Higher Conciousness

HANDBOOK TO HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS

Ken Keyes Jr.

Foreword

Millions of years ago when our animal ancestors had to survive in the jungle,

it was necessary to have an instantly effective fight or flight mechanism.

When a tiger was about to spring, an automatic emotional response was a life

saver. A nervous shock was needed to squirt adrenalin into the blood so that

muscles became jet powered. Emotional alarms were needed to command

full attention. When a tiger was ready to jump, there was no time to admire

the beautiful sunset. As a jungle survival mechanism, our animal ancestors

were programmed for automatic duality -- automatic feelings of otherness,

threat, and paranoia. Survival required instant domination of consciousness

to meet the perils of the jungle.

We are the pioneers in the evolution of human consciousness. It was only

about 10,000 years ago that our ancestors built the first cities. As civilization

grew, survival no longer depended on the instant fight or flight of the jungle.

Survival and happiness now depend on tuning in to the overall situation

involving ourselves, the people around us, and the total environment of the

here and now. Perceptiveness, wisdom, and oneness are now the ingredients

of effective and happy living. But our biocomputers are still programmed for

jungle fight or flight -- for a fast release of adrenalin into the blood stream,

and for rapid heartbeat -- for automatic anger and fear. In our social

interactions, our consciousness magnifies molehills and makes them into

mountains -- and this constant distortion destroys our energy, our insight, and

our ability to love.

Thus survival in the jungle meant that we had to be programmed for instant

paranoia -- instant fear -- instant anger -- instant perception of duality.

Survival in our world today means that we must have instant perceptions of

oneness -- of love -- of compassion with everyone and understanding of

everything around us. When we learn to cut...