Essentia Readings

Welcome back everyone! Today’s article is a fascinating deep dive into the subject of morality and the neurological mechanics of our joint human condition. It is an eye-opening presentation of how we actually relate to each other, and what this could mean for the future of our collective consciousness. Join me, for a fittingly wholesome start to the year.  

In the best episode of 'Essentia Readings' yet, Nadia Hassan reads Dr. Donna Thomas's 'Re-thinking identity: Children’s experiences of self.' Nadia also introduces us to her young niece, a child who very matter-of-factly states that she is aware, during sleep, of the fact that she is asleep. This suggests that our original, natural sense of self and consciousness, before culture tells us how to think about both, is much different than our adult understanding.

Today’s article delves into a phenomenon that has been largely dismissed. One’s position regarding these events tends to encapsulate a person’s view on the fundamental nature of life, as it deals with its apparent end: death, or a close brush with it. We’ll be looking at the scientific research into the phenomena of NDE’s (Near Death Experiences) and what this can tell us about human consciousness as a whole.

Dr. Gerald Worley, a physician and neuroscientist, dives deep into the enigmatic nature of consciousness. He examines the brain’s role, particularly the brainstem's critical function in shaping our conscious experiences. Challenging traditional definitions, he reveals how altered brain activity might enhance awareness rather than diminish it. Worley invites listeners to explore age-old existential questions through a modern scientific lens, urging a reevaluation of what it truly means to be conscious.

The article I’ll be presenting today is by an author whose work has been focused, in part, on the psychology of consciousness and psycho-semantics, problems of the unconscious, altered states of consciousness, ethnic and cross-cultural psychology, and the philosophical issues of psychology. In what I’ll be reading, he explores our current understanding of the collective unconscious, how it functions, the value it presents for humanity, and what we can unlock if we are able to tune into it more actively. 

Explore the intriguing relationship between mythology and consciousness as the hosts discuss the daimonic nature of reality. Discover how daimons serve as agents of reality and delve into nuanced ideas from poetry and psychology. Delve into the interplay of imagination and metaphysics, and learn how the modern ego obscures our connection to the unconscious. The conversation links cosmic phenomena to mythic archetypes and critiques technology as a literalized form of magic. Tune in to understand how we might restore the soul of the world amidst ecological crises.