The first step in understanding Inner Power is to understand the principles upon which they operate. There are fundamental laws that govern the way that the Universe operates. This is true along both the physical and metaphysical dimensions. These immutable principles are called Universal Laws. They never break down, take a day off or decide to work for saints and not for sinners.
In the physical realm, we are all familiar with the effects of gravity. It is governed by a Universal Law that Isaac Newton first articulated, which we now refer to as the Universal Law of Gravitation. It is expressed by the following equation:
The Universal Law of Gravitation
You do not need to understand the details, except to know that this formula describes how the planets in our solar system affect each other gravitationally. From this law, we know that everything with mass attracts everything else with mass through the force of gravity. If you weigh 70kg, it is because you and earth are attracted to each other with the gravitational force of exactly 70kg. It is not your mass that gives you weight, it is the effects of gravity that gives you weight. You weigh nothing in outer space because the effect of gravitation is negligible. There are no exceptions, ever. If a particle has mass it will be subject to the laws that govern gravitation. It is Law.
It is no different in the metaphysical Universe. In spite of what you may hope for, the Universe is perfectly detached. Whether you are nobler or nicer than the next person is of no consequence, because Law governs it. Laws just do their job. Your job is to become aware of them and use them to your advantage. The two most important Laws in the metaphysical Universe are:
1. The Law of Focus 2. The Law of PolarityTHE LAW OF FOCUS
The Law of Focus is the most powerful law in the metaphysical Universe. Within it lies the key to selftransformation and mastery of the art of manifestation. The Law of Focus states that whatever you focus your attention upon expands. That is, you get more of whatever you focus on. The subject of your focus increases and grows and it becomes a bigger part of your overall life experience.
You, and only you, have the power to choose what to focus your attention on. This ability is the most powerful gift you have. Wherever you focus your attention, awareness flows through to cause expansion. It is the nature of awareness to flow into and expand the subject of its focus.
To operate the Law of Focus requires an intensive and deliberate concentration of all of your attention. It involves bringing your attention into a laser-like focus. Upon achieving this focus, whatever you put your attention on constantly for more than two minutes will begin to multiply and expand in awareness. Since you and the entire Universe are essentially Pure Awareness made manifest, it must be drawn into your life experience. It operates in accordance with immutable Law.
To clarify the concepts of awareness and focus, consider the following analogy: Imagine it is a pitch-black night and you are in the woods. You are completely ignorant to what is around you and what dangers are lurking. Next, imagine that you turn on a flashlight and focus its light directly ahead of you. In an instant, you can now see a small portion of the woods, while the rest remains shrouded in darkness. It is entirely up to you where you direct the flashlight, and each shift causes your view of the woods to change.
Just like light from a flashlight, awareness „illuminates whatever subject it is cast upon. Until something comes into your awareness, you are ignorant of it. Ignorance is darkness, awareness is light and awareness can only flow where you direct the „flashlight of attention. You have complete control of where to direct your focus; therefore, you have control of the most powerful law in the metaphysical Universe. You need not take my word for it; prove it to yourself with the following demonstration.
THE LAW OF FOCUS IN ACTIONPick up a small object in your immediate vicinity, one that you can hold in your hand. Examine it very closely for a full minute. Pay intense attention to the object and all of its intricacies. Feel its texture and temperature. Notice its scent. Next, close your eyes and visualize it in as much detail as you can for another full minute. Make the image more vivid by exaggerating the colours until they are vibrant. Hold the image on the screen of your mind. Now, go about your daily life without giving it another thought. Over the next week, you will experience firsthand the power of this law. It works every time; it never fails.
THE LAW OF POLARITYThe next key Law involves the principle of polarity. Polarity is the manifestation of two opposite or contrasting principles, and is a fundamental property of the Universe. It is found everywhere in nature, from subatomic particles to mind to emotions. It is a consequence of the whole/part structure of the Universe and occurs wherever there is a localization of the non-local, a differentiation of the Universal to the individual.
To understand the principle, consider light. The essence of light is energy. Light is just natures way of transferring energy. When observed, light behaves as both a wave and a particle. Scientists call this the wave/particle duality as it simultaneously has localized (particle) and distributed (wave) properties. When scientists look at the whole-like nature, it manifests as oscillating sine waves along the electro-magnetic spectrum. When they force it to display its part-like nature, it manifests as discrete packets of energy called photons.
Where there are waves, there are particles, and wherever there are particles, there is polarity. In light, the polarity of a photon is its „phase. All particles possess polarity; in atoms, it manifests as electrons and protons, which are polar opposites in electrical charge. Polarity is the glue that holds the atom together; the opposite charges are required to form stable atoms. To give you an idea of what polarity is, look at the following table:
Examples of Polarity Active Passive Male Female Positive Negative Proton Electron Acid Alkali Love Hate
These polarities are all opposite but complementary. That is, they are interdependent. The Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang describes this relationship elegantly. The following symbol represents the interplay of these opposing but complementary forces.
The Symbol of Yin and YangTHE POLARITY OF MIND
Recall that the physical Universe is a mirror image, a projection, of the metaphysical Universe. Therefore, if the physical Universe expresses polarity, it must stem from the metaphysical Universe.
In the realm of mind, the Universal Mind is infinite and the individual mind is finite. In other words, the Universal is nonlocal and the individual is local. Considering the earlier light analogy, Universal Mind is a wave and individual mind is a particle. Recall that wherever there are particles there is polarity. This polarity expresses in mind as the active and passive principle. The active principle is the intellect, whilst the passive principle is intuition. Lets look at this in more depth now.
THE ACTIVE PRINCIPLEThe active principle manifests as the objective mind. Its intelligence expresses through the intellect. It is rational, deductive and analytical in nature. This principle is associated with the active use of mental energy, such as problem solving. Alchemists refer to this principle using the symbols of the King, or Sulphur.
THE PASSIVE PRINCIPLEThe passive principle manifests as the subjective mind. Its intelligence expresses through intuition. It is image driven and non-linear. This principle is associated with being receptive, open and still. In this state, you feel emotion and receive intuitive impulses. The meditative or alpha state of mind is the expression of this principle in mind. Alchemists refer to this principle using the symbols of the Queen, the moon or salt.
To summarize the relationship:² The active principle is tied to your partness and manifests as intellect
² The passive principle is tied to your wholeness and manifests as intuition
Scientists use the term left-brain and right-brain to describe this polarity. The left-brain is the same as the intellect (the sun) and the right-brain is intuition (the moon). Whatever you call it, it is the Law of Polarity manifesting in mind. The following table shows this dichotomy:
Individual Mind (King/sulphur/sun) Logical
Sequential
Analytical
Rational
Objective
Detail oriented Fact rules
Words and language Looks at „parts Universal Mind (Queen/salt/moon) Intuitive
Simultaneous Synthesizing Holistic
Subjective
„Big Picture oriented Imagination rules Symbols and images Looks at „wholes
At this point, you should be aware that neither polarity of mind is superior. Rather, the key is to balance and integrate them both, to fuse them. The result is a harmony between partness and wholeness, the local and non-local, the intellect and intuition. Esoteric alchemists depict this harmony between intellect and intuition as a Royal Union between the King and Queen, as shown in the following picture:
The Royal Union between the King and Queen
Learning how to achieve this union is „secret to the door of the place most high. You will learn how to do this in Chapter Eight – The Philosophers Stone. The next step is to learn about each of the elements that make up your Inner Power, and how they leverage The Law of Focus and the Law of Polarity. We begin by looking at the most primal element of Inner Power – Intention.