The Middle Pillar

by Israel Regardie

  4. The Field of Consciousness, which contains the ego, is the incessant flow of observable images, feelings, thoughts, sensations, and impulses. Archetypes of this region include several groups of deities with a variety of attributions: wisdom (Enki, Thoth, Hermes); love (Hathor, Aphrodite); war (Horus, Ares); pleasure (Bes, Pan); etc.

  5. The Higher Unconscious or Superconscious is the transpersonal level of the unconscious—containing higher intuitions, inspirations, latent psychic functions, and spiritual energies. It is here that the higher self expresses itself in various forms through archetypes. The ordinary person is usually unaware of these forces and archetypes until they are brought to light during the process of self-realization. Archetypes of the superconscious include the first gods of a pantheon, such as the Greek Titans or the Norse Giants.

  6. The Middle Unconscious is an inner region similar and accessible to that of the waking consciousness. This contains all things in our field of awareness that we are not normally aware of, but that we can become aware of. It is an unconscious matrix that underlies the conscious mind where the mental activities are “incubated” before their birth into consciousness. Archetypes of the middle unconscious include all deities who are associated with prophecy and oracles, such as the Greek divinities Apollo and Gaea.

  Figure 6: Assagioli’s Model of the Psyche.

  7. The Lower Unconscious contains fundamental drives, primitive urges, inferior dreams, and complexes. This is the personal unconscious which is the storehouse of hidden memories, repressed psychic content, and the shadow personality. This part of the psyche is accessed by working with hypnosis, trance, and imagery. Archetypes of the lower unconscious include all underworld deities, such as the Sumerian goddess Ereshkigal and the Greek divinities Hades and Persephone.

  If we were to add anything to Assagioli’s model it would be the body, or manifest psyche, which must be considered in a holistic psychology. Mind and body are interrelated extensions of one another. Just as physical discomfort can affect the mind, the mind, through focused visualization, can affect the body. Archetypes of the manifest psyche include all earth deities, such as the Egyptian Geb, the Babylonian Ninhursag, and the Greek Demeter.

  Assagioli’s division of the psyche is remarkably similar to the Qabalistic model of the soul. Like Jung, he saw the pressing need for all human beings to achieve a balanced inner integration and true self-realization, and he outlined a system for achieving this goal in four stages:

  1. Thorough knowledge of one’s personality. This includes a frank analysis of all parts of the psyche, both conscious and unconscious, including the shadow. Psychoanalysis is the method used by the therapist for this objective. (In magic and alchemy it is the first half of the equation solve et coagula —dissolve and coagulate.)

  2. Control of the personality’s various elements. After having discovered all parts of the psyche, we must take control of them. According to Assagioli, one of the most effective ways of achieving this is a method called disidentification,28 which aids in the dissolution of harmful complexes whose newly freed energies can be controlled and used toward more positive ends. Dispelling these complexes requires the methods of objectification, critical analysis, and discrimination. (In magic, the shadow aspects of the psyche are collectively called the evil persona—they must be recognized, subjugated to the magician’s higher spiritual will, and their energies transmuted and employed for the completion of the Great Work.)

  3. Realization of one’s true self: the discovery or creation of a unifying center. The intermediate link which, if focused on and identified with, allows for the integration/unification of the lower and higher selves, and freedom from selfish interests and personal limitations. A point of connection between the individual and the divine self, which is reflected and symbolized in that point.29

  4. Psychosynthesis: the formation or reconstruction of the personality around the new center. Once the unifying center is found, the next step is to gradually and systematically build a new “ideal” personality around it in an organized, purposeful manner and with clear, achievable goals in mind.30

  Practical psychosynthesis commences with the construction of this new personality. This process involves the active utilization of all available energies and the transmutation of unconscious and previously latent forces—development of those aspects of the personality which are weak or insufficient. It is accomplished through techniques of auto-suggestion, affirmation, visualization, and by the systematic training of the less developed functions of imagination, will, and memory. Finally, all the various psychological energies and functions must be coordinated as the new personality achieves a stable organized form.

  There are many levels in this process of transmutation and self-realization, and as stated earlier, they are not always entirely pleasant. It is a multi-faceted process which includes several stages—the elimination of impediments which block the flow of energies between the superconscious and the lower realms of consciousness, evolvement of latent or dormant higher functions (memory, will, imagination, etc.), and stages where the ego must yield to the work of the higher self and withstand the stresses and unavoidable discomfiture that the process requires.

  In magic, this is the spiritual discipline of the Great Work and reunification—the second half of the solve et coagula formula of alchemy. It represents our goal to “become more than human,” or in less mystical terms, to become the best possible human being we can be, evolving to our fullest potential.

  Various methods and tools are employed in psychosynthesis, just as they are in other transpersonal psychologies. In psychosynthesis, the focus is always on a holistic approach to treatment, and all techniques used are subservient to the health, well-being, and psychic integration of the individual. The keeping of a diary, dream analysis, free association, hypnosis, group analysis, psychodrama, relaxation, meditation, music therapy, autosuggestion, humor therapy, chromotherapy, disidentification, visualization, development of the will, utilization of the symbols and metaphors, transmutation and sublimation of sexual energies, and development of the imagination are but a few of the methods used to obtain self-realization.

  One of the goals of psychosynthesis is to integrate the superconscious, as much as possible, into the conscious and unconscious realms. Numerous metaphors for this process of self-realization and self-integration can be found in the language of the alchemists. What spiritual alchemy describes as the transformation of lead into gold is simply another way of describing the transmutation of the mundane into the spiritual, discord into harmony, and the personal into the transcendent.

  Imagination and the Transconscious Self

  With the lines between psychology and magic becoming increasingly transparent, we arrive at a new more transcendent interpretation of consciousness. The connecting link between all parts of the self is the transconscious self.31 Composed for the most part of the processes of imagination, intuition, and will, the transconscious is a reconciling intelligence with a unique nature. It has the ability to move through, communicate with, and cause change on all levels of the psyche, and it is capable of a wide range of powers associated with communication and transformation. The imagination is the essential aspect of the transconscious self. It is a potent medium for the processes of inspiration, transmutation, integration, and transcendence. The transconscious imagination operates as a single organized mechanism, purposefully flowing between all portions of the psyche with a unifying objective. Its vast creative resources are a primary influence in the development of music, dance, literature, and other art forms.

  The transconscious imagination expresses itself in two ways, the intuitive imagination and the creative imagination, which relate respectively to the natures of the reflective anima and the creative animus. Together, these two archetypes coalesce into the partly androgynous archetype of Hermes,32 the messenger god, who symbolizes the transconscious imagination as the psychopomp, the guide, healer, and protector of the soul. The language of the soul
(and the imagination) is revealed in symbol, image, and allegory. Therefore in all mythologies the many figures, places, and situations are metaphors for different archetypes, as well as different aspects of the psyche and transformative experiences. Thus does Hermes, representing the soul guide and the transconscious self, communicate to all levels of the psyche through symbol and myth.

  The imagination is one of the most important tools of magic. A focused imagination is employed by magicians for everything from the consecration of talismans to healing. Concentration on a visualized image or symbol is the key to this type of working. In healing, the source of the infection or injury is often visualized as being dissolved, or the sick individual is “imaged” as being free from the disease. The exploration of the unconscious realms usually begins with the “image” of descending into a basement, a cave, or the underworld. Superconscious levels are often contacted by visualizing the climbing of a steep mountain—or climbing the branches of a mystical tree.

  Properly used, the imaginative faculties of the transconscious self can be used to activate the latent faculties of the psyche and bring renewed health and well-being to the entire mind/body system.

  The Tree of Life

  The Qabalah is the mystical system of the medieval Jews; its exact origins are buried in antiquity. Its primary symbol, the Tree of Life, is said to be a glyph of the essence of God, the origins of the cosmos, the soul of man, and a model of how to live in accordance with the divine plan. It is also the most important symbol used by magicians and other practitioners of the western esoteric tradition. For our purposes, we will focus upon the Tree of Life as a “uniting symbol”—an image of the individuated psyche.

  The Tree itself is composed of ten Sephiroth (spheres or emanations) which are listed in order and are pictured in Figure 2 of Chapter Two, p. 28: Kether—the Crown, Chokmah—Wisdom, Binah—Understanding, Chesed—Mercy, Geburah—Strength, Tiphareth—Beauty, Netzach—Victory, Hod—Splendor, Yesod—Foundation, and Malkuth—the Kingdom.

  The Parts of the Soul

  To the Qabalists the human soul is divided into three principal portions which overlap in some instances (see Figure 7, p. 132). These are the Neshamah, the Ruach, and the Nephesh. The highest of these, the Neshamah, encompasses the Sephiroth of Kether, Chokmah, and Binah. It corresponds to the highest aspirations of the soul and what Assagioli described as the higher unconscious or superconscious. The greater Neshamah is further sub-divided into three parts: the Yechidah, the Chiah, and the Neshamah.

  The Yechidah, centered in Kether, is our true divine self (comparable to Assagioli’s higher self), the root essence of our spiritual nature. It is that part of us that is nearest to God, the most perfect level of the self. The Yechidah is the supreme undifferentiated quality of mind that is pure, unexpanded consciousness. It simply is—“I am that I am.”

  The Chiah or life force, located in Chokmah, is the highest active principle in the human soul. It is our divine will, our inquisitive urge to become more than human. Symbolized by the masculine soul image of the animus, or the figure of the Supernal Father, the Chiah is the source of our powers of action.

  The sub-division of the Neshamah (as distinct from the greater Neshamah), is the intuitive soul located in Binah, although it lends its name to the other Supernals as being generally descriptive of the soul’s greatest aspirations. It is also the most approachable of the three Supernal parts of the soul. The Neshamah in Binah is symbolized by the feminine soul image of the anima, as well as the Shekinah, the Supernal Mother, or the Gnostic Sophia. It is the source of human perception, comprehension, and spiritual understanding.

  Figure 7: The Divisions of the Soul.

  The Neshamah in Binah initiates delineating ways in which the self can be defined as being unique to the individual as well as limitless in archetypal manifestation. It is the understanding of how the divine manifests itself through a multitude of archetypal forms, and how it can express itself more fully as the process of self-realization continues to unfold. The Neshamah carries within it the instinct and the blueprint for self-realization.

  The Neshamah as a whole is our true desire or deepest state of consciousness—the intuitive power that connects humankind with the divine—it is our superconscious, intuitive mind.33 According to the ancient Qabalists, this part of the soul remains dormant until the individual is spiritually awakened to its existence. The Neshamah (divine self, higher soul, or higher genius) embraces the elevated aspects of the collective unconscious—it is the divine spark that is common to all of humanity.

  Between the Neshamah and the middle part of the soul is a great boundary known as the abyss. This is the line of intersection between mortal and eternal, personal and transpersonal, separate-ness and unity. That which is above the abyss is immortal and common to us all. That which is below the abyss is temporary and individual. The shadowy Sephirah (or rather non-Sephirah) of Daath is located within the abyss. Its function is to create a bridge between the higher and middle parts of the soul (Neshamah and Ruach) so that the Neshamah can “descend” and the conscious mind thereby connect with, and perhaps gain some understanding of, the nature of spirit and divinity.

  The middle soul or rational self, the Ruach, is located in the five Sephiroth from Chesed to Yesod, although it is centered in Tiphareth. It also overlaps, to a lesser extent, Daath and Yesod. This is the conscious mind and reasoning powers—the conscious part of our being which is the abode of the ego. This is the seat of “outer” consciousness, where humanity becomes aware of thought-images and is able to fashion thoughts into actions. It is here that human beings use their powers of discrimination as the mind navigates continuously between both secular and transcendent functions.

  Five faculties are to be found in this pentad of spheres: memory (Chesed), will (Geburah), imagination (Tiphareth), emotion (Netzach), and intellect (Hod). The two lowest of these functions, corresponding to the spheres of Netzach and Hod, are quite easy for the average person to understand. The three higher faculties of the Ruach, attributed to the fourth through the sixth Sephiroth, are somewhat more difficult to access. This is because of a demarcation called the Veil of Paroketh that exists on the Tree between Tiphareth and the two lower spheres of Netzach and Hod. Thus the higher Ruach faculties of memory, will, and imagination are obstructed somewhat and are often less accessible to the individual than are the lower functions of thinking and feeling.

  The Ruach contains both the middle unconscious and the field of consciousness of Assagioli’s system, as well as his concept of the conscious self or ego.

  The higher self or lower genius (sometimes called the Augoeides), which mediates between the divine self of the Neshamah and the lower self, is located in the Ruach, primarily in Tiphareth.34 This is also the seat of the personal ego, which interacts between the divine superconsciousness and the lower self, and constantly attempts to organize and interpret one’s personal experience—both inner and outer experience. The persona, a conscious but artificial mask that we present to the outer world, is also to be found in the Ruach.

  The Nephesh, or lower self, resides in Yesod. Comparable to Assagioli’s lower unconscious, the Nephesh is a low level of awareness that answers to the primal instincts, fundamental drives, and animal vitality from our prehistoric past. The Nephesh embraces the lowest components of the collective unconscious, those basic aspects which relate to survival, sex, and the reptilian brain. It is also the seat of our personal unconscious. The Nephesh is sometimes equated with the aura and the etheric body, a kind of energy sheath which forms the matrix for physical body. Proper use of the vital raw Nephesh energy is important in many aspects of magic, but it must always remain under the firm control of the Ruach, the conscious mind.

  The Nephesh is the most misunderstood part of the soul. Due to its placement and relationship to the Ruach above it and the Gz’uph below it, the Nephesh is also the seat of the shadow, the dark subconscious underside of the conscious ego. The shadow represents those ba
sic desires that run contrary to society and to our own ideals of behavior and personality. During the course of life, personal conflicts and neuroses are created within the psyche which are banished to the Nephesh through the processes of denial and repression. This results in a type of dualism which in turn creates the shadow and its various attributes. This dualism is expressed in the fact that on the one hand the Nephesh contains a vibrant primal energy and raw beauty that is crucial to magical work, but on the other hand, it also contains unconscious impulses which often run contrary to spiritual growth. These impulses can be likened to Freud’s id with its demands for instant gratification. Thus the Nephesh and the unconscious mind, together with the shadow, have all been unceremoniously rejected throughout history as scapegoats for problems which originated in the conscious mind (when the neuroses were consciously repressed rather than examined). Thus the Nephesh becomes the abode of many emotionally charged complexes, phobias, obsessions, delusions, and compulsive urges.