Sunday, November 4, 2007

Rush of Information

During my morning meditation, I read a chapter entitled "Beautiful Theories", in Weinberg's Dreams of a Final Theory . The philosophy of quantum mechanics has lured me since August of 1998; where, I met a druid--- Veronica. Those who know me, know the tale well; nevertheless, I am forever changed.



A couple of nights ago, maybe a week, I was reading a previous chapter, where the text was so imaginative and abstract, that I had the sudden sensation of detachment. This detachment is an elusive phenomenon, occurring usually when I am driving, listening to music, and sipping coffee, simultaneously. When reproducing the experiment, all three elements seem to aid the speed of the detachment. Anyway, by detachment, I mean an experience where one is conscious of actions and the surroundings, but it is as if the head is slightly above its normal location, hence "detachment". The experience is similar to a conscious trance. Sounds are muffled, and the sense of sight is heightened. Thoughts become entities of the imagination, but lucid, crisp, and almost real. When a sensation occurs outside the stable conditions of the detachment (drone matrix), reattachment is made. Its a reawakening of the senses, literally; thoughts regain their secondary status to the senses. A bit of disorientation then occurs, as if one had been gone for a while.



My detachment experiences rarely take place outside the normal formula; however, there are times when the experience is initiated by literature (or at least the thoughts and mental images that the literature inspires). My Weinberg experience is such an experience. As I was reading in English, a quantum theory for laymen, I detached. In that finite moment, my thoughts were real, and my mind scanned through the mental archives. Again, the ideas expressed in the chapter were so foreign to my "normal" thoughts, that a jolt ensued in my soul. Honestly, I saw the discipline of quantum theory as another type of brotherhood, promising the secrets of life, to those who will walk their path of initiation.



And now we return to my morning meditation. What practical application comes of my experience? What use is the detachment to making breakfast?



Usually, I can only remember a single thought from the multitudes I encounter during detachment. Is that enough? Maybe that is all the mystery I can handle; otherwise, I would be another addict, with a different vice.