Into the Mist

When I bring forward anything I write—fiction or philosophy (never mind if there is a difference)—it is because I imagine that I see a possibility that the work might benefit someone I meet in print. Otherwise, the work remains private, as the exercise only meant for me to greet an aspect of myself. And it is assumed to be strictly for my benefit.

Once I imagine that the writing is not merely private, then I come to another question. What is one’s obligation to present truth or perspective as they know or believe it? If one believes that sharing what they know or see will avoid what they recognize as a disaster or as making another person happier, are we bound to deliver the information?

I end up turning this conundrum over and over. How does one decide the next step once writing is inspired?

First—for me—is the nature of truth. Enough people will probably consent to consider the idea that much truth (if not all) is—or at least might be—subjective to an individual and their needs or situation at any given time. You probably already realize that I do and do not believe that my truth is concrete and objective.

Yes, do and do not—My truths are right and invariable for me, at this moment.  And I hold to their guidance. But tomorrow will be a new world, possibly with new realities unfolded. If so, I do not imagine that truth of yesterday will be able to continue to justify itself.

 For me, “truth is but a resting place until the next revelation…an ever-progressing horizon…”* a collectively endorsed mythology. When it can no longer explain the world of our experience, it is surpassed, built on top of. Today’s truth may be tomorrow’s trash, and vice versa—But I do not imagine that even this must be the case for another person.  

When contemplating whether or not to share my truth, I consider that any descriptive (i.e. happy or disaster) that I may think I am responding to is always subjective. Therefore, my idea of ‘happier’ may be another’s idea of miserable! Even if their definition of ‘happy’ and mine are compatible (or the same, as best we can determine), our conscious perceptions are not always what state and/or condition we are most drawn forward by. After all, is it the happiness of the conscious mind/ego that is most beneficial to the spirit and will give us lasting joy? What element of our experience—conscious mind, subconscious, or spirit—do we gratify in order to produce happiness or avoid disaster?

There is a Taoist tale by Chuang Tzu that he speaks of the right service for the wrong individual :

 “Have you not heard that tale of old when a sea-bird alighted outside the capital of Lu, the prince went out to receive it, and gave it wine from the temple, and had the Chiu Shao played to amuse it, and a bullock slaughtered to feed it? But the bird was dazed and too timid to eat and drink anything; and in three days it was dead. This was treating the bird like oneself, and not as a bird would treat a bird.” 

So, the first requirement I make of myself in deciding if I should share my perspective is whether the information is truth for me at the time of my offering. Next, I make a point to consider whether I can perceive a value for others in my sharing the information.

If the information passes those two tests, I try to be certain the offering is relevant to the individual or audience before me at this time. I suppose this has a lot to do with why I am a writer. The free will of the reader to ignore any piece allows me some flexibility in responsibility on things that I am drawn to share. The reader can also take in installments any information that too quickly annoys their definition of reality—assuming they recognize sufficient personal truth in the writing to warrant reading it at all.

Finally, there is the issue of believing that the information can be “heard” by the anticipated audience, whether in a book or a personal conversation. The value is often in its timing. Offering perspectives of time as a great healer to someone who has just lost a dear one—even before they have had time to grieve—is insensitive (from my point of view), if not inappropriate. The same is the case for abstract concepts.

A beautiful quote by Sai Baba sums my considerations up:

Before you speak, ask yourself,
is it kind, is it necessary, is it true,
does it improve on the silence?

Ultimately, whether I speak/write of my perceptions of the truth in nonfiction or fiction, I am presenting my truth with the desire that “breaking the silence” will benefit someone who has been drawn to the work.

*“Strike a Cord of Silence” © CG Walters

 copyright 2008 CG Walters

C.G. Walters primarily writes fiction that focuses on the mystical, metaphysical, and mythical insight that we all possess. His current novel, Sacred Vow is first and foremost a metaphysical love story, a tale of soul mates—twin flames—a journey toward our one true love…in its infinite expressions…bringing together two individuals from disparate realities—but one spirit—to heal the rift in the Collective Consciousness.

Receive new editions of Into the Mist through a reader  http://feeds.feedburner.com/IntoTheMist

Get the full length FREE PDF of Sacred Vow by going to www.cgwalters.com/spirit_story.htm and clicking on the link in the page to download the eBook. This will allow you to save the book to your disk.
Purchase a signed paperback copy from http://sacredvow.dragonsbeard.com/ – or buy from yourfavorite brick and mortar, or online store (Amazon.com ).

This copyrighted article may be freely reprinted as long as the entire article and complete by line is included.

Admitting that the cosmology expressed in Sacred Vow is a truth to me, I have often been questioned about my choice to present my truth in the format of fiction. 

I personally have always been inclined to fiction for expressing truths, much the way myth and stories have historically been used to portray the essence of the ineffable. I do not see fiction as non-truth, but rather as something that can be more like an extended mantra…a means to comfortably invite the reader (or writer) into opening up and allowing their personal truth within to present itself from through the story. This method can offer a living, ever-progressing truth, perfectly fitted to the need of the reader at any given time—as opposed to merely a presentation of my truth, which may or may not be relevant.  

A path of communication with the subconscious—as opposed to a communication with the conscious mind—is alive, more a communion between the personal subconscious and the Collective Consciousness, possibly awakening or speaking to the personal consciousness a little along the way. A living story is also capable of presenting varying, perhaps what appears to the conscious mind to be opposing, truths at every reading—again, depending on the current need of the reader. This is the nature of a myth or a Spirit Story.  

For me, one of the most important things in successfully conveying a Spirit Story is the rhythm—something like a powerful drumming circle. Now the rhythm I am speaking of may be the audible rhythm of the words. It might also be the tempo of the unfolding story, the flow back and forth of the relationship of the characters. 

Drumming may be very pleasing to the ear and still be far from what is necessary for opening up the sacred space for the mind and spirit to fly beyond what is normally perceived. The same is the case with a story. It may be eloquent, well crafted and entertaining to the intellect and/or heart without being able to make a deep communication with the spirit that affects a lasting change in the person. Mystical drumming is a mantra of percussion; Spirit Stories are an extended mantra, in story form. 

There have always been gifted storytellers who can consistently weave a tale, just like mixing a medicine, with an intention of curing an exact ill—on inducing a specific experience—in a specific person or audience. I aspire to this talent, but would not dare claim such a thing to be under my full control. In the case of my novel, Sacred Vow, I was drawn to a concept (introduced to me by my wife). At that point all that was required of me was to be open to the story, perceptive of its resonance (or rhythm), and then accurately capture the vibrational frequency of my experience in words. 

Spirit Stories are alive, and they will come into the world when it is their time and their choosing. They are manifest by a collective effort of their readers-to-be and the writer. In the places of Spirit, cause and effect are not linear, and their interactions are continuous. There is no linear process of a creation of a Spirit Story, and then the book is there for the reader. The future readers even now open a place for Sacred Vow to manifest, and speak to me in the past to create an individual capable of allowing the writing to come forth.  

Spirit Stories say as much as we have the heart to hear, and that story will change as we change—story and reader co-create each other in a spiraling dance. The finite words on its pages do not attempt to contain all that it is to say. Though the last word has been written, Sacred Vow is also an “unfinished” work—and it has not said all that it will.  

People come to me, and teach me what they have found in Sacred Vow. These things I alone could not find within the story. A Spirit Story’s truth is growing, an ever-progressing horizon. Sacred Vow taught me, awakened me in the writing of it, but I have always known that the next phase of my education is what comes to me from my writings, through the readers it has brought itself to. And I am looking forward to this continuing conversation!

 copyright 2008 CG Walters

C.G. Walters primarily writes fiction that focuses on the mystical, metaphysical, and mythical insight that we all possess. His current novel, Sacred Vow is first and foremost a metaphysical love story, a tale of soul mates—twin flames—a journey toward our one true love…in its infinite expressions…bringing together two individuals from disparate realities—but one spirit—to heal the rift in the Collective Consciousness.

Receive new editions of Into the Mist through a reader  http://feeds.feedburner.com/IntoTheMist

Get the full length FREE PDF of Sacred Vow by going to www.cgwalters.com/spirit_story.htm and clicking on the link in the page to download the eBook. This will allow you to save the book to your disk.
Purchase a signed paperback copy from http://sacredvow.dragonsbeard.com/ – or buy from your favorite brick and mortar, or online store (Amazon.com ).

This copyrighted article may be freely reprinted as long as the entire article and complete by line is included.

“The way you remember it is the way that it is.”  -  Strike a Chord of Silence, CG Walters

I have been given reason to be suspicious of personal lore, those self-defining stories of the past—’memories’ if you must—whether my own or those of another. Though aware that self-analysis, specimen studying self, lacks all scientific objectivity, my lore has lead me to expect that assessments of my own experience exaggerate proportionately to the time passed since that experience. Even compensating this anticipated distortion does not guarantee any additional creditability, because one cannot obtain an objective reference point from which to determine the amount of adjustment necessary to reflect the original occurrence of the event.

It seems there is an initial emotional response to any significant experience. Emotions being energy, and energy having mass, per the principle of linear momentum (with objects in a closed isolated system, the total linear momentum of a system remains constant), the distance between actuality and personal perception of an event will increase indefinitely if allowed to progress without intervention. Then, few things pass through this world without some form of intervention. By whatever fortune, the self of the past is not born of immutable material.

                                                            *****

The clearest memory of my life is one I would give anything to forget. The face of my old man, bastard that he was, is burned into my mind—that sardonic smile. His hot, dominating hand was wrapped around my little arm, pulling me to face him, so I could not avoid his torment.

And the derisive tone of his voice: “Don’t you think?!”

I have hated him for that one memory. Then, I would have to say I have hated him for being right. He knew then the failure I would become. I wonder if it was on that day that he saw my future as the long string of deserved calamity it would be.

                                                            *****

It is true, I suspect, what I imagined I experienced at any given time—and I must say ‘imagined’ because the actual event was perceived through the collection of psychological, emotional, and cultural filters that I had assimilated up to that event, thereby making it impossible to perceive anything as it occurred in physical reality (if you believe in such a thing as a single, undeniable actuality)—What I imagined at that time may be a far cry from what I tell you today. Despite that, I can promise you what I tell you today is exactly what I remember happening, experience by emotion, sensation by excitation.

Many people are willing to accept that experiences and memories of the past become guides for our choices in the present, thereby dictating the future. Most people see these memories or experiences as defined once and never changing. I, on the other hand, am forced to view them as a more fluid commodity.

Just consider that the initial perception, therefore the memory, was never a scientifically accurate recording of the event that took place. One is only reacting to perception or analysis of the event. Therefore, it is not the event that shapes the future, only our continued response to the event.

Let’s say you can tolerate this notion for a moment. If one’s current and future analysis of a memory changes, then the way it structures our life changes. For all intent and purpose, the original event has changed. Whether or not the actual event changes in the space/time that it occurred is a metaphysical question to pursue at another time.

I would not attempt to claim that a fluid past is the case for everyone. It is possible to imagine there are people who build all their memories concretely (though this does not avoid the initial ‘personal perspective’ distortion) and these memories remain unaffected thereafter. But, it seems to me that for most people the majority of their experiences are constantly transforming/remaking themselves in such a way, without their ever noticing the development. How can you see the change, when it is the ‘seeing’ that changes?

Since becoming aware of it, I have noticed that this alchemy does not take place with all experiences of every person. If their current definition of an experience is compatible with their explanation of self or situation, the perception most often remains unchanged.

                                                            *****

I remember my father as a man of strong personality, perhaps even charismatic. Though he was not the most approachable of parents, the times I spent with him had a deciding effect on me. I remember one such event, when I had made a questionable choice.

That strong, guiding hand grasped my little arm. His smile, as always, had an ambiguous quality about it. Looking into my eyes, he spoke firmly, but not harshly, “Don’t you think you could have made a better choice?”

That moment has probably made the single biggest impact of any experience in my life. Its signature is on my every major choice. Even today, before the most important decision of my life, I struggle for the better choice. If only I had his assistance now.

                                                            *****

Not all redefinitions are selective or limited. There are revelations so powerful, delivering a previously foreign perception, that moves through the self with an indiscriminate, if not total, redefinition. This can come slowly, as an adopted belief system one incorporates lesson by lesson. Or, it can come as an overwhelming force, a shock to the system, or an epiphany.

Of the overwhelming type, some are brought by forceful catalysts: the untimely death of a dearest loved one, an invading army or storm, any great personal tragedy. The most mysterious to me—and often most powerful—are so subtle in their progression that when they finally become overt the mere awareness of them does more to shatter the existing definition of personal reality than the change their makeup would otherwise initiate.  They are the seed that prospers in a recess of the garden—completely unknown by the most attentive gardener—until the startling discovery of this towering ‘weed’. Then a weed is only something unintended, unexpected or presently unappreciated.

It may find you grasping. Who am I? What am I that an idea so contrary to the self I know, or knew myself to be, could even find an ear to fall upon?

Perhaps the source of this turmoil was merely a characteristic or experience believed successfully hidden or forgotten, now demanding its freedom or recognition. Sometimes it is a personality trait previously unrealized because a fostering environment had never been encountered. Either way, the change can be distressing. 

Believing oneself unable to trust others makes one cautious. Feeling unable to trust life makes one bitter. But, to frequently bring into question the ability to anticipate oneself, will either bring one face to face with insanity or illumination, depending on how rigidly one holds to the evolving self definition.

A memory or perception may prove itself credible in seclusion, but when placed in context or comparison with a greater whole it may become untenable. This happens to an irrational prejudice when confronted with the object of the narrow-mindedness that embodies characteristics contradicting the premise of the bigotry. The self then struggles to retain the previously comfortable opinion and will either collapse into a redefinition under the strain of the effort—much as the intended effect of a Zen koan—or withdraw into itself, where it can retain and reinforce the dubious ‘truth’.

Sometimes nothing has come to pass to place the recollection of the event into question, but the effect of the perception has proven unquestionably injurious, forcing the mind, by wisdom or by instinct for survival, to redefine. Though not restricted to or guaranteed by, this is common to the slow process of aging…a making of the judicious, or—if resisted—the foolish.

If the core of our self believed a response to an experience was an incontrovertible truth—which it can never be—it would defy any transformation. However, I quietly watch the shifts of estimation pass—if I see them at all—for initial perception is but the most convenient definition at the time. Truth is but a resting place until the next revelation.

                                                            *****

Those bright, adoring eyes warmed me to the core. His smile always gave me a flood of joy. I can still feel the soft, gentleness of his hand coming to rest on my little arm.

Without any tone of judgment or disappointment, he responded to my mistake: “Do you think you could have made a better choice?”

Without feeling rushed or threatened, I took time to consider. “Yes,” I nodded.

“So, you are the wiser for the experience, and will benefit from it the next time you choose.” With this, father rubbed my back.

I felt great pain when he passed on, but I have never felt as if I have lost him. He left with me the security that even in mistake and misfortune there can be promise in the future.

                                                            *****

Aware of the fluidity of past, having brought this dear memory out to savor again I know that it will not have gone unaffected by the personal inclinations that define me today. I can only hope that I have cultivated this experience as to produce the sweeter wine tomorrow.

Copyright 2007 CG Walters

**Disclaimer: For me, truth is personal and the consciousness that created the world before us is so complex that it can and does simultaneously manifest an infinite number of realities that sometimes appear to the human mind to be diametrically opposed to one another.

C.G. Walters primarily writes fiction that focuses on the mystical, metaphysical, and mythical insight that we all possess.  He sees fiction not as something less than truth, but something akin to a mantra…a means to induce the reader into comfortably ‘allowing’ their personal truth-a living, ever progressing truth, fit to their need at any given time.

His current novel, Sacred Vow is first and foremost a metaphysical love story, a tale of soul mates-twin  flames-a journey toward our one true love…in its infinite expressions…bringing together two individuals from disparate realities-but one spirit-to heal the rift in the Collective Consciousness.

 Get the full length FREE PDF of Sacred Vow by going to www.cgwalters.com/spirit_story.htm   and clicking on the link in the page to download the eBook. This will allow you to save the book to your disk. Purchase a signed paperback copy from http://sacredvow.dragonsbeard.com – or buy from your favorite brick and mortar, or online store (Amazon.com).  

This copyrighted article may be freely reprinted as long as the entire article and complete by line is included.

Welcome to the ever-progressing horizon!

I went looking for a single, unchanging truth—something to buffer my mind and spirit from the harsh realities of life. Many popular paths were sampled. Despite their undeniable benefits for so many others, I was not able to achieve a similar satisfaction.  I never doubted the value of the practices I sampled, but merely accepted they were not right for me at that time. A key does not cease to be a key because it does not fit the lock in hand.

In time, I collected tools of insight, from here and there, that promised to be helpful. I was determined to construct a custom truth, catering exactly to my unique ‘lock’. Once my compilation had come to some initial stopping point, I realized that some basic concepts within the items from the varied sources were repeated. So, I started to trim out the duplicates and those issues that seemed to possess the least power for me—what I deemed as not vital to my personal definition of reality…Occam’s razor, if you will.

Having felt successful in my collection, I was inspired to condense this compilation to its most basic form. Surely, such a simple answer as I sought did not require a tome to store its meaning. Maybe there could be a mere handful of insights that I could carry about through life. From those few, all other needed knowledge could blossom, as—and only when—needed.

Little by little, I worked my way through condensing the information, directed by only the most-tenuous hint of intuition—the same guide I had used for initially collecting the material. At the time, I had no real proof that the perspective that was developing would be any more useful to my goal than any of those already available paths. And I could have accepted any of them straight away without so much effort. I was, however, experiencing some discernable benefit from the mere focus of my efforts. So, I continued, if for no other reason than the meditative state of the endeavor.

There were times when the search revealed things about me and about my life that made me wish to be free of the journey that I had started on. Sometimes revelations extracted from my dwindling compilation implied a necessary view of the world that I did not find comfortable, or was not yet ready to step up to yet. Occasionally, my conscious mind would scream in defense, ‘you initiated this. Throw it out and walk away!’ But I had been warned that once one starts down the path seeking an expanded awareness, there is no turning back—you cannot go ‘home.’

At some point, the process of the pursuit became so much a part of my definition of self, even the uncomfortable revelations were less distressing than the idea of turning my back on this path. This stage proved to be quite necessary. For now I condensed what remained with abandon, without the slightest fear for what material might be lost. If intuition did not save it, each passage or concept was eliminated or combined with another. The text alone could no longer be my truth. The alchemical process of the path had become the truth!

In due time, that particular portion of my process was completed—only to start a much more complex progression. It reduced the “truth” that was to buffer me from the demands of life to a single statement. But the resulting ‘fixed constant’ did not exactly match my preconceived idea. It did not provide me with exactly an invariable ground on which to build a sanctuary. What I was left with informed me:

Truth is but a resting place until the next revelation—the ever progressing horizon.

 **Disclaimer: For me, truth is personal and the consciousness that created the world before us is so complex that it can and does simultaneously manifest an infinite number of realities that sometimes appear to the human mind to be diametrically opposed to one another.C.G. Walters primarily writes fiction that focuses on the mystical, metaphysical, and mythical insight that we all possess.  He see fiction not as something less than truth, but something akin to a mantra…a means to induce the reader into comfortably ‘allowing’ their personal truth—a living, ever progressing truth, fit to their need at any given time.

His current novel, Sacred Vow is first and foremost a metaphysical love story, a tale of soul mates—twin  flames—a journey toward our one true love…in its infinite expressions…bringing together two individuals from disparate realities—but one spirit—to heal the rift in the Collective Consciousness.

Get the  full length FREE PDF of Sacred Vow by going to www.cgwalters.com/spirit_story.htm  and clicking on the link in the page to download the eBook. This will allow you to save the book to your disk.

Purchase a signed paperback copy from http://sacredvow.dragonsbeard.com – or buy from your favorite brick and mortar, or online, store.

This copyrighted article may be freely reprinted as long as the entire article and complete by line is included.