In the mysteries, the officiating member or psychopomp often “costumes” themselves as an archetypal figure. They dress their presence in the form of the spirit that brings their society together even though it isn’t their singular, individual identity as a person. This is why you hear of “black masses” always being attended by a mysterious robed figure that all those attending pledge allegiance to. The details of those meetings are of course mostly nonsense, but someone temporarily acting as if they represented the archetype that empowers the group serves a very useful purpose.

Just as it’s more or less impossible to tickle yourself, it’s not really possible to have the proper emotional reaction that leads to awakening if the only example of the principle you’re awakening to is yourself.

It seems the role of ‘priest’ and the role of the ‘robed figure’ are significantly different. They are indeed significantly different. The robed figures identity for the duration of the ceremony remains a mystery. Whoever may have officiated remains silent about their role, and the members of the society meet as equals in their day to day affairs. The psychopomp isn’t even the same person from ceremony to ceremony. It can be undertaken by any initiate of the society.

Well, remember my mention that you more or less cannot tickle yourself? There is a sort of person who can, a schizophrenic. They are also known for having religious visions, strange experiences of the world around them, perhaps the origin of the raving prophet legends of ages past.

One of his selves tickles another one of his selves. Ah, a schizophrenic differs from someone with multiple-personality disorder. The schizophrenic is a person who is more or less forever “dreaming.” If those dreams are nightmares we refer to them as paranoid schizophrenics. They have established the mechanism behind schizophrenia, or at least are in the ballpark.

So a schizophrenic can live peacefully with their “dreams” as well? Somewhat. The reason their condition remains disabling is they often fail to respond to very real physical needs for their safety mostly, but also for food and self-care. But not all of them live in fear, no.

The mechanism, if you will, behind schizophrenia, is not that they have lost their capacity to reason. They understand logic and rationality as well as anyone else. Their minds have a compromised center of autonomy. Every suggestion is more or less dramatized in their brain and nervous system. They may only be hallucinating the ants devouring their skin, but when hooked to medical monitoring equipment, their body reacts in pain no differently than if the hallucination were really happening.

But they feel the sting? Yes. They even develop symptoms, anaphylactic shock, things like that, blistering skin.

Could they be experiencing another part of reality? They could, but they are not self-possessed so stand little to gain from it, little to learn from it. Even if you accept that physical reality itself does not mold itself to human perception, subjective or perceived reality behaves very differently, and human society behaves as if any imagined thing were indeed true and real. So does the distinction ultimately matter?

The schizophrenic has had the physiological reaction that goes along with ritual awakening, but without the habits or training that goes with it, without the “wisdom tradition” that would shore up their ability to create a functioning virtual world from an otherwise shifting “mercurial” reality.

They need a guide. Yes.

Human society (as we commonly understand it) is schizophrenic? Yes, it is, and at this point it has degenerated in a paranoid delusion and much of its behaviour is self-destructive. It’s wilfully engaging in every manner of self-harm it can think of.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~