The Genie In The Lamp

I already mentioned the genie in the lamp story in my previous article that partially discussed the subconscious, but I'd like to put a little more attention to the story in this article. Most of us are familiar with the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp from the Book of One Thousand and One Nights (aka The Arabian Nights), although I suspect the later generations are aware of Aladdin from the Disney film of the same name.

Just to refresh ourselves about the story, I'll quote the version in Wikipedia here:

Aladdin is an impoverished young ne'er-do-well in a Chinese town, who is recruited by a sorcerer from the Maghreb, who passes himself off as the brother of Aladdin's late father Qaseem, convincing Aladdin and his mother of his goodwill by apparently making arrangements to set up the lad as a wealthy merchant. The sorcerer's real motive is to persuade young Aladdin to retrieve a wonderful oil lamp from a booby-trapped magic cave of wonder. After the sorcerer attempts to double-cross him, Aladdin finds himself trapped in the cave. Fortunately, Aladdin retains a magic ring lent to him by the sorcerer. When he rubs his hands in despair, he inadvertently rubs the ring, and a jinni, or "genie", appears, who takes him home to his mother. Aladdin is still carrying the lamp, and when his mother tries to clean it, a second, far more powerful genie appears, who is bound to do the bidding of the person holding the lamp. With the aid of the genie of the lamp, Aladdin becomes rich and powerful and marries Princess Badroulbadour, the Emperor's daughter. The genie builds Aladdin a wonderful palace – far more magnificent than that of the Emperor himself.

The sorcerer returns and is able to get his hands on the lamp by tricking Aladdin's wife, who is unaware of the lamp's importance, by offering to exchange "new lamps for old". He orders the genie of the lamp to take the palace to his home in the Maghreb. Fortunately, Aladdin retains the magic ring and is able to summon the lesser genie. Although the genie of the ring cannot directly undo any of the magic of the genie of the lamp, he is able to transport Aladdin to Maghreb, and help him recover his wife and the lamp and defeat the sorcerer.

The sorcerer's more powerful and evil brother tries to destroy Aladdin for killing his brother by disguising himself as an old woman known for her healing powers. Badroulbadour falls for his disguise, and commands the "woman" to stay in her palace in case of any illnesses. Aladdin is warned of his danger by the genie of the lamp and slays the imposter. Everyone lives happily ever after, Aladdin eventually succeeding to his father-in-law's throne.

Let's now try to decipher the esoteric components of the story. Our conscious and rational mind allows us to achieve many wonderful things. It is always on hand, at our beck and call (the genie in the ring). But much more powerful than the conscious mind is the subconscious, hidden deeper within the recesses of our mind, yet still ready to do our bidding if we could but reach it (the magic lamp hidden in a cave and the genie beholden to the one holding the lamp).

Wedding stories are usually allusions to the kundalini rising up to the crown, facilitating union with one's Higher Soul. Therefore the marriage of Aladdin and Princess Badroulbadour and living in a palace may be interpreted the same way. The palace may be seen as the Biblical Holy of Holies where the Most High dwells (meaning, the Higher Soul). Since Aladdin was able to marry the princess and acquire the palace through the genie of the lamp, we can say that as one masters the subconscious, one acquires a very potent tool in achieving enlightenment.

However, on the spiritual path, it's important to do inner and outer purification. Outer purification includes maintaining a lifestyle that ensures physical, emotional and mental health. This means healthy food, a healthy environment and relationships, and proper management of stress. Inner purification involves character building, developing the "strength to do what is right and avoid unwholesome actions and behaviors" as one prayer says. Otherwise, it is easy for our baser instincts to subvert all our gains, which is symbolized by the evil sorcerer tricking the princess into giving up the magic lamp, leading to the (temporary) loss of the princess and the palace.

By firm application of intellect and the will to do good, symbolized by Aladdin using the genie of the ring to catch up with the sorcerer, it is possible to confront our lower tendencies and "slay" them. This allows us to regain the fruits of our spiritual labors.

Even more insidious though are other factors that we are not aware are harming us. These can be long-buried complexes and traumas that subtly influence the ways we react and make decisions. Or these can be such things as media propaganda, social biases, advertising and other means of social programming that are meant to influence the way we think and behave. They are dangerous simply because we may not be aware of what is happening or may even think they are helpful. In the story of Aladdin, this is symbolized by the more powerful brother of the evil sorcerer, who disguises himself in order to strike when Aladdin least expects it.

But when one is attuned to one's subconscious, working with it instead of blindly flailing away at problems, it is the subconscious mind itself that can provide the key to resolving traumas and biases, ultimately leading to a realized self that is not beholden to outside influences. This is how the genie of the lamp warns Aladdin of the danger posed by the second sorcerer. Some would call this accessing one's intuition. After all, what is the mind if not a tool to access the higher planes? It then follows that if the tool is in sync, one's access to the higher planes is smoother.

How then can we explain the two instances when Princess Badroulbadour was deceived? If she does represent kundalini, we must take note that kundalini is essentially a force of Nature. According to the teachings of Master Choa Kok Sui, the kundalini, when activated, can magnify both the good and the bad qualities of a person. This is why people on the spiritual path can face intense inner battles. And this is why it is so important to do inner purification, so that the weeds do not grow along with the wheat.

Assuming the above interpretation of the Aladdin story is accurate, the fact that the teaching was immortalized in a story shows the importance the ancient sages attributed to the subconscious. Is this really so? The mind is often compared to an iceberg. The conscious mind only comprises the part of the iceberg that is above water, with the greater part hidden underneath. Charles Haanel in The Master Key System goes so far as to say that the conscious, rational mind only comprises 10% of our mind, with the other 90% being the subconscious. An out-of-control subconscious can therefore make the tail wag the dog, so to speak. This situation is alluded to in the Bible, such as in Romans 7:15: I cannot even understand my own actions. I do not do what I want to do, but what I hate.

In many esoteric traditions, hypnotizing other people is considered very, very bad. Using hypnosis, the hypnotist gets access to the subject's subconscious, therefore he can plant all sorts of commands and suggestions that the subject would be helpless to counter. It's like when the sorcerer tricked the princess into giving up the lamp.

In the Philippines, people are aware of the existence of the so-called budol-budol gangs, who hypnotize their victims into giving the goons their life savings or withdrawing all the money in the ATM, and at the end of it all, the victim is not aware what happened or why they even cooperated. One of my aunts was victimized this way, so budol-budol gangs do exist. These types of gangs usually prey on old people because old people are usually not as mentally sharp and strong-willed as the young. So it pays to keep the mind sharp and the will strong.

So then, how do you make the genie work for you? To summarize: repeated autosuggestion and visualization. This site gives some tips on how to make the subconscious work for you. If you read the Master Key System, it gives a lot of exercises to master the subconscious. Just remember, the subconscious cannot be commanded like a dog, and it takes things literally. So if you say "I don't want to be sick" it will only catch on to the thought of sickness and give you that. Instead, phrase your thought positively, like "I have good health."

You would also do well to avoid exposing yourself to situations that can negatively influence you. For example, Rhonda Byrne, who wrote The Secret, revealed that she does not watch the news anymore. It can involve some pretty radical lifestyle decisions, but the extent of the change is entirely up to you.

The genie in the lamp is an ancient story that still has relevance in this modern age. You can try to ignore it, or make the effort to work with it. Either way, it's not going anywhere. Might as well rub that lamp, and see the magic enter into your life!