What does Ascension mean? A literal definition is to climb or soar upwards. Our spiritual evolution also ascends, as we raise our consciousness and awareness of the source of all.

Ascension works on many levels, breaking through deeply-held stresses and tensions, making permanent clearings through the psychic debris that has accumulated through many lifetimes. You are encouraged to be gentle with yourself, and contact the deep peace within. There is no strict discipline or striving, but a recognition that we are meant to be happy and at ease, and that this condition is our birthright. With Ascension, the techniques which are based on the attitudes of praise, love, gratitude and compassion are specific cognitive methods that balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

When they are used regularly with “innocence” or non-judgement, their mechanical nature is initiated. The Attitudes gently but permanently break up our “samskaras” or negative programming. They are imbued with spiritual power; far from being so esoteric to render them inaccessible to the majority of people, they are beautifully simple and direct. Even children can learn to use them. Secrecy has preserved the Attitudes until a time when humanity is ready to receive them.That time is now. They are a gift to all, a tool for recognition of our divine nature. In a spiritual sense, Ascension Attitudes give us a vehicle, and a navigation system to guide us toward enlightenment.

The first four Attitudes are introduced in the First Sphere course, held over a Friday evening and weekend. These take place at different centres around the world and are led by experienced teachers of the Ishaya order. Each aspect of the course is carefully and thoroughly explained. Questions are encouraged at all times, and other Ishaya teachers are available during the course for personal guidance.

A first-hand experience of the First Sphere course was of being accepted into a warm loving family. Being welcomed into their UK headquarters in Oxfordshire is like entering a family home. On the Friday evening I, along with three others, received our first Attitude and were asked to use it at home for 20 minutes before bed, and again the next morning before returning. Using an Attitude is simplicity itself. You simply repeat it to yourself with the eyes closed while relaxed. You then drop it and wait; observe thoughts or impressions, and then repeat it.

On the Saturday we received the next two Attitudes, and then students and teachers together sat and Ascended using the first three techniques. The deep peace is almost tangible in group Ascension. Time melts away, with a sense of comfort, acceptance and love. Ascension is exactly how it feels, as you are lifted to a space of clarity, stillness and tranquillity. Strain or effort to achieve falls away as you settle into the silence. Leave your ideals of a perfect lotus meditation posture outside the door, you can now “let go and let God”. On the Sunday, each person is given the fourth Attitude individually in a very moving ceremony. There is a wonderful opportunity to repeat the first sphere course as many times as you wish for free. This is highly recommended as more insights are gained each time.

As someone who has practised yoga and meditation for decades, nothing I have worked with before has given me such immediate and profound peace as Ascension; the under-lying power at work in the attitudes unravels the negative programming of our body/mind.

It is recommended to also use the Attitudes with the eyes open at times, during the day. This is a vital part of the practice, as using them this way is a conscious choice to bring the divine into our present moment, to melt away stresses and strains before they impinge on our nervous system. Using the Attitudes with the eyes open is like drawing a matrix of divinity into our waking experience. In the Ishayas’ literature, twenty-seven Ascension Attitudes are listed. Each sphere of techniques is more powerful that the previous one. The first four mentioned above are designed to clear root stresses and establish clarity of mind. After having taken the First Sphere, more attitudes can be requested from the Ishayas. The more advanced techniques develop subtle alignments in our energetic structure, propelling us towards unity consciousness, and self mastery.