Stages of the Illumined Mind, according to my experience, could be classified broadly into nine stages, the tenth one being the final flowering, or the opening up into Infinite Consciousness.
In many of us, who are plodding along blithely, ever sure that we will reach our goal of Illumination, these stages tend to overlap, and intersect at many points. For instance, a human at the level of stage two might feel as one at the level of stage four, for a brief period of time. This could happen during concentrated periods of human learning, or catastrophic events, or even through periods of brief, intenseful, meditative awareness.
Temporary breakthroughs into higher levels, however, will not become permanent until the human strongly desires it from the Lord God of His Being, and stirs himself to move forward in that direction.
Stage One: Most of humanity is at this level today. They are vaguely aware that they do have a spiritual identity, but have no time, or desire to probe this thought further. They take themselves to be religious sorts, doings their brief ritualistic prayers, and believing that there is a God. However, they have really no idea what their true relationship to this God is, except that He has to exist, for that is the way they have been conditioned to believe.
These humans live their lives through the beliefs of others, like parents, peers, and maybe their Church or Temple expectations. They do not realize the largely important fact that the human existence is not only for 'existing' and physically living life at that level. They do not comprehend the real identity of man, as a spark of Creation, with all the attendant wisdom and powers inherently within this assumption. To most of them, the soul is merely a topic of incomprehensible and distant knowledge, perhaps never to be understood with their limited intellects.
{{/usCountry}}These humans live their lives through the beliefs of others, like parents, peers, and maybe their Church or Temple expectations. They do not realize the largely important fact that the human existence is not only for 'existing' and physically living life at that level. They do not comprehend the real identity of man, as a spark of Creation, with all the attendant wisdom and powers inherently within this assumption. To most of them, the soul is merely a topic of incomprehensible and distant knowledge, perhaps never to be understood with their limited intellects.
{{/usCountry}}Even though their overall belief system may be faulty, there is no definite 'bar' against their awakening to their true identity. The good news is that the New Age Energies are forcing a new revelation in human hearts, so as to facilitate discovering this true identity, and their soul purpose of incarnating on the planet.
Stage Two: At the intellectual level, a chance meeting with an Illumined One, or a 'mind power' enhancing book or film, sows the seed of a little understanding, that all is not what it seems to be, that the human mind has a far greater potential waiting to be tapped, into Unknown Realms. The realization that these realms exist, and the curiosity to find out more, leads these humans into a search for more information. At this stage they are looking for mere intellectual knowledge. The seat of the soul has not yet been awakened as there is a certain skepticism that inhibits it. Yet they enter into mind exploration techniques, trying to experiment, and find out for themselves, all they can about this great power, called God. They are on the brink of great discoveries, if only they could let go of their doubting minds, and turn to their trusting hearts to lead them correctly into the unseen powers of the Universe. The more they explore techniques, the more they tend to criticize, and doubt their efficacy, as their learning is only at the mind level.
To be continued….