The Mystery

Biophotons are information carrying particles that are received and transmitted from all living organisms. Each cell emits about 12 biophotons per seconds. Studies suggest that biophoton emissions can be coherent or incoherent. Incoherence can happen due to free-radical DNA damage, while some research indicates that coherence can be refined or built through practices such as yoga, breathing, meditation, and even the consumption of antioxidants, including vitamin C, all of which have the potential to reduce DNA damage by reducing stress. Any physical, emotional, or environmental stress can trigger free-radical damage and increase the production of incoherent biophotons, a likely marker of cellular aging. Emerging studies suggest that biophotons, coherent and incoherent, can affect the function and growth of cells outside the body. They can carry messages of repair or destruction from cells to organs within the body as well as to organisms outside the body—potentially harming or healing ...

Despite popular belief, attaining presence is not about thinking or trying to be here now. Rather, it is a naturally occurring state that arises when our eyes and mind, triggered by light, focus on the same place at the same time. In response to light’s invitation and guidance, our eyes begin an intricate dance of aiming, focusing, tracking, and teaming. When light first 'awakens' us, our eyes aim toward its emanation, initiating an all encompassing presence. Though we often relate presence to attention, it has no tension associated with it. It is not a forced voluntary process of selecting one aspect of our environment to focus on while ignoring others. Presence is an involuntary response to an invitation by life’s intelligence pointing us toward our maximum potential. Our degree of presence is directly related to how effortlessly and accurately our eyes are able to aim. When the eyes aim effectively, making eye contact with — and thus, acknowledging — what has called to them,...

Light is more than waves and particles. It is a purveyor of consciousness. Light is not just 'out there', something we need to find in order to see. Light seeks us out and guides us in the same way it seeks out and directs a plant to grow toward it. There is something inherently alive in it. And, astonishing as it might seem, light not only enters us through our eyes and skin but also emanates from within us. Consider how babies perceive the world around them. Light ignites their awareness — unobstructed by thought, belief, or worry — and it radiates back into the world as an expression of pure presence. That is why their eyes sparkle. As we grow from babies who exist in this unfettered state into adults who are taught to look for life, love, and work, we overlook the fact that our eyes and minds are not designed to look for light but to respond to it. Pioneering experiments have confirmed that the eyes, which contain approximately one billion working parts, not only detect sin...

Despite their presence in the human pharmacopeia for millennia, we have yet to resolve the biochemical mechanisms by which the hallucinogens (psychedelics) so dramatically alter perception and consciousness. It is the only class of compounds that efficiently and specifically does so. For that matter, we do not fully understand the biochemistry of perception itself or how we live such a vivid and complex internal life in the absence of external stimulation. We do not understand the basic biochemical mechanisms of some of our most common experiences, such as the many human aspects of creativity, imagination or dream states. This is also true for extraordinary states of consciousness such as 'visions' or spontaneous hallucinations or phenomena such as near-death experiences (NDE). And it is troubling that we have not sufficiently turned the scientific method on these latter subjects despite the profound role they have played in the evolution of our science, philosophy, psychology ...

There's a symphony of sensory information coursing through us at every moment. From the warmth of the sun's rays to the echo of a distant conversation, our brains are ceaselessly bombarded with stimuli. But how do we make sense of this chaos? How does the brain translate these countless data points into a coherent experience? The answer lies in the incredible conceptual tools at our disposal. Our concepts are not merely academic constructs; they are the very lenses through which we view and navigate the world. Consider concepts such as brushes in the hands of an artist. Just as brushes bring a canvas to life, concepts draw meaning from the raw sensations we encounter. When we perceive a familiar scent, our brain doesn't just register it as a set of olfactory signals; it conjures up the concept of, say, 'freshly baked bread' and all the associated memories and emotions. Our concepts work tirelessly behind the scenes, categorizing and interpreting sensory inputs. They...

Lisa Feldman Barrett's theory of constructed emotion proposes that emotions are not innate, fixed responses but rather dynamic constructions that the brain creates based on various inputs. According to Barrett, emotions are not hardwired into our brains; instead, they are constructed in the moment based on sensory input, past experiences, and contextual information. Barrett's theory is rooted in predictive coding, a concept from neuroscience that suggests that the brain is constantly making predictions about what is happening in the world and updating these predictions based on new information. In this framework, emotions are predictions that the brain constructs to make sense of sensory inputs and prepare the body for action. Core Concepts of Constructed Emotion 1. Conceptual Act Theory: Barrett's theory is often referred to as the Conceptual Act Theory. It posits that emotions are constructed through the interplay of core affect (basic feelings of pleasure or displeasure,...