Shall we put this into practice? We all stand at the trunk of the world tree. The world as you see it is that trunk.

We all sleep in the roots of the world tree. Your memories of the day and your inherited memory, genetic tendencies, what have you, are all beneath the common ground we share while awake. They run deeper, and by understanding the flow of that “blood”, the deep running sap of life, we can come to understand our world as it is right now much better. This is science by the way, but it’s also art. It’s from the root or gut that art is inspired.

So as you stand at the trunk of the world tree, your perceptions are affected by the roots. The beast at the roots nags at you to be recognized. The dragon Nidhog is always hungry from more life experience, your reptilian brain in other worlds.

Now how to climb the tree?

While at rest our minds are disturbed by the sway of the branches of the world tree. Little shifts naturally prompt our brain to anticipate bigger sways in the path of our life. We try to look ahead. Even when we don’t consciously try, our brain naturally predicts. Sciences says it’s a survival mechanism, says it may even have been the primary reason for survival of our species, but how well do we do this normally?

I’d say usually not so good. How well do we predict the future?

We go from our experience to predict the future. Yes, how well do we do it? And doing it that way is why we fail to do it well. The brains drive to predict stems from stress, the need to assure survival.

So the climb up the trunk is never easy, but it’s still possible. Historically, many extreme methods have been used, mild toxicity, extreme exhaustion, self inflicted pain, sensory deprivation through isolated meditation, but the principle is always ultimately the same. We need to put out the eye of Odin. We have to put aside our experience, what we know, and rely on that core predictive faculty. This can be done in many ways. An emerging method being though big data, computer science in an era of “too much information.” But you can’t climb the tree without finding and recognizing the trunk, distinguishing the observer from the so called knowledge. It’s even possible to descend deep into the roots of the tree, though in a way this is even harder than climbing. It sometimes happens in hypnosis. It can happen deliberately through hypnotic regression but can also happen in controlled sensory deprivation, the womb like environment of a tank, but it occurs whenever one is pressed into extreme action. In psychology they call this phenomenon the battle trance, the shift in consciousness and perception that leads to people reporting an experience of total loss of self, or self transformation. Maybe the origin of the berserker tradition?

But yes, in order to gain, in order to consciously live and truly see, we must sacrifice the concept of the known, sacrifice our sense of security. This is perhaps what has made monasticism last so long. Rather than running from the world to find refuge from it, maybe it’s a way of running toward the trunk of the world tree that is the self. In some cases running face first smack into it.

So is it clear how this knowledge can be used? An example… As blissful as peaceful meditation can be, listening to infuriating verbal abuse can be a more profound meditation.

So climbing gives us different fruits than descending? Gives us fruits only according to the character of the root. So you may climb only to discover the roots have become dry or have been put into poisoned soil. You would have to change that before the branches would bear desired fruit, before you could work constructively with visions of the future. Funny thing, the prophecy of Ragnarok was necessary in order for Odin to obtain all his wisdom. He had to see the world falling apart before he could understand it coming together.

It’s the same for us of course. People typically don’t have visions because they really don’t want to. It would challenge their sense of security, their belief in their own wisdom, skill or general competence. It takes courage to find the skills available in that domain of awareness, takes the willingness to face the dragon, to put you hand in Fenris’ mouth. Fenris = wolf.

My wife had a “wizard” for an instructor in university. Want to tell us about him?

The last math class I took was on n-dimensions, curls, etc. His hair stood on end and he was very eccentric. I heard he had a nervous breakdown in the past. That was when I decided I’d gone far enough in math. Science and mathematics provide the start on the path, but deny their devotees the coping skills. Look but don’t touch, face the void but no you can’t have a light. That’s why they end up like her math teacher.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~