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..:: Messages ::..
By
Alan Schneider
Communications scholars
study messages. This simple statement conceals a complex human
social reality – we are what, and how, we communicate on
Shakespeare’s world stage. We are the messages that we express to
each other, as our roles in the production change, or, perhaps, do
not change, but our understanding of those roles does. It is the
phenomenon of change that is mirrored in our communication decisions and
choices. This progression of change in the world creates our perception
of time and linear existence. And this condition of linear perception is
the direct result of our sensory biology – essentially, we can only
attend to one event at a time – in a universe of infinite simultaneous
events, themselves unfolding into an infinite complex of more
universes through the action of our perceptual “decisions”. These
decisions occur quite rapidly – on the order of every 0.1 second, too
rapidly for us to even notice in most cases, yet we still observe and
decide, frequently unconsciously, but actively nonetheless. The ultimate
conclusion that any intelligent observer must come to in this matter is
that we are barely capable of conscious perception and deliberation at
all, and any action we take is suspect in terms of its immediate and
long range consequences. We can barely know what we do, let alone what
our actions will cause, locked as we are in the perceptual moment. Our
form of consciousness seems to be of the most primitive order, yet also
seems to be the apex of consciousness on the planet, and, as far as we
can scientifically determine, in the universe. Truly, we are all
so like Plato’s men in the cave – we see our shadows cast upon the wall
in the firelight, and take this for the fact of existence!
It is possible to exceed our standing perceptual limitations through the
application of certain arguably less than scientifically grounded procedures, notably meditation practice. The
validity of meditation as a method of consciousness exploration rests on
the Jungian model of the Psyche, itself something not subject to
strictly scientific verification, although intriguing as a theory. If we wish to
know the mind, we must somehow step outside the mind, and science says
this is impossible – the mind is subordinate to the physical organ
of the mind – the brain. I must flatly assert in response to the
arguments of physical science, that science cannot give us the answer
that we need to solve the riddle of life. We yearn for connectedness and
meaning, and these can only come from spirituality, not the sterile,
mechanistic objectivity of science. This is why meditation is such a
powerful tool – it opens the doors of perception directly by boldly
disregarding science, and the ego that is enslaved to linear logic. Even
as limitedly sentient creatures, we must strive for the ultimate
meaning and purpose of life as we know it, both within and beyond the
senses. Science cannot supply that meaning.
To understand the total
perspective of our “messages”, we must use the extended frame of
reference that is implied in Jung’s model of the Psyche. We can only
know the final truth of our statements from the viewpoint of this
model, because it postulates the center of consciousness as something
integrated apart from, and beyond, the Freudian personal ego. If Freud
was right, then we are all doomed to communicate only as effectively as
our cultural conditioning will permit us to – anything occurring beyond
the definitions of this or that culture will not even be subject to
recognition. This makes us all perceptually blind and deaf, and, in
fact, so we are.
At the center of the Jungian
sphere of the Psyche is the Logos, the Soul, the Self, the evident seat
of all knowing of every possible kind. No matter how subtle it may be, a
given culture cannot possibly express this level of experience, even if
it is commonly “known” and accepted – it must be contacted directly
somehow, through extra-personal investigation. Meditation is one such
method of investigation, whether scientific or not. When we have begun
to be released from the senses and their perceptual restrictions, we
have also begun to attain successively deeper levels of understanding of
all the messages that we send and receive in the world. In truth,
we are not communicating anything, the Self is communicating
through us and to us at the biological level of consciousness.
Our supposed existence is a mere reflection, a shadow image, of what
really exists – the Logos at the center of the Cosmic Experience,
and the fleeting nature of our little personal messages mirrors this
truth – gone almost as quickly as they are expressed.
An individual life is also a message to the world on many levels. This
“message” is perhaps more enduring than an act of personal
communication, a message about and from the Soul and the extended Karma
associated with it. All of the little personal messages that I express
are ultimately reflections of my Soul and Karma, manifest as the
great messages of the Logos. The lives that we live on the world
stage tell stories – extended messages describing personal
struggles and experiences in dealing with destiny – Karma, by
another name – and confronting the Soul as the personal center of
existence. This is the ultimate meaning of life, even for those who do
not know about, have never heard of, or do not accept the existence of
either the Soul or Karma. Even if I deny that I have a spiritual essence
apart from the ego, the body, and the sensory experience, the fact that
so many others among my fellows feel that they have such perceptions
means that they do exist on some significant level, and must be
at least seriously considered and debated about.
This debate, this
argumentation, can never be resolved on the level of the ego’s limited
understanding of its condition. It is simply imperative that we do
something to step outside of the “box” of logical limitation into our
extended perceptual capabilities. The process of meditation achieves
this requirement for the logic-free conscious exploration of
consciousness. Because this methodology is so important in
achieving a fully functional experience of the Psyche, I am going to
initiate an ongoing discussion in exploration of this matter in the
weeks to follow, beginning with the initiation of the initial trance
state through Mindfulness Meditation now.
Nothing is more central to
zoological existence than breathing. In fact, even plants “breath” in
the obverse sense to most animals – consuming carbon dioxide and
releasing oxygen. Continuous gaseous exchange is one of the essential
requirements of life as we know it. In the “higher” animal life forms,
such as human beings, respiration is also linked to organismic arousal
and relaxation – heightened and reduced sensitivity to stimuli,
respectively. So it is that the focused, relaxed breathing techniques of
meditation also initiate the relaxation of ego-focused attention, and
the ego process itself. As this relaxation is initiated, the normally
acute focus of awareness becomes diffuse, and this is diffusion is
accompanied by the onset of first-stage trance – the entry into an
altered state of consciousness characterized by the relaxation of the
perceptual inhibitions held in place by the ego. This is the Golden Gate
to all of the experiences of higher consciousness to follow, culminating
eventually in the experience of the non-dual perception of the Logos at
the highest level attainable to beings still constrained in physical
bodies.
But, initially, most people
do not experience this state of Samadhi with God. Initially, most people
experience more or less limited visions in stage one trance having
symbolic content of mixed personal and universal – i.e. collective
– nature. The habitual influence of the ego is still quite present at
this stage of things, and bleeds over into the trance experience. This
is complicated by the fact that there is a “coral reef” of personal
repressed unconscious material surrounding the conscious ego, and this
region is necessarily the first thing encountered in meditation. This is
also true in hypnosis, a fact that Freud clearly appreciated through his
use of hypnosis in therapy as a means of probing repression. I have
heard the theory expressed that meditation is simply a variety of
self-hypnosis, one that is relatively more controllable by the
subject than the externally induced post-hypnotic trance of the
therapist. I personally feel that this is one of meditation’s benefits –
the enhanced level of personal control places the practitioner in a role
of responsibility for the outcome of the process. I always advise
participants in my meditation classes to maintain an awareness of the
content of their trance experiences, and come back to normal,
ego-focused awareness if they are becoming too uncomfortable in
meditation for any reason.
A variety of responses to
first meditation occurs. Some people cannot meditate at all; their
ego-dialog – referred to in Hinduism as “the chattering of the monkeys
of the mind” – will not allow them to enter trance to any extent.
This is probably just as well – such individuals frequently harbor a
pronounced degree of personal trauma and repression, and relaxation in
those cases is the precursor to emotional explosion. I also tell
people in my classes that it’s OK not to meditate, as long as
they can avoid disturbing others present who wish to.
Most of the time, most people
can attain some extent of trance on the first attempt. This may
be characterized by a variety of reported experiences. Some
practitioners report an uneventful “blank” consciousness. Others report
assorted feelings of many inflections – anxiety, moderate relaxation to
states of bliss, curiosity, dissociated fear, occasional anger, love,
compassion, and grace. These feelings may or may not be accompanied by
auditory or visual “hallucinations” – things perceived without evident
external causality – a probability, since there is usually darkness
present in the meditation room (or the practitioners have closed their
eyes), and this darkness is accompanied by as much quiet as possible.
These “visions” of perception are often of mixed content as previously
noted – both personal and collective, but frequently referenced to
memories of life experiences in this life, or perhaps a past life, in
the more collective cases. The practice of meditation requires
persistence to bear fruit. The initial experiences are often disturbing
as the “reef” of repression is encountered by the practitioner.
The symbolic content of the
visions experienced in meditation is the real essence of the experience.
When the ego is relaxed, whatever comes up next is bound to be of
premier significance. Even on first attempts at meditation, I have heard
emotional reports of profound personal insights gained through the
symbolic expressions experienced. The symbols involved can be literally
anything in nature. A flying pink giraffe is completely feasible
in meditation trance, and, as preposterous as this sounds, such a vision
can be of intense personal significance to the practitioner under the
right circumstances. There are no rules other than “accept your
experience” in meditation! As a rule, I invite the participants to
voluntarily report their experiences upon returning to “normal”
consciousness, and may comment on their observations only to the extent
that such commentary does not invalidate their perceptions. The
individual is the first, best judge of the meaning and importance of
experience in or out of trance. I will also invite the others present to
contribute their knowledge with the same proviso noted above – this
contribution must enhance, not disparage, the experience
reported.
The process of trance is
inherently healing, with the proviso that there is still such a thing as
“too much too fast”. The meditative condition should not be “pushed” on
anyone, or by anyone, any faster than the natural capacity of the
individual practitioner to accept change dictates. The gradual contact
with symbolically repressed memories allows for gentle acknowledgement
and release of much personal injury while practicing meditation. After
all, practicing and experiencing love and compassion is what we are all
here for, and meditation assists these developments in human affairs.
Occasionally, certain verbal
directives can be given to guide the process of trance. There are many
primary Jungian archetypes that constitute the building blocks of
consciousness, and any one of these can be mentioned as a focusing
device prior to the entry into trance. This practice represents a
departure from traditional Mindfulness Meditation techniques, and I tend
to use it very sparingly. Some of the primary archetypes are
fundamentally negative in character, and caution is necessary in
employing them as directives. I generally will make a statement like
“Tonight we will meditate with ___________ as our focus. If anyone
begins to feel uncomfortable with this, please come out of trance
immediately and simply sit quietly until the interval is concluded”. The
voluntary nature of meditation makes such an “escape clause” very
practicable, and I have not had a problem with anyone using this method
to make a premature exit from trance.
I use a more or less fixed
format for initiating meditation. First, I invite all the participants
to attain the most comfortable position they can. There are schools of
meditation that are for “discipline freaks”, featuring a variety of
uncomfortable positions, but I have found these to be counterproductive
for most people. The only “requirement” here is that the participants be
encouraged to remain upright, but this can be waved as well. Next, I
invite the participants to close their eyes and take three long, deep
breaths, as far in as possible, holding briefly, and then fully
releasing. I always participate myself in this process, reciting
“relax”, “release”, and finally “let go”, after each breath. I have
learned how to casually monitor the class from my own trance state over
the years of my practice. As the class drifts into trance, I will
suggest that they simply note any distractions that may occur, either
internally or externally, and then allow them to pass by, as they
continue to simply observe their breathing. The final act that I perform
will be to chant “OM, peace, peace, peace” quietly as the group trance
deepens. At the conclusion of the interval, which varies from ten
minutes to hours, depending on the level of experience of the
participants, I will call the group back by softly saying “Now, return
to the sense of the room, the world, the Maya, and, when you feel ready,
open your eyes”. The post-meditation discussion then follows, at the
group’s exclusively voluntary discretion.
The Logos is the source of
all inspiration, of all the “messages” expressed by all of the players
on the stage of life. As we communicate with each other, we are sharing
these messages among ourselves, and with the personal and collective
Soul within us. As the Logos sends me inspiration in the coming weeks, I
will continue to expand on this central topic in consciousness
investigation. Apart from much more invasive approaches, such as
near-death experiences, hallucinogenic drug use, and external hypnosis,
meditation is the only way “out of the box” that I know will work for
most people, and is far less problematic than those others just
mentioned. I invite you to return to these pages in the weeks to come
for more adventures of the Mind!
- With Love, Alan -
(CR2008, Alan Schneider)
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