Thoughts on Intuition

Intuition can’t take place when we are biased. It only appears when we are in an unbiased or neutral state of mind. The moment we are biased or judgmental, we have taken a position, which invites opposing force to enter. Hence nothing can happen or manifest and intuition won’t appear. A neutral state of mind and objective perspective, which is the neutralizing force in that triad, is the prerequisite for the possible appearance of intuition.

We are very often told that we have to become more intuitive, or have to use our intuition more often. What we don’t understand is that intuition is part of a higher faculty and only appears on a higher level of consciousness. That is, a neutral state of mind automatically contains the reverberation of a more refined state of consciousness. We once said that everything has to be earned via conscious effort, and when we are told or want to be more intuitive or use our intuition more often, we won’t be able to do so out of our ordinary will and effort.

If I am telling you right now to be intuitive, that is to use your intuition, you won’t be able to do so, due to the fact that we don’t really know what intuition truly means to us. In our ordinary state of consciousness, in a state of ‘yes or no’ or ‘shall I’ or ‘should I’ and ‘either this’ or ‘better that’, we have to struggle with the law of opposing forces, which most of the time leads to a massive culmination of thought formations creating a vacuum, which intensifies the more urgent and desperate we try to come to a resolution.

The friction and our struggle within that vacuum forces our battling little ‘ME’s’ to surrender (neutralizing force), which leads to a release of the thought formation in form of a ‘Aha-moment’, in which we grasp all we have struggled with for so long in a moment of spacious perception, manifesting in form of the gift of a resolution. The rising energy of the ‘Aha’ is the vibration of intuition, which is a finer or higher faculty within the third body (1^st body is the physical, 2^nd body is the psychological and 3^rd body is the eternal body). So we usually struggle and work hard to receive the gift of true understanding via the faculty of intuition.

Everybody knows how an Aha-moment feels. It usually is a profoundly liberating and spacious energy spreading throughout our whole system filling us with vitality and aliveness. And within the vibration of intuition we, not only understand what we have struggled with intellectually, but also understand it on all levels at the same time, instinctually, emotionally and physically. This is usually combined with an unshakable depth of knowing that requires no defense and includes not only the resolution, but the required energy to see it through to the end as well.

To summarise:

•   We can say that through the process and the science of meditation we gradually shift from external tuition to internal tuition or ‘in- tuition’.

•   Then we can say that ‘in-tuition’ has to be earned through work on consciousness and meditation. Also intuition only can enter through the ‘ray of eternity’, once all the different centres and functions are working to their full potential and in balance.

•   Furthermore we can say that Great Ideas only can be understood and grasped by means of ‘in-tuition’, hence true understanding of a particular subject or event, only manifests the moment we can see it from a higher point of view or perspective. We can’t truly understand self-consciousness from the level of our ordinary state of consciousness, which takes place on a much lower frequency. That is, we have to rise up to the level of what we intend to understand or grasp in the first place, before we will possess true knowledge of it.

•   Finally we can say that once we have established a more permanent neutral state of mind, which in itself is a much higher state of consciousness, ‘in-tuition’ can reach us with less interference from the law of opposition. In other words, our life becomes less prone to the law of accident and more congruent via the gift of ‘perception’.

Abstract of 'Inside Meditation - in search of the unchanging nature within by Alexander Filmer-Lorch

Thoughts on 'know thyself'

Far Eastern Psychology, which is a separate body of work within Philosophy, forms the basis of our journey towards 'know thyself'. Its objective is to impart real understanding of objective truth that is based on actual experience. 

The process starts exclusively with oneself, because it is only through conscious effort, generated by oneself that the ‘possibility’ of transformation & lasting change exists.

‘Know Thyself’ is to know that the difference between our ‘Essence’ and ‘Personality’ is, ‘Essence’ not ever needing to be anything else than itself. Considering that our state of being attracts our life implies that a life lived from essence, rather than from personality, leads to a much richer and direct experience of people and the whole world of manifestations we live in. 

Thus, we will inevitably evolve into what we were created to be, which is obviously not what we are in personality.

Our being that is comprised of consciousness is an expression of our psychology, and the aim of the process is to disempower non-conducive conditionings and patterns, as well as deconstruct what is false and inauthentic, which are powerful manifestations that obstruct our inner evolution and the development of a lasting sense of ‘self’.

Hence, it's well worth investing as much of the little amount of time we are given into self-generated conscious effort that will ultimately evoke enough grace to manifest a more permanent centre of gravitas within ourselves.

The journey towards knowing what we are in essence is through simply realising what we are not. This only can be accomplished by means of specific knowledge, which is knowledge containing actual transformative ideas, of which the universal idea of ‘observation’ is one of them. 

Hence ‘great observation’ that lies above the average kind of observation (which usually comes from a place where people have already taken a position or opinion), is the key to self-study. However, without the understanding that we can’t change what life keeps hidden from us through the unknown, and whatever is unfolding at the point of the ever present ‘now’ as a consequence based on certain previous actions, the necessity of ‘great observation’ does not even arise.

But the moment someone has arrived at this level of understanding, our course of life and the way we look at it, will inevitably change by opening up different possibilities and ways of thinking that takes our attention inwards, which ultimately might lead to ‘self-study’ or ‘know thyself’.

Copyright © Alexander Filmer-Lorch 2014 - All Rights Reserved

Thoughts on the Meaning of Satsang

The literal meaning of Satsang according to Wikipedia is ‘Sat’ meaning Truth, and ‘Sang’ meaning Company, hence ‘Satsang’ can be translated as ‘Company with the highest truth’, or in Indian philosophy ‘Company with someone that has realised the highest truth’.

Throughout many years, especially during my twenties and early thirties whilst the work with my teachers took place, Satsang played an important part in my life. After that, by having gone through the void and gotten used to the pang of separation, the external Satsang somehow gradually internalised by channelling the longing caused by the separation with my teachers into more meditation practice and continuing the ‘work’ through conscious effort. Thus, this process that extended over a very long period of time allowed me to experience that the very same deep peace that used to penetrate throughout my whole being in the company of my teachers, does not necessarily require an external source, yet under the right circumstances and conditions, can be met and experienced within oneself as well, once a strong sounding ‘want’ had been established.

Hence, there are two different forms of Satsang we can come in contact with.

• External Satsang; which is a gathering of people that discuss, contemplate, meditate and assimilate teachings that transmit knowledge of the truth. This should preferably take place in the company of a teacher that has experienced parts or even the full scale of the truth, or at least possesses some knowledge and some experience of of truth the other members of the gathering don’t possess.
• Internal Satsang; which according to the teachings is a much higher form of Satsang were we rest within the dwelling of what we truly are in essence. The ancient schools and philosophies call this kind of communion with the truth in us ‘realisation of the self’, in non-dualism ‘non-self’, or in some Buddhist teachings ‘the unchanging nature’. In more contemporary approaches it is known as ‘self-remembering’, as well as ‘real ‘I’ or permanent ‘I’.  In Christianity it is known as ‘salvation’, or ‘Christ consciousness’.

This gives rise to the question, why is external Satsang necessary?

Everything we know in life is acquired through external influences and incoming impressions. The knowledge of higher learning or any craft we study, is usually transmitted by a teacher or mentor. They are a living example of their craft or field of expertise and are usually highly experienced in imparting actual knowledge and how to transform it into personal experience. Their sheer presence is enough sometimes to induce a state of awe in us, and we value every moment we can spend in their company and absorb their depth of knowledge. And the same is true with teachers or facilitators that impart the knowledge of transformation. 

Most of the knowledge embedded in the universal teachings needs to be told. This particular kind of knowledge reaches us from a different level of consciousness we do not posses in our ordinary state of mind. We can only truly understand and know a subject or a thing when we have risen onto a slightly higher level of understanding from which we not only understand and know about the different ‘parts’ that are keeping us on the level of multiplicity, but can get a glimpse of understanding of the whole, in which the different parts can be seen as a unity. Hence, as much as we can only understand the whole by understanding the parts, we only can understand the parts by knowing the whole, and the teacher possesses the tools and the knowhow we can then utilise, by putting things into action, which ultimately will get us there. 

However, even a person that has received a substantial amount of higher knowledge and has applied it and practiced it for a long period of time, might not succeed and lose the acquired knowledge again without Satsang. The reason therefore is, that the ‘work’ and the teachings are easily forgotten due to the powerful influences and demands of life. Another regular occurrence is that our practice becomes mechanical and looses its meaning, due to the lack of new impressions and inspiration. For example, like we make sure to regularly participate in continuous professional development programs that are known as CPD’s, to be able to keep up with the newest developments and skills in our field of expertise, similarly we derive new inspiration and meaning through the impact of being in the company of people that by simply being in their presence, make us ‘remember to remember’ the real purpose of our inner journey. 

So, unless we have developed enough strength and gravitas within ourselves (that is derived from the actual experience of the knowledge we have received, acquired and assimilated in whichever respective field of expertise we ‘work’), the great value of Satsang should not be underestimated. 

Copyright © Alexander Filmer-Lorch January 2014 All Rights Reserved 

Putting things into Action

‘Anchoring Sense of Self’ Meditation’

The ‘Self’ cannot be objectified, which is not merely an idealistic philosophical idea. It is a fact. Hence the main focus in the initial stages of meditation practice is to develop a greater sense of ‘Self’, which ultimately leads to a more permanent sense of self that forms the foundations towards a deeper state of meditation. 

But before we can do that we have to become someone in life, which is our first task, called the life task. That is, we must be able to excel in something and thrive to know something definite in life, before anything else can be done or become possible.

The manifestation of a greater sense of self means that we have come to a turning point in our personal development, at which we want to take full responsibility for our own life. Here we have arrived at a stage where we really understand the difference between order and chaos, recognising the principles of opposite attraction, as well as fully acknowledging and seeing that certain things must be done regardless of how we feel personally right now. 

The ‘Anchoring Sense of Self Meditation’ is a simple, yet very powerful practice that is based on ‘conscious effort’, which forms part of our second task, the ‘work task’. Without the ‘work task’, the life task is very difficult to accomplish. However, it is only through the continuous application of conscious effort, generated by oneself that the possibility of lasting change exists, which in very simple words means practice…practice…practice. The life task and the work task have to be executed simultaneously, and the ‘Anchoring Sense of Self Meditation’ can be seen as the binding element (fascia) between the life and the work task.

During the ‘Anchoring Sense of Self Meditation’, we are utilising our physical body as a reference point to the ‘now’, where a greater sense of self can be felt (proprioceptive sense) by being fully present to the moment to moment experience of the almost infinite spacious aliveness beneath the surface experience of our physical body.

In time, and through regular practice, we will accumulate a sufficient amount of living memory of greater sense of self that has enough gravitas to gradually counterbalance all the manifestations of pictures we have developed of ourselves and take as ourselves. This is how the mind turns the ‘Self’ that cannot be objectified into an object, which only exists as pictures in our minds eye we take as ourselves. Hence, this is the true meaning behind the famous philosophical teachings of ‘piercing through the veil of illusion’ and  ‘transcending Maya’.

Close your eyes, and whilst keeping your eyes soft you take your attention to the tip of your nose. Become aware of the rising and falling away of your breath, without imposing anything on your breathing. Whilst your eyes disengage rest your awareness with the appearing screen in front of you.

• There your attention follows your most gentle inhalation through the very tip of the nose up to the crown of the head

• stay for only a second within the pause after the inhalation

• Gently Exhale taking your attention down to your coccyx & pause for a second

• Inhale up along the back of the spine through your third eye

• Exhale down the front into your solar plexus

• Inhale mentally saying the word “I” during the inhalation, allowing the solar plexus and the whole body to fill and expand whilst feeling the resonance and reverberation of the silent sound of ‘I’

• Let go into the Exhalation by mentally saying ‘AM’

• Feel and merge with the formless state of ‘AM” during the pause after the exhalation. 

Take your attention back to the tip of the nose and repeat the above steps for a total of seven rounds.

Then let go of all breathing and stay absorbed within the formless state of the ‘I AM’.

After six to seven month of practicing this meditation, you might experience more prolonged times in which you won’t habitually place your sense of ‘I’ into what you do, or what you have achieved, and what you want to be.

Thus a healthy state of separation between the formless ‘I AM’ state and the world of manifestations is established, in which you might gain access to greater possibilities and more conscious and creative ways of thinking, as well as experiencing life without constantly loosing your sense of self.  

This meditation does not require more than 10 to 15 minutes to practice. Best four to five times a week, and always remember it is not the quantity that counts it is the regularity and quality that gradually will lead to results.

Copyright © Alexander Filmer-Lorch November 2013 All Rights Reserved

Thoughts on Self-Perception

Simply stop for a moment, and picture yourself the way you usually perceive yourself as a person. Then ask yourself, “to whom does this image arise”?... stay with wherever this question takes you.

Many people derive their sense of self through others. That is, by means of identification with someone they look up to or would like to become. This can be a momentary idol or an actual role model people aspire to. 

Every culture, profession, religion, majority, minority, or field of expertise has developed their own unique role models, and usually try to encourage as many people as possible to model themselves into this respective role. 

So the perception of oneself will be more or less in alignment with a particular model we have at our disposal. Each role has been re-modelled throughout the different centuries by its respective society, to meet the requirements of its particular time, as well as to give us a strong sense of self and belonging in our social environment and personal lives. 

This does not only count for ourselves, it is true for many people around us that are trying to aspire to become the same role model as we do.

From a universal teaching point of view this is recognised as a psychological state called ‘external sense of self’, and many people live their whole life through it, without ever realising or acknowledging its external centre of gravitas and illusionary nature. 

As we can observe in life, lots of people go to great lengths to become someone else. They gradually mould themselves into their role model or idol, which is not always conducive to their very own physical and psychological wellbeing.

This might give rise to the question, how far ‘external sense of self’ has been removed from the truth of what we are in essence?

Only your ‘self’ can answer this question.

Pause once more for a moment and be attentive to what kind of sound and image the constant voice in your head is projecting. Then ask yourself “to whom does this inner voice arise”?...  Stay with wherever this question takes you.

Countless systems of philosophy and their underlying applied psychology had been developed to teach us how to tame this on-going inner chatter, this inner voice which is one, out of many ways, by which this mind finds its expression. 

This inner voice derives its momentum from the influx of uninterrupted external impressions and events that enter our body/mind unit by means of our five senses, as well as from their accompanying feelings, thoughts and emotions that are automatically activated somewhere within our psychological body.

Unlike ‘external sense of self’ that springs into life by means of identification with an external object or human being, the sense of self that is derived from our inner voice, is based on mechanical responses to external impressions. To most recurring impressions and events that take place throughout our life, we respond with a matching inner song, without even realising what has triggered the on/off button to the respective tape. 

That is, by continuously responding to specific situations in the same way again and again, we accumulate a countless series of response patterns that randomly alternate with each other. Each response pattern is accompanied by an inner voice that, due to its repetitive nature has such a hypnotising effect on us that it makes us fall asleep. 

And of course, we are not talking about that kind of falling asleep that takes place when we are mentally and physically tired, this kind of falling asleep takes place whilst we interact with life.

We are so used to listening to this inner voice that we start believing that it is us who is talking, which is magnified by the fact that this continuous inner voice sounds exactly like our physical voice when we communicate with others. 

From here it does not take very long until we start associating an image with this inner voice that has taken on the same form and shape as our physical body. Hence from then onwards we derive our full sense of self through our inner voice and inner songs.

From a universal teaching point of view this is recognised as a psychological state called ‘mechanical sense of self’ we take as real self and rarely question. Many people live their whole life through it, without ever realising or acknowledging its hypnotic and sleep producing nature.

Now take your attention towards the rising and falling away of your natural breath for a moment, and let yourself be absorbed within the spaciousness of the pause after the exhalation, accompanied by a sigh like sense of relief. Then ask yourself “out of whom does this spacious stillness arise”?... Stay with wherever this stillness will take you.

The one that has realised the illusionary nature of ‘external sense of self’, as well as the sleep producing nature of ‘mechanical sense of self’, will repeatedly channel their focus by means of conscious effort towards the objectless nature of stillness-memory within, that has been accumulated by means of self-remembering and meditative practice.

This in due course can be consciously accessed, and will manifest as a more prolonged state of ‘true sense of self’ that only very few people recognise as the truth of what they are in essence.

Copyright © November 2013 Alexander Filmer-Lorch -  All Rights reserved