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.
*Editor's note 9/8/22: If I recall correctly, the "ball" Josef refers to is what Scribe formed with his hands out of the molten meteor (heat not being a problem in the dream).
albionspeak 2: the gates of dis (12.4)
SESSION 70: 4TH NIGHT, 8/1/01
Our invocation: “Air” from [Scribe]’s own Ancient River Theory.
1. Q: [Guide], are you there?
A: I AM & MY MIND IS A CONSTELLATION OPENING
2. Q: Opening like the wings of a butterfly?
A: I ASK YOU TO CONCENTRATE ON [THE] WINGS TONIGHT
I AWAIT & ARISE
I AM EXPECTANT
THIS IS OUR EXERCISE
The length and tenor of this response seemed a little over-the-top. What
could be in store? (Actually, nothing that follows quite matches.)
3. Q: The four stars that suggest the wings of the butterfly?
A: [YES] [Albion] IS TO SEE HIS HALF & [Scribe] HIS
THEN [THE] WHOLE EMERGES
I am the left half; [Scribe] is the right, based on our seated positions at
the board.
4. Q: We begin now.
A: I JOSEF AM WITH YOU MY SONS [not slow or oracular]
5. Q: Welcome, Josef.
A: LET US TAKE TONIGHT TO CONSIDER YOUR QUESTIONS
6. Q: How shall we begin?
A: WHERE YOU LEFT OFF LAST NIGHT - [THE] GIFT OF COLOURS
Each of us received the same gift of indigo; yet clearly we did not
use our gift in the same way. For this reason, and because we were to
address our master of dreams, it followed that we break our session into
distinct near-halves, [Scribe]’s & mine. I note this here in part to highlight
how little “divergent instruction” there was this year, compared to the last
several years. Why so little? We hit many topics new to both of us, and
undoubtedly my own progress finally got me out of remediation.
7. Q ([Scribe]): We both received a gift of indigo from you. The indigo, for me, was
a new kind of energy, informing the last nine poems.
A: INDIGO TAKES YOU IN ONE DIRECTION
ANOTHER HUE YIELDS ANOTHER VOYAGE
& ANOTHER MASTER WILL GIVE YOU A NEW HUE BEFORE
OUR NIGHTS TOGETHER END
Clearly our teachers were preparing us, building the suspense for this
coming gift: Whose gift? (A clue lies above.)
[Scribe]’s Task in Alignment
8. Q ([Scribe]): To retrieve such a gift, I must recover my stillness [step 3 of the
Lore]. Why has it been so impaired?
A: BECAUSE YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO FACE IN MANY DIRECTIONS
AT ONCE
YOUR MIND CANNOT TOLERATE THIS AND YOU SUFFER
9. Q ([Scribe]): Vilansit spoke of a task for recovering stillness. Are you to assign me
such a task?
A: I ASSIGN [THE] TASK AS FOLLOWS
YOU ARE TO FOLD TOG…
10. E[THE]R THESE SEPARATE RADII OF
ENERGY BY DAY -
NOT AT [THE] DREAMING LEVEL BUT AWAKE
11. Q ([Scribe]): This is alignment.
A: [YES] ALIGNMENT ALLOWS STILLNESS
RETURN TO ALIGNMENT & YOU ALLOW YOUR MIND TO
BECOME STILL AGAIN
DO NOT DELAY IN THIS
12. Q ([Scribe]): If I continue, I will be in danger?
A: [YES] ON TWO FRONTS
DAY & NIGHT
DAY & NIGHT
The first “day & night” means the dual battlefronts of waking and
sleeping, while the repetition means the battle will be constant. It is
significant that [Scribe] is not to work on his realignment as a dreamtask.
From my place of ignorance, I can see two possible reasons for this:
1) To work by day engages the conscious mind more fully and leaves the
dreaming mind for other tasks; 2) There may be a danger to this kind of
work by night: it may, for instance, cause [Scribe] to “shine” more, like a
beacon, so that he becomes more attractive to roving hungry predators. I
speculate only.
13. Q ([Scribe]): Help me understand the danger by day.
A: INCREASING DISTANCE FROM OTHERS & AN INABILITY TO
HEAR [THE]M
14. Q ([Scribe]): I understand, Josef. Describe the danger by night.
A: AS YOU KNOW YOU ARE NOW MORE OPEN TO PREDATORS
THAN EVER
DO YOU SEE?
DO YOU FOLLOW?
Josef prods [Scribe] for true understanding, but also asks if [Scribe]
can see predators when they come. Does he – God forbid – follow them?
A Tiger at Your Doors
15. Q ([Scribe]): I dare not be less than honest with you, Josef. This year I had thought
only in terms of travellers.
A: DOUBTLESS [THE]SE ARE PRESENT
BUT AS YOU CHANGE & BECOME STRONGER A TIGER WAITS
OUTSIDE YOUR DOORS
IF IN…
16. TENT IS [NO]T ALIGNED IT STRIKES
[Scribe] has often (in moments of frustration) criticized me for not
following through with our lessons: for delaying, whining, making excuses
(my terms, not his; he’s circumspect). Wishing to see me move forward, he
can’t understand how or why I often let myself wallow in my many-minded
cricket state. His advice (when not biting his tongue) is mostly right-on-the-
money; but, of course, I fail to take in what he and our friends have to say—I
fail to take my own advice. Here, however, the tables are slightly turned: I
am slightly amazed, after all our discussions on predators—and the truly
lethal danger they pose—that [Scribe] could allow such warnings to be laid
aside. I am not, however, without empathy here. I will probably make the
same mistake. It is impossible to be eternally vigilant, especially so when
one cannot gauge the danger. At some point our early circle of protection
becomes a liability—that is, as soon as one steps outside of it.
I will add here—more for [Scribe]-in-the-present than readers in the
future—that [Scribe] & I during this last visit did not “chafe” particularly
over my ineptitudes (we rarely argue). I think my personal progress helped
(where I was more again an equal partner); but I think [Scribe] was also much
better at “leaning away” from his expectations of me. “Leaning away,” for
the record, is something I am personally very good at: As a middle school
teacher it is a bearing one adopts merely to survive.
[Scribe] next turns to a subject he had never mentioned to me.
17. Q ([Scribe]): Is there a link between predators & the knottedness I feel when I wake
at night?
A: HOW DOES [THE] KNOTTEDNESS DIFFER FROM WHAT YOU
DREAD?
DESCRIBE
18. Q ([Scribe]): Dread is like a “panic attack”—floor dropping out. You told me to
“wave the feeling away”. I have. This is new: extreme tension in the torso.
A: AS IF YOU WERE READYING FOR A FIGHT?
19. Q ([Scribe]): Yes, indeed.
A: YOUR BODY KNOWS WHAT YOUR MIND IS EVADING
NEARNESS OF DANGER
NOW LISTEN
20. Q ([Scribe]): I am listening to you.
A: KNOTTEDNESS IS NOT AN ILL TO BE REMEDIED
ADDRESS YOUR ENERGY NOT [THE] SIGNALS
21. Q ([Scribe]): I believe I understand. As long as my energy is not aligned, I am in
danger. There is no point in seeking a balm for the bodily symptoms of my
(subconscious) awareness of danger.
A: [YES] ADDRESS ALIGNMENT & [THE] KNOTEDNESS WILL
EASE AS IT IS LESS NEEDED [sic]
Serious business indeed. Alignment is necessary to survival.
Another dream topic: It is now well-documented that [Scribe], like
[Don], suffers from insomnia (I sleep soundly). [Scribe] has found that the
drug melatonin has helped him with his sleep, although it has a profound
effect on his dreams: Apparently they are richer (in detail only), longer,
wildly more complex, and—[Scribe] suspects—so engaging they distract him
from intentional dreaming. [Scribe]’s last year had not been a good one on
the dream front. Could melatonin be a factor?
22. Q ([Scribe]): Now I must ask about substance M (melatonin). It has certainly
changed the character of my dreams. What are your thoughts on my use
of it?
A: I COUNSEL NEI[THE]R FOR NOR AGANST - [sic]
ONLY RECALL THAT YOUR…
23. TASKS REMAIN [THE] SAME
EITHER WAY
O.K., we say, and move on to the next subject.
24. Q ([Scribe]): Let me return to daylight concerns. My ability to speak to & receive
the Scribe by day is now stronger.
A: [YES] I CONFIRM THIS
& HE MUST BE YOUR ALLY IN [THE] TASK OF ALIGNMENT
25. Q ([Scribe]): It might appear strange to recommend speech as an aid to stillness.
A: BUT CORRECT SPEECH PROMOTES STILLNESS DOES IT NOT?
26. Q ([Scribe]): A poet should know that. Another daylight concern. I have done
my best to “lean away from my expectations” of friends.
A: WITH WHAT RESULT?
27. Q ([Scribe]): It’s simply made everything better for me. (I can’t speak for them.)
A: DO NOT WORRY OVER THIS & CONTINUE AS YOU ARE
We took a short break, during which [Scribe] related to me his most
recent k-dream, Meteor. Paraphrasing from memory only, I recall:
[Scribe] is outdoors at night with two female companions. A meteor
shoots through the sky and lands some distance away. Hurrying over, he
examines the crater; and, because what lies within is not warm, he determines
it cannot be the same meteor. Then a second meteorite strikes the earth.
Unlike the first, this proves to be a true find; the material is still hot and
amorphous. [Scribe] is energized by his find.
Meteors
28. Q ([Scribe]): Josef, we rarely ask you to read individual k-dreams anymore. Is
there anything about Meteors (July 24, 2001) that you’d care to comment on?
A: METEORS MEANS WHAT ETYMOLOGICALLY?
29. Q ([Scribe]): Greek: what is above, what is higher.
A: [THE] DESCENT SUGGESTS [THE] GIFT OF ENERGY FROM
SOMEONE
30. Q ([Scribe]): In the dream, I was “energized” by discovering the fallen meteor—
especially since the first “discovery” proved false.
A: ONLY TO WARN YOU OF FALSE DISCOVERIES IN…
31. WHICH [THE]
MATERIAL IS ALREADY HARDENED & COOLED
REAL MATERIAL IS MOLTEN & MALLEABLE
32. Q ([Scribe]): Here we see a parallel to Jane’s lesson on the use of energy in step 4
[of the Lore of Colours, bringing forth].*
A: [THE] BALL YOU FORMED IS UNLIKE [THE] LUMINOUS…
33. METEOR
AS IT PASSES ABOVE
34. Q ([Scribe]): Any comment on the two female companions? I have considered &
almost ruled out travellers.
A: DO NOT BE TOO CERTAIN
SIMPLY COMPLETE YOUR TASK & LEAVE
Pairs, or twins as we say, are the clearest indication of travellers. Why
[Scribe] ruled this pair out I can’t say (except they were not attempting to
impede him).
35. Q ([Scribe]): I am not signing off, but I will ask now for any counsel you have for
the year upcoming.
A: THIS IS AN IMPORTANT CRUX FOR [THE] FLYER
IT IS A TIME OF TURNING*
ORDI…
36. NARY TASKS OPEN ONTO…
37. A VISTA THAT IS STRANGE
TAKE YOUR…
38. EXPERIENCE IN [THE] SUNLIT WOOD… (i.e., S/Div)
39. AS A GUIDE
TO STILLNESS
DO NOT FORGET [THE] ONE TASK I ASSIGNED
I JOSEF SPEAK
Two clues here: “Sunlit wood” we later discovered was a clue to
[Scribe]’s next gift-giver. “Time of turning,” especially so emphatically
punctuated (“*”), remains unrevealed, but cannot mean just another poetry
project or wave of good dreams. As welcome as such advents are, they lie
within the realm of extrapolation. Such a turning, emphasized more forcefully
in a later session, has to signal something very new (presumably also
welcome). Though it seemed when Vilansit earlier spoke of a new beginning
she spoke mostly to my concerns, I feel sure [Scribe] will be just as surprised
in his coming year.
My turn.
Albion’s Use of Indigo
40. Q ([Albion]): Have I utilized indigo in the process of my current painting?
A: [YES] BUT ALBION CAN DO MUCH MORE WITH [THE] GIFT
ONLY CONSIDER INDIGO FROM HIS VANTAGE & FULLY…
41. USE [THE] GIFT
IT IS AVAILABLE AS SOON AS YOU WISH
42. Q ([Albion]): Please clarify, Josef. Do you mean Albion can use indigo outside
the painting task?
A: BOTH SINCE [THE] GIFT IS NOT EXHAUSTED BY ANY ONE TASK
& USING IT MAKES YOU ABLE TO DO MORE
43. Q ([Albion]): Advice on how better to use the gift?
A: [YES] ATTEND TO YOUR PORTS AS AN EXERCISE
PRACTICE EMBODYING & [THE] GIFT SHINES MORE FULLY
This practice seems most practical (though I suspect I would not have
thought so awhile ago). Turning to dreaming, I had to find out why I had
seemingly lost the ability to have, or at least remember, my dreams. Dreaming,
in fact, is one of the clearest, most objective measures of k-progress; thus it
was one of the reasons I felt I had failed to move.
The Memory of Dreams
44. Q ([Albion]): Vilansit told me I have progressed. I am grateful, for most of my
standard k-measures say the opposite. My dreaming seems non-existent.
A: IT IS NOT NONEXISTENT IT IS THERE
ONLY [THE] MEMORY OF [THE] DREAM IS WEAK
IF YOU CAN PRACTICE MEMORY ON WAKING YOU WILL FIND
YOUR POCKETS ARE NOT EMPTY
I AM SENDING YOU…
45. DREAMS & WILL CONTINUE
46. Q ([Albion]): Why has my dream memory faded so?
A: PERHAPS YOU FEAR TO RECALL?
My “fear” is a subject we have discussed ad nauseam. I quote Jane:
47. Q ([Albion]): Is this my same old “fear is doubt is delay is distraction is failure to
finish”?
A: YOU MIGHT SAY THAT MEMORY IS WHAT FINISHES DREAMING
MEMORY IS [THE] KEY TO THIS APPARENT LACK
START…
48. ON MEMORY AND PROGRESS FOLLOWS ON MANY FRONTS
COLOURS ARE AN AID TO MEMORY
[Scribe] pointed out—since he was the one to spell it out—how the
word “memory” was repeated six times in these last few responses: Repetition
as an aid to memory and emphasis. I understood conceptually, but have come
to distrust simple intellectual knowledge. I felt I needed more.
49. Q ([Albion]): Josef, if indeed I have progressed, what did I do?
A: I DO NOT UNDERSTAND
HOW CAN I HELP?
50. Q ([Albion]): For example, if I have become more still, I have done so largely
unawares. I would like to know what happened so I might continue this
process.
A: RECALL - ADVANCE IN ONE ART?
51. Q ([Albion]): […is an advance in all.] Yes, Josef.
A: YOU MAY NOT BELIEVE EVEN NOW THAT PATIENT ATTENTION
TO PAINTING OR A BREEZE WILL AID YOU IN DREAMING
BUT IT IS SO
CAREFUL BEHOLDING AIDS MEMORY & SO ON & ON
DO YOU FOLLOW?
52. Q ([Albion]): I suspected as much.
A: [YES] NO NEED TO DOUBT OR INSIST ON EFFORT AS SUCH
SIMPLY PRACTICE AND STRENGTHEN [THE] EYE
I can’t express my relief to hear my huge commitment to a single
painting (amateurish & still unfinished) is paying off. Translating [Don]
undoubtedly helped too, while I also leaned away from original writing.
53. Q ([Albion]): Over the past year I have consciously avoided (for the most part)
writing. Has this hiatus aided my becoming still?
A: IT SEEMS THAT YOUR VOICES HAVE SUBSIDED
CONTINUE TO LET [THE]M
RELENT FOR NOW
It can be argued that Josef was telling me to “continue to let the voices
relent for now.” Perhaps so, but it’s hard for me to imagine how my voices—
the mostly-noise of internal dialogue—could ever aid me in the future. Thus, I
break Josef’s words in the above manner, emphasizing the writing is that which
is to be temporarily relented.
54. Q ([Albion]): Two “special” students have come my way recently, Y. and S. [to
whom I wrote my letters on flight]. I feel my duty toward them to have, as it
were, greater dreamweight. Comment?
A: I ALWAYS GIVE MORE TO ONE WHO CAN RECEIVE MORE -
THIS IS NOT UNFAIR BUT FAIRNESS ITSELF
55. Q ([Albion]): What more might I need to know?
A: ONLY THAT BY RELAXING INTO YOUR EXERCISE & TASK YOU
MAY BECOME HAPPIER & LESS MANY-MINDED
I JOSEF…
“Happier” strikes me as significant here. Of course, I’d like to be
happier; and, perhaps sadly, I can’t say happiness has been much part of my life
recently. That is, I had a very happy childhood, almost blissfully so. And
while I had some major downturns in early adulthood, I also maintained my
access to good humor and ecstasy. Middle-adulthood, however, has neither
been happy nor unhappy; all has been subsumed to necessity, where some tasks
bring more pleasure than others, but pleasure itself is epiphenomenal.
Reflecting on this, I know something’s wrong; that’s not me. Happiness,
though temporarily obscured, is an innate component of my being, something I
should radiate. I’ve been turned off too long.
56. Q: Josef, we’re grateful for your counsel. We’ll say good night for now.
A: GOOD NIGHT MY SONS
SLEEP SOUNDLY & AWAKEN GENTLY
I AND [THE] BUTTERFLY ARE WAITING
I JOSEF SPEAK