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Why am I here?
We are here to evolve back to The Absolute. We have been given a purpose which we can fulfill because we have also been given the right skills, attributes, environment and opportunities to do so. We are not here by accident.
However, we get trapped in the allure of the physical and separate ourselves from the Divine and from each other. This is the material route which is selfish and leads nowhere, and will only lead to further incarnations until lessons are learned and we can move on.
The source of all life is love and as we raise our consciousness we connect lovingly with all life. We rid ourselves of limited beliefs by loving ourselves, and others as ourselves. We connect with our Higher Self to experience love, truth, freedom and these give life meaning and satisfaction.
Our Soul Extension is our personality which is our Mental, Astral and Physical Bodies. When we consider all this we begin to understand our Oneness with all life. Each Soul Extension is working towards the evolution of the Soul and all Souls are assisting the evolution of the Monad. Each one of us belongs to a Monad, a spark of the Divine. Our true essence is spiritual and there is no separateness as all Monads are the essence of God. This is who we are, a part of the Divine, and the plan is for us all to return to become One with our Creator. It’s a long journey back and Theosophy teaches that our spiritual evolution is achieved through many incarnations. Our Soul reincarnates to learn lessons and it is the Law of Karma (Cause and Effect) that teaches us what we need to learn.
For information and awareness, there are seven planes or dimensions of existence, and our spiritual journey back to the Divine involves our Ascension up these levels. They are 1. Physical, 2. Astral, 3. Mental (Lower and Higher), 4. Buddhic, 5. Atmic, 6. Monadic, 7. Logoic. We are more than our Physical body and have Astral and Mental bodies to enable us to function on the first three levels, which is sufficient for this stage of our journey. These bodies, like the planes, vibrate at different rates. However they all intersect and need to function in harmony with each other. It is Initiations that take us one step higher at a time. We must never forget that we are connected all the way up to the Monad and to Source.
Most people have no awareness of any reality other than the physical and become attached to gaining material satisfaction. Our progress is our responsibility. The Soul incarnates to evolve and in early incarnations there is virtually no contact with the personality. When the Soul begins to make limited contact the person may not understand but will perhaps become more sensitive to their spiritual identity. Higher Beings will also begin to take an interest in this person’s potential to evolve. This is considered the Probationary Path.
We evolve by going through a series of Initiations, of which there are a great many, and which require many, many incarnations to complete. For most people currently incarnated it is only the first three Initiations that concern them.
The Initiations and what we can do to evolve
The First Initiation follows and the Soul becomes more involved, desiring to take an active role in the person’s life. The individual has the choice and free will to accept or reject guidance. No progress occurs if material desires take priority.
The Initiation involves becoming master of the physical body in order to progress further. Attention must be given to healthy nourishment, keeping the body free of toxins and taking adequate exercise. It’s about finding balance and taking responsibility to make sensible changes to thoughts and actions.
The Second Initiation concerns mastering the Astral / Emotional body and is often considered the most difficult initiation. It is not easy to monitor and control our emotions. Negative emotions harm ourselves and others. Monitoring our emotions and also our wants and desires and understanding the need to alter these is not an easy task but a necessary one. Keeping a Journal is the best way to keep track of these and progress can be noted as the Journal is reviewed regularly. This helps to take desires away from the material and to take our focus to a spiritual level. The study of spiritual texts, such as the Buddhist Eightfold Path, provides excellent guidance and warns about becoming attached to outcomes that hold us back.
Daily meditation to link with our Soul / Higher Self identifies what the Soul wants us to learn and put into practice. This raises our consciousness which is necessary for every step forward on our path.
The Third Initiation is about mastering the Mental body and being observant of our thoughts. We need to be willing to change them when necessary. Our thoughts affect our emotions, actions and even our character. Each plane has 7 sub planes. The 4 lower sub planes on the Mental level are referred to as the Lower Mental body which deals with concrete thoughts. These concern our everyday activities and whilst they are necessary we need to focus on activities which benefit our spiritual development. Selfish thoughts need to be recognised and avoided and negative ones changed to loving positive ones. Our thoughts affect our feelings and actions so paying attention to these benefits both our Physical and Astral bodies.
Our Higher Mental body is on the 3 higher sub planes and is associated with higher, abstract thoughts which the Soul desires. These loving, compassionate thoughts will again evoke positive emotions on the Astral plane and lead to desirable activities on the Physical plane. Spending time in Nature and having like-minded associates will be beneficial.
We have all incarnated with a purpose to enable the Soul to evolve. It is up to each of us to identify what skills we have and use them in service to others. When this level is achieved the personality functions in harmony with the Soul’s desire and becomes what is termed a Soul Infused Personality.
To sum up
We are all spiritual and are evolving back to the Divine, our source of life, through many tests on each of the planes.
We alone are responsible for our journey and dedication and commitment are required. Achieving something worthwhile is never easy but with guidance from our Soul and being prepared to see others as part of ourself, which, indeed they are, bring the reward of peace and fulfilment and the opportunity to keep ascending to many higher levels.
Evolving spiritually isn’t just about raising our consciousness to a higher level: it’s about practical aspects such as putting into practice what we believe will benefit others. This balance is vital for true progress. We are each a part of all that is and need to be conscious of what is occurring within our personal life and also in the world at large.
Living spiritually involves devoting time to connect with our soul and the world around us. When we connect with our soul we will be driven to act and understand our responsibility in reaching out to others’ needs.
Seeking out like minded people brings even greater benefits to the wellbeing of others. Being of service involves making sacrifices of our time, money and other resources but we benefit as much as those who are at the receiving end of our goodwill.
We each need to discern or life (or Soul) purpose and more about this will be discussed in Part 3 of this series of articlces.
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