With all this talk about consciousness I just have to throw in
this part of "Jitterbug Perfume" by Robbins (one of my favorite books
of all time)
Makes you think about the title "Lila" again (known for having
a strong scent wasn't it?)
I cut some parts out but it is still long.
DANNYBOY'S THEORY (WHERE WE ARE GOING AND WHY IT SMELLS THE WAY IT DOeS)
To put it simply, humankind is about to enter the floral stage of its
evolutionary development. On the mythological level, which is to say, on the
psychic/symbolic level (no less real then the physical level), this event
is signaled by the death of Pan.
Pan of course represents animal consciousness. Pan embodies mammalian
consciousness, although there are aspects of reptilian consciousness in his
personality, as well. Reptilian consciousness did not disappear when our
brains
entered their mammalian stage. Mammalian consciousness was simply
laid over the top of reptilian consciousness,
Reptile consciousness is cold,aggressive, self-preserving, angry, greedy,
and paranoid.
Paul Mclean was the neurophysicist to point out that we still
carry a reptilian brain-functional and intact- in our skulls today.
The reptile brain consists of the limbic lobe, the hypothalamus, and perhaps
other organs of diencephalon. When we are in a cold sweat, a blind rage, or
simply feeling smugly dispassionate, we may be sure that our reptile brain is
in control of our consciousness.
As the Age of Reptiles was drawing to a close, the first flowers
and mammals appeared.
For reasons of its own evolution allowed mammalian energy to hold
sway, and the recently developed human midbrain or mesencephalon, which had
folded over the diencephalon, could accurately labeled a mammal brain.
Characteristics of mammal consciousness are warmth, generosity, loyalty
love, joy, grief, humor, pride, competition, intellectual curiousity, and
appriciation of art and music.
In late mammalian times we developed a third brain. This was the
telencephalon, whose principal part was the neocortex, a dense rind of nerve
fibers about an eighth of an inch thick that was simply molded over top of the
existing mammal brain.
Robert Bly thinks that it is connected somehow to light.
If reptile equates with cold, mammal with warmth, then the neocortex with
light.
Bly's hunch makes a lot of sense because the third brain is a floral
brain and flowers extract energy and light.
Even prior to the mysterious appearance of the neocortex, our brains had
strong
floral characteristics. The whole brain is described as a bulb. The neurons
of whis composed have dendrites, roots and branches. The cerebellum consists
of a large mass of closely packed folia, which are bundles of nerve cells
described in the literature as leaf-like. Not only do the individual
neurons closely resemble plants or flowers, the brain itself looks
like a botanical specimen. It has a stem, a crown that enfolds in embryonic
growth, much in the manner of a petaled rose.
In the telencephalon the nerve fibers divide indefinitely like the
branches of tree, called arborization. Tiny deposits of neuromelanin
are cast off like seeds. The neuromelanin seeds apparantly are the maor
organizing molecules in the brain. They link up with glial cells to
regulate the firing of nerve cells. When we think, originate creative
ideas, a literal blossoming, is taking place.
Moreover, neuromelanin absorbs light and has the capacity to convert
light into other forms of energy. The neocortex is light-sensitive
and can be lit up by higher forms of mental activity such as
meditation or chanting.
The ancients were not being metaphoric when they referred to
"illumination"
The most intense spiritual experiences all seem to involve a
suspension of time. We know a great deal about space but
pitifully little about time. The smell brain (memory area activated by
olfactory nerve) and the light brain (neocortex) are keys to the
mystic state.
With immediacy and intensity smell activates memory, allowing
our minds to travel freely in time. The most profound mystical
states are ones in which normal mental activity seems suspended in
light. In mystic illumination as at the speed of light, time
ceases to exist.
With increased floral consciousness, humans will begin to make
full use of their "light brain" and to make more refined use of their
"smell brain"--two are portentously linked.
Flowers have always lived in an information technology.
Flowers gather information all day. At night they process it. This is
called photosynthesis.
The information our conscious minds receive during waking hours is
processed by our unconscious during socalled "deep sleep".
We are in deep sleep only two or three hours a night.
For the rest of our sleeping session, the unconscious mind is off
duty. It gets bored and plays with itself "dreaming".
Some people think we process info when we dream. Quite the
contrary. A dream is the mind having fun when there is no processing
to keep it busy. In the future, when we become efficient at
gathering quality information and hen floral consciousness becomes
dominant, we will probably sleep longer hours and dream hardly at
all.
Trees communicate (as when attacked by insects)so that another tree can
manufacture a chemical that will repel the bug. The info is likely
to be broadcasted in aroma. Another possibility is
that between the trees a kind of telepathy is involved. There is
a possibility what we call mental telepathy is olfactory.
we don't read each other thoughts we smell them.
We know schizophrenics can smell antagonism, distrust, desire, etc
As floral consciousness matures telepathy will no doubt be common
medium of communication
reptilian consciousness--hostile confrontation
mammal consciousnesss-- empathetic telepathy
floral consciousnesss- we'll have empathetic telepathy
there's more but its already too long so I will end it here
but a sidenote I just read an article where somebody asked
the Dali Lama if he thought email or mental telepathy was a better mode
of communication. I thought that was funny
Smell you later,
Erin
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