The Term “Equal” Needs Some Clarification
In an online spiritual group I am a member of, there is a sentiment or belief expressed by some people quite frequently – “Matter is just Spirit vibrating at a lower rate; therefore, the Body is just as sacred as the Spirit.” With this statement they add or imply that we can awaken and evolve just as readily with our gaze and orientation downwards into Matter as we can with our gaze set upwards into Spirit. The person often concludes that, therefore, “sex is spiritual,” and that “our desires should be enjoyed, not controlled.”
I believe there is value in exploring this…
While everything at the dense level is a reflection of Higher Reality, and sexual union definitely reflects Divine Union, is the reflection truly equal to that which it reflects?
Is the Outer Seeming truly the same as the Inner Reality?
Is the transitory illusory appearance equal to the everlasting reality?
Do we really believe the Lower is equal to the Higher?
Do we all hold no preference or inner orientation towards one over the other?
Is the Body truly equal to the Soul, or Matter truly equal to Spirit?
Could Reflection mean Effects?
Let us consider this statement: “As Above, So Below.”
Is this actually a statement that that which is Below is an exact and perfect reflection of that which is Above? Or is this a statement of “causality” – that all that is below or without are effects of their higher or inner causes? We know that everything in Matter is created from Above-Down, from thought to desire to action moulding dense matter. Therefore, could this statement be written as: “As the Cause, So the Effect”?
Let us now consider the inverse statement, “As Below, So Above.”
Does this, can this, hold true? Can any dense manifestation, built as it is out of lower-vibrational energy, ever be a full and true reflection of its higher-vibrational source? We know that written or spoken words are a very poor embodiment of the majesty and beauty of clear abstract thoughtforms, so how can a reality constructed of even denser matter possibly be an exact or equal reflection of its higher lighter patterning? Of course, it cannot.
Therefore, our statement, As Above, So Below, is a statement resting on qualifiers and caveats, and is not a carte blanche truth to be interpreted literally! Below can only ever be a limited or qualified reflection.
An Exercise in Co-Measurement
So, for all those who genuinely believe and state, “Matter is Spirit, Spirit is Matter, therefore, the physical body is spiritual.” And “The body is no less spiritual than the Soul. Identifying with it or as it, and embracing its appetites, is no less spiritual than wisely controlling its desires.”
Let’s explore the degree of Truth within the principle underpinning such statements – “low-vibrational is equal to high-vibrational” – by co-measuring it via actions, emotions, thoughts, and higher reality.
Physically – is causing physical harm really no different to helping in kindness?
Emotionally – is expressing hatred genuinely equal to expressing affection?
Mentally – is judgment truly the same as acceptance?
Spiritually – is the eternal spirit equal to the passing form?
Is there really no difference between help and harm, cruelty and kindness, rejection and welcoming, the everlasting and the transitory? Are you genuinely happy or indifferent to be on the receiving end of either low or high-vibrational behaviours, emotions, and mind – without any preference?
If you see a difference between vice and virtue, separativeness and inclusiveness, violence and lovingkindness – and you prefer higher-vibrational experiences over lower-vibrational ones – why do you suddenly dispense with this clear awareness when it comes to Matter and Spirit, Body and Soul? Do you truly believe this dense form is who you are?
Just as hatred, cruelty, and harm had their place before our Hearts started to awaken and we began to make more wise and loving choices, so too, body-centred consciousness has its place, until we awaken to our Soul Consciousness. Just as an Alchemist transforms base metals into gold, on the spiritual path, we transform by releasing attachment to Matter, transforming, and lifting the seat of our consciousness from our dense low-vibrational Forms into the higher-vibrational Spirit dwelling within the form. We evolve by raising our awareness and identification from the dense realms of Effects into the Causality that we are – the Spirit within the Form. And through this shift we actualise an alchemy that literally enlightens our Matter and shifts it closer back to Spirit. In this way our Human Spirit serves the Devic and Elemental lives that are Matter, those that comprise our various bodies. As we orient towards Higher Reality, as we awaken to the truth of who and what we truly are, we en-lighten the substance or Matter we inhabit. The Devas gives us the chance to experience incarnation, and in return, we help them return to their higher state – such is the beauty and synergy of Reality.
It is wise to remember that eventually, the Spirit just leaves the body to rot and decompose – like all forms, it has no inherent value once its purpose is over, and therefore, it is discarded like a dirty frock at the end of the day.
But, of course, the body is sacred, in the same manner that “all life is sacred” – and this we must never forget. All forms, being reflections or embodiments of the Divine, should be given deep respect and handled with all care and love. They are, after all, vessels of the Divine – Matter animated by Spirit.
The Term “Spiritual” Needs Some Clarification
Precisely and specifically, one begins the “spiritual path” when they turn in the seat of their consciousness and orient their awareness towards Spirit, which starts as an expansion to include spirit, but as we grow, and we succeed in shifting the seat of our awareness from within our animal bodies to within our Soul and Spirit – we are then walking the higher path. The literal definition of “Spiritual” is to be Spirit-centred, as distinctly different to “Material” or Body-centred – we completely shift or re-centre our identity As Spirit In Matter. We realise we are Souls with Bodies, not Bodies with Souls, and the dense world then assumes its rightful place as the lower reflection of Higher Reality. This is why there is such a vast difference between Materialism and Spiritualism, or the Materialist verses the Spiritualist.
This is not about denying Matter, it is about releasing our identification with it, and placing our awareness into correct alignment and orientation for spiritual growth, or embodiment of our Spirit. This embodiment is why Matter, matters – we must simply know its place and purpose.
The initial turning happens when we first accept and embrace the idea that we are not our bodies, but are in fact, spirits inhabiting bodies – the Being, not the Frock. The turning is from the Material towards the Spiritual, from Illusion towards Reality, and therefore, from the realm of Effects towards Causality – without denying our experience in the now.
Yes, all Matter is Spirit vibrating at a lower rate. However, wisdom, leading to enlightenment and liberation, appears when we can truly recognise the difference between the transitory Appearance or Outer Seeming and the eternal Inner Reality, and then consciously orient ourselves in alignment with Reality.
Forever true in the path of life: Just as we cannot be in Fear and Love at the same time, we cannot reach the other shore by clinging to where we are! We cannot become one with our Higher Self by clinging to the Lower Forms or Frock we are not!
A Complicating yet Paradoxically Simplifying Teaser
The fact we can perceive both Matter and Spirit is because humanity, or specifically, the Kingdom of Souls incarnate as humanity, is the consciousness aspect or midpoint between the two. And as the world’s mystics have forever attested, we are consciousness itself. Technically, neither Spirit nor Matter. We are that which organises matter for spiritual purpose.
One could rightly ask, “Is a life without Soul Consciousness really an expression of Life, or is it merely existing?” But also, “If we spend the duration of our lifetime floating in spiritual awareness, denying our bodies, decrying them as illusions, and therefore, completely lacking in embodiment, are we not blocking or withholding Love and Light from our dense planetary sphere? If we do not awaken to our Divine Nature and embody this, right down to dense levels, how will Matter ever be transmuted back to Spirit and the Path of Return enabled?
The Path of Love-Wisdom is one of expansion and inclusion, not one of denial, rejection, and fleeing. The correct orientation is The Body and The Soul, not the Soul instead of and denying the Body, and certainly not the Body instead of and forsaking the Soul! The first statement is one of balance, wisdom, and truth, the second and third statements are expressions of imbalance and escapism, or foolishness and ignorance, respectively. While the awareness of “Body and Soul” is true at first, eventually this awareness transforms into “Soul and Body” – right identification and orientation is essential to open the higher spiritual path.
To get technical, but keeping it simple:
- Life starts with us believing we are our bodies – fully identified with Matter and As our Bodies.
- The Path genuinely starts when we realise, we are not our bodies – we begin to release our identification with Matter and focus upwards-within.
- Next, we realise we are Souls in Bodies.
- Then we realise all Souls are One in an Ocean of Consciousness.
- Eventually we realise, as our bodies are reflections of our Souls, so too, the oneness within the Kingdom of Souls is the lower reflection of a far Higher and Greater Oneness. In seeing this, we begin to strive higher, beyond the Soul, towards our concept of Divine Spirit, and seek it.
- As we open beyond the experience of oneness in the Kingdom of Souls, we first encounter the Third Aspect of the Divine Trinity – the Divine Mother – and we realise, like with our dense bodies, this is not who we are.
- As we renew our search and reach higher, some will encounter the First Aspect of the Divine Trinity, the Divine Father, and discover this too is not who we are.
- Through discovering what aspects of the Divine Trinity we are not, and with deep surrender, we eventually realise we are the Child of Divine Spirit or Mother – Matter, and the Divine Will or Father – Power. We discover we are Divine Love, the Highest Ocean of Consciousness, and Second Aspect of the Divine Trinity. When we embrace, embody, and live this, we become fully enlightened.
In Love, As Love, and to the liberation of all life.
Azure Seer