The emergence of Light from within

Light is the essential spiritual power within us that is ready in potential to emerge into actualization and manifestation. This is the core essence within us that is wanting to come out. It is wanting to come out from the closet, come out from hiding. This gives us a great sense of freedom and expression.

Three main aspects of our self need to emerge from the depths of our potential into actualized expression. These are light, love, and creativity (which occurs in many ways, from creative thoughts to physical projects). This all wants to come out from our hidden depths into expression. The sum of these three main aspects is known as beauty – in its spiritual or inner meaning. For remember that beauty has many different forms, and beauty is not merely physical.

Yet our discussion at this time is mostly about light. We say in the teachings that the inner soul of each person is a light that is ready in potential for emergence and expression. Light emerging from the depth of our being is quite mysterious. It is so mysterious that no exact definition can be given to it.

Yet consider these questions. First, what is the light that is emerging from within me? And second, what is the light that I am sharing to others around me? These questions can be a grounding for our reflection.

As already stated many times in these teachings, light is the phenomenal aspect of consciousness, meaning that consciousness and light are two sides of the same coin. Light carries consciousness, just as consciousness carries light. So first understand that light is consciousness, which means that when light is emerging.. consciousness is also emerging.

Another quality of light, besides its illuminating quality of consciousness, is that it is something like a living vibrancy. It has a vibrant energetic quality and an uplifting quality. But this is not just necessarily physical, which is why we think of it as a spiritual vibrancy. It inspires the heart and the will; light gives inspiring energy to the heart and the will. Now we are getting to the mysterious nature of this inner light. It has a quality of will to it, especially a will to do something good, righteous, loving, and creatively beautiful. So light gives us an energetic vibrancy and inspiration to do creatively beautiful and loving things.

In addition, light eliminates darkness. It eliminates any darkness of unhappiness, sorrow, or depression. It eliminates anger, jealousy, and hatred. Light eliminates all kinds of darkness in our psyche. This is the healing quality of spiritual light. It also eliminates the darkness of selfishness and ignorance. Selfishness is dark because it encloses a person into a self-absorbed and self-narcistic cocoon. Ignorance is dark because it cannot see beyond the small cave in which it is enclosed. So, both the selfish and the ignorant need to step out from their enclosed cocoons or caves, in order to see beyond their encapsulated reality.

Relating to this healing quality of light, this quality of eliminating darknesses and obstacles, is the illuminating quality of light – which brings sudden awakening and a greater expansion of consciousness.

It also has a quality of sincerity and truth to it. Also, it has a quality of caring and love to it.

Light of intelligence.

Illuminating light of guidance; lighting the way.

Light purifying the emotions.

Light defeating all opposition or hostility.

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Divine Light is the same as Consciousness. So if we say that Light pervades existence we also mean that Consciousness pervades. Realization is also consciousness, though the meaning of realization is used for particular beings awakening or for consciousness actualizing in existence. Physical light that is perceptible and filling our world is really a physical reflection of the Light of Consciousness. In essence, Divinity is conscious of Itself; or in other words, Divine Being is conscious. Another way to explain this is that one of the most primary aspects of Being is Consciousness (while its polar aspect is Intention). So Consciousness pervades existence, because existence is Being - in Its evolving actualization. But of course any particular form or being of existence has Consciousness to some degree - that is, every existent is limited in its Consciousness compared to the infinite Consciousness at the Source or Essence of Being. And the closer to the Source, as in the analogy of the Sun, the more an existent has Being-Consciousness, or the more it reflects the Fullness of Divine Consciousness. Also, each being (or existent) is itself a microcosmic source of Light, a radiant light in itself (to some degree), and a radiant pervading consciousness. Each being, to some degree, is a reflective mirror for Light, Consciousness, Intention, Love, and all the Divine Qualities or Aspects.

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By the analogy of sunlight, the source and reservoir of Divine Being (as Potential) is like the sun, and the closer a thing is to the sun the more of Divine Being it has (the more of Divine Being is actualized in existence). In a Cosmic view, the original Divine Light exploded and expanded to create the overall primordial existence. Closer to the Source-Light is greater order and intelligence, and further away is greater disorder and ignorance. All things in this cosmos/universe have the latent Divine Light, no matter how far from the Source-Light, yet the further things have smaller realizations of this latent Light - so they are more engrossed in their smaller concerns. The closer one is to the Source-Light, the more realization one has. Note that this is a metaphysical, spiritual truth; though this is a physical analogy. So, the Great Path is to come closer to the Light; thereby realizing and actualizing more of the Light.

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All is Light. All beings are portions of this Light. Each being is a level or degree of this Light. So reality consists of lights within greater lights, selves within greater selves, and ultimately all lights or selves are within the One Self-Light.

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{{ All creation is effused with Divine Light (the Knowing Substance), but only in some portion or degree. Any part or being of creation holds but a portion of the Divine Light, though all beings have an inherent potential to absorb or realize more and more of this. A different view, but equally true, is that all beings inherently possess all of the infinite Divine Light, but their realization and manifestation of this Light is incomplete though gradually unfolding. So within the Great Emanation of Being, there are degrees of conscious Divine Light and Clarity.

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Light and Quality of Being is in everything, but in varying degrees. All manifestation, all creation, depends on the Light and is nourished by the Light, and is the Light (in some gradation). All is Light, but in varying gradations. The most inert matter is but Light in its lowest gradation or vibration. Thus, we can say that all is Light, or all is God (as substance of Being), yet in varying gradations. Manifestation is the Body of God, and realizations are the Mind of God, but in varying degrees of perfection. Thus, there is Unity in creation and God; though this does not imply perfection nor uniformity.

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The esoteric science as taught by ancient Yogis says that all beings are essentially made of Light. The meaning here is that the essence of any living being is its consciousness, for Light is really consciousness. All living things have some consciousness, whether large or small. Humans have potential for expansions of consciousness, much more than any other beings on Earth, though each differs in their degree of actualized consciousness.

So the essence our being is consciousness, or we could say conscious mind. We each have a personal subconscious as well, which is the part of mind that is like a functional computer working with memory. Deeper than the personal subconscious is the cultural-social subconscious, which can also be influential in our beliefs and behavior, though it is possible to transform this. There is also the physical subconscious that controls most of our physical functioning. These are all layers of the mind. Also to mention is the spiritual unconscious, which is all that is potentially available from Universal Mind. This is called an unconscious because it comprises all that is not yet conscious to us.

Now this essence of consciousness, or pure light, is a reality unto itself, independent of our thoughts, independent of all mental and emotional content, and independent of the physical world. In Indian philosophy it has been called Purusha, or pure spirit. This pure consciousness-light-spirit is the fundamental substance of all mind, and all physical manifestation as well. Thus, all is made of this pure light of consciousness-spirit. The thought contents of mind are formations of this pure light. In other words, light has become thought, it has formulated into thought. This is the thought level of reality. Next, thought becomes formulated into physical manifestation. So we can understand reality as three-fold: the level of pure light-consciousness-spirit, the level of thought, and the level of physical manifestation. Now if we consider creative possibilities, light-consciousness can create thought, and thought can then create physical manifestation. Reversely, physical forms can dissolve back to just thought, and thought can dissolve back to pure consciousness or light. The possibility, then, is that material form can dissolve back into its essential light energy, and then be re-created in a new form.

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Emptiness does not mean unconsciousness. Rather, emptiness is consciousness. Because when we speak of emptiness we are speaking of an experience and so there must be consciousness in this experience. But it is empty consciousness, or consciousness empty of content. This pure consciousness is the consciousness of divine Being, or God, or Allah, or Brahmin, Shiva, or whatever you want to call the ultimate power or Being of the universe. I'm not calling this spirit consciousness God itself, because we should not ultimately reduce God to just consciousness, so the pure consciousness is known in Esoteric metaphysics as one of the great three aspects of ultimate being, the is other two being will/power and intelligent-love. What is important is that we know it is possible to empty the mind of all content and all desire, in order to be IN the experience of pure consciousness, where by oneself is annihilated in this pure consciousness. This will often be experienced as pure light. For light is how consciousness is directly experienced. in other words, consciousness cannot be experienced as an object of consciousness, one can only be consciousness. If I am consciousness then the I-consciousness subject cannot be an object of consciousness. the pure subject is just being.

Yet the experience of consciousness is an experience of light. The light that we experience in the world is really consciousness in the world. It is consciousness reflecting back on itself. Thus, all light that is experienced both inwardly and outwardly is really a reflection of the pure divine consciousness. and so we can know that everywhere around us is the reflection of pure divine consciousness. when we look at the world, what do we see? We see light reflecting everywhere and we see forms. The world of our outer experience is a world of forms, particular forms that we perceive. These forms are all made of light, their essential substance is light. this is light contracted into a form. In other words, what we see in the world are contractions of light, forms of light. So look around the world and see every form as a contraction of the One Light, which is only seen because of the light reflecting from the sun, and this whole outer experience is only possible because of the inner reality of consciousness. thus, everything is one Self, one great unity of Being, one Light that is self reflecting everywhere.

Now because of this one essential substance of Light, which is the essential reality of all forms, we can logically say that everything is one being. We can say that everything is a reflection of the one divine light, or a reflection of God. This is recognizing the Unity of Being, and the essential unity of the world. Now it is here, from this recognition of unity, many people make a logical mistake in their beliefs. The first common mistake is to infer that, because of the unity of Being all events are unitarily organized and directed, meaning that all things and all events are part of one great plan or perfect organization. The second common mistake is to infer that, because of the unity of Being all things and all events are of equal in value; in other words, everything is equally perfect or everything is equally God. This mistake makes the inference that because everything is a reflection of light or God, everything must be of equal value. This belief usually goes along with the belief that spiritual wisdom involves no discernment or judgment of what might be more spiritually valuable than something else. All things events then become a flatland of the value, and all value statements become equally relativistic.

True spiritual wisdom realizes the unity of Being, and also realizes depth within this Being. Depth is a dimension within the unity of Being. We can understand this depth when we realize that our insights and the meanings we derive from experiences all have a relative depth to them. That is, some insights and some meanings of are deeper or more profound than others. we try to deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world. We try to find deeper meaning in the world understanding. there is also a depth of value within the one being. Though we usually speak in terms of higher or lesser degrees of value. so we can accept that there are different degrees of value or different levels of value within the unity of being. These levels of depth help to give contrast in the world.

So within the unity is depth, differentiation and levels of value.

There is also Process, which is experimentation in evolution, in relation to Purpose (the Divine values), where by a judgment and discernment come in, and a deepening of the exploration of Self.

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There is One ultimate and essential Being, Consciousness, Self. We say there is One Self, but this means a Oneness that includes multiplicity, plurality and diversity; it does not mean sameness, uniformity, or a single-source determinism. The Self is present throughout the world and present within us. The Self is through us and in front of us. The One Self is who we really are, and it is the One Self who experiences life - through this body and this mind called 'myself'. Now, as already said, the Self includes multiplicity. This means there are a multiplicity of Selves, yet each of these are essentially the same One Self.

At the singular dimension of Self, there is but one, and so there is no multiplicity. Here, there is a singular spaciousness (such as the spaciousness of pure consciousness-light) - but without actual space. At the dimension of actual space, there are distinct points within the space. In other words, once there is actual space, there are (necessarily) a multiplicity of distinct points within that space. Yet if we imagine an actual space where there is still nothing else but light, where the whole space is filled with light, then we can understand how there is light at every point in that space. So at every point in this space there is light. Each point is the same light as any other point, though each point is still distinct in itself from the other points. That is, in an actual space (where there is spatial area) we can visualize the possibility of being at one point (which would be called 'here') and looking around at other points (which are 'over there'). So there are these distinct points (in the great space), and at each point is a unique perspective on how the whole space looks from that particular vantage point. Each point would have its own unique perspective (on the whole space); yet each point is, nonetheless, a point of light (or a point of awareness. Each point is 'looking' around at the space (or at the other points in space) from its unique perspective; and yet, each point has the same essential awareness, the same fundamental property of 'looking', or the same essential 'light of consciousness'.

Now in this model (or visualization) so far, the only phenomena that each point would see are other points of light, for there is still only light. But let us now enrich this model with a multiplicity of different content or form: different colors and shapes and people and events, etc. In other words, the previous model of space (being simply light) will suddenly refract into a vast diversity of colors, shapes, qualities, and thus differences. We won't bother at this juncture to elaborate on how this creative explosion happened, but later we can delve more into that topic.

The important thing now is to understand that each point is still essentially 'a point of light' (or 'a point of consciousness-awareness'), but also simultaneously each point is a unique content (or a unique form) which adds to the diversity of forms that each point sees. Thus, each point has two basic aspects: one aspect, which we'll call the inner, is its essential 'light of consciousness' - with its unique vantage perspective; and the other aspect, which we'll call the outer, is its distinct color or form - that is the content of what the other points see. Each point sees the other's outer form, not their inner consciousness. For others, I am a content and not a subject. Others see my outer, but not my inner; and likewise, I see the outer content of others, not their inner consciousness. For consciousness is only known from within each point.

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Each point is a point of light, and each point is The Self. Its like a hologram; the One Self is holographically reflected in each of the infinite points within the space of the One Self. Its not like there is The Self and then the space; rather, the space is The Self, it is the space of the Self. And the points in that space are each 'points of the One Self'. }}

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{{ Conscious Being IS Light, IS Self, and within Self there are [Light-] reflections of Self, each with a respective intensity. Each reflection of Light, or microcosm of The Light, is itself a Being, a Presence. Thus there are Beings within Beings, within the One Infinite Beingness. Thus a hierarchy of Light-Beings. The reflections, or microcosms, of each of these 'Beings within Beingness' are further beings of Light, though of lesser intensity (and Hologramic Unity), and each of these will be called souls, existing within a particular 'Oversoul' (or Light-Being).

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The heart reflects Divine Being, when it is clear, like a mirror.

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One of the greatest spiritual analogies is Light. God is Light, and the world is made of Light to varying degrees. This begins the discussion, but we can elaborate further.

The Absolute One, from which all else comes, can first be understood as the Mystery of Being. The Mystery of Being is the Unknown of Being, and at this absolute dimension there is Nothing, no manifestation and even no Knowing. Here, even God does not know Him/Her/Itself. There is Nothing, nothing yet realized, and yet there is Being - though Being without Knowing. There is always Being, for Being is eternal and uncreated. But at this dimension, the Knowing of Being is only Potential - at rest and without motion. Then (or at the next eternal dimension of Being), the Potential of Will emerges from the Mystery, which is the Will to Know Itself. And thus the next dimension emerges as Light, which is in essence the Light of Consciousness. Light in essence is Consciousness. There is essentially One Light, from which all else emerges, and thus there is but one essential Consciousness, called the Consciousness of God.

God Consciousness is not outside of creation. Yet, It is independent of creation. The Divine Consciousness is embedded in and permeates all manifested existence, this world, the universe; yet, events in our world do not affect God Consciousness – which remains pure and in power no matter what happens in the universe. This is why we say that God is independent of the world, but we should not make the mistake, as some have done previously, thinking that this independence entails that God is separate or outside of this world, or outside of us.

God is not outside of us, and we are not outside of God. Creation is not outside of God; rather, creation is inside of God. This is because the universe is created from God-Consciousness. The universe is also sustained by God Consciousness. Thus, our world and the whole universe is dependent on God Consciousness, and it would cease to exist without God Consciousness permeating and sustaining it. And of course this dependence is true, because the universe unfolds from God Consciousness, as if it were flowering from this nurturing Consciousness. So if there were no Consciousness Source of this universe, there could be no manifested universe. Everything comes from God Consciousness, and everything resides in It. The universe is from God’s Being, which is Consciousness.

Everywhere in the universe is God Consciousness, meaning that God is conscious everywhere. God is everywhere consciousness. Yet not everything or everyone is equally God Consciousness. In other words, the parts or individuals of God’s universe are each limited in their ability to be God Consciousness. Each is limited in knowing God - the Full, Pure, Absolute Being/Self. God is fully conscious throughout each part; yet each part is limited in God Consciousness. Thus each individual is but a portion or fragment of the Full, Pure, Absolute God Consciousness; though God is fully and purely conscious through each individual.

Every conscious being, or every consciousness, is a ray of the One Light, a particular intensity and quality of the Divine Light. Every light of consciousness is within a greater Light, and ultimately within the One Light. So our consciousness of being, the present consciousness of who we are, is within greater Light, greater Consciousness. So we are within and surrounded by the Light of Divine Being, which is a possibility for realization. If we open to this Divine Light, it enters us and brings us into Itself. As we embrace the greater Light, it embraces us. Then, as Light-Consciousness, we can embrace the whole of creation. And everyone we meet is embraced in our infinite Consciousness of Being.

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