The State of Isaiah's Body During His Soul Travel Experience of Ascension Through the Seven Heavens, by James Bean

 

The State of Isaiah's Body During His Soul Travel Experience of Ascension Through the Seven Heavens, by James Bean

People often bring a physical plane folktales sort of bias to stories of ascension found in old scriptures, imagining a Jesus, Paul, or Muhammad (and his horse) ascending through the stratosphere bound for space without pressurized space suits or oxygen to breathe. The reality is of course much different from the perspective of mystics, with these being solely spiritual experiences "caught up in spirit". 

Below is excerpted from the Ascension of Isaiah. The text describes Isaiah's visions of the Seven Heavens, but here I focus on the state of Isaiah's body at the beginning and at the end of his soul travel experience. Rather than flying through the sky, the nature of it was a spiritual experience Isaiah was having while sitting on a couch. The text describes Isaiah during this experience as "his eyes were open although his lips were silent, and the spirit of his body was taken up from him. And only his breath remained in him, for he was in a vision... and he was left looking like a corpse." At the end of the vision, very much reminding me of near-death experiences (NDE's) when the soul is told it still has more to do in the world and gets sent back into it's body, it says: "And this angel said to me, Isaiah, son of Amoz, I set you free; for you have seen what no mortal man has ever seen before. Yet you must return to your garments of the flesh until your days are completed."

"The Vision which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw. VI (6). In the twentieth year of the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah, Isaiah the son of Amoz, and Josab, Isaiah’s son, came from Gilgal to Hezekiah in Jerusalem. And Isaiah sat down on the king’s couch; and they brought him a seat, but he would not sit on it... 

"And they gave praise to him who had thus given to a man a door into an unknown world. And while he was speaking in the Holy Spirit in the hearing of all, he suddenly became silent, and his spirit was caught up into heaven, and he no longer saw the men who were standing in front of him. But his eyes were open although his lips were silent, and the spirit of his body was taken up from him. And only his breath remained in him, for he was in a vision. And the angel that was sent to explain things to him in the vision was not of this world, nor was he one of the angels of glory of this world, but had come from the seventh heaven. And, apart from the circle of the prophets, the people who were there did (not) believe that the holy Isaiah had been caught up into heaven. For the vision that the holy Isaiah saw was not a vision of this world, but of the world that is hidden from man. After Isaiah had seen this vision he gave an account of it to Hezekiah and to his son Josab and to the other prophets who had come. But the magistrates and eunuchs and the people did not hear it, but only Samnas the scribe, and Joachim, and Asaph the secretary of state; for they were men who did what is right and were approved of by the Spirit. And the people did not hear it either, for Micah and his son Josab had sent them away when the wisdom of this world had been taken from him, and he was left looking like a corpse....

"And I saw also the angel of the Holy Spirit sitting on the left hand. And this angel said to me, Isaiah, son of Amoz, I set you free; for you have seen what no mortal man has ever seen before. Yet you must return to your garments of the flesh until your days are completed. Then will you come up here. These things Isaiah saw and told them to all who were in attendance, and they sang praises."

-- Ascension of Isaiah, H.F.D. Sparks translation, The Apocryphal Old Testament  (selected from pages 794-812, a nicer translation of the books of Enoch, Odes of Solomon, and many other key writings, published in 1984)

IMAGES: 1) Swami Ji Maharaj of Agra used to meditate in a quiet, dimly lit cave-like "room-within-a-room" on the basement floor of his home sitting on a meditation cushion resting on this chair; 2) a rather intense-looking Swami Ji Maharaj (a.k.a. Seth Shiv Dayal Singh) in an old colorized photograph;

Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast: Ascension of the Soul Series: God and the Highest Heavens (Sach Khand)

Ascension of the Soul Series: God and the Highest Heavens (Sach Khand)

Swami Ji Maharaj says, "From one step to another the soul beholds strange things which cannot be described in human language... Love plays the supreme part. It is all love. So says RADHASOAMI."

The Fifth Through the Eighth Heavens: Nirvana -- Kaivalya -- Oneness/Monad -- Sach Khand -- The True Eternal Realm Divided Into Four Sub-sections:

5) Sat Lok (True Realm), Sat Naam (True Name, True Sound), Sat Purush (True Original Being)

6) Alakh Lok (Invisible Realm),

7) Agam Lok (Inaccessible Realm, Nearness,)

8) Anami (Nameless Realm), Radhasoami Lok -- Radhaswami Dham -- The Abode of the Lord of the Soul, Most High Ultimate Reality, "The Eighth" -- Ocean of Love -- Upper Level of Kaivalya known as Shabdatita [Sabtatit] Pad -- Beyond the Sound and Light, the Ultimate Reality of God in the Nirguna or Formless, Soundless State

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"Begin meditation with internally chanting or repeating the Guru-mantra-incantation (the charged words given by the Guru). And then try to visualize the radiant form or image of the Satguru in the still darkness of the inner sky (with eyes closed)*. Follow that with focusing your attention at the seat of the soul within, i.e. at the Third Eye or the Inner Eye or the Til Dwaar, by making the two streams of consciousness in your two eyes converge in a Point."

"When the two currents of consciousness meet in a Point, Divine Light appears within. Then, practice Surat Shabd Yoga (Yoga of Divine Sound) i.e., try to shift your attention to listening to the Divine Sounds or myriads of melodies (Anahad Naad) ringing inside. Listening to the Divine Sound destroys all the agitations and fickleness of the mind."

"Ascending beyond or transcending myriads of sounds, try to identify and tune in to the Quintessential Unstruck Melody, called "Saar Shabd" or "Anaahat Naad" which alone is capable of taking you and merging you into oneness with the Supreme Lord; this is the ultimate emancipation or liberation." (Couplets About Meditation Practice, By Swami Santsevi Ji)

"The tenth gate [third eye] is the gathering point of consciousness. Therein lies the path for our return... We travel back from the Realm of Darkness to the Realm of Light, from the Light to the Divine Sound, and from the Realm of Sound to the Soundless State. This is called turning back to the Source." (Swami Santsevi Ji)

"In summary, one grasps the central Sounds of the lower realms and progressively is drawn upward to the Sounds of the higher realms. Ultimately, one reaches the center of the Original Sound, the Essential Divine Sound, and thereafter attains the Ultimate State, Sabdatita [Sabtatit] Pad (the State beyond the Sound). The Yoga of Sound [Surat Shabd Yoga Meditation] must be practiced in order to attain the Nameless State. This is fully elaborated and described in the Upanishads and literature of the saints. The Yoga of Sound is the only medium to reach this State, no other. The greatest good is in the attainment of the Ultimate State, the Nameless State." (Maharshi Mehi)

"The State beyond Sound is acknowledged in the writings of saints as the goal of their teachings. In addition, their writings accept Manas Japa (repetition of a Divine name [simran]), Manas Dhyan (concentration on a form of the Divine), Drshti Yoga (fixing the mind on a Point [accessing the Third Eye Center and inner Light]) and Nada-nusandhana (concentrating on the inner Sounds of the different spheres) as means to reach the Soundless State. These four techniques are therefore essential in Sant Mat." (Maharshi Mehi)

"How could the love between Thee and me sever?

As the leaf of the lotus abides on the water, so thou art my Lord, and I am Thy servant.

As the night-bird Chakor gazes all night at the moon, so Thou art my Lord, and I am Thy servant.

From the beginning until the ending of time, there is love between Thee and me;

And how shall such love be extinguished?

Kabir says: 'As the river enters into the Ocean, so my heart touches Thee.'" (Guru Kabir)

In Divine Love,

James Bean

Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts

Spiritual Awakening Radio

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Third Eye Meditation: "Close your eyes as in sleep, and look sweetly, lovingly, intently into the middle of the darkness lying in front of you. You will see a dark veil. That which sees the dark veil within, without the help of your physical eyes, IS the inner eye." 

  -- Sant Kirpal Singh

Ascension of the Soul: The Fourth and Fifth Heavens - Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts

 

Ascension of the Soul: The Fourth and Fifth Heavens: Bhanwar Gupha, the Whirling Cave Vortex, Tunnel to the Fifth Heaven

"The shabd currents in Bhanwar Gupha are so sweet and enchanting, according to the Saints, that souls live entirely off its invigorating nectar, desiring nothing but darshan [vision] of the presiding lord and the manifestations of Light and Sound. Kabir, the most famous of the medieval saints, describes in his writings (or, at least, those attributed to his pen) how hamsas (pure spirits) live on spiritual dweeps (islands) with magnificent palaces for transmundane enjoyment. Faqir Chand, in his Yogic Philosophy of the Saints, gives a more psychological interpretation of the meditator's experiences in the fourth region: 'When in the course of meditation man reaches this state of Bhanwar-Gupha he experiences that there was none except his own self. This centre is compared with Bhanwar which means whirl. At this centre a wheel rotates like a cradle. It means that at this centre a wave springs out of the surat of the meditator and again merges in its own source, or say, it rotates around its own source and produces the sound of Sohang-Flute. The Shabd of this centre is so effective that the meditator enjoys the pleasure of being one with the Supreme Soul.'" (Enchanted Land)

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Swan-Soul, Heavenly Bird (Hamsa) - Mystic Poem of Kabir:

Tell me, O Swan, your ancient tale.

From what land do you come,

O Swan? to what shore will you fly?

Where would you take your rest,

O Swan, and what do you seek?

Even this morning, O Swan, awake, arise, follow me!

There is a land where no doubt nor sorrow have rule:

where the terror of Death is no more.

There the woods of spring are a-bloom,

and the fragrant scent "He is I" [I Am That, Ana-HU, Soham] is borne on the wind:

There the bee of the heart is deeply immersed,

and desires no other joy.

(Kabir, version by Robert Bly)

In Divine Love, Light and Sound, Peace Be To You,

James Bean

Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts

Spiritual Awakening Radio

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Ascension of the Soul: The Third Heaven and Great Void (Maha Sunn) - Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts

 

Ascension of the Soul: The Third Heaven and Great Void (Maha Sunn)

Soami Ji Maharaj in Daswan Dwar (Third Heaven) and Exploring the Great Dark Void of Maha-Sunn -- From the Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry:

"...There are innumerable palaces made of crystal and diverse spirits inhabit them and are settled there in accordance with the allotments made by the Lord, and they see the peculiar mutual display which is so blissful, and in turn they also establish their own plays and sports. In Hindi, these spirits are described as 'circles of hansas' (purified spirits). The engravings and the designs carved in these spheres are to be seen in order to be believed. The entire dispensation and workshop there is purely spiritual; it is not at all gross or material.

"Spirits dwelling there are characterized by excessive delicacy, subtlety, refinement and purity; they don't have a trace of physical coarseness and impurity. The details of this sphere are known only to the faqirs. ['Full particulars of these regions are known only to Sants' -- Maheshwari translation.] To unfold more about it is not proper and advisable. For a long time the spirit of this faqir (i.e. Soamiji Maharaj Himself) sauntered and stayed there and then under instructions from the Teachers and Guides, moved ahead.

"Moving on and on, the spirit soared up about through an incalculable height and broke into the realm of Ha-hoot or Maha-sunn and sauntered around it. How shall I describe it? For ten billion miles (again, incalculable distance) there is utter darkness. How shall I describe its depth, except to say that for one kharab (1 kharab = 100 billion, i.e. incalculable extent) jojans, the soul descended and yet its bottom could not be discovered; then again it reversed and turned upward, and following the track pointed by the sages, the spirit treaded that path and then it was deemed improper to determine and find out the depth of this dark region.

"The surat [soul] then moved on..."

Commentary on the Maha-Sunn Passage Above by Sant Gharib Das of the Radhasoami Faith:

"Soamiji in his Discourses has said that his surat descended into the dark regions of Maha-sunn but could neither locate the bottom or the end of it nor did it feel it worthwhile to go down any further. Thereafter, his surat [soul] adhering to the signs as revealed to him by his Gurus ascended upwards. Here Soamiji says that it was the inner Mercy of his Satguru Tulsi Saheb and that of Maharaj Girdhari Das Ji [a successor of Sant Tulsi Sahib] whose Satsang he attended for a very long period of time." (Sant Gharib Das, disciple in the inner circle of Soami Ji, Book of Anmol Bachan)

Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast:  Ascension of the Soul: The Third Heaven and Great Void - Listen, Download, Subscribe @ the Podcast Website:

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In Divine Love, Light and Sound, Peace Be To You,

James Bean

Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts

Spiritual Awakening Radio

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#santmatradhasoami #spiritualawakeningradio #santmatsatsangpodcasts #jamesbean #ascensionofthesoul #thethirdheaven #heavens #ascension #soul #meditation #spirituality #satsang #sant_mat #santmat #radhasoami #radha_soami #radhasoamiji #radhaswami #scienceofthesoul #scienceofspirituality #pathofthemasters #suratshabdyoga #bhakti #innerlightandsoundmeditation #sarbachanpoetry #soamijimaharaj #santgaribdas #mahasunn #greatvoid #soultravel #spiritualpodcasts #india #anmolvachan #anmolbachan #radhasoamisatsang #radhasoamifaith

Ascension of the Soul Series: Introduction to the Inner Regions/Heavens: The Causal Plane - Podcast

 

Ascension of the Soul: Introduction to the Inner Regions/Heavens: The Causal Plane

The Ascension of the Soul Series Exploring Interior Regions of Light & Sound, the Heavens, Higher Planes, Spheres, Levels, the Various Dimensions of the Cosmos!

"The ascension of the soul, stage by stage, to higher regions can be accomplished with the help of Shabd [Inner Sound Meditation]. Hearing these Sounds, the soul will proceed from one region to another, and will ultimately reach the Highest Region, and enter into Rest."  (Huzur Maharaj, Prem Patra Radhasoami)

"The soul, forewarned, enters the causal plane with care, listening again for the guardian sound, which in this region reverberates like the sound of large drums or rolling thunder, and which may also sound like the rumbling chant of the Hindus' OM, OM, or the Muslims' HU, HU. The light that the soul looks for to guide it takes on a brilliant reddish color in this realm, like that of the sun in a summer sunrise. The soul fixes on these aural and visual guides, and passes by locations where the things of our physical world were created." (Mark Juergensmeyer, Radhasoami Reality)

Spiritual Awakening Radio -- Sant Mat Satsang Podcast: Ascension of the Soul: Introduction to the Inner Regions/Heavens: The Causal Plane - Listen, Download, Subscribe @ the Podcast Website:

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In Divine Love, Light and Sound, Peace Be To You,

James Bean

Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts

Spiritual Awakening Radio

https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com

Spiritual Awakening Radio (and Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts) with James Bean, heard on various community, public radio stations and the web, explores the world of spirituality, comparative religion, world scriptures and other books, East and West, God, meditation, out of body or near death experiences (inner space), the vegan diet and other ahimsa ethics -- education for a more peaceful planet.

#SpiritualAwakeningRadio #SantMatSatsangPodcasts #Podcasts #SpiritualPodcasts #Satsang #Spirituality #Meditation #Santmat #Sant_Mat #Radhaswami #Radha_Soami #Radhasoami #Radhasoamiji #ScienceoftheSoul #ScienceofSpirituality #PathoftheMasters #SuratShabdYoga #AscensionoftheSoul #InnerLightAndSound #Bhakti #SoulTravel #Mystics #Mysticism #Gnosticism #Contemplation #UnionWithGod #LordoftheSoul #GreatLife #OceanOfLove #EnchantedLand #PremPatraRadhasoami #SarBachanPoetry #ShivDayalSingh #SoamijiMaharaj #HuzurMaharajRaiSaligram #SawanSingh #YoganiMataji #HazurBabaSawanSingh

Ascension of the Soul: Meditation and the Astral Plane - Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast

 

Ascension of the Soul: Meditation and the Astral Plane

Introduction to the Meditation Practice, And,The First Inner Region: Astral Plane: Sahas-Dal-Kanwal: Thousand Petalled Lotus

“In the center behind and above the eyes there is an aperture; on this side of it is the material world, in which we are living now; and on the other side is the astral world.” (Huzur Baba Sawan Singh)

"Unlike other yogic disciplines in India, such as kundalini, surat shabd yoga does not advocate breath control (pranayama) or a series of physical postures (asanas/mudras) as part of its practice. Rather, it is concerned with withdrawing consciousness from the nine apertures of the body (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, genitals, and alimentary canal) and transcending the corporeal frame and its limitations altogether. This is accomplished by attaching the mind's attention to an inner Light and Sound which is believed to be radiating behind the proverbial 'tenth door' (the 'third eye' of the Hindus), anatomically located behind and slightly above the physical eyes (Shiv Dayal Singh). When consciousness becomes totally concentrated at this pivotal point 'between the worlds,' the soul, according to the saints in this tradition, leaves the body and experiences in elevating degrees higher regions of bliss." (Enchanted Land)

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In Divine Love, Light and Sound, Peace Be To You,

James Bean

Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts

Spiritual Awakening Radio

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Open a Window to God -- Rumi

Open A Window To God -- Rumi 

"If this screen - which is you - is struck from before your eyes, the Beloved will find the Beloved, and you will be entirely lost. Then you will hear with the Ear of your Heart. That Mystery, so long concealed is at last opened, the darkness of your night at last bathed in dawn!" (Fakhruddin 'Iraqi, Divine Flashes, Paulist Press, a volume in the Classics of Western Spirituality Series)

Rumi put it this way, "Listen, open a window to God and begin to delight yourself by gazing upon Him through the opening. The business of love is to make the window of the heart, for the breast is illumined by the beauty of the Beloved. Gaze incessantly on the face of your Beloved! Listen, this is in your power my friend!"

Within our grasp is the ability to regain the Vision of our soul and the Communion with our Beloved Allah; both reside together in the mystical garden, the paradise of the spiritual world. Though the material sphere acts as a dense layer of overcast skies obscuring our vision of what lies beyond, Masters have revealed the Secrets of obtaining paradise to anyone who yearns to discover them saying to their students very much like Rumi did, "This is in your power my friend!"

The process of gaining a vision of paradise and mystic transport has been described as "stripping off old garments" and replacing them with a new heavenly robe made of Light. In his Persian Sufi classic, Divine Flashes, Fakhruddin 'Iraqi describes the process.

"When the Beloved would exalt the lover, He strips from him the garments collected from all the worlds, and clothes him in the robe of His own attributes. Then the Beloved calls him by all his own attributes. Then the Beloved calls him by all his own names, and seats him in his own place. When the lover studies his new clothes he finds himself arrayed in different colors, and will wonder 'what is this beautiful tint, this garment so unique?'"

This quote from Divine Flashes reminds me of Saying 37 in the Gospel of Thomas, one of the earliest collections of the sayings of Jesus.

His disciples said, "When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?" Jesus said, "When you strip without being ashamed, and you will take your cloths and put them under your feet like little children and trample them, then you will see the Son of the Living One and you will not be afraid." (The Complete Gospels, Robert J. Miller, Polebridge Press)

Sufism is a form of Islamic Gnosticism which really does have many affinities with earlier Gnostic mystical traditions of the middle east. Like other movements of the past that embrace spiritual experience and mystic transport through the Seven Heavens, Sufis have found it useful to compare out-of-body or ascension journeys to the stripping or shedding of garments. The above quote illustrates their view that each soul on the earth-plane is wearing several garments. We are souls wearing subtle bodies or coverings; our physical body is made out of the material substance of the physical universe. We are, as the late Dr. Carl Sagan put it, "star stuff pondering star stuff." Our bodies are made out of atoms that once came from stars and other objects in the cosmos. When we enter into contemplation and mystical states, our awareness is elsewhere; we become "dead to the world," have risen above body-consciousness.

In that sense, we have, for the duration of our meditation period, "stripped" ourselves of the garment of the body for the purpose of exploring other levels of our existence. The mystic traveler enters into what has been called "the fourth state of consciousness." In addition to the waking state, the dream state, the unconsciousness state of deep sleep, the truly holistic explorer can also integrate into his or her experience the spiritual worlds.

Mysticism teaches that there are many layers of reality, that there are other garments that will eventually be shed during journeys of ascension. These garments or subtle bodies have been given names in Hebrew, Greek, Coptic, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Hindi, and other languages. In addition to the "garment" of the physical body, each soul is wearing several other garments or bodies, other sheaths that surround the soul, allowing the soul to connect to the various regions of creation. Counting the physical plane as Level One, Level Two is called by many "the astral plane," made of astral stuff -- astral substance, existing at a slightly higher vibration in the astral region. Level Three is the causal body, made of causal or akashic substance, inhabiting the causal plane. Level Four is the mental body made of mind substance, and is part of the mental plane. The etheric body (Level Five) allows the soul to access that region. Above these worlds of mind and matter, the soul resides in the Timeless Spiritual Realm of Truth (Haq). Metaphysically speaking, we're already in heaven, we just don't know it! 'Iraqi says:

"By day I praised you but never knew it; by night slept with you without realizing; fancying myself to be myself; but no, I was you and never knew it!"

Luckily for us slumbering souls, there are always a few Moses-types in the world freeing those yearning for a real promised land, an occasional Rumi or Shams, here or there, sharing their Secrets about the soul.

"With every breath the Sound of Love surrounds us, and we are bound for the depths of space, without distraction. Out beyond duality, we have a Home, and it is Majesty. That pure substance is different from this dusty world. We once came down; soon we'll return." (Rumi)

Above is from my article, Visions of Allah: 

https://www.spiritualawakeningradio.com/2022/01/06/visions-of-allah

Also see this Rumi/Sufism Podcast: 

 https://youtu.be/UbJg9Cl4HmY?si=JGpZNgrRUreKZ2iJ

 

 

 

 

 

Article: Three Ways We Can Honor the Soul

Article: Three Ways We Can Honor the Soul ---- Learn New Things --- Ascend and Discover A New World! By James Bean, Copyright November 2009, All Rights Reserved https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com

There are unexplored "rooms" within the "interior castle" of the human body, the true temple of the Spirit. What ultimately is to be uncovered along this mystic-journey of inner soul travel exploration is our true identity, which has been given various names: the True Self, Higher Self, New Nature, New Adam, "Christ in you -- your hope of glory", Atman, Supreme Soul, Drop from the Divine Ocean, the Pearl, Spark of the Light, Nuri Sarup (Light-Body or Radiant Form), Spirit Entity, or Surat (the attention-faculty of the soul). Eventually the observer will observe it's own Self.

It occurs to me that the definition of "soul" for most is really atman or Spirit combined with the astral and mental subtle bodies or coverings. Those are generally lumped together and called "the soul." That's understandable of course, as it represents "us" as separate individual or individualized "drops" of the Divine Ocean.

There are Realities that we do not see, many things we do not hear, and a vast treasure-trove of wisdom we are not paying attention to. The outer world via the five senses comes pouring in -- we are outwardly gazing all the time and dominated by impressions of mind and matter. We have accepted our own reflections (bodies) as the only reality. Thus the need for meditation, and not just any form of meditation, but an initiation into the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Inner Space, so that we may see and hear spiritually, know and explore those realms we inhabit: the astral plane, the causal and mental regions, and ultimately beyond mind and matter, to the purely spiritual region, until there is Oneness. Kirpal Singh's axiom is: "God plus mind [manas] is man, and man minus mind [manas] is God."

Swami Bhagirath Baba, a Master from Bihar, India, said recently: "Moving down from the middle of the two eyes is going towards ignorance, and moving up from the middle of two eyes is going towards Knowledge." "The beginning of the Turiyaa state has been said to be the Aajnaa-chakra [Third Eye Center] (the Guru instructs about the Point in between the two eyes where the vision of both unites), and the destination of this is in Kaivalya--the State of Oneness--Pure Consciousness." Swami Bhagirath Baba describes as ignorance or spiritual poverty a situation of only being aware of the world below the Third Eye Center, the material world of the fives senses but cut off from awareness of the reality that exists above and beyond the Third Eye Center. For Bhagirath Baba and other mystics, above the Third Eye is a kind of tunnel that ultimately quite literally leads to God. Those who have had NDE's or Near Death Experiences have described this same tunnel. The observer passes through certain visions, sights and sounds, perhaps stars, moons, and suns, inner regions or heavens, then bright Light, from Light to Sound, and from Sound to Soundlessness and Formlessness. I even know of several helpful "charts of the heavens", illustrating the various levels, or regions of Inner Space, this Kingdom of the Heavens that are within. Email me and I will gladly send some Shabd Yoga as well as Gnostic charts to you!

Three Ways We Can Honor the Soul

Kabir once said, "There is no other God like compassion on living beings and worship of the Supreme Self." (The Bijak of Guru Kabir, published by Shri Kabir Ashram, Jamnagar, India) There are three major ways (no doubt many more) we can honor the soul, the divine within ourselves and others.

1) A Sociable God: Where Two or Three Gather in My Name, I Am in Their Midst

The first way we can honor or acknowledge the soul is through spiritual community, by connecting with other souls. The Eastern term for this is "Satsangha" or "Satsang" (Associating with the Eternal Truth or God), referring to people getting together to meditate as a group, discuss spiritual principals of truth, sing hymns (bhajans, kirtans, bhajans), and focus on the Wisdom of one's spiritual teacher, path, mystic order, or tradition. It's also easy to recognize parallels to this in various world religions and paths, East and West: synagogue, church, mass, message board, chat room, book discussion group, class, tele-seminar, friends meditating together, meeting together, including over the phone, or via the web. These all, to varying degrees, could be viewed as containing elements of Satsang.

As we develop our meditation practice and ethical foundation, one of the fruits of this is the bhakta principal of seeing God in everyone. Eastern cultures are quite advanced in this area. I really like the salutation used by an Eastern religion known as the Kabir Panth, the Path of Guru Kabir: "Bandagi Saheb!" Bandagi is from the Sanskrit 'vandana' - a salutation, and saheb is a word for master. Bandagi saheb thus means: "I offer salutation or greeting to the master dwelling in you". Bandagi Saheb also reminds me of the greeting "Namaste'", which means: "The God in me bows to the God in you." Also, in the Radhasoami tradition of India, satsangis greet each other with "Radhaswami", meaning, Lord of the Soul. The principals of this art of seeing God in others is quite eloquently articulated in a holy book of the East known as, The Narada Bhakti Sutras, which I highly recommend. One can find translations of it online, as well as can order it via any good bookstore or library.

2) The Supreme Soul Assuming Control

The second way we can honor souls is by adhering to ahimsa values. Ahimsa is an Eastern term for the Golden Rule meaning, cultivating non-violence in one's thoughts, words, and deeds, to, more and more with each passing day, become truly peaceful in all aspects of life. This means being inspired, not by vague platitudes about inner and outer peace, but by specific ethical principals to be guided by in every aspect of life and living. As of late, rich sources of inspiration for me have been the Bijak of Guru Kabir, the Saakhi Granth of Guru Kabir, and countless Jainist Sutras. The religion from India founded by Lord Mahavira known as Jainism has a vast amount of wisdom to offer about ahimsa ethics, the values of the Supreme Soul.

3) Become Your Real Self In Meditation

The third way we can directly honor the soul is by BEING the soul in meditation. When we first start practicing meditation, we may believe that we HAVE a soul. If our meditation becomes deep and successful however, over time we will realize that we ARE soul. It is the soul that is inhabiting this body and mind. We don't merely have a soul hidden away someplace -- WE ARE THAT.

Not All Saints Are Dead

When it comes to spirituality, there are two basic approaches that most have. The most common one is finding a book on spirituality. Many begin the learning process this way. Of course, rather than the pursuit of knowledge leading to mystical experience, it could be the other way around for some. One may begin the spiritual search as a result of something acting as a catalyst. People may begin seeking answers as a result of having an experience that opens them up to new possibilities. In any case, most with a spiritual curiosity may get ideas from certain books, perhaps a book from a popular author with a best seller. This could be described as an eclectic do-it-yourself spirituality. One is not necessarily tethered to any specific spiritual path, tradition or direction, just some of "this" and some of "that." Most of us begin this way. There is however another approach. Some go from being an eclectic spiritual seeker perpetually in seek-mode to someone who has "found" a certain path or contemporary spiritual movement they resonate with, that feeds their soul like none other thus far in their experience. One may join a living school of spirituality, a mystic order or lineage. Perhaps this lineage or path has been in existence for many centuries. One may find that the wisdom of mystical paths such as Kabbalah, Sufism or Sant Mat is not solely based on ancient scriptures, scrolls, or holy parchments from the past, with a focus of looking back to an earlier time of prophets and saints, like we usually find in the mainstream exoteric religions. Rather -- what's especially noteworthy about mystic paths is, they may have Living Buddhas, Living Christs, Living Rumis, Living Hildegards, Living Kabirs, a Living Master or Meister Eckhart, a Living One: a living mystic or saint with us now, here on Terra firma in the Twenty First Century.

Living Students Have Living Teachers

For it is the ability to truly listen that gives birth to an awareness of a message, and an appreciation of a messenger. An Infinite God could never have a limited number of inspired words, or be forever bound by bookbinders. If there is no inspiration now, how could there ever have been any inspiration in days gone by? There is also no missing element or trace mineral, once present in the water supply during the middle ages or earlier times but now gone, that once caused the appearance of prophets and saints, and accounts for their absence now. What was true then is true now. The same need that brought great souls into the world during past centuries is still with us. My experience and belief is that the age of prophets, apostles, masters or saints is still with us, that there is a Living Gnosis Now. There are living Masters in the world today. The reality and not the illusion of having a guru, begins here, with this openness to the possibility of Living Ones Now. ////////