Paradigm Shift

One definition of "faith" is based on confidence or trust. It is not mere "blind faith" that is based on lack of belief, because of lack of proof and knowledge. Perhaps, sound is only heard because most individuals have "faith" in this sense, which becomes part of our working knowledge that exists as part of current paradigm (as Sheldrake defines paradigm, according to Kuhn's definition*). Maybe, our senses are developed to the capacity of our faith. Maybe our collective belief and memory contributes to our collective acceptance of our five senses. Maybe intuition as a sixth sense is actually tied to faith and its morphic field. Some societies readily accept the concept of "soul" and "faith." Some societies accept the view that women are more spiritually in tune and more easily access "intuition." Some Native American tribes accept the existence of "double souls," or those who possess androgynous spirits. Usually, this means a male living as a woman, or a female living as a man, on the material plane.

Essentially, I'm down with a paradigm shift.



*According to Sheldrake's interpretation of Kuhn, a paradigm is "at any given time...a consensus within each group about the way reality operates and the way that problems should be solved...it is a shared consensual view of reality upon which the professional group depends. In each group, the members recognize those they consider proper members...and those whom they recognize as outsiders, as not being within their group [social aspect]...[it] also includes a model of the way problems can and should be solved." There are examples of how problems should be solved and what are acceptable solutions. "A shift in paradigm involves both a new way of solving problems (because there is a new way of thinking about the problems involved), and also the building up of a new social consensus among practitioners. [...] A view of paradigms as morphic fields help us to understand why they are so strongly conservative in nature, for once the paradigms are established, there is a large social group contributing to the consensual reality of the paradigm. A very powerful morphic resonance is evolved by this way of doing things; and that is why paradigm changes tend to be rather rare, and why they meet with strong resistance."

Return

Return

復
24. Fu / Return (The Turning Point)

☷ above K'UN THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH
☳ below CHÊN THE AROUSING, THUNDER

Approach: A plane taxis the flight line, approaching the runway for "take off"--not too fast and not too slow. The plane ascends; the pilot completes all necessary tasks for a successful take off. Everything goes as planned. All is smooth. No unnecessary turbulence. The plane is airborne. Mind and heart are united toward one: ascension.

This signifies the beginning, a successful beginning, following the course of nature.

In the beginning of a relationship, approach matters. Approach sets the tone for the entire "flight." The approach will characterize the ascent, the flight, and the descent.

Approach: A young woman approaches me with a certain intensity. She says things to impress me. We make out for a while at a bar. Then, I see her kiss someone else. I bolt. Drunk sluts aren't attractive. I check my phone. A new text.

"I so want to fuck you right now."

I have no words for this forwardness. The next day she texts me.

"Thanks for the dance. You're really hot. We should hang out."

I try to find a way to deflect and blow her off. I know what she wants. She wants me for my body. I'm particularly aware of this. I feel like a piece of meat. I politely address my lack of interest. She becomes defensive, tells me not to think every girl who's interested in me wants to marry me. I deflect her defensiveness. I tell her that I'm very aware of her intentions; that I just want her to know my intentions.

"I'm sorry. I'm shallow. You're really hot."

But, I'm not biting. I couldn't care less. She keeps baiting. She doesn't give up...

"Oh, that sounds so terrible. A girl is trying to impress you to get in your pants. OK. So, what's the problem? I wish I had your problem," a friend tells me.

"Well, if you put it that way..." Maybe I'm the jerk. This reminds me of, "The sex I want, I'm not getting. The sex I'm getting, I don't want."

I cave. I cave, yet I'm on my toes. I sense something hanging in wait. Sex doesn't sound so bad. I'm curious. I want to feel this one out.

Later, she tells me she is thinks it's "sooooo" awesome she turned out to be different than what I originally thought. I think, "We'll see." She doesn't know that her words mean shit to me. I'll follow the yellow brick road to see if her actions correspond with her words.

You see, I'm still forming. My mind and heart are still forming. I want to get to know her. I'm not going to invest my feelings or my heart without real provocation and good reason. I don't believe in the "one." I don't want anyone to save me. I'm half-aware that I may be a conquest of some sort, and that she may not even be consciously aware of that.

Conquest: She says inappropriate, aggressive things to me, at first. This turns me "off." Then, she starts to say all the right things, to bait and hook. This is like predator after prey. The predator circles the prey. The predator tries to lure the prey. Life is more intriguing, more dramatic, more alluring. The game is fun.

Prey is sniffing the bait and the predator, wanting to know if it is safe. Prey isn't biting, isn't hooking fast enough. New tactics emerge. Predator wants to trap prey. (I swear, if lesbians could impregnate each other, there'd be a lot of trapping going on.)

Predator plays games to trap prey. Prey bolts at the mere sensation of being pushed and intentioned upon by force and guile. If the predator would have captured or trapped prey, predator would have eaten prey to gain a sense of self and power. However, this is not to say that predator didn't want to love and be loved. Just to say that predator does not know how (to love Self).

The moment I have to trick you or force you into being with me, I never had you. You should come on your own accord. All approaches will fail. All planes will crash and burn upon take off.

Abort mission.

The lesbian U-haul thing is not mere myth. I understand the desire to love and be loved, but brakes are an essential component of anything capable of momentum. The mind is an essential component to any relationship. Co-dependency and symbiosis is not my desire. I want to be loved for myself and love another for herself. That takes time. It also takes emotional maturity. I don't want to complete someone, or be her other "half," because I'm already whole.

These days, I'm approaching dating and relationships more mindfully than previously. In the past, I've leaped, diving in without any sensibility. But, I've learned my lesson. "Crazy" truly is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I've promised myself I'd learn from my mistakes, triumphs, and the past. I meant it. That means that I can't (and won't) take the first flight out with no apparent destination in mind. Relationships should be built thoughtfully and intentionally, not by the force of passion that leads one by the nose or by the seat of the pants.

My penis is not a compass or a tuning fork. A united heart and mind is the best tool for leading one into the promise land of relationships. Steady feet and hands serve more than desire and fleeting passion. Affection and commitment create stability and nourish in a less-than-dramatic way and with less intensity, which may not seem gratifying, but will ultimately provide the most fulfillment.

I don't want intensity. I am intense enough for my own good. I do not want another to become the medium through which I live out all my unlived dreams and aspirations. I want to be myself perfectly and completely in the presence and love of another and to love another as herself.

I'm descending, approaching the landing strip. I'm off the throttle, squeezing the brake for a smooth landing. Touchdown.

THE JUDGMENT

RETURN. Success.
Going out and coming in without error.
Friends come without blame.
To and fro goes the way.
On the seventh day comes return.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.

After a time of decay comes the turning point. The powerful light that has been banished returns. There is movement, but it is not brought about by force. The upper trigram K'un is characterized by devotion; thus the movement is natural, arising spontaneously. For this reason the transformation of the old becomes easy. The old is discarded and the new is introduced. Both measures accord with the time; therefore no harm results... The idea of RETURN is based on the course of nature. The movement is cyclic, and the course completes itself. Therefore it is not necessary to hasten anything artificially. Everything comes of itself at the appointed time. This is the meaning of heaven and earth.