Greetings..

First, thanks to Scott, Mantis108, cjurakpt, and others that have made this a very interesting and deeply relevant thread..

I have come to believe that we see the Taiji Symbol in parts, Yin and/or Yang, and sometimes forget to see it as a whole symbol.. in examining the details we miss the message.. and, there is the concept of substantial/insubstantial which really needs its own thread..

I have come to believe that the universe of dualities exists only because there is duality.. that nothing exists except by comparison to something else.. through repeated experiences and many ponderings i have come to believe that Consciousness exists separate from all else, outside the duality of existence. My personal "trinity" is consciousness, Tao and the universe they manifest.. Tao represents the infinite field of possibilities and the undifferentiated energy/force that cradles all things, black and white prior to the observation that categorizes them as such.. Consciousness, in its singualr form, is comparable, metaphorically, to "the mind of God"... Though Consciousness dwells in the field of possibilities and is animated by Tao.. it also exists outside of, and separate from these notions.. just like a hammer cannot hit itself, consciousness bound to existence within the dualities cannot "hit itself", cannot create.. only manipulate.. outside the dualities, consciousness exists as a non-dual "outside force" acting on the dualities to effect "change", and.. change is Taiji..

My vision took some time to interpret, but.. it was as follows: A barren desert landscape when there appeared numerous twisters.. the twisters meandered about for a time, suspended from a common cloud.. suddenly each twister transformed into a person..and the dusty debris formed an interactive landscape.. My interpretation: that the barren desert represented the field of possibilities, the stage upon which we act out our understandings.. the cloud represented the energies which animate duality.. and, above it all, the vastness of the cosmos, consciousness... at the center of each twister is a still void connected directly upward into the infinite consciousness,and.. the consciousness acted upon the cloud (energy) and created change which appeared as a swirling twister.. the twister, moved by consciousness, acted upon the field of possibilities (the desert) and the trinity united to produce our reality.. Now, each twister is linked upward by its calm center to a common union with consciousness (no small metaphor, here).. Each twister represents a being, both independent from and linked to each other twister.. each twister drawing from the infinite field of possibilities to create its own reality, but.. in order to complete the "transaction" there must be agreements as to to the stage upon which reality is played out.. while each twister is free to shape itself, it must agree with other twisters (beings) that certain aspects of this reality maintain consistency.. reference points, so to speak.. these agreements take the form of the "laws of physics", social codes, and other such niceities as necessary for consciousness create a physical experience.. the agreements are not binding, but perpetuated generation after generation they become more immutable, more codified.. we have an agreed upon reality, and.. we also have the individual freedom to change the agreement..

I know this is a bit abstract, but this vision recurred three times is separate but very meaningful meditations.. it seems to be a Cosmic Koan pointing to the relationships that manifest our current agreement upon reality.. Valid? i dont know. but, it is consistent with much i have experienced and much i have researched.. but, what a unique presentation... To be clear, i didn't try to interpret the vision through contemplative reasoning.. i returned to meditation and relied upon stillness to reveal what might be important from such an impressive vision.. Even as i write this, it occurs to me that the space between the twisters (beings) is the table upon which we negotiate our terms for "reality", where we decide what is or isn't.. we use the dust stirred-up from the sands of possibilities to build our existences... while we appear to be separate entities (twisters/dualities), there is a non-dual "core" (vortex) to each of us.. linked to a non-dual cosmic consciousness.. Well.. that or, i gotta quit smokin' that crap..

Anyhow, i'm not sure why i share such ammunition for ridicule, but.. it seemed important, to me..

Be well...