The article collection
Further into the mystery.
Twelve substantial explorations of consciousness, research and spiritual traditions, for genuine seekers who enjoy staying with a subject.
BATCH 4 OF 4 · 12 ARTICLES · IN THEIR PREPARED SEQUENCE
The Observer Behind the Mind
There is a peculiar moment in meditation when a thought arrives, develops into a little story, and then passes away — while something remains aware of the whole process. I have encountered that distinction many times. More recently, it has appeared in dreams, too: one aspect of me is immersed in the scene while another watches without much involvement.
Read article →11 min read
The Seven Planes of Consciousness
When someone speaks of the sixth or seventh plane, it can sound as though they are describing floors in a celestial office block. There is the physical world on the ground floor, the astral world above it, and perhaps a lift reserved for very advanced visitors. It makes the subject wonderfully tidy. I doubt the reality, whatever it is, is quite so obliging.
Read article →10 min read
Beyond the Astral Body
I first encountered unusual shifts of bodily perspective as a child, long before I had a developed vocabulary for them. Later, teachings on the etheric and astral bodies gave me a way to discuss experiences in which the ordinary physical sense of ‘where I am’ appeared to change.
Read article →9 min read
The Mystery of the Monadic State
There have been states in meditation that left me with a very simple reaction afterwards: Wow. Hello. Ordinary language becomes rather useless at that point. Not because the experience has no character, but because the familiar scale on which we measure intensity, space and identity seems to have been left behind.
Read article →9 min read
The Akashic Records: Memory of the Universe?
Imagine a library that contains not merely books, but the entire history of every life: thoughts, choices, relationships and possibilities. It is an arresting image. It is also the image that many people now associate with the Akashic Records.
Read article →10 min read
What Actually Happens During Trance Mediumship?
From the outside, trance mediumship can look deceptively simple. Somebody sits in a chair, their breathing slows, their voice changes and words are spoken. Depending on the observer, it may appear extraordinary, theatrical, moving or completely unconvincing.
Read article →10 min read
The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Guide to Transition
Few titles are more likely to catch the attention of a student of consciousness than The Tibetan Book of the Dead. It suggests a secret manual explaining exactly what happens after death. The actual tradition is richer and more demanding than that popular impression.
Read article →10 min read
The Nature of Spiritual Light
Light is one of the most persistent languages of spiritual experience. It appears in accounts of meditation, religious vision, near-death experience, healing and ordinary moments of intense beauty. Sometimes it seems to illuminate an environment. Sometimes it has no visible source at all. Occasionally the light itself feels like the experience.
Read article →10 min read
The Science of Altered Consciousness
When I began exploring meditation, I had no EEG machine beside me. I knew what the experience felt like: the body settling, the ordinary stream of thoughts loosening, and occasionally the emergence of awareness or imagery that seemed very different from the waking state. Over the years I have become increasingly interested in what modern neuroscience can — and cannot — tell us about such changes.
Read article →15 min read
The Higher Self and the Human Personality
We speak rather casually about ‘my higher self’ as though it were a wiser relative living upstairs. When the human personality becomes confused, perhaps the higher self is expected to send down a sensible instruction. It is an appealing idea, particularly on days when the human self has made a complete dog’s dinner of things.
Read article →9 min read
The Great Mystery of Time
Time behaves strangely in experience. An hour spent worrying may feel endless. An afternoon absorbed in music disappears almost without trace. A vivid dream can seem to contain a complicated sequence of events, yet the sleeper awakens uncertain how much ordinary time has passed.
Read article →10 min read
The Inner Worlds Are Not One Place
The phrase inner worlds can sound as though I am describing a particular realm, somewhere beyond the visible world, with a consistent landscape and a convenient entrance. My experience has been much less tidy — and far more interesting.
Read article →10 min read