Essential (Bloody) Meaning . . . Continued

["Rawn Clark" <rawnclark@...>]

Dear Friends,

Since I forwarded the first part of this discussion with Conn to
BardonPraxis, I figured it wise to pass the continuation on as well. :)
-------------------------------------------------
Dear Conn,

>> In my post I gave you three examples, of which I
divided each into astra-physical, physical and
(perhaps incorrect) essential meaning. Forget the
essential meaning for a second. When somebody with no
magical training describes, say, an apple, isn't it
true that they are in part blending their astral
perception into their inherent physical sensoria? In
other words, some sensations that are well-known in
mainstream science, are actually expressions of the
astral emanation of the object in question.
Specifically, the emotional context people
subconsciously (or consciously) relate to whatever
item they perceive. am I doing ok so far? :)
Therefore astra-physical and physical sensations can
be easy to mix up, wouldn't that be fair to say? On to
"pure astral" emenations. If you look back to my
examples, could tell me if I indentified some correct
examples in any of the three cases? I tried to
attribute some emotional association with these
objects, of which not every apple, rock, or person
will be the same, of course! Am I correctly isolating
the astral emenation, or do I need to refine my
parameters to define something as "purely" astral? <<

There is a difference between the emotional significance that a thing
itself possesses and the emotional significance we give to it as part of
the subjectifying aspect of our own perception. A thing's own astral
emanation (i.e., the significance *it* carries) and our own attribution
of significance are easily confused since both are astral. In order to
*directly* perceive the astral emanation of the thing itself, we must
set aside our own subjectifying process, otherwise all we perceive
*directly* is _our_ emotional response to the thing's
physical-astra-mental emanation. And while these two are *connected*,
they are not exactly the same. An example of this is the difference in
how we feel about a person vs. how they feel about themselves.

So, when you are trying to perceive a thing's own astral emanation, you
must carefully discern between your own interpretation and the astral
emanation of the thing itself. [Yet another reason why astral wandering
is placed so late in the course of IIH!]

>> Back to essential meaning. I'll try to give a generic
example, and give some background to help convey what
I'm trying to say..
Lets pretend I already have the ability to perform
mental wandering. Perhaps I decide to venture into
space (and I mean that black stuff you see out your
window at night, with the tiny round sparkling thing
speckled all over ;). Lets say I perceive what the
physical senses would see as an asteroid. When my
mental eyes fall upon the asteroid, I immediately feel
overwhelmed with a seemingly endless mass of
information, which at first seems very confusing. But
when you begin to isolate some of this raw data, you
suddenly (or slowly) see the entire course of the
asteroid, it's physical origin, it's seemingly endless
path through space, and perhaps you see glimpses of
how this asteroid will impact the destiny of the
cosmos in many years to come (for example, it crashes
into a barren planet, and the tiny organisms which
were a part of the asteroid impacted and dissemenated
into that atmosphere, creating a new infusion of
life). Of course, this is an imaginary case, but let's
say this really happened, you were in my shoes and
perceived the same essential meaning, and decoded it
into these same smaller, more fragmented perceptions.
Am I getting cold or warm Rawn!?! :) <<

You're so warm here, Conn, that I better start accumulating the Water
Element to cool down! ;-) Even so, I think the following excerpt from
Lesson Three of the Archaeous will help you clarify even further:

============================
"So, getting back to the main subject of this lesson of the Archaeous --
our temporal mental body. This is our conscious awareness.

"Our conscious awareness is composed of the four Elements, just like our
astral and physical bodies. The four Elemental regions of the physical
body, correspond to the physical functions and sensations of those areas
of our physical body. The leg region supports us, our abdominal region
is where the rhythmic and fluid processes of digestion occur, the chest
where the airy respiration occurs, and the head where the finer senses
and brain reside. With the astral body, on the other hand, the regions
correspond to the quality of emotional energy and to the significance we
attach to physical sensory perceptions.

"The division of the mental body into Elemental regions is even more
subtle than emotional significance. Here, the Elemental regions
correspond to the quality of awareness and perception. As I said at the
outset, it is the mental body that perceives sensation. Without
perception, sensation means nothing. The point being, that each
perception by our senses *means* something. The perception of meaning
that is hidden within sensation, occurs at four essential levels and
this is what defines the Elemental regions of the mental body.

"Corresponding to the Fire region is the direct perception of essential
meaning. This is perception of the universal, objective and impersonal
meaning behind each sensation.

"Corresponding to the Air region is the perception of ideas and
thoughts. This is the first layer of clothing given to essential
meaning by our cognitive process. It is the beginning of our
subjectification and personalization of essential meaning.

"Corresponding to the Water region is the perception of personal
significance or emotion. This is the heart of our personalization of
essential meaning and is the most subjectifying component of our
mechanism of perception. Here also is the sub-conscious aspect of the
psyche, a realm where essential meaning is densely clothed with highly
personalized symbols.

"And finally, corresponding to the Earth region is the mundane
awareness. This level of awareness is the active combination of the
Fire, Air and Water aspects, processed through the physical brain,
seated firmly in time and space. Its focus is primarily the physical
realm. Here also is the influence of the rudimentary biologic
consciousness of the physical body itself -- the inherited, cellular
memory of human instinct."
============================

When one engages in (true) mental wandering, one does so with a mental
body that is focused in the Air and Fire regions -- the Water and Earth
regions being the awareness of the astral and physical bodies and one
has separated the mental awareness from those bodies. Direct perception
itself occurs within the Fire region of the mental body and is best
described by your statement: "When my mental eyes fall upon the
asteroid, I immediately feel overwhelmed with a seemingly endless mass
of information, which at first seems very confusing." [It becomes less
"confusing" as your mental "eyes" adjust to this new form of
perception.]

It's not until that direct perception is brought down into the Air
region and given form with thoughts/ideas/words that it becomes clear
and particulate. This aspect of mental perception is best described by
your statement: "But when you begin to isolate some of this raw data,
you suddenly (or slowly) see the entire course of the asteroid, it's
physical origin, it's seemingly endless path through space, and perhaps
you see glimpses of . . ."

All of this information is present within the initial, Fire region,
*direct* perception but it doesn't accrue sequence until you bring it
down into the Air region and cognition (i.e., thinking) begins.

So, what you're *describing* with your words is how a direct perception
would likely appear as it's being *processed by* the Air region of your
mental body.

My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
09 Jan 2003
rawnclark@...
rawn@...
http://www.ABardonCompanion.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BardonPraxis