SYNTAXIC MODE

According to Gowan (1975), the Creative level of the Syntaxic Mode includes five procedures:

1. Tantric Sex: level of intimacy
2. Creativity: level of generation and Individuation
3. Biofeedback: level of generating Alpha Waves at will
4. Orthocognition: level of consciously willing potential to manifest, creative visualization, ego integrity
5. Meditation: level of disciplined consistency and time transcendence.

Each of these may be examined in turn to determine their role in the growth of spirituality or transformation of the individual.

1. Tantric Sex does not necessarily mean you must become a Buddhist monk. Tantra is used here as the spiritual bliss of losing oneself in the unity of love. The union of Shiva and Shakti is a metaphor expressing the most sacred aspect of marriage (as does that of Krishna and Radha). It is a mere hint of the ecstasies of higher mystical experiences. Sex is holy, in that while embracing, the lovers achieve a wholeness, a union of opposites, in which they share on the most primordial psychophysical levels. The ego is dissolved in the bliss of merging, prefiguring the union of the personal with the Divine. In this manner, sex functions as an aspect of development toward individuation, or realizing and embodying one's highest nature. Sexual activity, motivated by unselfish love is an ordinary act with the unsuspected benefit of contributing to the self-actualization of the marriage partners. Their act embodies the masculine and feminine polarities of the Universe embracing one another.

2. Creativity. Since there was obviously creativity in the Parataxic Mode of Art, what distinguishes this stage from that? Art is the level of intuitive apprehension of pictorial images. This level means verbal creativity, which is an intuitive form of the next level of Psychedelia (Daath). Creativity is verbal because the information coming from the preconscious is understood by the mind.

At this stage, we not only understand our own psychology pretty well, we can also verbalize about our condition. Having named our demons (mother complex, puer complex, negative senex, etc.) we win to a certain stage of conscious realization in the process of individuation. When such a degree of mental health is achieved through one method or another, creativity will inevitably emerge. Freed from the stress of an overemotional reactivism, a person flowers through various modes of self-expression. This indicates a fluid relationship between the individual's ego and preconscious.

Verbal creativity is marked by proficiency at analogy and metaphor. To be able to create these implies the ability to see through to underlying similarities in the dissimilar.

The beginnings of the creative process lie in introspection on information previously assimilated. This may take many forms, such as focusing on a problem and studying all angles of it, with various repercussions. After preparation and incubation, an illumination, or answer to the problem may suddenly occur. Its application will show if it is a true answer, or can be verified as useful. Creativity is part of the basis of philosophy in that it raises problems or questions, which it seeks to resolve through verbal creativity.

Gowan lists several theories concerning creativity, and the powers and virtues of verbal and mathematical creativity. He asserts that creativity has cognitive, rational and semantic aspects. Other aspects of creativity are personal or environmental, or stem from a certain psychological openness. The inspiration for creativity comes from the ability of the ego to access the contents of the collective preconscious.

Activity directed in this manner leads to high well-being and self-actualization. Understanding increases along with creative organization. One gains in ability to combine the familiar in new and innovative ways. To be truly creative requires at least four traits according to Fromm: "capacity to be puzzled, ability to concentrate, capacity to accept conflict, and willingness to be reborn everyday."

Maslow extended creative traits to include "spontaneous, expressive, effortless, innocent, unfrightened by the unknown or ambiguous, able to accept tentativeness and uncertainty, able to tolerate bipolarity, able to integrate opposites." Whelan (1965) added, "energy, autonomy, confidence, openness, preference for complexity," etc. Creativity also brings a sense of destiny and personal worth. This brings a sense of joy, contentment and acceptance of self, which show its transformative ability. Creative people, who accept themselves, also have the further ability for compassion or brotherly love, (agape).

Gowan concludes that "creativity has a holistic quality, which restores the balance between right and left hemisphere function, between analog and digital computer aspects of thinking...Man's mind is a device for bringing infinite mind into manifestation in time; creativity is the commencement of this actualization."

3. Biofeedback (Alpha Wave Training) has become fairly common in recent years as a medical tool to teach patients to regulate blood pressure, for stress reduction, migraines, etc. Through perception of tones or lights the participant learns to enter a particular subjective state which is associated with the production of brain waves in the 8-13 hertz region. These brain waves are called Alpha Waves. A more relaxed state produces theta waves in 4-8 hertz frequencies.

This training appears to simulate the meditative state of yogis and Zen masters. Through the use of the biofeedback apparatus, the technique is more quickly learned, through application of concentration and will. What is required is a passive attention coupled with physical relaxation. Then one achieves a feeling of harmony between inner and outer worlds.

Biofeedback is linked to creativity, in that, through this technique one may gain access to a reverie state or waking dream where there is vivid perceptual imagery. Yet one retains enough awareness to bring back these images coming out of this reverie or Theta state. In dream research, this phase of consciousness is termed hypnogogic imagery. The ability to visualize is directly related to creativity. In this state one may go into a mode which is a sort of "internal scanning," finding creative solutions to problems or stimulating imagery.

Very advanced forms of biofeedback training are available now for the home computer. The effective range of these programs includes stress management, balancing the personality, changing habits and behavior patterns, auto-hypnosis, and self-transformation.

Application of programs to Qabalistic purposes has been called "Yogatronics" or "Electro-Magick" by Miller & Miller. This new generation of video games could include pre-programmed pathworking designed to help the aspirant internalize the symbolism presented in QBL, while developing the visualization ability. We have all the potential of experiencing certain types of 'astral journeys" using the medium of "the temple of living light." The monitor has the capacity to hold the visualization until the aspirant can learn to internalize the symbols and visualize them at will. In this case, hardware may be dispensed with. The interface is merely a teaching tool.

In this way, classical mind-control techniques can be used to fine-tune oneself, in the same sense as self-hypnosis. This is the basis of effectiveness of biofeedback and other elementary forms of meditation. It allows access to states of awareness without the interference and side-effects of drugs, or the years of intensive practice in yoga.

Meditation, in its elementary form, is described as an altered state of awareness that is induced by repetitive action of some constant stimulation. This stimulation may be of three types: 1) external, such as a chant or drum beat or visual display; 2) internal, such as mental repetition of a word or group of words; or, 3) physical, such as an electronic stimulus, etc.

Even without religious intent, an individual, under the influence of this constant stimulation, is able to achieve varying degrees of relaxation and learn a degree of control over autonomic nervous system functions. This enhances the quality of life and widens the spectrum of human experiences available on the psychological level. We can create the conditions necessary for personal creativity by providing a daily "incubation" period. We appear to also gain a better understanding of ourselves. Many feel they experience an expansion of consciousness and gain access to higher levels of awareness. This equilibrium produces the experience of oneness with the universe, or contact with the divine.

There are many styles of meditation from different philosophical schools, but they all share certain elements in common. The active techniques employ concentration prior to contemplation, and are quite similar to self-hypnosis in the induction phase. Most are designed primarily to create a light alpha brain-wave state, with deeper meditation stages producing Theta patterns (ideal conditions for rejuvenation).

Our Videographics program of meditation begins with the eyes open. At this stage, meditation is effective with the eyes either opened or closed. The goal of the Videographics program is to teach us the matrix pattern of optimal equilibrium, so it may be internalized eventually. Once the pattern is learned, the states recognizable, it is possible to visualize anywhere at any time.

When an individual concentrates on an external object, it is called contemplative meditation. In Eastern systems of Yoga, the object of concentration is known as a Yantra. If the object is a circular design radiating from a center, it is called a mandala. Variations on the theme used throughout the world include the crucifix, the Star of David, flowers, candle flames, etc. Eventually, the symbol is mentally fixed on a spot inside the center of the forehead, known as the "third eye" (i.e. the pineal gland).

Simultaneously with the visualization, one mentally repeats a word or phrase used in a repetitive manner to induce a meditative state. This word is known as a mantra. The "meaning" of this word has been scientifically "proven" to be arbitrary, but some feel it is best to use a mantra which is a symbol of one's chosen deity. In the qabalistic tradition, mantra meditation was practiced using permutations of the Hebrew letters of the Name of God. This relates the mystical meaning of the mantra to the individual and contains more power to influence the soul.

Mantra meditation is similar to self-hypnotic suggestion, since it provides an internally-originating method of repetitive stimulation to the central nervous system. It encourages the development of a hypnotic trance, where one is more suggestible. It is at this point you can re-program yourself out of undesirable habit patterns. Some techniques suggest it is necessary to repeat the mantra only upon exhalation of the breath, to induce the relaxation response.

Expected results of this technique include a deep state of physical and mental relaxation. Faster reaction times, greater self-sufficiency, stability and happiness have also been shown as results of regular meditation practice. There are no inherent dangers for the "normal" individual. However, for a highly neurotic person unstressing might release pent up emotional problems, precipitating psychosomatic symptoms or inappropriate behavior. Marathon meditation periods are discouraged as they can lead to a loss of the sense of reality. Furthermore, the mind will later rebel and be even harder to calm. On the plus side, meditation reduces anxiety and negative self-image which can reduce psychosomatic disorders. It is a natural high.

4. Orthocognition. Gowan has termed the next stage of expansion of ability orthocognition, which he defines as an understanding of the illusions of time, space, and personality and their relationship to the divine element. It represents "the first dawning of complete cognitive understanding" of the processes of the psyche. For this to happen, the mind needs "a map of the psychic terrain, and an awareness that such relationships exist."

The effectiveness of Qabalistic theory in this regard is clear. QBL is not only a correct map of the psychic terrain, it prevents us from confusing the levels of experience and getting lost in fruitless tangents. Pathworking prevents us from getting lost in endless mazes of psychological confusion concerning the relative value of different experiences. We stay on the right track or path of the Tree by correctly visualizing our relationship to it. QBL is a variation on the theme of the Perennial Philosophy, which recognizes all-powerful, impersonal forces which exist independent of time, space and human will, and are beneficient and concerned with human welfare and spiritual development.

Orthocognition is a low stage of syntaxic mode conceptualization and still contains an element of selfish personal desire. Therefore, we should be extremely careful to limit visualization to those embodying the highest standards. The power to visualize means we have the ability to manifest our ideal self-concept, and this is the main purpose of orthocognition when it is used in conjunction with meditation. We should seek to actualize the Lord's Will, not our person will. Remember, the personal ego is an illusion to begin with, and personal desires just compound the distortion of reality. If this realization does not come, one is hung up at this stage for an indefinite period of time.

Thoughts are things, or may become manifest, and the human mind is a powerful tool for shaping reality on several levels. Since every intentional act is a magickal act, we must learn to use emergent powers wisely and with restraint, or we bleed off motivational energy to experience higher states of awareness. Visualization releases or taps the flow of psychic energy, transforming potential into being. Several philosophies hold that our imagination and perception is responsible for the maintenance of the universe; our presence is a necessary part of its realization.

According to Gowan, "orthocognition is a form of mental dimensional orientation" which "is related to the structure of intellect factor of spatial visualization. The ability to orient oneself in three dimensional space can be developed into the ability to orient oneself outside space and time, and hence to possess the means for transcending the illusion they present." (see 'The Diamond Body and Circulation of the Light,' this Volume).

The orthocognitive person would have an effective working knowledge of physics, physiology, psychology and metaphysics. This philosophical basis provides a cognitive capacity which keeps pace with affective experience. In other words, one understands the meaning of various states of consciousness or mystical experience, as well as apprehending them intuitively. This is why psychology can describe states of consciousness in words. Below the grace states of ecstasy and unification, they may be very precisely defined by those with verbal creativity..

Healing, whether mental or physical (actually psychophysical) is a special case of orthocognition. Gowan describes three kinds of healers:

1. Those who lay on hands work in prototaxic mode or 'trance."

2. Those who form images in the right hemisphere, or visualizers, work parataxically.

3. Syntaxic healers operate through the word. Though separated by degrees of ability and swiftness of cure, these include masters like Jesus, or modern day psychologists with their talking and experiential therapies.

He concludes that, "the essence of psychic healing is a speed-up in time of what would normally be accomplished in a much longer period. What we are really witnessing, therefore, is the acceleration of chemical reactions. If ultimate reality exists outside of time, and if orthocognition is the dawning recognition of this fact, the consequent psychic healing, as an accelerated physical process would follow immediately upon this principle." (TAC, pg. 332).

Elsewhere (Psychoenergetic Systems, Krippner, 1979), Gowan draws parallels between creativity, healing, and illumination (or peak experiences). All three procedures share common traits. These include a prelude ritual which includes a withdrawal to internal solitude, an altered state of consciousness during the peak of the experience, and an emotional "afterglow" after the experience.

These three states apply to all the procedures of Tiphareth. Briefly these are characterized as follows:

1. Prelude Ritual. "This consists of a number of steps, some of which may be left out or practiced unconsciously in any given case. First, there is a trigger (a physical problem in the case of healing, an unsolved issue in the case of creativity). The protagonist seeks solitude undisturbed; one concentrates on one's thought with a fixed purpose, calling or invoking some transpersonal power or must with full expectation of results. The peak-experience illumination differs only in that the entire process is largely unconscious."

2. Altered State. "It is far from trance even in the "wild" (or spontaneous) peak-experience. It is, in the other two modes, far more within conscious control, but it is still not your ordinary state of consciousness, for one is in some measure conscious of the Absolute -- outside time and space. Once the prototype of the solution is sensed there, it is experienced as vibrations, which grow into mental images, ideas instantaneously flow ("rhea-ceptivity"), they are clothed in a form which must be committed to paper at once lest they vanish, and finally, suddenly, the altered state ends. In healing, having been visualized by the healer, the perfect conditions is manifested in the patient: in creativity the new products has been "realized" in verbal or artistic form; in illumination the experience is ineffable and hence is felt only as overload on the emotions."

3. Postlude. "The postlude experience is one of beneficient emotions, joy, reassurance, exaltation, oneness, and goodness. ...one or more of the steps may be unconscious or omitted altogether in any given circumstance. Some of these events are more intense than others, and the spontaneous ones tend to be more ecstatic than those "on demand," but these statements are equally true of sexual intercourse, for experience breeds equanimity."

5. Mystical Meditation. This is the final procedure of Syntaxic Mode. Paradoxically, this is a fully cognitive exercise, but it stills the mind, preparing it for the influx of grace states (Daath). meditation with a religious or spiritual goal marks the upper limit of mankind's mental efforts. From this point on, further progress depends on the downflowing of the Grace of Divine higher power. One can make the conscious effort to establish this condition, but its manifestation requires the activation of processes beyond conscious control.

The mind must be tranquilized, stilled or made silent. In other words, this type of meditation is an attempt by the aspirant to transcend the limitations of even the highest possibilities of the mind. By consciously cooperating, the mind seeks to transcend itself, but it cannot do this without aid from that which is Beyond itself.

The "I-Not I" split expresses the essential duality of man in his alienation from his Divine Origin. The entire process of transformation along the Middle Pillar of the Tree of Life is an attempt to heal this split through the medium of an I-Self dialogue. this interchange is brought into increasing conscious awareness as one ascend the spheres, path and planes of the Tree. This duality enabled man to experience the birth of consciousness, but on the Way of Return, the mind must be stilled to quietness for the primordial reunion to occur. The mind must merge back into its source, Universal Mind, in order to free the soul for greater glories.

In QBL, the I-Self duality, with its resulting fragmentation of qualities into spheres, is resolved by consistent ascent up the Middle Pillar. As One unites or harmonizes the various opposite spheres on the Tree, awareness gains access to higher levels. A similar process occurs in alchemy, where the opposites must be united to produce the supreme symbol, the Philosopher's Stone. The process required is a dialogue between the conscious-I and the unconscious-Self. This is known in psychology as the process of self-analysis. It has its own analogy in yogic training.

In the modes of "trance" and "art," man has an I-It relationship with the subconscious. Upon entering the mental dimension, however, the subconscious is spontaneously perceived in a personified form, making possible the I-Self dialogue, on a conscious level. In Magick, this phase is the Knowledge and Conversation with one's Holy Guardian Angel. In contact with this inner radiant form of the Self, one may put direct questions to it and receive direct answers, guiding life and the growth process. The Self of the I-Thou relationship is perceived as Divine Guidance.

The Self is another name for the Absolute, which is seen at Tiphareth, though one cannot merge with it until Kether. Instead, the absolute is seen reflected in the manifestations of the physical world. The goal of the dialogue is to infuse the personal self with the infinite depth of the greater Self. this produces feelings of bliss and expansion in understanding and wisdom. According to most philosophical systems, the original purpose of the "I" or ego-consciousness is to know the universe. Ultimately,, the knower merges with the known in the realm of the Self. The Self is the ordering and unifying principle which guides the process of spiritual development. The dialogue cannot begin until the conscious I perceives the Self as a separate center, or essence of manifest reality.

Initiation of the I-Self dialogue manifests a connection between the two which is analogous to Middle Pillar. This connection is known in psychology as the "I-Self axis," as termed by Edward Edinger in his book on the subject, Ego and Archetype.

There is another type of union with the Self, which is more pertinent to meditation than psychology. This is the method of "transcendence," where a clear distinction between ego and self is not required. Instead, the boundaries of the personality are gradually expanded, merging with the infinite boundaries, formed by the Self perceived as an infinite circumference.

These two different modes of experiencing Self, dialogue and transcendence, function through different physiological systems. Dialogue includes psychology and magick and involves the enflamment or arousal system. Transcendence comes through diffusion and stilling of the body. Enflamment works through noradrenaline production, while transcendence is associated with the neurotransmitter, serotonin.

Either technique can lead to the fulfillment of Tiphareth, which is Self-Realization or Individuation. This phase marks the culmination of the process of self-analysis, and returns the soul to its pristine state of self-luminosity. This is the feeling of oneness with God, but this is only an illusion for it is merely the halfway house on the road to spiritual fulfillment, half way up the mountain. But, in and of itself, it is a great spiritual accomplishment, and can mark the beginning of the second half of the journey to God-Realization or knowledge of God. Both spirit and God share a common essence.

Perfected consciousness means no less that the synthesis of I and Self which results in bliss. Without this union, the soul remains in an ever-restless condition, feeling the pain of its separation. What is required at this stage is for mind to realize itself as pure, undifferentiated Essence. When no thoughts arise and the mind is fixed on pure Essence, there can be no lingering notion of an individual ego. Ego doe snot even experience itself having the realization, nor doe sit perceive the phenomena occurring. One simply is...not becoming, but Being.

Psychological realization comes with the repetition of the psychic life cycle. When one is freed from the compulsive repetition, a sense of wholeness is achieved. This sense of wholeness is symbolized by Tiphareth, however, Perfection is known as Kether.

Edinger defines three phases in I-Self relations. In the first, the I becomes inflated (ego trip) due to identification with the powers and potencies of Self. By amassing personal power and asserting its independence, the ego falls out of harmony with the subconscious. This stage is alienation. Alienation brings the ego pain and remorse, coupled with a sacrificial attitude ("I'll never do THAT again.") It seeks reconnection to the previous harmonious condition, a reconciliation or reacceptance. Repeating the cycle brings increased awareness until the process is conscious, and becomes obsolete, since the I merges with Self in meditation daily.

Methods of transcendence include relaxing the body and withdrawing attention from the senses. One must sit in a position where it is easy to relax but hard to fall asleep. undisturbed, with eyes closed, one may begin the process o relaxing the mind and removing the constant babble of distracting thoughts. The mind constantly repeats scenes and stories of its attachment to the outer world.

To overcome this tendency, a mantra, or repetition of the divine names is used to control the mind. A sound or tone may also be employed for this purpose, of eliminating distracting thoughts. To fix the attention one uses contemplation. The form of contemplation is usually a symbol of the Self (one's Guru, mandala, Holy Guardian Angel, or Wise Old Man or Woman). These are imaging techniques which hold the mind on the proper thought. All these forms ultimately merge into mystical perception of inner Light, and then this Light is contemplated effortlessly because it automatically holds the attention. Sounds may also be heart at this time with the inner healing. This sound and the light are of the same essence, they are one in the same as your attention.

This process unfolds over time, and meditation, as other magickal procedures, must be carried our without "lust for results" or expectations. You must walk before you can run. In the lower level of meditation, one must battle the distractions, but in the higher level meditation is sheer bliss for the inner pull drives the process. The bliss which one accesses through the bridge of meditation can become as habitual or addictive as self-destructive behaviors. Meditation allows an individual direct access to his higher nature with all of its concomitant benefits. This process of unfoldment continues at even higher levels of consciousness.. (i.e. Daath and Kether).

Some techniques of meditation include Transcendental meditation, Zen, Vedanta, Integral Yoga, Tibetan Buddhism, Surat Shabd Yoga, union of the soul with the sound current. Each has a slightly different motivation, and some have different goals, in that the goals of some yogas are higher than those of others. Some seek to united with Universal Mind, while others transcend it. Stilling the mind is a rewarding experience since it brings feelings of tranquility. But, it is merely preparation for something greater to come. One may continually clean a chalice, but it will get dirty again if it isn't filled with the life-giving water. Tiphareth is the stage of purification or rebirth.

Gowan points our that "unlike creativity which seeks a social response to solve a problem, and orthocognition, which seeks some personal relief or benefit, meditation seeks no product beyond itself. It therefore is the only procedure to gain independence from the ego." It is, however, as far as man can go through his own efforts. Meditation is man's invitation to God -- a silent plea for Grace.

Gowan feels that the Syntaxic Mode has great relevance for personal and cultural growth. "The whole stage with its five procedures is therefore of intense interest to the intelligent, educated adult. It forms an indispensable bridge to growth and self-actualization for our culture, and constitutes the only method of making ready for, or, understanding the phenomena of the psychedelic stage." (Daath).

Gowan concludes that, "It is the business of the ego to attend to ordinary reality; it is the business of other parts of the psyche to relate to non-ordinary reality, that is, the noumenon outside our space and time. While we may look at our ordinary reality as "real," it is actually the other way around, for it is non-ordinary reality that is the ultimate real."

Iona Miller

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DYNAMIC CREATIVE PROCESS

http://creativeprocess.iwarp.com

Healing is a form of creativity.

Consciousness is a dynamic field that has the dual aspect of primordial process and appearance. Process is conscious dynamic energy driven by what is not conscious . Process and perception lead to an understanding of appearance. Our consciousness oscillates at the fundamental between the inherent drive for change and our attempt to maintain identity and stability. We are creative beings and that creativity is an emergent process from cradle to grave.

Higher art must be intensely personal while being universal and universally accessible. It must show refined knowledge, understanding and respect for the art that has come before to enrich those around us. Much the same can be said for an artfully and heartfully lived life. We can apply a similar strategy to our spirituality, drawing on the best of what the past offers while keeping our practice and service contemporary and relevant. Our lives become multidimensional artful expressions without frames, embodied in living Light. Process-oriented spirituality is eclectic and intensely personal.

The connection we have with the inspirational Source that nourishes creative life is the same source that sustains our spirits and funds our compassion. It is a deep well from which we can drink at will, the abundant lifesprings of our essential being. The Romantics, arguably beginning with Blake, turned art into a kind of substitute for religion. The East emphasizes a mystical-magical orientation, the West a humanist-rationalist POV. Romanticism is an essentially gnostic spirituality, a Mystery religion. But now there is no intergenerational priesthood to have our visions for us; we have them for ourselves.

Rather than anti-scientifically considering cognition and technofacility an anti-artistic dirty little secret, digital art and multimedia embrace the fusion. There is no Romantic terror of human cognition nor need for anti-technical transcendence with direct interface on the horizon. Knowledge is power...over yourself. Mind your mind; control yourself with self-awareness and self-responsibility. There is no artificial distinction between the pursuit of knowledge and self-knowledge and aesthetics. Beauty is an affair of the heart but speaks to our whole being.

The Nature of the Creative Process

The cartography of the psyche is linked to the process of self-discovery in Trance, Art and Creativity. Understanding increases along with creative organization. Taxonomies of consciousness, from ancient Kabbalah to those of Ken Wilber shed light on the developmental process and our place and expression within the creative field. One gains in ability to combine the familiar in new and innovative ways. To be truly creative requires at least four traits according to Fromm: "capacity to be puzzled, ability to concentrate, capacity to accept conflict, and willingness to be reborn everyday."

Maslow extended creative traits to include "spontaneous, expressive, effortless, innocent, unfrightened by the unknown or ambiguous, able to accept tentativeness and uncertainty, able to tolerate bipolarity, able to integrate opposites." Whelan (1965) added, "energy, autonomy, confidence, openness, preference for complexity," etc. Creativity also brings a sense of destiny and personal worth. This brings a sense of joy, contentment and acceptance of self, which show its transformative ability. Creative people, who accept themselves, also have the further ability for compassion or brotherly love, (agape).

Gowan concludes that "creativity has a holistic quality, which restores the balance between right and left hemisphere function, between analog and digital computer aspects of thinking...Man's mind is a device for bringing infinite mind into manifestation in time; creativity is the commencement of this actualization."

Like fractal patterns emerging on the computer screen, no process-oriented therapist can fail to notice the aesthetic beauty of the unfolding process of the creative imagination. Experiential psychotherapy facilitates the participating, rather than observing self. Therapy is an art, and as such, it yields esthetic and physical pleasure as by-products. When the therapist joins with the participant, rather than remaining "objective observer", a co-creative shared reality emerges.

This shared reality is more than mutual hypnosis, or shared subjectivity. It is a virtual world that is essentially an artistic, expressive form--a "living form." Art embodies imagination. A work of art is an expressive form created for our perception through sense or imagination, and it expresses human feeling. A work of art expresses a conception of life, emotion, inward reality--the logic of consciousness itself.

The therapeutic art is designed to elicit a full response: sensuous, intellectual, and emotional, not separated but interfused. It has an air of intimacy, of immediacy. The fullness of presentation matches the fullness of response--yielding a sense of lived experience--personal experience. Like art, experiential therapy is inherently humanistic--concerned with human feelings and values. It helps us embody those values, and the nature of beauty.

Beauty is an emotional value which affects our volitional and appreciative nature. It is not inherent in any thing, but is our own pleasure regarded as the quality of a thing or event. It is neither intrinsic nor objectified. It is the first-hand experience of a state of consciousness. It may not be in the eye only, but beauty is in the beholder. Yet the beholder doesn't stand on the outside looking in, but becomes the object of contemplation. When the focus of contemplation is the self, a complex feedback loop manifests of self contemplating self manifesting self, contemplating self.

The therapeutic art is designed to elicit a full response: sensuous, intellectual, and emotional, not separated but interfused. It has an air of intimacy, of immediacy. The fullness of presentation matches the fullness of response--yielding a sense of lived experience--personal experience. Like art, experiential therapy is inherently humanistic--concerned with human feelings and values. It helps us embody those values, and the nature of beauty.

Beauty is an emotional value which affects our volitional and appreciative nature. It is not inherent in any thing, but is our own pleasure regarded as the quality of a thing or event. It is neither intrinsic nor objectified. It is the first-hand experience of a state of consciousness. It may not be in the eye only, but beauty is in the beholder. Yet the beholder doesn't stand on the outside looking in, but becomes the object of contemplation. When the focus of contemplation is the self, a complex feedback loop manifests of self contemplating self manifesting self, contemplating self. Beauty corresponds with healing, creativity, genius, and bliss states or unitive experiences.

Art had its origin in magic. It is the path of transcendence from personality to Self, through the Middle Way. Art is the explication of the transformative process. Through art, common experience is transformed to archetypal, timeless experience. Art is nature transformed. Art shapes our perception of things outside ourselves, and embodies the workings of inner life.

Archetype, ritual, myth, and dream are other manifestations of this same parataxic mode, as is expressive therapy. It is characterized by the production of images who meaning is not clear or categorical (Gowan, 1975). In parataxic mode, symbols or images are used in a private or idiosyncratic manner. Through art, they can be shared with others, expressing feeling and transmitting understanding. In contrast, in the creative mode meaning is more or less fully cognized symbolically, with ego present
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The dynamic union of chaos and order is symbolic of our human process of transformation: old outworn forms break down (ego death), and that chaos is fertile ground for creative rebirth, rejuvenation. This Royal Wedding means nothing less than finding the lost soul--the alienated part of oneself which we normally call "Not-I." Soul retrieval is healing.

Art expresses feelings and understanding. It is the fulfillment of sensation in an audible or visual form. It is an expression of an archetypal process in relationship with life. Art is philosophy expressed in symbols and imagery. For the sensation function, art serves the same purpose that science does for thinking. Other analogies for art include philosophy and psychology for the intuitive function, and the emotions of human society for feelings.
The characteristic procedures of the Parataxic Mode include archetype, dreams, myth, ritual, and art. Art forms include dance, drama, music, painting, ceremonial magick, alchemy, perfumery, sculpture, poetics, etc.

Art is a kind of innate drive that seizes a human being and makes him its instrument. The artist is not a person endowed with free will who seeks his own ends, but one who allows art to realize its purposes through him. As a human being he may have moods and a will an personal aims, but as an artist he is "man" in a higher sense -- he is 'collective man' -- one who carries and shapes the unconscious, psychic life of mankind.
--C. G. Jung

Art embodies a rhythmic flux of the psyche through a process, performance or a "product." The artist combines his technical skill or craftsmanship with the constraints of his artform. Thus, the creation is not merely the production of his free will, but also reflects the discipline imposed by training and materials. As such, art is the result of a unique combination of consciousness, or cognitive abilities, and subconscious drives or inspiration.

In the Parataxic Mode, there is progressive replacement of Prototaxic dread with creativity in the service of archetypal patterns. If the artist has talent, his works also take on collective, as well as personal value, and reflect the transformative process in society. It frequently happens that artists are "ahead of their time", in that their work receives no wide recognition in their own lifetimes. Yet, great art has an ageless quality.

Jung distinguished between two types of artistic creation. He termed one of these psychological and the other visionary. The psychological mode draws its inspiration from the phenomena and lessons of life, or human experience (such as life drawing). The visionary mode, on the other hand, contains something of the Divine, and its subject matter is definitely out-of-the-ordinary. Terrific modern examples include the work of Mati Klarwein, H. R. Giger, Alex Grey, Gilbert Williams, and Robert Venosa.

One distinction between the two lies in the degree of psychological activity or passivity of the participant. In the first mode, the artist "thinks up" and develops the forms pretty much on his own, even it is emergent. But in the visionary mode his own will seems to defer to an apparently foreign inspiration, and it can feel like it simply comes through of its own will. There may be an element of passivity in both modes, but in a visionary experience it is more pronounced. Visionary art is also generally considered more profound.
"Art" is most properly considered as a process, not a product, though it results in artifacts often valued by society. The transformative process can be as strong during the creation of an unskilled or underappreciated piece as for a master-work. It is all relative. Even the performing arts, which were previously exempt, may now be preserved through recordings and film. John Gowan has classified the arts in a scale of increasing order from performing arts, to visual arts, to compositions in mathematics and music (which are Syntaxic in nature), and finally verbal creativity.

This does not imply that one form is better or "more advanced" than another. But it is an aid in determining nuances of the creative process.

Artists and mystics are aware of their own internal space and thus able to enter it, playing the mindbody like a musical instrument. Looking inside, they see the true nature of reality and can express that literally and symbolically. We all possess the creative potential. All creative acts are a marriage of spirit and matter, reaching down into the body as the source of our essential being and becoming.

Today, we might describe this resonance as accessing energy that regenerates the mindbody. Healing is an aspect of creativity; nature is within and without us. The Magus does not dominate reality but develops embodied psychophysical equilibrium, clarity, wisdom and compassion.

Creative work originates in the body and is projected out into the world. The projections are then internalized into awareness. The bodymind of the artist is an alchemical vessel containing the creative flux and lux during the process of transformation.

Awareness and consciousness form a continuous alchemical movement. The creative gold is generated and embodied in the alembic of the mindbody. The mindbody is the same substance as the Cosmos and contains and reveals its mysteries.

Alchemy reduces all to the first state, the ground state of being - original experience that is timeless, infinite. The classical Void, the quantum vacuum is a carrier of information.

The energy body or the field body, along with the scalars of our holographic blueprint, connect us directlywith the negentropic potential of the zero-point field. Radiant light literally emerges from this mystic void. Primordial structuring processes are common to both psyche and matter, working in the gap or empty interval between intention and action.

So, alchemy refines the way the mindbody generates and processes inherent light as medicine. It refines the aspirant's ability for tapping and amplifying Medicine Light. This primordial state is the luminous ground of our being, hidden deep in the heart of things.

All other goals are subordinate to this prime directive which includes meditative techniques for continuing consciousness after death. This Philosopher's Stone is also the Universal Medicine, the regenerative Elixir of Life. The greatest mystery is Life After Death: we don't die but continue in transcendent form. This is the secret of man and nature. -Iona