A HIGHER ASPECT OF CONTEMPLATION

A mystic once said, If any one saw God and understood what he
saw, then it was not God that he saw, but something that belongs
to Him.(1) ome mystics contem!late the formless God and others
meditate on the forms that God ta"es, but the wise mystic "nows
that the unmanifested and un"nown God is beyond both. #$en the
formless God is an idea created in our own mind as an archety!al
ideal to hel! us describe an un"nown God, obscure, remote, and
outside of us, that remains an abstract thought in our mind.
%he last statement re$eals that both the $isible and in$isible God
ta"e e&ternal a!!earances so that our own thoughts and feelings
about these irrational and abstract ideas are rendered more rational
and concrete for our intellect. 'or these reasons, abstract thoughts
ac(uire different forms and remain concealed in $arious archety!al
symbols in our conce!tual world. %herefore, all !hiloso!hies and
belief systems may be nothing more than com!le& and interesting
conce!ts created to hel! us understand our relationshi! with an
un"nowable God
)e should add that our conce!tual world and e$erything in it hel!
us to enli$en our s!irit. In fact, the language of our conce!tual
world is an intuiti$e language coming from the !syche. %hese ideal
models are indeed meaningful and significant to sincere see"ers of
truth since all images and re!resentations of an in$isible and
un"nown God within their !syche ser$e a *i$ine !ur!ose. In truth,
these symbolic images are designed to attract, enchant, enra!ture
and $itali+e our !assion and ardor towards our own source or
,enter of -ure .eing that is the un"nown God
/uysbroec", a 'lemish mystic, once e&!ressed a similar idea0 God
de$ours us and feeds us at the same time. 1ow, we could add, All
the a!!earances that the un"nown God ta"es on for us, with or
without form, are still godly and holy guises, and thus are
!rofoundly significant and meaningful to the one recei$ing these
im!ressions, since all of God2s e&!ressions enli$en and e&cite the
soul of man
)e could further add, Any conce!t we ha$e of God, e$en a most
intricate and abstract one encom!assing the idea of the 3oid, will
still remain !ersonal and, therefore, e$en this idea of the 3oid will
still reflect and e&ternali+e an idea we ha$e of it. Hence, the conce!t
of the 3oid will, in itself, be a reflection of one of God2s faces or
guises, com!atible with our own le$el of understanding.
o, what does this mean4 im!ly that any image or face that you
may ma"e of the *i$ine still remains a creation of your own
thoughts and feelings, and hence will be rooted in your ego. %hat is
why all thoughts and ideas you ha$e of an un"nown God will always
belong to the world of duality, meaning that the world in which
e$erything that you concei$e and feel is first !ro5ected outside of
you so that your intellect can recogni+e and absorb it. %his is why
!ro5ections of s!iritual ideas are actually reflections coming from
your conce!tual world, drawing you bac" towards your own inner
center.
)e can now better understand how God2s *i$ine guises reflect in
our own being so as to harmoni+e, endear and unite our ego with
God2s own ,enter of Immanence and -resence. All the images and
as!ects that God may ta"e in our imagination will be re!resented by
a multitude of symbols concei$ed !sychically and mentally in the
world of duality in which ego !re$ails. %hrough these inner
attractions and enticements, ego is also in$ited to 5oin in, after its
transmutation and absor!tion into the ,enter of -ure .eing.
,onse(uently, we see that it2s im!ossible for us to 5um! suddenly
from a world of duality into a world of -ure .eing. )e "now that the
6aw of *uality go$erns man2s daily life, which is the law of
obser$er7obser$ed. .y "ee!ing oursel$es in that state of se!aration
and di$ision, we !ersist unconsciously in "ee!ing oursel$es a!art
from our own ,enter of -ure .eing. o, if we focus solely on the
e&ternal rather than going within oursel$es to our ,enter of -ure
.eing, we will find it im!ossible to find that ,enter, since the
!resence of the un"nown God is the same center as our ,enter of
-ure .eing
THE SEED WITHIN..
o, what are we saying4
im!ly that any descri!tion we may ha$e of God, be it
contem!lati$e or otherwise, with or without form, belongs to a
world of duality where ob5ect and sub5ect, obser$er and obser$ed,
challenge each other incessantly. Howe$er, to hel! us o$ercome this
entra!ment, God, with His unlimited wisdom, uses our imagination
to o!en before us the gates of the conce!tual world that ser$es as a
bridge to lin" the world of duality to the world of wholeness and
unity.
Howe$er, these two o!!osite !oles8duality and wholeness8
harmoni+e in a neutral +one within our being, a state of !eace and
silence in which the un"nown !resence of God resides as a seed
within our !syche. All ty!es of meditation guide us towards this
+one, and teach us to gradually blend our consciousness with the
,osmic ,onsciousness residing in the seed
God Is The Consciousness of the Present Moment
)hen you are in touch with your ,enter of -ure .eing, you learn to
wea$e and surf $ia the subtle and sublime energies e&isting within
that intimate center. .y this s!iritual and subtle !rocess, your ego is
attracted to your ,enter of -ure .eing. %hen, an indescribable le$el
of consciousness o!ens u!, harmoni+ing and blending your ego with
your ,enter of -ure .eing to fulfill /uysbroec"2s, God de$ours us
and feeds us at the same time.
9our body is indeed your tem!le, so by blending your ego with your
,enter of -ure .eing, your tem!le becomes holy. As a result of
these transformations, you are made a !erfect witness to your own
awa"ening since, from that moment, your consciousness enters a
new dimension, your ego no longer li$ing a se!arate e&istence. 9ou
are reborn, twice:born, and your will effortlessly e&!resses God2s
will in the miracle of your ordinary, e$eryday life.
-lease note that the words He or Him are not used to im!ly
gender but rather to sim!lify the te&t. Gender e&ists only in a world
of duality, and ,onsciousness and .eing are beyond them
%he tender and lo$ing ;'aces; or guises of the *i$ine that the
<n"nown God chooses to ta"e for our understanding touch us
dee!ly, enticing and !ulling us gradually inwards behind the in$isible
$eils of our !syche, to gi$e us the o!!ortunity of bringing change
and metamor!hosis in our consciousness with a whole range of !ure
and unta!!ed energies. %his is done to hel! us li$e life more
intensely and earnestly. Hence, ignorance and narrow:mindedness
and bigotry gradually $anish from our minds. %hese s!ecific
mystical e&!eriences also bring about something different,
something indescribable but crucial and im!ortant. )e could e$en
go as far as to say that the whole s!iritual !rocess is to hel! us
reach a certain le$el, and this le$el is a center within oursel$es and
yet it is also beyond oursel$es since this center is nowhere and
e$erywhere at the same time= )hat do we mean.
.The Hallow Faces f GD
)e are here, immersed in the heart of >mni!resence. %hese
hallowed ;'aces; are symbolic images reflecting the <n"nown God2s
-resence in us, they often $ary and ta"e different e&!ressions
according to different religions. )e could say, that they lea$e their
im!rints in our !syche, and through them gradually we are shown
our way bac" to the ,enter of God?s >mni!resence. %hese ;'aces;
or ;Guises; are dee!ly !ersonal infusing directly our soul with the
intimate (ualities of God2s infinite 6o$e and )isdom. ,onse(uently,
through this secret and sacred ;'ace to face; encounter, a hallowed
merging occurs, a union of man with God2s Image, which we can
refer to as a ;3eil;. <sually these di$ine ;'aces; lea$e us with a
strong im!ression that transform us for e$er. )ith these intimate
contacts, we are re5u$enated and a new world a!!ears in and
around us. %hings start to loo" (uite different from all angles and
yet nothing really changes from the e&terior.
)e are the ones that change because only consciousness can mo$e
and change the energies in and around us. It is indeed
consciousness that harmoni+es, blends and transforms our
!erce!tions. @an on all his !lanes of manifestations and in all his
different as!ects, is made of !ure energy. Hence the same law
affects his intellect and his emotions. In other words, it affects his
ego self, and his indi$iduality. *ifferent s!iritual energies !our into
our !syche all the time, but we remain unaware of them until a
direct mystical e&!erience brings us ;'ace to face; with an as!ect of
the <n"nown God, which re$eals and reflects in us our own angelic
nature. %his is interesting since it shows us that unless we loo" into
the mirror of our own !urified heart, we will ne$er be sensiti$e and
change into our own angelic essence.
! P"tha#orean Sa"in#
A -ythagorean way of saying the same thing would be0 it is only
after we coo!erate in the !urification !rocess of our !syche that the
muses !our u!on us their gifts. 9es, indeed, it is only afterwards,
that we can recei$e these ineffable and transcendent gifts. )e
should !onder on what this means, and consider that with each
*i$ine ;'ace; emerging from within the dar"ness of our own
unconsciousness a new le$el of consciousness a!!ears in the light of
our conscious mind. A new ;'ace; manifests Itself within our heart.
)e are using the word ;'ace; to em!hasi+e the fact that to
understand something s!iritual, man must !ro5ect or recei$e an
image, e$en if this image reflects an abstract idea ... he must be
mo$ed and e&cited from within by what he seesA be enthralled and
aroused intellectually by it, so as to attract to himself and learn to
blend with one of the di$ine 'aces.
)hat is meant by this statement is difficult to e&!lain, since each
di$ine 'A,# re!resents a le$el of consciousness. Hence, for a mystic
such an e&!erience means that his !syche is about to, or has
blended already with one of the <n"nown God?s, emanations. )e
could call the <n"nown God, ;the ,lear 6ight;, ;the ource;, or use
any e&!ression or wording that e&!resses our own understanding of
this un"nown -/##1,# within our own ,enter of being= we should
allow oursel$es to be magnetically !ulled in by the di$ine 'A,# that
attracts our !syche. )e are o!enly saying here, that no man can
!ercei$e the <n"nown God ;face to 'ace; sim!ly because the God
we are trying to describe is the0 <1,/#A%#* 6IGH% : %H#
I@@A,<6A%# -/##1,# : >' -</# .#I1G.
%here is a hidden -ath o!ening u! from within a disci!le and this
-ath belongs to his inner and di$ine elf. %o unfold the !ath of
initiation, and tread on it consciously, the mystic must desire with
all his heart to succeed in his Buest and !erse$ere until the end of
the !rocess. %his means until the end of his incarnation...and when
the time comes and he is ;ri!e; to let the *i$ine 6ight a!!ear in
him, this #nergy will ta"e the most a!!ro!riate *i$ine ;'ace; for
him, to attract and transform him with 6>3# from within his being.
%o recei$e such di$ine gift, he must first learn to let go and discard
his old ego !atterns, his old ;faces; and models, so as to be able to
be reborn anew
Indeed it is true to say that as !ersonalities, we do change and with
those changes our traits change too. As we !urify our !syche from
the com!licated ;stories; and ;e&cuses; that we ma"e u!, we enter
slowly into a new:world, un$eiling subtly a *i$ine ;'ace; : an
a!!ro!riate one that corres!onds to our !ersonal need of the
moment. %his *i$ine 'ace !ro5ects an im!rint into our own face li"e
a hologram= and in this way our le$el of consciousness is affected
by these subtle energies and as a conse(uence of these delicate
o!erations, our traits and attitudes soften and mature. %hey
become more beautiful, and therefore more attracti$e and magnetic
)e also understand howe$er, that there is an im!ortant s!iritual
wor" going on within our !syche. %hese are subtle alchemical
o!erations that must remain sealed in the dar"ness of an inner
;cocoon; for our own !rotection. If we are to be called mystics or
disci!les, our first ste! on this !ath is to learn to >.#/3#
oursel$es. Generally, man finds e&cuses to co$er his own mista"es,
faults, wea"nesses. %his is disastrous to someone who wishes to call
himself a mystic since it is only on that le$el of s!irituality that a
disci!le will learn to let go of his egotistic !atterns and e&!erience
what is meant ;to $anish com!letely into the ,enter of God2s
>@1I->%#1,#, >@1I-/##1,#, and >@1I,I#1,#;.
%his ,enter is the ,enter of -</# .#I1G and is also called the
<1,/#A%#* 6IGH%. ,onse(uently, we understand that one must
desire to climb the ladder of 6ight within himself so as to reach
higher le$els of ,onsciousness. >ne does that guided by the
ins!iration, im!ulses and gifts gi$en to him through the H>69
-I/I%.
..
)e understand therefore, that before one is able to ac(uire the
a!!ro!riate le$el of consciousness which allows one to recei$e the
ins!iration and guidance of the di$ine wisdom, one must first free
oneself of all the chains and fetters of the ego. >ne must be
!re!ared to embrace the different emanations and (ualities
embodied0 the di$ine ;'aces; of the uncreated God... %his means
that each *i$ine 'ace embodies in Itself a di$ine #C-/#I>1, and
B<A6I%9, as each ;'ace; !urifies, and transforms the ego into a
more refined e&!ression. Howe$er, to reach the center of the
<ncreated 6ight one has to abandon at a certain !oint of his 5ourney
all the di$ine As!ects letting go of e$erything including the most
s!iritual gift recei$ed by the Holy !irit. Hence by first embracing
one by one all the di$ine (ualities of the un"nown God, the disci!le
has at the end of his Buest to ;return; them bac" to the ource, to
the ,enter of the <ncreated 6ight of .#I1G. 'rom that le$el of
,osmic ,onsciousness, he abandons them one by one releasing
them into the ource. It is only then, that the ,enter of the
<ncreated God?s >mni!resence in the disci!le becomes acti$e..
-onder and contem!late on what is meant by this statement...
In the same conte&t of what we 5ust said, I would li"e to ma"e a
!oint on the im!ortance of s!iritual !sychology since the world of
the ;obser$er; and the ;obser$ed; belong to it. !iritual !sychology
teach us to be 3igilant, Alert and ,onscious of our own mista"es,
faults, and wea"nesses. )e all create around us a !ersonal
;%>/9;, meaning that we s"ilfully ma"e u! e&cuses for our own
shortcomings, accusing others, or blaming instead of loo"ing
ob5ecti$ely into our own cynicism. )e should understand that faults
are in themsel$es distortions of (ualities. 'or e&am!le0 com!assion
and lo$e can turn out to become 5alousie or hatred, but what
concerns us s!ecially here is the fact that s!iritual awa"ening
cannot ha!!en unless we become conscious of our own !atterns
and ha$e a strong need to change them.
The $oles f Ima#ination
%he role that our I@AGI1A%I>1 !lays in the creation of s!iritual and
sacred Ideas is $ery im!ortant. %hrough these ideas we create
mental images and sacred ;'aces;, gi$ing form to the formless God.
)e could say that the role or mission that our imagination ta"es for
us is to ma"e ;$isible; and ;understandable; different
manifestations of un"nown, uncreated, unmanifested im!ulses
o, as we ha$e said, before we can ha$e an ;idea; and gi$e
meaning to what God is for us, e$en if the idea is an abstract one it
will still remain in a world of duality where God and us humans
remain se!arate. Hence, we understand by this statement that to
a!!roach the <n"nown God or the ,lear 6ight we ha$e first to
recogni+e and be ;!enetrated; by His *i$ine ;'ace;, in other words
by His *i$ine #manations= His di$ine Bualities... and we recei$e
these im!ulses only when we are ready and well !re!ared.
Howe$er, this !rocess is indeed a life long s!iritual !ro5ect that
demands our entire dedication. %his !ro5ect com!rises the
!urification of our astral and mental bodies and a sim!lification of
the way we li$e. %hat is why a wise mystic "nows that God is nearer
to him than he is to himself= and therefore, God is a better Dudge
of his !ersonal needs=
.!lotinus.com