We are living in a time of deep change.The Age of the Fishes,Pisces, is almost at an end and the Age of the Waterbearer,Aquarius, is fast approaching.The old values are breaking down, giving us a chance to create new values for the New Aeon.The task before us is not easy, but it has to be done in order to build a better world.It is only new people who can build a new world. I mean changed people, with new values, and a totally new outlook on life.The key is personal transformation, the evolution of the human being.
Western Ways
There are a variety of techniques for alleged transformation available to-day.Techniques suitable for one person may not suit another.Plunging into a foreign culture usually does not work out.Eastern techniques are popular in the West, but as Dion Fortune, and Jung have pointed out, they are not really suitable for Westerners.
In the West we have very powerful techniques of personal transformation.They have been neglected for a long time but are now being re-discovered.These techniques belong to the Western Mystery Tradition (WMT).Astrology, tarot,the Tree of Life, and visualisation are some of the techniques we can use to assist our personal growth and transformation.These are some of the various techniques that can be used to help expand awareness.
More worlds beyond the conscious mind
The conscious mind is like the tip of an iceberg.Beyond lies the unconscious, a powerhouse of energies.Often we are unaware of these energies,and, not getting constructive outlets, they trap us in repetitive behaviour patterns and ignorance. Our society prefers people to live in ignorance of their true nature, thus rendering them susceptible to manipulation and exploitation by vested interests.Today, "the centre cannot hold, things fall apart" (Yeats).People are looking for answers, and the starting place is to look within.It is a time when people can realise their true nature, because the shackles of the past are falling away.
Some of the poets and mystics can point the way to expanded awareness, and give us a glimpse of our true nature. William Blake said : "If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite.For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks in his cavern"(Marriage of Heaven and Hell).The cavern is the ego self and its "single vision".Our everyday ego self is unaware of the greater world, of eternity.Becoming aware of the unconscious is the first step to real personal transformation.The next step is to integrate the u nconscious into the conscious mind, a process which usually takes place over a number of years.
Western Mystery Tradition
The WMT takes a holistic view of the world and Universe.The Universe forms one whole, and everything is interconnected.This is also called the hermetic view, which has been forced underground for the past 1500 years.It re-appeared during the Renaissance (e.g. Aggrippa,Paracelsus,Bruno, Ficino) and in the Romantic period, but was disparaged then ignored by the one-eyed scientific viewpoint.Man, through greed and the lust for power, has upset the balance of Nature, threatening the very existence of life on planet Earth.The holistic view is re-surfacing, for example in the Gaia concept, which sees the world as a living being .This view was held in ancient times, when people lived in relative harmony with Nature.
Use of astrology
Over the entrance to the Temple of Delphi in ancient Greece it was written "Know Thyself and you will know the Gods and the Universe".It is vital to know what our nature is, and what we can become.Self knowledge is the beginning of true wisdom.The more you learn about yourself in a positive way, the deeper you go into the universe, because everything is connected to everything else.Astrology is one of a number of means of gaining self knowledge. Fortune telling with astrology is a very minor affair compared to the deeper knowledge that can be gained from astrology.
It is said: "The fool is ruled by his stars, the wise man rules them".The birthchart or horoscope gives a detailed character analysis of the individual.It shows how different energies are operating in that person.With this knowledge a person can take more control over his or her life.For example, a person may have no planets in water signs, and many in air signs. They will be out of touch with their feeling side, and prone to think a lot.With this understanding, they can concentrate on developping their feeling side.This should result in a more well-rounded personality.
But astrology can go much further than this.A birthchart will reveal a person's karma, and point out ways how that person can best achieve their potential.It can also reveal aspects of the Unconscious, those areas of our psyche that we are unaware of.There is almost an unlimited amount to learn from astrology.Every person's birthchart is unique to them.As our experiences change over time, we can see deeper into ourselves through the birthchart.A pattern to our live will emerge, indicating our karma.The knowledge that can be gained is invaluable in assisting personal growth to a fuller existence.
Use of the tarot
The tarot is another tool which can be used to reveal the Unconscious, and contribute to the task of expanding our consciousness.The origins of the tarot are lost in the mists of time., and probably go back to ancient Egypt.There are over 400 different tarot packs available to-day. Those not related to a lasting tradition have little real value.I have seen a baseball tarot deck, which is a worthless trivialization of the tarot tradition.It had no understanding of the depth of meaning of the real tarot.For example, its Star card was a baseball "star" player, not a real star in the heavens or the star that can be found within. I have been using the Merlin Tarot by R.J.Stewart and the Arthurian Tarot by Caitlin and John Matthews (superbly drawn by Miranda Gray).These packs have extra books available which allow for extensive study. An important feature of these tarots is that they have deep roots in the Western Tradition.
A systematic study of the tarot will attune consciousness to the inner and deeper levels of the tradition.The tarot is a method of exploring inner space.It contains archetypal images which resonate within the deeper levels of our minds, and can awaken us to a new awareness of ourselves and the world.Tarot arts are meditation, visualisation and divination (farsight and insight)."In its true function and power, tarot tells the story of the Creation of the Worlds, so it reveals truths about powers, energies, consciousness and the countless patterns that combine and recombine to form our manifest world" (R.J.Stewart,The Complete Merlin Tarot).
The Tree of Life
The Tree of Life combines astrology, tarot and other elements of Western esoteric tradition.The Tree of Life, is "an attempt to reduce to diagrammatic form every force and factor in the manifested universe and the soul of man...it is a compendium of psychology, philosophy and theology"(D.Fortune,The Mystical Qabalah). The Tree of Life represents the cosmos, and the soul of man as it relates to the cosmos.Contemplation of the symbols illuminates consciousness and energises forces both within and without the person that have been neglected and lie dormant.Pathworking, "the ability to project the mind self into a series of situations,landscapes and events" (D.Ashcroft-Nowicki, The Shining Paths) can be used to great effect with the Tree of Life.The various energies can be contacted in sequential order, and be incorporated into our own lives.When used this way, the Tree of Life is a potent tool for human evolution.
Nothing of value is easy
It must be mentioned that genuine self transformation is certainly no picnic. It requires facing up to one's negative qualities (the shadow), which are revealed if the personal unconscious unfolds itself. The birth of the true self requires the death of the old ego personality, the death of illusions and the old lifestyle.There are periods of despair, sometimes called "the dark night of the soul", when there seems to be no hope of a better future.There is a gap between the death of the old self and the birth of the new.But new doors do open, awareness expands, and a new consciousness emerges.The previous concerns of the ego personality fall away like a discarded shell, now no longer needed. In Aquarius the lower personality is transcended and one indentifies with the greater whole.Instead of a "me" perspective there is needed a "we" perspective.Alice Bailey has out pointed that although the the personal identity is transcended, the spiritual identity remains. "The many in the one and the one in the many."
The lower and higher selves
The human being has two natures: the animal/human (lower self) and the human/divine (higher self).Human development is to evolve from the lower self into the higher self.William Blake wrote that there is no progress without contraries.The resistance of matter to spirit generates the energy for human evolution.The central feature of human life is the struggle between matter and spirit.When the symbolism is understood, this lies at the core of the scriptures of humankind.It is in the Egyptian Book of Coming Forth by Day (inaccurately called the Egyptian Book of the Dead) and the Bible.Some people are not satisfied living in the lower self and catering only for the physical appetites and passions.They have a longing for something more, for higher meaning in life.Having experienced the lower self there is a desire to move on, and a questing for answers occurs which takes many years to bear fruit.
Matter and the lower self do not have to be despised.They are a necessary part of the life process.But once the door to the spiritual worlds opens, the mundane worlds begin to lose their grip.The seeker is drawn forward by the new worlds that beckon.
The contents of your mind
Just as we need a healthy body, we also need a healthy mind.Current society pumps a steady stream of poison into our minds.The various mass media: television, videos, movies, newspapers, glossy magazines ,talk-back radio, are first and foremost tools of mind control.We have a junk culture, filling up our minds with junk.Away with it all! A major task is to free the mind from the mass culture and forge a new consciousness.Nature abhors a vacuum, so you must have something in the mind.I support what may be called the animistic mind.This means that the creative imagination and intuition are very active.Quiet times of contemplation in unspoilt nature are also a great help.You know you are making progress when you can no longer stomach the mass culture.Its degradation of human beings, its anti-social messages, its anti-life function, all become anathema to you.
Many myths and legends are worth reading (except the patriarchal ones).They take the mind into the almost lost mythic realms, which we need so much today.The Arthurian legends, from a Celtic perspective, have an important place in the WMT.Fairy stories are a treasure trove of wisdom about the journey to awakening.They would be more aptly entitled soul stories.There are many works of poetry and literature which speak to the soul.Folklore also reveals lost areas of experience.
"Whoever told people that 'mind' means thoughts, opinions, ideas and concepts?Mind means trees, fence posts, tiles, and grasses," say Zen master Dogen.You can regain a living mind, in touch with all kinds of subtle life currents.You are aware of the soul dimension.All living things are animated and have soul.New worlds literally open up.This is a way to counter the dead hand of our anti-life culture that has so many is its grip.
An infinite cosmos to explore
The answers to life lie within ourselves.We need to tap into those energies which have been neglected and suppressed by our "single vision" society.These energies lie within ourselves and also the world.Self knowledge is the key, because we have to learn who we really are, and thence what we can be.By going deeper into the self, we find that we are also going deeper into the world.Eventually we realise that our true nature and the nature of the world are one.
Potent energies are released, and we develop a new consciousness with a new view of life and the world.We become aware of the cosmic dimension, and that we have a special place in a Universe of infinite depth and meaning,waiting to be explored."We in our lives [can] act out the Ancient Mysteries and no matter how small and insignificant we may seem, in the secret inner levels of our Being , we are actors in the mightiest dramas of the Universe"(Moyra Caldecott, The Green Lady and the King of Shadows). We realise what we should have been all the time....." the heart and mind of the Universe" (Brian Swimme, The Universe is a Green Dragon).
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