One of the best things about reality is that it’s meaningless, and it has no meaning until we assign it one? Drift is meaningless, but the decisive moment that seems so chaotic and unreal… in that there is meaning. The Heyoka would not usually engage in things that actually hurt them, but they would deliberately do things “wrong” because that drama/humour kept people in touch with the insight behind why the tribe did things the way it did.

Then we could get inspired by anything, if we are in that kind of mind? Is true. I have been inspired by a shiny soda can laying at a strange place in my environment. I have also been inspired by a single beam of sunlight on a rainy overcast day that just seemed remarkably persistent. When you see reality for the clear window it is, then you may seem “insane” because nothing but meaning has meaning.

I can trace a path of insightful moments that did take me to the next arrival, if you will. Some of them so un human. Responding to key “aha” moments. The clatter of a frond of coconut leaves. The only sound so soft it drowns out the racket of traffic below. When you see and feel those moments, you are transported out of the traffic to the wisdom in that clatter of fronds which have something to tell you. Almost like drums, specifically for you it lets you know its time for you to be aware and choose carefully.

Now does the “master” never drift? No, not true. A master is still human, but they know they are drifting. Strength wanes for everyone no matter how much insight they have. But if they chose their moments well, even their drifting will seem inspired.

Drift in the right direction? Yes, the difference between sailing and being becalmed. You might not be sure exactly when you will get there if you sail, but you know you will.

I was accused of being “too cute”, because I noticed and appreciated so much it seemed to piss people off. Excellent. With my darker leaning I love pissing people off with insight. This is a very fast way to get them to have a moment, and then if they don’t totally hate you, you can even help them “correct course”, at least a little bit. But even the little bit does something. An error of a single degree will make you lose the entire course over time. A correction of a single degree can be the worlds most profound wisdom. There is no small wisdom, only squinting eyes.

Yeah, if you see everything is alive then anything can speak to you. If it isn’t alive, it can’t be in life. There is no such thing as not alive. When you speak of your life, when anyone speaks of their life, it isn’t a catalogue of “living things”, they mean everything.

Now there is something terrible that happens if you seek too sincerely. It’s reflected in a story about Socrates. Someone asked the great philosopher how he got so wise. The teacher didn’t answer. He just walked over to a shallow fountain and bid the student to come with him. He held the young mans head under water until he began to struggle with real passion, made certain he was at the point of panic, then let him up. The student outraged demanded “Why did you do that?!” Socrates said “When you want wisdom like you wanted air, then you will have it.”

My scary insight is that when you actually begin the path you will not stop, because you won’t be willing to stop breathing. Once you start you are stuck with it.

Would you say that maybe the Juggalos are reminiscent of the Heyoka? Can be, yes. Anyone embracing, and I mean really embracing the clown image, has undertaken a profound path.

I have heard Buddhist teachers say that after nine months or so they see students do one of two things. Stop because they don’t want to change their life (go back to drifting), or change their life. Sounds like pregnancy. Very interesting that time span. A lot does happen in tandem with our biology. Almost all, if not all spiritual phenomenon corresponds to the biological which doesn’t invalidate it, but rather invalidates peoples notions of the biological. Reason being, and even science insists on this, they can’t accept paradox. So if you seek the truth, then two contradictory things means one has to give way to the other. Since we do have spiritual experiences and have no experience of being “just biological”, biological can’t exist as we think of it now.

Hence repeated yearly rituals to correspond to annual events of the earth. Season rituals are quite biological and natural, which means they are not at all biological because our knowledge of biology isn’t natural. As accurate as our insights into biomechanics have been, they jump ahead of themselves with the idea that “self” is the body.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~