Surviving the Void

There is a place the mind can take us which has been experienced by many but often mislabeled as a "delusional state." It seems to have been experienced by many philosophical thinkers, "prophets," religious and spiritual leaders, and notably by many who claim to have experienced an "awakening." It is a place where every idea, dormant in the mind or otherwise, can be linked back to a central point. It is a place where things we have seen every day become mysterious and other things seem to make sense for the first time. It is a place where, when we descend into it, we begin to question everything we have ever learned, seen, heard, and "known." It is a place where, quite suddenly, it can seem that all the people around us are talking in code. It is a place where most become lost and frightened and begin to believe there is not a single soul or a tangible idea they can trust. In this place, every word spoken has multiple meanings. In this place, every story becomes the same cyclical set of events repeating over and over again. In this place, there is so much information to process that we often find ourselves overcome and forget how we arrived at a point 10 minutes after we have found it. In this reality, consciousness or "entities" or "gods" can seemingly inhabit the people around us and begin to converse. Every experience, from the most inconsequential daily routine to the most intense interaction becomes a battle for spiritual life or death. We can begin to feel that we are affecting our realities with mere thoughts and words. And we are. People who experience this place often fall victim to paranoia, terror, and obscurity and thus begin to lose their grip on the commonly inhabited "reality." But this is not the only outcome. It is survivable. Many simply do not know that others are inhabiting this place with them. It is a misunderstood place and a misrepresented phenomenon. But it is real. It is the void. This thread will examine it.