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Antahkarana, The Bridge

to Sky
TheLivingLinkBetween
LowerSelfandSpiritualSoul
CarlosCardosoAveline

Twohumanfigureshadbeenwalkingforhoursthroughthe
aridlandscapeofaMexicandesert.Theoldteacher,Don
Juan,wouldstopattimestoburstoutlaughingatthe
especiallyconfusedattitudeoftheapprentice.Carlos
Castanedastruggledagainstthefeelingofpersonal
humiliation.
Hedidntknowhowtobehavebeforethatsurprisingmaster
whoconsideredonesdeathonesgoodcounsellor,who
talkedtothewindandtaughtthatlifemustbelivedminute
byminute,lestonesees90or100yearsuselesslyslipbyin
aninstant.
Whentheconfusionoftheapprenticereacheditshighest
point,thetruelessonbegan.Theunpredictableoldmansaid:
Nowweareconcernedwithlosingselfimportance.Aslong
asyoufeelthatyouarethemostimportantthingintheworld
youcannotreallyappreciatetheworldaroundyou.
DonJuankneeledinfrontofasmallplantandsaidhewould
talktoit.Hecaresseditandtalkedtoitinmorethanone
language.ThenhetaughtCastanedahowtotalktoplantsin
thedesertuntillosingallsenseofimportance.[1]
WhatwastherealpurposeofDonJuan?
HetookthelowerselfofhisdiscipleCastanedatoacrisis
inordertostimulatetheawakeningofasecondattention,a

widerpointofview,throughwhichthehigherselfcould
startreorganizingandguidingtheeverydayconsciousnessof
theapprentice.
Everyauthenticreligionteachesthatthehumanbeingis
dual:partofhimisanimalanddies:anotherpartisdivine
andimmortal.
Accordingtoesotericphilosophy,thepathtowisdom
consistspreciselyinelevatingthefocusofconsciousness
fromthelowerlevelsofvibrationtothehigherones.This
musttakeplacegradually.Onelifetimeisnotenough.The
spiritualsoulwillreincarnateasmanytimesasnecessaryto
reachthegoal.Asitgainsexperience,littlebylittleitlearns
howtobetterinfluenceitsexternalandphysicalpersonality.
Atfirst,itseemsimpossible.Muchlater,thespiritualself
willacquirecompleteknowledgeandpoweroveritslower
nature,andattaintoanessentialfreedomfromhumanrealm.
Christ,Buddhaandotherbeingswhoattainedhuman
perfectionareinfactpioneersandforerunnersofthefuture.
Theyshowthewaytotheotherhumansouls.
Bystoppingtoworryabouthimself,everyhumanbeingcan
hearthevoiceofhisconscienceandseethathisinner
guardianangelisonemorenameforhishigherself,also
knownasMonadandAtmaBuddhi.
Thedeepermeaningofthephrasetofollowthewayof
Christimpliesfollowingthewayofselfimprovement.Itis
notenoughtoworshipahumanizedimageofGod.Thetask

consistsofundergoingapersonalrevolutionduringwhich
welearntolookatlifeandtoactfromthepointofviewof
theimmortalsoul,andnotfromthepointofviewofthe
physicallife,withitslaziness,attachmenttocomfort,fears
andambition.
Betweentheimmortalsoulandtheexternalpersonality,the
averagefocusofhumanconsciousnesswhichwecallI
graduallyelevatesitselfasthesoulobtainswisdomand
accumulatesexperience.Themereknowledgeofthesefacts
isnotenough:victoryordefeatwilldependonwhatwedo,
onceweknowaboutthefacts.
Elevatingthefocusofconsciousnessisanobjectivetask
whichposespracticalquestions.Thecompletemapof
humanconsciousnessincludessevengreatprinciplesor
levels.Oneachofthem,theselfthatorganizes
consciousnesshasdifferentcharacteristics.Inthefollowing
description,IkeeptheSanskritnamesbecausetheyhave
theirownvibrationsandaremantras.Itisusefultoinclude
thesewordsinonesdailyvocabulary.
Thephysicalbodyorfirstprincipleismadeoffleshand
bones.ItsnameisSthulasharira.
Thesecondprinciple,Prana,isthevitality.
ThethirdprincipleisLingasharira,anditincludesthe
subtlekarmicstructuresthroughwhichvitalityflows.The
geneticbackgroundinheritedfromonesparentsisapartof
Lingasharira.Theprincipleismuchmorethanthat,anditis

calledastralbodyandthedoublebyHelenaBlavatsky.
[2]
Acupuncture,Homeopathyandotherformsofsubtle
Medicineworkwiththesecondandthirdprinciples,idest,
Vitality,Prana,andtheenergeticpatterns,Lingasharira.
Thefourthprinciple,Kama,isthecenterofanimalemotions.
Itincludesandexpressesfear,ambition,lovewith
attachment,passion,rejection,andsearchforasenseof
safety.
Thesefourbasicprinciplesformtheearthly,mortalorlower
Self.Atthemomentofdeath,thefirstthreeofthem
completelydissolve,andthefourthprinciplegoesintothe
firstafterlifestage,Kamaloka.
ThefifthprincipleisManas,themind.Itisessentiallydual.
Whenitfocusesonthelowerworld,itputsitselfatthe
serviceofanimalfeelingsandanimalvitality(evenif
sometimesusingafinespiritualvocabularyaswhited
sepulchresdo).
Whenitfocusesonthehigherrealm,itisenlightenedbythe
spiritualsoulandsearchesthetruthaboveall,actswith
altruismandreflectsthelightofeternalwisdom.
Thelowerpartofthefifthprinciplewhichwemaycall
Kamamanashasasortofreasoningthatfollowspersonal
desires,personalopinions,fearsandhopes.Thehigherpart

ofthefifthprinciple,Buddhimanas,istheabstractmind,
thespiritualintelligencewhichlooksattruthwithout
distortionoregocentrism.
Thesixthprinciple,Buddhi,constitutesthecenterofthe
immortalsoul,thesourceofspiritualintuitionanduniversal
compassion.ForthemindenlightenedbyBuddhi,theworld
hasceasedtobeanaccumulationofexternalfacts,
sensations,emotionsandthoughts.Thehigherintuitionisin
unitywiththeprimordialrealitypresentinallthings.The
Buddhicprincipleofuniversalcompassiongivesour
personalexistencestheirdeepestsenseandmeaning.
TheseventhprincipleisAtma,thewhole,theall,the
supremerealitypresentinus.Itssubstanceisthesame
energythatmaintainsthegalaxiesalive;itisalsothe
ultimatesourceofoneswilltoactcorrectlyinevery
situation.
Atmaisnohumanprinciple.ItisthesparkoftheAbsolute
andtheInfinite.Itconnectsuswiththeessenceofthewhole
cosmos.
Thesevenprinciplescanbedividedintwogroups.Wehave
abovetheimmortaltriad:Atma,BuddhiandManas.Below,
wefindthelowerquaternaryformedbySthulasharira,
Prana,LingashariraandKama.Thedynamicbridge
betweenthesetwosectorsofouroccultstructureiscalledin
SanskritAntahkarana.Seetheimageabove.
Howcanonefulfill,then,thegreattaskofelevatingthe

focusofconsciousnessandtransferringittothehighertriad?
ThecentralkeytotheprocessisinAntahkarana.According
toourdegreeofevolutionandattitudetowardslife,the
bridgewillbewiderornarrow,anditcanbeunobstructed
ornot,inthedifferentsituationsofdailyexistence.
Whatmakesushumansispreciselytheelectricaland
creativetensionbetweentheanimalornegativepolarity,and
thedivineorpositivepolarityoflife.Thewiderthe
Antahkarana,themoreintensethecontactbetweenearthand
skywithinus.
Thefeelingofdevotionforbeingsthataremoreadvanced
thanusisoneofthefactorsinthedialoguebetweenearthly
selfandspiritualsoul.Theteachersofuniversalwisdomare
practicalexamplesoftheidealofhumanprogressionand
perfectionwhichthetruthseekeradopts.Aswesawabove
inthedialoguebetweenDonJuanandCastaneda,the
practiceofaltruismmakesitpossibletoeliminatethefeeling
ofselfimportancethatpreventsonefromgraspingthe
spiritualtruth.
Differentreligionspointtovariouswaystostrengthenthe
connectionwithonesimmortalsoul.Buddhismteachesthe
strategyoftheNobleEightfoldWay.Youcankeepa
balancedattitudeinyourdailylifewhichwillexpressitself
ineightaspects:
1)RightviewoflifeTolookattheworldasavastfieldof
researchandlearning.

2)RightthoughtToobserverealityimpersonally,soasto
avoidthedistortionsproducedbyfearandillusion;tofocus
thoughtinelevatedtopicsandnottoallowittodisperse.
3)RightwordTospeakandwritewithsincerity,usingno
tricks,falsehoodoraggression.
4)RightactionToabstainfromcausinginjustice.Trying
toremovethecausesofsuffering.
5)RightlivelihoodTohaveausefulprofessionandto
workwithgoodwillandbalance.
6)RighteffortToliveeachmomentwithattention,
avoidinglazinessoranxiety.
7)RightmemoryTolearnfromthepastsoastocorrect
mistakes.Tokeepinonesmindthespiritualteachingsand
thepreceptsofeternalwisdom.
8)RightconcentrationTohavenobleandcleargoals,
organizingonespracticallifeintheshortandlongtermin
accordancewiththem.
Actions,emotionsandthoughtsmustflowandfindtheir
placesinincreasingharmonywiththeconstantinspiration
fromtheimmortaltriad,whichenlightensthelower
quaternary.
Atfirstglance,Antahkaranaconnectstheabstractmind

(Buddhimanas)totheconcretemind(Kamamanas).
However,aswelookatitfromadeeperpointofview,we
seethatAntahkaranaincludesmultipleconnectionsbetween
theimmortaltriadandthebasicquaternary.Eachofthe
principlesinteractswithalltheothers.Allofthem
permanentlyexertamutualinfluencethroughthedynamics
oftheirvibrations.Atma,forinstance,hasaspecificrelation
witheachoftheotherprinciples.Thesameoccurswith
BuddhiandManas.
Ontheotherpolarity,aphysicalselfdisciplinewillincrease
thevitality(Prana);improvethesubtledouble(Linga
sharira);maketheemotions(Kama)becomepurer;and
clarifytheideas(Manas),makingitpossibletobetter
expressthespiritualwillofAtmaandtheintuitive
compassionofBuddhi.Andsoon:eachprinciplehasone
dimensiononwhichitexistsinitself,andsixother
dimensionswhereitinteractswiththeotherprinciples.
Thespiritualpathprovokesinnerconflictsinthemindofthe
truthseekerthatmaybemoreseverethantheconflictsinthe
mindsofcommoncitizens.Itisinthesouloftheapprentice
thatthegreatwarbetweenlightandshadowtakesplace.The
battlefieldisthelowerself.
Ononeside,wefindthesectorsofourmortalpersonality
thatareloyaltothehighertriad.Ontheotherside,wesee
thosepartsofourpersonalitywhichgravitatearoundour
animalsoul,andwhicharemainlyinterestedinlaziness,
pleasureandpersonalpower.Theseoftendisguise

themselvesasspiritualfeelings,andusenoblemotivesasa
camouflage.Thustheycauseunnecessarysufferingand
induceonessoultomakemistakes.
Thewarbetweenlightandshadowhasmanyunpredictable
episodes.Thevirtueofcouragecanbecomelackof
prudence.Thevirtueofpatience,onitsturn,maypavethe
waytolaziness.Theresultfromthisconflictisdiscernment,
thatis,theabilitytodistinguishthetrueandthefalse.
DiscernmentVivekainSanskritisoneofthekeystothe
doorofsoulheaven.Combinedwithit,eachvirtuefindsits
balanceandthedangersofexaggerationandanxietyare
overcome.

EvaluatingOnesAntahkarana
Asawaytosimplifythepracticeofselfobservation,Ihave
createdamonitoringsystemfortheactionofAntahkarana.It
makesiteasiertoseewhetherthebridgetoskyisfully
active,orfacesobstructionduetoselfishfeelingsand
thoughts.
ThemechanismtoevaluateAntahkaranaissimpleandyetit
ischallenging.Itcomprisestwelveindicatorsofhindranceor
freeflowintherelationbetweenpersonalityandhigherself.
Tothefollowinglist,otheritemsshouldbeaddedwhichare
specifictoonesreality.TheAntahkaranaMetergivesus
hintsastohowtostrengthenourunionwithspiritualsoul:

1A)Obstructed:
Ifthereisahindranceintherelationwithhishigherself,an
individualfeelspersonallycomfortableaslongaseverything
seemstobeeasytohim,andhefeelsillateasewhenfacing
difficultiesisnecessary.
1B)Unobstructed:
WhenAntahkaranaisfreefromimpediments,theindividual
hasasenseofinnertogethernessandfeelsheisOKallthe
timethroughtheupsanddownsoflife
2A)Obstructed:
Theindividualisseveretowardtheothersandgenerous,or
indulgentwithhimself.
2B)Unobstructed:
Heisseverewithhimselfandgeneroustowardstheothers.
Oratleastheisasrigorouswithhimselfasheiswiththe
others.
3A)Obstructed:
Hegetssecretlysadorangrywiththevictoryofhis
colleagues,andfeelsintimatelyhappytoseetheirdefeator
failure.Thissymptomisespeciallydangerousiftheobjectof
envyisanotherpilgriminsearchforspiritualtruth.
3B)Unobstructed:

Thestudentbecomesinnerlyhappywiththevictoryofhis
colleagues,andsincerelyworksforittohappen.Itis
unpleasanttohimtoseethedefeatofothers;buthedoesnot
desperate,andhelpsthemtopersevere.
4A)Obstructed:
Hetriestoobtaindivineblessingsandprotectionforhimself
exclusively.
4B)Unobstructed:
Heworkstohelpothersalongtheway,andtakesanactive
partinhumanevolution.
5A)Obstructed:
Hebelieveshehaslearnedmanythingsalreadyandthinks
thathisactionshaveanextraordinaryimportance.Indulging
inpride,heissorrythathisuniquetalentsarenotduly
honoredandesteemedbyothers.
5B)Unobstructed:
Theindividualfeelsthatheispersonallymeaningless,
becausehekeepsbeforehimselftheidealofhuman
progressionandperfectiontaughtbythegreatsages.When
heobtainsavictory,hisjoyisanonymous.Hedoesnot
believeinpersonaldefeatsorpersonalvictories.
6A)Obstructed:

Hetalksabouthisownwisdomorsuggeststhathemayhave
greatknowledge.Hehastheattitudeofanimportantperson
andtendstosubtlyunderestimatetheothers.
6B)Unobstructed:
Withafreeconnectionbetweenpersonalityandspiritual
soul,oneobeystoaninnerprohibitionfrommaking
propagandaofhimself.Heknowsthatnobodyistheprivate
ownerofanythingthathasaneternalvalue.Heunderstands
thatthewisdomdoesnotbelongtohim,ortoanyoneelse.
7A)Obstructed:
Theindividualactsaccordingtoappearancesandadaptshis
behaviortoexternalstimuliandconditions.Thisisbecause
hedidntlearntolistentothevoiceofhisownconscience.
7B)Unobstructed:
Heactsinaccordancewithaninnerinspirationanddoesnot
exaggeratetheimportanceofappearances.Hehasthe
couragetochallengecollectiveautomatismsandthesocial
behaviorbasedonfearandattachmenttoroutine.
8A)Obstructed:
Thestudentstrugglesforpersonalpowerinthosesituations
andareasofactionthatarealreadyestablished.Heuses
mainlytheleftsideofthebrain,whichfocusesonalimited
viewofthepastandworkswithrepetition.

8B)Unobstructed:
Hecreatesnewopportunitiesandwaysofworkingand
transformsoldsituations.Whilecherishingthepast,he
knowshowtousetherightsideofthebrain,fromwhich
creativityandspiritualconsciousnessflow.
9A)Obstructed:
WithahinderedAntahkarana,thefearofdeathissogreat
thattheverytopicisoftendeniedandtransferredtothe
subconscious.Byclosinghiseyestoreality,theindividual
wastestimeandenergy.
9B)Unobstructed:
Thestudentcanseethateachmomentinlifeisvaluable.He
knowsthatanentirelifetimecanpassbyratherquickly.He
fearslivinginincorrectwaysandregularlyevaluateshislife,
adjustinghispriorities.
10A)Obstructed:
Thereisanexcessofconfidenceintheintellectandasearch
forsecuritythroughattachmenttohisownopinions.When
thelowerlevelsofmindareunabletofeelcomfortablewith
silence,onegetsattachedtowordsandtriestoconvince
oneselfthatoneisthepersonalowneroftruth.
10B)Unobstructed:

WithanunimpededAntahkarana,thestudentvaluesthe
ideasofothersandbenefitsfromexaminingthem,while
preservingtheclearnotionofhisownvaluesandgoals.
11A)Obstructed:
Feelinguneasywhenaloneorinsilenceisasymptomof
obstruction.Ananxiousneedtobewithothersstimulates
thesuperficiallayersofmind.Thetendencytopaytoo
muchattentiontopersonalitiesisalsopartoftheproblem.
11B)Unobstructed:
OnefeelsOKwhenaloneandknowsthatspirituallife
invitestosilence.Thedeeperlayersofthemindneeda
simpleandpeacefullife.Thiswillseemmonotonousonlyto
thosewhothinkthatlivinginnoiseisthesameashaving
anintenselife.
12A)Obstructed:
Hewhoeatsforgluttony,momentarilyforgetshishigher
self,orisexcessivelyabsentfromhisbody.
12B)Unobstructed:
Eatingwithmoderationandkeepingabalanceddiethelps
onetowidenthedoorstohigherinspiration.
TheaboveAntahkaranaMetermaybeexpandedbyeach
specificstudent.Everyphaseofhumanlifeproduces
differentopportunitiestobeloyaltoonesspiritualsoul:

identifyingthemandtakingadvantageofthemleadsoneto
innerpeace.
Thereisacurious,littleknowntechnicalaspectregarding
Antahkaranawhichdeservesexamination.Onenormally
thinksofthehigherplanesofconsciousnessasiftheywere
insidehumanbeing.AtmaandBuddhi,accordingtothe
notion,wouldbelocatedintheheadandheart.Thisisonly
partiallytrue.
Thesubtleprinciplesarealllargerintheirmagneticfields
thanthephysicalbody,andthemoresubtleandelevated
theyare,thelargertheyget.Antahkaranaconstitutesa
connectionofourdenserprincipleswiththemoreexternal
andnoblerpartsofouraura.Infact,AtmaandBuddhifloat
overourheadsasinvisibleaureolas.Theaureolaspaintedin
portraitsofgreatsaintsandmysticsofthepastsymbolizethe
awakeninginthemofAtmaBuddhi,theMonad,thespiritual
soul.
MahatmaK.H.wroteinalettertoBritishjournalistAlfred
Sinnett,inAugust1882:
Oneofyourlettersbeginswithaquotationfromoneofmy
own...Rememberthatthereiswithinmannoabiding
principlewhichsentenceIfindfollowedbyaremarkof
yoursHowaboutthesixthandseventhprinciples?TothisI
answer,neitherAtmanorBuddhieverwerewithinman,a
littlemetaphysicalaxiomthatyoucanstudywithadvantage
inPlutarchandAnaxagoras.()Theformertaughtonthe
authorityofPlatoandPythagorasthatthesemomniusorthis

nous[spirit]alwaysremainedwithoutthebody;thatit
floatedandovershadowedsotosaytheextremepartofthe
manshead,itisonlythevulgarwhothinkitiswithinthem.
...[3]TheMahatmasteachthereforethatthereisnoeternal
principleinsidehumanbeing.Whatthereisinsideisthe
abilitytoperceive,listentoandfollowthespirituallightof
AtmaandBuddhi,whichshinesabovethehead.
Contactbetweenspiritandmatterisoftenuneasy.Inthe
averageindividual,thereisastrongcocoonofworries
aboutoneself.Itismadeoftheemotionalandmentalmatter
surroundingphysicalbodyinthelowerlayersoftheaura.It
isthiscocoonofselfimportancethatcreatesobstaclestothe
basicfunctionsofAntahkarana.
Inspiteofdifficulties,ourdestinyisLight.
Eachhumanindividualisasummaryoftheuniverseandof
mankind.JustasthereisaJacobsladderorhierarchyof
spiritualbeingsconnectingskyandtheearth(Genesis,28:
12),thereisalsoineachhumanindividualahierarchyof
principlesorlevelsofconsciousnessformingaladderto
celestialwisdom.
Sayingthattheindividualwholivesinthe21stcenturymust
keephisheadonskyandfeetfirmonthegroundisthesame
assayingthatweneedtointerconnectandharmonizeour
levelsofconsciousness,fromthemostdivine(Atma)down
tothemostterrestrialandphysical(Sthulasharira).
Itislikelythatwewillnothavetotalsuccessintheattempts.

However,fromthemomentwestarttrying,eachsmall
progressalongthewaybringsusagrowingdegreeofrelief
andsatisfaction.

NOTES:
[1]JourneytoIxtlan,CarlosCastaneda,Washington
SquarePress,NewYork,copyright1972,268pp.,seepp.21
through26,especially23.
[2]TheKeytoTheosophy,HelenaP.Blavatsky,Section
VI.Seepp.9092attheTheosophyCo.editions(Indiaand
LosAngeles).
[3]TheMahatmaLetterstoA.P.Sinnett,TUP,seeLetter
CXXVII,p.455.
000000000

Theabovearticleisatranslationofchapter12ofthebook

TrsCaminhosParaaPazInterior(ThreePathsto
InnerPeace),byCarlosCardosoAveline;Editora
Teosfica,Braslia,Brazil,2002,194pp.
000

In September 2016, after a careful analysis of the state of the


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different dimensions of life.
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