Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Death is an Adviser

…He told me to turn around casually and look at a boulder to my left. He said that my death was there staring at me and if I turned when he signaled me I might be capable of seeing it. He signaled me with his eyes. I turned and I thought I saw a nickering movement over the boulder. A chill ran through my body, the muscles of my abdomen contracted involuntarily and I experienced a jolt, a spasm. After a moment I regained my composure and I explained away the sensation of seeing the flickering shadow as an optical illusion caused by turning my head so abruptly. "Death is our eternal companion," don Juan said with a most serious air. "It is always to our left, at an arm's length.”
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"The thing to do when you're impatient," he proceeded, "is to turn to your left and ask advice from your death. An immense amount of pettiness is dropped if your death makes a gesture to you, or if you catch a glimpse of it, or if you just have the feeling that your companion is there watching you."
……………..
"Death is the only wise adviser that we have. Whenever you feel, as you always do, that everything is going wrong and you're about to be annihilated, turn to your death and ask if that is so. Your death will tell you that you're wrong; that nothing really matters outside its touch. Your death will tell you, "I haven't touched you yet"."
© Carlos Castaneda – “The Jorney to Ixtlan”

Well, it’s not exactly “to our left”, it’s on left but behind the back. Memento mori – was great idea for explaining this phenomenon, it always works on sensitive natures. Don Juan stopped right here. Did he know more? I think he did.
Another interesting character can be found on the left is devil.

Yes, shoulder devil. :) Usually (not necessarily) it’s drawn there. And it advises and it tempts. These are not coincidental cases – it’s just the same phenomenon. Let’s call it Death – it’s a very good name.
In terms of Tarot Death is a set of operations with zero. If it’s multiplication it’s the end of existence. But it can be division and then it’s infinity, eternity and the rest of the things of this kind. Furthermore: zero point is a place where everything (not anything but everything) is possible – it’s a place of choice, it’s temptation.

But I don’t think don Juan mentioned this. What he talked about looks like different system. What’s “always to our left” and can be seen or felt someway is a part of our energy. Very interesting part. It knows everything about our ways in this world. So don Juan was right, "The thing to do when you're impatient is to turn to your left and ask advice from your death.” But it’s not that simple – there’s no don Juan around to give a sign in the right moment.
Fortunately, there’s another way to accomplish this. The way is sympathetic magic. Death can be accessed through its representation. Here it is.

And if you need an advice its where you can get it.
Memento mori :)

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