Home › Forum Online Discussion › Practice › Barry – question about timeline
- This topic has 5 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 17 years, 8 months ago by Michael Winn.
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February 15, 2007 at 12:37 pm #21168voiceParticipant
I was reading through your blog (interesting issues you are into!), and was curious about this statement that you made:
“I became aware my time line had my past in front and the future to the side and behind. I altered this, placing my future in front of me and smiled deeply.”
A really interesting observation! I played with the placement of my sense of future and past and actually liked the past in the front and the future in the back. The reason (aah, reason…could be trouble!) is I felt that the past fit well with the descending front channel and that it could be seen (the past is known), and the future fit well with the ascending back channel and that it is not yet seen.
Perhaps, though, your sense of past and future were at a deeper level of being, or maybe they had some other aspect of flow to them.
Thanks for sharing as you “make-your-way”.
Chris
February 15, 2007 at 3:59 pm #21169BeginnerParticipantChris, according to those that study this (based on Meyers-Briggs testing- a takeoff from Jung’s work as I learned) most people have either the past behind them and the future in front OR both in front of them when asked to rise out of themselves and see time as a river below.
The generality as to revealed behaviors was those with the timeline front to back tended to be more open ended in their approach to planning life. Life came at them and they had no list just a momentum into.
On the other hand those with both in front tended to be those of us who make lists even on vacations- who plan for what size casket they will end up in. My father wrote his own eulogy and planned his death as he planned his life. I am sure all was in front in his minds eye. (he is smiling)
I think it is really personal. I fell into a category that was not on the charts which both pleased and made me shake my head with my familiarity at this difference from the norm.
What I noticed was a tendency to experience my new present with the past rising up and the future cowering by my side in its shadow. By shifting this inner architecture like a mental Gumby I suddenly could breathe and see ahead of me.
But it isn’t about locking into one way that works for us as much as using it to meet the situation at hand. For example today I played with bringing both in front of me before I needed to focus on doing business out of the house. Getting places. Talking to people. And somehow the internal image freed up some energy.
Once home I reconstructed the timeline to front and back and fell into a cushion of not knowing what was next or caring as much.
My only suggestion is not to initially place them but see where you unconsciously lean to as default when you allow the sense of it to rise in you. See where your eyes go when you remember your childhood. Then see where they go when you think of your life next year. Then see how different placements affect you.
Just to give this a name it comes out of neuro linguistic work and is under the rubric metaprogramming- which just means how we filter this raw universe of ours. Barry
February 17, 2007 at 9:00 am #21171Michael WinnKeymasterFrom traditional Taoist point of view, an alchemy adept would put the North (altar) behind and the South (sun/entry to the temple) in front.
Since the unknown and birthing energy arises in the North/kidneys, this suggests the future is behind/spine and the Past/south/sun is in front. The adept would be the mediating Present in between them, core channel.
I think its interesting to play with this past-future balance spatially, even though time itself has no space to it. But time does seem to have a portable essence/vibration that can be shaped by humans with our self-reflective ability.
That distane that humans can maintain from past-future is a unique feature of the physical plane, and why I think it was designed with a sense of linear flow. It slows down the normally non-reflective simultaneous thought-action of spirit in the formless planes. It is what allows us to focus on Earth itself, the slowed down vibration of spirit into matter (shen into jing) that can be shaped consciously.
I think the highest level of “meta-programming” would find an assemblage point that allows one to simultaneously perceive the spectrum/continuum of past/present/future and thus grant the freedom to shapeshift freely within that continuum. Maybe another good way to define immortality.
Michael
February 17, 2007 at 8:42 pm #21173Alexander AlexisParticipantIn various places in Mantak Chia’s works he suggests facing the north for both Tai Chi practice and meditation since this is where the energy originates, and he makes this as a general statement.
I have found that facing the direction which is in alignment with the time of day it is to be the most functional position in which to work, generally speaking, for both movement and sitting practice.
Facing/centering with the direction of the moment seems to have the feeling of welcoming the energies of that direction in and exchanging with it according to its basic nature. For instance, facing west around sunset and doing clearing practices and then sitting feels better to my body’s sense of rightness and more efficient as a whole.
This coincides with the concept of staying in alignment in general with the daily, monthly and yearly cyclical rhythm by separately addressing each direction/energy phase in space.
“…the highest level of “meta-programming” would find an assemblage point that allows one to simultaneously perceive the spectrum/continuum of past/present/future and thus grant the freedom to shapeshift freely..”
Does this mean to you the same as being in the central channel running Yuan chi and allowing self-recreation to happen?
Alexander
February 17, 2007 at 8:50 pm #21175Alexander AlexisParticipantWhile I think some approach like this is necessary at the level which most of us are- needing orientation somehow in order to align with the whole- there is still the truth spoken of in the Tai Chi Classics:
“Left and right,
front and back,
and up and down
ARE ALL THE SAME,…AND IN THE MIND.
So maybe all there is is the center.
-A
February 28, 2007 at 3:07 pm #21177Michael WinnKeymasterI think its dangerous to generalize about directions, people are at different levels and doing many different practices that might benefit/be indifferent to directional energies. So unless there is a specific intention, I suggest following what feels right to you.
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