What does Christianity share with Native American traditions? What does the Kabbalah share with ancient Sumerian traditions?
As different as our many world traditions are, they all share some approach to higher states of consciousness. While their approaches may vary, their ultimate destination is the same. To reach this common destination, they target similar brain states that are conducive to the transcendent experience.
Last time, we defined the most commonly targeted brain state as The Harmony Point (THP). Today, we’ll define the second most targeted brain state and explain how these two states are related to transcendence.
Single Point Awareness (SPA)
If THP is the launching pad to higher states of consciousness, then Single Point Awareness (SPA) is the gateway. SPA is the total immersion in a single object of your attention, without regard to any other distractions. It is, in effect, THP plus a single point of focus.
So what do these interim brain states have to do with transcendence?
This question highlights another difficulty in writing about this topic. Not only are some terms and concepts yet to be defined, but some commonly used terms have such varied definitions that the term itself is no longer useful in conveying a concept. So it is with “transcendence.”
What is Transcendence?
World traditions seem to have very different definitions of transcendence. Some claim that it’s a way to connect with God or a specific prophet or angel. Older traditions are more likely to claim it’s a connection to spirits or pagan gods or other worldly beings.
If we remove references to the assorted deities involved and compare what remains, we end up with the common experience of transcendence. People who have had a transcendent experience describe it as a connection to something outside themselves, with total awareness of the subject of their transcendence, and a complete lack of awareness of anything else. In other words…
Transcendence = THP + SPA + “Connection to Source”
- Awareness of nothing else (THP)
- Total immersion in the experience (SPA)
- Connecting to something bigger/beyond themselves (Connection to Source)
When defined this way, many artists, musicians, and scientists have also had transcendent experiences. Just listen to how they describe the moment they get their creative spark or see something no one has ever seen before. You’ll be amazed at how similarly their descriptions align. They are all describing transcendent experiences.
I always get excited when I hear or read about someone describing a transcendent experience. Most recently, it was Gregg Allman describing how he came to write one of his songs. I’ve heard similar stories about Albert Einstein, Nicholas Tesla, and even Steve Jobs.
Bottom line, transcendence is a good thing for people and society, which is why I’m so passionate about this topic.
Until next time…