Life, creation and consciousness – “force beyond anything that we can comprehend”!! Setting the Stage – Static Reality vs Dynamic Force

Philo of Alexandria provides an excellent insight into the limits of consciousness. He states “The mind which is in each of us is able to comprehend all other things, but has not the capability of understanding itself. For as the eye sees all other things, but cannot see itself, so also the mind perceives the nature of other things but cannot understand itself.”[i] ~ It stands to reason that human consciousness can only understand and analyze itself via a “frame of reference’ – or mindset – from within human consciousness – and several scholars have observed that the only way to evaluate human consciousness is by using a mirror – in one sense or another. The “materialist view that quantification equates to science and materialism is objective is false. Iain McGilChrist observes that it is the opposite and that the materialist “rigid adherence to arbitrary quantification” “limits and restricts” possible analyses[ii]. Half of human consciousness isn’t quantifiable: art, music, dreams, creato9vioty, imagination, , as well as symbolism which is complex and outside the scope of strict quantification – not to mention “death”. Rene Guenon is a bit more focused in stating that the materialist ideology is the “denial of everything that is of a supra-individual order”[iii] (p.90) Guenon’s assessment appears to be generally correct. E Halas, R. May, as well as Mustafa Emirbayer (to an extent) indicate symbolism was sidelined and marginalized. D Hay, K Gergen, and V. Enriquez emphasize that the western “rational Individualism norm has morphed into a form of extreme individualism. That is because “social consciousness” is a “supra-individual” concept. In Wikipedia, there are only three references to social consciousness – the most salient being to Karl Marx the creator of Marxism and Communism. Karl Mannheim, (1893 – 1947), a founding father of sociology stated that “we must realize once and for all that the meanings which make up our world are simply an historically determined and continuously developing structure in which man develops, and are in no sense absolute” (Mullins). Besides Mannheim, Guenon, and McGilChrist, there are a number of other critics of materialism including Talcott Parson, Rupert Sheldrake, Jeremiah Reyes, and Arran Gare

Guenon states materialism specifically “denies” spirituality because spiritual “authority is “supra-individual in nature, The “materialist model” of spirituality is “All spirituality is unreal” – based on the materialist maxim that spirituality is “intangible and beyond the senses” as explained by William R. Miller and Carl E. Thoresen. First, that is a fallacy – the Definist Fallacy to be exact. For instance, take the concept of “Death”. Death, of course is “intangible and beyond the senses, Yet, following the materialist argument Death becomes a figment of your imagination – which is absurd of course. Furthermore, there are a number of “tangible” types of spirituality such as compassion, grieving, musical spirituality, art and so on. A derivative of the materialist maxim is the concept of the “supernatural” – which by definition is outside the scope of science and thus lacks any real-world context-evidence which is necessary for a valid scientific theory according to Kant, McGilChrist, Muzafer Sherif) – which makes the “supernatural” an artificial abstraction which is scientifically and academically worthless. My argument is that in light of the “selective attention” process which is acknowledged as a critical process in the human mind – re-directs and mis-directs attention from functional spirituality to an empty and meaningless artificial abstraction.

Long ago Aristotle described the scientific process as a 4 step process: 1. Gather the facts 2. Categorize the evidence into types 3. Analyze the evidence 4. Draw conclusions. It is a bit mindboggling that the mistake materialists made was so simple and fundamental. Materialists failed to distinguish between “tangible” and “intangible” – labeling all spirituality as “intangible” and “supernatural”. There are a number of very “tangible” types of spirituality! 1. Spirituality of Compassion (Sprecher, S, B Fehr 2005; Saslow, Laura Rose 2011)[iv] 2. Musical Spirituality:[v] 3. Spiritual Healing in Grieving[vi] 4. Children’s Spirituality[vii] 5. Artistic Spirituality[viii] 6. Poets and Prophecy[ix] 7. Dream Weaving/Creative Transcendence[x] 8. divinity in nature – earth as a living force 9. Spirituality and Autism[xi] 10. pro-social norms. Another major methodology flaw is that materialists failed to distinguish bet6ween the “divine” and the supernatural. There is a world of difference between “divine” and “supernatural”. For instance, Celtic Spirituality and Celtic Catholicism holds “A deep reverence for nature is a central conviction in Celtic Spirituality. Creation is revelation. God’s presence permeates all of creation. Every single piece of it. Celtic Spirituality holds that the Divine is incarnate in all of creation.” In the context of beliefs, “divinity” would also be a “tangible” type of spirituality.

Social consciousness can be difficult to understand. If ever there was a social-political movement that centered on thoughts and ideas, the Enlightenment would be it. The Enlightenment, or Age of Reason, which began in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries were an intellectual and philosophical force created by social-political-religious ideas that dominated the world of ideas in Europe and generated major changes in the culture of Western Civilization. Furthermore, human consciousness has developed and ‘evolved’ through the various stages in human history- from the stone age to the iron age to moder industrial civilization – so. It would appear readily apparent that an influential factor in understanding human consciousness would be “Consciousness as drive and force”! That would be especially relevant in context of cross-cultural understanding such as Filipino values like Bayanihan, Kapwa, loob. In the essay, “Myths as Symbolic Maps of Social-Moral Order”, I stress the historical connection and correlation between spiritual beliefs and social-moral order – which supports Emile Durkheim’s view of religion as the foundation of morality – that religious experiences generate shared values and beliefs that bind society together. There is a major point made by Saslow that there is a difference between spiritual processes and religiosity processes – and that spiritual processes are more closely connected with prosocial values such as compassion. Many scholars who are anti-religious lump spirituality in with religiosity and throw spirituality away – when it appears readily apparent that spirituality is closely correlated with prosocial values such as compassion and community.

Human Consciousness as a Dynamic Force and Evolutionary Drive

Evolutionary Perspective & Genetics of Spiritual-Religious Beliefs

• Terrence Deacon and Tyrone Cashman observe that “The scientific investigation of the human religious predisposition has recently been augmented by considering it from an evolutionary perspective.” [xii]

• Genetic Origins of Stone Worship: Tim Spector, in the article, What Twins Reveal About The Science Of Faith (Popular Science, August 8, 2013) states, “They [the researchers] estimated the heritability of spirituality to be around 40 to 50 percent, which is quite high considering how tricky it is to measure. Other U.S. studies using even more detailed questions in larger numbers have found similar or even stronger genetic influences. These studies demonstrate our variable but innate inherited sense of spirituality, which affects how we perceive the world, ourselves and the universe. This is independent of our formal religious beliefs[xiii]

Cultural perspective is often overlooked.

Long ago in 1968-69 I spent a school year in France. I learned quite a lot. I realized how different cultures can be when one day my French brothers, Pierre and Paul, told me they were going out to “rumble” with the communists. I should add that the image of Dorothy in the Wizard of OZ saying to her dog, toto, “Toto, I do believe we are no longer in Kansas flashed through my mind. A communist party doesn’t even exist in American politics. A well-documented cultural difference is between western individualist countries and collectivist countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, and Japan. The Philippines has community values which aren’t found in the USA. The English language doesn’t have words equivalent to Bayanihan (helping others in a community context), Kapwa (shared identity), and Loob (relational will). Several authors, such as David Hay, Kenneth Gergen, and Virgilio Enriquez, emphasize that “rational (independent) individualism” has morphed into a form of extreme individualism! Even the briefest glance at the photo below reveals that t’nalak is about identity and community – not the supernatural, Spirituality is about people.

“To me it seems the most important and exceedingly difficult task of our time is to work on the construction of a new idea of reality.” Wolfgang Pauli [1]

It would seem “our reality” isn’t working all that well.

Einstein: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”[2]

Setting the Stage – Consciousness as Drive, Needs and Evolutionary Adaptive Trait

• It has become extremely questionable whether, in the flux of life, it is a genuinely worthwhile intellectual problem to seek to discover fixed and immutable ideas or absolutes. It is a more worthy intellectual task perhaps to learn to think dynamically and relationally rather than statically. – Karl Mannheim

• Rene Guenon & the Materialist Problem: “Rationalism in all its forms is essentially defined by a belief in the supremacy of reason, proclaimed as a veritable ‘dogma’, and implying the denial of everything that is of a supra-individual order, notably of pure intellectual intuition, and this carries with it logically the exclusion of all true metaphysical knowledge….[and] the rejection of all spiritual authority, rationalism and individualism are thus so closely linked together that they are usually confused,” (p.90)

• Guenon’s assessment is correct. Kenneth Gergen, David Hay and Virgilio Enriquez agree that Rational Individualism (a political ideal) has morphed (from the Age of Reason to the Materialist Age) into a form of extreme individualism. Wikipedia has only three references to social consciousness – the most salient being Karl Marx. In western academia, the Rational Individualism norm holds sway. As a point of information, the English language has no words for the Filipino words, Bayanihan (helping others in a community context), Kapwa (shared identity), or loob (relational will – equality)

Introduction: Perspective from a Blaan College Student

I thought it best to begin with the perspective of Lyssa Dinglasa, a 3rd year Blaan College student on Blaan-T’boli t’nalak dream weaving – and writer’s assistant for me. Historically, “The craft of weaving among the T’boli is a sacred spiritual tradition. Designs are believed to arrive from Fu Dalu, the spirit of the Abaca [material for cloth][3] (p.214). For perspective, The T’Boli and Blaan tribes once were joined. The Blaan are actually the most numerous indigenous tribe in the Philippines (in which there are roughly 182 distinct ethnicities).

“Dream weaving is not only a form of divine inspiration but also an outlet for community unity. The act of weaving illustrates the interdependence of members of a cultural group, supporting Halas’ theory that symbols construct social order and guide action. T’nalak weaving is an example of how dreams are realized into concrete forms of identity, uniting the spiritual with the practical.

The use of abaca fiber and natural dyes reflects indigenous ecological awareness, combining Durkheim’s model in which social forces influence collective behavior. The materials employed in dream weaving are not random they are part of an older relationship with nature, showing the combination of nature, tradition, and symbolic meaning. This merging is consistent in Reyes’ suggestion that the moral and social order covers all the aspects of living, such as spirits, ancestors, and earth itself.

Though dream weaving is highly religious, it also became a cultural resource as a source of livelihood for weavers and even a means toward the preservation of indigenous culture. Be Lang Dulay’s achievement is a testament to the ability of tradition to be preserved with improvement for greater recognition, proving that symbolic practices can simultaneously be honored and functionally applied. This is in line with William James’ view of pragmatism—where meaning and belief are validated through their applicability.

Every design holds ancestral knowledge, acting as a symbolic text that communicates communal history and indigenous philosophy. The unique motifs is like an unwritten vocabulary, giving insights to indigenous communities’ ways of organizing knowledge and passing traditions to every generation. If I were to ask, from a linguistic perspective, dream weaving is not only a cultural activity but also a symbolic communication.”

Lyssa’s short mini-essay brings to mind Erica Hill’s very detailed and thorough article, Animals as Agents: Hunting Ritual and Relational Ontologies in Prehistoric Alaska and Chukotka, in which Erica Hill clearly highlights the fact that the issue and focus of the spiritual beliefs in animal spirits are “human relationships with the natural world”. Erica Hill emphasizes the social structure involved in beliefs (similar to what Lyssa points out. “Relations with these persons involved sets of rules and expectations and were predicated upon mutual respect, just as one’s relations with human kin were. Breaches of conduct, misunderstandings and bad manners had negative social implications, just as they did in interactions with one’s affines, cousins or trading partners.” Erica Hill concludes, “Their thoughts and actions established and maintained relationships with prey animals and may be more productively conceptualized as dynamic social behaviours embedded within the context of daily life than as privileged ritual acts.”[4]

I thought Lyssa’s comment that “Every design holds ancestral knowledge” is an intriguing insight! Lyssa took content form several different essays – and I never once mentioned “ancestral knowledge” I would add briefly that in viewing videos of native American dancing, the costumes worn tended to be individualistic, while in all the videos of Filipino indigenous dancing – from a number of different indigenous peoples in the Philippines, all the festivals – exhibitions I saw had coordinated costumes – perhaps a reflection of bayanihan – community values.

Symbol–Meaning Creation: Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself! – George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950), Nobel Prize 1925: What it is, matters less than what you do with it.

1. Confucius, observed “Signs and symbols rule the world, not words or laws!” Modern politics and religion have proved Confucius right[5].

2. Elzbieta Halas: “groups exist only [as} common symbolization of their members.” “The processes of symbolization…create a social order, express meaning and control actions. Symbols are not autonomous. They constitute tools of action, indicating and dramatizing social relations”[6]

3. D. Balaganapath: “The basis of every culture and every identity is determined by its own established common symbolic expression.”[7]

4. “Leslie White (1995) defines a symbol as a thing whose value is bestowed upon it by those who use it. This implies that meaning of the symbols is derived from and determined by the individuals who use them. The creative faculty of human beings makes them bestow values upon things freely, actively and arbitrarily, driving them towards symbolization. This symbol-making tendency is innate in man.”[8]

5. “Devereux (1979:28): “symbolization helps to hold man’s segmental capacities together and fosters a broader direct involvement with the situation’. A symbol reduces the enormous complexity of communication by using a concrete sign as a kind of shorthand for a complex of interrelated concepts, ideas, and values systems.”[9]

6, Michael Steger emphasizes: “meaning is, at its heart, an integrating factor for people. Meaning pulls together people’s ideas about who they are, the kind of world they live in, and how they relate to the people and environments around them. Meaning incorporates these elements into people’s aspirations and overarching aims. (Quest p. 169)” So, “meaning” and consciousness are not static abstractions found on bookshelves, but a dynamic ongoing process of creation.

Synthesis-Consensus of William James, Viktor Frankl, and Carl Jung:

There is a consensus between William James, Viktor Frankl, and Carl Jung that spirituality often creates meaning. As William James observed in 1902, spiritual experiences can create a “sense of reality” Through art, music, and spirituality – as well as cognitive analysis people create reality. That is what spiritual processes did for tens of thousands of years – for better or worse – Creation of human reality and truth.

Identity: “human beings have a spiritual core” – Viktor Frankl

“We cannot live in a world that is not our own, in a world that is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a home. Part of the terror is to take back our own listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light.” Hildegard of Bingen [10]
Alessandro Casale: “Indigenous societies in North and South America have dream theories and interpretations that reveal a philosophical order about the nature of the universe”.
Edgar Cayce observed: “The spiritual self is life, the activity of the mental and physical is of the soul – and therefore a soul-body”[11] (Edgar Cayce reading 3590-2)[12].
Saslow states “Spirituality was especially associated with having a spiritual identity, having had transcendent experiences, and tending to pray……. more spiritual participants were more likely to tend to feel compassion,”[13]
Dr. P. Wong emphasizes Viktor Frankl’s principle: “that human beings have a spiritual core with an innate need for meaning. In other words, the innermost core of the “self” is spiritual…. It is this spiritual and motivational emphasis on meaning seeking that makes us truly human. We seek meaning because we are spiritual beings”[14].

Preamble: Penelope’s dream in Ancient Greek Epic, Homer’s Odyssey

Since the beginning of time, dreams have proved a potential source of divine inspiration and profound insight. Penelope’s dream is from Homer’s epic The Odyssey and the Iliad which narrated the Greek hero, Odysseus, adventures in his return from the Trojan War – “a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the 12th or 13th century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Greeks).” (Wikipedia)

Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, who had a dream that seems to signify that her husband Odysseus long awaited return from the “Trojan War” might actually be about to happen, stated: “Stranger, dreams verily are baffling and unclear of meaning, and in no wise do they find fulfilment in all things for men. For two are the gates of shadowy dreams, and one is fashioned of horn and one of ivory. Those dreams that pass through the gate of sawn ivory deceive men, bringing words that find no fulfilment. But those that come forth through the gate of polished horn bring true issues to pass, when any mortal sees them. But in my case, it was not from thence, methinks, that my strange dream came.” (In the book Odyssey 19, lines 560-569

“The craft of weaving among the T’boli is a sacred spiritual tradition.

t’nalak weaver – Wikimedia I watched a weaver at Lake Sebu it is very time consuming and tedious work

Designs are believed to arrive from Fu Dalu, the spirit of the Abaca [material for cloth] (p.214)[15]. T’boli people are known to be one of the most creative and artistic ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines (Cudera et al., 2020). Among the different T’boli art forms, T’nalak is one of the most popular and admired around the globe.

T’nalak is a traditional hand-woven cloth indigenous to the T’boli people from the Cotabato region. It is woven in order to celebrate and pay tribute to major life events such as birth, life, marriage, or death within the community. The cloth is woven from abaca fibers and is naturally dyed from bark, roots, and certain plants. The fabric undergoes a unique tie-dye process where it is tied in specific knots measured by finger or knuckle length, and dipped in dyes in order to create ornate patterns that indicate precision in craftsmanship. This is denoted by a distinctive tri-color scheme; the background is painted black while the pattern is white, which is then tinted predominantly with shades of red. However, it is not unusual to see creative variations in such a traditional pattern……

The whole process of T’nalak weaving, from dyeing to weaving, is descended from generation to generation of maternal relatives that necessitated a community of woven fabrics and traditional plant based-dying in order to sustain the tradition of T’nalak weaving. By creating specific coloration and subsets of T’nalak, it also provides signs of Filipino cultural identity, rank, and status…….Additionally, T’nalak weaving often became a substitute for income, as bartering with it increased over the years. Local and overseas work made those who stayed at home rely on cultural ingenuity in order to sustain their family.[16] (T’nalak: The Land of the Dreamweavers – Amanda David Sheila Everett https://uw.pressbooks.pub/…/tnalak-the-land-of-the…/)

T’nalak, a woven textile made of abaca or Manila hemp, has many traditional uses for the T’boli. The textile can be used as a dowry, as an instrument of sacrifice to cure an illness, as currency for bartering livestock and most of all the emblem of the tribe’s inspiration. The level of skill involved in creating t’nalak determines a weaver’s status and position in the village (Paterno & Oshima, 2001). Be Lang Dulay, a national artist, popularized T’nalak weaving with her over 100 different T’nalak designs. The national and international recognition and the appreciation of her art has left a legacy. Her valuable craft carries with it the T’boli identity. [17](p.208)

Reflections

An expert at the museum in Cagayan de Oro explained that many indigenous tribes in the Philippines engage in dream weaving as well – though not all use Abaca. He also emphasized that dreams as a source of divine inspiration was not only used for dream weaving – but dream music as well I connected with some Bla’an students. Their mother observed Bla’an weaving designs are unique – and distinct from the T’boli designs. The Bla’an and T’boli, at one time were one tribe that later split into parts.

Elzbieta Halas Model of Social Symbolism: Halas states that “More profoundly, groups exist only on the ground of common symbolization of their members.” “The processes of symbolization…create a social order, express meaning and control actions. Symbols are not autonomous. They constitute tools of action, indicating and dramatizing social relations”[18]
Ramon Reyes Model: “In sum, one social and moral order encompasses the living, the dead, the deities and the spirits, and the total environment.”[19]
Durkheim’s model: “The forces before which the believer bows are not simple physical energies, such as are presented to the sense and the imagination; they are social forces,” Emile Durkheim [20]
Erica Hill’s Model as “dynamic social behaviours embedded within the context of daily life of arctic hunter gatherer and beliefs in animal spirits as “human relations with the natural world”; “Their thoughts and actions established and maintained relationships with prey animals and may be more productively conceptualized as dynamic social behaviours embedded within the context of daily life than as privileged ritual acts.” – and the beliefs focused attention (evolutionary adaptive selective attention) of the community on the activity of hunting-gathering of animals.[21]

Collectivist societies are a well-proven reality. Collectivism is the tendency, on the individual and societal level, to view oneself as interdependent and a member of a group rather than as an independent being.

In collectivist cultures, people feel as if they belong to larger in-groups or collectives that care for them in exchange for loyalty (Hofstede & Bond, 1984). As a result, collectivist cultures value collaboration, communalism, constructive interdependence, and conformity to roles and norms. A collectivist culture is especially likely to emphasize the importance of social harmony, respectfulness, and group needs over individual needs. In collectivist cultures, the goals and needs of the group tend to take precedence over those of the individual.

Collectivist cultural traits

Firstly, the definition of the self as interdependent — in relation to other people rather than in the abstract traits of an individual (Markus and Kitayama, 1991b; Reykowski, 1994).

Secondly, an alignment of personal and communal goals — meaning that the individual makes decisions accounting for the wants of the collective and what they are bringing or taking away from the group.

Thirdly, there is a greater consideration of social norms than individual attitudes when making decisions. Lastly, there is an emphasis on relationships, even if disadvantageous for individuals.

The core of collectivism is the idea that groups bind together and mutually obligate individuals (Kemmelmeier 2002).

As such, collectivists value security, good social relationships, harmony within ingroups, and personalized relationships. (Triandis, McCusker, and Hui, 1990), and collectivistic societies rely on mutual obligations based on status (Schwartz 1994). These ingroups can be as diverse as family, clan, ethnicity, or religion, and as such, the values of collectivist ingroups can be more broadly encompassing than those of individualism. Ingroups are malleable and can occasionally extend to an entire society.[22] (Understanding Collectivist Cultures: Overview & Examples, Simply Psychology, Charlotte Nickerson https://www.simplypsychology.org/what-are-collectivistic…#)

Creating Meaning, a Sense of Reality, Community & Identity

Alessandro Casale observes: “Indigenous societies in North and South America have dream theories and interpretations that reveal a philosophical order about the nature of the universe.”[23] That is in line with research into social symbolism. In that context, any objective analysis of Bla’an – T’boli T’nalak dream weaving shows it is more about community (bayanihan – a Filipino word meaning essentially “community spirit” or helping others, not an ethnic specific word) and identity than cloth, costumes, or weaving. Casale observes viewing dreaming as creative is alien to the “western academic” molecular mindset tradition. Michel Weber, in “Symbolism, It’s Meaning and Effect” which emphasizes the role of symbolism in culture highlights briefly that “Family is an almost obsolete concept”[24] – which is in line with the extreme individualism argument of David Hay, Kenneth Gergen and Virgilio Enriquez. I would add briefly that a study of collectivist worldviews in Malaysia indicated that community values had declined somewhat – citing “urbanization as an underlying cause.

“Malaysia is a prototypically collectivist culture. From birth, families encourage children to make ingroups the center of their lives. Families live in intergenerational households, and child-rearing emphasizes warmth and control (Kesharvarez & Baharudin, 2011). The relationships between employers and employees exist on moral terms, and promotions depend on one’s status within the employer ingroup. However, in Malaysia, as with the other rapidly developing economies in Asia, such as in China and Japan, levels of collectivism are lower among the young, the wealthy, and the urbanized (Cao, 2009).”[25] (Understanding Collectivist Cultures: Overview & Examples, Simply Psychology)

As Amanda Everett highlighted, the Filipino concepts of “bayanihan and damay…are examples of strong community partnership.” – which are connected with the traditional spiritual practice of t’nalak – dream weaving. An Ilongga connection-friend of mine translates that Filipino word Bayanihan as “helping others” which has a slightly different emphasis from the dictionary definition: bayanihan is a Filipino word derived from the word bayan meaning town, nation, or community in general. “Bayanihan” literally means, “being a bayan,” and is thus used to refer to a spirit of communal unity and cooperation.” Another Filipina connection emphasized that bayanihan is not a tribal word but universal in Filipino culture.

Even a glance at the t’nalak festival below reveals it is really about community and identity – not the supernatural. Tinalak/T’nalak Fiesta Street Parade and Street Dancing taken on South Cotabato SMRAA, Koronadal City during T’nalak Festival on July 18, 2009.The Colors of T’nalak by Louie D. Photography – 3763039917.jpg – Wikimedia

‘Dream theories-interpretations create a model of the nature of the universe!’

“Indigenous Dreams: Prophetic Nature, Spirituality, and Survivance” Alessandro Casale overview of dreaming in several indigenous native American tribes

Similar to Alessandro Casale‘s observation that ‘Dream theories-interpretations create a model of the nature of the universe!’ Rappaport states that “Few if any societies break the world into the more or less distinct systems distinguished by Western science. Not all of them, surely, distinguish environmental from social relations. Moreover, these understandings and principles, which in the Maring view, account for the structure and state of the world and invest the world and actions in it with meaning, are not confined to the particular material and social regulations regulated. They include as well metaphysical abstractions of great generality. (p. 116 Ecology, Meaning and Religion, Roy Rappaport, North Atlantic Books, 1979)

As Emile Durkheim observed: “The forces before which the believer bows are not simple physical energies, such as are presented to the sense and the imagination; they are social forces,”

The Sonenekuiñaji

The Sonenekuiñaji are an Ese Eja group of about 90 people, who live in the tributary area of the Madre de Dios River in Peru and Bolivia and practice horticulture, hunting and fishing. The Sonenekuiñaji have a remarkable relationship to dreams that guide their daily life and gives them a sense multi-natural perspectivism, which they explain as eshawa; it implies a blurring of dreaming and waking realties and gives animals and all animate beings a dimension of personhood, which allows their human identity to permeate through different realities and gain knowledge through their dream narratives. (Peluso 2004, 109) .

The Chipewyan people

The Chipewyan people, who are an Indigenous group of Athabaskan people inhabiting the subarctic regions of Northern Canada in the Northwest Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, provide another example of the prophetic and spiritual significance of dreams (Smith 1998). The Chipewyan still practice traditional ways of living by hunting, fishing and trapping in the remote subarctic landscape. Their “bush sensibility,” the success of life for the Chipewyan requires maintaining harmony in their interrelationships, especially among human and “animal persons” is of a particular interest to some scholars (Smith 1998, 413) .

For the Chipewyan, similar to the Ese Eja’s concept of eshawa, animal persons are essentially a spiritual dimension of personhood that all animals have. This is a holistic belief; for them “just as dreams are not contrasted to waking life, the animal’s spiritual aspect is never separate from its material aspect” (Smith 1998, 413). The Chipewyan world view is monistic, where spiritual and physical reality exists as one. They believe that all beings “are inextricably engaged in a complex communicative interrelationship;” this intercommunicative relationship with animal persons helps them to obtain their practical knowledge of bush sensibility, referred to as inkonze, which comes to them in their dreams and guides them through their daily life (Smith 1998, 412). Inkonze is a gift from animal persons shared with humans who have a respectful and harmonious relationship with nature (Smith 1998, 412) .

The Parintintin

Kracke (2006) describes shamanistic abilities through dreaming by focusing on the Indigenous Kagwahiv group called the Parintintin. The Parintintin live in the rainforest of the Madeira River area of the Western Amazon in Brazil;

For the Parintintin, dreams can anticipate future events, detect evil spirits and enable shamans to communicate with healing spirits (Kracke 2006, 107) . Not only shamans, but also “ordinary people can foresee future states through their dreams, if properly interpreted, shamans can act in their dreams to bring about events” (Kracke 2006, 108).

It is true that “This concept is often different from other non-Indigenous societies, like Euro-American ones,” — Iain McGilchrist echoes that reasoning “An increasingly mechanistic, fragmented, decontextualised world, marked by unwarranted optimism mixed with paranoia and a feeling of emptiness, has come about, reflecting, I believe, the unopposed action of a dysfunctional left hemisphere.”

Addendum I. A Spiritual Dimension – Connectivity and Sense of Well Being

Brief Synopsis of Spiritual Research: Spirit, Spiritual Intelligence and Dreams

“Spirituality is a natural human predisposition. It is more primal than institutional religion and concerns a person’s sense of connectedness with self, others, and the world (or cosmos)!”[26] (p. 163 Children’s Grief Dreams and the Theory of Spiritual Intelligence: Kate Adams Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln Brendan Hyde Australian Catholic University)

Anton Killin observes: “Music is a fascinating topic for evolutionary theory, natural philosophy, and narrative construction: music is a highly valued feature of all known living cultures, pervading many aspects of daily life, playing many roles. And music is ancient. The oldest known musical instruments appear in the archaeological record from 40,000 years ago (40 Kya) …” Killin argues the “capability” for music may have originated as early as 275,000 years ago.[27]

Details of Spirituality research: Kate Adams and Brendon Hyde go on to say that for some people, connectedness with a Transcendent dimension is a part of spirituality[28] (Bosacki, 2001; Elton-Chalcraft, 2002; Fisher, 1999; Hyde, 2004; Tacey, 2003). Hay and Nye (2006) argue that spirituality involves a deep-down awareness of one’s relationship with one’s self, and with everything that is other than one’s self.[29]

It is possible to conceive of spirituality as a type of intelligence (Emmons, 1999, 2000; Hyde, 2003, 2004; Kwilecki, 2000; Zohar & Marshall, 2000). One hallmark feature of intelligence concerns the ability to solve problems (Ruzgis & Grigorenko, 1994; Walters & Gardner, 1986). Zohar and Marshall (2000) define spiritual intelligence as the mental aptitude used by human beings to address and find solutions to problems of meaning and value in life. In drawing on discourse arising from theories of motivation and personality, Emmons (1999) further suggests that people are able to use spiritual resources to solve problems: The adaptive processing of spiritual information is a part of intelligence, and individual differences in the skills with which such processing occurs constitute core features of personality. Spirituality can serve as a source of information to individuals, and, as a function of interests and aptitudes, individuals become more or less skilled at processing this information!”[30] (p. 163 Children’s Grief Dreams and the Theory of Spiritual Intelligence: Kate Adams Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln Brendan Hyde Australian Catholic University)

Excerpt from article on spiritual experiences by J.E. Kennedy

The highlights of Kennedy’s study are that experiences generate increased interest in spirituality and a spiritual dimension, guidance by a higher power, and an increased sense of well-being and connectivity![31]

Data from a convenience sample of 120 people actively interested in parapsychology who reported having had at least one paranormal and/or transcendent experience showed that these experiences increased their interest and beliefs in spiritual matters and increased their sense of well-being. More specifically, the majority of respondents indicated that the experiences resulted in increased belief in life after death, belief that their lives are guided or watched over by a higher force or being, interest in spiritual or religious matters, sense of connection to others, happiness, well-being, confidence, optimism about the future, and meaning in life. They also indicated decreases in fear of death, depression or anxiety, isolation and loneliness, and worry and fears about the future.

Measures of current well-being and current importance of spirituality were positively associated with reported changes in well-being and spirituality resulting from anomalous experiences.

Although 45% of the respondents indicated that a paranormal experience had made them very afraid, this fear appeared to be temporary or mixed with positive feeling because only 9% indicated that their experiences have been scary with no positive value.

Recent research suggests that a world view that is open to aspects of life beyond the physical materialistic realm can be conducive to health and well-being (Borysenko, 1993; Gartner, Larson, & Allen, 1991; Koenig, 1990; Larson, et al., 1992; Ornish, 1990). Interest in this research on mind body medicine and the link between spirituality and health is rapidly growing. [p. 249-250][32]

An Exploratory Study of the Effects of Paranormal and Spiritual Experiences on Peoples’ Lives and Well-Being J.E. Kennedy and H. Kanthamani (Original publication and copyright: The Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1995, Volume 89, pp.249-265.

New Integrative Approach: Synthesis-Consensus of Frankl, Jung, and W. James: Spiritual Experiences Generate Meaning & a Sense of Reality

These perspectives of grief psychologists are consistent with the of Synthesis Consensus of Viktor Frankl, Carl Jung and William James – or the “New Integrative Approach” as Dr. Paul Wong termed it. Dr. Paul Wong elaborates on Viktor Frankl’s views: “The noetic (spiritual, specifically human) dimension contains such qualities as our will to meaning [Frankl’s central concept of the human being’s primary drive] our goal orientation, ideas and ideals, creativity, imagination, faith, love that goes beyond the physical, a conscience beyond the superego, self-transcendence, commitments, responsibility, a sense of humor, and the freedom of choice making.”

First William James emphasizes “They [abstractions (symbols) and spiritual emotions-experiences] determine our vital attitude as decisively as the vital attitude of lovers is determined by the habitual sense,……if you do have them, and have them at all strongly, the probability is that you cannot help regarding them as genuine perceptions of truth, as revelations of a kind of reality [my underlining] which no adverse argument, however unanswerable by you in words, can expel from your belief”[33] (P.47) William James goes on to say that religious experiences and spiritual experiences create and generate a “sense of reality”[34] (p.48)

So, in light of the fact that spiritual experiences are often involve highly charged emotions and also tend to shape a sense of reality, as well as the fact that grief is primarily about attachment and emotions it would make sense that spiritual experiences in the grieving processes could reshape and facilitate resolving the grieving (William James’ classic work, originally published in 1902, The Varieties of Religious Experiences.)

For perspective: Park and Paloutzian observe – from a recent review of “numerous” studies of people who have spiritual or spiritual-psychic experiences – that somewhere between one third to one half of people have spiritual-psychic experiences. That means in the United States 110 million people have experiences of one kind or another. Furthermore, one small study indicated that 64 out of 125 people engage spirituality in grieving. Park and Paloutzian go on to say that the studies definitely “establish the normalcy of such reports and that social scientists have until recently ignored a common-phenomena.”[35] (p. 67)

Addendum II. Peer Reviewed 2018 Critique of Materialist Methods Endorsed by Dr Harold Koenig, Dr Paul Wong, Dr Stephen Farra, Stefan Schindler

“When logic and proportion Have fallen sloppy dead and the White Knight is talking backwards!” Fallacies are “Wrong Thinking” in Justice Rehnquist’s terms; but more important, Fallacies are delusions

1. Dr. Paul Wong: “Your letter to a congressman needs to be published somewhere.!”

Professor Emeritus of Trent University; Edited two large volumes of The Human Quest for Meaning; Keynote speaker at an international conference on logotherapy; Founder and President of the International Network on Personal Meaning; Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy . With more than 300 publications in journals and book chapters, [36]

2. Dr. Harold Koenig: “Charlie – makes perfect sense to me!

Dr. H Koenig, M.D., M.H.Sc, Director, Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health. Recipient of the 2012 Oskar Pfister Award from the American Psychiatric Association, the 2013 Gary Collins Award from the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), and the 2021 Frank Minirth Award for Excellence in Christian Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine from AACC.

3. Dr. Stephen Farra: “The Definist Fallacy is spiritual poison, and has hurt us all!”

Professor Emeritus · Columbia International University; published three books: From Sigmund Freud to Viktor Frankl, How Psychiatry Became Human (2012), ACCOUNTABILITY PSYCHOLOGY:

4. Stefan Schindler, – The Definist Falalcy is a Methodology Flaw

Award-winning author, retired professor responded to my question: “Would you say the argument about the “methodological flaw” is correct” by stating, “Yes, correct!”

The Materialist Delusion: “spirituality is intangible and beyond the senses!!!”

William R. Miller and Carl E. Thoresen observe, “A philosophical basis for this perspective is materialism, the belief that there is nothing to study because spirituality is intangible and beyond the senses.” “Definist Fallacies” occur when someone unfairly defines a term so that a controversial position is made easier to defend – like defining spirituality as “intangible” – which is a “loaded term.” The Definist Falalcy is the same as the same as the “Persuasive Definition.”[37] (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

When Death becomes a Figment of your imagination:

Not all that long ago, I happened to be talking with a Filipina college student at a street restaurant in General Santos, Philippines. I went over the materialist argument as explained by Miller & Thompson in the NIH article as “the belief that there is nothing to study because spirituality is intangible and beyond the senses.” Since Filipinas have a reputation for being spiritual, I was a bit surprised when the Filipina college student/graduate agreed with the argument that spirituality is unreal because it is “intangible’.

So, I asked her to consider – for a moment – the concept of “death!” I emphasized that out that – of all things – “death” is “intangible and beyond the senses” and way beyond quantification. Then I pointed out that if you then follow the logic and reasoning of the materialist argument, “Death – then – becomes a “figment of her imagination and superstitious nonsense.” She paused for a second, then agreed with my reasoning – which was a major success for me.

Of course, the idea of death being a “figment of your imagination and unreal” is totally absurd. But then again, the statement that “all spirituality is unreal” is equally absurd and wrong on several levels. First it is a fallacy – a “delusion”! Secondly there are a number of very “tangible” types of spirituality: Spirituality of Compassion, Musical Spirituality, Spiritual Experiences and Healing in Grieving, Children’s Spirituality, Artistic Spirituality, Poetry and Prophecy, Dream Weaving/Creative Transcendence, Spirituality in nature as a living force, and Autistic spirituality

Spiritual Poison: “All spirituality is unreal”! Dr Stephen Farra, wrote: “Charles, I strongly agree that the Definist Fallacy (leading to a closed Materialism) is spiritual poison, and has hurt us all! Frankl writes about how a closed Naturalism leads to a suffocating Reductionism, which leads to a mental and emotional Nihilism and the kind of Moral Corruption he experienced in Auschwitz and Dachau……”

“Materialist Spirituality” is Based on a Fiction

“All Assumptions must be Critically Examined” – Including Materialism

The Materialist “Catch 22”: Prove the unprovable!

Brian D Josephson, a Nobel-prize winning quantum physicist – the only Welshman to earn the Nobel peace prize – observes, “With religion, focusing on the factuality or otherwise of religious belief similarly misses the point: the significant questions in this context relate to the functions and fruitfulness of religious beliefs.” That is, scientists are fixated on the “supernatural.” Briefly I would add that the “supernatural”, by definition, is ‘beyond the scope of scientific inquiry’ makes the “supernatural concept” a “loaded” term and thus a Definist fallacy.[38]

The Materialist Catch 22 Definitions of Supernatural as outside the scope of science

Mirriam-Webster

A : departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature

B : attributed to an invisible agent (such as a ghost or spirit)

“Dictionary” Definition: “of a manifestation or event) attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature.”

Materialists want spiritual and religious people to “prove” the existence of the supernatural – which THEY define as being outside the scope of scientific inquiry – talk about catch 22! I mean, materialists want me to scientifically prove something outside the scope of science?

When I asked my partner, who is a Filipina Catholic, if “God is supernatural?” She replied, “Yes.” I pointed out that from my research Jesus Christ never once used the word “supernatural” in the gospels and the concept of the holy Spirit in no way matches the materialist concept of the “Supernatural” – for example, Spirit and Truth – John 4:23-24; Spirit is Truth – John 5:6; or guidance – Luke 1:27. Then there are gifts of the Holy Spirit. In Catholic tradition, the seven gifts are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Lastly, he fruits of the Holy Spirit are nine virtues that are believed to be the result of the Holy Spirit’s presence in a believer’s life, as described in Galatians 5:22-23. These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Even worst, the supernatural comes with baggage – such as powers, superstitious nonsense, magic, mental illness. Dr Koenig highlights the fact that historically psychiatry at times views transcendental spiritual experiences as “psychosis!” I felt good that my partner strongly agrees with my point – plus several of my other spiritual and Christian connections definitely agree that is a valid point.

Real World Context-Evidence – There is a Consensus that Real-World context-evidence is an absolute requirement for a valid scientific theory.

• Immanuel Kant: “If a concept lacks reference to any object of possible experience, Kant argues, it “has no meaning and is completely lacking in content”[39]

• Iain McGilChrist: “Thinking is always thinking, but philosophical thinking is, upon the whole, at the extreme end of the scale of distance from the active urgency of concrete situations. It is because of this fact that neglect of context is the besetting fallacy of philosophical thought … I should venture to assert that the most pervasive fallacy of philosophic thinking goes back to neglect of context … neglect of context is the greatest single disaster which philosophic thinking can incur.”[40]

• Muzafer Sherif: “Sherif emphasizes that real world contexts are important, even if regarded as “messy” compared to controlled lab experiments.” “A psychological construct—if it is to prove valid and adequate—must be as valid and adequate in handling the stuff of ordinary human affairs as in handling the controlled variables of the laboratory experiment.”[41]

The Supernatural Concept has ZERO Real-World Context-evidence.

Yet, materialists have successfully pigeonholed and pegged ‘all spirituality as unreal and superstitious nonsense!

Selective Attention Factor

David DiSalvo states, “Selective attention,” also called “selectivity bias”—the tendency to orient oneself toward and process information from only one part of our environment to the exclusion of other parts, no matter how obvious those parts may be.”[42] There is a consensus that “selective attention” is absolutely pivotal in human consciousness. Without doubt the supernatural maladaptive stereotype has distorted the thinking of millions of people. That maladaptive stereotype is prevalent in Western culture and academia and is found in many defi9nitions of prophecy and myths – despite being meaningless and unscientific. It is readily apparent that the materialist maladaptive stereotype has successfully redirected the “attention” of millions of people and focused their attention to a meaningless, empty abstraction – a major and very destructive maladaptive stereotype!

Commentary

The Supernatural concept is just a derivative of the underlying materialist argument that “spirituality is intangible and beyond the senses” – which besides being a fallacy is also untrue because there are a number of tangible types of spirituality

Materialist Method “restricts and limits analyses!” – Iain McGilChrist

The scholar and psychiatrist McGilChrist states unequivocally, “The scope of inquiry and understanding of the Materialist Doctrine with its rigid adherence to the actually arbitrary principle of quantification and over-emphasis on physiological characteristics is severely restricted and limited in the analyses that can be performed.”

Symbolism and Spirituality Sidelined and marginalized

• Rollo May, an American existential psychologist and author, observes “There has been a radical change during the past three decades… Neither term, “symbol” or “myth,” even appears in the index of the standard psychology textbooks.” He goes on to say that this oversight was due to the “proclivity” – the materialist fixation – with data “which could ultimately be described in physiological or stimulus-response terms.”[43]

• Similarly, Elzbieta Halas observes: “After all, symbolization processes are an integral part of social phenomena and are natural to people’s social life. Unfortunately, they are not generally recognized as of primary significance for the examination of social life. Too often symbolism is thought of as an epiphenomenon, a phenomenon that is derivative of what are considered to be more important factors, such as business, resources, power, organization, etc. which are allegedly ‘objective’ facts.”[44]

Kant’s Symbolic Knowledge vs. Knowledge by Quantifiable Data: Is there a conflict between Symbolism and Materialist Quantification Methods?

Symbols are complex and “condense numerous meanings.”

• Elzbieta Halas states: “Of primary importance is the concept of generic metaphor, around which the dominant symbolism of some social group is created (Turner, 1978: 246; Mill s, 1950: 86). These are key representations set in a symbolic system, which condense numerous meanings and unify multiple signs, such as an ‘open society’, or a ‘rule of law’.[45]

• Balaganapath emphasizes that “The meanings that these symbolic forms transmit are complex. Instead of standing for a single referent, they evoke a variety of meanings, some of which may be ambiguous.”[46]

• Lastly, both Kant and Jung state that symbols “point” to a reality outside of the symbol.

So, yes, there is a consensus among scholars of symbolism that symbols are complicated which “condense numerous meanings” and so makes symbolism and materialist quantification mutually exclusive. The materialist problem with symbolism being marginalized by materialist bias in academia would seem to prove McGilChrist’s point that materialist methods “limit” analyses that can be performed

Spirituality Sidelined and Marginalized

Similar to Rollo May’s observation that “There has been a radical change during the past three decades… Neither term, “symbol” or “myth,”[47] even appeared in the index of the standard psychology textbooks,” spirituality has been sidelined and marginalized in mainstream psychology! In a 700 plus page comprehensive ‘History of Psychology’ – titled “The Story of psychology”[48] – by Morton Hull, and find there is not have one single reference to meaning, spirit, spirituality, or even religion. That being said I should add that Morton Hull did highlight the archaic references in ancient Greek philosophy but left out spirituality as expounded by Jung, Frankl, and William James . I thought perhaps this could possibly been just one individual’s prejudices, so I checked into my comprehensive “reference handbooks” for Self and Identity, as well as, Social Psychology. To my dismay, I discovered there was not a single reference to either spirit, spirituality, or religion.

Spirituality is an emerging field of research

Time and again I encounter college graduates – even professors – who think “we” have all the answers about human consciousness – which is not true not only in spirituality, but in symbolism as well “Psychological research on spirituality and religion has grown exponentially in recent years (Paloutzian & Park, 2013)[49] . In the diversity of new research, “spirituality” has proven to be a complex and dynamic term that is challenging to define.” … “Relational spirituality” is a term that has been increasingly employed in psychological literature in recent years with a variety of definitions and within different theoretical orientations.” – Tomlinson et al Also, William R. Miller and Carl E. Thoresen titled their article in Pubmed “Spirituality, religion and health: an emerging field of research” Lastly, Dr Koenig also notes spirituality is an emerging field of study.[50]

“Extreme adherence to materialism is too restrictive”

Perhaps Jeremiah Reyes has the best “description” of the materialist problem. Jeremiah Lasquety-Reyes, author & widely quoted expert on Filipino ethics I quote quite often said, “Hi Charles, I completely agree with you that this extreme adherence to materialism is too restrictive and limiting, and frankly fails to capture so many richer aspects of human experience and psychology. It leaves the field of psychology all the poorer. I am myself looking for a framework that helps me confront it. Partly, I think an alternative metaphysics is needed, one that respects the reality and meaning of things like love, relationships, and the profound reality of other people as people and not just as a compound of atoms, chemicals, and neurons firing. Glad that we’re on the same page!”

An excellent example of this severely restricted protocol would be – as Kay Deux, a social psychologist points out – the fixation of social psychology on laboratory experiments precludes “affective displays” and emotions. Kay Deaux, a prominent social psychologist, highlights the significance and importance of emotions especially in understanding many social, political or group related behaviors. Kay Deaux, emphasizes the fact that social psychology has historically had an “emphasis on experimenter-created social groups” which “precluded most affective displays.”[51] Experiments conducted in a laboratory would necessarily have a contrived and arbitrary aspect to them – very limited – and in that environment, cognitive concepts, structures and paradigms tend to be nice, neat, and precise constructs that are measurable in some sense.

Kay Deux goes on to emphasize that “In contrast, natural groups, whether family, fraternity, or nation, are often the arena for intense displays of emotion and strong affective ties.”[52] (p. 794 Social Psychology Handbook of Basic Principles edited by E. Tory Higgins and Arie W. Kruglanski) That is, the Materialist Doctrine – Ideology excludes some facts, information and evidence due to the fixation on physiological quantification.

Wikipedia has only three references for social consciousness – the most salient being Karl Marx who was the creator of Marxism and Communism. I held two discussions focused on social consciousness with five official anthropologist professors included and the only theory that was brought up was social consciousness as “ontology” – nature of being. The esprit de corps of the US armed forces at the battle of Chosin reservoir during the Korean War who were outnumbered by the Chinese ten to one was not nature of being – that was consciousness as force. The enlightenment movement during the Age of Reason was also not ontology – it was a movement. Ideologies which Geertz describes as “primal forces” is not the “nature of being” – ideologies are forces. Even from a precursory overview of human evolution, it is readily apparent that human consciousness si a force – a powerful force too.

The most “telling” point is that Geertz’s 1965 five-part definition of religion which was “universally accepted as Ira Chernus pointed out left out “Community” as an important characteristic of religion – as well as leaving out the “teachings of religion (a form of social consciousness – which doesn’t exist in academai) as well as “identity” which modern research indicates is pivotal in ethnic separatist groups.

Then there is Allport’s 1927 Fallacy: “There is no psychology of groups!” Allport’s 1927 taboo is still an ongoing issue. Hazel Markus, et al, observe: “Psychologists who study groups approach the idea of a group as an entity only very gingerly. The field, or members of the field, apparently still feel the sting of Allport’s (1927) remonstration of those who were attracted to McDougall’s idea of “group mind.” Allport’s taboo has significantly limited psychology’s ability to understand social and collective human behavior. Brian McVeigh, author and scholar states Allport’s taboo: “There is no psychology of groups” is a form of extreme individualism.[53]

Allport’s Fallacy is easily refuted because “psychologies of groups” are flagrantly obvious

So, yes, social consciousness was sidelined and marginalized.

Addendum III. A quick comparison of spiritual mindset versus a materialist mindset: Global Warming & Right-Wing Republican Extremists

I feel I should highlight the fact that Trump – who could easily be viewed as the penultimate materialist-and ultimate narcissist man – from a certain perspective. Plus, the right-wing extremist Republicans – are well known for being – not just anti-environment – but virulently anti-nature in fact, with no respect for life. Trump had every reference to climate change removed from all federal websites.

Article about Pope Francis: “As the papal plane flew near Caribbean islands pummeled by Hurricane Irma, the pope said that those who reject climate science remind him of a psalm from the Old Testament about stubbornness. “Man is stupid, the Bible said. It’s like that, when you don’t want to see, you don’t see,” he said. Francis added that individuals and world leaders have a moral responsibility to help preserve the environment or else be judged by history for their inaction. He said that those who doubt that human activity causes climate change should consult with scientists.”[54]

From NOAA website: “A new study published online today in the journal Science finds that the rate of global warming during the last 15 years has been as fast as or faster than that seen during the latter half of the 20th Century. The study refutes the notion that there has been a slowdown or “hiatus” in the rate of global warming in recent years.” As Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria plowed through unusually warm oceans this summer, each one broke records, startling even the scientists who study extreme weather. Scientists say the extreme rainfall events that feed these floods are on the rise for many parts of the world, and this year’s hurricanes fit that trend. In particular, rising temperatures in the ocean and the air alongside booming construction in vulnerable areas are fueling the increased risk from massive deluges. “All of these storms went through a period where they gained strength quickly,” said James Kossin, an atmospheric scientist at the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction. “That was alarming.”[55]

Trump’s Virulent anti-environment Efforts

The Trump Administration Rolled Back More Than 100 Environmental Rules. Here’s the Full List. By NADJA POPOVICH, LIVIA ALBECK-RIPKA and KENDRA PIERRE-LOUIS UPDATED Jan. 20, 2021 [56]

Over four years, the Trump administration dismantled major climate policies and rolled back many more rules governing clean air, water, wildlife and toxic chemicals. In all, a New York Times analysis, based on research from Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School and other sources, counts nearly 100 environmental rules officially reversed, revoked or otherwise rolled back under Mr. Trump.

The bulk of the rollbacks identified by the Times were carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency, which weakened Obama-era limits on planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and from cars and trucks; removed protections from more than half the nation’s wetlands; and withdrew the legal justification for restricting mercury emissions from power plants.

At the same time, the Interior Department worked to open up more land for oil and gas leasing by limiting wildlife protections and weakening environmental requirements for projects. The Department of Energy loosened efficiency standards for a wide range of products.

Molecular Materialist Ideology

This complete disregard for nature, earth – and actually “life” is clearly the result of a materialist mindset – a mindset that everything is matter and life or nature has no merit on its own. This is actually Karen Armstrong’s secularism argument “flipped over”. Karen Armstrong “The rational bias of our scientific modernity has resulted in a new and unskilful literalism. “Materialism as an ideology” is an essay of mine that makes the same point – only more focused. As appoint of order I would add that FBI agent McElwee states that “Materialism has destabilized society” – which actually is true.

Armstrong goes on to say, “In the pre-modern world, for example, Jews, Christians and Muslims all relished highly allegorical interpretations of scripture: as the word of God, it was infinite and could not be confined to one interpretation.”

Human Consciousness as force and energy

An important technical question and potential miscalculation – in my view – is that the assumption that human consciousness is a fixed entity which can be measured and quantified might not stand up to a rigorous examination. Historically human consciousness has always been in flux. So, viewing human consciousness as a fixed entity could lead to “skewed data” and produce a distortion of the truth. Several spiritual leaders view consciousness as a force – for instance Gandhi. Take the age of enlightenment for instance.

The Age of Enlightenment or Age of Reason, which began in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries were a social-ideological consciousness – an intellectual and philosophical force created by social-political-religious ideas that dominated the world of ideas in Europe and generated changes in the culture of Western Civilization. The ideas varied, though most central premise rested on the ideal and supremacy of reason, and a prominent political theme was self-government and constitutional government, as well as separation of church and state. Idealism and the ideas of freedom, liberty, religious toleration, fraternity, as well as the pursuit of happiness flourished as ideals during these times.

The ideas of the Enlightenment were indeed revolutionary. The ideas clearly undermined the authority of both the monarchy and the Catholic Church. The Age of Enlightenment gave birth to what is actually called the Age of Revolution, when, during the late 18th to the mid-19th centuries, revolutionary movements rocked the world – both in Europe and the Americas. The revolution accomplished a change from absolutist monarchies to constitutional governments as well as the emergence of the independent sovereignty of nation states. The Enlightenment set the stage for the movements of liberalism and neoclassicism.

The characteristic of consciousness as not only a force, but likely an independent partly autonomous force empowered by evolutionary factors – would seem a salient logical possibility

Additional Resources

Myths as Social-Moral Order via Social Symbolism w/ Durkheim: Moses, Hammurabi Code, Ur-Nammu, 8 Mesopotamian Gods, Zeus, Indra w/ E Halas: “groups [as] common symbolization” creates social order

Spirit as Life Force, Symbol, Archetype: “Spirituality concerns connectedness with self, others, and the world!”

“World’s oldest calendar” – Mesolithic Lunar Warren Fields Calendar vs Solar Calendars – Neolithic Stonehenge/Irish Newgrange, + Star Charts-Calendars – the Role of Selective Attention-Filters (W James, neuroscience) in spiritual and relgious beliefs

Sketch: What Spiritual People Say about Spirit and Spirituality – testimonials of what real people say about real experiences – a tapestry of diverse perspectives

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Dream Weaving of T’boli-Blaan T’nalak vs Native American Dream – Reality Creation: Symbol Creation as Reality Creation