The Continuum of the Presence of Awareness.

The cultivation of kavvanah (concentration) and devekut (passionate cleaving) is essential, for by kavvanah we are empowered to consciously direct and manipulate our experience, the flow of what’s happening, and devekut provides us with the force or energy; these, however, join to the presence of awareness – they generate the presence of awareness, and in turn are powers that we can consciously use through the presence of awareness. Thus, our sojourn to enlightenment and liberation is founded upon these three things: the presence of awareness, kavvanah and devekut – these we cultivate through the spiritual life and daily spiritual practice, and it is through these that the subtle body is transformed into the Body of Light, the Solar Body of the Resurrection.

The most central capacity is this: The development of the presence of awareness throughout all states of consciousness, whether waking consciousness, sleep and dream, or death and the afterlife – hence, the continuum of the presence of awareness.

It is well know among mystics and initiates that sleep and dream, and death and afterlife states, parallel one another – sleep and dream is merely a less intense experience than death and the afterlife because it is measured, and the mind or soul-stream returns to the familiar ground of the same body and life, whereas in death and the afterlife the mind or soul-stream cannot return to the same body and life. Nevertheless, the process of dying, and the experience of death and the afterlife, is basically the same as falling asleep, and the experience of sleep and dream each night – only a vital connection remains between the elements of consciousness or the soul and the body in sleep.

*In this regard, here it must be said, that a near-death experience is not the same as actual death, for although the outer dissolution of the elements of consciousness takes place, the inner dissolution is incomplete and, much like going to sleep, some vital connections remains between the body and soul; hence the soul’s ability to reenter the body.

Now ordinarily, when a person lays down and goes to sleep they fall completely unconscious in the Clear Light dissolution – they fall unconscious in dreamless sleep, for they do not know how to maintain the presence of awareness in a state that is without any reference points, or how to maintain the presence of awareness in the most subtle and sublime state of consciousness; falling unconscious they are unaware of the most subtle stirrings of consciousness as it begins to arise as a dream, and arising in the dream, having fallen unconscious, they forget that they are asleep and dreaming. Thus, the dream becomes an arising of impure elements of consciousness, assuming a form according to the karmic conditioning of the mind or soul-stream, and arising in dualism, apart from the presence of awareness, it is as though pre-scripted, and nothing can be changed; the dream carries them where it carries them, as though fated, and they can do nothing about it, whether luminous or shadowy, until the dream runs its course. If and when the presence of awareness dawns in dream, then to the degree that the presence of awareness dawns, there is lucidity, and more or less the dream may be transformed and consciously directed, all based upon the degree or kavvanah and devekut, and the power of the creative imagination. If and when the presence of awareness dawns in dreamless sleep, and can be maintained through the subtle stages of the arising of dream, the transformation and conscious direction of dream can be even more radical in effect; potentially, dream can be consciously generated, as well as consciously dissolved, a true illumination and liberation in sleep and dream. This capacity, of course, is entirely dependent upon the spiritual life and practice which creates the necessary conditions for this to occur.

The same is true of the arising of the afterlife states from the black path of death (cessation) – the initial arising of the radiance of the Clear Light, the five Essential Lights of the pure primordial elements, and the peaceful, wrathful and blissful palaces, these are the subtle levels of the arising of the soul in the afterlife states, which, generally speaking, because souls fall unconscious in death as in dreamless sleep, souls are completely unaware of (or in the arising of the magical display of the palaces souls become overwhelmed by them); this initial arising, and the potential recognition and realization in it, is completely dependent upon the spiritual life and practice. Typically speaking, as in dream, souls arising in the afterlife having forgotten that they have died, and so they arise in the in-between of ghosts, unaware that they are dead, and are compelled by their karmic continuum towards the experience of the life review or judgment, and all that follows, as though fated. If, however, the spiritual life and practice – faith, has been an integral part of their previous incarnation, then the presence of awareness or lucidity may dawn, and the afterlife experience may be transformed and consciously directed, something very similar to the capacity of lucid dream.

Now something similar is possible in waking consciousness, in the life and this world, for with the generation of the presence of awareness, kavvanah and devekut, and actual recognition and realization of the non-dual truth, wonders may transpire, which is to say that the flow of what’s happening may be transformed and consciously directed, more or less – potentially radical changes can be brought about, as we witness with wonders great adepts and masters have performed, such as with Yeshua and Mirya and true apostles. All of this is dependent, however, upon the presence of awareness, and the recognition and realization of the non-dual that becomes possible through the presence of awareness; with the non-dual realization, through kavvanah and devekut, all manner of transformations or wonders are possible, whether in the midst of waking consciousness, dream or the afterlife just the same. The only distinction in terms of waking consciousness and the realms, worlds and universes of the entirety is that they are a collective arising of the innumerable mind or soul-streams incarnate in them; thus the changes or wonders that may be wrought are measured and more restricted in the material dimension and material world than in the more subtle inner dimensions corresponding to dream and the afterlife, for in the material dimension the magical display is cocreated, unlike much of dream and the afterlife which is largely the magical or radiant display of a single mind or soul-stream.

*Even before full recognition and realization of the non-dual nature of reality, through the power of kavvanah and devekut wonders can and do transpire, for they create the necessary conditions for Divine Grace to move with, in and through us.

In this regard we may ponder the intention behind the miracles or wonders Adonai Yeshua performed, some of which were very radical transformations, for on the one hand he certainly did intend to demonstrate that he was the Messiah or Christ – the Human One of Light, the Awakened One; but yet more, on the other hand, he was demonstrating the true nature of the reality of our experience, whether in this life, or in dream and the afterlife – that it is all a radiant display of mind, inseparable from the mind, consciousness or soul. Thus, his intention was also to reveal the potential power of this realization in us. It is for this reason that Yeshua Messiah could say, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I’m going to the Father” (John 14:12).

Having spoken of the generation of awareness, and the cultivation of kavvanah and devekut, and of the recognition and realization of the non-dual truth; if the reality of our experience is a radiant or magical display of our own mind, consciousness or soul, and it exists in a constant continuum of transformation or change, then so also is our experience of consciousness – the mind or consciousness is ever in flux or change, though in its essence and nature, it’s ground or empty nature, it does not change. Thus, through the presence of awareness, kavvanah and devekut, rather than leave the mind to the habitual patterns of the unconsciousness – karmic conditioning, we can consciously transform and direct thoughts and emotions, and words and deeds, and in so doing bring about changes in the reality of our experience, more or less, depending upon our capacity and the circumstances.

In terms of the recognition of impermanence, or things in constant flux – this means that in the midst of change, the change or transformation may be directed or altered; within certain parameters, anything can potentially be transformed to become anything else – in fact, everything exists in a process of becoming something else or everything else, and the very existence of any single thing is completely interdependent and interconnected with everything else in existence.

Such transformation, however, assumes a process of dissolution into emptiness or no-thingness to arise in a new form, a new appearance. As an example, in the midst of the transformation of water into wine, the water had to be brought into the void, the no-thingness, and from that void the wine was drawn out by the intention of Adonai Yeshua.

Would such a capacity be helpful at the time of death – the time of the most radical transformation, and most radical possibilities? Yes, indeed it would – for perchance we can learn to remain lucid, aware, in the midst of the emptiness, the void, the no-thingness, for then full illumination and liberation become possible, non-dual realization. If not lucid in the void, then maybe we will experience lucidity in the arising, somewhere along the way, and be able to redirect and transform what’s happening, upgrading it, as it were, and so upgrading our soul, drawing it in ascent.

Naturally, whatever is helpful in the process of dying is helpful in the process of living, and visa-versa; the development of the presence or awareness, kavvanah and devekut apply to all states of consciousness, and through them in any mode consciousness might assumes may be upgraded and amazing wonders can transpire, not the least of which is true spiritual love and compassion, and the experience of the depth of peace and height of joy – our soul’s true fulfillment.