July 3, 2024
The Need for Serious Review of Other-Worldly or Supernormal Experience
Apple Podcasts 
Spotify 
Amazon Music 
RSS Feed 
Castro 
RadioPublic 
PocketCasts 
YouTube reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch.6 Hidden Worlds and Evolutionary Forces, pg.139
1
00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:06,720
It is convenient and perhaps
comforting to simply deny
2
00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:11,120
reality to experiences that
people have, rather than to
3
00:00:11,120 --> 00:00:14,400
grapple with the implications of
those experiences.
4
00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:20,040
We stick convenient labels on
certain phenomena and believe by
5
00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:24,000
doing so we have understood and
defined those phenomena.
6
00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:27,280
Delusion.
Hallucination.
7
00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:32,880
Mental illness, drug induced
visual or auditory confusion,
8
00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,800
traumatic triggering of
complexes, physical brain
9
00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:42,520
damage, confused dream
interpretation, PTSD, breakdown
10
00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,000
of body chemistry, and near
death events.
11
00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,440
There are countless ways we
discount experiences that people
12
00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,240
have.
Nonetheless, reports of
13
00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:58,120
extraordinary experiences abound
worldwide throughout human
14
00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:02,560
history, and while some may be
explained by the convenient
15
00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,640
definitions we have invented,
many of them stand as
16
00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,960
inexplicable based on the
blinded approach we take to
17
00:01:09,960 --> 00:01:14,560
understanding them.
They're well documented cases of
18
00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:18,240
a sibling or other family member
having a distinct experience of
19
00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:23,720
being visited in a dream state
by a relative at the exact time
20
00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:29,280
of death of that individual many
thousands of miles away, such as
21
00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,440
occurred with individuals who
took part in World War One in
22
00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:34,840
Europe with their relatives
elsewhere.
23
00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:40,480
Sigmund Freud tried to
disentangle the experiences and
24
00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,800
symbolic meaning of dream
sequences of his patients.
25
00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,760
He was limited, however, by his
approach of trying to tie
26
00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:52,280
everything back to some kind of
past event or experience, rather
27
00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,560
than determining whether there
was some larger or broader
28
00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,600
explanation for at least some of
the experiences recounted to
29
00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,760
him.
CG Jung took the investigation
30
00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:08,039
much farther as he explored his
own experience along with those
31
00:02:08,039 --> 00:02:11,480
of his patients.
He eventually concluded that
32
00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:16,080
certain images or symbols were
part of a collective unconscious
33
00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:20,920
that was a repository for
archetypes that were experienced
34
00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:26,120
by large numbers of people and
thus could not be dismissed due
35
00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:30,600
to individual trauma, physical
damage, or imbalance.
36
00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:36,600
In his posthumously published
Redbook, he described not only
37
00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:41,120
his own experiences, but created
extensive drawings depicting
38
00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:45,360
some of the forms, beings, and
symbolic representations he
39
00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,240
himself experienced.
His family resisted the
40
00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,920
publication of this work with
the fear that it would detract
41
00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:57,000
from his legacy.
However, it is now quite clear
42
00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:01,040
that the Redbook is an important
work in Western psychological
43
00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:07,120
research and actually enhances
the position that CJ Jung has in
44
00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:12,240
Western psychology.
In some cases, visions or
45
00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:17,680
experiences become the basis for
a religion or a teaching, and
46
00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:21,120
those who return with those
experiences and communicate them
47
00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:26,280
can become guides, leaders, or
spiritual healers or shaman.
48
00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,400
The Vision Quest is a
methodology developed to
49
00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:35,160
actually gain a supernormal
experience and be able to learn
50
00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:38,440
from it.
When we recognize that such
51
00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:44,920
experiences, whether categorized
as misguided or guided, are a
52
00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:49,720
common heritage of humanity and
are widely spread across all
53
00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:54,640
times and societies, we can no
longer simply dismiss their
54
00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,320
occurrence with an attempt to
limit or pigeonhole the
55
00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,560
experience without deeper
investigation and insight,
56
00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,040
Shriorogindo observes.
Quote.
57
00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:11,480
This has always been put into
its most generalized terms.
58
00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,280
The normal range and character
of otherworldly belief and
59
00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:20,560
experience in all periods of the
past of the race names and forms
60
00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:24,840
differ, but the general features
have been strikingly similar in
61
00:04:24,840 --> 00:04:29,080
all countries and ages.
What exact value are we to put
62
00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:33,680
upon these persistent beliefs,
or upon this mass of supernormal
63
00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:37,480
experience?
It is not possible for anyone
64
00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,880
who has had these contacts with
any intimacy, and not only by
65
00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:46,120
scattered abnormal accidents, to
put them aside as mere
66
00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:50,760
superstition or hallucination,
for they are too insistent,
67
00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:56,160
real, effective, organic in
their pressure to constantly
68
00:04:56,160 --> 00:05:01,120
confirm by their action and
results to be so flung aside.
69
00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,960
An appreciation, an
interpretation, a mental
70
00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:10,520
organization of this side of our
capacity of experience is
71
00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:15,480
indispensable.
End Quote reference.
72
00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:19,480
Shrioro Bindu and the Mother.
The Hidden Forces of Life,
73
00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:25,400
Chapter 6 Hidden Worlds and
Evolutionary Forces, page 139.
00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:06,720
It is convenient and perhaps
comforting to simply deny
2
00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:11,120
reality to experiences that
people have, rather than to
3
00:00:11,120 --> 00:00:14,400
grapple with the implications of
those experiences.
4
00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:20,040
We stick convenient labels on
certain phenomena and believe by
5
00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:24,000
doing so we have understood and
defined those phenomena.
6
00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:27,280
Delusion.
Hallucination.
7
00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:32,880
Mental illness, drug induced
visual or auditory confusion,
8
00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,800
traumatic triggering of
complexes, physical brain
9
00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:42,520
damage, confused dream
interpretation, PTSD, breakdown
10
00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,000
of body chemistry, and near
death events.
11
00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,440
There are countless ways we
discount experiences that people
12
00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,240
have.
Nonetheless, reports of
13
00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:58,120
extraordinary experiences abound
worldwide throughout human
14
00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:02,560
history, and while some may be
explained by the convenient
15
00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,640
definitions we have invented,
many of them stand as
16
00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,960
inexplicable based on the
blinded approach we take to
17
00:01:09,960 --> 00:01:14,560
understanding them.
They're well documented cases of
18
00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:18,240
a sibling or other family member
having a distinct experience of
19
00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:23,720
being visited in a dream state
by a relative at the exact time
20
00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:29,280
of death of that individual many
thousands of miles away, such as
21
00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,440
occurred with individuals who
took part in World War One in
22
00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:34,840
Europe with their relatives
elsewhere.
23
00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:40,480
Sigmund Freud tried to
disentangle the experiences and
24
00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,800
symbolic meaning of dream
sequences of his patients.
25
00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,760
He was limited, however, by his
approach of trying to tie
26
00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:52,280
everything back to some kind of
past event or experience, rather
27
00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,560
than determining whether there
was some larger or broader
28
00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,600
explanation for at least some of
the experiences recounted to
29
00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,760
him.
CG Jung took the investigation
30
00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:08,039
much farther as he explored his
own experience along with those
31
00:02:08,039 --> 00:02:11,480
of his patients.
He eventually concluded that
32
00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:16,080
certain images or symbols were
part of a collective unconscious
33
00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:20,920
that was a repository for
archetypes that were experienced
34
00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:26,120
by large numbers of people and
thus could not be dismissed due
35
00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:30,600
to individual trauma, physical
damage, or imbalance.
36
00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:36,600
In his posthumously published
Redbook, he described not only
37
00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:41,120
his own experiences, but created
extensive drawings depicting
38
00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:45,360
some of the forms, beings, and
symbolic representations he
39
00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,240
himself experienced.
His family resisted the
40
00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,920
publication of this work with
the fear that it would detract
41
00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:57,000
from his legacy.
However, it is now quite clear
42
00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:01,040
that the Redbook is an important
work in Western psychological
43
00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:07,120
research and actually enhances
the position that CJ Jung has in
44
00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:12,240
Western psychology.
In some cases, visions or
45
00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:17,680
experiences become the basis for
a religion or a teaching, and
46
00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:21,120
those who return with those
experiences and communicate them
47
00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:26,280
can become guides, leaders, or
spiritual healers or shaman.
48
00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,400
The Vision Quest is a
methodology developed to
49
00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:35,160
actually gain a supernormal
experience and be able to learn
50
00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:38,440
from it.
When we recognize that such
51
00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:44,920
experiences, whether categorized
as misguided or guided, are a
52
00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:49,720
common heritage of humanity and
are widely spread across all
53
00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:54,640
times and societies, we can no
longer simply dismiss their
54
00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,320
occurrence with an attempt to
limit or pigeonhole the
55
00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,560
experience without deeper
investigation and insight,
56
00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,040
Shriorogindo observes.
Quote.
57
00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:11,480
This has always been put into
its most generalized terms.
58
00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,280
The normal range and character
of otherworldly belief and
59
00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:20,560
experience in all periods of the
past of the race names and forms
60
00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:24,840
differ, but the general features
have been strikingly similar in
61
00:04:24,840 --> 00:04:29,080
all countries and ages.
What exact value are we to put
62
00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:33,680
upon these persistent beliefs,
or upon this mass of supernormal
63
00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:37,480
experience?
It is not possible for anyone
64
00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,880
who has had these contacts with
any intimacy, and not only by
65
00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:46,120
scattered abnormal accidents, to
put them aside as mere
66
00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:50,760
superstition or hallucination,
for they are too insistent,
67
00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:56,160
real, effective, organic in
their pressure to constantly
68
00:04:56,160 --> 00:05:01,120
confirm by their action and
results to be so flung aside.
69
00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,960
An appreciation, an
interpretation, a mental
70
00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:10,520
organization of this side of our
capacity of experience is
71
00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:15,480
indispensable.
End Quote reference.
72
00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:19,480
Shrioro Bindu and the Mother.
The Hidden Forces of Life,
73
00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:25,400
Chapter 6 Hidden Worlds and
Evolutionary Forces, page 139.