Remembering Eden: The Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
Hearing the Voice of God
Many prophets, artists, shamans, philosophers, saints and mystics throughout the ages have heard voices and seen visions. The vision and voice of God, of angels, deities, and all manner of spiritual entities. A very incomplete list of such figures follows:
Moses, Elijiah, the Oracle of Delphi, Socrates, Mohammed, St. Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Ávila, Joan of Arc, the Mahasiddha Tilopa, William Blake, Charles Dickens, Carl Jung, and Philip K. Dick.
Even today, hearing voices is much more common than you might think.
According to the Yale School of Medicine:
“As much as 8 percent of the population reports experiencing auditory hallucinations on a regular basis (13 percent hear them at least occasionally), compared to just 1 percent who are diagnosed with schizophrenia.”
If you include people who have had such an experience just once in their life, 75% of the population is included.
Today, most people only have speech centers in the left hemisphere, but in the distant past, it may have been common for people to have speech centers in both hemispheres of the brain.
This is the hypothesis presented by Julian Jaynes is his groundbreaking classic, "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind."
Jaynes proposes a theory about the evolution of human consciousness. Jaynes suggests that early humans did not have the same kind of self-awareness or consciousness that we do today. Instead, he argues that their minds were divided into two parts, or "bicameral," with the right brain giving commands or instructions and the left brain obeying those commands without question.
According to Jaynes, this bicameral mind was a product of the early development of language and culture. He suggests that ancient texts, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, reflect this bicameral mentality, with characters hearing the voices of gods or ancestors as the source of their thoughts and actions.
Jaynes proposes that over time, changes in society, language, and the environment led to the breakdown of the bicameral mind. This breakdown, he argues, led to the development of consciousness as we understand it today, with individuals having a sense of self and the ability to reflect on their own thoughts and actions.
But the right hemisphere is still the superior hemisphere, and rightful leader of the brain. It communicates through dreams and synchronicities and constitutes much of what Jung describes as the personal unconscious.
"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." - Carl Jung
The reason why you must make the unconscious conscious, or it will become your fate, is that ultimately the right hemisphere directs your life.
You can either be directed by the superior hemisphere willingly or dragged against your will.
"Free will is the ability to do gladly that which I must do." - Carl Jung
Great Article! This article really resonates with me. My left brain has had a chokehold on my perception for along time. At a young age, I was convinced that if I developed my analytical brain, I would be successful. It has been until, I started meditating daily, that I realized that there is an entire other dimension to myself. I have become more loving, more creative, less stressed, and happier. Taoist believe balance is essential to life, as it promotes harmony and stability in all aspects of life. This is difficult for me but I am working on it.