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Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com


 
           
 
                                Consciousness & Politics 
 
           Below is rough draft overview of my "worldview" as presented in the
           book I'm working on "CONSCIOUSNESS AND POLITICS".  It is definitely
           a "new age" interpretation of epistemology, metaphysics,
           metapsychology, ethics and politics.    Comments welcome.
 
           EPISTEMOLOGY: (how we find truth)  We must recognize that knowledge
           and truth will always be elusive and subjective.  As Rupert
           Sheldrake points out, even "natural laws" seem to be evolving.
           They are not static and unchanging.  A balance of intuition, reason
           and empirical methods must be applied in seeking knowledge in any
           field, though the appropriate balance of methods will depend on the
           field.  And these can be used to prove that some viewpoints are
           more accurate than others, even if they aren't the "ultimate, final
           truth".
                Today humans are becoming aware that humans "construct"
           reality, create truth, rather than discovering it.   Reality is not
           some objective, knowable entity created by God or natural law.  It
           is an evolving, ever-changing process.
                Individuals know reality through their particular
           personal/social/political "psychic grid".  What is important is for
           each of us to decide what psychic grid we choose to work from and
           how to change it if we choose.  Each of us can create
           philosophically/emotionally gratifying reality.  We don't have to
           just go along with what the power structure calls reality.
 
           METAPHYSICS:  (the nature and purpose of reality)  Consciousness is
           both the nature and the propose of reality.  I choose to call the
           nature and purpose of reality "consciousness" because the new
           sciences show principles like consciousness operate throughout
           reality. At the subatomic level I equate the dynamic, yang force
           with imagination and will, and the integrating, yin force with
           memory and creativity.  There is an inherent drive to evolve, for
           the propose of exploring full the potentials of consciousness, and,
           ultimately, to develop into fully self-conscious beings like
           ourselves.
 
                There may well be an ever evolving "morphogenetic field"
           of human consciousness.   Individual consciousness survive and
           passes from body to body over many life times in a process
           known as "reincarnation".
                The concept of consciousness must replace the concept of
           god. For if we know that consciousness is the basis of
           reality, and if we relate that to the fact that we all have
           consciousness, then it is obvious to all that we are the
           personification of natural, not "divine" principles of
           reality. The word god just confuses people, making them think
           that there is some divinity apart from and above from
           themselves.
                Moreover, as experience has shown, the concept of god is
           so easily corrupted by authoritarianism as to be worse than
           useless -- ie. totally counter-productive.  How many people
           have been persecuted and murdered in the name of this, that or
           the other "god"??
                People of good will must recognize this and give up the
           word god.  We are the product of our own conscious evolution
           for our own conscious purposes.    We created ourselves -- and
           we did not create ourselves to live in ignorance of that fact
           or to make ourselves suffer!!
 
 
                                                                             1074
           
 
           METAPSYCHOLOGY: (spiritual psychology)  We know that the human
           brain is really three brains: the original reptilian and
           mammalian brains controlling automatic and reflexive survival
           functions, and, heaped over these, the unique human "neo-
           cortex" which contains enormous intellectual and creative
           potentials.
                Humans do not have to be content to be ruled by their
           "lower brains," by their most basic needs for survival,
           procreation and status.  Abraham Maslow points out there is a
           psychological need hierarchy.  If humans remain stuck on
           fulfilling the lower needs (safety, belonging, esteem) and
           ignore fulfillment of the higher needs (self-actualization,
           humanistic values, peak experiences) they become frustrated,
           obsessive, and addicted -- to food, drink, sex, power, money.
                The need hierarchy and the concept of chakras describe
           essentially the same phenomena.  Humans rise up the need
           hierarchy or chakras in 3 ways: 1) by being aware that they in
           fact exist; 2) by creating a culture which suggests simple, as
           opposed to extravagant, definition of what fulfillment of
           these basic needs are and then creates institutions which make
           sure these basic need are fulfilled; 3) by having myths,
           symbols, and rituals which reinforce the existence and
           fulfillment of all human physical, emotional and spiritual
           needs.
                Cultures worldwide have too little of the knowledge,
           attitudes and structures needed to boost us up our need
           hierarchies.  However, through education and meditation humans
           can develop their higher brain, move up the need hierarchy,
           rise to higher consciousness.  They can lose the desire for
           obsessive material accumulation, develop a tolerance for
           individual diversity, experience love and connectedness with
           all living things, give up the need to dominate, exploit or
           direct them, fulfill their individual potentials and even
           experience cosmic consciousness, cosmic ecstasy.
 
 
           ETHICS:  (What values we should pursue, how we should act
           towards one and other)  I believe in a yin-yang ethical
           system.  One in which hedonism/self-actualization are the yang
           goals, and utilitarian "what's best for all" the yin goals.
                I believe our actions towards one and other must also be
           very "yin-yang".  The yang is the libertarian view that the
           individual is free to do as she/he pleases as long as she/he
           doe not harm others.  The yin is non-violence, cooperation and
           mutual aid.  They are both necessary and totally
           complementary.
 
 
                                                                             1075
           
 
           POLITICS:  We must begin to understand Gandhi's message that
           all conflicts - personal and political, individual and group,
           local, regional and global - should be resolved through non-
           violent mediation instead of police and military violence.
           Today's great nation states  have been created and maintained
           by violence.  Without violence they, would crumble, to be
           replaced by networks of non-violent communities.
                Individuals must be free to establish or choose their own
           ethical system and then join in free, self-governing
           communities with those who share those views.  However, this
           "yang" commmunitarianism must be complemented by the "yin"
           values of non-violent conflict resolution between communities
           and mutual aid to all afflicted humans, whateve their
           community.
                Our means to creating this society should be nonviolent
           as the ends we seek.  We should be assertive as possible,
           starting as soon as possible.
 
 
                                                                             1076
 


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