In the air there seemed to stir, a rare wind of other-worldly fragrance. It was a sweet essence, like orchid blossoms on a summer day, yet felt all over the body as a flowing current, not as a thing smelled by the nose.  To the uninitiated, the mind said, “I’ve never felt anything like this before” but even so, there was a presence in the back of the mind saying at the same time, “At last I feel this again”.  Since she and I were not uninitiated, we looked at each other with a knowing glance, and just then caught the eyes of the couple sitting next to us.  As a felt thing, when we looked at them and they gazed at us, there was an immediate, mutual knowingness that ALL of us were experiencing something extraordinary, yet familiar.  It was as though Knowledge of some deeper kind than that which is had in the “ordinary world” were traveling unseen streams winding their way from eye to eye.  She and I both knew at the same time, that they too, were both amazed, yet Knowing. 

In the distance, the 40 or so people that were now meditating together in this remote forest meadow, had suddenly become even more silent than before.  In fact, no one spoke or made any sound at all, not even the various children near the thick bushes at the feet of tall Douglas Firs.  Birds seemed to sing with an added joy during such moments as the hour-long meditation progressed.  To those practiced in inner awareness, it was clear that the “atmosphere” of our group was not just a shared intimacy between human beings, but ALL the beings of the forest clearing.  Even the plants glowed with an unusual vitality, and children’s faces looked somehow far more ancient and reposed than their scant years would normally reveal.

Looking out over the clearing of grass and people with an unfocused gaze, it was possible to notice something else extraordinary.  It was not difficult to see how the small motions of bodies being adjusted in the heat of the day on soft grass was oddly uniform, as if all of us were to some variable degree part of the larger BODY of US, rather than as a mere collection of separate individuals.  In fact, each and every time there swept among us these ecstatic feelings of HIGH and WELL BEING like some current of electricity as yet to be named by Western science, such uniformity of small motions in the group were made far more obvious.  Clearly there were during certain moments, a connectivity of nervous systems being set up…a “synergy” or “group mind” of feeling-based unity, that was the common experience of absolutely everyone there.  For this many children to be absolutely silent and focused for so long was a minor miracle in itself.  But perhaps even more extraordinary, I mused to myself, is that adults in this modern world do not take every opportunity they can to frequently immerse themselves in what could accurately be called, “the excellence of progressive, group intention” especially while in meditative states of consciousness.

These moments of mutual bliss came and went like the waves of a tide.  Every five to ten minutes there would come another wave of very high feeling, especially a felt love in the heart and to a lesser extent, the entire body as well, one that could only be described as “spiritual”.  It was during such moments that it was not hard for anyone to clearly see that WE ARE “spirits” in bodies, and that whatever we do in this world, (or others) is therefore a matter of spiritual concern.  Such felt and mutual love is far too sweet and of much greater depth than to be classified with mere “sentimentality” or “affection” as might be seen in the everyday world.  Upon feeling it there’s an unmistakable quality of transcendent beauty which at once puts the concerns of our modern world into the category of “petty” and “basically irrelevant”.  We sit upon the shores of this ocean of energy, whose waves register upon our inner being as crescendos of feeling, and yet it is common-place to deny there is such a thing as an “ocean”, or that people really DO affect one another deeply at ALL TIMES, even during casual meetings on the street.

Toward the end of our meditation, there arose a moment where our high, mutually felt states of consciousness reached a peak.  A kind of “threshold” passed over the group, or perhaps it would be better to say that it passed between us and through us, once again as if we were but one body that had absolutely no divisions.  Nor were any divisions desired in any way.  This threshold or doorway to something even higher than what we’d been experiencing, was about to reveal itself.  Very clear to practiced meditators was the unmistakable fact that a new level of group consciousness was about to manifest in that clearing.  This felt something like a combination of ones’ ears popping when gaining altitude driving up a mountain, with the sense that a type of “spiritual rapture” was taking hold of profound meaning. It was as if the birth of a Christ or a Buddha were at hand, and WE were the new sentience about to be born.  A “bubble” of feeling, for lack of a better word, suddenly appeared around us.  It felt somehow like a greater air pressure, especially around the head, but in the heart too as a depth of loving feeling.  Our group mind was “raising” or by other words, “mutually ascending”.   The thought that came to mind, and which came to every other mind there in the forest clearing at the same time was; “If only we could cross this threshold, we would find ourselves on the other side of great Knowingness and High together”.

The spiritual tension of the moment continued to build, but then from outside our rough circle of meditators came a cold feeling on the wind, a “psychic chill” or fear that was pushing upon our sphere of HIGH, and threatened to bring it down.  My counterpart and I took some measures psychically to protect the group from this influence.  We held it off for a few minutes, but it was clear that this felt distraction had been enough to derail the groups’ focus upon getting ever higher together.  We had taught them about the use of intention in the raising of one’s personal state of consciousness, and also, how intent can be projected to others to help them raise their state of consciousness.  But as for such widespread effects of fear as this, we had not spoken at length.  This FEAR from the outside was from the world of human beings at large.  It was from that global group mind we call “The World Mind”, and it swept over our clearing with such force that our meditation was basically ended.

Afterwards, we talked about our experiences during this hour, and many spoke of the sheer amazement they had for the spiritual power of group focus.  I explained that such power, when wielded through the right intention, could indeed transform not only each other but the entire world as well.  “Just as we ‘raised’ our state of consciousness here today for ourselves and each other”, I said, “so too can the much larger body of humanity be raised.  If knowledge of the science of consciousness such as we have been speaking of, were to be widely applied to the groups, communities and nations of this world, the evolutionary course of humanity would once again be set upon its’ intended track of real progress and mutual enlightenment.”

Someone asked, “How do we maintain these high feelings together for longer periods of time?”  I replied that, “This is solely a matter of intention, combined with the ‘prevailing psychic conditions’ that occur at any given moment, much like changing weather conditions.  We can do the most about our own intention.  It is intent and intent alone which determines our state of consciousness at any given moment, even if the intent of others does influence us from a distance.  We can’t help but affect each other all the time…it is the nature of the consciousness that we are.  In recognizing this then, we should take every opportunity to meditate together, and raise up our consciousness in our own lives through various other means as well…through entheogens, spiritually-focused sex, play, intonation, music, dance, uplifting movies and theater, the reading of spiritually powerful writings and many other avenues.  We can maintain high feelings together, both in meditation and as a new, daily norm, by persevering with equally high intentions in each moment that passes, no matter what the current physical activity.  This is a cultivated ability, refined through practice and patience.  For this to be made possible, we must first within our individual selves, dedicate our lives to a spiritual focus, as a foremost priority in life.  We must ourselves be HIGH in order to convey the HIGH to others.”

We spoke then of the threshold that the group almost crossed that day.  Many acknowledged it as a feeling of “something imminent” as though we might have really accomplished something significant on the level of energetic existence.  “There is indeed something that we and others can do that is most significant” I explained, “that even groups of two can achieve together.  This thing might by one name be called, ‘mutual ascension’ or by another, ‘the group-mind expansion of consciousness’, or ‘the fundamental science of all worlds’ or perhaps, ‘the  raising of states together through progressive intent”.  By whatever name we call this, it represents a knowledge and practice that is known on every intelligent world in the universe.  It is the Knowledge of knowledge, this ‘science of consciousness’, and the real test of our further evolution as a species, will be whether or not we can come to terms with this knowledge on a serious and practical basis, in our everyday lives.  The question as to whether or not humanity will do this will either make or break the entire 3 billion year course of life on this planet, that lead to human beings.  We really have no choice in the matter…we MUST employ this knowledge of intention and the expansion of consciousness to raise our own states, and those of the world at large.  We MUST re-direct the current trends of world mind fear and pain, into progressively higher feelings and states of being.  Even the current tragedy of world events can be clearly understood in terms of this world pain and fear that now sweeps the Earth.  If we can change this trend of feeling and intention, first in ourselves, then as groups around the world, so too will we change the very motives for war, racial hatred, social fear and collective decay of all kinds.  The modern crisis is NOT social or political in nature.  What we witness today is a spiritual crisis, pure and simple, and the science of spiritual right-action is this very knowledge of intention and consciousness we’ve been discussing…”

These and other meetings of spiritually focused people, can be held for the high benefit of all involved.  Such meditations can and do have impact on global consciousness, especially if those involved have such intention as that of a “spiritual Master”.  Let us ALL embody such intention….

Suggested further reading on this subject can be had in the World Mind Society Library at http://www.eoni.com/~visionquest

See the article series, “Group Mind” (GM, 12 parts)

“Of Master and Disciple” (5 parts)

“The Perpetual Raising” (5 Parts)

“Manifesting World Enlightenment” (5 Parts)

Love and Clarity to you in your efforts,

Matthew Webb visionquest@eoni.com