The Highest State of Consciousness

by John Warren White

Collected here in one volume are some of the most important and readable essays on the subject of expanded consciousness. This book attempts to find common denominators of the experience that has been variously referred to as "cosmic consciousness." Some of the thinkers here approach the subject of the "highest state" as a mystical religious experience; others describe it in physiological terms. The juxtaposition of these essays establishes a meaninful dialogue on the subject of this eternal transcendental experience.

Among the articles in the volume:
Altered States Of Consciousness, Stanley Krippner
Visionary Experience, Aldoud Huxley
Transcendental Experience, R.D. Laing
Psychotherapy and Liberation, Allen W. Watts
The "Core Religious" Or "Transcendent" Experience, Abraham Maslow
In Search Of The Miraculous, P.D. Ouspensky
Introduction To The Tao Te Ching, Arthur Waley
The Resurrection Of The Body, Norman O. Brown

Genres: Psychology

492 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 1972

About the author

John White, M.A.T., is an internationally known author, educator and lecturer in the fields of consciousness research and higher human development. He has held positions as Director of Education for The Institute of Noetic Sciences, a California-based research organization founded by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell to study human potential for personal and planetary transformation, and as President of Alpha Logics, a Connecticut school for self-directed growth in body, mind and spirit.

He is author of America, Freedom and Enlightenment; The Meeting of Science and Spirit; Pole Shift; A Practical Guide to Death and Dying; The Gulf of Tonkin Events—Fifty Years Later; and two children's books, The Christmas Mice and Santa's Climate Change Problem. He has also edited nearly a dozen anthologies, including Frontiers of Consciousness; Psychic Exploration; and What Is Enlightenment?.

His writing has appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest, Omni, Esquire and Woman's Day, and his books have been translated into ten languages. He holds a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and a master of arts degree in teaching from Yale University. He has taught English and journalism on the secondary and college levels, and has served on the governing and consulting boards of various academic and research organizations. He has also served on the editorial boards of various scholarly and popular publications. He has lectured at various colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada, and has made numerous radio and television appearances.

He and his wife Barbara have four grown children and six grandchildren, and live in Cheshire, Connecticut, USA.

Reviews

[Phil Calandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of essays exploring expanded consciousness and altered states of consciousness from different vantage points and from the prospectives of various mystics and philosophers. This is a very challenging but rewarding book that gives you an excellent insight into the meaning of consciousness.

[Ana Nenina Rusa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Súper interesante estoy contenta de haberlo leído, me aportó y sorprendió. Mi reseña está en la copia física que tengo pero estoy agradecida de haberlo leído.

[Aitziber Madinabeitia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Como muchos de los libros de la colección Nueva Consciencia de Kairós, se trata de una recopilación de artículos y estractos de otros libros, que tienen en común un tema central. En este caso la mística y su relación con los estados alterados (o no) de consciencia.
Para la exploración de este tópico, que no podemos dejar de valorar como altamente complejo se ha contado con la colaboración de historiadores, psicólogos, psiquiatras y psiconautas de reconocido prestigio, como Maslow o Huxley.
El punto de vista del escrito es basicamente psicológico, como no esperabamos menos de la colección en sí. Lo que se echa de menos es una explicación más consustancial de lo que se entiende por la experiencia mística, cuya definición parece ser tan huidiza como la misma experiencia. Tal vez exista un exceso de énfasis en la experiencia de unos grupos religiosos concretos y falta para otras formas de ver el mundo, pero esto puede ser bien explicado debido a la cantidad de sujetos de cada característica con los que hayan trabajado los diversos autores.
Fascinantes los casos en los que podemos ver la expresión de la experiencia de primera mano.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has some interesting parts, but I was disappointed in its unscientificness. I expected more from it after the first few articles.