cognitive dissonance and the moment for change

Douglas Rushkoff » President Obama

Likewise, the election of a black man to the presidency is a cue that something has changed. As my friend, Ari Wallach explained to me on my new radio show last night, it’s a kind of “shock and awe.” There’s a thoughtful, progressive and black president-elect on the cover of the New York Post. The cognitive dissonance this generates is an opportunity to reprogram. It’s what advertisers and social programmers try to do in pretty much every communication they make. It’s as big a disconnect and reconnect as 9-11 was, only constructive instead of destructive. A narrative is broken; another is born.

But this new narrative is not the story of how we are led by some new person. It’s the story of how we lead ourselves. It’s about how we accept the cue to act.

Enactivism, Integral Theory, and 21st Century Spirituality | Integral Life

In his book, Revisioning Transpersonal Theory, Jorge Ferrer draws upon enactive and postmodern theory to articulate a participatory vision of spirituality. In many respects, his proposal is quite similar to Wilber's model, particularly as he has expressed it in his most recent writings. In Ferrer's view, the perennialist worldview is caught in the Myth of the Given, and the contextualist view is caught in the Myth of the Framework. It is appropriate neither to posit a pre-given, underlying spiritual reality waiting simply to be disclosed by independent observers, nor to argue that that spiritual realities are wholly culturally or linguistically determined, without any objective basis.

I find this view to be generally consonant with Integral Post-metaphysics (though the details of his argument vary from it, stopping short of what Wilber believes is essential). But the point in common is this: to an important extent, the spiritual horizons traced by different traditions, the liberative potentials and the spiritual, transrational phenomena, are best understood as creative enactments, not simply as pre-existing spiritual domains or conditions "uncovered" by contemplation or other means.

As we explore the promise of the enactive paradigm for 21st century spirituality, I believe this insight will have lasting value, allowing us to explore spiritual traditions and practices in terms of their enactive potential, rather than in terms of their propositional truth value or the validity of their metaphysical claims. No commitment to otherwordly realities is required; but neither should we cling blindly to, or simply accept as pre-given, our models of this world.

ASCs "promote cohesion in marginal communities"

Integral Shamanism (transcript) — Gaia: The Integral Pod

Here's an article from the journal, The Anthropology of Consciousness, titled, “Shamanism and Altered States of Consciousness.” I'm just posting the conclusion, because it is a 36 page paper. The conclusion of the researchers is basically that not all ASC are the same, nor have the same effect or purpose. And that, like Wilber would say, the level of consciousness has to be known before hand, in order to properly determine the ASC for the individual. That is ASC or empirically measurable brain activity is dependent upon the current consciouness of the individual, and can't see seen as a one size fits all model.

"Altered states of consciousness have also been viewed as vehicles of adaptation for societies as a whole when confronted with consequences of social, cultural, economic, and political change, especially when they have resulted in revitalization movements (La Barre 1938, Wallace 1956).
These may focus on accommodation to changing circumstances such as those brought on by European expansionism and consequent reservation life, as in the case of Native American revitalization movements, or as a way of reconfirming religious beliefs and traditions, as in the case of Thai pusam ceremonies among the Hindu community in Malaysia (detailed above). In either case ASCs may be utilized to promote cohesion in marginal communities.

Rigoberta Menchú : The Time of No Time : TreeHugger

Menchú focused on something different, and vital, to our struggle to reduce our impact on the Earth. Menchú said that in the Mayan calendar, this was a special day of spirituality. And it occurs in a time that they are calling The Time of No Time.

... Menchu said that the solution to our survival lies in our cooperative nature. A focus on nature will come with a focus on one another and the common good we must achieve. Fixing the planet goes hand in hand with fixing ourselves.

"What do we do in the face of these problems? We have to increase our self-esteem. Young people have to grow with self-esteem ...strengthening their knowledge, both on the material world and the spiritual one. When I speak about spirituality I am not speaking of religion. Religions have their problems in these times as well. I’m talking about cultivating values – cultivating values of co-existence, cultivating values of respect because we have lost respect so much."

...But what if a radical restructuring was possible?

Jeff Vail - Law, Energy, Geopolitics, and Organizational Theory

A global economy predicated on the notion of perpetual growth is fundamentally incompatible with reliance on a scarce and dwindling resource. Radical decentralization of energy sources, transition to truly renewable energy sources, reliance on vernacular modes and levels of consumption, and moving away from growth-generating hierarchal structures MAY be able to truly solve the problem. However, this “solution” would require such a radical restructuring of human affairs that it is highly unrealistic as a proactive choice.

Jeff Vail - Law, Energy, Geopolitics, and Organizational Theory

We're setting ourselves up for the perfect storm. Resurgent global demand for energy will hit just about the time that our energy supplies (especially our net energy supplies) begin to rapidly decline. As I've said in jest many times on this blog, the Mayan prophecies about 2012 may not be that far off the mark--at least as far as timing is concerned.

silence

Silence Like Scouring Sand | Kathleen Dean Moore | Orion Magazine

“Silence is like scouring sand,” he says. “When you are quiet, the silence blows against your mind and etches away everything that is soft and unimportant.” What is left is what is real—pure awareness, and the very hardest questions.

....Many years ago, Gordon was a botany student in Wisconsin. As he was
driving back to school from the West Coast, night came on, and he
stopped to sleep in an Iowa cornfield. Lying on the ground, he listened
to crickets scratch their crisp fiddles and corn stalks rasp against
their leaves. He heard thunder rumble. The crickets and the corn went
silent, and the storm rolled over him. He heard raindrops smack into
soil, and hail rattle the stalks. Then the thunder was growling far
away and crickets were singing again.

How could it be that he had never before heard, really heard, the
sounds of the Earth? From that time forward, how could he do anything
but listen? How should he live his life? “Whatever came next,” he told
me, “had to measure up to the honesty of that night.”

...Astonishment and gratitude are an important part of what the future
stands to lose under the shouting engines of human ambition. When
humans silence nature, drowning out the small voices, we subordinate it
to our own presumed power. Anyone who has felt the oppression in a
classroom or boardroom or marriage when only some are free to speak
will understand what it means to be silenced—to have no voice, to be
seen and not heard, to be told to “pay attention,” which means do not
pay attention to any voice but one.

...But silence? Silence creates an opening, an absence of self, which
allows the larger world to enter into our awareness. It brings us into
contact with what is beyond us, its beauty and mystery. Silence is not
the absence of sounds, but a way of living in the world—an intentional
awareness, an expression of gratitude, to make of one’s own ears, one’s
own body, a sounding board that resonates in its hollow places with the
vibrations of the world.

Discussion: Is shamanism Integral?

Integral Shamanism (transcript) — Gaia: The Integral Pod

[Wilber]"...the shamanic practices were the first true transcendental breakthrough practices anywhere on the planet; and they really pioneered particularly the subtle states. As Roger Walsh pointed out in his book on shamanism – which I think it's really brilliant – you don't get a whole lot of causal or pure emptiness states in shamanic work. There's some, but it's not terribly central. But you do get an unparalleled exploration of the subtle domain and subtle states. And so you'd want that to be foundational and a part of any overall path; and some people would want to specialize in that particular dimension, which is absolutely fine."

[Holden] "You simply cannot separate shamanism from it's cultural context. You can't just learn a “sun dance,” and think that you can separate it from it's total social and political meaning. ... All of this is comming from a very western and etic (external applied meaning) dialogue of shamanistic practices. One of the main aspects of shamanism for the majority of cultural groups that have shamans is for the express purpose of communicating with local spirits and the spirtual realm. Once you remove the specific practice from its particular historical landscape with specific spirits and forces, then your no longer practicing anything that can be called shamanism, i.e., that particular kind of shamanism. ... Shamanism and it's various practices have never been separate from the social and political functions and what we know as shamanism cannot be separated from the colonial-indigenous discourse."

[Pelle, for Julee]"Shamanism and Reiki both access and work with subtle energies. The energies themselves are “pure”, but the interpretation of the work is very much dependent on the level of the energy worker. Also, the recipient of the work con-structs or co-creates the images or experiences that come as a result of being flooded by subtle energies."

Panarchy and tipping points...

Learning Centre - Sustaining Social Innovation

Growth and change don't happen in a step by step or linear way. There are tipping points - moments when structures collapse or ideas take off. These aren't continuities or predictable phenomena.

Change occurs because of trophic cascades, those sudden shifts that occur because conditions are ripe for change at multiple scales – this is the way to understand abrupt shifts in the environment.

These moments of alignment or tipping points are critical. They call upon different skills and competencies from social innovators. We often speak about "thinking like a movement". Thinking this way helps us to see that it takes the connection between initiatives to pull enough information into the system to see cross-scale connections happening. Each individual initiative is dependent upon connection with other innovations and initiatives.

Mind and consciousness

CE Journal - Peat

But a variety of other approaches are possible:

That mind was present in the universe ab initio. For example, in the form of a proto mind associated even with the elementary particles. The emergence and evolution of complexity occurs in both matter and mind, each perhaps assisting the other.

That mind is of a totally different order from matter, that it cannot be reduced to any scientific, quantitative description animates its liaison with matter via the medium of the brain (The dualism of Popper and Eccles).

That both mind and matter (at the quantum or sub-quantum level) arise out of some deeper level.
Or, to follow Bohm, that mind and matter constitute an unanalyzable whole which must therefore be addressed within a totally different order of explanationóthe Implicate Order. In this case the Cartesian cut between matter and mind is an illusion, albeit a very effective and compelling one, that is present only at the Implicate Order of perception, language and explanation.

states into traits

Ken Wilber's response to Allan Combs

But all of those peak experiences, no matter how profound, are merely temporary, passing, transient states. In order for higher development to occur, those temporary states must become permanent traits. Higher development involves, in part, the conversion of altered states into permanent realizations. In other words, in the upper reaches of evolution, the transpersonal potentials that were only available in temporary states of consciousness are increasingly converted into enduring structures of consciousness (states into traits). This is where meditative states become increasingly important. Unlike natural states (which access psychic, subtle, and causal states in the natural sleep cycle, but rarely while awake or fully conscious) and unlike spontaneous peak experiences (which are fleeting), meditative states access these higher realms in a deliberate and prolonged fashion. As such, they more stably disclose the higher levels of the Great Nest, higher levels that eventually become, with practice, permanent realizations. (note 17)

The Archdruid Report

In turn, the peak oil movement’s problems finding a hearing in the wider discourse of our time has nothing to do with a shortage of solid facts or compelling reasoning; it has both of these in abundance. Rather, I have come to think, those difficulties are rooted in the movement’s failure, at least so far, to address these deeper, nonrational issues. If the peak oil message is correct, then the Great God Progress is dead; however misguided the faith of his votaries may turn out to be in hindsight, it’s a deeply held faith, and those who rely on it to give their lives meaning and hope can be counted on to cling to it until and unless some convincing alternative comes their way.

Integral Options Cafe: Creative Spirituality: The Meta-Shaman

The special skill of the traditional shaman was the ability to enter into ecstatic trance and, within the trance state, to traverse the various "worlds" defined within the Meme in which s/he resides (an advanced state within a lower stage). Shamans were "technicians of ecstasy" according to Eliade. The trance-state, and its mastery, was the defining characteristic of the traditional shaman.

Meta-shamans are capable of selecting, through a conscious process, the Meme required at any given time. Within the selected Meme, whichever form of consciousness transformation is appropriate to that Meme is accessible, whether it's the trance state of the traditional shaman in Purple, or the nature mysticism of the Green Meme.

Beyond Integral: "Integral" Shamanism

one of Shamanism's great contributions has been providing profound techniques of inducing altered states of a psychic and subtle nature, and that can be a path out of flatland. The trick seems to be to be able to take the altered-states technology of the shaman and fit them into more adequate interpretations. That shamanic STATES exist cannot be denied, but what STAGE do they get plugged into?

Whatever one's experience is of the shamanic altered-state practice is, like all state experiences, they will be interpreted first, by the altitude of the shaman, and individually interpreted, or reinterpreted, by the person experiencing the altered state based on their own development.

In this sense, Shamanism is no different than any other path that leads to altered states and transformation. "Integral" shamanism goes beyond traditional therapy and traditional shamanism: During this time of evolutionary unfoldment, an "integral" shaman may intuitively, or with purpose and intention, use all their tools, all the perspectives, including the the AQAL model, developmental levels, lines, states, and stages, recognizing that the people they are working with can be met where they are, and with a sense of using these skills, including shamanism, to have a sense of what needs to happen next, healing and opening paths to higher states of consciousness.