The Level Of Spiritual Consciousness Called: “Too Smart For Your Own Good”.
As awareness awakens on ever deeper levels through the practice of Wisdom Path Meditation and “living the life” a very significant stage is reached where the individual must pay the closest attention to their motives and actions. Of course we must always temper our motives with wisdom and our actions with compassion, but in the normal run of life we may have ‘normally selfish’ motives and actions based upon enlightened self interest. As a general rule no great harm can come from a normal good person still sleeping in the four Principles of the lower self.
When through inner development and/or natural karmic unfoldment the inner states of the Fourth Principle and the more obvious and easy to apprehend awareness states of the Fifth Principle which is Mind [manas] itself have been reached, a dangerous crossroads of destiny has been entered. (diagram)
[5] [Spirit-Self: Manas] “A mind to embrace the Universe” Pure Intelligence: Impersonal Thought: Intelligent Conscience: Objectivity: Pure Love of Accurate Knowledge: Individuality for Good or Ill: Solitude:
[4] [Personal-self: Lower Mind] “I Think Therefore I Am” Desire Mind: Mental Conditioning and Reactivity: Beliefs: Educational Skills: Self in “the world”. Public Image: Alienation: Loneliness:
Between each of the mental emotional and spiritual principles there is a passable “ring pass not”. Theosophy teaches that if you simply proceeded in this and all your future lifetimes as a good being you will discover yourself an immortal god at the end of the great cycle. Those who feel a deep longing to “Awaken Now” to a greater life are obliged to travel the path of self conscious spiritual development. This longing to awaken now must be permeated with a pure motive to serve humanity or it is merely spiritual ambition, and will have very bad results.
None of this is an issue until Spirit-Self begins to awaken within Personal-self. There is a profound Eureka moment followed by a complete revolution in consciousness. Everything that was previously held as truth is up for radical questioning. This is not the same thing as the widely advertised “conversion experience” where one set of largely misguided beliefs are exchanged for another.
When the pure love of accurate knowledge is acquired through the exercise of impersonal objectivity; both unfounded belief and unfounded disbelief appear ludicrous and embarrassing. The incarnated mind [5th principle] has begun its long complicated journey from “I think therefore I am” to “a mind to embrace the universe”.
All of the virtues of the good mind are enhanced to a remarkable degree. The ability to concentrate on complex issues and tasks until they are complete has become virtually effortless. Memory is enhanced by the fact that it is much easier to remember confirmed factual knowledge, than beliefs or fantasies. Creativity as the expression of a clearly understood universal concept becomes an outlet for Individuality to reveal itself. The inner self has begun to awaken to the world and all things appear new and illuminated by the light of factual knowledge of how the world really works according to the laws of physics, biology, chemistry, and so on. Evolutionary psychology illuminates history with the realisation that all human life is a prolonged spiritual event.
The world shattering insight and realization is had that the law of Karma really does govern human existence across sequences of reincarnations, but in a way impossible to describe to a world that still sleeps in the fulfilment of personal desires on the Fourth Plane of existence. Previously the awakening Individuals karma was governed by an inherent and automatic system of adjustments built into birth life death and rebirth. Now the individual is in a position to direct this process themselves. The self realizes that it is free to accomplish anything that moves it to focused and prolonged effort; this focused determination has become the self’s natural condition.
This is called the too smart for your own good stage of spiritual development.
Here is a place of temptation where the individual can make choices which will plant the seeds of their future ruination. The biggest lure and temptation is the knowledge of how to postpone karmic suffering; combined with the knowledge of how to become a very important and powerful person in “the world”.
The individual who is unwilling to go through the intense suffering that spiritual emancipation demands, and who has failed to fully see the dangers of that most pernicious form of self importance known as spiritual pride, may get stuck here on this lower spiritual level and end up aborting their true spiritual mission. At worst the individual may lapse into the ‘dark side’.
The wise Theosophist will hold back here and begin a thorough re-examination of the balance that is being established between the 4th and 5th Principles [see above]. They will not do anything to bring major adjustment in how the law of karma flows to them or through them. This will inevitably bring a great deal of misunderstanding and suffering, seeing as the individual is making no effort whatsoever to avoid the results of their own short comings and appears bereft of ambition and worldly wealth.
The moment the higher self begins to awaken within the lower self and the oversight of personal karma falls within the direction of the awakening individual all karmic debts become due. In particular karmic relationships which have no rhyme or reason from a worldly societal point of view will place the individual in inexplicable relationships and circumstances. Inexplicable illnesses and profoundly felt emotional crisis may appear; every weakness and vulnerability contained within will come to the surface. Inevitably all pretence at social respectability will be abandoned and the individual will please the higher self and the spiritual world first and “the world” second or not at all.
Here it becomes vital to focus all of ones spiritual attention on the inner states of the higher self which are:
[7] [Spirit Man: Atma:] The Solar Logos: Pure Spirit Originating In The Spiritual Sun: “Spirit Man Like Sunlight Shines On All” At One In The One Reality: [6] [Spirit Soul: Buddhi:] Universal Soul Mind: Primal Awareness of the Whole: Spiritual Compassion: Mahat: Perfect Unerring Conscience: Discriminates the True from the False: Love Wisdom Freedom. Spiritual Devotion: Love of the Logos:
In man these two principles are already fully merged and are often referred to as “the two in one”. To awaken at this level while incarnated in this world, in this or a future lifetime is the sole and primary goal of the Theosophical spiritual path.
It would be a tragedy to become waylaid on the ego and fear strewn foothills of a lower mind falling victim to its first encounter with higher mind. If the disciple follows the guidance of the Meditation Diagram and faithfully follows the path of Wisdom Meditation they surely will reach and dwell perfected in the Spiritual Sun while yet abiding on the Sacred Earth.
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