The basic thread of this month has been to explore the intersection of [a] the Working Hypothesis, [b] the "normal" state of consciousness of daily life, and [c] the alternate states of consciousness that arise during meditation. I began with the following realization:

In exploring the WH during daily life, what seems to come to the forefront is that life is just what it is, right now, just this and nothing more. Nothing has changed. There is no profound Ecstasy of Knowing, no "ah-ha," no vivid scintillation of being, no light from heaven, no realization of deep truth. I am just here, right now, doing this, and will continue to do so day-in and day-out for the rest of my life. Perhaps the WH leads to its own negation. Life goes on. How could it be otherwise?

Next, I attempted to reformulate the WH so that it speaks more directly to daily life in terms of "the felt sense of the world." What does it FEEL LIKE to be conscious of the completeness of This-Here-Now, compared with disconnected consciousness of That-There-Then? I explored this idea during meditation by focusing on the felt sense of place, which works very well for me. I also realized that during childhood I didn't have such concerns; I was always absorbed in the world.

At this point I decided that I needed to deepen the focus of my meditative consciousness, so I began exploring the 1st Jhana absorption which is said to lead to the bodily sensation of "joy & delight." The general technique for Jhana work is to focus deeply and sharply (one-pointedness) and allow body sensations to arise from within. I made a moderate amount of "progress" in this direction during the final two weeks.

Did I manage any synthesis of WH, daily life, and meditation? I think so, in the sense that I realized, once again, the power of the "alternate states of consciousness" metaphor. The WH is NOT a simplification of life, any more than meditation is a simplification. Life IS what it IS. No more, no less. And yet, by opening oneself to a greater range of alternate states of consciousness, life can be more varied. Not more, but more varied. So for me, this final month of the 1st Cycle has led me back from the tentative notion that the WH is somehow DIFFERENT, back to the place where everything is already there in the profound sense that there is NO Working Hypothesis.