Observations placeholder
Hypnagogic faces
Identifier
001569
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
The quote comes from the book Hypnagogia - "Dealing with hypnagogia, the state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep, this book provides an account of hypnagogia, bringing its diverse phenomena into a comprehensive framework. Andreas Mavromatis argues that this common, naturally occurring state may not only be distinct from wakefulness and sleep but unique in its nature and function, possibly carrying important evolutionary implications. He analyzes the relationship between hypnagogia and other states, processes and experiences - such as sleepdreams, meditation, psi, schizophrenia, creativity, hypnosis, hallucinogenic drug-induced states - and shows that, functioning in hypnagogia, a person may gain knowledge of aspects of his or her mental nature which constitute fundamental underpinnings to all adult thought. In addition, functioning in hypnagogia is shown to play a significant part in mental and physical health. This book should be of interest to general readers of psychology, mind, body and spirit."
There are 3 parts to this book: part 1 explains in great detail what the two states of Hypnagogia are (pre-sleep and post-sleep states); part 2 examines how Hypnagogia affects other areas of mental life, such as hypnosis, dreams, creativity, meditation and schizophrenia. Dr Mavroamatis explains how Hypnagogia is the state you enter during meditation and how this is often the mental state where solutions and creative thoughts are formed; and finally part 3 details brain mechanisms and the function of hypnagogia and examines which parts of the brain might be involved during Hypnagogic states.
The book also describes how some psychic phenomena can be explained and indeed initiated by Hypnagogic states; presenting such phenomena in a scientific way.
A description of the experience
Andreas Mavromatos – Hypnagogia; the unique state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep
.......they seem to come up out of the darkness, as a mist, and rapidly develop into sharp delineation, assuming roundness, vividness, and living reality. They fade off only to give place to others, which succeed with surprising rapidity and in enormous multitude.
Formerly the faces were wonderfully ugly.
They were human, but resembling animals, yet such animals as have no fellows in the creation, diabolical-looking. . . . Latterly the faces have become exquisitely beautiful.
Forms and features of faultless perfection now succeed each other in infinite variety and number