A few nights ago I experienced a vivid mental image. Whether it was a dream or a “vision” or something else I don’t know, but it woke me up accompanied by a clear perception of its meaning.
I saw a cluster of mirrors arranged at different angles more or less in a circle facing one another at different levels, more like the inside of a ball than a flat circle, so that every mirror faced other mirrors. There were different colors reflecting from some of the mirrors. I couldn’t see images in the mirrors.
It was a closed system seen against a big black background, as you might see a tight constellation of stars against the night sky. The mirrors did not impress me as large, but they could have been huge or small because there was nothing to measure them against or to give perspective.
The vision came, conveniently, with its own explanation: This is the game that consciousness plays with itself. This is all there is. There is nothing beyond the mirrors.
It made me think of ping pong.
I had the feeling of a revelation, of an insight into what we call reality -- a closed system game of light and mirrors. And I felt a kind of cosmic aloneness.
The main thing that impressed me was, “There is nothing outside the cluster of mirrors.” And yet, presumably everything that I sense and know and feel is created within the cluster.
(I wrote about my fascination with reflections, in different respects, in ”Reflections” and “More Reflections” early this year.)
Showing posts with label vision. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vision. Show all posts
Friday, May 18, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
The Goldfish Has a Vision
I woke up this morning with the image (some would say vision) of a small ball which soon grew into my entire conscious universe. Although the image was of a ball seen from outside, it seemed to be something happening within myself. The experience was that everything I was conscious of, everything that would be in my awareness when I opened my eyes and got out of bed, was created within in this expanding ball.
The sensations that accompanied the image were a confirmation that something within my Self is the creator of my universe, that my universe was getting ready for my new day by unfolding around me like a giant balloon of which I was the center.
As usual with such an experience, it can’t be described in words. Any description is going to seem trite – “Oh, that again.” To me also the words seem unoriginal and unrevealing, which is frustrating, but I’m sure that all of us have had the experience of reading about some psychological or spiritual or emotional concept again and again, and thinking, “That sounds true,” but not really comprehending it until we’ve lived through the experience ourselves – after which we feel when we read it, “Now I know!” This morning I my brief experience enabled me for the first time to live and comprehend the meaning of words I’d read many times before.
At this point I must confess once more the inexplicability of our existence, the impenetrable mystery of what we call reality, and free myself of the notion that anything I might write on this fine day will “explain” anything. I am still the goldfish in the bowl laughably trying to describe the entire universe based on what I can see from the table where my bowl is placed. But I will say that my “vision” dramatized the finding of philosophers and brain scientists that it is impossible to prove any existence external to our own perceptions. Yes, we feel that we are here and there’s a separate world out there (Dr. Johnson exasperatedly kicking the stone), and our bodies seem to be mechanisms for collecting and interpreting data from outside themselves, but we cannot prove or know whether there is any reality which is not subjective. At this point I think of Leibnitz’ statement, “The monads have no windows” – a monad being, in a sense, the sealed universe of an individual – but I know that what gave me the gift of my experience this morning was a poem by Rumi, the great Persian poet of the 13th century, which I read last evening thanks to a comment by Naj about “The Perfect Solution” on my other blog. I will always be grateful that this poem was brought into my life.
(I couldn’t help thinking of what I’d written on this blog about the goldfish when I read of Rumi’s “bee in a jar”.)
‘The Dome of the Inner Sky’
The Great King is within me.
He is my dearest friend.
Don't look at my sallow face,
Look at how I stand with legs of iron!
Always turning toward that one
who gave me life.
I am the glorious Sun,
the ocean laden with pearls.
Within my heart is the grandeur of heaven,
Outside, the lowly earth.
I travel in this world like a bee in a jar.
But don't listen to my woeful buzzing
My house is filled with honey!
O heart, if you want to join us,
raise yourself
to the dome of the inner sky
Enter the fortress that no one can break.
The vast and mighty waters
move the grinding stones of heaven.
I am that great wheel,
crying so sweetly,
turning with the flow of rushing water.
Men, demons, and spirits all follow my command.
Can't you see that I am Solomon,
With a shimmering seal on my ring?
Why should I be weary
when every cell of my body is bursting with life?
Why should I be a donkey's slave
when I ride upon a magical horse?
Why should I be less than the Moon
when there are no scorpions at my feet?
Why should I stay at the bottom of a well
when a strong rope is in my hand?
I've built a place for the falcons of my soul
Fly this way, O birds of spirit,
for I am surrounded by a hundred mighty towers!
I am the rays of the Sun
dancing through the windows of every house.
I am carnelion, gold, and rubies,
even though this body is made of water and clay.
Whatever pearl you seek,
look for the pearl within the pearl!
The surface of the earth says,
"The treasure is within."
The glowing jewel says,
"Don't be fooled by my beauty
the light of my face
comes from the candle of my spirit."
What else can I say?
You will only hear
what you are ready to hear.
Don't nod your head,
Don't try to fool me
the truth of what you see
is written all over your face!
Translated by Jonathan Star, from ‘Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved’
(With thanks to Naj and to PRETTY MOONBEAMS )
The sensations that accompanied the image were a confirmation that something within my Self is the creator of my universe, that my universe was getting ready for my new day by unfolding around me like a giant balloon of which I was the center.
As usual with such an experience, it can’t be described in words. Any description is going to seem trite – “Oh, that again.” To me also the words seem unoriginal and unrevealing, which is frustrating, but I’m sure that all of us have had the experience of reading about some psychological or spiritual or emotional concept again and again, and thinking, “That sounds true,” but not really comprehending it until we’ve lived through the experience ourselves – after which we feel when we read it, “Now I know!” This morning I my brief experience enabled me for the first time to live and comprehend the meaning of words I’d read many times before.
At this point I must confess once more the inexplicability of our existence, the impenetrable mystery of what we call reality, and free myself of the notion that anything I might write on this fine day will “explain” anything. I am still the goldfish in the bowl laughably trying to describe the entire universe based on what I can see from the table where my bowl is placed. But I will say that my “vision” dramatized the finding of philosophers and brain scientists that it is impossible to prove any existence external to our own perceptions. Yes, we feel that we are here and there’s a separate world out there (Dr. Johnson exasperatedly kicking the stone), and our bodies seem to be mechanisms for collecting and interpreting data from outside themselves, but we cannot prove or know whether there is any reality which is not subjective. At this point I think of Leibnitz’ statement, “The monads have no windows” – a monad being, in a sense, the sealed universe of an individual – but I know that what gave me the gift of my experience this morning was a poem by Rumi, the great Persian poet of the 13th century, which I read last evening thanks to a comment by Naj about “The Perfect Solution” on my other blog. I will always be grateful that this poem was brought into my life.
(I couldn’t help thinking of what I’d written on this blog about the goldfish when I read of Rumi’s “bee in a jar”.)
‘The Dome of the Inner Sky’
The Great King is within me.
He is my dearest friend.
Don't look at my sallow face,
Look at how I stand with legs of iron!
Always turning toward that one
who gave me life.
I am the glorious Sun,
the ocean laden with pearls.
Within my heart is the grandeur of heaven,
Outside, the lowly earth.
I travel in this world like a bee in a jar.
But don't listen to my woeful buzzing
My house is filled with honey!
O heart, if you want to join us,
raise yourself
to the dome of the inner sky
Enter the fortress that no one can break.
The vast and mighty waters
move the grinding stones of heaven.
I am that great wheel,
crying so sweetly,
turning with the flow of rushing water.
Men, demons, and spirits all follow my command.
Can't you see that I am Solomon,
With a shimmering seal on my ring?
Why should I be weary
when every cell of my body is bursting with life?
Why should I be a donkey's slave
when I ride upon a magical horse?
Why should I be less than the Moon
when there are no scorpions at my feet?
Why should I stay at the bottom of a well
when a strong rope is in my hand?
I've built a place for the falcons of my soul
Fly this way, O birds of spirit,
for I am surrounded by a hundred mighty towers!
I am the rays of the Sun
dancing through the windows of every house.
I am carnelion, gold, and rubies,
even though this body is made of water and clay.
Whatever pearl you seek,
look for the pearl within the pearl!
The surface of the earth says,
"The treasure is within."
The glowing jewel says,
"Don't be fooled by my beauty
the light of my face
comes from the candle of my spirit."
What else can I say?
You will only hear
what you are ready to hear.
Don't nod your head,
Don't try to fool me
the truth of what you see
is written all over your face!
Translated by Jonathan Star, from ‘Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved’
(With thanks to Naj and to PRETTY MOONBEAMS )
Sunday, November 26, 2006
A Higher Level of Being
Is there more than one level of Being?
I’m referring to the experience of Being, beingness, and not to “beings”, entities, persons.
I was in bed early this morning, probably asleep, when I had a vivid impression of a level of Being above the one I’ve always known.
That’s all there was to my “vision” or dream: First, the accustomed level of Being, and then a sensation of moving up, brightening, expanding – revealing that there was something beyond what I had ever known.
You might suspect that I experienced some heightening of my senses, but my senses were hardly involved in my experience, which took place in a kind of awareness without perceptible content – except that I was left with the visual impression that the higher level of Being was indicated by a light gray square with rounded corners, which later brought to my conscious mind the idea of an entranceway or hatch.
The entranceway did not open for me. The “vision” woke me up, and dumped me into my usual state of Being, but with a conviction that there is a higher level. As I went about the routines of brushing my teeth and making coffee I felt a dimension of hopefulness I had not felt before. This “higher level of Being” was something that I and others might aspire to attain.
It has become popular to say that what we experience in the life after this life is determined by our own beliefs, desires, and imaginations. I find that idea believable, and creating a good afterlife for myself has become a priority. At first I was somewhat distressed to find that the highest and best thing I could imagine was paradisiacal sex. I was distressed because I’ve often been told that such physical desires, though in no way “bad”, will bind us to go through more of this mixed bag of physical suffering, fear, and short-lived pleasure on “the Earth plane”.
So, I would enthusiastically welcome a paradise populated by beautiful females –- or just the right female -- especially if hors d’oeuvres were available -- but it presumably would impede my evolution to higher planes. Other than imagining my spirit body flying over oceans and across new solar systems, I couldn’t come up with a goal to compete with a woman. But now that I’ve experienced an awareness of a higher level of Being I feel that I have been shown a new path to explore.
To get an idea of my pre-dawn experience, imagine yourself in your house at night with all the usual lighting on, when suddenly all the lights become brighter. You think, “This is much better!” “I never imagined it could be like this.”
I’ll conclude by mentioning another, similar, experience I had a year or two ago. I’m not good at meditating, but I’ve tried, and while in a meditative state I had what might qualify as a “vision” because it was visually so clear and memorable: It was as if the top of my head was open and I could see above me a sky of incredibly deep blue surrounded by rich golden clouds – colors unlike any I’d seen before. The spectacle was shaped like a sky painting in the dome of some European cathedral or castle, but the quality was superior, and there were no annoying cherubs. I felt that I’d had a glimpse of a heaven. The vision continues to inspire me.
I’m referring to the experience of Being, beingness, and not to “beings”, entities, persons.
I was in bed early this morning, probably asleep, when I had a vivid impression of a level of Being above the one I’ve always known.
That’s all there was to my “vision” or dream: First, the accustomed level of Being, and then a sensation of moving up, brightening, expanding – revealing that there was something beyond what I had ever known.
You might suspect that I experienced some heightening of my senses, but my senses were hardly involved in my experience, which took place in a kind of awareness without perceptible content – except that I was left with the visual impression that the higher level of Being was indicated by a light gray square with rounded corners, which later brought to my conscious mind the idea of an entranceway or hatch.
The entranceway did not open for me. The “vision” woke me up, and dumped me into my usual state of Being, but with a conviction that there is a higher level. As I went about the routines of brushing my teeth and making coffee I felt a dimension of hopefulness I had not felt before. This “higher level of Being” was something that I and others might aspire to attain.
It has become popular to say that what we experience in the life after this life is determined by our own beliefs, desires, and imaginations. I find that idea believable, and creating a good afterlife for myself has become a priority. At first I was somewhat distressed to find that the highest and best thing I could imagine was paradisiacal sex. I was distressed because I’ve often been told that such physical desires, though in no way “bad”, will bind us to go through more of this mixed bag of physical suffering, fear, and short-lived pleasure on “the Earth plane”.
So, I would enthusiastically welcome a paradise populated by beautiful females –- or just the right female -- especially if hors d’oeuvres were available -- but it presumably would impede my evolution to higher planes. Other than imagining my spirit body flying over oceans and across new solar systems, I couldn’t come up with a goal to compete with a woman. But now that I’ve experienced an awareness of a higher level of Being I feel that I have been shown a new path to explore.
To get an idea of my pre-dawn experience, imagine yourself in your house at night with all the usual lighting on, when suddenly all the lights become brighter. You think, “This is much better!” “I never imagined it could be like this.”
I’ll conclude by mentioning another, similar, experience I had a year or two ago. I’m not good at meditating, but I’ve tried, and while in a meditative state I had what might qualify as a “vision” because it was visually so clear and memorable: It was as if the top of my head was open and I could see above me a sky of incredibly deep blue surrounded by rich golden clouds – colors unlike any I’d seen before. The spectacle was shaped like a sky painting in the dome of some European cathedral or castle, but the quality was superior, and there were no annoying cherubs. I felt that I’d had a glimpse of a heaven. The vision continues to inspire me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)