«Symbols don't lead us back to things, but to Ideas of things that come from God.» (St Augustine)
There isn't a boundary between "mysteries" and "greater mysteries". This statement negates the assumption that there is a separation between these two topics which are, on the contrary, projections of the same teaching.
Nevertheless, even in the initiatory ideas there are separations; they originate outside the ideas themselves. It is like the work of men who can perceive the exterior signs of teachings (Greek: semeion) but they can't reach their inner contents.
The consequence is that the re-veiling (covering twice) or the revealing (opening) of ideas depends on the vision of the mind of which the observer is able (see inferior and superior psychicism); we'll try and demonstrate it.
The "mystery" is not a confuse formula but a complete idea covered in an exterior form which acts as a means of transmission. The most common of these means are words, signs (writing), symbols and allegories. Their fault, though, is that they don't let the deep concepts appear through. That's why the spirit of the idea is not directly visible anymore; neither can it be literally interpreted. It becomes the hidden sense of allegorical teaching, of symbol and metaphor, which therefore become the most common means for the occult teaching.
The metaphor says that the initiate goes to the search for the soul…the idea.
The «initiatory Journey» to the search for the spirit of knowledge is always protected by a divinity or by an occult master. This symbolic representation, though, portrays the superior counterpart of one's own conscience.
Therefore, the superior unknown is the soul that leads the initiate, who is still in the shadow, to the conquest of Himself and his own spiritual freedom (see the Wings of the Caduceus of Hermes).
This teaches that reaching universality is possible only through oneself. Through a process of fusion between ordinary conscience, which must be wisely widened, and the extraordinary part represented by the super-conscious, or living soul, of man.
This process of substantial change reveals the "mysteries", opening them to the eye of the mind until every detail is clear (see clearvision).
The prerogative to penetrate "mysteries" originates from the sensitivity of mind and conscience which, working in unison (only one sound), expand the intelligence (from intelligere, to see inside) beyond the limits of physical reason. There aren't any more obstacles, then, in the understanding of what is observed.
To know the value of ideas, though, one must acknowledge some of their characteristics. Starting from those of the archetypes (world of the "prima ideas", see Plato, Hyperuranus), ending to their earthly reflections represented by material thoughts (see Giordano Bruno, the Shadow of Ideas).
Whilst on the physical level ideas divide people, archetypical ideas obey the unifying power of Synthesis which, with lack of conflict, highlights the principle of universality.
The archetypical idea is infinite because it is not subject to the changes of time, which represent an aspect of matter. Since they don't know wear and tear, mutation and consumption, the subtle meanings of archetypes and spiritual models are the bonding agent of the great synthesis called Cause of the Universe, or God. It is unspeakable, because no doctrinal rule can have any influence on it or on any other form of universal knowledge, which time doesn't modify.
This aspect of timelessness, unchangeable, therefore eternal, supports the universal thought towards which the initiate tends. It also reminds us of the statement of the Masonic initiation, where during the re-birth of Master Hiram in himself, the master must cry out "… I know immortality".
The principle that rules the "prima ideas" is the stability and this guarantees the inalterability of contents. On the contrary, the interpretations that surround them originate from the cultural perspectives of the observers, which are all different; therefore characterized by inconstancy . This is why the rashness of the interpreters, more than the hermeticism of the representation, contributes to re-veil (hide twice) the meaning of thoughts, symbols, words and ritual acts. This increases the transformism that superimposes the individual thought to the spirit of ideas, hiding their meaning under layers of contradictory postulates.
Instead of manipulating the symbolic sense of the teaching or of the ritual afflatus, the commentator should manipulate himself. In the sense of widening his own mental capabilities and awakening the ordinary conscience and join them together to become a penetrating ability of action. This will originate one of the most esoterical aspects of the initiatory process: the edification of a particularly gifted mind.
But memory is not enough in order to go from concrete reason to intelligence; will and a strong empathetic sense are needed as well. In order to obtain them, we must act on the two aspects of physical sensibility, that is the masculine aspect (dynamic will) and the feminine one (empathetic intelligence); from conflictual elements they can be turned into (see initiatory metamorphosis) complementary elements.
This happens through the balancing of the two hemispheres, focusing the energies of the right hemisphere, where the feminine aspect is, and the left one, where the masculine aspect is, in a middle point situated between the physical eyes.
The mental focus allows both aspects (will and empathy, that is emanation and reception) to work in unison (with one only sound, tune); it also helps to concentrate on the desired point all the energy of the psyche (see concentration and mental focusing).
Empathy is a characteristic of the feminine hemisphere of every man and woman and from it the intelligent sensitivity is originated. This is a very important aspect, because this special sensitivity allows the contact with the occult meaning (see knowledge through contact) of what and who is "observed".
Unfortunately very few people are prepared to absorb in them and in their conscience the alien essence of an idea respecting its integrity. We usually react to something different by denying it or making it the same as us, re-shaping its sense according to our parameters. We tend to preserve the inner asset that is transformed only by the presence of something different.
The conformist is also seduced by the instinct of survival of his principles; they stop him from opening to new and different things, because they are scared of losing their characteristics, even the worthless ones.
The inner transformation, main instrument of the initiatory path (see metallic transmutation), becomes the field of action of the material essence of man and his personality (profane). This personality is made of instincts and passions which strongly resist (enticements and threats – see temptations) to the transformation, conscious otherwise of losing themselves.
The impulses of inferior nature oppose the transformation by deceiving the physical conscience, which is at the same time friend and enemy of every Neophyte and, despite its metaphysical nature, is involved with the physical senses since the man's birth. It is persuaded by the senses to perceive the metamorphosis as a death and it loses control over itself and its personality.
The conflict for the inner growth is based on psychic mirages and suggestions originated by the unconscious (see VITRIOL, "Visit [descend] the inside of your Earth [the physical essence, the unconscious] and rectifying it [correcting it] you will find the hidden stone" that is, Yourself). They are so credible, though, that they originate anguish, torment and distress (see initiatory trials). The neophyte is not aware of its causes, so much to impute them not to himself but to some remote reasons.
In actual fact, nobody dies of the process of transformation. The initiate doesn't die and neither does the conscience which, transformed, is free from the chain of the physical senses (which stop interfering) and can be based, eventually, on the light of intelligence.
The alchemical aphorism "Solve et Coagula" indicates how the process of mutation is linked to a process of assimilation which occurs in the melting pot (athanor) of the physical conscience.
The mental change is the basic factor of the spiritual alchemical change, symbolized through the transmutation of metals. It is a metaphor of the sublimation of feelings, emotions and material thoughts of the concrete mind into feelings, emotions and thoughts of the superior, metaphysical and spiritual mind. These levels originate from as many states of conscience.
This means that to the state of physical conscience corresponds a mind that concretely reasons; to the state of metaphysical conscience corresponds a mind able to formulate abstract thoughts. Whilst to the state of spiritual conscience corresponds a mind enlightened by an immaterial intelligence, that is, lacking of duties towards the physical senses.
By absorbing the soul of subtle ideas, the physical conscience ends up cor-responding to it. In the same way, the concrete mind as well cor-responds less and less to the impulses of the animal nature.
The inner metamorphosis or initiatory transmutation is based on two principles.
The principle of disintegration is used in the process that separates the concrete mind (physical reason) from the animal nature of one's body. Whereas the principle of integration reacts to the necessity of bringing back the physical conscience in the direction of its superior nature, that is the super-conscious or spiritual level.
Dis-integrating, in plain words, means to renounce the way one "was" and re-organize oneself according to a complete renewal. It is a "change" that every initiate favors, because it opens the way to the main instrument of one's own research; not anymore the physical eye that looks, but the mental eye that reveals what observes.
This is the ideal mental condition to touch the soul of the idea and also of the people we are in relation with. And going from the knowledge of symbolic representations to the knowledge of living beings is a big step up.
The soul is the idea contained in every form, the human one as well.
The obstacle to overcome is to penetrate the structure covering the idea; and one must not be deceived by its appearance, whatever it is.
Furthermore, the observer must learn to overcome himself as well, silencing the impulsive answers, the rushed views or judgments arising.
Most of all he must be able to move the observation point.
Just like a photographic zoom, the mind can go from a general vision to others, closer and closer, deep and specific ones.
Through concentration one can reach the ability of a penetrating vision which advances inside concepts in a dynamic way; it is based on the method that we can call "why this, why that".
This procedure doesn't depend on a mnemonic mechanism of imitative learning, but on a mental condition (receptive sensitivity) linked to the empathetic intelligence.
Such a condition is not even difficult to reach, because it is a natural prolongation of attention; it concentrates in order to penetrate every representation by going beyond the apparent meanings, until it perceives its deep meanings.
This is the focal point of the esoterical research.
The expert uses every detail of the exterior signs to reach the fundament hidden by the representation, both symbolical and metaphysical.
In conclusion, there isn't a separation between the different levels of research. Either they are deep (great mysteries) or superficial (small mysteries), their conjunction concurs, anyway, to the building of the "bridge" that joins the two ideal levels of earth and heaven; in this way the human knowledge is joined to the universal knowledge of spiritual levels.
The metaphor of the third eye cautiously refers to an extremely advanced method of mental visualization contained in the Raja Yoga (Sanskrit, royal Union), similar to the Ars Regia.
From Greek synthesis which means composition. According to a universal principle and to the general law of syntropy (see article), the synthesis neither is sum, nor resume; not a mix of various elements. Instead, it gathers them in a superior unity with qualities different from each of them. It is a reality which includes all of them and also transcends all of them, according to a higher regulative principle. 
