CYCLE 40

1. ELEMENTAL AND MOLECULAR. What all this and other such variations on a theme of positive mind tells us ... is that where the least and most omega-oriented modes of any given positive self (not necessarily synonymous with the degree of that self's revelation in relation to its context) are elemental, the less (relative to least) and more (relative to most) omega-oriented modes of such a self are molecular, being intermediate between the elemental extremes. Furthermore, we should distinguish the least and less omega-oriented manifestations of any given self from the more and most omega-oriented manifestations of it on the basis of an old/new brain dichotomy, with, broadly, those selves that pertain to the backbrain and the right midbrain being affiliated to the old brain, and those which, by contrast, pertain to the left midbrain and the forebrain being affiliated to the new brain. Hence in the context of transcendentalism, for example, the least and less omega-oriented manifestations of the subjective noumenal self, viz. singing and kissing, will be affiliated to the old brain, whilst its more and most omega-oriented manifestations, viz. sniffing and meditating, will be affiliated to the new brain.

2. OLD/NEW BRAIN SPIRITUAL DISTINCTIONS. Now what applies to the subjective noumenal self, or spirit, applies no less to the objective noumenal self, or soul, as well as to the subjective phenomenal self, or mind, and to the objective phenomenal self, or id. It also applies, in a reverse kind of way, to the fourfold levels of the not-self, or negative self, from the alpha-most to the alpha-least, with both the alpha-most and alpha-more (relative to most) forms of the not-self being affiliated to the old brain, but the alpha-less (relative to least) and alpha-least forms of it being affiliated to the new brain. Hence, with regard to negative transcendentalism, we can list visions and stained-glass windows as being affiliated to the old brain by dint of their association with the backbrain and the right midbrain respectively, whereas paintings and photos would have to be affiliated to the new brain on account of their association with the left midbrain and the forebrain respectively. Thus whereas the old brain would have visions and stained-glass windows pitted, as alpha-most and alpha-more, against singing and kissing, as omega-least and omega-less, the new brain would have paintings and photos pitted, as alpha-less and alpha-least, against sniffing and meditating, as omega-more and omega-most.

3. OLD/NEW BRAIN SOULFUL DISTINCTIONS. Likewise, in terms of the soul, the old brain would have dreams and carnivals pitted, as alpha-most and alpha-more, against rhythmic music and harmonic music, as omega-least and omega-less, whereas the new brain would have parades and films pitted, as alpha-less and alpha-least, against melodic music and pitchful music, as omega-more and omega-most.

4. OLD/NEW BRAIN INTELLECTUAL DISTINCTIONS. Similarly, with regard to the mind, the old brain would have poetry and short stories pitted, as alpha-most and alpha-more, against reading and speaking, as omega-least and omega-less, whereas the new brain would have novels and philosophy pitted, as alpha-less and alpha-least, against writing and praying, as omega-more and omega-most.

5. OLD/NEW BRAIN PHYSICAL DISTINCTIONS. Finally, with regard to the id, the old brain would have wet dreams and royalist drama pitted, as alpha-most and alpha-more, against tap dancing and romantic dancing, as omega-least and omega-less, whereas the new brain would have republican drama and television drama pitted, as alpha-less and alpha-least, against ballroom dancing and belly dancing, as omega-more and omega-most.

6. NOT-SELVES VIS-À-VIS SELVES. However that may be, the alpha contexts of negative self are always distinguishable from the omega contexts of positive self on the basis of an exterior/interior, particle/wavicle, crude/fine division, with those in the former contexts (not-self) symptomatic of a divergence from a sensory vacuum, and those in the latter contexts (self) symptomatic of a convergence upon an organic plenum. The former are, as it were, vicious, and the latter virtuous. For the not-self, in whichever manifestation, is forever inferior, both morally and qualitatively, to the self, whether with regard to subjectivity or to objectivity at both phenomenal and noumenal levels. The visionary not-self will always be morally inferior to the spiritual self, the emotional not-self morally inferior to the soulful self, the intellectual not-self morally inferior to the devotional self, and the sensuous not-self morally inferior to the graceful self. Only the 'reborn' of the self can have any experience of salvation, whether with regard to the Mother (of the objective phenomenal self), the Son (of the subjective phenomenal self), the Father (of the objective noumenal self), or the Holy Spirit (of the subjective noumenal self). But we still have to distinguish between salvation in the old brain and salvation in the new brain, on both molecular and elemental terms with regard to any given noumenal/phenomenal self, as well as between damnation (of the not-self) in the old and new brains - this latter having been the prevailing form of damnation in the twentieth century, a century more damned than saved.