I joined the ~Free Your Mind~ facebook group today and found a discussion titled “What do you belive?” and my reply was as follows:
“I flow within each day with empirical based logic at my side and the want to understand. I’m currently reading about consciousness and the brain as I want to understand how we work. I have taken that minute to stop and think about I and what makes me me and the only logical path is that perception is created in the brain via our senses and from wanting to understand me I want to understand the universe.”
Quite a general none specific reply, leaving everything open ended for further discussion and I received the following reply. Please note it took me a while to read and understand. I replied, my comments are in red:
Matthew,
How you doing, having a good day? OK my teeth are firmly in so here goes. I would say most intellectuals have stances, view points, beliefs etc which when really believed to be true will cause discussion even argument, now i’m not one for arguing but be warned i’m an ardent nitpicker but a peaceful one.
“Hey Dave … it’s good to use “empirical based knowledge”, but we “must” (my view) take into account that there is more to life than just empirical knowledge.”
If this is indeed your view then in my opinion state it explicitly ‘in my opinion there is more to life that just empirical knowledge’ instead of generalising as this gives me cause to think you are slightly arrogant, now being part of this “~Free Your Mind~” group I can almost certainly say you are not arrogant. This could lead down the path of how many things in life can be misconstruded like the noun atheist. What say you?
“To say our being is an epiphenomenon of the brain & that we are just chemical reactions within a biological system just doesn’t seem to go with how we live life.”
I didn’t say that but if I had then your reply wouldn’t validate that i’m wrong.
“Where is freewill if we are just “reactions”. There are too many wonders, including the soul & Spirit for me to see everything as just physical.”
Where is free will? Well my reductionist stance doesn’t allow for a free will so in my eyes we are just reactions. But using just doesn’t justify it, just reactions causing consciousness and the feeling of “I”, now that to me is “mind blowing” hence my reading as I want to understand how just reactions produces perception and consciousness or how one enjoys a warm breeze, the smell of apple pie or the embrace of a loved one.
“Another (having discussed the chakras & energetic anatomy) way I like to look at it is through the eyes of Gurdjieff & biology. Gurdjeiff told us that we are 5 brained beings, although he often refered to us a 3 brains, as we don’t often get around to using the 2 higher ones. The “brains” are physical (instinctual, movement & sexual), emotional & mental in the lower ones, & higher emotional & higher mental for the higher, used ones.”
I’m going to have to read up on G. I Gurdjieff as i’ve not read or heard anything about the 5 brain being. The 5 brain metaphor sounds to me like the evolution of the homo sapien brain. Initially the brain stem evolved around 500 million years ago, this was responsible for low level functionality, breathing, simple instinct, for example danger. Then the cerebellum around 400 million years, the mid brain then came along around 200 million year ago which was responsible for sensory and motor functionality and then finally the cerebral hemisphere which is responsible for cognition. A conclusion to Gurdjieff’s view “he often refered to us a 3 brains, as we don’t often get around to using the 2 higher ones”…nonsense.
“The amazing thing is, that these are now seen reflected in our biology. First we were reptiles or amphibians & just had a “reptile brain”, expressing “eat or be eaten & sex” (physical/survival – Base chakra), then came the old mammalian brain or limbic system, which expressed our cognitive-emotional consciousness (emotional/thinking – Sacral chakra) & then we have the neo-cortex, or at least the left side of the neo-cortex (see attached link – the right side maybe relating to the Crown chakra), which expresses our intellect (rational intellect – Solar Plexus chakra). Now each time we evolved our consciousness it didn’t discard what it had learned but incorporated it, integrated it within an expanded awareness.
See my previous comment, what you are saying hear is basically the evolution of the brain. I don’t agree with the linking of the chakras to brain region/functionality. I’m not a big fan of metaphors.
“Now what is even more amazing is that science is now realizing that the heart functions like a “brain”, it has the same sort of cells (hence you do ECG’s just like EEG).”
I’ve attempted to find some scientific proof of this and couldn’t find any, could you please site some?
“This Heart Intelligence is something which we are just beginning to really learn about & understand, even though Jesus & many other prophets have been trying to get us to use it for years. We know this consciousness as I have said above, as deeper resonance which talks to us via our feelng, it isn’t our feelings as such, but this is how it communicates, as there is a direct link between the heart & the limbic system. The 5th “brain” is the prefrontal lobes, which to the greater part are undiscovered as to what they do, but the are situated behind the 3rd Eye & are sometime known as “Angel Lobes”.
Again i’m dubious about this, sure the heart is linked to the brain via a complex array of nerve fibres but there isn’t any scientific literature to say that the heart is responsible or linked to any higher functionality.
“As you can see (hopefully), as our consciousness expands, so our brain complexifies, receiving, amplifying & expressing ever more evolved ways of being. Mmmm … well maybe!”
I think there’s an easier way of stating this, are you related to Doctor Guattari?
As we evolved over 500 million years simple awareness became complex reflection and the feeling of self.
“Our main problem with connecting with these “higher” aspects of our being is that we have lost what A.H.Almaas calls “Basic Trust” in Life, & because of this we still use a large part of our consciousness to feed our ego & which we have created to protect us from all of our, mostly imaginary, foes.”
Agreed to a point, I would interpret “higher” aspects as logic, morality and empathy (all social constructs). Indeed ego isn’t the best of things to get you by and yes we burn a lot of energy to satisfy it but I would argue that the ego isn’t there to protect us but visa versa the ego within us hampers us from our full potential.
“How I see it, the direction we need to go in, is to face our fears, especially as they are mostly imaginary & have come from an ill informed upbringing & education, so that we can use the energy of our emotions & the clarity of an informed mind to raise our vibration into the heart where a whole & holy new perspective on life is seen.”
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“This is coming, little by little, but the more we can put some form of “consciousness/spiritual practice” (spiritual here mean evolved or higher nature of consciousness) into practice the more we can use the light of our own awareness to take us where are are all going.”
Do you write poetry? I think you’d make a very good speaker on positivity but all the talk of vibrations into the heart has lost me. Sure I understand where you are coming from but talking like that doesn’t lead to good understanding. By all means continue with such poetic finesse but add additional grounded explanations to heighten your view point.
“Although this can be seen to be something spiritual or mystical, which of course it is, what it is as well is our biological nature.”
Agreed but only because our biological nature is working in conjunction with society. Memes anyone?
“but it will only really happen as & when we put our intention & attention into ourselves, our Selves & Life. Luckily all the knowledge is now freely available & not just held for the fortunate few. Although, again as Gurdjeiff once said, “not everyone can become enlightened, just those who really what to.” In this we have free choice.”
But you’re missing the point, we are purely mechanistic, sure there is the hard problem of consciousness to answer the duality of mind and body but picking at the problem with a fine tooth comb can only come to one conclusion. If you chop of my head i’m going to stop working.
“My advice to anyone, & I am starting a small intimate group here in Mallorca to practice just this, is to become more aware of yourself, be self-observant, of your body, emotions & thoughts. Watch yourself as you are, through the day. Ask yourself why you do things, what do you really want. Take time to “know yourself.” Then, as the same time, recognize when you really go to your heart, not just your emotions, which can be difficult as your emotions communicate what your heart is saying, but they are not the same thing. Be aware, notice the difference, listen to that small voice which comes from within, feel the resonace within your heart. & then when you want, you can try to go there, into your heart, as problematic situations arise & you will see that these “problems” are the very solutions you need to become everything you are. This is the quantum leap which is coming, it comes from a new perspective, a new identity … although it is who you really are, who you have always been, even before anything ever was.”
Sounds like a good meditation session to me but there doesn’t have to be anything mystical about it. All the word play just makes me think your creative, how are your art skills?
“So, where are you with all that? & what are your views on the scientist Stephen Hawkin & the quotes above?”
Stephen Hawkin, sound chap, never met the fellow but I understand he’s done great things for cosmology.
“Openminded curiosity & sckepticism, looking within as well as without, scientifically. See what works for you individually within thie Great Adventure called Life. All the really great mystics were also great scientists & vica versa. I mean check Hermes, Plato, Buddha, Pythagorus, Da Vinci, Newton, Einstein, Shroedinger, Born … well this list is too impressive to ignore.”
Indeed it is, and I can’t fault a word that you’re saying here. Open minded curiosity, scepticism, looking within all very logical ways of living but you needn’t have added “as well as without”. How does one look without? Without what?
Well I hope my comments lead us to further discussions, i’ve enjoyed getting to grips with your words although it’s been a bit of a stain on the eyes and the brain. Much appreciated.
TBC
Aloha
J
