Who are we really?

Who are we really?
By Jimmy Henderson (MA psychology), FRC

‘My true consciousness is like the wild deer, full of life, vitality, purity and perfection, but as it passes once again into the forest of shadows, it is swallowed up by the darkness and the world of forms.’

J. Henderson

An important question that we should all ask ourselves, is who we really are.  When we look in the mirror we see a body. But is this really ‘us’ in the true sense of the word?

The most common scientific belief is that we are only physical organisms and that the human mind is only a ‘phenomenon’ brought about by the activity of the brain. It is true that that which we see and experience is our body, and it is very easy to accept that this is who we are. However, this presents a difficulty (which has still not been satisfactorily resolved), in understanding how the brain, which is a physical neurological structure, can produce an inner experience in the form of self-awareness, or a level of consciousness which even our most sophisticated technology is unable to reproduce.

The issue becomes easier to explain if we accept the possibility of a higher level of consciousness from which our present self-awareness originates, a conscious state which is merely being stepped down or mediated by our neural structures. There are obviously also philosophical problems associated with this idea, such as how a non-material substance (consciousness) can be taken up and transmuted by the brain structures. However, it is clear from everyday life that our physical bodies and (non-material) minds do affect one another, and until our research and technology has evolved sufficiently to fully explain this interaction, the latter view still provides the most practical benefits for our thinking. 

For example, believing in a higher world of mind and consciousness opens the door for a new view of mankind as multi-dimensional beings with an almost unlimited potential, and would explain our almost intuitive belief that we all have a deeper spiritual side to ourselves, a higher or more authentic ‘self’ from which our present ethics, morality and higher mental faculties are derived, that which, in religious terms, could be described as the ‘soul’.  

However, if we are intimately connected to a more perfect self or soul, how do we explain the present state of mankind, the greed, the thirst for power and the violent, destructive force of human actions? When contemplating this question of the nature of my true being, I was reminded of the analogy of the caterpillar and the butterfly.

In Nature insects often go through a larval stage, engage in a struggle for survival and later emerge from their chrysalis having evolved into adults. In the larval stage, the insect is very primitive and destructive, devouring all in its path. Only later, as it matures and the outer casing falls away, does the ‘inner being’ emerge, which is more perfect.

   

I was able to relate this analogy to ourselves, in that, in our casing of humanity, we also struggle to learn and grow. Like the insect larva, the ego of the undeveloped human being can also be very destructive, selfishly using and devouring everything in its efforts to meet its most basic needs. However, in line with the caterpillar analogy, we will also one day evolve to become a new being, full of light and power.

The limitations of our physical bodies and our imperfect minds suggest that we are still in the early stages of this process, and busy with the struggle that is necessary when the butterfly leaves its chrysalis and strengthens its wings in order to fly. In our own lives, this struggle translates into many painful and life-changing events, but also includes times which bring joy, happiness and success.

Sometimes we feel lost in a world which, on the surface at least, appears to be spinning out of control. However, if we look more carefully and deeply, we may see that, on a broader level, the Universe is still unfolding as it should, even if we are not able to understand the entire process at present. Being active participants and integral players in this ongoing drama, it is extremely difficult for us to step ‘outside of the box’ and find the universal perspective that is needed.

So how can we explain this idea of a more authentic (or higher) self in the light of our present human limitations and propensity for error? Many ancient texts, including religious scriptures, suggest that we have ‘devolved’ (or fallen) from a superior race of Man, far more perfect than today, one which was ‘of one mind ‘with God and part of the original plan of divine self-expression. This is discussed in more modern terms by the author Soozi Holbeche in her book, Changes (1997), in which she explains that we need to understand that we are actually spiritual beings having a human experience and not vice versa.

In other words, at the centre of our beings we are still that original perfect creation, but due to a separation from our true or authentic selves, we are now clothed in our present (human) form with an accompanying loss of consciousness and understanding. 

Adapted from the e-book 'Living on the Edge of Darkness'  by Jimmy Henderson 

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Edge-Darkness-Jimmy-Henderson-ebook/dp/B00L73YJG0/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1437170591&sr=1-13&keywords=jimmy+henderson

Jimmy is a cognitive researcher and metaphysician who is the published author of a number of books on the power of the mind. His books are available through his website www.jimmyhendersonbooks.com or directly from him at jimmy@jimmyhendersonbooks.com 

Synesthesia-translating sensations and feelings into images

Translating sensations and feelings into images 
By Jimmy Henderson (MA psychology, FRC)

Many inner psychic experiences relate to the ability to translate impressions, sensations and feelings into colours, forms and images in our minds. This is not supernatural, or the stuff of fairy-tales. Look up ‘synesthesia’ in any good encyclopedia and you will see that this skill exists, although it is usually not well-known outside of metaphysical circles. 

Due to the electro-chemical nature of our nervous system, our bodies are surrounded by an envelope which is extremely sensitive, much like the electromagnetic atmosphere of the Earth. As we know, disturbances in this atmosphere, such as that caused by sun-spots, can affect the conditions on the planet. In a like manner, subtle outside influences are able to bring about sensations, sense-impressions and ‘feelings’ in our bodies, which, by means of synesthesia, can be translated into images.

I am sure that many of you have experienced a sense of danger or discomfort in the past. Imagine this feeling giving rise to impressions of ‘spikiness’, or the colour red, or a vision of thorns flashing briefly in your mind. Similarly, consider the sensation of comfort or safety spontaneously producing a brief image of a ‘safe’ colour such as blue, or even objects such as ‘bubbles’ or ‘cotton puffs’. You will see that these images can all be symbolically associated with their particular feelings, and have simply been generated by your subconscious mind in response to your experience. 

As mentioned before, the actual images you see in response to the feelings are personal, shaped by your own background, beliefs and views of the world. For example, if you were bitten by a dog as a child, you may associate danger with a nasty-looking dog, and this image could flash into your mind if you experience a sensation or feeling of danger.

Obviously being able to automatically translate impressions and feelings into images requires some training and your mind will have to be in a very relaxed state and sensitized to pick up the subtle cues, but it is possible during meditation or other altered states. 

With practice, this skill can be further developed to the point where sensations and feelings can produce images in your minds which superimpose themselves on your normal consciousness (something like a daydream), and become even more complex, resembling humanlike figures.

Understanding that energies outside of ourselves can produce these sensations and feelings,and that these can be translated into images, explains the psychic visions that are often seen during meditations. 

Jimmy Henderson is a cognitive scientist and metaphysician and the published author of a number of books and e-books on inner self-development. His books can be viewed and purchased from his website, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. 
www.jimmyhendersonbooks.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=jimmy+henderson

Breaking down psychological barriers to advancement

Breaking down the barriers

A very effective method of challenging and breaking down the psychological barriers preventing us from consciously engaging with higher levels of consciousness is complex imagery (or visualization). In applying this skill we introduce paradoxical experiences to our subconscious minds which are outside of the normal range of the beliefs and the schemas which regulate our perception of reality. When continually confronted in this way, the schemas (which are like preset programmes in our minds), are unable to adapt and are eventually forced to change internally to allow our perception to become more fluid and less-structured. In this way we bypass the control mechanisms and our minds become more open to new and more powerful inner experiences.

Before initiating more complex processes,  we have to find ways of bypassing the protective mechanisms (mental blocks) subconsciously set in place by our ethical, moral or religious convictions. Any inner conflict involving the ‘correctness’ of these procedures would be a stumbling block, and it may be necessary for a period of self-examination or even a ritual to satisfy our ethical requirements. This ritual can take the form of reaffirming our good intentions, making new commitments or introducing certain ‘protocols’ which will satisfy the needs of our (distrustful) subconscious minds. In other words, when moving deeper towards engagement with Spirit and consciousness, we have to unlock a series of psychological ‘gates' in order to gain the full co-operation of our own subconscious minds.

This advanced technique also requires a prior mastery of meditation as well as psycho-interactive forms of imagery, in which spontaneous changes to the enacted scene occur as our subconscious minds become more active participants in the process.

These bizarre scenarios or mental enactments we induce should be designed to harness the power of our subconscious in bringing about growth in specific areas of the mind.

A simple example of such an enactment would be consciously moving oneself through a series of visualised doorways and stairways with the idea (intention) that these are portals to higher realities or levels of reality. If this exercise is correctly initiated, your subconscious mind will respond accordingly, and you will immediately note corresponding changes in your consciousness and perception. 

A more advanced example of such a visualised dramatization could be seeing ourselves as encased in a chrysalis, and requesting our subconscious mind to provide the inner transformation necessary for the unfoldment of a new consciousness (as would be represented by the metaphor of a butterfly emerging from the chrysalis).

Another even more complex example would be the creation of a pseudo-reality involving a complex dramatisation of a visit to a strange planet with zero gravity in which rocks are floating suspended in the air. If we are able to successfully interact with this created scenario, such as by moving the rocks with your mind, or shifting your perception back and forth between this ‘world’ of floating rocks and everyday reality, you will find that eventually the floating rocks will appear to be ‘superimposed’ on the room, and the effect of this experience on your schemas will be even more pronounced. Eventually they will release their hold on your perception and you will enter even deeper states of consciousness.   

The effect of this skill can be even more enhanced by adding other sensory dimensions such as touch (touching and pushing the floating rocks), sounds and even scents to the enactments to increase their depth and multi-dimensional nature.

Best wishes in your training 

Jimmy Henderson is a metaphysician with advanced degrees in psychology and philosophy. He is also a Rosicrucian and a published author of a number of books and e-books on Amazon. com and other online portals. His books can be accessed via the link 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=jimmy+henderson&sprefix=jimmy+henderson%2Caps%2C598

or his website www.jimmyhendersonbooks.com

Space and Time

Thoughts on space and time 
By Jimmy Henderson (MA psychology) FRC

As far back as 1787, the philosopher Immanuel Kant expressed his belief that space and time were not scientific absolutes, but rather ‘categories’ of the human mind which allow us to structure and manage reality. 

Recent thinking in quantum physics supports this view by also suggesting that both time and space are mental formulations which provide us with the framework within which to come to some understanding of the workings of the universe. In other words, they are relative to the thinking and perception of the observer.

This can be proven by applying a simple observation. Imagine a situation where two friends are parting after a meeting. As the one friend moves further away, he eventually reaches a position where he can no longer be seen by his friend. However, from another vantage point a few hundred meters above the ground, both friends are still clearly visible, although they are already a few kilometers apart. 

If taken to the extreme, this experiment suggests that to a person with an infinite view (an extremely high consciousness), nothing is ever out of sight and the concept of space (distance) is therefore relative to the depth of our perception.

‘for us physicists believe the separation between past, present, and future is only an illusion, although a convincing one.’

Albert Einstein

In a similar manner, time-measurements are also relative. According to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, our sense of time is determined by our speed of movement, in this case, the movement of the Earth relative to the Sun and the stars. In other words, if we were travelling in space at extremely high velocities, possibly exceeding the speed of light, our experience of time would be different.

This time-relativity can be experienced when dreaming, in which an event which seems to last only a few minutes in a dream ends up being a half-hour in real time. This also implies that our experiences of time and space are linked to our states of consciousness. In other words, anything that is being processed three-dimensionally and sequentially by our minds would automatically include the perception of space and time. 

This also means that if we were able to view the world holographically (multi-dimensionally) our experiences may be different. In recent years most of us have noticed how time seems to have speeded up, which suggests once again, that time and space are relative to our perception. 

Jimmy Henderson is a cognitive researcher and metaphysician and a published author of books on self-development and the power of the mind. His books are available on Amazon.com 
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=jimmy+henderson&sprefix=jimmy+henderson%2Caps%2C427 as well as his website www.jimmyhendersonbooks.com 

The many faces of God

 The many faces of God

       Jimmy Henderson FRC

‘And the angel said unto me, ‘be gentle with my children’ (do not cause them to stumble in their beliefs)’

J. Henderson

The rise and fall of religions and spiritual practices in different cultures and societies through the ages could also be mirroring the changes and shifts taking place within the God-Mind.

If we look carefully, we will see that we form different concepts of God at various times in history. This could be due to the fact that different universal archetypes exist in the Mind of God which all represent Godhead in some way or another. For example, the earliest religions consisted of the worship of spirits which were said to animate mountains, trees and rivers, and natural phenomena were believed to be the result of their activities.

Later, a series of polytheistic religions emerged, such as that of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Aryans. This was a shift away from an almost infinite amount of elemental godlike sub-personalities to a definite number of gods or deities. In terms of our study of the mind, it is quite possible that these were all archetypal sub-personalities of the God-Mind which presented themselves during trance-like states induced by religious rituals.

It may also be true that polytheism emerged at a time in history when our minds were still unable to imagine a single divine being having so many different powers, aspects and attributes, and the idea of a single God became acceptable later with the further development of language and more complex understandings of God became possible.

In other words, our ideas of God are, once again, linked to the development of our minds and language, which allow us to understand deeper truths, and no concept of God can ever be said to be ‘wrong’ in the true sense of the word.

‘Conscience is the highest religion’

J . Henderson

 Jimmy Henderson is a mystic with an extensive academic background. He is able to combine psychology and philosophy with metaphysics in order to present credible information on man's relation to Spirit. His books are available through local bookshops as well as Amazon.com (key in 'Jimmy Henderson' under 'books')                         

Public Talk at Theosophical society

Talk on dreams

My next talk is with the Theosophical society

see books on http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss…

Theosophical Society in Southern Africa
Durban Lodge PBO 050-950
306 Avondale Road, Morningside, Durban
All Public Meetings start at 10 am at the Lodge - first Sunday of each month
Enquiries: 073 585 4856 / Lodge President: Pamela Passmore

Admission: FREE

Sunday – 3 May Title: ‘Dream Interpretation’

Speaker: Jimmy Henderson
The importance of dreams will be discussed as well as their hidden meanings and symbolism, and what the subconscious is trying to tell us. This includes recalling and interpreting your dreams and looking at their different dimensions.
Most importantly, Jimmy will introduce the special category of lucid dreams in which we open ourselves to spiritual initiations as well as messages and guidance from Spirit. You will be shown how to control these lucid dreams, which will greatly assist in the development of your mental and psychic skills.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Jimmy Henderson is a high-degree Rosicrucian and published author of metaphysical self-development books. He is busy with his PHD in cognitive psychology and is considered an expert of the workings and powers of the subconscious mind. www.jimmyhendersonbooks.com

          A conversation with death

                               By Jimmy Henderson 

\                              

    Hons (phil) PH.D(psychology) 

   It was early in the morning when I imagined myself approaching the Angel of Death and beginning to question him. ‘Sir’, I said, ‘I really need to ask you a number of important questions, perhaps you can help me’. ‘Are you really able to swallow up complete human lives, the collective history of mankind, so many memories and a level of self-consciousness which has evolved over millions of years?’ ‘Are we really supposed to accept that we are born, and live, love and laugh merely to pass away forever into some sort of oblivion?’

   ‘I suppose it depends on what you mean by oblivion’, he said.

   I told him that it seemed unreasonable to suppose that a highly-developed principle such as Life, evolving in different forms for millions of years, eventually expressing in a sentient human being, would simply allow itself to be extinguished forever in a few short decades. ‘I mean’, I said to him, ‘would you willingly participate in any drama that you knew was ill-fated and would leave you with nowhere to go?’ ‘Is it logical for an evolving process such as Life to continue along a route that will lead it to a point of nothingness?’

   He laughed. ‘Are you not confusing your own mortality with the universal process of life?’ he said.

    ‘That is my point exactly’, I replied, ‘A universal process’. ‘People die, but life continues’. ‘Is Life therefore not eternal?’

   I was not making much progress, but I continued to argue the point. My peace of mind was at stake and it was too important for me not to use this opportunity to speak directly to him. 

   ‘And what of evolution?’ I asked him.

   ‘What of it?’ he replied.

   ‘Why would the many forms of Life continue to evolve at all, if it was all destined to end abruptly?’

   He laughed and said that I had a good point! But then he quietly continued by saying, ‘Perhaps, like you, Life simply does not know what Death is and stupidly stumbles on producing human beings for no real reason at all’.

   ‘That is not logical’, I said, ‘We know that life develops in its many forms’. ‘It simply doesn’t make sense that Life would evolve towards a point where it would eventually cease to be’.

   ‘Do you doubt that you die?’ He asked.

   ‘Death is not my concern’, I said to him, ‘the question is whether it all ends at death’. ‘Do I really fall off the edge of the universe into a black hole with the power to swallow up space, time and my own memory of myself?’

   What happens to that memory, our identity?’ I asked. ‘If death is able to dissolve our knowledge of ourselves, how is it that we are now, at all times, still able to remember who and what we are, as a child, an adult, during sleep, when dreaming and once we awaken again?’

   He smiled, but did not reply, so I continued.

   ‘And if we are still evolving’, I said, ‘as we are led to believe, then we are at present still less than perfect?’

   ‘That does make sense’, he said.

   ‘Then surely we have, sometime in the future, still to be perfected, otherwise all talk of development would be pointless?’ I replied.

   ‘Once again you confuse yourself as an individual, with the larger process of Life’. ‘It is the process that renews itself’, the angel replied.

   ‘If the process is continually renewing itself’, I said, ‘then it must be eternal’.  ‘And if life is eternal, surely I still can still continue to exist in some way or other?’

   I now began to question the mystery even more deeply, reaching into the very structure of the human mind and the processes underlying our thoughts, for that one self-evident truth that would prove, beyond any doubt, that our consciousness continues after death, something that we have missed, in its fleeting moment of truth. The philosopher Descartes had followed this same path many centuries ago, deducing our very real existence from a single realisation, ‘I think, therefore I am’.

   ‘Perhaps’, I surmised, ‘I could build on this and prove to myself, ‘I am self-aware, therefore I must continue to exist after death’. With this thought, I faced up to the angel of Death once again.

   ‘In our understanding of science’, I said to him, ‘it is a proven fact that a lamp will not light up unless the entire circuit is complete.’

   He nodded.

   ‘Likewise, could we, as human beings, have ever reached a point of self-awareness if our consciousness were not part of a completed circuit or eternal cycle?’

‘Explain yourself further.’ he replied.

   ‘Would not the permanent ending of our consciousness at death have rendered our present state of self-awareness impossible?’ I said. ‘Surely our present self-awareness must be linked to some future continuity, the completion of a circuit of consciousness which enables us to look forward and backwards in continuous self-reflection?’ ‘And is this self-reflection not our present self-awareness?’

   At first he was very quiet. Then he asked a question;

   ‘If your Life continues’ he said, ‘what would be my role as the angel of Death?’

   ‘Perhaps you are a facilitator!’ I retorted.

    He liked that remark and laughed out loud.

   I continued. ‘Perhaps your purpose is to guide us into this eternal, more perfected form of Life?’

   He challenged me. ‘And what is this more perfect form of Life of which you speak?’

‘During sleep I dream, and my consciousness remains intact’, I replied, ‘will I not dream after death?’

   ‘Perhaps this life is the dream’, he said. ‘Do you like to dream?’

   ‘If I were to dream after death’, I said, ‘then I would have to be alive in some way, for in order to dream we must still exist’.

   He did not reply

   What then, is death?’ I said, ‘The end of one dream or the beginning of a new one?’

   He left without answering.