My life is forfeit – that much is certain.
Er... Psi, don’t you think you’re being somewhat melodramatic?
Why? What do you mean?
All this talk about death.
Death?
“My life is forfeit!” Come on dude – give me a break.
Oh that!
Well, what did you think I meant?
I honestly don’t know. I guess we’re coming at this from different angles.
You’re telling me. I’m more of an optimist perhaps. I think life is what you make of it.
Is that so, Travis – and what do you make of it right now?
It’s pretty good actually. I like it.
And what about the fact that you have cancer and you’re going to be dead in a year?
Don’t be stupid Psi – I don’t have cancer – I’m in excellent health.
Perhaps we’ll continue this conversation in three month’s time.
Why?
Time will tell.
Stop trying to sabotage my confidence, Psi. That’s what the voodoo people do – and it’s evil, if you ask me.
I’m certainly not trying to put a curse on you – if that’s what you mean.
Then what? It certainly sounds like it.
I see the way things lie, but there’s no need to panic.
Well, first you tell me I’ve got cancer and I’ll be dead in a year, and then you tell me not to panic.
Actually we all have a bit of cancer inside us – you’re no worse off than anyone else at this moment in time – but there’s a fairly high probability yours is going to advance, becoming an issue in about three month’s time.
There you go again – like a bloody raincloud, dumping on my sunny disposition.
Actually, there’s a different kind of sunny disposition I’d sell to you.
Oh yeah – you mean the “my life is forfeit” sunniness? Forget it. I ain’t buying.
No, didn’t think you would, but the seed has been cast.
What do you mean?
I mean – if at any point in the future you become more receptive to this basic idea, you at least know it’s out there. Green shoots will appear. The nodule will take root.
Fat chance of that!
We’ll see.
In any case – what’s the point of living if you basically consider yourself dead?
Well, that way you’re facing reality, and you can live realistically – marshalling your power and strength, rather than assuming, somewhat complacently, that youthful vigour or a good doctor will convey you safely unto old age.
God – you’re so morbid Psi.
On the contrary, Travis – I don’t see how you can really enjoy life, or know life, until you confront and accept your basic mortality. Only then are you empowered to really engage and employ your life's resources to good effect.
Bloody ridiculous! What life resources are you talking about?
Oh, you know – the power to eliminate any disease.
Including cancer?
Any disease whatsoever.
But that’s impossible. If it were that easy everyone would be doing this.
Not if they considered it morbid to look their own mortality under the hood.
No one would die of anything!
You can still die of old age, you know.
Well yes – but that’s not as bad as cancer, is it?
No, I suppose not, but dying of cancer seems to be a choice most people are willing to make.
What?! I don’t believe I’m hearing this!! Of all the insensitive, inconsiderate, repugnant things to say!
Because cancer can only carry us off if we allow ourselves to remain in a delusional state of fragmentation.
?!
The minute we really accept where we stand – that our life is truly forfeit – then cancer and all those pathologies no longer have any handle to grasp us by.
Would it were so easy Psi – but you tend to oversimplify things in your naivety.
[click]
what was that? Ah, Zie – you rescued me just in the nick of time.
Yes? What were you planning?
Oh you know – the usual defence against the dark arts diatribe – "you don’t understand, you’re malignant and socially conditioned etc etc etc."
Well, what can be expected – we are the product of the environment we’re living in.
Yes – but I should know better, shouldn’t I! It’s not like I’ve never been off the reservation, is it? I’ve been meeting you for years now, and still I hang onto my old world 3D way of seeing things. It’s depressing to see so little progress.
Patience Zie, before you know it Travis will suddenly have a flashback and start remembering these conversations, you know.
So you keep telling me – but when?
Well, you can give him a hand – can’t you? It’s a two way process.
And what do you think I’m doing? I’m willing to do anything to establish a bridgehead with the self-righteous, stuck-in-the-mud side of consciousness, but Travis seems to have colossal defences, does he not!
Indeed he does, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Instead of imagining you’re fighting with yourself to crack open a nut – try the alternative.
Er... which one’s that?
Give it a moment – it’ll come to you.
Er... Ok.
...
...
...
Nope – nothing’s coming.
You’ve only given it half an hour Zie.
Oh – you mean it’s got to be, like, weeks?
I mean not.
Not?
Not
Oh – it’s that kind of a situation, is it?
Ssh
Ok
...
...
...
...there’s a third, isn’t there?
Yes, there is.
And the third is neither here nor there – it’s everywhere.
Yes, that’s right.
So instead of trying to change myself – or split open poor old Travis – I’ve got to do nothing more than embrace the whole dang caboodle.
Exactly.
But...
Before you say “how”, I thought you’d like to consider the fact that you’re already doing anything – no matter what, as soon as you consider it.
Let me guess – out there in the shadows of the unconsciousness?
Excellent – or “out there in the light of the fully conscious ness.”
Which begs the question, Merry...
Yes?
What is ness?
It does indeed. Do you think it’s time we opened up an entirely new line of enquiry – an entirely new branch of science devoted to defining, delineating and describing the ness?
If you think it can really help me open up the shadowy third – and in doing so reconnect the two sides of consciousness – then I’m all for it.
A quest is what we need.
Like King Arthur’s quest for the holy grail?
Yes, absolutely – the merry quest for the lesser-spotted ness – a highly secretive aspect of the conscious mind that appears to defy detection.
Oh dear Merry – it’s all so vague and woolly. I’ll never get anywhere in this quest.
On the contrary – you’ve already made a flying leap into Nessiness.
Hum, do you think so? I like the way you capitalised it. That gives me hope.
Now, we need to plan our hunt meticulously. This is a kind of beast that requires advanced stalking techniques.
I thought you said it was an aspect of the conscious mind! How can we possibly stalk an aspect of our own mind?
Certainly not by asking questions which neither swim nor fly. My gut instinct is that drama is always the best way forwards, so we need to allow the Ness to take whatever form it chooses – while realising that the form will only be temporary – a kind of decoy to enable us to creep closer and catch it.
Oh – Ok.
Now remember the maxim – my answer is always concealed within my question.
Remember? I’ve never heard that one before.
That’s because I just invented it.
Oh – Ok then. So what does it mean?
It means you’ve got to tease the answer out of the question – like opening an attachment on an email.
That sounds easy enough. How?
No idea. Quacking noises might help – or possibly sheepy noises. Failing that froggy sounds.
You’re joking – right?
Bear in mind that we’re basically on a mission to uncover death – the shadow of mortality that accompanies us every step of the way.
We are? I thought we were looking for ness?!
Well, what do you think ness refers to?
Like I said I...
Before you put the evil eye on the proceedings with an ill-fated, ill-omened “don’t” word – consider the sounds of the word “ness”.
Ness – as in Loch Ness monster?
As in Ness.
With a capital n.
Really Zie, sometimes I prefer Travis, you know.
Ok – the n – i’m guessing is something negative – as in no or not.
Yes.
And the ess is connected with essence or s, the snakey sound of the twisting writhing wave form – permeating all and everything.
Excellent.
Put them together and what have you got?
No idea.
Oh Merry – sometimes you’re so dense. Anyone can see...
Yes?
Y-ess, as opposed to n-ess.
Ah – is that so?
Y-ess, I think it is.
You mean it’s a ying yang sort of thing?
Or een-yan as we say in Russ-ia.
Ok – so they’re opposites but not – at the same time – concealing another – oh – I wish we could just use the good old creation code – it was much simpler than all this farting around with words.
Patience – Merry. We’re doing well. We’ve just discovered that there’s a kind of hydrophilic-hydrophobic relationship between the two sides of the conscious-ness, which are both attracting and repelling each other.
And? You know I never really did understand chemistry. I left that to my underlings.
Ah – you missed out – but tis no matter. It transpires, Merry – or may i call you by your chemi-Egyptian name?
If you must.
Er... Tehuti.
Actually, I prefer Thoth.
You’re putting up resistance Tehuti – come back to your original self, if you don’t mind.
There might be a good reason why I’m putting up resistance, you know Zie.
Zie? Don’t you mean Asar?
If we must – we must – but your faithful followers usually refer to you as Osiris, these days...
God of the dead, but you know – it was more a case of journeying through the Ness, and in so doing, generating new form, new expression of essence, new Y-ess.
Ah – so that’s how you wish to play it, Asar. I sense you’re calling my bluff – that I’m the one who has to go.
All of us have to go – and you, dear Merry, have been blocking the transition long enough – have you not – pontificating and thus preventing the bridge from being complete.
Ah – bitter irony – that I – the great teacher – was ultimately the one preventing the seed of knowledge from germinating. Indeed, dear Asar-Zie-Travis, I see now where your Ness has led me – and so, without further ado... tootleoo
[whoosh]
Er... Psi, don’t you think you’re being somewhat melodramatic?
Why? What do you mean?
All this talk about death.
Death?
“My life is forfeit!” Come on dude – give me a break.
Oh that!
Well, what did you think I meant?
I honestly don’t know. I guess we’re coming at this from different angles.
You’re telling me. I’m more of an optimist perhaps. I think life is what you make of it.
Is that so, Travis – and what do you make of it right now?
It’s pretty good actually. I like it.
And what about the fact that you have cancer and you’re going to be dead in a year?
Don’t be stupid Psi – I don’t have cancer – I’m in excellent health.
Perhaps we’ll continue this conversation in three month’s time.
Why?
Time will tell.
Stop trying to sabotage my confidence, Psi. That’s what the voodoo people do – and it’s evil, if you ask me.
I’m certainly not trying to put a curse on you – if that’s what you mean.
Then what? It certainly sounds like it.
I see the way things lie, but there’s no need to panic.
Well, first you tell me I’ve got cancer and I’ll be dead in a year, and then you tell me not to panic.
Actually we all have a bit of cancer inside us – you’re no worse off than anyone else at this moment in time – but there’s a fairly high probability yours is going to advance, becoming an issue in about three month’s time.
There you go again – like a bloody raincloud, dumping on my sunny disposition.
Actually, there’s a different kind of sunny disposition I’d sell to you.
Oh yeah – you mean the “my life is forfeit” sunniness? Forget it. I ain’t buying.
No, didn’t think you would, but the seed has been cast.
What do you mean?
I mean – if at any point in the future you become more receptive to this basic idea, you at least know it’s out there. Green shoots will appear. The nodule will take root.
Fat chance of that!
We’ll see.
In any case – what’s the point of living if you basically consider yourself dead?
Well, that way you’re facing reality, and you can live realistically – marshalling your power and strength, rather than assuming, somewhat complacently, that youthful vigour or a good doctor will convey you safely unto old age.
God – you’re so morbid Psi.
On the contrary, Travis – I don’t see how you can really enjoy life, or know life, until you confront and accept your basic mortality. Only then are you empowered to really engage and employ your life's resources to good effect.
Bloody ridiculous! What life resources are you talking about?
Oh, you know – the power to eliminate any disease.
Including cancer?
Any disease whatsoever.
But that’s impossible. If it were that easy everyone would be doing this.
Not if they considered it morbid to look their own mortality under the hood.
No one would die of anything!
You can still die of old age, you know.
Well yes – but that’s not as bad as cancer, is it?
No, I suppose not, but dying of cancer seems to be a choice most people are willing to make.
What?! I don’t believe I’m hearing this!! Of all the insensitive, inconsiderate, repugnant things to say!
Because cancer can only carry us off if we allow ourselves to remain in a delusional state of fragmentation.
?!
The minute we really accept where we stand – that our life is truly forfeit – then cancer and all those pathologies no longer have any handle to grasp us by.
Would it were so easy Psi – but you tend to oversimplify things in your naivety.
[click]
what was that? Ah, Zie – you rescued me just in the nick of time.
Yes? What were you planning?
Oh you know – the usual defence against the dark arts diatribe – "you don’t understand, you’re malignant and socially conditioned etc etc etc."
Well, what can be expected – we are the product of the environment we’re living in.
Yes – but I should know better, shouldn’t I! It’s not like I’ve never been off the reservation, is it? I’ve been meeting you for years now, and still I hang onto my old world 3D way of seeing things. It’s depressing to see so little progress.
Patience Zie, before you know it Travis will suddenly have a flashback and start remembering these conversations, you know.
So you keep telling me – but when?
Well, you can give him a hand – can’t you? It’s a two way process.
And what do you think I’m doing? I’m willing to do anything to establish a bridgehead with the self-righteous, stuck-in-the-mud side of consciousness, but Travis seems to have colossal defences, does he not!
Indeed he does, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Instead of imagining you’re fighting with yourself to crack open a nut – try the alternative.
Er... which one’s that?
Give it a moment – it’ll come to you.
Er... Ok.
...
...
...
Nope – nothing’s coming.
You’ve only given it half an hour Zie.
Oh – you mean it’s got to be, like, weeks?
I mean not.
Not?
Not
Oh – it’s that kind of a situation, is it?
Ssh
Ok
...
...
...
...there’s a third, isn’t there?
Yes, there is.
And the third is neither here nor there – it’s everywhere.
Yes, that’s right.
So instead of trying to change myself – or split open poor old Travis – I’ve got to do nothing more than embrace the whole dang caboodle.
Exactly.
But...
Before you say “how”, I thought you’d like to consider the fact that you’re already doing anything – no matter what, as soon as you consider it.
Let me guess – out there in the shadows of the unconsciousness?
Excellent – or “out there in the light of the fully conscious ness.”
Which begs the question, Merry...
Yes?
What is ness?
It does indeed. Do you think it’s time we opened up an entirely new line of enquiry – an entirely new branch of science devoted to defining, delineating and describing the ness?
If you think it can really help me open up the shadowy third – and in doing so reconnect the two sides of consciousness – then I’m all for it.
A quest is what we need.
Like King Arthur’s quest for the holy grail?
Yes, absolutely – the merry quest for the lesser-spotted ness – a highly secretive aspect of the conscious mind that appears to defy detection.
Oh dear Merry – it’s all so vague and woolly. I’ll never get anywhere in this quest.
On the contrary – you’ve already made a flying leap into Nessiness.
Hum, do you think so? I like the way you capitalised it. That gives me hope.
Now, we need to plan our hunt meticulously. This is a kind of beast that requires advanced stalking techniques.
I thought you said it was an aspect of the conscious mind! How can we possibly stalk an aspect of our own mind?
Certainly not by asking questions which neither swim nor fly. My gut instinct is that drama is always the best way forwards, so we need to allow the Ness to take whatever form it chooses – while realising that the form will only be temporary – a kind of decoy to enable us to creep closer and catch it.
Oh – Ok.
Now remember the maxim – my answer is always concealed within my question.
Remember? I’ve never heard that one before.
That’s because I just invented it.
Oh – Ok then. So what does it mean?
It means you’ve got to tease the answer out of the question – like opening an attachment on an email.
That sounds easy enough. How?
No idea. Quacking noises might help – or possibly sheepy noises. Failing that froggy sounds.
You’re joking – right?
Bear in mind that we’re basically on a mission to uncover death – the shadow of mortality that accompanies us every step of the way.
We are? I thought we were looking for ness?!
Well, what do you think ness refers to?
Like I said I...
Before you put the evil eye on the proceedings with an ill-fated, ill-omened “don’t” word – consider the sounds of the word “ness”.
Ness – as in Loch Ness monster?
As in Ness.
With a capital n.
Really Zie, sometimes I prefer Travis, you know.
Ok – the n – i’m guessing is something negative – as in no or not.
Yes.
And the ess is connected with essence or s, the snakey sound of the twisting writhing wave form – permeating all and everything.
Excellent.
Put them together and what have you got?
No idea.
Oh Merry – sometimes you’re so dense. Anyone can see...
Yes?
Y-ess, as opposed to n-ess.
Ah – is that so?
Y-ess, I think it is.
You mean it’s a ying yang sort of thing?
Or een-yan as we say in Russ-ia.
Ok – so they’re opposites but not – at the same time – concealing another – oh – I wish we could just use the good old creation code – it was much simpler than all this farting around with words.
Patience – Merry. We’re doing well. We’ve just discovered that there’s a kind of hydrophilic-hydrophobic relationship between the two sides of the conscious-ness, which are both attracting and repelling each other.
And? You know I never really did understand chemistry. I left that to my underlings.
Ah – you missed out – but tis no matter. It transpires, Merry – or may i call you by your chemi-Egyptian name?
If you must.
Er... Tehuti.
Actually, I prefer Thoth.
You’re putting up resistance Tehuti – come back to your original self, if you don’t mind.
There might be a good reason why I’m putting up resistance, you know Zie.
Zie? Don’t you mean Asar?
If we must – we must – but your faithful followers usually refer to you as Osiris, these days...
God of the dead, but you know – it was more a case of journeying through the Ness, and in so doing, generating new form, new expression of essence, new Y-ess.
Ah – so that’s how you wish to play it, Asar. I sense you’re calling my bluff – that I’m the one who has to go.
All of us have to go – and you, dear Merry, have been blocking the transition long enough – have you not – pontificating and thus preventing the bridge from being complete.
Ah – bitter irony – that I – the great teacher – was ultimately the one preventing the seed of knowledge from germinating. Indeed, dear Asar-Zie-Travis, I see now where your Ness has led me – and so, without further ado... tootleoo
[whoosh]
No comments:
Post a Comment