«…is there a link between the Aura and the Service for the Wellbeing and the progress of humankind ? »

We are reflected in the soul

The aura is the reflection of the vital energy called soul, whose inner reflection is intelligence.

The aura is characterized by the conscious ability of man and it becomes the area of his mental consciousness and potentiality .

By observing the image we can extract many details on its composition, its colors and its external connections. These details will be dealt with in the essay called “Rainbow Bridge”, dedicated to the methods for building and widening the aura.

For the moment we'll only consider the aura as an energetic mirror that is impressed by the energy of thoughts, feelings and emotions.

The different combinations of the aura are a consequence of the mental activity of the man living inside it. The tendencies of his mind and of his character are a measure of the conscience, because they show us where the mind is focused and on what it addresses its efforts. The result is a definition of the quality of the propositions that change when the attention changes direction. Furthermore, attention focuses the area of conscience that enlightens man's activity and, as we'll see, defines the quality of the service.

Propositions are emotional colorings that can be grouped in two big profiles, the egocentric and the altruistic aspect. The prevalence of one of them gives tone and color to the individual activity* that can be therefore divided into: interested and disinterested service.

(*)the colors of the aura and the light of the soul. In nature there isn't absolute good or evil. Neither there is an absolute color in a common mind. It is more likely that there is a mixture in which, because of contingent causes or alternate emotional tendencies, one or the other of the two aspects prevails. Exceptions of any kind start in the advanced man and in the initiate. This occurs because when they decide to undertake one of the many paths for mental specialization, they prepare to take a more definite coloring. The highest evolutionary step is when the conscience is able to realize the major coloring of white, which reflects the brightness of the soul.

The interested service originates from a mind subject to itself. It is focused on its own wellbeing and follows its needs defending only its own judgments or similar ones. The altruistic service is impersonal and its only reward is to enjoy a well accomplished task. A characteristic of altruism is the loyal spontaneity of a conscience free from the redundant tones of ideologies and dogmatisms.

Mental freedom and harmonious conscience dispose to listening beyond one's self (see mental hearing); the man who can listen through his heart is also able of true altruism (see empathy, empathic intelligence, opening of the heart, lighting of the christic conscience and metaphor of the Holy Grail ).

Maturation of the physical conscience

The childhood of the physical conscience is mainly an egocentric stage, involving attachment to one's self and one's judgments; according to the eastern tradition, it can even last many lives (700 and beyond).

An intelligent detachment, on the other hand, opens the adult stage, when the maturity of the reason reflects on the conscience, allowing the latter to reflect on the reason.

Once joined, reason and conscience originate the superior mind (*) able to realize the link with one's own subtle conscience , the only one able to receive impulses from the outside.

(*) mental power. Without going too much into detail, it is important to underline that it characterizes the power of thought and therefore it defines the mental level. The power of thought and the mental will don't depend on the gathering of notions that make memory. The power of the mind is given by the speed of the thought and its connections and not by the amount of information. To store notions and to exercise the mental impulse are two different processes with two different results.

In the uncertainty of the first stage of growth, the childlike mind is committed most of all to discover itself (who am I, where do I come from, where am I going, why does this happen?). It aims at discovering and satisfying its own needs (bi- sogni - see note 1) and its desires.

Reason is ruled by the big power of sexual energy and it is conditioned by sex and pos- session (see note 2). They become the source of the main conflicts with ourselves and whoever we try and subject.

The constructive part of the search for ourselves (know thyself) is to find the balance between the different aspects that make our own psychic essence by refining our sense of self-affirmation and self-esteem. If they are over-developed, though, they can blind the reason up to the omnipotence delirium.

It is said that egocentrism and egoism are caused by the blindness of the soul that becomes unable to guide the physical conscience, in opposition to material senses.

Intelligent altruism and intellectual generosity, on the other hand, are the first signs of the influence of the soul. When the personal self (reason) is free from its prejudices, the first liberation arrives; it involves the passage from subjective and random choices to mature and objective decisions. That is to go from the fortuitousness of free choice to the consciousness of free will.

Sublimation of sexual energy

Sexual energy aims at providing pleasure and pushing to generate mortal forms. For this reason it is considered a force of illusion.

Sexual energy is an attracting force for itself neither good nor bad; through the senses it leads to the kind of chemical-hormonal falling in love that allows nature to survive itself. This means that it leads individuals to reproduce and therefore protect their own species (see astral plane ). This is an important service to the planet in order to protect its natural life.

In human beings, by awakening the will and making it an intelligent and conscious means (see mental plane ), sexual energy is sublimed up to the point of becoming a generating source of extremely pure forms of thought (see mental superior plane and spiritual plane ).

This closes the chain of generation in which man, generated by a divine idea, goes back to reproduction in the planes of the spirit.

Mental, ideological or religious exaltation, on the other hand, is the result of low level sexual energy linked to the generating center of the genitals. The antithesis of mind-confounding exaltation there is the elaboration of a high degree of self-conscience, which leads the energy of the soul to precipitate in the conscience and enlighten the mind.

Physical senses and subtle senses

The illumination produces a mental vision of a superior kind that goes beyond the physicality of the senses. Here originates the metaphor of the third eye.

This Statement seems to imply the existence of other senses, but this is not the case.

Every sense has a subtle use and the different perception depends on the point of conscience from which it is used. From emotiveness originates astral vision. By developing the mind to reach logic deduction, its vision increases and overcomes the limits of physical reason. This growth constitutes the vision of the superior mind. If this connects with one's own subtle counterpart, the path towards spiritual vision is open.

The first step is, however, to build the link between reason and physical conscience. We can learn how to use the senses in a subtle way through appropriate techniques, such as visualization. They gradually inhibit physical-animal perceptions until we are free from their connection that will then be only subsidiary and not dominating.

Development of the senses

Senses were originated by the need to perceive and they can be widened by the will.

Hearing

Physical hearing is perceived through the ears, but if we develop mental sensitivity it allows us to perceive the motion of feelings. By extending this faculty we soon become conscious of the presence of others' feelings and sensations that we used to consider alien.

Mental hearing is developed through empathy. It originates by the link between two hearts and enables us to communicate without words. The ability to connect mentally with the world of ideas is the preamble to vertical telepathy (see article) that links the conscience with its subtle planes.

Mental hearing and the intuitive mind develops the plane of wisdom.

When intuitiveness becomes a consistent aspect of intelligence, it allows us to recognize the characteristic tone of an individual or the fundamental tone of a group. The mind finds the junction points between several elements and it is able to perceive that different properties have common methods. This is the ability of synthesis.

By joining the differences through common points we are able to recognize symmetries and correspondences in any field of knowledge.

Spiritual hearing is a source of beatitude because it acknowledges the omnipresence of the sound as an evolutionary means and unifier of cosmic existence. That is the sound as fundamental model of any living form.

Its symbology is the Sacred Word, the Lost Word and the Words of Power. The exoterical representation of the sound is the Pillar of Harmony of ritual use.

Touch

Physical touch allows us to recognize the characteristics of what or whom we are in contact with.

Emotional touch is to get in touch with sensations or ideas that have an analog emotional expression.

Mental touch is called psychometry and it is the faculty to reach the heart of the idea and of the word by overcoming the form, or the expression, that encloses it and hides its essence.

Mental contact can be experienced as recognition, memory or the anticipation of what is perceived.

Intuitive touch increases the sense of mental and spiritual orientation (see horizontal and vertical orientation). To feel with participation means that hands can become powerful instruments for reception and transmission of energy.

Spiritual touch is the ability to recognize the spiritual unity in any form.

Its symbology is the touching that marks the recognition among similes, or the imposition of the hands as initiatory or therapeutic transmission or consolamentum (see).

Sight

Physical sight is the perception through the organ of the eye.

Emotional sight conceptualizes colors and also helps to build moral models and to imagine new forms of thought.

Mental sight is the ability to conceptualize the inner spaces of symbols and geometrical forms.

Intuitive sight allows us to conceptualize the sounds of ideas and their motion.

It is the mental vision symbolized by the third eye.

Spiritual sight is pure perception.

When a concise and brief idea appears to our mind, it can't be interpreted straight away and it is perceived as a dazzle. It is a psychic flash that we can't interpret but it will enlighten the mind with its content.

There are many big and small illuminations that enlighten the way of the researcher and that can be effectively multiplied.

Its symbology is the sacred lights. There is also the metaphor of the half light that represents the sight of the inferior reason and the full light that represents the vision of the superior conscience, impersonal intelligence not contaminated by the emotions of the physical senses.

Taste

Physical taste distinguishes flavors and rules the lower processes of taste.

Emotional taste is imagination.

Mental taste is the ability to distinguish any form of duality, included the difference between the thoughts of the superior Ego and those originated by the personal self.

Intuitive taste is intuition itself. It is the immediate knowledge obtained not through the learning of notions but through the direct perception of what is unknown (see knowledge by contact).

Spiritual taste is the evolutionary boost that the subtle conscience (soul) uses to involve the personal self (physical conscience) in its own project of manifestation. The soul uses its own experience to build better physical forms that would allow it to penetrate more and more the world of matter.

Its symbology is the Cup of Libations ; in this ritual the sweet taste of illuminated love and the bitter taste of its betrayal are taken to the mouth (that represents the conscience of man); this allows us to distinguish the desirable things from the hateful ones.

It means to discriminate the chaos from truth and beauty, that is to separate harmony from dissonance, good from evil, real from unreal. The taste becomes the sense of Balance and Justice. We get to the symbol of the Scales that measure and the Sword that separates the opposites.

Smell

Physical smell perceives the smell that excites different psychic parts, originating emotions that change the mental attitude.

Sensorial stimulation regards all senses but it is especially true for the smell. By selecting the smells we can determine a particular status of alignment and mental receptivity. This is why in ceremonies special smells are used.

The sense of smell on the emotional plane is the structure of the religious devotion and idealism based on the desire to own and elevate what we love or to destroy what is antagonist.

The sense of smell on a mental level is the ability of discerning.

The sense of smell on the intuitive plane is the intuitive idealism and the mystic orientation, unconnected from any religious system but marked by impersonal spirituality.

The sense of smell on the spiritual plane is the principle of the mind in its creative activity aimed to perfect the link between personality and inner spiritual planes.

Its symbology is the ritual fumigations of essences whose vibrational quality moves particular sensations or corresponds to definite zodiacal characteristics.

Athos A. Altomonte

End of part one

note 1: Play on words in the Italian version. ‘Bisogni' means in Italian ‘needs'. The word divided in two: ‘bi-sogni', gives ‘sogni' which means ‘dreams'.

note 2: Another play on words. ‘Possesso' means ‘possession', whilst the word split in two: ‘pos-sesso' gives the word ‘sesso' which means ‘sex'.