Bentov: Consciousness

READ Stalking the Wild Pendulum (StWP) pages 61-62

“We have described several instances in which time is being somehow manipulated. I’m not saying that we have actually slowed down the movement of the clock. It is still keeping good old objective time. But we did stretch our subjective time so that we are facing a subjective situation that in turn provides an analogy to a well-known objective situation. This was first made clear in the theory of relativity, in which it was shown that two observers moving relative to each other do not agree on the rates at which their respective clocks are running. Let us try to analyze what is common to all the cases. We find that the connecting link is an altered state of consciousness. Some may claim that the last experiment has nothing to do with altered states of consciousness; in fact, some will altogether deny the existence of such a thing as consciousness.”

What is consciousness?

There are many theories about consciousness.

Some believe that consciousness arises from the integration of information within complex neural networks like the human brain; the degree of consciousness in a system is determined by the extent to which its parts interact and generate integrated information and can be quantified mathematically (Christof Koch, Giullo Tononi and Daniel Dennett). 

Others postulate that while the function and mechanisms of the brain can be explained in terms of physical/chemical processes, that there remains a gap between those processes and the subjective experiences of consciousness; in other words, the physical brain alone cannot explain consciousness but the idea of “panpsychism” should be explored – that consciousness is a fundamental property of the universe and is present at all levels of physical reality from subatomic particles to complex organisms (David Chalmers and Itzhak Bentov).

Awareness of existence – of self-awareness.

Consciousness is subjective – it is experienced firsthand or anecdotally; it is experienced as a continuous stream of subjective states rather than discrete, isolated events.

It enables integration of information from various sensory modalities and cognitive processes; it allows one to respond to changing environmental conditions and to engage in problem solving.

Consciousness is the common uniting element of all creation, and that through this link all things are in permanent contact; it is a field of energy that is interconnected with the universe and that the brain acts as a transducer, converting this energy into sensory experience - into the electrical and chemical signals that are used to communicate information within the body; the brain has the ability to tune into different frequencies of consciousness, allowing individuals to experience different states of awareness.

Consciousness is a fundamental aspect of the universe and is not limited to the brain or the body; consciousness is non-local, meaning it is not bound by space and time and can exist independently of the physical body or brain; it is the fundamental essence of existence, pervading all levels of reality from subatomic to cosmic – it is intrinsic to the fabric of the universe itself – it is the source from which all material and nonmaterial phenomena emerge – it is the light or mind of God or Holy Spirit which emanates from God to fill the immensity of space and that universe composed of such elements have the capacity or consciousness to obey or disobey the voice or will of God (the dust of the earth chooses to obey while mankind do not – see Helaman 12:4-17).

Consciousness evolves to the ‘absolute’ which is the source of all consciousness; matter, composed of quanta of energy, is the vibrating, changing component of pure consciousness; the absolute is fixed, manifest and invisible but our physical world is a vibratory reality, from microcosm to macrocosm; realities are relative, depending on the position and condition of the observer.

It is manifested in various degrees of complexity from simple forms of awareness in inanimate objects to the high level of self-awareness exhibited by sentient beings. 

What is an altered state of consciousness?

An altered state of consciousness is any change in the normal pattern of waking consciousness – a departure from the usual level of awareness, perception, thoughts or feelings.

It can be a heightened level of awareness, expanded perception of reality not previously considered, a sense of interconnectedness with the universe and the absolute.

How can consciousness be altered?

Consciousness can be altered by disrupting the normal patterns of brain activity.

Spiritual practices can induce altered states characterized by feelings of transcendence and unity with the divine. 

Mediation can induce an altered state of awareness – including perceptions of time and space.

REM sleep induces dreams during which the individual experiences an altered consciousness – including lucid dreaming where the individual manipulates their surroundings.

Hypnosis can induce a trance-like state of awareness – leading to changes in memory and perception.

Psychoactive substances affect the neurotransmitter systems in the brain, inducing altered states of consciousness.

Injury, illness, and trauma can induce delirium or dissociative states.

 

READ StWP page 72

“As our ability to hold an expanded state of consciousness increases...this increases our subjective time, so that we can start remembering some information we have received while out of the body. From all the above it follows that we may describe a person’s level of consciousness by the ratio of his subjective time to his objective time. The range of these ratios is very broad. It starts with small differences, which normally would be taken for just a ‘wandering of attention’, to hypnotic time dilation, to dreaming, which is clearly an altered state of consciousness. And, finally, to a deep meditative state, in which time is ‘stopped’ or almost ‘stopped.’”

What does it mean that one’s level of consciousness is measured by the ratio of their subjective time to their objective time?

“Level” in this case is referring to the quality and quantity of consciousness one has at a given point of time.

If the amount of subjective time one experiences is higher than the amount of objective time they are “living through”, this implies that they “have more time” than they should have objectively; many people would like “more than 24 hours in a day” – by this definition of level of consciousness, those with a higher level have more time. 

Those who are able to “stop time” or “expand it out” so that it becomes very much longer than the objective time actually experienced by the physical body means that they are entering an altered state of consciousness – in this case a higher level of consciousness. 

A question this begs is whether or not this level of consciousness is fixed or dynamic; can one grow (or shrink) in level of consciousness as a result of some kind of skill building which can be gained or lost through attention and practice or is it a result of an inherent trait or a gift from God?  Scriptures (and anecdotal experience) would seem to suggest that it is dynamic.   

Why is this a good or bad definition for level of consciousness?

It’s a good definition to the degree that subjective time is a product of an altered state of consciousness, which it is by the definition we’ve discussed; the more you’re in an altered state of consciousness or the longer one is able to stretch that altered or subjective state of consciousness compared to objective time, the higher their level of consciousness likely is.

It’s a bad or incomplete (and possibility misleading) definition if level of consciousness refers more to the quality of consciousness rather than the quantity of subjective time in an altered state of consciousness vis-à-vis objective time in a non-altered state of consciousness. 

Why is level of consciousness, as defined here, not the same as “level of light”?

If light, truth and knowledge are all synonymous, then enabling one to experience more subjective time could enable the observer to collect more knowledge because they have more time (albeit subjective) to gather and integrate it into themselves.

However, just because one’s altered state of consciousness allows them to experience more subjective time than another doesn’t mean that this subjective time is raising their vibratory rate or that the experience is being used to increase the amount of light and truth they obtain.  It could increase their ability or “time spent in” the spiritual realm of an altered state of consciousness, but it doesn’t determine what they learn or spend their time doing there – either light or dark. 

 

Bentov: Consciousness QUESTIONS

READ Stalking the Wild Pendulum (StWP) pages 61-62

“We have described several instances in which time is being somehow manipulated. I’m not saying that we have actually slowed down the movement of the clock. It is still keeping good old objective time. But we did stretch our subjective time so that we are facing a subjective situation that in turn provides an analogy to a well-known objective situation. This was first made clear in the theory of relativity, in which it was shown that two observers moving relative to each other do not agree on the rates at which their respective clocks are running. Let us try to analyze what is common to all the cases. We find that the connecting link is an altered state of consciousness. Some may claim that the last experiment has nothing to do with altered states of consciousness; in fact, some will altogether deny the existence of such a thing as consciousness.”

What is consciousness?

How can consciousness be altered?

 

READ StWP page 72

“As our ability to hold an expanded state of consciousness increases...this increases our subjective time, so that we can start remembering some information we have received while out of the body. From all the above it follows that we may describe a person’s level of consciousness by the ratio of his subjective time to his objective time. The range of these ratios is very broad. It starts with small differences, which normally would be taken for just a ‘wandering of attention’, to hypnotic time dilation, to dreaming, which is clearly an altered state of consciousness. And, finally, to a deep meditative state, in which time is ‘stopped’ or almost ‘stopped.’”

What does it mean that one’s level of consciousness is measured by the ratio of their subjective time to their objective time?

Why is this a good or bad definition for level of consciousness?

Why is level of consciousness, as defined here, not the same as “level of light”?

Bentov: The Observer

READ Stalking the Wild Pendulum (StWP) pages 60, 62-63

“When a person has been trained by biofeedback to produce theta waves or can put himself into a deep meditative state and at the same time is able to watch the second hand of a clock in front of him, he will be surprised to find that the second hand has come to a stop. It’s a rather startling experience, and the natural reaction to it is: ‘This is impossible!’ At that moment, the second hand will accelerate and resume its normal rate. However, if we can get over this reaction and watch with half-open eyes the face of the clock, while all the time being in a deep meditative state, then we can keep the second hand from moving for as long as we wish…

Why, then, did the watch slow down or stop altogether for a while? I propose that the observing mind (or ‘the observer,’ for short), the entity that correlates and makes sense of the information submitted to it by the brain, was absent. It went off to the beach and left the ‘hardware’ at home, unattended. The ‘hardware,’ by which I mean the sensory organs and the brain, are processing and producing the information, but the entity that correlates and makes sense of the information, has left the body for a while…

From the moment the watch stopped to the moment it started moving again, the ‘observer’ was ‘out of the body.’ In cases in which the watch has only slowed down, the ‘observer’ was ‘split.’ He was partially on the beach and partially in the body, handling information at a reduced rate.”

What or who is the “observer”?

The entity that correlates and makes sense of the information submitted to it by the brain and physical senses – but is NOT that brain or physical body because it can leave or at least disengage from the body such that it stops making sense of the information being given it by the body.

The spirit that animates the body – that entity which leaves the body at death but continues to exist (and has always existed, even before taking possession of the body).

What is the relationship between the observer and the brain?

The brain is a primary tool that the observer uses to sustain and control the body, which in turn is the vehicle within which the observer interacts with the physical world. 

The brain is not the observer, although the “concrete reality” of the physical world (which paradoxically is not concrete at all, at the subatomic level) sometimes results in the observer forgetting who they are and falsely melding their identity with the brain and the body.

 

READ StWP page 63

“An alert reader has probably noticed by now an interesting property of this ‘observer’: He can flit about to distant places in fractions of a second. He may leave his physical body and be off to a beach thousands of miles away and be back all within one or two seconds.  In the previous chapter we discussed the behavior of oscillators and pendulums. Let’s recall what happens when a pendulum comes to one of its extreme positions. We found that between the points at which the pendulum has to come to a full stop and the point at which it started on its return trip, there is an area in which causal relationships between time and space break down, in which its position “smears out” and infinite or nearly infinite velocities are encountered because of the uncertainty principle operating on the quantum scale of things. We know that we cannot accelerate physical objects to the velocity of light, not to speak of infinite velocities. But under the conditions we are discussing, physical matter loses its definiteness, it becomes less “solid” thus making it easier for the observer to separate from it. Our bodies, as we know from Chapter 1, behave in pendulum-like fashion.”

It is possible that the “observer,” having no physical mass, could really be flitting back and forth at very high velocities with each up and down oscillation or movement of the subatomic elements of the body?

Yes; we know that a spirit can enter a body and vacate it again; this happens at birth and death; it also can happen if a person is possessed by dark entities; if spirits can enter and exit bodies in these instances, then it’s possible that a spirit “observer” (one who has a “right” to possession of a body) could also be separating from it for split seconds of time and returning.

From a quantum physics perspective, this is definitely possible, as Bentov has theorized.

How does the observer separate from the body? 

The subatomic elements of the human body lose their place in physical space 14 times per second (they reach the end of their respective oscillations) – when this happens, the physical elements of the human body become less solid and thus, easier to separate from it.

The fact that there are seven billion billion billion atoms in the average human body and each of these are composed of vibrating subatomic particles (which are likely not entrained together in a single oscillating rhythm), in any given moment, there are always subatomic particles in the body which have reached the end of their oscillation and have “flashed off” – so we are constantly in a state in which the spirit observer could separate from the body and likely is.  

Is the “observer” which can “flit” to different locations a single entity or is there an “observer” in every subatomic element of a human body?

This introduces a very interesting idea which Bentov explores later in the book, but which I’m not planning on discussing here – at least not at this time, but I’ll talk about it very broadly here. 

If consciousness exits in every subatomic particle of the universe, one can think about how those groups of atoms are bundled and the nature of consciousness at each level of bundling.  For example, subatomic particles with consciousness are bundled into atoms, which collectively have a greater consciousness than the individual particles.  Atoms are bundled into molecules, and the same is true.  This continues as elements are bundled into larger and larger discrete things – to make up a body or a rock or even the planet itself (or beyond).  So, if each of these collections of consciousness have subatomic particles which flash off, it is the consciousness of a finger that is leaving the body or some consciousness that is controlling or animating that finger?  Bentov talks about it bring the “observer” that is using the physical body to have a physical experience within, and I think this is the correct way to think about it – but the idea of consciousness at all of these other various levels (and within every element of the universe) is an interesting idea.  It gives more understanding to Christ’s comment to the pharisees after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of Passover week, that if the people hadn’t shouted their praise of Him and recognition of His role as the Messiah, that the very rocks would have done so – because of the consciousness within them and their acknowledgement of Christ as their creator and Lord.  It also makes you wonder about the “spirit” or consciousness of a rock, or a tree, or a hill (a collection of rocks), or a forest (a collection of trees) or the planet earth in its entirety (Mother Earth?).  There may be more to CS Lewis’ dryads or Tolkien’s naiad (Goldberry, the River daughter) than we thought!

 

READ StWP page 71

“Here the attentive reader has probably noticed that in our subjective time we have unceremoniously slipped through the velocity of light barrier. This is something that no physical object can do; but our ‘observer,’ being a nonphysical entity, will have no problems doing this. However, the ‘observer’ is still tenuously linked to the physical body, and the physical senses still relay messages to him in an undistorted form. He still operates, although loosely, against a background of physical spacetime.”

If the observer within each of us is a non-physical entity, what is it?

It is our spirit; the entity of light which animates our body; it is the true “us” which is having an physical experience by “possessing” a physical avatar or body within which it can interact with the rest of this physical creation.

When the observer permanently leaves the physical body, that body dies, despite the consciousness inherent in the subatomic particles which make up that physical body.

If the non-physical observer can travel faster than the speed of light, where could they go?

Anywhere within the universe.

Anywhere within time.

And if one was to connect with “infinity” or the “absolute” (the fullness of all truth) then one might be able to travel outside of time and this dimension, entirely. 

What does it mean that the observer is still tenuously linked to the physical body and what does this imply about the physical body?

The physical body was “given” to the observer as an avatar within which to experience this physical reality.

Although physical bodies can become possessed by other entities than the designated observer, we know from the fact that a single observer usually retains control over a given avatar/body through the course of an 80 year life span, that there is some right to that body given to that observer; in other words, we are given a body by the creator of all things (from whom all light and matter emanates) and have the right to the control of that body unless we relinquish control to another. 

So, despite the fact that the “loosening” of the connection between the observer and the body occurs many times a second, that observer returns to that specific body until they are permanently severed from it. 

Physical bodies are gifts from God to us to use as we choose (although not without consequence) to enable us to have a mortal, telestial experience. 

Since the physical body is composed of billions upon billions of subatomic particles, each with their own consciousness, a physical body has its own collective consciousness, separate from that of the observer.  It is a “natural man” with a lower level and quality of consciousness than the “higher” self or observer, but it is definitely conscious.  Unless the body and the observer spirit are aligned, they will be at war with each other for control of the avatar. 

What does it imply about the observer?

The observer is separate from the physical body, which is created from vibrating subatomic particles emanating from the Absolute – each of which have consciousness and are actually part of God.

The observers who animate these physical bodies are made up of a different level or type of consciousness than the subatomic particles making up the body (or the universe) – they are actually co-existent with God or the Absolute and are more akin to Him/Them than to the subatomic units of consciousness making up this physical dimension. 

 

READ StWP page 71

“It is time now for us to start putting together the assumed bizarre behavior of the pendulum or oscillator discussed in Chapter 3. When the distances per unit time at the extreme point, through which the pendulum is moving, become extremely small, almost infinite or infinite speeds are encountered. But infinite speeds of what? The answer seems to be: infinite speed of a nonphysical entity, the ‘observer,’ while the physical body loses its definiteness in space. (We cannot know its position.) The ‘observer’ retains its integrity as an information-processing unit in spite of its rapid expansion into space, while all we can say about the physical body is that it ‘blinks’ off and on twice per each oscillation, at the points of rest. So, as our bodies oscillate up and down about seven times a second, the ‘observer’ expands at the end of each movement for an extremely short period of objective time, then contracts, unaware of the event… This would happen about fourteen times a second since we have two points of rest per cycle. Normally, we retain no memory of the event. However, the ‘observer’ can cover long distances within this very short period of time and observe many things. No wonder then, that he can be off to a distant beach and be back in a few seconds.”

What does the fact that the non-physical observer retains its integrity as an information-processing unit mean and imply?

The observer is not the brain – it processes information separately from the brain. 

Our observer/spirit has a much greater capacity for intelligence (taking in, processing, recalling and using information) than our physical brains can process; our brains cannot comprehend the entire universe at the subatomic level throughout all time but our observer/spirit can.

If the observer retains its ability to process information and has the capability of processing infinite amounts of information, retaining some of that information for use on this physical earth should be a top priority for each of us.

What sorts of things could the observer see when its consciousness expands?

Almost anything – on this planet or anywhere in the universe and across all time; and if one’s observer connected to the Absolute, they could see all of this at once, as God does – although if they were “trained” or advanced enough to be able to expereince this AND recall it again in the physical body, it likely would mean that the physical body was advanced enough and glorious enough to have no need to continue a mortal probation here in this telestial sphere. 

This is could be the scientific answer behind clairvoyance or prophesy and a host of other “supernatural” occurrences or “spiritual gifts.”

 

Bentov: The Observer QUESTIONS

READ Stalking the Wild Pendulum (StWP) pages 60, 62-63

“When a person has been trained by biofeedback to produce theta waves or can put himself into a deep meditative state and at the same time is able to watch the second hand of a clock in front of him, he will be surprised to find that the second hand has come to a stop. It’s a rather startling experience, and the natural reaction to it is: ‘This is impossible!’ At that moment, the second hand will accelerate and resume its normal rate. However, if we can get over this reaction and watch with half-open eyes the face of the clock, while all the time being in a deep meditative state, then we can keep the second hand from moving for as long as we wish…

Why, then, did the watch slow down or stop altogether for a while? I propose that the observing mind (or ‘the observer,’ for short), the entity that correlates and makes sense of the information submitted to it by the brain, was absent. It went off to the beach and left the ‘hardware’ at home, unattended. The ‘hardware,’ by which I mean the sensory organs and the brain, are processing and producing the information, but the entity that correlates and makes sense of the information, has left the body for a while…

From the moment the watch stopped to the moment it started moving again, the ‘observer’ was ‘out of the body.’ In cases in which the watch has only slowed down, the ‘observer’ was ‘split.’ He was partially on the beach and partially in the body, handling information at a reduced rate.”

What or who is the “observer”?

What is the relationship between the observer and the brain?

 

READ StWP page 63

“An alert reader has probably noticed by now an interesting property of this ‘observer’: He can flit about to distant places in fractions of a second. He may leave his physical body and be off to a beach thousands of miles away and be back all within one or two seconds.  In the previous chapter we discussed the behavior of oscillators and pendulums. Let’s recall what happens when a pendulum comes to one of its extreme positions. We found that between the points at which the pendulum has to come to a full stop and the point at which it started on its return trip, there is an area in which causal relationships between time and space break down, in which its position “smears out” and infinite or nearly infinite velocities are encountered because of the uncertainty principle operating on the quantum scale of things. We know that we cannot accelerate physical objects to the velocity of light, not to speak of infinite velocities. But under the conditions we are discussing, physical matter loses its definiteness, it becomes less “solid” thus making it easier for the observer to separate from it. Our bodies, as we know from Chapter 1, behave in pendulum-like fashion.”

It is possible that the “observer,” having no physical mass, could really be flitting back and forth at very high velocities with each up and down oscillation or movement of the subatomic elements of the body?

How does the observer separate from the body? 

Is the “observer” which can “flit” to different locations a single entity or is there an “observer” in every subatomic element of a human body?

 

READ StWP page 71

“Here the attentive reader has probably noticed that in our subjective time we have unceremoniously slipped through the velocity of light barrier. This is something that no physical object can do; but our ‘observer,’ being a nonphysical entity, will have no problems doing this. However, the ‘observer’ is still tenuously linked to the physical body, and the physical senses still relay messages to him in an undistorted form. He still operates, although loosely, against a background of physical spacetime.”

If the observer within each of us is a non-physical entity, what is it?

If the non-physical observer can travel faster than the speed of light, where could they go?

What does it mean that the observer is still tenuously linked to the physical body and what does this imply about the physical body?

What does it imply about the observer?

 

READ StWP page 71

“It is time now for us to start putting together the assumed bizarre behavior of the pendulum or oscillator discussed in Chapter 3. When the distances per unit time at the extreme point, through which the pendulum is moving, become extremely small, almost infinite or infinite speeds are encountered. But infinite speeds of what? The answer seems to be: infinite speed of a nonphysical entity, the ‘observer,’ while the physical body loses its definiteness in space. (We cannot know its position.) The ‘observer’ retains its integrity as an information-processing unit in spite of its rapid expansion into space, while all we can say about the physical body is that it ‘blinks’ off and on twice per each oscillation, at the points of rest. So, as our bodies oscillate up and down about seven times a second, the ‘observer’ expands at the end of each movement for an extremely short period of objective time, then contracts, unaware of the event… This would happen about fourteen times a second since we have two points of rest per cycle. Normally, we retain no memory of the event. However, the ‘observer’ can cover long distances within this very short period of time and observe many things. No wonder then, that he can be off to a distant beach and be back in a few seconds.”

What does the fact that the non-physical observer retains its integrity as an information-processing unit mean and imply?

What sorts of things could the observer see when its consciousness expands?