by Ray Bratcher
Traditional esotericism, whether Eastern (generally yogic), or Western (generally Christian), begins from a standpoint of duality as a “problem” to be “fixed”, “solved”, “corrected”, or “transcended”. Accordingly, traditional esotericism is bound by, trapped in, the dualistic subject-object dichotomy of conditional experiences, whether ordinary or extraordinary.
For example, when prana is directed to the pineal gland, the higher brain is illuminated and inner vision is opened. This inner eye is able then to see, and indeed inspect, the higher functions of the brain, which seeing and inspecting may take the form of all kinds of extraordinary visions. Traditional esotericism generally considers such visions significant. Having experienced such visions regularly for some time now, I have come to a different conclusion.
This inner seeing is functionally (from the standpoint of ultimate enlightenment and true God realization) no different from ordinary outer seeing, since it begins from the standpoint of subject-object duality consciousness. The object “seen”, whether inner or outer, ordinary or extraordinary, is still only a temporary manifestation of conditional experience. What is temporary and conditional has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with God; nor can it lead to God since no matter how much one might “improve” or “perfect” the temporary and conditional, it remains temporary and conditional and can never become eternal and unconditional, or intrinsically and inherently self-existent. Your own every day life experience attests to this.
By contrast, when one directs prana to the pineal gland from the standpoint of unity consciousness, something else happens. To use the terminology of Christian esotericism: one directs prana to the pineal gland with the understanding that prana is not other than the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit is none other than that Person of the Absolute which manifests in this ordinary, temporary, and conditional realm in which we presently seem to be incarnated. The inner vision is still opened, and the higher brain functions are still illumined, but now the focus is on the light of illumination itself, rather than the (inner) objects illuminated by that light.
Thus, the temptation to be ensnared yet again by conditional, even if extraordinary, experience is transcended and the light is at last seen for what it truly is: the unconditional love of God, and which, is also God, and which, is also the well-spring from which flows the very life and essence and consciousness of the individual. It is ALL of these, and more.
The prana, recognized now as consciousness and love unconditional, then proceeds naturally and spontaneously to its home in the man, the heart-center, from where it radiates out to infinity and the individual becomes one with all “others”, thus finally knowing there are no “others”, but only unity. Thus, Man is transcended, and the Son of Man become the Son of God, the Christ. Thus, the Holy Spirit Person of the Absolute in effect “rescues” the Christ, or Son, Person of the Absolute from the temporary and conditional realms, but only if the individual man is willing to make a sacrifice, in the fullness of love, of his heart to true God and to all of mankind, the rest of the Sonship.
Traditional esotericism encourages you to see visions.
I say, focus instead on the light which illuminates those visions.
Traditional esotericism encourages you to feel unconditional love.
I say, realize instead that you ARE unconditional love.
Traditional esotericism encourages the experiencing of extraordinary inner subjective states of consciousness.
I say, realize instead that you are prior to all experience and that ALL experience (whether inner or outer, subjective or objective, ordinary or extraordinary) arises from within you and truly has no real effect or affect upon you.
Traditional esotericism says that man’s purpose is to perfect himself, and thus ascend to his true state.
I say, that man’s purpose is to love unconditionally until his heart is broken open in ecstatic surrender and sacrifice to the Divine and he realizes his true state: that he is already perfect, always was, and always will be.
Since there is no “problem” to be “fixed”, we do not need repairmen.
We need lovers.
Ray Bratcher lives on St. Croix and is available for private sessions. He can be messaged on Facebook, e-mailed at sacredbreath108@gmail.com, or by phone at 340-220-1614.
Sacred Breath 