Chicago Gnosis Podcast

Sufi Principles of Meditation 16 Awareness, Unveiling, and Witnessing

Divinity communicates through the language of symbols, metaphors, and scriptural allegories. However, the methods to interpret and decipher such codes are found within the study and application of three essential principles: Imagination: the perception or awareness of non-physical imagery, Inspiration: the joyful recognition or unveiling of divine symbolism, and Intuition: the contemplation or witnessing of its meaning. Discover how the Sufis and Gnostics practically advance within these three degrees of inner mystical experience.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/awareness-unveiling-and-witnessing

Sufi Principles of Meditation 15 Certainty and Insight

Many people attempt meditation but are not able to discriminate what they perceive. Fortunately, there are extensive teachings and traditions that explain the degrees of meditative certainty: how one knows what is known based upon repeated, verifiable, and sustainable facts. Learn how to master the power of insight into specific problems, situations, and conditions of mind, gaining confidence in truth born from experience.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/certainty-and-insight

 

Sufi Principles of Meditation 14 Remembrance

Realizing the most elevated truths is based on recollecting the divine presence within. While elusive, mysterious, and perplexing to the mind, remembrance of divinity possesses distinct qualities and characteristics that are unique, definable, and recognizable to the consciousness. Not only that, but there are proven techniques to deepen these inner states. Learn how through the Sufi and Gnostic wisdom.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/remembrance

Sufi Principles of Meditation 13 Silence and Serenity

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.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/silence-and-serenity

Sufi Principles of Meditation 12 Retreat and Seclusion

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.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/retreat-and-seclusion

Sufi Principles of Meditation 11 Renunciation

“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.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/renunciation

 

Sufi Principles of Meditation 10 Striving

"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.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/striving

Sufi Principles of Meditation 09 Repentance

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.

Resources and Reference

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/repentance

Sufi Principles of Meditation 08 Absence and Presence

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.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/absence-and-presence

Sufi Principles of Meditation 07 Contraction and Expansion

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.

Resources and References

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/contraction-and-expansion