“The religious consciousness is awakened when we encounter a network of great contradictions running through our human life. When this consciousness comes to itself we feel as if our being were on the verge of a total collapse. We cannot regain the sense of security until we take hold of something overriding the contradictions.

“Whatever contradictions we may experience they would not trouble us unless we were philosophers, because each one of us is not supposed to be a thinker of some kind. The contradictions however in most cases assert themselves in the field of the will. When we are assailed on this side, the question is felt more acutely, like a piercing arrow. When the will to power is exposed to constant threat in one form or another, one cannot help becoming meditative about life.

“’What is the meaning of life?’ then demands not an abstract solution but comes upon one as a concrete personal challenge. We then abandon all the contradictions that appear on the plane of intellection, for we must feel in a way contented with life.” ~Daisetz T. Suzuki

Awakened Consciousness

Rather than “religious consciousness,” I think it would be more accurate to say “Spiritual Consciousness,” especially today when many people think of religion and spirituality as two different things. There are also different ideas about what a Spiritual Awakening really is. What Suziki is talking about seems to be simply the sudden awareness that things are not quite what we have been taught and what we believed to be true. That to some of us is the beginning of a Spiritual Awakening, but is not the culmination of it. True Spiritual Awakening happens when the Soul becomes conscious, and that rarely, if ever, happens overnight.

Network of Contradiction

I’m not sure we can claim that everyone begins their spiritual awakening through the discovery of a “network of great contradictions,” though that certainly is one common way that it happens. Sometimes, it happens gently and slowly, other times it happens with a great shock. I think that it was the shock kind that happened to St. Francis of Assisi when he went off to war and suddenly faced the horror of humans killing each other on a battlefield. That started the process that culminated in his true awakening while watching a sunrise from his bedroom. In my case, I think it was a combination of both. First, I had a gentle and limited awakening to the network of contradiction when I was in my teens and we moved to a new town. I found that this small town that should have had only one Catholic Church actually had two of them just a few blocks apart. I leaned that the reason for it was that a few decades earlier, when the population of the town was made up mostly of French people from either France or the French-speaking parts of Canada, and Irish people, the two groups didn’t get along with each other, so each insisted on having a church of their own. This made we question the truth of the Catholic Church as it seemed to me, even as a teenager, that a real Church that believed in the teachings of Jesus would not have given in to such prejudices. My greater awakening came nearly thirty year slater when my younger brother died. That was the shock type of awakening that made me start questioning just about everything.

The Contradictions Assert Themselves

I’m sure there are many others who lose a family member and start questioning the meaning of life, but quickly get over it and get on with life. For a few of us, the contradictions continue to assert themselves and we have to delve into them. We can’t just let them go and get back to being a robot of capitalism and materialism. If you are reading this, you are probably such a person also.

I had read some spiritual books before, and even practiced Transcendental Meditation for a time, but now I turned even more to seeking out the truth in spiritual development. Eventually, that led me to answer an ad for Cosolargy, and I soon joined that spiritual school. I am still with it more than thirty years later, so needless to say, I think it has helped me find many of the answers. It has helped not by telling me everything as most churches do, but by teaching me how to experience the spiritual on my own and learn through experience, the only way we can truly learn about the spiritual sun and learn about through experience, the only way we can truly learn about the spiritual.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette

“Spirituality is not living in dreams, or living in the clouds, or having a pale face and languid air, as if the things of the earth were beneath one’s serious consideration, and were rather endured than enjoyed. Spirituality means the greatest acuteness of intellect, the greatest foresight, the greatest amount of spirit or power gathered in a person, and the wisest expenditure of that power. It means the greatest governmental ability, be that ability exercised in the small empire of a household, or the larger empire of a nation. Spiritual gifts mean all talents, all powers, and all methods of using those powers.

“That is a spiritual gift which finds out healing properties in plants, roots, and herbs. All nature expressed in substance, seen of the physical eye, is an expression also of mind or force. … But all seen things are expressions of the lower or relatively cruder form of mind or spirit, and therefore have a limited power; and, when any material remedy is applied, the main dependence should not be on the remedy, but on the power of mind, and, above all things, one’s own mind or force to put the body above the reach of disease.” ~Prentice Mulford

Spirituality

Mulford says that spirituality is not “living in dreams,” etc. If he were living today, he would likely add to that list, playing a tambourine, meditating, or saying “Namaste” all the time. Not that there is anything wrong with doing those things, but in themselves, they do not make you spiritual. People didn’t spend years, even decades, in the great mystery schools of the past if that was all there was to do and study, but it isn’t. There is much more to real spiritual development than those simplistic approaches.

Things of the Earth

Mulford is also correct in saying that real spiritual people do not reject the things of the earth as beneath them. It may be true that St. Francis rejected his father’s wealth, but he didn’t live naked in a cave and eat bugs thereafter. Real spiritual people always put the spiritual needs before the physical, but they don’t reject the physical. As long as they have physical bodies, they know that they need to take reasonable care of them, yet without becoming attached to the physical. That is the difficult trick sometimes called “walking the razor’s edge”.

Spiritual Gifts

This is one area where I think most real spiritual leaders and teachers will disagree to some extent with Mulford. The problem seems to be that Mr. Mulford either doesn’t recognize the existence of a spirit and soul, or he thinks they are but names for part of the human mind. Both of those beliefs are incorrect. But due to this belief, he places too much importance on the mind and the intellect. So he says that “acuteness of intellect” is a spiritual gift. While a good intellect is of value to spiritual people, it is not a spiritual gift. It is the more universal form of intelligence called consciousness that is important to the spiritual person. And consciousness is not measured by an amount but by levels of consciousness. There are very low levels of consciousness in simpler beings than humans, and much higher levels of consciousness found in Light Beings or Angels. A great spiritual gift, therefore, is to achieve higher levels of Consciousness, not intellect.

Mulford goes on to say that spiritual gifts include all talents, powers, and ways of using such powers. Here I must disagree. Using our abilities for strictly material and materialistic pursuits is not at all spiritual. Such usage may be necessary while we are in physical form, but that doesn’t make them spiritual. Real spiritual gifts include such things as being able to communicate with animals, being able to predict the weather and other future events, being able to recognize when someone else is telling the truth, or not, etc. Most of all, a spiritual gift is the ability, desire, and courage to move forward on the  often difficult path of real spiritual growth. That is the gift that is truly spiritual.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette.

Resist The Beast and Antichrist

“Take heed of the seeming holy Hypocrites and Flatterers, for they are Antichrist’s (and not Christ’s) Ministers; for Antichrist has set his foot upon the breadth of the Earth, and rides upon the abominable devouring Beast, which is as great as himself, and indeed greater. Therefore, it is highly necessary that everyone should feel in his own bosom, and consider his heart, how it is inclined, that he does not deceive himself, and unknown to himself, yield to be the servant or minister of Antichrist, and fulfill that prophecy; for he stands now in the Light of Life. And beware of covetousness, for thou shalt not enjoy it; for the Wrath of the Beast breaks the mountains and hills to pieces; and the covetousness will partake of the fierceness; the time is near.” ~Jacob Boehme

Holy Hypocrites

The problem of what Boehme calls “Holy Hypocrites” is even worse today than when he wrote this. We have people calling themselves ministers of God who actually know nothing of God. That would be bad enough if they were at least teaching the true teaching of Jesus, Buddha, or other real holy person, but most of them are not. Many are simply teaching what their congregation wants to hear as they know that is what brings in donations. We have preachers taking in millions of dollars a year teaching what they know is not at all what Jesus taught. But they are not trying to preach truth and save souls, they are simply running a profitable business. That makes them servants of the Antichrist, willingly or unwillingly. But it doesn’t end with ministers, preachers, and spiritual gurus. We also have political leaders today sprouting absolute nonsense in an effort to divide and conquer. By pitting one group against another, they maintain control. Of course, they are not really in control. They are just the puppets of the super wealthy, the super greedy, who are also servants of the Antichrist.

Rides the Beast

Boehme says the Antichrist “rides upon the abominable devouring Beast.” I think most of us thought the Antichrist and the Beast were two names for the same being. Boehme seems to think differently. So who is the Beast? As best as I can tell, Boehme is saying that the Beast the Antichrist “rides upon” is his flock, his followers, those who do his bidding, knowingly or unknowingly. Unfortunately, there are millions of people in the world who are doing the bidding of the Antichrist without realizing it.

Do Not Deceive Yourself

Boehme advises that we not deceive ourselves by falling for the schemes of the Antichrist and his minions. He tells us to do that by the feelings in one’s own bosom and one’s own heart. In other words, we must trust our own intuition. If it were that easy, the devil and his minions would not have the control of millions. Unfortunately, few have developed their intuition, or learned to know when they are being advised by it, and not by a demonic minion whispering in our ears. Nonetheless, it is the most reliable method we have, so we should all learn to recognize when our intuition is advising us and, more importantly, to listen to its advice. The more we use and trust our intuition, the stronger and more reliable it gets. And fully awakening our spiritual faculties using the Light of the Spiritual Sun will make it even more reliable.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette.

“The rupture between faith and knowledge is a symptom of the split consciousness which is so characteristic of the mental disorder of our day. It is as if two different persons were making statements about the same thing, each with his own point of view, or as if one person in two different frames of mind were sketching a picture of his experience. If for ‘person’ we substitute ‘modern society,’ it is evident that the latter is suffering from a mental dissociation, i.e., a neurotic disturbance. In view of this, it does not help matters at all if one party pulls obstinately to the right and the other to the left. This is what happens in every neurotic psyche, to its own deep distress, and it is just this distress that brings the patient to the analyst.” ~C. G. Jung

Faith and Knowledge

We often here that there is a rift between religion and science, and that is quite true. But most would relate faith to religion and knowledge to science in Jung’s statement quoted above. But Jung wrote this several decades ago, and things have changed since then. What has changed is mostly on the part of science. Many in the scientific community talk about, and actually treat, science as if it is a religion. To question a long-accepted scientific query requires that you have overwhelming evidence. Otherwise, the community of science will label you a crackpot or charlatan. Science today is more like a religion than they choose to accept, yet they laugh at the unscientific approach of religion. Perhaps if both groups started listening to the other, they might find that they are not so different after all.

Sketching a Picture

We have probably all heard of, maybe even participated in, the experiment of whispering something to one person, who then repeats it to another and so on until eight or ten have heard the secret. I remember doing this in Junior High. When the last person in the line says the story out loud, the first person is shocked to find it has dramatically changed. This is partly due to mishearing what the other person says, but largely because we each have to add a bit of our own beliefs and personality to the tale. I’m sure the same would be true of Jung’s sketching example. This is especially true if you rely entirely upon their imagination. If you tell ten people to sketch a building they are standing in front of, the sketches will be similar, but never identical. But if you ask them to sketch a woman holding a rose, the sketches will be very different—and revealing if you know what to look for.

Now consider a spiritual example. Ask them to sketch God, or an angel. The sketches will vary greatly, but will likely resemble some picture they have seen in a book or a statue in a church. They really won’t use their imagination very much for this one, yet they should. But that is why a spiritual awakening is something each of us must experience so we can gain spiritual knowledge first hand, and not rely on the descriptions from others.

Neurotic Society

When Jung wrote this, probably many doubted his claim that society is suffering from “a neurotic disturbance”. Today, I think most people would agree. We have become more divisive than ever before. Many don’t even try to get along with others to have different beliefs, different behavior, but instead try in every legal way possible to get rid of THEM. And if they can’t get rid of THEM, they try to isolate them, make them live only in certain locations, prevent them from voting, etc. While some of this can be blamed on the masses, a lot of it can be blamed on the leaders and on the natural tendency of governments and businesses to start functioning like a living being. What that means is that consciously or subconsciously they develop the idea that the most important thing is for the society to survive—at any cost.

Spiritual Society

That is why the only solution is the growth of a spiritual society that values humility and truth above self-preservation. Such a society must begin with spiritual individuals forming spiritual communities. Spiritual communities can then grow into spiritual societies and, finally, spiritual nations.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette.

“The angels who turn inward toward God in love and fruition, with all they had received from Him, found beatitude and eternal rest; but those who turned towards themselves, and sought rest in themselves, with self-complacency in the natural light, their rest was short and was unlawful. They were blinded, and there was a wall of separation between them and the eternal light, and they fell into darkness. …

“Now mark this, when a man wishes to possess inward rest in idleness, without inward and desirous cleaving to God, then he is ready for all errors; for he is turned away from God, and inclined towards himself, seeking everything that pleases him. Such a man is like a merchant, for in all his activity he is turned only toward himself, and seeks his own means and profit, more than the Glory of God. A person who thus lives in mere natural life, always possesses himself in self-love without self-renunciation. Such men often lead a hard life with great works of penitence, that they may become known for their great sanctity, and merit a great reward; for all natural love is favorably disposed to itself and likes to receive great honors in time and a great reward in eternity. … And thus they are often deceived; for sometimes, through the work of the devil, those things which they desire happen to them, and they ascribe this to their sanctity, for such people are proud.” ~John of Ruysbroeck

Angels Turn to God

I would rather say that angels turn to God, or toward God, rather than say they turn inward to God. That is because there are too many people who have fallen for the simplistic approach to spiritual growth that says all answers are within us. Yes, some answers are within us, but others, like the Light of the Spiritual Sun, are outside of us. So expecting to find all the answers within simply doesn’t work.

Beatitude and Eternal Rest

Angels as well as humans who turn to God do eventually find eternal bliss, but the idea of eternal rest is misleading. We will eventually achieve Oneness with God and with All, but that is not really rest. The All is constantly in motion. What we do achieve is release from the attempts of the Devil and his minions to control us or guide us into following their path rather than God’s. But we don’t reach that level of spiritual advancement in a few years, or even a few decades. The process of spiritual growth continues for most of us even after we leave the physical world. Development continues in the spiritual realm.

Idleness

We have all heard that idleness is the devil’s playground, but do we really understand what that means? This is not about physical idleness. The physical body needs its rest just as much as it needs activity. The same is true for the brain-mind. But what Ruysbroeck is talking about are those who are in idleness with regard to their devotion to God and to their own spiritual development.

While we dwell in the physical plain of matter, which is the realm of Satan, it is easy for Satan and his demonic minions to control and manipulate us. When we turn to God and to spiritual self-development, we make it harder for those forces of darkness to control us. When we are spiritually idle, we make their job easy.

Like a Merchant

Ruysbroeck clearly doesn’t have a good opinion of merchants. Actually, what he is saying here doesn’t apply to all merchants, and certainly not to merchants all the time, but it does apply to many when they are on the job. Basically he is saying that materialistic people who only look at things in terms of how it can benefit them will achieve little, if anything, on a spiritual level. Let’s look at two individuals as examples.

Person One is practicing spiritual development techniques in private and with humility. This person is not trying to show off, but to develop their true Self to live in service to God. This person will have relatively rapid spiritual growth.

Person two is that merchant type. This person is practicing the same spiritual techniques, prays in public and makes sure everyone knows, brags about how holy he/she is, etc. This person will advance much more slowly because the humility and desire to please God rather than the ego is not there. Attitude matters when it comes to spiritual growth. Turn to the Spiritual Sun in love and humility, not in greed and a desire to be better than others.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette.

“Hermes taught that man qualifies himself for union with spiritual forces after death, in proportion as he uses his powers on earth for furthering the purposes of those spiritual forces. Those especially who had worked most seriously in this way between birth and death would be united with the lofty Sun-God Osiris. On the Chaldaic-Babylonian side of the stream of civilization, the direction of the human mind toward the physical sense-world was more conspicuous than on the Egyptian side. The laws of that world were being investigated and from its reflection in the sense-world these people looked up to the corresponding spiritual prototypes. Yet in many respects the nation remained wedded to physical things. Instead of the star-spirit, the star was put first, and instead of other spiritual beings their earthly counterparts were made prominent. Only the leaders attained really deep knowledge concerning the laws of the supersensible world and its connection with the physical. The contrast between the knowledge of the initiates and the perverted beliefs of the people became more apparent in those nations than anywhere else.” ~Rudolf Steiner

Union with Spiritual Forces

Union with spiritual forces is a sensible goal. Union with spiritual worlds and spiritual consciousness is an even better one. It is a goal we should all be seeking, but few do. Many don’t see any need to awaken their spiritual Self, others don’t think anything needs to be done to awaken it. They think they can be as materialistic as they like while trapped in a physical body, but when they die, they will automatically be welcomed into the realm of spirits. That is like believing that you don’t have to bother to learn how to swim. If the ship you’re on sinks, you will learn automatically when you need it. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. As Steiner says, Hermes taught that man must “qualify” himself for union with spiritual forces. We do that by awakening and developing our spiritual faculties while we are still in physical form.

Furthering the Purpose

God grants union with spiritual forces to those who will use such knowledge and power to further His Plan for redeeming the fallen realm of matter. Those who oppose such plans, or simply avoid contributing, may gain temporary union with spiritual forces, but will soon lose it.

United with Osiris

Being united with the Sun God Osiris may not be your goal, but unity with God should be; and God is a Sun God because the Spiritual Sun is His Agent spreading spiritual Light into the realm of matter. Now it is even more so with the birth of the Sun of Righteousness, which means that the Spiritual Sun now carries a special Presence of God to more easily help us awaken our spiritual faculties.

The Failure of Egypt

Steiner is telling us that while great spiritual knowledge was made available to the people of Egypt, few changed their materialistic ways and turned to spiritual development. We know that some of them did turn to the spiritual, including some Pharaohs and priests, but the majority did not. Steiner tells us this story as a warning. Today, with the help of the Sun of Righteousness, we have been given a one-in-a-thousand-year opportunity to turn away from matter—which is temporary anyway—and embrace the spiritual. If we fail this time, there will not be another chance. These are the End Times and a final decision is upon us. Make the wise decision.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette.

“Pleasure and distress, desire and fear, and what follows from them, were not originally created as elements of human nature, for in that case they would form part of the definition of that nature. I follow in this matter St. Gregory of Nyssa, who states that these things were introduced as a result of our fall from perfection, being infiltrated into that part of our nature least endowed with intelligence. Through them the blessed and Divine Image in man was at the time of our transgression immediately replaced by a clear and obvious likeness to animals. Once the true dignity of the intelligence had been obscured, it was inevitable and just that human nature should be chastised by those witless elements which it had introduced into itself. In this way God in His providence wisely made man conscious of the nobility of his intellect.” ~The Philokalia

Elements of Human Nature

The Philokalia says that fear, pleasure, desire and distress were not originally part of human nature. This, of course, refers to material pleasures and desires, not spiritual ones. Material pleasures, desires, and fears were not part of our nature when we were spirits only. It is only when the Great Fall into matter happened that we developed such emotions and thoughts. The author of this section of the Philokalia (the book has many authors) is correct in relating these thoughts and emotions to those of animals. It is our animal self that has those thoughts and emotions. We must learn to overcome this weakness by emphasizing the spiritual and not giving in to readily to that animal thinking.

Least Endowed with Intelligence

In the quote from “The Philokalia”, this sentence makes sense only if you replace the word “intelligence” with “consciousness”. Perhaps the word was used differently when the quote was written, but today, especially in Cosolargy, we equate intelligence to the physical body and mind while consciousness is a more universal and spiritual kind of thinking. So it would be better to say that this lower part of nature is least endowed with spiritual consciousness.

True Dignity Obscured

The part of our “true dignity” that is obscured is the spirit and the spiritual consciousness, not the intellect. The intellect is in fact doing much of the obscuring rather than itself being obscured. We can also blame the materialistic societies we live in for teaching us from an early age to emphasize the physical and mental and ignore the spiritual, or at least push it to the background. But if humanity is to be saved, we must reverse that thinking. We must put the spiritual before the physical, God before Man, and let the awakened Soul rule the intellect (or ego), not the other way around. It is not that the physical is evil, but that it is limited and doomed to end, while the spiritual is permanent. The problem, however, is that most people don’t want to bother awakening their spiritual faculties, or don’t think it is necessary. As a result, the spiritual self stays dormant and can’t take control.

Human Nature Chastised

Part of what the quote means when it says that the human nature is “chastised” is that there are consequences for doing the stupid things our mind tells us to do, often in the form of Karma. What we give out is what is sent back to us. If we are indifferent to the needs of others, they will be indifferent to us. If we are greedy, Nature will be greedy with us. If we are killers, we are doomed to die.

Another way that our “human nature” (spiritual nature) is chastised, is that even when our spiritual faculties are dormant, they somehow “whisper” to us when we do things against that true nature. Most of us can feel these pings of guilt we call a conscious. Some people have unfortunately become so materialistic that those spiritual pings either don’t happen, or are not noticed. Such people never feel there is anything wrong with anything they do. Such people are unlikely to ever be convinced to awaken and develop their spiritual Self. For everyone else, don’t wait for those nudges from your conscious, start the process of awakening and developing your spiritual faculties now.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette.

“Sometimes it may happen that a speculative artist may, by his own eccentricity, think out for himself some new method in Alchemy, be the consequences anything or nothing. He need do nought in order to reduce something into nothing, and again bring back something out of nothing. Yet this proverb of the incredulous is not wholly false. Destruction perfects that which is good; for the good cannot appear on account of that which conceals it. The good is least good whilst it is thus concealed. The concealment must be removed that so the good may be able to freely appear of its own brightness. For example, the mountain, the sand, the earth, or the stone in which a metal has grown is such a concealment. Each one of the visible metals is a concealment of the other six metals.” ~Paracelsus

New Method in Alchemy

While this may be about the general concept of alchemy as being used to convert one physical substance into another such as making gold from lead, it is more likely that Paracelsus is talking about the true alchemy of converting the lower level consciousness of materialistic humans into the higher levels of spiritual or mystical consciousness.

Something Out of Nothing

As for the idea of turning something into noting, and then back again, we all know that is impossible. First, you cannot turn something into nothing. You can change one kind of matter into another. You can change matter into energy. You cannot change something into nothing, accept in appearance only.

Likewise, you cannot create something from nothing. You might create something visible from something invisible or change energy into matter, but that isn’t really making something from nothing.

Destruction Perfects

Here I must disagree with Paracelsus. He gives the example of a metal hidden in a rock or a mountain and implies that the rock or mountain must be destroyed to get the metal. We all know metal can be removed from a mountain without destroying it. But his statement that the “concealment must be removed that so the good may be able to freely appear of its own brightness,” tells us that he is not talking about metals but about the spiritual hidden by the physical. He is saying, therefore, that the physical body must be destroyed in order for the spirit to be revealed, and that is simply not true. Through spiritual growth techniques though in schools such as Cosolargy, one can strengthen the spirit to the point where its light shines while the body remains. More importantly, it is possible for the spiritually awakened soul to take control of the ego and stop the ego from running things. It isn’t that the ego is evil and needs to be destroyed, but it is limited to knowledge of the physical world, so must be kept in check by the superior knowledge of the awakened soul.

Each Metal Shields

I’m not sure what Paracelsus is trying to say when he claims that each of the “visible metals is a concealment of the other six.” I could have a ring made of silver and gold, but the one metal doesn’t conceal the other unless it completely covers it such as having the gold plated over the silver. If I placed a bar of lead next to one of gold, neither of them would become invisible. Maybe what he is trying to say is that the greater metal would shine above the lesser, and be noticed more. Converting that into its spiritual equivalent, he is saying that a highly developed spiritual person outshines a lesser.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette.

“Let human consciousness change or transcend its rhythm, and any other aspect of any other world may be ours as a result. Hence the mystics’ claim that in their ecstasies they change the conditions of consciousness, and apprehend a deeper reality which is unrelated to human speech, cannot be dismissed as unreasonable. Do not then confuse that surface-consciousness which man has trained to be an organ of utility and nothing more—and which therefore can only deal adequately with the ‘given’ world of sense—with that mysterious something in you, that ground of personality, inarticulate but inextinguishable, by which you are aware that a greater truth exists. This truth, whose neighborhood you feel, and for which you long, is Life. You are in it all the while, ‘like a fish in the sea, like a bird in the air,’ as St. Mechthilde of Hackborn said many centuries ago.

“Give yourself, then, to this divine and infinite life, this mysterious Cosmic activity in which you are immersed, of which you are born. Trust it. Let it surge in on you.” ~Evelyn Underhill

Changing Human Consciousness

Human consciousness is not a fixed thing. We are not trapped at a certain level of consciousness and unable to move from it. It may seem that way to many; and to materialistic people, it is fixed, but for those who have begun their spiritual awakening, it does become possible, even inevitable, that they move into higher levels of consciousness. And I say levels because there is more than a single level of consciousness above that of materialistic humans. Exactly how many there are is a subject of much debate, but it doesn’t really matter. The point is we can climb those levels like climbing stairs, one at a time, until we reach the ultimate level which is unity with God and with the All.

Of course, changing you level of consciousness is not as easy as changing your shoes. You have to know what you are doing and you have to work to make it happen. Unfortunately there are many who are trying but are misled by those who don’t know as much about spiritual growth as they think they do, or are simply charlatans. But if you are serious about it, you will eventually be led to a real spiritual school that can teach you how to climb those levels of consciousness, the true stairway to Heaven.

Other Worlds

Yes there are other worlds at other levels of consciousness. These are generally called dimensions, and we are in the third dimension. There are a total of nine primary dimensions, so you can see there are several levels above us. The fourth dimension is psychic in nature and is the realm of demons and fallen angels—it is best avoided, but we must travel through it to reach the higher levels of consciousness. Just don’t stop there thinking you have achieved the ultimate.

Surface-Consciousness

The regular consciousness of most humans that Underhill calls surface-consciousness is limited to the material world, and while it may have been trained as an “organ of utility,” levels of consciousness are not separated by brick walls. A little of what is in other levels leaks through at times and helps awaken us to the knowledge that there is more than just matter and the material universe. In some cases, it may be beings in higher levels intentionally pushing such ideas through to us to help us. They want us to move up to those higher levels of consciousness. They want it more than anything else.

Truth is Life

Yes truth is life. Living in a world of fantasy may be pleasant for a while, but eventually it falls apart. Living in a world of materialism and denying spirit may not be exactly living in a fantasy, but it isn’t living in truth either, and therefore not truly living, but merely existing. So awaken and develop your consciousness.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette

Soul Song

“From the writings of the ancient philosophers of all races, from the songs of the great poets of all peoples, from the preachings of the prophets of all religions and times we can gather traces of this illumination which has come to them – this unfoldment of the spiritual consciousness. We have not the space to numerate these numerous instances. One has told of it in one way, the other in another; but all tell practically the same story. All who have experienced the illumination, even in a faint degree, recognize the like experience in the tale, song, or preaching of another, though centuries may roll between them. It is the song of the Soul, which when once heard is never forgotten. Though it be sounded by the crude instrument of of the semi-barbarian races or the finished instruments of the talented musicians of today, its strains are plainly recognized. From old Egypt comes the song from India in all ages – from Ancient Greece and Rome from the early Christian saint – from the Quaker Friend – from the Catholic monasteries from the Mohammedan mosque – from the Chinese philosopher – from the legends of the American Indian hero prophet – it is always the same strain, and it is swelling louder and louder, as many more are taking it up and adding their voices or the sound of their instruments to the grand chorus.” ~William Walker Atkinson

Writings of the Philosophers

Actually, many of the great spiritual philosophers of times past didn’t write down much, if any, of their teachings. They were passed from master to students orally. Fortunately for us, a few of those students did write down some of it, but because of their pledges of secrecy, it is always codified in legends and allegorical tales. Yet enough has survived of the philosophies of Pythagoras, Plato, Rumi, and others to let us know that the path of enlightenment does exist, though it is a long and sometimes perilous journey.

In Songs and More

The writings of the philosophers and their early students are not the only place where one can find guidance on the path to illumination. The Soul Song is found in music, poetry, paintings, statues, architecture, and even in modern movies. Sometimes it was put there intentionally, but often it wasn’t. Sometimes the musician, sculptor, screenwriter, etc. is inspired b a spiritual muse without even realizing it.

It is hidden in simple folk songs like “You are my Sunshine” and rock songs like “Age of Aquarius”. You expect to find some of it hidden in movies like “Father Sun, Sister Moon,” the film about the spiritual awakening of St. Francis, but not in an animated film about cavemen like “The Crudes,” yet there it is if you know enough to recognize it.

To most viewers, The Crudes is a simple comedy about a more primitive family of cavemen who are forced to learn some new ways by a young caveman from a more advanced tribe. But it also has these, spiritual lessons, and more. First, the primitive cavemen are always hiding in their cave from a big cat that chases them. When circumstances force them to abandon that cave, they learn that their assumption was wrong. The cat didn’t want to eat them, it was lonely and wanted someone to play with! They also learn that going to new places and learning new things is not so bad after all, even when it does include learning about the cute little pink birds, which turn out to be like flying Piranas that attack animals in a swarm leaving behind nothing but bones. And they are reminded regularly by the advanced caveman (spiritual guru) to “Go forward, go toward the Light, toward the Sun, that is where you will find safety.” A valuable lesson for all, if we but understood the allegory.

Once Heard, Never Forgotten

Yes, we are inspired by songs, poems, legends, and myths with hidden spiritual meaning, and that is why they tend to stick with us, even if we haven’t figured them out yet. But more importantly, as Atkinson says, even those who have had but a faint glimpse of the spiritual world, a single listen of the soul song, they remember it and began to recognize it in unexpected places. That will keep happening until they make the soul song their theme song and devote themselves full to spiritual growth and illumination. The soul song does indeed lead us to higher and higher levels of consciousness until we achieve the highest level and become one with God, one with the All.

Original article posted at SOLAR WIND by HAROLD BOULETTE on June 2, 2021