Consciousness & Evolution; Understanding the Convergence of Science & Spirit in the Human Brain.

 

Abstract

Consciousness & how we may evolve our state of mind are discussed & studied in this paper.  Included herein is a reading of interdisciplinary studies transversing the broad fields of neuroscience, psychology, mind-body medicine, energy medicine healing modalities, quantum physics & traditional medicine. At the heart of this discussion is a realizing of the entanglement & coming together of mind, matter, science, quantum physics & spirit…in what we call ‘consciousness’. Ideas are put forth based on recent scientific findings in neuroscience, epigenetics & quantum physics to support the concept that “we can only perceive that which we are” & to show our possibilities to change. Recent scientific studies show how we may evolve our current state of mind, so that we may be more & therefore perceive more, several of these concepts are discussed in this paper. This paper shows that the convergence of the large with the small, the unifying factor in life is our conscious state interacting with the quantum field of all potentials.

Keywords: consciousness, neuroscience, mind, matter, quantum physics, science, spirit, epigenetics, DNA changing, mind-body medicine, energy healing. Intention, focus, quantum field.

Consciousness & Evolution;

Understanding the Convergence of Science & Spirit in the Human Brain

I want to know Gods thoughts, the rest are details.  Albert Einstein.

The longest journey is the journey inward, for he who has chosen his destiny has started upon his quest for the source of his being.  Dag Hammarskjold, former U.N. secretary general.

Introduction

This paper is an interdisciplinary exploration of how science & spirit meet in the human brain, with a view to understanding if we can evolve our state of mind & how we may do so. I will show that we may evolve our consciousness, & how our state of mind effects our DNA, our body, our brain & our perception. I will also show that we can only perceive that which we are. In fact, in our daily lives we simply see our self or fragments of our identity-self in all of the people & happenings in the world around us. It is actually impossible to perceive more than what we are!

This study will also outline how if we change our state of mind, this changes our brain at a fundamental level, our DNA & ultimately our perception of reality.  Some understanding of epigenetics, neuroplasticity, quantum physics & energy healing can assist in this regard. The underlying theme of this paper is to understand how the tiny influences the large; do our thoughts create our reality? And if so where is the point of convergence, existing between our thoughts & our reality?  If “a single empowered thought can change the course of history,” thoughts must be powerful things! (Ramtha, 2011).  I will also delve into the realms of quantum physics to

understand how science & the human spirit meet. Some would argue that that meeting ground is the quantum field; where all potentials exist simultaneously in a forever now. If we change our thinking, perhaps we will change our life.

Neurogenesis & Change in the Brain.

At the heart of all growth is change, without change everything remains status quo. If change were impossible, then there would be no evolution. So, how can we change our brain, learn new knowledge & expand the horizons or our conscious understanding in our life? There has to be more than pre-destined, pre-programmed existence & robotic reactions; a life based on past emotions, beliefs, attitudes & understandings, which act as a powerful filter in the brain; streaming every new event through the analysis & pre-conditioned judgement of past attitudes & associative memory! The past does not make for evolutionary life.

An understanding of neuroplasticity shows that we can change our brains & grow new neurons. During most of the 20th century, neuroscientists generally held that the brain structure was relatively permanent after early childhood.  This notion has been widely challenged by new findings in neuroscience in recent years.   Now it is widely understood that “Neuroplasticity is a non-specific neuroscience term referring to the ability of the brain and nervous system in all species to change structurally and functionally as a result of input from the environment.”  (http://www.Wikipedia.com).  Neuroplasticity may occur on a variety of levels, ranging from small changes cellularly in response to learning, to large changes involving entire cortical remapping in response to injury or focus. My primary interest is to understand how can we use this knowledge to expand our consciousness, thereby expanding what we can see, know & perceive… How do we open the doors of perception?  If neuroplasticity were not possible then evolution would be a fanciful dream.

The Ever-Changing Brain.

Psychiatrist Norman Doidge, M.D., author of The Brain That Changes Itself, (2007) has carried out much research into the field of neuroplasticity & has seen wonderful changes in people as a result of neuroplasticity;  “I met a scientist who enabled people who had been blind since birth to begin to see, another who enabled the deaf to hear; I spoke with people who had had strokes decades before & had been declared incurable, who were helped to recover with neuroplastic treatments; …people whose learning disorders were cured & whose IQs were raised;…eighty year olds to sharpen their memories to function the way they did when they were fifty-five. I saw people rewire their brains with their thoughts, to cure previously incurable obsessions & traumas.”  (Doidge, 2007; p xix).  This is such incomparably good news! Evolution is possible. Our brain is like a super-computer through which we process our life, it filters every single idea through the dirty rag of our past. (Ramtha, 2010.)  If we couldn’t change our brains – then we would be destined to re-experience everything as a shadow of our past, constantly drawn karmically to re-experience what we already know, & then constantly to react to & stand in judgement of what we see, based on our past experience. That would be truly awful & very boring!

Neuroplasticity & Stem Cells.

How exactly does neuroplasticity work in the brain? It works in two directions – it enables the formation of new connections within the brain, & also deletes old connections. So, as we create those new connections through new learning/ stimulus from the environment the brain makes new cells called stem cells. The more we practice this new learning/ stimulus; those new baby neurons begin to wire together. ‘What fires together wires together.’ After a certain period of time; usually thought to be 30 – 60 days- those new cells form a new neuronet through which we may perceive our reality. And in essence we ‘move’ into that new neuronet, while our brain ‘undocks’ from the old neuronet. “Through this process, called synaptic pruning, connections that are inefficient or infrequently used are allowed to fade away, while neurons that are highly routed with information will be preserved, strengthened, made even more synaptically dense.” (http://memoryzine.com/2010 ).      

 Neurogenesis is the birth of these new neurons; it describes the process whereby neurons are generated from neural stem and progenitor cells. This process is most active during pre-natal development; it is responsible for populating the growing brain with neurons. “Recently neurogenesis was shown to continue in several small parts of the brain of mammals: the hippocampus and the subventricular zone.”  (Wang Z., 2010, in http://memoryzine.com/2010).

The brain is then able to form new neurons, create a new neuronet through which we process & filter our reality & also to solidify this process. The brain is effected in two ways through learning due to its wonderful plasticity. In response to new information & new experiences, neuroplasticity can allow alterations to existing neural connections within the brain &/or form whole new connections between neurons. New connections lead to an increase in overall synaptic density, & changes in existing neuronets make pathways more efficient. In both cases the brain is remolded. Scientists theorize that this happens “when something called reverbration

occurs. When we are first exposed to something new, that information enters our short-term memory, which depends mostly upon chemical and electrical processes known as synaptic transmission to retain information. The electrochemical impulses of short-term memory stimulate one neuron, which then stimulates another; the key to making information last, however, occurs only when the second neuron repeats the impulse back again to the first.” (http://memoryzine.com/2010/07/02/introduction-to-neuroplasticity/).  This description of synaptic transmission explains the idea that ‘what fires together, wires together’. To grow new baby neurons & get that new coding in the brain, the new information must be practiced or applied often until it is ‘hard-wired’.  In this process new information or experience is built into the neurocommunication network.  Further repetition increases connections, highlighting the amazing plasticity of the brain. 

The Importance of Stem Cells in the Brain.

Stem cells are unspecialized cells in the body, which have the potential to develop into other cell types during growth. They also serve as an internal repair system, within tissues, dividing without limit to reinvigorate other cells. Each time a stem cell divides it has the ability to stay as a stem cell, or to become another type of cell with a specialized function for e.g. a muscle cell, red blood cell or brain cell. “Stem cells are distinguished from other cell types by two important characteristics. First, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division, sometimes after long periods of inactivity. Second, under certain physiological or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with special functions.” (Bethesda, MD., 2009).

Scientists have isolated stem cells from the dentate gyrus, which is a region in the hippocampus of the brain & an island for neurogenesis. These stem cells under certain conditions have the ability to develop into neurons in the hippocampus in certain situations. The hippocampus is the region for learning & memory.  Scientists “were able to show that even adult brains can build new neurons. The researchers assume that the new neurons in the hippocampus help the brain adjust to new challenges in life.” (http://www.sciencedaily.com). This information is helping scientists & doctors all over the world, as it is being applied in various mind-body medicine therapies. So, as we learn new knowledge we wire our brains to have new experiences & see things differently.

Consciousness & Evolution.

People use the word consciousness often, but to actually define what is consciousness is a tricky matter! Wikipedia’s definition; “Consciousness is a term that refers to a variety of aspects of the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts”, is a little light on precise detail. The Collins English Dictionary definition is a little heavier on precision, but leads to more questions than answers;  “Consciousness is that which is denoting or relating to a part of the human mind that is aware of a persons self, environment & mental activity, & that to a certain extent determines his choices of action.” (Collins English Dictionary, 2010).

What exactly is consciousness? I will address this question in more detail over the following few paragraphs…

Consciousness & Alchemy…

In ages gone by philosophers & alchemists pondered & ruminated over the question & mystery of consciousness & the meaning of life. Today neuroscientists & psychologists research around this amazing intangible essence within us, exploring about our ability to perceive, know, evolve & grow. What can we be conscious of? We can only really be conscious of our selves…what we see is what we are. With new knowledge we can expand our current state. This brings to mind the old adage that “you are what you know & since your knowledge ultimately depends on what information you accept as fact, you are what you believe!”  (Wolf, 2001; p.39).  St Germain & other renowned alchemists & philosophers held one common goal, the transformation of the base & impure to the pure & sublime. The alchemical process is one in which our consciousness needs to be transmuted from the dense base metal lead, to the subtle & purified gold.  Gold signifies a higher level of perception; Christ consciousness. To get to this place ‘the holy of holies’ we must evolve our consciousness. But where is this consciousness that we need to evolve..and what is the mind?  “Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent thought. Common attributes of mind include perception, reason, imagination, memory, emotion, attention, and a capacity for communication. A rich set of unconscious processes are also included in many modern characterizations of mind”. (http://Wikipedia.com). And how do consciousness & mind relate to the body?  According to Candace Pert neurobiologist – “Your mind is in every cell of your body.” (Pert C., 1999; p.36). That begins to explain that we are what we think, & that we are what we know.  Our body acts as a total reflection of the mind. If the body is sick, it is not something ‘outside’ of the person that ever causes the sickness. All disease begins first in the mind, then afterwards -the body, it’s cells, it’s DNA, its tissues can only be a reflection of where the mind is at. Otherwise, we would have to presume that the body has some other consciousness unto itself, & acts as an independent ‘person’ becoming ill all by itself. It isn’t so. This is borne out very clearly when people change their attitudes about a ‘problem’, once the attitude changes, then the brain changes, & so the DNA & finally the body. “This body has mind intertwined all over & through it.” (Wolf, 2007; p.111). As we think, so we are – this reflection will become very apparent in our discussion about epigenetics.

Convergence of Consciousness & Quantum Physics.

We are in a school for gods, where – in slow motion – we learn the consequences of thought. Brugh Joy M.D.

Consciousness & quantum physics converge in the observer effect. “According to quantum physics an unobserved system such as an atom or subatomic particle does not exist as a ‘real’ particle. It exists as a ghost like cloud of possible physical particles, called states. They reflect tendencies toward existence rather than physical existence itself.”  (Wolf, 2001; p.111).  The cornerstone of quantum physics is the ‘Uncertainty Principle,’ Niels Bohr’s ‘Principle of Complementarity’ & it’s also called ‘The Principle of Indeterminism’. This principle “reflects the inability to predict the future based on past or present.” (Wolf, 2001; p.111).  The Complementarity Principle states that “the physical universe can never be known independently of the observers choices of what to observe. With Einstein’s Theory of Relativity – we see that matter cannot exist independently of space & time…

everything is co-dependent. Matter can’t exist without an observer! Therefore mind, matter, space & time are all codependent.” (Wolf, 2001; p.111).  This is how we create reality  - through our choices of what to see. We see the “observer create reality – mind becomes matter.” (Wolf, 2001; p.111).  As Ramtha states clearly, “consciousness & energy create the nature of reality.”  (Ramtha, 1998).

Our Beliefs Become Biology

Church writes in The Genie in Your Genes, (2008,) that “scientists are discovering the precise pathways by which changes in human consciousness produce changes in human bodies. As we think our thoughts & feel our feelings, our bodies respond with a complex array of shifts.”  (Church, 2009; p.29).  Each thought unleashes a particular cascade of biochemical’s in our organs.  This book really puts an end to genetic determinism  - thank god! Several studies have been carried out to show that what we think about our health is one of the most accurate predictors of longevity ever discovered. “A committed spiritual practice can add years to our lives.” (Church, 2009; p.32). Every biological process is preceded by & accompanied by electromagnetic shifts.  “Electromagnetism pervades biology, & there is an electromagnetic component to every biological process.” (Church, 2009; p.34).  In the human genome project, scientists focused on cataloguing all the genes of the human body. They expected to find 120,000 genes. Instead the genome consisted of just 23,688 genes. Therefore all the information needed to carry out all of the operations in the human body could not be contained in the gene. Which begs the question – where is the information held?! (Church, 2009).

   

Seeing an organism as containing both energy & matter, we see it as in a state of  “systemic cooperation where every part knows what every other part is doing- every atom, molecule, cell & tissue is able to participate in an intended action.” (Church, 2009; p.36).  We can direct this energy & subsequently matter with the thoughts we chose & the feelings we feel. Our emotions & behavior shape our neural pathways- we can reinforce old patterns or initiate new ones. Our neural bundles increase with increased use…& so what we are gets truly ‘hard-wired’. “Beliefs become biology.” (Cousins,1989 in Church, 2009; p.20).  According to Richardson in The Making of Intelligence; “90% of all genes are engaged in co-operation with signals from the environment.” (Church, 2009; p.37).

Epigenetics & Thought

Epigenetics is the “study of heritable changes in gene function that occur without a change in the DNA sequence.” (Church, 2009). It is the study of signals that turn on & off genes. Some of these signals are chemical & some are electromagnetic. It looks at sources that “activate gene expression or suppression, & at the energy flows that modulate the process.” (Church, 2009; p.48).  Gene activation is intimately linked with healing & the immune system function. Emotional stress will mean impaired healing.

            Gail Ironson MD, PhD, is a leading mind-body researcher who has carried out research into beliefs & biochemistry. Her studies link particular beliefs with changes in immune system, “measuring biological markers of illness.” (Church, 2009; p.63). Her studies have shown that prayer, intention & attitude is very important in healing.

Neuroscientist Richard Davidson PhD has studied the brain areas, which are active during meditation using PET scans & EEG. Studies show that experienced meditators e.g. monks, showed greater increases in gamma waves, & they had more brain activity in areas linked to positive emotions. The most experienced had the most brain changes. (Weil, 2006, in Church, 2009; p.376).  Focus bulks up the portions of the brain connected with happiness! (Church, 2009). Interestingly, they have now shown that visualization cures cancer – & this can be confirmed with  “DNA screening, biomarkers & other non-intrusive tests.” (Church, 2009; p.72).

            Dr Andrew Weil says that ‘attitude is everything’ (a great teacher once told me that, in fact it is his catch phrase!). He speaks about spontaneous remission & how attitude has a powerful effect on genetics. Church explains that neurosurgeon Norman Shealy’s research shows that those with a hopeless attitude or anger die younger & often of heart disease or cancer… “what you are thinking, feeling & believing is changing the genetic expression & chemical composition of your body on a moment-by-moment basis.” (Church, 2009; p.72).

            With regard to stress – “when production of cortisol stress hormone is low, the raw materials from which our bodies manufacture life-giving DHEA are freed up & production increases, high stress levels suck biochemical resources away from cell repair & kill brain cells.” (Chidre & Martin, 2000, in Church 2009; p.90).  Our thoughts matter ..literally – cortisol has been shown to “reduce muscle mass, increases bone loss & osteoporosis, interferes with the generation of new skin cells, increases fat accumulation around waist & hips, & reduces memory & learning abilities.” (Church, 2009; p.75). 

Genes work together, we need to get away from the idea of a ‘gene for this & a gene for that.’  “As well as many genes being involved in most changes of state, different genes are often involved at different time periods of that change of state.”  (Church, 2009; p.81).  Behavioral State Related Genes are related to our behavioral state & they provide a link between our thoughts & our bodies, between biology & psychology- this is an “important piece of the puzzle, it explains how psychological state effects the body.” (Church, 2009; p.88). Experience Dependent Genes are genes that are activated by learning & novelty –this instructs stem cells to differentiate in order to replace injured or damaged cells in the tissues of our muscles & organs. This is a “foundation for growth & healing.”  (Church, 2009; p.88). This also stimulates stem cells into forming new neurons in the brain, these new neurons form new synaptic connections within the brain, new experiences change the structure of our brains each moment. This allows neurogenesis – our brains keep adding new neural links throughout our lives as long as they are stimulated to do so. (Church, 2009; p.90).  This is how we can evolve consciously: “learning experiences & other highly attentive states of awareness switch on the expression of genes that stimulate the formation of new neurons.” (Church, 2009; p.90).  This science ties in exactly with what Ramtha teaches – focus on what you want in a slightly altered (present) state of consciousness, & you will create it.  Scientist Rossi declares that “fascination during novel & numinous life experiences plays a fundamental role in focusing our attention & engaging activity dependent gene expression, neurogenesis & healing in general.” (Church, 2009; p.93).

Healing, Intention & Human Energy

Healing & brain entrainment is a very interesting concept, whereby both the brains of the healer & the patient will entrain to the same frequency as the heightened consciousness & the stronger field… (Church, 2009; p.93).  I have experienced this process many times in my work, (having been blessed to be present at 1000’s of healing sessions) whereby as soon as I am focused with my client, they “drift away” as their brain waves slow down into the Alpha state. This absolutely helps the healing process; getting the ‘busy’ beta brain waves of attitude, belief, emotion & associative memory out of the way, to allow the spirit to heal the body. This changes the brain chemistry, allowing new neural activity to commence. “Long term memory is processed by the hippocampus which stimulates experience related gene expression, especially involving a gene known as zif-268, which leads to growth of new synapses & new neural pathways in the brain.” (Church, 2009; p.93).  Researchers are now using PET scans & fMRI’s to map changes that occur during psychospiritual experiences & changes of consciousness.  Repitition is very important! We need to reinforce our novel experiences or heightened states to strengthen the neural net to support them, if we don’t the new neural circuitry quickly decays…in less than a month.  One rather fascinating study found that sudden bursts of high frequency occured - 40Hz oscillations (gamma waves) in the brain, just prior to moments of insight. This oscillation is conducive to creating links across many parts of the brain (Church, 2009; p.99). 

Lynne McTaggart writes about healing & the energy produced by healers in The Intention Experiment,  & this information is truly remarkable. Totally non-dependent on distance, healers were found to produce huge bursts in electrostatic energy during healing sessions. “Elmer Green had demonstrated in his research that

an enormous surge of electrostatic energy occurred during healing. When a person is standing still, his or her breathing & beating heart will produce electrostatic energy of 10-15 millivolts on the EEG amplifiers; during activities requiring focused attention, such as meditation, the energy will surge up to 3 volts. During healing, however, Green’s healers produced voltage surges up to 190 volts; one healer produced 15 such surges, which were 100,000 times higher than normal, with smaller pulses of 1 – 5 volts appearing on each of the four copper walls.” (McTaggart, 2007; p.24). 

William Tiller also constructed an ingenious device to measure the energy produced by healers. “The equipment discharged a steady stream of gas & recorded the exact number of electrons pulsing out with the discharge. Any increase in voltage would be captured by the pulse counter.” Tiller found that “directed thoughts produce demonstrable physical energy, even over remote distance.” (McTaggart, 2007; p.24). And another interesting study found that the energy produced by healers “seemed to change the molecular nature of matter.” (McTaggart, 2007; p.24).  Bernard Grad, an associate professor of biology at McGill University in Montreal, had studied the effect of healing energy sent to water used to irrigate plants. He analyzed the ‘healed’ water using infrared spectroscopy & discovered that “the water treated by the healers had undergone a fundamental change in the bonding of oxygen & hydrogen in its molecular makeup. The hydrogen bonding between the molecules had lessened in a manner similar to that which occurs in water exposed to magnets”. (McTaggart, 2007; p.24). Grad’s findings were confirmed by a number of other scientists. Russian scientists found that the “hydrogen-oxygen bonds in water molecules undergo distortions in the crystalline microstructure during healing.” (McTaggart, 2007; p.24). This ties in so cogently with Church’s work in Epigenetics in that thought, & in particular focused intention alters our biology – “when someone holds a focused thought, he may be altering the very molecular structure of the object of his intention.” (McTaggart; p.25).  This assists in our understanding of how healing works at the chemical & biological levels, & at the level of the brain. I have experienced this total non-dependence on both time & space in my healing practice also. Working from a distance with clients from every part of the world – distance presents no problem whatsoever. As I begin to work clients 1000’s of miles away can feel energy moving in their bodies, feeling very relaxed, & often crying when past energies/ emotions are released. They always feel much lighter at the end of sessions. Also, I have worked on distance sessions scheduled to happen at a certain time, where I would put in the intention that the client would receive the healing at the pre-negotiated time, but actually carry out the session hours or even days beforehand. Every time, when talking to the client, after the scheduled session time, they would report feeling the energy movements & healing happening at the prescribed session time. Clients were not aware that I was doing this – it was a test of the non-locality aspect of healing. Works a treat! The effects of this may seem surprising but the results speak for themselves. In Science & the Akashic Field, Lazlo mentions that the “healer & patient  can be directly face to face or miles apart; distance does not seem to affect the outcome. The effects of this are well documented.” (Lazlo, 2004).

            All of these experiences of the non-local & transpersonal nature of the consciousness point to one thing- our total all-encompassing interconnection.

Returning to Epigenetics & Self-Empowerment – True Healing.

A Yale team of scientists cited by Church, found that “the cortical map reflects our perceptions, not the physical body, the brain is reflecting what we are feeling, even if that’s not what really happened. We think we know what’s ‘out there’ in the physical world, but it’s all interpreted by our brains. Everything we sense is an illusion to a degree.” (Church, D., 2009; p.106).  Neuroscientist Michael Posner says that “the idea that perceptions can be manipulated by expectations is fundamental to the study of cognition.” (Church, 2009; p.106).  With this knowledge we have a great opportunity to change, since we are building these neural pathways with every thought & feeling, we can take control of the “quality of our thought & feelings, to build neural networks focused on the transmission of positive healing & joyful impulses.” (Church, 2009; p.106).

We are re-writing the expression of our genes in every moment, through our choices of what to say & think. “Activity dependent genes tell us we can experience it & create it as we encode new pathways in our brains deliberately.” (Church, 2009; p.107). With this our consciousness codes our genes every second. Studies have shown that meditation balances the brain by regulating serotonin & dopamine levels & stimulating the immune system. This is a powerful tool for self-empowerment & healing – this ability to unlock a powerful pharmacoepia with our consciousness. (Church, 2009; p.108.). This is the key to conscious evolution. Attitude is everything & focus works!

Convergence of the Conscious & the Quantum.

Take me from the unreal to the real

Take me from darkness to the light

Take me from death to immortality.

From the Upanishads.

Now where is the meeting point of the conscious & the quantum….how do we begin the unification of the small & the large?  Let’s start with the observer – afterall our thoughts matter! We are the unifying force!

Ramtha’s definition of consciousness is; “personal consciousness is that which creates the forms, envisions the forms, & that which holds the forms into possible states of manifestation. Consciousness exists within the unified field; the unified filed is the unification of forces, it contains forms, & the physical attributes that constitute the physical universe. The true unifying field is the consciousness, you personal observers unifying gravity with electromagnetism, unifying form with matter & only personal consciousness can unify form into matter & realize it.” (Ramtha, 2011.)

This lines up so cogently with what Amit Goswami cites in Physics of the Soul. (2001). Essentially, without consciousness there is no reality, we must eventually accept that we are gods, since we are what unifies the small with the large. It is our consciousness that allows the ‘real’ to exist for without it, potentials exist as waveforms but they don’t collapse to form the reality that we see before us.  “…the waves of possibility do not travel in space & time, because if they did, the waves could not have collapsed instantly into a particle.”  (Goswami, 2001; p.26). Our reality is simply & beautifully a holographic reflection of who we are. This is how Jeshua ben Joseph could say that ‘the kingdom of heaven is within you;’ as above, so below, what is within, is that which is without, we can only see what we are! (of course!!) The world is full of every potential, what we see is what we choose to see & we unify form & frequency in the twinkling of an eye before us, with the concept we choose to observe & collapse into reality; “what we observe collapses possibility into actuality.”  (Goswami, 2001; p.27).

Goswami explores a scientific theory of reincarnation but not before some thought & scientific exploration of what is consciousness itself in Physics of the Soul. (2001).  In Buddhism, consciousness is ‘the ground of all being’ – dharmakaya. In the double slit experiment, “the observers’ looking creates a unique actuality from the sprawling wave possibility, conscious looking manifests the actual event from all the possibilities.”  (Goswami, 2001; p.26).  Every imaginable quantum possibility exists in the brain, out of which consciousness chooses the actuality that we experience.  In monistic idealist thinking, consciousness is all there is; it is the one ground of all being, the only ultimate reality. “Consciousness can collapse material possibilities because it transcends the material universe; it is beyond the jurisdiction of quantum mechanics.”  (Goswami, 2001; p.28).  All possibilities exist here in consciousness, when it chooses it simply recognizes one of the possibilities, “& no mediation by a second substance, no dualistic energy exchange is involved.”   (Goswami, 2001; p.28).  

In considering the Gestalt picture ‘my wife & my mother-in-law’ – when we perceive the young woman or the mother-in-law– we just recognize & choose those possibilities from what is present. 

 my wife & my mother in law.

The process of conscious collapse is exactly like this. This assists greatly in explaining how it is that we can only perceive what we have knowledge of i.e. our self! If we don’t know of the existence of something & it’s not in our consciousness…then how could we see it? If consciousness is the ground of being & collapses potentials according to our choices, our choices are always based on who we are & what we ‘know’ i.e. our self-identity, an amalgamation of our past experiences, attitudes, emotions & associative memory. And then only when we have ‘owned’ all facets of our identity, can we truly see things as they are i.e. in total wholeness from a place of oneness, unconditional love & non-judgement.  (Ramtha, 2011). A seeing that is based on total presence with no attitude in place…just the shining spirit- being as it is…pure unconditional love.

Goswami talks more about the brain & consciousness & identity – it is cogently compelling. He states that “our brain produces a number of macroscopically distinguishable possibilities; this is the brains possibility wave. In observation a quantum measurement, consciousness not only collapses the possibility wave of the object, but also the possibility wave of the brain.” (Goswami, 2001).  Experience then ties in with this since, experience produces memories, which condition our self-referential system – our neocortical brain. Or what Ramtha calls the “yellow brain” – the neo-cortex, or as he prefers to call it – “the big yellow chicken”, (we laugh very hard at this!) since this is the house of associative memory, ego, the personality, the identity & all of its opinions – it is what keeps us from changing, it is about survival & staying in the past of our comfort zone.  So what happens in humans, is “that free-willing consciousness becomes conditioned, learning from its surroundings & dons an assumed identity based on past experience in the interest of having a reference point.”  

 (Goswami, 2001; p.31). 

In our ordinary states of consciousness we live in the consciousness stream of beta brain waves, in what Ramtha calls the hertizian frequency, the lowest level of the visible light spectrum – above that is infra-red, visible light, ultra-violet blue, x-ray, gamma-ray & infinite unknown. We pull our thoughts or rather they are magnetized to us from this frequency, (we only see what we are afterall) if we want to know more & be more, then we must magnetise ourselves to a higher frequency of consciousness, & enlist our thoughts from that stream. I have had experiences of raised consciousness & seen what that feels like many times, one simple example is when I stay very still & present I begin to see (with eyes open) my reality in infra-red i.e. everything turns black & white or the ‘negative’ of this reality, like the negative of a photo, or exactly like infra-red images from an I.R camera., faces begin to merge as form blends - & past lives can be seen in the face, orbs & other beings can also be seen. This is a higher frequency & these things all exist right next to us in the next dimension, in the infrared dimension- presence is the access point. Each dimension has different rules & anyone who has traveled out of their body will tell you that in their infrared body, they can fly, walk through walls, & when they think of a place – instantly they are there!  Hmm..should be a really good pointer to the fact that our thoughts create our reality – in higher frequencies, things manifest faster. At this level (where we’re living in physical matter- space & time) it takes time to manifest our thoughts…we have to wire the brain, so that we can experience new realities through a new neuronet. All higher frequency states of consciousness are accessible through presence. “Ordinary states are clouded by this ego-identity. But when we are present, or creative, when we experience ESP,  when we love, in those moments we rise above the conditioning, & we act in full knowledge of our oneness & our co-creatorship, as we collapse the available possibilities with full freedom of choice.”  (Goswami, 2001; p.32). 

This can also explain distant healing & telepathy as “Consciousness can mediate the interaction between 2 disparate bodies.”  (Goswami, 2001; p.32).  I experience this process on a daily basis, picking up thoughts & feelings from all of those around me, especially those to whom I am most connected. And when I work with people in distance energy work, it is like I create an electro-magnetic blue-print of their body in my body or vice-versa, as I feel where the pain is in their body, in my body & I know what their issues are, what their past life issues are, & what are their ‘blocked’ emotions. I get this knowing through an extra-sensory ‘feeling, seeing, hearing & knowing’.  The information is just downloaded, & beautiful beings often come to help in the process of healing, of opening & of bringing in the ‘light’. It is the light of the Holy Spirit within me that heals, this light issues from the same source in each of us, when we are present. This experience shows me that we are divine & exist on many planes in many dimensions at once. It points directly to our essential connectedness, to our core spirit.  “In quantum mechanics, we can correlate objects so that they remain interconnected (phase entangled) even when separated by vast distances. When we observe, the correlated quantum objects collapse into actualities, into separateness, but the entangled nature of their collapse shows without doubt that they were correlated.” (Goswami, 2001; p.32).  These events take place beyond space & time, because they happen instantaneously & manifest over long distances without any kind of physical contact. “Clearly the correlation of its collapse are nonlocal, involving a domain of interconnectedness that transcends the immanent space-time domain of reality where things are seen as independent & separate.” (Goswami, 2001;

p.32).

The illusion is separation, the reality is total inter-connection. But we have to be present to see & know that. And human beings in general are almost NEVER present! Otherwise we are simply accessing consciousness in this ‘ordinary state frequency’ & the associative memory of the brain, using our ‘big yellow chicken’ which will bring us nothing but ‘yesterdays news’  (the Ram) & in that realm- separation is king & queen. Presence brings our consciousness, the streams of thought which we may access, our brain waves, to a higher level, from which we may gather & know a different reality altogether. The only drawback is…it takes training & real work to evolve, so conditioned are we to not be present  - in this MTV generation of fast food nation & attention deficit disorder…with our sound-byte brains, we are almost always pre-conditioned by our pasts & are actually slaves to it.

How Consciousness Creates Reality

In The Self Aware Universe – How Consciousness Creates the Material World, (1995), Goswami points out that this has been proven scientifically & that our understanding of & acceptance of a transcendent realm of interconnectedness has taken a quantum leap as a result of an experiment in quantum physics conducted in 1982 by French physicists led by Alain Aspect. (Goswami, 2001; p.33). This is an experiment where 2 correlated photons influence one another at a distance without exchanging signals. Objects are all waves of possibilities before we observe them. Therefore a quantum of light (photon) has no attribute until a measurement is done on it. Aspects experiment concentrated on a 2-valued attribute of the photon, called polarization along or perpendicular to some axis. (no light photon can pass through 2 perpendicularly crossed polaroids- one with axis vertical, the other horizontal). An

atom emits a pair of photons so correlated that if one is polarized along a certain axis; only our observation can fix a polarization axis for them. And if we observe one photon giving it a designated polarization the other photons polarization is immediately designated, no matter how far it is from the first photon. If the 2 photons are so far apart that when we measure one, that not even light can mediate its influence on the other, we must conclude that the influence is nonlocal. (Goswami, 2001). How are these photons connected?  “They are connected through a nonlocal domain of consciousness that transcends space & time.” (Goswami, 2001; p.32).

In consciousness there is neither space nor time until consciousness has chosen to collapse an event into this reality. These studies in quantum physics are what really allow us to understand consciousness as the ground of all being. It is a deeper, more considerate & more meaningful understanding of what consciousness truly is. It is only when we raise our consciousness to a higher level thru presence that we may see more, know more, be more!

All things are one.  Heraclitus; On the Universe (540 – 480BC).

Amit Goswami speaks of how consciousness creates the material world. The integration of science & spirituality exists in “consciousness it is the ground of all being.” (Goswami, 1995; p.2).  This gives us a cogent understanding of where brain-mind & awareness meet. The brain is like a quantum computer which processes information selected by consciousness & those choices are collapsed from the quantum field of all potentials. Through our choices we elicit the conscious awareness of an experience as understood & felt by the body & processed by the brain. The brain

filters & shows us what to think & feel about this experience- through the production of chemicals, with analysis based on past experiences, we feel emotions, feelings, & arrive at opinions, & memories are evoked & elicited to back up our opinions. The brain is a filter! The “brain determines your everyday consciousness, not as a source, but as a filter, ….drugs or brain damage can crack that filter & admit a variety of experiences, including psychedelic visions & mathematical genius.”  (Haisch, 2007).  These possibilities exist just outside of our current neuronet of reality… This experience becomes our conscious awareness of our reality. It is not necessarily real or true, but it is real to us based on what we know from our past experience; our truth based on our past. A reality we chose dependent upon our choices. Our choices are formed by our attitudes, beliefs systems, past emotions & associative memory i.e. who we are! Or rather who our self-identity is, as long as we identify with our past, we will continue to experience our past. (how awful!) This self-identity is an illusionary creature, through which we experience our reality as ‘real’.  How important then is new knowledge, new experience, new ideas, contemplation & allowing ourselves to be open minded – so that we can make new choices  - selected from the quantum field of all potentials & expand our consciousness & awareness, & then begin to experience that expansion through our brain-mind processor. This is a circular process.. or as Ramtha calls it a feedback loop. “When we try to understand the manifestation of the brain-mind & awareness, however we get into a causal circularity. There is no completion of measurement without awareness, but there is no awareness without the completion of measurement.” (Goswami, 1995; p.174).  The classical brain’s functional machinery plays the role of the measuring apparatus & also becomes a superposition. Before the collapse, the state of brain-mind thus exists

as potentialities of myriad possible patterns that Heisenberg called ‘tendencies’. The collapse actualizes one of these tendencies, which leads to a conscious experience (with awareness) upon completion of the measurement. (Goswami, 1995).  Consciousness chooses the outcome of the collapse of any & all quantum systems.  Our consciousness chooses the outcome of the collapse of the quantum state of our brain-mind. Since this outcome is a conscious experience, we choose our conscious experiences, yet remain unconscious of the underlying process. (Goswami, 1995).

            This is what allows that veil of separation to exist, we identify with how we ‘feel’, what we ‘see’, when in truth all of what we feel, can perceive & know to be real – is based upon our past experience & that is how our brain filters the enormous amount of information we potentially could be aware of. We are thus left to be aware

of only a teeny fraction…we are aware of what we know…our self.  Lanza (2009) calls this - Biocentrism: what we perceive as reality is a process that involves our consciousness.  And Goswami describes it thus: “It is this unconsciousness that leads to the illusory separateness – the identity with the separate “I” of self-reference.” (Goswami, 1995).  This process involves the seer & the seen. It is the god split into creator & creation. How to know our self & to experience the creation, when we are all of it? We can only do that as seemingly 2 separate entities – the identity-self experiencing those things it has created as ‘outside’ of itself.  “We cannot escape the fact that the world we know is constructed in order to see itself, but in order to do so, evidently it must first cut itself up into at least one state which sees, & at least one other state which is seen.” (G. Spencer Brown, mathematician in Goswami, 1995; p.195).

            In reality we are everything. We are the all, we are gods on adventures experiencing all that we are, experiencing our creations. We can transcend this

material world through conscious evolution, - which is really a dismantling of our many filters - watching our thoughts & attitudes, remaining present & focusing on what we wish to create. But in reality, humanity identifies with it’s ego-self & so arises limitation & separation, feelings of powerlessness & we identify with our past…because we feel it.  Our consciousness is unitive & transcendent but “from inside physical space time, however we become possessed by individual identity; ego. Limitedness arises from accepting the point of view of the learned programs causally acting on one another. In ignorance we identify with a limited version of the cosmic subject; we conclude, I am this body-mind.” (Goswami, 1995; p.192).

             In presence we can become who we are, that takes real work! Absolutely! It is not a process of cookies & cream to dismantle the ego-self & break apart what Ramtha calls the ‘Gordian Knot’ or our illusory self. I don’t believe that any amount of back bends, forward bends, postures, oils, juices, lotions or potions could do it! (leaving aside the elixir that is the Red Lion, that certainly is helpful!).  I think they rather re-enforce the ‘problem’…another thing with which we may dogmatically identify ourselves! To truly look at our self with new eyes & see who we are, without denial & then have the strength to move forward & re-create, is a worthy battle indeed!  It is a painful process, but to go beyond this current state is something worth fighting for. We do have to remove the old in order to make way for the new, & if we can’t see the old (because we are just ‘being’ it) then there will never be any room for the new. Letting go is so important! I often mention that to my clients – “if you get a new sofa, there’s no way of fitting it into the sitting room until you dump the old one!”  “As the real experiencer (the non-local consciousness) I operate from outside the system – transcending my brain-mind that is localized in space-time- from behind the veil of tangled hierarchy of my brain-minds systems. My separateness – my ego- emerges only as the apparent agency for the free will of this cosmic “I” obscuring the discontinuity in space-time that the collapse of the quanutum brain-mind state represents.” (Goswami, 1995).

The Unification of the Tiny & the Large.

It is the tiny that influences the large. Our thoughts change how our brains function, & build & strengthen the neuronets of what we consistently think & feel.  Through these neuronets, our brain processes our reality, & changes our DNA…changes how we are genetically made up, our molecules, the atoms that form us …right down to the infinitesimally teeny- super strings. “The epistemology of science is built on the assumption that we live in a physical universe comprised of matter & energy whose workings can be understood by reducing them to their most basic components: molecules, atoms, quarks, & perhaps, ultimately, even superstrings.”  (Haisch, 2006; p.37).  So how do we connect the brain-mind, consciousness, the quantum field & God? Eventually as we raise our consciousness we can become one – with true self & experience divine bliss, unconditional love. Physicist Andrei Linda of Stanford University says “The universe & the observer exist as a pair. I cannot imagine a consistent theory of the universe that ignores consciousness. I do not know any sense in which I could claim that the universe is here in the absence of observers.” (Lanza, 2009; p.178).

Various traditions have different names for this experience, to exist as god -but all ancient traditions are aware of it. Patanjali (2^nd century AD) calls this Samadhi, starting with absorption in the object (the state of lowest samadhi), one begins a journey of transcending the object in higher & higher samadhis. “Eventually

a state is reached when the object is seen in this identity with cosmic nonlocal consciousness.” (Goswami, 1995). In Eastern psychology, the subject  of the cosmic-consciousness experience is referred to as the atman. Christianity refers to this primary universal self entity as the holy spirit. In Buddhism, it is sometimes called no-self, since it dependently co-arises with aware-ness (not hierarchically superior to awareness, its object). Other Buddhist philosophers have referred to the subject of pure awareness as the universal consciousness (for example, in the Lankavatara sutra).  (Goswami, 1995). To tie this in with quantum theory – Goswami describes this so eloquently; “In the quantum theory of the self, the atman is seen as the quantum self – the unconditioned universal subject with which consciousness identifies & that arises codependently with awareness upon the collapse of the quantum coherent superposition. The individual self-experience, or ego, arises in the mirror of memory from secondary reverberations of primary experiences.” (Goswami, 1995; p.205).

It is what Ramtha calls Christ consciousness, unconditional love, god-man/ god-woman realized. To realize the true nature of self – which is love- & be it. (Herculean task for a small human cleaning up its karma!.....but possible! As are all things in the quantum field…here’s to knowing the right path to take always…& taking it.  True growth usually involves a large sacrifice & awful pain!).  One secret is to never follow the ‘logic’ of ones emotions, as they always inevitably lead back to the past…a place we are so ardently endeavouring to leave behind forever!

Consciousness & Evolution

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