Highden mystery school – part 2<\/h1>\n<\/div>\nIn part 1<\/a> I describe how I felt the calling to come to Highden Mystery school<\/a> and what happened during the journey that brought me here.<\/p>\nMystery school?<\/b><\/h2>\n
A mystery school is an ancient spiritual tradition devoted to initiation and the awakening of human consciousness. Found in many cultures, from the temples of Egypt and Greece to the inner teachings of East and West, mystery schools were places where seekers gathered to explore the deeper laws of life, the nature of the soul, and humanity\u2019s role in the cosmos. Their purpose was not simply study, but transformation. They guided individuals and groups through experiences that revealed deeper levels of wisdom, purpose, and service to the world.<\/p>\n
Highden is a remarkable estate where spiritual work has been carried out for centuries, perhaps much longer. The land itself feels old, alive, and almost tangibly charged. Over the centuries it has carried different forms of spiritual training. The Maori already had something like a mystery school here long ago. Later it became a Catholic seminary where priests were trained. Today it has once again become a modern mystery school. The irony of the contrast is not lost on me: Maori honoring the land, priests living in celibacy, and now a group of \u201chippies\u201d dancing naked among the trees, to celebrate life. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>The magic of Highden<\/b><\/h2>\n
On the estate all those layers from the past, present and future can be felt, they seem woven into the land itself. In the temple training these different traditions and insights are brought together in an almost artistic way. Everything is carefully designed, not only in theory, but also in how the land, the buildings, and the exercises are connected.<\/p>\n<\/div>
At the heart of this system lies a large mandala on the land. This mandala combines astrology, esoteric symbolism, sacred geometry, and several other spiritual systems. Large stones are placed across the estate, each representing a point within the mandala. There are stones for the twelve zodiac signs, but also for planets, solstices, and other cosmic principles.<\/p>\n
Each participant was assigned a zodiac sign. Not only to study it, but also to explore the opposite sign. This created a dynamic where we could observe how different qualities relate to each other, both within ourselves and within the group.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/estherjacobs.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/insta-aankomst.jpg\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Every morning began with a meditation in the center of the mandala, at the so called Freedom Stone. Even that, however, unfolded in several layers. What you saw on the outside was only part of what was actually happening.<\/p>\n<\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/estherjacobs.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/freedom-stone_5654.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>We as participants formed the inner field, the Templars.<\/p>\n
Around us was the outer field, a group of people who had completed the training before and were now energetically supporting us. They were present to carry the process and hold the space. They also took care of logistics, the maintenance of the estate, our meals, and many of the mystical and theatrical experiences.<\/p>\n
Above that was the facilitation team, also called the temple holders. They meditated in exactly the same place as we did, but one floor higher in the building.<\/p>\n
And above that was yet another layer, the dark triad. Three people who consciously maintained connection with the Dark, the source from which everything emerges.<\/p>\n
While we meditated in the center of the mandala, all of these layers were active at the same time. It felt as if everything we were doing was supported by a complex yet beautifully tuned energetic field.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most impressive part is how carefully everything is designed. The longer you stay there, the more you begin to notice that truly everything has been thought through. And at the same time a large part remains mysterious. I have the feeling I may have seen half of it, and probably understood even less.<\/p>\n
But that is exactly what makes it a real mystery school. Some things cannot be explained. They have to be experienced.<\/p>\n
The Journey from crown to base, and back again<\/b><\/h2>\n
When you drive onto the Highden estate, the training actually begins before you even reach the house. The long driveway is marked by a series of stone gateways called the Gates. They look a bit like open fireplaces or portals, with words, symbols and images embedded in them. Each gate represents a chakra.<\/p>\n<\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/estherjacobs.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-Insta-584x1024.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>So as you drive up the lane, you literally travel through the chakra system.<\/p>\n
At each gate there is poetry that matches that particular chakra. If you walk past them consciously and take the time to read and feel, it becomes a kind of inner journey. Step by step you move through different layers of yourself, even before you reach the house.<\/p>\n
At the beginning of the training I did not notice this immediately. But because I love walking, it helps me process things, I walked that driveway back and forth quite often. Eventually I walked it several times every day.<\/p>\n
At some point I realized that by doing this I was walking through all the chakras every day, from Crown to Base, and then back up again.<\/p>\n
And although every gate had its own meaning, I noticed that one of them touched me the most, the Base Gate.<\/p>\n
The Base Chakra is about our most fundamental layer, survival.
\nSurvival mindset.
\nSurvival fears.
\nSurvival focus.<\/p>\n
It is the place in us where the fear lives of not having enough, of not being safe, of not surviving. It is also the place from which many of our daily choices unconsciously arise.<\/p>\n
But the message of the Base Gate was not that we should stay stuck there.<\/p>\n
The invitation was to move from there.<\/p>\n
Not from a constant focus on survival, but towards a place where your soul can truly land in your body.<\/p>\n
When that happens, something fundamental shifts. You no longer live primarily from fear or control. You no longer need to constantly focus on survival. Space appears to truly be present in your body and in life itself.<\/p>\n
I walked those gates three times every day. Sometimes consciously, sometimes simply because I enjoy walking. But every time it felt as if I was moving through an inner journey again.<\/p>\n
From surviving to living.
\nFrom fear to presence.
\nFrom head to body.<\/p>\n
And somewhere along the way I began to understand that the entire driveway is actually a symbolic map of the path we all walk.<\/p>\n
Three layers<\/b><\/h2>\n
One thing that was completely new to me during the training was the idea that our consciousness has three layers.<\/p>\n
The first layer is familiar to all of us, the personality.
\nThis is our ego, our body, our emotions and thoughts. It is the part of us that lives here and now in the world.<\/p>\n
The second layer is the soul.
\nThe soul continues beyond a single lifetime. It moves through experiences, learning, evolving, and gradually bringing more love and awareness into the world.<\/p>\n
But something in that explanation always felt incomplete to me.
\nIf the soul naturally moves toward love and growth, where do the darker aspects of life come from? Why do people sometimes act destructively? Why do we all have shadow sides?<\/p>\n
During the Highden training I heard, for the first time, about a third layer.
\nIt is sometimes called the Dark, the Monad, the Void, or simply Life itself.
\nNot good or bad. Not beautiful or ugly. Just pure life force expressing itself in many forms, without judgment.<\/p>\n
So for me it now feels like this:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Personality, the human story
\n\u2022 Soul, the evolution of consciousness
\n\u2022 The Dark or Monad, the source of life itself. To me it feels like raw, unfiltered truth.<\/p>\n
Whenever I touch that level, even briefly, I feel a deep calm and a deep knowing.
\nThe place everything comes from, where ultimately everything simply IS.<\/p>\n
Balance and integration<\/b><\/h2>\n
During the training I began to look at my own spiritual strengths and weaknesses in a new way. The model of a quadrant of dark and light, masculine and feminine energies helped me see where certain qualities in me are strong and natural, and where other qualities still ask for attention. Often they were in completely different areas than I thought\u2026<\/p>\n
Many spiritual and psychological traditions speak about two fundamental energies that exist within every human being: the masculine and the feminine. The masculine is often associated with direction, structure, and action. The feminine with feeling, receiving, and connection.<\/p>\n
Both energies have a light side and a dark side, two different kinds of energy. Each quadrant has healthy qualities and \u201cShadow\u201d qualities. This refers to the parts that have become unconscious or can fall out of balance when a quality is suppressed or exaggerated.<\/p>\n
When these energies are balanced, they complement each other. The masculine provides direction and focus. The feminine brings depth, connection, and creativity. But when one energy is suppressed or becomes dominant, it can appear in its shadow form.<\/p>\n
For me, this framework became a mirror during the training.<\/p>\n<\/div>
In part 1<\/a> I describe how I felt the calling to come to Highden Mystery school<\/a> and what happened during the journey that brought me here.<\/p>\n A mystery school is an ancient spiritual tradition devoted to initiation and the awakening of human consciousness. Found in many cultures, from the temples of Egypt and Greece to the inner teachings of East and West, mystery schools were places where seekers gathered to explore the deeper laws of life, the nature of the soul, and humanity\u2019s role in the cosmos. Their purpose was not simply study, but transformation. They guided individuals and groups through experiences that revealed deeper levels of wisdom, purpose, and service to the world.<\/p>\n Highden is a remarkable estate where spiritual work has been carried out for centuries, perhaps much longer. The land itself feels old, alive, and almost tangibly charged. Over the centuries it has carried different forms of spiritual training. The Maori already had something like a mystery school here long ago. Later it became a Catholic seminary where priests were trained. Today it has once again become a modern mystery school. The irony of the contrast is not lost on me: Maori honoring the land, priests living in celibacy, and now a group of \u201chippies\u201d dancing naked among the trees, to celebrate life. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> On the estate all those layers from the past, present and future can be felt, they seem woven into the land itself. In the temple training these different traditions and insights are brought together in an almost artistic way. Everything is carefully designed, not only in theory, but also in how the land, the buildings, and the exercises are connected.<\/p>\n<\/div> At the heart of this system lies a large mandala on the land. This mandala combines astrology, esoteric symbolism, sacred geometry, and several other spiritual systems. Large stones are placed across the estate, each representing a point within the mandala. There are stones for the twelve zodiac signs, but also for planets, solstices, and other cosmic principles.<\/p>\n Each participant was assigned a zodiac sign. Not only to study it, but also to explore the opposite sign. This created a dynamic where we could observe how different qualities relate to each other, both within ourselves and within the group.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Every morning began with a meditation in the center of the mandala, at the so called Freedom Stone. Even that, however, unfolded in several layers. What you saw on the outside was only part of what was actually happening.<\/p>\n<\/div> We as participants formed the inner field, the Templars.<\/p>\n Around us was the outer field, a group of people who had completed the training before and were now energetically supporting us. They were present to carry the process and hold the space. They also took care of logistics, the maintenance of the estate, our meals, and many of the mystical and theatrical experiences.<\/p>\n Above that was the facilitation team, also called the temple holders. They meditated in exactly the same place as we did, but one floor higher in the building.<\/p>\n And above that was yet another layer, the dark triad. Three people who consciously maintained connection with the Dark, the source from which everything emerges.<\/p>\n While we meditated in the center of the mandala, all of these layers were active at the same time. It felt as if everything we were doing was supported by a complex yet beautifully tuned energetic field.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most impressive part is how carefully everything is designed. The longer you stay there, the more you begin to notice that truly everything has been thought through. And at the same time a large part remains mysterious. I have the feeling I may have seen half of it, and probably understood even less.<\/p>\n But that is exactly what makes it a real mystery school. Some things cannot be explained. They have to be experienced.<\/p>\n When you drive onto the Highden estate, the training actually begins before you even reach the house. The long driveway is marked by a series of stone gateways called the Gates. They look a bit like open fireplaces or portals, with words, symbols and images embedded in them. Each gate represents a chakra.<\/p>\n<\/div> So as you drive up the lane, you literally travel through the chakra system.<\/p>\n At each gate there is poetry that matches that particular chakra. If you walk past them consciously and take the time to read and feel, it becomes a kind of inner journey. Step by step you move through different layers of yourself, even before you reach the house.<\/p>\n At the beginning of the training I did not notice this immediately. But because I love walking, it helps me process things, I walked that driveway back and forth quite often. Eventually I walked it several times every day.<\/p>\n At some point I realized that by doing this I was walking through all the chakras every day, from Crown to Base, and then back up again.<\/p>\n And although every gate had its own meaning, I noticed that one of them touched me the most, the Base Gate.<\/p>\n The Base Chakra is about our most fundamental layer, survival. It is the place in us where the fear lives of not having enough, of not being safe, of not surviving. It is also the place from which many of our daily choices unconsciously arise.<\/p>\n But the message of the Base Gate was not that we should stay stuck there.<\/p>\n The invitation was to move from there.<\/p>\n Not from a constant focus on survival, but towards a place where your soul can truly land in your body.<\/p>\n When that happens, something fundamental shifts. You no longer live primarily from fear or control. You no longer need to constantly focus on survival. Space appears to truly be present in your body and in life itself.<\/p>\n I walked those gates three times every day. Sometimes consciously, sometimes simply because I enjoy walking. But every time it felt as if I was moving through an inner journey again.<\/p>\n From surviving to living. And somewhere along the way I began to understand that the entire driveway is actually a symbolic map of the path we all walk.<\/p>\n One thing that was completely new to me during the training was the idea that our consciousness has three layers.<\/p>\n The first layer is familiar to all of us, the personality. The second layer is the soul. But something in that explanation always felt incomplete to me. During the Highden training I heard, for the first time, about a third layer. So for me it now feels like this:<\/p>\n \u2022 Personality, the human story Whenever I touch that level, even briefly, I feel a deep calm and a deep knowing. During the training I began to look at my own spiritual strengths and weaknesses in a new way. The model of a quadrant of dark and light, masculine and feminine energies helped me see where certain qualities in me are strong and natural, and where other qualities still ask for attention. Often they were in completely different areas than I thought\u2026<\/p>\n Many spiritual and psychological traditions speak about two fundamental energies that exist within every human being: the masculine and the feminine. The masculine is often associated with direction, structure, and action. The feminine with feeling, receiving, and connection.<\/p>\n Both energies have a light side and a dark side, two different kinds of energy. Each quadrant has healthy qualities and \u201cShadow\u201d qualities. This refers to the parts that have become unconscious or can fall out of balance when a quality is suppressed or exaggerated.<\/p>\n When these energies are balanced, they complement each other. The masculine provides direction and focus. The feminine brings depth, connection, and creativity. But when one energy is suppressed or becomes dominant, it can appear in its shadow form.<\/p>\n For me, this framework became a mirror during the training.<\/p>\n<\/div>Mystery school?<\/b><\/h2>\n
The magic of Highden<\/b><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/span><\/div>The Journey from crown to base, and back again<\/b><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
\nSurvival mindset.
\nSurvival fears.
\nSurvival focus.<\/p>\n
\nFrom fear to presence.
\nFrom head to body.<\/p>\nThree layers<\/b><\/h2>\n
\nThis is our ego, our body, our emotions and thoughts. It is the part of us that lives here and now in the world.<\/p>\n
\nThe soul continues beyond a single lifetime. It moves through experiences, learning, evolving, and gradually bringing more love and awareness into the world.<\/p>\n
\nIf the soul naturally moves toward love and growth, where do the darker aspects of life come from? Why do people sometimes act destructively? Why do we all have shadow sides?<\/p>\n
\nIt is sometimes called the Dark, the Monad, the Void, or simply Life itself.
\nNot good or bad. Not beautiful or ugly. Just pure life force expressing itself in many forms, without judgment.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Soul, the evolution of consciousness
\n\u2022 The Dark or Monad, the source of life itself. To me it feels like raw, unfiltered truth.<\/p>\n
\nThe place everything comes from, where ultimately everything simply IS.<\/p>\nBalance and integration<\/b><\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/estherjacobs.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-17-at-12.19.47AM.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/estherjacobs.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/wedding-highden2-scaled.jpg\" "\\"wedding-highden2\\"")
<\/span><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/estherjacobs.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mandala.jpeg\" "\\"mandala\\"")
<\/span><\/div>