Friday, April 27, 2007
Chaos
Few things can strike fear into the hearts of people like the word chaos can. In sword and sorcery fantasies the forces of Order are often locked in eternal battle against the forces of Chaos. The hero is a mere pawn that is used by these titanic forces only to be cast aside when no longer needed. At all costs the delicate balance between the two must be kept.
Most world religions claim the universe was created out of the void or out of chaos. Many of these religions believe someday the universe will one day return to the mysterious void from whence it came.
Chaos has been linked in our minds with evil and confusion. To behold the face of Chaos was to go insane. It is ever changing, constant motion that has no order and is completely random.
At least this has been the case in the past. Today the study of chaos is one of the most exciting areas that exist. Chaos theory is at the heart of this book and an understanding of some basics is essential before going on to other things.
Before we confront madness itself a little disclaimer is in order. I don't claim to understand chaos or to have any serious degree of sanity, I do however, have quite chaotic thought processes which should count for something.
Throughout this book the pondering of imponderables will be kept to an absolute minimum, that is a promise I seriously intend to keep.
All the same a few of these chapters may seem rather dry to those that do not appreciate science and technology. Please bear with me and try to grasp the essentials. All else builds upon these early chapters.
ALL INPUTS ARE VALID
This is the first point to understand about chaos theory. There is a place for everything. All viewpoints and all beliefs are valid and must be treated as such. Conflicting beliefs and data do not really conflict, they only seem to.
When any conflict occurs the view point is not broad enough to see the entire picture. You must be able to affirm EVERYTHING.
Here are a few examples:
"I agree with everything that you just said."
"I agree that you know what you are talking about."
"I'm sure that you believe what you are saying."
"I hear what you are telling me."
"Oh, were you talking to me?"
As you can see there are very many levels of credibility at which one can affirm something. This may seem like word play or stupidity but it is very important. If you believe all inputs are valid you will automatically be more tolerant of others and strive to understand their unique perspective. You will begin the process of unification.
You will mentally order things according to levels of credibility and start to think for your self. As you look around the self-evident truths will stand out screaming for your attention while superstitions and absurdities will take the lower levels where they belong.
With the discovery of each new self-evident truth, a strong feeling of freedom and excitement builds within us. Each shackle we loosen gives us new power and energy. Each concept we are exposed to stretches our minds and once stretched it can never go back to a smaller view.
This is particularly true in the area of parapsychology and metaphysics. Where everything is so subjective how is it possible to know what is true and what is wishful thinking? Does magic work? Are miracles possible? Do ghosts really exist and if they do can they hurt me?
These and other questions make our heads spin and lead us often to the very doors of Chaos itself, not to mention possible hallucinations and psychotic breaks. Let us be honest here. Many magical traditions make a point that such study is not for the emotionally or mentally troubled.
In fact, they encourage counseling and therapy as a supplement to their own studies.
Relax! This trip is not going to be an acid trip. The whole purpose of this book is to wed these "subjective" areas to hard science and to hopefully gain a more realistic perspective that allows us to live the kind of life we want to.
This next section gives some examples of what I call self-evident truths. It is only a small selection, but it should be enough to get your mental juices flowing and to illustrate what is meant by ALL INPUTS ARE VALID.
1. GOD/DESS IS BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION:
Any supreme being is by definition infinite and in the truest sense unknowable. It is a waste of time and energy to pursue infinite regression type questions such as the nature of God/dess.
Theological debates such as "how many angels can fit on the end of a pin" have been around for centuries. They effectively render a person harmless and passive while allowing the cynic's positions of advantage throughout society.
If a personal relationship with God/dess is desired it will be found through prayer and meditation and not through "inspired" writings, doctrines, or organized religious movements. God/dess will speak through our hearts and through our conscience if we will listen.
2. THERE IS NO PROOF OF LIFE AFTER DEATH:
We can argue until doomsday about what happens when we die and it will not change the way it really is. Just because we believe in heaven or hell doesn't mean they really exist. We have no way of knowing until we experience it ourselves. If we have a personal relationship with God/dess it doesn't matter what happens after we die.
There is evidence that self awareness requires both a "soul" body and a physical body. This implies the soul MUST reincarnate into a new physical human body after leaving the old one.
As already stated, there is no proof for this and belief or disbelief will not change the way things really are. There are several advantages to accepting this concept however.
Immediately we are confronted by the need to act responsibly. Heaven or hell are seen as states of mind and not as physical realities. They are mental and emotional realities.
We can not escape our problems through suicide because we will just find our selves back in another body facing the same or similar problems all over again.
We can create heaven on earth for ourselves and for our fellow human beings.
The Devil is seen as a scapegoat we use to avoid responsibility for our actions. "The Devil made me do it!" becomes one of the lamest excuses imaginable.
3. NO ONE IS GIVEN TOTAL ILLUMINATION:
Each person is given a unique perspective based upon past experience and current beliefs. It is entirely possible to be right or correct in your own mind and dead wrong to someone else.
It is important to recognize the truth and validity in each individual's viewpoint. Piece by piece we gather knowledge from others and add it to our own to develop a personal belief system.
Given our individual life's circumstances, our personal backgrounds, and our past experiences, we are all trying to get through life the best we know how to.
4. PHYSICAL LIFE IS GOOD:
Our physical body is our friend. Physical desires are good and sexual relationships are good. At least all of these things could be good if we allowed ourselves to have them.
By believing there is good in everyone we confront the good in ourselves.
Positive thinking colors neutral events in a positive way. Negative thinking colors neutral events in a negative way.
By now it should be clear that ALL INPUTS ARE VALID doesn't mean total acceptance of every hair-brained idea that comes along. It means putting everything into its proper perspective. It means that everything belongs, not that everything is true.
If someone believes the world is flat, they will act as if the world is flat. If you want to deal effectively with this person you must take his beliefs into account because they guide his actions, not reality.
EVERYTHING AFFECTS EVERYTHING ELSE:
A second basic of chaos theory is that all things are interconnected and affect each other in a cumulative way. A minor incident may cause a more profound change in the outcome of events than ever previously considered. The efforts of one man or woman can change the world.
Events are seen as being caused by lots of "little things" instead of having just one or two causes. As this type of thinking leads to infinite regression type questions we won't explore it any further.
A PROGRESSIVE ENERGY SYSTEM WILL REACH A CRITICAL STAGE WHERE IT BECOMES CHAOTIC, THEN IT WILL CHANGE STATE AND BECOME A NEW TYPE OF ENERGY SYSTEM THAT IS STABLE:
Besides being the longest basic of chaos theory, this is the most important one. As Einstein pointed out to us, matter and energy are interchangeable. We can think of everything as being an energy system if we want to. The following are some examples:
If we think about something long enough and hard enough we will start to get emotional about it. Our mental energy reaches a critical stage where it becomes emotional energy.
If we get emotional enough about something we are driven to physical action. Our emotional energy reaches a critical stage where it becomes physical nerve energy.
The energy must build up to a stressful chaotic level before it can change to a more physical type of energy. If we fill our life with infinite regression type thoughts and worries the energy bleeds away uselessly and nothing gets done. We spend our lives living in our heads!
Everything follows this basic pattern of progressive growth, disillusionment or death and rebirth. Both magical and mystical traditions accept this and teach it. Conceptual initiation comes first.
The novice is expected to master the theoretical work, the dogma and special activities. This is a period of steady and progressive growth as the novice creates the tradition's matrix within himself. He or she is creating a personal belief system based upon the teachings of the Order.
Upon mastery of the matrix or tradition the novice reaches a critical point where he can go no further. This is called the "Dark Night of the Soul" or "Crossing the Abyss" by some traditions. The new matrix is not active yet within the person because old beliefs and life styles prevent its emergence. This is a chaotic time where the ego and sense of self are totally destroyed so that they can be rebuilt and "reborn" into a newer and more satisfying structures.
They have read and studied the material but are not yet ready to commit their lives to it. This is a difficult time of tension and stress.
A person can go through many "Dark nights of the Soul" in their lifetime as they increase the quality of their life. "Born Again" Christians experience this as the ego shifts from awareness of being a physical, mortal body to an awareness of being more than a physical body, to that of being an immortal soul.
Some of us are interested in achieving "mastery" of our lives. This is the path of self empowerment and total realization of our potentials. To us this offers the ultimate in life and we are drawn toward it as a moth is drawn toward a candle flame. We do not care about the total destruction of our lives that must take place before this can be achieved. We somehow think we will be spared much of the agony, at least until it is too late.
The book of Job in the Bible has much to teach us about this experience. We will lose everything we hold dear and love and only our faith in God/dess will carry us through to the rebirth of our lives of "mastery". This is the ultimate in life and is not for the faint hearted. The loss and agony are often absolute.
This is what the quantum leap is about as we are propelled and driven into new areas of existence we never dreamed were possible.
In summary, the new science of chaos theory can be extended from math and science into the realm of everyday life. The O.A.K. matrix given in this book makes extensive use of the basic principles of chaos theory to explain "subjective" material in a manner that is consistent with modern scientific thought.
Chaos theory itself is not as complex as many think but it does require a shift in a person's view of the world. Instead of madness and chaos it can be a binding agent that unites science, religion, philosophy, and metaphysics together.
ALL INPUTS ARE VALID!
The most important thing to understand is that energies and stresses will grow to a chaotic and almost intolerable level before they change into a new form and become stable once more. It is the stress of living that causes growth and quantum leaps.
Most world religions claim the universe was created out of the void or out of chaos. Many of these religions believe someday the universe will one day return to the mysterious void from whence it came.
Chaos has been linked in our minds with evil and confusion. To behold the face of Chaos was to go insane. It is ever changing, constant motion that has no order and is completely random.
At least this has been the case in the past. Today the study of chaos is one of the most exciting areas that exist. Chaos theory is at the heart of this book and an understanding of some basics is essential before going on to other things.
Before we confront madness itself a little disclaimer is in order. I don't claim to understand chaos or to have any serious degree of sanity, I do however, have quite chaotic thought processes which should count for something.
Throughout this book the pondering of imponderables will be kept to an absolute minimum, that is a promise I seriously intend to keep.
All the same a few of these chapters may seem rather dry to those that do not appreciate science and technology. Please bear with me and try to grasp the essentials. All else builds upon these early chapters.
ALL INPUTS ARE VALID
This is the first point to understand about chaos theory. There is a place for everything. All viewpoints and all beliefs are valid and must be treated as such. Conflicting beliefs and data do not really conflict, they only seem to.
When any conflict occurs the view point is not broad enough to see the entire picture. You must be able to affirm EVERYTHING.
Here are a few examples:
"I agree with everything that you just said."
"I agree that you know what you are talking about."
"I'm sure that you believe what you are saying."
"I hear what you are telling me."
"Oh, were you talking to me?"
As you can see there are very many levels of credibility at which one can affirm something. This may seem like word play or stupidity but it is very important. If you believe all inputs are valid you will automatically be more tolerant of others and strive to understand their unique perspective. You will begin the process of unification.
You will mentally order things according to levels of credibility and start to think for your self. As you look around the self-evident truths will stand out screaming for your attention while superstitions and absurdities will take the lower levels where they belong.
With the discovery of each new self-evident truth, a strong feeling of freedom and excitement builds within us. Each shackle we loosen gives us new power and energy. Each concept we are exposed to stretches our minds and once stretched it can never go back to a smaller view.
This is particularly true in the area of parapsychology and metaphysics. Where everything is so subjective how is it possible to know what is true and what is wishful thinking? Does magic work? Are miracles possible? Do ghosts really exist and if they do can they hurt me?
These and other questions make our heads spin and lead us often to the very doors of Chaos itself, not to mention possible hallucinations and psychotic breaks. Let us be honest here. Many magical traditions make a point that such study is not for the emotionally or mentally troubled.
In fact, they encourage counseling and therapy as a supplement to their own studies.
Relax! This trip is not going to be an acid trip. The whole purpose of this book is to wed these "subjective" areas to hard science and to hopefully gain a more realistic perspective that allows us to live the kind of life we want to.
This next section gives some examples of what I call self-evident truths. It is only a small selection, but it should be enough to get your mental juices flowing and to illustrate what is meant by ALL INPUTS ARE VALID.
1. GOD/DESS IS BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION:
Any supreme being is by definition infinite and in the truest sense unknowable. It is a waste of time and energy to pursue infinite regression type questions such as the nature of God/dess.
Theological debates such as "how many angels can fit on the end of a pin" have been around for centuries. They effectively render a person harmless and passive while allowing the cynic's positions of advantage throughout society.
If a personal relationship with God/dess is desired it will be found through prayer and meditation and not through "inspired" writings, doctrines, or organized religious movements. God/dess will speak through our hearts and through our conscience if we will listen.
2. THERE IS NO PROOF OF LIFE AFTER DEATH:
We can argue until doomsday about what happens when we die and it will not change the way it really is. Just because we believe in heaven or hell doesn't mean they really exist. We have no way of knowing until we experience it ourselves. If we have a personal relationship with God/dess it doesn't matter what happens after we die.
There is evidence that self awareness requires both a "soul" body and a physical body. This implies the soul MUST reincarnate into a new physical human body after leaving the old one.
As already stated, there is no proof for this and belief or disbelief will not change the way things really are. There are several advantages to accepting this concept however.
Immediately we are confronted by the need to act responsibly. Heaven or hell are seen as states of mind and not as physical realities. They are mental and emotional realities.
We can not escape our problems through suicide because we will just find our selves back in another body facing the same or similar problems all over again.
We can create heaven on earth for ourselves and for our fellow human beings.
The Devil is seen as a scapegoat we use to avoid responsibility for our actions. "The Devil made me do it!" becomes one of the lamest excuses imaginable.
3. NO ONE IS GIVEN TOTAL ILLUMINATION:
Each person is given a unique perspective based upon past experience and current beliefs. It is entirely possible to be right or correct in your own mind and dead wrong to someone else.
It is important to recognize the truth and validity in each individual's viewpoint. Piece by piece we gather knowledge from others and add it to our own to develop a personal belief system.
Given our individual life's circumstances, our personal backgrounds, and our past experiences, we are all trying to get through life the best we know how to.
4. PHYSICAL LIFE IS GOOD:
Our physical body is our friend. Physical desires are good and sexual relationships are good. At least all of these things could be good if we allowed ourselves to have them.
By believing there is good in everyone we confront the good in ourselves.
Positive thinking colors neutral events in a positive way. Negative thinking colors neutral events in a negative way.
By now it should be clear that ALL INPUTS ARE VALID doesn't mean total acceptance of every hair-brained idea that comes along. It means putting everything into its proper perspective. It means that everything belongs, not that everything is true.
If someone believes the world is flat, they will act as if the world is flat. If you want to deal effectively with this person you must take his beliefs into account because they guide his actions, not reality.
EVERYTHING AFFECTS EVERYTHING ELSE:
A second basic of chaos theory is that all things are interconnected and affect each other in a cumulative way. A minor incident may cause a more profound change in the outcome of events than ever previously considered. The efforts of one man or woman can change the world.
Events are seen as being caused by lots of "little things" instead of having just one or two causes. As this type of thinking leads to infinite regression type questions we won't explore it any further.
A PROGRESSIVE ENERGY SYSTEM WILL REACH A CRITICAL STAGE WHERE IT BECOMES CHAOTIC, THEN IT WILL CHANGE STATE AND BECOME A NEW TYPE OF ENERGY SYSTEM THAT IS STABLE:
Besides being the longest basic of chaos theory, this is the most important one. As Einstein pointed out to us, matter and energy are interchangeable. We can think of everything as being an energy system if we want to. The following are some examples:
If we think about something long enough and hard enough we will start to get emotional about it. Our mental energy reaches a critical stage where it becomes emotional energy.
If we get emotional enough about something we are driven to physical action. Our emotional energy reaches a critical stage where it becomes physical nerve energy.
The energy must build up to a stressful chaotic level before it can change to a more physical type of energy. If we fill our life with infinite regression type thoughts and worries the energy bleeds away uselessly and nothing gets done. We spend our lives living in our heads!
Everything follows this basic pattern of progressive growth, disillusionment or death and rebirth. Both magical and mystical traditions accept this and teach it. Conceptual initiation comes first.
The novice is expected to master the theoretical work, the dogma and special activities. This is a period of steady and progressive growth as the novice creates the tradition's matrix within himself. He or she is creating a personal belief system based upon the teachings of the Order.
Upon mastery of the matrix or tradition the novice reaches a critical point where he can go no further. This is called the "Dark Night of the Soul" or "Crossing the Abyss" by some traditions. The new matrix is not active yet within the person because old beliefs and life styles prevent its emergence. This is a chaotic time where the ego and sense of self are totally destroyed so that they can be rebuilt and "reborn" into a newer and more satisfying structures.
They have read and studied the material but are not yet ready to commit their lives to it. This is a difficult time of tension and stress.
A person can go through many "Dark nights of the Soul" in their lifetime as they increase the quality of their life. "Born Again" Christians experience this as the ego shifts from awareness of being a physical, mortal body to an awareness of being more than a physical body, to that of being an immortal soul.
Some of us are interested in achieving "mastery" of our lives. This is the path of self empowerment and total realization of our potentials. To us this offers the ultimate in life and we are drawn toward it as a moth is drawn toward a candle flame. We do not care about the total destruction of our lives that must take place before this can be achieved. We somehow think we will be spared much of the agony, at least until it is too late.
The book of Job in the Bible has much to teach us about this experience. We will lose everything we hold dear and love and only our faith in God/dess will carry us through to the rebirth of our lives of "mastery". This is the ultimate in life and is not for the faint hearted. The loss and agony are often absolute.
This is what the quantum leap is about as we are propelled and driven into new areas of existence we never dreamed were possible.
In summary, the new science of chaos theory can be extended from math and science into the realm of everyday life. The O.A.K. matrix given in this book makes extensive use of the basic principles of chaos theory to explain "subjective" material in a manner that is consistent with modern scientific thought.
Chaos theory itself is not as complex as many think but it does require a shift in a person's view of the world. Instead of madness and chaos it can be a binding agent that unites science, religion, philosophy, and metaphysics together.
ALL INPUTS ARE VALID!
The most important thing to understand is that energies and stresses will grow to a chaotic and almost intolerable level before they change into a new form and become stable once more. It is the stress of living that causes growth and quantum leaps.
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# posted by banjo @ 5:56 PM 
