Re-connect
with Your Soul

 

Plato and the Greeks called it 'daimon', the Romans 'genius', the Christians 'Guardian Angel' - and today we use terms such as 'heart', 'spirit' and 'soul'.

Map of the Soul

excerpt from How to Know God by Deepak Chopra -

Soul is really a junction point between time and the timeless. It faces in both directions.

Soul and person are not the same. The Soul is like the carier of the essence, but what is that essence like?

The soul is our Second Attention - detached awareness - inner voice within - spirit guide

As I move the Soul stays in the same place. The soul level is a very strange place because it gives rise to all activity without being active itself at the quantum level

eg. when a tv character walks across from left to right on the screen, your brain registers a false impression. Nothing on that screen has moved from left to right. With a magnifying glass you would see that the only activity taking place is the flickering of phosphors on the surface of the cathode ray tube - just as Xmas lights seem to circle around a tree or window.

Similar to a cork floating on waves in the ocean - only bobs up and down - not caried by waves

Also it is always the same water that hits the shore.

There is intelligence behind the illusion. The Soul holds reality together; it is my offscreen director, my presiding intelligence. I can think, talk, work, love, and dream, all because of the soul, yet the soul doesn't do any of these things. It is me, yet I would never recognize it if we came face to face. Everything that makes the difference between life and death must cross into this world via the soul.

You share soul work with God. He can be defined in infinite ways but one version of God is that he is a process. The process involves bringing life into being.

The soul as every religious tradition has insisted, exists to bring an end to suffering. The same cannot be said about any other aspect of ourselves. The mind, ego, and emotions cause as much pain as pleasure; they ca throw is into turmoil and confusion despite all our efforts to reach clarity and peace. The soul has been assigned the unique function of working only for what is most evolutionary in each persons life.

Someone who is attuned to the soul begins to perceive that a subtle guidance is at work. The soul is silent; therefore is cannot compete with the contentions voices heard in the mind.

The soul has its own project in mind. The Vedas describe this project in terms of the five Kleshas, or causes of human suffering. They are:

1. Ignorance about the nature of reality
2. Identification with the ego
3. Attraction toward objects of desire
4. Repulsion from objects of desire
5. Fear of Death

1. Ignorance of reality is solved by delving deeper into the mind. Awareness dives deeper than the material level to find its roots.

2. Identification with ego is solved by learning to identify with these deeper levels.

3 & 4. Attraction to outside objects - and repulsion from them - is solved by valuing the inner life above all.

5. Fear of Death is solved when the soul is experienced directlym since the soul is born yet never dies.

As with the causes of suffering, the five solutions all grow the first one. 'If you explore the true nature of reality, all pain will eventually come to an end,

Your soul deals with abstractions like eternity and infinity so that you won't have to. It converts an inconceivable world into one that we can grasp and understand.

Eternity doesn;t need to breathe; infinity doesn;t need to find a job. But you need those things and these are made possible through the soul, Without it, there would only be quantum soup, a formless swirl of energy and particles.

The soul begins on the quantum level which makes sense because the quantum level is also our doorway to GOD. To go through this door is not something we choose; participation is mandatory.

In India the soul has two parts. One is called Jiva, which coresponds to the individual soul making its long journey through many lifetimes until it reaches full realization of God. When a child is taught that the soul will go to heaven, it is Jiva we are talking about.

Jiva is involved in action. it is affected by our good and bad acts; it rules our conscience, and all the seeds of karma are placed inside it. The kind of person you turn out to be is rooted in Jiva, and the kind of life you make for yourself will change Jiva, day by day.

The second half of the soul, called Atman, does not accompany us on any journey, It is pure spirit, made of the same essence as God. Atman cannot change in any way, It never reaches God because it never left in the first place. No matter how good or bad your life; your Atman remains constant. There is no good approximation for Atman in the West, and many people might wonder why the soul has to be divided in this way.

The answer lies in the virtual level, for we have seen that all the familiar qualities of life, such as time, space, energy, and matter, gradually fade into a shadowy existence until they disappear. But the disappearance leaves something in tact-spirit itself. Jiva lives at the quantum level. Atman at the Virtual.

Deepak Chopra, How to Know God, Harmony Books

 

...the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling that unites man with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and maintained by means of meditation and prayer. And this is the reason why Bahá'u'lláh has so much stressed the importance of worship. It is not sufficient for a believer to merely accept and observe the teachings. He should, in addition, cultivate the sense of spirituality, which he can acquire chiefly by the means of prayer. The Bahá'í Faith, like all other Divine religions, is thus fundamentally mystic in character. Its chief goal is the development of the individual and society, through the acquisition of spiritual virtues and powers. It is the soul of man that has first to be fed. And this spiritual nourishment prayer can best provide. Laws and institutions, as viewed by Bahá'u'lláh , can become really effective only when our inner spiritual life has been perfected and transformed. Otherwise religion will degenerate into a mere organization, and become a dead thing.1 For Bahá'ís, the purpose of life is to know and love God, and thus to progress spiritually. As in most other religions, prayer and meditation are primary tools for spiritual development.

The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence. To this most excellent aim, this supreme objective, all the heavenly Books and the divinely-revealed and weighty Scriptures unequivocally bear witness.2

Life should be seen as an eternal process of joyous spiritual discovery and growth: in the beginning stages of earthly life, the individual undergoes a period of training and education which, if it is successful, gives him or her the basic intellectual and spiritual tools necessary for continued growth. When individuals attain physical maturity in adulthood, they become responsible for their further progress, which now depends entirely on the efforts they themselves make. Through the daily struggles of material existence, people gradually deepen their understanding of the spiritual principles underlying reality, and this understanding enables them to relate more effectively to themselves, to others, and to God. After physical death, the individual continues to grow and develop in the spiritual world, which is greater than the physical world, just as the physical world is greater than the world we inhabit while in our mother's womb. This last statement is based on the Bahá'í concept of the soul and of life after physical death.

According to the Bahá'í teachings, the true nature of human beings is spiritual. Beyond the physical body, each human being has a rational soul, created by God. This soul is a nonmaterial entity, which does not depend on the body. Rather, the body serves as its vehicle in the physical world. The soul of an individual comes into being at the moment the physical body is conceived and continues to exist after the death of the physical body. The soul (also called the spirit) of the individual is the seat or locus of his or her personality, self, and consciousness.

The evolution or development of the soul and its capacities is the basic purpose of human existence. This evolution is towards God and its motive force is knowledge of God and love for Him. As we learn about God, our love for Him increases; and this, in turn, enables us to attain a closer communion with our Creator. Also, as we draw closer to God, our character becomes more refined and our actions reflect more and more the attributes and qualities of God. Bahá'u'lláh taught that this potential to reflect the attributes of God is the soul's essential reality. It is the meaning of human beings being created "in the image of God." The divine qualities are not external to the soul. They are latent within it, just as the color, the fragrance, and the vitality of a flower are latent within the seed. They need only to be developed. In the words of Bahá'u'lláh:

Upon the inmost reality of each and every created thing He [God] hath shed the light of one of His names, and made it a recipient of the glory of one of His attributes. Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own self. Alone of all created things man hath been singled out for so great a favour, so enduring a bounty.3

The Bahá'í writings refer to the gradual evolution or development of the individual soul as "spiritual progress." Spiritual progress means acquiring the capacity to act in conformity with the Will of God and to express the attributes and spirit of God in one's dealings with one's self and with other human beings.

Bahá'u'lláh teaches that the only true and enduring happiness for human beings lies in the pursuit of spiritual development. A person who has become aware of his or her spiritual nature and who consciously strives to progress spiritually is called a "seeker" by Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'u'lláh described some of the qualities of the true seeker:

That seeker must, at all times, put his trust in God, must renounce the peoples of the earth, must detach himself from the world of dust, and cleave unto Him Who is the Lord of Lords. He must never seek to exalt himself above any one, must wash away from the tablet of his heart every trace of pride and vain-glory, must cling unto patience and resignation, observe silence and refrain from idle talk. For the tongue is a smoldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body, whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of the latter endureth a century.

That seeker should, also, regard backbiting as grievous error, and keep himself aloof from its dominion, inasmuch as backbiting quencheth the light of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul. He should be content with little, and be freed from all inordinate desire. He should treasure the companionship of them that have renounced the world, and regard avoidance of boastful and worldly people a precious benefit. At the dawn of every day he should commune with God, and with all his soul, persevere in the quest of his Beloved.... He should not wish for others that which he doth not wish for himself, nor promise that which he doth not fulfill.... He should forgive the sinful, and never despise his low estate, for none knoweth what his own end shall be. How often hath a sinner attained, at the hour of death, to the essence of faith, and quaffing the immortal draught, hath taken his flight unto the Concourse on high! And how often hath a devout believer, at the hour of his soul's ascension, been so changed as to fall into the nethermost fire!

Our purpose in revealing these convincing and weighty utterances is to impress upon the seeker that he should regard all else beside God as transient, and count all things save Him, Who is the Object of all adoration, as utter nothingness.

These are among the attributes of the exalted, and constitute the hallmark of the spiritually-minded.... When the detached wayfarer and sincere seeker hath fulfilled these essential conditions, then and only then can he be called a true seeker.4

Bahá'u'lláh related God's purpose for us to the two aspects of religion, the spiritual and the social:

God's purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The first is to liberate the children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light of true understanding. The second is to ensure the peace and tranquillity of mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be established.6 In other words, humankind's social development, if properly carried out, should be a collective expression of our spiritual development.

All human beings, Bahá'u'lláh states, "have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth."7

In summary, the spiritual reason for our life on earth is to provide us with a training ground; our life is a period of growth during which we focus on the development of our innate spiritual and intellectual capacities. Because these capacities are faculties of our immortal soul, they are eternal, and we must make great efforts to develop them. But such efforts are worthwhile, since the soul is the only part of us which endures. Whatever promotes our spiritual development is good, and whatever hinders it is bad.

http://www.bahai.org/article-1-4-0-6.html Purpose of Life

 

WHAT IS YOUR SPIRITUAL IDEAL ??

Nothing is more valuable to the transpersonal journey than clarity about your core value. That's why it's often described as an initial step. Your core value (or, as it is sometimes called, your spiritual ideal) is a quality that you are prepared to put at the center of your life. Even though there are many days and situations when you fail to live up to that ideal; nevertheless, you are ready to use it as a measuring rod for evaluating your life.

The core value or spiritual ideal is best captured by a single word or a short phrase. The words you choose are a very personal matter. They need to resonate with your soul-they need to re-awaken the best parts of yourself. Here are examples of single words or short phrases chosen by other people.

The statement of a core value is a way of reconnecting with the most genuine side of yourself . what might be called your "individuality" or your "essence" as a spiritual being. That's your Transpersonal Self, in contrast to the more superficial, habit-driven side of yourself called the "personality." Many spiritual traditions have spoken of this Transpersonal Self.

How to Choose Your Core Value

Your core value or spiritual ideal is like a North Star for your journey. It's a point of reference that helps you stay connected with the best in yourself. In deciding upon a personal spiritual ideal, it may be tempting to choose something that other people expect you to hold as a central ideal. Little voices in your mind may suggest very strongly, "Your spiritual ideal really ought to be ."

But for a spiritual ideal to have power it must come from something deeper than just the "should's, ought's, and expectations" of parents, teachers, or other authority figures. A spiritual ideal that can truly help us is one which comes from our own personal experiences.

Remember, you'll being choosing a single word or a short phrase. Your selection of a word or phrase need not make sense to anyone else. You'll pick words that evoke for you a connection to the best within yourself.

Here are some questions to ask yourself-questions that may help you see the word or phrase that is most appropriate for you.

 

Click on some of the links below to see examples of these teachings.

[ Edgar Cayce on individuality and ideals ]

Individuality is the soul's relationship to that as its ideal in the measures of will and desire as is in accordance with what has been the ideal. 294-185 The basis of the individuality of an entity must come from its ideal spiritually. For all is born first in spirit, then in mind, then it may become manifested in the material plane. 3424-1

As ye apply, as ye make use of that in hand, more is given thee. For, day unto day is sufficient, if use is made thereof; not to self, not to self alone. Not that self is not to be considered, but losing self in good is the better way to find self. What is good? How is such defined in thy life-of awakening to all the possibilities that exist in thy intake of life and its phases? To do good is to think constructively, to think creatively. What is creative, what is constructive, ye may ask? That which never hinders, which never makes for the bringing of any harm to others. 1206-13

[ G.I. Gurdjieff on the "essence" versus "personality" of oneself ] & [ C.G. Jung on the archetype of the Self ]

see personality page

A second key element of the Transpersonal experience is meditative consciousness

There are dozens . perhaps hundreds . of schools of thought about how to meditate. Any form of Transpersonal practice will teach some discipline of meditation. It's the most direct way to experience your Transpersonal Self. There are many types of meditation. The one definition that fits almost all types is..."Consciously directing your attention to alter your state of consciousness." There's no limit to the things you can direct your attention toward... symbols, sounds, colors, breath, uplifting thoughts, spiritual realms, etc. Meditation is simply about attention... where you direct it, and how it alters your consciousness. Let's consider a little closer the definition and purpose of meditation.

DEFINITIONS AND PURPOSES OF MEDITATION

Traditionally meditation was (and still is) used for spiritual growth...i.e. becoming more conscious; unfolding our inner Light, Love, and Wisdom; becoming more aware of the guiding Presence in our lives; accelerating our journey home to our True Self... the Transpersonal Self.

More recently, meditation has become a valuable tool for finding a peaceful oasis of relaxation and stress relief in a demanding, fast-paced world.

Other uses include:

Other meditation research has demonstrated this wide range of psychological benefits:

Of special interest is Daniel Goleman's own research demonstrating the greater tolerance for stress by those who meditate. He gives us some insight into how meditation accomplishes this:

A third key element of the Transpersonal experience is applying spirituality IN materiality.

The transpersonal worldview emphasizes application. It's not enough just to have a dramatic spiritual experience or attain an altered state of consciousness. The deeper challenge is to bring that new understanding into the way we live our lives. Think about how the principles you've already seen could be applicable to the way a business is run, the way we treat the environment, the way we approach education, or the very way that we go about making daily life decisions and choices. Those are just a few of the many fronts on which the transpersonal side of our being has a contribution to make.

Each topic is demonstrates the creative work being done to emphasize bringing the transpersonal dimension into materiality.

[ Transpersonal Management ]
[ Environmental Sensitivity ]
[ Peace Studies ]
[ Spiritual Guidance for Practical Life Decision-Making ]
[ Spirituality in Education ]
[ Edgar Cayce on bringing the infinite into the finite ]

related books:

The Soul's Code by James Hillman - Plato and the Greeks called it 'daimon', the Romans 'genius', the Christians 'Guardian Angel' - and today we use terms such as 'heart', 'spirit' and 'soul'. For James Hillman it is the central and guiding force of his utterly unique and compelling 'acorn theory' which proposes that each life is formed by a particular image, an image that is the essence of that life and calls it to a destiny, just as the mighty oak's destiny is written in the tiny acorn.

A Blue Fire : Selected Writings James Hillman

The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle

Still the Mind, Alan Watts

Escape the Prison of the intellect by Deepak Chopra

Marriage of Sense and Soul by Ken Wilber

Write from the Heart, Unleashing the Power of Creativity, Hal Zina Bennet

A still small voice, A psychics Guide to Awakening Intuition, Echo Bodine

related articles:

related links:

http://www.edgarcayce.org/

related pages:

 

related pages:


 

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