Most of the great minds that influenced our lives had an esoteric spiritual background that they rarely revealed publicly. Isaac Newton for example, experimented in Alchemy secretly in his laboratory31. Rudolf Steiner, one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century, was firmly anchored in spirituality. Carl Jung, the Swiss psychologist, was among the most influential scholars of his time, along with other Europeans like the writer and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; they were all influenced by the early Christian Gnostic School that had its roots in the Ancient Egyptian way of thinking32.
When I studied in Zurich, Switzerland, in the late fifties, Carl Jung was a prominent but controversial figure in psychology because he transcended the boundaries of psychology into the spiritual and esoteric realms. Many mainstream psychologists, especially Freudians, criticized Jung for bringing spiritual doctrines into psychology.
In his writings, Jung distinguishes four stages of mankind33: Primitive Man, Ancient Man, Modern Man and Contemporary Man. Jung uses these terms to categorize the different stages of focal shifts from the holistic type of right-brain perception, into the detailed and analytical type of left-brain perception. Those shifts of perception brought on the emergence of the ‘I’ or ‘ego’ from the abstract collective realm, to form the strong individualized personality of today’s modern mankind.
We will use Jung’s categorization of the different stages and types of perception, to understand the inner source from which humanity interacted with the forces of nature in its artistic and architectural expressions in the different eras of civilization (Fig. 73). This categorization corresponds to stages of gradual shift of perception from the right brain hemisphere to the left one. In Figure 72, the (R) refers to the right hemisphere and the (L) refers to the left hemisphere. In reality, there is no distinct spatial separation between the right and left hemispheres. There is a bridge, a bunch of nerve fibers known as the ‘corpus callosum’. In a normal human being, the hemispheres are synchronized. The distinct separation we see in the illustration can only be found in patients whose hemispheres have been surgically split (please understand that models are not necessarily scientifically accurate, but serve as conceptual guides to enhance a functional understanding of states of perception).
The right-brain type of perception is the one that has a holistic view, which is an awareness of the patterns of relationships between their components. This state of perception is characterized by an increase of alpha brainwaves (7-10 Hz) that raise the level of receptivity and relaxation as well as the connectivity with the earth’s natural vibration of the same frequency, known as ‘Schumann Waves’. It is sought in meditation, prayer, yoga, and many other similar activities. Right-brain perception is receptive awareness of the totality of relationships in a situation without focus on detail. The shift of attention from relationships to detail characterizes the shift from right to left-brain perception, which would be a type of active awareness with more focusing. The right-brain state of receptive awareness is a relaxed state, in which we perceive the relationships creating the overall patterns of images, motion, and geometrical shapes.
In order to understand how the right brain works, let us imagine what happens when we are in a long lecture and the speaker’s voice has a monotone rhythm. We start getting distracted and daydream. While daydreaming, if someone comes and asks us any mathematical questions or any linguistic questions we will probably not be able to answer immediately. When we daydream, we are in a right-brain perception mode. We will not know the answer which needs a left-brain perception, and we could feel ‘out of it’. Normally, while we are daydreaming, we can visualize things: see things even with our eyes closed independently of the senses. Other times, when we drift too much into the right-brain mode, we may stutter or say the wrong words. This general awareness will make us part of what we receive, part of what happens, while we are just sitting there and not talking. In right-brain perception, there is only a weak manifestation of the ‘I/ego’ There is no analytic, objective view: we and the universe are one.
The consciousness of the ‘I/ego’ as we know it, is in the left-brain perception. The left-brain perception is your main sensory perception. This is where your senses go into the meaning level, and this is where thinking takes place. Awareness in the left-brain is actively focusing on detail, not passively receiving the general impression, as in the right-brain. Focusing means we can do things like analyze, break something into parts, and calculate. The senses create our perceived world. When we see a picture from left-brain perception, we focus on details. If a bit of right-brain perception kicks in, we may see the picture differently. The components become part of the whole. This is our awakening consciousness in its fullest form when both types of perception are working together.
The act of ‘focusing’ in our daily consciousness is a form of concentration. We cannot interact in that way for a long period of time without becoming stressed, which is why sleep becomes important. It’s a way of giving our left-brain perception a break. When sleep is not possible, our mind will stray into daydreaming. When our brain needs an outlet from stress, it switches perceptions from left to right brain in order to relax. Our perception of rhythm is a good example to illustrate this point. In left-brain perception, we are sensitive to the opposites in rhythm, and are aware of the details that make up the rhythm. In right-brain perception, we are aware of the whole rhythm as if standing in the middle experiencing its parts. By standing in the middle we are in tune with the rhythm. We feel the quality of the rhythm through the proportional relationship of the intervals between the notes, and the notes themselves. The silence between the beats becomes a major player in the quality of the rhythm. When we are receiving holistic information the laws of the universe manifest.
Animals mainly use right-brain perception and do not have a strong ‘I/ego’. They are instinctively receptive to the laws of nature, with which they live in total harmony. They have a herd consciousness; each belongs to its group which communicates as one being. We can see this in flocks of birds when they fly moving in synchronized harmony, the group consciousness imposes itself on the weaker ‘I/ego’ of the individual bird (Fig. 74). A collective sense of pattern is evident. Another example can be seen in the way birds build their nests; the same species build their nests in a very specific and similar manner around the world. They instinctively follow the laws of nature to reach the ideal shape for their home and optimum energy quality for their species. Rupert Sheldrake explains such phenomena through the collective information of a species, stored in what he calls ‘Morphogenetic Fields’ that affect the behavior of the species, irrespective of time or place34.
Primitive Man lived within the rules of nature in a state of pure harmony in a collective tribal consciousness, governed mainly by right-brain perception. How did Primitive Man discover his ‘sacred power spots’? One might assume he was imitating the animals by going to the spot, but it is more probable that he had a similar or more advanced type of perception and an advanced form of intuition, which enabled him to see, feel and interact with the quality of the ‘light’ emanating from the spot.
The shift from Primitive Man to Ancient Man, begins when the ‘I/ ego’ starts to function within one’s world view. In the beginning of the shift, the ‘I/ego’ was still weak. People were shifting from right-brain perception to left-brain perception while, the ‘I/ego’ was still strongly linked to the right-brain. It was a point of delicate balance where the left-brain ‘I/ego’ was still a spokesman for the holistic perception of the natural laws.
Ancient Man with his right-brain perception was developing the conscious ego in the left-brain perception. With Ancient Man, both perceptions were equally functioning (Fig. 75). In Modern Man, however, the focus of everyday awareness moves into left-brain perception. The awareness of right-brain perception becomes weaker, so the person becomes a full ‘I/ego’. The shift out of our subconscious realm is completed. Our awareness of the subconscious is lost. There is now only the all-prevailing ‘I/ego’. This is the state of Modern Man.
Freud tried to look back to discover the power of the subconscious. Thinking from ‘I/ego’ became very important for Modern Man, who is anchored within left-brain perception. The ‘I/ego’ became strong to a point where people often are not able to participate in team work without causing disharmony. Today, this strong ‘I/ego’ is at the root of many of the social problems that we face worldwide on all levels.
Interestingly enough, Jung saw a continuation of a progression in the type of perception from Primitive, to Ancient, to Modern Man. He pointed out that a very small fraction of Modern Man falls into what he categorized as ‘Contemporary Man’. This Contemporary Man is reaching out towards an emerging new state of awareness, in which he is attempting to access the universal holistic information of his right-brain perception.
There were different periods when the perception of humanity shifted from the right-brain perception to the left-brain perception of the ‘I/ego’. Scholars gave different dates for the shift. The philosopher, William James, sets this shift from Primitive Man to Ancient Man at a period around 1250 B.C. However, if we apply Jung’s categorization to Egypt and look at the civilization of Ancient Egypt, we discover that the shift had happened in Egypt around two thousand years earlier than what was assumed by William James. At the same time that the cavemen lived in Europe, there was a very advanced civilization in Egypt. History records that this shift took place in different areas of the world at different times within the period between 5000 B.C. and 1250 B.C.
We could call this shift from Primitive right-brain perception to Ancient left-brain perception the first ‘Great Shift’. A second shift occurred later with the evolution from Ancient Man to Modern Man. Such shifts in perception, although very gradual, mark the turning points of human evolution.
Our senses pick-up different vibratory ranges to create color, sound, smell, touch and taste, which when put together in the meaning level of the brain, create our reality and project it in front of us to form our world. We can, for example, look at the idea developed in the Renaissance era as ‘perspective’ (Fig. 76), which uses a method of constructing three-dimensional realities as emerging from one or more points at the eye level of the observer and vanishing back into them. If these vanishing points of the perspective are really emergence or projection points within us, then we can see ourselves as the centers of our perceived reality. So from the human perception point of view, my reality and my universe are centered in my head. This viewpoint leads us to a concept that was sometimes referred to as the ‘Magical Universe’.
In the concept of the ‘Magical Universe’, the universe is perceived as geocentric, with the Earth at the center. This concept that prevailed in sacred art and was supported by the church, is accurate from the qualitative sensory point of view, based on how reality is perceived. The physical fact, however, that our solar system is heliocentric, with the sun at the center, seems to disprove the geocentric point of view, until we connect it to the way we perceive our reality, which explains it perfectly. The occult and esoteric aspects behind the geocentric concepts were not common knowledge which led some to think that with new astronomical discoveries the old geocentric belief was replaced by the heliocentric theory.
In reality, both the geocentric and the heliocentric points of view were understood in ancient times. How could ancient mariners sail the oceans and seas, unless they knew the astronomical facts about the sun and the stars? It is evident that the Ancient Egyptians were very advanced in Astronomical sciences, which they even incorporated in the design of their temples and pyramids.
The heliocentric solar system is the absolute physical reality of the planets circling the sun. This knowledge is essential for practical purposes related to everyday life such as travel and agriculture. The geocentric system, on the other hand, is based on the perceived reality with the observer at its center, a concept that is prevalent in sacred rituals. In reality, however, we perceive the knowledge based heliocentric concept through our sensory geocentric point of view; they are, therefore, two faces of one coin.
In the Physics of Quality, on which BioGeometry is based, we derive the qualitative scales of measurements from scales of sensory perception such as color or sound. These scales interact together in the meaning level of the brain and form an image of the perceived reality which is projected outside us. The perceived reality is only a small fragment of the absolute reality from which our senses access the information (from very limited vibratory ranges) to form our perceived reality. The qualitative effects on our subtle energy system from all dimensions of the environment are experienced in a sensory or extrasensory way through our perceived reality. Qualities are a result of an interaction between two energy systems. The sound from a string when plucked is only perceived if a person is present; otherwise it is just a movement of air without any sound. The observer is needed to manifest the qualities of sound, color, shape, smell, and taste, that form our perceived reality. The perceived reality is composed out of the qualities we perceive and project. Perceived reality is like a filter between us and the absolute reality. It forms our world out of the selected information and prevents us from becoming overwhelmed.
In qualitative measurements, we use the qualitative criteria and scales from the perceived reality to access the other effects beyond our perceived reality (such as color, sound, and so on) that also have a qualitative effect on our subtle energy systems. To do that, we transform the qualitative scales of perception from within our perceived reality, into abstract universal scales that are applied into all vibratory ranges of the total absolute reality. A color, for example, will represent an abstract quality beyond the color range that does not necessarily reflect the color itself, but only a hidden quality within it.
In a science of quality which is based on a Physics of Quality, and a Qualitative Harmonic System, the perceived reality of the Geocentric Universe is the only way through which we can also access the universal qualitative effects of the absolute total reality.
Subtle Energy Practices of Primitive Man
Primitive Man had very strong instincts. In his own way, he began to understand the power of motion from the communication and information exchange point of view. He noticed that if he mimicked the motion or took the shape of an animal he felt like that animal, because on a vibratory subtle energy level both became like of copies of each other. Primitive Man discovered that he could further enhance this resonance by wearing an animal skin. If he wore the skin of a lion and moved like a lion during a battle or a hunt, he felt he acquired the courage and strength of the lion and felt like the ‘king of the jungle’, and so he chose to mimic the animal that had the qualities he most required for his survival. Today we still find shamans in many cultures performing very similar ritualistic rites to develop their vision. For example, they would wear an eagle’s mask, as a way of using the shape of the bird to resonate with its energy qualities. This is what we now actually do with all the action figures of heroes, superstars and super models, which children love. Children are close to nature and are impressionable to the point that studies have shown that as the figures and games become more real, the boundaries between reality and fiction fade away. Here we have the potential of an imminent and real danger.
Furthermore, Primitive Man discovered that if he drew the shape of an animal and used rituals of connectivity through resonance, the drawing became animated with the subtle energy quality of that animal. If he pointed a sharp weapon at the drawing, he saw through his primitive perception that the energy of the animal was affected. The drawings of the hunters throwing spears at the animal were already part of the hunt. These drawings were not meant as artwork; that is why they were not found near the entrance of the cave where they could be seen. By drawing those pictures on the wall in an area of the cave that manifested a communicative sacred energy quality, they enhanced the resonant effect (Fig. 77). Some might call this a form of functional art or ‘sympathetic magic’.35 But in fact, it is resonance in action. Isn’t that what science is all about? First, observation, then repeatability under similar circumstances, with similar results.
The transition from Primitive Man to Ancient Man was a huge shift in perception that drastically changed the worldview, and was accompanied by a strengthening of the ‘I/ego’ as a result of the movement of focus towards left-brain perception. With the development of logical, mathematical, and analytical mental abilities, Primitive Man started developing a civilization. At this stage, right-brain perception was still stronger than left-brain perception. The ‘I/ego’ became stronger than before, but not yet as strong as the forces of the collective, the subconscious, or the transcendental realms. He was still attached to the powers of nature with which he strives to be in harmony. This emerging civilization was the result of the harmonious role of the individual within the collective aspects of society and the laws of nature.
The sciences of this period were equally founded on the analytical quantitative methods that developed into modern science, as well as the qualitative harmonic laws that synchronized them with the powers of nature. The ancient sciences dealt with the powers of nature in a practical way to enhance every day activities.
Taking the Ancient Egyptian as an example, we find that he started moving his focus from right-brain perception into left-brain perception. But at this stage, he applied the new abilities to interact with the content of the old perception, and developed sciences that bridged both types of perception. For example, when he drew something, he drew the archetypal stylized figure, representing the geometric laws of nature behind the physical manifestation of that thing. The drawing connected through resonance to other dimensions beyond the visual representation, where the geometrical templates expressing the laws of the perfect forms are found. At that time, to analyze and put letters together to describe the object in his left-brain perception was not the only goal; he still wanted to invoke the object in his right-brain perception in an energetic sense, and acquire its qualities as new information within himself. That is why it was natural for him to develop a sacred language of hieroglyphics40 as a pictorial language leading to experiencing something.
Experiencing through becoming something was a form of harmonic resonance. Harmonics is the language of the universe that works through resonance, which in turn leads to exchange of information, and to an overall unity of the multidimensional universe. For every day communication related to mundane things, the Ancient Egyptians used simplified forms that worked more like a modern alphabet without the complex symbolic resonant properties of the sacred language.
Symbolism in Ancient Egypt was a method of communication, anchored in resonance to achieve full information exchange between the symbol and the source. If we take the heart as an example, we see a variety of references to its transcendental role in many cultures: “Don’t take it to heart,” or “Judge it with your heart,” and so on. The heart for the Ancient Egyptian was not only an organ in the body, but also symbolic of the inner essence. It was written as a feather representing the sound ‘i’ and a lower leg representing the sound ‘b’ to be pronounced ‘ib’, and had an additional symbol of a jar with a lid. It could have been pronounced ‘ab’ or ‘ib’, as we do not know how they pronounced the words, since they did not write the vowels. The feather also represented ‘Maat’ which stood for cosmic order, truth, harmony, and balance. In the afterlife, the heart was weighed against the feather representing ‘Maat’ (Fig. 78).
We conducted some experiments and found that if one stressed the feather “i” and pronounced the heart as “iiiiiiiiiiib”, accentuating and resonating with the feather “i”, it balanced and harmonized the heart energy center (Heart Chakra), and in so doing, brought it into resonance with the feather of ‘Maat’. Interestingly enough, the “iiiiiiii” alone without the ‘b’ at the end had no effect; this is because the energy quality of the feather bringing harmony has to be applied to motion and support, expressed by the lower leg in order to manifest from the abstract to the practical. In other words, the heart is a receptacle of the laws of balance and order to bring harmony into our actions (Fig. 79).
The relationship of ‘Maat’ with the wisdom of the heart is evident here, and the balance represents resonance between them. The heart is taken from a physical organ to become the center of one’s being which is, in turn, connected to the ‘Maat’ of universal order, truth, wisdom and harmony, which was the essence of the prosperity of Egypt. The Ancient Egyptians understood that they could not directly connect to the transcendent essence of the Divine beyond time and space, so they interacted with its manifestations as the powers of nature. And, since these powers are abstract, the brain produces by association from the contents of its data bank of information the nearest thing to a perceivable personified image of that power. The power is not personified; the brain is personifying it in its process of perception. The image of that specific power of nature is further personified in detail by adding objects from nature that reflect the energy quality of this power. This composite image of a certain power of nature will bring the perceiver into awareness and resonance with that power. In order to illustrate this idea, we can look at how in Roman mythology the planet Mars is depicted as a god. When the Romans personified the power of the planet Mars, they used a system of sympathetic resonant relationships; when they tuned into Mars, they felt the same energy quality of resonance as with that of the metal iron, which in turn is similar to the energy quality of the red color. They would also look for all the things in nature emitting the same type of energy quality as the planet Mars. This red quality could be found in any form: in rocks, in plants, in actions involving power, and even in musical notes, (in this case the ‘Do/C’). When we are in resonance with something red, everything around us with the red vibration quality enters into this resonance and becomes interconnected, thus increasing the effect of that quality. A warrior carrying an iron shield, armor and sword would be a good representation of the power of that effect. Since iron as we now know also has the red energy quality, they would add the color red to some detail, and add representations of different things with the red energy quality. The total picture of Mars becomes a textbook image showing us the manifestations of that power of nature or energy quality in many forms throughout nature. It is not anymore the planet Mars, but the Martian energy quality manifested in nature.
This concept of representation or symbolism sheds light on the esoteric concept behind Tarot cards. The precision and details on each card manifest a certain energy quality or law of nature. In this aspect, we can see the Tarot deck of cards as a book of ‘sympathetic magic’ or resonant relationships categorizing things by their interlinked qualitative energy effects.
Knowing the power of shapes and symbols, we can now understand how the ancients used them. If we take the shape of a cobra, for example, it is no coincidence that the Ancient Egyptians often used it on their crowns. When wearing that shape, they were connecting with the law of that archetype. If we measure the cobra with an appropriate instrument, we will find it has a very strong emission of Negative Green (which has carrier wave quality), especially when it takes this familiar posture. This quality is also emanated from the shape itself to support the action (Fig. 80). When placed on the forehead on the sixth energy center (or chakra), the ‘third eye chakra’, we have a carrier wave emission that connects both the pituitary and the pineal glands to activate the lower and the crown chakras (Fig. 81). Every animal is a manifestation of one or more of nature’s powers, so the shape of the cobra or any other animal has meaning, and emanates a subtle energy quality supporting that meaning. In this case the shape enhances the snake’s hypnotic powers used to capture their prey.
When we examine some icons of saints, we find that they are often depicted holding plants or objects. We assume that whatever they are holding is a symbol, and we try to decipher the hidden message. This might be the case sometimes. However, from the energy point of view the saint is expressing his mission through the power of the plant or object, and is showing us the link through resonance with the specific energy quality involved. What does this way of connecting with nature mean? When the shift from right-brain perception to left-brain perception began, the Egyptians felt that they were still connected to the unconscious invisible dimension. They knew what was ‘hidden’, and they could shift between the two worlds at will, since they perceived them as one interconnected reality, even though the focus was shifting towards the left-brain type of perception. Primitive Man could not develop such a civilization as he was totally focused on the right-brain type of perception, even when he functioned through the left-brain. Contemporary Man on the other hand, must look back into the unconscious and consciously join resonance with the forces of nature manifesting in there. Perhaps this is a stage mankind is going through. After our contemporary age, maybe the ‘Golden Age’ will allow mankind to regain the abilities he had in ancient times, but with full conscious control over them.