The journey of the soul is one of recognition and evolution. Both aspects are independent yet intertwined, taking place within two parts of our being that are in intimate relationship with one another. A deeper revelation of our True Nature urges us to evolve as human beings, and a more mature human will be more drawn to what is true and real.
Illusion is known as all the inner shapes and forms our mind creates and attaches to. It’s a manufactured world based on an experience of separation from the whole. It’s a filter that transforms energy into contracted shapes—into suffering, conflict, and judgment. These shapes of illusion can take the forms of values and inner realities that seem true and valid, yet become veils through which reality is perceived as what it’s not.
Illusion and the Nervous System
The effect of illusion on our nervous system is a suffering that develops unconsciously in all aspects of our incarnation. In illusion, the nervous system is constantly alert and unable to rest. Thus, all the self-regulating bodily functions are impaired, down to our very breath. Our energetic system isn’t in a state of flow, our emotions are often suppressed or chaotic, and our mind is anxiously looking for a solution in its own virtual space. Illusion is a vicious circle that creates sickness and conflict. It forces us to contract and control out of fear or, even more so, out of misunderstanding and a lack of wisdom.
Jnana Yoga: The Path of Wisdom
In Jnana Yoga, at the core of both transcendental realization and embodied transformation, the development of the quality of wisdom is most important. Without wisdom, every virtue carries a shadow. Without wisdom, Truth is hidden, and every endeavor is touched by the stain of separation. Without wisdom, I cannot see what moves me or in which direction my soul is going. Wisdom is at the core of all spiritual practice and carries immense transformative and healing power, as well as the very potential for supreme realization.
What Is Wisdom, and How Is It Developed?
Wisdom is the awakening of Eternity’s Eye. It’s the sword that shatters the lie of separation. Wisdom is the capacity to see and discern between what’s an inner creation—illusion—and what’s real, or a direct experience. When we see illusion, we free ourselves from the “intelligence,” or the knowledge-paradigm of that specific inner realm. Then, our consciousness has access to her innate intelligence, free from attachments, resistance, and fear.
This unleashes our capacity to break through the veil of the mind and perceive the non-separate reality of Existence in more simplicity. And so the development of wisdom starts with a simple, fundamental practice: Witnessing. Observing. Seeing. An unconditional seeing of all things that move within my inner world, so that what sees, by seeing, is slowly released from the bond that binds it. That’s the experience of awakening. Awakening from an open-eyed dream to the Sacred, the Eternal—to the simple Truth that is Now.
From the Unreal to the Real
That Seeing is an ever-deepening revelation of our True Nature, and at the same time, it’s the cessation of fueling the mechanisms that keep us immature, reactive, and in states of suffering, anxiety, and constant nervous system stress. Then, I can see, directly, how I create my own suffering. I cannot immediately stop it, as it’s a mechanism that carries momentum, but through wisdom, through clear perception, I can stop fueling it. With time, it loses its power, simply because I see it for what it is: something that isn’t true.
And slowly, the realms of identity lose their gravity. How I perceive myself becomes more and more transparent, the reasons to contract fade away, and the reality of virtue emanates from my heart, simply because I now see. Trust is wisdom, as is love, compassion, and humility. It’s what’s true when a human soul sees what’s Real—and what’s not.
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