Lao Tzu equates the life principle with a life source, the supreme impersonal soul. Evelyn Underhill describes the Unitive Life as that "other life in which he attains to complete communion with the Absolute Order." She defines this reality as "at once static and dynamic, transcendent and immanent, eternal and temporal." Psychologically, Abraham Maslow considers living a "higher life" to involve fulfilling "Being-Needs" and being motivated by "Being-Values." C.G. Jung considers life to be a "purposive arrangement of matter and makes a living being possible." Life needs spirit, an "independent overruling complex."Scientifically, David Bohm defined Life to be an energetic reality which unfolds from life-implicit or the holomovement. Life is seen to be "enfolded universally, deep within the generative order." From a different perspective, The Tibetan identifies Life metaphysically as "the cause of all diverse forms; life in manifestation produces Being."Take a Journey through our
Spirit/Matter Universe
Entering the Kingdom of God
by Jef Bartow
As we progress beyond the Realm of Souls toward what has been defined as the Ultimate, descriptions take on a much more theological and metaphysical tone, rather than experiential. From reading bout Robert Waggoner's Stage V Lucid dreaming, it is easy to feel that there are multiple levels of "awareness." I certainly don't conclude that his descriptions define the Ultimate.The simplest and most used term for the third-highest subjective Realm within our systemic universe is that of Being. The Kabbalah uses such terms as "Inner Sanctum" and "World of Emanation." Western theology identifies a "World of Being" which corresponds to the Gnostics’ "second Eternal Realm." In this second Eternal Realm the Self-ordinate Beings live. Eastern mysticism equates this level of life and existence as both the "Divine Realm" and the "Mahabrahman Heaven," which is the home of the Gnostic Being and/or Vijnana Purusha.Life
As we've done before, let's start with the Energy or Processes which inhabit this outer subjective third Realm of Being. I conclude that the Processes in this Realm are Life. This is the source of all life for our universe. From Webster's Dictionary, life is defined as the "processes of an organism characterized by ingesting nutrients, storage and use of energy, excretion of waste, growth and reproduction." Life is also equated with "something essential to the continued existence; source of vigor or liveliness;" and "existence of the soul." Altogether, these different descriptions go right to a succinct spiritual definition of Life.Our articles are available for reproduction for all members. Please give credit to the author.
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From these various perspectives, Life in the Realm of Being is the processes of our solar organism (Solar Logos) that characterize the ingestion, storage and use of energies (nutrients) throughout its physical body (our Planes and Realms). Further, this Life characteristically transmutes the unneeded residue of manifested existence, and stimulates the growth and reproduction of all the various lives within the boundaries of its influence. This process of Life is everlasting and immortal, dynamic and transcendent. It is the cause of all diverse forms and levels of existence. This Life precedes form and produces Being, which is the impersonal and life source of our existence.Centres
The third aspect in each subjective Realm is that of the Form expression or Systems which channel or distribute the Energy or Processes from this level into lower levels of manifestation. These centres or chakras have been almost exclusively defined in terms of Man. At this level, the Centres are the Systems by which our cosmic Being, the Solar Logos, expresses his Life. In keeping with "As Above, So Below," the macrocosm is an organism similarly organized and structured as is the microcosm, Man.Metaphysically, the centres channel the life aspect, not consciousness. They demonstrate the "form building aspect" bringing outer forms into manifestation by expressing force and life. The functions of the centres are to "vitalize the bodies, transmit spiritual energy and bring development of self-consciousness in Man." Within our physical Body we have various systems that coordinate, stimulate and regulate our physical life. In this physical expression, the centres etherically represent both the nervous and circulatory systems. As the nervous system, a transmit energy and force to assure the maintenance and development of consciousness. As the circulatory system, they channel the movement of energies within our continuum of Spirit/Matter and facilitate the manifestation of life at all levels within our bodies. The systemic etheric Systems from the Realm of Being provide the same function within our overall solar universe.Beingness
The result of the Processes of Life working through the Systems of the Centres produces the Consciousness or Existence of Beingness. Most of our fields of study are pretty consistent in using the word being. Sri Aurobindo equates Being with Brahma-consciousness: "self-knowing, spiritual being, living and acting power of the infinite and universal Spirit." Lao Tzu identifies Integral Beings, which evolve from the human sphere and live forever in the Realm of Integral Life. This absolute state of Being is attained by embracing absolute Oneness, selfless life.Western mysticism likewise defines a "Pure Being," which is related to the Absolute One. Evelyn Underhill quotes F. von Hugel in describing this Absolute One as a "Living One who lives first and lives perfectly, and Who, touching me, the inferior, derivative life, can cause me to live by Him and for His sake." Metaphysically, being is the "immovable immutable life; the whole, the One." Whole is the nature of pure Being.Being is the subjective consciousness of our systemic Logos until we individuate it as our own Beingness. Our individual Being becomes our subjective conscious counterpart to our objective spiritual Self developed in the objective Planes of our existence. At this level of spiritual initiation, we become both an outer spiritual Self and an inner spiritual Being. Our inner Beingness is also our highest divine Soul. Therefore, we live consciously throughout the entire duality of manifestation. Our Monad, which exists in the synthetic abstractions of Spirit, seeks to fully manifest both objectively and subjectively within the densest expression of cosmic existence (i.e. our Planes and Realms). This involves repeatedly building material personalities which reflect intermediate soul characteristics from the oneness of Being. The first level goal is to create an individual outer egoic consciousness and inner soul consciousness. Once this has been fully accomplished, the next part of the Plan is to fully develop an individualized objective spiritual Self consciousness and a subjective spiritual Beingness. Once this has been achieved, the Monad is fully free to express its unique cosmic character throughout the educational playground of our systemic universe. At this point, it is then ready to move to its next environment of spiritual service, usually beyond our cosmic physical universe. Just as we must return to our home and spiritual source, our Monad or God Within, our God Within is also destined to return to its home within the greater cosmic Universe.
