1020 lines
42 KiB
Plaintext
1020 lines
42 KiB
Plaintext
INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD RELIGION
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LESSON 2
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I. THE MODERN SCIENTIFIC VIEW OF THE UNIVERSE
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A. Foundation
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1. Nearly three thousands years ago, the Greeks started to emigrate
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eastwards towards Ionia. They settled on the islands in the Aegean
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Sea and on the coastline of Asia Minor.
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a. The conditions found in Ionia were difficult.
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(1) Backed by inhospitable mountain ranges, they settled in
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small walled towns and supported themselves with dry farming,
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capable of producing only some olives and a little wine.
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(a) With farming ruled out as an option for survival, the
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Greeks turned towards the sea and soon found that they were
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the neighbors of two very large empires, the Babylonians and
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the Egyptians.
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(b) Trade with these two empires seemed to be the natural
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solution to their problem, but they needed to resolve some
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basic questions concerning the founding of their society.
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b. Both Babylonian and Egyptian cultures had developed urban
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civilizations based on an abundance of arable land and plenty of
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water.
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(1) Their societies were theocratic, ruled by kings with magical
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powers.
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(a) There had been little technological or scientific
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novelty, due to the extreme regularity of their physical
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environment and the rigidity of their social structures,
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which were based on the need to build and maintain vast
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irrigation systems.
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(b) Babylonian mathematics and astronomy were restricted
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subjects whose study was permitted only to the priesthood.
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Egyptian geometry served exclusively to build pyramids and
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measure the area of inundated land or the volume of water
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reservoirs.
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(2) Both cultures developed mythical explanations for Creation.
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(a) With gods being responsible for all aspects of the world,
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and with minimal science and technology developed for
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practical necessities, their simple cosmology was complete.
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(b) Unlike the Greeks, the environment made no demands on
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them which they were not able to meet. So other than figuring
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out how to kill their enemies more efficiently, there was no
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inducement to learn to think or to develop their science and
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technology further.
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c. The colonial Greeks were forced by their environment to adopt a
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more dynamic outlook.
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(1) With no theocratic traditions to hold them back, they
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rejected monarchies at an early stage.
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(a) They opted, instead, for republican city- states in
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which a small number of slave-owners governed by mutual
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consent.
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(2) Babylonian astronomy, which had aided priests to make magic
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predictions, was pressed into service as an aid to maritime
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navigation.
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(3) Contact with the Egyptians had planted the seeds of wonder
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in the intellectuals who accompanied the Greek traders on their
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trips around the Aegean.
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(a) Rejecting the cosmologies of the Egyptians they formed
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the rudiments of what was to become philosophy.
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(4) Seeking explanations to the world around them, they found
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ways of exploring nature in order to explain and control it.
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(a) The Ionians took the geometry developed by the Egyptians
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and made a tool with many applications; such as measuring the
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distance from the coast to a ship at sea.
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(b) Geometry became the basic instrument for measuring all
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things. All natural phenomena including light and sound, as
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well as those of astronomy, existed and could be measured in
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exclusively geometrical space.
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(c) Simple analyses of natural phenomena such as water,
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beaches, clay deposits, phosphorescence, magnetism,
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evaporation and condensation as well as the behavior of the
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winds and the changes of temperature throughout the year led
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to the discovery that nature is made up of opposites.
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(5) These simple analyses of phenomena and the observation of
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the presence of opposites combined with the political and
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economic structure of Ionian society produced the dominant
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intellectual structure which is the basis of modern western
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science.
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(a) Geometry rendered the cosmos accessible to examination
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according to a common standard, quantitative scale.
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(b) Together with the concept of pairs of opposites, geometry
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was to become the foundation for a rational system of
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philosophy that would underpin Western culture for thousands
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of years.
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(c) Rational thought followed a new logical technique
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developed by Aristotle called the syllogism, which provided
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an intellectual structure for the reconciliation of opposing
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views.
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(d) In this way, the Ionians before him, and Aristotle,
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produced a system of thought that would guide men from the
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limited observations of personal experience to more general
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truths about nature.
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B. The Middle Ages
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1. During the latter part of the Roman empire, interest in science
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as founded by the Greeks waned and practically all Greek manuscripts
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went to Arabia.
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a. In a way, Greek science was preserved for posterity by the
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Arabs, who themselves added very little to it.
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(1) They did introduce to science the so called Arabic system of
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numbers, which used the zero as a place holder.
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(a) To be sure, Alhazen produced a work on optics, but
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generally speaking Greek science was not improved upon to any
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appreciable extent by its translation into Arabic. (b)
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Science was still based upon the authority of Aristotle.
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2. Between 700 and 1100 AD, a beginning was made toward a revival of
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learning in Europe.
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a. Large universities developed under the shelter of the Church.
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(1) Trade spread, and both Greek and Arabian manuscripts
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gradually found their way back into Europe.
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(a) The Crusades assisted in this process.
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b. Since the Church had survived the Roman state and had become
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all powerful, it was natural that the revival of learning should
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take place under its influence.
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(1) Many of the scientific manuscripts were translated from the
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original Greek into Latin by monks, in monasteries where
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merchants and knights bringing treasures from the east would
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often seek shelter for the night.
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(a) These scholars were satisfied just to make exact
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translations, and so the science which they passed on to the
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world through the Church was the original Aristotelian
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version.
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(2) Although the church had re-established science in the
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various large universities, it is important to remember that
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Church domination flavoured it to suit itself.
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(a) The doctrines of Aristotle came to have the power of law
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behind them.
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(b) Truth was not discoverable, by that time truth was
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dictated by the Church.
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(c) It became a crime of the first order even to question the
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Church sponsored views of Aristotle, to say nothing of
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suggesting that experimentation might be a better way to
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establish the truth.
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C. The New Awakening
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1. During the Renaissance, universities were able to free themselves
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from Church rule and science was able to see the light of day
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without being shrouded in theology.
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a. All of the following produced revolutionary ideas which led to
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their authors spending some part of their lives in prison because,
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while the Church did not have a stranglehold on the human mind, it
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still ruled with an iron fist and was always on the lookout for
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heresy.
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(1) Copernicus developed the heliocentric theory of the
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universe.
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(2) Galileao, Tycho Brahe, and Kepler established the
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fundamental ideas of modern celestial mechanics, based upon
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observation first, and theorizing afterward, thus
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revolutionizing scientific thought.
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(a) Galileo in particular stressed the idea of controlled
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experimentation to such a degree that today he is recognized
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as the father of the modern scientific method based upon
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inductive rather than deductive reasoning.
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(b) Galileo carried observation to the quantitative stage by
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making accurate measurements. He truly emphasized the 'how',
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as contrasted with the 'why' of Aristotle.
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(c) By quantitative observations on falling bodies and other
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mechanical motions, assisted by instruments of his own
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invention to improve the accuracy of his measurements,
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Galileo laid the foundation for the discoveries of Newton.
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(3) Sir Isaac Newton is considered by many to be the greatest
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scientific genius the world has produced thus far.
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(a) He crystallized the scientific thought of his time into a
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few fundamental statements now accepted as laws of nature.
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(b) These include three famous laws of motion and the law of
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gravitation in the field of mechanics alone.
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(c) In addition, he invented calculus and contributed greatly
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to the field of optics.
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(d) His role was primarily that of a co-ordinator of
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information or a systematizer of knowledge. He formulated the
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over all pattern by which scientific knowledge was to be
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organized in the great classical period that was to follow his
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time.
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D. Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Classical Period.
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1. Science was really gathering momentum by this time and becoming
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very complicated.
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a. The various branches of physics received recognition as fields
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that, while related, were becoming too complex to be included
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under the general heading of physics.
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b. Chemistry was coming into its own after a balky start as the
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secret science of Alchemy.
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c. Electricity was an infant science, with a great deal of
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promise.
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E. The Modern Period (1890 to Present)
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1. With the discovery of radioactivity and x-rays, along with the
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isolation of the electron, and the formulation of the concept of the
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electrical structure of matter, science moved into today.
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a. In the early days, science was concerned with the observation
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of natural phenomena and the search for explanations of WHY they
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existed.
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(1) As the emphasis shifted to HOW the phenomena worked the body
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of knowledge grew dramatically.
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(a) Many varied disciplines developed to encompass general
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fields of specialized knowledge and sciences such as geology,
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oceanography, and meteorology came into their own.
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(b) In the light of this tendency to form subgroups, the
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mother of all sciences, which was and is dedicated to the
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study of the physical world, came to be known as Physics.
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b. The field of physics deals with three 'realities' of the
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physical world and has developed three interconnected world views
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to explain them.
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(1) Classical Newtonian Model of the Universe
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(a) This model of the universe works well when you deal with
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objects consisting of large numbers of atoms, and velocities
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which are small compared to the speed of light. In other
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words, our mundane world.
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(2) Einstein's Relativistic Model of the Universe
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(a) This model works well when considering objects on a
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planetary and larger scale that may be many light years away
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from each other. In this model the shortest distance between
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two points is not always a straight line, because gravity
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curves space.
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(3) Quantum Theory of the Universe
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(a) Quantum theory was developed to explain the behavior of
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subatomic particles. It is similar to Relativistic physics in
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that it deals with speeds approaching, and sometimes
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exceeding, the speed of light, but it considers small groups
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and singular particles at a time.
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II. THE CRAFT VIEW OF THE UNIVERSE
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A. Craft cosmology is rooted in the paleolithic Shaman's insight of
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the universe being made up of swirls of energy.
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1. Everything is seen as vortexes of moving forces which are either
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swirling into existence or out again.
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a. These vortexes of force set up currents in a sea of
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everchanging possibilities.
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2. The appearance of separateness exists where fixed objects exist
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within a linear stream of time.
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a. Reality, as we know it, is actually a temporary solidification
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of a field of energies into a physical form.
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B. Rationale of the Two Principles
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a. Stewart Farrar has proposed the following explanation of how
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Crafters integrate every phenomenon from chemistry to clairvoyance
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into a philosophical framework that allows them to constantly
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explain, examine, develop and improve their philosophy.
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(1) The Theory of Levels maintains that a reality exists and
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operates on many planes.
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(a) That each of these levels has its own laws.
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(b) That these sets of laws, while special to their own levels,
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are compatible with each other.
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(c) That mutual resonance governs the interaction between the
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different levels.
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(2) The Theory of Polarity maintains that all activity, all
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manifestation, arises from the interaction of pairs and
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complementary opposites.
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(a) Pairs of opposites such as positive and negative, light and
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dark, content and form, male and female are not conflicts
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between 'good and evil', but a creative tension like that
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between the earth and the sky in a lightning storm.
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III MODES OF PERCEPTION
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A. Ordinary Waking Consciousness
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1. Sees the world as made up of separate parts of matter.
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a. While some of the arrangements of matter are recognized as
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living, few are recognized as intelligent.
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b. Evolved as a means of survival.
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(1) Allows a differentiation between things that are
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potentially threatening and those that are not.
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(a) It works by narrowing the field of conscious perception
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to one thing at a time, isolating it from its surroundings.
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(b) Starhawk describes it as viewing a dark forest with a
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narrow beam flashlight that illuminates a lone leaf or a
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solitary stone.
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c. It casts a net across reality which allows us to break the
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whole down into pieces which can be examined one at a time or
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fitted together to get the 'whole picture'.
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(1) It is based on a culturally transmitted system of
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classification which acknowledges the existence of phenomena
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that is perceived as valid by the majority and ignores
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anything that is not.
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B. Extraordinary Waking Consciousness
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1. Views the world as broad, holistic and undifferentiated.
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a. Allows us to see patterns and relationships between all the
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vortexes of energy that make up the universe.
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(1) Frees us from the constraints of our culture, but prevents
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us from sharing it with others who have not experienced it.
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(a) The psychic and magical aspects of the Craft are
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concerned with shifting into and out of this mode of
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perception at will.
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C. The Hemispheres of the Brain
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1. The brain is actually composed of two specialized organs, which
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provide us with our perception of reality.
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a. The brain is made up of several different structures, which are
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believed to have evolved as we became more adaptive to our
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environment.
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(1) The Spinal Cord
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(a) This is the oldest part of the brain, stretching from the
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neck down to the base of the spine.
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(b) The two principle functions associated with the spinal
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cord are simple reflexes and to provide an electrical
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connection between the brain which controls the body and the
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nerves which cause the muscles to move the body and provide
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feedback to the brain.
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(2) The Brain Stem
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(a) This is situated on top of the spinal cord. It still
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possesses the tubular form of the spinal cord and in some
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respects can be thought of as an extension of it.
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(b) There is a very intricate network of nerves in the
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brainstem known as the reticular formation. The reticular
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formation is the central point from which and to which all
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nerves run between the body and the brain.
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(c) Visualizing the reticular formation as a telephone
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operators switchboard helps to understand its function. It
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sends all stimuli that has not proven to be benign to the
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brain for immediate attention and suppresses all other
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stimuli.
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(d) The brain is still aware of all of the other stimuli, but
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it need not focus on all of it at once.
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(3) The Cerebellum
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(a) Connected to the brainstem is the cerebellum, which
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somewhat resembles the cortex in terms of its neuronal
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structure though it is much older than the cortex.
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(b) The cerebellum is primarily concerned with the co-
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ordination of movements. It seems to integrate the information
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coming from all the senses with all the muscles so as to
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produce smooth, finely tuned movements rather than jerky unco-
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ordinated movements.
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(4) The Midbrain
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(a) The midbrain consists of the Thalamus, the Limbic System,
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and the Hypothalamus.
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(b) The Thalamus sits on top of the brain and relays
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information from the sensory organs to the cortex and between
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different portions of the cortex and the reticular formation
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and the limbic system.
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(c) The Limbic System is a group of structures in the middle
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of the brain that play an important role in emotion and
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motivation. Included in the limbic system is the pineal gland,
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which is thought by some to be the 'third eye.'
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(d) Just below the thalamus is the Hypothalamus, which
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regulates the internal balance of the body. The pituitary
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gland is located here and it is the gland which tells all the
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other glands when to produce hormones.
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(5) The Neocortex
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(a) The Neocortex, or Cortex, as it is commonly called, makes
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up only one quarter of the brains total volume, but it
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contains 75% of all the neurons that make up the brain.
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(b) The cortex is also known by its greyish color which is a
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result of a greater density of blood cells in this region.
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For this reason, the cortex is sometimes called 'grey
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matter' and the rest of the brain is called 'white matter.'
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(c) Some areas of the cortex play particular roles in sensory
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activity. The rear of the cortex is associated with the
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processing of visual information, a small area on the side
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with auditory information, and a strip extending from the top
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center of the cortex down each side is concerned with the
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sense of touch and also with muscular control.
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2. Large parts of the cortex do not appear to be very specific in
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their function.
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a. Rather, they seem to be concerned with the integration of
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information from several different senses.
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b. In other words, the cortex builds up a total world view based
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on all the information that is relayed by the body's senses.
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c. In reality, the cortex is not just one structure, but two,
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which appear to have developed separate, but complementary,
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specializations.
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(1) The left side of the cortex seems to have specialized in
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analysis.
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(a) It is here that math ability is found, along with
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understanding language and a sense of linear time.
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(2) The right side of the cortex seems to have specialized in
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synthesis.
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(a) Creativity, all forms of art, the sense of rhythm and
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music and a distinct lack of time sense characterize the
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states of consciousness which are attributed to the right
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side of the cortex.
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d. To make things really interesting, these two sides of the
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cortex are connected by a mass of nerves, which form what is
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called the corpus callosum.
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(1) It just so happens that the corpus callosum wires the brain
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up so that the right side of the body is controlled by the left
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side of the brain and vice versa.
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IV. THE CONCEPTS OF THE SELF
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A. Classical Psychoanalysis
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1. Freudian and Jungian Psychology
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a. The Id and the Personal and Collective Unconscious
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(1) Contains sensations, emotions, basic drives, image memory,
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intuition and diffuse perception.
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b. The Ego
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(1) Organizes the impressions of the unconscious, gives those
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impressions names, and classifies them into systems.
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c. The Super-Ego
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(1) A set of verbally understood precepts, that encourages us to
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make judgments about right and wrong according to the society in
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which we reside.
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2. Transactional Analysis (T/A)
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a. Child
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(1) Corresponds to the Id and the Personal and Collective
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Unconscious.
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b. Adult
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(1) Corresponds to the Ego
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c. Parent
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(1) Corresponds to the Super-Ego
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B. The Craft Concept of the Three Selves
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1. Younger Self or Child
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a. Corresponds to the Child mode of T/A
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(1) Indirectly experiences the world, through the holistic
|
|
awareness of the right hemisphere of the brain.
|
|
|
|
(a) Due to its limited verbal ability, Younger Self
|
|
communicates through images, emotions, sensations, dreams,
|
|
visions, and physical symptoms.
|
|
|
|
2. Talking Self
|
|
|
|
a. Corresponds to Adult and Parent modes of T/A
|
|
|
|
(1) Speaks through words, abstract concepts, and mathematics.
|
|
|
|
3. High Self
|
|
|
|
a. Does not easily correspond to any 'scientific' concept, because
|
|
science refuses to accept the existence of a non-physical soul.
|
|
|
|
(1) The High Self, or God Self, is the Divine within the Self.
|
|
|
|
(a) It is the ultimate and original essence, the Spirit that
|
|
exists beyond time, space and matter.
|
|
|
|
(b) It is our deepest level of wisdom and compassion and is
|
|
conceived of as being both male and female, two forms of
|
|
consciousness united as one.
|
|
|
|
C. Interactions Between the Three Selves
|
|
|
|
1. High Self is connected directly to Younger Self, and does not
|
|
know how to communicate with Talking Self in a direct manner.
|
|
|
|
a. In order to communicate between High Self and Talking Self, we
|
|
must learn to speak in Younger Self's language.
|
|
|
|
(1) We utilize symbols, art, poetry, music, myth, and the
|
|
actions of ritual.
|
|
|
|
(a) These translate abstract concepts into the language of
|
|
the unconscious and thus we can communicaate to the High Self
|
|
through the Child Self.
|
|
|
|
V. THE FOUR PRICES OF FREEDOM
|
|
|
|
A. As in everything else in the world, nothing is free.
|
|
|
|
1. There are four prices that a Wiccan must pay in return for the
|
|
wisdom and power that they can gain through the Craft.
|
|
|
|
a. Paying these prices awakens our true potentials and allows us
|
|
to be 'as gods', and thus help us to creat a better universe.
|
|
|
|
(1) Discipline and Responsibility
|
|
|
|
(a) To awaken the extra-ordinary mode of consciousness is a
|
|
natural step in any Wiccan development but it requires a
|
|
great deal of practice to develop and train it properly.
|
|
|
|
(b) Powers and abilities gained through this heightened
|
|
awareness must also be used responsibly, for otherwise they
|
|
will destroy their possessors.
|
|
|
|
(2) A Willingness to Play
|
|
|
|
(a) We unleash a great power when we are willing to let go of
|
|
our adult dignity and laugh for no particular reason, without
|
|
worrying about looking foolish.
|
|
|
|
(b) For example, we can make believe that a wand has magic
|
|
power, and it becomes a channel for energy.
|
|
|
|
(c) Humour and play awaken the sense of wonder that
|
|
characterizes Wiccans, and is the basic attitude that the
|
|
Craft takes into the World.
|
|
|
|
(3) The need to maintain a balance between the different states
|
|
of consciousness.
|
|
|
|
(a) The difference between magic and psychosis lies in
|
|
maintaining the ability to step back, by an act of will, into
|
|
the ordinary mode of perception.
|
|
|
|
(4) A willingness to face the most frightening of all beings,
|
|
one's own self.
|
|
|
|
(a) The depth of our inner selves are not all sunlit.
|
|
|
|
(b) To see clearly, we must be willing to dive into the dark,
|
|
inner abyss and acknowledge the creatures that we may find
|
|
there as being a part of what makes us what we are.
|
|
|
|
VI. ANALYSIS OF THE CREATION MYTH
|
|
|
|
A. The Creation Myth which is located at the beginning of the Chapter
|
|
Two of "The Spiral Dance" by Starhawk, expresses the attitude of
|
|
wonder, to the world which is Divine and to the Divine which is the
|
|
World.
|
|
|
|
1. In the beginning, the Goddess is the All, virgin, complete within
|
|
Herself.
|
|
|
|
a. The female nature of the ground is stressed because the process
|
|
of creation is a birth process.
|
|
|
|
(1) The world is born, not made, and definately not commanded
|
|
into existence.
|
|
|
|
2. The Goddess sees Her reflection in the curved mirror of space.
|
|
|
|
a. Water is the original mirror on earth.
|
|
|
|
(1) The image conveyed is similar to that of the Moon floating
|
|
over the dark sea, watching Her reflection in the waves.
|
|
|
|
b. There is yet another aspect of the mirror.
|
|
|
|
(1) A mirror is a reversed image. It is the same but opposite,
|
|
of reverse polarity.
|
|
|
|
(a) The image in the mirror is the embodiment of the
|
|
universal paradox.
|
|
|
|
(b) All things are one yet each is separate, individual and
|
|
unique.
|
|
|
|
3. The Goddess falls in love with Herself, drawing forth Her own
|
|
emanations which take on a life of its own.
|
|
|
|
a. Love of self for self is the creative force of the universe.
|
|
|
|
(1) Desire is the primal energy that motivates and that energy
|
|
is erotic.
|
|
|
|
(a) It has been expressed as the attraction of lover to the
|
|
beloved, moon to plant, and electron to proton.
|
|
|
|
(2) Blind Eros becomes Amor
|
|
|
|
(a) The love that is personal, directed towards an individual
|
|
rather than the universal sexless charity of the Christian
|
|
Agape or indescriminaate sexual desire.
|
|
|
|
(b) The Goddess' reflection takes on its own Being and is
|
|
given a Name.
|
|
|
|
(c) Love is not only an energizing force but an
|
|
individualizing force as well. It dissolves separation and yet
|
|
creates individuality. Again, it is the universal paradox.
|
|
|
|
4. The sense of wonder, of joy and delight in the natural world is
|
|
the essence of the Craft.
|
|
|
|
a. The world is not seen as a flawed creation from which we must
|
|
escape, nor is it in need of salvation or redemption.
|
|
|
|
b. However it may appear from day to day by the nature of its
|
|
deepest being, the world fills us with wonder.
|
|
|
|
5. Divine ecstasy becomes the fountain of creation and creation is
|
|
seen as an orgasmic process.
|
|
|
|
a. Ecstasy is at the heart of the Craft.
|
|
|
|
(1) During ritual we turn the paradox inside out, and become the
|
|
Goddess, sharing in the primal throbbing joy of union.
|
|
|
|
b. The Craft is a shamanistic religion, and the spiritual value
|
|
placed on ecstasy is a high one.
|
|
|
|
(1) It is seen as the source of union, healing, creative
|
|
inspiration, and communion with the Divine.
|
|
|
|
(a) Ecstasy brings about harmony.
|
|
|
|
6. By its very nature matter sings.
|
|
|
|
a. The song is carried forth on waves that become spheres.
|
|
|
|
(1) The waves are the waves of orgasm, light waves, ocean waves,
|
|
pulsating electrons, waves of sound.
|
|
|
|
(a) The waves form spheres as swirling gases in space
|
|
coalesce and form stars.
|
|
|
|
b. It is a basic insight of the Craft any energy, whether
|
|
physical, psychic or emotional, moves in waves, in cycles that are
|
|
themselves spirals.
|
|
|
|
7. The Goddess swells with love and gives birth to a rain of bright
|
|
spirits.
|
|
|
|
a. It is a rain that awakens consciousness in the world as
|
|
moisture awakens green growth on earth.
|
|
|
|
(1) The rain is the fructifying menstrual blood, the Moon's
|
|
blood that nourishes life.
|
|
|
|
(a) It is also the bursting waters that herald birth.
|
|
|
|
(b) And birth is the ecstatic giving forth of life.
|
|
|
|
8. The motion or vibration becomes so great that Miria is swept
|
|
away.
|
|
|
|
a. As She moves further and further from the point of union She
|
|
becomes more polarized and more differentiated, until She become
|
|
mostly male.
|
|
|
|
(1) The Goddess has projected Herself.
|
|
|
|
(a) Her projected Self becomes the Other, Her Opposite, who
|
|
eternally yearns for reunion.
|
|
|
|
(2) The energy field of the cosmos becomes polarized.
|
|
|
|
(a) It becomes a conductor of forces exerted in opposite
|
|
directions.
|
|
|
|
VII. ANALYSIS OF THE MYTH OF THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR
|
|
|
|
A. The rituals of the eight Solar Holydays, the Sabbats of the year,
|
|
are derived from the Myth of the Wheel of the Year.
|
|
|
|
1. The cycle of the Goddess which occurs on a monthly basis is
|
|
contrasted to the slower cycle of the God, which takes a full solar
|
|
year to complete.
|
|
|
|
a. The Goddess reveals Her threefold aspects as--
|
|
|
|
(1) Maiden
|
|
|
|
(a) She is the Virgin, Patroness of birth and initiation.
|
|
|
|
(2) Nymph
|
|
|
|
(a) She is the sexual temptress, lover, siren, and
|
|
seductress.
|
|
|
|
(3) Crone
|
|
|
|
(a) She is the dark force of life, which demands death and
|
|
personal sacrifice.
|
|
|
|
b. The God changes -- from Son to Brother to Lover, and eventually
|
|
becomes His own Father.
|
|
|
|
(1) He is the eternal sacrifice who is eternally reborn into a
|
|
new life.
|
|
|
|
(a) All things are divine as manifestations of the Goddess.
|
|
|
|
(b) The death of the grain in the harvest, or the death of a
|
|
deer in the hunt, was considered to be a divine sacrifice
|
|
freely made out of love so that life might go on.
|
|
|
|
VIII. EXAMINATION OF THE ALL AS TWO GREAT FORCES
|
|
|
|
A. The view of the All as an energy field polarized by two great
|
|
forces is common to almost all traditions of the Craft.
|
|
|
|
1. These forces have been named Female and Male. And Goddess and
|
|
God.
|
|
|
|
a. Which in their ultimate being are aspects of each other.
|
|
|
|
(1) It is important to separate the concept of polarity from our
|
|
culturally conditioned images of female and male.
|
|
|
|
(a) The Female and Male forces represent a difference, yet
|
|
they are not different in essence.
|
|
|
|
(b) They are the same force, flowing in opposite, but not
|
|
opposed, directions.
|
|
|
|
2. The Female force is seen as the Life-giving force.
|
|
|
|
a. It is the power of manifestation, of energy flowing into the
|
|
world to become force.
|
|
|
|
3. The Male force is seen as the Death-giving force.
|
|
|
|
a. This is death in a positive rather than a negative way.
|
|
|
|
(1) Death is seen as the Force of Limitation that is necessary
|
|
to provide a balance to unbridled creation.
|
|
|
|
(a) It is the force of dissolution, of return to
|
|
formlessness.
|
|
|
|
b. Each principle contains the other.
|
|
|
|
(1) Life breeds death and feeds on death.
|
|
|
|
(2) Death sustains life and makes evolution and new creation
|
|
possible.
|
|
|
|
c. They are opposing halves of a complete cycle.
|
|
|
|
(1) They area each dependent upon the other.
|
|
|
|
4. Existence is sustained by the on/off pulse, the alternating
|
|
current if you will, of the two forces in perfect balance.
|
|
|
|
a. Unchecked the life force is a cancer whereas the death force
|
|
becomes unbridled war and genocide when allowed to go unbalanced.
|
|
|
|
(1) When held in balance they are in harmony and work to renew
|
|
and sustain life.
|
|
|
|
(a) We see the effects of this balance in the changing cycle
|
|
of the seasons, and in the ecological balance of the natural
|
|
world.
|
|
|
|
IX OLD AGE IN THE CRAFT
|
|
|
|
A. The Craft does not maintain, like the first Truth of Buddhism, that
|
|
"All life is suffering." On the contrary, we maintain that life is a
|
|
thing of wonder.
|
|
|
|
1. Old age is a natural and highly valued part of the cycle of life,
|
|
the time of greatest wisdom and understanding.
|
|
|
|
a. We look forward to the time when we are freed from the cycle of
|
|
reproduction so that we may devote more time to our preparation
|
|
and contemplation of the journey into death at the end our years.
|
|
|
|
(1) This does not mean that the joys of sex become lost to us
|
|
but that the urgency that wells up in the Spring and rides us
|
|
through until the Autumn subsides and we get to go at our own
|
|
pace.
|
|
|
|
(a) While the quantity sometimes decreases, the quality
|
|
invaribly increases.
|
|
|
|
2. The Crone serves as a role model for both women and men in their
|
|
later years.
|
|
|
|
a. A tendency to withdraw from society to a certain degree is
|
|
coupled with a diminishing of compassion in favor of a little more
|
|
emphasis on justice and balance.
|
|
|
|
(1) People soon find that appealing to the Goddess as the Mother
|
|
brings help tempered by a mother's willingness to overlook the
|
|
fact that most children bring problems upon themselves.
|
|
|
|
(a) Appealing to the Goddess as Crone however, gets a full
|
|
measure of justice for all parties involved.
|
|
|
|
(b) The Crone does not play favorites, She has the severity
|
|
of a strong will to see justice done, that prevents Her from
|
|
doting on any of Her grandchildren.
|
|
|
|
3. Old age sometimes brings suffering.
|
|
|
|
a. Where suffering is a natural part of the cycle of birth and
|
|
decay, it is relieved by understanding and acceptance. By a
|
|
willingness to give over to both the dark and the light in turn.
|
|
|
|
(1) Disease can cause misery and suffering but it is not seen as
|
|
something to be inevitably suffered.
|
|
|
|
(a) The practice of the Craft has always been connected with
|
|
the healing arts, herbalism, and midwifery.
|
|
|
|
b. When suffering is the result of the social order or human
|
|
injustice, the Craft encourages active work to relieve it.
|
|
|
|
(1) Witches are naturals for getting involved in the ecology
|
|
movement and other movements that try to address the issues that
|
|
they feel make society as a whole ill, both physically and
|
|
spiritually.
|
|
|
|
4. Nor is death fearful in old age.
|
|
|
|
a. It is seen simply as the dissolution of the physical form.
|
|
|
|
(1) It allows the spirit to prepare to be reborn into a new
|
|
life.
|
|
|
|
X. DEATH AS SEEN BY A MEMBER OF THE CRAFT.
|
|
|
|
A. The experience of death is a lesson for the living.
|
|
|
|
1. The people most affected by death are the people left behind who
|
|
must learn to deal with their sense of loss.
|
|
|
|
a. In the Craft, death in this world is seen as a birth into the
|
|
"other" world that has been given many names.
|
|
|
|
(1) The Summerland, Tirn-nan-og, and Avalon are all names given
|
|
to a pleasant land, usually in the West, where people go to
|
|
examine their past lives, grow young again, and prepare to be
|
|
born into this world again.
|
|
|
|
(a) There are two theories about why the world beyond is
|
|
thought to be in the west. One is that the last rays of the
|
|
setting sun 'die' in the west and lead the way into the dark.
|
|
While the other is that since the invaders always came from
|
|
the east, the people who were being invaded came to think of
|
|
the west as being safe because it was the direction they were
|
|
running toward in order to get away from the invaders.
|
|
|
|
b. Rebirth is not considered to be condemnation to an endless,
|
|
dreary round of suffering as in Eastern religions.
|
|
|
|
(1) Instead it is seen as the great gift of the Goddess who is
|
|
manifest in the physical world.
|
|
|
|
(a) Life and the world are not separate from the Godhead. They
|
|
are immanent in the divinity.
|
|
|
|
2. Since death is seen as a part of the natural order of things and
|
|
the Witch is taught that the departed spirits go on to the next life
|
|
to be watched over by the Goddess and the God until they are reborn,
|
|
a Witch should not grieve over the loss of a loved one.
|
|
|
|
a. The realization of how much the departed person meant to the
|
|
ones who are left behind is gauged by the memories that live on in
|
|
the people still living.
|
|
|
|
(1) It is said that the departed do not die as long as their
|
|
memory lives on in the hearts of the ones left behind them.
|
|
|
|
(a) Keeping the memory alive and participating in the
|
|
seasonal celebrations prepares the people left behind for
|
|
being visited by the departed when the two worlds come close
|
|
to one another at Hallows.
|
|
|
|
(b) It is always important to remember that a death in this
|
|
world is a birth in the other world, and just as you did not
|
|
have a lot of time for anything other than learning to
|
|
function in this world when you were young, newly departed
|
|
people have to learn to function in their new world and may
|
|
not be able to visit as often as you would like.
|
|
|
|
3. The belief the Karma ties a certain number of souls together over
|
|
and over again in many lives reassures people of the Craft that they
|
|
will meet the departed in a new life.
|
|
|
|
a. Part of the training of the Craft is learning to see your own
|
|
past lives in relation to the people around you and their past
|
|
lives as well as discerning patterns of Karma in your everyday
|
|
dealings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
END OF LESSON 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
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