View allAll Photos Tagged CONSCIOUSNESS
106/365 Consciousness. Expressing a couple of my favourite techniques in this photo. #365project #doubleexposure #photoart #dispersion #insight #forest #connected
"I saw the Storm and ice covered land
I saw the frozen trees so silent
I saw the blackness of their branches
under the unforgiving snow
Down down into the earth i went
Deeper and darker places surrounded me
Until the colors came
Until the swirling shapes danced around me
There the roots of life drew forth from a greater Life
This is the place of the Great Dream
Where the Garden ever pulsates
From this place the roots draw forth and sustain entire worlds
The seasons draw from on eternal Spring
changing the shapes of Infinity over and over again."
© Ganga Fondan, 2010
Unedited from a journal entry written after meditating on the "Four Eternal Principles". Focusing on the meaning of those journaled words came this artwork on digital canvas. It reminds me of how everything we touch, taste, smell, see, feel, hear....is connected to a greater Source beyond the senses and immerses us in a grander experience each time we are courageous enough to let go of all the small ways we know ourselves.
Differentiating Consciousness.
Zwakheden tekens ontdekkingen uitgelegd varkens garanties slimme opmerkingen verschrikkingen art,
epäjohdonmukainen henkilöhahmo puhdistava vaaratilanteiden sacrificers jaksot kärsimykset tuskallisen vihollisia piirretty,
predpostavlja zapleti tragične KOMPONENT kritike drame improbabilities čim govore,
Cornes poétiques étonnantes descriptions de conformité terrain intrinsèque convaincre langues diverses obscures,
يهدف مبررة القوى عرضي الغضب معرفة وجهات النظر المدمرة تروق التماسا أوراق أوامر,
premise de raționament contencios menționate definiții primare opinii ocazionale de anchetă filosofică a lui,
entèmedyè kontrèr inadekwat nesesèman tèm refleksyon prensip refutasyon esansyèl,
páirteanna doroinnte choinníoll fhoirceadal ársa leideanna sainmhínithe deacrachtaí conspóideacha argóintí rannáin,
独立した主張物質数量式連続感覚刻々と拒否された法律.
Steve.D.Hammond.
I have been thinking quite a lot about astrology. Specifically, astrology/horoscopes. Zodiac signs. It’s kind of been infuriating me, to be honest. Because I’ve spent the last 10+ years studying various things in science, as well as...
loss of consciousness
Ben maintenant vous êtes un peu habitué à mes petits délires.
J'aime bien cette photo car on a l'impression d'être dans les yeux de quelqu'un qui serait sous l'emprise de quelque chose, sur le point de perdre conscience. Bon c'est mon délire xD
Vi sono beni così grandi che il cuore dell'uomo deve spezzarsi per poterli accogliere.
E l'infinito per compenetrarsi nella nostra vita, non dovrà infrangere i limiti?
- Maurice Zundel -
18-105 mm + filtro polarizzatore
Cosmic Fingerpost
This is a message if you like
The entrance which is an exit.
The golden bowl stands for the non judging consciousness.
From identification to non identification
From Ego to Self
HKD
Der göttliche Wegweiser
In medias felicitas est
In der Mitte liegt das Glück
Die Mitte ist ein Standpunkt
Sie ist die Radnarbe
Sie ist dein Zentrum
HKD
Burke and Wills Menindee Camp Pamamaroo Creek 26/10/1860 to 26/01/1861.
The story of Burke and Wills has become an integral part of the Australian consciousness. Burke and Wills and their fate seem to encapsulate and justify the fear that many urban Australians have of the vast, lonely, dry wilderness which occupies over two-thirds of the continent. Of course the truth about the ignominious demise of Burke and wills is more pedestrian. What went wrong with their expedition can best be summed up by those well-known human failings - incompetence, arrogance, inflexibility and racial bigotry. The expedition was ill-conceived from the outset. It is now generally agreed that the raison d'etre of the whole undertaking was overwhelming pride. This pride was a result of the newly found wealth of Melbourne (a direct result of the gold rushes) and the newly created colonial independence of Victoria. Public enthusiasm for the expedition was high. Public subscriptions exceeded £3000 and the government contributed £6000. Under ordinary circumstances this would have been adequate funding but over half of the funds were spent on purchasing and importing twenty-four camels from Afghanistan. The committee then advertised for a man to lead the expedition. They had thirteen applicants out of whom they chose Irish-born police inspector Robert O'Hara Burke. Burke had no experience and no apparent knowledge of the Australian bush. Why he was chosen to lead an expedition which was going to travel across thousands of miles of rugged and unknown terrain remains a mystery. It was not so much an expedition as a public display. The camels and packhorses were carrying twenty-one tons of equipment including 120 mirrors as presents for Aborigines, sixty gallons of rum, four gallons of brandy, supplies of rockets, arms and vast qualities of dried food.
On 6 September when the expedition reached Swan Hill Burke sold off a large quantity of stores and hired two new men. In Balranald the foreman, Ferguson, quit; Burke dismissed Creber, Cowen, Fletcher, the cook Drakeford, and Langan; and some stores including the expedition's entire supply of lime juice were sold. At the Darling River camp at Pamamaroo Creek Burke insisted that all items weighing over thirty pounds be abandoned. This decision meant that neither Dr Beckler nor the naturalist Ludwig Becker could carry their instruments. Becker left the expedition at Menindee. Prior to Becker's departure the second-in-command, Landells, realised that he would never be able to work with Burke and resigned. At Menindee news arrived from Melbourne that another continental crossing was about to commence. All pretence about the desire to 'enquire into the report upon the exploration of the Australian interior' was abandoned. Burke could not tolerate the thought that he might be beaten. On 19 October Burke, Wills, Brabe, King, Gray, McDonough, Patton and an Afgan cameleer Dost Mohammed left Menindee. Wright was left behind with instructions to bring stores and provisions and to follow the main party in a week to Cooper’s Creek. The main party reached Cooper Creek on 11 November and on 27 November the famous Camp 65 was established under a coolibah tree on the banks of the river. On 16 December 1860 with six camels, one pony, and Wills, Gray and King, Burke began the final push north to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Disaster now followed disaster on the trip north and back to Cooper Creek. On 17 April on the way back Charley Gray died. Four days later Burke, Wills and King reached the Cooper Creek depot. They were exhausted and in desperate need of fresh supplies. To their horror the depot had been abandoned only hours earlier. On a tree William Brahe, the depot foreman, had carved DIG. Confronted with an empty depot, a small cache of supplies and the prospect of starvation, Burke had to decide whether he was going to go back to Menindee or attempt a 320 kilometre walk across the desert to a cattle station at Mount Hopeless. Once again Burke made the wrong decision. He decided to head for Mount Hopeless. It is perhaps the most telling comment about the character of Burke he ignored his only chance saving himself, Wills and King. It is almost certain that the local Aborigines could have saved the trio. But Burke saw himself as the conqueror, as a member of a superior civilisation. The idea that he could be saved from death by a group of 'savages' was unthinkable. The base camp in Menindee was thus occupied by part of the group from 19 Oct 1860 to 26 Jan 1861 before they headed back to Melbourne. Only John King made it back alive from Cooper Creek because he had accepted the hospitality of the Aboriginal people there. Dost Mahomet returned and lived in Menindee and worked for Ah Chung the Chinese baker. He died in 1880 and was buried just outside the town. The base camp at Pamamaroo Creek near Menindee was occupied from 19 October 1860 to 26 January 1861. Before setting off north Burke stayed in the hotel in Menindee and not with his men at Pamamaroo Creek depot. The main weir on the River Darling diverts water into Lake Pamamaroo which becomes the water supply of Broken Hill and the source of irrigation water for the fruit and vines around Menindee.
Afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is the concept that an essential part of an individual's identity or the stream of consciousness continues to manifest after the death of the physical body. According to various ideas about the afterlife, the essential aspect of the individual that lives on after death may be some partial element, or the entire soul or spirit, of an individual, which carries with it and may confer personal identity or, on the contrary, may not, as in Indian nirvana. Belief in an afterlife, which may be naturalistic or supernatural, is in contrast to the belief in oblivion after death.
In some views, this continued existence often takes place in a spiritual realm, and in other popular views, the individual may be reborn into this world and begin the life cycle over again, likely with no memory of what they have done in the past. In this latter view, such rebirths and deaths may take place over and over again continuously until the individual gains entry to a spiritual realm or Otherworld. Major views on the afterlife derive from religion, esotericism and metaphysics.
Some belief systems, such as those in the Abrahamic tradition, hold that the dead go to a specific plane of existence after death, as determined by God, or other divine judgment, based on their actions or beliefs during life. In contrast, in systems of reincarnation, such as those in the Indian religions, the nature of the continued existence is determined directly by the actions of the individual in the ended life, rather than through the decision of a different being.
Different metaphysical models
Theists generally believe some type of afterlife awaits people when they die. Members of some generally non-theistic religions tend to believe in an afterlife, but without reference to a deity. The Sadducees were an ancient Jewish sect that generally believed that there was a God but no afterlife.
Many religions, whether they believe in the soul's existence in another world like Christianity, Islam and many pagan belief systems, or in reincarnation like many forms of Hinduism and Buddhism, believe that one's status in the afterlife is a reward or punishment for their conduct during life.
Reincarnation
Reincarnation is the philosophical or religious concept that an aspect of a living being starts a new life in a different physical body or form after each biological death. It is also called rebirth or transmigration, and is a part of the Saṃsāra doctrine of cyclic existence. It is a central tenet of all major Indian religions, namely Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The idea of reincarnation is found in many ancient cultures, and a belief in rebirth/metempsychosis was held by Greek historic figures, such as Pythagoras, Socrates, and Plato.It is also a common belief of various ancient and modern religions such as Spiritism, Theosophy, and Eckankar and is found as well in many tribal societies around the world, in places such as Australia, East Asia, Siberia, and South America.
Although the majority of denominations within the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam do not believe that individuals reincarnate, particular groups within these religions do refer to reincarnation; these groups include the mainstream historical and contemporary followers of Kabbalah, the Cathars, Alawites, the Druze, and the Rosicrucians. The historical relations between these sects and the beliefs about reincarnation that were characteristic of Neoplatonism, Orphism, Hermeticism, Manicheanism, and Gnosticism of the Roman era as well as the Indian religions have been the subject of recent scholarly research. Unity Church and its founder Charles Fillmore teach reincarnation.
Rosicrucians speak of a life review period occurring immediately after death and before entering the afterlife's planes of existence (before the silver cord is broken), followed by a judgment, more akin to a final review or end report over one's life.
Heaven and hell
Heaven, the heavens, seven heavens, pure lands, Tian, Jannah, Valhalla, or the Summerland, is a common religious, cosmological, or transcendent place where beings such as gods, angels, jinn, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or live. According to the beliefs of some religions, heavenly beings can descend to earth or incarnate, and earthly beings can ascend to heaven in the afterlife, or in exceptional cases enter heaven alive.
Heaven is often described as a "higher place", the holiest place, a paradise, in contrast to hell or the underworld or the "low places", and universally or conditionally accessible by earthly beings according to various standards of divinity, goodness, piety, faith or other virtues or right beliefs or simply the will of God. Some believe in the possibility of a heaven on Earth in a world to come.
In Indian religions, heaven is considered as Svarga loka. There are seven positive regions the soul can go to after death and seven negative regions. After completing its stay in the respective region, the soul is subjected to rebirth in different living forms according to its karma. This cycle can be broken after a soul achieves Moksha or Nirvana. Any place of existence, either of humans, souls or deities, outside the tangible world (heaven, hell, or other) is referred to as otherworld.
Hell, in many religious and folkloric traditions, is a place of torment and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell as an eternal destination, while religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations. Typically, these traditions locate hell in another dimension or under the earth's surface and often include entrances to hell from the land of the living. Other afterlife destinations include purgatory and limbo.
Traditions that do not conceive of the afterlife as a place of punishment or reward merely describe hell as an abode of the dead, the grave, a neutral place (for example, sheol or Hades) located under the surface of earth.
Ancient religions
The afterlife played an important role in Ancient Egyptian religion, and its belief system is one of the earliest known in recorded history. When the body died, parts of its soul known as ka (body double) and the ba (personality) would go to the Kingdom of the Dead. While the soul dwelt in the Fields of Aaru, Osiris demanded work as restitution for the protection he provided. Statues were placed in the tombs to serve as substitutes for the deceased.
Arriving at one's reward in afterlife was a demanding ordeal, requiring a sin-free heart and the ability to recite the spells, passwords and formulae of the Book of the Dead. In the Hall of Two Truths, the deceased's heart was weighed against the Shu feather of truth and justice taken from the headdress of the goddess Ma'at.[15] If the heart was lighter than the feather, they could pass on, but if it were heavier they would be devoured by the demon Ammit.
Egyptians also believed that being mummified and put in a sarcophagus (an ancient Egyptian "coffin" carved with complex symbols and designs, as well as pictures and hieroglyphs) was the only way to have an afterlife. Only if the corpse had been properly embalmed and entombed in a mastaba, could the dead live again in the Fields of Yalu and accompany the Sun on its daily ride. Due to the dangers the afterlife posed, the Book of the Dead was placed in the tomb with the body as well as food, jewellery, and 'curses'. They also used the "opening of the mouth".
Ancient Egyptian civilization was based on religion; their belief in the rebirth after death became the driving force behind their funeral practices. Death was simply a temporary interruption, rather than complete cessation, of life, and that eternal life could be ensured by means like piety to the gods, preservation of the physical form through mummification, and the provision of statuary and other funerary equipment. Each human consisted of the physical body, the ka, the ba, and the akh. The Name and Shadow were also living entities. To enjoy the afterlife, all these elements had to be sustained and protected from harm.
On March 30, 2010, a spokesman for the Egyptian Culture Ministry claimed it had unearthed a large red granite door in Luxor with inscriptions by User,[20] a powerful adviser to the 18th dynasty Queen Hatshepsut who ruled between 1479 BC and 1458 BC, the longest of any woman. It believes the false door is a 'door to the Afterlife'. According to the archaeologists, the door was reused in a structure in Roman Egypt.
Ancient Greek and Roman religions
The Greek god Hades is known in Greek mythology as the king of the underworld, a place where souls live after death.The Greek god Hermes, the messenger of the gods, would take the dead soul of a person to the underworld (sometimes called Hades or the House of Hades). Hermes would leave the soul on the banks of the River Styx, the river between life and death.
Charon, also known as the ferry-man, would take the soul across the river to Hades, if the soul had gold: Upon burial, the family of the dead soul would put coins under the deceased's tongue. Once crossed, the soul would be judged by Aeacus, Rhadamanthus and King Minos. The soul would be sent to Elysium, Tartarus, Asphodel Fields, or the Fields of Punishment. The Elysian Fields were for the ones that lived pure lives. It consisted of green fields, valleys and mountains, everyone there was peaceful and contented, and the Sun always shone there. Tartarus was for the people that blasphemed against the gods, or were simply rebellious and consciously evil.
The Asphodel Fields were for a varied selection of human souls: Those whose sins equalled their goodness, were indecisive in their lives, or were not judged. The Fields of Punishment were for people that had sinned often, but not so much as to be deserving of Tartarus. In Tartarus, the soul would be punished by being burned in lava, or stretched on racks. Some heroes of Greek legend are allowed to visit the underworld. The Romans had a similar belief system about the afterlife, with Hades becoming known as Pluto. In the ancient Greek myth about the Labours of Heracles, the hero Heracles had to travel to the underworld to capture Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog, as one of his tasks.
In Dream of Scipio, Cicero describes what seems to be an out of body experience, of the soul traveling high above the Earth, looking down at the small planet, from far away.
In Book VI of Virgil's Aeneid, the hero, Aeneas, travels to the underworld to see his father. By the River Styx, he sees the souls of those not given a proper burial, forced to wait by the river until someone buries them. While down there, along with the dead, he is shown the place where the wrongly convicted reside, the fields of sorrow where those who committed suicide and now regret it reside, including Aeneas' former lover, the warriors and shades, Tartarus (where the titans and powerful non-mortal enemies of the Olympians reside) where he can hear the groans of the imprisoned, the palace of Pluto, and the fields of Elysium where the descendants of the divine and bravest heroes reside. He sees the river of forgetfulness, Lethe, which the dead must drink to forget their life and begin anew. Lastly, his father shows him all of the future heroes of Rome who will live if Aeneas fulfills his destiny in founding the city.
Norse religion
The Poetic and Prose Eddas, the oldest sources for information on the Norse concept of the afterlife, vary in their description of the several realms that are described as falling under this topic. The most well-known are:
Valhalla: (lit. "Hall of the Slain" i.e. "the Chosen Ones") Half the warriors who die in battle join the god Odin who rules over a majestic hall called Valhalla in Asgard.
Fólkvangr: (lit. "Field of the Host") The other half join the goddess Freyja in a great meadow known as Fólkvangr.
Hel: (lit. "The Covered Hall") This abode is somewhat like Hades from Ancient Greek religion: there, something not unlike the Asphodel Meadows can be found, and people who have neither excelled in that which is good nor excelled in that which is bad can expect to go there after they die and be reunited with their loved ones.[citation needed]
Niflhel: (lit. "The Dark" or "Misty Hel") This realm is roughly analogous to Greek Tartarus. It is the deeper level beneath Hel, and those who break oaths and commit other vile things will be sent there to be among their kind to suffer harsh punishments.[citation needed]
Abrahamic religions[edit]
Judaism
She'ol
She'ol, in the Hebrew Bible, is a place of darkness to which all the dead go, both the righteous and the unrighteous, regardless of the moral choices made in life, a place of stillness and darkness cut off from life and from God.need quotation to verify]
The inhabitants of Sheol are the "shades" (rephaim), entities without personality or strength.[28] Under some circumstances they are thought to be able to be contacted by the living, as the Witch of Endor contacts the shade of Samuel for Saul, but such practices are forbidden (Deuteronomy 18:10).
While the Hebrew Bible appears to describe Sheol as the permanent place of the dead, in the Second Temple period (roughly 500 BC–70 AD) a more diverse set of ideas developed. In some texts, Sheol is considered to be the home of both the righteous and the wicked, separated into respective compartments; in others, it was considered a place of punishment, meant for the wicked dead alone.[30] When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek in ancient Alexandria around 200 BC, the word "Hades" (the Greek underworld) was substituted for Sheol. This is reflected in the New Testament where Hades is both the underworld of the dead and the personification of the evil it represents.
World to Come
The Talmud offers a number of thoughts relating to the afterlife. After death, the soul is brought for judgment. Those who have led pristine lives enter immediately into the Olam Haba or world to come. Most do not enter the world to come immediately, but now experience a period of review of their earthly actions and they are made aware of what they have done wrong. Some view this period as being a "re-schooling", with the soul gaining wisdom as one's errors are reviewed. Others view this period to include spiritual discomfort for past wrongs. At the end of this period, not longer than one year, the soul then takes its place in the world to come. Although discomforts are made part of certain Jewish conceptions of the afterlife, the concept of "eternal damnation", so prevalent in other religions, is not a tenet of the Jewish afterlife. According to the Talmud, extinction of the soul is reserved for a far smaller group of malicious and evil leaders, either whose very evil deeds go way beyond norms, or who lead large groups of people to utmost evil.
Maimonides describes the Olam Haba in spiritual terms, relegating the prophesied physical resurrection to the status of a future miracle, unrelated to the afterlife or the Messianic era. According to Maimonides, an afterlife continues for the soul of every human being, a soul now separated from the body in which it was "housed" during its earthly existence.
The Zohar describes Gehenna not as a place of punishment for the wicked but as a place of spiritual purification for souls.
Reincarnation in Jewish tradition
Although there is no reference to reincarnation in the Talmud or any prior writings, according to rabbis such as Avraham Arieh Trugman, reincarnation is recognized as being part and parcel of Jewish tradition. Trugman explains that it is through oral tradition that the meanings of the Torah, its commandments and stories, are known and understood. The classic work of Jewish mysticism, the Zohar, is quoted liberally in all Jewish learning; in the Zohar the idea of reincarnation is mentioned repeatedly. Trugman states that in the last five centuries the concept of reincarnation, which until then had been a much hidden tradition within Judaism, was given open exposure.
Shraga Simmons commented that within the Bible itself, the idea [of reincarnation] is intimated in Deut. 25:5-10, Deut. 33:6 and Isaiah 22:14, 65:6.
Yirmiyahu Ullman wrote that reincarnation is an "ancient, mainstream belief in Judaism". The Zohar makes frequent and lengthy references to reincarnation. Onkelos, a righteous convert and authoritative commentator of the same period, explained the verse, "Let Reuben live and not die ..." (Deuteronomy 33:6) to mean that Reuben should merit the World to Come directly, and not have to die again as a result of being reincarnated. Torah scholar, commentator and kabbalist, Nachmanides (Ramban 1195–1270), attributed Job's suffering to reincarnation, as hinted in Job's saying "God does all these things twice or three times with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit to ... the light of the living' (Job 33:29,30)."
Reincarnation, called gilgul, became popular in folk belief, and is found in much Yiddish literature among Ashkenazi Jews. Among a few kabbalists, it was posited that some human souls could end up being reincarnated into non-human bodies. These ideas were found in a number of Kabbalistic works from the 13th century, and also among many mystics in the late 16th century. Martin Buber's early collection of stories of the Baal Shem Tov's life includes several that refer to people reincarnating in successive lives.
Among well known (generally non-kabbalist or anti-kabbalist) rabbis who rejected the idea of reincarnation are Saadia Gaon, David Kimhi, Hasdai Crescas, Yedayah Bedershi (early 14th century), Joseph Albo, Abraham ibn Daud, the Rosh and Leon de Modena. Saadia Gaon, in Emunoth ve-Deoth (Hebrew: "beliefs and opinions") concludes Section VI with a refutation of the doctrine of metempsychosis (reincarnation). While rebutting reincarnation, Saadia Gaon further states that Jews who hold to reincarnation have adopted non-Jewish beliefs. By no means do all Jews today believe in reincarnation, but belief in reincarnation is not uncommon among many Jews, including Orthodox.
Other well-known rabbis who are reincarnationists include Yonassan Gershom, Abraham Isaac Kook, Talmud scholar Adin Steinsaltz, DovBer Pinson, David M. Wexelman, Zalman Schachter,[39] and many others. Reincarnation is cited by authoritative biblical commentators, including Ramban (Nachmanides), Menachem Recanti and Rabbenu Bachya.
Among the many volumes of Yitzchak Luria, most of which come down from the pen of his primary disciple, Chaim Vital, are insights explaining issues related to reincarnation. His Shaar HaGilgulim, "The Gates of Reincarnation", is a book devoted exclusively to the subject of reincarnation in Judaism.
Rabbi Naftali Silberberg of The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute notes that "Many ideas that originate in other religions and belief systems have been popularized in the media and are taken for granted by unassuming Jews."
Christianity
Main articles: Christian eschatology, Heaven in Christianity, Christian views on hell, and Intermediate state
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Mainstream Christianity professes belief in the Nicene Creed, and English versions of the Nicene Creed in current use include the phrase: "We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come." Although punishments are made part of certain Christian conceptions of the afterlife, the prevalent concept of "eternal damnation" is a tenet of the Christian afterlife.
When questioned by the Sadducees about the resurrection of the dead (in a context relating to who one's spouse would be if one had been married several times in life), Jesus said that marriage will be irrelevant after the resurrection as the resurrected will be like the angels in heaven.
Jesus also maintained that the time would come when the dead would hear the voice of the Son of God, and all who were in the tombs would come out, who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.
The Book of Enoch describes Sheol as divided into four compartments for four types of the dead: the faithful saints who await resurrection in Paradise, the merely virtuous who await their reward, the wicked who await punishment, and the wicked who have already been punished and will not be resurrected on Judgment Day. The Book of Enoch is considered apocryphal by most denominations of Christianity and all denominations of Judaism.
The book of 2 Maccabees gives a clear account of the dead awaiting a future resurrection and judgment, plus prayers and offerings for the dead to remove the burden of sin.
Domenico Beccafumi's Inferno: a Christian vision of hell
The author of Luke recounts the story of Lazarus and the rich man, which shows people in Hades awaiting the resurrection either in comfort or torment. The author of the Book of Revelation writes about God and the angels versus Satan and demons in an epic battle at the end of times when all souls are judged. There is mention of ghostly bodies of past prophets, and the transfiguration.
The non-canonical Acts of Paul and Thecla speak of the efficacy of prayer for the dead, so that they might be "translated to a state of happiness".
Hippolytus of Rome pictures the underworld (Hades) as a place where the righteous dead, awaiting in the bosom of Abraham their resurrection, rejoice at their future prospect, while the unrighteous are tormented at the sight of the "lake of unquenchable fire" into which they are destined to be cast.
Gregory of Nyssa discusses the long-before believed possibility of purification of souls after death.
Pope Gregory I repeats the concept, articulated over a century earlier by Gregory of Nyssa that the saved suffer purification after death, in connection with which he wrote of "purgatorial flames".
The noun "purgatorium" (Latin: place of cleansing is used for the first time to describe a state of painful purification of the saved after life. The same word in adjectival form (purgatorius -a -um, cleansing), which appears also in non-religious writing, was already used by Christians such as Augustine of Hippo and Pope Gregory I to refer to an after-death cleansing.
During the Age of Enlightenment, theologians and philosophers presented various philosophies and beliefs. A notable example is Emanuel Swedenborg who wrote some 18 theological works which describe in detail the nature of the afterlife according to his claimed spiritual experiences, the most famous of which is Heaven and Hell. His report of life there covers a wide range of topics, such as marriage in heaven (where all angels are married), children in heaven (where they are raised by angel parents), time and space in heaven (there are none), the after-death awakening process in the World of Spirits (a place halfway between Heaven and Hell and where people first wake up after death), the allowance of a free will choice between Heaven or Hell (as opposed to being sent to either one by God), the eternity of Hell (one could leave but would never want to), and that all angels or devils were once people on earth.
The Catholic Church
The "Spiritual Combat", a written work by Lorenzo Scupoli, states that four assaults are attempted by the “evil one” at the hour of death. The Catholic conception of the afterlife teaches that after the body dies, the soul is judged, the righteous and free of sin enter Heaven. However, those who die in unrepented mortal sin go to hell. In the 1990s, the Catechism of the Catholic Church defined hell not as punishment imposed on the sinner but rather as the sinner's self-exclusion from God. Unlike other Christian groups, the Catholic Church teaches that those who die in a state of grace, but still carry venial sin go to a place called Purgatory where they undergo purification to enter Heaven.
Limbo
Despite popular opinion, Limbo, which was elaborated upon by theologians beginning in the Middle Ages, was never recognized as a dogma of the Catholic Church, yet, at times, it has been a very popular theological theory within the Church. Limbo is a theory that unbaptized but innocent souls, such as those of infants, virtuous individuals who lived before Jesus Christ was born on earth, or those that die before baptism exist in neither Heaven or Hell proper. Therefore, these souls neither merit the beatific vision, nor are subjected to any punishment, because they are not guilty of any personal sin although they have not received baptism, so still bear original sin. So they are generally seen as existing in a state of natural, but not supernatural, happiness, until the end of time.
In other Christian denominations it has been described as an intermediate place or state of confinement in oblivion and neglect.
Purgatory
The notion of purgatory is associated particularly with the Catholic Church. In the Catholic Church, all those who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven or the final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The tradition of the church, by reference to certain texts of scripture, speaks of a "cleansing fire" although it is not always called purgatory.
Anglicans of the Anglo-Catholic tradition generally also hold to the belief. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, believed in an intermediate state between death and the resurrection of the dead and in the possibility of "continuing to grow in holiness there", but Methodism does not officially affirm this belief and denies the possibility of helping by prayer any who may be in that state.
Orthodox Christianity
The Orthodox Church is intentionally reticent on the afterlife, as it acknowledges the mystery especially of things that have not yet occurred. Beyond the second coming of Jesus, bodily resurrection, and final judgment, all of which is affirmed in the Nicene Creed (325 CE), Orthodoxy does not teach much else in any definitive manner. Unlike Western forms of Christianity, however, Orthodoxy is traditionally non-dualist and does not teach that there are two separate literal locations of heaven and hell, but instead acknowledges that "the 'location' of one’s final destiny—heaven or hell—as being figurative." Instead, Orthodoxy teaches that the final judgment is simply one's uniform encounter with divine love and mercy, but this encounter is experienced multifariously depending on the extent to which one has been transformed, partaken of divinity, and is therefore compatible or incompatible with God. "The monadic, immutable, and ceaseless object of eschatological encounter is therefore the love and mercy of God, his glory which infuses the heavenly temple, and it is the subjective human reaction which engenders multiplicity or any division of experience."For instance, St. Isaac the Syrian observes that "those who are punished in Gehenna, are scourged by the scourge of love. ... The power of love works in two ways: it torments sinners . . . [as] bitter regret. But love inebriates the souls of the sons of Heaven by its delectability." In this sense, the divine action is always, immutably, and uniformly love and if one experiences this love negatively, the experience is then one of self-condemnation because of free will rather than condemnation by God. Orthodoxy therefore uses the description of Jesus' judgment in John 3:19-21 as their model: "19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." As a characteristically Orthodox understanding, then, Fr. Thomas Hopko writes, "[I]t is precisely the presence of God’s mercy and love which cause the torment of the wicked. God does not punish; he forgives. . . . In a word, God has mercy on all, whether all like it or not. If we like it, it is paradise; if we do not, it is hell. Every knee will bend before the Lord. Everything will be subject to Him. God in Christ will indeed be "all and in all," with boundless mercy and unconditional pardon. But not all will rejoice in God's gift of forgiveness, and that choice will be judgment, the self-inflicted source of their sorrow and pain."
Moreover, Orthodoxy includes a prevalent tradition of apokatastasis, or the restoration of all things in the end. This has been taught most notably by Origen, but also many other Church fathers and Saints, including Gregory of Nyssa. The Second Council of Constantinople (553 C.E.) affirmed the orthodoxy of Gregory of Nyssa while simultaneously condemning Origen's brand of universalism because it taught the restoration back to our pre-existent state, which Orthodoxy doesn't teach. It is also a teaching of such eminent Orthodox theologians as Olivier Clément, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, and Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev.[55] Although apokatastasis is not a dogma of the church but instead a theologoumena, it is no less a teaching of the Orthodox Church than its rejection. As Met. Kallistos Ware explains, "It is heretical to say that all must be saved, for this is to deny free will; but, it is legitimate to hope that all may be saved,"[56] as insisting on torment without end also denies free will.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints[edit]
Main articles: Plan of salvation (Latter Day Saints), Exaltation (Mormonism), and Degrees of glory
Plan of Salvation in LDS Religion
Joseph F. Smith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presents an elaborate vision of the afterlife. It is revealed as the scene of an extensive missionary effort by righteous spirits in paradise to redeem those still in darkness—a spirit prison or "hell" where the spirits of the dead remain until judgment. It is divided into two parts: Spirit Prison and Paradise. Together these are also known as the Spirit World (also Abraham's Bosom; see Luke 16:19-25). They believe that Christ visited spirit prison (1 Peter 3:18-20) and opened the gate for those who repent to cross over to Paradise. This is similar to the Harrowing of Hell doctrine of some mainstream Christian faiths.[citation needed] Both Spirit Prison and Paradise are temporary according to Latter-day Saint beliefs. After the resurrection, spirits are assigned "permanently" to three degrees of heavenly glory, determined by how they lived– Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial.(1 Cor 15:44-42; Doctrine and Covenants, Section 76) Sons of Perdition, or those who have known and seen God and deny it, will be sent to the realm of Satan, which is called Outer Darkness, where they shall live in misery and agony forever.[57]
The Celestial Kingdom is believed to be a place where we can live eternally with our families. Progression does not end once one has entered the Celestial Kingdom, but it extends eternally. According to "True to the Faith" (a handbook on doctrines in the LDS faith), "The celestial kingdom is the place prepared for those who have "received the testimony of Jesus" and been "made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood" (D&C 76:51, 69). To inherit this gift, we must receive the ordinances of salvation, keep the commandments, and repent of our sins."
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses occasionally use terms such as "afterlife"[59] to refer to any hope for the dead, but they understand Ecclesiastes 9:5 to preclude belief in an immortal soul.[60] Individuals judged by God to be wicked, such as in the Great Flood or at Armageddon, are given no hope of an afterlife. However, they believe that after Armageddon there will be a bodily resurrection of "both righteous and unrighteous" dead (but not the "wicked"). Survivors of Armageddon and those who are resurrected are then to gradually restore earth to a paradise.[61] After Armageddon, unrepentant sinners are punished with eternal death (non-existence).
Seventh-day Adventists
The Seventh-day Adventist Church, teaches that the first death, or death brought about by living on a planet with sinful conditions (sickness, old age, accident, etc.) is a sleep of the soul. Adventists believe that the body + the breath of God = a living soul. Like Jehovah's Witnesses, Adventists use key phrases from the Bible, such as "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten." (Eccl. 9:5 KJV). Adventists also point to the fact that the wage of sin is death and God alone is immortal. Adventists believe God will grant eternal life to the redeemed who are resurrected at Jesus' second coming. Until then, all those who have died are "asleep". When Jesus the Christ, who is the Word and the Bread of Life, comes a second time, the righteous will be raised incorruptible and will be taken in the clouds to meet their Lord. The righteous will live in heaven for a thousand years (the millennium) where they will sit with God in judgment over the unredeemed and the fallen angels. During the time the redeemed are in heaven, the Earth will be devoid of human and animal inhabitation. Only the fallen angels will be left alive. The second resurrection is of the unrighteous, when Jesus brings the New Jerusalem down from heaven to relocate to Earth. Jesus will call to life all those who are unrighteous. Satan and his angels will convince the unrighteous to surround the city, but hell fire and brimstone will fall from heaven and consume them, thus cleansing Earth of all sin. The universe will be then free from sin forever. This is called the second death. On the new earth God will provide an eternal home for all the redeemed and a perfect environment for everlasting life, where Eden will be restored. The great controversy will be ended and sin will be no more. God will reign in perfect harmony forever. (Rom. 6:23; 1 Tim. 6:15, 16; Eccl. 9:5, 6; Ps. 146:3, 4; John 11:11-14; Col. 3:4; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; John 5:28, 29; Rev. 20:1-10; Rev. 20; 1 Cor. 6:2, 3; Jer. 4:23-26; Rev. 21:1-5; Mal. 4:1; Eze. 28:18, 19; 2 Peter 3:13; Isa. 35; 65:17-25; Matt. 5:5; Rev. 21:1-7; 22:1-5; 11:15.)[62][63]
Islam
An artists representation of "Muhammed's Paradise". A Persian miniature from The History of Mohammed, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris.
The Islamic prophet Idris is shown the afterlife places by an angel. In hell, the inmates are tormented by a demon.
Main articles: Islamic view of death, Barzakh, and Akhirah
The Islamic belief in the afterlife as stated in the Quran is descriptive. The Arabic word for Paradise is Jannah and Hell is Jahannam. Their level of comfort while in the grave (according to some commentators) depends wholly on their level of iman or faith in the one almighty creator or supreme being (God or Allah). In order for one to achieve proper, firm and healthy iman one must practice righteous deeds or else his level of iman chokes and shrinks and eventually can wither away if one does not practice Islam long enough, hence the depth of practicing Islam is good deeds. One may also acquire tasbih and recite the names of Allah in such manner as Subahann Allah or "Glory be to Allah" over and over again to acquire good deeds.
In the Quran, God gives warning about grievous punishment to those who do not believe in the afterlife (Akhirah),[64] and admonishes mankind that Hell is prepared for those who deny the meeting with him.
Islam teaches that the purpose of Man's entire creation is to worship Allah alone, which includes being kind to other human beings and life including bugs, and to trees, by not oppressing them. Islam teaches that the life we live on Earth is nothing but a test for us and to determine each individual's ultimate abode, be it punishment or Jannat in the afterlife, which is eternal and everlasting.
Jannah and Jahannam both have different levels. Jannah has eight gates and seven levels. The higher the level the better it is and the happier you are. Jahannam possess 7 deep terrible layers. The lower the layer the worse it is. Individuals will arrive at both everlasting homes during Judgment Day, which commences after the Angel Israfil blows the trumpet the second time. Islam teaches the continued existence of the soul and a transformed physical existence after death. Muslims believe there will be a day of judgment when all humans will be divided between the eternal destinations of Paradise and Hell.
In the 20th century, discussions about the afterlife address the interconnection between human action and divine judgment, the need for moral rectitude, and the eternal consequences of human action in this life and world.
A central doctrine of the Quran is the Last Day, on which the world will be destroyed and Allah will raise all people and jinn from the dead to be judged. The Last Day is also called the Day of Standing Up, Day of Separation, Day of Reckoning, Day of Awakening, Day of Judgment, The Encompassing Day or The Hour.
Until the Day of Judgment, deceased souls remain in their graves awaiting the resurrection. However, they begin to feel immediately a taste of their destiny to come. Those bound for hell will suffer in their graves, while those bound for heaven will be in peace until that time.
The resurrection that will take place on the Last Day is physical, and is explained by suggesting that God will re-create the decayed body (17💯 "Could they not see that God who created the heavens and the earth is able to create the like of them?").
On the Last Day, resurrected humans and jinn will be judged by Allah according to their deeds. One's eternal destination depends on balance of good to bad deeds in life. They are either granted admission to Paradise, where they will enjoy spiritual and physical pleasures forever, or condemned to Hell to suffer spiritual and physical torment for eternity. The day of judgment is described as passing over Hell on a narrow bridge (as thin as human hair and sharper than a razor) in order to enter Paradise. Those who fall, weighted by their bad deeds, will remain in Hell forever.
Ahmadiyya
Ahmadi Muslims believe that the afterlife is not material but of a spiritual nature. According to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of Ahmadiyya sect in Islam, the soul will give birth to another rarer entity and will resemble the life on this earth in the sense that this entity will bear a similar relationship to the soul as the soul bears relationship with the human existence on earth. On earth, if a person leads a righteous life and submits to the will of God, his or her tastes become attuned to enjoying spiritual pleasures as opposed to carnal desires. With this, an "embryonic soul" begins to take shape. Different tastes are said to be born which a person given to carnal passions finds no enjoyment. For example, sacrifice of one's own rights over that of others becomes enjoyable, or that forgiveness becomes second nature. In such a state a person finds contentment and peace at heart and at this stage, according to Ahmadiyya beliefs, it can be said that a soul within the soul has begun to take shape.
Sufi
The Sufi scholar Ibn 'Arabi defined Barzakh as the intermediate realm or "isthmus." It is between the world of corporeal bodies and the world of spirits, and is a means of contact between the two worlds. Without it, there would be no contact between the two and both would cease to exist. He described it as simple and luminous, like the world of spirits, but also able to take on many different forms just like the world of corporeal bodies can. In broader terms Barzakh, "is anything that separates two things". It has been called the dream world in which the dreamer is in both life and death.
Bahá'í Faith
The teachings of the Bahá'í Faith state that the nature of the afterlife is beyond the understanding of those living, just as an unborn fetus cannot understand the nature of the world outside of the womb. The Bahá'í writings state that the soul is immortal and after death it will continue to progress until it attains God's presence. In Bahá'í belief, souls in the afterlife will continue to retain their individuality and consciousness and will be able to recognize and communicate spiritually with other souls whom they have made deep profound friendships with, such as their spouses.
The Bahá'í scriptures also state there are distinctions between souls in the afterlife, and that souls will recognize the worth of their own deeds and understand the consequences of their actions. It is explained that those souls that have turned toward God will experience gladness, while those who have lived in error will become aware of the opportunities they have lost. Also, in the Baha'i view, souls will be able to recognize the accomplishments of the souls that have reached the same level as themselves, but not those that have achieved a rank higher than them.
South Asian religions
Hinduism
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The Upanishads describe reincarnation (punarjanma) (see also: samsara). The Bhagavad Gita, an important Hindu script, talks extensively about the afterlife. Here, Krishna says that just as a man discards his old clothes and wears new ones; similarly the soul discards the old body and takes on a new one. In Hinduism, the belief is that the body is nothing but a shell, the soul inside is immutable and indestructible and takes on different lives in a cycle of birth and death. The end of this cycle is called mukti (Sanskrit: मुक्ति) and staying finally with supreme God forever; is moksha (Sanskrit: मोक्ष) or salvation.
The Garuda Purana deals solely with what happens to a person after death. The God of Death Yama sends his representatives to collect the soul from a person's body whenever he is due for death and they take the soul to Yama. A record of each person's timings & deeds performed by him is kept in a ledger by Yama's assistant, Chitragupta.
According to the Garuda Purana, a soul after leaving the body travels through a very long and dark tunnel towards the South. This is why an oil lamp is lit and kept beside the head of the corpse, to light the dark tunnel and allow the soul to travel comfortably.
The soul, called atman leaves the body and reincarnates itself according to the deeds or karma performed by one in last birth. Rebirth would be in form of animals or other lower creatures if one performed bad karmas and in human form in a good family with joyous lifetime if the person was good in last birth. In between the two births a human is also required to either face punishments for bad karmas in "naraka" or hell or enjoy for the good karmas in swarga or heaven for good deeds. Whenever his or her punishments or rewards are over he or she is sent back to earth, also known as Mrutyulok or human world. A person stays with the God or ultimate power when he discharges only & only yajna karma (means work done for satisfaction of supreme lord only) in last birth and the same is called as moksha or nirvana, which is the ultimate goal of a self realised soul. Atma moves with Parmatma or the greatest soul. According to Bhagavad Gita an Atma or soul never dies, what dies is the body only made of five elements—Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Sky. Soul is believed to be indestructible. None of the five elements can harm or influence it. Hinduism through Garuda Purana also describes in detail various types of narkas or Hells where a person after death is punished for his bad karmas and dealt with accordingly.
Hindus also believe in karma. Karma is the accumulated sums of one's good or bad deeds. Satkarma means good deeds, vikarma means bad deeds. According to Hinduism the basic concept of karma is 'As you sow, you shall reap'. So, if a person has lived a good life, they will be rewarded in the afterlife. Similarly their sum of bad deeds will be mirrored in their next life. Good karma brings good rewards and bad karmas lead to bad results. There is no judgment here. People accumulate karma through their actions and even thoughts. In Bhagavad Gita when Arjuna hesitates to kill his kith and kin the lord reprimands him saying thus "Do you believe that you are the doer of the action. No. You are merely an instrument in MY hands. Do you believe that the people in front of you are living? Dear Arjuna, they are already dead. As a kshatriya (warrior) it is your duty to protect your people and land. If you fail to do your duty, then you are not adhering to dharmic principles."[This quote needs a citation]
Buddhism
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Buddhists maintain that rebirth takes place without an unchanging self or soul passing from one form to another.[70] The type of rebirth will be conditioned by the moral tone of the person's actions (kamma or karma). For example, if a person has committed harmful actions of body, speech and mind based on greed, hatred and delusion, rebirth in a lower realm, i.e. an animal, a hungry ghost or a hell realm, is to be expected. On the other hand, where a person has performed skillful actions based on generosity, loving-kindness (metta), compassion and wisdom, rebirth in a happy realm, i.e. human or one of the many heavenly realms, can be expected.
Yet the mechanism of rebirth with kamma is not deterministic. It depends on various levels of kamma. The most important moment that determines where a person is reborn into is the last thought moment. At that moment, heavy kamma would ripen if there were performed, if not then near death kamma, if not then habitual kamma, finally if none of the above happened, then residual kamma from previous actions can ripen. According to Theravada Buddhism, there are 31 realms of existence that one can be reborn into.
Pure Land Buddhism of Mahayana believes in a special place apart from the 31 planes of existence called Pure Land. It is believed that each Buddha has their own pure land, created out of their merits for the sake of sentient beings who recall them mindfully to be able to be reborn in their pure land and train to become a Buddha there. Thus the main practice of pure land Buddhism is to chant a Buddha's name.
In Tibetan Buddhism the Tibetan Book of the Dead explains the intermediate state of humans between death and reincarnation. The deceased will find the bright light of wisdom, which shows a straightforward path to move upward and leave the cycle of reincarnation. There are various reasons why the deceased do not follow that light. Some had no briefing about the intermediate state in the former life. Others only used to follow their basic instincts like animals. And some have fear, which results from foul deeds in the former life or from insistent haughtiness. In the intermediate state the awareness is very flexible, so it is important to be virtuous, adopt a positive attitude, and avoid negative ideas. Ideas which are rising from subconsciousness can cause extreme tempers and cowing visions. In this situation they have to understand, that these manifestations are just reflections of the inner thoughts. No one can really hurt them, because they have no more material body. The deceased get help from different Buddhas who show them the path to the bright light. The ones who do not follow the path after all will get hints for a better reincarnation. They have to release the things and beings on which or whom they still hang from the life before. It is recommended to choose a family where the parents trust in the Dharma and to reincarnate with the will to care for the welfare of all beings.
"Life is cosmic energy of the universe and after death it merges in universe again and as the time comes to find the suitable place for the entity died in the life condition it gets born. There are 10 life states of any life: Hell, hunger, anger, animality, rapture, humanity, learning, realization, bodhisatva and buddhahood. The life dies in which life condition it reborn in the same life condition."[This quote needs a citation]
Sikhism
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Sikhism may have a belief in the afterlife. They believe that the soul belongs to the spiritual universe which has its origins in God. However it's been a matter of great debate amongst the Sikhs about Sikhism's belief in afterlife. Many believe that Sikhism endorses the afterlife and the concept of reward and punishment as there are verses given in Guru Granth Sahib, but a large number of Sikhs believe otherwise and treat those verses as metaphorical or poetic.
Also it has been noted by many scholars that the Guru Granth Sahib includes poetic renditions from multiple saints and religious traditions like that of Kabir, Farid and Ramananda. The essential doctrine is to experience the divine through simple living, meditation and contemplation while being alive. Sikhism also has the belief of being in union with God while living. Accounts of afterlife are considered to be aimed at the popular prevailing views of the time so as to provide a referential framework without necessarily establishing a belief in the afterlife. Thus while it is also acknowledged that living the life of a householder is above the metaphysical truth, Sikhism can be considered agnostic to the question of an afterlife. Some scholars also interpret the mention of reincarnation to be naturalistic akin to the biogeochemical cycles.
But if one analyses the Sikh Scriptures carefully, one may find that on many occasions the afterlife and the existence of heaven and hell are mentioned in Guru Granth Sahib and in Dasam granth, so from that it can be concluded that Sikhism does believe in the existence of heaven and hell; however, heaven and hell are created to temporarily reward and punish, and one will then take birth again until one merges in God. According to the Sikh scriptures, the human form is the closet form to God and the best opportunity for a human being to attain salvation and merge back with God. Sikh Gurus said that nothing dies, nothing is born, everything is ever present, and it just changes forms. Like standing in front of a wardrobe, you pick up a dress and wear it and then you discard it. You wear another one. Thus, in the view of Sikhism, your soul is never born and never dies. Your soul is a part of God and hence lives forever.
Jainism
Jainism also believes in the after life. They believe that the soul takes on a body form based on previous karmas or actions performed by that soul through eternity. Jains believe the soul is eternal and that the freedom from the cycle of reincarnation is the means to attain eternal bliss.
Others
Traditional African religions
Traditional African religions are diverse in their beliefs in an afterlife. Hunter-gatherer societies such as the Hadza have no particular belief in an afterlife, and the death of an individual is a straightforward end to their existence. Ancestor cults are found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, including cultures like the Yombe, Beng,Yoruba and Ewe, "[T]he belief that the dead come back into life and are reborn into their families is given concrete expression in the personal names that are given to children....What is reincarnated are some of the dominant characteristics of the ancestor and not his soul. For each soul remains distinct and each birth represents a new soul."The Yoruba, Dogon and LoDagoa have eschatological ideas similar to Abrahamic religions, "but in most African societies, there is a marked absence of such clear-cut notions of heaven and hell, although there are notions of God judging the soul after death." In some societies like the Mende, multiple beliefs coexist. The Mende believe that people die twice: once during the process of joining the secret society, and again during biological death after which they become ancestors. However, some Mende also believe that after people are created by God they live ten consecutive lives, each in progressively descending worlds. One cross-cultural theme is that the ancestors are part of the world of the living, interacting with it regularly.
Shinto
Further information: Shinto § Afterlife
It is common for families to participate in ceremonies for children at a shrine, yet have a Buddhist funeral at the time of death. In old Japanese legends, it is often claimed that the dead go to a place called yomi (黄泉), a gloomy underground realm with a river separating the living from the dead mentioned in the legend of Izanami and Izanagi. This yomi very closely resembles the Greek Hades; however, later myths include notions of resurrection and even Elysium-like descriptions such as in the legend of Okuninushi and Susanoo. Shinto tends to hold negative views on death and corpses as a source of pollution called kegare. However, death is also viewed as a path towards apotheosis in Shintoism as can be evidenced by how legendary individuals become enshrined after death. Perhaps the most famous would be Emperor Ojin who was enshrined as Hachiman the God of War after his death.
Unitarian Universalism
Some Unitarian Universalists believe in universalism: that all souls will ultimately be saved and that there are no torments of hell. Unitarian Universalists differ widely in their theology hence there is no exact same stance on the issue. Although Unitarians historically believed in a literal hell, and Universalists historically believed that everyone goes to heaven, modern Unitarian Universalists can be categorized into those believing in a heaven, reincarnation and oblivion. Most Unitarian Universalists believe that heaven and hell are symbolic places of consciousness and the faith is largely focused on the worldly life rather than any possible afterlife.
Spiritualism
According to Edgar Cayce, the afterlife consisted of nine realms equated with the nine planets of astrology. The first, symbolized by Saturn, was a level for the purification of the souls. The second, Mercury's realm, gives us the ability to consider problems as a whole. The third of the nine soul realms is ruled by Earth and is associated with the Earthly pleasures. The fourth realm is where we find out about love and is ruled by Venus. The fifth realm is where we meet our limitations and is ruled by Mars. The sixth realm is ruled by Neptune, and is where we begin to use our creative powers and free ourselves from the material world. The seventh realm is symbolized by Jupiter, which strengthens the soul's ability to depict situations, to analyze people and places, things, and conditions. The eighth afterlife realm is ruled by Uranus and develops psychic ability. The ninth afterlife realm is symbolized by Pluto, the astrological realm of the unconscious. This afterlife realm is a transient place where souls can choose to travel to other realms or other solar systems, it is the souls liberation into eternity, and is the realm that opens the doorway from our solar system into the cosmos.
Mainstream Spiritualists postulate a series of seven realms that are not unlike Edgar Cayce's nine realms ruled by the planets. As it evolves, the soul moves higher and higher until it reaches the ultimate realm of spiritual oneness. The first realm, equated with hell, is the place where troubled souls spend a long time before they are compelled to move up to the next level. The second realm, where most souls move directly, is thought of as an intermediate transition between the lower planes of life and hell and the higher perfect realms of the universe. The third level is for those who have worked with their karmic inheritance. The fourth level is that from which evolved souls teach and direct those on Earth. The fifth level is where the soul leaves human consciousness behind. At the sixth plane, the soul is finally aligned with the cosmic consciousness and has no sense of separateness or individuality. Finally, the seventh level, the goal of each soul, is where the soul transcends its own sense of "soulfulness" and reunites with the World Soul and the universe.
Wicca]
The Wiccan afterlife is most commonly described as The Summerland. Here, souls rest, recuperate from life, and reflect on the experiences they had during their lives. After a period of rest, the souls are reincarnated, and the memory of their previous lives is erased. Many Wiccans see The Summerland as a place to reflect on their life actions. It is not a place of reward, but rather the end of a life journey at an end point of incarnations.
Zoroastrianism
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Zoroastrianism states that the urvan, the disembodied spirit, lingers on earth for three days before departing downward to the kingdom of the dead that is ruled by Yima. For the three days that it rests on Earth, righteous souls sit at the head of their body, chanting the Ustavaiti Gathas with joy, while a wicked person sits at the feet of the corpse, wails and recites the Yasna. Zoroastrianism states that for the righteous souls, a beautiful maiden, which is the personification of the soul's good thoughts, words and deeds, appears. For a wicked person, a very old, ugly, naked hag appears. After three nights, the soul of the wicked is taken by the demon Vizaresa (Vīzarəša), to Chinvat bridge, and is made to go to darkness (hell).
Yima is believed to have been the first king on earth to rule, as well as the first man to die. Inside of Yima's realm, the spirits live a shadowy existence, and are dependent on their own descendants which are still living on Earth. Their descendants are to satisfy their hunger and clothe them, through rituals done on earth.
Rituals which are done on the first three days are vital and important, as they protect the soul from evil powers and give it strength to reach the underworld. After three days, the soul crosses Chinvat bridge which is the Final Judgment of the soul. Rashnu and Sraosha are present at the final judgment. The list is expanded sometimes, and include Vahman and Ormazd. Rashnu is the yazata who holds the scales of justice. If the good deeds of the person outweigh the bad, the soul is worthy of paradise. If the bad deeds outweigh the good, the bridge narrows down to the width of a blade-edge, and a horrid hag pulls the soul in her arms, and takes it down to hell with her.
Misvan Gatu is the "place of the mixed ones" where the souls lead a gray existence, lacking both joy and sorrow. A soul goes here if his/her good deeds and bad deeds are equal, and Rashnu's scale is equal.
Parapsychology
See also: Near-death studies and Near death experience
The Society for Psychical Research was founded in 1882 with the express intention of investigating phenomena relating to Spiritualism and the afterlife. Its members continue to conduct scientific research on the paranormal to this day. Some of the earliest attempts to apply scientific methods to the study of phenomena relating to an afterlife were conducted by this organization. Its earliest members included noted scientists like William Crookes, and philosophers such as Henry Sidgwick and William James.
Parapsychological investigation of the afterlife includes the study of haunting, apparitions of the deceased, instrumental trans-communication, electronic voice phenomena, and mediumship.[87] But also the study of the near death experience. Scientists who have worked in this area include Raymond Moody, Susan Blackmore, Charles Tart, William James, Ian Stevenson, Michael Persinger, Pim van Lommel and Penny Sartori among others.
A study conducted in 1901 by physician Duncan MacDougall sought to measure the weight lost by a human when the soul "departed the body" upon death. MacDougall weighed dying patients in an attempt to prove that the soul was material, tangible and thus measurable. Although MacDougall's results varied considerably from "21 grams", for some people this figure has become synonymous with the measure of a soul's mass. The title of the 2003 movie 21 Grams is a reference to MacDougall's findings. His results have never been reproduced, and are generally regarded either as meaningless or considered to have had little if any scientific merit.
Frank Tipler has argued that physics can explain immortality, though such arguments are not falsifiable and thus do not qualify, in Karl Popper's views, as science.
After 25 years of parapsychological research, Susan Blackmore came to the conclusion that there is no empirical evidence for an afterlife.
Philosophy
Modern philosophy
There is still the position, based on the philosophical question of personal identity, termed open individualism, and in some ways similar to the old belief of monopsychism, that concludes that individual existence is illusory, and our consciousness continues
Opium Consciousness.
Uitnodigende beelden vormgeven geïrriteerd enorme roken flacon's,
comfortable cursu actiones platonica attrahitur intelligens,
βραστό αποσπάσματα πρωτόγονη ιατρική ουρλιάζοντας σωλήνων έπεσε,
lit impavido efficienza confuso luminosa di antenna,
beddau chuckling oriau dwfn hysterig picio,
límites cerebrales pruebas neurológicas recuerdos ignorados normales pasados,
ছায়া প্রহৃত নাচ রে তাপ মাউন্ট,
encostas empurpled apreensão translucidez peneirar embowered derreter,
utjecale ćudi štrajk vrtoglavice fenomen ustraje,
Gallen Koma Staaten lymphatischen Sanguiniker Augen unsicher Manieren stimulieren,
γλυκύτητα ηλιόλουστη απόδραση πλωτά σκάφη του Αλιάκμονα νερά που κατασχέθηκαν,
пострадавших сердце подвесные весы воображаемых проникновения в утилизировать,
overbevisende situasjon debattere friheter menneskeheten svømming stormen,
pojednaniem historie Osiągnięcie progu Dream jawie,
hiljaa ulkonevat askelmat ihmetellään n pyrkii huulet tarjotaan,
montre bwa chandèl fimen enkyetid estraòdinè parèt,
допунама динамичан лудило змије сложене идеје хаос уочених,
bule care călătoresc fire conexiuni panteiste bobine interval de,
もう一度doの主語がthouの時の直説法·現在形を機能して驚異的な研究がたくさんの洞察!
Steve.D.Hammond.
"Stream of Consciousness", by Katherine Kerr:
"A bridge spans a small pond and stream, becoming a metaphor for connections with the past and future and reflecting on the life cycle of the salmon and the remarkable journey they endure. Inspired by and incorporating railway tracks and ties, the bridge floor has multiple bronze phrases relating to salmon, fishing and hatcheries inlaid into the wooden floor." — Katherine Kerr
Stream of consciousness. How Art Evolves Consciousness Painting and Human consciousness ?
Art and the Evolution of Human Consciousness.
The world's finest collections of modern and contemporary painting.
I am painting the layers of the existing construction and paradigm of human consciousness.
In Greek mythology, Pasithea (Ancient Greek: Πασιθέα, "relaxation"), or Pasithee, was one of the Charites (Graces), and the personification of relaxation, meditation, hallucinations and all other altered states of consciousness.
Feminism claims it is for … what, equality? Humanity? Whatever. What it is not, is humane. Not humane enough, anyhow.
Feminists are bright vanilla when it comes to being non-judgmental. They think they are on to something big, but they are really just a controlled opposition of the still rampant ...
manwithoutfather.com/2016/09/29/stop-intellectual-objecti...
Dirty Rotten Scoundrel
In …Regrets
Like most of us, I have regretted some of my actions over the years…
Which, coming from a journey” man” burglar and pickpocket, may seem to be quite the understatement, and possibly just a bit of a daft viewpoint…
But in my defense, the majority of them( actions done by me, that eventually came regretfully creeping into my consciousness) were not planned, but spur-of-the-moment, frying pan-hot, decisions. The vast majority of which were from my younger days, but not all, for as a thief, I am very much an opportunist of the moment.
Which sometimes can get the better of me.
^^^^^^^^^^^
A Regrettable Affair
As I developed my craft, growing older in the process, I began to lean towards mainly working those avenues that attracted the wealthiest of guests. There were several logical based reasons for this, which I will not expand upon here.
One of the first times, as a still young lady, was a large mega-ultra-rich wedding reception that I succeeded in crashing.
Security at this affair was very salt and peppered about, they had attempted to prevent gatecrashers, but the affair was so large, so very spread about, that the seams of the event had as many leaks as it had guarded entrances.
But getting in was the easy part.
The freedom to ply my trade was another.
As I stated security was scattered about, but instead of just watching certain main entrances and exits, they were watching the bar area, dance floors, and ( no surprises here) the buffet. The only problem was that those were my favorite patches to work over.
But that is not to say I was going away empty-handed, by no means.
I did manage to early on successfully lift solid gold lighter from an unattended evening purse in the lady's powder. The owner, resplendent in a taffeta dress, was busy applying colour to her eyelashes and had her shiny back to me.
A silver Rolex from a rather courteous young man who had somehow not seen me and had bumped my hand, spilling my drink on his sleeve in the process was next.
Then I ran into two wealthy young men, Gary and Sean, who soon tried to outdo themselves to grab my undivided attention.
I ended up seated at a far side table with both, dancing with first one and then the other.
At various times one would leave to get drinks and the other would seize the opportunity to say something incredibly sweet to me. I would then envelope them in a most feeling hug, during which I lifted in turn, both of their leather billfolds from fancy tux coat pockets.
Slipping my hand inside their tux jacket pockets, feeling the warmth of their bodies while we hugged, my hand carefully extracted the long leather billfolds each was carrying, as my eyes were lustfully locked into theirs. It was, and is, a very sensuous feeling when I perform a lift like that on my victims.
Especially these two, Gary and Sean, who were both such sweethearts that robbing them was such a delightfully heightened feeling for me. And I suspect there was a certain amount of pleasure coming from their end also.
But that is getting ahead of myself, for obviously none of that was regrettable.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Now let us go back to the beginning:
An understatement would be to say that “The formal dress” wedding was a bit over the top.”
I have seldom seen such a collection of slinky designer gowns and tight-fitting tuxes, along with expensively glittery jewels and lovely designer purses, outside of a BAFTA after-party filled with overpaid actors and actresses.
Which, for the record, are events I have worked over.
For jewellery worn out on loan from upscale stores for such events is heavily insured, and simply worn loosely enough to fall easy victim to my lifting fingers at such affairs.
I very seldom lifted wallets from pockets or purses when attending.
That’s not atoll where the real money was at.
So that evening, as I watched the well-jeweled wedding reception guests arriving to party for this event, I licked my red-coloured lips, anticipating the same delicious scores to be made.
Knowing about this affair ahead of time, I came prepared. I was wearing an elegant sleek sky blue satin gown that I had acquired from a successful burglary of a mansion.
I modified it by adding secret pockets in several strategic locations. It was a nice fit and a smashing look, judging by the staring eyes of the males there that evening.
I was carrying a matching blue purse. My only other accessory was a pair of sparking long rhinestone earrings of the same style the bridesmaids had in. This was no coincidence, I had intentionally found out what they would be wearing and ordered a set so it would look like I was in with them.
Now the wealthy bride, dressed in white lace with a green/gold tartan sash, wanted her equally wealthy bridal party girl’s dresses to be something to be remembered, so the gowns she had designed were a little too over-the-top showy.
The maid of honour wore a red silk version; the six Bridesmaids wore theirs in black satin.” The gowns had plunge necklines, rhinestone-trimmed bodices and sleekly long straight skirts touching the tops of glittery silver open-toed shoes.
Each of the girls had also been presented with a matching collection of rather expensive Swarovski rhinestones. Which they proudly wore, throwing in some really expensive ones of their own to additionally show off with.
The blazing brite jewelry, when added to the bridal party girl’s ensemble, further enhanced the red carpet-like atmosphere of the Bridal party, and fit right in with her other guests over the top evening attire.
The groom wore a grey tux, and his groom’s men wore grey. All the men had on ascot ties that matched the colour of their escort's gowns, all the ties had gemstone pins, green tie, emerald for the groom, red tie, ruby for the best man, and all the rest grey tie, with diamond pins.
A handsome lot.
Watching the smart members of the wedding party interact was smashing fun, and I was enjoying the excitement of watching, inwardly drooling, over their shimmering shiny bits.
^^^^^^^^^
Now, for the regrettable part of my saga.
^^^^^^^^^
It involved two principal characters, not including myself.
The first principal character was a shy awkward 13-year-old girl, redhead, wearing heavy glasses whose makeup and style of dress made her appear far older, but not wiser.
Zeroing in, I soon learned she was named Cadey. Her glamorous parents were both with the bridal party, and a young Aunt who was a partying type, was supposed to be chaperoning her. So Cadey was alone, a lot.
But she was certainly a living doll, leaving me speechless as I watched the lass scurrying about in her smashing, fluidly flowing, shiny in the lights, fancy party attire, and dazzling emeralds and diamonds.
Sorry for all the verbiage, but it is hard to describe just how incredibly fetching she was.
That party attire was in the form of a fitted, richly slick long mint green satin gown with the neckline tied together with a ribbon bow with the ends hanging past her fast-developing, wriggling plump breasts. The slit shoulders of her gown ended in long scalloping ruffles at her elbows.
It was both very elegant and adorably attractive.
Though she wouldn’t be able to wear that gown again in a few months without letting the cleavage out.
Her bare minimum jewels, were very sparkly, very desirable calling out to the female and thief sides of me, especially her lovely necklace.
Cadey wore a longish silver chain embedded with diamonds, ending with a teardrop rhinestone pendant made up of a big round emerald surrounded by more diamonds. It fetchingly fell swinging down from where it hung around her neck, to just below her minty-coloured shiny gown tightly fitted bosom.
In later years I watched a fictitious movie about the Titanic where the wealthy main heroine wore a very similar necklace of sapphire, albeit a bit larger than Miss Cadey’s emerald one.
Still, it was an adult necklace and easily worth a nice around £10,000 to anyone capable of getting it from her.
I managed to discreetly be close enough several times to get a good examination of her delicious attire.
Close enough also to observe a few other things.
Miss Cadey would play with her pendant, and as she did, I notice her fingers blatantly stroking along her breasts, perking them up. Which explained her secret smiles.
Her only other jewel was an emerald Diamond ring that glittered from one of her self-stimulating bare fingers, all of which sported long emerald green painted manicured nails.
I also caught her at times sitting with her hands between her legs, probing inside her silken lap as Cadey watched the guests dancing to slow music. I could tell she was petting herself down there, using the ring on her finger to arouse herself, as Cadey’s breasts again noticeably were bulging from the self-stimulation
I thought if she was pleasing herself, I could perhaps please myself by liberating from her fanciful attired person, that sumptuous diamond/ emerald necklace. Especially since it was entirely on her sleekly slick gown, front and back, absolutely no part of the cold metal touched bare flesh.
With tingling fingers, I could imagine how easily the jeweled piece could smoothly be slipped off her like an ice cube will slip across a steamy slippery surface. It would be that easy to pluck it off.
But alas I never was quite close enough to her inner circle to use my light touch to acquire her dazzling necklace.
And I was just forced to be content on watching it sparkle as it dripped down from her throat, with Cadey oblivious to the sinister attention it was attracting that evening as she wore it.
^^^^^^^
The second principal character came in the form of a cheeky 15-year-old blonde boy, handsome as all get out. His name was Heyden.
I could tell from just watching him interacting with the guests that he was a brassy cocky self-assured sort of young male. With a rough cockney accent that helped promote a bad boy image that young girls swoon over.
He wore a fitted suit over some surprisingly bulging muscles. Rugby player I guessed.
He decidedly was a budding teenage player, with all the common burgeoning male attributes.
His raging hormones were a reflection of his character, as he was deliberately stalking, then going up to countless numbers of young well dressed female guests and giving hugs. Which they mostly returned giggling in the process. But to me, it was quite obvious the lad was doing it to cope with a feel from his victims, of both their touchable fine soft gowns and voluptuously fine nuzzling breasts.
His home base was a table in a far corner just off the dance floor where he sat for brief stints with two exceptionally well-dressed girls.
One lass shared some similarities to him but was not more than 5 years his senior, so I assumed she was a sister or cousin. The other also may have been related but also may have only been a friend of the other lass.
The supposed sister (or cousin) was stunning in velvet with an array of diamond sparklers that made my heart beat and fingers tingle. Her necklace was especially showy and worth just a bit over £75,000
The one I assumed was a friend was dressed like many of the lad’s hugging victims, a touchable gold halter style dress of shiny soft satin, with a pair of rather succulent unbridled breasts just peaking out of the dress's low v-cut neckline. She was wearing a petite set of sapphires, not showy, but worth a small kingdom's ransom. Half of which value was in the gold necklace set with a collection of larger sapphires and diamonds.
I saw he reluctantly was behaving himself while with the pair, (no hugging) though I saw him longingly looking both of the girls over. But he had to satisfy his hunger by sneaking off as much as he could get away with it, to play out his sexually charged games on other prey.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Spoiler alert:
Now, I never made the appealing connection between the sexually charged touching 13-year-old Cadey and the equally sexually charged 15-year-old hugger Heyden, until much later… And then almost too late, or too early depending on one’s perspective.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
So watching the boy's antics as well as trying to catch peaks of roving finger Cadey’s dangling necklace, as well as playing my table mates, Gary and Sean, off on each other to try and win me over, I really was having me self a bloody enjoyable time.
Since I was still a young lady I was all for having fun with these types of affairs I crashed. So my mind at that point was being placed on pleasure rather than business.
Though I was eyeing the wristwatch worn by Gary, and the diamond tie pin Sean was sporting as potential targets to be further lifted from the now wallet-less lads.
Before I could let my thoughts turn into action, the bridal bouquet Toss was announced, I knew it was time to go back to serious work, and I indicated I was going to have a go for it to Gary and Sean.
Not caring to watch the show, both lads then took my leave to go upstairs to a
covered deck on the roof to join the other male guests for bourbon and cigar. Neither soul trusted the other to be alone with me.
I went up and joined in with the crowd of swishing-gowned ladies.
Wading into what felt like the inside of a diamond mine.
Licking my lips as I eagerly was looking around and soon set my thieve’s sights on a diamond-laden miss, whose flashy broach was hanging loosely at the waistline of the most silkiest of satin gowns imaginable. It was coloured purple and tightly worn over the voluptuous curves of the rather giddy-looking black-haired, red-lipped, vixen.
A perfect mark during a perfect opportunity!
As the bouquet was tossed and all the ladies were reaching up, I was leaning against the lady wearing my diamond-encrusted target.
My one hand touched the utter softness of her gown, whilst my left hand was slipping in and soon was caressing her glistening broach. In the process I nimbly undid the clasp and slipped it away, palming it.
As the bouquet was caught and everyone was squealing over the lucky lady. I slipped out and went back to my seat.
I was catching my breath before gathering my purse in preparation for leaving the premises before the boys came back.
The broach I had just nicked from “purple silk” was with around £8000 and it would take something special to make me risk staying.
It was then, out of the corner of my eye, I spied young master Heyden working the crowd of departing ladies by sneaking up and giving his usual touchy-feely “sneak” hugs.
He happened to give my vixen in the purple silk gown a from-behind hug and she turned with a squeal and hugged him back.
“Oh, ain’t you just a darling one!”
Inspired by her response, his eager hands wrapped around her pulling her close, and I saw his fingertips were mere centimeters away from the jeweled clasp of her necklace that was hanging loosely down from the back of her bare skin neckline.
A delicious epiphany swept warmly over me, and I knew that I had to stay and at least give it a try.
I picked up my purse and began following the lad after he left his total work over hugging Miss “Slithering Purple Silk.”
I reached him as he stopped to watch the dancers on the floor. The band had started up what would be a series of slow dances now that the bouquet toss was over.
I had to admit I didn’t blame Master Hayden, it was an amazing show, with the lights dimmed, jewels sparking, and tightly worn gowns shimmering as they swished about in the dim lights.
I walked up and tapped his shoulder, feeling him jump( I believe his horny thoughts had made him feel a wee bit guilty).
“Hello Heyden, luv. Remember me?”
He slyly turned and I pulled him into a very feeling, very enveloping hug. Employing my womanly attributes to the fullest.
When I let him go I saw a dazed mixture of perplexity and a slight sense of male arousal.
Perfect
He nodded and politely said, with a bit of a sneer.
“Sorry mum, I don’t remember where I know you from.
Mum!… I can’t be more than 12 years older than you, Mr cocky. I thought sardonically but bit my tongue and answered with a sweet smile.
“I guess we really have not officially met. But I heard a lot about you when you were in school. My friend Mrs. O spoke highly of you.”
He happily cut in,
“Mrs. O’Rielly. She taught my form last year.”
I nodded
“That’d be her. She told me about that marvelous trick you played.”
He smiled deviously. As did I, realized I had read his character right spot on.
“Yes miss, that was my idea planting the shrew in the girl's loo.”
I commended him while at the same time congratulating myself also as I placed a caressing hand along his chest.
“Brilliantly played out “
We then went on with small talk as I quickly began working him into my plan.
I had a lot of practice charming men( and women) into allowing me to get close enough to lure them off so I could make a lift. This really was no different. And it was buying me time to locate Cadey and see if she was poised enough to be vulnerable to the trap I was planning.
As we chatted I learned the two girls Heyden was with were his cousin and her friend. And he told me proudly of some of the tricks he had played on his cousin, as well as other tricks he and his mates had played, mostly on classmate females.
This was getting better and better I thought, and then I spied Cadey standing alone by the women’s service loo entrance, watching the dancers.
Was that a yearning look in her eyes, like the yearning I felt over that expensively takable necklace she was busily fingering? It was still just calling out to be taken from the unwary young girl.
I also spotted a rental Bobbie wanna-be standing nearby, looking the other way at a couple bickering.
So I still could not dare approach her myself and enjoy firsthand the opportunistic fun of parting Cade from that dangling necklace she so alluringly was wearing.
But then, that was not my current plan.
I place a hand on Heyden’s shoulder...
“Speaking of pranks laddie boy, I had in mind a trick to play on my niece Cadey tonight. But I couldn’t come up with a way to make it work out on my own.”
He had been looking around, bored, but I now had his full attention back.
“A trick mum? like what?”
I then explained that I lent my niece Cadey my own emeralds to wear tonight. and I earlier had thought that it would be brilliant if I could get my necklace away from her without her realizing it, then wear it and see the delicious response once she realized It was lost, and now I had it.
I looked at Heyden doubtfully…
“Or is that just a daft idea to try as a prank?”
He grinned...
No mum, sounds a lark to try pulling it off, if you could now. “
I looked him in the eyes, and as I looked surprised he agreed with me.
“Do you really think so? I did think it would be delicious if I could just somehow pull it off? But how?
I jumped with an excited squeal.
Oh look, there is my sweetheart now…”
I had him at the word prank, all the rest was icing as he gave me a broad smile while he turned his head to see whom I was pointing out.
I saw Hayden freeze with lustful eyes as he saw the enchantingly dressed pretty Cadey.
And I’ll admit the way Cadey looked under those lights would have melted the most indifferent of hearts. Mine included as I again salivated over her elegant, slinky-shiny mint green gown outlining tightly along her pretty figure, made even more desirable with the dazzling jewels she was wearing.
And Heyden was anything but indifferent to well-dressed ladies and girls...
And judging by the wicked little smile and horny-eyed gaze as he looked my “niece” over, I was spot on, tell no lie.
I now had a key, I just needed to turn it in the lock to open my door to riches.
He whispered out of the side of his mouth while taking inventory of pretty Cadey…
“One would have to not let her know it’s been taken, of course.”
I rubbed his shoulder from behind, pressing against him, as we both eyed susceptible Cadey….
“Totally correct, and it would be sweet if I had some help with taking it. So she wouldn’t suspect I’m up to something. It will make her surprise when finding her necklace had vanished all the more remarkable….”
He nodded thoughtfully.
“Your niece probably wouldn’t suspect a thing, would she know, If I was the one who took it. I could do it while holding onto her. I mean, like in a hug. Bet I could get it from her that way. Then you can play your trick.”
Aside from the mum bit, his words were music to my ears and I hugged him warmly, leaving nothing out as I whispered into his ear...
“Better yet, do it while dancing with her. Sort of like a prolonged hug. Gives you more time to carry it out? And I could slip you a fiver as you hand me the necklace, for your help of course….”
He broke away and gave me the most amazing gleaming look of agreement.
“I could do just that. It should be easy to hook it off her then!”
I added...
“Just look at the way it is hanging loosely around her throat. It would be child’s play for you I bet.”
Seeing that I now had him hot over the idea, I quickly coached him, fanning the coals before the desire burned out.
I described how he should start out not close, but apart, dance one full round with her, then invite her for a second dance. At that point draw her in closer. Then, perhaps, lift your knee up ever so slightly between her legs and see if she responds.
“Then if all signs show she is engaged and enjoying being with you, undo her necklace and slip it over her shoulder and into your pocket. And Bobs your Uncle, you’ll have played her in a trick of your own.”
With a nod and a wink, my brassy young male hugger-mugger was off.
The lad was a natural.
Instead of rushing his victim, he circled and approached Cadey unseen from the flank, his eyes never leaving her pretty figure.
He introduced himself and she readily agreed to a dance. They took to the floor, Heyden cuddling Cadie up in his arms.
I sweated the first dance, hoping Sean and Gary would not come back yet. Though I had contingencies ready if they did. Also, there were worries that young Heyden might become so enamored during the first dance he would forgo his mission.
But my money was placed on Heyden not losing focus. Right now he would indeed be planning, as he danced with Cadey. Deciding on how to best distract the sensuously attired, horny young darling enough to lift off the necklace she was so elegantly allowed to be trusted wearing out this glamorous evening.
I’ll admit to feeling jealous of Heyden as I watched his hands holding onto that luscious minty satiny green gown worn over the tantalizing figure that was Cadey. It was giving me proper chills just watching.
At the same time, I was also ready to flee down a nearby exit if needed.
But the first dance ended with nothing out of the ordinary.
The second dance came and my “protege” was perfect. The girl was swooning and leaning up against him as he clutched her tightly by her slippery waist as they moved to the slow rhythm of the music. I saw him look around and he moved his nimble hands up her sleek backside.
I saw him slightly raise his knee, and Cadey responded by rubbing it against her privates She smiled up at him, then closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulders, her long red hair covering her face. I could almost hear her purring as Heyden’s knee was rubbing against her previously self-stimulated sweet spots.
As she placed her head on his shoulders he held her extra tight. It must have been electric for the young lady, as her raised nipples were brought rubbed between the luscious material of her gown and his muscular chest.
It was then that his fingers left her sleek back, deftly gliding up her silky smooth back, and then, ever so gently, lifted her necklace clasp away from the oblivious darling’s high-gowned neck.
He studied it, turning it, then with quick fingers, had it open and was pulling its glittering length up and whisked over her sleekly attired shoulder.
My guess was he had had practice helping his cousin with her own pricey necklace. So this was simply reversing that process.
I watched as the necklace fell behind her, sparkling momentary against the minty green satin backdrop of her gown.
That quickly he has it in his fist and pocketed it.
In the dim lighting, no one but me saw Heyden carry out his end of the “trick”.
Not even the rental cop whose eyes were gazing over the dancers focused on the buffet line on the opposite side, was aware of a young lady being robbed right under his puggish nose.
Then Heyden pressed Cadey in tighter, squeezing her into him as his now empty fingers started caressing her backside, while he rubbed up against her bosom frontside. I could imagine just how much Cadey’s breasts were being aroused since mine were doing the same just by watching.
I thought:
“That’s the lad, keep her distracted enough not to realize she has had her bloody jewels nicked.”
The music ended and as the others left he held onto her and the pair stayed locked in their embrace.
They only broke it off when they realized they were alone on the floor. With guests doing the “ooohs and awes” over them, Heyden led her off and she kissed him on the cheek thanking him. Her neckline delightfully bare now that the breathtaking necklace she had been wearing all that evening, had been slyly taken off from her.
I mean really? In my mind how could someone allow a lass that young to be dressed up so noticeably elegant that it attracts everyone’s attention, then on top of that allow her to be wearing such an expensive piece of jewelry, and not realize that it would make her a proper thief’s target?
Unless of course that “someone “ believed thieves only are found in dark back London alleyways and never would ply their nefariousness at upscale weddings. So of course it’s perfectly safe to allow a young lady to wear one’s good jewellery here, without worries of being robbed. I’ll be the first to drink to that belief.
The thought also popped into my head that Cadey was now warmly thanking the very thief who had, with a sexy surreptitiousness, been busy reliving her wriggling figure of the valuable jewels she had been so seductively, so vulnerably, allowed to be wearing, as he was dancing with her.
Cade swished happily off one way, while Heyden(and her necklace) moved off in the opposite.
Heyden circled around, eventually coming back to me, his smile was a devil's own. He reached into his pocket and handed me the necklace.
“Should I help you on with it mum?”
“No,” I said taking it from him,
“I’ll do it in the loo.”
I handed him the fiver, and with a wink, as he nodded, touching his nose, he turned and was off.
And so was I.
For I had outdid my welcome by lying to Heyden about who Cadey was.
Seeing that Cadey would probably sooner than later discover the loss of her necklace, she may very well seek him out again and ask questions that would create a situation impossible for me to wriggle from.
I skirted around the long bar area to a side hallway which had the closest exit.
On my way out I spy Heyden’s wealthy cousin and her pretty, equally wealthy, friend both now pissed out of their pretty heads on liquor. Both their expensive necklaces were glittering up a tantalizing storm as they giggled at each other.
I paused.
I dare not risk the time to do any more lifting.
Besides, there was yet another rental Bobbie leaning up against the bar with a smirk as he unabashedly was eyeballing the same two ladies ….
So I reluctantly passed them both up, left via the back exit, and made my successful escape from the premises.
^^^^^^^^
It was a very satisfactory two-hour drive back to the hotel that I was been currently using as my base.
And I was feeling anything but regret at that point.
^^^^^
It was not until I was back at the flat, while I stood naked in front of the full-length bathroom mirror, fingering and admiring the emerald/diamond necklace stolen from the youthfully innocent young lass, that I started to feel that twinge of creeping regret that I mention at the beginning.
As my mind went over the evening's antics, I reminisced how adorably Cade had been wearing this simply too-valuable necklace set with emeralds and diamonds that I simply had to have. knowing full well how easy it had been to talk master Heyden in tricking it from the child.
Not to mention how I had to end my evening early and miss out on partying further with Sean and Gary.
Regret had indeed seeped in as I held up the sparking necklace to the lights.
For,n reminiscing over the night's antics, I remembered that Heyden had said that he liked to play tricks with his cousin. A cousin flaunting a £75,000 diamond necklace that she also had been allowed to keep wearing.
But I had been so focused on using him to get this mesmerizing £10,000 necklace, I had given no thought to convincing Heyden in acquiring his cousin’s necklace instead, using the same plot.
And let Cadey keep wearing this one.
I’m other words, without thinking things through, and being hasty I lost a potential £65,000 in profit.
Meaning I could have instead talked him into playing the same trick on his giddy, trashed cousin as I had him do on Cadey.
I could see it clearly now, in hindsight.
Using a similarly tantalizing outline, I would have talked him into dancing close with his highly drunk cousin.
Coaching him into lifting and pocketing her necklace to later pull it from his pocket and ask if this was hers?
Then as the shock wore off, convinced Heyden she would probably give him a hug and kiss as a reward. Probably from her friend also. Then he could use their exuberance to convince both of the pretty ladies to a close dance as a reward!
I was now sure he would have gone in for it, judging how easily I had sweet-talked him into doing the same on gullible Cadey.
After watching him play it out on his cousin, I would have lured him back to me to be congratulated and dangled a fiver to seal the deal.
In my mind's eye, I saw me hugging Heyden, then I would easily pick his pocket clean in the process.
Then as Hayden turned to hastily go back to his cousin to play out his trick. I would have taken off with his cousin’s more valuable diamonds, instead of Cadey’s lesser.
Yes, I did so now regret not thinking it through entirely.
I took off the necklace and threw it inside my leather satchel. Promising myself that I would try not to make a similar mistake down the road.
I then went to bed, tossing and turning as I regretfully pondered over what may have been.
Fini
Truly enjoy dancing here: Thank you Shiny! www.flickr.com/people/197623754@N08/
“The detectors don’t induce the phenomenon of wave function collapse; conscious observation does. Consciousness is like this giant roving spotlight, collapsing reality wherever it shines—and what isn’t observed remains probability. And it’s not just photons or electrons. It is everything. All matter…A testable, repeatable fault in reality.”
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STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
You cannot stand in the same stream twice said Heraclitus
Panta rhei, panta rhei, panta rhei
everything flows, all entities move, nothing remains still
Nor can any shadow be cast on the same stream twice
Yet the shadow persists while there is light behind the body
Say I
Imagine a spirit world. How does it look? How does it feel? How does it sound? Can you imagine these things by any other means than the perceptions you know? If you expect the spirit world to feel – in some aspect – like the real world -, then how can the spirit world – in any...
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(DINA1 666) 1. Continue with the simple breathing exercise you are now doing. It is of value to youin producing inner alignment and the harmonising of your bodies.2. Then, by an act of the will, withdraw the consciousness into the head and there visualise the inner radiant sun, formed by the merging of the lesser life of the personalitywith the radiant light in your soul.At the very centre of this life see the Self,the inner Christ or Buddha.Then focus your thought, without effort or strength, in thiscentre.(DINA1 714) Stage I. Little Chelaship. This stage is so definitely exoteric that many people have left it far behind. The first indication that a man has reached that stage (from the angle of the Master) comes when the "light flashes out
" in some one life; thereby the attention of the Master is attracted to the person. It might be said that the preface to the Master's interest falls into four parts and it is only when all four are found present together and simultaneously that this happens:1.The aspirational intent of the man upon the physical plane suddenly succeeds in enabling him to make a soul [page 714] contact. The moment that that takes place the
light in the headis momentarily intensified. (DINA1 676)
Stage IV. Chela on the Thread. Into the dark the life proceeds. A different voice seems to sound forth. "Enter the cave and find your own; walk in the dark and on your head carry a lighted lamp." The cave is dark andlonely;cold is it and a place of many sounds and voices. The voices of the many sonsof God, left playing on the playground of the Lord, make their appeal for light. The cave is long andnarrow. The air is full of fog. The sound of running water meets the rushing sound of wind, andfrequent roll of thunder.Far off, dim and most vaguely seen, appears an oval opening, its colour blue
. Stretched athwart this space of blue, a rosy cross is seen
, and at the centre of the cross, where four[page 676] arms meet,a rose. Upon the upper limb, a vibrant diamond shines,within a star five-pointed.The living soul drives forward towards the cross which bars his way to life, revealed and known. Not yet the cross is mounted and, therefore, left behind. But onward goes the living soul, eyes fixed upon the cross, ears open to the wailing cries of all his brother souls.
Stage V. One within the aura Out into radiant life and light! The cave is left behind; the cross is overturned; the way stands clear.The word sounds clear within the head and not within the heart. "Enter again the playground of theLord and this time lead the games." The way upon the second tier of stairs stands barred, this by thesoul's own act. No longer red desire governs all the life, but now the clear blue flame burns strong. Upon the bottom step of the barred way he turns back and passes down the stairs on to the playground, meeting dead shells built in an earlier stage, stepping upon forms discarded and destroyed, and holding forth the hands of helpfulness. Upon his shoulder sits the bird of peace; upon his feet the sandals of the messenger. Not yet the utter glory of the radiant life! Not yet the entering into everlasting peace! But still the work, and still the lifting of the little ones.(EOH 48) 1. The seed of mind was implanted in some of the aspiring animal-men by the Hierarchy,and these animal men became human beings, of a very low order to be sure, but still men. They were"sparked," if I might so express it, and a
point of light appeared where before there was none.Before there was only a diffused atomic light but no central point of light withinthe head, and no indication of the higher centres. These individuals, along with the more advanced humanity which came to the planet in Atlantean times (having individualised elsewhere), constitute the most advanced humanity of our present period. They represent culture and understanding, no matter where it is found, or in what class or race.(EOH 170) The Hierarchy and humanity are at last en rapport. This is the higher reflection or correspondence to what goes on within the consciousness of a human being who—having reached the stage of discipleship—is at the point of blending the light of the personality(as it is expressed through the ajna centre and its externalisation, the pituitary body) and the light of the soul(as it is, in its turn, expressed [Page 170] by the light in the head, or by the head centre and its externalisation, the pineal gland).(EOH 273) We come now to the second stanza, with its direct references to human attitudes and recognitions. For decades, I, as one of the spiritual teachers, along with many others, have sought to awaken all to the fact of Light—light in the world, light coming from the plane of desire (called the astral plane quite often), light illumining science and human knowledge, the light of the soul,producing in due time the light in the head. You have been carefully taught that the right use of the mind in meditation and reflection will lead to the correct relation of soul and personality, and that when this has taken place, the light of the soul.The reference in this second stanza ignites or fosters the light in the head and the man reaches the stage of illumination is to the more extended idea of the relation of humanity (the kingdom of men) to the spiritual Hierarchy (the kingdom of God). When these two are more closely aligned and related, light will break out among the sons of men as a whole, just as light breaks out in the individual aspirant.(ITI 160) In the physical body there are certain most interesting reactions. These fall into two main groups: First, a stimulation to an intense activity, which has a definite effect upon the nervous system,and secondly, there is frequently the
appearance of a light within the head, which canbe seen even when the eyes are closed, or in the dark.
(ITI 169) When we arrive at the physical level of consciousness and of the reaction to the illumination which is streaming down into the brain, we have two predominant effects, usually. There is a sense or an awareness of a light in the head
, and frequently also a stimulation to an activity which is abnormal…A second effect, as we have seen, is the recognition [Page 170] of the light in the head. This fact is so well substantiated that it needs little reinforcing. Dr. Jung refers to it in the following manner:"...the light-vision, is an experience common to many mystics, and one that is undoubtedly of the greatest significance, because in all times and places it appears as the unconditional thing, which unites in itself the greatest power and the profoundest meaning. Hildegarde von Bingen, a significant personality quite apart from her mysticism, expresses herself about her central vision in a quite similar way. 'Since my childhood,' she says,
'I always see a light in my soul, but not with the outer eyes,
nor through the thoughts of my heart; neither do the five outer senses take part in this vision....The light I perceive is not of a local kind, but is much brighter than the cloud which bears the sun. I cannot distinguish in it height, breadth, or length....What I see or learn in such a vision stays long in my memory. I see, hear, and know at the same time, and learn what I know in the samemoment....I cannot recognize any sort of form in this light, although I sometimes see in it another light that is known to me as the living light....While I am enjoying the spectacle of this light, all sadness and sorrow disappear from my memory....'…This light in the head takes various forms, and is often sequential in its development. A diffused light is first seen, sometimes outside the head and, later, within the brain
,when in deep thought or meditation; then it becomes more focussed and looks, as some express it, like a radiant and very brilliant sun. Later, at the centre of the radiance, a
point of vivid electric blue appears (perhaps the "living light"
referred to above) and from this a golden pathway of light leads out. This has sometimes been called "the Path," and there isa possibility that the prophet was not speaking merely symbolically when he said that "the path of the just is as a shining light that shineth more and more until the day be with us."In this light in the head, which seems a universal accompaniment of the illuminative state, we have[Page 172] probably also the origin of the halo depicted around the heads of the illuminati of the world.Much investigation remains to be done along this line, and much reticence and prejudice has to be overcome. But many are beginning to record their experiences and they are not the psychopathics of the race, but reputable and substantial workers in the varying fields of human endeavor. The time may shortly be with us when the fact of illumination may be recognized as a natural process, and the ligh tin the head be regarded as indicating a certain definite stage of co-ordination and of interplay between the soul, the spiritual man, and the man on the physical plane. When this is the case, we shall have brought our human evolution to such a point that instinct, intellect and intuition can be used at will by the trained and fully educated man, and the "light of the soul" can be turned upon any problem. Thus the omniscience of the soul will be manifested on earth.(ITI 215) Sixth: The high grade intellectual personality, with its focus of attention in the region of the pituitary body, begins to vibrate in unison with the higher centre in the region of the pineal gland.Then a magnetic field is set up between the positive soul aspect and the waiting personality which is rendered receptive by the process of focussed attention. Then the light, we are told, breaks forth, and we have the illumined man, and the appearance of the phenomenal [Page 215] light in the head. All this is the result of a disciplined life, and the focussing of the consciousness in the head. This is, in its turn, brought about through the attempt to be concentrated in the daily life, and also through definite concentration exercises. These are followed by the effort to meditate, and later — much later — the power to contemplate makes itself felt (ITI 251) The hands should be folded in the lap, and the feet crossed. If the western scientist is right when he tells us that the human body is really an electric battery, then perhaps his Oriental brother is also right when he says that in meditation there is a bringing together of negative and positive energy,and that by this means we produce the light in the head.Therefore, it is wise to close the circuit.(ITI 255) In mental types, or in the case of those who have already some facility in "centering the consciousness" in the head, it is the brain cells which become [Page 256] over-stimulated, leading to headaches, to sleeplessness, to a sense of fulness, or to a disturbing vibration between the eyes or at the very top of the head. Sometimes there is a sense of blinding light, like a sudden flash of lightning or of electricity, registered when the eyes are closed, and in the dark equally as in the light.
When this is the case, the meditation period should be reduced from fifteen minutes to five, or meditation should be practiced on alternate days, until such time as the brain cells have adjusted themselves to the new rhythm and the increased stimulation.(GAWP 3) Intuition is light itself, and when it is functioning, the world is seen as light and the light bodies of all forms become gradually apparent
. This brings with it the ability to contact the light centre in all forms, and thus again an essential relationship is established and the sense of superiority and separateness recedes into the background.Intuition, therefore, brings with its appearance three qualities:Illumination. By illumination I do not mean the light in the head. That is incident a land phenomenal, and many truly intuitive people are entirely unaware of this light. The light to whichI refer is that which irradiates the Way.
It is "the light of the intellect," which really means
that which illumines the mind and which can reflect itself in that mental apparatus which is held "steady in the light." This is the "Light of the World," a Reality which is eternally existent, but which can be discovered only when the individual interior light is recognised as such. This is the "Light of the Ages," which shineth ever more until the Day be with us. The intuition is therefore the recognition in [Page 4] oneself, not theoretically but as a fact in one's experience, of one's complete identification with the Universal Mind, of one's constituting a part of the great WorldLife, and of one's participation in the eternal persisting Existence.(LOS 180) 1. Enlightenment. The light in the head, which is at first but a spark, is fanned to a flame which illumines all things and is fed constantly from above. This is progressive (see previous sutra), and is dependent upon steadfast practise, meditation and earnest service.(LOS 180) Illumination The gradually increasing downpour of fiery energy increases steadily the "light in the head," or the effulgence found in the brain
in the neighborhood of the pineal gland. This is to the
little system of the threefold man in physical manifestation what the physical sun is to the solar system. This light become seventually a blaze of glory and the man becomes a "son of light" or a "sun of righteousness." Such were the Buddha, the Christ, and all the great Ones who have attained.(LOS 210) The secondary meaning has of course direct reference to the work of the kundalini or serpent fire at the base of the spine as it responds to the soul vibration (felt in the head, in the region of the pineal gland, and called "the light in the head
"). Mounting upward, it burns out allobstructions in the spinal etheric channel and vitalizes or electrifies the five centres up the spine and the two in the head. The vital airs within the ventricles of the head are also swept into activity and produce a cleansing, or rather eliminating effect therein.(LOS 228) 52. Through this, that which obscures the light is gradually removed.The first result is the gradual wearing away, or attenuation of the material forms which hide [Page228] the reality. This does not mean the wasting away of the forms but the steady refining and transmutation of the matter with which they are constructed so that they become so purified and clarified that the "Light of God" which they have hitherto hidden, can shine forth in all its beauty inthe three worlds. This can be demonstrated as literally true upon the physical plane, for through the work of purification and the control of the life currents the light in the head becomes soapparent that it can be seen by those who have supernatural vision, asradiations extending all around the head, thus forming the halo so well known in pictures of the saints. The halo is a fact in nature and not just a symbol. It is the result of the work of Raja Yoga and is the physical demonstration of the life and light of the spiritual man. Vivekan and a says, speaking technically (and it is good for Western occult students to master the technique and terminology of this science of the soul which the East has held in trust for so long):"The chitta has, by its own nature, all knowledge. It is made of sattva particles, but is covered by rajas and tamas particles, and by pranayama this covering is removed."(LOS 253) 5. As a result of sanyama comes the shining forth of the light.There are several terms used here by various commentators and translators and it might be of interest to consider some of them, for in the various interpretations will come a full understanding of the Sanskrit terms.Briefly, the idea involves the conception that the nature of the soul is light, and that light is the great revealer. The yogi, through steady practise in meditation, has reached the point where he can at will,turn the light which radiates from his very being, in any direction, and can illumine any subject. Nothing can therefore be hid from him and all knowledge is at his disposal. This power is therefore described as:[Page 253]1. Illumination of perception. The light of the soul pours forth and the man on the physical plane, in his brain consciousness, is thereby enabled to perceive that which before was dark and hidden from him. The process may technically be described in the following concise terms:a. Meditation, b. Polarization in the soul or egoic consciousness,c. Contemplation, or the turning of the soul-light upon that which is to be known or investigated,d. The subsequent pouring down of the knowledge ascertained, in a "stream of illumination" into the brain, via the sutratma, the thread-soul, silver cord, or magnetic link. This thread passes through the mind and illumines it. The thoughts engendered in the automatic response of the chitta (or mind stuff)to the knowledge conveyed, are then impressed upon the brain and the man, in his physical consciousness, becomes cognizant of what the soul knows. He becomes illumined.As this process becomes more frequent and steady, a change takes place in the physical man. He becomes more and more synchronized with the soul. The time element in transmission recedes into
the background and the illumination of the field of knowledge by the light of the soul and the illumining of the physical brain,
becomes an instantaneous happening.The
light in the head increases in a corresponding degree and the third eye develops and functions. On the astral and mental plane a corresponding [Page 254] "eye" develops,and thus the ego or soul can illumine all the three planes in the three worlds as well as the soul realm…(LOS 291) 3.Awakening the light in the head so that the aspirant can become a radiant centre of light and illumine all problems, and through its light see light everywhere.6. This effected, the fire at the base of the spine, dormant hitherto, will be aroused and can proceed upward with security,blending ultimately with the fire or light in the head, and so pass out, having "burned out all dross, and left all channels clear" for the use of the ego.(LOS 292)
This light is in the nature of an internal radiance, its position is in the head, in the neighborhood of the pineal gland, and it is produced by the activity of the soul.A good deal of discussion has been aroused, by the term"central organ" associated with this light. Some commentators refer this to the heart, others to the head. Technically neither of them are entirely right, for to the trained adept the "central organ" is the causal vehicle,the karana sarira, the body of the ego, the sheath of the soul. This is the middle of the "three periodical vehicles" which the divine Son of God discovers and utilizes in the course of his long pilgrimage.(LOS 293) In the science of yoga, which has to be wrought out and mastered in the physical body the term "central organ" is applied to the head or the heart, and the distinction is one of time primarily.The heart in the earlier stages of unfoldment upon the Path is the central organ;
later it is the organ in the head where the true light has its abiding place.(LOS 305) With these five, the aspirant is primarily concerned. The centre called the spleen was dominant [Page 305] in Lemurian days but is now relegated to the domain of the fully functioning and therefore automatic centres, and has sunk below the threshold of consciousness.The centre between the eyebrows is the
one through which the light in the head is cast upon things"subtle, obscure, hidden or remote"and is a result of the unfolding of the head and heart.(LOS 315) 2.Those who have attained self-mastery can be seen and contactedthrough focussing the light in the head.This power is developed in one-pointed meditation.This is a paraphrase of a very general nature, but gives the exact sense of the terms employed. In the twenty-fifth sutra we considered the nature of the light in the head. Here it might briefly bestated that when the
aspirant is aware of the light in the head, and can utilize it atwill, turning its radiance upon all that he seeks to know, the time comes when he can not only turn it outward on to the field of knowledge wherein he functions in the three worlds, but can turn it in wardand direct it upward into those realms wherein the saints of God, the great "Cloud of Witnesses" walk.He can, therefore, through its medium, become aware of the world of the Masters, Adepts and Initiates and thus contact them in full waking consciousness,registering those contacts with his physical brain apparatus.Hence the
necessity of becoming aware of one's own light, of trimming one'slamp and of using the light that is in one, to the full. By use and care, the power of the spiritual light grows and waxes and develops a dual function….here are two inferences here which have nothing to correspond to them in modern thought. One is,that there is a light in the head; and the other, that there are divine beings who maybe seen by those who thus concentrate upon the 'light in the head.' It is held that a certain nerve, or psychic current, called Brahmarandhra-nadi, passes out through the brain near the top of the head.In this there collects more of the luminous principle innature than elsewhere in the body and it is called jyotis—the light in the head.And, as every result is to be brought about by the use of appropriate means, the seeing of divine beings can be accomplished by concentration upon that part of the body more nearly connected with them.This point—the end of Brahmarandhra-nadi—is [Page 315] also the place where the connection is made between man and the solar forces."It is this light which causes the "face to shine" and is responsible for the halo depicted around the head of all saints and Masters and which is seen by those with clairvoyant vision around the head of all advanced aspirants and disciples .Dvivedi also gives the same teaching in the following words:"The light in the head is explained to be that
collective flow of the light of sattva which is seen at the Brahmarandhra which is variously supposed to be somewhere near the coronal artery, the pineal gland, or over the medulla oblongata. Just as the light of a lamp burning within the four wallsof a house presents a luminous appearance at the keyhole,so even does the light of sattvashow itself at the crown of the head.This light is very familiar to all acquainted evens lightly with Yoga practices and is seen even by concentration on the space between the eyebrows. By Samyama (meditation) on this light the class of beings called siddhas— popularly known in theosophic circles as Mahatmas or high adepts—able to walk through space unseen, are immediately brought to view, notwithstanding obstacles of space and time."33. All things can be known in the vivid light of the intuition.There are three aspects of knowledge associated with the light in the head.First, there is that knowledge which the ordinary [Page 316] man canpossess, which perhaps is best expressed in the word theoretical. It makes a man aware of certain hypotheses, possibilities and explanations. It gives to him an understanding of ways, means and methods, and enables him to take the first step towards correct ascertainment and achievement. This is true of that knowledge which Patanjali deals with. By acting upon this knowledge and by conforming to the requirements of the intended investigation or development, the aspirant becomes aware of the light in the head.
Caterpillar Self lived a limited existence
The world accepted her meager body
And fed her scraps of life and leaves
She marveled at the beauty of the flowers
And climbed a few just to see what else waited
She worked hard on herself
She pushed her little aching body
To the farthest reaches of her little garden
She entertained caterpillar friends
Listened to caterpillar music
Worked a caterpillar job
But silently at night she would cry
Her heart pounded in her little chest
A great cascading Dream called to her
She called back to the Dream
A feeling of flight and colors stirred
A sensation of indescribable expansion
Just when she felt she would burst in this joy
Just when she felt it was too much to hold
A miraculous event began to weave itself
Within herself
Around herself
Out of herself
For an instant she thought she saw herself as a flower
In that moment Butterfly Self laughed
And thought she remembered herself as a little worm.
Ganga Fondan, 2009
Meditation on the third proclamation:
"Individual Consciousness is the creative force. My Consciousness is the Creator. " - Tulshi Sen, "Ancient Secrets of Success for Today's World"