I can see, as far as my “stage 1” goes, I was trying to see how there’s an interaction between these dual aspects.

“In our two way nervous system, aware of both our inputs and outputs, we develop “self-awareness.” So more than just being able to think about ourselves, we are able to think about ourselves and adjust our actions accordingly. The chief problem is we tend not to realize experience has a cognitive modulation. As we develop an idea of the world, we develop an idea of ourselves at the same time; but its more more than just an idea, its more like a self-propagating configuration of experience, a node of programming control, ego.” (p.8)

(The Domains of Perception, 1974-1984, Gerry Dubinski)

I started using the distinctions of John Lilly’s, like mind, body, inner/outer situation, Self. But attention is also attracted to these inputs and outputs: I then got my Stage 2 . . . the figure/ground with the Life World within the Greater World. The rational and holistic hemispheres of the brain are both active here.

Overall, the context of one’s experience becomes more multifaceted here, and the way it works and interacts is different as well.

In a developmental sense, I can now consider how the stage of the body ego enters the picture first, giving us that initial sense of differentiation, then as the stages of processing becomes more complex, giving us more sophisticated interpretations, we get the mental ego.

Beginning with the body, which gives us that sense of distinction, our “body ego,” there is a form of self awareness. Then later, the mind kicks in, interpreting, dealing with the inputs and outputs in a more sophisticated way . . .

“With the situation, and some meta-programming” . . .

Its not totally divided up here, there is a interactive flow in-between the two halves, the stimuli from the world, and body, then processing, ideas . . . the beginning of psychology . . . the “mental ego.”

You seen me do my own thing in reality, “symbolic;” but later it “kicked in” in a activation, as I opened that door with my foot, and entered another room, with its varied intricacies. ”

This table from Gurdjieff, shows how I got started with the idea of various levels and their influences, with the material body on one side and intent on the other:

This initial idea of mine was in trying to be a psychology major; then I tried to become more intuitive, creative, in working on how these levels work. Some examples . . .

(Sacred Stance: 2004/10/09)

“So it looks like, as far as living goes, I ended up closer to an age-old way of explaining it. True, I started off in a cognitive way only; though the functions are still the key for my thinking.

The surface self, with material orientation . . . body, think, feel, desire, etc.
The embedded self, the soul level. Intent is the key here. Entwined within the universe, the feminine, nurturing, wisdom.
Seamless connection between the two, but easy to find the key.

A bit more than conscious/unconscious, or dual nature, or other half, etc. Stuff that’s showing up in our culture, colloquial level of discourse.

Of course, saying surface and entwined, is just saying how we act there. There’s that deeper flow to ourselves.

Rather than conscious/unconscious in the mind sense, being within that perspective, we’re actually in a larger reality itself that’s impinging upon us.

Well, whether external or personal shape, one could consider it as one’s “situation.” How is it dealt with? The point is, its not easy, and those “shadow” elements are plentiful. Explains why some people act certain ways . . . their tack. Intent is still a core option here, a deeper resource to draw upon. This is a “real” positive, a standard of action. From here, its more reaching out, and panoramic.
There is a big difference, though, in saying there is that “deeper you”, than just that “hidden garbage.” Much more to look forward to!
Seems like I’ve found a positive place, in me, for this deeper level. Hope the seeds planted help.

I’ve found it easy, to look outward, and say we’re in a perceived world. But to say we’re a shape, a changeable entity, is harder. A lot of human motivations here, social issues, like wanting to be one way, disliking or fearing other ways. Especially when not seeing this seamless connection. A diversion I poked my nose into for a long time.
We are that perspective, shape, figure within the ground. Valuations, positive or negative, the social framework, may keep this rigid. Other elements may then seem “black.” This is the point isn’t it? Yet, the other elements may be just different, varied or even “greater.” Presumably, the unconscious (superconscious) can point out weaknesses here and offer directions. A new configuration, development, is possible then, literally in this framework, like those morphing energy beings in sci-fi. This higher standpoint takes it to a new level.

I quess I can say, at this point, I have achieved a personal postion, “a being entwined within the universe”; not just an abstract, “there’s another level of perception”. My “sacred stance.”

The shape of our world, us . . . how often this seems unchangeable, till a dream . . . or a sign.”

(Between: 2001/01/16)

“One can presume a limited range of experience . . . though, between the eye and realized experience, fluid multidimensional perception.

— a multi-interactive domain:
. . . various objective external and internal sources
. . . deeper cognitive sources . . . the unconscious . . . a variety of unique brain centers processing specific information

. . . complex inner generations of information may lead to notions of intuition, insight, artistic inspiration, etc. If the processed information is denied personally, it could be projected externally.

On the surface, one can consider the manifest aspects of experience; i.e., the form, experiences of all kinds arising into the realm of awareness . . . figures emerging within the gestalt. But, there is a deeper inward awareness, aspects of self little touched upon . . . a realm of feelings, dreams, perceptions . . . mystic, creative, artistic, intuitive.

Forms of experience may have a local or parochial character, but they may actually be an aspect of a larger or superordinated context . . . archetypical levels . . . sources from deeper or greater levels of our being and reality. Experience is multifaceted. In dreams for instance, there is multifaceted, multidimensional symbolism coming in . . . the nugget . . . a symbol our rational mind can comprehend but containing a variety of interconnected meanings . . . those 7-bits of information our mind can handle at one time.

Symbolic inner sources . . Jung’s center that communicates from the wholeness of the psyche. Or those ubiquitious mythological symbols of the central source . . . the ultimate around which all else revolves . . . the pole star . . . the oak . . . dharma . . . the word. These symbols tend to correspond to the universal idea of deeper inner energy centers or focuses . . . the ultimate, of course, being the crown chakra.

Aware of both our inputs and outputs, with the possibility of inner modulation, we are self aware.

This configuration of experience, this program, for whatever reason, can keep us within its domains. Allowing other experience, allows us to be touched by a brilliant reality outside of us. Internally speaking, there is that immediate program level of the personal level . . . dreams are in black and white . . . the psyche deals with the problems of this level. Then at a deeper level, one begins to touch upon the wider wisdom of humanity beyond the ego’s concerns . . . the archetypical levels . . . color dreams begin to occur, i.e., one begins to touch upon an inner reality beyond oneself. (Aldous Huxley) The sense of contact with deeper sources or aspects of oneself and reality, and the nature of conscious and mind, as radiant becomes more apparent.”

It was interesting to see how I was trying to be more creative and artistic. These days I’ve become more functional and have a more direct understanding, contextual. I began to see how you people only had your “externalizations” in your doings, colloquial and generic interpretations; but I also began to see how we can also have our “activations,” the figure/ground, in a larger context, the Life World within the Greater World, The truer realm of knowledge, experience, and Meaning! When it comes to interpretations, there is a big difference here.

At one time, I began thinking of the unconscious not as a separate thing, the other half, but also something interconnected, multifaceted, greater and intelligent. We are part of the whole, as far as Jung would say, not digitally separated into the dualistic on or off. They would call this the Superconscious these days. I was working with intent as well, and came up with the idea of intent and the figure/ground, the Life World within the Greater World . . . there’s interconnected flows here! The Universal Self . . . !

So, I got the more enhanced and encompassing in: its more than just an idea, thought, for being conscious; but an activation, “distinction,” and interconnected with something even more, the multifaceted, and the Ground, the greater Identity. Consciousness is most intimately associated with intent.

I worked in this greater multifaceted thing, with its larger consciousness and guidance; but as far the figure/ground goes, with the first and second attention, one could still be like an old sorcerer and use these skills, differentiations, for power, not just evolution and knowledge. I did see that there can be a flow within this greater consciousness though, the multifaceted distinctions, understandings, and guidance from our Higher Self. That’s about it for our levels in psychology.

Basically, I realized I got to do my own thing here, not just your generic or colloquial ideas, symbols, as if you were the source!

Moving through and evolving within these ascending levels, which are ultimately built in, one can take on a more active conscious role.

The point is, there’s stuff going on in our heads and the world too; but we are not stuck within the control of this material level, we can play with this varied transfiguring emanation, vista. Intent with the figure/ground may move through varied multifaceted loci.

These were spontaneous experiences: I had the typical image of an old lady, but within that there was some glowing pinkish energy. She began asking questions. Likewise, I had these questions in mind when moving along, I saw a lion with glowing whitish energy inside.

There was a time when there was this activation, an engagement of me pushing a shopping cart, accompanied with a deeper good feeling.These activations weren’t just a choice of this or that, one’s supposed good or bad “selves,” as some people view it, which stimulates one’s butt, lowest chakra, but a “change of me” within a greater perspective overall. When I became more sociable for instance, there were added changes and feelings, etc., and I got more potential options.

It was like I was sitting within the drivers seat with someone else in mind as well. There was a bit of a distinct color, light, as I viewed that darker geometric structure within the vehicle.

An attractive woman with long dark hair was walking in, interconnecting with my space. Within this shared space there was a colorful orb adjacent to us, as if that was the core to the experience of it.

I put that in since it had a newer structure; though there were a couple other related experiences that may be due to other aspects of my psychology, or other people attitudes. Though this had happened before as well, in another way, but now reexamined in a multifaceted way, not just a dualistic give or take reaction.

Likewise, I had this image of some kind of heavily dressed being, like an astronaut walking on the moon, crawling up towards me. Low level functioning, like something from a horror movie. There was a linear adjustment to this interconnected space, reaching into the distance, like moving tectonic plates! Then there was a yell, when there was that adjustment . . . a warning? Didn’t like it?

The point is there may be some structure to these spaces, and with their interconnections or not.

A standing human profile, being further defined by these points of light . . . acupuncture points on the physical body?

From spontaneous “other flows” . . . “What are they really doing down there?” Then I saw this big curving around plasma of green energy.

Some quick foci, or a reorientation, into another space . . .

As if I was jumping down into a dark tunnel and banging on a cover opening on one side of it . . . Secret of the Skinwalker Ranch? There was a similar orientation, as if I was looking down the gnarled mesa with its descending streaming patterns of light and dark.

A typical image of a dream woman entering the picture; but then when I poked my intent at her, I felt this readjustment of that image. I guess I can do that with these unlooked at dream images! Make them more conscious! In another case when I focused, it was like an explosion, with all these small gnarled boulders ending up lying all around; but I was in another felt-space surrounding me after that.

Considering the body as a starting point, it was like I was seeing, being, that image out there, the first and second person, doing this or that. That would be like the dreaming body, or even astral projection. But as the Buddhists say, if there are issues, keep coming back to the body, breath: I guess that’s how they stay “grounded,” after all that flying around within the universe!

This image was even further programmed into something greater: it was like I was being cupped within this giant gentle sensitive hand, and that was me doing that too. There’s various levels of identity and interactive experience going on here.

I was guessing the ground itself also had some kind of significance . . . finally found these hints with the talk of the original pure ground, primordial ground, or the interconnections with the Third Attention . . . lol. Funny how this all passed me by; but I did have a “Mutual arising of Self and Existence,” hey? “Existence . . .” lol. With the rising and falling manifestations, the apparent, within one’s basic foundations: but it can also be done in a stronger more defined intrinsic way.