Thursday, June 19, 2014

Metaphysics

`Meta' in Greek means over, and it is also understood as behind and after. The word `metaphysics' is said to originate from the mere fact that the corresponding part of Aristotle's work was positioned  right after the part called `physics'.

But it is not unlikely that the term won a ready acceptance as denoting the whole field of  knowledge because it conveyed the purpose of metaphysics, which is to reach beyond the nature (`physics') as we perceive it, and to discover the `true nature' of things, their ultimate essence and the reason for being.
 
So metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the ultimate nature of existence. Ontology is the study of what exists. Cosmology and philosophical theology are its main branches. Some cosmologists believe that the existence and order of the cosmos can be accounted for scientifically. Others think that mass-bearing material things exist because we are located in a particular part of the world where they appear to exist.
 
Scientists gain information about what exists by interacting with and observing different features of the world, and searching for the best explanations of the information they gain that way. This method of studying what exists is empirical and largely pragmatic. Consciousness should be part of science and yet somehow present special difficulties. Here is an example: "Why is there any being at all and not rather Nothing?" or "Why does anything exist?"
 
None of us do anything as well as we potentially can. We can all learn to read faster, jump higher, discriminate colors more precisely, reason more accurately, and so on through practically any abilities you can name. One of these abilities is our ability at self-repair and self-recuperation. This too usually operates far below potential. The process of conscious living and especially a profound knowledge of body cycles can apparently influence things such as: coordination, immunity to disease, strength, mental stability, moods, logic thinking, ability to learn, memory recall, instincts, etc.
 
To focus the mind is regarded by some as a profound way to clear and heal oneself physically, emotionally and spiritually and is said to suspend time and space, allowing physical and  emotional blocks to be released, resulting in a new kind of clarity, energy and healing. The implication is that psychological re-organization of large patterns of information allows the body to heal itself psychically.

Curiosity and imagination may be the bottom line that makes the difference between wellness and illness. If you give your subconscious enough data, it seems to filter through and find what it needs.
 
The mystic and the modern physicist show a similarity. These are two ways of being... conceptualizing reality and reacting to reality. The supreme teachers of mankind all seem to indicate a path encompassing the data from both realities. The findings of both are ineffable: they cannot be directly stated in clear language.

Everyday language is apparently inadequate. A wide variety of "techniques" has been used to attain an altered state of consciousness for perceiving and reacting to the universe as if it were run on a different set of laws and principles than those we "normally" believe to be operating.
 
In some respects, science seems to be making inroads into what was once thought to be magical or miraculous. But also through technology we have in our hands the keys to complete destruction of our species and our world, as we know it!
 
And too often we witness a shocking lack of concern for the welfare of others. We are faced with time pressure, excessive and diverse responsibility and accountability. Stress from problems with over-crowding, money, relationships, and living conditions directly increases serious illness and social problems.

"We seek detachment from a chaotic, confusing, baffling world. And we seek it in dreams, and fantasy.  To divorce them is a dangerous act.  In antique cultures the dream was a part of life itself.  It was acted out in rituals.  Everyone was engaged in unraveling the mysterious dreams, which was an indication of psychic life. Those who built the cathedrals or the temples of antiquity were not unaware of peoples' misery.  They simply believed that a religious myth could make their lives bearable. They never thought that this misery had a practical solution. By living with imagination, and learning to concretize our dreams, we come to realize that ours is not a single, unique, isolated experience, but related to others dreams. Our myth has been dreamed by others. This is a myth that comes from the unconscious, which is not isolated and unique, but universal.
 
By moving beyond sharp differences, sharply defined boundaries, and learning to see the interaction between everything, the relation between everything. We may learn not to oppose the subjective to the objective; imagination to realism."   -Anais Nin

The metaphysics of today and what is considered holy is very different from the Metaphysics of St. Thomas Aquinas. For David Bohm the Holy is a "being beyond what can be grasped in thought." and Bohm calls the Subtle Nonmanifest "holy" in the sense that it is whole. It is a Presence within cosmic energy.  The Bohm cosmic model also suggests that this "holiness".... is present in the cyclical process of the universe. It is pure, active intelligence from which all that is manifest in the cosmos comes. Perhaps the biggest test of our intelligence and compassion is to find solutions, through understanding, co-operation, even a new form of morality which takes into account the sacredness of every life form.

The discovery of quantum mechanics has had a significant impact on physics and other sciences, but its important influence on metaphysics has been inadequately explored. 



 

  • Metaphysics with Jeffrey Mishlove
  • Mind-Body Metaphysics
  • From Medicine to Metaphysics, Part Two: Spirit Entities
  • Metaphysics -YouTube
  • Energetic Arts
  • What is Metaphysics
  • Existence
  • Astrology
  •