CALLING THE PHYSICAL WORLD AN ILLUSION DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT DOES NOT EXIST (ONE ONLY HAS TO TRY WALKING THROUGH A WALL TO REALIZE THE ERROR IN THIS FORM OF THINKING), BUT RATHER THAT IT EXISTS IN A FORM OTHER THAN THAT WHICH WE BELIEVE IT TO BE. WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE PHYSICAL OBJECTS ARE REALLY EXPRESSIONS OF GOD. OUR SOUL, THROUGH THE PROCESS OF MESKHENET (KARMA), DRAWS TO US THOSE OBJECTS (PERSONS, THINGS OR SITUATIONS) THAT WE (OUR SOULS) NEED TO FURTHER OUR SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION OUTWARD.
The preoccupation with matters such as race relations, wars, crime, so-cial status, physical appearance, and all other intricacies of human interac-tion are, as we will see, manifestainterac-tions of a limited (ignorant) intellect which has not been able to transcend the pettiness of the apparent world condition in order to see the larger reality, the Absolute reality that lies beyond the apparent differences that seem to exist in the world. Yes there are practical realities in the world to be dealt with in one's physical exist-ence, but these are not to be accepted as Absolute realities, for acceptance of these as Absolute realities leads to bondage to them. Rather, an attitude of detachment, dispassion and study should be developed so as to not be affected by either situations of adversity or prosperity, since after all, these two seemingly opposite concepts are really two aspects of the same reality.
One's mind is equally agitated in a state of joy as in pain. Both situations take the focus of the mind away from GOD (supreme peace) toward transi-ent realities. For example, someone who has just won the lottery can have a mind that is as agitated as someone who has just lost all their possessions.
In the former case, the person worries about protecting the money from theft, what to say to family members who want to "borrow" some to tide them over, what to buy and what investments to make to ensure that it lasts a lifetime. In the latter case, this person has the opposite worries of how to borrow or steal some money. Neither of these two persons experi-ence mental peace because true mental peace does not depend on external situations; it is an internal affair.
When the mind is turbulent with worldly concerns, it is like the turbu-lent water in a lake caused by gusty winds; it cannot reflect the sky accur-ately. However, the calm mind becomes like a calm lake, able to reflect the sky (true reality). This can only be accomplished through the process of conscious transcendence, achieved through sustained practice of the dis-ciplines of Yoga. Through the process of transcendence, new positive sub-conscious impressions of the Absolute reality will be created in the mind which will lead us to different perceptions of physical reality.
"Those who live today will die tomorrow, those who die tomorrow will be born again; those who live MAAT will not die."
"The reality of a thing is its relation to the Creator, not that which we see;
it was created by the word of the Creator, this word is its true name; to know a thing's true name is to know its true power, to pronounce it
ex-actly is to release its energy."
"Truth is but one; thy doubts are of thine own raising. It that made vir-tues what they are, planted also in thee a knowledge of their pre-emin-ence. Act as Soul dictates to thee, and the end shall be always right."
Egyptian Proverbs
Body Consciousness
Most people in the world believe themselves to be a physical body and mind but upon deeper examination, one finds that this notion does not hold up to the definition of reality given by MAAT. Therefore, it is only an illusion.
If we are the body, then which part are we---the hands, kidneys, feet, eyes or the skin? Are we the spinal cord or are we the sexual organs? Upon reflection, it becomes obvious that if we were to lose any of these, we would still continue "living." Even if part of the brain were damaged or lost, life could continue. Documented experiments with animals have shown that a head can be severed from the body and later replaced. We are not the senses because we are still there when we lose sight or hearing, etc. Our senses contribute to our ignorant concept of reality by supplying the mind with limited (erroneous) information as to the nature of reality. Therefore, neither the body parts nor the senses constitute the essence of what we call consciousness. We are not the mind, otherwise it would be impossible for us to talk about "training ourselves"to be this or that, or to change into this 171/509
or that way of thinking. We are not the vitality of the body because "we"
are still there when the body feels weak as well as when it feels strong.
The body, senses, mind and vitality (Life Force, Sekhem, Prana) should be seen as extensions of our individual consciousness (mind-ego). They are tools, instruments of our own creation for the purpose of achieving entry and interaction with the "physical reality." The body is to the spirit what a car or an ox is to the body, a valuable tool. We definitely should take care of the car or ox to the extent that they are useful to do work and serve our body, but we should not identify ourselves with them saying: "That is me, I am the car, I am the ox." In the same manner, it is ridiculous for us to identify with our physical body, senses and ego, thinking or saying they are us when our true nature is the universal spirit.
What is the Mind?
The mind is the cause of bondage and release. The mind is that which judges the various experiences we face at every mo-ment. In a world created out of a combination of dense and subtle energy and various states of consciousness, it is necessary to have an instrument that will discern and discriminate between good and evil, hot and cold, here and there, etc., in order to carry on the affairs of life. This process of discrimination is what causes the appearance of distinct and different ob-jects and situations. Therefore, the process of discrimination is a dualizing process where out of the one reality, energy, there seems to be "many real-ities." From this standpoint of apparent duality, the idea arises that we are separate "thinking" individuals and we are also separate from the universe.
In this state of ignorance, we interact with the world in an action-reaction mentality, following our lower nature (anger, greed, hate, etc.), instead of incorporating our higher nature (feeling of oneness) which, when balanced with the lower, will lead one to experience universal love, sharing and peace.
The experience of oneness is likened to the experience of peace because there are no desires to create unrest in trying to act on them or not trying to act on them. Therefore, the experience of oneness is considered to be the
state in which all apparent realities cease to exist. This is the original state.
The experience of "duality" or discrimination is the state in which oppos-ites exist and therefore, the struggle between those opposoppos-ites exists as well.
The waves of the mind, resembling the body of a serpent, are like a roller coaster ride for the soul. A mind free of these waves has achieved supreme peace and understands the unity of all creation. In another sense the coils of the serpent of the primeval waters represents the cosmic mind and its thoughts which stir up the ocean from its calm and thereby creates waves of different shapes and sizes (the names and forms of Creation.
The hieroglyphic symbol of the serpent characterizes the idea of duality.
The serpent, although it appears as one unit, that is to say, it has no arms or legs, has a double tongue and a double penis. Thus, the mind, as sym-bolized by the serpent, has two aspects: a discriminative (dualistic) quality as symbolized by the serpent Apopis, and a synthetic (unifying) quality called the"Serpent in the sky". TheSerpent in the sky, representing the higher mind-intellect, is the centipede of Heru, the God of light and protector of Asar (Ra). In the Ancient Egyptian texts, APOPHISor APOPIS or APEPis the enemy of Ra, the sun. Ra represents light, warmth, Life Force, truth, spirit, etc. APOPIS and its fiendish friends represent darkness, physical and mor-al evil, etc. It is important to understand that APOPIS is a "constant" en-emy of Ra, who fights him everyday, trying to stop him from shining. The implication is that those who wish to be like Ra (those on the spiritual path) must, like Ra, be prepared to fight Apopis at every moment. Thus, there must be continued self effort and one must develop endurance if one is to achieve success as Apopis a persistent adversary. Apopis represents the "lower self", the mind and body which indulges in emotionality, greed, deceit, sense pleasures etc. Apopis also represents adversity in life as well.
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Consequently, those situations or people who were seen as "evil" (contrary to Maat) are called children of APOPIS as in the following text:
"...children of the serpent Apopis, the impious who haunt the wilderness and the dessert..."
Apopis is defeated by they who are armed with the burning and destroy-ing heat of the sun (fire, light), that is, they who possess MAAT (truth and righteousness) and Djehuti (light, insight, wisdom). As the burning body is consumed by the flames of the fire, so too will the illusion of duality be consumed by the light (fire) of truth (oneness). Just as the dream world loses its reality upon one's waking up, so too the illusion of Apopis (duality) dissolves when the forces of light are shed upon it.
The Serpent Power
Spiritual movement is the development of the higher mind in order that it may carry one's consciousness to the discovery of truth rather than illu-sion. Thus, as we change the patterns of conditioned thoughts, we break away from our circular cyclical pattern of existence and enter into a spiral pattern of growth and transformation, as represented by the awakening of the coiled serpent, Kundalini.
This is BUTO, the cobra Goddess, better known as the Uraeus of Ra. Buto is winged. She is the ruler of eternity as she holds the symbol of the shen at the far right. Thus the mind (serpent) is trans-formed from an instrument which is mortal and powerless to a state of freedom (wings), all power (sundisk), and eternity (shen).
Below: The coils of Goddess Kundalini.
Kundalini as the symbol of Cosmic Energy.
18th century, India.The Indian Goddess of female energy (Kundalini) rises from the lo-tus (India 18 Cent.).As with Goddess BUTO of Egypt, Goddess Kundalini of India is also represented by the serpent. The power of Kundalini resides at the base of the spine, awaiting conscious awakening.
Above: The hieroglyph of the "Vertebrae".
Below: From the"Egyptian Book of Coming Forth By Day,"This episode is known as "The Slaughter." The soul of Ankhwahibre does battle with Apopis who is sitting atop the vertebrae (Back - Djed Pillar of Asar) implying that Apopis seeks control of the spiritual energy present in the spiritual subtle channels of the back.
The initiate does battle by invoking the fire of wisdom and therefore as-serts the absolute reality he has discovered in himself:"I am Ra, continually praised...I am he in whom is the sacred eye.."(See eye of Ra). The "Back" is where unbounded spiritual energy (Buto-Uraeus) resides. The initiate is admonished to "develop the fire of the back."
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"The Serpent In The Sky."
A human figure sits atop a Uraeus with the hieroglyph symbol of Hetep (Ptah-Heru, su-preme peace) above the head. The controlled and transformed mind (conscience) sees unity and divinity in all things and identifies with the spirit instead of the mortal body. They who possess the serpent in the sky fly on its back, beyond the limitations of physical reality.
Above: From the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamon, a visual exposition of the idea ex-pressed by the God Tehuti-Hermes: "As above, so below", as two serpents enclose the cosmic form of man (the universe). That which is above (spirit) is eternal, that which is below (matter) is also eternal. The serpent of the earth and the serpent of the sky encircle the lower as well as the higher self. The lower self and the higher self are complementary halves of the whole if brought into harmony.
The center area at the base of the spine is highlighted with a line and by the ram-headed hawk positioned with arms raised (in adoration "Ka") toward the sacral re-gion of the spine - the root energy center (chakra).
In India, the revered ancient Sage Shankaracarya in the book "Vivekacudamani"
stated:
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"The Self is within, and the self is without, the Self is before and the Self is behind, the Self is in the south, and the Self is in the north, the Self like-wise is Above and Below... The embodied consciousness is none other than the Universal Consciousness."
The Ego Is
Our EGO is our identification with our body. As soon as we are born, we are told and begin to believe that our arms, legs, skin, thoughts, ideas, etc.
are what constitute the totality of our existence. In addition, through the process of reincarnation, we have had this false identity hammered into our heads as it were. Hypnotized by our surroundings and convinced by those around us, we believe we are mortal flesh and blood and nothing more.
The ego says things like:"I feel sorry, I feel hungry, I am happy, I want this, I want that, My body is good looking, I want to get a lot of money for myself because then I can buy many things and then I will be happy, My name is so and so, I come from my parents and from nowhere else, My country is such and such, I am separate from other people, I am separate from the earth and the universe, and my thoughts are my own creation, nothing inspires them except my own mind, There is no such thing as a spirit, Life is flesh and blood and nothing else so while I'm here I will live it up till the day I die, for you only live once. I... I...I...My...My...My."
The ego or personality is the source of human pleasure and pain in the world experience. All pleasurable or painful perceptions are a production of the EGO aspect of the mind and an untrained (conditioned) mind is of-ten lost in the maze of world experiences.
The re-trained (unconditioned) mind is the source of release or freedom from the fetters that hold the spirit chained to the events of the world, and our perceptions of them.
To become ONE with GOD, we must discard our ego sense. We must discard the notion that we are individuals living in the universe and that we are separate from everything else. We must understand that we are not the body, not the mind, not our senses, not anything we can feel or touch.
The process of cleansing the Ego-Personality and attaining a purified heart, is the process of YOGA---to leave behind the ego and to develop the higher self. The ego is a tool as are our bodies and it is to be used by us to assist in our survival and evolution. This occurs by training the ego to serve one's best interests instead of allowing it to run our lives; it must be our servant, not the master.
Through denial (sublimation) of the ego, it is possible to partake in the cosmic true self. One may:
"Become a transmitter like Ptah and do the work of they who reside in their caves."
Egyptian Proverb One may become a conduit of the divine power of GOD and do the work of the Neters by becoming in harmony with them.
"Become the KA of Heru and the Neters."
Egyptian Proverb One may become merged with the spirit of Nature (GOD), thereby liv-ing on in immortality when the physical body dies.
The Pyramid and Coffin Texts further admonish us to:
"awaken the Neter quality(Godhood)in man... to free him... save him from the Osirian Path(passion and reincarnation)...
...conquer the enemy(ego-personality)because by doing so, the ONE (GOD)may shine forth through the purified Ba(soul)in splendor."
The Philosophy of Sleep and The Four States of Consciousness
There are three distinct states of consciousness which everyone is famil-iar with: waking, dream and deep sleep. We go through each of these three states everyday, changing our perception of reality with each different state. This waking state of consciousness we are so used to with the image, concept and name for ourselves is not as solid and real as we think it is.
When we fall asleep, the waking consciousness is left behind and we take on a new "identity." In the dream state, the new identity thinks that everything that is happening in the dream is "REAL", but upon waking up one realizes that "nothing" really happened. In the deep sleep state where there are no dreams, we are absorbed in the transcendental state which is beyond time and space. Upon waking from the deep sleep state of con-sciousness, we do not remember anything but we experience a feeling of deep rest and re-creation of our emotional and psychological selves.
In all of the three regular states of consciousness just described, there is one constant factor, a constantly changing state of mental awareness.
Change therefore, implies that these three states do not qualify for the definition of Absolute reality (MAAT) as previously discussed. Whatever it is that we call "us", our "essence", that which makes us "unique", that which "thinks" thoughts and has desires, that which we call a "soul," the in-nermost "I," is really the unchanging witness of all the three states.
Through "ignorance" of its true nature however, the soul "identifies" with the three different states of mental consciousness. Thus, it becomes is bound to the reality with which it is currently involved; thus it is always be-ing caught in one of these states of consciousness at any given point in time.
The waking, dream and deep sleep states of consciousness are only illus-ory mental states. No one can maintain a perpetual mental state of wake-fulness, dream or deep sleep. All of these states are therefore illusions, transient projections of reality which we must transcend, as the search for
The waking, dream and deep sleep states of consciousness are only illus-ory mental states. No one can maintain a perpetual mental state of wake-fulness, dream or deep sleep. All of these states are therefore illusions, transient projections of reality which we must transcend, as the search for