Noetic Vision

In the 1930’s the Argentine author, Jorge Luis Borges, wrote a short story called “Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius”. Within the story there is an encyclopedia of an imaginary planet called Tlon. The encyclopedia contains numerous facts about this land twice removed from ordinary reality. The following points might have a ring of familiarity to the remote-viewer.

In Tlon there are no nouns. Instead there are strings of adjectives. In place of Moon, for instance, one might say “airy-clear over dark-round”. The universe of Tlon is considered to be made up of a series of events or states-of-mind. Giving such an event a name would be to falsify it. The association of a name with the thing named would be an association of two distinct non-reducable states-of-mind.

To explain or judge an event is to identify or unite it with another one. In Tlon, such connection is a later stage in the mind of the observer, which can in no way affect or illuminate the earlier stage.

The story goes on to unfold the implications of these ideas in the culture of Tlon and how the invention of Tlon was the act of a secret society.

The remote-viewer might recognize the falsification that comes with naming things rather than sticking to descriptive terms. In naming things, one thing leads to another as the active mind happily trots out into left-field away from the intended target. The active mind loves to play word association, and as much fun as that is, it seldom has to do with the intended target. It is always best to describe things rather than name them. When nouns are encountered think of them as poetic analogs.

Metaphysicians of Tlon are not looking for truth, nor even for an approximation of it; they are after a kind of amazement

Wonder serves better than judgement during a session.

The phrase ‘re-inventing the wheel’ is a symbol of needless duplication of effort and a reminder that this is not how modern progress operates. Modern times are built upon the discoveries of others. While that is very efficient, if modern times ever had to start over the first thing we would need is a wheelmaker (ok, maybe a firemaker).

Outwardly, the wheel seems to be the treasure that is sought by the wheelmaker, but the real prize is the wheelmaker’s connection to the source of inspiration. The inspiration that leads to the wheel comes from a primal state of creativity, a state that is known to the inventor, the shaman, the alchemist and other keepers of the inner arts.

Intentional development of psychic awareness is one of those inner arts. Outer methods can be constructed and used as aids but the real progress will be internal, creative and unique.