The movie Inception is the best “question reality” movie since the Matrix (ultimately the Matrix is better, in my opinion), and it raises many fascinating questions having to do with the differences between the two primary states of consciousness available to humans today: waking and dreaming.
This issue has been around for about as long as recorded history, and has formed a central piece of some very detailed philosophical considerations. It shows up in the 4th Century B.C.E. in the famous Taoist Zuangzi’s “butterfly dream”:
“Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn’t know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn’t know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things.”
It also forms a central part of Indian philosophy, especially advaita vedanta, which explores cosmological questions through the exploration of (more…)
Imagine that the covers of all the books in the image below dissolve, allowing the meanings to mix and flow together, dynamically creating new relationships and new patterns of information… and you’ll have some sense of what I’m trying to do in my PhD dissertation.
What an amazing and subtle artist! Look for her many alchemical references, both explicit and structural. These images are what you might call “kindling for the alchemical fire”…
I’m sure this is incomplete, but may give a brief overview and sense of alchemy. Each item would, of course, deserve quite a bit of explication, and only the broadest aspects are indicated here. Please feel free to comment on this post with ideas for additions and revisions!
Unfortunately, the workshop has been cancelled.
It will be rescheduled this Summer; keep an eye out here for the announcement!
Form / Re-Form / In-Form / Trans-Form
Elemental Transformation: Changing How We Work with Change
A hands-on/minds-on workshop with Frank Chester and Seth Miller
Saturday, March 20th
9 am – 5 pm
Live Oak Charter School Petaluma, CA
Pre-registration is required.
All workshop materials provided. Cost: $100
This all-day workshop will combine hands-on geometry with dynamic presentations and experiential exercises designed to help you deepen your relationship with transformation. You will leave this workshop with a physical form of your own creation and a more subtle and complex understanding of how transformation unfolds according to the archetypal patterning of the four elements: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Our goal is to inspire you and enliven your own everyday transformative work. This workshop is perfect for parents, teachers, therapists, social workers, and anyone interested in transformation. There will be a one hour period for lunch. You can bring your own lunch or drive off-site for lunch.
Frank Chester is an artist, sculptor, geometrician, and teacher based in San Francisco. He has been working with the four elements for over 10 years, having used them as an integral part of the research that led him to the discovery of a brand-new seven-sided form that has deep connections to the human heart. Frank travels widely, giving dynamic presentations connecting form, geometry, and spirit.
Seth Miller has taught physics and many other subjects in Waldorf schools across the West. With a Master’s degree in consciousness studies, he is passionate about bringing forth tools for transformation; his specialty is the alchemy of the four elements. He is currently developing this work in a PhD dissertation, which weaves together alchemy, cybernetic epistemology, Goethean phenomenology, and anthroposophy.
“Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn’t know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn’t know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things.”
