Awakening into the Light
Ever since the beginning, the first time a human being truly noticed light of any kind, it was the light from the Sun. This fact may seem obvious to many, yet it is significant. It is important to note that the source of this predominant light is indeed from the Sun, for Sun-worship is perhaps the most ancient of religions.
There is an ancient Hermetic principle which states that the outer reflects the inner. You may remember two ancient axioms: "As above, so below," and adjacent to this, "As within, so without."
How does the Sun of our outer physical world reflect something within us? We shall attempt to explain this.
Since prehistoric times, people across the world would awaken to the dawn of a new day, for they would arise to the rising sun. And quite often, there were those who would quietly watch the brilliant orb peak up over the distant horizon in all its glory, and gradually ascend into the great vault of the surrounding sky. This was indeed a soul-gratifying experience. And why was this so? Because the human being is innately attracted to Light.
The world is split up between the darkness of night and the light of day; however, it is the daytime in which most people are normally active and awake. Human beings are naturally aligned to this course, whereas it is generally accepted that they retain the night for sleep.
Why are humans attracted to the light? That which is already within you, is what you are drawn to. If you see its likeness without, as in the Sun, then you are likewise drawn to this. Wherever a source of light exists, you gravitate to this, for you may some day realize the true source of Light that is within you.
You are drawn to the Light, because, in essence, this is what you consist of. You may not notice this on the physical level, but this fact is more evident in the higher vibrations of your make-up, on the soul level. Hence, the aim is for the Light to permeate your physical body and entire being as well. In essence, you are meant to realize the source of this Light within.
In this physical world sunlight is the most prominent form of visible light. Indeed, there are other forms, such as starlight, moonlight, firelight, electric light, etc. However, the greatest light, the most dominant light in this world, and in this solar system, since the dawn of time, has been the light from the Sun. This brilliant orb is indeed the immediate center of our solar universe, the Sol System.
Nevertheless, the physical sun we see in the sky is limited by time and space. Yet, the spiritual Sun, invisible to most, extends far beyond such boundaries, dissolving the illusions of distance and separation. For this divine solar source we speak of is everywhere and is within everything. It exists at the core of all life, but more specifically, it resides within every soul. You may refer to it as the SOULar Force of God"s Light within you, within your soul.
The outer sun reflects the inner Sun. Certain esoteric schools refer to this great source as the Sun/Son, which is the great Christos, for it demonstrates living symbolism as well as dynamic living reality. Herein is the mystery of your own being. "Man, know thyself," is another great axiom from the ancient past. If you truly know yourself, you will know God.
Duality: The Human Perception
The Human Species has perceived a struggle between forces of light and darkness, or good and evil, for many thousands of years. Darkness has been equated with evil forces, and for countless generations of humanity, this has created such outrageous superstitions and other fantasies of the imagination that people have created. However, we cannot deny that people have committed acts of evil in the physical world, which goes beyond the level of mere fantasies about darkness.
Darkness also represents the unknown, where Truth is veiled. A person may walk around in a cloud of darkness, so to speak, for he does not see the truth, and this may persist as long as this one denies himself and continues walking down a negative path. It would be a judgment to accuse this person as being "evil," because you don"t want to deny the goodness deep inside that he has yet to find, but you can say this is the means of experience this one has chosen for now. Evil is the abuse of goodness. It is misusing God"s Life energy.
There is only one Power in the Universe, which is either used correctly, or abused. It is a mistake to believe there are two powers, such as good and evil. The real difference between the two is flow of energy. Therefore, you can say that there are two directions that this power can flow; one is in accord with God, the other is out of accord. The ability to choose either one is the operation of free will. Quite often you choose to find your own way through life, or you can choose to proceed toward God"s Way, that of Righteousness. Either way, it is possible for you to find your way back to God. As in the case of the Prodigal Son, he chose the wrong road at first, that of greed and selfishness, for he abused the power given to him. Nevertheless, in the end, he returned to his awaiting Father.
How long it may take some souls to turn around and begin their journey of return to the Source, is always up to the individual and his use of free will. Nevertheless, you grow from all of your experiences, good, bad, or indifferent, from which you can reflect upon and learn. It is learning from these experiences that is the key to the beginning of spiritual unfoldment and initial realization.
Whether you are discussing good and evil, or light and darkness, or even energy and matter, or spiritual and physical, these are key examples of duality, which is how your limited mind perceives things and attempts to understand how things work in this physical world. There is one long spectrum, and it operates in polarities of various opposites; hence, you perceive things through this dualistic thinking. However, quite often this can lead to misconceptions and confusion. What you perceive as the whole spectrum, beyond its polarities, is in reality Unity.
The reality of Unity is not as easy to grasp for many people, but normally you begin with a concept of Unity, usually through the use of analogies that aid the understanding. By this, we can demonstrate a contrast of diversity and unity (And yet is this not another concept of duality?). One of the simplest illustrations is the spectrum of seven colors, which is caused from the refracted white light through a prism. Let us say that the white light is God, the prism is the human mind, and the many colors are individual"s variety of perceptions and experiences in life. The purpose of each being is too eventually abandoned separation, and to return to its unifying source, the One Light. Keep in mind that you don"t want to get trapped in such analogies. They are only devices of aiding your understanding, and not the truth. They are only ideas about the truth. They can open doors for you, but don't stand in the threshold too long.
One of your aims should be learning to not get caught up in the diversity of this outer world, but rather to see beyond human dualities, to simplify your life, and to aim toward Oneness. This is what the Mystical Path is all about; learning to surrender and enter Divine Union.
This article is an excerpt from The Path of the Holy Light Copyright 2003 by Mathew Martin All Rights
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