Brain Wave Cycles

[Kassandra]

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More on this later.






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[Seraphin]

Thank you Kass, for redirecting me here.

I just also wanted to share a theory which I find very reasonable and logical to explain the relationship between brainwaves and our psychic abilities. According to this theory, there are different abilities, skills, and powers manifest when a person is able to keep a lower brainwave pattern without falling sleep or getting under hypnosis.

As indicated above, there are primarily five brainwave patterns discovered. Neuroscientists have long ago proven that brain cells, called neurons, produced electricity. This electrical aspect of the properties of the neuron membranes enable the scientists to measure and conclude their different electrical patterns or waves. A strange medical equipment called electroencephalograph, invented by Dr. Hans Berger, clearly presents the voltage fluctuations of the neurons and records the spontaneous rhythms or cycles of the brainwave, which scientists called Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta.

Each of these brainwaves has its own descriptions and properties.

People who can raise their brainwave in Gamma level have extremely accurate senses more than other people, much like Wolverine in X-Men Comics and Movies.

Beta level is a brainwave the person is in when fully awake and physically active. This is the normal brainwave of an average man. It opens to our five physical senses such as sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch.

If a person can slow down his brainwave or a few seconds or minutes at or below Alpha waves without falling asleep or getting hypnotized, then he can do somethings with his brain which he can't do at the Beta level like precognition, retrocognition, telepathy, clairvoyance, and remote viewing.

If he can still slow down his brainwave and can reach the Theta level, he can control pain like undergoing surgery, tooth extraction, circumcision or giving birth even without anesthesia, or walking in flaming charcoals without burning.

If he can still slow down his brainwave from Delta level, then he can levitate, perform telekinesis, bilocation, dermoptics and other rare manifestations of psychic powers. Although the Delta level is called the dream state which means it is normally the level of sleep, it's possible for a person to slow down his brain without falling asleep.

Given this theory, we can say that physic functioning is a normal (not paranormal) and natural (not supernatural) faculty of the human brain. It belongs to the inner faculties of man.

[Kassandra]

we can say that psychic functioning is a normal (not paranormal) and natural (not supernatural) faculty of the human brain. It belongs to the inner faculties of man.

Yes! This is what I have been saying for years now. These things are normal functionings of the normal non-local minds we all have. Western culture, with its plethora of nifty gadgets and mind-numbing "programming" on TV and online (think very carefully about that word, programming, in the context of a computer, lol), has in my opinion dumbed down humanity. But, yogis in India and in what is now Tibet (which was at one time part of the vast ancient Indian Empire that stretched beyond Iran to Egypt) have practiced manipulating their brain waves for thousands of years.

I tend to believe a regular, proper meditation practice is one gateway toward unlocking these normal abilities within our genetics. Drugs are another way, but it's too easy to abuse drugs, rather than utilize them for higher spiritual purposes. However, older indigenous cultures have utilized peyote, ayahuasca and other hallucinogens in productive ways, to help the community. That is a big contrast to how drugs are used in the majority of modern cultures, just a means to just "get high," temporary jollies for a few hours, a leisure activity and nothing more.

At one point it was a big responsibility to be a shaman, who was considered a bonafide doctor in every sense. Younger shamans would apprentice with older ones, and it took decades to mature in the work. They'd use drugs to facilitate developing their natural psychic abilities, with the goal of healing others not "getting high." Shamanic work is a powerful healing technology that is slowly dying from our (human) race, an invaluable inheritance we are letting slip through our collective hands.




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[Seraphin]

.(EDIT, Finding broken links, all over the place. I fixed one here...)



The following post was moved from its original location
(on this thread http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... 26831.html)

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=26831

and merged into this thread, since it relates to the OP of this thread, and to keep the original thread on-topic. Thanks.


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And yeah, like you mention above, a lot can and does happen when we're in the hypnogogic state, for sure. This can be an empowering resource if one knows how to use it correctly. There's a lot of fear porn on the net about it being a place of "nightmares," and "bad dreams," and other such (what I think is) intentionally disempowering nonsense. As far as that goes, often our so-called nightmares are simply our subconscious minds getting a little irritated with our conscious minds not addressing an issue that truly needs addressing in our waking lives.

I agree. There's a lot of useful mental process that one may practice during hypnagogia including lucid dreaming and travelling clairvoyance . However, there are also some dangers that may occur if one performed incorrect and misguided exercises and experiments or one misused and abused these practices, including nightmare and sleep paralysis .

Also, trying to go in this state of mind may become dangerous if practiced by people with unstable emotional and psychological make-up. And it's unfortunate that it's exactly the types of individuals who often get attracted to experience this state (sometimes through drugs).

Most of them have some personal problems they feel could be solved by indulging in some ecstatic practices. Often the attempt backfires. They are being tortured by nightmares and hallucinations because like what you've said, instead of addressing the issue in their waking lives, they are attempting to use this state in order to temporarily forget or at least have some artificial and limited bliss.

Hypnagogic state, if ever, must reach as a result of spiritual development. It should not be reached and used for its own sake because it would just end up futile and useless and could also even lead to confusion later on.

[Seraphin]

Yes! This is what I have been saying for years now. These things are normal functionings of the normal non-local minds we all have. Western culture, with its of nifty gadgets and mind-numbing "programming" (think very carefully about that word, lol), has nevertheless dumbed down humanity, from a spiritual perspective. But, yogis in India and in what is now Tibet (which was at one time part of the vast ancient Indian Empire empire that stretched all the way to Iran) have known about and practiced these things for thousands of years.

Therefore to perform any psychic function, all that needs to be done is to tap this "normal non-local mind" and perform the task intended . Of course it's not as simple as that. Intention and purpose is also important for manifestation of psychic abilities.

The reason why western culture chose to dab in those stuffs instead of trying to understand the veracity and validity of the mysteries of our mind and soul is because: First, western population is perhaps 75 % Christians (this is just my own estimation, not an accurate statistics). And most of them are conservative on topics like that. You know, psychics, like witches have always falsely been associated with evil forces, demons, blah, blah, blah... And are friends with the Devil. Although a lot of Christian saints had demonstrated psychic abilities like seeing the future, healing the sick and reading other people's minds.

Second, western outlook concerning reality is solely based upon the "Mainstream Science". Orthodox Science often display the tendency to ignore any idea, event or phenomenon that can't be explained and measured by its own logical methods, concepts and paradigm. Anything, to be considered fact, must fall within the Laws of Newton, Pythagorean Theorem, Einstein's General & Special Laws of Relativity, and other principles and laws of this and that which are all established by this branch of knowledge called "Science". Outside of these scientific laws, it's not a fact because science says so.

If people are just willing to take an open-minded or objective look at the acts like the yogis that you've mentioned and not allow their arrogance and biases to interfere. It's perhaps necessary for both "Religion" and "Science" to redefine what to them constitutes the "truth" and "reality". Just because something isn't written in the dogmas and doctrines or something doesn't all within the scientific paradigm doesn't mean it does not true, or real.

Drugs are another way, but Western culture abuses drugs, rather than utilizes them for higher spiritual purposes. However, older indigenous cultures have utilized peyote, ayahuasca and other so-called hallucinogens in productive ways, to help the community. That is a big contrast to how drugs are used in modern culture today, just a selfish means to just "get high," to get some temporary jollies for a few hours, as a leisure activity and nothing more.

But, at one point it was a big responsibility to be a shaman, who was considered a bonafide doctor. Younger shamans would apprentice with older ones, and it took decades to mature in the work. They'd use these drugs to facilitate developing their natural psychic abilities, with the goal of healing others, not "getting high." Shamanic work is a powerful healing technology that is slowly dying from our (human) race. We are letting a valuable inheritance slip through our hands.




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Yes Kass. I have nothing against drug usage. I've seen how they have remarkably improved the lives of other people (including sick people with epilepsy and cancer). As a matter of fact, I know a lot of people using drugs to treat some ailments with no harmful side effects.

The trouble here is a lot of consciousness is not yet ready for their proper medicinal and spiritual usage. The mere mention of the word "drugs" stirs a lot of negative reactions for those who aren't using them. There's a lot of people who base their opinions and beliefs and not on proper information.

And yes, I'm aware that it's an integral part of shamanism as it can facilitate the opening of inner awareness.

Personally, I prefer the natural herbs, roots or fungi over synthetic substances, but that's just me. I think it's also important to say that using herbs for shamanistic journeys is not something to approach lightly, and not something one should do if one has severe or chronic health issues, and definitely, positively not if one is taking prescription medications.

[Firebird]

the different binaural beats

Gamma...superconscious, highly attentive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVPLIZotdrg
Beta...awake, alert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR3F4bAUU_s
Alpha...relaxation, pre-sleep
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrGrYyScwjQ&list=PL7fX5d46yZ_FccRiH4cN2SZVNqSksLBgy
Theta...tranquil, light sleep
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWYyGMuZSgc
Delta...deep sleep, dreams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKnfB6hdH_s

BB, Firebird

[Kassandra]

The reason why western culture chose to dab in those stuffs instead of trying to understand the veracity and validity of the mysteries of our mind and soul is because: First, western population is perhaps 75 % Christians ...Athough a lot of Christian saints had demonstrated psychic abilities like seeing the future, healing the sick and reading other people's minds.

Hehe, oh the irony.

The trouble here is a lot of consciousness is not yet ready for their proper medicinal and spiritual usage. The mere mention of the word “drugs” stirs a lot of negative reactions for those who are not using them. There's a lot of people who base their opinions and beliefs and not on proper information.

I think it's also important to say that using herbs for shamanistic journeys is not something to approach lightly, and not something one should do if one has severe or chronic health issues, and definitely, positively not if one is taking prescription medications.

Yes, thanks for saying that. It needed to be said. We are, in this thread, in no way condoning or recommending drug use, so any of you that took it that way (I'm talking about the kids here), think again. Not saying that. The way drugs have been used --first of all, let's just define "drugs" for a moment, and then define the kind of drug use we're talking about in this thread. We're not talking about meth (which is basically, "take anything poison around your house, cook it, and use it to get high," a very self-hating thing to do), nor ecstasy, nor any other garbage that generations in this society have come to know as "drugs." That stuff is straight up poisonous garbage, any way you slice it.

Some distinctions: The drugs we're talking about in these indigenous cultures, first of all they weren't synthetically processed. They were, in essence, organic plants that grew where they grew. Here's a main distinction: The cultures around the shamans had relationships with the "spirits" of these plants, and they asked those spirits for help with problems in the community; the shaman was merely the conduit. They did this work by many years of serious training in traditions that went back for thousands of years on how to approach the plants, prayers to say and to which gods or goddesses to say them, how to cultivate and use the plants properly, etc. Another important distinction: there are usually people watching over the practitioner as he or she used them (many shamans have assistants, either their peers or the apprentices that they're training, or both) as a safety precaution. They aren't just sitting around by themselves getting high.

So basically, there was/is a whole cultural support system built around the kind of drug use that we're referring to in this thread, a cultural context you, the children of Western culture, are not being told about and will not experience in the culture you're in; that is a part of our collective human heritage that has been lost to you, unfortunately. You will have to go out and seek what's left of it, visit cultures who still carry these traditions and learn from them. As Seraphin mentioned, a lot of that loss has to do with the effect of dominant religions like Christianity, where the first thing their "missionaries" do is wipe out any healing traditions they encounter in a population, in order to weaken that population, and then (with military assistance) take it over and secure all that population's resources.

The drug use we're talking about here was/is based on a loving union with oneself (self-love) and with the environment. This is in stark contrast to the drug use in the Western context of the culture you're in, which is, due to the very toxic nature of these disgusting drugs, based on self-harm. That approach is not one of helping one's environment but, on the contrary, of totally dissociating from it, of "getting away" mentally or emotionally, an attempt to "feel better" by escaping something either inside or outside...situations that ideally should be dealt with and healed. That approach is completely not what we're talking about in this discussion thread, at all. I hope I've clarified any misunderstandings.

Thanks for making that distinction, Seraphin because what I was talking about, and how it may have been interpreted, are probably two totally different things, lol.




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[Seraphin]

Some distinctions: The drugs we're talking about in these indigenous cultures, first of all they weren't synthetically processed. They were, in essence, organic plants that grew where they grew. Here's a main distinction: The cultures around the shamans had relationships with the "spirits" of these plants, and they asked those spirits for help with problems in the community; the shaman was merely the conduit.

I have many shaman friends and they don't actually view them as drugs, rather they are teachers or allies, entities in their own right with spirits of their own that we can interact with and build a relationship.

These entities have been used as sacrament for thousands of years. Some researchers have suggested that Early Christianity started using a fungi as their Holy Eucharist because Christians at that time thought that the manna described in the Book of Exodus was a mushroom .

14 When the dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the desert was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Isra’el saw it, they asked each other, “Man hu? [What is it?]” because they didn’t know what it was. Moshe answered them, “It is the bread which Adonai has given you to eat. 16 Here is what Adonai has ordered: each man is to gather according to his appetite — each is to take an ‘omer [two quarts] per person for everyone in his tent.” 17 The people of Isra’el did this. Some gathered more, some less; 18 but when they put it in an ‘omer-measure, whoever had gathered much had no excess; and whoever had gathered little had no shortage; nevertheless each person had gathered according to his appetite.

19 Moshe told them, “No one is to leave any of it till morning.” 20 But they didn’t pay attention to Moshe, and some kept the leftovers until morning. It bred worms and rotted, which made Moshe angry at them.

Source: Complete Jewish Bible

My fiancee whose path has some shamanic influence do communicate with plant spirit. Kava's spirit according to her is good for journeying. The effect of the herb is subtle and she thinks it's probably a good start for someone who doesn't want to get loopy .

Ceremonial sage is one of her allies too. Usually smoked, but my fiancee used it as a tea as well. This is not one to use casually, however; the journey can be intense and take one to very unfamiliar places. Probably best to do this with a shaman guide.

Gee... And should I even be listing these?!

*humming happily trailing an odd-smelling smoke...*

They did this work by many years of serious training in traditions that went back for thousands of years on how to approach the plants, prayers to say and to which gods or goddesses to say them, how to cultivate and use the plants properly, etc. Another important distinction: there are usually people watching over the practitioner as he or she used them (many shamans have assistants, either their peers or the apprentices that they're training, or both) as a safety precaution. They aren't just sitting around by themselves getting high.

Yeah the substances and the practice itself is shamanic and should not be used without a shaman to advise or guide you through the experience.

Although we consider herbs as a medicine, and as such it is still vital to approach their use with great care.

So basically, there was/is a whole cultural support system built around the kind of drug use that we're referring to in this thread, a cultural context you, the children of Western culture, are not being told about and will not experience in the culture you're in; that is a part of our collective human heritage that has been lost to you, unfortunately. You will have to go out and seek what's left of it, visit cultures who still carry these traditions and learn from them. As Seraphin mentioned, a lot of that loss has to do with the effect of dominant religions like Christianity, where the first thing their "missionaries" do is wipe out any healing traditions they encounter in a population, in order to weaken that population, and then (with military assistance) take it over and secure all that population's resources.

Yes. Most people lived and died with practically no knowledge of other healing methods besides from what Western Medicine and Pharamacy teaches us. One of the objections raised against this indigenous healing practice is that they mostly aren't tested and validated under strict and limited "scientific method". Testimonials of users are considered very weak proofs for their potency and safeness.

Western medical doctors merely laugh at all of these stuffs, consider these as rubbish and call it "quackery". Yet herbs are remained an accepted cure in several countries in Europe. The irony again...

I still hope to see the day when medical-trained doctors can practice what is best and most effective for their patients, whether such modalities come from early indigenous traditions, as long as these are safe. Future doctors shouldn't only be scientists but also shamans. And you know what, I have already met few pioneering and outstanding medical hybrids. May their tribe increase !

Anyhow, I think I have to stop now 'coz I have a feeling that we're getting out of the topic again!

*slinking away, embarrassed*

[Kassandra]

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Your comments are very on-topic...we were merely talking about altered states of consciousness, and the subject of plant use came up, which have been/are used to alter consciousness in spiritual work, lol.

And I like your other terms for drugs in this context --"plant allies," "plant teachers," etc. I think I'll use those instead of "drugs." They give a better sense of what we're talking about. I've heard of Kava is used as a sleep aid by some, so I could understand how it could be used in shamanic journeying, as well. And great quote there about the mushrooms...haha, Moshe sure had his hands full with those folks during that 40-year hike, didn't he.

But, OK, back to brain waves, and their connection to magic. I'll quote Laurie Cabot, a pretty famous witch here in the States. These quotes are credited to be from her book, Power Of the Witch, Delta Books, 1989 (I don't have the book myself, but am citing a source that claims these are from the text of that book).

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"It is my belief that all information...comes to us in alpha [brain state] because all information in the universe consists of light energy. Light enters the pineal gland, or Third Eye, located in the center of the head between the eyebrows, where many psychics say they experience physical sensations when they receive extrasensory information."

"However in preliminary stages various techniques require that the mediator directs [his or her] own attention to a single object, a symbol, image, word(s) as Mantra or to a repetitive movement such as the awareness of the breath. Behind the theologies of such practices whether they be of Hindu, Buddhist or Christian Orthodoxy origin, the basic effect is the same."

"Various brain waves were linked to these states. For example the Beta wave expresses a normal waking state, Alpha and Theta waves an altered state and Delta a deep sleep state of consciousness."

"Alpha is the springboard for all psychic and magical workings. It is the heart of witchcraft".

"The science of witchcraft is based upon our ability to enter altered states of consciousness we call 'alpha'... This is a state associated with relaxation, meditation and dreaming...In alpha the mind opens up to non-ordinary forms of communication...Here we also experience out-of-body sensations and psychokinesis and receive mystical, visionary information."


Source: lighthousetrailsresearch.com/alpha.htm




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Also, I wanted to mention how music could be used to alter brain waves/consciousness to help people focus on energy workings ("spell work"). This is the idea behind this post, where a member asks people what their favorite music to cast by is: http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... 26144.html ...but, that's a whole other post.




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[Kassandra]

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Firebirdflys, have you ever used binaurals to try and induce a certain state, and if so, was it effective? How does that work.




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[Seraphin]

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"It is my belief that all information...comes to us in alpha [brain state] because all information in the universe consists of light energy. Light enters the pineal gland, or Third Eye, located in the center of the head between the eyebrows, where many psychics say they experience physical sensations when they receive extrasensory information."

"However in preliminary stages various techniques require that the mediator directs [his or her] own attention to a single object, a symbol, image, word(s) as Mantra or to a repetitive movement such as the awareness of the breath. Behind the theologies of such practices whether they be of Hindu, Buddhist or Christian Orthodoxy origin, the basic effect is the same."

"Various brain waves were linked to these states. For example the Beta wave expresses a normal waking state, Alpha and Theta waves an altered state and Delta a deep sleep state of consciousness."

"Alpha is the springboard for all psychic and magical workings. It is the heart of witchcraft".

"The science of witchcraft is based upon our ability to enter altered states of consciousness we call 'alpha'... This is a state associated with relaxation, meditation and dreaming...In alpha the mind opens up to non-ordinary forms of communication...Here we also experience out-of-body sensations and psychokinesis and receive mystical, visionary information."


Source: lighthousetrailsresearch.com/alpha.htm

Yes. This is what's common among all the psychics, healers, witches, and magickians alike. We're able to totally focus our minds on a single task at a time, totally relax our body and eventually, reduce our brain waves. Isn't that what we do in casting a spell? In doing rituals? Shamanic journey? In grounding, centering or shielding?

At the alpha level, magick occurred and miracles happened.

It's believed that at the alpha level, the brain waves of both left and right brain hemisphere, are synchronized and harmonized. And when this happens, we're able to consciously tap the exceptional powers and knowledge hidden in our subconscious mind.

The mind knows no limits aside from those it acknowledges. We're the ones that put walls and fences to what we can do or accomplish. Remove the mental boundaries and we can unlock and experience the wonderful abilities that alpha and other brainwave level offers.

Pineal Gland

I'm glad that Kass also mentioned the pineal gland. Yes, yes, it's the seat of intuition and higher consciousness. To give you the exact location of the pineal gland, it has been said that, if you trace an imaginary vertical line beginning at the fontanel or crown on top of your head and a horizontal line entering the forehead between the eyebrows, where the two lines intersect is the location of the pineal gland.

And that's where the Third Eye is usually depicted, between the eyebrows. Some psychics, mediums and clairvoyants have reported that whenever they transmit or receive psychic information, they feel a tingling sensation at the center of their brain.

By awakening your pineal gland, it brings the ability to consciously perceive the reality in a different way.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Illu_ ... glands.jpg

Pineal gland naturally produces a special substance called "dimethyltryptamine" that allows us to be in a constant visionary and magickal state. Dimethyltryptamine or DMT
(edited to add this link, the previous one is for sale https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/N,N-Dimethyltryptamine ) is a totally natural substance that our bodies manufacture and distribute by consuming fruits, veggies, and herbs. It's a substance that is widespread throughout the plant kingdom.

(Hmmm... Wait a second... Now we understand where do shamans get their incredible ability to access the spiritual plane. Very nice! )

I personally believe that we're all intended to be visionary and magickal beings, able to tap into the hidden knowledge and extrasensory information in the higher plane allowing it to guide us through this journey we all call life. It allows us to transcend and realize that we're one consciousness, giving us the opportunity to see and understand spirituality more and help each other grow spiritually.

[Firebird]

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Firebirdflys, have you ever used binaurals to try and induce a certain state, and if so, was it effective? How does that work.




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I've been using video on youtube the makes delta beats for sleep. I sleep pretty well for the most part anyway, but when I have been stressed or really busy or perhaps some kind of past trauma has been invading my mind, I'll put that on to sleep with. The next day I feel clearer and more refreshed and able to handle the garbage coming my way.
Ps. I cover the screen on the device so the light of the video doesn't bother me.
FF

[Firebird]

Good info here, bumping!
although I am discovering all the links that would take one to a different story within the forum to be broken, this is really tragic because there are numerous beautiful Threads that would lead one to further knowledge but you will get the purple 404 page not found. I believe it must have happened with the update, don't know if it can be fixed.
BB FF