Theos-Talk Archives (July 2000 Message tt00061)

Friends, 
As one who has repeatedly stated in previous posts to the various scientific, 
philosophical, psychological, and theosophical online forums studying the 
relationship between consciosness, mind and body -- that scientists are the 
real "gurus" and "high priests" of this present age and need to acknowledge 
their own transcendental natures before they can fully understand the real 
nature of consciousness and synthesize their scientific disciplines with the 
anciently known "Three Fundamental Truths" that postulate a multidimensional 
(three-, seven-, ten-fold) transcendental reality -- that science has yet to 
recognize (except superficially in the latest, still unproved, 
Superstring/membrane theories)... And, thereby, make these truths (along with 
the evolutionary, ethical and moral imperatives and responsibilities they 
imply) believable to the masses of ordinary people who follow their lead... I 
thought the following information might be useful to my friends and 
colleagues -- some of whom may also be interested in helping fulfill the 
laudable "three objects" of the "Theosophical Movement." (*See P.S. below)

Leon(ard) Maurer 
(not the moderator of the JCS-online forum :-)

In a message dated 07/31/00 4:30:32 PM, veralind@issc-taste.org writes:

>July 27, 2000
>
>Dear Lenny,
>
>I am a graduate student at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology,
>assisting Professor Charles T. Tart on his new consciousness research
>website project, The Archives of Scientists’ Transcendent Experiences
>(TASTE).  TASTE is intended as a service for people in general, as well
>as a research project to advance our knowledge.
>
>Because you have had email correspondence with Professor Tart in the
>past, I'm assuming it's likely that you will find the TASTE project of
>personal interest, so I'm sending you this brief notice about it.
>
>We are also running this project with very little financial resources,
>and so can't afford to buy advertising; thus, we're asking a favor of
>you.  Would you email this notice on to everyone you know who you think
>might be interested, lay-people or scientists?
>
>Thank you!
>
>Vera M. Lind
>Institute of Transpersonal Psychology
>Palo Alto, California
>veralind@issc-taste.org
>
>  THE ARCHIVES OF SCIENTISTS' TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCES
>                         (TASTE)
>
       http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/tart/taste/
>
>Over the years many scientists, once they've realized I'm a safe person
>to talk to, have told me about unusual and  transcendent experiences
>they've had.  Too often I'm the  first and only person they've ever
>spoken to about their  experiences, for fear of ridicule from their
>colleagues  and adverse, prejudicial effects on their career.  Such
>fears have, unfortunately, too much of a basis in fact.  It's not that
>there are a lot of scientists with nasty intentions deliberately trying
>to suppress their colleagues, it's just the social conditioning of our
like that of "high
>priests," telling laypeople and each other what is and isn't "real,"
>and consequently what is and isn't valuable and sane.  Unfortunately,
>the dominant  materialistic and reductionistic psychosocial climate of
>contemporary science (what sociologists long ago named scientism, an
>attitude different from the essential process of science), rejects and
>suppresses a priori both having and sharing transcendent, transpersonal
>and altered  states (or "spiritual" and "psychic," to use common
>words, in spite of their too vague connotations) experiences.
>
>From my perspective as a psychologist, though, this  prejudicial
>suppression and rejection psychologically harms and distorts both
>scientists' and laypersons'  transcendent (and other) potentials, and
>also inhibits  the development of a genuine scientific understanding of
>the full spectrum of consciousness.  Denial of any aspects of our
>nature, whatever their ultimate ontological status, is never
>psychologically or socially healthy.
>
>The Archives of Scientists' Transcendent Experiences  (TASTE), that I
>have just opened, is intended to help  change this restricted and
>pathological climate through the operation of a World Wide Web site in
>a journal form  which will allow scientists from all fields - from
>anthropology through botany through mathematics through  physics through
>psychology through zoology, to name just a  few - to share their
>personal transcendent experiences in a safe, anonymous, but quality
>controlled space that almost  all scientists and the general public have
>ready access to.
>
>Specifically TASTE will, to various degrees:
>     - allow individual psychological growth in the contributing
>scientists by providing a safe means of expression of vital experiences;
>     - lead toward a more receptive climate to the full range of our
>humanity in the scientific professions which, in turn, would benefit our
>world culture at large;
>     - provide research data on transcendent experiences in a highly
>articulate and conscientious population, scientists;
>     - facilitate the development of a full spectrum science of
>consciousness by providing both data and support for the study of
>transcendent experiences.
>     - help bridge the unfortunate gaps between science and the rest of
>culture by illustrating the humanity of scientists.
>
>Please take a look at the TASTE site, whose URL is
>
>http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/tart/taste (if
>the Psychology  server is off line you can use www.issc-taste.org). If
>you  find it valuable, please pass this information on to  friends and
>colleagues.  I have no budget for advertising,  so must depend on word
>of mouth to get this information  around.
>
>If you have a web site of your own that it would be suitable to link
>from to TASTE, thank you!  Feel free to copy one of the TASTE
>experiences as an example on your web site, if you like.
>
>In terms of more conventional, slower publicity, if you can recommend
>any journals I should send notices to, please let me know.  If you are
>the editor of any publication, you have my permission (and thanks!) to
>print this notice in your publication.
>
>Thank you!
>
>Charles T. Tart, Ph.D., Editor
>Professor Emeritus, Psychology,
>  University of California at Davis
>Professor, Core Faculty, Institute of Transpersonal
>  Psychology, Palo Alto, CA
------------------------------------

*P.S. 
For those not familiar with the "Three Objects" of the ancient Theosophical 
Movement (as brought forth in 1875 by H. P. Blavatsky, William Q. Judge, and 
Henry Olcott, founders of the Theosophical Society in America) they are:
        
1.  To form the nucleus of a Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without 
distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or color; 
2.  The study of ancient and modern religions, philosophies and sciences, and 
the demonstration of the importance of such study; and 
3.  The investigation of the unexplained laws of Nature and the psychical 
powers latent in man.

For a short statement of the "Three Fundamental Principles" on which the 
scientific, ethical and moral teachings of theosophy are based, go to:
http://www.theosophycompany.org/funda.html

References:  
The Secret Doctrine - The Synthesis of Science, religion and Philosophy, H. 
P. Blavatsky, 1888, facsimile edition, The Theosophy Company, Los Angeles, 
USA 
(available online: www.blavatsky.net)

Einstein and the Secret Doctrine: 
http://users.aol.com/unIwldarts/uniworld.artisans.guild/einstein.html

ABC theory of consciousness, mind and perception, consistent with theories of 
relativity, quantum physics, superstring/membranes, and transcendental 
psychology: 
http://www.tellworld.com/Astro.Biological.Coenergetics/

-- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com

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