By George A. Boyd © 2023
Q: In Theosophy, they describe seven levels of being. How do you experience these levels?
A: You can start with doing a quick process:
Body – What am I experiencing now in my body?
Energy – What is my state of energy and vitality now?
Emotions – What are the feelings, memories, and beliefs I’m experiencing now?
Attention – What is my attention focused on right now?
Self and Will – What am I choosing to create in my life right now?
Illumined Mind – What guidance do you have for me right now?
Soul – What is my experience of the totality of my potential and actualization now?
Notice what comes up for you as you query each level.
Next, notice what activities tap into these levels. Through specific activities, you can open to these levels. For example:
Body – movement, exercise, nourishing meals
Energy – breathing, hatha yoga, martial arts
Emotions – journaling, sharing my thoughts and feelings, communication, vulnerability
Attention – mindfulness, meditation; attentional union with Self, spirit, and Soul
Self and will – goal setting, planning, clarifying and acting on values
Illumined mind – receiving guidance, dialogue with your Higher Self, communing with your guides and angels
Soul – Abiding in peace, joy, and bliss; experience of oneness
Next, notice what feelings come up as you focus on each level:
Body – This is what my body feels like right now.
Energy – This is the energy I feel right now.
Emotions – These are the emotions I feel right now.
Attention – This is the feeling of being focused, centered, and fully present.
Self and will – This is the feeling of being the Self and having the capacity to create my future.
Illumined mind – This is the feeling of rapture and peace I feel as I tap into my Illumined mind.
Soul – This is the bliss and joy I feel when I am in touch with the Soul.
You can key into these levels through monitoring your experience, noticing the activities that connect you with each level, and dropping into the feeling state of each level.
Meditations that help you tap into each level are:
Body – Movement meditation †
Energy – Breathing meditation †, Kundalini †
Emotions – Process meditation †, Emotional Vipassana †
Attention – Mindfulness †, Raja Yoga †
Self and will – Centering meditations †
Illumined Mind – Jnana Yoga †
Soul – Raja Yoga †, Mantra Yoga †, and Kundalini Yoga †
[† These are techniques we teach in our intermediate classes, the in-person Mudrashram® Master Course in Meditation and the by-mail and online Accelerated Meditation Program.]
We encourage you to become familiar with all of these levels in yourself, so you can translate Theosophical theory into experience, action, and a felt sense that will allow you to recognize it.
