Motherfucking trances

[Jasper]

This concerns a phenomenon I've been observing for a while now.  For about three years now, ever since I really started exploring the deeper ideas this group is aware of, I occasionally find myself zeroing in on a thought or idea, really getting deep into it, and reality seems to fall away and I'll kind of find myself not quite hallucinating but very strongly visualizing something in my head, and if I'm not interrupted I'll get to a point where I feel like I've glimpsed something or other.  Usually just an insight about whatever it is I'm thinking about.  Sometimes it's really emotionally powerful and kind of overwhelming, but usually just when there's music playing, with a certain feel to it.  Anyways, I've only lately been able to really do it on command, so I thought I'd bring it up.  Does anyone else do this, or are my neurons misfiring?  Anything to add?

[Chairman Risus]

Happens.

[Jasper]

lol

Not much left to be said, I guess. 

I've been wondering lately how well trained it can become, how useful and natural.

[Triple Zero]

i dunno if i have the same, but my head's probably different from yours.

anyway, what you describe sounds like a sort of meditation, and good thing. so i'd suggest you continue to experiment with it and see where it gets you.

stop it if it gets you headaches or something :-P

[LMNO]

Yeah, this happens to me.

It's one of the reasons I think we've got a hold of something here.  None of the other philosophies/religions/suggestions of how to live/something to take your mind off the day-to-day sleep-eat-shit-work-fuck-sleep cycle I've studied do that for me.


Even if the "insight" is something that's already been discovered/realized by someone else, the feeling like you've really got something there is fairly profound.

[AFK]

This happens to me in the shower often.  Showertime is sort of my headspace time.  It's where some of the puns, rants, and songs are born.  That is, that's where the nugget or kernal sort of appears.  But I know what you're talking about.  I've found myself on several occassions having to kind of snap myself out of the "trance" for lack of a better word, because I realize I've been in the shower for like 20 or 30 minutes when it should only take me like 10 or so.  I think the sound of the water kind of helps me get into that zone. 

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

This happens to me often. I think it might be like a short run program that turns down incoming data streams so that you can focus on internal data processing... or maybe we're all suffering the effects of fluoride in our water.

[LMNO]

IT'S TGRR'S MIND CONTROL LAZORS!

[Jasper]

000, I usually only get headaches from it when it gets really emotionally powerful or if I do it for too long.  I think It's like a muscle though, because I used to get them easier.  That's why I tend to think it's a phenomenon that can be harnessed and sharpened. 

For some reason I'm reminded about something I read about our brains having a certain portion that seems to activate in response to holy experiences and similar.

I'm also reminded of the concept of shih form the Sun Tsu.  It comes up a lot in my thoughts on perfection, the divine, and existential illumination, etc.

[Jasper]

This happens to me in the shower often.  Showertime is sort of my headspace time.  It's where some of the puns, rants, and songs are born.  That is, that's where the nugget or kernal sort of appears.  But I know what you're talking about.  I've found myself on several occassions having to kind of snap myself out of the "trance" for lack of a better word, because I realize I've been in the shower for like 20 or 30 minutes when it should only take me like 10 or so.  I think the sound of the water kind of helps me get into that zone. 

Yeah, there definitely seems to be a trigger element.  I hung up a hammock over the creek next to my house for that same reason.  Sounds in general seem to turn me on. 

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Which of course fits with traditional repetitious mantras, chanting, intonation etc. 

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

Which of course fits with traditional repetitious mantras, chanting, intonation etc. 

This is very true.  I have one of those nature sound machines and can find that ah-hah point best when I've got that playing ocean sounds or rain....

[AFK]

Which of course fits with traditional repetitious mantras, chanting, intonation etc. 

And an instrument that is often used in conjunction with these:  Harmonium -- an aptly named instrument. 

[Jasper]

Anyone here familiar with Shih?

It's hard to explain, and there's not even a wiki.  It's from the Art of War:

"Shih is governing the balance according to the advantages"

"The rush of water, to the point of tossing rocks about, this is shih.  The strike of a hawk, at the killing snap.  This is the node.  Therefore, one skilled at battle- His shih is steep.  His node is short."

"Chaos is born from order, cowardice is born from bravery, weakness is born from strength."

All just food for thought.  My thoughts tend toward shih and node forms, especially when visualizing.  I think there's some kind of formula for optimal cognition that my trances are glimpsing.

[TheLastLump]

Wow... I know one other person who does this, personally, my uncle K.C.

When I do it, it's kinda weird. I used to stay in my head for hours and hours just imagining stuff- like, scenarios and playing around with ideas. I'd often dream up a fantasy of being a Jedi and just have adventures without much effort; it was awesome. It also happens when I'm reading a book I'm really into- anymore, I don't even HAVE to be into it, I just have to have the right amount of concentration directed at it, and I can see the events in the book playing out like a movie I'm watching, and I hear the characters' voices and everything. The weird thing is, if I don't agree with the way the character's phrasing a sentence (he or she may be too harsh on someone or something) and I'll record over their words with my own to make the scene play to my liking. Most of the time I'm not even aware I'm doing it- it just happens, and when I re-read the passage it's a completely different scene than what I saw in my head ^.^

It also triggers either when there's alot of background noise and I've got alot of time to think (my mind remixes the background noise into the noise I need- voices for the story, sounds for whatever movie I'm playing in my brain... whatever). That's why I believe  the Pineal gland is, indeed, the center of the imagination.

A side note: This also happens when I'm doing mindless meneal labour that requires no thought; I do all that stuff mindlessly while I'm "dreaming".