There are plenty of speculation and great
leaps here but what it all comes to is a reworking of the Garden of Eden
Paradigm. Yet that is where we are going
in this blog’s teachings on terraforming terra.
Our challenges are real:
1
Create a global middle class economy. We are two generations out on this. The derivative will be a generally free
society evolving out of all that. It
would be nice to plan it in than to do it the hard way.
2
Implement the global model farm community been
developed here. This provides a natural
optimal nurturing environment for all members of society tied directly to the
land. Apply the rule of twelve for governance
and credit control
3
Uniformly improve nurturing to optimize childhood
development. We are far from it, and it
is our greatest weakness. Suffers from
plenty of false opinion that has the weight of history behind it.
4
Apply the rule of twelve globally to advise global governance.
This is enough to produce Heaven of Earth.
The key here is still nurture. In the wild, a child interacted with a
dynamic nature that demanded full attention and a well-developed mind. Our modern world has displaced much of that
with narrower tasks and skills. We have
advanced because we have overtrained a particular attribute. I never expect to listen to a lecture on the
calculus of variations given by a natural social convener. They are really left and right brain
attributes.
In the meantime, eat plenty of fruits and
vegetables, but you know that anyway whatever your excuse is.
Plant/Human Symbiosis and
the Fall of Humanity
April 30, 2013 Dylan Charles
Trevor Smith, Guest Writer
There are many mysterious
anomalies about human evolution yet to be adequately explained. These include
the human brains rapid expansion in size and complexity, why this accelerating
expansion suddenly stalled roughly 200,000 years ago and our brains have
been shrinking ever since, and why our rare glimpses of genius goes hand in
hand with our species wide insanity.
“I believe that the lost
secret of human emergence..the undefined catalyst that took a very bright monkey
and turned that species into a self-reflecting dreamer..that catalyst has to be
sought in these alkaloids in the food chain that were catalyzing higher states
of intellectual activity.” — Terence McKenna
Tony Wright and Graham Gynn are authors of Left In The Dark- the book that presents Tony’s research outlining a radical re-interpretation of the current data regarding human evolution and, they contend, our recent degenerated state we call “civilization”. You can read the book for free here. Despite such a young and extreme proposal positive reactions are growing and include such minds as Dennis McKenna, Stanislav Grof, Colin Groves, Michael Winkelman and many others.
The following is a discussion
with Tony Wright on these anomalies and more, followed by some further
information on his theory.
Trevor Smith: After two
decades of research and radical self-experimentation you’ve come to a synthesis
between the ancient data and information coming out of modern science.
Paradoxically this all seems to indicate a humongous problem, and
simultaneously explains why we would be oblivious to it in the first place: we
are all suffering from species wide neural retardation, and are now too deluded
to even realize when faced with the mountain of evidence. Is this the general
idea?
Tony Wright: Yes. It should
be virtually impossible to find any supporting evidence for such a profound
theory if there was no real problem with the development and structural
integrity of our neural system in the first place. If there were only
ancient accounts of the diagnosis, or any supporting biological data, or
initial support from some of society’s sharpest minds, then it should at least
ring alarm bells. That all those elements exist and in addition our collective
behavior has long been thought by many to be insane indicates something really
serious just doesn’t add up. If everything is fine then the theory would be a
no-brainer to refute, and we should at least have no fear in thoroughly
checking it out.
So during millions of years
of evolution in the African tropical forest we developed a symbiosis with
fruit, and your proposing that it is no coincidence the most complex tissue in
the known universe evolved during a symbiosis with perhaps dozens of species of
the most complex chemical factories on the planet. How did this occur?
I’m proposing that the
accelerating expansion of the neo-cortex was due to a runaway feedback
mechanism driven by our own hormone system in combination with the complex
plant bio-chemistry provided by our diet. What has been overlooked is the
profound effects of flooding our brains 24/7 for thousands of generations with
this highly advanced molecular engineering formula. Fruit is essentially a
womb-like developmental environment for the seeds and has very unique, highly
complex hormonally active chemistry. Our early development is dictated by
the transcription process whereby changes in how the DNA is read
dictate the type of structures that develop. Steroids like testosterone are the
key players here, but by incorporating more and more of these DNA-reading plant
chemicals into our diet we basically shifted from a typical mammalian
developmental environment to more of a plant developmental environment.
Along with regulating gene
transcription many of these molecules increase brain activity, modulate the
endocrine system including the pineal gland, inhibit mono amine oxidase (MAO
inhibitors), are antioxidants and also inhibit the activity of our own hormones
such as testosterone and oestrogens. Just altering the activity of these
two hormones has a dramatic affect on many aspects of our development,
physiology and neural structure. For example, decreasing their activity extends
juvenility and the window for brain development by delaying the onset of sexual
maturity.
All this coming together would have many interconnected affects and, being that this bio-chemistry would be present in the developmental environment it would dramatically impact what develops at this most sensitive and rapid stage of brain/endocrine system growth in the uterus.
This carried on after birth
through breastfeeding, and then afterwards through directly ingesting this
highly advanced molecular engineering cocktail we call fruit. Each generation
would pass down a progressively modified neuro-endocrine system as a result. So
after millions of years of ever more entangled co-evolution nearly all of the
transcription chemicals present during our early development and on through
life that were essential to our optimal design/functioning were lost and
replaced by progressively worse substitutes irrelevant to our evolution.. all
the way until we reach today’s ‘junk’ food. Ironically much of this actually
has the opposite effect of fruit bio-chemistry on our hormones, causing the
unique process to reverse.
All of this sounds complex but
at its foundation it’s just really basic engineering principles: If you change
the design (transcription) and construction materials that a system or
technology is built from and fueled by, then the structure and functionality of
that system will inevitably change as a result. This logic is obvious when
applied to any of our technologies but paradoxically we haven’t applied it to
the thing involved in generating our perception, which just happens to be the
most complex piece of kit we know. Our perception is directly correlated with
and ‘effectively’ a product of the extremely sensitive structure and
bio-chemistry of our brain and this has changed out of all recognition in a
very short time. (more on this symbiosis)
Makes sense considering even the slightest alterations in the structure or chemistry of the brain can result in major changes in overall functioning, how we perceive the world, and our sense of self. The powerful effects of taking even a minut dose of a psychedelic being a perfect example of this sensitivity! What happened when we lost this symbiosis?
Even mild climate change can result in a shrinking of the forest. This would isolate and separate some symbiotic associations more easily than others but a big drying will affect even the most protected non seasonal niches. Eventually we left the forests and were separated from the highly advanced molecular engineering cocktail that we were immersed in for millions of years. The physiological structures most influenced by the symbiosis were the ones most vulnerable to exposure from the re-emerging basic mammalian hormone regime since it was these hormones that prevented their emergence in the first place. The most hormonally sensitive parts of our physiology would be the most affected; such as our reproductive system, immune system and our highly sensitive neural system, especially during its early development in the uterus.
When the symbiosis ended and
the archaic steroid regime re-asserts its influence the neocortex stalls and
accelerating expansion turns into contraction. The complex neural architecture
begins to erode and because the left hemisphere of the brain is more sensitive
to steroids this side inevitably erodes at a quicker rate. Some genetic asymmetry
and specialization was the primitive norm, and now one side is inevitably
reverting back to the primitive type more quickly than the other.
The orthodox view suggests each hemisphere has its own specialized capabilities and that the characteristics of the dominant left hemisphere, such as conceptual and rational thought/speech, are some of our most advanced traits. The data indicates that the development of the brain and in particular one side of the neocortex is now incomplete, and paradoxically the most retarded side has assumed control. With a loss of functioning we become less able to experience, understand and know, and with this comes fear. Fear is a powerful emotion that can mask all other mental functions and this played a part in suppressing the more baffling perceptions of the right hemisphere. When we lose any sense fear accompanies this and a growing sense of anxiety and the need for control arose as the left began actively resisting experiences it cannot categorize or understand since they are threatening to its very sense of self.
This has severely limited our
perception and compromised many abilities. The evidence suggests those
abilities as well as a wholly different sense of self lie dormant in the right
side of our brain and is only occasionally glimpsed by a tiny minority of
people. Unfortunately this also creates a paradox. The dominant side of the
brain is assessing itself and so while the concept of specialist abilities
appears initially to make some sense on further investigation all is not as it
appears and this doesn’t hold up. I have proposed that the abilities and
perception facilitated by the left side of our brain are a more primitive and
greatly reduced or distorted version of what still remains locked away in the
right. Instead of separate senses a unified and highly advanced system that
perceives everything all at once without any problems was the norm. These
glimpses of synesthesia for example (which some are actually born with) could
be a relic of this unified and coherent perceptual capability now well beyond
and frightening to the primitive neural architecture of the left hemisphere.
It’s interesting then that the
myths of a previous golden age and humanities fall into dark times are found
all over the world. Even the bible talks about our naked, forest dwelling,
fruit eating past. This sort of theme is witnessed among Eskimos, Aborigines,
Native Americans, Mayans and dozens of other cultures. Many also talked
of a “higher self”. Do you think our ancient ancestors knew what happened? How
did they go about addressing the problem? Do we still get glimpses of these
right brained states of consciousness today?
When you look at the ancient
myths and traditions with all this in mind it becomes blatantly obvious that
they all are attempting to describe and address through various techniques
essentially the same thing- although both the myths and practices have become
inevitably distorted over time from their original purpose as the condition
progressed. Of course our tendency today is to dismiss them all as
“myths” but in reality they may be more historic account than myth, and this
would be expected if the condition was progressive. I’ve proposed that
the origin of these ancient practices, such as shamanism, meditation, sleep
deprivation, etc, were borne out of techniques to reduce the influence of the
degrading left hemisphere and/or engage the abilities of the increasingly
suppressed right hemisphere. If fruit was all that was needed to turn around
the negative hormonal feedback loop that developed, our ancestors would have
figured this out a long time ago. These practices would make a lot of sense if
the general condition exists.
Most of us today don’t escape
the confines of the dominant left hemisphere except in dreams and perhaps
subconscious glimpses during meditation or similar practices. More direct
experiences are possible through supplementing with neuro-chemical analogues
found in various psychedelic plants for example but a combination of approaches
works best. Many such as prodigies, savants, etc, all display abilities
characteristic of more access to the right hemisphere. Although if you were to
take all of these abilities and put them together with once in a lifetime
athletic feats, and shamanic states of consciousness it may still be only a
glimpse of a state of being that our distant ancestors considered “normal”.
While there has been a catastrophic loss the idea that we all have a
fundamental problem with our neural functioning that is entirely treatable is
immensely hopeful given our current situation.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Food for Thought
There appears to be a mountain
of evidence supporting Tony’s theory. For starters, we are learning more and
more about the beneficial properties of fruit bio-chemistry all the time. One
tomato for example contains 10,000 different phytochemicals that we currently
know about. Many of these chemicals are transcription factors influencing the
way the DNA is read and thereby influencing the structures that develop.
Is it any wonder then that this can affect brain size? That
our brains are shrinking? That poor construction materials can
possibly lead to brain damage? Or that what a mother consumes can have
a life long impact on the child after birth? For millions of years this
unimaginably complex formula was directly influencing what structures develop
at the most sensitive stages of growth.
As the symbiotic relationship
evolved the mammalian developmental environment was slowly infused with ever
greater concentrations and complexity of plant hormones. This had a progressive
impact on the way the DNA was read in turn resulted in novel structure and
function.
Even if the neo-cortex could
be built to the same structural specifications, the major part of its essential
neuro-active operating environment was also provided by the chemical cocktail
in fruit. There currently is no other coherent and contextual explanation for
the accelerating expansion of the brain which suddenly halted and began
contracting around the time we left the African forests.
In more recent times, the
catastrophic loss of essential design specifications (transcription chemicals)
and chronic neuro-chemical deficiency has been exacerbated by the use of
increasingly poor quality construction materials.
Katherine Milton’s findings
suggest that we have lost around 95% of the complex plant bio-chemistry and
nutrients that were present during our evolution for tens of millions of years.
When considered within the context of the design, development and function of
most complex and chemically sensitive thing we know, these factors in
combination can only result in a massive failure.
The Chemistry of Patriarchy
It sounds unlikely that our left hemisphere is a dominant yet damaged version of the right, however there is evidence from various fields to support such a seemingly wild notion. Simon Baren-Cohen has discovered evidence that the left hemisphere is more susceptible to testosterone damage and that higher levels of testosterone in the womb are linked to a lower level of empathy and less social skills. His theory is that autism is an extreme form of the male brain; the male brain being ordinarily less empathic than female brains in the first place. Estradiol is made from testosterone by the enzyme aromatase and plays an important part in the “masculinisation” of the brain, or in this case, the damage to the left hemisphere. So the degree of masculinisation is determined by the amount of testosterone available and the degree of aromatase activity.
The book elaborates: “As we have already seen (see Chapter Three for the link with oestrogen dependent cancer), the activity of aromatase is inhibited by plant flavonoids and, more importantly, by melatonin. Less melatonin leads to more aromatase activity, which in turn leads to increased masculisation of the brain and, at the extreme end of the spectrum, autism (which appears to be becoming much more common). Our ancestral fruit-based diet would have been rich in aromatase inhibiting factors – and in the past our pineals would have pumped more melatonin too. The degree of masculisation of the male brain we see today, therefore, may well be an aberration that has had huge consequences for us.”
Males therefore appear to be the most damaged. Where this manifests in a greater degree of left-brain dominance it can be a disaster, as is evidenced by the abundance of fear and control in our male dominated society. Perhaps it is no surprise then that we live in such a patriarchal society where it’s the old men, chronically deficient in plant chemistry and suffering from years of testosterone driven over-masculinisation, who send the young to war and are currently running our society into the ground through they’re greed and lack of empathic understanding.
Could it just be a coincidence
that we see competitive and aggressive behavior all over the place and the
biological data seems to predict this sort of behavior in the first place? To
make matters worse much of the food we now consume contains the very same hormones
that would have been inhibited, along with others that have many detrimental
effects.
If humanity were a single
patient displaying the range of behavior we are collectively capable of and
turned up at the neurology/psychology department of a prestigious hospital,
what would they think of our mild to severe tendency for self harm and suicide?
Or our oblivious destruction of the very environment that sustains us?
Treating the hundreds of apparently ‘distinct’ behavioral, psychological and perceptual symptoms without at least checking for a general/structural cause would be grounds for serious negligence and a raft of law suits even if there were no smoking gun regarding evidence/mechanisms for a developmental/structural cause? In our case the evolutionary data and biological mechanisms are equivalent to fairly complete cctv footage of a serious accident, and the myths and spiritual traditions of many disparate cultures are eye witness accounts which include, once the dogma is stripped away, methods to treat the condition. Shamanism, psychedelic plants, yoga, meditation, fasting and sleep deprivation are just some examples of these techniques aimed at regaining some of this lost perception.
Psychedelics and Other
Clues
Psychedelics like ayahuasca seem to be a powerful means of re-accessing these lost perceptual abilities (any wonder our left brained society has made these things illegal?). It’s been said that shamans for example who work with it enough can eventually bring in an altered state of consciousness willingly, without even drinking the brew. The beta-carbolines in ayahuasca alone are powerful MAO inhibitors with psychoactive properties by themselves (along with many other beneficial effects). We’re chronically deficient in not only a complex cocktail of plant MAO inhibitors but also the ones that our pineal glands would have produced in much higher amounts as well, given that flavonoids stimulate this gland. Pinoline is just one example.
Many other psychedelics can undoubtedly help as a partial treatment. Tony’s mention of synesthesia being a relic of this advanced perception makes sense in light of E.A. Serafetinides research. Serafetinides administered LSD to those who had undergone either left or right temporal lobe removal.
He found the perceptual
affects were virtually non-existent after right but not left temporal lobe
removal– further supporting the idea that the left hemisphere is no longer
capable of making use of such profound activity and that this is another
psychedelic catalyzing access to the latent functions of the more sensitive
right hemisphere.
Other research by Dr. Allan
Snyder has found that by decreasing the dominance of the left hemisphere with
magnetic fields the enhanced perceptual abilities of the right can be partially
accessed. These include increased visual memory, drawing skills, and other
abilities. He cites cases were autistic savants have damage to parts of the
left hemisphere and how this results in a decreased ability to suppress the
less filtered perceptions of the right hemisphere.
Just one example of this is
Steven Wiltshire, who has astonishing artistic abilities coupled with a
photographic memory. Oddly, he cannot add or subtract! His left hemisphere lost
its linear processing but this decreased its dominance, opening the door to the
rights more advanced abilities. There are many others like Wiltshire with
similar stories.
Research into Alzheimer’s also
supports the idea that we are chronically deficient in the chemicals abundant
in a fruit, and that this is just a further symptom. Recently it’s made
headlines that hundreds of dementia patients could be helped by a “drug
breakthrough”. Dementia seems to be partially halted and reversed by drugs with
the same sort of activity we see among these fruit chemicals
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22087826). A quick search on google reveals
many fruit chemicals with the same exact properties. If this is the case then
when we were flooded by an incredibly rich cocktail of flavonoids way beyond
current research parameters then, relatively speaking, our reference points for
dementia are invalid.
Insanity and Hope
If there
was any indication at all that we had profound abilities locked
within us then we should immediately look into this. Especially since it is
precisely these sorts of enhancements in perception that are necessary if we
are going to get ourselves out of the mess we’ve stumbled into.
As Einstein said- “ The
problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of
thinking that created them.”
If there were any evidence at
all for widespread neural retardation would it not be a near certain candidate
for the root problem behind our collective insanity and inability to live
harmoniously with each other and our environment? If there is a structural
problem with our neural architecture then this provides an absolutely amazing
opportunity for a species scale ‘fix’ to our current state of literal insanity,
and offers immense hope for our dire situation here on earth.
Even if there was only the
slightest indication that this was the case then we should at least check to be
sure. Not rigorously checking into such a profound possibility would actually
be a symptom, and it should be very easy to dismiss based on scientific
methodology.
The current reaction to this
research is split, but the initial support leans heavily towards the more
creative, innovative and intelligent spectrum of society who have been willing
to scrutinize with an open mind. Even still, such broad initial support is a
conundrum for such a radical new idea. Although the book is not well known as
of yet, the Transpersonal Association of Estonia has selected it for
translation. Meanwhile it’s being dismissed- often before even evaluating the
evidence-by those who cite current or familiar paradigms… exactly as
predicted if the condition is real.
The consensus among many
striving to better our world is that we are collectively engaged in a tightrope
act between disaster and a massive shift in collective awareness. Our ignorance
is jeopardizing the continuation of not only our own species but countless
others and the planet as a whole. We have the physical means to turn things
around but it is a crisis of consciousness; and thus our own minds that stand
in our way. We are glued into our conditioned behaviors and ways of viewing the
world.
Without a fundamental change
in the way we relate to ourselves, the earth, and our place in the cosmos, we
will only see more of the same. History repeats itself and, as we have seen
time and time again, attempts to fix any of the individual problems (symptoms)
that arise from a deranged collective mind are doomed to fail in the long run
unless the damaged equipment generating all these problems is addressed.
Major shifts in perception can
be accomplished relatively quickly by combining various techniques. It’s
straight forward: replace this plant bio- chemistry for the long term and
diminish the influence of the left hemisphere while simultaneously engaging the
right hemisphere. The trend is very consistent from those who’ve dabbled. The
more one explores the more mind blowing and self-evident it becomes. Ultimately
it comes down to a choice.
Look at the evidence,
experiment and decide for yourself.
This only a glimpse at some of
the supporting data. For more information see…
http://leftinthedark.org.uk/
http://beyond-belief.org.uk/
New book project
http://www.indiegogo.com/Make-up-your-own-mind
Terence McKenna ~
“You must cut through the aura
of programming and cultural assumptions that surround us from the moment we are
able to speak. The only way this can be done is by dissolving the boundaries of
ego. Ego is a structure that is erected by a neurotic individual who is a
member of a neurotic culture against the facts of the matter. And culture, which
we put on like an overcoat, is the collectivized consensus about what sort of
neurotic behaviors are acceptable…
…The goal can now be stated.
What this is all about is a return to archaism with the lessons learned in
history. Thats where we were happy. The fall was a fall..Into a veil of
tears..Into a world of limitation, pain, suffering, infectious disease and so
forth and so on. It’s a prodigal journey into a lower dimension that can now be
ended by a collective cultural decision to commit to this Taoist shamanistic
feminized cybernetic caring aware present kind of being.”
About the Author
Trevor Smith is a cognitive
scientist in NY who has been heavily interested in how accidental and
neurochemical alterations of our neural system precipitate changes in
consciousness and development.
About Tony Wright
While a student at Edinburgh
Botanic Gardens and preparing a short dissertation entitled ‘The Genetic
Manipulation of Plants’ the subconscious seeds of a revolutionary new theory
were sown in Tony Wright’s mind. Over the next 20 years a mixture of scientific
curiosity and radical self-experimentation resulted in the development of a
simple idea that explains the emergence of increasingly anomalous traits in
human evolution. From the rapid and accelerating expansion of our large brain
to the mysteries of our mind and the origins of spiritual practice he has
developed a new context in which we may understand who we are and has provided
a framework for the reunification of the academic and spiritual science of
consciousness.
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