Metaphysics is all about the spiritual journey, mentally and physically. In this course we will discuss how metaphysical technologies can affect the body and the development of the spirit. The general purpose of metaphysical technologies is to create relaxed or altered states of mind or to facilitate healing. One’s state of mind is in direct relation to the stimulation that the brain is experiencing in any given moment. The brain responds to visual, auditory, and/or tactile stimulus in a variety of ways. Experimentation with light and sound have given rise to a plethora of devices that provide the consumer of metaphysical technologies with a multiplicity of pathways to altered states, self-healing, and even access to other dimensions of consciousness. For instance, the effects of flickering light stimulation or drumming have been known for centuries. Ancient shamans used flickering lights and drumming to achieve a trance state, a key component in the development of the spiritual practices of a wide variety of ancient cultures (Gingras). In the literature of the Common Era, Ptolemy for example, noted around 200 A.D. that sunlight seen through the spokes of a spinning wheel – seen as flickering – could cause patterns and colors to appear in the eye of the observer, producing a feeling of lightheadedness and euphoria (Hutchinson).Ever since the adrenaline rush brought about by dancing around the tribal fire, the intent of scientists, researchers, and ancient religious practitioners has been to create relaxation and altered states by affecting the vibrational frequency of the brain waves.

Evidence from the ancient Mayan civilization indicates an understanding of the universal principles that create and sustain the world. These “first principles” appear to underlie the physical laws that modern science has used to create technological miracles. However, the first principles of Mayan sacred science embraced a much larger universe. John Major Jenkins from alignment2012.com teaches that in the Mayan culture, human beings were seen to be multi-dimensional and capable of traveling beyond time and space. Modern science is just awakening to the task to take into account the metaphysical realities that make up the true human experience. Even modern spiritual research, with its emphasis on our capacity for supra-sensory spiritual vision, credits humans with so much more than a four-dimensional existence. The thrust of modern research has been to examine the relationship between the brain and all its complex workings. This has led to some very important and vital exploration into the spirit’s capacity to function both within and independently of the body.

Cultures from the ancient Vedic to the Native American, Mayan to African tribal groups, already take into account the spiritual nature of the human being. These cultures already utilize basic versions of the technologies discussed here: Certain drum patterns to bring the mind into an altered state and access healing powers or transcended knowledge (Maxfield). Modern science is awakening to the task to take into account the metaphysical realities that make up the true human experience. Researchers like Maxwell Cade are working since the 1970s on ways to understand the meditative state and use technology (brain waves) to access this state. More recently, researchers such as G. Schwartz, Ph.D. are connecting science with spiritual questions like “Who is God?” which is presented in his book The G.O.D. Experiments: How Science is Discovering God in Everything, Including Us.

Ancient cultures already used their level of technology in harmony with their spiritual beliefs. Technology connected with ancient sites like the Great Pyramid in Egypt, the stone circle at Stonehenge, and the site of Machu Pichu in Peru reveal this theory (Tate). This idea, to create technology in harmony with spiritual beliefs, supporting spiritual practices, might develop in the western culture and does not deny the deeper metaphysical significance intended by the builders of these ancient places. There is so much for us to learn, through our spiritual evolution and scientific advancements, to understand what the ancients already knew.

Simply pointing out the existence of technology misses the point of an individual’s spiritual search in and of itself. Let us discuss this problem of perceiving ancient cultures and their capabilities in the context of modern times with regards to Atlantis or the Himalayan Shambhala. These places disappeared into the shadows as humanity descended into an increasingly materialistic age. The fact that Atlantis or Shambhala may lie hidden in some underwater grave or hidden valley is not the salient point. What these histories teach us is that humanity, in this day and age, has forgotten how to be in the heart spaceWhy should it not be possible to find that heart space again for humanity? This course, in its examination of technology to use for spiritual growth, hopes to be part of the spiritual search of the individual and its soul of a place and time where, again, all things are discoverable.

Course Continued…