Internal Dialogue and Repeating Patterns
By Gary Osborn
Copyright © Gary Osborn 2003. All Rights Reserved.
As often repeated in the literature on Shamanism, the word ‘Shaman’ is from the Tungusic Šaman. The word ‘Šaman’ is derived from the Pali Samana, which in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit is Sramana.
Mark Dunn, an “urban shaman” and writer on Shamanism, tells us that ‘Sramana’ means, ‘to sing’ or ‘chant’ specifically sacred, liturgical songs. He says, these “songs” were ‘magical spells’ – akin to the Hindu Mantras, which were repetitively sung in order to induce trance, and adds that these Mantra-like chants or songs contained sacred words (‘signatures’) which the shaman utilized like a ‘password’ so that he or she (a shamaness) could access a specific “other world” or “reality” through the trance state.
In other words, the Mantra-song encapsulated the associative information or corresponding properties of the particular ‘reality domain’ the shaman wanted to access ‘anywhere’ and ‘anywhen’ in space and time.
This is the real meaning behind ‘the Word’ of subsequent religions – the sound made in the ‘Void’ from which the creation of the universe was produced. And we find this concept in Gnosticism for instance, where the ‘Word’ is called the Logos.
It was believed that like certain sounds, ‘spoken words’ – because they are produced from one’s own Will – possess more power than we realize; the mystics say that the vibrations of words – whether intoned in thought or spoken – create form in the nature of the perceptions and ‘reactions’ we receive from the external world. We are told that these words will also 'attract' through their vibration. They will resonate with similar associative energy/information – information that will then reactively “materialize” in the form of certain patterns, objects and events. Like sound waves the dynamic processes associated with our thoughts and spoken words underlie our perceptions of reality and are therefore hidden from our senses.
As stated by the eastern philosophical religions, which are generally based on the observations and experiences made by the shaman, it is believed that we all create our own reality. In other words, it is said that we actually help to create and shape the energy/information patterns we will then observe, experience and interact with via the 'internal dialogue', which is continually being repeated and endlessly inside our heads. This ‘internal dialogue’ concept is purely Mark Dunn’s own theory based on what he has learned from shamanic lore and his own experiences.
Dunn says that the logic behind this shamanic concept is found in the observation of our everyday experiences and events which will often follow a 'set-programme' based on our daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly habits. We can see that the patterns of our lives will often repeat themselves in a number of ways – even down to lighting up a cigarette every ten minutes – and that these patterns will conform to the same information which is being expressed and “played” within us as our ‘internal dialogue.’ In brief we are 'addicted' to certain patterns which we will repeat without realizing it and these patterns experienced are an externalized projection of the same data we have running through our minds every moment. In fact reality is a projection-reflection situation, in that the internal and external patterns help to create and generate each other every moment – which is what I have been saying all along. This principle is expressed in the illustration Drawing Hands by M.C. Escher - figure 1.
Figure 1: Drawing Hands. 1948. M. C. Escher
It was believed, and still believed by some, that our ‘internal dialogue’ is a repeating program, which is continually being played but often altering only slightly and slowly as our lives progress.
It contains our beliefs, our wants, our desires, our passions, our needs, our preferences, our fears and expectations – all of which are being “played” like a ‘looping tape’ within our heads. The information being ‘thought’ or ‘emotionally felt’ every moment and internally, determines the nature of the information experienced externally, and vice versa. This is why the external things we experience will tend to repeat themselves as in cycles, as if in accordance with our deep-seated beliefs.
These deep-seated beliefs – being part of the default program – can be a hindrance as they often conflict with the wants or desires of the conscious-self on the surface. Any small, large or drastic alteration made to this “program” – which then has an effect on our life’s circumstances and what we experience – is believed to be due to our becoming more conscious OF and AT the crucial point in the cyclical process. According to esoteric thought, this crucial point in the cycle is where the infinite energy is being “tapped” to create these internal and external patterns. It’s as if by becoming more conscious of the end-beginning point in the cycle, actually grants us more energy to end, alter or change the repeating pattern and therefore the overall 'program'.
This is explained in my own theory relating to wave phenomena (see here) and there is more about this in other articles on this site. The fact that hypnosis (hypnagogia) is a tool used to alter and change certain behavioral patterns and habits and overcome the fears and phobias that for some reason have become a part of our program, gives some support to what I am saying here.
Anyway, the shaman through his own understanding of this cyclical process, exploited it – believing that the sustained visualization of a symbol or endless chanting of a particular word or song, and while going into self-hypnotic trance by which he actually accesses that beginning and end point in the cycle – would create a whole new reality which he could experience in his mind – the characteristic traits and ‘properties’ of the reality being based on the particular word or song. In other words, instead of operating or going along with the same program, our ‘intelligence centre’ if you will – being the ‘void’ or ‘collective unconscious’ – and if accessed consciously – will recognize the associative meanings connected with the symbol or intoned ‘word’ or ‘song,’ like it always does, and will send up the associative information which will then surface by manifesting itself in reality as the “good” or “bad” experiences of the conscious-self.
Again, it is believed by the shaman that the information accessed can be totally new and unfamiliar – almost alien – as if relating to “other realities,” “other worlds” or “dimensions.”
An analogy can be made by someone on a computer plugged into the Internet who types a word in the Search Engine Window and then presses ‘GO’ so as to receive the associated information based on that word and from the void we call the worldwide web or cyberspace. Imagine that we are doing this every moment with our internal dialogue – i.e., certain words, positively or negatively charged with our feelings at the time, are being sent or dropped into the void, and at the very instant when our minds cross that unconscious point in the cycle, therefore reinforcing our program and determining what we experience. We could also imagine what would happen if we kept repeating to ourselves the line, “Life is hell!”
It was simply believed that if one can drastically change the internal dialogue (the program) then one could also change the reality. Again, the shaman does this by going into the hypnagogic trance state while at the same time using a ‘word’ or ‘image’ which he repeats endlessly in his mind and which encapsulates the kind of information he wants to access, and which he then experiences.
These words and symbols became the Rune symbols and we can see that it was in the early stages of this shamanic technique that they first originated and were developed.
The Runes and the Point of Centrality
Mark Dunn tells us that the origins of the Runes are lost to the mists of time, which encompassed the great forests of Northern Europe – tentatively ‘hiding’ their birth into being. The Runes were an ancient symbolic dialogue utilized for the exploration of the mysteries of the Self regarding one’s existence as a conscious entity. The Runes came into their own around the late Iron Age, facilitated by the ecstatic cult of Odin. However, the Runes may have a far older history considering that the cult of Odin is permeated by a shamanistic ethos, and hearkens back further to a time much older than the Iron Age.
Mark Dunn forwarded the following information to me.
The word ‘Rune’ includes the ancient Egyptian word 'RU', which is not surprising, and is found primarily within the Germanic and Celtic languages. The etymology of the word is still a point of conjecture. It can be traced back to the Old Norse run.
This word means ‘a mystery’ or ‘a secret.’ However, there are two more possibilities from where this word primarily originated.
1. The word reu, which is derived from the proto-indo-european language and which in essence means ("to roar" and "to whisper") has a correlation with the old German word runa – meaning (a whisperer) – i.e., to communicate “a mysterious secret thing.” Again, the pictogram for the word reu is also similar to the ancient Egyptian, oval, vagina-shaped hieroglyth known as the RU, and appears to be associated with the vocal performance of sacred incantations, and liturgical songs of an ecstatic nature.
2. The word Gwor-w-on, which is the proto-european root word connected with the ancient Greek and old Asian Gods, Ouranos (Uranus) and Varuna. These two Gods – being of Indo-European origin – are associated with what’s known as “magical binding.” This is associated with the power of incantations. One of Odin’s attributes was that of the power of “magical binding” as in connecting things together . . . as in synchronise, synthesise, union and fusion.
The word ‘Rune’ appears to be associated with the concept of “mystery from the very beginning.” In Old Irish, the word rûn again means “mystery” or “secret.” The Middle Welsh word rhin means “mystery,” and in the Finnish runo, which means “a song” or a ‘canto,’ – basically a liturgical song.
The Rune Stones then, are associated with another archetypal shaman – the Norse god Odin, who gained insight into the mystery of the Runes by hanging from the “world tree,” Yggdrassil. Again, I will remind the reader that the “tree” is the shaman’s spinal column and so Odin’s access to the mystery of the Rune language can only be via the Kundalini enlightenment experience associated with the spinal cord and central nervous system.
Now in regard to the discoveries of anthropologist Jeremy Narby, it’s possible that the strange symbolic language of the Runes have their origin in the ‘symbolic information’ that the shaman picks up from the ‘DNA molecular’ level while in the trance state – i.e., his subjective or psychic conversations with the serpent or snake-like entities.
There is also a possibility that the runes have a common ancestry with what is known as the Hallristningar Script.
The Hallristningar Script is a group of symbolic carvings, carved into rock by the Neolithic and Bronze Age peoples who lived circa 1300-1200 BCE, and are one of the oldest forms of European writing. The runes have sharp angular strokes, because they were originally carved into stone. This would indicate that the runic signs are of a form, which predates rounded or curved letters.
The Hallristningar Script consists of symbols, which have an obvious religious meaning. The circle features prominently, which is depicted in various forms.
Figure 2: Glyphs from the Hallristningar Script
For example, there is a circle with a dot at its centre ( which was also the ancient Egyptian sun symbol), as well as circles with equal-armed crosses inside of them - both square and diagonally.
The first of these two circles possibly represents the ecliptic cross to which the earth’s axis may have once been aligned, with the second representing the tilted axis and equator – as expressed in the symbol of the Skull and Crossbones and the crook and flail that cross each other over the chest of Osiris. There are also smaller circles with eight-pointed stars – (a fusion of the two) – whose rays extend from the centre. This is most interesting in view of the connections that can be made with the eight-armed or eight-pointed star associated with the “Green Man” – and in particular, the Norse god Odin.
These symbols represent a sense of centrality; the circle with a point at the centre represents a point of centrality within the circular or spherical enclosure of existence.
Going back to the ancient Egyptian sun symbol and noting the connection it has with the ecliptic centre and the precessional circle traced in the heavens by the tilted axis, this symbol really derives from the concept of Hadit and Nuit which is symbolised in the same way as the point within the circle, depicted in the Hallristningar script. This in itself may denote a common source of influence.
In brief, Hadit represents consciousness reduced down to an infinitesimal point – an ability of the shaman and an ability one picks up after experiencing a Kundalini Awakening. Such paranormal abilities are called Sidhis in Sanskrit. This point is equivalent to the bindu of Hindu philosophy, which again, is said to be located above the head.
Hadit is the creative seed – the zero point within the circle . . . the source of creation – and so Hadit is really the seed of Atum-Ra.
Hadit is also a “point” of view – as in “see my point?” or “let’s get straight to the point.” It is the True Will – i.e., the creative principle within man.
Mark adds that to the shaman, this point within the circle is one’s ‘magnetic centre of attraction,’ which attracts to itself experiential phenomena, which will reinforce how the individual perceives him or herself to be. Hadit as the ‘point’ is also symbolized in ancient Egyptian art as the ‘winged orb’ or ‘globe’ which really represents one’s ability to fly out of one’s body (astral travel) as a pinpoint of consciousness – a point of light energy. Here we see the orb as the ‘sun symbol’ above the head of the ancient Egyptian (shaman), about to embark on the back of a winged or “feathered serpent.” It was also depicted between the two eyes of Horus, as the “third eye.”
From C. Jacq (1993), p. 99. The 'sun symbol' representing the bindu point above the head of the god Sokar as seen in Hindu depictions of the Kundalini chakra system is flanked by the two eyes of Horus – representing the left and right brain opposites. These are also related to the three components of the 'third eye' – Pineal, Pituitary and the Thalamus at the centre of the brain
As some will know, the ‘orb’ is also at the top of the Caduceus symbol, which represents the spinal column. Therefore, the orb is the bindu point above the head according to Hindu and Chinese traditions.
Now, the circle enclosing the point of Hadit represents the Goddess Nut or Nuit, who is ‘infinite space’ and the ‘infinite stars:’ she is the womb or ‘cosmic egg,’ which receives the seed-drop, which is Hadit. In this we see that the universe, which was created from the point of the “big bang” represented by the female womb or egg, which receives the seed of Atum-Ra.
Nuit then, is the feminine principle, the surrounding universe illustrated by a circle or sphere. This sphere is the “cylone” or vortex storm, consisting of positive and negative energy. This concept of the circle or sphere holds within it all the information and energy pertaining to a particular reality domain – i.e. one’s experiential reality – as in our planet earth. Again, Hadit is the “calm eye” within this “cyclone” storm, which is why Odin, Osiris, Horus, Atum-Ra – and their emblem of the ‘one eye’ – are gods associated with the calm “eye of the storm.” Odin is said to have had ‘one eye.’ It is said that he lost an eye so that he could access the secret of the Runes. This is obviously an allusion to the ‘third eye,’ as in the saying: “in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king.” In other words, Odin was able to access the ‘great mystery’ and all its knowledge via his activation of the ‘third eye.’ His losing an eye is a round-about way of saying that he had done away with both his physical eyes.
To the ancients, the ‘third eye’ would have been the inner eye of the trance state, which is associated with the centre of consciousness – the “eye of the storm” and the dot at the centre of the circle where ‘All’ is superimposed at a point – and this means all the information and knowledge of the universe at a point. However, it was also understood, that at the same time that this information is all fused within this point, that this information and knowledge is also spread outside within the sphere that surrounds this point. In modern-day terms, this ‘point centre’ would again be the proto atom that seeded the universe into existence via the “big bang.”
What the shamanic experience implies is that we all have the ability to take our consciousness back to that first potential point of creation – a belief also held by trance-state artist and magician Austin Osman Spare, who called this ability Atavistic Resurgence – an ability he believed he had. Again, one’s experience of this point-centre is the ‘enlightenment’ or ‘illumination’ phenomenon, which has been behind the religious impulse of man throughout history. And I will repeat that this experience is first initiated or triggered by the hypnagogic trance state, accomplished through intense and prolonged meditation.
By remaining balanced and centred it is believed by the Hindu traditions that the individual is able to reduce one’s consciousness down to a ‘point of singularity’ – i.e., the zero-point centre of a subatomic particle . . . Hadit.
This is one of the first of the Hindu Sidhis (abilities) which one gains after having experienced the Kundalini awakening.
It’s as if the centre of any subatomic particle contains the same point that seeded the universe into being. The shaman saw this same point as being the centre of his own consciousness as well as the centre of the collective. However, the technique in being able to do this is much more difficult than can be explained in these metaphors and so this experience – supported as it is by the well-documented experiences and detailed consciousness research of the late physicist; John C. Lilly – is something I will go into in some depth elsewhere.
Going back to the Runes, the word 'Rune', not only means “a mystery,” but it is associated with the colour red – being the blood of the “Great Mother.”
It is through the language of the Rune symbols that the shaman could access the underlying matrix of one’s physical reality – one’s reality being symbolized by the womb of the “Great Mother” or “World Mother” the origin of the term, “Mother Earth.”
Mark Dunn adds that it is through the “world mother” that one dies to Oneself in order to be reborn from Oneself. This is also communicated in the myth of Odin, who “sacrifices himself to Himself.” What Odin sacrifices is his ego, which only believes in and deals with mundane reality. We will come back to this shamanic concept of the “world mother” in a moment.
The contents of the ‘Tantric skull cups’ often consisted of blood – also being the blood of the Hindu god Rudra.
Rudra is the Hindu version of the archetypal shaman; the Lord of wild animals – like Cernunnos, the Celtic version of the “Green Man.” It is said that during trance, a shaman would go into a furious ecstatic state equatable with ‘Rudra’ – known as the “the howler.” or the “weeper” – these epithets being behavioural characteristics of the trance experience and the Kundalini. This is especially true in regard to the movement of the Kundalini energy along the spine which can be painful and dangerous – especially if the two energies are not properly balanced or neutralised. Rudra’s etymological origins are uncertain. In other areas, and like the shaman who is a healer, “witch doctor” and “medicine man,” the name ‘Rudra’ means “the removal of pain” or “healer” – however, the name ‘Rudra’ could also mean the “red one.”
Again, according to Mark Dunn – himself a self-confessed ‘urban shaman’ and a writer on the shamanic tradition – the Latin word ‘Rubeus’ means ‘red’ and is again derived from the proto-Indo-European word ‘reu’ as associated with the Runes. Rubeus is also associated with the “Red King” or “Crimson King” [1] of Alchemy – and as many of us will know the ancient art of alchemy really has its origins in the shamanic tradition as alchemy is really the “great work” upon oneself.
Rudra is also identified with Siva or Shiva who is the “Great Lord of Yoga” – which is interesting in view of the Kundalini ‘energy phenomenon’ associated with the human spine through which one can access “other worlds,” as believed by the shaman, and reach enlightenment.
Siva is also the ‘divine healer,’ which means he is again a shamanic god and this is supported by the fact that Siva is depicted as a ‘horned god’ like Pan and Cernunnos. He is also connected with serpent worship especially when we see that one of his titles was Nakula or ‘mongoose’ in reflection of his immunity from snakebite. Both Siva – and Siva as in the form of Rudra – are seen in their dynamic aspect as being entwined with serpents under the title Nagabhushana Vyalakalpa which means,“having serpents around his neck.”
These are serpent deities of old and are connected here with the cup of the head or skull. These deities bring several disparate elements together – probably because of their being closer to the original creative source, which as mentioned earlier, is traditionally located just above the head.
The activation of this centre is via the ‘third eye’ associated with both the pineal and pituitary glands and especially the thalamus at the centre of the brain.
Siva and Rudra have the element of being associated with the serpents they are both depicted as holding – or holding within the chalice (skull cup) known as the sacred “head” which they are utilising as for the purpose of healing. They are regenerative serpent deities offering longevity via their blood within a cup.
In his Historae, Livy mentions a similar Celtic operation from the third century, which is unmistakable in its connection to the Indian ‘skull cups.’ Apparently the Boii tribe – who when they got hold of their victims they, “cut off the head, and carried their spoils in triumph to the most hallowed of their temples. There they cleaned out the head, as is their custom, and gilded the skull, which thereafter served them as a holy vessel to pour libations from and as a drinking cup for the priest and the temple attendants."
The sacred water used in the skull cups was often taken from a holy well, which were places linked intrinsically with the worship of the ancient serpent – the idea here is that this ritual practice goes back beyond even the total memory recall of the Celts to a time when the cups employed the real power of the serpent, not just symbolic water.
The etymology of the skull gives some interesting insights:
In Old German it is Scala, which is also a seashell as in ‘scalloped shell’; the symbol used by pilgrims on their way to the shrine of St. James in Spain – a symbol of life and also the head radiating light from its 'pearl of wisdom' - the thalamus or third eye. To perhaps glimpse the deeper reason as to why the scallop shell became a symbol for the pilgrim, see also Chakra Trails by Michael Seabrook and Alan Sharkstooth. The River Nile represented the spinal cord of the god Osiris and so the scallop shell also symbolised the Nile Delta, with its numerous rivers resembling the flutes of the scallop shell, which in turn represented the open Lotus flower, which resemble the radiations of light from the third eye. Because of its location, at the southern apex of the Nile Delta, the 'pearl of wisdom' within this shell was represented by Giza and the Great Pyramid.
In Old Norse the head is Skel, which means to have scales or be scale like. The word skoal, now a fairly common drinking cry, is also closely related and means to “toast from a skull.” This alone shows the deep-seated element of the skull in Western Europe of the use of a skull for drinking, as skoal was also used to refer to chalice! (The Ukrainian word Cherep refers both to skull and chalice.)
The Christian Messiah was also crucified at Golgotha, the “place of the Skull.” That is, his blood was spilt into the skull! . . But there is more to this than meets the eye . . .
This place Golgotha is also connected to the sign Capricorn – the half goat half fish or serpent. Capri is from Latin meaning goat or head, and corn is “horn.” This is the horn of the head or goat – the Golgotha.
So, Jesus spilt his blood into the secret Grail on that fateful day – the secret Grail being the horn or cup of the skull. Like the serpent blood which is found in the Tantric Skull Cups, so too is the blood of Jesus – the archetypal shaman. Now we can see why the Baphomet of the Templars was seen as a skull AND also a goat – as believed by the occult magician Eliphas Levi; it was a hidden mystery; a mystery which has been misunderstood ever since. The Brazen Serpent that is entwined around a cross – the healing snake, or Christ – was lifted up at the place of the skull and his offering of blood was collected. The ultimate sacrifice on the “tree of life” for the ultimate prize of immortality.
The Hallristningar Script also depicts other Sigils such as spirals, wavy lines, as well as inverted triangles.
Figure 4: Glyphs from the Hallristningar Script
These can be identified as magico-religious symbols, which encompass the feminine mystique of sexuality and the creative process.
The inverted triangle also has the obvious symbolic association with the female vagina and therefore the ‘universal void,’ which is known in Hindu philosophy as Sûnyata – sometimes symbolised by a goddess because of the obvious association that the ‘creative void’ has with the female vagina.
The spiral or wavy line is associated with the creative energy, which is generated in pulses, and continually projects from the vagina and retracts back into it again – like a centrifugal-centripetal, outward-inward motion – vortex. The spiral has associations with the symbolism of the Maze or Labyrinth – often symbolised by the colourfully patterned Mandala of Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism.
Of course the labyrinth represents one’s surrounding reality, which one could say is like a vortex of motion – created out of tiny vortices of like-motion.
Each atom – which when taken together are really the building “blocks” of “pixels” of our reality – is again, a vortex of energy that pulses into and out of existence – i.e., oscillating . . . “blinking” in and out of reality at a rate of frequency that is imperceptible. This would account for the vibration of the atom. Subatomic particles – the constituent parts of the atom – are also pulsing into and out of existence and these actually account for the pulsation of the atom.
The proton and the neutron, which are found at the ‘nucleus’ (centre) of an atom, and also the electron, which orbits the nucleus, are again vortices of energy which oscillate in the same way – i.e., pulsing into and out of existence from their centre. The atom pulsates into and out of existence because it’s constituent parts are pulsating. As the electron orbits the atom it is pulsating from its own centre and even though the number of electron orbits will differ from one atom to the next, again, the limit is seven.
In esoteric symbolism, the oldest form of the maze or labyrinth is also seven-fold. In Siberia there was found a piece of mammoth ivory, on which was depicted a seven-fold spiral drawn in a number of dots and was no doubt used for ritual purposes. The oldest maze form, which again, is seven-fold, is known as the ‘Cretan Maze’. When drawing this maze, one begins with a cross very similar to the Christian cross, which in itself was derived from the ancient Egyptian symbol of the Ankh. The esoteric labyrinth is derived from the spiral, and as we can see, some ancient race of man, seemed to have some knowledge regarding the inner workings of the atom. When we look at these ancient labyrinth and spiral images we can see that they represent not only the mechanistic processes associated with one’s creation of reality – i.e. energy pulsating outwards and inwards from the centre of one’s consciousness – but also the same mechanistic process that seems to be going on within an atom and a sub-atomic particle.
Looking at the connections I have given above, ancient man must have understood that the atom is a spiralling vortex of energy, and that each atom owes its flickering existence within a reality to the fact that it manifests by its energy continuously spiralling outwards from its centre and spiralling back inwards again – i.e. pulsating . . . “breathing” in and out of reality.
The Labyrinth itself represents the womb or even the ovum – the womb or ovum being the domain and underlying template of experiential reality, which is labyrinthine, at whose centre or nucleus, all consciousness dwells as a ‘point of singularity’ – again using a term of physics. And again, this point of singularity is represented by the circle with the dot (Hadit or Bindu) at its centre – i.e., the seed which splits the “egg” of reality into its myriad forms, represented by the four-fold divided circle as well as the circle which is divided into eight.
These eight rays represent one’s points of orientation externalised from the source-centre; in other words one’s distanced energy – i.e., the ‘points of focus’ in the surrounding reality, which is again, one’s sphere or “cyclone” of experience being the surrounding informational patterns of reality. These information patterns of reality are associated with the wavy lines.
Metaphorically, the wavy lines depicted in the Hallristinger Script, are the “red waters of the mother” – being the “menstrual blood” of creation – the life-force energy itself. The “World Mother” is universal and is a metaphor for the earth’s energy matrix, which is accessed via the shamanic trance state and the Kundalini experience.
I can only conclude that the fearsome-looking Kali – also associated with the Kundalini experience is the Hindu version of the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis – Salome being another version – i.e., the archetypal Shamaness . . . “World Mother.”
Earlier we were looking at the etymology of the name of the Hindu god ‘Rudra’ and how the word is related to the colour red and also blood. Well, going back to the theme of the female genitalia, it is interesting to note that the ancient Egyptian word ‘Ru’ means – among other things – “birth,” “uterus,” as well as “mouth.” According to Mark Dunn, the word ‘Ru’ was essentially associated with speech, and thereby the descended word of the Logos – that is, the utterance of the word within the void of uterine existence, which gives birth to reality.
We are reminded of the Ru-nes as symbols of entry (passwords) into other worlds – the shaman intoning the word or mantra while in the trance state. More importantly, says Mark, the ancient Egyptian word ‘Ru’ was also symbolised by an oval on its side – very much like an eye without a pupil and this was the hieroglyph for Lion or Sphinx.
This symbol later became incorporated within the Vesica Piscis, which symbolised the trance state – illustrated by the ‘neutral’ area in the centre – the Mandorla created by the half-superimposition of the two circles which each illustrate the positive and negative opposites. The Mandorla then represents the ‘third eye’ and the hypnagogic trance state.
This symbol is also associated with Jesus – who is reported as having said he was the “doorway.”
Jesus is often depicted inside the Ru or Mandorla of a Vesica Piscis, which is also associated with the Ankh mentioned earlier, for this Ru symbol was placed above the T-Cross – the Tau – associated with the “world tree” and spinal column.
Furthermore, Mark tells us that in esoteric symbolism, the circle (derived from Ru) and the cross, were originally quite inseparable. The Egyptian symbol for Ru – also being associated with the uterus – i.e., uteRUs (womb) and birth, was also associated with menstrual blood – the menstRUal blood being the “womb waters” of the “Great Mother” (Goddess.) and the “womb waters” being the life-force of the earth and of existence itself. The shaman released this energy from the ‘void of uterine existence,’ via the word uttered within the void – being the intoned mantra of the shaman while in trance. In psychoanalytical, Jungian terms, the ‘void’ would be the ‘Collective Unconscious’ and again the ‘Underworld.’ The RU is the void and so everything about the RU is RUdimentary or RUdiment – a word meaning ‘essential,’ ‘origin’ and ‘seed’ – which the void signifies.
Being the ‘gateway,’ the RU is also associated with the trance state, which is entered through meditation – as in the word RUminate – which means to think deeply, cogitate and meditate.
We shall conclude this part of the chapter with a quote by Mark Hedsel from the book The Zelator written by David Ovason. As we see, it pretty much confirms the above.
‘The Egyptian hieroglyphic Ru, represents the place of birth. It is a vestigial drawing of the Kteis, and of the mouth, from which words are born. By extension, it became the place where secret knowledge was delivered, from the secret Schools, and the process nowadays known as ‘rite of passage.’ Something of this hermetic lore was expressed in the Christian symbolism, which adopted the Ru as the Vesica Piscis, which is sometimes used to sheath Christ, Mary and certain saints. In this use, it represents the Spiritual world beyond the ‘door’ of the Ru.’ [2]
The above themes are something I can only touch on at the moment, but this idea based on man’s observation of cyclical phenomena and how all the cycles of nature are associated with the human mind, has far-reaching implications and so there will be more on this in other articles and essays on this site.
Let’s now look at some of the ancient views of this ‘mid-point,’ ‘neutral-point’ or ‘void’ which exists between the opposites and apply to them to what I have already described.
There are many names and terms for the ‘Void’ – which is both the centre of the earth and also the ‘zero-point gateway’ which was believed to be the centre of a vortex anywhere on the surface of the earth – i.e., a ‘void’ that leads inside the earth – the Underworld – and the centre – the Universal Void.
An African Zulu will call this void the “Gate of Distance;” The Kalahari Bushmen know it as “Kia;” The ‘Yakut’ of North Central Asia would call it “The Oibinkingata;” – (“Portal into the Earth.”) The Ancient Scandinavians (Norse) knew it as “Ygg” – (“The Terrible One.”) The Hebrews know it as “Daath” – (“The Abyss.”)
The Huichols, a Native American tribe that reside in Mexico, call this void the Nieríka. Nieríka means “The Face of the Deity,” and is both the ‘Mirror’ and the ‘’Threshold’ through which one passes into the transpersonal realms.
The Nieríka is symbolized as having five sacred directions, the sacred four cardinals, and the infinite centre, which are depicted within a field of purifying fire ("fire in the middle") .
We are told that the absolute centre is the gateway to the infinite field of the divine.
But surely this ‘Nieríka’ with its five sacred directions – i.e., four corners and the fifth being the peak or apex in the centre – describes the Pyramid – the “Fire in the Middle” which is constructed over a ‘primordial mound’ – again, a vortex.
And as we know, the zero-point-node centre of the vortex is beneath the structure – and aligned with the centre of the pyramid as marked by its apex. Again this is why this centre is described as the “gateway to the ‘infinite field’ (Underworld) of the divine.”
Upon the Yakut Shaman’s costume, is a symbol, which pertains to the “opening into the earth” which is known the “Hole of the Spirits” (abassy-oibono.)
The Shaman can use this portal in order to access the nether regions of reality by descending into them. While the Shaman is in this ecstatic state of consciousness so that he can descend into the netherworld, he is accompanied by an aquatic bird – usually a Gull or a Grebe. These birds symbolise immersion into water. This immersion is the essence of trance. The descent is into the underworld.
The ancient Chinese symbolise the void as the creative principle. It was represented by a Jade disc with a hole in the middle. This Jade disc was known as Pi and was associated with heaven.
The Pueblo Indians, and most of the tribes of the Great Plains, have references to them emerging into this world through a hole in the earth’s surface. The tribe’s beginnings are birthed through this hole, as well as life in its entirety. This hole is seen to be a small orifice, which is the essence of power. The Shamans of their tribes can tap into this “hole” in order to access a higher dimension. Once through this hole, they then pass through a narrow channel into another reality.
In Northern California, there is a tribe of people called the Pomo. The Shaman strikes the initiate upon the back with a bear’s paw. It is well known that the bear is associated with the cave, and therefore the earth. When the Shaman strikes the intitiate with the bear’s paw, it makes a “hole” in the initiate’s back, which causes death, into which the initiate moves into rebirth. In the Castenada material, Don Juan, who is a Yaqui Shaman, strikes Castenada at a particular spot on the back – the spinal column – in order to intitiate an altered state of consciousness so that Castenada could access the Nagual. The Nagual is the void.
In the Yaqui tradition the Nagual is known as the “Second Attention” and again this is the void which allows one to understand the nature of the dreaming state and especially trance. The American Indians in South America, while taking the psychedelic Ayahuasca brew, say that "the horizon opens like a door" - reminding us 'Horus in the Horizon' - the shaman in trance.
In Canada upon the northwest coast, one finds the tribe of the Tsimshian. The Tsimshian Shaman cuts holes upon a totem pole; this serves as a ceremonial route, which allows the Shaman to gain access to the house of Haidzermerh, who is the creator. The shaman makes contact with the creator through a hole in the sky. This house of Haidzermerh is obviously the polestar or ecliptic centre – the abode of the gods and the ‘Eye of Ra’ in Egyptian cosmology. This centre was seen to reflect the centre of the earth, the centre of the universe and the centre of all creation.
In the cosmology of Norse mythology the void is known as Ginnungagap – the ‘blackhole/whitehole’ from which everything has been born and to which everything will return in the end. Ginnungagap, or the Gap Ginnunga – being a ‘gap’ between the worlds – is the ‘seeming emptiness’ – again, the primordial void separating the opposites known as Niflheim the “land of eternal ice and snow” (associated with the feminine energy – symbolised as water) and Muspelheim, the land of eternal heat and flame (associated with the masculine energy – symbolised by fire.)
This reminds me of Crowley’s Tarot card Art, where the individual with two faces is mixing ‘fire’ and ‘water’ into a mixing bowl.
The Tibetans – especially of the Bon-Po shamanic tradition – call the void, the ‘Black Sun’ or the “Sun behind the Sun,” mostly in reference to this centre being perceived as an empty “black void” of “nothing.” This is the perception one has during the first stages of the shamanic experience – i.e., the ‘tunnel effect’ as one’s consciousness seems to be reducing down in size as if being sucked into a blackhole vortex. This is the only way to describe it.
Using the principles of physics, the mind of the shaman would reduce down in size because it is also ascending in frequency – i.e., becoming smaller and tighter in frequency waves, and so internally, he experiences this tiny point – being the node in the cycle – opening up wider and larger, as if like another world, surrounding him in bright white light.
Within this neutral ‘still point’ in consciousness (the node point in the cycle,) the shaman believes he is also within the “gateway” between this positive world “on the surface,” and the next world which is, located “under the surface” and which to us is seen as “negative” – one of the reasons why the dead were, and still are, buried under the earth in graves.
In effect, he remains suspended ‘between the worlds:’ he is conscious within that ‘void’ or ‘Abyss’ within his mind, where he is usually unconscious in the cycle and which is found between the positive and negative cyclical halves relating to the male-related conscious and the female-related subconscious.
The importance of this ‘neutral point’ is also expressed in the “Middle Way” of Buddhist philosophy, and so having faith and no fear, he crosses this “abyss” – this ‘hypnagogic portal’ into the other side – being the Underworld, and he does it consciously – as opposed to ‘unconsciously,’ as at the point of falling into sleep.
The trance state then, and the “otherworldly,” psychic abilities claimed by the shaman are also intimately linked with the Kundalini‘enlightenment experience’ as once again, the trance state can actually initiate or ‘trigger’ this phenomenon.
It is known and believed that if one can sustain – i.e., “hold one’s breath” – one’s consciousness at this point in the cycles – then this can lead the individual through all seven levels associated with the subconscious internal realm and into the very centre of consciousness itself – again, what I call the void or the ‘unconscious.’
This is the ‘enlightenment experience,’ whereby one feels that he or she is at the centre of everything. This is the real aim of medi-tation – i.e., medi – middle – midpoint – as utilised by Yogis.
The ‘black void’ of the unconscious – which remains a “black void” all the time that one’s focus is on, or in, either the conscious or subconscious realms – then becomes the bright, clear light of the superconscious as both realms integrate – i.e., collapse into this point at the centre of the whole sphere.
Going back to the Egyptian myth, one becomes Horus the Superconscious – the reincarnated Osiris who overcomes Set and conquers the Unconscious centre – the source of ignorance and “evil” – which hides the Light of the true source-centre behind it. And again, this experience is a metamorphosis . . . a transformation . . . a rebirth – in that one is never the same after having experienced it. In effect, the shaman becomes a ‘bright pinpoint of light’ and therefore he believes he becomes one of the stars seen in the heavenly realm, from which he is to be reborn again.
The Four Psychoanalytical States of Consciousness Redefined
As we can see all the themes surrounding the Grail are connected to this ‘trance state’ and the associated ‘enlightenment experience’.
‘Psychologically, the lapis refers to the psyche—its closest equivalent for the alchemist being the human soul. In fact, the stone was called the “stone that is not a stone,” coming as it did “from God but not from God” (Aylesworth 1973: 36.)’
‘Although the terms, before and after transmutation, (first, Stone of the Philosophers, then, Philosopher's stone) vary in word order, the lapis is essentially the same, just as transformation in a person's personality is detectable only through relationship, but not physically – effectively the person is the same, but different, somehow.’
‘The lapis occupies an extremely high position in the arcanum of the alchemist, and as such, tended to be referred to in the texts more often than the gold, which was the transmuted base metal made possible by the lapis in the first place.
‘Specifically, the “transformed and perfected” Stone was attained by a union of opposites symbolised by the hieros gamos (sacred marriage) between Sol (Sun) and Luna (Moon) principles. [3]
This ‘union of opposites’ – the reintegration which reproduces the transcendent soul or spiritual vehicle – is achieved through the shamanic ‘trance state’ (hypnagogic) – something that has not been investigated properly or stated before in publication – especially in the way I have just outlined.
‘These principles were embodied in the anthropomorphic couple of King and Queen, which Jung equates with consciousness and the unconscious, respectively. They are antagonistic and polar opposites and may involve friction and violent reaction when brought 'face to face'—the process of self-discovery is equally demanding.
‘This reaction was observable in the alchemist's vessel [this vessel was called the “Philosopher’s Egg”] upon heating a mixture of the standard ingredients
The above is complimentary in regard to what I have already outlined. But still, we have here an example of the same mistake that people tend to reproduce and reinforce without realising that Jung was wrong and on a very important detail – especially if we want to properly define these processes and arrive at the insights, which I have outlined in this article.
Again, Jung was wrong to equate the King (male) and Queen (female) opposites to the ‘conscious’ and the ‘unconscious’ respectively. This may seem a small point to make, but it’s very important that we realise that these opposites are the ‘conscious’ and the ‘SUBconscious’ respectively.
The ‘unconscious,’ as we have seen, is something entirely different.
Again, if the ‘conscious’ (king) and the ‘subconscious’ (queen) were respectively the positive ‘peak’ and negative ‘dip’ of a cycle, then the ‘unconscious’ would be the ‘zero node’ or ‘neutral point’ which is crossed over twice in every cycle . . . at the point where positive meets negative and vice-versa. I cannot emphasise this enough.
Think of a swinging pendulum; the pendulum is swinging between the conscious and subconscious, and as the pendulum crosses the midpoint, this would be the unconscious, and is where we become momentarily unconscious in the oscillating cycle of the mind.
At this meeting-point between the two opposites in each and every cycle of nature – both these opposites are cancelled out – in other words, they become momentarily neutralised. If we were to realise that all external cycles are but a reflection of what is going on in our own mind or consciousness, then we would possess the ‘skeleton key’ we need to answer most things.
I would emphasise that this ‘neutral point’ is the ‘unconscious’ and that it reflects the very moment ‘where’ and ‘when’ we, ourselves, become momentarily unconscious in the cycles. Meaning that if our consciousness is oscillating many times a second, then we are unconscious so many times a second – though we do not notice it, as these oscillating cycles are much too rapid, as mentioned earlier.
An analogy can be made with the flickering motion of a cine-film. The motion seems continuous, as in real-life, although each frame of the film is divided by a black borderline which we do not see and are not aware of. This black border between each frame would equate with the point where and when we become unconscious in the cycles. In fact it is this very point in the cycle – which like the sexual fusion which produces a child – provides the ‘pulse’ of energy, which actually drives the cycles onward – as if providing the “next frame” in the sequence.
So by being unconscious at the point where we are actually tapping the energy/information of this unconscious ‘source-centre,’ we “block off,” or “black it out” – in other words we shut ourselves off from the infinite – only letting a certain measure of this energy/information through to sustain us within the reality in which we are focused. We then psychologically divide this energy in two to become the finite opposites ‘we are’ and ‘experience.’ The shaman seeks to reverse this process, so that he can return to the source, or go someway to getting there.
The above is a highly simplified description, which indeed needs further elucidation and hard evidence. But if we were to realise this about our consciousness, and apply it to all opposites – in regard to cycles, waves and periodic, oscillating systems, we would then be in a position to answer many of life’s enigmas. The fact that it answers many of these enigmas provides the evidence we need for this theory of human consciousness (an ancient theory we might add) being a fact.
Notes and References
1. Wave phenomena can also be related to the Egyptian Triad. The positive half of the wave would be Osiris (Conscious-self.) The negative half of the wave would be
The Gnostics believed that the physical world was a creation of Rex Mundi (the “King of the World”) the Devil or “fallen one,” now at the centre of the earth – which fits in with everything we have been looking at.
Again, Set, Satan or Rex Mundi, characterises man’s ‘unconscious’ – known as the ‘void’ – in that it was believed that we create the world around us by unconsciously tapping the source, which to us is perceived as a black or blank void all the time we are unconscious of it.
The clues to what this source really is, is in the alternative name of Satan – Lucifer – meaning ‘light.’ If we create unconsciously, and are unconscious of this source-centre within us, then we have no real control over our creations – which is why ignorance, and what we call “evil” is an aspect of life.
Become conscious of this source, as during the enlightenment experience, the darkness of Set fades away and one ‘sees the Light’ and is reborn. This phase of the experience is associated with Horus who defeats Set. These associations between our psychological states, wave phenomena and the deities of Egypt need not be taken seriously, but it does all relate, and once assimilated provides us with yet more clues as to mysteries of consciousness the way our ancestors possibly understood it and communicated it.
2. Taken from Kali the Goddess: Gentle Mother . . . Fierce Warrior by Madhuri Guin.
See: http://www.dollsofindia.com/kali.htm
3. David Loye in his book An Arrow Through Chaos acknowledges that what he calls ‘timeless time’ is the ‘Eternal Now’ which contains everything, which we perceive to be spread out in the past, present and future, as if all existing as one within a non-dimensional point.
Again, this third state of consciousness, this “third reality” (Jung) or “Holotropic Realm” (Grof,) would be what I now call the ‘Neutral Point.’ Here is an extract from page 53:
‘Forecasting, then, it seems evident, can potentially make use of all kinds of intuition monitoring all three kinds of time. But as at present most of us are aware only of serial time, only dimly apprehend spatial time, and find it impossible to believe in timeless time, we make minimal use of these vast powers within each of us. All of which must lead us to wonder what vast changes humanity will know if and when these sleepers awake.’
In every cycle of consciousness we have:
1.) Serial or sequenced time = Conscious-self = Left-Brain = the Positive-Peak-half of the cycle.
2.) Spatial time = Subconscious = Right-Brain = the Negative-Dip-half of the cycle.
3.) Timeless Time = Unconscious = Zero-Void = Left and Right brains cancelled out = Zero Node in the cycle where positive crosses into negative and vice versa.
This ‘zero-point node’ is the ‘third state,’ as we have explained in more depth above, but as regards the oscillating sequence of the mind, it doesn’t exist for us – hence it being a zero or void. As the mind rapidly oscillates through these different phases in every cycle, we become momentarily unconscious of the infinite (zero) and during the moment we are tapping its energy. From left to right, the phase sequence in each cycle, or oscillation, follows this pattern.
serial time . . . timeless time . . . spatial time . . . timeless time . . . serial time . . . timeless time
conscious unconscious subconscious unconscious conscious unconscious
left-brain zero-node-centre right-brain zero-node-centre left-brain zero-node-centre
positive neutral negative neutral positive neutral
. . . And so on and so forth . . . round and round . . .
Most of us are therefore unconscious and ignorant of ‘timeless time’ and this is why, as Loye says, we are “aware only of serial time, only dimly apprehend spatial time, and find it impossible to believe in timeless time.”
However, instead of being unconscious, if we were to somehow become conscious of, and at the moment of this ‘timeless time’ in the cycles – and it does happen sometimes – i.e., ‘flashes of insight,’ ‘peak experiences,’ ‘synchronicities’ etc – and if we can sustain it, then . . .
4. Timeless time = Superconscious = Left and Right brains Synchronised = Everything experienced at once – whereby one is everything and everything is oneself. This is the enlightenment experience.
Also, on page 131 of his book, Loye includes the Jung synchronicity with the Golden Scarab beetle; revered by the ancient Egyptians as the god Khepri. However, he doesn’t see or make the connections between the ‘scarab’ subject of this synchronicity and the brain which features extensively in his book. But for Loye to have included this anecdote in relation to the brain, is curious, even if his purpose was to bring attention to the strange phenomenon of ‘synchronicity’ in relation to this ‘third state’ of consciousness he calls ‘timeless time’ – associated with precognition and his theory of the ‘forecasting mind’ or brain. There is more about Loye’s work in Book Two of this series.
4. Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind: A Reporter's Notebook on Alien Abduction, Ufos, and the Conference at M.I.T. by C. D. B. Bryan. (Penguin
5. Taken from Alchemy and Hermetic Philosophy: An Overview by Lance Storm (From: Investigator 65, 1999 March)
See: http://www.adam.com.au/bstett/PaAlchemyPhilosophy65.htm
Further
For further reading on this ‘Oscillating theory of consciousness,’ see Stalking the Wild Pendulum: On the Mechanics of Consciousness by Itzhak Bentov. (Destiny Books. 1977.)
Note: Sadly, Itzhak Bentov died in a plane crash soon after writing this book. It has since become a classic – the only book of its kind, which comes close to the processes we have outlined in this chapter in regard to all oscillating systems. Bentov too, was aware that these oscillating systems reflect the same processes going on in our own consciousness and that it is the source of the ‘collective consciousness’ (to us the ‘collective UN-conscious’) which actually provides the ‘driving force;’ the pulse behind them all.
For further reading on the Hypnagogic State, see:
Hypnagogia: The Unique State of
See article Waking Sleep by Gary Lachman. Fortean Times Magazine. (FT163, October 2002.)
http://www.forteantimes.com/articles/163_hypnagogia.shtml
See also
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro00/web3/Shaw.html