The Grand Phases of the Soul
The Grand Phases of the Soul, As Outlined by Mystic, Marilynn Hughes.
The Grand Phases of the Soul as outlined by Mystic, Marilynn Hughes, in her book ‘The Mysteries of the Redemption: A Treatise on Out-of-Body Travel and Mysticism.’ Learn about the things you will experience as you follow the purification, discrimination and discipline pathway of the soul. Marilynn will be discussing the soul’s evolution into God’s Many Mansions through Mystical Training and Out-of-Body Travel into the Heavenly, Purgatorial and Hellish Realms with the goal of absolute purification of all defects, cravings, desires, fetters and attachments which prevent the unification of the soul with Almighty God, the sole purpose of human existence.
INTRODUCTION:
FROM ‘The Mysteries of the Redemption
A Treatise on Out-of-Body Travel and Mysticism’ By Marilynn Hughes
As a child, angels would whisper in my ears, “Born of darkness . . . into light,” proclaiming this coming path of purification and entry into the mysteries of the redemption within my soul. But as I became an adult, my life was spent enraptured in vice, lost in delusion, selfishness and mortal desire; I no longer knew virtue, but deluded myself into thinking that what I perceived, felt, and wanted, was virtuous. My choices were reasoned, well-thought out, and filled with intellectual integrity. Their only flaw was that they were not true. Because I was so lost in my own stupidity, pride and arrogance, I couldn’t have possibly even fathomed that my soul was in such desperate need of something as grand as the redemption. I was unaware of my iniquities, and I was lost.
Truth has many layers, and although the epiphany of all knowledge cannot be obtained in our limited human form, when you ascend the layers and reach various epiphanies along the way, some of those previous layers may no longer appear to be true, but their truth lies in the evolutionary context of a soul’s journey. If you take a hardened sinner and make him into a saint, there will be many different levels in-between the current state and the goal, and those levels will be no less significant because they don’t contain all knowledge.
And so the Lord, in order to guide us gently and with mercy, peels each layer of our humanity one at a time allowing us to view it in its truth, thus taking in the knowledge of ourselves and our flaws. And as each layer subsides, so, too, do our worldly passions and clingings. For all who are born to the Earth are born of darkness (the stain of karmic delusions and original sin) . . . but not all are reborn into the light. Purification heralds the soul’s reckoning . . . thus, energizing it to participate in the greatest mystery of this Earthly realm, the Mysteries of the Redemption!
May I offer you the hand of a wretched soul lifted by grace? May I share with you the journey of one who was “Born of darkness . . . into light?”
“Blessed are they who wash their robes so as to have the right to the tree of life and enter the city through its gates.”
New American Bible, New Testament, Revelations 22:14, (Christianity, Catholic, Words of Christ)
“Christian Soul! If you seek to reach the loftiest peak of perfection, and to unite yourself so intimately with God that you become one in spirit with Him, you must first know the true nature of perfection of spirituality in order to succeed in the most sublime undertaking that can be expressed or imagined.”
The Spiritual Combat, Chapter 1, Paragraph 1, (Christianity, Catholic, Author: Dom Lorenzo Scupoli)
“I, Thoth, have ever sought wisdom, searching in darkness, and searching in Light. Long in my youth I traveled the pathway, seeking ever new knowledge to gain, until after much striving, one of the THREE, to me brought the LIGHT. Brought HE to me the commands of the Dweller, called me from darkness into the LIGHT. . . Each soul on earth that loosens its fetters, shall soon be made free from the bondage of night.”
The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean, Tablet V, Page 28, Paragraph 5-6, (Mystery Religions, Egyptian/Hermetic, Author: Thoth)
“Then, the crown prince Manjusri said to the Licchavi Vimalakirti, ‘Noble sir, how does the bodhisattva follow the way to attain the qualities of the Buddha?’ Vimalakirti replied, ‘Manjusri, when the bodhisattva follows the wrong way, he follows the way to attain the qualities of the Buddha.’ . . . . Manjusri: ‘Noble sir, one who stays in the fixed determination of the vision of the uncreated is not capable of conceiving the spirit of unexcelled perfect enlightenment. However, one who lives among created things, in the mines of passions . . . is indeed capable of conceiving the spirit of unexcelled perfect enlightenment . . . For example, noble sir, without going out into the great ocean, it is impossible to find precious, priceless pearls. Likewise, without going into the ocean of passions, it is impossible to obtain the mind of omniscience.”
The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti, Chapter 8, Page 64-66, (Buddhism, Mahayana)
“God therefore arranged and decreed the creation of concepts of both perfection and deficiency, as well as a creature with equal access to both. This creature would then be given the means to earn perfection and avoid deficiency.”
The Way of God, Part I, Chapter 2, No. 2, Paragraph 4, (Judaism, Author: Rabbi Moshe Chayim Luzzatto)
“One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well. For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.”
The Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga, Text 5-6, (Hinduism, Words of Krishna
“Allah causes the night and the day to succeed one another. Surely there is a lesson in this for those who have sight.”
The Holy Qur’an, Part XVIII, Chapter 24, Section, 6, Verse 44, (Islam, Author: Mohammad)
“‘Announce the praises’ of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
New American Bible, New Testament, 1 Peter 2:9-10 American Bible (Christianity, Catholic, Words of the Apostle Peter)
“As the door of the lodge is opened, all the men cry: ‘Hi ho! Hi ho! Thanks!’ and the men are all happy, for they have come forth from the darkness and are now living in the Light.”
The Sacred Pipe, Chapter III, Page 42, Paragraph 2, (Tribal, Oglala Sioux)
“Born of darkness . . . into light.”
Allow me to explain a simplified version of how we may understand the varying realms in which we are going to travel. Perhaps this can give you a point of reference in which to understand the make-up of various realms. Please feel free to use the illustration located in the back of the book, ‘Universal Sphere of Realms,’ to picture this image in your mind.
Various realms of existence can be compared to a series of concentric circles which begin in the center and continue to expand outward into larger and larger spheres. The center point of those concentric rings would be the point of total and imminent darkness, as each of the successive rings outward would represent a greater attainment of light.
Numbering the realms, you would begin in the center, starting with the number one and moving outward with each ring. Using this process 1) realms one and two represent the lower and hell realms, 2) realms three and four are mortal realms (third & fourth-dimensional reality, our world), and 3) realms five and above represent the heavenly realms, continuing to expand outwards into greater and greater attainments of light.
With this understanding, we continue towards the three major paths outlined in this book, which coincide with several monastic traditions.
The journey begins on the Ascension pathway (Purification) in realms five and above, the heavenly realms. It continues on the Alteration pathway (Discrimination) in realms three and four, the mortal realms (third & fourth-dimensional worlds, the Earth). Finally, it concludes on the Absolution pathway (Discipline) in realms one and two, the lower and hell realms.
Within most monastic/mystical traditions, you will find that there are three grand phases of soul development. In the Buddhist tradition they are referred to as Purification, Discrimination, and Discipline. In the writings of the Early Christian Church Fathers they are referred to as Purification, Enlightenment and Union. You will find these three phases, using Buddhist terminology, within these pages, as well.
Purification deals with reincarnation, personal karma, and misunderstandings about the true nature of eternal love. Karmic misunderstandings resonate towards darkness, even if they originate from ignorance, thus, purification seeks to alter personal thrusts which resonate toward delusion, self-gratification and vice. In purifying these aspects of habitual sin, the Lord redirects the soul towards paths of virtue.
The path of Purification leads to the Ascension of the soul. (In the Ascension Pathway, you will encounter eight phases of the Purification process: Awakening, Co-creation, Surrender, Rites of Passage and Initiation into the Mysteries, Emergence of Karma, Mirroring of Karma, Ignition of the Eternal Flame, and Ascension.) The soul travels this path by beginning to explore the heavenly realms, realms five and above, the worlds of life and light, for the purpose of discovering the true nature of eternal love.
Discrimination deals with dark and light forces in the Universe, and becoming energetically capable of recognizing and altering them at God’s command. Being able to identify the serpent from the lamb is the first goal, but then the seeker begins to take on the knowledge of energetic evolution in regards to mortal beings, and how to affect it in ways which lead souls, including their own, towards progress.
The path of Discrimination leads to the Alteration of reality, in energy and on the ground. (In Part II of this text, you will encounter three phases of the Discrimination process: Rites into the Medicine, Rites of Evolution, and Alteration of Reality.) The soul travels this path by beginning to explore the mortal realms, realms three and four (third & fourth-dimensional worlds, the Earth), for the purpose of attaining spiritual discretion and the ability to alter negative thrusts.
Discipline deals with sacred practices and teachings from the prophets, saints, mystics and sages of every world religion throughout time. Intensive self-scrutiny and disciplined techniques lead the soul ever deeper into the knowledge of darkness and evil, heaven, purgatory and hell, and the continual combat that rages in every soul between these forces.
The path of Discipline leads to the Absolution of the soul, an interior cleanliness which serves God (In Part III of this text, you will encounter five phases of the Discipline process: Ancient Sacred Paths, Entry into the Knowledge of the Lower Realms, Self-Scrutiny, Original Sin, and the Mysteries of the Redemption.) The soul travels this path by beginning to explore the lower purgatorial and hellish realms, realms one and two, the realms of dominant darkness and pure evil, for the purpose of intensive physical, spiritual and mental discipline, which is achieved through the deep examination of evil in the self and the world.
Among the out-of-body/mystical experiences you are about to read, you will find paintings of various things I’ve seen in the spiritual world, music of various melodies I’ve heard while traveling, and pictures of some of the prophets, saints, mystics and sages who grace the pages of my book with their words. These can all be found in the back with descriptions of who they are, and from what religion they have come.
For those who will never see during their lifetime what I have seen, may I provide you with a window? For those who will, may I give you a map? For those who seek comfort in the world beyond, may I hand you a warm blanket? For those who just want to know, may I ask you to come with me . . .?
