8-Circuit Model of Consciousness
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The 8-Circuit Model of Consciousness is a theory of consciousness first proposed by psychologist Timothy Leary. It models the mind as a collection of 8 "circuits", with each circuit representing a higher stage of evolution than the one before it.
Leary constructed the model based on the lateralization of brain function. The first four levels, which Leary presumed to reside in the left lobe of the cerebrum, are concerned with the survival of organisms on earth; the other four, which Leary suggested are found in the right lobe, are for use in the future evolution of humans, and remain dormant in the majority of human beings.
This theory was never accepted by the mainstream scientific community.
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[edit] The eight circuits
[edit] Leary
The eight circuits explicated by Leary are:
- The Bio-survival Circuit is concerned with the earliest modes of survival and the basic separation of objects into either harmful or safe. This circuit is said to have first appeared in the earliest evolution of the invertebrate brain. It is the first to be activated in an infant's mind. Leary says this circuit is stimulated by opioid drugs. This circuit introduces a one-dimensional perception: forward and backward (i.e., forward towards food, nourishment and that which is trusted as safe, and backwards -- away from danger and predators).
- The Emotional Circuit is concerned with raw emotion and the separation of behavior into submissive and dominant. This circuit appeared first in vertebrate animals. In humans, it is activated when the child learns to walk. Leary associates this circuit with alcohol. This circuit introduces a second dimension, up-down, linked with territorial politics and tribal power games (up, as in swelling ones body in size to represent dominance, and down, as in the cowering, tail-between-the-legs submissive stance).
- The Symbolic Circuit is concerned with logic and symbolic thought. Leary said this circuit first appeared when hominids started differentiating from the rest of the primates. Leary believed this circuit is stimulated by caffeine, cocaine, and other stimulants. This circuit introduces the third dimension, left and right, related to the development of dextrous movement and handling "artefacts". (Also called by Leary The Dexterity-Symbolism Circuit; called by Robert Anton Wilson the Semantic Circuit.)
- The Domestic Circuit. This circuit is concerned with operating within social networks and the transmission of culture across time. This circuit is said to have first appeared with the development of tribes. Leary never associated a drug with it. [However Endorphins and other "drugs" produced by the body itself during social interaction can be connected to this circuit. The lack of knowledge about the cause and mechanism of theses drugs, as well as lack of a method to stimulating their production, would explain their non-mention in his works.][1] This fourth circuit deals with moral-social/sexual tribal rules passed through generations and is the introduction to the fourth dimension -- time. (Also called by Leary and Wilson the Socio-Sexual Circuit).
- The Neurosomatic Circuit is the first of the right-brain, "higher" circuits which are usually inactive in most humans. It allows one to see things in multi-dimensional space instead of the 4 dimensions of Euclidean space-time, and is there to aid in the future exploration of outer space. It is said to have first appeared with the development of leisure-class civilizations around 2000 BC. It is associated with hedonism and eroticism. Leary says this circuit is stimulated by cannabis and tantric yoga, or simply by experiencing the sensation of free fall at the right time.
- The Neuroelectric Circuit is concerned with the mind becoming aware of itself independent of the patterns imprinted by the previous five circuits. It is also called "metaprogramming" or "consciousness of abstracting". Leary says this circuit enables telepathic communication, and that this circuit is impossible to explain to those who have only left-brain activity and is difficult to explain to those with active fifth circuits. It is said to have appeared in 500 BC, in connection with the Silk Road. Leary associates this circuit with peyote and psilocybin. (Robert Anton Wilson called this circuit The Metaprogramming Circuit.)
- The Neurogenetic Circuit allows access to the genetic memory contained in DNA. It is connected to memories of past lives, the Akashic Records, and the collective unconscious, and allows for essential immortality in humans. This circuit first appeared among Hindu and Sufi sects in the early first millennium. This circuit is stimulated by LSD, and Raja Yoga. (Robert Anton Wilson called this circuit The Morphogenetic Circuit.)
- The Psycho-atomic Circuit allows access to the intergalactic consciousness that predates life in the universe (characterized as the Godhead, the Overmind or aliens), and lets humans operate outside of space-time and the constraints of relativity. In Prometheus Rising, Wilson explains the ideas of physicists David Bohm and Jack Sarfatti and their speculations on Bell's Theorem and Einstein's theorem of Special Relativity in relation to this particular circuit of consciousness. This circuit is associated with Ketamine and DMT by Leary. While Wilson agreed Ketamine was associated with this circuit, he also believed very strong doses of LSD could unlock it. Because out-of-body experiences can be triggered through smoking extremely high doses of the strongest extracts of Salvia Divinorum, some associate this drug with this circuit as well[citation needed]. (Called also by Leary The Neuro-Atomic Circuit or The Metaphysiological Circuit, Robert Anton Wilson called this circuit The Quantum Non-Local Circuit.)
Leary claims that this model explained, among other things, the social conflict in the 1960s, where the mainstream, said to be those with circuit 4 active and characterized as tribal moralists by Leary, clashed with the counter-culturists, said to be those with circuit 5 active and characterized as individualists and hedonists.
Leary's book on the subject was called Exo-Psychology, and has been republished with additional material in recent years under the title Info-Psychology (New Falcon Publishing).
[edit] Other authors
Leary's ideas heavily influenced the work of Robert Anton Wilson. Wilson's book Prometheus Rising is an in-depth, highly detailed and inclusive work documenting Leary’s eight-circuit model of consciousness. In the book 'The Game of Life' Leary hints that he reversed the natural order of one of the circuits in relationship to another one. He suggested he did this as a 'test' and any true adept delving into these realms would be able to reverse it to its proper location. To Leary's thinking, Robert Anton Wilson's book places the circuits in their proper order, which means The Neurogenetic Circuit goes before The Neuroelectric Circuit (also known as The Metaprogramming Circuit).
The model is also fairly prominent in chaos magic, where the eight circuits are understood to be related to the eight rays of the Symbol of Chaos. This concept has been detailed in "Chaotopia!" by Dave Lee, a leading member of the magic society Illuminates of Thanateros. Although both Leary and Wilson were members in this group near the end of their lives, the circuit design clearly predates this organization.
Another book, Angel Tech by Antero Alli is structured around the eight-circuit model. The book includes many collages by the author to illustrate various points. In the book, the first four circuits are associated with robotic ("tech") aspects of humanity, and the final four are related to the "angelic" nature. It includes suggested activities such as meditations and construction of tarot-card collages associated with each circuit.
The anime series Serial Experiments Lain makes references to the 8-Circuit Model of Consciousness.
[edit] See also
[edit] Bibliography
- Leary, Timothy - "The Politics of Ecstasy", Ronin Publishing (1998)
- Leary, Timothy - "Info-Psychology", New Falcon Publications. ISBN 1-56184-105-6
- Wilson, Robert Anton - "Prometheus Rising", New Falcon Publications (Reprint - 1992). ISBN 1-56184-056-4
- Alli, Antero - "Angel Tech: A Modern Shaman's Guide to Reality Selection", New Falcon Publications; (Reprint - 1991). ISBN 1-56184-009-2
- Lee, Dave - "Chaotopia!", Mandrake of Oxford. ISBN 1-86992-888-1.
- Leary’s 8 Calibre Brain Psychic Magazine April 1976
