Category: esoteric psychology

Where the rocket fuel is (2) : astonishing structures

‘Our life-force begins its journey with the instincts.’ Hearing that stopped me in my tracks. It was so exact, yet, at the same time, so counter to what I would have written on my own. Prior to this, I would have considered the life-force to be somehow ‘higher’ to the instincts; the latter being the pesky habitual appetite-related objects that get in the way … Read More Where the rocket fuel is (2) : astonishing structures

Where the rocket fuel is… (1)

We could liken ourselves to a tall rocket, layered into functions. At the top would be the most sophisticated ‘computer’ the world has ever seen – the human brain. Below that would be the human-sized machinery tailored to assist the human passengers to navigate and control their tasks in space. Beneath these would be the vast machinery that balanced thrust and agility in this … Read More Where the rocket fuel is… (1)

In the world but not of it (3) : True to Type

(-900 words; a ten-minute read) Not ‘typing’ in the sense of my fingers tapping across this keyboard. Something else is conveyed, here: the idea that although we are each a unique example of walking, talking protoplasm, we exhibit patterns of behaviour that are so strong they can be ‘collected’ into groups – ‘types’. Astrology is good example with which to explore the idea. The … Read More In the world but not of it (3) : True to Type

In the world but not of it (2) : Holes in the Soul

It has been a thing of joy to me that most of the writers and teachers who have a desire to communicate the ‘mysteries’ of the human soul use the same language to describe the innermost nature of it. The word ‘Essence’ is often used to describe this living ‘jewel’ that is our most fundamental identity – though a more liquid, honey-like metaphor might … Read More In the world but not of it (2) : Holes in the Soul

In the world but not of it (1)

There is a famous phrase, attributed to the Sufi tradition: Be in the world but not of it… The sentiment refers to how an individual views their life, and also how they orientate themselves to their experiences. We seldom view experiences as being a living dimension of life. We view them as random events; our task being to navigate around them well – not … Read More In the world but not of it (1)

Shells from an Inner Sea (3 of 3): the inner flow

When we find that the process of inner inquiry described in the last two posts actually works, and we see that ‘finding out’ things about our inner lives is both simple and replicable, we might wonder why and how this mysterious technique works so well? What mechanism makes this seeming conversation with our experience and its storehouse of memory so powerful? Hang on tight, … Read More Shells from an Inner Sea (3 of 3): the inner flow

Shells from an Inner Sea (2) A fresh look at the ‘now’

We are urged by spiritual writers to ‘live in the now’. We might reasonably ask how we might live anywhen else, but that would go against the spirit of such good advice. Some clarity might be needed, though. As far as a reasonable self-inquiry goes, we – our composite consciousness – lives pressed up against signals from our senses that are very much of … Read More Shells from an Inner Sea (2) A fresh look at the ‘now’

Nine Keys (9 – final): An emotional reunion

How are we to end this series of posts? Each of these nine has been a glimpse into an aspect of true ‘spiritual’ knowledge … but only that. I’ve comes to trust that the correct alignment of ordinary knowledge will result in it becoming a channel of deeper and truer knowing. That truer knowing is alive and waiting to serve our outer self – … Read More Nine Keys (9 – final): An emotional reunion

Nine Keys (8): When experience grows dull

Last Sunday evening, we held our monthly Silent Eye Explorations on Zoom; hosting an international audience for an informal and informative discussion on the subject of the ‘Ways of Knowing’. These are open to all – see the base of this post for details. The content of that 90 minutes was a thorough investigation of what it mean to know, and how we take … Read More Nine Keys (8): When experience grows dull

Nine Keys (7): Dying for Love

Inside this new love, die. Your way begins on the other side. Become the sky. Take an axe to the prison wall. Escape. Walk out like someone suddenly born into color. Do it now. You are covered with thick cloud. Slide out the side. Die, and be quiet. Quietness is the surest sign that you have died. Your old life was a frantic running … Read More Nine Keys (7): Dying for Love

Nine Keys (6): An uprising of Self

Our soul – likened here last week to a giant sail – is not the only occupant of our ‘interior’. At the fundamental level of our consciousness is a foundation of Being which is perfect and full of loving and potential… ‘It’ only needs a Soul for its completeness. Normally thought of as part of the soul, this layer of our true Self has … Read More Nine Keys (6): An uprising of Self

Nine Keys: (5) The Giant Sail

So far, we’ve looked at the development of the self – the ego-personality. We’ve seen how our ‘being’ arrives, entirely whole but naked to this world, at birth. It then begins to develop a protective shell as it finds its place in a world that is not entirely comforting. We moved on to consider the layers of perception, and how there is a fundamental … Read More Nine Keys: (5) The Giant Sail