The Twilight Zone

                                                       The Twilight Zone

 

 

                      

                                   

"Without contraries is no progression. Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence."

                                                        William Blake

Human life and reality in general is multidimensional. We have a tendency to get stuck in certain grooves, channels, and habits and think that is the only dimension, but as William James said (I'm paraphrasing); “There is a thin veil separating us from multidimensional reality, all you need do is apply the requisite stimulus and you will be transported.”

The dimensions that are beyond what is known to man are the most interesting ones to me such as; dreams, mythology, meditative states, states induced by hallucinogens, enlightening experience, deep love and friendship connections, animal bonding and interspecies communion, artistic inspiration into the sublime, nature mysticism, spiritual ecstasy, etc. These dimensions feel more normal than 'normal'. They break through the barrios of what we have been conditioned to accept as the “real world,” which can be extremely depressing!

Even in the very mundane Zen tradition, there is the idea of; “Before enlightenment, I chopped wood, carried water, after enlightenment, I chopped wood, carried water.” But the difference in an enlightening being chopping wood is all the difference in the world! In the 12-steps, we talk about living life on life's terms, which leads to serenity. Being serene is certainly another dimension than the larger world, which is anything but serene!

As Blake said; “To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour...” Our challenge toward awakening is to lean toward the infinite and recognize the macro in the micro and vice verse.

We know on a deep level that we are created in God's image, that we have divinity within us, even as frail limited human beings. We are challenged to find the Buddhist middle path between light and shadow, science and superstition, the place between the pit of man's fears, and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination, it is an area which we call...The Twilight Zone.