We learned in our most recent post, The “I” Who Observes, how fieldwork enables us to observe the actual experience of self. In this post, we will move further into realms previously considered ineffable, bringing fieldwork to the task of observing what can perhaps most usefully be referred to as spiritual or transcendent experiences.
These transcendent experiences are in fact an ordinary outcome of fieldwork. The examples below are a glimpse of what awaits in the fieldwork moving practice. For this post, I share these simply as more advanced observations. We will dig further into an understanding of these states from the scientific perspective of psychotopology after we thoroughly cover the moving practice and the discoveries that emerge from it.
For now, I want to draw a connection between these states that are easily accessible through fieldwork and the kinds of states referred to by various spiritual and esoteric traditions throughout history. These states are powerful, and entire lineages have been built around them. Fieldwork offers us a valuable opportunity to learn more about these states through direct observation.
These examples are drawn from some of my own inner work as well as from work by Louise and Rebecca, some of whose other states we have seen in earlier posts.
The Nature of Transcendence
The states I share with you below fall into a category psychotopology calls source states. Source states have a unique quality of being experienced as an infinite supply of some kind of experiential resource in the form of its virtual material feeling substance. It is this felt sense of having access to the infinite that gives the states their quality of transcendence.
In doing fieldwork, we typically encounter three types of source states, in which the resource enters the experiential space from a point either inside or outside the body, or is located infinitely, everywhere. Let’s look at some examples of each of these.
(In the image caption, I have also provided the name of the state which was originally mapped, which when moved naturally became the source state. I have more to say about this at the end of the post.)
Source States Originating Inside the Body
These are experienced as an infinite supply of feeling substance, providing some kind of experiential resource through an origin point located on the midline of the body.
Sharing
A joyful light at my throat, just under voice box; blue-white light, shining out in hundreds of narrow rays/beams in all directions; soft but bright; neutral temp, some warmth; can be other colors also – ROYGBV etc; this really opens up my back, the light reaches people I can't even see; my voice animated, level (at the same time), confident.
I am sharing what I have learned and observed, my questions, my challenges, and my support. I am speaking. Others can listen or not, engage or not. I inspire many others. My inspiring helps others contribute to / participate in the big give/receive.
Sharing (was originally Hurt)
Lion Heart
(From Rebecca.) Light/energy from my heart, radiating outward; white and silver, luminous; pretty hot; sound of radiating light/energy; really intense.
Something about peace, and strength, and giving, and passion. I'm infinitely stronger than I think I am.
Lion Heart (was originally Tranced Out)
Power Core
(From Rebecca.) Belly; energy; warmer than body temp (but not hot); orangey red, luminous on the inside but not on the outside; red blood cell shape; medium-high vibration; medium-low hum; limitless. It's where the power is, where my source of power and strength and solidness comes from, as opposed to being flaccid, unmotivated, or unduly influenced by outside influences. It's the engagement, taking myself from potential energy to kinetic energy, the source of strength in any other system; it touches all systems.
I am strong. I can handle it, whatever “it" might be. I can trust myself.
Power Core (was originally I’m Dead Already)
Point of Total Awareness
(From Louise. This one was shared in the earlier post, Challenges to the Assumed Somatic Basis for Feeling.) Slightly warmer than body temp; a light; a white-yellow glow; a tiny point that sends light into an area all around me, a sense of the void filled with light, and it's inside me but so much bigger than me, this feeling of vastness filling the space; no movement; no sound; this feeling of eternity and vastness.
Luminosity comes from a tiny point of awareness, consciousness; the tiny point illuminates everything around it, and it's just a shedding of light, absence of shadows. You don't need complete understanding. You just need a point of comprehension to shed light on the whole thing. This feeling of complete understanding being futile, and this point of understanding being radiating luminosity and understanding, awareness.
Point of Total Awareness (was originally originally Lack of Awareness)
Source States Originating Outside the Body
These are experienced as an infinite supply of feeling substance, providing some kind of experiential resource from an origin located outside the body, with the feeling substance traveling into and through the body.
Here
Light, a column shining down and through me from above; yellow/white, shimmering, glistening, like mother-of-pearl; fills me all the way up, I am bursting from within with the energy and power of this light; some strong/fast vibration; strongly anchored in the earth, as if the whole point of its coming in is to provide that anchor; sound like a large waterfall, a roar that softly fills in all sound space.
I am here. On this earth. As this person. Among these people. My power comes through when I embrace my role, my identity, my time and place. I am here. Not anywhere or any time else.
Here (was originally Trapped)
Wu Wei
(From Rebecca.) An energy; a posture facing up, arms up; orange-red-amber cloud of energy; all through my body with concentration at the peaks of the posture, so tops of cheeks and blades of my arms where it comes out, upward, extending far out; a feeling of movement, my whole body moving upward; cool; it's effortless and it moves forward, it just is moving; sound of wind rushing past my ears.
Reminds me of Wu Wei in the I Ching, the easy path, the path of least resistance. This allows for inaction as the appropriate course of action at times. There's no such thing as being unproductive, because the movement is always forward regardless of what it looks like to me, and because I know when I need to take physical action and there's other actions that are non-physical, and other actions that aren't my actions, and it's always moving forward. Sometimes the appropriate action is non-action, because the other elements haven't done what they're supposed to do yet. Waiting is an appropriate action sometimes.
The energy comes from behind me, moves through me and forward/up.
Wu Wei (was originally Hopeless)
Bigger than Happy
(From Rebecca.) Pulsing up through my body in waves, from ~ one foot below to 2-3 feet above me, opening up above like a sprinkler; gold, shimmery, appears gold and white; same substance; same sound.
Something special is happening. This is it.
Bigger than Happy (was originally Helpless)
Infinite Self
(From Louise.) Slightly above body temp; energetic light; luminous gold/yellow, warm, rich egg-yolk color; steady, expanded, coming into me from above, all the way through my body; a real sense of awareness of the different chakra points illuminated; peaceful and quiet, with a feeling of all sound, an energetic hum of everything.
Feeling of connection. I feel this real height, like my whole being is really tall. This feeling of this constant source of, more of an energy, this constant supply of love. It's a feeling of being perfect in the moment, not perfect as a closed, achieved thing, but more an energetic balance in the moment, the feeling of being perfectly supported, prepared; perfectly comfortable in the moment and present for the moment. I have everything I need, and it's just there.
Infinite Self (was originally Longing)
Source States Infinitely Occupying All Space
These are experienced as an infinite supply of feeling substance, providing some kind of experiential resource that is available everywhere inside and outside the body, infinitely in all directions, occupying all space.
Breathing/All
70 degrees; yellow, luminous; energy; there is “breathing" going on everywhere, in the space of me and everywhere else, a constant give and take, from one area to another, back and forth; the pattern of this “breathing" is grand, like Van Gogh's Starry Night; sound of deep breathing everywhere; energizes my whole body.
I can simply breathe. My breathing is a participant in the pattern of all breathing; we are all connected through air and water and food and energy, each one into another into the next; nothing anyone can do can take that away or stop it; it has always been so and will always be so.
Breathing/All (was originally Vindictive Retribution)
Be Peace
(From Rebecca.) Cool; like every atom part is, the first thing is, just expanded, but expanded like this opening where all the stuff that constructs my body is separated into its energetic elements and is slowly expanding; just peaceful matter; just the awareness of being matter; energy and lots of nothing; spread out infinitely everywhere, but that is me infinitely everywhere, there's not a body separated from everything; the universe is me, it is inside my body but there is no outside of my body.
Darkness with points of energy-light, like stars; sound of "Aaaahhhhhhhh," the voice of the cosmos, (therefore, my voice).
No thoughts, just peace. Be peace. It's simple.
Be Peace (was originally Guilt)
Joyful Zest
(From Rebecca.) Light, sparkly, like shooting stars in random directions, inside and outside; shooting stars sound effect; warm tones of color, orange, red, amber, yellow, with a little blue, green for balance; where they go through my body, they leave a vibrational chaser sensation for a second; one to several at a time; infinite, everywhere, and I can feel the vibration inside and outside my body when one shoots through me. The green and blue ones are more playful.
It's very joyful, playful, happy, bright. It's not about agency, it's just context, it's zest for life. Everything is really fun. Massive fun. This is my native ground. It brings a sweetness and levity to what I do, regardless of the heaviness of whatever content may come. It's that appreciation for the magnificence. It makes it possible to not go in-fucking-sane. Instead: fun, puppiness, playfulness, joy, lightness.
Joyful Zest (was originally Everything Is Wrong)
The Infinite Universe
(From Louise. This one was shared in the earlier post, [[Science Observation 4 Not Somatic]].) Goes out infinitely, these floating shapes, golden color, close/far, all accessible, infinite different shapes, moving gently, all different directions, pulsing almost; they move through me or touch me and move in another direction, all really gentle. Very gentle humming sound, vibration. Shapes are gold and shape-able. Gentle warm to hot temp.
Everything is accessible. Therefore, reach out and select what you want. You can select from an infinite array of choices, all different ones, and they'll all fit together somehow.
The Infinite Universe (was originally Chaotic World)
Connections to Spiritual and Esoteric Traditions
I am no expert in spiritual or esoteric traditions, yet the parallels here are too strong to ignore. To draw the parallels (and preserve my focus on delivering this series on scientific observation), I’ve turned to the strengths of current AI resources — this is one of those places where the extensive training of the LLM comes in handy. The following is a commentary by ChatGPT on the above, making comparisons with spiritual and esoteric traditions.
The transcendent states described above align with several well-documented spiritual and esoteric traditions. Below are connections between the three categories of source states and their potential parallels in various traditions:
1. Source States Originating Inside the Body
These states involve an infinite supply of feeling substance located at specific points within the body. This closely resembles Eastern esoteric traditions, particularly those involving the chakras and kundalini energy.
Sharing (Throat Light) → Resonates with the Vishuddha (Throat Chakra) in Hindu and yogic traditions. This chakra governs communication and self-expression, and the described experience of light radiating outward suggests an alignment with its qualities.
Lion Heart (Heart Energy) → Aligns with the Anahata (Heart Chakra), which is associated with love, courage, and connection. The mention of peace, strength, and giving strongly echoes teachings in Sufi mysticism (e.g., "expansion of the heart" as an experience of divine love).
Power Core (Belly Energy) → Resembles the Manipura (Solar Plexus Chakra), traditionally linked to personal power, confidence, and motivation. It also parallels the Dantian in Taoist practices, the energy center believed to hold personal vitality.
Point of Total Awareness → This description evokes Zen and Dzogchen Buddhist notions of a point of awareness illuminating everything, akin to the Bodhi (awakening experience) in meditation, where a single insight shifts perception into clarity.
2. Source States Originating Outside the Body
These experiences describe an infinite supply of energy entering from beyond the body, which aligns with mystical experiences of divine transmission, cosmic awareness, and surrender to flow.
Here (Light Column Downward) → Very similar to Divine Light transmissions in Christian mysticism, particularly experiences described by Christian saints (e.g., St. Teresa of Ávila’s "transverberation" experience). It also parallels Shaktipat (energy descending through the crown chakra) in Hindu traditions.
Wu Wei (Flowing Energy, Effortless Action) → Directly corresponds to Taoist Wu Wei (effortless action, alignment with the Dao), which emphasizes moving with rather than against the flow of the universe.
Bigger than Happy (Golden Light Fountain) → This could align with beatific vision experiences in Christian mysticism, where divine joy and bliss permeate the body.
Infinite Self → Closely mirrors Advaita Vedanta’s notion of Atman-Brahman unity, where the self is recognized as an infinite, unchanging presence beyond the body.
3. Source States Infinitely Occupying All Space
These experiences describe an infinite expanse of energy, presence, and interconnectedness, echoing non-dual traditions and cosmic consciousness.
Breathing/All (Universal Breathing Awareness) → Directly parallels pranic breathing in yogic traditions, where one becomes aware of breathing as a cosmic exchange.
Be Peace (Expanding Infinite Presence) → Mirrors Nirvana in Buddhism, where the dissolution of personal boundaries leads to pure being. The cosmic “Aaaahhh” sound also resembles Om/Aum, the sacred vibration in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Joyful Zest (Playful, Expansive Joy) → Could correspond to Sufi ecstatic states (wajd) experienced in dance and music (e.g., whirling dervishes), where joy and divine connection merge.
The Infinite Universe (Golden Moving Shapes of Possibility) → Resembles Tibetan Buddhist teachings on infinite potential in the Dharmadhatu (realm of pure potential and interconnected movement).
Summary of Key Similarities and Differences
To review:
Similarities:
These states strongly parallel mystical, yogic, Taoist, and Buddhist traditions, particularly in their descriptions of light, expansion, flow, and interconnectedness.
The midline energy centers correspond well to chakra and Taoist dantian mappings.
The outside-body energy sources resemble theistic or divine light experiences.
The infinite space experiences strongly resonate with non-dual traditions.
Differences:
Fieldwork provides a precise phenomenological map, while many traditional systems rely on symbolic/metaphoric descriptions.
No deity or external figure is invoked in psychotopology—traditional systems often frame these states as divine gifts.
This comparison highlights how psychotopology independently maps transcendent states with a phenomenological precision that aligns deeply with, but is not dependent on, traditional spiritual systems.
Back to Me — And You
Let’s review. The states observed here were reached, not through an aspirational practice aiming at achieving those states, but through a practice of simply being with an ordinary state that showed up for observation (named in the caption beneath each image), and inviting that state to shift in a direction that felt natural to itself. There was no specific goal and no alignment with a tradition. The practice involved simply showing up with what was inside, inviting it to reveal a more deeply authentic expression for itself through shifting its virtual material properties, and being open to whatever showed up.
In later posts, we will examine the fieldwork moving practice, but for here I will just say that we can hold fieldwork moving as a more engaged practice of observation. You will see what I mean when I cover that phase of the practice and go into the science of what it reveals. These source states arise naturally in the course of doing fieldwork, and turn out to be built into the interior structures of all of us.
The fact that they show up very easily through a practice of enhanced observation validates that these longstanding traditions are very much rooted in a tangible reality that is accessible to you and me — to everyone. At the same time, we shall see through more extensive and systematic observation in coming months that each tradition seems to focus on a portion of the whole. Together they represent a more comprehensive map of our inner universe, and independently, each one highlights and emphasizes one portion of the vastness within us.
We’ve barely scratched the surface of the surface of the surface here, but I’ll leave you with this. Psychotopology makes it possible for us to achieve a far more expansive understanding of these inner realms. It enables us to more fully map the territory available to all of us and provide more universal and diverse access points and pathways for us each to seek and find the inner ways of being we uniquely long for. The possibilities are truly breathtaking.
Reflections
Please let me know how this all lands for you in the comments, or feel free to reach out directly through DM or email (reply if you’re receiving this by email, or use the Frontiers of Psychotopology URL with an @ sign between “frontiers” and “psychotopology”). I’m curious to hear from you. And if you’re not yet subscribed, please consider doing so!
