A Shift in Perception

blindfold363Living through Experience

We live through experience. Life in its totality of both known and unknown, physical and astral realms – contains the whole potential of experience. We are able to have a vast array of experiences, but we can only know what we can actually perceive. In a state of waking consciousness currently considered to be the standard, we are only conscious of a very specific fragment of experience which is the part we can actually pay attention to. There is an incredible quantity of information presented to us at any given moment, but we actively process and thus experience only a tiny fraction of it. Photography as an analogy to vision provides us with a clear example of this phenomenon. When taking a photograph, we are usually consciously aware of a just one specific symbol of interest such as a sunset. Upon inspecting the picture more closely afterwards, we might find other elements we hadn’t noticed before. The sunset will still show on the picture, but we might now become aware of the sun’s colourful beauty, the curious arrangement of clouds in the sky or even some dust on the lens, occluding the image.

In a way, our experiences may be likened to a series of such images – a motion picture which constitutes the movie of our live. To the extent that we become aware of the fact that we are its director, we may change the movie’s content at any given time. We may not only influence the current frame, but we may even choose the present to be our past through the imaginative act of remembering. Through this method, we can try to inspect an image of our experience more closely, but this usually comes at the expense of missing the picture of the present moment entirely. So we find ourselves to be ignorant to many aspects of experience. On one hand, this allows us to focus on specific perceptions. Yet on the other hand, it means that there is a lot to be discovered. A lack of self-reflection to de-construct social conditioning or even wilful denial causes a considerable portion of these experiential frames to become tainted, blurry or even completely blacked out. Unpleasant experiences and difficult emotions often fragment our experience, putting it out of context. So we find that the so-called normal state of mind allows us to process just a tiny sample of an already disjointed reality. It’s like watching an old black-white movie – but without being able to read the subtitles. Knowing about colour, high-definition images and surround sound: Obviously, we are missing out! [ 1] There is an immense beauty and depth of potential experience in life even I can fathom, so I feel compelled to share my observations on states of expanded perception as well as my own experiences. Ultimately, I contend that both a more detailed and more comprehensive view of reality can be attained through an exalted state of consciousness. [ 2]


Gateways to Expansion – Psychoactive Substances

cough363How could I even enter expanded states of consciousness? There are many roads which ultimately lead to such expansion. There are countless steps along the way – and enjoying the eternal trip is part of the experience. Just like we are all unique individuals, we all have to follow our own paths. If it is our will, then we will find myriad possibilities to attain a more comprehensive perception and understanding. For me, it is a combination of several elements: critical self-reflection – meditative practice, in-depth research, profound relations with others for feedback, meticulous note-taking and the occasional use of mind-altering substances. Overall, I would say that success in my endeavour is brought about by the application of directed willpower to discover the truth whilst striving to maintain a non-judgemental, non-dogmatic approach. Since it illustrates this type of approach so well, I will briefly elaborate on the mind-altering substance I was referring to, namely marijuana and its psychoactive compound THC. Now, many people conditioned by the media mainstream wouldn’t mind if I was occasionally binge drinking on alcohol, although such practice is severely damaging the body. They probably wouldn’t even know that opiates – the psychoactive compound of heroin – is found in seemingly innocuous products such as milk and bread. And who doesn’t drink coffee or black tea, enjoying the temporary alertness through caffeine? Ginger ale or white bread wouldn’t raise an eyebrow – even though the sugar content sends the heart-rate through the roof. It’s time to face the reality that many substances we consume, independent of whether we designate them as food, have a mind-altering effect. However, we quickly think of people who use illegal drugs to be endangering others and themselves. But we are not even investigating whether there is an actual threat, nor reflecting on our own consumption habits which may endanger ourselves. Furthermore, the question about who – and in what state of consciousness – imposes such regulations is not being asked.

In summary, it may be said that only those drugs which further limit and narrow-down the scope of consciousness to process information are allowed and in widespread use: sugar, caffeine, alcohol. Illegal drugs are those which enable an expanded state of consciousness and therefore allow for radically different experiences such as marijuana, ayahuasca or salvia divionorum. What Graham Hancock calls a War on Consciousness is simply an effort to repress the expansion of consciousness. Sadly, this is usually furthered by those who are afraid of what might lie beyond their tightly-knit reality frames. Within the attempt to instil fear of expanded consciousness, mainstream media also tries to pre-frame potential experiences with mind-expanding substances. Marijuana is especially relevant in this regard, since it is potentially one of the most widely-distributed psychoactive substances on the planet. For most, it is the one and only so-called illegal drug being used on a recreational basis – although abuse is possible as with every substance. Personal experience and scientific studies confirm that the individual stance and social setting are heavily influencing the effects experienced by THC. [ 3] Pre-constructing the reality frame, mainstream media either depicts the experience as horrible or talks about people who display asocial behaviour in addition to abusing the substance. Creativity, insight, empathy and joy – which are among the usual results of smoking marijuana – are rarely even mentioned. A closer look reveals that natural, unaltered plant-based psychoactive substances can rarely cause severe harm, whereas the misery and death brought about by the compounded use of many legal drugs is tremendous. However, as shown by various researchers, the world economy practically depends on illegal drug trafficking and abuse. In conjunction with unfair trials and dubious accounting practices, this serves to uphold the fiction of economic growth. The drug policy adopted by most nations has a most negative effect on people’s actual health and well-being while furthering political and economic corruption. [ 4] I can assert that the effects of marijuana differ widely depending on the individual’s openness his perceived sense of safety. For me personally, its use offered me breakthrough experiences and enabled profound insight. I would liken it to switching from walking to riding a high-speed train. However, the scenery unfolding before you still depends on the direction determined by your attitude and willpower. Now, I am able to approximate this expansion of consciousness through focused meditation. I will elaborate on my experiences in the latter part of this text, after unveiling further barriers brought about by mainstream beliefs.

 

Belief before Experience

wall363It is crucial to understand that before I can even begin to write about my experiences in expanded states of consciousness, I first have to believe that they actually took place! In other words, I need to trust my own senses and accept my perceptions, even if the information they present is out of the ordinary. As an altered consciousness is an altered perception, only an open mind can venture into these realms. Only because I acknowledge my perception as truthful reality am I able to become a witness. The greatest minds of science have always acknowledged the subjectivity of experience and the co-creation of reality. Unfortunately, the materialist viewpoint in the scientific establishment perpetuated through the media is still dominating public opinion. It is being supported by fear-driven and profit-seeking motives of major industries, having a lot to gain from a narrowed-down consciousness unable to look through their empty promises. Believing one’s own eyes has become a rare trait. Rather, many choose to repeat what they are being told without considering differing viewpoints or thinking outside of the box to form their own opinion. There are authorities for practically every domain of experience: scientists and experts for reasoning, books for knowledge, doctors for health, laws and religious ethics for acceptable behaviour – and then there’s your boss or social welfare case manager to tell you what you should be doing with over a third of your day! Opposing viewpoints and dialectic methods are being used to steer the opinion of the masses through mainstream media with newspapers, radio, TV and internet. So we are lost in the confusion of trying to figure out which opinion leader we want to follow. Meanwhile, we fail to recognise that any and all of this information is unverified. No matter how often we hear about the corruption of corporations and governments and the manipulation of media reports, many still implicitly assume they are being told what actually happened. But how often did you verify a news report with your own eyes and critical reasoning? An even worse situation is if a person has become disinterested in even knowing the truth altogether, which I will elaborate on further below.

Second-hand information from all these self-proclaimed authorities is thus quietly accepted to be of first-grade quality. The report – a frame of experience – sent by another individual is accepted as your own truth. Yet any report can only present a particular viewpoint, or it may be fabricated altogether. So is such unquestioned acceptance of – and even obedience to – so-called authoritative sources and reports really in your interest? Whom do you allow to construct your reality for you? It’s wise to remember that everything you are told by another – including the lines you read here – can only be second-hand information and should be treated as such. Nothing beats your own set of eyes and conscious deliberation in determining your truth and reality. Whatever is not verified by yourself through sense and reasoning isn’t knowledge, but nothing more than blind belief! [ 5] One should be especially wary if the source of the information can’t be properly verified and independently questioned. How often do news reports properly cite their sources so an investigative mind may follow up on them? If a friend tells a lie and you find out, then you can hold him accountable. But for seemingly all-important world-news, the globalized media networks are blindly relying on a select few sources. Understanding the power structure within society, how do you think they are decided upon? [ 6] The anonymous, disembodied message is solemnly repeated by the presenter in a stern voice so as to invoke the illusion of authority. Did he do the research himself and verify the claims – or is he just reading off whatever shows up on the teleprompter? Still, the newscast is regarded by most as one of the most ultimate sources of true information. In actuality, the public ascribes to these illusive figures an authority similar to what maybe the elders of a tribe might deserve, who actually did spend their entire life on discovering and preserving knowledge. Within the media circus, information is being forwarded so many times that no-one is held accountable for its accuracy and independent verification. An experience as a friend would share it with you – which would naturally include his emotions through gestures and expressions – is watered down to a few lines of objectified, meaningless text. Our acculturation to modern forms of interactive media through the internet is a two-edged sword in this regard. For the critical and careful researcher, it allows for some diversity of opinion and the viewpoints outside of the mainstream. [ 7] But it also further ingrains the notion that whatever shows up on the electronic display is the truth. Again, we are dealing with second-hand information and just one particular point of view. We know how easy it is to write a misleading testimony and everyone is astounded by the virtual realities hollywood presents us with through series and movies. Nowadays, even politicians and news channel practically boast how easy it has become to create a false impression through a picture or a movie. [ 8] Still, many continue to believe in what is put in front of them, lulled into baseless assertions coming from the very authorities whose professional survival depends on the ignorance of their believers. [ 9]

 

The Materialist Sect – Fear and Dogmatism

I have a special relation with materialism. As my ruminations on the world where initially based on the materialistic aspects of systems theory, I value these viewpoints. However, it seems as a group of people self-identifying as sceptics has taken a more prominent position in public perception of science than they would deserve. Outwardly, they present themselves as protectors of sound science by unveiling shady and potentially harmful practices of charlatans and gurus. Upon closer inspection, they demonize everything which doesn’t fit within their narrow frame of Newtonian science. However, this concept of science which has been integrated into a more comprehensive understanding over a hundred years ago – by the most excellent physicists and researchers of the time. The viewpoint espoused by these self-proclaimed sceptics is indeed to be sceptical of everything – besides authoritative sources and their own scepticism, of course! The result is a self-imposed limitation of consciousness. Authoritative sources are considered to be those with the most prestige, which therefore also have the funding to attain and maintain such public standing. Anybody familiar with the economic structure recognises that these are the institutes of the elite, who are interested in everything but public well-being. [ 10] Most interestingly, the same principle applies at the world-famous Wikipedia, the collaborative online encyclopedia. Independent research and verification is forbidden, while only authoritative sources are accepted as proof. It is thus no surprise to find this narrow world-view among many of its editors, which is then often passively accepted and assimilated by the masses into the mainstream! The sceptic’s inability to self-reflect on his own scepticism technically means that nothing could ever accepted as truth. In reality, it results in a stance which promotes the interests of the power elite while denying all phenomena outside of its comfort zone. In such a closed mind, an expansion of consciousness is hardly possible. [ 11]

Unfortunately, there are also general problems with large parts of the modern scientific establishment. In order to be accepted for review, scientific studies must follow certain methodologies. These methods might, by their very nature of being a particular way of finding out about the world, already severely limit the scope of reality which may be reported. Social psychology serves here as a positive example. A clinical approach requires testing and verifiability, often heavily relying on quantitative measurements up to methodological perversions such as psychometrics. On the other hand, phenomenology allows subjective accounts to be taken as-is, the goal being to understand individual perceptions and first-hand experiences supported by qualitative information. This diversity of accepted methods isn’t found in all scientific disciplines. Furthermore, institutionalized research on seemingly independent universities or hospitals is often bound to industry funding. While the psycho-social ward of a hospital might be happy to have a full compliment of beds, the ward employing a drug-driven approach is heavily subsidised by pharmaceutical companies and can thus benefit from the most advanced tools. It doesn’t get researched if there’s no profit to be made – this notion holds true in much of mainstream peer-reviewed journals, which then get cited and proclaimed by mass media outlets, cunningly shaping public opinion. As biologist Bruce Lipton points out – scientists don’t steer away too much from what is regarded as scientifically acceptable opinion. Promoting an alternative viewpoint would quickly ostracise them from the elitist in-group with access to peer-review – and publicity or funding can hardly be attained without them. [ 12] Still, true scientific and social breakthroughs can only come from the fringe, where new ideas are being tested, far removed from the centres of power and prestige. All these issues culminate in the impression of a society largely composed of members adherent to the materialist sect. Factoring in the distortive effect of publicised opinion through mass media, I don’t even think this image holds true. Still, we find ourselves in a situation whereas the majority of the population beliefs to know about the truth as it was reported to them by others. All the while, they neglect to see the reality in front of their own eyes!

 

The Greatest Trick

red-363All to often, those who know about the limitations of the materialist view fall into another trap. Any diligent student of systems theory, quantum theory or the occult sciences today knows we eternally co-create reality through will. The constant adaptation of personal belief systems and their corresponding action patterns allows a common reality to emerge within society. Only because most people believe in the legal system and behave according to these regulations can law actually have any relevance. Only the belief in the value of money allows the current economic system to emerge and function. Following this reasoning: Any thought, action and even physical object can only exist because mental energy through consciousness is brought in to fuel it. Only those things we pay attention to can become reality. I regard this notion to be true for the most part. However, it raises perhaps the most important question: Is everything a matter of belief or is there any actual, objective reality? Is everything relative and solely a matter of individual perception – or is there an absolute, universal truth? If everything was relative, this would mean that everything is in relation with and dependent upon everything else. This assumes that there is nothing absolute, meaning there is no truth shining for itself uninfluenced and thus in-dependent of other factors. As Armin Risi conclusively reasons, the very word “everything” already is an absolute statement. Therefore, every all-encompassing statement is already an absolute statement. So we shouldn’t debate about whether there is an absolute reality, but rather find out what it is. [ 13]

Why are there so many fatalists, nihilists, cynics and the like claiming that there is no ultimate truth to be discovered? To quote protagonist Verbal from The Usual Suspects: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled… was to make the world believe he didn’t exist.” I contend that the greatest trick the liars ever pulled… was to make the world believe there was no truth. And as long as you believe this, those who know better can keep playing you for a fool. [ 14] Your questioning thus shouldn’t be concerned about whether there is a truth to know, but rather whether you are willing to search for it. The flaming desire to know reality for what it is makes all the difference in this quest for the truth – for without it there is no quest to begin with! And even if the logic isn’t that convincing to you: Would you simply accept ignorance or rather live to discover the truth, no matter how little you believe in its existence? Every teaching of the truth including religious and spiritual doctrine has a garment – an outer, exoteric and material part for everyone to see and read. The thirst for knowledge required to delve deeper into the mystery is illustrated by a story about an eager student of Socrates asking him how to acquire wisdom. Stepping into a river, Socrates holds him underwater for several minutes. Finally allowed to emerge and breathe, the student asks Socrates why he nearly drowned him. Socrates replies: “When your desire for wisdom is as great as your desire to breathe, then you will find wisdom.“ Only such a powerful passion for truth – wanting to know as if your life depended on it – will allow you to pierce the veil and uncover the hidden, esoteric truths within any doctrine. Out of personal experience, I can assure you that the truth is literally in front of your eyes at any given moment. Why can so few people even begin to see it? M.P. Hall, paraphrasing Eliphas Levi’s Sepher ha Zohar explains that „(…)none can gain entrance to the secret House of Wisdom unless he wear the voluminous cape of Apollonius of Tyana and carry in his hand the lamp of Hermes. The cape signifies the qualities of self-possession and self-reliance which must envelope the seeker as a cloak of strength, while the ever-burning lamp of the sage represents the illumined mind and perfectly balanced intellect without which the mystery of the ages can never be solved.“ [ 15] Assuming you are well equipped, let me share my experiences with you…

 

Seeing is Believing – Mediated Reality

ceiling363Have you ever had a blackout or nearly fainted? Some time ago, I had been visiting friends and wasn’t too moderate as I smoked a joint. As I don’t smoke regularly, the fumes of tobacco greatly effect me. Nicotine in combination with sub-optimal oxygen supply can exhaust my body, forcing me to lie down. As I was fully aware of my situation and consciously observing my state, I decided to leave anyhow as it was getting late and I was curious to see what might happen. As soon as I was in the hallway, I had to give in and lie down on the floor. I think it is reasonable to liken the body to a receiver a consciousness – and at that moment my body was in no state to receive much of it! My bodily awareness narrowed down to a point that the only sense I could access was vision. Looking up at the hallway ceiling, I could barely make out its contours within the pitch-black darkness of the night. Observing the situation, it was truly marvellous. I wasn’t aware of any sound, didn’t feel my body and had no sense of position. I neither knew in what position my body was, where I was nor that three-dimensional space even existed. I forgot space! For a moment, I lost all knowledge – of books, of plans, of worries, of friends. Nothing was accessible to my mind. Having had similar experiences already as I will outline below, I wasn’t afraid at all. I didn’t know who I was, having lost all knowledge of the social persona accumulated within my worldly life. The illusion of ego was shattered as the ego simply wasn’t available. “For the moment that interfering neurotic who, in waking hours, tries to run the show, was blessedly out of the way.” – as Aldous Huxley wrote in Doors of Perception. I didn’t even see the ceiling – a symbolic representation – as I had no reference for my perception. If you don’t know what a ceiling is, how should you know to interpret some barely visible contours? Yet these were all there was to my experience at that point – almost. There was also something else: Me. And I was aware of the eternity of creation – and my own immortality contained within. Again, it dawned on me that this is the truth. Calmed by this awareness, I paid careful attention as my bodily systems started to re-engage. I heard the voices of my friends fade in. This caused my sense of spatial awareness to slowly emerge as the auditory signals created a map of my surroundings. These sounds made me aware that I was within space-time, inside a building with my friends just behind the next door. Listening to the voices, I could now guess their relative positions within the flat and started to wonder whether I should knock and go back inside. Not wanting to disturb them but mostly being curious to have the experience, I went home and arrived just fine, already starting to take notes of my perceptions along the way. Aside from cautioning you to be very careful with the use of any substance, this story should illustrate a much more profound issue: We live in a mediated reality. Every perception depends upon your interpretation, which is determined by the reference frames you use. Change the perspective and you change the experience. Can you look at your hands like I looked at that ceiling? What do you see?

 

Symbolic Representations

herbert-bayer-diagram-of-extended-vision-in-exhibition-presentation-1930-363Most likely, looking at your hands – you will see… your hands. Well, maybe even nails, fingers, skin and hair. Can you make these labels explicit and recognise them as such? As you look around, can you actually see the immediate layer of pixels and colours? Only through your references can they be transformed to shapes and objects, interpreted according to your belief system. Being conditioned within society, it is virtually impossible for most people to become aware of the various interpretative layers between themselves and their observation. As I have dedicated myself to this process, I am able to become conscious of some of these layers in normal consciousness as well. I see them easiest when thinking or talking with other people. When trying to figure something out, I can practically see the topics and relationships unfolding in front of my mind’s eye. Within an expanded state, It becomes easier to visualise the stories I am being told by friends and become consciously aware of their particular communication playing in front of me like a projection. Also, my empathy is increased to the point that I can sense other’s feelings or feel completely embodied within the character of a movie. It also allows me to visualize my planning process, mapping decision-trees and flipping through frames of potential scenarios. The awareness of being the creator of my own future emerges, as I can freely choose to change course at any juncture – or choose another journey altogether by taking a different action right now. It is important to realise that within the time-delayed material world, these astral projections don’t manifest on the physical plane right away. The masses are kept in a state of perpetual fear as the most horrendous, yet practically impossible, scenarios are continually broadcast through the media. It is possible to become witness to a horrible event such as a murder, but one is also theoretically prone to spontaneous combustion. It is important to distinguish between manufactured and actual threats. It’s pointless to continually worry about the most unlikely scenarios and re-frighten yourself only because they are perpetually repeated by the media. Self-induced fear is the only method to control the masses. A mind can only hold itself. [ 16] Once we become aware of the free will to decide upon any fork in the path or even create our own leading right through that signpost in front of us, such fear-based futures must reasonably be dismissed as irrelevant. The excessive contemplation of these scenarios even fuels them with consciousness and would thus make them more likely to happen. This is another reason why popular movies are often seemingly predicting future events – the conscious energy we invest facilitates them.

Looking at people, I see the list of attributes I ascribe to them such as age, gender or traits. As they talk, I see the words they utter written out in front of their heads and symbolical representations of the concepts they use. Especially in altered states of consciousness, I am starting to see implicit assumptions, specific prejudices, beliefs and lines of reasoning floating in front of them, limiting their field of vision. This decreases their ability to en-vision possibilities and thus their capacity to act freely! In every-day language, it is said that some people are narrow-minded and don’t see reality for what it is because of all their preconceptions. Well, I literally see what is blocking their vision, some people carrying such a complex construct in front of them that it completely distorts their whole perception. The idea I had only known as a word before becomes explicit within my field of vision – which is probably where such expressions came from in the first place. These mental models are also how friends can look like angels and scapegoats like the devil himself. Seen from this viewpoint, many mythological accounts suddenly aren’t so allegorically non-specific any more. As acknowledged in dream interpretation, dungeons and dragons are simply the closest physical representation to hidden depths and unknown fears. [ 17] While we usually think about these attributions in a literal, written sense like the word “demon”, the corresponding image is also often superimposed when we visually see that person. There’s a reason why whole industries are dedicated to maintaining so-called public images, which are nothing more than perceptual illusions. Those thoroughly conditioned by society are prone to buy into them, having many layers of distortion and confusion between themselves and actual reality. [ 18]

I also more easily notice if other people are distracted, since I am increasingly aware of my own internal world of thought and feeling. Then again, I am surprised how far I can drift away and my conversation partner doesn’t seem to notice, potentially being too self-absorbed. Many computer games and modern desktops offer a good analogy to the way our sense of awareness might work, simply because they naturally have to be an approximation of it. The health-bar in the first-person shooter game, the mini-map in the strategy game, the GPS in the racing game and the weather-applet on the smartphone are all external representations of senses available to us. As we learn to attune these perceptions, we can feel our joints and blood vessels, we see the map of our physical location, the arrows leading to the desired location or the felt environmental temperature and humidity. I would love to collect more versions of the various representations – which are just like these computer-based widgets. People are using them to organise themselves in space, time and relation to thoughts, emotions and other people. What does your mind’s calendar look like? I see a week as an ovoid disk, one half for week-days and the other for week-ends, always looking towards its centre from the edge of the current day. Did you consciously design your widgets or did you adopt someone else’s construction? Only because your boss is a workaholic doesn’t mean your watch has to turn all-red as symbolic for work-time, leaving no time for play and relaxation in your mind! Please be careful about these mental widgets, even if you can’t usually see them in your field of vision. They are always in your field of awareness and thus put all other experience in context, just as if you would look through coloured glasses! No wonder everything looks grey to people in a state of depression… [ 19]

It becomes most interesting when I can observe people as they talk to each-other. I sense the different arguments floating around and interacting. Some align nicely, others are in conflict. We all intuitively know to interpret cues in facial expression, gestures, posture and manner of speaking. Every word and even the smallest movement reveals the underlying assumptions and world-views of an individual. This is how a seemingly innocent gesture can put whole reality-frame into disarray. How would you react if someone in a Catholic church suddenly starts singing and dancing while the priest is holding mass? Within another world-view where more expressive singing and dancing to the Gospel is usual, solemnly sitting around might be equally peculiar. If I detect strongly opposing viewpoints, I see them clashing and causing disorder within the ether of consciousness. Like two transceivers sending a phase-delayed signal and creating distortion. For communication to succeed, the people must be attuned to another through being open and paying attention. If they aren’t, the world-views and concepts they attempt to transmit literally shatter under the stress of interference before they can arrive – making the whole conversation rather frustrating as no information is properly conveyed. The higher the attunement, the more information can be transmitted in a short time. Live interaction through all the senses is more broad-band and thus allows for higher data through-put than only text as in online discussion forums.

I could observe one particularly interesting instance as I was talking with a friend after a party. We were having a conversation about scarfs and the importance of their texture over other properties. A scarf is only in the periphery of my vision, but I can always feel it on the skin of my neck. It was night, but early enough for some people to be awake and wait at the same public transport stop. We noticed an older, seemingly foreign-born women wearing a comfortably-looking scarf and started to discuss how this particular one might feel. As in many countries, the social norms discourage you from chatting up strangers for random conversations, especially while it’s dark. Moreover, she had a rather grim look on her face. I could literally see the barriers of shame, negative politeness and a false sense of respect separating us. Even though we were standing only a few metres away from each other, it felt as if an ocean of conditioned norms resulting in behavioural restrictions was in-between us. Still, my friend simply walked up to her and ask about the scarf. The instant he had made the decision and turned towards her, I could already see the mental barriers being smashed. With every step taken, another layer of the illusion of separation was shattered. As soon as the conversation started, I sensed that they connected and acknowledged each other. They both gained energy and information in the process. Who doesn’t come out of an honest, friendly conversation in a better mood than he was in before? Unfortunately, she had bought the scarf in another country – but I became witness to a demonstration of directed will piercing through the garment of illusion.

 

Life in a Box

frame363What is left when all these layers of symbolic representations are peeled off? Through my study of communication, perception and spirituality, I was already familiar with some concepts about higher insights. We can conceptualise this universe as a hierarchy of layers. The lower ones are defining the most concrete elements in the material world, while the higher ones are representing the astral realms of thought, imagination and spirit. The higher, the progressively closer they are to the unlimited potential of formless eternity. [ 20] The identification with being one’s body and all attachments to the material and worldly knowledge belong to the lower layers. It is possible to plant seeds of desire for truth into the ground, which may grow to become trees of knowledge. Through dedicated willpower, the trees may grow ever higher and reach into the sky of the astral worlds. Esoteric doctrines become understandable when you can easily climb up to contemplate them from the tree-top of your home-grown wisdom. Under specific circumstances, it seems that one can be lifted up and look down on the material world from an even higher perspective. It helps that I have grown myself a tree big enough so I could see it from up there – it gives me a point of reference. Potentially, the elevation is always relative to one’s state so new insight can be integrated. It helps me to decide which branch to develop further as to penetrate deeper into the mystery.

Such up-lifting experiences happened to me in a few instances after smoking marijuana. I suddenly felt as if I was behind my own body. I sensed all of my bodily perceptions, thoughts, emotions and a profound spiritual connection at the same time. Between myself and my bodily feelings, I could explicitly see all the frames which define my particular life in a straight line, ordered by their size. Like filters through which we understand and co-create the world. The smallest frames were those closest to material reality, yet farthest away from my sense of self. These frames include the social conditioning through my upbringing and family, the culture I partake in and all the knowledge I identify with. The larger frames closer to my sense of self included the assumption of the universe’s physical laws and potentially even the higher astral realms of spirit and imagination. Most importantly, one of the largest frames I saw was the establishment of space and time. I also sensed the presence of other individuals from this universe right besides me, looking in the same direction. It seems that the larger a frame, the more individuals were looking through it – sharing that particular concept. While only a few would interpret reality through the assumptions which stem from my upbringing, most share the belief in space and time.

I was in a state beyond time and space, potentially like what is known as the other world or afterworld. I felt that myself as consciousness is always there, boundless and eternal. Since all frames were explicitly visible before me, I could literally see how any impulse of my consciousness had to travel through these frames in order to translate into the physical reality. Any intention was necessarily limited through these layers in order to emerge as thought or action in the material world. In the same sense, my worldly perceptions travelled backwards through the same channel. I sensed some delay in these communications, like an earth base communicating with a robot on the moon through radio. This other-world might be likened to the chat-room lobby found in many online video games. The universe as we know it is thus just one particular scenario we choose to experience. It’s a life in a box, and each of us as individuated consciousness is eternally present outside of it, as time and space are just part of this particular set-up. But we have the option to become so immersed in this life that we forget to be playing. We may even start thinking it is something separate, something other than our own creation. We forget about our limitless potential as well as our unity with the whole of creation. [ 21] This realization is like breaking the 4th window, when actors in series start talking directly to the people in front of the screen. My ego is the protagonist known as Raffael and I am both director and audience. So I realise this life is happening in a box, me looking into that box but always present outside of it. All fears are conquered and nothing is a matter of life-or-death any more, as I am eternally present outside of this illusory universe. In some instances, my actual visual field also started to fluctuate as if I was looking at an object from another position. [ 22] Such perception literally forces a most fundamental change of perspective. This reinforced the sense that I am merely projecting myself as consciousness into this reality. While my body being is the anchor point for my experience, I can direct myself towards any element in this universe, as we habitually do through imagination, dreaming or prayer. The identification with the conditioned, distortive interpretations of reality and self-limiting beliefs are shed – one is aware of being limitless, eternal consciousness again. [ 23]

I accept and understand this experience. The conclusion is that unity, immortality and boundless power as consciousness are known to me. There is no quest to achieve this insight, it is merely about remembering what really is. From this point on, living itself is the only art and the universe is the stage of your personal drama – the plot made and changed by your will. Existential fear is vanquished so the passion for this life may blossom. It’s all a great performance indeed. Dance while the music is playing! [ 24]

 

Mysterium Tremendum – The Blazing Flame of Unmitigated Reality

allseeingeye-363As Morpheus said: “Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.” What is the Matrix – as analogy to our mediated reality? The Matrix is control through govern-ment of the mind. You may choose to relinquish responsibility for your limitless powers to decide upon your experience and ultimately your fate. But be warned that those who seek control will be quick to take it up, effectively managing your perception for you! We believe in what we see and we see what we believe. If we believe that everything is dependent, that all is a matter of relative perception, then we could never see the truth even if it was staring us right in the eyes. Everything is attributed to a fabrication of our imagination, so nothing can stand as an objective fact. However, we may also choose to believe in the existence of an independent, absolute truth of reality. If we dedicate ourselves to discover it, we will most certainly find it. In every temple, in every dream, in every desert, in every concrete building and in every instant, as the truth is uncovered through the de-construction of perception itself. I see this as part of the knowledge Albertus Magnus speaks of when he says that “Man exists between matter and spirit – between time and eternity. The goal of all pursuit for knowledge is to recognise god and shape the world according to this realization.” Magnus’ disciple Thomas of Aquinas spent his whole life accumulating such knowledge, the results of which Huxley writes about: “Near the end of his life Aquinas experienced Infused Contemplation. (…) But the man who comes back through the Door in the Wall will never be quite the same as the man who went out. He will be wiser but less cocksure, happier but less self-satisfied, humbler in acknowledging his ignorance yet better equipped to understand the relationship of words to things, of systematic reasoning to the unfathomable Mystery which it tries, forever vainly, to comprehend.” [ 25]

Understanding Confucius’ words that “Signs and symbols rule the world, not words nor laws”, we can begin to make our layers of interpretation explicit. Believing in one’s own eyes means re-taking ownership of our own perception. This allows us to observe, understand and thus transform the world and ourselves in accordance with the will – giving us the chance to lift the veil of illusion and see reality as it is. Instead of accepting what others want to make us believe, we may trust ourselves first. The blazing fire of unmitigated reality burns brightly, so I respect those who prefer the mediated reality of the fabricated, worldly order. [ 26] Notwithstanding, I contend that the ultimate order – the Mysterium Tremendum – has a knowable element which may be remembered by all those who choose to know the absolute truth of reality. This eternal invitation is open to all who choose to be themselves, for truth can only be known first-hand.

Notes

[ 1] This holds true even for the most narrow definition of possible perception. I am not even referring to the invisible spectrum of light and sound at this point. It’s simply about the fact that we are in a constant self-maintained hypnosis, usually focusing ourselves on very specific aspects of experience, effectively ignoring everything else which goes on around us. [back]

[ 2] This essay is a further elaboration on A Conscious Decision and Awakening to Creator-Consciousness, which you might be interested in reading first in order to gain a better understanding of its context. [back]

[ 3] This paper shows that a pleasurable experience while smoking marijuana is a learned behaviour. I think this is in line with the concept that a pre-conceived notion about an event might alter the actual experience. How many experiences are being pre-framed by those who wield power over mass communication media? Becker, H.S. (1972 [1967]) ‘Becoming a marihuana user’ in Manis, J.G. And Meltzer, B.N. (eds) Symbolic Interaction: A Reader in Social Psychology, Boston, Allyn and Bacon, pp. 498–508. Extracted from my Open University course on social psychology. [back]

[ 4] This 1999 documentary War on Drugs shows the tight economic relationship between drug policy and the prison-industrial complex as well as its disastrous social consequences.

You might also want to see this presentation on Geopolitics and Globalization by the author of AIDS, Opium, Diamonds and Empire, Nancy Turner Banks. It reveals how high-level drug trafficking in conjunction has always been a preferred profit-making method.

If you speak German you might want to check out this presentation of Die Drogenlüge by Mathias Broeckers, giving similar insight into this topic and showing government statistics on drug fatalities which prove that the state is not acting in the interest of the people. You can easily die from an overdose of alcohol, which is physically impossible to achieve with THC. [back]

[ 5] It was brought to my attention that the etymological root of the German word for knowledge, Wissen, stems from “wie gesehen”, roughly translated to “as seen”. Therefore, only what is seen is known! [back]

[ 6] Curiously, surveys in Austria often conclude that newscast presenters are among the most trustworthy people. In order to proper media research, it is important to gather information from the most extremely opposed viewpoints. Reading up on a conservative Swiss and a liberal French newspaper won’t cut it. This is where it becomes interesting to read the original reports of so-called terrorists and conspiracy theorists. [back]

[ 7] It is important to understand that governments are using paid internet trolls. This is simply psychological warfare on both domestic and foreign population, just a little more devious than standard propaganda. [back]

[ 8]  Manufactured news by CNN for the First Gulf War is one of countless examples. Years later, no one found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The more recent shootings and bombings might well be manufactured in a similar fashion. See the movie Wag The Dog – which is the Hollywood adaption, or warning, of such processes. [back]

[ 9] Taken from dprogram.net’s Disinformation Tactics: “Control The Experts: Most Americans are taught from kindergarten to ignore their instincts for the truth and defer to the “professional class” for all their answers. The problem is that much of the professional class is indoctrinated throughout their college years, many of them molded to support the status quo. Any experts that go against the grain are ostracized by their peers.” [back]

[ 10] Their think-tanks include the Fabian Society, The Institute of Royal Affairs, The Council of Foreign Relations, The Trilateral Comission, The Bilderberg Group etc. For my take on power structures, see The Hierarchical Principle. [back]

[ 11] To quote Frank Zappa: “Your mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work unless it’s open.” The most extreme groups of this kind are all tied to the James Randi Foundation. Knowingly or not, they serve to suppress the expansion of consciousness. An interesting analysis in German is provided by sociologist and former skeptic Edgar Wunder in Das Skeptiker-Syndrom.  [back]

[ 12] Cell biologist Bruce Lipton talks about this phenomenon. [back]

[ 13] See Armin Risi’s philosophical treatise Licht wirft keinen Schatten. He concludes that love, individuality and free will are the only reality. [back]

[ 14] If you don’t believe someone could lie to you, you will never be able to find out that he does. See the movie The Invention of Lying. [back]

[ 15] See this excellent presentation by Mark Passio on occult teachings and consciousness: What On Earth Is Happening. [back]

[ 16] I elaborate on this in the last section on Key and Lock of The Hierarchical Principle. [back]

[ 17] A wonderful book showing the relationship between mythology and psychology is Robert Bly’s Iron John. [back]

[ 18] “Verstellung, worin auch immer, kann den klügsten, scharfsichtigsten Menschen täuschen; aber selbst das beschränkteste Kind wird, mag sie noch so geschickt verborgen sein, sie erkennen und sich abwenden.” Lew Nikolajewitsch Graf Tolstoi, (1828 – 1910), russischer Schriftsteller in »Anna Karenina« [back]

[ 19] Do you ever notice the massive amount of advertisment occupying your field of vision, whether offline or online on Gmail and Facebook? The dangers of technologies such as Google Glasses become obvious, as they can directly and even physically intrude on your perception. Instead of using such devices, I would rather encourage you to become aware of the divine perception you may already access, as illustrated by the short movie Transcendenz. [back]

[ 20] For a brief elaboration on creation, please see my work on The Definition of the Material World. [back]

[ 21] Aldous Huxley writes on Unity in Doors of Perception: “Within sameness there is difference. But that difference should be different from sameness is in no wise the intention of all the Buddhas. Their intention is both totality and differentiation.” I discuss the principle of differentiated oneness in Awakening to Creator-Consciousness. [back]

[ 22] It felt as if I stood about a metre to the left of myself, looking at the same object from an angle 22,5° to 75° relative to my body, my vision ever-swinging between these perspectives. Aldous Huxley in Doors of Perception: “It was odd, of course, to feel that “I” was not the same as these arms and legs “out there,” as this wholly objective trunk and neck and even head.” [back]

[ 23] The state may be likened to what is depicted in the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series as Shinji decides to remain within the unity of consciousness. The awareness that the illusion of ego and body-identification cause all difficulty, pain, suffering indeed make one think whether a return to separation is truly desirable. In this state, all underestimation and skepticism about one’s own self-efficacy is suspended as the unlimited power of oneself as boundless consciousness is acknowledged. Life is just an experience designed to understand limitation. Unity being eternal anyhow, I choose to stay and enjoy. [back]

[ 24] Inspired by Alan Watts on Music and Life. [back]

[ 25] A more complete quote From Aldous Huxley’s Doors of Perception:
“Near the end of his life Aquinas experienced Infused Contemplation. Thereafter he refused to go back to work on his unfinished book. Compared with this, everything he had read and argued about and written–Aristotle and the Sentences, the Questions, the Propositions, the majestic Summas-was no better than chaff or straw, For most intellectuals such a sit-down strike would be inadvisable, even morally wrong. But the Angelic Doctor had done more systematic reasoning than any twelve ordinary Angels, and was already ripe for death. He had earned the right, in those last months of his mortality, to turn away from merely symbolic straw and chaff to the bread of actual and substantial Fact. For Angels of a lower order and with better prospects of longevity, there must be a return to the straw. But the man who comes back through the Door in the Wall will never be quite the same as the man who went out. He will be wiser but less cocksure, happier but less self-satisfied, humbler in acknowledging his ignorance yet better equipped to understand the relationship of words to things, of systematic reasoning to the unfathomable Mystery which it tries, forever vainly, to comprehend.” [back]

[ 26] More from Aldous Huxley’s Doors of Perception:

“The whole is disorganized. But each individual fragment is in order, is a representative of a Higher Order. The Highest Order prevails even in the disintegration. The totality is present even in the broken pieces. More clearly present, perhaps, than in a completely coherent work. At least you aren’t lulled into a sense of false security by some merely human, merely fabricated order. You have to rely on your immediate perception of the ultimate order. So in a certain sense disintegration may have its advantages. But of course it’s dangerous, horribly dangerous. Suppose you couldn’t get back, out of the chaos .. .”

“Confronted by a chair which looked like the Last Judgment–or, to be more accurate, by a Last Judgment which, after a long time and with considerable difficulty, I recognized as a chair–I found myself all at once on the brink of panic. This, I suddenly felt, was going too far. Too far, even though the going was into intenser beauty, deeper significance. The fear, as I analyze it in retrospect, was of being overwhelmed, of disintegrating under a pressure of reality greater than a mind, accustomed to living most of the time in a cosy world of symbols, could possibly bear. The literature of religious experience abounds in references to the pains and terrors overwhelming those who have come, too suddenly, face to face with some manifestation of the Mysterium tremendum. In theological language, this fear is due to the incompatibility between man’s egotism and the divine purity, between man’s self-aggravated separateness and the infinity of God. Following Boehme and William Law, we may say that, by unregenerate souls, the divine Light at its full blaze can be apprehended only as a burning, purgatorial fire. An almost identical doctrine is to be found in The Tibetan Book of the Dead, where the departed soul is described as shrinking in agony from the Pure Light of the Void, and even from the lesser, tempered Lights, in order to rush headlong into the comforting darkness of selfhood as a reborn human being, or even as a beast, an unhappy ghost, a denizen of hell. Anything rather than the burning brightness of unmitigated Reality—anything!”

I was only worried the first time I came into contact with unmediated perception if reality – I knew that I would have severe problems relating to the world if I couldn’t make use of the common reality-frames anymore. However, I now think such experiences help to make them explicit and can help me to see reality a bit closer even during my regular state of consciousness. For a vast archive on information about psychoactive substances, see The Vaults of Erowid. [back]

The Missing Link

blake jacobsladder363

Of Mind and Body

I’ll be perfectly honest with you: For the longest time, I really wasn’t interested in physical exercise or especially curious about being aware of my own body, preferring intellectual endeavours. Starting with primary school, I really couldn’t be bothered with competitive sports such as soccer which I merely saw as people chasing a ball bumping into each other… While I sometimes played outside, I soon preferred video games to taking long walks in nature, which usually rather bored me. Long-distance running was (and still is) simply exhausting, as I never reached the endorphine-induced peak experience many athletes are fond of. It was only in combination with music that I would become enthusiastic about exercising my bodily potential. As a teenager, it would at first also be tied to an arcade-game setting such as the fabulous Pump It Up, while I later actively sought out to learn established ways of dancing, such as Hip Hop and African styles. During the time my aunt became a Yoga instructor, I also started to be more interested in the relationship between the body and the mind, now doing yoga on a regular basis. [ 1] Through further study in a range of topics and my personal experiences, I now come to understand the importance of the connection between mind and body. In Western society today, it is indeed The Missing Link.


 

Consciousness Embodied

First off, I should emphasise that I see the body to be born out of consciousness, rather than consciousness emerging out of matter. Still, it is clear that without a connection between these elements, this particular experience we call human life in the material sphere wouldn’t be possible. Our bodies are nothing less than the most perfect sensory vehicle to experience this world. Furthermore, I believe they serve as an effigy of our individual state of mind. Whether through facial expressions, posture or the condition of our skin, the body always accurately reflects the individuated fractal of consciousness it embodies. Left to its own devices, it depicts a congruency rarely observed in our usual social interactions: For once, representation really equals content.

The quality of the connection between body and mind can be thought of as a continuum. On one end we find expansion, joy and relaxation. On the polar opposite there is contraction, depression and paralysis. As exemplified by the pulsing of our heart and the breathing through our lungs, both contraction and expansion are necessary for us to be alive. As beautifully described by the sufi mystic Rumi: “Your grief for what you’ve lost lifts a mirror up to where you are bravely working. Expecting the worst, you look, and instead, here’s the joyful face you’ve been wanting to see. Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birdwings.“ Our continued ability to flow between contraction and expansion as well as the baseline of relaxation we maintain throughout our lives is in direct relation to the integration of mind and body.

 

The Necrophilic Society

body-death363On an individual level, many have allowed this most vital of connections between flesh and spirit to deteriorate. Emphasising rationality in the wake of progress is resulting in a merger of man and machine through cars, artificial joints and microchip implants. At the same time, human bodies are easily dismissed as weak, fragile and inefficient. [ 2] Neglecting our bodily nature, we don’t celebrate and enjoy our body any more, but merely want to maintain it so our intellect can keep working. We readily abandon our health and physical centredness for seemingly rational reasons such as financial gain. Not wanting to deal with the often difficult sensations our bodies present us with – feelings incited by thoughts, emotions and the external world – we are looking to disconnect from it, rather distracting ourselves with the newest technological gadgets. Any body which isn’t nurtured by consciousness, anything of which we are not aware, is certain to decay. [ 3] Being the pinnacle of decay, it is hidden in plain sight that we have built a necrophilic society centring on the worship of death and destruction.

Television serves as the epitome of this type of machine consciousness divorced from any embodied feeling. Not just prime-time programming such as blockbuster action movies or your regular newscast on war and massacre, but even whole channels are devoted to the worship and awe of death – crime scene investigations, autopsy reports, war history. [ 4] Others deal with the dead fiction of positive law, the psychology of serial killers, the horrors of mental abuse or deadly gladiatorial fights. Series about zombies such as The Walking Dead are enjoyed by many, but few realise what an accurate allegory such stories are to the state of consciousness – potentially even their own! [ 5] Of course, the TV programmes are merely one highly visible symptom of this fundamental disruption we experience in the connection to our own bodies.


Traumatization and Paralysis

Having been acculturated to the experience of fear, death and destruction, many become used to it. Fear should be seen as a warning signal, indicating the possibility for change. Instead, many find an intense, though short-lived excitement in these experiences and thus adapt a fearful attitude as their personal reality. [ 6] This is how it becomes understandable why many continually submit to the current state of affairs, willingly re-traumatizing themselves through their own anxieties and the fear-promoting culture they surround themselves with. This aggravates the disconnection from the sense of aliveness we are supposed to experience through our bodies. To a certain extent, we are all exposed to negative influences which disrupt our sense of bodily awareness, disconnecting us from the actual reality of existence. After all, the body is our main gate to the material world and most within industrialised countries are free from physical hardship. As the sun rises to warm our skin every day, we can choose to have an indeed heart-warming bodily experience. [ 7] Yet in a traumatized individual with a fearful attitude, the mind continually frightens itself. If we choose, we can spend our days imagining or remembering undesirable experiences. Maintaining this cycle, the mind becomes locked into a fearful state which negatively reflects upon the body. To a certain extent – whether through a stiff neck, a sore shoulder, or an aching belly – most of us are affected by the results of traumatization.

edvard munch - the scream363Peter Levine aptly explains the pattern of these disruptions using animals as an example. [ 8] If a mouse is facing a real threat such as a predatory cat, the distress will usually cause the well-known fight-or-flight response. The mouse will either flee, or – if no escape route is available – ferociously attack the predator in a last-ditch attempt to fight the deadly threat. However, if the mouse is being hit by the cat’s paws or held within its mouth, the overwhelming sense of danger and the inability to effectively flee or fight back will engage the last, most basic survival response available: An almost complete shut-down of bodily functions effectively freezes the mouse – so-called paralysis or tonic immobility. This can serve to decrease the pain felt should death actually occur, but it can also cause the cat to simply lose interest in the mouse. [ 9] Assuming the threat is gone for example because the cat finds something more interesting to play with, the mouse will remain paralysed for a few more seconds. It will then violently shake for a brief moment, immediately restarting its full bodily potential, and be on its way. [ 10]

In humans, the prerequisites for paralysis are the same: Fear for one’s life and the inability to fight back or escape. The key distinction between animals and humans is our ability to create most complex mental representations of the world, which serve as the basis for modern culture and society at large. In a deadly situation, paralysis causes an altered state of consciousness. The mind dissociates itself from the body in order to make the horrendous bearable. Thus, we experience the horrible event as if we weren’t even inside our own bodies! [ 11] While there are actual cases of being in mortal danger and strapped to a chair, the average person luckily never has to make such an experience. But how often do we think, or rather – feel  – as if our lives are in danger and we are trapped and helpless? Feeling stuck in a horrible job without seeing alternatives to support ourselves, feeling trapped in an unhealthy relationship with seemingly no escape, feeling helpless in the wake of mounting debt, feeling impotent being confronted with the political leviathan or an unfair court, feeling confused in the face of disease… So we find that our capacity for complex mental processing and imagination is a gift, but it is something which we can also allow to work against our higher good. While neither in immediate mortal danger nor being physically restrained, we can still feel and imagine as if it were the case. This type of worrying about an imagined threat – even in the absence of any actual, real danger – can also lead to traumatization, causing the immobility response to varying degrees.

We thus need to understand that the effects of trauma – numbness, stiffness, depression, chronic disease, impotence – often diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder, are actually a survival response which never played out and thus got stuck inside the body. The key to resolving trauma lies in uncoupling the sense of fear from the naturally time-limited immobility response. Re-establishing the link between the formerly dissociated mind and the body allows us to feel the uncomfortable bodily sensations in the absence of fear. The key is to become mindful of one’s own body, actually feeling oneself again and developing body-awareness. As the tension is observed in a safe situation, the fear is uncoupled and starts to dissipate. This may result in violent shaking similar to what animals exhibit, effectively restoring the mind-body link and re-establish the individual sense of aliveness. This process requires courage, as pent-up rage or sadness may emerge. One can work on containing such emotions which had been locked away in the body, eventually integrating them and becoming better at coping with difficult situations [ 12] We should be aware that our amazing body is always striving to be whole and healthy. As soon as it is given the ability by the mind to re-connect, it will seize the opportunity and work towards a quick resolve through natural, self-paced termination of the survival response. It is helpful to work with various body techniques, gradually uncoupling fear and immobility to restore the sense of goodness and arriving in the present as embodied consciousness.

Given this rough outline about the disruption and restoration of the mind-body connection, I would like to show further sources of traumatization and illustrate the aspects we encounter in our everyday lives. Offering my experiences and insights, I’d like to inspire alternative viewpoints leading towards expansion and relaxation. I don’t expect you to agree with any of the arguments, but I invite you to investigate and validate these ideas for yourself and allow the underlying pattern of contrasts to become visible: A bi-polarity of intense peaks and depressive troughs as opposed to a more moderate, continuously positive experience.


Health and Stress

diagram2-hamer363Although being shunned by the medical establishment, Gerd Hamer proposes an interesting theory of health based on five fundamental biological laws. Within this theory, it is proposed that health is the natural, balanced state of the human body. Disease, instead of being blamed on seemingly foreign agents such as viruses or bacteria, is thought to be caused by stress. [ 13] This may be transmitted through low-quality food, air pollution, environmental toxins as well as psychological distress caused by dysfunctional social relations, economic difficulties or depressing media reports. Furthermore, disease isn’t seen as a bodily malfunction, but rather as the body’s attempt to restore internal balance. It should therefore be allowed to proceed uninterrupted by aggressive medical or surgical intervention. While I won’t go into the details of this framework, one parallel to the mouse example above is particularly striking. As the mouse is under duress by fleeing, fighting or being paralysed, an extensive amount of stress builds up through activation of the autonomic nervous system – blood is pumped faster, the lungs expand to supply more oxygen and so on. Within a natural setting such as the cat and mouse situation, this state has to be maintained for mere seconds, usually well below a minute. By that time, the mouse will either be dead or it will have escaped. It can then rest in a safe place, its bodily tissues and nervous system restoring themselves to optimal operation. The process of recovery during which the mouse should be undisturbed might be a few minutes or hours. It will remember the location of the cat’s turf, but it won’t unnecessarily worry about it, instead simply focusing on finding new food sources.

However, as humans, we are faced with the same dilemma as mentioned above in association with traumatization. Our mental capacity to frighten ourselves and remain anxious can maintain the stressed state over hours, days and even years. This framework proposes that diseases largely associated with modern civilization, such as cancer and chronic illness, actually represent a process of recovery from an extensive amount of stress. Notwithstanding individual acceptance of this controversial theory, its core message should be carefully considered. Disease seen as the body’s attempt to restore internal balance forces us to look at our lifestyle and consider which stressful factors we expose ourselves to – and where our own responsibility lies. It also points towards the idea that it is only our intellect, directly controlled by our waking consciousness, but never the body is actually showing a dysfunction. Uneasiness and disease are part of our body’s language, indicating that we may be heading down the wrong path. So instead of trying to fight this bodily sign with aggressive medical intervention or simply ignoring it, it could be healthy to become mindful of the actual condition. As with Levine’s findings on trauma, the capacity of the body to self-regulate is being emphasised. Disease thus doesn’t mean that the body is broken, but rather that it attempts to heal itself from the ordeals we subjected it to. By forcing us to slow down – through a headache or a cold – it is already indicating what we should pay more attention to! Being consciousness, it indicates what part of ourselves – the physical merely representing the mental and spiritual aspects – we should direct ourselves to by actively becoming aware of it. Extensive research and interpretation on the relationship of bodily disease with psychological and spiritual causes has been conducted. [ 14] Of course, admitting that we are solely responsible for our own health is a difficult step, but one which liberates us from outside dependence for restoring our inner equilibrium. Instead of riding the roller-coaster of intense stress and disease – unhealthy contraction and the resulting need for prolonged relaxation – we can choose to be mindful and continually remain in a more balanced state.

 

Sexuality through Self-Respect

creativity363What is a positive attitude towards sexuality? What is a healthy expression of one’s sex drive? Having developed a ground-breaking theory based on his clinical experience, Jack Morin offers many important insights. [ 15] As we can readily observe within most social interactions, the topics of eroticism and sex are usually suppressed or discussed in either a clinically disinfected or deviously distorted manner. Erotic feelings are difficult to deal with, so we often prefer to ignore or suppress them, effectively disconnecting sexual desires and any associated body parts from the totality of our experience. Sexuality, ultimately associated with affection and reproduction, might be one of the largest looming shadows individuals in industrialised societies are unable to cope with.

Without a natural, gentle approach to this most natural of desires: How can anyone be expected to develop a healthy sexuality? Discussion often treated as taboo, sexual education far removed from the reality of social life and overexposure to myriad forms of pornography often only reinforce feelings of confusion, inadequacy, undesirability, performance anxiety as well as worries about birth control. Society’s projection of an ever-looming threat of sexually transmitted disease, whether real or imagined, only serves to make people even more terrified of sexual contact, naturally meant to be the most intimate, loving and relaxing experience. In my evaluation, the HIV-AIDS theory is the most controversial, abhorrent and fiendish of these projected scenarios. [ 16]

It is possible to integrate sexuality within one’s personality by actively looking at, understanding and thus dissolving this most intimate shadow of peculiarities, secret fantasies and potentially unmet desires. This involves understanding how one is most often sexually driven by traumatic experiences of the past. Our bodies and our sex drive aren’t working against us or even betraying us. Rather, we have an in-built desire to re-create troubling scenarios in an effort to resolve them so we may move on with our lives. We are often attracted by those people and situations which represent our deepest psychological and emotional injuries. I contend that this ensures that all fractals of consciousness, including you and me, are driven towards greater integration and unity within themselves and thus with the world as a whole. It is only if we allow ourselves to become trapped in the negative, although often immensely exciting emotions such as shame, sadness and anger, that these so-called erotic patterns turn against our best interest. It is only by reaching an inner consensus – understanding that a negative, destructive pattern no longer serves us – that we may break the vicious cycle for good. This is the manifested desire to have a positive, joyful experience. Self-respect is the key.

The short-lived peaks and severe depressions of an ultimately destructive erotic pattern may be transformed into a potentially less exciting, but more intense and continually positive experience. Sexuality, as the most primal generative force within this world, may then fully blossom, bringing joy and liveliness beyond what one could have dreamed of.


The Ultimate Relaxation – Orgasm

man-god363Speaking of dreams – the following elaborations may seem like a fairy tale, but through my own research and experiments I can guarantee that they are worthy of consideration, otherwise I wouldn’t bother to direct your awareness to these lines, my dear reader! As the joke goes – men have been blessed with the ability to urinate while standing – while women have the ability to have multiple, continual orgasms. While a special type of urinal has been designed for women, few know of men’s natural ability to have multiple orgasms.

What is an orgasm, actually? Luckily, the experiences, practices and insights of the millenia-old Taoist traditions are now becoming more widely available. Their definition of what an orgasm actually is clearly illustrates their profound wisdom. An orgasm is simply deep relaxation brought about by the pulsing of any part of the body, such as muscles or organs. [ 17] So we understand the reason why a delicious piece of cake may cause us to moan in pleasure, the best part of our favourite song to have us shuddering with excitement, an intense workout to bring us towards an orgasmic state. [ 18] These are all essentially relaxations of different body parts in varying degrees. In a well-balanced individual a full-body orgasm may also be experienced, usually through sexual arousal. For men, the secret lies in uncoupling the emergence of orgasm from the ejaculatory reflex, which the Taoists see as a quite mundane, involuntary(!) muscle spasm. The energy contained within the semen may then effectively be re-cycled through the body with the help of specifically designed Taoistic practices which have been fine-tuned over the ages. Instead of effectively squandering this pure life-force energy – it is designed to be the seed of the next generation of mankind – it may be withheld and refined within the body to increase physical, mental and spiritual energy. Although women are usually loosing less energy during sexual activity than men, they may apply very similar techniques. Men, instead of experiencing the short-lived pleasure and resulting drowsiness associated with ejaculation, may instead enter a multi-orgasmic state of intense sensations and heightened energy levels – whether alone or with a partner. [ 19] Sex was never meant to deplete one’s reserves, but rather to have a blissful experience of sacred union with one’s partner and generate energy for living! If we become mindful of it, the body proves itself not to be an annoying appendix of our intellect, but rather as a most powerful material embodiment. Again, peaks and troughs – in this case of sexual excitement – may be transformed into a lasting, joyful erotic experience and even bring about greater health.

Spiritual experiences have been known to occur in orgasmic states – such as feeling one with the sexual partner. I contend that this type of intense, full-body orgasm which may be reached by different means such as Taoist practice actually causes an altered state of individuated consciousness through profound relaxation. As the body is overwhelmed with pleasurable sensations, the overworked intellect is disarmed and the arrival in the present moment is achieved. This is the experience of being consciousness fully embodied within this particular time-space, yet simultaneously realizing the unity with the whole of material creation and whatever may lie beyond. This deep relaxation, as opposed to our normal stiff and contracted condition, effectively causes an expansion of consciousness. I think the capacity of transforming sexual energy within one’s own body is what causes saints and enlightened masters to renounce the carnal aspect of sexuality. Instead of being dependent on a partner for temporary relief, through their spiritual refinement, they are able to live in a state of continued, deep relaxation. Just as the heart pulsates with life, love and compassion – they may well be able to live in an eternal state of orgasmic bliss. This represents the marriage of spirituality and sexuality on which I will elaborate further below.


Food for Thought

arcimboldo-vertemnus363While sexuality is only discussed, let alone practised behind closed doors, the consumption of food is a glorified and often public act. Culinary culture has become an unquestioned given and so few are aware of the stress they put their bodies under through unhealthy food consumption habits. While most are aware that a diet based on Chinese fast-food take-out or double-chocolate cake might not be the most wholesome choice – meat, milk and white bread are not that closely examined.

Coming back to the concept of the necrophilic society, modern food production and consumption patterns closely reflect this idea. Large-scale livestock farming with the application of hormones to artificially speed-up growth, a tiny and threatening environment to save space as well as an appalling disrespect for animal life clearly demonstrates our disconnectedness from the inherent vitality of existence. It could be said that we treat our own bodies just as we treat these animals – merely maintaining them, hoping they won’t get in the way. As Waltner-Toews states, food is to the human in relation with nature like sex is to the relationship between two humans – you can hardly get any more intimate than that. Yet, just as sex has been industrialised, food is currently an industry as well – and just as void of empathy and compassion. [ 20] Death, rather than life, lies at the centre of industrialised food production. As we focus on the production of dead matter, it logically follows that we also mostly eat dead matter. While the absorption of stress hormones and drugs through eating the meat of animals which were subjected to anxiety and medication sounds quite reasonable, the negative side-effects of consuming bread and milk are less well understood. Both bread and milk release opiates within the brain, which effectively causes addiction. Furthermore, the fast conversion of carbohydrates into sugar causes a sudden surge in blood sugar levels, which may also result in compulsive eating and a craving for sweet food. While I won’t get into the intricacies of different dieting choices, often considered a highly personal and emotional matter, I will leave you with this simple example: A meatball and an apple are put into the earth. The dead meatball will rot – but out of the living apple, a tree may grow! [ 21]

Again, we may find the correlation with the underlying pattern of peaks and troughs – stress and relaxation. A traditional Western diet delivers peak eating experiences, releasing hormones and raising blood sugar levels for a brief moment. However, this goes at the expense of the digestive tract – a main component of our immune system – and the hunger is soon to return. A diet focused on living matter such as fresh plants and seeds doesn’t produce such cravings since it only slowly and moderately increases blood sugar. It is easier to digest and also better suited to meet nutritional needs, ultimately promoting our health and well-being. Furthermore, I think it is highly beneficial to uncover the reasons why we eat. Peanut butter can only suppress the emotion of love-sickness for so long – a closer look at our motivations for eating might thus be in order. [ 22] If we choose to become aware of our taste, digestion and energy levels, our body naturally tells us what type of food is best for us. A clear mind and a more vibrant sense of aliveness are among the benefits of taking time to listen to ourselves.

 

Degrees of Freedom – Music and Movement

davinci-vitruvian363As a last example of everyday interactions between mind and body, I would like to mention the wonderful aspects of music and movement. In the beginning was the word… and being vibration, it may indeed what constructs this reality at its root. [ 23] As you can easily prove to yourself, different types of vibration, like in its cultural form as music, can have a great impact on the mood – promoting emotions such as joy, anxiety, rage or depression. Recognizing this relationship, I have always been mindful of the type of music I subject myself to. The popular music society presents us with is often monotonous, boring and repetitive. It is instilling a machine-like, piece-rate worker mindset of permanent stress and agitation. This is a far cry from the variation and orgasmic excitement such as conveyed in classical or ethnic music, which allows us to relax more easily. [ 24] A parallel can be drawn to our bodily movements. What are the stiff and jerky movements of the stressed individual compared to the flowing grace of a yogi or a dancer? I see all movement as an expression of potentiality. The ideas and concepts from the higher realms are translated into the material plane through concrete, physical movement of bodies. We can choose to follow certain accepted patterns of movements – gestures, walk, dancing style and travel behaviour – or we may choose to express what we find within us. Practicing yoga and just dancing to one’s heart’s content can help us explore ourselves and increase the degree of potentiality we can manifest. Accordingly, it also helps to relieve tension and restore a relaxed state of mind and body. [ 25]

Limiting ourselves to the expected pattern of behaviour in music, movement and thus behaviour – being stiff during work and going crazy on the weekend – is another type of contraction-relaxation roller-coaster. Unfortunately, the heightened need for relaxation is rarely met through the traditional forms – neither binge-drinking in pubs nor ultimately stressful holidays in remote countries. However, breaking out of the accepted norms and adopting a generally more open, relaxed and natural stance might make the desire for relief during our spare time vanish altogether. A more stable and satisfying way of movement can emerge if every day is met with a gently flowing, flexible and relaxed posture – represented by both the body and the mind.

 

Spiritual Vibrations and Formless Bliss

adamfergurson-thechariot363Connecting the various dots, a nexus emerges at the heart of spirituality and consciousness. The release of a pent-up survival response, the emergence of suppressed feelings, the sense of aliveness attained through orgasm and dancing – these are all the result of reinforcing the link between the mind and the body. Essentially, this process characterises itself through a form of violent shaking and intense vibration of the body. Students of the sacred arts have long been aware of the most intimate connection between spirituality and sexuality. The most refined but hidden sephira in the Quabbalistic Tree of Life – Daath, representing awakened knowledge – is located in exact correlation with Yesod, representing the sexual-unconscious power-self. The generative force thus flows from the highest spiritual realm through our intellect, manifested as creativity, down to our sexuality, manifested as desire. The ways of releasing stress and contraction through vibration allows us to open this channel, enabling spiritual realisation, creative insight and increased sexual energy – ultimately fuelling our life-force. I contend that they allow us to take a step back from this most dense, concrete material plane into the higher realms of spirit. These vibrations thus enable us to re-connect with our true nature. The deeper the relaxation, the more information there is to transmit, the more dramatic this process may be. It is essentially a synchronisation with the inner core of our being. The expansion of ourselves as consciousness allow us to move from the ego-driven, tense and defined state into a spiritually awakened, more relaxed and formless state. At its pinnacle stands the ultimate, paradoxical realisation of ourselves as creator-consciousness, our unity and immortality with the all-one of creation. If you understand yourself to be everything there is – every other person, every tree and every stone – what is there to be stressed out about? This realization is indeed a state of formless bliss. In such a profoundly relaxed state, we can act in accordance with ourselves, both as embodied consciousness and reflection within the whole of creation – and maybe even with whatever may lie beyond! [ 26]

 

The Body as Temple – An Expansion of Consciousness

cherry-temple363If our body is the temple, then our will and intellect is the priest, our nature as consciousness being the god. The priest, in his ignorance, has ignored and sometimes even wilfully devastated the temple. Therefore, it comes to no surprise that the god, while always being there, has more difficulty to properly manifest himself unless the priest does a major clean-up. With each dusted shelf and every chalice put back into its place, the glory of the god will shine brighter within the temple – to the priest’s pleasure and delight. It might take great will and courage to get up and re-establish order in such a messy place. We intuitively know that it will be well worth the ordeal in order to reap the ultimate reward: The eternal celebration of god in his temple by the priest – really, the celebration of life through body-awareness. This is the timeless state of the individual will to live in the present as fully embodied consciousness.

As everything within the material world, the body can only be sustained by consciousness. If we are continually distracted and neglect our own body, it will certainly decay. An ignored body is a doomed body, as a temple without god has no reason to exist. However, if we choose to become conscious of our most magnificent effigy within this material world, this awareness and our resulting actions will support it in becoming wholesome. And there’s a reason why wholly is just a few letters away from holy… [ 27] Re-establishing the missing link between the mind and the body through the actions of our will can lead us to discover its wonders and enjoy its incredible capacities. [ 28] We may then feel complete and integrated within ourselves, more grounded and at peace within this world. Enthusiasm and a sense of liveliness are allowed to emerge.

I hope I could give you a sense of the underlying pattern of contraction and expansion – stress and relaxation – which is found in such diverse areas as trauma, health, eroticism, sexuality and even mundane activities such as moving about and eating. A bi-polar ride between excitation and depression can be transformed into a loving, joyful and steady life-experience. While the first step is certainly the most difficult decision, we are readily supported by the universal life-force. The drive towards unity-consciousness is deeply ingrained within our bodies, no matter how ignorant our intellect has become. All of the body’s actions and signals point towards healing and greater integration – ultimately acceptance and self-love, for we as consciousness are contained within everything. The body’s incredible capacity for healing through self-regulation should serve us as a role model for society at large. Left to its own devices, uninterrupted by a controlling intellect, the body reveals his tremendous ability to restore and maintain order. Left to their own devices, undisrupted by the desire to control others, autonomous individuals reveal their capacity to build self-regulating systems of economic and social interaction. So it seems that everything starts with yourself, the decision being made within your own body as microcosmic representation of the whole universe. As the Sufi proverb goes: “The body is the sore of the ocean of being.” [ 29]

Re-establishing the missing link, connecting with our lower, material embodiment may indeed represent the change from below so many are hoping for. Have you realised that this revolution – choosing fear over love – may actually have to be manifested within yourself emotionally, intellectually and spiritually first, before any outside change can take place? Body-awareness brings the incredible power of creation surging through us so we may be fully embodied consciousness within the gift of the present moment. The manifestation of Love and Life shall blossom. As every so often, I agree with M.P. Hall: “God was the Word and that the Word was made flesh. Man’s task now is to make flesh reflect the glory of that Word, which is within the soul of himself.”

 

 

Notes

[ 1] My aunt Jutta Kaun offers a combination of yoga exercises and free movement meditation. Through accessing the body, trauma may be treated and chronic illness relieved. [back]

[ 2] Note the German word “Leib”, which describes the body as being alive, rather than just being a bunch of matter. I deal with the broader issue and insufficiency of the materialist worldview in The Definition of the Material World. [back]

[ 3] I explore the relationship between consciousness and matter in A Conscious Decision. The referenced rice hado experiment by Emoto is especially revealing. [back]

[ 4] The word “programming” in relation to humans reveals a mechanistic view of humans and the world. A computer can be programmed, a distracted mind may be misled and manipulated. Vigilant Citizen details this process in Mind Control Theories and Techniques used by Mass Medias. [back]

[ 5] While disciples of the occult seem to reside in Hollywood, I was still surprised to detect this quite obvious message (“Wake Up“) during an episode of The Walking Dead. In a sense, we live in a world full of people which function, but don’t really live out their lives. Aan analogy and a stretch of imagination, but actually not that far removed from the horrible situation depicted in the series. Unless you wake up to the dream – you may never even know what it means to live. I write about this process in Awakening to Creator-Consciousness. [back]

[ 6] Roman Christian Hafner, gifted with a special sense of perception, describes this idea in this German interview. In a spiritual sense, love is the only reality. If fear is recognised as the illusion it is, then we may stop generating it. According to Hafner, the excessive amount of fear generated today might also have the purpose to allow more people to see through this play. [back]

[ 7] And even if the sun doesn’t shine, many meditation techniques teach the rising of an inner, spiritual sun which is absolutely independent of outside circumstances. Examples include Israel Regardie’s The Middle Pillar exercise or the Taoist’s Inner Smile. [back]

[ 8] In his book In An Unspoken Voice, Psychologist Peter Levine confirms the theory of a triune brain with a combined reptilian, mammalian and human component. David Icke has long been ridiculed for seeing the world’s power elite as reptiles – but the fearful, controlling and self-serving manner in which they act are characteristic of the reptilian brain functions, working solely to ensure individual survival. [back]

[ 9] It seems that becoming completely inert – playing possum – serves to distract the predator. As it is advised for humans coming in contact with wild animals, remaining calm may be better than running away so as not to incite further agitation. The immobility response is described in detail in Levine’s book (p.49). [back]

[ 10] If further traumatizing events occur within a short period of time, especially fear combined with restraint, the paralysis lasts longer as the rebooting time increases (p.54). [back]

[ 11] Paralysation is also the reason why many victims are unable to defend themselves. The experience of being outside of one’s body is shared by many who lived through traumatic events. While there is a psychological basis for these perceptions, I think it very possible that the individual as consciousness actually leaves the body, causing a perception from a different angle such as described in Bruce’s Astral Dynamics. Dissociation is also employed as a mind control technique. If the person’s actual consciousness is completely disconnected from the body, it can effectively become a vessel to serve another’s will. The process of effectively creating split personalities for economic exploitation and power is detailed in Origins and Techniques of Monarch Mind Control by the Vigilant Citizen. The societal dimension is explored by Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine. [back]

[ 12] Levine quotes Sigmund Freud: “The mind has forgotten but the body has not-thankfully.” Negative, unresolved experiences are indeed stored in the body, which is the reason Levine proposes to re-name post-traumatic stress disorder into post-traumatic injury. It points to the fact that it isn’t a chronic condition which can never be resolved, but should rather be likened to an injury which can be remedied given appropriate treatment! [back]

[ 13] These five fundamental biological laws are explained within this documentary. I think the time invested is well spent in understanding an alternative way of looking at health and disease. It includes interesting ideas such as raised by Dr. Herbert Shelton: Just like the medieval fight against demons possessing the sick body, the contemporary war against viruses might actually be a crusade against an imagined enemy. Rather than externalizing the cause, this framework encourages us to look for the reason of disease within ourselves. [back]

[ 14] See Rüdiger Dahlke’s Krankheit als Symptom and his related books. [back]

[ 15] I highly recommend Jack Morin’s The Erotic Mind. This book encourages you to discover your own so-called core erotic theme in order to advance within your personal life and develop a more positive attitude towards sexuality in general, promoting respect and acceptance. [back]

[ 16] The huge amounts of money spent on medical research which ultimately still leads to the afflicted leading a troubled life has always baffled me. Therefore, I conducted my own research and came across the most enlightening book by Nancy Turner Banks M.D. Entitled AIDS, Opium, Diamonds and Empire, it clearly illustrates the the economic interest and historical background of the mainstream HIV/AIDS thesis. Furthermore, it shows its insufficiency and proposes a more comprehensive explanation: The symptoms known as AIDS being caused by the various stressors we put our bodies under, rather than an unlucky instance of unprotected sexual contact. I recommend the extensive research on these biological relationships by my dear friend, biologist Christl Meyer. [back]

[ 17] Most interestingly, Hamer’s theory mentioned above also includes the idea that disease is represented by the equivalent brain area being pressurised as observed through a non-contrast brain scan. [back]

[ 18] Directing awareness towards different body parts such as muscles, skin or organs, it is quite easy to feel some type of sensation. Depending on whether the area is associated with previous traumatization, the feeling might be uncomfortable at first – but the underlying goodness is certain to be discovered through gentle persistence. Directing and circulating one’s life-force, any part of the body can relax and eventually experience the pulsation of orgasm. The Taoist’s Six Healing Sounds are a great starting point to become aware of previously neglected inner world of one’s body. Please note that all such exercises are essentially a method of directing yourself as consciousness towards your body as your material effigy in order to support its existence. Without a continued influx of nurturing energy from consciousness, nothing in the material world can persist in a healthy state. For a humorous artistic elaboration on exercise-induced orgasm see The Pump. [back]

[ 19] For men, the core part of the equation is the prostate. Being located a few centimetres in and below the navel, it may be stimulated through gentle pressure from the pelvic area. More direct methods include the contraction of the sphincter, pubococcygeus and associated muscles, which are also involuntarily activated during penile stimulation and without which high levels of arousal are hardly possible. Mantak Chia has written books for both men and women on attaining a multi-orgasmic state. I personally recommend Taoist Yoga and Sexual Energy by Chia-trained Taoist Master Eric Yudelove. For those who would like a material anchor to potentially speed up the process, I can recommend the tools developed by Aneros and as well as their insightful formus and wiki. [back]

[ 20] In Manu Coeman’s documentary (German version) on large-scale livestock production, epidemiologist Waltner-Toews explains this analogy. Including consciousness within the analysis, not only chemicals and hormones within the animal’s body might be harmful for us: The information encoded through treating animals in a derogatory and unworthy manner isn’t something I would recommend consuming, as individually verifiable through Masaru Emoto’s rice hado experiment. [back]

[ 21] Within the last year, I gradually went from omnivore to eating mostly vegetarian, experimenting with eating mostly raw vegan and now most likely arriving at gourmet omnivorism. I find the concepts of Attentive Eating and Sequential Eating (similar to Ayurvedic Food Combining) by Stanley Bass worthy of consideration. Although I didn’t suffer from any particular disease, I chose to change my diet in order to increase my energy levels. Voluntarily leaving bread aside and only eating meat, fish and dairy products of high quality leaves me with easier digestible and nutritionally dense meals. Aside from simply eating raw vegetables and fruits, I can make my own seed-based crackers, plant-based smoothies, spreads and variations of raw vegan chocolate. Once you are brave enough to explore and try different types of food for yourself, you will naturally be drawn to the healthiest choices. Then, it will be about what your body really craves: Nutritious, delicious and wholesome food.  [back]

[ 22] For an introduction to this topic, I can highly recommend the documentary Hungry for Change. It seems that a main reason for obesity and bad health is simply pollution of the body. This includes environmental toxins such as bad food as well as internally-produced hormones caused by psychological stress such as cortisol. The theory espoused by Hamer above proposes that a continually anxious state causes the body to enter an emergency mode, deliberately storing all available nutrients within the body, thus increasing body fat. A theory based on the relation of acidic and alkaline nutrition proposes that we should mostly eat alkaline, anti-oxidant foods to stay healthy. However, the prevalence of acidic foods in many diets requires the body to isolate and store their toxic elements within fat since they can’t be processed and expelled fast enough. A change towards a mostly plant-based, naturally alkaline diet avoiding empty carbohydrates and industrial sugar allows the accumulated toxins to be flushed out and excess weight is lost naturally. Anyone interested in learning about a more radical step, living solely off the universal life force, should check out the Austrian documentary Am Anfang war das Licht. [back]

[ 23] Experiments in cymatics by scientist Hans Jenny show how vibrations directly influence matter. This extensive documentary on Ancient Knowledge also explains how the universe is built on frequencies. [back]

[ 24] My love for the joy of dancing and high quality music also stems from the fact that it allows for relaxation and inspiration. In a relaxed state, it’s much easier to zoom out, allowing the bigger picture to come together. Plenty of reasons for me to DJ and make my own musical blends as General Unique. [back]

[ 25] Every posture and every position you can represent with your body is essentially a concept of its own. The more extensive your physical degree of freedom, the more varied your movements and thus your ability to represent myriad thoughts through your physical embodiment. The intimate relationship between mind and body postulates that being physically flexible, exploring different dancing styles and expressing your personal patterns of motion increases not just your physical, but also your mental and spiritual freedom. Allow your energy to circulate between these realms. Don’t mind who’s looking as you express yourself: I was even dancing in the subway in Vienna and some people were delighted. Freedom of movement is freedom of thought. In times of universal paralysis, dancing in public is a revolutionary act! [back]

[ 26] I contend that spirituality is essentially eroticism and also tightly connected to creativity. Great insight and creativity – Eureka moments – mostly occur in a relaxed state, when the connecting channels of spirit, intellect and body are open. Magic rituals often work with erotic polarities. If you truly follow your erotic desire as described in the book by Morin mentioned above, then you are always driven towards your own completion and self-realisation – which is of course a spiritual journey. In turn, a spiritual journey towards self-completion is also always an exploration of your innermost desires.

Those experiencing full-body orgasms speak of a wave of pleasure and relaxation expanding from below the navel and flushing over the whole body. This is the centre of consciousness, quoting D.H. Lawrence in Psychoanalysis and the Unconscious: “The first seat of our primal consciousness is the solar plexus, the great nerve-centre situated behind the stomach. From this centre we are first dynamically conscious.” Those who attained multiple orgasms report that the first few result in a more violent shaking than the latter ones. I would say that the first burst of information in the synchronisation with oneself simply causes a stronger vibration. The first wave of vibration, being the content of the communication, contains more data than the following waves which occur after a stronger connection has been established. A parallel would be the trance states in Shamanism, which are also often accompanied by dancing and violent shaking. Within this synchronisation with oneself as both creator and the whole of creation, the illusion of separation is destroyed. In the state of formlessness, all desires – material, sexual, emotional, intellectual, spiritual – are fulfilled without any precondition or valuation. This is manifested awareness of the individual’s profound-paradoxical connection with everything. In this synchronisation with your higher state of consciousness – god – you can be at peace with yourself, being the world. Orgasm is thus relaxation in the consciousness of formlessness – the boundaries of body and thought being relinquished, awareness of being extended towards infinity. Even if relaxation is only achieved to a lower extent, feelings of fear and anxiety may easily be shed.

Occultist Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki explains how Daath can be mapped to Yesod, talks about the state of non-being and offers many other interesting insights in this interview: “There is in some people, such a desire for knowledge, such a desire for understanding, that they will go into a state of non-being to look for it. You do, you get whirled into this point, where the point is you, and you are also everything outside the point. That brings on an enormous sorrow, because you’re everything and you’re nothing. You want to get back, and yet you don’t want to leave, and you go into a state of total acceptance. You give up yourself. Then you move into Hockmah.” I write about form in The Definition of the Material World and the realization of paradoxical all-unity in Awakening to Creator-Consciousness. [back]

[ 27] Please note that the word “whole” is similar to “holy”. A holy person is one who is whole within himself. Although the equivalent words in other languages might not share the orthographic similarity, e.g. the Hungarian “egészség” for “health” also means “wholeness”. [back]

[ 28] Did you know that you have kinaesthetic, proprioceptive, vestibular and visceral receptors within your body? They allow you to know the state of tension of your muscles, the position of your joints, your position in respect to gravity and velocity and also give you access to your gut instinct. Of how many of these senses do you become consciously aware on a daily basis? We should be thankful for the proper functioning of our bodies, for we would be lost without its senses, our interface to the material world. See the aforementioned book by Levine (p.140). Antonio Damasio in The Feeling of What Happens: “We use our minds not to discover facts but to hide them. One of the things the screen hides most effectively is the body, our own body, by which I mean, the ins and outs of it, its interiors. Like a veil thrown over the skin to secure its modesty, the screen partially removes from the mind the inner states of the body, those that constitute the flow of life as it wanders in the journey of each day.” [back]

[ 29] Your body being the perfect representation of the macrocosm, it is possible to experience and recognise everything within. However, due to the lack of body-awareness, we have focused more and more on the outside to fulfil our desires. We use the outside world to serve as our reflection in order to attain self-recognition. Levine (p.275) talking about this development: “By the so-called age of reason, in the mid-seventeenth century, the importance of rationality ascended to new heights. Disembodiment, in the alleged service of this rationality, had become the norm. Instincts and the immediacy of physical drives (such as sex) had become an embarassment or worse. The subjugating power of the church reinforced this deepening split between mind and body. Finally, the supremacy of rationality congealed in Descartes’ “I think; therefore I am,” an iconic statement for modernity.” Trying to integrate our shadows, often hidden away within our bodies, really means integrating ourselves. As Alan Watts talks on Selfishness – loving self is really loving the universe.

I had previously used this quote by Nikola Tesla, but it also fits in well at this position: “From childhood I was compelled to concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering, but to my present view, it was a blessing in disguise for it has taught me to appreciate the inestimable value of introspection in the preservation of life, as well as a means of achievement. The pressure of occupation and the incessant stream of impressions pouring into our consciousness through all the gateways of knowledge make modern existence hazardous in many ways. Most persons are so absorbed in the contemplation of the outside world that they are wholly oblivious to what is passing on within themselves. The premature death of millions is primarily traceable to this cause. Even among those who exercise care, it is a common mistake to avoid imaginary, and ignore the real dangers. And what is true of an individual also applies, more or less, to a people as a whole.” [back]

Image credits (as available)

Jacob’s Ladder by William Blake

The Scream by Edvard Munch

Vertemus by Guiseppe Arcimboldo

Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci

The Chariot by Adam Fergurson