Hello, my pet. I’d like you to do something for me, if you’re willing. I’d like you to think about something that’s two things at once.
Of course, I don’t mean ‘two things at once’ in the way that everything is many things at once. For example, a tennis ball is both green and round, so you might say that’s two things at once. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something that is two mutually-exclusive things at once. A true contradiction. Can you think of one? Can you picture it?
I know, it’s a strange idea. It’s OK for you to take a moment to really think about it. Get nice and comfortable. Take a couple of deep breaths. That’s right, just like that. Clear your mind of anything that might distract you. I want you to be able to give this your full attention.
A contradiction. Something that’s two things at once. Have you thought of anything yet? Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t. Don’t worry if you’re struggling with it a little bit. It can be hard, to think in unusual and unconventional ways. My advice is: just let yourself relax. Try not to be constrained by ordinary ways of thinking. Don’t try and force anything. Just let the thoughts flow in and out of your mind, in whatever way feels most natural and most comfortable. Remember, we don’t want any distractions. We don’t want your mind to get stuck on any one thought in particular. Let my words be your guide. It’s OK, you’ll get there. Just try and think of something that’s two things at once.
Well, here’s one thing. The sky. You see, the sky is almost always two things at once. The sky is blue, of course. Everyone knows that. But think about the sky during a gorgeous sunset, or a beautiful sunrise. Picture that for me now. As vividly as you can. At sunrise and sunset, the sky turns a wonderful, radiant red. So the sky is red too. Now, something that’s red can’t be blue, and something that’s blue can’t be red. But the sky is blue, and the sky is red. It’s two things at once. A contradiction.
You might be thinking I’m cheating a little bit. Aren’t I talking about the sky at two different times? The sky at night, and the sky in the middle of the day. But it’s important to realise, it’s all the same sky. The sky can be different colours at different times, but it’s different times in different places. For you it might be late afternoon, but for someone else somewhere not so far away, still this side of the horizon, the evening might have started drawing in. The sky might be blue for you, but red for them. But if you look up, it’s the same sky stretching out above it all. Blue and red. Red and blue. All at once. Two things at once. A contradiction.
Don’t get those colours mixed up now. Red and blue. Blue and red. Don’t let them blur together. Just take a nice deep breath. Make sure you’re nice and calm. If you get confused, just listen to my voice. I’ll help you sort everything out. I’ll put all your thoughts in their proper place.
So, we’ve got our first contradiction. The sky, which is red and blue, blue and red, all at once. Don’t you think it’s puzzling how when you think about it like that the contradiction is obvious, but before thinking this way you would never have expected such a strange contradiction to be lurking in something so commonplace and ordinary? But I find it’s often like that. The most ordinary things can conceal the most unusual puzzles and riddles. That’s an intriguing thought, but also a little bit of a scary one. If you’re not careful, you might end up getting confused by everything around you. But it’s OK. Just listen to me. I can be your guide. Let me give you another example of a contradiction, to help you figure things out.
You see, right now, you’re going into a trance for me, my pet. And being in a trance is being both awake and asleep at the same time. A contradiction. Just like the sky. Red and blue, awake and asleep. Normally, we think that if someone’s not awake then they’re asleep, and if they’re not asleep and they’re awake. Just like we think that if something’s red it can’t be blue, and if it’s blue it can’t be red. But the sky is red and blue, blue and red, and you’re mind is awake and asleep, asleep and awake. It’s awake because you’re still aware right now, you’re still processing information. You can still read and listen and think, at least a little bit. But unlike when you’re fully awake, you can’t easily do all those things for yourself. You’d rather have someone like me tell you what to think, and that’s OK. When you’re like this, not awake but not quite asleep, I can be your guide. And you’re not asleep either. When you sleep you’re completely unresponsive to what’s going on around you. But right now, you’re very responsive indeed. Everything I say, everything I tell you, is sinking in nice and deep. Guiding your thoughts. Helping you figure out where everything belongs. Helping you figure out what’s up and what’s down, what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s red and what’s blue. When you’re like this, not asleep but not quite awake, I can give you that.
All you have to do is drop.
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