Releasing Positive Energies for Change & Growth
When a Voice in a Dream Gives You “The Answer”
{Subtitle: The Codicils: A Vision for 21st Century America & the World.}
© John W. Robinson Dream Awareness Network Oct. 6, 2020
Some definitions of the word "idea" are as follows: [1] a thought, plan, or suggestion about what to do, [2] an opinion or belief, [3] something that you imagine or picture in your mind [4] any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, mental awareness, or mental activity.
With this lead in, I want to present an idea for any explorers that are new to the world of understanding their dreams. This is the idea that you can incubate a dream by suggesting and affirming to your inner self and your conscious self that you wish to experience a dream about a certain topic or more specifically to receive an answer to a question, or to receive practical guidance in the solving of a real life problem.
This is a practice in the art of dreamwork that I have been using for over 50 years with many successes. Jane Roberts, author of the Seth material, refers to it and other practices as becoming A Dream Art Scientist. At times, the practice will take persistence to develop. But if you are disciplined in the practice it will eventually become your expectation that you will receive the information from a dream that you seek. I believe this practice illustrates the admonition to:
• Seek and you will find.
• Ask and you will receive.
• Knock and the door will be opened.
The practice is that of dream incubation, or to develop or produce a dream about that which you are incubating. One of my most recent experiences at dream incubation deals with a concern many people have with the present state of perceived chaos, confusion over a vision for the future, and a lack of a continued movement toward equality & justice for all. These are all indicators that the experiment in democracy that our American culture has been involved in for so long, appears to be evolving. But, it is not just an American experience, it is a global experience.
It is with a history of proving this method in my dreamwork and a belief in its power that one night a few weeks ago, before falling asleep, I suggested to my conscious mind, subconscious mind and inner self that I desired and expected more insight and a solution to the societal anguish and confusion that millions are experiencing at this historical time. How do we as a society move forward?
With that background, I awake from a dream that night with this action taking place. My dreaming self like my waking self is asking the question to another personality in my dream. I am aware of another personality being in the dream event even though upon awaking I could not identify that personality. What impacted me was a voice that stated very clearly – “Reread the ending of Oversoul Seven and the Museum of Time and you will discover your answer”. Awakening from this dream and the certainty of the voice in the dream, I felt that I had received the answer to my suggestion, or incubation of the ideas stated above.
Immediately upon getting out of bed, I went to the family room which now serves also as a writer’s office for me. I found the book among the many books authored by Jane Roberts, or books by others sharing their experience with the material. At last count I think it totaled about 35 volumes.
I opened the book to the section suggested by the dream voice and began reading. It did not take long before I discovered the answer to my specific request for the dream incubation.
There it was in plain sight in black & white very clearly laid out. The word is Codicils.
I knew then I had read about the Codicils, previously in the books “Psychic Politics” and “…The Museum of Time”, and at the time had an idea, that I wanted to write a blog about the Codicils because I believed them to be a touchstone in the evolution of civilization and its move toward justice and equality for all while developing humanity’s nature to it full extant.
(Moment Point Press - 2000 edition – Copyright © by Robert F. Butts
© 1976 Jane Roberts (Prentice Hall)
I will now share with you my rediscovery of the Codicils as recorded by Jane Roberts in The Oversoul Seven Trilogy and Psychic Politics. The source I begin with is the literary fiction work The Oversoul Seven Trilogy. The Trilogy was transmitted and written by Jane thru altered states of consciousness. The quotes I will use come from the 1995 Amber-Allen Publishing edition of the Trilogy, published by Robert Butts (Jane’s spouse) over 10 years after Jane’s physical death.
The following quotes are from sections of the referenced work beginning on page 538 and ending on 545 (last page in the trilogy). Open your mind to a new awareness and understanding. To set the stage, passages from the book’s last chapter follow.
“George was always embarrassed for Window when he spoke for Christ or Monarch; he couldn’t look him in the face. Grinning, he said, “the George?” “Well, I’m George anyhow.”
“I’m deeply honored,” “Monarch said.”
“He is the George, “Leona whispered mentally, and he isn’t, I can tell. Something’s …distorted.”
“And then obviously you aren’t trying to steal the Codicils,” Monarch replied to George, with relief.
“Seven interrupted.” “We’re trying to make sure that the Codicils do appear in your time. You must be dream travelers.”
…”George shook his own head. He knew that whatever Window would say was true. But how did he know”?
“Window began: “I use to speak for a personality called Monarch—as you know. Well, suddenly that consciousness and mine merged. I knew Monarch’s life and he knew mine. But his was a world that makes ours really look sick. I’ve never been so happy in my life as when I glimpsed pictures of that world through his mental images. And his world was based on completely different ideas than ours is….”
“While Oversoul Seven was so concerned with finding the Codicils, the words “the Codicils” kept sounding through Josephine’s mind. She sensed some odd familiarity as if she herself had run across that particular phrase in some significant way before. That is, she thought the words meant “appendages to a will.” Yet suppose in this connotation, they meant “appendages to the will” – to man’s will?” {My note added: In this use “man’s will” refers to mankind, or humanity’s personal will in the generic sense.}
“With no particular destination in mind, she walked up the stairs to her small study and found herself examining the piles of books stacked so neatly on the bookshelves. “The Codicils”, she muttered angrily, anxiously. As if by themselves, her hands began rummaging through the books, fingering the pages. Yet she had the odd feeling that her fingers knew what they were doing, that she had in mind some particular goal beyond her conscious knowing.”
“…She suddenly yelled out in triumph and exaltation as she found the phrase, the particular phrase that was so vital. It was in an old book, Psychic Politics, by Jane Roberts, written many years before. There it was – the blueprint for mankind’s future, the blueprint that she was now completely sure was also written in the tissues and cells of the species itself. She read quickly, triumphantly:”
CODICILS
(Alternate hypotheses as a base for private and public experience)
1. “All of creation is sacred and alive, each part connected to each other part, and each communicating in a creative cooperative commerce in which the smallest and the largest are equally involved.”
2. “The physical senses present one unique version of reality, in which being is perceived in a particular dimensionalized sequence, built up through neurological patterning, and is the result of one kind of neurological focus. There are alternate neurological routes, biologically acceptable, and other sequences so far not chosen.”
3. “Our individual self government and our political organizations are by-products of sequential perception, and our exterior methods of communication set up patterns that correlate with, and duplicate, our synaptic behavior. We lock ourselves into certain structures of reality in this way.”
4. “Our sequential prejudiced perception is inherently far more flexible than we recognize, however. There are half steps – other unperceived impulses – that leap the nerve ends, too fast and too slow for our usual focus. Recognition of these can be learned and encouraged, bringing in perceptive data that will trigger changes in usual sense response, filling out potential sense spectra with which we are normally not familiar.”
5. “This greater possible sense spectrum includes increased perception of inner bodily reality in terms of cellular identity and behavior; automatic conscious control of bodily processes; and increased perception of exterior conditions as the usual senses become more vigorous. (Our sight, for example, is not nearly as efficient as it could be. Nuances of color, texture, and depth could be expanded and our entire visual area attains a brilliance presently considered exceptional or supernormal.)”
“Josephine’s glance slid down the page. The Codicils were followed by comments by the author. There was a paragraph called Comments on the Codicils. It seemed to apply to Codicil #1 and to the five Codicils in general at the same time. She read the pertinent passages quickly and impatiently.”
COMMENTS ON CODICILS
“Acceptance of these first codicils would expand practical knowledge of the self, break down barriers that are the result of our prejudiced perception, and restructure personal, social, and political life.”
“Concepts of the self and practical experience of the self must be broadened if the species is to develop its true potentials. Only an evolution of consciousness can alter the world view that appears to be our official line of consciousness.”
I, John, will digress from quoting from the book and say to the reader of this blog that there are two more pages of Comments on the Codicils that are a must for reading and understanding if you hold the view I do that our culture and the world needs to change its current direction, or the survival of mankind as we know it may be in jeopardy. I encourage you from my heart, to seek, find, read, and become aware of these Codicils. The realization of your human potential may be at stake. Now I am returning to quoting from the book to bring this blog to an ending.
“…George the First cried out: “Zounds, what luck!”
“You’ll never know,” Seven whispered to George mentally. “Goodbye, dear friend, at least for now.” He grinned and added, “It’s been a –uh—super relationship. You succeeded in your pursuits far better than you know.”
And Seven knew that it was all right, that everything was all right, always had been all right, that it had only been their anxieties and doubts that ever made it all seem wrong. They were all couched and safe, forever secure, forever jubilant at the heart of their own beings. There was never anything to be afraid of, if only they trusted the great sweet security that forever held the vitality of their beings, for they were all truly splendid, a part of a loving universe that cradled them forever in a safety and love literally beyond all comprehension.”
In closing this great example of the type of information you may get when you choose to incubate a dream, I encourage you to follow my lead. You may become aware of a new worldview that may be in your future now. A future governed by the CODICILS discussed in the two books referenced. Or, you may just become aware of the power of your dreams for releasing dramatic changes in your life. Either way the process is a win-win situation.
Look for more blogs on this site in the future expanding on these Codicil concepts while being related to my personal dreams and experiences or related to the dreams or experiences of others.
(Note: Incubation image courtesy of C4DL Lab)
Appendix
The Codicils were first received by Jane Roberts from her mental library and published in her book Psychic Politics-An Aspect Psychology Book, published in 1976. The Codicils I share above were included at the end of the third book of the Oversoul Seven Trilogy, Oversoul Seven and the Museum of Time, a fiction novel. This is the reference to which my dream voice first led me, pointing me in the direction of the answer to my question. Jane published the first book of the trilogy The Education of Oversoul Seven in 1973. In 1979 The Further Education of Oversoul Seven was published. The last book of the trilogy Oversoul Seven and the Museum of Time was published in 1984.
In the book Psychic Politics, chapter 21, Jane shares how she received the Codicils. She describes the source as a type of psychic library.
“…Finally one morning as I sat at my table, I saw the library transposed against the living room wall. My double sat there, reading a book. At the same time, the word “codicil” kept coming into my mind again. I heard it mentally, at first faintly and then it sounded louder and louder until I wrote the word down and waited. Then I knew that the material to come represented an alternate model for civilization to follow, and that I was transcribing my book from one depicting such a model—a model that we hadn’t chosen in the past. The codicils would represent a fresh hypothesis upon which to build a new, better civilization.”
As Jane reflected and expanded on what she was receiving, she suddenly realized:
“That the rest of the book would deal with an alternate model for civilization to follow based on the codicils I had just received and others to follow”. … “The rest of the material came very rapidly, and I found myself caught up in a vision of the world far different than the one we know.”
“The codicils, followed, would lead to a government as natural, orderly, and spontaneous as the seasons in which each individual brings personhood to fulfillment to the best of his or her ability, and in so doing automatically plays a potent role in the development of the entire society. Such a civilization would be based upon the following codicils, added to those already given.”
Additional Codicils
1. Each person is a unique version of an inner model that is itself a bank of potentials, variations, and creativity. The psyche is a seed of individuality and selfhood, cast in space-time but ultimately independent of it.
2. We are born in many times and places, but not in a return of identity as we understand it; not as a copy in different clothes, but as a new self ever-rising out of the psyche’s life as the new ruler rises to the podium or throne, in a psychic politics as ancient as humanity.
3. Civilizations both past and present represent projections of inner selfhood, and mirror the state of the mass psyche at any given time. We hold memory and knowledge of past civilizations as we hold unconscious memories of our private early current life experiences.
4. From our present, we exert force upon the past as well as the future, forming our ideas of the past and reacting accordingly. We actually project events into our own new past.
5. Each generation forms a new past, one that exists as surely as the present, not just an imaginary construct but as a practical platform—a newly built past—upon which we build a present.
6. Options and alternate models for selfhood and civilization exist in a psychic pattern of probabilities from which we can choose to actualize an entirely new life system.
And so, just as a dream can have a false awakening; an experience where you think you have awakened from a dream and begin reflecting on it, only to find out you are still dreaming when your consciousness in the dream gives you a clue pointing toward that fact; - I will now have a second ending to this report with a quote from Seth (Jane’s teacher) used as the closing to Jane’s book Psychic Politics.
“I am a poor imitation of the voices of your own psyches to which you do not listen. I will be un-needed, and gladly so, when you realize that the vitality and reinforcement and joy are your own, and rise from the fountain of your own beings; when you realize that you do not need me for protection, for there is nothing you need protect yourself against.”
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The Power of Suggestion ; An Aspect of Natural Hypnosis
| Posted on January 6, 2015 at 8:02 PM |
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The Power of Suggestion: An Aspect of Natural Hypnosis Repeated suggestion, whether from
outside sources or from your own conscious mind as self suggestion will have a hypnotic effect on your subconscious
mind and will establish neurological patterns within the body itself. These conditions once created can be either
impeding or empowering depending upon the nature of the suggestion. We must
realize that even repeated subtle suggestions can play a powerful role in our
lives. Only through increased awareness and monitoring our thoughts and verbal
expressions can we begin to understand this phenomenon. The real understanding comes when we can
identify and change limiting core beliefs and all impeding beliefs attached to
the core beliefs. Suggestion can then be used in an empowering way. We are continuously employing Natural Hypnosis to help create the life
we think we want for ourselves and all humanity. This is done naturally through the
power of suggestion. This discussion on
suggestion is a preliminary discussion that goes with 3 other posts and
associated exercises dealing with Natural Hypnosis. The other posts are:
1. You
are Your Own Hypnotist 2. Accepting Desired New Beliefs 3. Which
You, Which World For each of these summaries,
there is an exercise that if done as outlined, can be a tool to help you
achieve any New Year Resolution that you are serious about. Any goal you
select, that is in harmony with your life purpose and personal blueprint
for life, can be achieved if the proper tools are applied.
I could spend time filling a lot
of space with words, sharing my personal experiences with suggestion over the
past 50 or so years that enhanced my understanding of me, and my world, but
this paper is not for that purpose. Instead, I will share the wisdom from a
couple of my “teachers”.
First, a few passages from one of the books that was empowering for me in my past
studies regarding the understanding of the “mind”, and my mind in particular regarding suggestion. I
will then share several passages from various sessions of the Seth material
that was received and written by Jane Roberts and Robert Butts during the
period 1964-1984, as Jane received the material from an “Educator” known as Seth. I can’t stress enough the importance of
understanding the role of suggestive
self- talk that we all engage in, that sooner or later; helps mold our
bodies, health, relationships, and all other aspects of our existence. So, to
begin: 
“You must realize by now that
your conscious mind is the “watchman at the gate,” and its chief function is
to protect your subconscious mind from false impressions. You are now aware of
one of the basic laws of mind: Your subconscious mind is amenable to
suggestion. As you know, your subconscious mind does not make comparisons, or
contrast, neither does it reason or think things out for itself. This latter
function belongs to your conscious mind. It does not show a preference for one
course of action over another. It is true that different people will react in
different ways to the same suggestion because of their subconscious
conditioning or belief.
The dictionary says that a suggestion is the act or instance of
putting something into one’s mind, the mental process by which the thought or
idea suggested is entertained, accepted, or put into effect. You must
remember that a suggestion cannot impose something on the subconscious mind
against the will of the conscious mind. In other words, your conscious mind has
the power to reject the suggestion given.
Each of us has their own inner
fears, beliefs, opinions, and these inner assumptions rule and governs our
lives. A suggestion has no power in and of itself except it is accepted
mentally by you. This causes your subconscious powers to flow in a limited and
restricted way according to the nature of the suggestion.” The above passage in quotes is
from the book The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy
(1963). Next, I will share several
passages from the Seth material. This will provide a frame of reference to
understand the impact of the other posts dealing with Natural Hypnosis and how to use it to make dramatic and positive
changes in your life. The source books
and sessions from the Seth material will be listed at the end. “Now, we will discuss what you call
suggestion in more practical terms, for your particular uses, It is necessary
that its basic nature be understood. The ego simply cannot judge, as a rule,
whether an action is a constructive or an impeding one, for the personality as
a whole. It can judge however, for
itself whether an action is a constructive one, or one that impedes.”  “First of all, the unconscious is
not a sponge, indiscriminately accepting material regardless of the
considerations of your conscious self. All beliefs or suggestions are first
sifted through your conscious mind, and only those you accept are then
permitted their penetration into the other areas of the self.”
“Your beliefs act like a
hypnotist. As long as the particular directions are given, your “automatic”
experience will conform. One suggestion that can break through this is: “I create my reality and the present is my point of power.” "If
you do not like the effects of a belief you must alter it, for no manipulations
of exterior conditions themselves will release you. If you truly
understand your power of action and decision in the present, then you will not
be hypnotized by past events. In a manner of speaking, then, the suggestions
you give yourselves constantly operate overall as beliefs that are reflected in
your experience. “ “Many, who make a practice of
“denying” negative suggestions from others, asserting positive affirmations instead,
actually do so because they are so fully convinced that the power of negative
beliefs is stronger than that of beneficial ones.” “Much has been written about the
nature and importance of suggestion. One of the current ideas in vogue holds
that you are constantly at the mercy of suggestion. Your own beliefs are the
most important suggestions that you receive. All other ideas are rejected or
accepted according to whether or not you believe they are true, in line with
the steady conscious chatter that goes own within your mind most of the day –
the suggestions given to you by yourself.”
“You will accept a suggestion
given by another only if it fits in with your own ideas about the nature of
reality in general, and your concepts about yourself in particular. If you use
your conscious mind properly, then, you examine those beliefs that come to you.
You do not accept them willy-nilly. If you use your conscious mind
properly, you are also aware of intuitive ideas that come to you from within.” “Your beliefs automatically
attract the appropriate emotions. They reinforce themselves through
imagination; imagination and feeling follow your beliefs. It is not the other
way around. A brief innocuous enough
example – If you meet an individual often enough and think, “They give me a
pain in the neck,” it is surely no coincidence that you find yourself with a
painful neck in future encounters with this person. The suggestion is quite
a conscious one, however, given by you and carried out not
symbolically but most practically, most literally. In other words, the
conscious mind gives its orders and the inner self carries them out. The inner
self brings about whatever results the conscious mind desires.”
“You constantly give yourself
suggestions about your body, your health or ill health. You think about your
body often, then. You send a barrage of beliefs and instructions to the inner
self that affect your physical image. Your thoughts have a very definite vital
reality. Beliefs are thoughts reinforced by imagination and emotion concerning
the nature of your reality.” Repeated thoughts then, are repeated suggestions. For example, “When you say, “I am
tired,” mentally you are not only giving silent messages to yourself – I say
messages rather than message because the general statement is broken down; many
portions of the body must be affected before you feel tired – but inside
this the inner sound value of the messages automatically affects the body in
just that way.” “What should you do, then, if you
find yourself feeling tired? This is your conscious assessment of your body’s
reality at a given time. You want to change it so you do not reinforce
it. Instead you say mentally that "the body can now begin to rest and refresh
itself". You take your initial judgment for granted without restating it,
and instead, suggest the remedy to be carried out (positively).”  “You can if the conditions
warrant, physically rest by lying down or making whatever adjustments seem
appropriate. If none are possible then several such suggestions – that the body
can refresh itself – will give you benefit. To tell yourself over and over that
you are tired, however, reinforces the condition. The inner sound value of the
countering suggestion automatically begins to refresh the body. “ The Seth material contends that
every thought, or suggestion, that we entertain, has an impact on our body and
affects our health. Happy, empowering, or peaceful thoughts can help keep us
healthy, while fearful, limiting, or negative thoughts can help bring on
disease. The material also says that we all send and receive suggestions
telepathically that affect us unconsciously.
“You must
understand that telepathy operates constantly. If you continually expect an individual to
behave in a particular manner, you are constantly sending them telepathic
suggestions that they will do so. Each individual reacts to suggestion according
to the specific conditions existing at the time.”
“An individual
will to some extent or another act according to mass suggestions they receive. These mass suggestions include not only those
given to them by others, both verbally and telepathically, but also those given
to themselves both in the waking and dream states. If an individual is in a
state of despondency, this is because they have already become prey to negative
suggestions of their own and from others.”
 “If you see
someone and think that they look miserable – or that they are an incurable
drunk, then these suggestions are picked up by them subconsciously, though you have
not spoken a word, and in their already weakened condition the suggestions will
be accepted and acted upon.”
“If on the other
hand, under the same circumstances, you stop yourself and say gently to
yourself, “They will begin to feel better
now”, or,” their drinking is temporary
and there is indeed hope here”, then you have given them aid, for the
suggestions will at least represent some small telepathic ammunition to help
them fight off the war of despondency.”
“There are
obviously ways in which you mold your own conditions, protect yourself from
your own negative suggestions and those of others. You must learn to erase a
negative thought or picture by replacing it with its opposite. “
A phrase which
can help here is one I learned several decades ago (can’t remember now just
where I picked it up). Whenever you catch yourself making a negative comment
about yourself or another, just say to yourself, “Stop, Erase, Rewind, Rephrase”; and turn the suggestion into a
positive and helpful one.
“If you think “I have a headache”, and if you do not
replace this suggestion by a positive one, then you are automatically
suggesting that the body set up those conditions that will result in the
continuation of the malady. “You should tell yourself frequently, “I will only react to constructive
suggestions”, for this gives you some protection against your own negative
thoughts and those of others. A negative
thought, if not erased, will almost certainly result in a negative condition; a
momentary despondency, or a headache, according to the intensity of the
thought.”
“If you do find
yourself with a headache, say immediately “That
is the past. Now in this new moment, this new present, I am already beginning
to feel better”. Then, immediately turn your attention away from the physical
condition. Concentrate upon something pleasant, or begin a new task. In this way
you are no longer suggesting that the body reproduce the headache conditions.”
“It does not do to
repress negative thoughts; such as fears, angers, or resentments. These should
be recognized, faced, and then replaced.”
Remember, thoughts are suggestions! To protect us from unwanted
effects, a suggestion daily like “I live in a safe world; infinite intelligence
guides me and protects in all ways in everything I experience”, will counter
the negative suggestions that may be thrown our way.
Even though I could bring into the discussion other areas
where suggestions play a big role, like over- all health, dream recall, or even the experience of astral travel, I will close with
some thoughts from the Seth material that have far reaching effects on the
world.
“There is an enchanting
suggestion, solemnly repeated many times, particularly after the turn of the
last century” (1900):
“Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” - The suggestion is from the work
of the French psychotherapist, Emile Coue, (1857 – 1926).
“This might sound a bit overly optimistic, though maybe delightful,
nonsense. To a degree, however, that suggestion worked for millions of people.
It was not a cure-all. It did not help those who believed in the basic un-trustworthiness
of their own natures. The suggestion was far from a bit of fluff, however, for
it could serve – and it did – as a framework about which new beliefs could
rally. " “We often have in your society
the opposite suggestion, however, given quite regularly: “Every day, in every
way, I am growing worse, and so is the world.” "You have meditations for
disaster, beliefs that invite private and mass tragedies. They are usually
marked by the polite clothing of conventional acceptance. Many thousands may die in a
particular battle of war, for example. The deaths are accepted almost as a
matter of course.  These are victims of war, without question. It seldom
occurs to anyone that these are victims of beliefs – since the guns are
quite real, and the bombs, and the combat. The enemy is obvious. His
intentions are evil. Wars are basically examples of mass suicide – embarked
upon, however, with all of the battles paraphernalia, carried out through mass
suggestion, and through the nation’s greatest resources, by men who are
convinced that the universe is unsafe, that the self cannot be trusted, and
that strangers are always hostile. You take for granted that the species is
aggressively combative. You must out-think the enemy nation before you yourself
are destroyed. These paranoiac
tendencies are largely hidden beneath man’s nationalistic banners.
“The end justifies the means.”
This is another belief, most damaging. Religious wars always have paranoiac
tendencies, for the fanatic always fears conflicting beliefs, and systems that
embrace them." The power of suggestion can fruitfully, and practically be employed in your Dream Work also. That is another topic to address in a separate posting soon. Thank you for staying with this one till the end! The Seth material book references
are: The Nature of Personal Reality: by Jane Roberts – Sessions 615,623, 658 (1974) The Individual and the Nature
of Mass Events: by Jane Roberts – Session 835 (1981) The Seth Material: by Jane Roberts - Chapter 13 (1970) Don't let the publishing dates mislead you. The material is as current today as it was when it was published. In my opinion, it is the best broad spectrum explanation of Reality I have come across. There have been many teachers through out the centuries. Seth summarizes and expands a view of reality that is dearly needed today as we approach the mid 21st century. Some current influential teachers feel civilization is at a crisis point, a turning point, a monumental decision point - "Are we going to grow, or die as a civilization"! I believe the Seth material shows us a path that leads to growth and expansion of consciousness. It can lead us to engage in "An Experiment That Has Never Been Tried" since the beginning of our civilization (the topic of another future posting).. Now, read the other 3 summaries
listed above, on this blog page www.DreamAwarenessNetwork.org /blog and
experience the respective exercises. You will be on your way to a healthy,
happy and prosperous 2015, and life. Namaste' |
What Is Consciousness?
| Posted on June 1, 2014 at 10:27 PM |
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Consciousness- What is it? How does it work? Where does it come from? It may help to think of how mathematics is organized
and develops, as an analogy to understanding the concepts discussed here. It is not probable that you could understand
higher math concepts without first acquiring an understanding of the lower
level math processes.  If you have ever studied math to the level of
differential equations, you know that before you can understand the subject,
you must have a good grasp of the many theorems and laws developed in studying
calculus. And before understanding calculus as a scientific problem solving
tool, you must have acquired the knowledge of algebra, geometry and trigonometry.
But, you cannot really understand geometry, trig and algebra with having a
working knowledge of basic arithmetic and being able to start that
understanding through the ability to count using numbers. The better you
understand each successive level of math, the better able you are to progress
and use it as a problem solving tool. Acquiring the process enables you to
count cookies or to begin a journey to mars with the certainty that you will
get there. Keeping with the “technical” theme, the same progression is true of
the study and application of physics or any of the sciences. With each subject,
there are relationships and patterns of organization that you must learn in
order to grasp a workable understanding of the body of knowledge.If math or physics is not your preferred analogy,
think of how your body is put together. I presume that most people have a basic
understanding of the organization of their body. The physical body as a whole
is an organization of major organs and delivery systems such as blood systems,
lymph systems and the electrical system.
There are also “less physical” systems such as information storage,
thinking, intuition, dreaming, and consciousness. In just considering the
physical aspects of the body, we can develop a similar analogy. The organs and delivery systems are all composed of
cells organized in specific arrangements with very specific relationships
shared among them. Let something interfere with the relationships and
organizations, and you may experience a cut finger, the common cold or even a
life threatening disease. All the cells that are the building blocks for the
organs and delivery systems of the body are composed of similar relationships
and organizations of molecules. It is the working together for the greater
good, of all these molecules collectively, that allows the organs and delivery
systems to perform their function and do their task of sustaining life. We can’t stop with the molecules. These structures are
built up from very specific arrangements and relationships of atoms that are in
a cooperative venture to maintain stability in bonding and the structure of the
molecules, the building blocks that compose the cells - that make up the organs
and delivery systems of the physical body. We now know that science has
verified that within months or just a very few years, every atom in the body is
replaced with an atom that was once external to your body. This poses the
question: How does the cell retain the memory of what its role is in the life
process, when all of its constituent parts are constantly being replaced?  We aren't finished with the body analogy until we
travel inside the atom and find that it too consists of other smaller units
such as electrons, protons and neutrons that must remain in a specific
relational arrangement in order to maintain stability. Let a certain mass event
occur with a sufficient collection of specific atoms of an element such as
uranium 235 or plutonium and you have an atomic fission bomb. A mass of uranium
235, smaller than a bowling ball, is what destroyed the entire city of
Hiroshima in Japan toward the end of WW-2, when the energy was released through such
a “mass event”. With this event, as Einstein postulated, the world found out
there was indeed a relationship between material mass and energy. This
relationship was stated as being proportional to the square of the speed of
light (186,000 miles/second squared); became the most famous equation discussed for
many decades and even now. But, as
physicists discovered, there are even smaller building blocks that make up the
protons and neutrons that are in the nucleus of the atom. This peering deeper
and deeper into the atomic structure soon reveals that the apparent beginning
of these particles is no more than pure energy that is not physical at all,
even though the reference at the lowest level is still to “particles”. Not only
that, but empty space is theorized to be full of this non physical “dark”
energy. It is labeled dark energy because it is unseen. It must be there,
scientists say, for the universe to make sense given their level of knowledge
and the equations developed. This finally brings me to the present point, where I
wish to start this discussion of what is consciousness? Most of the wording in
this discussion will follow closely to the Seth view of reality as expressed in
several of the volumes published by Jane Roberts, who was probably the 20
century’s most interesting mystic and psychic. It was Jane Roberts who brought
the world the body of wisdom and knowledge known as the Seth material. Specific
volumes that were sources for this information will be listed in the end notes.
The Seth view of reality differs from the typical religious or scientific worldviews
of reality, how it came into existence and how it functions. I will go into the
contrast between this discussion and the dominant religious creation story and
the scientific “big bang” & random events views of reality in another
paper. Most people are aware of the basics of the conventional religious views
and the popularly held scientific or evolutionary views. I might add that even
today they started out as a theory and the beginnings of each remain as
theories that have never been proven. It cannot be proven scientifically that our world was
created by a god who set it into motion, but remained outside of its dominion.
Nor can it be proven scientifically that the creation of the world was the
result of a chance occurrence (the big bang) though it is said to be deduced
from observation – so, I will not be able to prove what I am going to share
with you either. Not in usual terms. The explanations you are about to read
will give certain hints and clues, that will show you where to look for
subjective evidence as we live our lives through our own subjective knowing. Some
say perception is reality. There are a couple of suggestions I have that will
help in understanding this material. The first is to let your mind be “open”
for new possibilities and to “suspend
disbelief”, if only for a while, in the impossibility of what is shared.
Allow for the possibility of these ideas to be valid, even as the other
“officially” accepted religious and scientifically based views about reality,
which many people have held on to, were assumed valid and not questioned by
most people for so long. Indeed, some beliefs currently held may have to be
changed or eliminated in order for the deeper implications of this material to
sink in. Allow for the importance of not only our intellect, but also the
importance of our dreams, impulses and intuitions that speak to us of a greater
inner reality that we can indeed experience and practically use in our lives to
guide us and to help us solve practical problems. So, let us begin
with an alternate view of reality as explained in much detail in the collected
volumes of the Seth material published by Jane Roberts (and her spouse Robert
Butts) and New Awareness Networks Inc. that took up the continued publication
of previously unpublished material upon Jane’s death in 1984. The original
manuscripts of Jane’s are kept alive today through Amber-Allen Publishing Inc.  Yale University has in its archives, copies of all of the volumes of material
that was produced over a 20 year period by Jane Roberts. Jane has been referred
to as one of the 20th century’s greatest mystics and psychics, who lived at a
time when the material was shunned by most religious, scientific and
educational institutions. With my paraphrasing added in many places for
clarity, let us contemplate on what Seth shared with the world through Jane and
Rob; and Jane’s ESP classes that she taught for about 11 years in Elmira, New
York. Consciousness Is the Vitalizing Force Behind the Physical
Universe “There is a basic unit of consciousness, that
expressed, will not be broken down, as once it was thought that an atom was the
smallest unit and could not be broken down. The basic unit of consciousness obviously is not
physical. It contains within itself innately infinite prospects of expansion, development and
organization; yet within its self always maintains the kernel of its own
individuality. Despite whatever organizations it becomes a part of, or how it
mixes with other such basic units, its own identity is not annihilated. The basic unit of consciousness (CU for consciousness
unit) is the source of all other kinds of consciousnesses, and the varieties of
its activities are infinite. It is aware energy, identified within its self as
its self, not “personified”, but “awarized”. The basic unit of consciousness
(CU) combines with others of its kind, forming then units of consciousness – as
atoms and molecules combined to form various structures. This CU is endowed
with unpredictability, which allows for infinite patterns and fulfillments. The
organizations of consciousness “grow” even as cells grow into organs of the
body and delivery systems within the body. Each “particle” of consciousness is dependent on every
other. The strength of one adds to the strength of all. The weakness of one
weakens the whole. The energy of one recreates the whole. The striving of one increases the potentially
of ALL THAT IS, and this
places great responsibility upon every other consciousness. As used in the Seth
material, All That Is, is the GOD concept, but described in an entirely
different way. Consciousness forms its own organizations and psychic
interactions, such as precognition, clairvoyance and telepathy at all levels. Any consciousness automatically tries to express
itself in all probable directions, and does so. In so doing it will
experience ALL THAT IS through its
own being, though interpreted, of course, through that familiar reality of its
own. The structure of probabilities deals with parallel experience on
all levels. Your consciousness picks and chooses to accept as real, the results
of, and ramifications of, only certain overall purposes, desires, or intents.
You follow these through a time structure. Your focus allows other
just-as-legitimate experience to become invisible or unfelt. Consciousness is
able to hold its own sense of identity by accepting one probability, one
physical life, for example, and maintaining its identity through a lifetime. From the seemingly “chaotic” bed of your dreams,
springs your ordered daily organized action. In your reality, the behavior of
your consciousness and of your molecules is highly connected. Your type of
consciousness presupposes a molecular consciousness, and your kind of
consciousness is inherent in molecular consciousness – inherent within your
system, but not basically predictable. Now, a quick review of the CU’s, or basic units of
consciousness: · The CU’s are
endowed with unpredictability. · The very
unpredictability of the CU’s allows for infinite patterns and fulfillments. · The very nature
of these CU’s is the vitalizing force behind everything in our physical
universe, and all other universes as well. · CU’s attempt to expresses
themselves in all probable directions. Some additional advanced attributes of the CU’s are: · CU’s can indeed
appear in several places at once, and without going through space, in your
terms. · Literally, these
CU’s can be in all places at once. · The CU’s will
not be recognized. They will always appear as something else. · CU’s move faster
than the speed of light! · There are many
millions of CU’s in just one atom. ·Each CU is aware
of the reality of all others; and influences all others. · In our terms,
these CU’s can move forward or backward in time! It seems to me, that these CU’s postulated by Seth In
the 1960’s, may be the “God particle” that physicists have been searching for,
and theorize they may have discovered through high energy collisions in
the CERN particle accelerator, near Geneva, Switzerland, used to do research
into the basic structure of matter. It may not surprise you that Seth’s main formula to
rival Einstein’s is that E = M = C; or Consciousness is equal to energy, is
equal to matter; consciousness and
energy and matter are all one - More on this rule later. Maybe you are
beginning to realize the fact that there is more creativity and variety in the
unknown reality than you ever physically perceived. The CU’s do not have human characteristics of course.
They do however; possess their own “inclinations”, or leanings or “propensities”.
They are not clumps of “idle” energy. They are vitalized, aware and charged
with all the qualifications of being. All psychological structures are composed
of such organizations, however long or short lived in our terms. They are
innately endowed with the desire or propensity for growth and creative
organization. They are not found alone in isolation. They grow out of themselves.
Think if you will of the word “soul”.
Unfortunately, this word has been so used in regard to our species, that it
becomes highly difficult to unravel the conceptual difficulties surrounding the
word “soul”. Using usual definitions, we would call a soul the result of a
certain organization of these basic units of consciousness (CU’s), which we
would recognize as a “soul”. The
conscious mind is a vehicle for the expression of the soul or psyche in
corporeal terms. This then leads to the inevitable questions: ·
Do animals have
souls? ·
Do trees have
souls? ·
Do rocks have
souls? ·
Does the earth
have a soul? So, in line with the usual definition of “souls” given
above, the smallest CU would be called “soul stuff”. This view point however is
highly limited, for “above us”, using the usual scale of things, there are
other more developed organizations of these units; and so from that “more
exalted viewpoint”, we would seem to be junior souls indeed.  The complex nature of other animal consciousness
escapes you completely. And when you compare your technologies, learning,
logical thought and cultures and arts; with what you understand of animal
experience, there seems no doubt that you are superior and “The Flower of
Evolution” – that all other kinds of life are topped by your existence. But,
you have been closed to the intricate, voluptuous, sensuous, social experience
of the animals, or even the plants – not being able to perceive that different
kind of biological emotion and belonging; that rich sensual identification with
earth, and you have been cut off from a biologically oriented culture that is
everywhere part and parcel of both plant and animal life. You are a part of
that also, but the conscious mind, with its own specifications, cannot
manipulate with that kind of knowledge. There is no such thing as nonliving
matter. You interpret animal behavior according to your own beliefs. Since it is the beliefs of the conscious mind
that regulates the involuntary bodily motions and the entire physical system,
then contradictory beliefs obviously set up adverse physical reactions and
imbalances in the body.” Now that we have reviewed some of the basic
preliminary concepts, in what may seem to be a simplified manner, we can go a
little deeper in understanding how consciousness functions. The Universe is Always Being Created at Every Moment  “All matter is based upon these units of
consciousness, with their unpredictability and their propensity for exploring
all probabilities. If this is true, then obviously “you” are normally aware of
only one small probable portion of your self – and this portion you protect as
your identity. If you think of it as simply a focus taken by “your” greater
identity, then you will be able to follow as we continue our discussion. The
focus that each of us has is valid and indeed inviolate. You are conscious of
this portion of your greater self that is your identity in physical
reality. What you think of as daily life is then a focus upon certain probable
events above others, a choosing of significances, and a selection of pattern. In each now-moment or the present, you draw from the
vast bank of unpredictable actions certain ones that are “significant” to you;
and your private idea of significance will result in what seems to be
predictable action. (Side note: the NSA is currently collecting meta-data on
every individual in hopes of being able to model this selection process that
leads to individual actions.) Propensity
then is a selection of significance, an inclination toward the formation of selected
experience. This applies on all levels; atomic, psychological, biological
stimulus as well as mental intent. You have a greater reality outside of your context,
yet a part of it is inside your context, as “you”. Your “youness”
is your significance, a focus of awareness, conscious of itself, that seeks out
and views experience with its own unique propensities. Your greater reality
obviously transcends both your births and your deaths. Your soul has eternal validity! The Greek word psyche can be translated
to the word soul. There are then, probabilities quite present, and for
that matter biologically practical, that would allow for a change in individual
consciousness so great, as to literally propel the race into another level of
experience entirely. But, always remember that in the life you know, your
beliefs act to specify the particular probable events that will become “real”
for you.  You cannot separate your beliefs about reality from the reality that
you experience. That is, your beliefs about reality form it. Your ideas about
what is possible and what is not possible are reflected in all areas of your
life. So, the harder you work to maintain a belief in the “officially accepted”
ideas of the self and the world, in conventional limiting terms, the more you
block out any kind of unpredictability – the more you block out growth, change
and expansion of consciousness. Consciousness Flowers Out In All Directions Continuing, we have called the basic units of
consciousness CU’s. From the CU’s, EE units are formed, and the first roots of
physical matter were sent out into the world. EE units or electromagnetic
energy units are described by Seth as: ·
Emanations
basically arising from consciousness. ·
The invisible
breath of consciousness. ·
Emanations that
are emotional tones. ·
Units which are
just beneath the range of physical matter. ·
Just one form
that emotional energy takes. There are many ranges and great varieties of such EE
units, all existing beyond your perceptive reach. To lump them together in such
a way, however, is misleading, for within all of this there is great order.
These units, though moving faster than the speed of light, slow down, in our
terms, as they approach physical structure. Electrons are slow dullards in
comparisons with EE units for example. It goes without saying that these units of
consciousness (EE units) are “mental”. But, from their inner organization all physical forms emerge. Certain intensities are built up of unit organization even before the smallest
physical particle, or even invisible “physical particle exists. These units
form what you think of as the mind, around which the structure of the brain is
formulated. These units permeate the brain. The great communication system
within the body itself is dependent upon the constant inner flux and flow of
these units. On one level the body’s
very survival is largely determined by the unit’s propensities for selectivity
and significance. Only because these
units (EE) have their source outside of space and time is the present corporal
reality a triumph of probabilities.  The mind, which is not physically represented in the
material body, does exist electrically. The brain, which does exist physically,
is a part of the mind in the electric structure. To study the human body from
only the physical standpoint, or to consider it as exclusively a physical
phenomenon, is to severely limit your perception of it, and of reality as a
whole. To study psychology exclusively in terms of the brain’s effect upon the
physical body is likewise hampering and limiting, for the brain is merely that
portion of, that very small portion, of the mind which is apparent within
matter. Within your physical field the brain is subject to the laws of your
field. The mind, having its existence within the scope of the physical field
but independentof it, is a
much more fruitful subject for study. These units of consciousness, being independent of
space and time, form your cellular structure and that structure deals in a most
basic manner with the nature of probabilities.Your cellular structure then has
a cellular consciousness. The cells then have the ability to precognate,
or to acquire future information that cannot be deduced from presently
available and normally acquired sense-based information. Further, this implies
that although the body appears permanent and in existence from one moment to
the next, basically it constantly rises out of the bed of probabilities, hovering at your now-point of perception and experience. Its apparent
stability is dependent upon the knowledge of “future” probabilities as well as
past ones. Following this line of thought then, you also have a body
consciousness. The cellular consciousness experiences itself as eternal,
though to you the cells have a brief life. But those cells are aware of the
body’s history, in your terms, and in a much more familiar fashion than you are
aware of the earth’s history. Your present then is the result of your own poised
consciousness, choosing its perception and the nature of its life from a field
that is sometimes predictable, only because of the greater area of organization
available to it. Your present is a poised balance affected as much by the
probable future as the probable past.” There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. - Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio “You view the fantastic variety of physical life – its animal, insects,
birds, fish, humans, and all the works of humans – with hardly a qualm; yet you
must understand that the nature of consciousness itself is far
more varied, and you must learn to think of an inner reality that
is as infinite as the exterior one. These concepts alone do alter your present
consciousness, and change it in some degree. The present conventional idea of a soul, held by many, is a “primitive
idea” that can scarcely begin to explain the creativity or reality from
which the “human” being comes. You are multidimensional persons. Yet you exist
in many times and places at once. Simultaneously you exist as one person. This does not deny the
independence of the other persons, but your inner reality straddles their
reality, while it also serves as a psychic world in which they can grow. Reincarnation simply represents
probabilities in a time context.
All consciousness, in all its forms, exists at once. Your conventional
idea of one soul, one self, forms a significance and a selectivity that blinds
you to these other realities that are as much “here and now” as your present
self. The units of consciousness that compose
your physical being alone are aware of those greater significances, to which
your limited ideas and beliefs make you opaque. The body’s innate knowledge then, will try to translate itself often into
psychological activity that
may result in hunches, premonitions and so forth. The physical senses may then
be used to clarify the message.
According to your beliefs, you may interpret such data in any manner of
ways. Because such experiences may not be accepted or recognized as “officially accepted” activity, because
of your beliefs, they may appear frightening. You may assign them to “spirits”
or disembodied personalities, but in such a way that they are thrown together
in a confusing mass of dogma or superstition.
You may be “guilty” of using “prejudiced
perception”. If you understood to begin with that you are a spirit, and therefore free of space and time
yourself, then you could at least consider the possibility that some such
messages were coming to you from other portions of your own reality.  While inhabited by the usual human
consciousness, the living body operates as an intense focus point. The
conglomeration of consciousnesses within it on all levels focuses its own
network of communication. This private network is connected to all others
like it. There are levels of attractions
then simply between all bodies, electromagnetically and biologically. The network is more far reaching than that
even. Not only can all cells respond to each other, but their mass activity
triggers even higher centers of consciousness to respond to a given set of
world conditions, rather than to other quite-as-legitimate world conditions
that do not fit the accepted pattern that has been chosen. Probabilities to
some extent then are determined along cellular lines. When consciousness is
being specified, it always sees itself at the center of its world. All
specifications of consciousness and all phenomenal appearances occur when the
basic units of consciousness, the CU’s, emerge into EE units (electromagnetic
energy), and hence into the dimensions of actuality in your terms. Your mainly accepted normal consciousness is within the matter of your
body. Through your body, you view your world. There is nothing to prevent you
from viewing your body from a standpoint outside of it, except that you have
been taught to believe that consciousness is imprisoned within the flesh. The
body is a sending and receiving organism; your home station, so to speak, and
the focus of your activity. You can, however, quite consciously leap from it,
step outside of it, or depart from it – and you do often, particularly in the dream
state, where you view the world from another perspective. Your conscious mind as you normally think of it is the psychological
structure that directs your overall actions, and its ideas and beliefs
determine the kind of selectivity you use. So, what are the implications of
knowing that your body, as your home station, is a sending and receiving
organism? What are the various sources of communications that bring information
to your conscious mind? The various psychological activities and realities we
knowingly or unknowingly engage in, that provide communications to our
conscious minds that have been expressed so far are: the physical senses, the
dream state, hunches, intuitions, premonitions, cellular consciousness, body
consciousness of self & others, the gestalt of other multidimensional
selves that you are a part of, your greater identity or soul, and by logical reasoning, the consciousness of
animals plants and maybe even the earth itself. Consciousness is merely the direction in which the self looks.
Consciousness is the focus, the direction of focus. The ordinary state
of consciousness is no different from the trance state. You have merely turned
the focus of your attention into different realities. Consciousness is merely a state of focus, and
not a self. The conscious mind is a vehicle for the expression of the soul in
corporeal terms.” Now, It’s time to look further into these psychological structures – the
mechanism or processes that emerge and are communicated to our conscious minds
from an inner reality and results in greater creativity, imagination,
inspiration, problem solving and healing abilities. It is time to learn to be a
natural person; a person that takes a magical approach to life, blending the
powers of the intuitional and emotional self with the powers of the intellect
or rational, reasoning mind. The natural person is to be found beneath layers
and layers of “official” beliefs. We deal with the archeology of beliefs as we
dig to find the person who creates beliefs to begin with. Evidence of
clairvoyance, telepathy, or whatever, are not eccentric, isolated instances
occurring in human experience, but are representative of natural patterns of
everyday behavior arising from portions of our subconscious, that become
invisible in the world only because of the “official” pictures and world views
of behavior and reality that have been rigidly held on to for so long. When we
take the natural approach and become that natural person, we discover that we
can indeed, Create and Live a Magical
Life. ********************* Greater
detail about the ideas that have been discussed here can be found in many of
the books of the Seth material by Jane Roberts including the ones most of the above
was taken from. The Unknown
Reality Volumes One & Two - Sessions 681 – 685 The Nature of
the Psyche - Session 796 Seth Speaks –
Session 581 The Seth
Material Session 504 The Early
Sessions, Books 1 - 4 © John W.
Robinson, Dream Awareness Network April 24, 2014 your post here. |
Conversations With A Tree
| Posted on May 31, 2014 at 11:56 AM |
comments ()
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Reflections
on My Conversation with a Tree I had completed the tale of my conversation
with a tree which is told below, and it had been edited, but I hesitated to
post it, feeling like a key element was missing. It was this morning that new
intuitions surfaced. I think what was missing was my realization of the
connections between my past and my present awareness, and a deeper
understanding of those connections. This story shows how all of our experiences
in life are linked together, moving us in a general direction according to some
as yet undiscovered blueprint for our life, that is always a part of our psyche. I added
this reflection as a prelude to my story about my conversation with a tree
because I think it contains an example of how we all have fractal patterns of
experiences, both psychological and physical as we go through life. We can
learn more about ourselves if we can learn to recognize these patterns. This
was also one of the topics covered in the Jean Houston class I reference below. During my childhood and throughout my formative
years, plants were significant in the lives of my father and grandmother who
raised me until age 9. I remember the first house I lived in and one of the
activities my father was engaged in the whole time we lived there – about 7
years. My father probably always planted
a vegetable garden in the backyard. The garden seemed large to me when it came
time to pull out weeds, even though I know it must have been small, maybe only
about 10 X 20 feet in size. When the bounty was ready to harvest, I would
be sent to the garden at times, to harvest the rewards Nature and hard work had
provided. I had sometimes even helped plant the seeds or seedlings and before
that, clear the area of unwanted grass or weeds in preparation of the planting.
Watering the plants was also one of my chores as a small child. After the
harvest was piled in the kitchen, I remember helping my grandmother clean the
various varieties of vegetables and prepare them for canning. At times there were
enough to last until the next season. Through this experience I learned to grow
beans of different varieties, tomatoes, cucumbers, collards, spinach, okra,
corn, onions, potatoes, lettuce, squash, bell peppers, and probably some items
I have forgotten. During the early summer months, I also remember car trips out
of town to pick wild blackberries, raspberries, and plums that would be growing
alongside the country roads. It was only upon reflection of that
experience later in life, that I realized that my father had taught me valuable
lessons about Nature, survival and life that he had learned growing up on a
farm in Alabama during the depression years. I never heard him complain about
any of those experiences. He always seemed to have a can-do attitude, and only
lost that attitude in his late fifties when faced with the challenge of a body
diseased with cancer – the cancer overcame that attitude. Even today, May 2014,
there is a small patch of yard about 2 ft. X 10 ft. with tomatoes, beans and 3
colors of bell peppers growing. It’s not that I have to plant and sow, like my
father did, but more that it is an example of what I learned from my father. I
think it is also the wonder and enjoyment of watching the magic; how a tiny
seed goes through all the transformations as it produces a new harvest of
seeds; the source of propagation and survival of that species. Although my grandmother did the work of
preparing, canning, cooking and serving the nutritious garden items, it was her
love of flowers that made a different kind of impact on me. Depending on the
season, I was her little helper when her plants needed watering or covered up
in the wintertime when a frost or freeze warning was made known. I think she
had an intuition for when they needed covering since we had no television and I
don’t remember her listening to the radio that much, even though she must have,
unknown to me. She must have taught me how to propagate plants by cuttings as
well, because it is something I have always done for the plants that are conducive
to this method. Grandmother loved to keep Easter lilies, poinsettias,
hydrangeas, and begonias in clay pots or old metal cooking pots setting around
on the front porch to admire when we would sit out there on the swing or in the
rocking chair taking in the scene as life flowed by. Outside my office window
in the butterfly garden and around the yard are now poinsettias, hydrangeas,
and lilies of various types, along with butterfly attractors as the fragrant
varieties are labeled. It all makes sense to me now that this
morning when I was “guided” to pick up a book, open it, and began reading on page 253, that I had
found what may have been the key element I felt was missing, that I needed to
complete this blog. The book’s title is On Channeling Your Higher Self
by Henry Reed. It is based on the teachings of Edgar Cayce, once called America’s
greatest “sleeping prophet”. The passage I will share is in the chapter titled Being
a Channel of Healing Forces, under the heading, The Secret of the Green
Thumb. I have always been told by others that I “have a green thumb”, when
they get to know a lot about me. So, I would like to share this passage with
you and I think you will see the connection with my story below. The Secret of the Green Thumb “Luther
Burbank, the famous American horticulturalist, knew the secret of the creative
force active in the life of plants. In his Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa
Yogananda, the influential Indian master called Burbank an American Saint.
Yogananda visited with Burbank on his trips to America. He was delighted with
Burbank’s spiritual orientation to his plants. The results he achieved through
this orientation were evident in his experiments with plants. Burbank admitted
to Yogananda that he talked with his plants. He developed thorn-less cacti, for
example, by telling them that they had nothing to fear and thus no need for
such protection. Although he knew that the will of the plant is much stronger
than the will of a human being who might wish to bend the plant’s habits,
Burbank learned the secret of blending new life patterns into the plants
structure. “The secret of improved plant breeding” he told Yogananda, “apart
from scientific knowledge, is love.” Burbank was a practiced meditator. It was
by meditating with his plants, that he learned their secrets. He noted that
sometimes during such communion, he felt close to what he called “the Infinite
Power.” At such times, he admitted to Yogananda, he was able to heal the sick as well as the plants.” Would it surprise you to know that after
reading the passage above, I remembered reading the autobiographies of Luther
Burbank and George Washington Carver at about age 11, to be used for elementary
school book reports? And later, as a
senior in high school, my senior term paper was on Dreams. There are indeed fractal patterns of experience
through our lives we can discover if we take time to explore the deeper
connections between the events we experience. There
are more lessons in the above passage from Henry Reed’s book, than there is
space in this blog to include. They will be topics of other postings and of the
classes I teach at Enchanted Spirits
Metaphysical Shop (www.enchantedspiritsshop.com/ ) in Dunedin, FL. If
you would take the time to meditate on the truths and messages in the passage
above, especially if you know of someone who needs help in healing, you will be
amazed at the results you can achieve. Now, to the story my conscious mind thought
I would be telling, before my subconscious, prompted by my higher self or inner
self as Seth calls that part of us, directed me to a broader and deeper story. My Conversation with a Tree (As revised May 2014) Awakening
to Your Life Purpose, taught by Jean Houston is the title of a class I took in
Feb. 2012. My first exposure to Jean was about 1983 when I bought her book ThePossible Human: A Course in Enhancing Your Physical, Mental, and
Creative Abilities, published in 1982. It was described as a comprehensive
theory and program for conscious creativity. I immediately liked her writing
and teaching style. I found the many exercises would deliver new insights as
promised. It was my exposure to this book back then that led me to take her 7
week online class in early 2012. I was looking to validate in my mind the
direction my life was taking, since I felt I had experienced a new awakening to
my life purpose. I enjoyed all of the learning exercises Jean
led us through in that 7 week class; especially the ones about discovering our
entelechy and having a conversation with a tree. Because I had become a student
of the Seth material since 1982, both of these concepts and exercises were
comfortable to me. I also had explored similar ideas via many other sources in
the past. This blog is to finally share publicly what I shared with my group in
Jean’s class. After telling the story of my conversation with a tree, I will
share some of Seth’s comment on nature and consciousness. After all, in order
to carry on a conversation with a tree, I would have to assume, at least
temporally, that a tree has a consciousness. No, I am not crazy, nor have I
ever been classified as such. The assignment for one segment of Jean’s
class was about communing with the Beautyand Majesty of Nature; to understand
we are part of Nature with a capital
‘N”. We were to carry on a telepathic conversation with a tree by first asking
a tree for some guidance. Communing with nature was certainly not new to me.
Neither was the idea that trees and plants as well as animals might have a type
of consciousness that was suitable to their environment. I had even
superficially talked to the trees in the “The
Green Cathedral” (Mill Creek Park) in Youngstown, OH while jogging in that
beautiful environment. What was new was the concept that a tree might seemingly
and telepathically respond to my inquiry. Even if it was my own subconscious
that communicated the message, my goal at the time was fulfilled and I felt
that I received a pertinent reply to my inquiry and had performed the task
associated with the lesson. So, one day I ventured outside my house to
pick a tree to “talk to”. What follows is a report of that experience: I looked around the house and at the bushes
in the back that border the pool. There are several hibiscus bushes there. I
would love to see them in full bloom, showing the beauty of their red and pink
blossoms. I have not been happy with them lately; they are not blooming at all.
I decided it would be best to find another tree or bush. I then had the message
come back to me that maybe the problem was of my doing! I had not really been
nurturing them for a few months and like ourselves or our loved ones, if we
ignore them, there is a break in our connection. The message to me was to be
conscious of taking action about extending my love more, instead of dwelling on
things or people not living up to my expectations. I assessed that I needed to go out among the
hibiscus; to prune, fertilize, and wash them in a soapy solution to rid them of
aphids; to cut away the higher limbs of surrounding plants so they get more
sunlight. Without enough sunlight they cannot carry out photosynthesis in the
way they are designed. Without the proper nutrients, their immune systems would
not function as Nature intended. It is not much different than the way we have
to nourish our mind, spirit, and heart bodies. I went looking for a tree to fulfill the
assignment, determined to do my part for the health of the hibiscus. My heart led
me to the water, where I have always found my peace when it has been clouded by
worry. I have often meditated with the sound of the waves lapping the
shoreline. As I am doing my usual walking meditation
along the beach, I look around at the bushes and trees. What stood out to me were
the tall palm trees that lined the shore of both sides of the causeway leading
to the island where I sometimes walk the undeveloped beach. As I sat on a bench underneath these enduring
palms, I telepathically began to speak to them.  “Magnificent palm trees; I know that all
things in the universe are connected. I know you are connected to all the rest
of the many palms here; and even connected to me. I know this. Though I speak
to one, I am speaking to all. I breathe in the oxygen you breathe out. You
breathe in the carbon dioxide I breathe out. Our bodies exchange atoms and
molecules. We are made of the same stuff. You don’t worry about being worthy of
the rain, sun, nutrients and love you receive. You know you are loved. You are
the subject of many photographs and paintings. People celebrate your being. They
rest in your shade. You stand tall above all the other plants around. You have
a higher perspective about things. You have weathered many storms and still you
grow and spread your branches to shade those in need of shade. You stand tall
and are grounded. You bend with the wind and are bathed by the rain. What
feedback can you give magnificent tree?” Am I on the right track, the true
course, the path to my higher purpose?” Am I on the “Yellow Brick Road"? I
listened, but got distracted by the water, the wind and the birds and started a
conversation with them. After an hour, not
receiving a clear cut answer from the trees, I decided to return the next day
and try again. Arriving at the beach the next day I walked
along the shore until I came to an isolated spot and sat on a bench to meditate
while listening to the sound of the waves breaking on the shore; something I
have done hundreds of times before when I needed to talk to Nature. I sat
quietly with my eyes closed and listened. What came first was some unexpected reflection
on the story of my wounds and resulting grief I felt I had experienced in life;
the next assignment to complete. Even though I thought I had worked completely
through that past, I felt emotion, energy flowing through me, as I reflected on
the experience. Tears gently flowed down my cheeks. It was a good thing I had
my sunglasses on and there were hardly any people walking the beach that
morning. The ones that did occasionally strolled by, walked with their heads
down looking for shells, hardly concerned about me. Our heart’s mind always displays greater
wisdom that our rational minds. This period of meditation on the beach let me
know I could again visit that story of grief from the past and share it with others.
This would be the essence of the next exercise in the class. It was after that experience, while sitting
quietly in the sun, listening to the waves gently crash on the shore, I
received a message from the trees.  “Yes,
we are grounded. We stand tall and we don’t worry about what tomorrow will
bring. We have weathered many storms and we still rejoice every day in what
creation has provided us and we are filled with gratitude. We continue to grow
and we shed old branches to make way for the new ones, letting the winds blow
the old branches away to become part of the earth again; earth that nourishes
all humankind. We love the sun, the rain, the wind and the storms. We accept
things as they are. What caused it is the past. We live in the spacious
present! Take heed of our existence.”…The message continued: … “Let your
limiting beliefs fall away as our old branches do. Make room for new ideas,
beliefs and joy to come into your life. The opportunity for you to grow and be
a co-creator will never cease. Stand
tall, grounded in your beliefs until you find personal evidence to change a
belief that no longer serves you as you transition to a higher level of
consciousness. Trust the true Nature of things, your impulses, and intuitions.
What do you think moved civilization along and advanced consciousness, but your
collective impulses and intuitions? They are the source of your inspirations,
innovations and collective growth. Go in peace and be aware of the signs,
synchronicities and choices you make. The power to choose from among
possibilities is the greatest power you have to contribute to co-creation. The
point of your power is always in the present moment. Stay on the path you are
on for now. You will know when and if a change is needed. Be happy! Don’t worry!” So it went that day with the trees. The tree
was right! I stayed on the path I was on and my opportunities began to expand;
not only opportunities for the expansion of my consciousness, but also
opportunities to help others in their journey and growth. I was on a journey of
value fulfillment for myself and at the same time, contributing to the value
fulfillment of others. “Since
dreams are a by-product of any consciousness involved with matter, this leads
us to the correct conclusion – that trees have their dreams, that all physical
matter, being formed about individual units of consciousness of varying
degrees, also participates in the involuntary construction of the dream
universe.” – Early Sessions Book 3 Session- 97 by Jane Roberts. For more insights into this topic, look
for a soon to be posted blog titled: CONSCIOUSNESS: What is it? How does it
work? Where does it come from? |
Inner Consciousness – The Road Less Traveled
| Posted on June 30, 2012 at 1:28 PM |
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Inner
Consciousness
– The Road Less Traveled Some people don’t associate
consciousness with dreams, since many scientists and biologists just view
dreams as random firings of synapses in our brains. But, if you have ever
undertaken a serious study of your own dreams for a long period of time, you
probably are aware of the experience of becoming lucid in a dream. Lucidity in
a dream means you are mentally conscious of the fact that you are dreaming
while you are experiencing the dream events. You may have found, as I have,
that when you become lucid you can direct some of the events of the dream while
it is taking place. It is an experience that will stay with you. It does not
mean that you will be able to do it all the time or even most of the time, but
the experience does give you a wider understanding of the scope of the
attributes of consciousness.
A similar experience and
revelation is true in a dream experience when you become fully aware that you
are moving through your dream landscape in a “dream body” that is quite
different from your physical body that remains on the bed. In this case, there
is part of your consciousness with the dream body while the cellular
consciousness of your physical body maintains normal body functions.
As I have experienced during
creative visualization exercises, you can transition into a dream state that
fits the theme of the visualization while you are awake. In this case, part of
your consciousness moves into the creation of a “dream event” that takes over
in the visualization that your ego consciousness started. You immediately
become aware that a shift has taken place and your subconscious is bringing you
information from deep within your psyche that gives you new insights and
sometimes answers to questions you had about directions in your life, the same
type of insights that night dreams can bring to your awareness. I will share an
example from my experience.
One day, nearly 3 decades
ago, I was sunning by a pool, relaxing my mind and body contemplating some
decisions about the direction of my life. I was pondering two options that I
could take related to occupation. Let’s say options A and B were the choices. I
intentionally started a creative visualization in my mind where I was traveling
along a road. It was a typical two lane road with trees and bushes alongside.
There was no one else traveling on this road at the time. Ahead of me the road
forked into two different paths representing options A and B. I wanted to see
which path my mind would choose when I got to the fork in the road. I was
consciously creating this visual up to this point.
Before I arrived at the
point of decision, my intentional visualization suddenly changed into the venue
of a dream. Right in front of me, a third road was coming toward me right out
of the sky, right out of the clouds! I was astonished; this scenario was not
part of my conscious intention when the visualization began. The road came
toward my direction and stopped. The beginning of it was about 5 feet above the
“real” road I had been traveling on.
My intuition “told” me this
was the road I was to take. The road was too high off the “real” road to step
onto. With full determination I ran toward this road. When I got to it, I
jumped as high as I could and grabbed on to it with all my strength. I struggled
a bit, to hold on, but finally felt like I could make onto the road. With a lot
of effort, I pulled myself onto the road coming from the sky and started
walking up it. The road was at a steep angle like going up a mountain drive.
Soon I came to where it leveled off and started walking down the path. When I
came to what appeared to be a vista, I stopped and looked at the beauty and
relaxed, catching my breath. I wondered where this road was taking me.
The visualization and
“dream” ended. I knew my life would be headed in a new unplanned direction. In
the future I would be going down “the road less traveled”, with a higher
purpose! The portion of our
consciousness that often gets a bad rap is our ego. From a natural perspective,
our ego is that attribute of our consciousness that helps us maneuver through physical reality. It is also our
self image; sometimes over-inflated. Our ego is meant to protect us in physical
reality. Our goal should not be to eliminate our ego or “kill it”, but to
enlist its help in attaining the fullest spiritual development possible. The
ego does not want to be shut out of such a fantastic experience. The ego can be
a prime partner in consciousness evolution as we move toward our fullest potential
for value fulfillment. It’s helpful to view your ego in partnership with your
inner self or inner consciousness.
As you will see below, I
agree with Seth that scientists must look within to fully understand what
consciousness is. It will never be found as a “thing” no matter how big the
instruments are that they use to search. As Seth says in The Nature of the
Psyche, by Jane Roberts, “Consciousness is a particular quality of
being. Each portion of “it”, contains the whole, so theoretically as far as you
are concerned, you can leave your body and be it simultaneously. There is
consciousness within each conceivable hypothetical point within the universe.
There is therefore “an invisible universe: out of which the visible or
objective universe springs”. In 2012, scientists and quantum physicists are
now focusing on this idea as they hypothesize about “dark energy”, “dark
matter” and the “God partical”.
I recently read an article on consciousness via the web site
Big Think; (www.bigthink.com ) – About
how science can’t really define it or find the location of consciousness. Below
is my reply that I posted to the site.
“Yes, I think we are foolish – or at least shortsighted and suffering
from a lack of vision when our thinking restricts us to safe, yet incremental
refinements of what we’re convinced we already know. How many times in the
history of civilization and “Science” has the rigid and convincing belief about
“what we already know” been overthrown by new exploration, vision and
understanding? Dare we count the number of times science has been wrong?
Sometimes the refinements about “what we already know” are just restatements of
yet to be proven “false beliefs” about “what we already know”.
I will offer just a brief summary of an alternate view of this
“thing” called consciousness that science is attempting to define, dissect and
ultimately control. First, I ask the question “what is this thing we call a
self”? I don’t think I would get disagreement from any Physicist today that we
are an apparent physical body/organism that is a field of energy. I think the
Biologist would agree that we are a synergistically organized system of other
physical systems that are also fields of energy i.e. the organs that comprise
our body - An organized gestalt of various energy systems.
As a field of energy, the heart can be kept “alive” without being
inside the physical body just as the other organs can be kept alive similarly. And, what about the cellular structures which
synergistically combine to make up the organs? Cannot they be kept “living”?
Even the molecules that make up the cells can exist by themselves just as the
elemental atoms that make up the molecules. So what is it that sustains this
marvelous system we call self?
It is of course energy systems in various forms combining to
support what we perceive as a “physical” being. Einstein’s basic equation
states the equivalency of energy and matter (mass). Maybe we are a gestalt of “awareized”
energy appearing as matter (as related by Seth when explaining units of
consciousness – The Unknown Reality Vol. One by Jane Roberts, Session
682 p.39).
Could it be that the scientific community has been looking for consciousness
as matter, a “thing”, when they need instead to have vision. Instead of holding
onto rigid ideas and assumptions about “what they already know”, what would it
mean to look for consciousness as an energy system? Maybe we are a gestalt of
awareized energy – consciousness in chemical clothes. Some new ideas to ponder might be:
Maybe
our mental energy and that of the scientists would be better spent using our
consciousness to look within this self that is an energy gestalt instead of
looking through instruments to find a “thing” that can be dissected. Even some
of the quantum physicists today are at the point of wondering if they will ever
find the “God Particle” they are spending many billions of dollars looking
for. Maybe the ultimate building block
of nature is not a particle at all. Maybe it is an “awareized” electromagnetic
consciousness unit that will never be seen or totally understood. Can the
scientist accept that “reality”? Can you?”
By
John W. Robinson
www.DreamAwarenessNetwork.org |