Re:Essential meaning

["peter_reist" <peter_reist@...>]

Dear Rawn,

>>>Since I have so immersed myself in Hermetic thought, I find no 
need to reference other systems in order to understand Hermetic 
principles. The same with kabbalah. This is how I learn something 
new -- immersion. I immerse myself in the mind-set of what I'm 
learning instead of splitting myself between two different mind-sets. 
But I recognize that not everyone studies and learns in this same way 
and, in fact, most folks learn better by relating a new study to a 
past study and by trying to understand the new through the lens of 
the familiar. The essential problem with this is that one can easily 
miss out on the depth of the new study by not capturing its entire 
mind-set. At some point one must think solely in terms of the new 
study and forego the internal translation between old and new. It's 
sort of like learning a new language. At first each word is 
translated internally, but eventually, one begins to think directly 
in the new language without the internal translation.<<<

Having started my studies in German last year, I agree completely. 
However, that does not make the possibility of switching between one 
perspective and another impossibile.

>>>One problem that I, as an Hermeticist, see with the split brain 
theory is that it infers a true split between two discrete types of 
mental function. From the Hermetic perspective however, there is not 
a true split. Instead it's a hierarchy of function. For example, the
intuitive "left-brain" is *always* active and is a precursor to the 
rational "right-brain" function. In other words, we're *always* 
perceiving essential meaning but we're not always using our rational
logic. Furthermore, these two aspects of Mind function *together*, 
like hand-in-glove, in our mundane, day-to-day awareness.<<<

Ah, you see, the shoe is on the other foot it would seem. At least 
from my perspective. While I am working from a psychological 
perspective towards understanding a hermetic perspective, you are 
here working from a hermetic perspective working towards 
understanding a psychological perspective. As such, from where I'm 
sitting I do realize that I have most likely done a great disservice 
to the extensive research done on the split brain theory and 
simplified it down a great deal in my conversations. Though I do 
assure you that it is a tad more subtle than one hemisphere of the 
brain doing one thing while the other hemisphere sits by and does 
nothing. We are both using the right and left hemispheres of the 
brain at any given time. With regards to meditation and the 
perception of essential meaning it would appear that there would be 
less activation in the left hemisphere and more in the right. As 
such, the qualities of intuition, logic, language, and the perception 
of images, are fielded by the whole of the brain.

Of course, the split brain theory is not meant to be a grand theory 
of everything. But it does apply in certian cases quite well, IMO. 
Even though it certianly does have it's limitations.

Love and Live well,
Peter Reist