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.
