*Pardon my 9/9/21 interruption, but I feel it necessary to spotlight my revelation, thanks to Jane here, which applies not only to colours, but every medium of existence we live & create in. This is a profound “secret” to existence, which only grows with understanding.
The Table of Contents below is too long to display fully. If you click to the right of these Lessons, you'll see the primary source documents displayed under each. These original sessions are a world treasure.
albionspeak 2: the gates of dis (12.3)
SESSION 69: 3RD NIGHT, 7/31/01
Our invocation: another poem by [Don], translated by [Albion].
1. Q: [Guide], are you there?
A: [YES] I AM HERE AND I ARISE IN REFLECTION
2. Q: Have you an exercise?
A: [YES] IT IS AS LAST NIGHTS ONLY ADD 1 ELEMENT
TO ANTENNAE
3. Q: Jane’s star?
A: EXACTLY FORMING A NARROW ISOC TRIANGLE
4. Q: Further instructions?
A: ONLY RECALL THIS IS TO HELP YOU GROW STILL
The butterfly constellation yet again. Clearly Vilansit’s twin would
follow.
5. Q: We begin now.
A: I AM [THE] . . . AT [THE] VERTEX
OF OUR TRIPOD OUR TRIANGLE [sic]
JANE
I include the “[sic],” as [Scribe] did in the original, because obviously
we are missing what appears to be a word. Additionally puzzling at the time
was Jane’s word “vertex” (as opposed to “apex”—triangles have three
vertices). [Scribe]’s Latin etymology in our next question certainly resolves
some of the puzzle, but now, in retrospect, I propose an expanded rationale:
We did not know, on this the third night, that the very letters of our board held
symbolic significance—a subject which was to be explored in some detail
over the last three nights. And during this subsequent exploration we learned,
among many things, that Jane is represented on our board by the letter V.
Well, not only does “v” begin the word “vertex,” but it seems possible that the
error of Jane’s response above—that is, the missing word—may simply have
been the letter V. This not only fits the response perfectly; it also is the kind
of response which [Scribe] might not catch during the rapid movements of
the planchette. Recall, the first time we received “MA’AT” [Scribe] missed
the second “A,” not knowing of any word like this. I did not have my eyes
open—and perhaps [Scribe] recalls exactly—but I’m guessing he just missed
what he could not have guessed. If I’m correct, Jane’s response reads: “I am
the V at the vertex of our tripod our triangle.”
6. Q: Greetings, Jane. The vertex is “crown of the head” in Latin.
A: [THE] FIRE PORTENT ON [THE] HEAD OF AENEAS’ CHILD
An image we have discussed before, a touchstone.
7. Q: What face are you wearing this time, Jane?
A: I AM AGAIN MY TEACHER’S TWIN
& SHE IS BESIDE US IN [THE] BOAT
The Lore of Colours
8. Q: Greetings, Vilansit.
A: TOGE[THE]R WE BEGIN EARLY EASY LESSON IN… [sic]
9. Q: Colours?
A: EXACTLY - AZ OUR FOREBEARS HANDED IT DOWN
The topic promised last night. One assumes at this point that
Vilansit’s response in Q#8 did not break off due to poor reception, but as a
didactic device.
10. Q: Jane has just suggested to us her fire colour.
A: JANE §
THIS IS [THE] FIRST OF FOUR STEPS IN [THE] LORE
11. Q: Tell us more.
A: THESE WE CALL
BEHOLDING…
12. EMBODYING
BECOMING STILL AND
BRINGING FORTH
1) Beholding
13. Q: Is beholding the first step?
A: IT IS BUT IT IS NOT IN [THE] EVERYDAY SENSE OF SEEING
14. Q: We did not (literally) behold your flame color.
A: [NO] BUT RECALL [THE] INTENSITY OF HUES IN DREAMING?
THAT IS BEHOLDING COLOURS
To one who is not familiar with such dream-pointers, I would direct
you to Spielberg’s masterpiece Schindler’s List, in particular the scenes which
show the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto. No one can forget the girl-in-the-
red-coat, especially since this is the only color in the entire movie. This is
exactly what beholding is.
15. Q: That is one dreaming experience [Albion] & [Scribe] share.
A: ALL OUR CIRCLE HAS A GIFT FOR THIS
SO [THE] TEACHING HERE IS NOT NEW
16. Q: We both wonder: What about beholding by day?
A: NOW THAT IS NEWS ALBEIT YESTERDAY’S
With good humor Jane refers to the previous day’s journey on S/Div.
17. Q: [Albion] beheld (say) the yellow of the ball?
A: EXACTLY [THE] CUE IS OCULAR [THE] EXPERIENCE IS K
For the record, not only did I do a double-take and then backtrack
when I spotted the yellow ball, I was also moved deeply by its pure hue,
as close to solar yellow as I have seen in life. (Indeed, I can still see its
color clearly in my mind, which, given my normal internal blindness, is truly
amazing.)
18. Q: What if [Albion] had noticed the orange ball first?
A: [THE] CONNECTION IS ONLY FORMED & [THE] ARC ONLY LEAPS
FROM [THE] COLOUR YOU NEED TO SEE
HENCE [THE] FEELING OF BEING…
19. CAUGHT OR GRABBED
[Albion] - YOU DID NOT NEED TO SEE [THE] OTHER COLOURS
AND SO NO SPARK NO ARC NO CONNECTION
20. Q: So beholding arises from need?
A: OR AS I CALL IT INTENT
21. Q: Clearly, this intent is not a will to see.
A: ALMOST [THE] OPPOSITE AND YET IT IS WILLINGNESS
Again, we distinguish will, which seems ego-driven, from intent, a
much deeper & necessarily eternal state. Intent = need = preparedness
22. Q: Preparedness (conscious or not).
A: [YES] [Albion] PREPARED TO BEHOLD YELLOW
23. Q ([Albion]): Not orange?
A: IF ORANGE, I AM CERTAIN YOU WOULD HAVE NOTED [THE]
ORANGE BALL FIRST
24. Q: So, in beholding, we are caught by the colour. All this is very dream-like.
A: IT IS AS YOU HAVE SAID LUCIDITY
& NOTE [THE] ACCOMPANYING FEELING OF DREAMING
Yes, absolutely. Beyond hyper-clarity of vision and internal stillness
there is also a kind of absence, where self-awareness (in the meddlesome,
cricket sense) is just lifted away. Thus we ought to mark this feeling, be ready
for it when it arrives, just as we know now to mark, or behold, the colour
yellow.
25. Q: This characteristic feeling is a kind of clue?
A: A CLUE THAT THIS OBJECT ALONG [THE] PATH BELONGS
IN YOUR SHRINE
2) Embodying
26. Q: To behold is to recognize it as a clue. To take the object to the shrine involves
further steps.
A: SECOND STEP - EMBODYING
We took a short break and resumed.
27. Q: Tell us about embodying.
A: § VILANSIT
IMAGINE THAT YOU HAVE PICKED UP [THE] OBJECT IN [THE] PATH
& NOW YOU MUST CARRY IT WITH YOU
O WHERE ARE YOU TO PLACE IT?
28. Q: It now must be carried, so to speak, on one’s person.
A: EXACTLY & [THE] PORTS WE MAY THINK OF AS POCKETS FOR
[THE] COLOUR BEHELD
OTHERWISE [THE] EXPERIENCE IS LOST -
[THE] PORTS ARE A KIND OF MEMORY CONTAINER
Memories seem best retained when they come connected to a larger
context (often emotional) and when they are spatially, even physically located.
The memory palace of the ancient amanuenses was contrived with rooms and
artifacts for precisely this purpose. And while this process seems rather
arbitrary at first glance, it undoubtedly worked well. I’m sure that with little
practice the palace begins to take on a life of its own, so that the memories are
just “discovered” within their own rooms and wardrobes.
Castaneda, on the other hand, teaches that memories are physically
encoded on the body’s luminous “fibers” of experience. When one enters the
second attention (altered states), the body experiences the world through
different fibers, and it is on these unusual fibers where the memory is stored.
This is why, says Castaneda, we often in our daily lives have little access to
such memories; they simply do not lie on the same threads of experience.
29. Q: Must the yellow object go in the pocket marked “yellow”?
A: A PRACTICE RECOMMENDED TO BEGINNERS -
[THE]RE IS MORE FREEDOM LATER /
BUT NOTICE…
30. YOU MUST KNOW WHERE YOUR POCKETS ARE
HENCE [THE] IMPORTANT GAME OF ASSIGNING PO[rts] (or pockets)
31. Q: If you do not know what or where the pockets are, you have nowhere to
“keep” the colour.
A: AND EVEN IF YOU MANAGED TO KEEP IT YOU MIGHT FORGET
WHICH POCKET
Recall, to “assign one’s ports” means to designate each of one's
chakras (we count eight) by a person & colour within our fellowship. Because
each of us comes with a unique colour—we innately radiate different
wavelengths—persons & their colours are not interchangeable. Nevertheless,
counting the Jewel among our “persons,” the number of permutations in this
order remains large: 9! = 362,880.
32. Q: If you know your pockets, you can also hold on to a gift, when you are given
one.
A: [YES] WE ARE GIVEN GIFTS ALL [THE] TIME
[THE]SE ARE MOMENTS OF FLIGHT -
MOST LOST IMMEDIATELY INSTANTLY FORGOTTEN
33. Q: But becoming a flyer means having such gifts continually available.
A: EVEN IF [THE]Y SEEM ABSENT [THE]Y ARE BEING KEPT
SOMEWHERE WITHIN YOUR PERSON
THIS IS EMBODYING
I recall how [Scribe], while working on Four Pastorals, instinctively
knew the order of his nine men, how each had a colour & mood & mode &
perspective. We joked about this baroque complexity in writing. Yet it worked
well (beyond the mere skeleton such structure provides), and clearly he
understood something I could only scratch my head at. I have long felt
similarly, I should add, about the way musicians have strong associations with
the various keys of the diatonic scale—how a piece in G# major has a different
character from one in D major. I know, for example, when I can’t hit the high
notes of a favorite Genesis song (Phil Collins having a much higher range), I
just drop everything a few notches; it sounds good to me. Real musicians
when I express my confusion, just think I’m being silly. How could anyone
not see the difference?
At this point, halfway through the lore, I voiced my guess at the
remaining two steps. Step 3, of course, requires no special insight, but I will
give myself some credit for anticipating bringing forth.
3) Becoming Still
34. Q: Beholding = picking up
Embodying = storage (or memory)
Does becoming still = retrieval?
A: [YES] THERE ARE MANY ACCIDENTAL RETRIEVALS AS YOU
BOTH KNOW
BUT BECOMING STILL IS [THE] BEST & MOST RELIABLE PRACTICE
35. Q: To retrieve, does one focus on the colour yellow, or the “yellow” pocket, or
simply on stillness?
A: THIS IS [THE] HARD PART OF [THE] LORE
36. Q: We’re ready to listen.
A: AIM FOR ALL THREE AT ONCE -
COLOUR IN POCKET & ALL TO HAPPEN IN PERFECT STILLNESS
[THE]N [THE] NEEDED OBJECT ARISES
37. Q: This is not hard to understand conceptually. But stillness as a practice is hard.
A: SCRIBE HAS A GIFT FOR STILLNESS
— V
§ [Guide]
38. Q: Yes, [Guide]?
A: RECALL ZEN AMONG [Scribe]’S BEST SUBJECTS?
39. Q ([Scribe]): “Zen” and “quiet” are here renamed stillness.
A: [YES] BUT QUIET WISHES ALSO MAKES SENSE
40. Q ([Scribe]): Because intent is necessary for more-than-momentary stillness.
A: [YES] [THE] SERPENT LIES UNMOVING IN [THE] SUN
[Guide]
I knew something was up. That is, becoming still is quite easy to
conceptualize; realizing it will be the challenge. But to have [Guide] drop in to
offer—not a practical tip—but a vague allusion (to one of our earliest sessions
1990 S.6:26) and follow it up with an oracular abstraction—seemed out of
place, gratuitous. I do trust my friends’ teachings well enough, however, to
know nothing they say is without purpose. Often the purpose is revealed years
or, in this case, days later.
Purpose, of course, has to be the necessary fourth step of the lore. I
believe now as firmly as my teachers that all of our actions involve a moral
choice and that good teaching—even of mechanical skills, like fractions for
instance—must include a moral component. In the name of what? defines the
members of the Jewel Net, for otherwise we inevitably fall into that abyss best
immortalized by Castaneda’s pre-Toltec sorcerers.
4) Bringing Forth
41. Q: We hypothesize: Step 4 (Bringing forth) has to do with the purpose for
retrieval.
A: JANE §
THIS INVOLVES ASSEMBLING [THE] SHRINE
Here the purpose is not particularly stated in moral terms. There is
utility in retrieving if it leads you closer to your (personal) goal. [Scribe] links
this purpose (intent) with another strand of our curriculum, not-planning,
which perhaps ironically, superficially seems the antithesis of purpose. (I
don’t believe [Scribe] was playing the devil’s advocate, however, as I often
do; he just understands these issues deeply.)
42. Q: Jane, we know we “need not to plan” the shrine we assemble.
A: [YES] WE SIMPLY ARRIVE AT [THE] SPOT WHERE IT IS TO BE
43. Q: If we summon a yellow object from the “yellow” pocket, is that part of the
shrine therefore yellow?
A: [NO] AND THIS IS CURIOUS
OUR FABLE IS LESS HELPFUL HERE
44. Q: Please explain.
A: CONSIDER YELLOW AS AN ENERGY A WAVELENGTH -
FOLLOW SO FAR?
45. Q: We do.
A: NOW IMAGINE PUTTING THIS ENERGY TO SOME USE
46. Q: All work requires energy.
A: IN [THE] PROCESS [THE] ORIGINAL WAVELENGTH OR SIGNATURE
MAY BE LOST MAY VANISH AS INFORMATION
47. Q: We assume that is not a good thing.
A: [NO] YOURE WRONG [THE]RE
YELLOW CAN DO ITS WORK WITHOUT TURNING ANYTHING
YELLOW
48. Q: The purpose of the work need not be the direct expression of any colour at all.
A: EXACTLY BUT WITHOUT [THE] ENERGY OF [THE] COLOUR
[NO] WORK
Fascinating. I have to applaud Jane’s teaching here, since she sets us
up for a surprise: It’s very hard to imagine—especially when we’ve been told
otherwise—how “vanished information” [which equals entropy/chaos in
information theory] could be anything but bad. “No” is much more interesting
than “Yes” in a discussion like this (a difference which is highlighted in later
sessions).
*In retrospect what Jane says must be the case. For if everything
retained its precise initial character, creation would be very limited: Our
shrines, for example, could include only eight colours. Negative energy that we
experience during life’s tougher lessons would always remain negative; one
could never put such lessons to a positive use. Free will, in fact, would be
reduced to the permutations and combinations I have shown above, exhausted
quickly at the cosmic scale. For energy to be transformative it has to be
transformable.
49. Q: Is one colour more appropriate than any other to a given work?
A: AS ONE WAVELENGTH OF ENERGY IS MORE APT THAN OTHERS
FOR A GIVEN TASK
50. Q: Please give us an example, Jane.
A: CONSIDER [THE] CANDLES LIGHTING OUR BOARD -
DO…
51. YOU AGREE [THE]IR ENERGY IS MORE APT FOR BOARDWORK
THAN SAY SUNLIGHT?
52. Q: It does seem to help us be more receptive. But yes, let’s grant your proposition
by hypothesis.
A: YET [THE] BOARDWORK ITSELF IS NOT IN ANY DIRECT SENSE [THE]
EXPRESSION OR MANIFESTATION OF CANDLELIGHT
53. Q: As for example, in [Scribe]’s case, nothing in the finished poems displays
Josef’s gift of indigo (energy)?
A: YET DID NOT THIS VERY SPECIFIC ENERGY CONTRIBUTE TO [THE]
PROCESS OF COMPOSING?
54. Q ([Scribe]): I believe so, and I sense somehow that no other colour would have
done so.
A: OR WOULD IN ANY CASE HAVE CONTRIBUTED SOMETHING W…
55. WHOLLY DIFFERENT?
Now that [Scribe] turns to work with & within a new colour, we’ll see
just how different the effects can be.
56. Q: So there is after all a direct (though not obvious) link between beholding (on
one end) and bringing forth work (on the other end.)
A: [YES] - AND THIS IS WHY WE REFER TO STEPS IN [THE] LORE OF
COLOURS
This seemed to close the lesson, so tight, so self-contained. Yet I did
have one pre-planned question which seemed relevant to the subject.
57. Q ([Albion]): Have I as yet utilized the gift of indigo in the process of painting?
A: WHY NOT ASK [THE] GIVER?
OUR LESSON IS DONE FOR NOW -
JANE
Recall, last year Josef gave both [Scribe] & me indigo, although
interestingly [Scribe] was presented his gift by the higher Scribe and Don is the
one who told us what we’d received.
58. Q: Jane, we’re grateful for this absorbing lesson. But we are tired. Thank you,
Vilansit & [Guide].
A: IT WAS TIME TO DRAW [THE]SE FILAMENTS TOGE[THE]R
GOOD NIGHT
- VILANSIT