Last time I spoke about the intermarriage between the masculine and the feminine and the chakra system. Today I am going to talk about yet another principle of Tantra, the multi-levels of consciousness.
Tantra practice is based on four realms of consciousness and the ability to move from one realm to another. Each realm brings a higher level of consciousness enabling us to see a fuller more spiritual reality. Its impact on us is simple; it allows us to be enlightened to our full scope of the here and now.
The Realms of Tantra
In Tantra there are 4 realms of consciousness.
The first is the least real and that’s the realm of the material or the taijasa. In scientific terms, the realm of matter is the realm of all we see and feel.
The second is the mystical realm which is the realm of the gods. Jung describes this as the collective unconscious; a consciousness we all share.
The third realm is the realm of the magical, not magical like David Blane but rather the magical realm of energy called prajna. The magical realm is the realm of the source energy that powers the universe. Magical realm is the realm of pure energy. We know energy has been measured even in the darkest reaches of space. Energy makes up subatomic particles that make atoms. Every atom in the universe was formed from nothing but pure energy released from the big bang and that same energy created time and space.
The final realm is the realm where all three meld together into one. This realm is often referred to as the integral. In the integral realm material, mystical, and magical combine into one. This is the realm where we can achieve enlightenment.
Tantra is a part of everyday life
We experience these realms everyday unknowingly. I don’t think I need to explain how we live in the material; the other three tantra realms are a bit more complicated.
We move into the realm of mystical when we pray, create, and REM sleep. These are the times when we allow the collective unconscious to flow through us. We move into the magical realm rarely and we are completely unaware. Times when this can happen is during deep sleep, the time when our brain recharges. We become blank, this energy is the realm of nothingness as compared to what we define as something. The last realm can happen through meditation and for only a brief but transformative moment.
Reaching an enlightened state
The fourth tantra realm is an interesting one because, in normal circumstances, it is not possible to enter it since we can only live through one realm at a time. It’s the realm where we reach absolute consciousness. We become aware of all three realms enlightening us in a transformative experience. However, all circumstances need to be right to achieve this level of consciousness. We must have all chakras open, the energy pathway through the body must be free of blockages, and the mind must be at peace.
The mind of a person with emotional trauma is not going to be able to achieve this mental state because of their emotion blocks. These emotional blocks are felt through the body as both closed chakras and blockages to energy flow throughout the body. During meditation you can hear the blocks as static or a white noise. The block’s noise also prevents a person from reaching the place where one can experience the integral. By working through our traumas and meditation we quiet the noise and get to a place of peace. By doing this, we are forced into the here and the now because only then can one be fully conscious.
As Gestalt Therapists, we want people to live in the moment, the here and now. We believe dwelling on the past is nothing but an “energy suck” because there is no changing the past and because there is no such thing as Dr. Emit Brown’s Flux-Compactor (could not resist the Back To The Future reference) or time travel. The future is never guaranteed. For all we know, an Armageddon level event could hit us ending life on earth at any second. Just ask Chelyabinsk, Russia about their nearly being wiped off the map by a meteor the size of a 3-story building. So we must live in the moment and experience the moment fully and only then can we be whole, content, and at peace.
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