Toward Understanding And Coordinating The Brain With Religious Transcendence

Physiologically Defining The Soul or Transcendent Function

In the 1980's, Virginia Ross brilliantly defined the “transcendent function” (Zygon, June 1986), which we define as the goal of the Involutionary Inward Path, that is, contacting the Soul. Ms Ross called this process “a function that integrates not only the cerebral hemispheres, but also involves pathways of the limbic system and brain stem...” A sense of union with the Divine (Nirvana) when simultaneously space and time are transcended. “...When both conscious and unconscious brains are in harmony and one glimpses and comprehends the universe. When all the polarities are conjuncted, the left and right brains are in perfect phase. The equilibration of the brain's hemispheres produces an aura of timelessness in relationship to the whole, the all, the absolute, and the eternal mind...” Ms Ross thought it highly probable that this transcendent function resides close to the junction of the supratemporal-limbic areas of the right brain, with the transcendent function ultimately controlled by the “centrencephalic-integrative” action of the upper brain stem.

This nicely defines the goal of the Involutionary Inward Path physiologically, which we describe as the closest possible contact with the Soul, which is the Zenith of the Conscious Mind.

Defining The Spirit Function

The Spirit is the Zenith of the Instincts and it seeks the Ideal of the Instincts, which is evolving to Godhood. Contacting, coordinating, and defining the Spirit Function is the task of the Evolutionary Outward Path. This physiologically involves among other things the instincts of the most ancient neural chassis of the brain that contains the neural machinery for reproduction and self preservation, which must be coordinated with the cortex and limbic systems of the brain.

Human Nature in this way is dominated by the activation of the ancient sacred Spirit, and we describe the Spirit as the Zenith of the Soul that must be coordinated with biospiritual and environmental drives, and coordinated with the insights of the Soul. Without this coordination our bodies will have hypothalamic regulation problems, since the hypothalamus seems to control or regulate the bodies activities, which can effect all social actions as well. In psychological terms, the conscious mind---which the Soul is the Zenith of---must learn to integrate the unconscious mind or Spirit, that is, the Involutionary Inward Path must be coordinated with the Evolutionary Outward Path.