Different interpretations to the same question
In philosophy, panpsychism, is the view that mind (psyche) is found everywhere (pan). Panpsychism is one of the oldest of all philosophical doctrines. In a more direct definition, Panpsychism is that consciousness, mind or soul is a universal feature of all things, and the primordial feature from which all others are derived. Simply put, it is an idea that all things have a mind or mind like quality. A panpsychist sees themselves as a mind in a world of minds.
Under this premise, mind and consciousness are not under any guidelines or restrictions. It is in every living thing. And on that level of thinking, depending on what living organism is in discussion, the amount of understanding consciousness and mind would vary. Subscribing to this belief, wouldn’t mind and consciousness still have to originate from something or somewhere in its inception?
Cataloged under theist beliefs, could consciousness be one’s soul? A soul is what defines humans to be different from one another. It is also the life force of that individual. A strong soul would be a person who has morals, values, integrity, compassion, empathy, but yet can also be apathetic when needing to for its survival and protection. A weak soul in a person would be the opposite of all of that. A soul would not exist in the third dimension. The soul would come to each and every human during the inception of creation. While the embryo is developing and the fetus enlarges and becomes human, that’s when it would gain a soul and become human. So far consciousness and a soul could fall under the same category. They could be looked at as the same except for what happens before and after death. No one truly knows what happens after death, but scientists know what happens to the human body and brain right before death.
Mind and Body
Your mind is part of a Universal Mind. This is not simply a philosophical ideal passed down to us through the ages. It is an exact scientific truth. Know it, believe it, apply it and you will see your life transform in a way that you want. But only if you allow it to by, knowing it, believing it, and applying it.
Our mental state has measurable influence on us. Under altered states our mind can change our mental state, sometimes forever. “I think therefore I am”. Consciousness has a strong and heavy fist that impacts our lives. We may or may not be able to control certain aspects of consciousness through altered states; but there’s something to be said about how much of an impact consciousness has on determining our mental state. Which in turn, has an impact on our physical being. Obviously consciousness is a factor to consider when comparing our mental state and physical reality. Consciousness does not live in the third dimension, otherwise we could be able to put it on that table and measure it. While the mind exerts control over our physical interaction with the world, there is a clear delineation between body and mind; that our material forms are simply temporary housing for our immaterial consciousness’s. The body and mind appear inextricably linked.
A new study by researchers in Wisconsin, Spain, and France reports the first evidence of specific molecular changes in the body following a period of mindfulness meditation. The study investigated the effects of a day of intensive mindfulness practice in a group of experienced meditators, compared to a group of untrained control subjects who engaged in quiet non-meditative activities. After eight hours of mindfulness practice, the meditators showed a range of genetic and molecular differences, including altered levels of gene-regulating machinery and reduced levels of pro-inflammatory genes, which in turn correlated with faster physical recovery from a stressful situation. Most interestingly, the changes were observed in genes that are the current targets of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs.
However, it is important to note that the study was not designed to distinguish any effects of long-term meditation training from those of a single day of practice. Instead, the key result is that meditators experienced genetic changes following mindfulness practice that were not seen in the non-meditating group after other quiet activities — an outcome providing proof of principle that mindfulness practice can lead to epigenetic alterations of the genome.
Previous studies in rodents and in people have shown dynamic epigenetic responses to physical stimuli such as stress, diet, or exercise within just a few hours. Our genes are quite dynamic in their expression and these results suggest that the calmness of our mind can actually have a potential influence on their expression.
According to the Institute of HeartMath in Boulder Creek, California, epigenetics encompasses far more than just DNA, our environment and life experience. After two decades of study, the researchers discovered factors like love and appreciation or anxiety and anger also influence a person’s blueprint. In one experiment, select participants were able to change DNA with positive mental states.
“An individual holding three DNA samples was directed to generate heart coherence – a beneficial state of mental, emotional and physical balance and harmony – with the aid of a HeartMath technique that utilizes heart breathing and intentional positive emotions. The individual succeeded, as instructed, to intentionally and simultaneously unwind two of the DNA samples to different extents and leave the third unchanged.” Control group volunteers who had low heart coherence were unable to alter the DNA.
To what is the extent of our consciousness and its attachment to the reality we perceive around us? How can thoughts change matter in the third dimension? Mind, consciousness does not exist in the physical realm, we have discussed this; so how can something that doesn’t exist in the physical realm have an effect on it? How can tissue and fat mixed with some electrical charges surrounded by liquid, change matter on a microscopic level? To what is the extent is its power? If the brain is capable of changing something even slightly on a small scale, surely it is capable of doing the same on a large scale. Consciousness is looked at as something that we have. What if it has us? Sometimes we can’t explain our actions or even our own thoughts. Why is that? Again, going back to the idea that consciousness can only exist in the third dimension in certain biological creatures that have the right nervous system; meaning that “it” can control itself and choose to live in what it wants to. What if “it” chooses humans for a reason and not just for the idea that it can exist inside of us? There could more to that than we think. Or better explained, it allows us to think. Not knowing is the most fascinating aspect to it all. But understanding how it is done would be the first step towards achieving such a goal. Altering the state of mind and progressively moving forward in hopes of clarity would be a good start. How can we induce different altered states of consciousness to help us better understand who we are? Could psychedelics be the key to unraveling the ancient mysteries of the consciousness? – Z
objectivereasoningblog.com 