silent wonder
May 13th 2006, 08:59 AM
"Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat."
(Rudyard Kipling: The Ballad of East and West)
This is going to be a long post but perhaps it will give an insight into the current global situation and into what's coming... Basically, it is a theory that aims to explain the nature of end times tribulation and salvation and why the global stage may now be ready for it. The theory combines neuropsychology, cultural differences between West and East, and some eschatological verses from the bible.
Ok, let's start. There seem to be two fundamental approaches to man's perception and creation of reality, and they are wired in the structure of the human brain. Both approaches, in the right balance, are necessary for harmonious life, whereas preferring one approach to the other leads to suffering.
The first approach focuses on differences and individuality. It is the logical/analytical approach (analysis = breaking up into components), which has its center in the left brain hemisphere and manifests as individualism in social life - freedom and independence of the individual. (It has been suggested that the sense of one's individual self is located in the left hemisphere too.) It appears as if the mind-aspect of the soul (individuality) works through the left hemisphere. This approach enables one to perceive and create structures, step by step (also by means of language), and to use individual free will. When used in excess though, it leads to being lost in details ("not seeing the forest for the trees"), losing the connection between oneself and others, lack of compassion, aggressiveness and neglect of the needy. This approach has been cultivated especially in the WEST, where it resulted in science, technology, democracy, and capitalism.
The second approach focuses on similarities and unity. It is the intuitive/holistic approach, which has its center in the right brain hemisphere and manifests as collectivism in social life - the individual is subjected to the collective. It appears as if the spirit-aspect of the soul (non-individuality) works through the right hemisphere. This approach enables one to see the connections and underlying unity of all things, immediately (intuitively), and thus creates harmony and coherence among differences, a compact whole. When used in excess though, it leads to lack of differentiation ("not seeing the trees"), loss of initiative, passivity, suppression of individual differences in political and ideological totalitarianism. This approach has been cultivated especially in the EAST, where it resulted in mysticism, religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism which emphasize the Oneness of all things, holistic medicine, yoga, and communist or socialist regimes.
In the age of globalization these two approaches interact and mix (which is unfortunately sometimes accompanied by fear and violence). And so in the West we can see the influence of Eastern religions (the New Age movement), growing socialist agenda, and growing liberalism that attempts to harmonize or ignore differences for the sake of unity and solidarity ("political correctness"). And in the East we can see the spread of technology, market economy and democracy. The two "brain hemispheres" of mankind are interacting like never before, and the brain becomes augmented and better integrated on the individual level too.
The key is the right balance between the logical/analytic perspective and the intuitive/holistic perspective. It means seeing both the detail and the whole, the individual and the collective, the microcosm in a macrovision. Such balance results in harmonious activity, while imbalance results in disharmonious activity (when analysis dominates) or in passivity (when holism dominates). And it also fits with one of the cornerstones of Christianity: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39), in the application of which we also show our love for Jesus, who said "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)
And finally, this balance may be critical for dealing successfully with the prophesied "outpouring of God's spirit", the rapture, the coming of Christ. Why? Because if God's perspective encompasses the whole universe, we may experience His coming, the eschatological cataclysm, as A SUDDEN EXPANSION OF OUR AWARENESS, acquiring visionary/prophetic abilities. This seems similar to Carl Jung's process of "individuation", during which an individual reaches psychological maturity by integrating "the unconscious" into his/her conscious awareness. However, the individuation has its pitfalls; when the person is swamped by the unconscious material and fails to integrate it, the result can be neurosis or psychosis (see here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_jung#Jungian_psychology)). And as I see it, individuation could be a process during which a person receives information intuitively, via right brain, and makes sense of it by processing it in the analytical/logical left brain, so the two brain hemispheres must work in tandem for a successful individuation. Even if the unconscious material doesn't enter only through the right brain, the combination of the left brain perspective of details and the right brain perspective of a wider context may be necessary for processing this material. The integration of left brain and right brain thinking during globalization seems to make an appropriate setting for a successful absorption of a flood of unconscious material (the eschatological event). From the neurological perspective this flood may appear as a stimulation of the brain (it has been found that electric or magnetic stimulation of the brain can induce altered states of consciousness, religious or mystical experiences).
The bible says the following about the "end times":
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days." (Joel 2:28-29)
"[Jesus said:] I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth." (John 16:12-13)
Christ's arrival would be the arrival of the Macrovision, like a lightning from the east (=perspective of the Whole) to the west (=limited perspective of the details in our everyday lives):
"For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man (=Christ)." (Matthew 24:27)
Actually, this Macrovision may be that kind of awareness that man had in the garden of Eden but lost it when he became ego-centered, turned away from God, and fell:
"Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east (or eastward), in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed." (Genesis 2:8)
And this Macrovision will need to be integrated into our everyday microcosm, in a harmonious, constructive way. That's why the balance between the analytic left brain and the holistic right brain may be necessary. Christ's coming will be like the flood in the days of Noah, and the ark will be like a catamaran with the left and right brain hemispheres as its hulls.
"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:37-39)
Those who deal with this successfully (will be raptured/saved) will experience heaven on earth. But many may also experience the tribulation - mental and nervous problems, possibly coupled with extraordinary abilities, and among them could be whom the bible calls "false Christs" and "false prophets".
"For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never to be equaled again." (Matthew 24:21)
"For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12)
"For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect - if that were possible." (Matthew 24:24)
A possible biblical indication that we may be deceived when we lean too much either to the left brain logic or to the right brain intuition appears in this passage:
"So if anyone tells you, 'There he (Christ) is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it." (Matthew 24:26)
The outward perspective is oriented to the material world; it uses analysis and logic; it drives Western materialism. On the other hand, with the inward perspective one withdraws from the world, seeking unity with God; it's a yearning for holism and it uses intuition; it drives Eastern mysticism.
Confused prophets will try to steer people into materialism or away from the material world, but not into a harmonious balance. They will stroke your ego or will encourage you to throw away your ego.
And again, that biblical passage is followed by: "For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." Which could also mean that salvation requires both the inward AND outward perspective.
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat."
(Rudyard Kipling: The Ballad of East and West)
This is going to be a long post but perhaps it will give an insight into the current global situation and into what's coming... Basically, it is a theory that aims to explain the nature of end times tribulation and salvation and why the global stage may now be ready for it. The theory combines neuropsychology, cultural differences between West and East, and some eschatological verses from the bible.
Ok, let's start. There seem to be two fundamental approaches to man's perception and creation of reality, and they are wired in the structure of the human brain. Both approaches, in the right balance, are necessary for harmonious life, whereas preferring one approach to the other leads to suffering.
The first approach focuses on differences and individuality. It is the logical/analytical approach (analysis = breaking up into components), which has its center in the left brain hemisphere and manifests as individualism in social life - freedom and independence of the individual. (It has been suggested that the sense of one's individual self is located in the left hemisphere too.) It appears as if the mind-aspect of the soul (individuality) works through the left hemisphere. This approach enables one to perceive and create structures, step by step (also by means of language), and to use individual free will. When used in excess though, it leads to being lost in details ("not seeing the forest for the trees"), losing the connection between oneself and others, lack of compassion, aggressiveness and neglect of the needy. This approach has been cultivated especially in the WEST, where it resulted in science, technology, democracy, and capitalism.
The second approach focuses on similarities and unity. It is the intuitive/holistic approach, which has its center in the right brain hemisphere and manifests as collectivism in social life - the individual is subjected to the collective. It appears as if the spirit-aspect of the soul (non-individuality) works through the right hemisphere. This approach enables one to see the connections and underlying unity of all things, immediately (intuitively), and thus creates harmony and coherence among differences, a compact whole. When used in excess though, it leads to lack of differentiation ("not seeing the trees"), loss of initiative, passivity, suppression of individual differences in political and ideological totalitarianism. This approach has been cultivated especially in the EAST, where it resulted in mysticism, religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism which emphasize the Oneness of all things, holistic medicine, yoga, and communist or socialist regimes.
In the age of globalization these two approaches interact and mix (which is unfortunately sometimes accompanied by fear and violence). And so in the West we can see the influence of Eastern religions (the New Age movement), growing socialist agenda, and growing liberalism that attempts to harmonize or ignore differences for the sake of unity and solidarity ("political correctness"). And in the East we can see the spread of technology, market economy and democracy. The two "brain hemispheres" of mankind are interacting like never before, and the brain becomes augmented and better integrated on the individual level too.
The key is the right balance between the logical/analytic perspective and the intuitive/holistic perspective. It means seeing both the detail and the whole, the individual and the collective, the microcosm in a macrovision. Such balance results in harmonious activity, while imbalance results in disharmonious activity (when analysis dominates) or in passivity (when holism dominates). And it also fits with one of the cornerstones of Christianity: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39), in the application of which we also show our love for Jesus, who said "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)
And finally, this balance may be critical for dealing successfully with the prophesied "outpouring of God's spirit", the rapture, the coming of Christ. Why? Because if God's perspective encompasses the whole universe, we may experience His coming, the eschatological cataclysm, as A SUDDEN EXPANSION OF OUR AWARENESS, acquiring visionary/prophetic abilities. This seems similar to Carl Jung's process of "individuation", during which an individual reaches psychological maturity by integrating "the unconscious" into his/her conscious awareness. However, the individuation has its pitfalls; when the person is swamped by the unconscious material and fails to integrate it, the result can be neurosis or psychosis (see here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_jung#Jungian_psychology)). And as I see it, individuation could be a process during which a person receives information intuitively, via right brain, and makes sense of it by processing it in the analytical/logical left brain, so the two brain hemispheres must work in tandem for a successful individuation. Even if the unconscious material doesn't enter only through the right brain, the combination of the left brain perspective of details and the right brain perspective of a wider context may be necessary for processing this material. The integration of left brain and right brain thinking during globalization seems to make an appropriate setting for a successful absorption of a flood of unconscious material (the eschatological event). From the neurological perspective this flood may appear as a stimulation of the brain (it has been found that electric or magnetic stimulation of the brain can induce altered states of consciousness, religious or mystical experiences).
The bible says the following about the "end times":
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days." (Joel 2:28-29)
"[Jesus said:] I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth." (John 16:12-13)
Christ's arrival would be the arrival of the Macrovision, like a lightning from the east (=perspective of the Whole) to the west (=limited perspective of the details in our everyday lives):
"For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man (=Christ)." (Matthew 24:27)
Actually, this Macrovision may be that kind of awareness that man had in the garden of Eden but lost it when he became ego-centered, turned away from God, and fell:
"Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east (or eastward), in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed." (Genesis 2:8)
And this Macrovision will need to be integrated into our everyday microcosm, in a harmonious, constructive way. That's why the balance between the analytic left brain and the holistic right brain may be necessary. Christ's coming will be like the flood in the days of Noah, and the ark will be like a catamaran with the left and right brain hemispheres as its hulls.
"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:37-39)
Those who deal with this successfully (will be raptured/saved) will experience heaven on earth. But many may also experience the tribulation - mental and nervous problems, possibly coupled with extraordinary abilities, and among them could be whom the bible calls "false Christs" and "false prophets".
"For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never to be equaled again." (Matthew 24:21)
"For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12)
"For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect - if that were possible." (Matthew 24:24)
A possible biblical indication that we may be deceived when we lean too much either to the left brain logic or to the right brain intuition appears in this passage:
"So if anyone tells you, 'There he (Christ) is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it." (Matthew 24:26)
The outward perspective is oriented to the material world; it uses analysis and logic; it drives Western materialism. On the other hand, with the inward perspective one withdraws from the world, seeking unity with God; it's a yearning for holism and it uses intuition; it drives Eastern mysticism.
Confused prophets will try to steer people into materialism or away from the material world, but not into a harmonious balance. They will stroke your ego or will encourage you to throw away your ego.
And again, that biblical passage is followed by: "For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." Which could also mean that salvation requires both the inward AND outward perspective.