Leaping Headlong into the Light

The path of conscious unfoldment is, in effect, a search for identity – each newly discovered aspect of the “self”, in turn, becomes a subtle veil behind which a new light beckons. Drawing us ever onward, this beautiful mystery is infinitely deep – its final resolution always one step beyond. If this were not so, the ultimate state of identification, no matter how sublime, would be a static one – a finality beyond which further revelation and expansion of awareness were impossible. Fortunately, this is not so and in the Ageless Wisdom teachings even the Gods themselves are described as advancing towards that which lies beyond their present unimaginable environments, states of awareness and modes of interaction. The incredible truth is that the more progress that is made along the inner path of discovery, the more the mystery deepens – the more astounding are the revelations.

Revelation is always preceded by a time of spiritual darkness that provides the setting in which the new light may be seen. This is the principle of limitation at work, incarcerating consciousness in darkness and sparking the creative impulse. For the journey of self-discovery is initiated through the urge to find light – to bring hidden aspects of the self to the foreground of awareness. And it is at the darkest hour that something dawns deep within – something that was ‘previously understood’ and is now re-cognized.

This tantalizing experience of standing at the threshold of the new and yet, at the same time, distinctly familiar, leaves the seeker reflecting on the age-old enigma: “Who am I?” There is no satisfactory answer to this question, which is precisely why the path of revelation is an unending one, full of awe and mystery. The discovery of each deeper aspect of the self reveals yet another light that shines on ahead.

 It is said that “it is in the dark that we know God” – and it is a time when faith and persistence are rigorously tested. The tension of this period is beautifully portrayed in a stanza from an ancient spiritual text:

"I stand between the Heavens and Earth! I vision God; I see the forms God took. I hate them both. Naught do they mean to me, for one I cannot reach, and for the lower of the two I have no longer any love.

Torn I am. Space and its Life I cannot know, and so I want it not. Time and its myriad forms, I know too well. Pendant I hang betwixt the two, desiring neither.” 

Discipleship and Its End

This state of limbo – of living in a twilight world – is a familiar one to those in discipleship training. It is a stage wherein the strength is being summoned to follow the light wherever it may lead when it eventually breaks in full splendor through the veil of protective darkness that surrounds it. Until that time, occasional glimpses of a supernal light are caught in meditation which, although unsustainable, provide a vision of a future reality in which individual identity is merged into that of the One Humanity. No matter how much it may be desired, only the courageous heart burning with love for others can bear the personal cost and make this transition into the greater Life.

The great fortune of our times is that modern discipleship training involves the cultivation of group consciousness, and the sense of the group goes a long way towards alleviating the loneliness associated with treading the path – as recorded in religious and esoteric traditions down the ages.  It rests with all aspirants to enter into the deep silence of the heart and decide whether to make the spiritual journey a long, drawn-out affair – or to join hands with fellow travelers, and leap headlong into the light.