Saturday, April 29, 2017

The 3 Levels of Reality

Yeah, stuck on 3 again… 

Ken Wilber outlines, from my reading, the most detailed map of Everything. 
See the links in this blog for a review:

And for a discussion on how this relates to consciousness, see here:

I like to keep things as simple as possible; i.e, The 3 Commandments… 

So, due to too much meditation and shamanic journeying, I became fixated on this experience of 3 Levels of Reality…

And they are not distinct levels, they have leaky borders, and likely transitional levels.

The First Level of Reality is where the vast majority of people live, and consider this to be the only reality that exists…  this physical, material world. 

The Second Level of Reality is the dream state, corresponding to the dreaming REM sleep state when sleeping, and the shamanic journeying state when “awake.” 

The Third Level of Reality is “All-That-Is and All-That-Is-Not,” also what I often label as Source, or whatever you want to call this “nameless” ineffable experience. 

This third level corresponds to deep dreamless sleep and to the experience of “No-Self,” nirvana, samadhi, and so forth…  

These realities are nested within each other. 

At the center, is this experience of the everyday, physical-material world.  Where the rules of physics seem to apply. 

Surrounding this physical world is the dream state, sleeping or shamanic, where the rules of physics no longer apply.  And where you may receive information from power animals, beings, and entities who have little correspondence in the material world. 

Surrounding the entirety is Source.   Which contains all Levels, in our discussion here, both the dream levels and the material levels. 

Those of you who are physical-ists and material-ists.  By definition, cannot conceive of anything else that you might label “real.”  For you, the dream world is mostly irrelevant.  Much less there being anything outside the world of dreaming. 

Those of you who have done dream work, and found much useful information from your dreams, may give some credence to this level of reality.

Those who have done shamanic journeying work, believe that this is truly another level of reality.  Often, one of the most important places to travel on a regular basis for information for living the fullest life one can. 

The highest level is, perhaps, the most problematic. 

The problem occurs when you have never experienced this “peek at the peak.”  Being bathed in pure Source, outside of deep dreamless sleep. 

Hard to believe in something you have never experienced. 

What was most interesting to me was the experience of these 3 Levels of Reality had correspondence in dream states and the awake states.  REM dreaming with shamanic journeying, deep dreamless sleep with “nirvana.”

Now you may ask, what about the physical material state? 

Where is the dream equivalent?

This is where things get really interesting… 

This physical reality is only an experience of a small slice of what is true. 

We really cannot see all of physical reality. 

Physicist Brian Greene suggests that our experienced universe is actually a holographic projection of information on the surface of a black hole.  

And I discuss this further here:

So, this physical material world may only be a dream itself. 

A perceived projection of the possibly 11 dimensions of String Theory. 

A projection, as perceived by our primitive body-minds, this bag of seawater carrying Source around… 

So, why am I telling all this? 

Am I trying to burst your bubble about what you think is reality?

I used to think I have no agenda… 

But, I do have one… 

I would like for people to live the most full life available to them… 

My view of reality, may not be your view… 

That is great! 
 
For myself, I am constantly “sifting and winnowing” for the truth… 

Knowing, that ultimately, this “primitive bag of seawater carrying Source around,” will only be able to understand the barest slice of the Truth… 

Yet, this primitive bag may also experience the whole shebang… 

And, perhaps, help others experience this beauty of being alive… 

That is what makes life worth living… 

Namaste






Monday, April 17, 2017

The 5 Clocks of Humankind

I had a powerful dream. 

Powerful dreams are marked by a lack of easy forgetfulness.

Most of my dreams drift away, if not written down right away. 

This one was crystal clear, and stayed in my mind without writing anything down.

I saw 5 clocks,

like round pocket watches,

lined up face to back,

like books on a little shelf. 

The second clock was pulled out and there was only one hand, and that hand was just a little past the 12 o’clock mark. 

I understood that each clock face represented about 100,000 years. 

These were the clocks of human time on this earth. 

We were past the first 100,000 years of evolution, of our modern species. 

We are now in the second 100,000 years, perhaps 10-15,000 years into the era of so called civilized humans. 

I realized this message was a gift, signifying that we have a long way to go. 

Those of us who can visualize what our civilization might become, are frustrated by how little we have progressed. 

We foresee a time of peace and kindness to each other, and the earth. 

Michael Moore’s movie “Where to Invade Next,” shows us the amazing possibilities for an improved civilization, which exist right now. 

Sebastian Junger’s book “Tribe,” documents how humans pull together at times of disaster, noting that both crime and depression decline. 

This dream was a call for me to remember that many individuals can see the most beautiful future possibilities of our species on this earth. 

But, we are not there yet. 

We are far, far from these places we can go… 
 
I wrote before about taking the 1,000-year view. 

I think now we have to take the 10,000 or even 100,000-year view. 

We have a long, long, long, way to go… 

Practice patience. 

And work toward a better future.

Don’t be attached to outcome… 

Namaste






Saturday, March 25, 2017

Totally Transparent

Well, maybe not totally… 

As I said before

Maybe like Ivory Soap

99.4%

Nick Ardagh called this Translucence… 

And I recommend his book for practices that may be helpful. 

Of course it was during meditation that the above title arose… 

That was the feeling… 

Then toward the end of meditation

when the ego pops back together… 

The ego starts making commentary on what just happened… 

Oh goody, that was fun, let’s call it TT! 

Within it… 

There is no naming… 

There is no one there to do any naming. 

---

A brief interlude: 

Currently reading Alan Watts’ biography, “In My Own Way”

And, yes, he endorses both meanings. 

In Chapter 10 he is describing conversations with those who feel that hard work and asceticism is the road to enlightenment… 

I don’t think Alan Watts clearly states his path

But, my translation of his path is that of what we might label “tantric” 

He fully embodies food, drink, sex, nature, and intellect, along with meditative practices to fully open to who you are… 

An ordained priest and a married adulterer...

He did leave his order… 

This book came up during a conversation with my dear friend Rick this morning

We have lovely wide-ranging conversations from Mandelbrot to religion and entheogens… 

I mentioned that what we are doing is “seeing through” the ego… 

Seeing the ego for what it is

A construct

A useful construct when used to walk in the world

A burden
 
If you don’t know that you are a slave to it… 

Same thing with religion

Often useful to teach kids some religion

Rules to live by… 

And to see through these teachings… 

Perhaps so they have something to reject later… 


We have an ego to help us survive in the world as we are growing… 

But, then, in order to truly grow to the next level

We must see through the ego

See what it is… 

A fluctuating, self-preserving, eddy current in a stream,

or

wave on the ocean (thanks Rick!) 

Realizing

Feeling into this truth

Allows you

to take off

or put on

this ego overcoat

To change the coat to whatever color or fabric is needed

A continuum of ego

Regulating whatever is needed
 
It this very moment

Flowing with whatever is arising

Realizing the tendencies of your ego… 


Transparent and Translucent

We are talking about the same thing… 

Enlightenment, Samadhi, Nirvana… 


This is the long-term argument… 

How do we get there? 

This is my take on “The Path”

Perhaps, the argument will always be there of the “Hard Road” versus the “Easy Road”

In the end

There is no “Hard Road” nor “Easy Road”… 

Each one of you must walk your own path… 

Everyone else is telling you of their own paths… 

Reminds me of the song “I Did It My Way”


Source… 

All-That-Is and All-That-Is-Not… 

Is playing a game of hide and seek…

Source cannot see itself

Except through your senses

Source

Cannot enjoy this day

This conversation

Without being more than One Thing… 

Yet, seeing through the game

Seeing through the ego construct

Can be pure bliss…

Also, sometimes, pure terror… 

As the ego is seen… 

Ego feels torn to shreds


Then the light, and dark, of
 
Empty-Fullness

Arises

Transparency

Arises

No Karma

Nothing can stick… 

All light shines through… 

Seeing clearly… 


This is offered… 

In

Each

And

Every

Moment… 






Thursday, March 16, 2017

Risks of STER, and therefore, remember The Three Commandments

Today we continue our dialog from yesterday.   Please read that one first. 

In their book, Stealing Fire, Kotler and Wheal do us a great favor and not only extoll the virtues of STER, but also warn us against possible risks. 

Of course they are not as succinct, nor as complete, as

            The Three Commandments    :-D 

Remember that there is a strict order to The Three Commandments. 

          1-There is only one Source.

                    2-Love everything.

                              3-Enjoy yourself.


They outline the risks of STER as follows, pp 202-9:

Selflessness, can feel as though you are G-d.  Mistaking your little self, for Source… 

Timelessness, a feeling that can lead to overconfidence, and life threatening, or at least career threatening, mistakes in the physical world. 

Effortlessness, can lead one to be a “bliss junkie.”  With risks of addiction to ecstatic drugs, or high-risk behaviors. 

Richness, they warn, “not to dive too deep.”  Don’t try to go to the deepest limits of consciousness, it is limitless, and you may not make it back… 

They even come up with an equation:  Value = Time x Reward/Risk… 

Time, is the learning curve.  For example, how long to master meditation vs “the peek at the peak” from taking an enthogen… 

Reward, is the retention of positive insights… 

Risk, the chance you could lose your life, or your mind, perhaps with extreme sports, unprotected sex, or using powerful drugs in the bathtub or rooftop… 

You may be able to calculate an overall Value for any method… 

Further, in the book, pp 213-218, they then go on to try help you formulate a possible plan or flow to your unfolding… 

Only one glaring error, p 88, describing one of Roland Griffith and colleague’s studies, they write that 3 grams of psilocybin were given to volunteers, the dose was 30 mg per 70 kg.  I suspect that they were probably mixing up their own use of dried mushrooms… 

A more general criticism relates to where they fail to distinguish between the map and the territory.  STER is just one of many maps of the territory.  As so, maps are useful, but incomplete.  They also fail to make explicit that the territory is our baseline state of consciousness.   A state covered over by our survival ego.  This later understanding might help one to better choose a path, or paths, toward “letting go.” 

Nonetheless, a good book, highly recommended. 

Let me know what you think… 

Namaste