The Grand Patchwork

This is in response to the show called "The Nightmare" broadcasted on Space Feb 4th at 2 in the morning (produced by Paul Stevens). The idea that Altered states of Conciousness can happen spontaeously or can be evoked by religious/Spiritual ceremony is an old one. I love this show because it pokes fun of the debate between what state of consciousness is better than the other. I call it a debate because It tries to determine primacy thus impling one state of consciousness is better than the other (when each have their own special use and talents). The consciousness we experience during the day is far different from the one we experience at night, but why does that mean one is better than another, it's almost like we are biased against the day over the night - or the sun over the moon. or dare I say rational over emotional, but Why? when both are important.

My theory is that if you start to use two seemingly opposing states of consciousness together as a team, we seem to rise above them and enter an altered state of consciousness. This is when we experience "flow" (Czsingksentsmalhaldi? lol) or are submerged in the moment. When we merge together 2 different types of consciousness we get an altered state. It could be the merging or past and future to be living in the now, it could include bringing together the waking and the dreaming world (as in lucid dreams) It could bring together real and unreal (LSD etc), life and death (OBE's), matter and spirit (Mystical experience or synesthesia) , the id and the superego (Metacognition; Meditation), or the seen and the unseen (Grand Patchwork ). Whenever 2 seeminlgly opposite variables work together in symbiosis, we experience flow and thus an "Altered State of Conciousness." Could this be like a cross modal or recombinatory process? The term "altered" then suggests "not normal" which has a negative connotation (thus thinking one = better than the other). bUT One is NOT better than the other and when this is realized another level is created or "emerges" out of it; the two become a third together(like Edelman?). 

It is funny becuase the show just profiled a professor in Psychology that described altered states of consciousness as being the norm or the most true because he sees reality as a stream of moment to moment experiences. I agree with him because according to the Hindu Tradition what we consider reality to be on a daily basis is actually a delusional state (maya) because it distorts reality. What if this is true and what we experience every day is an illusion or a dream and the spiritual world is reality? What if we were sleeping this whole time like the Grand Drama suggests (see Art section on this site) and what we experience right now isn't real but a dream!? This would be the ultimate conflict between the dream and "real" world. Is the "flow really an equalization between the dream and "real" world?