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| <blockquote style="color:#008b9c";>"Cosmic religious feeling is the strongest and noblest incitement to scientific research" and "the most important function of art and science [is] to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those who are capable of it." '''Albert Einstein''' <ref>Einstein, Albert. The World as I See It. Kindle. Samaira Book Publishers, 2018. https://amzn.to/2NR8B6z.</ref></blockquote> | | <blockquote> Since writing the book, I have been gradually led to believe that the old stories must be taken literally if at all possible, that deep secrets and a deeper awareness of the complexity of our universe was experienced by our ancestors , and that something of their belief, and experiences can be ours once again. '''Vine Deloria''' - God is Red.</blockquote> |
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| ==Introduction== | | ==Introduction== |
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| Sometime in the year 2003, during the Easter holidays, I had a series of powerful "mystical" experiences, what I now call [[Connection Experiences]], that completely rocked my material, athiest, world. The experiences were totally unexpected, and, I have to say, initially unwelcome. Like many scholars who have these experiences,<ref>Zaehner. Mysticism Sacred and Profane. New York: Oxford University Press, 1969. https://amzn.to/2LcdkCl.</ref> I neither expected nor anticipated the events. Although raised a Catholic, I had observed the hypocrisy and violence at an early age and rejected it. Even though I fiddled around with alternative systems throughout adolescence (Eckankar, Buddhism, Zen, etc.), I eventually entered university where I gradually accepted the dogmatic truth of atheism--God was a stupid idea, and human spirituality was, at best, a remnant of a more primitive time, and at worst, a delusion, oedipal regression.<ref>Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and Its Discontents. New York: W.W. Norton, 1961. https://amzn.to/2STCpQT.</ref><ref>
| | The SpiritWiki is the canonical core and empirical foundation of the [[Lightning Path]]. The SpiritWiki provides canonical definitions, conceptual interlinks, and scholarly citations to ground it all out. |
| ———. The Future of an Illusion. New York: Anchor Books, 1964. https://amzn.to/2EZqqgZ.</ref> I neither wanted, needed, expected, or accepted anything religious to happen. But then, "it" happened. I had a powerful [[Connection Experience]], and then I had more.
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| At that time the initial experiences occurred, I had three choices. '''One''', I could pretend they didn't exist and that I didn't have them. '''Two''', I could attribute the experiences to temporary psychosis or fantastical outburst of some deep area of my unconsciousness. '''Three''', I could embrace them and try and figure out was going on. Since there was a certain amount of dis-ease in the first connection event (frankly, it was a terrifying [[Clearing Experience]]), pretending it hadn't happened and continuing on with my career was an attractive option. On the other hand, the experiences were literally mind-blowing, providing deep insight<ref>William James notes "The simplest rudiment of mystical experience would seem to be that deepened sense of the significance of a maxim or formula which occasionally sweeps over one. "I've heard that said all my life," we exclaim, "but I never realized its full meaning until now. James, William. Varieties of Religious Experience, a Study in Human Nature (p. 332). Kindle Edition. https://amzn.to/2SQZ7Jv </ref> and opening up entirely new realms of thought, conception, and experience to me. Clearly, there was more to it than self-delusion or some kind of psychosis.
| | Find out more about the who, why, and what of the SpiritWiki by checking out the Spiritwiki [https://spiritwiki.lightningpath.org/index.php/The_SpiritWiki:About About]page. |
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| Ultimately, as you will gather as you browse through this online lexicon/textbook of human spirituality and connection, I didn't attribute the experiences to psychosis, nor did I try to pretend them away. I just couldn't. The experiences, which were easily repeatable, were obviously real, and had real and verifiable outcomes for me and, as I learned later when I began the literature review, others as well. The initial experience, which was a [[Nadir Experience]] characterized by the exposure and resolution of deep Catholic rooted fears, blew my socks off and totally changed me and my life. Later on, I began to see the initial experience as a successful [[Clearing Experience]], which is an experience where a deep-seated fear that prevented connection, in this case, a Catholic fear, was suddenly and permanently cleared. I'll go into the details of this experience at some other point. Here I will just say that once the fear was cleared, my mind began to develop and expand beyond the [[Normal Consciousness]] I had lived within until that point. I started a journey that challenged my scientific materialism and led me on a two-decades-long path of discovery, analysis, and synthesis. I was, I later concluded, like [[Michael Harner]], [[Oscar Ichazo]], [[Agehananda Bharatati]], [[Ram Dass]], and other scholars who had "crossed over" into the mystical realms and had come back excited, interested, and wanting to talk.
| | Find out more about by watching our "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RChgho_j6k What is the Lightning Path]" video, or by visiting our main page (https://www.lightningpath.org). |
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| Of course, although I may have wanted to talk about my experiences, it was a challenge doing so. I broached the subject with colleagues here and then but was never really able to break the ice, so to speak. The problem was three-fold.
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| For one, the language that was available to discuss the experiences was imprecise, tainted by all sorts of bias and misconception, and characterized by considerable [[Nomenclature Confusion]].
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| For two, most discussions, even those which presumably provide a sophisticated take of the topic, seemed confused and undeveloped.<ref>White, John, ed. What Is Enlightenment? St. Paul, MN: Paragon House, 1995. https://amzn.to/30bVany.</ref> Scholars (and even practitioners) could not distinguish between [[Connection Outcomes]] and [[Connection Experiences]], and didn't have a sensible understanding of Consciousness. There was a lot of talk and a lot of [[EPMO]], but nothing was really capturing the essence and contours of my experience or practice. It was a conceptual and theoretical mishmash that wasn't really providing a sensible rubric for study.
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| Finally, for three, there was (and is) considerable hostility to discussing this aspect of [[Human Spirituality]], especially in sociology. Most scholars simply dismiss spiritual experiences as some form of nonsense. Almost all sociologists focus strictly on the ecclesiastic and institutional components of organized religion. Efforts to broach the topic are often met with derision and dismissal.
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| As a consequence of the nomenclature confusion, general confusion, and generalized hostility, broached discussions were often simply dismissed out of hand. I couldn't talk "mysticism" and "mystical experience" without being called a space cadet, or being told it wasn't "serious" scholarship. I couldn't express meaningfully the experience or my growing understanding because the words and frameworks available all seemed limited and incomplete in some way.
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| This inability to discuss the topic in a grounded and sufficiently sophisticated manner was a problem. I knew that what I had experienced was important, not only philosophically, spiritually, and psychologically, but sociologically as well. Later, I learned that I was hardly the only one. These [[Connection Experiences]] were ubiquitous<ref>Everybody Has a Connection Experience: Prevalence, Confusions, Interference, and Redefinition.” Spirituality Studies 4, no. 2 (2018). https://www.spirituality-studies.org/dp-volume4-issue2-fall2018/files/assets/common/downloads/files/4-2-sosteric.pdf.</ref>, and were profound for the people who had them. They lead to a variety of usually positive [[Connection Outcomes]].
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| My solution is to the problem was to try and develop a framework, nomenclature, and research map that would allow me to talk about these ubiquitous human experiences in a psychologically, sociologically, and spiritually meaningful, but ''neutral'' fashion. I wanted words that would neither trigger immediate skepticism, or lead one-off into ungrounded realms of mystical musing, like can sometimes happen to those who spend a lot of time engaged in [[Connection Practice]]. I also wanted to bring some sociology (sadly lacking) and some unity to the field. Humans have been having these experiences for centuries and as a consequence, every culture has at least one, sometimes more, sets of terms to describe [[Connection]] and what one experiences and learns through them. It became clear as I read that these people were all talking about the same things, but none of these people were talking to each other. I wanted to change all that.
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| This online resource, this SpiriWiki, is an attempt to bring a grounded coherence to the study of [[Connection Experience]]. This online textbook and spiritual lexicon<Ref>Ernst, Carl W. “Mystical Language and the Teaching Context in the Early Sufi Lexicons.” In It’s Not Just Academic! Essays on Sufism and Islamic Studies, 181–200. California: Sage, 2018. https://www.academia.edu/4416944/Mystical_Language_and_the_Teaching_Context_in_the_Early_Sufi_Lexicons.</ref> is my attempt to sort things out in a manner acceptable to myself, and to provide a "more sophisticated religious language coordinated with the scientific data," as suggested as necessary by Timothy Leary.<Ref>Leary, T. “The Religious Experience: Its Production and Interpretation.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 3, no. 1 (1970): 76–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.1970.10471364. p. 341.</ref>
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| As an attempt to bring grounded coherence to the study of [[Connection Experience]], this SpiritWiki is not here to "conceal meanings," as is sometimes the case,<ref>Ibid. p. 184.</ref> but to clarify and reduce [[Nomenclature Confusion]], encourage research and discussion, teach, and, dare I say, liberate from the shackles that bind us and disconnect us.<Ref>As Ernst says, "...the fundamentally transcendental orientation of the symbols and terms of mystical teaching is liberating.... The model suggested by the Sufi lexicons condenses mystical experiences in terms designed to reveal the experiential possibilities to those prepare for them." Ernst, Carl W. “Mystical Language and the Teaching Context in the Early Sufi Lexicons.” In It’s Not Just Academic! Essays on Sufism and Islamic Studies, 181–200. p. 196. California: Sage, 2018. https://www.academia.edu/4416944/Mystical_Language_and_the_Teaching_Context_in_the_Early_Sufi_Lexicons.</ref>
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| I should note that the SpiritWiki is still very much a work in progress. New concepts and ideas are flowing in, semantic connections are being made between concepts, definitions and discussions are being refined, and new research, resources, and backing citations are being added all the time. The reader should bear this in mind. There are many rough sections, many sections that consist of little more than notes and ideas, and many areas that need supporting research and discussion. The resource is progressing, however, and it is, with moderate haste, I feel, becoming a useful distillation of [[Human Spirituality]] and a modest contribution (I hope) to connecting the dots and moving the discussion forward.
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| To use this resource, simply choose one of the topics below. Read and follow the links provided to explore terminology, concepts, and practices. Pay attention to the "Syncretic Terms" and "Related Terms" sections of each entry. Syncretic terms link concepts I've coined (like [[Fabric of Consciousness]] or [[Connection Event]] to syncretic terms in the world's spiritual corpus. Related terms link you up to related concepts that will expand, deepen, and help develop your understanding of the area of [[Human Spirituality]]. Both sections link SpiritWiki concepts up in a semantic web or memex of the type envisioned by Vannevar Bush<ref>See Bush, Vannevar. “As We May Think.” The Atlantic Monthly 1945, no. July (1945).
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| <blockquote>A memex is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory.</blockquote>
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| </ref>, a technological system designed to open access and bring order to an area of inquiry thousands and thousands of years old.
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| You can send suggestions for improvement, comments, and cudos to [email protected]. If you are a student of human spirituality and want to contribute to the resource, I need someone to add syncretic terms from the various spiritual traditions of the world. | |
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| ==Overview==
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| The SpiritWiki is organized into several main sections of research/study. These are [[Human Development]], [[Healing]], [[Connection]], and [[The System]].
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| ==Human Development==
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| * The goal of [[Human Development]] and human evolution is to create and develop a [[Physical Unit]] capable of strong and persistent [[Connection]].
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| * In order to develop a healthy [[Physical Unit]], all [[Seven Essential Needs]] must be met throughout the lifespan. Meeting essential needs creates a strong [[Bodily Ego]] capable of handling the powerful [[Spiritual Ego]].
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| * When needs go unmet, the [[Bodily Ego]] enters [[Deficit Mode]], and directs energy towards meeting unmet needs.
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| * When all needs are met, the [[Bodily Ego]] enters [[Growth Mode]] and directs energy towards growth of the [[Physical Unit]] (i.e. growth of mind and body).
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| * Healthy human development is precluded by the predatorial Capitalist [[Regime of Accumulation]], which subverts healthy environment and full needs satisfaction in order to enrich a "chosen" few.
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| [Insert Videos on money]
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| * The [[Regime of Accumulation]] is kept in place by a system of wealth extraction (see [[The System]] below) designed to exploit the labour-power of the masses while benefitting the "chosen few."<ref>Sosteric, Mike. Rocket Scientists’ Guide to Money and the Economy: Accumulation and Debt. St Albert, Alberta: Lightning Path Press., 2016.</ref>
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| ===Healing===
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| Connection requires a healthy [[Bodily Ego]]. Humans are born with a healthy (but undeveloped) bodily ego but, as a consequence of [[Toxic Socialization]], the bodily ego becomes damaged, defensive, and diminished.
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| A damaged, defensive, and diminished bodily ego cannot handle [[The Flow]] of [[Consciousness]] that occurs during connection. Consequently, a damaged bodily ego will [[Disconnection|disconnect]] from its own [[Spiritual Ego]] in order to preserve its ability to function and navigate reality.
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| A damaged [[Bodily Ego]], an unhealthy [[ego]], is an ego with a damaged sense of self, damaged perspective, corrupted will, and distorted imagination (see the LP definition of [[Ego]]). A damage bodily ego is susceptible to various [[Connection Pathology|Connection Pathologies]], including complete [[Egoic Collapse]]
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| Since the bodily ego may be damaged by [[Toxic Socialization]], in order to achieve strong and persistent connection, healing is often required. The LP offers an [[LP HEALING Framework]] that provides a framework for a self-directed healing process.
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| Note that [[Connection Experiences]] often facilitate the healing process. <ref>Bidney, Martin. “Epiphany in Autobiography: The Quantum Changes of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy.” Journal of Clinical Psychology 60, no. 5 (May 2004): 471–80.</ref> <ref>Miller, William R, and Janet C’de Baca. Quantum Change: When Epiphanies and Sudden Insights Transform Ordinary Lives. New York: The Guildford Press, 2001. https://amzn.to/2D1gYZo.</ref> <ref>Bien, Thomas H. “Quantum Change and Psychotherapy.” Journal of Clinical Psychology, no. 5 (2004): 493.</ref> Methods of gently improving connection will be useful to healers helping others achieve stronger connection.
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| ==[[Connection]]==
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| <blockquote>Let's face it, these hidden laws [of mysticism] are hidden, but they are only hidden by [your] own ignorance. And the word mystical is just arrived at through people's ignorance. There's nothing mystical about it, only that you're ignorant of what that entails" ― <b>George Harrison</b></blockquote>
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| Connection is the main topic of this SpiritWiki. Connection refers to the phenomenon of [[Connection]] between the [[Spiritual Ego]] and [[Bodily Ego]], sometimes called mystical experience, peak experience, transcendence, depending on the strength of the connection. Connection may be continuous or discrete. A discrete connection is a short term [[Connection Experience]] that can be measured along five [[Connection Axes]].
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| A [[Connection Experience]] may be a positive [[Zenith Experience]] or a negative [[Nadir Experience]]. A [[Connection Experience]] may lead to many positive and some negative [[Connection Outcomes]]. Sometimes, when the [[Bodily Ego]] is heavily damaged, [[Connection Experience]] can lead to [[Connection Pathology]] and even [[Connection Catastrophe]].
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| Connection is a common and ubiquitous human experience<ref>Sosteric, Mike. “Everybody Has a Connection Experience: Prevalence, Confusions, Interference, and Redefinition.” Spirituality Studies 4, no. 2 (2018). https://www.spirituality-studies.org/dp-volume4-issue2-fall2018/files/assets/common/downloads/files/4-2-sosteric.pdf.</ref> that happens to everybody at least once in their lives, but that some people actually pursue, through various forms of [[Connection Practice]], using various types of [[Connection Techniques]] and [Connection Appliances]], and often using powerful [[Connection Supplements]].
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| Connection is an ongoing human concern. Through the centuries many [[Connection Manual]]s have been written, from various cultural, scientific, and religious perspectives. Connection manuals are designed to help guide and facilitate the expanded [[The Flow|Flow of Consciousness]] that occurs during connection, and to help individuals overcome [[Connection Obstacles]]. Connection manuals are often a part of various [[Connection Framework]]s.
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| The [[LP]] offers the [[LP Connection Framework]] to help facilitate and guide individuals towards stronger, cleaner, uncorrupted, and healthier connection experiences.
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| [[Connection Pathology]]
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| ===The System==
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| * The Regime of Accumulation contains a [[Mode of Exploitation]]<ref>Ruyle, Eugene E. “Mode of Production and Mode of Exploitation: The Mechanical and the Dialectical.” Dialectical Anthropology 1, no. 1 (1975): 7–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00244565.</ref> and a [[Mode of Production]].
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| * As per Marx, the [[Mode of Production]] consists of the [[Means of Production]] and the [[Relations of Production]].
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| * As per Ruyle,<ref>Ruyle, Eugene E. “Mode of Production and Mode of Exploitation: The Mechanical and the Dialectical.” Dialectical Anthropology 1, no. 1 (1975): 7–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00244565.</ref> the [[Mode of Exploitation]] consists of [[Exploitative Techniques]], [[Mechanisms of Force]], and [[Ideological Institutions]].
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| * In order to shape human beings into compliant management and worker bees, [[Ideological Institutions]] intentionally develop and deploy [[Creation Templates]] in order to shape the self-image, world view, and actions actors in the various social classes are likely to take.
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| *The [[Old Energy Creation Template]] deployed by the [[Ruling Class]] is aimed not at creating healthy and fully connected human beings, but at creating hard-working and compliant cogs in [[The System]].
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| ==How to Navigate==
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| ===Related Terms===
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| ===Syncretic Terms===
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| Syncretic terms are simply terms with similar, often identical, meaning to the SpiritWiki terms I've developed. By browsing the syncretic terms, you can see that despite cultural and religious differences, humans the world over have been talking about [[Connection]] and [[Connection Experience]] for thousands and thousands of years.
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| As Harner suggests, paleolithic cave paintings may be the first records of early Shamanic style<Ref>Harner, Michael. Cave and Cosmos: Shamanic Encounters with Another Reality. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 2013.</ref> [[Connection Experiences]].
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| {{template:endstuff}}
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| Contact the author at michael [ @ ] lightningpath.org
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| [[category:lightningpath]]
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