Not in the sense of impoverishment, but as a deep reflection on the essentials that underlie all diversity, a spiritual transformation that leads to the essence of being human.

In a time when life is becoming increasingly complex, many people feel the need for inner clarity. This clarity can be found through the simplicity of the heart.

The illusion of diversity

The modern world thrives on diversity: cultural, religious and ideological differences shape our society. These differences are often presented as a strength and are a source of creativity, innovation and dynamic progress. On the other hand, however, no matter how valuable diversity may be, it also leads to conflicts, misunderstandings and divisions. Diversity is often also a stage for ego competition, where everyone fights to propagate and assert their own perspective.

In this diversity, it is easy to lose ourselves. The countless voices, opinions and views that surround us daily can become a noisy tumult that confuses the mind and weighs on the heart. Many people feel lost in this world of infinite possibilities and seek a deeper meaning, something that brings all these different parts together.

Jan van Rijckenborgh, one of the spiritual leaders of the International School of the Golden Rosycross, describes in his books how we can see through and overcome the dualistic nature of this world. To find clarity, to find a state of inner unity, we have to break through the illusion of opposites and discover the divine spark in ourselves and in all life.

A path to simplicity

This is where the concept of simplicity of the heart comes into play – not in the sense of being simple-minded or naive, but as a return to the essence, to unity. The simplicity we are talking about here is a state of being that exists beyond diversity. This path leads us to the inner source that unites all opposites. We can walk such a path if we have the courage and longing to do so. It culminates in experiencing, sensing and recognising the divine spirit spark within us. We become aware of our true nature – beyond ego, social conditioning and superficial identities. It is a state of deep connection with the self, the ‘other’ in our own being, the universal.

The medieval mystic Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) describes simplicity (“Einfalt “) as the highest goal of spiritual life. For him, simplicity means that the soul empties itself to make room for God. ‘The more man goes out of things, the more God goes into him, says Meister Eckhart. There is a profound truth in this statement: in a world that is constantly striving for more – more knowledge, more wealth, more power – the solution lies in letting go. The soul that dwells in simplicity recognises that true fulfilment can only be achieved by becoming one with the divine. This becoming one leads to a state of ‘serene being’, in which all worldly things lose their significance and the divine presence pervades everything.

The Bible also speaks to the importance of a simple heart. In the New Testament, it says: “The light of the body is in the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. “(In today’s language: If your eye is simple, your whole body will be full of light.) (Matthew 6:22). Mindfulness, prayer and the practice of inner silence are tools that can help us to break through the noise of diversity and find clarity and simplicity. It is about silencing the many voices in our heads and hearing the soft but clear voice of our hearts. In this silence, we realise that what divides us is only a superficial illusion, and that, at our core, we are all part of a greater whole. It is this realisation that enlightens. Then it becomes light within our being, and the voice of the heart becomes the voice of God speaking to us. This is why the psalmist says, “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding simple. “(When Your word is revealed, it enlightens and makes wise the foolish.) (Psalm 119:130).

Simplicity in diversity

The discovery of simplicity does not mean rejecting or negating the world’s diversity. Diversity is a natural expression of the fullness of life. We can and should appreciate it in all its facets, even enjoy it. For we are part of it. But it can only truly fulfil us if we see it rooted in a deeper unity. This unity is divine simplicity, which exists beyond appearances.

Jakob Böhme, a German mystic of the 16th/17th centuries, describes the journey of the soul as a path from ‘multiplicity’ to ‘unity’. For Böhme, multiplicity – the uncountable diversity of the world – is a manifestation of the divine wealth of creation, but also a challenge. The soul must penetrate this diversity and return to its origin, to the unity of being. Böhme writes that this return to simplicity is not easy. It requires a deep inner transformation and the letting go of the ego. In his works, he speaks of the ‘inner birth’ of the divine in the soul. This process leads to a deep spiritual simplicity that recognises the essence of all things in their originality.

The call for simplicity of the heart may be an answer to our deepest longings. Perhaps it is the key to a new understanding of humanity and life where peace, harmony and unity are not just ideals but a lived reality. The diversity of life receives its true beauty in the unity of its source. In the simplicity of the heart, universal love breaks into the turmoil of our world. The path to simplicity, the path of love, is marked out within us. We can walk it, indeed, we can become this path ourselves.

Are we in the process of forming a beautiful, new overall picture despite our individualisation? Although a goal is set, the development towards it is a creative process in which freedom is intended, voluntary participation.

In front of me, I see pieces of a puzzle laid out on the table. If I do everything right, it will end up being a beautiful landscape. I start with a few border stones and then work my way further into the centre of the picture. Aren’t we humans like pieces of a puzzle? Each and every one of us is ‘knitted’ differently, has a different shape and different contents, different feelings and thoughts. Our habits and goals differ from person to person. Are we in the process of forming a beautiful, new overall picture despite our individualisation? Are we working on a common goal with the next step in the development of humanity, as it is expected in the new age, the Age of Aquarius?

Unlike a jigsaw puzzle, we are not finished pieces that fit together to form a predetermined image. The great seers of humanity describe a common goal for humanity and common stages of development that need to be achieved. Some speak of peace and freedom, others of brotherly and sisterly love that encompasses all people, animals, plants and all of creation.

Since the individual is connected to the collective and the individual waves of life are interdependent, the development of each individual has an effect on the cosmos as a whole. The waves of life – angels, humans, animals, plants and minerals – each have their own developmental task, but they always remain connected to each other because they influence each other. Thus, without the plant world, we would have no oxygen to breathe, and without pollination by insects, blossoms do not produce new plants.

The whole of creation is based on a single great plan. And this plan vibrates as a forward-pushing potential in every being.The Danish-American author, theosophist and Rosicrucian Max Heindel speaks of seven world bodies that undergo seven times seven developmental cycles over long periods of time, with activity and phases of rest.¹

Diagram

So, although a goal is set, the development towards it is a creative process in which freedom is intended and participation is voluntary. Today’s humanity has deviated from this divine plan of development by using its free will to strengthen its own being, to build up its own ego. It must therefore mature through experience. In everything it does, it is accompanied by the harmony and unity of the Divine-Spiritual. This makes it possible for the spiritual soul within each of us to sooner or later express itself – the soul in whose consciousness the whole can shine. In this way, we are repeatedly presented with a choice.

What about our will? Can I want what I should want in order to achieve the great developmental goal? No, I can’t do it just like that. Before I can really want something in freedom, there must be clear insight about what I am striving for with my thinking and feeling. Through experiences of all kinds, I learn that my will often brings about the opposite of what I intend, simply because the unpredictability of other people and circumstances, as well as my own uncertainty, are always present.

My feelings can also deceive me, and I learn this through corrections from outside and inside. From within, because my innermost self knows what is right, and from outside, because the world repeatedly shows me how far my feelings are from sensing and understanding people and things from an expanded perspective.

Only when reason and feeling have been purified by experience can I succeed in orienting myself towards what ‘really’ makes sense, towards the whole in which we are all embedded. It can only be grasped intuitively if I listen deeply within. Because that is where the answer is. It is pure when I am purified, when the veils before my innermost have become more permeable and I can therefore hear and understand the inner voice.

In his book Dei Gloria Intacta Jan van Rijckenborgh describes the process of becoming truely human on the basis of initiation steps. Before a new will can attune itself to the divine plan, which he calls ‘Mars initiation’, the initiations of Mercury (mind) and Venus (feeling) precede:

The Mercury and Venus initiations have become the property of the new human being. A light of God and a power of God have been handed over to him first hand. A strong, balanced, dynamic new will must begin to direct the Mercury-Venus gifts. Therefore, after the Venus initiation, the new ‘companion’ [the spiritual soul] is not yet fully created. This completeness will only reveal itself after the Mars initiation; the new Mars develops the new will of the ‘companion.²

If you start with the will first, then you are on the wrong track, because you go about it experimentally and forcefully. You then continue to move in the circuits of conditioning, remaining a piece of the puzzle that does not organically fit into the living whole. But the new aspects of consciousness can awaken, a self-initiation into one’s own innermost self can take place. It leads to insight into what is good for the whole organism of man and earth, for the creatures and worlds with which we are inseparably connected.

The maturing soul transforms us into a new human being who integrates him or herself creatively and responsibly into the perpetual process of development of creation, from moment to moment, from situation to situation. Each of us is an indispensable piece of the puzzle, of the greater whole. Everything is waiting for him/her to find the place that only he or she can occupy.

The impulse for this comes from the Spirit. The Spirit disquiets the soul and urges it to develop. The goal is the spiritualisation of the soul – and ultimately the spiritualisation of the world.

1 Max Heindel, The Rosicrucian World View, Diagram 8.
2 Jan van Rijckenborgh, Dei Gloria Intacta, Chapter 6

There are no secrets as such, only the uninitiated of all degrees.

There is hardly a simpler way to say what life is all about than in this sentence by Christian Morgenstern: It is not the truth that is complicated, but our inability to penetrate its simplicity. We are the ones who get lost in diversity. We cannot discern the truth because we are unable to set aside our own points of view and projections. We lack awareness. So, all our brooding only ever results in duplicating what we already know and think.

However, is it even possible to simply pull aside the curtain in front of the simple truth when we love this curtain, cling to it, decorate it, make it heavier, and possibly even be part of the curtain ourselves? There is no doubt that it is not that simple; we would need a method, a trick to outwit our own limitations. That sounds like one of the stories of Baron von Münchhausen, who was able to pull himself out of the mire by his own bootstraps.

But even if we are at a loss before the curtain, it is worth looking for a way to open it. It is not the “simple life”; it is not limiting our thinking or feelings; and it is not meditating into the unknown nor leaving behind what we hold dear. None of this would help us.

Perhaps we must first get used to the contradiction that all phenomena only appear to be true, but the truth is nevertheless accessible. What we generally understand by objectification or “objectively” means basically nothing other than turning all things into objects, into objects of our perception, into wagons in our ego’s railway station, which constructs exactly what we ourselves want to see, pretending that this oscillating diversity is already the origin. From the outside, we are confronted by our own, which is mirrored many times over. As upsetting as this observation can be, it is also beneficial because the search is worth it.

Lao Tzu called the simple truth Tao, and repeatedly said that this Tao is the source of everything, but is incomprehensible. Inconceivable for whom? For all people? For the Morgenstern’s “uninitiated”? Many people have listened to Lao Tzu’s texts hundreds of times, and they may have enjoyed them. That is not a bad thing. But it is obviously not enough to lift the curtain on the simple truth.

Let’s take a closer look at the Chinese version of the word curtain:

There is a famous passage in the Tao Te Ching, which appears several times. The most common reference is to chapter 25, where the last line reads: “Dao Fa Zi Ran“. A Chinese friend once translated these words for me very simply as “Tao is the law of nature“. He apparently meant well and didn’t want to irritate me. And he added, “It’s as simple as that”.

Fa means “method”, “way of doing something” or simply “law”.

But aren’t we making it too easy for ourselves if we only translate Zi Ran as “nature”? Because the term, like many others in the Chinese language, has a variety of meanings on several levels. And this is where the “ten thousand phenomena” that emerge from the One begin – and end with our curtain.

Zi Ran doesn’t just mean “nature”, but also “natural”, “simple”, “original”, “lightness”, “free from affection” or “the-from-itself-emerging”, and so on….

We could consider what nature might mean by the term Zi Ran. Probably not just the “external” nature that humans share with other living beings. But which one then? The dazzling variety of translations does not make things any easier.

Let us therefore return to Morgenstern for a moment: We can assume that Morgenstern’s “initiate” sees things (and the world) as they (really) are – and not as he imagines them to be. Initiation then means pushing aside one’s own veils. Non-initiation is decorating these veils.

Apart from the fact that Lao Tzu’s words are often cryptic and difficult to understand, we sense their depth. Taken seriously, they become a shock that shakes up our being and confuses our minds. Wouldn’t pushing aside the veils also mean pushing aside our own being, which constitutes our identity? We would be turning towards a nothingness or the “self-existing” (as Zi Ran is sometimes translated) – and all this “free from affection” as Lao Tzu says! A crazy, unfulfilling request, isn’t it?

It’s obviously about more than taking yourself less seriously, about more than eating and drinking less, talking less and about more than giving up comfort. It is about a different life, not just a higher octave in the known life, but ultimately about a different consciousness that no longer has its centre in itself.

Anyone who works – no matter what – and immerses himself completely in this activity forgets his surroundings and ignores himself. In a certain sense, he is no longer present. Many of us are familiar with this. It is a faint image of what Lao Tzu and Morgenstern are hinting at. But at least it shows that the ability is inherent in man. Those who are inside are initiated precisely because they are no longer just with themselves.

This experience leads us to suspect that, behind (or in) the diversity we are and that surrounds us, there is a nature of a different order, the “being-in-itself”.

Recognising this could be the first step; it takes some effort, but with it, we leave the auditorium and pluck a little at the curtain of confusing diversity.

Letting yourself be touched by it is the second step; it takes more courage and more effort; with it, we open a narrow gap in the curtain; we see the first contours and hear the music behind it, and begin to change.

And with the third step, we pull the curtain completely aside. This is certainly the decisive and most difficult step. It demands everything from us.

But for all three steps, we have to go on stage physically, the stage of our lives. We cannot escape this effort, because if we are stuck in our seats in the stalls, nothing will ever change.

This is how we move through all of Morgenstern’s “degrees of the uninitiated”.

When we then open the curtain, we realise: Behind it is – NOTHING.

Nothing, and yet EVERYTHING. Nothing that we know or can imagine. And yet it permeates everything.

Since ancient times, esoteric science has known the concept of karma. The word “karma” comes from Sanskrit and means “action.” This signifies that every action a person performs leads to consequences, karma. So, karma is a manifestation of the law of causation. That is, what was once done leads to the corresponding consequences. And since the human being is a manifestation of a higher system, which esotericists called a microcosm, part of this microcosm records the essence of the experiences of a given life, which constitutes the corresponding karma. Over countless manifestations, that is lives, in this field of existence, the microcosm has accumulated a huge amount of karma. Sometimes the experiences are understood, their essence is extracted, and then karma turns into a vast wealth of knowledge and wisdom that the respective reincarnated personality in the microcosm can use.

In other cases, however, the lessons of the experiences are not understood, and the human personality, which is currently a manifestation of the respective microcosm, has to face similar situations again and again in order to learn. Very often in such cases, people who encounter such situations perceive them as a great injustice. Frequently they react with words such as: “What did I do to deserve this?”, “Why is God punishing me?”, etc. It is clear that such people simply do not understand that they are not everything in their life systems, that they do not know themselves in regard to their true nature as microcosms.

Another reason for this misunderstanding is that people do not have a vision of the whole situation, but simply look at only part of the whole and, due to the limited consciousness of the ego, interpret things according to their own views, which are usually very narrow. A good example of such a view is the justice exercised by the earthly courts. It views a possible violation of the law as something separate from the whole, even from the rest of the life experiences of the probable offender, and delivers a verdict that is not always just even according to the laws on which it is based. Although the laws keep society in a certain balance, these cases show the limits of human understanding of justice compared to higher divine justice, which includes karma but is much more than that; it is much more comprehensive.

The real purpose of karma is not to punish, but to help human beings perfect their understanding through the lessons of life. In this context, the law of causation is a manifestation of the highest universal law, the law of Divine Love. In fact, Love lies at the core of all creation because GOD IS LOVE and all of God’s children are attracted like a magnet by the Love power of the Creator. So Love can also be seen as the driving force of evolution. This means that all universal laws that ensure universal order are subordinated and included in the law of Love.

The aim of this law on our plane of existence is to turn the transitory human being of time and space with egocentric consciousness into a higher, eternal being with omnipresent consciousness, which is what we truly are according to our deepest essence. To this end, the person who understands the true purpose of life should connect the higher divine power, permeating this nature order, to the inner spiritual being on the level of the human heart.

If we learn to create space for this being by gradually emptying ourselves of earthly, egocentric desires and impulses, we reach an inner silence and non-action of the ego. In this way, the divine power gradually saturates our entire microcosm and guides every step on the Path where lessons of life help us understand ourselves by showing us the different sides of our personality through our reactions in the various situations. Then we could understand what in our life helps the development of this inner spiritual being and what hinders it, so that we can begin to support the process by suitable new actions, directed both inwardly and into the concrete reality of the outer world, into everyday life.

Gradually, we acquire firsthand understanding that as individuals separated from the Source, from God, we are beings of the relative, imperfect. At best, we are relatively good, but from the higher perspective of the absolute, this also means that we are not good, imperfect. Furthermore, we must remember, as mentioned above, that very often the things that happen have a root cause in the past of the microcosm, a lesson that has not been understood and still needs to be learned.

The purpose of every lesson is not to make us suffer, but simply to give us the right understanding, to change us. So, nothing in our life ever happens accidentally, life can be seen as a school that teaches us to truly live. Suffering comes from our non-acceptance and resistance. If we, connected to the supreme divine power, on the basis of a profound awareness of our imperfection can accept life’s lessons with deep humility, whatever they may be, then we can live in the aforementioned completely new, correct way, thus transforming karma into dharma.

When in this way we undo the resistance, the barriers between our consciousness and the spiritual being within, we gradually merge with that True Self. Then we shall be filled with intense inner joy and bliss, because God is the very substance of Love, the highest vibration imaginable. Then nothing will be able to separate us from the Source, the Lord of All Life. In this way, karma can be seen as a major contributing factor in the process of our transformation, imperfect beings of time and space as we are, into beings of Eternity according to our innermost essence.

In any authentic tradition – whether Vedantic, Christian or Hermetic – the question “Who am I?” is not a psychological one, but one of inner discernment. It does not seek a conceptual answer, but an immediate recognition of what remains when all identities are set aside. In Rosicrucian language, it is the difference between the old nature and the new inner man. In Vedantic language, it is the difference between the ego, the subtle identity, and the inner Light. To clarify this structure, we will use three terms from the Advaita Vedanta tradition, adapted to a language appropriate to Western esoteric schools:

• ahamkāra – the psychological ego, the “biographical self”
• asmitā – the subtle identity, the “spiritual ego”
• chidābhāsa – the reflection of Light in individual consciousness

Ahamkāra – the biographical self (ego). Ahamkāra is the structure through which man perceives himself as a separate person, situated in time, defined by desires, fears, opinions and roles. It is the ordinary self that affirms: I am right, I am hurt, I am searching, I want to develop spiritually, I aspire to liberation. This identity is necessary for functioning in the manifested world, but it becomes an obstacle when the being aspires to real transformation. In the doctrine of the Golden Rosycross, this level corresponds to the dialectical nature and reactive personality, subject to the impulses of memory and conditioning.

Ahamkāra is inherently unstable because it is built on the past and projection: on what has been and what it hopes to become. It cannot provide a lasting foundation for transfiguration, but must be recognised and overcome for a change of order to take place.

Asmitā – The subtle self (ego), the witness who still believes itself to be someone. Asmitā refers to an extremely refined form of self-identity. It is no longer the biographical or psychological self, but the inner feeling of a consciousness that perceives itself as present, lucid and witness to its own experiences. This level is often experienced as deep silence, clarity and inner light, and frequently occurs in meditation, contemplation, prayer or Rosicrucian work.

However, from the perspective of the Golden Rosycross, this state remains linked to the personality. It constitutes a spiritualised self, a subtle presence that experiences itself as pure and mystically oriented, but which continues to exist through separation. It is precisely its elevated character that makes it stable and defensive: experiences are validated as truth, and any enlightenment that could dissolve this centre is rejected. Within the Golden Rosycross, this level can sometimes be confused with the manifestation of the “New Soul”. In reality, it represents only the subtle reflection of the enlightened personality, not the actual birth of the New Man, which implies a change of order and the definitive disappearance of the ego centre as the governing authority.

Chidābhāsa – Reflection of Light in the mind.  Chidābhāsa designates the reflection of spiritual light in the field of human consciousness. It makes perception, understanding and inner experience possible: seeing, hearing, thinking, contemplating. It has no will of its own and no identity; it is a reflection of light in the mental instrument of personality. In hermetic language, it can be compared to the light reflected in the mirror of the mind, but not to the source of light itself.

It is like a light turned on in a dark room; in its presence, the self knows itself as the psychic structure of the personality, has access to memory, and gains clarity and orientation in the dialectic field. And in the absence of adequate spiritual knowledge, it can lead to various erroneous identifications, such as: I am the body and mind, thus generating ahamkara, the dialectical personality, or I am the light, I am pure consciousness, I am the witness, thus generating asmita, the subtle ego. From this perspective, asmitā is the most difficult link to overcome: it is not a gross ego, but a spiritualised, stable, luminous and seemingly impersonal self. That is why it is often confused with realisation, especially by advanced seekers who have already overcome the gross forms of the dialectical self.

But there is a major difference between the reflection of light (chidābhāsa) and the rose of the heart. The rose in the heart, the atom of spirit, is not a reflection and does not belong to personal consciousness. It represents the original spiritual principle, of a different ontological order than the mind and experience. The rose does not illuminate through reflection, but exists as the latent seed of a new life. While chidābhāsa can be experienced and claimed by a subtle “I”, the Rose of the Heart cannot be possessed, observed or experienced as a state. It does not manifest itself through experience, but through rebirth, when personal will ceases to be the determining centre of the microcosm.

In the Golden Rosycross it is emphasised that personality, even if refined, calm and enlightened, still belongs to the old nature. It can contemplate the light, experience it and interpret it, but it cannot embody it. The real work begins only when this subtle identity ceases to claim the light for itself and personal will withdraws. Only then can the spiritual principle become decisively active in the microcosm.

Why is Asmitā the most subtle obstacle?

Most schools have created methods, or practices, each in its own way of working with ahamkāra, the personality, but very few refer to asmitā. Moreover, some have understood that asmitā is a spiritual goal, identified with liberation.

There are some deep and structural reasons why many seekers, even if they are in spiritual schools, cannot go beyond the level of asmitā.  Asmitā is the last bastion of the ego, and it is ‘luminous’, not gross.

The gross ego (ahamkāra) is easy to observe: desires, fears, attachments. Asmitā generates “I am the observer,” “I am consciousness,” “I am the witness,” “I am on a spiritual path.” It is refined, resembles the truth, and therefore is not detected as an error. It seems spiritual. That is why Śrī Ramana Maharṣi [1] said: “The subtle ego is the most dangerous, because it wears a cloak of light.”

“The greatest obstacle is not the gross ego, but the ego that believes itself to be spiritual,” warns Jan van Rijckenborgh. This is the “last veil,” that subtle feeling that the experience of pure spirit still belongs to someone, that it could remain in the sphere of experience of the dialectical ego. This is the last thread that must be cut before the “Light of the Spirit” can penetrate freely.

Many contemporary spiritual practices do not dissolve the centre of the ego, but refine it. They lead to a subtle form of identification with consciousness itself, which is experienced as a higher “state” of personality. Although such exercises can purify the field of thought and bring inner peace, they remain within the sphere of dialectical nature and do not free the being from duality. As long as there is an “ego” that experiences, observes or possesses this state, the being remains bound to the dialectical field. In this way, the old self is not dissolved, but transformed into a spiritual self, which delays the true transfiguration of the microcosm. This type of self, or ego, is called by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya [2] : “asmitā sattvică”, the most subtle veil.

If man continues to seek liberation through exercises of personality, the ego remains the active centre of the microcosm. Even experiences of tranquillity, unity or expanded consciousness can become means by which the old self is maintained. Without a profound clarification of the difference between personality and spiritual principle, no change of order takes place. Transfiguration begins only when the consciousness of the ego is transcended and the original spiritual force can act freely.

Attachment to spiritual identity (“I am someone evolved”) is a subtle form of pride through which I say to myself: “I have practice,” “I have initiations,” “I am a disciple,” “I am awake,” “I have intuited non-duality,” “I am from a great school.” This creates an “I” that must be protected, and this protection prevents its dissolution. Asmitā is not afraid of meditation, prayer or service, but it is mortally afraid of dissolution.

Overcoming asmitā means giving up control, giving up the position of “the one who experiences,” giving up any personal ontological basis. It is shocking to the psyche. That is where the “dark night,” “aridity,” “emptiness,” “desolation” appear. Many avoid this.

Asmitā provides meaning (I am on the path), direction (I am moving towards enlightenment), status (I have a level), belonging (I am part of a school). Without asmitā, all this “spiritual ground” disappears. Most people are not existentially prepared for a life without a “spiritual self”.

Only a few masters know how to distinguish samādhi from non-experience, or Gaudapāda’s non-dual realisation. Indeed, samādhi designates a state of deep tranquillity and concentration of consciousness, in which the activity of the personality in the dialectical field is suspended and an experience of inner unity arises. From the perspective of the Golden Rosycross, this experience, however elevated, remains bound to the order of nature and is therefore transitory. Transfiguration does not consist in a state of consciousness, but in a radical and irreversible transformation of the microcosm through the activation of the inner spiritual principle. Samādhi can prepare for this orientation, but it is not equivalent to the birth of the New Man.

Gaudapāda, the author of the Māṇḍūkya Kārikā, expresses a radical non-dualistic teaching in which liberation is not described as an experience or state of consciousness, but as the recognition that true reality is unborn and untouched by becoming. From this perspective, non-dual realisation does not belong to the experiential field of personality, but consists in the definitive exit from the illusion of separation, through the dissolution of any identification with the old self. Translated into Rosicrucian language, this corresponds to the end of the domination of the dialectical microcosm and the irreversible orientation towards the original spiritual order, beyond time, becoming and experience.

Jan van Rijckenborgh indicates in many of his writings that nothing dialectical can cross the threshold of the inner Temple. No matter how pure the inner witness may seem, if it still perceives itself as a subject, it belongs to the old nature. The New Soul has no observing “I,” but is total transparency. Ramana Maharṣi is very clear: “Without inquiry into the source of ‘I am,’ asmitā cannot be overcome.”

In many schools, the inner investigation “vichara” is missing. Vicāra is the inner act of inquiry through which man withdraws his attention from the dialectical field of the nature of this world and directs it towards the centre of the microcosm. It is not an analysis of thoughts, but a lucid vigil in which the personality becomes transparent and the inner fire of the spiritual principle is called into activity. Through this orientation, the old self loses its dominance, and the seed of the New Man can be reached and awakened.

Mainly, Asmitā preserves itself through self-deception, and has two main strategies. The first involves hiding behind the light, “I feel peace, therefore I am consciousness.” The second is hiding behind understanding, “I have understood non-duality.” Both are subtle illusions.

The essential conclusion is that most seekers do not go beyond the centre of the self because it can be refined and spiritualised, becoming subtle and seductive. In many contemporary schools, transformation is understood as a refinement of personality through virtues, moral exercises, or elevated inner experiences. But these means do not dissolve the ego; they give it new legitimacy.

Without a profound clarification between the real and the unreal, between what belongs to the dialectical order and what belongs to the original spiritual order, the being remains tied to its identity, even if it is called “spiritual.” The fear of dissolving the ego arises, and subtle experiences are confused with realisation.

The true transcendence of the centre of the ego is not a psychological process, nor an accumulation of virtues, but a radical change in the orientation of the being, in which the personality loses its leading role. From this point on, the path is no longer one of self-improvement, but becomes mystical and non-personal: an opening of the microcosm to the free action of the spiritual principle.

“The transfusion of light as a microcosmic mutation” or the birth of the New Man

Asmitā dissolves when the inner Light (Spirit Spark) penetrates the heart and mind, transforming reflection into “Living Fire”. The ego does not disappear, but is “burned” into a higher vibration. In Rosicrucian language, the “transfusion of light” is the moment when the Original Light, coming from the field of the Spirit, penetrates the microcosm, untying the egotic reflection (asmitā) and setting in motion the birth of the New Man. It is not a metaphorical act, but a real change in the structure of consciousness.

The transfusion of light is the direct contact between the Original Light (Spirit, Divine Spark, rock of Being) and the individual consciousness that until then functioned reflexively (chidābhāsa) and identified (asmitā). In hermetic terms, the higher light radiates into the microcosm and begins to break the connection between self-centredness and the forces of the old life. In spiritual terms, the light of true Consciousness begins to expose the falseness of the small subject (“psychological witness”).

This “transfusion” is not produced by the mind, but by a simultaneous opening in two centres:

The sacred heart (the microcosmic centre of the Spirit’s action) becomes permeable, renounces self-defence, renounces living for itself. This opening creates access for the “Ray of the Spirit”.

The silent mind, which reduces noise, suspends the egoic reaction, is in a state of lucid availability.

When these two coincide, light spontaneously enters the system. You do not draw it in; it enters when there is a crack in the egoic structure.   “Light is not attracted, but enters when the inner structure becomes permeable.” The Jan van Rijckenborgh teachings state that the original light is not “called” by personal will. It enters spontaneously when the personality relinquishes its claims and a breach is created in the egocentric armour.

If we analyse the root cause that actually triggers the transfusion, we see that all traditions are very clear: it is not practice that produces light, but light that responds to a mature inner calling. The real cause is a deep saturation, when one no longer wants to repeat the old ways of life, an extreme sincerity, when one no longer desires anything from spirituality for oneself.

The cause is also an inner surrender, not “worship,” but the renunciation of personal centrality. It feels like a call from the microcosm itself. Sometimes the microcosm is “prepared through suffering,” other times through maturation. Nothing voluntary can force it.

Is this immersion of the original light into the structures of personality a personal merit or is it a grace? Here it must be clearly stated that this transfusion of light is not produced by the person themselves. Asmitā cannot dissolve itself, nor can it let go of itself. It is grace, but not arbitrary; it follows the laws of the microcosm. Light pours forth when the microcosmic field is open and prepared. It is not a favour, but a consequence of true inner maturation.

Personal effort does not produce light, but it prepares the ground. The effort that the student can make consists of purifying intention, honesty, self-observation, ethical living, and calming the mind. As they say in the Golden Rosycross school:  “The old man prepares himself, but the New Man is born through the Grace of the Spirit.”

The New Man is not a perfection of the old, but the emergence of a different nature. We do not transform the ego into a more subtle ego. The old man withdraws, and a new consciousness, which has no personal centre, begins to work.

Another legitimate question is how this light will feel in the student’s life. The transfusion is recognised by several clear phenomena. A cold, neutral, impersonal light, it is not emotion, it is not ecstasy, nor energy; it is clarity. A feeling of “detachment from the centre”. You are no longer the centre of the experience. It is silence without a possessor. There is a reversal of motivation; you no longer do something “for yourself,” you just “stand in My Light” and eventually “My Light works in you towards the world.”

It feels like transparency, like a loosening of the tension between the witnessing self and the acting self. This is the sign of the dissolution of asmitā. There is no longer an “I who observes.” Only pure observation without identity, aimless, equal, disinterested contemplation. You no longer feel that you belong to the spectacle you are contemplating. Identity dissolves into Light, and what lives on no longer belongs to the person. For the Golden Rosycross, identity is not preserved: only the microcosm, as a temple of Light, remains active. The person becomes a transparent instrument.

The “transfusion of light” can occur in three typical moments. After a profound inner crisis, an example being one’s personal “Gethsemane” as a rupture between the old and the new. In states of intense tranquillity with self-surrender. Not in concentration, not in ecstasy, but in “total acceptance”. Or spontaneously after years of preparation, when the structure is sufficiently transparent. It cannot be planned, but the ground can be prepared through radical honesty, refusal of self-delusion, openness of heart, renunciation of self-image protection, simple and pure living. And especially by recognising and unmasking the asmitā ego in its action: “I am the spiritual witness” as the last obstacle. When the student sees this, the light comes in naturally.

In order for students to recognise asmitā, they must distinguish the three levels of the ego already mentioned: the fluctuating, emotional, biographical self (ahamkāra); the spiritual self (asmitā) – calm, witnessing, luminous, but still separate; and the Light as a presence without identity – chidābhāsa – Being. The goal is not to perfect asmitā, but to transcend it, allowing the transformative principle of the New Soul to act directly.

In conclusion, “Who am I?” is not the question through which we find a new identity, but the question through which all identities dissolve. When asmitā disappears, what remains is not a “spiritual self,” but a nameless presence, a radiant silence that does not belong to the person. This is the gateway to the New Man, to authentic spiritual birth, to the true Being of Light.

[1] Śrī Ramana Maharṣi (1879–1950) is one of the most important modern teachers of the Advaita Vedānta tradition, known for his method of self-inquiry (ātma-vicāra), formulated through the question “Who am I?”. His teaching does not propose a new doctrine, but directly points to the recognition of the non-dual nature of the Self, beyond identification with the body and mind, in a living continuity with classical Vedāntic apophatism.

[2] Ādi Śaṅkarācārya   (8th century AD) is the main systematiser of Advaita Vedānta, the non-dualistic tradition of classical Hinduism. Through his commentaries on the Upanishads, Brahma Sūtra and Bhagavad Gītā, he formulated a radically apophatic metaphysics, in which ultimate reality (Brahman) is devoid of any determination (nirguṇa), and the phenomenal world is explained as an appearance conditioned by ignorance (avidyā). His influence was decisive both in the history of Indian philosophy and in the configuration of subsequent non-dualistic discourse.

For a life that lasts only a few decades, can one expect an eternal reward—or fear eternal damnation?

The concepts of karma and samsara, as well as the idea of reincarnation, are generally associated with culture from the East. However, belief in reincarnation and in the law of karma that governs it was also present in the Western world. It is likewise affirmed in the Gospels, as evidenced not only by the apocryphal Gospels but also by certain passages in the canonical Gospels, from which references to reincarnation were at some point removed. For example, in the Gospel of John (9:1–3), concerning the man blind from birth, the disciples ask Jesus who was responsible for this misfortune – the man himself or his parents. The very way the question is phrased indicates that a life prior to the present incarnation was clearly assumed. There are more such examples in the Gospels.

The Sanskrit word karma has two meanings: “action” and “fate.” In this dual meaning lies a certain hint, suggesting a connection between a person’s mode of life and their destiny. In other words, through one’s actions, a person creates their own fate. This truth is so deeply rooted in human awareness that it has been preserved in proverbs such as: “As you make your bed, so must you lie in it,” or “Every man is the architect of his own fortune.” In the Bible (Hosea 8:7) we read: “For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.”

And yet not everyone remembers this truth, nor does everyone draw conclusions from it. One such conclusion might be the realisation that our present life is just „one frame in a long movie.” This helps explain why misfortunes sometimes appear at an early stage of life, despite the lack of any rational justification.

Why does a person act in a particular way at a given moment rather than in another?

We can explain this, for example, by a person’s character or genes, as well as by the environment in which they were raised. But can character or the environment into which a person is born – shaped by birth, upbringing, and education – really be the work of chance? Some may think so. Others explain it as the incomprehensible decision of a higher power, which, however, is difficult to reconcile with the justice expected of such a power. Still others attempt to seek deeper causes and accept the teaching of karma. It must be added at once that acknowledging the operation of the law of karma – that is, the law of cause and effect – also requires accepting reincarnation.

When we speak of “karma,” we mean a certain record inscribed upon the “firmament” of the microcosm [1] in which we currently dwell as earthly personalities. This record concerns our deeds, as well as the conduct of beings who were present in this microcosm before us. In everyday language, and in a greatly simplified sense, we say of these beings that they are “our previous incarnations.” However, this shorthand way of saying things must be properly understood. We, as earthly and mortal personalities, are only one-time inhabitants of the microcosm, just as our predecessors were likewise only one-time inhabitants of it. The only eternal entity is the microcosm itself, which – due to a dramatic event called the “Fall” – no longer exists in the eternal realm – but in the world of time and space.

The fact that, as earthly personalities, we become connected with a particular microcosm is not a matter of chance. The earthly personality – that is, the lower ”I“ – arises within the field of the microcosm, in its “field of manifestation” or “field of respiration,” surrounded by the auric being, the higher ”I“ which is the bearer of karma. This personality not only comes into being under the influence of the auric being, but is to a large extent its creation. Through the karmic record, of which the auric being is the bearer, an essential connection exists between us and our microcosmic predecessors.

It may be said that through their actions – recorded in the microcosm as karma – they have, to a significant extent, contributed to our present life path, our ups and downs. Likewise, it must be said of ourselves that if we do not liberate ourselves from the wheel of life and death, our conduct – also recorded in the auric being – will influence the fate of the next personality in “our” microcosm.

Fortunately, this need not be so.

The great and joyful alternative to remaining in the wheel of life and death is liberation. The presence of the earthly personality (that is, ourselves) within a given microcosm is guided by an extremely important and clearly defined purpose. That purpose is cooperation in the process of regenerating this microcosm, in raising it from the state of the Fall – that is, contribute to its liberation.

If, as earthly personalities, we recognise the necessity of this task and devote ourselves to its fulfilment, opening ourselves to the Forces that make its realisation possible, then the microcosm, accordingly regenerated, will be able to return to its original homeland.

Action and Duty in the Bhagavad Gita

A beautiful exposition of the operation of karmic law can be found in the Bhagavad Gita, where reference is made to the “mysterious paths of karma.” In this poem, alongside the term karma, meaning right action, there also appear the concepts of vi-karma – wrong action – and a-karma – inaction.

It is necessary to understand the intricacies of (proper) action,
the nature of wrongful action,
and the nature of inaction.
The path of karma is profound and not easily understood.
(Bhagavad Gita, IV.17)

“Karma,” or proper, action due, is also understood as duty. Every person in life faces the fulfilment of some action, some duty, which, as we know, is not a matter of chance.

The Proper Action in Ancient India

In ancient India, this “proper action” was always defined in connection with a person’s position in society. As is well known, ancient Indian society was divided into four layers, the so-called varnas. The highest was the Brahmin varna, the second – the warriors, the third – farmers, merchants, and artisans, and the lowest – the servant varna.

The assignment of duties based on membership in a given varna was further intertwined with the duties arising from the particular stage of life a person was experiencing. In other words, the duties of a youth were different from those of the head of a household, and different from those of an elder.

Importantly, and as strongly emphasised in Indian tradition, whether someone belonged to, for example, the Brahmin varna or the warrior varna was determined by birth within that varna. And what determined birth in a given varna? The answer is: karma. That is, the fate shaped by previous incarnations, reflecting the quality of one’s past conduct.

In India, the duty of a Brahmin is beautifully defined: it consists of knowledge and sacrifice. This is sometimes interpreted superficially: knowledge is seen as merely learned, intellectual knowledge, and sacrifice is seen as an external act. However, a Brahmin is a “twice-born” person, meaning “reborn” or “regenerated,” possessing true, inner knowledge, whose selfless life itself constitutes a sacrifice for the spiritual element in their heart, the atman.

There are many beautiful stories describing Brahmins. Among their qualities was, for instance, the ability to provide effective care for the community in which they lived. They were considered, in a sense, healers, capable, through their own purity, of neutralising evil threatening the community and nature. “A fortunate land in which Brahmins settle,” people said, “is visited by neither natural disasters nor wars.”

On the other hand, a country from which Brahmins depart declines toward ruin. But why do Brahmins leave a given land? Simply because its inhabitants repel them through their behaviour.

And what if a Brahmin did not meet certain criteria? There are plenty of such examples, both in texts and in real life… In such cases, it means that he is not truly a Brahmin, but a member of a lower varna, sometimes even the lowest, and claims of his birth in a Brahmin family are false.

A heartening example of the opposite situation – when someone of unknown origin demonstrates through their conduct that they are a Brahmin – is the story of a boy named Satyakama, which means “Lover of Truth.” When his teacher asked him about his lineage, he answered truthfully that he knew nothing of it. “Then your father must have been a pure Brahmin, for only the son of a Brahmin can be so honest,” the teacher replied. Therefore, belonging to a particular varna was determined by a person’s conduct, their quality expressed in deeds – that is, their karma.

Karma, A-karma, and Vi-karma

The word karma, meaning action, is linked in Sanskrit texts to the verb kṛ, which means “to do” or “to perform.” This gives rise to the phrase: “perform the action” (kuru karma), that is, simply: act. However, due to the multiple layers of meaning of karma, it also signifies: “fulfil your (highest) destiny” – attain liberation, “fulfil your calling as a human being.” In other words: live in a way that frees you from the bonds of karma.

Such pure action is also referred to in the Bhagavad Gita as a-karma – inaction. It would be a grave mistake to understand inaction superficially.

He who perceives inaction within action,
and action within inaction,
is truly wise among men,
and remains in a transcendental state,
even while performing all manner of activities.
(Bhagavad Gita, IV.18)

A-karma is inaction in the sense of freedom from karma, that is, freedom from karmic bonds. It signifies great activity, intense effort, yet in a way that does not create karmic attachments – “leaving no trace.” This is one of the great mysteries of the path to liberation: selfless action, free from desire for positive results and free from fear of negative consequences.

The “ego” (I) is not capable of such action; it is contrary to its nature. Any attempt to achieve this state through the ego of this nature is bound to fail. Only a person whose ego has been dethroned and has given way to the consciousness of the new soul is capable of action that is inaction. Such action characterises Krishna, who presents himself in the Bhagavad Gita (X.20) as the atman present in the heart of every human being. The atman, the spark of the Spirit – the Rosicrucian “rose of the heart,” says:

Action leaves no trace on me;
I do not desire its fruits.
(Bhagavad Gita, IV.14, excerpts)

If one acts with the intention of achieving a desired effect and expects the fruits of their action, they receive them in the form of bondage. This kind of action is called vi-karma, that is, improper or wrongful action.

Dharma

In the context of karma, both the Bhagavad Gita and other Sanskrit texts also use the term dharma. The word appears, for example, in expressions describing the duties assigned to each varna at different stages of life. It also appears in conjunction with the word “science” (śāstra), where it denotes a collection of texts defining eternal laws and customs.

Dharma is key to the spiritual world of ancient India, though it is difficult to capture its meaning in a single word. It derives from the verb dhṛ, which means “to hold” or “to sustain.” Dharma is law and moral norm – not imposed by human legislation, but in accordance with the functioning of the cosmos: the unshakable law that maintains the order of nature, the order of society, the order of the individual. One could say that the dharma of a Brahmin is knowledge and sacrifice, while the dharma of a warrior is to fight the enemy.

The Warrior Varna

The fight against the enemy is generally understood literally. The warrior varna consists of kings and knights, whose element is war. Yet in the Bhagavad Gita, this battle is elevated to another level – the level of the human being.

Those who belong to the warrior varna and are born into it, are directed there by the force of their karma and find themselves at a particular stage of life. They have already left behind the group of people who devote all their efforts to material concerns and building the economic foundations of the community. Warriors have a different calling. They are warriors on the path of life, which is simultaneously the path of liberation. They fight against the inner enemy – their old, earthly nature, egocentric, full of pride and anger.

And what happens when the warrior wins this battle?
They become a king-without-an-enemy.
That is, they who have already fulfilled their knightly duty, their karma.
Those who have conquered the evil within themselves.
They have thus attained the qualities of a Brahmin.
They have achieved liberation.

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[1] Microcosm – Man, as a minutus mundus, a “small world,” constitutes a complex spherical life system, in which, moving from the center outward, one can distinguish the personality, the field of manifestation (also called the respiration field), the essential aura, and the sevenfold spiritual magnetic field. The true human being is a microcosm. What is commonly understood as a human in this world is merely the imperfect personality of a degenerated microcosm. Our present consciousness is the consciousness of the personality and is therefore aware only of the world to which it belongs.
(Jan van Rijckenborgh, The Coming New Man, Glossary)

A blade of grass covered with sparkling ice crystals, a night sky studded with stars, a blossoming apple tree against the light blue spring sky, a blood-red sunset – what is it that fills our hearts with wonder and awe in the face of such magnificent beauty?

It seems to be something intrinsic to being human, so deep and existential, for no animal would be capable of such a feeling. While the animal’s happiness seems to depend mostly on self-preservation and procreation, there seems to be something in man that needs to feed on beauty as well.

This has very little to do with the ability of thinking that elevates man above the animal. Rather, it is something that goes far beyond that, something direct, almost bewildering, that suddenly seizes us in our inner being and connects us with a sphere, high and true, that is not part of our mortal nature.

All great works of art in painting, sculpture, literature and music are created from this principle. When we immerse ourselves in such a work, we gain a sense of what perfection and eternity mean. It stirs a memory in us that recognises this perfection. Something sacred then strikes us, leaving us speechless.

What is this something? Perhaps it is that of which Plotinus says:

There is something in man that knows itself in the true sense. It is the spiritual part of the soul that realises that it exists and who it is. By beholding the existing, the spiritual part of the soul beholds itself in its full abundance.

When we encounter true beauty on the outside, we suddenly realise who we are at our core: a god in rags, a precious gem hidden in the grey rough stone that wants to be dug up and polished. Something of our inner nobility becomes visible. A longing awakens in us to grow towards this beauty and perfection, like a flower that was smothered by undergrowth, but now experiences the power of the light for the first time, which draws it up and allows it to unfold.

Beauty is very closely connected to love. Everything I regard through the eyes of love, becomes beautiful. The person I love is the most beautiful person in the whole world for me. The more I am filled with love, the more beautiful the world around me becomes.

The more I release the jewel from the cloak of coarse matter and polish it, the more the beauty of its radiant inner life shines outwards. The more I can free the god in me from his rags, so that his love can become conscious in me, the more I recognise the glory of life.

So, beauty is not objective, but arises in the mind of the beholder. That which one person perceives as beautiful leaves the other completely untouched. What is crucial however, is what the observer does with that which he perceives. What resonance does the external image resound within him? Has he already developed an awareness of the spiritual world?

Beauty is the perfect harmony of the sensual with the spiritual,

says the poet Franz Grillparzer.

But to perceive this correspondence, we need both an organ that can recognise the spiritual dimension, and natural sense organs that are sensitive to impulses from the outside world. A person who is only caught up in their daily struggle for survival will have little interest in, or awareness of the wonderful things that surround him. The more we discover of the spiritual world, the more beauty we will find in the outward world.

Much that is earthly can be expressed in parables, and when we recognise the reality behind this symbolism, the beauty of its meaning also reveals itself to us. Something like this can only happen in the here and now. It requires alertness in the present moment in order not to miss the rays of light from the spiritual world in the confusion of everyday life. The beauty that we have experienced in the past fades with each recalled memory. The wonder that we expect from the future is only an idea and does not move beyond what we already know. But life is in the here and now, and it has scattered its magic everywhere, we just have to see it.

Such timeless beauty cannot be described in words either. We cannot convey this to others. Every word only constricts it, takes away its uniqueness and robs it of its splendour. If we try regardless, we will realise that we can only convey a vague image of what has revealed itself as a miracle within us. What remains is a feeling of disappointment and loss.

This is the case with all things that we want to manifest from the spiritual world in the world of matter. They can only be recognised and are only effective in the present moment. Any attempt to hold on to this happiness must fail.

Rainer Maria Rilke describes this wonderfully in one of his poems:

Don’t try to understand life

then it will be like a celebration.

Let every day happen to you,

like a child in the passing

has many blossoms given to him

in every blowing of the wind.

The kind of beauty we are talking about here overwhelms us, leaves us speechless and dumbfounded. We cannot grasp it, nor do we have any desire to explain it. It is enough to simply experience this mystery. We fall into its wonder and disappear into it.

It is a taste of the spiritual world, where we merge with beauty, where our ego becomes insignificant, where we are part of this miracle – timeless, spaceless and boundless.

Such moments take our breath away and fill us with a joy beyond words. They are gifts from eternity, just for us and just for this moment.

Esoteric science states that thoughts are living beings, the so-called thought forms. These thought structures are generated in humans by the thought process and are brought to life by their feelings and desires, while at the same time connected to and influencing them. They circulate in the energy field that surrounds every individual. If a person stops thinking in a certain direction, he stops charging the corresponding thought form, and it begins to lose its energy and “starves”. This causes it to try to influence its creator and “force” him to think in that direction. On the other hand, the more one thinks about things that are considered important, the stronger the corresponding thought forms become. At a certain point, they become so strong that they exert a compelling influence on their creator, the so-called “obsessive thoughts,” from which it is so difficult to free oneself. The task is made more difficult by the fact that the thought forms of an individual are connected on an energetic level to similar thought forms of all other people. In this way, they nourish each other and are grouped into energy clouds which can gain enormous energy. The mutual support of the thoughts makes the task of pure thinking, which spiritually oriented people strive for and is so unusual for many people, so difficult. That is why it is said that in addition to overcoming oneself, one must also overcome the world. That is also why, if the thoughts of spiritually oriented people are pure and dedicated to their work for the world and humanity, they have such a healing effect on the world – by them the world’s energy cloud of lower thoughts gradually loses its power and is purified. Moreover, the energy field created by these pure thoughts has the power to support the individuals on their spiritual path.

By thinking, humans build thought patterns that help achieve various goals, and fulfil intentions and desires. They are based on what we perceive with our senses, but the way we perceive and process information is mainly influenced by what we are in our state of being, by our consciousness. We know that our consciousness is egocentric, where we are the centre of the reality around us, the most important aspect. In other words, self-maintenance is the logical and natural behavioural pattern of the personal ego, and it gives rise to corresponding thoughts. Of course, sometimes we sacrifice ourselves for our loved ones or our ideals. However, since our relatives, for example, are connected to us through blood ties, if we sacrifice ourselves only for self-chosen ideals or people, that is not very different from a hidden form of self-maintenance, because real Love does not exclude anyone.

In addition to the familiar egocentric consciousness, the Sacred Scriptures of all nations testify, often in a veiled way, to the existence of another consciousness that is not manifested as yet, latent, in human beings. The Bible, for example, mentions in several places the Kingdom of God within us, which refers precisely to the spiritual (divine) being within us, the bearer of this consciousness. This dormant consciousness is the omnipresent consciousness, which is the exact opposite of the egocentric one, because its simplest definition is that it is present in everything and everywhere. What spiritually oriented people can do to awaken this consciousness is to learn to understand and follow the voice of the silence within, as Helena Petrovna Blavatsky calls it, the voice of this gradually awakening consciousness that does not speak with sounds but images, impulses, feelings, called intuition. Guided by this higher intuition we learn to change the direction in our daily lives and begin to orientate to the spiritual. Also, we learn to understand and accept all people, including ourselves, as we are, without criticism or judgment, thereby removing the barriers built by egocentric consciousness. This creates space for the awakened spiritual principle to mature and grow and to radiate, undisturbed by the personality, the Love that is the very substance of which it is created. This behaviour, however, can only be based on the active spiritual principle and cannot be forced on the basis of egocentric consciousness, because forcing creates tension, which will eventually have to be released in the usual way, through emotional outbursts. Ultimately, what those with active omnipresent consciousness perceive is unity with the All, with everything and everyone. Such people do not need a blood connection to feel their organic kinship with others. They live connected to the All and can do nothing but work for the All. That is why the thoughts of spiritual candidates, born of a different consciousness and reality of existence, sometimes seem completely illogical from the point of view of egocentric consciousness. They are based on Love and Truth, which radiate in their being from the growing spiritual principle within them and build entirely new, imperishable patterns. So, a new Wisdom gradually comes into being, which perceives the Universe in a totally new way and with completely new senses. It is the task of an enlightened human being to bring the abstract divine impulses and ideas into reality in their daily life. Ultimately, this work in Love and Truth will lead to a fundamental inner change that benefits everyone and the All.

Logon places articles in different categories like ‘Spirit & Soul’, ‘Modern times’, ‘Science’ and ‘Art’. But where should we place Walter Russell? He spans all categories. Art? For he was a painter and sculptor. Spirit & Soul? After his profound illumination experience in 1921 he claimed to access ‘the source of all knowledge’. Modern times? Nikola Tesla told Walter Russel concerning his manuscript ‘The Universal One’: “Lock it in a vault for a thousand years. The world is not ready for it.” Science? On the title page of ‘The Universal One’ we read: “An exact science of the One visible and invisible universe of Mind (…)”.

There is one category which encloses all others. It is called ‘Reality’.

The work of Walter Russell is about reality. Absolute reality. Truth.

Here you can read a good and accessible introduction to the work of Walter Russell.

Truth and invitation

Truth always approaches us with an open invitation: enter the realm of Truth and know! Yet few can accept the invitation. The open door is blocked by our convictions, our perceptions, our past. Truth knows this and comes to our aid: it sends a messenger with the purpose of helping us to clear and open the inner door. When we approach the work of Walter Russell, an open heart and mind are of crucial importance. Give the unexpected a chance to enter! We don’t say: accept it as the truth. We say: investigate it, consider it with an open mind, without prejudice, without comparison. Let his work unfold itself within us as a beautiful flower, stretching its petals towards the sun.

Elevated American dream

Looking at the life of Walter Russell we see that from an early age he applied the principles of ‘alignment with the universe’ and ‘fundamental balance’. He said: “God works with you, but not for you.” It means an active, dynamic approach to life, but based on alignment with the universe and cosmic laws. With a smile we say that it is the ‘American dream’ in a spiritual and elevated sense. It is the belief that every man can do great and mighty things as long as he works with God. However, working with the universe is not an easy thing, for it requires absolute balance and righteousness. We cannot breathe in, if we do not breathe out. We cannot receive, if we do not give. If we want to work with the universe, we have to give it our attention, our head; we have to give it our desire, our heart; we have to give it the dynamic energy of our will, our hands.

Walter Russell had interesting ideas about success. They have little to do with the usual opinion that success is the accumulation of material wealth. He believed that every person can awaken his dormant ‘inner genius’ by practicing inner silence and tapping into the source of all knowledge and creativity. Key principles for achieving success are to concentrate our energy and focus our thinking on our goals. Don’t waste energy and thoughts on all kinds of distractions. But the most important principles are ‘alignment with the universe’ and ‘fundamental balance’. We would like to illustrate these with two quotations from Jan van Rijckenborgh:

If your longing, your desire-nature, is completely in harmony with the fundamental desire of nature, you will experience and possess the power to attain what you desire.^[1]

He who learns to control fire, who does not indulge in what is explosive, will also gain control over the opposite force. Equilibrium between the centrifugal and the centripetal, between heat and cold, the twin forces of nature, results in true harmony and transfiguration – the ideal metabolism.^[2]

Science

The teachings of Walter Russell are spiritual teachings, but they have a unique scientific side to them. When ‘The Universal One’ was first published, his ideas could not find fertile ground in a society dominated by materialistic thinking. A hundred years have passed; we now see that humanity is in the grips of the Age of Aquarius. The fire of renewal affects our consciousness and breaks down old structures. A new dawn is on the horizon. Theoretical physics has evolved: relativity theory, particle physics, cosmic rays and quantum mechanics are part of the scientific paradigm. In this new light the ideas of Walter Russell are not so strange anymore. We believe that his work can now take its rightful place.

It is interesting that his work evolved on American soil. Some see the United States as a symbol of a new dawn, a new day, new possibilities; a place where a person can start a new life in freedom. We can envisage this in a spiritual way: the path to the rebirth of the human soul. There is only one Universal Teaching, but it reveals itself in different garments. It adopts a garment suitable to a given time and place, for those it is intended. Walter Russell gave mankind a new garment of the Universal Teaching; a form in which spirituality and science go hand in hand. We sincerely hope that his work will trigger a spiritual gold rush: that all men shall discover their inner treasure, the spiritual wealth hidden in the center of our being.

To acquaint ourselves with the more spiritual side of Walter Russell’s work, we present a number of quotations from his book ‘The Universal One’^[3] accompanied by some comments. We hope that you will join us on this spiritual journey and that together we will experience the atmosphere of truth, breathe in the fresh air of a new reality, and breathe out the beauty of a new life.

The Universal One

With the below passage Walter Russell concludes the prelude of this book “The Universal One”:

This message is for all mankind and not for the few, for it is placing within his hands a power which could either glorify or frightfully enslave him in accord with the usage of that power.
Either way it matters not, for in the end truth will survive, and man will complete his destiny.
Truth lives. There is naught but truth and that which appears to be otherwise has no existence and therefore is not, nor ever will be.

The unity of life

The entire “created” universe of all that is, ever has been, or ever will be, is but the One substance in motion, light.
God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (John, 1:5)
Matter is light.
God and matter are One.
Spirit and matter are the same substance.
That substance is light. (…)
The whole of the universe is but One living, breathing, pulsing Being.[4]

One substance

In the cosmology of Walter Russell the universe is made of one substance: light. This light can be in two states: there is light in stillness and light in motion. Light in motion can be perceived with spiritual or material senses, because it has discernible characteristics which Walter Russell calls dimensions. He distinguishes 18 such dimensions^[5].

The entire “created” universe of all that is, ever has been, or ever will be, is but the One substance in motion, light.

When light is put in motion it reveals itself in certain states or ‘potentials’. These potentials follow a periodical cycle according to the cosmic clock:

Thinking Mind has devised these orderly progressions as its method of evolving the idea of universal thinking into the appearance of form, and devolving it in the disappearance of form.^[6]

What is then the ‘not created’ universe? It is light in stillness. We think that ‘light in stillness’ refers to what Jacob Boehme called the ‘Ungrund’. It is the primordial Abyss in which the One substance exists in an undifferentiated state. It is the source of all creation; pure potential. Because it is all and nothing, it is without dimensions: it cannot be perceived in any way. This light in stillness contains will and desire to become. The circle of eternity, the Ungrund, multiplies itself and forms the two absolute pillars of all creation: the Male and Female aspects of the godhead.

According to Walter Russell there are only two forces in the created universe: gravitation and radiation. These two forces are an expression of the male and female archetypes which form the basis of the created universe: they put light into motion. The male aspect, gravitation, works towards the center of all things; it is a centripetal force. The female archetype, radiation, is centrifugal, it is the force which is directed away from the center. These two forces are in perfect balance and maintain the divine rhythm of the created universe. “The whole of the universe is but One living, breathing, pulsing Being.”

The law

In the chapter “Universal One-ness” we read:

Now must the simplest but the greatest of all laws of the universe be written down.
Everything that is, is of everything else that is. Nothing is of itself alone. All created things are indissolubly united.
This is the law of the entire substance of divine Mind.
This is the law of the souls of things.
This is the law of love.
It is the law of the one-ness of the universe.
All that is, is One.

Thinking in light

Walter Russell points out that we must learn to think in light, if we are to experience universal one-ness.

Man must think in light for true comprehension of Mind.
All men may think in the higher octaves of light when they but comprehend, for with comprehension comes power. (…)
Man’s inner Mind is light of high octaves of inspirational, ecstatic thinking. To man’s inner vision light is always light. It never disappears. (…)
The inner mind of man knows no darkness.^[7]

We add some comments from the perspective of the School of the Golden Rosycross to clarify the meaning of ‘inner mind’ and ‘thinking in light’.

All people born in nature have a three-dimensional consciousness based on their senses. We think in terms of time and space. The ‘outer mind’ looks upon the outside of things; we feel separated from the universe and from other people. It is the normal state of the I-central consciousness. But that which we call ‘normal’ is not normal for the universe, because the law states: Everything that is, is of everything else that is. Nothing is of itself alone. All created things are indissolubly united. (WR)

The I-consciousness is clearly not in harmony with the universe and that leads to suffering. I feel disconnected from the whole and follow my own desires. I don’t understand the consequences of my actions. Because of my blindness I hurt and damage other people, the animals, the earth. But… All created things are indissolubly united (WR), and hence I hurt myself. Now I feel sorry for myself and ask ‘why has God created an evil world full of suffering?’ What a fool I am for I created it myself! Unfortunately I am a slow learner and have to pass through many earthly lives to reach some understanding of the law of cause and effect. I start living in a more responsible way; I want to do good. But what is good? If the outer mind sees only separated objects, how can I do good to all that is?

I become silent, silent because of my incapability, my loneliness, my longing for unity and love. The proud man who wanted to conquer the earth is gone now. When the silence of the inevitable, the emptiness of all material things, falls upon me, I ask myself ‘Who am I?’

And the Voice answered, “Thou Art I. I the universal One, am thou who thou art creating in my image.^[8]

Where does this mysterious voice come from? It is the voice of the center, the center of our own being. Rosicrucians call it the Rose. It is the divine idea of who we are, our true Self. Why didn’t I hear this voice before? Because my ears were full with earthly noise, my eyes were filled with illusionary images. When I turn my attention, my desire, to my own center, I open the door to a new world, a universe of light. Now that I opened the gate of my heart, these light forces can enter my bloodstream, my nerve system, and increase the vibration of all the cells in my body. Spiritual light is power, intelligence and love; it executes a divine building plan. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”^[9]

The light forces flow upwards in our body and after the heart, the head is then renewed. Man’s inner Mind is light of high octaves of inspirational, ecstatic thinking. (WR) The inner mind is the spiritual center revealing itself in our head. It is the ‘heavenly heart’. It is the unity between heart and head; now we experience what it is to think in light.

To illustrate that ‘the inner mind of man knows no darkness’ (WR), we present the following quotation:

Furthermore, and this is important, a fiery sign appears, corresponding with the forehead and the crown of the head; it is the third eye. This fiery sign, this flame, covers the cranium from the forehead to the crown. It is the sign of the Son of man of which Revelations 7 speaks. It is not a mystic indication, but a scientific fact. It is the sign of the new-born soul. When a pupil opens his heart to the Gnosis, when the Prana of life enters and mixes with the life fluids, penetrates the head sanctuary and the pupil perseveres and places a guard on his thoughts, this flame begins to manifest itself: the sign of the Son of man, the golden wonder flower (…).

(…) when the third eye — the golden rose — develops, he is able to see in the soul world; so for the awakened soul, darkness needs no longer exist. This seeing is called gnostic intuition. It is the seeing of the soul and the beginning of the new consciousness connected with it, because the center of the third eye is associated with the pineal gland.^[10]

We are aware that even after the passing of a hundred years, the writings of Walter Russell are not easily accessible. We hope that this article is a first little step to unlocking the potential of his work. We believe that his work fits the age of Aquarius in which we are all invited to learn how to think in light.

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^[1] The Egyptian Arch Gnosis 3, XVIII Seek First the Kingdom and Its Righteousness

^[2] The Egyptian Arch Gnosis 2, XLI The restoration of perfect equilibrium

^[3] [PDF] [EPUB] The Universal One Download

[4] The Universal One; Book I – Chapter I – Creation

^[5] Here you can watch an introduction to the more scientific side of Walter Russell’s cosmology.

^[6] The Universal One; Book I – Chapter XV – The Formula of the Locked Potentials

^[7]  The Universal One; Book I – Chapter VIII – A Dimensionless Universe

^[8] The Universal One; Book I – Chapter XIX – Omniscience

^[9] John 2:19

^[10] The Egyptian Arch-Gnosis I, chapter ‘The Sign of the Son of Man’

Part One

I first heard this parable some six or seven years ago.  Since then, it has resurfaced from time to time in conversations – I enjoy retelling it to friends and loved ones.  And when, on Christmas Eve, it came back to me once again, I decided to write it down.

In one of the mountain valleys of China lived an old man.  It was said that his mind was as calm as the surface of a mountain lake: no storm could disturb the reflection of the sky in its depths.  He was not a teacher, had no disciples, and did not seek fame – he simply lived, as those do who have nowhere to hurry.

Later, I learned that this story is often attributed to Bodhidharma (Damo), the first Patriarch of the Chan School, who brought the teaching of direct insight into the essence of being from India to China in the 6th century.  This is not a canonical biography, but a folk parable, shaped over time – a tale of the final and most difficult trial on his path.

The First Trial — Thieves

One night, thieves broke into his dwelling.  The old man, seated in meditation, calmly observed as they carried off his meagre possessions.

“Take everything,” he said in an even, quiet voice. “Just don’t make too much noise.”

Struck by his detachment, the thieves left in confusion.

The Second Trial — Betrayal

Once, returning home, the old man found his neighbour – a young man – with his wife.  He merely gave a slight nod, his expression unchanged.

“Forgive me for disturbing your peace,” he said, and left, as if he had entered the wrong door.

The Third Trial — Exile

His sons, for whom honour and status meant everything, declared:

“You are weak.  You disgrace our family.  Leave.”

“As you wish, my children,” the old man replied calmly.  He bowed, took his staff and his alms bowl, and set off into the mountains, toward a monastery.

The Monastery

The old man arrived at the monastery. He was received, given shelter, and assigned the task of sweeping the courtyard.

He spent his days sweeping the yard, clearing leaves and dust, his movements measured and familiar.  The sweeping became a ritual – a meditation in action.  He was not sweeping stones, but his own mind, and with each stroke it grew emptier and brighter within.  In his free time, he would retreat deeper into the courtyard, sit beneath a tree, and meditate, observing his breath and the movements of the mind.

And in this calm, in a silence that seemed it could last forever, the old man began to notice faint rustlings and subtle movements around him.  Shadows gathered where no thought of anxiety had ever been.  Hints of images appeared, barely discernible in the flickering light – the first harbingers of the Maras.  In Buddhism, as in European and Slavic mythologies, this is the name given to demons that feed on human attachments.

The Attack of the Maras

The Maras began to manifest themselves more clearly, taking on terrifying forms and whispering of the past, trying to distract the old man from his work and meditation.  The old man merely sighed softly, habitually, with each sweep of the broom.

Then they changed their guise, appearing in radiant splendour and proclaiming him the greatest saint of all time, seeking to awaken pride and the thirst for recognition, the old man only smiled inwardly and continued sweeping.

One day, after finishing his work, he sat beneath an old pine tree.  The courtyard was clean.  A light breeze stirred a branch, and a tiny dry twig fell onto the stone at his feet.  A shadow crossed the old man’s face: a small irritation, a barely noticeable preference for order and cleanliness.

The Maras howled in triumph: they had found no passion and no fear, but the most subtle preference – his hidden attachment.  In that very moment, they unleashed a furious storm upon the courtyard, lifting pine needles, dust, and debris into a raging vortex, defiling his flawless work in a matter of seconds.

The old man stepped forward, his hands rising in mute despair.

Inner harmony cracked – no larger than a tiny fallen twig.   He identified with what was happening.
He had lost.

Part Two — Meaning

This story is not about the defeat of Bodhidharma (for according to tradition, the Patriarch did indeed attain his goal).  It reveals the final traps on the path to freedom.  It is precisely this defeat that exposes the most delicate chains binding our ‘self’, and that is why it matters.  Let us examine this more closely.

1. Sons and Wife — Attachment to the World of Forms

The sons personify the social ego: reputation, status, family, honour, public opinion.  The old man releases this easily – he sees these as mere labels, not his essence.  His exile is an act of complete renunciation of social contracts.

The wife and the neighbour symbolize sensual attachment, possession, and jealousy.  The old man does not identify himself with the body or with relationships in their ordinary, worldly sense.

2. Demons (Maras) — The Personification of the Ego-Mind

These are not external beings, but forces of one’s own ignorance:

Fear, aversion, anger (lower demons) – the first obstacles a seeker overcomes.

Pride, craving for recognition, spiritual arrogance – these are more subtle enemies.  The old man passes this test as well, showing that even the idea of one’s own holiness is an illusion.

The final and most elusive demon are the habits of the mind: a mechanical, almost unconscious preference.

3. “The Little Twig” — The Final Anchor of the Self

The final attachment is tiny, barely perceptible – a minute trap of consciousness.  Even after abandoning family, wealth, fear, and pride, the mind contracts into a microscopic point of identification.  It may take the form of:

• Attachment to cleanliness and order.
  • Secret pleasure in one’s own non-attachment.
  • A faint irritation at a sound, a tone, the weather.
  • An unnoticed preference for comfort – silence, taste, ritual.

This ‘twig’ is dangerous because it appears innocent, even virtuous.  Within it hides the final spark of dualism: “I exist here, and this – this twig, this disorder – should not exist in my world”.

4. Hurricane — Life as It Is

Life is unpredictable and uncontrollable.  It constantly disrupts our inner and outer worlds.  The final test is not to preserve calm under ideal conditions, but to remain serene when reality itself interferes with order – and thus, to be truly free.

Conclusion

The story ends not in victory, but in defeat.  Yet this defeat is the greatest teacher.  It calls out:

“Remain vigilant to the very end.  Do not look at the storms – listen to the barely audible whisper within your own soul.  Freedom lies not in purity, but in the complete acceptance of any wind, any twig, any chaos – without inner resistance or personal preference.”

And where is your little twig hidden?