Understanding

Please enjoy reading the first few pages of The Origin of Understanding
Introduction How many of us have been fascinated by the stories of lost knowledge? But consider for a moment, in this modern age of information with its rapid acceleration of knowledge, how is it possible to conceive of an ancient culture more knowledgeable than ours? The answer must exist in the quality of the details. Today we hear physicists and mathematicians talk about the fact that they can perceive a simplicity underlying everything, yet they cannot find it. This means that our information today, no matter how vast, has a fundamental problem of being disorganized and seemingly haphazard. Such problems become even more magnified as the volume of information increases. So, what we end up with is a world of abstract knowledge that keeps us from connecting at a deeper level; it keeps us from finding fundamental meaning. The ancient cultures approached the issue of knowledge differently than we do today. They assumed that all experience, all sensation, and all existence is based on the same fundamental order and then they set out to discover what that order was. It turned out that what they were really seeking was a language, a natural language of meaning and order that the universe uses to communicate at all levels. Think about how we communicate with the universe. At the foundation level we use our senses and emotions to communicate. But, each sense only describes a particular view of the universe, which means that if we want to achieve a collective view or understanding of the universe, then we need to find a way to unify the language of our senses. This is what the ancient cultures discovered. They discovered the connection between all of the senses and unleashed a powder keg of knowledge and understanding. They were able to see through the complexity to the simplicity underlying it all, and from the simplicity they were able to construct a pristine history of the universe from its origins to the present. The ramifications were astounding. They understood the construction of the body and mind, the natural organization of society, the origin and order of spirituality, the nature and place of every life and every natural system. They knew how to create harmony in any given situation. Simply put, they knew. Of course, as we know, the knowledge of the natural language was lost. Or, if not lost, the information, over time, took on different meanings so that the original intent of the words and phrases was lost. The result is that today we find ourselves in a sterile information age searching once again for meaning. How will we find it? The same way the ancients found it. We will have to discover how to unify the languages of the senses. This book is an introduction to the natural language. It introduces the basic unification principles of the languages of color, music, numbers, and waves. Along the way it discusses how various natural systems and cycles are described by the natural language. The ultimate goal is to prepare the reader for advanced knowledge and understanding, and provide a basic ability to employ the knowledge within his or her life. Advanced knowledge will come in many forms. It can be advancement in the area of energy origins (creation), or color theory, or music theory, or physics, mathematics, or chemistry, or any other study of natural structures. As the ancients discovered, it can also lead deep into the heart of spirituality and questions of existence. Keep in mind then, as you read, that each idea, each description, each relationship has much greater meaning and context than what is being presented here. Try to imagine the bigger picture. Try to imagine just how expansive and all encompassing the ideas are. Take a look at the world around you and see if you can figure out how the natural systems are being employed. The Beginning The Search for the Foundation of Meaning Lesson 1 - The Key [Teacher] Where should we begin? [Student] All my life I have heard of the wisdom of the ancients - how their knowledge far surpassed that of today. I wish I could know what they knew. What do you think the ancients knew? I mean, look around us today. The world appears to be at an amazing height of knowledge. How could the ancient cultures have surpassed all of this? I think that they understood life at a more fundamental level - a simpler level. I don’t necessarily see the mind numbing volume of information known today as true wisdom. It is simply more. What is the one obvious difference between the study of the various disciplines in ancient times vs today? I’m not sure what you are asking. Well, today each academic discipline is considered to be a separate and fairly independent study, with limited crossover in meaning and relevance. Whatever is shared is generally shared in small increments with little or no attempt to suggest that there is a greater connection. In ancient times all disciplines were considered to be the same study, so that what was learned in one area could be transferred and understood in another. What do you infer from this? It must mean that the ability to directly relate all of the academic disciplines as a collective meaning was somehow the source of the difference between ancient knowledge and understanding and that of today. Yes. The truth is that the ancients knew a secret. They had discovered a key that could unlock the deepest recesses of the universe with astounding simplicity. What is the key? It is called the natural language. What is that? Rather than answer, let me ask you this: What is a language? A language is a system of words that we use to describe the universe. What do you think the natural language would be? Its words must have the most fundamental meaning; and its organization must define the most fundamental system of order and relationships. What is the most fundamental way in which we interact with the universe? It is our physical and spiritual interaction. What do you mean? I perceive the physical world through my eyes, my ears, my nose, my mouth, and my skin. I sense the world through my emotions, and my heart and soul, although I’m not sure I could tell you what the latter are. What, then, is the natural language? Is it the language of the senses? Can you be more precise? Well, each of my senses allow me to see a unique view of the universe, yet somehow I perceive them as not being independent of each other. Somehow, my collective sense of the universe is as a single, unified existence. I suspect then that the natural language is the unification of all of my senses so that what I understand in one I can understand in another. What are the words of the natural language? They must be the individual sensations. What is the structure of the natural language? It must be the system of organization of the individual sensations. Yes. But, even knowing this much, we have barely begun. It is just enough to place the key into the lock. To begin to turn the key and unlock the door will require a deeper understanding of how we perceive the world. Lesson 2 - What’s the Big Idea? How do you sense the world around you? I see, feel, hear, taste, and smell the world. Is everything that you smell the same? Or how about what you hear? Are all the sounds the same? Or, are all the colors the same? No. I can smell an incredible array of smells, or see a wonderful range of colors, and I can hear many different sounds. How do you perceive differences between things that you see, feel, hear, taste, and smell? I can make comparisons. I can see differences in color such as red vs green, or white vs black. I can hear differences in sound between soft and loud sounds, or different tones. I can smell differences in aroma such as the fragrance of a rose or a crushed mint leaf. I can feel differences in textures such as the smoothness of a flower petal or the roughness of tree bark. I can taste the difference between salt and sugar. When you compare things and find that they are different, how do you judge their differences?
I can physically measure the size of objects by sight. For example. I can compare this rock to that rock and say that the second rock is twice the size of the first rock. For the rest of my perceptions of sound, touch, taste, and smell, I can only perceive that there are differences.
But, what does it mean to say that this rock is twice the size of that rock? Clearly our senses have a natural system of order that recognizes and defines these differences, but do we know what this system of order is? I mean, when you use the term twice you are applying the numbers 1 and 2 to the objects you are describing. Do you know what the idea of the numbers 1 or 2 mean? I’m not sure what you are asking. Let me put it this way: Can you describe a motion or an object that defines the idea of 1? Here is a stick. It is 1 stick. Are you sure? Here is another stick that is longer. Which stick defines the number 1? Neither and both. The idea of ‘stick’ defines the number 1 and not the specific length. This is true, but what does the idea of stick mean? It means completeness. It means an idea that is perfect and lacking nothing? Hmmm. Can you give me a physical example of completeness that we can measure? I don’t understand? How can you measure the idea of a stick?
The real question is, what is completeness. Do you see this bowl? Can you move your finger around the lip of the bowl? Yes.
Observe how your finger begins at a point on the lip of the bowl, moves around the edge, and returns to the same point. What did your finger inscribe? A circle. Would you say that the circle is complete? Yes. If you didn’t move your finger all the way around the edge would you have inscribed a circle? No. If you move your finger beyond your original starting position would you say that your motion completed a circle? No, the entire motion would have described more than a circle.
So, then, a circle is only a circle when it is perfectly completed. But, what if we had half of a circle? Is half of a circle a complete idea? I would think so.
Suppose you want to move your finger half way around the bowl to inscribe half of a circle. How do you know you have moved half of a circle? I know because I can compare half of a circle to a complete circle. But, if you only know because you can compare half of a circle to a complete circle, then how can half of a circle be a complete idea? It is only the idea of completeness that allows you to comprehend half of a whole. In other words, you would not know you had half of a circle if you had never seen a complete circle. The truth is that the circle is the only complete thing and thus represents any unique idea. Consider the idea of a stick. If the idea of a stick is transitory such that it might possibly become something else, then it cannot be thought of as 1. But, if the nature of the idea of a stick is such that it always comes back to itself, just like the circle, then the idea of a stick is unique and is defined to be the perfect and complete idea of 1. This is the source of our sense of stability. We have faith in our sense of the world around us. We believe that the things that we see and feel have a way of remaining as they are even if they seem to shift around a little bit. Yes, things come and go. We are born and we die, but the idea of us remains; the idea of the things around us remains. Lesson 3 - Circles Everywhere I understand the concept of the stable idea, but what about an idea that is transitory? What about a wave in the ocean? Aren’t they transitory? They are constantly in motion, never staying in the same place. How then can they come back to themselves as an idea? The way to determine whether or not ocean waves are a complete idea is to first understand the nature of a circle in motion. Consider the bowl. Place a mark on the edge of the bowl, then roll the edge of the bowl along the floor. Do you see the motion of the mark? What is that motion? The mark moves up and down as the bowl rolls across the floor. Have you ever seen a similar motion?
Yes. The waves in the ocean as they move ashore, and the ripples in the pond when I drop a rock into it. The truth is that the motion of the mark on the bowl as it moves across the floor describes the motion of all waves. Furthermore, we can say that the rotation of the bowl is the motion of the bowl and this motion is wave motion. Therefore, we can say that the idea of the ocean wave is the nature of a perfect circle in motion, and we can describe it as a complete idea in motion.
We need to learn more about the nature of circles in motion. For example, if you take this cork and drop it in the ocean, what is the motion of the cork as each wave passes? It bobs up and down. Can you then describe the circle in motion? Yes. A circle is any motion that forms a loop, like when I move my finger around the edge of the bowl. A circle in motion is a wave. And a wave moving past a point causes an up and down (or back and forth) motion. Consider another example. The string on this harp is straight like a line. Pluck the harp string and describe its motion to me.
Back and forth. What is the motion of the harp string then? A wave. And the wave is a circle. What does the vibrating string do? It makes a sound. Is the sound a wave?
Yes. The back and forth motion is the cause of the sound, and since the back and forth motion is a wave, then the sound of the harp string is a wave. When a musician plays music with a harp by plucking the various strings in specific patterns, what is the musician doing. The strings of the harp are creating circles, and the musician is organizing these circles into a form which we perceive to have meaning. There is a subtle truth in this. Our ears perceive sound, and our mind contemplates organization of sound, and this organization is the natural organization of circles or waves. How then can we relate this idea to the natural language? The various recognizably unique circles or waves form the words, and the natural unification of the circles form the language structure. * * * In this universe are there many organizations of waves or one organization of waves? I would think that there are many because of the variety of things that I perceive. If there are many, then the many organizations would themselves have to be organized by one fundamental organization in order to have meaning and stability. We learned that an idea is unique or different from other ideas, and therefore useful, because it is complete and perfect. If an organization is to be unique as an idea, then it must also be perfect and complete, and must be represented by the circle. Thus there can be as many organizations as there can be unique ideas, but each of these organizations must be fundamentally predicated upon the organization of the origin circle. Thus there is one fundamental organization of waves - the one that we seek. When we look around us we see that our world is a world of vibrations, circles and waves. Each day the sun rises and sets, and the night comes and goes, and we count the cycle of the day to order our lives. Every 29 and a half days the moon completes its cycle of phases. Every 365 and a quarter days the cycle of the year is complete, and each year we have spring, summer, fall, and winter to define the circle of the year; then we count the years to order our lives. Every 28 days the woman’s cycle is complete. A woman’s body is ordered by the nature of the 28 day cycle which divides the 28 days into 4 groups of 7 days comparable to the seasons where there is birth, life, dying, and death. We order our lives by groups of 7 days. Everywhere we look there are cycles and circles and waves, and the properties of these waves are the meaning and order upon which all things are founded. All of these natural vibrations and more form the basis of our search for the natural order. * * * * * If you would like to read more, please visit The Natural Resonance Store where you can purchase copies of Natural Resonance books. Thank you for your interest and support. And don't forget to tell your friends about us.