The new/old secularism confronts the existential unknown, and a Seth quote

I've come across another article that seeks to address the religious component of the "I visited Heaven and returned" genre of books. Essentially, this currently fashionable approach conflates traditional religious dogma with the "visiting heaven" movement... Because some NDE books have a decidedly Christian spin, the whole genre is tainted. The author concludes:

Reading these books catapulted me back into my evangelical past life, reminding me of who I might be still, had I not sought relief from the dissonance of biblical literalism. For me, the genre’s popularity was not a sign of resurgent faith, but symptomatic of faith’s waning – a last gasp at belief, a signal of a coming break.

I'm not sure that I can add anything to this debate that others haven't said better, except:  At different times in my life, I have both a committed secular, agnostic humanist, and a devout Christian fundamentalist. I have lived in both worlds.  Both times, I was convinced that I was completely right, and that the "other side" was sadly misinformed.  And I had an arsenal of facts and rhetorical tools to fling at the other side. Both sides have a fair number of ideological refugees from the other. What I see now, however, when I read the arguments of either, is the smug self-assurance of the one, and the devout moral superiority of the other.  I don't see anything that resonates as truth to me.

Maybe the transcendent nature of the NDE can't be understood with any of our current intellectual tools.  As with other facets of this multidimensional phenomenon, we will have to grow some new tools, or evolve a bit further, before we can assimilate it into our world view. We simply lack the experiential vocabulary now.

Somewhat along the same line, I ran across this Seth quote that fleshes out (somewhat) that enigmatic discussion in "Seth Speaks" involving the return of the "Christ personality" later in this century. Presumably, this return will come at a pivotal time in human history when, after some unspecified crises, humanity experiences a "shift" in consciousness.  The idea of this shift appears in a number of books and has been appropriated by the New Age movement. The more apocalyptic students of this New Age have made a number of predictions, describing, variously, end-world scenarios, axis shifts, and land mass changes. And all have been wrong. From Book Five of "The Early Sessions":

There will be a change in 100 years... when you will be able to see more... You will see through a growth of ability and consciousness... an enlargement... that has been growing for 500 years... the change began in the Middle Ages, existed briefly, died, then began again... It will involve an expansion of consciousness, not physical knowledge... You will directly and simply perceive more... I cannot make Ruburt find all the words. Your God is part of a larger reality. We see what we can see... This larger reality is also a part of our dreams: it is more important and vital than breath, for you are all part of this individually. There is a give and take between you and the stars on a physical basis, just as there is also a connection between selves and what you call a god. There is no real division between you and God and I... only a unity that you cannot as yet understand.

I'm stumped by Seth's allusion to the change that "began in the Middle Ages, existed briefly, died, then began again..."  Maybe a Medieval scholar (who's hopefully also a Seth student) will stumble across this and offer a clue. But I'm stumped, mostly because it's counter-intuitive:  Humanity *did* have a shift of consciousness at the end of the Middle Ages (triggered by the mass die-offs from the Black Death), but this shift resulted in the current dominant secular materialist world view (the Age of Reason). Seth seems to suggest that in the latter half of this century, another shift will occur, and it's not unreasonable to assume that it will also correspondent to a mass extinction of some sort (or sudden population reduction). Unfortunately, because we're not there yet, we can't know what this shift entails.

Perhaps it is an awareness of this coming shift that is inflaming both the secularists and the religionists. Both sides fear the triumph of the other; secularists fear that the hard-won achievements of science will backslide into superstition, and the religionists fear that materialism will eradicate any trace of that inner reality that still speaks to those who listen. But I think that Seth is saying that neither doomsday will occur. What is coming is a synthesis of the best of both, yet completely new, and, for now, unknown, and unknowable.

A Seth Pilgrim's Progress

I'm still continuing my progress through Book 4 of "The Early Session" and I've run into something interesting:

You recall that all experience has an electrical reality, deposited from birth within the physical cells of the body, so that at physical death we have an electrical counterpart of the physical being with all memory and experience intact. Were such experience a part of the physical self, and dependent upon it, the personality could hardly survive physical death.

It's interesting to me because it suggests the basis by which we survive physical death. What is universally called "spirit" or "soul" within the NDE literature, Seth calls "electrical counterpart."  I prefer Seth's term because I can somewhat wrap my mind around it--just barely. But it does explain how consciousness quickly exits the body during the NDE and while remaining "conscious"--and it also explains something that I personally find remarkable, which I have experienced--while out-of-body, I am still "me" and aware that I am "me."  One of the more frequent observations by near-death experiencers is that personal memories are retained during

Seth goes into extensive discussion of the "electrical counterpart" (and the electrical world where this counterpart resides) in Book 3 of the "Early Sessions."  The discussion is quite complex and largely above my head.  Seth emphasizes that the familiar electrical traces the we detect with our physical instruments are faint shadows of this electrical universe.

So I wonder... Is this why street lamps blink off when certain people drive near them? (It happens to me quite often.)  Is this why the "dead" can easily manipulate our electrical devices?  Can this explain why I was never able to wear a mechanical watch when I was young without it becoming magnetized?  (I can wear them fine now--not sure what this says about me.)

Seth on UFO "Disclosure"

From an informal session on September 3, 1965, summarized by Robert Butts (Book 4 of "The Early Sessions"):

(Seth had some very interesting comments to make when the conversation turned to flying saucers, and the recent rash of reports on such craft in the newspapers. The craft do exist, Seth said, and the action of governments in relation to them leaves much to be desired. I believe he used the word "pitiable" in this connection. Also, government people cannot bear to admit something they cannot explain. Seth said that nevertheless the government had a point when they tried to prevent public panic by denying the existence of such craft. A great danger at this particular time would be that an admission of the saucer’s existence would, strangely enough, serve to unite the far- left and far- right extremist groups in this country. These groups would unite in declaring the craft to be Russian, that they were much advanced over anything we have; this whole furor would create panic, Seth said. In six months such reasoning would not apply, because of impending developments in this country. This would presumably be because of the impending elections, though Seth didn’t say this in so many words. In answer to my question he said Barry Goldwater would not be one of the far- rightists to cause trouble. Nothing was said about the source of the saucers, their inhabitants, etc.)

Seth made several side references to UFOs in the various sessions, but never focussed on the subject in detail... I don't think that he saw the subject as vital. Overall, Seth stated that UFOs originate from different planes--some physical, some "mental."  There was no one specific locus of origin for the craft. Those familiar with Seth's discussions of "planes" know that a plane is not geographically related to any place in our physical universe; hence, there is no specific "where" that these craft might come from, at least in physical terms that we understand.

I can't find anything in the Seth writings to validate the more conspiratorial ideas of mass abductions or sinister hybridization projects... No warnings of impending alien takeovers--or rescues.

So, why did Seth not delve into the subject in detail?  We can only guess. But I suspect that any explanation that Seth might have given would have been lost on his contemporary audience, which saw the phenomenon in physical terms. They lacked the necessary mental vocabulary and reference points to properly frame the subject--and probably still do. Or, as Betty Hill's alien abductors reportedly her when she asked where, on their three-dimensional star map, their craft originated, "If you can't tell us where *you* are on the map, what good would it do to say where *we* come from?"

Scientific perspective on NDEs

I stumbled upon this article unexpectedly and thought that it was worth linking.

I haven't studied it in-depth, but it does seem to regard the near-death experience as a unique form of consciousness. A number of patients were interviewed in a clinical setting for this study, and researchers recorded a number of brief observations similar (in some respects) to those made the self-selected experiencers who publish on Internet forums like NDERF.org.

(Hypothetical question: would an ND experiencer be more inclined to tell the "whole story" in a clinical setting to a trained observer, or on a semi-open forum that is perceived as being more "welcoming"?  Or, are the majority of NDERF.org respondents embellishing and confabulating their accounts?)

The most interesting observation--to me--is this:

The finding that conscious awareness may be present during CA is intriguing and supports other recent studies that have indicated consciousness may be present in patients despite clinically undetectable consciousness.

The reason that it interests me is that in a large number of NDE accounts, cardiac arrest is the trigger that launches consciousness from the body, something that the researchers seem to implicitly recognize. It serves as a boundary between physical and non-physical consciousness.  In plain English, the study is admitting that "CA patients really are conscious, even though we can't measure this with our instruments."

"Beyond Sight: The True Story Of A Near-Death Experience"

By Marion Rome

This small book is possible the best-written, detailed and objective NDE account that I've found. It's available only on the Amazon.com Kindle as a download and seems to be self-published. I'll admit to not expecting much when I started it... But Ms. Rome does a masterful job at describing the "classic" NDE. I plan to read it a couple more times.

(Full disclosure: I have another flu / cold, so I'm not my usual faux-erudite self.)

Any student of the classic NDE scenario comes to expect certain touchstones in the various accounts (which I've sort of glossed over in previous entries, figuring that I would come back to the topic eventually).

It's hard to pick out the best part of the book to cite, because, really, it's all good... But if I had to settle on one snippet to excerpt, this would be a good one:

I am convinced that this heavenly place is here. Our world and that other world where we go after we die are the exact same one. Only the dimensions are different. There is a physical dimension and then there is a spiritual one, of which we can only access very small parts during our bodily lives, due to that very physicality. Our body is nothing but an envelope that hosts our soul for our time in the earthly sphere and, most importantly, it is something that prevents us from seeing and experiencing the real world. We cannot see everything with our eyes, in the same way that we cannot access the deepest levels of our feelings and emotions. Our soul, on the other hand, once freed from the constraints of this body,  certainly can, and it can in a way beyond everything we can possibly imagine.

I am still processing Joe McMoneagle's "Mind Trek," and this seems as good a place as any to ask, "So, what's the difference between an NDE, an OOBE, and a remote viewing?"  Because they are discretely different states of consciousness. Or are they?  Maybe it comes down to the amount of conscious energy allotted to the experience, and where and how consciousness is focussed. As someone who's had more than a few OOBEs, I can verify--from personal experience--that both McMoneagle and Marion Rome are accurately describing "real" states of consciousness that are accessible here, and now.  You just have to drop your physical blinders a bit to glimpse that fantastical "greater" reality.

Do you believe in the supernatural? Then you're delusional...

Thus was this week's teaser from New Scientist, which intrigued me.  Unfortunately, the article is behind a paywall. But I've found a PDF of this week's issue, so I will see if I can find out if I am, in fact, delusional (assuming I hold any of the offending beliefs).

However--the author made a statement that echoes something I've said a few times: "Surprisingly large numbers of people also hold beliefs that a psychiatrist would class as delusional."  So--is the rightness of a belief determined by the majority?  Or by the scientist?  That's a red flag to me. Yet, I can't disagree with it.  Scientists are often right. (They are also often wrong.). In the end, I tend to agree with scientists who designate some beliefs as delusional. But only because they are held by people who are diagnosed as mentally ill. The belief, itself, may not be inherently delusional, but the believer may be, for a number of reasons. I make these sorts of distinctions... Does science?

I intend to find out.

Spirit Guides: 3 Easy Steps To Connecting And Communicating With Your Spirit Helpers

I've decided to take a vacation from the usual, and I downloaded this short and inexpensive e-book. I haven't finished it, yet, mostly because I'm doing another unusual: I'm trying some of the techniques in the book. I consider the subject of "spirit guides" to be problematic to write about, mostly because it falls into the realm of belief, and I try to avoid that here. Plus, spirit guides are (generally) invisible--and I'm all about making the unseen and mysterious visible and comprehensible.

For the bulk of my life, not only did I not believe in spirit guides, I actively disbelieved in them. But I had a few experiences that forced me to change my opinion on the subject. I now believe. In my experience (plus what I've learned elsewhere), the influence of a "spirit guide" manifests in precognitive warnings, hints, suggestions and the like. For most, this information is veiled and disguised so that it blends seamlessly with our usual interior dialog. It rarely intrusive.

Because of this, it's easy to dismiss the whole subject. In fact, who's to say that all these promptings aren't manifestations of our subconscious, or "God," or even genuine precognition? I suppose that there really isn't any way to prove that spirit guides are behind all this--but I like to explain unknowns with the lowest common denominator. A certain portion of "spirit guide" information involves premonition of events that are impossible for the conscious ego to foresee. It also involves complicated arrangements of future timelines involving many people. It's just easier for me to imagine that there's a "someone" coordinating this behind the scenes.

So, how do spirit guides work (hypothetically speaking)? Well, based on everything that I've read, this depends on the guide, on you, on where you are in life, and what you need to achieve at your present stage. We all have a deadline--literally. There are things we must learn, experience and (hopefully) achieve while we're here. So, if you're on a tight deadline, your learning process may be accelerated. So, results may vary.

In my personal experience, however, the information comes primarily in two channels: reflectively, and via precognition. Reflectively--it's hard to summarize this, but frequently I have the distinct sense that "someone" is reminding me of random events from my past, almost as if to say, "Remember ten years ago when you did such-and-such?" It is always expressed as an open-ended question, with no judgement. But I always see a connection to my current predicaments.

Again, how do I know that these promptings aren't just my subconscious? I really don't know. But these past experiences are carefully selected, never random, and they are almost always things that I haven't thought about in years. There seems to conscious, deliberate intent behind the process. If I were simply neurotic (is "neurosis" included as a disorder in the DSM-5?), I would simply obsess over the same series of things over and over, and see no linkage with my present life. My experience is not like that.

Precognition is not as frequent, but it usually involves a certain "knowing" of what choice, action, or task to perform, in a certain way--to avoid harm, to myself and others, or to benefit others or myself. Most people recognize this as an "inner voice," or "something tells me I better do this or not do that." After having several of these experiences, I decided to take another look at the subject of spirit guides.

Update: I actually posted this entry Monday but pulled it down because I didn't like what I'd written. But I mentioned that I would try one of the techniques in the book. I tried the "Rapid Start Technique," specifically, expressing the question, "What is the one thing I can do tomorrow to improve my karma?" Yeah, I know--very New Agey. Once expressed, I actually went to sleep and forgot about it (which is always a given with me). I did not expect anything. But today (Wednesday) something happened out of the blue that caused me to dig up some memories and records from twenty years ago. It involved an extended family connection, a death, a funeral, as well as other things I had totally forgotten about. "This is odd," I thought. Then I remembered--my "rapid start" question. Was this an answer from a "spirit guide"? Maybe. Maybe probably?