Vision & Intuition
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Everything that humans have created in the outer world originated in someone’s imagination. Conversely, the eclipse of the imagination leads to a loss of creative abilities. Since the period of history known as the Enlightenment, or post-Renaissance, the exploration and conquest of the outer world has taken precedence all else. Consequently, creative and imaginary powers have been belittled and those who exercise them ridiculed as useless members of society. For centuries the vast majority of poets and painters were faced with a choice between starvation or abandonment of their art. A few musicians achieved fame and fortune while the rest struggled merely to survive. Only since the end of the 20th century with the rediscovery of the feminine principle and the renewal of interest in higher consciousness has the imagination again returned to prominence. The long dormant creative powers of the human mind have again become valued and sought after, though few possess them anymore. Peter Roche de Coppens, in his book Apocalypse Now (1988), has the following thoughts to convey on this subject: “The central thesis of this writer is that we are now on the very threshold of a new culture that will put a great deal of value on intraversion and supraversion?on the exploration of the human psyche and on the harnessing of its latent higher energies and faculties. As man has learned in the last 500 years to observe, study and control the forces of the outer, physical universe, so he must now learn to observe, study, and master the potentialities of the inner worlds of his own being. One of the most important keys to accomplish this task is to understand and be able to use the imagination and the power of visualization which can be studied and trained as we did with the power of observation.” Through visualization, the inner world can become just as real for the student of the imagination as the outer world is for the average person.
The imagination can be thought of as the image making function of the mind. Its unique power consists in the ability to evoke the other functions of the psyche and reproduce their materials. Thus the reproductive imagination can conjure up sensations, emotions, desires, and thoughts. Auditory sequences, visual images, tactile sensations, and mental crystallizations can all be recreated with the imagination and synthesized into art. The creative imagination can also generate new materials of all types. The subjective imagination focuses on the self, while the objective imagination concerns itself with the inner world beyond the limits of the personality. Use of the objective imagination leads eventually to direct perception of the Etheric, Astral, and Mental planes, which can be considered regions of the transpersonal superconscious or collective unconscious. Contact with these higher planes can be achieved through the use of symbols. According to Carl Jung, “the psychological machinery which transmutes energy and consciousness is the symbol.”
Symbols constitute the forgotten language of the imagination, and the deepest parts of the mind understand the messages contained in these symbols automatically. Such automatic understanding has a very close connection to the power of intuition. Therefore, visualization of symbols leads to an opening of the intuitive powers. Furthermore, images have the power to conjure up the things that they represent. As Apocalypse Now (1988) informs us, “images and mental pictures tend to produce the physical conditions and the external acts corresponding to them.” The potency of magick rests upon this secret power contained in the images used during rituals or inscribed in grimoires, mysterious symbols designed to activate the intuitive flow and awaken the creative inspiration. Attention fills a symbol or image with energy, and repeated visualization of an image will reinforce and bring to life the thing it represents. Images act directly on the lower and higher unconscious, and thus need not be analyzed or directly understood through the intellect. Instead, imagination awakens the emotions and the intuition by opening the less explored, unconscious regions of the psyche, including the subconscious and superconscious.
At this point it might be useful to draw a map of the psyche, though any such map will necessarily be limited and will not provide a complete guide to the regions of consciousness. At the center of the map lies the conscious self, or “I.” A larger circle surrounds the “I” and represents the field of consciousness. This field can expand as more regions of consciousness are explored. Below this field lies the lower unconscious, which intersects with the collective unconscious where dreams and myths originate. Above the field of awareness we find the higher unconscious, which borders on the transpersonal regions of the superconscious. Angels, gods, and other aspects of the universal intelligence reside in the superconscious realms. Outside the field of consciousness lies the middle unconscious, or subconscious region of the psyche. The unconscious can also be called Hell, and the superconscious, Heaven; or the Norse terms Hel and Valhalla can be employed. For the inner or imaginary self, these regions are just as real as places in the material world and can be explored at will through the practice of guided visualization or pathworking. The inner journey develops the power of visualization more effectively than any other single practice. To explore the subconscious region, visualize yourself walking into a meadow or forest. To descend into the unconscious realms, imagine yourself descending into a cave or into the depths of the ocean. To rise to higher superconscious regions, see yourself climbing a mountain, ascending a flight of stairs, or flying up into the sky. If possible, find and speak to people or creatures in each of these regions. When you return to a normal state of consciousness, meditate upon what you have seen and write down your experiences in your workbook.
The next stage of self-realization, the awakening of the intuition, represents an abyss in personal development. This chasm must be crossed before the process of self transformation can be completed, and the True Will integrated with the psyche. Intuitive awakening can be compared to “the knowledge and conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel” in Aleister Crowley’s system of magick. We read in Apocalypse Now (1988), “Once, but only once, this abyss, or qualitative threshold, has been successfully crossed can one be truly inner directed, find the source of inspiration and guidance, love, and life within one’s self rather than outside in other poeple, teachings, or traditions. Thus, the opening of the intuition is a truly crucial step in one’s human and spiritual growth and the effective Initiation which can lead one to the rule of the Divine Spark and to the establishment of the Kingdom of God within?the dawning of genuine Spiritual Consciousness.” Intuition bridges the psychological and spiritual halves of the self, connecting the field of consciousness with the realm of the superconscious. Thus the visualized ascent to the Holy Mountain can serve to symbolically awaken the intuitive faculties.
Only the intuition can truly answer the questions: “Who am I? What have I come here to accomplish?” Therefore the intuition provides the key to the realization of the True Will, the purpose to which we must consecrate our lives, our higher calling. Intuitive awakening leads ultimately to the state of consciousness called “Illumination.” Roberto Assagioli, quoted in Apocalypse Now (1988), describes Illumination as “an inner perception of light which in certain cases is so intense as to be described as a dazzling glory and an impression of fire. It is from these characteristics that the term “illumination” has arisen, the term by which the superconscious states are often designated.” Illumination can also be called the “descent of the Light,” and this descent appears in the Biblical apocalypse as the metaphorical second coming of Christ. Thus, illumination represents the awakening of Christ consciousness in the individual. The illumination of a critical mass of people could therefore create the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Two paths lead to intuitive awakening: the Mystical path, and the Occult path. Both paths require an initial recognition on the part of the seeker that the intuition exists. Attention must be given to those flashes of intuition that come to us spontaneously, and trust placed in those feelings which have in the past proven correct. To follow the Mystical path to the intuition, the student must practice silence on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels. Such silence creates a space for the intuitive flashes to spontaneously descend from the superconscious into the field of consciousness. Zen meditation, hatha yoga, martial arts, and prayer are all viable practices pertaining to the Mystical path. The Occult path involves the ritual or theurgic use of images, symbols, and archetypes to call the superconscious fire down into the field of consciousness. This process can be called invocation, which means “calling down.” Invocation combines meditation, devotion, visualization, and concentrated affirmation. It is the most potent and effective of inner activities, and also one of the most difficult.
To awaken the intuition, the Temple of Silence pathworking can be used repeatedly by students of both intuitive paths. In this pathworking, imagine yourself climbing a sacred hill or mountain until you reach the Temple of Silence at the top. No word has ever been spoken in this place, and no sound can be heard here. Enter the temple and allow the silence to fill your being. When the silence has penetrated to the very depths of your mind and spirit, return to the outside and descend. Listen for the voice of your intuition that will speak to you out of the silence you have now experienced and discovered. Write down the results of this pathworking in your workbook.
Vision and intuition is essential to self realization and prophetic imagination. Awakening intuition can be initiated by a true will and the divine spark of divine intuition in the superconscious. When intuitive awakening occurs, intuition power can become stronger as pathworking brings one to the mystical path. Through the power of visualization the holy guardian angel can be contacted to initiate the invocation and intuitive awakening of Christ consciousness. With this heightened awareness one will be ready to ascend the holy mountain when the biblical apocalypse arrives. To learn more about apocalypse, read Apocalypse Now by Peter Roche.