The function of the brain, the complex mystery of this “black box”, has always exerted tremendous fascination to scientists. The brain records all experience, positive or negative, but, mainly, it is the seat of information, the seat of consciousness, speech, abstract thought and meditation on abstract notions.
In her article “Occult or Exact Science” H. P. Blavatsky says: “…scientists hold as a tenet that “science begins for man only when his mind manages to rule over MATTER!” , were we to replace the word “matter” with the word “spirit” then we would reach a greater truth”.
The term “Synaesthesia” was unknown to the scientific community back in 1840. In that very same article HPB gives the example of a little girl (in those days) who frightened her parents when telling her mother that she loved her because she was kind and then her words were almost light blue, but that when she scolded her they turned red, and, when arguing with her father, they turned orange like the flames in the fireplace! The physician they summoned to check on the little girl reassured them there was nothing wrong with her mental condition but that she was too fanciful and that it all had to do with innocent hallucinations. His piece of advice was for the girl to avoid tea, to play with her brothers and sisters for a longer time and that she should exercise herself. Yet, apart from this sort of light diagnosis Blavatsky also refers to cases where people showing similar faculties were shut in mental hospitals as they were thought to be hysterics, insane or psychos.
The term “synaesthesia” refers to the perception of inner states of consciousness that surpass the perceptive possibilities of related physical organs. The seat of synaesthisia exists in our astral body which can receive and transmit messages by using the centers of the senses in groups.
As the centers of senses in our physical bodies function through different organs, being, that is to say, separated from one another, we are under the illusion that synaesthesia is the result of our receiving impressions transmitted to us by our body via its cells.
Synaesthesia is the enlargement of our senses beyond the physical field of perception. The term “synaesthete” is synonymous to clairvoyant, clairaudient, even one who sees colors and hears sounds accompanying physical phenomena. It is an extension of the physical consciousness to the astral body which precedes and surrounds the physical body.
Modern scientists use the term “synaesthesia” to define the same old psychic phenomena that have always existed and will always continue to exist. They recognize such phenomena as genuine; they give explanations regarding their effects but are unable to find out what causes them.
Synaesthesia is often traced as an autism symptom. It can be the effect of hallucinogens but there are also cases of people who are synaesthetes without suffering from some sort of illness or being drug-users. Synaesthetes often talk about combining tints of color and tones as well as intensive tastes. More commonly with the “eyes of their mind” they see different colors in numbers, letters and sounds. The interesting part is that a synaesthete keeps this faculty of his even in sensory deprivation.
Dr. V.S.Ramachandran, neurologist at the University of San Diego, California, says that synaesthisia is found out in 1 person out of 2.000 and that it is no mere coincidence it is eight times commoner among writers and artists. Kandinsky and Modrian, who experimented in their paintings with the merging of image and music, are but two examples of synaesthete –artists. Scriabin composed whole symphonies by merging music and color. The English synaesthete-painter David Hockney uses the music –color connection in his theatrical settings but not in his paintings.
In 1948 psychoanalyst Theodor Reik published a book titled “Listening with the Third Ear” where he explained the importance of “listening” by means of our heart and mind.
Scientists have recently uncovered a second “instinctive brain” in our gut and a third, “feeling brain” in our heart. (We now know the reason why our “gut feelings” are quite often true and accurate).
Professor Prinz of the Munich Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research explains that the second brain consists of almost 100 billion nerve cells in the digestive tract, a far greater number than those contained in the spinal cord. And he goes on explaining: “The second brain has been discovered by neurobiologist Michael Gershon of the New York Columbia – Presbyterian Medical Centre, also author of the book “The Second Brain”.
When asked whether the brain in our heads influences our second brain he replied that it does, adding: “quite often when we get “butterflies” or some sort of “fluttering” in our stomach it is because our brain is sending messages of anxiety to our gut. This in turn sends messages back to the brain that something is wrong. Yet, the gut- brain can also work independently”.
A “third brain” was uncovered in the heart; the Psychology Transformation site comments: “Neuro-cardiologist Dr. Andrew Armour was the first one to introduce the concept of the heart- brain in 1990. The brain in the heart just as the brain in the digestive tract may also function independently of the head –brain. Its size is as extensive as that of the principle areas of the head- brain.”
In her book “Psychic and Noetic Action” H.P. Blavatsky says: “Memory has no seat, no special organ of its own in the human brain”; she also says “Memory has seats in every organ of the body. The seat of memory is assuredly neither here nor there but everywhere throughout the human body. To locate its organ in the brain is to limit and dwarf the Universal Mind and its countless Rays…which informs every rational mortal”.
The brain is such a complex thing, both physically and metaphysically that it is like a tree whose bark can be uncovered by layers, each layer being different, each layer having a special work to do and a special function.
Digging even deeper the mother of the New Age explains that consciousness is universal and that every cell and organ in our body has a consciousness of its own.
In the Transactions she says: “Every cell in the human body (as in every animal) is endowed with its own peculiar discrimination, instinct and intelligence…. [there are] well authenticated cases such as those of clairvoyants, who can perceive by the pit of the stomach that the threshold of consciousness is capable of a very wide extension, far wider than we are accustomed to give to it both upwards and downwards”.
In that case what we call Synaesthesia could be in fact the ability of our automatically using the multiple centers of consciousness throughout the human body. And, what does the Esoteric Teaching say on all of these questions posed by science?
In her article “Occult or Exact Science” HPB mentions: “…regardless of what scientists will say or do concerning these modern phenomena their true explanations are to be found in the archaic Vedas and other Oriental sacred books, because the Mental connection of the two senses i.e. of “sight” and “hearing” were a common occurrence in their time. The student of the Esoteric Teaching can easily guess that such phenomena signify the cyclic return of the human organism back to its original states, to the natural state of pre-deluvian humanity…”. She suggests our consulting the chapter “Evolution of Races” and adds: “…As long as such phenomena and the number of sensitive organisms increase in our days this will prove that Mankind will quickly be led to pure spirituality….To the occultist there is nothing strange in the idea that the physical world will evolve and develop new powers – a mere differentiation of matter, a new one as conceived by science now and as inconceivable as steam, electricity and sound were quite a few years ago…. Civilized mankind will soon begin to present itself less rationally but more Deva-like than ape-like – and that’s the situation we are in today. That’ s why it is useless to be asking or expecting from the students of our time what they are completely unable to do for us, till the next Cyclic shift when their esoteric nature will be entirely transfigured, thus ameliorating their spiritual minds”.
From the two-day conference on "Psychic Phenomena", held in Athens, May 2009
This topic includes quotations from the Theosophy Watch article "Conscious Without A Brain", by Odin Townley
see the relative article at: http://theosophywatch.com/2009/02/23/conscious-without-brain/
