Monday, May 24, 2010

Have we become.....


Are we the ones?
We live in a body that is amazing! 30 trillion cells…. 90 trillion bits, parasites and flora combine to create an individual that can see, hear, taste, smell and touch the world around it with an awareness of doing such things. This makes us conscious! We are systems of extreme cooperation that must function to survive. This has taken billions of years to perfect…. And where it goes from here is up to our growing needs in navigating our environment.

Not to burst the bubble of my love-fest with the human being yet it has a few limitations. These are challenges that we are overcoming with the technology of the day. The question I asked myself several weeks ago was: Have we become what we are so hard looking to find and cannot see it? For instance, we long to communicate over thousands of miles to connect with loved ones, teachers… new information etc and now we can via the internet. Or, I can use my voice dial feature on my phone and simply speak someone’s name and I can have a conversation with someone halfway around the world. This happens because we have learned a few things about waves and wavelengths and how to put signals on these waves. Most of these waves we cannot perceive directly yet we can experience their ability to carry information form one receiver to another that transforms these signals in to light and sound which we can perceive with our senses. Magic… or so it seems.

Now, our ancestors observed the world and recognized that things happen and there was no perceivable phenomenon to connect cause with affect. They might have watched food cook in a pot over a fire yet their understanding of fire was one of a spirit, being or elemental. This fire gave a lot… heat… light… the ability to transform wood to ash… cook food… melt metal etc… They knew it had to be fed and need to have air in order to burn properly. Water destroyed it. Fire would destroy if it was not respected or managed properly. Fire was given names to show its power and properties. Fire became personified and deified.

This form of discovery is what our ancestors did with almost the entire nature world… Wind/air, Water/Rain/Oceans, Earth/Plants/Stones… etc…. and we haven't stopped since!!

Things began to change when we wanted to looked at smaller things and further out into the stars. Our eyes for all their beauty and complexity cannot see that far or that small… We humans are clever and imaginative so we create tools to do these things like microscopes and telescopes. And with this comes a new understanding of tiny things and the movement of stars and planets. All to the dismay of the church and less forward thinkers of the time. One of the greatest achievements of looking at tiny things is hygiene… We now know that viruses and bacteria can cause illnesses and the simple act of washing our hands can prevent so much sickness in the world. I’m sure all those who were bled to death in the era of “bad” humors are looking down on us and happy for the progress.

Now, back to the question: Have we become who we are looking for?
As humans we want to explore beyond what we seem to be. We look at the stars and dream of ways to visit or understand their movements. We want to be in several locations at once and be aware of all that is happening. we spend endless hours meditating and seeking ways to find our limits....
And over the last 50 years we have accomplished a lot in the area of long distance communication.
If you subscribe to the computer phone service Skype and you can use the video feature then you can be in one place and aware, communicating, and viewing another world at the same time you are at your computer sipping tea. Of course you are limited in your view by the ability of the equipment on both ends of the conversation. Is it not the same thing as remote viewing and taking a shamanic journey? The more you practice the better you get. And I’m sure with more research we will develop better gadgets to expand our perception of other places.
So, we are not limited by the limits of our bodies.... we create.... we imagine... we explore... we build....etc...

Another example would be, I use a satellite GPS to navigate from place to place. One day while I was looking at it I realized that I was watching myself in my car driving from above while I was driving my car in that moment. It’s a form of bi-locating. It’s a kind of being awake in reality and at the same time watching myself in my reality from a distance. We can now experience Lucid dreaming unfolding in real time… a dream within a dream?

When I was in my early shaman training I was taught to journey with my eyes open. I would stand in my New Haven apartment and shake my rattle focusing my attention about 18 inches from the tip of my nose. As I did this I began to experience my perception separating, one part stayed fixed on the focal point the other wandered to other realities. My teachers said I needed to learn how to be here and also somewhere else at the same time. The more I practiced the more I could expand my perceptions into multiple realities at the same time.

The cry of "fear" we hear with this thinking and developing is that because of all these gadgets and technologies that we are becoming less human. We have bad “B” movies, science fiction, Star Trek to thank for these fears and the seemingly persistent glitch humans have to resist change. These gadgets are our creations. They are based on our observations and understanding of the world around us. We create them because we want to solve problems. Some of these things have unexpected results and consequences yet we are always looking for a better solution. This is the flexibility and adaptability of the human being in all aspects.... Body, mind, and spirit.

We don’t call the runner who has two artificial legs and monster. We admire his ability to embrace the means to follow his dreams. The runner was able to see beyond his limits. We have scientists and researchers looking a materials and designs to build better artificial legs for all kinds of sports and day to day life to aid folks who need them.
Humans evolve. We are the most complex being on the planet. Designed to imagine and create. These “gifts” are the mark of a long evolutionary journey. We are not perfect yet we are progressive, curious, and adaptable. What we create is the means for us to explore ourselves and the world around us. What we glean from this knowledge can serve a greater purpose.

1 comment:

  1. What an excellent piece of writing. Thank you for sharing. Loves and hugs, Nan

    ReplyDelete