Internal equanimity and suspension of thought is the prerequisite for meditation: a state of perception that is inaccessible to ordinary senses. When the mind is silent, serene, and receptive, the consciousness awakens to its authentic divine reality. To acquire experiential knowledge of heavenly mysteries, the body, heart, and mind must be put to rest while our Essence, the innate capacity to perceive, gains greater stability, penetration, and focus upon its object. In this way, the consciousness stabilizes, sustains, and understands the significance of any given phenomenon with lucidity.
While global crises intensely afflict humanity, there exist proven and effective practices for the transformation of suffering into penetrative wisdom and lasting happiness. Such methods were taught within the heart of all great meditative and spiritual traditions. Learn how to experience freedom from psychological conditions of mind, not only to elevate your level and quality of being, but that of others.
Gnosis is the conscious experience of fundamental truths without reliance upon concept, theory, or belief. By expanding the potential range of our perception, the Gnostic student verifies the essential principles within every religion and spiritual tradition. Discover the practical purpose of Gnosticism: the application of effective techniques for transforming suffering and acquiring personal knowledge of the divine.
All meditative traditions emphasize the necessity of spiritual retreat: temporarily leaving behind the distractions of modern society to cultivate a rich internal life. This is with the express purpose of developing enough stability of concentration and clarity of perception so as to effectively deal with the problem of suffering. Through studying and applying effective techniques and the principles of meditation, the practitioner learns how to refine and perfect their spirituality.
“Whosoever wants to die in the Lord must wash their feet in the waters of renunciation.” —Samael Aun Weor, The Aquarian Message
To ascend to higher levels of being, meditators must renounce inferior behaviors that produce the conditioning of the consciousness. To experience internal states of liberation, spiritual practitioners should fulfill the causes of their fruition: virtuous actions born from comprehension and understanding. Renunciation is the key to mystical aspiration, since it signifies the abandonment of suffering’s causes and the embodiment of genuine religious principles through adherence to divine law.
"And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you [for the cause of Allah] and the patient, and We will test your affairs." —Qur'an 47:31
The spiritual path is realized through psychological work upon the lower soul: nafs, defects, vices, or egos. By comprehending desires, the practical meditator develops genuine effort to affect profound transformations, defined by states of vivid intensity, clarity, awareness, and serenity. In this way, the consciousness wages a holy war against the internal causes of suffering, solely equipped with the weapons of intelligence, patience, equanimity, and compassion.
Repentance, as the first state and station of the spiritual path, is the doorway to enter genuine knowledge of divine reality. Rather than constituting a stale moral code to adhere to through blind obedience, repentance is the conscience and remorse of the consciousness when recognizing its own faults. Through acknowledging mistakes, the meditator can practically work towards their elimination from the psyche, so as to achieve internal purification and clarified perception of the truth.
Divinity's presence is personal, conscious, and intimate to each practitioner. While some have experienced glimpses of their innermost Being, few know how to practically develop and sustain such profound states on a daily basis. Meditation is the direct perception of reality without conditions, yet to maintain and deepen such a connection requires that the meditator abandon forgetfulness, distractions, and dreams.
Everything in nature functions in accordance with rhythms, tempos, ebbs, and flows. The same with the consciousness. Through concentrating one's attention on internal states and expanding one's awareness of external phenomena, meditators learn to access a significant range of their conscious potential. By comprehending how consciousness can both focus and amplify our understanding, we establish a foundation for overcoming the psychological causes of affliction.
"And by the night as it closes in, and by the dawn when it breathes..." ―Qur'an 81:17-18
Breath is an essential dynamic in every mystical tradition, especially Sufism. By combining breath with spiritual longing, aspiration, and conscious love, the practitioner elevates solar or creative forces from within one's sexual organs, up the spine, to illuminate the mind. In this manner, meditators master the three types of soul in the Qur'an, so as to acquire perfect serenity and illumination.
