actinic: Spiritual, creating light. Adjective derived from the Greek aktis, "ray." Of or pertaining to consciousness in its pure, unadulterated state. Describes the extremely rarified superconscious realm of pure bindu, of quantum strings, the substratum of consciousness, shuddha maya, from which light first originates. Actinic is the adjective form of actinism, defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as:

1)   "the radiation of heat or light, or that branch of philosophy that treats of it;

2)    that property or force in the sun's rays by which chemical changes are produced, as in photography."

See: actinodic, kala, kosha, odic, tattva.

(See also: Actinic, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Sivaloka: "World of Siva," and of the Gods and highly evolved souls.

The causal plane, also called Karanaloka, existing deep within the Antarloka at a higher level of vibration, it is a world of superconsciousness and extremely refined energy. It is the plane of creativity and intuition, the quantum level of the universe, where souls exists in self-effulgent bodies made of actinic particles of light. It is here that God and Gods move and lovingly guide the evolution of all the worlds and shed their ever-flowing grace. Its vibratory rate is that of the vishuddha, ajna and sahasrara chakras and those above.

(See also: Sivaloka, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

actinic: Spiritual, creating light. Adjective derived from the Greek aktis, "ray." Of or pertaining to consciousness in its pure, unadulterated state. Describes the extremely rarified superconscious realm of pure bindu, of quantum strings, the substratum of consciousness, shuddha maya, from which light first originates. Actinic is the adjective form of actinism, defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as:

1)   "the radiation of heat or light, or that branch of philosophy that treats of it;

2)    that property or force in the sun's rays by which chemical changes are produced, as in photography."

See: actinodic, kala, kosha, odic, tattva.

(See also: Actinic, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

sadhana: (Sanskrit) "Means of attainment."

Self-effort, spiritual discipline; the way." Religious or spiritual disciplines, such as puja, yoga, meditation, japa, fasting and austerity. The effect of sadhana is the building of willpower, faith and confidence in oneself and in God, Gods and guru.

The effect of sadhana is the building of willpower, faith and confidence in oneself and in God, Gods and guru. Sadhana harnesses and transmutes the instinctive-intellectual nature, allowing progressive spiritual unfoldment into the superconscious realizations and innate abilities of the soul.

See: purity-impurity, pada, raja yoga, sadhana marga, spiritual unfoldment.

(See also: Sadhana, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Satchidananda (Sachchidananda): (Sanskrit) "Existence-consciousness-bliss."

A synonym for Parashakti. Lord Siva's Divine Mind and simultaneously the pure superconscious mind of each individual soul. It is perfect love and omniscient, omnipotent consciousness, the fountainhead of all existence, yet containing and permeating all existence.

It is also called pure consciousness, pure form, substratum of existence, and more. One of the goals of the meditator or yogi is to experience the natural state of the mind, Satchidananda, holding back the vrittis through yogic practices.

In Advaita Vedanta, Satchidananda is considered a description of the Absolute (Brahman). Whereas in monistic, or shuddha, Saiva Siddhanta it is understood as divine form - pure, amorphous matter or energy - not as an equivalent of the Absolute, formless, "atattva," Parasiva. In this latter school, Parasiva is radically transcendent, and Satchidananda is known as the primal and most perfectly divine form to emerge from the formless Parasiva.

See: atattva, Parashakti, tattva.

(See also: Satchidananda, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

individual mind: At the microcosmic level of individual souls, mind is consciousness and its faculties of memory, desire, thought and cognition. Individual mind is chitta (mind, consciousness) and its three-fold expression is called antahkarana, "inner faculty" composed of:

4)    buddhi ("intellect, reason, logic," higher mind);

5)    ahamkara ("I-maker," egoity);

6)    manas ("lower mind," instinctive-intellectual mind, the seat of desire).

From the perspective of the 36 tattvas (categories of existence), each of these is a tattva which evolves out of the one before it. Thus, from buddhi comes ahamkara and then manas. Manas, buddhi and ahamkara are faculties of the manomaya kosha (astral or instinctive-intellectual sheath). Anukarana chitta, subsuperconsciousness, the knowing mind, is the mind-state of the vijnanamaya kosha (mental or intuitive-cognitive sheath). The aspect of mind corresponding directly to the anandamaya kosha (causal body) is karana chitta, superconsciousness.

See: mind, ahamkara, antahkarana, buddhi, chitta, manas, universal mind, consciousness.

(See also: Individual mind, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Nirvikalpa Samadhi:

Nirvikalpa Samadhi: The superconscious state where there is no mind. Nirvikalpa is like water without waves or ripples.

 'Are we not at peace, when one thought ceases and another does not rise? You have to watch that moment, be one with that moment and get fixed in that, so that, there is ceaseless continuous peace; thoughts arise and die as ripples on water; you have to look at the water, rather than the ripples. Neglect the waves, watching the water'. 'The person who takes up the process of meditation lands into a state of Nirvikalpa some time or other though it is a very difficult state to attain. Even a Karmayogi or a Bhaktha touches this stage time and again in the most natural way, and knows fully what it is. Therefore, he can remember it and bring it back into experience, and feel the joy of continuous communion with God' (SSS-III)

(See also: Nirvikalpa Samadhi, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Brain-mind Used by theosophists for the astral mind of the personal ego, the pale and too often distorted reflection of the intellection of the reincarnating ego. It is, in fact, the representative in the physical world of kama-manas, mind conditioned by materiality.

The lower mind or psycho-nervous effluvia of the brain acts through the nervous ganglia in the kamic centers, such as the liver, stomach, and spleen, though the central ganglia of this nervous system are situated in the base of the skull. The brain, and with it the heart, however, are likewise the organs of spiritual and intellectual powers far higher than those represented by the merely human personality working through the brain-mind; hence the higher forms of thought, supersensuous, superconscious, correlate with the cerebral and cardiac centers.

The body in general and the brain in particular are compact of finer and grosser elements, the former responsive only to the breath of divine wisdom, out of reach of the winds from the passion-laden lower mind, whose function is to act on and arouse the grosser elements of the nervous system.

The brain, therefore, is a kind of reflector of thought-currents and emotional tides which arise in the kamic centers of the inner self, and are distributed through the nervous ganglia in the skull to the physical kamic reflection centers in the trunk. Thus we scarcely use at all the brain itself in the true sense, or at any rate only in its lowest aspects or functions; and it is only in rare moments that the brain tissues are suffused with the glory emanating directly from the higher nature and working through the pineal and pituitary glands in the skull and through the secret center in the heart.

(See also: Brain-mind, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Brahman: (Sanskrit) "Supreme Being; expansive spirit." From the root brih, "to grow, increase, expand." Name of God or Supreme Deity in the Vedas, where He is described as 1) the Transcendent Absolute, 2) the allpervading energy and 3) the Supreme Lord or Primal Soul. These three correspond to Siva in His three perfections. Thus, Saivites know Brahman and Siva to be one and the same God.

• Nirguna Brahman: God "without qualities (guna)," i.e., formless, Absolute Reality, Parabrahman, or Parasiva- totally transcending guna (quality), manifest existence and even Parashakti, all of which exhibit perceivable qualities.
• Saguna Brahman: God "with qualities;" Siva in His perfections of Parashakti and Parameshvara- God as superconscious, omnipresent, allknowing, all-loving and all-powerful.

The term Brahman is not to be confused with 1) Brahma, the Creator God; 2) Brahmana, Vedic texts, nor with 3) brahmana, Hindu priest caste (English spelling: brahmin). See: Parameshvara, Parashakti, Parasiva.

(See also: Brahman, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

The Yoga Sutras are built on a foundation of Samkhya philosophy and the Bhagavad Gita. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali prescribes adherence to eight "limbs" or steps (the sum of which constitute "Ashtanga Yoga", the title of the second chapter) to quiet one's mind and merge with the infinite. These eight limbs not only systematized conventional moral principles espoused by the Bhagavad Gita, but elucidated the practice of Raja Yoga in a more detailed manner. For their part, the Yoga Sutras form the theoretical and philosophical base of ...

See also:

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Introduction, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Authorship, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Philosophical Roots and Influences, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - The Eight Limbs of Raja Yoga, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Bibliography, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Appendix: English Translation of the Yoga Sutras, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Book I : Consciousness and Superconsciousness Samadhi Pada, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Book II : Ways To Attain Yoga Sadhana Pada, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Book III : Powers Vibhuti Pada, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Book IV : Liberation Kaivalya Pada

Read more here: » Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Encyclopedia II - Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Philosophical Roots and Influences

jnana: (Sanskrit) "Knowledge; wisdom."

The matured state of the soul. It is the wisdom that comes as an aftermath of the kundalini breaking through the door of Brahman into the realization of Parasiva, Absolute Reality. The repeated samadhis of Parasiva ever deepen this flow of divine knowing which establishes the knower in an extraordinary point of reference, totally different from those who have not attained this enlightenment.

Jnana is the awakened, superconscious state (karana chitta) working within the ordinary experience of the world, flowing into daily life situations. It is the fruition of the progressive stages of charya, kriya and yoga in the Saiva Siddhanta system of spiritual unfoldment.

Jnana is sometimes misunderstood as book knowledge, as a maturity or awakening that comes from simply understanding a complex philosophical system or systems. Those who define jnana in this way deny that the path is a progression of charya-kriya-yoga-jnana or of karmabhakti- raja-jnana. Rather, they say that one can choose his path, and that each leads to the ultimate goal.

See: God Realization, door of Brahman, Self Realization, samadhi, jnana yoga.

(See also: Jnana, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Brahman: (Sanskrit) "Supreme Being; expansive spirit." From the root brih, "to grow, increase, expand." Name of God or Supreme Deity in the Vedas, where He is described as 1) the Transcendent Absolute, 2) the allpervading energy and 3) the Supreme Lord or Primal Soul. These three correspond to Siva in His three perfections. Thus, Saivites know Brahman and Siva to be one and the same God.

• Nirguna Brahman: God "without qualities (guna)," i.e., formless, Absolute Reality, Parabrahman, or Parasiva- totally transcending guna (quality), manifest existence and even Parashakti, all of which exhibit perceivable qualities.
• Saguna Brahman: God "with qualities;" Siva in His perfections of Parashakti and Parameshvara- God as superconscious, omnipresent, allknowing, all-loving and all-powerful.

The term Brahman is not to be confused with 1) Brahma, the Creator God; 2) Brahmana, Vedic texts, nor with 3) brahmana, Hindu priest caste (English spelling: brahmin).

See: Parameshvara, Parashakti, Parasiva.

(See also: Brahman, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

anandamaya kosha: "Body of bliss."

The intuitivesuperconscious sheath or actinic-causal body. This inmost soul form (svarupa) is the ultimate foundation of all life, intelligence and higher faculties. Its essence is Parashakti (Pure Consciousness) and Parasiva (the Absolute).

Anandamaya kosha is not a sheath in the same sense as the four outer koshas. It is the soul itself, a body of light, also called karana sharira, causal body, and karmashaya, holder of karmas of this and all past lives. Karana chitta, "causal mind," names the soul's superconscious mind, of which Parashakti (or Satchidananda) is the rarified substratum.

Anandamaya kosha is that which evolves through all incarnations and beyond until the soul's ultimate, fulfilled merger, vishvagrasa, in the Primal Soul, Parameshvara. Then anandamaya kosha becomes Sivamayakosha, the body of God Siva. The physical body (annamaya kosha) is also called sthula sharira, "gross body." The soul body (anandamaya kosha) is also called karana sharira, "causal body."

The pranamaya, manomaya and vijnanamaya koshas together comprise the sukshma sharira, "subtle body," with the pranamaya shell disintegrating at death.

See: actinic, actinodic, manomaya kosha, niyati, odic, sharira, soul, subtle body.

(See also: Anandamaya kosha, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

kala: (Sanskrit) "Part, segment; art or skill." 1) Cultural arts. (See: kala64). 2) A five-fold division of the cosmos based on the 36 tattvas, as explained in the Saiva Agamas.

The five kalas- spheres, or dimensions of consciousness- are:

1)    Shantyatitakala, "sphere beyond peace," the extremely rarified level of shuddha maya (actinic energy) in which superconsciousness is expanded into endless inner space, the realm of God Siva and the Gods;

2)    Shantikala, "sphere of peace," the level within shuddha maya where forms are made of inner sounds and colors, where reside great devas and rishis who are beyond the reincarnation cycles;

3)    Vidyakala, "sphere of knowing," the level within shuddhashuddha maya (actinodic energy) of subsuperconscious awareness of forms in their totality in progressive states of manifestation, and of the interrelated forces of the actinodic energies;

4)    Pratishtakala, "sphere of resting, tranquility," the level within ashuddha maya (odic energy) of intellect and instinct;

5)    Nivrittikala, "sphere of perdition, destruction; returning," the level within ashuddha maya of physical and near-physical existence, conscious, subconscious and sub-subconscious mind.

See: tattva.

(See also: Kala, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

smriti: (Sanskrit) "That which is remembered; the tradition."

Hinduism's nonrevealed, secondary but deeply revered scriptures, derived from man's insight and experience. Smriti speaks of secular matters - science, law, history, agriculture, etc. - as well as spiritual lore, ranging from day-to-day rules and regulations to superconscious outpourings.

1)    The term smriti refers to a specific collection of ancient Sanskritic texts as follows: the six or more Vedangas, the four Upavedas, the two Itihasas, and the 18 main Puranas. Among the Vedangas, the Kalpa Vedanga defines codes of ritual in the Shrauta and Shulba Shastras, and domestic-civil laws in the Grihya and Dharma Shastras. Also included as classical smriti are the founding sutras of six ancient philosophies called shad darshana (Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta).

2)    In a general sense, smriti may refer to any text other than shruti (revealed scripture) that is revered as scripture within a particular sect. From the vast body of sacred literature, shastra, each sect and school claims its own preferred texts as secondary scripture, e.g., the Ramayana of Vaishnavism and Smartism, or the Tirumurai of Saiva Siddhanta. Thus, the selection of smriti varies widely from one sect and lineage to another.

See: Mahabharata, Ramayana, Tirumurai.

(See also: Smriti, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Veda: (Sanskrit) "Wisdom." Sagely revelations which

comprise Hinduism's most authoritative scripture. They, along with the Agamas, are shruti, "that which is heard."

The Vedas are a body of dozens of holy texts known

collectively as the Veda, or as the four Vedas: Rig, Yajur,

Sama and Atharva. In all they include over 100,000

verses, as well as additional prose. The knowledge

imparted by the Vedas is highly mystical or

superconscious rather than intellectual. Each Veda has

four sections: Samhitas (hymn collections), Brahmanas

(priestly manuals), Aranyakas (forest treatises) and

Upanishads (enlightened discourses). The Samhitas and

Brahmanas (together known as the karmakanda, "ritual

section") detail a transcendent-immanent Supreme-Being

cosmology and a system of worship through fire ceremony

and chanting to establish communication with the Gods.

The Aranyakas and Upanishads (the jnanakanda,

"knowledge section") outline the soul's evolutionary

journey, providing yogic-philosophic training and

propounding a lofty, nondual realization as the destiny of

all souls. The oldest portions of the Vedas are thought to

date back as far as 6,000 bce, written down in Sanskrit in

the last few millennia, making them the world's most

ancient scriptures.

See: Aranyaka, Brahmana, shruti,

Upanishad, Vedanga.

(See also: Veda, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

EYE IN THE PYRAMID

Actually, the radiating eye occupies a triangle which is not really part of the pyramid, but just resting at its top. The pyramid is unfinished. The capstone (as in the Great Pyramid of Egypt) is missing. This is called by the Masons, "the stone rejected by the builders". (The phrase has many other applications as well). The reason is that the eye (spiritual consciousness) philosophically takes the place of material substance. Some believe, than which nothing could be farther from the truth, that the "stone rejected by the builders" is the historical Christ. In that case the completed pyramid would amount to little more than another dreary reaffirmation of the Xtian tradition. Fortunately, this view is totally unsupported by historical, archaeological or arcane evidence.

The eye is the eye of Ra, Wudjat, which in hieroglyphics means "to make" or "create". The symbol on the U.S. dollar bill was suggested by the founders of America, who were not Xtians, but Freemasons and occultists. Superficially it means that whatever we do must be inspired by superconscious insight, not by petty quests for private power or selfish profit. It can be attributed, amongst other things, to the bringing down of consciousness from higher to lower. John Michell, in his Dimensions of Paradise says, "The 'Lamb in the midst of the throne,' in Revelation 5:6 has 'seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God.' The geometer's image of this creature is the heptagram with seven horns and seven triangles containing eyes. The eyed triangle of the heptagon, which has a base angle (51 degrees 26 minutes) nearly the same as that of the Great Pyramid of Egypt (51 degrees 51 minutes), may be the origin of the mystic symbol of the eye in the pyramid." The Eye in the Triangle is the title of Israel Regardie's biography of Aleister Crowley. (See PYRAMID).

(See also: EYE IN THE PYRAMID, Magick, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul, )

Veda: (Sanskrit) "Wisdom."

Sagely revelations which comprise Hinduism's most authoritative scripture. They, along with the Agamas, are shruti, "that which is heard."

The Vedas are a body of dozens of holy texts known collectively as the Veda, or as the four Vedas:

-       Rig,

-       Yajur,

-       Sama and

-       Atharva.

In all they include over 100,000 verses, as well as additional prose. The knowledge imparted by the Vedas is highly mystical or superconscious rather than intellectual.

Each Veda has four sections:

-       Samhitas (hymn collections),

-       Brahmanas (priestly manuals),

-       Upanishads (enlightened discourses).

The Samhitas and Brahmanas (together known as the karmakanda, "ritual section") detail a transcendent-immanent Supreme-Being cosmology and a system of worship through fire ceremony and chanting to establish communication with the Gods.

The Aranyakas and Upanishads (the jnanakanda, "knowledge section") outline the soul's evolutionary journey, providing yogic-philosophic training and propounding a lofty, nondual realization as the destiny of all souls.

The oldest portions of the Vedas are thought to date back as far as 6,000 bce, written down in Sanskrit in the last few millennia, making them the world's most ancient scriptures.

See: Aranyaka, Brahmana, shruti, Upanishad, Vedanga.

(See also: Veda, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

A Theosophical definition of Samadhi :

Samadhi

(Sanskrit) A compound word formed of sam, meaning "with" or "together"; a, meaning "towards"; and the verbal root dha, signifying "to place," or "to bring"; hence samadhi, meaning "to direct towards," generally signifies to combine the faculties of the mind with a direction towards an object. Hence, intense contemplation or profound meditation, with the consciousness directed to the spiritual. It is the highest form of self-possession, in the sense of collecting all the faculties of the constitution towards reaching union or quasi-union, long or short in time as the case may be, with the divine-spiritual. One who possesses and is accustomed to use this power has complete, absolute control over all his faculties, and is, therefore, said to be "completely self- possessed." It is the highest state of yoga or "union."

Samadhi, therefore, is a word of exceedingly mystical and profound significance implying the complete abstraction of the percipient consciousness from all worldly or exterior or even mental concerns or attributes, and its absorption into or, perhaps better, its becoming the pure unadulterate, undilute superconsciousness of the god within. In other words, samadhi is self-conscious union with the spiritual monad of the human constitution. Samadhi is the eighth or final stage of genuine occult yoga, and can be attained at any time by the initiate without conscious recourse to the other phases or practices of yoga enumerated in Oriental works, and which other and inferior practices are often misleading, in some cases distinctly injurious, and at the best mere props or aids in the attaining of complete mental abstraction from worldly concerns.

The eight stages of yoga usually enumerated are the following:

(1)  yama, signifying "restraint" or "forbearance";

(2)  niyama, religious observances of various kinds, such as watchings or fastings, prayings, penances, etc.;

(3)  asana (q.v.), postures of various kinds;

(4)  pranayama, various methods of regulating the breath; (5) pratyahara, a word signifying "withdrawal," but technically and esoterically the "withdrawal" of the consciousness from sensual or sensuous concerns, or from external objects;

(5)  dharana (q.v.), firmness or steadiness or resolution in holding the mind set or concentrated on a topic or object of thought, mental concentration;

(6)  dhyana (q.v.), abstract contemplation or meditation when freed from exterior distractions; and finally,

(7)  samadhi, complete collection of the consciousness and of its faculties into oneness or union with the monadic essence.

It may be observed, and should be carefully taken note of by the student, that when the initiate has attained samadhi he becomes practically omniscient for the solar universe in which he dwells, because his consciousness is functioning at the time in the spiritual-causal worlds. All knowledge is then to him like an open page because he is self-consciously conscious, to use a rather awkward phrase, of nature's inner and spiritual realms, the reason being that his consciousness has become kosmic in its reaches.

See also: Samadhi, Mysticism, Body Mind and Soul)

purushartha: (Sanskrit) "Human wealth or purpose."

The four pursuits in which humans may legitimately engage, also called chaturvarga, "four-fold good" - a basic principle of Hindu ethics.

-       dharma: "Righteous living." The fulfillment of virtue, good works, duties and responsibilities, restraints and observances - performing one's part in the service and upliftment of society. This includes pursuit of truth under a guru of a particular parampara and sampradaya. Dharma is of four primary forms. It is the steady guide for artha and kama.

-       See: dharma.

-       artha: "Wealth." Material welfare and abundance, money, property, possessions. Artha is the pursuit of wealth, guided by dharma. It includes the basic needs - food, money, clothing and shelter - and extends to the wealth required to maintain a comfortable home, raise a family, fulfill a successful career and perform religious duties. The broadest concept of wealth embraces financial independence, freedom from debt, worthy children, good friends, leisure time, faithful servants, trustworthy employees, and the joys of giving, including tithing (dashamamsha), feeding the poor, supporting religious mendicants, worshiping devoutly, protecting all creatures, upholding the family and offering hospitality to guests. Artha measures not only riches but quality of life, providing the personal and social security needed to pursue kama, dharma and moksha. It allows for the fulfillment of the householder's five daily sacrifices, pancha mahayajna: to God, ancestors, devas, creatures and men.

-       See: yajna.

-       kama: "Pleasure, love; enjoyment." Earthly love, aesthetic and cultural fulfillment, pleasures of the world (including sexual), the joys of family, intellectual satisfaction. Enjoyment of happiness, security, creativity, usefulness and inspiration.

-       See: Kama Sutras.

-       moksha: "Liberation." Freedom from rebirth through the ultimate attainment, realization of the Self God, Parasiva. The spiritual attainments and superconscious joys, attending renunciation and yoga leading to Self Realization. Moksha comes through the fulfillment of dharma, artha and kama (known in Tamil as aram, porul and inbam, and explained by Tiruvalluvar in Tirukural) in the current or past lives, so that one is no longer attached to worldly joys or sorrows. It is the supreme goal of life, called paramartha.

See: liberation, moksha.

(See also: Purushartha, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

MIND

Mind very much resembles matter, both in its degrees of density and in its peculiarity of design. That's not surprising since the one derives from the other. We might also say that they are mirror images of one another. Just as matter varies in the size of its conglomerations, from the circumferences of giant stars and galaxies to the infinitely small subatomic world of its constituents, so mind ranges through the levels of experience infinitely above and below consciousness. There is no Not-Mind - not ever - except within the Ultimate Void itself.

Hypnosis sheds a faint light on certain levels of consciousness beneath the ordinary. By means of the intense concentration and focusing of attention that hypnosis evokes, we are able to accomplish feats of mind and body that otherwise only yogis know. Hypnosis works by forcing a thread of memory awareness deep into the mind labyrinth, which, however deeply it may penetrate the darkness, is always tied tightly to the ordinary consciousness at the top. Without that Ariadne's thread, the more deeply we were to concentrate on something, the more we would be lost to the world. The more attention we bring to bear on anything, the deeper into a simulacrum of sleep we proceed, as our surroundings and the outside world disappear into this darkness and outer sensations are walled off - presumably to prevent distraction. Since this state of concentration so much resembles sleep, in fact, the slightest lapse of the will sends us drifting towards unconsciousness. Ordinary sleep is a mirror-like repetition of the fragmentation of superconsciousness that we shall see results in abandonment of the self. However, as concentration proceeds ever more inward, the more the inner landscape is illuminated and narrowed. This "inner light" of laser-like consciousness is shared by the vegetable kingdom. (Its character can be recognized in psychedelic intoxication of various kinds). Finally, as we proceed into the unconscious itself we enter a quantum universe of our own. Here we find ourselves in the very "consciousness" of matter itself, with its links to everything in the universe. Presumably, death is but a deeper descent still, a proceeding into the actual heart of Mind, leading into the Void, which is the womb of all manifestations. Ordinary consciousness is obviously the link between higher and lower planes. It is a delicate balance between retreat into self-absorption and abandonment of the self to the sensory experience. It is maintained with great difficulty, for we have a tendency to drift out of it into one or the other of the two diametrically opposed realms of experience that it separates. These realms, of course, are infinitely more attractive than boring, old, routine mind. Within this narrow water-hole of ordinary consciousness, however, lie all the accomplishments and discoveries of human history. Indeed, it is this narrow and unreliable bridge that human society has learned to exploit as "civilization". Unfortunately, it has been examined but superficially and little has been done to stretch its dimensions or protect it from disintegration. Consequently we know almost nothing either of its limitations or its potential powers.

Heightened awareness is the opposed of focused attention or concentration. Attention becomes more and more generalized and cognizant of every petal on every flower in the garden, then every vein in every leaf. . . But now, as attention fans out, mind loses its coherency and begins to fragment. Under the influence of psychedelic drugs the attention is so fragmented that it merges altogether with the outer world and the inner self is abandoned to the chaos of the interface. The loss of the inner self, however, is usually accompanied by extreme panic as it attempts to jump from scintilla to scintilla.

For a time, the fragmentation of expanding mind can be kept under control by the use of amphetamines or cocaine in ever-increasing dosages. By means of these substances, alertness and intelligence are increased because attention is spread infinitely thin across a wider and wider spectrum of sensory experience coming in from the outer world. The "outer world" includes, of course, the consciousness of one's own body, as well as reflexive self-observation. At the same time, the inner self is being supplied with increased energy and speed too, so that it can maintain consciousness of itself and stave off chaos by racing back and forth around the ever-enlarging periphery of experience. As we are all very well aware, however, this path quickly comes to an end.

Fortunately, the heightening of externalized consciousness can be achieved without drugs, through mysticism. The sensory awareness can either be bypassed or used as the vehicle of its own transcendence. If the inner self is voluntarily released to heightened consciousness, which we sometimes refer to as leaving the ego behind in order to enter Nirvana, peace descends at once and chaos is transformed into the so-called "mystical experience." This process, once begun, can continue into such total absorption that the individual consciousness ceases to exist at any point and we could refer to that as a more or less permanent trance.

(See also: MIND, Magick, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul, )

Teacher : Dream Interpretation Dictionary - Teacher is a superconscious aspect

Teacher is a superconscious aspect.

A teacher is one more knowledgeable than the Self. The superconscious mind holds the complete plan for maturity as spirit, and the previous progress made toward that maturity. Dream interaction with a teacher indicates a desire and need for communication and rapport with the deepest part of mind.

Source: The Dreamer's Dictionary

(See also: Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation Teacher, Dream Dictionary Teacher)

For more dictionary entries, see » Superconscious Mind Dictionary