Jean Dubuis
Jean Dubuis (1919-2010) was a French esoteric initiate, alchemist and teacher.
With a background in science and electronics, he was known for his rigorous methodology and alchemical experimental lab conformation of theoretical teachings. He strived to explain the structure of Man and cosmos in a clear formulations compatible with modern scientific language, and clarify many misinterpretations in old sources such as the ancient Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation).
Dubuis saw alchemy as a process whereby Man could find personal experimental confirmation of the spiritual living aspects of the kingdoms of nature. To understand The Great Book of Nature two things are needed, "a good mind and a generous heart", and the disciplined "Ora et Labora" (pray/meditate and work).
For Dubuis it was important to support people without the need for a master or guru for true initiation, with no organization with oath of secrecy, obedience, hierarchy of officials or rank system .. and no paying or commercial nature to share teachings.
Biography
At age 12 in 1931, he had a life changing enlightening experience at Mont Saint Michel which revealed to him the existence of an invisible world, and took him beyond space and time. He spent his life understanding and repeating this experience.
The invisible world became as real to me as the material world in which we live. From then on, I tried with unrelenting enthusiasm to understand the nature of my experience and to love it so that I could repeat it. (...) This persistent personal effort actually succeeded and resulted in some contacts with Eternity
In an interview he describes it took him some 25 years to renew this experience, but in his lifetime he has many extensive experiences. His search path was helped by some key people, a Tunesian contact during the war, and master around 1945-46 who he got to know through a friend.
He was part of AMORC, Lectorium Rosicrucianum (1950), and the Traditional Martinist Order (TMO), also started new organizations in 1966 and 1969, until he stopped being part of such organizations in 1974. From the 1960's onwards he started publishing articles in journals both in France and the US. In 1969 he met the German alchemist Albert Riedel (a.k.a. Frater Albertus) and the Italian alchemist Augusto Pancaldi.
In 1979 he founded the circle 'Les Philosophes de la Nature' which he led for 12 years. No hierarchy or grade existed within the association, neither secret nor oath of obedience was required, no member ever got paid, the association never became a commercial enterprise, and there were no obligations imposed on members. In 1988 an American association 'Philosophers of Nature' (LPN) was created. Jean Dubuis taught in France and the US and his teachings are available in FR and EN. The lectures in the US were held in the period 1992 to 2004, and several of them have been video recorded and are available online. LPN was disbanded in 1999 and his teachings are now held in the association Portae Lucis.
Aspects
Experience of eternity
- The Experience of Eternity (EoE) presents the culmination of Dubuis' teachings. After a first draft in 1997, it was reworked and translated and published in FR and EN in 2007. The EoE or Portae Lucis method is an alchemical support method that gives some tailwind for spiritual advancement by using maximized natural spiritual influences for purification and restoration of one's elemental balance.
- Dubuis developed this method throughout his life, inspired by his initial natural illumination as a child. Goal of the method is to optimize the conditions for spontaneous natural illumination, by using fluid condensors for the four elements at different energetic levels and using the optimized timing (and even location) as a support. The concept is that the influx of natural spiritual influences at their maxima, supported with the individually charged fluid condensors for the four elements, restores any unbalances and has a purifying effect. Depending on the spiritual maturity of the person, it facilitates the flow of energy at its maximum so as to cause natural illumination, or an experience of unity and the higher spirit world beyond space and time (hence the name).
- The method also uses a modified version of the Tree of Life for meditation during the process, which Dubuis called Portae Lucis.
Inspirational quotes
Quote often attributed to the Buddha and used by Dubuis, who encouraged the development of discernment and self-reliance in spiritual beliefs
Do not believe in something because you were shown .. the written testimony of some ancient sage.
Do not believe on the authority of Masters or Priests.
Believe that which is in accordance with your own experience, and after a thorough study satisfies your reason and tends towards your good.
That you can accept as true and that will transform your life.
This is a paraphrase from the Kalama Sutta, a discourse found in the Pali Canon (Anguttara Nikaya), that encourages not to rely on tradition, hearsay, scriptures, teachers, or logic ... but test teachings against their own experience, reason, and personal well being.
Illustrations
Schema FMC00.474 depicts the fact that contemporary waking consciousness is related to our physical senses and bodily constitution, and acts as a bandpass filter only showing part of the complete (spiritual) reality. This results in a limited worldview (of mineral science), and waking consciousness triggers the feeling of separate-ness as we feel our self is enclosed and corresponding to our physical body.
However at the same time Man's structure includes higher components part of the astral world, lower and higher spirit worlds (see green or blue lines). Although Man is not aware, he is really part of a group soul and monad, and all actions towards another person are therefore in a way to one's self. See also FMC00.479
Schema FMC00.620: shows a schematic overview of the Experience of Eternity (EoE) or Portae Lucis method by Jean Dubuis and the process flow to charge the fluid condensors for the four elements for the different energies, that are used in the discharge near the summer solstice.
The EoE or Portae Lucis method is an alchemical support method that gives some tailwind for spiritual advancement by using maximized natural spiritual influences for purification and restoration of one's elemental balance.
Dubuis developed this method throughout his life, inspired by his initial natural illumination as a child. Goal of the method is to optimize the conditions for spontaneous natural illumination, by using fluid condensors for the four elements at different energetic levels and using the optimized timing (and even location) as a support. The concept is that the influx of natural spiritual influences at their maxima, supported with the individually charged fluid condensors for the four elements, restores any unbalances and has a purifying effect. Depending on the spiritual maturity of the person, it facilitates the flow of energy at its maximum so as to cause natural illumination, or an experience of unity and the higher spirit world beyond space and time.
Schema FMC00.559 describes the annual cycle of the Sun through the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Compare with Schema FMC00.042; and Schema FMC00.256 (three groups of four).
Illustration by Jean Dubuis from 'Fundamentals of Esoteric Knowledge' (Lesson 6).
Schema FMC00.621: shows illustrations of just a few of the special locations with a long Michaelic traditions and known for their special spiritual energies:
- upper left: Mont Saint-Michel (France) - dating back to the 8th century, with Benedictine abbey as of the 10th century
- upper right: Saint Michael’s Mount (England) - with legend of 8th century and Benedictine priority as of 11th century
- lower left: Skellig Michael (Ireland) - isolated island off the Irish coast, with 6th-century monastery
- lower right: Sacra di San Michele (Italy) - near Turin, with abbey from the 10th century
Other examples are Sanctuario di San Michele Arcangelo, a cave in Monte Sant'Angelo (Italy) pilgrimage destination since the 5th century, the small but beautiful San Michele Arcangelo in Perugia (Italy) dating back to 5th or 6th century, or the Meteora monasteries in Greece.
Note: the Irish island reminds of the more northern Scottisch Isles of Iona (with important monasteries going back to 6th century or before) and Staffa (the ancient initiation site Fingal's cave) - for more information see topic page Hibernian Mysteries. For the link between Ireland and Scotland and the Christianization of Europe, see Central European cultural basin where Rudolf Steiner describes how Iro-Scottish monks such as a.o. Patrick, Columban, and Gallus spread Christianity in Europe in the 5th-6th centuries.
Lecture coverage and references
Overview
Jean Dubuis left five main works, four courses and a final treatise 'The Experience of Eternity'.
- The first four courses were developed in monthly installments sent to LPN subscribers to work both theory and practice gradually and methodically. Seminars of practice in the lab and forums on the teachings reinforced this study.
- The Fundamentals of Esoteric Knowledge
- Spagyrics
- Mineral Alchemy
- Qabalah
- monthly newspaper 'Le Petit Philosophe' published by LPN
Reference extracts
1987-97 - Alchemy course
see: Kundalini#1987-97 - Jean Dubuis
1997-07 lecture
quotes taken from video recorded lecture
- First spontaneous experience in 1931 at age 12 (and illness afterwards .. due to purification of internal energies)
- and twice afterwards 10-15 years later
1999 lecture
quote transcribed from video recorded lecture
[around 55' in video recording]
to be sincere/frank with you, I do not think/expect you to have the experience of eternity from the first time .. on the basis of the experiences I had other people do .. one needs to reckon with two or three times
[around 59' in video recording]
the visible sun is giving earth and water ... the invisible sun is the one giving fire and air energy ..
in summer we are farthest as possible from the IS, but life is more active .. in winter we don't get this energy which is why life is slower .. it's not temperature, it's the invisible energies
[around 66' in video recording]
... three of four years ago I had explained this to several people about 20 people and of these 16 or 17 had the contact .. and if you succeed, I'll give you a tip, take eight days of vacation .. because it can be very harsh on you, and it's better if you can take a break
I think it's the most wonderful experience of the existence on Earth, and when your consciousness expands you know where you come from, you know who you are and where you're going .. and nobody can teach that to you except yourself
...
[around 70' in video recording]
if you succeed in this experience, remember this .. you have to bring back the experience back here [below, to waking consciousness] .. during this experience you'll have an expansion of consciousness both in time and in space [referencing the left part of Schema FMC00.474]
when you are up there .. you'll know everything and you'll see everything .. but as you come back down, and your consciousness comes back to our world .. and you know that you knew everything, but you know that you don't know anymore .. and it's not easy
some groups call this the 'experience of the point' .. you experience the feeling that you are a point that is the entire universe .. and that each of us is the entire universe .. intellectually, you cannot understand that, but you have to live it
I never dare say to somebody 'this is your path' .. this is not part of my job .. what I do here is, I give general ideas .. on how things work on the invisible planes and in Man .. and what can to do go forth .. so I can say .. 'go for it', but I don't say 'this is your path' .. each one must choose
...
I am not the one who decides .. I'm in charge of transmitting some knowledge .. and the rest is not my job
[in this lecture also touches on "secret and very powerful groups"]
...
[3h24 in video recording]
.. this contains a new conception of the Tree of Life of the kaballah, because when you have the contact experience of eternity .. you will see that the classical tree does not work .. in studies you can use the old or classical tree .. but in/for the contact you should take the new tree .. the old tree is the tree of the descent, and this new tree is one for the ascent
[note: see also Rawn Clark on the Gra Tree, eg the book and/or the video 'An Examination of the Gra Tree of Life (2010)' on Sephiroth#Note 1 - Trees of Life]
...
I lived this experience quite a number of times .. and the fact you are withdrawn from time and space, does not take or require any time in this world .. it's like if you had a movie screen that gives you enlightenment on who you were, who you are and where you will go .. but it does not change anything to your world
Discussion
Note 1 - Experience of Eternity (EoE) or Portae Lucis method
commentary WIP - draft note under development
Introduction
.
Even if one does not have the experience, it does affect our inner constitution, because the set-up is meant to 'balance out' energies based on the principle of 'communicating vessels'. It may therefore cause physical and psychological after-effects and illness as part of this balancing out.
What does it do?
The experience of eternity is what is also called 'crossing the abyss' (see more below) or 'saturn' which is the border between time and space, the borderwith the unformed higher spirit world. It is well known by people on the path of initiation this is a very disruptive experience for our human personality and waking consciousness (that are similar to how a computer has an 'operating system') used for functioning in the lower physical world.
.
This modern 20th century method also allows a person to develop personal affinity with nature and the cycle of the year, as one collects rainwater, selects minerals, charges these in the sun, and at planetary hours .. works in the light of a single candle .. and there is the alchemical linking between the person's astral-mental energies and the fluid condensors that are a personalized extension or support. All of which is a very personal and intimate ritual, culminating in a kind of mystical communion at the summer solstice.
Concepts and techniques used
Below are links to other topic pages that provide additional context and information supplementing the information on this page and in the book 'Experience of eternity' by Jean Dubuis.
- natural illumination
- Lightning#Note 1 - Events affecting state of consciousness
- Rudolf describes 'nature initiation' and how in the past, sunstroke, lightning etc were sometimes natural causes of illumination as they affect the inner balance between Man's bodily principles. Examples are given Norbert of Xanten, Brunetto Latini,Thomas Aquinas ..
- Q00.006 - spiritual events at various points in life#Part 1: Topics (general info)
- includes 'spontaneous kundalini experiences, see more on: Kundalini#Effects caused by the kundalini and energetic balance
- Lightning#Note 1 - Events affecting state of consciousness
- fluid condensors for the four elements
- concept, see: IIH#On fluid condensors
- elemental balance
- see IIH steps starting with Initiation exercises#Elemental balance - character transformation
- timing of spiritual influences
- the experience of the year, see
- concept of invisible suns
- two types of energies (vital/prana and spiritual/kundalini or 'secret fire') as linked to visible and invisible suns .. vital energy has variable presence and strength based on lunar and solar cycles. See: Kundalini#1987-97 - Jean Dubuis
- the visible sun is giving earth and water ... the invisible sun is the one giving fire and air energy .. see: The two etheric streams
- planetary hours
- tree of life
- .. this contains a new conception of the Tree of Life of the kaballah, because when you have the contact experience of eternity .. you will see that the classical tree does not work .. in studies you can use the old or classical tree .. but in/for the contact you should take the new tree .. the old tree is the tree of the descent, and this new tree is one for the ascent
- [note: see also Rawn Clark on the Gra Tree, eg the book and/or the video 'An Examination of the Gra Tree of Life (2010)' on Sephiroth#Note 1 - Trees of Life]
- meditation and concentration
- crossing the abyss, see for example:
Repeatability
Jean Dubuis had a natural illumination at age 12, and was able to repeat this 'top down' experience several to many times afterwards .. he developed this method and as a true scientist used a 'test panel' to verify its workings and effect on others. Based on this, he stated in lectures he did not expect the full experience of eternity from the first time, but rather taking two or three times. He also stated that in the end about 80% of twenty people who tried this had the contact.
Positioning
The Experience of Eternity (EoE) or Portae Lucis method is not a replacement for the slow and steady path of initiation, such as Franz Bardon's IIH. It's aim is to assist - by natural means, so using nature - in balancing a person's elemental-energetic buildup, and aim for a 'one-off' short but utterly unique experience .. maybe or not maybe "the most wonderful experience an incarnated human being can have on Earth".
