What Is the Difference Between Mediated and Immediate Perception on the Path of Divine Oneness?

The key insight is this: everyone moves from immediate awareness to mediated awareness. But the immediate awareness we loosely call “awareness” is not awareness in the ordinary sense; it transcends awareness. This state does not need to be understood—in a sense, everyone already abides in it. This secret is contained in the supplication for the عصر ظهور!

اللَّهُمَّ عَرِّفْنِي نَفْسَكَ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ لَمْ تُعَرِّفْنِي نَفْسَكَ لَمْ أَعْرِفْ نَبِيَّكَ اللَّهُمَّ عَرِّفْنِي رَسُولَكَ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ لَمْ تُعَرِّفْنِي رَسُولَكَ لَمْ أَعْرِفْ حُجَّتَكَ اللَّهُمَّ عَرِّفْنِي حُجَّتَكَ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ لَمْ تُعَرِّفْنِي حُجَّتَكَ ضَلَلْتُ عَنْ دِينِي‏
“O God, make Yourself known to me, for if You do not make Yourself known to me, I will not know Your Prophet.
O God, make Your Messenger known to me, for if You do not make Your Messenger known to me, I will not know Your proof.
O God, make Your proof known to me, for if You do not make Your proof known to me, I will go astray from my religion.”

“Make Yourself known to me” is a plea for immediate knowledge, while “make Your Prophet and Your proof known to me” is a plea for knowledge of the mediating figures—even though they, too, are reached through immediacy.