Two worlds

We can say that there are two worlds in which each of us moves. The Sacred Books and the Masters mention two spaces. One of them is the exterior, the other is the inner world.

One world is what we can observe externally through the windows of the senses. That is what is observable in the world of forms. And then there is another section, which is the inner world, which is self-observable.

Let’s examine this carefully… When we go to basic schools, we start studying the mechanics of nature. Back in primary school, we begin to see aspects of natural experiments. For example, with plants, seed germination, chemistry or physics experiments. All of this, in a way, greatly helps the student to understand the basic elements of the mechanics of the external world.

And so, an external knowledge structure is created. Practically everything that humans handle today is external knowledge. We can even say that different religions or philosophies, although very respectable, are only located in the external world. Sublime pseudo-esoteric doctrines with a strong scientific background belong to the realm of the observable. However, many aspirants accept them as internal knowledge. We can affirm that true wisdom is not external data but internal data… Why? Because every phenomenon you see outside has an internal foundation.

Scientists can perfectly duplicate a cell. But they cannot give it life.

They can replicate a bird’s egg or a human cell, but they will never be able to give it life.

The external world of the senses will never allow you to see the foundation of life. You can, with your physical senses, see the surroundings, see how you are physically, and see others physically. But you cannot see people’s inner world. You cannot know where you were before you were born or who you were before you were born. You cannot know that through physical senses.

You cannot know it because it belongs to the interior. Now, how is the inner aspect perceived? It is self-observable.

Different laws operate here. Sadness, joy, jealousy, despair, hope, joviality. All of these are realities that everyone perceives internally.

But you only perceive your own. You do not perceive the emotions of another person directly—you only perceive some effect. But you do not see them as they are.

You can perceive your own thoughts. You can see that a person is desperate because of their movements, but you do not see the desperation itself within them.

You can feel your own despair. You can feel your own jealousy, your own emotions. You can also notice that another person is jealous based on their words or movements. But you are not perceiving jealousy itself; you do not see the interior, only the physical effect.

So, it is obvious that at the human level, there is great confusion between the external world and the internal world. Reality is in the inner world. For example, you could be talking to someone, and the next day that person unfortunately dies. You see their body, and you are surprised. In some way, you know that a force has left. Of course, we are referring to the force of life. You do not perceive that with the senses.

You do not know what force left. You do not know what internal processes took place. Those forces that left, those animic principles that departed—you do not know what processes they will undergo in the inner world. You know what process the body will undergo. You know that the body may be cremated or buried and that it will go through a process of material degradation. You know this because you perceive it with the senses.

But the part that gave life to that body—you cannot perceive it. That is why we speak of two worlds. One is perceptible through the senses; the other is not perceptible, not observable with the senses. In other words, it is self-observable. We have a physical language of forms to express the external world, such as Spanish, English, etc. But we do not have a language to express the inner world.

It is very different. We can all perfectly experience that we have inner events—thoughts, emotions, hope, despair, joy, sadness, etc. All of these are a reality for each of us. They are aspects of the inner world, invisible to others but real to ourselves.

If we are very strict and know how to remain silent about our inner aspects, other people have no way of knowing them. They can only know them if and only if we express them physically.

In other words, if there is a physical reflection—a look, a gesture, or something—they will know. But if I know how to hide it, they cannot know. If I hide it well, I am totally independent.

This means that we actually live more in the inner world than in the external world, although this may seem strange. And that is the foundation of all the processes of our lives.

How can we know the inner world? Well, we can only know it if we start working on psychological self-observation. If someone has a lot of external data and observes many physical phenomena, like a scientist, a physicist, or a mathematician—even if they observe for many years—this will not bring any change in their inner self or in what they truly are. Our reality is within. Notice that when someone dies in the physical world, physical forms remain—the body remains, the person’s belongings remain. The real part moves to other sections of the inner world. Where does it go? Well, this has been explained in various sacred books left to humanity by the great masters. And those sacred book data are precisely written in an inner language (such as the Bible, the Quran, the Popol Vuh, the Book of the Dead, etc.).

When defining aspects of the inner world, since they are not definable in forms, philosophy is used. Some assume philosophy is like poetry, elaborate and elegant words. But it is not that.

When philosophy comes in, it is to define inner aspects through certain parables. Because I cannot define them in forms. That is why sacred books are written in this parabolic or philosophical language.

Imagining the forms in sacred books as literal—such as Medusa, the beasts Hercules fought, or the Minotaur of Crete—would be absurd for serious intellectual science. Those things did not exist physically. But they are symbolism speaking of an inner reality of each of us, expressed through philosophical language.

When someone wants to make an inner change or understand an event in their life but knows nothing about inner events, they cannot make any change or improvement. Improvement can only happen when one begins to self-observe. Psychological observation in humans is an atrophied faculty, and it is atrophied because it is not practiced. Society has led us to focus all attention on science, economics, education, and even religion through physical senses. But these only capture the three-dimensional world of forms. This world of forms will eventually disappear, but the inner forms do not vanish over time.

What we truly are is what we are in the inner world. The body changes, and the body is destroyed. Our reality is the inner world. If we want to know ourselves, understand the foundations of our problems, sufferings, and doubts, then we must study ourselves. Just as we study external things—motors, mechanisms, mathematics, or humanities—we must do the same with our inner selves.

However, humans lack this training and discipline. They do not even know it exists. Not even religions do. A leader who knows nothing about the science of the inner world tells a congregation that believing in God will save them. But if someone in that congregation had even a minimal capacity for self-observation, they would realize that what the leader says is not true.

True understanding comes only through inner observation. If we cannot observe ourselves, we will never understand ourselves, much less others.