Sunday, August 18th, 1974

WISDOM'S GOLDENROD, ALAN BERKOWITZ CLASS NOTES

(TYPED)

AUGUST 18, 1974

EPISTEMOLOGY; REFLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS

TOPIC: Epistemology

SUBJECT: Reflective Consciousness

SUBSUBJECTS: Karmic Impressions, Body Scheme, Perception, Observer, Three Levels of Heart, Brain, Vasanas, Image, Four Stages of Psychological Development, Nadis

BOOKS READ FROM OR REFERENCED:

• Georg Feuerstein and Jeanine Miller, The Essence of Yoga: Essays on the Development of Yogic Philosophy from the Vedas to Modern Times

• Michael Fordham, The Objective Psyche

• Sri Venkataramiah (Swami Ramanananda Saraswati), Recorder, Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi

• Sir Charles Sherrington, Man on His Nature

• Paul Brunton, The Wisdom of the Overself

• Rene Guenon, Man and His Becoming According to the Vedanta

• Edward Whitmont, The Symbolic Quest: Basic Concepts of Analytical Psychology

• C.G. Jung, Letters

• Paul Brunton, The Quest of the Overself

• C.G. Jung, CW 5, Symbols of Transformation

• C.G. Jung, CW 6, Psychological Types

• C.G. Jung, CW 8, The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche

• C.G. Jung, CW 10, Civilization in Transition, "The Undiscovered Self (Present and Future)"

DIAGRAMS embedded in these notes:

• FIGURE 1974 0818-1-AB. Yogic Scheme of Suffering and Liberation from Suffering.

• FIGURE 1974 0818-2. Yogic Scheme of Suffering and Liberation from Suffering. (scan from The Essence of Yoga, G. Feuerstein, J. Miller)

• FIGURE 1974 0818-3-AB. Cosmos as Thought.

• FIGURE 1974 0818-4-AB. Primal Image.

TYPED AND REFORMATTED by IT 2023

NOTES:

• RETYPED HANDWRITTEN NOTES (hence V08). From Alan Notes 5 PB Platonism Astrology 1974 MARCH TO 1977 FEB.PDF.

• Dating discrepancy between AB notes, dated 8/17/74, and Blue Book, dated 8/18/74. Using Blue Book date as the correct one until more information is available.

• All capitalization, punctuation, and other errors corrected, abbreviations spelled out.

1974 08/18 at Wisdom's Goldenrod

Epistemology; Reflective Consciousness

[Alan Notes 1974 0818 Begin] [Note: AB notes are dated 8/17/74, Blue Book shows as 8/18/74. Using Blue Book date as the correct one until more information is available.]

8/18/74 Karmic Impressions

Diagram from Reappraisal of Yoga. [Note: The Essence of Yoga: Essays on the Development of Yogic Philosophy from the Vedas to Modern Times by Georg Feuerstein and Jeanine Miller, Inner Traditions International, 1998, p. 93. Originally published in Great Britain as A Reappraisal of Yoga in 1971.]

[FIGURE 1974 0818-2. Yogic Scheme of Suffering and Liberation from Suffering. Facsimile scan from The Essence of Yoga: Essays on the Development of Yogic Philosophy from the Vedas to Modern Times by Georg Feuerstein and Jeanine Miller, Inner Traditions International, 1998, p. 93.]

1) Fordham -- Objective Psyche quotes [Note: Michael Fordham, The Objective Psyche. JC notes add: Body scheme.]

2) Ramana -- Talks [Note: Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi.]

3) Man on His Nature -- Sherrington -- Earth's Alchemy chapter [Note: Sir Charles Sherrington, Man on His Nature, Chapter X, "Earth's Alchemy".]

"Rise, abiding, and dissolution…" [Note: Paul Brunton, The Wisdom of the Overself, p. 39 in 2015 edition. "The rise, abiding, and dissolution of karma is indeed a twin function to that of its ideation."]

Causality -- final and mechanistic

Flow of images in psyche are substantial with a power driving them. Psyche is a closed system.

Where do the images come from?

[Note: The following numbers correspond to numbered references directly above.]

3) Act of perception is outside energy scheme. Modern science can reduce everything to energy except the act of observation itself.

Heisenberg uncertainly principle -- 'observer disturbs observation'.

Observer here is the subject (upadhis, physical) but not the observing (Witness-I) -- only its trace affects the observation.

Observation is no kind of energy phenomena. Its vehicle is what is involved.

2) 23rd to 28th January, 1939 -- nadis, heart center [Note: Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Talk #616, page number varies with edition.]

[FIGURE 1974 0818-3-AB. Cosmos as Thought. S + T = Space and Time; Circum. = Circumference; Refl. = Reflected. Facsimile scan from AB class notes.]

Images are in body somewhere. All images in common sensorium.

Brain is physical counterpart of vasanas -- heart - subtle.

1) Man and His Becoming -- ethers in heart, p. 40 [Note: Rene Guenon, Man and His Becoming According to the Vedanta.]

2) Symbolic Quest -- 'objective psyche', 'libido' [Note: Edward Whitmont, The Symbolic Quest: Basic Concepts of Analytical Psychology. JC notes indicate: pp. 29-30, 41.]

3) Jung's Letters -- union of anima and shadow ≠ unio mystica [Note: C.G. Jung, Letters.]

PB -- heart transplant is black magic -- person is never the same -- heart that is transplanted gets a new body -- not reverse. Memories/brain consciousness are same, vasanas are new.

[Note: The following numbers correspond to numbered references directly above.]

1) Aspiration that draws self into manifesting other three hearts.

Ramana always speaks from the highest point of view.

1) Guenon

a) physical ether in heart -- a corporeal principle -- heart center experience(d) in Quest of Overself -- psychic being then comes in [Note: Paul Brunton, The Quest of the Overself.]

b) living soul -- jiv-atma

2) Symbolic Quest

[FIGURE 1974 0818-4-AB. Primal Image. Facsimile scan from AB class notes.]

States of Consciousness:

1) Uroboric -- heart center is not distinct from circumference -- unitary consciousness has no representation of itself.

2) De-integration -- [arrow here from level above to level below] -- breaking away of individual and image.

3) Magical -- same as yogi creating world through imagination, quality of consciousness is equal, power is different.

4) Myth

[1-4 are a] psychological perversion of Advaitic four states.

1→2 through sacrifice, speech occurs.

(Steiner -- sense of words -- 6)

Every sense (12 - Steiner) makes an image of its activity -- Jung. [Note: See C.G. Jung, CW 8, The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche, "Spirit and Life".]

Symbols of Transformation -- two kinds of thinking [Note: C.G. Jung, CW 5, Symbols of Transformation, Part I, Chapter 2, "Two Kinds of Thinking".]

Anatole France -- meaning is built on images.

Steiner's higher stages are a re-ascent through levels, bringing with it all your past development.

Vasanas or memory are subtle -- beyond physical.

Etheric formative forces must proceed according to them.

Ramana -- vasanas are in heart.

Your hippie days are a result of your guilt for leaving the collective.

Jung -- definition of Image [Note: C.G. Jung, CW 6, Psychological Types, Chapter XI, "Definitions". JC notes indicate: paragraphs 749-750.]

Simone Weil -- French Jewess -- negative way.

paragraph 540 -- Undiscovered Self [Note: C.G. Jung, CW 10, Civilization in Transition, "The Undiscovered Self (Present and Future)".]

Vasana when manifesting goes through levels 1-4 -- ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny.

Magical = rational.

Myth = psychic.

Logos -- form-creating life -- word.

Fordham misunderstands St. John's dark night of soul and also misunderstands Jung.

Eddinger misunderstands.

(Yogis) -- mind is in nerves.

[Alan Notes 1974 0818 End]