**Consciousness in selective terms** The concept of 'consciousness' can be defined and discussed in the context of panpsychic idealism, Plato's Ideal Plane, and esoteric Christianity by exploring the universal and interconnected nature of consciousness as suggested by these frameworks. 1. **Panpsychic Idealism**: This philosophical view posits that consciousness is a universal property inherent in all matter. The [[Panpsychic Connectome|panpsychic connectome]] suggests that consciousness extends beyond individual entities, forming a network through which information and experiences are exchanged. This perspective aligns with the idea that consciousness is a fundamental aspect of the universe, permeating everything from subatomic particles to galaxies. By viewing consciousness as a universal property, panpsychic idealism encourages an exploration of how different forms of consciousness interact and communicate within this interconnected network. 2. **Plato's Ideal Plane**: Plato's philosophy suggests the existence of an ideal realm of perfect forms or ideas, which are the true reality behind the physical world. In the context of consciousness, this could imply that individual consciousnesses are reflections of a universal consciousness that exists on this ideal plane. Exploring consciousness through this lens involves considering how our subjective experiences relate to these ideal forms and how the interconnectedness of consciousness might bridge the gap between the physical and the ideal. 3. **Esoteric Christianity**: This tradition often emphasizes the unity of all creation through a divine consciousness. It suggests that consciousness is not only universal but also has a spiritual dimension that connects all beings to a divine source. This perspective encourages an exploration of consciousness as a pathway to understanding spiritual truths and the interconnectedness of all life. By integrating these contexts, an expansive exploration of consciousness involves examining the interplay between individual and universal consciousness, considering the ethical implications of recognizing consciousness in non-human entities, and exploring consciousness as both a physical and spiritual phenomenon. This understanding guides us to consider our place within a larger, interconnected reality, fostering empathy, ethical considerations, and a deeper appreciation for the [[Complexity|complexity]] of consciousness in all its forms. #### Sources: - [Scrivener Consolidated Exploration (number 1)](obsidian://open?vault=Obsidian%20Atomic%20Napkins&file=Scrivener%20Consolidated%20Exploration%20(number%201)) **Consciousness** The most fascinating property of language is its capacity to make metaphor. Metaphor is not just a turning of phrases, but the actual basis of language. By metaphor we mean the use of a term for one thing to describe another because of some similarity between them (or between their relations to other things) There are always two terms I a metaphor: the metaphrand (the thing to be described) and the metaphier (the thing used to elucidate it). A metaphor is always a known metaphier operating on a lesser known metaphrand. Language is grown by metaphor: ‘what is it’ is commonly responded to with ‘it is like…’ Metaphor with repetition becomes contracted into labels. Concrete metaphors increase our powers of perception. Language is an organ of perception, as well as a means of communication. Language moves out into the world around us to perceive and describe and define outside of time (synchronically). Language also moves in time based upon the aptic structures of our nervous systems to create abstract concepts whose referents are not observable except in a metaphorical sense. (‘seen’ only with the ‘mind’s eye’.) So that [see ‘I will teach you’ in the secret codex, re philosophical Mercury] Language is a finite set of terms which by metaphor is able to encompass an infinite set of circumstances, even to create new circumstances [see ‘inherent in the Law…’ ] So is Consciousness. We are trying to understand consciousness: what is ‘trying to understand’? To understand (in this context) is to arrive at a metaphor for something by substituting something more familiar to us. They _feel_ more familiar to us, so we say we understand them. We say we Understand similarity to familiarity. [you will recall that feeling is up close (seeing is at a range); familiarity is genesis [Elohim]; Understanding is Binah, substantiation of the most subtle aspect of DP in conscience is a function of the [I] Azoth: 1=10, metaphor/ analogy.] [an analog is a model where every point of the model is generated by the thing which it is an analog of: like a map.] It is difficult to understand consciousness (or our immediate experience) in the same way that we can understand things that we are conscious of. Subjective conscious mind is an analog of what is called the real world. It is built up of a lexical field (vocabulary) whose terms are all metaphors (or analogs) of behavior in the physical world: on the same order as mathematics. It allows us to shortcut behavioral processes and arrive at more adequate decisions. Like mathematics it is an operator rather than a thing (or repository). It is intimately participant with volition and decision. Considering the prominent language we use to describe mental events, we ‘see’ that they are visual (brilliant, clear, dull, fuzzy, obscure, viewpoint, etc) we are not surprised that Intellectual Enlightenment is Illuminating [A]. (or ‘mind-space’ as physical: ‘grasp’ cognize, comprehend, hold an intention, etc.’ All actions in real-space taken into analogs of the mind.) Metaphor generates consciousness. [see Philosophical Mercury, or [A] azoth.], or consciousness is the work of the lexical metaphor. “The world is highly organized; the concrete metaphiers are thus generating consciousness in an organized way. Hence the similarity of consciousness and the structure of the world. And….. Consciousness becomes the metaphor of our past experience, constantly operating upon such unknowns as [[Scroll on Future (Bardonian Context)|future]] actions, decisions and partly remembered past; what we are and what we yet may be. And it is by the generated structure of the consciousness that we understand the world.” [Now realize that ‘Mercury’ is the messenger of the Gods. What we have been primarily dealing with is what the philosophers call ‘common mercury’ or ‘quick-silver’. With common mercury, it is the physical world which organizes the common consciousness and thereby builds the analog of beliefs. This will amount to eventual and fully incarcerated consciousness of insolvency (see ‘helpless spectator’). With Philosophical Mercury, we find a most extraordinary elixir of happiness and freedom: The Spiritual Beliefs inform the consciousness and the consciousness generates the physical analog as an epiphenomenon! ] In either case we are well advised to attend the features of consciousness: 1. Spatialization: for example ‘time’, possibly from left to right. Other examples are ‘the cube of space’; possible the ‘tree of life icon’ as an analog map of consciousness; and therapeutically, emdr. 2. Excerption: we can only pay attention to a part of anything at any time, so we can never consciously ‘see’ anything in its entirety because we are only ‘seeing’ an analog of actual behavior (reality). (think of a circus). One’s entire consciousness of the world and of the people with whom one interacts is based upon one’s excerptions. One’s excerptions are heavily dependent upon your affections towards them. Excerptions largely determine our ideas of what kind of world we live in. An excerption of a thing in consciousness is the representative of the thing to which [[Memories|memories]] adhere, and by which we retrieve memories. One’s excerptions change according to one’s mood and attitude. 3. The Analog ‘I’: a most important feature of our metaphorical world is the metaphor of ourselves; our analog ‘I’, which moves about vicariously in our imagination, doing things that we are not actually doing. [see ‘the effigy’ technique in magic]. We are able to make decisions based upon imagined outcomes which would be impossible without an analog ‘I’. 4. The analog ‘me’: the analog ‘I’ also has an analog ‘me’ of which we catch glimpses of from some perspective; sometimes called autoscopic images. [as far as Qabalistic techniques, the mastery of the formulae of Projection, coupled with the techniques of Healing will function as analog effigy to enable the Healing via Hermetic Analog and Autoscopic Projecting] [Healing oneself through Autoscopic effigy provides salient ‘residency’ for the Metaphysician Intern training for the Qabalistic Healing of others.] 5. narratization: in consciousness we are constantly seeing our vicarious selves as the main figures in the stories of our lives. [advertisers rely on this. The forum speaks of it (script). Addiction theories speak of it as ‘irrefutable rhetoric’. Esoterically, we speak of it as ‘schemata’, in reference to the importance of it in respect to the fact that decisions are made, situations are chosen on the basis of congruency with it, etc. Consciousness is already always ready to explain anything and everything that we are doing. Not only as it relates to our analog ‘I’ but to any stray fact which is then narratized to fit with any other stray fact. [thus, the importance of solid Metaphysical foundations.] 6. Conciliation: similar to an aspect of consciousness common to most mammals called recognition, where a slightly ambiguous perceived object is assimilated, or made to conform to a previously learned conception or schema. We are putting things together into recognizable objects on the basis of previously learned schemes we have of them. (I call this schoola.) Consciousized assimilation is conciliation, or compatiblization. In conciliation we are making excerpts or narritizations compatible. Conciliation does in mind-space what narratization does in mind-time. [see perception from [A] Azoth]. In summary, consciousness is an operation rather than a thing; it operates by way of analogy, constructing analog space with an analog ‘I’ that can observe that space and move metaphorically in it. It operates on any reactivity, excerpts relevant aspects, narratizes and conciliates them together in a metaphorical space where such meanings can be manipulated like objects in space. Conscious mind is a spatial analog of the material world and mental acts are analogs of bodily acts. (Consciousness acts only on objectively observable things) (disputed). And now for the coup de Grace: for the Gnostic Metaphysician, it also works in ‘reverse’ of all this; or more precisely, from the standpoint of Spirituality: this is the actual reverse of Spiritual Truth. But Consciousness, as the pivot point remains unchanged and worlds either way! What is at stake is ‘risking the world as a haphazard and helpless spectator (or by-product) rather than a selective co-participant in a world of my own choosing as a co-creator’ in the 5th Kingdom (mc).