As Within

As Within so Without

The image attached to this post shows the old occult maxim “as above so below”, which can also be stated “as within so without”. These are short phrases which pack an incredible degree of meaning. The first statement refers to the interconnection of phenomena on different levels of reality known in occult terminology as ‘planes’. We live on the physical plane but what happens here is effected by and effects what happens on other planes such as the astral plane (where dreams occur). The second phrase refers to the occult principle of the creative power of consciousness and reflects a reversal of the way we typically engage the world. The average person is usually not aware of the fact that they create their experience of the world with their consciousness thinking instead that they and the world exist independently and what happens externally is only minimally influenced by them if at all. Even if a person is aware of creating their reality its likely they don’t realize just how they do it and how to change it if it doesn’t serve their healthy expression of life. I’ve been working with this simple reversal of perspective for years to put it into practice in order to live a life of true freedom and fulfillment in harmony with the cosmic laws of the universe. This is the purpose of occultism in my view.

Occultism can be a very philosophical field of study but my study and practice is with practical occultism or a system that can be put into practice to effect real changes in ones mind and experience. Along those lines I’ve come to use a two step process for living my life fully and staying focused on creating what I want because in my view the reason we exist in this world is to create, to create unique expressions of form, we are creative beings. This two step process can be stated like so: First attend to your state of mind and then act. Very simple and effective.

The Reversal of Perspective

Consciousness is always creating but as occult practitioners our goal is to begin to create consciously rather than unconsciously. This requires an incredible degree of mental discipline because as the maxim states whatever is most consistently held within our consciousness is what we will see reflected in external reality. Its important to note here that external reality includes our physical body. We must also make sure that we are grounded at the heart level so that our mental process has a deeper foundation. This involves spending time getting out of the head and feeling life and allowing ourselves to be still so we can sense the deeper reality that is all around us. Unfortunately this deeper reality is usual drowned out by mental chatter and external distractions cutting us off from our true power and intuition, from Higher Self.

So how do we create consciously? We do so using the most powerful tool we have at our disposal as human beings, our mind. The mind is the engine of consciousness and whatever we hold in our mind consistently in terms of thoughts, images and feelings is what consciousness creates. The focal point of the mind is attention or that which we direct our mind towards. Most people have very little control over their attention and so their minds function unconsciously and their world reflects that chaotic state. In this world there are so many distractions and so much information overload that most people suffer from some degree of scattered attention. However if we know the power of attention we can learn to direct it to what we choose and so begin to transform our experience from the inside out.

To create consciously we must know what we truly want in life because only then will we be able to know what to focus our attention on. We need to have clear goals. Once you know what you want an observation of the mind is necessary to see to what degree we are focusing on things that lead us to what we want and to what degree we are focusing on things that block us from having what we want and obstruct our power.

For example if I wish to create financial prosperity I need to be specific about what that means to me and develop thoughts, images and feelings that support it. This might include seeing my bank statement show a certain amount or picturing in my mind writing checks paying off bills or feeling the excitement of receiving a large payment for a service that I offer. If however I notice my mind repetitively goes to things like fearing not being able to pay a bill, seeing images of a zero balance in my account, thinking to myself and saying to others how broke I am or imagining a future of hardship I am working contrary to my aim and so this is actually what I am actively creating.

Focused attuned attention

When we focus our minds on what we want, we have to keep vigilant to notice when we are focusing on the opposite and correct our attention in the moment. Make no mistake that this is an in the moment practice. We correct our attention without judgment or being hard on ourselves, which is nothing but more mental distraction obstructing our creative efforts. We must build a vision or a rich visual image in our mind of what we want and repeatedly bring it into focus. Day by day we can add to that vision and evolve it so that we are creating a mental blueprint of what we wish to manifest. If we are focusing on what we truly want and have passion behind our desire for it, that mental blueprint will be infused with energy.

Once we have attended to the state of our minds and focused our attention appropriately we then must act. Since we live on the physical plane all creative activity must be brought to physical action if its going to be of practical value. However most action for the average person is initiated by unconscious processes or habitual patterns and so often produces results which are inconsistent and counterproductive. If we learn to keep our minds focused and grounded then our actions will be consistent with our intentions and will come from a different energy. Keeping the mind focused on what we want also produces insights which dispel confusion and guide us to the actions that will actually produce the results we desire.

So to sum up the simple practice of conscious living involves attending to our state of mind first whenever its out of sync with what we want to create and when it becomes ungrounded from its true foundation which is Spirit or the Heart. Then we act from that grounded focused stable place which means our action is intuitively guided and empowered by the full power of the universe. When thats the case there is nothing we cannot achieve or create, literally!

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