I always sort of consider myself 'not fully alive' until I was about 4 or 5 years old. I don't have any memories before this particular instance, and it's like I 'became' conscious at this time: I was sitting at the dinner table eating chicken soup and my mom started worrying about a noise in the cumney, which turned out to be a bird trapped in there. My take on this is that the sudden 'distrubance' in my life of 'evertyhing no longer being "normal" or "ok" , sort of 'shocked' me into conscious awareness. Anyone else have a similar viewpoint? Maybe i really didn't exist before that moment, and my 'birth' into this world was that moment? I have seen photos of myself as a baby, but the point I'm making is a fully 'conscious' birth of a being from that moment.
Taken from the point of anthroposophy, memories are associated with the etheric body, and we don't start remember things until our etheric body begins to develop, which becomes fully developed around age 7, and we start losing our teeth. So about halfway through that, around 3 or 4, we start having memories.
A bit unrelated, but interesting - After the etheric body has "broken it's shell" at around 7, the astral body begins it's 7 years (approximate) of development, which culminates with puberty/adolescence (about 14), and the ego begins it's 7-year development. After that, you are officially an adult.
So what does it mean when you have memories of before that?
That your etheric body has developed a bit sooner I suppose, or maybe something else that made a big impression on it. Steiner explains it in detail in several of his books. Of course, that's just the explanation given by anthroposophy. Book-read knowledge I'm spittin here.
My first memory is having 3 railroad ties that were bolted together crush one of my legs when I was 2. And my memories start from that point. As far as I can remember.
I have memories (and I think I've spoken before of this) of wondering why my arm are so short, and why don't they respond to my trying to move them- they flailed around when I tried to use my hands, for example.
I have other memories, such as trying to learn what words mean and having to forget what I used to know before that.
The third memory is more specific- being excited that I was going to be five soon.
Interesting reading. Thanks folks.
And my daughter, when she was really young, used to talk about her other mom and dad, but she couldn't really say anything else about that.
I still remember the day when I became literally conciouss of me.I was 4 and from that point on I somehow started thinking,having memories.It was like a fog lifted from me and I existed, I thinked, worried and had memories.The moment is so precise that I am still amazed by it every time.
I can't remember anything from when I was even younger except what I consider a traumatic event.It was cold outside and I had to go to what I know is the doctor.I don't know how but I was just 2 years and I was walking down a hallway.I remember being frightened and even felt that smell you get in hospitals, that gives you nausea, headaches.The doctor then made me a vaccine and what I remember is the fear,pain, cold and being absolute helpless, the needle piercing my skin.After that my memories are just fogged and at some point at the age of 4 everything is continuous and clear.
This memory was confirmed when I visited the doctor at the age of five.The building and the setting was the same in every detail.I still get that chill down my spine when someone takes blood from me.
great thread!! =)
My earliest memory's may have been when i was 3 and a half or 4 years old possibly. It was in the 1st house my grandparents lived in. My uncles were still teenagers. I remember walking down the hallway. How everything looked. The Kitchen, The rooms. Even the old house number. I clearly remember myself "awakening" in this hallway walking. But i remember most things about how that old house used to look like. I agree. I also have other young memory's, of mostly impacting or traumatic events. OR if it was something really important.
Most of all i clearly remember at one point maybe when i was 5 or so. Sitting in the living room and then start examining myself. I actually starting examining my hand, feeling it, Tracing across the lines on the palm of my hand and said...."Wow im real....This is real." "Why am i real?"
Not really something a 4/5 year old has to worry about as such a young age. But that thought sprang to me. And i remember that as 1 of my earliest memory's as well.
QuoteI still remember the day when I became literally conciouss of me.I was 4 and from that point on I somehow started thinking,having memories.It was like a fog lifted from me and I existed, I thinked, worried and had memories.The moment is so precise that I am still amazed by it every time.
This is the kind of thing that makes me wonder if I'm really 'human'. I remember the opposite- 'knowing' everything and then having to forget it, because I could not hold the 'expanded' awareness of everything and think in terms of 'sounds' and 'pictures' and 'words'; probably using my brain- at the same time.
Weird, eh?
This is all very interesting and puts things into more perspective for me.
I wonder if dying is a reverse process? Sort of like things in the physical not making sense and a realisation of the other dimensions/Focuses?
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For me. I can compare it to when I wake up in the morning. I am physically definitely there in a bed, (or am I? ;) ), and sometimes I will just suddenly be wide awake, or I will drift into consciousness. It seems the same process as becoming aware as an infant.
Quote from: Taoistguy on December 01, 2010, 19:41:14
I always sort of consider myself 'not fully alive' until I was about 4 or 5 years old. I don't have any memories before this particular instance, and it's like I 'became' conscious at this time: I was sitting at the dinner table eating chicken soup and my mom started worrying about a noise in the cumney, which turned out to be a bird trapped in there. My take on this is that the sudden 'distrubance' in my life of 'evertyhing no longer being "normal" or "ok" , sort of 'shocked' me into conscious awareness. Anyone else have a similar viewpoint? Maybe i really didn't exist before that moment, and my 'birth' into this world was that moment? I have seen photos of myself as a baby, but the point I'm making is a fully 'conscious' birth of a being from that moment.
This is interesting. Reading the other replies, the trend seems to continue throughout the thread.
The first memory I have isn't very traumatic. I've replayed enough by now that I've likely reshaped it, and I can't be sure what I was thinking or feeling at the time anymore. It was just seeing my dad and not knowing who he was, despite living with him my entire life. I was likely four at the time.
My first 'remebered' thoughts were when I was 3 1/2 and I can be specific about this as my brother, who this is about, was born Sept 10 1967 and I was born 25 Feb 1964. I was sat at in the back yard playing with my doll and my mum came out to tell me she was going to go and get me a new brother or sister. There are a few more details but not going into them here. No memories before this
This is rather interesting... I can remember back until I was about two, but what I remember is quite strange. Multiple cases of disassociation as I was learning to walk, and for some reason the house looked different... like, architecturally. I remember the rest of my family's houses as strangely cartoon-ish, as if the floors were giant curved mirrors. Still, multiple cases of disassociation around this time. The first time I became aware of truth and life was caused by a lucid dream, and after I woke up I felt different, like... better, more aware, conscious. I was about 8 then. :-D