There
are three aspects of human existence -- basic instinct, self consciousness and
cosmic consciousness.
Basic
instinct is the natural survival mechanism of all living entities.
Self
consciousness is an awareness that an individual is a distinct entity.
Cosmic
consciousness is a clear conception of the meaning of the universe, an absolute
certainty that the cosmos is in fact a living presence. It’s a complete
comprehension of “the whole” with an accompanying sense of immortality.
Carl
Jung (1875-1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, the founder of analytical psychology
known as Jungian psychology. He coined the term “Collective Unconscious” -- in
essence the same ethereal object as Cosmic Consciousness, except most people
are unaware of its existence.
Jung
believed the Collective Unconscious to be part of the evolutionary process and
shared by all people, but not all people are able to tap into it. He called it
the foundational structure of the personality on which the ego is built. Basically,
cosmic consciousness is a single entity containing a connection to all other
consciousnesses -- past, present and possibly future.
All
is one.
A
project was initiated in 1998 at Princeton University in an attempt to prove
the existence of what they called a Global Consciousness, another term for
Cosmic Consciousness.
The
Global Consciousness Project (GCP) is an international effort set up to explore
whether interconnected consciousness could be validated through objective
measurement.
Research
in this field started decades earlier when a number of controlled laboratory
experiments demonstrated that human consciousness actually interacts with
random event generators (REGs), causing them to produce non-random patterns.
In
other words, thoughts were found to have the capacity to become actions that
altered events.
Since
electrical impulses transmitted between brain cells reflect patterns of
activity that in turn generate consciousness, it became a theoretical
possibility that the same phenomena would also be true for a global collective
consciousness of the entire planet. Therefore, if individuals could create
deviations from expected chance results simply through the thought process
perhaps it could also be true on a global basis.
Dr.
Roger Nelson, Director of Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research, a leading
parapsychology institute, examined what happened to a REG when several people
focused on a single event. The results were impressive. Plus, the effects were
clearly noticeable regardless of the generator’s location.
There
are now 75 networked computers in over 50 countries worldwide feeding a
probabilistically random series of digits to a host computer. The system
searches for periods when the random number series become slightly non-random.
Major
world events seem to trigger non-randomness in widely isolated global
locations. For example, the 9/11 tragedy produced a massive spike of
non-randomness in the entire system.
The
implications are astonishing. Not only is each person an individual entity with
a distinct individual consciousness, but the combined consciousness of all of
humanity also appears to be an individual entity.
All
thought is connected.
This
collective consciousness has been tapped into many times. A mother in Boston
senses her son in Phoenix has had an accident that later turns out to be true.
A man knows his old Army buddy is about to call him just before the phone
rings. A little girl finds her lost purse where a dead grandparent told her it
would be. A boy has an urgent feeling about going to a function where he meets
his future wife. It happens all the time.
As
a theoretical psychologist and practicing clinician, Carl Jung explored the
psyche through an examination of dreams, mythology, religion and art.
He
also spent much of his life delving into alchemy, astrology and Eastern
philosophy. Some of his notable achievements include the concept of
psychological archetypes, synchronicity and the collective unconscious.
Jung
emphasized the importance of harmony and balance. The process of
“individuation” was the central concept of analytical psychology. For a person
to become whole, it requires a psychological process of integrating the
conscious with the unconscious while still maintaining conscious independence.
In
1916, Jung wrote VII SERMONES AD MORTUOS, meaning “The Seven Sermons to the
Dead" -- written by Basilides in Alexandria, transcribed by Carl Gustav
Jung.
That
year, Jung had been contacted telepathically by a “highly cultivated elderly
Indian” who had been a commentator on the Vedas (early Hindu sacred writings)
and had died centuries ago. He would become one of Jung’s spirit guides
(gurus).
Rather
than assume he had gone insane, Jung believed he had crossed into the same
realm as the ancient priests and others who had experienced the divine.
Then
many strange occurrences took place in Jung’s house, such as haunting
aberrations, poltergeist incidents, and so forth. Jung finally shouted, “For
God’s sake, what in the world is this?”
In
unison, several voices cried out, “We have come back from Jerusalem where we
found not what we sought.”
Then
over three straight evenings, while being in a state of “possession” performing
automatic writing, Jung wrote VII SERMONES AD MORTUOS.
Basilides,
a valid historical person, was born in Syria and became a teacher in Alexandria
in 133-155 AD. Jung had channeled and transcribed Basilides words.
The
finished work was more than an exercise in automatic writing – the contents
have been described as a “core text in depth psychology.”
Within
the text, Abraxas is the name used for the Supreme Being that created
individuality and mental powers. Upon death, individual human beings maintain
the fullness of their human individuality rather than being absorbed into the
oneness.
From
this experience, Jung formulated the concept of the collective unconscious.
He
stated, “The collective unconscious is common to all. It is the foundation of
what the ancients called the sympathy of all things. It is through the medium
of the collective unconscious that information about a particular time and
place can be transferred to another individual mind.”
Jung
later claimed to have numerous spirit guides, including Basilides, Philemon and
Salome.
Gnosticism
is the belief that spiritual knowledge comes from within. Gnosis is esoteric
knowledge of spiritual truth held by the ancient Gnostics to be essential to
salvation.
When
Jung discovered the writings of the ancient Gnostics, he wrote, “I felt as if I
had at last found a circle of friends who understood me.”
In
1926, Jung had a vivid dream whereby he was in the 1600s, engaged in the “Great
Work” as an alchemist. He believed that alchemy was the connection between the
modern world and the ancient world of the Gnostics.
Coincidentally,
Albert Einstein read from ancient alchemy texts every night when he went to
bed.
Jung
considered alchemy to be the key to the transformation of the soul on its path
toward perfection. His manuscript titled PSYCHOLOGY AND ALCHEMY was published
in 1944. He wrote that the cosmos contained a divine light, the essence of
which was a trap, presided over by the Bringer of the Light, called Lucifer, a
demiurge (a subordinate deity who is the creator of the material world).
The
focus of the alchemist is the union of opposites. Rather than a battle between
good and evil (dualism), Jung claimed there was no right or wrong, no order or
chaos, no black or white – they are simply opposites that transform into grey,
demanding of humanity to be transformed.
In
other words, everything is a blend of completeness when comprehended as a
whole, therefore everything is perfect. The micro world may appear to be highly
flawed, but the macro oneness of the universe and beyond is in a complete state
of righteousness.
According
to Jung’s Psychology of the Transference, the key to success in love and
psychological growth is the ability to endure the tension of the opposites
without abandoning the process. It’s the stress of the process that permits one
to grow, to blossom, to mature, to become transformed.
Basically,
we as a human species are all interconnected in a metaphysical or spiritual
sense. Our individual thoughts affect the collective consciousness of the
Oneness.
Thus,
thoughts are deeds.
Everything
is as it is, and the totality of it all is magnificent. As individual entities,
we are on a journey through Eternity, destination Infinity.
Life
is simple – accept the challenges, embrace the suffering, don’t follow leaders,
watch the parking meters.
___________
Quote for the Day – "Show me a
sane man and I will cure him for you." Carl Jung
___________
Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark
Mountains with a few dogs and an imaginary girlfriend named Tequila
Mockingbird.
___________
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