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.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
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.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Alot of Reading
Pearce Chapter 4: questions and answers
In this chapter Pearce discusses Eureka!, "which is the illumination of lateral thinking come about". To me it seems like he's talking about an apifiny, or everything in your life is going so well it seems nothing you think or feel is wrong. Its hard to explain but i feel an example would help me here. When i played semi-pro ball i always went through this routine and if my pre-game routine went well, it just seemed like the whole game went well and if a problem arose i knew exactly how to fix it. Pearce also explained outer body experiences, people "communicating" with history and not just history in the past but history that will be in the future also known as mental illumination. Pearce also interviews a man named Kazantzakis and he spoke about going out to Mont Athos and pushing his body to the limits such as cold,hunger, and thirst. He claims it was here that he had his illumination. I have read some pretty outlandish stuff in my life but i would have to say this tops them all. First Pearce has a lack of evidence and by that i mean all these people are doctors and scientists or at least have some degree of higher education. I really am trying to have an open mind, but this is out of control Pearce is talking about people going back into history and knowing exactly what happened then going into the future and knowing what will happen.
Hughes Chapter 4 Dreams and the Unconscious
Finally something i understand, this was a great reading in the sense i found out a lot of information that i understand before. For example i knew REM sleep constituted dreams but i had no idea there was a correlation between REM sleep and a persons health. Also Hughes states that everybody dreams and goes onto say some people may not remember their dreams. I can honestly say i have never remembered a dream, i will wake up and know i dreamed but i couldn't tell you what it was about. Another interesting aspect of the chapter is when Hughes states that dreams are much more exciting when the subject is sleeping in there home rather in the sleep laboratory. It just amazes me that the human body can tell where one is and adapt accordingly. Shamans were also believed to be "professional dreamers" which were people who used this skill to assist the community through prediction and healing. The Romantics also surprised me in being the first group of people prior to Freud to explore the unconscious, trusting the visions from the underworld and the heavens. We know enough about Freud so ill just skip him. The science of dreaming was the best part of the chapter, because this is my proof and we all know how i must have proof to believe. "REM-on" cells move violently in the cerebral cortex which drive the eye's into motion. Basically what i got from Hobson is during REM sleep the brain is processing so much information it has a hard time sorting it all out, which is why we have dreams a lot of times that don't make sense. Last but not least, Lucid dreaming and i have to mention this because of one aspect that really caught my eye. "To prepare for a Lucid dream, is to concentrate on an object before falling asleep, and find it again in a dream. Recognition of the object will trigger awareness that one is in a dream.
In this chapter Pearce discusses Eureka!, "which is the illumination of lateral thinking come about". To me it seems like he's talking about an apifiny, or everything in your life is going so well it seems nothing you think or feel is wrong. Its hard to explain but i feel an example would help me here. When i played semi-pro ball i always went through this routine and if my pre-game routine went well, it just seemed like the whole game went well and if a problem arose i knew exactly how to fix it. Pearce also explained outer body experiences, people "communicating" with history and not just history in the past but history that will be in the future also known as mental illumination. Pearce also interviews a man named Kazantzakis and he spoke about going out to Mont Athos and pushing his body to the limits such as cold,hunger, and thirst. He claims it was here that he had his illumination. I have read some pretty outlandish stuff in my life but i would have to say this tops them all. First Pearce has a lack of evidence and by that i mean all these people are doctors and scientists or at least have some degree of higher education. I really am trying to have an open mind, but this is out of control Pearce is talking about people going back into history and knowing exactly what happened then going into the future and knowing what will happen.
Hughes Chapter 4 Dreams and the Unconscious
Finally something i understand, this was a great reading in the sense i found out a lot of information that i understand before. For example i knew REM sleep constituted dreams but i had no idea there was a correlation between REM sleep and a persons health. Also Hughes states that everybody dreams and goes onto say some people may not remember their dreams. I can honestly say i have never remembered a dream, i will wake up and know i dreamed but i couldn't tell you what it was about. Another interesting aspect of the chapter is when Hughes states that dreams are much more exciting when the subject is sleeping in there home rather in the sleep laboratory. It just amazes me that the human body can tell where one is and adapt accordingly. Shamans were also believed to be "professional dreamers" which were people who used this skill to assist the community through prediction and healing. The Romantics also surprised me in being the first group of people prior to Freud to explore the unconscious, trusting the visions from the underworld and the heavens. We know enough about Freud so ill just skip him. The science of dreaming was the best part of the chapter, because this is my proof and we all know how i must have proof to believe. "REM-on" cells move violently in the cerebral cortex which drive the eye's into motion. Basically what i got from Hobson is during REM sleep the brain is processing so much information it has a hard time sorting it all out, which is why we have dreams a lot of times that don't make sense. Last but not least, Lucid dreaming and i have to mention this because of one aspect that really caught my eye. "To prepare for a Lucid dream, is to concentrate on an object before falling asleep, and find it again in a dream. Recognition of the object will trigger awareness that one is in a dream.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
AS chap 4, Egg, chap 4, and Shamanism part 5
Chapter 4
I loved loved LOVED chapter 4 in Altered States! I have a few dream dictionaries and am constantly looking up the meaning of my dreams(as silly as this may sound, after reading this chapter it seems completely okay). One of the first things I found interesting is the fact that interruption of REM sleep has negative affects on a person. Dreaming without REM sleep causes a rebound affect, showing that to stay healthy, we need to dream. In psychotic patients, it was shown they needed REM sleep during thier remission. These patients showed signs of hallucinations and lacked REM sleep. So, if you are considered psychotic, you could be dreaming while awake. So...anytime someone hallucinates or has a psychotic episode, they could be dreaming while awake.
I've always been facinated by depicting my dreams with a dream dictionary. It is interesting to see what my mind is subconsciously thinking of. This makes me think of the Shamans and how they were able to find thier powers and interpret what they(dreams) meant(so they could use it).
On page 49 it states, 'Some precognitions may arise as the result of subliminal signals stored by the mind but never accessed in consciousness'. This is cool. It explains why we have certain dreams. Maybe we've thought it would be so much easier to fly to class instead of sitting through traffic and waiting. But, consciously, we know that is not possible. Yet, here we are, in our dream, flying over trees and streets, arriving at PSU early. This because a dream is subconscious. Anything is possible in our dreams.
I enjoyed the connection of dreams to the Romantic period. The sudden "affair" between the romantic enlightenment and the dark irrational world of dreams. If anyone is a Harry Potter fan, on page 50, the author mentions a german movement called Sturm and Drang. I wondered if JK Rowling used this to name Durmstrang, the wizarding school from Harry Potter. I did some research, and the name is based off of this!(yes, I am a nerd)
Along these lines, William Blake and Mary Shelly(whom I have read both in my brittish lit class at HACC), using the idea of dark and uncertainty of dreams, as a new idea for thier works. "But for the Romantics there was no road, just a number of risky tracks into the unknown led by strange spirit guides."
I also read Kubla Kahn, a poem written by Coleridge. Kubla Kahn means 'a vision in a dream, a fragment'(wikipedia.org). Coleridge said he wrote this while in an opium induced state. This, I feel, connects most of what we've discussed(dreams, drugs, poems).
I have another Harry Potter connection. In the article Jungian Angle, while discussing alchemy, and the Philosopher's Stone (book 1). (once again..I'm a geek..it's cool).
Another huge part of this chapter is how Freud and psychoanalysis affected dreams and the mind. In his book, The Interpretation of Dreams, he says the dreams are simply unappropriate sexual desires that are we push into our unconsciousness. He discussed the ego and the id. The ego is used to balance the id.
Carl Jung, took a different approach, and disagreed with Freud. He felt that our dreams come from a deeper, non sexual level. That simply(or not so) we have repressed feelings and thoughts that are below our personal unconsciousness.
Cosmic Egg, 4(not my fave, but not my least fave)
I'm going to be honest...reading this book hurts my brain. And I continue on..
It begins discussing Edward de Bono, an english scientist who discusses lateral and vertical thinking. Vertical thinking, which is logic, has become the normal way of thinking. Lateral thinking is the opposite. It is because of latteral thinking that new ideas occur. These eventually become vertical thoughts. It is a constant cycle.
I also picked up on an analogy of a plant growing and how a question works. The question is a seed...the germination happens in ways unavailable to conscious thought...but only in a ground prepared and nourished...the synthesis flowers.
Shamanism part 5(i really don't enjoy this book, but i treaded through it)
This section discusses how a shaman universe is 3 tiered. It has upper, middle, and lower worlds. Each part is connected and work together. Often, we would percieve the upper and lower worlds to be simply created by the shamans mind, the shaman's think of them as seperately operating realms.
Shaman's can see spirits and communicate with them. This almost reminds me of a psychic. However, while reading on, what seperates a shaman from a psychic would be the journey. They leave thier body.
I loved loved LOVED chapter 4 in Altered States! I have a few dream dictionaries and am constantly looking up the meaning of my dreams(as silly as this may sound, after reading this chapter it seems completely okay). One of the first things I found interesting is the fact that interruption of REM sleep has negative affects on a person. Dreaming without REM sleep causes a rebound affect, showing that to stay healthy, we need to dream. In psychotic patients, it was shown they needed REM sleep during thier remission. These patients showed signs of hallucinations and lacked REM sleep. So, if you are considered psychotic, you could be dreaming while awake. So...anytime someone hallucinates or has a psychotic episode, they could be dreaming while awake.
I've always been facinated by depicting my dreams with a dream dictionary. It is interesting to see what my mind is subconsciously thinking of. This makes me think of the Shamans and how they were able to find thier powers and interpret what they(dreams) meant(so they could use it).
On page 49 it states, 'Some precognitions may arise as the result of subliminal signals stored by the mind but never accessed in consciousness'. This is cool. It explains why we have certain dreams. Maybe we've thought it would be so much easier to fly to class instead of sitting through traffic and waiting. But, consciously, we know that is not possible. Yet, here we are, in our dream, flying over trees and streets, arriving at PSU early. This because a dream is subconscious. Anything is possible in our dreams.
I enjoyed the connection of dreams to the Romantic period. The sudden "affair" between the romantic enlightenment and the dark irrational world of dreams. If anyone is a Harry Potter fan, on page 50, the author mentions a german movement called Sturm and Drang. I wondered if JK Rowling used this to name Durmstrang, the wizarding school from Harry Potter. I did some research, and the name is based off of this!(yes, I am a nerd)
Along these lines, William Blake and Mary Shelly(whom I have read both in my brittish lit class at HACC), using the idea of dark and uncertainty of dreams, as a new idea for thier works. "But for the Romantics there was no road, just a number of risky tracks into the unknown led by strange spirit guides."
I also read Kubla Kahn, a poem written by Coleridge. Kubla Kahn means 'a vision in a dream, a fragment'(wikipedia.org). Coleridge said he wrote this while in an opium induced state. This, I feel, connects most of what we've discussed(dreams, drugs, poems).
I have another Harry Potter connection. In the article Jungian Angle, while discussing alchemy, and the Philosopher's Stone (book 1). (once again..I'm a geek..it's cool).
Another huge part of this chapter is how Freud and psychoanalysis affected dreams and the mind. In his book, The Interpretation of Dreams, he says the dreams are simply unappropriate sexual desires that are we push into our unconsciousness. He discussed the ego and the id. The ego is used to balance the id.
Carl Jung, took a different approach, and disagreed with Freud. He felt that our dreams come from a deeper, non sexual level. That simply(or not so) we have repressed feelings and thoughts that are below our personal unconsciousness.
Cosmic Egg, 4(not my fave, but not my least fave)
I'm going to be honest...reading this book hurts my brain. And I continue on..
It begins discussing Edward de Bono, an english scientist who discusses lateral and vertical thinking. Vertical thinking, which is logic, has become the normal way of thinking. Lateral thinking is the opposite. It is because of latteral thinking that new ideas occur. These eventually become vertical thoughts. It is a constant cycle.
I also picked up on an analogy of a plant growing and how a question works. The question is a seed...the germination happens in ways unavailable to conscious thought...but only in a ground prepared and nourished...the synthesis flowers.
Shamanism part 5(i really don't enjoy this book, but i treaded through it)
This section discusses how a shaman universe is 3 tiered. It has upper, middle, and lower worlds. Each part is connected and work together. Often, we would percieve the upper and lower worlds to be simply created by the shamans mind, the shaman's think of them as seperately operating realms.
Shaman's can see spirits and communicate with them. This almost reminds me of a psychic. However, while reading on, what seperates a shaman from a psychic would be the journey. They leave thier body.
Week Four's Blogs
I know, I know, some really dense material you had to wade through for this week’s reading, but I absolutely loved reading through your blogs. Most of you enjoyed Pearce’s insights, and it’s amazing to see all of the different aspects each one of you decided to focus on. As Suset said, it’s rather like a Thanksgiving feast – where to start?
Blake gave us a nice synopsis of all three chapters (a difficult feat since they’re so jam packed) and raised the nurture vs. nature conundrum which (I think) was one of the major themes in the reading.
Ubersuck (who is this, by the way?) introduced Pearce’s theme of the importance of language as “like a whisper amongst the shouting” – ooh, lovely turn of phrase!
Josh S reminds us of the positive thinking theme he already discussed in class (I thought of Josh as I read certain sections of this piece) and leaves us with the quote, “Anything capable of being thought of can be true.”
Ben, a confessed skeptic when it comes to all of this, ends his thoughts with a good point – cigarettes burn – but makes the argument with circular reasoning. And because some people (like Wilbert) have first-hand knowledge of circumstances where skin doesn’t burn, we know we can escape from that “circular trap” - “A change of world view can change the world viewed” (Pearce 4).
Many of you made great connections with movies that represent some of these ideas: Tyler with The Matrix, Ashley with the Jewel of Nile, and Carolyn with The Village. Carolyn’s analysis could easily be developed into a great paper for the next writing assignment (nicely done Carolyn), as could an analysis of any of these texts.
Allison’s detrimental treatment of the book, The Secret, is probably warranted. I haven’t read it, but have heard of it, and I agree Allison, it sounds like a commercialized version of some very profound ancient wisdom. Maybe you should give your mom Pearce’s book for Christmas. For those of you interested in a more scientific, less philosophical, but more popular style of book on the subject, try Lynn McTaggert’s The Field. She’s a journalist who researched these topics extensively, and who provides some very credible scientific sources for her findings.
Gunnar, thank-you for providing the image and the vocabulary to describe some of the frustration in trying to fully digest this reading. I looked up “Asymptote” in the O.E.D. The definition: “A straight line which is continually approached by a given curve but does not meet it within a finite distance.” Whoa! (How do lines approach curves, anyway? ).
Last but certainly not least, I have to mention Mr. Lance’s blog. His quote from Pearce – “A mind divided by choices, confused by alternatives, is a mind robbed of power.” Perhaps ASC’s help to take away those choices (or should we call them distractions) so we can begin to focus on more important aspects of our world. Mr. Lance also refers to government and big business as one in the same, an idea which Pearce alludes to later. Mr. Lance's “haven to prison” is also an insightful idea. Thanks for the zeitgeist link. I know you mentioned this movie before. I think it’ll be on my weekend watch list.
Blake gave us a nice synopsis of all three chapters (a difficult feat since they’re so jam packed) and raised the nurture vs. nature conundrum which (I think) was one of the major themes in the reading.
Ubersuck (who is this, by the way?) introduced Pearce’s theme of the importance of language as “like a whisper amongst the shouting” – ooh, lovely turn of phrase!
Josh S reminds us of the positive thinking theme he already discussed in class (I thought of Josh as I read certain sections of this piece) and leaves us with the quote, “Anything capable of being thought of can be true.”
Ben, a confessed skeptic when it comes to all of this, ends his thoughts with a good point – cigarettes burn – but makes the argument with circular reasoning. And because some people (like Wilbert) have first-hand knowledge of circumstances where skin doesn’t burn, we know we can escape from that “circular trap” - “A change of world view can change the world viewed” (Pearce 4).
Many of you made great connections with movies that represent some of these ideas: Tyler with The Matrix, Ashley with the Jewel of Nile, and Carolyn with The Village. Carolyn’s analysis could easily be developed into a great paper for the next writing assignment (nicely done Carolyn), as could an analysis of any of these texts.
Allison’s detrimental treatment of the book, The Secret, is probably warranted. I haven’t read it, but have heard of it, and I agree Allison, it sounds like a commercialized version of some very profound ancient wisdom. Maybe you should give your mom Pearce’s book for Christmas. For those of you interested in a more scientific, less philosophical, but more popular style of book on the subject, try Lynn McTaggert’s The Field. She’s a journalist who researched these topics extensively, and who provides some very credible scientific sources for her findings.
Gunnar, thank-you for providing the image and the vocabulary to describe some of the frustration in trying to fully digest this reading. I looked up “Asymptote” in the O.E.D. The definition: “A straight line which is continually approached by a given curve but does not meet it within a finite distance.” Whoa! (How do lines approach curves, anyway? ).
Last but certainly not least, I have to mention Mr. Lance’s blog. His quote from Pearce – “A mind divided by choices, confused by alternatives, is a mind robbed of power.” Perhaps ASC’s help to take away those choices (or should we call them distractions) so we can begin to focus on more important aspects of our world. Mr. Lance also refers to government and big business as one in the same, an idea which Pearce alludes to later. Mr. Lance's “haven to prison” is also an insightful idea. Thanks for the zeitgeist link. I know you mentioned this movie before. I think it’ll be on my weekend watch list.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Hungry for an omlette
All I can say is wow! Thom Hartman had it completely right when he said that Peirce had created a life-changing book. "A Crack in the Cosmic Egg" should be the anthem of the non-conformist. Unfortunately, shitty pop-punk songs have taken its throne and left it destitute.
Just the first three chapters are filled with heavy and at times, overly engaging tidbits to think about and ponder. (disclaimer - avoid reading with a cigerette in hand as one may be tempted to do the utterly insane!) I felt at times like i was standing on the brink, begging to jump in and wallow in the stuff of truly independent thought and action. Unfortunately, i was often shakled to the shore of reason by the omnipresent dry delivery of Pierce. Had he took a more layman's route with his langauge choice, maybe there would be far fewer people listening to Slipknot in bondage pants who think they are truly the only one capable of divergent thought.
But Chapter one had an incredable reference to our use (and relience upon) language - "Our inherited representation, our worldview, is a language made affair."(Pearce, 6) This innocent and innocous statement, like a whisper amongst the shouting that makes up chapter one, struck me more than any other in the 60 odd pages read so far.
To think our reality is so relient on our ability to lable, to communicate an object or an idea with a certainty that the person recieving the message will understand exactly what we are trying to get across. And even more humbling thought is what happens when the message is misunderstood. People can get hurt or killed because misinterprated what another was saying. If language doesn't form our reality, nothing does.
Just the first three chapters are filled with heavy and at times, overly engaging tidbits to think about and ponder. (disclaimer - avoid reading with a cigerette in hand as one may be tempted to do the utterly insane!) I felt at times like i was standing on the brink, begging to jump in and wallow in the stuff of truly independent thought and action. Unfortunately, i was often shakled to the shore of reason by the omnipresent dry delivery of Pierce. Had he took a more layman's route with his langauge choice, maybe there would be far fewer people listening to Slipknot in bondage pants who think they are truly the only one capable of divergent thought.
But Chapter one had an incredable reference to our use (and relience upon) language - "Our inherited representation, our worldview, is a language made affair."(Pearce, 6) This innocent and innocous statement, like a whisper amongst the shouting that makes up chapter one, struck me more than any other in the 60 odd pages read so far.
To think our reality is so relient on our ability to lable, to communicate an object or an idea with a certainty that the person recieving the message will understand exactly what we are trying to get across. And even more humbling thought is what happens when the message is misunderstood. People can get hurt or killed because misinterprated what another was saying. If language doesn't form our reality, nothing does.
The Cosmic Egg
I found this work of writing to be quite fascinating. When I initially read the title, I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect. Now, however, I find that this “cracking of the cosmic egg” is not as foreign to me as I thought.
The Preface strikes me as a method of deterring those who may not be as successful or willing to understand that which the book is meant to explain. Joseph Pierce explains that a group of select, so-called experts tell the people what they believe the mind to be and expect the general populace to accept it without question. However, ingenuity and true change involves thinking outside the box, as Mr. Pierce explains. He frequently equates it to child-esque or autistic reasoning, and while this may deter some, I find it to be very intriguing. I myself have found some times in my life when I wished to step outside the boundaries of normal thinking; the so-called egg that keeps one’s mind in check. Eager to learn more, I set to reading.
Chapter one speaks as an extension of the preface in a fashion, showing the method to finding the cracks in the egg. One must look beyond popular perception and believe that there still is more to discover, even in the most established of practices. I believe that my first “awakening” to this form of thinking came with my first year of college, which opened up my mind to alternate ways of approaching problems, questions, and concepts.
Chapter two has an eerily familiar tone to that of my experience in writing. As I mentioned before, my mind was remarkably closed prior to entering college. When I began to think outside of standard patterns, I found myself drawn to writing, to expressing my long-dormant creativity (of particular note, a story that I had been concocting within my consciousness (and still am) for eleven long years). Pierce explains that this form of thinking is somewhat childish, and it’s destroyed by the structured logic of adulthood. However, it is through this youthful suspension of reality that true creativity begins to shine through, as it has for me.
Chapter three stepped into a slightly more psychological tone than the previous two chapters, relating to feral children and, vaguely, the concept of nature vs. nurture. While there is plenty of evidence to support said theories of nature influencing humans solely, who’s to say that humans are above animals to begin with? In reality, we truly are an instinct-driven species that just so happens to have opposable thumbs, and consequently, additional talents such as technology and science. This is not meant to be morbid, but rather eye-opening, as this book proves. I am looking forward to finding a few more insights into the nature of reality in the next few weeks.
The Preface strikes me as a method of deterring those who may not be as successful or willing to understand that which the book is meant to explain. Joseph Pierce explains that a group of select, so-called experts tell the people what they believe the mind to be and expect the general populace to accept it without question. However, ingenuity and true change involves thinking outside the box, as Mr. Pierce explains. He frequently equates it to child-esque or autistic reasoning, and while this may deter some, I find it to be very intriguing. I myself have found some times in my life when I wished to step outside the boundaries of normal thinking; the so-called egg that keeps one’s mind in check. Eager to learn more, I set to reading.
Chapter one speaks as an extension of the preface in a fashion, showing the method to finding the cracks in the egg. One must look beyond popular perception and believe that there still is more to discover, even in the most established of practices. I believe that my first “awakening” to this form of thinking came with my first year of college, which opened up my mind to alternate ways of approaching problems, questions, and concepts.
Chapter two has an eerily familiar tone to that of my experience in writing. As I mentioned before, my mind was remarkably closed prior to entering college. When I began to think outside of standard patterns, I found myself drawn to writing, to expressing my long-dormant creativity (of particular note, a story that I had been concocting within my consciousness (and still am) for eleven long years). Pierce explains that this form of thinking is somewhat childish, and it’s destroyed by the structured logic of adulthood. However, it is through this youthful suspension of reality that true creativity begins to shine through, as it has for me.
Chapter three stepped into a slightly more psychological tone than the previous two chapters, relating to feral children and, vaguely, the concept of nature vs. nurture. While there is plenty of evidence to support said theories of nature influencing humans solely, who’s to say that humans are above animals to begin with? In reality, we truly are an instinct-driven species that just so happens to have opposable thumbs, and consequently, additional talents such as technology and science. This is not meant to be morbid, but rather eye-opening, as this book proves. I am looking forward to finding a few more insights into the nature of reality in the next few weeks.
blog 3
The Pearce reading proved to be pretty good reading. I particularly enjoyed the preface when Hartman was stating that when he gets an idea it is like being pregnant. It takes a while to get the idea complete and form it. This is true for many writers. I know that it takes me a while to figure out what topic I want to write about much less what I want to write about from that topic. I have to sit down and figure it out and let it formulate and grow before I can actually put anything on paper.
I thought that, when Pearce explained his experience when he passed out one day and while he was unconscious he saw his girl writing him a letter, this was a particularly interesting part because I have never heard of that happening. When I read that this letter, with exactly what he read in it, arrived I kind of got shivers. I thought that was really odd but really cool at the same time. I have never had an experience like this and I would imagine it to be frightening when you learn it to be real like when the letter came.
Meditation and Yoga are a way of being able to enter an autistic state. The ability to reach this state obviously is very hard. It takes years of training and meditation to even begin to crack this state of mind. Being able to make something real to you, like Pearce’s son making his G.I. Joe alive, can be fun for a little while but then it must lose its magic when you realize that nobody else can see the same thing that you do. They don’t even realize what you are doing and how you are doing it.
Pearce did a good job in bringing all of these things together in a way to make you understand how they are all connected. All of these ideas are like the egg you are pregnant with. It takes a while for the idea to actually take hold and grow into something that can be understood by the masses.
I thought that, when Pearce explained his experience when he passed out one day and while he was unconscious he saw his girl writing him a letter, this was a particularly interesting part because I have never heard of that happening. When I read that this letter, with exactly what he read in it, arrived I kind of got shivers. I thought that was really odd but really cool at the same time. I have never had an experience like this and I would imagine it to be frightening when you learn it to be real like when the letter came.
Meditation and Yoga are a way of being able to enter an autistic state. The ability to reach this state obviously is very hard. It takes years of training and meditation to even begin to crack this state of mind. Being able to make something real to you, like Pearce’s son making his G.I. Joe alive, can be fun for a little while but then it must lose its magic when you realize that nobody else can see the same thing that you do. They don’t even realize what you are doing and how you are doing it.
Pearce did a good job in bringing all of these things together in a way to make you understand how they are all connected. All of these ideas are like the egg you are pregnant with. It takes a while for the idea to actually take hold and grow into something that can be understood by the masses.
Pearce
This is by far my favorite reading we've done. The foreword explains perfectly how unimportant things are even though they seem to be at the time, "Even our culture--made entirely from the most ephemeral thoughts, ideas, and beliefs--has a tenacious sense of reality to it. We know with great certainty what's possible and what's impossible, what's right and wrong, what's acceptable and what's offensive--even though in the modern world all of these cultural referents change, often dramatically, though the course of a single lifetime. Still, at every moment each seems solid and real."(ix) The truth is, none of this matters. All things will pass, including us.
The preface notes, "This circular trap of how we perceive reality is our cosmic egg, a shell of mind that both defines our world and helps shape it just as that world so shaped defines the nature of our mind and experiences." (xiv) I think this hints at the possibility of being able to manifest your thoughts into reality. I know I keep talking about it---but I think positive thinking can and will manifest into your reality (so why not try it?!) Again, another quote (I couldn't put my highlighter down when reading this) "There is a relationship between what we think is out there in the world and what we experience as being out there. There is a way in which the energy of thought and the energy of matter modify each other and interrelate. A kind of rough mirroring takes place between our mind and our reality." (3)
I'm fascinated by the idea of a tulpa. I've mentioned before that I want to get into yoga---now I have even more of a reason. And why am I wasting my time looking for the perfect girl when I can just create her. "Anything capable of being thought of can be true" (26). I better get started.....
The preface notes, "This circular trap of how we perceive reality is our cosmic egg, a shell of mind that both defines our world and helps shape it just as that world so shaped defines the nature of our mind and experiences." (xiv) I think this hints at the possibility of being able to manifest your thoughts into reality. I know I keep talking about it---but I think positive thinking can and will manifest into your reality (so why not try it?!) Again, another quote (I couldn't put my highlighter down when reading this) "There is a relationship between what we think is out there in the world and what we experience as being out there. There is a way in which the energy of thought and the energy of matter modify each other and interrelate. A kind of rough mirroring takes place between our mind and our reality." (3)
I'm fascinated by the idea of a tulpa. I've mentioned before that I want to get into yoga---now I have even more of a reason. And why am I wasting my time looking for the perfect girl when I can just create her. "Anything capable of being thought of can be true" (26). I better get started.....
"They must find it difficult...Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority." - Gerald Massey
Now I have found the past readings stimulating, however, this book could not be more true to form for me. Ever since I saw the movie Zeitgeist (www.zeitgeistmovie.com –its free to watch online, watch it!!) I have been absorbed with “metanoia” as Pearce would put it and how our ideas and values are not only shaped by society, but how society is shaped from our ideas and values. It’s more than a circular argument in the way that we as individuals decide what is relevant, and in turn, what is relevant shapes the rest of society.
I was very moved by many ideas in the book; the first one was when the author described how “Robert Frost saw civilization as a small clearing in a great forest.” At first it seems the space was garnered by society out of a desire to escape “the dark out there.” It, I would hope, was meant to be a haven, and established under the ideals of growth and understanding amongst the human race. In primal times, I can see a reason for community as a sense of security. However, this circle has turned from a haven to a prison. It never occurred to me that building a civilization would limit the use of free thought. (As I wrote that sentence it just became clearer.) I guess in order for a society to exist, there must be rules placed on its’ citizens, but also on their intentions. There must be a common understanding and thought process in order to keep the momentum going. The easiest way to do that is take the obscure “autistic thinking” and ban it to the dark forest. As Pearce states, “Each person is a potential line capable of breaking through the circle of reason. Yet the circle is an accomplishment of no small order. An enormous force bends all lines into circles. Each new mind threatens the structure but ages of pressure weigh on the infant to win from him agreement with, modification to, and help in sustaining his cultural cycle.”
I have always found people to believe in freedom, however, I have always thought there was no such thing; seeing that if we all just did what we wanted, there would be no society; therefore society and freedom could never be one in the same. What I didn’t realize is that this society is only possible by resigning our freedom of thought as well. Even our deepest conscious thoughts are no match for the overall directive that has brought us to this state of mind.
When Pearce goes on to talk about our clearing and our “ideation, cataloging, and indexing” of it, it made a lot of sense to me. When you see all the magazines, movies, television media, games, phones, ringtones, ringback tones, etc, etc, etc, we realize how small our worlds have become, yet how full of junk they are. I think Peace put it perfectly when he said “A mind divided by choices, confused by alternatives, is a mind robbed of power.” I feel like society has become so consumed with society (itself) that it no longer cares about the forest at all. However, there are also those in power who help this along i.e. the government/big business (aren’t these one in the same?).
Anyway I want to end with a quote from Pearce which is “ I saw that the only “truth” for us is the process of questioning what truth might be, and receiving the answers in keeping with the nature of our questions.”
I was very moved by many ideas in the book; the first one was when the author described how “Robert Frost saw civilization as a small clearing in a great forest.” At first it seems the space was garnered by society out of a desire to escape “the dark out there.” It, I would hope, was meant to be a haven, and established under the ideals of growth and understanding amongst the human race. In primal times, I can see a reason for community as a sense of security. However, this circle has turned from a haven to a prison. It never occurred to me that building a civilization would limit the use of free thought. (As I wrote that sentence it just became clearer.) I guess in order for a society to exist, there must be rules placed on its’ citizens, but also on their intentions. There must be a common understanding and thought process in order to keep the momentum going. The easiest way to do that is take the obscure “autistic thinking” and ban it to the dark forest. As Pearce states, “Each person is a potential line capable of breaking through the circle of reason. Yet the circle is an accomplishment of no small order. An enormous force bends all lines into circles. Each new mind threatens the structure but ages of pressure weigh on the infant to win from him agreement with, modification to, and help in sustaining his cultural cycle.”
I have always found people to believe in freedom, however, I have always thought there was no such thing; seeing that if we all just did what we wanted, there would be no society; therefore society and freedom could never be one in the same. What I didn’t realize is that this society is only possible by resigning our freedom of thought as well. Even our deepest conscious thoughts are no match for the overall directive that has brought us to this state of mind.
When Pearce goes on to talk about our clearing and our “ideation, cataloging, and indexing” of it, it made a lot of sense to me. When you see all the magazines, movies, television media, games, phones, ringtones, ringback tones, etc, etc, etc, we realize how small our worlds have become, yet how full of junk they are. I think Peace put it perfectly when he said “A mind divided by choices, confused by alternatives, is a mind robbed of power.” I feel like society has become so consumed with society (itself) that it no longer cares about the forest at all. However, there are also those in power who help this along i.e. the government/big business (aren’t these one in the same?).
Anyway I want to end with a quote from Pearce which is “ I saw that the only “truth” for us is the process of questioning what truth might be, and receiving the answers in keeping with the nature of our questions.”
Narrow and Wide Gates
Matthew 7
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Reference to Pearce Preface)
Wow I felt kind of lost after reading the first chapter in The Crack in the Comic Egg… As I plodded through the material, thought I wow this kind of makes sense, I think! The relationship between the between our minds and the world and the concept of mirroring are certainly theories that need to be considered. I like when Pearce says “reality is not a fixed entity” (5) and that events do not just happen – everything for a reason…
Pearce goes on to discuss that basic assumptions actively direct out percepts and individuals have been trained look at life, situations, and circumstance with realism. But let’s consider Pearce‘s thinking that “A change of world view and can the world viewed. I lOVED this idea probably because I could learn from its practice.
As you consider all of the material that floods our mind each day we choose to ignore, magnify or expand upon those items that we feel passionate about… We may need to take a more active part in shaping our present and future. As with many of the ideas we have explored thus far we are part of the equation.
Ah- ha! Pearce talks about illumination… To me this is the ah-ha (Eureka) moment - the moment when you see things for what they are and you achieve understanding. Autistic thinking is non-logical whimsical thinking. Again I love this idea! Moving from something being in-probable to probable and not allowing the mirroring that has taken place to influence us and not be influenced by logic.
Chapter 3 was the most interesting to me perhaps a eureka moment! I did take pause when Pearce said that we badger our children into looking a situation objectively. Proverbs 22:6 Train [a] a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Again I stopped when I read that we show children what to do and reward them when the correct behavior is portrayed... The mirroring period is vital to development as witnessed in the feral children highlighted in the book – fascinating stuff!!
After I finished reading… I thought “We can’t always be looking for cracks in the cosmic egg can we or should we?”
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Reference to Pearce Preface)
Wow I felt kind of lost after reading the first chapter in The Crack in the Comic Egg… As I plodded through the material, thought I wow this kind of makes sense, I think! The relationship between the between our minds and the world and the concept of mirroring are certainly theories that need to be considered. I like when Pearce says “reality is not a fixed entity” (5) and that events do not just happen – everything for a reason…
Pearce goes on to discuss that basic assumptions actively direct out percepts and individuals have been trained look at life, situations, and circumstance with realism. But let’s consider Pearce‘s thinking that “A change of world view and can the world viewed. I lOVED this idea probably because I could learn from its practice.
As you consider all of the material that floods our mind each day we choose to ignore, magnify or expand upon those items that we feel passionate about… We may need to take a more active part in shaping our present and future. As with many of the ideas we have explored thus far we are part of the equation.
Ah- ha! Pearce talks about illumination… To me this is the ah-ha (Eureka) moment - the moment when you see things for what they are and you achieve understanding. Autistic thinking is non-logical whimsical thinking. Again I love this idea! Moving from something being in-probable to probable and not allowing the mirroring that has taken place to influence us and not be influenced by logic.
Chapter 3 was the most interesting to me perhaps a eureka moment! I did take pause when Pearce said that we badger our children into looking a situation objectively. Proverbs 22:6 Train [a] a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Again I stopped when I read that we show children what to do and reward them when the correct behavior is portrayed... The mirroring period is vital to development as witnessed in the feral children highlighted in the book – fascinating stuff!!
After I finished reading… I thought “We can’t always be looking for cracks in the cosmic egg can we or should we?”
"Twilight Between the Worlds" (Pearce)...Laying the egg.
This book reminds me of Thanksgiving....(bare with me)... so much to eat but you can't come to conclusions on what you will pick first. So I will pick a little into the meat then work my way down the table.
I would have to say that reading this book has fed me and left me without words (whether I am confused or enlightened.) It is full of details and "OH, I see what he means by that"!? Lots to digest but nonetheless very good fulfilling reading. I would like to start of with my interpretation of the crack in the cosmic egg: It is a way that one can go beyond the broad, routine way of which we live. It is an eye opener and a largely unexplored way of truth. Pearce talks about how "It is that, "twilight between the worlds," the Yaqui Indian sorcerer do Juan explored in his "way of knowledge" reported year ago by the anthropologist Carlos Castaneda." Pearce goes on saying how, "The crack is similar to the "narrow gate" of Jesus' way of truth, whose way is still as novel and largely unexplored as is the way of don Juan." To this is true because I used to belong to a Catholic church and I was taught to recite and go to Sunday school but after a while, when I grew older and I can decide for myself what my faith should be; I went on and converted to Christianity (Evangelistic) and I found this faith more rewarding simply because I saw the unexplored truth through my new faith. In fact, At the beginning when I went to the service meeting there was an event in which you had to choose to go through "the darker path and narrow path" or "the nicely light and wide path". It is not always easy to get through that narrow path but when one gets across all seems clear.
On another note I enjoyed reading Carolyn's blog and how she put one and two together using the movie "The Village". I couldn't agree with her more on her interpretation to how this group of people who live deep in the woods have created a set of laws ( or ways...if you can say) so to influence the way of thinking of these characters. Carolyn blogs, how in the movie the leaders enforce the rules about "things we do not speak of". We can relate to that in the reading in which Pearce says, " that the world we see is far from an exact image of the physical world."( 58) We know what we see and what we are told. This way of thinking is influenced by those around us and our culture.
I will like to end with this quote because I think is brilliant, " If we believe our social view sacred and made is heaven, we tend to shut off a deep potential in which many of the terrors and shortcomings of our logic and reason might be averted." (Pearce 55)
I would have to say that reading this book has fed me and left me without words (whether I am confused or enlightened.) It is full of details and "OH, I see what he means by that"!? Lots to digest but nonetheless very good fulfilling reading. I would like to start of with my interpretation of the crack in the cosmic egg: It is a way that one can go beyond the broad, routine way of which we live. It is an eye opener and a largely unexplored way of truth. Pearce talks about how "It is that, "twilight between the worlds," the Yaqui Indian sorcerer do Juan explored in his "way of knowledge" reported year ago by the anthropologist Carlos Castaneda." Pearce goes on saying how, "The crack is similar to the "narrow gate" of Jesus' way of truth, whose way is still as novel and largely unexplored as is the way of don Juan." To this is true because I used to belong to a Catholic church and I was taught to recite and go to Sunday school but after a while, when I grew older and I can decide for myself what my faith should be; I went on and converted to Christianity (Evangelistic) and I found this faith more rewarding simply because I saw the unexplored truth through my new faith. In fact, At the beginning when I went to the service meeting there was an event in which you had to choose to go through "the darker path and narrow path" or "the nicely light and wide path". It is not always easy to get through that narrow path but when one gets across all seems clear.
On another note I enjoyed reading Carolyn's blog and how she put one and two together using the movie "The Village". I couldn't agree with her more on her interpretation to how this group of people who live deep in the woods have created a set of laws ( or ways...if you can say) so to influence the way of thinking of these characters. Carolyn blogs, how in the movie the leaders enforce the rules about "things we do not speak of". We can relate to that in the reading in which Pearce says, " that the world we see is far from an exact image of the physical world."( 58) We know what we see and what we are told. This way of thinking is influenced by those around us and our culture.
I will like to end with this quote because I think is brilliant, " If we believe our social view sacred and made is heaven, we tend to shut off a deep potential in which many of the terrors and shortcomings of our logic and reason might be averted." (Pearce 55)
Pearce (Foreword - Ch. 3)
Wow. This is first thing that came to my mind after (if I may say) trying to read this bombardment of "psycho-babble" and "scholarly jargon". First of all, if you're going to suggest that people "crack this cosmic egg", you might want to start with a more simple approach. In no way do I look down upon these readings, because I sure as hell couldn't have written this stuff, but I got lost in his wacky chronology and his obsession with quoting others and himself even.
Pearce is essentially telling us that something is wrong. The world we live in is NOT the real world. This kept visions of the movie "The Matrix" popping in and out of my head. He favors all of the great minds that we have begun to read already in this course and it shows in his quotes and in his personal accounts and reflections. I think the jist of this first set of readings is that we should start to "think differently". Like I have said previously, we have been conditioned, and to me and also according to Pearce, this is not a good thing. These "valves" and these "solvents" of our time are keeping us from seeing what is actually there. Oh yeah, don't tell Pearce to take some psychedelic either to see through these impedents - he's not diggin' it. Pearce seems to be about breaking down this conscious and subconscious barrier in order to gain the perception that is needed to start a "crack". I will say I completely agree with him on this one. I just wish he would've taken a more tranquil approach.
The best part of these readings was his obsession with "autism" and being "autistic". He doesn't seem to "rape" this concept like our mass media and mass culture does - using it for monetary gain and discrimination. He wants us to get into this state of mind. He wants us to think outside of the box - hopefully outside of the box there is an egg that is waiting for us to crack it. I have already pondered about this before having read it. I thought to myself many times, 'what if these people that we cast out as different (such as the autistic, mentally challenged, and schizophrenic) are the ones that are actually living life?'. What if these people aren't actually challenged? Maybe they hold some secret of the universe that can't be told? I guess it is up to us to break down our mental barriers and enter as many states of consciousness as we can in order to obtain new and useful ideas for a new paradigm.
Pearce is essentially telling us that something is wrong. The world we live in is NOT the real world. This kept visions of the movie "The Matrix" popping in and out of my head. He favors all of the great minds that we have begun to read already in this course and it shows in his quotes and in his personal accounts and reflections. I think the jist of this first set of readings is that we should start to "think differently". Like I have said previously, we have been conditioned, and to me and also according to Pearce, this is not a good thing. These "valves" and these "solvents" of our time are keeping us from seeing what is actually there. Oh yeah, don't tell Pearce to take some psychedelic either to see through these impedents - he's not diggin' it. Pearce seems to be about breaking down this conscious and subconscious barrier in order to gain the perception that is needed to start a "crack". I will say I completely agree with him on this one. I just wish he would've taken a more tranquil approach.
The best part of these readings was his obsession with "autism" and being "autistic". He doesn't seem to "rape" this concept like our mass media and mass culture does - using it for monetary gain and discrimination. He wants us to get into this state of mind. He wants us to think outside of the box - hopefully outside of the box there is an egg that is waiting for us to crack it. I have already pondered about this before having read it. I thought to myself many times, 'what if these people that we cast out as different (such as the autistic, mentally challenged, and schizophrenic) are the ones that are actually living life?'. What if these people aren't actually challenged? Maybe they hold some secret of the universe that can't be told? I guess it is up to us to break down our mental barriers and enter as many states of consciousness as we can in order to obtain new and useful ideas for a new paradigm.
Forwar,Preface Chaps1-3 a crack in the egg
In the forward by Thom Hartman he talks about he he can relate to the book The crack in the cosmic egg by Joseph Pearce and his reaction after reading the book. I liked that he related the reading to his childhood days and how he remembered when his grandma passed that he would look at the mirror that they both liked to look at and imagine her ghost appear. This highlights that sometimes what one thinks is reality in their consciousness might or might not be for all.
I found the read for this week to be both enciteful and engaging. I thought he did a good job in trying to distinguish what we perceive to be reality and what other possible ends of reality are outside the realm of our consciosness. He tries to explain how our minds process what we perceive as reality and challenges that aspect abit. I found that as I read I bumped into phrases or quotes that made me think deep into the philosophical realm. One particular relevant quote that I found mind boggling was that"reality is not a fixed entity. It is a contigent interlocking of moving events". What do we perceive reality to be, is it just our own or that of every living species in the universe. Do we share one common reality that bonds us together. Could Imagination or dreams be perceived as a reality in our conscious realm?I felt personally connected to the second chapter where he talks about the "autistic thinking". Usually we perceive autism to be of a mental illness that strikes one from their very early childhood. but one characteristic of autistic kids is that they can be very gifted in the creative aspects. Drawing, music etc. What the author conveys as A-thinking he decsribes it as "unstructured, nonlogical (but not necessiraly illogical), whimsical thinking that is key to creativity. He saying that this is an area that is in everybody that when tapped into releases the best of our full potential. I liked the title and he conveyed a "crack in the cosmic egg". Our minds and what we perceve reality is the egg. How we construst what we take in is the crack in the egg.
I found the read for this week to be both enciteful and engaging. I thought he did a good job in trying to distinguish what we perceive to be reality and what other possible ends of reality are outside the realm of our consciosness. He tries to explain how our minds process what we perceive as reality and challenges that aspect abit. I found that as I read I bumped into phrases or quotes that made me think deep into the philosophical realm. One particular relevant quote that I found mind boggling was that"reality is not a fixed entity. It is a contigent interlocking of moving events". What do we perceive reality to be, is it just our own or that of every living species in the universe. Do we share one common reality that bonds us together. Could Imagination or dreams be perceived as a reality in our conscious realm?I felt personally connected to the second chapter where he talks about the "autistic thinking". Usually we perceive autism to be of a mental illness that strikes one from their very early childhood. but one characteristic of autistic kids is that they can be very gifted in the creative aspects. Drawing, music etc. What the author conveys as A-thinking he decsribes it as "unstructured, nonlogical (but not necessiraly illogical), whimsical thinking that is key to creativity. He saying that this is an area that is in everybody that when tapped into releases the best of our full potential. I liked the title and he conveyed a "crack in the cosmic egg". Our minds and what we perceve reality is the egg. How we construst what we take in is the crack in the egg.
Posted for Dianna
While reading what Pearce had to say about the “Cosmic Egg,” I have to say I really don’t agree. He speaks very unsure and unconfident about his feelings. Why would anybody buy into his ideas? Pearce starts the book by journeying off on personal stories, stories of others, thoughts of other writers, his thoughts compared to other writers, his comparisons on religions, leaving a lot of unanswered questions for his audience, and really doesn’t seem like he has a lot to say. It’s like hopping on a never ending marry-go-round of this crack that happened to this cosmic egg.
Here is just one of the areas that prove Pearce’s unconfident about his work. He displays no facts, but sheer opinion. “Perhaps, then, the education of a child is unlearning as well as learning, and perhaps many possibilities are lost through lack of triggering response, possibilities that may have been of worth.” (Page 52) This statement leaves you hanging. Perhaps the sky really isn’t blue, and perhaps the grass really isn’t green. Anybody can make assumptions, but what separates people from being fantastic writers is by giving evidence to support your decisions and ideas.
Not giving support to your own ideas isn’t a good move to explain your thoughts to others, especially when it corresponds with learning about reality, and altered states of consciousness. What triggered his ideas for a cosmic egg?Pearce says “…though our cosmic egg is the only reality we have, and is not to be treated lightly, what I hope to show is that there is available to us a crack in this egg…The crack must be approached with care, however, lest the egg itself be destroyed.” (Page 19) No motive is explained why Pearce feels compelled to show us the way to this egg, what the egg really symbolizes in full detail, and I feel as if Pearce is trying to start a colt of cracked egg followers. Pearce may have a crack in his egg, but also has a crack in his own ideas.
Here is just one of the areas that prove Pearce’s unconfident about his work. He displays no facts, but sheer opinion. “Perhaps, then, the education of a child is unlearning as well as learning, and perhaps many possibilities are lost through lack of triggering response, possibilities that may have been of worth.” (Page 52) This statement leaves you hanging. Perhaps the sky really isn’t blue, and perhaps the grass really isn’t green. Anybody can make assumptions, but what separates people from being fantastic writers is by giving evidence to support your decisions and ideas.
Not giving support to your own ideas isn’t a good move to explain your thoughts to others, especially when it corresponds with learning about reality, and altered states of consciousness. What triggered his ideas for a cosmic egg?Pearce says “…though our cosmic egg is the only reality we have, and is not to be treated lightly, what I hope to show is that there is available to us a crack in this egg…The crack must be approached with care, however, lest the egg itself be destroyed.” (Page 19) No motive is explained why Pearce feels compelled to show us the way to this egg, what the egg really symbolizes in full detail, and I feel as if Pearce is trying to start a colt of cracked egg followers. Pearce may have a crack in his egg, but also has a crack in his own ideas.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
