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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!!
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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.
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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.
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