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Repost of one of my entries from 2010
Jun. 5th, 2014 08:08 pmSuggested Reading
"Although the HEAD Revolution transformed the Terran primates at the time of his ancient Romance, nobody knows when it actually began. Some trace it to certain Alchemical cults of the early Dark Ages (i.e., just before the time of this epic novel [Schroedinger's Cat]); some try to find its origins in primitive shamanism and yoga.
What is clear is that *some* primates on Terra began to transcend genetic four-circuit limitations many centuries, or even millennia, before true neuroscience appeared among then. Whether this was due mutation, empirical hit-or-miss experimentation with alkaloid herbs, or other factors is unknown. In Egypt and China and other places, a few primates reported fifth-circuit raptures - the dawning of neurosomatic consciouness - two thousand or even three thousand years before the Space Age began.
The picture is the same on all planets. A few biots [= biological units] suddenly rise above the eat-it-or-flee-it imprints of the amphibian biosurvival circuit, above the dominate-or-submit imprints of the mammalian territorial-emotional circuit, above the either/or logic of the hominid semantic circuit, above the "good" and "bad" values of the tribal sociosexual circuit. They have transcended infantile feeding programs, adolescent philosophizing, and adult "responsibility" (pack role) all at once.
What has happened, of course, is that these biots have formed a fifth circuit in their brains. This is called the neurosomatic circuit because it allows conscious feedback between the nervous system ("mind," in prescientific primate language) and the soma ("body"). In the larval stages of this Hedonic Revolution, every planet exhibits the same monotonous pattern:
*Mysticism and monomania appear.* Many of the mutated biots become convinced that they control everything (the "I-am-God" syndrome), not realizing that they merely control their own perceptual field.
*"Miracle healings" are reported.* The neurosomatic ("mind body") feedback loop allows the mutant biots to become healthier, younger-looking, and sleeker ("handsomer") than average. They soon believe, and are encouraged by their admirers to never doubt, that they can "cure" everything.
*Neurosomatic intolerance appears.* The mutated biots grow annoyed, and became extremely critical about, the robot mechanisms of first-circuit approach-avoidance, second-circuit domination-submission, third-circuit either/or logic, and static fourth-circuit sex roles. They call on everybody to flot free like themselves, or like the wind.
The other biots usually declare these five-circuit mutants to be divine, or else they kill them. Sometimes they do both.
The condition was just becoming understood on Terra at the time of this Quantum Comedy, as neuropharmacologists slowly traced links between neurochemistry and the creation of perceived reality-tunnels."
(R. A. Wilson: Schroedinger's Cat, pp. 298-299.)
"Though useful, as any model will be, the Eight-Circuit Model is incomplete. In the interests of establishing some common ground and agreeing on useful terminology, I'd like to describe some additional models and maybe develop some terminology.
The term "metaprogramming" was actually coined by Dr. John Lilly, who wrote the book Programming and Metaprogramming the Human Biocomputer. If you haven't read this book yet, do so *now*. In the meanwhile, I'd like to discuss some concepts related to metaprogramming.
The term "metaprogramming" implies that the human mind (or biocomputer, as Lilly calls it), can be programmed. That is, that it is constantly and continuously running a complex set of programs which are controlling all aspects of the organism's existence. There are programs which keep your heart running. There are programs which control your oxygen intake and consumption. There are programs which monitor your energy reserves and generate requests for nourishment that you experience as "hunger". There are programs which control the complex dance of coordinating muscular and skeletal movements as you walk. Many of these programs are "hardwired", that is to say, they come with the original equipment and don't require any kind of learning. Other of these programs require a significant amount of learning before you can run them, although the hardware comes ready to run them. Walking for example. Or any temporal-spacial location reflexes. If you watch a baby exploring the space around it, you can see it developing basic motion/location reflexes. Learning to walk is an excellent example. Humans are designed to walk upright, on two legs. But it requires a good two years of training to get it right, to get most of the bugs out of the complex calculations necessary to coordinate location and balance inputs with muscular-skeletal outputs. Then there are the more complicated programs which must be learned: language, symbol manipulation, social interactions, science, business, art, etc. At some point, the organism must learn how to learn. This is metaprogramming: the program which enables the organism to orchestrate the vast numbers of subordinate programs, develop new programs, and coordinate the interactions between them. There are likely many metaprograms as well. Different styles of learning, for example. Somewhere in this sea of metaprograms arises a particular set of metaprograms which represent the self. These are usually refered to as 'I' when acting on other metaprograms, and 'me' when being acted upon by other metaprograms. Lilly calls this the 'self-metaprogrammer'. Beyond these metaprograms, there may be other controls and controllers in the hierarchy, which Lilly labels 'supraself-metaprograms'.
To quote Lilly:
These may be many or one, depending on current states of consciousness in the single self-metaprogrammer. These may be personified as if entities, treated as if a network for information transfer, or realized as if self traveling in the Universe to strange lands or dimensions or spaces. If one does a further unification operation on these supraself metaprograms, one may arrive at a concept labeled God, the Creator, the Starmaker, or whatever. ...
Certain states of consciousness result from and cause operations of this apparent unification phenomenon. We are still general purpose computers who can program any conceivable model of the universe inside our own structure, reduce the single self-metaprogrammer to a micro size, and program him to travel through his own model as if real. ... Once one has control over modelling the universe inside one's self, and is able to vary the parameters satisfactorily, one's self may reflect this ability by changing appropriately to match the new property.
This hierarchy of programs and metaprograms is summarized in the following diagram of levels of functional organization:
LEVELS
XI Unknown Above and in biocomputer
X Supra-species-metaprograms Beyond metaprogramming
IX Supra-self-metaprograms To be metaprogrammed
VIII Self-metaprogram (awareness) To metaprogram
VII Metaprograms/metaprogram storage To program sets of programs
VI Programs/program storage Detailed instructions
V Subroutines/subroutine storage Details of instructions
IV Biochemical/neural/glial/vascular Signs of activity
III Biochemical/neural/glial/vascular Brain
II Biochemical/sensory/motor/vascular Body
I Biochemical/chemical/physical External reality
Now a cursory inspection of this diagram reveals a couple things. First, this model is clearly open-ended. It contains within it a symbol for things which it cannot represent itself, namely level XI. Clearly, additional experiential data could reveal levels beyond XI. Secondly, it has some correspondence with Leary's 8-circuit model, but doesn't quite make the same assertions about the specific functioning. However, with a bit of work, one might see where the various 8 circuits might map into this model.
OK, that's all for tonight. Your assignment for the next class is to observe the functioning of your own biocomputer in terms of this model and see how it applies.
One final word: remember "it's only a model!" - "shhh!""
http://www.phinnweb.org/neuro/8-circuit/lilly.html
"I. THE TERRESTRIAL CIRCUITS (Circuits designed for life on Earth.)
1. The Biosurvival Circuit ("Consciousness") -- imprinted in infancy. Concerned with sucking, nourishment, cuddling, biosecurity. The imprinting of this circuit sets up the basic attitude of trust or suspicion which will last for life. First activated when a human being is born, and programs perception onto an either-or grid, divided into nuturing-helpful and noxious-dangerous (approach/accept vs. fight/flee). To activate: the opiates.
2. The Emotional-Territorial Circuit ("Ego") -- imprinted in the toddling stage. Concerned with territorial demands, emotional power tactics, political domination-and-submission strategies. The first imprint on this circuit identifies the stimuli which will automatically trigger dominant, aggressive behavior or submissive, cooperative behavior. To activate: abundant quantities of alcohol.
3. The Time-Binding Semantic {Dexterity-Symbolism} Circuit ("Mind") -- imprinted by human artifacts and symbol systems. Concerned with handling the environment, invention, calculation, prediction, building a "map" of the universe. If the environment is stimulating to the third circuit, the child takes a "bright" imprint and becomes dextrous and articulate; if the environmentis made of stupid people, the child takes a "dumb" imprint, i.e., remains more or less at a 5-year-old stage of artifact clumsiness and symbol-blindness. To activate: caffeine, speed, cocaine, a high-protein diet.
4. The Sociosexual Circuit ("Adult Personality") -- imprinted by the first orgasm-mating experiences and tribal "morals." Concerned with sexual pleasure, local definitions of "moral" and "immoral", reproduction, nurture of the young. The specific neurotransmitter for Circuit IV has not been synthesized yet, but it is generated by the glands after pubescence and flows volcanically through the bloodstreams of adolescents.
Note: None of these terrestrial drugs change basic biochemical imprints (i.e. Circuit I-IV imprints). The behaviors which they trigger are those which were wired into the nervous system during the first stages of imprint vulnerability.
II. THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL CIRCUITS (Circuits designed for life in Space.)
5. The Neurosomatic Circuit -- concerned with neurological-somatic feedbacks, feeling high, somatic reprogramming (Christian Science, faith healing, etc.). Gestalts shift from linear visual space to all-encompassing sensory space. A hedonic turn-on occurs, a rapturous amusement, a detachment from the previously compulsive mechanism of the first four circuits. To activate: ecstatic experience via physiological of chemical yogas, such as cannabis, Tantra, hatha yoga; free-fall.
6. The Metaprogramming {Neuroelectric} Circuit -- concerned with reimprinting and reprogramming all earlier circuits, relativity of "realities" perceived, cybernetic consciousness. The sixth circuit consists of the nervous system becoming aware of itself. To activate: mescaline, psilocybin, LSD, Crowleyan "magick" metaprograms, advanced rajah yogas.
7. The Neurogenetic {Morphogenetic} Circuit -- concerned with evolutionary consciousness (past and future), DNA-RNA-brain feedbacks, Jung's "Collective Unconscious." The first to achieve this mutation spoke of "memories of past lives," "reincarnation," "immortality," etc. To activate: LSD, advanced rajah yogas. Mescaline and psilocybin produce some Circuit VII experiences also.
8. The Neuroatomic Circuit -- concerned with quantum consciousness, non-local awareness (beyond spacetime), so-called "PSI" or "magick" powers, Illumination. "Out-of-body experiences," "astral projection," contact with alien "entities" or with a galactic Overmind, etc. Circuit VIII is infra, supra, and meta- physiological -- a quantum mechanical communication system which does not require a biological container. To activate: shock or near-death experience will automatically activate this circuit; Ketamine; high doses of LSD also produce some Circuit VIII quantum awareness."
(Adapted from "Exo-Psychology" by Timothy Leary, and "The Illuminati Papers" and "Cosmic Trigger" by Robert Anton Wilson)
http://www.phinnweb.org/neuro/8-circuit/more.html
"Although the HEAD Revolution transformed the Terran primates at the time of his ancient Romance, nobody knows when it actually began. Some trace it to certain Alchemical cults of the early Dark Ages (i.e., just before the time of this epic novel [Schroedinger's Cat]); some try to find its origins in primitive shamanism and yoga.
What is clear is that *some* primates on Terra began to transcend genetic four-circuit limitations many centuries, or even millennia, before true neuroscience appeared among then. Whether this was due mutation, empirical hit-or-miss experimentation with alkaloid herbs, or other factors is unknown. In Egypt and China and other places, a few primates reported fifth-circuit raptures - the dawning of neurosomatic consciouness - two thousand or even three thousand years before the Space Age began.
The picture is the same on all planets. A few biots [= biological units] suddenly rise above the eat-it-or-flee-it imprints of the amphibian biosurvival circuit, above the dominate-or-submit imprints of the mammalian territorial-emotional circuit, above the either/or logic of the hominid semantic circuit, above the "good" and "bad" values of the tribal sociosexual circuit. They have transcended infantile feeding programs, adolescent philosophizing, and adult "responsibility" (pack role) all at once.
What has happened, of course, is that these biots have formed a fifth circuit in their brains. This is called the neurosomatic circuit because it allows conscious feedback between the nervous system ("mind," in prescientific primate language) and the soma ("body"). In the larval stages of this Hedonic Revolution, every planet exhibits the same monotonous pattern:
*Mysticism and monomania appear.* Many of the mutated biots become convinced that they control everything (the "I-am-God" syndrome), not realizing that they merely control their own perceptual field.
*"Miracle healings" are reported.* The neurosomatic ("mind body") feedback loop allows the mutant biots to become healthier, younger-looking, and sleeker ("handsomer") than average. They soon believe, and are encouraged by their admirers to never doubt, that they can "cure" everything.
*Neurosomatic intolerance appears.* The mutated biots grow annoyed, and became extremely critical about, the robot mechanisms of first-circuit approach-avoidance, second-circuit domination-submission, third-circuit either/or logic, and static fourth-circuit sex roles. They call on everybody to flot free like themselves, or like the wind.
The other biots usually declare these five-circuit mutants to be divine, or else they kill them. Sometimes they do both.
The condition was just becoming understood on Terra at the time of this Quantum Comedy, as neuropharmacologists slowly traced links between neurochemistry and the creation of perceived reality-tunnels."
(R. A. Wilson: Schroedinger's Cat, pp. 298-299.)
"Though useful, as any model will be, the Eight-Circuit Model is incomplete. In the interests of establishing some common ground and agreeing on useful terminology, I'd like to describe some additional models and maybe develop some terminology.
The term "metaprogramming" was actually coined by Dr. John Lilly, who wrote the book Programming and Metaprogramming the Human Biocomputer. If you haven't read this book yet, do so *now*. In the meanwhile, I'd like to discuss some concepts related to metaprogramming.
The term "metaprogramming" implies that the human mind (or biocomputer, as Lilly calls it), can be programmed. That is, that it is constantly and continuously running a complex set of programs which are controlling all aspects of the organism's existence. There are programs which keep your heart running. There are programs which control your oxygen intake and consumption. There are programs which monitor your energy reserves and generate requests for nourishment that you experience as "hunger". There are programs which control the complex dance of coordinating muscular and skeletal movements as you walk. Many of these programs are "hardwired", that is to say, they come with the original equipment and don't require any kind of learning. Other of these programs require a significant amount of learning before you can run them, although the hardware comes ready to run them. Walking for example. Or any temporal-spacial location reflexes. If you watch a baby exploring the space around it, you can see it developing basic motion/location reflexes. Learning to walk is an excellent example. Humans are designed to walk upright, on two legs. But it requires a good two years of training to get it right, to get most of the bugs out of the complex calculations necessary to coordinate location and balance inputs with muscular-skeletal outputs. Then there are the more complicated programs which must be learned: language, symbol manipulation, social interactions, science, business, art, etc. At some point, the organism must learn how to learn. This is metaprogramming: the program which enables the organism to orchestrate the vast numbers of subordinate programs, develop new programs, and coordinate the interactions between them. There are likely many metaprograms as well. Different styles of learning, for example. Somewhere in this sea of metaprograms arises a particular set of metaprograms which represent the self. These are usually refered to as 'I' when acting on other metaprograms, and 'me' when being acted upon by other metaprograms. Lilly calls this the 'self-metaprogrammer'. Beyond these metaprograms, there may be other controls and controllers in the hierarchy, which Lilly labels 'supraself-metaprograms'.
To quote Lilly:
These may be many or one, depending on current states of consciousness in the single self-metaprogrammer. These may be personified as if entities, treated as if a network for information transfer, or realized as if self traveling in the Universe to strange lands or dimensions or spaces. If one does a further unification operation on these supraself metaprograms, one may arrive at a concept labeled God, the Creator, the Starmaker, or whatever. ...
Certain states of consciousness result from and cause operations of this apparent unification phenomenon. We are still general purpose computers who can program any conceivable model of the universe inside our own structure, reduce the single self-metaprogrammer to a micro size, and program him to travel through his own model as if real. ... Once one has control over modelling the universe inside one's self, and is able to vary the parameters satisfactorily, one's self may reflect this ability by changing appropriately to match the new property.
This hierarchy of programs and metaprograms is summarized in the following diagram of levels of functional organization:
LEVELS
XI Unknown Above and in biocomputer
X Supra-species-metaprograms Beyond metaprogramming
IX Supra-self-metaprograms To be metaprogrammed
VIII Self-metaprogram (awareness) To metaprogram
VII Metaprograms/metaprogram storage To program sets of programs
VI Programs/program storage Detailed instructions
V Subroutines/subroutine storage Details of instructions
IV Biochemical/neural/glial/vascular Signs of activity
III Biochemical/neural/glial/vascular Brain
II Biochemical/sensory/motor/vascular Body
I Biochemical/chemical/physical External reality
Now a cursory inspection of this diagram reveals a couple things. First, this model is clearly open-ended. It contains within it a symbol for things which it cannot represent itself, namely level XI. Clearly, additional experiential data could reveal levels beyond XI. Secondly, it has some correspondence with Leary's 8-circuit model, but doesn't quite make the same assertions about the specific functioning. However, with a bit of work, one might see where the various 8 circuits might map into this model.
OK, that's all for tonight. Your assignment for the next class is to observe the functioning of your own biocomputer in terms of this model and see how it applies.
One final word: remember "it's only a model!" - "shhh!""
http://www.phinnweb.org/neuro/8-circuit/lilly.html
"I. THE TERRESTRIAL CIRCUITS (Circuits designed for life on Earth.)
1. The Biosurvival Circuit ("Consciousness") -- imprinted in infancy. Concerned with sucking, nourishment, cuddling, biosecurity. The imprinting of this circuit sets up the basic attitude of trust or suspicion which will last for life. First activated when a human being is born, and programs perception onto an either-or grid, divided into nuturing-helpful and noxious-dangerous (approach/accept vs. fight/flee). To activate: the opiates.
2. The Emotional-Territorial Circuit ("Ego") -- imprinted in the toddling stage. Concerned with territorial demands, emotional power tactics, political domination-and-submission strategies. The first imprint on this circuit identifies the stimuli which will automatically trigger dominant, aggressive behavior or submissive, cooperative behavior. To activate: abundant quantities of alcohol.
3. The Time-Binding Semantic {Dexterity-Symbolism} Circuit ("Mind") -- imprinted by human artifacts and symbol systems. Concerned with handling the environment, invention, calculation, prediction, building a "map" of the universe. If the environment is stimulating to the third circuit, the child takes a "bright" imprint and becomes dextrous and articulate; if the environmentis made of stupid people, the child takes a "dumb" imprint, i.e., remains more or less at a 5-year-old stage of artifact clumsiness and symbol-blindness. To activate: caffeine, speed, cocaine, a high-protein diet.
4. The Sociosexual Circuit ("Adult Personality") -- imprinted by the first orgasm-mating experiences and tribal "morals." Concerned with sexual pleasure, local definitions of "moral" and "immoral", reproduction, nurture of the young. The specific neurotransmitter for Circuit IV has not been synthesized yet, but it is generated by the glands after pubescence and flows volcanically through the bloodstreams of adolescents.
Note: None of these terrestrial drugs change basic biochemical imprints (i.e. Circuit I-IV imprints). The behaviors which they trigger are those which were wired into the nervous system during the first stages of imprint vulnerability.
II. THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL CIRCUITS (Circuits designed for life in Space.)
5. The Neurosomatic Circuit -- concerned with neurological-somatic feedbacks, feeling high, somatic reprogramming (Christian Science, faith healing, etc.). Gestalts shift from linear visual space to all-encompassing sensory space. A hedonic turn-on occurs, a rapturous amusement, a detachment from the previously compulsive mechanism of the first four circuits. To activate: ecstatic experience via physiological of chemical yogas, such as cannabis, Tantra, hatha yoga; free-fall.
6. The Metaprogramming {Neuroelectric} Circuit -- concerned with reimprinting and reprogramming all earlier circuits, relativity of "realities" perceived, cybernetic consciousness. The sixth circuit consists of the nervous system becoming aware of itself. To activate: mescaline, psilocybin, LSD, Crowleyan "magick" metaprograms, advanced rajah yogas.
7. The Neurogenetic {Morphogenetic} Circuit -- concerned with evolutionary consciousness (past and future), DNA-RNA-brain feedbacks, Jung's "Collective Unconscious." The first to achieve this mutation spoke of "memories of past lives," "reincarnation," "immortality," etc. To activate: LSD, advanced rajah yogas. Mescaline and psilocybin produce some Circuit VII experiences also.
8. The Neuroatomic Circuit -- concerned with quantum consciousness, non-local awareness (beyond spacetime), so-called "PSI" or "magick" powers, Illumination. "Out-of-body experiences," "astral projection," contact with alien "entities" or with a galactic Overmind, etc. Circuit VIII is infra, supra, and meta- physiological -- a quantum mechanical communication system which does not require a biological container. To activate: shock or near-death experience will automatically activate this circuit; Ketamine; high doses of LSD also produce some Circuit VIII quantum awareness."
(Adapted from "Exo-Psychology" by Timothy Leary, and "The Illuminati Papers" and "Cosmic Trigger" by Robert Anton Wilson)
http://www.phinnweb.org/neuro/8-circuit/more.html
