The Anchor of Reason

Inside the phantasmagoria of a churning imagination. the foibles of ego transform into something larger. It is this factory of transformation which takes subjective musings & re-works random, incomplete sentiments into language & image.

Where do all of the forgotten instances go? When an image dissolves before being worked through the loom of imagination, does it drop somewhere into the pit of an Unconscious mind, never to be revisited? Or does it simply lurk just out of conscious awareness, waiting for it's moment to return? Occasionally, I try to summon those lost scenes but having no recollection of what was inside the original instance, I anticipate the general. It is like losing the family pet & standing on the front porch calling for just any dog to return.

When we swim, letting regular thought frolic inside an ocean of possibility; this world which exists only in all that can be imagined, it is a sense of reason which anchors this process of play & discovery.

Does knowing a thing by reason limit the possibility for transformation in the world of imagination?

{Artwork by Mimmo Paladino}

The Mystery of Creation

What makes writing work? What is that essential quality which defines an effective storyteller?

When I read from an engaged place, my thinking has been caught by some detail of description which rings familiar to what sensibility understands as truth. When I happen upon some phrase which connects in this deeper manner, I'm hooked—drawn-in closer to the author's viewpoint, hoping this connection takes my understanding in a new direction. Committed, I need for this writer to affirm what I already believe yet I will loose interest if my own understanding is not validated.

Pace is important. When a writer has snared my attention, I happily join them in the journey through their words, my activated imagination whirling in creation of the subjective landscape which unites us. Curiosity propels through their artful lines; I stay with them to expand. When I lag behind, I might pull-back trust; a twinge of disappointment surfaces. I hope we will meet again. this author & I because if we have been earlier engaged, the faith in their ability to again take me to that new place sustains.

Sometimes, the writer will lose me & that earlier point of fusion, where our imaginations converged will be lost altogether, not to happen again in their story. Still, I will read on because they have awakened my mind & for this I am grateful. Like a loyal ally, I feel I still owe my trust so I read what no longer interests.

Now it is my turn. A block of time is established; I write down a date. It is from here the story will begin. Past the date, we begin to establish place, the reader & I. I want them to join me in this parcel of captured time; I want them to see what I do, to remember the details I dredge from memory.

Deeper into the interior life of a busy imagination, I lose the presence of an audience. There is a flow of image & sense memories parade in full regalia. All I can do is keep up to this energizing stream. I cannot possibly record everything shown in this place of the mind but this limitation turns out to be an advantage. Occasionally, I resonate  for I have been successful in creating a multi-dimensional landscape.

What I leave off the page sometimes vanishes immediately; other times it re-emerges & I recognize a space for its inclusion. It makes me think of perfect timing; of a lyrical spirit in Universal sequence.

{Artwork by Joan Miro}

The Mystery of Engagement

What is the source of our imagination? From where come the images and details which fill library walls, fantastic in conception and like nowhere familiar? Line after line of detail pours forth and the writer responsible for painting these graphic pictures could have no first-hand knowledge of the information they so accurately create. It will all have a familiar ring and seem plausible. Even likely, as though this is the way things should be and we, the readers, are seduced by the depth and skill of their craft. Yet this all begs the question: If what is being laid-out does not actually exist, how can it be described?

Lineage and Place: these are the two subjects the imagination appears to grab hold of, and is then worked through an ingenious method of synthesis to produce startling, clarified and detailed results. How many writers have laid-out elaborate stories of people that never were, understanding their private natures and the connections these fictitious beings have to one another so completely that their identities can all be fulfilled in the imaginations of the readers? How can a place that never was be built with only the desire to create a new environment? How can these worlds transfer from writer to reader so efficiently that this exchange creates a dialogue which successfully builds an imaginary culture we are free to visit and explore? Is there something in common which exists in the imagination of every individual? Is this what connects us in belief and common understanding?

When we are reading a work of fiction, finely-spun from a working imagination, we all begin from the same text. The words fall in the same sequence before each set of eyes yet there is a vast difference in the reception of what has been so carefully written. What is the point of access for each individual reader — that place where in processing a particular story, composed of artfully chosen words, something will trigger an imagination and the screen of the imaginary mind will commence to project images of what is being described on a page.

The engaged reader works within the text of a novel and as they read, so begins to enchant themselves. Yet sometimes this connection does not fire. Everyone has had the experience of reading something which does not set this transference of language in motion. The reader will remain outside of their own latent imagination, disinterested and bored. Eventually they may put the book down and try another. What has kept them from sparking their interest? Was it that specific details were missing? An image which might have pulled them into the passing narrative and allowed them to join the writer in what was being communicated?

What has kept them outside?

{Artwork by Izumo Kato}

In Earnestness

“We are “asleep,” compared with what we could be. We are dreaming. We are entranced. We are automatized. We are caught in illusions while thinking we perceive reality.” ~ Charles T. Tart

As a writer who wishes to work from a place of inspiration, what should I expect? Should I anticipate the ability to transcend the dualism which polarizes our world into black & white? I wish to surrender the self-pity I feel for sacrifices made.

I aspire to see beyond traditional sentimentalism, to see the world in a spirit of authentic curiosity. I have no desire to work from a place of imaginative laziness or sensational violence, yet I do not want to become self-righteous in this evolution.

Let me recognize the transmogrifying beauty in all art. Let this art have unlimited potential to heal the adversity we must seek for our unique remedy for what holds us in the isolation of entitled egoism.

I pray for balance & a respect for my own mortality & that in this allotted span of years, whose number is unknown, I remain free of waste & compulsion. I wish to love; I yearn for surrender.

Each new breath.

Let me not exploit that which is sacred.

Let me roam in gardens of a muse’s affability, receptive, compliant to sacred cause & eternally grateful.

"By reaching back & encompassing, we point forward to a new synthesis." - Mary Wakeman

{Images by Adrian Ghenie}

Ritual as a Statement of Unity

“A primordial image is determined as to its content only when it has become conscious and is therefore filled out with the material and conscious experience.” - C.G. Jung

It is important for a writer to work from a place where thinking is clear, incisive & practical. No one wishes to waste time generating a torrent of manic expression, self-indulgent tangents which have no chance of fitting together to compose a coherent story. A lucid, focused through-line is a necessity for an effective story teller yet how to trust a form of inspiration which distracts from a mode of consciousness typically responsible for determining this clarity?

Is it possible to preserve creative awareness through ritual? I find myself enjoying the small things in daily writing, discovering a sense of comfort & confidence in this systematic approach. It may be akin to taking the same path along a familiar journey & in moving through informal rituals, I perceive a shift in consciousness—a honing of concentration.

Can we consider the presence of true inspiration an entrance to a sacred paradigm? Writing which discusses this greatly-sought after relationship commands language that denotes an aura of mystery, reverence & a form of possession. It is as though the writer is controlled by external force. Perception widens yet concentrates; there is a strong force of emotionalism which accompanies these elevated states.

Is ritual itself a form of worship? If when writing, we rely on a regular method of approach to our work, designed to focus the mind & heighten powers of concentration, can we say this happens in earnest expectation of making a sacred connection?

Can this relationship be willed on command or is it subject to a form of mystical whimsy & arbitrary application?

{Photographs by Paul Strand}

The Well of Creative Energy

One challenge of routine, engaged writing is ensuring a well of creative energy is available to regularly draw from. Without this fluid vehicle for our minds to swim through, understanding & realizing creative goals is impossible.  I am sure we have all experienced the sickening feeling of when there is work to be done, deadlines loom yet when we sit down to go about the task at hand, there is no ability present to begin.

What activities stimulate the mind & help re-energize creative energy? How does one keep inspiration alive & capable of motivating the drive to accomplish our goals?

“That strange benediction comes when it will, but with each visitation, deep within, there is a transformation; it is never the same.” - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Freud called dreams, 'a royal road into the unconscious.' He was referring to their importance in the process known as psychotherapy but could interpretation of dreams also be beneficial for enhancing the conscious power of imagination? Is there enhanced ability in de-coding the symbols of dreams?

{Images by Caras Ionut}

Concentrative Meditation: A Path to Insight

The questions sustains: how best to capture what has been shown on the screen of imagination? Is it possible for writers to borrow from techniques which assist in the art of meditation? There appear to be commonalities. Both seek to focus the mind & leave behind mundane concerns, both require focus beyond the management of daily life; both strive to streamline consciousness for an end result.

Writing is meditation in that it takes us away from world affairs to accomplish recording the words blossoming from a busy imagination. We must pass time, many hours at a desk & this can be a challenge. Distractions mount & the focus we require to complete a writing objective eludes because of a loss in essential concentration. Similar to meditation, writers must summon resolve & sustain focus.

Writers seek transformation from the everyday mind.

When a writer centres, prepared to work, this focus leads to a place of quietude; this more still-place opens a potential for genuine contemplation.

What could be more beneficial? Harnessing the contents of imagination requires reflection & an ability to move past every day distraction. Suppressed for a broader viewpoint, imagination generates.

This act of writing serves as a bridge from an inner paradigm, Awareness of this connection is a source of illumination & we persist in a complex endeavour because we have something relevant to share. Voices combine to form a network of potentiality.

{Photographs by Kumi Yamashita}