An oval gold-framed mirror hovers in the sky, angled down toward the earth. From it rain falls. The sky around is clear.
This morn I lay in bed in a half-dream state (active imagination). Recollection of a dream leads to thoughts of a friend who is currently going through a difficult period. This is followed by a recollection of something overheard while watching a movie scene in which a plain looking girl endures life with a gorgeous sister, about how hard that must be.
The phrase "living in the shadow of her beauty" springs to mind, followed by the vivid image of the raining mirror, which I instantly associate with a crying eye.
Note: My friend who is going through the tough period actually has an older sister who is particularly striking, and yet her current crisis involves something else entirely.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Mixed message from the Pope
"Pope: 'Guardian Angel' didn't stop him from breaking wrist". The story caught my eye mainly as an opportunity for the Pope to address transpersonal (i.e. beyond Ego yet mingling with it) elements in his own universe. The manner in which someone refers to the doings of his higher principle can say a lot about his relationship with the unconscious Self.
In the story two quotes are (we assume) taken directly from the Pope regarding an incident in which he broke his wrist. The first is most telling: "Unfortunately my own Guradian Angel did not prevent my injury, certainly following superior orders," he said.
When something "bad" happens to us, we often first view it as "misfortune" - forces conspiring against the self (Ego). With the passing of time many come to see the same circumstances as acceptable or even favorable, causing a complete reevaluation of the intent of said forces. There's a wonderful zen parable which illustrates the all-too-common trap of placing lables of "good" or "bad" luck on circumstances, one constantly leading to the other and then back again until it becomes plain that the only sensible position of the Ego to the tides of fortune is as a still witness.
Here the Pope, who must be all too aware of the power of his every uttered word, potentially betrays himself to be at odds with his greater Self (God). The begged question: how can his circumstances be "unfortunate" if they have come from something superior to even his Guardian Angel?
His next sentence takes a positve view of his circumstance, but seems trite and maybe even resigned: "Perhaps the Lord wanted to teach me more patience and humility..." One wants to view this as making lemonade out of lemons, but in the wake of his statement about his failed Guradian Angel it sounds more like a punitive measure. The idea of "superior orders" leading to a shameful stepping aside of one's very own trusted Guardian Angel flies in the face of harmonious conjunction and indeed sounds more like a military hierarchy.
Despite possible appearances this not a diatribe against the Pope, about whom I know little and hold no grudge. It is an opportunity to explore through him the mentality of the modern religious masses, who see the nature of the universe through him as he speaks to them. To so many he is as a representative of the highest spiritual position a mortal man can take and it is therefore reasonable to expect the most of his references to the forces which shape the lives of humans.
The Pope's reactions to his accident seems to betray an apprehension to these forces, if tempered by casual aplomb. A reflection of the 1st World mindset today, perhaps?
At the very least he missed an opportunity to ruminate positively on the web of circumstance weaving in and out of all goings-on in God's great domain. Or something like that.
This story can be found here:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99O4M380&show_article=1
And here:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-07-29-pope-angel_N.htm
In the story two quotes are (we assume) taken directly from the Pope regarding an incident in which he broke his wrist. The first is most telling: "Unfortunately my own Guradian Angel did not prevent my injury, certainly following superior orders," he said.
When something "bad" happens to us, we often first view it as "misfortune" - forces conspiring against the self (Ego). With the passing of time many come to see the same circumstances as acceptable or even favorable, causing a complete reevaluation of the intent of said forces. There's a wonderful zen parable which illustrates the all-too-common trap of placing lables of "good" or "bad" luck on circumstances, one constantly leading to the other and then back again until it becomes plain that the only sensible position of the Ego to the tides of fortune is as a still witness.
Here the Pope, who must be all too aware of the power of his every uttered word, potentially betrays himself to be at odds with his greater Self (God). The begged question: how can his circumstances be "unfortunate" if they have come from something superior to even his Guardian Angel?
His next sentence takes a positve view of his circumstance, but seems trite and maybe even resigned: "Perhaps the Lord wanted to teach me more patience and humility..." One wants to view this as making lemonade out of lemons, but in the wake of his statement about his failed Guradian Angel it sounds more like a punitive measure. The idea of "superior orders" leading to a shameful stepping aside of one's very own trusted Guardian Angel flies in the face of harmonious conjunction and indeed sounds more like a military hierarchy.
Despite possible appearances this not a diatribe against the Pope, about whom I know little and hold no grudge. It is an opportunity to explore through him the mentality of the modern religious masses, who see the nature of the universe through him as he speaks to them. To so many he is as a representative of the highest spiritual position a mortal man can take and it is therefore reasonable to expect the most of his references to the forces which shape the lives of humans.
The Pope's reactions to his accident seems to betray an apprehension to these forces, if tempered by casual aplomb. A reflection of the 1st World mindset today, perhaps?
At the very least he missed an opportunity to ruminate positively on the web of circumstance weaving in and out of all goings-on in God's great domain. Or something like that.
This story can be found here:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99O4M380&show_article=1
And here:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-07-29-pope-angel_N.htm
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Dowels in whirlpool
Tonight's meditation elicits the following image: A perfectly round pool approximately the size of a 12" vinyl record, swirling in mid air (but neither convex or concave). On either side squared rods protrude and it's immediately noticeable that despite the similarity of the two ends it is not one rod pushing through the center of the pool and out the other side, but rather two going in at slightly different spots near the center, as if to mysteriously disappear.
My conscious self takes immediate notice of this image, and so begins the interplay. In a state Jung termed Active Imagination I attempt to experience and savor the image while maintaining enough consciousness to remember and not get "lost in the flow" (again, Jung). I also grapple with the natural desire to think intellectually about the experience, which threatens to remove oneself from the direct experience. Still there's enough creative interaction in the moment to cause some metamorphosis: the dowels turn into swords being pushed by two human figures into the otherworldy pool.*
The image, or perhaps more directly the inexpressable thing that image points to, continues to live in the psyche after it's experienced by the conscious self. In Hillman's estimation, to coldy attempt to descipher it after the fact is to safely put distance between oneself (small "s") and the very thing your unconscious mind is trying to thrust at you. But this is of course the natural inclination. I prefer to try to live with the image, make my head a comfortable nest for it to incubate in, allowing it spill out in some other form when the synchronistic moment is due. This is challenging mostly because we feel so much more comfortable when something is "nailed down", or summed up. What if the next form the image takes is threatening? I prefer not to treat my greater unconscious expanse as something to fear, or even an inconvenience for that matter. Though I fear what might happen if I do...
* As is so often the case, the feel of imagery directly from the unconscious (the original image) has a more genuine feel than the development which transpired via the conscious interaction, despite the naturalness of it. I lose myself in thoughts of the process, where I perhaps tried too hard to make the image something it didn't want to be ("spoiled" it) and conversely where I let it germinate healthily with my self. At this point we are riding along Thomas Moore's Ego/Self Axis.
My conscious self takes immediate notice of this image, and so begins the interplay. In a state Jung termed Active Imagination I attempt to experience and savor the image while maintaining enough consciousness to remember and not get "lost in the flow" (again, Jung). I also grapple with the natural desire to think intellectually about the experience, which threatens to remove oneself from the direct experience. Still there's enough creative interaction in the moment to cause some metamorphosis: the dowels turn into swords being pushed by two human figures into the otherworldy pool.*
The image, or perhaps more directly the inexpressable thing that image points to, continues to live in the psyche after it's experienced by the conscious self. In Hillman's estimation, to coldy attempt to descipher it after the fact is to safely put distance between oneself (small "s") and the very thing your unconscious mind is trying to thrust at you. But this is of course the natural inclination. I prefer to try to live with the image, make my head a comfortable nest for it to incubate in, allowing it spill out in some other form when the synchronistic moment is due. This is challenging mostly because we feel so much more comfortable when something is "nailed down", or summed up. What if the next form the image takes is threatening? I prefer not to treat my greater unconscious expanse as something to fear, or even an inconvenience for that matter. Though I fear what might happen if I do...
* As is so often the case, the feel of imagery directly from the unconscious (the original image) has a more genuine feel than the development which transpired via the conscious interaction, despite the naturalness of it. I lose myself in thoughts of the process, where I perhaps tried too hard to make the image something it didn't want to be ("spoiled" it) and conversely where I let it germinate healthily with my self. At this point we are riding along Thomas Moore's Ego/Self Axis.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The simple importance of the Image
By Sunday afternoon my mood was dark and I was mentally at a standstill. I was frustrated, tired, and confused with no clear way back to normal functioning. This was the result of an arguement with my girl which started the night before. We were now calmly at odds with no where to go intellectually, both fed up with having arrived at nowhere. I walked into the band studio, dark and quiet, and lay down on the floor to clear my convoluted mind. The very moment I broke through my mood a strong, clear image emerged through the fog: a massive, ultra-thick brick wall with an opening leading to an infinite sea. Along the edge a trickle of water from me to it.
As will happen I've resolved my own doubts about the usefulness of paying attention to images which emerge from the unconscious realm. My experience with images are that they relate more directly to the underlying reality of a thing or idea. Now, it's impossible to know which came first in this example - the image or the breakthrough. But the image, strong as it was, was able to be evoked at will and held in mind as I recovered from the long period of frustration. After such an extended period does not a part of the mind try sometimes to revert, even if we know the difficulty has been surmounted? The image of the wall and sea, with it's accompanying feelings of relief, helped keep me connected with the resource of my grand subconscious* from which I'd been cut off.
I'm also reminded of a time when I was confused about a casual friend. There was an unclear jumble of ideas and feelings about who he was, my relationship with him, and expectations thereof and for a brief time I struggled to put it out of mind. During meditation an image emerged during thoughts of him. The silouette of a young man stands in a doorway, beyond is nothing but clear night sky peppered with stars. Intellectually I had absolutely no idea what this image indicated and neither did it matter. Somehow my mental tangle was relieved by pulling up this image at will, and I did it several times thereafter whenever thoughts of him caused my systems to tighten and clog. Before long I was in the clear and I've hardly looked back. Sometimes we're dragged down by situations - mental or physical - which are beyond our ability to understand or overtly clear up. The Image arrives as a secret passage to resolution of sorts.
For more on the importance of the Image look for A Blue Fire by James Hillman. When i develop this blog further I hope to post downloads of some the recordings I have, including Hillman's excellent readings and discussions from this book.
*Jung tended to use "unconscious" and "subconscious" interchangeably, as I have here. Not sure why, though it's on my radar.
As will happen I've resolved my own doubts about the usefulness of paying attention to images which emerge from the unconscious realm. My experience with images are that they relate more directly to the underlying reality of a thing or idea. Now, it's impossible to know which came first in this example - the image or the breakthrough. But the image, strong as it was, was able to be evoked at will and held in mind as I recovered from the long period of frustration. After such an extended period does not a part of the mind try sometimes to revert, even if we know the difficulty has been surmounted? The image of the wall and sea, with it's accompanying feelings of relief, helped keep me connected with the resource of my grand subconscious* from which I'd been cut off.
I'm also reminded of a time when I was confused about a casual friend. There was an unclear jumble of ideas and feelings about who he was, my relationship with him, and expectations thereof and for a brief time I struggled to put it out of mind. During meditation an image emerged during thoughts of him. The silouette of a young man stands in a doorway, beyond is nothing but clear night sky peppered with stars. Intellectually I had absolutely no idea what this image indicated and neither did it matter. Somehow my mental tangle was relieved by pulling up this image at will, and I did it several times thereafter whenever thoughts of him caused my systems to tighten and clog. Before long I was in the clear and I've hardly looked back. Sometimes we're dragged down by situations - mental or physical - which are beyond our ability to understand or overtly clear up. The Image arrives as a secret passage to resolution of sorts.
For more on the importance of the Image look for A Blue Fire by James Hillman. When i develop this blog further I hope to post downloads of some the recordings I have, including Hillman's excellent readings and discussions from this book.
*Jung tended to use "unconscious" and "subconscious" interchangeably, as I have here. Not sure why, though it's on my radar.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tunnel
Continuing with the theme:
Exiting from tonight's meditation I reached the Vortex State, and yet there was a willfulness to its arrival, perhaps due to the previous post about it. It seemed I anticipated it in a unique way. With the white on black panorama in front of me I first noticed it was stagnant and with, again, a will, it began to turn. Something about it reminded me of my childhood pastime. Staring in the dark from my bed late at night I'd watch a slow moving shower of multi-colored dots flow uniformly across my field of vision in an arch. They seemed to be in the middle of the bedroom. I knew they weren't actually there, and yet there they were.
Back to the TM, almost as soon as the white-line image began its turn (counterclockwise? Does it matter?)I was seeing an image beyond it, again 3D but this time a tunnel, man-made concrete archway with nothing but darkness (literal) inside.
And that's it. Already I fear this blog is becoming nothing more than a catalog of meaningless images spilling forth from the unconscious. The deep insights are so often fleeting and uncatchable, especially when the typing begins. Add to that my rather dark mood at the moment, as the memorial for my brother approaches...
Exiting from tonight's meditation I reached the Vortex State, and yet there was a willfulness to its arrival, perhaps due to the previous post about it. It seemed I anticipated it in a unique way. With the white on black panorama in front of me I first noticed it was stagnant and with, again, a will, it began to turn. Something about it reminded me of my childhood pastime. Staring in the dark from my bed late at night I'd watch a slow moving shower of multi-colored dots flow uniformly across my field of vision in an arch. They seemed to be in the middle of the bedroom. I knew they weren't actually there, and yet there they were.
Back to the TM, almost as soon as the white-line image began its turn (counterclockwise? Does it matter?)I was seeing an image beyond it, again 3D but this time a tunnel, man-made concrete archway with nothing but darkness (literal) inside.
And that's it. Already I fear this blog is becoming nothing more than a catalog of meaningless images spilling forth from the unconscious. The deep insights are so often fleeting and uncatchable, especially when the typing begins. Add to that my rather dark mood at the moment, as the memorial for my brother approaches...
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Pyramid with Cross
On moving toward the conscious realm after a period of deep (and almost fully unconscious) meditation state I entered what I'll call the Vortex State. This is a common signpost going in or coming out and is notable for spinning designs seen within the inner eye. Though still fully in meditation when this stage is reached, on exit it's a clear signal that the session is nearing completion. Consciousness and Will power enter and mix with the stuff of the unconscious realm.
There's a certain excitement when I (as in: my ego) am suddenly a part of the show, residues of the immense meat of the meditation lingering strongly. So here's where I can explore, and the balancing act between the ego's Will and flood of unconscious material begins. Push/Allow. Try/Not-try.
Today's TM (meditation): I suddenly hit the Vortex State during exit. The screen of my inner vision is purely black with white, slightly unfocused and amorphous imagery. Greyscale, little to none. I willfully focus in on it, trying to see into and through the image. I've had a notion for some time that the Vortex is rather one dimensional and while interesting perhaps conceals more valuable material. Indeed, imposing a focusing Will on it has yeilded interesting results.
Still spinning the imagery morphs: a menacing face made of smoke, then the Mt. Rushmore sculpture. The spinning stops and my vantage point is high in the air looking down at a grand pyramid atop of which is a suitably sized cross of the Christian sort. The imagery is now rich with shade, fully 3-D yet still B&W. I focus in on this image below me. The simple cross is the same shade -sunbleached stone - as the pyramid and without adornment of any kind, yet at its base where it meets the pyramid is a perfect nestle of clouds in a ring. This seems at once natural (for there are wisps of cloud all around at the level of the pyramid peak) and an important aspect of the vital image.
Then I fully emerge from meditation. Even as I write this an hour later I can still feel the warm pleasant pressure through my brain - another attribute of the practice.
Pyramids and crosses have not been common emergent imagery for me (unlike coils, mandalas, and eyes - so many eyes) and I was eager to peruse the internet for a corresponding image from history. I have found none as of yet and can report no accompanying thoughts or feelings which may give the slightest hint of its origin or symbolic meaning.
There's a certain excitement when I (as in: my ego) am suddenly a part of the show, residues of the immense meat of the meditation lingering strongly. So here's where I can explore, and the balancing act between the ego's Will and flood of unconscious material begins. Push/Allow. Try/Not-try.
Today's TM (meditation): I suddenly hit the Vortex State during exit. The screen of my inner vision is purely black with white, slightly unfocused and amorphous imagery. Greyscale, little to none. I willfully focus in on it, trying to see into and through the image. I've had a notion for some time that the Vortex is rather one dimensional and while interesting perhaps conceals more valuable material. Indeed, imposing a focusing Will on it has yeilded interesting results.
Still spinning the imagery morphs: a menacing face made of smoke, then the Mt. Rushmore sculpture. The spinning stops and my vantage point is high in the air looking down at a grand pyramid atop of which is a suitably sized cross of the Christian sort. The imagery is now rich with shade, fully 3-D yet still B&W. I focus in on this image below me. The simple cross is the same shade -sunbleached stone - as the pyramid and without adornment of any kind, yet at its base where it meets the pyramid is a perfect nestle of clouds in a ring. This seems at once natural (for there are wisps of cloud all around at the level of the pyramid peak) and an important aspect of the vital image.
Then I fully emerge from meditation. Even as I write this an hour later I can still feel the warm pleasant pressure through my brain - another attribute of the practice.
Pyramids and crosses have not been common emergent imagery for me (unlike coils, mandalas, and eyes - so many eyes) and I was eager to peruse the internet for a corresponding image from history. I have found none as of yet and can report no accompanying thoughts or feelings which may give the slightest hint of its origin or symbolic meaning.
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