The evolution of consciousness did not happen overnight. In fact, in doing research for this story, I realized that certain figures in history and legend stood out from the background of the reactive bicameral population. I will mention only a few.

I have already discussed how a person can be intelligent without having consciousness. It's just another process that takes place in the unconscious realm (remember the savants?). Perhaps there was also what we might call 'genius' bicameral man, whose hallucinated voice was especially perceptive and exceedingly wise. These men would have easily become recognized and would have risen to be leaders of influence and power. Their voice would be listened to with awe and obedience. Some of those leaders might have experienced consciousness.

I promised not to get too technical but here is a good time to introduce an idea about the anterior commissure, that "USB cable" that connects the two hemispheres (along with the "firewire" corpus callosum). A study was just released (2015) that shows how having a high IQ dramatically reduces the incidence of schizophrenia. Here's why this may be important:

Autopsies have shown that the anterior commissure is thinner and contains fewer connections linking the two hemispheres in schizophrenics (which is often characterized by audio hallucinations). A high IQ is characterized by greater hemispheric linkage. If we deduce that the bicameral mind demonstrates schizophrenic characteristics (i.e. hearing hallucinations) then we can also deduce that this structure (the anterior commissure) was thinner and contained less hemispheric interconnections than modern, post-consciousness man.

We now know that the brain has amazing plasticity, meaning that it can re-wire itself and create networks to handle certain tasks unique to the individual. Piano players have enhanced motor control regions, stroke victims can learn to use a different part of their brains to compensate for damaged areas... and so it seems likely that highly intelligent bicameral men could have re-wired their anterior commissure, turning off the bicameral voice and enhancing their subjective narrative.

I think this must have happened to some individuals in the past and these men were the stuff of legends.

The first such "men of old" are military rulers who used their advanced intellect and consciousness to consolidate diverse tribes and states under one "voice", often forcibly, to maintain order. Later we will see these same "aware" individuals becoming the divas of tribal religions.

Sargon of Akkad (2300 BCE)

Sargon of Akkad was such a person. He lived around 2300 BCE and created the first unified empire which included large parts of Mesopotamia, modern-day Iran, Asia Minor and Syria. He ruled from a capital called Akkad, which the Sumerian king list claims he built. He is sometimes regarded as the first person in recorded history to create a multiethnic, centrally ruled empire. His dynasty controlled Mesopotamia for around 150 years, and he is mentioned in Genesis 10:8-12 as Nimrod.

The uncanny way in which Sargon attained his power attests to his intellect and ability to influence and deceive people. His military victories over foreign states demonstrated his ability to 'think like the enemy' (Theory of Mind) when planning strategic moves. I think it is fair to say that Sargon had consciousness.

The main voice that guided the Assyrian Empire and its citizens was that of the god, Assur, pictured below right.

Another clue to his consciousness is the fact that Sargon was extremely literate. He is said to have written his proclamations and orders with his own hand. Archaeological examinations of the clay writing tablets confirm this. It is also stated in his biography that he could, "read the ancient texts from before the flood...", although these texts were never recovered from his extensive library.

A fragment describing Sargon's birth states that he was abandoned by his mother, placed in a basket made of reeds, floated down the river and was later discovered by a gardener to the king who raised him and gave him an education in the royal palace where he would later become the king. This story closely mirrors that of Moses (Genesis) although it occurs a millennium earlier.

Abraham of Ur

While Akhenaten's attempt to consolidate the many gods into a single voice (that of Aten) failed, a strange individual began preaching about The Most High God that was responsible for creating everything. The new cult of monotheistic followers were based in Salem, the city that would later become Jerusalem, around 2000 BCE.

The cult was initiated by a person called Melchizadek (literally "the king of righteousness") who, according to the Bible, "had no mother or father, was without beginning or end..." The individual claimed to be a priest of El Elyon, The Most High God, Creator of everything and everyone.

One of Melchidadek's desciples was a militant businessman who had an large extended family. That man was called Abram. He would later become Abraham, the patriarch for many great religions in the age of consciousness.

There is some controversy about when Abraham lived. Some have placed him in the middle of the third millennium, coinciding with the Sixth dynasty of Egypt. More traditional dates span from 2300 to 2000 BCE. I prefer the more recent dates because, as I will show, Abraham and his family are very much full of consciousness. And while bicameral man was the rank and file of his day, men with consciousness had the advantage of deception to succeed.

The real action starts when Abraham, returning from a victorious battle with two neighboring kings, meets Melchizadek and devotes himself to the Most High God, the Creator of everything and everyone. Upon becoming a member of this monotheistic cult, Abraham gets circumcised and gives a tenth (a "tithing") of his wealth to Melchizadek and promises to spread the word about the "True God".

Abraham's zeal to spread these teachings becomes aggressive, almost forceful. Conversion becomes the raison d'etre for his further conquests. Eventually, Abraham has a number of confrontations with an hallucinated voice -- a new voice -- that concerns itself exclusively with Abraham and his family. The new voice promises land, wealth, prosperity and even offspring, "Look up at the stars... so your seed will become."

Yahweh, the new voice

In the past the bicameral voice operated for the benefit of mankind. It's apparent goals were to allow humans to live and work together in peace, to extend order and camaraderie to everyone. This new voice was unique to Abraham, was called Yahweh and it was quite different.

The bicameral voice was heard as an auditory hallucination by men with no consciousness. But when the voice was starting to fade at the beginning of the second millennium it sometimes re-emerged in men with consciousness. The first of these voices was that of Yahweh and the first individual to hear this voice was Abraham.

Yahweh's voice sometimes originated from "the heavens" but other times it manifests in personal encounters with strangers that meet Abraham. The voice directs Abraham to do things that are beneficial only to his family (tribe). Yahweh also directs some social behavior that, to me anyway, seems immoral.

For starters, Abraham impregnates his wife's servant out of fear that his wife is too old to have a child. He needs an heir to his dynasty so, with the instruction of Yahweh and the reluctant consent from his wife, Abraham and the servant have a male child called Ishmael. Rather than be thankful, when his wife later becomes miraculously pregnant with Isaac, Abraham kicks the servant and his own son out of the home to wander in the wilderness. Yahweh consents to this because all attention and effort must now go towards his (Yahweh's) progeny, Isaac (see below for more details).

When Abraham took an official job in the court of the King of Ge'rar, he made his wife pretend to be his sister (deception). This seems to have been a ploy to shame the king (who was hitting on her) into giving Abraham more land and wealth for his people. Again, Yahweh approves. (Genesis 20)

Then it's Yahweh's turn to be deceptive with Abraham. Yahweh tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on a mountain top as an offering to him (pictured above). Just as his hand is about to cut his son's throat, Yahweh intervenes and stops him, telling him it was only a test of his obedience to Yahweh's voice.

There is more to say about Abraham and Yahweh. But next I want to discuss Moses and Yahweh. Also, angels and demons come on the scene. Jaynes has a unique way of explaining these phenomenon... next.

Now to enjoy some good sativa. Please keep writing and let me know if something needs more explanation. It's cool that you are really understanding the significance of these things. Peace. (later)