A Beautiful Revelation

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to critically examine the ways by which Beauty is revealed to the human consciousness and how this impacts its expansion and evolution from an individual and collective standpoint. Three main aspects of how Beauty is revealed is identified and situated in the context of its impact on the evolution of human consciousness.

Keywords: Beauty, Consciousness, Humanity, Evolution, Physical, Creativity, Art, Emotion

A Beautiful Revelation

From the dawn of civilization, humankind has always sought to answer the question “What is Beauty?” This simple question has perplexed philosophers, theologians and scientists alike and has resulted in the postulation of numerous definitions across different disciplines. What has emerged is an abundance of terminological ambiguities that neither satisfactorily encapsulate the underlying essence of Beauty, nor provide for any critical insight into its revelatory aspects. Perhaps this is because Beauty has myriad expressions that are revealed to the human consciousness at different levels or stages of its evolution. This essay will examine three revelatory aspects of Beauty and situate them in the context of the ongoing evolution of human consciousness.

As sentient beings in a physical universe, we perceive reality through sensory perception from which we construct and make sense of our world. In doing so, we interact with nature and each other which necessarily opens us up to what we come to know as Beauty. This element of truth is more than a mere ideation or construct of the human mind. It aids in the evolution of our species from a physical, emotional, and spiritual perspective by how it is revealed to us.

We can approach the concept of Beauty as being revealed to us in three primary ways. First, because we are part of the natural world, we perceive Beauty through our senses. When we employ these senses via sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell to our environment, our consciousness can become aware of Beauty as it is revealed in nature. Hence symmetrical patterns inherent on a butterfly’s wings or on a nautiluses’ shell can appear to be beautiful to us because of their aesthetic qualities. Similarly, the sound of rustling leaves or the taste and smell of food, or even the sensation of wind upon exposed skin, can all be perceived as being beautiful.

This particular revelatory aspect of Beauty can be viewed as Topical Beauty. Topical Beauty is the physical manifestation of Beauty as revealed to us solely via our senses. This aspect of Beauty exists in the natural world and is apparent to us from a mathematical standpoint. For example, symmetry can be perceived in the face of a young woman or man and harmony can be gleaned from the acoustics of natural or manufactured sound. The sensations of taste, touch, and smell can also be measured and quantified in a scientific manner.

Such beauty however, is topical because it is revealed only on the surface of what we deem to be reality. In other words, it can be construed as the proverbial “tip of the iceberg”. It is expressed in nature through geometric patterns and is readily observable and measurable to all. Topical Beauty thus represents the physical aspect of Beauty.

The second way in which Beauty is revealed to us is through works of art. When the consciousness of humankind engages in creative pursuits, we are able to perceive the revelation of Beauty on an emotional level. Thus when we listen to one of Chopin’s piano concertos, we can come away feeling deeply moved by the beauty of the piece’s arrangement. Similarly, when we look at a Van Gogh painting, it can have a profound emotional effect on us because it possesses the capacity to elevate our consciousness to a level that is at once both physical and emotional.

When artists engage in creative endeavors, they are opening their consciousness to the apprehension of Beauty that exists in the sphere of imagination and wonder. This is outside the purely physical realm and enables the mind to transcend it by acting as a conduit through which Beauty can be revealed to us from an individual and collective standpoint.  

Art forces us to look beyond the physical and allows for the evolution of human consciousness beyond its material limitations. When we have achieved such depth and breadth of consciousness, Beauty is revealed to us Sub-Topically. At this stage, Beauty has the power to move us in a physical and emotionally way simultaneously. Thus some individuals may weep at a musical concert or be left breathless upon seeing a sculpture, while for others; touching a quilt their grandmother made years ago can move them in a very deep and personal way.

Once revealed, Sub-Topical Beauty allows for the evolution and transcendence of human consciousness beyond the purely physical or emotional. This is because it engenders capacity building by elasticizing our consciousness through art. We can no longer just apprehend beauty via the senses, but we can now feel it in the very core of our being. This further enables us to partake in the beautiful for when we create, we beautify.

Upon reaching this level of consciousness, we are now in a position to understand how Beauty is revealed to us in the third way. When we engage in acts of virtue, whether towards other humans or to other species, we perceive Beauty that transcends emotion and reason. In such instances, the laws of nature do not apply since there is no inclination towards self-gain. Our actions become altruistic and in doing so, they beautify us collectively.

When we show compassion to the other, we engage each other in a beautiful way. When we impart kindness or tenderness to others, there need not be an aesthetic quality to such acts for us to find meaning and beauty in them. When we show love to an animal, it beautifies the human in us. When we forgive, our mercy allows us to redeem and beautify the other and this in turn, beautifies us. Understanding and perceiving Beauty in this manner allows for not only an expansion of our collective consciousness, but a deepening of it too. As human beings, we are flawed creatures. But, if our imperfections are what make us human, when we consciously engage in a virtuous act, it is our humanity that ultimately makes us beautiful.

This third way of perceiving and understanding Beauty thus transcends the physical and emotional. It is, in effect, apprehended by our consciousness intuitively. Such beauty affects us spiritually since we begin to see the other in ourselves and better understand our interconnectedness with all forms of life, human or otherwise. This is what I call Intuitive Beauty.

In conclusion, the apprehension and understanding of Beauty is directly linked to the evolution of human consciousness. As we mature and evolve as a species, so too will our capacity to beautify and become expressions of Beauty ourselves both in a concrete and abstract manner. Our pursuit of knowledge inevitably opens us up to the possibility of finding elements of verisimilitude from a physical, emotional, and intuitive perspective. In this respect, our potential to find Beauty within ourselves is, ultimately, one of humanity’s most profound endeavors.

Jeevan Bhagwat, See Bios Section for more information -

Contact Information:  @j_bhagwat

Consciousness and Life in General

Abstract

This article acknowledges the challenges in our understanding of consciousness but pushes the boundary further in reaching for we do not yet understand.  In so doing, the concepts outline here intend to impart some understanding of the challenges we face as conscious humans while still attempting to inspire further research, study and acceptance of ourselves as human beings that are an integral part of humanity.

Key Words:  Consciousness, Exploration, Frontiers, Humanity, Life

Introduction

In certain circles we evaluate consciousness and its origins vis a vis the hard and easy problems.  In Susan Blackmore’s book, Consciousness an Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2004.  NY), she outlines the hard problem as:

The hard problem is to explain how physical processes in the brain give rise to the subjective experience.  The term was coined in 1994 by David Chalmers, who distinguished it from the “easy problems” of consciousness.  These include the ability to discriminate, categorize and react to stimuli; the integration of information by cognitive systems; the reportability of mental states; the focus of attention; deliberate control of behavior; and the difference between wakefulness and sleep.  By contrast the hard problem concerns experience itself, that is, subjectivity or “what it is like to be…”(19)

The arguments made by many a learned scholar make sense within their frameworks but I still cannot help but feel this nagging feeling within that we are all overlooking something important; perhaps something simple.  I cannot tell you precisely what that is until I can tease apart this nagging urge a bit more.

What we do know about consciousness is that in some respects, it is a bit of a mystery and potentially relegated at least in part to the land of metaphysics.  We cannot definitively pin point the origins of consciousness with certainty.  Consciousness is not limited to the brain but perhaps extends into the Mind and even beyond which encompasses the brain and yet includes a much broader concept such as the whole of the Universe.  Perhaps like the big bang or little blink, it just began and there it was in existence supported by all the dark matter and light of the universe.  I cannot tell you which.

What I can tell you is that I am conscious within the limited framework of a physical body that is awake and aware and that I am also part of a larger existence of consciousness of which we are all a part.  Maybe consciousness is no problem at all and our digging deeper into a piece of reality just to label it is a mistake.  We take bits and pieces of existence all the time.  We sort of decide to take this chunk of reality as limited as it may be, study it, test it, experiment with it and decide, “This is it, this is X.”  What if we do not have the capacity to take a big enough chunk of our reality to accurately measure it at all?

In terms of life in general, our consciousness is defined very closely to its component psychological parts as Freud (1856-1939) determined, Consciousness, Latent Consciousness and the Sub-conscious.  Everything we do and experience becomes some part of our consciousness in life.  So be it. It is what it is.  This is all well in good if you are content to get up every day and avoid philosophy.  Sadly or fortunately, as a philosopher, I don’t have that blessing.  I’ve an inquiring Mind which seeks to understand consciousness in it’s various states for my own personal reasons having experienced altered states of consciousness that have nothing to do with drugs!

Conclusion

I think the conclusion that I come to is that I can be satisfied with all of the studies and ideas on consciousness but I cannot be satisfied with stopping there.  We have so many great minds reading, researching and who are so very willing to continue the exploration into new frontiers on consciousness so that we might some day come up with something infinitely more useful for humanity concerning something very close to the home of every individual on the planet, our consciousness.  Being part of the much larger Consciousness, of which we are all part, is our right and privilege here in this frame and so we live our lives in various stages of consciousness that shifts, changes and expands much like the universe.  Be that as it may, I love life and I don’t think I could ever stop exploring our conscious existence in a very big way.  In a way, I hope you grasp that same pioneering spirit with whatever it is that calls to you within your own lives and fearless continue your inquiry until you are satisfied with the answers.

(photo:  NASA)

 Rev. J.L. Harter, PhD, Founding Editor of the Journal of Metaphysics and Connected Consciousness. See Bio section for additional information.

No Problem

Why does it seem that we have so many problems in our lives to deal with?  It sometimes seems we have way more to contend with than we can possibly handle and this can result in anxiety, stress, insomnia and even depression.  Giving considerable thought to these symptoms and their multiple and varied origins and knowing how within our Consciousness we create, I wonder if it is just something as simple as “we’ve got it all wrong.”  We watch how our lives are supposed to be from television, books, movies and even what those around us represent to us as the best case scenario for living and finding happiness.  But what if we realized the truth that these things are only idealized potentials and that if we strive for someone else’s ideal of the perfect life or happiness, we may actually find ourselves quite disheartened?  That isn’t what we’re here for.

We haven’t come all this way in our evolution and development to settle for someone else’s perfect version of what our reality should be, I think.  Look around you and see what this approach is getting us.  Every day we’re becoming more aware of the growing symptoms of personality disorders.  Even the DSM V sites more psychological disorders today than ever before.   The DSM is, “The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) … widely known as the bible of psychiatry and psychology,” (n.p. Tartakovsky, psychcentral.com).

Now, having cited this I realize that perhaps this knowledge is simply a part of the deepening of our understanding due to the increasing availability of information more quickly.  However, certain disorders or behaviors still seem to be on the rise such as those in the anti-social or sociopathic category.  But what if we’ve still not even scratched the surface of the true problems that ail humanity?  Consider this if you will, I have posited before that the Ego is the Veil.  Meaning that I lean towards the theory that our egos are that part of our consciousness that meets physical reality.  If there is a bigger part of our Consciousness that remains not in physically manifested three-dimensional reality, then maybe behavioral issues stemming from the ego are an unintended (or unconsciously intended) consequence of our being here, generally speaking.  So, if we begin from this premise that the ego is the reason we are in the physical, and when in the physical, we don’t understand the whole of our true Conscious capabilities, I could understand how some could wax either more sensitive with the realization of the possibility or it’s opposite, not sensitive at all in the absence of the realization of the possibility.  I see all of these things as coping mechanisms related not just to life and our experiences from childhood but that sometimes the level of discontent and ill-behavior grows simply from our lack of understanding of what it is that we are.

So, we have an ego that projects our focus here were we are physical, experience the physical, encounter egoic emotion and if we remain aware, we can still experience the ethereal.  Now, those of us still engrossed in entertaining that the physical is the ONLY reality may never awaken to the ethereal components of our larger Consciousness and they may begin to label, make-fun of or find other ways to hide out in pure science or psychological bad behavior alone to prove their own ego’s version of reality and all that will seem to do is perpetuate this ill behavior we so often see demonstrated within humanity.  I’m a compassionate soul and have to believe there is a reason for this behavior, for this seemingly limited thinking and why some of those in the know may find our make-up and lack of awareness quite convenient.  I’m not going to dive into conspiracy theories here.  I dare not put any good energy towards that.  I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of those with supreme knowledge and those who are lost to that knowledge (at least temporarily).  What I do know is that there is a collective of memories, thoughts and knowledge available to humanity.  At any time one can merely observe their own thoughts to realize we are not so simply defined.  We cannot even completely define consciousness itself unless we begin to break it down into very small, agreeably identifiable component parts (we can’t do that yet, at least not entirely).  Even if were able to identify all of the component parts, due to the process of individuation of focus (materialization of our consciousness in the third-dimensional world), the challenges of living we’ve all been through in our own unique ways would have us view the findings only through the perspective of our own life experience. The way we are generally made up would have us believe our own perceptions as truth whether or not that truth was provisional.

I have learned in life that we can experience so many problems, challenges and pain as we try to make it through the day living up to ideals presented for us to hold and believe in.  But what if the things in our lives are not problems to solve at all?  What if that concept or framework of operation is the problem and prevents us from truly knowing ourselves and the beauty that life has to offer?  What if we fearlessly engaged in serious inquiry of the origins of our own beliefs, understood them and then realized there is no need to fight for someone else’s version of reality or even defend our own?  What if you discovered that the way things are here as we see and experience them right now is just exactly the way they are supposed to be?  What if you knew you had a choice in terms of labeling, judging, hating, dividing, conquering or accepting, holding compassion, understanding, allowing and appreciating the diversity of life here and the full scope of potential experiences you have in order to better understand your life lessons?  What would that do to your problems?  Would that put them in a different category that might cause you to react differently towards?  Would you begin to see the behavior in others that drives you mad is not the impetus for you to engage in a campaign to change others but to seek greater understanding and wisdom within yourselves?  The irritating factors that occur to us from others does not exist so that we can allow the frustration to take up residence within our heads to our detriment.  On the contrary.  They are messages only to remind us that we have a choice in how we view things, even if we have to struggle a few days to gain a more positive perspectives.

So much is possible in this world.  If we could shift our perspectives we could endeavor to engage in more richly rewarding discourses and interaction with all of life here on planet Earth…here in the Earth School.  We could see the world with new eyes, hear the music of life with new ears and feel the truth of everything with a sensory perception unaided by limited psychological labels for experiences.  We could transform misery into beauty in the span of a heart-beat if we but took the time to learn how to stand in the center of the light of our own beautiful Consciousness and realize that we are one in so many ways.  Or, we could just continue with the drudgery, the pain, the bleak and stark expanses of some of the roadways of life.  The choice of perspective belongs to each of us alone.  That’s the beauty of life I suppose.  There isn’t really a wrong way or a right way.  I think being here at all has the consequence of symptomatic expression of “malware” we’ve had unconsciously installed in our minds from very early on.  I’m referring to the beliefs that were created about ourselves and the world that came from outside in and remained resident in our psyches without our understanding it was that very same "malware" that we have always operated from.  That "malware" skews our vision and makes the truth awfully difficult to perceive definitively.  I guess maybe that part of the fun is learning to spot our false premises and then striving to transcend them.  It is in the journey that we find our greatest rewards and not necessarily in the attaining of a destination, thing or whatever it is you can think of.   

In a way, we are already very Consciously Aware and Awake, we just have chosen not to acknowledge that yet or maybe we haven't yet learned how to remember that fact.  Each in his or her own time, I continually remind myself and remind myself with much gratitude.  I love life and humanity.  The beauty and diversity of existence here is just beyond words.  It’s miraculous, amazing, inspiring… even on those dark nights or during dark seeming times.  Things change, we always grow and everything is forever in motion.  It's not a problem.  It's just life.

Referenced Work:

Tartakovsky, M. “How the DSM Developed:  What You Might Not Know”  Psychcentral.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 J.L. Harter, PhD