“A disciple, by definition, is one who begins to discipline themselves, one who begins a training. Whoever decides to follow this path finds themselves walking on a razor’s edge, because they must learn to act in two worlds: the outer objective world and the inner subjective world. The inner world is exactly as real as the other. The reason why we mistakenly tend to consider the outer world as the only reality, treating every subjective experience as a product of the imagination, is that we were taught to do so. The two worlds must be connected in daily life, immersing oneself in the subjective realms in order to contact the Higher Self, that is, the transpersonal essence that transcends the ordinary personality, and then bringing that higher consciousness and inspiration to manifest in everyday life.”
(p. 19, “In the Footsteps of the Master” Baker-Hansen, Crisalide Editions)
This article will deal with a more contemporary process of disidentification, in which Perennial Psychology also comes to our aid.
Perennial Psychology states that all dualisms are not so much unreal as “illusory.” A term coined by Ken Wilber in response to A. Huxley’s Perennial Philosophy, Perennial Psychology is considered by the author himself to be “a universal vision of the nature of human consciousness containing insights similar to those of the perennial philosophy, though expressed in a more specifically psychological language.”
Wilber explains that:
“By this term – Perennial Philosophy – reference is made to a universal doctrine concerning the nature of humankind and of the underlying reality, themes that form the heart of every major metaphysical tradition.”
Wilber continues:
“At the heart of this model, which we might call the ‘Spectrum of Consciousness,’ lies the assumption that human personality is the multidimensional manifestation of a single Consciousness, just as in physics the electro-magnetic spectrum is considered a manifestation, on multiple bands, of a single electro-magnetic energy. More specifically, the Spectrum of Consciousness is a multidimensional approach to human identity (…) each level of the Spectrum is characterized by a particular, easily recognizable sense of identity, which ranges from the Supreme Identity of Cosmic Consciousness, through various gradations or bands, down to the drastically narrowed sense of identity associated with egoic consciousness.”
Here we deal exclusively with the Level of Mind (with a capital M) to distinguish it from the mind that is tied to our personality.
Wilber continues:
“The central thesis of Perennial Psychology is that, at depth, our consciousness is essentially identical to the absolute and ultimate reality of the Universe, which is variously referred to by the names Brahman, Tao, Dharmakaya, Allah, the Mind of God….. At this level, we are one with the universe, with the All or – rather – we ourselves are the All. According to Perennial Psychology, this level is not a normal state of consciousness, nor even an altered state of consciousness, but rather the only real state of consciousness, in the face of which all others are but illusions.”
“Perennial psychology: the spectrum of consciousness” Chapter of the book “The Expansion of Consciousness” R. Walsh-F. Waughan (Pag. 49-50, Edizioni Crisalide)
Drawing on transpersonal therapies, fundamental for an effective process of disidentification, not only for achieving psychic balance but essential for spiritual elevation, the distinction between the transpersonal Witness and the Mind is essential.
Wilber writes again:
“The transpersonal witness is a position of bearing witness to reality. It should be noted, however, that this state of witnessing still contains a subtle form of primary dualism, namely, the distinction between the Witness and that which is witnessed. It is only when this last type of dualism is also transcended that one finally awakens on the plane of Mind, and at that point the Witness and the object witnessed are synthesized into a unity.”
(p. 61)
Indeed, when the Witness exists, there is still a dualism between the Witness and the observed reality; when the Witness is completely transcended, integrated and absorbed into reality, there exists only “reality without duality.”
“The individual reaches the center of their own being to find that or who is conducting the observation and, instead of a transpersonal self, discovers nothing other than what is being observed, a condition that Blyth defined as the experience of the universe by means of the universe.” (p. 61)
It must be remembered that the Self is always realized, being in continuous and constant connection with the Source: the obstacles are our thoughts. The only block to the realization of the Self is, therefore, the compulsive and obsessive desire to realize the Self, which does not belong to the Self but to the Ego. We are always connected with the Source from Which we constantly introject all the information and Life Energy we need for our Life and for our Evolution, but we have removed this information from our Consciousness and we live ourselves as though completely detached from the All. Progress is therefore measured by the degree to which we remove the obstacles to understanding that the Self has always been realized, because this connection with the Source is always active. When, instead, we dwell only on the material aspect (the world), this connection of ours is interrupted and the Awakening of our Self is off the table.
- There is no need to “think” about the Infinitely Expanded Consciousness of the Self: it must be “felt,” lived deeply.
The expectation of wanting to see and the desire to obtain something are all prerogatives of the Ego: all that is necessary is to depower the Ego, reduce it to a minimum by no longer feeding it! Once we become aware of how it blinds us, how it controls us and how it even ultimately mocks us, we will no longer feel the frantic need to indulge and feed it!
The factors of the Awakening of Consciousness, also popularly called “Enlightenment,” consist of psychic faculties that determine the way we relate, at every moment, to our own Experience of Existence.
Work by Etreart.com