Stages of Awakening
While New World Spirituality can be considered a fully egalitarian, non-hierarchical presentation and practice of the high spiritual truths of creation that confirms, at the deepest level, our shared divinity, nevertheless, because portions of our perfect spirit enter into a Physical Unit (PU) that requires care, development, and maturation before larger portions of our perfect spirit can enter, the concepts of Stages of Awakening and Levels of Attainment is necessary.
Complicated and esoteric systems of awakening/attainment are not required. A simple four-level representation is suitable. Each level or stage thus represents the "condition" of the physical unit at the time of evaluation. The condition of the PU may be represented by the CQ (a dynamic, qualitative measure intended to give a rough indication of the "level" of consciousness in the body at a particular moment), and an empirically displayed level of mastery over reality. Attainment of each stage points the chela towards an increasingly complete and powerful Awakening and Activation of the Physical Unit. The four stages of awakening can be summarized as follows:
- Chela - One who has begun to question.
- Initiate - One who has begun to practice.
- Adept - One who has begun to understand.
- Master or Magi - One who has begun to know.
- Avatar - One who has begun to teach.
Comments
It should be clearly understood that these stages do not refer to the condition or quality of the Resident Monadic Consciousness (a mistake often encouraged by those who would keep power for themselves), but to the extent to which the physical, neurological, and conceptual apparatus of the Physical Unit has matured enough to allow significant inflows of Consciousness. Thus these are a measure of the extent to which The Vessel has been prepared and higher consciousness has settled into the Physical Unit.
It should be noted that the mere influx of consciousness is insufficient to assess one's "level." High levels of Awakening can be associated with confusion, disorientation, and even madness, especially when Awakening occurs without proper guidance.
It should be noted that proper maturation of the Physical Unit depends not only on the individual's own efforts, but in the efforts of those around him, from parents, through schools, media, government, to society. Proper nutrition, a loving, nurturing, and stimulating environment, are pre-requisites that not only enable healthy and strong maturation of the Physical Unit but also its full Awakening and Empowerment.
It should be noted that it is the job of all healers to assist with healing the Physical Unit when, because of toxic local, social, and global conditions, injuries have resulted, scars have been formed, chakra flows have been stunted, and proper maturation has therefore not been completed. Short of the death of an individual physical unit, healing of that unit is always possible.
Finally, we may add a fifth stage of awakening, that of the Avatar, to represent those who attain full mastery, but then go on to further study and training enabling them to teach the spiritual arts and sciences to a veiled and hostile world such as this one.
See Also
References
Sharp, 2007. The Great Awakening: Concepts and Techniques for Successful Spiritual Practice. Avatar Publications. http://www.avatarpublication.com.
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