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Experience and Duality: The Thought Trap

By Japhy Gregor 

Experientialism is founded on the basic syllogism of: IF Truth is discoverable, it is discoverable through experience.  From this vague idea, each of us has our own experiences to apply.  While Experientialism as a “religion” does not endorse any school of thought, religion, or philosophy (indeed Experientialists endeavor to reject all hierarchy as a tool of thought), Experientialists are willing to explore ideas in order to assess their impact on our own experiences, and thus our own pursuit of Truth. 

The act of embracing experience over thought is a difficult endeavor for many of us to embrace.  We are creatures of the Mind. Our entire existence is dominated by thoughts.  From the moment we wake up until the moment we sleep, and through our dreams during sleep, we are bombarded by our own thoughts.  

Some would say that this is understandable because our minds were born into existence through creation, and creation was the moment when the universe was born through an explosion of energy. This explosion of energy came from nothing.  Prior to the explosion, everything was inside nothing. After the explosion, everything became different from nothing by being. From the beginning all of creation started through this birth of duality. From the beginning of the universe, all of the physical realm of existence has been defined by delineation between one and the other. 

Applying this understanding of the origins of all matter, can be helpful to the exploration of Experientialism. Experientialists may acknowledge that our existence is dominated by duality.  However, Experientialists may come to understand that duality is a prerequisite condition that must exist in order for our minds to function. Our minds are perpetually engrossed in duality. 

Every day, our minds propel us on endless repeating journeys of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain.  Every second of every minute of every hour of every day can be engrossed with the mind’s obsessive need to categorize and classify with the intention of accepting or rejecting a thought as one that will lead to or from pleasure. 

When  Rene’ Descartes wrote the maxim, “I think, therefore I am,”  he believed he was moving humanity forward along the path of progress through science and reason. Indeed, the foundation of Western Civilization has been premised on this faulty syllogism. 

Experientialists challenge the idea that we will no longer be if we do not think. We seek experience without thought. In doing so, we experience more than our thoughts can explain.  

Yet, we cannot share our experiences.  We can only share our thoughts on our experiences. This is the essential conundrum of Experientialism that confounds many. 

Experientialists are striving to form a religion that renounces thought at the same time we are trying to use thoughts to explore and share the value of Experientialism.  Duality has many traps. Duality can trap you at any and every turn.  Think about it all you want. You won’t think your way into understanding Duality or the role of Experientialism in transcending Duality.

You just have to experience it for yourself. 

DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed herein are those of the author.  No idea or thought of any person, religion, philosophy, or school of thought is held as an established belief for Experientialism. The author has shared his thoughts in this article for the purposes of aiding in the self-exploration of reality through the reader’s own experiences. 

By Japhy Gregor

Joseph Campbell is known for his works describing and exploring the origins of the monomyth known as the Hero’s Journey.  Boiled down to the basics, the Hero’s Journey is a narrative pattern that can be used to plot the basic story-structure of every tale humankind has ever told. 

The monomyth tracks the three act structure that all plays and movies follow. The first act is the departure from the protagonist’s normal reality. The second is the initiation into the special world where the protagonist undergoes trials. The third is the the return to the ordinary world via a transformative climax. 

Even if you have never heard of the Hero’s Journey, you have undoubtedly been inundated with this universal story structure countless times since your birth.  Every children’s story incorporates this basic structure into this plot. 

What does this mean for our everyday experiences?

If the Hero’s Journey is truly a universal plot for all stories, that means that this universal plot is hardwired into our own psyche.

You are also in the midst of the Hero’s Journey.

You are a hero. 

Just like every movie you have ever seen, you are probably reluctant to embrace the role of the hero.  You crave continuity and comfort. You don’t want to seek out danger or peril. 

But we all know that life does not offer continual comfort and safety. Change lurks behind every corner, and with it comes danger and peril. 

We all are constantly crossing the threshold into the beginning of transformation. We struggle. Hopefully, we transform and prevail.

These experiences are universal to the human condition.

Understanding the structure of the Hero’s Journey can help us identify what stage of the journey we may find ourselves at any particular moment.

Maybe you have been stuck at the threshold for too long, resisting the inevitable plunge into the underworld because you hope to cling on to the known world forever.

Maybe you are in midst of numerous challenges and temptations and don’t know why you have been signaled out for such suffering.

Regardless of where you are in the cycle of a specific journey, learning about the stages of the Hero’s Journey can help you navigate the underworld and return transformed into a new known world with gifts for the rest of humanity. 

With an understanding of the Hero’s Journey, you can apply a framework to your everyday experiences to provide context to what otherwise may seem like endless chaos and suffering. If you embrace the role of the hero, you can face the struggles with confidence that they will lead to transformation and re-emergence into the known world with new gifts and powers. 

If we all embraced the role of hero, we would could recognize the gifts and powers that we all already have from our countless journeys into the underworld. We could share those gifts with confidence, and our experiences would be more than our personal stories. Our experiences would be the basis of improving the lives of others and making the world a better place. 

DISCLAIMER:

The views expressed herein are those of the author.  No idea or thought of any person, religion, philosophy, or school of thought is held as an established belief for Experientialism. The author has shared his thoughts in this article for the purposes of aiding in the self-exploration of reality through the reader’s own experiences.