An awareness that can see and feel to the root of thought: to have it always! I don't mean something that must be cultivated by thought. Rather, I mean a state of awareness independent even of the thought of meditation. How to come across this awareness? First, you can't reach that state with a map because there's no footpath leading to it. The mere act of sitting down to meditate creates a psychological environment in which it becomes impossible to stop the movement of mind, for the very effort to stop that movement is itself part of mind. But therein lies the paradox:
If you can sit down without the thought, "I'm going to stop the movement of thought," then you've taken the first step towards being unconditionally present. Nothing more can be said. This can be done while sitting alone, with nobody there to disturb you, but when in action---at the workplace or what have you---you must maintain the capacity to observe the observer. You must be capable of observing your knee-jerk reactions and all that which moves within and around you. This means that you must give up being a censor. Remember the axiom: No self, no problem! That is spiritual liberation and the end of our journey.
Or perhaps it's the beginning…
Let’s assume for a moment that Nietzsche was right, that the universe contains a “Law of Eternal Return”. Go ahead and examine your life. Stop reading for a moment and imagine that you’ll have to be born and again and again to live the same life you’re currently living, down to the last detail. Does this thought bring you joy? Or does it fill you with dread?
Whatever the case, one thing is certain:
If you have the capacity to remain with things as they are, to see clearly into them and respond accordingly, then let the cards fall as they may---the answer is in the question itself.
About the Author
Daniel Kelley is an author, poet, musician, and Integral Life Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the esoteric-arts. He is the creator of Subliminal Cognition Training and Animitariomancy. He is the author of the book Behind The Veil: The Complete Guide to Conscious Sleep (The Original Falcon Press 2018) and has published numerous articles. Daniel was born in 1979 to Baptist parents in Waterloo Canada. His father was a Baptist preacher. After a profound and prolonged transpersonal crisis in early childhood, Daniel broke away from his strict Christian upbringing to study the wisdom traditions of the world. At age sixteen he suffered a breakdown that culminated at age twenty-one, at which time he experienced a transpersonal breakthrough. After joining various Hermetic societies and practicing their methods, Daniel eventually found his spiritual home in a combination of Chinese Taoist Alchemy, Hermeticism, Integral Life Practice, and the various Yogas of India and Tibet. He also practices and teaches Internal Chinese Martial Arts, Qigong, Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. Daniel currently lives with his wife and daughter in upstate New York.
Contact Information:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (845) 901-2964
Website: http://behindtheveil.simdif.com
Address: 22 Main Street (apt #4)
Hyde Park NY 12538
APPENDIX
GLOSSARY
(A)
•Abraxas: The “embodied form of God” in some traditions, the Great Oversoul in others.
•Adonai: Hebrew word meaning “Lord”. A title of God.
•Adjustment: The 8th trump of Tarot.
•Aeon (The): The 20th trump of Tarot.
•Agape: The nurturing and nesting principle of Evolution.
•Ahathoor: An Egyptian goddess of music, joy, and celebration.
•Ain, Ain Soph, Ain Soph Aur: The Kabbalistic Three Veils of Negative Existence.
•Aleph: The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Aleph means, “Ox”.
•Aleister Crowley: A famous British occultist and the creator of the Thoth Tarot deck.
•Amulet: A magickal device used to keep away unwanted energies or entities.
•Anima: The repressed femininity of a man.
•Animitariomancy: The author’s own system of Tarot divination.
•Animus: The repressed masculinity of a woman.
•Ankh Af Na Khonsu
•Apophis:The Egyptian version of what Christians call Satan. Apophis is the Greek name for Apep, the enemy of the sun-god, Ra.
•Assiah (Olam Ha): The Kabbalistic World of Action.
•Asclepius: Greek god of medicine and dreams. His staff, a symbol of regeneration, is seen throughout the Thoth Tarot deck.
•Astral Body: The mobile aspect of the Subtle and Causal bodies.
•Augoeides: A Greek term meaning “guiding lights”, a reference the stars. Also sometimes used as a title of the Holy Guardian Angel.
•Ayin: The sixteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Ayin means “eye”.
•Art: the fourteenth trump of Tarot.
•Artemis: The Greek goddess of the hunt.
•Atziluth (Olam Ha): The Kabbalistic World of Archetypes.
(B)
•Babel (Tower of): Biblical figure symbolizing man's arrogance, said to be the reason why God created different human languages.
•Bacchus: (See: Dionysus)
•Banishing: A ritual designed to clear the magickal circle of negative OR positive influences.
•Baphomet: A largely fictional creation of occultist Eliphaz Levi. Baphomet is an androgyne god that in many ways resembles the Greek god of the wilderness, Pan.
•Baptism: A purification ritual.
•Bes Na Maut: The father of the Egyptian priest, Ankh af na Khonsu.
•Beth: “House”. The 2nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Attributed to the 1st trump of Tarot, called The Magus.
•Binah: The third Sephira on the Tree of Life. It represents divine Understanding and the Vision of Sorrow.
•Briah:(Olam Ha): The Kabbalistic World of Creation.
(C)
•Cain: One of two sons of the Biblical Adam and Eve, cursed with immortality for murdering his brother, Abel.
•Caput Mortuum: “Dead Head” or “Worthless Remains”. The symbol of the raven perched atop the head of the skull. An alchemical symbol for remains of the distillation process.
•Cartomancy: The art of reading Tarot cards for Fortune Telling and Divination.
•Causal Body: The root of egoic consciousness itself. The subtlest aspect of the Subtle Body.
•Chariot (The): The seventh trump of Tarot.
•Chakra: Sanskrit word meaning “wheel” or “vortex”. An energy center within one's Subtle Body.
•Centaur Awareness: A term used to describe the unity of the body and mind, or bodymind.
•Centrum In Centri Trigono: Latin phrase meaning “Central thing in the center of another central thing”. It's a reference to the root of consciousness itself and also the Alchemical principle of the Philosopher’s Stone. C.I.C.T. is featured in the 10th trump of Tarot, called Fortune.
•Cerberus: The two-headed hound of Hades in Greco/Roman mythology. Cerberus appears in the 9th trump, called The Hermit, and is faced by the Charioteer in the 7th trump, called The Chariot.
•Chesed: Hebrew word meaning “Mercy”. The fourth Sephira on the Tree of Life.
•Cheth: “Fence”. The 18th path on the Tree of Life. Attributed to the 7th trump of Tarot, called The Chariot.
•Chiah: In Kabbalah, the Chiah represents the very energy behind the Idea. Think of it as the True Will of a person, in harmony with the Evolutionary pulse or creative Will of God.
•Chokmah: “Wisdom”. The 2nd Sephira on the Tree of Life. One of three Sephiroth comprising the Supernal Triad (see “Supernal Triad”).
•Child: An occult symbol for purity and the result of a magickal operation.
•Christ: A Greek word meaning “Anointed One”. A title of Jesus of Nazareth.
•Collegium Cherubim: A Hermetic Order established in the year 1999.
•Crocodile: A symbol that often represents primal fears, urges, past evolution, danger, and enemies. The crocodile is features in trump #
0, called The Fool.
•Crowley: See “Aleister Crowley”
•Cups: Also called “Hearts”, the Cup is one of four “weapons” of the ceremonial magician. Also one of four suits of the Minor Arcana of Tarot. It represents the element of Water.
(D)
•Daath: The “false” Sephira on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, Daath is often called the “false crown” of higher knowledge. Daath dwells on the final Abyss which separates the Supernal Triad from the rest of the Tree of Life.
•Daleth: “Door”. The 4th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Attributed to the 3rd trump of Tarot, called The Empress.
•Dance of Death: Also called Dodentantz, or The Dance Macabre, The Dance of Death is a label often given to the Major Arcana of Tarot.
•Dark Night of the Soul: A period of spiritual apathy. Also known as the Abyss.
•Death: The 13th trump of Tarot.
•Devil (The): The 15th trump of Tarot.
•Dionysus: The Greco-Roman god of ecstasy and wine.
•Dis Pater: “Dark Father”. A title of Pluto. Seen in the 16th trump of Thoth Tarot, The Tower, belching flames from below.
•Disk: Also called “Pantacle”, the Disk is one of four “weapons” of the ceremonial magician. It's also one of four suits in the Minor Arcana of Tarot. It represents the element of Earth.
•Distal Self: That part of your psyche that you can be relatively objective about. Who you were versus who you’re are becoming.
•Dodentantz: See “Dance of Death”.
•Drash: A Hebrew word for “fable” or “allegory”.
(E)
•Ecclesiastes: A chapter of the New Testament in the Christian Bible.
•Eden (The Garden of): The mythical paradise inhabited by the first man and woman in the book of Genesis.
•Egregore: A collective group mind. Oftentimes, a person’s Holy Guardian Angel forms the basis of an egregore.
•Eights: The number of the 8th Sephira, called Hod, on the Tree of Life. In Numerology, the number eight signifies communication and exchange.
•Elohim: A name for God used frequently in the Hebrew Bible.
•Emperor (The): The 4th trump of Tarot.
•Empress (The): The 3rd trump of Tarot.
•Enochian: The magickal system designed by Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley to communicate with the Angels.
•Epistemology: The philosophical study of opinion versus justified belief.
•Eros: The organizing and creative principle of Evolution. Also the Greco-Roman god of caprice and romantic love.
•Esopus Island: A small island in the Hudson River of New York where Aleister Crowley began his translation of the Tao Te Ching.
•Ethos: The moral spirit of a people.
•Existential Level (of Consciousness):
•Eye of God: Sometimes called the All-seeing Eye, the Eye of Horus, or the Eye of Shiva, the Eye symbolizes everything from the Oversoul (the Witness) to the Eye of God itself. It's also a symbol of enlightenment and clairvoyance. It's found throughout the Thoth Tarot deck.
•Etheric Body: The Qi body. The bioelectrical body.
•Etz Ha Chayim: Hebrew for The Tree of Life.
(F)
•Faith: Often mistaken as a synonym for belief, faith is synonymous with spiritual Will.
•Fish: A symbol that often represents past evolution, secrets, insights, dreams, and anticipation. The fish is featured in the 13th trump of Tarot, called Death.
•Fives: The number of the Sephira called Geburah on the Tree of Life. In Numerology, the number five signifies crisis, change, fear, and upheaval.
•Flaming Sword: The weapon held by the Cherubim to keep mankind out of the Garden of Eden after The Fall.
•Fool (The): The trump numbered “0” in Tarot.
•Fortune (The Wheel of): The 10th trump of Tarot.
•Fours: The number of the fourth Sephira called Gedulah on the Tree of Life. In Numerology, the number four signifies structure, habit, law, and order.
•Francis Israel Regardie: A well-known occultist, author, and prominent member of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
•Frater: Greek word for “brother”. A title of a male initiate of a secret society.
(G)
•Geburah: Hebrew word meaning “Power”. The 5th Sephira on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
•Gedulah: Hebrew word meaning “Glory”. A mantra used in a magickal exercise called The Middle Pillar.
•Gilgamesh: The historical king of the Sumerian city-state of Uruk. Also the protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
•Gimel: Hebrew word meaning “Camel”. The 3rd letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Attributed to the 2nd trump of Tarot, called The Priestess.
•God: The Supreme Deity.
•Golden Dawn (The Hermetic Order of the): An esoteric order of Hermeticism and spiritual attainment that existed in the early to mid-1900’s.
•Graal (The Holy): An arcane symbol of the dissolution of the self into the greater Self. Ironically, the Graal is a spinoff of the term “Grail”: a highly coveted religious icon.
•Gunas: “Quality, Property”. The three alchemical principles of the created universe according to Hindu philosophy. The three Gunas are called Rajas, Tamas, and Sattva.
•Guph: Kabbalistic and Hebrew term for the physical body (Gross Body).
(H)
•Hades: The Greek god of the Underworld.
•Hadith: An Egyptian solar deity and one of three divinities of the Thelemic religion.
•Hall of Two Truths: An Egyptian myth about what happens to the soul after the death of the body. The Hall of Two Truths is where a soul is examined before being either exterminated or allowed to pass into the afterlife.
•Hanged Man (The): The 12th trump of Tarot.
•Harpocrates: (See: Hoor Pa Kraat)
•Heh: “Window”. 5th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Attributed to the 17th trump of Thoth Tarot, called The Star.
•Hell Mouth: Also called Dis Pater, a form of the Roman god Pluto.
•Hermit (The): The ninth trump of Tarot.
•Hermanubis: The Egyptian version of the Greek and Roman god Mercury. Hermanubis can navigate the Underworld and also the realm of the Gods.
•Hierophant (The): The 5th trump of Tarot.
•Hill of Skulls: The place where Jesus is said to have been crucified.
•Hod: The 8th Sephira on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, called “Splendor”. It’s associated with the lower faculties of intellect and reason.
•Holon: A term coined by Arthur Koestler. A whole thing that is part of another whole thing.
•Holy Embryo: Called by different names in different traditions, the Holy Embryo is the result of the harmonious interplay between Yin and Yang, Anima and Animus, is also known as the Babe in the Egg.
•Holy Guardian Angel: The Higher Self.
• Holy Order of Ra Hoor Khuith: An offshoot of the Ordo Templi Orientis.
•Hoor Pa Kraat (Harpocrates): The “hidden” form of Horus. The god of silence.
•Horus: An Egyptian sun god. The ruling Archetype of the current age according to the religion of Thelema.
•Hrumachis: In the religion of Thelema, it’s believed that the evolutionary paradigm (Aeon) that governs the current age (Horus) will be succeeded by the new paradigm to which Crowley attributes the “double-wanded one”, the god Hrumachis.
(I)
•IAO: Isis, Apophis, Osiris. A magickal formula pertaining to the death and rebirth process.
•Ialdabaoth (Yaldabaoth): The Gnostic pejorative for the Hebrew God, Jehovah. Also called The Demiurge.
•Icarus: An arrogant god in Roman myth who flew too close to the sun and perished.
•Ida: the Moon channel in Yogic anatomy, Ida is an Etheric nerve said to reside on the left side of the spine.
•Idea (Platonic): The formless energy behind the Archetype or Psychoid.
•Icon: A religious statue or symb
ol, typically employed for worship.
•Incubus: A male demon said to attack sleeping women for sex. A male psychic vampire.
•Individuation: A Jungian term for the process by which the Self becomes an integrated whole.
•Ipssissimus: A high grade of spiritual attainment in the Western Hermetic Tradition.
(J)
•Jehovah: An attempt to spell or pronounce the “unknowable” name of the Hebrew God. Also called TETRAGRAMMATON (YHVH).
•Jesus: The messianic figure of the New Testament in the Christian Bible. Also known as the PENTAGRAMMATON (YHshVH).
•Jing: Chinese word meaning “essence” or “to refine”. Often a reference to sperm, ovum, fat, bone marrow, and DNA.
•Joker: A title of trump #0 in Tarot, called The Fool. Seen in traditional playing cards.
•Justice: A title of the 8th trump of Tarot.
(K)
•Kabballah: An ancient oral tradition of the Hebrews. The philosophical basis of the symbol called the Tree of Life, according to which Tarot is formatted.
•Kaph: “Palm of the Hand”. The 11th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Attributed to the 10th trump, called Fortune.
•Ken Wilber: A modern American philosopher of the Integral school of thought.
•Koph: “Back of Head”. The 19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Attributed to the 18th trump of Tarot, called The Moon.
•Kundalini: The “serpent power” said to lie dormant at the base of the spine. Sexual and nerve force that rises up the spine when activated.
(L)
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