What is Consciousness?

We can start with Merriam-Webster as quoted by Wikipedia:

Consciousness is the state or quality of awareness, or, of being aware of an external object or something within oneself.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness

The big question is:  Who or what is aware?

There seems to be 2 schools of thought. 

1-The brain through physical, chemical, and electrical connectivity creates awareness. 

2-Awareness exists.  The brain filters this awareness into something usable for survival. 

Hmmm…   Are these incompatible theories? 

To be up front about this, I am squarely in the camp of theory number 2…    

That would be obvious if you had been reading the past several years of my blog… 

Today’s blog is spurred by an article in Explore by Larry Dossey, reviewing a new book titled, Beyond Physicalism:  Toward Reconciliation of Science and Spirituality. 

(Explore July/August 2015, Vol 11 no 4, p 261-272) 

As usual, Larry brings up some great points and references.  But, I would like to add a little more clarification. 

As usual, I will make broad sweeping statements.  These you can believe, or not… 

And, as always, I encourage you to do your own exploring into what is true! 

My wife, a good friend, and I did a shamanic journey workshop together. 

The leader, Timothy Cope, said up front:  “Everything is real.”

http://www.rattledrum.com

Wow!  I liked that.  That fits into my philosophy. 

There is physical reality. 

There is non-physical reality. 

More importantly, physical reality is a tiny slice within non-physical reality. 

Physical reality is stardust. 

Non-physical reality is everything else, and stardust.  

As I have written before:  Source is Everything-That-Is and Everything-That is-Not. 

Perhaps, “Everything-That-Is” is stardust?

Perhaps, “Everything-That is-Not” is potential…  and more… 

I define Consciousness as Source.  That is with a big “C.” 

The little “c” consciousness is the receiver of Consciousness. 

This brain-body consciousness is more like a TV set, or maybe a computer with access to the internet. 

Yeah, a little more complex than that…  

As I’ve argued before, we are bags of seawater carrying Source around.

http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2013/03/carrying-ocean-around-carrying-source.html

We are the sensory organs of Source. 

Ultimately, Source / Awareness / Consciousness, is what looks outside and inside. 

So why do we have such a controversy as to what is consciousness? 

We confuse consciousness with Consciousness! 

Why can’t science help us find out which one is true? 

Because, science is agreed upon truth. 

Science exists within Source.  Let’s illustrate. 

This figure shows the concept of a holon, everything is a whole thing in itself, and part of something larger and more complex.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holon_(philosophy)

The next figure shows that physical reality, matter and life, is contained within a larger nonphysical reality, perhaps including parts of psychology and Spirituality (whatever that is). 

Finally, the third figure illustrates that there are leaky borders around physical reality letting in non-physical reality. 

The brain-body processes information from Source, Everything-That-Is and Everything-That is-Not

Often this brain-body gets caught in loops. 

Unhelpful grooves may be created, resulting in ruminations about the past, or worries about the uncertain future. 

That is the role of meditation.  To quiet the loops.  Quiet the monkey mind. 

Entheogens, aka hallucinogens, disrupt many of these “normal functions” of the brain-body, allowing in more of the information from Source. 

Opens up the filtering mechanism. 

Meditation also disrupts these “normal functions” of the brain-body, as well. 

I would argue, perhaps, in a more controlled fashion.  And, training is needed to allow the brain-body to quiet. 

So let us change theory number 1: 

1-The brain-body through physical, chemical, and electrical connectivity creates a receiver for processing Awareness. 

I will leave number 2 as is, except for capitalization:

2-Awareness exists.  The brain filters this Awareness into something usable for survival. 

There is still much science to be done to delineate how the brain-body does all the wonderful things it does! 

I love science. 

But, we also must see clearly where science belongs.  

Science cannot explain Source / Awareness / Consciousness, because it exists within, and below, this hierarchy. 

Finally, never forget how important you are to Source! 

Source needs you… 

This unique embodiment, this unique receiver, this unique formation of stardust… 

No one is like you. 

Therefore, fully embrace who you are. 

Contribute to this creation, in whatever way is unique to you! 

Celebrate yourself as Source / Awareness / Consciousness… 

Remember the 3 Commandments: 

http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-first-commandment.html

  1-There is only one Source.

                    2-Love everything.

                              3-Enjoy yourself.

and don’t forget the possible mistakes:

http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-second-commandment-love-everything_24.html

Then dance and surf this reality…   

Perhaps contribute to raising this reality to a higher place…   

And don’t forget to enjoy the show! 

Namaste

My Mom Died 2 Weeks Ago

One week before her 93rd birthday.

It was a blessing that she died. 

She was miserable for at least the past 2 years. 

Dementia slowly robbed her of the ability to read, cook, enjoy music, and garden. 

Everything she enjoyed to do in life. 

She entered a nursing home near us, and was miserable for the first 2 months. 

She really did not know where she was, but she knew she didn’t want to be there. 

The last 2 weeks were much better. 

Her dementia progressed to where she was no longer aware that she should be disgusted with her situation. 

She started smiling again. 

My mom had a great sense of humor. 

She was always the first to laugh when watching a funny movie or stage show. 

She got the joke even before it was complete. 

And she laughed very loudly. 

I take after her in that way… 

She was a remarkable individual. 

Born in Poland.  She had a happy childhood, with plans to go to college. 

Then World War 2 broke out when she was 16. 

As Jews, her family was interred in the Warsaw ghetto. 

She survived, but the rest of her family was killed in the German Holocaust.

My mom had false papers documenting that she was a native Pole. 

She worked with the Jewish underground resistance fighters making Molotov cocktails out of gasoline and light bulbs. 

She walked for miles with bleeding feet to deliver a revolver in a graveyard at midnight. 

 

She was eventually captured and sent to a German work camp in Berlin.  

She survived the work camp and after the liberation of Berlin, walked across Europe to Belgium.

She then worked for 5 years in Belgium for the Polish Consulate and met her husband to be. 

They made plans to move to the United States.  It took 5 years for them to get their immigration papers.

The war did have its effects. 

She was prone to severe depressions. 

Several times requiring hospitalization. 

Once requiring ECT. 

Yet, I remember her as an energetic happy individual. 

A voracious reader.   Politically aware.  A killer Scrabble player. 

Listened to classical music all day. 

Loved live music, stage shows, movies… 

It was a privilege to help usher her out of this mortal plane. 

We witnessed the antics of the demented individuals in the nursing home. 

Some would push each other like small children.  On several occasions someone would spontaneously undress.  

Visiting her seemed to be a new adventure every day. 

Not without sadness. 

Often felt like a warehouse for those who could no longer take care of themselves. 

But, they were all treated with kindness by the staff. 

My wife and I often discussed about the nature of dementia and the end of life. 

And we discussed our own possible exit strategies for making sure we did not end up in a nursing home. 

We practiced energy medicine on my mom. 

In my mom’s last days, when she was comatose, we helped her life force exit back into Source. 

How do we know we helped her life force exit? 

You can’t prove that with science. 

Because Source is outside of science. 

http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2014/11/gurus-surf-where-schizophrenics-drown.html

Sometimes you have to surf the Truth. 

Sometimes you have to get out of your own way. 

http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-gets-in-way-of-enlightenment.html

http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2013/04/enlightenment-part-5-final-secret.html

Can these practices allow you to exit into Source just by meditating? 

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31125338

Perhaps… 

Perhaps you are just meditating until you die…  of lack of water…  

I like the idea of meditating in a cave until dead.  

Do I have that capacity?

Who knows… 

That is a work in progress… 

Namaste

Get Naked!

Take off your clothes 

 

No, not your actual clothes   

Well, you can do that too  

Take off that overcoat of ego   

Shed your protective layer   

Be free   

Sit

or Walk    

Dance! 

Examine this racing mind  

Do not be discouraged  

If you didn’t stop to look at your racing mind…

You would never see it was running so fast… 

It is all OK  

Everything unfolds 

Exactly as it will  

Yet we must act  

Paradox upon Paradox 

Yet

Paradox

Reveals

Truth

Peel away the layers 

Until there is nothing left  

Source 

Is always shining

Beneath the clouds

Of your thoughts  

Rejoice! 

Navel Gazing at the Center of the Universe

My wife is studying in a 9-month advanced yoga class, studying the theory, sutras, and practice of yoga.

As part of her class she picks one type of meditation, of several that are offered. 

She chose “navel gazing.” 

I remember that “navel gazing” was the snarky remark that was present in the 1960’s regarding what meditators do during meditation. 

I often try out new meditations to see what comes up. 

Of course, being the designated heretic, I didn’t get the exact instructions. 

The “navel” has great significance in Eastern practices. 

In my time in karate and aikido we learned to move from the tanden, located 2-fingerbreaths below the navel and centered within the body.  This area has many names, hara, tan t’ien, dantian, dan tian.    

This is the gravitational center of the body.  When you move in karate, aikido, or tai chi, you bend your knees slightly to lower your center of gravity and you move as if a string were attached to this center point, pulling you forward, backward, or sideways. 

In traditional Japanese and Chinese medicine this area is also the center of qi or life force energy. 

When I teach meditation, I often ask the students to bring their consciousness down from their heads into their abdomen, breathing from awareness of the movement of the abdomen. 

So, waking at 2 am, as I am wont to do, I sat on my cushion with awareness of this area of the body. 

What came up was “this area is the center of the universe.”  

Then, every being has this center, and therefore, “every being is the center of the universe.”

To further complicate this meditation, arose “every holon is the center of the universe.” 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holon_(philosophy)

What I first felt was a buzzing sensation of this area of my body. 

This was followed by a spreading of the sensation that all beings are buzzing at this center.  

Next arose the sensation that every cell, molecule, and subatomic particle in this body-mind is vibrating.  

 

Then the sensation of the entire universe vibrating… 

Interesting! 

Later I was contemplating this paradox.  

How can everything be the center of the universe? 

Well, current scientific and mathematical theory says that there is no edge to the universe. 

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/seuforum/faq.htm

If there is no edge, then there is no known center. 

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/GR/centre.html

If there is no center, then the opposite is also true; everything is at the center of the universe. 

Perhaps this can be taken as “mind-blowing.” 

Perhaps, this can also be taken as the simple Truth. 

Truth is found in Paradox. 

Our minds are too primitive to understand the nature of the universe. 

However, we can grok what is true. 

“Grok /ˈɡrɒk/ is a word coined by Robert A. Heinlein for his 1961 science-fiction novel, Stranger in a Strange Land, where it is defined as follows:

Grok means to understand so thoroughly that the observer becomes a part of the observed—to merge, blend, intermarry, lose identity in group experience. It means almost everything that we mean by religion, philosophy, and science—and it means as little to us (because of our Earthling assumptions) as color means to a blind man.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grok

Gotta love Heinlein! 

He got it.  

Everything is connected to everything else. 

We think we are separate beings. 

We are separate, but only on a superficial level. 

We are holons. 

Separate beings on one level. 

Completely connected to the entire universe on the level of Truth. 

Perhaps we can slowly grok this. 

And

act

accordingly… 

Namaste