Elements of the Ecstatic Experience

[Guest guest]

Hey All-

 

I have made a list of the four most prominent aspects of my own

ecstatic experience. This is an attempt to describe what this feels

like to others who may have questions. It is surely not very accurate

as the experience as a whole is rather unique in character and not

exactly like the those which I am making an analogy to, but close

enough. All these elements can be experienced at the same time as

well as independently.

 

1. Convulsing of the body-

 

These are what we call kryia. These can be gross movements or small

and more global. As this is involuntary it is a bit like shivering.

And in fact being in a cold environment can enhance them.

 

2. A searing feeling in mind and body.

 

This is probably what we call bliss. Some analogous experiences are

the hot flash one gets on hearing some very disturbing news, hearing

a very high pitch and loud sound that makes the head reel and even

the rush of heat before vomiting. It has a very disorientating feel

to it. Although none of the analogies are pleasant this experience

is often very pleasurable but not always exclusively so. Awe and

panic are often hand in hand here.

 

3. An heightened experience of color, detail and movement.

 

This seems to be the classic description of a peak experience. The

only analogy may be a chemically induced psychedelic experience, but

in for me the ecstatic experience is more subtle and more intense,

there is no hallucination to get in the way. With this level of

detail everything commands my attention. Also I am very aware of the

movement of the scene as I pass through it. I cannot but see my view

bouncing as I walk, trees turning as I pass and so forth.

 

4. An increased sense of association.

 

The best analogy for this is the fever dream. I think this may be

what some famous thinkers call entering the mythic experience, an

experience where everything appears as living. Objects in view seem

somehow related, or they strong conjure mental images, or both with

the connection in the association being very vivid. The associations

can be very, very rapid, faster than I can actually reflect on. They

are also shifting and shift away from associations that I would

normally make, again leading to disorientation. This also distorts

normal perception of size and separateness.

 

This last item deserves a bit more. I think that the mind finds

meaning by analogy, the structuralist view. And I think the mind

creates a matrix of analogy. As attention vacillates between the

different elements in this matrix it is a motor that gives the sense

of meaning. But when this facility starts working on an heightened

level, indiscriminately using mental and objective elements, the

sense that everything is alive and responsive starts to prevail. I do

think that this way of being is very beneficial for me, especially in

being an artist, as long as I am reminded that this is in the

subjective inquiry. I also know that this way of being is so

inconsistent with the generally accepted world view that an

acceptance of it as something valid and beneficial is a bold assertion.

 

I also want to note that all my analogies are to things that denote a

compromised individual and in so none of them are necessarily

desirable. This does not make it easy to put my ecstatic experience

in a positive light. However I do have faith in what comes to me as a

culmination as well as not disavowing that a compromise is being made

to my normative being. And I prefer the greatest accuracy in

describing what my experience is, even if the description feels

aversive, over a beautiful categorical statement that does not really

explain anything other than itself (such as being at the vanguard of

the evolution of man into a higher existence.)

 

Bret

[Guest guest]

> I have made a list of the four most prominent aspects of my own

> ecstatic experience. This is an attempt to describe what this feels

> like to others who may have questions.

I find your characterizations spot on, thanks for sharing.

 

> 1. Convulsing of the body-

I notice some degree of this is becoming common for me, definitely

during early stages of meditation and to minor degrees all throughout

daily workaday life I notice phenomena. And I hope that's not a

pathology, it seems we're " supposed " to function this way.

 

> 4. An increased sense of association.

 

> This last item deserves a bit more. I think that the mind finds

> meaning by analogy, the structuralist view. And I think the mind

> creates a matrix of analogy. As attention vacillates between the

> different elements in this matrix it is a motor that gives the sense

> of meaning. But when this facility starts working on an heightened

> level, indiscriminately using mental and objective elements, the

> sense that everything is alive and responsive starts to prevail.

 

You might find it useful to know that the 'classic' study of AI

(artifical intelligence) builds on two major archetypes, those of

" classification " (categorizing and sorting into appropriate

'pigeonholes' some variety of a dataset), and " association "

(discerning relations and degrees of relatedness or commonality

between distinct members of a dataset). Both metaphors work, and both

explain very different " modes " of cognition, i.e. what the mind does,

when it does what it does :-D

 

> a beautiful categorical statement that does not really

> explain anything other than itself (such as being at the

> vanguard of the evolution of man into a higher existence.)

you can see the analogy is poor in comparison to the reality, it's a

pretty egoistic interpretation in fact - but also one that's easy to

relate to others.

 

thanks for this,

-brian