There is a world that lies beyond darkness and pain, a world untouched by fear. It is a world of immense beauty, one that offers a different kind of knowledge from that of the rational mind. It is a gentle, peaceful world, powerful beyond measure.
Most of us have experienced this world without realising it: in the light of the setting sun; when peace comes without warning; feeling at one with the mountains and trees. We experience this world not because it exists outside, but because it is within us. It is the world of the soul. Soul is our essence, our true nature. It´s what we are.
The soul arises deep within the body, in the lower part of the abdomen just below the navel. Inside the body, there is a hollow space that runs from the lower part of the abdomen and up through the centre of the body all the way to the head. The soul moves up and down this hollow space inside the body. Although the soul resides inside the body it is not part of the body. The soul is separate, extending outwards far beyond the body. The soul has no form, no substance. It has no mind, no body, no beliefs, thoughts, emotions. It has no beginning, it has no end. It is beyond space. It is timeless.
The soul is light. The light of the soul shows itself in different ways, and while the appearance of the light can vary, the variations are all from the same source, the soul.
Sometimes, the light is experienced as a warm, golden glow that radiates outwards, extending far beyond the body. As such, it is a `beyond the body’ experience. The personal boundaries that we are used to, ie, the mind and the body, disappear, and the light, which is our essence, is boundless, endless. Here, in the golden glow of the soul, there is no mental activity. Thoughts and emotions cease to exist; the body ceases to exist. It is exquisitely beautiful, and peaceful.
Other times, the light is white. White light is intense, and enormously powerful, so powerful that it can be frightening when we experience it for the first time. It can appear as a vertical shaft of light. It can also appear as a band of light that moves from side to side in a wave-like fashion.
Sometimes, the light appears as a cluster of small silver lights that are close together but not quite touching each other. The silver lights shimmer and are beautiful to look at. These small, shimmering lights reflect our essence back at us.
The light of the soul can also appear as crystal clear light. Crystal clear light is like glass, except that it is clearer, shinier. It has a sharp-edged clarity and is extremely powerful. The light radiates out from within us, extending over large distances and making everything we look upon crystal clear and exquisitely beautiful.
In addition to showing us true beauty, crystal clear light gives us inner vision. Inner vision is the ability to see, not with the eyes, but from the soul. Inner vision offers us a different perspective on ourselves, others, and the world.
We see beauty that we don´t normally see. We see this beauty in our own face and in the faces of others. We see it in the movement of the body, a finger, an arm. We see it in nature: in the sky, when the sun rises and sets, by a lake, by the sea, in the mountains, the forests, among the trees. Not only do we see this beauty, this light, everywhere, but when we see it, we also experience it because this beauty, this light, is what we are.
We see clearly in relation to all aspects of our lives. We see others as they really are, not as we imagine them to be. We see the world as it really is.
We see the precise nature of a challenge, or problem. We also see helpful approaches or solutions that we wouldn’t otherwise see.
The light of the soul is not only beautiful and peaceful to experience. It is also immensely powerful, more powerful than we could ever imagine.
The soul is aware. The kind of awareness I´m talking about is distinct. I call it pure awareness.
Pure awareness is pure essence: it is the absence of a personal identity, the absence of mental activity, the body, time and space. There is only awareness: light and airy, expansive, endless, free.
As pure awareness, there is nothing between us and the world round us. We are in direct contact with the world, and others. As pure awareness, we don´t focus on details; we don´t see separation. We see only wholeness. This kind of `seeing´ is beautiful, peaceful, serene.
Pure awareness does not reflect upon itself, does not control itself, is not governed by laws. There is nothing in the physical world that can affect pure awareness or alter it in any way at all.
As pure awareness, we know where we are and what we´re doing in each and every moment. We know what to do and when to do it without having to think.
The experience of pure awareness is one of feeling free, airy, of having no substance at all. The ’I’ person ceases to exist: there is no mental or emotional activity, the body is gone. Pure awareness is all there is: calmness, peacefulness, serenity.
As pure awareness, we are acutely aware of where we are, and what we’re doing at each and every moment. Not only are we at the core of the body, but we are at the core of life itself. We are life itself.
Pure awareness is constant timeless, eternal. It extends far beyond the physical body. As such, pure awareness is not an `out of body’ experience, it is a `beyond the body’ experience.
Because pure awareness is separate from the mind, nothing we think, say or do can affect it. Pure awareness does not reflect upon itself, does not control itself, is not governed by laws. It is the absence of all our imaginings. There is no fear, no stress, there are no emotional wounds.
Nothing in the physical, mental or emotional world that can affect pure awareness, or alter it in any way. This is where true freedom lies, in the beautiful, peaceful, yet powerful space that is pure awareness. It is from here that possibilities arise, that healing occurs, that our most heartfelt dreams come true.
The soul is an infinite source of knowledge, knowledge that the mind does not have access to; knowledge that the mind is not able to grasp. I refer to it as inner knowing. Inner knowing is prior to thought. We know `what is’ before it takes form as a thought in our mind. But while inner knowing tells us tells us `what is’, it doesn’t give us the details about how, when or where a specific thing will come about. Inner knowing is simply a knowing `of´ the thing itself. And that knowing, in itself, is enough.
The soul represents interconnectedness. At a deep level, there is a vast and intricate network where the soul is connected with everyone and everything at the very core of life. This interconnectedness of the soul is unaffected by time, and space.
The soul is constant, timeless, eternal.
It is the divine expression of love.
More to come…