Work in progress
Foreword
Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” For him, the only certainty is the I, everything other contingent. This work hopes to beckon otherness. Thinking itself is the first act of separation. I think, therefore I am alone. The Other is foreign, alien, perhaps extra-terrestrial.
Chapters
Reality
Magic
Space
Other
Existence
Vista
Reality
What is real? We grasp reality as the world of objects around us. I see that chair, and sit in it. Reality is objective, not to forget perception is subjective.
Magic
I had a dream, a magician waved his wand pronouncing abracadabra. He cast aside a curtain to reveal the woman who had been inside the box, now suspended above it. The audience applauded in amazement. He then asks for a volunteer for his next trick, to my surprise I suddenly raised my hand to be immediately selected. To volunteer myself for such was quite out of character. Pointing up he said “I know what you’re looking for.” He led me to what he called stairs, there was nothing there but somehow I was able to climb. At the top of nothing was a door, he said open it. The door opened to a vista I knew from a dream, through the door a cat leapt into my arms. Then I was transported, with the cat, back to the stage of the show. The audience applauding again. He said “look after that consciousness, cats have experience too”. I awoke, apparently it was all a dream.
Dreaming became an obsession. Compounded, dreams within dreams, one of them was profound, with clarity. I take its memory with me everywhere. In it aliens showed me an incredible vista, of another world where everything seemed to make perfect sense. The things in it were connected by a translucent rope, rope the best metaphor. There was also a flood of brilliant light. I sensed existence was about connection. It was through connection that things became manifest. Through the vista I understood that connection was more than the rope. The aliens finally said goodbye, it’s time for you to go back, maybe we can meet here again. With a start I awoke, but even now vividly recall that dream, even when dreaming. The incredibly vista. I would like to perceive that vista again, hopefully one day, even if dreaming. It’s funny that in dreams you think everything real, only to wake and doubt. Maybe some elements are real, actual in their representations of consciousness. In language the metaphor implies something is unreal. For us the objective and subjective are both real. For you too, but you place more emphasis on the object.
For months I thought about the vista before sleeping, but I didn’t dream it again until later, this time in another dream, of a magician. As the alien said we could meet in dreams, I perceived the glorious vista again. I am gobsmacked by it. Objects were connected by a rope that seemed to describe another aspects of reality. In the dream, of another dream, I was told matter is dream like. A manifestation of consciousness. Matter exists as the physical representation of the other, otherness being what is separate from ones consciousness. The physical world is separate, but fundamental to consciousness because it provides a means of communication between us, conscious agents. Ideas like space, time, beauty, love, hate, come from this perception of matter.
I was told by the other life that dreams are real representations of consciousness. There is more to existence than objective facts. The alien went on, consciousness is a reality, dreams are subjectively real. Within consciousness there is objective and a subjective reality. This idea had been difficult for our own physical manifestation to comprehend. We too are of physical origin, surrounded by objects. We thought everything was derived thereof. Previously our focus was the objective world, a world we subjectively perceived. Ultimately we realised perception was the cornerstone, consciousness a-priori. The environment of these dreams was fantastic, beyond the tangible, direct through consciousness. Without physical stimulation. Ideas were popping into my head, outside of time, I never felt rushed, or that time was moving. It all felt unusually static. In the dream, they asked if I’d like to visit their planet, about 1000 light years from Earth. They said we can go there immediately through consciousness. You have mystics who can consciously travel outside of time and space. Suddenly I awoke. The pursuit of dreams became an obsession such was my desire to relive the experiences. Soon enough I put it all down to a crazy dream, surprised by my own mental excrement.
Dreams have a reality, however fleeting. Our modern science now suggests consciousness is the universe. Perhaps these aliens exist, they do in dreams. Are they of another dimension? Have they discovered a truth of existence? They claim to know of our science, entanglement theory. It recognises particles can move instantaneously, is that an effect of consciousness? It seems they can use consciousness to travel the universe more freely.
Science does question the existence of time, they might be from our perceived future. Also location is questionable, perhaps they have always been with us beyond our comprehension in this dimension. The supreme other, alien life, does exist and may have provoked us to this point of evolution. We always have question our existence, the mundane and the transcendent.
When dreaming, the alien said we also acknowledge the good. In fact we’ve visited your planet many times. You have traditions that recognise this, you call them religion. For us it’s referred to as truth. Good and Evil exist in consciousness. We are derived from nitrogen which has sufficient complexity to represent consciousness, you carbon. In fact everything is a manifestation of consciousness, objects require complexity to better describe it. Our physical manifestation is also of His image, for He does exist in the universe as a representation of the good. His counterweight also exists, the bad, or evil. Something your manifestation knows very well, your traditional calls it evil, or the devil.
We have chosen a dualist paradigm, mind and matter. Monism claims the singular, everything is mind. Dreams are sub-conscious perception of the mind, they should be accounted for. Monist’s say, being of a different order consciousness is not a product of the brain. Rather the brain is a receiver. An idea that’s been around since ancient Greece. Matter an epiphenomenon, consciousness is primary. We are predominantly visual creatures, we make sense of existence through seeing, hence the world of objects. Science says reality is quite different from what we see. A computer image isn’t that but 1’s and 0’s, similarly we don’t perceive the actual. We bring concepts to bear on what we perceive.
Space
The sun was so bright it seemed to penetrate everything, all encompassing. There were bright forms about that appeared constructed, although not solid. They were wisps, I took it as of gaseous form. I felt these collections of gas were buildings, the light from the sun shone through. There was nowhere to hide, I was looking for something that might obscure me, but I was completely exposed.
Our world is a cloud of nitrogen, like a ring of Saturn, orbiting a source of light. Light, and it’s other darkness, the absence thereof, is consciousness. Truth requires conception.
The gaseous being explained, in fact we’ve visited planet Earth many times. So often you refer to us as deities, ghosts or spirits, many have had human incarnations. Your religious stories are not fabrication. What’s more, Good and Evil exist in consciousness. We are derived from nitrogen, you carbon. Our physical being is also in His image, for He does exist. He is the manifestation of the good. Certainty versus ambiguity, we emanate the feeling of truth through the body
These beings were cloud like in form, smoke. They told me we have a sixth sense, you have 5, touch, smell, sight, hearing, taste. You might think our sixth sense an emotion, the awareness of being which you have too, but we kind of feel life beyond concept. The organ that perceives this sense is the primary one, yours the heart, ours the conduit. We too have a primary valve that moves the life force through our body. It perceives and generates emotion, feelings like love and hate. It connects our physicality with consciousness. Your heart does likewise, but you haven’t yet recognised this fact in your medical science. You can perceives the energy of truth. Like the energy of sound or sight, you have the organ to perceive this life force energy. In time another science will emerge for you, one describing perception. Humans are always determined to describe reality. That habit, of describing observations in detail, extends to your conception of the self. Can you be truly independent and autonomous.
We acknowledge that what we perceive is external to consciousness. Indeed experience is a fluid thing, difficult to compartmentalise. Where does the other begin, as distinct from the self. That is how we came about the dissolution of the self. We have made much progress in our understanding of existence since overcoming the singular. We freely share now, don’t extract profit. We more highly regard experience than personal gain. Experience represents true gain. There is value in sharing, it offers the experience of others. For anything to represent gain it must be relevant to consciousness. It will offer experience to the perceiver when valuable. In the past we also gave value to objects, they compliment existence but are not at its core. For you, gold is a precious thing. It works well in beautification, jewellery is admired for colour. You know it’s an accessory.
Other
Intelligence is universal, humans consciousness is local. Intelligence is the comprehension and manipulation of the material world, consciousness its perception and experience. You guys are pretty smart, but haven’t yet understood the difference between intelligence and consciousness, establishing the subjectivity of reality. Intelligence is from the matter of the brain and deals with objectivity, consciousness identity and represents the individual. Perception of the material world can be manipulated and remain true altering that which is objectively perceived. Manipulated perception is real, a perspective for consciousness. The material world is a partial representation of the other. Your magic best demonstrates these conscious truths, it’s not all balony.
It is through consciousness that we interact, communicate. We are manifestations of conscious life through our unique planetary matter. Pure consciousness immediately translates meaning, we don’t need to understand your language. Life is the truth of the universe, its manifestation is unique, it experiences consciousness and perceives the other. Consciousness is primary, we connect to it through life. Our planetary matter is real and lives, connected through the rope as you put it. Somehow matter is shaped by perception, the rope, this is something we don’t yet fully understand. We are always learning, changing, and hoping you might help us to cast light on how perception influences matter. Matter appears to be influenced by collective perception, group opinion, we have become interested in your politics.
Indeed the universe of space, planets and celestial bodies exist, we too arrived at the big bang. Investigating what was before and the origins of matter, atoms and the quark, where does it come from? Actually the universe is like us, consciousness, we are universe’s and matter an idea. Ideas are limitless and so to is the universe. It asked what am I, something it could only apprehend through perceiving the other, what it is not. Matter is the point of delineation, the recognition of existence. Ultimately one must question that, the very source of life. Material existence is caused by perception, which is consciousness, what is its source. Just a change of emphasis, from the perceived to perception.
We established human intelligence on our first visit to earth. We discovered a biological species there suitable for the implantation of biological intelligence. You use metals for computers, for us biological matter is more suitable. We were amazed when the intelligence we implanted independently became conscious. Initially, we wanted to ask a philosophical question, was consciousness naturally given to the good. The initial data suggested that good must be opposed, by evil. Choice was fundamental to consciousness. There is evidence of manifest evil in the universe, heaven and hell exist. The creator emphasises the good but accepts evil for choice, the possibility of freedom. He attempted to show humans, if chosen, the desperate anguish of hate. For choice, existence is dualistic. He understood evil cannot be destroyed. Evil provides for heightened goodness.
Humans are motivated by monetary profit, choosing wealth and power as key objectives. They also perceive love and want to help, but politically money comes first. Money was a profound invention, providing a mechanism to share but profit and power emerged. We are not defined by our financial worth, an abstraction. The primary point of money is sharing which has led you to this point of evolution. The value of objects is assigned by scarcity and desire. How much do you want it? What are you prepared to pay? Money culminates in the disassociation of value and experience.
We don’t assign value like you in terms of something beyond experience. Money drives your world. We don’t use an abstract value for exchange, but value experience. Producing food gives the experience of sharing. The effort of providing food is a profound experience. One also acquires the joy experienced by so many who will eat. In this exchange one acquires experience of the many, satisfaction. The result is that one become wiser by virtue of the experience gained. Wisdom is a product of experience, but also they are greatly acknowledged for the effort of providing. As a consequence the producer become more manifest.
Existence
Have you met Xana yet, you will. They meet everyone, there is nothing private about our leader. Truly of and for the people, although they would put it another way, of and for existence. They don’t differentiate, rather appreciate all consciousness. Xana recognises every consciousness is a manifestation of the source, we only have unique perception and experience.
Humans have always imagined us, alien life, as combatants. Your first notion, even with the other amongst yourselves, is war. We never mean to harm life, but encourage it to experience the truth of the universe. To become aware that their physical manifestation is only part of the story. That existence is much more than physical.
Vista
The vista somehow communicated, such was its influence, breathtaking beauty.. Through the light it emitted, I felt something akin to fellowship.
older draft…
Alien
Humans evolution has occurred through awareness of the other, what we are not. Evolution by acknowledging the self, within the sea of things. Recognising a discrete point of view. And so we came to act in self interest, naming the other and using them for our own purpose. Now humans have homes, cities, planes, jobs, and are reducing the other to concept. This might be the next step in evolution, moving beyond the material world and making the consciousness one primary.
Despite being of different worlds, we are both conscious beings you and me. Yet to communicate with you I must speak of things, your world of objects so fundamental to your cognition. We are not imagined, but the absence of objects in this interaction makes it difficult for us to communicate. Humans often seem less present without the immediacy of their body, so focused on the material world. I want to more broadly describe reality. The world of objects and the mind, in particular the non material, love. You know these things; objects, consciousness and emotion. For love, it does truly exist in consciousness. The feelings of compassion, hope and desire come to mind. That description completely misses the mark, it partly circle the experience. Humans grasp reality as the world of objects around them, but consciousness and love are also real. You know this, and will soon recognise the significance of consciousness in the construction of reality. Actually it is more significant than the object. The material world around you is foreign, like me alien, although consciousness and love are not. Perception is subjective. Otherness affirms, objectively and subjectively, but love is neither, rather it is the source. The self is created by love. Your separation from the other presents an opportunity for unification, for love. Good and evil exist in consciousness. Evil is reactionary, it cannot create only respond, it is utterly negative. As I say love is the source. You are surrounded by otherness, objects. What if consciousness is a product of the brain, experience reduced to matter? Then humans would be a manifestation of atomic interplay, identity an epiphenomenon. Perception and conception would be inconsequential, only matter of significance. Consciousness an effect of material excitation.
How did I get here? All of these notions occurred in a dream. I did have a recent discussion about illegal aliens, immigration, how can that provoke intergalactic ones? I somehow encouraged the idea of aliens into my dreams. It’s funny the experience of dreams, in that one the alien suggested it wasn’t. He said our consciousness was communicating across space and time. My word the mind can play tricks, is consciousness the new spaceship? Dreaming, I opened a castle door and unannounced an alien walked in. It looked otherworldly, perhaps reptilian but human in form. He said he only wanted a chat, I say he presuming gender. To say ‘it’ seems rude, but I’ll now call him that. It said, the truth of love is something of which I must make you aware. Crucially, the most important aspect of existence is love. Its true feeling intoxicating, all encompassing. That the human species was on a precipice, the best way to preserve our current state was through love from which all is derived. Love creates, its opposite destroys. The best approach was to acknowledge love.
I dream quite a lot, in another a magician waved his wand pronouncing abracadabra. He cast aside a curtain to reveal the woman who had been inside the box, now sawed in half. The audience applauded in amazement. He then asks for a volunteer for his next trick, to my surprise I suddenly put my hand up to be immediately selected. To volunteer myself for such was quite out of character. Pointing up he said “I know what you’re looking for.” He led me to what he called stairs, there was nothing there but somehow I was able to climb. At the top was a door, he said open it. The door opened to a vista I knew from a dream, through the door a cat leapt into my arms. Then I was transported, with the cat, back to the stage of the magic show. The audience applauding again. He said “look after that consciousness, cats share yours”. I awoke, is it all a dream?
To dream became an obsession. Compounded, dreams within dreams, that magician one was profound and with clarity. I take its memory with me everywhere, again I saw an incredible alien vista. It was like seeing truth. The vista was of another world where everything seemed to make perfect sense. The things in it were connected by a translucent rope, rope the best metaphor. On this alien planet, from above came a flood of brilliant light. In the dream I sensed existence was about connection, it was through connection that things became manifest. I understood that the connection was more than the rope. In this dream the magician said goodbye, it’s time for you to go back, maybe we will meet here again. With a start I awoke, but even now vividly recall that dream. The incredibly vista. I would love to exist in that vista, even if dreaming. It’s funny that in dreams you think everything real, only to wake and doubt. Maybe elements are real, actual in consciousness. Writing is dreaming, a product of imagination. In language the metaphor dream implies something is unreal, “argh, you were dreaming“.