat thebudofarose,wewould see, if we could use a microscope to observe it, cells being torn intoshreds by the bulging of the underlying structures; so toomay the process ofhumanspiritualunfoldmentbelikenedtotheopeningofflowerswhichreleasetheir higher qualities of scent and colour to the surroundingworld. The greatoccultistRudolfSteinerdescribedinminutedetailhowimportantitistoobservesuchprocessesinnaturealongwiththerisingandsettingofthesun,inordertoparallelsuchachievementswithourownstructures.

Toillustratethedevelopmentofthefourkingdomsofnature,adiagrammaticrepresentationoftheprocessesinvolvedmaybesummarisedasfollows:

An analogymaybe drawnbetween the search ofman into inner and outerspaceandhisownflowering.Inthecaseof theplant, theseed,whichis thrustintothefertilesoil,containswithinitallthepotentialitiesofitspreviouslivesorantecedents.Whenconditionsareright,theseedwillsendoutroots.Thelevelofthegroundisthebarrierbetweeninnerandouterspace—thehardearthandthesubtlerairandsunlight.Allthetimethattheplantissearchingwithitsrootsfornutrition, it isgrowingupwards in searchof anewdimension thatwillgive itlight energy.Later, there is an unfoldment of itself as stems and leaves in thesubtler(inner)realmoftheatmosphereandtheleavesbegintoabsorbasubtlermore vibrant energy than that taken out of its seed and roots—the energy ofsunlight. His Ring-Pass-Not (the circle, bounds or frontier beyond which anentity cannot go because of the limitations of its state of consciousness) also

increases as he contacts dimensions of awareness not previously accessible tohim.

The point of importance to remember is the upper and lower nature of theplant,soanalogoustomanandtheinterconnectingantakaranawhichhas tobebuilt by the plant to its flower and man to his soul. The biology of spiritualdevelopmentisconcernedwiththecultivationandwateringofthishumantree.Cultivationisthroughexercisesofdiscipline;wateringisthroughinstructionsofinitiateswhogiveout theancient teachingsonhowtodevelop theantakarana,and to stir the petals of the soul. As we enter the Age of Aquarius, we canperceivethetruemeaningofthesymbolforthezodiacalSignofAquariuswhichdepictsamanbearingajugofwaterthatisbeingpouredforth,wateringthetreeofmankind.

TheChakras

Afurtheranalogybetweenmanandthefloweringplantcanbemadewithregardto the chakras or lotuses located in the etheric tract along the spinal column.There are seven major centres, and although we are most familiar with thechakrasthatlieintheethericsheath,theastralandmentalsheathsalsopossessasetofsevenchakraseach.Thechakrasthatweareconcernedwithherearetheones lyingalong theetheric tract in thespinalcolumn.Ordinarily theyarenotvisible to thephysical eye, but anyparticular centre canbe seen clairvoyantlywhenthatcentreisactivated.

However,weneedtohaveacorrectunderstandingofwhatconstituteschakrasorforce centres. Symbolically speaking, chakras are cosmic banks. Every realeffortthatwemake,everyeffortthathasarightmotive,whetheritissuccessfulornot,bringsadepositofsomerecordinsidethesechakras.Sowhensucceedinglives come, when we reincarnate, the qualities we have deposited in thesechakrasarequicklyrestoredtousandwereachthatsamelevelofachievementthat we had reached in the previous life. In each life, we start off with therewardsgainedinpreviouslives,becauseeveryactofAtma,BuddhiandManas(which represent the qualities of the Higher Triad: Will, Love-wisdom, andActiveIntelligence)isasparklingjewelplacedinthesecosmicbanks.Likewise,in those lives that lie ahead, these cosmic banks are available to us. Whensufficientdevelopmenthastakenplaceinthesechakras,manawakenstoanewawareness of himself and of the world which was not present before theawakeningandwhichisbeyondtherangeofdetectionofhisphysicalsenses.

Thechakras,whichliterallymeancirclesorwheelsinSanskrit,areconnectedto their physical counterparts, the endocrine glands and their associated nerveplexuses, through an extensive system of channels called nadis along whichprana,cosmicenergy,isconveyedfromthecentrestotheorgansofthephysicalbody.Itispranawhichisresponsibleforthemaintenanceoflifeinthephysicalbody. While oxygen and carbon are absorbed directly by the physical bodythrough respiration, prana, is absorbed by the etheric body and channelledthrough the physical bodybymeans of a systemof nadis. Furthermore,whileoxygencannotbestoredinthebody,pranacanbestored.

TheNadis(SeeDiagramopposite)

There are three major channels or nadis which are considered primary: Ida,Pingala, and Sushumna. The central channel, Sushumna, extends from theMuladhara Chakra, at the base of the spine, to the Ajna Chakra, the centrebetweentheeyebrows,whileIdaandPingalaareconnectedtotheleftandright

nostrils respectivelyand intertwine theSushumnaNadi inaserpentinepattern.Each of these nadis extends fromMuladharaChakra toAjnaChakra,meetingSushumnaateachof thesechakras. InHathaYoga, thenadiknownasPingalabegins in therightnostrilandisrepresentedbythesymbolof thesun; ithasapositivepolarityandisreferredtoasHa.Thenadibeginningintheleftnostrilisrepresentedbythesymbolofthemoon;ithasanegativepolarityandisreferredto as Tha. This is, in fact, the origin of the word Hatha, referring to thedisciplinesofthatparticularbranchofyoga.

It is interesting to note that references to solar and lunar energies are alsofoundintheAncientGreekandEgyptianMysterySchools.Accordingtotheseteachings, the passage of energies into Sushumna and the activation of thechakras takes place in only five of the force centres and is called the LunarCycle. The Greeks referred to this cycle as the Journey of the Moon, as itsymbolisedthepurificatoryperiodonthepathofself-unfoldment.Accordingly,the Higher Awakening takes place with the descent of solar fire from abovewhich vivifies all seven of the centres and is called the Solar Cycle or theJourneyoftheSun.Itmustbenotedthatwearenotspeakingofthepassageof

kundalinifireintothecentralchannel,asthistakesplaceatalaterstageintheindividual’sdevelopment.

Althoughprana is continuously circulating through Ida andPingala, it doesnot circulate through the central channel, Sushumna. In ordinary man, theentrancetoSushumnanadiatthebaseofthespineisclosedandremainsclosedthroughouthislife.When,however,throughpracticeofesotericdisciplinesandpurification,thepranaiswithdrawnfromIdaandPingalaandentersSushumnaat theMuladharaChakra, the practice of concentration andmeditation can beundertakentoagreateradvantage.ThereasonforthisisthatwhenthepositiveandnegativecurrentsofIdaandPingalaarebroughttogetherinSushumna,theyareneutralised,anditisthenpossibletostillthebody,breath,andmind.Inlightof this, Patanjali’s definition of Yoga becomes more meaningful, for in thesecondsutra,hedefinesYogaastheinhibitionofthemodificationsofthemind.Inotherwords,Yoga(union)ispossiblewhenwehavesucceededinstillingthethoughtwavesinthemind.

Themannerinwhichthenadisjoinatthevariouscentresgivestheappearanceof lotuseswithpetals.Thepetals increase innumberas theyascend thespine.(SeeDiagram).The true lotus flower containswithin it, in embryo, thewholestructureoftheadultplantintowhichitwillgrow.Lotusflowershavetheirrootsinthemudofthepool.Thestemgrowsupwardsoutofthemud(Earth)throughthewater (Emotions) into the air (Mentality). The chakras not only evolve orunfold, like the flower, through thewelter of physical, emotional, andmentalexperiences in many lives, but they also contain within them the latent orembryonicpossibilitiesofman.Astheyopen,thelatentpowersinmanunfold.

Eachofthechakrashasacertainnumberofpetalsassignedtoitrangingfromtwo to a thousand, and each petal is inscribed with a letter of the Sanskritalphabet forawakening thechakra throughMantraYoga (thescienceof soundvibration,basedontheprinciplethateverythingisinvibrationandthereforethesounding of certain sounds produces an effect on the human being and hisenvironment). In addition, each of the chakras has certain characteristicsassignedtoitwhichincludegeometricform,elementortattva,dominantcolour,inherentsound,typeofpower,andcontrollingdeities.Thegeometricformsandcoloursof thecentresareuniversalandarefoundinallesoteric traditions.Forexample,thegeometricform,whichiscalledayantrainSanskrit,aswellasthecolourandelement,arebasicallythesameinboththeHindusystemandintheKabala,theJewishmysticalsystemfortheinnerdevelopmentofman.

However, the other characteristics that distinguish each chakra, such as thepresidingdeities,arepurelyHinduincharacter.Therefore,whenperformingthevisualisationexercisecalledChakraDharana (Sanskritword forconcentration)todevelopconcentration,onemayusethesymbolthatcorrespondstothequalityexpressedbythatchakra.Thus,fortheMuladharaChakrathatispresidedoverbytheelephantdeityGanesha,wecansubstitutetheimageoftherhinoceros,thesymbol of blind power; this is indeed true of the quality of the energy of thischakra.

In visualising the throat chakra, the higher creative centre in man, andtherefore,thealteregoofthesacralcentre,theWesternercouldusethesymbolof a camel, which represents the factor of lower mind, as this chakraincorporatesthequalitiesoftheThirdRayofActiveIntelligence(SeeEsotericPsychology, Volume Five by Dr. Douglas Baker, for a full study andunderstanding of the Seven Rays). By visualising the throat chakra and itssymbols, energy from the sacral centre is transferred to the throat. Itmust berememberedthattheprocessofyogainvolvesthetransferenceofenergiesfromchakras below the diaphragm to those above it, until all of the energies arecentredintheheadregion.Whenthisoccurs,thethousandpetalledlotusbloomsinthecrownchakra,manisliberatedfrommatter,andafiregodisborn.

SymbolismoftheChakras

1.Muladhara, at the base of the spine;Yantra, a yellow square representingPrithivi, the element earth; the Bija Mantra (pronounced Bej, is the inherentsound, note, or seed syllable of the chakra.) isLam (physical correspondence:AdrenalGlands).

2. Svadhisthana, sacral centre, second vertebra above the coccyx; Yantra, asilvercrescentmoonrepresentingApas,theelementofwater,theBijaMantraisVam (physical correspondence: Gonads of male and female reproductivesystem).

3.Manipura,solarplexuscentre,atthelevelofthenavalinthespine;Yantra,aredtriangle,apexdown,representingTejas,theelementoffire,theBijaMantraisRam;(physicalcorrespondence:solarplexusandpancreas).

4.Anahata,heart centre, at the levelof theheart in the spine;Yantra, abluehexagram formed by two interlacing triangles giving the appearance of a six-pointed-star, representing Vayu, the element of air; the Bija Mantra is Yam(physicalcorrespondence:thymusgland).

5.Vishuddha, throatcentre,at the throat;Yantra,adark indigoovaleggorawhitecirclewithina triangle,apexdown, representingAkasha, theelementofether;theBijaMantraisHam;(physicalcorrespondence:thyroidgland).6.Ajna,browcentre,betweentheeyebrows;Yantra,agoldensunrepresenting

Mahat, the element ofCosmicMind; TheBijaMantra isKsham (k is silent);(physicalcorrespondence:pituitarygland).7. Sahasrara, crown centre, top of the head; Yantra, a scintillating white

thousand-petalled lotuswith a blue centre, the element is beyond all elementsand colour is beyond all colours; the Bija Mantra is OM (physicalcorrespondence:pinealgland).

The visualisation of the yantras, i.e., the geometric shapes with theircorresponding colours, and the sounding of the Bija Mantra, the note of thechakra, while meditating on the quality inherent in each chakra, prepares thecentreforactivation.Eventually,afterlongpractice,togetherwiththeadherenceto other esoteric disciplines, including purification, one achievesmastery overeach of the elements, as well as knowledge and mastery of the plane ofconsciousnesscorrespondingtotheparticularchakra.Thefunctionofeachoftheetheric centres, when fully aroused, is to bring into physical consciousnesswhatevermaybethequalityinherentintheastralcentrewhichcorrespondstoit.

Thus, when the solar plexus centre,Manipura Chakra, comes into activity,one begins to become conscious of all kinds of astral influences, friendly orhostile.With the opening of the heart centre, Anahata Chakra, man becomesinstinctivelyawareofthejoysandsorrowsofothersandsometimesevencauseshim to sympathetically reproduce their aches and pains. The opening of thethroat chakra, Vishudda, allows one to hear voices and eventually leads toclairaudience,whiletheopeningofthebrowcentre,Ajnachakra,enablesonetosee things and to have variouswaking visions of people and places. The fullopening of this chakra brings clairvoyance. However, the activation of thischakra is not to be confusedwith the awakening of the third eyewhich is anorganthatemergeswiththeinterplayofthethreemajorchakras,Brow,Crown,andAltaMajorcentres.(SeeTheOpeningoftheThirdEyebyDouglasBaker)Finally,when theCrownChakra, the thousand-petalled lotus, is fully aroused,manhas the ability to leave thebody and to return to it atwill. It alsobringscontinuityofconsciousnessevenatdeathandafter.

CHAPTER3AYOGAFORTHEWEST

TheYogaofSynthesis

We see that spiritual growth in man moves towards the establishment of asupremefloweronthehumanplant—arareorchidofgreatsplendour,thegreatthousand-petalled lotus, the Sahasrara Chakra, whose radiance embraces andcoordinatesallotherchakras.Andyet,thisflowerisbutonegreatinflorescence.We are all part of that inflorescence. Some of the buds are not yet opened—some souls are young. The great plant of humanity may have manyinflorescences,butallarepartofthesametree.WhensomeonesignsaletterandputsThineOwnSelf,youshouldknownowwhatismeant.

Buthowisthefloweropenedsothatoneisabletoidentifyoneselfwithone’sSelf? For the EasternYogi, theway is through the strictest of disciplines, thesternestcontrolofthemind,byvegetariandiet,andaboveall,throughbreathingexercises.FormanintheWestconstantlysubjectedtostress,thewayisnotsoclearlydefined.WehavetodevelopourownYoga,adaptingwhatmethodsexisttoourownnewenvironment.OurownYoga,orScienceofUnion,isaYogaofsynthesis,takingwhatisusefulandapplicablefromearlierYogas.

ThescienceofYogadatesfromremoteantiquityandisrevealedanewtoeachage. Therefore, in order to make its application practical, the techniques areadjusted tosuit theevolutionaryneedsofmankindfor thatparticularperiodoftime.ThefourmainbranchesofYogaare(1)KarmaYoga,thepathofworkandservicethroughrightactionwithoutattachment to theresults;(2)BhaktiYoga,thepathoflovingdevotion;(3)JnanaYoga,thepathofknowledgethroughself-analysisanddiscriminationoftherealfromtheunreal,theSelffromthenot-self;(4)HathaYogaand its continuation,RajaYoga, thepathofbodily integrationand mastery through certain psycho-physical methods and meditation. Thesefourpathsrespectivelycorrespondtothefourfunctionsofman:tosense,tofeel,tothink,andtowill.

ExperienceofWholeness

Thegroupingofthesefunctionsvariesfromoneindividualtoanother;however,

everyone has two leading functions, the other two being unconscious, andconsequently,underdeveloped.Whatwillbetheleadingfunctioninonewillbethe less dominant function in another. Union, as the aim of yoga, means theexperience of wholeness; it also means the unity of the four functions in thevariousrealmsofconsciousness. Inotherwords,onemust learn todevelopallfour functions equally well and to express the appropriate function for thevarioussituationsthatweencounterindailylife.Whatoftenhappensisthatweexpressourdominant function in all situationswithout regard for the fact thatthe less dominant function might be more suitable. Thus, we can take theseprinciplesandconceptsfromtheearlieryogasanddevelopourownmethodstomeettheneedsofourcultureandourwayoflife.

This view is supported by FranklinMerrell-Wolff, aWestern scientistwhoexperiencedself-realisation.Hewrites:

Thepsychical structureof theEast Indianandespeciallyof theChinese isradicallydifferentfromourown.Hence,merelytotransplantmethodologieswhichhavebeensuccessfulintheOrientintotheOccidentisacaseofusingtherightmethodwiththewrongman.Itisonlythecombinationoftherightmethod with the right man that works. This means that for the West, thewholeproblemofdevisingtheeffectivecollateralaidshastoberesolvedinnewterms.Weshallhavetoemploythepowerswhichwehaveunfoldedinsuperior degree, rather than depend upon those which, while stronglydeveloped in the Orient, are weak with us. Today this is a pioneeringproblem.

PathwaysThroughtoSpacebyFranklinMerrell-Wolff,JulianPress,1974

The yoga that is to bring us inner radiance is not to be for the purpose ofsittinginsomequietretreatlikearecluseorhermit.Ouryogamustbetheonethatwill develop an integrated personality that can copewith the problemsoflivinginthisworldaswellasthenext.Veryfewyogis,realyogis,whocometotheWestcancopewithourwaveoflife.

Thepromiseofthecomingadeptsisthattheywillwalkamongstus.Iftheyaretoliveamongstus,thentheirYogawillhavetobeadaptedtosuchcommunalliving.We,theiryoungerbrothersonthePath,willberequiredtosetupvariousprojectsofworldimportance.WewillhavetoorganisetheouterashramfortheMaster toensoul.WemustprovideHimwith theconditionsso that it isworthHiswhilecomingamongstus,sothatHisenergieswillnotbewasted,butplacedin a positionwhere they can best produce their effects for theworld—a busycentralised office, a country retreat, a teaching theatre, a meditation room, a

healingsanctuary,forming,asitwere,anashramworthyoftheOneWhocomes.ItwillbetheYogaofSynthesisdedicatedtoservingmankind,andweourselvesmust evolve it. The path to the superconscious experience taught by theseMastersandthatwhichTheirstudentsmustfollowisMeditation.

Meditation

The reasonwe in theWest do sobadlywithmeditation ismainlybecausewedon’tknowwhatweare trying todo inmeditation.Firstofall, thepurposeofmeditationisnottogainfame,fortune,power,orpsychicabilities,asmanyfalseclaimsand tawdryadvertisementspurport;neither is thepurposeofmeditationto solve one’s personal problems. Inmeditation, the goal is to know our truenature,whichispureconsciousness.Then,whenwehavecontactedthetotalityofourbeing,weare inabetterposition to solveproblems, to relate toothers,andtoperformourduties.Itmustberememberedthatthepurposeofmeditationis threefold: (1) to produce perfect alignment of the psycho-etheric body, theemotions(astralbody),andthemind(mentalbody);(2)tocontactahigherselforconsciousnesswhichtranscendstheordinarypersonality;and(3)toexpressinour daily lives, the higher energies and archetypal patterns that have beenexperiencedontheinnerplanes.

Andso,weneed toaskourselves,Whatarewe trying todo inmeditation?The answer is that we are trying to unite our consciousness with that of acolossal Being, a great entity, a Logos, with God. When we unite ourconsciousness, yoke, the yogis call it, to that of a Greater Being, our mindmergesintoHim;webecomeapartofHimandwehaveHisenergiesavailableto us. In fact, in order to understand meditation, we need to go back to twofundamentalbasicpostulateswhicharemostcriticaltoitsunderstanding.

TwoGreatPostulatesofAncientWisdom

ThefirstgreatpostulateofAncientWisdomassetforthinTheSecretDoctrinebyMadameBlavatsky, is Hylozoism, the proposition that all things live. Thetiniestatom isa sentient, livingentity, as is thegreatestgalaxy in theheavenswith its immenseconsciousness.Everything is alive; atomsarealive,mineralsarealive,gemstonesarealive.Morethanthis, thegemstones,whoareMastersoftheMineralKingdom,radiateenergiesthatcanheal.Itmayseemimpossibleat firstglance toaccept the fact thatwhatweonceconsidered tobe inanimatematterisalive,butnowwehavescientistswhosupportthistheory.Anexampleof this is found in the conversations recorded byBobToben, a scientist,withphysicists Jack Sarfatti and FredWolf, in the book Space, Time and Beyond.

Although the following statements appear in this book, they could well beextractedfromTheSecretDoctrine.

All things are interconnected...Every part of your universe is directlyconnected to every other part...The description of any part is inseparablefrom the description of the whole...You cannot move without influencingeverything in your universe...You cannot even observe anything withoutchangingtheobjectandevenyourself...Itisevenpossiblethatjustthinkingaboutanobjectcanchangeitandyourself...Alltheuniverseisalive...Alltheuniverse is interconnected...There is life in everything but with varyingdegreesofconsciousness.

Space,Time,andBeyondbyBobToben,E.P.Dutton&Co.,1975.

What we are discovering, of course, is that science is not saying anythingnew,butismerelyrestatingthesamegreatTruthsthatweregiventotheworldthousands of years ago in different words and symbols. Another modern,scientificviewthatcorroboratesthosefoundintheAncientWisdomisgivenbythegreatNobelprizewinner,JohnNorthrop.Heindicatesthatitisimpossibletodistinguishbetweentheanimateandtheinanimate,thatwhichislivingandthatwhich is non-living, because the criterion of reproduction which is used todistinguishthelivingfromthenon-livinghasfailed.

Atypicalexampleofthisisthetobaccovirus,whichisnothingmorethanacrystal;withinthecellsofthetobaccoplant,itisabletomultiplyandgrow.Thisisalsotrueofothervirusessuchastheinfluenzavirus,whichisalsoacrystal;theymultiplyandcanonlylivewithincells.

Thisbasicpostulatecanbetakenastepfurther.Afamily,mother,father,andchildren, are all living; together they are a totality called a family and have abeginning, a function, and an end; thus we can understand that a family is alivingcreature,alivingthing.Butthisisalsotrueofatribe,arootrace,aplanet,asolarsystem,agalaxy—theyarealllivingthingshavingasentientawareness,aconsciousnesswhichmaybefaintorvast,butaconsciousnessnevertheless.

Thesecondgreatpostulateisthatallthingslivewithinthebodyofagreaterbeing.Forexample,atoms livewithincells;cellswithinorgans;organswithinmen; men within their families; families in tribes; tribes within races; raceswithinthebodyofhumanity;humanitywithinthebodyoftheplanet;theplanetwithin the solar system; the solar system within the body of an even greaterbeing.Theselawsholdtruerightfromthemicrocosmuptothemacrocosm.Andso,wecanbegintounderstandthatwearepartofagreaterbeingandthatwhat

istrueofourselvesisalsotrueofHim.

Earlier,wemadeastudyofchakraswithinourselves.TheOneinWhomwelive and move and have our being, as St. Paul describes it, also has sevenchakras.Forexample,ourFifthRootRacecorrespondstoHisthroatchakra,justastheFourthRootRace,theAtlantean,correspondstothesolarplexuschakra,andtheThirdRootRace,theLemurian,correspondstothesacralcentre.Hetoo,like ourselves, is drawing away from the sacral and solar plexus chakras andshiftinghisenergiestothethroat.TheGreatOccultLawofCorrespondenceandAnalogyiswellillustratedbythesaying,Asabove,sobelow.

Oneoftheconsiderationsintryingtounderstandsomethingofthestupendousconsciousnessofthesegreatbeingsinwhomweliveisthatitgivesusakeytoevolve a psychological formula for ourselves, as well as an understanding ofwhatisinvolvedinthesuperconsciousexperience.Wearetalkingaboutaligningour consciousnesswith that of a super being inwhomwe live, andwhen ourconsciousnessisthesameasHis,wehavebecomeapartofHisawareness.Thisiswhatwearetryingtodoinmeditation,anditisastupendousthingthatwearetrying toachieve. It issomething thatordinarily takes500 liveson thisplanet,andwearetryingtodoitinafewshortlives.

Wecan,therefore,understandhowitispossibleforaunitlikeacelltosharein theawarenessofsomethinggreater than itself.Forexample,weall feelandshare to some extent the awareness of our nation when it is going through acrisis.Evenso,itispossibleforaunitlikeacelltoshareintheawarenessoftheanimal in which it exists even if the experience is momentary and transient.Likewise, it ispossibleforahumanbeingtohavetheexperienceofsharingintheconsciousnessofsomestupendousbeingofwhichheisbutasmallpart.

AnalogyoftheEye

Letusconsiderforamoment,thefollowinganalogyinordertounderstandtheenormity of our task. Let us suppose that a body cell, with its minuteconsciousness,maysuddenly, inunusualcircumstances,sharemomentarily theconsciousness residing in the central hemispheres of the brain. Further, let usassumethatthecandidateforinitiationintothisstupendousconsciousnessisoneof the redbloodcellsofourownbody.But first,weneed toknowsomethingaboutthecirculationofthebloodbeforewecangrasptheextentoftheinitiation.

Theredcellstartsitsjourneyfromtheheartladenwithoxygen,andasitgoesaroundthebody,itgivesoutoxygentothetissues,forthatisitsdailytask.This

takesapproximately20seconds;then,itreturnstotheheartdepletedofoxygenand it is restocked with oxygen as it passes through the lungs, just as weourselves are replenished physically in sleep. During its passage through thearteries,itexperiencesacertaindegreeoflight—theordinarylightcomingtoitthroughthewallsofthearteries,justasweexperienceacertainamountoflightaswegoaboutourwork.

Butbecauseof thecell’splasticnatureandmalleability,onedaysomethingdifferenthappens.Thecell, insteadofgoingaroundinitsdailytask,movesupthrough the carotid arteries into the head region and then passes bymeans ofveryfinecapillaries,tothebackofthehumaneyetotheretina.Thecapillariesareminutebecause theymust not impede the light coming into the eye to thelightsensitiveconesintheretina.Sosmallarethesecapillariesthattheredcellhas to be of a very plastic ormalleable nature, in order tomake the passagethroughthefoveacentralis,themostsensitivepartoftheretinawhereaccuracyofvisionisbest.Herein liesahintforourselves toalsobecomemalleableandplasticifwewishtoexperiencecosmicconsciousness.

Aftermuchdifficulty, the red cell passes along the capillary in that region,andthenforonemoment,asplitsecond,itisconfrontedbyalighttenthousandtimesbrighterthanthelightitpreviouslyknewinitsdailytasks.Inotherwords,thesortoflightcomingtoitnowthroughthearteriesisnotlikethedaylightthatweourselvesexperienceineverydaylife,butrather likea light that isbrighterthan the light of ten thousand suns. Further, at that moment of initiation intogreaterlight,itisinapositiontoseewhatisgoingonoutsidetheuniverseofhisimmediatesurroundings.HemayevenseeforamomentthedirectioninwhichtheOneinWhomHeLivesandMovesandHasHisBeingismovingandisabletoshareinthePlanofthatgreaterBeing.Thus,wehaveinthisanalogythesortofexperiencethatissuperconsciousness.

CHAPTER4COSMICCONSCIOUSNESS

SuperconsciousExperience

Throughout recorded history, there has been the testimonyof noteworthymenandwomenwhohavehadthespontaneousexperienceofilluminationorcosmicconsciousness.Theexperiencehasbeenofsuchanextraordinarynature that ithasleftitsmarkuponthemforalltime.Amongthosewhohavereportedhavinghad this awakening have been such notable contemporary figures as Pascal,Tennyson, Wordsworth, Charlotte Bronte, Walt Whitman, Nietzsche, ArthurKoestler,Merrell-Wolff,andmanymore.

In his book, Cosmic Consciousness, Dr. Richard Bucke, a Canadianphysician, hasmade an analysis of the experience of certainmen andwomenwhoseachievementofanewkindofawarenessplacesthemonadifferentlevelfrom the rest of mankind. Notable among this compilation of reports of thesuperconscious experience are the accounts of such remarkable individuals asSocrates, Plato, Plotinus, Buddha, Christ, Mohammed, Ramakrishna, JacobBoehme, Swedenborg, Emerson, Thoreau, andmany others. Dr. Bucke pointsout that, although only some of mankind have succeeded in achieving thetransitionfromself-consciousnesstocosmicconsciousness,allofmankindwilleventuallyevolvetothislevelofawareness.

A study of the accounts reveals that regardless of the variety of religiousbeliefs, cultural background, geographical location, or historical period, thesubjective experience of this state of awareness is identical. While theexperiences described definitely transcend ordinary self-consciousness orsubject-object consciousness, there are degrees and levels within this field ofcosmicawareness.However,Dr.Buckefailstorecognisethedifferencebetweencosmic consciousness and transcendental consciousness (or NoumenalConsciousness, which is the next step in awareness beyond cosmicconsciousness and is termed Nirvikalpa Samadhi by the Hindus.) and,consequently,accordsamoreexaltedplacetoWaltWhitmanthantotheBuddha.Nevertheless, Dr. Bucke’s work is valuable in understanding the nature ofcosmicconsciousness.

Further investigation shows that many of those who have had thesuperconsciousexperiencearemenofgeniusandareamong themost talentedmembersofthehumanrace.Itisinterestingtonotethatifthemembersofthisexceptionalgroupofpeoplewerebroughttogetheratonetime,theycouldallbeaccomodated inone large reception room the sizeof amoderndrawing room.Yet the astonishing fact is that, generally speaking, these individuals havecreated modern civilisation through their great contributions in the fields ofliterature, philosophy, and religion. In fact, the superconscious or mysticalexperienceformsthebasisofallgreatreligions; italsoliesat thecoreofsuchmetaphysical systems as that expounded by Plotinus and of the philosophicalsystemsofSocratesandPlato.

CommonFactors

To those who have had the superconscious experience in various forms, itappearstohaveseveralcommonfactors:

1. Light: The individual is flooded with an intense light so bright that itsradianceis10,000timesbrighterthanthebrightestsun.

2.Omnipotence: There is a sense of power, of being able to accomplish theimpossibleatthemomentofunion.

3.Omniscience:Inaddition,thereisasenseofpossessinginfinitewisdomandunderstandingatthemomentofunion.

4.Timelessness:Timeseemstostandstillortobesloweddown.

5.Ecstasy: Subjectively, there is an intense feeling of ecstasy or bliss whichmakestheorgasmofsexualunionseemasnothingcomparedtoit.

6.Unity with All of Life: There is a sense of unity with all of life and anawareness thatallother selvesareourself.Also, there is theexperienceof theuniverseasalivingpresence,andoneknowsasafactinconsciousnessthetruthofPostulate(1)thatallthingsliveandofPostulate(2)thatallthingsliveinthebodyofaGreaterBeing.

7.Immortality:Thereisaconvictionofimmortalitywhichisneitherabeliefnoran intellectual conviction but, rather, a realisation of one’s identity with theGreaterBeing;hencethefearofdeathvanishes.

TransformationofPersonality

In all instances, there is strong evidence to indicate that the experience of

illumination brings about a positive change in the individual that can even benoticed by others. Outwardly, there appears to be an additional, dynamic,magneticqualityandcharmthattheindividualdidnotpossessbefore.Inwardly,thereisanalteredperceptionoftheso-calledexternalworldcausingacompletetransformation of the individual’s outlook on life, as well as a change in thedirectionofhislife’sgoals.

Infact, incaseswhere theexperienceofcosmicawareness isnot justapartialone, there is a completemetamorphosis of the personality. This is the secondbirth,therisingfromthetomb,thatisthethemeofsomanymythsandformsthebasis of all mystery religions, including Christianity, for it represents theequivalentofthedeathoftheoldpersonalityandtheemergenceofanewbeing.Symbolicallyspeaking,wedieonone levelandare rebornonanother.This isthemeaningofthewordsofSt.PaulwhobeseechesMankind:

Awakethouthatsleepestandarisefromthedead,andChristshallgivetheelight.

Weare,fromthepointofviewofanilluminedbeing,deadanddonottrulyawakenuntilwehavetherealisationofourHigherSelf,whichisreferredtoinChristian symbols as theChrist within. This is the realmeaning of theResurrection;itdoesnotmeanthatthetombsofthedeadwillopenandallthecorpsescometolife.

Essentially, to convey the positive qualities of this profound experiencethroughthemediumofwordsissomewhatinadequate.Itisratherliketryingtodescribeasunrise tosomeonewhohasneverseenone. In fact,manyofthe individuals who have experienced cosmic consciousness are quiteeloquentinexpressingthemselvesverbally, formanyofthemarewritersofgreat ability. But when it comes to describing this experience, they havedeclaredthatitisalmostimpossibletodoso.“Forthoughtisabirdofspacethat ina cageofwordsmay indeedunfold itswingsbut cannot fly”. (TheProphet byKahlilGibran,AlfredA.KnopfPublishers, 1923)However, noonewhoreadsorhearstheseaccountsofthesuperconsciousexperiencecandoubt for a moment the authenticity of their experience or fail to beconvincedofthefactthatthoseofuswhohavenotyetbeenblessedwiththisbeautifulvision“seeasthroughglassdarkly”.

St.Paul’sEpistletotheCorinthians,13:1-13.

CHAPTER5THEEXPERIENCEOFAWAKENING

To thosewith occult experiences in previous lives, the awakening comes in asuddenblindingexperience,aswithSt.PaulontheroadtoDamascus.Forhim,theburstingoftheinnerlightcameasasledgehammerblowthatblindedhimforthree days. Plato,with his superb logic, tries to describe the same effusion oflightfromwithin inhisfamousanalogyof thecave inTheRepublic. (SeeTheOpeningoftheThirdEyebyDouglasBakerforadescriptionoftheanalogyofthecave.)Dr.Buckealsodescribeshisownexperienceofcosmicconsciousnessintermsoflightandfire.Thissubjective,innereffulgenceofspiritualfireisasrealastheouterfirewithwhichwearesofamiliarinoureverydaylife.

InthefollowingpassagefromDr.Bucke’saccountofthateventfulnight,wehave a classic description of the phenomenon of fire that accompanies higherstatesofconsciousness.

I had spent the evening in a quiet city with some friends reading anddiscussingpoetryandphilosophy.Wehad regaledourselveswithWordsworth,Shelley,Browning,andespeciallyWhitman.Wepartedatmidnight.Ihadalongdriveinahansomtomylodgings.Mymindtravelledundertheinfluenceoftheideas,imagesandemotionscalledupbythereadingandtalking.Iwasinastateofmind ofmost peaceful enjoyment, not actually thinking but letting images,ideasandemotions,fleetofthemselves,andspreadthroughoutmymind.Allatonce,withoutwarningofanykind,Ifoundmyselfwrappedinacolouredcloud.Foraninstant,Ithoughtoffire,animmenseconflagrationsomewherecloseby,in that great city. The next moment I knew that the fire was within myself.(CosmicConsciousnessbyDr.RichardM.Bucke,E.P.Dutton&Co.,1923)

IntellectualIllumination

Directly afterwards he experienced an immense exultation followed by anintellectualilluminationimpossibletodescribe.Althoughitcontinuedforonlyafewmoments, he claims that he learnedmore within the few seconds duringwhich the illumination lasted than he had learned in previousmonths or evenyears of study, and that he had learned much that no study could ever havetaught.While therewas no return of that experience, he never forgotwhat he

saw and knew and never doubted the truth ofwhatwas then presented to hismind.

Inthemanyotheraccountsofthesuperconsciousstate,theexperienceisstillthesame,eventhoughtheinterpretationofitisinvariablyintermsofsymbols,imagery,andlanguagecommontothepersonhavingtheexperience.However,thesymbolsusedtoexpresstheexperienceareincidental.TheChristianmysticwill use Christian terminology when speaking of union with Christ, with theTrinity,withGod.St.Paul,forexample,describesitinthisway:“Ilive,yetnotI,butChristlivethinme”.IntheUpanishads,oneofIndia’soldest,mostsacredscriptures, we find the revelations of illumined seers who declare “Tat TwamAsi”, “Thou art That; Thatwhich is the finest essence—thiswholeworld hasthat as its soul; That is Reality. That is Atman. That art thou, Svetaketu”.(ChandogyaUpanishad,R.E.Humes’s translation.) Thus, theHinduYogiwilldescribehisexperienceasunionwiththeAtman,theHigherSelfinman,whichisthesameastheChristprincipleinChristianity.

On the other hand,we have the following account of a poet likeTennysonwhowrites:

AkindofwalkingtranceIhavefrequentlyhad,quiteupfromboyhood,whenIhavebeenall alone.Thishasoften comeuponme through repeatingmyownnametomyselfsilentlytill,allatonce,asitwere,outoftheintensityoftheconsciousnessofindividuality,theindividualityitselfseemedtodissolveand fadeaway intoboundlessbeing;and thisnotaconfusedstate,but theclearestoftheclearest,thesurestofthesurest,theweirdestoftheweirdest,utterly beyondwords, where deathwas an almost laughable impossibility,the lossofpersonalitybut theonly true life. (CosmicConsciousnessbyR.Bucke,E.P.Dutton&Co.,1923)

Again,thedescriptionoftheexperienceconfirmsthesenseofthedissolvingof the boundaries of ordinary selfhood into one of boundless being. It is alsointeresting to note that the method Tennyson used to achieve this state ofawarenesswas the repetition of his own name,which is similar to one of themethodsusedinmeditationpractice,namely,thestillingofthemindthroughtherepetitionofasinglesound.

WithEdwardMaitland,thesuperconsciousexperiencewasbroughtaboutbytracing an idea back to its origin. After reflection on an idea, related ideaspresented themselves to him. These, in turn, took him back to their source,which forhimwasdivine spirit. Interpreting this sourceas the superconscious

realm,hesays:

I was absolutely without knowledge or expectation when I yielded to theimpulse to make the attempt. I simply experimented on a faculty...beingseated atmywriting table thewhile in order to record the results as theycame, and resolved to retain my hold on my outer and circumferentialconsciousness, no matter how far towards my inner and centralconsciousnessImightgo.ForIknewnotwhetherIshouldbeabletoregainthe former if once I quitted my hold of it, or to recollect the facts of theexperience.At length Iachievedmyobject, thoughonlybya strongeffort,the tension occasioned by the endeavour to keep both extremes of theconsciousnessinviewatoncebeingverygreat.

Once well started on my quest, I found myself traversing a succession ofspheres or belts...the impression produced being that of mounting a vastladder stretching from the circumference towards the centre of a system,which was at once my own system, the solar system, and the universalsystem,thethreesystemsbeingatoncediverseandidentical...Presently,byasupreme,andwhatIfeltmustbeafinaleffort...Isucceededinpolarisingthewholeoftheconvergentraysofconsciousnessintothedesiredfocus.Andatthesameinstant,asifthroughthesuddenignitionoftheraysthusfusedinto a unity, I found myself thus confronted with a glory of unspeakablewhitenessandbrightness,andofalustresointenseaswell-nightobeatmeback...ButthoughfeelingthatIhadnoneedtoexplorefurther,IresolvedtomakeassurancedoublysurebypiercingifIcould,thealmostblindinglustre,andseeingwhatitenshrined.WithagreateffortIsucceeded,andtheglancerevealedtomethatwhichIhadfeltmustbethere...Itwasthedual formoftheSon...theunmanifestmademanifest, theunformulate formulate, theun-individuate individuate,Godas theLord, proving throughHis duality thatGodissubstanceaswellasForce,LoveaswellasWill,FeminineaswellasMasculine,Mother as well as Father.Anne Kingsford, Her Life, Letters,DiaryandWorkbyEdwardMaitland.

Quiteoften itoccurs inamomentof intenseaestheticenjoymentas itdid toWarnerAllenwhile listening toBeethoven’s Seventh Symphony. In his book,TheTimelessMoment,hewrites:

It flashed up lightning-wise during a performance of Beethoven’s SeventhSymphonyat theQueen’sHall. The swiftly flowing continuity of themusicwasnotinterruptedsothatwhatMr.T.S.Eliotcalls, theintersectionofthetimelessmomentmusthaveslippedintotheintervalbetweentwodemi-semi-

quavers...Somethinghashappenedtome—Iamutterlyamazed—canthisbethat? (That being the answer to the riddle of life)—but it is too simple—Ialways knew it—it is remembering an old forgotten secret—like cominghome—I am not I, not the I I thought—there is no death—peace passingunderstanding—yet howunworthy I—. (ExpansionofAwareness byArthurOsborn,Theo.Press,1961)

Itdoesnotmatterhowvariedtheexpressionandinterpretationsare,thefactremains that the testimony relates to an identical state of consciousness.Consider,forexample,thefollowingaccountsofmyownexperienceswrittenduring the post-war years. The first occurredwhilst Iwas listening to themusicofHandel’sMessiah;IwasinareveriewhentheopeningbarsoftheHallelujah Chorus struck. The effect was electrifying. A pinpoint of lightbehindmyclosedeyelidsrotatedandexpandedintoabrilliantscintillatingsphere that produced spikes something like those seen on the surface offloatingmines inWorldWar II.As the sphere rotated inharmonywith themusic,thespikesexplodedinturnwiththesymbolsoftheworld’sreligionsand a deep sense of yearning, which was a mixture of devotion andaspiration, fell upon me. I felt a flood of ecstasy as I became the spheremyselfandembodiedthesentimentsofallthemanypathsthatMantreadstotheOneReality.Atsometimeduringtheepisode,InotedthatIhadbeguntousethebellowsbreath.

TheotherincidentisrecordedinmybookTheSpiritualDiaryandrelatestothefollowingexperience:

Throughapeculiarsetofcircumstances,IwasintroducedtoastudyofyogaandtheAncientWisdomin1950.Barelysixmonthslater,afterhavingreadThe Secret Doctrine byH.P. Blavatsky and the Light of the Soul by AliceBailey,IsuddenlyhadaspiritualexperienceonemorninginMay,1951.

Whilst lying in a semi-recumbent condition after a meditation, my wholebodysuddenlyjerkedintoaconditionofcatalepsyandwhilstrivetedinthisrigidstate,apowerfulforcewasthrustthroughmefromheadtofoot.ItwasasifIhadbeencatapultedintothedynamooftheuniverse.Itresultedintheproductionofthreeprincipalmanifestationswhichhavebeenrepeatedagainandagaininvariousdegreesofintensityeversince.Iwasinitiallyawareoflookingthroughintoanewworldeventhoughfullyconscious.

Thisperceptionofanewdimensioneventuallyproducedinmeanexperienceof an inner radiance, a light that made the light of our sun as nothing

comparedtoit.AccompanyingthatphenomenonwasafeelingofecstasyasIhadnever knownbefore.Andparallelingboth newnoumena therewas anaccompanying sense of eternity.At first Iwas terrified that the experiencewouldnot return,but it didandhasbeenmine ever sinceonat least fouroccasions everyweek and sometimes asmany as 30 or 40. (The SpiritualDiarybyDouglasBaker,March1977.)

Although many of the individuals who have had the superconsciousexperiencehavereportedthatitoccurredonceintheirlifetimes,announcingitselfwiththesuddennessofsummerlightning,nevertoreturnagain, thereare disciplines that can be followed which will bring about thesuperconsciousstateatwillandwithacertaindegreeofregularity;oneofthese is through the discipline of meditation. When this is undertakenregularlyoveraperiodoftime,youwillbegintonotesomechangestakingplace in yourself as the growth process is quickened. Youwill begin to besensitive to other dimensions of life which youwill recognise as a higherstateofconsciousness.

Some of the varieties of subjective experiences that you will have includeprophetic dreams, increased sensitivity to the environment, intuitiveknowledgeabout thingswithouthavinghadaccess toprevious informationabout them,awarenessofcausesbehindeffects,peakexperiences, creativeinsights, and greater understanding of abstrusematerial, especially of theoccult classics. All of these subjective states are descriptive of the FourthStateofconsciousness,buttheygiveyouaglimpseofwhatliesahead.Thesuperconsciousexperience,theFifthState,isbeyondallthese.

SeeIntheStepsoftheMasterbyDouglasBakerforanexplanationofthefivestatesofconsciousness.

CHAPTER6SPIRITUALFIRE,THEGREATEVOLVER

FireoftheGods

It is important to realise that meditation, when successfully taken to itsculmination, is a process of energisation. (We are, of course, speaking ofadvancedstagesofmeditation.)Itisaprocesswherebywedrawuponspiritualenergy tochange thewholegamutofman’svisibleand invisiblebodies.Hugeenergies, which are part of a Greater Being, are literally thrust through theindividual at the height ofmeditation.These energies are those of theGreaterBeingthroughwhomweliveandmoveandhaveourownbeing.Meditationisaprocesswherebywego intoanotherkingdomandsteal firefromthegods.Weare not normally eligible for it, but by virtue of intense discipline and byfollowing strict instructions, we are able to go into a higher kingdom, whilstretainingthebodyof thisfourthkingdom,andlikePrometheus,stealfirefromthegods.(Prometheuspresumedtomakeclaymenandtoanimatethemwithfirewhich he had stolen from heaven; this so displeased Jupiter that he punishedPrometheus by commanding Mercury to bind him to Mt. Caucasus, where avulturedailypreyeduponhis liver,whichgrew in thenightasmuchas ithadbeen reduced during the day, so that the punishmentwas a prolonged torture.Hercules at last killed the vulture and set Prometheus free.) It is this fire thatenergises the spiritual man, and so long as he passes it on, like Prometheusunbound,toMankind,theFirewillbeavailabletohim.

Thus, we need to understand what is involved in meditation, because inmeditationwearegoingtobedealingwithspiritualfire,thefireofthegodsthatPrometheusstole,thefirethatweobtainfromtheworldofsoul.Thisfireisveryreal,thoughaninnerone,andtomostinvisible,butthenthefireorcombustionwhichproduces theheatofmetabolismoffoodsisalsoinvisible thoughitstillconsumes oxygen in what we call internal respiration. In meditation, we areliterally playingwith fire, for the inward fire that is released hasmany of thesamepropertiesoftheoutwardphysicalfirewhichweusetocookourfood.

Theancientsnotedthattheonlyfiretheyeversawwasinducedbylightning—lightningwhichcamefromthegods—amiraculousevent.Stilltothisday,we

donotknowwhatfire is,andweknoweven lessabout that inwardfirewhichH.P.BlavatskycalledFohat(electricfire)andwhichstemsfromthecentreofthesun. Science may attempt to describe fire by saying that two gases may bebrought together, raising the temperature and then entering into a chemicalcombustion, resulting in a flame. But this simply explains the process ofcombustion without defining what the flame actually is. The flame is devicmaterial, produced by fire elementals and salamanders. (The deva evolutionparallels the human evolution,while elementals are invisible entities from thedevaevolutionthatarejustbeginningacourseofevolutionarygrowth;theyhavebeen calledbyvariousnames: faeries, sprites, brownies, leprechauns, etc.Themedievalmysticsgavethenameofsalamandertothehostsofbeingsassociatedwith theelementoffire.)Visiblefire is theflashing into incarnationofmyriadformsoffireelementalsfromthedevaevolution.

However,eachplanehasitsownkindoffire,andthisiswhatismeantwhen,inesotericparlance,wespeakoffirebyfriction,solarfire,andelectricfire.Anexampleofthethreefirespresentinallofnatureisoursun,whereinallthreeareblended and which are necessary for the maintenance of form life. Thedescription of these three fires present in the sun is given in the followingtabulation:

TheCentralSpiritualSun:ElectricFire

TheHeartoftheSun:SolarFire

TheVisibleDiscoftheSun:FirebyFriction

By manipulating all three fires, within his personal holistic framework ofbodies,mancaninterveneinhisownspiritualevolution,becomingthealchemistwhowillchangethedrossofhisindividualpersonalityintotheshiningholdofthe perfected man, an Adept, a Master of theWisdom. Man is a god in themaking,andthemakinginvolvestheever-increasingcapacitytochannelfire.

Therefore, inorder tounderstand thenatureofspiritual fire, it issuggestedthatyouwatchhowvisiblefireworksbecausetheinwardfirecanbeassessed,with limitations, fromanunderstandingofouterfire.Letusexaminewhatfiredoestowater.Whenfireisappliedtosolidwater,ice,itturnssolidwaterintoaliquid;whenmorefireisappliedtoliquidwater, itbecomesvapour;andwhenfire is applied to vapour, it becomes steam.Fire has transmuted, has changed,and has evolved solid gross ice into powerful, energy-releasing steam. Analchemicaltransmutationhasoccurred—alchemyhasbeenperformedwithfire.

EvolutionoftheRootRaces

Likewise,whenspiritualfireisappliedtoman,whoisphysically72%water,hechanges.Normally,whenfireisappliedthroughthelongprocessesofevolution,manchangesslowly.Butwhentheapplicationofspiritualfireisacceleratedbyself-discipline and by meditational techniques, the fire comes through morerapidlyandthereoccursasubsequentrapidtransmutationoftheindividual.Thenwe have occurring the phenomenal experiences of those few rare individualswhoseemtobeaheadoftheirtimeandwhoarenotunderstoodbythemajorityof theircontemporaries,butwhoareacclaimedandacceptedbymenof futureraces because the rest of humanity has finally arrived at a similar point inevolutionthroughthechangeswroughtbyslowermethodsofdevelopment.

Periodically, in the long course of the history of man’s evolution on thisplanet,spiritualfireisappliedsystematicallytothemenofeachoftherootracesastheymaketheirappearance,andtheprocessofchangetakesplaceslowlyoveraeons of time. The application of spiritual fire is, of course, determined bycosmic law and carried out by the highly evolved Beings that we referred toearlierastheinnercircleofhumanity,theMastersoftheWisdom.Aseachrootracebecomeseligiblefortheapplicationofspiritualfire,atransmutationoccursin the life forms on this planet. The first of these major initiations occurredduring the time of Lemuria when the Lords of Flame (highly evolved beingsfrom the 2ndGlobe of theVenus chainwhich is now in its Fifth Round andthereforeonahigherevolutionaryspiralthantheplanetEarth)appliedspiritualfire to the cortex of the human brain here on Earth, which is only midwaythrough theFourthRound.Thisgavea spurt toman’sevolutionashebecameindividualisedanddevelopedinhimqualityofabstractthoughtorHigherManaswhichexpresseditselfthroughthesacralcentre,asthiswasthechakrathatwasbeing integrated at the time. (Individualisation, in esoteric terms, refers to theeventwhichbroughtaboutaconditioninwhichmangainedhisownsoulinsteadofsharingagroupsoul.)Today,inthemorespirituallyevolvedbeing,thefireofmindexpressesitselfthroughthethroatchakra,thealteregoofthesacralcentre.

Whenspiritualfirewasappliedtothesolid,gross,humansavageofLemuria,represented by the element earth and the corresponding astrological signs ofTaurus,Virgo,andCapricorn,hechangedtoabeingcapableofabstractthought.Thenmorefirewasapplied to themanofLemuriaandsolid,animal,practicalman became liquid, that is, astrologically speaking, he became the emotionalcreatureofAtlantis,representedbytheelementofwaterandthecorrespondingastrological signsofCancer,ScorpioandPisces.Under thealchemicalprocess

of spiritual fire, themanofAtlantiswas learning to integrate the solar plexuschakra,whichconcernsthequalityofemotion.

Subsequently, the firewas applied again, and theman ofAtlantis changedfromliquid,emotionalmantothevaporousandmorecerebralmentalmenofourFifth Root Race who are to develop mentality to its quintessence eventuallyintegratingthethroatchakra.Themanofourpresentdayisrepresentedbytheelement of air and the corresponding astrological signs ofGemini, Libra, andAquarius. This is the pointMankind has reached at this very moment of hisevolutionarydevelopment, and thequestionmaywellbeaskedas towhat liesahead?

Itissaidthatwearenowfastapproachingthenextmajorevolutionarystep,andinthenot-too-distantfuture,firewillbeappliedtoMankindagain.Theeffectonhimwill be, by our analogy, like the result of applying fire to vapour: i.e., achange to the power of steam. Spiritual Fire will pressurise the human aura;greatachievementslieaheadforMankindwhenthishappensinthemillenniatocome.SuchspirituallyaffectedmenwillbemakingtheirappearanceintheSixthroot race of which the progenitors, the sixth subrace, are just beginning toincarnate.Mentalmanwill be changed into spiritualman, and the centre thatwillbeintegratedistheAjnachakra,thebrowcentre.TheelementassignedtotheSixthrootraceisfire,representedbytheastrologicalsignsofAries,Leo,andSagittarius,thelatterbeingruledastrologically,bytheEarth.

We see, then, that fire is the great evolver, and meditation is a processwherebywespirituallyevolvethroughtheapplicationofinnerfiretoourouternature.Fire induceschangeof formandgrowthofconsciousness.Aswehavenoted, heat, a facet of fire, changes solid ice towater,water into vapour, andvapour into steam. Likewise, through long ages, man is changed from earth(solid)intofire(steam).

CHAPTER7ALCHEMYANDTRANSFORMATION

DivineAlchemy

Whatweareconsideringhereistransmutation,notofonemetaltoanother,buttransmutationofMankindatitsownhumanlevel.Thiswasthebasictechniqueof thealchemists,whonoted thepurifyingeffectof fire,aswellas theway inwhich itmeltedmetal ormade itmoremalleable, so that it couldbemouldedinto the form chosen for it by the one who wielded the fire. From thiscomparisonwasderivedtheconceptofdivinealchemyinwhichmanonthePathsubjectshimselfinmeditationtotheinnerfiresandbecomespurifiedandmoremalleable.

ThisdoesnotmeanthatAlchemyisaspiritualprocessconfinedonlytoman.Itisauniversalprocessthatactsonallforms:superhuman,subhuman,animal,plant,andmineral.Weliveinaseaoffireandtotheeyeofanadept,thatfireisseen.Pause for amoment andvisualise every atom that exists; eachemits thelight of its fire as electrons in the atom move outwards from orbit to orbit.Visualise every cell that is and the fires they emit as the combustion ofmetabolismprovidesitwithenergy.Considerthenalsothatbeneatheverylivingformthereisafireraging,andyouwillhaveaconceptofwhatismeantbythesea of fire. And so the statement,My God is an all-consuming fire, has realmeaningforthosewhomeditate.

Inhisbook,PathwaysThroughtoSpace,FranklinMerrell-Wolff,ascientist,makes an outstanding contribution to mystic literature in his account of thespiritual transformation he experienced through the alchemical process ofspiritualfire.Thefollowingisadescriptionofhispersonalexperience.

AFiredescendsandconsumes thepersonalman.Fora time, shortor long,thisFirecontinues.The-personalmanisthefuel,andthefuel,ingreaterorlessmeasure,does suffer.But firedoesnotdestroy; it simply transforms.This factcanberealisedbyananalysisofwhattakesplacethroughtheactionofordinaryfire. If a log is burning, the fuel is principally, if not wholly, in the form ofcarbohydrates, and the fire transforms these into carbon dioxide and watervapour.Thereremainsasmallamountofashes,thepersistentlyearthlyportion

ofthelog.Thecarbohydrateinthelogwasafixedform,partaking,foratime,oftheearthlysolidityofthemineralassociatesinthelog.Butasthecarbohydratesbecomecarbondioxideandwatervapour, theytakeonanewforminthefreerworldoftheair.Sotoo,doestheFirewhichdescendsandconsumesthepersonalman but Transforms him. Only the ash of the personal nature is left behind,while the rest, the best of the personality, is taken up to be conscious in airyspaces.Theultimatestateisoneofafar,fargreaterJoy...

Hewhoidentifieshimselfwiththefuelpredominantlysuffersmuchandkeenly,but if, on the other hand, he unites himselfwith the Fire, all is changed. TheFlameof theFire is a danceof Joy. (PathwaysThrough toSpace by FranklinMerrell-Wolff,JulianPress,1974)

Each human soul is a unit of energy, a transmitting station for solar fire, aradiationthatstemsfromtheheartofthesun,whichhastheeffectofevolvingalllivingthingsthatcomeintocontactwithit,ofenergisingthem,andofusingthemtoexpress thequalitiesofLove-Wisdom.In thephysicalvehicleofman,thetissuewhichmakesupthevagusortenthcranialnerveanditsramifications,is themost receptive to this solar energy. (See In the Steps of theMaster byDouglasBaker,andEsotericHealingbyDouglasBakerforadetailedstudyoftheesotericnatureofthevagusnerve.)Itis,thus,esotericallyspeaking,saidtobesacred in thesense that theminor livesorelementalswhichmake itupareevolvinghierarchies,whilstthosewhichbuildtherestofthephysicalbody,areontheinvolutionalpath.Thesevenchakras,ofwhichfiveareinmanifestationinhumanformatanyonetime,arealsotransmittersofthissolarfire,andthroughtheendocrinesystem,arecloselylinkedtothevagusnerve.

Thissolarenergy,amanifestationofspiritualfire,reflectsoutwardlyfromthesoultotheothervehicles,registeringitselfindifferentwaysasitpoursthroughtheaura:

1.Asilluminationandclairvoyancethroughthebrowchakra.

2.Assacrificethroughthethroatchakrabyhealingandhelpingothers.

3.Ascompassionforalllivingthingsthroughtheheartchakra.

4.Asintuitionthroughthesolarplexuschakra.

5.Asthewilltobethroughthesacralchakra.

KundaliniFire

Withrespecttothesubjectofspiritualfire,itisimportanttoclarifythematterofkundalini fire. At a cosmic level, we witness before our normal vision, thevisiblediscof thesunwhichdemonstratesFirebyFriction in theMacrocosm.FirebyFrictionisalsofoundintheverycentreoftheEarthandhasbeencalledkundalinifire.Thisfireconstitutestheenergyofthefirst lifewavetopouroutfrom theLogos, or third aspect of theTrinity, and is amanifestation from theprevioussolarsystem.Thissamefireisalsofoundinman,themicrocosm,andproduces theFireofkundalini inhimalso. It is this firewhich constitutes theessenceoftheinternalfiresofthebodycellsaswellasthatoftherootchakraatthebaseofthespinecalledMuladhara.Thekundalinienergyorforcefromtheearth is alsoabsorbedby the root chakraandactsuponman,giving thedensephysical body health and functional vigour. It must be remembered thatkundalinihasanumberofdifferentlevelsofexpressionwhichhavenothingtodowiththearousalof theserpentfireatall.TheFireexists in layers,andit isonly when the innermost core of the Fire is activated that kundalini is trulyaroused.

Manyso-calledauthoritiesofyogaratekundalinifireasthehighestpossiblemanifestation of the spirit; it is nothing of the sort. Kundalini, a negativelychargedenergy,isarousedbytheinfluxofthepositivelychargedenergy,wecallElectric Fire, which is found in the central spiritual sun. When Electric Fire(Fohat)pours throughSahasrara, the crownchakra,kundalinihears the call ofhermateand rises fromhercave in thebaseof the spine tomeetHim. In thesame way, it can be truthfully said that the release of the energy of nuclearfissionrepresentsarousalofplanetarykundalini.Forthefirsttimeinthehistoryoftheplanet,itskundaliniisbeingreleasedconsciouslyandunderthecontrolofahighercentre.Thathigherchakraorforcecentreintheplanet,whichwecallthe human kingdom, is stimulating that centre at the base of the spine of thePlanetaryLogos(themineralkingdom)intheproductionofatomicenergy.Asaresult, we have the flow of planetary kundalini to higher force centres orchakras,whichisYogaonaplanetaryscale.

TheFireofkundalini,(theinnerfireofmatter),isarousedasafinalstepinman’s spiritualdevelopment.There ismuchmisapprehensionabout the raisingof kundalini, but let us assure you, it is most difficult to raise. Only when itprogressesgeometricallyupall three spinal tracts, ida,pingala, andsushumna,with simultaneous action anduniformvibration, is truekundalini fire aroused,anditcanonlybedonebytheHigherSelf.Then,whenallthreefiresmergeandblend inman’s highest chakras,will he emerge as a perfectedBeing, and thepowerslatentwithinhimwillbefullexpressed.

Inthisway,manisslowlychangedbysolarfirethroughthelongprocessofearthlyevolutionandpersistentrebirth.ButmancanbechangedrapidlybytheDivine Alchemy of meditation, a process whereby Solar Fire is consciouslybrought to bear on the personality andon themental, emotional, and physicalbodies of which it is composed. Man is prepared for entry into the FifthKingdom and moves from mortality to immortality, from transience topermanence.

CHAPTER8THEMISSIONOFTHENEWAGE

TheAgeofAquarius

Today,mankindstandsonthethresholdofanewageasthesolarsystementersthe zodiacal sign of Aquarius. The influences of the Age of Pisces, whichreigned for the last two thousandyears, are dyingout as theAgeofAquariussweepsintomanifestation,bringingwithittheemphasisongrouprelationships,groupservice,andgroupmeditation.Consequently, thechangesinthetypesofmeditation change too. For one thing, meditation is becoming less personal.Previously,itwaspractisedbythechelainsomesecludedretreatorashramorbythemonk in his Pisceanmonastery. Now, however, one of themain qualitiesemerging through the signofAquarius isgroupexpression, that is, forgroupsthatarecapableofacting,serving,studying,andmeditatingtogether,asasingleentity.Thisbrings tomindPostulates1and2mentionedearlier, thatall thingslive and have their existence in the body of a greater Being. The body of aGreaterBeingincludesfamilies,businesses,nations,races,humanity,andsoon,rightuptothePlanetaryLogosandSolarLogos(thebeingsthatuseaplanetorasolarsystemthroughwhichtoexpressthemselves).

TheAgeofAquariushasaspecialesotericmissionwhichisthepreparationofwhatwill become immense groups for initiation in theAge ofCapricorn thatfollowsAquarius.Initiationis theprocesswherebyspiritualFirefromSirius isapplied to theheadcentresof thecandidateand ischannelledby thePlanetaryLogoshimself,andthensteppeddownbytwoattendantMastersoftheWisdombefore it reaches the head centres of the individual. This phenomenon shortcircuits the slow unfoldment of man through the natural process of endlessrebirth.Concurrently,thereisanextensionofawarenessandachangeinlevelofbeing, aswell as an increase in the capacity to carry the life force. Itmustbeemphasised thatnomortal can initiateyou.Thereare fivemajor initiationsonthisplanet.TheFifthInitiationbringsadeptship,admissiontotheextra-systemicLodgefromwhichtheSirianforce(theevolutionaryforcefromtheStarSirius)originated,andreleasefromtheWheelofRebirth.

However, initiation for many an earnest and sincere disciple is frequently

impossiblebecauseofsomeseriousdefect inkarma,dharma,orpersonalityoftheindividual.Perhaps,throughaneducationalmishap,thereisinabilitytostudyoreventomeditateasasingle individual,but thismaybecompensatedforbyworking within a group. Part of the members may be able to conduct studygroupmeetingsonaparticularbookorsubjectwhichcouldbeencompassedbythatpersonunabletostudyonhisown.Similarly,ifonlythreepeopleinagroupmeditation are reaching the buddhic plane, then the whole of the group isrewarded karmically and otherwise. This is carried to its culmination witheligibilityofeverygroupmemberfortheinitiationofthegroupasawhole.Suchstimulatingresultsof theinitiationwould,normally,nothavebeenavailable tosomeoftheindividualsstrugglingontheirown.

Man’sNewResponsibilities

Asmanundergoesexpansionsofconsciousnessthroughtheprocessofalchemy,increasing responsibility is placed upon him for his actions.Millions of yearsago,thecrudemenofLemuriacrossedfromtheanimalkingdomintothehumankingdom through the event called Individualisation. Extra-systemic Fire wasapplied to the cortex of his brain. (See Part Three,Meditation and Alchemy).Thisdoesnotmeantoimplythatmandescendedfromanimalforms,i.e.,fromthe anthropoid apes, as suggested by the Darwinian theory of evolution.Accordingtothetheorypresentedbyancient,authoritativesources,theformthatwas inhabited by subtle bodies of man, descending from higher levels, wasanimal-like andmindless until that Fire was applied. (SeeAnthropogeny: TheEsotericHistoryofMan’sOriginbyDouglasBakerandTheSecretDoctrinebyH.P.Blavatskyforadescriptionofthetwoevolutions.)

Parallelling this great extension of consciousness, man became responsibleforhisownactions.Animalsarenotresponsiblefortheiractions;theircruelty,theirsexualappetites,etc.ThisisthesymbolicmeaningofthebiblicalstoryofAdam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. By eating the fruit of the tree ofknowledgeofferedtothembytheserpent,AdamandEvebecomeself-consciousand are thus separated from the animals, who do not possess this awareness.Since they are no longer part of a Group Soul, they must pay the price forindividualised consciousness. Because they are now responsible for their acts,theyareexiledfromtheGardenofEden.

Howeverit isnotsurprisingtofindthattheserpentthatwasresponsiblefortheirexilecanalsoleadthembacktotheGardenandtoonenessonahigherturnof the spiral. In the EgyptianMysteries, this is symbolised by the image of a

serpentwithatailinitsmouth,representinginfinity,theunendingcontinuityoflife. In Hindu Yoga, the phenomenon of kundalini, which is associated withenlightenment,isalsorepresentedbyaserpentwhichislyingasleepatthebaseof thespine.Theawakeningof theserpent represents thehigherawakening inman as he once again experiences unity with all of life and becomes groupconscious.

Today man is becoming even more responsible, for his responsibilitiesincreasewithhisawareness.Becauseofimprovedcommunicationsthroughthemass media, vast numbers of mankind are made more aware of planetaryproblems. This requires us to become more and more involved in helping tosolvetheproblemsofmankind,forweareourbrother’skeeper,andnotonlyarewe our brother’s keeper, but we are also the guardians and protectors of thelower kingdoms. As part of a group, an individual assumes greaterresponsibilitiesashelearnstoshouldertheburdensofthatgroup,aswellasbepartof itsprojects in its service tomankind. It is this sharing in responsibilitythatnecessitatesanewlookatmeditationtechniques.

GroupMeditation

Groupmeditation is becoming increasinglypopular, andmanywhowouldnotnormally meditate on their own will now do so in groups. It is important torememberthat,inordertoformagroup,anythreepeoplecancometogetherforthis purpose. Two people do not and cannot form a group. There is suchinstabilitybetween twopoints (of consciousness) thatwithaccess to increasedenergy, oscillation and instabilitywould soon set in. Generally, this expressesitselfasdominationofonepointovertheotheratsomelevel,sothatthelatterbecomes a satellite.A partnership between two, therefore, does not imply thequalities that emerge and are associatedwith a group relationship.A group ismore than the sumof its parts, andwhen thoroughly integrated, that is,whenthereistrueemergenceoftheindividual’sidentityanddesireswiththoseofthegroup,theindividualpartakesoftheenergiesandconsciousnessofthewholeinwhichhelivesandmovesandhashisbeing.

However, the truthof thematter is that of allmeditationprocedures at thistime,groupmeditationhasthepoorestperformance.Butwheneverthreepeopleinagrouparealignedwitheachotherandaretrulymeditating,thenmiraclescanbewrought.Theeffectsofagroupmeditatingarefarmorepotentlyfeltthanthesum total of individualsmeditating on their own.Groupmeditation by highlyspiritual beings with a background of experience in personal meditation can

accomplishunbelievableresults.Forexample,muchoftheevolutionaryspurtofthepresentepoch,whichisfastriddingtheplanetofwarandpestilence,is theresultofeffectivemeditationbygroupsofadepts.

Contemporary group meditation usually takes the form of an assembly ofpeopleinwhichoneindividualleadsthemeditationbyspokenwordsandhighlydirected thoughts. Then, at the highest moment, those present are asked toremainsilentforafewmomentsandtoholdthemselvesintheLight,beforethemeditationisdrawntoaclose.Ifonlythreeparticipantshaveindeedreachedtheheightsofmeditationandstayed there inunison, then themeditationhasbeensuccessful.But theusual result is thatmostpeople,nothaving learnedcorrectmeditation procedures, find that their minds are wandering and that they arefidgeting uncomfortably during the entire meditation period. Inwardly, theywonderwhetherthingsarereallyhappeninginthewayinwhichthemeditationleader is describing it.Of course, there are somewho experience a feeling ofwell-being and upliftment because they have raised their thoughts to a higherlevel.Althoughthisisdesirable,itisnotmeditation.Groupmeditationwillneedalotmorehardworkbeforeitseffectsbecomepowerfullyfeltandbeforesomeofthelesserknownfactsbehindthewholeexercisebecomecomprehensible.

TheSpiritualGrowthofthePlanetaryBeing

Let us examine these facts a little more closely in order to understand whatshouldbetranspiringingroupmeditation.EarlierwesawhowManonthePathmust build a link or antakarana to his Soul. This rainbow bridge creates achannelfortheentryofhigherenergiesintohisaura.ThePlanetaryLogosis,onHisownplane,endeavouring todo thesame.Heseeks tobuild theantakaranabetween earth and her alter ego,which is the planetVenus, (actually, the 2ndGlobe of the Venus Chain) to create a bridge between the planetary mentalenergiesofActiveIntelligence(RayThree)oftheEarth,andthehighermentalplanes,which are the fields of expression for ThoseWho inhabit parts of theVenusChain.Successofthisproject,anactofyogaonaplanetaryscale,wouldbringtransformationoftheEarthwiththesamesortofrapidityoftransformationthatoccursinamanwhomakescontactwithhissoulinmeditation.TheeffectwouldbetobringaboutasParacelsussaid,‘aparadiseonEarth’.

Atthepresentstageofplanetaryendeavour,thisbridgeheadwiththeEarth’salteregoneedsestablishingattheleveloftheetheric.Justasourownphysicalbodiesarebuiltintoanethericmatrix,sotoo,isthephysicalbodyoftheEarth.Throughaninheritancefromthelastsolarsystem,theethericbodyofourplanet

in its entirety is constructed out of patterns of etheric squares, and during ourpresent solar system, the endeavour is to transform these square lattices intotriangular structures. The planetary antakarana would be the first structure toconformtothistriangularpattern,and,thereafterthewholeethericbodyoftheplanetwouldfollowsuitwithatransformationofallKingdomsofnature.

CHAPTER9TECHNIQUESFORGROUPMEDITATION

WorldTriangles

Whateachofuscandowithcomparativeease,istobuildtriangularnetworksoflightonthesurfaceoftheplanetandbeyond.Themethodusedistomakeacontactwithtwolike-mindedfriendsandtoformatrianglewiththem.Atleastonceaday,preferablyat times that are coincident, linkupwith them,holdingtheminyourthoughtsandcirculatingtheenergiesofGoodwill.Asyouseetheseenergies flowingbetweenyou,visualisea triangleof light linkingeachofyouand a vortex of energy rising from the interplay.At the same time, sound theGreat Invocation (see later) and follow this with the sounding of the SacredWord,OM,knowingthatyouarehelpingtobuildtheplanetaryethericbodyintoanetworkoftrianglesaspartofthedivineplan.Later,youmayestablishmoretriangleswithmembersofyourfamilyandotherfriends.

Thedegreeof successofyour triangleswilldependon thedepthof feelingput into their creation andmaintenance. The element ofWill applied to theirconstructionand their energisation is also just as important.The reason is thatthe whole keynote of the Earth is to be changed. If the keynote of Mars isRegenerativeEnergy,oftenBlindandDestructive,andthatofVenusisAbstractThoughtandHarmony,whatisthenoteoftheearth?Atthistime,itisnotanotethat bears thinking about; at best it must surely be no more than Pain andSeparativeness.Wedoknowwhatthenoteshouldbe:itshouldbeGoodwillandbythat,wemeanWorldGoodwill.Weoftensay,‘PeaceonEarth,Goodwill toall Men,’ little knowing how close these phrases are to esoteric truths.Unhappily,theyarecharacteristiconlyatcertainfestiveseasonswherethenoteisbluntedbyotheremotionsandlaxformsofexpression.

However,itisfarmoreimportanttoknowwhatthenoteofthefutureistobe,forthereinliestheendeavourofthediscipleandthecandidateforinitiation.Thenote thatwill drive forward the antakaranaof theEarth to its alter ego isTheWilltoGood.Hence,thereasonforexpressingbothdeepfeelingandwillintheestablishment andmaintenance of the Triangles you buildwith any two otherindividuals.Thesetrianglesareessentiallyinvocativeandwillformthebasisof

futurereligionsandtheinvocativesciencesthatgowiththem.

We have seen that shapes are accumulators of energy and triangles are noexception.(SeeTheJewelintheLotus,SectionThree,andTheThirdEye,bothbyDouglasBaker.)ThecreationofaTriangle,dependingonitsintensity,inviteswithinitenergiesfromtheplaneswheresymbolsareall-important,i.e.,theplaneofHigherManas, the residenceof theLordsofFlame, thoseself-sameBeingswhobrought theFire of Individualisation to the cortex ofMan’s brain on thisplanet19millionyears ago. It is in this second fieldofmeditation thatMan’snew responsibilities demand his active participation in planetary affairs at thelevelofhissoul.

PlanetaryandFullMoonMeditation

GroupsandindividualsusingthistechniqueofmeditatingthroughplanetaryTriangles canobtain averyhighefficiency in a comparatively short timewithfar-reachingeffects.This isbecausemanco-operateswith the forcesofnaturewhilemeditatingandsacrificeshimselfasachannelforcosmicforces.Attimes,beneficial cosmic forces are so tremendous, that even if every human on theplanetwereactingasanindividualchannnel,Mankindcouldnotcopewiththepressureofextra-systemicforcesbeingdirectedtowardsourEarthlyevolution.

The Great Invocation is used at the period of the full moon by manyindividuals the world over at full moon meditation meetings to re-direct theexcessive energybeing showeredonearth at that time.Members join togetherwhenthemoonisfull,holdingacommonthemeintheirmindsastheycombinein planetary meditation. As mentioned earlier, the meditation theme for ourplanet at this time is ‘Goodwill toAllMen’, and as theAquarianAge swingsintofullmanifestation,thethemewillchangeto‘TheWilltoGood’.

Thereasonwhythefullmooncyclehassomuchimportanceisthattheearthis receiving the combined light of the sun and the moon at that time.Consequently, the increased light flooding the earth corresponds to a pointwherebytheplanetearthhasamomentofopportunity,spirituallyspeaking,andweallcanidentifywithit.ThePlanetaryLogoshashismomentsofmeditationtoo, and themost spiritual time forHim is at the time of theFullMoon.Theoccultsignificanceofthewaxingandwaningofthemoonisthatitcorrespondstothein-breathingandout-breathingoftheplanetitself.

Those who are familiar with the practice of yoga know that the act ofrespiration lends power to any thought held in the mind. There is a great

difference between breathing in while you think and breathing out while youthink. Ifwewish to construct or strengthen a thought,webreathe in, and thatwill give the thought outline, for the intake of prana strengthens the thought.Whenthebreathisheldpriortoexhalation,thethoughtconsolidates.Whenwebreatheout, the thoughtformcanbesentout fromus towards its target.At themoment of complete exhalation, the thoughtform may be destroyed or heldlatent.

Whenthemooniswaxing,itcorrespondstotheinbreathingoftheplanet,andnewconceptscanbestrengthenedandbuiltup.For the three-dayperiodwhenthemoonisfull,suchconceptscanbeconsolidated,andthenduringthewaningof the moon, the visualised patterns can be projected to their destination asblueprintsforsomeearthlyventureortoreinforceatsubtlelevels,aprojectthathasalreadybegun.Thisofferseveryonewhowouldsacrificehistimeatthefullmoontheopportunityofsharingin theconstructionof idealsor in theplanneddestructionofestablishedprojectsonaplanetaryscale.Inthisway,theneophytelearns to serveMankind throughmeditation,and therebystimulates theThroatandHeartChakras.

TremendousStress

Attheprecisemomentofthefullmoon,theearthisplacedundertremendousstress,asithangssuspendedexactlybetweenthesunandthemoon,allforminga straight line. Man on the Path is also sensitive to the stress, spiritual andotherwise, imposed on the planet at the time of the Full Moon. Emotionallypolarised individuals find the full moon period particularly distressful, andpsychicinstabilityshowsitselfintheunrestnotedinasylumsatthattime.Ontheother hand, mentally polarised individuals find the time of the full moon aparticularly productive one, especially if a great deal ofmentalwork is to bedone.Thetremendouscosmicenergiesandhighervibrationsfloodingtheearthat that timecangiveusamomentaryglimpseofwhat theapplicationof solarfiretotheheadcentreswouldbelike;andthatisthereasonwhysterndisciplinesareimposedonthecandidate,sothathecanwithstand,embraceandtransmitthespiritualfirewhenitisbroughtdowninmeditation.

YoucanassistinplanetarymeditationatthetimeoftheFullMoon,eitherbyjoiningothersatFullMoonMeditationmeetings,oraloneinthesilenceofyourmeditation room. Mark on your calendar the Full Moon periods 12 monthsahead. For the three days over the full moon period, focus your attention ongatheringspiritualforcesontheplanet, rememberingthat thespirituallyaware

are the reservoirs for those forces. Say the Great Invocation, visualising yourchakras above the diaphragmbeing filledwith the energies described by eachverse.

FromthepointofLight.........AjnaChakra

FromthepointofLove.........HeartChakra

Fromthecentrewhere.........HeadChakra

Fromthecentrewhich........ThroatChakra

Forthetwelve-hourperiodwhenthemoonisfullest,standinthelightusingtheGreatInvocation,almostasJapa(continuousrepetitionofamantra).Then,as themoonwanes,direct the light to those inneed, to thedarkplacesonourplanet,wherethereismuchpainandsuffering.Chooseadifferenttargetforyourspiritualenergies ineachcycle:hospitals,prisons, theaged, thesick, thepoor,etc.

Sofarwehavebeendiscussinggroupmeditationandinthenextsectionwewill consider individual meditation. Having a basic foundation in your ownpersonalmeditationwillgreatlyassistingroupmeditation.

TheGreat Invocation is thepropertyofnoone,and isnotexclusive toanyparticular religion,sect,orgroup. It isaworldprayer translated intoover fiftylanguagesanddialects;itiswidelyenunciatedatthetimeoftheFullMoon.

TheGreatInvocation

FromthepointofLightwithintheMindofGodLetlightstreamforthintothemindsofmen.

LetlightdescendonEarth.FromthepointofLovewithintheHeartofGodLetlovestreamforthintotheheartsofmen.

MayChristreturntoEarth.FromthecentrewheretheWillofGodisknown

Letpurposeguidethelittlewillsofmen—ThepurposewhichtheMastersknowandserve.Fromthecentrewhichwecalltheraceofmen

LettheplanofLoveandLightworkout.Andmayitsealthedoorwhereevildwells.

LetLightandLoveandPowerrestorethePlanonEarth.

CHAPTER10THEEIGHTLIMBSOFYOGA

YogaSutrasofPatanjali

Foremostamong the teachingsofYogaare thoseof the sage,Patanjali,whoseYoga Sutras form the authoritative treatise for the practice of Raja Yoga, thebranchofYogawhichdealswith thescienceofmeditation. In thesesutrasarefound the rules andmethodswhichbring themindunder control, stabilise theemotions,anddevelopthethreadofconsciousnesswhichleadstoknowledgeofourtruenatureandtothesuperconsciousexperience.Itshouldbenotedthat,intheEast, thedevelopmentofpractices that lead to realisationof theSelfweremotivatedbyman’sattempttoliberatehimselffrompainandsuffering.Hence,thismainconcerngaverise to themajorreligiousphilosophicalsystemsof theEast. TheYoga Sutras of Patanjali is one of the systems developed to releasemanfromsufferingandtoleadhimtoSelf-Realisation.

TheprogressoutlinedintheeightstepsorlimbsoftheSutraswasobligatoryfor all spiritual aspirants. At later periods, spiritual teachers elaborated thisprogramme so that the special temperaments of different seekers could bedeveloped. As a result, a number of specialised types of Yoga were evolved,namely,HathaYoga,thescienceofphysicalpostures;KarmaYoga,thepathofright action; Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion;Mantra Yoga, the science ofsound vibration; Jnana Yoga, the path of knowledge. However, Raja Yoga isconsideredtobetheaimofalltheotherYogas,asitresultsinthetranscendentalexperience.Forclarification,itshouldbenotedthatthewordYoga,refersbothtothe path and to the goal. Thus, when one speaks of practising Yoga, what ismeant is that the student is following the disciplines for achieving the goal ofYoga,union.

Patanjali, a sage who lived about 200 B.C., was not the originator of thissystemofYoga.Rather,whathedidwastorestateYogaphilosophyforthemanofhisday.Hecondensedthismaterial intoahighlyselectiveformknownasasutra.Asutra(whichmeansthreadinSanskrit)isashortstatementwhichbindstogetheranunderlyingcontinuityof ideas inoutline form.Therearea totalof196sutras,andalthoughtheyoccupylessthantenpagesoflargeprint,theyset

forth an elaborate outlineof psychology andphilosophy.SincePatanjali knewthat his followers needed no convincing, he did not concern himself withpersuadingor special pleading.Therefore,what hegavewas a comprehensivetheorythatcouldbeverifiedbypersonalexperience.

PersonalityIntegration

Patanjaliandhisfollowerswerefullyawareofallthatisreferredtoinmoderntermsasthecollectiveunconsciousandthecollectivesuperconscious.Likewise,they had their own methods for dealing with complexes, fixations, and theproblems related to personality integration. In recent years there has been anincreasing number of studies made of the similarities between Eastern andWestern methods of psychotherapy. One of the most striking comparisonsbetweenEasternandWesternapproachestogrowthandenlightenmentisfoundintheworkof therenownedSwisspsychologist,ProfessorCarlJung.Hisfourphasesofanalysisbeara remarkable resemblance to theworkofPatanjali andthewholeage-longtraditionofthesearchforenlightenment.

Asamatteroffact, ithasnowbeenrealisedthatboththeEasternGuruandtheWestern psychotherapist perform the same function in their relationship todisciple and patient; forYoga, like the JewishKabala andWesternAnalyticalPsychology,isasystemforinnergrowth,personalityintegration,andultimatelySelf-Realisation. That Jung is in full agreement with the Eastern approach isapparentinthefollowingcomment:

To experience and realise this Self is the ultimate aim of IndianYoga, and inconsideringthepsychologyoftheSelf,wewoulddowelltohaverecoursetothetreasuresofIndianwisdom.InIndia,aswithus, theexperienceoftheSelfhasnothing todowith intellectualism; it isavitalhappeningwhichbringsaboutafundamentaltransformationofpersonality.Ihavecalledtheprocessthatleadstothis experience the process of individualism. (The Practice of Psychotherapy,Vol.16,TheCollectedWorksofC.J.Jung,Pantheon,1954)

WhatMeditationIsandIsNot

Thetermmeditationisusedinsuchavarietyofwaystodesignateadiversityofpractices that differ sowidely fromone another that it is necessary to explainwhatismeantbymeditationinRajaYogapractice.ThewayinwhichitisusedinYogaisinaformalanddisciplinedsensethatexcludesintellectualactivity;assuch itdiffers fromreflectiononasubject.RajaYogameditation includes twoprocesses:making themind introspectiveoronepointed, andbringing to total

cessationthethoughtwavesinthemind.

In the second sutra,Patanjaligiveshis famousdefinitionofYoga: ‘Yoga isthe inhibition of themodifications of theMind.’Through ethical developmentandmeditativetechniques,thethoughtsarestilledandthemindismadeserene,ultimatelyleadingtoSamadhi,thesuperconsciousexperience.Interestingly,theabilitytostillthethoughtwavesinthemindcanonlybeachievedafterwehavedealt with the contents of the lower unconscious. Like Dante, we must firstgrapple with the Dweller on the Threshold, purify our three-fold nature, andintegrateourpersonalitiesbefore it ispossible tostill the thoughtwaves in themindandexperiencethisunionthatiscalledYoga.

Thisdemandssacrifice,self-discipline,andsustainedeffort.Itisinterestingtonote that the Sanskrit word for effort is tapas, meaning that which generatesenergyorheat.Whentheterm,tapas,isappliedtohumanconductitmeansthepractice of conserving energy and directing it towards the goal of Yoga.Obviously, in order to do this, wemust exercise self-discipline regarding ourmoralandethicalconduct;wemust learn tocontrolourphysicalappetitesandpassions. It is for this reason that themoral and ethical injunctions are placedfirst on the list of procedures to be followed to achieve the superconsciousexperience.

AstangaYoga

Patanjali’ssystemofRajaYogaisoftenreferredtoasAstangaYogabecauseheoutlineseightkeypracticesorlimbstotranscendthemindandachieveSamadhi.Althoughthesestagesfolloweachotherinnaturalsequence,implyingastepwisedevelopment,inactualpracticeseveralofthestagesorlimbsmaybeengagedinalmost simultaneously. For example, the last three steps, which are Dharana,Dhyana, and Samadhi, translated as fixation, sustained concentration, andabsorption, constitute a single process in advanced stages of meditation. ThistripleprocessisdesignatedbyonewordinSanskrit,

Samyama, and presupposes an advanced degree of control in concentration.WhenSamyamaisperformedonanyobject,includingthesolarsystem,thetruenatureanddirectknowledgeofthatobjectcanbeaccuratelyknown.

TheeightlimbsofYogaareenumeratedbelow:

1.Yama(Abstentions)a.Harmlessnessb.Truthfulness

c.Non-Stealingd.Continencee.Non-Covetousness

2.Niyama(Observances)a.Cleanlinessb.Contentmentc.FieryAspirationd.Self-Studye.Self-SurrendertotheHigherSelf

3.Asana(seatedposture)4.Pranayama(controlofprana)5.Pratyahara(withdrawalofthesenses)6.Dharana(concentrationorfixation)7.Dhyana(sustainedconcentration)8.Samadhi(superconsciousexperience)

Naturally, variations and discrepancies occur in the translation of theSanskritwords intoEnglish.This is because of the difficulty of conveying anabstrusephilosophical concept intoa language thathasnoequivalentmeaningforthesameword,withtheresultthatsometimesdistortionsandlossororiginalmeaningsoccur.Hencetheneedforlengthycommentariesoneachofthesutras.

The first two limbs or steps, which are called, Yamas (abstentions), andNiyamas (observances), comprise a total of ten injunctions that formulate themoral and ethnicguidelines for the aspirant.The fiveYamas (the ‘shalt nots’)prohibitviolence,lying,stealing,sensuality,andgreed.Ofcourse,itisimportantto understand that thevirtues prescribedhave amuchwider scope anddeepersignificancethanwhatappearsonthesurface.Judgingfromordinarystandards,the injunctions against killing, lying, stealing, etc., do not represent a highdegree of morality. However, what is meant is that the virtues have to bepractised at a higher degree of perfection andmust be interpreted at a subtlerlevel.Forexample,theinjunctionagainstviolenceisunderstoodnotonlyfromitsgrossmeaningofnotkillingorinjuringanother,butalsofromthemoresubtlemeaningofnotwantingtokillorinjure.Ultimately,thecultivationofthisvirtueresultsinfreeingtheindividualfromthoughtsorimagesofviolence,whichmayintrudeonourconsciousnessfromanydirectionorsource.

Likewise,theinjunctionagainstlyingextendstothesubtlerinterpretationofdeception.Wemaybecleverinthinkingthatwearedeceivingothersaboutourcharacter,butoblivious to the fact thatweare reallyonlydeceivingourselves.Wewould dowell to heed the advice of the immortal bard in cultivating the

virtueoftruthfulness:

TothineownselfbetrueAnditshallfollowasthenightthedayThoucanstnotbefalsetoanyman.

Theinjunctionagainststealinghasreferencetoabstentionontheemotionalandmentalplanes.Thus,theaspirantdoesnotclaimsuchemotionalbenefitsaslove and favour, dislike or hatred; on the mental level, he does not claim areputation not warranted or the assumption of another’s duty, favour orpopularity.

SensualityandGreed

Another trap is sensuality andgreed; the endless search for pleasure, not onlywithregardtosexualindulgence,butonalllevelsmustbecarefullymoderated,because the search forpleasureonly leads to a further search forpleasure andusesupagreatdealofthelifeforce.Ontheotherhand,greed,theacquisitionofmoreandmorematerialpossessions,which isneversatiated,createsmoreandmoreattachments.Intheendthesepursuitsonlyleadtopainandsufferingandtodeeperinvolvementinmaterialthings.Eventually,manlearnstounderstandthathis endless pursuit of pleasure in the externalworld is really a search for theSelf.

The five Niyamas (observances) are cleanliness, contentment, fieryaspiration, self-study, and self-surrender; these are qualities that are to becultivated. Again, we must go beyond the obvious interpretation to a deepermeaningof these observances.Cleanliness does not stop at the physical level,butgoesbeyonditintotheemotionalandmentalrealms.ThepassageofspiritualFire into the aura will focus on any impurity, whether it is physical, mental,emotional, or etheric, and will be detained there. Mental and emotionalcontamination such as fear, worry, anguish, etc., constitute pollutions of thesubtle vehicles and must be dealt with. The aspirant must also deal with thementalcontaminationsproducedbyhisenvironment,sociallife,work,etc.

Contentment does not mean satisfaction, but rather an acceptance andrecognition of where one is on the path and of one’s present assets. Thisassessmentandacceptanceproducesacalmstateofmindforpursuingthegoalof enlightenment. Although the aspirant has developed a sense of acceptancewith his present level of progress, at the same time, he continues to strivetowardshisgoal.Thequalityneededforthisisfieryaspiration,whichrefersto

the sustained effort to continue onward up the mountain towards the idealenvisioned.The student continues to practise thedaily disciplines faithfully inspite of the fact that theremay be little or no indication of any advancementbeingmade, and regardless of the feelings of discouragement anddespair thatcreepinaftertheinitialburstofenthusiasmhaswornoff.Onlywhenthisqualityhasbeendeveloped andproved is anyonepermitted to become thedisciple ofsomeMaster.

OccultClassics

Briefly,self-studyinthiscontextmeansthestudyoftheoccultclassics,suchasTheSecretDoctrineorTheTreatiseonCosmicFire,andsuchspiritualscripturesasThe Bhagavad Gita or The Yoga Sutras; it also includes other instructivematerialthatleadstoself-knowledgeandunionwiththeSelf.Assuch,thestudyshould also include an understanding of symbols, as thiswill help to developone’ssenseofthesubjectiverealities.Carriedastepfurther,itwillbefoundthatall forms, including the three-fold personality, are symbols that veil or hide adivine ideaor truth.When this isunderstood, thedisciple seeks tocontact thedivineessencehiddenbytheformsinallkingdomsofnature.

Self-surrendertotheHigherSelf,ortotheMasterwithin,maybedescribedasconstituting theattitudeof the lower three-foldpersonality to the serviceoftheMasterwithinortheChristwithintheheart.Theattitudetobecultivatedistoperform our service in the world without thought of success or failure. Wesometimes forget that the reason we are in physical manifestation is for theevolutionofconsciousness,andnottoserveourownpersonalends.

Thesevirtuesaretobecultivatedinordertoeliminatecompletelyallmentalandemotionaldisturbancesthatcharacterisethelifeofanordinaryhumanbeing.Furthermore,theYamasandNiyamasnotonlyserveasamoralandethicalcodeofconduct,butalsoasameansofattainingnon-attachment,conservingthelifeforce,andsustainingone-pointednessofconcentration.Theconservedenergyisusedtoadvantageinpractisingthetechniquesofthefollowingsixsteps,whilethepracticeofnon-attach-mentimpliesfreedomfromattractionandrepulsionofsenseobjects,thusovercomingthedisturbinginfluenceoftheemotionsintryingtostillthethoughtwavesinthemind.

CHAPTER11PRELIMINARYMEASURESFORMEDITATION

The remaining six limbs of themeditation proceduremay be synthesized intofour main stages in order to simplify the steps and to have a plan of theprocedureconstantlyonhand.Theyare:a.Seatingoneselfb.Withdrawalofthesensesc.Concentration

d.Meditation(sustainedconcentration)

ARoomofOne’sOwn

It is important to understand that necessary preliminary measures should beobserved to ensure that conditions ideal for meditation prevail before thediscipline is attempted. The first of these is seating oneself, and this meanshavingaplacetomeditate,aroomofone’sown,asanctuarywhereinyoumayretireandcommunewithyoursouluninterruptedbyfamilyorfriends.Sincethisroomshouldbeaplaceinwhichthevibrationsaremaintainedatahighlevel,itshouldnotbeusedforotheractivitiesorbyotherpeopleorbyyourpets.Neithershould you enter your sanctuary when you are having emotional upheavals,because this destroys the high vibrations created in meditation and brings inthoseofalowerorder.

‘Walls have ears’, and they become saturated with the vibrations of theoccupantoftheroomthattheyarepartof.Seethatthevibrationsoftheoccupieroftheroomarealwaysofthehighestorder.

The daily use of this room for meditation purposes only will raise thevibrations to such a high spiritual level thatwhen you enter, the effect is feltimmediately, andpartof the struggle to raise thevibrationsduring the timeofmeditationiseliminated.Thenwhenyousitdowntomeditate,properalignmentofthevehiclesisachievedinamatterofseconds,therebysavingalittlemoreoftheprecioustimeyouhaveavailableformeditation.

Having a roomof one’s own does not imply that you need to build a newwing onto the house or that the room should be used exclusively for that

purpose. If thespaceavailable toyou is limited,youmaywant toscreenoffacornerofyourbedroomorofthebasementtouseasyourmeditationroom,butthattinysectionoftheroommustbeyourownandnooneelse’s.Furthermore,inordertoassistinthecreationandmaintenanceofhighthoughts,provideyourmeditationroomwithfreshlycutflowers,ifpossible,orwithpottedplantsthatwillhelptoionizetheairandthebasisforaspiritualisingambience.

Ionization is greatly enhanced if the potted plants are mounted in a boxthroughwhichanelectriccurrentispassing.Byplacingthepottedplantaboveagenerator of high tension direct voltage, with a small alternating currentsuperimposed, we can turn plants into ionizers in our homes for therapeuticbenefitsaswell,asthisisespeciallybeneficialtoasthmatics.Ideally,theairinthe meditation room should be negatively charged, since negative ions assist,throughbreathing,toconcentratetheelectricalenergiesofthebodyintheheadregionduringmeditation.This is thesortofatmosphere found in thecentreofthepyramidandwhichisalsoproducedbyrivuletsandfountains.

Another item that is helpful is to have a stainedglasswindow in the roomwithbothyoursunsignandtherisingsign.Theuseofcolourinyourmeditationroom is extremely important; therefore, if you are unable to provide yourselfwith a stained glass window, youmay avail yourself of a substitute by usingdharma seals. These are colourful transparencies of mandalas and yantras. Amandala is a symbolic representation of a universal concept which includescolourfulgeometricdesignsalongwithEasterndeities.Ayantra issimilar toamandala,butisbasicallyasimplerstructure,comprisinggeometricdesignsonly.BothareusedwidelyinTibetinmeditationpractice.Theycaneasilybeappliedtoanysurface,andespeciallytowindows,sothatwhenthelightshinesthroughthem,theygivetheappearanceofastainedglasswindow.

Boththeuseofcolourandsoundinyourmeditationroomattractsdevahosts,the same minute beings who assist in the building of mental substances invisualisation.Thedevasseesoundandhearcolour;therefore,bytakingcrystalsfromoldchandeliersandhanging themto tinkle in theopenwindow,youwillattractthesethoughtelementals.Ifthecrystalsareprismaticandhanginplaceswherethesuncanstrikethem,theywillflashthecolourandthequalitiesofthespectrum,andof theSevenRays through theroom.(Foranexplanationof theSevenRays,seeTheSevenRays:KeytotheMysteriesacompanionbooktothisone,alsobyDouglasBaker.)

TheMasters

Inaddition,includevalidpicturesoftheMastersinyourmeditationroom.Theseshould not be displayed in a placewhere theywould arouse the curiosity andcommentofothers.Theportraitswill instil reverenceand inspirationandmayalsobeusedasafocalpointinthemeditationpractice.RememberalsothattheMastersarepresentintheirportraitsandintheirworks;therefore,thisiswhereyour libraryofclassical teachingsof theAncientWisdomshouldbekept.TheMasters should have written them or inspired them through Their first-handknowledgeofthetorturedpathwhichmenmusttaketoreachtheheights.MostprominentamongtheauthorsofsuchworksareH.P.Blavatsky,AliceA.Bailey,AnnieBesant, Plato,Ouspensky,Gurdjieff,C.W.Leadbeater,RudolphSteiner,Swedenborg,Paracelsus,Plato,andEliphasLevi.

Theuseofmusicasapreliminarytomeditationishighlyrecommendable.Itoftenactsasadeviceforcenteringbecauseithelpstoalignthevehicles.Ideally,music should be usedwhose tune andmelody does not distract the attention.Gregorian chants are helpful for those whose astral body is always at aflashpoint. There are also some Zen Buddhist chants and Hindu mantras thathaveanextremelypotenteffectonthevehiclesandareexcellentforattunementto higher dimensions. Whether or not you understand the meaning of theSanskritwordsisnotimportant;whatisimportantistheeffectofthesoundonyourvehicles.

Indianclassicalmusic,especiallytheragas,aredesignedtoaffectone’slevelofconsciousnessthroughsound.Thereare,forexample,pre-dawn,dawn,noon,andeveningragaswhichareplayedatthosespecifictimesofthedayandwhicharedesignedtoworkonyourconsciousness inacertainway.CertainformsofWesternclassicalmusicalsohave thiseffect. It issaid, forexample, thatBachwasdescribingtheuniverseatthecausalplanethroughsound;hencelisteningtoBachwouldalsohavetheeffectofraisingconsciousnesstoanotherlevelpriortomeditation.IntheEast,thereisasciencebasedontheeffectsofsoundvibrationonthehumanbeingwhichiscalledMantraYoga.

Not only does music and mantra help to prepare the individual prior tomeditation, but the reading of inspirational material beforehand also helps toprepare the way. The reading of the esoteric classics for half an hour beforesitting down tomeditate has the same effect as listening tomusic or chantingmantras; it helps to key you in immediately to the Ashram from which thematerial first originated.Thenwhenyou seat yourself, youwill find that yourthoughts are already tuned in to another dimension. The same thing happenswhenyoureadmaterialwrittenbyindividualswhohavehadthesuperconscious

experienceorevenwhenyoureadthebiographiesoftheirstruggletoreachtheheights.Whetheryouselectmusicorreadingmaterialorboth,youwillfindthataligning the vehicles and focusing the mind occurs with greater ease andrapidity.

Incense

Theuseofincenseinaroomhasbothaphysiologicaleffectandapsychiceffect.Physiologically, it results in vasoconstriction of the blood vessels in the nasalseptum, thereby unclogging stuffed nasal passages and allowing for freerpassageofairand,mostimportant,ofpranawhichisvitalinmeditationpractice.Thepsychiceffectofincenseisthatofraisingthevibrationsoftheroombecausethepresenceofastralentitiesof thelowestorderfinditdifficult tomanifest inthe presence of high vibrations and of incense.Not only does incense help toeliminateunwantedodours,butalsotogetridoflowerlevelthought-formsandnegative emotions.Generally speaking, it has an uplifting effect andmakes iteasiertopassintodeeperlevelsofawareness.Besuretopurchaseahighqualityincense;otherwise,youwillfindthescentadistractionratherthananaidtoyourmeditation.Itisrecommendedthatajossstickofincensebeusedwhichlastsaslongasthemeditationsession.

Since there is a wide range of incense to choose from, select a scent thatenhancesthequalityofyourmeditation.

If,forexample,theseeffectscreateoraddtoaspiration,orreverence,orrecallofprevious spiritual experiences, then that particular scent is recommendable.Later,whentheRayoftheSoulisknown,thecorrespondingincensetothatRaymaybeusedtohelpestablishalignmentandrapportwiththeSoul.Forexample,sandalwood incense is on the First Ray of Will and Power and affects thechakrason thespine, forallWillchakrasareon thespine. Ifyouuse jasmine,whichisaSecondRayincense,itaffectstheLoveRaychakraslyingjustinfromofthespine,namelytheheartchakra,solarplexuschakra,andthecrownchakra.Cinnamon is Fifth Ray, while frankincense and myrrh is Seventh Ray, androsewood is Sixth Ray, expressing the qualities of Devotion and Idealism.RememberthatRays1,3,5,and7aredesignatedasWillRays,whereasRays2,4,and6aretheLoveRays.

When you understand the Ray Psychology, you will be able to apply thisknowledgeinchoosinganappropriate incensetohelpdeveloporchangesomeofthequalitiesinyourselfthatneedattention.Thisdoesnotmeanthatincensealonewillbringabouttherequiredchanges,butitisoneofthemethodsthatcan

beusedtostimulatethechakrasthatneedactivationinordertoexpressaqualitythat is lacking. Thus, if your ray analysis indicates a strong preponderance ofWillRays,thentherequiredbalanceisinthedirectionofexpressingmoreofthequality of Love-Wisdom. If, on the other hand, the analysis shows a strongtendencytowardLoveRayswithlittleornowillbeingexpressed,thentheneedistobalancetheseenergieswiththoseofWillandPower.Rememberthatwearestrivingtobecomewhole,andsoeveryeffort in thatdirectionbringsusastepclosertounionwiththeHigherSelf.

Candles

The room you are using formeditation should be in semidarkness, preferablywith no electric lights in use, or with just a dim one if it is at night. It issuggested that you have a lighted candle that burns along with your incensewhileyouaremeditating.The lightedcandle isasymbolof theDivineFlame,theMonad,thatistherealpartofyou;itisalsosymbolicofthespiritualfirethatisbroughtdownintoyourauraduringtheheightofmeditation.Thecandlemayalso serve as a focal point of concentration in the practice of Tratakam, thecandlegaze.Besuretolightyourcandleandincensewhenyouseatyourself.

LengthofMeditation

Anotherimportantconsiderationisthelengthoftimetospendinmeditationandthebesttimeofdaytomeditate.Atfirst,youmusttreatallgently;tobeginwith,ahalf-hourofmeditationinthemorningissufficient.Later,youmayaddahalf-houratmiddayandahalf-hourintheevening,sothatthereareatotalofthreemeditationperiodsaday.Asyounearinitiation,theseperiodscanbealteredandincreasedbecauseatthistime,periodsofwithdrawalaremostimportant.

Clothing

Ifitispossible,haveaspecialrobeformeditationthatiswornforthatpurposeonly.IfyouknowtheRayofyourSoul,thenyoumaychooseacolourrelatedtoit.IfyoudonotknowtheSoul’sRay,selectacolourthatappealstoyou,andthatwillmostlikelybethecorrectoneforyou.Thesafestcoloursaresaffronyelloworindigo.Alsoofimportanceistousethesameblanket,rug,pillow,orachairtositonformeditation.Whateveryouusetositonshouldonlybeusedbyyouandthen only for activities related to meditation. In other words, you would notbringtheblanketyouuseformeditationtoapicnicorallowyourpettosleeponit.

Again, it is important to understand that thewhole purposeof using the same

clothingandseatformeditationisthatyouarebuildingthoughtformsinmentalmatter and creating higher vibrations during the meditation period which arebeingreinforcedeachtimeyousitdownformeditation.Thesearticleshaveyourvibrations on them, and to use these articles for other purposes weakens thethoughtforms and vibrations you are creating at the time of meditation anddestroyssomeofthepreciousworkyouhavestrivensohardtoachieve.

Food

Alsorelatedtothedisciplinesgroupedunderseatingoneselfisthatofeating.Forat least twohoursprior tomeditation,nofoodshouldbeeaten.Thereasonforthisisthatsomeoftheprana,cosmicenergy,isbeingusedtodigestthefoodyouhavejusteateninsteadofbeingchannelledtotheheadregion,whereitisneededat the time ofmeditation.A certain amount of energy is required each day tomaintain ordinary awareness, but for higher states of consciousness, greaterquantities of energy are needed than that required for our normal state ofconsciousness.Withoutasufficientamountofprana, it isdifficult to focus themind inmeditation and to register the higher awareness on the physical brainconsciousness.Thisiswhyitisimportantnottomeditatewhenyouaretiredorsleepy.Atthosetimes,justlearntositinsilenceinsteadoftryingtopursueyourmeditationpractice.

CHAPTER12THESPIRITUALDIARY

Oneofthemostimportantofallthedisciplines,majorandminor,groupedunderseatingoneself,isthekeepingofaspiritualdiary.Theopendiary,placedinfrontofthestainedglasswindow,shouldconstitutethefocalpointoftheroom.Fromthesumtotalofitsentries,theMasterisabletoassessatanytimeofthedayornightwherethestudentisonthePath,whathisneedsare,andthefieldsinwhichhisservicecanbemosteffective.Thedailyentries,sometimesevenhourly,areminorreplicasofseatingoneself

The diary should be a notebookwith blank pages rather than a day-to-daydiarywiththedaysprintedonit.Daysmaygobywithoutasingleentrybecausenothinghashappened;thiscanbesomewhatdisconcertingifyouhavepagesandpages of labelled dayswhich are blank or unfilled. Therefore, choose a plainnotebookandwrite in thedate asyoumakeyour entries.Theremaybe timeswhenyouwillhaveasmanyastenentriesinonenightbecausethespiritforcesareflowingthroughyousointensely.

Attheoutset,itshouldbemadeclearthatthediarydoesnotinvolvethedailyentryoftheday’seventsandhasnorelationtothehappeningswhichconcernthepersonality. TheMaster is not concernedwith your personality problems. Hismainconcerniswithspiritualmattersandonlywiththosepersonalityissuesthataredirectlyor indirectlyconcernedwithyourspiritualendeavours.Hence,youenterintoyourspiritualdiarywhateverrepresentsyourhighestefforts.Thediaryshouldincludeentriesunderthefollowingthreeheadings:

1.Allsubjectiveexperiences.

2.Arecordoftheesotericclassicsyouarestudyingandtheproblemsthatarisefromthem,i.e.,questionsthatneedanswering.

3.Howyouhavebeenofservicetoyourfellowmeninthelast24hours.

TheMasterWantstoKnow

Include under the heading of subjective experiences, anything of a subjectivenature that occurs in moments of quiet and in meditations, such as symbols,

spiritual perception, intuitive knowledge, creative insights, synchronicities,mental telepathy, and impressions that are not registeredby the five senses. Ifyouhadasensationofwarmth,orcolour,orlight,orenergyfloodingyou,putitdown;theMasterwantstoknow.Atthesametime,learntodiscriminatetherealfromtheunreal,i.e.,whatmaybeaberrationsorlowerpsychicexperiencesfromwhatisdirectlytheexpressionoftheinnerreality.Paydueattentiontosymbolsandrecordthemwithoutatfirsttryingtointerpretthem.

Alsoincludearecordofyourdreamsunderthisheading,andextractsymbolsfromthem,compilingalistoftheseandtheirmeaningsatthebackofthediary.Later, you will find that when you are attached to a certain Ashram, it hassymbolswhichmeancertainthings.Usually,theinitialcontactswhichaMastermakeswithadisciplearethroughvisualimpressions.Thatiswhyyourwakingdreamsaresoimportant,becauseitisthetimethattheMasteroranInitiatefromtheAshramistryingtocontactyou,i.e.,whenyouaremostlikelytorememberdreamcontent.Therefore, thesedreamsshouldbe recordedandponderedoverandrelatedtoeventsthathaverecentlyoccurredorwhichtakeplacelater.

Secondly,recordyoureffortstostudytheesotericclassics.Youshouldhavethreeworksunderyourattentionatanyonetime.Forexample,heavyworkslikeThe Secret Doctrine, or The Treatise on Cosmic Fire, or my own work, TheJewelintheLotus,shouldbeapproachedwhenyouarealone;forinstructionalpurposes,works suchasTheBhagavadGita,Patanjali’s Sutras,ATreatise onWhiteMagic,orBeyondtheIntellectareofgreatvalue.Writedownthetitleofthe book you are studying, together with parts of these books that you don’tunderstand, and youwill find that youwill get the answers from theMasterseither through dreams or visions, or inmeditation, or in a quietmoment. Listyourquestions inyourdiaryand leave thediaryopenat thesequestionswhenyoumeditateorgo tosleep,and theMasterswilladviseyouon thembecauseTheyeitherwroteorinspiredtheesotericclassics.Furthermore,whenyoufocusyourattentiononworksvibratingtoTheirwavelength,astronginterplayoccursbetween your Ajna Centre and the Ajna Centre of the Ashram. For theWesterner,theAshramofimmediateconcernislinkedinsomewaytothatoftheMasterK.H.theMasterM.ortheNirmanakayawhowasPlato.

Finally, under the third heading, entries related to the services you arerendering tomankind should be recorded.What sacrifices are youmaking forhumanity in helping to raise their consciousness? How are you helping yourfellowmen along the Path? How are you spreading Goodwill? What esotericventuredoyousupportfinanciallyoractively?HowdoyouspreadtheWisdom?

TowhatprojectsdoyousendyourenergiesatthetimeoftheFullMoon?Onlyyoucangiveanswerstothesequestionsandtheappropriateplaceforthemisinthespiritualdiary.(SeeTheSpiritualDiarybytheauthorformoreinformation).

EmergenceoftheThirdEye

Notethateachofthesedisciplinesenergisesachakra.Meditationenergisesthecrownchakra;studyoftheoccultclassicsenergisesthebrowchakra;andservicetomankindenergisesthealtamajorchakra.Thesimultaneousarousalofallthreeof these head centres results in the emergence of the Third Eye. (See TheOpening of the Third Eye byDouglas Baker, Aquarian Press, 1977). In otherwords, the Third Eye emerges from the vortex of energy created through theinterplayofthethreeheadcentreswhentheyarearoused.

EachentryintothespiritualdiaryisareminderofyourapprenticeshiptoyourHigherSelf.OnthePathofDiscipleship,therelationshipofthedisciplewithhisown Soul becomes of prime importance. To review your diary entries at anytime, constitutes a minor revelation in itself. Such a review gives the samesensation as one experiences watching a flower opening. You begin to notecyclesandrhythmsofgrowingawarenessdownthroughtheyears,thecausesofobstructiontospiritualgrowth,aswellasthestimuli.

Your diary becomes your confessional and yourmentor. The keeping of itpromotesorderlinessandabsolutehonestyindealingwithmattersspiritualfromthemasses of impressions streaming into an awareness primed bymeditation,downtoeachsinglemotivebehind thedailyactivities.Nootherdisciplinecanbringtoyournoticemorequicklythefoiblesofyourthoughts,words,anddeeds,yourbackslidingsintoglamour,thefoolishnessofself-blameandguilt,andtheextentofyourlimitationsandpotential,thanthekeepingofaspiritualdiary.

Asanactofdedication,youshouldperformasimpleandeffectivedisciplineeachday.Copy (in longhand) into your spiritual diary, four or five lines fromeitherTheVoiceoftheSilence,byH.P.Blavatsky,orAttheFeetoftheMaster,by J. Krishnamurti. These books are written in small sections or paragraphs,whichlendthemselvestosuchentries.Whentheentryismade,spendasmuchtimeasyoucanponderingoverthemeaningofthewords,andthenmakeentriesinadifferentcolouredink,underthelines,givingyourinterpretation.

This discipline, executed painstakingly in longhand, will serve threepurposes.Firstly, itwillencourageintrospectionandpupation;secondly,itwillserve to encourage you and gird you to greater effort, and thirdly, it will

spiritualisethediary.Thisismosteffectivewhenthewholetextiscontainedinthe diary. Itmeans that theAshram that put out the teaching of the particularesoteric classic used, is en rapport with it, especially when it is written inpersonalhandwritinginthediary.

Thetotalityofthediaryinanyonedaygivesoffasymbol.Fromaglanceatthediary,theMastersknowimmediatelywhereyouareintimeandspaceonthePath,whatyourneedsare,andwhatyourdifficultiesare.Throughthediary,theMasters are able to reach you at any time of the day, and theywill help you.Therefore,thepurposeofseatingoneselfbecomesevident:tocreatetheproperatmosphereconducivetomeditationandtobringinhigherenergies.Thedisciplesoundshisnoteinmeditation,intheroomofone’sown,andsetsupavibrationofasimilarwavelengthintheappropriateAshram.Thisrapportcanleadtoaninterplay and exchange of energies which is the basis of soul contact inmeditation.

CHAPTER13POSTUREANDCONTROLOFPRANA

Asana(SeatedPosture)

ThewordAsanainSanskritmeansposture.InRajaYoga,thismeanswherethemeditator sits and how he sits. Although Patanjali does not elaborate on thislimb, he is, of course, referring to one of the various folded-leg positions inwhich themeditatorwill be able tomaintain a comfortable steady posture. InHatha Yoga, however, Asana refers to a number of postures, other than thefolded-leg positions. In fact, many who do not know anything about Yogaconfuseitwiththesephysicalpostures.ItmustbeunderstoodthatthepurposeofHatha Yoga is considered by some authorities to be a preparation for, and toformpartof,theRajaYogasystem.

ThegoalofHathaYoga,whichconsistsofpostures,alongwithitselaboratesystemofpranayama,istostrengthenthebodyandnervoussystemandtopurifythenadis in theethericvehicle for theentryofspiritualFireduringRajaYogapractice,which ismeditation. Inotherwords, itpreparesboth thephysicalandethericvehiclestoendurethedownflowofSolarFireintotheaura,aswellastheincreasedflowofFireintotheorgansthemselves.Clearly,thephysicalbrainandthe nervous system are the weakest links in withstanding the downflow ofspiritualFire,asthosewhohavehadtheexperiencecanverify.

TheresultsofHathaYogapracticeproduceendurance,vitality,andhealthinthephysicalbody,and it isprecisely thehealth aspect ofHathaYoga that hasattracted the Westerner to this discipline. There is no doubt that many havebenefitedfromthehealthviewpoint,buthealthissimplyaby-productofHathaandnot itsprimarygoal.There are, of course, otherobjectivesofHathaYogapractice which are neither known nor understood by theWesterner; these areprimarilytounitethetwocurrentsgeneratedinrespiration,knownasthepranavayuandapanavayu,andtodirectpranaintosushumnanadi,thecentralspinaltube in the etheric body.Because the two prana vayusmanifest in a positive-negative situation, it is believed that the restlessness of themind is causedbytheiropposition.Therefore,byunitingthetwocurrents,themindbecomesquietandsteady.Likewise,whenpranaisdirectedfromtherightandleftnadis,which

also manifest as a polarity, into the central canal, the breath is automaticallysuspendedandtheflowof thoughtwaves ishalted.However, letusemphasiseagain that spiritual development is notdependenton these asanasoronHathaYogapractice.

FoldedLegPostures

The folded leg postures include Padmasana, lotus posture, Siddhasana, halflotus, and Sukhasana, cross-legged position; these positions provide bothsteadiness and comfort. However, it is not necessary to sit in a cross-leggedposition,andyoumayseatyourselfinaneasychairifitismorecomfortableforyou.Ineithercase,youmustbeseatedfirmlysothatyoudonotfallforwardinmeditation.There is,however,oneadvantage inbeingseatedon the floor inacross-leggedpositionandthatisbecausethecurrentsoftheearthcentreonyouraura, represented by the feet, are in contactwith themagnetic currents of theMuladharaChakra.Thisenablescertainmagneticcurrentsintheethericbodytoberedirectedandforlatentmagneticreservestobeavailableforgreateractivity.

Ifyoudoseatyourselfonthefloor,besuretouseafoldedblanketorcushiontositon,makingcertainthattheankleshavesufficientpaddingunderthem.Inadditionto this,youmayneedasupportfor the lowerback,as thispartof thebody tires easily and brings you out of the composed state quickly if anydiscomfort is felt there during the meditative procedure. The body must beplaced in such a comfortable position that it does not cause any disturbanceduringthetimeofmeditation.Thereisnothingsodisconcertingashavingyourbackacheoryouranklefallasleepwhileyouaretryingtowithdrawthesensesandfocusthemindonyourobjectofmeditation.

Ofprimaryimportance,however,whetheryouseatyourselfinaneasychairorwhetheryouseatyourselfonthefloor,isthatyourspinemustremainuprightorerectinordertoallowforthefreepassageofenergiesthroughthebody.Notethat you do not sit with a straight spine, for if you did, your spinewould bedeformed.Anuprightspinehasnaturalcurves.Itisalsopossibletomeditateinahorizontalposition,providing,ofcourse,youremainawake.Nevertheless,youfinallyarriveatapointinmeditationwhereyouarehardlyawarethatyouhaveabodyatall,andthisiswhysomuchemphasisisplacedonseatingoneself;manynevergetbeyondthispointatallandgivethewholethingup.

Sincethepracticeofthefrontalgaze,turningtheeyesupwardsandinwardsisused later in succeeding stages of meditation, it is recommended that youpractiseeyeexercisestwicedailyinordertostrengthenthesixeyemusclesand

to prevent painful stiffness.Essentially, the eyes should be rotated three timesfrom left to right, up and down, diagonally, and circled clockwise andanticlockwise.Without thispreliminarypreparation,painanddiscomfort resultfromtheattempttosustainthefrontalgazeduringmeditationpractice.

Pranayama(ControlofPrana)

ThenextlimbinPatanjali’ssystemisPranayama,whichisthecontrolofpranathrough breath control and visualisation. Pranayama is not, asmany think theregulation of the breath, but rather the control of prana through the consciousmanipulation of the breath. (The nature of Pranayama is indicated by the twowordsPrana—cosmicenergy,orvitalforce—andAyama—restraint.ItmeanstheregulationofPrana.Pranais thevitalforce,not thebreath.)Pranaisnecessaryforthevitalisationandfunctioningofallvehiclesofconsciousness,physicalorsubtle,andthatiswhypranayamaplayssuchanimportantpartinthepracticeofyoga.

Although Patanjali does not stress the practice of pranayama, he doesrecommend the regulation of the breath through rhythmic breathing and aslowing down of the breathing cycle through inhalation, retention, andexhalationofthebreathforacertainfixednumberofcounts.Mostofusarenotawareofthefactthatthereisarelationshipbetweenmindandbreath.Ithasbeenfound,forexample,thaterratic,irregularbreathingproducesrestlessnessinthemind, and conversely, a restless mind, as well as negative emotions, produceerratic,irregularbreathing.Arhythmic,evenflowofbreathhasaquietingeffecton themind,while states of joy and calmness produce a regular even breath.Hence,byslowingdownthebreathingrateandbybreathingrhythmically,thereisaslowingdownofthethoughtprocess,whichisaprerequisiteinmeditation.Ithasalsobeenfoundthatinmomentsofdeepconcentration,thereisalmostasuspensionofbreath,alongwithacessationofthought.

BreathingTechnique

While Pranayama is utilized to aminimum in other yogas, in Hatha Yoga, itbecomes an entire science. Essentially, the breathing technique involves theintentionalsuspensionofbreathattheendofameasuredinhalationorattheendof a measured exhalation. Technically, the retention of breath, either afterinhalationorafterexhalation,iscallKumbhaka,andistheessentialelementofreal Pranayama. There are thus three main elements involved in Pranayama.They are: inhalation (Puraka), retention of breath (Kumbhaka), and exhalation(Rechaka). The period of Kumbhaka is gradually increased over a period of

time,anditspracticeaffects theflowofPraniccurrents inaverymarkedway,enabling the practitioner to eventually direct these currents consciously.ManycommentatorscautionthatnooneshouldpracticeadvancedPranayamawithouttheconstantsupervisionofanexperiencedteacher.

Deep breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing, has nothing to do withPranayama, and may be practised as an exercise for promoting health. Itsbeneficial effects depend chiefly upon the increased intake of oxygen and thegreater influxofPranainto thebody,but itdoesnotaffect thePraniccurrents.On the other hand, alternate nostril breathing affects the Pranic current to acertain extent, but its main purpose is to purify the nadis, especially Ida andPingala, removing the congestion from the channels in which Prana normallyflows.ItmustberememberedthatthevehicleofPranaisnotthedense,physicalbody, but the etheric vehicle called Pranayama Kosha. Of course, when webreathe normally, the Pranic currents follow their natural course. Alternatenostrilbreathing,withouttheretentioncycle,isapreparationforPranayamaandhasatranquilisingeffectonthemind.Thisbreathingexercisemaybepractisedeffectivelyasapreliminarytomeditation.

When sufficient control of Prana has been developed, either through thepractice of Pranayama or by having reached a certain stage of spiritualdevelopment, then breathing ceases of its own accord while the meditator isdeeply absorbed in concentration. In a state of Samadhi, the breathing ceasesaltogether for a considerable interval of time. This kind of suspension is notdangerous because it can only take place when an individual is sufficientlydevelopedandisabletosupportit.

Ofthecessationofbreathduringhissuperconsciousexperience,Yoganandawrites:

Mybodybecameimmovablyrooted;breathwasdrawnoutofmylungsasifby somehugemagnet.Soulandmind instantly lost theirphysicalbondageandstreamedoutlikeafluidpiercinglightfromeverypore.Thefleshwasasthough dead, yet in my intense awareness I knew that never before had Ibeenfullyalive.Mysenseofidentitywasnolongerconfinedtoabody,butembracedthecircumambientatoms.

He continues with a long, vivid description of his literally breathtakingexperience,andthenconcludes:

Suddenly the breath returned to my lungs. With a disappointment almostunbearable,Irealisedthatmyinfiniteimmensitywaslost.OncemoreIwas

limited to thehumiliatingcageofabody,noteasilyaccommodative to theSpirit.Likeaprodigalchild,Ihadrunawayfrommymacrocosmichomeandhadimprisonedmyselfinanarrowmicrocosm.

AutobiographyofaYogibyYogananda,SelfRealisationFellowship,1957

Another important breathing exercise that should be practised as apreliminarytomeditationisthebellowsbreath.Italsoactsasacleansingagentandrelaxant for thenerves,but itschief importance lies in thefact that itsusebrings electrical charges into the head region, which is important in the laterstagesofmeditation.

Thisbreathingexerciseisthetechniquethatmustbeusedatthehighestpointof meditation when concentration has been reached upon a visualised pointwithinandyouare,asitwere,onarazor’sedge.Atthismoment,asyoustandbetween the inner and outer consciousness, there is no time to search for asuitablebreath.Youhavetopractiseitfrequentlybeforehand,sothatattherightmoment you automatically start doing the appropriate breathing exercise. Itshouldbeeasily introduced into theprocedure in suchaway that thepreciousconcentration of the equally precious visualised pattern is not in any waydisturbed.Theactofstarting thebellowsbreathshouldbevirtuallya reflex tothatdecisivemomentofintenseconcentration.

TechniquefortheBellowsBreath

Afterseatingyourselfandlightingyourcandleandincense,youmaybeginthenext stage by practising the bellows breath (Bastrika Pranayama). Thiscomprisesshort,quickforcefulmovementsthatareperformedwiththeabdomenwhile the breath is drawn quickly and sharply through the nose, causing thenostrils to flare; simultaneously, a snorting sound is heard as the breathing isexecuted. The chest moves as little as possible, and the movements areperformed rhythmically. Start by performing a short, quick exhalation throughthenosewhilesimultaneouslycontractingtheabdomen.Withoutpause,executeaquickandforcefulinhalationthroughthenosewhilesimultaneouslyexpandingtheabdomen.Continuewithoutpausetothenextexhalationwithaccompanyingcontraction of the abdomen and so on, until ten rounds of this are performedwhilefacingforward.

Then the head should be turned sharply to the leftwith a repetition of thesameprocedureof tenrounds.Theheadis turnedbackto theforwardpositionandtheprocessisrepeated;again,turntheheadsharplytotherightandrepeat

thewhole process for another ten rounds. Thismakes a total of forty rounds.Whilstadegreeofalkalosis is recommendableand isobtainable throughover-breathing, when done excessively, it can lead to a blackout. Therefore, thispracticeshouldbeslowlydevelopedwithadequatecarethatnoblackoutsoccurthrough the manner described. Upon completion of the last cycle, take acomplete breath, hold to capacity, and exhale. In advanced practice, the threeBandhas, or locks, are applied during the retention cycle: chin lock, stomachlock,andanallock(Seelater).Whenyouhavecompletedthecycleofbellowsbreath and the complete breath, sit quietly for a few moments, breathingnormally, and become aware of the indescribable peaceful state of your entirebeing.

AlternateNostrilBreath

Withthecompletionoftheabovebreathingcycles,youmaybeginthepracticeofalternativenostrilbreathing.Remembertositcomfortably,keepingthespineerect.

With the index andmiddle fingers folded, place your right thumb on yourright nostril, and your ring finger and little fingers on your left nostril. Thenexhalethroughbothnostrils,closeyourrightnostrilwithyourrightthumbandinhaleslowlythroughyourleftnostril.Keeptherightnostrilclosedandclosetheleftnostrilalso,sothatbothnostrilsareclosed.

Holdthebreathaslongasyoucomfortablycan,thenreleasethepressureontherightnostril,exhalingthroughit,whileholdingtheleftnostrilclosed.Whentheexhalation iscompleted, immediatelybegin thenext inhalation through theright nostril. (This is the same nostril through which you have just exhaled.)Thenclosetherightnostrilso thatonceagainbothnostrilsareclosed,holdingthe breath as long as it is comfortable, then exhale through the left nostrilholdingtherightoneclosed,andyouarereadytoinhalethroughtheleftnostril.

Nowyouhavereturnedtotheoriginalstartingpoint.Eachtimeyoureturntothisstartingpoint,youhavecompletedoneroundofalternatenostrilbreathing.Fiveroundsofbreathingaresufficientforyourpractice,witharhythmiccountforeachcycle.

Ideally, the rhythm to work towards is a ratio of 1:4:2. Thus, you wouldinhale 4, hold 16, and exhale 8. Since this is an advanced rhythm, in thebeginning it iswise tostartwitha ratioof1:2:2, inhaling4counts,holding8,andexhaling8.Again,thethreelocksmaybeappliedduringtheretentioncycle;

and in advanced Pranayama, the number of breaths and rounds is graduallyincreased.Attheconclusionofthisbreathingcycle,youmaysitquietlyfocusingyourattentionattheAjnaChakraandvisualisingthatcentreasabrilliantsun.

There are a number of visualisation practices that can be engaged inwhileperformingalternatenostrilbreathing.OneoftheseistoinhalePranaintheformofawhitelight,bringingitdowntheleftsideofthespineasyouinhalethroughthe left nostril. During the retention cycle, the attention is focused on theMuladharaChakra.With the exhalation, visualise thewhite light travelling uptheSushumnaNaditothecrownchakra.Whileinhalingthroughtherightnostril,Pranaisvisualiseddescendingontherightsideofthespine.Againtheattentionisheldat thebaseof thespineduring the retentioncycle;with theexhalation,Prana,intheformofawhitelightisbroughtupthecentralchanneltothecrowncentre.

TheFullBreath

Another useful exercise that helps to energise the aura and the chakra is thecomplete breath with visualisation. This is simply to perform diaphragmaticbreathingwith breath retention to the ratio of 1:2:1 or 1:2:2 to startwith, andlater increasing it to1:4:2.Thus,youmaybeginby inhaling8counts,holding16,andexhaling8;orbyinhaling8,holding16,andexhaling16.Ifyouusetheratioof1:4:2,beginby inhaling4,holding16,andexhaling8.Asyou inhale,imagine a sphere of brilliant white light about 6 inches above your head.Maintain this visualisation during the breath retention cycle; then with theexhalation, see a shaft of brilliant white light moving downwards from thesphere, entering the crown chakra, descending on down through your body,envelopingand flooding thewholebodywith light.Asyou inhaleonceagain,seethebrilliantwhitesphereaboveyourheadandrepeattheprocessfivetimes,makingatotaloffiveroundsinall.

Whenproficiencyisestablishedinthisvisualisation,youmaywanttoaddthefollowing visualisation as a variation. Once again visualise a sphere of whitelightaboveyourhead,butthistime,astheshaftoflightentersthecrownchakra,it develops into a sphereofwhite light at thebrowchakra, then, as a shaft oflightmovesdownfromthere, itblossoms intoanothersphereofwhite lightatthethroatchakra,andsoon,untilyouhavevisualisedasphereoflightateachofthechakras;thissequenceisperformedfivetimes.Theenergisationoftheauraandchakrasbytheuseofthismethodisverypowerful,andyouwillexperienceatinglingsensationthroughoutthebodyuponcompletionofthisexercise.

Mantra

AtthispointyouwillfinditextremelybeneficialtosoundtheOMseventimesbyvibratingtheOinthechestandtheMinyourhead.Equallypowerful,isthesoundingoftheOMineachofthechakras.Simplyfeeleachchakra,startingatthebaseofthespineandtravelupwardtothecrownchakra,soundingtheOMineach centre as you go up the spine. If there are othermantras that you know,suchastheTibetanmantraOmManePadmeHum(Oh,theJewelintheLotus),youmayuse themat this time.Whenyou stop chanting, sit quietly for a fewmomentsandfeelthevibrations.

Evenifyoushouldstopthemeditationprocessatthispointandgonofurtherinyourpracticeforthatdaybecauseofpressingneedsorlackoftime,youwillfindthatyouareexperiencinganelevationandupliftmentofyourentirebeing,astateofeuphoriareminiscentoftheFourthState.Thisfeelingwillremainwithyouthroughoutyourentiredayandwillenhancethequalityofwhateveryoudo,andwillradiatefromyoutothoseyoumeet.

AninterestingvariationoftheTibetanMantraOmManePadmeHumcanbeused in conjunctionwith the visualisation of colour.A simplified formof thismantrahasonly three sounds:OMAHHUM.With the in-breathvisualise thecolour blue while mentally sounding the syllable HUM. During the breathretention cycle (Khumbaka), visualise the colour red andmentally soundAH;withtheexhalation,visualisethecolourwhiteandmentallyoraudiblysoundtheOM.ThecoloursshouldbevisualisedintheAjnaChakra.Thereisnoquestionthat colour and sound can affect us profoundly, and by using the rightcombinationsofboth,itispossibletoinfluenceourinnerdevelopment,therebybringingaboutamorerapidunfoldment.

Alongwith the soundingof themantraOMAHHUM, the significanceof thethreesyllables is tobeheld in themind.On thecosmicscale, the in-breathingandthesyllableHUMcorrespondstotheNightofBrahmawhentheworldsliein an unmanifest state and represent an indrawing process; the retention cycleand the syllableAH correspond to the building of the thoughtform;while theoutbreath and the AUM or OM represent the Day of Brahma and thereappearanceormanifestationof thecreatedworlds. (InHinduphilosophy, theDayofBrahmaandNightofBrahmacorrespondtotwoenormouslylongperiodsoftimeofequaldurationcalledaKalpa,whichtotals4,320,000,000years.)

CHAPTER14WITHDRAWALOFTHESENSES

Pratyahara, the withdrawal of the mind from sense objects, is really thewithdrawal of the mind into itself so that there is a complete severance ofconnectionwiththeexternalstimulioftheoutsideworld.Thesensesarereallytheoutposts of the lowermind in the externalworld,whichkeepus anchoredthereinourwakingstate.Theenergiesfromthehigherplanesthatpourintousaredissipatedanddivertedbythemanydiversionsintheouterworlddemandingourattentionandwhichpreventusfromgentlywithdrawingfromtheobjectiveworld. Therefore, it is a very difficult stage for the Westerner because inPratyahara, theabstractionfromtheworldissocomplete that thesenseorgansceasetofunctionandthemindhasnoobjectofattractionintheexternalworld.

Youarewellawareofwhathappenswhenyouareabsorbedinaninterestingbookandsomeonecomesintotheroomandspeakstoyou;butyouneitherseenorhearanythingbecauseyourattentionisturnedawayfromthosesensations.Althoughahighdegreeofabstractionisattainedinsuchcases,theabstractionisinvoluntary and there remains something in the external world on which themindispartlyconcentrated.

Brainwashing

Ifwe examinewhat happens in political brainwashing,wewill have a clearerunderstanding of what occurs in Pratyahara, withdrawal of the senses. Whenpoliticalvictimsarebrainwashed,theyareplacedinaplaincellwithnothingtodistractthem.Thelightiseitheronallthetimeorthereiscompletedarknessallthe time, so that theyareunable to tellwhatdayof theweek it isoreven thetimeofday.Therearenonewspapersorreadingmaterialofanykind;nothingtodivert themind.Atthispoint,becausethemindisnotanchoredtoanythinginthisworld,itbecomesunstable,butatthesametimemalleableandreceptivetopolitical indoctrination. Likewise, in Pratyahara, when the mind is unable toanchoritselftotheoutsideworld,iteventuallybecomesreceptivetosomethinginteriorthatwillattractit.

ThemonksintheChristianmonasterieswereinexactlythesamesituation.Inthe monastic orders, the monk was placed in a bare cell with nothing to do

exceptprayandtocounthisbeads.Althoughhehadacertainregimetofolloweachday, therewasnoaccess to theoutsideworldandhebecamereceptive tothe teachings of theMother church. It should be the same with the one whomeditates;hemustmakehimselfreceptivetotheteachingsofhisownSoul.

The brainwashing technique we have been describing is similar to theexperimentalworkdonebyDr.JohnLillywiththesensorydeprivationtank.HeundertooktheseexperimentsonhimselffortheU.S.governmentinordertofindoutwhatwouldhappentoastronautswhentheyarefreedofsensoryinput.Thescientistshypothesised thatoutside stimulationwasnecessary inorder tokeepthebrainawakeandthatthelackofsensoryinputwouldresultinsleepattimeswhenitwasunwantedorevenunsafe.

In his book, The Centre of the Cyclone, Dr. John Lilly describes how heimmersedhimself in a tankofwater of the same temperatureof hisbody.Allsound and light were cut off and all stimulating clothing was removed. Thephysicalsensationinthetankwasasifonewerefloatinginspacefreeofgravity.Dr. Lilly discovered that far from going to sleep, he had extraordinaryexperiencesinwhichhismindlefthisbodyandwenttootherdimensions.Laterhe found that the phenomena of his experiences are described in variousliteraturesandthestatesofmindhewasexperiencingresembledthoseattainedbyotherindividualsusingcompletelydifferenttechniques.

Describingtheeventsinhistank,Lillywrites:

In these experiences, I came across what one might call supraself andsupraspeciesmetaprogrammers,which seemed tome to be outsidemyself,notimbeddedinme.Usingotherlanguages,otherterminologies,onecouldcall these celestial gurus, or divine teachers or guardians. I also got intospaces where the energies and the forces were so vast that there was nohumanly conceivable way of transmitting these experiences in words in abook.

...Iwentthroughdreamlikestates,trancelikestates,mysticalstates.Inallofthese states, I was totally intact, centred, and there. At no time did I loseconsciousawarenessofthefactsoftheexperiment.SomepartofmealwaysknewthatIwassuspendedinwaterinatankinthedarkandinthesilence.

Iwent through experiences inwhich other people apparently joinedme inthisdarksilentenvironment.

Icouldactuallyseethem,feelthem,andhearthem.

Atothertimes,Iwentthroughdreamlikesequences,wakingdreamsastheyarenowcalled, inwhich Iwatchedwhatwashappening.Atother times, Iapparentlytunedinonnetworksofcommunicationthatarenormallybelowourlevelsofawareness,networksofcivilisationswaybeyondours.

TheCentreoftheCyclone,byDr.JohnLilly,BantamBooks,1973

If there isanydanger inmeditation, it isnow, in theearlyprocesseswhichlead to true meditation, because with sensory input withdrawn, the mindbecomesunsureof itself, a little unstable.This iswhyyouneed to follow theteachingsofesotericinstructionsocarefullytobesafe.Wehearagreatdealofnonsenseaboutarousingkundalini;noneofthiswillarousekundalini.Butwhatmayhappenisthatyoucouldhaveadifficultperiodinwhichyoureorientatethemind.

WithdrawingtheSenses

Therearemanymethodsforwithdrawingthesenses,butwewilldealwithtwoherethatarebasictechniquesusedinYogapractice.Thefirstoftheseiscalledtheanallock.Itisausefultechniqueforconcentratingontheinnerenvironmentandthusdivertingone’sattentionfromtheoutsideworld.Havingcompletedthenecessarypreliminaryof seatingyourself, practisingPranayama, and soundingtheOM, you are now ready to turn your attention inward to the region at thebaseofthespine.Here,inthisanatomicalsite,liesthefour-petalledlotusoftheMuladhara Chakra. The outer visible or exoteric counterpart of this chakra isformed in the buttocks, the sacrum region, and the perineum. In diagram 6,notice that the buttocks divide a circle into four quarters forming a patternsimilar to its etheric counterpart. Anatomically, the anus, with its rings ofmuscles (external and internal sphincters) isverymuch like the seated serpentKundaliniandis,infact,thephysicalcounterpartofkundalini.

TheoccultlawisEnergyfollowsthought.Therefore,byfocusingyourattentionat the base of the spine in the anal lock position, you will be directing theenergiesoftheAjnaChakratotheMuladharaChakra.Thecaveorethericuterusat the base of the spine will be entered by the light or seed thought of yourconsciousness;hereinliesahint.Theanallock,calledMulabandha,isperformedbyfirstinhalingandthenholdingthebreathwhileexternalandinternalsphinctermuscles are tightly contracted. This action of contracting the anus keeps yourattention inside you. Next raise your attention to the solar plexus region andperform the navel lock or stomach lock (Uddiyana Bandha) by drawing theabdomenupandin.Thisisdoneatthesametimethattheanallockisexecuted.

Donotexhaustyourselfinmaintainingeitheroftheselocks.Takeamplerestandrestrictyourselftonomorethanfiveexertionspersitting.

Thenraiseyourattentiontothespacebetweentheeyebrowsandperformthefrontalgazebyturningtheeyeballsinwardsandupwards.Holdthelockswhileretainingthebreathtocapacity,i.e.,aslongasitiscomfortable,thenexhaleandrelease the locks. Perform this exercise several times for a period of fiveminutes. The attention necessary to hold your eyes inwards and upwardswillkeep your attention there inside of you. But remember to practice the eyeexercisesforatleasttwoweekspriortocommencingthisstageofthemeditationprocedureinordertopreventstiffnessoftheeyeballmusclesdeveloping.

Eventuallyyouwillfind,aftersomemonths’practice,thatyouhavebeenabletoholdthescreenofyourmindfreeofthoughtsforsomeminutes.Ifyougetnofurtherthanthis,youwillhavedonewellbecauseyouwillhaveprovidedbeingsofahigherconsciousness thanyourownwitha fertilebed inwhich theymay

planttheirdivineseedthoughts;nottheleastoftheseBeingswillbeyourownHigherSelf.

This completes the stage of withdrawing the attention from objects in theouterworld.Itmaybenecessarytopractisethisstagemanytimesbeforegoingontostage3,whichisConcentration.

CHAPTER15CONCENTRATIONANDMEDITATION

In Dharana, concentration, there are two essential elements of utmostimportance: focus of themind and visualisation. InDharana, the focus of themindonasingleobjectmaybeinterruptedanumberoftimesastheattentionisdeviatedfromtheobjectofconcentration,andthemeditatorgentlybringsitbacktotheobject.SustainedconcentrationiscalledDhyana,whereinthefocusofthemind is uninterrupted, and there is a steady flow of attention to the object ofconcentration.Thisstepisoftenlikenedtothepouringofoilfromonevesseltoanotherinasteady,unbrokenstream.

TheSpaceBetweenThoughts

The would-be meditator should remember that you cannot meditate onobjectsoutsidethebody.Theobjectmustbewithin,andheldintheregionofthebrow.

One must also remember that meditation occurs in the space betweenthoughts. No matter how lovely and lofty your thoughts may be, this is notmeditation. When the threshold between Pratyahara and Dharana has beenreached,itiseasytofallasleep.Therefore,inordertopreventprecipitationintotheunconscious,itisnecessarytoconcentrateonaformorsymbol,bringingitintosuchclearfocusthatonefuseswithit.Placeasymbolinthespacebetweenyourthoughtsandfollowthatsymboltoitssource,toitsarchetype.

InDharana, thereare twothingswecanconcentrateon in theregionof thebrow:firstly,animageofanobject,suchasarose,orasymbolplacedtherebyaprocessofvisualisation;orsecondly,aconceptofformlessstructurelikeTruth,Beauty,orGoodness,orsomethingmorespecificlikepeace,compassion,ortheBrotherhoodofMan.Inthefirstinstance,theabilitytovisualiseisnecessary;inthesecond,themindisheldpureandclearwhilstthehighermindcontemplatesthe concept. As the world of causes is reached with the higher mind, thosecauseswillbereflectedontotheclearmirrorofthelowermind,cleared,bythisstage,ofthoughtanditsdebris.Whilethefirstpathmaybesaidtobeanactiveone, the second is apassiveone,butboth lead to true tomeditation.Again, itshould be emphasised that in both instances,meditation only comeswhen all

connectionswiththelowervehiclesofthought,feeling,andactingarebroken.

Manyofushavenodifficultyinfocusingthemindonoutwardobjects,liketheprintofabookorthestamenofaflower.Thisisexcellentpractice,buttruemeditationisnotpossibleusinganobjectforfocuswhichliesoutsidethebody.It is,ofcourse, recommendable topractiseconcentratingonobjectsexterior tous as a preliminary to concentrationon somethingwithin.Wemust, therefore,learntoconcentrateonsomethinginsidethebodyratherthanoutsidethebody,and in order to do thiswemust create inmental substance somethingwe canfocus on. This process is called visualisation. We must create an image byvisualisingitatthecentrebetweentheeyebrows.

RightandLeftBrainOrientation

In his bookSeeingwith theMind’sEye,Dr.MikeSamuels points out thatmostformaleducationdoesnotpromotevisualimagerybecauseitsmainfocuslies ingoal-orientatedverbal thoughtwhich isa lefthemisphereactivityof thebrain.Inmostschools,artisaminorsubjectandmoreprestigeisaccordedtothescienceandmathcourses.Psychologistshavediscovered that specific areasofthe brain deal with different thought processes. The right hemisphere, whichcontrols the left side of the body, is primarily responsible for orientation inspace,artisticendeavour,crafts,bodyimage,andrecognitionoffaces.Thelefthemisphere,whichcontrolstherightsideofthebody,ispredominantlyinvolvedwith analytical logical thinking, especially in mathematical and verbalfunctioning.Thus,therighthemisphereisthoughttoberesponsiblefordreams,alteredstatesofconsciousness,andintuition.

Ithasbeenfoundthatpeoplewhoareleft-brainorientateddonotdowellinmeditationorinareasinvolvingintuitivethinkingorartisticendeavours.Hence,itisrecommendedthatmethodsoftrainingtherighthemisphereofthebrainwillhelp to bring about altered states of consciousness necessary for themysticalexperience.Psychologists, likeRobertOrnstein,whoisaresearchpsychologistattheUniversityofCalifornia,believethattherighthemisphereofthebraincanbestrengthenedbyvariousmeans,suchasconcentrationexercisesinvolvingthevisualisationofgeometricshapes,learningcrafts,andworkingwithdreams.Itisalsofeltthatthevisualisationprocesshelpstode-automiseordinarythinking.Ifwe are left-brain orientated, we tend to operate with ordinary linearconsciousnessmostofthetime,andoureducationalsystemtendstoemphasisethis type of consciousness. The right hemisphere deals with visual, intuitive,non-linearthought.

Visualisation

Formostofuswhoareleft-brainorientated,visualisationisadifficultprocess.Oftenthestudentistoldtovisualisesomething,andhedoesnotknowhowthisshouldtakeplaceorjusthowclearlyheoughttoseeeverything.Theexplanationthat the pictures are similar to those inmemory is of nohelp.At themomentwhenonetriestoremembereventhemostfamiliarface,itcanhappenthatpartsseemtovanishoreverythingisblurred,orthereisacompleteblankinthemind.Ofcourse,whenonereachesDharana, it ishopedthatonehassomedegreeofprofiency in visualising an object. Therefore, in order to be able to visualisewhen we reach the stage of concentration, it is necessary to practisestrengtheningthevisualisationprocessbyavarietyofmethods.

TraininginObservation

An important step in training the mind for visualisation is the method ofobservation, that is, active, alert seeing. Generally, we do not register in ourawareness much of our everyday environment because of various screeningmechanisms inourmake-up.Forexample,whenwewalk intoa roomthatwehaveneverseenbefore,wedon’toftentakenoteofsuchthingsasthecolourofthewallsorthearrangementofthefurniture,orevenofthekindoffurniturethatisintheroom,unlessitissomethingspectacular.

The same is true of the street you live in. Although you have, no doubt,walkeddownyourstreetmanytimes,ifsomeoneshouldaskyoutodescribethehouses or the scenery there,many of the detailswould escape you.What youmustdoistodeliberatelytrainyourselftobecomeawareofyoursurroundings.Forexample,whenyougointoaroomforthefirst time,closeyoureyesforafewsecondsanddiscoverhowmanyobjectsintheroomyoucanrecall.Dothiswhenever you enter any room or any place new to you. Another exercise inobservation is tovisualisea roomthatyouare familiarwith.At first,visualisethebroadoutlineof the room; then later thedetailswillcome.Onceyouhavemanagedthis,visualiseyourselfwalkingallaroundtheroom,notingthedetails.Checktheaccuracyofyourvisualisationbynotingtheobjectsthatyoufailedtoincludeinyourvisualisation.

Performtheobservationexercisewithcoloursthatyousee.Lookatacolour,then close your eyes and try to see it. Do this again and again with variouscolours.Youmay either demand a colour, or youmay gently coax it into themind. Itmaywell takemonthsbeforeyou succeed, but onceyoudo, thenextstepistoshapethecolourintogeometricpatterns,suchasasquare,acircle,ora

triangle.Trydrawing the shapeon a pieceof coloured constructionpaper andcuttingitout;thenpasteitonaneutralbackground.Next,lookatthecolouredshape,thencloseyoureyesandtrytovisualiseit.Keepworkingatthisexerciseeachdayuntilyouareproficientat it; then tryvisualising twoshapesatonce.Makenoteofanyspecialdifficulties,as thesenoteswillbeuseful toyouasarecordofyourprogress.

VisualisationinThreeDimensions

Itisimportanttoseeonlywhatyouwanttovisualise.Ifforexample,thecircleyouarevisualisingbecomesdistorted,movesabout,orincreasesordecreasesinsize while you are visualising it, then you have not yet obtained sufficientcontrol. Once proficiency has been obtained with simple geometric shapes incolour,starttrainingyourselftoseeitinthreedimensions:acube,apyramid,asphere.Tryviewing it fromdifferentangles,changingyourperspectiveso thatyouviewitfromabove,frombelow,fromtheside,etc.Physicallylookingatanexternal object from different points of view will help you to visualise aninternalobjectfromsuchavantagepoint.

Anexercisewhichinvolvesrapidlyshiftingviewpointswillbehelpfulinthisrespect.Procureanapple.Now, lookat theappleas thoughyouweregoingtoeat it, imagininghow it tastesasyoubite into it.Next, imagine thatyouareaworm eating your way through the apple. How does the apple appear to youfromthispointofview?Nowimagineyouareanartistreadytopaintapictureofanapple.Becomeawareofthecolouroftheapple,thetexture,andthelightthat is striking theapple.Allof theseviewswillmake theappleasynthesisedobject,capableofbeingspeedilyvisualised.Thisshiftingofperspectivescanbeapplied to other things in your everyday life. It will give you expandedawarenessofyoursurroundings.

Training in the ability to see external objects is a basic requirement in theability to visualise internal objects. Working in art media, such as painting,drawing, photographing, and sculpturing also assists one in training to seeexternalobjects.Thiskindof training, in turn,develops theskillnecessary forvisualisation,thatis,seeingobjectsinternallywiththemind’seye.

The technique of visualisation is not confined to visual images only, butincludesacompositeofmental impressionswhichhavebeen received throughtheothersensesaswell.Thusyoushouldimaginethefeelofvelvet,thetasteofchocolate,thesmellofperfume,thesoundofawaterfall.Whenyouvisualisearoom that you are familiar with, include sounds, odours, textures, and tastes,

togetherwith thevisual impression.Youwill soon find thatyourdream life isricher,yourout-of-bodyexperiencesmore frequentandyourmeditationsmoremeaningful.

Tratakam(TheGaze)

Tratakam is an important Yogic practice for developing concentration, and inRajaYogaitservesasapreparationforDharana.Itconsistsofsteadilygazingatanyfixedobjectforaperiodoftime.Tratakamisthebestexerciseforretainingasymbol or form in meditation when, in the state of Pratyahara, one wouldotherwise lose consciousness. It should be mentioned here that Tratakam ispractised as a preparation to cross the threshold between Pratyahara andDharana,andshouldnotbeperformedformore than twentyminutes.Someofthe objects used for Tratakam are a candle flame, a black dot, a symbol, therising sun, sky or water, crystal, your own shadow, mirrow, one of the fourelements,oneofthechakras,ayantraoramandala.

The use of the black dot and the candle flame are the usual methods forpractisingTratakam.WhenperformingTratakamwithablackdot, itshouldbefixedonthewall.WhendoingTratakamonthecandleflame,concentrateontheglowing point at the top of the wick.When your eyes begin to water or feelstrained,closethemimmediately.Theeyesshouldberelaxed,andnotstraining,sotheaimistokeepthemopenandrelaxedaslongaspossiblewithoutblinking.Thencloseyoureyesandfocusontheretinalimage.

Togazeattherisingsun,asinTratakam,andtocloseyoureyesandseetheretinalimage,bringsintheraysofWillandPowerandstimulatestheWillRayChakras. To practise Kumbhaka, breath retention, as you gaze at the sun,stimulates the vagus nerve which acts as a receptor to the Solar Fire andtransmitsittothetissueswithinyourself,increasesandextendsyourring-pass-notandstimulatestheheartchakra.

Do not, under any circumstances, gaze at the sun unless it is low on thehorizon,levelwithyoureyes.

ConcentrationontheChakras

Concentration may be performed by visualising the appropriate yantra(geometricdesign)andcolour,whilesoundingtheBijaMantra(syllable)fortheappropriatechakra.ReferencetotheChakraChartprovidesacleardescriptionofthesymbolicrepresentationofeachchakra.Inaddition,referencetothediagramentitledTattvaYantrasprovidesaclearpictureofthesymbolicalrepresentation

of each chakra through its Tattva or element. It is suggested that you makemodelsof theseyantrasusingcolouredconstructionpaper andmounting themonablackbackground.Aconvenientsizeforthesymbolis3or4inchessquare.TheresultisasetofsymbolsthatmaybeusedinthepracticeofTratakam.

Tobeginyourpractice,placetheyantrabeforeyouwiththelightedcandletoone side so that the diagram is illumined. Start with the Tattva Yantra of theMuladharaChakra,placingtheyellowsquarebeforeyou.PracticeTratakambyfixing your gaze on it, audibly intoning the syllable Lam. Do this for 3 to 5minutes,attemptingtooccupyyourmindcompletelywiththeyellowsquareandtheseedsyllable.Thencloseyoureyesandmentallyvisualisetheyellowsquarewhilesilentlyrepeatingthemantra.Finally,movethesymbolintoitsappropriate

spotonthespine.Inthebeginning,workwithoneyantraeachdayforabout10minutes.Later,youmaydispensewith theoutwardconcentration,andperforminternalconcentrationonallsevenofthechakrasatonesitting.

Symbols

Eventually, foryourmeditation, select a symbolofoccult importance, like thefive-pointed star, which is the symbol of the Hierarchy of Masters and theiroverlord,aNirmanakaya,andfocusonitintheAjnaChakra.Learntovisualisesymbolsandtofocusonthem.YoumayalsousethepicturesoftheMastersformeditation.Whenyouhavevisualisedtheimageanditissufficientlyclear,bringallyourattentiontobearuponthemostpregnantpartofthevisualisedpattern,thecentreofthecircle,theeyesoftheMaster,thetipofthebuddingrose.WhatyouvisualisecancometolifewhetheritisanoccultsymbolorthefaceoftheMaster. The eyesmay suddenly come alive.Youwill see compassion and thequalitiesofthehumansoulwithinthosegloriouseyes.

MeditationTheme

Here is an example of how to concentrate on the pregnant part of what isvisualised.ThefollowingmeditationthemeistobeusedduringthestagecalledDharana(concentration).Remembertoselectyourmeditationthemebeforeyouseatyourselfandproceedwith themeditationprocedureuntilyouarriveat thestage between Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) and Dharana(concentration).NowfocusyourattentionattheAjnaCentre.Imaginethatyouare about to take a voyage, by any means you wish, across a body of waterwhich isaseaabout thesizeof theMediterranean.Thewater isadeep indigoblue.Yourdestinationisanislandsetinthemiddleofthesea.

Seeitwithinthespacebetweenyourbrowsasalovely,lushislandwithgreengrass rightdown to thewater.Youareon the islandnow,andaboveyouonamountaintopisabeautifulmarblecastlewithfourtowers.Beforeyoustretchesa path leading to the top of the mountain, and so you begin to climb up themountain.When you arrive, the gates to the castle swing open, and you passinsidetofindyourselfstandinginthecourtyard.Inthemiddleofthecourtyardthere is a round pool with clear, limpid water. The blue sky is gloriouslyreflected in thepool,and in thecentreof thepool isa lovely lotuswithwhitepetalsandgreenleaves.Intheopenedlotus,rightinthecentre,thereisajewelofgreatlustre.Focusonthejewel.

Let us examine the process involved in this meditation theme. You have

visualised colouredpatterns, andhavenot onlyvisualised, but youhave comeright to the central pointof importance,which is the jewel in the lotus, in thepool,inthecourtyard,ofthecastleonthegreenislandintheblueocean.Yourattention,onceextendedtoawideblueseaisfinallydrawntothecentralpointofalotusflower.Thatiswhatismeantbyfocusingonwhatisvisualised.

ThePyramidMeditationTheme

Hereisavariationoftheprecedingtheme.Again,youhavereachedthestageinmeditationbetweenwithdrawal of the senses and concentration andyou focusyourattentionat thebrowcentre.Oncemore,youaregoing to takea journeyacross a body of water by whatever means you wish. Imagine that you aretravellingacrossablue-greensea...Yourdestinationisadesert...Youarenowin the desert, and in the distance you see three pyramid shapes. . . Yourdestination is one of these three pyramids. As you approach it, the pryamidgrowsinsizeuntilyouarestandingbeforeit,atoweringmysteriousedifice.

Therearesevensteps,eachinacolouroftherainbow.Asyousteponeachoneofthem,feelyourselfimmersedinthatcolour.Thecoloursofthestepsarered, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Take time to feel thevibration of each colour.When you reach the topmost step, feel a shower ofwhite light floodingyou.Beforeyoustandsanopendoorwhichyouwillnowenter. Once inside, you will be given a symbol which is meaningful to you.Focusonthesymbol.AvariationoftheaboveistoseeyourMasterstandingattheopendoor.

DoortotheKingdomofHeaven

Focusingonwhatisvisualisedtakesyoutothegateofthekingdomofheaven.Youhave,asitwere,createdthedoortothatkingdombyvisualising.Youhavevisualised thedoor,whether it isa lotusor the faceofaMaster,or somethingelse,itmakesnodifference.Youhave,asitwere,thehandleofthedoorinyourgrasp,andyoufocusonthehandleofthedoor.Thefocusistheactofturningthehandleandgoinginwards.Youhavenowachievedtwoofthethreeprerequisitesfor the superconscious experience. You have approached the door to theKingdomofGodthroughvisualisationof thesymbol,andyouhaveyourhandonthehandleofthedoor,achievedthroughfocusofthemind.

Younowneedathirdfactortocompletetheentryandthatisenergyorpower,and for this you use the bellows breath, but itmust come reflexly to you.Byusing all three factors simultaneously, visualisation, focus, and breathing, you

willstormthekingdomofheaven.Remember,visualiseasacredsymbol,focuson the part that is most pregnant with meaning, and breathe. Each of thesefactors,when coordinated to any extent, brings the opening of theThirdEye.Andwhenmeditation,studyoftheoccultclassics,andservicetohumanity,arepartofastudent’sregime,theyalsoopentheheadcentres.

Meditation...Visualisation...SahasraraChakra

StudyoftheEsotericClassics.......Focus.......AjnaChakra

ServicetoHumanity.....Breathing.....AltaMajorChakra

However,itisaHerculeantasktoachieveasynthesisofvisualisation,focus,andbreathing.Itislikestandingastridethreeraginghorseswiththereinstightlygrasped. You will struggle with each one of these, but you will not succeedwithout the help of theMasters.However, if youwill serve them, if youwillsacrificeyourselfforhumanity,ifyouwillmeditateagainandagain,dayinanddayout,withoutseekingresultsandrewards,Theywillhelpyoufightyourwayto theLight.Theywillbegin toprovideyouwithoneof these threefactorsortwoofthem,butneverthree;youmustprovideoneatleast.

This does not mean that no good is obtained through the early steps ofmeditationuntilthefinalmomentisachieved.Therearemanyviewsbeforethesupremeviewfromthemountain top is reached.Everysingleeffortmakes thegoal,inthislifeoranother,morecertainandbringsitcloser.Thepathofheavenismadeofthestuffofheaven,andthestuffofheavenisofsuchthingsaslove,compassion,joy,andwisdom.ThepracticeofthesealongtheSecretPathbuildstheAntakarana,thegoldenthreadbetweenpersonalityandsoul.

Themereactsofbreathing,concentrating,andvisualisingdonotontheirownbring us to the next kingdom, for the kingdom of the Soul is not populatedmerely by those who can breathe, visualise, and concentrate all at once.However,itispopulatedbythosewhocantrulymeditate,andmeditationcomesonlytothosewhohaveincorporatedcertainqualitiesintotheirnaturesandknowby experience what is meant by composure, harmlessness, compassion, andspiritual aspiration. Even spiritually equipped, we still enter that kingdom aschildren, knowing little about our new environment, and consequently, seeingandunderstandingmuchonlyindistortion.

“Seeknot,Oh twice-blessedOne, toattain the spiritual essencebefore themind absorbs. Not thus is wisdom sought. Only he who hath the mind inleash,andseeththeworldasinamirrorcanbesafelytrustedwiththeinner

senses.Onlyhewhoknoweththefivesensestobeillusion,andthatnaughtre-maineth save the two ahead, can be admitted into the secret of theCruciformtransposed.

ThepaththatistroddenbytheServeristhepathoffirethatpasseththroughhisheartandleadethtothehead.Itisnotonthepathofpleasure,noronthepathofpainthatliberationmaybetakennorthatwisdomcometh.Itisbythetranscendenceofthetwo,bytheblendingofpainwithpleasure,thatthegoalisreached,thegoalthatliethahead,likeapointoflightseeninthedarknessofawinter’snight.Thatpointof lightmaycall tomind the tiny candle insome attic drear, but—as the path that leadeth to that light is troddenthrough the blending of the pairs of opposites—that pin-point, cold andflickering,growethwithsteadyradiancetillthewarmlightofsomeblazinglampcomethtothemindofthewandererbytheway.

Passon,OPilgrim,withsteadyperseverance.Nocandleistherenorearthlampfedwithoil.Evertheradiancegrowethtillthepathendswithinablazeofglory,andthewandererthroughthenightbecomeththechildofthesun,andenterethwithintheportalsofthatradiantorb.”

A Treatise on White Magic (From an Ancient Scripture) by Alice A.Bailey,LucisTrust1934.