The Blinding Light of Realisation

Our living world is so familiar that we may take it for granted without thinking of the magical power that enables a tiny seed to grow up through the earth towards the sun, unfurling all its hidden beauty and beneficence as it reaches into the light. And just as the plant is drawn to the sun, so all are drawn onward and upward by light’s magnetic power. We are constantly surrounded by – immersed in – a great and glorious creative process that is a testament to the mighty power of Light. The poet , William Blake, reminds us of what can be seen by an enlightened consciousness:

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour…”
~ extract from Auguries of Innocence by William Blake

Though we may not envision or clearly see what is drawing us onward, we cannot turn from its subtle yet powerful call. We may become sidetracked by distracting detours that appeal to our lesser selves, but eventually, through lived experience, we grow and expand in consciousness – and with that expansion we find the way again and more light pours through.

We are not passive in this great life process but are all actively engaged in a vast reciprocal relationship with the great Life of which we are a part. We are its agents, and its purpose radiates through us increasingly as we come to realise our deep and eternal interconnection with it.

Light awakens the heart like the morning sun melting the night’s frost, awakening the birds, and unfolding the flowers. The heart’s bright and fiery light warms and nurtures the pathways along which life flows into expression in our world. Creation moves through these pathways by radiation and magnetism and the more consciously we live, the more powerfully light and life flow through us. The Tibetan Master reminds us that:

…the expression of the creative faculty is radiation and magnetism. These bring to its possessor the material for creation and a magnetic capacity which arranges in due form and beauty that which radiation has evoked. Creativity is a consequence of a particular state of mind and a specific state of being; it signifies a point in evolution wherein the disciple is definitely radioactive. He can no more help creating in some form or another than he can help living.” Discipleship on the New Age II, page 539

As we journey upward into increasingly rarefied strata of enlightenment, the way takes us through key moments of realisation. In such moments we are blinded by the relative intensity of the new and vaster inflow of light – blinded to all that we have been and have experienced to that point. Saul of Tarsus encountered this “blinding light” and over three days was transformed into St Paul the great apostle as recorded in the Bible, Acts 22: verses 6-8 &10-11:

6: And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7: And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 8: And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. … 10: And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; …. 11: And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.”Acts 22: verses 6-8 & 10-11

In these intense times of transition between the ages, many are experiencing peak moments of realisation – some brought on by crisis, some by compassion for others, some by intense striving. They are arriving at a moment of initiation into a new sense of being and knowing. The Tibetan master points out that:

…initiation veils a secret and… the revelation of that secret is imminent… this secret… is concerned with a peculiar type of energy which can be induced at a moment of supreme tension. …it is closely related to the “Blinding Light” which Saul of Tarsus saw on the road to Damascus… [and is] definitely related to the processes and effects of initiation.” Discipleship in the New Age II, page 327

And:

The whole of mankind is passing en masse through the fires which precede the first initiation. Every disciple creates his own burning-ground; he then takes his stand within it, and eventually passes out of it to stand before the Angel of the Presence, at the very door of initiation… There is one fire …. I would call it ‘the fire of comprehension.’ It is closely related to the blinding light of realisation, but ever precedes it because it destroys all the glamours which may hide or veil the immediate point of illumination for the disciple.” Discipleship in the New Age II, pages 553/554

Our ability to respond (our response-ability) to what radiates through the universe grows as consciousness expands in the enlightening process. There is a constant living exchange between us and the greater life in which we live, and we are responsible for our part in this deep and intimate relationship between the part and the whole. The Tibetan explains to a disciple:

A disciple is not drawn into a close rapport with the Ashram by the magnetic, radiatory power of the Ashram alone. Disciples need to grasp the fact that they, themselves, have to draw the Ashram to them, symbolically speaking, by the potency of their own magnetic radiation.” Discipleship in the New Age II, page 540

In consciously sharing the One Life that pervades the Cosmos, we share responsibility and so grow into our place in the great Brotherhood of the universe. The Agni Yoga teachings remind us that:

Thought about Brotherhood is in itself a great communion.” Brotherhood, sloka 602

As eternal souls, progressing in realisation through lifetime after lifetime, we strive along the “road to Damascus” in the great creative process that steadily reveals the light at the heart of Cosmos reflecting through the heart of every atom.

 

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