Spiritual Life Cycle

A defining moment in my life was when I saw someone talking with a gleam in their eye about a belief they had in a religion that I was not previously exposed to. The gleam of certainty in their eye made me realize that this was something greater and was part of human essence. Originally I thought that this was only the product of religion but now I realize that there can potentially be unlimited catalysts for it.

The cycle seems to be consistent regardless of medium. First, the ego is abolished and this is when a person goes through their first phase of having absolute truth. The actual physical truth isn’t necessarily important. This truth can be that Jesus is the truth, Islam is the truth, or an expression of a characteristic of God. What is important here is that the person feels an absolute, this is the real truth, the God like sensation of perfect justification. For the person the factual doesn’t really matter because the God like characteristic of justification that fills them overrides logic.

The initial expression of the temporary removal of ego will be the loss of self awareness. This will result in the person acting in ways that if they had their ego and knew the perception of others, they would immediately stop. This will usually result in the estrangement of friends and sometimes family. I remember hearing new Christians talk about how they lost friends after their conversion. I realize now that these losses are not the product of enlightenment but the product of selfishness because enlightenment doesn’t bring loss.

The removal of ego is ultimately temporary because it is an essential part of humanity but when the ego re-emerges it will find itself in a different position. How does selfishness reconcile with the absolute? The compromise is validation. Validation is what the individual will attempt to do when their ego resurfaces. A religious person might attempt conversion of others or a spiritualist will promote meditation or drugs. The mechanism is of little importance but what is important is that the person feels that they can justify the absolute they feel but having others feel it.

The problem is that they don’t have the absolute physical truth instead they have an absolute feeling. There real truth is in the feeling but their physical representation of it is incorrect. Not all religions will work for everyone and not all drug usage will result in spiritual awakening. This is by design. If we could have an absolute physical truth then transcendence would be impossible. There must be a conflict in physical spiritual truths in order for humanity to continually question and push boundaries.

The question is what is past the validation phase? I think for many there is not much. They will invest their entire lives trying to push their particular brand of spirituality on whoever will accept it. Even I have my own spiritual truth which I promote to justify my absolute feeling. Outside of these selfish desires for validation I do believe there is something more.

What is next is an internal maturing or an expression that happens within oneself that no one will ever see or hear about but instead they will experience it through invention and prosperity. When talking about God the most common adjective used today is love. I think this is an invalid characterization or a very basic human representation of perfect grace. Humans are not capable of perfect grace because no single human has everything. Since we cannot know perfect grace, we resort to the closest thing we know which is love. Love ultimately is a human trait that requires hate to exist. Grace transcends and encompasses love. Invention and prosperity is a means by which a person can act as a medium of grace and facilitate transcendence for the entirety of humanity.

Important Definitions

Spiritual/Physical Truth: Physical truth and spiritual truth needs to be distinguished here. I am by no means saying that physical truth can be rejected by how you feel. I am not endorsing rejecting physical facts to justify oneself. This kind of thinking would ultimately lead to corruption. For Example, physics is a physical truth and God being love is a spiritual truth.

Physical Spiritual Truth: This is something that someone believes in to justify their existence and how they feel about the universe. Physical/mental feelings such as love or religious “truths” I would put under the category of physical spiritual truth.

 

 

 

 

The Light in Tragedy

When tragedies happen it easy to get lost in despair. If humans were truly made of chaos, we would naturally accept it as the way of the universe. We, however, are not made of chaos and this is present in how we feel when a tragedy happens. Ultimately, deeply rooted, we are all architects of order.

Quantum Conciousness

Roger Penrose, one of the most accomplished physicists of our century and his partner Stuart Hameroff are proving a theory of quantum consciousness. This is part of a growing field of quantum biology which is changing our understanding of how certain aspects of our known universe functions. In this post I am going to talk about how this discovery threatens the beliefs of everyone.

First, consciousness. We have gained a lot of knowledge on the brain in terms of mechanics but something that has always eluded scientists was how consciousness functions. How scientists discovered what parts of the brain did what was while doctors were doing surgery. A patient with their brain exposed would have certain parts of their brain stimulated with electricity and as expected their body would do certain things like raise their arm or in some cases the person would hear music etc.. The doctor would then ask a question like, “why did you do that?” and universally the patient would reply, “I didn’t do that, you did.” It didn’t matter where doctors did this in the brain, this would happen. This was perplexing because how could we possibly know after all the brain has no physical sensors to speak of.

The OR Theory asserts that consciousness is a quantum process and predictions are being proven and it is also being supported circumstantially by other advances in quantum biology, we now know the process of photosynthesis uses quantum coherence.

What can this challenge?

Untouchable Spirituality
Discovery is always the first step to interaction. The thought that spirituality could never be touched or accessed by humans via technology could be a thought of the past. What spiritualists held as a guarded elite experience could potentially be open to everyone.

“Impossible” Experiences
It is a common story that a loved one can know when another loved one either dies, lives, or is suffering. With classical science, this kind of experience would be impossible. Quantum Biology not only makes this plausible but makes all other non-local phenomenon of similar type also plausible such as remote viewing, and near death experiences. Caution: This theory doesn’t make these things real, just plausible. It also will not stop people from scamming you out of money using this new theory as a basis to their extra-sensory scams.

Classical Evolutionary Process
Quantum biology can fundamentally challenge the classical process of evolution that asserts that evolution occurred through “random” mutations. In Quantum biology, it is possible that no mutation was random and instead changes could of been executed purposefully and non-locally.

Artificial Intelligence
No matter how intelligent a system appears, without a quantum component it will not have awareness. This can alleviate some pressure on us as we build more sophisticated simulations of the human mind; we are not locking a consciousness in a box because consciousness is non-local.

Religion
Some might say that this actually helps religion and it might appear that way at first, but it really doesn’t. It creates as many issues for a religion’s spirituality concepts as the theory of evolution did for literal creation. While scientists will be forced to be faced with the reality that goes with quantum consciousness, the religious will have to face with a different sort of issue. Their “soul” is more sophisticated than simply another force locked in a biological box. Instead their “soul” is part of an ultimate dimension that is persistent.

Conclusion
There are many things that science is working on that could fundamentally change the human condition and this in my opinion could be one of the largest. This is the first scientific discovery that could dig into the issue of human existentialism in serious a way, so we should all definitely pay attention.

Easier Down Than Up

When it comes to spirituality and science there are those on either side of the spectrum who will view the other side in a patronizing condescension. The spiritualist will begrudgingly think of the scientists that “they know not what I have experienced and therefore cannot know truth.” The scientist will look on the other and say, “they do not have my mechanical knowledge of the universe, therefore, their truth is irrelevant.”

Part of the problem is that it is easier for a spiritualist to become a scientist than a scientist to become a spiritualist. If one is indoctrinated before hand to give no credence to subjective experience, then there is no chance at all of a scientist ever having an experience of a greater dimension beyond their senses without the assistance of an aid such as drugs.

Let’s for a moment imagine that a friend approaches you and tells you that you can have an experience beyond your wildest dreams and you are in doubt, but upon following his advice you in fact do have the experience he defined. However, what if the experience requires you to suspend a core trait that you have adopted to interpret the world? The experience may now be impossible to obtain.

I once met a woman who told me that her grand mother was beaten every time she talked in her native tongue this result in her complete inability to now talk in her native tongue even though she could understand. What you are capable of is very influenced by the environment you are exposed to. If your wrist is slapped at the very utterance that there might be a sense beyond our current physical senses, that there is a world that is not easily described in the physical realm, it will be swept away as silliness because how can it be proven? If it can not contribute to our expansion of physical knowledge, the scientist will assert, it serves no purpose.

Spirituality in all its various forms serves to try to answer the question of purpose not necessarily behavior. Science can tell you why the sky is blue but it can’t tell you why it isn’t purple. The answer to any question in science beyond a certain point is always, “That’s how it is.” Put another way, science is trying to find the path through the maze where as spirituality is trying to ask why there is a maze at all.

There is an assertion, though, that is not really explored and that is if spirituality is some form of ultimate dimension, science will ultimately bump up against it. I believe this is already starting to occur.

A 20 year old theory regarding consciousness being a quantum process which now has over 20 testable predictions found here.

A theory starting to circulate is that the origin of life follow from the fundamental rules of the universe, read more about it here.

If life and consciousness were no accident and instead they are a core part of our universe, what is the implications of that? Only time and tell.

Atheism’s Core Problem

The Atheistic belief revolves around certain philosophical arguments to justify its stance. Logically it is based on an impossibility, you cannot prove a negative. Since proving that something does not exist is an impossibility, the default is to use absurdity. Arguments such as, “Could God make a rock so heavy, that he could not lift it?” or “God is as real as a flying spaghetti monster.” All of the logical absurdity arguments are always rooted in some form of physical realm, they have to be, because it is only in the physical realm one can create a logical absurdity. If an extra dimensional entity exists it cannot be proven or disproved using basic physics. Even though as a race our understanding of the extra dimensions is increasing, the atheistic belief cannot form logical absurdities using our newly discovered knowledge because physically rooted absurdities do not hold up under our new knowledge.

One of the first monotheistic religions to exist was Judaism and it put forward the idea that God had no physical attributes what so ever. This in itself was a complex subject matter that humans in the physical realm have a hard time grasping. It is only when God appears (real or not) to manifest physically that the God concept can be attacked. These physical forms are many with not the least of which of course being religion.

However, if one is to believe in an extra dimensional entity that is present in all things then one must also accept that God is also present in Atheism and uses it as a tool for its ultimate purpose. What is presented in Atheism instead is a standing opposing character reference. Despite their unwavering need to define a godless reality, they never the less proceed to apply universal physical traits to God in order to make the concept vulnerable, in their belief, to attack. The most important universal characteristic they apply is that of God being good. This question usually takes the form of, “If God is good why does God allow this certain bad event to occur.” The logical route isn’t that God is bad, instead they force a different choice, “God is either good or does not exist.” This of course is because regardless of actual existence, the definition of God we all know and Atheism reviles and fights against anything that seems to counter our internal definition of God. Atheism leads the fight against those who use God to their own selfish gratification.

Objectively we know that suffering is good. Suffering drives us and without suffering we would not have choice. Objectivity does not seem to work with atheism when it comes to proving God. We want God to be personally self serving, if God cannot satisfy our most selfish of desires, God does not exist. However, this is important because it drives selfishness into a corner. It makes us question our very essence which is that of selfishness and selfishness seems completely incompatible with God.

Which bring us to the crux, if any application of selfishness makes God absurd or incomprehensible to us, why is that? Its because God cannot be understood in any selfish definition because an ultimate extra dimensional entity is the antithesis of selfishness. The paradox serves a specific purpose, to help us define something that is our opposite.

X+Y=2

When the big bang theory first emerged there was a lot of push back; the idea that the entire universe came from a single point seemed to elude to the concept of creation. Absolutely everything coming from a single point, that is absurd! As time passed the idea that this could be proof of a creator slowly vanished. Instead, the mere fact that we were smart enough to figure out a mechanic became a substitute for purpose.

Scientists quickly ran into problems with the theory and needed to come up with an explanation for things like the horizon problem which is why they invented inflation; a mathematical equation to justify the entire out come of the universe.

There is a fundamental problem with this and that is even if you can formulate an equation that has a proper result, it doesn’t actually mean the equation or numbers are correct. With algebra one of the first things you learn is that you can’t solve an equation with two unknowns such as X+Y=2. The result doesn’t change but X and Y can literally be anything.

As science figures out more and more they are constantly running into X+Y=2. This is why theories like the universe is a hologram are starting to emerge. This is a declaration that we are starting to hit a wall. Some will broadly prescribe a the gap God theory without starting to acknowledge some fundamental issues that are starting to emerge that are not only theoretical but also most probably improvable and without proof science is as accurate as religion.

Who will pick up the pieces as more people start to discover the difference between mechanics and purpose? The worst case scenario is religion because this would just make everything worse for everyone. We must instead focus on each other because it will only be with true collective intelligence that we can move past our limits.

Presence

The above was taken during the Lo Krathong on Yi Peng (Full Moon Day). It is a festival where wishes are made and lanterns are floated in the sky. It is a very awe inspiring experience that feels magical.

We can garner a lot of insight on certain topics by the metaphors we voluntarily choose to use. Light is associated with good and darkness is associated with evil. If we simplify, evil could be associated with absence and good could be associated with presence. If we strive to create more presence, we are doing good and if our actions are creating absence, we are doing evil. To save a life creates presence and to murder creates absence. In these two examples we are talking about a literal physical presence.

Sometimes in life we are confronted with difficult moral and ethical situations. If the issue is complex we will have internal conflict regarding selfishness vs selflessness. In our world filled with technology and shifting cultural/social norms figuring out what is right vs wrong is sometimes not as easy as we would like it to be. The answer is we should try to be as present as possible in not only our lives but the lives of other; walk a mile in their shoes so to speak.

To look at the stars is awe inspiring. To look at the stars and feel present in the universe, realizing that the atoms that make you up are as old as the universe and will persist even after your current form, can be profound. Being truly present can be very difficult but also very rewarding.

Spirituality, Grace, & Travelling

I have started travelling the world. The above picture was taken while I was in Scotland. It is an odd thing to be blessed, odder still to be given such an opportunity.

Even though I have just started the experiences I am having are giving me an insight that I don’t think I would of arrived at if I had chosen security over The Flow. My decision to want to travel I knew was a requirement in my life if I wished to practice what I preached.

The biggest insight I had was that the most powerful force in the world is not necessarily love, but grace. Love is simply a product of grace. Grace can be conducted as a choice in the presence of all emotion including anger and hate. You can absolutely hate someone but choose to treat them with grace. Everything in the world could go wrong in your life and the universe could owe you an infinite debt and you can still choose to make the debt even larger with selflessness.

I am slowly also starting to understand the reality mask which is the state most of us live our lives in. There will be moments in our lives where we feel like we are connected with the universe and then we slip on the proverbial life banana which crashes us back into reality and makes us question our previous experiences.

The objective for us all should be to leave the reality mask which does nothing but force us to live a life of bedlam. To feel connected is far superior than feeling isolated and common.

Your Days Left

As humans we tend to not face reality until it is right on top of us. We have all heard things like “live every day like it is your last” but when it comes down to it the majority of people ignore these statements. There is a good reason for this because no one actually wants to live like every day is their last; everyone wants to live forever.

However, Understanding our time on this planet will affect the decisions we make in life. To this end I have created something for us all to visualize our time in a more compelling way and it is called http://www.yourdaysleft.com. This free simple web app will allow you to see in a glance how much time you have left relative to today.

I knew while building it that I might find it shocking and I proved myself correct. Even if you are highly optimistic and set your expected life expectancy to a high number, you will still come to realize how little time we all actually have on this planet.

Spiritualism Is Not Emotionalism

Everyone is searching for something  and many people find the answers in the drugs of the world; the most pervasive of these drugs is emotion. Religion serves it up on a platter and the news exploits suffering. While discovering the overwhelming all encompassing impossible peace, that is the absolute, will certainly affect your emotional state in the world of the senses, it is merely a bi-product. An almost disgusting after taste of emotion that is only bearable because it is better than everything else.

Emotion is unpredictable and is highly dependent on our current state of affairs. It can lie to us and is susceptible to even the smallest variations in biology. The idea that these sensations which bind us to our survival in the natural world can represent the absolute is a little absurd.

Though it is absurd, that has not stopped the emergence of purveyors of emotion masking themselves as spiritualists. They re-brand standard emotional treatments like psychology as spirituality while completely ignoring the absolute. If you care about discovering the absolute, don’t accept the scams. There is something beyond emotion and beyond the shadows of the reality you perceive.