Week 1 blogs

Thanks to all of you for the comments and insights on these posts. I really enjoyed reading them and hope we'll have time in class to continue the discussion. Some points I'd like to expand upon here include, first of all, Tart's stabilization system. Remember that this is only one chapter of several books he's written on the subject, and as Wilbert points out, his credibility in the field is enhanced by his experience with meditation and as an Aikido master (thanks Wilbert for those extra insights). Ken thinks that Tart's system is similar to Freud's, but the systems approach is an attempt to get away from the stagnant and very restrictive Id, Ego, and Superego, which Freud is so famous for. Freud's outdated model is unpopular with most contemporary psychologists -- hence Jenna's disdain at the mention of his name.

Remember, too, that Tart is referring to the control of ordiany consciousness, and while this is analogous with other systems of control, we should concentrate on how/why ordinary consciousness (as opposed to communities or societies) needs to be controlled. The other control systems, however, are an interesting sidebar.

Some ideas to think about as we continue this discussion.

Lance's comment on creativity and spirituality -- "I don't think there is a way to remove physicality from the equation." Nice one. Let's think about it.

Jody: "...creativity may be an untapped area of consciousness."

Tyler: The difference between an ASC being an "escape" or a "window."

Josh S (there's two of you-which one is this?): Positive thinking as creativity? This really taps into some interesting levels of consciousness as it applies to the physical.

Wilbert: The Kabbalist text which refers to the real world being filtered through our senses. Our next big topic, Wilbert. Well done on making the connection.

Kristen: Would convergent thinking be possible in an ASC. Great question. Would it?

Ashley: Why do we leave certain senses untapped? Another good question, and one which we'll be discussing more about.

Gunnar: Lovely quote from Swift. I'll steal it once I find out where it's from. And "talent vs. creativity." Well done Gunnar, good point.

Suset: Online identities vs. face-to-face identities. Second Life is an online "game" which gives players -- well, a second life. Interesting stuff.

These are only some of the highlights, but well done everyone for this very insightful discussion.