Anyone who has been lost in reverie, or has transcended time as they work on a creative project, has entered an altered state. For many of us it is a brief, often flickering moment, for others, time stands still or passes swiftly until we return to our “normal” thinking selves.
     Spiritual seekers have often put this experience down to being in union with God, or perhaps one with the cosmos, but with recent scientific data and study into the right side or non-dominant side of the brain, it has become apparent that everyone has another, “inner self.”
     To ancient thinkers, such as the Gnostics, this other element was referred to as the “Daemon” or the higher self or “over self.”
     In his book, The Daemon, Anthony Peake continues his research from his first book, Is There Life After Death? He explores the proposition that all conscious beings consist of two separate awareness’s, everyday, or what the Gnostics called the Eidolon, and that of the Daemon, a ‘being’ that appears to possess knowledge of future events.
     Anthony Peake’s position is that the Daemon lives in the non-dominant hemisphere of the brain and acts as an “all knowing passenger.” The Eidolon, or what we see as the ordinary part of ourselves, has no pre-life memories and is literally guided by the Daemon, again another Gnostic term.
     Occasionally memories break through as in the déjà vu experience, but this is infrequent. The Daemon, writes Peake, can guide and assist its “ignorant partner when it feels it is needed.”
     Anthony Peake’s proposal is hardly new, it is in fact one of the cornerstones of Gnostic theory, hence the use of Gnostic terms, however, he is probably one of the first authors to use current brain research into the right and left hemispheres to support his theory.
     Peake provides evidence to suggest that each of us carries this knowledge like a folded map or hologram within the brain, and there is a huge well of scientific data to support the fact that we indeed forget nothing. When the brain is stimulated correctly, all kinds of distant memories can be retrieved.
     Peak focuses strongly on the NDE or Near Death Experiences that have become prevalent and widely researched. Most people who experience an NDE report having a life review, and that time slows down and becomes non-existent; others experience a déjà vu sensation.
     Peake believes that seconds before death endorphins and a neurotransmitter called Glutamate are pumped into the brain causing a profound slowing of internal time perception. At this point the brain triggers a “virtual reality life re-run in real time.”
     In other words Peake’s proposal is that we all, at the point of death, return to the very beginning of our lives and go through it all again. We re-live every moment of our lives again without remembering previous past lives, which could number in the millions.
     He also suggests something even stranger, that consciousness itself splits into two loci of awareness, i.e. the Daemon and the Eidolon. The Eidolon forgets he or she has done all this before, but the Daemon remembers exactly who he or she was and sees this as a second chance to get things “right” and therefore has “future” memory.
     Peake points to evidence such as the sensation that there is a world beyond this one. The Gnostics knew this as the Pleroma. Some of us have a vague sense that something is not quite right, others suffer migraines or even temporal lobe epilepsy. Others seem to be driven insane and may be diagnosed schizophrenic, which Peake posits could well be simply a sensitive person feeling or attuning to their Daemon.
     Science fiction writer Philip K. Dick is an example of someone who communicated with his Daemon, says Peake. This experience, writes Peake, lead him to believe that both the duality and illusory nature of time were central clues to a deeper, more profound universe.
     He quotes the well-known interview Dick gave in 1987 where he talked about meeting his future self, and how his wife witnessed this “future” self. On rare occasions, this doppelganger, or double, is experienced during a person’s life, and seems to watch over him/her.
     The Daemon can also be seen as a guardian angel or spirit guide. The Gnostic sages believed the Daemon was an aspect of the higher self, implying it is part of our own psyche.
     The Daemon can clearly be described a twin and historically there is a Gnostic fascination with the “twin.” The Gnostic known as Mani had many visions of his mystical twin, or al-Tawm (Arabic for twin). Mani considered his twin an older, wiser version of himself who communicated with his younger incarnation across the years. He also used the term, the Divine Adam, or his own description, syzygos, from the Greek that means yoke, which implies bondage. One must also remember that the word Yoga comes from the same source, and has a similar original meaning.
     Life is a mystery and it is this very mystery that gives life meaning. Anthony Peake’s suggestion that we live our lives repeatedly until we “get it right” could be interpreted as re-living our “patterns,” or if you will, personality traits, until we become wise, or “enlightened.” This could also explain the basis behind the belief in past and future lives.
     A flaw in Peake’s proposal is the evidence he provides from hundreds of NDEs. In most instances the newly deceased (or should we say, temporarily deceased) person is given a life review. Peake says that the Daemon in question has slipped up and started the new life review/repeat prematurely, not realising that the physical body of the newly deceased Eidolon would be revived. Surely if the Daemon has lived this life before, he or she would know the Eidolon is to be resuscitated. Peake suggests that these particular Daemons, who must be daydreaming on the job, are simply inexperienced, hence the error – a theory that might be seen as a little too convenient.
     Science and theology have been locked in the battle of theory for centuries, with the power shifting from one to the other. Whilst Anthony Peake’s theories are fascinating and controversial, they still do not offer all the answers, but then how could they?
     Peake’s research is diligent and thorough and he probably unwittingly adds impetus to the ancient Gnostic theology. However, many spiritual pathways have indicated a Higher Self, or Overself, and recent research indicates the link between our lower and higher self does seem to lie in the non-dominant hemisphere of the brain.
     As a spiritual artist, I know the value of working on the “right side of the brain.” And one of the ways to trigger it into action is to draw with your other hand. Another exercise is to draw an object without ever looking at the paper you are drawing on, but focus only on the object. When we totally unite with this other side of the brain, the artwork is alien, surreal and indicates another part of yourself, yet unknown.
     Anthony Peake’s The Daemon: A Guide to Your Extraordinary Secret Self is an amazing mental door opener. It at once puts Gnostic wisdom into modern perspective and challenges everything we thought we knew about ourselves.
     At times I could hardly put the book down, and at other times I wanted to toss it away. For the serious student of science and spirituality, Anthony Peake’s theories will prove challenging, and for some, threatening.
     It is interesting to note that the author has a blog and this book has caused quite a stir in both scientific and theological circles.
     I expect we will hear more from Anthony Peake. Then again, perhaps we have already done this before, and we already know what is going to happen!