Metapysical Stuff #4

Jaye C. Beldo writes for the Konformist, Disinfo.Com, ViewZone, Dream 
Network, UP! and other venues on and off line.  He can be reached at:
Netnous@Aol.Com

11-27-01

Greetings,

The following review is of a book I most recommend because it dares to 
suggest that we incorporate a multi-dimensional perspective to address our 
current world crisis.  The author advocates rebirthing, a form of breathwork 
which facilitates the release of stored trauma in our physical, emotional and 
mental bodies.  Having done ten sessions of rebirthing with a certified 
rebirther, I can say that it is some of the most positively powerful, 
transformational work I've ever done.  As a result of these sessions , I am 
more relaxed around others, more grounded, present and less fearful.  What 
more could one ask for these days? A 4-WD Lexus I suppose.
    
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.  In spite of the consensus 
negativity, a lot of positive vibes are filtering into the world right now.  
It is up to us to integrate and actualize these vibes into our surrounding 
environs.  I still advocate abstaining from T.V. and newspapers for intuitive 
well being and preservation.  Speaking of integration, I also recommend the 
works of Sri Aurobindo to augment/accelerate spiritual evolution.  I recently 
picked up a copy of the  Dictionary of Sri Aurobindo's Yoga, compiled by M.P. 
Pandit, published by Lotus Light.  It sufficiently summarizes the key 
concepts of Aurobindo's Integral Yoga.  While most yoga philosophies 
emphasize the up and out approach to enlightenment/liberation, Integral Yoga 
suggests that we bring down the higher planes of awareness (Supermind) 
through ourselves and out into the world.  A much needed approach in my 
opinion considering how many people use yoga and meditation as a means of 
escape, no different really, than misuse of drugs and alcohol.
    
Another book I recommend is Healing Mantras by Thomas Ashley-Farrand who 
describes how mantras can protect us from negative influences, balance our 
energy fields and ground us in the here and now.  He provides an astounding 
array of mantras, along with correct pronunciations (most crucial with 
mantras) and how to practice these healing intonations on a daily basis.
    
I'm officially taking a long and much needed hiatus from book reviewing 
to concentrate on my novel 'A Stab in the Light'  this winter.  It is about a 
freelance writer trying to get his foot in the New Age publishing door and 
the White Light sleaze balls/con artists he meets along the way.  It's 
ultimately about murder, mayhem and, of course, unconditional love!!

All the best this Holo-day season no matter what facet of the spiritual 
fractal you choose to groove on!

Sincerely,

Jaye C. Beldo

= = = = = = =


Dark Night, Early Dawn
Book Review
by 

Jaye C. Beldo
Netnous@Aol.Com


Christopher Bache may be the world's first Cosmosopher.  In his 
refreshing and innovative book, Dark Night, Early Dawn: Steps Towards an 
Ecology of Mind, he articulates transpersonal realms with a convincing 
intimacy, revealing a universe that is alive, intelligent and directly 
accessible within ourselves.  The author has taken great care to share many 
of the entheogenic, meditative and philosophical experiences he has had which 
assist in fore-lightening the inevitable global/galactic revolution to come. 
The timing of his work could not be better.  One only need look at current 
sociopolitical urgencies to appreciate Bache's efforts to move transpersonal 
psychology beyond its self referential orbit into more effacing, collective 
trajectories.  Dark Night, Early Dawn  offers a much needed alternative, 
encouraging  us to explore a connection to a cosmos which may require the 
very ego death of the human species as a prerequisite for its realization.
    
In order to fully realize the transition, Bache suggests that we abandon 
what remains of the Newtonian, mechanistic world view, i.e., the threadbare 
3-D illusion that our consumer society depends upon for its own self- 
perpetuation.  He suggests that we assist, through such things as rebirthing, 
holotropic breathing and meditation,in the realization/integration of 
multi-dimensional world where spiritually advanced beings exist.  These 
beings can offer us compassion, wisdom and a kind of infinitely broad, 
celestial panorama which encourages us to adopt a more life affirming 
perspective on what appears to be a severely  limited human future at 
present.   

Nemeses abound however at current time, dedicated to making sure 
that such a marvelous realization as described above will not take place.  
Paranormal debunkers such as Paul Edwards, are devoted to discrediting the 
claims of those who believe in rebirth, for example. Edwards insists that the 
last two thousand years of philosophical development with its emphasis on 
linearity and so called 'rationality' is the end all, be all of human 
intelligence.  Bache makes sure to point out the weakness of Edwards's 
argument and does so quite convincingly.  He observes: 'If reincarnation can 
be proven to be true, then the modern Western philosophical paradigm will 
crumble because rebirth contradicts the core assumptions of that world view.' 
 
Such a remark enables one to perceive the unconscious fears which motivates 
people like Edwards, not to mention Martin Gardner and the CSICOPS cadre as 
well, who may very well be threatened by how integrated multi-dimensional 
awareness is becoming.  Just imagine the CSICOPPERS all doing holotropic 
breathing and what kind of resistances within themselves they would have to 
deal with!
    
Fortunately, Dark Night, Early Dawn  does not dwell on the 'infallible' 
3-D consensus delusion and the organizations that continue to promote it.  
The author shows a balanced approach to transpersonal work and offers the 
reader an effective way to traverse a living, intelligent cosmos and come 
back home not only intact but spiritually integrated in a deep and lasting 
way.  Citing the works of Stanislav Grof, Ken Wilber and Robert Monroe, as 
well as visionary mystics such as Teresa of Avila, Bache offers us a useful 
as well as fascinating means to explore the worlds these people describe so 
vividly.  The author also shares his own inner experiences in which he 
himself connected with these spiritually evolved worlds:
    
The time of rebuilding was suffused with an inner luminosity that 
signaled a  profound awakening in the human heart.  It was not the 
overwhelming brilliance     of diamond luminosity that shines forth from 
individual awakening, but a softer  luminosity that reflected the same 
reality but more gently present and more    evenly distributed throughout the 
entire species.  The whole of humanity was  going to go through the 
death/rebirth experience, and the substance of  awakening for the group was 
the same as for the individual, though realized     more slowly and in 
smaller increments.

With insights such as described above, it is apparent the Bache has 
prepared himself sufficiently enough not only to share this kind of profound 
information with us but to inspire us to safely explore these transpersonal 
worlds as well. I found his as well as his students's journal entries to be 
most revealing and informative.
    
Sri Aurobindo once observed: 'At present mankind is undergoing an 
evolutionary crisis in which is concealed a choice of its destiny."  Books 
like Dark Night, Early Dawn  will assist us in not only seeing the choices at 
hand beneath the surface of our culminating crisis but also how we can 
influence whatever destiny we collectively and perhaps competently choose for 
ourselves as a result.

Dark Night, Early Dawn  is  published by State University of New York Press.
Check out their web site at:

http://www.sunypress.edu

© 2001 Jaye C. Beldo