Atlantis Online
March 28, 2024, 05:40:45 pm
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: Plato's Atlantis: Fact, Fiction or Prophecy?
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=CarolAnn_Bailey-Lloyd
http://www.underwaterarchaeology.com/atlantis-2.htm
 
  Home Help Arcade Gallery Links Staff List Calendar Login Register  

Ascension

Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Ascension  (Read 93 times)
0 Members and 84 Guests are viewing this topic.
Tanatu
Full Member
***
Posts: 47


« on: November 07, 2007, 04:35:41 pm »

Contrary to what everyone is constantly striving to do..
which is to be "Distracted" or ESCAPE from REALITY...
 ( as often and as quickly as possible)
the goal of spiritual work is to clear the way for your spirit self to
FULLY INCARNATE here on this Physical Earth Plane...
We have all spent so much time and energy trying not to be here...
  to get to somewhere else and AVOID SUFFERING at All Costs !

Question ?
"What is the deeper purpose for our existence ?"
"Why are we suffering ?"
"If the Buddha was correct and suffering is a fact of life, how can we move through our suffering (as quickly as possible) without having to escape from life ?
Is it not possible to meet life directly and fearlessly, greeting and overcoming all of life's' challenges as sacred learning opportunities ?"
The answer to this Question is found in a passionate inquiry into...

ASCENSION

v

Incarnation
Before we can begin a discussion of Ascension, we must start at the beginning...those very first moments that your "Soul Essence" or "Higher Self" chose to take on the temporal form.. this being the process called "Incarnation".
One may equate this process with the Bible story of Adam and Eve ... their "Fall From Grace", and subsequent exodus from the "Garden of Eden".
In the story, this "fall" was initiated by a string of events involving the Soul and its interaction with the serpent .. the "serpent" in this case being the "Kundalini" - a particular energy which flows downward, assisting in the manifestation - creation of the macrocosmic universe (this kundalini energy may also be found microcosmically within your own core or etheric spine).

As the pure Soul Essence rode upon these manifesting energies - further descending into the densities of the lower realms of creation - it became clouded over (hidden) by the veils of gross energies that wrapped around it. This process is analogous to putting on a successive layer of clothing... or if your "Essence" was the innermost core of a tree (or candle wick) each ring (each dip into the vat of wax) would be yet another bodily layer or life time.. and each layer would have different "Aspects" of color, consistency, density, vibration, and even.. a unique separate consciousness, memory and ego identity "Self".. including its own respective desires and will.

Over many eons of incarnations and within many strange assortments of bodies, you have made innumerable journeys through many multi-dimensional universes, alternate realities, other worlds... before you found yourself here in this present life,  within this physical body. And when you leave this shell you currently reside in, you will find yourself reincarnated into many different spaces, places, and bodies again, on and on.... In an eternity of existence, the possibilities are endless, and the drama that is the "wheel of life" turns round and round............Yet, through all our journeys, there lies within us a heart felt yearning to revisit our true home (Eden)... to feel an abiding peace and love... to reclaim our lost innocence... and to be at one with our creator.... This is the primal urge and desire ... this is what Ascension is ultimately about.

Relativity
Imagine yourself as a spinning disc or record on the "record player" of life :
The outer rim of this record is your physical and emotional being (birth and infancy ?)...
further in there is your astral and mental being (adolescence and adulthood ?)...
closer to the center is your etheric and causal being (old age ?)...
and in the very center hole is God (ego death ?).

It may be that every individual life you have ever had (including this one).. and/or every level of consciousness you have ever been connected to (and are still a part of) is a separate record, all of them layered one upon another on this turntable. All records are interchangeable, depending upon which selections the MC - "Master of Ceremonies" (.i.e. God) wishes to play.
Each grove on these records is a sound, an experience, a vibration, a memory, an image, a feeling,... in every moment, the "stylus" that is life is playing a grove, ones that are being newly generated and some older ones that are being replayed.... Some of these grooves have scratches in them... scratches created by played one sound, over and over again - otherwise know as addictions, habits, programs or "samscaras". As long as you have these scratches, you are pretty much stuck in a rut and will not be able to play any new tunes (new experiences) and move closer to "The Center" of your life path.

The hole in the center ("core") of your record (of your being) is designed to fit into the rod or dowel of the player - the player being the multi-dimensional, transcendental God Source, the Absolute, the One, the unifying consciousness holding all things together and around it. When ones awareness is free of these samscaras and begins to move closer to the center, one may peer into an unlimited reality, partaking of the unfathomable and mysterious abyss of the greater universe.

When one stands at the outer rings of the record, there is the subjective perception (perspective) of duality (drama) consciousness .. and if from here one peers into the future, towards (or even into) the center, there may be the subjective perception of emptiness, a void, a timelessness...the "unknown". Once a being begins to let go of the old ego identity and associated dramas... and leaps into this "unknown", one can begin the spiritual journey moving towards and beyond ones future astral solar etheric causal self, eventually to ascend up the core of reality - this being the "ladder" of transcendence and evolution. This is where the saying "let go and let God" comes into play....or "Feel the fear and do it anyway"....This movement into the center and going upwards in consciousness is the process of ascension, yet it cannot even begin if one is not willing to be in the "unknown". If you think you know, you are already standing still (or spinning your wheels). The required leap of faith here is in going where you have never been before, and be willing to go in blind. For many, this begins as an outer process in the world, but eventually, it must becomes an inner one (going into deeper and deeper areas and levels of the inner being). In either case, you must trust the process, no matter where it takes you, and it is not a one time thing.. one must leap into the unknown, over and over again, until it becomes a way of life.

If you look into the very center hole in a record.. or lets say, if you stand within the very center of a "Merry Go Round" (or in the extreme, a tornado or cyclone)... there is an experience of peace and stillness, with very little if no apparent movement -  yet, when one peers or steps outside of that center for just a fraction of an inch or for one moment (as in following the dictates of ones ego and its associated attachments, desires, wants and thoughts) through centrifugal force, there is a compulsion to spiral out of control (as if you would place an object on a spinning record, it will shift to the outer regions of the disk). As you regress further out from center - moving from the Oneness consciousness into the duality consciousness of the etheric to astral to physical (i.e. taking on successive levels of denser vibrational bodies or shells) things would "appear" to speed up more and more (as the vibrational acceleration to manifestation gets stronger), until what appears timeless (and space-less) near the center, is hours or days or years long at the outer rim. This movement from the center into manifestation and duality (or plurality) consciousness, is the beginning of the incarnation process.

Reincarnation
There are a number of reasons for souls to reincarnate into this game that is called "Life". One is that the nature of ones' spirit is to experience diversity of life in all its myriad forms, permutations, feelings... it is like a game of cards, each time you get a new hand (a new life, a new record) the play is totally different. Another reason is that the more you play, the more you learn, the better you get. If you are an "old soul", one could say you have played this game of life many times. It should be noted that like any game, the more one plays, the more the tendency is to develop bad habits or samscaras (so old souls commonly have more issues on the subconscious-energetic levels that need healing). An old soul could be likened to an old tree...some are gnarly with numerous knots, maybe bent out of shape...others stand tall and straight (either way, trees need to be trimmed).

There are a few souls who have recently (maybe for the first time) incarnated as human beings. They can be seen as fresh saplings, green and excited about everything, wanting to experience all the new sensations of being in a human physical body. Many of these beings may have angelic origins, and many others may be considered "Star Seeds". The greater reasons for these beings to incarnate are usually to be of selfless service to humanity, and some, to develop the personal mastery that experiences of this world uniquely offers (one cannot become a master of "this physical dimension" by remaining in spirit....this can only be achieved through the challenges and trials of being human). Unfortunately, like cards, some people (even first time players) get attached to certain aspects of the game and cannot let it go.

Attachment
The main problem a soul has while it exists in this material world or in the spirit realms is that of ego "attachments"....To any soul (incarnate or not), even the lesser degrees of attachments have serious consequences. The universal law of attraction states that you will gravitate towards and attract to you what you are... if (for example) you have anger, fear, hate and violence within (even if it is so deeply hidden within your sub-consciousness that you are not aware of it), that is what you will magnetize to you - no matter if it (or you) exists in physical or non physical form. Anything that you are attached to on any level, is that which will hold or weigh your pure free innocent soul essence down.. binding you to a lower more peripheral level of self. To be in the state of total un-attachment throughout all of life's adventures is to dwell in, or at least be free to move closer to the center and source of life, the higher consciousness that exists beyond duality. Easier said than done. Something we all need help with.

It is not by the power of the lower self that one can be free of these sub-conscious attachments and programs, but by the intervention or "Grace" from the higher power or "Higher Self". However, this "Grace" will not come until the lower self (and ego) begins to plead to Spirit for help, and be willing to surrendering control (of all aspects of ones life) over to a higher authority.

 Only through a physical body can we process and be free of all levels of stuff we may be carrying. We all have heard of ghosts - such people who, after having being freed of their physical bodies, are still so mentally or emotionally attached to this earthly existence that they refuse (or are unable) to disconnect and move on to a higher dimension (and thus are trapped here). By then, it is too late for them to work out their own inner liberation, their only hope being to reincarnate  (if possible), or attach themselves to someone who is incarnate (many of you are processing the karma of these entities - beings that even now, surround and are connected you.. see Ghost Busters).

Karma and Samskara
The concept of "karma" is like one of Newton's laws of physics...every action has its equal and opposite reaction ("you reap what you sow"). All things you have ever done in the past, returns to (haunt or bless) you in the future. What you may (potentially) manifest on this earth plane in one life time, is the sum total of all of your choices and experiences...and a product of who and what you have been (in spirit and in flesh) since you were first created as a soul, how many million or billions of years ago. Just within the context of the eternal past, most of us have lived previous lives, perhaps upon this or other planets, perhaps even in other dimensions higher or lower than this one. We have also played many different roles.. some "good".. some "bad".. some as angels.. some as devils (this is a very long and varied list...). "Karma" is the universal law of justice and mercy, that balances the energetic forces of your life...there is no escaping it.. everyone is personally responsibility for all that they have ever done.

All your hard earned gifts and talents are considered "good karma"..  and these are forever held and remembered within the individual consciousness of your Higher Selves and in all your various dimensional bodies (which goes up and down, analogous to the vertical axis of the cross)... to be uncovered and manifested at any time, if desired, willed for, needed, and when appropriate.

This is equally true of all disharmonious thoughts, words and deeds you have ever done.. considered as your "bad karma". This too exists within these same dimensional energy bodies as negative "vortices of energy" - also known as "samscaras" - which distort and block the flow of your life. As mentioned above, these "samscaras" can also be likened to scratches in a record... some are superficial and some are deep. The more one repeats (reinforces) a negative behavior (habit), the deeper this groove gets, till it becomes a seemingly natural action and compulsion (like most addictions). It takes much inner work/healing to remove this groove from ones energy fields, consciousness and ego mind.

Veils
Around and in between all of your bodies is any number of "membranes", "sheaths" or "veils". Some of them have been created (for good or ill) to keep the bodies, energies and consciousnesses (negative or positive.. detrimental or benevolent) separated from each other. When the soul was incarnating onto the different dimensions, many of these veils were formed, allowing (to various degrees) the different bodies to interface with each other, enabling some bleed through or transformation (stepping down or up) of certain energies and consciousnesses from one level to another. When the soul is ready to move towards oneness, these veils must be sequentially removed from the being to allow it to shift towards (or receive) the next level of consciousness awareness energy on its path towards evolution and or ascension.

There may be a misconception in some peoples minds that when the physical body dies, your whole being ascends freely into some sort of a blissful paradise. Depending upon certain variables, this may or may not be true. Though your soul has forcibly been ripped of its limiting weighty "physical" garments and its associated physical veils, you still have these numerous other levels of energetic bodies and veils (including their respective "aspects" or "conscious selves"), all of which are not automatically purified upon physical death either (since the physical death only affects the physical body and physical veils).

"Where "Death" is the most common escape from the limitations of the human condition, the ultimate freedom or liberation within the limitations of the human condition is brought about through a process called "Ascension".

 No matter where you go (in time or space), these other dimensional energetic bodily garments and selves continue to affect your subjective personal experience... if their karmic issues and samscaras are left unresolved, or if these numerous veils are left in place (acting as a sort of glass ceiling), they will prevent your whole consciousness from ascending, or at the very least, they shall interfere with (even conflict or sabotage) your souls ability to access (receive) the higher consciousness, information, guidance and energies from the higher levels of spirit. As long as these veils (i.e. resistances) are maintained, this will impede or block your ability to receive.... and it is these, our own devices, that block the flow.. that's what we need to be attentive to and clear up.

"The mind is like a parachute .. it only works when it is open".

Grace flows upon us in many ways...
like precipitation falling from the clouds.. forming rivers...
and we are rocks on the bottoms and sides of these rivers
being eroded, shaped and formed, rolled into round pebbles or smooth boulders..
and this river.. flowing to the great ocean its home...
and we, floating upon it...
do we swim with or fight against the current ?
Perhaps this same Grace flows over us, like a wave in this same ocean
and we are surfers .. sitting out in the ocean..
waiting to catch (or miss) just the right wave to ride in on....
or maybe we are the sand on the beach
being constantly shifted and moved around with each wave coming in and out.... 
and then there is Grace coming to us like the Sun
casting its warming bright rays upon us....

Multi-Dimensional Universe
There are many different levels of consciousness or multi-dimensional universes (stacked one upon the other like a multi-layered cake or record discs) each one functioning as different energetic and vibrational realities. These "levels" have a corresponding sympathetic resonance with and are inter-connected (penetrate) into all of creation (including the rocks, plants, and animals). In mankind, these consciousnesses may be referred to and sensed as ones "awareness", "attitude", "inner state of mind" or "state of being".

"Heaven is a state of mind"

The highest, subtle, sublime levels of consciousness are called "Heaven" or "Paradise" - where the purified and virtuous souls ascend to and dwell...
The middle level is "Purgatory" - where souls process or be "purged" of their karma...
The lowest, dense, gross, material level is called "Hell" - this soul is so unwilling or unable to change, being attached to the outward physical reality, enslaved to their lower passions, or ruled by their selfish ego and will.
Since  all these consciousnesses - Paradise, Purgatory, and Hell - are inner states of being, they can just about be experienced within any incarnational life time or level of reality.

Worlds and Realms
The other dimensional worlds or realms above ours are somewhat similar to what we have here, yet each one up is subjectively experienced in a more expansive, heightened, refined subtle, sublime, lighter, less substantial sense than the previous. In ascending order (from the physical) these are the various astral and solar worlds, and even higher up, the etheric and causal worlds (or "realms").

The higher dimensions of the etheric and causal levels (and beyond) are what would be considered (relatively speaking) the "Heavenly Realms". The nature of these places are more archetypal, with diffuse flowing energies, celestial sounds and lights. There is less and less a clear delineation of matter here ... vibrations are harmonious and unifying (unlike those found in the lower created worlds) so awareness can easily be focused on "The One" or "Divine", with very little if any distraction from sense of self, personal will or ego. (Perhaps this is the "Garden of Eden" of the Bible or the "Pure Lands" of the Buddhists ? ). The various assortments of "Angelic" beings who inhabit these places are centered in their Heart Essence, being constantly nurtured and directed by the Creator God (some tasked to expedite His Will on the lower created realms and beings).

The mid to lower dimensions of the astral and solar levels contain pluralities of vibrations that are more complex and convoluted... these are the realms of duality consciousness that exist further (more separate) from "Source". To those of us who are sensitive and aware of those levels, the occupants of the astral and solar worlds worlds may appear mythical, even dream like, yet to those denizens who exist on those higher vibrational frequencies, they are quite real to each other (where they interact and exist) the same as those whom we interact with on this level of vibrational frequency seem palpably real to us - we are "attuned" to each other (sort of like turning the dial on the radio). An astral or solar being could very well walk right through us, and we would (most likely) not notice them at all.

The very fabric of these higher worlds are made up of subtler energies and vibrations that can be more easily manipulated by the denizens of these worlds simply, solely, and directly with the creative powers of the individuals mind - through thought, will, or desire.... Yet, unlike the Angelic beings above them in spirit who dwell and function within, from, and for the "One Mind" and "One Being" of the Creator, the level of consciousness of these mid or lower dimensional beings exists within a constant  state of duality of "me", "you", "us" and "them", meaning, there is an awareness of separation...  ones choices are not always predicated on what is good for the "One", but what is good for "me". The individual still has free will to make any choices that they wish, yet if they make choices that are at odds with the divine will and universal laws, they shall create pain and suffering for themselves and others. Residents of all the dimensions are still subject to the laws of cause and effect or "karma".

The nature of this lowest physical dimension is that it is contracted, dense and heavy...that is, it slows down the vibrations of that which is normally invisible and illusive (existing not only on the more subtler planes and dimensions but also within us), and brings it down into a more tangible manifestation...in essence, things that exist inside us as an archetypal idea, thought, impulse, feeling, consciousness or energy are more easily seen (or mirrored) back into our faces, and if it is our karma, often in the most rude and blatant ways possible. Such experiences and opportunities are not available on the higher levels. It is here where a more complete picture of our soul can be seen and dealt with... warts and all. Through this earthly life, the soul (if it is paying attention) may best find out the reality and truth of its self, and it is here where the best opportunities lie to expedite its karma.

Having come all this way... most of us have forgotten just what we are doing here and why.

 Imagine if you will, floating above you... there's your astral body.... and above that your solar body (or bodies)... and above that... some more subtle bodies (or aspects)... and above all that is your individualized essence or "Highest" Self (from the perspective of the lower self, any one of these bodies existing above could be interpreted as the High Self... it is all relative).

Ascension
The individual consciousnesses (including all the Higher Selves) of all beings on all universes and levels of creation (remember the record player analogy),  are linked together like rungs (similar to the "rod" and "staff" mentioned in the bible) on a very long ladder (this is the "Spiritual Hierarchy"). This ladder traverses from the very bottom (the least) to the very top (the most) evolved levels of consciousness/creation. At the very very top of this ladder... beyond all these intermediary consciousnesses, beyond the beyond... ("gate, gate,  para gate,  parasam gate, boddhi svaha") resides the Highest Truth... the "Source", the "Creator", the "Supreme Godhead".... (even beyond this, there may be successive "Super Universes" of consciousness.. each one birthed by another Creator God and another... ).

Each intermediary "Being" ("rung") on this ladder acts to step down (like transformers) the higher energies and vibrations (as well as pass along any guidance or messages) that are being sent from above (energies, vibrations and messages or prayers.. also go up the ladder too). At some point,  this "wave" eventually "downloads" into your High Self...  and from there is passed on to the "Beings" (including your lower self) who are down line from you.
 
The ascension process is when ones individual consciousness or High Self can move up in position, advance, "evolve" or step up onto another rung on this ladder.
The benefits to this spiritual "promotion" are :
one can then handle and hold more intense energies and vibrations...
ones actual Soul Light and Consciousness becomes larger and more powerful...
one becomes a clearer and more powerful channel for Spirit to work through...
one can take pride and pleasure in greater responsibilities and service...
one can learn and enjoy more...
and finally, one develops a closer connection to the Creator.

 No matter how highly placed your Higher Self is on this ladder, the bottom line is this... that any higher energies, vibrations, consciousnesses or messages must still filter through ALL layers of your lower bodies before it finally gets to your conscious human self... and if there is some blocks or issues in any one of these bodies of yours, this will affect the purity of whatever is coming through for your human self to access and eventually manifest here on this level of reality.

If someone whispers a message to one person in a group, and they whisper it to another, and another, and so on...when it finally gets to you it is never the exact same message (nor passed with the same energy). So to is there a possibility for interference and distortion in anything that comes through from spirit as it must eventually come through your lower self filters. This is why it is sooo important to do the clearing work.

I hear you asking "why cant God send me the healings and or any messages directly... sidestepping all intermediaries ?"

My sense is that if God were to directly send us energies from the highest level of His Being, it would destroy us (our ego minds anyway). Most people cannot initially handle that powerful and pure of an energy and consciousness, but must work up to it slowly. Most of us here are small children in spirit, working through our egos desires and mental fixations like little babies in grade school... its hard enough to follow through on what homework our teachers give us here, let alone follow up on that which God may have for us (infinitely more difficult). But we like children, are only given tasks that we can handle... and doing this, we advance from one grade to the next, getting even more difficult tasks and more advanced teachers who lead us to the next level, and the next, and the next (if we follow through on our lessons)... and so on... maybe, eventually, we can meet the author of the text books, but not until we do our homework, and of course, pay our karmic dues.

 I believe that in special moments .. to some degree .. and various levels... all beings and all of creation act as channels or Agents for the spirit of God to work with and through (if not directly with the Creator, then at the very least by proxy - indirectly through the hierarchical ladder of consciousness).

I mentioned earlier that the "Incarnation" process was initiated by riding on the manifesting - downward flowing aspect of the Kundalini (" serpent") energies. The Kundalini also has a destructive, deconstructive, upward flowing or "ascending" aspect to it that also exists within the created macrocosmic universe - and too, microcosmically within your own spine. In the Hindu and Tibetan Tantic teachings, this destructive force (or energy) and its associated consciousness has often been referred to as "Shiva".

Ascension is not necessarily the incarnation process in reverse (i.e. the "taking off" of successive layers of bodies, though that may be true for some souls at some point along their path).... Those who ascend may still maintain rudimentary aspects of these other bodies so that they may function and interact with beings who exist on those levels. Rather, it is that we are trying to awaken, activate, elevate and quicken all the separate and diverse dense bodies, consciousness, energies, and vibrations of the lower and middle selves and merge them with or absorb them back into the unified One Higher Self. One begins the ascension process by receiving - into the densities of our being - the "deconstructive" quickening (Shiva) consciousness, energies and vibrations of the Higher Power. This is not something we can force to occur, but it is something that our lower self must desire, want, and pray to receive, over and over again. Also, one must be willing to go through the biggest disillusionments, as you will most likely experience your world and all you believe and know and hold dear, come crashing down around you. Your life will be like Humpty Dumpty.. and you will never be able to pick up the pieces to the old self ever again. This is evolution and growth.. this is "Ascension".

When a Soul decides to ascend to the next level of consciousness - shifting into the new "paradigm" - it must let go of (surrender) any past attachments it had to the denser levels of energies, vibrations, and consciousnesses that it had been functioning in. No matter how beneficial these things have been to the soul in the past, moving on to the next level of consciousness and energy requires one to let go of the old consciousnesses and energies... even to the releasing of ones old and familiar levels of guidance (ones spirit guides) .. all these must be released if one is to be opened to receive the higher levels of these things. For the soul to ascend in consciousness, it cannot hold on to its cake and eat it too.. something has to give for something new to take its place... and that which gives is typically the position and identity of the old self (and ego). This can be be quite disillusioning to the old self who identifies with all these old ways of being, thinking, feeling, doing... it is exactly like the dying process (except that you still have your body). Since there are so many levels of consciousness that one can ascend through, one can experience this sort of dying process many times over, and each time, reaching the next plateau, it is as if one is born again into a new self... and it goes on and on until one (eventually) reaches the highest consciousness of the God Head.. and who knows from there.

Ascension is recognized in Christian mythology as having been accomplished by Jesus, demonstrated by his resurrection (ascension).

At no time is this choice to ascend forced upon us (we do have free will), yet if we do decide to go through with this process - perhaps, like Jesus and his disciples - spirit will test our resolve and commitment at ever step of the way.

In the "Ashes of the Phoenix", a new and more Glorious Being will be born.
Report Spam   Logged

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
SMF For Free - Create your own Forum
Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy