Captivity

In the echo chamber
Whispers wind
Mirrors a voice
Shatters mind
Alone I wait the storm to pass
And wait … And wait …
And wait …

Epitrochasmus

A rhetorical exercise in epitrochasmus, partially inspired by an upcoming trip:

I run swiftly over the fields with joy, light step, coursing wind, throbbing heart, to my love I spritely leap across the plains of gently swaying grass, and pray the moment we, at last, embrace.

On Using the Mantra of Rest

The Mantra of Rest is a counterpart to the Mantra Of Motion. Although it is a counterpart, it is much harder to train.

The Mantra of Rest is derived from breath counting techniques that are taught in many schools of meditation, including Buddhism and Taoism. Around those counting techniques I have placed the verbal formula “It is by quiet breath I set my mind at rest.” This verbal formula provides a counterpoint to “It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.” Treat them both as a yin yang pair: to be an effective mentat, you must train techniques that help your mind to rest and techniques that help your mind to think.

Breath counting techniques are meant to focus the body and calm the mind. Unsurprisingly, these techniques also help you focus your mind and calm your body. With both your body and mind calm and relaxed, you are ready to focus on the task or problem at hand.

Begin the Mantra of Rest by reciting its opening sentence. Then proceed to count your breaths. When you lose count, repeat the opening sentence and start again.

For more context and training concerning these breath counting techniques, consult any source that teaches basic meditation, such as Taoist Meditation by Thomas Cleary or Turning the Mind Into an Ally by Sakyong Mipham.

The Mantra of Rest

It is by quiet breath I set my mind at rest

{ INHALE } one { EXHALE }

{ INHALE } two { EXHALE }

{ INHALE } three { EXHALE }

{ INHALE } | { EXHALE }

{ INHALE } … { EXHALE }

It is by quiet breath I set my mind at rest

.

.

.

A Parable

A well-dressed priest, followed by an acolyte with censer, steps up upon a podium to address his congregation. He begins to intone:

There is no truth, only persuasion. And at every occasion I will remind you that:

there is no truth, only persuasion. And without provocation I shall remind you that:

there is no truth, only persuasion. And as justification I hope to remind you that . . .

After five minutes of this, his voice begins to break. He leans back and asks the acolyte “Can I get some water? My throat is parched.”

To which the acolyte responds “Can I persuade you otherwise?”

(From the 13th Book of Relativisionism)

The Mantra of Motion

The Mantra of Motion is something I derived from the Mentat Litany, which is From David Lynch’s adaptation of Dune. The Mentat Litany does not appear in Frank Herbert’s novels. The Mentat Litany is:

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.

It is by the juice of sapho that thoughts acquire speed,
the lips acquire stains. The stains become a warning.

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. (Source)

For those mentat’s who don’t drink sappho juice, I offer this reinterpretation, which I call the Mantra of Motion.

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion

Mind crosses space; axes in multiple dimensions

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion

Mind crosses time; currents in all directions

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion

Use it with care.

Civilization and Exploitation

Civilization is based on exploitation: of the Earth and its resources; of animals and livestock; and of people upon other people. Civilization cannot exist without an underclass, which once were slaves and are now wage slaves, to support it.

Civilization is both creative and destructive. To think that civilization can exist without destruction and exploitation — have you ever seen a field being tilled? — is naïve in the extreme.

Which is not to say that we shouldn’t try to ameliorate or reduce the amount of destruction involved to sustain ourselves. But neither should we be so naïve to believe that “clean energy” can sustain our way of life. Instead, more radical and controversial steps must be taken.

Reduce the population. Stop producing — a negative GDP, anyone? — and stop consuming.

And, perhaps, make one of the guiding pillars of society to be the recognition and reduction of exploitation in all of its forms.

Human Psychology

The venn diagram above is a model I’m playing with. And I’ve been meditating on that diagram and its relation to sexual dimorphism.

That is, in general, men are stronger physically than women. But women are stronger emotionally than men.

In general, that is.

Return?

Yin culminates today, the new moon, and I meditate on magic and the archetype of the wizard.

I develop Autosuggestion as I return to my imperfect work of mythopoeisis.

The mask I wore decays and dies; I craft a new mask: Magister mentatium!

Et Latinam studeo. Et spero!

A Reason to Visit Georgia