The human brain/mind can be viewed as a
powerful pattern recognition system, designed to construct meaning in real time
from situations using a semantic framework which is expressed as
language. In this context, language may be viewed as forming a conscious
internal voice forming a sequential description of the situation.
New born babies have no vocal language apart
from primitive sounds which have their equivalent in many animals, but they do
have a powerful propensity to learn from their environment, to make connections
and, most importantly, to grasp the relationship between the symbols and
structures of language and the world around them – developing an internal model
of the world based upon the language(s) they are exposed to.
This forms their framework for thinking
within the normal state of consciousness, although in fact one can only stray a
little from the machine that is this semantic framework whilst in this state:
through poetry, for example, capturing nuances that the language is not ‘designed’
to support, or through neologisms which build upon existing language to further
express developing knowledge of the world...
In contrast, young children may be defined as
psychotic for the first few years of life; thinking outside language and
continuously developing their world models dynamically whilst both awake and
asleep (the world model of a typical adult only varies when asleep or when
placed under severe pressure to act in a different way from that which their
life thus far has equipped them for.)
The techniques employed by religions to alter
states of consciousness can place an adult in the same state of consciousness
as a new born baby – hence the term ‘being reborn’*, and can allow access to
sounds which have been suppressed since language was learnt. However,
unlike the new born baby, the adult does have a model for language and so, when
in the right state of mind they are encouraged to babble and let their minds
run free, their babbling will settle upon structures which contain many of the
elements of language – a language which they are essentially making up ‘on the
fly.’
Of course, it is likely that various elements
of other languages to which they have been exposed but which they don’t
understand will be included in this ‘speaking in tongues,’ but it is important
that structures and phrases that they do understand are avoided at this time,
because they will tend to push the speaker back out of this state of
consciousness and into the conventional language-based level of consciousness of
modern man...
* Note that there are many
other aspects to being reborn that will be discussed in later posts...
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