The Rooms
Where the corridors are spaces of transition and movement, the
"rooms" are stable areas where one can rest or work in a different way. A single
place where you stand without movement can be explored in a deep way, journeying into the
details of its outline, its shape, its landmarks, its mood. So you can see yourself
radiating outwards, sending radar blips that come back to you from the space around you
and forming a deeper and clearer understanding of where you are. A "room" can be
used for work that would be unlikely or impossible in a corridor. You will slowly come to
your own understanding of what this work entails and how it is different from the work you
perform in a corridor. The following experiments will give you a taste and some guiding
posts to what this work can be.
Experiment 1: Marking your territory
Look around you, and realize that you are SOMEWHERE. Decide
what that “somewhere” is. Define its boundaries. Now, try marking the boundaries
in different ways. For example:
· You are in a room. Walk around and touch each of the walls. Look at the entries and
exits from that room. Then do what you are here to do.
· Lets say that you are outside. Look at some object in your periphery. Decide that spot
is one of the boundaries in your space. Chose at least other three boundaries (let it be a
multiple of four for the total of boundaries). Do something in that space.
· When you are in a different space, put a mark in each boundary or wall. The mark can be
a symbol, a stone, a candle, etc. Do something in that space.
· Sit in a dark room. Define the boundaries in your inner space. Do something in that
space.
Experiment 2: Overcoming the Momentum
Walk around an open area with many path choices.
A park would be a good place for this. An open forest would be even better. If you can
find a full size hedge labyrinth, even better! You can also do this at your house
(if it consists of at least 3 different rooms)
Start in one space. Sit down and look around
you. Feel your presence in that space. Continue until you feel, even for an instant, that
you are fully present.
Now stand up and move. Move through the
"corridors" (as explored in the previous section) by making quick and definite
choices until you come to a new place.
Sit down. Now FEEL THE MOMENTUM. Feel that
even though your body has stopped moving, your mind and other parts of you continue to
move. You are now at rest but your being is still rushing forward.
Sit down quietly, being in the new space,
until you feel the general momentum dying down. Eventually move towards a full presence in
the new space.
Repeat the whole process a few times.
* * *
Sometimes the space you define becomes more and
more solid as time goes by. It becomes so solid that you begin to feel it has its own
reality independent of you. You forget you created this space. You forget you defined its
boundaries. You begin to see that room—and by “room” I mean any space where
you find yourself, it could be a situation, a job, a marriage, a career—as necessary
for you. It could seem inescapable. This is a dangerous situation. You channeled the magic
that made this room a reality. Now, that room is sucking out your magic. You are allowing
it to eat your testicles like Zeus did with his father. When you see yourself becoming
trapped like that, redefine the space.
Experiment - Slight Changes
Go for a walk in the outdoors: a park, a
beach, a mountain.
Find a nice quiet space where you can sit for
a while.
Sit and examine the space all around you. Pay
attention to all the details. Feel their relationship to each other. Feel how these
details define the space and give a particular mood.
Now stand up and make 3 small changes to the
space
Sit down and examine what happened. How did
the space change?
As you explore further in this area, notice how
the objects that are in the space and/or create the space exhibit a variety of contrasts.
As you make changes, you may want to pay attention to these contrasts. Do you want to
emphasize them? Look at relations of domination and submission between the objects. Look
at the complete network of relationships. Take your time. Don't rush. Ultimately you will
simply make 3 small changes. The heart of the experiment is in the observation that comes
before and after you make these changes.
Experiment - Spontaneous Chamber
Go to a place where there is a lot of noise,
many people, many distractions,etc. In other other words, the kind of place you would
usually avoid for these kind of experiments.
Find your place in this space: the place where
you feel most at ease and most centered.
Now move around and make slight changes in the
space to create a resonant chamber. These should be changes that would not be noticeable
by anyone other than yourself and other shamans or such.
Keep on making small changes until the space
is now charged and stable.
Quietly and quickly close your eyes and
release the chamber. Walk away.
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