The Society of Sentience is a fluid group or association for individuals wanting to share their experiences of inner processes such as dreaming, meditation, development of intuition, existential technologies, integration of creative practices in daily life, alternative lifestyles, etc.
We believe that in order for the individual to feel any kind of existential meaning – and thereby to be constructively engaged with and integrated in the outer spheres of family and society – she needs to be well aware of who she truly is. The SoS doesn’t offer any readymade solutions for how this process should be carried out or implemented. We all know there are no easy solutions. And we are all different. But we are more than willing to share what’s worked for us, in the hope that the shared experiences will inspire you to strive for development and progress in your own life. We acknowledge that change on the individual level is more than possible.
The Society of Sentience is a “non-denominational” group, and we welcome open-minded, curious and honest individuals from all faiths, creeds, and adherences.
The material on this web site is for informational and inspirational purposes. If you feel that you’d like to hear more of what we do, what we could do for you, and/or how you could be involved in developing the SoS, please visit the CONTACT page.
INTRODUCTION TO THE SOCIETY OF SENTIENCE
I
What exactly is a Society of Sentience? It is mainly two things. One is an ideal for living: a society that is aware of its sentience and acts accordingly – in respect of an holistic approach to life in general. The other one is a smaller society (as in “group”, “association” or “order”) but no less sentient. It carries an incentive for a kind of meta-sentience, i.e. one knows that one is sentient and also integrates that knowledge on conscious and philosophical levels. Far too many individuals seem to be merely sentient, which makes them no different from animals like fish, birds or insects. What makes humans special is the capacity to easily reach this meta-perspective (“I am conscious and I’m conscious of it.” or “I am sentient and I’m aware of it.”). The mere awareness – and preferably a continuous one – opens many doors in each individual’s inner and outer explorations. This awareness is a key to each individual’s “individuation process,” without which we are mere leaves in the wind. With each new level of individuation comes new insights and maturities but also new challenges, responsibilities and self doubts. All of these things are parts of a human puzzle that we all have to figure out ourselves in order to make progress and find meaning. But although this is inherently an individual process we can also learn a lot from others; both from those who have tried and perhaps failed but also from all of those who have tried and succeeded. All examples and variants carry the potential of inspiration. And it is with inspiration that everything begins. It’s a word that means “breathing in” but not like its relative “inhalation”, which signifies a more mechanical (and unconscious) movement. In-spiration ties in with a-spiration and con-spiration/spiracy, etc. It’s a movement and phenomenon that stems from a human soul and reaches out to and for another soul in support and encouragement.
The Society of Sentience was conceptualised and created by me as a group endeavour, but mainly as a group of individuals. My own inspiration in this creation was exactly the potentially inspiring phenomenon that happens when two or more humans get together to “con-spire” (breathe together). The work within this society exists on many different levels; each of them designed to help you unfold your very own creation of life. It can be a swift process or it can be a life-long process. None of us are the same. I want the SoS to provide a workable structure or method for you in your own individual process. No dogma, no religion, no cultism… Just you yourself in a dialogue with people who have perspectives based on experience, and/or a curiosity that triggers your will to inspire others. As the water finds its own level, so will you. And it’s on that level that you will truly appreciate what you and the SoS can do for each other. On that level of supreme honesty and commitment you can take the first step towards a deeper understanding of yourself. And then the real journey begins.
II
Western people fear approaching systems because most systems they have encountered have failed them. The parental system is essentially very unhealthy. Schooling is basically indoctrination of politics. Corporate, religious and military structures inherently subjugate the individual. No wonder then that the individual seeks different ways out (or, rather, in) in order to assess what’s truly relevant for him or her. Most structures nip independence movements like these in the bud, i.e. before a meta-sentience even sets in. “Normality” is an imposed state; it’s never something definite or objectively viable. Meta-sentience must be encouraged in order to permit the traveler unrestrained inner and outer movements.
The SoS is where you join others who travel to share their travel tales: long, short or even tall tales. In each little fragment is fuel, if only we’re open and sensitive. This is one of our goals: a continual sensitivity training so that we don’t get stuck in inert calcification and moral laissez-faire scenarios in which we don’t look at each moment as new and unique.
Many magicians and philosophers have debated about whether reality is ultimately real. Whether what we perceive with our senses and, if we’re lucky, our meta-sentience, has any value beyond the superficial accumulation of existential data. Whether what we perceive is an illusion, perhaps to protect us from the insight that there is no “real” reality at all. For the SoS, this kind of speculation is invaluable. Stark, stripped materialism and “spiritual” otherworldliness are both parts of the same mystery. That center, that core of potential illusion and/or potential truth is where the SoS is headed. Determined but humble, focused but open-minded, we move gradually towards a personally applicable boost or infusion which allows for stability on an entirely new level. We may be solitary travellers on this exciting journey but rest assured there are many like you underneath the sheltering umbrella of human (meta)sentience and the SoS.
III
Because of negative associations or connotations I’m not really comfortable with using terms like “orders,” “think tanks,” or “fraternities.” The SoS contains elements from all of them but hopefully only those that generate genuine wisdom and satisfaction. Although the realisation may be a sad one, it is undoubtedly true that one can also learn a lot from other people’s (and groups’) mistakes. Group dynamics are difficult to deal with and often end up being an utter waste of time and effort. That’s one of the reasons why the SoS isn’t structured like a classic “fraternal” hierarchic pyramid but rather as an atom that has a core and around which dynamic electrons move in their own orbit. A planetary model would work equally well. Sometimes we’re visible to the other planets or electrons but the main thing is that we’re diligent in our own orbits. The work is what matters; not what the work appears to be to others.
The SoS welcomes women and men over the age of 18. We are a non-denominational organisation focused on the development of the individual in the inner as well as the outer. Therefore it’s imperative that we show our fellow travellers respect and tolerance. The SoS is an environment for refinement; not for mindless debates about things that are essentially base and devoid of genuine value (politics, current affairs, religion, etc). We only have eyes for the individual who has the courage to pierce the veil of those controlled illusions. Please note however, that the SoS is not “against” these illusions or the forces behind them. Sometimes illusions are in fact necessary as revealing mirrors that crack when you look at them closely and with your own glasses. Everything and anything has value in that context: as tools in your own refinement process.
We welcome you if you’re devoted to finding out more about yourself. You’re welcome to come and you’re welcome to go as you please. We are not a religion, not a cult, not a sect, not a party but rather an experimental attempt at creating a matrix of inspiration and creativity that can be applied/implemented in the individual’s own life. You are part of the same inspirational potential as the one you seek in your own existential frustration. We know from experience that sometimes it’s much easier than we think to A) pierce the veil of illusion and frustration, and B) to re-arrange the particles of the soul (and thereby of life) in order to walk onwards on a path that’s truly your own.
One of the central tenets in the SoS is that “you have to learn how to look at the future retrospectively.” Meaning that a clear vision of an ideal future scenario is very likely going to facilitate that development better than any other whimsical or neurotic daydream. But what we’re after is not merely focus but an open-minded meta-programming of our own destinies. Where previous perspectives like this have been scornfully categorised as “magic,” “hocus pocus,” or “occultism,” the SoS acknowledges these experimental fields of study as crucial for the development of our natural sciences, psychology, etc.
In doing that, we also acknowledge that the work we’re doing together now is a foundation for tomorrow’s behavioural (and other) sciences. We are experimental, experiential, and exponential in our approach and quite happily weave in elements of the past with those of the future. We favour an ultra-pragmatism devoid of prejudice and intolerance. There is an old saying that sums it up very elegantly: “What you get out of it depends on what you put into it.” This is our attitude in roaming freely through history to refine the present for the future. We are living in a unique intersection as individuals today. We are sentient beings and also aware of it. What remains now is simply to communicate and develop. We believe in you if you believe in yourself. If you believe in us too, then truly magical things could happen.
Carl Abrahamsson, Stockholm, Spring Equinox 2018