The Kundalini Consortium
Feb. 20, 2017

Living in the Now-Part II
by Neven Paar

The Kybalion is a book written in 1908 by the Three Initiates, which to this day stands as one of the most exceptional works on Hermeticism. The reason for this book's potency is that it elucidates the Principles of Creation, which are applicable to everyday life. These Principles are seven in number, and their explanation and employment can serve as a manual to living as a Spiritual Being on this Planet.

Although compiled by the Three Initiates, the originator of The Kybalion's philosophy is none other than Hermes Trismegistus, the forefather of all Western Spiritual, religious, philosophical and occult thought. Still revered and respected by all seekers of truth who come across it, this esoteric book has stood the test of time. It is timeless since the Principles of Creation are timeless and Eternal.

Studying The Kybalion and applying its Principles in my daily life bestowed on me the grace of a full Kundalini awakening sixteen years ago. Although The Kybalion's wisdom is immense, this chapter focuses on the specific teachings related to being in the Now and mental transmutation. These Creation governing Principles, when properly understood and applied, provide the Master Key to rising above the Ego. We can become like Demi-Gods in this world when compared to those people who are unaware of these Principles and who are used by them instead of using them consciously.

The Kybalion is a guide on how to function in and relate to this World of Matter. If you are interested in reading it, free copies are available on the internet. Like me, you'll probably read and reread it many times because it sheds light on many occult, Spiritual, philosophical and religious truths, and these Seven Principles of Creation are in essence the very source and foundation of everything.

One must grasp the concept and ultimate truth that The All, which is the Universe, is a mental construct and that it can be changed by altering thoughts and beliefs about it and ourselves. By saying "mental," what I mean is that our minds are the connecting link between Spirit and Matter and all of the Planes of existence between the two. So what you think about determines the kind of reality you live in.

There are many Planes of existence, but four primarily for humans: the Physical Plane, the Astral Plane, the Mental Plane, and the Spiritual Plane. By using the mind and our willpower and imagination, we can traverse those Planes and alter our concept of reality to an unimaginable degree.

Mental transmutation is the art and practice of changing our own moods and mental states into their opposites as well as influencing others through thought induction to do the same. We all communicate telepathically, even though we are unaware of it most of the time. Our thoughts influence others on a subconscious level. Therefore, mental transmutation is the art of consciously changing the vibrational frequency of our thoughts and feelings as well as those of other people.

The first and most crucial Principle, upon which all other Principles are built, is "The All is Mind, the Universe is Mental." Without this first Principle, none of the other Hermetic teachings are possible since this Principle is the Master Key to unlocking the power of our minds and to using them to shape our reality. The first Principle goes hand in hand with the second one, which states, "As Above, So Below." This second Principle is saying that there are various Planes of existence occupying the same Space and Time that overlap one another. Consciously managing your life from the higher Planes allows you to control and rule the lower Planes.

To ascend from the lower to the higher Planes, you must understand and accept that there is a Higher Self and an Ego. These are two aspects of the Self, existing at the same time inside every one of us. Learning to disassociate from the Ego consciously gives you the power to align with the Higher Self. It allows you to change your moods and states as well as those of others.

The Ego exists in the mind only and has no place in the Now. It relates to the world through duality and shapes our personalities. It likes and dislikes things, and it perceives reality through the lens of opposites. The Ego is part of The Kybalion's Principle of Polarity, which states that everything in the Universe has an opposite. The opposite of the Ego is the Higher Self or the Spirit. Consciousness oscillates between the two, and we decide through attention and awareness which one of them we are going to align with at every given moment in time.

The Ego exists as a result of past conditioning and our interpretation of life events. Over time, since our birth, we interpreted life events through either a positive or negative lens. In this way, we built up our Ego. By interpreting life's events through the perspective of duality, our Ego became locked into the Wheel of Karma as it learned to unify ideas and concepts. As such, it became intelligent.

The Higher Self operates through love, inspiration, and imagination and exists only in the Now. It is Non-Dual; it has no likes and dislikes, no personality, but is the part of us that is our character. The Higher Self is our Spiritual Self. Therefore, to experience the Now, you will experience the Higher or God-Self. Both the Ego and Higher Self exist simultaneously, and we tune into each by listening to the thoughts they whisper to us.

The Higher Self is in the Spiritual Plane and, compared to the Ego, is the dominant part of the Self. The Ego exists on the Mental and Astral Planes and cannot reach into the Spiritual Plane. The Ego also filters into the Physical Plane since its modus operandi is self-sustenance, self-preservation and survival of the physical body. It seeks to protect itself and individualize while the Higher Self finds unity within all things. In the physical body, both the Ego and Higher Self are found, and we partake equally of each.

Each moment in time, we are given a choice between which one we will listen to and obey. The Spirit is literally our body-double, occupying the same Space and Time just at a different frequency, so it is invisible to our senses. Sixteen years ago, the realization of this fact induced a Kundalini awakening in me.

We are made in the image of our Creator since we create through thoughts, through our minds. Our imagination is the highest aspect of the Self as it is our link to God-the Creator. The difference between the consciousness of man and of God is a matter of degree—nothing more. The Creation and dream of God is the Universe while being made in God's image; we are given the ability to dream and imagine things. This process is what makes us as God—how we both create.

"As a man thinketh, so he is." This Ancient saying is as true now as it was hundreds of years ago when it was spoken of by Greek philosophers. What you think about determines what kind of reality you live in. Knowing this, you can deduce that if you can command your mind and what you think about, you can control your experience of living on this Planet. Thoughts induce energy all around us, and once you learn to control your thoughts and raise your own vibrations through the use of your willpower, you will have a degree of control over your reality that is otherwise impossible to have.

There is a Fourth Dimension, called the Dimension of Vibration. The Kybalion states, "Nothing rests, everything moves. Everything vibrates." The difference between Spirit and Matter is only a difference in vibration. Matter vibrates at such a low density that it is visible to the human eye since the eye is also is comprised of Matter. But Spirit vibrates at a higher frequency, invisible to the naked eye, though very present and real. We experience it through the sixth sense—the Mind's Eye.

A Kundalini awakening is an awakening to this Fourth Dimension of Vibration, which is the dimension of energy. If you apply this concept now to thoughts, you will have the master key to controlling the frequency of your vibrations. Using your willpower, you can control the vibration of your thoughts as well as the thoughts of others. To change your vibration and your emotion, you have to apply your Fire/Spirit aspect and focus your attention. It works by meditating or holding your attention consciously on an idea or archetype to affect the emotional aspect of the Self and change it. Emotion is passive; it receives impulses from your willpower, or through the lack of willpower since it is also affected by the willpower of other people. 

If you are not consciously in charge of your reality, other people are. For this reason, you will find that the influential people of the world are stubborn and only listen to themselves. Because to do otherwise is to put your reality into other people's hands. These Principles are kept secret by the people in power because if the truth were out about how reality is shaped, those in power would no longer have any influence over others. Being able to apply the Principle of Vibration is the sceptre of power for complete control over your life. Let those with ears of understanding hear this ancient wisdom as it is the source of mental transmutation. And it is as real as your flesh and blood. All one has to do is apply the Principles consciously and with intent.

The Kybalion states, "To change your mood or mental state, change your vibration." Every thought has an opposite. Love has hate; up has down. Truth has lies; fear has courage, and so on. And since we live in a world of duality, we can change all emotions into their opposites. Now, love cannot be changed into courage and fear cannot be altered to lies. One can only change emotions into their opposites. Hence, hate can be changed to love, fear to courage, weakness to strength, and so on.

A fearful person can spend all of their life overshadowed by fear, and they will not achieve anything. Since focusing on one thing means amplifying it in the mind, it doesn't matter if you are thinking, "Don't focus on fear, don't focus on fear" You are still thinking about fear.

But if you focus on its opposite, and hold your attention on courage for a time, you will raise your fearful vibrations into courage, and prevail. But to accomplish this, you must first have an idea of how to enter the Now since this is the place of pure potential where mental transmutation becomes possible.

The willpower is the Fire Element in us. It is the Spirit-Self. By applying willpower to accomplish anything, you are exercising your connection with Spirit. The Spirit works through Fire, which, in turn, affects the Water Element. The Water Element is the memory through which the Ego is formed. Memory belongs to the past and is used to plan the future by the Ego. It belongs to the Water Element, as it is changeable and unfixed. The Moon influences the memory since the Moon is the regulator of emotions. This philosophy forms part of Hermeticism, which seeks to understand the Universe logically and practically. Hermetic Science is the pure science of who we are. It is the source of all religions and their origin. 

Spirit and Fire can always act on Water and Water can drown out Fire, but it cannot touch the Spirit. In other words, the Ego cannot affect your Spirit, but if you associate only with the Ego, you will forget you even have a Spiritual Self. Use of the willpower involves the conscious application of the Spirit energy through the Fire Element. So when we talk about willpower, it means applying our Spirit and Fire Element to affect the Water Element—our impression of who we think we are and the reality around us. Fire is regulated and controlled by the Sun. It is Light; it is Spirit. Fire is the first Source, the Father, as the Moon is the second Source, the Mother. The Moon is reflective of the Sun's Light, and it regulates the mental aspect of Creation. These opposites need one another to exist. The Sun channels the White Light from the First Mind, the Source of everything, whereas the manifested Universe is the Second Mind, the Mother, in this instance. The Universe is the projection; the Holographic reality that is moulded and shaped by the White Light. We, humans, are the reconcilers of the Father and Mother energy since we partake of the White Light as well as the manifested Universe. 

There is a gap between thoughts. Since the Ego is always active and always talking, if you quiet the Ego, you can enter this gap. It can be done willfully because the Principle of willpower is higher in degree than the automatic chatter of the Ego. The mind is like a muscle, and the more you work on it, the stronger it gets, and it becomes easier to induce silence at will.

In this gap between thoughts exists the Now—an ecstatic state in which to lose yourself for a time. This process goes on until you are once again conscious and aware of the Ego's thoughts. Depending on how strong your willpower is, this may last a short or long while. The key to this process is awareness and attention. Focus your attention on silencing the mind which, in turn, raises your consciousness. In the Now, you can alter your reality through mental transmutation and realize your highest potential since the Now is a place of pure unlimited potential where anything becomes possible.

For example, if you ever wanted to become an artist, a musician, a famous actor or politician, it is a genuine possibility. But you must first forget who you think you are, your limitations, and learn to access the Now so that you can "squeeze the juice" of pure potential from it and remake yourself. You must believe this is possible because it is. Your power of belief is the springboard for making it real. If these are just mere words for you, you will accomplish nothing. Such is The Kybalion. It is "strong meat for men," while the masses are fed "milk for babes." Since we are living in the Matrix, you can choose to rule or be ruled. You are a hero of your own story, although you probably don't know it yet. You can dream, and you have the ability and power to accomplish those dreams. But if you listen to the Ego that tells you that you cannot do something then you will be right, you cannot. If you listen to the Spirit that tells you that you can be anything you want to be, again you will be correct. The choice is always yours. Such is the Law.