Earth, Heaven, Connection, and Emptiness: The Mystic Path of Evolution

Spiritual seekers like yourself constantly come across references to the cultural teachings of old: the Yogis, the Native Americans, the Japanese, Aboriginals from Australia or Brazil, the Celts, The Tibetans, the Hawaiians – and many more. Understand – there is a reason these teachings are continuously being placed under our noses! They are opportunities for us to connect with Truth. Pay attention!

The sages of all cultures took the time to observe the world they were living in. They paid attention to nature – the growth of a seed, the ripple of the winds, the power of the ocean – the processes so reflective of the human condition. They saw the patterns that teach us about our own habits and urges. In looking with wonder at the natural world, they would also discover the wisdom of all the ancestral knowledge that we carry in this Earth life, whether instinctual, genetic, or learned. This is our pool of talents, proclivities, and challenges. This is Earth energy.

They would watch the stars and the planets and the sun and the moon, noticing the seasons and their conjunction with the skies, noticing how the heavenly bodies show us the right times for performing our earthly activities such as planting, fishing, harvesting, even praying. In wonder at such perfection, they looked for the Creator of all they perceived. They reached for this through prayer and ritual, fulfilling the human need to search for the reason for living, to assign meaning to our existence. As the sages experienced this sense of reverence and communication, they understood that what is below is also above. Their inherent psychic abilities were activated. This is Heaven energy.

Continuing on the mystical journey, they studied how these two dualities of Earth and Heaven flow through our lives. Dark and light. Male and female. “Good” and “evil”. The concept of cycles emerged: the clarity that all things go through these cycles, that the cycles themselves are universal movements. Oh! Everything is doing the same dance! The two polarities cannot exist without one another. Ahhhh. The interconnection of all things, this universal tapestry of creation, dissolution, and energy, would suddenly come clear. They would realize that not one thing can be touched, moved, or even thought about, without all else being impacted. This is the energy of Connection, of the Oneness of the Universe.

The sages realized that they must now look within. As they became more familiar with the nature of their minds, they would place themselves into states of consciousness in order to deepen their knowledge, and one day, they would experience a state that was unknown to them before. They would touch upon the energy of Emptiness. The experience would leave them in awe, would give them the first glimmerings of remembering who and what they truly are, who and what ALL of us truly are. With this came the sure knowledge of the path and their duty to teach it, and hence was born the Way of the Mystic. 

These sages, these mystics, were respected and known to be the wise ones of all traditions. And they existed in all cultures. How powerful is that understanding – that humanity was MEANT to have this wisdom, that people were born all across the planet, geographically separated, who would step up, study, and realize that they must teach others about their findings. Unfortunately, with the season of organized religion in the intellectual age of mankind, the mystics were often persecuted. Many went into hiding.

But truth cannot be changed. Always, wisdom comes forth via this true path. And the Old Ways are showing themselves once again, because Humanity is in need. Those who kept safe and sacred the mystic esoteric knowledge that we need to evolve, have again stepped forward, hands open, offering to those who are seeking.

This universal process is clearly present in the teachings of Usui Mikao, whose cultural setting provided the foundations of his understandings. His purity of thought was brought forth from the minimalist Japanese culture, where less is always considered to be more, where each word, each movement, was symbolic and heavy with hidden meanings – ready to be unraveled like the robes of the kimono at the level of perception of the beholder. The path that Usui presents is simple, not easy. Elegant, yet severe. And most complete.

The gift is that if we ever lose the way, all we need do is look around and within ourselves…

As the temple bell fades
The ringing lingers in the blossom scent
Evening.
~Bashō

Linda Arigi is a Shinpiden graduate of the International House of Reiki.