The Path
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The Path
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Each of us, over the course of our lives, experiences fleeting moments of "ultimate reality" which some have termed "Enlightenment." This is usually a brief moment of consciousness when we see the world and universe for what it truly is. We feel euphoric and overcome by a great sense of joy and happiness unlike any other that we have experienced. It is as if all the complexities and aggravations of our lives are at once clear to us and easily managed, but yet these moments quickly fade away from the conscious mind, leaving us frustrated and searching for something that we know is there but can't seem to grasp. The Collegium's curriculum is designed to help us develop a balance within ourselves that leads us back to that state of "Enlightenment." It is a three-fold approach involving what we call Mind, Body and Spirit.
The Path towards building the Mind begins with a study of the Seven Liberal Arts. The Liberal Arts were divided into the Trivium ("the three roads") and the Quadrivium ("the four roads"). These lead one into the realms of Philosophy, or the love of Wisdom. The Trivium consists of:
The Quadrivium consists of:
Building sound foundations in the Mind, however, is not enough. Knowledge isn't reality, it only gives us tools with which to interpret what we perceive. Even good perception isn't always true perception. For instance our perception would tell us that the world is flat, but when we see the Earth from space we realize that our first perception was incorrect. We must bring our Mind, Body, and Spirit into balance and harmony in order to be complete and productive individuals. Our Body is the vehicle which transports us, allows us to work, and houses our brain. In order to accomplish its intended purposes to their fullest it must be in good working order. This means that we must discipline ourselves to care for our body by eating right, exercising, and resting. Part of the curriculum of the Collegium is dedicated to teaching sound principles of Health and wellness. A good place to begin this process is at Dr. Weil's website DrWeil.com. Our Spiritual nature goes beyond what many may perceive as "Spiritual." It encompasses and informs the entire realm of the conscious and the unconscious, just as the Tao is both Yin and Yang. If we are to attain self-mastery, then the conscious and unconscious must be harmonized so that our thoughts and actions are the expressions of an enlightened whole being. If any particular aspect of our self or the world in which we live becomes our master, then we slip into disharmony, disease and loss of freedom. There are many paths that lead to self-discipline and mastery. These allow us to take our highest ideals and principles and bring them from the world of Thought into that of Action. The Freemasons used to speak of this in terms of Speculative and Operative. Speculative is learning what to do while Operative is doing it. Any philosophy or system of self-development that cannot validate itself in the real world through action is of no value to the individual. The Collegium teaches various exercises in breathing and meditation which aids in focusing our thoughts and turning our ideals and principles into habits or daily actions. This is not an overnight process and requires internal fortitude of those who seek to accomplish this most honorable goal. It is a life-time commitment to the practice of Virtue.
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