INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION 

The Queste 

For thousands of years, human beings have sought to know 

themselves and others, and to master their environment in order to 

have more control over their existence. The great spiritual and 

philosophical traditions, and the more recent trends in psychological 

and scientific research, are trying to respond to this quest. With every 

discovery, answers are being suggested, examined, tested in the light 

of experience, rejected, improved upon, or broadened as the case may 

be. While we are still a long way from ultimate truths, humanity is 

progressing step by step towards a more and more elaborate 

understanding, i.e. mastery, of both the material world, through 

physical science, and the inner world, the domain of the human 

psyche. 

This quest is what motivates every facet of mankind’s constant 

activity. To be sure, this activity has to do with survival, but it goes 

beyond that. We think, we struggle, we destroy, we build, we hurt and 

we heal, we take and we give, we love and hate, we dream, sing, laugh 

and cry... Through all this, we are constantly seeking. We are looking 

for a way to live, for happiness, for an ideal way to dwell in this 

world. But these words evoke very different realities depending on 

who you talk to, and the means of achieving them are even more 

varied. 

In fact, this ceaseless activity is just an expression of a deeper 

aspiration which, if examined in a clearer perspective in terms of its 

ultimate goals and the means to achieve them, would point the way 

to such potential fulfilment that life itself would take on a whole 

other meaning, from an individual as well as a collective viewpoint. 

This inner calling can take many different forms, from the 

simple urge to ensure one’s physical survival, through the ordinary 

attitude of seeking pleasure and self-gratification, to the most 

involved spiritual quest. Faced with the complexity of modern life 

and the failure to create genuine well being through a materialistic 

approach, more and more people are turning their attention inward.

2 Free Your True Self 

They want answers to the fundamental questions that any human 

being must face, sooner or later, in one form or another: Who am I? 

Who are the people around me? Where do we come from? Where are 

we going? What are we doing on this planet? What is essential? What 

is life’s purpose? 

The answers to these questions vary, depending on your 

philosophical standpoint; but these differences ultimately stem from 

the fact that they are incomplete. In reality, they become consistent if 

examined in a broad enough perspective 

Some Presently Available Answers 

For thousands of years, mankind has been exposed to valuable 

spiritual teachings. Yet these teachings sometimes seem 

contradictory 1 . Some tell us that we are the outcome of a long 

spiritual evolution, yet such statements are often obscured or 

distorted through a limited interpretation of the original teachings. 

New Age schools of thought state that we are divine, but our day to 

day behaviour does not really confirm this. Others seem to say that 

this world is nothing but illusion, and that we must seek to escape 

from it as quickly as possible; but why are we here? On the other 

hand, conventional “morality” or traditional religions would have us 

strive to become better people by making us feel more or less guilty 

for not yet being angels; but how is one to achieve this exalted state? 

Our materialistic philosophy 2 leads us to believe that we are all 

just flesh and bones and that when the body goes, we go. Not a very 

1 God has been described as either transcendent or immanent. There are “non-dualistic” 

approaches such as Vedanta, Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, or Taoism. There are also so-called 

“dualistic” paths such as bhakti yoga, sufism, Christian mysticism, the Theosophical approach, 

etc. These approaches, which are actually just models of reality, can easily be reconciled if a 

broad enough model can be found which could include them all without taking away any of 

their truth. Having reached a more advanced state of mental development, mankind is now 

capable of directly grasping more specific concepts relating to human functioning. We shall see 

how this deeper understanding can help us to harmonize these apparent contradictions and 

bring all these teachings together. For these teachings all convey a message which is essentially 

similar and springs from the same great truth that is beyond the limits of any specific religious 

heritage. Furthermore, what is most important is that this perspective makes it easier to 

practice these teachings. 

2 According to Webster’s Dictionary: Materialism: The philosophical theory that regards 

matter and its motions as constituting the universe, and all phenomena, including those of the 

mind, as due to material agencies. The Larousse French Dictionary adds: “Materialism as a 

philosophical trend goes back to Antiquity. [...] It was renewed as a result of the invention of 

mathematical physics and the teachings of several philosophers in recent centuries. It denies

Introduction 3 

encouraging prospect, and for a growing number of people 

nowadays, it just doesn’t sound right. 

Conventional psychology, stuck as it is between these two trends 

(spiritual vs. materialistic), is searching for answers and, for the time 

being at least, provides only limited explanations and methods to 

work on human consciousness, i.e. methods that focus more on 

attempting to adapt to the normal world, rather than to attain a deep 

level of Self realization. How can we reconcile all this? 

For this quest, this desire to know, is always there. Mankind 

hungers for freedom, wisdom and happiness, but does not know how 

to go about satisfying this need. We are like a starving person who, 

while standing in the middle of an apple orchard with fruit laden 

trees all around, desperately seeks nourishment by clawing at the bark 

of the trees. The hunger is real, the apples are there, available at will, 

but what is lacking has to do with consciousness and perspective. We 

believe that by finding better methods of gouging the trunk, we will 

eventually get to the apples. We just don’t realize that what is needed 

is to change our perspective, let go of old habits, forsake the false 

sense of security we get from our contact with the trunk and the soil, 

stop being afraid and dare to climb the tree, for that is where the real 

nourishment we need can be found. And then maybe, once we are up 

in the tree, a magnificent bird will carry us away on its powerful 

wings to where we can discover spaces even more vast and beautiful 

than this one apple tree. Anything can happen when we stop being 

afraid and are able to let go. 

How Can We Do This? 

This is easier said than done. How do we let go? How do we get rid of 

fears and conditionings developed over millennia, in order to recover 

our freedom? And how did we get into this situation in the first 

place? How can there be so much beauty within us along with so 

much suffering? 

Ineffectiveness of Spiritual Pep-Talk 

All spiritual teachings, even the simplest moral teachings including 

those termed “New Age”, will tell us: Be open, truthful, simple and 

joyful, stop being afraid, love, let go, be free, “live in light”... We 

the existence of the soul, of God and of the hereafter. It describes thought, as indeed 

everything else, as a strictly material phenomenon.


know all that and we are certainly willing. But to make it so, it takes 

more than simply knowing and wanting it. For many of us, that is no 

longer the issue. The problem is finding out how we can manage to 

live like this, in a real and natural way. If, while driving a car, we skid 

out of control and find ourselves in the ditch because the brakes 

failed , we don’t need some teacher or some book telling us that in 

order to travel safely and pleasantly we should use the brakes to slow 

down. We know that already, and we tried, but the mechanism didn’t 

follow our intention. We’ve been told that we should love, that we 

should let go, that we should be this way or that. We know, and the 

will is there, but the (mental-emotional) mechanism just doesn’t 

seem to be in alignment with it. We know the theory. We now need 

some practical knowledge that will allow us to understand how 

everything works, so that we can truly control our vehicle, fix it if 

need be, maintain it, and use it to its maximum potential. Once we 

have increased our level of mastery over our mental, emotional and 

physical vehicle, it will then be possible for us to practice these 

teachings. 

Otherwise, these teachings and these pep-talks, these “dos and 

don’ts”, just end up making us feel guilty for not being saints, for 

having lost control and found ourselves in the ditch; or we judge 

ourselves as being inept, incompetent drivers, we blame ourselves 

and we fall into depression. We can also blame the road for not being 

straight, the ditch for being there, or the oncoming driver for not 

having left us enough room to pass, etc. None of this will make the 

situation any better. On the contrary, all this does is create more 

problems, and the issue remains unresolved. We can also deny that 

we are in the ditch and philosophise on the art of driving, thus 

having a long intellectual conversation with whoever happens to have 

brought an instruction manual, which will keep our minds occupied 

and help us forget the reality of our present sticky situation, at least 

for a while. The sad reality is that we are stuck by the side of the road, 

with hardly any hope of getting out of our predicament. In the end, 

in all of these scenarios, we remain as slaves to a (mental-emotional) 

mechanism which we have not yet mastered and which is all too 

often a source of frustration, suffering and limitation, rather than a 

means towards a joyful and interesting journey. 

Those spiritual and philosophical principles, which are excellent 

in themselves, are definitely useful as a door to inner inquiry. They 

have been around since the beginning of the world, and have come 

back in the limelight through New Age literature. This is great in


terms of awakening a very wide spectrum of people to a higher set of 

values. However, as inspiring as these beautiful statements may be at 

first, they can soon prove to be inadequate in the context of our day 

to day struggles. A music teacher who talks about the beauty of his 

chosen art form and about the joy of playing great musical pieces, 

without giving his students any practical means of learning how to 

play, is just creating frustration. Trying to translate such pep-talks into 

action seems so easy that surely our failure to do so must have 

something to do with a lack of good will on our part... 

No matter how marvellous these spiritual teachings may be, the 

practical means of putting them into practice often remain vague and 

far too general in scope. They can then be recycled quite easily to 

create a sort of spiritual stupor. We dream of a world of love and 

light, we talk about it, we philosophise, but our day to day life 

continues to bring its string of frustrations, suffering, illness, and 

violence. We are uplifted by all the beautiful talk, while continuing to 

criticize our neighbour, hate our mother-in-law, blame our spouse, 

abuse of our power over our children or our employees, live under 

stress, complain of our lack of energy, feel victimized by an unfair 

system, etc., and thus end up frustrated and basically unhappy, if 

indeed we are at all willing to face the truth about our lives. 

Or, we can make desperate attempts to use our willpower to rid 

ourselves of these negative behaviours. We can thus manage to spend 

a few days or weeks in peace, especially if we can do this outside of 

the context of our daily lives. And then, all of a sudden, all this 

negativity jumps out at us once again at the moment when we least 

expect it. For when they are not really integrated, these beautiful 

teachings can often lead us to suppress an important part of 

ourselves, if the latter does not happen to coincide with the proposed 

ideals. In our enthusiastic and blind response to the wonder of our 

human potential, to the relevance of what is being presented to us 

and its resonance with our soul’s innermost desire, we want to be 

able to achieve this state immediately. We forget that mastery over 

one’s ego takes a lot of work, time, knowledge, and practice. It is as if 

we left a concert where we were deeply moved by the talent and 

sensitivity of the pianist, and decided right then and there to play the 

piano. This is fine, as long as we realize that long, and often arduous, 

hours of practice are required in order to master such an instrument.


When it comes to mastering a musical instrument, it is easy to steer 

clear of illusions: false notes and lack of mastery are painfully 

obvious. It is much more challenging to avoid deluding ourselves 

when it comes to learning to gain mastery over ourselves, much easier 

to believe we are filled with light when our shadows have yet to be 

worked on. We attend workshops and practice certain disciplines, we 

read books, we stock up on a lot of philosophical knowledge, and we 

occasionally have some beautiful inner experiences. Yet the false 

notes are obvious: they take the form of failed relationships, inability 

to live in peace, physical and moral fatigue, daily frustrations, 

dissatisfactions, depressions, inability to love and to feel loved, etc. It 

is then easy to adopt a victim’s attitude (if happiness is out of our 

reach, it’s because of other people or because of circumstances), or to 

get discouraged and to think that these practices or these teachings 

are useless and that it is impossible to reach total fulfilment in this 

world. Yet life can be so beautiful, and these teachings can be 

genuinely experienced, as long as we get to know and master our 

instrument, i.e. our own inner dynamics. 

If we want to be realistic, it is important to recognize the fact that 

a genuine change in consciousness, which naturally leads to a better 

quality of life, requires precise and rigorous inner work. If it were 

easy, everyone would have reached a state of bliss a long time ago. 

In order to get a clearer picture, we need to be extremely vigilant, 

to dare to face the truth about ourselves, to pay attention to the 

workings of our own minds in order to get to know them, and to 

accept the fact that this is a step by step process. But this is not new. 

Above the gate to the temple of Delphi, we can read the following 

words: “Know thyself, and thou will know the Universe and the Gods”... 

(Socrates) 

For a Better Understanding... 

Many people are now ready to reach beyond spiritual generalities. 

The openness is there. What we need to know now is: Why is it so 

difficult to live according to these principles, even if they reflect our 

most ardent aspirations? Why is it so difficult to hang onto our 

creativity and energy, when this is what we really want? Why is it so 

difficult to stop being afraid, even when we know how good it would 

be to live this way? Why is it so difficult to love, when this is what we 

desire most of all? Why is all this so?


In the context of this book, we will go beyond the basic principles of 

a “good spiritual life”. We will look for more specific answers which 

can lead to a deeper understanding of ourselves. This knowledge will 

allow us to find practical ways to bring on the kind of transformation 

we would like to experience naturally in our day to day existence. We 

will therefore explore the inner workings of consciousness which 

underscore human behaviour, in order to gain mastery over them. We 

will then be better equipped to live by those beautiful teachings, in a 

natural and spontaneous manner, without having to force or repress 

anything. It will be an inner spontaneous experience. We will then be 

able to radiate the peace, joy and freedom we have found within 

ourselves. 

One might relate to this as a mere utopian fantasy. But in the 

Middle Ages, it was utopian fantasy to imagine that a mass of several 

tons such as a modern airliner could be kept airborne. Yet today we 

see this as completely natural. It was just a matter of knowledge and 

mastery, which mankind was able to acquire through research, 

experimentation and intelligent observation over time. If we put the 

same amount of effort in getting to know and master the workings of 

consciousness as we have invested in getting to know the laws of the 

physical world, we will most certainly attain a quality of life, both on 

the inner and external plane of existence, that may seem out of our 

reach at this point. 

When we describe the workings of certain dynamics of the mind, 

we will strive to use a similar method to that of genuine scientific 

research, which recognizes initial hypotheses as models to be used 

rather than as ultimate reality. The working method we plan to adopt 

is based on observation, uses testing as a function of concrete 

experience, and opens up new avenues of thought and research, while 

avoiding the presumption of giving absolute and final answers. 

This presentation will focus on two aspects. One, which is based 

on theory, will introduce concepts that are essential in order to better 

understand the workings of the mind (much like a course in 

mechanics). The other, more practical in nature (much like driving 

practice and vehicle maintenance), will focus on everyday human 

behaviour. All this is presented not as a final approach but as an 

opportunity to try to gain a better understanding of oneself and of 

life, and as a window on some interesting possibilities for more indepth 

research into human nature. 

In the first two parts of the book, we will take stock of the 

situation. This will promote a better understanding of the inner


dynamics affecting most people nowadays. In the third part, we will 

examine the inherent potential within each of us. We will shed light 

on some of the mechanisms which prevent us from manifesting this 

potential as well as the inner state of mind which would allow this 

manifestation. This will lead us to a detailed definition and study of 

two fundamental dynamics of human consciousness: the dynamic of 

personality, with its practical outcomes, and the dynamic springing 

from our inner being, with its implications in everyday life. 

Knowledge of these two dynamics and of their source will open doors 

to a first level of mastery and will provide a solid basis for effective 

inner work, no matter what method is used. 

In the course of the fourth part of the book, once we are 

equipped with this knowledge, we will be in a position to examine 

some essential aspects of the inner transformation process which can 

take us from the point of functioning on the basis of personality to a 

point where a higher level of consciousness prevails. This process of 

transformation has its laws. We will attempt to define these laws in 

order to shed some practical light on the path of inner seeking; this 

will facilitate the application of any chosen method of inner work 

and enhance its effectiveness. Indeed today there is a profusion of 

inner developmental approaches, some of them ancient, some more 

contemporary, which address different parts of our make-up. Beyond 

these methods, once we have recognized the merit of seeking a deeper 

understanding of our psychological structure, and are aware of the 

basic principles of transformation, our consciousness development 

work will be greatly facilitated and accelerated. The content of this 

book thus offers useful information to any seeking person, no matter 

what approach he or she may use. 

The data presented throughout this book stem from observations 

made in the course of many years of consciousness-oriented research 

and work. We will also call upon certain principles of holistic 

psychology which we have experienced and found to be relevant. In 

addition, we will proceed on the basis of a very broad context which 

will include either direct intuition or certain underlying esoteric facts 

which we have found to be consistent with our experience. We will 

attempt to reach a better understanding of the mechanisms of 

consciousness, not just on the basis of theories, but rather on the 

basis of an in-depth study of practical observations which are directly 

related to everyday life. We will thus go beyond wishful and hopeful 

thinking and become more aware of the work that needs to be done. 

Then we can do the work if we feel thus inclined.

INTRODUCTION

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