Chapter 11

When I was reading other people's blogs, it seemed like some people disliked the chapter. It's not that I loved it or it was my favorite, but I thought it was interesting. It also was a lot better than chapter 10 so I'm sure that helped its case. Of course, like everyone else, I enjoyed the section on hypnosis the most. In the beginning of the blogs I mentioned that my stepfather was a numerologist, so I was predisposed to this kind of material from a young age. He also owns an entertainment company which contracts out hypnotise, so again I've been around these people most of my life (I was 4 when my stepfather moved in). That said, I completely believe in it. However I also think people fake it. I know I mentioned this in an earlier class, but I was always taught that if you can "lose" yourself or "zone out"(for instance while driving and seconds or minutes later you realize you don't actually remember driving but you still are on the right track) you can be hypnotised.

At the all night senior party at my high school, they always had a hypnotise. They start with like 20 random people and start to "weed out" the people to get like 5 or 6 people who can fall into the deepest hypnosis and start making them do weird things. I know I read in someones blog that they were in something like this and couldn't be hypnotised. For most people it's not that they can't be hypnotised, it's usually that they won't allow themselves to let go completely (I wouldn't even go up to try because I had no idea what they would make me do in front of all of my classmates). Anyway, I know that people also use hypnotism for diets and to quit smoking. Although I don't know if all of those people are hypnotised or if it's psychosomatic.

Complete and utter distraction

It's sad that I can't get completely excited about reading Hughes anymore. Everything that I read I think, hey wait, didn't I read that earlier? The only time that I get really excited while reading is whenever he mentions an author, artist, poet, or pop icon that I like.

I understand how much everyone loves van Gogh's art... I guess because he's one of the most well-known in the world. Of course, we've all heard the stories about his life and how it reflected his art... so of course it has been "extensively investigated." I'm kinda at the point now where I think, so what if he had some mental retardation, or slept with his sister, or ate only locusts and roaches (I made these up)? His art is just beautiful. And that's all I find myself thinking about now. I want to leave the theory alone and just admire his paintings. How he takes that horse-hair brush and forms the perfet blend of linseed oil and midnight blue paint... sweeping it across a canvas, putting dots of it here and there, in between dashes of other colors. More than that, it is how the paint makes me feel when I look at it that it astonishing.

Hughes mentions John Keats and quotes him with "Negative capability... when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason." Keats has a poem called "Eve of St. Agnes." If you've never read it... you should read it before you graduate... or before the end of the year... or now!

And let's not even start on William Blake. He is the everyman. This dude is political and sentimental, a painter and a poet, empowered by the Bible but ultimately a mystic. His paintings are of scenes from the Bible, or aggressive illustrations of the Bible's characters. He is the kind of person I want to look up to, try to understand better, or even become like him. Why? Because he's damn sure of who he is, which is more than I can say for myself.

I think the point of this blog was to demonstrate how off topic my mind flies when Hughes babbles about the same things, or writes in circles and loses his reader. It's hard to listen to all the brain research when a chapter that we read is titled Structures of the Mind, and it clearly explains the brain and its functions dealing with altered states.

PS - Those interested in mandalas (the history is fascinating), watch "The Last Mimzy." There is so much more to our world than what we can see with just our eyes.

Who's to Say?

I find myself, again, at odds with a seemingly minuscule, and easily overlooked part of this chapter. First of all, I feel as though we've been over nearly all of this before today. The drugs have been a part of this course since the very beginning. That is why I am writing about a line that was missed even by myself the first time that I read it.

The second sentence in the second paragraph reads: “Puritanism apart, it is generally agreed that art made while on drugs is often less good than art done ‘cold.’” It goes on to explain that the experience may be worthwhile to draw upon in the creative process, but that is not what I’m concerned with. To make a statement like that, even leaving it open ended, as Hughes does, I can’t help but get rubbed the wrong way by this statement. It’s saying that the art itself is not enough to stand alone; we must know how it’s been created in order to rank it. Which is what I really don’t like about that statement, it suggests that some art is better than other art. That statement goes against the very nature of art. I’ve always thought of art as subjective, not objective. Art is good for the personal reasons of the artist and the personal reasons of those viewing it. Who’s to say one piece of art is better than another because of the state of the creator? Hughes probably didn’t realize the implications of this statement when he added it and was simply looking for a segway into his next point, but it really rubbed me the wrong way.

Hypnotizism

I found this chapter to be interesting partly because of the discussion on page 158 about hypnosis. I've tossed around the idea about wondering if someone can really hypnotize another individual. I'm not sure if I can completely grasp this vision of someone being in such an altered state without some other type of medium used such as drugs, alcohol, etc. I had an interesting discussion with a friend of mine during the week. There was a commercial on TV for a new television show called Phenomenon. We both knew about Criss Angel and just in general some of the stuff that 'magicians' so to speak have done in past years. We got on the topic of hypnosis and he was completely critical and cynical about the possibility of hypnotizing someone. He didn't believe it was possible. I'm the type of person that even though I haven't seen something or experienced something out of the ordinary, I'm not going to completely rule it out and say it isn't possible. However, this type of action boggles my mind. I'd like to see someone being hypnotized just so I can be proved wrong and that it really does happen and also can affect your mind and influence situations!

Blog # 8 from Erik

Blog #8 The section of this chapter called good vibrations struck - a chord – with me. The notion that everything has a vibration and similar sound at its core, parallels the zero point theory we discussed last week. The zero point theory suggests that everything we know is made of light, well, does light have a vibration to it as this section describes? The resonance of the big bang throughout the universe is very logical in my opinion, but does the zero point theory debunk the notion of sound altogether? If so, then what this section describes as “primal sound” is actually light, not sound! Hmm…. We have not discussed the string theory, but the basis of that is at the heart of what this section mentions. Everything is made up of vibrating strands of “something” and the vibrations of those strands, both individually and as a group, make up everything from air to dirt; even the vacuum we call space is not really a vacuum but rather filled with these vibrating strands.
\n\n\u003cbr\>\nThe fascinating part, and truly simplistic base of the zero point theory from what I can understand of it so far, is that if it is fact, everything is instantly explained and there no longer is much mystery behind anything. Perhaps the entire unexplained phenomenon contained within and surrounding certain facets of our society are glimpses of the human mind, reality, and existence slipping past our reduction valves for periods. I believe we are all blinded by a learned rigidity of thought governed and solicited by societies at large. I also think that we begin being annexed into this process from the moment of birth and is completely inescapable – unless at some point the person slips through a door of perception and avidly seeks to block our defaulted reality in order to connect with what fills the space around what we know.\n\u003cbr\>\n\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/td\>\n\u003c/tr\>\n\u003ctd colspan\u003d\"2\" width\u003d\"575\"\>\u003chr noshade size\u003d\"1\"\>\u003c/td\>\n\u003c/table\>\n\u003c/div\>\u003c/div\>\n",0]
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The fascinating part, and truly simplistic base of the zero point theory from what I can understand of it so far, is that if it is fact, everything is instantly explained and there no longer is much mystery behind anything. Perhaps the entire unexplained phenomenon contained within and surrounding certain facets of our society are glimpses of the human mind, reality, and existence slipping past our reduction valves for periods. I believe we are all blinded by a learned rigidity of thought governed and solicited by societies at large. I also think that we begin being annexed into this process from the moment of birth and is completely inescapable – unless at some point the person slips through a door of perception and avidly seeks to block our defaulted reality in order to connect with what fills the space around what we know.

Music, Dance and Movement

Music and dance can be a release of energy and can also be pleasurable. When I was reading about the section on dance and movement, I was reminded of the traditional wedding; with it’s music, walks and dances.

When first attending the wedding, the music is solemn and serious. It has a wonderful melody to it, mostly religious. When the bride is about to enter the church, the music suddenly picks up and becomes louder. The beat gets faster, as she makes her way down the aisle. Then there is a song, or two, during the ceremony, adding to the heightened emotions of the captured audience of wedding well-wishers. Finally, the recessional is played and the bride and groom rush out of the church together. All the energy stored up in everyone during the ceremony is starting to be released.

It is now time for the reception. Music and dance release more energy for everyone. At the reception, the song and dance can be seen as an art, ritual and also recreation. The art will be when some couple steps up to the dance floor and does a waltz. Perhaps it will be the bride and groom that dance this waltz. The ritual is always the traditional father and bride dance. Then of course we cannot forget the recreation and fun of dances like the Mexican Hat Dance, Chicken Dance and the Electric Slide. Of course, there could be a little bit of unhappiness experienced, because some loved ones are no longer here to experience the joyous occasion. Many types of Altered States will be experienced before the joyous occasion ends.

Mind and Music

Chapter 12 was an interesting Chapter, especially when it talked about brain and vibrations. It mentioned Rodolfo Llinas who compared it to a "well-tuned musical instrument", and the complexity of chords. The fact that we are different from other animals because of the way our brain is set up allowing us to have capacity and and ability to imagine and be creatives. We are able to think and find reasons, uncertainties, and more.
Sometimes we need a little help and through relaxation by meditation or rhythem such as music and dance with certain beats a person can reach an altered state. The brain is even compared to a harp with different types of strings that produce different tones or responses. Music has been around for ages and is part of many cultures and religions. It is an easy topic to compare to the brain because of all the varieties and results of it. Our brain has the ability to think and realize things in different ways and allows us to act on it. Just like music we can be happy or sad, boring or romantic. Music as well as other art can represent the artist's mood towards something. It can also take the listener out of one mood and put them in another depending on the beat and tones of the rhythem.

Relaxation

Chapter 11, had some interesting things to read about. What I thought was most interesting was reading about hypnosis. I have friends that use to go to hypnosis shows and come back and tell me the off the wall things that would happen. They say that you can be hypnotized to quite smoking! The book says that hypnosis is, “an altered state of consciousness.” (158) One fact about hypnosis is that it reveals a range of powers within the individual, inaccessible to personal consciousness. Interesting stuff!

On days that I feel really stressed out it would be great to know how to meditate. The book quickly mentions about meditation and that it produces an altered state of consciousness that combines alertness and relaxation. It describes the way meditation relaxes the brain. It is a way of relaxing the left – brain grip on consciousness and allowing the right free expression. It also is a way of dissolving personal consciousness into superconscious reality. I think everyone in the world would be a lot happier if we all learned to meditate.

Ways to Creativity?

Is it just me or does it seem like the anchor has been pulled up. Some how the past two chapters (10,11) have felt like I have been set adrift on a wide but shallow ocean. I feel like we are no longer feasting on the subject. The discussion so far has been excellent, but now I feel like we are at edge, trying our best to remain interested in the ways to creativity.

Maybe it is just me, maybe it's because I don't like the statement "Ways to creativity" I don't believe that there is a way to creativity. That makes me feel like there is some guy sitting with legs folded, pointing to the horizon. To me it implies that you can make a wrong turn somewhere and some how not be creative. The truth is, creativity is the spark that drives us all,it is the core, it is simply achieved by existence.
The existence of a Bengal tiger is what makes the stripes so beautiful. Am I making any sense? or should I go read the chapters again?

Spinning and spinning and spinning and.....

While on a study abroad trip in Egypt this summer, I had the pleasure of viewing a dance performance. The gentleman dancing would spin around and around, faster and faster, causing his outfit to becoming disclike. Though I do not fully understand the significance of the dance, you could “feel” energy resonating from him. You could see that he had gone into a trance, his spinning had spiraled him into another state of conscious. (An interesting side note, finishing spinning in circles for about 15 minutes the dancer showed no signs of dizziness or fatigue, and merely bowed and walked strait off the stage.)

Don’t we all from time to time get lost in music, dance, sound, language, and art? I often will be driving some where and a song will be playing that takes me to another world. I’ll still get where I’m going, but my dominant persona is no longer driving, a different part of my conscious is.

On a side note, did anyone else think of Tart’s Diagram of Perception when they saw the pictures of Mandalas and Yantras? (Not that they represent similar things, just the look and connectedness (and that is a real word haha))

Blog 8 or Umm, oops I mean Omm

Francis Bacon gives me nightmares, on occasion so does Oscar Mayer but that is a different blog.

The primal sound, the vibration of the Big Bang, interesting stuff. Everything is connected. We are all part of the earth and the earth is part of us and creation comes from life force and if you do not create you do not live. Create anything, something. The mere act of doing a crossword puzzle is creating. You are forcing the brain to dig up the things in its memory banks. Delving into the subconscious to access that latent knowledge. My parents will ask me questions from their puzzles and somewhere that knowledge is in my brain and then gets pushed to the front.

Hypnosis can bring those latencies to the forefront again. Suppressed emotions, memories (are they all real?) are brought up through the strata to the daylight again. Through meditation some have been able to achieve this effect also. Music can also bring about or help to bring about the retrieval of memory and the movement into altered states. The power of a person's voice and music underlying the background can create the mood in which many people in the same room can experience the therapeutic recovery of memory. Drum circles, raves, religious services--music and people in like minds sharing like experiences can raise the level of consciousness of the group as a whole. If you allow yourself the freedom to be open to the experience.

Wassily Kandinsky was transported and transformed by music. He wove music and art together to create beautiful abstract painting. Not all of his work is abstract but the pieces entitled Compositions I-X are recognized as some of the best abstract art to come from the Bauhaus period. I agree. (See overview for more.)
http://www.glyphs.com/art/kandinsky/comp4640.jpg

Hypnotized

In response to Chapter 11, I found the section titled "Waking Sleep" to be very interesting. "Hypnosis is described as a state of consciousness, dissimilar to either wakefulness or sleep, in which attention is withdrawn from the outside world and is concentrated on mental, sensory, and physiological experiences"(158).
Through hypnotism, a person can relive pain and allergies, control or relieve amnesia and deal with various other ailments. "Hypnosis can also produce a deeper contact with one's emotional life, resulting in some lifting of repressions and exposure of buried fears and conflicts"(158).
An individual can be greatly helped and healed through the use of hypnotism. But, as far as I understand, not everyone is able to be hypnotized. And what allows someone to be hypnotized? What is the difference between someone who can and someone who cannot?
I suggest, since hypnotism is considered an altered state, the "restricting valve" is tightened on those who cannot be hypnotized. Which relates to the opened valve of the creative personality, the shaman, and even the "classified" mentally ill. But there must be more than the "restricting valve" or limited degrees of restriction in determining one's ability to access the an altered state of consciousness. Because not everyone who is creative can be hypnotized. And, not everyone who is mentally ill is creative. Therefore, I would really like to learn more about the hypnotizing personality in relation to the altered states.

Girls Creative Roots?

Hughes claims that we (as a society) "like our female icons best when they are in distress" (p. 145). This is curious in that there is so much truth to it. Brittany Spears popularity is soaring now that she has been photographed overweight, flopped at the MTV award show, and had her kids taken away. I'm certainly not comparing Spears to the likes of Princess Di or Marilyn Monroe, but Hughes is on to something here. When compared with other contemporary pop stars, the press/ media does not seem to place so much emphasis on their failures, weaknesses, or periods of distress. Is the media still, in 2007, so male biased? Or does the stigma of sexuality carry more weight when we consider the downfalls of our female pop culture icons? Maybe man is contemptuous towards woman according to their perceived sexual persuasion over the years of humankind? Surely being in a state of distress and pressure from fighting for equal rights would foster a common bed of creativity among women (and other minority groups equally).