You live in paradise, everything is provided and all is perfect. The one instruction you have is not to eat the fruit of a tree in this realm, but you are given free choice. You have knowledge of true and false but value has not been introduced because everything is wonderful here. Your punishment is foretold to be death for eating the fruit, but the serpent says thats not true and furthermore that once eating it you will understand difference between right and wrong.
How would you know the serpent is lying in that state of innocence?
You were crafted by a god and given gifts to take into the world with you, but you carry with you an opaque jar you were instructed not to open and an inquisitive mind to wonder whats within. The world around you is paradise; everything is immortal, healthy and blissful.
What is the worst you can imagine to be within the container to keep you from opening it?
I’ve known that I harbor a distaste for some of the teachings from the various Children of Abraham sects. Top of the list is easily the belief that there is a single god and all others are false or the work of some demonic force. I’ve been trying to come up with a sound way to unite the ideas of god without creating factions but a major block lays in the prideful and jealous demands of Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah as asserted by Moses:
Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord [the only Lord]. (Amplified Bible)
Listen, Israel! The LORD our God is the only true God! (Contemporary English Version)
Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. (New Century Version)
Israel, listen to me. The Lord is our God. The Lord is the one and only God. (New International Reader’s Version)
- Deuteronomy 6:4 (translated most directly as “The LORD our God, the LORD is one;” or “The LORD our God is one LORD;” or “The LORD is our God, the LORD is one;” or “The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.”)
This idea is of course expanded upon in numerous places throughout the old and new testament. I’ve not read the Koran or Torah; my understanding is that the old testament contains a translation (influenced by translator) of the Torah and the Koran is built from the foundation of the Torah and Gospel scriptures among other volumes. Certainly even in the event this stance didn’t evolve from the same place, its clear that its still arose in many of the sub-sects (and though I’m not familiar with a Jewish tug to actively convert the world, I can’t say it doesn’t exist, but they don’t strike me as a source of major conflict outside Israel).
Ignoring the political complications this causes, it is equally disruptive to social and ethnological vibrance. There is no question to the vastness of the amount of charity that Americans give out in the name of religion, but much of it is only received if the person accepts a cultural aspect with it. Theres a company the gives away livestock to villagers in South America so that the family will be able to participate in the local economy. It promotes the idea of sharing with those less fortunate but does require women be trained in caring for the animals and considered an equal owner with her husband. Equality of genders is far from a deplorable notion to spread but its in a gray area because they refuse to aide those who would rather adhere to cultural tradition.
The problem is that it gets darker, its one thing if a missionary steps up to save someone from being stoned. I can understand a person feeling the urge that they have to do something, but if the offer of charity or wellbeing is only given to those who accept some larger message, I think theres a problem. India faces ravenous conversion battles from both Christian and Islamic missionaries, these groups enter villages with a good demeanor but once they obtain a majority of the populous they begin to demonize or torment those who remain Hindu [Church backs Terrorist Group(2000)]. Missionaries teach followers that these people are possessed, worshiping demons or otherwise unfit to be interacted with. Should a follower convert from one of the missionary groups to one of the other faith the price can be as high as death [Convert Death List from Islam(2006)]. Among poorer villages its not uncommon for missionary groups to offer money to those willing to convert; thats hard to resist if your struggling to afford to eat on a regular basis.
I’m not saying this is reflective of the religions themselves, but followers do need to stand up and notice what they are supporting before that charity money goes toward dividing a village. Hindu followers have also developed a militant side in response, so all three have disreputable groups working on their side, but I would lean towards the idea that Hinduism developed it out of self preservation[Islam the Victim]. It can’t be argued that scripture is any more than tolerant of other religions, but even if you could show that fundamental Christianity or Islam should be tolerant, most people aren’t operating at that level of awareness and wouldn’t accept the message.
If the goal is to spread the idea of peace and good will towards men, its better if you leave the LORD and his ego at home. Now its not to say the Children of Abraham can’t co-exist with others, but its more so a condition of others co-existing with the Children of Abraham. A number of cultures have adopted Christian doctrine into their own rituals or belief structure. Shamanism is a popular form of worship in South America and União do Vegetal has incorporated Christian imagery into their use of Ayahuasca. It was explained to me in Peru that though Christianity is gaining followers in the country the people still view shaman as a powerful force to cure or defend against witchcraft. Brahmoism is a mix of Hindu and Judeo-Islamic tradition. I applaud this blending of outlook and I’ve not heard of it resulting in people equally driven to convert others as those of the more central branches to the desert religions.
There is still a sad side to this blending, in accepting new parts of the picture we throw out older ones that are sometimes quite unique. Its particularly sad when an entire culture is converted, because a generation or two and its gone. Theres a video on YouTube from a TED convention in 2003, Its Wade Davis talking about the diminishing Ethnosphere. I really think it should be passed around (only 26k views)because other cultures are beautiful in their own ways and our willingness to to inflict our views upon them isn’t necessarily helpful to anyone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL7vK0pOvKI
Thats what hit me last night; we are destroying the diversity of the world with this ethnocentric agenda. I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around a way to unite all the religions under a core message when in reality every single message is wonderful in its own right (thus I shouldn’t demonize the Children of Abraham, but the thought is a habit not yet kicked). If I were to ask anything of anyone who reads this, accept people for who they are and aide them without pushing your views upon them. Love them like you imagine true love, that blissful ignorance of all your lover’s faults. At the end of the day we are all human and we shouldn’t seek to inflict our way of life on to others. Its a common pitfall to believe that which helped us will help everyone else with the same issue, I would instead urge you to trust in whatever guiding force you believe in to let those people find their message for themselves. Offer your words of hope, love and support, but never mistake one path as perfect for all.
Aristotle and Plato gave the world a philosophy that was held supreme and the philosophical sphere was stagnant for a millennium and a half. The Middle East was a source of literature and artistic development while Europe was in the Dark Ages and it came to a grinding halt when the religious leaders enforced a fundamentalist envisioning of Islam upon the people. You don’t have a culture when one viewpoint stands as the king of the hill, what you have is an rotting world.
What makes the world beautiful is the same thing that makes a fractal beautiful: the intertwining of chaos and order. So my question to is: Would you eat the fruit? Open the jar? Forget that the gods stacked the cards against you so that they could call it a punishment without guilt and choose for yourself, would you want recognize the beautiful picture or remain safe yet ignorant of your bliss?
I’d open the jar and eat the apple. I think we can support everyone and not need to agree on the metaphysical source of everything or even if it exists.
[Tangent thought: Every heathen book that contains a good messages is wrong because it doesn’t completely mesh with yours. Your instructed to love everyone, hate evil and not cause it. Perhaps the serpents true whisper has infected our minds every since Yahweh claimed he was god. Certainly it has been and continues to be a source for a lot of evil in the world. Is it really that impossible that your doctrine is tainted too?]
“Meaningful coincidences” is probably the quickest phrase to sum up the definition of Jung’s synchronicity. It can be disguised in subjects of fate, signs of guidance, divine intervention or superstition such as a stopped clock or gathering of crows near the recently deceased. Synchronicity has certainly been a subject of philosophical and theological debate longer than the term has been around, as it is strongly intertwined with superstitious beliefs.
Synchronicity. A term coined by Jung to designate the meaningful coincidence or equivalence: (a) of a psychic and a physical state or even which have no causal relationship to one another. Such synchronistic phenomena occur, for instance, when an inwardly perceived event (dream, vision, premonition, etc.) is seen to have a correspondence in external reality: the inner image of premonition has “come true.” (b) of similar or identical thoughts, dreams etc. occurring at the same time at different places. Neither the one nor the other coincidence can be explained by causality, but seem to be connected primarily with activated archetypal processes in the unconscious.
My stance on the subject has been one of equal awe at the apparent improbability of certain meaningful coincidences, but also that they remain simply coincidences and only gain meaning through hindsight. I don’t think it would be unfair to suppose that these connections are often: (a) the work of a person actively seeking them. Often times we are told by spiritual leaders to look for signs or messages to help guide us on a correct path or with a decision. (b) the result of circumstances which we’ve put ourselves into where we are likely to encounter something that will be meaningful to us. The examples of friends who attend festivals of a specific subculture and feel they are being guided go deeper when a subject comes up multiple times, or a blogger making spiritual posts and noticing theres in an increase in the number of people on spiritual paths speaking to her ( ). (c) A greater meaning found in hindsight. The human brain is applauded for its mysterious system of categorizing and associating new information with that of what we learned throughout our lifetime, the appearance of a synchronistic link could be little more than an abstract common point between thoughts during reflection or association.
When it comes to people actively seeking meaningful coincidences theres very little question that a person can become quite good at it in a relatively short period. I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets easier as a person gets older, though the ability to perceive patterns is in no way restricted to an older crowd. I’m not saying theres anything wrong with developing the awareness either; quite the contrary it can be a fantastic psychological buffer against troublesome experiences, but the coin flips and can also reinforce a pessimistic outlook in the wrong mentality. This sense is invariably ingrained in religious mythology as gods spirits or beings looking over man kind and bestowing boons or curses upon the unaware souls or champions of good or evil.
The most common of this form is the idea that everything happens for a reason. This version is a tad more tao than I think most people would like to admit; ultimately its a confession that both the joy and displeasure of life will befall a person and that even when there doesn’t appear to be a meaning now if you continue through it you might find one later. It manages to express the neutrality and passing nature of any experience, while encouraging a hopeful outlook for the future. It neither wallows in the past nor suggests of an unrealistic future.
The direction of a person’s resources and awareness to the present is helpful since it encourages a person to take control and put themselves into situations that will both fuel the belief and hopefully reinforce the notion of a positive force guiding them. There are any number of sources that encourage this belief on some level, the ideas of: fate, karma, guardian angels, spirit guides, luck, God’s love, the holy spirit, destiny, some thoughts on the subconscious or a higher consciousness.
There is a certain degree of initial belief involved though, for someone trying to develop a sense for meaningful coincidences they have to reach the conclusion that it is something more than random chance. It could take a while of playing is or isn’t it a sign before the ego has an accepting epiphany around the topic. Anthony Quinata writes pretty regularly on the subject of looking for and reading signs, but its more or less up to you to decide what cosmic force you want to believe is working for you.
While I do maintain that such events are just personally meaningful coincidences I can’t overlook the fact that people do find comfort in the idea that these events are something more. Certainly helping someone to come to a less troubled place is something I can support. I think looking for signs or deeper meaning proves its use when it helps a person reach the point were they start noticing them without looking. The person is aware of their surroundings and looking for confirmation of their actions. Somewhere between step one and two they started acting, no longer as held back by fear of failure or taking the wrong path as they were before they accepted the risk. The appearance of events a person is not looking for begin to appear because they’re now putting themselves out there to encounter them, the person is likely working towards something they want from their life or following a path of interest. John Wesley has an article titled Achieve Happiness by Creating a Life Lie founded on the same principal but obviously not appealing to a spiritual lean of most people interested in guidance.
This is where the Law of Attraction theories tend to exist, you’ve got a goal in mind and your working in its general direction. Sometimes it might present itself early or you might have to work to obtain it yourself, you feel this is how its meant to be either way so in neither case do you feel disappointed or let down. The logic is such that even in the case of a poor outcome your sense of wellbeing is resilient and you move on to the next topic or decide a new path. Ash has a good example of this never say die attitude, but it also highlights that these connections can work against you if you fall into a habit of reading them negatively (though she doesn’t on that post). The other point I’d make is that once you start paying attention for something, it becomes hard to ignore even when you stop looking.
I took health class during the summer before my senior year of high school so I’d have a study hall everyday. It was actually one of the best classes I ever took; I was one of two people from my school in the class and the teacher was from elsewhere as well. While meeting the state requirements Mr. Kruze taught a good deal from 7 Habits of Highly Effective Students and since then my brain highlights every time someone uses the phrases “Paradigm Shift” or “Outside my comfort zone.” I don’t believe its unreasonable to think that setting up this chain of association leads one to some of the superstition based in synchronicity such as bad luck from breaking mirrors or karmic retribution after laughing when you shouldn’t.
The final piece is full on hindsight. Once a person has accepted the potential of meaning in coincidences and found that risks are not always automatic failure; conscious and subconscious reflection gives an overwhelming sense of whole to the picture your creating. Sean Connelly has two posts related to the subject, one just after the subconscious association kicks the ego to think “Epiphany!” and another relating his acceptance of the view and attempt to explain it to others. I’m rather tempted to believe most shifts in thought occur this way. A person is constantly inundated with information in this world and most of the guidance is the same message in different forms, the trick is simply finding the version that makes the ego stand up and say “Its so clear now.”
This idea of “same point, different wording” is no doubt why I don’t care for religious doctrine claiming itself the only way (aside from my general agnostic stance that you can never really know whose right on the topic of divine beings). However, I do have to admit my style of supernatural contemplation is very synchronistic in a sense since it picks from many places and attempts to formulate a complete picture. This realization has only came to light since I began contemplating this post, so as of now it would appear the stance I maintain outwardly is muddy at best (and probably hypocritical at worst). To me spiritual philosophy is about finding those ideas which uplift but remain in a realm beyond knowing, things like if theres a higher power, life after death. When the subject relates to the waking world I’m much more for a message that holds everything in a balance of life and doesn’t exclude anyone at any point.
Saifuddin had a rather nicely put metaphor for my style of spirituality, equating it to a handful of pearls. I’d like to think I defended the validity of the style before his thoughts, but I can’t say I can defend it and adhere to a true skeptical stance of synchronicity. I’m influenced by The Perennial Philosophy, Illusions The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah and the work of Joseph Campbell; Campbell of course wrote on the central points of mythology, tying it in with the ideas put forth by Carl Jung and thus I come full circle.
We shall begin at the beginning of all creation,
with that which was and wasn’t;
All and nothing.
What do you call that which is and isn’t:
Both full and empty in one;
light and darkness?
We imagined a Lord who would solve the paradox,
through measure beyond the wisest mortal;
discriminating the infinite.
Division is balanced and creates many sides from one,
but we greet only the intended;
condemning the shadow.
We granted the Lord an Accuser to scrutinize ambiguity,
trying all for the Lord’s assessment;
judgment was challenged.
We blamed the Accuser for teaching us our biasses,
prophesizing of guidance to a redemption;
few truly sought.
The West taught truth in the separation they created,
Father Lord demanded worship and sacrificed;
one for all.
The Nomads and Natives found that all were one,
the Mother planet giving and taking;
life from death.
The East saw it’s peace in the immortal presence,
seeking to experience complete unity and;
cease contrasting creation.
I wrote this over a month ago with the intention of posting it to YouTube to try picking up a traffic spike and readership. Couple friends gave me some feedback but I wasn’t able to circulate it to get the amount of opinion I would have liked before revealing it. I also ran into multiple issues trying to film it, so that part of the plan is on hold for now.
I’m posting it because its been a few days since my last entry and I don’t feel I’m prepared for the entry I’d like to make on Epistemology. I might not make that entry before I finish reading Russell’s The History of Western Philosophy, but I’m confident I’ll find other topics in the intermittent period to write about.
I’d love feedback on the poem though, its not a literary tool I often play with. Please don’t use it elsewhere without my permission though.
My ideas on altered states should be pretty clear by now: most spiritual experiences happen in them and chemicals aren’t any less worthy of a spiritual title when used for this purpose. That said I have renewed an interest in trance as something I’d like to practice. I’ve played shallowly with meditation and lucid dreaming in the interest of having a out of body experience (OBE), but its been a few years since trying.
The small passage in Andean Awakening about approaching a sacred site and asking permission from a guardian spirit is likely the source of this renewal. The question of how one communicates with spirits is one I’ve thought about on and off over the years. Certainly a person probably doesn’t trance when performing the greeting to a guardian spirit, but Shamanism does seem to be intertwined with a trance state no matter how its brought on. Ayahuasca is primarily amazonian in origin, so its area of use is probably rather limited.
I’m looking into non-chemical ways of entering the trance state: music and dance are utilized but tends to be a multiple day rituals; meditation and breathing is popular in the east but not something I really have the patience for; Fasting and Dehydration are options but have obvious risks. In the spirit of the Icaros I’ve been trying out different mp3s, which tend to be a cycle of different tones specifically for the purpose of trance.
The idea like anything else is that the more you attempt and do it, the easier it gets. The shaman in Peru liked to point out that their master had gotten to a point where he didn’t even need to drink the tea to trance in ceremony and even a drop would inundate him with stimulus past comprehension. The idea was that the spirits work with you and never bring you to a point you can’t handle; it might be past what you think you can handle, but never impossible. The more you drink the closer to the chance of losing yourself in the chaos, but the amount is different for everyone and decreases as you drink it over time.
I compare it to the Buddha, once he reaches enlightenment beneath the tree he carries that ability where ever. The tree isn’t a specifically holy location, its just a way of viewing the world he discovered while under it. During Jill Taylor’s talk about her stroke she makes it sound as if she can now step into that beautiful oneness with a thought. Betty Edwards’ book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain seems grounded in the foundation of this ability to shift awareness. Edwards even recounts that while drawing she trails off in lecture till there is only the task before her pen.
So far with the trance music I’ve gotten that sensation that the room is spinning, a similar tingling to my previous experience with attempting to have an OBE and the first Ayahuasca Ceremony, and as if my body was asleep. All of these experiences come with an awareness in my mind of being awake but I’m not yet under control of bring on or affecting any of them.
There is a energy that goes by many names in the mythology of many places; Mana(Polynesian), Ki(Japanese), Qi(Chinese, Pronounced: Chi), Prana(Hindu), Ka(Egyptian). It is a somewhat divine property found in everything not unlike the Christian idea of the holy spirit, but sometimes it can be controlled and manipulated by a skilled practitioner of some art within the culture. This energy is often associated with mystical abilities; prophecy, healing, transmutation, and other supernatural abilities.
Interestingly Buddhism and Hinduism take a disinterested stance with cultivation of these mystical powers. Hindu mythology warns that as one progresses down the 8 fold path one or many of these siddhis (read: psychic powers) may begin to manifest but cultivation of the powers is simply a distraction from realizing full unity and getting past the illusion of our life. For the Buddhist perspective I quote part of Huxley’s The Perennial Philosophy:
A similar attitude is taken by the best Buddhist teachers, and in one of the Pali scriptures there is an anecdote recording the Buddha’s own characteristically dry comment on a prodigious feat of levitation performed by one of his disciples. “This,” he said, “will not conduce to the conversion of the unconverted, nor to the advantage of the converted.” Then he went back to talking about deliverance.
Spiritual tradition seems to have gone on far longer in the east, to the point that medical science integrates a belief in balancing this inner energy to prevent complications. The western view has for a longer time been playing catcher for problems well past their early stages, though the idea of prevention as the area to concentrate on is growing rapidly and has been for years. The eastern belief in healing energy work has be integrating itself into American and Western care for a few decades now, though western science still views it with a skeptical eye. Science has done little to quell the rising popularity of the idea, probably because western prayer has been obsessed with miraculous healing for so long and science can’t always explain rare recoveries away.
One does have to wonder just how many followers are involved with some children of Abraham sect simply for the hope of getting a prayer answered. Certainly the idea that a miracle is a distraction puts a damp cloth over most of the biblical reasons for Jesus’ source of authority. The bible does make a pretty good case for the only a single prayer being needed, which is a point the Kabbalah followers like to note. The only proper request of god being for the the fortitude to accept the path he has laid out before you.. never asking for it to be changed for yourself or others. I’ve been to a few baptist churches with my mother and each of them tends to ask for prayers of wellness and good fortune for those known among them.
Reading the new testament and my long time occult interests, I can’t help noticing a parallel that perhaps the entire faith healing business is a placebo effect. Jesus only ever heals or aides those with faith in him, or as I read it, those that truly believe brushing a hand across his cloths will heal them of their ills. I have for a while now wondered if attitude is the result of brain chemistry or if brain chemistry is the result of attitude, I generally lean towards the second one. If energy work is on a similar system, where what you believe is really far more effective than what your treatment is, theres not a whole lot you can do for patients outside their expectation.
Now I’m not someone to say skip the hospital and put your faith in god or yourself, but I do find the question interesting. A belief that your invulnerable is just as bad as terminally doomed. Stories of doctors saying we can’t do anything for you and people finding help with alternative sources are becoming cliche, but what is the difference between someone that keeps fighting and the one who fails to make it when they seem to have the same attitude? I think the question is very similar to the problem of faith, you can believe you believe something whole heartedly.. but when actually tested turns out you aren’t so positive. How does one determine where their biases really lay?
It also has ethical implications when it comes to the topic of lying to patients in hopes of a miraculous turn about. Recently I stumbled across an article(different article but the story is included) through yahoo that seems to be popular ammo for the debate. In 1957 there was a cancer patient in Long Beach, California who received a verdict of terminal cancer and begged to be let into an emerging study. They gave him the shot so he’d be quiet and had a rapid turn around.. each time doubt was cast upon the drug in question though he’d be back at death’s door. Ultimately he died when a report found the chemical to have no effect; this was a logical individual who seems to have been at the mercy of his diagnosis. There was a doctor who received a chest x-ray and told that he had a terminal growth in his lungs; he ended up dying and an x-ray from a number of years earlier was found with the same dark spot. Is belief at its deepest level really the determining factor between health, mysticism or peace?
We are told: we are all the children of god; we all have the holy spirit within us; we are all psychic already; Qi flows through everything; perchance we are really just part of the same illusion and people recognize some or all of these pieces as true and universal. Anyone can believe it, but is it the people who believe it so deeply to border on knowing that manipulate their reality?
Went to Barnes&Noble yesterday to finally pick up Bertrand Russell’s The History of Western Philosophy. I’ve intended to read it since finishing The Essential Jung but the copy at my public library is missing; so I ended up reading though some of the New Testament up to this point. I’ve only finished the introduction and first chapter and I love it already, the mix of history and emphasis on the evolution of thought is fantastic.
Recently there was television program on Star Wars and I recall someone saying that part of the beauty of the movie stems from Lucas’ portrayal of the eternal battle between democracy and tyranny. In Russell’s book he makes note of that oscillation and points out there is a similar shifting between prudence and passion in religion, and the ever on going battle between anarchy and order. For being page 24 I’m really looking forward to reading through the whole thing.
While looking around the bookstore yesterday I checked out Andean Awakening, a book I mentioned in talking about Aramu Muru’s Doorway. The First chapter is devoted to the Doorway and discusses the authors dream, the advice from a shaman to find the location in the waking world and his search. He makes a minor mention of how to approach the door, asking the guardian spirit for permission but I think I’ll have to look further into Shamanism to understand fully. It didn’t seem like a bad source for Incan Mythology and a basic guide to other sites in Peru but I was only looking for info on the doorway so I didn’t buy it. I did have a dream last night about being in a group of people traveling, one of the stops was supposed to be Cusco, and another Ireland. I’m not sure what lead to it, the Peruvian sites probably looking at the book, but Ireland seems random. I don’t really remember much specifically but if its someplace I need to go I’m sure my subconscious will assault me till its message clear.
I also wandered a bit through the Christian section rather quickly and was caught by the title, Why Can’t We Be Good. I didn’t think much about it at the time and kept going after a smirk to myself. Browsing new WordPress posts last night though I came across a post of the same title, by the user-name adreampuppet (the blog title is Antisniveler on my blogroll), with a 60 minute video. I recognized the author from other posts as not catering to a set religion and decided to watch through it. The video is of Jacob Needleman, the author of the book, giving a talk for Google on philosophical matters. Its definitely worth a watch if you wonder as I have been how to get closer to being your ideal self.
I’ve been rather taken today by an interest in magnetic attraction. It’s crossed my mind before but I spent most of today trying to figure out the mathematics involved. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear to be a simple insert number here formula.
Theres a magnetic motor invented by a guy named Henry Sprain. It uses an electromagnet to get over the hump that most motors encounter with the same permanent magnet spiral setup. I wonder if its possible to do it without the electromagnet using a triangular spinning piece. It requires that at all times the pull on two of the angles equal the pull on the third. It would rotate then based on the attempted to center itself with the increasing force. The reset is achieved by the two legs overcoming forces on the third and the third becoming the new first.
Even with the magnets as a constant though the equation to figure out distance for the curve of magnets around the triangle is pretty complicated. You effectively want the force pulling the magnet (Force = Pull-Drag) along to be equal to the energy required for moving whatever you have the motor attached to. If the shifting of the third angle becoming the first takes too long it slows down, but if it is left free too long the other two angles might cause a speed increase. However this is all theoretical since the calculations are above my head at this point.
I wonder if Charles Augustin Coulomb’s equation for force (F=[Pole1*Pole2] / Distance^2) is specific enough to function, or I’d need to use a more complex calculation to really get it working.
Theres a video floating around from a recent TED convention, of the neuroscientist Jill Boyle Taylor discussing her experience of having a stroke. (The TED site and video player don’t seem to function reliably, so I’m linking to youtube’s version) She goes on a bit about her work and why shes in it, then goes into her feelings and thoughts as she was having a stroke, making some spiritual parallels along the way. I sent it to a few people after i first managed to read the transcript, and received replies along the lines of it being found as moving, profound, and powerful.
I myself don’t see it as anything new to learn, but then i walk the line between skeptic and spiritual so perhaps most people just don’t know the science behind most religious experiences. Certainly I found it interesting for the way she describes feelings and thoughts as the left side of her brain shut down and felt familiar with some of the sensation from taking Ayahuasca; but it wasn’t really paradigm shifting information to me.
I went into the reality of experience a bit on my Spiritual, but not Religious post, redirecting people to a video of Penn & Teller’s Bullshit on Near Death Experiences. When you look at the history of experiences or events it starts to become clearer that there could be a chemical explanation. The Penn & Teller video explains how people with a lack of blood to the brain can have special experiences. Theres a theory that some Witch Hunts had to do with a contaminated crop of rye, the disease ergot that forms upon rye is the substance which LSD was originally extracted from. Advanced meditation can reduce breathing to a few times per minute obviously reducing oxygen flow to the brain and possibly triggering sensation or hallucination. The festival of Lent which is primarily celebrated with fasting would have taken place after a winter of poor diet but as work begins to pick up. You’d have under nourished people expending a lot of energy attending ceremonies and celebrations. You’ve got tales of prophets who would enter trance in rooms poisoned with subterranean gases. Even sleep deprivation has been used as a means to spiritual connection.
Its certainly not that I don’t see a use for such things, I just agree with the skeptical stand that it has no bearing upon the existence of an afterlife, god, angels or demons, and all of these processes are of no more or less value than other processes such as chemicals used for a spiritual purpose. Magnetic fields can even have a bearing upon our susceptibility to subjective experiences. Theres a place in Canada doing research on magnetic potential as a cause; I would doubt it taking long for a lower dose of electromagnetic flux to be found equally effective when combined with stimulation of another sense.
The problem of spiritual experiences is two fold: we do not know the physical and mental conditions of the people who are the source of mythology and what state they were in when experiencing the divine or hellish; and we do not understand all the factors that contribute to someone having a special experience though we can point to certain things as increasing the odds. The question is if the Edan you visit while in the back of an ambulance is on another place or just a really strong dream. The information we have access to dictates we assume its a construct of the mind; but that doesn’t mean its not worth the visit.
Its a fairly basic idea in any theory of expanding consciousness, that we project ourselves upon the world around us. Its an area I’m currently trying to gain a better grasp of. I can revel in inflicting physical and verbal abuse to another as much as the next guy. I have long placed value in my intelligence and thought myself better than anyone I didn’t deem of a certain worth. However I too am troubled by this aspect, I can be the one verbally stabbing someone, but most often I just twist the blade someone else has left.
I can see myself considering the entire act some sort of art, if you plan to attack make it good enough so you don’t require a second. I enjoy my wit as do others, and its potentially far greater than I’ve allowed it to be. I’ve verbally pummeled others which coming from my style usually amounts to overkill. Rarely would I regret it either. Certainly I’ve used it to counter for others but even then its still an attack.
We have an interesting standard for offense and defense, the defenders are hero’s while the aggressor is the villain. Any war requires opponents from both sides acting in both styles. I can understand the logic behind an attack, it tends to be far easier and more often clearly decisive than debate. The question becomes if I’m getting ahead of myself by expecting to awaken to a preference of explaining and negotiation by chastising every “lesser” act.
It doesn’t strike me as the way to go though; seems like a route to a growing stagnant pool of guilt. I do feel a bit zealous about being able to admit that I’m capable of dark things; somehow better than those who blame devils and demons for their temptation and actions. Interestingly though its rather at odds with the way of the shaman I met.
Hamilton described the belief that pain, doubt, suffering were the work of dark spirits and the Ayahuasca would help to cleanse them. Its not that the spirits were bad in the Christian sense, but without them we would only experience one side of reality. He also claimed they needed us to be experience being, thus it was some sort of symbiotic relationship with our higher selves. The idea was very tao in a way.
Operating without judgment or preference is the goal, but getting there is quite the trip. Especially when its said one should ‘enjoy the journey’.
Jung thought that people had many fractions of themselves and the journey to self awareness is the process of combining all those shards back into a balanced one. If I were to split my mentality in two I would feel quite at home with the idea; I have felt split along a debate of the physical and metaphysical realities. I’d long considered myself an non-theist, but I have always had too much of an interest in the paranormal to consider myself a true skeptic on spiritual matters. I love a good Richard Dawkins Lecture, but part of me wants to take the million dollar prize from the James Randi Educational Foundation.
I don’t really want the money, I just want to demonstrate an impossible ability beyond their doubt and do what I can to help them figure out how it works. When you think about it in the context of enlightenment though its an earthly desire and in someways a direct obstacle to reaching a point to developing an ability. Cultivating the abilities themselves are also a distraction from recognizing the illusion of reality; you know, assuming they do actual exist.
I’ve certainly been on a more spiritual path as of late but I’m constantly jabbing at it with my skeptical side the whole way. Peru was a wonderful experience, Jung’s thoughts on the subconscious reinforce the value of having changed myself in an altered state, but its no parting of the clouds when you can write it off as a little bit of tea. I’d imagine that is the entire point of my occult interests; confirmation that there is something more than a physical reality as we understand it.
I read tons of information but I do tend not to practice it. I have started trying to remain thoughtless before going to sleep at night but thats one complicated meditation for someone like me. I’d love to apprentice under someone who can do wondrous things, but most teachers I come across offer lectures or workshops with no guarantee that you’ll learn what they are teaching.
I know I’m capable of whatever I set my mind to, but I want a guide. It might be a personal fear of leadership, but I do want to play an important roll without being the leader. I can play leader, but I rather be the silent member of a counsel who is highly valued when he does speak. I think that the end it all comes down to that line between knowing something is real and having faith that it is. A teacher can show you what is possible, but you yourself have to figure out how you can accomplish it. When it comes to the metaphysical most of us need to be shown, before we can get past the doubt enough to believe.
Maybe I’m wrong on that, and its a road block I’ve set up for myself. Maybe the want of guidance is just me looking for an easy out.
). (c) A greater meaning found in hindsight. The human brain is applauded for its mysterious system of categorizing and associating new information with that of what we learned throughout our lifetime, the appearance of a synchronistic link could be little more than an abstract common point between thoughts during reflection or association.
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