Chavah Aima

Imagine a beautiful temple in the woods filled with peace and serenity, the deep vibrations of sacred space emanating from within. This temple, like its ancient predecessors, is a sacred form that has been purified and consecrated. There are four important areas within the temple: the portal, entry room, outer temple, and Holy of Holies. 

As a symbolic representation of divine being, these areas of the temple each contain specific wisdom about the pathways leading to that ultimate spiritual state. Each area of the sacred temple also relates to one of the four aspects of the human being. As these areas are purified and consecrated, the wisdom within that portion of the temple becomes synthesized into one’s being. When the wisdom of the portal, entry room, outer temple, and Holy of Holies has been mastered, and each of the four lower bodies made into sacred space, the Divine Presence comes to reside within the human form. (more…)

The philosophy that underlies all meaningful enlightenment methods is that of Unity or Oneness. Creation takes place upon the stage of manifestation, the lowest arc in the descent of divine energy. Consequently we experience a multitude of forms and images, and construct an endless array of mental concepts while we are engaged in incarnate life.

Form is an outcome of force, a congealing of energetic essence. By viewing the immense number of forms on the physical and astral planes, we begin to get some sense of the limitless light vibration that has created and endlessly continues to enter into all of these objects, images and ideas. Yet, we can never fully grasp the concept of this limitlessness with the limited human mind.

The purposes of the appearance of duality are many: spirit dances out the drama of life for the sake of experience and expansion, drama leads to opportunities to open the mind and heal the heart, duality can be used consciously and deliberately as a spiritual method to lead one into unity. This last idea - using duality as a mechanism to attain enlightenment - begins with a focus on our own form, the physical body. (more…)

Alchemy is a spiritual tradition that has many interpretations and applications for its wisdom. In outer alchemy, it is a science that depends upon the world of nature for the raw materials the alchemist uses for food and to create elixirs for healing and spiritual awakening. This approach stimulates the intellectual and reasoning powers of the alchemist. Outer alchemy requires the practitioner to physically take specific steps to attain each goal. By following the plan, and ingesting the right substances and foods, transmutations take place within the body-mind. These alchemical processes lead to balanced states of well being and enhanced spiritual awareness.

The symbolic language and images of Alchemy also use the world of nature to point to an inward process of spiritual transformation. The forces to be found therein are more subtle and potent than those used in outer alchemy. This inner alchemy draws upon mysticism, intuition, and imagination for its power to transform the human into the divine. These are the gifts of wonder that beckon one to rise above manifest nature and prepare to become one with the divine energy that holds it in creation. (more…)

The world in which we live is filled with light and shadow, the side effects of manifestation. One may either be an unconscious participant in the shadow play, or a seeker of the light of higher consciousness. Every human being contains varying degrees of both qualities within themselves.

Your physical form, the body that you as consciousness inhabit, also contains a mixture of shadow and light. The same is true for your mental and emotional bodies, from wherein powerful thought-forms are created and played out in one’s life. These thought forms are the concepts and beliefs that guide one’s actions and define oneself. In this way, one’s life unfolds in accordance with these underlying ideas about what is true. (more…)

In the western mystical traditions, candidates for initiation must first receive the sacrament of purification before being admitted into an esoteric order for study and practice. In the Egyptian Rosicrucian initiatory schools, purification practices included fasting, ritual bathing and secluded meditation. Mediaeval alchemists and healers focused on cleansing and purifying the internal organs to raise their energetic awareness. Most modern occult rituals also call for the immediate ceremonial purification of new members as they are brought into the temple to take their vows.

In the yoga traditions of the east, purification practices also play a valuable role in preparing oneself to devote body-mind and soul to seek the higher life. These methods include the internal cleansing of all bodily openings where energy flows into and out of the being. Fasting, special herbs and dietary restrictions are used to aid the attainment of more subtle states of consciousness. (more…)