Phosphor

The whole universe is said to be built upon the progression of numbers. This wisdom of numbers was called arithmesophia, and its contemplation could bring a man to understand how the universe came into existence. By looking at the relationships between numbers, we can get a glimpse into the internal machinery of the world of matter, and even glimpse beyond matter, beyond forms. The odd numbers represent the male aspect, and 1 represents the Father. 2 the female aspect, duality. This is why the Father is seen to impregnate existence into the womb of the divine mother. The plane of matter is always seen to be feminine in the scriptures. Every number has a meaning. If you examine closely, you may be able to see which gods of the old pantheon's relate to the numbers 1-9. The gods are aspects of the universe, given personalities based on how the forces they represent act in nature. In other words, the relationships between numbers are there not by chance, but out of necessity. Numbers have relationships because this universe came into existence by natural principles and relationships- and numbers are bound by these natural principles because numbers exist within this universe. Numbers are the cogs and wheels that allow this divine machine to run. By relationships I mean for example why 9+9=18, and 1+8=9. 18+9 again is 27 and once again 2+7=9. Do you see this amazing property of the number 9? This is a repeating pattern. So then we must ask what it means for two numbers to be multiplied, and to be added, etc. This exists for a reason. And there is occult meaning in all of these relationships. A divine science indeed, that can shed light on nature's laws. The wise philosophers of the past did not investigate arithmetic for no small reason, nor was Pythagoras only a mathematician as we learn in our schools as children.

Hello fellow tao bums. I am a fairly new member here, and have enjoyed my stay thus far. What a great supportive community of people all seeking the unknown together. Over the past few months some members have shown interest in the school I come from, and have been curious about when classes would be offered. Just wanted to let everyone interested know that enrollment will open tonight for a spring probationer class. It is free and all who are interested are invited. Please first read the information on the school's website to make sure it sparks your enthusiasm. The Hierophants of the school have offered a lot of articles for the public. Feel free to email me for more information. https://thedivinescience.org/news Sincerely, Demophon

We have around 75 applications in already, more than we expected in this short period of time. We only have so many capable teachers that can teach the first class, so please get your applications in as soon as possible. We should only be able to teach about 120 students or so, but we will be having another class in a couple of months. Right now it looks like we have about 15 applications in from Tao Bums alone, so I am happy everyone seems to like the site and the information on it and are interested in the classes. Thank you for checking it out. Sincerely, Demophon

Ah, good to see you found this Scotty. I was going to send you a PM.

It is actually only the unreasonable thoughts that cause any trouble. It is the illogical thoughts, that we then go and follow, that cause us mental suffering. A good logical sound thinking process comes about only when the mind is organized and put in its place. Thinking is not the problem, it is wrong thinking that is the problem. Only attachments make thinking right difficult. It is attachment that make us confused when we try to think about what the right thing is to do. If you are non-attached, and then think about what you must do, there is no apprehension or analysis paralysis. Thinking can take place and not dirty the mind. You can even feel emotions and remain free from getting caught up in the emotion. So cultivate good reasoning and strong mind. But also learn how to keep the mind silent of all of the unconscious negative thinking that goes on constantly. Catch yourself when the mind is bickering, but when the mind is naturally calm, feel free to use the powers of the mind. Stay in the present moment. If your mind is still, you are in the present moment. And if your mind is bickering, you are not in the present moment. However, if you stay unattached to the bickering of the mind, or if you are consciously thinking reasonably to solve something, then it is possible to think in the present moment. As for faith. It is necessary to have faith initially, even in worldly feats. Sure it may be backed by reason, such as, I have seen many people parachute before, it probably will work- but still, there must be faith initially. And in order to meditate, you must first have faith in order to let all thought go and let your mind go silent- but then the faith is replaced by experience. Even in scientific studied there must first be faith in the hypothesis- they are not sure completely their experiment will work. But then this faith is returned with results. Spiritual practice should have results, and experiences. But if you don't have experiences, it does not mean meditation or praying for example doesn't work, it may just mean you cannot see the blockages preventing you from having the experience. So sometimes some students have longer waiting times for experience. But even more important is keeping faith, so that doubt does not ruin your meditation. Have faith so that you can allow your mind to calm. If you are constantly yearning for experience, then your mind will be rampant and disturbed- and the experience is the silence. Therefore, remove the blockages in the mind, and allow it to become silent, so that you may end up on the other side, where you already were. Another important point I should make. Some spiritual teachers today are telling you to have faith, because they say you are already God, and so there is nothing for you to do. You simply need to accept it and become what you already are. There is a reason why there are practices the students do in every spiritual tradition in the world (except the new age teachings). Sure, you are God, as is everyone. But the god-man such as Jesus knows he is God, and experiences his being in God, while new agers and neophytes do not. Therefore, act, practice, purify yourself, and become like the god-man who is God and knows it, instead of the neophyte student who is God but knows not. The important thing is that no one should ever tell you to only have faith. There should be assurance of results. Also, it is not necessary to always feel like you are blindly surrendering. At first it may feel like that, but this will be replaced with assurance. It is a confidence which replaces faith. A confidence in the presence you were seeking.

I explained it a bit in another post here, http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?/topic/22642-kundalini-progress/page__p__323205__fromsearch__1entry323205 Pratyahara is both a meditative state as well as a waking state. After the nerves in the body have been cleansed, the energy can start moving in the spine. This withdrawal of the energy from the external nerves (and senses) into the spine is what causes this state of withdrawal. After much meditative practice, you will start to see changes when moving about in the world. You will not react as much to things that once bothered you. You will gain control over your emotions and thoughts. This is all a part of pratyahara and the detachment which is comes about as a side affect of it. When you can withdraw your energy from the body, and emotions, and mind, you gain a great deal of potential within that will allow you to break through blockages in the spine and make progress. Eventually this force will become so great, and the magnetism upwards so strong that it will pull your consciousness out of your body into your true Self. Really, you could say that all of meditation is just varying degrees of pratyahara as you withdraw further and further into your true nature.

A lot to be said here. Magic first and foremost is a spiritual system of evolution. Yes, you learn how to accumulate and thus control the vital force, elements, and akasha- but not for the powers. The primary and most sublime use these practices are to grow, and evolve spiritually. We do not work with the element of fire in order to make a room slightly hot. If we want to do such, we can turn on a heater today with much less effort. Instead, when we learn how to make a room hot due to the accumulation of the fire element, it represents that we are now in control of that element. When we are in control of the elements, our astral bodies and thus emotions are no longer swayed to and fro. We become still. This also occurs on the mental level. As we gain more and more control over the different forces of the universe, we learn about the Good as Plato named it. We learn more about Nature, and the world, and we become ever more in control of this great illusion known as "Maya" in sanskrit. Sure, with this control comes power, but only sorcerers make the development of power their main aim. Not all sorcerers are evil, or black magicians, they may simply use magical practices to heal, or innocently improve their lives. Some sorcerers are good people, and help people with their abilities, but if their aim is not to come closer to God, and achieve greater degrees of enlightenment, then they are sorcerers and not wise men. The magi were first and foremost wise men. This all is confirmed by the sage Paracelsus, when he is quoted as saying: Even in the Goetia of King Solomon, it is said; It is the understanding of occult things, and the understanding of Nature's forces, but only to Divine ends. So let us come to embody this fact. Magic is an evolutionary science. Now, to speak of siddhis and powers. Certainly, a magician gains powers as a side affect. But not much importance is placed on them, unless there is specific need to use them for some greater good. The Akasha, or that very subtle spiritual energy which resides above the mental realm, and which is the substratum of all existence, is also known as the "protector of miracles". It is named such because only a magican, or sorcerer of a certain degree of purity can go so far with their power. This is not out of spite, it is natural. A black magician is simply too dense a being, too materialistic and heavy to experience the akasha. If they were to do so, then the akasha would sublimate their bodies and mind to such a degree that they would leave their selfish practices aside, realizing their real self as being beyond the physical body which they once wanted to surround with wealth, prestige, and other materialistic things. There also seems to be some confusion between magical powers and spiritual development. Having one does not necessitate having the other. An enlightened man is enlightened because they can experience their higher self. Nonetheless, their body is still human. The only difference is they can now experience the truth of the unity of consciousness, and are able to see this unified light within all. Still, the illusion of the world is powerful. When they are in the world, they take part in its rules. This answers your questions about Crowley, and other spiritual teachers such as Franz Bardon, and why they may have health problems or worldly problems if enlightened. Enlightenment does not make everything perfect- not in a worldly sense. In other words, someone looking at an enlightened man may judge him and say as you have, well his life is in pieces, he is suffering, his life is not the way it should be. However, the enlightened man is living in God now, his life has become perfect to him. There is nothing out of place. This is because he no longer sees himself as his body. He understands in his wisdom that his body lives according to the laws of nature, and does not interfere. They have attached their point of view to their higher self. Crowley was a very wise man. A wise man does not worry much about such things. He was too busy getting his work done- a work which was unnoticed amongst most. Franz Bardon had health problems because he entered the body of soul who had already been born into. This entrance into an already occupied body is called an Avesh, and to repay the soul Franz Bardon agreed to live out the karma of the boy. This is one reason why he had health problems and so many issues in his life. So magical power is separate from spiritual development. Most magical powers only are gained through practice. Even most saints who become enlightened and suddenly achieve some power, only have that power because they developed it in a past life. It is like riding a bicycle, you never forget how! Some power may be given by a higher source, but rest assured most powers were developed, even if it were lives back by the magician. So achieving enlightenment does not mean you gain complete control over the world. Enlightenment is only the beginning. It means you can experience Truth, and your part in Truth, but more practice is required to bring that Truth, and Light down into your lower bodies. The realization of yourself as the Truth and Light is enlightenment; the bringing down of that Light into your lower bodies is the work of the Magician, and this leads to Henosis, which is the deification of the lower bodies (Mental, Astral and eventually Physical). This is a higher achievement. There is a difference between being able to perceive truth, and see past the illusion of the world; and gaining control of the illusion. Firstly know God.

I always keep my mind open to possibilities, because perhaps it is entirely possible for your kundalini to raise to the head so quickly. Remember however that such an achievement of it raising to the crown marks the achievement of henosis. Henosis is the complete deification of the lower bodies. This is a higher achievement than samadhi which is experienced when it raises itself to the center inside the head. There are many stages of meditation. You are not in the body anymore when you achieve the higher states. Even by the time you raise to the heart, you have usually already achieved what is known as chorismos in the Greek mystery tradition. This happened naturally when so much energy has built up in your mental and astral body that you leave you physical body so that you can experience higher truths without them having to be filtered through the slower physical brain. Enlightenment is not just a common experience of living like many new age teachers claim today. They do not have proper perspective. They say that everyone is enlightened and that you only need to realize it. This is true, in that we are all already connected to our higher self, which is perfect consciousness. But it takes a lot of purification to be able to actually realize it. Many new age teachers, teaching on the internet and otherwise, are misleading people. They say they have achieved the highest states when most only have risen to the heart. This is a common pitfall. It is a great achievement, but it is not enlightenment. The light of the heart is so great and the state experienced therein so lofty and different from the way the aspirant was normally living that they think that there could not possibly be a greater light. So there are signposts you can expect on your spiritual journey. I will mention only the first few achievements to give perspective of the experiences had even in the beginning. Purification of the nerves. This is the first task of the probationer. This usually requires a great lifestyle change in order to keep anymore residue from accumulating in the psychic nerves, nadis. He must watch his emotions and thoughts, and start consistently meditating. Breathing exercises such as sukha purvaka, or alternate nostril breathing and chikung will help tremendously in purifying the body. This process is a very long one for many students. In my experience, it usually takes about a year or two to achieve actual purification of the nerves. And in our school there is constant transfer of energy to the students as well as energy transmissions given by my master, which greatly speeds up the process. I am not sure how long it would take someone without this help. Since you were with a master like you said, you probably achieved it pretty quickly. Once progress is being made, first heat will be felt all over the body at times. It will feel like it is burning up. Sometimes it will feels like insects are crawling on the skin. Once most of the nerves have been cleansed, usually taking a few months at least, then the heat will centralize to specific nerves surrounding the spine, namely the Ida and Pingala residing on the sides of the main spinal channel. These two nerve channels need to be cleansed before it is even possible for the prana to flow through the central channel. In most people the central channel is atrophied and has almost no energy flow. Their energy flows through these two channels on either side of the main spinal channel. Heat will be felt on the sides of the spine for some time, from the tail bone up to the neck and head. Even during this time heat and cold is felt by some in the head, and light is seen in those who have some clairvoyance. This light is the increased prana flow going into the head. This become much more intense once it starts flowing in the central channel. Finally once the Ida and Pingala have been cleansed, and the nerves in the body are open, only now is there enough energy available for it to finally pierce the knot or blockage in the first energy center residing at the base of the body. The experiences leading up to this breaking open of this first center and the awakening of the kundalini vary tremendously. Some shake violently, sweat, hop, and even partially lift off the ground slowly as if being lifted. I have seen this many times. Then again, some students barely shake at all. Once this first center is open, the prana can be felt flowing in the spine in different areas again depending on the student, but is can be felt all the way at the top of the head. Many students I have been around usually have a very intense experience when this first center is opened. A lot of energy is released, so it can feel like the whole body is filled with energy and light, heat, cold, and static electricity. Many students get quite the ego at this stage in development. They think they are gods. . However, the experience usually dies down in a couple of days and then they are left in deep depression, thinking they have lost something. No. The lack of sensation just means the blockage has been worked through and the path has been opened for further development. This wave of sensation and lack thereof is a common theme throughout development. Withdrawal of the Senses. This is also known as pratyahara. This comes in stages. Once the channel in the spine is open from nerve purification and the awakening of the sophic fire, kundalini, it is possible for the prana to withdraw from the periphery of the body including the senses, and actually accumulate in the spine. I will not go too deeply into this. This is an important achievement however, because it marks varying degrees of detachment, which allows the aspirant to go into deeper states of meditation. At the height of the achievement, nothing can sway you, and no external stimuli will disturb you. It is also very important because you need this energy -which is usually constantly being burned up by the senses and body- to use for meditation. There is a vast storehouse of energy in the body that needs to be taken advantage of. When this energy is fully utilized, the next stage is entered into. Separation from the Body. This state is naturally entered into. It happened when the astral and mental bodies becomes so lofty and light from meditation, that it is magnetically drawn to the higher source. The physical brain is no longer of use. You achieve a sort of partial astral projection, where you can expand and experience higher truths without the hindrance of the body. My master always emphasizes the importance of perspective, and so I have come to value its worth as well. There are many stages in between these, and many after. If you want more information you can send me a message.

Good experiences Anamatva. The only constant experience you can depend on is the experience of change. This is especially true when the kundalini is first beginning to make itself known to you and you finally start entering into pratyahara from the withdrawal of the energy into the spine. You will only feel the kundalini when it moves into and out of a chakra. This is not something you will hear anywhere else, but it is the truth. In fact, the feeling of heat and cold is not the kundalini itself. You are feeling the prana. When the prana is hot, it is burning away impurities ,and when it is cold, it has evolutionary affects. Your experience is no small thing, but it does not mean you are enlightened as soon as you feel it moving through the spine. You are feeling it in the spine now because the spine has been opened, but there are many layers for you to work through. When the kundalini rises to a new energy center, it enters into a deeper layer of the spine. Each of these channels lie on top of each other, but are on subtler layers, and so overlap. So even when the actually kundalini is stationed at the lowest chakra, the muladhara, you will likely still feel the prana moving through the entire spine. This is what confuses many students. They will feel sensations in the head, and will wonder why enlightenment is so normal. It is because they are not enlightened. They have been misinformed. It is a big leap for it to move to the navel, and this marks a big achievement in the aspirant. It usually takes a couple of years for it to actually rise there. Then the biggest jump of all is the movement of it to the heart. The largest physical space lies between the navel and heart spiritual centers, and this symbolically represents the huge change which occurs between these centers when you achieve the stationing of the kundalini in the heart. In the old mystery schools of Greece and Egypt, this marked the achievement of illumination. Not enlightenment, but many practitioners confuse these two states because of the huge difference it makes for it to rise to the heart. Truth be told though, it takes a lot more practice to finally raise it to the throat then the head which marks the enlightened state. Nonetheless, you will be able to have glimpses of enlightenment even when at the heart. The centers at the navel, heart, and in the head, are the most important. They are known as the three eyes, and you can find these three eyes in many mythologies if you look close enough. They are known as the eyes because when you are at the navel, you are able to perceive the distant light of the heart, and when you are at the heart, you can perceive the distant light at the head. This is why you can see light, but it is not yet bright and seems far. So you only feel the kundalini when it moves into or out of a center. Many practitioners think they feel it in the lowest center, then the next center, then the next and the next until only 6 days go by and they believe themselves enlightened. No. You will feel the kundalini rise to each chakra very slowly and methodically, often with years between. The actually kundalini feels like a snake twisting and squeezing the chakra it is establishing itself in. You will feel it for only a few days while it establishes itself. Then you will feel hot and cold for some time until it can move further. I am happy for your progress, you are doing great. Keep it up. You have a wonderful life of attainment ahead of you if you stay consistent with your practices and stay true to your path.

No problem.

Back to the original question on the nature of enlightenment and immortality, and whether they are different or the same- we need to understand firstly what enlightenment really is. The terms I use are Greek. Enlightenment, in its proper usage, refers to the state achieved when the epinoia, or psycho-sexual energy residing at the base of the spine, rises to the spiritual center (spheroi) residing in the head. This state was named hypostasis when experienced in sitting meditation, and Gnosis when it became a waking state and could be experienced at all times by the magician. They both refer to a connection which is established between the mind and consciousness. This means the magician, mystic, yogi, saint, is now in a constant rapport with God- or the "Good" as Plato named Him, and is the origin of "God". So the normal usage of enlightenment refers to this connection, or union which is achieved. Yoga means union. Nothing is gained in this state so much as it is discovered to be true, since all of our consciousness is already perfect and in union with the Good. The mind only needs to be purified so that the ignorance does not cover this knowledge. Hence "Gnosis". Now, there are many levels of this union however. On the first level, only the consciousness is discovered to be unified with the Good and liberated, free. This is what most people refer to when talking about enlightenment. This does not make the physical body immortal, nor the astral body, nor the mental body. There is a higher achievement which requires different practices, and many more lives of practice, and trial and error, which is the achievement of the body of light. This is the full union of man with God. He is unified not only in consciousness, but mentally, astrally and sometimes physically as well. Meaning the mental body of this universe is the magician's mental body, and the astral body or archeus of the universe is the astral body of the magician, and the physical body is unified with the Light of the physical world. This is full liberation, and this is the achievement of the greatest sages, saints and gods, and heroes in our mythologies and history books. Lastly, extreme longevity can also be achieved through different herbal remedies and practices which aim at rejuvenating the body faster than it decays. The Taoists are famous for this and it is not hard to come across a story of a Taoist master who has achieved such and is known to have lived for generations. This should have answered your question to some extent.

Firstly, this is normal. This is why it is necessary to start with body control when you are first starting meditation. Body control is a practice where you simply sit, and watch your body, keeping it completely still. Start with only a minute if you can only do as much, and work up to at least a half hour. Your body will revolt. It will start to itch, twitch, burn, become uncomfortable, etc. Do not move even a little bit, do not scratch any itches, do not move until you have completed the meditation. If you practice this every day, you will find soon enough that one day, all these discomforts simply vanished, and your body is no longer a hindrance. You can also practice thought observation, or the kind of meditation you are most comfortable with while practicing body observation. It will only help it. During body observation, remember to keep your attention on your body, and that is it. Let the sensations come and go. Stay aware of what your mind is doing too. This practice is necessary, and invaluable to your progress. The body is the first to be conquered, so that you can give all of your energy and attention to subtler things- your mind. Once you get past your body, a peace and general feeling of lightness and bliss comes which will further fuel your meditations and give more motivation. This is the start of pratyahara, or the withdrawal of the senses. This is known as epistrophe in the Grecian mysteries. When you get past your body, and start to withdrawal, you may feel your body get very large, very small, feel your spinning, or floating, or very light, very heavy etc. This is your identity getting detached from your physical body, and attached to your astral body. These sensations are good sign posts. So start with body observation. And do thought observation as a separate practice after thought observation. You will make good progress if you do this consistently.

I've already read some very good advice. I'll add a few things. Firstly, as fulllotus said, it can cause others to react strangely- sometimes negatively. This is because they feel threatened. Some even feel that you may think you are better than them because you are putting more effort towards bettering yourself and seeking God. Everyone's soul knows that spiritual attainment is all that is important. And so if a person is going against their soul's natural urge, then they will become defensive so as to further shut out that little voice which tells them you're right. About psychosis being caused by meditation now as some have mentioned- remember that correlation does not imply causation. In other words, it may be that most people today meditate because they already have mental imbalances they are trying to deal with naturally. Without proper guidance in meditation they could easily become more imbalanced, especially if they go to the extreme and meditate too much, fatiguing their minds and causing more stress and imbalance. This can very well happen. A teacher is important for this reason. Another reason a teacher is necessary, is because there are indeed energetic releases which occur from the removal of blockages in the energy channels within the body. In the Greek mystery schools, this nasty substance which clogs the energy channels and ultimately leads to disease and sickness is called Pelon. It builds up due to an excess of negative and imbalanced thought. Thinking wrongly (ie worrying, anger, depression etc) all causes a build up of this substance in the nerve channels. I will not go into the details here, but feel free to ask questions if you are curious. During states of deeper meditation, thinking is halted, the mind and body is allowed to relax, and new fresh energy flushes the body. This energy slowly breaks away these blockages. Since this Pelon was created from wrong thought and imbalance, it is a store house for these emotions and thoughts. This is why during particularly deep meditation you may remember something from your childhood that you haven't thought about for years, or feel an emotion which you thought had come and gone. Now, if a person who was very troubled mentally and emotionally for their entire lives decides to start meditating, this opens a floodgate of negativity which can cause a lot of problems and even cause them to go crazy if not guided by a master who can limit the amount of energy which is coursing through their bodies if necessary and take on some of the negativity himself to burn it within his own body. A master can do this because the biggest problem or worry you are experiencing is like a small fruit fly landing on the master's hand. This was somewhat of a tangent, but back to your trouble- take what others say lightly but treat them with respect. Parents can be unusually difficult obstacles to the meditator, because something in them knows that the child they raised is being killed off to be replaced with a better new you. Parents will always like the old you more. It usually cannot be helped. It is why Jesus said a saint is never acknowledged as such in his own town. You may be able to get rid of old thought patterns and transform your mind, but you can't change other people's memories of you. They will remember all of the flaws and vices you had, and it will take a while for them to see that you are not the same person anymore.

I am a student of the school of the Divine Science, and so can vouch for its authenticity. I have included a link at the bottom of this message. As fulllotis said, many schools today have become to caught up in the movement and ritual of it and have lost the meaning and importance of the spiritual progress. Magic as taught by the Grecian and Egyptian mystery schools focused on the students, and made sure they progressed so as to become like the Hierophant. This is a different mindset compared to most spiritual schools today where the students look at the Guru or master with googly eyes, not taking in anything that he or she is saying. This is true for many practitioners today, but only because they are purely mystics whom have not learned to live in the world and how to handle the energy. The basic problem is that they have achieved a state of consciousness that cannot be translated down into the lower bodies. This problem is alleviated to a great degree once the kundalini (epinoia) rises past the energy center at the navel. This is a high achievement and marks the achievement of a true detachment in the world. I say true here in italics, because neophytes will often mimic the masters in the beginning of their training trying to act like they love nothing in this world and desire to escape from it all. This is not true dispassion. A master can live anywhere, and have no problem with it. It is all the same. Because he is a detached inside, and so does not need to escape outside. Most students today will benefit more if they practice at least a few hours of sitting meditation, and then practice proper living throughout the day. This will lead to fast progress. It is easy to think you are immaculate if you are out of modern society, but will quickly find out your true nature once you return to it. This is why Yogananda told his students that progress is not possible if you take one step forward in meditation, but one step backward during the day. The solution is not to meditate all day. It is better to meditate with a calm and energetic mind. If a neophyte meditated all day, he would just go into a stupor and take many more steps backwards. I will always remember the advice of my master: do not be a man of the world who practices magic, be a magician who lives in the world. This makes all the difference. Be a magician or mystic or yogi or buddhist or whatever firstly, and everything else is secondary. Still, this means treating every situation you come by with respect and mindfulness, not cold hearted "detachment". Therefore, do not try to escape the world. Instead use it as a means of progress and education. What better tool is there. We are constantly confronted with challenges every day of our life. Challenges which will allow us to build virtue and overcome vice. Plato said that vice is simply imbalance, and that virtue is that which is left once all vices have gone. True spiritual practice is bringing about balance in not only the consciousness, but in the emotional and mental bodies as well. The science of magic leads to quick advancement because it not now facilitates the turning of the mind upwards towards the Good, but also teaches the student of the science how to bring divine energies downwards into the lower bodies. In the discussion between Porphyry and Iamblichus on whether the purely mystical approach is better or the Theurgic (magical) approach is better, Iamblichus asked the question: How can you fight the mind with mind? This is not to discredit those who do no energy work- it all leads to God, and there are different paths because there are very different people. However, this is why the Magician achieves the state of Gnosis usually simultaneously with the meditative state of Hypostasis. In Yogic terminology this is the state of Sahaja samadhi and savikalpa samadhi respectively. The first is the waking state of union with Divine, and the second is the meditative state. In other words, most mystics achieve the state of union when sitting in meditation but return to a lower state of consciousness when in the world. It is seen as a high state to achieve the waking state and always be in Union throughout daily activity. The magician, or Theurgist achieves it early on by virtue of the deep cleansing which is generated from many Invocations and energy accumulations, so that the energies of the higher bodies flow seamlessly through to the mind and emotional body thus making him or her not only divine in consciousness, but in mind and body as well. The school I am a student of does not recommend full time practice, nor can accommodate you to do so, but does facilitate quick progress and guidance along the way. http://thedivinescience.org/

The advice given by everyone was great. To add on, remember that a true master- though hard to come by- gives more than knowledge. As you said, a teacher is just as a good as a book or studying on your own to an extent if they cannot given experiences. There is of course the benefit of learning from someone who can show you the way though and keep you from making the mistake they did. But a master can actually give you experiences. He or she can pour energy into your body, causing the opening of certain energy channels, and he can share with you what was called the Opening of the Eye and the Opening of the Mouth in the old Egyptian mystery school. This refers respectively to the sharing of the Divine consciousness, and Divine energy of the hierophant or master. Hierophant means "to manifest the holy", meaning to give experience. So even a teacher is useful, but a master is necessary to eventually evolve.

As my teacher has explained it, the Golden Body of light is one of the many names for the states achieved by a Master who is established in perfect union with God, or the Good. It is also called the rainbow body of light, the diamond body, the Dragon Body and the body of Logos amongst others. This achievement marks the unity of all of the bodies of the magician with God. Most mystics are unified with God in consciousness (Gnosis), but they do not completely embody the light of the Good in all of their bodies (Henosis). The magician is one who's actual lower bodies are one with the physical, astral and mental body of the Good. Meaning, the magician's mental body is as large as the universe, as well as his astral body, and his physical body is comprised of so much light that it is merely an illusion and is not physical matter at all anymore. This is the achievement of the Golden Body of Light- the transmutation of the physical body into light.

This is in fact a very old tradition, and is not new. Yes it is very true that many "acclaimed" fraudulent teachers today charge way too much, and so you need to watch out, but true teachers will charge a fee as well. A teacher charges the student for a few reasons. The first is that there is a karmic exchange between the student and teacher, if we are talking about giving spiritual practices and experiences. A true master has the ability to burn off the student's karma through his or her own meditation. The teacher will often balance this dept by having the student make a sacrifice which burns a bit. Today money usually suffices, since it not only is a good sacrifice and so lessens the karmic load of the student the teacher has to handle but it also pays for the school. Everything costs money today, and even a true teacher living in today's world has expenses. Another reason is that if there were no fee then everyone under the sun would want to learn from the teacher, regardless of their intentions, like Warrior just mentioned. When there is a small sacrifice to give, then most insincere seekers will lose interest at the first sight of it, which means the teacher can focus more on the students who really care. Now, this refers to acclaimed teachers who are taking on students for spiritual purposes. While taichi and chikung have spiritual benefits, most teachers of it are not in charge of their students' spiritual evolution. So this doesn't really apply to those teachers. If you are asking about these teachers, then it just depends on whether it is being taught as a job or for philanthropic purposes. It all has to do with motives. From the student's perspective, he or she should be very suspicious at first, and ask themselves whether the teacher is genuine. A true spiritual teacher can give experiences, and he will produce positive changes in the students.

If it happens only when you are meditating, then it is indeed a blockage getting cleared out. Everyone has them. If it is in the throat then, like you said, you have some repressed emotions there from not expressing yourself. You are only feeling it in the throat because that is where the largest blockage is right now, and once that is cleared enough for it to flow through the spine some then you may feel it in other areas afterwards. There are also a lot of glands in the throat which store toxins, and it could be the toxins being released from the throat. You may notice your breath smells bad after meditating. Don't focus on it, just keep doing your meditation. You start feeling it being dissolved when you are doing your normal meditation, which means your meditation is working, so don't change your routine as soon as the sensation arises.

Most everyone is imbalanced in some way or another. Your vice just happens to be lack of endurance, and inability to stick to something you have started, as well as productivity. You aren't the only one, in fact, if this is your worst vice then you are well on your way. The four elements make up the universe, and they affect our bodies- mental, emotional and physical. The fire element is the energy which on the highest level is the Will of the Divine. On the mental level, it is the cause of the positive attribute of motivation and passion. When this energy is impaired you do not feel this, and will feel depressed or simply lacking in steam in other words. This is because the fire element in the body is the combustion, and you can view the water element as the fuel. The earth element is what keeps the mind and emotions stable, and allows you to keep your character stable instead of fleeting to and fro to different things. ADD is just an earth imbalance in the mental body. When the earth element is balanced, then its fruit is endurance, consistency, reliability, etc. No need to take it personal. All vices, character flaws, woes and strife is caused by an imbalance in these energies. To balance them out, try sitting down and writing down these vices and virtues that you have, and just try to be aware of them in life and willfully change the way you act. It will be hard at first, but stay consistent and you will succeed. this exercise is helped tremendously along with the practice of thought observation. Sit down, whenever you can, and watch your thoughts. Stay detached. Learn about your mind, and the illusory nature of your thoughts. Stay in the present moment. Become an observer. This does not mean become a robot- it means becoming more in control and not letting yourself be caught up in the mind and emotions. Do not underestimate these practices. If you do this then you can conquer these negative traits that you aren't fond of. You are already doing good- you are aware of them, and know they shouldn't be there. This awareness and feeling of knowing you are better than these negative traits is because of good karma and past life practice. You just need to burn off the impurities you have accumulated in this life and balance yourself out.

Most everyone is imbalanced in some way or another. Your vice just happens to be lack of endurance, and inability to stick to something you have started, as well as productivity. You aren't the only one, in fact, if this is your worst vice then you are well on your way. The four elements make up the universe, and they affect our bodies- mental, emotional and physical. The fire element is the energy which on the highest level is the Will of the Divine. On the mental level, it is the cause of the positive attribute of motivation and passion. When this energy is impaired you do not feel this, and will feel depressed or simply lacking in steam in other words. This is because the fire element in the body is the combustion, and you can view the water element at the fuel. The earth element is what keeps the mind and emotions stable, and allows you to keep your character stable instead of fleeting to and fro to different things. ADD is just an earth imbalance in the mental body. When the earth element is balanced, then its fruit is endurance, consistency, reliability, etc. No need to take it personal. All vices, character flaws, woes and strife is caused by an imbalance in these energies. To balance them out, try sitting down and writing down these vices and virtues that you have, and just try to be aware of them in life and willfully change the way you act. It will be hard at first, but stay consistent and you will succeed. this exercise is helped tremendously along with the practice of thought observation. Sit down, whenever you can, and watch your thoughts. Stay detached. Learn about your mind, and the illusory nature of your thoughts. Stay in the present moment. Become an observer. This does not mean become a robot- it means becoming more in control and not letting yourself be caught up in the mind and emotions. Do not underestimate these practices. If you do this then you can conquer these negative traits that you aren't fond of. You are already doing good- you are aware of them, and know they shouldn't be there. This awareness and feeling of knowing you are better than these negative traits is because of good karma and past life practice. You just need to burn off the impurities you have accumulated in this life and balance yourself out.

All sorts of sensations can occur when meditating, or engaging in any practice which sufficiently stills the mind and breath. This is in most cases not a trick of the mind, and after some practice can easily be separated from sensations caused by other factors. All systems of training will bring one through the same process of purification, and thus there will be similar symptoms which occur because of the increase of energy. In the Grecian mystery schools this was known as katharsis, and mainly referred to the purification of the 72,000 nerve channels in the body, but also referred to the much longer process of purifying the spine, one samat or energy chamber at a time until Gnosis is achieved. It can also refer to the even longer goal of purifying the bodies to such an extent that they become perfect and divine, vessels of light which allow the higher energies to flow without falter even during activity in daily life. This is the creation of the rainbow body of light, the dragon body, the body of diamond, or the body of logos as it is named in various traditions. That is a much later achievement however Right now you are feeling the effects of the energy cleansing the 72,000 nerves in the body. The first step is to cleanse all the periphery nerves in the body, skin, organs etc. This happens naturally with meditation, it is not something you need to do consciously. However some systems of practice involve the manipulation of energy which can speed the process along. This is most commonly felt as a heat which fills the whole body causing it to sweat. Then, some students experience trembling and shaking if the process is quick enough. Finally, right before the achievement of vital purification, or Nadi Sodhana as it is called in Yoga, the student may hop or even levitate quickly. I have seen both in students under the guidance of my teacher. There will almost always be some form of shaking and trembling, and at the least an intense heat and sweating, but it will not always be intense enough to actually cause the student to jump. It depends on the amount of energy being released in the student, past life askesis or spiritual practice, and whether there is a teacher which is speeding up the process. The importance of this purification however is that once all the nerves in the body are cleansed, then the energy at the base of the spine wakes from its slumber, and the first channel in the spine opens slightly to allow some pneuma or vital force to move through. This is the start of spiritual practice. After this it is a long process of gradually allowing the energy to cleanse the spine deeper and deeper until the epinoia, sophic fire, or kundalini as it is variously called has a channel it can use to flow uninhibited through the whole spinal channel to the brow point, which is when enlightenment occurs. Many naive practioners mistake the vital energy for the actual kundalini however. If you feel heat or cold sensations rising to your head, this is not the kundalini. It is the nerve force working on only one level of the spine. The kundalini is only felt for a short amount of time when it is moving into or out of an energy center. This is felt as a squeezing and pulling sensations from the nerves around the spine contracting from the electrical current. This is one reason why the kundalini is often symbolized as a snake, as it truly feels like a snake squeezing the spine. Even if only the very bottom energy center in the spine is awakened, you may still feel energy moving in the whole spine. This is because each energy center opens up a different layer of the spine, not just the energy channel up to that point in the spine where the energy center lies. So the primary teaching is to stay humble. This is why a teacher is important, he knows where you actually are on your journey and so there is no room for ego. If you are feeling heat in your body, and you find yourself sweating even if it is cold, then know you are making good progress for now and are cleansing the body of toxins.

From the looks of it, there seems to be a lot of loving, peaceful, and intelligent seekers of truth here. It is nice to meet you all. As for me, just another bum.