Although,	for	many	people,	the	experience	may	not	last	(as	in
near-death	experiences),	the	residual	effect	is	permanent	and	transformative. In	due	time,	the	light	is	likely	to	return	again	for	periods	of	infinite	bliss,
peace,	and	silence,	followed	by	a	profound	gratitude	for	the	gift. The	unforgettable	event	tends	to	set	up	a	yearning	to	return	to	that	state,
which	may	result	in	the	willingness	to	give	up	everything	in	this	world	to	do
so. Curiosity	is	replaced	by	dedication,	surrender,	and	devotion. Spiritual
inspiration	strengthens	and	becomes	the	guiding	light	of	one’s	life. All	human
desires	fade	away	in	comparison	to	what	is	now	realized	as	the	ultimately
possible	state. One	then	has	become	truly	a	devotee	and	a	servant	of	God	for
whom	one	is	willing	to	surrender	all	that	this	life	has	to	offer. The	next	obstacle	that	is	likely	to	arise	is	impatience,	which	sometimes
reaches	the	level	of	desperation. Having	once	experienced	Shangri-la,	the
explorer	will	risk	life	itself	and	make	any	sacrifice	in	order	to	return. The
search	and	the	journey	can	become	a	powerful,	driving	obsession. There	is,
therefore,	sometimes	the	awful	grief	at	the	disappearance	of	that	illumined
state,	or	the	guilt	that	perhaps	one	has	done	something	to	deserve	being
separated	from	it. One	beseeches	God	in	heaven	for	assistance. Despair	can	set	in,	as	well	as	periods	of	despondency	and	self-blame. These	are	followed,	however,	by	even	more	powerful	rededication	and
commitment	to	the	journey. The	soul	is	unwilling	and	now	perhaps	even
unable	to	settle	for	anything	less	than	the	presence	of	God. Surrender	occurs
at	greater	and	greater	depths	until	there	is	finally	the	willingness	to	let	even
one’s	very	self	as	‘I’	disappear. That	‘self’	goes	deeper	and	is	stronger	than
one	had	suspected. Its	hold	seems	tenacious	and	fierce. Then,	by	the	greatest	surrender,	which	is	accomplished	not	by	one’s	own
will	but	by	the	grace	of	God,	the	agony	of	the	death	of	the	ego/self	occurs	andseems	almost	unbearable. It	then	disappears	into	eternity,	and	into	the	vacancy
swells	the	All-encompassing	Presence	in	stunning	glory	and	radiance. That
one	ever	experienced	oneself	as	separate	or	not	identical	with	that	Presence	is
unthinkable	and	incomprehensible. There	is	no	explanation. There	then	arose	the	potentiality	for	the	one	to	know	and	experience	itself
as	One. It	is	simultaneously	both	and	yet	neither. That	is	the	present	state	or
condition—all	potentiality,	all	possibility,	all	states—all	of	them,	yet	none	of
them. It	is	not	verbally	explicable. Preliminaries
One	difficulty	with	spiritual	writings	is	that	they	often	do	not	present	a
context	of	familiarity	so	that	a	seeker	can	approach	the	subject	with	comfort. For	instance,	it	is	often	stated	that	the	personal	life	of	the	writer	or	speaker	is
of	no	consequence,	which,	although	true	in	an	absolute	sense,	ignores	the
level	of	consciousness	of	most	of	humanity	that	has	a	natural	curiosity	and
expectation	about	the	style	in	which	information	needs	to	be	presented. To	say
that	one’s	personal	life	is	of	no	significance	has	no	meaning	to	most	people. There	is	a	natural	tendency	to	be	curious	about	what	kind	of	person
experiences	unusual	spiritual	revelations. There	is	curiosity	about	the
personality	traits	or	lifestyle. There	is	also	the	intuitive	awareness	that	to
understand	it	is	to	discover	that	perhaps	those	traits	or	characteristics	tend	to
eventuate	in	spiritual	awareness. Perhaps	there	are	certain	personality	styles
or	characteristics	that	are	common	to	those	who	become	dedicated	to	spiritual
discovery	or	who	realize	certain	states	of	consciousness. The	spiritual	pathway	is	facilitated	by	certain	characteristics	that	become
reinforced	and	more	powerful	with	practice,	experience,	and	success. These
include	the	capacity	to	focus	unswervingly	on	a	goal	and	to	concentrate
fixedly	on	a	technique	or	spiritual	exercise	with	commitment	and	dedication. Thus,	there	is	a	resolution	of	purpose	and	a	willingness	to	let	go	of	everything
or	anything	based	upon	one’s	profound	belief	and	faith	in	a	spiritual	teaching
or	truth. In	general,	there	is	a	willingness	to	forgive	and	love	rather	than	to
hate	and	condemn. There	is	a	willingness	to	forsake	the	lesser	for	the	greater
and	a	desire	to	understand	rather	than	to	judge. The	reason	people	with
spiritual	interests	seem	to	congregate	is	because	they	have	a	preference	for
peace	and	tranquility	over	stimulation	and	excitement. Perhaps	the	most
useful	tool	is	the	capacity	for	humility	and	the	realization	of	the	limitations	of
ordinary	consciousness	and	their	consequences. To	ensure	the	validity	of
one’s	direction	of	endeavor,	it	is	crucial	to	calibrate	the	level	of	truth	of	every
teaching,	teacher,	guru,	or	spiritual	group. Historically,	it	can	be	seen	that	mankind	stumbles	on	blindly,	much	likeships	did	in	the	unmarked	oceans,	without	a	compass	or	maps. Literally
hundreds	of	millions	of	people	throughout	time	have	been	destroyed	for	lack
of	a	simple	technique	to	overcome	the	mind’s	incapacity	to	tell	a	sheep	from	a
wolf	in	sheep’s	clothing. Whole	nations	have	gone	down;	whole	civilizations
have	died	from	following	propaganda,	slogans,	and	belief	systems	that,	when
muscle	tested,	make	one	go	weak. Although	the	muscle-testing	technique	may
sound	simple	and	crude,	so	was	the	discovery	of	the	lodestone	for	use	as	a
compass. Most	people	on	the	planet	today	owe	their	survival	to	things	that	were
once	thought	unscientific	and	crude,	such	as	the	dirty-looking	growth	of	mold
on	a	petri	dish	that	was	observed	to	be	able	to	kill	bacteria. This	little
discovery	led	to	antibiotics	and	thereby	increased	mankind’s	quality	of	health
and	expected	longevity. The	naïve	seeker	is	fair	game	for	any	and	all	would-be	captors	via	various
ideologies	through	the	sheer	influence	of	numbers,	persuasion,	and	charisma. Peer	pressure	for	the	gullible	is	also	prevalent	so	that	finding	one’s	way
through	the	thickets	of	profuse	religious	and	purportedly	spiritual	teachings
becomes	hazardous	and	problematic. It	requires	some	inner	conviction	and
means	of	guidance	to	not	follow	the	throngs	of	worshippers	because	the	herd
instinct	is	strong. Surely,	one’s	mind	says	to	itself,	“All	those	millions	of
people	could	not	be	wrong	or	be	misled	by	error.”	To	find	the	answer	to	this
paradox,	we	merely	need	to	examine	the	makeup	of	those	throngs	of	often-
zealous	believers. That	human	error	is	not	only	possible	but	also	certain	and
probable	becomes	evident	from	the	fact	that	seventy-eight	percent	of	the
world’s	population	calibrates	below	the	level	of	200,	the	level	of	Truth	and
Integrity. The	muscle-testing	response	is	determined	solely	by	the	response	of
universal	consciousness	to	either	truth	or	falseness. On	an	arbitrary	scale	(see
Appendix	B
),	that	which	makes	one	go	strong	is	calibrated	at	the	level	of	200. That	which	is	false	or	destructive	calibrates	below	200. (From	zero	to	200,
one	discovers	the	levels	of	Shame,	Guilt,	Remorse,	Fear,	Hate,	Greed,	Pride,
Avarice,	Anger,	etc.) At	the	level	of	Truth	and	Integrity,	the	body	goes	strong,	and	these	levels
go	up	through	Courage,	Neutrality,	Willingness,	Capability,	Lovingness,	Joy,
and	Peace. The	positive	levels	are	then	calibrated	from	200	up	to	a	possible
1,000. Love	is	at	500,	the	Intellect	is	in	the	400s,	and	Capability	and
Willingness	are	in	the	300s. That	seventy-eight	percent	of	mankind	calibrates
below	the	level	of	200	means	that	most	of	society	assumes	that	falsehood	is
truth. Only	twenty-two	percent	of	the	world’s	population	is	even	capable	of
understanding	what	truth	is,	and	of	that,	only	four	percent	of	the	world’spopulation	calibrates	at	500	or	over,	which	is	the	level	of	Love. Farther	up	the
scale,	the	number	of	people	at	the	top	of	this	pyramid	of	humanity	dwindles
rapidly. Enlightenment	calibrates	at	600,	where	duality	dissolves	into
nonduality. The	700s	are	the	realm	of	the	great	spiritual	teachers,	gurus,	and
saints. Few	can	be	identified	in	the	800s	or	900s. The	energy	field	at	1,000	is
the	maximum	that	can	be	tolerated	by	the	human	body	and	nervous	system,
and	it	is	the	rare	level	of	the	great	avatars	of	history. No	human	has	ever
existed	who	calibrated	beyond	1,000. The	value	of	all	these	realizations	is	merely	to	describe	a	means	of
discernment	because	human	consciousness	lacks	the	innate	capacity	to	tell
truth	from	falsehood. It	is	therefore	imperative	to	know	the	calibrated	level	of
truth	of	any	teaching	or	teacher. With	this	awareness,	we	begin	to	understand	the	great	myths	of	mankind,
which	are	always	about	the	vicissitudes	of	the	seeker	who,	in	the	classic	story,
becomes	besieged	by	challenges,	seductions,	snares,	traps,	beguilements,	and
savage	beasts. There	are	always	dragons,	fires,	swamps,	bodies	of	water,	and
other	hazards	to	be	overcome. In	the	legends,	success	depends	on	knowing	a
single	secret	or	a	mystical	bit	of	information,	which	becomes	the	key	to
progress. Without	help	from	on	high	or	‘high	helpers’,	the	hero	or	heroine
becomes	lost	and	is	finally	saved	by	divine	goodness	in	some	disguised	form,
such	as	a	bird	that	signals	or	shows	the	way. Muscle	testing	then	is	such	a	bird
and	prevents	the	painful	stumbling	into	a	morass	from	which	it	is	often
difficult	or	impossible	to	escape. The	spiritual	quest	is	classically	likened	to	a	pathway,	a	journey,	or	a
venture. Unfortunately,	the	naïve	seeker	often	goes	unprepared	on	a	difficult
journey	without	the	necessary	tools. In	the	ordinary	world,	we	depend	on
many	safety	measures. We	wear	seatbelts,	get	inoculated	against	epidemic
diseases,	and	accept	that	there	are	hazards	to	be	guarded	against	and
overcome. Thus,	caution	comes	from	wisdom,	not	from	fear. Prudence
requires	awareness	of	the	pitfalls	to	be	avoided. If	enlightenment	were	easy	to
come	by,	it	would	be	a	common	phenomenon. However,	statistically,	the
chances	are	less	than	one	in	ten	million. There	is	also	the	common	thought	held	by	seekers	that	there	are	only	two
alternatives,	either	enlightenment	or	painful	entrapment	by	the	ego. Actually,
each	step	forward	brings	new	joys	and	a	jump	in	consciousness	that	calibrates
at	even	only	a	few	points	higher	on	the	Scale	of	Consciousness. Because	it	is
a	logarithmic	jump,	however,	it	can	bring	about	much	greater	happiness	and
accord. As	one	progresses,	confidence	replaces	fear,	emotional	comfort
replaces	distress,	and	the	ease	and	quality	of	life	improves.The	Desire	for	Enlightenment
Unless	one	has	fallen	unbidden	and	without	previous	effort	into	an
enlightened	state	of	consciousness,	as	happened	to	such	saints	as	Ramana
Maharshi	during	adolescence,	the	more	common	route	is	to	begin	to	desire	to
reach	an	enlightened	state. The	Buddha	said	that	those	who	hear	and	learn	of
enlightenment	will	never	be	satisfied	with	anything	else	and,	therefore,	the
end	is	certain. Sometimes	the	seeker	puts	forth	great	effort	and	patience,	and
discouragement	follows. At	this	stage,	the	ego	assumes	there	is	an	‘I’	that	is
seeking	an	‘it’	(the	state	of	enlightenment),	and	it	therefore	seeks	to	redouble
its	efforts. Traditionally,	the	pathways	to	God	have	been	through	the	heart	(love,
devotion,	selfless	service,	surrender,	worship,	and	adoration)	or	through	the
mind	(advaita,	or	the	pathway	of	nonduality). Each	way	may	seem	more
comfortable	at	one	stage	or	another,	or	they	may	alternate	in	emphasis. Either
way,	it	is	a	hindrance	to	consider	that	there	is	a	personal	self,	or	an	‘I’,	or	an
ego	that	is	doing	the	striving	or	seeking	or	that	will	become	enlightened. It	is
much	easier	to	realize	there	is	no	such	thing	as	the	ego	or	an	‘I’	identity	that	is
doing	any	seeking,	but	instead,	it	is	an	impersonal	aspect	of	consciousness
that	is	doing	the	exploring	and	seeking. A	useful	approach	is	to	let	the	love	for	God	replace	the	willfulness	that	is
driving	the	seeking. One	can	release	all	desire	to	seek	and	realize	that	the
thought	that	there	is	anything	else	but	God	is	a	baseless	vanity. This	is	the
same	vanity	that	claims	authorship	for	one’s	experiences,	thoughts,	and
actions. With	reflection,	it	can	be	seen	that	both	the	body	and	the	mind	are	the
result	of	the	innumerable	conditions	of	the	universe,	and	that	one	is	at	best	the
witness	of	this	concordance. Out	of	an	unrestricted	love	for	God	arises	the
willingness	to	surrender	all	motives	except	to	serve	God	completely. To	be	the
servant	of	God	becomes	one’s	goal	rather	than	enlightenment. To	be	a	perfect
channel	for	God’s	love	is	to	surrender	completely	and	to	eliminate	the	goal
seeking	of	the	spiritual	ego. Joy	itself	becomes	the	initiator	of	further	spiritual
work. From	joy	and	humility,	the	rest	of	the	process	is	certain. One	becomes
aware	that	the	whole	spiritual-seeking	process	is	being	activated	by	the
attraction	of	the	ultimate	destiny	to	realize	the	Self	rather	than	being	propelled
by	the	limited	ego. It	could	be	said	in	ordinary	language	that	one	is	being
pulled	along	by	the	future	rather	than	being	propelled	by	the	past. It	is
obvious	that	unless	one	was	destined	for	enlightenment,	one	would	not	even
be	interested	in	the	subject. To	even	aspire	to	such	a	state	is	actually	quite
rare. In	an	entire	lifetime,	the	average	person	does	not	meet	even	one	otherperson	who	is	primarily	interested	in	reaching	enlightenment. The	path	can	be
arduous	and	demanding. In	the	Western	world,	there	is	really	no	accepted	or	traditional	role	for	the
spiritual	seeker. It	is	not	expected	that	one	will	finish	up	one’s	worldly
business	and	then,	at	retirement,	spend	the	rest	of	life	spiritually	seeking	the
truth	to	the	exclusion	of	all	else. In	some	countries	such	as	India,	there	is	such
a	cultural	path	traditionally	accepted	as	a	normal	development. In	the	West,	a
serious	spiritual	student	most	often	joins	dedicated,	like-minded	persons	who
are	often	viewed	somewhat	suspiciously	as	dropouts	from	society	unless	they
enter	a	monastery	or	theological	seminary. The	Teacher
Spiritual	groups	are	often	organizations	with	their	own	agendas. Here
again	is	a	pitfall	for	the	unwary,	for	the	spiritual	world,	as	well	as	the	ordinary
world,	contains	charlatans	whose	purpose	is	to	capture	the	naïve	initiate	for
purposes	of	control,	domination,	power,	money,	or	prestige,	such	as	having
‘lots	of	followers’. The	true	teachers	can	be	seen	to	have	no	interest	in	fame	or	in	having
followers,	prestige,	or	trappings. If	we	calibrate	them,	they	usually	calibrate
from	the	high	500s	on	up	or,	more	rarely,	to	the	700s. The	teachings	and	not
the	teacher	are	what	are	important. Inasmuch	as	the	teachings	do	not	come
from	the	personage	of	the	teacher	at	all,	it	does	not	make	sense	to	idolize	or
worship	that	personage. The	information	is	transmitted	as	a	gift	because	it
was	received	as	such. There	is,	therefore,	nothing	to	sell,	to	enforce,	to
control,	or	to	charge	for	inasmuch	as	the	information	was	free	and	a	gift	from
God. A	valid	spiritual	organization	may	make	nominal	charges	to	cover
ordinary	expenses	in	that	everyone	contributes	for	the	common	good. The	spiritual	teacher	transmits	a	benefit	due	not	just	to	the	words
themselves	but	to	the	high	energy	of	consciousness	that	accompanies	the
words. The	teacher’s	level	of	consciousness	creates	what	might	be	likened	to
a	carrier	wave	that	accompanies	and	empowers	the	words. As	was	cited	in	the	research	done	in	
Power	versus	Force
,	one	single
avatar	at	a	consciousness	level	of	1,000	totally	counterbalances	the	collective
negativity	of	all	mankind. An	individual	at	level	700	counterbalances	the
negativity	of	70	million	individuals	below	the	level	of	200. One	individual	at
600	counterbalances	ten	million	people	below	200;	one	at	500
counterbalances	750,000	below	200. One	individual	at	consciousness	level
300	counterbalances	the	negativity	of	90,000	individuals	below	200. There	are	currently	approximately	twenty-two	sages	on	the	planet	who
calibrate	at	700	or	above. Of	these,	there	are	twenty	at	800	or	more,	of	whomthere	are	ten	at	or	over	900,	and	one	sage	is	over	990. These	figures	have
changed	since	1995	when	
Power	versus	Force
	was	published. (Only	ten	were
over	700.) The	negativity	of	the	entire	human	population	would	self-destruct
were	it	not	for	the	counteracting	effect	of	these	higher	energy	fields. It	would	seem	then	that	there	is	some	truth	to	the	saying	that	the	infinite
power	of	God	transmits	itself	down	to	beings	on	earth	as	though	through	a
series	of	step-down	transformers. Although	the	actual	number	of	persons	on
the	planet	who	calibrate	negatively	far	exceeds	those	who	calibrate	positively,
their	actual	individual	power	is	very	small	by	comparison	so	that	at	the
present	time,	the	calibrated	energy	of	mankind	as	a	whole	since	the	1980s	is
on	the	positive	side. As	previously	mentioned,	for	many	centuries	prior	to
1986,	the	consciousness	level	of	mankind	stood	at	190,	and	then,	rather
suddenly,	it	jumped	to	the	level	of	207. The	power	of	the	teachings	of	the	original	avatars	then	influences	and
contextualizes	the	significance	of	the	life	of	mankind	through	centuries	and
even	thousands	of	years. It	is	very	informative,	however,	to	calibrate	the	level
of	consciousness	of	a	great	teacher	and	then	calibrate	the	level	of
institutionalized	teachings	that	are	then	brought	down	through	the	centuries. Some	teachings	have	survived	almost	totally	unscathed	while	others	have
seriously	deteriorated. Some	have	even	fallen	to	such	low	levels	that	they
calibrate	below	the	critical	level	of	Truth	altogether,	resulting	in	negative	cults
and	becoming	sources	of	conflict	and	negativity	in	the	world. It	is	well	to
remember	that	popularity	is	not	a	sign	of	truth. It	is	not	surprising	then	that
the	great	majority	of	the	population	of	mankind	falls	below	the	level	of	200,
and	that	multimillions	are	following	‘religions’	that	are	basically	negative. What	Is	Spiritual? It	is	common	for	people	to	confuse	‘spiritual’	with	‘religious,’	and	even
with	the	supernatural,	or	‘astral’	domains. They	are,	in	fact,	quite	different,
and	this	confusion	often	results	in	social	strife	and	uncertainty. In	the	United	States	Declaration	of	Independence,	for	instance,	it	was
stated	with	great	clarity	by	the	originators	that	the	rights	of	man	stem	from	the
divinity	of	their	creation,	and	thus	was	established	the	principle	of	spirituality. However,	they	differentiated	this	from	religion	by	saying	that	citizens	are	to
be	free	from	the	establishment	of	any	religion. The	founders	were	aware	that
religion	divides	and	is	based	on	secular	power,	whereas,	spirituality	unites
and	has	no	worldly	organization. The	Declaration	of	Independence	(which
calibrates	at	705)	spells	out	that	this	is	a	nation	whose	government	derives	its
authority	from	the	spiritual	principles	of	the	Creator,	and	that	it	is	to	be
guided	by	spiritual	principles	that	see	everyone	as	equal,	with	justice	andfreedom	for	all. This	obvious	position	has	great	power	and	needs	no	defense. Religion,	on	the	other	hand,	can	be	sectarian	and	divide	people	into
conflicting	groups,	often	with	dire	consequences	to	civilization	and	to	life
itself,	as	history	reveals. The	sole	power	of	truly	spiritual	groups	originates
only	from	the	truth	of	their	teachings,	and	they	have	no	significant	earthly
power,	edifices,	wealth,	or	reigning	officers. Generally	in	spirituality,	the
central	ideas	that	hold	the	group	together	are	commonly	those	of	love,
forgiveness,	peace,	gratitude,	thankfulness,	kindness,	nonmateriality,	and
nonjudgmentalism. Usually,	religion,	in	essence,	originally	has	a	core	of
spirituality	that,	however,	becomes	submerged	and	often	lost	from	sight. Otherwise,	war,	for	example,	would	have	little	chance	to	even	occur. Spiritual
truth,	then,	is	universally	true	and	without	variation	through	time	or	place. It
always	brings	peace,	harmony,	accord,	love,	compassion,	and	mercy. Truth
can	be	identified	by	these	qualities. All	else	is	the	invention	of	the	ego.CHAPTER	4
The	Basics
Religion	As	A	Source	of	Spiritual	Error
There	are	two	sources	of	error	stemming	from	traditional	‘true’	religions. The
first	is	simply	misunderstanding	or	misinterpretation	of	the	specific	teachings
of	the	original	great	teacher. Because	the	followers,	were	not	themselves
enlightened,	the	original	teachings	were	contaminated	by	their	egos. This	then
became	magnified	by	subsequent	translators	and	scribes	down	toriginal
listeners,	or	hrough	the	generations. The	warp	often	is	due	to	the	fact	that	the
ego	has	a	tendency	to	be	literal	in	its	hearing	of	the	word	rather	than	the	spirit
or	essence	of	a	teaching. Any	translation	that	teaches	anything	other	than
peace	or	love	is	in	error. This	is	a	basic	rule	and	easy	to	spot. The	second	and	more	prevalent	gross	distortions	are	spiritual	teachings
that	arise	from	what	is	usually	referred	to	as	‘church	doctrine.’	These
regulations,	often	in	the	form	of	guilt-provoking	prohibitions,	were	actually
totally	made	up	by	church	officials	and	supposed	authorities	who,	in	reality,
had	no	claim	to	authority	at	all	but	instead	had	acquired	political	power	in	the
structure	of	the	institutions	at	the	time. There	is	no	authentic	or	plausible	reason	to	modify	the	precise	teaching	of
an	original	great	teacher	for	some	ostensible	gain. As	obvious	as	it	may	seem,
it	has	not	been	clear	through	the	centuries	that	to	be	a	Christian,	for	example,
means	simply	to	exactly	follow	Christ’s	teachings. All	the	great	teachers	teach	nonviolence,	noncondemnation,	and
unconditional	love. It	is	hard	to	see	how	any	alleged	ecclesiastical	authority
could	violate	these	basic	truisms	supposedly	for	‘the	good	of	the	faith’,	or	‘the
good	of	the	church’,	or	the	‘elimination	of	infidelities,’	or	‘just’	wars. There	are	many	subjects	not	addressed	in	original	spiritual	teachings,	thus
creating	the	opportunity	for	fallacious	religious	elaborations. All	kinds	of
‘sins’	have	been	invented	over	the	centuries,	with	elaborate	explanations	and
rationalizations	that	can	only	be	described	clinically	as	rather	sick
manipulations	of	natural	human	affairs. The	harm	that	resulted	was	not	only
spiritual	error	but	also	psychological	cruelty	and	the	blanket	guilt	of
humanity. This	focus	on	guilt	and	sin	further	condemns	human	consciousness
by	reinforcing	the	dilemma	of	the	opposites	and	the	duality	of	perception.This	latter	destructive	effect	on	human	consciousness	takes	man	farther	away
from	God	and	creates	a	barrier	that	is	transcended	only	by	the	very	few	who
have	to	be	almost	spiritual	geniuses	in	order	to	succeed	in	escaping	the
coercive	trap	of	elaborate	fallacies. A	further	destructive	effect	of	the	promulgations	of	some	religious
doctrine	is	that	it	creates	the	very	basis	for	terrible	wars	and	persecutions. These	are	always	based	on	religious	differences	that	are	exaggerated	in
importance	in	order	to	justify	religiously	sanctioned	mayhem. These
misinterpretations	and	deviations	are	especially	notable	in	the	murky	religious
meddlings	with	sexuality,	procreation,	child	rearing,	diet,	details	of	daily
living,	customs,	dress,	and	political	power. Wearing	different	kinds	of	clothing,	hats,	or	facial	hair	is	enough	to	fuel
religious	persecution	or	war. Circumcision,	not	eating	meat	on	Fridays,	saying
grace	before	meals,	and	dates	and	details	of	religious	holidays	all	become
ammunition. Whether	the	Sabbath	is	Saturday	or	Sunday	becomes	more
important	than	the	truth. Whether	wearing	a	hat	or	no	hat	shows	respect	for
God	becomes	a	hoary	issue. By	exploiting	trivialities	at	the	cost	of	ignoring	the	main	thrust	of	spiritual
truth,	religions	contribute	to	their	own	downfall	and	that	of	all	humanity. Much	that	is	revered	as	church	doctrine	is	really	the	product	of	the	ego. If	it	is
true,	as	Jesus	said,	that	evil	is	in	the	eye	of	the	beholder,	then	those	who	see
sin	and	evil	everywhere	are	themselves	the	problem. In	Victorian	times,	even
the	leg	of	a	table	was	considered	to	be	a	temptation	and	had	to	be	discretely
covered	with	a	drape. Much	of	what	has	traditionally	been	described	as	sin	is	really	the	guilt-
ridden	exaggerations	held	in	the	mind	of	some	emotionally	disturbed	church
authority. Adherence	to	the	admonition,	“Let	he	who	is	without	sin	cast	the
first	stone,”	would	silence	all	these	misappropriations	of	spiritual	truth. Collectively,	these	distortions	of	spiritual	truth	have	paradoxically
condemned	both	God	and	human	nature	in	the	name	of	‘Divinity’. To	usurp
that	authority	and	make	pronouncements	in	the	name	of	God	seems	rather
grandiose	and	delusional. No	one	who	had	ever	experienced	the	absolute
reality	of	the	presence	of	God	could	ever	make	such	distorted	statements. The	Emancipation	of	Humanity
Before	a	new	direction	is	sought,	it	is	necessary	to	discern	the	error	of	the
old	and	awaken	a	desire	to	transcend	that	error. This	requires	courage	and
fearless	honesty. The	recovery	from	many	serious	and	incurable,	potentially
fatal	disorders	is	based	on	the	willingness	and	capacity	to	face	the	truth	and
choose	a	different	pathway. To	break	down	denial	and	admit	the	truth	takesone	above	the	critical	line	of	Integrity	(at	200). The	phoenix	of	spiritual	awakening	is	birthed	out	of	the	ashes	of	human
despair. As	Mother	Teresa	said,	the	beautiful	flower,	the	lotus,	arises	from	its
roots	in	the	slime	and	mud	at	the	bottom	of	the	pond. Early	in	this	writer’s	life,	there	occurred	the	revelation	of	the	totality	of
the	suffering	of	all	mankind. It	was	staggering	and	overwhelming	in	its	sheer
immensity. As	stated	elsewhere,	this	led,	unfortunately,	to	the	mistake	of
blaming	all	that	suffering	of	humanity	on	the	god	of	religion	who	had
‘allowed	all	that	to	take	place’. However,	it	did	reinforce	the	drive	and	desire
to	relieve	human	suffering. Many	years	later,	the	resultant	atheist,	without	warning	and	at	the	depth	of
despair,	surrendered	to	God	and	had	a	profound	spiritual	awakening	that
transformed	all	understanding	of	God,	Truth,	and	Reality. Yet,	some	years
later	came	the	vision	and	comprehension	of	the	profound	ignorance	and
limitation	of	human	consciousness	that	revealed	itself	as	the	very	foundation
and	source	of	all	human	suffering. The	realization	of	the	immensity	of	the
hold	of	ignorance	on	and	its	terrible	price	to	humanity	was	profound	and
resulted	in	a	shifting	of	endeavor	from	relieving	physical	and	mental	sickness
and	suffering	to	the	spiritual	error	that	accounted	for	all	of	it. The	collective	human	ego	as	expressed	by	society	is	blind	to	the	basic
problem	that	underlies	its	own	suffering. Typical	of	the	ego	is	its	belief	that
the	problems	to	be	addressed	are	‘out	there’,	and	therefore	all	the	social
programs,	including	wars,	are	devoted	to	fixing	‘them’	or	fixing	‘out	there’. The	basic	problem	with	humanity	is	that	the	human	mind	is	incapable
of	discerning	truth	from	falsehood. It	cannot	tell	‘good’	from	‘evil’. With	no
means	of	self-protection,	humans	are	at	the	mercy	of	falsehood	in	all	its
beguiling	disguises	that	parade	as	patriotism,	religion,	the	social	good,
harmless	entertainment,	etc. With	a	simple,	at-home	test	of	true/false,	all	the	dictators,	emperors,	and
demagogues	of	history	would	have	fallen. If	one	simply	places	a	picture	of
Hitler	in	a	manila	envelope	and	has	a	child	hold	it	over	their	solar	plexus,	the
child’s	arm	goes	weak. The	same	telltale	weakness	reveals	the	true	nature	of
Stalin,	Lenin,	the	Arab	zealot	leaders,	communism	and	the	lethal	leaders	of
Cambodia	and	African	countries,	and	dictators	who	hide	behind	the	name	of
Allah. All	the	slaughters	of	mankind	down	through	the	centuries	have	been	the
result	of	force,	to	which	the	only	antidote	is	Power. Force	is	based	on
falsehood;	power	is	based	solely	on	truth.‘Evil’	loses	its	hold	when	it	is
revealed;	that	is,	its	vulnerable	weak	side,	its	Achilles’	heal,	which	is	exposed
to	everyone.Falsity	collapses	when	it	is	exposed	for	what	it	is. It	does	not	take	the	U.S.
government,	the	CIA,	the	FBI,	spy	satellites,	or	computers	to	discern	the
obvious—the	arm	of	an	innocent,	five-year-old	child	has	the	only	real	might
on	Earth—the	power	of	truth	itself	is	invincible	and	requires	no	sacrifice. The	Arm	of	The	Child
It	is	the	arm	of	innocence	that	the	dark	legions	of	the	world	fear	most	of
all	for	it	unmasks	the	disguises	by	which	they	hold	sway	over	
seventy-eight
percent
	of	the	world’s	population. If	one	drops	denial,	one	will	see	that	falsehood,	manipulation,	and
distortion	of	truth	cater	prevalently	to	man’s	lowest	propensities	and	pervade
all	society. The	popular	computer	games	are	neither	innocent	nor	harmless;
they	are	calculated	killing	training	machines	to	deaden	the	spiritual	sensitivity
by	conditioning	the	mind	to	thoughtless	maiming	and	killing. The	deliberate
killing	of	prairie	dogs	is	not	‘sport’	but	callous	mayhem. Drugs	are	not	‘cool’,
but	enslaving. Heavy-metal	rock	and	rap	music	are	neither	liberating	nor
amusing;	they	are	a	deliberate	mode	by	which	to	entrain	the	consciousness	of
youth. The	media	pretend	innocence	as	they	rake	in	the	huge	profits	that	stem
from	catering	to	man’s	lowest	weaknesses	and	vulnerabilities. The	innocent	child’s	arm	is	frightening	to	the	vast	establishments	that
draw	their	attraction	from	ignorance. The	fallacious	‘war	on	drugs’	is	revealed
to	be	the	very	cause	of	the	problem	and	the	bulwark	of	the	whole	drug	trade
that	it	created,	empowered,	and	enriched. Communism	was	not	defeated	by
war	but	by	the	nonviolence	of	Gorbachev. The	rebirth	of	Christ—the	great,	heralded	Second	Coming—from	a
spiritual	viewpoint,	means	the	displacement	of	falsehood	by	truth,	of	darkness
by	light,	of	ignorance	by	awareness. The	significance	of	Krishna,	Buddha,	Christ,	and	Allah	was	not	their
personal	presence	on	the	planet	but	the	truths	they	revealed	and	espoused,	and
the	calibratable	high	energy	that	accompanied	the	teachings. All	enlightened
beings	tell	the	populace	to	ignore	their	personality	or	personhood,	but,
instead,	to	focus	on	the	teachings. Typical	of	the	misunderstandings	and
distortions	that	prevail	in	religion,	mankind	does	just	the	opposite	and
worships	the	personages,	the	dates,	the	times,	and	the	places	they	visited	and
ignores	the	teachings. The	prevalence	of	the	teachings	of	the	Christ/Buddha/Krishna/Avatar
seems	to	have	been	signaled	recently	by	the	transition	of	the	consciousness
level	of	mankind	from	the	negative	realm	at	190	to	cross	over	the	line	of
Truth	and	Integrity	of	200	to	its	present	level	of	207. The	significance	of	this
major	event,	which	has	happened	for	the	first	time	in	the	history	of	mankind,cannot	be	understated. By	analogy,	we	know	that	just	on	the	physical	level,	a
change	of	only	a	few	degrees	in	the	prevailing	global	temperature	has
profound	effects	on	the	entire	planet	and	all	life	on	it. In	contrast,	the	shift	in
man’s	consciousness	from	190	to	207	is	far	more	significant	and	profound	in
its	total	and	eventual	effects	than	any	change	in	the	temperature	of	the	planet. If	the	Second	Coming	of	Christ	is	to	be	revealed	by	a	sign,	then	that	sign
has	already,	and	only	very	recently,	appeared. Unmistakable	in	its	implication
and	promise	for	all	mankind	is	that	profound	shift	from	falsehoods	distorting
the	consciousness	of	mankind	to	that	of	truth. It	could	be	that	the	arm	of	the	child	can	reveal	to	us	the	first	light	of	a	new
dawn	for	civilization. It	was	said	that	it	will	be	by	the	innocence	of	the	child
that	man	is	led	to	God	and	to	heaven. It	is	actually	only	by	the	innocence	of
the	child	within	that	the	door	to	truth	can	be	opened. The	innocence	of	the	child	remains	undisturbed	and	unsullied	within	the
consciousness	of	everyone. It	is	the	very	basic	‘structure’	of	consciousness
itself. The	analogy	to	current	life	is	that	the	hardware	is	unsullied	by	the
software	which	is	processed	through	the	computer,	just	as	the	camera	is
unaffected	by	the	images	transmitted	through	its	lens. Rediscovery	of	The	Pristine	State
While	we	speculate	about	the	limitations	of	the	consciousness	of	mankind,
it	is	actually	the	individual	who	transforms	society	in	a	manner	that	is
invisible	and	unsuspected. Force	is	vulnerable	to	an	infinite	number	of
oppositions,	but	power	has	no	possible	opposite	or	enemy. Like	space	itself,
power	is	immune	to	attack	and	forever	invulnerable. People	think	they	are
ruled	by	their	unruly	minds	and	that	they	are	the	victims	of	circumstances. All
this	sums	up	how	a	person	feels	from	moment	to	moment. Thus,	people	see
themselves	as	victims	of	their	stream	of	consciousness	or	feeling	states	and
transitory	circumstances. The	prevailing	view	is	that	there	are	no	options	to
one’s	current	state	of	mind	and	feeling	tone	or	emotions. This	succumbing	to	‘it’	(the	mind)	and	‘out	there’	(the	world)	is	accepted
as	natural	and	normal. Few	people	suspect	that	there	is	actually	any	other
option. By	self-examination	and	inward	focus,	one	can	discover	that	all	states
of	consciousness	are	the	result	of	the	execution	of	an	option. They	are	not
unchangeable	certainties	determined	by	uncontrollable	factors	at	all. This	can
be	discovered	by	examining	how	the	mind	works. One	is	not	really	ruled	by	the	mind	at	all. What	the	mind	reveals	is	an
endless	stream	of	options,	all	disguised	as	memories,	fantasies,	fears,
concepts,	etc. To	get	free	of	domination	by	the	mind,	it	is	only	necessary	to
realize	that	its	parade	of	subjects	is	merely	an	arbitrary	cafeteria	of	selectionswending	their	way	across	the	screen	of	the	mind. One	is	not	‘forced’	to	feel	resentment	by	a	negative	memory,	nor	does	one
have	to	buy	into	a	fearful	thought	about	the	future. These	are	only	options. The	mind	is	like	a	television	set	running	its	various	channels	for	selection,
and	one	does	not	have	to	follow	any	particular	temptation	of	thought. One	can
fall	into	the	temptation	of	feeling	sorry	for	oneself,	or	angry,	or	worried. The
secret	attraction	of	all	these	options	is	that	they	offer	an	inner	payoff	or	a
secret	satisfaction,	which	is	the	source	of	the	attraction	of	the	mind’s
thoughts. If	these	payoffs	are	refused,	it	will	be	discovered	that,	at	all	times,	behind
the	thought	screen,	there	is	a	silent,	invisible,	thought-free	space	of	joy. This
is	an	option	that	is	always	available,	but	to	be	experienced,	it	has	to	be	chosen
above	all	other	tempting	options. The	source	of	joy	is	always	present,	always
available,	and	not	dependent	on	circumstances. There	are	only	two	obstacles:
(1)	the	ignorance	that	it	is	always	available	and	present,	and	(2)	valuing
something	other	than	peace	and	joy	above	that	peace	and	joy	because	of	the
secret	pleasure	of	the	payoff. The	experience	of	the	presence	of	God	is	available	and	within	at	all	times,
but	awaits	choice. That	choice	is	made	only	by	surrendering	everything	other
than	peace	and	love	to	God. In	return,	the	divinity	of	the	Self	reveals	Itself	as
ever	present	but	not	experienced	because	it	has	been	ignored	or	forgotten,	or
one	has	chosen	otherwise. When	Is	The	Future? To	choose	to	experience	the	presence	of	God	occurs	outside	time. It	is
therefore	nowhere	in	the	future;	it	is	available	only	in	the	present. No	other
condition	is	necessary	or	even	possible	because	the	present	moment	is
permanent;	it	never	changes;	it	never	disappears	into	yesterday	or	tomorrow. In	fact,	it	is	inescapable. Everyone	is	actually	safe	in	the	exact	moment	of
now. By	observation,	it	will	become	apparent	that	the	only	thing	that	seems	to
change	is	appearance. The	now	stands	still;	the	screen	is	permanent. Although
a	movie	script	changes	and	a	story	unfolds,	even	then	it	can	do	so	only	within
the	precise	instant	of	now. ‘Now-ness’	is	the	primordial,	overreaching,	all-powerful,	unchangeable,
and	absolute	requirement	to	experiencing. It	is	the	essence	of	awareness	of
being	and	existence. It	is	impossible	to	exist	anywhere	at	all	except	in	the
drastic,	radical	reality	of	now. This	instant	is	all	there	is. One’s	own
consciousness	as	Self	is	the	only	Eye	by	which	anything	can	be	experienced
or	known. The	inner	sense	of	reality	is	bestowed	by	the	Self	on	the	‘outer’surroundings,	which	is	what	makes	them	seem	real. The	sense	of	realness	is
therefore	a	projection	of	consciousness	by	the	self,	originating	from	the	Self. One	is	therefore	not	the	witness	of	a	‘real’	world;	one	is	actually	the	source	of
its	seeming	reality. The	world	is	actually	entertainment. Like	amusement,	it	is
meant	to	be	worn	lightly. Heaven	is	within	and	is	revealed	by	awareness. The
world	is	merely	an	appearance. Its	melodrama	is	an	artifice	of	the	distorted
sense	of	perception. It	leads	one	to	think	that	the	world	is	large,	powerful,	and
permanent	and	that	the	Self	is	small,	weak,	and	transitory;	exactly	the
opposite	is	true. Without	belief	in	its	appearance	as	defined	by	perception,	the	world	we
thought	was	real	disappears. When	one	chooses	to	be	at	one	with	the	inner,
ever-present	potentiality	of	joy	and	peace,	the	world	transforms	into	a
humorous	amusement	park,	and	all	the	drama	is	seen	to	be	just	drama. The	option	for	truth,	peace,	and	joy	is	always	available,	although
seemingly	buried	behind	an	ignorance	and	nonawareness	that	results	from
having	chosen	other	options	as	a	habit	of	thought. The	inner	truth	reveals
itself	when	all	other	options	are	refused	by	surrender	to	God. The	Human	Condition	As	An	‘Altered	State	of	Consciousness’
A	fact	or	truth	is	not	established	by	the	fact	of	commonality,	as	history
demonstrates	profoundly. Falsehood	is	most	commonly	the	pervasive	human
experience. One	of	the	most	significant	discoveries	in	consciousness	research
is	that	what	is	commonly	understood	and	accepted	as	‘normal	human
experience’	in	thought,	behavior,	and	feeling	is	technically	merely	an	altered
state	of	consciousness	that	prevails	in	a	limited	stratum	of	society	for	a
limited	duration. It	is	actually	not	man’s	real	state. Man	is	so	used	to	worry,	fear,	anxiety,	remorse,	guilt,	conflict,	and	distress
that	they	are	accepted	as	normal	life,	with	negative	emotions,	attitudes,	and
feelings. Mankind	(the	patient)	is	advised	to	seek	a	therapist	to	‘get	in	touch
with	their	feelings’. Rather	than	‘getting	in	touch’	with	these	fermentations	of
illusion,	it	would	be	more	beneficial	to	liquidate	them	by	uncovering	their
source	as	perception	itself. A	truly	‘normal’	state	of	consciousness	is	one	that	is	free	of	all	negativity
and	instead	filled	with	joy	and	love. Anything	else	is	based	on	illusion	and
perceptual	distortions. Because	disease	prevails	in	a	society	does	not	mean
that	disease	is	a	normal	condition. Throughout	history,	such	things	have
prevailed	in	society	and,	in	fact,	have	killed	off	large	portions	of	the
population,	but	that	does	not	mean	they	are	a	natural	condition. Even	the
Black	Plague	eventually	disappeared. By	simple	means,	it	can	be	discovered	that	seventy-eight	percent	of	theworld’s	population	is	actually	disturbed. That	means	that	only	twenty-two
percent	of	the	population	is	out	of	the	extreme	danger	zone	of	the	calibrated
levels	of	consciousness	below	200. We	tend	to	think	of	an	altered	state	of	consciousness	as	an	artificially
produced	paranormal	state,	or	something	similar	to	a	hypnotic	state	or	trance,
or	as	being	programmed	or	brainwashed. From	a	study	of	the	pervasive
influences	that	act	by	the	repetitive	entrainment	of	man’s	levels	of
consciousness,	it	becomes	obvious	that	the	mind	of	mankind	meets	the
criteria	of	having	been	controlled,	influenced,	and	brainwashed	in	a
systematic	and	continuous	manner	that	is	in	accord	with	the	definition	of	such
processes	in	scientific	research. A	child	is	born	with	the	innocence	of	an	unpro-grammed	consciousness,
but	then,	like	the	hardware	of	a	computer,	it	is	systematically	programmed
with	software,	which	is	society’s	input. This	system	has	one	glaring	and	all-
important	defect,	however. There	is	no	program	in	place	or	available	to
ascertain	the	truth	or	falsehood	of	the	new	software	programs! (It	is	much	like
a	computer	virus.) The	child	will	innocently	believe	anything	it	is	told. The
unprotected	consciousness	of	the	child	then	becomes	prey	to	the	collective
ignorance,	misinformation,	and	fallacious	belief	systems	that	have	blighted
man’s	capacity	for	happiness	for	the	last	millennia. The	programming	that	ensues	is	actually	uncorrectable	as	there	has	been
no	mechanism	available	to	test	the	authenticity	of	the	material	with	which	the
child’s	mind	is	programmed. On	the	surface,	it	would	seem	that	up	to	seventy-
eight	percent	of	the	data	will	not	only	be	fallacious	but	destructive	and
damaging. This	is	superimposed	on	a	human	brain	that	is	already	genetically
defective	to	begin	with. Over	one-third	of	the	population	has	a	brain	that	does
not	even	supply	enough	of	the	neurotransmitter	serotonin	to	keep	the
individual	from	being	depressed,	overeating,	addictive,	or	being	out	of
behavioral	control. The	capacity	for	reason	itself	can	be	completely	destroyed
in	an	instant	by	uncontrollable	bursts	of	emotion. Rationality	is	further	undermined	by	the	biological	fact	that	the	old	reptile
and	animal	brain	is	still	anatomically	and	functionally	present,	and	its
atavistic	activity	continues	to	exert	a	pervasive	animal	instinct	that
strengthens	predatory	tendencies	and	aggression. All	the	instincts	of	the
animal	persist	and	influence	or	even	dominate	much	of	the	behavioral	and
feeling	states. The	emotions	of	the	animal	are	ever	present	and	close	to	the
surface. These	tendencies	are	themselves	vulnerable	to	training	and
manipulation	by	social	programming	and	propaganda. Man,	therefore,	starts	out	with	a	biologically	defective	brain	with	instincts
of	the	animal,	and	his	intelligence	and	information	are	then	systematicallydowngraded	and	programmed	with	data	that	is	inaccurate,	fallacious,
destructive,	negative,	and	damaging	at	least	seventy-eight	percent	of	the	time. That	is	just	a	statistical	probability	for	mankind	as	a	whole,	but	within	society,
there	are	vast	populations	where	the	percentage	of	fallacious	material	comes
close	to	one	hundred	percent,	e.	g.,	criminal	street-gang	subcultures,	etc. Often,	what	is	most	damaging	is	that	the	error	in	programming	pertains	to
very	critical	behavioral	elements. The	total	productivity	of	whole	nations	and
cultures	can	be	subverted	to	destructive	ends. The	whole	economy	of	entire
nations,	such	as	Germany	and	Japan	during	World	War	II,	was	subverted	to
mass	destruction,	not	only	of	innocent	victims	but	also	of	their	very	own
culture. Whole	countries	can	be	reduced	to	rubble	by	propaganda	that	is	so
ignorant	and	fallacious	that	one	wonders	in	retrospect	how	anyone	could	have
been	gullible	enough	to	buy	it,	much	less	sacrifice	their	lives	for	it. The	simple	muscle	test	instantly	reveals	the	truth. Dictators	make
everyone	go	weak,	e.	g.,	Hirohito	is	revealed	as	not	divine,	Caesar	is	not	God,
etc. Society	has	no	safeguard	other	than	teaching	the	population	a	simple	test
of	truth	that	anyone	can	do	anywhere	in	a	moment. If	this	simple	test	were
widely	known,	it	would	have	a	total,	uplifting	effect	on	mankind. The	very
simplicity	of	the	test,	along	with	its	wide	benefit	and	availability,	puts	it	in	the
same	class	as	the	inventions	of	the	wheel,	the	level,	electricity,	or	the
computer	chip. At	a	cost	of	zero,	mankind	can	reap	unlimited	benefits. Perhaps	the	realization	that	the	test	can	also	be	used	to	reap	great	profitability
would	elicit	notice	and	interest. Applied	to	business,	research,	manufacturing,	and	industry,	the	potential
benefits	do	actually	guarantee	the	savings	of	literally	trillions	of	dollars. On
the	other	hand,	large	segments	of	society	have	a	vested	interest	in	maintaining
the	status	quo. As	astonishing	as	it	may	seem,	we	live	in	a	society	where
prosecutors	knowingly	withhold	evidence	that	would	prove	the	accused
innocent	in	order	to	get	a	conviction,	even	if	it	means	execution. Such
incidents	are	merely	symptoms	that	indicate	the	degree	of	severity	of	the
illness	of	mankind’s	consciousness. Like	the	DNA	test,	the	muscle	test	instantly	reveals	the	guilt	or	innocence
of	any	accused. It	instantly	determines	the	truth	or	falsehood	of	any	witness	or
testimony. It	instantly	reveals	the	presence	or	identities	of	traitors,	defectors,
foreign	agents,	informers,	cheats,	liars,	and	all	forms	of	renegades. The	test	reveals,	in	a	matter	of	seconds	or	minutes,	the	identities	of
industrial	or	political	spies,	dishonest	employees,	drug	dealers,	dangerous
persons,	and	the	location	of	criminals. It	does	not	take	hundreds	or	thousands
of	hours	of	criminal	investigation	to	identify	a	serial	killer	or	theirwhereabouts. All	crimes	are	easily	solvable. Every	detail	of	a	crime	or	past
crimes	and	events	is	accurately	trackable,	including,	time,	date,	motive,
whereabouts	of	evidence,	identity	of	perpetrators,	etc. The	answers	to
questions,	such	as	where	is	the	body,	where	is	the	weapon,	and	what	was	the
motive,	are	answerable. Similarly,	as	the	compass	enables	navigation,	the	telescope	enables
astronomy,	and	the	microscope	enables	bacteriology,	muscle	testing	enables
one	to	discover	any	fact	about	any	subject	anywhere	in	space	or	history	within
seconds. Muscle	testing	is	a	highly	versatile	tool	whose	true	value	is	as	yet
undiscovered. Historical	Perspective
Throughout	history	there	has	been	a	plentitude	of	spiritual	teachings	and
established	pathways	to	God. These	are	the	‘yogas’	or	ways	that	have	been
traditionally	described. Each	has	developed	its	own	schools,	religions,
spiritual	literature,	scriptures,	saints,	teachers,	and	historic	figures. Historically,	these	have	also	absorbed	various	degrees	of	ethnicity	and
remnants	of	the	culture	in	which	they	originated. Most	of	the	world’s	great
spiritual	traditions	have	thus	become	identified	with	ethnic	influences	and
customs	that	can	be	and	often	are	deterrents	to	or	distractions	from	the	inner
purity	of	the	teachings	themselves. This	has	led	to	divisiveness	among	the	world’s	great	religions	and	has
even	been	the	basis	for	terrible	religious	wars. Perhaps	a	renewed	study	of
spiritual	truth	would	transcend	these	superficial	differences	and	cull	the
critical	essence	of	all	spiritual	teachings	of	merit,	no	matter	what	their	origin
or	label. What	Is	A	Pure	Spiritual	Pathway? Actually,	until	the	present	time,	there	was	no	way	to	ascertain	the	truth	or
falsehood	of	any	spiritual	teaching	or	teacher;	thus,	a	spiritual	student	relied
on	faith	in	the	spiritual	integrity	of	a	teacher	as	revealed	by	reputation. The
only	reliable	guideline	was	that	by	one’s	inner	grace	and	karma,	one	hopefully
became	involved	with	an	integrous	and	valid	spiritual	endeavor. The	limitations	of	the	great	pathways	that	originated	thousands	of	years	of
ago	were	the	dearth	of	the	original	teachings	and	caused	the	progressive	loss
of	what	was	written	through	word	of	mouth. There	was	also	a	loss	of	accuracy
in	translation	from	one	language	to	another	and	misinterpretation	by	the
listeners	who	themselves	were	unenlightened. If	we	use	the	muscle	test	to	calibrate	the	level	of	truth	of	the	world’s	greatreligions,	we	see,	as	was	detailed	in	the	book,	
Power	versus	Force
,	that	over
time	there	was	a	general	decline	in	the	level	of	truth	of	some	of	those
religions. The	decline	in	Buddhism	was	perhaps	the	least	and	relatively	small,
but	in	other	religions,	the	loss	was	very	considerable. One	can	easily	do	a
very	informative	study	by	researching	and	calibrating	the	level	of
consciousness	of	each	religion,	century	by	century,	as	well	as	that	of	its
various	interpreters	of	the	times. It	is	possible	by	doing	so	to	even	pinpoint
during	which	year	and	by	whose	dictates	the	declines	occurred. These	can
often	be	identified	with	specific	events	in	which	religious	decisions	were
made	by	ecclesiastical	authorities,	resulting	in	dire	consequences. The	exact
nature	of	the	error	can	also	be	clearly	defined	and	understood	by	elucidation
of	the	cultural	and	political	forces	of	the	particular	times. Compromises	were
made	that	probably	seemed	justified	at	the	time	and	were	considered	to	be
temporary	for	the	sake	of	survival	but	which	had	very	unfortunate	long-term
consequences	as	they	were	never	later	corrected. The	most	grievous	and	serious	example	of	this	was	the	great	decline	in	the
level	of	truth	of	Christianity	that	occurred	at	the	time	of	the	Council	of
Nicaea. Christianity,	which	had	been	in	the	900s,	dropped	over	400	points	due
to	the	inclusion	of	the	Old	Testament	with	the	New	Testament	as	‘the	Bible’,
plus	the	inclusion	of	the	Book	of	Revelation	(which	is	of	astral	origin). This
was	a	very	devastating	error	inasmuch	as	all	the	books	of	the	Old	Testament,
with	the	exception	of	Genesis,	Psalms,	and	Proverbs,	make	one	go	weak	with
muscle	testing,	thus	indicating	that	their	level	of	truth	is	below	200	and
therefore	untrue. This	negativity	is	due	to	the	anthropomorphic	depictions	of
God	as	fallible	and	subject	to	negative	human	emotions,	such	as	revenge,
hatred,	partiality,	bargaining,	vulnerability,	wrath,	destruction,	pride,	and
vanity. This	angry	god	of	revenge	had	to	be	appeased,	flattered,	assuaged,	and
bargained	with	so	as	not	to	go	on	a	destructive	rampage	and	cast	down
storms,	floods,	fire,	and	pestilence. This	was	the	exact	opposite	of	the	God	of
truth,	mercy,	and	forgiveness	that	Christ	represented. Christ	said	the	god	of
revenge	was	to	be	replaced	by	the	God	of	mercy	and	forgiveness. Enemies
were	to	be	prayed	for	and	forgiven	for	their	ignorance. This	teaching	was
repudiated	by	the	ancient	Hebraic	tradition	of	the	God	of	Righteousness,
Vengeance,	and	Favoritism. (See	Note	at	end	of	this	chapter.) The	ancient	gods	of	primitive	cultures	stem	from	‘astral’	levels	of
consciousness	and	are	the	origin	of	the	Scandinavian,	German,	Greek,
Hebraic,	Roman,	Egyptian,	Babylonian,	Incan,	and	Mayan	‘gods’,	with	their
telltale	limitations	of	human	passions,	motives,	positionalities,	hatreds,	and
demands	for	sacrifice	and	jealous,	angry	destruction. That	which	is	truly	God
has	infinite	power	and	has	no	need	to	employ	the	weak	manipulation	of	force.That	which	is	truly	divine	has	no	vulnerabilities,	needs,	or	vested	interests. Emotionality,	selectivity,	and	the	limitations	they	reveal	are	not	attributes	of
God	whose	Presence	is	innately	revealed	by	Love	and	Peace. Negativity
originates	from	the	mind	of	man	who	manufactures	the	endless	array	of	false
gods,	all	of	whom	demand	worship	and	sacrifice. The	God	of	Reality	has	no
‘needs’	and	is	not	subject	to	being	pleased	or	displeased,	much	less	appeased. The	severity	of	the	loss	of	understanding	can	be	appreciated	by	realizing
that	the	numerical	calibrated	values	are	logarithmic. A	loss	of	one	hundred
points	represents	a	vast	loss	of	truth	and	power. In	some	religions,	these	errors
were	so	severe	that	the	fundamentalist	branches	of	those	religions	fell	below
the	critical	level	of	200,	and	the	resultant	falsehoods	being	misrepresented	as
truth	had	serious	consequences	in	massive	suffering	and	destruction	by
mankind. The	levels	below	200	represent	suffering	in	all	its	forms. One	of	the	main	levers	that	tilted	the	world	in	a	negative	direction	was	the
self-defeating	conceptual	weapon	called	‘righteousness’,	which	calibrates	as
Pride	at	190. It	has	been	the	primary	destructive	force	and	Achilles’	heel	for
the	last	several	thousand	years	of	man’s	history. It	was	the	great,	highest
excuse	for	every	form	of	imaginable	savagery	and	barbarism. The	truly	great	historical	pathways	originated	from	the	avatars,	or	great
teachers,	whom	we	have	identified	as	those	who	calibrate	at	the	level	of
1,000,	which	is	the	maximum	possibility	in	the	earthly	domain. Best	known	in
the	Western	world	are	the	names	of	Christ,	Buddha,	Krishna,	and	Zoroaster. The	level	of	1,000	is	concerned	with	the	salvation	of	all	mankind. Thus,	a
spiritual	teacher	who	is	addressing	all	mankind	is	speaking	from	the	level	of
the	avatar. The	great	avatars	lived	before	the	printed	word	was	available,	and	thus
there	is	a	paucity	of	reliable	data	as	to	exactly	what	was	taught	and	how	it	was
interpreted. Because	there	are	few	explanations	of	what	was	originally	meant,
misinterpretations	readily	occurred	as	the	original	teaching	was	handed	down. We	can	readily	ascertain	that	error	did	creep	in	and	distort	the	original	purity. Many	of	these	deviations	are	quite	blatant	and	readily	apparent	to	anyone
with	any	spiritual	intuition	or	even	a	basic	sense	of	ethics. The	distortions
seem	to	have	occurred	with	the	establishment	of	religions	and	when
authoritative	institutions	took	the	name	of	their	ostensible	founders	in	order	to
give	themselves	authority	and	power	to	attract	followers	and	worldly	assets,
and	to	gain	control	over	others. Spirituality	as	such	has	no	argument	with	anyone,	and	the
misinterpretations	that	split	off	as	dogmatic,	ecclesiastical	bodies	did	so	to
empower	themselves	and	exploit	the	misinterpretations	as	spiritual	truth	in
order	to	gain	worldly	advantage. By	doing	so,	they	forsook	power	for	forceand	undermined	the	truth	as	set	forth	by	the	founders	who,	historically,	then
became	founders	in	name	only. The	status	and	prestige	of	the	original	avatar,	the	great	name,	was	then
stolen	and	merchandised	in	order	to	build	great	empires. With	this	short
historical	perspective,	one	can	see	that	the	original	truth	remains	unsullied	to
this	very	day	and	can	be	rediscovered. The	word	‘spiritual’,	like	‘religion’	and	‘God’,	has	become	so
overdescribed	as	to	be	misleading. A	more	comprehensive	term,	which	avoids
historical	distortions	and	encompasses	all	available	and	possible	information
about	man	and	God,	is	‘consciousness’. Spirituality	properly	refers	to	those
aspects	of	consciousness	that	pertain	to	the	awareness	of	truth	and	divinity
and	includes	all	references	to	the	Absolute	and	all-present	Reality,	which	is
the	Source	and	infinite	domain	of	all	that	exists	as	Existence	itself. In	that	definition,	consciousness	includes	all	possibilities	and	realities	in
their	totality,	and	it	is	the	very	space	and	matrix	in	which	awareness
progresses	to	its	ultimate	potentiality. We	can	safely	and	accurately	validate
this	pathway,	at	least	up	to	the	calibrated	consciousness	level	of	1,000,	at
which	point	the	illusion	of	a	separate	seeker	will	have	already	dissolved. The	teachings	of	every	great	spiritual	teacher	who	ever	lived	are	now
available	for	inspection	and	even	detailed	calibration	and	verification. The
consciousness	level	of	600	denotes	the	level	at	which	duality	disappears	into
nonduality. It	is	at	this	point	that	a	bridge	between	the	seen	and	the	unseen,
the	known	and	the	unknown,	the	ordinary	and	the	possible,	can	be
approached. At	the	level	of	600,	spirit	and	man	meet. The	visible	and	the
invisible	diffuse	into	each	other. It	is	a	reference	point	to	serve	as	a	guide. It	is
the	level	of	enlightenment. Curiously	enough,	the	muscle	test	of	Truth	itself	calibrates	at	the	level	of
600	and	therefore	is	the	physical	expression	of	the	meeting	of	the	realms	of
duality	and	nonduality. The	study	of	the	nature	of	consciousness	is	perhaps
the	most	powerful	and	pure	of	all	spiritual	pathways	because	it	becomes	self-
correcting	and	self-propelling. The	literature	about	consciousness	and	spirituality	easily	leads	to	error,	and
thus,	today’s	serious	seeker	of	enlightenment	excludes	all	teachings	whose
truth	cannot	be	verified	objectively. Consciousness	levels	from	500	up	to
1,000	really	denote	what	could	be	described	as	different	realms	or
dimensions. The	spiritual	teachers	in	the	high	500s	are	the	ones	who	have	the	most
contact	with	significant	numbers	of	people. By	the	time	their	spiritually
evolved	consciousness	reaches	700,	they	become	less	available	and	more
legendary,	and	their	legacy	consists	of	their	recorded	teachings.We	could	typify	human	life	as	various	fields	and	levels	of	human
consciousness	talking	to	each	other	and	seeing	people	as	impersonal
spokespersons	for	these	various	levels. Thus,	the	disparaging	of	religion	or
spirituality	by	the	hardcore	materialistic	scientist	is	not	really	a	personal	view
but	merely	an	expression	of	the	energy	field	of	the	400s,	with	their	inherent
limitations	as	well	as	capabilities. In	the	lower	400s,	particularly,	there	is
often	an	egotism	about	the	intellect,	reason,	and	intellectualization. In	the
400s,	therefore,	God	is	replaced	by	science	as	the	font	of	all	knowledge	and
the	hope	for	the	future. In	the	300s,	politics	becomes	the	hope	for	man’s	salvation,	and	wars	are
fought	over	political	ideologies,	labels,	and	slogans,	with	their	degradation	of
the	value	of	individual	human	life. ‘Bad’	people	are	eliminated	by	the
guillotine	and	the	electric	chair	or	put	in	prisons. At	this	level,	there	is	the
dualistic	preoccupation	with	the	limited	realm	of	‘right’	versus	‘wrong’,	with
its	innate	blindness	to	the	positionality	that	creates	such	a	dichotomy. The	lower	levels	live	in	a	chaotic	world	because	definitions	of	right	or
wrong	vary	from	moment	to	moment,	from	culture	to	culture,	and	within	the
culture	itself,	depending	on	education,	IQ,	social	mores,	or	geography. This
level	is	very	vulnerable	to	the	news	media,	which	exploits	it	to	the	maximum
and	milks	the	public	with	sentimentality	and	maudlin	emotionality. This	propensity	to	either/or-ness	persists	in	the	400s	as	‘scientific’	versus
‘nonscientific’. Thus	science	itself	is	the	home	of	a	mechanistic	reductionism
and	determinism	that	is	held	with	the	prevailing	dogma	which	rivals	that	of
the	Church	in	the	Middle	Ages. By	the	consciousness	level	of	the	500s,	the	tendency	to	get	caught	in	the
innate	limitations	and	ignorance	of	the	opposites	diminishes	and	such
fallacies	lessen	their	grip	on	the	mind. In	the	500s,	spirit	in	the	form	of	love
begins	to	dissolve	these	hardened	extremes,	and	humanism	and	situational
ethics	that	take	context	into	account	emerge	to	bring	about	greater	balance
and	a	sense	of	ethics	to	counteract	extremism. The	level	of	the	heart	(500)	becomes	the	bridge	from	secularism,	hardcore
righteousness,	and	vindictive	moralism	and	opens	the	door	for	consideration
of	alternate	views,	benevolence,	mercy,	and	forgiveness	through
understanding	and	nonjudgment. The	great	power	of	the	500s	is	in	the	use	of
the	faculty	of	understanding,	and	it	is	understanding	that	allows	for	the
progression	to	540,	the	level	of	Unconditional	Love. In	these	levels	there	is	the	capacity	to	differentiate	the	act	from	the	actor. Thus,	the	mother	visits	her	convicted	son	in	prison	and	continues	to	love	him
despite	his	having	committed	a	horrible	crime. In	the	500s,	also,	there	is	the
capacity	to	realize	man’s	limitations	and	inability	to	rise	above	them. Thecapacity	and	the	willingness	to	forgive	them	“for	they	know	not	what	they
do”	becomes	a	realizable	goal	as	benevolence	replaces	the	desire	for
retribution,	revenge,	and	counter-aggression. Forgiveness	thus	becomes	the
keystone. In	the	500s,	the	limitations	of	the	capacity	of	choice	become	obvious. The
child	within	everyone	comes	into	view,	and	its	innermost	primordial
innocence	becomes	more	visible	and	tends	to	preclude	the	use	of	retaliation,
which,	in	our	society,	often	takes	the	same	form	or	worse	than	that	of	the
crime	which	is	being	punished. In	the	500s,	there	is	also	the	capacity	to	see	all	actions	as	the	result	of	a
multitude	of	contributing	factors	so	that	responsibility	is	now	seen	as	being
present	or	possible	only	to	varying	degrees,	depending	on	context	and
conditions. Behavior	takes	on	shades	of	meaning,	and	knee-jerk
oversimplifications	are	no	longer	acceptable. Snap	judgments	cease	and	the
various	paradoxes	are	weighed	and	considered. It	becomes	comprehensible
that	things	do	not	happen	against	a	person’s	will	but	only	by	concurrence	of
one’s	own	current	or	prior	spiritual	positions	with	the	choices	one	has	made. Life	in	all	its	expressions	is	seeing	this	as	opportunity	for	spiritual	growth	and
appropriate	for	the	participants. Human	life,	as	ordinarily	experienced,	is	an	epic	and	dramatization	of	all
the	possibilities	below	the	level	of	600,	at	which	point	the	context	changes
dramatically	and	a	whole	different	set	of	seeming	obstacles	now	presents
itself	as	principles	and	challenges	to	awareness. At	600,	perception	is	replaced
by	vision. What	might	have	been	seen	as	a	misfortune	in	the	world	of
perception	might	now	be	seen	as	a	gift	by	the	more	advanced	awareness	of
vision. Also	at	600,	identification	with	the	physical	body	ceases	and	thus,	that
great	fear	above	all	fears,	death	itself,	disappears	as	a	possible	‘reality’. Like	a
caterpillar	emerging	from	its	cocoon,	the	newly	liberated	spirit	rejoices	in	its
non-physicality	since	the	Self	is	totally	invisible. The	levels	over	600	can	most	accurately	be	described	or	referred	to	as	a
state	or	condition	that	is	all	prevailing	and	self-evident	as	there	is	neither
subject	nor	object. The	knower	and	the	known	are	self-identical	and	self-
evident	as	one	and	the	same,	without	division. There	is	no	inner	or	outer,	no
individual	versus	God,no	part	outside	the	whole,	and	no	independent	entity	to
account	for. All	the	dualities	have	been	transcended. The	awareness	is	self-
existent	so	that	there	remains	no	individual	to	whom	it	has	occurred. For	a	brief	moment,	as	the	self	disappears	into	the	Self,	there	is	a
transitory	amazement	and	awe	of	profound	proportion	and	depth. The	death
of	the	self	is	experienced,	and	then	all	is	stillness	and	peace. That	the	bodywas	ever	considered	to	be	‘me’	seems	absurd	and	must	have	been	due	to	a
passing	lapse	and	forgetfulness. It	is	as	though	one	had	mysteriously	forgotten
who	one	really	was,	and	now,	with	joy,	remembered. All	the	fears	and
vicissitudes	of	life	disappear,	and	now,	free	of	even	death	itself,	there	is	the
remembrance	that	one	always	has	been	and	always	will	be,	and	that	survival
was	never	a	problem	at	all. One’s	innate	safety	had	been	guaranteed	all	along
by	the	reality	of	the	Self,	which	is	all-present	and	beyond	time	and	space. No
beginnings	or	endings	are	even	possible,	and	one’s	reality	existed	before	all
worlds	or	universes. There	are	neither	questions	nor	answers	because	no
dichotomy	exists	within	identity. One	is	neither	the	one	nor	the	many	but	instead	beyond	all	positionalities
and	mentations. It	would	be	more	accurate	to	say	that	one’s	Self	is	the	reality
out	of	which	‘the	one	and	the	many’	arise. All	is	self-complete,	autonomous,
and	not	in	need	of	anything	outside	itself	since	‘outside	itself’	is	an
impossibility. Thus,	‘Self’	is	context	whereas	‘self’	is	content. There	is	no	division	between	creator	and	that	which	is	created. All	is	self-
creating	as	the	manifestation	of	the	mind	of	God. This	great	awareness
characterizes	the	consciousness	level	of	the	700s	where	Self	is	All	That	Is. Because	the	universe	is	self-evolving	and	self-fulfilling,	no	intervention	is
necessary. All	is	in	perfect	balance	and	harmony. The	consciousness	levels	of	the	800s	and	the	900s	represent	the	highest
levels	of	the	potential	consciousness	of	humanity. A	sage	may	occasionally
return	to	the	world	but	the	world	has	now	been	transformed. It	is	no	longer	a
world	with	individuals	who	need	‘saving’	but	an	energy	field	to	lift	and
reinforce. Each	consciousness	in	the	world	that	calibrates	above	the	level	of
Integrity	serves	to	counterbalance	the	negativity	of	the	seventy-eight	percent
of	the	population	which	reflects	negativity	below	the	level	of	200. The	power	of	the	consciousness	level	of	1,000	counterbalances	the	total
negativity	of	all	mankind	and	creates	not	only	the	potentiality	but	also	the
certainty	of	the	salvation	of	all	humanity. Although	this	eventuality	seems	to
unfold	slowly	in	the	world	of	time,	it	already	exists	in	the	reality	of	the
absoluteness	beyond	time. Spiritual	progress	is	based	on	acceptance	as	a	matter	of	free	will	and
choice,	and	thus	everyone	experiences	only	the	world	of	their	own	choosing. The	universe	is	totally	free	of	victims,	and	all	eventualities	are	the	unfolding
of	inner	choice	and	decision. What	accounts	for	the	apparent	delay	in	this	inevitable	destiny? It	appears
to	be	the	attraction	of	the	energy	fields	that	we	have	delineated	as	‘force’,	or
illusion	and	falsehood. Central	to	this	attraction	is	the	identification	of	self	as
the	body	and	the	survival	fears	that	ensue. Death	is	then	feared	as	the	end	oflife	and	is	perceived	as	a	self-existent,	possible	reality	that	has	a	fearsome,
imaginary	existence. To	the	higher	self,	human	life	is	composed	of	games	and	charades
because,	unconsciously,	everyone	knows	that	death	is	not	an	actual
possibility. Why	else	would	anybody	risk	their	‘life’	for	political	gain	or
money? Even	at	a	brief	glimpse,	the	history	of	mangled	bodies	convinces	any
would-be	hero	that	the	glory	of	war	is	a	total	absurdity. After	a	war	where
seventy	million	people	‘die’,	the	country’s	borders	remain	the	same,	business
returns	to	usual,	and	the	whole	charade	is	a	sad	joke. Former	enemies	now
shake	hands,	observe	each	other’s	Memorial	Days,	and	visit	each	other’s	war
memorials. In	a	game	of	chess	or	checkers,	the	pieces	are	not	destroyed	but	merely
moved	off	the	board	for	another	day. The	ego	engages	in	performances	that
are	utterly	convincing	to	the	players	and	onlookers. On	a	certain	level,	each
player	is	providing	a	spiritual	service	to	others	by	acting	out	the	lessons	that
need	to	be	learned	for	the	benefit	of	all. Acts	of	courage	awaken	the	soul	to	its
own	innate	power,	which	it	will	need	to	reach	the	ultimate	awareness. Beyond	the	600s,	there	is	no	personal	self	to	makes	choices. Progression
is	an	expression	of	the	nature	of	consciousness	itself. The	commitment	to	a
specific	spiritual	task	does	therefore	keep	the	body	running	on	in	the	material
world	until	the	project	is	completed. There	is,	in	reality,	only	one	lifetime	that
has	the	appearance	of	successive	chapters. Note	on	the	Christian	Holy	Bible
(King	James	Version)
The	Old	Testament	calibrates	at	190. However,	Genesis	is	at	660,	Psalms
is	650	and	Proverbs	is	350.
_OceanofPDF.com_The_Eye_of_the_I_-_David_R_Hawkins.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Although,	for	many	people,	the	experience	may	not	last	(as	in
near-death	experiences),	the	residual	effect	is	permanent	and	transformative. In	due	time,	the	light	is	likely	to	return	again	for	periods	of	infinite	bliss,
peace,	and	silence,	followed	by	a	profound	gratitude	for	the	gift. The	unforgettable	event	tends	to	set	up	a	yearning	to	return	to	that	state,
which	may	result	in	the	willingness	to	give	up	everything	in	this	world	to	do
so. Curiosity	is	replaced	by	dedication,	surrender,	and	devotion. Spiritual
inspiration	strengthens	and	becomes	the	guiding	light	of	one’s	life. All	human
desires	fade	away	in	comparison	to	what	is	now	realized	as	the	ultimately
possible	state. One	then	has	become	truly	a	devotee	and	a	servant	of	God	for
whom	one	is	willing	to	surrender	all	that	this	life	has	to	offer. The	next	obstacle	that	is	likely	to	arise	is	impatience,	which	sometimes
reaches	the	level	of	desperation. Having	once	experienced	Shangri-la,	the
explorer	will	risk	life	itself	and	make	any	sacrifice	in	order	to	return. The
search	and	the	journey	can	become	a	powerful,	driving	obsession. There	is,
therefore,	sometimes	the	awful	grief	at	the	disappearance	of	that	illumined
state,	or	the	guilt	that	perhaps	one	has	done	something	to	deserve	being
separated	from	it. One	beseeches	God	in	heaven	for	assistance. Despair	can	set	in,	as	well	as	periods	of	despondency	and	self-blame. These	are	followed,	however,	by	even	more	powerful	rededication	and
commitment	to	the	journey. The	soul	is	unwilling	and	now	perhaps	even
unable	to	settle	for	anything	less	than	the	presence	of	God. Surrender	occurs
at	greater	and	greater	depths	until	there	is	finally	the	willingness	to	let	even
one’s	very	self	as	‘I’	disappear. That	‘self’	goes	deeper	and	is	stronger	than
one	had	suspected. Its	hold	seems	tenacious	and	fierce. Then,	by	the	greatest	surrender,	which	is	accomplished	not	by	one’s	own
will	but	by	the	grace	of	God,	the	agony	of	the	death	of	the	ego/self	occurs	andseems	almost	unbearable. It	then	disappears	into	eternity,	and	into	the	vacancy
swells	the	All-encompassing	Presence	in	stunning	glory	and	radiance. That
one	ever	experienced	oneself	as	separate	or	not	identical	with	that	Presence	is
unthinkable	and	incomprehensible. There	is	no	explanation. There	then	arose	the	potentiality	for	the	one	to	know	and	experience	itself
as	One. It	is	simultaneously	both	and	yet	neither. That	is	the	present	state	or
condition—all	potentiality,	all	possibility,	all	states—all	of	them,	yet	none	of
them. It	is	not	verbally	explicable. Preliminaries
One	difficulty	with	spiritual	writings	is	that	they	often	do	not	present	a
context	of	familiarity	so	that	a	seeker	can	approach	the	subject	with	comfort. For	instance,	it	is	often	stated	that	the	personal	life	of	the	writer	or	speaker	is
of	no	consequence,	which,	although	true	in	an	absolute	sense,	ignores	the
level	of	consciousness	of	most	of	humanity	that	has	a	natural	curiosity	and
expectation	about	the	style	in	which	information	needs	to	be	presented. To	say
that	one’s	personal	life	is	of	no	significance	has	no	meaning	to	most	people. There	is	a	natural	tendency	to	be	curious	about	what	kind	of	person
experiences	unusual	spiritual	revelations. There	is	curiosity	about	the
personality	traits	or	lifestyle. There	is	also	the	intuitive	awareness	that	to
understand	it	is	to	discover	that	perhaps	those	traits	or	characteristics	tend	to
eventuate	in	spiritual	awareness. Perhaps	there	are	certain	personality	styles
or	characteristics	that	are	common	to	those	who	become	dedicated	to	spiritual
discovery	or	who	realize	certain	states	of	consciousness. The	spiritual	pathway	is	facilitated	by	certain	characteristics	that	become
reinforced	and	more	powerful	with	practice,	experience,	and	success. These
include	the	capacity	to	focus	unswervingly	on	a	goal	and	to	concentrate
fixedly	on	a	technique	or	spiritual	exercise	with	commitment	and	dedication. Thus,	there	is	a	resolution	of	purpose	and	a	willingness	to	let	go	of	everything
or	anything	based	upon	one’s	profound	belief	and	faith	in	a	spiritual	teaching
or	truth. In	general,	there	is	a	willingness	to	forgive	and	love	rather	than	to
hate	and	condemn. There	is	a	willingness	to	forsake	the	lesser	for	the	greater
and	a	desire	to	understand	rather	than	to	judge. The	reason	people	with
spiritual	interests	seem	to	congregate	is	because	they	have	a	preference	for
peace	and	tranquility	over	stimulation	and	excitement. Perhaps	the	most
useful	tool	is	the	capacity	for	humility	and	the	realization	of	the	limitations	of
ordinary	consciousness	and	their	consequences. To	ensure	the	validity	of
one’s	direction	of	endeavor,	it	is	crucial	to	calibrate	the	level	of	truth	of	every
teaching,	teacher,	guru,	or	spiritual	group. Historically,	it	can	be	seen	that	mankind	stumbles	on	blindly,	much	likeships	did	in	the	unmarked	oceans,	without	a	compass	or	maps. Literally
hundreds	of	millions	of	people	throughout	time	have	been	destroyed	for	lack
of	a	simple	technique	to	overcome	the	mind’s	incapacity	to	tell	a	sheep	from	a
wolf	in	sheep’s	clothing. Whole	nations	have	gone	down;	whole	civilizations
have	died	from	following	propaganda,	slogans,	and	belief	systems	that,	when
muscle	tested,	make	one	go	weak. Although	the	muscle-testing	technique	may
sound	simple	and	crude,	so	was	the	discovery	of	the	lodestone	for	use	as	a
compass. Most	people	on	the	planet	today	owe	their	survival	to	things	that	were
once	thought	unscientific	and	crude,	such	as	the	dirty-looking	growth	of	mold
on	a	petri	dish	that	was	observed	to	be	able	to	kill	bacteria. This	little
discovery	led	to	antibiotics	and	thereby	increased	mankind’s	quality	of	health
and	expected	longevity. The	naïve	seeker	is	fair	game	for	any	and	all	would-be	captors	via	various
ideologies	through	the	sheer	influence	of	numbers,	persuasion,	and	charisma. Peer	pressure	for	the	gullible	is	also	prevalent	so	that	finding	one’s	way
through	the	thickets	of	profuse	religious	and	purportedly	spiritual	teachings
becomes	hazardous	and	problematic. It	requires	some	inner	conviction	and
means	of	guidance	to	not	follow	the	throngs	of	worshippers	because	the	herd
instinct	is	strong. Surely,	one’s	mind	says	to	itself,	“All	those	millions	of
people	could	not	be	wrong	or	be	misled	by	error. ”	To	find	the	answer	to	this
paradox,	we	merely	need	to	examine	the	makeup	of	those	throngs	of	often-
zealous	believers. That	human	error	is	not	only	possible	but	also	certain	and
probable	becomes	evident	from	the	fact	that	seventy-eight	percent	of	the
world’s	population	calibrates	below	the	level	of	200,	the	level	of	Truth	and
Integrity. The	muscle-testing	response	is	determined	solely	by	the	response	of
universal	consciousness	to	either	truth	or	falseness. On	an	arbitrary	scale	(see
Appendix	B
),	that	which	makes	one	go	strong	is	calibrated	at	the	level	of	200. That	which	is	false	or	destructive	calibrates	below	200. (From	zero	to	200,
one	discovers	the	levels	of	Shame,	Guilt,	Remorse,	Fear,	Hate,	Greed,	Pride,
Avarice,	Anger,	etc. ) At	the	level	of	Truth	and	Integrity,	the	body	goes	strong,	and	these	levels
go	up	through	Courage,	Neutrality,	Willingness,	Capability,	Lovingness,	Joy,
and	Peace. The	positive	levels	are	then	calibrated	from	200	up	to	a	possible
1,000. Love	is	at	500,	the	Intellect	is	in	the	400s,	and	Capability	and
Willingness	are	in	the	300s. That	seventy-eight	percent	of	mankind	calibrates
below	the	level	of	200	means	that	most	of	society	assumes	that	falsehood	is
truth. Only	twenty-two	percent	of	the	world’s	population	is	even	capable	of
understanding	what	truth	is,	and	of	that,	only	four	percent	of	the	world’spopulation	calibrates	at	500	or	over,	which	is	the	level	of	Love. Farther	up	the
scale,	the	number	of	people	at	the	top	of	this	pyramid	of	humanity	dwindles
rapidly. Enlightenment	calibrates	at	600,	where	duality	dissolves	into
nonduality. The	700s	are	the	realm	of	the	great	spiritual	teachers,	gurus,	and
saints. Few	can	be	identified	in	the	800s	or	900s. The	energy	field	at	1,000	is
the	maximum	that	can	be	tolerated	by	the	human	body	and	nervous	system,
and	it	is	the	rare	level	of	the	great	avatars	of	history. No	human	has	ever
existed	who	calibrated	beyond	1,000. The	value	of	all	these	realizations	is	merely	to	describe	a	means	of
discernment	because	human	consciousness	lacks	the	innate	capacity	to	tell
truth	from	falsehood. It	is	therefore	imperative	to	know	the	calibrated	level	of
truth	of	any	teaching	or	teacher. With	this	awareness,	we	begin	to	understand	the	great	myths	of	mankind,
which	are	always	about	the	vicissitudes	of	the	seeker	who,	in	the	classic	story,
becomes	besieged	by	challenges,	seductions,	snares,	traps,	beguilements,	and
savage	beasts. There	are	always	dragons,	fires,	swamps,	bodies	of	water,	and
other	hazards	to	be	overcome. In	the	legends,	success	depends	on	knowing	a
single	secret	or	a	mystical	bit	of	information,	which	becomes	the	key	to
progress. Without	help	from	on	high	or	‘high	helpers’,	the	hero	or	heroine
becomes	lost	and	is	finally	saved	by	divine	goodness	in	some	disguised	form,
such	as	a	bird	that	signals	or	shows	the	way. Muscle	testing	then	is	such	a	bird
and	prevents	the	painful	stumbling	into	a	morass	from	which	it	is	often
difficult	or	impossible	to	escape. The	spiritual	quest	is	classically	likened	to	a	pathway,	a	journey,	or	a
venture. Unfortunately,	the	naïve	seeker	often	goes	unprepared	on	a	difficult
journey	without	the	necessary	tools. In	the	ordinary	world,	we	depend	on
many	safety	measures. We	wear	seatbelts,	get	inoculated	against	epidemic
diseases,	and	accept	that	there	are	hazards	to	be	guarded	against	and
overcome. Thus,	caution	comes	from	wisdom,	not	from	fear. Prudence
requires	awareness	of	the	pitfalls	to	be	avoided. If	enlightenment	were	easy	to
come	by,	it	would	be	a	common	phenomenon. However,	statistically,	the
chances	are	less	than	one	in	ten	million. There	is	also	the	common	thought	held	by	seekers	that	there	are	only	two
alternatives,	either	enlightenment	or	painful	entrapment	by	the	ego. Actually,
each	step	forward	brings	new	joys	and	a	jump	in	consciousness	that	calibrates
at	even	only	a	few	points	higher	on	the	Scale	of	Consciousness. Because	it	is
a	logarithmic	jump,	however,	it	can	bring	about	much	greater	happiness	and
accord. As	one	progresses,	confidence	replaces	fear,	emotional	comfort
replaces	distress,	and	the	ease	and	quality	of	life	improves. The	Desire	for	Enlightenment
Unless	one	has	fallen	unbidden	and	without	previous	effort	into	an
enlightened	state	of	consciousness,	as	happened	to	such	saints	as	Ramana
Maharshi	during	adolescence,	the	more	common	route	is	to	begin	to	desire	to
reach	an	enlightened	state. The	Buddha	said	that	those	who	hear	and	learn	of
enlightenment	will	never	be	satisfied	with	anything	else	and,	therefore,	the
end	is	certain. Sometimes	the	seeker	puts	forth	great	effort	and	patience,	and
discouragement	follows. At	this	stage,	the	ego	assumes	there	is	an	‘I’	that	is
seeking	an	‘it’	(the	state	of	enlightenment),	and	it	therefore	seeks	to	redouble
its	efforts. Traditionally,	the	pathways	to	God	have	been	through	the	heart	(love,
devotion,	selfless	service,	surrender,	worship,	and	adoration)	or	through	the
mind	(advaita,	or	the	pathway	of	nonduality). Each	way	may	seem	more
comfortable	at	one	stage	or	another,	or	they	may	alternate	in	emphasis. Either
way,	it	is	a	hindrance	to	consider	that	there	is	a	personal	self,	or	an	‘I’,	or	an
ego	that	is	doing	the	striving	or	seeking	or	that	will	become	enlightened. It	is
much	easier	to	realize	there	is	no	such	thing	as	the	ego	or	an	‘I’	identity	that	is
doing	any	seeking,	but	instead,	it	is	an	impersonal	aspect	of	consciousness
that	is	doing	the	exploring	and	seeking. A	useful	approach	is	to	let	the	love	for	God	replace	the	willfulness	that	is
driving	the	seeking. One	can	release	all	desire	to	seek	and	realize	that	the
thought	that	there	is	anything	else	but	God	is	a	baseless	vanity. This	is	the
same	vanity	that	claims	authorship	for	one’s	experiences,	thoughts,	and
actions. With	reflection,	it	can	be	seen	that	both	the	body	and	the	mind	are	the
result	of	the	innumerable	conditions	of	the	universe,	and	that	one	is	at	best	the
witness	of	this	concordance. Out	of	an	unrestricted	love	for	God	arises	the
willingness	to	surrender	all	motives	except	to	serve	God	completely. To	be	the
servant	of	God	becomes	one’s	goal	rather	than	enlightenment. To	be	a	perfect
channel	for	God’s	love	is	to	surrender	completely	and	to	eliminate	the	goal
seeking	of	the	spiritual	ego. Joy	itself	becomes	the	initiator	of	further	spiritual
work. From	joy	and	humility,	the	rest	of	the	process	is	certain. One	becomes
aware	that	the	whole	spiritual-seeking	process	is	being	activated	by	the
attraction	of	the	ultimate	destiny	to	realize	the	Self	rather	than	being	propelled
by	the	limited	ego. It	could	be	said	in	ordinary	language	that	one	is	being
pulled	along	by	the	future	rather	than	being	propelled	by	the	past. It	is
obvious	that	unless	one	was	destined	for	enlightenment,	one	would	not	even
be	interested	in	the	subject. To	even	aspire	to	such	a	state	is	actually	quite
rare. In	an	entire	lifetime,	the	average	person	does	not	meet	even	one	otherperson	who	is	primarily	interested	in	reaching	enlightenment. The	path	can	be
arduous	and	demanding. In	the	Western	world,	there	is	really	no	accepted	or	traditional	role	for	the
spiritual	seeker. It	is	not	expected	that	one	will	finish	up	one’s	worldly
business	and	then,	at	retirement,	spend	the	rest	of	life	spiritually	seeking	the
truth	to	the	exclusion	of	all	else. In	some	countries	such	as	India,	there	is	such
a	cultural	path	traditionally	accepted	as	a	normal	development. In	the	West,	a
serious	spiritual	student	most	often	joins	dedicated,	like-minded	persons	who
are	often	viewed	somewhat	suspiciously	as	dropouts	from	society	unless	they
enter	a	monastery	or	theological	seminary. The	Teacher
Spiritual	groups	are	often	organizations	with	their	own	agendas. Here
again	is	a	pitfall	for	the	unwary,	for	the	spiritual	world,	as	well	as	the	ordinary
world,	contains	charlatans	whose	purpose	is	to	capture	the	naïve	initiate	for
purposes	of	control,	domination,	power,	money,	or	prestige,	such	as	having
‘lots	of	followers’. The	true	teachers	can	be	seen	to	have	no	interest	in	fame	or	in	having
followers,	prestige,	or	trappings. If	we	calibrate	them,	they	usually	calibrate
from	the	high	500s	on	up	or,	more	rarely,	to	the	700s. The	teachings	and	not
the	teacher	are	what	are	important. Inasmuch	as	the	teachings	do	not	come
from	the	personage	of	the	teacher	at	all,	it	does	not	make	sense	to	idolize	or
worship	that	personage. The	information	is	transmitted	as	a	gift	because	it
was	received	as	such. There	is,	therefore,	nothing	to	sell,	to	enforce,	to
control,	or	to	charge	for	inasmuch	as	the	information	was	free	and	a	gift	from
God. A	valid	spiritual	organization	may	make	nominal	charges	to	cover
ordinary	expenses	in	that	everyone	contributes	for	the	common	good. The	spiritual	teacher	transmits	a	benefit	due	not	just	to	the	words
themselves	but	to	the	high	energy	of	consciousness	that	accompanies	the
words. The	teacher’s	level	of	consciousness	creates	what	might	be	likened	to
a	carrier	wave	that	accompanies	and	empowers	the	words. As	was	cited	in	the	research	done	in	
Power	versus	Force
,	one	single
avatar	at	a	consciousness	level	of	1,000	totally	counterbalances	the	collective
negativity	of	all	mankind. An	individual	at	level	700	counterbalances	the
negativity	of	70	million	individuals	below	the	level	of	200. One	individual	at
600	counterbalances	ten	million	people	below	200;	one	at	500
counterbalances	750,000	below	200. One	individual	at	consciousness	level
300	counterbalances	the	negativity	of	90,000	individuals	below	200. There	are	currently	approximately	twenty-two	sages	on	the	planet	who
calibrate	at	700	or	above. Of	these,	there	are	twenty	at	800	or	more,	of	whomthere	are	ten	at	or	over	900,	and	one	sage	is	over	990. These	figures	have
changed	since	1995	when	
Power	versus	Force
	was	published. (Only	ten	were
over	700. ) The	negativity	of	the	entire	human	population	would	self-destruct
were	it	not	for	the	counteracting	effect	of	these	higher	energy	fields. It	would	seem	then	that	there	is	some	truth	to	the	saying	that	the	infinite
power	of	God	transmits	itself	down	to	beings	on	earth	as	though	through	a
series	of	step-down	transformers. Although	the	actual	number	of	persons	on
the	planet	who	calibrate	negatively	far	exceeds	those	who	calibrate	positively,
their	actual	individual	power	is	very	small	by	comparison	so	that	at	the
present	time,	the	calibrated	energy	of	mankind	as	a	whole	since	the	1980s	is
on	the	positive	side. As	previously	mentioned,	for	many	centuries	prior	to
1986,	the	consciousness	level	of	mankind	stood	at	190,	and	then,	rather
suddenly,	it	jumped	to	the	level	of	207. The	power	of	the	teachings	of	the	original	avatars	then	influences	and
contextualizes	the	significance	of	the	life	of	mankind	through	centuries	and
even	thousands	of	years. It	is	very	informative,	however,	to	calibrate	the	level
of	consciousness	of	a	great	teacher	and	then	calibrate	the	level	of
institutionalized	teachings	that	are	then	brought	down	through	the	centuries. Some	teachings	have	survived	almost	totally	unscathed	while	others	have
seriously	deteriorated. Some	have	even	fallen	to	such	low	levels	that	they
calibrate	below	the	critical	level	of	Truth	altogether,	resulting	in	negative	cults
and	becoming	sources	of	conflict	and	negativity	in	the	world. It	is	well	to
remember	that	popularity	is	not	a	sign	of	truth. It	is	not	surprising	then	that
the	great	majority	of	the	population	of	mankind	falls	below	the	level	of	200,
and	that	multimillions	are	following	‘religions’	that	are	basically	negative. What	Is	Spiritual. It	is	common	for	people	to	confuse	‘spiritual’	with	‘religious,’	and	even
with	the	supernatural,	or	‘astral’	domains. They	are,	in	fact,	quite	different,
and	this	confusion	often	results	in	social	strife	and	uncertainty. In	the	United	States	Declaration	of	Independence,	for	instance,	it	was
stated	with	great	clarity	by	the	originators	that	the	rights	of	man	stem	from	the
divinity	of	their	creation,	and	thus	was	established	the	principle	of	spirituality. However,	they	differentiated	this	from	religion	by	saying	that	citizens	are	to
be	free	from	the	establishment	of	any	religion. The	founders	were	aware	that
religion	divides	and	is	based	on	secular	power,	whereas,	spirituality	unites
and	has	no	worldly	organization. The	Declaration	of	Independence	(which
calibrates	at	705)	spells	out	that	this	is	a	nation	whose	government	derives	its
authority	from	the	spiritual	principles	of	the	Creator,	and	that	it	is	to	be
guided	by	spiritual	principles	that	see	everyone	as	equal,	with	justice	andfreedom	for	all. This	obvious	position	has	great	power	and	needs	no	defense. Religion,	on	the	other	hand,	can	be	sectarian	and	divide	people	into
conflicting	groups,	often	with	dire	consequences	to	civilization	and	to	life
itself,	as	history	reveals. The	sole	power	of	truly	spiritual	groups	originates
only	from	the	truth	of	their	teachings,	and	they	have	no	significant	earthly
power,	edifices,	wealth,	or	reigning	officers. Generally	in	spirituality,	the
central	ideas	that	hold	the	group	together	are	commonly	those	of	love,
forgiveness,	peace,	gratitude,	thankfulness,	kindness,	nonmateriality,	and
nonjudgmentalism. Usually,	religion,	in	essence,	originally	has	a	core	of
spirituality	that,	however,	becomes	submerged	and	often	lost	from	sight. Otherwise,	war,	for	example,	would	have	little	chance	to	even	occur. Spiritual
truth,	then,	is	universally	true	and	without	variation	through	time	or	place. It
always	brings	peace,	harmony,	accord,	love,	compassion,	and	mercy. Truth
can	be	identified	by	these	qualities. All	else	is	the	invention	of	the	ego. CHAPTER	4
The	Basics
Religion	As	A	Source	of	Spiritual	Error
There	are	two	sources	of	error	stemming	from	traditional	‘true’	religions. The
first	is	simply	misunderstanding	or	misinterpretation	of	the	specific	teachings
of	the	original	great	teacher. Because	the	followers,	were	not	themselves
enlightened,	the	original	teachings	were	contaminated	by	their	egos. This	then
became	magnified	by	subsequent	translators	and	scribes	down	toriginal
listeners,	or	hrough	the	generations. The	warp	often	is	due	to	the	fact	that	the
ego	has	a	tendency	to	be	literal	in	its	hearing	of	the	word	rather	than	the	spirit
or	essence	of	a	teaching. Any	translation	that	teaches	anything	other	than
peace	or	love	is	in	error. This	is	a	basic	rule	and	easy	to	spot. The	second	and	more	prevalent	gross	distortions	are	spiritual	teachings
that	arise	from	what	is	usually	referred	to	as	‘church	doctrine. ’	These
regulations,	often	in	the	form	of	guilt-provoking	prohibitions,	were	actually
totally	made	up	by	church	officials	and	supposed	authorities	who,	in	reality,
had	no	claim	to	authority	at	all	but	instead	had	acquired	political	power	in	the
structure	of	the	institutions	at	the	time. There	is	no	authentic	or	plausible	reason	to	modify	the	precise	teaching	of
an	original	great	teacher	for	some	ostensible	gain. As	obvious	as	it	may	seem,
it	has	not	been	clear	through	the	centuries	that	to	be	a	Christian,	for	example,
means	simply	to	exactly	follow	Christ’s	teachings. All	the	great	teachers	teach	nonviolence,	noncondemnation,	and
unconditional	love. It	is	hard	to	see	how	any	alleged	ecclesiastical	authority
could	violate	these	basic	truisms	supposedly	for	‘the	good	of	the	faith’,	or	‘the
good	of	the	church’,	or	the	‘elimination	of	infidelities,’	or	‘just’	wars. There	are	many	subjects	not	addressed	in	original	spiritual	teachings,	thus
creating	the	opportunity	for	fallacious	religious	elaborations. All	kinds	of
‘sins’	have	been	invented	over	the	centuries,	with	elaborate	explanations	and
rationalizations	that	can	only	be	described	clinically	as	rather	sick
manipulations	of	natural	human	affairs. The	harm	that	resulted	was	not	only
spiritual	error	but	also	psychological	cruelty	and	the	blanket	guilt	of
humanity. This	focus	on	guilt	and	sin	further	condemns	human	consciousness
by	reinforcing	the	dilemma	of	the	opposites	and	the	duality	of	perception. This	latter	destructive	effect	on	human	consciousness	takes	man	farther	away
from	God	and	creates	a	barrier	that	is	transcended	only	by	the	very	few	who
have	to	be	almost	spiritual	geniuses	in	order	to	succeed	in	escaping	the
coercive	trap	of	elaborate	fallacies. A	further	destructive	effect	of	the	promulgations	of	some	religious
doctrine	is	that	it	creates	the	very	basis	for	terrible	wars	and	persecutions. These	are	always	based	on	religious	differences	that	are	exaggerated	in
importance	in	order	to	justify	religiously	sanctioned	mayhem. These
misinterpretations	and	deviations	are	especially	notable	in	the	murky	religious
meddlings	with	sexuality,	procreation,	child	rearing,	diet,	details	of	daily
living,	customs,	dress,	and	political	power. Wearing	different	kinds	of	clothing,	hats,	or	facial	hair	is	enough	to	fuel
religious	persecution	or	war. Circumcision,	not	eating	meat	on	Fridays,	saying
grace	before	meals,	and	dates	and	details	of	religious	holidays	all	become
ammunition. Whether	the	Sabbath	is	Saturday	or	Sunday	becomes	more
important	than	the	truth. Whether	wearing	a	hat	or	no	hat	shows	respect	for
God	becomes	a	hoary	issue. By	exploiting	trivialities	at	the	cost	of	ignoring	the	main	thrust	of	spiritual
truth,	religions	contribute	to	their	own	downfall	and	that	of	all	humanity. Much	that	is	revered	as	church	doctrine	is	really	the	product	of	the	ego. If	it	is
true,	as	Jesus	said,	that	evil	is	in	the	eye	of	the	beholder,	then	those	who	see
sin	and	evil	everywhere	are	themselves	the	problem. In	Victorian	times,	even
the	leg	of	a	table	was	considered	to	be	a	temptation	and	had	to	be	discretely
covered	with	a	drape. Much	of	what	has	traditionally	been	described	as	sin	is	really	the	guilt-
ridden	exaggerations	held	in	the	mind	of	some	emotionally	disturbed	church
authority. Adherence	to	the	admonition,	“Let	he	who	is	without	sin	cast	the
first	stone,”	would	silence	all	these	misappropriations	of	spiritual	truth. Collectively,	these	distortions	of	spiritual	truth	have	paradoxically
condemned	both	God	and	human	nature	in	the	name	of	‘Divinity’. To	usurp
that	authority	and	make	pronouncements	in	the	name	of	God	seems	rather
grandiose	and	delusional. No	one	who	had	ever	experienced	the	absolute
reality	of	the	presence	of	God	could	ever	make	such	distorted	statements. The	Emancipation	of	Humanity
Before	a	new	direction	is	sought,	it	is	necessary	to	discern	the	error	of	the
old	and	awaken	a	desire	to	transcend	that	error. This	requires	courage	and
fearless	honesty. The	recovery	from	many	serious	and	incurable,	potentially
fatal	disorders	is	based	on	the	willingness	and	capacity	to	face	the	truth	and
choose	a	different	pathway. To	break	down	denial	and	admit	the	truth	takesone	above	the	critical	line	of	Integrity	(at	200). The	phoenix	of	spiritual	awakening	is	birthed	out	of	the	ashes	of	human
despair. As	Mother	Teresa	said,	the	beautiful	flower,	the	lotus,	arises	from	its
roots	in	the	slime	and	mud	at	the	bottom	of	the	pond. Early	in	this	writer’s	life,	there	occurred	the	revelation	of	the	totality	of
the	suffering	of	all	mankind. It	was	staggering	and	overwhelming	in	its	sheer
immensity. As	stated	elsewhere,	this	led,	unfortunately,	to	the	mistake	of
blaming	all	that	suffering	of	humanity	on	the	god	of	religion	who	had
‘allowed	all	that	to	take	place’. However,	it	did	reinforce	the	drive	and	desire
to	relieve	human	suffering. Many	years	later,	the	resultant	atheist,	without	warning	and	at	the	depth	of
despair,	surrendered	to	God	and	had	a	profound	spiritual	awakening	that
transformed	all	understanding	of	God,	Truth,	and	Reality. Yet,	some	years
later	came	the	vision	and	comprehension	of	the	profound	ignorance	and
limitation	of	human	consciousness	that	revealed	itself	as	the	very	foundation
and	source	of	all	human	suffering. The	realization	of	the	immensity	of	the
hold	of	ignorance	on	and	its	terrible	price	to	humanity	was	profound	and
resulted	in	a	shifting	of	endeavor	from	relieving	physical	and	mental	sickness
and	suffering	to	the	spiritual	error	that	accounted	for	all	of	it. The	collective	human	ego	as	expressed	by	society	is	blind	to	the	basic
problem	that	underlies	its	own	suffering. Typical	of	the	ego	is	its	belief	that
the	problems	to	be	addressed	are	‘out	there’,	and	therefore	all	the	social
programs,	including	wars,	are	devoted	to	fixing	‘them’	or	fixing	‘out	there’. The	basic	problem	with	humanity	is	that	the	human	mind	is	incapable
of	discerning	truth	from	falsehood. It	cannot	tell	‘good’	from	‘evil’. With	no
means	of	self-protection,	humans	are	at	the	mercy	of	falsehood	in	all	its
beguiling	disguises	that	parade	as	patriotism,	religion,	the	social	good,
harmless	entertainment,	etc. With	a	simple,	at-home	test	of	true/false,	all	the	dictators,	emperors,	and
demagogues	of	history	would	have	fallen. If	one	simply	places	a	picture	of
Hitler	in	a	manila	envelope	and	has	a	child	hold	it	over	their	solar	plexus,	the
child’s	arm	goes	weak. The	same	telltale	weakness	reveals	the	true	nature	of
Stalin,	Lenin,	the	Arab	zealot	leaders,	communism	and	the	lethal	leaders	of
Cambodia	and	African	countries,	and	dictators	who	hide	behind	the	name	of
Allah. All	the	slaughters	of	mankind	down	through	the	centuries	have	been	the
result	of	force,	to	which	the	only	antidote	is	Power. Force	is	based	on
falsehood;	power	is	based	solely	on	truth. ‘Evil’	loses	its	hold	when	it	is
revealed;	that	is,	its	vulnerable	weak	side,	its	Achilles’	heal,	which	is	exposed
to	everyone. Falsity	collapses	when	it	is	exposed	for	what	it	is. It	does	not	take	the	U. S. government,	the	CIA,	the	FBI,	spy	satellites,	or	computers	to	discern	the
obvious—the	arm	of	an	innocent,	five-year-old	child	has	the	only	real	might
on	Earth—the	power	of	truth	itself	is	invincible	and	requires	no	sacrifice. The	Arm	of	The	Child
It	is	the	arm	of	innocence	that	the	dark	legions	of	the	world	fear	most	of
all	for	it	unmasks	the	disguises	by	which	they	hold	sway	over	
seventy-eight
percent
	of	the	world’s	population. If	one	drops	denial,	one	will	see	that	falsehood,	manipulation,	and
distortion	of	truth	cater	prevalently	to	man’s	lowest	propensities	and	pervade
all	society. The	popular	computer	games	are	neither	innocent	nor	harmless;
they	are	calculated	killing	training	machines	to	deaden	the	spiritual	sensitivity
by	conditioning	the	mind	to	thoughtless	maiming	and	killing. The	deliberate
killing	of	prairie	dogs	is	not	‘sport’	but	callous	mayhem. Drugs	are	not	‘cool’,
but	enslaving. Heavy-metal	rock	and	rap	music	are	neither	liberating	nor
amusing;	they	are	a	deliberate	mode	by	which	to	entrain	the	consciousness	of
youth. The	media	pretend	innocence	as	they	rake	in	the	huge	profits	that	stem
from	catering	to	man’s	lowest	weaknesses	and	vulnerabilities. The	innocent	child’s	arm	is	frightening	to	the	vast	establishments	that
draw	their	attraction	from	ignorance. The	fallacious	‘war	on	drugs’	is	revealed
to	be	the	very	cause	of	the	problem	and	the	bulwark	of	the	whole	drug	trade
that	it	created,	empowered,	and	enriched. Communism	was	not	defeated	by
war	but	by	the	nonviolence	of	Gorbachev. The	rebirth	of	Christ—the	great,	heralded	Second	Coming—from	a
spiritual	viewpoint,	means	the	displacement	of	falsehood	by	truth,	of	darkness
by	light,	of	ignorance	by	awareness. The	significance	of	Krishna,	Buddha,	Christ,	and	Allah	was	not	their
personal	presence	on	the	planet	but	the	truths	they	revealed	and	espoused,	and
the	calibratable	high	energy	that	accompanied	the	teachings. All	enlightened
beings	tell	the	populace	to	ignore	their	personality	or	personhood,	but,
instead,	to	focus	on	the	teachings. Typical	of	the	misunderstandings	and
distortions	that	prevail	in	religion,	mankind	does	just	the	opposite	and
worships	the	personages,	the	dates,	the	times,	and	the	places	they	visited	and
ignores	the	teachings. The	prevalence	of	the	teachings	of	the	Christ/Buddha/Krishna/Avatar
seems	to	have	been	signaled	recently	by	the	transition	of	the	consciousness
level	of	mankind	from	the	negative	realm	at	190	to	cross	over	the	line	of
Truth	and	Integrity	of	200	to	its	present	level	of	207. The	significance	of	this
major	event,	which	has	happened	for	the	first	time	in	the	history	of	mankind,cannot	be	understated. By	analogy,	we	know	that	just	on	the	physical	level,	a
change	of	only	a	few	degrees	in	the	prevailing	global	temperature	has
profound	effects	on	the	entire	planet	and	all	life	on	it. In	contrast,	the	shift	in
man’s	consciousness	from	190	to	207	is	far	more	significant	and	profound	in
its	total	and	eventual	effects	than	any	change	in	the	temperature	of	the	planet. If	the	Second	Coming	of	Christ	is	to	be	revealed	by	a	sign,	then	that	sign
has	already,	and	only	very	recently,	appeared. Unmistakable	in	its	implication
and	promise	for	all	mankind	is	that	profound	shift	from	falsehoods	distorting
the	consciousness	of	mankind	to	that	of	truth. It	could	be	that	the	arm	of	the	child	can	reveal	to	us	the	first	light	of	a	new
dawn	for	civilization. It	was	said	that	it	will	be	by	the	innocence	of	the	child
that	man	is	led	to	God	and	to	heaven. It	is	actually	only	by	the	innocence	of
the	child	within	that	the	door	to	truth	can	be	opened. The	innocence	of	the	child	remains	undisturbed	and	unsullied	within	the
consciousness	of	everyone. It	is	the	very	basic	‘structure’	of	consciousness
itself. The	analogy	to	current	life	is	that	the	hardware	is	unsullied	by	the
software	which	is	processed	through	the	computer,	just	as	the	camera	is
unaffected	by	the	images	transmitted	through	its	lens. Rediscovery	of	The	Pristine	State
While	we	speculate	about	the	limitations	of	the	consciousness	of	mankind,
it	is	actually	the	individual	who	transforms	society	in	a	manner	that	is
invisible	and	unsuspected. Force	is	vulnerable	to	an	infinite	number	of
oppositions,	but	power	has	no	possible	opposite	or	enemy. Like	space	itself,
power	is	immune	to	attack	and	forever	invulnerable. People	think	they	are
ruled	by	their	unruly	minds	and	that	they	are	the	victims	of	circumstances. All
this	sums	up	how	a	person	feels	from	moment	to	moment. Thus,	people	see
themselves	as	victims	of	their	stream	of	consciousness	or	feeling	states	and
transitory	circumstances. The	prevailing	view	is	that	there	are	no	options	to
one’s	current	state	of	mind	and	feeling	tone	or	emotions. This	succumbing	to	‘it’	(the	mind)	and	‘out	there’	(the	world)	is	accepted
as	natural	and	normal. Few	people	suspect	that	there	is	actually	any	other
option. By	self-examination	and	inward	focus,	one	can	discover	that	all	states
of	consciousness	are	the	result	of	the	execution	of	an	option. They	are	not
unchangeable	certainties	determined	by	uncontrollable	factors	at	all. This	can
be	discovered	by	examining	how	the	mind	works. One	is	not	really	ruled	by	the	mind	at	all. What	the	mind	reveals	is	an
endless	stream	of	options,	all	disguised	as	memories,	fantasies,	fears,
concepts,	etc. To	get	free	of	domination	by	the	mind,	it	is	only	necessary	to
realize	that	its	parade	of	subjects	is	merely	an	arbitrary	cafeteria	of	selectionswending	their	way	across	the	screen	of	the	mind. One	is	not	‘forced’	to	feel	resentment	by	a	negative	memory,	nor	does	one
have	to	buy	into	a	fearful	thought	about	the	future. These	are	only	options. The	mind	is	like	a	television	set	running	its	various	channels	for	selection,
and	one	does	not	have	to	follow	any	particular	temptation	of	thought. One	can
fall	into	the	temptation	of	feeling	sorry	for	oneself,	or	angry,	or	worried. The
secret	attraction	of	all	these	options	is	that	they	offer	an	inner	payoff	or	a
secret	satisfaction,	which	is	the	source	of	the	attraction	of	the	mind’s
thoughts. If	these	payoffs	are	refused,	it	will	be	discovered	that,	at	all	times,	behind
the	thought	screen,	there	is	a	silent,	invisible,	thought-free	space	of	joy. This
is	an	option	that	is	always	available,	but	to	be	experienced,	it	has	to	be	chosen
above	all	other	tempting	options. The	source	of	joy	is	always	present,	always
available,	and	not	dependent	on	circumstances. There	are	only	two	obstacles:
(1)	the	ignorance	that	it	is	always	available	and	present,	and	(2)	valuing
something	other	than	peace	and	joy	above	that	peace	and	joy	because	of	the
secret	pleasure	of	the	payoff. The	experience	of	the	presence	of	God	is	available	and	within	at	all	times,
but	awaits	choice. That	choice	is	made	only	by	surrendering	everything	other
than	peace	and	love	to	God. In	return,	the	divinity	of	the	Self	reveals	Itself	as
ever	present	but	not	experienced	because	it	has	been	ignored	or	forgotten,	or
one	has	chosen	otherwise. When	Is	The	Future. To	choose	to	experience	the	presence	of	God	occurs	outside	time. It	is
therefore	nowhere	in	the	future;	it	is	available	only	in	the	present. No	other
condition	is	necessary	or	even	possible	because	the	present	moment	is
permanent;	it	never	changes;	it	never	disappears	into	yesterday	or	tomorrow. In	fact,	it	is	inescapable. Everyone	is	actually	safe	in	the	exact	moment	of
now. By	observation,	it	will	become	apparent	that	the	only	thing	that	seems	to
change	is	appearance. The	now	stands	still;	the	screen	is	permanent. Although
a	movie	script	changes	and	a	story	unfolds,	even	then	it	can	do	so	only	within
the	precise	instant	of	now. ‘Now-ness’	is	the	primordial,	overreaching,	all-powerful,	unchangeable,
and	absolute	requirement	to	experiencing. It	is	the	essence	of	awareness	of
being	and	existence. It	is	impossible	to	exist	anywhere	at	all	except	in	the
drastic,	radical	reality	of	now. This	instant	is	all	there	is. One’s	own
consciousness	as	Self	is	the	only	Eye	by	which	anything	can	be	experienced
or	known. The	inner	sense	of	reality	is	bestowed	by	the	Self	on	the	‘outer’surroundings,	which	is	what	makes	them	seem	real. The	sense	of	realness	is
therefore	a	projection	of	consciousness	by	the	self,	originating	from	the	Self. One	is	therefore	not	the	witness	of	a	‘real’	world;	one	is	actually	the	source	of
its	seeming	reality. The	world	is	actually	entertainment. Like	amusement,	it	is
meant	to	be	worn	lightly. Heaven	is	within	and	is	revealed	by	awareness. The
world	is	merely	an	appearance. Its	melodrama	is	an	artifice	of	the	distorted
sense	of	perception. It	leads	one	to	think	that	the	world	is	large,	powerful,	and
permanent	and	that	the	Self	is	small,	weak,	and	transitory;	exactly	the
opposite	is	true. Without	belief	in	its	appearance	as	defined	by	perception,	the	world	we
thought	was	real	disappears. When	one	chooses	to	be	at	one	with	the	inner,
ever-present	potentiality	of	joy	and	peace,	the	world	transforms	into	a
humorous	amusement	park,	and	all	the	drama	is	seen	to	be	just	drama. The	option	for	truth,	peace,	and	joy	is	always	available,	although
seemingly	buried	behind	an	ignorance	and	nonawareness	that	results	from
having	chosen	other	options	as	a	habit	of	thought. The	inner	truth	reveals
itself	when	all	other	options	are	refused	by	surrender	to	God. The	Human	Condition	As	An	‘Altered	State	of	Consciousness’
A	fact	or	truth	is	not	established	by	the	fact	of	commonality,	as	history
demonstrates	profoundly. Falsehood	is	most	commonly	the	pervasive	human
experience. One	of	the	most	significant	discoveries	in	consciousness	research
is	that	what	is	commonly	understood	and	accepted	as	‘normal	human
experience’	in	thought,	behavior,	and	feeling	is	technically	merely	an	altered
state	of	consciousness	that	prevails	in	a	limited	stratum	of	society	for	a
limited	duration. It	is	actually	not	man’s	real	state. Man	is	so	used	to	worry,	fear,	anxiety,	remorse,	guilt,	conflict,	and	distress
that	they	are	accepted	as	normal	life,	with	negative	emotions,	attitudes,	and
feelings. Mankind	(the	patient)	is	advised	to	seek	a	therapist	to	‘get	in	touch
with	their	feelings’. Rather	than	‘getting	in	touch’	with	these	fermentations	of
illusion,	it	would	be	more	beneficial	to	liquidate	them	by	uncovering	their
source	as	perception	itself. A	truly	‘normal’	state	of	consciousness	is	one	that	is	free	of	all	negativity
and	instead	filled	with	joy	and	love. Anything	else	is	based	on	illusion	and
perceptual	distortions. Because	disease	prevails	in	a	society	does	not	mean
that	disease	is	a	normal	condition. Throughout	history,	such	things	have
prevailed	in	society	and,	in	fact,	have	killed	off	large	portions	of	the
population,	but	that	does	not	mean	they	are	a	natural	condition. Even	the
Black	Plague	eventually	disappeared. By	simple	means,	it	can	be	discovered	that	seventy-eight	percent	of	theworld’s	population	is	actually	disturbed. That	means	that	only	twenty-two
percent	of	the	population	is	out	of	the	extreme	danger	zone	of	the	calibrated
levels	of	consciousness	below	200. We	tend	to	think	of	an	altered	state	of	consciousness	as	an	artificially
produced	paranormal	state,	or	something	similar	to	a	hypnotic	state	or	trance,
or	as	being	programmed	or	brainwashed. From	a	study	of	the	pervasive
influences	that	act	by	the	repetitive	entrainment	of	man’s	levels	of
consciousness,	it	becomes	obvious	that	the	mind	of	mankind	meets	the
criteria	of	having	been	controlled,	influenced,	and	brainwashed	in	a
systematic	and	continuous	manner	that	is	in	accord	with	the	definition	of	such
processes	in	scientific	research. A	child	is	born	with	the	innocence	of	an	unpro-grammed	consciousness,
but	then,	like	the	hardware	of	a	computer,	it	is	systematically	programmed
with	software,	which	is	society’s	input. This	system	has	one	glaring	and	all-
important	defect,	however. There	is	no	program	in	place	or	available	to
ascertain	the	truth	or	falsehood	of	the	new	software	programs. (It	is	much	like
a	computer	virus. ) The	child	will	innocently	believe	anything	it	is	told. The
unprotected	consciousness	of	the	child	then	becomes	prey	to	the	collective
ignorance,	misinformation,	and	fallacious	belief	systems	that	have	blighted
man’s	capacity	for	happiness	for	the	last	millennia. The	programming	that	ensues	is	actually	uncorrectable	as	there	has	been
no	mechanism	available	to	test	the	authenticity	of	the	material	with	which	the
child’s	mind	is	programmed. On	the	surface,	it	would	seem	that	up	to	seventy-
eight	percent	of	the	data	will	not	only	be	fallacious	but	destructive	and
damaging. This	is	superimposed	on	a	human	brain	that	is	already	genetically
defective	to	begin	with. Over	one-third	of	the	population	has	a	brain	that	does
not	even	supply	enough	of	the	neurotransmitter	serotonin	to	keep	the
individual	from	being	depressed,	overeating,	addictive,	or	being	out	of
behavioral	control. The	capacity	for	reason	itself	can	be	completely	destroyed
in	an	instant	by	uncontrollable	bursts	of	emotion. Rationality	is	further	undermined	by	the	biological	fact	that	the	old	reptile
and	animal	brain	is	still	anatomically	and	functionally	present,	and	its
atavistic	activity	continues	to	exert	a	pervasive	animal	instinct	that
strengthens	predatory	tendencies	and	aggression. All	the	instincts	of	the
animal	persist	and	influence	or	even	dominate	much	of	the	behavioral	and
feeling	states. The	emotions	of	the	animal	are	ever	present	and	close	to	the
surface. These	tendencies	are	themselves	vulnerable	to	training	and
manipulation	by	social	programming	and	propaganda. Man,	therefore,	starts	out	with	a	biologically	defective	brain	with	instincts
of	the	animal,	and	his	intelligence	and	information	are	then	systematicallydowngraded	and	programmed	with	data	that	is	inaccurate,	fallacious,
destructive,	negative,	and	damaging	at	least	seventy-eight	percent	of	the	time. That	is	just	a	statistical	probability	for	mankind	as	a	whole,	but	within	society,
there	are	vast	populations	where	the	percentage	of	fallacious	material	comes
close	to	one	hundred	percent,	e. g. ,	criminal	street-gang	subcultures,	etc. Often,	what	is	most	damaging	is	that	the	error	in	programming	pertains	to
very	critical	behavioral	elements. The	total	productivity	of	whole	nations	and
cultures	can	be	subverted	to	destructive	ends. The	whole	economy	of	entire
nations,	such	as	Germany	and	Japan	during	World	War	II,	was	subverted	to
mass	destruction,	not	only	of	innocent	victims	but	also	of	their	very	own
culture. Whole	countries	can	be	reduced	to	rubble	by	propaganda	that	is	so
ignorant	and	fallacious	that	one	wonders	in	retrospect	how	anyone	could	have
been	gullible	enough	to	buy	it,	much	less	sacrifice	their	lives	for	it. The	simple	muscle	test	instantly	reveals	the	truth. Dictators	make
everyone	go	weak,	e.
The residual effect is permanent and transformative.
What is the residual effect of the experience, and how does it transform people?
Impatience and desperation often arise, and people may become beseech God for assistance, leading to despair and self-blame.
What is the primary obstacle that arises after the experience, and how do people respond to it?
Spiritual teachings are universal, eternal, and unchanging, whereas religious teachings are often rooted in human error and ignorance. The distinction between the two is crucial, as it can lead to spiritual error and suffering.
What is the main difference between spiritual and religious teachings, and what is the significance of this distinction?
The muscle test is a simple, reliable, and objective means of discerning truth from falsehood, and it is essential for verifying the authenticity of spiritual teachings.
What is the significance of the concept of the "muscle test" in spiritual growth and understanding?
The misconception is that God is a separate, judging entity who demands sacrifice and worship, whereas in reality, God is the infinite, all-present, and all-powerful reality that is beyond human comprehension.
What is the primary misconception about the nature of God and the universe, and how does this misconception manifest in human behavior?