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Words from spiritual Elders
“A pivotal stage on the journey begins when the mind absorbs the clear light of the soul sufficiently to be able to dominate the astral body, the body of emotions. Prior to awakening, the human being is largely governed by powerful unconscious forces that constitute the personality: physical instincts, emotional habit patterns, and crystallized mental perceptions. Together they form the personality’s mask, which obscures the divine soul until the mask is dissolved and the central sun of the human being, largely hidden since the dawn of time, is fully revealed.”
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As the soul awakens, the individual is increasingly driven to find the way home to the divine source of life. This inner drive provides the needed discipline and motivation for cleansing the personality of impediments that block the soul’s light. As the quest grows more intense, the inner light grows brighter until it becomes a beacon that guides the seeker onward.
Once the physical instincts are refined, the aspirant becomes aware of the need to do the same for the emotional body. Powerful emotions that engulf the personality inhibit mental clarity and the light of the soul. By the time the aspirant begins to consciously pursue the path, the soul is already releasing its light.
Prior to awakening, the human being is mostly controlled by unconscious forces that make up the personality: physical instincts, emotional habits, and fixed mental views. Together, they form the mask of the persona which obscures the true Self. Until the mask is removed, the Soul remains hidden.
On the path to enlightenment, transformation is referred to as the “Great Work.” It begins with learning to control the instinctual drives of the physical body. Cravings for physical pleasures are recognized and over time, through cycles of learning, these energies are redirected towards achieving the higher purpose of a person’s existence.
A decisive stage on the path occurs when the mind can dominate the emotions sufficiently to absorb the soul’s light. This stage of mastery is attained when the physical, emotional, and mental vehicles are transformed into worthy instruments of the soul. Until this occurs, the awakening soul will increasingly use the persona as a vehicle for spreading light in the world.
It is the light of the soul that initiates the path of transformation which ultimately alters the composition of the physical, emotional, and mental bodies. As these bodies undergo the metamorphosis of the spiritual path, the personality becomes a worthy instrument and a vehicle for spreading the soul’s light in the world.
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The greatest challenges of the path lie in the realm of the unconscious emotions, which often block progress on the journey and result in lapses into inertia. However, once the Soul has made its presence felt it will guide the individual’s life in such a way that the journey will inevitably be resumed, sooner or later.
Every seeker who begins to tread the Path will have encountered the idea of reincarnation. They will know the concept of reaping what one has sown in the past, but it may remain only a concept. As one begins to recognize unconscious emotional forces that surface repeatedly, the reality of past lives breaks into awareness.
To confront emotional patterns that are obstacles to spiritual progress requires courage. But as one does so, the light of the soul and of the Realm of Souls becomes more accessible. When the inner channels are free of noise and confusion, impressions of an intuitive nature are received and the realization dawns that a greater source of light is available. The mind becomes aware of the Soul as one’s guide on the Higher Way.
When the eye of the soul first opens and one begins to look outward at the world from a higher and wider perspective, one realizes what needs to be done to make the world fairer and more just. Only later does it become evident that the work of changing the world has to begin within the individual self. The aspirant’s gaze then turns toward the inner life and the soul becomes ‘The Observer,’ a term describing its capacity to see with detachment and dispassion.
Once a foothold is established on the path of ascent and the emotions are becoming stabilized, the searchlight of the soul can be safely turned toward further obstacles to its greater light. The state of openness to Truth about the personality represents a major milestone on the upward journey. It is a sign to members of the spiritual realm that the soul is ready to receive more light. In time, the disciple becomes aware of a connection to enlightened Beings in the realm of Spirit.
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Everyone who treads the path of ascent is aware that emotional patterns are extremely difficult to break and that it takes the sustained use of the will to bring them under the control of the mind. Having roots in the distant past, they are so deeply engrained in us that they tend to remain until the higher stages of the path when soul identity is firmly established. Even then, traces may remain until the attainment of mastery over the human experience.
An effective method of weakening the grip of patterned emotional responses is to take the stance of The Observer. If we can stand outside of our personalities and observe them with detachment and dispassion, the light of the soul will dissolve the unconscious forces. Situations habitually experienced as crises become the learning ground of the soul, providing opportunities for a greater inflow of spiritual light.
Life will continue to present us with opportunities for growth through the tests and trials that arise in one sphere or another. The significance of these tests, however, can be discerned in the light of the soul. Their meaning is heightened by flashes of insight received from spiritual Guides and Teachers who watch and assist behind the scenes.
And thus, the Path unfolds.
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When the eye of the Soul first Opens . . .
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