The Grand Patchwork

Is it really that much of a stretch to say that neurons create a hive-mind consciousness!? To me, this is a perfectly reasonable explanation of how the field of consciousness is created in minds. Washburn (1913) discovered emergent conscious behaviour in amoeba. If single celled organisms like amoeba and paramicium can display learning and adaptive behaviour to their environment, then so can neurons. Neurons are a single-celled organism and in an integral collective, such like on in a human brain, they can communicate with one another. It is not a stretch to think that collectively they can produce hive-mind qualities. This hive-mind generates an emergent field that can explain consciousness. Much like Emergent theories of consciousness, these hive-minds are not reducable back to their individual parts or neurons and explains why consciousness cannot be seen or found inside the brain.

Explaining PSI or ESP phenomena becomes possible now because if two persons are open to each other's fields, then the neurons from one person could communicate with the neural net or hive mind of the other person because the neurons emit a frequency unique to themselves. Light jumps fields, why not consciousness? The only think faster than the speed of light is consciousness.

Perhaps the reason why the material world is so pervasive an considered not an illusion is because there may be a different definition of a 'conscious observer' than previously thought? Is Panpsychism the key to the seamless projection of matter?

I just came out as an egalitarian to a mass of feminists today. I feel very judged, It's just that I resist labels and egalitarian seemed the best fit if I had to pick one. It seems as though whenever the term egalitarian is used, they respond back with the term humanitarian. I don't think I can claim this term either. As a vegetarian I feel this term excludes non-human animals. I also work a double day as I do the house work or a triple day because I have a child, the term feminist makes me think of a quadruple day because we have to do all the work in making change too. Do your part - everyone!

I intend to say the same thing in a trillion different ways. My underlying or permeating message is that there are things being treated like opposites, that should be working as compliments. One side spins in one direction, the other in the opposite (but at *equivalent rates). But just because they are mirror images, doesn't mean they can't work together as compliments. Western society seems to think they are antagonists and thus suppresses and oppresses the other. This is like saying it is superior to breathe in over breathing out.

When I use the term Macrocosm/Microcosm I do get confusing because when these terms are used there is an ontological superiority of one over the other. Macrocosm refers to All that Is or the Whole of everything, like God or Brahman etc. Microcosm is the many versions of the story of the All played out on earth (like the Hindu idea of Lila/Lilah). It is the copy, shadow or mirror image *equivalent in material/physical world.

I believe there IS an equation that can sum up the macrocosm or the Whole that can also explain how the two realms interact. The equation breaths through, holds together and mediates between these two opposing sides. The "opposing" sides can be any label you wish: macrocosm/microcosm; seen/unseen; up down, right left, male female; right wrong; General relativity and standard model, night day, passive/active, This equation also has the ability to move between the two. The equation also contains their mediator. This mediator which is much like the unified field particle/God particle/tachyon/consciousness itself, I have termed the Grand Transducer. By moving between the two realms , the all permeating Grand Transducer breaths and expands, it is what holds the two worlds together. It is through the understanding of this mediator, that we transcend and can be enlightened. 

I am not saying that this Grand Transducer is God in itself, but more like the Holy Spirit or Mother part of the trinity. The other two sides in this example become Body (Son and by extension society)  and Mind (Father intellect, rationalism). Mind and body interact the same way through give and take, tug and pull in and out breaths. This is why balance is key.

You could call this aspect of the equation an energy source if it in omnipresent by permeating the universe (all dimensions). It is tied to us at our innermost core (like Teresa of Avila would say that God is there at our essence). We just have to tap in!!!

When criticism is constructive it is welcome, as that is how i learn and grow...=)

* as equal as it can be in physical form limited to the resources available. Each dimension has a different "equivalent" or expression of what it thinks the ALL is. It does not mean actual equivalence to the All That Is.

Hi everyone!  Again thanks for the interesting discussion inthe Ratzinger group today. For those who were there I wanted to clarify someideas that I'm not sure got across fully. 1. The reason why the only way to getto the kingdom is through Jesus. 2. To answer Alexandra's question about whichGod to choose in a pluralist society.<<>  3. Why have/need reason if it categorizes, separates anddisseminates, more often than unites.

 1. The reason why the only way to get to the kingdom is through Jesus isbecause he is the mediator. He is the Grand Transducer (my term;) between theseen and the unseen or the material and spiritual worlds. When Jesus (Yeshua)said "Come follow me" (in my opinion) was to point to the particularway of life and contemplation that Jesus set out for us to follow (not literallyfollowing behind) it is his PATH that must be followed hence "I am theway". People have the free will to choose to follow this narrow and lessfrequented path or not. When you die, it is Jesus that will judge whether ornot you did a good job attempting to follow the path he has set out. He is theJudge or Anubis who "weighs your soul against the feather" so tospeak. THIS is why the only way to the kingdom is through him, he decides whois worthy. He is obviously worthy himself because he wasnot corrupted and hence became a part of the Trinity, therefore trusted todo this task (because he too was found worthy by God).

2. It is a very good and important question to ask, which God to we pray to orwhich God's laws do we accept in a pluralist society. This points to theproblem of objective moral principles or truths. But, IS there any objectivemoral principles or truths? There is universal consent that survival isobjectively universal principle, but that has what's led to the rampant greedwe see in society because it leads to stepping over people and using them tothe means to their end. Not cool. If we believe that there is truth out thereand certain things can be "proven" in several different ways usingseveral different methods, then the end of the means of this adventure on awhole leads to One big-ass universal Truth. Some say this is God, some say aunified field theory etc. But, I like what David said about Plato? that thegreatest truth is Love. Love happens to be the greatest living principle innatewithin us (or the most honourable and respected) and happens to be the messageJesus gave - "love one another" He also said his God was the God ofLove. Truth and love seem to be interchangeable here and could be why Jesusalso said he was the truth. So to answer the question, the God of Love shouldbe the God (or lets say principle because that includes those who are seculartoo), that should be regarded as "best" thus to be followed. 

<<>>

3. Reason is a funny thing because it is the newest addition to the animalkingdom's brain. Emotion and instinct are quite established and are used inchildhood to understand the world as their senses begin to give theminformation on how the world works and looks like then reason or reflectioncomes in (I am preparing for Essay 2 in the Empiricist class here lol).Cognition, or reason has instinct too and the principle it runs on is tocategorize and find patterns, otherwise we would live in world of chaos.Reason does this because it is "in its nature” and here lies the problem,it is corruptible. It was, after all, what the scorpion said to the turtle asit killed him anyway, even though the turtle was helping him out (or showinglove/compassion). Reason is corruptible because people tend use only half ofits principle and revere one over the other by using reason more often forcategorization, than for finding patterns (uniting). So, to answer the questionof why we need reason as well as faith (which i operationalize as a result ofour emotional capacities) is because reason helps us understand and interactwith the material world and emotional capacities help us understand thespiritual world. Since it is truth that unifies, in order to find the truththrough reason would be to find patterns that assimilate. (The mind then accommodatesand so on). Everything is a reciprocal balance. Why say accommodation is BETTERthan assimilation? It’s absurd. It would be like saying breathing out is wayBETTER than breathing in: Although there is reciprocity between the two, theystill battle over which is superior. Our western civilization believes reasonto be superior to faith. This is like saying the newborn or teenager is betterthan the adult (see the brain anatomy point at beginning). Perhaps sometimesit's true. But, reason is corruptible and its pal, the material world issusceptible to decay. While we are on this planet, there should be a balancedreciprocity between the two and to abandon reason while alive is flawed becausereason aids in the understanding of faith/emotion. (When we die we can abandonreason as it will be no longer useful). But, to abandon emotion, spiritualityand faith while still on the earth is more than just flawed it would be as ifone were already dead. This is far from beinganswered – sorry!

Woah! I wasn't expecting this answer to beso convoluted and there are probably flaws in my logic (no pun intended). But,feel free to start a debate about this!! Good to see you all today - sorry Ican't make it tomorrow, perhaps next time!  

Since, the quantitive section of the GRE does not test statistical knowledge that is relevant to Psychology, then why is it an admissions requirement? The test only measures how well you know how to take the test and how easily you are duped into falling for its tricks. This is therefore, not a valid measurement of statistical skills in psychology, let alone the maths that they are supposedly testing. While taking Psychology we are taught about questionnaires and are required to test and look for validity and reliability. The General GRE test may be reliable but it is not valid because it doesn't measure what it is intended to measure. How is it that we have to keep up with these fair, yet strict standards and test and retest our measurements while the GRE remains an accepted graduate admissions requirement? Does anyone else find this hypocritical?

I thought I might try making a facebook group It would go something like this...

New Age Inner Worldly Mystics Unite

 What is an Inner Worldly Mystic?

Mysticism is a journey of spiritual awakening usually experienced as an inward development of knowing one’s self and his or her connection with the universe. Mysticism can also be defined as a particular type of radical social movement (Weber, 1967) in the sense that it can create social change.  Mysticism is one of two major forms of radical social movements, Propheticism being the other (Hunt, 2003).

As one explores their inner world, Mystical Experiences can occur. If one experiences these, it can be an incredible life-changing event. These experiences are usually indescribable in words, carry a felt meaning or understanding about life and are generally fleeting. A Mystical experience brings many people closer to a “Oneness with Everything”, or a unification of the finite, with the infinite. Weber noticed a pattern that would begin with a person’s mystical experience that also had meaning for many others. These experiences, if they spread throughout society, eventually became secularized or organized into everyday society. For example Siddhartha was a Mystic whose visions and experiences became mainstream “religion”.  An example from Propheticism would be Jesus, Moses or Mohammad’s experiences being culturally relevant and meaningful that they become mainstream religions. Prophets’ experiences are usually more auditory and mystic’s experiences are generally in the form of visions.

In regard to “inner worldly” it may seem it would refer to the transfer of the focus from the outer world onto the inner world, but in this case it actually refers more to the distinction between living within the greater society and retreating from it. For example, a Mystic that is inner worldly would practice within the society they are living in and hope it would catch on with others to create social change for the better. An “other worldly” mystic would retreat to an Ashram or Temple to further their journey. An inner worldly prophet would stay within the broader society and try to change it towards more ethical standards, perhaps through preaching. “Other worldly” prophets create their own societies or counter cultures away from the general population such as the Amish, Mennonite and Quaker communities.

It has been said that inner worldly mysticismis an answer to the growing disenchantment from today’s organized religions. It was observed by Weber and later by Troeltsch, that once mystical experiences become dogmatized or secularized by mainstream religion, they begin to lose their effectiveness in providing meaning in people’s lives (Hunt, 2003). For example, Capitalism came from a Calvinist perspective that believes your fruit is seen by your labour and the riches that have been bestowed on you are signs of your worthiness in the eyes of God. This attitude eventually went too far and grew into greed and materialism.

People have become dissatisfied by the rewards of organized religion because it teaches about how other people have had Mystical experiences or connections with God and are discouraged to have their own experiences with the Creator, or the universe, or social field,whatever term is most comfortable. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not bashing religion because organized religion at the same time has benefits such as creating social networks and social support groups that help maintain physical and mental health. So, it’s not all bad. The problem is that people have begun to retreat to their own inner world to experience their own connection. This could be a good thing because people will get to know themselves and find new meaning in life, but at the same time it promotes further individualism. Some may gather, at say Yoga class or women’s circles which is a step in the right direction towards unification with the greater society, but it could, on the other hand lead to a further separation allowing the greed and materialism to win. And it would be best to avoid this!!!

This site intends to unite all those on their own quest to find their purpose or who are on a spiritual journey. This site is meant to create a sense of community of those who are inner worldly mystics so we don’t go off into our own little worlds and forget to create change for the better in the larger society. This site welcomes posts about jams, women’scircles, New Moon, gatherings, Yoga, Thai chi sessions, workshops and other gatherings that would further a spiritual journey.

What would be ideal would be to be able to rent or have access to a school or Church that would allow us to run a sort of "YMCA for inner worldly mystics". Perhaps a place where we could congregate to create trance or altered states through jamming, and music, dance or poetry. An interactive choir so to speak. We could meditate as a group on an important cause or issue. The Maharishi effect is a phenomenon that lendsitself to empirical evidence that shows when 1% of the population meditates together; the crime rates go down in that area. There would also be other rooms where one could meditate (or pray – same thing) by themselves, and other rooms for Yoga,Thai Chi, Falun Gong… and the list goes on.

Perhaps a “Critical Mass” of inner worldly mystics could create change on a social level in a positive direction.Who's in???

What if the Kabbalah Tradition is correct and that in order to come into this world (or realm) our being or complete entity needs to split, sometimes in two and sometimes in three. If it splits in two it is most likely male and female, if it splits in 3, it plays out the Isis and Osiris senerio with two male and a one female counterpart. Unfortunately, as the story goes, the one male sleys the other and takes his wife to rule the world.

If Jung is correct and inside each male there is a female counterpart (Anima) and within every female there is a male counterpart (Animus). When one is balanced within the self (rational and emotional capacities are in line), then there is optimal health. But what if that person meets someone that matches their exact self, but opposite? Can one's Animus (or Anima) manifest? Can one meet the other side of themself and when during meditation and gathering, meeting that person there too?

Can the male and female and inside + outside join literally? What would THAT be like?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkxieS-6WuA&feature=channel

Check out this link! parts one and two are pretty good at explaining physics up to the tenth dimension (where according to the Kabbalah represents the loop back or the "blanking" that unites the numbers 1-9 back to the Ogdoad or whole which I refer to as the "Grand Transduction". Then this video relies on string theory to go further than the tenth dimension which is a dimension that produces the underlying vibration behind all dimensions. Like strings, they vibrate and produce sound (see Physics section). But, I rather like string theory because the idea of vibration relates to my understanding of the theory of everything (see Physics/Math and History of Energy sections of this site).

If sound is the root, then music's the fruit!  strings produce sound and can also produce a masterpiece composition. The path to enlightenment could represent a musical piece. It is considered to some that the vibration behind all that is is the song of the siren. The song that the sirens sung is said to be a song  that ressonates or is produced by the Music of the Spheres (which Pythagoras believed to be the way to connect with "God" or with the universe).

This is in response to the show called "The Nightmare" broadcasted on Space Feb 4th at 2 in the morning (produced by Paul Stevens). The idea that Altered states of Conciousness can happen spontaeously or can be evoked by religious/Spiritual ceremony is an old one. I love this show because it pokes fun of the debate between what state of consciousness is better than the other. I call it a debate because It tries to determine primacy thus impling one state of consciousness is better than the other (when each have their own special use and talents). The consciousness we experience during the day is far different from the one we experience at night, but why does that mean one is better than another, it's almost like we are biased against the day over the night - or the sun over the moon. or dare I say rational over emotional, but Why? when both are important.

My theory is that if you start to use two seemingly opposing states of consciousness together as a team, we seem to rise above them and enter an altered state of consciousness. This is when we experience "flow" (Czsingksentsmalhaldi? lol) or are submerged in the moment. When we merge together 2 different types of consciousness we get an altered state. It could be the merging or past and future to be living in the now, it could include bringing together the waking and the dreaming world (as in lucid dreams) It could bring together real and unreal (LSD etc), life and death (OBE's), matter and spirit (Mystical experience or synesthesia) , the id and the superego (Metacognition; Meditation), or the seen and the unseen (Grand Patchwork ). Whenever 2 seeminlgly opposite variables work together in symbiosis, we experience flow and thus an "Altered State of Conciousness." Could this be like a cross modal or recombinatory process? The term "altered" then suggests "not normal" which has a negative connotation (thus thinking one = better than the other). bUT One is NOT better than the other and when this is realized another level is created or "emerges" out of it; the two become a third together(like Edelman?). 

It is funny becuase the show just profiled a professor in Psychology that described altered states of consciousness as being the norm or the most true because he sees reality as a stream of moment to moment experiences. I agree with him because according to the Hindu Tradition what we consider reality to be on a daily basis is actually a delusional state (maya) because it distorts reality. What if this is true and what we experience every day is an illusion or a dream and the spiritual world is reality? What if we were sleeping this whole time like the Grand Drama suggests (see Art section on this site) and what we experience right now isn't real but a dream!? This would be the ultimate conflict between the dream and "real" world. Is the "flow really an equalization between the dream and "real" world?