Law of One Society - Observations of the One

ENTHEOS=GOD WITHIN: An Essay on Practical Mysticism
Copyright © Zachary Perlman D.D. (2004)

One of the oldest concepts of metaphysics, mysticism, and many of the ancient spiritual traditions of the world is that information of every kind may be obtained from within. The mystics, shamans, and Gnostics alike, suggest that we can all develop our awareness and consciousness to a point at which any information that we need can be accessed by turning our attention within, rather than of outside ourselves. This infinite source of intelligence within has been called many names by many different philosophies, but it has most recently been called the superconscious. That term comes from modern psychology, and since most people are more familiar with the terminology of psychology than that of esoteric philosophy, we will use that term to describe it.

The teachings suggest that we all have an inner connection to the superconscious (universal mind) via our individual consciousness. However, an individual’s subconscious may either enhance or distort his access to the superconscious. Information coming from the superconscious gets filtered through the thought forms and desire patterns of an individual’s subconscious, which is why all people experience spirit and spiritual insights in ways which are relative to their particular beliefs and expectations. An individual may be said to be psychic to the degree that he is able to put aside the distracting input from the subconscious in preference to input from the superconscious. There are many voices from without and within which clamor for our attention and acknowledgement. That is why we need a middle ground, a solid place on which to stand and from which we may clear out all these voices and regain our focus. An effective way to find that stable, middle ground is through meditation.

The teachings continue by saying that everything we long to understand lies within our own innermost depths, but for it to become our reality it must be experienced first hand, and then lived in our actions. Consider the two greatest commandments according to Jesus: "Love your God with all your heart, mind, and soul." and "Love your neighbor as yourself." These two commandments can be thought of in terms of attunement and application. Our challenge on the path of spiritual growth always entails these two principles: the right attunement, and the right application.

Through spiritual attunement to other planes of consciousness, we may communicate with discarnate entities, spirit guides, and even angelic beings. But our goal should always be to seek the attunement with God alone. We are to meet God in the temple of our own being. If he in turn sends a messenger, which on occasion He does, then that is fine. However, if we seek from the outset to seek wisdom from such messengers rather than God who sent them, we may receive much less than He wants to give us. We need to find it within ourselves to have a consciousness of speaking with God directly, face to face, like the prophets of old. The essence of the first commandment, to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, can only be actualized through (attunement) having a direct relationship with Him. But we cannot enter into a relationship with God, if we insist upon maintaining a sense of unworthiness, which is a direct denial of His unconditional love, mercy, and forgiveness, as well as a denial of his power to guide and heal. The "Christ Consciousness" to which we are invited is an awareness of our one-ness with God. The essence of the second commandment, loving our neighbors as ourselves, is the acknowledgment of God in our fellow man, even our enemies. That is the application of our attunement.

To say that we are spiritual beings is to say that we are of God. As such, we have no need to seek Him outside of ourselves. We are to find attunement within. Whether awake or asleep, the consciousnesses and activities of the physical and mental bodies tend to monopolize our attention and keep us cut off from a direct awareness of the all powerful, all knowing spirit within. Meditation is the practice of silencing ourselves so that we can experience more fully our at-one-ment with God, and meet him within the temple of our own being. The purpose of meditation is related to the first commandment to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul. If we cannot find fifteen minutes a day to awaken a feeling of our love for God and to express it directly to Him by practicing at-one-ment with Him, then we may need to question our attitude completely.

Meditation is not about seeking a high, although that is often a natural by-product. Rather, it is practicing and honoring a regular invitation, day in and day out, for the spirit of God to flow through us, transform us, and help us live more effectively and more lovingly. Meditation should not stand alone however. It must exist within the context of our intentions to do something constructive about the overall pattern of events in our lives. As we grow in our practice of silent at-one-ment, we may be given not only great energy and guidance, but more importantly, we may be given a profound sense of our personal relationship with Spirit. As we begin to make more and more choices in our lives which are in accordance with our highest ideals and inner guidance, we may be assured that there is a power greater than our own that will flow through us and transform our lives and the lives of others.