Dear Friends:
Although many people have never thought about it, semantics do play a major part in Soul Travel. In case one does not understand what the word means, semantics is the relation between symbols, mainly words, and refers to the human behavior to symbols, including unconscious attitudes and social and moral laws, reactions to these words or forms.
Practically every writer and advocator of the occult, metaphysical and spiritual subjects have adopted foreign words, or invented their own. This has created a confusion among the followers of these various paths for they have been confronted with a forest of jargon which cannot be broken down to simplicity for anyone to grasp for their own understanding.
However, we are more concerned with what the simplest words are and their meaning in relationship with Spiritual Traveling, but we must understand their concept in regard to space and time. For example, when we are working beyond the lower consciousness then the language of the higher worlds must be adopted. Let us take the words “Here” and “There.” If we project the Atma Sarup (Soul Body) to the corner and look back on the physical body, we never say from the personal viewpoint that “I am over there.” Actually we are “Here” always. In other words “I am over here.” The difference in the words is the matter of position. One never says that he is going to project himself over there to the corner since he is already in that position; all he does is realize that he is “Here and Now” always.
The terminology is wrong in most cases. Take, for example, that which is consistently used in the religious field, “My soul,” or “Your soul.” Where is the position from which these people are speaking? Why, it is from the state of the lower consciousness. It is putting a proprietorship upon the most important part of being a man, that of Soul. It is standing back in the physical senses and looking at Soul as a lower object; this of course is a false premise, for we should dwell in the higher self (Soul) and look down upon all the lower senses and physical flesh. We must be in the position as Jesus when he said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it again.” (John. 2:19) He was speaking from the higher realm of God.
This is what we must do at all times. Speak from this realm which is the region of liberation and freedom, while the lower state of consciousness is that of non-survival and under the domination of the negative force. In fact you can judge one’s position in life on the spiritual survival scale by the very way he speaks. He will use such language as I have just pointed out here, especially in the terms of “your Soul.” The orthodox clergy is mainly guilty of this error, which if we want to use the phrase, is a sin against mankind.
Often we find that these type of phrases are used cleverly by someone who wishes to dominate us. This is a very subtle attack upon the consciousness of another individual who desire to pull others down the survival ladder into a state of consciousness which can be controlled by them or their own organization. Then one finds himself without psychic space of his own and hardly able to breathe, in a manner of speaking. It is a way of gaining power over a number of persons and lifting one’s self up into a realm by the inflow of their energies which are surrendered to him when giving up.
One must remember that when we develop our capacity for power we weaken our capacity for love and when we grow in our ability to love we become unfit for success in gaining power. Therefore we find that these two forces are in direct opposition to one another. So when we find those using the terminology of love, as “I love you,” they must be questioned as from what level of consciousness their statement is made. Again we are looking at the subtleness behind these words; for example, love can become a domination. Take the example in Wuthering Heights, where Heathcliff, the child from the London slums, adopted into a wealthy family, sought revenge because of his social status and married Cathy so he could have domination over all the family, including the estate. So dominated was Cathy that he put control over her even after her death and held her there, instead of releasing her to go onward into the next higher plane.
Of course this is an exaggerated example of domination. But symbols and their meaning often do compel persons to follow certain paths. However, when we are under the higher teachers it is impossible for those in the lower states to take charge of our thinking and lives. But we find two serious elements here, the urge to dominate and the tendency to submit to this control. This is especially true in the political field, but far more in the religious areas, where often the threat of punishment is made unless we follow out certain desires of the leaders.
Where does this have anything to do with Soul Travel? It is a major part of our states of consciousness, as to whether we conform to certain key words which are poured into our minds and subconscious faculties. When anyone lays down the phrase that “My God is the only way,” be careful for he is only trying to postulate us into submitting to him. When anyone tells us we are in error or have sin, guilt and other faults without asking, and often even when consulting one is told this, perhaps we’d better examine his motivation for making such remarks.
We must even put our thoughts in the higher levels to always be in position for Soul Travel. We rise above the concepts of time and space, and will not use symbols or words which hold us back. Most people fail in Soul Travel because they cannot separate the physical sense from the spiritual senses. So many times it is done because the thinking and terminology keeps us in the lower states. Start investigating the thoughts in terms of where we are putting ourselves in thought. One example of this is projecting ourselves into the future for some desire. Since God is always with us, HERE AND NOW, we are always living in eternity; and therefore all we are concerned with is living each moment in the present, wherever we wish. Not over There, but Here in the Atma Sarup. Once we accomplish this then Soul Travel has been achieved.
I am always with you.
Affectionately, Paul Twitchell
From the book, Eckankar: Illuminated Way Letters 1966-1971
