01 - Pequeña Aclaración Semántica Quizá Trivial pero Necesaria
[Small Semantic Clarification (Perhaps Trivial, but Necessary)]
Alright then—the first thing we’re going to dois define something.I’d like you all to give me a definition of:Consciousness.Let’s see—what does consciousness mean to you?Because we’re going to talk about it a lot in this discussion,so we need to agree on the word.
Jacobo, would you like to start?
—It can’t be defined.That is, it’s beyond definition.And if it could be defined,it would be limited—or it would become something less than the definition.
—Keep in mind—and sorry to interrupt—here, we tend to associate “consciousness”very strongly with morality.Not sure if you do as well.That’s why I wanted you to clarify—do you understand?
—Right.Well, the term consciousness does have a moral usage:becoming aware of certain rules… or norms.But I don’t think that’s what we’re referring to herewhen we talk about consciousness.
And it’s on that other levelthat it can’t really be defined.
We could say, for example,that the quality of experience is consciousness—in the sense that consciousness, at this level—not the moral level—could be conceptualized aswhat lies behind every perceptual act.What sustains it.The very texture of experience.
That could be a way of putting it…
And there are many levels of consciousness!
02 - Jacobo
The person you just heard is Jacobo Grinberg—a Mexican neurophysiologist and psychologist, born in 1946.Founder of the National Institute for the Study of Consciousness,and author of one of the most fascinating theoriesI’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.
What sets Grinberg apart from other scientistsis likely the focus of his work—which begins with his fascination for Mexican shamanismand, more broadly, the magical world—everything that happens within human perceptionyet seems to have no clear explanation in science.
So he sets out to bridge that gap—to find a scientific explanation for the transcendental.
His research aimed to measure things like meditation,demonstrate telepathy,and lay the foundation for a new kind of science—a science driven by curiosity,one that dared to explore what didn’t fitwithin the rules of modern science.
Of course, this brought him plenty of trouble,since academia at the timewas reluctant to recognizehis work as genuinely scientific.
But despite the resistance,Grinberg pressed on with his investigationsand managed to publish over 40 books,culminating in what he called“The Sintergic Theory.”
A theory of everything—describing a basic, infinite energetic structure,of which the human brain can perceiveonly a small fragment.
And that very decoding processis what we know as reality.
His theory tries to answerthe question of how experience itself is created—how perception is born—and perhaps even speculate on its purpose.
Grinberg believed—and I personally agree—that these subjects deserve a particular kind of relevance.A new way of seeing the worldthrough a comprehensive understanding ofthe metaphysical, the spiritual, and the scientific—could represent the next stepin human evolution.
And to get there, perhaps we need a shift in paradigm:To accept that the belief systems we start witharen’t enough to analyze certain phenomena.To recognize that the world is much morethan just what we perceive.
And to allow that truth to elevate us—to show us a new worldwe could never have imagined.
In December 1994,Dr. Grinberg mysteriously disappeared.And given the unusual nature of his work,his disappearance sparked countless theories—some bordering on the bizarre:secret missions, dimensional travel,CIA conspiracies, alien abductions.
The only verifiable fact is that Jacobo never reappeared.His lab was shut down.And except for the cult-like admirationhe still holds in some communitiesthat resonated with his ideas,his legacy faded with time.
And his disappearance turned out to bea very effective way of silencingthis kind of research.
This album is a small tributeto what I personally believeis one of his most accessible works:La Meditación Autoalusiva—Self-Allusive Meditation.
Throughout the record,you’ll hear fragments taken directly from the book,which I highly recommend reading in full.
These excerpts serve as a kind of practical guidewe’ll attempt to interpret musically,in the hope of perhapsreaching the states of consciousness neededto see reality—as Grinberg described it—as it truly is.
Without much more introduction,thank you for listening.
This is Un Syrah.A very special shoutout to Dr. Grinberg.And I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you.
03 - La Meditación Autoalusiva [The Self-Allusive Meditation]
I believe we must come to find ourselves—and in that act of finding oneself,everything begins to make sense.
Then, both what happens in the worldand what happens within usbecomes integrated.
It all becomes part of a single encounter,seen from that space.
Everything appears fresh.Everything is new.
And this observation—moment by moment—unfolds.
But there’s something behind this perceptionthat I can’t bring myself to believe doesn’t exist.
It’s this self—which is not the ego.
It’s something one has to discover.
And it’s very hard to define.But it has to be there—because if it’s not,then nothing has meaning.
And I believe meaningis deeply important.
04 - Fortalecimiento de la Atención: Anapana
[Strengthening Attention: Anapana]
The technique I use beginswith a first phase:you sit down,close your eyes,and begin to observe your breath.
You start observing your breath—and thoughts will arise.Sensations will arise.
You don’t suppress them.
For example, if a thought appears,you let it passand return to your breath.
Another thought appears—you let it pass.You observe it—how it’s born, how it fades—and you return to your breath.
This prepares you.
It prepares you because, in this first phase,you have to learn to concentrate.You have to learn to center your attention.You have to cleanse your mind.
These repetitive thoughts—I believe they do need to be cleared out.And the way to clear themis by accepting them.
Paradoxically, accepting them.Letting them pass.Letting them surface—again and again and again—until a moment comeswhen they begin to settle.
And in that moment,you can merge with your breath.

05 - Tao
00:00[Inspiration]
05:22[Retention]
11:22[Exhalation]
18:22[Rest]
06 - Fortalecimiento del Cuerpo: Vipassana
[Strengthening the Body: Vipassana]
The second phase consists of beginning,for example,to observe your body—your sensations.
To unify your body,to scan it,to observe it part by part—feeling it,accepting it,without fighting against it,without judging it,without analyzing it.
Instead, simply—you begin to feel the top of your head,the tactile sensations,the surface sensations.
Then you move on—feeling each part of your body,bathing it with awareness,scanning it slowly.
Until, eventually,you reach a pointwhere you can observe your whole bodyas a single unit.
It’s like recovering your body image.
You observe your body—witnessing itwhile simultaneously feeling it.
It’s an extraordinary way to heal,to cleanse yourself—and to place yourselfin that point of observationwhere you can perceive your entire bodyas one whole.
You’re accepting everything that happens there,but from a transcendent positionin relation to it.
This is a Buddhist technique.It’s called Vipassana.
07 - Ceremonia Incorporea
[Incorporeal Ceremony]-
08 - Observación de la Mente
[Observation of the Mind]
The way to cleanse the mindis not by fighting against it.
You can’t get rid of it—there’s no way to remove it.And if you fight it,that’s the worst thing you can do,because you only make it stronger.
But I also don’t thinkhaving a mind is a bad thing.It’s necessary to have understanding—it’s wonderful,because losing that partwould be disastrous.
The next stepis to begin activating simultaneous perception—so that you perceive your entire bodywith all its physical sensations,and at the same time,your breath.
Then comes the stepof bringing your attention to your thoughts.
You begin to perceive your thoughts—What thoughts are present?What relationships exist between them?What networks of thought are happening?
And you perceive themwith the same attitudeyou used when observing your breath and your body:
No judgment.No analysis.Accepting every thought that arises—but positioning yourselfas a witness to them.
You are, at the same time,feeling and living your thoughts—but from a placeof transcendencein relation to them.
09 - Ideas Artificiales [Artificial Ideas]
[Spontaneous Thoughts]
Green ideas sleep furiouslywhile today becomes tomorrowonly when we look at it from yesterday.
And maybe today is just an urgent outcomeof some ordinary emotionwe never learned to transcend.
And there are never enough minutesfor everything we’re supposed to do—or maybe dutyis just a dream that tends to happenwhen a deranged condition,preceding the self,embraces our inert willand forces us to obey.
Can a whole life be recognized?Are they indelible memories,or just battles lost?
It’s always too late to go back—but even with my eyes closed,sometimes I still feel like I can see.
[Memories]
The lights I saw before I was born.My first word.My first coffee.
My first real connection—and the first “I love you”that wasn’t really true.
The first tearsI ever learned to cry.Stormy days that felt like they’d never end—like those endless elementary school summers.
Or the times I missed a place,or a person,or something slightly wicked.
And in the end, everything passed.In the blink of an eye,it was already gone.
How many times, growing up,did I feel miserable?Unaware that someday,that very day would be unforgettable—
Feeling like timewas truly endless—and not even thinking about it,just existingin a kind ofimpermeable euphoria.
So many hours have passed since then—laughter, tears,and so many silences that still hide within.
I used to climb trees as a child.I remember speaking to one as an adultand it not feeling like a dream.
It told me thingsI never managed to explain—and still, somehow,I understood.
Just like that.
I remember not feeling alone in that moment.I remember that, despite everything,there are so many memorieswhere I’m truly happy.
And I know that everything I miss—I miss it because it happened.
But sometimes I thinkit’s better to have memoriesthan a lifewhere nothing ever did.
[Mental Images]
An indigo horizonon an autumn daywith spring warmth—
No civic duties,no tasks that wear us down—just being,just enjoying time—
maybe with a good recordto make it pass more slowly.
10 - Observación de las Emociones
[Observation of Emotions]
The next phaseinvolves observing simultaneouslyyour body, your breath, and all your mental processes.
Once you're able to sustain this simultaneous observation,you begin to turn your attention to your emotions.
What emotional shifts are happening?What are their tones?Their emotional luminosity?The textures of feeling?
And you observe your emotionswith the same attitudeyou used when observingyour thoughts, your body, and your breath:
Without judgment.Without analysis.Simply watching.
When you reach this level of observation—you’re simultaneously aware ofyour breath, your body, your thoughts,and your emotions.
11 - Cítrico [Citric]
-
12 - Observación de Patrones [Observation of Patterns]
The next stepis to observethe sounds around you—and to observe themin the same wayyou observedyour thoughts, your emotions, your body.
Then, you observe the visual world—and begin a simultaneous observationof your environment,your body,your emotions,your thoughts,and so on.
Everything becomes partof a single field of attention—a unified awarenesswhere no part is more important than the rest.
13 - Apreciación Banal Con Diferencias Epistemológicas
[Banal Appreciation With Epistemological Differences]
Atemporal adornments alignAt the antechamber of an agonizing avalanche.
Byzantine babies drink black tarBeneath billions of bone-white butterfly kisses.
Catch the collapse of coherence—catalog the constantsTo be Checked when you Comprehend the Conclusion.
Delighting in deity-driven daydreams,We’ll donate dozens of diversified dividends.
Examples emerge effortlessly:Emotional epics, entangled egos.
Fair would it be to FelicitateAll that fades like a Furtive Feline sphinx.
Gratuity in Guttural cries—From Gulls or Giants, doesn't matter.
Here stands the Honest Human:A Hero-forging, Homeopathic Hominid.
Ignorant of the impulse to inventIrreverent, Infallible ideologies that invoke—
Jade javelins or wild JavelinasJuggling their justice jargon but never joining.
Kinesiological kilograms tangled withKamikaze kilometers and karmic kicks.
Measuring in the most Maniacal, Masochistic ways,All while munching on theNauseous Nullity of noble namesThat are still needed.
Ñostalgic Ñuts of yesteryear,Maybe for tomorrow.Or have you already Overlooked Other things?Obedient, Ornate Opulence.
Paint that clings orPunishments people Persist through.
Question: who would Quarrel with their Queer chemistry?What Quirky Queries of quarrelsome complaints
Will Rattle the roots of rivalry?Raging whirlwinds would rip through all records.
Sincerely, I only know:The Syllables of Silence are Superior.
Terrors I do carry too—I Tremble at the Titanic task of Taking Treasures.
Ultimately, my UtilitiesHave been Urgent and Uniform at best.
Vanity, invincible, took flight—While I voyaged through Valor and Verity.
With Wild Willpower andA sip of Whiskey.
Xylophonic xeno-etchingsWould explode exponentially if—
You went for the Yugular,To the Yuxtalinear Yuxtaposition of all law.
Zap sapphires and cast spellsUpon the hearts atop the rooftops.
14 - Autoalusión [Self-Allusion]
There comes a momentwhen you can observeall the components of your experiencesimultaneously.
And something truly strange happens.
It’s like crossing a kind of threshold—and suddenly,you connect with yourself.
But who is it?Who is it within youthat you’re connecting with?
It can’t be described—because it’s what’s unifyingeverything else.
15 - Reflejos [Reflections]
Fragmented islands arereflections of who I truly am—as if I mattered,or could retellheroic featsor the patterns of chance.
A reflection of my surroundings,an illusion of safety,a mirror for others,or a lack of truth.
And by now, I don’t even carewhat they’ll have to say—those voices of moralityjudging the peaks I dream of climbing.
And when the day comeswhere the summit is just one more step,I hope it’s my surroundingswhere I’ll finally see myself reflected.
16 - Permanente y Sin Límites [Permanent and Limitless]
Somehow,the technique of bringing observationinto observation itself—and doing it simultaneously—leads you to a threshold.
A point where all the ideasyou once had about yourselfdissolve.
And you connect with somethingbeyond all those conceptions—yet closer to youthan ever before.
And then you realizethat this “you”is inseparablefrom the whole.
17 - Hoy [Today]
Who will we try to save today?With words no one hearsand opinions out of control.
And what other limit will we try to cross today?Maybe reach the sky—or climb higher than the sun.
And today,will we find something more,even if it turns out to be less, in truthToday,everything will be a new present—that will also pass.
And how many new goals will we invent today?Just to avoid blaming confusion.
And if today arrivedbringing full realization—how would we even knowwhat today truly is?
And today,will we find something more,even if it turns out to be less, in truthToday,everything will be a new present—that will also pass.
And even if todayI find some way to escape—it will surely be todaythat remainsthe only placewe can truly be.