The Potentiator of the Spirit

[JustLikeYou]

The Potentiator of the Spirit – The Lightning Struck Tower



78.11

The Matrix of the Spirit is what you may call the Night of the Soul or Primeval Darkness. Again we have that which is not capable of movement or work. The potential power of this extremely receptive matrix is such that the potentiator may be seen as Lightning. In your archetypical system called the tarot this has been refined into the concept complex of the Lightning Struck Tower. However, the original potentiator was light in its sudden and fiery form; that is, the lightning itself.

79.20

The Matrix of the Spirit is difficult to characterize since the nature of spirit is less motile. The energies and movements of the spirit are, by far, the most profound, yet, having more close association with time/space, do not have the characteristics of dynamic motion. Thusly one may see the Matrix as the deepest darkness and the Potentiator of Spirit as the most sudden awakening, illuminating, and generative influence.

80.13

The excursion of which you speak and the process of disassociation is most usually linked with that archetype you call Hope which we would prefer to call Faith. This archetype is the Catalyst of the Spirit and, because of the illuminations of the Potentiator of the Spirit, will begin to cause these changes in the adept’s viewpoint.

In the evolution of the Spirit, what is at stake is the discovery of the True Self, known in the Ra Material as contact with Intelligent Infinity. It is the True Self which is capable of the ongoing flow which is experienced when one taps into the abundance of that which is spontaneously oneself. It is a dance, a song, an improvisation, a piece of profundity and beauty which could never have been as eloquent had it been planned. In short, the infinity of the True Self is what is called genius. This process of evolution, however, is exactly as the old masters said it was: there is nowhere to go, nothing to do. There is nothing to attain to because you are already enlightened. The Tao is not on a mountain, but in your bleary eyes as you awake each day. The Buddha is not something you become, but something you are. This is the great paradox of the evolution of the Spirit: as you evolve, you continue to discover more and more that what you are becoming is what you already are. This is why the imagery of light and darkness is the most appropriate metaphor for this cycle of evolution.

The Matrix, the deep darkness of the mysterious Spirit, existing already in fullness and completion, is not yet present to itself. It exists in completion, but does not witness that completion. This is the purpose of evolution: to witness the spiritual self in completion. The means by which we gain insight into that abundance, that plenum which already exists within the Spirit is through the Potentiator of the Spirit, the Lightning.

Consider lightning. No one knows exactly where or when it will strike. We can predict that there will be lightning soon based on other climate conditions: heavy clouds, storms, rain, wind. Lightning is known to occur in the context of great turbulence. It is this turbulence which presages the appearance of lightning, though, again, its striking cannot be predicted. However, once lightning does strike, its consequences are downright shocking, pun intended. In truth, shock is the first response to lightning. Human beings collapse, cannot believe what just happened, structures explode, trees burst into flames, and anyone who witnesses it is at first in a state of disbelief. Lightning is so profoundly jarring, so dramatically destructive that its consequences are not immediately recognized. One must first come to terms with the very fact that it happened at all.

This is how your True Self becomes known to you, and this experience is precisely what is targeted in Zen koans and other such instructional spiritual devices which are designed to circumvent the logical mind. In a flash of lightning, the entire landscape is illuminated for only an instant, and upon witnessing that incredible expanse, that amazing panorama which would never have been seen In the deep darkness of the Spirit's mystery had it not been for that one flash of lightning, upon this all too brief glimpse of the True Self, a simultaneous shock within the ego-self occurs. The consciousness may have seen unspeakable beauty, but the ego-self has just had its roof explode. In order for the lightning to reach and illuminate the spiritual darkness of the consciousness, it must strike through the ego, tearing apart the upper layers of that construct. This is the meaning of the Tower which is struck by the lightning. It is this ego-shock which then ripples outward into our lives.

And what is the Tower more precisely? The Tower is the structure upon which we stand and look out upon our lives. It is built out of what little knowledge we have of our world and of the content of our hearts. The materials are beliefs, fears, habits, social norms, expectations, desires, and the like. We bring all these things together, shape it into a beautiful Tower, the Tower of Babel reaching up to the heavens, and we tell ourselves “This is what I am!” – as if we can ever make this claim without simultaneously leaving an infinite amount of ourselves outside of that structure. So we stand upon this Tower and direct our lives, ignorantly believing that we know our True Selves.

Then there is a disturbance in the atmosphere. Something is not quite right. There is a wind blowing and a dampness which surrounds our Tower. Perhaps things are going too well, perhaps it is “too quiet,” perhaps we do not even notice this subtle change in the spiritual climate. Either way, this subtle change is the Matrix, female as she is, readying herself to receive the Potentiator. In truth, we have trapped our consciousness within the Tower and it is the great irony of the relationship between the Potentiator and Matrix that we believe we are looking out upon ourselves when we stand upon the Tower, but we are really only standing inside the Tower, admiring the Tower itself. If the consciousness were not inside the Tower when it is struck by lightning, it would not shock us as it does.

Then the Lightning Strikes. The top of the Tower, which represents the pinnacle of the caricature we have made of our True Selves, the highest achievement in this accomplishment, explodes, falls to the ground, and our ego-selves, with our consciousnesses, fall to the ground, shaken, in disbelief, disoriented, with no idea about where to turn next. When was the last time your world came crashing down? Was it the death of a loved one? Was it an injury? Were you humiliated in a very public way? Did you discover a truth about yourself from which there was no turning back? When the lightning strikes, everything is suddenly different, and you don't know how you will find normalcy again. However, you do know what you have seen. The Lightning may have destroyed your self-image, but it also gave you a glimpse of a much larger truth. Whether you remember this vision amidst the ensuing turmoil depends, of course, on the individual.

We humans here on Earth are so given to creating elaborate belief-systems in which we pigeon-hole our Spirits that experiencing the Potentiator of the Spirit as a destructive influence is unavoidable. Our illusions must be burst and the violence of this act cannot be avoided. In fact, the image on the card emphasizes that the unawakened and the initiated alike will still experience this destructive fall from the heights of self-certainty back to the ground. Even a so-called guru can find his way into a spiritual rut (have we not seen this all too often). It is this rut which is the brewing storm, for can we not see that when a spiritual guru has lost his humility, his spontaneity, and his ability to live what he preaches, can we not see that a profoundly humiliating experience is sure to find him, knocking him all the way back down to the ground?

The base of the Tower, however, is left unaffected. This is usually the case. Although the Lightning knocks us all the way to the ground, we do not normally have to sacrifice our entire world-view in order to accommodate the new reality. In fact, it is wise that we return to the foundation and observe what is still standing in order to find out which parts of our self-constructed reality could no longer contain the spirit and which parts fit more comfortably and smoothly upon the spirit. That we will one day rebuild the Tower is almost certain, just as it is almost certain that we will, once again, be struck down from it. It is only the truly enlightened who have learned to stop building Towers.

Again, the Spirit is a reflection in opposites of the Mind/Body. The Potentiator of the Mind is the infinite knowledge which is withheld from the mind and slowly attained, while the Potentiator of the Body is the infinite usefulness of the Body which is absent from the body and slowly learned. The Potentiator of the Spirit, however, is the infinite Being of the Spirit which is absent to itself in the form of a latent mystery, but is instantaneously realized. (Witness the Zen monk striking his student on the head with a stick.) The Potentiator of the Spirit can be thought of as sudden enlightenment, although this name does not apply insofar as it is sometimes thought that enlightenment happens only once.

[Plenum]

Hi Joseph,

nice piece. If I am reading you correctly, the Lightning you describe seems to be a fairly rare occurence, one that shatters a whole bunch of self conceptions and self-conceits in one blow. It is a catastrophic event.

the way I understand the Tower is that it is in constant relationship with the Devil; that is, the Matrix of the Spirit that is represented by awakened self-consciousness (the spirit complex which distinguishes basic 2d from working 3d) is calling to the Lightning, over and over again.

in practice, real life is a veneer of politeness and conventions; and it is the mind and body immersed in the illusion. Yet, when this pleasant play is inter-rupted by the spirit (most often by an act of pure love), almost everyone recognises this. It resonates, it hits to the core, it shatters the ongoing illusion with the fire of the spirit, ie love.

for, is not the spirit complex in 2d entities awakened by the giving and receiving of love from 3d entities? This expression of Love, or the Original Thought, is what calls through back to the Logos and establishes that unity frequency, at least for a time.

The Tower, then, is not just light, but love/light which the matrix of the spirit so yearns for.

[JustLikeYou]

In the first place, I do not mean to say that the Potentiator of the Spirit is Light. Rather, I am saying that Light is the most appropriate metaphor for the description of this influence. This is due to the relationship which light and darkness have to each other. The Potentiator of the Spirit is more like a spontaneous contact with Intelligent Infinity -- which is logically prior to both love and light. This contact then causes a movement within Intelligent Energy (the striking of the Tower), which involves a relationship between love and light.

The ability to channel love within the context of day-to-day experience is not usually an experience of the Potentiator -- at least from the perspective of the one offering the Love (or the Light, as it may be). Rather, this is usually an experience of the Sun or the Moon. To the person who is the recipient of the love, on the other hand, it may very well provide an opportunity for the Potentiator to strike, for are we not caught off-guard in an experience of extreme sincerity and compassion? In this sense, I agree with your characterization.

The Matrix is always calling for the Potentiator in the same way that the ground is always calling for lightning. The ground is abundant in its capacity to absorb excess energy, and this potential difference between positive and negative charge between the cloud and the ground is what invites the striking of the lightning. The very darkness of the Matrix is its calling for the lightning -- yet lightning is not constantly striking.

Indeed, I have described the Potentiator as catastrophic, but it is only catastrophic in its macrocosms. There are also microcosmic experiences of the Potentiator and these can happen daily if you make sure to prepare the Matrix to receive them. However, it is important to recognize that even in its microcosmic movements, the Potentiator is still rare when compared to the Potentiators of Mind and Body. We do not receive new enlightenment at every single moment. Again, as Ra said, the movements of the Spirit are "less motile" because they are metaphysical experiences rather than physical ones.

[Shemaya]

Had a catastrophic experience with this archetype!

It was like being struck by lightning literally and figuratively, and my entire belief system, psycho- emotional, and subconsciousness were illuminated and activated.

Question, JLY, when you say a spontaneous contact with intelligent infinity, what do you mean exactly?

I am thinking you are referring to a transcendent state. But from my experience, it was more like a flash into something much greater than everyday normal. That there is much more going on in life outside of my conscious awareness.

I like reading all your commentaries, but sometimes it's hard for me to understand, because I can't remember the different names, for one, and I find I can't keep the concepts organized well in my understanding. Can you try to use more metaphors and visual and poetic descriptions so my right brain can get more involved?

Maybe when you post include a picture or link to the card? Just a suggestion . It would help others like me who are more intuitive- minded, and may struggle with the intellectual grasp of the concepts you are explicating.

[JustLikeYou]

The "spontaneous contact with Intelligent Infinity" could take any shape. Each person is different. But remember that the metaphor is Lightning, so it will usually be a flash or a flicker and nothing more. Grand vision quests are an experience for another archetype (such as the Moon and the Universe). The Potentiator is very bright to beings like us who live in such spiritual darkness; however, it is such a dim flash of vision compared to the vast expanse of spirit which still remains unseen even through that glimpse of profundity.

Since you requested it, I will add pictures of the relevant archetype to each post. Also, I will do my best to incorporate a more poetic style. I am capable of it, but my purpose when I began the project of composing a thread for each archetype was to stick as closely to the Ra Material as possible. Perhaps it is time to loosen that purpose a bit.

[Spaced]

Reading this thread got me thinking about the story of Phillip K. Dick, because it seems to like an example of the potentiator of the spirit striking someone who is not completely ready for the contact. If you are unfamiliar with his experiences I found a version of his story illustrated by Robert Crumb here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/10863883/Rober...lip-K-Dick though the quality is not great.

Apologies if this reply is found to be off-topic.

[JustLikeYou]

Totally on topic, man. I think you're right. Many experiences of the Potentiator of the Spirit occur in the form of third-eye experiences which lack the grounding of balanced lower chakras. This will detach a person from reality, causing symptoms of what psychology calls "schizophrenia". This is a common consequence of overuse of psychedelics.

However, if the Potentiator is allowed to come in its own time (without the seeker intentionally attracting it), the seeker is usually ready for the experience (though it may still not translate into catalyst which is then integrated).

[AnthroHeart]

The "spontaneous contact with Intelligent Infinity" could take any shape. Each person is different. But remember that the metaphor is Lightning, so it will usually be a flash or a flicker and nothing more.

Is the contact with Intelligent Infinity always pleasurable as Ra mentions, or can it show us our dark side and frighten us? I had a powerful experience a few months ago, and a few months before that, and a year before that. I think each time I may have touched intelligent infinity. It was sometimes pleasurable and heavenly, but other times it was fearful. Or it could have been a schizophrenic episode. Not sure if a powerful experience is same as accessing intelligent infinity.

[JustLikeYou]

On the contrary, the Lightning is frequently painful. Look at the figures who are crashing to the ground. They are not enjoying this experience. They suffer both bodily and mental harm due to their own fall and the destruction of their creation. The Lightning brings two sides with it: on the one hand, it shows you the truth; on the other hand, it bursts your illusions. The vision of truth can be pleasurable if you have the eyes to see it. The bursting of your illusion is usually painful unless you have the constancy to appreciate it.

When a vision of Infinity, however, shows you something dark and frightful, remember that your Spirit is pure, divine, heavenly. Within it there are many things, but none of them are cause for fear. The dark and frightful are simply aspects of your Spirit which have only been dimly glimpsed. Again, this is a consequence of the utterly brief experience that the Lightning provides. It's just a flash in the pan, so to speak. Every single instance of the Lightning certainly reveals your dark side because, prior to the illumination, all of that inner mystery was shrouded in darkness.

All of that said, the most common instances in which a seeker comes face to face with his dark side occur in the Experience of the Spirit, the Moon. When the seeker steps forward in faith and makes an effort to evolve, to become more himself, to live his beingness as purely as possible, the integration of faith into his daily life is not as simple as it seems. You are constantly confronted by temptations, by distractions, by imposters. Your own imbalances will disguise themselves as the dictates of your faith and you may follow them into the dark areas of yourself, running the risk of getting lost unless you figure out that what you followed was not faith, but imbalance. In this sense, the Moon card is a constant experience of seeing your dark side. This is what Ra calls "groping in the moonlight".

[jivatman]

I have a refinement to this image.

The matrix is the primeval pond of creation. Chaos, a mix of earth and water.
The potentiator is the lightning striking the pond, and in that moment, the chaos organizes intelligently, and... the first life appears.

Thus, the interaction of the potentiator and the matrix provide the basis for the rest of the achetypes of spirit.

[Eddie]

Reading this thread got me thinking about the story of Phillip K. Dick, because it seems to like an example of the potentiator of the spirit striking someone who is not completely ready for the contact. If you are unfamiliar with his experiences I found a version of his story illustrated by Robert Crumb here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/10863883/Rober...lip-K-Dick though the quality is not great.

Apologies if this reply is found to be off-topic.

That was really interesting. I read some of Dick's science fiction back in that time period, but had no idea he had experienced anamnesis.

By the way, Robert Crumb is one of my favorite artists. I have a lot of his comic stuff.

[Spaced]

Reading this thread got me thinking about the story of Phillip K. Dick, because it seems to like an example of the potentiator of the spirit striking someone who is not completely ready for the contact. If you are unfamiliar with his experiences I found a version of his story illustrated by Robert Crumb here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/10863883/Rober...lip-K-Dick though the quality is not great.

Apologies if this reply is found to be off-topic.

That was really interesting. I read some of Dick's science fiction back in that time period, but had no idea he had experienced anamnesis.

By the way, Robert Crumb is one of my favorite artists. I have a lot of his comic stuff.

I love Crumb too, I have a whole bunch of collections of his comics and art. I also really love his bluegrass records

Also if you are interested in reading more about PKD's experiences I'd recommend his semi-autobiographical work VALIS.

[Plenum]

Also if you are interested in reading more about PKD's experiences I'd recommend his semi-autobiographical work VALIS.

that reminds me of an article I read years and years ago on red ice.

http://www.redicecreations.com/article.php?id=2186

In my book Gods of Aquarius: UFOs and the Transformation of Man [Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976], I introduced the concept of the Star People, individuals who feel that they bear within their genes awareness acquired by extraterrestrial interaction with humans in prehistoric or ancient times and who have now been activated by DNA memory to fulfill a mission in assisting others in their spiritual and evolutionary advancement.

Sometime after the book's publication, I received a letter from Philip K. Dick, who told me that he suspected that he was such an individual as those whom I had profiled in the book. He had first realized this in 1974 when his own “DNA memory packet” began to fire within his psyche.

At that time, he told me, he was shown in a vision, “more properly, an inner hologram,” the cover of my book, Revelation: The Divine Fire (Prentice-Hall, 1973). A feminine voice told him that this book would help him to understand what was occurring to him. He was also told by the voice to get in touch with me.

Although Dick said that he did read the book and that he did receive the requisite information and comfort that he was promised during the vision, he was reluctant to contact me until he read of my research with those individuals whom I had given the name of Star People. Dick said that he was about to publish a novel (Valis, 1981) that would advance numerous similar concepts.

“I wish to hide behind the veil of fiction,” he wrote. “I can claim that I made the whole thing up. The revelations that I received were so astounding that it has taken me five years to arrive at a place where I will even put forth the concept as fiction.”

[Spaced]

It's interesting to note that after completing his final trilogy of VALIS, The Divine Invasion and The Transmogrification of Timothy Archer, where he finally put forth all his theories about what was happening to him he almost immediately died of a stroke.

Also last year excerpts of his 'exegesis' which he wrote compulsively near the end of his life were published in a massive volume. I haven't had a chance to check that out yet.

[JustLikeYou]

Okay, now we're off-topic. Remember that this forum is meant to be focused, my friends.

[Spaced]

Apologies JustLikeYou!

In an effort to steer the conversation back towards the Potentiator of the Spirit, I was pondering a connection between the Heirophant, the Significator of the Mind, and the Tower. It seems to me that the role of the Heirophant is to interpret the experiences of the mind and construct an identity out of it. The imagery of the box within the box on the card represents the the illusion in which the seeker operates within the larger illusion of space/time, this seems analogous to me with the concept of the Tower. When the lightning strikes The Tower I imagine it's the Heirophant who is inside.

[JustLikeYou]

That's a good point. I had always imagined that the Devil was inside, but now that you mention it, the Tower itself is really nothing more than a complex belief system built, of course, by the Hierophant.

[third-density-being]

Hello Dear Other-Selves,

Thank You All for your insights on the Potentiator of the Spirit – this Path is most mysterious and hard for Mind to grasp.

There’s only one “Deck of Cards” - RA's Great Arcanum - in which I’ve made some unusual connection between all the Great Paths.

Before I write more, I would like to point out that I realize, that Ra said quite clearly that Potentiator of the Spirit was originally only a Lighting, but I think that JustLikeYou made an excellent points in interpreting this Arcanum with “usage”/support of the “Tower” element. Therefore I would like to take it one step further.

At Arcanum No. 16 (Potentiator of the Spirit), both “falling Figures” seems to be:
On the left – Significator of the Body (The Hanged Man or Martyr – Arcanum No. 12)
On the right – Significator of the Mind (The Hierophant – Arcanum No. 5)

This impression/interpretation made me thinking when Potentiator of the Spirit possess most chances of being actually noticed and constructively acted upon? In case of both “other” Paths, it would be “stage” at which regular/normal Experience of both Mind & Body would be processed more consciously. In fact, “Lighting” seems to be that impulse, which may be able to give Mind & Body proper impetus (as well as Direction) to begin actual Transformation - and only at the “stage” of Significator, Aspect of Self may begin real Transformation.


All I have Best in me for You

[JustLikeYou]

I fully support this interpretation. Thank you for contributing it, third-density-being.

[GoldenRTriangle]

there has some details need to be care about; firstly, although the top of the pyramid was hit by the lighting, but the left(the way we look is left, in fact is the right of the pyramid) has a less damage than the right , it means left way can accept the lighting well.secondly , the two people , you explain it as no matter master or normal people,both can be hit by the lighting, i think there is anoter way to explain, i shall use polarity to explain it that the lignting hit the pyramid and then it will create two polarity.
this is my first reply, and i am happy to have you all here
forgive my poor english

[Ohr Ein Sof]

there has some details need to be care about; firstly, although the top of the pyramid was hit by the lighting, but the left(the way we look is left, in fact is the right of the pyramid) has a less damage than the right , it means left way can accept the lighting well.secondly , the two people , you explain it as no matter master or normal people,both can be hit by the lighting, i think there is anoter way to explain, i shall use polarity to explain it that the lignting hit the pyramid and then it will create two polarity.
     this is my first reply, and i am happy to have you all here
     forgive my poor english

Look in the first set of 7 cards for polarity as it's design can be found there first. Think of this card as the discovery that you are more than a mind and more than a body....something awakens or there is an arousal like a sudden flash that leads you to discover that there is MORE; something that cannot be seen, be touched, or cannot be percieved by the 5 senses. Then go read Ra's explanations.

[Ohr Ein Sof]

there has some details need to be care about; firstly, although the top of the pyramid was hit by the lighting, but the left(the way we look is left, in fact is the right of the pyramid) has a less damage than the right , it means left way can accept the lighting well.secondly , the two people , you explain it as no matter master or normal people,both can be hit by the lighting, i think there is anoter way to explain, i shall use polarity to explain it that the lignting hit the pyramid and then it will create two polarity.
     this is my first reply, and i am happy to have you all here
     forgive my poor english

Ra:
In your archetypical system called the tarot this has been refined into the concept complex of the Lightning Struck Tower. However, the original potentiator was light in its sudden and fiery form; that is, the lightning itself.

[dreamoftheiris]

I think this archetype represents the folly of being too narrow in our thinking. Anything that is "specialized" or whenever there is a strict method that is followed, inevitably, one will hit an impasse

The "towers" that are built eventually get struck by lighting. This destruction is necessary to move beyond narrow mindsets.

The Tower of Babel is an example of this archetype. Interestingly, there are many versions of the "tower of Babel" myth found in many cultures across the world- from Native Americans to Nepal, Greco-Roman, Botswana, and more.