Language and ConsciousnessPosted 10 years ago under Education, History, Truth

Literal

The literal, exterior, or outer form level (the world of nouns, facts and the past). This is the level of language that is utilized by most of us, 99.9% of the time. It communicates the materialistic outer form of things, objects, and processes. In professional consulting, this is the point where the consultant listens to the timeline story told by the client and is confronted with a linear sequence of words to interpret and assimilate in order to respond. This is akin to a scientist ‘reading’ a strand of DNA by treating the nucleotides as individual letters and interpreting them separately.

Symbolic

The symbolic or pattern level where the relationships and connections which give rise to
external forms are identified and understood. At this level, the relationship between seemingly unrelated facts is perceived. As an example, the cyclic pattern of expansion-boom-retraction-bust of economic cycles and the yearly cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter is appreciated. What we call ‘modern science’ is only the attempt to quantify and predict the relationship between cycles. This capacity allows us to identify common themes and characteristics and to transcend the separatism engendered by the specialized jargon of academic, technical, and professional disciplines. For the consultant, this is the skill needed to find the ‘center of the client’s case, issue, or challenge.’

As an example, at this level of understanding one is able to appreciate that the nucleotides in the strands of DNA are not separate unto themselves, but rather that they interact in groups of various combinations and that changing one gene can disrupt or produce unexpected changes elsewhere far down the DNA strand even though no direct linkage is to be observed. This is the beginning of the awareness of the nature of the interaction of energy systems and fields, the kindergarten of quantum thinking; the state where the interconnection of image and energy is acknowledged.

Essence

The essential, causative or inner plane, the universe of verbs, functions, and the future. This is the realm of principles, causes, and essences where words are perceived to be made up of roots or combinations of roots that contain intrinsic meanings and energies expressive of the inner nature of objects, life forms, processes, and actions.

This level of language awareness provides us with the capacity to consciously enter into the creative process because we now have an understanding of the nature of cycles, how they interact, and an understanding of their resultant effects. At this level, the DNA chain is understood as a universe of energy systems (genes equal stars, nucleotides equal planets) whose interactive fields provide the guiding matrix shaping a physical form which then attracts to it a level of consciousness relevant to its complexity and refinement. The consultant who operates on this plane of understanding has reached the level of becoming a real ‘thinker’ and not a ‘reactor’.

Speaking or vocalizing written words (reading out loud) is a recent development in human history. In an earlier era Sanskrit, Chinese, and Hebrew (inner Egyptian) were evolved to express the third level described above. They were not intended to be spoken and so there was not the necessity for vowels as we use them today. These languages were associational pictographic symbol systems capable of conveying, transmitting, and evoking profound concepts and awakening sublime understanding.

As centuries passed humanity reached the point in its evolutionary progression when it became appropriate to explore the literate, individualized, and materialistic (scientific) phase out of which we are now immerging. The consequence is that externals remain of paramount focus and the capacity for deep inner perception is beginning to be activated.

For most of us, the resultant implication for language is that words have come to be seen as expressing concepts which are derived solely on the basis of arbitrary human convention, simply for technological convenience. No longer is there an appreciation that words were meant to express the inner nature of objects themselves. This means that we now have a language which is a mixture of consciously derived roots from the past and a random free-for-all of added terms.

It does not mean we should not have new terms and words: we need them. Sometimes, in fact, our new words hit the mark more than their inventors are aware. The name ‘RADAR’ is quite appropriate to its function and nature. A simplistic translation of the word would be: “A ray is sent out (RA), strikes an object (D), and is reflected back (AR).” Those who study Hebrew as a hieroglyphic symbol system will recognize that the implication of the roots; (Resh-Aleph), (Resh-Daleth),(Resh-Resh), etc; contained in the word ‘radar’ are indicative of the very principles on which it operates.

The name implies the function and the function, the name. Given the name of a device, a person who had no knowledge of its parts would be able to appreciate the principle of operation of a radar unit without any additional explanation- By knowing its operating principle, it would be much easier to learn the names of its parts and their relationship to the whole.

Quantum thinking, symbolic language, mathematical symbolism, words, etc. are the tools by which humanity extends itself into the outer and inner universe of which we are a part. The utility and sophistication of these tools and our skill and ingenuity in wielding them determine the extent of our grasp in both of these realms. To increase one’s symbol handling capacity is to extend the perimeter of the universe of which we can become aware and thereby increase our reality.

Which brings us back to the beginning: The amount of reality we can grasp is limited by the level of language that we have developed. Some day humanity will come to the realization that war and controversy between people and interest groups have been not about truth but about who controls the definition of words. Words are the unit-tools of language which open or close the gateway to consciousness.

Selected Bibliography

d’Olivet, Fabre 1981 The Hebraic Tongue Restored, Samuel Weiser, Inc: York Beach, Maine