In my previous article, I wrote about the problems of psychology. About how it is a young and evolving science. About how much we still don’t know about the psyche. About how, at times, psychologists, like other people, have psychological problems and cannot solve them. I predicted that this science is bound to undergo significant evolution.
In this article, I would like to touch on an even broader topic. I believe that the psyche itself is still in the process of evolution. In psychology or medicine, it is not customary to speak about the level of development of the psyche. They talk about its health or illness, about norms or pathology. Observing the functioning of my psyche and the psyche of others in everyday life, as well as in special, atypical situations, I have concluded that almost everyone has certain malfunctions or weak points in their psyche, as well as unique properties and abilities.
I have also observed how some people, through various practices, achieved positive changes in the overall functioning of their psyche. At the same time, those who do not work in this direction often develop a broad range of malfunctions and weaknesses in their psyche by old age. This can manifest in increasing phobias and limitations not directly related to the weakening of physical abilities. Sometimes, people work incorrectly in this area, crudely intruding into the delicate and unexplored realm. This, too, can lead to negative consequences. You often encounter such people at various esoteric seminars and psychological trainings. A person may constantly be in an environment that should, in theory, contribute to psychological or even spiritual education and development. But the result can be the exact opposite. In this case, of course, it’s necessary to consider the professionalism of the leaders and the real goals of the participants.
If we talk about evolution, the first question that comes to mind is whether there is a collective evolution of the psyche of humanity, similar to biological evolution. To answer this question, we need to take a close look at the history of humanity. We will see that, undoubtedly, our society has become much more complex. Our psyche has adapted to this. We handle larger volumes of information. We know much more about the world around us, including the cosmos and the cells in our bodies. And every day, we learn even more. But do we know more about the structure of our psyche and the nature of our consciousness? For me, this is still an open question. Perhaps legendary philosophers and sages of the past, like Plato, Socrates, Gautama Buddha, Laozi, or Patanjali, knew much more about this than any of our contemporaries? And maybe there were many others whose memory humanity has not preserved for various reasons. As I have written in other articles, knowledge in this area can be theoretical—read or heard somewhere. Or it can be practical, obtained through self-observation and observing others.
Life during the time of Gautama Buddha may have been more conducive to self-discovery. On the other hand, in the modern world, there are small communities that live almost as humanity lived in ancient times. Perhaps they live in an environment conducive to self-discovery. Interacting with shamans from several Amazonian tribes, I have personally become convinced that they possess unique knowledge about the structure of the human psyche. This knowledge is not entirely verbal. Much of it lies in the realm of direct vision achieved in a state of trance. But at the same time, there is a whole science developed to achieve different stages of trance. This knowledge can be precisely and concretely applied for healing and solving other crucial tasks. It is passed on non-verbally through special shamanic practices and ceremonies. This knowledge can be either acquired or lost depending on the state of a person’s consciousness. I wrote about this in more detail in another article describing the peculiarities of the path of knowledge in Latin American shamanism.
Another important criterion for a developed psyche is associated with heightened aesthetic perception of the world, with the ability to see and create beauty. And in this regard, the masters of the past often seem unsurpassed. The works of Shakespeare, the poetry of Omar Khayyam, the paintings of Renaissance artists, and the architectural masterpieces of the past: cathedrals and mosques. I won’t even delve into the topic of the Egyptian pyramids and the incredible structures in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia. This topic could call into question the uniqueness of our civilization. Masterpieces of classical music, the poetry of the Silver Age, and timeless works of literature speak for themselves. Moreover, there is unique ethnic music that, for many, resonates with a contemporary sound. I adore authentic throat singing, virtuoso drumming, and other traditional instruments. The depth of Icaros—shamanic songs—is truly astonishing. Their multifaceted richness can only be understood during authentic shamanic ceremonies. On the other hand, I love new forms of art. I am a big fan of good cinema. Masterpieces do appear in film as well. But the conclusion that arises is that life in the fast-paced modern world rather makes our perception of beauty less profound than before. Although I believe that the human psyche is very plastic and will adapt to the new world without completely losing depth of perception, the accelerated changes in the external world complicate our task.
When we talk about the development of the psyche, many conjure images of special superpowers or paranormal abilities. This topic has always intrigued people’s minds. It is present in all religious and esoteric books. And now it constantly appears in literature, in children’s cartoons, and even in adult movies. I do not particularly believe in the existence of phenomena like telekinesis, teleportation, and materialization. Despite endless talk on the subject, humanity has yet to present any real evidence of such phenomena. It’s not that I don’t consider the possibility of their existence—I believe everything is theoretically possible. But I see how this topic is endlessly exploited by all sorts of tricksters and sellers of spirituality. Meanwhile, there are other phenomena, such as telepathy, hypnosis, remote viewing in space and time, for which there is sufficient evidence. At least in my life, I regularly encounter this. Probably because I’ve always been interested in this topic, sought out people with such abilities in different parts of the world, and worked on developing intuition and a subtle perception of life. We, of course, lack accurate statistics on this matter. But we can assume that there were once communities of people who possessed these abilities better than we do. Again, because they had the time and the appropriate conditions to work in this direction. When I interacted with indigenous people living deeper in the jungle, in remote villages, I noticed their heightened sensitivity. Any of them can see the feelings of another, even a visiting person, as if reading an open book. At the same time, among indigenous people who have moved to cities, this ability often fades quite quickly. The more complex world and the multi-layered structure of society reshape perception and foster the development of other adaptive abilities.
There is another serious question that casts doubt on the existence of collective psychic evolution. This is the issue of morality, which I consider an integral property of a developed psyche. Again, let’s look at the history of humanity. We see fluctuations in this area—darker and lighter times. Peaceful life alternated with bloody wars. On one hand, we see some softening of morals, especially since the late 20th century; on the other hand, we don’t know whether this is a long-term trend or just a calm before the storm. Alongside the humanely developed society on this planet—one that also raises many moral questions—there exist societies that are practically medieval in parts of the Islamic world and Africa. There are many places on Earth where human life is worth almost nothing, where women and children have no rights, and where everything is decided through brute physical force. Different forms of slavery still exist in the modern world. There is also a separate important moral issue—our relationship with wild nature, with the animal and plant world. In this area, there are many negative trends and problems that humanity has yet to fully address.
On the topic of morality, on how it arises, is formed, and develops in my view, I want to write a separate article. This is a large and fascinating topic for me, closely intersecting with the theme of spiritual growth and psychic development. I would like to conclude the topic of the evolution of the psyche with one simple conclusion. Since we have no clear proof of collective psychic evolution, there are some doubts about it, but at the same time, we can observe the success of individual people in personal psychic development, it remains to recognize that it is much more reliable and reasonable to focus on developing oneself rather than relying on the evolution of all humanity. Perhaps it is evolving. But certainly not quickly. And the life of an individual is short. Moreover, I believe that the development of individual people is the only thing that can spur the development of humanity as a whole.
