Stations of consciousness – Simnani (Sufism)

In Sufism, spiritual development is represented by progressive steps or stations (maqamat). One system (of Simnani) indicates that there are 7 maqamat in 7 worlds. The first two worlds are those of materiality (man in nature) and of form. Their corresponding stations of consciousness are those of the instincts and the vital senses. The next two worlds are those of subtle perception and of imagination. The respective station characteristics are the "spiritual, embryonic heart", the consciousness of one's real individual essence; and the "secret", the portal of the superconscious symbolized as the "Moses of one's self", of which the mystic colour is white. It is fourth of the seven stages, in the second pair of world stations. The next two worlds are those of formlessness, and of the immaterial divine nature. The corresponding station for the first called the spirit, is represented as the King David of one's self, coloured yellow and numbered fifth of the seven. The sixth station is called inspiration and represented as the Jesus of one's own being, the manifest Name of God. It's colour is luminous black. Unpaired on the fourth level so to speak, is the seventh station, the Prophet of one's self in the world of the divine essence. This stage is represented as green. There are variants on the alignments of personages with the stations. In the esoteric system of the Ismailiya, David is omitted, which makes Jesus fifth, and Muhammad sixth. The prophet to come, Ka'im, is seventh. Alternatively, perhaps according to the colour symbolism, one may associate the seventh level with al Khadir (also spelled Khidir, Kidar, Khihir) the "Green Man" (whose emblem is a fish and who lives at "the spring of life").