Divine Journeys

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Beyond Enlightenment

Enlightenment is a word that crops up quite a bit in online groups, with quite a few people claiming they are enlightened.

When people experience a rapid spiritual growth, which some people call an awakening whereas other would say they are merely rubbing their eyes, a veil is taken away so those people get to experience the world in a way they never suspected existed. It is as if they step into a new world which operates in a different way to their old world. There is more to this though than meets the (waking) eye.

There are Planes of Consciousness that humanity exists on. These are the zeroth plane, the first plane, the second, and third planes. Then there are the fourth, the fifth and the sixth Planes of Consciousness.

The zeroth, first, second and third planes are the planes where people create karma. The light and energy on the zeroth plane is very slow. There is some astral light, but no mental light. On the first plane the light is a bit quicker and the karma on this plane is different to the zeroth plane, and there is more astral light and a small amount of mental light. On the second plane there is astral light and more mental light than the first, and the spirit of the people, like on the lower planes, is mostly focused outwards away from the inner planes. The third plane is the one where the spirit turns inwards to place its awareness on the inner planes and on God in a solid way. There is more mental light here and less astral. The fourth plane is a very potent plane with mental light and power, which may be used in the outer, physical world. There can a big focus on the inner planes and God. The fifth plane is filled with mental light, and karma is worked through here and not created. Awareness of the spirit and also the personality is automatically focused inside, on God. The sixth plane is also mental light and is even brighter. Again karma is worked through to balance it, so the positive karma balances the negative karma, more or less, and is very much reduced in amount. This is a place of spiritual dreams which is easy to become lost in without a guide, and the focus is on the inner planes and God rather than the external world and material life.

We have on average 8,400,000 lives as a human. We start off in the zeroth plane. We live, experience life, and achieve a tiny incremental increase in consciousness, and then we die. Next lifetime, we start off at a slightly higher level of consciousness than the previous life. The process of reincarnation goes on and on. As it does, our level of consciousness keeps on increasing. It keeps on doing this all up the planes, and the consciousness of someone on the sixth plane is very different to the level of consciousness they had when they were on the zeroth plane all those millions of lifetimes ago. Over the many lifetimes, we build up our ability to handle the light. Someone on the sixth plane could not have been able to handle the light and energy that they are immersed in now, when they were on the zeroth, or first, second and third planes, and in fact all the way up including the fifth.

As part of this increase of consciousness that comes from experiencing and learning from Life (which is an expression of God), there are times when our karma that we have arranged to work with before incarnating, includes having a veil of awareness removed so we partially see a bit more of what Life is really about. There are many veils to be removed, and as each one is removed we get to see into Life deeper and deeper. These veils are removed at points as we go through our many, many lives. In a life when the plan is to remove a veil to move us along our spiritual path, our guide or guides decides on the best timing to do this, taking into account our mind and our personality’s ability to handle losing one old version of reality, and replacing it with a new version, as it can be quite stressful for a mind. This new perception helps us to see the reality we live in, the new dream we live in, in a more spiritual way.

A veil removed in the zeroth or first plane will enable the person to experience the light on those planes, and the information, knowledge and understanding in it, but not help them to experience what is on the higher planes. Building that experience is a step by step by step process over the many lifetimes.

Occasionally someone who has a veil removed and experiences an awakening, or really a mini-awakening, will experience reality in a new way, and feel different and say they are enlightened. But really there are many veils to be removed over many lifetimes. The notion of enlightenment needs to be put into perspective. No matter where anyone is on the path, there is always more to learn and experience.

When a person has made it up to near the top of the sixth Plane of Consciousness usually (or occasionally the fifth) and so there karma is nearly balanced and much reduced, a Perfect Master will make that person God-realised. They unshackle the consciousness from being in the Illusion of Creation, wake up the soul and the consciousness, and place it in Universal consciousness. They make it aware of God, and the soul’s true reality. Usually the physical body is dropped at this point as it is no longer needed unless that person have a role to fulfil down here in physical Creation.

This is a big awakening, and the new level of light and love coming through gives a new understanding and knowing (and spiritual common sense), but there is more.

The Divine is made up of Divine Journeys, each infinitely big compared to the one before, each with brighter and more intense love and light, each being an aspect of God who is Infinite. Once on the Divine Journeys, a soul can journey through the increasing levels of love and light, further and further along the Divine Journeys. All the way to God in its highest form.

With each Divine Journey comes new awareness and learning and change. New enlightenment if you like. What happens at the end of the journey? You would have to be there to find out.

As for removal of the veils at this present time, it is quite an event for a number of reasons. There are cycles of Ages. In this Age that we live in, the Kali Yuga Age is the darkest and slowest one, where souls get to rest and digest the light they have previously experienced, normally not a lot goes on. But it looks like God has decided to speed things up a bit, as the last Avatar, Meher Baba instigated a plan of massive change, with a huge input of spiritual energy, to speed things up a lot. He indicated he had made all the major decisions for the next 1,200 years, and set the timeline for the next 3,000 years. The five Perfect Masters are making sure this is happening, and also, the first Divine Journey is actually coming down into Creation and down the planes. It should take about 1,200 years for it to reach the bottom of the zeroth Plane of Consciousness. This will bring about thorough change in the world, in the Universe, and in Creation. What is more, the second and the third Divine Journey are due to come into Creation as well and this should take 3,000 years to complete. Life will be completely different to how we experience it now, and humanity will have changed hugely as well, with a great many more chakras than it has now.

The first Divine Journey can be considered as being like gold light, and a type of Divine Love that can be thought of as Unconscious Bliss. Think of bubbles of gold light falling down the Planes of Consciousness, falling into peoples’ hearts and minds, carrying tremendous energy, bliss, inspirational and creative thoughts and dreams, which generally shake things Up and move everything forward. There are Divine guides like personal trainers for everyone which are very different to previous guides so it is useful to forget everything you think you know about guides, because they won’t be like that. It is “All Change”.

Then there are souls incarnating from now on that are more awake than the souls currently down here, who will be bringing about more change and carrying a lot of energy.

Additionally, humanity is having its third eye opened, and an increase in consciousness in humanity is taking place for everyone. More chakras are being placed in humans, which means new ways of living, doing and being, as the new sixth Root Race starts up since the old fifth Root Race, the Aryan Root Race, is coming to an end. Hence the fragmentation of human life nowadays and general breakdown, chaos, change and new beginnings.

This is definitely an amazing and interesting time to be alive on this singularly unique planet out of all the possible planets to incarnate into, in a human life.

Hopefully this puts the notion of enlightenment into context. Learning and spiritual development into who and what you are as a soul happens through the process of Life and God-realisation. The concept of “enlightenment” is pointless, empty and has a lot of glamour, and is best forgotten. Best to focus on doing what feels right and loving to keep moving and learning on your spiritual path.

Just so you know, you can use your innate, spiritual abilities to check out concepts that you come across, and you can check out what people say. Using your third eye or your intuition, you might like to take a look at the concept of “enlightenment”, the one found in the New Age world.  To me it looks all grey and mushy. There is nothing to it, just a lot of astral and mental energy that people have fed it with. When a thoughtform is like that, it is best to disregard it and find what looks and feel true, filled with love and light.

Footnote:

If you are interested, there is a wonderful map of how souls progress through the planes of consciousness and through the Divine Journeys and their states of mind or Mind in “God Speaks” by Meher Baba. There is also a tremendous amount of other high quality information in it (and amazing energy). If you feel drawn to get this book, it is definitely a good idea to get it.

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What is it deep inside people that makes them meditate?

There is something inside people that provides the inspiration or the urge to meditate. It is very deep; an intrinsic part of being human, of actually being alive.

Meditation is connecting, or trying to connect with Home.

Here’s why.

When a person meditates they attempt to experience peace and silence, and achieve this to some degree. This peace and silence is good for the spirit, and for the mind and body. It nourishes, clears, strengthens and relaxes all parts of the person.

Souls initially exist outside of creation, up on one of the Divine Journeys. Usually one of the lower ones. That is their original Home. They are usually asleep and unconscious, all the while experiencing the deep Silence, the peace, the light, and the deep divine love that are part of the Divine Journeys. This is experiencing God, or aspects of God, moment after moment. This is Home.

Souls are then washed down into creation as they follow in the wake of the Avatar as they periodically come down into creation. After many lifetimes experiencing  many different lifeforms, the souls experience human lives.

As a human, there is something deep inside that remembers where we are from and what our true nature is. There is an urge to re-experience those qualities of Home, to experience the silence, stillness and the love.

Meditation is a natural way of experiencing down here in creation in a diluted way that which as souls we would experience Home on the Divine Journeys.

Silence can be deep. Once, I attended a meeting of Meher Baba followers. Songs were sung, prayers that had been written by Meher Baba were said. Then we all stood silently. The Silence that began was like the doors of infinite Silence being opened. It was vast, deep and infinitely dynamic and active, filled with peace and love. It was like no other silence I had ever experienced. After a couple of minutes the Silence faded and the normal reality returned.

For FAQs about meditation, click here.

 

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Religion, spirituality and meditation

If you draw several timelines covering five thousand years or so, one each for each region of the world, and then map onto them when religions started up, when they were popular, and when they declined, some details become noticeable.

First off, religions start off very small. Initially, there would be a strong spiritual basis, sparked by one person, who provides the Divine love, the energy and any teachings. Matters are kept very simple.

When that person dies or drops their body, that is when others set themselves up above others as the holders of the true message or faith. This when ceremonies are created, ceremonial dress is given importance, and those who set themselves up as priests and priestesses produce their own additions and interpretations to any initial message. They “lead” the followers and often give out rules for living. They become the middlemen that followers have to go through, and the followers no longer have to think for themselves. A religion has been created.

People like ceremonies and routine as it helps them feel safe and comfortable. They are easy to do, and a participant doesn’t have to think to hard. Plus there is a sense of involvement and of being part of something and belonging.

So a group goes from being a small group of people who will have had to change their lives to be part of something new, something that seems radical to the old way, and which will probably be seen as a challenge to that old way. The group members will be made to break habits, to think, to love more, and face challenges.

In fairness, while a religion is active, it is living off the  energy provided by the initial progenitor, who is usually an Avatar or Perfect Master, and the energy they provide can last for thousands of years. This means that a person with a spiritual disposition can still make spiritual headway even amidst the ceremonies and trappings, and any dark twists that get added by negative individuals.

The point at the beginning of a religion is spirituality, of increasing the connection with the Divine and soaking up that Divine energy to create growth spiritually in that lifetime and future lifetimes.

I’ve blogged before about dropsouls, about how these are Divine, on the Divine Journeys, and yet unconscious. These come down into the very bottom of creation, develop and move up the planes of consciousness, to become God Realized, and this time, conscious of their Divinity.

These dropsouls are us, and all our younger brothers and sisters in creation. It is Divine energy that gives us a push up (and right thoughts, feelings, decisions and actions).

The last Avatar said he had come to awaken, not teach. That means an opening of the heart, amongst other things, and a direct connection. It makes life a fresh, vital experience, rather than following old, historic rules. Essentially it’s about learning about God by living the life in front of you, rather than looking back in time for rules to feel safe in.

A person doesn’t need middlemen, just the direct connection with the Divine. That and willingness, putting out a request to the Divine, then receiving the input and energy.

Meditation could be a way to do this.

For FAQs about meditation, click here.

If you would like to know about online meditation and courses that are available, click here.

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A Soul’s Journey down into Creation, and then back Up to God

Trying to talk about souls can be tricky, and fascinating at the same time. Souls originate on the Divine Journeys, in the Beyond, which is outside time. This is not a straightforward concept as it is so unlike our everyday reality.

When the Avatar comes down into creation every 400 to 700 years in major and minor incarnations, souls, or dropsouls follow the Avatar down through the Divine Journeys into creation (or are poached, which is another story). In creation, with its planes of consciousness (0th, 1st … 6th), there is time, and karma. As time goes by, creation is ever changing and developing, and souls grow as they journey in creation.

Souls fall over time, to the bottom of the zeroth plane, the slowest and least conscious plane. As souls fall, they experience a massive separation from the Divine, from God, and from their own true nature, and the Divine level of their consciousness. This is a shock that remains with the soul, even though their consciousness falls from this exalted state to zero; to a very slow, non-existent state. There remains a deep sadness and grief, that is difficult to put a finger on.

Simultaneously, there is an aspect of the soul, outside time, that has experienced and completed everything on the inner planes and on the Divine Journeys. This is a tricky concept and it isn’t really necessary to understand it as it wouldn’t influence the journey of the soul in any case.

The You reading this, in creation, is the extension of soul energy, that is in time. The aspect of your soul on the Divine Journeys, will not be necessarily aware of what is going on with the personality you in creation, as the light is so captivating there. What this aspect of soul Up there is missing out on though is experience of life in creation, and the slow frequency light down here, particularly the dark of the zeroth plane, and also, emotion. Souls come down here to experience emotion.

Souls and divine beings that stay in the Divine Journeys have no idea of what the grand adventure we call life is like down here in creation.

They miss out on the journey down, and they miss out on the journey up the planes and the experiences they gain in this Illusion. Souls with an aspect of themselves down here get to experience the many lifetimes as rock and metal with the heating, flowing, crushing, and erosion, and so on, while having only infinitesimal consciousness.

Then there are the many lifetimes in plant form in the many different environments. They grow, use physical light, put down roots (or live of other plants and sometimes creatures), they can be eaten. Open to the sky they experience weather and starlight. Those in the water experience those environments. They experience long or short lives, fire, drought and so on. With flowers and blossoms they irradiate scents, colour and energy. (From an energy point of view, plants have a fascinating existence.) The consciousness level is a somewhat greater than a rock or metal.

Still on the zeroth plane of consciousness, the soul has many lifetimes in animal form; as with worms, insects, fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals. With each change of lifeform there is an incremental change in the level of consciousness. The form that a soul takes depends on the level of consciousness that needs to be experienced. A soul going through the many animal forms, and experiences a huge variety of conditions, and events that happen to them. They experience instincts and intelligence. They experience emotions (a scientist may disagree, but anyone who has spent time with animals or has a pet will know when an animal is happy or sad or scared, and so on). Animals experience being on their own and in other lives, living as part of a society or group. They eat, sometimes hunt, sometimes get eaten (alive!). Animals communicate.

Then come the sub-human lives that are a cross-over point to being human on the zeroth plane. In all this, the soul grows in consciousness, and stores the accumulation of experiences in part of itself.

As a human, lifetime after lifetime up until the top of the third plane of consciousness, the soul builds, karma, and then balances it or burns it off from then on up to the top of the sixth plane. As a human the soul gets to experience the full range of what it can mean to be a human being, from the darkest events to the most loving and light. The soul experiences life in a detached way, as it is still very much in the Divine Journeys, while the person down here will experience life through personality, spirit, and the accumulation of all those vast numbers of lifetimes that occurred from rock, plant, animal upwards. So people can be incredibly animalistic in their thinking and behaviour as their animal past comes to the forefront. This is particularly so in a human lifetime that has a leaning to the Dark Lodge and the negative dark, rather than a lifetime leaning to the light or Light Lodge. Part of spirituality is diminishing or transforming the old heritage that is rather like very old baggage.

Meditation and doses of light really help here. However, to really appreciate what the light is like, and what Divine energies are like, being in the muck an the mud, and the pain and struggle that happens in creation, provides the contrast. Sometimes to know what something is like you need to experience the opposite. It also provides the crucible through which a soul gains the experience and learning, in the end, transforms into its full beauty, and with quite a story to tell back on the Divine Journeys.

For FAQs about meditation, click here.