Application of Impossible Things: A Near Death Experience in Iraq (8 page)

That I could be so easily enticed to return to the physical when I was so exhausted is amusing to me now. I am a bit obsessive about tasks in physical life, too. (I like to call it “directed.”)

I hesitate to outline or specifically discuss the skills that were highlighted as useful to the Gathering. I consider them unique and interesting to me because they’re mine, but I don’t want a description of some of
them to be interpreted
as grandiose or “special”
in anyone’s value hierarchy. Parts of our culture artificially elevate certain skills by attributing them to advanced souls, mystics, prophets, yogis, or shamans. Other parts of our culture relegate some of the skills to the trash barrel of psychology—the mentally deluded. Both are distortions of what I consider to be normal perception and universally accessible skills. From the viewpoint of the Blink Environment, we’re all a little deluded or deranged in some of our collective beliefs about what is real. It was once assumed the earth revolved around the sun, and if we think we aren’t fooled by equivalent certainties today, the ignorant if endearing arrogance of that will undoubtedly be proven at some point. At the same time, we are all shamans, for ourselves and for each other.

A general discussion of skills and values might be more useful to the reader than a description of my particular skills.
My experience in the Blink Environment suggests that the skills we enjoy using in the physical are often in some way reflections of the skills of our Whole Selves, or souls if you prefer. Given a choice of performing tasks best suited to a CPA or to an artist, I would most naturally gravitate toward the artistic tasks because that would allow me to act out my Whole Self’s favored skills and interests. If I’m a doctor in the physical, that might reflect the interests of my expanded personality in healing, service, or alleviating disharmony within consciousness. If I’m an engineer, that might be an expression of my Whole Being’s interests in the mechanics of systems
and the manipulation
of energies toward specific ends.

It’s almost impossible for most us to remove ideas of hierarchies of value, competition, and ranking from our perceptions. Within the physical world, possibilities of variation within experience are endless
but are not judged
of equal value; their effects are measured against others instead of against the self. From that point we tend to rank people in hierarchies of importance: how many
others
does this
one
affect, how difficult or complex is this job in comparison to another, and/or how many objects does one exercise control over. That assigned value is derived from a framework that doesn’t exist in the Blink Environment.

From the Blink Environment’s perspective, excellence in the expression of a skill is recognized, appreciated, and utilized but doesn’t compete. Some individuals may be more adept at maximizing the expression of their skills within certain dimensions, or some may attempt to combine expression of more skills at once than others might do.
A few might
choose particularly difficult circumstances that limit expression in some way in order to challenge
themselves t
o discover new ways to use their skills; others might choose to develop skills that they don’t have a natural affinity for in order to expand themselves in that direction. The possibilities of variation within experience are endless and of equal value to the whole of creation.

It’s impossible to be
without effect
, and all personalities experience that which is desired and valued
by themselves
, which is ultimately what matters
. Since each
self is a vital component of the whole and in natural balance
with it, creating something of no value is simply not possible.
Someone performing a relatively small task might experience tremendous growth and expansion as a Whole Being while others performing what we might perceive as large and complex responsibilities may be treading water as far challenging themselves
. Yet those treading water are having effect, and that effect is of value.
One personality might choose to explore a dimension that is completely unfamiliar and in fumbling around there, be ineffective in one sense yet fulfill a personal intent of novel experience; another might return countless times to the same dimension to master completely its peculiarities. All of those are valid and appreciated equally
.
They are evaluated
only by the
Self i
n relation to
the Self’s
intent. The
Self is
naturally in alignment with All That Is, so that all experience is naturally in support of every other being.

In this context, my own particular skills were thought to be valuable to the various desires or goals of the Gathering, and
the intentions of the Gathering interested
me in that they aligned with my own interests
.
The applications proposed for use of my skills intrigued me.

That the skills would only be effective were I actually present in a body appears to have to do with the capacity of energies to interact between dimensions. In order to have effect within any dimension, a harmonic is required on the part of the one attempting to have an effect. Each dimension has its own unique complex of vibrations, which might define the possibilities and limits of action within them. If any personalities don’t have or can’t achieve a harmonic with a dimensional pattern, their efforts will not be felt within the dimension—the effort will be weakened, distorted, or pass between what is perceived as real with no effect. If one can achieve a harmonic with the dimension, the action undertaken will have effect on the dimension, and the effect can be as clean as the individual’s skill and intent allow. The action might be perceived to bend or turn an energy flow, strengthen its general direction of flow or a specific current within it, or might radically alter it.

Earlier I
described
the interaction between dimensions or vibrational levels
at
junctions and locations of overlap. All dimensions are connected in what could be visualized as a network, yet no one dimension offers direct access to every other dimension. This can be kept in mind in relation to effectiveness of intent/action from within or outside of the physical dimension: effect can be achieved from dimensions that intersect or overlap, but those effects might be diluted or limited depending on various characteristics of the dimension. Working from within a dimension affords a greater range of effect.

As an example, imagine a meeting of six or eight close friends. The conversation develops a natural flow, supported by a complex symphony of—at the least—shared feelings (you all like each other, though probably for different reasons), shared memories (you know quite a lot about each other’s lives—some more than others), and collective learned behavior (cultural rules and norms of social interaction, assumptions about what is real, what is meaningful, etc.). Now introduce a cat. The cat walks into the room and sits beside the couch looking at everyone, thinking cat thoughts:
There’s a mouse in the corner of your kitchen.

No one notices the cat—or the mouse. The cat is occupying a space that is overlooked in the interaction between the friends because of their focus. Even though the cat is there, fully aware of all of the friends, physically existing as (supposedly) solidly as the people, it doesn’t have enough in common to have an effect on
these
people in the
present
moment. The cat is the equivalent of an overlapping dimension, missing full integration of a close harmonic. The cat is in harmony with the mouse dimension but overlooked from the human dimension.

Now another human friend walks in the door, and, bristling with excitement, she interrupts the flow of interaction by shouting that she saw a mouse as she came through the kitchen. She notices the cat and says, “Cat! What are you doing?! Go eat the mouse!”

The tone, flow, and ambiance of the room changes instantly. This friend has interacted on a close harmonic with the group reality, partly by being a fellow human which made her announcement easily communicated. So although her news is unexpected and might even seem alarming to some of the friends, being far from anything they imagined would enter into the moment, it
is
perceived and her effect will have ongoing influence. This woman is in a close harmonic with the group, and because of that, she’s able to introduce a new element and shift the flow of energy in the room. She has also brought to attention an overlap in the dimensions of human and cat/mouse.

As a more compact example, imagine music being the equivalent of a dimension. Music is effective for us only within the range of human hearing mechanisms. There are infinite notes available in all dimensions, but for physical effect in the physical dimensions, the notes must be within the physical range. Bringing it back around to the cat, what is audible to the cat is not necessarily audible to the humans, yet enough of their perception lies within shared ranges that they are able to interact and affect each other.

In the physical world dimension, as in any dimension, an appropriate energetic harmonic has to be matched to a degree that affords interaction. That is not to say that one has to be in a physical form to have any effect. In the context of the music metaphor, sounds that are not audible to us have been shown to have effect. Similarly, effect can be achieved without a physical form, but some influences are most easily achieved on the physical dimensions by entering into a physical body—by participating. By doing so, an overlap will be extensive, allowing for potential of the most intense effect.

So my skills are recognized and requested, and the reasons for applying them from within the physical dimension are understood. But hey, I want some assistance if I’m going to return to the physical body. Already tired, going back into a body that was just blown up might mean dealing with a lot of inconvenient limitations and distractions that sound like a tedious bulk of unpleasant work. Fresh from the physical, I’m clear on how difficult it can be to manifest experiences and situations that are fun for the physical body and mind—
-
which can be disturbingly different from the Whole Self’s idea of fun.
Frankly, I’m not all that interested in flailing around in that sort of place again.

From the comfortable perspective of the Blink Environment, the physical life could be imagined as the equivalent of our watching a movie. While it’s playing, we immerse ourselves in it, accepting the premise, sharing the emotions, and caring how the conflicts conclude. When the movie is over, we snap out into “real” life. Although emotions might linger, we know that the movie was
not “real.”
No one really died. The city wasn’t annihilated. The creepy monsters won’t crash in through the living room wall. The movie’s plot perhaps conveyed messages or lessons or held personal significance or meaning, which we walk out of the theatre now owning—if it didn’t, we probably thought it was a dull movie—so the experience mattered. It might even be revisited in memory or in another theatre. The ideas and emotions were fun or informative. They were valuable. But we don’t consider the story real.

In some sense, the physical lives we’re living now look that way from the Blink Environment. The experience of living is considered invaluable, meaningful, and fun; its pains, struggles, horrors, difficulties, anxieties, and frustrations are not dire at all. From the Blink Environment, it’s easy to minimize or ignore the things I consider difficult because I know the ending and the ending is always good. I always walk out of the movie theatre. In that sense, those things that drove me nuts in the physical are not real or lasting. From inside the physical moment, experiences can feel almost impossible to bear while from the Blink Environment they’re perceived to be of a moment’s duration—valuable, amusing, and lacking the emotional charge.

A child falls and scratches her knee—just a little scratch. She cries and runs to her mom. The mother kisses the knee, laughs, pats the girl on the head, and goes on about her business, knowing the child is fine.
It’s nothing, just a little scratch.
This vignette describes my perception of our lives from the perspective of the Blink Environment: all our anguish and trials are nothing much. No matter how dire, difficult, horrible, wrenching, heart-breaking, painful, or long-lasting they are to us from the perspective of the physical—which
is real,
they
are
all of those—the experiences are still just little scratches to our Whole Selves.

Being fresh from the physical world and only moments ago blown up by a roadside bomb (of all things), I retain the vivid reality of the physical consciousness perspective. Are you kidding? I’m exhausted from it, and I haven’t even started with the blast results yet! So while I am in the deep contentment and confident amusement of my own expanded awareness, the immediacy of that expanded awareness allows me the vast relief of knowing my physical life problems are
just scratches
.
Yet I am still quite clearly aware that what appears
as a scratch to the expanded consciousness can seem long, painful, difficult, tedious, and unpleasant to my consciousness in the physical world
, and I don’t like it.

I’m willing to return to the physical, but I want some assurance that it’s not going to be returning to endless tedium or dire difficulties. I’d like something that’s as fun for the physical body and limited consciousness as it will be fun for the spirit. Would
you
have allowed this
opportunity to pass by unaddressed? I think not! I’m not always right on top of things, but I caught this one. It’s all
very well to enjoy the movie, but I don’t see why I can’t also enjoy being
in
t
he movie. And personally, I don’t like horror films. I don’t think being scared is fun at all. I don’t always find that being emotionally twisted, stretched, and wrenched is enjoyable. Terribly sad movies are not relaxing and fun for me. Juvenile humor, unimaginative characters, or predictable dialogue is dull—I don’t like to be bored. Quirky love stories, complex mysteries, adventure or action stories with happy endings and a lot of witty humor lightening up any film are big hits with me. Obviously I doubted my own ability to create and maintain consistently enjoyable experiences from within a physical existence. So I proposed that I get a little assistance with the more mundane, dull, painful, and unpleasant aspects of life.