Helps us practice the concept of [[Finite Transcendence]] guide us towards a deeper experience of onto-normativity, where we find ourselves called and transformed by the "really real, observing the patterns of the world syncing with the patterns of the world to become one, to internalize through embodied awareness While you're walking, I want you to do this practice. So you want to come into that awareness of awareness; ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jbswwjc427ab5yk0tanxfdqe)) In process, the world is in process, and you're in process together. There's a rhythm to that realization. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jbswzfwheah4vkd4e2bp02bt)) The world isn't a homogeneous blob going from moment to moment. Everything is being patterned. And then the patterns just aren't there; they're in here. Right? There's this co-patterning happening, on happening, within and without; equally, they're bound together. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jbsx2xkzzbtp5wcgs200mr5v)) so I'm walking along. First, I just do that centering into the awareness of awareness—pure realization, realization within and without. Then I do fousis—the rhythm of process. Then I do suke, the melody of patterning. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jbsx6pggnjv8yj59zhxn3brv)) And realize—wait, rhythm, melody, harmony, process, pattern, principle—they're all interdependent and interdefining. How would I know there was a principle if I didn't see patterns? How would I know they're patterns if they weren't in process? How could I make sense of the process if there weren't patterns? How could the patterns be ordered if there wasn't an underlying principle? They're all interdependent. They're all interdefining; they are all one. Not logically; they're all one. This is called henosis: Oneness. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jbsx9jn9d89qmq1xmr1thnbv)) But then kenosis: emptying. Wait. It's not all centered on me. Turn the arrow around; it's not how it is all relevant to me. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jbsxbncezzfyqf47w9snp2n2)) The world, you turn the corner and it comes to you. It's a shining and a withdrawal; it's drawing you beyond yourself. That's what withdraw means. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jbsxd8gdre6z4a4vbtndwt5f)) To try to turn the arrow around and be as still in your center as you can and as open in wonder. Because you've been doing the humble wonder practice for a while. This is called theosis. It doesn't mean you become a god; it means You are profoundly participating in God. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jbsxe09nr1wpj69df044acyq)) So once you have that sense of theosis, accept it in gratitude within the orientation of finite Transcendence. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jbsxgtgk84jas6nvj2d3qdyx)) ## Mindset ![[After Socrates Episode 12 - Generative Grammar Dr. John Vervaeke#^2ngqgs]] ## Example After a few attempts I found it hard to grasp the nuances between each stage of noticing, but the music metaphor helps me understand more as well: - Rhythm represents process - rhythm in a song drives the song forward, just like how processes help you make progress - melody represents patterns - melody is when the processes combine or create distinct and expressive moments in the song, within the progression of the song/process, like patterns from the world that we can then interpret ourselves - harmony represents the underlying principles - ensures that the flow and moments are coherent and meaningful - reminds me of the intelligibility part From NotebookLM The sources do not provide a specific example of a walk using this practice, but they do provide enough detail to construct a possible example. Imagine you are going on a walk through a local park on a sunny afternoon: - **Stage One: Awareness of Awareness (_Nous_)** - As you begin walking, gently shift your attention to the center of your awareness. Notice the feeling of simply being aware. - Expand your attention outward to the environment, to the trees swaying in the breeze, the sound of birds chirping, and the feeling of the sun on your skin. Try to experience these sensations as forms of awareness or realization. The rustling leaves are aware of the wind, the birds are aware of each other, and the sun is aware of the earth. - **Stage Two: Rhythm of Process (_Phusis_)** - Pay attention to the rhythm of your steps as you walk, and the way your body moves through space. Notice the rise and fall of your breath. This is the rhythm of process unfolding within you. - Expand your awareness to the processes happening in the park around you: the clouds drifting across the sky, the leaves growing on the trees, children playing and laughing. These are all expressions of the rhythm of process in the world. - **Stage Three: Melody of Patterning (_Psyche_)** - Notice the patterns you see in the park: the arrangement of the leaves on the branches, the shape of the clouds, the design of the park benches. These patterns are examples of co-patterning: your mind recognizes patterns in the world, while the world provides the patterns for your mind to discover. - Now turn your attention inward and observe the patterns in your thoughts and feelings. Perhaps you notice recurring worries, or a persistent feeling of joy from being in nature. These internal patterns co-emerge with the patterns in the world. - **Stage Four: Harmonic Power of Principle (_Nous_)** - As you observe these patterns, consider the principles that govern them. The arrangement of leaves follows the principles of plant biology and the laws of physics. The design of the park benches reflects human principles of ergonomics and aesthetics. - Similarly, the patterns in your thoughts and feelings are governed by psychological principles, including your past experiences, beliefs, and values. - Consider the connection between these principles, your own being, and the being of the park around you. All these principles interweave and express the harmony of being. - **Stage Five: Theosis** - Shift your attention away from your personal concerns, and open yourself to the larger experience of the park. Feel the interconnectedness of everything: the trees, the birds, the people, the sky, and yourself. Experience the park not as something separate from you, but as something you are participating in. - Cultivate a sense of wonder and gratitude for this experience. Try to maintain a sense of stillness in your center, even as your body continues to move. This is the practice of theosis, a profound connection to the ground of being. ## Logs ### 2024-12-05 - Just tried grappling with the different intentions of the practice - Connecting the no-thingness of the world with the no-thingness of myself - My no-thingness is from the point of meta-awareness, but I couldn't understand what the no-thingness of the world meant. I was thinking about it in terms of forms? - Seems like in stage five of theosis, that is where we experience the no-thingness of the world because we're directly coming into contact with it from our no-thingnes self from the perspective of our potential entirety. our full immersion through our awareness can help us not just only tune in the relevant, but everything we can tune in? to be participating in it with the idea of affordances? - it isn't until we understand the processes, the patterns, and the principles until we can have that deep participatory knowing in the environment? - ground - process of the ground being flat - pattern of some spots being icy - principles of elements causing this - from my perspective, i can then participate by actively walking on the snowy parts - - Finding patterns. I was a bit lost, but the above explanations helped a lot ### 2024-12-06 - Tried again during same morning walk, I think it wasn't in a state of effortless flow but I was a bit more conscious of it - Was able to get to a vague overview version ### 2024-12-13 - Did it while doing my initial walk around the suburbs, and it felt much more insightful than previously. Replaced my traditional meditative practice. - Was able to recall the stages in my head, and play around with what it means. - First I observed the rhythm of the world around me (flat ground, wind) - Then I observed the rhythms in me (breathing, walking, seeing) - Then I observed how some of the rhythms were melodies, which meaning was found through my observations (the flatness of the ground, the way the wind blew into my face and making it hard to breathe) - Then I adopted the affordances perspective. Before, it was just through my walking and noticing patterns that I could walk through, but now it also included knowing when I could breathe without the wind infiltrating my lungs. - I began thinking about the principles at play, with biology being mine and nature/climate being the world's. I realized how these are the truly real, as they stem from the natural world, and how the interaction between these were affording me to just be part of the world. - I didn't practice gratitude, but I did experience a bit of awe from going through the stages. It's crazy how deeply aware of a headspace you can be in during something like just walking. I do wonder though on if this feeling will fade as it becomes repetitive.