Within the minds of many people
there is the belief that our mind and consciousness is a product
of the physical mass that exists within our heads that we traditionally
refer to as our brain. It is often thought that it is the chemical
and physical makeup of our brain that allows us to think, see,
feel, and experience general conscious awareness of our physical
surroundings and environment. In this way we are enabled to interact
with our world and the myriad other individuals that we encounter
in it.
Although I feel that the brain and our central nervous system
works together to inform us of the physical characteristics of
our environment, I believe that the complex scientific view of
the chemical and physical theories involving the true functioning
of the brain and nervous system fall terribly short of what is
really going on.
I know that there are many out there that will argue with my
simple alternative to the accepted scientific beliefs. Some will
insist that this alternate hypothesis is short sighted, to simplistic,
or that there is no evidence for what is about to be proposed.
An important thing to remember is that these alternative points
of view also have the capability to be proven to those individuals
who find the courage to undertake the quest of finding out who
and what they truly are.
Meditation, and the results that ensue from its continued practice
are fact. There is ample literature in print bearing this fact
out for those who wish to investigate. The results produced from
the effective use of ritual for spiritual attainment, much the
same as meditation, is also documented. The results of these
methods of training and using the mind often lead to effects
that cannot be explained by our physical sciences, and so the
knowledge is carted off by our scientific leaders and ignored.
It is being ignored at our own peril. For those with an interest
in these matters, let us begin with a simple, but alternative
view of conscious awareness and the brain.
The brain is a physical mass that resides within our head that
has to this day baffled most, if not all, scientists. It performs
in a manner that we still do not fully understand, and most of
the brain still eludes us as to its true function. And yet, there
are many people that believe that our consciousness is derived
from it and/or produced by it. That is tantamount to saying that
just because the great pyramid of Giza is in Egypt that the early
Egyptian civilization must have built it, even though there really
is not any verifiable proof. It is also analogous to saying that
since the music comes from the radio, then surely it is the radio
that is creating the music, independently and of its own accord.
The idea that our consciousness originates from our brain, or
that our brain produces our mental state that we call "conscious
awareness", is a matter that is considered as basic fact
by most people, as well as our scientists, and yet, there is
no real basis for it. There are many that would argue that there
is a basis for it, but upon further investigation one finds that
there are other explanations that hold far more weight. Science
would say that there is no proof of the theories that are given
in this work, but one could also just as validly argue that science
has produced no proof to deny the existence of awareness without
the physical brain, and they never will.
That the brain produces our consciousness is a premise that really
doesn't make sense. How are we to believe such a concept when
we admittedly do not know what the vast majority of the brain
does? How can we, as reasonably intelligent people, make such
a blanket statement that consciousness is the by-product of brain
activity when we know next to nothing about the true nature and
function of the brain? The truth of the matter is that this concept
has never been proven scientifically. We think that it has, and
science makes a good case for it, but there is more proof of
the existence of life both before and after death than there
is of consciousness being solely dependent upon the brain.
Now let's continue to pursue this from the magical/mystical perspective
and see just where it leads us. Let us suppose that the brain
is an organ that we possess, and that instead of consciousness
being dependent upon it, our brain and central nervous system
allows consciousness to function through it. Similar to the way
a radio, through the use of its hardware and circuitry, allows
the set to tap into and pick up various frequencies that are
transmitted through the electromagnetic spectrum and then translate
those waves into a form that we can understand. Let's assume
that, in a similar manner, the brain acts much like a radio in
that through its own hardware and circuitry it allows our consciousness
to function through it and our central nervous system so that
we can interact with our physical environment.
This scenario implies that instead of a by-product of the grey
matter between our ears, our consciousness is something that
exists regardless of whether or not we have a physical brain.
In this scenario it is simply the responsibility of the brain
to ensure that there is proper integration and "linkup"
between our consciousness and our physical bodies.
This hypothesis points to the need to investigate the possibility
of a hidden and unseen side of life in a scientific way, but
there really isn't a true scientific model for investigating
these things as far as science is concerned. Until science can
admit that this hypothesis may indeed be true, the sciences of
mysticism and magick, leading to a greater expression of our
own inborn spirituality, will continue to be labeled as alternative
fringe philosophies until this error in thought has been corrected.
Now, admittedly, there are going to be those individuals who
object to the above premise because of the lack of physical and
quantifiable evidence. As you continue to read, however, you
will find that there is a rhyme and reason as to why I would
stoop so far as to postulate such an idea. Science views these
types of alternative theories as simply absurd and unfounded
simply because they have not been able to prove them in their
laboratories, but neither have they ever been able to prove that
their theories are true either. The problem here is that they
have yet to realize that the greatest laboratory is the one that
is not made with mortal hands. The greatest laboratory is the
human being and the consciousness that we collectively possess.
There is ample proof for the individual who wishes to discover
for themselves what we really are.
One of the main viewpoints that needs to be placed at the forefront
of our understanding is that we are not our bodies. Our bodies
are the instruments that we use to collect and categorize the
input that we receive from our physical environment. Our consciousness
uses our bodies to interact with our physical world and the other
individual beings that we encounter in our day to day existence.
With our bodies we have the capability to interact with other
individual beings, convey our thoughts to them, and listen to
theirs. We have the ability to work on projects together within
the confines of our physical environment, and share our efforts
with one another. We have the ability to breathe the air, observe
the stars in the sky, and feel the wind in our hair and the warmth
of the sun on our skin. But in all of this, it is actually our
consciousness that is doing the experiencing. When we feel something
cut our finger, we are fond of saying that our finger hurts,
or something along those lines. In reality, however, what we
are actually doing is experiencing the physical effect of some
form of damage to our body that conveys its presence to us in
the form of pain. It is not our body that feels the pain, but
our consciousness that experiences it. We become conscious of
the pain. Without our conscious awareness of pain, it would not
be there as an experience, and our finger would not hurt.
Without consciousness we would not be aware of anything, even
the cutting of the finger. If you take a person that has died
and you cut their finger, I suspect that you probably would not
get much of a reaction from that person. If you did then I would
surmise that the doctor has made a severe misdiagnosis concerning
their patient's physical condition. The point is that it is not
the body that feels the pain; it is the consciousness that functions
through the body that feels and experiences its environment.
Some would argue the following:
" The nerves and brain of the dead body are no longer functioning,
so of course you're not going to get a reaction. The reaction
to physical stimuli is the result of the infringement upon our
bodies by various means of external causes, which in turn generate
various processes within our bodies that are then registered
by the brain.
And they would be perfectly right, but only to a certain point.
There is infinitely more to consciousness than just a chain of
processes that are set into motion by a series of external events.
The major error here is a simple and understandable one, but
at the same time the belief and reasoning is one that has been
programmed into us since we were young and which we have never
really thought to question. Yes, indeed, the nerves and brain,
the sympathetic and Para-sympathetic nervous systems, and all
of the other myriad necessary systems that are needed to sustain
the physical body are no longer functioning in a person who has
died. But does that really mean that the individual consciousness
no longer exists? Has the person "ceased to be" simply
because the body is no longer able to register external environmental
changes to the brain? Can we correctly assume that the personal
consciousness no longer sees, hears, tastes, or feels anything
whatsoever simply because the body is no longer in a functioning
state? Obviously they are not going to continue experiencing
there environment through the body they no longer inhabit, but
does that mean that their consciousness has simply ceased to
exist? Where is the proof? Are we really to believe that the
body is greater than the personal consciousness, and that the
consciousness of the person simply "ceases to be" as
soon as the body dies? If we take the example of the radio, one
could ask if the airwaves no longer contain radio broadcasts
or music simply because the radio is broken and is no longer
able to function properly.
If, on the other hand, we believe that the consciousness survives
the death of the physical body, then we must concede that we
simply are not our bodies, and that death is a fallacy since
it does not exist in the manner that most believe. It really
is that simple. If we survive the body, then we are not the body,
and the body is simply an instrument that we use while we are
here.
There are so many people in our world today that will state quite
frankly that there is simply no proof whatsoever that the person
survives the death of the body. I would like those individuals
to submit proof for their beliefs, for there is more proof and
more evidence that the person, in some form, does survive after
death than there is proof that they do not.
Our society has become accustomed to accepting as fact
whatever they have been told by the established authorities.
Our religious leaders warn us of Heaven and Hell, and we believe
them. Others believe the scientific view that we are nothing
more than clay, that we live only temporarily, and we believe
them. Others want to believe something, and continue to wait
their lives out for someone to give them the answers. And then
there are those very few, an exceptionally small group, who have
learned to think for themselves. |
It astounds me how people constantly overlook the simple fact
that the body dies when, and only when, the consciousness no
longer functions through it Have you ever, in all honesty, seen
or heard of a dead body functioning while someone's consciousness
was still fully intact and functioning through it? I didn't think
so. The simple fact that the body is dead simply implies that
there is no consciousness awareness residing there. One could
also ask the opposite question. Have you ever seen a living body
with absolutely no consciousness functioning through it at all?
As much as we would sometimes like to answer yes to this latter
question, in all honesty I think that we must answer with another
no. The simple fact that the body is alive implies that there
is consciousness there, even if the person is in a coma, otherwise
we could just pull the plug and not have to worry about the repercussions.
Now, from the above we have a very important key that we must
keep in mind. If there is no consciousness in the body, then
the body is no longer animate. If there is consciousness in the
body, then the body is animate. Sounds pretty simple doesn't
it? All too often science has overlooked the one basic fact of
life and death as it applies to the body. While there is consciousness
functioning through it, the body continues to live. When the
consciousness can no longer function through it properly, whether
from old age, disease, or damage, then the consciousness will
leave the body, and the body will then die. It is, indeed, pretty
much as simple as it sounds. There is absolutely no getting around
this fact, and no amount of arguing otherwise will ever prove
it to be false. If you will but take the time to analyze this
and think it through, you will discover that it is indeed true.
The body is dead only when the individual consciousness no longer
resides in it, and is alive while the consciousness is still
there.
We are so immersed in the belief that when the body dies, the
person is gone, that death is finale. Isn't it just as viable
to believe that the consciousness leaves because the body can
no longer support it? This difference in perception is very subtle,
but it is there nonetheless.
The fact of the matter is that there is more evidence to point
to the preexistence of consciousness before birth, and the continuation
of consciousness after the death of the body, than there is to
support the statement that the brain produces our consciousness.
The fact that the preexistence and continuation of consciousness
cannot be proven in a laboratory is a moot point. The belief
of the brain producing consciousness cannot be proven in a laboratory
either, and the fact that there are other alternative explanations
should bring this scientific belief under fire and continued
scrutiny by those of us who seek the truth of our existence.
Literature abounds with stories of near death experiences as
well as stories of individuals recalling previous lives. Can
we really afford to dismiss these stories because there is no
verifiable scientific data to support them? The scientific data
is there for all those that are willing to investigate. It is
in the form of the writings of the mystics of the past, the meditations,
rituals and exercises that they have bequeathed to us to replicate
their successes, and those individuals that are living today
that continue to have these experiences. Yet all of this is ignored
by the scientific community. The reason I ask this question is
because if there is the slightest chance that there is any truth
at all to these stories then we are seriously jeopardizing our
understanding of ourselves, the nature of the universe, and our
place in it by simply ignoring them, or by attempting to explain
them away as utter nonsense. If, on the other hand, one takes
into account that consciousness may be something that functions
through the body and nervous system, instead of being produced
by it, this then leads us into a realm of investigation that
has incredible possibilities, and far reaching conclusions, concerning
the nature of mankind and the physical universe that we live
in. It is this investigation that we are each individually participating
in when we take up the Great Work of magical transformation.
The idea of consciousness existing independently of the body
points us to an understanding of the relationship between the
personal consciousness, the mind, and the body. The body is the
vehicle that we use to experience the physical world. Our mind
and/or consciousness is what animates the body, in addition to
other non-physical and spiritual concepts. The point is that
when we leave our body, when we are separated from it and the
"cord" is cut, that is when the body will cease to
function, and not until then.
There is no proof that the brain produces our consciousness.
There is ample evidence to show that consciousness is independent
of the body.
Let's look at your own situation briefly from another angle.
Where do you want to be 10 years from now? Do you want your own
house? Or perhaps you already have a house and you are looking
forward to raising a family. Think about it and write down your
thoughts. Now, where do you want to be 30 years from now? Retired,
close to retirement perhaps, independently wealthy? You decide,
and then write those answers down also. Now, here is the big
question. Where do you want to be 150 years from now?
Analyze your feelings with honesty and sincerity. Do your absolute
best to come to terms with the fact that your physical existence
is only temporary, and that you will still exist 150 years from
now, long after your present physical body has ceased being a
fit receptacle for your consciousness. The important thing here
is, where do you want to be in 150 years when you no longer inhabit
your physical frame? Much of what happens to you is dependent
upon what you do and become spiritually in your present incarnation.
You can do your best to resolve this now, or, you can do this
at some point much later in life like most people do.
All too often we view death as the end all of human existence.
The body no longer functions, it no longer moves, the person
that was there is no longer there. The brain and body no longer
function, so we say that person is dead. They are gone. They
are the dearly departed. Okay, so where is that person. Departed
to where?
Most people of whatever spiritual persuasion believe at least
in the survival of the person after the death of the body. If
the person still exists in some form after death, then it is
only the body that really dies. If it is the individual and their
spiritual components that animates the body, then we could just
as easily say that the body doesn't die, it is simply no longer
animate. When the person, or the consciousness that we knew as
the person, leaves the physical body, and only when it fully
leaves, does the physical body cease to function.
So, from a magical perspective, where does this leave us? Let's
say you create a talisman for a particular purpose. For instance,
if you were not feeling well, you could create a talisman to
help out with your health. You first must create a physical object
to house the energy or forces. Then, you would probably paint,
draw, or otherwise obtain some form of material in which to decorate
your physical object with the appropriate colors, sigils, etc.,
corresponding to the force that you are intending to invoke and
house within the object. In this manner, the physical object
becomes a fitting receptacle for the force in size, shape, color,
and word. Then, at the appropriate time, through ritual gesture,
invocations, and other appropriate methods that are aligned with
the force, you invoke that force and then restrict it to the
physical object that is to temporarily house it. This is much
the same type of thing that is done with the elemental ritual
tools that we utilize in many of our rituals.
The key thing to remember is that the physical basis for the
force must be of the appropriate type, including the physical
makeup and shape of the object, as well as color, size, etc.
Now if you destroy the object that does not mean that the force
that inhabited it no longer exists. It simply means that the
force has now been released to follow its natural course. Sure,
the physical object that it inhabited may have been destroyed,
but the force still exists, and the physical basis that was used
for its temporary housing was not the force itself, it was simply
the physical medium that was used to temporarily hold it. Once
destroyed it is simply released to follow its course to what
may be its most natural form of manifestation. So the physical
object is simply a temporary dwelling for the force.
In a similar manner, your body is a fitting receptacle for the
force that was invoked at the moment that you were conceived.
It is often said that the act of sex is a truly magical act.
In this instance this is truer than many have taken into consideration.
Your physical body, your height, weight, skin color, eye color,
hair color, all of the multifaceted aspects that make you physically
unique, are perfectly fitting for you as a manifestation of the
Divine Force which permeates the Universe. There is a reason
that each of us looks the way that we do, even though we may
live our lives without ever really understanding why we have
a weight problem, why we may be too short, or why we may have
been fortunate enough to have been the most beautiful and exquisite
creature ever born. The point is that there is a rhyme and reason
to your physical makeup.
The way you look and are built is particularly conducive to the
fullest expression of your divine nature that you are capable
of, and we are all capable of infinite expression of this divine
force. Just as the physical talisman must be a fitting receptacle
for the force to be invoked, so also your physical being must
be a fitting receptacle for your consciousness. Your body is
a physical talisman, but one that is inhabited directly by the
Divine Universal Nature that gave rise to the Creation of matter
in the first place and it is the conscious experience and realization
of this that much of our magical work is designed to accomplish.
You are not just a simple force invoked for a particular purpose,
but a force of nature that is universal in presence, and infinite
in power that has incarnated for a particular purpose. To think
and believe that you are anything less than this because you
are disappointed in your physical characteristics is to be avoided.
Every person, regardless of appearance, is perfectly fitted for
their divine nature, and no human being is a fit judge as to
what is and is not the correct appearance of a particular incarnation
of divinity. As divinity expresses itself in an infinite number
of ways, so also the number of bodies that it experiences the
creation through must also vary with infinite variety.
As we work our rites and rituals, let it always be remembered
that it is not just you, the little ego that is striving to climb
the ladder. It is also your divine nature within you that is
prompting you to take up this work. You are the physical talisman
that the divine is using to further its expression throughout
the cosmos. Looked at in this light, and realizing that you are
not your body, it is interesting to note that as you perform
the various rituals and meditations while on the path of return,
you are striving to become more than human, quite literally.
In reality, we already are, we just haven't realized it yet.
|
