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‘Where does the
power that moves us come from?’
A
domineering mind will answer ‘within us’, so assigning sole responsibility for
‘action’ to individual or group as an independent entity. A subservient mind
will answer ‘outside us’, so delegating responsibility for ‘reaction’ entirely
to ‘action’ located elsewhere. Neither answer is realistic. Both answers assume
an absolute division between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ as objectively definable
localities, such that the source of all power can be tracked down to a fixed
point within or without, that is a ‘point-force’ that drives the ‘point-mass’ either from
within itself or outside itself. Hence there is ambiguity regarding which
‘point-force’ to believe in as ultimate cause of the movement of the
‘point-mass’, with the two kinds of point irreconcilably differentiated. A
bridge connecting the two may be sought so as to unify one with the other, as in
supersymmetry, but so long as space is excluded from each point and substituted
with only another kind of point, all possibility of flow within and between them
is precluded.
No
sooner, however, is space everywhere (‘omni’) recognised to span continuously
between (‘inter’), within (‘intra’) and throughout (‘trans’) each point, than bidirectional flow from and into each
other as simultaneous local-non-local
sources and sinks in natural, dynamically balancing communion becomes not
only possible, but inevitable – unless by some infinitely remote likelihood
everywhere equilibrates at once and the cosmos gridlocks into a giant standing
wave. Now we have the transfigural, dynamic flow-line symmetry of reciprocal,
bidirectional flow, through which we can answer that what moves us cannot
originate from somewhere specifically inside or outside our individual bodies,
but from everywhere non-locally including and locally channelled through the
receptive spatial pools of our central identities or zeroids. Power derives not
from some forceful, pushing or pulling point located somewhere ineffable, but
the inductive influence of receptive (i.e. zeroidal) space everywhere. Power comes, via transspace, from all
through all: into somewhere local, from everywhere around, through its
receptive interior and out again, in continual circulation.
Now,
we can at last understand our dynamic natural situation, which transcends the
three-dimensional spatial limitations of hard-line symmetry and objective
definition and satisfies the spiritual/soulful yearning that many are aware of
deep within us for ‘higher dimensions’.
There is this
deep feeling of both including and being
included in an invisible realm permeating within, without
and throughout us and all Nature, without external or internal limit. In not
being accessible to quantification in purely
material terms, and infinite at all scales, hence comprising a set of relative infinities, this realm
may seem ‘mysterious’. But it is mysterious only in so far that we try to
exclude it from our consideration: what is truly mysterious – paradoxical – is
how we could come to imagine that we can explain anything, let alone everything,
without materially including it.
Perhaps it is the ‘concrete jungle’
of urban life that most especially dispossesses our minds from
being in tune with the infinite and reinforces the
definitive imageries and excluded middle logic of static, space-excluding,
Euclidian and non-Euclidian geometries. If you grew up in the Nigerian town where Lere was born – it is a big village really – you would have been confronted with the awareness of not
being alone even when nobody is around everyday. You would have come back from school with nothing to eat at home. You would have had to hop to the farm to pick some maize,
alone. And then you would leave the house and
walk into the tropical jungle behind the house. Tropical forest instils fear
because you are bombarded with all kinds of sounds from insects, the
all-enveloping majestic presence of eagles above your head, the chirruping and, is that a wild cat meowing there or what? You want to run but you don’t.
You have to stand your ground alone in the wild. You are alone. No, you are not
alone. You can feel other presences, yes the warmth of others who are keeping
vigil over you and from whom your courage derives its fillip. It is always like
that everywhere. It is the same everywhere that when you are alone you don’t
feel alone. The thoughts of or about the Other flow into your world as
you flow into their world. One is never
alone. You are never alone.
In times of trouble when you feel
deserted by the world, there is always, always the awareness of this presence,
yes of the Other that tells you that you are never alone. You cannot see the
Other nor can you see Nature flowing into you and you flowing into Nature and
All with the eyes. But you
can feel it right in the depth of your being. You can see it, not with the
instruments in the laboratory but with something beyond all that because inside
the space in which your being is included which is interspace, there is the
intraspace of yourself through which your complex,
dynamic self identity flows inwardly and outwardly, via transspace from
and to the omnispace of all. Perhaps we all need our
spell in the wilderness to become aware of this mystery, which is no mystery
once it becomes obvious.
----- Original Message -----From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]To: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]Sent: Tuesday, April 07, 2009 11:33 PMSubject: Re: Vertex to VortexDear Alan
You have the amazing ability of being able to out something into words and explain it and it makes perfect sense where others would become lost in jargon and be too wordy.
Vertex to Vortex sums up so many feelings I have had lately.
'Measure what you vakue or value what you measure' is a phrase I have heard of late, when trying to work out how the hell I can quantify childrens'; enjoyment in Art, Music, Dance and Drama to justify it's provision in schools in areas of significant social and economic and cultural deprivation. It drives me nuts. My argument is that it's not what happens when it is there, but what happens if it is taken away. I cannot produce statistics to describe in a pie chart or a graph to say how much children benefit from this kind of activity - they just do. I can say their skills have improved, they attend school more because they want to be part of arts projects or they are more firendly with their classmates, or they become more articulate, but I cannot quantify enjotyment and sheer pleasure which comes with a beaming smile and unbridled excitement. But, if we want funding, we have to toe the party line.
Being in the mine was the most incredible experience - being within a mountain at that height, as opposed to 'underground'. It was totally peaceful. When I was driving back done the mountain form the mine it was still early enough for their not to be too many tourists out and about, so i was 'alone' but not 'one' because I felt part of this whole wonderful awe inspiring landscape, and I have lived here all my life but every time I see thinsg they are different and even more wonderful. It was a beautiful spring morning and although there was a little snow left on the tops it was very clear and warm. Sheep were wandering across the road, last years lambs still looking a little wary of cars. I stopped between Buttermere and Crummock to take pictures, smell the morning and just look. It was good to be part of all of it and feel that inclusion and how it can lift the spirits. This is hard to quantify and cannot be measured but is immeasurably beneficial.
I was taken back to last summer as to how I felt being part of the landscape and being 'alone' as in I was the only human up on the fell, but surrounded by friends - animals, and their affection for me. I didn;t have any food for them but they still followed me - just to be stroked, patted and talked to. Some of the sheep are very friendly and seem to know if there is a problem and would just follow me until I started to laugh at their behaviour because they can be so funny, and then they would wander off, almost smiling. The horses breathe gently into my face and their soft sweet breath is like a tonic. They have such immense strength yet are so gentle. The hens are the same - hens are SOOO nosey! Spiders, beetles, butterflies all going about their business.
But they don't consider themselves as 'one' or individuals - they all just get on with it. Neither do they like to be separated from their friends. (Maybe some would say it's because animals are not 'self aware' - but they haven't seen the look on a dogs face when it has been caught stealing food - it's sheer embarassment!!) The fact tnhat I can go back to this in my mind is source of pleasure and therefore I can cross the boundaries of time space by going back in time through memory. By description in either words or writing I can take others there too.
Geometrically, 'one' only starts the process and creates the springboard for all else to follow - then it is surrounded by others. This is oneof our principles of inclusonality I suppose. I like the Egyptian version of the Creation Story about the one in the void and then creating the two and so on. This builds and although symbolic it does express that need for one to become something other than an upright and alone entity in a void of it's own creation.
The 'opposition' to the dynamic relationships and that which we can have with nature was made very clear to me when I read an article in Cumbria Life magazine by a man called Graham Sutherland who has created an Arts Barn on the side of Coniston Water, which is hard to access by car but he wants people to visit it and work there. He said that people who come to the Lakes simply to admire the beauty and take benefit from that should do more - like mend gates as they walk along and ignore the psuedo-'old style life' created for tourists. He said that to just admire the beauty of the landscape was like condemning a beautiful person to live off their looks for ever which he said was prostitution. I was astonished - whilst I don't particularly agree with 'created' environments which are contrived and give a false impression of Lakes life, maybe he didn;t realise what he was criticising still actually exists! My friends farm still gets water from the stream - now piped into the house and kept in a holding tank, but not piped as it is in towns. She still shears sheep by hand when necessary and people still build dry stone walls.
It is amazing that he can think like that - to say enjoying beauty is not enough. he wants everyone to DO something. Why not just BE?!! ( yes - its the old joke 'To be is to do' Sartres....'Do be do be do' Sinatra - but you know what I mean!!) I'd rather do be do be dooo on a fellside and be part of what is aorund me than trying to change it all so it looks like he thinks it should and have everyone madly doing things so they appreciate it more.
We're right back to quantifying enjoyment.....!
You're a wonderful source of inspiration Alan. Thank you. Please see attached pics - from my journey down the mountain. The tree is wonderful.....
Kindest regards
Karen Thompson