Cognitive captivity

Or you have been circumscribed

The most outstanding and historically noted levitation of Saint Teresa occurred at the Convent of the Incarnation in Avila, Spain. Witnesses reported seeing her rise from the ground in a state of ecstasy, sometimes several inches, on multiple occasions. These events were witnessed by many members of her convent, which added to her reputation as a mystic. She was troubled by all the attention it indisputably garnered. She was not at all impressed by herself and wished it would all just stop. That could be a hint to all of us who imagine we might be able to accomplish the same if we just visualized it enough. My guess is you would need a supernatural amount of energy to do it in situ, in a body, energy that the ego simply cannot access. There is the rub…

Or, that story is a complete fabrication by the church to increase the fame and influence of its so-called saints. A massive hoax that was replicated in the lives of several other Christian mystics. Modern materialists will naturally tell you with utter confidence that it really was all made up to increase membership in a rather quaint and rather silly religion.

“We all know that people cannot levitate!!”

Where to go to get some real answers? Who to sound this out with? Surely it would be useful and highly educational to meet the man who wrote what is possibly the best ever book on the full scope of what we used to call human potential. He would know having himself met the vast majority of paradigm shifters, physicists, philosophers, mythologists, psychologists, shamans and healers, monks and mystics of every shade and colour from everywhere on Earth to ever give talks and workshops on everything from quantum physics to the arcane world of zen at a time when almost zero was known about either of them. By the way many of them held that treasured addition to their names. Ph.D! Back in the seventies, very unlike the woke wide world now (WWW-the internet of imbeciles) we had real thinkers.

Not only were the speakers at his conferences all outstanding in their respective fields but the audiences would often include movers and shakers like Steve Jobs and his rival Bill Gates. Or was it all just a bunch of stoned hippies getting together for the all-naked baths there? I needed to find out. Thus, my belated trip to the place where it had all originally happened.

Esalen, California, circa 2015

Merde! I have just missed him! He was in the cafeteria not thirty minutes ago and since he is now in his eighties, I may have lost the only opportunity I will ever have to meet the man. The co-founder of this international institute, whose current head is gestalt psychologist Gordon Wheeler, had written a book back in the day called The Future of the Body. And now I have just lost the chance to meet Michael Murphy. I have come here to explore the possibility of creating a similar institute in Japan. For those of you who do not have the time to read this extraordinarily well researched book I have taken the liberty (as always for those of you who have read other essays) of using AI to synopsize the entire book. I used this simple prompt:

Tell me the ten most important points in Michael Murphy's book The future of the body

ChatGPT

Michael Murphy's book, "The Future of the Body: Explorations Into the Further Evolution of Human Nature," presents a comprehensive exploration of human potential, documenting various cases of extraordinary physical and mental abilities to suggest that humans are capable of far more than is commonly believed. While I cannot provide a detailed summary specific to each of the ten most important points without revisiting the text directly, I can highlight some of the key themes and insights that are central to Murphy's thesis. These points reflect the overarching narrative of the book and the potential for the future evolution of human capabilities:

1. Potential for Evolution: Murphy suggests that human beings have untapped potential that could signify an evolutionary leap in our physical and mental capabilities.

2. Documentation of Extraordinary Abilities: The book extensively documents instances of extraordinary physical, mental, and spiritual capabilities, suggesting these are not just anomalies but indicative of human potential.

3. Integration of Science and Spirituality: Murphy argues for a synthesis of scientific inquiry and spiritual understanding in exploring human potential, suggesting that both perspectives are essential for a comprehensive understanding of human capabilities.

4. Transformational Practices: The book highlights various practices and disciplines from different cultures that can stimulate the extraordinary capacities within individuals, such as meditation, martial arts, and yoga.

5. Holistic View of Human Nature: Murphy advocates for a holistic view of human nature that includes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions, suggesting that evolving our nature involves developing all these aspects in harmony.

6. Role of Intention and Belief: The power of intention and belief in shaping our abilities and experiences is emphasized, suggesting that our mental states can influence our physical reality.

7. Evolution of Consciousness: Murphy discusses the evolution of consciousness as a critical aspect of human development, proposing that expanding our consciousness will be central to our future evolution.

8. The Interconnectedness of Life: The book delves into the interconnectedness of all life forms and the universe, suggesting that a deep understanding of this interconnectedness is key to unlocking our full potential.

9. Challenges and Opportunities: Murphy explores the challenges humanity faces in achieving this potential evolution, including societal, cultural, and individual barriers, while also highlighting the opportunities for growth and development.

10. Vision for the Future: Ultimately, "The Future of the Body" presents a visionary outlook on the future of human evolution, suggesting that we are on the cusp of realizing abilities that could significantly enhance our lives and transform our understanding of what it means to be human.

Murphy's work is both a call to explore the depths of human potential and a comprehensive catalog of the extraordinary capabilities that have been observed and documented across cultures and throughout history. It encourages readers to look beyond conventional understandings of human limits and to envision a future where the full spectrum of human abilities is realized and nurtured.

Thanks AI! That is how I remember the book that took me months to read. At the time I was (and still am) a regular sitter on my arse practitioner (zen now sounds so phoney) and had some not negligible experience via martial arts in Japan as well as an entire decade as an acupuncturist of the old school (traditional pulse diagnosis) under my fledgling orientalist’s belt. Meanwhile I would levitate in my dreams several times a year with profound clarity, sensorial richness and delirious joy. Unlike the saint nobody could know it but me. It was most entertaining when I could look down on the expressions of those I levitated above. You could easily summarize the reaction by all in three words beginning with What the..!

The million-dollar question to all dyed in the wool materialistic prigs around the globe is this:

“Why would millions of people dream of levitating and flying throughout the course of human history if it did not actually have a real, physical counterpart?”

Since every dream though highly symbolic can often be traced to a real-world situation why would the brain that creates consciousness (so the materialists say) waste its bio electrochemical turbines on generating dreams that definitely feel most decidedly real yet be totally meaningless nay insane? I have stood on the turrets of castles after levitating cum flying to their tops and suddenly forgotten how to . The terror felt is very real. How do I get down there?

Or they might just simply be about flying!! Chat GPT is rapidly getting so woke it is quite disturbing. I can just picture Herr Freud psychoanalysing a seagull and insisting its entire life is about escapism. Duh! When I interviewed the cognitive psychologist Donald Robertson, he wasted no time in telling me that Freud never actually conducted one truly scientific experiment in his life and kept people on his chaise longue for years, several times a week!

I recently asked the steadily becoming-woke GPT to come up with some counter arguments about global warming not being caused just by CO2 emissions. Ten years ago, before AI hijacked us into mental torpor, you could see books and research papers by the score vigorously debating the science. Not anymore. It is a done deal and I am therefore relegated to the back benches of climate denier. The science is settled, just like it was with…

Sshh!

Unfortunately Esalen got wokey too (in my own totally biased opinion of course) and in 2015 there were only the ghosts of its former glory padding about stark naked in the hot baths there no doubt feeling the nostalgia but still wanting the connection. No legendary meetings between Soviet cosmonauts smuggled in to talk openly with American astronauts at the height of the cold war. No sense of human potential beyond where one might get connected with another naked body there. Thus ended Esalen, like all good things it too must pass.

Cognitive captivity has arrived. To even suggest that such and such an event might have a cause quite radically different to the consensus view has never been life extending to say the least. Think Bruno Giordano :) When I briefly interacted with the former vice president Al Gore after his Tokyo lecture showing us that by now (that was over a decade ago) we should be so much hotter everywhere at once I smelt a rat. Have you ever wondered where the naughty carbon tax ends up being used? I have. You naughty human! How dare you shoot your nocturnal carbon emissions all over our planet?

The woke and the unwoke meet in Tokyo

Or, I am one of the last vestiges of an unwoke population who believes that magic and mystery have always existed, that saints and shamans can effortlessly levitate and that we who dream of defying gravity could be in training for that future potential. Imagine us flying over a world where a grown man is naked in the female changing room claiming that in truth, he is a teenage girl in his head, and importantly that he- she- it- them is fully supported in that abject lunacy by law … and that from that altitude we can secretly smile that we never gave up on magic. But for God’s sake do not in any way have the balls to comment on the current state of the earth’s mental health.

No doubt we, the fliers, would be arrested for escaping from cognitive captivity by that rising brand of modern fascists who are sure to tell us it is for the betterment of all members of society. Now where did I hear that at a previous time in our history?

When in fact it represents the worst kind of slavery to ever darken our collective door into the unknown. It is a slavery there is no cure for. Unless perforce you WAKE up :)