Life: Living Things as Expressive Minds
Table of Contents
“Then,” you ask, “do you mean to tell us that THE ALL is LIFE and MIND?” Yes! and No! is our answer.
Kybalion
Chapter 1f explained that all discrete things in the universe are nodes of bunched-up waves.
- The nodes that are made up of mostly subtle waves become subtle nodes.
- The nodes that are made up of mostly crude waves become crude nodes.
- Subtle waves are more flexible because subtlety comes from the Positive Force which is tasked with uniting things together.
- Crude waves are more rigid because rigidity comes from the Negative Force which is tasked with breaking things apart.
Nodes as Minds: Reaction, Learning, and Expression
These nodes are persistent concentrations of individual waves within the single wave of Existence.
These interact with unconcentrated waves which we physically call as “forces”, but we metaphysically call as “feelings”.
Larger nodes can absorb and let smaller nodes and waves pass through and have the following outcomes:
- React
A crude node will react to the incoming node or wave by adjusting itself externally. This is seen in balls bouncing off the wall as they react to the crude contact force from that wall.
- Learn
A subtle node will “learn” from the incoming nodes by adjusting itself internally – its wave-collection will adjust to match the contents of that small node or wave.
This is seen in the adaptations of living organisms.
- Express
A very subtle node has the ability of not only reacting and learning, but also of expressing by tapping the flowing waves (since there is no Void in Nature) and adjusting them to express its idea.
This is seen in animals that make sounds or give of light and electricity such as fireflies and electric eels.
Living Versus Non-living Things
We classify things based on our perception. We perceive that living things have a self-expressive ability, while non-living things do not.
When we throw a ball, we see that it has absolutely no action done by itself and its trajectory follows the route we had in mind.
When throw a bird, we see that it does actions by itself and its trajectory does not follow what the one that we want. Instead, its trajectory is less certain to us, but more certain to it.
And so we say that the ball has is not alive, but the bird is alive.
The bird moving at its own trajectory is a physical manifestation of it expressing a desire to go a different way from that followed by the ball.
This is why we define life as the state where a node or mind has the ability to express itself, independently of the physical aspects of the universe.
- This independence comes from the Negative Force isolating nodes from each other
- The expressiveness comes from the Positive Force making the contents of the node flexible
The uncertainty of Existence is proof that the universe as a unit is alive, though it has parts that are not alive.
Since the universe is alive, then it means that this expression is based in the metaphysical domain, which is independent of the physical domain.
This is why the metaphysical is superior to the physical, as mind over matter.
The materialists reject this and insist that the physical rules over the metaphysical, as matter over mind. This prevalent wrong belief is why human life has so many problems and why humans are still stuck on Earth. We fully address this in Chapter 1b.
Life is Independent Expression from Self-Desire
‘Life’ is the state of a mind being expressive within a physical body, yet independently of physicality.
For example, a metal rod reacts to heat by turning red, as its means of expression.
But we do not regard it as alive because its expressiveness is not independent of the Nature around it.
This manifests as its identity not having its own willpower – its destiny is totally dependent on its surrounding environment.
This means that even though the metal rod is not alive, the physical universe, which it is a part of, is the one that is alive and is making it turn red through the Fire Element.
If the physical universe were one living body, then the metal rod would be one of its tiny body parts just as our toenail, which seems not alive, is part of our living body.
Thus, the living nature of the physical universe is seen in:
- the reaction of chemicals
- the expansion and contraction of matter
- the fact that material things do not go through each other
- etc.
A totally dead universe will have no heat, no change, no evolution.
Definitions: Mind, Soul, Spirit, Essence
A mind is a colection of waves that persist together as a node.
A living mind is a node that has more subtle waves that allow independent expression.
A non-living mind is a node that has more crude waves that prevent independent expression.
A soul is a mind that is regarded without its crude parts. This is called atman in Sanskrit.
A spirit is a mind in active form with waves of forces and feelings flowing through it.
This is why we say a man is “spirited” if he is active, but “full of soul” if he is deep.
‘Evil" really comes from the effects or properties of the Negative Force. So evil spirit or evil person is possible, but evil soul or evil atman is not.
Essence is the core waves that make up the node and are most persistent to it.
Absolute greatness, health, strength, and the true nature of everything. These cannot be perceived by our bodily organs. The closest we can get to knowing their several natures is through our intellectual vision. This will give us the most exact conception of the essence of each thing.
Socrates
Phaedo by Plato Simplified, Chapter 2
If those core waves change or are replaced, then the identity gets a new essence. This manifests itself the most in Biology as the evolution of species.
- Humans evolved from apes as the primate essence
- Primates evolved from plesiadapiforms as a shrew essence
The changing of essence is not by chance but by the interaction between core waves which have 4 properties.
In theory, knowing all the waves in system will allow a prediction of how essences will change. What is really lackiing is the ability to know all such waves due to the pressure of the Negative Force.