Name: John Cave
Email: jbcave@worldnet.att.net
Regarding: Grof and BPM
Comments:

I agree that the material Grof works with is complex-its multi-layered character makes it so. It is necessary to remember that he started out at a Freudian, and mapped his current model to observations emerging in a clinical setting. All of these factors contribute to the character of his ideas. The question is: to what extent are these ideas useful knowledge? Does Jungs theory of archetypes lose their value if one knows that they derive from gnostic ideas of the archons?

The important thing, for me, and what Grof deserves to be credited for, it the discovery that many of the deepest characteristics of the lifeforce emerge only after many hundreds of exposures to a powerful psychedaelic, and that they tend to emerge in a predictable, "classic" sequence.

Beyond that, the real significance of these investigations are these:

1. The ultimate reality of the Universe is "information", not matter and energy.

2. The lifecycle of a person embraces the lifecycle of everything in terms of ones origins, except that the personal terminates before the Universal.

3. In terms of this life cycle, there is information that is inherited in the event of conception, which appears to be the accumulated information regarding the history of the Universe up to that point.

4. From the moment of conception, as the individual develops, the interaction with their environment moves as information into holographic memory. The differences in the gestation of the individual lead to different imprinting "structures" on the tabula rasa of the developing individual.

5. There is an interaction between the experience of the individual as one develops and the first information management structures that are coalescing. Much like the first drops of water erode rivulets that then function like channels that manage, or direct the flow of water into those channels, causing more erosion, and making it more difficult to redirect the flow.

6. In this context, logic redirects the flow of developing information procesessing structures through branching, i.e., OR experiences light, or dark, branching, AND experiences, squished AND overheated, or NOT inversions, i.e. feel bad, now suddenly feel good. All logic is the interaction of an obstruction(what does not flow) to a flow.

7. BPM's are significant because in the classic sense, they are the first POWERFUL change in the environment of the embryo, and therefore, the most information dense, like a rapid fall of rain causes intense gullying. It is at this point that the first unanticipated side effects to the personality derive from the interaction of the newly emergent information processing structures. These structures interface at complex nodal points. There is an organic foundation of holographic memory-and a structural set of channels for processing information and passing it through to long term structural memory. Thus, the relation between these two systems, the organic, and the structural are warped. The foremind, owing to its traumatic exposure, is instinctively protected by backmind processes that do not want to fragment the foremind--but as these experiences have already passed into organic holographic memory, the backmind creates barriers against the organic storage structures that result in two consequences: alot of energy is spent maintaining these barriers which accumulate like gullies in a slope do, the access relationship between the foremind and the organic holographic foundation is seriously impeded and interfered with. The shape and strength of these protective barriers interact with the development of the individual from this point forward in the lifecycle.

8. These structures appear as a consequence of the interaction of experience with development. But the extent to which they become governing processes depends upon post peri-natal experiences and how well the individual is able to resolve trauma, pain, fear, and frustration, without these protective "complexes" from growing to shut out the holographic organic mind.

9. All of this serves to illustrate how we grow up, more importantly, how we can free ourselves of the complexes we have acquired through avoidance of pain and anxiety.

It is true that these complexes are like habitual concrete. Afterall, they are like handprints in wet clay. Softening the clay with the water of life can let us smooth out the structure, but it will not be the same when it dries!

To argue that the "Model" BPM's are not perfect mappings of the process of eliminating the "complexes" misses the point. Its like saying the idea of a circle is flawed because we cannot find a perfect instance of a circle in the world.

Personalities stuck in BPM 1 do exist--so do personalities stuck in BPM4--I am one. I am only at peace with myself when I have solved a difficult problem--I chose an occupation like that. Many substance dependent personalities cope with BPM 2 and 3 like life experiences by trying to get back into a BPM 1 state with drugs and alcohol--of course, that has a price of admission as well.

Respond if you want...

Name: cbfog
Email: cbf0g@yahoo.com
Regarding: transpersonal .... scribblings
Comments:

Hey, I'm cbfog from Tilly, Inc. (which you apparently visited) and I gotta say your "scribblings" are a real pleasure to read, especially the ones on sexuality and shamanism. Well thought out and extremely intelligent. I'm bookmarking your page so I can come back and read any new thoughts you might put out. cbfog

Name: Betty Eldridge
Email: pimobius@gte.net
Regarding:

discovering what is already known is important work

Comments:

Hello. I came to this site by chance, searching for information about 'participation mystique'. This came up in the second 25 hits. I don't know if you are familiar with P. D. Ouspensky's The Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution,(the way of the ordinary life, i.e The Fourth Way as opposed to the 'way' of the yogi, monk, fakir) and a student of his, Maurice Nicoll whose books are about the symbolic sense of parables in the Bible: The New Man, The Mark, and Living Time and Integration Of The Life; with C. G. Jung's individuation (synchronicity) with Emanuel Swedenborg's 'regeneration', MOST APTLY NAMED, and with Teilhard De Chardin's books, but if you are not, maybe they will be of interest to you. I hope you understand I'm not promoting them, its the idea itself, a 'constant theme' itself in Time, at least in my opinion that each author was trying to speak about. Betty

Name: Flint Jones
Email: flint@mobtown.org
Regarding: A16, Black Blocs, etc...
Comments:

Hi Jim, I think I've actually seen your page before. I can't remember the context, but vaguely probably around something to do with your interest in freeware, coding, radical politics, etc... I was reading your rather interesting description of the events around A16. I also notice that you were pretty wobbly friendly. Being a Wobblie, anarchist, spent time with the IMC and radio setup, and been involved with the revolutionary anti-capitalist bloc/black bloc, maybe I can clear some things up for you, if Jamie doesn't get back to you. Feel free to email me.

Name: jon
Email: onvacation4abit@hotmail.com
Regarding: adam and eve statements
Comments:

well well well. another theory on the garden of eden myth. after reading THIS one, i feel the urge to point you to another that i think is better. read the books of Daniel Quinn. i can summarize though. consider the idea that most myths come from increasingly vague references to actual historic happenings. also consider the idea that all humans were once foragers, living off the land, ie provided for by whatever God or gods ruled the land. does this not sound like Eden, paradise? the words translated to the names adam and eve in modern english bibles actually literally mean something like 'first man' and 'life.' women in many cultures have traditionally been seen as sources of life, producers of offspring. but when (wo)men are too abundant, often the land cannot support them as it once could (esp. not in a forager sense). too much life (Eve, population, whatever) tempted first man (Adam, forager society) to gain knowledge of good and evil, life and death. explanation: foragers do not decide what should live and die, except what they eat. but when there's too many people for foraging to support them, perhaps some sort of agriculture comes into play. but then the Garden is not supporting them, instead they are trying to take control of the garden ie knowledge of good and evil, life and death. agriculture = making what you want live in a certain area and not letting anything you don't want in that area, not letting 'God or gods' take care of world. Read books mentioned earlier ('Ishmael' 'My Ishmael' and 'The Story of B') for better wording and support of these ideas. they're not all that academic, being novels and intended for a more general audience, but the ideas are there and clearly discussed along with many others. and no im not a promoter for Quinn i just think he wrote good books. ps yes i'm a conservationist/anarchist/almost even a neo- luddite (but obviously not quite that) but not religious and references above to 'God or gods' are seen by me as allegorical to the collective forces of the world itself. pps i also appreciated the rest of the theory on the site and just chose this particular aspect to comment on.

Name: Bill
Email: Bilnasheweb@webtv.net
Regarding: Hello
Comments:

Hi Jim, We may have met but I'm not sure. I knew you were a 'local' because I stumbled on your 'notes from A16' and enjoyed reading them.I made a comment about our affinity group being called the French Broads and you responded, I beleive, that you lived in Brevard. On planning this rally I remembered I had bookmarked your web site. Sorry I know nothing about computers so your references to .20 ( or whatever) where beyond me. Webtv alows me email and some access to the net, thats about it. ...Late afternoon and eve. of A15 I was in a side room of a church with a bunch of Asheville folks planning for the next day. Perhaps you were there. Good to hear from you. Look me up if you're in Asheville. Our local DAN chapter has been pretty active. Bill E. 252-2954