Esoteric Psychology — The Inner Life Consciousness From Sentient Awareness to Cosmic Consciousness — The Expanding Field of the Soul
The whole of the Infinite Universe — the visible and invisible, the known and unknown, the objective and subjective, the physical, astral, mental, and spiritual — all constitute part of the ONE, the Supreme Being. Every point of life, whether manifested as a single atom or as countless atoms combined into heavenly constellations, has its own sphere of radiation and therefore its own field of influence. Yet all remain interrelated, synthesized by divine Rays of Energy which constitute the Etheric Universe, integrating all of creation into the one Whole.
The sphere of influence exerted by any individual life — whether simple or complex in form — is determined primarily by the nature and stage of development of its indwelling Consciousness. It is the degree of consciousness that renders a form sensitive, responsive, receptive, radiating, or repudiating. Spiritual evolution, viewed from this angle, is a process of progressive awakening across realms of consciousness — a fusing and coordinating of the higher and lower, the spiritual and material. The Soul avails itself of a human form precisely for this purpose: as a vehicle through which consciousness is raised step by step toward its ultimate objective.
Consciousness is the relation between spirit and matter, and results in the faculty of apprehension. It concerns the relation between the Soul and the personality — the innate Self and its instrument of manifestation — and involves the principle of duality as the product of fusion between these two opposite poles of energy. Awareness, knowledge, intelligence, lower mind, and Higher Mind are all merely facets of consciousness, reflecting various spheres of development of that inner force which manifests as the thinking, discriminating, and Self-realizing principle infusing the human being with life.
Although consciousness is most commonly associated with the self-consciousness that distinguishes human beings from lower kingdoms of nature, all forms of creation — from a single mineral atom to a planetary Being in the subjective spheres — are characterized by Life, and therefore dispose of some degree of consciousness. The classification into kingdoms of nature is largely artificial and based on the degree of consciousness displayed.
Consciousness is the relation between spirit and matter, and results in the faculty of apprehension. It therefore concerns the relation between the Soul and the personality, of the innate Self and its instrument of manifestation, and therefore involves the principle of duality, representing the product of fusion between these opposite poles of energy.
Aart Jurriaanse — BridgesEach atom or body — whether small or large, simple or complex — is surrounded by an electro-magnetic field or etheric body. This is the product of the energies constantly being radiated from that atom or organism. The etheric surround simultaneously serves the dual function of radiation and reception: conducting both the forces emanating from the form and the external energies acting upon it, thus determining the degree of vitality, sensitivity, and consciousness reflected by the enclosed life.
Even within the plant kingdom, modern electronic measurement (galvanometers and similar instruments) has clearly demonstrated that certain plants react positively to etheric forces emanating from those who care for plant life, while showing negative reactions to those exhibiting no interest. Consciousness at every level is real, measurable, and responsive to its environment — the difference between kingdoms is one of degree, not of kind.
Consciousness varies considerably in accordance with the state of development of the form concerned. These stages can be broadly classified as follows:
In man’s early stage of development it is the divine Energy of Love which first finds expression as Self-consciousness — love of the Self. With the course of time, after many incarnations and the gaining of endless experience, this evolves into group consciousness: love of the fellow human. With further progress along the Path, and with the eventual bridging of the gap between the Soul and the Higher Self, there is a growing awareness of the links of Love uniting every form of creation into the One Whole. This culminating stage may be called God consciousness.
All human existence depends on two vital channels of energy operating simultaneously:
The Thread of Consciousness — the Bridge of Light — performs three specific and sequential functions as it is built and strengthened:
During early stages of unfoldment, the thread of consciousness is used primarily for satisfying selfish interests. With the gaining of experience a steady expansion of consciousness takes place, resulting in the higher forms of awareness being enlisted for altruistic purposes as the individual comes to realize that the personal self is but a minute part of a larger corporate whole. The persistent aspirant will eventually reach the stage where consciousness can be focused at will either in the Soul or in some aspect of the form — depending entirely on the objective to be realized and the act of service to be rendered.
About the Author: Aart Jurriaanse produced compilations drawn from the books of Alice A. Bailey, including Of Life and Other Worlds, Prophecies, Ponder on This, Serving Humanity, The Soul, and The Quality of Life. He is also the author of Bridges, a full commentary on the Bailey teachings.
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