/embodiedsoul/EmbodiedSoulCube-4992d.png)
/embodiedsoul/Embodied_Soul_LogoONPurple.png)
This topic came up during a delightful exchange with one of our energy trainers, where they shared their view of what sparked their awakening, I was reminded of the typical steps of awakening, that I came across in a philosophy school, I once attended. A question was posed about the practical and discernible stages of moving from an individual perspective, to more of a universal, or ‘Divine’ perspective. The awakening of memory of ‘Who am I?’ in the individual and their journey to a more universal understanding of themselves. This can be thought of as moving through 7 distinct steps, or stages.
The first step sparks a primal urge at the beginning of a person’s awakening. It usually comes from a good impulse or pure desire. That Spark could come from a book that suddenly broadens one’s perspective, or from attending a Mystery School or taking a study of some sort; meeting a self realised person or a ‘holy man’, or a ‘holy teacher’; or it might come from an incident in one’s life - any situation that makes the individual start to ask deep questions about their life. I’m certain that the current state of the world, the current US President, the British exit from the European Union; observing the various atrocities we are committing to our fellow animals, and kin around the world, and the planet; would be causing this sort of deep questioning in many individuals.Any one of them, could remind the individual of something latent in themselves, and they would then make a move to materialise it. This is how the spark might happen ordinarily. However, for some, they would have worked towards their own awakening deliberately in previous lives, or could have lived such great and useful lives (useful to others), that their Karma (or more precisely Sanskar - which are the fruits of your previous existence); would have enabled them to incarnate so favourably in the world by providence that, they not only get the spark to awaken, but they also get shown a method or a path to follow, almost from the start of their lives.A seed lying in the ground sprouts automatically when the season arrivesThe principle of the belief or understanding being shared was that one’s deeds influence the next incarnation. So if the individual was to improve their own vibration, but was not able to complete their awakening journey, before they died, then these people would be born into circumstances and better surroundings that enabled them to pick up the thread again to complete their journey in this life. In other words if you expire before completing your journey, you may initially seem to move a few steps back, but you are able to continue a new life with a much improved set of conditions to help you make greater strides in along your Soul’s Journey in the new life. These individuals may not need a book, or even a guide in the usual sense. There is enough within which unfolds by itself, step by step. They start from where they left off and keep moving of themselves until they manifest their full awakening.For example, a seed lying in the ground sprouts automatically when the season arrives and everything is provided by nature to transform it into a big tree. This is how some special beings rise very quickly to high levels. “For common man, it is either an accident or the availability of a school or the descent of a master teacher, and most of it is not much of their own making at all.” The good impulse, the pure desire, is a universal desire. This is the desire of the Universal Consciousness which manifests in stages within various high vibrating individuals.Another example I was given is of those who are not able to follow their journeys in their lifetime with the appropriate aplomb: “This is very much like a theatrical company in which the director lays down the plan and the proceedings in a certain order, and delegates different parts to the actors with appropriate capacities. So some of the actors perform their roles beautifully and win the appropriate acclaim, and enjoy the satisfaction of a their good work. Those who do not attend to their part properly lose patronisation and most likely, their job.” Finally, they spiral down and suffer depravation and various humiliations.Those who manage to get a good impulse, start their own drama of a journey back to themselves, (back “home”). This Spark starts a Journey where the individual takes a direction back to a more universal view of themselves. Where previously they may have been moving further and further away from their own divinity, they have now switched back towards a larger perspective of themselves.
What usually accompanies this move is a shift in how one views one’s peers and life and for some this can start a lonely stage of their life, where they seem to be turning against the tide, and are no longer recognisable to their once close friends or even their family. Acting on that pure desire or good impulse, they may soon find themselves divided in opposing loyalties. This can begin to weigh heavy on the mind and this type of unrest of the mind will call for knowledge and guidance. This is when they start really seeking a teacher or system. If they manage to get enough true knowledge and a proper system to apply this knowledge to reason, then they will come face to face with truth and it’s direction.In this situation, the negative forces seem to press very hard on the individual, either as temptations or dire consequences of punishment and depravation. Reason would, of course, dispel such ‘evil’ or ‘dark’ forces and the individual would firmly stand to go with Truth and the call of their own Soul or, indeed, of Spirit. This decision to follow Truth or follow one’s path firmly establishes them on their Journey. This is your acceptance of your Soul’s Journey and your Soul sets up the appropriate circumstances, which you may experience as synchronicities, to enable you to find your teacher or system or way.They become efficient, untiring and much more capable
In the face of the resistance from one’s peers or colleagues, many would give up, opting for safety and comfort, knowing not where they were heading. If, reason prevails, the individual settles for Truth and discipline. They work hard and move in steadiness and fairness. This naturally keeps them away from ‘evils’, wrongs and a number of vices. Their inner being starts to become cleansed and purified. They start clearing out the muck of their past, and past lives; which might include a lot of healing of trauma and realisations, and release those things that used to cloud the mind and emotions. These would find no hold over the mind any more and would just leave. They begin to feel lighter, for the load of rubbish and muck would have gone.They will now employ their energy in direct work on their path, without any sense of loss. They become efficient, untiring and much more capable within and without. This sets a new process in action. By now, the loss or misuse of energy has been stopped, with good habits and lifestyle, with the result that more energy is available for useful and efficient work. Now the energy itself comes under conscious work and finer energy gets produced. Now the energy itself comes under conscious work and finer energy gets produced
Their being becomes more balanced, lighter and purer, and every aspect of their being becomes bright - (the heart centre begins to open as their Shen awakens). Not only does one begin to live under light, but they themselves start to shed and spread light to their surroundings, and things and situations around them begin to transform. This is the fourth stage and falls in the middle. This is the region of light. Only under light can one see clean from dirty, good from bad, beautiful from ugly and so on. Note that the individual is still in duality. However, it is no longer a matter of convention or association for the individual to discriminate between good and bad, right and wrong. They see the situation under the light of their own divine wisdom, and observe the facts as they are, without falling prey to the delusion of sentimentality. They go for the “good” and the “right.” Since their vibration has raised, they live more in the region of light, and suffer much less from fear, because all fear originates from darkness and ignorance. They are now steady, upright, unhesitant and clear. They gain a sense of their own caliber, sovereignty and power, and they begin to look forward to the next steps with courage and hope.
Since all things in the universe have their origin in consciousness and are pervaded by consciousness, there is bound to be some connection between all of them. These connections are actually binding elements. They could manifest as attachment, love or bondage.At this stage, the vision of the person undergoes a great change, for they now see beyond the apparent and beyond the programming and the ‘matrix’. At this level they are much freer. Bondage (being bound by one’s karma and programming) would have long since disappeared and now attachment also dissolves.They now appreciate the brilliant, glorious, enchanting and attractive appearance of all things and also really enjoy them, but never hanker for them, and never chase after them. They see everything from a new perspective and naturally respond, not from the past, nor from the future, but only from the present; the present which flashes the Will of the Universal. They still maintain the knowledge of their own Soul as separate from things and also as separate from Source Consciousness. However, the drama, the actors and the performances, and enjoyment from them, are all cognised as having a special significance, and yet nothing seems to bind them. They are only bound by love and in this detached state, they easily respond to their Soul’s guidance, or Universal Will.
Having experienced the world as it is, and without having any personal reference to themselves, they are now ready to go deeper. They focus on forms which are apparent and manifest and also beyond the apparent. The apparent forms are all held by the unmanifest consciousness, the cause, the substance which is about to create new forms or about to bring change in the existing forms. They see the being, the real being, the outer being and the inner being together. They experience the presence of the unmanifested Divine Will, holding all space, all time and all qualities and possibilities. They start to understand and experience the consciousness or divine in everything.They understand things and their causes simultaneously, ‘the clay and the pot’, the ‘table and the wood’, ‘ornament and gold’, ‘thread and cloth’, all come under vision as one. Everything seems like nothing but the body and being of divinity, or source consciousness. They see the Spirit of God everywhere.Things in this level become transparent. They do not disappear, they are not negated, and yet they are transcended and one sees the laws and also the maker of the laws. They are like a person who has just fallen in love and who cannot see anything except their beloved in everything and at all times.
The next dive is into union. The diver, the depth and the diving are all known and experienced as one. The drama goes on. They stop nowhere; They stop nothing, but allow all things to happen and unfold on their own. In union they only know themselves to be Divine and act as an ambassador for Source.They have great creative and manifesting power, and their being uses it without any claims whatsoever. This state is hardly a state, for all states are within it. It is the fullness, the oneness, the reality, something unqualified and indescribable. The Divine without a second. This is where the individual becomes Universal and fully embodied.