Listen to the recording of this dictation (Subscribers only)
Ascended Master Gautama Buddha, May 9, 2009 through Kim Michaels.
Transcendence is the key word for the eleventh ray. Transcendence of what? Transcendence of your present sense of self—whatever that sense of self might be. You can always transcend and become MORE, as even your Creator is becoming MORE by creating you.
So you see, transcendence is, again, a concept that the linear mind finds it impossible to categorize and put in a mental box. For the linear mind wants to go to the ultimate extreme and say, “There must come a point where no more transcendence is possible. There must come some end, where you have reached a state of perfection that cannot be transcended.”
Says who, my beloved? The linear mind may not be able to fathom that there is no end to self-transcendence—and that is precisely why the linear mind must be left behind by the student who comes to a point of wanting MORE, more self than what it has experienced so far.
There is no linearity in the spiritual realm; there is a spherical reality. And once you step out of the linear mind, once you transcend it, then perpetual self-transcendence becomes a living reality. You are not concerned about what might come in some future time. You are flowing with the River of Life, existing in the eternal NOW—that is perpetual self-transcendence. You are not projecting into the future what should or should not happen. You are not analyzing the past of what should or should not have happened. You are simply flowing with the River of Life. Something that the ego cannot do, for the ego wants to own and possess.
So, the question becomes, “Do you still want the experience of owning something, owning a particular experience, a particular sense of self?” And by so doing, also being owned by your own creation of that separate self, which then, in turn, wants to own you—wants you, as the unlimited, infinite spiritual being, to limit your self, your sense of self, your sense of identity to that particular limited belief from which the ego was born.
The descent into duality
How, my beloved, did all of this descent into duality begin? It began, as Maitreya explains, when a sphere had come to the point of ascension, where it could ascend and become a part of the spiritual realm. Where it had reached the critical intensity of light that made it possible to accelerate the entire sphere into the higher vibrations of the spiritual realm—the vibrations of unconditionality, of love. And yet, what was the condition for that acceleration to take place? Well, you see, my beloved, you had a great number of beings who had applied themselves in a very concentrated effort in order to raise their sphere to that level. They had made great efforts. They had truly worked selflessly, so to speak, on raising all beings in their sphere to that point.
But you see, even in so doing, some of them had retained a remnant of the separate self, thinking that by working so hard to raise up their sphere, they would receive what they perceived as some ultimate reward by God for their efforts. And so, it was a great shock to them when all of the beings who had been the forerunners for raising the sphere were called, and they were shown that the next logical step for them was not to enter the spiritual realm as some kind of superheroes – receiving position and recognition in that spiritual realm – but instead, their next logical step was to lay down their lives, their attainment, their self-awareness and give that momentum and self-awareness and attainment as the foundation for creating the next sphere that would start out as an unenlightened sphere—inhabited by beings with a limited sense of self-awareness. Thereby, the sophisticated beings in the ascending sphere would, so to speak, let their beings descend, and now they would become the ones who allowed the beings in the next sphere to do with their light according to their free will.
This was a logical step because in the sphere that was ascending, that sphere was created out of the beings of those in a higher sphere. And so, the beings who were now at the top of the ascending sphere were simply being asked to do for others what others had done for them. Many of these beings were ready to ascend – to shed the last remnants of the separate self – and gladly embraced this opportunity. Which is why the next sphere was created—leading to your own. You would not be here unless someone had volunteered to lay down their lives to give you the opportunity to have a sphere in which you could grow in self-awareness. Thus, it is only logical that as you come to having made maximum use of this opportunity, you are asked to extend that opportunity to others, my beloved.
Yet, there were a small number, among the beings that had the opportunity to ascend, who did not want to give up that last remnant of the separate self. So they rebelled against God’s plan. And they wanted to keep owning what they saw as a superior position in their sphere, which they believed they had earned, and therefore [they] were entitled to keep experiencing that superiority for a time longer. And so, they demanded to be exempt from this—to set themselves apart as their sphere ascended. And in so doing, of course, they automatically fell into the next sphere that was created. For they could not maintain an existence in the ascended sphere, and thus could only go into the sphere that was not yet ascended and therefore had room for the separate self to continue to exist.
And yet, these beings were not stripped of their attainment. And so, they did, indeed, come into the next sphere with a far greater attainment and awareness than the beings who were just starting out in that sphere. And so, naturally, they set themselves up as leaders—as precisely what Jesus called the blind leaders of the blind followers. Some of their followers actually having followed them from the ascended sphere where they had leadership positions. And those of their followers who were not willing to let go of their obedience to their leaders, they had to fall as well.
The initiations of the eleventh ray
And so, when you come to the eleventh ray, it is indeed the challenge you face to transcend, to let go of the last remnants of the separate self. And thus come to what we might call a sense of ultimate reality, ultimate realism, of knowing that the separate self is unreal. And only when you know that your separate self is unreal – and only when you see this from within your sphere of self – can you then see that everything that was created out of duality is likewise unreal.
This, then, is the state of reality, of realism, of asking yourself, “Why am I here?” And so far, especially during the initiations of the first seven rays, you might also have asked yourself that question many times. Such as, “Why did I come to Earth? Why did I volunteer to descend here? Why did I come back to Earth?” And it is always that you are here to do something, to bring something, to achieve some kind of result. But you see, when you come to the eleventh ray, you need to transcend the very concept that you are here to achieve any particular result.
This will be a shock to the ego. It will be a shock to the remnants of the separate self. Which is precisely why I give this teaching in such a manner as to shock your separate self into objecting to the teaching, thereby giving you an opportunity to see those remnants of the separate self.
Consider how we have, several times now, said that what brings you to a certain point will not bring you beyond that point. You cannot then rise beyond the challenge of the tenth ray unless you are willing to consider the question of, “Why I am here?” from an entirely new perspective. You need to ask yourself not, “Why am I here,” but, “What is the ‘I’ that is here?”
Is it an I that still sees itself as separate from its source, as separate from other self-aware beings? Do you think you are here to do something for God, for the Ascended Masters, or even do something for other people—saving them, setting them free, awakening them, or whatever it might be? Why do you need to consider this, my beloved? Because only the separate self can have the sense that it is doing something that affects others.
Do you see the subtlety? So many well-meaning spiritual people believe they are here to affect positive change on this planet. So many religious people believe their goal is to convert others to their religion. But even those who have transcended this need to convert others to a particular outer religion can be caught up in wanting to awaken others to the spiritual path, wanting to change them, wanting to change society, wanting to change the Earth and humankind.
But you see, my beloved, why does the world need changing? Why do people need saving? They need saving because they are trapped in the separate sense of self. The world needs changing because people have co-created numerous problems through the separate sense of self, thereby, reinforcing the illusion that the separate self has some kind of reality, some kind of permanence, some kind of real existence. And so, do you see that there comes a point on the path – when you go into the secret rays – where you need to come to the realization, the sense of ultimate realism, that you cannot fulfill the true goal of raising your sphere as long as you maintain even a faint remnant, even a shadow, of the separate self—as long as you think that you, as a separate self, are here to affect some kind of change to the separate selves of other people.
What is the Golden Age really like?
Do you see the trap? When you still have that remnant of the separate self, you think that your separate self is right and knows everything and therefore knows what should happen on this planet.
What is the plan of the Ascended Masters? You think you know what the Golden Age of Saint Germain should look like—what is God’s will and God’s kingdom for Earth. And so, you think that you need to go out and get other people to recognize the superiority of that view, so that they can validate it and agree with it and perhaps even raise you up to some position of leadership. Or recognize you as a spiritual teacher with more than ordinary wisdom.
But you see, the problem is the separate self and all of the entities created through those separate selves of humankind. Those separate selves will never recognize the reality of their own unreality. They will, therefore, never recognize a true teacher who speaks from the greater reality. That is why so many did not recognize the Buddha, did not recognize the Christ, but saw them as a threat to their sense of comfortability. So, if you are still dreaming of attaining some kind of public recognition, widespread recognition, for your spiritual world view or your teaching, well then that can only be a remnant of the separate self that has this dream. And thus, you are acting in an unbalanced manner, and thus, you are adding to the struggle and the energies that feed the struggle.
Take note of a subtle distinction. You are here to help in the true purpose of God – namely, to raise this sphere until it ascends and becomes part of the spiritual realm – but the challenge is to see that you cannot accomplish this goal by acting as a separate self, trying to change the separate selves of other people. You can raise this sphere only by awakening a critical mass of people to go beyond the separate self. And how can you serve in helping others come to this awakening? Well, only by first awakening yourself.
For there is, when you go into the realm of the secret rays, no hiding. How can you hide in transparency? And so, you must walk your talk. You must become your talk. Or rather, your talk must become an expression of your true Being, not an outer teaching that you have taken on and that you seek to force upon others.
What is ultimately going to change the world? Not any amount of teaching given through a separate self to other separates selves. What is ultimately going to change the world is the bringing in of light—which can only happen when your lower being becomes the open door that is transparent, so the light can shine through in its pure form to the point where the conscious selves of other people can see it. And can see that it is beyond anything they see through their own separate selves—and thus, they are awakened to the potential to be MORE.
Beware of the desire for recognition
Examine yourselves. Examine your intentions, your motives. Do you have a desire for recognition by others? Do you have a fear of being ridiculed by others or even being ignored? Do you have a fear that the planet will suffer some ultimate calamity unless people recognize your world view, your teaching?
Only the separate self can have fear. Only the separate self can have a desire that requires, that wants, something from other separate selves. Thus, if you see any elements of these vibrations in your being, then you know that they must be transcended in order for you to pass the initiations of the eleventh ray.
But what truly must be transcended is that sense of self. This, of course, is, again, a big step for those who have been on the spiritual path for many years, many lifetimes, who have built a momentum, who think they have acquired great wisdom and knowledge. And now suddenly it seems like it was all … for nothing?—as you might feel. For you are now asked to give it all up. But you see, nothing is for nothing. Whatever you have learned, whatever you have experienced, has brought you to your present level of consciousness. There is nothing wrong with this. It is simply the progression of your personal path, where you have, for various reasons, desired to have certain experiences.
You have the free will, my beloved, to continue to have a certain experience of being a spiritual student of some status – perhaps even superiority – for as long as you desire it. I am not here to tell you that what you have done is wrong or of no value.
It is the path you have chosen, I champion your free will. I am only here to say that if you desire to pass the initiations of the eleventh ray, then you need to transcend. You need to be willing to lay down your life in order to rise higher. For you cannot rise higher with your current sense of self, whatever that sense of self might be.
Unconditional surrender
And so, on the eleventh ray, you need to very seriously ponder whether there are any remnants of a separate self that wants to accomplish something in this world—before you feel that you can leave this world behind. This was the initiation passed by this messenger, which he has described, of coming to that point of feeling that if he died at that moment, he could leave the Earth behind without any sense of regrets or unfulfilled business.
To the ego, this is the ultimate sense of loss. But to the conscious self, it is the ultimate opportunity. Does this messenger feel he lost something in that experience of complete, total surrender? No! He gained something far greater than his separate self could ever envision. And so, you see that many of you have come to a point on the path, where you are ready to step up in service to life. But you cannot see that service with your current sense of self. And in order to get beyond that sense of self, you must give up that sense of self without knowing in your outer awareness what will emerge in its place.
You see, my beloved, the eleventh ray represents an essential turning point of having to give up – being willing to give up – without seeing what will be there, what sense of self will be there, after you give up the present self. If you knew what was going to be there, you would not have the sense of giving up something, would you? When you go to buy a lottery ticket for a dollar, you give up the dollar. But if you knew with absolute certainty that you would win the grand prize, then you would not have the sense of giving up anything.
And so, the eleventh ray of transcendence represents that experience of giving up without knowing what will follow, of giving up as an ultimate expression of love—the unconditional love that is complete non-attachment. At this point on the path, my beloved, you have begun to see that you are more than the separate self. You have had glimpses of what that more is. If you took a person who had just started the spiritual path and asked him or her to go through the initiation of the eleventh ray, it would be a complete shock for such a person—which is why you are not asked to start with this initiation.
But when you come to the appropriate point on your personal path, then you know that by giving up everything, you will not end up with nothing. By giving up all sense of self, you will not end up with no sense of self. For there is a part of your self that is real. And that part that is real will come back to you. What you are giving up is the unreal part that obscures the real.
Do you see—as long as you are attached to the remnants of the separate self and the desire to accomplish something through that separate self, you cannot see the higher reality that you are and the highest potential of your divine plan. You cannot see it.
For the remnants of the separate self and the dreams of the accomplishment form a barrier that is not transparent, and thus does not allow you to see, nor does it allow the light to shine through in your outer being. And so, you cannot see at all before you give up.
That is the essential principle that you must come to realize in order to pass the initiation of the eleventh ray. You must be willing to give up the ghost, while hanging on the cross, not knowing whether you will be resurrected or not. In a sense, you can know that when you truly give up, you will be resurrected—as the real self that you are. But you cannot yet see what that real self is, and thus, you must be willing to give up—even if it means that you would disappear from the Earth and accomplish absolutely nothing on this planet.
Understanding the principle of surrender
Certainly, you can see that the Ascended Masters do not want you to leave this planet without accomplishing anything. But we want you to accomplish your highest potential—and that requires giving up your lower potential. There may be a part of your mind that says, “But I have studied the teachings of the Ascended Masters for decades, it cannot all be an illusion. I must know something that is real. I have had visions, I have had high experiences, I have had directions from this or that source, even from directly within, or directly from the masters. Some of this must be real.” And it is.
But in focusing your attention on the sense of self and the vision you have right now, you are focusing your attention at that level—and there is more to your divine plan than what you see. And if you want to see it and out-picture it, then you must give up your current vision, your current sense of self. It must be let go before the new can emerge.
The ego will never, ever, understand this principle. The linear mind also finds it difficult to wrap itself around it. But you, the conscious self, can come to that point of knowing that this is the logical next step. And it can then come to the point of simply letting go, releasing it all—releasing it all. All expectations. All desires.
Releasing.
The ultimate release.
How can you ultimately accomplish your divine plan? Only by becoming completely non-attached to accomplishing anything whatsoever. For only in that complete non-attachment can you let go of the remnants of the separate self—which cannot let go of the desire to accomplish something. And thus, [it] must be exposed, whereby you can see it and let it go, for now you see that it is unreal.
This, then, is the initiation on the eleventh ray. It is not an easy one for anyone. Yet, we who have ascended, have all gone through it. We can look back – as some of my colleagues, especially, look back – at how they procrastinated this initiation, sometimes for lifetimes—hemming and hawing about the necessity of doing it, reasoning and arguing with the linear mind as to why this could possibly be necessary, when the world was in such dire straights and there was so much to be accomplished.
Do you see how easy it is to fall into this, as an ascended master student? Thinking there is so much to do to save the world and bring the Golden Age of Saint Germain. “I have to be up and doing, I cannot sit around here and contemplate letting go of everything. What would that accomplish?” But you see, it would accomplish the ultimate result of you being the open door, being transparent, so that the light of God could enter the material realm and do its work.
Yet, what is it you give up? You give up the sense that you, as a separate self, are accomplishing or contributing to God’s work. But, as I have said, the problem is the sense of separation. How can the separate self do God’s work when God’s real work is to awaken people from the illusion of separation?
And so, you can then do God’s work only by transcending the separate self—seeing that you are one with the All and that your entire purpose for coming to Earth is not to give your separate self some sense of accomplishment, even the ultimate accomplishment of feeling you have done God’s work. No, your real purpose for coming is to raise up the All—that is your real self. For there is only one self that has many individual expressions. And the only way to raise up that one self is to raise the All.
And thus, as long as there are those parts of the self trapped in duality, there are parts of your self trapped in duality. And so, you desire to awaken them—not by causing a change in their separate selves, but by being who you are, being the One Self in manifestation. Knowing this, demonstrating it, letting it shine through all of your words and actions—that they may see that there is something more than the separate self. For you have happiness, joy, true peace of mind that comes from being transparent, so that nothing in this world can take you out of that state of ease, of flowing with the River of Life.
There is no shortcut
You may think, my beloved, that we of the Ascended Masters should be able to come up with a shortcut that could help you pass this initiation on the eleventh ray. But there is no shortcut.
This is the point on the path where you must face your own demons—the demons, the entities, that you have created by giving the life force to certain images that are not springing from oneness, but from separation.
You must face them. You have created them.
You must face what you have created, and you must separate your real self from your own creation and the creation of others. You may think it sounds illogical that you have to give up the separate self, but at the same time I talk about you separating yourself from the mass consciousness. But they are one and the same. You separate yourself from the mass consciousness by giving up the separate self. It is the only way to separate yourself, for it is the separate self that pulls you into the mass consciousness.
And so, at the lower levels of the path, you build that upward momentum, where you actually hold on to a part of the separate self, even turning it into a spiritual persona that takes on the characteristics demanded in your spiritual environment. But that is what must go, that is what must be left behind for you to be free and be free to express your Higher Being, the being that is the real you. So there is no shortcut. You must wrestle with this, until you come to the point, where you are no longer wrestling with the demons, for you see through the illusion that created them. And you simply let it go, let it fall away from you.
What am I talking about here? There are many demons, my beloved, many entities that have been created. And you may, as ascended master students, have thought of them as being somewhat evil or dark in appearance. But it is time to face reality that there are also demons and entities that are disguised as being benevolent, spiritual, religious. What you have created, as you have walked the path up until this point, is an entity. That is what the separate self is, an entity that has spiritual characteristics, that seeks to appear so good that God simply has to accept it into its kingdom.
But it can never be accepted. Only you, the real you, can be accepted. No man has ascended to Heaven, save he that descended from Heaven.
What descended from Heaven was the conscious self. And only the conscious self can ascend back. But it does not ascend back as the same that descended, but as the greater being it has become through its experiences in this world. Yet, the greater being that it has become is not the separate self. It is the being that has transcended separation by seeing through it and thus gaining a different perspective on oneness—that you could not have if you had never been outside of oneness.
Surrender whatever sense of self
And thus, ponder the need to transcend any sense of self that you have right now. For it is an eternal reality that you only grow by transcending the sense of self.
And you can come to a point, my beloved, where you realize that there is the self and there are the objects, the characteristics, of self-hood. Right now, most of you do not have a clear sense of the self as a pure state of awareness. You identify yourself with and as the characteristics, the objects.
We might say that your self is a container, and through your journey in the material realm, you have filled that container with objects and you identify yourself with and as the objects. But the real you is the self. And once you give up those remnants of the separate self, you lock in to that self—and you see that the self is more than the objects and the characteristics.
The self is a flowing stream of consciousness that is constantly transcending—and therefore never identified with any characteristic, never seeking to own or possess, never seeking to stand still at a certain level, but finding its joy and fulfillment in constantly transcending its creative expression, becoming MORE than it was a second ago. Not seeking to repeat a certain experience, not seeking to step into the same river twice. But, instead, always seeking the newness of expression, the newness of the creative flow in which there is no separation.
And thus, there is no desire to accomplish something in order to overcome a lack. There is no sense of lack, but only fullness and the desire to express more of that fullness. And this is when you experience the joy, the transcendent, unconditional joy that can never be experienced through the filter of the separate self. And thus, when you pass that initiation on the eleventh ray, that joy will be yours—and your joy will be full.
Copyright © 2009 Kim Michaels