The Merkabah and a Sixth Sense - A Practical View (Annotated)

"The idea or reality of the esoteric chakra system may or may not be relevant to the phenomena I am referring to - from what I gather, the chakra centers are considered symbolic and psycho-spiritual and have no apparent physiological manifestation - but, as I am not aware of any other "maps" at my disposal, contemporary "subtle energy" diagrams provide one place to begin the inquiry.

In the tradition of the Eastern mystics - and Western alternative healers - the chakras (Sanskrit for "wheels") are basically 7 main energy vortices or focal points that lie along the spinal column and skull. The uppermost point, and the one that concerns us here, is generally known as Sahasrara, the seventh, or "crown chakra". In some systems, the seventh chakra lies directly at the top of the head, but in others it lies above. In some systems there are a number of energy centers above the head - the uppermost, and the one that corresponds to my sensory zone is sometimes referred to as the "transpersonal point". In all chakra literature, the crown chakra's primary function seems to serve as a conduit for consciousness, generally of the "cosmic" or collective variety."

- From a web article "Non-Local" Causes and Effects on the Human Body (Tactile Sensations from a distance), Dia Sobin, uploaded 2007 (see: .pdf).


(Added June 9th 2020):

"I can't explain the science behind it, but I just tried it for myself - raised my hand to above the top of my head, and I could feel a sensation like the hairs standing on end - only in a small spot, nothing dramatic, but a definite tingling. I don't think I was imagining it because I can still feel the tingling now."

- A comment left on Posthuman Blues post in 2007 by "Bumble," a female reader of Mac's. His post links to the original web article mentioned above, although the link is now broken. I just found this comment recently and it made me smile. From her description, It seems the woman did, indeed, find the epicranial occult locus.

***

No, it's true, I wasn't lying. I am "exiting the blogosphere." Unfortunately, I spent so much time laying Post-Mac Blues to rest, I haven't had time to deal with Trans-D at all. Meanwhile March has arrived. It still looks like January where I am, mind you, and, yet, it could always be worse... it could look like war. But, as is apparent (and not out-of-character), I was a bit premature when designating "Imbolc" as the "last post". There will be this post and one more to come. I'm aiming for exactly 90 posts. It's a matter of symmetry and symbolism.  Esoterically, the number 9 is the perfect place to tie up loose ends and let loose the finished "product" - ones little spaceship careening towards the galaxy's edge.




How poetic.

But then, my muses - and/or my unconscious self - have/has an agenda... and, generally one I can't figure out till the last phase of a project. The agenda of this post started innocently enough. My urge was to post another scan. On a whim I had scanned into this machine a small crystal Merkabah - a recent birthday gift from my friend, Moo. As we know, I love minerals, and scanning them sometimes provides startling results. So, allow me to explain the scans above and to your left.

First off, Merkabah is an esoteric name given to a certain polyhedron - essentially a triakis octahedron and/or a stella octangula... It has a kind of weird shape that combines both the cubic and the hexagonal - in other words, viewed from one angle it looks square, from the other it resembles a 6-pointed star (hence the "stella"); this is a result of the fact that it is comprised of two interlocking tetrahedrons. Kind of like physical reality. My aim was to capture both angles via my flatbed scanner. To this end I taped my Merkabah - with packing tape - to the inside of a shallow box. Posted above are the results. Posted below (and below the jump) are the same scans with the tape digitally removed.

But, it's the light artifacts in the tape which interest me. While its true that cellophane material will create some cool image scans, I was a little startled by the weird effects produced in conjunction with the crystal polyhedron. Let's just say that, optically, light had a field day. One might also be inclined to consider certain myths concerning the Merkabah in a more sympathetic light.

Originally, the word "Merkabah" arose from early Judaic mysticism and referred to the "chariot of God", specifically that envisioned by the prophet Ezekial.  Of course, nothing is so sacred that it can't fall under the auspices of New Age jargon (or, for that matter, Ancient Alien lore). But, kernals of truth are found in the strangest of places.

Okay, I confess, I have a general aversion to New Age hoodooism. You'd never know it by this blog, but, it's true. I am an earthy girl. My "mysticism" is of the practical variety. I'm not content with glib references to mysterious forces couched in pseudo-religious rhetoric and hypothetical hype... well, unless I write them. There could have been a real scientific renaissance in the 70s and 80s had the psychically gifted dreamers taken a more rigorous look at their interests and inquiries, and not gotten so "high on life". Hence, technology prevailed; the New Age devolved into the Ice Age. And, sadly, there's cloud-banks of hoodoo that fill the air at the merest mention of "Merkabah". So, despite the fact that I don't care to add to the pre-existing mythology, experience prompts me to at least provide another side to the tale.

That is, in the process of getting this post off the ground, I discovered an interesting thing about a crystal Merkabah. Apparently it's effects can be felt in an extrasensory way more strongly than similar objects (i.e., minerals and certain polyhedra) I've experimented with in the past. Sadly, this variety of 6th sense has never been discussed in any nuts & bolts manner that I'm aware of * - well, at least not in terms of human characteristics - so, no, you won't find it in a textbook (and you most likely can't Google it either). New Age terms like "aura" and "chakra" might be relative terms , but, what I'm going to try and describe (in as few words as possible) is not a figment of Western esoterica, nor, for that matter, Eastern metaphysics. What it boils down to is the ability to perceive non local objects with a tactile sixth sense... and whatever this implies.


Before you start rolling your eyes, however - and really, you can't read that way - we can and do perceive non-local objects all the time... with our eyes, our ears, and our nose. Local objects we can - if we must - taste. Our skin is a sensory organ, so, when our skin touches something - or something touches our skin - we can feel it. There is, however, another "sense" - albeit weaker and more illogical to describe - and that is the ability to feel objects that do not physically touch the skin's surface, but, seem to interfere with some organic field and/or plenum which extends outside the corporeal body.

(Seriously, if you keep rolling your eyes like that, they'll get stuck in that position, so, cut it out.) I have experienced it, and so have others. For some, this sensory experience is more acute in childhood, but fades in adulthood. Confirmation of the presence of this sense has been relayed to me in the past mostly by a few other woman, however, I have known of one man who's confirmed it. The area in which the sensation is felt varies from the top of the head, to the middle of the forehead, and (in one case) the base of the spine. (Hence, the idea of a "chakra"). I also have felt objects held at some distance from my upper extremities (i.e., forearms and hands). For me, it is objects held about an arms-length from the top of my head, however, which I can feel the most. It's produces a tugging sensation felt at crown area, although nothing is actually touching my skin.

Albeit, in my experience, it's a weak sensation... often fugitive, and often apt to change location, so that the "tug" might initially occur at the exact crown area, but, a few minutes later, shift to the back or the right of the head, as if an invisible field was involved, and not a static one. Sometimes, after trying this, my scalp continues to tingle for awhile, despite having never been physically touched (in the normal way). I discovered this sensation - quite accidentally - with a quartz crystal, but others have reported that merely the palm of a hand produces this same effect. I've experienced this once myself - and it may have been this initial experience which made me aware of this phenomenon. The "hand" belonged to a stranger who, standing behind me in an esoteric book store, suddenly - and inexplicably - grasped the air about 2 feet over my head - and then walked away. I didn't see him till I spun around, but I felt it. Albeit It was one of those weird, anomalous experiences, and one I have never previously discussed... but, one I mentally filed away because, obviously, it disturbed me.

Which leads us back to the quartz Merkabah**. For whatever reason, it seems to produce a much stronger - and strongly felt - effect. Judging by the scan, it might have something to do with the way it polarizes light. However, as the phenomenon in question occurs with a human hand, and in semi-darkness, my inclination is to theoretically move on. Judging by the fact that my Merkabah happens to be composed of quartz, may point to the interception of an electrical charge. Therefore, scientifically - and supposing we're talking about known phenomena - the above experience may be due to some electroreceptive capability. This ability is not documented as one belonging to humans, however, and I haven't the credentials to argue. Furthermore, I notice my plaster merkabah cyclohedron (left) also produces an effect.  In any event, I am of the opinion that it is in no way "magical" or "special" and does not lend itself to any "paranormal" abilities. My guess is that all humans (and possibly all living organisms) have this same sense, and/or, receptive field which extends outside the apparent (corporeal) body, but some people are physically more sensitive than others.***

Anyway, I guess this is just one of those things I felt I should throw out there before I quit this blog. Because, regardless of what this phenomenon is, the ability to touch or be touched in a "non-local" way has several interesting implications. I suppose I should leave those implications to those more "rigorous" than I, but, then again, considering where "rigorous minds" tend to go these days, perhaps I should just leave well enough alone... and get a head covering!

"Constellation of One" - Merkabah Installation at Burning Man -  2011, Kirsten Berg
(upper right) Merkabah fractal found here

* Apart from myself, that is, in the past, in another article and on another web-site. Because I like making up names, I called this area the "epicranial occult locus". The reality is that this locus is, more appropriately "loci," and is/are are not necessarily epicranial... If they were, we might drag the pineal gland into the fray. Alas, they also float around other parts of the body.

** Merkabahs carved from quartz or other minerals can be found quite easily online. Search "carved merkabah" and click on the image section.

*** Then again, considering what little corroboration I've had comes from women, it may be a  a factor in a certain type of headache: migraines, which seem to effect woman more than men. I do get them, although not in a way symptomatic or coincidental to the phenomenon described here.

*** I'm not necessarily recommending this, because I haven't enough empirical information. However, if you must try this at home, I recommend doing it indoors. If you don't have any minerals on hand, try using a small, geometrical object of any description - up to and including an article of jewelry. Hold it in your dominant hand over and facing your head about 12 - 18" away. Move (circulate) your hand slowly around in different areas above your head till you feel a slight tug. If you do, you've found "it". If you don't, don't be discouraged. Try again at some other time. You might also try the same thing around other areas of your face or body. However, at all times, If you experience anything resembling pain, stop. And, if you think it's weird, don't even bother.

(Disclaimer: if you should drop a rock on your noggin, or burn your hair off by holding a prism over your head in direct sunlight, don't look at me. You are merely clumsy, and/or - re: latter example - a fairly dim bulb, but I am, in each and every case, not liable.) ;-)

***

I've had some feedback regarding this article (via email) recently, which raised a few interesting points, not included in this post, but tentatively referred to in my original 2007 article. Though I've made a point of avoiding paranormality both here and, to some degree, in the original article, it isn't as if I'm unaware that some "paranormal" factors might possibly exist.

In regards to the "Epicranial Occult Locus" phenomenon, it might be some recessive tactile sense that corporeal beings have possessed from the very beginning... a sort of protective sense; literally to keep our prehistoric ancestors from hitting their heads on cave ceilings!

But, beyond the merely tactile - as it is generally defined - the locus (or loci) might have the capacity to convey a different variety of information to the organism. Some form of psychic and/or telepathic communication, for example might be conveyed. And, in lieu of this, at the very least, a broader knowledge of the "unseen". For instance, persons, places, or things that make our "skin crawl" or give us "the creeps". What exactly do we mean, and/or what are we, in fact, sensing? The same goes for phrases like "smelling fear". What are we really referring to?

Another point brought up by a reader is this phenomenon in regard to animals; specifically pets, but, most certainly wild animals as well. Animals always seem to exhibit an acute awareness of everything taking place around them, both far and near. For instance, a cat will react to being petted before your hand ever touches it. An invasive house mouse, on the other hand, darts away the instant you even think of making a move. Is their sensitivity related to the same phenomenon?

Lastly, the phenomenon might explain certain sensitivities to the various waves in our environment - electrical, radio, microwaves (wifi), etc. - despite declarations to the contrary. It might also contribute to certain light disorders and sensitivity to weather patterns. And, if all that wasn't enough, it might be an element related to "crowd psychology".