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Stream of Consciousness
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ODETE-@aol.com
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Jan 21, 2004 13:15 PST
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WELCOME TO SPIRIT, SCIENCE AND YOU!
You are receiving this free e-zine because you requested it. We
neither use, nor recommend spam.
This is volume 3l, January 2004. This e-zine contains an article written by
Odete Martins Bigote, author of "You Can Remember Love: Contemplations on
Science and Spirituality."
WELCOME TO ALL SUBSCRIBERS, ESPECIALLY NEW ONES. THANK YOU FOR RECOMMENDING
MY E-ZINE AND MY BOOK.
Thank you also for visiting my website, (www.portugueseprincess.com) and
listening to my AUDIO.
I'M ALSO ETERNALLY GRATEFUL TO SOME OF YOU WHO EMAILED ME TO LET ME KNOW THAT
YOU MAKE XEROX COPIES OF MY ARTICLES FOR DISTRIBUTION.
Just a reminder for those subscribers who live in the New York City
(Manhattan area): I produce my own cable TV show every other Sunday, at 9
A.M.,Channel 34 and 107.
DISCOVER HOW TO CONTACT YOUR HIGHER SELF. LEARN HOW TO HANDLE YOUR NEGATIVE
THOUGHTS. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH TRUE JOY, AND ABUNDANCE. VISIT ODETE'S WEBSITE
NOW AND ORDER HER BOOK. YOU'LL NEVER FORGET HOW YOU CAN REMEMBER LOVE.
=================================================================
Quotes on consciousness:
O what a world of unseen visions and unheard silences, this insubstantial
country of the mind! What ineffable essences, these touchless rememberings and
unshowable reveries! And the privacy of it all! A secret theater of speechless
monologue and prevenient counsel, an invisible mansion of all moods, musings,
and mysteries, an infinite resort of disappointments and discoveries. A whole
kingdom where each of us reigns reclusively alone, questioning what we will,
commanding what we can. A hidden hermitage where we may study out the troubled
book of what we have done and yet may do. An introcosm that is more myself than
anything I can find in a mirror. This consciousness that is myself of selves,
that is everything, and yet nothing at all---what is it?
Julian Jaynes, The Origin of Consciousness
in the Breakdown of
Bicameral Mind, 1976
I incline to the idealistic theory that consciousness is fundamental, and
that the material universe is derivative from consciousness...In general the
universe seems to me to be nearer to a great thought that to a great machine.
James Jeans, 1934
An expansion of the individual consciousness towards a harmony with Infinite
Consciousness demands of the individual that he take on, commensurately, other
characteristics of his Creator.
Leonard E. Read, in the Freeman, June 1964
When mystical activity is at its height, we find consciousness possessed by a
sense of a being at once excessive and identical with the self: great enough
to be God; interior enough to be me.
E. Recejac, Essay on the Being of the
Mystical Knowledge, 1899
We are obliged to regard every phonomenon as a manifestation of some Power by
which we are acted upon: though Omnipresence is unthinkable, yet...we are
unable to think of limits to the presence of this Power...And this consciousness
of an Incomprehensible Power...is just that consciousness on which Religion
dwells.
Herbert Spencer, First Principles, 1862
I hold that it is in the Transcendental Feeling, manifested normally as Faith
in the Value of Life, and ecstatically as a sense of timeless Being... that
consciousness comes nearest to the object of metaphysics, Ultimate Reality.
J.A.Stewart, The Myth of Plato, 1905
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
Article of the Month:
"STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS "
By
Odete Martins Bigote
"Consciousness is the inner light kindled in
the soul...
a music, strident or sweet, made by
friction of existence."
George Santayana, The Realm
of Truth, 1938
I was standing on a crowded bus for a long time. Suddenly, out of the blue, I
started to push through the crowd and walk to the back.
Let me out! Let me out! I yelled. The passengers stared at me, wondering what
I was up to. Finally, someone dared to ask where did I think I was going. I
remember that I answered correctly, as I pointed to the rear window and said:
"I'm trying to get out through that window!"
In the meantime, since I did not get out, the bus took off. I stood still and
very close to the rear window, staring at it, and wondering why the bus
driver did not give me a chance to get out through the window...
I do not know how long these thoughts lasted. I do remember that when I was
able to reason, I was shocked and ashamed. I did not want to look at anyone,
and I hoped I would never meet any of those bus riders again. I was more
concerned with what others would think of me and to marvel at my experience.
What happened to me? I was not on drugs, I had not been drinking, and was in
good health.
Throughout history, we've used metaphors to help us understand consciousness.
David Hume in the 18th century, referred to consciousness as "discrete
moments." William James, in the 19th century, coined the phrase, "stream of
consciousness." He concluded that although consciousness seems continuous, he
questioned its continuity. Henry Bergson, at the beginning of the 20th century,
compared consciousness to a movie going on inside us.
When I was a child, my family owned a theater. The machinery was primitive
and broke down often. One day, we were watching a movie, the protagonist of
which was Elizabeth Taylor. The film started to run so fast that we watched Miss
Taylor getting married and divorced at the same time. Then, the whole film
started to go backwards: we watched her divorce, marriage and childhood all at the
same time. Finally, the machine broke down.
The audience protested. They wanted their money back; but I did not mind. I
runned to the equipment room. I watched the cameramen picking up the big roll
of film which was all messed up. They were trying to put it all together.
"Hey, here are some pieces of Elizabeth Taylor's wedding." I had found torn
snapshots on the floor. I handed them over to the cameramen.
The first time I was in the room, they explained that what we see on the
screen is nothing but many snapshots/pictures placed into frames, and put together
to make a story. I was very impressed. But, at that young age, I did not
understand the importance of seeing "movies" as metaphor for our consciousness.
The Noble Prize laureate, Francis Crick, and his colleague Christof Koch,
propose that there are different degrees of consciousness. They refer to
phenomenal consciousness, and access-consciousness which allows us to reason.
What happened to me on that crowded bus ride, may be viewed by many
individuals as an episode of phenomenal consciousness. They may try and explain the
event in terms of what happened to my neurons, retina, frontal cortex, brain, and
so forth. However, there will be no consideration of what happens at the
preconscious level. Indeed, I was transfixed. I could not reason; yet, I was able
to receive enough information to follow instruction, and act like a robot.
What is the meaning of this information? It took me a long time to begin to
understand the value of "the unseen."
"The consciousness of each of us is evolution looking
at itself
and reflecting."
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The
Phenomenon of Man, 1955
I learned from my experience on that ride that consciousness is not
continuous: it can be fragmented and broken down into snapshots or pictures which we
have no control of since our access to reason has been cut off. Furthermore, the
event was a lovely way to help me awake to the activity if the power within;
this happens to all of us, more often than we think; it happens in our dreams,
while we sleep. In my case, I was quite awake and in the public arena, which
made the event very intriguing, indeed.
What was happening in my life? Was this a call for me to awake? I had a job I
did not like, and I wanted to get out of there. Consequently, one of the
messages from this episode was:" Odete, you are trying to get out through the
wrong exit."
At preconscious level, the movie of my life broke down, and I picked up a few
pieces from the floor...just as I had done when I was a child and picked up
"pieces" of Elizabeth Taylor's story.
OUR POWER TO REASON AT THE CONSCIOUS LEVEL MAY BE INTERRUPTED, BUT OUR POWER
AT THE PRECONSCIOUS LEVEL NEVER STOPS; IT IS CONTINUOUS.
Consciousness, then, like Henry Bergson imagined, can be compared to a movie
going on in our minds. But, who has the energy to write the script and direct
the movie?
THE ENERGY CAN COME ONLY FROM A CONTINUOUS POWER WITHIN ALL OF US. THAT
ENERGY IS TOTALLY UNIFIED AND KNOWS OF OUR NEEDS; PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
A lot has been written about the Hologram, it shows us that THE WHOLE IS IN
EVERY PART. Consequently, that POWER AND ENERGY is within all of us, and in
that unified state at a preconscious level, we are the writers, directors and
protagonists of our own movie.
The earth is our stage. The performance is ongoing.
Article written by:
Odete Martins Bigote
Copyright, January 2004
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<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><BODY BGCOLOR="#ffcccc"><FONT SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"><BR>
<BR>
WELCOME TO SPIRIT, SCIENCE AND YOU!<BR>
<BR>
You are receiving this free e-zine because you requested it. We <BR>
neither use, nor recommend spam.<BR>
<BR>
This is volume 3l, January 2004. This e-zine contains an article written by <BR>
Odete Martins Bigote, author of "You Can Remember Love: Contemplations on <BR>
Science and Spirituality." <BR>
<BR>
WELCOME TO ALL SUBSCRIBERS, ESPECIALLY NEW ONES. THANK YOU FOR RECOMMENDING MY E-ZINE AND MY BOOK.<BR>
<BR>
Thank you also for visiting my website, (www.portugueseprincess.com) and <BR>
listening to my AUDIO.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
I'M ALSO ETERNALLY GRATEFUL TO SOME OF YOU WHO EMAILED ME TO LET ME KNOW THAT YOU MAKE XEROX COPIES OF MY ARTICLES FOR DISTRIBUTION.<BR>
<BR>
Just a reminder for those subscribers who live in the New York City <BR>
(Manhattan area): I produce my own cable TV show every other Sunday, at 9 <BR>
A.M.,Channel 34 and 107. <BR>
<BR>
<BR>
DISCOVER HOW TO CONTACT YOUR HIGHER SELF. LEARN HOW TO HANDLE YOUR NEGATIVE THOUGHTS. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH TRUE JOY, AND ABUNDANCE. VISIT ODETE'S WEBSITE NOW AND ORDER HER BOOK. YOU'LL NEVER FORGET HOW YOU CAN REMEMBER LOVE.<BR>
<BR>
=================================================================<BR>
<BR>
Quotes on consciousness:<BR>
<BR>
O what a world of unseen visions and unheard silences, this insubstantial country of the mind! What ineffable essences, these touchless rememberings and unshowable reveries! And the privacy of it all! A secret theater of speechless monologue and prevenient counsel, an invisible mansion of all moods, musings, and mysteries, an infinite resort of disappointments and discoveries. A whole kingdom where each of us reigns reclusively alone, questioning what we will, commanding what we can. A hidden hermitage where we may study out the troubled book of what we have done and yet may do. An introcosm that is more myself than anything I can find in a mirror. This consciousness that is myself of selves, that is everything, and yet nothing at all---what is it?<BR>
<BR>
Julian Jaynes, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of<BR>
Bicameral Mind, 1976<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
I incline to the idealistic theory that consciousness is fundamental, and that the material universe is derivative from consciousness...In general the universe seems to me to be nearer to a great thought that to a great machine.<BR>
<BR>
James Jeans, 1934<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
An expansion of the individual consciousness towards a harmony with Infinite Consciousness demands of the individual that he take on, commensurately, other characteristics of his Creator.<BR>
<BR>
Leonard E. Read, in the Freeman, June 1964<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
When mystical activity is at its height, we find consciousness possessed by a sense of a being at once excessive and identical with the self: great enough to be God; interior enough to be me. <BR>
<BR>
E. Recejac, Essay on the Being of the Mystical Knowledge, 1899<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
We are obliged to regard every phonomenon as a manifestation of some Power by which we are acted upon: though Omnipresence is unthinkable, yet...we are unable to think of limits to the presence of this Power...And this consciousness of an Incomprehensible Power...is just that consciousness on which Religion dwells. <BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Herbert Spencer, First Principles, 1862<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
I hold that it is in the Transcendental Feeling, manifested normally as Faith in the Value of Life, and ecstatically as a sense of timeless Being... that consciousness comes nearest to the object of metaphysics, Ultimate Reality.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
J.A.Stewart, The Myth of Plato, 1905<BR>
<BR>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Article of the Month:<BR>
<BR>
"STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS "<BR>
By<BR>
Odete Martins Bigote<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
"Consciousness is the inner light kindled in the soul...<BR>
a music, strident or sweet, made by friction of existence."<BR>
<BR>
George Santayana, The Realm of Truth, 1938<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
I was standing on a crowded bus for a long time. Suddenly, out of the blue, I started to push through the crowd and walk to the back.<BR>
<BR>
Let me out! Let me out! I yelled. The passengers stared at me, wondering what I was up to. Finally, someone dared to ask where did I think I was going. I remember that I answered correctly, as I pointed to the rear window and said: "I'm trying to get out through that window!"<BR>
<BR>
In the meantime, since I did not get out, the bus took off. I stood still and very close to the rear window, staring at it, and wondering why the bus driver did not give me a chance to get out through the window...<BR>
<BR>
I do not know how long these thoughts lasted. I do remember that when I was able to reason, I was shocked and ashamed. I did not want to look at anyone, and I hoped I would never meet any of those bus riders again. I was more concerned with what others would think of me and to marvel at my experience.<BR>
<BR>
What happened to me? I was not on drugs, I had not been drinking, and was in good health.<BR>
<BR>
Throughout history, we've used metaphors to help us understand consciousness. David Hume in the 18th century, referred to consciousness as "discrete moments." William James, in the 19th century, coined the phrase, "stream of consciousness." He concluded that although consciousness seems continuous, he questioned its continuity. Henry Bergson, at the beginning of the 20th century, compared consciousness to a movie going on inside us.<BR>
<BR>
When I was a child, my family owned a theater. The machinery was primitive and broke down often. One day, we were watching a movie, the protagonist of which was Elizabeth Taylor. The film started to run so fast that we watched Miss Taylor getting married and divorced at the same time. Then, the whole film started to go backwards: we watched her divorce, marriage and childhood all at the same time. Finally, the machine broke down.<BR>
<BR>
The audience protested. They wanted their money back; but I did not mind. I runned to the equipment room. I watched the cameramen picking up the big roll of film which was all messed up. They were trying to put it all together.<BR>
<BR>
"Hey, here are some pieces of Elizabeth Taylor's wedding." I had found torn snapshots on the floor. I handed them over to the cameramen.<BR>
<BR>
The first time I was in the room, they explained that what we see on the screen is nothing but many snapshots/pictures placed into frames, and put together to make a story. I was very impressed. But, at that young age, I did not understand the importance of seeing "movies" as metaphor for our consciousness.<BR>
<BR>
The Noble Prize laureate, Francis Crick, and his colleague Christof Koch, propose that there are different degrees of consciousness. They refer to phenomenal consciousness, and access-consciousness which allows us to reason.<BR>
<BR>
What happened to me on that crowded bus ride, may be viewed by many individuals as an episode of phenomenal consciousness. They may try and explain the event in terms of what happened to my neurons, retina, frontal cortex, brain, and so forth. However, there will be no consideration of what happens at the preconscious level. Indeed, I was transfixed. I could not reason; yet, I was able to receive enough information to follow instruction, and act like a robot.<BR>
<BR>
What is the meaning of this information? It took me a long time to begin to understand the value of "the unseen."<BR>
<BR>
"The consciousness of each of us is evolution looking at itself<BR>
and reflecting."<BR>
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man, 1955<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
I learned from my experience on that ride that consciousness is not continuous: it can be fragmented and broken down into snapshots or pictures which we have no control of since our access to reason has been cut off. Furthermore, the event was a lovely way to help me awake to the activity if the power within; this happens to all of us, more often than we think; it happens in our dreams, while we sleep. In my case, I was quite awake and in the public arena, which made the event very intriguing, indeed.<BR>
<BR>
What was happening in my life? Was this a call for me to awake? I had a job I did not like, and I wanted to get out of there. Consequently, one of the messages from this episode was:" Odete, you are trying to get out through the wrong exit."<BR>
<BR>
At preconscious level, the movie of my life broke down, and I picked up a few pieces from the floor...just as I had done when I was a child and picked up "pieces" of Elizabeth Taylor's story.<BR>
<BR>
OUR POWER TO REASON AT THE CONSCIOUS LEVEL MAY BE INTERRUPTED, BUT OUR POWER AT THE PRECONSCIOUS LEVEL NEVER STOPS; IT IS CONTINUOUS.<BR>
<BR>
Consciousness, then, like Henry Bergson imagined, can be compared to a movie going on in our minds. But, who has the energy to write the script and direct the movie?<BR>
<BR>
THE ENERGY CAN COME ONLY FROM A CONTINUOUS POWER WITHIN ALL OF US. THAT ENERGY IS TOTALLY UNIFIED AND KNOWS OF OUR NEEDS; PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.<BR>
<BR>
A lot has been written about the Hologram, it shows us that THE WHOLE IS IN EVERY PART. Consequently, that POWER AND ENERGY is within all of us, and in that unified state at a preconscious level, we are the writers, directors and protagonists of our own movie.<BR>
<BR>
The earth is our stage. The performance is ongoing.<BR>
<BR>
Article written by:<BR>
Odete Martins Bigote<BR>
Copyright, January 2004</FONT></HTML>
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