Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Where is Our Spirit?



This article begins with one of the most pervasive and universal question among humans-- what happens when we die, and, more pointedly, what part of us exists beyond our body. Parts of this article touch on biology and parts of the brain but introduce an intriguing reply to these questions.

The following is a guest post  from a larger article containing a theory that, though researched, has been introduced by an anonymous author, it has been somewhat edited for brevity:

"It is absolutely true that, like many religions and philosophies have told us for thousands of years, there is a difference between our physical body and what we label as a 'spirit' or 'soul'. This does not this mean our spirit has a physical existence too---in fact it does and oddly it is very very VERY small. The mathematics on its size are a little complicated but for purposes of simplification I will tell you that it is definitely smaller than a human body and it is, in fact, smaller than what we are able to observe with the naked eye.

Most of the daily activities we do every day and throughout our lives are regulated and controlled by the brain in exactly the way scientists explain to us--different parts of the brain have different functions and are assigned different tasks. The part of our lives and actions that is controlled by our spirit is very quiet and subtle. I've tried very hard to think of a suitable analogy for the role our spirit plays and even though it isn't perfect this is the best I have come up with so far:

Imagine a perfectly round and smooth marble or ball bearing being rolled across a wooden table. As you release this ball out of your hand it is like beginning a human life. The ball is like your human body and its trip across the table--representing the outside world-- is like your life--events are set in motion and the ball will continue along its path until it is affected by things around it like tiny grooves and imperfections in the surface of the table. Now imagine you leaned close to the ball without touching it and gently blew on it to affect its path. You would likely be able to shift its path slightly, though it would be difficult to make any major changes. The most energy you exert, the more affect you will have. This gentle breath and wind is like your spirit.

Even though we are used to hearing this idea of a separate body and spirit, it was still amazing to me to have an understanding of it being something factual and concrete, not just a theory or way to try to explain things. Immediately my next question was how these two entities--the physical body and spirit--are connected. I found my answer with further physiological study...


Brain Image
In the middle of our brains there is a tiny little part called the Pineal gland. Its especially small but can be seen on most any chart or diagram of the human brain. This is not just the point of connection but actually the physical resting place of the spirit. It's actually the safest place it could be: tucked in the middle of our brain, surrounded by our cranium. It's a little like a seed inside an apple or orange--even if you drop the fruit the seed isn't damaged at all. Remember what I said about the spirit being very very small. To give you an idea of exactly how small it is, you should understand that the Pineal gland itself is usually no bigger than a grain of rice and this is vast compared to the size of the soul itself. I want to be very clear about what I am explaining--the Pineal gland is the area of the brain where the spirit physically resides, not the spirit itself.

From the beginning of our lives, our spirit is nestled inside this area of our brain. In fact, the REASON our spirit is inside our body is because it is alive. If our body is no longer functioning and alive--whether because of old age, disease or injury--it is time for our spirit to leave. Where does it go? Exactly where it needs to go...another body and a new life. What is that new life and new body?"

I would definitely appreciate thoughts and comments on this post.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Thought Orb Meditation

One of the main concepts laid out in this website is the idea of thought-orb meditation. Essentially this is a meditative, visualization of thoughts as tangible objects that can be released and directed to and from the mind. This is both a tangible and intangible action.

Essentially the process involved visualization thoughts as spherical symbols about the size of the human head or brain and moving them to and from the head in parabolic arches. It can be used to move negative feelings away from the head and direct feelings of positivity to those around us. Although the site presents this as a literal, physical process, its real relevance does not lie in its scientific factuality but in the mental clarity and control that consistent visualization enables.