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..:: Enlightenment
IV / Influences ::..
By
Alan Schneider
On one occasion in the past, I attended a live theatrical production
called Equus which concerned, among other things, a
psychiatrist’s attempt to understand and treat a young man’s obsession
with horse worship. One thing that struck me in the course of
viewing this play was the psychiatrist’s observation that, while
psychiatric science knew very well what the outcomes of many mental
illnesses were, and how to approach their treatment, what remained
largely a mystery in human behavior was the mechanism of perceptual
selection. How, amid the enormous flood of stimuli that inundate
the organism in every second of every day, do we select which one’s to
attend to? How do we choose which ones to make the conscious or
unconscious themes of our lives?
From the scientific
perspective, human behavior is determined by nature and nurture – that
is, by heredity and environment, with the latter represented principally
by social acculturation. Heredity consists of predetermined, inherited
genetic characteristics ultimately decided by our DNA molecular
makeup, and this undoubtedly is a potent influence on our perceptual
selection activity – we are genetically preconstructed to
perceive along certain lines, and subsequently choose along other,
related ones. This human characteristic very probably extends from the
individual to the group, thence to the nation, and finally the world, as
whole cultures and zeitgeists are molded along genetic trends and
influences. We absolutely cannot exceed our evolutionary capabilities,
and will always express them through our cultures beyond that. Thus,
nature creates nurture after all is said and done. The sole
exception to this rule is the environmental “accident” – the apparently
random occurrence of chance Newtonian events on the macroscale, and of
mutations in the DNA germ plasm on the microscale. These events are of
chaotic origin, seemingly manifesting from nowhere, or at least
very spontaneously, and presumably without intervening structure. But,
are they – and how can this phenomenon then be scientifically
investigated?
Chaos is the portal from
which we all are manifested, and into which we all are reabsorbed
eventually in that greatest mystery of this turbulent existence –
existence itself. And it remains mysterious to the end; however, chaos
science has managed to make some inroads even at this extremity of
non-observability, many of which have been mentioned often in these
essays. One such case is well worthy of mention again here – the oft
noted strange attractor – the hidden determinant of premanifest
events potentially present before they occur. There is every
reason to suppose that an enormous number of such attractor influences
exist on “the other side” of the portal of chaos, beyond space and time
as we know them, yet somehow structured by something, and, in
turn, structuring the random events mentioned earlier that partially
shape our behavior and perception. The names given in common parlance
to this complex of influences in the West are often “destiny”, or
“fate”, or perhaps “providence”, but the East has a summative descriptor
for them of deep significance – Karma – the endlessly unfolding
map of human predispositions and actions experienced in life, and from
life to life in some theories. In the Hindu conception, Karma is the
spiritual work we come into existence to perform until we attain the
realization of its presence as a hidden operator. As that
realization develops, we can begin to achieve the companion process of
Dharma – the attainment of Enlightenment regarding the true
nature of existence and our reality in the eternal cosmic
manifestation. For the devout Hindu, the random events of this life
are at least potentially filled with deep and subtle meanings and
messages pointing to personal transformation and liberation.
Certainly, the presumptions
of Karma and Dharma lie beyond scientific verification – i.e. beyond
measurement and analysis – and well beyond the boundary of chaos, but
they are such effective explanations of events in this life that they
must be considered anyway. If the strange attractor exists, then
Karma exists as its outcome as well, and if Karma exists, then the
possibility of Dharma also does. In this sense, Einstein’s
well-ordered universe that is postulated in his Unified Field Theory is
a reality, as is Schrödinger’s system of Quantum Mechanics, at
least up to the limit of Werner Heisenberg’s famous Uncertainly
Principal. In both cases, we simply collide with the absolute limits
of human observational capability currently in evidence, and must resort
to logical supposition thereafter. And it is absolutely logical to
conjecture that some organizing influence is active in the
background of existence – how else could we have accomplished anything
beyond the animal stage of development? Because we think and
organize points to the preexisting principals of thought and
organization present in the universe, and residing in the chaos beyond
direct observation as strange attractors.
This is the progressive
development of the influences that tend to shape existence outlined for
the scientific observer, from chaos into scientific micro and macro
observation, from the cosmic genetic mutations that produced Mozart to
the Big Bang that birthed the universe itself. We are all born with
Karma that influences even our DNA, perhaps especially our DNA,
and all of our decisions and perceptions thereafter, subject to the
leavening of external coincidence which is itself very probably the
result of intelligent design as well. Even the existence of free will
depends on the ratification of this phenomenon by the individual – those
who affirm it, observe it, while those who do not – or at least affirm
significantly less of it – don’t tend to observe themselves as free
agents, and this in turn also tends to be heavily influenced by
individual genetic predispositions, ultimately pointing back to the
predestination of Karma. Does this mean that we cannot effect our
lives independently? Certainly not – it just means that the extent of
our independence is dependent on our coefficients of
Enlightenment and the attendant ability to perceive Dharma as the
ultimate meaning and outcome of physical, material existence.
The observational
manifestations referred to here as the higher and lower minds are both
very much influenced by the system of determination just described in
the previous paragraphs. A person cannot be any more or less than
they are at any given point of consideration, and cannot be any more
higher or lower motivated than they are. Until the necessary
confluence of synchronicities, environmental events, and genetic
developments occurs, meaningful change cannot occur, and here we
have a deeper phase of the primary Karmic influence that determines
human affairs – the Self as the focus of higher mind, and the
creator of lower mind. As the primary Jungian archetype at the center
of the Psyche, the Self determines all events emerging from the portal
of chaos because it is the portal of chaos – consequently
expressing all potential and literal manifestation everywhere as the
Karma that we perceive as thoughts, words, and events occurring in the
world and universe.
That phenomenal (i.e.
perceptible) world is, in fact, composed of quanta of light vibrating at
a very high frequency within the Self as Pure Love, and literally can be
perceived that way through the application of the many practices
of higher consciousness, particularly meditation and chanting. These
quanta of light are forms of cosmic ideas, all subsets of the
primary Divine Idea of Pure Love that is the Self’s identity as the I
AM Presence. Expressed in more conventional, familiar
words, God Is Love. It is the outpouring of this Love that
creates the universe and its contents as perceived by the senses, and
possibly beyond the senses in an infinite range of additional
extrasensory expression, all of which can be accessed by turning
away from mere sensory perception to plumb the depths of the Psyche
revealed in the higher mind.
The ancient Mystery Schools,
Eastern and Western, knew and know these techniques and methods of
investigation very well, but have generally jealously guarded them from
possession by all but a select few high level Initiates. The
absolutely bewildering array of terms, jargon, and practices used by
these social institutions defies description and almost defies
comprehension and sanity – or does defy both – but all of this
can be considerably simplified for the lay investigator who sincerely
desires access to the Love and Grace of God without the ego
aggrandizement of mystery involvement. Let us respectfully proceed
toward this humble goal.
Initially, it must be said
that there is absolutely no reason why anyone should pursue the
attainment of higher mind at the expense of lower mind – the two are the
inseparable partners of consciousness within the Psyche – which
hence forth will be referred to as the total mind – and they
need each other for the creation of a complete existence. By the
same token, there is no excuse for neglecting the development of the
higher mind for the sake of the sensory distractions of the lower
mind. Thus, what is needed here is an evolving combination of
activities which reconciles both to each other – work, play, meditation,
study, and service directed to self expression and Self Realization.
In times gone by, this range of processes was called the Great Work, or
just the Work, but I will simply refer to it here as The Balance.
This will doubtlessly be a different combination for each individual –
there is no set formula for the attainment of Enlightenment – everyone
is unique in their needs and abilities, and the serious aspirant may
have to look for quite a long time, experimenting with many modalities
until the right combination is found. This is part of the spiritual
path, and cannot (and should not) be avoided, but rather accepted
as gracefully and patiently as possible.
Since The Balance is an
evolving condition, it should be expected to progressively change
across time, as the aspirant’s spiritual perception and coefficient of
Enlightenment continue to expand and improve. What worked well at one
stage may not work so well further down the road – life is eternal
change. One of the most fascinating characteristics of the
Enlightenment process is its nature as integrated goal and practice –
the goal is the practice and the practice is the goal as
the Self is approached as the One Being of Love and Light. Because the
term “Self” was used by Jung as a scientific description of the
Supreme Consciousness, I will use that term hence forth in preference to
“God”, or “Christ Consciousness”, or “Buddha Mind”, or “Dao”, or “Ahura
Mazda”, or “Yahweh”, or “Allah”, even though these terms are equally as
representative of the state of Being referred to. My goal here is to
1) remain as scientifically grounded as possible, while 2) demystifying
the material presented as much as possible, including the “mysticism”
(and elitism) of scientific and technical jargon! The time has come to
bring the Truth out of the obscuration of any kind of doctrine
and into the clear, compassionate light of simple reason through
functional spiritual practice.
Thus, the key to uniting the
higher and lower minds into a cohesive total mind is the application of
The Balance to attain Enlightenment. This process involves body, mind,
and spirit in a whole and interactive condition of conscious
manifestation, as we become all that we can in the here and now of
existence – an expanded moment that embraces the infinity of the Self.
And if some do not or cannot except or understand any of this so be
it – this is their Karma under the Self, and must be respected...
In keeping with the Jungian psychodynamic model of perception, the
Sphere of the Psyche depiction of consciousness will be used
as the basic map of human consciousness. I simply know of no better,
clearer depiction of mental events, relationships, and potentials. All
that we can know or experience through any possible means of
investigation is represented on this sphere – waking ego awareness shown
as a bright spot floating on the surface, surrounded by a ring of
personal unconscious expression, and the great expanse beyond of
archetypal depth with the Self at its center. In the essays to follow,
various aspects of the total mind of the Psyche will be explored with
reference to this model, and several techniques of exploration known by
this author and others to be effective ones will be explained in detail
using plain language and simple, straight forward examples.
Enlightenment is the right and entitlement of everyone as the gift of
the Self to human consciousness.
- With Love, Alan -
(Copyright 2010, by Alan Schneider)
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