J. Harmon Grahn
Metaconsciousness: Mythology for a Post-Civilized World is currently a three-volume work-in-progress (latest version: 4.1.1, 12/17/2006, http://harmonhouse.net/fdl/metacon/v4/metacon.html), initially prompted by the sensation that "we've got a 'problem' here on planet Earth." The first version of the work appeared on the Internet 25 May, 2005, and was at the time the leading edge of a thought process I had been developing on the Net since about 1997.
My presentation before the Noetic Sciences Community last June was warmly received, and I was invited to do a "repeat performance" during an October evening, for the benefit of those who were unable to attend my daytime presentation in June. There seem to be no "repeat performances" in Life, however, so taking a cue from recent Noetic presenters, Carolyn North and Ann Jauregui, this time I propose to read from a forthcoming section of my book, to be titled, II.6. Mythological Integration, upon which I have been working all summer, and am now nearing completion.
The piece is quite long, prompted originally by the work of contemporary philosopher Ken Wilber, and draws upon quantum theory, cellular biology, recent discoveries in the study of networks, and delves into the "nuts & bolts" of some of the physical mechanisms from which metaconsciousness seems to emerge in biology, and in networks more generally. I won't be reading the entire section, but plan to read parts of it, interspersed with relevant excerpts from other sections of the larger work. There also seems to be some probability that I may be able to mate my computer system with a functing digital projector; in which eventuality I will be able to enrich the reading with ancillary materials of visual interest. We should in any case have plenty of material to stimulate thought and discussion – which is the primary objective of the evening's presentation.
A point of departure I am finding of increasing importance to these explorations is the somewhat startling discovery that we "modern, civilized humans" are thoroughly steeped in contemporary myths – which are not (necessarily) "primitive superstitions," or even untrue, as I believe most people usually think of myths; but are in all cases of vital importance to how we feel, think, and act out our individual lives and our collective history, here and now. Coming to grips with the pervasive nature of our myths turns out to be profoundly liberating and empowering, because it discloses that each of us is entitled to shape our own myths purposefully and selectively toward the end of maximizing our effectiveness in, and satisfaction with, the conduct of our daily lives.
During the ongoing evolution of my own myth, I have spent a significant portion of my life under a certain amount of distress over the progress and eventual outcome of the "human predicament;" which as mentioned, provided the original impetus behind the work, Metaconsciousness: Mythology for a Post-Civilized World. As that evolution progresses, however, I find myself entering a larger, more relaxed space in which the immediacy of contemporary human events takes its place within an enormously expanded context. This gives me the sensation of room to navigate, and to pilot my myth deliberately in directions of my own choice, rather than feeling compelled to join the panic-stricken stampede that seems to grip so many of my contemporaries. Perhaps others may benefit as well from such considerations, and may enjoy the liberation of taking greater charge of, and responsibility for, their own myths.
Biographical:
Harmon has many years' experience in graphic design, writing, photography (analog, digital, and cine), computer support / liaison, web site design – all focused upon the objective of enhancing the human condition upon the planet. Prior to 1975 he held various graphic arts / printing positions with firms in San Francisco, California, and Boulder, Colorado. In 1975, while working concurrently as a foreign correspondent for a New York newspaper, he co-founded the Association for Education and Development (AED) in Nairobi, Kenya. Beginning in 1982 he worked primarily as computer liaison / support for The Washington Times in Washington, D.C. Since 1989 he had been, until mid-2002, a homesteader on the Olympic Peninsula in (the other) Washington, where he authored the essay series, The New Paradigm [http://harmonhouse.net/fdl/tnp.htm], provided technical and audio production support for a local radio station, and founded HARMONHOUSEtm Designs [http://harmonhouse.net/]. He now resides in Taos, New Mexico, where he is industriously at work on behalf of his clients [http://harmonhouse.net/clients.html], and numerous creative projects.
