Amanita Muscaria and Santa Claus-
I really enjoyed this reading. I was surprised to learn that James Bursenos referred an “agaric mushroom,” to a painting of Santa Claus, because of the colors of the white beard and the red dots to a mushroom. I can see how he relates the power of mushroom with the power that we believe Santa Claus to have. It was interesting to see how the black dust from the chimney tree relates to all the sinners of the world in their caskets. I thought it was a creative idea on how Santa’s reindeer are often inter twined with the amanita muscaria through ancient paganism, religion, secret societies, underground cults, and folklore. For instance Dasher, Dancer, and Prancer are affiliated with the way the shamans feel while being in an ASC. Comet, is used to feel the way you feel like your flying while being in an ASC. Cupid, another way of being in an ASC, because while taking drugs you feel more like loving and being loved. I was really surprised that Vixen was a female reindeer! I never knew that bears were a sign of death and resurrection. I was surprised with the anagrams of Satan being referred to “Old Nick,” and Santa Claus as to “Saint Nick.” It was interesting to see that they compare Satan with the god Pan. What does this line mean? “Perhaps the chimney sweep profession represents a secret society that held on to the shaman’s ancient secret of the fly agaric mushroom in fear of persecution from the church.” Does that mean that the shamans once were members of the church and by doing mushrooms they got annexed? I found the song from William Blake to be an interesting underlying study. I was astonished to find that Walt Disney did drugs.
Walsh-
In this reading when Walsh describes the man who was hypnotized and got his leg amputated that could not be possible. The only way to amputate is to induce Anastasia into the blood stream. But back in the olden days they could of numb people with ice or herbs but to drain someone into thought is hard to do. It was interesting to find out that the Latin Americans use psychedelics that are both peyote and yage. Peyote has the advantage to make users feels nauseous, and yage provokes images such as jungle scenes, tigers, snakes, and naked women. Its neat to learn about other cultures and how other people try to help others in different ways than the Americans do. I guess that the shamans learn something new every time a ritual is done not only does the participant benefit but the sorcerer does too.
Hughes-
They say that some of the worlds greatest artist being music or art itself do drugs and create masterpieces with the visions that they see, but cant they just put that aside and use there given talents to produce their own masterpiece? I was amazed to find that Opium was an imported drug, and was used in patent medicines and acted as a sleep aid to children. Hughes stated, “Coleridge had a 40 year love hate affair with opium, but some authorities believe that the drug helped him more as a philosopher and psychologist than a poet.” What I guess I don’t understand is why must you take drugs to better yourself or your own self thought why can you not just go with the flow? I was shocked also that Edgar Allen Poe was an opium addict. It just seems that the best art work or the best noted pieces are done by drug attics. Louis Armstrong was another attic, its hard to believe but people go to states to find songs or inspirations, even Elvis did drugs! I think people take drugs to fit in with the in crowd and don’t understand the consequences. I think lifes to short to make it an unhappy place to be. So why cant people just be happy with out the drugs? They only perceive to bad occurrences.
A blog for IHUM 300W where students are asked to express their thoughts and opinions on the weekly readings.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Week 5 Blogs
This week again you've produced some very well developed and interesting blogs. The personal connections to what you've read, and the connections to other courses or books, or movies etc. are always very helpful insights. Jody, for example, provided us with quotes from the Book Of Daniel. These quotes were not only revealing in their connection to the chapter on dreams, but also emphasized many of the common features of ASC's we've already discussed. Josh S. makes the connection between a class where they're discussing the creation of the telescope and microscope. The telescope was able to provide evidence of planetary systems which ancient civilizations were already aware of, but at least it gave a scientific "proof" for what had long been considered myth. The microscope opened up new discoveries in medicine, allowing scientists to finally see the bacteria contained in "another world" which caused diseases. I wonder what we might discover in as yet unseen "other worlds" which, when we create a device to view them, might provide us with even more medical insights. Are "primitive" cultures already privy to such a device or devices?
This idea brings us to Pearce's theme of "seek and ye shall find" since it's an idea representative of every culture's need to seek answers to something. Pearce's theme, then, in conjunction with Hughes ideas on dreams, brings us full circle to a device (the dream) utilized for creativity and discoveries. As Ken points out, not everyone will be, or is, able to tap into such devices, hence the lateral and vertical thinkers.
With three different writers, and three different styles, and three seemingly disparate topics, it's difficult sometimes to find the connections in the readings. But they are there, and many of you are slowly uncovering the intersdisciplinary nature of the course topic.
This idea brings us to Pearce's theme of "seek and ye shall find" since it's an idea representative of every culture's need to seek answers to something. Pearce's theme, then, in conjunction with Hughes ideas on dreams, brings us full circle to a device (the dream) utilized for creativity and discoveries. As Ken points out, not everyone will be, or is, able to tap into such devices, hence the lateral and vertical thinkers.
With three different writers, and three different styles, and three seemingly disparate topics, it's difficult sometimes to find the connections in the readings. But they are there, and many of you are slowly uncovering the intersdisciplinary nature of the course topic.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Eureka...
From all the three readings we had to do the one I enjoyed reading most was Hughes ( chap 4). I love anything to do with dreams and the mind. I think it's fascinating from the sleep walking to the creative dreams to the lucid dream and being aware that you are dreaming. I liked how Hughes goes on to explain the stages of REM and how the last stage or last 45 minutes of us dreaming is what we usually recall from the dream after we wake up. But how about the 10 minute cat naps? How does one explain having dreams while napping for 10 minutes or less if one can only remember the last 45 minutes of it. (I know this may not make sense...but I had to write it...maybe I didn't make sense of this part correctly...LOL)
Most dreams are based on realistic situations in which one or other individuals are involved; generally clear and believable except lucid dreaming. I know individuals who can control dreams and are very aware of what is going on but I can not control any aspect of it (as sad as it may sound). I have tried to fall asleep looking at an object so that if i were to have bad dreams I can escape or do something about it. But it doesn't always work and I wake up screaming or kicking (LOL). Hughes says, "Lucid dreams subjectively experience the reality of the dream environment, but remain in possession of their normal intellectual faculties". I remember I had a dream when I was a child about an ugly dwarf grabbing me and pulling me down underneath the bed and I will pull back and kick and scream but no sound will come out but somehow I could hear myself and so I would pull and pull to get closer to the door but the more I pulled away the closer he took me down...and so I woke up screaming and in a sweat right when I was taken down under the bed. I know this may sound freaky and crazy but it felt as real as having to know you have to breath in order for your heart to function (if you get my drift).
I also enjoyed reading the part on pg. 57 (Hughes) on how people who believe dreams can affect their ways by keeping a dream diary and improving on how dreams can be suggested. I thought this was very cool. OBE experience is thought to be very real and it fascinates and intrigues me to know that people have come out of their bodies into the spiritual world and seen themselves and relatives and eventually report it later that this is true.
On another note I did also enjoyed some parts of Pearce's reading. Sometimes I felt like I needed a pencil and paper to draw or put down some equations that my mind alone could not process without making some sense into it; almost like the algebraic problem that takes so much work and at the end you think the answer is going to be this "Oh my god!" "Finally" but then you actually get zero as the answer. This is how I felt in some moments. I did find somethings I could relate to for example: "In every recorded case of Eureka! illumination, the final breakthrough of the postulate occurs at a moment when the logical processes have been momentarily suspended, a moment of relaxation from serious work" (Pearce 70). I like to watch House ( an ER like show but more suspenseful because Hugh Grant is such a darn good actor...love him) and in this show he and his crew of diagnostic doctors have to cure or save patients lives who come to him with weird illnesses and crazy open brain surgery and the works. And every time I watch this show am at the edge of the seat because I also (along with him) want to find my Eureka and cure the patients. But many times he finds his "true enlightenment" by stepping away from the problem and putting it out there...somehow he always knows...he gets to the bottom of it and finally "Wow" he does it...almost like a shaman or a spiritual healer.
Most dreams are based on realistic situations in which one or other individuals are involved; generally clear and believable except lucid dreaming. I know individuals who can control dreams and are very aware of what is going on but I can not control any aspect of it (as sad as it may sound). I have tried to fall asleep looking at an object so that if i were to have bad dreams I can escape or do something about it. But it doesn't always work and I wake up screaming or kicking (LOL). Hughes says, "Lucid dreams subjectively experience the reality of the dream environment, but remain in possession of their normal intellectual faculties". I remember I had a dream when I was a child about an ugly dwarf grabbing me and pulling me down underneath the bed and I will pull back and kick and scream but no sound will come out but somehow I could hear myself and so I would pull and pull to get closer to the door but the more I pulled away the closer he took me down...and so I woke up screaming and in a sweat right when I was taken down under the bed. I know this may sound freaky and crazy but it felt as real as having to know you have to breath in order for your heart to function (if you get my drift).
I also enjoyed reading the part on pg. 57 (Hughes) on how people who believe dreams can affect their ways by keeping a dream diary and improving on how dreams can be suggested. I thought this was very cool. OBE experience is thought to be very real and it fascinates and intrigues me to know that people have come out of their bodies into the spiritual world and seen themselves and relatives and eventually report it later that this is true.
On another note I did also enjoyed some parts of Pearce's reading. Sometimes I felt like I needed a pencil and paper to draw or put down some equations that my mind alone could not process without making some sense into it; almost like the algebraic problem that takes so much work and at the end you think the answer is going to be this "Oh my god!" "Finally" but then you actually get zero as the answer. This is how I felt in some moments. I did find somethings I could relate to for example: "In every recorded case of Eureka! illumination, the final breakthrough of the postulate occurs at a moment when the logical processes have been momentarily suspended, a moment of relaxation from serious work" (Pearce 70). I like to watch House ( an ER like show but more suspenseful because Hugh Grant is such a darn good actor...love him) and in this show he and his crew of diagnostic doctors have to cure or save patients lives who come to him with weird illnesses and crazy open brain surgery and the works. And every time I watch this show am at the edge of the seat because I also (along with him) want to find my Eureka and cure the patients. But many times he finds his "true enlightenment" by stepping away from the problem and putting it out there...somehow he always knows...he gets to the bottom of it and finally "Wow" he does it...almost like a shaman or a spiritual healer.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Ugachaka, uga uga ugachaka (insert dancing baby...)
Hughes touches on the idea of dreams being routine sorting of everyday activities, thus suggesting dreams are "neither creative nor meaningful." This leads me to the question, "What is so mundane about real life?" Getting back to earlier discussions from Pearce and our mindset, I don't see everyday, commonplace activities as mundane, however, I do feel if we robotically interact and react to the stimuli around us, it can be seen as nothing more than that. Americans especially are trained to "go, go, go" and take little time for digestion or comprehension of the outside world unless they are required to by some outside force. We see the everyday world as our backdrop, not as a constantly changing, engaging environment full of new experiences. Some of the most creative people I know don't take for granted this wealth of knowledge at our fingertips. Anyway, as far as dreams are concerned, I think (if there is some inherent value/importance) to them, the simplicity of their motives should not be overlooked.
On the other side of that idea is the fact that dreams allow you to break from reality and allow you to experience non-traditional situations. It is said, "If you dream it, you can be it," and in a literal (subconscious) sense, you can. Hughes states, "Our subjective consciousness accepts improbable dream scenarios as experiential reality because the brain is deprived of external clues with which to construct an orientational framework." As I said, I think there is much to learn in the everyday, but I think there is an equally insightful quality to letting your mind escape its confines. If we are able to experience things that we could never allow ourselves to in reality, we can gain a perspective which surpasses rational thought.
Pearce points out that there is an underlying sameness to our thought process. As he states “the function of question-answer is an expression of the ontological, reality-shaping process itself.” I think as humans this framework becomes necessary and is used to correlate our own reality to the reality of the world around us. Pearce suggests that our irrational thoughts are challenged by the presence of others but that the thoughts that remain allow us to “change the very framework and criteria of what makes real and what makes fantasy.” This goes back to the idea of dreams and the concept of using their insight to escape traditional thinking. I think the idea of altered states is becoming more clear to me and I am realizing they may be closer to our everyday lives than we think.
On the other side of that idea is the fact that dreams allow you to break from reality and allow you to experience non-traditional situations. It is said, "If you dream it, you can be it," and in a literal (subconscious) sense, you can. Hughes states, "Our subjective consciousness accepts improbable dream scenarios as experiential reality because the brain is deprived of external clues with which to construct an orientational framework." As I said, I think there is much to learn in the everyday, but I think there is an equally insightful quality to letting your mind escape its confines. If we are able to experience things that we could never allow ourselves to in reality, we can gain a perspective which surpasses rational thought.
Pearce points out that there is an underlying sameness to our thought process. As he states “the function of question-answer is an expression of the ontological, reality-shaping process itself.” I think as humans this framework becomes necessary and is used to correlate our own reality to the reality of the world around us. Pearce suggests that our irrational thoughts are challenged by the presence of others but that the thoughts that remain allow us to “change the very framework and criteria of what makes real and what makes fantasy.” This goes back to the idea of dreams and the concept of using their insight to escape traditional thinking. I think the idea of altered states is becoming more clear to me and I am realizing they may be closer to our everyday lives than we think.
Walsh (Part V); Hughes (Ch. 4); Pearce (Ch. 4)
Again we are bombarded with an amazing amount of reading and an equally amazing amount of information. At first I was unable to connect the three readings but after quite some thought, I am able to speak my mind. I chose to read the Hughes chapter first (not for any reason in particular) and it definitely was a good choice. I am a big fan of the dream world and it's awesome to have an almost scientific background supporting my love. Not only did Hughes give us a framework for dreams, but he chose some awesome imagery to help us focus in on something that simply can not be focused on. I especially enjoyed the painting "The Nightmare" which I have seen in a previous humanities course. The painting definitely conveys its title. Not only did Hughes cover dreams but also some dreamlike states such as out of body experiences and near death experiences. These ideas tied in at the end of the Walsh reading very nicely. Walsh presented us with a lot of information as well. He took us straight into the spirit world and the world of the shaman and he showed us how we as humans have been using these ideas and traits for thousands upon thousands of years. A shaman is going to use the dreams to his advantage. It is in these dreams that we can find answers and solutions if we choose to look in the right way. It took me awhile to tie good 'ole' Pearce into the equation. I think what Pearce was trying to say is that we must have extreme focus if we are to advance as a person and as a group of people such as a society. He used a lot of quotes which confused me but he would occasionally throw in an amazing idea of his own. I think Pearce would like us to go to this dream/unconscious like state to obtain new ideas - to crack the "egg". Walsh and Hughes are giving us the direction and guidance while Pearce is telling us what to do when we get there.
Dream a little dream with me…
Dreams can be eye-opening, sensual, lucid, or down right frightening! It is the how and why that has confounded folks for centuries. In the Hughes reading, he describes dreaming as universal phenomena. It takes as much energy to dream as it does to be awake because our minds are alert and active.
The desire and ability to interpret dreams has been talked about through all generations, cultures, and religions. For me one of my favorite Bible characters is Daniel. The book of Daniel is filled with spiritual protection (Daniel 3:25) He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Graphic imagery (Daniel 5:5) Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.
Communion with spirits Daniel 5:11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Consumption of alcohol. . . Belshazzar was drinking his wine. (Daniel 5:3) So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
From the readings Hughes and Pearce seemed to indicate that some dreams are mechanisms to allow us to participate in activities that we may not in out every day. Our inner desires are triggered and they are manifested in our subconscious in the form of dreams
I am happy to say that the Walsh chapters actually made sense to me!! Possibly a Eureka moment…
The content may be understandable because it is relatable to me, and my Christian beliefs.
I guess that I never thought of the Holy Sprit as a “spirit entity” maybe that is ignorant of me… But as a believer in Christ, the Holy Spirit acts a guide and aids people on their journey with Christ. One can make the argument that is the role of other spirits as well…
As I was reading the Walsh text, I had to chuckle when I got to the section on mediums. I am from the generation of “Miss Cleo” and the explosion of spiritual guides that flooded the TV and books shelves.
For me, one of the most interesting thoughts I encountered was our role “look within” in the spiritual process and what we crave is what we fixate on… Our text referenced that Christian my have visions with Gabriel and Catholic may encounter Mary. But it is a rare occurrence that let’s say a Buddhist would see Mary present herself in a vision. Why is that? I believe it is based on expectation and our internal and external influences.
I absolutely believe in the existence of spirits – good and bad. The hitch for me is that the bible clearly describes the practice of certain activities as undesirable … divination, sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, and casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
This subject matter is truly fascinating! Delving into realms of the uncertain is supposed to prick our curiosity and I am glad that it does mine! I want to be open to the possibility of other world, realms, and spiritual paths, yet keeping true to my Christian beliefs.
The desire and ability to interpret dreams has been talked about through all generations, cultures, and religions. For me one of my favorite Bible characters is Daniel. The book of Daniel is filled with spiritual protection (Daniel 3:25) He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Graphic imagery (Daniel 5:5) Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.
Communion with spirits Daniel 5:11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Consumption of alcohol. . . Belshazzar was drinking his wine. (Daniel 5:3) So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
From the readings Hughes and Pearce seemed to indicate that some dreams are mechanisms to allow us to participate in activities that we may not in out every day. Our inner desires are triggered and they are manifested in our subconscious in the form of dreams
I am happy to say that the Walsh chapters actually made sense to me!! Possibly a Eureka moment…
The content may be understandable because it is relatable to me, and my Christian beliefs.
I guess that I never thought of the Holy Sprit as a “spirit entity” maybe that is ignorant of me… But as a believer in Christ, the Holy Spirit acts a guide and aids people on their journey with Christ. One can make the argument that is the role of other spirits as well…
As I was reading the Walsh text, I had to chuckle when I got to the section on mediums. I am from the generation of “Miss Cleo” and the explosion of spiritual guides that flooded the TV and books shelves.
For me, one of the most interesting thoughts I encountered was our role “look within” in the spiritual process and what we crave is what we fixate on… Our text referenced that Christian my have visions with Gabriel and Catholic may encounter Mary. But it is a rare occurrence that let’s say a Buddhist would see Mary present herself in a vision. Why is that? I believe it is based on expectation and our internal and external influences.
I absolutely believe in the existence of spirits – good and bad. The hitch for me is that the bible clearly describes the practice of certain activities as undesirable … divination, sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, and casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
This subject matter is truly fascinating! Delving into realms of the uncertain is supposed to prick our curiosity and I am glad that it does mine! I want to be open to the possibility of other world, realms, and spiritual paths, yet keeping true to my Christian beliefs.
Transcending the Conciousness
The main point of the readings this week was based solely on not just altered states of being, but altered locations of mind. As one might expect, dreams came into the equation right on cue as I read. For example, Hughes made a point of explaining what a dream truly is, and to look beyond the constraints of the psychologically minded one. Dreams bring about inspiration and visions of various symbols that could be arranged into a cohesive painting, cinema, or in my case, narrative, as well as any form of art.
Pearce also agrees with this sense of inspiration, but takes a route slightly altered. He leans more towards scientifical and philosophical influences, as well as lucid dreaming and imagination. While this does seem more practical, once again it turns away from the psychological explanations. However, such is not a fault, but rather a gift. To see through one's imagination is not only more intriguing than real life, but also more enlightening.
I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Walsh's words this past week. Upon beginning, once again, I was drawn into a false perception that Shamanism would treat me as an outsider looking in. However, also once again, I was surprised at the complexity and, at the same time, sense of freedom that I, as a writer, have experienced. One quote that he cited particularly interested me: "'A sensible man prefers the inner to the outer eye.'-Lao Tzu" I'm interested in these otherworldly journeys and their capacity to provide knowledge, healing, and illumination, whether they be with spirits, guides, alternate worlds, or out-of-body experiences.
All told, all three texts are meant to guide readers beyond the normal realms of thinking. I was glad to partake in this transcending of normal thought and to see the worlds beyond that no longer were seen as figments and mirages, but rather as guides, prescences, and universes whose benefits are given to those willing to accept.
Pearce also agrees with this sense of inspiration, but takes a route slightly altered. He leans more towards scientifical and philosophical influences, as well as lucid dreaming and imagination. While this does seem more practical, once again it turns away from the psychological explanations. However, such is not a fault, but rather a gift. To see through one's imagination is not only more intriguing than real life, but also more enlightening.
I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Walsh's words this past week. Upon beginning, once again, I was drawn into a false perception that Shamanism would treat me as an outsider looking in. However, also once again, I was surprised at the complexity and, at the same time, sense of freedom that I, as a writer, have experienced. One quote that he cited particularly interested me: "'A sensible man prefers the inner to the outer eye.'-Lao Tzu" I'm interested in these otherworldly journeys and their capacity to provide knowledge, healing, and illumination, whether they be with spirits, guides, alternate worlds, or out-of-body experiences.
All told, all three texts are meant to guide readers beyond the normal realms of thinking. I was glad to partake in this transcending of normal thought and to see the worlds beyond that no longer were seen as figments and mirages, but rather as guides, prescences, and universes whose benefits are given to those willing to accept.
Walsh, Pearce Hughes
Hughes (4)
This is a very interesting chapter to read about. About dreams and the unconsciousness. I have always wanted to know more about dreams, why they occur, whether we are conscious when it comes to out of body experiences in the spiritual nature. Also I ponder to myself about whether dreams are real and do we get sent messages through our dreams by a higher being. There were a lot of high points in this chapter for me.One of those is the correlation of dreams and reality, dreams and rem sleep, and what the effect of not dreaming at night would do. It was mentioned in the chapter that it important for us to dream. I got from that that there is some connection to dreaming and a good night rest. I was also fascinated by the fact that we are all "psychotic" when we are dreaming or in deep rem sleep. : "In fact by strict medical criteria each of us when dreaming is formally psychotic, delirious, or demented. Do these words imply that we are somehow mentally disturbed when we are asleep. Can we read any meaning in our dreams? These are puzzling questions I would imagine for researchers alike. What links do dreams have to artistic creativity and do they influence certain artist. "Images, ideas, and even entire works of art have been brought back from the dream state with great creative effect." The The telepathic and precognitive part of dreams are interesting to me because of its prevelance in our society. Many have expressed having been told or sent a message through their dreams good or bad. It has a religious connection in which characters from the bible back in the olden days would interpret people's dreams for them. Out of body experience is the lat thing that I will talk about that caught my interest in the reading. I have always wondered whether this is possible? Who or what do these people see and what messsges are they given through this.
Walsh (v)
I liked this reading somewhat. The part about the sharms been asked to identify an unclear or blurry picture. A non sherman would look at the picture and not see anything there but a sherman would look at it and see there is a hidden message in that blurry picture almost like they have some kind of sixth sense. What I admire about the sharmans and their beliefs is that they are one with the non-material and of another realm other than what we live in. I also found as a high point as I read was their attempts to see spirits and the traing they have to go through to see or be one with a spirit God. The robbind of ointment on the eye or with the help of hallucionogens. Also the eir religions connection with Christianity. The three tiers of belief which is upper, middle or lower world. "Earth to the skyor from earth to the under world." In Christian teaching it is from earth to either heaven(Sky)or the underworld(hell).They are very similar in theory. To what extent were their beliefs affected by their culture? What was the main theory that everything in the universe had life. Hylozoism and Animism. In Christian teachings that is worshipping idol gods.
Pearce(4)
I found this reading to be a bit dry and boring. It was not as good as the other two.
This is a very interesting chapter to read about. About dreams and the unconsciousness. I have always wanted to know more about dreams, why they occur, whether we are conscious when it comes to out of body experiences in the spiritual nature. Also I ponder to myself about whether dreams are real and do we get sent messages through our dreams by a higher being. There were a lot of high points in this chapter for me.One of those is the correlation of dreams and reality, dreams and rem sleep, and what the effect of not dreaming at night would do. It was mentioned in the chapter that it important for us to dream. I got from that that there is some connection to dreaming and a good night rest. I was also fascinated by the fact that we are all "psychotic" when we are dreaming or in deep rem sleep. : "In fact by strict medical criteria each of us when dreaming is formally psychotic, delirious, or demented. Do these words imply that we are somehow mentally disturbed when we are asleep. Can we read any meaning in our dreams? These are puzzling questions I would imagine for researchers alike. What links do dreams have to artistic creativity and do they influence certain artist. "Images, ideas, and even entire works of art have been brought back from the dream state with great creative effect." The The telepathic and precognitive part of dreams are interesting to me because of its prevelance in our society. Many have expressed having been told or sent a message through their dreams good or bad. It has a religious connection in which characters from the bible back in the olden days would interpret people's dreams for them. Out of body experience is the lat thing that I will talk about that caught my interest in the reading. I have always wondered whether this is possible? Who or what do these people see and what messsges are they given through this.
Walsh (v)
I liked this reading somewhat. The part about the sharms been asked to identify an unclear or blurry picture. A non sherman would look at the picture and not see anything there but a sherman would look at it and see there is a hidden message in that blurry picture almost like they have some kind of sixth sense. What I admire about the sharmans and their beliefs is that they are one with the non-material and of another realm other than what we live in. I also found as a high point as I read was their attempts to see spirits and the traing they have to go through to see or be one with a spirit God. The robbind of ointment on the eye or with the help of hallucionogens. Also the eir religions connection with Christianity. The three tiers of belief which is upper, middle or lower world. "Earth to the skyor from earth to the under world." In Christian teaching it is from earth to either heaven(Sky)or the underworld(hell).They are very similar in theory. To what extent were their beliefs affected by their culture? What was the main theory that everything in the universe had life. Hylozoism and Animism. In Christian teachings that is worshipping idol gods.
Pearce(4)
I found this reading to be a bit dry and boring. It was not as good as the other two.
Pearce, Hughes, and Walsh
Again, I was fascinated with Pearce's "Cosmic Egg". He states that, "Each of the many people involved could have hardly been aware that they were laying the groundwork for Oak Ridge or Hiroshima" (68). He is talking about how the atomic hypothesis started out as a "hunch" and is now commonly accepted as truth. The funny thing is, I just had a philosophy class where the professor was talking about Decartes and how he lived in the 1600's when the telescope and microscope were both invented. Before these inventions, people couldn't see certain things that were there all along. Not being able to see them (or believe in them), however, doesn't mean that they aren't there. After these inventions, people could see tiny objects or distant places and so they became accepted as true. Futhermore, they couldn't have had any idea as to what would come about from these inventions---I'm sure they would be shocked to see certain things today. Another quote that got my attention was, "The Divine Imagination moves the mind as it pleases, the wind bloweth where it listeth, but only when the way has been prepared by a discipline of mind" (70). This reminds me of "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear"---I'm not sure where this quote came from or who said it. The idea is that you have to be ready and willing to learn/accept/internalize ideas before you understand them. You might read something today (such as a good quote) but not "get" it until later on down the road. You'll think to yourself, "That makes so much sense now." Also, the teacher isn't neccesarily a person (the typical teacher)---it could be a book, a song, a random thought, etc.
I learned a new word thanks to Walsh: panpsychism-that all objects have a mind or soul (126). This is the Western take on hylozoism and animism. I've been trying to understand this concept for some time. I can believe that all living things have a soul and that is why you should be good to everyone and everything---people, animals, the environment, etc. What I am having trouble with is the idea that this computer I'm typing on has a soul. I can't wrap my mind around an inanimate object having a soul. Maybe I'm being too literal here, I don't know. I've heard before that since everything comes from the same place of origin, then it has a soul. I suppose that so long as I take away from this that I should be good to all things and treat them (people, plants, etc.) with care, then I've got the point. Page 135 points out, "...for the yogi, the deity is considered a mental creation, a projection of one's own as yet unrecognized potentials, which the visualiztion will allow the yogi to recognize and claim". I'm telling you---I have to get into this yoga stuff. I realize that this takes a considerable amount of time and effort but I can't help but wonder if "visualization", as he states, can be manifested without the use of yoga. I hear all the time how athletes visualize scoring/winning/success in whatever sport it happens to be in. Perhaps I should start visualizing myself typing this blog at an earlier time than right before class. One last note about this reading is that it mentions "A Course in Miracles". I haven't read it yet, but I do want to. I heard of it before and thought it sounded interesting---now, I want to read it even more. Walsh writes, "Its insights are genuinely transcendental...It is psychologically sound, philosophically penetrating, and eminently practical" (140). I can't wait...
The Hughes reading was kind of interesting. I had a friend that used a book to decipher her dreams and I used it a few times myself. I don't remember gaining any useful insight from it though. Hughes discusses lucid dreaming about a perfect landscape. I can't say this has ever happened to me before (the landscape part, that is)---my lucid dreams are rare and usually of a sexual nature. I'm not quite sure I should've shared that but I want to know if anyone else has this problem (if you want to call it a problem). The sections on out-of-body-experiences and near-death-experiences are foreign to me. I've never had such an experience and that's just fine with me. I'll end this with a quote I like from this section that I think is related to people being in sensory deprivation where they start creating their "reality" from past experiences because of the lack of stimuli---"It seems that, just as the physical body creates its own reality through its sensory system, so the nonphysical body creates a reality through internally generatetd stimuli, and under certain circumstances these two realities interpenetrate" (59).
I learned a new word thanks to Walsh: panpsychism-that all objects have a mind or soul (126). This is the Western take on hylozoism and animism. I've been trying to understand this concept for some time. I can believe that all living things have a soul and that is why you should be good to everyone and everything---people, animals, the environment, etc. What I am having trouble with is the idea that this computer I'm typing on has a soul. I can't wrap my mind around an inanimate object having a soul. Maybe I'm being too literal here, I don't know. I've heard before that since everything comes from the same place of origin, then it has a soul. I suppose that so long as I take away from this that I should be good to all things and treat them (people, plants, etc.) with care, then I've got the point. Page 135 points out, "...for the yogi, the deity is considered a mental creation, a projection of one's own as yet unrecognized potentials, which the visualiztion will allow the yogi to recognize and claim". I'm telling you---I have to get into this yoga stuff. I realize that this takes a considerable amount of time and effort but I can't help but wonder if "visualization", as he states, can be manifested without the use of yoga. I hear all the time how athletes visualize scoring/winning/success in whatever sport it happens to be in. Perhaps I should start visualizing myself typing this blog at an earlier time than right before class. One last note about this reading is that it mentions "A Course in Miracles". I haven't read it yet, but I do want to. I heard of it before and thought it sounded interesting---now, I want to read it even more. Walsh writes, "Its insights are genuinely transcendental...It is psychologically sound, philosophically penetrating, and eminently practical" (140). I can't wait...
The Hughes reading was kind of interesting. I had a friend that used a book to decipher her dreams and I used it a few times myself. I don't remember gaining any useful insight from it though. Hughes discusses lucid dreaming about a perfect landscape. I can't say this has ever happened to me before (the landscape part, that is)---my lucid dreams are rare and usually of a sexual nature. I'm not quite sure I should've shared that but I want to know if anyone else has this problem (if you want to call it a problem). The sections on out-of-body-experiences and near-death-experiences are foreign to me. I've never had such an experience and that's just fine with me. I'll end this with a quote I like from this section that I think is related to people being in sensory deprivation where they start creating their "reality" from past experiences because of the lack of stimuli---"It seems that, just as the physical body creates its own reality through its sensory system, so the nonphysical body creates a reality through internally generatetd stimuli, and under certain circumstances these two realities interpenetrate" (59).
Pearce4, Hughes4, Walsh5
Pearce Ch.4- For this assignment, I started by jumping back on the Pearce marry-go-round. He took me idea hopping through the synthesis, dramatic breakthroughs, visions, and experiences of other people. He started by explaining St.Paul’s formula, which I highly disagree with what Pearce’s assumption was about this, then I was taken off in the next paragraph on a journey about Bertrand Russell, followed by Albert Einstein, Arnold Toynbee, James R., Newman, the Kazantzakis, Jean-Paul Sartre, St. Augustine, Laski, John Wesley, Pere Teilhard, the Platonic retreat, Piaget, Nietzche, John Dalton, Wiliam James, Wallas, Mircea Eliade, Nirvana, Hamilton, Bruner, Douglas Hunt, Carl Jung, David Bohm, LSD, William Butler Yeats, Ellman, Mozart, and Jungian.
This time instead of talking about eggs, I found out sporadically about this hypothesis called Eureka! What can I say about Eureka? Overall, nothing. Pearce starts talking about throughout his arguments and halfway-explained conclusions about how people discover Eureka, a term not thoroughly explained, but pointed out as having a meaning of illumination. It’s hard to find what an author is really trying to say when readers have to siphen through off topic discussions.
Hughes Ch. 4- I found it difficult reading about dreams. To some people, who are able to recall their dreams, you hear of how people feel dreams are meant to be interpreted. A lot of people see dreams as a foreshadow, or a sign. Then others, like me for instance, have a hard time remembering dreams, so it is hard to say that we feel a dream could tell us anything about our lives since we don’t really have them. It is rare that I will wake up in the morning, or even during the night, remembering a dream. Maybe it depends on certain body factors, like being at total ease that you can drift yourself into a dream. Or maybe you have to be at a certain consciousness level to recall a dream. The fact is though, I find that a dream is something a person has and it is to their personal beliefs what a dream means to them. The dreams that I recall are always happy, and usually always involve meeting someone famous, or winning a game, or race. I feel this may not be a foreshadow really telling me that I am meeting someone famous, but it is a personal motivation to work towards my dreams and goals. I feel that your mind knows how important some dreams, if they would come true, would mean to your heart and I feel that our body responds by trying to self-motivate and push ourselves to achieve what we wish for. Other occurrences like nightmares, dreams about death, whether it is personally or witnessing someone else, or strange visions, I believe are results of a tired mind playing tricks, and pretty much just shooting out any thoughts.
Walsh Part 5-Shamanism is not something I believe in, nor will ever experience. After watching the movie in class, I found Shamanism to just be a colt looking for more followers. It was very weird seeing these people shake, cry, topple around while sitting on the floor, feeling as if they were floating within themselves, listening to some chant, while smoking up in a dark room with Indians, as well as envisioning snakes flying around towards them, and Technicolor alligators floating around amidst the snakes, and then sit there to watch this abstract color show for about ten minutes, symbolizing the visions towards the end. I did not relate to this at all and can see why it wasn’t a seller among the videos for the U.S. It was also weird in the beginning watching an animal get killed too.
This time instead of talking about eggs, I found out sporadically about this hypothesis called Eureka! What can I say about Eureka? Overall, nothing. Pearce starts talking about throughout his arguments and halfway-explained conclusions about how people discover Eureka, a term not thoroughly explained, but pointed out as having a meaning of illumination. It’s hard to find what an author is really trying to say when readers have to siphen through off topic discussions.
Hughes Ch. 4- I found it difficult reading about dreams. To some people, who are able to recall their dreams, you hear of how people feel dreams are meant to be interpreted. A lot of people see dreams as a foreshadow, or a sign. Then others, like me for instance, have a hard time remembering dreams, so it is hard to say that we feel a dream could tell us anything about our lives since we don’t really have them. It is rare that I will wake up in the morning, or even during the night, remembering a dream. Maybe it depends on certain body factors, like being at total ease that you can drift yourself into a dream. Or maybe you have to be at a certain consciousness level to recall a dream. The fact is though, I find that a dream is something a person has and it is to their personal beliefs what a dream means to them. The dreams that I recall are always happy, and usually always involve meeting someone famous, or winning a game, or race. I feel this may not be a foreshadow really telling me that I am meeting someone famous, but it is a personal motivation to work towards my dreams and goals. I feel that your mind knows how important some dreams, if they would come true, would mean to your heart and I feel that our body responds by trying to self-motivate and push ourselves to achieve what we wish for. Other occurrences like nightmares, dreams about death, whether it is personally or witnessing someone else, or strange visions, I believe are results of a tired mind playing tricks, and pretty much just shooting out any thoughts.
Walsh Part 5-Shamanism is not something I believe in, nor will ever experience. After watching the movie in class, I found Shamanism to just be a colt looking for more followers. It was very weird seeing these people shake, cry, topple around while sitting on the floor, feeling as if they were floating within themselves, listening to some chant, while smoking up in a dark room with Indians, as well as envisioning snakes flying around towards them, and Technicolor alligators floating around amidst the snakes, and then sit there to watch this abstract color show for about ten minutes, symbolizing the visions towards the end. I did not relate to this at all and can see why it wasn’t a seller among the videos for the U.S. It was also weird in the beginning watching an animal get killed too.
Blog number four
Altered States, Chapter Four: Dreams and the Unconscious
It’s kind of interesting to think of dreams as relating to mental health. It could be true that dreaming promotes mental health and it’s definitely true that if it does, it’s in ways we don’t understand. Perhaps our dreams are things we think in our subconscious/unconscious. The impact dreams have is undeniable as well. Sometimes dreams are so vivid and realistic, the dream can be briefly confused with reality upon waking. Another important concept is how artists and authors utilized their dreams for inspiration. Dreams are powerful, and we definitely take the experience for granted for the most part.
Of course we have Sigmund Freud’s take on things… to rain on everyone’s parade with another dated and sexist theory. Oh joy, gotta love sexism in academia. I think he’s the one who is oppressed and has penis envy. Anyways, I don’t agree with his theory on dreams, and I also believe his opinions have no business in this matter, but at least he’s “creative” in his ideas.
The Crack in the Cosmic Egg, Chapter four:
I appreciate Pearce’s effort, but maybe his book would be better and more effective if written in affirmations as to keep ideas together and less spread out.
I like that he touches on the “Eureka!” moment that everyone experiences in his or her lifetime. It is true that there are no limits to the experience.
Overall, Pearce’s stuff is wordy dips from a lot of different psychologists and philosophers. It seems like his writing is a huge collaboration of other people’s ideas, with his own thrown in there as well, and through that he finds his defining “Eureka!” moments…
Part V: The Shaman’s Universe:
I know a lot of people are skeptical in this class about the abilities of the shaman, but really, what do we know? We only know what we’ve read and seen, and we’re already predisposed to think it’s a bunch of crap anyways thanks to western civilization. Maybe it takes a shaman to know a shaman.
I can see how it would be difficult to believe that for shamans the multilayered cosmos is a myth and article of faith. That only shamans cross these layers and turn cosmology into a road map which they use to acquire information and power.
Yeah, I can see how people find shamanism sketchy, which makes me think a few things:
Either A.) Everything we see and hear about shamanism is true and we’re skeptical because of our culture/ upbringing, B.) Everything we see and hear about shamanism is true but we are told to think it is not real, and it’s fake, so that a majority of people don’t seek out this form of enlightenment and remain ignorant to the truth therefore still controlled by society/government/whoever, or C.) It’s all a load of bull and we’re wasting our time.
We can know about shamanism and his or her way of contacting spirits and channeling them, but in a way, I think the only way to know is to experience these things first hand. I’m skeptical in the sense that, I want to see a shaman, in real life, access these spirits who act as a teacher first and foremost. I know the chances of me experiencing it is very slim considering it seems that there needs to be lots of practice involved.
Another thing I gathered from this reading is the basis the shaman puts on contacting spirits. Contacting spirits serves the shaman in four ways. To teach, assist with journeys, provide strengths and abilities, or possess the shaman as in mediumship.
So… we would never think of spirits to help us out with ANY of that stuff. With our westernized ways, we go to school to be taught, we have a travel agent, Mapquest, or GPS to assist us in our “journeys,” we generally consider our life experiences to provide our strength and abilities, and we don’t really ever consider “mediumship.” I think it’s interesting how painfully aware we are reminded that, hey, we have different values and cultural/societal norms while reading all these texts.
It’s kind of interesting to think of dreams as relating to mental health. It could be true that dreaming promotes mental health and it’s definitely true that if it does, it’s in ways we don’t understand. Perhaps our dreams are things we think in our subconscious/unconscious. The impact dreams have is undeniable as well. Sometimes dreams are so vivid and realistic, the dream can be briefly confused with reality upon waking. Another important concept is how artists and authors utilized their dreams for inspiration. Dreams are powerful, and we definitely take the experience for granted for the most part.
Of course we have Sigmund Freud’s take on things… to rain on everyone’s parade with another dated and sexist theory. Oh joy, gotta love sexism in academia. I think he’s the one who is oppressed and has penis envy. Anyways, I don’t agree with his theory on dreams, and I also believe his opinions have no business in this matter, but at least he’s “creative” in his ideas.
The Crack in the Cosmic Egg, Chapter four:
I appreciate Pearce’s effort, but maybe his book would be better and more effective if written in affirmations as to keep ideas together and less spread out.
I like that he touches on the “Eureka!” moment that everyone experiences in his or her lifetime. It is true that there are no limits to the experience.
Overall, Pearce’s stuff is wordy dips from a lot of different psychologists and philosophers. It seems like his writing is a huge collaboration of other people’s ideas, with his own thrown in there as well, and through that he finds his defining “Eureka!” moments…
Part V: The Shaman’s Universe:
I know a lot of people are skeptical in this class about the abilities of the shaman, but really, what do we know? We only know what we’ve read and seen, and we’re already predisposed to think it’s a bunch of crap anyways thanks to western civilization. Maybe it takes a shaman to know a shaman.
I can see how it would be difficult to believe that for shamans the multilayered cosmos is a myth and article of faith. That only shamans cross these layers and turn cosmology into a road map which they use to acquire information and power.
Yeah, I can see how people find shamanism sketchy, which makes me think a few things:
Either A.) Everything we see and hear about shamanism is true and we’re skeptical because of our culture/ upbringing, B.) Everything we see and hear about shamanism is true but we are told to think it is not real, and it’s fake, so that a majority of people don’t seek out this form of enlightenment and remain ignorant to the truth therefore still controlled by society/government/whoever, or C.) It’s all a load of bull and we’re wasting our time.
We can know about shamanism and his or her way of contacting spirits and channeling them, but in a way, I think the only way to know is to experience these things first hand. I’m skeptical in the sense that, I want to see a shaman, in real life, access these spirits who act as a teacher first and foremost. I know the chances of me experiencing it is very slim considering it seems that there needs to be lots of practice involved.
Another thing I gathered from this reading is the basis the shaman puts on contacting spirits. Contacting spirits serves the shaman in four ways. To teach, assist with journeys, provide strengths and abilities, or possess the shaman as in mediumship.
So… we would never think of spirits to help us out with ANY of that stuff. With our westernized ways, we go to school to be taught, we have a travel agent, Mapquest, or GPS to assist us in our “journeys,” we generally consider our life experiences to provide our strength and abilities, and we don’t really ever consider “mediumship.” I think it’s interesting how painfully aware we are reminded that, hey, we have different values and cultural/societal norms while reading all these texts.
Walsh, Pearce and Hughes
To begin with the Walsh readings, the spider analogy helped give a visual to these distant worlds that we are capable of reaching if we just journey to the edges of our "web". Apparently, there is some form of an axis mundi for each of us, representing different values we hold dear (tree of life and fertility) or for those more skeptical, simply just a means of transport (cosmic mountain). Upon these journeys, we are supposedly able to reflect on the hidden or unknown. The problem I have with these "discoveries" is that are they true discoveries in the sense that they have been illuminated without any kind of generated input or bias from the unconscious? "Individual experience is deeply, pervasively, and unconsciously molded by culture. Before experiences arise to awareness, they are constructed, filtered, and interpreted by the 'cognitive onconscious' according to often unrecognized background cultural frameworks such as langauge, values, beliefs, and biases" (128). This taken into account, are shamans simply "seeing" what they want to see , or expect to see?
The section on channeling referred to the process of cryptomnesia which I thought paralleled somewhat to the experience of deja vu. "...anyone...may be able to receive information from aspects of our own psyches that lie outside conscious awareness...some information may consist of long-forgotten facts and memories...that is sometimes mistaken for evidence that the message is from a separate entity" (141). Certainly, most of us have experienced a feeling of being in an unfamiliar place but something seems exceptionally familiar about it. Almost as if we were in another body at another time but in the same place. These comments on cryptomnesia reminded me of that.
It was interesting to note the references given to Judaism and Taoism and their respective differences to shamanism on acheiving an ASC. The former two rely heavily on "intensely energetic methods such as dancing and drumming" which act as a catalyst for "mediation, calm and mind control" (163). If these two religions can achieve an ASC without the use of psychadellics and/or hallucinogens, is the shaman lacking credibility in his efforts by using such elements?
Pearce's description of the postulate building process was interesting. There are four stages: preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. It seems as if the first and last two are the processes which would be conducted entirely upon convergent thinking and a conscious awareness. The middle two processes can take place in an unconscious state of awareness, the last stage being a conscious effort to organize the thoughts and ideas constructed within both states.
Similar to my post above on Walsh regarding shamans "seeing what they want to see", Pearce elaborates on Kline's findings on hypnotism. "The hypnotist serves as the logical value-selector" (75). If the hypnotist is guiding the hypnotee (?) into answering and searching for hidden thoughts by selective questioning, than isn't the hypnotist being subjective? Isn't the hypnotist basically laying the framework for what the hypnotist expects or wants the hypnotee to say?
I admit I enjoyed Hughes' chapter over the other two readings. I agree that our dreamlike states can produce creativity. It is often when I'm asleep that I will suddenly wake up with a sudden idea or resolve a problem. On page 55, Hughes states, " ...the dreaming brain...synthesizes in the light of an individual's past experiences, ongoing concerns, settled character, and cognitive style". It is so true that many times I realize what I had dreamt that night was a reflection of what I had previously thought of or experienced that day.
The section on channeling referred to the process of cryptomnesia which I thought paralleled somewhat to the experience of deja vu. "...anyone...may be able to receive information from aspects of our own psyches that lie outside conscious awareness...some information may consist of long-forgotten facts and memories...that is sometimes mistaken for evidence that the message is from a separate entity" (141). Certainly, most of us have experienced a feeling of being in an unfamiliar place but something seems exceptionally familiar about it. Almost as if we were in another body at another time but in the same place. These comments on cryptomnesia reminded me of that.
It was interesting to note the references given to Judaism and Taoism and their respective differences to shamanism on acheiving an ASC. The former two rely heavily on "intensely energetic methods such as dancing and drumming" which act as a catalyst for "mediation, calm and mind control" (163). If these two religions can achieve an ASC without the use of psychadellics and/or hallucinogens, is the shaman lacking credibility in his efforts by using such elements?
Pearce's description of the postulate building process was interesting. There are four stages: preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. It seems as if the first and last two are the processes which would be conducted entirely upon convergent thinking and a conscious awareness. The middle two processes can take place in an unconscious state of awareness, the last stage being a conscious effort to organize the thoughts and ideas constructed within both states.
Similar to my post above on Walsh regarding shamans "seeing what they want to see", Pearce elaborates on Kline's findings on hypnotism. "The hypnotist serves as the logical value-selector" (75). If the hypnotist is guiding the hypnotee (?) into answering and searching for hidden thoughts by selective questioning, than isn't the hypnotist being subjective? Isn't the hypnotist basically laying the framework for what the hypnotist expects or wants the hypnotee to say?
I admit I enjoyed Hughes' chapter over the other two readings. I agree that our dreamlike states can produce creativity. It is often when I'm asleep that I will suddenly wake up with a sudden idea or resolve a problem. On page 55, Hughes states, " ...the dreaming brain...synthesizes in the light of an individual's past experiences, ongoing concerns, settled character, and cognitive style". It is so true that many times I realize what I had dreamt that night was a reflection of what I had previously thought of or experienced that day.
Hughes, Pearce, Walsh
Hughes, Chapter 4
There are a lot of theories on what dreams mean and where they come from. They are all kind of confusing, but interesting. I tend to agree with Hobson's theory of "activation synthesis." I think often the brain does create meaning out of virtually nothing. I did not like Freuds id and super ego analogy of dreams, because I don't think dreams are always a result of sex and aggressiveness. I did think that lucid dreaming and near death experiences were neat to read about. I think a lot of people can relate to lucid dreaming, because they have experienced it. I also think that near death experiences do result in a lot of unusual events. I never had a near death experience, but I know a lot of people who did. I have also heard a lot of stories of near death experiences, which I tend to believe. I would really like to read more then just theories about dreaming. I want to know a definite answer that explains everything.
Pearce, Chapter 4
I found what Blake said to be very true. "Blake noted that only by long and intensive training and discipline, getting beyond the mechanics of technique, could the mind utilize its imagination." This shows that the mind is extremely complex and only certain individuals with a great deal of training can begin to understand it. I also think that most people can't utilize the imagination, because they never relax from serious work. I enjoyed reading the portion about common sense, because it tells readers that crazy incidents do happen. There have been a lot of things that have happened to a lot of different people, which shows that certain phenomenas must be true, to an extent. Also, I found hypnosis to be intriguing. I don't understand how a hypnotist can have so much power and control over the individual that they are trying to hypnotize. I found all of these theories and rare incidents very difficult to read and understand, but I feel like there has to be some sense to everything.
Walsh, Chapter 5
I guess people need to change their way of thinking and embrace new ones. There are so many religions out there that anyone has the freedom to follow. It really shows that religion and happiness comes from within. Everyone must find themselves in order to obtain awareness and wisdom. So I suppose the more self-awareness and internal understanding a person has, then the more likely they are to be happy and open to other possibilities. Therefore, these people are most likely the first people who will be able to reach altered states of consciousness and have religious experiences. I feel like all of the different authors are trying to say that dreams, hallucinations, religious experiences, and other phenomenas do occur, but an individual must first understand them, before they can begin to explain them to other people.
There are a lot of theories on what dreams mean and where they come from. They are all kind of confusing, but interesting. I tend to agree with Hobson's theory of "activation synthesis." I think often the brain does create meaning out of virtually nothing. I did not like Freuds id and super ego analogy of dreams, because I don't think dreams are always a result of sex and aggressiveness. I did think that lucid dreaming and near death experiences were neat to read about. I think a lot of people can relate to lucid dreaming, because they have experienced it. I also think that near death experiences do result in a lot of unusual events. I never had a near death experience, but I know a lot of people who did. I have also heard a lot of stories of near death experiences, which I tend to believe. I would really like to read more then just theories about dreaming. I want to know a definite answer that explains everything.
Pearce, Chapter 4
I found what Blake said to be very true. "Blake noted that only by long and intensive training and discipline, getting beyond the mechanics of technique, could the mind utilize its imagination." This shows that the mind is extremely complex and only certain individuals with a great deal of training can begin to understand it. I also think that most people can't utilize the imagination, because they never relax from serious work. I enjoyed reading the portion about common sense, because it tells readers that crazy incidents do happen. There have been a lot of things that have happened to a lot of different people, which shows that certain phenomenas must be true, to an extent. Also, I found hypnosis to be intriguing. I don't understand how a hypnotist can have so much power and control over the individual that they are trying to hypnotize. I found all of these theories and rare incidents very difficult to read and understand, but I feel like there has to be some sense to everything.
Walsh, Chapter 5
I guess people need to change their way of thinking and embrace new ones. There are so many religions out there that anyone has the freedom to follow. It really shows that religion and happiness comes from within. Everyone must find themselves in order to obtain awareness and wisdom. So I suppose the more self-awareness and internal understanding a person has, then the more likely they are to be happy and open to other possibilities. Therefore, these people are most likely the first people who will be able to reach altered states of consciousness and have religious experiences. I feel like all of the different authors are trying to say that dreams, hallucinations, religious experiences, and other phenomenas do occur, but an individual must first understand them, before they can begin to explain them to other people.
The essence of dreams
I think Hughes did a really great job of presenting a straightforward account of what is involved in dreaming and the different theories involved with that state of consciousness. It was very scientific and as factual as the unknown can be; after all, what are dreams but the unknown? Dream interpretation is not limited to the psychoanalyst trying to tell you you have unresolved sexual urges for your mother -- what each person takes from his or her dream is a form of subconscious interpretation.
If dreams really are trying to tell us something, there is no way to know if the dreamer properly interprets the dream the first time around. For example, the dreamer may focus on something other than what was intended by his or her subconscious, which might give the dream a very different meaning than what may have been intended, if anything. But is it necessarily true that a dream must have a deeper meaning?
In the example of Shamanism, Shaman are said to "travel," which could be interpreted as controlled or lucid dreaming. If Pearce is correct and we ask questions in a certain manner to derive a certain answer, then it could possible follow that if a Shaman has some idea of what he is looking for as a cure or an explanation, he can guide his "travels" to a certain destination or conclusion. I have no doubt that to be a Shaman is to be a highly trained and intelligent individual, combining the years of study with a natural talent for compassion and healing.
That being said, after so much experience and practice, if someone were to approach the Shaman with a question regarding a concern the Shaman might have had even limited experience with in the past, could not the Shaman -- either subconsciously or otherwise -- direct his "traveling" to familiar territory first to discover if they answer might be there? No matter what position we hold in our community, especially when it comes to helping others, I believe we tend to be more comfortable with attempting something familiar first before trying a new approach.
I am not so certain that I entirely agree with Pearce's statements about seeking certain answers by asking certain questions and vice versa. Surely there are times when we ask something in hope of a certain response (fishing for compliments, asking someone a question you truly do know the answer to in order to see how they might react, etc), but I am not sure I believe it is possible that every question is asked for an already known answer.
We may have a sense of the response. For example, as I was driving my car with its manual transmission through downtown Harrisburg, I managed to stall at a light (how embarrassing, I know...). My friend who was with me, having never driven anything except automatics, asked why my car stalled. As I tried to explain, I realized I did not necessarily know the details. So, as always when in doubt, I called my Dad, who knows everything, and when I posed to him the same question, I was asking with a vague understanding of the mechanics of my car, but clearly I did not know everything. I feel the latter is an example of asking certain questions in search of a certain answer you are already mostly aware of. But when my friend asked the same thing of me, not being mechanically-inclined, she had no idea what I might say.
Socrates made it a practice of asking questions to draw out an answer. If I'm not mistaken, he believed that we already have the answers within us; it is just a matter of finding them and recognizing them. I do feel there is much we bury withing ourselves that sometimes takes time and patience and an objective third party to help us see; however, I'm a little unsure about the belief that each of us hold all the answers.
If dreams really are trying to tell us something, there is no way to know if the dreamer properly interprets the dream the first time around. For example, the dreamer may focus on something other than what was intended by his or her subconscious, which might give the dream a very different meaning than what may have been intended, if anything. But is it necessarily true that a dream must have a deeper meaning?
In the example of Shamanism, Shaman are said to "travel," which could be interpreted as controlled or lucid dreaming. If Pearce is correct and we ask questions in a certain manner to derive a certain answer, then it could possible follow that if a Shaman has some idea of what he is looking for as a cure or an explanation, he can guide his "travels" to a certain destination or conclusion. I have no doubt that to be a Shaman is to be a highly trained and intelligent individual, combining the years of study with a natural talent for compassion and healing.
That being said, after so much experience and practice, if someone were to approach the Shaman with a question regarding a concern the Shaman might have had even limited experience with in the past, could not the Shaman -- either subconsciously or otherwise -- direct his "traveling" to familiar territory first to discover if they answer might be there? No matter what position we hold in our community, especially when it comes to helping others, I believe we tend to be more comfortable with attempting something familiar first before trying a new approach.
I am not so certain that I entirely agree with Pearce's statements about seeking certain answers by asking certain questions and vice versa. Surely there are times when we ask something in hope of a certain response (fishing for compliments, asking someone a question you truly do know the answer to in order to see how they might react, etc), but I am not sure I believe it is possible that every question is asked for an already known answer.
We may have a sense of the response. For example, as I was driving my car with its manual transmission through downtown Harrisburg, I managed to stall at a light (how embarrassing, I know...). My friend who was with me, having never driven anything except automatics, asked why my car stalled. As I tried to explain, I realized I did not necessarily know the details. So, as always when in doubt, I called my Dad, who knows everything, and when I posed to him the same question, I was asking with a vague understanding of the mechanics of my car, but clearly I did not know everything. I feel the latter is an example of asking certain questions in search of a certain answer you are already mostly aware of. But when my friend asked the same thing of me, not being mechanically-inclined, she had no idea what I might say.
Socrates made it a practice of asking questions to draw out an answer. If I'm not mistaken, he believed that we already have the answers within us; it is just a matter of finding them and recognizing them. I do feel there is much we bury withing ourselves that sometimes takes time and patience and an objective third party to help us see; however, I'm a little unsure about the belief that each of us hold all the answers.
Dreaming
First of all........why in heavens name does PSU have to perform system maintenance every morning between 5 and 7???? Don't they know some of us are ready to work at that hour? Thankfully I could write this all in MS Word and then paste it. But seriously........grrr..............but I digress before I even begin. More coffee please............
I’ve always found the topic of dreaming a little interesting, but not as interesting as most people I know. I think that the reason for that results from the fact that I rarely ever remember my dreams. I would say it only happens a few times (less than 5, maybe) per year. Of those few dreams, most of them are boring. I’ve often wondered why it is that I don’t have these super vibrant, crazy dreams. Last year, I subjected myself to a sleep study to try to determine why I was completely and utterly exhausted all the time, after the doctors failed to find anything wrong with me. The sleep study revealed that I simply don’t sleep well. I rarely enter deep sleep or REM, and when I do, it is for a terribly short time. It’s a bummer.
I never thought about my lack of quality sleep having any sort of impact on my creativity, but maybe there is some sort of connection. Throughout these readings, many observations were made regarding the links between dreams and creativity. Hughes (p. 47) states that we have a “biological need to dream”. He further goes on to say that “by strict medical criteria each of us, when dreaming, is formally psychotic, delirious, or demented.” Geez. I don’t know that I like to think of myself that way! It makes sense, though, since dreams are often odd distortions of reality.
Much has been made of dreaming over time. Hughes (p. 49) states that in ancient times, “Dreams were used for diagnosis and treatment of sickness as well as for prophecy”. In the 17th and 18th century, people like Rousseau and von Goethe began to question what was “known” from the Enlightenment based on what they though dreams represented. Freud came along in the late 19th century and decided that dreams were a result of “unacceptable sexual and aggressive desires repressed in the unconscious and sanitized through a process of disguise and distortion.” (Hughes, p. 52) He portrays us all to be, deep down, sexual deviants with anger-management issues. Nice. Is it possible that we are trying to read too much into all of this? Couldn’t a dream just be a dream? Maybe the mind just gets bored while we’re sleeping and likes to play around a little bit? I had a dream the other night that an acquaintance came over to help me study for my American Lit. class, and all he did was talk about how beautiful and wonderful his girlfriend was. I have never known this friend to be much of a reader, and we aren’t good enough friends that I would call upon him for help. I think that it was just something left in my mind, since my husband and I had been talking about the odd couple (the relationship is just weird) that evening. I think that dream was just a dream. I don’t see much in there that is along Freud’s lines!
Hughes and Walsh (obviously) discussed the connections between dreams and shamans. Hughes (p. 49) states that shamans were “professional dreamers who used their skill to assist the community through prediction and healing.” When this idea is put so simply, it is easy to begin to question the legitimacy of shamans. No one can prove what was revealed to one in a dream. As crazy as it might sound, the dream revealed by the shaman will likely be believed because of the place of prominence s/he holds in society. It’s easy to see why there are many who doubt shamans.
Walsh discusses the widely held views that shamans are mentally unbalanced (or “disturbed”) individuals. It is definitely easy to apply such a label. He states on p. 90 that it is hard for someone who has never “themselves engaged in shamanic practice” experience to understand shamanism. That statement raised an issue with me. I don’t know that someone necessarily needs to have experienced something to be able to observe and report on it. A doctor doesn’t need to have a disease, and experience its effects in order to be able to research it and treat it!
Some believe that shamans have suffered psychologically, but have triumphed over such afflictions, and are now better because of the suffering. Walsh quotes Socrates on p. 108: “our greatest blessings come to us by way of madness, provided the madness is given us by divine gift.” It’s an interesting idea, but again, not one I’m sure that I buy into.
The Pearce reading was interesting. Overall, he was focusing on the idea that “Answers are shaped by the questions demanding them, just as the question is finally shaped by the nature of the answer desired.” (Pearce, p. 61) I thought that was a pretty cool statement. It makes sense. When one poses a question, s/he is going to be looking for a specific answer, based on that question. We don’t simply ask the question, wait for the answer to come, and then find it dropped in our lap, fitting perfectly in line with the answer. We have to play detective a bit, and dig for the answer. We have to analyze ideas and put aside bits of information that aren’t relevant. When we finally find an answer that WE deem to be satisfactory, we consider our question answered. As Pearce states (p. 66), “The true believer can bring about the very change that can fit his new idea into the then altered background.”I thought the examples Pearce used of St. Augustine and John Wesley (p. 65) were fascinating, especially since they were of religious nature. They both sought something very specific and after time, found it. Did they “find” it or did they “create” it?
I’ve always found the topic of dreaming a little interesting, but not as interesting as most people I know. I think that the reason for that results from the fact that I rarely ever remember my dreams. I would say it only happens a few times (less than 5, maybe) per year. Of those few dreams, most of them are boring. I’ve often wondered why it is that I don’t have these super vibrant, crazy dreams. Last year, I subjected myself to a sleep study to try to determine why I was completely and utterly exhausted all the time, after the doctors failed to find anything wrong with me. The sleep study revealed that I simply don’t sleep well. I rarely enter deep sleep or REM, and when I do, it is for a terribly short time. It’s a bummer.
I never thought about my lack of quality sleep having any sort of impact on my creativity, but maybe there is some sort of connection. Throughout these readings, many observations were made regarding the links between dreams and creativity. Hughes (p. 47) states that we have a “biological need to dream”. He further goes on to say that “by strict medical criteria each of us, when dreaming, is formally psychotic, delirious, or demented.” Geez. I don’t know that I like to think of myself that way! It makes sense, though, since dreams are often odd distortions of reality.
Much has been made of dreaming over time. Hughes (p. 49) states that in ancient times, “Dreams were used for diagnosis and treatment of sickness as well as for prophecy”. In the 17th and 18th century, people like Rousseau and von Goethe began to question what was “known” from the Enlightenment based on what they though dreams represented. Freud came along in the late 19th century and decided that dreams were a result of “unacceptable sexual and aggressive desires repressed in the unconscious and sanitized through a process of disguise and distortion.” (Hughes, p. 52) He portrays us all to be, deep down, sexual deviants with anger-management issues. Nice. Is it possible that we are trying to read too much into all of this? Couldn’t a dream just be a dream? Maybe the mind just gets bored while we’re sleeping and likes to play around a little bit? I had a dream the other night that an acquaintance came over to help me study for my American Lit. class, and all he did was talk about how beautiful and wonderful his girlfriend was. I have never known this friend to be much of a reader, and we aren’t good enough friends that I would call upon him for help. I think that it was just something left in my mind, since my husband and I had been talking about the odd couple (the relationship is just weird) that evening. I think that dream was just a dream. I don’t see much in there that is along Freud’s lines!
Hughes and Walsh (obviously) discussed the connections between dreams and shamans. Hughes (p. 49) states that shamans were “professional dreamers who used their skill to assist the community through prediction and healing.” When this idea is put so simply, it is easy to begin to question the legitimacy of shamans. No one can prove what was revealed to one in a dream. As crazy as it might sound, the dream revealed by the shaman will likely be believed because of the place of prominence s/he holds in society. It’s easy to see why there are many who doubt shamans.
Walsh discusses the widely held views that shamans are mentally unbalanced (or “disturbed”) individuals. It is definitely easy to apply such a label. He states on p. 90 that it is hard for someone who has never “themselves engaged in shamanic practice” experience to understand shamanism. That statement raised an issue with me. I don’t know that someone necessarily needs to have experienced something to be able to observe and report on it. A doctor doesn’t need to have a disease, and experience its effects in order to be able to research it and treat it!
Some believe that shamans have suffered psychologically, but have triumphed over such afflictions, and are now better because of the suffering. Walsh quotes Socrates on p. 108: “our greatest blessings come to us by way of madness, provided the madness is given us by divine gift.” It’s an interesting idea, but again, not one I’m sure that I buy into.
The Pearce reading was interesting. Overall, he was focusing on the idea that “Answers are shaped by the questions demanding them, just as the question is finally shaped by the nature of the answer desired.” (Pearce, p. 61) I thought that was a pretty cool statement. It makes sense. When one poses a question, s/he is going to be looking for a specific answer, based on that question. We don’t simply ask the question, wait for the answer to come, and then find it dropped in our lap, fitting perfectly in line with the answer. We have to play detective a bit, and dig for the answer. We have to analyze ideas and put aside bits of information that aren’t relevant. When we finally find an answer that WE deem to be satisfactory, we consider our question answered. As Pearce states (p. 66), “The true believer can bring about the very change that can fit his new idea into the then altered background.”I thought the examples Pearce used of St. Augustine and John Wesley (p. 65) were fascinating, especially since they were of religious nature. They both sought something very specific and after time, found it. Did they “find” it or did they “create” it?
Walsh, Hughes and Pearce
Altered States, Chapter 4
For Coleridge and Ginsberg, and many others have used dreams as a framework for creativity, according to Hughes. Personally, I have many unbelievable dreams that have left great impressions on me or have taught me something profound. Of course, these dreams remain personal, so I feel no need to share them with you. Nevertheless, dreams do facilitate creativity. I enjoyed reading the techniques used to develop the ability to control the events of a dream. Further, once one decides where to go, he or she can bring back insights that might facilitate works of art songs or transmit supernatural messages to the community, like the shamans. This to me seems to be the most plausible technique of the Shaman, since dreams are a window to the other side.
OBE's have also fascinated me, but they also scare me. I have a close friend (who now lives in Poland) who claimed to have the ability to travel outside his body during meditative states. I will leave this for a later discussion.
Charles T. Tart's experiments in the late 60's gave a lot of credibility to the subject. I think the card test was pretty fascinating.
I have also experience many lucid dreams (the awareness that one is dreaming)
"Neuroscientist have established that neurons located in the primitive brainstem, the "Reptilian Brain" at the base of the cerebral hemispheres, play a central role in sleep—wake alternation." (Hughes, Page 55)
As for Sigmund Freud's explanation of dreams as a representation of unacceptable sexual and aggressive desires, I guess this is true in many cases, but I'd like to think dreams are more substantial than that. Thank goodness for Carl Jung, who rejected Freud's limited philosophy. His parallels between dreams and ancient myths, reminds me a class discussion we had a few weeks ago when we talked about the link between the hallucinations and the ancient cave paintings, including the strange half man/half beast figures that many report.
Often I think about a collective conscious, but how about a collective unconscious! Perhaps, as Jung suggested, these processed DO shape our mental and spiritual growth.
"The bizarreness of dreams, the surreal shifts of person, place and thought, include pathological elements such as: motor and visual hallucinations (including flying), spatial and temporal cognitive distortion (including flagrant violations of physical law); delusional acceptance of hallucinoid experience (acceptance of "impossible" events as experientially real); intensification of affect (strong emotion); and amnesia" (Hughes, pg. 47)
The Crack in the Cosmic Egg, Chapter 4
In The Crack in the Cosmic Egg, Chapter 4, Pearce recounts the illumination of Kazantzakis. In a very Zen-like monastic manner, Kazantzakis retreated to the mountain and endured two years of water, food, sleep, and sensory deprivation to cleanse his spirit, and attain enlightenment.
On the next page, Pearce discusses new ideas, which is certainly relevant to our recent discussions. "A new idea fails if it involves too great a sacrifice of invested belief. If the new idea triggers a passionate enough pursuit to make suspension or abandonment of previous beliefs or current criteria worth the risk, however, the new idea can change the reality structure."
The World of Shamanism, Chapter 5
The first paragraph was really important. We ARE the first generation to have all the worlds spiritual and religious traditions at our finger tips. Whether it's martial arts or the mystical arts, there is a sea of information that we all have access to. Not only can this information be access, but it can be practiced without reprisal.
We are in a unique point in history. Surely, as our collective understanding of the universe widens, the masses will be more accepting of these crafts. In this age of enlightenment, religious prejudice and persecution might subside, and a new world order can emerge.
I was happy to read The Seven Central Practices on page 28, because these practices are central in martial arts as well. For the most part, I have lived with these practices as a central theme in my life. I continue to refine myself in these areas through martial arts and my interaction with others.
As Pearce lists, the seven practices are as follows:1) Living Ethically2) Transformating Emotions3) Redirecting Motivation4) Training Attention5) Refining Awareness6) Cultivating Wisdomand 7) Serving Others.
Obviously, all of the practices are an important part of martial art training... Budo in particular— where martial arts is not just about fighting, but it is a way of life. Even living ethically is a central theme in martial arts (as opposed to martial combat). Proper ethics are crucial. In time, an adept martial artist recognizes that martial arts in not about war (offensive), it's about peace (defensive). It's not about anger, it is about being calm (in our actions). Hopefully with a great understanding of these truths, these practices can be translated into our everyday life.
I believe that healthy behavior cultivates healthy qualities.
Conversely, unethical behavior is naturally recorded by karmic imprint, according to Pearce. Karma being the psychological residue left by past behavior.
It was great to see that Pearce has a great understanding of Eastern philosophy. In this chapter, he mentioned Lao Tzu, Taoism, Confucius, Buddha and more— often overlooked by Westerners.
For Coleridge and Ginsberg, and many others have used dreams as a framework for creativity, according to Hughes. Personally, I have many unbelievable dreams that have left great impressions on me or have taught me something profound. Of course, these dreams remain personal, so I feel no need to share them with you. Nevertheless, dreams do facilitate creativity. I enjoyed reading the techniques used to develop the ability to control the events of a dream. Further, once one decides where to go, he or she can bring back insights that might facilitate works of art songs or transmit supernatural messages to the community, like the shamans. This to me seems to be the most plausible technique of the Shaman, since dreams are a window to the other side.
OBE's have also fascinated me, but they also scare me. I have a close friend (who now lives in Poland) who claimed to have the ability to travel outside his body during meditative states. I will leave this for a later discussion.
Charles T. Tart's experiments in the late 60's gave a lot of credibility to the subject. I think the card test was pretty fascinating.
I have also experience many lucid dreams (the awareness that one is dreaming)
"Neuroscientist have established that neurons located in the primitive brainstem, the "Reptilian Brain" at the base of the cerebral hemispheres, play a central role in sleep—wake alternation." (Hughes, Page 55)
As for Sigmund Freud's explanation of dreams as a representation of unacceptable sexual and aggressive desires, I guess this is true in many cases, but I'd like to think dreams are more substantial than that. Thank goodness for Carl Jung, who rejected Freud's limited philosophy. His parallels between dreams and ancient myths, reminds me a class discussion we had a few weeks ago when we talked about the link between the hallucinations and the ancient cave paintings, including the strange half man/half beast figures that many report.
Often I think about a collective conscious, but how about a collective unconscious! Perhaps, as Jung suggested, these processed DO shape our mental and spiritual growth.
"The bizarreness of dreams, the surreal shifts of person, place and thought, include pathological elements such as: motor and visual hallucinations (including flying), spatial and temporal cognitive distortion (including flagrant violations of physical law); delusional acceptance of hallucinoid experience (acceptance of "impossible" events as experientially real); intensification of affect (strong emotion); and amnesia" (Hughes, pg. 47)
The Crack in the Cosmic Egg, Chapter 4
In The Crack in the Cosmic Egg, Chapter 4, Pearce recounts the illumination of Kazantzakis. In a very Zen-like monastic manner, Kazantzakis retreated to the mountain and endured two years of water, food, sleep, and sensory deprivation to cleanse his spirit, and attain enlightenment.
On the next page, Pearce discusses new ideas, which is certainly relevant to our recent discussions. "A new idea fails if it involves too great a sacrifice of invested belief. If the new idea triggers a passionate enough pursuit to make suspension or abandonment of previous beliefs or current criteria worth the risk, however, the new idea can change the reality structure."
The World of Shamanism, Chapter 5
The first paragraph was really important. We ARE the first generation to have all the worlds spiritual and religious traditions at our finger tips. Whether it's martial arts or the mystical arts, there is a sea of information that we all have access to. Not only can this information be access, but it can be practiced without reprisal.
We are in a unique point in history. Surely, as our collective understanding of the universe widens, the masses will be more accepting of these crafts. In this age of enlightenment, religious prejudice and persecution might subside, and a new world order can emerge.
I was happy to read The Seven Central Practices on page 28, because these practices are central in martial arts as well. For the most part, I have lived with these practices as a central theme in my life. I continue to refine myself in these areas through martial arts and my interaction with others.
As Pearce lists, the seven practices are as follows:1) Living Ethically2) Transformating Emotions3) Redirecting Motivation4) Training Attention5) Refining Awareness6) Cultivating Wisdomand 7) Serving Others.
Obviously, all of the practices are an important part of martial art training... Budo in particular— where martial arts is not just about fighting, but it is a way of life. Even living ethically is a central theme in martial arts (as opposed to martial combat). Proper ethics are crucial. In time, an adept martial artist recognizes that martial arts in not about war (offensive), it's about peace (defensive). It's not about anger, it is about being calm (in our actions). Hopefully with a great understanding of these truths, these practices can be translated into our everyday life.
I believe that healthy behavior cultivates healthy qualities.
Conversely, unethical behavior is naturally recorded by karmic imprint, according to Pearce. Karma being the psychological residue left by past behavior.
It was great to see that Pearce has a great understanding of Eastern philosophy. In this chapter, he mentioned Lao Tzu, Taoism, Confucius, Buddha and more— often overlooked by Westerners.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Discipline
I don't think writing the word 'discipline' in my blog will get me credit, but believe me, I'm tired and tempted. Let's see what it would look like.
Discipline
Actually, it doesn't look lazy as much as it looks pretentious. And I'm prepared to give equally pretentious details to back up this word tomorrow in class.
Class - What was that blog all about? I mean, discipline?
Me - Exactly.
No, so, get serious guys. You're embarrassing me. While reading all of these texts on different subjects, I managed to summarize them in one word.
I started my readings with Hughes on dreams where I recognized that we (well, not everyone) are capable of dreaming. In fact, dreams are gifts like televisions. Just as watching a TV requires no skill, having a dream requires no skill. However, unlike watching a television, we can train ourselves in controlling a dream. Last night, I tried focusing on the ceiling fan, hoping that I would find it in my dream. No success.
Walsh was next, and his book mentions frequently the discipline it takes to reach other worlds. One can't simply swallow some drugs and "Eureka!" I think shamanism is not far from any one's grasp. Many people simply see a culture unlike theirs and pass it off as uncivilized, savage, and unsettling. Our vanity is what blocks us from accepting this culture. Hylozoism and animism are two beliefs I had as a child. What happened?
The Cosmic Egg explored many people who made great scientific discoveries. I'm one of the worst science students in the world, and many of the things Pearce mentioned, I have very little knowledge of. But it was refreshing to see creative thought in a different light. Hamilton claimed to be haunted with his thoughts for fifteen years until his Quaternion Theory popped into his head while he was walking on a bridge. Again, this is a discipline to carry these thoughts in one's head daily. Then suddenly the brain develops a solution. Is that all creativity is? A solution?
Discipline
Actually, it doesn't look lazy as much as it looks pretentious. And I'm prepared to give equally pretentious details to back up this word tomorrow in class.
Class - What was that blog all about? I mean, discipline?
Me - Exactly.
No, so, get serious guys. You're embarrassing me. While reading all of these texts on different subjects, I managed to summarize them in one word.
I started my readings with Hughes on dreams where I recognized that we (well, not everyone) are capable of dreaming. In fact, dreams are gifts like televisions. Just as watching a TV requires no skill, having a dream requires no skill. However, unlike watching a television, we can train ourselves in controlling a dream. Last night, I tried focusing on the ceiling fan, hoping that I would find it in my dream. No success.
Walsh was next, and his book mentions frequently the discipline it takes to reach other worlds. One can't simply swallow some drugs and "Eureka!" I think shamanism is not far from any one's grasp. Many people simply see a culture unlike theirs and pass it off as uncivilized, savage, and unsettling. Our vanity is what blocks us from accepting this culture. Hylozoism and animism are two beliefs I had as a child. What happened?
The Cosmic Egg explored many people who made great scientific discoveries. I'm one of the worst science students in the world, and many of the things Pearce mentioned, I have very little knowledge of. But it was refreshing to see creative thought in a different light. Hamilton claimed to be haunted with his thoughts for fifteen years until his Quaternion Theory popped into his head while he was walking on a bridge. Again, this is a discipline to carry these thoughts in one's head daily. Then suddenly the brain develops a solution. Is that all creativity is? A solution?
I'm jealous of everyone who comes up with clever titles.
Shamans can control the spirits...This statement kind of freaks me out. When I think of spirits, I think of Oujia boards and the Disney show from the late 90's, So Weird--which by the way, scared the crap out of me as a kid. I think of ghosts haunting people and I think of my old college roommate who insisted the blurry circles that show up on some pictures are "orbs", which she defined as a spirit being caught on film. I asked her how she defined a spirit, because if random ghosts or, God forbid, God is showing up in my drunken pictures, that's not cool. I don't remember what she said, but now when I see an "orb" in a picture, I think it may be my grandfather or my friend who died when she was 15. Sometimes I think it may be my friend's sister who died when she was 13. But I also don't really believe that blurry circles in pictures are captured spirits. It is nice to think that my friend is there with all of us when we come home from college and that my grandfather is at my graduation and Christmas, but are they really? And if they actually are present, is that good? Shouldn't they be living it up in the afterlife rather than watching over us? Selfishly, we want our passed loved ones to be watching over us, but I don't want them to be missing me or wishing they were still here. Sorry, long ramble totally unrelated to shamanism. But basically, controlling spirits seems like scary and intense terrain, although calling them helping spirits makes it a little less scary.
Just a quick note of skepticism: If shamans "can create meaningful patterns from unclear data, organizing ambiguous experiences into coherent, meaningful images" that reflect their culture and beliefs, who says they're not just creative?
A profound statement from the Walsh reading caught my attention. "Unfortunately, most people take extreme positions." What Walsh is referring to is people's beliefs in shamans and spirit guides, but isn't it true of life? If people weren't so extreme, there would be no wars, no battles, no fights. Of course, everyone is entitled to their views, however moderate or extreme, but I firmly and extremely believe we should treat one another with respect and at least listen to them, no matter how much we may disagree.
Lillian had chronic pelvic pain which was healed by having a dream in which she was gang-raped and murdered, but when she woke up, she was healed of the pain. Interesting. Would it be wrong, if faced with the same situation, I might choose Vicodin over Wildwood?
I think dreams are fascinating and I wish there was an exact science to know exactly what they mean. My dreams are always so weird and I can never find words to explain them, so when I tell a story about my dreams, people often rudely and loudly groan. It always ends up something like this: "My dog wasn't actually a dog. He was like CatDog, but only one person and he didn't roll around. He was like half dog, but half other animal, but not really, just a little bit. And we were at this place that was like school, but it wasn't school. It sort of felt like school, but we were outside, and it definitely wasn't school..." There should be a separate language for dreams. I desperately need it.
When reading about the out of body experiences, my initial reaction was that I wanted to have one, but then my mind regressed to So Weird. There was this episode where this girl kept leaving her body but each time it got harder for her to get back to her body until eventually she couldn't get back into it. OBE, no thanks.
I think I've had Eureka! moments with writing. Sometimes things just come to me and I know that's my poem or my story or whatever. Sometimes I get the beginning, middle, and end at different times and others I get it all at once.
Hughes, Walsh, & Pearce
Cosmic Egg- Chapter 4
Eureka! Is mentioned quite frequently throughout this chapter on means of conscious thought, passionate pursuits of ideas, and logical screening. I tried my best to conceive the idea of this Eureka of which Pearce roughly describes in his writing, quote me if I am wrong but does he mean that the brain can be called the Eureka,? and that the thought that we perceive in our mind in which we react to is nothing more or less controlled by this substance. Pearce also concluded that Eureka can be a formula in the autistic thinking stage. Pearce stated, “In autistic thinking nothing is either true or false, it just is.” For instance a baby was said to have autistic thinking so in order for the Eureka to prove itself false the infant must grow and accept the visual facts of his surroundings and decide whether what he or she perceives is true or false, or it is the way it is.
Hughes- Chapter 4
I would like to first start off with this statement. This chapter was the most interesting chapter I have read for this class and by watching the movie on Thursday made it relevant to what this class is all about. I will be the first to admit I have dreams that do not make any scenes what so ever. Sometimes I maybe discussing an issue around 8pm and that same night during the course of my sleep I will dream that thought and the next night it repeats whatever I was talking about at that time of day (8pm) makes reverence in my sleep. I know this is off topic but I would really like to know why we have nightmares from eating certain foods. I know that I wake up with my heart pounding and sweating in my dream when I eat peanut butter. I believe that creativity can flourish out of a dreamlike state. For instance Edgar Allen Poe, with his masterpiece of “Tell tale heart.” It takes imagination to bring a horror story to life. What better way then to take some sort of dream you had and transpire it into life. I must agree to the quote Hughes, “Since dreaming is universal, it stands as testimony to the universality of the artistic experience. In our dreams, we all become writers, painters, and filmmakers, combining extraordinary sets of characters, actions, and locations into strangely coherent experiences.” Because of this you have the power to control your dreams you become a writer cause in your dream you hear yourself be the narrator of the story, you become the painter because you paint the scene of the crime, and finally the filmmaker because you control the motion picture in your mind whether you remember it or not. Controlling if you want to stay focused on the dream or awake cause its to hard to bear. Out of body experiences seem like they would be an interesting alternative to winning the lottery. Say you had control on picking the right numbers to win the PA power ball.
Walsh- Group V
After watching the video of Shamans on Thursday it was easier to read this part of the book. Shamans have three words the upper, middle, and lower. Reference to us (Heaven, earth, and hell). Each Shaman visits each layer for guidance and help in order to assist the need of others. One statement which caught my mind was this from Walsh, “After all, why would a Shaman want to journey to the upper world without believing there was one?” I guess you must have a belief in some other force than the spirits and animals. For my case I believe in God, it was written in text ( Bible ) of the miraculous miracles he had done on this earth and that he put us here to serve him. So in order to I guess help others you must believe in something. I thought the quote of Shamans living in a simple society and only dealing with measures of helping other people at the level they are in is a precise reasoning for how they can help them. Cause if a Shaman took a wealthy person from a distant land and tried to help him he may not know how to do so. Shamans use the term “spirit vision,” in order to communicate with the spirit. The way Shamans use the flux of visual images of caves seen during altered states I see when I close my eyes in a dark room. I wander what each image means! I find it rather odd that the shaman has many spirits of to which he or she interacts with an controls. Shamans visual sees them face to face, communicates with them, prays to them, and implore them. I like how they interact with animals and how animals are so much like us. Would you consider a medium a fortune teller, because they channel themselves into a mysterious world where they find answers to questions you ask. I liked the story about Lillian and the coyote, and how this un described pain she was feeling suddenly left when the coyote told her to listen to him. But from that story I don’t know why she had experienced the sense of being “gang raped” in order for her pain to disappear. The whole transformation of shamanism is neat to learn about from their mystic journeys to their helping people, really relates to a good citizen of the town.
Eureka! Is mentioned quite frequently throughout this chapter on means of conscious thought, passionate pursuits of ideas, and logical screening. I tried my best to conceive the idea of this Eureka of which Pearce roughly describes in his writing, quote me if I am wrong but does he mean that the brain can be called the Eureka,? and that the thought that we perceive in our mind in which we react to is nothing more or less controlled by this substance. Pearce also concluded that Eureka can be a formula in the autistic thinking stage. Pearce stated, “In autistic thinking nothing is either true or false, it just is.” For instance a baby was said to have autistic thinking so in order for the Eureka to prove itself false the infant must grow and accept the visual facts of his surroundings and decide whether what he or she perceives is true or false, or it is the way it is.
Hughes- Chapter 4
I would like to first start off with this statement. This chapter was the most interesting chapter I have read for this class and by watching the movie on Thursday made it relevant to what this class is all about. I will be the first to admit I have dreams that do not make any scenes what so ever. Sometimes I maybe discussing an issue around 8pm and that same night during the course of my sleep I will dream that thought and the next night it repeats whatever I was talking about at that time of day (8pm) makes reverence in my sleep. I know this is off topic but I would really like to know why we have nightmares from eating certain foods. I know that I wake up with my heart pounding and sweating in my dream when I eat peanut butter. I believe that creativity can flourish out of a dreamlike state. For instance Edgar Allen Poe, with his masterpiece of “Tell tale heart.” It takes imagination to bring a horror story to life. What better way then to take some sort of dream you had and transpire it into life. I must agree to the quote Hughes, “Since dreaming is universal, it stands as testimony to the universality of the artistic experience. In our dreams, we all become writers, painters, and filmmakers, combining extraordinary sets of characters, actions, and locations into strangely coherent experiences.” Because of this you have the power to control your dreams you become a writer cause in your dream you hear yourself be the narrator of the story, you become the painter because you paint the scene of the crime, and finally the filmmaker because you control the motion picture in your mind whether you remember it or not. Controlling if you want to stay focused on the dream or awake cause its to hard to bear. Out of body experiences seem like they would be an interesting alternative to winning the lottery. Say you had control on picking the right numbers to win the PA power ball.
Walsh- Group V
After watching the video of Shamans on Thursday it was easier to read this part of the book. Shamans have three words the upper, middle, and lower. Reference to us (Heaven, earth, and hell). Each Shaman visits each layer for guidance and help in order to assist the need of others. One statement which caught my mind was this from Walsh, “After all, why would a Shaman want to journey to the upper world without believing there was one?” I guess you must have a belief in some other force than the spirits and animals. For my case I believe in God, it was written in text ( Bible ) of the miraculous miracles he had done on this earth and that he put us here to serve him. So in order to I guess help others you must believe in something. I thought the quote of Shamans living in a simple society and only dealing with measures of helping other people at the level they are in is a precise reasoning for how they can help them. Cause if a Shaman took a wealthy person from a distant land and tried to help him he may not know how to do so. Shamans use the term “spirit vision,” in order to communicate with the spirit. The way Shamans use the flux of visual images of caves seen during altered states I see when I close my eyes in a dark room. I wander what each image means! I find it rather odd that the shaman has many spirits of to which he or she interacts with an controls. Shamans visual sees them face to face, communicates with them, prays to them, and implore them. I like how they interact with animals and how animals are so much like us. Would you consider a medium a fortune teller, because they channel themselves into a mysterious world where they find answers to questions you ask. I liked the story about Lillian and the coyote, and how this un described pain she was feeling suddenly left when the coyote told her to listen to him. But from that story I don’t know why she had experienced the sense of being “gang raped” in order for her pain to disappear. The whole transformation of shamanism is neat to learn about from their mystic journeys to their helping people, really relates to a good citizen of the town.
Pearce, Hughes and Walsh
I found some of Pearce's discussion about science fairly interesting. Indeed, science does incorporate an element of subjectivity into its approach. The indoctrination of each subdivision of science greatly influences the scientist's mind and contributes not only to biases in their approach, but fragments any information ascertained and its ensuing application. A Eureka! moment becomes more and more unlikely in the event this avenue of thought is taken. A social psychological term comes to mind while contemplating this sort of issue, confirmation bias. It is the tendency for one to seek, interpret, and create information that verifies existing beliefs. Anyhow, a reasonable person could comfortably concede the fact that true 'objectivity' is dubious at best. But are certain pieces of information fairly concrete? Do we really know the structure of an animal cell, the components of an element, the process of evolution or an accurate estimate of the carbon-dated years in which life cycles took place on Earth? If it's primarily our knowledge of quantum physics and astronomy that is under discussion (and it is not), then Pearce's argument is well taken. However, those particular fields of study entail far more complex, deep-rooted questions than the disciplines of biology, chemistry, geology, etc. All scientific methodology entails an examination of evidence, formulation of hypotheses, conduction of experiments and eventually, a conclusion (and then, of course, repetition). Physicists and astronomers concerned with cosmological questions are rather limited in their use evidence, resources, instrumentation, location, etc. which are part and parcel to acquiring scientific information about our universe according to the methodology previously mentioned. Cosmological questions, that is, questions concerned with the origin, structure, space-time relationship, and the nature of our universe are some of the most difficult questions ever posed to the human brain. The answers to these sort of questions oftentimes exemplify our humble location in the universe. Cracks in this cosmic egg will always continue to form, break, and reform.
At any rate, Pearce claims that "Hardness of heart, the refusal to listen sympathetically and open-mindedly, with its corollary, unbelief, is the stumbling block which no theoretical system can overcome (pg.95)." So, stubborn-mindedness coupled with indoctrinated thought processes (among other factors) obscure our thought progression, impede our judgement, and plateau are understanding. I would agree wholeheartedly, and proceed to acknowledge that holistic worldviews should begin to accompany any and all scientific knowledge ascertained from this advanced point in humanity onward. At times Pearce's argument seems to have larger implications which not only urge individual persons to reconsider their 'finite' worldview, but calls for a collective dialogue which may be well beyond realistic proportions. I do not foresee nations, ethnicities, and cultures throughout the world throwing off their worldviews and ideologies to uniformly take up Pearce's method of cracking the cosmic egg. Lastly, it would seem that extraordinary individuals throughout history are responsible for such dramatic ideological paradigm shifts (i.e. Eurkea! instances) which cause cracks in the 'cosmic egg', not the average Joe six-pack. In my opinion, that is precisely how these sort of occurences will happen for centuries to come.
I found the Pearce reading more intriguing than the Hughes and Walsh reading, so I'll keep my comments on the latter authors very brief. The Hughes reading was somewhat interesting, but speculation into the power of dreams, their meaning, and any subsequent theories about the nature of our unconscious minds results in gibberish. This sort of discussion is entirely subjective, defined in the most literal, denotative description of the word. As for Walsh...I do not particuarly enjoy this book. In my opinion, shamanism is not an interesting topic, especially as it pertains to learning any valuable information.
At any rate, Pearce claims that "Hardness of heart, the refusal to listen sympathetically and open-mindedly, with its corollary, unbelief, is the stumbling block which no theoretical system can overcome (pg.95)." So, stubborn-mindedness coupled with indoctrinated thought processes (among other factors) obscure our thought progression, impede our judgement, and plateau are understanding. I would agree wholeheartedly, and proceed to acknowledge that holistic worldviews should begin to accompany any and all scientific knowledge ascertained from this advanced point in humanity onward. At times Pearce's argument seems to have larger implications which not only urge individual persons to reconsider their 'finite' worldview, but calls for a collective dialogue which may be well beyond realistic proportions. I do not foresee nations, ethnicities, and cultures throughout the world throwing off their worldviews and ideologies to uniformly take up Pearce's method of cracking the cosmic egg. Lastly, it would seem that extraordinary individuals throughout history are responsible for such dramatic ideological paradigm shifts (i.e. Eurkea! instances) which cause cracks in the 'cosmic egg', not the average Joe six-pack. In my opinion, that is precisely how these sort of occurences will happen for centuries to come.
I found the Pearce reading more intriguing than the Hughes and Walsh reading, so I'll keep my comments on the latter authors very brief. The Hughes reading was somewhat interesting, but speculation into the power of dreams, their meaning, and any subsequent theories about the nature of our unconscious minds results in gibberish. This sort of discussion is entirely subjective, defined in the most literal, denotative description of the word. As for Walsh...I do not particuarly enjoy this book. In my opinion, shamanism is not an interesting topic, especially as it pertains to learning any valuable information.