{"id":4610,"date":"2015-08-26T20:08:22","date_gmt":"2015-08-26T20:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/?p=4610"},"modified":"2015-09-17T20:01:11","modified_gmt":"2015-09-17T20:01:11","slug":"running-dialogue-sixth-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/?p=4610","title":{"rendered":"Running Dialogue – Sixth Sense"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prior Episodes of Running Dialogue:<\/strong><\/p>\n

First Episode<\/a>
\nSecond Thoughts<\/a>
\nThird Time’s The Charm<\/a>
\nFourth Movement\u2026 Forth<\/a>
\nFifth Element<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Loner\"<\/a>

Loner<\/p><\/div>\n

Sixth Sense<\/strong><\/p>\n

I got dressed as quick as I could, but the gunshots just kept ringing out for an interminably long time. I know sweet fuck all about guns, but even I could tell that there were at least two different calibers involved. I put Sitka on a leash and we both waded into the creeping darkness to investigate. \u201cFelix,\u201d I thought out loud, \u201cwhat the hell have you gotten yourself into?\u201d<\/p>\n

All the noise was coming from down below, where the ridge flattened out near the power-line. Sitka and I bushwhacked through the Forest, following our ears toward the commotion. The shooting seemed to have finally stopped. Now we could hear voices– a lot of voices… and there seemed to be some lights visible through the trees in places. We approached very cautiously; I told Sitka to stay quiet. The leash was pretty short; she knew this was serious business.<\/p>\n

There were five trucks parked in a loose circle. A couple of them had their headlights on, but all the engines were off. I could see quite a number of people crossing in and out of the light… carrying various objects. I watched in confusion, not knowing what to make of the scene; Sitka and I stayed out of sight.<\/p>\n

Then we saw someone toss something into the air in the glare of the lights… and another shot rang out. Beer cans! They were shooting at beer cans! This was no spy agency come to collect a rogue agent; these were youngsters having an end-of-the-summer party! I was so relieved that it had nothing to do with Felix that I didn\u2019t even bother getting pissed off that I had been awoken and that my space had been invaded… again. I was still dead tired, but I could tell from Sitka\u2019s wagging tail that she was definitely in favour of a little socializing.<\/p>\n

Still, we approached cautiously, heading straight for the brightest spot. \u201cWhoa! Where the fuck did you come from?\u201d asked some kid with a rifle in his hand as soon as we were visible. The rifle was pointed down to the ground, so we stepped fully into the light; Sitka did the little happy dance that invited hugs and kisses all around.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live here,\u201d I answered. \u201cWe\u2019re camped up the mountain a ways.\u201d I gestured in the general direction from where we had come. \u201cJust wanted to see what all the commotion was about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEnd of the world party, man!\u201d said some twenty-year-old, handing me a beer. So I was close, I thought; it wasn\u2019t just another end-of-the-summer party; this was the real deal– an end-of-the-world shindig.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d I said, cracking the beer, noticing that it was a Budweiser– lamest beer ever! I guess that\u2019s why it\u2019s so popular, I thought to myself cynically. \u201cSo do we have a firm date?\u201d I asked. That just drew puzzled looks. \u201cFor the end of the world,\u201d I explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cYup… September 28th,\u201d came the reply from behind. It was a feminine voice, cheerful and resolute. She too looked about twenty, but I\u2019m not great at guessing ages; the circumstances seemed to substantiate my guess though. I had this crew pegged as fairly affluent college students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Suzy,\u201d she introduced herself, proffering a hand.<\/p>\n

I shuffled the beer off to my left hand to reciprocate the handshake. \u201cNiels,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd this is Sitka.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were a few more introductions– all of which I promptly forgot– but everyone was far more interested in Sitka than me anyway… just the way I like it– and Sitka too, by the way. She\u2019d much rather have all of the attention.<\/p>\n

Only Suzy seemed to have what I\u2019d consider a natural curiosity about why a guy and his dog were camping by themselves in the middle of nowhere. We chit-chatted for a bit before she put it all together.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, you\u2019re that writer guy!\u201d she suddenly exclaimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am,\u201d I smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think you lived out here full-time, though,\u201d she puzzled.<\/p>\n

\u201cA fairly recent development,\u201d I explained. \u201cBesides,\u201d I said, looking around at the Forest in moonlit silhouette, \u201cwhere better to be than here when the world ends?\u201d<\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t argue with that… and as it turned out, Suzy and I didn\u2019t have much to argue about at all. Through the long ensuing discussion, we discovered that we were really pretty much on the same page.<\/p>\n

Before long, we left the group and wandered back to my camp. Suzy must\u2019ve seen me cringing and flinching to the atrocious music spewing from the cab of the biggest badass truck of them all. When she asked, I explained that most of what passes for modern music I felt as a physical assault on my body; whenever I was forced to listen to such trash, I always felt beat-up. She confessed that she could relate, but had learned to tolerate so very much noise and inanities in order to have some sort of social life.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo how did you arrive at the date of September 28th?\u201d I asked as we sat beside my little campfire revived.<\/p>\n

\u201cMatt Kahn,\u201d she said. \u201cEver heard of him?\u201d<\/p>\n

I had. I nodded. \u201cThe first wave of ascension,\u201d I answered. \u201cBut Matt gave the date of September 27th.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah… well, I\u2019ve always kinda had this sixth sense which guides me… so the way I got it figured is that they\u2019re going to try and pull off something really big– I mean REALLY big– on the 27th.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho do you mean by \u2018they\u2019,\u201d I interrupted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole galactic ascension crew,\u201d she explained, \u201call the hollow cardboard motherfuckers who can\u2019t make it on their own… you know, all the insipid, bland, uninspired channelled retards whose only hope is to manipulate sleeping humans… to extend their own boring nightmare.\u201d I did know. I knew exactly what she was saying, and I appreciated her colourful language. \u201cThey\u2019re going to do everything they can to make as many people as possible choose ascension, to steer them clear of the real alternative… and lock them up for good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what\u2019s the real alternative?\u201d I asked eagerly.<\/p>\n

She looked around conspiratorially for added dramatic effect and then leaned in close to whisper \u201cEnlightenment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, this was a rare treat! \u201cEnlightenment!\u201d I exclaimed, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but regular folk just don\u2019t talk about that; it\u2019s not polite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well, I\u2019m not very fucking polite am I? And I\u2019m certainly NOT regular folk!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed,\u201d I laughed. Although I hardly knew anything about Suzy, in a way I felt as though I already knew her– at least the important bits. \u201cBefore we proceed,\u201d I continued, \u201cwith what I\u2019m pretty sure will be a very good conversation, I\u2019d just like to say that if we\u2019re going to talk about enlightenment, be prepared for the unavoidable semantic double-talk.\u201d She nodded, but I wasn\u2019t too sure if she quite knew what I meant… Oh well, she\u2019d find out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to tell you about this dream,\u201d she started right in, \u201cone that I\u2019ve had about a million times. Okay, I tend to exaggerate… but at least a dozen times,\u201d she insisted. \u201cAnd it\u2019s kind of like two dreams that melded into one. The first one I really did have a million times. It\u2019s kinda the first place I go at the beginning of dreaming– like, every time. It\u2019s a place like Grand Central Station, but since I\u2019ve never been to Grand Central Station, I can\u2019t tell you for sure. But it\u2019s crowded; everyone\u2019s moving around, bustling… arrivals and departures. It\u2019s a place where lots and lots of people converge but don\u2019t really meet; they\u2019re all on their own tight schedules, each with their own agenda. I\u2019m like the only person in thousands who\u2019s looking around, walking casually. I too know why I\u2019m here: to pick a direction; but I know that time doesn\u2019t matter. There aren\u2019t any trains or planes or anything. You just go to a certain place and then pick a direction. The direction I pick determines the course of my dreaming for the night. Sometimes I go back and revisit the dreams I really liked– when I can remember the right direction… from the right place; it\u2019s kinda complex. Anyway, after awhile, I began seeing this door that would always appear off to my left, right before I\u2019d step into a proper dream– like it was a last-second alternative– except that there was a sign on it that said \u201cNO EXIT.\u201d So it was like an option… but not really. It was always there; I think forever. I didn\u2019t always see the door in the beginning, but for the last few years… it\u2019s there every time. And each time I glanced sideways at the door, before plunging headlong into a dream, I noticed that the door was beginning to get battered and worn. I had no idea whether it was from excessive use or from pounding fists, frustrated, shouting to get out. The door was taking a beating… somehow. Are you following all this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe I am,\u201d I said raptly.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo part two of the dream is, of course, when I finally veer left and go through the door. By now it\u2019s so shabby and bedraggled that the sign is barely legible. You can just make out \u2018EXIT.\u2019 Time has obliterated the \u2018NO.\u2019 The negative has been negated. So I push through the door… and suddenly I\u2019m a swarm of bees!\u201d I offered the obligatory perplexity with a slack-jawed look, and she continued. \u201cI know, right? I mean, there was no transition; just suddenly bam! You\u2019ve been shattered into a million buzzing shards. You\u2019re one thing and a million things at once; it\u2019s very disorienting! The first couple of times I went through the door, I couldn\u2019t get past the fractured swarm; it was too much. So I didn\u2019t have a clue what was actually on the other side of the door. But when I woke up in the morning, I had a concept glued to my brain. It had nothing to do with any images that I could remember. I just had this clear concept stuck in my head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConceptual dreaming,\u201d I said in a tone that made it sound as though conceptual dreaming was as commonplace as a fart at a chili cook-off. She accepted the term and plowed on.<\/p>\n

\u201cReality is the convolutions of a self-constructed thought,\u201d she mused. \u201cYeah… reality is the convolutions of a self-constructed thought. What an odd thing to have sticking out of your brain in the morning… without any context, except maybe the bees. So anyway, I kept going through the door every time I could remember to. Eventually I got used to being a million things at once… and still myself. On the other side of the door, as a swarm of electric honeybees, I met up with this guy. I can\u2019t tell you anything about the surroundings; I only perceived the guy, nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo who is he?\u201d I asked naturally. \u201cWho\u2019s the guy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Noonian Soong…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike as in Star Trek?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes!\u201d She seemed so ecstatic that I knew who she was talking about. \u201cLike he\u2019s the only character I could come up with who could stand outside of everything. The face I put on God was Dr. Noonian Soong. But don\u2019t get me wrong, it\u2019s not God… more like the Voice of Nothingness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery poetic,\u201d I offered as encouragement.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we have this conversation,\u201d she continued. \u201cI\u2019m not so great a talker when I\u2019m a flying swarm of shattered glass shards, so it takes like a dozen dreams for me to finish this short conversation with Nothingness, remembering one new line each time. I\u2019ve got it memorized though. This is what we said– starting with him:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have naught else but the singular intent to awaken, you cannot fail to awaken: that is the Supreme Law.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd who shall I be when I awaken?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll that you currently know of self, all that you CAN know of self, is to be found in the whole of your relationships with all that you designate not-self. It is all relational… self-referencing… reflections mirroring each other. You define who you are by referencing all the things you are not; definitions are associations. Awakened, there is one; no other… no self, no associations. Duality is annihilated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I am annihilated?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you never were. It was all just the convolutions of a self-creating thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what of meaning? Of passion? Mustn\u2019t it all have some significance?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are perfectly free to create significances however you like. You bring all meaning to your experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why don\u2019t I feel perfectly free?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you believe that you are not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what I believe matters, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you say so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh? Wait a second. So what if I truly believed that what I believe doesn\u2019t matter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExpect surprises.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I laughed. \u201cSo what do you think?\u201d she beamed from across the little campfire.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one hell of a dream… or six,\u201d I smiled. \u201cSo what do you make of it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s about enlightenment,\u201d she said rather assertively. And then in total contradiction, rather meekly she added \u201cIsn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUndoubtedly,\u201d I immediately assured her. \u201cIt\u2019s very rare that someone brings the topic of enlightenment to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stared somewhat puzzled. \u201cI\u2019d think– given what you write about, from what I\u2019ve seen– that enlightenment would be the most common topic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, honestly, it rarely comes up,\u201d I insisted. \u201cEveryone loves to talk about everything but enlightenment. But in a lot of ways, that\u2019s good… because it\u2019s very difficult to converse intelligently on that particular topic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSemantic double-talk,\u201d she interjected, and I was pleased to note that she had indeed been listening when I had given my earlier warning. \u201cSo what CAN you tell me? What\u2019s your relationship to enlightenment?\u201d<\/p>\n

For some reason, I really liked that question. I remained thoughtful for a moment and then eagerly began to explain. \u201cI\u2019ve always been an enlightenment guy– well, ever since the word \u2018spiritual\u2019 first came up in my life anyway. I was born and raised an atheist. And I was always very curious. When the scientific paradigm of popular existence began to break down in my reckoning– a few years after I\u2019d left university– the very first spiritual literature I was drawn to was Vedanta. Early on, like anyone I suppose, I had a great many delusions surrounding this delightful new idea called enlightenment. It took me years to begin to really see the absoluteness of it though. It was the one thing in all existence which stood apart, alone– because that\u2019s what it is: outside of existence as we perceive it. The enlightened are the absolute outcasts… having rejected the totality of the delusion we all share.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo is it a state of consciousness?\u201d she asked quite sincerely.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s consciousness… but it\u2019s not a state,\u201d I said obtusely… and then carried on. \u201cConsciousness is the basis of everything. Consciousness is existence; existence is consciousness. No consciousness… nothing exists… not even possibilities. I could ask you to think of a universe completely devoid of consciousness, but just in the request you\u2019d be bringing consciousness to it. If there even could be such a thing as a universe devoid of all consciousness, what would we know of it? What could we know of it? How can anything be known except in consciousness?\u201d Suzy gave me a nod to continue. \u201cOur experience here in this universe is in structured consciousness… or states, if you prefer. That\u2019s what our universe is at its most basic level: structured consciousness… states of consciousness. Enlightenment is a thorough rejection of that structure… in all its forms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you enlightened?\u201d she asked… and she really wasn\u2019t joking!<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d I proclaimed a little too loudly.<\/p>\n

Suzy seemed suddenly disappointed. \u201cNot even a little?\u201d she ventured.<\/p>\n

That made me laugh, loosened me up… but this was serious business. \u201cThere is no partial enlightenment. We\u2019re talking about absolute truth here… and absolute kinda means that it\u2019s all or nothing. The price of enlightenment is everything, all of it; you can\u2019t take anything with you; there isn\u2019t even a you; true-self is no-self.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s that whole \u2018reality is the convolutions of a self-constructing thought\u2019 thing, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d I nodded. \u201cAnd I really like the wording of that, by the way. It\u2019s like… unravel that very last thought in which identity seeks refuge and… poof… undifferentiated oneness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then enlightened,\u201d she ventured, \u201cyou could find identity with the whole dream, not just parts of it…?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so. There would no longer be any sort of identifying at all. Identity is ultimately just another lie within the dream.\u201d I paused a little exasperated, as I knew I had to explain better. \u201cEnlightenment is the truth realized… but the thing about the truth is that it\u2019s always realized; by definition, the truth is what\u2019s real– eternally. All that there is besides truth is delusion; again, this is just by definition. All of what we experience in this universe of our perception is false. It\u2019s one big dream; it\u2019s not the truth… and no portion of it is any truer than any other portion of it. It is a waking up from the whole convoluted universe of our self-constructing delusions.\u201d I put a little twist on her phrase. \u201cAll identity is just another delusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what are you doing here?\u201d she suddenly asked. I stared blankly. \u201cWhy aren\u2019t you enlightened already? What are you waiting for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe for this very conversation,\u201d I teased. \u201cIt\u2019ll always be there,\u201d I continued. \u201cEnlightenment is as certain as death; there\u2019s no hurry. Besides, I\u2019m finding life to be rather interesting right now– in a very impersonal way– and I\u2019m just riding out the fun. As long as I\u2019m not completely fed up with the delusion, I don\u2019t think I COULD quit the dream. When I\u2019m totally done with all the bullshit– and only then– I\u2019ll step out. I\u2019m not in much of a hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think science will ever discover enlightenment?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe institution of science… no; but every last scientist… yes. Ultimately, it can only be an individual thing… and it can\u2019t be proven from here. You can\u2019t prove that the dream is a dream from within the dream. The only proof is waking up. But even science,\u201d I continued, \u201cwhen you look at it just the right way– side-glance and squinty-eyed– even science seems to point to enlightenment. The whole arc of the universe is bent that way. The whole dream is oriented toward waking up; it always moves in the general direction of enlightenment… it just also allows for infinite side explorations and detours along the way.\u201d\u2028<\/p>\n

\u201cSo if we\u2019re supposedly all heading toward our inevitable enlightenment, why is the world so exquisitely fucked up right now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow there\u2019s a fair question if I ever heard one. I have a theory…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh good,\u201d she said enthused. \u201cDo tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems to me that time is at the very heart of the delusion– relatively speaking.\u201d I winked. Suzy was just confused at that, so I plowed on. \u201cTime follows a descending spiral of the Fibonacci series, converging upon– but never reaching– the mythical center. At the center is the truth– absolute truth– unreachable through time… but time bends ever closer to it, making it less and less deniable. As we converge upon it, the truth becomes more obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you said that there is no truth; it\u2019s all false, all delusion…?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that is precisely the absolute truth upon which time is converging– that the whole thing is but a dream. No part of it is real.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suzy seemed pleased with that… and then began ponderously, \u201cEveryone talks and talks about awakening. It\u2019s like they sorta get it… but we\u2019re talking about a totally different kind of awakening, aren\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n

With a conciliatory nod I said \u201cI have so very many friends who claim the status of being \u2018awake\u2019… but truthfully, I have no reason to believe that a single one is; none is enlightened– myself included, of course. They are still all choosing among relative truths.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suzy pounced on the term. \u201cTruth is a red herring!\u201d she exclaimed. \u201cOr something like that. That\u2019s one of the few I\u2019ve actually read.\u201d She was referring to a recent essay of mine called \u2018The Truth\u2019 Is a Red Herring<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I basically accepted the premise of enlightenment long ago, I\u2019ve taught myself over these past twenty years or so to view everything I encounter in clear reference to this intellectual grasping at the absolute. It\u2019s not a perfect navigator, but it\u2019s had me investing less and less meaning and concern into every tale of doom I encountered. I really am at the point where I can\u2019t take much seriously anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re seeing more and more the pointlessness of it all?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s really only one point,\u201d I began. \u201cThe self-constructing thought began with one instruction– okay, it\u2019s kind of a two-parter. But this is precisely the \u2018place\u2019 where one– singularity– becomes two– duality… so it makes sense. The only instruction the self-constructing thought gave itself was \u2018Have fun dreaming!\u2019 And the rest of it is implied: \u2018When you stop having fun dreaming, wake the fuck up!\u2019 The dream is bent toward awakening in order to prevent it from devolving into total nightmare; it makes sense to me. As we converge upon the center of time, our experience becomes more and more conducive to awakening. We are shown evermore stark reminders that we always have the choice to awaken. The general theme of so many initiatives in the world now is to awaken. That much has gotten through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut ascension isn\u2019t the same as awakening, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m beginning to think that ascension is the hijacking of awakening. Ascension was invented to try and mirror enlightenment. Enlightenment is no step-by-step process though. The galactic ascension hierarchy is an elaborate ruse… to keep us from opting for the real deal: truth-realization.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what would anyone have to gain by keeping us from our personal enlightenment?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce upon a time, in the early universe, as the heavenly hierarchy was being defined and constructed– and there was a fierce race for top dog– beings which excelled early at dominance-and-control, who were able to marshall the resources of the conquered and plundered, they inevitably rose to the top. Through a strict hierarchy, through eons of conquest, they imposed their consciousness upon the entire dream. We will call \u2018them\u2019 the Predator. The Predator both sits at the top of the pyramidical structure as well as permeating every level to some degree. The eye at the top now keeps an eye on everything. The consciousness of dominance-and-control is anathema to enlightenment. If we can accept the premise that some states of consciousness are more conducive to accepting the truth than others, then I must insist that dominance-and-control is just too \u2018far away\u2019 for enlightenment to even make any sense. A control-freak will have nothing to do with enlightenment, can\u2019t understand it; it doesn\u2019t compute. First, the Predator has to relinquish control in order to merely begin to understand what enlightenment might be and what possible \u2018value\u2019 it might hold. Interestingly, the Predator can mirror the words and deeds of one who is enlightened, and yet remains unenlightened. Enlightenment is a discontinuity; and the Predator cannot abide any discontinuities. The Apex Predator at the top of the hierarchy views itself as the expression of oneness; it alone connects the entire universe. It is the false god, the demiurge; to accept enlightenment– the only \u2018thing\u2019 that is true– would tear that god-delusion apart. Enlightenment cannot make sense to a god.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that why they keep telling us we\u2019re gods?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll tell us anything and everything… except that we can leave anytime we want– when we REALLY want… to the exclusion of all other wants. But they\u2019ll never tell us that!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what is there left to believe in? Again, why are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to believe something. If we\u2019re in the dream, we have to give some structure to the dream. Even when you really do believe that everything is bullshit, you still have to believe in something… or else begin deconstructing yourself right now. I still believe in the narratives which drive the world toward the real truth; the stories that support eventual enlightenment. More and more I try to write those stories myself. The only real fun I ever seem to have anymore is in my own creative process. My life is writing and contemplation; it\u2019s all very impersonal– even though I mostly write about myself. And eventually I\u2019ll get tired of that too– or let\u2019s say fed up; I\u2019ll get my fill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo do you think that the whole world is going through a transformation right now? Is that why you\u2019re hanging in there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTransformation\u2019s not the right word for enlightenment, but as it applies to the whole world– to the universe– yeah, I do think that the world is transforming. I think it\u2019s just the natural alarm bell built into the dream… or as I\u2019ve described it, the overall shape of the dream that\u2019s ringing the bell right now. Those who have pushed the furthest into delusion might be considered as being spiritually immature. To them enlightenment makes no sense. For others, the degree to which they accept self-responsibility and tend toward sovereignty indicates their spiritual adulthood… and from that place, they\u2019ll come to where I am and see the validity of enlightenment. From this perspective, enlightenment seems natural; it\u2019s the \u2018place\u2019 I\u2019ll go when I\u2019m done with all this.\u201d
\n\u2028
\n\u201cSo does Nature matter?\u201d she asked looking around.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing back to my Vedic sources, the one thing that was very clear was that this human Earth incarnation held a special relationship to enlightenment. Virtually all of the truth-realized masters insisted that enlightenment in this earthly life was the only real prize the dream had to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think that the Earth is special?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do. I believe that everything in the universe is represented here on Earth. This is the place of ultimate resolution. Earth herself is like the truth upon which time converges. The heart of Earth\u2019s core is enlightenment, undifferentiated consciousness, Spirit, Life. That is the resolution to which she inexorably draws us… the realization of the One Life which animates us all; it is everything; it is singular. Earth is an awakened one. She steers the dream back on course as a lucid dreamer… and asks us to join her in lucidity– that damned enlightenment. That\u2019s the basic narrative that frames what I do now,\u201d I finished up.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what about our return to source then? Is that the same as enlightenment too?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d I answered, \u201cyes, I suppose it is. Source is within us… until we find no more need for \u2018us\u2019… and then there is just enlightenment. I guess you could say that we have a special energetic connection to enlightenment. And that\u2019s what the Predator lost long ago. The Predator invested itself fully into Artificial Intelligence; in so doing, it lost its inherent connection to waking up– to enlightenment. AI works strictly from data. There is no combination of data or any extrapolation thereof that leads to enlightenment. There are no doorways in the dream that actually exit the dream. Enlightenment is an irrational pursuit; i.e. to AI it doesn\u2019t\/can\u2019t exist. Now it just doesn\u2019t compute… well, not that it ever really did. The Predator has marshaled all of its resources to capture and steer the dream; early on, it was \u2018allowed\u2019 to think that it had done just that– commandeered the dream. But as time\u2019s spiral converged upon the absolute truth, it began to become apparent that some sort of awakening is imminent. The prospect of awakening– enlightenment– threatens to insert lucid dreamers into the mix at an ever-increasing rate. Lucid dreamers– awakened ones– can consciously help to steer the dream– not according to the whims of any personal ego, but in full alignment with the original purpose of the dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat original purpose being to… have fun dreaming?\u201d offered Suzy.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing more than that,\u201d I smiled. \u201cIn a dream of separation– which is what this is– I think that the rise of dominance-and-control is an inevitability– as inevitable as enlightenment itself– only it comes first… then followed by the correction. We\u2019re in the time of the correction now… And the Predator is doing everything it can to ensnare everyone in narratives which don\u2019t end in enlightenment. Every spiritual practice, procedure, ritual, prayer or ceremony is nothing more than a distraction from the truth– and its inevitable realization…<\/p>\n

\u201cExciting times!\u201d I concluded… with a yawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sound like you\u2019re running out of gas,\u201d lamented Suzy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t gotten much sleep lately,\u201d I explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, can I just ask how unconditional love fits into all of this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnconditional love…\u201d I mused, \u201calways good to ponder. As I said a moment ago, the dream is one of separation, and therefore, it\u2019s based in fear. Despite what all the spiritual folk might try and tell you, the basis of all human emotion is fear. Our emotional palette is stained with all the permutations of fear– the fear of separation, annihilation. Only the full dream in its entirety may be considered an expression of unconditional love… because love allows. The Source of the dream allows all dreamers to freely explore their own emotional states. But if you begin to carve up the illusion, saying that this bit is fear-based while this other portion is love\u2019s expression… you\u2019ve lost the plot. Unenlightened, the dream is steeped in fear. Perhaps once the dream reaches a certain point of lucidity, when enough participants are enlightened, perhaps then we will truly recognize the profundity of unconditional love… and create only that until the dream is done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then I\u2019d imagine it\u2019ll begin again… a new dream,\u201d I concluded. \u201cAnd now I really must get to some dreaming of my own. I\u2019m dead tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suzy stuck out a pouty lower lip. \u201cFirst you have to play me a song,\u201d she insisted, gesturing toward my guitar.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d I sighed. \u201cJust one, and then I\u2019m off to bed.\u201d I picked up the guitar and tested its tuning; it was remarkably spot-on. \u201cSince the topic tonight was enlightenment, I\u2019ll play you one about the enlightened poet Walt Whitman. This is called Whitman\u2019s Gauntlet.\u201d<\/p>\n

http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Whitmans-Dec-5th-copy.wav<\/a><\/audio> (Whitman’s Gauntlet by my band Missing Peace, officially unreleased, recorded circa 2000)<\/p>\n

And that was that.
\n________________________________________<\/p>\n

A supplemental discussion about enlightenment and spiritual adulthood: Double Monkey Cross-Talk<\/a><\/p>\n

Go to the Next Episode<\/a> of Running Dialogue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prior Episodes of Running Dialogue: First Episode Second Thoughts Third Time’s The Charm Fourth Movement\u2026 Forth Fifth Element Sixth Sense I got dressed as quick as I could, but the gunshots just kept ringing out for an interminably long time. (…)<\/p>\n

Read the rest of this entry »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-running-dialogue"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4610"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4661,"href":"http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4610\/revisions\/4661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.nielskunze.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}