Praxis is an ongoing meditation and self-development practice community for all participants of the Harmonic Mind program. Our community shares its name with the gamma harmonic session provided at the end of the Harmonic Mind program.
Praxis means action or practice as in the exercise of art, a science, or skill. It also refers to the application of a theory through practice, custom, or ritual.
The purpose of this community is to provide mutual support in the cultivation of global coherence, both for the individual and for the collective consciousness of the group field. By connecting in this way we are practicing the art and science of skillfully participating in the evolutionary process of natural law.
Two types of coherence
Coherence consists of two major aspects. The first is objective or physiological, having to do with brain and heart coherence as measured objectively via the use of EEG (electroencephalography), and ECG (echocardiography) machines. This includes hemisphere synchronization, phase and general cross cortical coherence, and whole body bio-electric coherence. This type of coherence is cultivated through the practice of meditation or state training as offered in Harmonic Mind. Regular practice of state training is foundational for our ongoing deepening into higher, coherent states of consciousness and stages of development.
The second type of coherence is internal or subjective coherence. This type of coherence has to do with the cognitive structures of the mind and involves the patterns of interpretation we use to decipher the meaning of our experiences, the nature of the self, and the world as a whole. Interpreting our experiences within a framework of an internally consistent and holistic worldview promotes coherence between our thought patterns, perceptions, emotions, and actions.
Ease in accessing emotional resources, resilience in the face of challenges, feelings of confidence, gratitude, self-acceptance, and non-judgment are signs of subjective coherence while fear of the future, self-doubt, anxiety, depression, indecision, and destructive behaviors that contradict our deepest beliefs and values are signs of subjective incoherence. When our mental models are congruous, we experience a unity between the levels of consciousness. Cultivating a more comprehensive, detailed, internally congruent world picture allows us to integrate the self-system and our model of the universe as one single coherent body of knowledge, enabling us to more fully express the physiological coherence gained through meditation.
Because our world picture is so deeply involved in how we think and act, having an internally consistent and logically coherent model of reality allows for a profound transformation and integration of the personality. Ultimately this provides for the sense of clarity, unity, and wholeness that is the basis for a highly integrated and functional Self.
One analogy that illustrates the importance of cognitive structures is found in the language of the Netsilik tribe of northern Canada who have many words for snow: a word for snow falling, snow on the ground, crystalline snow, snow used to make water, generic ice, freshwater ice for drinking, slushy ice by the sea, and many others. Each type of snow or ice has particular usefulness to them and they’ve learned to identify them quickly and communicate them to others. Some linguists have even suggested that having a word for something is indispensable in being able to perceive the unique details of a thing. To paraphrase Gregory Bateson a renowned linguist and anthropologist, “wherein one can not speak, therein one can not think”. Developing cognitive structures then, made from vocabulary, category systems, symbols, and concepts helps to bring otherwise invisible aspects of nature out into the open, and enables us to communicate them to ourselves and each other.
In the Praxis community, we are therefore examining the structures of universal law and building up a conceptual model of creation, while also practicing state training. In developing a map or model of reality that includes the irreducible constituents of everything and the axioms that give rise to events and forms, we are better able to access, integrate and enact the visions that come from higher states of consciousness as practical behavioral resources for navigating our lives, and ultimately for our personal fulfillment and the fulfillment of our unique life purpose. The study of the universal laws of nature or what is often described as spiritual knowledge is psychoactive; meaning it stimulates the mind and soul, helping us to evolve to higher stages of development more quickly and easily. And it’s at the higher stages of development that our connection with truth, beauty, and goodness fully flowers in our consciousness.
The ultimate fulfillment of the evolutionary plan of creation is for each center of livingness (that’s you and me) to become fully conscious of the source, nature, and destiny of existence. And through our direct comprehension of it, realize the true fellowship of humanity. In the complete comprehension of natural law, the unbounded universal care and compassion that created all life can live in and through our very own consciousness, in such a way as to solve every problem and heal all suffering we face in our lives.
Seeking the total knowledge of natural law then is not merely a luxury of the highest degree – while it is that – it is also a practical necessity for the total fulfillment of our lives. As it has been written, “seek first the kingdom of heaven and all else will be added unto you”. When we locate the real meaning and purpose of life, it has such a profound effect on the mind that it reshapes the total meaning of every individual experience. Every goal, every desire, and the feeling of the fulfillment of our goals and desires are enriched with the overall sweetness of life’s ultimate meaning.
What are we studying?
We are exploring a cosmology of unity otherwise described as a grand meta-theory or a unified theory of everything.
We can describe the content we will be exploring as having both scientific and spiritual aspects. Science is not apart from the technology of spirit or spiritual knowledge. These are but two modes of knowing one universal truth. Some Praxis content will have a distinctly scientific character, especially as it relates to physiology, acoustics, and physics. Some material will have a distinctly spiritual connotation, relating to the mythopoetry of creation and the non-material expressions of universal law and its axioms. We can describe this aspect of Praxis as being a kind of research into the roots of being and creation. At times we may draw from integral philosophy, neuroscience, theoretical physics, depth psychology, and other times the mystery teachings on ageless wisdom east and west. And, rather than using difficult jargon or overly complex concepts, we will explore the key concepts in these fields in a way that’s distilled into their simplest and most accessible forms.
Format:
We hold one or two community events per month. One is dedicated to group meditation. The second is dedicated to the study and community engagement with the educational material. The second is currently on pause.
Group Meditation: Every 3rd Sunday of the month we come together virtually to practice meditation with the Praxis program. Sometimes this will be a guided meditation and other times with music only. During this session, we are building the field of collective coherence. Each session that contains guided content will be recorded and made available for download after the session.
Study and practice: On the second Thursday evening of every month we meet virtually to share and discuss our experiences and understanding of the educational material and engage in group practices to embody and metabolize the lessons and our meditation experiences. There is also time for community connection and Q & A.
Primary Material: Learning material consisting of videos and written content is published on the Praxis page every month. Participants in the community can access the content at any time. The supplemental material is there as a support for those who wish to expand their knowledge and its self-led. The material is layered and will likely reveal different levels of meaning depending on your state. It may be useful to watch the videos multiple times, returning to them after some time has passed. As we go further into the content we will elaborate on the earlier foundational material which will remain available on the platform for revisiting.
To get the most out of being a Praxis community member it is recommended that you attend the group meditations to help us build the collective field, and engage with the written and video content between the meditation events.
Fee structure:
We are asking for a small donation of $7 per month or $77 per year to help us cover our infrastructure costs. There is a pay what you want option for those who wish to give a different amount. Anyone who has completed Harmonic Mind will automatically have access to the Praxis events and learning materials. We believe that those who sincerely engage with this practice will be positively impacted by it and that when everyone gives according to their means, those who have more will help to provide for those who have less.
How else to contribute:
For those who wish to contribute time and energy rather than money. There are several ways to help including transcribing videos, building a glossary of terms, and assisting with some of the backend needs of the website and marketing. If you would like to contribute in this way, please contact [email protected] with your skills and interests so we can match your contribution to our needs in the best way.
Thank you for being part of this growing community!
In light,
Asa
“What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes