Aphorisms: Reflections from Isolation.
As the year draws to a close, I present a collection of philosophical reflections written in Covid isolation over the last week.
It's been a Covid Christmas for many of us. Fortunately, I am somewhat of a hermit by nature and find myself quite content with doing very little. I have always kept myself entertained with my mind, and have never really understood the concept of boredom, having been cursed (or blessed, depending on the content) with an overactive mind and a very vivid imagination. Being forced to stay indoors for a week gave me the opportunity to do some introspection. Here are some of the thoughts and meditations I collected this week on the mind, trauma, the self, art, and human life.
The Mind
§1
The mind, which ties itself in knots, is an enigma. It provides us with such a depth of understanding and knowledge of things beyond the range of ordinary human life and perception, from the quantum level to the far reaches of the universe. It is also a temptress, often deceptive, elusive and cunning. The mind reinforces the ego, encouraging the development of the mental personality to the detriment of the mindless, peaceful, being of the self.
§2
It has been said that intelligence is both a blessing and a curse. That is certainly true of mental intelligence, but there are so many types of intelligence we fail to recognise – social intelligence, emotional intelligence, and most importantly, physical intelligence, the knowledge of the physical body, the instinctive, intuitive, direct knowledge that precedes the mind and connects us with our answers.
§3
Words carry a weight;
they are loaded pistols, pointing
away from their target.
Yet every now and then,
a bullet strikes,
and impresses an idea upon the mind.
Beyond the sound of gunfire,
a morning bird sings softly,
and awakens consciousness from its slumber.
§4
Mindless observation, empty reflection and a careful watching of the mind by the perceptive self, the insight, which connects with the body in order to know beyond the mind. "Isn’t this just all word-play?" The mind jumps in and questions, doubts, refuses to believe and accept, forces divisions and dualities, leaving us muddled in confusion.
Trauma
§5
Trauma rips apart the soul and fragments the personality. Something sticks that is unbearable, which we are literally unable to confront and therefore unable to recover from. The body clings on to a memory it cannot process. Time, patience, courage, and perseverance through what seems like intolerable pain is required to overcome it.
§6
Trauma fragments the self. It disconnects us from who we are, making any meaningful or stable connection to reality an intangible dream.
§7
A trigger. Something slips into my consciousness beyond my immediate awareness and without permission, grabs hold of my entire being. I am frozen into submission. What has happened? Where is the threat? The earth tremors beneath my feet and crushes my mind into ash. I am at the mercy of my past.
My past - an unrelenting mistress who torments my days and terrorises my nights with the constant humming of danger. She hides in the recesses of my psyche, pulling the unconscious strings on my actions and feeding the indigestible content of my thoughts.
The Self
§8
How do I uncover my authentic self? Deconstruct the ego. The self is not created but uncovered in a continual act of self-deconstruction.
§9
Do not force. It is not through positive action, but by negative action that you align yourself with what is. Peel away the layers of your ego to reach the core of your Being.
§10
To live without the ego is to be free. Free from illusion, free from suffering. Beyond the illusion of ego is Being.
§11
Self-affirmation is ego-deconstruction.
Artistic Creation
§12
The artist seeks mindlessness. True artistic creation is a movement of the will unrestrained by ego.
§13
What is art? Unrestrained self-expression.
§14
Inspiration.
A lightning bolt flashes silently
across the mind.
In an instant, its memory lost,
but the mark of light is transformed eternally
by the writing hand of the poet.
Human Life
§15
When two souls recognise each other
beyond the divisions of the ego,
accepting each other
in their entirety.
When the other is accepted