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Peeking
Through the Looking Glass
By
Mark Certo
6/13/93. I was slowly moving through the various levels of consciousness
that were familiar to me as I allowed my meditation to deepen. Suddenly,
things began to speed up, as if my awareness were racing through a tunnel.
At the tunnel's end, I found myself in a strange  landscape.
It was an almost lunar-like surface of ashen grey/white powder. In front
of me was a huge star. I recognized this as a tetrahedron or Star of
David. It was about thirty feet in height and rotated slowly as if on
an axis. This experience was very visual and I stood mystified as to
what it meant for me. The reply came instantly, “Allow the star
to enter your heart.” Brimming with confidence, I said “Sure...
come on in.” Whappppppp! The force hit me in such a way that I
felt shattered. It wasn't painful at all. In fact, after the initial
surprise of impact to my chest, the feeling was rather peaceful. After
impact, my subconscious vignette shifted once again. I was enveloped
in the deep dark that I can only imagine is experienced by those who
have been outside of the Earth's atmosphere. I noticed that all
around me were tiny glimmering lights, like pieces of a shattered mirror
reflecting sunlight. As a matter of fact, I too, if there were really
an “I” at this point, was one of them. My consciousness seemed
to be encapsulated in this tiny shimmering light. To my amazement, I
realized that I could move my consciousness from one piece of the mirror
to another. I did this for some time, trying to discern any subtle differences,
until finally it dawned on me. All of these pieces are pieces of me,
but larger somehow. Pieces of a whole that transcended the concept of
me as an individual, yet I was able to keep my sense of self. I am not
sure I can adequately put this experience into words, but I knew I would
never look at life the same way again.
The preceding is an excerpt taken from the journal of one who was willing
to share an experience he had while in deep meditation. The experience
obviously had a profound impact and is referred to in clinical research
circles as the peak experience. The peak experience is a transformative
experience, often spiritual in nature, which causes a discreet shift
in one's world view. Peak experiences are usually the result of
an altered state of consciousness, like meditation.
The root cause of the peak experience is the subject for debate. Consciousness
researchers have found that there is a brainwave pattern correlated
to the peak experience. It is a seizure of sorts in the temporal lobe
regions of the brain that produces fast wave electrical data on EEG's.
This “seizure” can be replicated by applying stimulus to these
regions, causing test subjects to see things which others cannot. No
doubt this is intriguing data and may one day prompt western society
to wholly negate the peak experience as a mere flight of fancy. While
this may be true in some cases, it is my opinion that this line of thinking
is premature and could actually be detrimental to our evolution as a
species.
Because the peak experience creates a philosophical shift that is spiritually
uplifting, its power transcends the experiencer to include many others
who stand in awe of the experience. Religions originate with the peak
experience. The experiences of The Buddha, Saul of Tarsus and Moses
are just three examples of peak experiences that have had lasting effects
upon the consciousness of humanity. Spiritual experiences are important
to our growth. Many spiritual seekers today are practicing meditation
in the hopes of reaching the appropriate state of consciousness that
will enable them to have the peak experience. It is the peak experience
that brings them closer to the divine and helps them understand the
nature of their being. The Tranquility Training Method offers a means
of reaching this meditative or altered state through the use of binaural
beat stimulus, as exemplified in the above journal entry. Perhaps the
resulting effects did not change the course of human history, but it
certainly changed that person's life philosophy in a positive way.
It was a discreet shift that included an experience of unity and love
for the mystery of life. What can be more valuable than that?
Maybe peak experiences are the byproducts of temporal lobe seizures
causing people to imagine beings which cannot be seen by others. Maybe,
just maybe... these beings are there all the time and we can only experience
them when we open our minds, which on an EEG, looks like a temporal
lobe seizure. I believe there is even more to the story. I believe,
that the human brain is “hard wired” for such experiences
to occur and that in peaking through the looking glass of consciousness,
our evolutionary growth is motivated. Fortunately, for the sake of consciousness
and its evolution, we really cannot know. The mystery of the human experience
is after all... a journey.
Mark
Certo is a recording engineer who has been involved in researching the
effects of sound on consciousness since 1988. He utilizes his many years
of experience teaching people to meditate through The Tranquility Training
Method. For more information, see his ad in Business Resources under
Meditation.
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