More on the "Depth Point" and Transference of Consciousness
© 2003
>> Hehe...I know I will sound like a psycho if I say I connected with a bridge! <<
;-) Not around here you won't!
Your post was very interesting! :)
In the process you describe for attaining the proper (for you) state which opens you to this sort of perception, I note that it is rooted in your emotional body. This is different than what Bardon intended with the transference of consciousness exercises. The transference of consciousness (i.e., one's solitary mental body) into another is rooted in first reaching your own "depth point", which, as I've said before, is not a spatial location. Nor is it an astral state -- it's a mental state and is, in that regard, devoid of *emotional* passion (but filled with *mental* passion, nonetheless!). In the transference of consciousness there is a more direct perception of essential meaning which, ideally, is not translated, flavored or interpreted by one's own emotions.
This 'depth point' is the Tiphareth Self which, of course, is the 'heart' of the astral or personal self. In other words, in your experience with your new friend the bridge, you evoked that depth point connection by filling your astral body with the emotion of love, the universal solvent which opens all things. In other words (once again), your Tiphareth Self was shining *through* your astral persona. This is sort of the opposite of how Bardon suggests in the transference of consciousness -- with his technique you are literally relocating *just* your Tiphareth Self into another person or object and are not connecting *through* your astral body.
The difference between the perceptions which result from your technique and Bardon's transference technique, is that with Bardon's technique your own emotional responses don't get in the way of a *direct* perception of the true experience of "other". Bardon's technique transfers only the solitary mental body and none of one's astral body and integrates into the "other" mentally instead of emotionally. Ultimately, the mental integration with the "other" can be so complete that you *experience* THEIR thoughts, emotions and perceptions without the interjection or overlaying of your own thoughts and emotions.
>> 4. This state stops as soon as my mind begins to analyze what has happened. <<
Yes. That's actually the trigger or key to turning this state of perception off *and* on. As I said above, the thing that makes the astra-mental senses so different is the quantity and quality of essential meaning you are perceiving. It is a more direct perception than with the physical senses alone. The perception of essential meaning is *pre-cognitive*, it occurs *before* sequential thinking. So, the key to inducing this state is to stop thinking (i.e., emptiness of mind) and the key to turning it off is to start thinking!
>> 5. The wheel of matter, as I see it, is turned not so much by mental concentration, but rather by passion. I don't know how this can be formulated, but it seems the astral is connected somehow more to our feelings and less to our mind, thus can reach out easier to the material world. <<
Human feelings *are* astral by nature. Astral is the medium between mental and physical. "Mind over matter" works *because of* the astral medium. Mind has direct power over the astral and the astral has direct power over the physical. This is why in Hermetic initiation it is so critical to achieve the *astral* Equilibrium of the Elements as the *first* task. If one's astral body has not achieved Equilibrium then it will distort the mental will on its passage downward into the physical. Magic relies upon a "clear" astral channel for the mental will; one that clearly reflects the mental will without distortion.
In the example you described, you used your mental will to evoke the astral emotion of love, and the subsequent projection of this astral emotion into your physical surroundings, caused material change, yes?
>> I have a good feeling about the method and it results. I'm sure some of you folks can tell me a bit more what this state actually is and if it does comply with the results of the Bardon exercise step 4, and if they can detect any unbalance in this approach. I have been working on balancing out my fire with the water element, which may be the reason for my new-found love to communicate with others ;) , but if there truly is any unbalance in this approach (i.e. I have overdone the water thing!) I may not be in too good a position to judge about it myself right now. <<
:) Your method does sound a bit "watery" to me in the sense that you are relying primarily upon an emotional path to reach your target state of *mind*. This is not a "bad" thing by any means, especially considering the positive nature of your results! It is however, not exactly what Bardon requires in the Step Four transference of consciousness (which is under the heading of *mental* training).
In regard to the technique you've described, I recommend that you experiment with inducing this state mentally, instead of relying upon extended isolation, fasting and sleep deprivation. In other words, develop your ability to consciously evoke the appropriate emotions within your astral body by using your mental will. Bring your mental will more consciously into the equation. This would also help in your work with balancing the Fire issues that you mentioned since it would be a *positive* use of your Fire (mental will) to excite a *positive* result in your Water (astral/emotional body).
My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
13 Aug 2003
>> I wonder if you could 'clarify' this a bit further, as transference of consciousness is learned in Step IV, while the depth point is reached later in Step V. From what I'm getting, it sounds like the individual self is the mental body which you transfer your consciousness to when you reach your depth point. (?) <<
Well, your "consciousness" IS your mental body. When you "transfer your consciousness" into your depth point, you are in fact, constricting the focus of your conscious awareness to just the Air and Fire regions of your mental body. This is what I call the "solitary mental body" in the Self-Healing Archaeous, which can also be titled the Individual Self.
Even though Bardon did not speak about the depth point until Step Five, the Step Four transference of consciousness still involves attaining the depth point -- i.e., the constriction of one's own conscious awareness, down to the solitary mental body and then the projection of the solitary mental body into another object, person, etc.
>> When you start thinking, are you re-engaging with your own astral body? Or moving out of your depth point? <<
No, the depth point includes thinking since it is composed of both the Air and Fire regions of the mental body. The *direct* perception of essential meaning however, is accomplished with just the Fire region of the mental body and so when you add in the Air (thinking) region, this draws your center of focus out of just the Fire region and ends the *direct* perception of essential meaning. When you start feeling about your thinking is when the astral body (Water region of the mental body) is re-engaged.
My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
15 Aug 2003
>> I did note that Bardon places the "depth point" of the person in the solar plexus. <<
This is one of those points in IIH where if you have not done everything that Bardon has instructed up to that point in the Work, you will assume incorrectly. Some call this a "blind".
At the beginning of Step Five, Bardon wrote an interesting little essay about Archimedes and the depth point. Near the end of which he stated:
"The scholar is advised to meditate very intensively about this problem, and he will be able to open up profundities he never dreamed of and a high intuition will be his reward."
*Assuming* that the scholar actually had pursued this intensive meditation about the depth point, he then proceeded to introduce "Space Magic" and the transference of the scholar's consciousness into the depth point of external objects. If the scholar did not already figure out that the depth point is *not* a point in physical space, then these exercises with external objects will either teach them this or become incredibly frustrating.
Let's look at the meditation that Bardon described. It's based upon transferring your consciousness to the exact center point of a form. When you do that you'll find that the center of any form is *infinitely small*. In other words, is has no spatial value, no size whatsoever. Furthermore, within that center point, one finds the *infinitely infinite*.
Simply transferring your consciousness into the physical center of an object has very little value as an exercise and has no relevance to the depth point. Furthermore, the solar plexus is not the exact physical center of most human bodies. Nor is it in any way the "beginning of the form", as Bardon described the depth point.
Ultimately, the scholar pursuing these exercises will figure these things out and realize that Bardon's words here cannot be taken literally.
My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
05 Sept 2003
>> Whenever I have read about the depth point and transference of consciousness I have wondered if consciousness at this level is actually projected anywhere since consciousness seems to be spaceless and permeates all things into which we might project. So is it more of an exercise in which we assume the form of the object of our exercise? So maybe it is not a matter of projecting "our" consciousness since at that level consciousness is not "ours" but is Consciousness. Is this the nature of the blind which you mentioned? <<
No. The depth point is a *point* or an individualized center of awareness, that exists within the great sea of *sequentialized* consciousness. Each entity or thing within the sequentialized realm possesses its own individualized center of awareness. In the *transference* of consciousness we are literally relocating and merging our individualized center of awareness with the individualized center of awareness of our subject. This occurs within the realm of sequence where consciousness is individualized, not within the non-sequential realm where all consciousness is one.
However, this exercise of merging individualized units of awareness, leads the scholar to the greater awareness of the unity of all consciousness. It expands the boundaries of their own awareness and conception of 'self'.
My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
07 Sept 2003