The Measurement Problem
As a small boy, I recall quite often thinking and imagining that in reality, I was sat on a chair in a small room looking at a TV screen and controlling myself through a set of knobs and levers in front to me. In this dreamlike imagining, there were rows upon rows of these small rooms or booths each with an occupant managing their virtual life. Remember, I was thinking and dreaming this in the mid 1960’s before color TVs, computers, virtual reality and The Matrix movie. I mentioned this also in Inner Journeys: Explorations of the Soul. Additionally, at that age, I had not widely read any books and quite honestly, other than Watch with Mother, I hadn’t seen much TV either (in black and white on a box-like
Read More »Observing Reality
I have long been fascinated with the concept of reality. I recall years ago reading some AMORC materials that defined reality as distinct from actuality. Actuality is what a thing actually is whereas reality is your perception of a thing. So in fact, reality is YOUR reality and not necessarily that of another person. That’s interesting but it really simply shifts the question to what is actuality then? Quantum physicists now theorize and have demonstrated with experiments that reality is determined by the observer – at least to some degree. Others might say simply that reality doesn’t exist at all until it is observed – much like the question does a falling tree in the middle of a forest make a sound if there is no one there to hear
Read More »Thoughts On The Nature Of Reality
Reality. What is it? Rosicrucians talk of both reality and actuality. Reality is essentially what you perceive of the actuality. There is an actuality but what it is most likely cannot be known – not now anyway. Reality is an illusion. A self made illusion. Time is a reality and an illusion. It is simply a construct of the mind that is required by Universal Mind Law to allow for movement and experience. Reality – your reality – is created via imagination and your belief system. Your culture, upbringing, beliefs and yes- the rules you live life by – all go into creating your reality. But that reality is an illusion – a wakeful dream. It is not actuality. All of us fall into the trap of believing into reality.
Read More »The Descent Into Reality
I have been giving a good deal of thought recently to a variety of topics that came up during my 5-year SOL course. Reading through my own meditation notes, some things suddenly make more sense that they did before. It’s prompted me to start out on a certain path with enthusiasm again. One idea that struck me is that the Tree of Life gives you a great insight into reality. First, lets assume that Kether already exists – and let’s discuss the tree in terms of developing an idea and turning it into reality. Kether is the source but as the tree unfolds down into Malkuth, things become more set, more constrained. Yes- the tree evokes an unknowable number of possibilities but how does it actually work? If I have
Read More »Waking From The Great Sleep
Looking around, I think that most people are totally unaware of what and who they truly are. Occultists have referred to this as ‘sleeping’. The vast majority of us are sleeping through life pursuing some materialistic dream like children distracted by shiny new toys. I can feel myself being sucked in to this quite often now that I am aware of it. Glued to the TV, or lusting after a new and faster sports car, our attention gets sharply focused on the outer world around us and that inner voice that speaks quietly to us gets drowned out by the noise of the world. WE Butler, a famous occultist and founder of the Servants of the Light, discusses this at great length in his lectures to the Ibis society*. The
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