Do you believe consciousness is all there is, and there are different levels of intelligent lifeforms that exist independently, and yet we are a part of their body- like cells within a body?
To those who find Consciousness a very important part of their lives understanding, and in answer to Eric; From what we have talked about for years and somewhat experienced from time to time, this is a very dense place we presently inhabit. But there are those who coexist in this realm who experience it quite differently and tarry here to help us. We are very fortunate for such beings and they are our salvation and example to rise up and beyond this realm of imprisoning limitations.
I have also found in the link i provided here something that may interest Uwe (this Body) since he recently commented on a period of life on this planet called the Jurassic era. See information on that link provided at the bottom of this page.
I also believe that mccoy may also find some relevancy of this subject and link since we have talked in depth over the years about the procession of the equinoxes. mccoy you may have also mentioned this author ( Dr. David Frowly) in the past. I believe he has a grasp on the various cycles and their affect on the human evolution of consciousness and our placement in it in this present Dwapara ( Bronze Age ). I think it is important to recognize these observations when we encounter various ‘forces’ and energies , quite often as resisting our efforts, in our environment and recognize that many of these phenomena are a result of the present evolutionary progress of most of those souls we are interacting with on this planet, at this time period.
I think there is a definite experience that some of us have had before coming here that makes us ‘see’ and experience life much differently that others around us. Having this perception as you have mentioned above (Eric) we congregate together to affirm our own reality instead of being a part of a mass amnesia that surrounds us. Occasionally we get a glimpse of our own highest aspirations manifesting in relief with the present state of consciousness of most of humanity around us. This probably most accurately sums up my view of consciousness and answers the question Eric asked that I have presented above. I know that this is only one way of explaining and understanding the reality most of us find ourselves surrounded by, and that Eric - for instance - may have a different way of explaining his life experiences. Or anyone else may have. The point being that we are all attempting to understand the different lives we encounter here during our own life, and the vicissitudes of our own. This in some ways sets us in a unique position that most of human beings on earth today barely ponder.
We see and experience all kinds of different levels of conscious knowing and recognition around us so we must also recognize that in the depths of some of the density that many perceive we are unable to break through very easily to such ‘souls’ around us. In fact they may lash out at us or ostracize us because of their intolerance to what we experience. I ‘believe’ that this is why you have spoke so highly of ‘tolerance’ lately Eric. You see it as a highly redeemable character strength that helps in our salvation, and ultimate freedom from the physical reality that surrounds us. The fact that you and others have have had experiences with other realms and are attempting to express and impart them on receptive soul's is part of your mission and destiny in this sojourn of the terrestrial realm we presently experience.
I hope this has answered your question and helps you recognize the value of what little understanding I have of the people like you who joined us here and recognize the importance of our small contribution to the upliftment of consciousness in this time of the bronze or Dwapara yuga which we find ourselves in which is also part of a larger Kali Yuga we remain deeply yet entangled in and are struggling to break free from.
This article about the evolution of consciousness may be of particular importance and interest to those reading this thread:
https://www.vedanet.com/secrets-of-the-yugas-or-world-ages/From the article;
According to the Vedic seers, life on Earth is under the rule of vast cosmic forces that originate from the stars. All that happens locally on our planet is a result of forces coming from the distant regions of the universe. These are not just distant regions of the physical world, but also of the cosmic mind, the mysterious origin of things from which the underlying forces of creation arise. These forces determine the nature of the time in which we live. Usually we are so involved in the transient events of our personal lives that we miss these great powers altogether. Like fish, we fail to see the ocean.
Just as we resonate to the seasons of the year, so too are we individually and collectively under the rule of various time cycles. Each person, each nation, and each humanity has such a cycle, as does the planet itself. We exist at different stages in the processes of birth, growth, decay and death, not just in our bodies but also in our minds and souls. Yet this is not just a mechanical round that goes nowhere.
Behind the cycle of time lies an ongoing evolution of consciousness. Just as a tree has annual cycles of growth and retreat but continues to grow year after year, so
all things have an inner growth process in which consciousness continues to develop through life after life.The Greater Cycle of World Ages
According to the more common view of Hindu astrology, humanity is in a Kali Yuga, a dark or Iron Age of 432,000 years, said to have begun around 3102 BCE. We should note, however, that this view is a speculation of medieval thinkers and has several problems, not to mention how pessimistic it appears! Even from the standpoint of Vedic historical records, its accuracy is questionable. Ancient texts mention many kings and sages, not just of the preceding Dwapara Age, but also of the Satya and Treta yugas. If this longer yuga cycle is used, such people would have to have lived hundreds of thousands of years ago, if not millions!
However, this issue is complicated because different cycles exist, both shorter and longer. Besides the 25,000 year precessional cycle, there must be other longer cycles of hundreds of thousands and millions of years, just as our ordinary lives encompass cycles within cycles of the day, the month and the year.
From the standpoint of such a greater cycle, we may indeed be in a Kali Yuga, perhaps one of 432,000 years (though I am not certain of the duration or point of beginning). Within that greater cycle of Kali Yuga, however, we do appear to be in a lesser cycle Bronze Age phase of 2400 years or so.
It is not possible to say how many but civilizations such as we know of have been in existence for many tens of thousands of years. Nor is there any end to such cycles in sight. By some accounts, it may take up to a million years of evolution for the average soul to pass through the human domain. In this regard the human race may be quite young, even at an age of several hundred thousand years old.
https://www.vedanet.com/secrets-of-the-yugas-or-world-ages/My comment, apart from the article; I believe there also are other planets, stars and suns where we have been even before the evolutionary process of this planet. So we may have come from periods that existed before the cycles referred to in this post. It is important to recognize that gurus like Paramahansa Yogananda explained that there have been souls who have inhabited the earth plain that were here in another creation of the universe as we know it. That is before this one even existed. Before the ‘Big Bang’. Although not uniting with Carl Sagans view below, he certainly presents an exquisite view of Hindu cosmology in this short video below.
“The cosmos itself, goes through an infinite amount of deaths and rebirths.”
