Initiation Into The Esoteric: The End Of The World As You Know It
Enlightenment literally means a state of illumination. It is a metaphor for the removal of ignorance. From darkness/ignorance to illumination/knowledge. So enlightenment means to be knowledgeable. What kind of knowledge? Traditionally enlightenment was used either in the sense of material or spiritual enlightenment. The Age of Enlightenment was about “enlightened” societal and philosophical ideas or “progress,” which modern cultures are considered to be the continuation of since it began in the 17th century. America for example is seen as the creation of and by “Enlightenment” ideas by historians.
That use of the word Enlightenment is not literally based on the concept of illumination. The sociopolitical and philosophical Enlightenment era ideals were considered “enlightened” based on the subjective views of people promoting them as a higher form or natural progression from previously held norms, e.g., reason and science as the basis of society vs divine authorization as interpreted by church leaders.
The Enlightenment was a rebellion against the norms enforced by the ruling nobility of Europe. The families of the nobility had usually been given divine imprimatur to rule over society by relatives who had joined the church so they could use their wealth and power to become church leaders. That was common for the upper classes into the early 20th century. Even in America old money upper class families commonly had sons go into business and sons who joined the church. Rule by the cabal of inbred intermarried European nobility was being challenged — that was the underlying motif of The Age of Enlightenment. It was led by iconoclastic members of the nobility along with very wealthy merchant families — and the intellectuals and political firebrands they both patroned.
Europe had been transformed by the growth of a very wealthy merchant class of common people as it morphed from a property-based feudal system enforced by the sword and crossbow — into a monetary-based system enforced by cannons. Castle walls could no longer keep the nobility safe. Fortunes were made by merchants whose family wealth often exceeded that of the nobility. The “voyages of discovery” by people like Columbus and Magellan led to great wealth being accumulated by merchant traders who owned their own shipping fleets. The Age of Enlightenment began shortly thereafter and was promoted as the “reason and science based natural progression of society” challenging the traditional religiously sanctioned hierarchical polity dominated by the nobility and church.
That use of the word Enlightenment was not an objective use of the word. It was subjective. It was politicized in support of the disempowerment of the nobility and church.
The other use of the word Enlightenment is the one traditionally understood by the mystic traditions of the world. The word mystic being synonymous with esoteric. Both refer to a type of hidden knowledge.
Mystic
From Old French mistique, from Latin mysticus, from Ancient Greek μυστικός (mustikós, “secret, mystic”), from μύστης (mústēs, “one who has been initiated”).Esoteric
From Ancient Greek ἐσωτερικός (esōterikós, “belonging to an inner circle”), from ἐσωτέρω (esōtérō, “further inside”), comparative of ἔσω (ésō, “within”), from ἐς (es), εἰς (eis, “into”) (esoteric originally referred to the secret teachings of Greek philosophers, versus public or exoteric ones).
The mystic traditions of the world have traditionally been at odds with the religious traditions of the world, sometimes leading the religious traditions to censure, act with violence, or even war against mystical traditions. Most mystical or esoteric traditions also share many beliefs, which is why concepts like Perennial philosophy became popular. The idea being that there is one singular philosophical Truth that the many different ancient religious and mystical traditions throughout the ages are derived from or have come to similar conclusions about. Aldous Huxley in his book The Perennial Philosophy writes in the 1st chapter:
Based upon the direct experience of those who have fulfilled the necessary conditions of such knowledge, this teaching is expressed most succinctly in the Sanskrit formula, tat tvam asi (‘That art thou’) ; the Atman, or immanent eternal Self, is one with Brahman, the Absolute Principle of all existence; and the last end of every human being is to discover the fact for himself, to find out Who he really is.
“The more God is in all things, the more He is outside them. The more He is within, the more without.”
-Eckhart
Only the transcendent, the completely other, can be immanent
without being modified by the becoming of that in which it
dwells. The Perennial Philosophy teaches that it is desirable
and indeed necessary to know the spiritual Ground of things,
not only within the soul, but also outside in the world and,
beyond world and soul, in its transcendent otherness ‘in
heaven.’
That panentheistic idea is basic to the mystic traditions of the world. The idea of “the Ground of things” or as physicist David Bohm calls it “The Implicate Order,” is based on the concept of a sub-atomic unity underlying the universe as we know it. It is similar to the theory in quantum physics of the “Higgs Field,” which teaches that in order for quantum physics to work there needs to be an all-pervasive sub-atomic field underlying the universe to enable matter to exist the way it does. Therefore according to cutting edge physics, the universe is not a discontinuous series of isolated sets of things, it is one thing, one entity.
Those concepts fit within the mystic framework expressed by Aldous Huxley in his quoting of the Upanishads “tat tvam asi (‘That art thou’).” That aphorism is probably the most well known from the Upanishads because it succinctly summarizes the basic worldview of the perennial philosophy from all the mystic traditions in just three short words. The “Ground of things” and “Implicate Order” or “Higgs Field” all refer to a universal oneness of being. A universe that we are part of at the most basic level of our mind and consciousness or being. You are That.
Thoughts and memory simply appear in our mind without any apparent cause. Scientists have had many theories on the cause and origin of thoughts for a long time, but there is no consensus and no proof on how thoughts come into being. Commonly it is believed that somehow unconscious brain activity is behind the spontaneous appearance of thoughts in our mind. People commonly identify with the thoughts they experience as an extension of their control.
We can observe that the thoughts we experience are not caused by our own control. We don’t do anything to create thoughts. Thoughts simply appear in our mind without any seeming cause. We have no idea how to cause or create thoughts, or how to stop them. Try to explain how to create thoughts or find memory. You can’t. Scientists are also unable. People believe we control or create thoughts and memory because we don’t see or experience what is actually causing them. So we believe it must be us. But we have no idea how to create thoughts or find memories — because we don’t. The truth is that thoughts and memory simply appear in our mind and this has confounded scientists for a long time.
What do we do when we try to “find” a memory? There is nowhere to look. We imagine we are searching for memory data, but that is an illusory perception of what actually occurs because there is nowhere to look. Whatever thoughts appear in our mind when we want aka “search” for a memory — those memories are not “found” by anything we actually do. We see no data storage system in our mind yet we imagine that we “find” memory. In reality all we do is want memory. Then the memory appears, or not, in our perception of our mind — and then people mistakenly believe they have “found” a memory by some process of searching. When in truth our perception of memory is not due to our searching or looking somewhere. There is nowhere to look and no way to search for memory data. Like thought, memory appears without a visible or known cause in our mind.
Still, even without any perceptible data source for the thoughts and memories we experience in our mind, they are indeed being manifest by something. And that something must be aware of what we desire — because when we want a memory the memory appears in our mind. Not always, but often. Therefore, whatever is causing memory to appear as a consequence of our desire — the cause must not only be able to understand what we desire, and therefore have an intellect and ability to interact mentally with us — it must also have powers that we lack — because it controls our memory and we do not.
We need to experience memories and thoughts because without them we would be clueless about everything, we would lack an intellect because our intellect is based on our memory of our past experience or learning. Without something more able than ourselves managing our memory and therefore our intellect — we would be like a newborn infant all the time. Newborn infants have no memories and therefore no intellect. We have no direct access enabling us to manifest memories at our leisure like we do when interacting with a written or audible source of information — but we do have an intellect based on memory and thought nevertheless — because something is in fact supplying us with the memory and thought we need to enable our existence as intelligent beings.
A definition of magic is “an effect without a competent cause.” Our thoughts and memories appear to us as if by magic. Modern science has not been able to show a competent cause for thoughts or memory, all current theories lack sufficient proof to claim to be accepted as a true or definitive theory. Which has led therefore to many scientists proposing many different theories. The most popular theories are biological brain-based neural network theories.
When scientists claim the brain is somehow the cause of thought and memory, they are in effect saying: Your brain is speaking the thoughts you hear, your memories are given to you by your brain. Which if you said more directly would sound like this: Your brain is speaking the thoughts and memory you experience in your mind and therefore, logically, it must be a conscious and intelligent entity different than you. It must have the ability to observe and understand everything you see, feel and desire — in order to provide you with the coherent thoughts and memory you experience yet have no clue on how to cause or control by your own effort. Try to explain how to create or control thoughts or memory. Go ahead. Don’t worry, no one can do that, it’s not just you
Scientists are perplexed and have good reason for that. Some blame the brain, saying that somehow an unconscious biological process is managing our thoughts and memories. Others see the problem with that since the brain would have to be a conscious and intelligent being in its own right to do what we experience in our mind. We don’t do anything to cause thought, or find memory, that much is easily observed and understood. If the brain is doing that for us, that would mean the brain would have to be aware of our state of mind at every moment, and be able to read our desires, and then intelligently respond with words which we “hear” as our thoughts and memories. That means the brain would have to be a consciously aware and intelligent entity.
The brain literally speaks to us and intelligently manages our memories vs. something else is doing that.
There is no third option. One of those has to be true.
A conscious entity different than us must be creating and managing our thoughts and memories since we don’t know how yet it is being done for us.
Can a brain be conscious of what you are, what you desire, and then speak to you? That is what most scientists are proposing. The brain in that scenario must:
- Be a conscious being in its own right.
2. It must have a mind of its own in order to have the ability to speak to you.
3. It must be intelligent since it is speaking to you and managing your memories.
4. It must have abilities that we lack since we do not know how or where to find memories, nor how to create thoughts. Yet both occur without our knowledge or ability to do them on our own.
Can a brain be a different person than ourselves?
Obviously not. But something, or rather, someone, is doing those things for us. That is a simple and inescapable fact of life. A being with the ability to speak to us in our mind, is managing our mind, our memories, and therefore our intellect.
Whatever we experience in the world is being governed over from sub-atomic dimensions at every moment according to physicists. Thoughts and memories appear to us by an unseen seemingly intelligent and consciously aware of us process, that must be aware of our desires — a process that has eluded scientists precisely because thoughts and memory are non-physical. They are immaterial, not made of matter, and therefore machines made of matter cannot observe our thoughts and memories — or our dreams. Machines can only monitor bio-signals, biological reactions to dreams and thoughts. Machines made of 3-dimensional matter cannot directly perceive non-material substance made from sub-quantum dimensions. Machines can only monitor the biosignals our bodies/brains create in response to our thoughts. That is how people with physical disabilities are able to control a computer or a machine by their thoughts:
A computer program stores the specific biosignal being made when a person connected to electrodes concentrates on a specific letter or word. The computer program stores that information so it can then recognize the letter or word when the same biosignal is made by the person by concentrating on the corresponding letter or word. Then the person can type something on a computer keyboard or even control a machine connected to the computer by concentrating on letters or words. The computer translates the unique biosignals it has recorded from that person to enable them to have control of the computer. Physical machines cannot directly interact with our thoughts. Our non-physical non-material conscious self though is able to directly interact with thoughts, memory, and dreams.
We are able to experience the non-material dimensions of thought, memory, and dreams because our own consciousness or Self is also non-material and seemingly designed explicitly for that purpose. Therefore, we are not limited like a machine to only a perception of 3-dimensional reality. We are able to directly perceive and interact with sub-quantum non-material dimensions. And whatever is manifesting and managing our thoughts and memory — must also be able to do that.
We perceive our own conscious Self as the experiencer of thoughts, memories, dreams, and emotions — as well as the experiencer of physical reality through our senses. Our minds as they function, with constant information being fed to our Self through our mind as thoughts and memories — which we have no idea how to create or control — is necessary for experiencing reality through a fully functional intellect. Without the intelligent support we experience from a sub-quantum dimension managing our thoughts and memory — we would have no intellect, no intelligence, no knowledge because they are all dependent on memory being constantly available to us in a managed and non-chaotic method.
The mystic traditions teach us that our conscious self and mind is a part of, and an expression of, the universal ground of being. That is also taught by one of the most renowned theorists of quantum physics. David Bohm’s Implicate and Explicate Order quantum theory to explain the mysteries of quantum mechanics — teaches the same thing from the perspective of cutting-edge physics. The mystic traditions teach that the physical universe is manifest from a subquantum dimension by a cosmic all-pervading universal entity (the same idea as Bohm’s implicate or sub-quantum order) which manifests itself as all the things and people within the universe (Bohm’s explicate order).
That is why our memory, thoughts, and intellect are seemingly intelligently and consciously managed without any control by ourselves. That is how dreams are created even though we may have no more artistic ability than average. Dreams appear as if we have suddenly found ourselves in a movie—yet in the dream it seems like real life to us. It is a work of perfectly designed 3-dimensional art in our mind. Which we have no ability to create on our own when awake.
Quantum Mechanics has more or less proven the simulation hypothesis, which is the idea that reality is not what it seems from an external viewpoint, that there is a sub-quantum framework being used to manifest our world of matter/energy by an intelligence far beyond our understanding. This is a common view of reality among physicists. See this next video. (If youtube blocks it in your locale go to its mirror here.)
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
The above lyrics by singer Robert Plant from Stairway To Heaven are from his study of the various mystic traditions he and co-songwriter Jimmy Page had an interest in. Jimmy Page said:
It’s unfortunate that my studies of mysticism and Eastern and Western traditions of magick and tantra have all come under the umbrella of Crowley. Yeah, sure, I was fascinated by his techniques and ideas. But I was reading across-the-board.
The One is all, all is The One. That is the basic existential message of all mystical traditions east and west. The idea being that the universe is a transcendent living being who manifests itself through us…and as us. Accessing that being is as simple as the lyrics above say: Listen very hard. This is the basic meditation tool of all mystical traditions — to observe the mind, to listen to it, to detach from seeing the mind as an extension of your control, to see it as an extension of The One. To recognize the mind as an extension of a conscious being different from you — but part of you at the same time. Listen to the mind as if it is not you in control of the thoughts you experience. That meditation will reveal the truth of your relationship to The One. In the Yoga traditions this is called Samadhi, in the Kabbalist traditions Devekut, in the Buddhist traditions Nirvana, in the Zen traditions Satori, in the Sufi traditions Fana, to the ancient Greek mysteries Henosis, to Christian Mystics as Theosis. It is all the same thing. Focusing on the true nature of consciousness in relation to the cosmic unity within and without you.
So ultimately the Truth is that there is an internal Oneness underlying all external phenomena. Like a screenwriter and director underlying what you experience in a movie scene. Enlightenment means to be able to perceive and experience the truth of that Oneness expressing itself. Enlightenment means to be able to perceive that everything is one with it and to perceive that everything is manifesting its power — all the time. Experience of the One Being within us, and within others, and as us, and as everything — as the dominant controlling principle — is Enlightenment.
When you watch a movie the dominant controlling principle is the director/writer. The actors are only extensions of that dominant controlling principle. They manifest the will of the controller of the movie. In the same way all you will ever experience is a manifestation of the control of the director of the Universe, also known as Ishvara in Sanskrit. Ishvara means controlling principle, controller of your ability, the ruler of capabilities. It is a word used for the universal consciousness or Brahman, when describing how it functions in our experience of the world. We are described as expressions of The One or Brahman, which expresses itself through us by controlling and ruling over our abilities. For example the ability to manifest thoughts which we do not know how to do, or the ability to know things without doing anything to access memories.
The truth of what is actually causing and controlling that reality is revealed to us when we are ready. The truth of our intimate relationship with the ruler of reality will be revealed to us from within the mind as the controller of thoughts, and from outside ourselves by revealing its control over everyone and everything else we experience. Then when we experience the world we will see not just the external manifestation of various bodies, nature, thoughts, or emotions — but also experience the controlling principle underlying those things who uses your knowledge of its control over everything — for direct communication with you…
