The Tarot first appeared in the late 1300's as a game, but was also quite frequently used among the aristocracy as a divination tool. It was quite taboo to use these cards, so it was kept a secret, and certainly out of the hands of peasants. The fear was that these peasants would become powerful and revolt - especially now that they would understand the world.
The symbolism used is so expansive and ingenius that one would spend a lifetime noting every nuance - so I will provide a few broad strokes to help you.
In general, when learning to read the Tarot, one is instructed to develop a story from what the picture shows. The symbolism is so perfect that one can determine the meaning of the card simply by looking at it and evaluating one's emotions, thoughts, and perceived story. Every item in every card holds a meaning, and perhaps the best way to interpret most of these symbols is by evaluating what the color says to you.
Randomly, I drew from my Tarot deck The Magician - the first Major Arcana card. Depicted is a cat (I have cat decks...) looking up with his hands up high as though 'levitating' his wand above him. Over his head sits the halo of eternity, a golden figure eight. The table before him holds a cup, a sword, a wand, and a coin, and growing all around him are pink and white flowers. The Magician himself is clad in a rust-red tunic with a yellow cape. Behind him is a clear blue sky with clouds coming from the ground.
The Magician is looking up, and up is positive, so this is a positive card. The wand levitating denotes magic. The halo of eternity represents a kind of eternal knowledge and presence. The items on his table are the four suits of the Tarot - so he dabbles in everything. Green growth represents learning, pink flowers are 'youth' while white flowers are 'purity' - indicating a kind of naive innocence in his growth. Red is a power color, while yellow is a calm color - so he his calm but never stops going toward his goal. The sky is not overcast, representing clarity, and the clouds at the bottom of the sky only become a factor when the card is flipped up-side down.
When the card is up-side down, the sky looks to be falling, he's dropping his wand instead of levitating it, the items on his table will all fall off, and the flowers growing around him are about to overtake him. Do you see the story in that? Regarding the colors, everything is bright and happy until you flip the card, then the red in his tunic becomes more apparent - kind of a 'stop' message in that.
Tarot cards should never be described in single words or phrases - as the cards are so deeply rooted in ancient lore with so many little things going on, that a full evaluation should really be performed. Just like dreams. If you connect to Plato's world of perfect forms, and logically reason through how everything 'feels' to you, the symbolism will become so clear and vivid that interpretation will come natural.
The key here is logic and reason. Think about it, and you will know! With a little guidance, you will be well on your way to understanding the Meaning of Life - or whatever strikes your fancy. Tomorrow I will show you a few of the visual tools I use within the Shamanic Plane to discover answers on anything and everything - and that will be the end of this series. I've been working on Humanitarianism Vs. Evolution - basically whether we should apply Darwin's survival of the fittest to economics practices. However, if you're more interested in something else, feel free to let me know!
Saturday
Friday
The Collective Mind, Pt. 8
Plato came up with quite a few very interesting points. I may stray a bit off the topic of explaining the symbols you have and are encountering, but this is only to give you a greater understanding of the world you have been accessing.
One of his most prestigious and famous theories is that of dualistic metaphysics. The perceived world is actually a derivation of the world of perfect forms, and imperfect copies at that. His metaphor of The Sun 'shines light' on this world of perfect forms through processes of the mind that utilize neither sense perception or imagination - in other words, thought, reason, and intellectual activities. The Sun also represents the omnipotent 'Good' form which, according to him, created both the world of perfect forms and the imperfect copy we perceive.
In short, Plato's metaphor of The Sun is essentially Jung's Superman archetype - this is the part of our brain that can access the world of perfect forms. Pretty simple when stated that way, right? I'm going to skip a lot of Plato's theories on the form of the Good (a part of The Sun, which both 'shines light' on the world of perfect forms and created it) being God and all that, because that's where Plato kind of trails off into nonsensical ramblings and confuses people.
Plato's Divided Line is even more vague and obscure, but the general gist is pretty easy to follow. Essentially, 'things' of this world, ideas, items, and ideals, are all spread across a line, and this line is divided disproportionately - by how 'big' these 'things' are. In the smallest section of the line sits the shadows and mirror images of 'things', then the next slightly larger section are the material 'things' we can see and perceive. These two sections compose slightly less than half of the line. The rest of the line are 'things' not perceived, the smaller first section being 'things' in the world of perfect forms, and the largest section of it all contains the form of Good, and other 'things' that we do not need to see in order to know they are there.
The reasoning behind the size of the sections is where it becomes confusing. Smaller sections hold more reality, clarity, and fact, while larger portions relate to more obscurity and opinion. In essence, the Divided Line represents what we must think about, as opposed to seeing it. Lines as symbolism may represent a need to think more on the subject, or that you're not quite seeing the whole truth.
In sum, when you look at the world around you, you're not seeing everything. In fact, you're only seeing an imperfect copy of what the world truly is. Think about that, think about the implications. Would it then mean that when we visit this other plane, that we are actually seeing an imperfect copy of Plato's form of the Good? Or maybe we are finally seeing the world of perfect forms? Personally I haven't been able to solve this dilemma - so other thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
Tomorrow we visit the Tarot - and here is where we will find the greatest repository of symbolism known to man. 78 cards of imagery, perfectly translated in every adept mind, is certainly a force to be reckoned with!
One of his most prestigious and famous theories is that of dualistic metaphysics. The perceived world is actually a derivation of the world of perfect forms, and imperfect copies at that. His metaphor of The Sun 'shines light' on this world of perfect forms through processes of the mind that utilize neither sense perception or imagination - in other words, thought, reason, and intellectual activities. The Sun also represents the omnipotent 'Good' form which, according to him, created both the world of perfect forms and the imperfect copy we perceive.
In short, Plato's metaphor of The Sun is essentially Jung's Superman archetype - this is the part of our brain that can access the world of perfect forms. Pretty simple when stated that way, right? I'm going to skip a lot of Plato's theories on the form of the Good (a part of The Sun, which both 'shines light' on the world of perfect forms and created it) being God and all that, because that's where Plato kind of trails off into nonsensical ramblings and confuses people.
Plato's Divided Line is even more vague and obscure, but the general gist is pretty easy to follow. Essentially, 'things' of this world, ideas, items, and ideals, are all spread across a line, and this line is divided disproportionately - by how 'big' these 'things' are. In the smallest section of the line sits the shadows and mirror images of 'things', then the next slightly larger section are the material 'things' we can see and perceive. These two sections compose slightly less than half of the line. The rest of the line are 'things' not perceived, the smaller first section being 'things' in the world of perfect forms, and the largest section of it all contains the form of Good, and other 'things' that we do not need to see in order to know they are there.
The reasoning behind the size of the sections is where it becomes confusing. Smaller sections hold more reality, clarity, and fact, while larger portions relate to more obscurity and opinion. In essence, the Divided Line represents what we must think about, as opposed to seeing it. Lines as symbolism may represent a need to think more on the subject, or that you're not quite seeing the whole truth.
In sum, when you look at the world around you, you're not seeing everything. In fact, you're only seeing an imperfect copy of what the world truly is. Think about that, think about the implications. Would it then mean that when we visit this other plane, that we are actually seeing an imperfect copy of Plato's form of the Good? Or maybe we are finally seeing the world of perfect forms? Personally I haven't been able to solve this dilemma - so other thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
Tomorrow we visit the Tarot - and here is where we will find the greatest repository of symbolism known to man. 78 cards of imagery, perfectly translated in every adept mind, is certainly a force to be reckoned with!
Thursday
The Collective Mind, Pt. 7b
We left off with Carl Jung's syzygy archetype in the last post, so today we will continue with the rest.
The Child is next on the list of Jungian archetypes, and is every naive notion, every innocent unproven thought. It is also representative of our desire to be sheltered and taken care of. In symbolism, it could appear as a seedling, child, or newborn animal.
The Superman is the part of our subconscious that is all-knowing. Creativity, facts, all thoughts come from this part of us. Remember I spoke of bicamereal man 'speaking' with someone in their mind - The Superman was the other person. Often represented by 'God' type figures, or computers, file systems, anything that could conceivably contain a large database of information.
The Hero is our ideal of what our savior would be - what would be required to make our life 'perfect'. Jesus, Esfandiar (a great Persian hero spoken of in Shahnama), Mother Theresa, and Spartacus, among many others, have been named heros, but personal heros can include that house on a hill with the white picket fence, or that successful job. The Hero is especially personal to every individual, but always represents that single seemingly unreachable desire that would make their life perfect.
The Great Mother is our desire to reproduce - both physically and psychically - as well as forgiving, protective, and the alchemist of growth. Anything natural, fertile, and mature usually portrays the Great Mother - such as a large tree, or an impregnated woman.
The Wise Old Man is that little voice in your head that says something might not be such a good idea - the word of caution. Symbolically, the Wise Old Man could be something natural nearing death, a stop sign, sharp objects, or anything frightening for that matter.
The Trickster is the part of us that wants to seperate from the normal, and usually desires seclusion or extreme fame. Tricksters can cause both revolutions or trouble. Often represented by a criminal, jester, or hermit-type person.
...it's a good thing I read up on Jung a couple years ago, otherwise all the 'stubs' of information on the internet about Jungian thought would have really bound me up! Tomorrow I'll tackle Plato =)
The Child is next on the list of Jungian archetypes, and is every naive notion, every innocent unproven thought. It is also representative of our desire to be sheltered and taken care of. In symbolism, it could appear as a seedling, child, or newborn animal.
The Superman is the part of our subconscious that is all-knowing. Creativity, facts, all thoughts come from this part of us. Remember I spoke of bicamereal man 'speaking' with someone in their mind - The Superman was the other person. Often represented by 'God' type figures, or computers, file systems, anything that could conceivably contain a large database of information.
The Hero is our ideal of what our savior would be - what would be required to make our life 'perfect'. Jesus, Esfandiar (a great Persian hero spoken of in Shahnama), Mother Theresa, and Spartacus, among many others, have been named heros, but personal heros can include that house on a hill with the white picket fence, or that successful job. The Hero is especially personal to every individual, but always represents that single seemingly unreachable desire that would make their life perfect.
The Great Mother is our desire to reproduce - both physically and psychically - as well as forgiving, protective, and the alchemist of growth. Anything natural, fertile, and mature usually portrays the Great Mother - such as a large tree, or an impregnated woman.
The Wise Old Man is that little voice in your head that says something might not be such a good idea - the word of caution. Symbolically, the Wise Old Man could be something natural nearing death, a stop sign, sharp objects, or anything frightening for that matter.
The Trickster is the part of us that wants to seperate from the normal, and usually desires seclusion or extreme fame. Tricksters can cause both revolutions or trouble. Often represented by a criminal, jester, or hermit-type person.
...it's a good thing I read up on Jung a couple years ago, otherwise all the 'stubs' of information on the internet about Jungian thought would have really bound me up! Tomorrow I'll tackle Plato =)
Wednesday
Secret Reminder
It's been a couple of weeks, and my newcommers may not realize that I hold a deeper secret than all of these - but it will only be revealed once I have 1 million readers.
So, Spread Thought, and let others know this blog will unleash the powers of the mind and the secrets of our world.
Current readership count: 11
So, Spread Thought, and let others know this blog will unleash the powers of the mind and the secrets of our world.
Current readership count: 11
The Collective Mind, Pt. 7a
Carl Jung's Collective Unconscious is less a community of mind and moreso an explaination of how every mind works, through archetypes - concepts commonly perceived the same way by many different people, whether they realize it or not. Don't mistake archetypes for stereotypes - they are not the same thing.
One of the Jungian archetypes is The Self. It is who we are and who we see ourselves to be. In most cases, The Self is represented as our ideal self image, or an exagerated mockery of ourselves. In other representations, where the person may suffer from schizophrenia, The Self is represented in a completely different form and only identifiable by a very personal feature, such as a mole or an item of jewelry always worn. Or, they may project themself upon another image, representative of their truest desires, fears, and needs.
The Shadow is the subconscious underlying truth to our personality. It could be a poor trait suppressed in childhood, or a neurosis we have tried to keep out of the public's view. Symbolicly, The Shadow is represented as a dark figure, often times a beggar, prostitute, or other such perceived lowly person, and is the same gender as the querent. The Shadow may work against or with the querent.
The Anima is the feminine side of a man's subconscious and conscious, and is constructed of one's ideal feminine qualities. Often times the Anima leads a man to believe he has fallen head over heels with a woman instantaneously because he projects those qualities upon her - in other words, her actions can be perceived as his Anima, and in his eyes he sees her as his ideal. Rarely does a successful relationship come of this kind of attraction because the Anima can be a Shadow, Hero, or any other archetyped Anima - causing the match to be imperfect due to incorrectly skewed ideals. Jung once said that 'confronting one's shadow is an apprentice-piece while confronting one's anima is the masterpiece' for a very good reason. After all, he is quite notorious for his affairs with patients. In symbolism the Anima translates to either a beautiful female or an homosexual male.
The Animus is the male side of a woman's subconscious and conscious, and is also constructed of one's ideal male qualities. I fell in love with my ex-husband because of my Animus, only to find I had fallen in love with his ideal and not his actual personality - which was fairly abusive, violent, and addictive. He was my Syzygy Animus - my imperfectly skewed ideal male, explained below.
Syzygy is the relationship between the conscious and unconscious, the perfect relationship represented by the contrasexual couple. In other words, the man acts as a woman, and the woman acts as a man - kind of a gender confusion neurosis there, but Jung contradicts himself quite a bit anyways. It is because of syzygy that the "Developmental School" of Jungian thought believes there is an Anima in females as well as an Animus in males. Symbolism translates syzygy as numerous forms, including a rough cloud and a soft cloud, the angel and the demon (you know, those little guys on a cartoon's shoulders telling him what to do), and Adam and Eve type representations.
That's a lot to digest in one sitting! Take a break and I'll tell you about more Jungian Archetypes tomorrow =)
One of the Jungian archetypes is The Self. It is who we are and who we see ourselves to be. In most cases, The Self is represented as our ideal self image, or an exagerated mockery of ourselves. In other representations, where the person may suffer from schizophrenia, The Self is represented in a completely different form and only identifiable by a very personal feature, such as a mole or an item of jewelry always worn. Or, they may project themself upon another image, representative of their truest desires, fears, and needs.
The Shadow is the subconscious underlying truth to our personality. It could be a poor trait suppressed in childhood, or a neurosis we have tried to keep out of the public's view. Symbolicly, The Shadow is represented as a dark figure, often times a beggar, prostitute, or other such perceived lowly person, and is the same gender as the querent. The Shadow may work against or with the querent.
The Anima is the feminine side of a man's subconscious and conscious, and is constructed of one's ideal feminine qualities. Often times the Anima leads a man to believe he has fallen head over heels with a woman instantaneously because he projects those qualities upon her - in other words, her actions can be perceived as his Anima, and in his eyes he sees her as his ideal. Rarely does a successful relationship come of this kind of attraction because the Anima can be a Shadow, Hero, or any other archetyped Anima - causing the match to be imperfect due to incorrectly skewed ideals. Jung once said that 'confronting one's shadow is an apprentice-piece while confronting one's anima is the masterpiece' for a very good reason. After all, he is quite notorious for his affairs with patients. In symbolism the Anima translates to either a beautiful female or an homosexual male.
The Animus is the male side of a woman's subconscious and conscious, and is also constructed of one's ideal male qualities. I fell in love with my ex-husband because of my Animus, only to find I had fallen in love with his ideal and not his actual personality - which was fairly abusive, violent, and addictive. He was my Syzygy Animus - my imperfectly skewed ideal male, explained below.
Syzygy is the relationship between the conscious and unconscious, the perfect relationship represented by the contrasexual couple. In other words, the man acts as a woman, and the woman acts as a man - kind of a gender confusion neurosis there, but Jung contradicts himself quite a bit anyways. It is because of syzygy that the "Developmental School" of Jungian thought believes there is an Anima in females as well as an Animus in males. Symbolism translates syzygy as numerous forms, including a rough cloud and a soft cloud, the angel and the demon (you know, those little guys on a cartoon's shoulders telling him what to do), and Adam and Eve type representations.
That's a lot to digest in one sitting! Take a break and I'll tell you about more Jungian Archetypes tomorrow =)
Tuesday
The Collective Mind, Pt. 6
Carl Jung's studies have determined that our subconscious reveals itself through our least developed functions - as in the Four Functions, Thought, Feeling, Sensation, and Intuition. These four functions encompass every way that we experience the world. When one of these functions is left untrained, it is up to the subconscious to control it. Meditation accesses the Thought function - and if you're having a hard time with getting anything out of it, then your Thought function may be in the wrong phase of development. You might want to try a different function.
Remember that exercise where you wrote on a pad of paper "I will remember my dreams" and left it at your bedside? Have you gotten anything significant from it? If you have, then you would probably have an easier time using the Intuition function through what I call 'awake sleep'. When you perform 'awake sleep' activities, you are doing something that does not require thought but does manifest a product of some sort. Here are a few examples:
Even if you can't draw, sit down and doodle - just start off with a circle or square and work from there - kind of a visual brainstorming.
If you are artistically inclined, take up your medium of choice and randomly create something abstract.
Sit down and write with a pen and paper. Start off with, "I have no idea what I need to write, but I know I need to write." Just write whatever words come to mind - don't worry about making sense.
Some of my best works have come from doodling on a sidewalk with chalk. Use mediums that throw you off or that you're unfamiliar with what the effect would be. If you've never used watercolors since you were 6 years old, it might be a good time to pick that up.
The common theme here is to create without knowing the purpose.
Another way to perform 'awake sleep' is to sit in a serene area and concentrate on one natural item. Evaluate it, realize everything about it, then when you're bored, move onto another item. Thoughts will come if you let them through and don't force them.
In a way, you're creating the memory phenomenon I call 'toilet facts'. You know when you're trying to remember someone's name, or the name of a band or producer or some strange fact, and no matter how hard you try you just can't remember it - but the next morning when you're on the toilet it comes to you out of the blue? When you're not thinking about it, for some reason it manifests itself.
Our brain links memories, thoughts, and other intelligent data as they happen, so sometimes things can become quite scattered and disconnected. When you 'place an order' for a specific bit of information, your brain automatically struggles to meet the demand, no matter how long it takes. So even well after you've given up, your brain is still trying to find that one synapse that holds the answer.
This is why that notepad at your bedside works. When you tell your brain that you really want something, it happens in all eventuality. So write in your notepad every night before you go to sleep that you want to remember your dreams, and eventually your 'order' will be filled. You are always connected to the Noosphere - all you have to do is ask for the information, and it will find you.
Tomorrow we begin our journey into explaining everything that you see from many different perspectives, starting with Carl Jung and working our way through Plato, the Tarot, and the Shamanic Plane. Finally, I will guide you to a different place on that meditative plane we've visited before, and let you roam free. That will be the end of The Collective Mind series - and I have something extra special for you after that - Humanitarianism vs. Evolution. Until tomorrow!
Remember that exercise where you wrote on a pad of paper "I will remember my dreams" and left it at your bedside? Have you gotten anything significant from it? If you have, then you would probably have an easier time using the Intuition function through what I call 'awake sleep'. When you perform 'awake sleep' activities, you are doing something that does not require thought but does manifest a product of some sort. Here are a few examples:
Even if you can't draw, sit down and doodle - just start off with a circle or square and work from there - kind of a visual brainstorming.
If you are artistically inclined, take up your medium of choice and randomly create something abstract.
Sit down and write with a pen and paper. Start off with, "I have no idea what I need to write, but I know I need to write." Just write whatever words come to mind - don't worry about making sense.
Some of my best works have come from doodling on a sidewalk with chalk. Use mediums that throw you off or that you're unfamiliar with what the effect would be. If you've never used watercolors since you were 6 years old, it might be a good time to pick that up.
The common theme here is to create without knowing the purpose.
Another way to perform 'awake sleep' is to sit in a serene area and concentrate on one natural item. Evaluate it, realize everything about it, then when you're bored, move onto another item. Thoughts will come if you let them through and don't force them.
In a way, you're creating the memory phenomenon I call 'toilet facts'. You know when you're trying to remember someone's name, or the name of a band or producer or some strange fact, and no matter how hard you try you just can't remember it - but the next morning when you're on the toilet it comes to you out of the blue? When you're not thinking about it, for some reason it manifests itself.
Our brain links memories, thoughts, and other intelligent data as they happen, so sometimes things can become quite scattered and disconnected. When you 'place an order' for a specific bit of information, your brain automatically struggles to meet the demand, no matter how long it takes. So even well after you've given up, your brain is still trying to find that one synapse that holds the answer.
This is why that notepad at your bedside works. When you tell your brain that you really want something, it happens in all eventuality. So write in your notepad every night before you go to sleep that you want to remember your dreams, and eventually your 'order' will be filled. You are always connected to the Noosphere - all you have to do is ask for the information, and it will find you.
Tomorrow we begin our journey into explaining everything that you see from many different perspectives, starting with Carl Jung and working our way through Plato, the Tarot, and the Shamanic Plane. Finally, I will guide you to a different place on that meditative plane we've visited before, and let you roam free. That will be the end of The Collective Mind series - and I have something extra special for you after that - Humanitarianism vs. Evolution. Until tomorrow!
Monday
The Collective Mind, Pt. 5
Today you will explore the rest of that plane you visited yesterday.
When you're done reading this, go out and find that spot by the tree again. Sit comfortably, and roll your eyes up into the back of your head as you did before - except also work to relax every muscle in your body from toe to head as you did the first time. Now that your eyes have been relaxed once, you can allow your lids to close once the rest of your body is relaxed.
Envision yourself floating upward in a swirling tunnel of sky and clouds, and find yourself sitting against your tree self in the next plane. Stand up, nudge your tree self awake, and ask him where you should go - remember there's the grassy meadow, the forest, the river, and the mountain range yet to explore. He will tell you what is calling right now, and unfortunately you will need to walk there. If you go to the river, there's a little boat just a bit down stream. If you go to the mountain, there is hiking equipment to help you climb. Everything you need is always provided.
Feel free to explore more than just this one area, but in that particular place will be something important for you to find. You might find a totem animal, or a symbol, who knows? Just go, explore, and seek yourself. When you're finished, sit back down next to your tree self and envision the same swirling tunnel of clouds and sky, open your eyes, and regain your balance. Don't worry, you'll get used to the disorientation eventually.
Tomorrow we'll explore the many different ways to access this plane outside of meditation. After that we will evaluate what you see and why - see you then!
When you're done reading this, go out and find that spot by the tree again. Sit comfortably, and roll your eyes up into the back of your head as you did before - except also work to relax every muscle in your body from toe to head as you did the first time. Now that your eyes have been relaxed once, you can allow your lids to close once the rest of your body is relaxed.
Envision yourself floating upward in a swirling tunnel of sky and clouds, and find yourself sitting against your tree self in the next plane. Stand up, nudge your tree self awake, and ask him where you should go - remember there's the grassy meadow, the forest, the river, and the mountain range yet to explore. He will tell you what is calling right now, and unfortunately you will need to walk there. If you go to the river, there's a little boat just a bit down stream. If you go to the mountain, there is hiking equipment to help you climb. Everything you need is always provided.
Feel free to explore more than just this one area, but in that particular place will be something important for you to find. You might find a totem animal, or a symbol, who knows? Just go, explore, and seek yourself. When you're finished, sit back down next to your tree self and envision the same swirling tunnel of clouds and sky, open your eyes, and regain your balance. Don't worry, you'll get used to the disorientation eventually.
Tomorrow we'll explore the many different ways to access this plane outside of meditation. After that we will evaluate what you see and why - see you then!
Sunday
The Collective Mind, Pt. 4
Today you will walk into the world of the Noosphere and use visualization techniques to release yourself of your paradigms.
When you're finished reading this, go outside and seek that spot next to the tree again. Sit comfortably, and roll your eyes up into the back of your head, keeping your lids open. Keep it that way, it will burn and hurt to the point that you want to give up and just close your eyes - but don't. After about 10 minutes your eye lids will naturally close, almost without being noticed. When this happens, keep your eyes rolled up, and begin to see yourself floating upward, being sucked into a swirling tunnel of clouds and sky.
You travel up for quite some time, only to find yourself in the same spot you are at right now, except different. As you look around you realize that there is a cave instead of a building, and instead of the rest of your normal surroundings, there's a river, a grassy meadow, a forest, and a mountain range off in the distance. Stop for a moment and concentrate on your surroundings. Know and feel everything, just as you have been before. See everything in your peripheral vision. Simply 'know'. There are animals around, you can sense them, but they're not interested in you right now - they know you're trying to improve yourself.
On the grass in front of you, preventing you from standing or going anywhere else, are a cross, a pair of Nike shoes, a 1967 Shelby Cobra, a 6-bedroom mansion, a 25-story office building, and an elaborate cathedral. They're very ominous, and at the same time very attractive. From your perspective, take your forefinger and thumb and put them around one of the objects - you aren't touching it, simply putting your fingers up close to your eyes so it looks like you're grabbing it. Now, pick it up, put it against your tree, and pull some rope out from behind the tree and tie the object up. Do this with every object, tying them in different spots along the tree.
Once your work is done, stand away from the tree and admire your work. As you stare, the tree begins to form a face - and it looks like you! You are tied up to all of these objects! A magical force is trying to pull you into the tree, but you must resist it! Speak to your tree self and find out why you are so attached to these things - the buildings and car you tied up change into what you truly desire, and tempt you, calling you to join. Resist the pull! Convince your tree self to destroy all of these objects, being larger than your self - this is the only way to stop the pull and save your life!
After a long and arduous battle, your tree self thanks you and sinks back into the trunk. The cave behind you now draws your attention. Somehow you understand that your deepest thoughts are within that cave. Enter it, but don't stumble too deep, it's very dark! Close your eyes for a few minutes, then when you open them up again everything will glow in a soft blue light. All you can see is a very long tunnel gradually going downward - it's a long journey, so you'd better get started.
The tunnel is almost completely featureless, and completely void of any torches or light of any kind, excepting your special vision. You will travel down this tunnel for quite some time, then finally, you will turn a corner and reach the repository of all your thoughts. The special place where all your thought processes have begun. It will be a beautiful place to you, and you now have all the time in the world to explore it and find all of your attachments. Put them into a sack on your side - don't worry, it never runs out of room. These attachments will be very hard to identify, but you must seek out as many as you can.
When you've gathered enough, walk back up to the surface. Strangely you find that the trip back up is a lot shorter than the trip down. Once back on the surface, go back to your tree self and place the attachments on the ground in front of him. Gently nudge him awake and ask if he would destroy these for you too. If he objects, convince him. As the final object is destroyed, a great wave of wind blows across the lands and blows on you so hard you fear you will fly away - but you don't, in fact, you find it quite easy to stand just where you are. The wind caresses you in a very determined fashion - almost cleansing you, creating a clean slate. After a few moments, the wind picks you up, and takes you back to your tree in the real world through the same tunnel of clouds and sky.
Open your eyes, regain your balance, and prepare yourself for tomorrow. That's when we'll explore some of the rest of that plane you visited. See you then!
When you're finished reading this, go outside and seek that spot next to the tree again. Sit comfortably, and roll your eyes up into the back of your head, keeping your lids open. Keep it that way, it will burn and hurt to the point that you want to give up and just close your eyes - but don't. After about 10 minutes your eye lids will naturally close, almost without being noticed. When this happens, keep your eyes rolled up, and begin to see yourself floating upward, being sucked into a swirling tunnel of clouds and sky.
You travel up for quite some time, only to find yourself in the same spot you are at right now, except different. As you look around you realize that there is a cave instead of a building, and instead of the rest of your normal surroundings, there's a river, a grassy meadow, a forest, and a mountain range off in the distance. Stop for a moment and concentrate on your surroundings. Know and feel everything, just as you have been before. See everything in your peripheral vision. Simply 'know'. There are animals around, you can sense them, but they're not interested in you right now - they know you're trying to improve yourself.
On the grass in front of you, preventing you from standing or going anywhere else, are a cross, a pair of Nike shoes, a 1967 Shelby Cobra, a 6-bedroom mansion, a 25-story office building, and an elaborate cathedral. They're very ominous, and at the same time very attractive. From your perspective, take your forefinger and thumb and put them around one of the objects - you aren't touching it, simply putting your fingers up close to your eyes so it looks like you're grabbing it. Now, pick it up, put it against your tree, and pull some rope out from behind the tree and tie the object up. Do this with every object, tying them in different spots along the tree.
Once your work is done, stand away from the tree and admire your work. As you stare, the tree begins to form a face - and it looks like you! You are tied up to all of these objects! A magical force is trying to pull you into the tree, but you must resist it! Speak to your tree self and find out why you are so attached to these things - the buildings and car you tied up change into what you truly desire, and tempt you, calling you to join. Resist the pull! Convince your tree self to destroy all of these objects, being larger than your self - this is the only way to stop the pull and save your life!
After a long and arduous battle, your tree self thanks you and sinks back into the trunk. The cave behind you now draws your attention. Somehow you understand that your deepest thoughts are within that cave. Enter it, but don't stumble too deep, it's very dark! Close your eyes for a few minutes, then when you open them up again everything will glow in a soft blue light. All you can see is a very long tunnel gradually going downward - it's a long journey, so you'd better get started.
The tunnel is almost completely featureless, and completely void of any torches or light of any kind, excepting your special vision. You will travel down this tunnel for quite some time, then finally, you will turn a corner and reach the repository of all your thoughts. The special place where all your thought processes have begun. It will be a beautiful place to you, and you now have all the time in the world to explore it and find all of your attachments. Put them into a sack on your side - don't worry, it never runs out of room. These attachments will be very hard to identify, but you must seek out as many as you can.
When you've gathered enough, walk back up to the surface. Strangely you find that the trip back up is a lot shorter than the trip down. Once back on the surface, go back to your tree self and place the attachments on the ground in front of him. Gently nudge him awake and ask if he would destroy these for you too. If he objects, convince him. As the final object is destroyed, a great wave of wind blows across the lands and blows on you so hard you fear you will fly away - but you don't, in fact, you find it quite easy to stand just where you are. The wind caresses you in a very determined fashion - almost cleansing you, creating a clean slate. After a few moments, the wind picks you up, and takes you back to your tree in the real world through the same tunnel of clouds and sky.
Open your eyes, regain your balance, and prepare yourself for tomorrow. That's when we'll explore some of the rest of that plane you visited. See you then!
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