Continuum Of Consciousness

Continuum of Consciousness

Strongly Bounded

Limited focus of consciousness... Unfocused divergent thinking

Hidden subtle tensions below threshold of consciousness

Sense of Self is dominated by pain, discomfort and isolation

Bounded

Consciousness focused into physical embodied self.

Tensions enter consciousness as emotional and physical disturbances

Sense of Self is limited to isolated sense of identity

Semi Bounded

Consciousness focused into imagined self,

Fantasy and mythology

Images of wholeness and integration arise

Awareness that tensions are rooted in past events and unresolved relationships

Basic psychotherapeutic stance... Entrance into personal unconscious

Sense of Self is still experienced as subject but connected to others

Permeable Bounded

Tensions dissolve. Imagery, fantasy, mythology disappear

Energies flow into and through self. Connection to environment and others.

Basic Samadhis, I/Thou relationship. Creative inspiration.

Sense of Self as an evolving dynamic process

Unbounded

Consciousness indistinguishable from Nature, Ground of Being or Divine Being

Absorption into experience of primordial unity

Unity Consciousness... Unified field of undifferentiated energy

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* This Model is based up a compilation of my own and others subjective experience of transpersonal, mystical, cosmic religious or alternate states of consciousness.

A Transpersonal Approach To Time Travel

Experiment 1

Is it possible to generate a state of consciousness that would grant an individual or group the power to travel backwards in time? Given what we know of the universe today, this seems unlikely. 

While it is conceptually possible to move all the molecules in our region of the galaxy back to even an approximate simulation of where they were a decade or century ago, it would take an extraordinary amount of energy and control over matter far beyond our current ability to do so. Likewise, shifting into alternate universes, generating wormholes that curve time-space in strange ways or diving into a rotating or donut shaped back hole while theoretically possible is all still sadly far beyond our current technology. And so we are at present left with methods of altering consciousness to attempt access events beyond our brains and personal experiences.

Transpersonal Psychology

A subset of Transpersonal Psychology is dedicated to exploring, categorizing and mapping mystical, spiritual, cosmic religious or transpersonal experiences. Some prefer more clinical terms and call these non-ordinary or altered states of consciousness. There is still some debate these days of whether consciousness is generated by the quantum or neurological structures and processes of the brain or whether the brain receives a form of consciousness that is already suffused throughout the synergetic and cybernetic systems of the cosmos. Some have even suggested the possibility that  individuals and events create quantum information patterns that spread like waves across a pond. And so, if human consciousness is in some way built on quantum patterns and structures then maybe that consciousness can in some way read those quantum wave patterns left by previous events of individuals. Setting aside the question whether opening the doors of perception to these experiences is a window to one's own psyche or to the cosmos at large we can start to move forward.

Various categories of transpersonal experience have been found, such as states of communion and subtle forms of bliss, submersion into the flow of a sacred narrative, encounters with hyper-dimensional beings as well trans-spatial and trans-temporal experiences. Stanislov Grof explores some of these in his paper: Theoretical and Empirical Foundations of Transpersonal Psychology. Then of course there is the pioneering work of John Lilly and Ken Wilbur's perrenialist approach of stages of consciousness development by  to name but a few.

Practically Speaking

Is there an approach than can be drawn from Siddha Yoga that can bring about experiences of accessing not only other places and beings but other times? Admittedly, my own experience with Siddha Yoga is negligible, since I never felt at home in the organization that grew in Muktananda's wake. And while my own experiences in kundalini yoga were profound, time travel was not among them. To my knowledge there are no precise methods of initiating trans-temporal states of consciousness but we can speculate based on existing methods. Psychedelics, while being incredibly potent catalysts for generating alternate states of consciousness are still illegal in many countries and notoriously difficult to control the direction of one's mind above even moderate doses.

The breathing techniques and mantras of Kundalini Yoga are indeed potent methods of generating alternate or mystical states, but in my experience they result in non personal states of being that are more focused on bliss, flows of energy and the recognition of the eternal within the present. More experienced practitioners would likely have a more accurate account of that tradition than I and provide some obscure ritualistic methods for achieving specific states of consciousness. 

For some reason the deep connected breathing practices of Rebirthing and Holotropic Breathwork result in access to both alternate states of consciousness and rich biographical material. And so there is something to start with.

An Experiment

1. In a quiet setting begin with discussing intention.

2. Lay on the floor or mattress and begin with kundalini breath of fire then shift to deep connected breathing. For background music use instrumental pieces with beats per second that follow a progression of brain waves from high frequency to lower frequencies. Have a someone sitting nearby as a companion. 

3. Experiment with blanketing oneself with magnetic fields of varying strengths tuned to the the Earth's magnetic field: 25 to 65 microtesla (0.25 to 0.65 gauss).