THE SCIENCE OF THE SOUL Pt 1

We should call this the lost science of the soul because many of these truths are scattered and lost amoung the spiritual beliefs of history. These are the principles of an esoteric understanding of the soul, its needs and purposes. Other teachings have been presented in ancient and also in recent times, but certain omisions and wrong emphasis have prompted the need for a new clarification. This clarification is meant to be as simple as possible, but it is always up to the student to solidify his or her own understanding from the general structure of the teachings and of course from experience. The principle truths will be told directly, but it must be remembered that language is just a tool for understanding. Language can help clarify truth but can also mislead, because people often misinterpret the meaning of words and phrases. A teaching can only do the best as possible to use the more appropriate words to describe the principle truths of spiritual law. If the understanding fails, then the fault lies equally with the teaching and the student. These teachings are not theories based on faith alone but are teachings from experience and should be tested by experience. How else can you really know who you are and what life is about if you are not desperate to find these truths by your own experience?

This quest IS the soul's quest. It is not a quest motivated by the desperation for survival, nor is it a quest invented by society, as some psychologists will believe. Rather, this quest for self and life understanding is one of the primary motivations for Life Itself. It is one of the Great Reasons for Life, maybe the greatest reason. A principle truth, to be always remembered, is Know Thyself. Also know the world, the world of self, because this world, of many dimensions, is the stuff and law from which the self is composed. The soul is here, in life, being alive, incarnated, in order to know thyself. One who is not in this quest, or not motivated by this Primary Question, is not conscious in the soul, and thus not a soul. Thus, you are not a soul if not involved in this quest. You may be a physical body, with emotions and beliefs, but you are not a soul, for the soul is on a conscious quest.

Many teachings speak of the soul but few make that word clear to our understanding. Let me define the soul in this teaching. This definition is not so easy because the soul has a number of aspects, but we can begin with one aspect and then add others to complete the understanding. We have already implied that the soul is a consciousness motivated by a quest. Thus, consciousness and the motivating quest are two primary aspects of the soul. More aspects can be included in a full understanding of soul, but let us first consider these. We can also say what the soul is not. It is not a physical body, nor an emotion, nor a thought, yet it is certainly possible that the soul is related to the body, emotions and thought. So the soul is not, essentially, a physical thing, nor is it merely an emotion, nor a belief or faith. Yet, the soul has the power to incarnate into the physical, into the emotions and into the mind. Thus, the soul is an incarnating consciousness, as well as an incarnating motivation, and we can also think of the soul as a power to incarnate, or bring into life, its consciousness and motivating quest.

Thus, now we can understand the soul in its aspects of consciousness, questful motivation, and power. These soul-qualities transcend the body, emotions and thoughts, but are not unrelated since they work through. Our average life is an experience of body, emotions and thoughts, what are known as the three aspects of a person or three `bodies' of our personality. But an experience is possible which transcends those `personal apsects'. If we can experience something of pure consciousness without thought, or experience a deep questful motivation that is not a reactive emotion, or experience an inner creative power that is not just a power of the body, then we have some experience of our soul.

In these teachings we say that certain aspects of the soul can be experienced through the mind, through the emotions and even through the physical body, while the soul itself exists beyond those three aspects of the person. Because people are usually just in an experience of their physical body or reactive emotions or worrying thought, there is the need to transcend these personal aspects, through meditation, in order to experience qualities of the soul-life. This is why spiritual teachings and methods have evolved to transcend and renunciate the usual experience of life.

These methods can be appreciated and used, but their over emphasis on transcendence has neglected a very important truth of the soul-life which is that the soul is here and motivated to incarnate and experience itself in the three personal aspects of mind, emotion and body. The soul is here to experience itself in this three-fold world of physical matter, sentient feelings and mental understanding. As already said, one of the soul's primary quests is to Know Thyself, which means also to know others and the world around, since all life is relational. The soul's quest is not just to know thyself in its pure essence, for the soul is already in this pure consciousness. The soul's quest is to know and experience thyself in these three bodies and in this three-fold world.

Soul, which is a kind of consciousness-field within the One Spirit-Being, is here in this world to discover itself, to reflect upon itself, and also to create or incarnate its spiritual qualities into this world. Through the vehicle of mind, the soul reflects upon and knows thyself, which then becomes a creative factor in personal expression. Through the vehicle of emotions, the soul experientially feels the spiritual qualities of love, harmony, peace, and group unity. Through the vehicle of the physical body, the soul experiences qualities of the senses and physical activity and creatively expresses itself in the material world. We can rightly say that the Greater Spirit or One Spirit, of which soul is, has the purpose to discover how It is reflective in this world and how It can be creatively effective in this world. We can also rightly say that the three-fold world and the three bodies of each person ARE the manifesting bodies of Spirit, or souls, at least in potential or at least in some degree.

We do not say that all the world or all the person is necessarily spiritual or necessarily of the good, because the `three bodies of man' may be disconnected from the spiritual soul-life and lost in its own particular inertia, habits and conditionings. Thus, part of the soul's work is known as Redemption, or the awakening of the three bodies in the soul's light. This is another clue to the soul's purpose. We need to remember that the person is not immediately conscious in the soul, and from the time of physical birth the person will not have any direct experience of a soul, unless some work is done within the three bodies, especially in the mental field. This will need further explanation, but some can be said at this point.

The spiritual redemption, or the infusion of soul-life through the person, is essentially a two-fold process. First, work must be done from within the personality, in order to transmute one's energies and focus into the soul-consciousness. This work can be called the ascension or the transcendence, and many teachings emphasise this work since it is the begining phase. This work must be accomplished by the person, making use of their three energies found in the body, the emotions and mind, while outside help is possible and usually needed as well.

Then, once soul-consciousness, or spiritual consciousness, is reached, and thus connected to the personal aspects, the soul-spirit can begin its work of transformation, bringing its spiritual energies and qualities into the personal life, which is a primary purpose of the soul. This is the second phase of redemption, called spiritual incarnation, when the soul consciously works first through the mental body, then the emotional, and then the physical. More will be explained, but we can now say that soul brings spiritual truth into mind, spiritual qualities into the emotional life, and spiritual activity into physical manifestation, and this is all part of the spiritualisation of the whole planet. The disconnection, the spiritual ignorance and resulting disharmony, is gradually healed, and the soul is on its way to complete self-reflection and manifestation in this world. The wonderful purpose of all-spirit unfolds! So now, let us consider more of what the soul is, what it is in itself and how it can be experienced in the three aspects of the person.

We find from the experience of transcending body, emotions and thought, that who we truly are is the pure consciousness or pure experiencer, the pure I-consciousness which is known in the mind as soul. We also find in this consciousness a spiritual will or motivation to know thyself, that is, to make thoughtful reflection of who I am, to understand my soul qualities, and to eventually feel these qualities in my emotional life and through my manifestation. Thus, one of the aspects of soul is will or intention. But for now, let us for focus consideration on the aspect of consciousness-in-itself.

Consciousness, which is a kind of energy, and which can simply be called `spirit', animates the three bodies, to some degree. A soul, being a consciousness, is a partial fragment of the Universal, Ever-Present Consciousness. All souls are like drops of water within the universal ocean; each is not the whole of the water and yet each is wholy water. Thus, the fact that consciousness pervades the person, to some degree, means that the One Great Spirit animates the person. Yet we say it is a soul which animates because this consciousness is only a fragment of the greater Whole of consciousness. It is true, then, that the personality, or three bodies, are animated by a soul, a partial fragment of the Absolute One Consciousness. That is, the mind, the emotions and physical body are all somewhat conscious, or pervaded by a consciousness - which we call the soul. And yet, the mind of the average person is not usually conscious of the soul, or soul-conscious.

What this means is that the person, or mind, is somewhat conscious of events in the three bodies, but not "conscious in consciousness-itself," and thus not `soul-conscious'. A degree of consciousness pervades the mind, and thus mind may be conscious of thinking, feeling and sensing, but this consciousness of mind has not transcended its usual focus on thought, emotions and sensation, and thus consciousness has not freed itself in the mind so that mind can know consciousness-in-itself. We can say, then, that consciousness is there already in the mind, to some extent, but trapped in habitual patterns of thinking and in recurring thought-forms or beliefs. At a lower level, consciounsess is trapped in emotional reactions and at a still lower level it is trapped in physical sensations and mechanical activity. Only when the consciousness has transcended these three `bodies' is it free to know thyself, in its pure essence, in its soul-consciousness. In this transcendence or freedom from the conditioned and reactive beliefs and emotions, the soul can be known in its true qualities and from here the spiritual will of the soul becomes active and effective. Here we find our true self, our true spiritual qualities and powers.

A confusion often arises in regards to consciousness, because persons experience themselves as being conscious, without necessarily experiencing consciousness itself. How is it that their consciousness is trapped in the events of their three bodies but they nonetheless experience a consciousness?

First of all, consciousness is a kind of energy, having different possible frequencies and intensities. Second, a person may think they are conscious, but they cannot know how conscious they are because they have no experience of any other intensity from which to compare. Also, the average person does not recognise different possible levels of consciousness because they have not taken any time to study this in their own experience. Thus, we can admit that the average person has some consciousness, or that consciousness is somewhat functioning, but the intensity and level of this is questionable. Consciousness is quite little in the average person, even though they experience themselves as being conscious. Their consciousness is quite small, and often flickering like a weak light-bulb, while most activities take place by a hypnotic and robotic habit alone. The person may think themselves as being conscious, but they have no experience of a greater and more stable consciousness for which to make a comparison.

There are differing levels of consciousness, higher and lower frequencies, and the higher the frequency the more encompassing is the consciousness. A very low level of consciousness, for instance, would be only capable of realising one particular object at any time, only capable of focusing here then there, etc. While a higher level or frequency of consciousness would be capable of realising a much larger fragment of world events, more universal patterns and ideas, and more of one's self-reality. These levels are about frequency and about inclusive realisation within the whole world of Soul-consciousness. The greater levels of consciousness are synonymous with a more realised or expansive soul, within the One Great Soul which is The Spirit-Mystery or Absolute Divine Being. Also, at any level the consciousness can have greater or lesser intensities. This can simply be understood in our ordinary experience, as we know it is possible to be more or less `awake' at any one moment and in any given occurance or activity.

It is important to know that this intensity and frequency can be increased by the personal will, by using energies from the physical, emotional and mental bodies. This follows the esoteric law that energies can be transmuted and transformed for different uses, and that consciousness is a field of energy which can be increased, strengthened and stabilised by intentionally applied energies. Consciousness is a different type of energy from, say, the vital energy needed by the organic body. The soul-body is made of consciousness energy, while the physical is made of vital and chemical energies. The higher energy of consciousness cannot directly feed the physical, and the vital of the physical is not what expands the soul-body. Each type of energy is only useful for its corresponding body or `world'. Yet, because all these energies can be transmuted and transformed into other types of energy, each type can be used for any of the bodies when transmuted or transformed. So, for instance, the soul-body can gain from the vital energy of the physical body or physical planet, if this type of energy can be transmuted into the higher form of energy, consciousness. As well, the physical can gain from the energy of consciousness when this higher energy is transformed through its intentional permeation into the physical body or into the physical world. More will be explained of this practical spiritual work.

It is true that a degree or fragment of consciousness, of soul-light, is already pervading each of the three bodies of a person. Even the physical body is somewhat `conscious'. So some degree of consciousness is already in the personal mind or mental body. Even some degree of the soul's motivating force is within each mental and emotional body, but it is usually too small of degree to be effective in proportion to other conditioning factors. We can admit that a person, who is simply experiencing the three aspects of personality, though unaware of soul-in-itself, is conscious to some degree, because a fragment of consciousness, which is soul, already pervades the mental body. We could say, in other words, that the person is experiencing the effect of consciousness but not the cause or source. It is like someone being conscious of things in a room, which is only possible because of some light in the room, but this person is unconscious and unacknowledging of there being some necessary light which makes possible the consciousness of these things. Those things could be material things or emotions or thoughts. The soul-light, or soul-consciousness, makes this effect of ordinary awareness regarding the things of experience, and this is possible without any recognition of the light-source or soul consciousness in-itself.

Yet without consciousness-in-itself, the gnosis of soul-light, the person is merely experiencing a continuous reaction to things around them or to particular circumstances of life, according to a mechanical conditioning. We should remember that there really is no necessary need to be soul-conscious, or even conscious at all, in order to behave and manifest as a human being, in the ordinary sense. Conditioned robots, or hypnotically possessed persons, could succeed rather well in the world and could appear rather normal. This is factual more than you might think.

Consciousness, or soul-light, is ordinarily "lost" in the experience of many things. In other words, the primary energy of consciousness is all consumed in the experience of just things and circumstances, of associative thought-processes, and habitual or reactive emotions. Soul has been consumed in the three bodies, and the soul-energy transformed into mental, emotional and physical energies, which each go on from their own inertia. Thus, teachings speak of the fall of spirit. We might say that the three bodies are feeding on soul-energy, for their conditioned purposes, rather than the soul using energies of the three bodies for its divine purposes.

The esoteric teachings tell us that spirit, or consciousness, is trapped in matter, or lost in the three bodies. Some have called this the "Fall of Man". This is true, regarding both the person and the planet. And because of this, various teachings have evolved to free the spirit from matter or from the three bodies. Mistakes have arisen from these teachings, which will be explained shortly. When it is said that spirit is trapped in the three bodies, this has two related meanings. One is that the spiritual life, the spirit or soul, is unconscious in the three bodies. It still permeates, to some degree, but is `unawakened' in the bodies. Going back to what was said about transformation of spiritual energy, the spirit-consciousness has been reduced to vital, emotional and thinking energies, and these `lower energies' begin to function on their own inertia. They have disconnected, so to speak, from their essence or permeating spirit, whereby the spiritual motivation and soul-consciousness has been lost or forgotten.

This brings us to the second related meaning of spirit being trapped, or spirit fallen from its grace, which is that there is no more pure soul-consciousness, that is, an end to pure spirit being conscious. Spirit, of course, remains conscious in its own universal dimension, or in its own Being, but is not conscious in the three bodies of personal experience. In other words, the person is, at most, only aware of their three lower energies, the vital, the emotional and the thinking. We can say that these three energies are sensitively active or functioning, but consciousness-in-itself is not. Only the vital-physical, emotions and thinking energies make up the experience of the person. Soul is not, soul is lost, from the perspectival experience of the person, because there is no soul-consciousness, no consciousness of soul-in-itself, in this experience of being a person or in this experience of life. There is only an experience of the physical, emotional, and mental energies, that is, only an experience of the spiritual energies already transformed into the lower energies.

It is a basic law of this world that some spark or energy of spirit, which we can call the soul, incarnates (or transforms) into the physical at the point of conception. This organically growing physical body is animated with a sentient feeling and a guiding intelligence, all given by the soul transforming its energy and incarnating its power. Because of the infancy and as-yet-inadequate development of the three bodies, these bodies cannot maintain any soul-consciousness but rather are animated by the transformed soul-energy, the energy transformed into mental, emotional and vital energies. Thus, there is no soul-consciousness in this body, or even in the intelligence guiding the infant development, for the soul energy has been transformed into the three different types of energy from which the three bodies can grow. We say that the soul has sacrificed itself into the physical body, for the soul loses itself in these growing three bodies, in order to feed them, while those bodies are incapable of feeding the soul. Thus the sacrifice, in the hope that someday the mental body will reconnect with and make sacrifice back to the soul, where upon the soul may use these bodies for its expression and further expansion.

So, the three bodies of a person are, from their beginning, animated by a soul-light, by spirit, to some limited degree. In other words, the three bodies are soul-infused, or infused with consciousness, to some extent. They have within their livingness a seed, or pervading energy, which is soul-energy or soul-consciousness. This primary energy is actually what makes life and experience possible in those three bodies of the person. That primary energy, as spirit or consciousness, is transformed into `lower energies' to feed the life of the three bodies. For the mental body this spirit transforms into thinking energy, or mental energy. For the emotional body it transforms into emotions, or emotional energy. And for the physical body it transforms into vital energy, the basic energy which gives life to organic cells. So without spirit-energy, our life as we know it could not exist.

We can also make note that this planet is also animated by spirit and also has three bodies of physical, emotional and mental energy. The planet organic material life of the planet is animated by a vital energy. There is also an emotional sphere and a mental sphere permeating the physical planet, and each person lives within and draws from the these three energies of the planet. We will elaborate on this later.

The soul-consciousness is truly trapped in the lower energies and events of the three bodies. There is experience in the three bodies, but not much consciousness, and whatever consciousness there is is rarely known directly but rather pervades experience. The teachings make a general distinction between sensitivity and consciousness. Sensitivity is the general energy of the three bodies which can be transmuted into consciousness energy. Consciousness is the energy of the soul which can be transformed into sensitive energies. The three sensitive energies are the vital, the emotional and the thought energies. These three are all known as sensitive energies because of how they are experienced. The physical body is sensitive to vital energies, especially those vital energies found in good air and power places on the planet, and the our vitality is an energy we can be sensitive to. The emotional body is sensitive to emotions or feelings, as we often find in relations with other persons. And the mental body is sensitive to thoughts or ideas, as for example the inquisitive or philosophical mind. Thus, persons experience themselves and others and the natural environment, and these are sensitive experiences.

Thus, what is ordinarily called experience is the functioning of sensitive energy, or the sensitive registering in the brain of sensations, feelings and thoughts. When the thinking, the emotions, or the sensations are going strong and "filling experience", then this is sensitive energy at work. Consciousness, in contrast, will "feed the light" of these experiences in the three bodies, such that there is a pervading quality of consciousness in the experiences, but this pervading consciousness is un-noticed in the experience. One could say that consciousness is "taken for granted" in ordinary sensitive experience, since although it is pervading the experience the sensitivity (or awareness) is completely wrapped up in sensations, emotions or thoughts. It is like when you spend an hour involved in some conversation or activity, and you are never reflective on the fact of being conscious in this duration, but you would not say that you were unconscious. We say that you were in the experience of sensitive energy. Some degree of consciousness pervades the experience, like a light making events seen, but there is no actual experience or recognition of consciousness. In the experience there is just sensitivity to things, events, sensations, emotions, or thoughts, and the registering of this in memory according to its intensity or importance. But there is no direct experience of or sensitivity to consciousness. If there is, then the sensitive energy is being transmuted, and the sensitive-reflective mind is directly experiencing the higher energy of consciousness.

Sensitivity is often confused with consciousness, but this may be unavoidable since the two energies often converge and transform back and forth. Yet the distinction can be noted and is important in spiritual self-work Consciousness can be increased by feeding on sensitivity and sensitivity can be increased by transformed consciousness.

There is another kind of energy that can be found in the three bodies. This is known as mechanical energy. It is a lower form than sensitive energy. It is found in processes which are basically unconscious and un-sensitive. In other words, the mechanical energy is found in the experience of routine and habit patterns, when there really isn't any awareness at all. A part of the mind and body may be at work, but there isn't any sensitive awareness. The work or activity is just automatic. Like when you drive a car while having an intense conversation. There is sensitive energy in the conversation but only mechanical energy in the driving.

We could say there is awareness. so the spirit is here. but no freed spirit consciousness in itself.

experience and consciousness

receiving consciousness from reservoir??

soul as Will. but not confused with conditional will.

The soul-consciousness is trapped in the lower energies and events of the three bodies. From the personal view there is experience in the three bodies, but not much consciousness, and whatever consciousness there is is rarely known directly - but rather pervades experience. If consciousness is not directly known in itself, then there is no soul-consciousness. Instead, the energy of soul-consciousness filters into the ordinary experiences of the mental, emotional and physical life, and there it pervades personal experience, to some extent. Yet though it pervades, there is no conscious experience of the pervading light, but only experience of the continuing stream of thought-forms, the reactionary outbursts of emotion, or the pleasures and pains of the body. Thus, the higher soul-energy is trapped in the lower energy forms of ordinary experience. Remember that psychic and spiritual energies can transform from higher to lower and transmute from lower to higher.

Transformations of energy most often occur automatically, depending on needs and circumstances, but changes in energy-kind can be made consciously and intentionally. We need to learn how to do this and develop the ability, unless we are satisfied to remain as automatisms Remember also that transmutations of energy from lower to higher do not automatically occur, so the soul energy will remain trapped in ordinary experience unless it is consciously discovered and intentionally freed. The freeing of soul-energy, spiritual energy or the spiritual self, from the lower forms of experience is known as the purification process in alchemy and is essentially found in -various systems of spiritual work. The `work' is to transcend the ordinary and automatic experiences of the three bodies, the mental, emotional and physical life. This transcendence must be made with conscious intent, whereby the working energies of the three bodies are intentionally `sacrificed' to the pervading essence of consciousness, and the mind intentionally holds itself in this greater light.

You can think of this as thought sacrificing itself to the pervading essence of mind. Others may experience this as emotions surrendering to the essential heart presence, to just being in the presence of self. This sacrificing or surrendering is a transmutation of energies back to the soul or spiritual essence, which is accomplished through the medium of conscious breath. This transmutation of energies produces two very important effects. One is that the connection and attunement between the soul and the three bodies is increased and refined. And two, the soul-energy is increased, whereby the soul-body of conscious light is further expanded and stabilized Only this soul-body can be said to have a stable identity and eternal life, either expanding or contracting, while the mental, emotional and physical bodies are each temporal and most often dependent on external conditions and conditioning.

Later on we shall discuss `life after death'. For now, just contemplate on the fact that it is this soul which re-incarnates into three new bodies and not your present mental beliefs or emotional habits, although our beliefs and emotional patterns do carry on for at least some while in the planetary spheres and will still circulate through the lives of other persons. When we contemplate on the self we find that the materials, the emotions and thoughts, which comprise our experience of self, are not really unique but transpersonal, and it is only the peculiar combinations which can be rightly called unique. And the death of a personal body is the start of a process of dissolution and disintegration of these unique combinations, whereby their composed elements are gradually released back to the planetary life for their re-assimilation by other personal bodies. Only the soul-body can remain stable as an integrated unity, for it is a completely unitive consciousness, unitive will and unitive being.

The teachings make a general distinction between sensitivity and consciousness. Sensitivity is the general energy of the three bodies which can be transmuted into consciousness energy. Consciousness is the energy of the soul which can be transformed into sensitive energies. The three sensitive energies are the vital, the emotional and the thought energies. These three are all known as sensitive energies because of how they are experienced. The physical body is sensitive to vital energies, especially those vital energies found in good air and power places on the planet, and the our vitality is an energy we can be sensitive to. The emotional body is sensitive to emotions or feelings, as we often find in relations with other persons. And the mental body is sensitive to thoughts or ideas, as for example the inquisitive or philosophical mind. Thus, persons experience themselves and others and the natural environment, and these are sensitive experiences.

Thus, what is ordinarily called experience is the functioning of sensitive energy, or the sensitive registering in the brain of sensations, feelings and thoughts. When the thinking, the emotions, or the sensations are going strong and "filling experience", then this is sensitive energy at work. Consciousness, in contrast, will "feed the light" of these experiences in the three bodies, such that there is a pervading quality of consciousness in the experiences, but this pervading consciousness is un-noticed in the experience. One could say that consciousness is "taken for granted" in ordinary sensitive experience, since although it is pervading the experience the sensitivity (or awareness) is completely wrapped up in sensations, emotions or thoughts. It is like when you spend an hour involved in some conversation or activity, and you are never reflective on the fact of being conscious in this duration, but you would not say that you were unconscious. We say that you were in the experience of sensitive energy. Some degree of consciousness pervades the experience, like a light making events seen, but there is no actual experience or recognition of consciousness. In the experience there is just sensitivity to things, events, sensations, emotions, or thoughts, and the registering of this in memory according to its intensity or importance. But there is no direct experience of or sensitivity to consciousness. If there is, then the sensitive energy is being transmuted, and the sensitive-reflective mind is directly experiencing the higher energy of consciousness. Consciousness can be increased by feeding on sensitivity and sensitivity can be increased by transformed consciousness.

Sensitivity is often confused with consciousness, but this may be unavoidable since the two energies often converge and transform back and forth. Yet the distinction can be noted and is important in spiritual self-work. The bio-chemist needs to know the difference and relation between chemical energy and heat, and likewise the spiritual adept needs to know the energies of the soul and mind.

There is another kind of energy that can be found in the three bodies. This is known as mechanical energy. It is a lower form than sensitive energy. It is found in processes which are basically unconscious and unsensitive. In other words, the mechanical energy is found in the experience of routine and habit patterns, when there really isn't any awareness at all. A part of the mind and body may be at work, but there isn't any sensitive awareness. The work or activity is just automatic. Like when you drive a car while having an intense conversation, there is sensitive energy in the conversation but only mechanical energy in the driving. Mechanical energy is a general term for all the energies involved in subconscious processes, and much that goes on in the physical body, the emotions and the mind is under-conscious. When sensitive energy becomes very routine or habitual in its activity, it will tend to transform into mechanical energy. Then there is nothing new found in the experience because there is no sensitivity. This can be very useful, as it allows new sensitive energy to be generated and the mind is free to focus sensitivity on other things and activities. Yet it is possible to regain sensitivity in those mechanical processes, making possible the change of routine or habit. This is accomplished by simply being sensitive or aware of what is going on in the body, emotions or mind, that is, being aware of what you are not usually aware of, regarding yourself.

It can also be noted that the patterns of the mechanical are very often guiding the sensitive experience. We call this `lower guidance', or guidance by conditioning and habit. It has its use but is often an obstacle to personal growth and right balance. It much better if the sensitivity is guided by true consciousness, when possible. This we call higher-guidance or soul-guidance. This is accomplished in two possible ways. One way is from the perspective of the soul, whereby the soul intentionally guides experience and transmutes lower energies. This will soon be more explained. The second way, which is how we must begin, is from the perspective of the mental intention.

This way is to be sensitive, in the heart and mind, to either a deeper conscience and sincerity of the heart or to a greater understanding and consciousness of the mind. In this way, one directs some sensitivity to an inner knowing or wider consciousness, becoming sensitively receptive to your soul-consciousness and deeper feelings. This `re-directs' some of the sensitive energy to the higher consciousness and frees the sensitivity from mechanical influences. Very significantly, this redirected sensitivity to the inward or higher produces a transmutation of energy, from the lower to the higher, and this actually feeds the soul-life, intensifying and expanding the soul energy-body of light. This transmutation is from the mechanical to the consciousness via the sensitive. The effect is that the sensitive takes back energy from the mechanical and offers this to the consciousness or soul. This is merely a rough description.

What is practically important is to free your mind and emotion from mechanical habit and recurring patterns, by using will or intention, and becoming sensitively aware of an unconditioned consciousness and deeper feeling which is ready to pervade and guide experience. It is essentially a two-fold intentional activity: a freeing of the mechanical strings and inertia involved in ordinary experience and a reorientation of sensitivity and awareness towards a deeper or greater reality of oneself. This frees energy trapped in mechanical inertia and gives energy to the soul. Energy is effectively transmuted to consciousness energy, such that consciousness strengthens and expands, and thus the soul grows stronger and more permanent in the realm of experience.

Through this, the sensitive life, the experience in the three bodies, is pervaded with more consciousness, more soul. The soul-life becomes stronger, and the connection is widened between soul and the three bodies, which allows for more permeation of the soul-consciousness through experience. And as the soul-light becomes stronger and more connected, the soul-will is able to be effective in transmuting energy. Soul itself `becomes sensitive' to energies previously mechanical and subconscious. It begins to intentionally pervade the life of experience and draw into itself the sensitive energies of the vital, emotional and mental bodies. The roots of the soul, so to speak, dig down into the soil of the three bodies and draw forth nourishment for its expansive growth.

It is hoped you will gain an intuitive picture of the alchemical work, but these descriptions are no substitute for practical work which should be quite simple and experiential, rather than theoretical. The key is conscious intention, the way is conscious meditation, and the catalyst is conscious breath. The soul is immediately conscious, unconditioned and un-distracted, and the soul is conscious of its immediate power to direct or transmute mental energy, as well as other energies, by its conscious will. The soul knows its purpose, or is seeking to clarify its inner purpose via the mind and thought. Remember that the soul can only achieve its purposes through the three bodies, so all must come into cooperation. Thus, the mind needs to know its true purpose. The mind seeking spiritual knowledge and purpose is truly the soul seeking to know thyself through the mind. The mind may not yet `see' or realist the soul in its quest, but it is the soul that is making itself known and pervading the mind with this motivating quest. In a sense, or from a perspective, we can say it is mind that is on the quest and coming to know thyself...