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..:: Turbulence ::..
By
Alan Schneider
_________________________________________________________________________
“The Observer VIII / The
Light / Epilog”
Upon further consideration of the matter
of the Solar Light as the medium of spiritual archetypal transmission, I
have received further suggestions from my spiritual source of
inspiration, and am forthwith offering these insights to the reader...
The matter at hand concerns
natural light vs. the cerebral cortex, the latter being
the probable evolutionary physical repository of, or at least the input
interface for, the archetypes, including the Self. While the
light of the Sun may well be infused with archetypal information only
observable through advanced states of perception, an additional
possibility is that the correct and balanced administration of sunlight
through the eyes and optic nerves to the optical cortex may be the key
to unlocking archetypal symbolism latent elsewhere in the brain –
possibly in the prefrontal lobe where the network of synoptic junctions
comprising the ego is also found. And the type of symbols that I
observed in Samadhi – specifically the Divine Lotus of Sahasrara
– may also be latently present in the optical cortex itself.
Obviously, much work remains to be done in testing this matter before
any definite conclusions can be drawn.
Some question also remains
regarding the fact that the first sequence of visions I experienced (on
Christmas Eve) took place in the darkness, well after
sundown, and natural light could not have played a part in their
apprehension. They nonetheless were equally as potent as the visions
of Christmas morning, with the exception of the vision of Sahasrara,
which eclipsed everything up to that point in terms of numinosity
– radiance within the Psyche. This vision was very probably directly
related in terms of its intensity to my inadvertent sungazing activity
at the time.
Thus, there appears to be a
clear correlation between sunlight and enhanced spiritual perception
during altered states of consciousness, but causality and causal origin
cannot be reliably assigned to one or the other at this time. A third
possibility here is that such perceptions result from the interaction
of the two phenomena noted in some manner that is yet to be
understood. Now, let us continue to the primary subject of this
essay – turbulence. Namaste...
________________________________________________________________________
“Turbulence”
One of the primary conditions
observable on the Physical Plane of Expression is unquestionably
turbulence – the manifestation of continuous change of shape, form,
and process present in, and defining, material existence. This essay will investigate the phenomenon of turbulence,
highlighting its implications for personal and spiritual consciousness.
The condition of turbulence
is referenced, among other places, in the Biblical Book of Revelations,
where the suggestion is made that the Beast of the Apocalypse would be
created from, or produced in association with, “The Eternal Boiling
Sea”, a phrase generally assumed by Biblical scholars to be a reference
to the “sea” of political activity and involvement around the world on
the Physical Plane. But, what if this expression was a reference to an
omnipresent disturbance of form in the world, not the solely one
of political ramifications, but the comprehensive, universal
“churning” of existence that creates/created not only The Beast, but all
other modalities of material form as well? In the Eastern tradition,
Hinduism refers to the Dance of Shiva, the Creator/Destroyer
deity, as the universal process of manifestation, and equates this with
the passage of time, the process by which we demarcate transition
and change on the Physical Plane, and universally measured by the daily
travel of the Sun across the sky since the beginning of human
consciousness and culture. And the Mayan system of temporal
measurement features the Day Keepers – spiritual essences
that are integrated into the Mayan Calendar, repeating in a regular
sequence every twenty days. The Day Keepers are seen as archetypal
governing influences for the organizing principals present in the
universe, maintaining the qualities necessary for stability and growth
in the world on a continuing daily basis.
The Sun itself demonstrates a
state of profound turbulence, one which is presumed by science to have
birthed the solar system, planets, and all life as we know it here on
Earth. Yet, the Sun is held in place, and held together, by the
primary organizing principal in the universe – gravity – a universal
force that defies scientific explanation to this day. No one knows why
matter, and even energy under certain circumstances, tends to stick
together, although the last essay suggested some
tantalizing possibilities in this regard. And, no one knows why the
polarity that establishes electromagnetism exists – there simply seems
under some circumstances to be an extreme difference in the valence of
material that subsequently generates great force, but none know why this
phenomenon should be polarized thus, only that fields of this effect can
produce more fields of the same kind. The nuclear forces that bind
together the atoms and subatomic fields that account for all creation
are similarly inexplicable – we can say only that they exist, based upon
the evident behavior of the world we observe.
In the last essay I took
the bold step of treating the solar interior as a fundamentally
unobservable chaotic region populated by strange attractors that
generate observable solar radiation in consequence of their influence,
and also suggested that at least the visible portion of that radiation
was encoded with the archetypal blueprints of all Creation as a portion
of its content that could, under the correct conditions, be observed as
archetypal symbols manifest in the human Psyche. A few examples of
this process were provided for the reader’s consideration, along with
somewhat terse theoretical explanations of their supposed occurrence.
The fundamental forces of physics just noted in the former paragraph
that construct the universe are also chaotic – they cannot be directly
observed themselves, only inferred from the observable effects
they produce in the material world.
If we take the additional
step of treating universal turbulence as a chaotic strange attractor
unto itself, as opposed to being the result of the action of other,
preexisting strange attractors, another series of fruitful observations
results. In this case, we must specify the existence of a turbulent
strange attractor present within turbulent conditions pre se, and
generating the observable turbulent surface effects. Since observable
surface turbulence closely resembles fundamental chaos itself in its
behavior, we are essentially postulating a strange attractor for
chaos – an attractor that generates chaotic outcomes in otherwise
orderly systems. What would be the probable features of this type
of strange attractor? Could there even be such a thing? Is
turbulence not itself a baseline form of chaos beyond which nothing more
can even be inferred?
Fredric Nietzsche once said
“Out of chaos comes order!” I wish to suggest that the opposing
argument is equally valid – out of order comes chaos –
driven into manifestation by a strange attractor concealed within the
very fabric of the orderly state of manifestation itself. This
possibility is hinted at by the process of the Hegelian Dialectic –
thesis, antithesis, synthesis – a principal, spontaneously generating
its opposing principal through the process of reflective manifestation,
resulting in the combination of the two into a higher order of truth.
If thought is given to this theory, it becomes apparent that no long
term stability is possible anywhere, hence, no permanent orderly
system. There must therefore be seeds of chaos manifest at every stage
of the Dialectic to account for its very existence as a mechanism of
change. I maintain on the basis of this logic that there must very
definitely be a strange attractor accounting for the persistence and
presence of chaos as a phenomenon in the universe – it must have a
generator of some nature. Again, what is this causative
agent?
Freud suggested in his Theory
of Repression that there were at least two drives operating in the
Psyche that accounted for most human experience – Eros, the life
instinct, which he equated with sexuality, and Thanatos, the
death wish, which he equated with the frustration of natural
sexuality through external repression. Presumably, in the absence of
neurosis, Eros would prevail, and Thanatos would become a negligent
background condition. Of course, human acculturation never permits
such an ideal state of affairs – we cannot simply copulate at will in
any form of modern industrial society, nor in most primitive ones.
Thus, repression and neuroses are still the rule, and spontaneous,
relatively healthy sexual practice the exception.
Thanatos may well be the
strange attractor eventually producing chaos in otherwise orderly
personal and social systems – the strange attractor of chaos itself, and
causative agent we are seeking – an inborn, and subsequently
acculturated, drive to accomplish destruction and disorder. When
society’s constraints become too uncomfortable and restrictive for its
members the outcome is commonly civil disobedience of one extent or
other, ranging from mildly antisocial behavior at one end of the scale
to full bore insurrection and social upheaval at the other. In this
sense, the “Eternal Boiling Sea” of Revelations really is
sociopolitical in nature, but there are other examples of turbulence
that are personal and spiritual as well. The essential nature of the
human condition is primarily frustrating in character – the flesh
is never satisfied for long with anything, and is also prone to many
sufferings, including old age, death, and the fear of death – and
we experience this frustration as disturbance within the Psyche –
inner turbulence. If we are also spiritually frustrated
because we cannot find the Truth of Consciousness in our daily lives,
this adds another dimension to the problem.
This, to my mind, is the
foundation of the chaos that underlies the turbulence of this existence
– its inherently frustrating, agitated nature manifesting within our
consciousness as the Freudian Thanotic Death Wish. If nothing
arises to oppose this condition (which, like so much in the Psyche, is
often unconscious) we find ourselves confronted with social conflict,
personal despair, and spiritual emptiness with no real tools or
understanding to at least attempt to adjust the problem. It is no
wonder that this life is so filled with suffering and isolation, given
this scenario.
At the root of the personal
aspect of turbulence is our old nemesis, desire, always luring us
into some moral quandary or other, resulting in pain and difficulty
eventually as the outcomes. At the root of spiritual turbulence is the
more obviously pernicious condition of ignorance, the lack of
awareness of spiritual and moral truth. Of the two, ignorance is the
more destructive, because it cannot be detected until it has been
overcome by enlightenment. Once we have become enlightened regarding
the true consequences of desire action, we can at least choose some
more constructive path – as long as we remain ignorant, we can choose
nothing but instinct, and this is seldom the best way to act. At the
root of social turbulence is almost always greed – the desire
for more than we rightly or wrongly perceive ourselves as having. Greed
is ultimately another form of ignorance – the ignorance of
discompassion. If I am engrossed in acquiring and using objects in
the world, I will very probably never experience compassion,
either for myself in my ignorant condition, or for
others, trapped in theirs. Individuals who have no
compassion are poor indeed, no matter how much material wealth they have
amassed.
Enlightenment is the curative
for turbulence, to the extent that it can be cured. By
dispelling the inherent ignorance of our nature, motives, and behavior,
enlightenment produces peace within the individual
human consciousness, and the human macrosocial condition as well, and
this peace is the ultimate goal of existence. The facts of this
existence are that we are faced with inevitable suffering and eventual
destruction for the whole term of incarnation, wrestling in the interval
with personal desires and social expectations of every kind, and bound
to know frustration eventually, whether we are satisfied today or not.
Only the peace born of compassion and enlightenment can sooth the bitter
reality of our lot as sentient biological creatures. Let us all
embrace this Truth as we live out our days.
- With Love, Alan -
(Copyright 2009, by Alan Schneider)
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