Physical body gets numb and lethargic. Mind - feelings and thoughts - are disconnected from the alert, everyday state, and seems to travel somewhere else and very distant. Perception of time is changed, and one enters the realm of timelessness.
This could be a description of a shaman, a seer, a sage, a yogi, a warg - who alters his/her consciousness and enters a trance-like state to reach a global state of consciousness (in metaphysics called the Akashic records), where everything and everywhere happens all at once*.
The above description, in a way, also relates to a person experiencing depression.
In a paper The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, published in 2023, Cecily Whiteley of the London School of Economics describes depression as such an altered state of consciousness.
Depression is like a shift from our normal wakeful, alert conscious state into a global state of consciousness, that is radically different and overwhelming. Whiteley says:
It can be regarded as a state of mind similar to dreaming and the psychedelic state, as well as minimal consciousness and vegetative states.
It is an altered state as it changes the perception of 'what is'. Cognitive functions are often temporarily impaired and the sense of self is dissolved, reducing our ability to concentrate on what is at hand. 'Ego', as a normal state of awareness, is expanded or devoured by something bigger - global, universal.
The similarity is striking, and taking this approach to depression is quite revealing. I have browsed through the paper, wanting to pull out the essence of this new interesting concept in the scientific world, and marrying it with what is known from the metaphysical perspective.
There are some dramatic differences between the 'high' altered states, during shamanic trance or the use of psychedelics - and those of feeling 'low' and in depression, of course. However they have similar psycho-physiological symptoms.
What may be suggested, is that a person finding oneself in the 'global state of consciousness' can either experience it in a positive or negative way. Both are the same, but the tools and knowledge are lacking on the side of inexperienced people who suffer from depression.
In shamanic tradition, an adept, an initiate has to come through a 'hell' to become a master. From an early age, people who should become the 'seers', often enter the states of depression. Mastery over those states is what makes them masters in the 'sorcery' art (and this should serve a community or good purposes, not an inflated 'ego').
Of course, sometimes people are born with the 'gift'. Yet, they still may experience some hardship on the inside-out, and it is usually after a period of depression or grieving that they can use in an affirmative way.
The depressed state can be seen as a prelude to becoming a more mature spiritual person, one that has a voluntary connection to the 'global state'. It can be seen as an invitation to enter the spiritual path. And often it is.
Finding balance between the two: the material and the spiritual is a difficult act. This is why there is such a vast body of knowledge to help us do the Shadow-work. Without it, we become almost lifeless creatures, tormented by the archetypal forces, that try to wake us up, and until we answer the calling of our Soul, we suffer.
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More on Shadow Work - the difficult and overwhelming inner states
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Sources:
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* It synchronistically happened - I wrote this text on the day of the Oscars Ceremony when I learned about the film Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. The 'global consciousness state' is often described as parallel universes or lives that are all around us, only we are not aware of them. Our every decision or choice activates an alternative time-line. How to navigate those time-lines is a topic of many spiritual and metaphysical teachings, for example it is the main theme of the famous Seth materials, and ideas of Transurfing.
The film tells an interesting story relating to these concepts. As it is in such a public focus - it represents a shift in our collective consciousness. After so many dramatic experiences, the bottom line always is: be kind even when life doesn't make sense.
A good omen.
