In the last post about the distinction between the self and non-self, I highlighted that the nature of all forms is to manifest, exist in a state of inevitable constant changes, then to (also) inevitably disappear. This world is a world of forms, all bodies (human or not) are forms, all objects or things are forms, particular cultures, philosophies, religious belief systems are forms or collections of (mostly astral-mental) forms. All conceptual thoughts are forms, desires and emotions are forms of a subtle, non-sensory kind.
In our endeavor to achieve complete enlightenment, or the spiritual realization of the nature of consciousness (or Soul), we must first distinguish between what our Soul is, and what it is not. The Soul is not a form in the same sense that phenomenal things are forms. It is not something that is born, goes through constant changes, then at some point in time dies. Such things are impermanent, temporary, and temporal; in other words, they are bound and limited by time, and can exist only through time. On the other hand, consciousness itself, the Soul, exists only in the Eternal Present. (Concepts, language are part of this form world, and are therefore quite inadequate to describe with precision what the Soul really is.) So, Eternal Present – eternal, not as some kind of endless time-duration – but rather as something that is always what it is. Something that is not subject to constant change, and so, something that is not bound by time, as we ordinarily understand the term. Again, concepts or words will remain inadequate to describe what is more fundamental than themselves.
So, considering all of the above, in our endeavor to spiritually realize the nature of consciousness, we must eventually let go of all that is not that, and keep our focus in the Now, in the Present, the only point when we can be increasingly conscious, aware, attentive, awake. Being conscious in the past or the future makes no sense. Consciousness is always a Presence, always in the Present, which is a hint as to why it is stated that it is not of time, that it is not bound by time.
When our consciousness is overrun by thoughts, emotions and desires, and when we are identified with all these temporal things (such as our personality), time appears as something real. It certainly appears as something more real than some vague concepts like “the Eternal Present”, or “the nature of the Soul”. Yet, it is not real. Time passes, desires, emotions, and thoughts pass, but not consciousness itself. Consciousness is not something that passes: its nature doesn't change, and is ever only that.
True occult or spiritual knowledge starts when one develops the capacity to become more and more conscious of the things that exists “above”, that is, in the realms (or planes) associated with Soul reality: things, realities, entities that are said to be eternal. Sounds crazy ? The finite and ordinary conceptual mind is next to useless up there, and can only convey clumsily and inadequately what those things may be all about.
Here's an additional attempt at more precision. One of the most elementary laws of all existence is Eternal Motion. The fact that all is in a state of perpetual motion of some kind. The kind of perpetual motion we know of is inevitable (also cyclical) change. In the “eternal realms” motion is not something like change as we normally understand the term. The Soul doesn't change, but we must not conclude that it is motionless, only that its motion is not “change”, but something that could be termed as states of “is-ness” or “beingness”. For example, light might be a good way to illustrate that. We can picture light being able to grow in scope and intensity, while remaining the same in nature. We can picture it "being" more what it is: a "motion in beingness". Such abstract concepts are perhaps the best we can do.
And those are just that: concepts. We must not make the mistake to think that more or less adequate concepts are the Truth itself, especially concerning realities such as the Soul, or realities even more fundamental than that of the Soul. Spiritual realization, as a state of consciousness, is devoid of things such as concepts or beliefs. Religions, religious studies, spiritual beliefs, and philosophical systems of all kinds are definitely not part of it, but are tools the non-self has to use for a time. More precisely stated, they are tools belonging to the realm of the non-self that consciousnesses identifies with and uses to try to grow spiritually. If used positively, they may temporarily help with that. But, we must never forget, that like all forms they are not the Truth themselves, but only temporary, time-limited, impermanent relative truths. More on that later !