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The Goddess Sekhmet
The Way of the Five Bodies
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Way of the 5 Bodies
The Sekhmet Project
Robert Masters
-- Neurospeak
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HAIDIT:
THE "BODY OF THE UNCONSCIOUS" The HAIDIT or Shadow can (roughly) be identified with what presently we call "the unconscious," including (some of) the "collective unconscious." It is the body with which the unconscious is experienced and the unconscious is its world. The term Shadow properly suggests that in these realities one is coming closer to the human dimension noumena -- that the HAIDIT's world, or parts of it, is that of the "shadows" cast by more essential realities. This is unlike the world of the AUFU and the KA, which remain closed off from any direct knowledge of essential or higher realities, although they are affected by them. The HAIDIT of the person on the Way has the primary task of differentiating itself from the "lower" bodies while, at the same time, functionally integrating itself with them. This is always what is meant by integration, and it should never be thought that a "higher" body or consciousness assimilates the others. Obviously, they continue to exist, but the interactions of the bodies and their minds are less conflicting as they become more unified. If the person experiences him or herself as an "expanded consciousness" having access to unconscious processes, then there has been no true integration: simultaneous awareness of the three bodies is the criterion. Were it not for the opposing nonhuman forces in humanity, a near-total harmony of the authentically integrated bodies could be established. But neither Chaos nor Cosmos can accept a unification leaving one or the other powerless and thus a complete absence of conflict and unwanted interactions between the three bodies is an ideal never realized. The HAIDIT can "see into" and otherwise "sense into" the body of the AUFU and its Double, as well as sensing them from outside. Its own body is very largely self-created, although its choices about this are far from being free. Thus it can imitate and fabricate for itself a body which grossly resembles the AUFU's and, less authentically still, it is able to create approximations to the AUFU's world-both as it actually is, and as it is known to the KA. The HAIDIT can also create for itself other bodies, taking any form it can imagine. Similarly, it is able to create any world it is able to imagine, and experience that world very fully. It is what the KA calls an "artist," although it "creates" as a natural part of its functioning -- as, say, the AUFU breathes, senses, or excretes. The HAIDIT is hedonistic and, unless the KA's will has been highly developed, the HAIDIT's will is feeble, rendering its consciousness suggestible. The HAIDIT is, however, far from being just irrational and its mental powers potentially far exceed those of the KA. The HAIDIT can best be reached and worked with by altering the consciousness of the KA so that it no longer is experienced and, seemingly, ceases to function. When the KA is thus "out of the way," then the personal field of consciousness is occupied by the HAIDIT, which can be dialogued with directly, guided and taught. It can then be directed to undertake that Work on itself which needs to be done before the HAIDIT can know itself and its world sufficiently to function as a part of an integrated, larger whole -- that is, a more fully conscious person. On the Way, the HAIDIT's guide or teacher supervises a prolonged, "expanding" and "deepening," exploration of the unconscious in which the HAIDIT, however, unlike the KA in its exploration, is an active participant, only seldom taking just a spectator role. The HAIDIT is taught to "manipulate time," so that in its world weeks, months and even years of exploration and other work can be accomplished during what are only minutes in the clock-measured world of the KA. Even so, the unconscious is so vast, and there is so much work to be done, that the effort usually takes years of KA time to complete. The HAIDIT, as explorer, maps the terrain, experiences and classifies the "flora and fauna," and otherwise expands its knowledge of its world -- a world not only vast, but incredibly diverse -- learning to function in many different ways and in many different situations. It is gradually exposed to experiences which, at the start, would have been unendurable for it, and which usually it manages to avoid when left unguided. Since extreme pleasures are available in its world, the HAIDIT is led to experience these to a degree and in ways which it rarely would have been able to discover for itself since, typically, the HAIDIT is too "lazy" to venture into the deeps and extremities of the Shadow world. It is satisfied with the blander pleasures near the surface and center of its world, and thus also avoids the graver dangers. The pleasures it is given are rewards for its efforts and compensate for fear and pain it also must experience. The guide must maintain the hedonistic HAIDIT's motivation by seeing to it that the pleasures outweigh the negative experiences. Eventually, the HAIDIT must confront what previously would have led to panic, madness, even death. Some of this exploration coincides with the KA's development of its mind. It must be done before the KA's will has been strengthened to the point that the HAIDIT is affected and rendered insufficiently suggestible. A delicate balance needs to be maintained, so that the HAIDIT develops its own will, and learns to use its other mental powers, unimpeded by changes in the KA. When the HAIDIT's will and other little-used potentials are strong enough, then the work with the KA can be completed. The HAIDIT will then, if the work was done correctly, voluntarily or willingly cooperate in further exploration and self-development. In addition to exploring parts of the unconscious -- by no means all, but enough to allow Work at the "higher" level of the KHU -- and in addition to developing its will and learning to make use of other mental faculties, the HAIDIT is taught to use its powers to function constructively in its interactions with the AUFU and the KA. It especially is taught how not to introduce conflicts and confusion into the conscious mind, and how not to generate negative effects in the physical body. The HAIDIT also learns how to join in cooperative problem-solving with the KA, thus making the KA "more creative" and "more intelligent," and it learns to bring about healing and other beneficial changes in both KA and AUFU. The ability of the unconscious to intervene in these ways in the workings of the conscious mind, and to alter the body for good or ill, is well established. It does so continuously and is far more decisive in shaping the life of the ordinary person than the conscious mind, apart from it, ever is. But when "the unconscious has been made (partly) conscious," and the integration with the lower bodies is achieved, then there is easier and still more potent interaction which becomes possible. Now, however, it can be chosen and intelligently used. Finally the HAIDIT, in its world, lives out a "myth" or a "work of art" imposed on it from both within and without, which begins to unfold during a person's childhood and continues until his death. Sometimes the myth appears to change but this is an illusion. Only when there is integration with KHU, SAHU, or both, can the person truly alter his myth, which it may or may not be desirable to do. This myth is the "meaning" of a person's life and if made known to him prematurely can destroy his illusion of autonomy and lead to hopelessness. The teacher will typically know what the myth is long before the student knows it and must decide when to disclose it to the student. It must be disclosed at some point along the Way, but only when the student is ready and is going to be able to change it if need be. One part of the Work at the level of the KHU is to either choose a new myth or choose to continue with the "given" one. Then, in either case, there is some real, not illusory, freedom and the work aims towards a fuller realization of the myth and its constructive -- or destructive-potentials. The personal myth has a "guiding archetype" and, if the myth is to be altered, the archetype must be confronted in the HAIDIT and often its symbolic form must be destroyed. If the Shadow attempts this battle without having access to the powers of the KHU it will almost inevitably fail and the person will sustain severe, if not fatal, injury. However, if the archetype is constructive, so that the myth is also constructive, it can serve the person as an ally and teacher in the HAIDIT and be safely and usefully worked with, as some psychological, occult and other approaches to human healing and development do or try to do. However, that the archetype is "constructive," does not mean that the myth is worthy of the person -- it still may need to be changed to allow his or her larger potentials to be realized. The myth lived by the HAIDIT in its world determines the life of the KA in its broad outlines and also in many of its details. It can be deduced by observing the KA and directly observed by making conscious the HAIDIT and learning how it functions in its world -- its behaviors and experiences. But, again, in most cases the myth should remain concealed from the person until he is ready to experience the KHU and its world: until then, it is unalterable. The person is ready for the KHU -- level Work when his awareness differentiates -- simultaneously and with functional integration -- the physical body, the conscious mind and the unconscious -- now itself sufficiently in consciousness. |
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