Meditation and Neuroplasticity

It Will Pass

A student went to his meditation teacher and said, “My meditation is horrible! I feel so distracted, or my legs ache, or I’m constantly falling asleep. It’s just horrible!”

“It will pass,” the teacher said matter-of-factly

A week later, the student came back to his teacher. “My meditation is wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It’s just wonderful!’

“It will pass,” the teacher replied matter-of-factly.

The above story, written approximately two thousand years ago by Zen masters, is meant to point the student towards enlightenment. Enlightenment being that state of mind where the one who has attained it, is not affected by the roller-coaster ride of human emotions and is marked by the absence of desire and suffering. The aspirations and miseries that most people experience in life do not play havoc with the constant state of mind a Zen master has achieved. The Zen master sees these events as if he/she is watching a television film. For the average person, the television character’s pleasures and tribulations within the scene are viewed objectively from safely outside the setting in which the movie is taking place. The Zen master too will experience the events in his/her life as an observer, not impacted by the desire or sufferings of his ego, watching his/her fate unfold without interference from preconditioned attitudes. Not affected by his/her successes or failures, the Zen master maintains this constant state of mind, allowing the creative force of the universe to flow through them. How many great teachers in history have shown how this limitless energy, once tapped into, caused a change in their environment? The author need not elaborate on this.

However, this state of mind is not a product of culture or teaching but of the practice of mindfulness itself. Mindfulness is a state of mind where the individual has no thought of the past or the future. There is only the present. Like now. Take a moment and focus your attention on the air going in and out of your nostrils. Nothing else. The past plays no part in your current experience, and the future holds no anxiety. This practice is far more challenging than one would think to maintain for any length of time. But the practice itself causes the effect of a calm and steady mind. By that, I mean mindfulness changes the actual structure of the brain. This phenomenon is called Neuroplasticity and is a relatively recent understanding of how the brain functions and adapts.

There are several profoundly important areas of the brain that are physically changed by the practice of mindfulness, areas of the brain that control the overpowering or even superhuman traits of those great men and women who have gone before us. Images of the brains of subjects and control groups were taken before and after using a magnetic resonance imaging, (MRI). The subjects were instructed to perform a mindfulness technique that would have been practiced for at least eight weeks before the study. In one study, it was shown that the amygdala, a structure which has increased activity during stress and becomes denser during prolonged stress, did the opposite when subjects practiced mindfulness. For those people who meditate daily, the amygdala had significantly less activation during stress and had become physically less dense overall. This insinuates that people who meditate will not suffer the dire effects that stress has on the body overall, i.e. high blood pressure, immune deficiencies, depression, and a host of other ailments.

The amygdala is shown above. There is a significant decrease in density and activity during stressful events for people who meditate daily. Additionally, other studies have shown that there is an increased in grey-matter density in the hippocampus, which is associated with learning and memory.

In another study, people who meditated forty minutes a day developed thicker cortical walls than non-meditators. Studies have shown that as a person ages, the cortical walls become thinner. The thickness of the cortical wall is associated with memory, attention, and decision-making. The conclusion was that the brains of people who meditate daily aged much more slowly than those who do not. Along with the above, meditators have shown increased thickness in the sensory regions, demonstrating that daily meditation leads to an increase in sensory awareness. See diagram below.

SW Lazar, a German scientist, is quoted as saying,

“With a rapidly aging society, it becomes increasingly important to counter normal age-related decline in cognitive functioning. Growing evidence suggests that cognitive training programs may have the potential to counteract this decline. On the basis of a growing body of research that shows that meditation has positive effects on cognition in younger and middle-aged adults, meditation may be able to offset normal age-related cognitive decline or even enhance cognitive function in older adults.”

The prefrontal cortex and the auditory and sensory cortex are shown above. Increases in the density and size of these areas occur with the practice of daily meditation. Additionally, an increase in Myelin, the coating of brain nerve cells, has been documented. A decrease in Myelin may result in depression, dementia, and schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder.

In Hugh G. Byrne’s book, “The Here-and-Now Habit: How Mindfulness Can Help You Break Unhealthy Habits …” he describes two distinct states of self-awareness. The first is the ‘narrative-focus,’ or extended self-referencing and is the default mode for humans. This state primarily is associated with negative thoughts about oneself, mind wandering and rumination about the past and the future. Typical everyday experiences. The second state is called the ‘experience-focus,’ or momentary self-referencing and deals with seeing those daily tasks in life as moment to moment events and any emotional feelings as transient. The experience-focused state is entwined within and lost in the narrative-focused state making our life experience filled with past influences impinging upon the present moment and future prospects, and vice versa, creating a whirlwind of emotional turmoil. However, Byrne’s states that with the daily practice of mindfulness, the experience-focus can become the dominant state, separating the once combined neural pathway into two distinct neural networks. Now, after the divide, the narrative-focus is accessible only with intent. Having the experience-focus become the dominant state of mind is crucial in the development and evolution of the human condition because one such area of the brain that shows an increase in activity and thickness as a result of the daily practice of mindfulness is the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is associated a person’s personality and expression, decision making and social behavior. Additionally, it is involved in the prediction of outcomes, expectation based on actions, the determination of what is good and bad, future consequences of current activities, and controlling urges.

The above traits are all fine, and any one of us would lik e to have a superior capacity to judge what is right and wrong, or to control of unwanted urges. However, the real reason for the prefrontal cortices significance is due to a paper written by Elisa Filevich, a researcher at the Centre for Lifespan Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. Using an MRI, Elisa Filevich discovered that the subjects capable of having lucid dreams had an enlarged anterior prefrontal cortex, (located in the front portion of the prefrontal cortex, approximately where the mysterious third eye would be on a person’s forehead) and was highly active during the lucid dreams. Hence, the above studies show that daily meditation does increase the thickness and activity in the prefrontal cortex and that the prefrontal cortex is associated, if not critical, for the ability to have lucid dreams.

Additionally, the practitioner of mindfulness does not have to engage in the practice for extended periods of time. Results have been documented in as little as eight weeks. If you read my previous article on the out of body experience and how lucid dreaming and the purging of the subconscious mind through meditation techniques can produce an actual state of separating the consciousness from the physical body, you will see that for humanity to evolve to higher states of consciousness, one must meditate. The Zen master in the above story is a product of his practice. He sees the emotional states of his student as an impediment to Enlightenment but not because the Zen master was taught that, but because that is how his brain now functions. I believe that once the experience-focus or momentary self-referencing becomes the dominant neural network, the practitioner becomes the observer, allowing that person to connect to a consciousness that is greater than his, i.e. his Higher Self, or the Christ within. The Zen master stands outside of his experience, watching his fate unfold, allowing the Christ Consciousness to rise to the forefront of his experience. When this takes place, the will of the Higher Self dominates, and life flows unhindered by obstacles and detours, allowing the true will to be revealed. Additionally, this is where synchronicities, a theory published by Sigmund Freud’s apprentice, Carl Jung, flourish, and thoughts can be observed creating reality. Synchronicities can be defined, as per Merriam-Webster Dictionary, as ‘the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (as in similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality.’ (I will elaborate on Carl Jung’s theory of synchronicities in a later article.)

The practice of mindfulness is a tool that can be used to change the foundation of human thought and bring Humanity to the brink of an enlightened state. The method is simple, just watch your breath going in and out of your nostrils, in and out, in and out…and let the infinite wisdom of your higher self to take control.

Gard, T., Hölzel, B. K. and Lazar, S. W. (2014), The potential effects of meditation on age-related cognitive decline: a systematic review. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1307: 89–103. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12348

Lazar SW, Kerr CE, Wasserman RH, et al. Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. Neuroreport. 2005;16(17):1893-1897.

Filevich, E., Dresler, M., Brick, T.R., Kühn, S. Metacognitive Mechanisms Underlying Lucid Dreaming. The Journal of Neuroscience (2015) (DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3342-14.2015)

The Demons Among Us: Exploring Demonic Possession.

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Demons Among Us

At nine years old, I found myself walking to the movie theater with three of my friends to watch The Exorcist. Back in the day, the movie ushers did not care about ratings, as long as we promised to behave, we were allowed entry. We had heard that the film was so scary, that one man had actually died of a heart attack. What greater appeal to a youth who grew up with a mother that would now be called a Spiritualist. Back then, it was just mom talking to her deceased relatives as we sat around the kitchen table after a holiday meal. We would place our hands on a framed picture of the deceased, creating our own Ouija board. Of course, using the Hasbro board game was off limits and very dangerous, as my mother would say. So, being primed by my upbringing, and feeling like I had a handle on things of that nature, I wanted to get a taste of the downside of spirituality and see what could happen if you weren’t careful. Of course, whatever the movies portrayed was true, so in two hours I would become educated in demon possession. The many nights, or weeks actually, of terror I felt while lying in bed is something that has stayed with me throughout my life. (To this day, I have yet to watch that movie again, and have no plans to do so in the future). That is coming from someone who grew up with a spiritualist mother and who now writes horror. However, a part of me believes that those sleepless nights thinking that a demon would possess me, and my belief that demon possession was a real phenomenon, created a desire in me to educate myself in a variety of esoteric and not so esoteric ideas. In college, I studied Eastern philosophy and earned a degree in psychology, in addition to exploring advanced studies in Neuropsychology. I then took a two-year sabbatical in which I read every occult book I could get my hands on and began to meditate profusely. I actually became the Hermit, one of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. (Because of all the occult stuff I am into, I have been performing the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram every night for decades before I go to sleep, just to be on the safe side, LOL).

The claims of demonic possession have increased over the years, despite the advancements in Psychiatry and the increase in categorizing mental illness. Western medicine sees demonic possession as a mental disorder and diagnosis range from Schizophrenia to a host of less profound personality disorders. Why the increase? In an article written by Simone Orendain for the Catholic News Service entitled, “Wanted: More Exorcist to meet demands in the Philippines,” she stated that there has been a significant increase in demonic possession that the Archdiocese of Manila has been inundated with calls. Father Jose Francisco “Jocis” Syquia, chief exorcist at the Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism, told Catholic News Service that “These days we have around 80 to 100 cases at any given time.” Father Syquia believes that the increase is demonic possession is because individuals possessed by a demonic force often seek help from practitioners of esoteric faiths, (healers and occult practitioners), which only attracts demons, bypassing the Church because of lack of exorcists. Another contributing factor is a national radio program called “Light in the Darkness” which informs people about the ‘Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism’ and what it does. This has led Father Syquia to ask the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines to designate at least one exorcist to be assigned in each of the country’s 86 dioceses. This, in addition to the Vatican updating its official guidelines for performing exorcisms in 1999, originally published in 1614, has convinced some people that demonic possession is responsible for everyday and common ailments.

Spiritual Science Research Foundation – Bridging the Known and Unknown Worlds, is an organization that states its goal is to educate society on the spiritual dimension and how it affects their lives. Additionally, it boasts that it conducts research into the spiritual dimension to help people grow spiritually. The SSRF has categorized entities fond of possessing people and lists the physical symptoms of being possessed. The SSRF states that although these are common ailments, it is their persistent occurrence, regardless of medical treatment, that makes them cause for concern. These include a foul taste in the mouth, eye irritation, rashes, dry lip, mouth or throat, pinprick sensations, headaches, body ache, coughing, yawning, loss of appetite, or frequent hunger, miscarriages, making weird sounds, restlessness and being accident prone, as well as tons of other stuff. (Now I understand the present state of the world).

Additionally, the SSRF states that some possessions can manifest supernatural powers and speak in tongues or in a different language. The unusual display of talent, such as music or dancing, can also be indicative of possession. And don’t forget about levitation, which is a feat that has eluded me, (except when I am out of my body, then it is quiet easy).

The below chart illustrates a hierarchy of entities that can possess and/or influence an individual. Listed also, is the probability that that particular entity would be the entity possessing a person. Interestingly enough, the SSRF states that there is a Master Guru, called the Subtle Sorcerer. This entity can be likened to a mirror image of Christ Consciousness of which (I believe) humanity is destined to evolve to. The master sorcerer commands other entities to do its bidding, thus the 0% probability of it possessing an individual. (Also the term ‘Witch’ is not to be associated with the practice of paganism or Wicca. Again, this could be interpreted to be the mirror image of an individual who has mastered the practice, wishing to bring only good into the world.)

Hierarchy                                            Probability

Ghost                                                  30%

Demons                                               50%

Black Serpent                                      10%

Goblins                                                2%

Vampires                                             2%

Witches (evil)                                      2%

Spirits                                                  4%

Master Sorcerers                                 0%

The above chart shows the hierarchy of entities intent on possession, and the probability of that entity possessing you if you were possessed.

SSRF also details each of the above entities. Below are the characteristics of demons, (which comprise 50% of the possessions) and the traits of a demon possession.

The SSRF states that demons prefer to live in dark solitary places like rooftops, caves, and attics. People suffering from a demon possession often have temper tantrums such as stomping feet, and throwing objects and walk with a shuffling gait. People possessed by demons are often arrogant and short tempered and are lethargic. If attacked, the person may growl. Also, they may experience being touched or pushed while sleeping.

I must give the SSRF credit for approaching this subject. They attempt to explore and categorize scientifically the seemingly uncharted area of malignant entities bent of causing a vast amount of damage to the human population. Some of the classifications of creatures come from what they call Subtle Vision, or the sixth-sense. The individuals who have developed their sixth-sense can see the entity, identify it, draw a picture of it and then offer treatment. Additionally, the SSRF takes into account the false positives, which they state can account for some of their data. However, the SSRF has a ranking system of spirituality, and those people who have a higher status as spiritual practitioners, hold more creditability when it comes to identifying the creature.

Richard Gallagher, a board-certified psychiatrist and a professor of clinical psychiatry at New York Medical College, was approached by a Catholic priest in the late 80’s. The priest asked for his professional opinion on a female associate who suffered from some alignment. The female was a practicing Satanist and self-proclaimed high priestess. Richard Gallagher, approaching her maladies from a clinical perspective stated, “She knew how individuals she’d never known had died, including my mother and her fatal case of ovarian cancer. Six people later vouched to me that, during her exorcisms, they heard her speaking multiple languages, including Latin, completely unfamiliar to her outside of her trances. This was not psychosis; it was what I can only describe as paranormal ability. I concluded that she was possessed.”

This is a Yale-educated psychiatrist who became convinced that the individual he was attempting to diagnose was possessed by a demon. This to me is incredible, being proficient in the field of Neuropsychology, I can see how this phenomenon could explain the present state of Humanity. People without a spiritual base, (and I am not talking about religion which I believe has caused more death and destruction than natural disasters), are more susceptible to the influences of demons and their brethren. Remember my past article, Meditation and Neuroplasticity, where I showed that mindfulness or the practice of being aware of the Divinity within yourself causes physical changes in the brain. Perhaps these changes prevent and aid the spiritually inclined individual to resist the influences of demons and that some of our monkey minded friends allow easy access for a demon to find comfort in. This could explain how today’s masses show no compassion, lack altruistic behavior and seek only to self-gratify, caring for themselves more so than for their family or a stranger in need.

The phenomenon of demonic possession is real. What the demons actually are is another matter. My earlier articles point to the culprit, which is plain to see.

Richard Gallagher continued, “But I believe I’ve seen the real thing. Assaults upon individuals are classified either as “demonic possessions” or as the slightly more common but less intense attacks usually called “oppressions.” A possessed person may suddenly, in a type of trance, voice statements of astonishing venom and contempt for religion, while understanding and speaking various foreign languages previously unknown to them. The subject might also exhibit enormous strength or even the extraordinarily rare phenomenon of levitation. (I have not witnessed a levitation myself, but half a dozen people I work with vow that they’ve seen it in the course of their exorcisms.) He or she might demonstrate “hidden knowledge” of all sorts of things — like how a stranger’s loved ones died, what secret sins she has committed, even where people are at a given moment. These are skills that cannot be explained except by special psychic or preternatural ability.”

Anthropologists have agreed that all cultures have depicted some form of demonic possession, with often similar traits and characteristics being displayed by the person possessed. This can only add to the credibility of the phenomenon. With the evidence at hand and even barring the secretive practice of exorcisms, we can only conclude that something mysterious is going on. Richard Gallagher added, “One cannot force these creatures to undergo lab studies or submit to scientific manipulation; they will also hardly allow themselves to be easily recorded by video equipment, as skeptics sometimes demand. (The official Catholic Catechism holds that demons are sentient and possess their own wills; as they are fallen angels, they are also craftier than humans. That’s how they sow confusion and seed doubt, after all.) Nor does the church wish to compromise a sufferer’s privacy, any more than doctors want to compromise a patient’s confidentiality.”

We can see that the demon is a sentient entity, smart, intelligent, and weary of being discovered as a real creature, capable of possessing, influencing, and causing general suffering in the human population. However, if you have read any of my past articles, you will know that I believe that these very real demons are a product of the human mind. Yes, they have to be treated as a separate entity, capable of all of the above dire manifestations, but in the end, they are destined for failure. Albeit, the end for me is Christ Consciousness, and I have no fear (anymore) of these creatures, yet those that suffer demonic possession may meet a different and undesirable finale.

Can we not see that the world is in need of spiritual uprising? Or shall we continue down this road to the destruction of millions with the possibility of a rogue nation launching a nuke or two? That action in and of itself will produce more of the evil creatures to seek refuge in the psyche of those effected by the disaster, who in turn are actually creating them. Rages, resentment, jealousy, all of the malicious traits humans have created these monsters. The breeding of evil is at its maximum. Primitive cultures stone to death the women of their culture, beheading and decimating others because of their status as non-believers of their faith. The cycle must end. Action is needed, for if we do nothing, the world will continue to spiral into hell. Each one of us has the ability and the power to cause a fundamental change in the collective unconscious of the planet. Each one, as their spiritual practice grows, adds their light to the whole, exposing the evil grows, both in the physical universe and in the realm beyond the veil.

References:

Wanted: More exorcists to meet demands in the Philippines

By Simone Orendain Catholic News Service

 

How a scientist learned to work with exorcists.

By Richard Gallagher July 1

Richard Gallagher is a board-certified psychiatrist and a professor of l psychiatry at New York Medical College. He is at work on a book about demonic possession in the United States.

 

Aliens and Astral Projection

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Aliens and Astral Projection

If a person were to start counting off in seconds, how long do you think it would take to get to a billion? Don’t bother trying. It would take over thirty-one years to do. That example was to familiarize you with what a billion is. Now, the universe is purported to have over 250 billion galaxies, with each galaxy containing hundreds of billion stars. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, has between 100 billion stars on the low end, and 400 billion stars on the high end. With the surge in scientist finding planets around some of these stars, the recent calculation has put the number of inhabitable planets in our Milky Way to be approximately 8.8 billion planets.

Taking this one step further, Frank Drake created a formula to derive a probabilistic number for how many alien species may be in our galaxy that are capable of communicating with us. Using this equation, the current number of possible intelligent alien civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy is almost 5,000. Bruno Martini, in his article, At last, how many alien civilizations are out there? stated, “If those galactic societies were equally spaced, they could be at an average distance of 28,845 light-years apart. That’s too far to have a dialogue with them, even through electromagnetic radiation traveling at the speed of light. So, even with such a potentially high number of advanced civilizations, interstellar communication would still be a major technological challenge. Still, according to SDE, (Statistical Drake Equation), the average distance we should expect to find any alien intelligent life form may be 2,670 light-years from Earth. There is a 75% chance we could find ET between 1,361 and 3,979 light-years away.”

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the galaxy cluster MACSJ0717.5+3745. 

The above photo was taken by NASA and shows the numerous galaxies that exist in a small portion of the observable universe.

If you have ever seen a Star Trek movie, then you should be aware that Warp Factor One is traveling at the speed of light. Yet, in the series and the movies, there is no talk of the time dilations, which according to Einstein’s Special Relativity Theory, would occur. For instance, if the Starship Enterprise were traveling at half the speed of light, or, 93,141.198 miles per second, the time dilation, or slowing down of time for the crew in comparison to the Earth, would be approximately 1.15. That is to say that from a perspective of a person standing on earth, their clocks would tick 1.15 times faster than the Starship Enterprises. Alternatively, we could say that for every year experienced by the crew zipping along through space at half the speed of light, 1.15 years have passed on Earth. Additionally, if the Starship Enterprise were traveling at .9 times the speed of light, for every year spent at that speed, the Earth would experience 2.3 years. And we haven’t even reach Warp Factor One. So, here we see the implausibility of traveling at speeds that could help us navigate our galaxy. Our closest neighboring star, Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, a double star system, is 4.3 light years away. If humanity were able to build a ship that could travel at half the speed of light, it would take, 8.6 years to get there. Not too bad, but consider that approximately 10 years will have passed on Earth. If we were traveling a .9 the speed of light, then it would take 4.8 years to reach Alpha Centauri, but 11 years would have passed on earth. More than double the Earth years would have passed by the time the ship arrived. This is a problem, not only for Earthlings but also for all sentient species of our galaxy. Interesting enough is the fact that as a ship approaches the speed of light, the time dilation increase to Paramount proportion. Let us say a ship, traveling too close the event horizon of a black hole, becomes captured by its massive gravity and is pulled into its inner core at a speed approaching the speed of light. From earth’s perspective, we would see the ship frozen at the precipice of the spinning vortex, not moving, forever stuck. From the viewpoint of the ship’s crew, we would see centuries pass, and Sol, the Earth’s sun will explode, as it dies a millennium from now. The ship’s time has stopped, or you could say, that is has slowed to such a degree that the universe ages millions and billions of years per millisecond. (One point to note is that Stephen Hawking and Leonard Susskind argued whether information is retained in the universe after a black hole consumes an object. Susskind won, and showed that an ingoing object is consumed immediately, yet an imprint of it former design remains behind as outgoing radiation. This solves the mystery of how an object can seemingly remain trapped within a black hole, from Earth’s perspective, and simultaneously fall into it, from the ship’s perspective).

Therefore, you see, for an intelligent species of alien life to arrive on Earth, they would have to be in command of some sort of alternate mode of travel. (Barring such things as the Alcubierre drive, which creates a warp bubble by compressing the space in front of it and expanding the space behind, or a creation of a stable traversable wormhole, which must utilize a material not yet discovered and only theorized to exist, called Exotic matter. Exotic matter is matter that does not have the properties of ordinary matter in that it may have a negative energy or mass, and is likened to the mysterious dark matter, which physicist believe encompasses ninety percent of the universe. (Remember Yesod, Unus mundus and the Higgs Field from my previous article, The Physics of Magick…Things that make you go hmmm).

Now onto aliens and astral projection, and the many similarities that exist between encounters with aliens and the out-of-body-experience. John Mack, in his book, Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens, nicely compares and contrasts many esoteric states encountered in both experiences. For instance, during an astral experience, novices of the feat may find that they are lying in bed fully conscious, yet are paralyzed, unable to move a muscle, but have the ability to hear and feel. In psychological terms, this is called sleep paralysis and is believed to be caused by a person waking up during REM sleep, where the body is in a state of Atonia, which is the paralysis of the body during REM sleep to prevent the sleeping person from acting out their dreams. Fair enough. Other causes implicated in sleep paralysis are sleep apnea and sleep deprivation. However, I believe that sleep paralysis is indicative of the novice astral journeyer having the preliminary stages of soul separation. Unconscious forces are at work with the sleeping person, and push the individual to the brink of an experience that surpasses all. As a long time sufferer of sleep paralysis, I discovered that it was the catalysis for the out-of-body-experience. If you read any articles or books on alien abduction or encounters, paralysis is a major part. Abductees often report lying in bed, unable to move and seeing either the Greys or taller, more dominant beings.

Further comparisons entail passing through solid objects. How often have abductees stated that they floated upwards while they were lying in bed and passed through the ceiling? Probably most. What is happening is that these extraterrestrial beings are present in the astral world and coax the abductee into having an out-of-body-experience. And it is that body, the astral body, that is taken for study. Some abductees reported how the aliens entered their bedroom by either appearing suddenly, or walking through the walls and then leaving the same way. Unless these aliens are in control of some sort of technology that contradicts known physics, they are here in the astral.

Whitney Strieber, in his book Communion, writes about his encounters with the Greys, who visited him in his home on many nights. Strieber’s account of his many interactions with the visitors has detailed astral phenomenon such as going through walls, rising up in his bed, and even playing a game of astral tag, where the alien entities and other abductees project spheres of energy at each other while in their astral bodies. Additionally, in his book, The Communion Letters, several people speak of being paralyzed during their precursor abduction experience and detail the many astral phenomena previously mentioned.

The following paragraph is a personal account of a visitation as told to me from a dear and trusted friend.

It happened many years ago, and a friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, told me about an alien encounter he experienced while sleeping in his NYC apartment next to his wife. Sometime during the night, as he was sleeping on his right side, he felt three gentle pokes on his left calf. Thinking it was his wife foot prodding him, he ignored it. Three more taps on his calf ensued, this time with a little more fervor. Annoyed now, he attempted to push his wife legs away from him with his legs but found she was curled up on the edge of her side of the bed, legs and feet nowhere near his. Puzzled, he sat up. There in front of him where what he described as five tall beings, similar in appearance to the Greys, but standing six-feet tall. Light pale skin, wearing shimmering, one-piece silver outfits, passive, non-threatening, they brought with them five to seven other beings, whom my friend stated were part of him. (My friend asked me to withhold the details of the appearance of these related entities, only because he has said that in his search for similar encounters and descriptions, he has found nothing even vaguely similar. What he experienced does not fit into other testimonies of abductees claiming that they met their hybrid children. My friend wishes to keep the details of his hybrid spawn concealed until he or I can find similar comparisons).

After spending several moments with the hybrids, my friend felt a presence on his left side, just over his shoulder. When he turned, an alien face peered at him only inches from his. Its lips spread wide, the corners of its mouth pulled taught, high, wrapping around its head. Rows and rows of needle-like teeth gleamed in the darkness. My friend, paralyzed with fear, his mouth hanging open, emitted a soft moan. Then, instantaneously, the beings were gone, leaving him sitting in his bed, alone.

As I questioned my friend to elaborate on specific details, he stated that he could easily recall the face of the creature that invaded his personal space, exposing its teeth. My friend indicated that he does not know if the creature was grinning or smiling in a passive way, or if the expression was one of malice. What would an alien think of our broad smile, baring our teeth in an expression of joy, or hearty laughter, our mouth wide and weird sounds being emitted?

Below is a clay sculpture that my friend created of the creature as it exposed its teeth, inches from his face.

My anonymous friend created the above sculpture. It depicts the creature that appeared in his bedroom inches from his face. Whether the being is smiling or snarling has yet to be determined, and the image remains vivid in his mind’s eye.

To this day, my friend has experienced something tapping his calf in the middle of the night. The taps are always in sets of threes, and he is still hesitant to open his eyes again for fear of seeing the ambivalent creature again. However, my friend stated that he did gather the courage to do so, but has yet to elaborate further details to me. He reiterates that he felt no malice in the encounter, but believes the aliens were there to share with him his hybrid offspring. Additionally, my friend has had many astral experiences and is confident that this encounter took place while he was out-of-his-body, yet still within his bedroom. It was his astral body that sat up, while his sleeping body lay undisturbed. If not for his understanding of the astral plain, he would have sworn the encounter was physical in nature. This could account for the many people claiming to be physically abducted from the home. They are not experienced enough with astral travel to recognize the difference.

Whether these being are from another planet, the future, another dimension, or even possibly from deep within the subconscious, I do not know. But what I believe is that these beings are contacting us on the astral plain, complete with astral apparatus for carrying out their plans. Remember, whatever is changed on the astral plain, appears on the physical plain. As for the hybrids, my friend’s detail of their appearance does not fit in with the traditional descriptions of hybrid beings, of beautiful human looking children with big eyes. This almost makes me believe his testimony more valid than others. There is no romance in it, no feeling of being special or chosen. He told me his story as mere fact, more afraid of further night encounters than anything else and highly perplexed at its meaning. I question many of the people claiming to be abductees, who state that they provided their DNA for future alien hybrids. Really? I would believe Mozart, Einstein or Da Vinci, or someone profoundly capable in the esoteric arts if they stated to me that the aliens wanted their DNA. But for most people with the claim, I don’t know, perhaps. As for my friend, why did the aliens choose him? Probably because he is profoundly efficient in the esoteric arts and astral projection and has chosen a life (or the life has been selected for him), that expedites the evolution of his soul.

The author has come to conclude that the physical appearance of aliens is highly unlikely given the limitation of the physical universe and that it is much more feasible for an advanced civilization to utilize a dimension where faster than light travel is possible. Do I believe the construction of a material that is of both dimensions, i.e. physical and astral? Possibly. Humanity has recently discovered the Higgs Particle, or God particle, as most probably know it. Will Mankind one day be able to manipulate a particle that is alleged to produce physical mass from the infinite void of pure potential? I think, yes. Then again, I don’t see the glass as half empty or even half full. I see it as the collapse of the wave function after my consciousness has observed it.

References:

NASA, ESA, R. Ellis (Caltech), and the UDF 2012 Team  Galaxies2 The Hubble Ultra Deep Field seen in ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, H. Teplitz and M. Rafelski (IPAC/Caltech), A. Koekemoer (STScI), R. Windhorst (Arizona State University), and Z. Levay (STScI

At Last, How Many Alien Civilizations are There? By Bruno Martini – Nov 30, 2012. See more at: http://www.astrobio.net/news-exclusive/at-last-how-many-alien-civilizations-are-there/#sthash.MyGmjiQY.dpuf

Hubbled and Humbled – redcrownews.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.redcrownews.com/2016/06/hubbled-humbled

John Mack, Abduction: Human Encounters With Aliens, (New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1994).

Communion, by Whitney Stieber, Beech Tree Books; 1st edition (February 1987)

The Communion Letters, by Whitney Strieber and Anne Strieber, Crossroad Press; Panta Rei First Digital edition (June 21, 2016)

The Physics of Magick

 

 

The physics of Magick

“Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your unguarded thoughts.” Buddha.

            When I was first taught about the atom, the electron orbited around the nucleus, which is composed of protons and neutrons. However, this is not how it works. Now, we understand that the electron is not a tiny particle spinning around a solid ball of substance, but exist as a wave function, a cloud of possible position, or all positions, around the similar nucleus. When a measurement, or observation, is taken of the position of the electron, the wave function collapses, and one of the infinite positions of the electron is realized. This is an example of the dual aspect of matter. Matter exists both as a wave function with infinite possibilities of materializing at a particular point, and as a solid particle. This principle of matter is the crux of Magick, and in manipulating the above principle, the Magician, Pagan, or Wiccan, can cause change in their environment.

If any of the readers have watched, The Big Bang Theory, (which is my favorite sit-com) then you are quite familiar with an often referred to thought experiment entailing Schrodinger’s Cat. In this thought experiment, the cat is placed in a sealed box in which the release of a deadly poison is dependent on whether or not a single atom of a radioactive substance decays or not, (decay means that a particle materializes outside of the radioactive substance). Now, according to the particle-wave theory of Quantum mechanics, the atom is functioning as a wave, and thus all possibilities are poised to manifest, or collapse, when the atom is observed and only when the atom is observed. Before the observation, all possibilities can be realized. Thus, the cat, being dependent on the atom decaying or not, is in a state of limbo, with all possibilities present, and thus both dead and alive at the same time. Schrodinger used this experiment to show the absurdity of the phenomenon. (However, later scientist pointed out that the cat is such a large system of matter that it is still being observed by the universe, i.e., breathing and such). This will answer the question, “If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?” According to the above, the answer is a big Yes!

To bring the point home, let me elaborate on the most famous of quantum experiments, The Double Slit Experiment. In this study, researchers direct a beam of light at a barrier with two vertical slits. Directly behind the barrier is a photographic plate, which records the results. One would expect to see two vertical lines on the photographic plate as the beam of light passes through. Yet, this is not what happens. The light passing through the slits creates an interference pattern. See figure one.

 

Figure 1-The interference pattern shown is a result of the physical proton, acting as a wave. When one photon of light is projected at the double-slit barrier, the photon registers as a single point. Yet, after cumulative photons are fired, the result is an interference pattern. The photons act as if they are interacting with each other, even though they are singly projected.

 

This interference pattern is a result of the photons, (particles of light that materialize from the electromagnetic field), acting as a wave function. The light and dark patterns are created when the peaks and troughs of the wave functions either add to each other or subtract. You may say, okay, big deal. But this also happens when a single photon is projected at the barrier. The single photon goes through both slits simultaneously, creating the same interference pattern, point by point, which insinuates that the single photons are interfering with themselves, even though projected one at a time. It gets even weirder. When the researchers attach a detector before the barrier in an attempt to observe the trajectory of a single photon to record which slit the photon enters, the wave function collapses, prior to the slits, and the results are what one would expect, two separate lines on the photographic plate. This clearly shows that the observation itself changes the results, i.e. either particle or wave. When the measurement is stopped, the wave function returns and the superposition of all possible trajectories is recorded on the photographic plate as the interference pattern. Superposition is the cumulative result of all wave functions and all possibilities, and like the electron cloud around the nucleus, supports all the possible positions of the appearance of the particle. Scientists use statistical probability to determine where the particle may materialization from the wave function, but have no idea as to why that particle comes into being at that particular location. The manifestation appears when observed, and is what scientist refers to as the wave function collapse. Superposition in the wave function implies that the particle is in all possible position simultaneously and only manifests when observed. However, the term observation does not mean with the physical eyes for large systems, as noted with Schrodinger’s cat, or a tree falling in the forest.

Additionally, there is a superposition of the superposition that is the basis for my argument and where Magick gets its power.

Physicist Chris Lee, in an article entitled, Physicists summon up their courage and go after the nature of reality.” Written for Ars Technica, wrote:

“Quantum mechanics may allow the wave function to represent a superposition of different states, (meaning all possible positions while in the wave form of the particle) with measurement results determined by probabilities. The statistical interpretation of the wave function implies that there can be a superposition of superposition states, which changes the relative probabilities of the measurement outcomes.” He continues, “A group of physicists and philosophers who don’t believe that quantum mechanics represents reality but that it was all we could see of some deeper, more fundamental theory. A subclass of these scientists believed that the randomness of quantum mechanics would eventually be explained by some non-random, deterministic property that we simply couldn’t directly observe (otherwise known as a hidden variable).” Many have theorized that this hidden variable is the human consciousness.

Having understood that the wave function contains all the possible paths of a particular particle, and that the inferior superposition contains an influencing superior superposition, the magician, during ritual or even focused thought, creates an emotional construct of the desired change. This emotional construct causes the superior superposition to influence the inferior superposition, beginning a cascade of materialized particles, which in the end, brings to fruition the change on a massive scale. This is how I believe a person, using magickal or meditative means, can cause change in their environment. Our consciousness can manipulate the superposition of the superposition.

To illustrate the idea further, Carl Jung, a Swiss Psychiatrist, believed that, just as events may be connected by causality, they may also be connected by meaning. Events connected by meaning need not have an explanation in terms of causality. This he termed, Synchronicity and indicated a deeper reality with he called the Unus mundus. Wikipedia defines the Unus mundus as, “Latin for ‘one world’, is the concept of an underlying unified reality from which everything emerges and to which everything returns. (This definition will become very important in the following paragraphs). Jung believed that the Unus mundus, or deeper order, and its appearance as a synchronicity, could lead a person to a spiritual awaking and bring the egocentric individual to thinking about the Oneness of the universe.

The term meaning can be considered to hold an emotional context, which for the magician is highly important. Just like the Zen master, who observes his life events as a spectator, so too must the magician. The directed emotion gives rise to the energy needed to cause a ripple in the underlying fabric of the universe. The magician sees his life as the Zen master does, watching events unfold, experiencing it passively. Yet, when the need arises, the magician brings forth his/her passion, directing his/her will, creating an emotional construct of the desired outcome.

Let me introduce the Chaos theory, also called the Butterfly Effect, which can further illustrate the effects of manipulating the superposition of the superposition. Wikipedia explains that the butterfly effect is “the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state can result in large differences in a later state.” This idea came from a man named Edward Lorenz and his study of hurricanes. He came to conclude that the initial conditions for the hurricane can be influenced by minor, and seemingly insignificant changes, in the character of the hurricane. He gave an example that the exact path and time of formation of a hurricane could be a result of a butterfly flapping its wings on the other side of the world, weeks earlier. Lorenz concluded that a small seemingly irrelevant change in the initial conditions of a system could become highly relevant and significantly change the outcome of a much larger system.

The influence of consciousness in the quantum theater regarding the physical manifestation of thought reflects the present state of the observer. If the observer is of a stature that lacks any form of spiritual insight or growth, that individual will be a slave to his/her subconscious thought. These subconscious thoughts created by the repetition of the conscious thoughts of the individual and by the collective unconsciousness of Earth’s population, of which Jung believed was a key element in the Unus mundus, would create an environment suitable to the person’s thought process. Without the intentional effort to eliminate the influences that lay just below the surface of the waking state, these subconscious thoughts, (Jung called them Archetypes and were responsible for creating complexes in people, and comprised of both the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious), are free to manipulate and contort the quantum probability wave, or superior superposition. This would create a higher probability of a specific event materializing, thus causing the independent consciousness, i.e., the person, to experience his/her thoughts. If that person is of an unevolved mind, it perpetuates an environment made up of possible unwanted attributes.

In contrast, the person who directs his/her will towards knowledge of his/her perfected personality, or the Higher Self, can suppress the malicious external influences of both the Earth’s collective unconscious, and their own, and directly and intentionally change the probability of a particular event happening. This occurs on the quantum level, and the mind of a trained magician or meditator can focus his/her directed and pinpointed will on a particular outcome and influence the superposition of the superposition. The basic or inferior superposition wave function will collapse in the direction of a person’s evolved subconscious makeup. The practitioner of the esoteric arts can directly manipulate the overlaying or superior superposition, effecting the collapse of the inferior superposition wave function, directed by the will.

In 2013, physicist, using the Large Hadron Collider (the world’s largest and most powerful particle collider, built along the border of France and Sweden), discovered a particle called the Higgs Boson, or as the media called it, the God Particle. The discovery of the God Particle purports an underlying field, called the Higgs Field, which is the last unverified theory of the standard model of particle physics. The Higgs field was created at the Big Bang, permeates the entire universe and is said to be the energy of a vacuum. It is the medium that gives mass to the wave function by way of the Higgs Boson or God Particle. This particle manifests as an excitation, or ripple, in the Higgs field. (An excitation is defined as a point with greater energy from the ground state of a field). Now you can see how the particle got its nickname, for it creates matter where before there was only a vacuum.

This leads me to how I believe Magick works. The implements of Magick, such as a talisman, a wand, a candle, and so forth, help the practitioner’s willpower focus on the desired outcome, creating an emotional construct capable of influencing the superior superposition probability wave function in a particular trajectory or direction. (Additionally, as one becomes proficient, the thought alone will cause a change in the environment). The Magician intensely focuses the mind on a desired outcome, which in turn causes a ripple in the omnipotent void of pure potential, the Higgs field, where all possibilities are un-manifest, causing the God Particle to come into existence. The focused will of the magician, added to the emotional construct, creates an increase in the probability of a single particle manifesting along the chosen vector, or path, and like the Butterfly Effect, sets the emotional construct on a course towards full fruition.

Furthermore, all this happens in Yesod, which is called by Kabbalists, the foundation of the universe. It is the ninth Sephora, directly above the tenth, or Malkuth, which is deemed the Earth. (Yesod is situated directly below the six Sephora, Tipheria, and the seat of Christ Consciousness. This alignment of the Sephora on the Tree of Life glyph shows how Humanity can raise their consciousness, and evolve their thought pattern first to Yesod, having gained knowledge of the construct of the universe, and then to Tipheria, to understand the true meaning of being a child of God). In my earlier articles, I wrote that in order to cause change in one’s environment, you must change the astral plain, or Yesod. Yesod can now be likened to the Higgs field, or Jung’s, Unus mundus. It is the field that gives form to the universe and is created from both the individual unconscious and the collective unconscious.

Here we see the coupling of three distinct branches of science; physics, psychiatry, and the yet mostly uncharted, esoteric arts. These three different disciplines have come to the same conclusion, that the physical universe is given form by an unseen primordial field, created before the physical universe came into being, is comprised all possibilities realities, and can be manipulated by both collective and individual consciousness.

Of course, mindfulness comes into the equation. Mindfulness quiets the mind, suppressing random thoughts. It is these random unchecked thoughts that create a person’s environment, whether they are good or bad. Control your thoughts, and you control your environment. Change the way you think, and you will change the way you live.

Note to reader. I am by no means proficient in Quantum mechanics and do not claim to understand any of the math involved. Einstein said, “I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know his thoughts. The rest are details. (The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, 2000 p.202)

 

References:

Physicists summon up their courage and go after the nature of reality.

Quantum state may be a real thing. .). Retrieved from http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/07/quantum-state-may-be-a-real-thing.

By Chris Lee – Ars Technica

The insanely weird quantum wave function might be “real” after all.

Retrieved from http://arstechnica.com/science/2011/11/the-insanely-weird-quantum-wave-function.

By Chris Lee – Ars Technica

1. G. Jung ed, Man and his Symbols (1978)

Synchronicity – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity

Our Story – Positive Luxury. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.positiveluxury.com/about/story/

 

Sullen Falls book reviews

By Blake Crockett on July 26, 2016

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

Sullen Falls is a cracking read once you get a few chapters in.
The characters have a very real feel about them and each is quirky in their own right. The tone starts off at a slow pace but quickly builds in momentum as the plot unfolds. A tension begins to form, the one you feel in your gut and then builds up to quicken your pulse … and reading pace.

It has many elements that are woven well by a masterful author, and an imagination that captivates you and wants you to read more. I enjoyed Sullen Falls and the extremely detailed descriptions of both its characters and setting … at times you can see and feel as though you are there.
It has wince worthy moments where you feel embarrassed for a character … for instance when Wilber needs to hide his boner. And other times where you are willing a character to safety. The pace of the book is set out very well, and will leave you thinking well after you finish the last page.
Great book from a great writer … will be looking out for more of his writing in the future.

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers’ Favorite

Sullen Falls by Frank Julius Palumbo is a horror story of epic proportions. Sullen Falls is in the past for Seth; he left it behind to go looking for a life, for answers to burning questions. A comet appears, luring him back and he finds nothing but evil. An evil that is all encompassing and is threatening anyone he ever held dear, including the woman he once loved, Sophia. The Coughlins decide that it would be nice to camp at Sullen Falls in a picturesque campground miles away from the craziness of real life. It’s also a chance for parents and children to rediscover their bond, but none of them can imagine what horror they are about to face. A town festival is not what it seems and the nightmare begins. Seth, the Coughlins, and Sophia must unite to fight the evil and save the town. They must find an ancient book, a book that is under the guard of the last surviving member of an order thought to have been wiped out. Seth will have to come to terms with his destiny, no matter what it is, and whatever it costs him to save Sullen Falls.

Sullen Falls by Frank Julius Palumbo is gripping roller coaster of a read. This is one of those books that, once it grabs your attention, it’s difficult to put down. I found it a little slow to begin with, but it soon picked up pace. Before I knew it, I was in the thick of it, watching a terrifying tale unfold. The plot was complex, yet easy to understand and follow, the character development was excellent, giving enough background to let you know the characters, but not so much that it was too much. There was plenty of action and the story went into enough detail to keep you hooked and wanting to read more. Fans of the horror genre will find this story very much to their liking and I will be looking for more along these lines from Mr. Palumbo

Rating: 5 out of 5

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers’ Favorite Sullen Falls by …

Sullen Falls by Frank Julius Palumbo is a riveting story where readers are introduced to Seth Covington who had left the Sullen Monastery five years ago. Seth goes in search of meaning in his life, but finds himself back in town where he realizes that not only has the place become evil, there is also a threat to the life of his lover, Sophia. Running parallel to the story of Seth Covington is the story of the Coughlins, whose idea of vacationing in Sullen Falls is to create a bond between parents and their teen kids. But then Sullen Falls is gripped by an evil force that threatens to transform the entire universe into hell. There is a way to defeat the evil force, but will Seth, Sophia, and the Coughlins be able to discover it and save Sullen Falls?

Laced with horror and fantasy, the plot pulls readers into Sullen Falls. It’s not the usual kind of horror novel. All the characters are well portrayed and readers can feel the evil lurking in Sullen Falls. Whether it is the nightmare that the Coughlins face or the unexpected appearance of a comet that brings Seth back to Sullen Falls, readers will be gripped by the horror and the eeriness that permeates the plot. The author’s writing style is fluid, giving the story a good pace and movement. The narration is detailed and descriptive, making the scenes vivid for readers. The plot is impressive and the author has handled it well, keeping the suspense going.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Reviewed by Tracy A. Fischer for Readers’ Favorite

In a very dark, creepy and scary tale, Sullen Falls by author Frank Julius Palumbo is certainly a tale that most readers would not tackle after dark. It would be safer to read it at high noon, in your room, with all the lights blazing! Follow the story of the inhabitants of Sullen Falls, a small secluded town with a dark history. Unbeknownst to those who live there, an evil and malevolent force lurks beneath them, one that is ready to wreak havoc at any moment. Seth is a young man who has struggled to find himself since leaving the monastery in town five years ago. He finds himself coming home, feeling drawn by an unusual comet. He realizes the great threat of the evil force, and he’s determined to protect Sullen Falls, especially his former love, Sofia. Joined by a family with teenaged children, the Coughlins, Seth and Sofia must do their best to defeat a force they don’t quite understand in order to save as many as possible. Will they be successful? You’ll need to read this book to find out!

I so enjoyed Sullen Falls. Author Frank Julius Palumbo has done an incredible job in creating characters that his readers will relate to, connect with, and truly come to care about, thinking of them long after the book is finished. If that isn’t a hallmark of a great author, I’m not sure what is. And his dark and twisting tale is simply horror at its best. Any reader who loves a fantastically written scary tale should absolutely read this book. I highly recommend it, and look forward to reading more from the very talented author, Frank Julius Palumbo, as soon as I possibly can!

Meditation and Neuroplasticidty

 

 

Meditation and Neuroplasticity

It Will Pass

A student went to his meditation teacher and said, “My meditation is horrible! I feel so distracted, or my legs ache, or I’m constantly falling asleep. It’s just horrible!”

“It will pass,” the teacher said matter-of-factly

A week later, the student came back to his teacher. “My meditation is wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It’s just wonderful!’

“It will pass,” the teacher replied matter-of-factly.

The above story, written approximately two thousand years ago by Zen masters, is meant to point the student towards enlightenment. Enlightenment being that state of mind where the one who has attained it, is not affected by the roller-coaster ride of human emotions and is marked by the absence of desire and suffering. The aspirations and miseries that most people experience in life do not play havoc with the constant state of mind a Zen master has achieved. The Zen master sees these events as if he/she is watching a television film. For the average person, the television character’s pleasures and tribulations within the scene are viewed objectively from safely outside the setting in which the movie is taking place. The Zen master too will experience the events in his/her life as an observer, not impacted by the desire or sufferings of his ego, watching his/her fate unfold without interference from preconditioned attitudes. Not affected by his/her successes or failures, the Zen master maintains this constant state of mind, allowing the creative force of the universe to flow through them. How many great teachers in history have shown how this limitless energy, once tapped into, caused a change in their environment? The author need not elaborate on this.

However, this state of mind is not a product of culture or teaching but of the practice of mindfulness itself. Mindfulness is a state of mind where the individual has no thought of the past or the future. There is only the present. Like now. Take a moment and focus your attention on the air going in and out of your nostrils. Nothing else. The past plays no part in your current experience, and the future holds no anxiety. This practice is far more challenging than one would think to maintain for any length of time. But the practice itself causes the effect of a calm and steady mind. By that, I mean mindfulness changes the actual structure of the brain. This phenomenon is called Neuroplasticity and is a relatively recent understanding of how the brain functions and adapts.

There are several profoundly important areas of the brain that are physically changed by the practice of mindfulness, areas of the brain that control the overpowering or even superhuman traits of those great men and women who have gone before us. Images of the brains of subjects and control groups were taken before and after using a magnetic resonance imaging, (MRI). The subjects were instructed to perform a mindfulness technique that would have been practiced for at least eight weeks before the study. In one study, it was shown that the amygdala, a structure which has increased activity during stress and becomes denser during prolonged stress, did the opposite when subjects practiced mindfulness. For those people who meditate daily, the amygdala had significantly less activation during stress and had become physically less dense overall. This insinuates that people who meditate will not suffer the dire effects that stress has on the body overall, i.e. high blood pressure, immune deficiencies, depression, and a host of other ailments.

The amygdala is shown above. There is a significant decrease in density and activity during stressful events for people who meditate daily. Additionally, other studies have shown that there is an increased in grey-matter density in the hippocampus, which is associated with learning and memory.

In another study, people who meditated forty minutes a day developed thicker cortical walls than non-meditators. Studies have shown that as a person ages, the cortical walls become thinner. The thickness of the cortical wall is associated with memory, attention, and decision-making. The conclusion was that the brains of people who meditate daily aged much more slowly than those who do not. Along with the above, meditators have shown increased thickness in the sensory regions, demonstrating that daily meditation leads to an increase in sensory awareness. See diagram below.

SW Lazar, a German scientist, is quoted as saying,

“With a rapidly aging society, it becomes increasingly important to counter normal age-related decline in cognitive functioning. Growing evidence suggests that cognitive training programs may have the potential to counteract this decline. On the basis of a growing body of research that shows that meditation has positive effects on cognition in younger and middle-aged adults, meditation may be able to offset normal age-related cognitive decline or even enhance cognitive function in older adults.”

The prefrontal cortex and the auditory and sensory cortex are shown above. Increases in the density and size of these areas occur with the practice of daily meditation. Additionally, an increase in Myelin, the coating of brain nerve cells, has been documented. A decrease in Myelin may result in depression, dementia, and schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder.

In Hugh G. Byrne’s book, “The Here-and-Now Habit: How Mindfulness Can Help You Break Unhealthy Habits …” he describes two distinct states of self-awareness. The first is the ‘narrative-focus,’ or extended self-referencing and is the default mode for humans. This state primarily is associated with negative thoughts about oneself, mind wandering and rumination about the past and the future. Typical everyday experiences. The second state is called the ‘experience-focus,’ or momentary self-referencing and deals with seeing those daily tasks in life as moment to moment events and any emotional feelings as transient. The experience-focused state is entwined within and lost in the narrative-focused state making our life experience filled with past influences impinging upon the present moment and future prospects, and vice versa, creating a whirlwind of emotional turmoil. However, Byrne’s states that with the daily practice of mindfulness, the experience-focus can become the dominant state, separating the once combined neural pathway into two distinct neural networks. Now, after the divide, the narrative-focus is accessible only with intent. Having the experience-focus become the dominant state of mind is crucial in the development and evolution of the human condition because one such area of the brain that shows an increase in activity and thickness as a result of the daily practice of mindfulness is the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is associated a person’s personality and expression, decision making and social behavior. Additionally, it is involved in the prediction of outcomes, expectation based on actions, the determination of what is good and bad, future consequences of current activities, and controlling urges.

The above traits are all fine, and any one of us would lik e to have a superior capacity to judge what is right and wrong, or to control of unwanted urges. However, the real reason for the prefrontal cortices significance is due to a paper written by Elisa Filevich, a researcher at the Centre for Lifespan Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. Using an MRI, Elisa Filevich discovered that the subjects capable of having lucid dreams had an enlarged anterior prefrontal cortex, (located in the front portion of the prefrontal cortex, approximately where the mysterious third eye would be on a person’s forehead) and was highly active during the lucid dreams. Hence, the above studies show that daily meditation does increase the thickness and activity in the prefrontal cortex and that the prefrontal cortex is associated, if not critical, for the ability to have lucid dreams.

Additionally, the practitioner of mindfulness does not have to engage in the practice for extended periods of time. Results have been documented in as little as eight weeks. If you read my previous article on the out of body experience and how lucid dreaming and the purging of the subconscious mind through meditation techniques can produce an actual state of separating the consciousness from the physical body, you will see that for humanity to evolve to higher states of consciousness, one must meditate. The Zen master in the above story is a product of his practice. He sees the emotional states of his student as an impediment to Enlightenment but not because the Zen master was taught that, but because that is how his brain now functions. I believe that once the experience-focus or momentary self-referencing becomes the dominant neural network, the practitioner becomes the observer, allowing that person to connect to a consciousness that is greater than his, i.e. his Higher Self, or the Christ within. The Zen master stands outside of his experience, watching his fate unfold, allowing the Christ Consciousness to rise to the forefront of his experience. When this takes place, the will of the Higher Self dominates, and life flows unhindered by obstacles and detours, allowing the true will to be revealed. Additionally, this is where synchronicities, a theory published by Sigmund Freud’s apprentice, Carl Jung, flourish, and thoughts can be observed creating reality. Synchronicities can be defined, as per Merriam-Webster Dictionary, as ‘the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (as in similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality.’ (I will elaborate on Carl Jung’s theory of synchronicities in a later article.)

The practice of mindfulness is a tool that can be used to change the foundation of human thought and bring Humanity to the brink of an enlightened state. The method is simple, just watch your breath going in and out of your nostrils, in and out, in and out…and let the infinite wisdom of your higher self to take control.

Gard, T., Hölzel, B. K. and Lazar, S. W. (2014), The potential effects of meditation on age-related cognitive decline: a systematic review. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1307: 89–103. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12348

Lazar SW, Kerr CE, Wasserman RH, et al. Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. Neuroreport. 2005;16(17):1893-1897.

Filevich, E., Dresler, M., Brick, T.R., Kühn, S. Metacognitive Mechanisms Underlying Lucid Dreaming. The Journal of Neuroscience (2015) (DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3342-14.2015)

Sullen Falls – new Horror novel by Frank Julius Palumbo

Sullen Falls, the new Horror by Frank Julius Palumbo-Preorder a Kindle copy at Amazon.com

The Evolution of Dreams

Hello everyone.  Here is an article I wrote about Astral Projection for the relatively new Internet magazine Darkness Within.  The e-magazine is horror film and book relate, but my horror related novels deal with the protagonist  touching  upon, or discovering the God within himself. So the CEO of Darkness Within Ezine asked if I wanted to write a monthly column.  I said sure, anything for the cause. So my first article is about the evolution of dreams. Next month’s article is entitled,  Meditation and Neuroplasticity.  Please forgive the formatting,  I’m in the Catskills mountains and using my cell phone.  I hope. you enjoy…also, it’s about five pages of single of single space.  Cheers Frank

    All of us have Darkness Within, some more than others. For those of us who seek to purge the stain of humanity’s evolutionary stagnation, and free the mind from its prison of human flesh, read on. But beware, for once the ride has begun, you won’t get off, and only you will hear your screams.
The out of body experience or astral projection is the sensation that your consciousness is separated from your physical body. This alternate body can comprise an exact duplicate of the physical body, or it may entail a ‘floating eye’ perspective, much like a person may have when they are normally dreaming or having a lucid dream. However, there is an immense difference between these three dream states. Many people have difficulty differentiating between nocturnal dreams, the kind we all have, and the precursor to astral projection, lucid dreaming. In lucid dreaming, which is rare, the individual can control the visions and change their dream environment, while having full use of their cognitive functions. However, the imagery is comprised of subconscious wishes and terrifying apparitions. There is no real world interaction. The fully conscious individual cannot breach the tightly woven fabric of the physical universe and cannot enter higher realms of existence. The third dream state, much rarer and challenging, if not impossible for some to achieve, is the Out of Body Experience or Astral Projection. Here, the individual separates his/her consciousness from their physical body, slicing through the fabric of matter, to experience the physical universe directly or travel the astral planes, where gods and demons reign.
                I believe that these three states of the sleeping mind are not independent of one another but lay on a continuum of personal growth and achievement. That is to say, as he/she evolves their consciousness, by a variety of means, their dreaming states will also advance, ending with the ability to separate his/her astral body from their physical body at will. There is nothing like the feeling of your mind, consciousness, astral body, soul, or whatever your particular culture chooses to call it, as it rises out of your sleeping form, fully awake and aware, with all of his/her memories intact. But now, free from the constraints of the world of matter, you are set to explore the universe, to travel to higher planes of existence, and perhaps, meet your Higher Self, the Divine spark, your Holy Guardian Angel, the Christ within you. (I use the term, Christ, not in a Christian sense, but as a commonly understandable meaning for a fully evolved soul in the material world, i.e., Christ Consciousness). Alister Crowley was quoted as saying, “It should never be forgotten for a single moment that the central and essential work of the Magician is the attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.”
All of us have had dreams that provoke profound states of anxiety. We sometimes wake to say, “Thank God it was just a dream.” Better yet are dreams of pure hedonistic pleasures, the kind when upon waking, you lay still hoping to return to your forbidden desires. Science has long questioned the reason why humans, and for that matter, animals, dream. One theory purports that dreams are practice for daily living, a trait that would have come in handy to primitive humans cowering in a dark cave at night, dreaming of hunting or trapping. Others believe that dreams stem from subconscious desires, where they can be safely enjoyed without harm coming to the physical form. Or that that fears and threats experienced throughout the course of the day, bubble up from suppressed regions of the ego to play itself out, thus relieving the physical body of the harmful effects of stress. All these theories are valid, yet to my knowledge, none has proposed that dreams, and their progressive stages, are stepping stones to the next phase of Humanity’s evolution, which is the ability to separate his/her consciousness from the physical body at will.
Herein is the key. We all experience the alternate reality of the sleeping mind, whether
you are a saint or a sinner. However, I believe it takes a more spiritual seeker, or mystical explorer, to have a lucid or second dream stage. (The two italicized designations are used loosely). With lucid dreaming, the individual may wake in his/her dreamscape or may rise out of his/her physical body as in astral projection. However, the difference is in the content of the experience; what a person sees, hears, or engages in. In the normal or first dream stage, the subconscious mind shapes the experience, preventing lucidity from occurring or causing its premature termination. Wicked things and slashing monster may attack, tsunamis could drown you, or death may occur, shocking you awake. Yet with practice, (practice of a particular kind), the individual in the lucidscape can learn to control the events, and with a flick of the hand, demons turn coward, tsunamis part their waters, and death is no longer feared.
         With stage one dreams, no proof is needed for we all experience them. This is different with lucid dreaming. Many have claimed to be able to control their nocturnal fantasies, yet, for one who has experienced the ability, their claims are clearly a fabrication of the false self to lift the ego and create a sense of ascendancy. However, the experience of lucid dreaming has been documented in studies and has been achieved in laboratory settings. For example, when the subject successfully awakens in the dreamscape, that individual has total control of their environment and actions in the dream world and can control the physical eye movements of their sleeping body. Having been instructed by the researcher to move his/her eyes in a particular sequence, the subject, once becoming lucid, move their eyes in the predetermined pattern, perhaps three times to the left and three times to the right. That movement will elicit corresponding eye movement in the sleeping subject as indicated by electrodes attached to the subject’s eyelids, thus confirming that the sleeping subject is lucid within the dreamscape.
           Additionally, some subjects experience the lucidscape as a ‘lifting away’ from their body and observing their lucidscape as if they were standing in the real world. No waking within a normal dream occurs. The subject’s experience entails sitting up in bed, standing and gazing at their sleeping body. This could be an indication that the subject is not having a lucid dream, but experiencing the separation of their astral body from their physical body.
               The difference between lucid dreaming and astral projection is in understanding the origin of what is experienced and the progress of daily practice. However, this understanding and practice do not take place in the lucidscape, but rather entails sitting on a pillow for extended periods of meditation. I believe that meditation is the key to eliminating the individual of suppressed desires and fears, thus clearing the clutter of images in the dreamscape, allowing lucidity to develop and achieved. Meditation brings the subconscious mind to the forefront of consciousness for personal examination, exposing repressed attitudes and conditioning. With this knowledge gained, he/she is no longer a slave to primitive desires or irrational fears. Without these distractions, the dreaming mind now has the ability to become aware of itself.
The practitioner of lucid dreaming, free of unfettered images, can then enter the astralscape, that dimension, which I believe, is the precursor to the physical world, giving form and substance to all matter. Called Yesod, it is the foundation of all magickal work. This tradition of thought comes from the Jewish Kabbalah, as adapted by Western occultists. The theory is that if you change a variable in the astral world, through either ritual or projecting your consciousness, then you change that variable in the physical world. Additionally, with awareness of the astralscape, the practitioner, having confronted his/her subconscious affects, may walk among the world of matter. Herein is another mystery where the tales of shapeshifting and doppelgangers originate, but that is for another time.
Therefore, lucid dreaming and astral projection are part of a continuum of awareness and training, and the experience will be dependent upon the progress and extent an individual purges their subconscious mind through meditation. Without this purging, the neophyte will travel in a world where suppressed wishes and past experiences impinge upon his/her experience, preventing the practitioner from becoming lucid, limiting it, as he/she becomes lost amongst his/her fear and desires. The seasoned dream traveler, having uncovered the subconscious, laying it bare through years of meditation, progresses unhindered by false and deleterious visions and sees the physical world as is, and if preferred, may rise himself/herself to higher plains of existence.
             Writer of horror and dark fantasy with a spiritual connotation; Astral projection, occult sciences, Enochian magick . . . And sitting in half lotus for decades.
Frank Julius Palumbo was born in the Bronx in December of 1964. He has worked as a carpenter, a freelance illustrator, and is now currently involved in Law enforcement. His studies include Psychology and Neuropsychology, and he has been practicing Zen Buddhism and the Kabbalah for over thirty years.

http://www.frankjuliuspalumbo.com
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The Enochian Wars: Armageddon Unleashed. Published by Eternal Press
Enochian-Wars-Armageddon-Unleashed at Amazon.com
Planet Nibiru, known to the ancient Sumerians and spoken about in their writings on stone tablets thousands of years ago, has returned from its long orbit around the sun. This time, the inhabitants, huge winged gargoyles, plan to reap that which they sowed on their last passing, leaving Mankind fighting for both body and soul. Completely devastating the Earth with global Electromagnetic Pulse Nuclear bombs, Earth is suddenly left defenseless. Thousands of rectangular ships plummet in and around New York City and begin their erratic movement towards one goal; coalescing and forming a great wall around the metropolis and creating a central tower. As New York City is brought to its knees, Jack Savage, a veteran NYPD officer and longtime dabbler in the Occult, practicing a little known form a magick called Enochian, is transformed into a being with talents similar to that of Earth’s new masters. That is, the ability to separate your soul-body from your physical body at will. Savage, along with his cynical partner Gilmore Boyle and Ol’ Willie-be-Good, a homeless crack addicted Vietnam veteran, begin the hopeless quest of defeating the Harvesters of Humanity.

Caliburn Press Blog Hop

Hi all!!

Welcome to the Caliburn Press Blog Hop!!! Below you will find some of our books by some great authors. Please check them out. Don’t forget to follow the blog links below for more blogs and giveaways.

 

JJ Fowler

The Longest Midnight

The Earth is dead, long ago ruined in the fires of the war – a war without end. Humanity now fights extinction from the legions of the ravenous dead.  These dead warriors change, they adapt, they fight back with our weapons, mimic our tactics, and even speak in our tongue. In a sign of desperation, a small group of human soldiers sets off into the unknown for answers to the dead’s uncanny ability to learn and organize and kill. They hope to return with something that will turn the tide in humanity’s favor. But is there even a tide to turn? Most humans can only wait and look up into the blackened sky, a sky without sun, a sky they call The Longest Midnight.

Link: Coming Soon.

 

 

Barbara Custer

When Blood Reigns.

Marked for death, Alexis holes up in a safehouse with her lover Yeron and four survivors of a zombie invasion. She’s searching for the compound where Kryszka renegades are making a chemical to induce a zombie-like state. Despite frequent assaults by ravenous walkers, subtle dangers such as hidden cameras elude Alexis. She never realizes until too late that the renegade soldiers have been tracking her.

Link: Coming soon.

 

 

Marti Boshers

Sophie’s seemingly ordinary life is about to be replaced with one full of chaos when she travels to an immortal realm for protection. She discovers she is part faery and part witch, but she is more powerful than either. She soon realizes she will have to protect her family, friends, and this new world she has come to love. She will sacrifice everything and never give up hope. She finds family, love, and power, but she also finds betrayal and murder. Will she rise to the challenge set before her or fall beneath the ashes of what she is destined to save.

Link: Coming Soon

 

S.A. Hunter

Elanraigh: The Vow

Thera doesn’t know why the Elanraigh Forest-Mind chose her, of all the Allenholme folk, to hear its voice and to awaken her gifts of mind and spirit. The Elanraigh sends a warning dream—black sails swooping toward Allenholme from across the western sea—the Memteth, an ancient enemy, armed with blue fire that hungers to consume life.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Elanraigh-Vow-S-Hunter-ebook/dp/B0075XGQSU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461198458&sr=8-1&keywords=Elanraigh%3A+The+Vow

 

 

Chuck Daukas: A Little Night Fishing

“Hidden by the sea and the fog, he watches.  His lust for human flesh has sprouted and grown over a preternaturally long life.  Now his hunger is insatiable and he will hide no longer.

On shore, a young, bumbling security guard barely escapes a mind-wrenching encounter, only to find himself all that stands between the thing and humanity – and a multiplying horror that is closer to us than we are to ourselves.”

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Night-Fishing-Chuck-Daukas-ebook/dp/B00L5UDUOM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461198395&sr=8-1&keywords=chuck+daukas

 

 

Barbara Winkes

Amber Alert

When her two-year-old niece is kidnapped, Major Crimes Detective Ann McCoy uses every bit of leverage she has with Agent Cal Davis to stay on the case. The girl’s parents, Ann’s sister and her wife, are desperate for answers.
While the investigators look at the disturbing possibilities, a pattern emerges. They find an organization hidden in plain sight that has no boundaries when it comes to pushing their agenda-
even at the cost of harming families and children.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Amber-Alert-Barbara-Winkes-ebook/dp/B01BE15V3Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1461198333&sr=8-4&keywords=barbara+winkes

 

 

Julia French

Hill Magick

Seeking escape from her abusive husband, aspiring columnist Rachel Jeffries travels into the hill country of Massachusetts, where she is saved from certain death by self-taught folk healer True Gannett. Armed only with his great grandfather’s knowledge, can True protect himself and Rachel and stop the swath of destruction started by the powerful magician Joshua Lambrecht and his obnoxious familiar?

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Hill-Magick-Julia-French-ebook/dp/B00D5X37SQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461198244&sr=8-1&keywords=hill+magick

 

Frank Julius Palumbo:

The Enochian Wars: Armageddon Unleashed

Planet Nibiru has returned from its twelve thousand year orbit, and its inhabitants, a race of advanced winged gargoyles, will again rule Earth as Gods. Humanity’s harvest has begun.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Enochian-Wars-Armageddon-Unleashed/dp/1944579060/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461198186&sr=8-1&keywords=frank+julius+palumbo

 

 

Sandie Will

The Caging at Deadwater Manor

On a cold, January evening, fourteen-year-old Jeannie Kynde is told that her beloved mother drowned in the murky waters along Florida’s Gulf Coast.  Her distraught father turns on Jeannie, no longer the caring father she once knew.  Four years later, Jeannie is finally old enough to escape her father’s clutches, but he has different plans.  He imprisons her at Deadwater Manor, a psychiatric hospital with an unscrupulous past. Will she be locked away forever?

 

 

BLynn Goodwin

Talent

Fifteen-and-a-half-year-old Sandee Mason wants to find her talent, get her driver’s license, and stop living in the shadow of her big brother, who disappeared while serving in Afghanistan. She tries out for the school musical, but is assigned to a job that might be better than any role. Everything changes after her dad picks her up following a Saturday work day, and I can’t tell you the rest without spoilers. If you check the reviews on Amazon, you’ll see that it’s well worth your time.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Talent-B-Goodwin-ebook/dp/B0182N1PZA/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1461198018&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=BLynn+Goodwin

 

 

Tina Amiri

Whatever the Impulse

When There’s Nowhere To Go But Too Far..

With his sole guardian turned stalker and the police on the wrong side, 19-year-old Night has little choice but to enter into an elaborate ruse in exchange for refuge. Despite his oppressive, isolated past, fulfilling his dying mentor’s grand expectations is achievable for prodigious Night, but threats and temptations abound. As Night’s power increases, will he be able to control his feral impulses, and more importantly, will he care?

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Whatever-Impulse-Tina-Amiri-ebook/dp/B01BLX43GQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1461197958&sr=1-1&keywords=tina+amiri

 

 

 

Michael Penny

The nations of Daern are being torn apart. Old enemies are watching their borders, leering through a thin veneer of peace. The nobles search for weaknesses among their rivals, even as their castles crumble around them. And hungry spirits creep into the souls of mortals, whispering of more horrors still to come. At the edge of civilization, four lives collide in this world where mercy has become a luxury few can afford and life is often cheap. Can they survive under the pressure of forces they barely understand?

 

 

Jodie Pierce

The Vampire Queen (book 1 of 3-trilogy)

A young woman awakes to find out not only is she an important Countess but she is also the very first or ‘Ancient One’ as she is called by her subjects. Her memories of being a vampire or anyone are gone so she must relearn everything (from spells to flying) from the people around her, but can they be trusted? She also learns her main objective as the old Countess was purifying the vampire race and wishes to continue with that work. The ‘Others’, powerful and evil vampires, attempt to use her memory loss to their advantage. They had been trying to entice her to their side for centuries. Struggling to remember her past, battling the ‘Others’ and coping with her new life keep the Countess busy throughout this spellbinding and thrilling novel. Will she succeed in her goals or will the ‘Others’ win her over to their side this time around?

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Queen-Jodie-Pierce-ebook/dp/B004V9Z768/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1461197638&sr=1-1&keywords=jodie+pierce

 

 

Angela Page

Matched in Heaven

Heaven may not be what you imagine.
Jake and Mimi are dead and riddled with guilt. They play matchmaker for their spouses on Earth with the help Marcel, a disgraced priest. A May/December romance blossoms for Samantha and Syd on Earth until fate steps in.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Matched-Heaven-Angela-Page-ebook/dp/B0161XSE9I/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1461197573&sr=1-1&keywords=matched+in+heaven

 

Insight into “The Enochian Wars: Armageddon Unleashed

The title of my latest book, ‘The Enochian Wars: Armageddon Unleashed,’ has raised quite a bit of eyebrows. The term Enochian comes from the Biblical figure, Enoch. He was a source of hidden mystical knowledge. In ‘The Book of Enoch,’ it is written, “And after that I saw thousands of thousands and ten thousand time ten thousand, I saw a multitude beyond number and reckoning, who stood before the Lord of Spirits…and I learnt their names: for the angel that went with me made know to me their names, and showed me all the hidden things.” For some, this meant knowledge of a race of beings not born unto the Earth, but instead inhabit the world of spirit.

In the 16th century, John Dee, the mystic for Queen Elizabeth 1, used his seer, Edward Kelly, to contact angelic beings by scrying into a black mirror. These angelic beings were believed to be the same race of beings that appeared to Enoch. Over the course of two years, the Angel Av bestowed upon Dee the Language of the Angels, or Celestial Speech, giving him knowledge of their alphabet. From this alphabet, a hierarchy of good angels and their demon counterparts was constructed. By assembling four tablets, each containing a grid of 12 by 13 letters, these tablets became the key to Enochian Magick. Within the four tablets are the names of all known angels and demons. With ritual use, these names can be invoked and the angel (or demon) can be summoned to do the magician’s will. The astral being can appear within a scrying mirror or more traditionally, a crystal ball, or the entity will appear in the astral plain, which is explained below. Once summoned, is must be banished (especially the demons) else dire consequences will ensue.

The protagonist in my book is Jack Savage, a veteran NYPD police officer. Savage, during one of his daily meditation practices, has an out of body experience and projects his soul into the astral plain. There he encounters Enav, a good Senior angel in the hierarchy of angels in Enochian Magick. The angel Enav, harbinger of the apocalypse, cryptically informs Savage of the coming threat.

The out of body experience or astral projection is the sensation that your consciousness is separated from you physical body. This alternate body can comprise an exact duplicate of the physical body or it may entail a ‘floating eye’ perspective. This experience has been documented in studies entailing lucid dreaming and has been achieved in laboratory settings. For example, when the subject successfully awakens in his/her dreams, that individual has total control (with practice) of their environment and actions in the dream world and physical eye movement in the real world. Once the subject separates his consciousness or realizes he/she is dreaming, they move their eyes in the dream world in a predetermined sequence, perhaps three times to the left and three times to the right. That movement will elicit corresponding eye movement in the sleeping subject as indicated by electrodes attached to the subject’s eyelids, thus confirming their lucid experience. Some subjects experience the lucid dream as a ‘lifting away’ from their body and observing their ‘dream world’ as it is in the real world. No waking within a dream occurs. The subject’s experience entails sitting up in bed, standing and gazing at their sleeping body.

The difference in experience, I believe, is that of meditation. Meditation brings the subconscious mind to the forefront of personal examination, exposing unconscious attitudes and conditioning. With this knowledge gained, he/she is no longer of slave to primitive desires. The practitioner of lucid dreaming enters the astral world, that dimension which is the precursor to the physical world, giving form and substance. In the Kabala tradition, it is called Yesod, the foundation of all magickal work. You cause change in a variable in the astral world, either through ritual or projecting your consciousness there, then you cause change in that variable in the physical world.

Therefore, lucid dreaming and astral projection are part of a continuum of awareness and practice, dependent upon the progress and extent an individual purges their subconscious mind. Without this purging, the neophyte will travel in a world where subconscious wishes and past experiences impinge upon his/her experience, while the seasoned astral traveler, having uncovered the subconscious, laying it bare through years of meditation, walks in the physical world, and can raise him/herself to higher plains of existence.

Recent headlines have reported with awe and some even with trepidation that a new planet may orbit our sun every fifteen thousand years. This new planet, Planet X or even Nibiru, is the size of Neptune and remains unseen. In my book, “The Enochian Wars: Armageddon Unleashed,’ a new planet has entered Earth’s solar system and is close enough to appear as a second sun, yet dark and ominous. Soon, rumors of the ancient Sumerians writings emerge. The Sumerians were a race of people that emerged five thousand years BC, in an area that is today know as Iraq. Around three thousand five hundred BC, the Sumerians invented a form of writing called Cuneiform, and wrote their history on approximately seventy-five thousand clay tablets. These clay tablets speak of the planet Nibiru returning from a three thousand five hundred year orbit from which mighty gods descended. According to Zecharia Sitchin, author of several book detailing ancient mythology, these gods, the Annunaki, enslaved early man and later genetically altered their DNA, giving birth to modern man. I believe any advance race of alien entities would have the ability to project their souls and function in both the physical world and the astral world. Countless examples have been documented from angelic apparitions in holy texts, to the Greys, those little aliens who constantly abduct people, walking through walls.

Our world holds many mysteries and only the open mind can come to grasp such foreign concepts as astral projection and alien ancestors. Today, humanity explores the smallest unit with giant particle colliders and uses massive telescopes to stare past the boundaries of time to observe the Big Bang moments after its creation. But there is another universe waiting to be explored, one that does not need powerful machines or high tech gadgets. It is the universe of mind and mysticism, of introspection and contemplation. Whether these apparent real phenomena are solely personal or, in fact, quantitative has yet to be seen.