Possession by the Idea of Unity.PDF
The Idea of Unity in Ancient Egypt.PDF
1. Introduction
I shall attempt to show how
the idea of unity pervades every aspect of our lives, in the things we
sense, think, feel and the intuitions that gives us symbolic hints on
how to become more aware of the idea. It pervades our lives in
everything we strive for and do, and is behind the yearnings and
searches of many people. Aside from the lofty ideals of the great
religions, this study emphasises the simple and immediate experience of
the idea of unity and how it can be realised.
2. Pre-Historic Ideas of Unity, a. Animism
The value of animism today
as an early form of projection, is its connection to the myth making
unconscious. It is important to note that it is impossible to unlearn
knowledge once gained through science of the physical world, but it is
possible to connect to the primitive functioning of animism in
ourselves.
3. Structured Belief System, a. Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was the first
great civilisation to emerge from the prehistoric animistic world and
transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture. Their myths
expressed elemental systems related to their agricultural pursuits and
their projected deities gave them answers to the mysteries and
behaviour of objects like the sun, moon, rain, earth and so on. They
perceived the sun as hot, drying, bright, a daytime object and
differentiated its behaviour into several deities. This includes where
the sun went at night and it disappearance behind clouds and storms.
3. Structured Belief System, d. Early Judaism
Symbolically, the term ‘Let
there be light’ is the same as saying ‘Let us be aware’ because only in
light can we see clearly, in darkness we cannot see. The above text
also shows a differentiation of the opposites of light and dark and the
idea of unity called ‘one day’.
3. Structured Belief System, e. Early Christianity
The Christian story is the
continuation of the evolution of consciousness, and overcoming of the
beast of instinct. It strengthened consciousness to a point where
worldly concerns became almost irrelevant at a time when Palestine was
under Roman occupation. The overcoming, or denial of the natural
instincts of sex and power, as preached by Jesus, had major
implications on his personality and those around him. It was literally
the overcoming of the natural man symbolised by his sacrifice and this
separation of the natural man and the god-man is the basis for the
Christian myth. Satan became the projection of the natural man in Jesus
and depicted as an animal with horns, feet of a beast, and associated
with the fire of passion and lust. On the other hand, depictions of
Jesus are angelic, clean, beautiful and little trace of the animal.
This differentiation of the opposites was pivotal in the evolution of
consciousness.
3. Structured Belief System, e. Gnosticism
The Gnostics recognised the
two great streams of Western civilisation of the Judaic Christian
spirituality and morality with the logic and reason of ancient Greece
and Platonic thought.
3. Structured Belief System, f. Alchemy
There is no doubt that
ancient alchemy was steeped in spirituality, as its language refers to
the extraction of a purified spirit from base material (prima materia)
and the transformation of the primordial man (anthropos) to a
self-aware and unified spiritual man through the process.
4. Ideas of Unity in Philosophy, c. Aristotle
In his Ethics, he introduces
the intermediary element as the soul, one part being rational and the
other irrational. The irrational he equates with the vegetative,
appetitive and instinctual functions related to the body. The mind in
his view, bound less to the soul than the body. The mind, or the
power to think and understand, is alone capable of isolation from all
other psychic powers. The soul is what moves the body and
perceives sensible objects; its characteristics are self-nutrition,
sensation, feeling and motivity, but the mind has the higher function
of thinking, which has no relation to the body or to the senses.
4. Ideas of Unity in Philosophy, c. Nietzsche F.
For all his problems,
Nietzsche had a very fine intuition that enabled him to see far beyond
his epoch and what was to befall Germany in the twentieth century. His
intuition was predominately directed inward to the world of images and
ideas, which made him highly visionary. For Nietzsche, music and dance
was part of his relation to the world and a connection to his soul. As
a deep intuitive thinker, music and dance was part of his sensual
feeling and his unity.
4. Ideas of Unity in Philosophy, f. Kant I.
The important aspect of
Kant’s division of the world into opposites is that he regards
‘Noumena’ having an objective reality. Indeed this is an important
viewpoint in that the products of the unconscious do have an objective
reality. For example, dreams come to us while asleep without conscious
input or control. They happen of their own accord and in their own way.
Similarly, we project inner characters and ideas onto the ‘phenomenal’
world, which connects us to that world.
5. Ideas of Unity in Psychology, b. Jung C.G.
Projection is an interesting
form of natural connectedness and the beginnings of relationship to the
object and unites object and subject. For example, most people
have an idea of a snake and it is activated when they see a snake in
the wild. With knowledge of snake species, we may appreciate it, not
fear it, get closer and feel comfortable enough to catch it. If we do
not have knowledge of what type it is and one’s idea of snakes is
undifferentiated, we lump all snakes together as potentially dangerous
and move away from it. The idea is activated and we behave according to
the idea based on our understanding and knowledge of snakes. This is
the unifying function of projection, in that the object and idea of the
object coincide. What happens after that depends on our knowledge and
experience of the object and the idea. This example shows that
projection is an initial form of synchronicity.
6. Matter, a. Atomic Structure
Known elements make up
everything that exists in the physical world, from the simple water
molecule with its Hydrogen and Oxygen atoms, to the complex molecules
of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) with its combinations of Hydrogen,
Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon and Phosphorus. This ‘inert’ molecule does not
have life of its own, but does provide the information for life. DNA
provides all known living organisms with its genetic plan, form and
function. Due to the complexity of the molecule, the variety is as vast
and unique as the variety of genetic information contained within the
molecule.
6. Matter, f. Space
The moon for example, has
since ancient times, regarded having a physical effect on humans.
Aristotle saw the full moon inducing abnormal behaviour (lunacy) in
susceptible individuals due to the water content of the brain and knew
the moon affected the tides. In addition, the moon’s effect on water
and the earth is measurable in addition to its gravitational force and
electromagnetic energy (EME) reflected from the sun.
6. Vegetation, d. Relationship to Animals
The relationship between
plants and animals in the examples cited above shows that the system
between them is one of attraction and repulsion or an infinite number
of combinations between these opposites. Plants use deception,
subterfuge, trickery, poison, inflict pain on one hand, and beauty,
aroma, food, nectar and fruits on the other.
9. Human Nature, e. Possession by the Idea of Unity
The relationship between plants and animals in the examples cited above
It is natural to want to
share such a powerful idea because there is an enormous amount of
energy behind it. There is a danger however, the idea can overwhelm and
possess an individual . Tyrants and spiritual leaders are prone to
sacrifice their humanity and well-being to their own personal
interpretation of unity. It is important to know one self and to have
one’s feet firmly planted in the earth because the energy behind the
idea has the ability to possess the personality of the individual.
10. Transforming Projections, b. Methods of Transforming Projections
The term ‘introversion’ has
a stigma attached to it that makes people feel that they should be more
extroverted. In many ways, introversion is discouraged due its
withdrawal from the physical world of commerce and culture. Daydreaming
still regarded as mysterious, and to some extent dangerous. Indeed, a
withdrawal can become habitual and as one sided as only dealing with
the physical world.
11. Symbolic Language, a. Associations, Amplification and Objectivity
The language of the
unconscious is fraught with difficulty as there is no obvious logic to
the images, characters and ideas. We can find ourselves in the most
unusual places, flying around without a vehicle, meeting strange people
and creatures, doing things that would be immoral to our culture and
things that just bewilder us.
11. Symbolic Language, b. Synchronistic Phenomenon
Synchronicities, on the
other hand, are smaller, closer and personal miracles that most people
can experience, particularly if the event moves them inside, or
corresponds to an inner idea, fantasy, thought etc.
