We continue in the series of presentations of the terminology and symbols used in esoteric discourse. Of interest, as always, is how this contrasts with the same terminology used in other schools of thought. The reason for conducting such an exercise is first to correct misconceptions that exist around concepts and explain an esoteric perspective. In doing this, it allows the seeker to appreciate how esoteric thought views an issue. A classic example would be an understanding of the term “Father, Son and Holy Spirit”. For the majority of Christians, this refers to one and the same thing, God. Other Christians have begged to differ in the past and they usually have one thing in common, they are now all extinct! Not completely, but mostly. To an esoterician, “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” is a reference to three triadic levels, each existing on different planes of matter. From a consciousness perspective, all three aspects of the trinity are one, so is Christianity wrong? It is, when it then goes on to insist that nothing differentiates these three states of being. This is where we get into the topic of God Immanent and God transcendent.
Let us start with the term “god immanent”. Would you be surprised to know that it has several meanings? You shouldn’t by now. Even esoteric truth is relative to the plane/world in which it is perceived. At its most basic, ‘god immanent’ is the primordial atom. This is the root of all matter and each atom has a share in the total cosmic consciousness. This is you and it is also all the monads that go to make you up. Your cells, your envelopes of incarnation, the whole package. To an esoterician, ‘god immanent’ symbolises the whole series of natural kingdoms. The first one the esoterician becomes aware of is their own guardian angel. So what then is “god transcendent”? It is a symbolic term; would you expect anything else, that represents all the kingdoms, planetary as well as cosmic that contain the super-consciousnesses of the individual. Note the use of the term “individual”. This is the monad focused in its causal body. This is why ‘god immanent’ refers initially to the guardian angel. Why are all the superconscious realms linked back to the individual? Precisely because it has a common share in that consciousness, it is just not aware of it yet. This is why it is termed superconscious. So, to the 1st-Self, located in the 4th kingdom of Nature, everything from the 5th Kingdom upwards is deemed to be “god transcendent”. This flys in the face of the monotheistic perception of God, which only acknowledges a single entity that could be regarded as such. To the Lord of our planet, Sanat Kumara, who dwells in the 5rd Cosmic Kingdom, the 4th Cosmic Kingdom is “god transcendent”. We shall conclude by admitting that the term “god immanent” and “god transcendent” have different meanings for individuals at varying stages of their development. To the uninitiated, this has led to endless disputes and a lot of roasted flesh.
Another term that can have several meanings is that of the “pairs of opposites”. There are two, main, different perceptions of this term. The first can be described as the juxtaposition of the lower to the higher. This could refer to lower and higher kinds of matter, consciousness, energies or worlds. The other perceptions are that of opposites, such as good and evil, right and wrong, attraction or repulsion and identification or liberation. If you are talking about worlds, the greater the distance between them, then the implied opposition is considered to be greater. Referencing old esoteric symbolic literature, you notice that exact definitions are not desirable. We have already discussed how the same ‘truth’ was interpreted differently by successive grades in a mystery school. When these esoteric terms became exoteric, misconceptions occurred. For current students of esoterics, the symbols used will need to be clearly defined.
We have already discussed the term “spirit is the highest form of matter and matter is the lowest form of spirit”. What is really changing between, what is known as the realms of spirit and those of matter, is the degree to which that matter is conscious. In our Solar System, World 43 could be said to be in greatest opposition to World 49. This is why World 43 is called, improperly, ‘Spirit’. It is just matter that is more conscious. However, the symbology of spirit verse matter explains why matter (49) is called the “Mother aspect”, as it represents the foetus and the Monadic World, 43, is called the “Father aspect”.
There is one pair of opposites that we should look at separately and that is “light” and “darkness”. Light, it will come as no surprise to you, has many meanings. As an esoteric symbol, light is a substance, even in physics, we talk about light particles. So, light can be considered a part of the spectrum of matter. But matter does not exist by itself. It is in motion and that motion is fuelled by energy. The energy aspect of light is “sound”. So, depending on your sensitivity, an initiate can apprehend and use light and sound. It is by the use of sound that objects can be levitated.
The “light” we see is etheric matter. It enables vision in darkness. Light, however, also exists on all plains of matter. On the Emotional Plane, it enables clairvoyance. When you are on the Emotional Plane, you are able to view objects. These objects are illuminated. The light on this plane is much brighter and radiant. It has more hues but it is still light. Light on the Mental Plane enables the formation of ideas leading to understanding. We are now clear that light is matter, but it is something else. It is objective consciousness. We usually think of consciousness as being subjective, yet we often use the term “shedding light on a subject”. Somehow, our consciousness can facilitate our understating of something, because “light” is illuminating our understanding. It should be clear by now that there are as many forms of light as there are grades of matter. From the perspective of subjective consciousness, “light” is the symbolic expression of ‘understanding through experience’.
Now we come to “darkness”. There is an interesting expression in esoteric, the “dark night of the soul”. As with everything else, this has several meanings. The effects of this expression are visited on all of us at some point in our lives. This can manifest as waves for the Emotional World, flooding us in darkness, fear, suffering and despair; similar to losing your internet connection. Apparently, the most intensive “night” someone can experience is when they identify themselves with and experience the bottomless distress of humanity. This is supposed to equate to a state an initiate feels, as they transition to the Unity World (46). They feel totally abandoned, as they dissolve their causal body. They feel they are losing everything that they were up until that point. This “dark night” is not unique to us. Even monads in higher kingdoms, relative to us, experience similar bouts of despair but this is only when they look at us Humans and what we are getting up to.
One symbol we could not possibly overlook is that of the Holy Grail. This vessel, once filled, is supposed to confirm upon its possessor ‘perfection’. What does this chalice really represent? As with all Christian symbology, it is Gnostic in origin. The chalice refers to a monad’s causal envelope. The wine in the chalice is causal consciousness. The objective is to fill up your own ‘chalice’ and thus perfect yourself. When the chalice receives ‘wine’ from the 2nd-Self and it ceases to respond to vibrations from the 1st-Self, the monad becomes a perfect tool, to be used by the Hierarchy in service to all.
There is a correspondence between the Holy Grail and the Christian symbol of the ‘Holy Ghost”. This is the causal self, your guardian angel, in fact. When the “veil is rent in twain”, the monad has achieved causal consciousness. Needless to say, there has been a considerable amount of imaginative speculation around the topic of the Holy Grail. Monty Python anyone?
If you found the discussion around the Holy Grail exciting, wait till you hear about Squares and the Triangle!
See you next time.