Inner Work

For the week of August 24, 2009

Beyond Consciousness

(Part 9 of 9 in the series: Stages of Becoming Conscious)

Familiarity and facility with the conscious energy brings a measure of freedom and peace. In its quiet way this causes a revolution in our inner life by releasing us from total dependence on and identification with the contents of our mind, with our thoughts and emotions and sensory impressions. This freedom feels like the attainment of a goal, perhaps The Ultimate Goal. But while it is a great and important stage on the way, it is not The Ultimate Goal. There are at least two levels of spiritual realities beyond consciousness.

The first is the World of Sacred Light. By sustained abiding in consciousness, it can become porous, allowing the high and blissful energy of the Sacred Light to trickle through to us, a trickle that can widen into a torrent. Knowing consciousness, we can begin to realize its limits and reach into a dimension beyond those limits, into the truly sacred. How to do this? We can only find the way on our own, by exploring our own inner world and groping with a pure heart beyond consciousness toward the Light. Contemplative prayer also offers a way into the Light. As we orient ourselves toward the Divine through prayer, we open to and are touched by the World of Sacred Light. And as we become able to open to that world and receive the creative energy of the Sacred Light, that energy works in us to create even more of the conscious energy in a positive feedback loop that directly contributes to the spiritual ecosystem of our planet — a profound act of service.

Ultimately, we seek beyond even the World of Sacred Light, to move toward the One, the Unity behind all diversity, the Sacred Source, the Prime Mover of all. We reach beyond all that we have encountered before, totally immersing ourselves in prayer and in surrender to the One to Whom we pray. Urgently and passionately, quietly and persistently we offer the whole of our self, the very core of our self in service to and in begged-for unity with that only and unique One. We return again and again, patiently and insistently presenting ourselves before the Truth, the Source of Love, knocking on the door that separates us from That. Though we do not know where that door is or how to reach it, we keep going nevertheless, making ourselves available to be found by that Great Heart of the World.

So our practice in the Stages of Becoming Conscious leads us beyond consciousness, well beyond consciousness. For this week, reinvigorate your own inner work of seeking the way beyond consciousness. The deeper you go, the greater the level of your service thereby.

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