The Ishaya’s Ascension meditation practice is a wonderful opportunity to dedicate our time and attention to ourselves, to our life’s purpose, to the exploration of reality. It’s playful and easy. No forcing or complicated instructions. There are no pre-requirements, other than your curiosity and the openness to explore the unknown.
What you'll find on this page
Every other life is utterly missing the point of being born human.
The Art of Living
There is more
The Person, the Ego, and the True Self
What is Ascension Meditation
Ascension – also referred to as Ascension meditation – really is the expression of our inner desire to be free, to reconnect with our True Self, our Inner Devine, and to shine the unique and precious light that we are into the world.
I am certain that we - body and soul -
are one
in being held and in holding, in knowing
and in feeling.
Only the thinking mind, the ego, constantly wants to
separate,
including you and me.
Wants to divide the light into bright and dark,
love into good and evil,
people into innocent and guilty.
Wants to tell me that my soul is trapped
in my body
We are simply one. Be assured.
Neither trapped nor guilty.
We are always held, embraced!
Even if my ego judges, classifies, divides!
We are light and love.
(Text and picture: Iris Zürcher)
The Practice of Ascension
At the surface, the practice of Ascension can be seen as a form of meditation using the so-called Ascension Techniques (see below). However, they are more than “just another meditation practice”. In reality, they are an expression of our inner most desire, to discover and be who we really are and let go of the belief of what – in reality – we are not (see more that in the previous section).
Practising Ascension is a gift to this inner desire, an act of love for oneself, dedicating time and attention to the exploration of who – or what – we are and how to express our gifts we hold for this world.
The Ascension Techniques
The Ascension Techniques are simple phrases based on praise, gratitude, love and compassion and visualise those qualities. The phrase – or sentences – are thought inwardly with eyes closed or open and our experience is observed at the same time. This can be done anywhere: at home in a quiet room just as well as at a busy railway station, for two minutes a day or for three times 20 minutes.
The phrases contain our very own personal name for the universal force of good for us and all others. For some this is God, for others it is love, nature, the universe or simply chocolate. Therefore, they address that quality of the universal force for good in our subconscious without being clouded by our ideas that we might associate with some of the aforementioned concepts.
Ascension therefore requires no belief in how it works. Neither is this mediation practice tied to a belief system. Therefore it is compatible with all religions and equally suitable for people who do not consider themselves religious or spiritual. It is a meditation technique that allows our consciousness to grow through our own experience and discovery.
The effect is purely mechanical: that is, the phrases are like mental props that bring us into this inner attitude of praise, gratitude, love and compassion. This allows us to recognise and experience these qualities. As they become more and more familiar to us through exploration and discovery, we learn to recognise, experience and express them better and better. And form there our True Nature, our True Self.
This is why the phrases are also called techniques, or attitudes.
More about this form of Meditation
Prerequirements
Learning to ascend – how we call practising Ascension – does not require anything other than your curiosity, the openness to explore the unknown, and the willingness to dedicate it some of your time. As with every practice, there is no point when we don’t do it.
It is not required to have been meditating before or – if tried – that you were successful there. You also don’t need to learn any spiritual concept or belief in it’s outcome. The less expectations the better.
Free of Dependency
The practice of Ascension – i.e. meditation with the Ascension sentences – is ultimately self-regulating: after learning the techniques, no teacher, no membership, no further courses are necessary. – There’s not even the need to burn incense, sit straight upright or in the lotus seat, or make some funny noises or movements, breathing techniques or a specific amount of time a day.
As long as we are curious and open, we can discover more and more about ourselves, about the workings of our mind, about life and the world. Nevertheless, a community can help thanks to the exchange with fellow practitioners, just as mountaineering can be easier and perhaps more fun with mutual exchange of experience and support.
Ascension teachers are happy to help practitioners if we have any questions or have perhaps forgotten the phrases.
What is it not
While practising Ascension meditation, you may experience an improvement of your life’s circumstance, like experiencing greater happiness, sleeping better, feeling more productive and calm.
Nonetheless, as a meditation and exploration practice, it is not a magical solution to all of life’s challenges! Neither is it a substitute for any form of therapy. If you have experienced trauma, it can be helpful or it can uncover more of the shit. Please talk to an experienced teacher and your therapist to see how you can best be supported.
However, it is neither a rigid form of meditation – following strict rules and ideas. It does not impose any dogma or new beliefs.
Feel free to get in touch if you want to know more.
Ascension's Origin and the Ishaya
The origin of the techniques is unclear. Some teachers refer to the Vedic scriptures, which certainly describe a similar experience of consciousness. Others refer to the Apostle John. Still others say it is the invention of an American, MSI.
Today there are various organisations and individuals who teach Ascension. Many of them call themselves Ishaya. Isha means Christ Consciousness, while the syllable -ya means in support of. So Ishaya is not actually a title or a tradition, organisation or belief, but describes the inner attitude: whoever dedicates their life to Christ Consciousness is an Ishaya – whether they have ever heard this word or not.
Because ultimately it is about one’s own experience, about discovering reality, the vitality of human life, peace within oneself and thus true inner freedom. One’s own experience comes before any belief in a teacher or teaching.
The practice of Ascension is a path of discovery, where life itself becomes an adventure, where we meet ourselves and others in love and compassion. Where joy, gratitude and curiosity replace bias, judgement, suffering and guilt. A path of return from supposed knowledge to true discovery.