The Higher Self

The goal is to experience our true, higher, divine self, which is 'Sat-Chit-Andanda'.

Sat = absolute being (also truth)
Chit = consciousness (also knowledge)
Ananda = highest bliss

This lies beyond the causal body. So we gradually move out of identification with all the grosser bodies – first the physical, then the pranic, then the emotional, then the mental, and now also the causal body.

You could even consider the Higher Self as a kind of body, since it is also a manifestation of the Absolute, but I simply refer to it here as the Higher Self.

Sutra 1.24.: "Ishvara (=the Higher Self) is individually experienced divine consciousness, untouched by suffering, actions, results of actions, or desires."

Sutra 1.25.: "In him lies the seed of omniscience." or "He is unsurpassed and the source of all knowledge."

Sutra 1.26.: "Unlimited by time, he is, primordially, the teacher of all teachers."

Sutra 4.31.: "Freed from all veils and dirt, the relative knowledge of the mind becomes tiny compared to infinite knowledge."

The Absolute

Beyond the Higher Self, as mentioned before, there is an even deeper level, namely: the Absolute. The Absolute is the source of all forms of creation. It is the level in which everything exists in its unexpressed form as potential.

The Spiritual Heart   

The Spiritual Heart is an energy center that lies in an even deeper layer than the conventional chakras. It is located in the mental body and is the deepest energy center of the body system.

It is the interface out of which all forms manifest into the reality that we experience. You can see it as a kind of door through which you can also reach the plane of the Higher Self. It is located in the area of the Heart Chakra and is very small.

So another way 'back home' also leads through this door in our center, and therefore we also focus our attention there in the following meditation. By additionally concentrating on the Spiritual Heart, we also go deeper on this level, we are more grounded, even when penetrating the most subtle levels, and we experience more love within us.

Love can be found in the heart – it originates in the Spiritual Heart and only afterwards flows to all other levels.

So far there are relatively few teachers who point to and teach about this deepest center. However, it is already mentioned in an Upanishad:

"In the center of the body is the flawless lotus of the heart. This is the dwelling place of the Supreme Being. Go there and experience supreme bliss."

One of the teachers who mentioned the Spiritual Heart in his teachings was Ramana Maharshi – he called it 'Hridaya'.

However, the main person who is pointing out the significance of the Spiritual Heart and is teaching about it is Lincoln Gergar with his YouTube channel: Channel Higher Self.

Self-knowledge Meditation – Instructions

This meditation has three stages:

1. Bring your attention to your heart center and notice how it rises and falls as you breathe.

2. Once your thoughts have calmed down, become aware of the consciousness that observes everything that happens in your perception (=go into the position of the observer).

It might help to reach this state if you say to yourself internally, 'I am the consciousness in which all forms take place'. You are in the causal body then.

3. Make sure that you penetrate deeper and deeper into this state (of concentration on the heart and the consciousness that perceives everything) and also become stable in it (over time). This is then, so to speak, your 'stepping stone state' from which you open yourself up to your Higher Self.

4. Now that you have achieved a certain stability in this, become aware that this state you are in now is perceived by something even deeper/higher. Open yourself to this observer of the observer and go 'back' to it with your attention. Turn your attention around and look at this observer of the observer.

Then let more and more light (=attention) shine on your true self (=the observer of the observer) and dive deeper and deeper into this Higher Self state – your natural state of being.

It is a kind of 'opening up' or 'letting go' that you have to do internally here. Just experiment and see how you can best open yourself up to your Higher Self. The state of 'I Am' (causal body) becomes more permeable to the even subtler level of pure consciousness (Higher Self), and with practice, this permeability can be further enhanced.

5. First, move your fingers and arms slowly. Then gently massage your face and then the rest of your body to bring your attention back again to the physical body.

6. Open your eyes and take the state of consciousness you have reached with you into the rest of your day.

So your journey goes from identifying with "I Am this" (physical, pranic, emotional, and mental bodies) to "I Am" (I observe these bodies = causal body) to pure consciousness (the observer of 'I Am' = the Higher Self).

You can also experiment to see what works better for you: first bringing your attention to the heart center and then relaxing into the position of the observer, or vice versa.

Beginners simply practice the first section of the meditation until they feel ready to go deeper – then they move on to the second section.

In the FBY Basic Exercise Series we do this meditation for 10 minutes and in the Meditation Exercise Series for 40 minutes.

Here is now a Summary of the FBY Basic Exercise Series and Template for Practicing