Visions and Their Origins: Exploring Aspects of Consciousness

Abstract

There are a number of schools of thought on the topic of the origins of visions and altered states of consciousness.  There are spiritual perspectives, religious perspectives and psychological perspectives.  Looking back, we understand that meditation can open up channels of conscious communication but in some quarters there are concerns about these practices. The same can be said for Shamanic healing practices and channeling work. Each of these practices assumes a point of origin that is perceived to be positive or negative, helpful or detrimental, and even good or evil.  Should we hold fear and trepidation for some or all of these practices?  Should we embrace our visions and engage in them fully to try to better understand? What are we truly seeking and where are the visions actually coming from?  Can we trust what we might experience? Are we helping ourselves or hurting ourselves and the potential direction of our respective life paths? This article takes a look at some of these practices and perspectives, considers their points and contributes an alternative thought that begs further exploration.

Key Words: Visions, Spirituality, Psychology, Channeling, Religion and Consciousness

Considerations

As I began to look into this topic, I encountered a vast array of opinions, thoughts and beliefs.  Some I could align with and some I could not.  I realized the theories and beliefs behind my inquiry fell into a few areas that will likely be familiar:

·      Meditation:  There are schools of thought that believe meditation should be embraced fully without a single thought and that meditation should be embraced to improve health, illness and calm anxiety.  There are also those that warn meditation is dangerous and imperils the soul,

·      Shamanic Journey/Visions:  There are cultures through the ages that have engaged in shamanic journeying or vision quest for purposes of healing and seeking life guidance or purpose.  There are others that distrust this process and are considered information gained through the process cannot and should not be relied upon.

·      Altered Consciousness Visions:  There are circles that believe the process of exploring the inner world and the visions that may result are and important part of spiritual development.  Alternatively, there is thought that these visions are tantamount to embracing demonic possession and that we should be very fearful.  (This article intentionally excludes substance induced altered consciousness and related visions). 

·      Channeling:  There are circles that believe we should seek enlightenment and guidance through the invitation of discarnate entities through medium channeling or seeking guidance or contact from the beyond.  And some on this topic provide a huge warning that we are in no position to clearly judge the true origins of this guidance and should never participate in this in any way.

·      Imagining:  There are psychological practices of using inner vision for specific outcomes, prophecy and healing from attempting to conquer disease, improving performance, to various aspects of neuro linguistic programming or reprogramming to eradicate fears. Again, alternatively, some theories believe this to be a waste of time and energy.

This author admits to holding a certain bias as one who regularly meditates, uses visions and dreams for guidance and is not opposed to considering that channeling may really be a process that is not harmful for those who are appropriately trained and who engage with appropriate preparations.  In my inquiry into the beliefs and activities concerning the origins of visions, I found varying degrees of judgment of these practices in terms of trying to determine what is right or wrong, helpful or dangerous, and I find it is very difficult to determine what you should believe about these practices.

Consciousness Perspectives

Our consciousness is vast, holds different mechanisms to function from our everyday storage of short-term and long-term memories and lesson-learning to creating with our imaginations.  We can access a part of our consciousness in an altered state that may feel like visions from the beyond or channeling our higher-selves or potentially other aspects of consciousness.  This article does not intend to judge any perspective but instead to consider the vast capabilities of our consciousness to hold many perspectives and to learn to understand the function of certain aspects of our consciousness for our own self-improvement.  Such topics must also come with the consideration that some of the warnings about meditation or visions stemming from altered consciousness may in fact be valid but not necessarily for the reasons stated on an uninformed fear-bias basis. The author holds the perspective that regardless of what we engage in, whether it be mindful meditation, visions or channeling/downloading information that seems like it is from “out-there”, it’s actually all “us” and a part of our vast consciousness.  Having experienced meditation, intentional imagining or reaching for visions, my own experience leads me to believe that we should not fear our own minds but rather seek to understand that which comes to us in altered states of consciousness.  Our minds work in very interesting ways and we must contend with spirituality, psychology and with our religious beliefs in order to gain the greatest wisdom.  This wisdom actually originates from the depths of our own consciousness.

Based on years of education and research into various aspects of psychology, metaphysics and new age practices, I have come to believe that we already have what we seek for greater understanding.  Sometimes I think our visions rise from within the deepest parts of ourselves in ways that will best get our attention. The bits and pieces of glimpses we might achieve through dreams, visions or meditations are really just parts of our own minds and consciousness seeking conscious cognition. All we really need is greater patience, discernment and understanding of our experiences.  Sometimes the information that arises during visions may be related to the uniting of the shadow (which we shouldn’t deny), healing old wounds (you may need additional help with) or uniting disparate thoughts and energy strung out across the span of our current lives that needs greater understanding to create within us a greater sense of wholeness and completeness.  Engaging in meditation or even contemplating visions that may come unintentionally or intentionally can ultimately benefit the inquirer with a few caveats for psychological and physical safety.

Other Perspectives

Shamanic Visions

From the Cuyamongue Institute, in the article “What is Shamanic Vision?” the author discusses the Shamanic Vision and explains how the shaman explores nonphysical reality via a journey with his or her consciousness. In this article, the author cites research conducted on the practice of Shamanic Vision and provides an outline of what Shamanic work entails.  

There are a number of relatively common practices and experiences in traditional shamanism which are being investigated by modern researchers. While the older traditional practices are ignored by some researchers, others have begun to explore these older techniques…

In order to journey to the other dimensions of existence a Shaman induces an altered state of consciousness in himself similar to a state of self-hypnosis called a state of flow. While in this state of flow, or Shamanic Trance, he is in complete control. He is able to take his consciousness and subtle bodies into nonphysical reality where he journeys to the world of spirits, gains information, retrieves souls, and makes subtle changes in reality which may affect his/her physical world.

The particular form of altered consciousness associated with shamanism is called a soul journey, soul flight, or some other similar term referring to the departure of some aspect of the self, particularly one’s soul or spirit, from the body in order to journey to the spirit world…

General Altered States

More on altered states from article from David Nez titled “Altered States:”

Altered states of consciousness are brought about by the withdrawal of consciousness from every day awareness as we shift to the inner world of imagination, reverie, dreams and visions. These experiences range along a continuum from mild waking trance to deep comatose states of trance where awareness of the environment is drastically reduced.

It becomes apparent that altered states of consciousness are part of the shared human experience—we are all neurologically “wired” for them. In fact, a great deal of religion, mythology and the arts may have originated from the visions of shamans experienced in altered states of consciousness. Although ancient shamans, mystics and magicians cultivated these states to an extraordinary degree, the research suggests we can learn to access them as well.

Meditative Visions

From an article on meditative visions we have the following perspective from the Mindworks Team:

Some people report having visions during meditation. Having a “vision” is defined as experiencing something out of the ordinary that wouldn’t be real in the normal state of things, but that seems very real to us when it occurs. One of the characteristics of a “vision” is that others can’t see it. By definition, a vision involves mental images, but in this context we include perceptions of sounds or scents that aren’t really there as well. This perplexing phenomenon is not very common, but it does happen enough to warrant investigating.

Visions tend to occur when our meditation takes us to a zone between sleep and wakefulness. A popular woo-woo belief maintains that when someone starts having visions during meditation, it means that he or she has unlocked the “third eye.” This unfounded rumor is outside the Mindworks purview: as meditators, our goal is awareness, serenity, and presence, not the unlocking of supernatural powers. So if the beauty of mindfulness is an enhanced ability to experience and appreciate the present moment, where do visions fit in?

From the MeditationExpert.com, we have an article that attempts to explain also that the visions one may encounter in meditation aren’t necessarily other worldly and readers are cautioned to use their wisdom in interpreting their visions or meditative experiences:

There are all sorts of various phenomena people can encounter on the spiritual trail.

Some people -- due to lots of meditation work -- can start to know future events.

Some people will see lights or visions or special forms in the light. Some will even hear voices in their head. 

These aren't supernatural occurrences. Rather, in most cases there's a scientific reason behind hearing or seeing things rather than a mystical or holy cause. In most instances, these occurrences are caused by your chi entering the tiny nadi (chi channels) in the vicinity of the ear, or they're caused by your chi trying to penetrate through the occipital region of the brain. 

That's what usually causes you to hear sounds or see visions due to spiritual practice. These are common experiences that occur when the chi tries to pass though the difficult hind region of the skull, which is called the "jade pillow" in Tao school literature. If you experience this sort of thing, you must be very careful not to misinterpret it and take it as something holy…

Psychological Perspective/Prophecy

There are those who intentionally sat with their visions and meditations in order to better understand the nature of the symbology of what arises in the consciousness when naturally altering consciousness (not substance induced) and some who used visions in altered states to provide guidance.  Controversial or not, Edgar Cayce provided readings, guidance and prophecies to folks from an altered state of consciousness.  Carl Jung spent the last few years of his life documenting his life story, including his visions for the purpose of understanding them.

(In the spring of 1957, when he was eighty-one years old, Carl Gustav Jung undertook the telling of his life story. Memories, Dreams, Reflections is that book, composed of conversations with his colleague and friend Aniela Jaffé, as well as chapters written in his own hand, and other materials. Jung continued to work on the final stages of the manuscript until shortly before his death on June 6, 1961, making this a uniquely comprehensive reflection on a remarkable life. Fully corrected, this edition also includes Jung's VII Sermones ad Mortuos.) 

Biblical Dreams and Visions

From the biblical perspective we have an excerpt from genesis as noted by Pilch in relation to Altered States of Consciousness or ASC as it is now more commonly known:

From Genesis, when God put the first earthling into a trance in order to create a partner for him (Gen 2:21), to the book of Revelation in which the author explicitly says he is in an ASC four times (Rev. 1:10; 4:1-2; 17:3; 21:10), the Bible is replete with accounts of ASC experiences. Perhaps the greatest concentration (more than twenty reports) occurs in the book of Acts” [Pilch 2011:107].

In the online article about the origins of biblical dreams and visions, another author notes a number of bible passages that contain documentation of visions and dreams thought to be inspired by God.

Question: "How did God use dreams and visions in the Bible?"

Answer: God used dreams and visions (visions are “waking dreams”; see Numbers 24:4) several times in the Bible to communicate with people. Visions seem to have been common enough that their lack was sorely noted. An absence of visions was due at times to a dearth of prophets (1 Samuel 3:1) and other times due to the disobedience of God’s people (1 Samuel 28:6).

Channeling and Mediumship

From the online source, the Crimson Circle in an article explaining what channeling is, we have the following:

Channeling is a natural form of communication between humans and angelic beings, nature spirits, non-physical entities, or even animals and pets. A channeler is very similar to a language translator or interpreter. They allow themselves to sense the non-verbal communication from another being and then translate it into human words.

From another channeling expert key in the New Age Movement, we have the teachings of  Seth who was channeled by Jane Roberts:

Who is Seth ?

Seth is the internationally acclaimed spiritual teacher who spoke through the author Jane Roberts while she was in trance, and coined the phrase “You Create Your Own Reality.” Seth’s empowering message literally launched the New Age movement

Summation

A number of pieces of important guidance has been brought through those who meditate, conduct shamanic journeys, engage in trance for the purpose of vision or channeling, or allow the consciousness to move through visions and dreams and interpret then endeavor to interpret symbols.  Some of the information may be considered to be extraordinarily helpful, some quite detrimental, some meaningless, some healing and some incredibly mind-boggling.  The experiences and outcomes are subjective to the inquirer or experiencer. What we do with the information we receive through visions requires a solid sense of good psychological help, wisdom, discernment and plain old common sense.  I don’t think that I ran across anything specifically to fear.  But I would suggest, based on some of my research not specifically cited here, that inviting just anything to come to you during meditation or engaging in visions without discernment, being in a poor psychological, spiritual or even physical state probably isn’t a good idea.  I think it isn’t a good idea because we don’t well understand the full extent of our consciousness and how it may be used as a conduit for other types of consciousness not yet fully explored.  Plainly said, I don’t discount the paranormal.  What I am mainly speaking to is our intent here and impressing the real need in using our common sense for purposes of exploring earnestly (and safely).  I think I tend to agree with some of the warnings out there but I really lean more towards supporting exploration, learning to interpret the symbols presented and seeking guidance in the interpretation as we would physical or psychological symptoms.

Conclusion

This author’s perspective is that with channeling the medium can direct who they wish to channel.  I believe we are actually dealing with the same source or potentially the same source consciousness whether we are dreaming, visioning, channeling or downloading information that seems it comes from elsewhere.  I think that our consciousness is so vast and indescribable that there is simply much we don’t understand.  It is quite normal for humans to fear what they do not understand and perhaps your intent in any endeavor is what drives what comes to you.  What we focus on, we tend to create.  I mention channeling here as it has also taken on the labeling and warnings and been lumped negatively into the world of psychic mumbo jumbo.  I don’t think that is accurate (or fair).  The entire exploration of the mind and altered states of consciousness must include those connected moments we are “hearing” guidance or “seeing” themes and symbols through visions.  A generalized warning of danger might be applicable if we were truly channeling these visions from an unknown otherworldly perspective without appropriate precautions, training and preparation.  This author is not necessarily convinced that channeled messages of discarnate entities, visions or dreams that seem otherworldly actually are that.  I believe our consciousness is so vast we cannot clearly determine where it begins or ends with 100 percent definitive accuracy.

This author has also had a number of experiences in channeling, downloads of otherworldly seeming information, visions with very specific guidance, near death experience and also premonitions in the form of dreams.  I tend to think the other-worldly aspect is actually just the various dimensions and levels of our own consciousness speaking to us based on our intent and providing us with mostly useful information that is likely more psychologically driven than anything else.  But, that is just me.  I posit that our psyche, the visions and information we encounter are not something to fear but rather something to be better understood.  There are volumes of books and articles on dreams, visions, shamanic journeys, biblical visions and channeling efforts.  The perspectives are as varied and unique as each of us are here living in this world.  To me, that is no surprise.  What I cannot support, however, is a perspective that teaches individuals to fear themselves, their minds or any state of consciousness their own beings are capable of.

Having said that, I would say that I don’t engage in meditation when I am not feeling 100 percent well or if I’m upset or otherwise disturbed by something.  If we are psychologically unfit to manage the consequence of experience, we probably should be fore-armed and forewarned about engaging in personal conscious exploration that could result in fearful or puzzling experiences we may not be able to handle or process.  I also think that those engaging with intent to explore altered states of consciousness should do so with the help of those trained in this area.  Respect what you contemplate, understand what you perceive but don’t fear your own mind and if you do, get you some help to manage the process. 

Continued consciousness exploration can only benefit us individually and as a species.  After this short round of research and exploration, I’m left where most of us are in that we can pinpoint certain aspects of consciousness but not all of it.  There is much we are learning but still do not fully comprehend.  With continued exploration, I think we can only learn more.  I do think that if we take on the perspective of exploration of our own personal visions from naturally induced altered state of consciousness coupled with a practical and common sense approach, we will benefit regardless of understanding the origins.  Take what is good and useful to you and leave behind that which is not and above all else, never fear your own mind.

Sources:

Altered States, David Nez https://treeofvisions.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/altered-states/  Accessed online April 20, 2018

Edgar Cayce Prophecies: Past, Present and Future, https://www.near-death.com/paranormal/edgar-cayce/prophecies.html  Accessed on line June 2, 2018

How did God use dreams and visions in the Bible? https://www.gotquestions.org/dreams-visions-Bible.html Accessed online June 2, 2018

SethLearningCenter.org  https://www.sethlearningcenter.org/  Accessed online June 2, 2018

What Does it Mean to Have Visions During Meditation?  http://mindworks.org/meditation-knowledge/what-does-it-mean-to-have-visions-during-meditation/ Accessed online June 2, 2018

What Every Meditator Should Know About Seeing Visions and Hearing Voices, http://MeditationExpert.com Accessed online June 2, 2018

What is Channeling? https://www.crimsoncircle.com/Library/What-is-Channeling  Accessed online June 2, 2018

What is Shamanic Vision? Cuyamongue Institute http://www.cuyamungueinstitute.com/shamanic-vision/  Accessed online April 29, 2018

Rev. J.L. Harter, Ph.D. (University of Sedona) (Founding Editor/Contributor)

NONLINEAR THOUGHT IN METAPHYSICS, PSYCHOLOGY and EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

                  The current thought process occurring in education all over the world is the sequential thought pattern. The purpose of this critical and exploratory essay is to explore the nonlinear thought pattern as well as elucidate its possible applications to such diverse fields as education, psychology, philosophy, theology, humanities and the social sciences.

DISCUSSION     

                  We must understand that the masses are used to thinking using a certain methodology. This method is called serial processing. The two methods of processing are actually two ways by which the brain is processing information. The left brain is the serial/analytical processor while the right brain is the nonlinear/synthetic processor. The left brain analyzes disparate information in stages because that is the way it digests knowledge. Furthermore, the left brain cuts down a pattern into different clues. The left brain is a destroyer of pattern matrices, in order to comprehend them. The left brain is the primary tool of the scientist and technocrat.

                  On the other hand, the right brain apprehends disparate information as whole, for the right brain is the chalice of the artist. Looking at a pattern as one, the right brain synthesizes the pattern information matrix in one singularity and attempts to absorb its data in one loop. This is obviously a higher order of processing, with the left brain serial processing being a lower order of rung. Yet both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Let us start with a very simple exercise to illustrate these two different informational processing realms. Collect twelve pebbles and arrange them in a series from left to right, one after each other, in a straight pattern. You could give them names like alpha, beta, gamma, delta and so on. Speak their names out loud if you wish, to accentuate the exercise. Now, look at what you have constructed. This is a serial or linear pattern, you called out the names of the pebbles from a certain perspective, using a certain direction only. This is how the human mind in the 3d universe thinks mostly.

                  Now, let us create another pattern. Arrange the pebbles in a circle, taking care to make the distance from each other similar as much as possible to effect maximum symmetry. Now, call one of your friends and ask them to contemplate the pattern. Can they tell which of the pebble came first in the order and which came last? Surely not, in normal terms. This pattern you created is now what we call the nonlinear pattern. It has no beginning nor ending, it is apprehended as holistic pattern by the mind, and it is not ordered in a sequential way. This is the true pattern of the universe, nonlinear reality. The sequential universe that we currently comprehend is thus only a simple derivative of the true universe.

                  The seeds of understanding the difference between nonlinear and sequential thought actually begins with the study of light. Light is both a particle as well as a wave. Here is already the difference. The particle property of light simulates the sequential universe while the wave property of light simulates the nonlinear universe.

                  The sciences by their very nature are exercises in the inexorable logic of the left brain, while the arts are delicious adventures in the panoramic feast that is right brain nonlinear processing.

WHEN THE MAPS ARE LOST IN TRANSLATION

                  Calibration, prediction and measurement are facets of sequential thought. They achieve their zenith in the predictive sciences. Since sequential thought is about the step-by-step processing of the mortal mind, then it makes sense for that mind to engineer and contemplate a sort of predictive method whereby he can believe that he controls the evolution of its worldsphere through space and time. Unfortunately, every time the sequential mind contemplates this fact, the very polarities that he wishes to control will now dance in his face, defying his well thought out schemes. The polarities themselves supply the challenge to his very mindset, and thus he rationalizes that use of technology for greater and greater mastery of the known variables of each continuum arrayed before him. He patiently categorizes all knowledge into the known and the unknown, and makes a persistent effort to discover the unknown. Much to his dismay, however, he finds that for every known that he masters, a new set of unknowns fly in his face. This causes him mental suffering. Locked in sequential thought processing, he wil continue to master every set of unknown variables thought time and space. Why? Because there is no other way to solve his conundrum.The sequential mindset is therefore locked in a vicious cycle of its own making.

                  The predictive power of the sequential mind, in its own context, is awesome, for it seeks to create, cultivate and propagate alphabets of understanding, which it uses to navigate from the known to the unknown. These alphabets are all the languages, from the linguistic forms to the mathematical worlds, to the computer languages and thence into all the symbolic forms. These languages are powerful in their own right, for they give rise to a certain kind of internal logic that arises out of their syntax and coding. Like a game of chess or GO, these languages persist for they can define protocols in their own worldspheres. Remember that all forms are fractals of the Cosmos, and therefore partake of its power. In this sense, sequential constructs have an abundance of order. Why? Because that is the part of the cosmos that they express. The problem, however, occurs when the sequential mind attempts to translate these languages and interpret the Cosmos as a whole. Here the map fails. And it fails miserably! The Cosmos is too awesome to be interpreted by any kind of mental map, however profound that map is. A map is still a map. Thus, there are limits to what a map can understand. These limits are defined by the nature of the fractal contexts of which the map is the intended instrument of measure. Farther and farther away from this fractal context, and the map loses intelligibility. The map “crashes” so to speak, meaning it lacks translation protocols to define new ways of understanding the terrain. It becomes “lost in translation.”

                  What is the lesson here for the sequential mind? Savor the various maps and languages and instruments for their own purposes. But remember, all maps have limits. Know when it is time to discard them. And never make the mistake of thinking the map is Infinite Reality itself.

THE ARTIFICIALITY CALLED TIME

                  We shall use this knowledge of the two informational processing realms and bear them on to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon called time. The arrow of time seems to be moving forward all the time. But this is an illusion. When consciousness singularities are experiencing the three dimensional universe, they are automatically delimiting their multi-dimensional selves into special vehicles that can assimilate a limited informational worldsphere, in this case the 3d universe. What we call time is really a special focus of attention whereby a consciousness form tracks the presence of certain worldsphere events and arranges its vector dynamics to travel that worldtrack in a specific fashion. The consciousness singularity is, of course, aware, that he can traverse the infinite manifold of the cosmos in many different worldtrack permutations. But, to maintain consistency in his 3d universe worldtrack, he prefers to traverse it using a specific vector frequency. This is called spacetime. And it appears to be flowing in one direction only, though of course, that is an illusion only. Since the consciousness is mainly using a serial processor biological mainframe to traverse the worldtrack, it makes sense to delimit his multi-dimensionality and focus only in one direction, otherwise the serial processor will not comprehend the data that he is exposed to.

                  Thus, spacetime in the 3d universe is configured to be assembled by the serial processor. They are made for each other. In order to comprehend the higher order data from higher order realms, another distinct information retrieval system should be manufactured or discovered or utilized.

                  Enter the nonlinear processor.

                  The nonlinear processor apprehends multi-dimensional realms simultaneously. It is like looking at an art form, or listening to a piece of music, or watching a dance number. The whole is assimilated completely, not part by part like the one in sequential thought. The learning style is holistic, and the learner assimilates a large amount of data.

SYMBOLIC SIGNATURES

                  The triangle or pyramid is the symbolic flag or rune signature of the sequential processing aspect of reality, while the circle or sphere is the symbolic flag or rune signature of the nonlinear processing aspect of reality. The triangle shouts its linear allegiance, and demands worship from its adherents. This is a way for the triangle simulated thought worldview to make its presence felt. Adhering to sequential processing, it must attempt to warp and force its native consciousness forms to partake of its feast. This process is almost a form of cruelty, because it uses coercion to manipulate the mind to become its slave. The mind is the direct child of consciousnesses, thus it is apt to be spontaneous in the beginning. The triangle attempts to surpass this nativity, by bringing the mind into full control. It wrestles with the mind, it seduces the mind, and when all else fails it coerces the mind through direct manipulation. When the mind surrenders, it surrenders itself to the machinations of the sequential universe. It begins to process in a linear fashion, delimiting itself and surrendering its full powers. It becomes heavy. It falls prey to gravity. It becomes enmeshed in the planes of matter. It becomes lost in the maze of its own making.

                  When sown in this manner, all the systems of thought are derivatives of the sequential worldview. The sciences, once powerful and objective, become slaves to it. They are quickly seduced by its twisted logic. And they come to believe that there are limitations to the unknown set of variables in the universe itself. They now begin to quest to master these unknown variables. Sadly, the sciences themselves become egocentric, refusing to countenance the possibility of paradigms that do not suit the tastes of the sequential universe. Science now becomes an adept at manipulation. It dictates the fashionable paradigms, it dictates the way to transmit these paradigms, and it dictates the way to deal with bifurcations in the road. The result is the glorification of the vehicle of the technosphere, for it represents the current mastery of its sequential paradigm. The hardware is glorified, the software is suppressed. The dream is under way…..

                  Being a slave to the sequential worldview, the sleeping soul trapped in the planes of matter holds fast to whatever tool is present at the moment that can ease its suffering. The sleeping soul itself become addicted to control and controlled environments. It reeks of sequential processing also. It desires to know, yet uses only the sequential thought process. It is trained by its master, the sequential mind. It comes to abhor all forms of nonlinear processing. They occur only to him as diversions, hobbies suited for playing in its leisure hours. It does not imagine that leisure itself may supply the answer to its quest……

                  Art becomes only a diversion now.

                  And yet, hope prevails for a solution is embedded in the soul matrix itself. This is the quest motif. It is a feature of all consciousness forms, whether solitary or collective, whether playing in the sequential or nonlinear universes. The quest motif is the desire, deep within every consciousness, to know the truth about itself and the universe. It begins as a form of restlessness, or a yearning, or a desire to study, or a penchant to travel, or an inclination to inquire from others, or merely curiosity, or any permutations of the aforementioned. This small fire can be fanned into a larger steady blaze by a constant barrage of synchronistic and enlightening set of circumstances. Let us call this Serendipity. Serendipity arranges the events in the life of the consciousness singularity in order to awaken the potential within that soul to access the Truth. The querent now begins to truly travel, immersing himself in the world of the quest paradigms. And, whether formulated consciously or not, it begins to mould its inquiry along the lines of the fundamental metaphysical questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?

                  The quest will carry the consciousness, let us call him the Fool, through mountains and valleys and caves of thought. He will encounter thousands upon thousands of thought systems, all clamouring for the attention of his foolish sequential mind. Initially, he will begin to question the system of thought which is its nativity. Its native system of thought, a child of the sequential universe, possesses the Truth in a distilled form, palatable only to the sequential mind, and consisting of various control parameters which make it hard for the seeker to embrace the nonlinear path. In addition, the doctrines of such a system has its own polarities, inconsistencies and dichotomies, which are the legacy of the sequential universe. Every system of thought in the sequential universe, being its child, possesses polarities at every level, in every dimension, and occurring in every construct. So, an added burden to the seeker is the unravelling of such polarities. This may even distract him from the true Quest itself. Thankfully, its Higher Self has the quest motif prepared in advance. The seeker will now have a life best by a continuous train of contradictory and challenging events which serve to awaken him to Absolute Truth. Such events may center, but not be limited, to various forms of existential dilemmas which challenge his loyalty, whether to the lower or the upper planes. As his consciousness begins to awaken, the inertial forces will in turn, become stronger and stronger and the querent must fight for the quest to continue.

                  It appears that the seeker is all alone in his quest, a lonely traveller in a dark road, where twilight and night entice him to rest from his quest. But, thankfully again, his Higher Self has prepared well in advance. Companions in his quest shall appear from time to time. These may take the form of actual people, or events, or books, or peculiar experiences, or even distressing occurrences. Environments may also become “companions” on the path. And so the quest continues.

                  One day, it all comes together. One lucky event, which appears to be random. But it is not random. And the traveller awakens. This is the awakening process, which shifts the consciousness of the seeker from sequential to nonlinear. And the drama returns full circle, and restores the symmetry. And the ending becomes the beginning…

                  The old paradigm is static, sequential and reductionist. The new paradigm is dynamic, nonlinear and holistic.

                  The eyes of the soul are opened once more, to the realities of the nonlinear cosmos. The veils of illusion are parted, the bars of the prison are broken. The seeker is awakened!

CONCLUSION

                  The nonlinear model of reincarnation is the greatest possible teaching for consciousness singularities traversing the breadth, height and depth of the Cosmos. For it encapsulates the nature of the cosmos itself. It is the very expression of cosmic life. Let us enjoy its priceless jewels:

                  The cosmos is nonlinear.

                  The cosmos is holistic.

                  The cosmos is one, the Oneness.

                  The cosmos is the supreme form of art.

                  The cosmos is infinite.

                  The cosmos is eternal.

                  The cosmos is interconnected, holographic and recursive.

                  The cosmos is absolute Love, in absolute permutation.

About The Author:

Sensei Erwin Rimban was born in the Philippine Islands. Since a young age he has been fascinated by the esoteric realm and avidly read books on world history, philosophy, astrology, mythology, the social sciences and similar fields. Educated at the University of the Philippines, where he graduated Cum Laude, he added Evolutionary Biology to his plethora of interests. After graduating from college, he spent many years in the tourist destination of Baguio City where he pursued a career in writing and teaching, while at the same time finding time to be a meditation teacher. Currently, he is active in organizational work, where he is promoting advocacy programs in educational philosophy, spiritual counselling, wisdom, metaphysics, mysticism, psychology, history, educational philosophy, ecology and alternative medicine. (He can be reached at this email: mentorpath@gmail.com).

Multifaceted Understanding

Life is purely amazing and its purpose for each individual, so very different.  It seems we are naturally predisposed to selecting “sides” or “beliefs” in terms of how we wish to orient our focus of living.  There are many philosophical, metaphysical and psychological “isms” through which we could choose to view the world.  Many of us do this naturally without identifying consciously with these various schools of thought or beliefs but they seemingly form thoughts and actions within our consciousness through our daily interactions with our follow brothers and sisters.  So what are these main “isms” that define the filters from which many of us align our beliefs?  A little research through the World Wide Web brings us the following to consider from the world of philosophy, which also includes at least two others of interest to me personally, psychology and metaphysics.  Let me share with you a little of my quick research to make my point:

Idealism

From The Basics of Philosophy online resource, we have Idealism described as follows: 

Idealism is the metaphysical and epistemological doctrine that ideas or thoughts make up fundamental reality. Essentially, it is any philosophy which argues that the only thing actually knowable is consciousness (or the contents of consciousness), whereas we never can be sure that matter or anything in the outside world really exists. Thus, the only real things are mental entities, not physical things (which exist only in the sense that they are perceived). 

From this filter, we have alignment (at least at a very basic level) from among some of our great thinkers throughout history.  Some names you might be familiar with like Plato, Aristotle, Rene Descartes, Gottfried Leibniz and Immanuel Kant.  Each took the basic framework and added to it their own unique and interesting perspectives (to say the least) and brought forth interesting ideas, thoughts, arguments and theories about the world in which we find ourselves and the way we organize our thoughts about existence.  I can see some of my own thoughts and beliefs through the filer of Idealism (but please understand that my perspective is that belief is an untested hypothesis which I don’t necessarily hold as truth).

Realism

From the very same source as the above, we find Realism defined as:

Realism, at it simplest and most general, is the view that entities of a certain type have an objective reality, a reality that is completely ontologically independent of our conceptual schemes, linguistic practices, beliefs, etc. Thus, entities (including abstract concepts and universals as well as more concrete objects) have an existence independent of the act of perception, and independent of their names.

The doctrine had its beginnings with Pre-Socratic philosophers like Thales, Heraclitus and Parmenides, but its definitive formulation was that of Plato and his theory of Forms . . .

Aligned with this filter and expanding it further to their own perspectives we find the great minds of St. Augustine, St. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas.  These individuals held very interesting perspectives and theories on our origins, the existence of God as well as additional impacts on critical thinking.  I can see merit to the filter of this particular perspective or at least understand some of the frameworks and concepts as well as many other “isms.”

Pragmatism

The former views originated much further back in our human timeline than pragmatism.  As the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy says of Pragmatism:

Pragmatism is a philosophical movement that includes those who claim that an ideology or proposition is true if it works satisfactorily, that the meaning of a proposition is to be found in the practical consequences of accepting it, and that unpractical ideas are to be rejected. Pragmatism originated in the United States during the latter quarter of the nineteenth century. Although it has significantly influenced non-philosophers—notably in the fields of law, education, politics, sociology, psychology, and literary criticism—this article deals with it only as a movement within philosophy.

The term “pragmatism” was first used in print to designate a philosophical outlook about a century ago when William James (1842-1910) pressed the word into service during an 1898 address entitled “Philosophical Conceptions and Practical Results,” delivered at the University of California (Berkeley). James scrupulously swore, however, that the term had been coined almost three decades earlier by his compatriot and friend C. S. Peirce (1839-1914). (Peirce, eager to distinguish his doctrines from the views promulgated by James, later relabeled his own position “pragmaticism”—a name, he said, “ugly enough to be safe from kidnappers.”) The third major figure in the classical pragmatist pantheon is  John Dewey (1859-1952), whose wide-ranging writings had considerable impact on American intellectual life for a half-century. After Dewey, however, pragmatism lost much of its momentum.

This is yet another understandable filter from which to view various aspects of the things in life that we face or contemplate.  I will neither argue for nor against it for I find merit in or at least understanding of many filters and “isms” very generally speaking.  Again, I’ll say, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I dogmatically subscribe to this filter or others alone.

Existentialism

From the same source as the above, we find Existentialism.  An excerpt to help with understanding is:

Existentialism is a catch-all term for those philosophers who consider the nature of the human condition as a key philosophical problem and who share the view that this problem is best addressed through ontology. This very broad definition will be clarified by discussing seven key themes that existentialist thinkers address. Those philosophers considered existentialists are mostly from the continent of Europe, and date from the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Outside philosophy, the existentialist movement is probably the most well-known philosophical movement, and at least two of its members are among the most famous philosophical personalities and widely read philosophical authors. It has certainly had considerable influence outside philosophy, for example on psychological theory and on the arts. Within philosophy, though, it is safe to say that this loose movement considered as a whole has not had a great impact, although individuals or ideas counted within it remain important. Moreover, most of the philosophers conventionally grouped under this heading either never used, or actively disavowed, the term ‘existentialist’. Even Sartre himself once said: “Existentialism? I don’t know what that is.” So, there is a case to be made that the term – insofar as it leads us to ignore what is distinctive about philosophical positions and to conflate together significantly different ideas – does more harm than good.

The seven key themes noted in the above excerpt are listed below.  You might check the source and do a little reading when you have a moment.  You might find these very interesting:

Philosophy as a Way of Life

Anxiety and Authenticity

Freedom

Situatedness

Existence

Irrationality/Absurdity

The Crowd

As with the above “isms,” we find some of the interesting thinkers of more recent times such as Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Albert Camus.

Philosophy is rich with ideas and theories concerning existence and consciousness and perhaps that is why I’m so drawn to it.  The convergences of all the various aspects these filters hold exist within our every day thoughts.  I cannot help but wonder about why it is we must align with a singular thought process at all, however.  As others before me have come to similar conclusions, I won’t argue about the basic human need to belong to something and to find purpose within it through belief alone.  One of my other favorite topics was born from Philosophy when Wilhelm Wundt in the second half of the 1800’s introduced the concept that Psychology should become its own discipline. (Discovering Psychology, 4)

There are many more “isms” through which we began to understand our frameworks.  These would include:

Structuralism from Edward B. Titchener (1867-1927):  “Structuralism became the first major school of thought in psychology.  Structuralism held that even our most complex conscious experiences could be broken down into elemental structures, or component parts, of sensations and feelings,” (Discovering Psychology, 4).

Functionalism from William James (1842-1910):  “Functionalism stressed the importance of how behavior functions to allow people and animals to adapt to their environments.  Unlike structuralists, functionalists did not limit their methods to introspection.  They expanded the scope of psychology research to include direct observation of living creatures in natural settings,” (Discovering Psychology, 5).

Behaviorism from John B. Watson (1878-1958):  Behaviorism “. . . rejected the emphasis on consciousness promoted by structuralism and functionalism.  It also flatly rejected Freudian notions about unconscious influences.  Instead, behaviorism contended that psychology should focus its scientific investigations strictly on overt behavior – observable behaviors that could be objectively measured and verified,”(Discovering Psychology, 6)

There are more “isms” than I could possibly list in one simple article, which was my true intent.  Just for fun, I will add one more “ism.”  The actual definition of “ism” which comes to us from The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

Full Definition of ISM:

1 : a distinctive doctrine, cause or theory

2 : an oppressive and especially discriminatory attitude or belief.

So, as you can see, we humans with all of our “isms” are an interesting lot.  I deeply appreciate all of the “isms” that are and have been contemplated, the great minds that created them and the reasons for their creations.  It reflects to me, the multifaceted aspects of our conscious existence.  Consciousness is what we are, I firmly believe.  We have so many isms to contend with as we live our lives but here is an interesting thought, we don’t have to subscribe to any particular belief at all.  We do not have to hold an ism as truth unless it is sufficiently proven to be a definitive truth to us in some way.  I see all of the isms, philosophies and theories as ways in which we question our existence, the reality of the world and perhaps, the existence of Source (or God, if you will).  What if we are that Source in all of its multifaceted concepts and constructs?  Maybe it matters less which field of hard or soft-science or other fields of thought you subscribe to and more how these things help you achieve that which you sought to achieve in this life?  Not one of us has an answer that would be definitively true for the unique and amazing aspect of consciousness projected in the physical reality we acknowledge here in this time that is you.

I think that what we are all attempting to define is consciousness (with a little “c” referring to the egoic aspect) and Consciousness (with a big “C” referring to the quantum Whole).  From my own work, The Ego is the Veil:

Consciousness is only partially discovered and is certainly only a partially understood frontier that has the potential to neatly knit everything we see, feel and experience together.  With further exploration of this frontier, I think we may find some very exciting things about our existence here in this frame.  I think also that the study of consciousness cannot be contained as valid from the perspective of only one or a handful of the various applied science and other disciplines.  As mentioned before, each discipline can only define consciousness from within the confines and constructs of their academic perspectives.  It will take some fearless pioneers unafraid to break down the walls, barriers, biases and prejudices working hand in hand to help us better understand the nature of what it truly is.  I am not satisfied by the biological constructs alone.  I am unsatisfied with the neuro-biological constructs alone.  I am unsatisfied with the philosophical and psychological constructs alone and I am still as yet unsatisfied with the theological and metaphysical constructs alone.  I think if we work together we can find the common themes to all the various disciplines, come together, share notes, establish and test new hypotheses and attempt to draw no conclusions about what it (consciousness) truly is. (82)

In my own works I posit in a similar vein as Freud in that the ego is where consciousness meets physical reality and that creates not the typical dualist thought but that ego and veil (as in ego consciousness and veil, Cosmic Consciousness) are one and the same.  Everything we see, feel and experience is a multifaceted aspect of Consciousness.  I don’t see consciousness in terms of the hard or easy question or problem but rather I see it as the entirety of the framework from which we exist.  It is because of this that I feel we struggle so much with our limited human words to define it.  It is more than words or a thing…it is also a feeling, which is beyond emotion and an energy that is beyond our limited sensory perceptions alone.   

We, in a way, are like tiny ants trying to define the entirety of the Universe.  It’s too big and too much to take in with limited frameworks and premises.  We’re all right and wrong in our thoughts in some regard concerning our consciousness and existence.  Maybe we view that which we attempt to define from filters that are limited to begin with? We are as multifaceted as consciousness is and cannot be singly defined with any amount of accuracy in our entirety from the physical, to the mind, to consciousness or why all of these things neatly come together in the human beings that we are.  We can define component parts and operations, we can run simulations and experiments of thoughts and theories and we can test what is true and what is not based on repeated success in our testing of theories from the perspective of some ism to prove our view.  But what if it is the view itself that creates the outcome?  What if it is our focus and intent that creates everything?

We are amazing to put it simply; every single one of us with our goals and ambitions, our thoughts and our dreams.  We are actively participating in this huge Conscious (Big “C”) experience with conscious (little “c”) thoughts and ideas.  We will not find the doorways of true understanding through thought alone no matter which discipline or “ism” we filter it through.  It will take something more akin to the feeling (not read emotion) of the true expanse of our awareness to understand.  More than mere belief, I have faith that with all of the explorations from the past, those of the present and even those yet to come, we will arrive at expanded Conscious Awareness in the bigger sense.  In a way, perhaps multifaceted ways, we are already there.

Sources:

Burnham, Douglas et al, “Existentialism” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://www.iep.utm.edu/existent/.  Web.

Harter, J.L., 2014, The Ego is the Veil, California, The Ministry of Connected Consciousness.  Print.

Hockenbury, Don et al 2014, Discovering Psychology.  Sixth Edition, New York,  Worth Publishers.  Print.

Mastin, Luke, “Realism” and “Idealism,” The Basics of Philosophy,  http://www.philosophybasics.com.  Web.

McDermid, Douglas, “Pragmatism, “ The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy  http://www.iep.utm.edu/pragmati/ Web.

Miriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, “Ism”, http://www.merriam-webster.com.  Web.

Rev. J.L. Harter, PhD, M.Msc., B.Msc., Author, Blogger, and Spiritual Counselor, Editor of the JMCC.  See Bio section for more information.

© 2014 Jaie Hart (photo and words, except where cited from other sources)