Spiritual alchemy

We have often heard about the Hermetic principle: “As above so below”. This phrase has a very special meaning to the student of mysticism, with an understanding of the duality of man. On the one side man is seen as an essential being with a deep inner life experience and on the other side man has an existential presence in the material world.  A complete life experience requires from man to experience his existential self as well as to rise in his consciousness to be open to the impressions from his essential being. In gaining knowledge man must imagine the Eternal Source of All and observe how it manifest in his existential world through meditation. Equally important is that man must also contemplate on his inner world and apply what he observes to develop a generalised understanding of the Eternal Source. Experience is the light that shines on the inner world and gives it a dimension of life while meditation on the Eternal Source provides another dimension to life. Spiritual alchemy in its practical form is a constructivistic approach of uniting these to view points to gain a true understanding of phenomena experience in this life. In this manner the mystic endeavours to unite science and spirituality on the one side and art and philosophy on the other side.  From the Eternal Source we receive the influx of life force and in the existential world we experience the impressions of spirit, the material world. Both Life Force and Spirit is required to acquire the wisdom that will see that the All is in all and the all is in All. When that observation becomes apparent then the maxim: “What is above is below” reaches a new level of meaning for the student of mysticism, with many practical applications.

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The key to spiritual group work

A spiritual or mystical group working together provides the opportunity for interrelationships between many types of people. When personalities enter into conflict with one another, that conflict must be properly resolved without delay. Membership of a group is a privilege not a right. A group, striving towards the ideal of benefiting each member of the group, must sustain harmony, peace and a constructive loving environment  through their thought and conduct.

The ultimate aim of the group is to create opportunities for each member to develop themselves and to unlock their full potential. Those who take up leadership within a group must exert a strong central, dignified, creative and inspiring influence over the group.  The group should become a place where each person can share ideas and concerns, ever mindful of the dignity that should always be characteristic of constructive group work. The group should assemble to encourage true communication, sharing and caring as well as the search for creative ways to move forward into greater areas of attainment in the group.

Group activities must provide for the greater expression of our creative minds. A group is a place where members can feel safe and comfortable in expressing their most sensitive and spiritual ideals. The group must aspire to be a community where participation meets the needs of each member for their progress no matter how little it may be. A group should strive to hold a variety of creative and inspiring activities in addition to mission driven activities. The group should continually envisage itself working towards high goals, continually seeking to expand the group’s mental and spiritual horizons.

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Inspired by: Rosicrucian Ideals – The key to group work by RE Daniels

The esoteric aspect of group affiliation

A mystic is free to follow the path he/she sees fit through the journey of life. However the mystic will naturally seek the most efficient path for his/her nature to follow. The correct path differs from person to person. A basic principle is that the path for each individual will be unique and personal for each experience consciousness of God in a different manner. The lone practitioner working on his own can achieve much, like a falcon in the air he might fly a bit higher than others and be stronger because he has no one else to rely on. However the falcon does not migrate and keep watch over a vast area. Birds that migrate knows that the distance they want to cover fast can not be done alone they need to fly in formation each using the slipstream of the bird in front.  If one of the flock decides to go on his own, he will soon discover that the resistance of the air works against him and no matter how strong he is he will fall behind. In this case there are efficiency in the group that can not be attained by the individual bird. Using this image as a reference point I pondered if mystical development works in a similar manner.

How does the mystical life of a mystic functioning in a group compare with that of the mystic that work as hard as a solitary practitioner? From a Bennett perspective this is a dyad where neither the one or the other is the answer but once again it is the movement between the two states. The mystic that wants to fully benefit must resonate between group work and individual work. Constant focus on either extreme will be detrimental. The lone flyer will become strong but bound while the flock flyer will cover great distance but can easily fall prey to the weakness of always flying at the back.

Choice of group is a critical choice for the mystic for not every group is the same. Each group has a unique rhythm and where there is not central rhythm the group offers very little to the individual. A group of individuals offer no more value than a lone flyer. In fact cooperation of the lone flyer within a group that is scattered and undisciplined will work to the disadvantage of the lone flyer. When one joins a group it is important that one can fully integrate with the ethos and base nature of the group. Whatever one does in a personal capacity must be put aside for a while to become fully cognizant of the group. The group rhythm will ultimately have an impact on the individual. A mystic must look for a group where the rhythm is strong, steady and exemplary. Only such a group can lead to a harmony and balance that can be felt on the physical, emotional and mental planes. If the individual experience disharmony either the individual must adjust or the group might not be the right type of group for that specific individual. Groups of esoteric awareness however is a factor less in number than the individual that makes up the group. Often the change has to come from the individual to adjust to the group rhythm to benefit from group association.

In the esoteric group focused on mysticism, knowledge of self is of equal importance to knowledge of  those with whom they work with in a group. The group can not impose that the individual sacrifice integrity. The individual is at all times responsible to live in accordance to the sensitivities of his/her conscience for if you do not live in accordance to your conscience the group can not add value. But where the conscience is not challenged the individual must align his/her own consciousness to that of the group. This is how group and individual forces are balanced both within the group and within the individual. Within the group however all the individuals must make some adjustment towards the central group rhythm for united action within the group.

It is needless to say that for each individual it will be a personal challenge to make the required adjustment. As the group is made up of individuals, each adjustment made by the individual implies and adjustment by the group as a whole. The guideline to the individual is to honor own conscience while being conscious of the group and for the group to apply the collective consciousness to accomplish that which the collective conscience calls for. Both consciousness and conscience is amplified through group participation. A member must prepare himself through all the resources available to him in his individual circumstance to develop the inner balance that will assist him/her to bring balance to the group itself.

When a balanced and strong rhythm is gained within and it is amplified by group rhythm new depths of mystical experience is available to the individual through the group. The individual attracted to such a group will already have accumulated maturity through patience and a life deeply lived and by cultivating an awareness of what it means to strive to life fully. As a group member the individual gains access to a collective experience beyond the limitations of the individual self for such a group rhythm ensures the manifestation of cosmic forces on a different scale.

Unity in diversity brings rhythm and amplitude inflating both conscience sensitivity and conscious awareness.

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