Compilations from the transcripts of the original Michael Teachings group.
- The transcripts of the original Michael Teachings group have been determined to be in the public domain. Any content or commentary added by the author/compiler is copyright: CC by NC-ND and please attribute adeptpath.net.
The Tao; General Cosmology
The Causal plane was discussed at this point, and Sarah Chambers said that she gathered that there was a high Causal body and a low Causal body, and that Michael says that he is a Causal being.
- That is essentially correct. There is growth and evolution necessary on the Causal plane as well as the Astral. There is a difference, though. This entity [Michael] still perceives self and something apart from self, although still a part of self, so this entity cannot be said to be all of everything there is. The high Causal body [Transcendental Soul] does not perceive even this minute separation evidently. This is where the difference lies. Beyond the Physical Plane, the evolution concerns perception of the Tao. [08/26/1973]
Question: Were we a part of the “passion play” [Jesus’ crucifixion]?
- Israel, of course, refers to the Tao. Israel was not a physical thing when those words were written. Souls cast from the Tao at the beginning, at least not in any way that you would understand [sic]. Israel was not Syria-Palestine, at least not until fairly recent time. Israel was an allegory used to express the inexpressible. [ca 9/13/1973]
Question: How did life get started?
- “Physical evolution proceeded on an orderly basis on all worlds. This concept should be self-evident when one examines the remnants. Spiritual evolution occurs simultaneously. There is evolution on all planes except the Tao. That is the only perfection of which we are cognizant.” [ca 9/13/1973]
E____: All of a sudden, we’re having this huge body of information about souls and it must be important, and I would like an overview. Is this information going to be practical to me? Can I use it? Why this topic?
- This is another Overleaf and integration must take place before you are able to perceive the synthesis, which, of course, must precede perception of the Tao. Yes, it can be of great value to you. Body Typing answers some questions. This [information about Soul Age] answers still another set of questions. This is a broader Overleaf, and there are more. [09/18/1973]
[Snip of answer to unrelated question]
- Entire entities are cast from the Tao. They fragment into physically trapped souls for as long as is necessary for them to experience all of life through the cycles.
ES___: The next question that comes to me is, is this a process of growth and evolution and for what purpose or just indigenous or if that is so, why?
- To ensure the continuous creative force is the only purpose we know. The entities no longer earth-bound experience lengthy periods on the high planes and at the end, reunite with the primeval force that is creation. Thus, the created becomes the creator and the cycle repeats itself ad infinitum. This is infinity. [10/08/1973]
E____: I am confused about which souls inhabit what planes after the physical level. I would like more information about this
- There are, of course, seven planes in all, each with seven levels. Beyond the Astral Plane is the Causal Plane with seven levels: three low, one mid Causal Plane level upon which we reside, and three higher levels upon which reside the high Causal bodies — the Transcendental Souls contiguous with this plane; and the Mental Plane is the Akashic Plane, which is a photographic record of all history. Some very high adepts have access to this plane. On the Mental Plane resides the Infinite Soul and the low and mid-mental bodies. Beyond this is the Buddhic Plane and upon this level are all of those souls who have achieved physical communion with the Tao. Beyond this, of course, [is] the Tao. [11/29/1973]
EM___: There was an impression that the soul is entrapped in this physical body, and I disagree with that answer, and my opinion was expressed regarding this: there is one Infinite soul, and we are each manifestations of the same soul, and I fail to see how the Infinite soul can be trapped in a finite body.
- All souls, or Fragments, as we choose to call them for now, are of course, a part of the universal creative force, which we call the Tao. However, when this fragmentation occurs and the physical cycle begins, this Fragment is remote from the Tao, and remote from what we call the Infinite Soul. We think that we have a problem with semantics here. Let us use an analogy and perhaps this will become crystal clear. Imagine the Atlantic ocean as the whole; imagine filling ten test tubes, then sealing them so that they are both water tight and air tight; then imagine dropping them back into the ocean. They are a part of the whole, yes, but unless some outside force liberates them, they are remote from the source and trapped in an effective prison. This same way the soul is trapped in the body. The body is very limited in what it can do. You [Edgar is in a wheelchair] should understand this really better than the others. The soul in its true spiritual state has no limitations or handicaps. [12/20/1973]
R____: The big picture: Tao, creation, Tao, creation . . . Seems so unglamorous. Seems there is no end point.
- All of you are losing sight of the eons that lie between the Physical plane and eventual return to the Tao, or to the “recycling.” This should be paradise enough for any soul. All that is creatable flows from the Tao, utilizing the material that has existed for all time.
S____: What is the definition of Tao?
- The Tao is the all, the creative force. It is everything there is.
E____: Why can’t this be done in one lifetime?
- It can be realized, but the realization does not mean that one may reunite with the primeval force. This realization however must occur before transcendence can occur. [06/25/1974]
M____: Have any Entities reunited with the Tao?
- The Tao has existed always. Yes, there have been many, countless in fact, cycles.
R____: Maybe we have done this countless times.
- At a date in the past that is unutterable in your language.
[snip of unrelated Q&A]
R____: Discussions of the Tao lead no place. We can’t perceive this. Maybe we can begin to comprehend when astral traveling. We can feel the love.
- That which we call for you “agape” is the positive force of the universe. This is the only positive force. All other positive emotions or energy sources are borne of this. [06/25/1974]
R____would like some clarification of the word “agape.”
- We use this word to express the unqualified Acceptance of another person’s being as the greater part of self. We know of no other word that would be appropriate. This is the love of the Tao.
Is there a familiar word in another language familiar to this medium?
- There is no word in the tongues of this culture that would express this concept. It is the releasing of self to the flow of the pan-dimensional universe. It is the recognition that the solid isolation of the Physical plane is only the personality’s faulty perception, and that in truth there is no separation — there is only one. You have heard it said by one [Jesus] who is an adept that, “I am all that there is, and you are with me.” This is agape. [10/22/1974]
What is man’s proper function in the universe?
- We have presented this material in such a fashion that we hope you are now having some feelings for the orderliness of the cosmos, and that there is nothing chancy about this. The Physical plane, of course, has its place in this natural order of things. Truly, the evolutionary process is continuous throughout the planes, until this reaches the point of origin. The planes can also be likened perhaps most easily to the goals. For instance, on the Physical plane there is much resistance and Rejection, particularly of those things beyond the physical. On the Astral plane, there is much Submission, particularly on the lower levels, where the painful lessons are being learned.
- This can be extrapolated on up to the Tao, which represents growth in the highest order. Souls experience this “overall goal” in very subtle ways, almost imperceptible, except to the highest student. The learning process therefore is very different on each plane, with physical inhabitants learning primarily through Rejection. You prefer to call it “experience,” or more often, “bitter experience.” More often than not, it is merely a Rejection of intuition. Therefore, the errors made on the Physical plane often are the result of cognitaling [sic] and eventually rejecting the intuitive selection for the more profitable or culturally acceptable one. These errors are not usually resolved until the physical student meets with a teacher, this usually occurring in the later cycles.
- These lessons, of course, provide the groundwork for the lessons yet to come, as the entities work progressively toward the Tao. You see, there is an overall synthesis of which your synthesis is a component. We wish to resume this discussion when this group next gathers without fail. If progress is to be made, we must work with you in the way you have now begun to accept. This we would call great progress. There is far less scattering in this group now than ever before. Many have come to a seriousness of purpose that was previously absent. It is possible now that real growth will commence. [10/08/1974]
[Snip of answer to unrelated question]
- Man’s place in the universe should, of course, have become a little more apparent to you since we opened the discussion on complexity. As we have intimated before, the Tao is the epitome of simplicity and therefore the simplicity toward which we all strive in our return to the primeval. Therefore, the Physical plane, with its enormous complexity, offers by far the most challenge, and also the most barriers to spiritual liberation. [10/22/1974]
R____asked why Michael uses the word “Tao” and not “God.”
- Primarily, because the word ‘God’ in your society has become masculinized and requires the use of the masculine pronoun, thus perpetuating the personification of the Universal Creative Force, which is ethereal and not physical. This cannot be personified even for teaching purposes with this cadre. It would be treading on thin ice for this entity. For us, this teaching is a form of evolution. We have chosen our tools carefully, with those of you here present in mind, as well as all members of the cadre who are now geographically physically separated. It is as important that they understand, as it is for you here present to understand. Each teaching now ongoing has different tools, and yet the synthesis can be easily made by one caring to make the comparison. In choosing the specific tools that we have, each of your Overleaves was taken into consideration, as well as all your imprinting, your core beliefs, and your master tapes. [01/30/1975]
We talked of perceptions, unity with the Tao, etcetera.
- This entity perceives itself as a part of the greater whole that is the oneness. This entity also perceives all of its Fragments making up the whole, much as you perceive the individual parts of the anatomic structure. We would have to, at this point in our own evolution, agree that there is a pervasive cosmic awareness that is certainly present at the Tao. It is extremely doubtful, however, that those lofty entities on the Buddhic plane really feel for the personalities they left behind eons ago. What is lost is not the perception of self — what is lost is the personality’s perception of the apartness — the separateness which is an illusion of the Physical Plane. This entity does not perceive the apartness that you feel when you are communicating with, for instance, Soleal. You perceive it because both you and he are caught in the artificial limitations, the solid, rigid, space-time continuation [continuum?] of the Physical Plane. [02/08/1975]
RP___: Going toward simplicity, is there anything more simple than the Tao?
- More simple, no. The Tao you see is the absence of complexity. [Undated Transcript of an early trance session.]
From Dimensions! Magazine, June 1975
- The “Law of Accident” applies only to the Overleaves, the False Personality operating in artificial space, using the artificial rhythms of the Physical Plane. This term does not apply to students in the work. Things happen to mechanical man. Students and Balanced Man choose to experience.
- All do not grow to appreciate that which is in Essence, but most do experience a nagging pull in that direction. Religion has nothing to do with formal belief in any one particular system. We would have you look upon religion as an ecstatic celebration of the pan-dimensional life of the constant creative force of the universe, of the Tao. We would see you look upon religion as the joy of the liberated Essence.
The Tao: General Statements
[snip, from Soleal:]
- To feel the resistance is to feel the polarity, to feel the yin and yang of the Tao. [02/16/1975]
[Snip of answer to unrelated question]
- [snip] …The relationships within this group are ancient. I realize this is a new concept for you to swallow, but in order to progress further, you must come to grips with this. The law of cause and effect is as old as the Tao, and that has existed for a long time. [08/17/1973]
[Snip of answer to unrelated question]
- The Infinite Soul perceives the Tao. [Date unknown, from 1973 Collection]
ES___: I have been reading of the concept that one has to be true to himself — be himself, an individual — to perceive the infinite. Is this true?
- That is why Socrates said, “Know thyself.” If you perceive that which is “really you,” you will concomitantly perceive the Tao. [11/08/1973]
There was quite a discussion here about sexuality, False Personality and Essence. Some at the meeting were uneasy because they thought Michael was running down sex. Then came:
- Plan is fantasy, or if you will, imagination. If the sexual act is surrounded by fantasy, it is both competitive and unreal. It [the creative process] is neither good nor bad. It is that which insures the continuity of the Tao. This universe has an awesome order. [11/08/1973]
EM___: In reading our new workbook (on page 82*), I have a question about integrating Fragments and them having a pull on you and it being “curtains” for those who integrate. Also, I have a question about karma: they said the strength comes from those already integrated. Is good and evil the fulfillment of karma with a promise to return to “paradise” after this fulfillment?
- That question was raised in a spirit of wishful poignancy and concerned missing certain aspects of life on the Physical plane such as sunlight filtering through the trees, etc. However, you are right; the good and evil mentioned in that paradise refers to negative and positive poles of the Monads. Even after evolution to the Astral plane, there are many steps yet to take. Return to the Tao is the goal or purpose. Perhaps this is an area [that] we still must grow, for we do not see this as an insufficient goal. [01/27/1974]
[*Ed. From the document: “The Teachings of Michael: Emanations from the Causal Plane” compiled by CC. Subject: “Reuniting of Fragments” ~ Question (Nov. 22, 1973): Does the dominant Fragment have indirect access to my previous lives? Michael: The integrated Fragments of your Entity, which are a part of the low astral body, have a tremendous pull on you. It is almost as though they are calling you home. You are right, though, it will be curtains for those who integrate. The others will continue as long as they are earth-bound by karmic ribbons and have incompleted Monads.]
M____: Would a silent mantra help?
- It can, or you can use the one you have now except that this does produce some friction with you and that needs to be resolved. “Never changing, ever flowing, eternally the Tao” works for some. [02/20/1974]
P____: What is the soul Level of my rabbit?
- The animal kingdom picks up on the vibrations around it. The domesticated animals have a tendency to imitate the one who renders the major part of nurturing. The hive soul is truly ancient, and was here long before individual souls were cast from the Tao. [04/03/1974]
E____: Question regarding the intelligence of plants and maybe consciousness of other matter.
- We would repeat an earlier truth: The Tao is all there is. [05/22/1974]
[Snip of answer to unrelated question]
- At this point in time, it is useless to bring up any discussion of an ultimate purpose in existence. This is not a concept that can be dealt with in the language of the Physical Plane. It must be intuited at a higher level, and it is up to the student to work toward this intuition. It is not easy. The Tao cannot be understood intellectually, it can only be intuited. As we have stated before, and will again, Leslie, growth is the greatest good and love is the highest truth. Music is Mechanical Man’s only method of expressing the higher [level], and this is also true on the high planes at another level. [09/24/1974]
There was a question about the Tao as “mother” — is the Infant Soul symbiotic with the Tao?
- No and yes. The casting is not casting out, but rather casting into. The Tao is not just the mother but you know this. The Infant Soul is close, but furthest from the goal. The ladder must be climbed and the Infant [Soul] is aware of this. Its closeness comes from this knowledge. Beyond this, the knowledge is not expanded. The Infant Soul is in this way unique and it is as close to its ‘mother’ as the infant man who wanders to the Astral Plane continually and looses contact immediately. In the casting, the total awareness is lost, but not the feeling of loss. The Infant Soul then experiences the loss and the closeness simultaneously. The Infant Soul is again unique in this sense of loss and must start the sorting that later becomes the seeking of the Tao. The confusing life of the Mature Soul will, and indeed does, balance this great sense of loss in the Infant [Soul]. The sense of loss is not present in the Mature Soul and this “heavy” involvement into the life stream will help the Infant [Soul] to learn to seek what it has lost. This is what is meant by Balance [over the entire cycle of lifetimes on the Physical Plane]. [11/08/1974]
E____: What about the Book of Truth — [or the Voice of] Osiris? Were the writings given to the author by a literal “god”?
[Ed. Another channeled teaching, written in 1925 but not published until 1956.]
- That part, of course, is absurd, but information is mostly good. The god “Osiris” is just another name for that which is unnamable and unutterable. The ancient Egyptian’s civilization was psychically far advanced. The Egyptians know exactly how to appeal to the masses. They did this successfully for longer than any other civilization. [Pharoah] Amenhotep was a manifestation of the Transcendental Soul. [12/20/1973]
[This editor believes this was a mistake and that Akhenaten (1353-1336 BC) was intended. He attempted to move the Egyptian religion from polytheism to monotheism. Refer to Internet resources about him.]
OTHER SOURCES:
GURDJIEFF
“Further, passing to philosophical conclusions, we may say that ‘all worlds’ must form some, for us, incomprehensible and unknown Whole or One (as an apple is one). This Whole, or One, or All, which may be called the ‘Absolute’ or the ‘Independent’ because, including everything within itself, it is not dependent upon anything, is ‘world’ for ‘all worlds.’ Logically it is quite possible to think of a state of things where All forms one single Whole. Such a whole will certainly be the Absolute, which means the Independent, because it, that is, the All, is infinite and indivisible. The Absolute, that is, the state of things when the All constitutes one Whole, is, as it were, the primordial state of things, out of which, by division and differentiation, arises the diversity of the phenomena observed by us.” (Ouspensky, In Search of the Miraculous, page 76)
RA MATERIAL
Q: [Session 13] … Can you tell me of the earliest, first known thing in the creation?
- A: The first known thing in the creation is infinity. The infinity is creation. [The next step was] Infinity became Aware. [And then] Awareness led to the focus of infinity into infinite energy: You have called this by various [names] the most common being “logos” or “love.”
Q: [Session 15] … Is there a sequence, a first, second, and third distortion of the Law of One?
- A: The first distortion, free will, finds focus. [Focus then], is the second distortion known to you as Logos, the Creative Principle or Love. This intelligent energy thus creates a distortion known as Light. From these three distortions come many, many hierarchies of distortions, each having its own paradoxes to be synthesized, no one being more important than another.
Ed. So here it seems:
zero level: Intelligent Infinity — becomes aware
First Dist: Free Will– finds focus
Second Dist: Logos (Love, Creative Principle/intelligent energy)
Third Dist:
—> to infinite finities (the many)
On The Path of the Adept 