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Has Spirituality Become Part of Your Ego?

Nikki Sapp
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19
Has Spirituality Become Part of Your Ego?

“Once you awaken, you will have no interest in judging those who sleep.” ~ James Blanchard

For the seeker who is on the spiritual journey or the truth-seeker that is determined to uncover what is “real” and “unreal”, the spirituality or awakening process becomes nothing short of an obsession.

Once the secrets of the universe begin to show themselves to you, it’s like you can think of nothing else.

tree-of-light-tang-yau-hoong-1Maybe you had a mystical experience that cannot be explained, or maybe in your seeking to uncover the “secrets” of our government or societies you chanced upon a seemingly endless rabbit hole of information that shows cover-up after cover-up anywhere from why wars were fought to hidden information about extra-terrestrials.

Thus starts the journey inward. Things that seemed to be are completely dismantled and even who we thought ourselves to be starts to peel layer after layer, until we finally get in touch with this thing called “awareness” that all the great mystics have talked about. Our entire world flips upside down.

What we thought was true, proves to be not true, and the person we imagined ourselves to be is not anywhere close to who we actually are.

With each passing day, a new piece of the “puzzle” of life begins to reveal itself to us, and then we start realizing how different we are not only from the people around us, who don’t seem to be having th
e same life-revelations as us, but from the person we once were.

It seems that this is the norm for the person who has come across this information. The truth starts to reveal itself, little by little, and with each “answer” we get, a million more questions begin to pop up.

We are driven to devour more information from books, spiritual teachers, motivational speakers, energy-healers, etc… Then we hit a block.

spiritegoimage2

It’s like we’ve read a million books, memorized a million inspirational quotes and listened to video after video of people give us information about anything from law of attraction to meeting our twin flame and then we come to a point where we must ask ourselves, “ok, I know all of this information, I’ve understood the teachings, I can talk about consciousness and meditation with the best of them but what now?”

At this point in our spiritual journey we come to a fork in the road. Down one path we can become the “spiritual” ego.

On this path we can use all the information we’ve got to make ourselves feel more and more disconnected from society, we can feel uncomfortable around anyone who we perceive as a lower level of consciousness than us, we can judge the “sheep” or the “still asleep” in order to reinforce our idea that the truth that we have uncovered is somehow making us better than the people around us who have yet to know anything about such topics.

Down the other path we see a path where spirituality becomes completely irrelevant. Yes, we still know all the concepts, the teachings, and we still accept them as our personal ‘truth’.

But down this road we see that knowing every spiritual teaching in the world doesn’t mean anything if you can’t interact in the world, be nice to everyone (EVEN those who we perceive to be not as ‘consciously evolved’ as us), or have a pleasant conversation with our parents or a family member who not only has no idea about spirituality, but doesn’t even care.

Point blank, all seekers must come to the time where they must ask themselves, “What does being spiritual mean if I can’t even be an UNCONDITIONALLY loving person, accepting of all people, and comfortable in ALL situations, not just ones where I feel I’m around people who believe the same things I believe?”

“Don’t be in a hurry to condemn a person because he doesn’t do what you do, or think as you think. There was a time when you didn’t know what you know today.” ~ Malcolm X

Now of course, no one consciously chooses the path where spirituality becomes just another part of the ego.

the_atlas_ego_by_damnengineBut, nonetheless, it happens. It may happen so sneakily and slowly that we may not even realize we had become that person until we are knee deep in incense sticks, crystals, drum-circles, and tarot cards. And none of these things are “wrong”, they’re all just ways to experience the “all that is”, but at some point on this path we will have to come face to face with our own heart.

We can have done all the energy work in the world, but if we’re not happy and treating our own selves with the upmost love and respect, and treating other people with the same love and respect, it doesn’t really matter.

In order to recognize when we may have used spirituality as just another way to separate ourselves from others and make ourselves feel like we are above them, we must become super aware of how we feel, and how we talk to ourselves and other people.

Are we getting mad at ourselves or feeling like we have faced a “setback” when we find ourselves not acting in a way that is in complete accordance with the teachings we have grown to love?

Are we just as comfortable talking about pop culture as we are talking about spirit guides or chakras, meaning, even if we’re not into pop culture can we still accept that there are some people who are and can we listen to them without making a judgment about them?

Are we ok with speaking from an authentic place while at the same time recognizing that our ‘truth’ may not be the same as the other person we are speaking with?

If we are using spirituality as a way to feel bad about ourselves, for instance, in a way to judge ourselves as ‘not good enough’ (not enlightened enough), or to feel bad about other people (by seeing them as not good enough/ not enlightened enough), we are operating from spiritual ego.

spirituality_become_egoWhen spirituality is used as a tool to judge ourselves or others we find that the thing we believed was going to make us happier, and more comfortable in our own skin and in the world has actually turned on us and is now working against us.

If this is where you are at, perfect. It means the time has come to face your own soul and love your own self. The time has come to drop all judgments about where you think you “should” be or where you think others “should” be and meet yourself and them where they are.

Once you have come to terms that there are parts of you that are still criticizing you, and critiquing others, all that’s left to do is accept and love. Love the one that judges.

Love the one that criticizes. To love is to surrender, and ultimately the only thing that can truly make the judgments go away is to first be aware of them, then send them unconditional love. At this point a miraculous thing happens. We no longer use being spiritual as a tool to make ourselves feel worse or a means to which we can put ourselves on a pedestal over others.

We come to terms that every one we meet is on their own spiritual path, even those who don’t even know it, and no amount of truth or “wisdom” matters if we are not nice. No matter how remedial it sounds, being nice and loving to everyone (including ourselves) is and always should be the ultimate goal of the spiritual path.

Attached is a video that may shed some light and humor on the spiritual path. After all, being able to laugh at oneself is the evidence that we are no longer attached to ideas about ourselves, we are no longer getting ‘offended’ by anything. This is where true freedom lies.

Image Source

Tree
Healing
Ego
The Absent
Chris Dyer

The Zen of Heart storming: Ego Individuation and the Self-actualization of the Soul

Gary Z McGee
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3
The Zen of Heart storming: Ego Individuation and the Self-actualization of the Soul

“Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself.” ~ Khalil Gibran

See yourself within everything, and everything within yourself. The illusion is our separation. We are one. But we must not forget that we are also aspects of The One. We are individual waves crashing out of a mighty cosmic ocean. We’re all connected, but we’re also all unique.

Heartstorming is first and foremost a process of elimination, a washing away, a deep cleansing. What we’re eliminating is superfluity, excess baggage.

Just as a storm comes through and cleanses the world with its rains, a heart storm comes through and cleanses the human heart of its excess, its glut, its surfeit. After a storm comes through, things that were once hard and dry begin to blossom and grow. Similarly, when a heart storm comes through, things that were once hard and dry within the psyche begin to blossom and grow.

Ego Individuation

Heart storming is a process of elimination, but it is mostly a transformative process. What transforms the most is the ego. Before the crucial heart storm, the ego is a hardened thing, a blackened nut with a too-hard shell so full of itself it can’t see that it needs to burst in order to flourish.

It’s so focused on being hard and invulnerable that it cannot realize the greater power-potential that lies within being soft and vulnerable. The heartstorm is precisely the thing needed to dissolve the hardened shell of the ego and reveal (individuate) the rich soulful guts trapped within it.

Call it Ego death. Call it a dark night of the soul. Call it what you will. When the heart experiences a storm, a true storm, a tempest that sincerely tests the will of the individual, change is inevitable and transformation is tantamount to death, but a glorious rebirth is at hand, and there is no going back to the old stagnant form.

Heartstorming is a journey, a walking meditation, a process of ego individuation and soul self-actualization. It is a method of questioning in which a member of a tribe contributes creative questions spontaneously, first to his/her self and then to the tribe; the kind of questions that cause upheaval and overthrow cultural programming.

It can manifest in art, in dance, in communication, or even in play. Equal parts self-interrogation and questioning to the nth degree, heart storming is living alchemically through creative manifestation. It is a transformation of tradition into innovation, parochialism into universalism, codependency into independency into interdependency.

It leads to the ability to adapt and overcome any given situation, because it flattens the box of convention and makes one less easily pigeonholed, while also preventing self-power from ever getting to the point to where it can become corrupt.

Such ability is a boon for both the individual and their tribe, for, as Joseph Campbell said, “The influence of a vital person vitalizes.” Heartstorming is nothing short of a vitalizing sharpening stone used to sharpen and vitalize the instrument of man. And when combined with meditation, especially heart chakra meditation, it is Vitalization par excellence.

Heart storming helps us to think less codependently/selfishly and more interdependently/empathically. Like Derrick Jensen said, “We must learn how to think like the planet.” Heart storming boots us out of our mind and into a state of no-mind where the heart “feels” its way and is free to navigate the precarious waters of the human condition without the psychological/psychosocial hang-ups that viciously plague the enculturated mind.

It kicks us out of wordy language and into a language that’s older than words. What happens as a result is an eco-conscious awareness that trumps ego-consciousness, and we’re finally able to have a heart-to-heart “conversation” with Mother Nature herself.

What we learn changes us profoundly. It launches us into Big Mind. We find that we are no longer limited by small-picture thinking, we are vitalized by big-picture thinking. Big Mind is free to fly over Small Mind with over-eyes and frontal lobes like wings that split the sky.

Like Leonardo da Vinci said, “For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.”

Heartstorms create a sacred space inside where we can find ourselves again and again. Indeed, where our imaginations are allowed to fly. The more we heartstorm the more we maintain our heart’s vitality, the more we resonate with the universe.

ego individuation

Indeed, the goal of heart storming is precisely the goal of making our heartbeat match the beat of the universe. It helps us let go of expectation and embrace what our destiny has in store for us.

From this sacred space we are free to discover our bliss. Our bliss is our life’s passion, what we were put here to do. When we discover what excites us, we can then make that the basis for our personal hero’s journey.

Like Joseph Campbell said, “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” No wall is big enough to withstand the power of a genuine heartstorm. Not even the walls of the heart. Heartbreak doesn’t hurt because our heart is breaking; it hurts because our heart is growing. It’s getting bigger. It’s becoming the world.

But, and here’s the rub, there will always be walls. And that’s okay. That’s why heartstorming is a process, a journey, and not a destination. Walls will go up and they tend to stay up unless something brings them down.

An authentic heart storm is just the leveling mechanism needed to bring them down. The Ego itself is a wall before the first heart storm dissolves its too-hard carapace. The aftermath creates a sacred space for vital resurrection. Like Wendell Berry poetically opined, striking at the heart of heart storming…

“As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.”

Image source:

Heart lightning

Matching Our Vibration with Our Desired Reality

Nikki Sapp
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14
Matching Our Vibration with Our Desired Reality

“Everything you can imagine is real.” ~ Pablo Picasso

We’ve all had the experience of coincidence, or as it’s more commonly known in spirituality and law of attraction circles, “synchronicity”.

Maybe we thought about someone and then we randomly see them somewhere. Or we think about a song and a minute later it’s coming on the radio.

The deeper we get in touch with our own consciousness we find that these synchronicities are not only happening more often, but also on a larger scale. Perhaps we have dreams at night that become manifest in our waking reality, or perhaps we start to notice less of “lag” time between the things we long to achieve in our imagination and the arrival of that exact thing in our physical reality.

By this point, most anyone that has any sort of knowledge on spirituality, energy, or even quantum physics topics has heard the phrase, “our thoughts create our reality.” But is this exactly the way it works?

If we think of a song and then five minutes later that song comes on the radio, did we manifest that outcome to happen by just thinking about the song? Or did we intuitively know that it was already predestined to come on because we came into vibrational alignment with the timeline in which that outcome existed?

When we think of things this way we come to the question of whether or not our future is set in stone or are we literally creating our life completely as we go along. Well, in actuality, it’s a little bit of both.

“We are actually living in a million parallel realities every single minute.” ~ Marina Abramovic

Our life comes complete with a limited amount of probabilities, and from these possible probabilities or choices, we make decisions.

When we are young, our decisions are made for us by our caretakers. But as we get older, we start to make our choices ourselves, but nonetheless, on any given day, there are only certain choices that are available for our choosing.

For example, in our present reality, we may not have the choice to hop on a plane and fly to France, but we do have the choice to get in our car and drive somewhere a few hours away for the weekend. Or we have the choice to stay home and do nothing. But each choice we make manifests as a new future, puts us in a different timeline.

So every choice we have ever made or ever will make has actually become it’s own reality, and our consciousness resides in all these. We may have found ourselves wondering how our life would have been different had we made a different decision in our past. Or perhaps we imagine ourselves living our dream life and wonder which choices we could make that would get us to that desired reality.

Technically, if we can imagine it, it also means we not only have the power to make that reality come true, but that reality actually already exists in a different timeline. We all have different visions of how we would like our life to be and the reason we are given specific dreams and ambitions means that there is a timeline that exists that already holds that outcome. Quite simply, if we are imagining it, it is already true, it is up to us to believe it.

In order to start making choices that are more in alignment with the timeline we wish to occupy, we must focus on the one thing… our vibration. The way we feel on the inside is the one true indicator as to what we are drawing to us, or rather, the timeline that we are coming into alignment with. For most, this may be hard to do because we have become accustomed to only paying attention to our physical reality as the indicator of what is happening in our life.

If we exist in a present moment that we don’t like or feel badly about we start to resonate in the vibration of “feeling bad” which is of a lower frequency, which actually ensures that we will stay on that timeline.

We start making choices that coincide with that  which keeps us stuck in that timeline. However, if we only stay focused on how we feel on the inside, and more specifically start to feel really good, thankful and happy no matter what things look like on the outside, we actually are able to shift timelines in a matter of a second.

The vibration we sit at most often is what calls forth the timeline that we will be living in. As we raise our vibration we cannot be surprised when people, places and things may start to drop out of our life because they no longer resonate with our new vibration.

As long as we are feeling good, we can be assured that the Universe is taking care of the rest. So that may mean that things or people we THOUGHT we wanted are no longer in alignment with our new self, but we must trust that all this is for the best.

Since our ego mind is not always the best at making decisions or knowing what will be the best for us long-term, we must hand the decision making over to the Universe, and trust that the outcomes that are on their way to us are not only for the best, but may even be better than anything we could have imagined for ourselves.

“Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way, This is not philosophy. This is physics.” ~ Bashar

When we think about how our dream life looks compared to how our life looks now it can be overwhelming. Often when our outer reality looks nothing like the reality we wish to be in, things like self-doubt and fear kick in. We think, “How am I going to make it happen? How can I change the way my life looks now, into that awesome amazing dream life in my imagination?”

There is one simple answer… feel good. Think thoughts that feel good, compliment yourself for everything you did right today, do something kind for another person, expect that the best is on it’s way. The more we reside in a loving frequency our vibration starts rising.

At this point, our physical reality has no other choice but to reflect back to us our own vibration. We not only start recognizing little “coincidences”, but we also find that as our vibration rises, the people in our life become more loving.

Their vibration begins to match our own, and for the ones who subconsciously make the choice to not rise to our vibration, they begin to fall out of our lives to only be replaced by people who are more in alignment with our new frequency.

We must also be patient. When we realize that the world we see outside of us now is only a result of past thoughts and feelings, we can be less affected by it. And even though our now moment is a result of past feelings, the way we FEEL in our now moment is what is creating the future. Choose wisely, choose lovingly.

Five Yoga Postures to Open the Heart Chakra

Sonali Bansal
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2
Five Yoga Postures to Open the Heart Chakra

“The heart is the place where we live our passions. It is frail and easily broken, but wonderfully resilient. There is no point in trying to deceive the heart. It depends upon our honesty for its survival.” ~ Leo Buscaglia

Yoga Postures to Open the Heart Chakra

The fourth chakra or Heart Chakra is the seat of unconditional love, compassion, joy and emotional wisdom. In Sanskrit it is known as “Anahata Chakra”, meaning, ‘Unbeaten,’ ‘Unhurt’ or ‘Unstruck’.

It rests in the center of the chakra system at the core of our spirit, integrating the world of matter (the lower three chakras) with the world of spirit (the upper three chakras).

Our spiritual growth, the nature of our relationships with others, the feeling of peace, contentment and harmony, all these aspects of everyday living are integrated within Anahata chakra.

Related to the element of Air, a balanced Heart Chakra is the reason for the free flowing prana in the body and smooth blood circulation. An imbalanced Heart Chakra on the contrary, is the reason for heart problems, emotional instability, and inability to express love or repression of love.

We have trouble loving ourselves, and we are therefore paranoid and afraid to love others. Many issues of love, grief, hatred, anger, jealousy, fears of betrayal, loneliness, as well as the ability to heal ourselves and others are centered in the fourth chakra.

Here is a quick guide to the Anahata Chakra:
Colour: Green with secondary colour Pink
Element: Air
Glands/Organs: Heart, Thymus gland, circulatory system, arms, hands, lungs
Gems/Minerals affecting it: Emeralds, Green and Pink Tourmaline, Rose Quartz, Ruby, Green Jade, Malachite, Green Aventurine, Chrysoprase, and Kunzite.
Foods: Green fruits & vegetables

The yoga poses to expand the feminine Heart Chakra usually include shoulder openers, passive chest openers, arm positions, and backbends. Empowering us with the ability to surrender and let go with trust, practicing the yoga poses mentioned below dissolves fears and ignites love.

Here are 5 yoga postures to open the heart chakra

Bhujangasana or Cobra Pose

bhujangasana cobra pose 1

How to: Lie in prone position, place the elbows on the floor and the hands extended forward with the feet joined. Inhale & lift the torso up, while the hands pressed down. Gaze upwards and elongate the neck. This is Ardha Bhujangasana or Half Cobra for beginners, if you want to challenge yourself further, follow the instructions below for the complete pose.

Begin lying prone position, and bend the elbows with the hands placed flat on the floor beside the chest. The legs are extended, joined together, pubis, thighs and feet pressed on the floor. Inhale, lift the chest up while pressing the palms into the floor.

The shoulders are pressed back, gaze upwards and neck elongated. Ensure that the belly button is on the floor. Hold here for 5 to 7 breaths, exhale slowly and return to the starting position. Repeat two more times.

Why to: Opening and strengthening the shoulders, your back muscles and arms, Cobra pose allows prana to flow freely. Expanding the Heart Chakra, it draws energy in and automatically brings focus to the chest. Focusing on the Heart Chakra during this pose can be highly beneficial.

Ustrasana or Camel Pose

Ustrasana or Camel Pose

How to: Kneel down on the yoga mat with feet hip width apart, the sacrum is tucked in, not swinging forward or backward. First, place your hands on the lower back, the elbows bent and fingers facing downwards (Refer to Image on the left).

Exhaling, bend the shoulders backwards, chest open and hips slightly forward and gaze backwards. (Refer to image in the centre). At any time, the neck should not be left hanging. Stay for a few breaths in the pose. If you feel dizzy, the gaze should be fixed forward.

Now elongating the spine, once more, push the hips forward, the shoulder blades back while you bend backwards. Slightly tilting towards the right, place the right hand on right heel, lean slightly towards the left and place the left hand on the left heel.

The fingers are pointing towards the toes. The head comes last, lifting the chest into an arch, look backwards. Hold for 5 to 7 breaths, slowly contract the abdomen to lift the chest forward, bring the hands on the lower back and return to the initial position.

Why to: Camel Pose clears blockages created by past incidents, and strengthens the spine, shoulders and arms.The opening of the chest cavity stimulates and opens the heart chakra.

Marjariasana or Cat pose & Bitilasana or Cow Pose

cat pose
cow pose


How to: Come in a table top position and ensure the knees and hands are positioned in one line & the shoulders and wrists are positioned in one line. As you inhale, raise your chin and tilt your head back. Raise your tailbone, creating an arch in the back and hip out.

Follow this by a countermovement: as you exhale, drop your chin to your chest, scrunch the back, looking downwards in Cat pose; relax the buttocks. Hold this pose for few seconds and return to the initial table top position.

Why to: The movement of contraction and expansion helps to soften and release the tension in the entire back and neck that keep you from letting your heart open.

Supta Baddha Konasana or Supine Bound Angle Pose

Supta Baddha Konasana

How to: Sit in butterfly pose, i.e., join the base of both feet and allow your knees to fall. For additional support, you can place bricks underneath both your knees. Now gently fall back on the yoga mat with the palms facing upwards.

If you feel the need, you can also use a bolster underneath to rest the whole back and head on the bolster. Beginners are suggested to use props initially. Close your eyes and rest here. This pose can be practiced before or after a session.

Why to: Relaxing the whole body, this pose increases the circulation of blood in the lower body and allows the Heart Chakra to work freely. We can also imagine green color energy moving in and out, with every breath, to enhance the effect of the pose.

Matsyasana or Fish Pose

Matsyasana Fish Pose


How to: Lie down in supine position, hands facing down and placed underneath the buttocks. Press the hands down, lift & extend the legs with feet pointing outwards. Slightly bend your elbows to lift the head. Tilt the head back and place the crown of your head on the floor. The majority of the body weight is resting on the elbows here and not on the head. Hold the pose for as long as you comfortably can or for 5-7 breaths, taking gentle long breaths in and out, and release.

Why to: Fish pose is a deep backbend, it opens the intercostal muscles in the rib cage, creating enhanced space for the heart to pump blood smoothly. Also it strengthens the chest muscles, opens the shoulders and improves overall posture.

Seed Mantra Meditation

“Mantras are powerful spiritual formula that when repeated silently in the mind, have the capacity to transform consciousness.” ~ Eknath

YAM (pronounced as YUM) is the seed or beej mantra of the Heart Chakra. Sit cross legged or lotus pose away from any support and take deep breaths. Focus on the heart chakra and start chanting ‘YAM’. Imagine the chakra opening with the energy flowing in a horizontal movement.

Chant YAM three times, then chant ‘OM’ three times out loud, and feel the flow of the energy vibrating vertically from head to toe. Now repeat the chant silently; first YAM then chant OM. This is one set. Continue to chant YAM and OM, till you wish to.

Why to: The seed invocation is a form of a charged mantra. The sound when chanted resonates and reaches directly to the centre of the heart chakra and immediately activates it. The beej meditation will increase the circumference of the chakra and balances it. The expansion of the heart from the “I” into the cosmic energy is a wondrous transformation.

Some other poses to harmonise and expand the Heart Chakra that can be practiced under expert guidance or only by an advance level of practitioner are: Urdhva Mukha Svanasanaor Upward Facing dog, Mermaid Pose, Two Foot Inverted Staff Pose, Urdhva Dhanurasna or Wheel Pose and Anjaneyasana Crescent moon pose.

Image Source

Sarah Moore – Heart chakra

Dreams of our Childhood: The Poetics of Space

Lauren
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0
Dreams of our Childhood: The Poetics of Space

 “We are never real historians, but always near poets, and our emotion is perhaps nothing but an expression of a poetry that was lost.” ~ Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space

Philosopher Gaston Bachelard, writer of The Poetics of Space, writes in theoretical and poetic prose on the nature of space; the macrocosms and universes within the house, as well as the microcosms; nests, drawers, shells and corners.

Places which the hermit or lonely child may look for solitude, shelter and places to indulge in day-dreaming amidst the dusty architecture of houses.

Let’s take a closer look at the Poetics of Space –

Nests and Shells

“Even at the level of an isolated poetic image, if only in the progression of expression constituted by the verse, the phenomenological reverberation can appear; and in its extreme simplicity, it gives us mastery of our tongue.”

The architecture of the imagination and its role in the process of enlightenment can be beautifully summed up by the nest and the shell. Rather than an image of the human consciousness, the poetic image of the nest is much like the house; our own little corner of the world and therefore an expression of comfort and shelter, a perfect construction of symmetry and delicate strength.

Though an illusion of stability, the nest is also a wholesome one, the shell a place of withdrawal, an introversion, an ‘envelope’. Like a rabbit in its burrow, the nest and shell provide the child with imaginings of security and submersion, though the illusion of safety is not to last and eventually we must emerge into the light.

Drawers, chests and wardrobes

“Our past is situated elsewhere, and both time and place are impregnated with a sense of unreality”

the Poetics of Space

The image of the drawer and other heavy wooden containers; of keep-sake boxes and treasure chests where the excess baggage of thought; objects with no purpose and keys that open mysterious doors to various parts of the subconscious provide the child with a playground of poetic images.

The back-less wardrobe and the bottomless chest lead us into other lands, the drawer contains treasures only the child can appreciate and use on their adventures through the tangles of the unknown at the bottom of the garden.

The storage of time and container of artifacts, drawers and chests represent meticulous organization and the hoardings of memories the mind should have long since disposed of.

They contain the bizarre collectibles of our wilting and eccentric elders; layers of intimacy and objects the past forgot, they are the ‘veritable organs of the secret psychological life’.

Corners

“Sometimes the house of the future is better built, lighter and larger than all the houses of the past, so that the image of the dream house is opposed to that of the childhood home.”

child-in-corner

The corner, though not always associated with a place of punishment, is more often than not a place of silence. The corner is a place of immobility that can appear to be a trap but actually, like the nurturing darkness of a cave can be a haven.

Corners can be the places we find ourselves, the blank walls and lack of stimuli a trigger for inner reflection. As with the naughty child sent to the corner to think about what they have done, the corner can also mirror the emptiness within and the potential for manifestation. The true nature of being is a blank canvas, a cloudless sky… but also a corner.

The corner is the ideal place for daydreaming and realizing the nature of our existence:
“The child has just discovered that she is herself in an explosion toward the outside, which is a reaction, perhaps, to certain concentrations in a comer of her being.”

Attics and Basements

“If we look at it intimately, the humblest dwelling has beauty.”

attic

The house as a ‘verticality’ of the universe; a universe within a universe is what makes the polarities of the traditional house; the attic and the basement such reflections of heaven and hell; one is rational the other, irrational. Both are spaces that the child might spend hours playing in, and should each be as essential as the other, polarities in perfect balance.

Perhaps one is visited more than the other, but what we do know is that the basement is invariably a place to fear; a place of questionable smell and clogged exits. It is a place that harbours mistaken monsters and deep sea beasts, a place most would not like to be trapped in. The basement represents the subconscious and our shadow lurking there.

The attic, on the other hand, is lofty; reaching towards the heavens like the tower of Babel. It is the hill we climbed to experience the lightheadedness of pure oxygen, as far as we can get from the mundane.

The attic is not quite pure consciousness, but the place we find ourselves when free from the pulls of the world. It is freedom, and we might gaze out of a stained glass window or find a few pillows to lie on and look up through the skylight at the passing clouds and dream of things bigger than ourselves.

It’s in the attic that, not unlike the corner with its lack of distraction that we might bump into our true selves, without any worldly worries obscuring it.

Candle in the Window

“Winter adds to the poetry of a house.”

3163390804_dd4338f075

The candle or lamp in the window seems to be the ultimate image of the daydream. When the storm is raging around us, and the hermit seeks out a hut, the candle burning steadily in the window is a symbol of hope. It is one that has associations with All Hallows Eve and the happy conclusions of all life changing adventures.

Although it’s often an image symbolizing age and great wisdom, for the child the candle is the light that drowns out all darkness and should be our focus through the long winters of uncertainty and compromise that lie ahead.

A symbol of the fragment of the Divine burning brightly within all of us, the candle draws us towards it like a magnet, and is perhaps the best way to sum up the true meaning of our lives.

Image Source

Nest
Corner
Candle

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