Higher Self Yoga, “How Dante’s Divine Comedy Introduces the Higher Self As a Way to Transform Human Nature” (2020)

“Dante’s Divine Comedy is most famous for its illustrated tour through the seven circles of Hell, but the journey through the underworld only comprises one-third of the whole story. [. . .] This extensive and detailed spiritual journey focuses on one key theme: accessing the empathy, wisdom, and intuition of our Higher Selves.

“As an example, consider this scene at the bottom of the mountain of Purgatory. These souls have figured out how to get out of hell and have crossed the river to this mountainous island. The journey up the mountain (toward increasing freedom from destructive patterns and closer to higher consciousness) waits for them.

“What do they do? They turn away from the mountain, hang out on the shoreline, and stare out at the water waiting for entertainers to arrive: TV channel surfing, 14^th Century style. Fortunately, Dante himself is being guided to start to climb the mountain because there is much more waiting for him if he ascends. He does so, and at the very top he meets Beatrice, his Higher Self, who then guides him into higher states of consciousness in paradise.”   —Dr. Richard Schaub, Higher Self Yoga (July 8, 2020)