Moving beyond Delusional Enlightenment:
Exploring Potential Integration with the Higher Self
By George A. Boyd © 2021
This is a continuation of last week’s article, “Varieties of Enlightenment.” If you have not read this article, please go back and read it, as it will give you context for this week’s web log post.
Q: In the article, “Varieties of Enlightenment,” you speak of the state of delusional enlightenment. Is it possible for individuals to integrate this state of enlightenment, so it is not distorted and delusional?
A: In the Subtle Realm, during their initial enlightenment experiences, aspirants gain temporary union with their Soul Spark. Below the wave of consciousness of the present time on the Akashic Records Subplane of the Abstract Mind Plane, aspirants are commonly drawn up to this level of the mind. Aspirants who have progressed beyond this stage might be brought up to gain union with a seed atom in the Psychic Realm (Star Seed), into the Moon Soul nucleus of identity, or the Solar Angel nucleus of identity. They may be alternately guided up to unite with the Soul.
Without having context for these experiences, however, the aspirant may receive distorted or false material in these altered states of consciousness—or misinterpret what the experience means. This warped lens of perception then forms the kernel of delusion and self-deception. Several elements have to be bought together to ensure these experiences become properly integrated.
- Awakening of the Kundalini – This raises the energy substanding awareness to activate each of the vehicles of the upper Subconscious, Metaconscious, and Superconscious mind up to the current stage of evolution of the Soul. This awakening allows the Soul to have full access to its knowledge, virtues, and abilities in each vehicle of consciousness from the system of chakras of the Subconscious mind to its station on the Path.
This awakening of the Kundalini Shakti needs to be methodical, level-by-level, and fully under the direction of the Soul—this promotes integration. In contrast, a sudden awakening of the Kundalini may give a glimpse of the Soul and a temporary enlightenment experience, but these experiences do not allow the Soul to gain exact knowledge of its vehicles, nor can the Soul identify where these experiences arise on the Continuum.
- Progressive movement of attention – Training attention to move along the thread of consciousness and recognize each focal point up to the presence of the Soul brings the ability to recognize the phenomena of the mind on the stratum where it arises.
Abruptly lifting attention into union with the Soul—or a nucleus of identity—does not permit a clear understanding of where this spiritual essence is in relation to the ground state of attention in the waking state of awareness. Instead this promotes confusion and mystification.
- Activation of the Antakarana – Activation of the cord that connects the intellect with the Soul’s intuitive vortex plays a key role in facilitating integration. Progressive awakening of this cord gives understanding of each step of development up to the Soul’s current station on the Path.
Skipping ahead, without tracking what is at each stage of development, can lead to viewpoints restricted to a narrow band of the Continuum. For example, if the experience that purportedly grants enlightenment illumines only a section of this cord, you perceive an incomplete picture of the Path your Soul has opened. Instead, your vision might only contain:
- The worldview from the wave of consciousness on the Akashic Records Subplane
- The perspective from a seed atom (Star Seed) in the Psychic Realm
- The view from the Moon Soul nucleus of identity
- The standpoint of the Solar Angel nucleus of identity
In Mudrashram®, we have students study each aspect of the Continuum in the Mudrashram® Correspondence Course, so they have a thorough understanding of each stage of the Path. In contrast, jumping ahead into these restricted viewpoints can spawn distortions and delusional beliefs.
- Aligning the three conative streams – It is important to align the three conative streams—will, intention, and wish—with the Soul’s purpose. In integration, the egoic and human octaves of the will are in one accord with the transpersonal will of the Soul that enacts its Soul Purpose. The intention of the attentional principle supports this volitional stream, as does the wish of the spirit: Everyone is rowing together.
In non-integrated, delusional forms of enlightenment, the attentional principle anchors suggestion to fulfill desires or to manifest the agendas of a group to which it affiliates—apart from alignment with the Soul Purpose. These random, disorganized episodes of intentional creation are out of touch with the Soul.
- Grounded appreciation for your abilities at each level of functioning – This recognizes and appreciates the range of abilities that each octave of functioning contributes to human life and spiritual development. Understanding the range of abilities of the ego, the Self, and the Soul, and the band of the mind in which these abilities operate is crucial to permit integrated functioning and maintain appropriate boundaries, accurate self-knowledge, and congruent identity.
Jumping up into a purported state of enlightenment without clearly defining the operational arena of the ego, Self, and Soul can lead to self-delusion and grandiosity. These disorders of identity that arise in states of delusional enlightenment include:
- Solipsism – This is the distorted notion that only the Soul is real.
- Narcissism – This is the belief that only your desires are important and others only exist as a means to fulfill your desires.
- Grandiosity – This conflates the ego with the Divine Atom within the Soul, so that you believe that your ego is God.
- Boundary confusion – In this scenario, you do not know where your Self begins and ends, and where others begin and end. You believe you are other people: you can be readily controlled or manipulated when you adopt this enmeshed mindset.
- Group identification – You strongly identify with a group, whose mission you seek to enact. As a result, you can become completely absorbed in the agenda of your political party, your religion, a religious cult, or a hate or terrorist group.
- Codependency – You care for others without considering or honoring your own needs. You do not set appropriate limits.
- Arrogance – You believe your vision of the world is highest and best. You believe this gives you the right to impose this view on others and attempt to convert them into seeing the world they way you see it.
Through clearly defining the operational zones of ego, Self, and Soul, you sidestep these distortions of identity, boundaries, and self-knowledge. We study these levels that are encapsulated with the ego, the Self, and the Soul in the Mudrashram® Correspondence Course, and our other meditation programs.
- Synthesis – In this state, you have coherent and synthetic understanding that is grounded in the Soul, based on its progressive evolutionary experience.
In non-integrated and delusional approaches, they toss together information into the same basket—ideas picked from science, philosophy, New Age teachings of the Psychic realm, Judeo-Christian beliefs, and insights drawn from traditions that dwell in Cosmic, Supracosmic, and Transcendental Bands of the Continuum.
Instead of grounding each concept in its perspective on the Continuum, and recognizing that this is a description of the world from that vista, non-integrated approaches conflate disparate viewpoints as pointing to the same idea—when they clearly are depicting something else.
In integrated approaches, each idea is appreciated in its own context. You understand that the unified field theory portrayed in quantum mechanics really is not the same as the oneness the Yogi experiences when he or she is in union with Brahman.
- Absence of perceptual warping – Integrated approaches do not warp and bend reality to conform to your wishes or desires. In integrated views, you observe the world and the mind as they are—there is no desire to impose your agenda.
In delusional enlightenment, there is a hidden agenda to make things appear the way you want them to be or so the world will fulfill what you desire. For example:
- Your group will enact its agendas so others will conform to its vision of the world
- You will create what you wish to get what you desire, without considering its impact on other people and the world
- You believe you are persecuted and under attack because you hold beliefs that you believe are true, but others don’t agree with your vision of the world. You desire that others will see the world your way and embrace your delusional vision of the world.
- You want your political party or religion to take control and you will do everything in your power to impose your values on others.
If you can begin to tease out these different threads that distinguish integrated and delusional enlightenment—and increasingly shift into the integrated posture—you will come to find that your spiritual experiences will no longer be islands of disjointed insights, realizations, revelations, and impressions. Instead, you will make sense of your inner experiences, and they will become synthesized into your Soul. You will comprehend these experiences, and use them to bring forward your Soul’s purpose. These experiences will assist your Soul serve humanity in the way it was sent forth from Source to do.
