The Major Initiations in Sequence
In the Western Tradition, we call the experience of
The Annunciation, The Awakening.
During this experience, the story tells us, Mary, the Mother of Jesus,
received a message from the angel Gabriel that she would bear the Christ.
The Annunciation or The Awakening, is also called in some circles, The Calling.
We may all experience the Awakening and we may all bear the Christ.
The experience of The Awakening happens through what we may call Divine Inspiration; it is received through what many call, the Holy Spirit. During this experience, the being knows and receives through a "sudden spiritual insight" that there is more and becomes a seeker for that which is real and lasting. In the Western Tradition we say, the soul is opening to receive of the Christ Light; the soul is beginning a journey that will eventually lead to Full Enlightenment, or the full manifestation of the Christ Light, waiting, latent within since its conception.
During the Awakening the soul lets go of the world's attractions; the soul has experienced and found that the world holds no full satisfaction; the soul finds that it is unable to obtain peace and happiness through the pursuit of worldly things; somewhere inside, the pursuit of satisfying desire through the pursuit of material things has become exhausted. The soul begins to newly search for something greater.
This search for something greater is stimulated by the calling of our own souls. The Awakening is an inspiration; it is an experience of The Holy Spirit ... because we turn inward and begin to question... we become open to spiritual answers from the Holy Spirit. Some refer to the Holy Spirit as Divine Inspiriation or Sudden Insight. The Holy Spirit is constantly active and unfolding greater awareness to us to the degree we are able to receive, but we must be open to receive it. The Holy Spirit causes a conscious awakening within us because we turn inward for spiritual answers that are not available to us in through the outer world.
The Awakening is usually... initially sudden... it can be a short experience or last for some time... it is an intuitive feeling or realization... it is revelatory... it is a knowing that there is more. It can even be accompanied by a physical sensation, a stirring inside... a feeling of new life such as a pregnant woman might feel as a new baby begins to stir inside– a flutter– one must find something, but the being does not know what – as the being opens to greater awareness. He or she reaches for that which is real and begins a personal journey... the being leaves behind all that is familiar and steps out alone to find the unknown .... not knowing what IT is he or she needs to find, but only that he or she must follow this stirring... inside.... and find the conclusion.... to that which is being awakened inside.
The seeker begins to contemplate God: Who am I ? Why am I here? How did I come to be? As the seeker reaches for these answers, the seeker breaks away from the norm and breaks out of old useless forms... he or she lets go of fear and seeks to find the Truth!
Accompanying one on the journey, as the seeker reaches for God, is the Presence, the Presence of God, and as one moves along, this presence becomes more and more tangible. As the seeker moves forward and reaches for a greater experience of this Great Presence, he or she come to know this Presence and eventually begins to merge with this Great Presence; it is then that the Comforter begins to make itself known. The Comforter is the Love of God.
Illumination: At some point the intensity of focus as one reaches for
that which one must find, initiates an experience of Light and Love so
profound that there is a resultant Life Changing experience of how one
perceives oneself, Life, God, and Creation.
There is a great Ahah! All is Love and Light; All is God and there is an understanding that - that this experience of God is what the Great Masters have been trying to teach us. The Light and Love covers one, infuses one, consumes one. Following, the world and one's life and existence are seen in a different Light, a new Light, a real Light, a True Light; one encounters and experiences the True Presence of God and there are few to whom one can speak about the experience. All is Light and Love and a romantic period follows. One is in Love with God and seeks to tell others and find others who have had the experience of the Real God... the Unconditional Love that exists... Timeless and Eternal... Substantial... Soul Satisfying... Joyful... Glorious... Wonderful...
The next stage is sometimes called the Dark Night of the Soul or
the Dweller the on the Threshold, and some degree of this seems to occur
after every initiation. Our worldly consciousness must adjust to
what we have experienced. Our perceptions have changed,
and as we measure the difference, old concepts fall away. There is a
grief period, for what one thought was true, is seen as not true, and one
realizes that friends and family are walking in a relative darkness
about who they truly are- about who we truly are.
Sometimes, many times, friends and family cannot understand the profound change in the person. Relationships to others one was close to sometimes fall apart or become strained. The mind adapts to a new context and realization, and one experiences sorrow over the state of the world and oneself. The seeker sometimes tries to share with others what he or she has realized, but is unsuccessful. Sometimes, most usually, the seeker commits to sharing or making a contribution in some way to the world. Sometimes at this point in time, a person takes vows formally or on their own personally to God to bring this Light and Awareness, this knowing and understanding to all. Then one realizes that one really knows very little and again renounces all, and continues the journey.
The experience of Self-Realization takes place when the seeker reaches even higher to God
for the answers to who am I and why am I here and why is the world the way it is?
The Soul seeks in earnest to know of its source
and the reason for existence. As the seeker reaches higher, the seeker
has an experience that one "has" the Light and Love one has realized, within one's own self.
The earnest Soul eventually comes to know that he or she is a child of God and Eternal. Usually there is a visual experience, yet sometimes not, but there is a profound realization that the one's being and God are truly One and always have been.
The seeker comes to know that the inner being is composed of the Soul and the Self, and that the Soul is one with God; the Soul is realized as eternal; the presence of God and communication with God becomes accessible at will and the Soul knows God is both within and without. The Soul begins to walk in the Presence of God and comes to know God personally. The Soul lives and and integrates a sense of timelessness; the Soul realizes its own Eternal Life.
Following this experience, the mind or the Dweller on the Threshold, and or Dark
Night occur again: the mind adapts to another new context, and realization on this new
and deeper level, causes an experienc of another level of sorrow over the state
of the world and for oneself, as the separation from God is seen as preventable
if only all would seek God. The seeker perceives - All is God and All
the seeker sees is God. The seeker feels alone and recognizes that what
is needed is that he or she must give up all concepts, perceptions, and
personal desires, in order to be with God always. There is a grieving period
over one's transgressions and the sorry state of the world again- at the same time
one comes to know of the absolute forgiveness and unconditional Love of God on another level.
The seeker seeks the answer as to how to cross the chasm between what one knows to be
true and the actualization of what one knows to be true.
The seeker comes face to face with the Soul and Self and gains some knowledge as to how the Soul has come to be in this state of separation. The seeker gains some knowledge that it is through total union with the Divine that all may be achieved and so gives up all and renounces all. The seeker understands that the world is in the state it is in because of its past separation from God.
The seeker realizes that we live, move, and have our being in God. We come to
understand that we have no personal power; rather, personal power is an
illusion. We have free will, but free will is really about the choice to
live in companionship with God or be alone. When we live in
companionship with the God within, we do that which brings Joy and Love
into the world and we become true creators, or should I say, expressions
of God in the world, for God is Love and Light, and the expression of
both in the world is Life. One becomes a full renunciate, but in
the renunciation, becomes One with God.
God - Realization: As the renunciate reaches for total union -- all of a sudden one realizes All is God -- All is Light. None of the soul's sins really matter in the long run. All is forgiven always. One is alive and alive forever- there is no time. There is only Being and Becoming and Eternal Joining with the One Light. The I am is Light. The I AM is Light. The Soul is Light. There is no separateness and yet there is identity -- then no identity. Then there is only Being and Knowing who one really is, who God Is -- for the consciousness of the Soul merges with God. The God within becomes the constant companion of the Soul. There are two, and then One. This is the Mystery of the Bridal Chamber. The two become one, and are always together.
One is no longer alone.
God is within and without; one is God; is one with God. One begins to live what one knows, knowing that if one does live in communion with God, one will remain in the awareness of Oneness and in the Presence of God. The Presence is always present. One unites consciously with the Divine Being within. Seeking ceases - what was sought has been found ... and yet there is always more.... more Life, more Love... more of the Presence of God... Endless Light and Love and Eternal Life. Then one really begins to Live and one is really Alive and one Knows that there is really nothing to Know. There is only Being... and Love... Our children, Our family, and Our friends, and the Creation: the Ocean, the Stars, the Earth: Life!.... Being!.... Love!
Copyrights asserted for text and images by Jessika Lucas 2006 Infinitum
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