Journal books I decoupaged on a table I decoupaged Image and Glossary copyright Jonathan Zap, 20111
Alchemical Tautness — A state of metamorphic tension. “The eminent anthropologist A.L. Kroeber said that the ideal condition for any person or society is ‘the highest state of tension that the organism can bear creatively.’” —Duane Elgin, in Awakening Earth
Androgyny, Androgynous, Androgyne Androgyny refers to the integration of archetypal Masculine and Feminine qualities within a single individual. It is the sacred inner marriage or union of opposites, of yin and yang also known as the hieros gamos. Androgyny is an intrapsychic orientation and not necessarily related to physical appearance, gender preference and other attributes with which it is often confused. An androgynous person could look distinctly male or female, while an androgynous-looking person may not be androgynous. Similarly, bisexuality, an interpersonal orientation, is not necessarily a sign of androgyny. The androgyne represents a conscious fusion of archetypal masculine and feminine qualities, while the “hermaphrodite,” as Singer adapts the term, is a person where masculine and feminine are merely confused. Many people who are costumed in an androgynous way are actually hermaphrodites. In The Gnostic Gospel According to Thomas, Jesus defines androgynous wholeness: .”Jesus said to them: When you make the two one, and when you make the inner as the outer and the outer as the inner and the above as the below, and when you make the male and the female into as single one, so that the male will not be male and the female (not) be female…then shall you enter (the Kingdom).” See: Casting Precious into the Cracks of Doom—Androgyny, Alchemy, Evolution and the One Ring for much more on androgyny.
Archetype (from Crossing the Event Horizon—Human Metamorphosis and the Singularity Archetype): Jung and his colleagues have provided us with definitive evidence of a collective unconscious. From this collective layer of the unconscious emerge the great, primordial images Jung referred to as the “archetypes.” Archetypes are “innate universal psychic dispositions that form the substrate from which the basic themes of human life emerge.” Across cultures and periods we find endless variations of these archetypes, such as the Self, Persona, Shadow, Hero, Great Mother, Trickster, Devil, etc. The archetypes may manifest in anyone but often show up most vividly in the fertile psyches of artists, poets, mystics, writers, shamans and prophets. Through such individuals the archetypes become myths and diffuse throughout a culture.
Edward Edinger, a Jungian analyst who wrote eloquently about the nature of archetypes, points out that although we can study archetypes as patterns, they are also living, dynamic agencies. Similarly, we could take a smear of human blood, dry it out on a glass slide, stain it, and illuminate it on the stage of a powerful binocular microscope where we could observe the structure of the erythrocytes and leukocytes. But while we’re looking at all the intriguing structures frozen in time on the glass slide, we need to also have a stereoscopic vision in which we see not only the slide but the inner reality of our bodies where blood exists as trillions of living cells pulsing through our veins and arteries. Archetypes are not merely things that we observe, they are living agencies as active, pulsing and alive within our psyches as the blood that is, pulsing and alive, coursing within our bodies. Edinger reminds us that the archetype, “is a living organism, a psychic organism that inhabits the collective psyche. And the fact that an archetype is both a pattern and an agency means that any encounter with an archetype will have these two aspects. ”As a pattern, we can encounter an archetypal reality and speak about it as an object—an object of our knowledge and understanding. But as a dynamic living agency it appears to us as subject, as an entity like ourselves with intentionality and some semblance of consciousness.” Jung, in Answer to Job, describes the archetype as follows: “They are spontaneous phenomena which are not subject to our will, and we are therefore justified in ascribing to them a certain autonomy. They are regarded not only as objects but as subjects with laws of their own. [. . .] If that is considered, we are compelled to treat them as subjects; in other words, we have to admit that they possess spontaneity and purposiveness, or a kind of consciousness and free will.”
Babylon Matrix is used to refer to the default reality, the waking time of human incarnation especially as seen in its darker aspect as the timeline of history and toxic patriarchy. When James Joyce as Stephen Dedalus says, “History is the nightmare from which I am trying to awaken.” he is referring to the same skull-shadowed zone I call the Babylon Matrix.
Dynamic Paradoxicalism —- a meta-philosophy created by Jonathan Zap that recognizes that most important areas of truth exist as a paradox, where seemingly contradictory elements have a dynamic level of validity based on context specific circumstances. Although a greater conception that synthesizes the disparate elements of a paradox into a grand unit is an awesome addition to the conceptual toolbox, it is not always the most useful tool in the box. Dynamic paradoxicalism recommends an ability to slide between the poles of a paradox, in some circumstances favoring the point of view of one side of the paradox, in other cases the other pole, and in still other cases favoring the unified view. see http://www.zaporacle.com/dynamic-paradoxicalism-the-anti-ism-ism/
Enantiadromia (en-ANT-ee-a-DROH-mee-a). Jung used the term frequently, but it originates with Heracleitus (b. 540 BC) who seems to be one of the earliest dynamic paradoxicalists. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, A significant manifestation of the logos, Heracleitus claimed, is the underlying connection between opposites. For example, health and disease define each other. Good and evil, hot and cold, and other opposites are similarly related. In addition, he noted that a single substance may be perceived in varied ways—seawater is both harmful (for men) and beneficial (for fishes). His understanding of the relation of opposites to each other enabled him to overcome the chaotic and divergent nature of the world, and he asserted that the world exists as a coherent system in which a change in one direction is ultimately balanced by a corresponding change in another. Between all things there is a hidden connection, so that those that are apparently “tending apart” are actually “being brought together.” “Heracleitus.” from Encyclopædia Britannica 2007 Deluxe Edition.
Logos Beheld I adapted this phrase from comments Terence Mckenna made in his book, The Archaic Revival, about Philo Judaeus, an Alexandrian Jewish philosopher who was a contemporary of Christ:
“I always think of Philo Judaeus writing on the Logos. He posed to himself the question: ‘What would be a more perfect logos?’ and then he answered, saying it would be a Logos that is not heard but beheld. And he imagined a communication where the ears would not be the primary receptors but the eyes would be. A language where meaning was not constructed through a dictionary of spoken words, but where three-dimensional objects were actually generated with a kind of hyperlanguage so that there was perfect understanding between people. This may sound bizarre in ordinary reality, but these forms of synesthesia and synesthesic glossolalia are commonplace in psychedelic states” (162). Listen to a free audio presentation Logos Beheld or see the Logos Beheld section of my book Crossing the Event Horizon—Human Metamorphosis and the Singularity Archetype when available.
Mislocation of the Godhead I am using the term “Godhead,” which has various dictionary definitions, to mean: that which is divine and the source of divine emanation. Like all definitions this is imprecise and circular, but hopefully the meaning will emerge. The healthy, androgynous way to locate the Godhead is to see it located everywhere. This accords with the Sanskrit definition of God as, “A circle whose center is everywhere and circumference is nowhere.” In a modern version of the Eastern salutation “Namaste,” one is acknowledging the divinity of the other person. But it is not just in them, but in oneself and in everyone and everything. In other words, everything that we experience is part of the “mind of God.” Mislocation of the Godhead is when you have a Precious that glows brighter than anything else in the phenomenal world. For example, a Christian who believes God is shining up in the heavens while humanity is just a bunch of unworthy,wretched sinners. Similarly an infatuated person mislocates the Godhead disproportionately in the beloved and puts them on a pedestal and idealizes them.
Mutant A Mutant is not a genetic anomaly but a person who is undergoing evolutionary metamorphosis. Mutants are empowered by a core of self-actualization (what Jung called “individuation.”) A Mutant is a self-aware interdimensional traveler who is taking charge of his or her own interdimensional journey into the unknown. A Mutant is someone who has a deep commitment to consciousness, which means a willingness to peel back the many layers of acquired conditioning and to help along the project of consciousness in general. This means that the deep commitment extends to others who are also committed to consciousness. A Mutant with a capital “M” is one who serves transpersonal aims, and is not merely looking to enhance his own status. It is this sort of Mutant that Jung is referring to when he says, “Every advance in culture is, psychologically, an extension of consciousness, a coming to consciousness that can take place only through discrimination. Therefore an advance always begins with individuation, that is to say with the individual, conscious of his isolation, cutting a new path through hitherto untrodden territory. To do this he must first return to the fundamental facts of his own being, irrespective of all authority and tradition, and allow himself to become conscious of his distinctiveness. If he succeeds in giving collective validity to his widened consciousness, he creates a tension of opposites that provides the stimulation which culture needs for its further progress.” Mutants are the intended users of zaporacle.com.
Psychopath, Psychopathy, Situational Psychopathy and Sociopath: A psychopath is a person without conscience, empathy or even an ability to experience the range of human emotions. Their ability to feel is confined to a narrow range of primitive proto-emotions such as anger, frustration and rage. Psychopaths will tend to be pathological liars and expert manipulators victimizing family, friends and strangers. Often they are charming, charismatic, popular and admired, if not loved, by members of both genders. They are not mentally ill, not delusional, and may often be more coldly rational and intelligent than non-psychopaths. They are likely to be promiscuous and to abandon partners without remorse. They are prone to entitlement, grandiosity and find nothing wrong with themselves. They typically blame others for the consequences of their actions and engage in moral reasoning that is glib and superficial if not absurd. They usually have little fear of consequences and enjoy risk as they need novelty, stimulation and living on the edge to compensate for their emotional vacuity. Non-psychopaths who act like psychopaths are frequently called sociopaths. Sociopath is a term that many researchers dislike since it is often incorrectly used as a synonym for psychopath. A sociopath is someone who acts in an anti-social way, who commits transgressions without taking moral responsibility. Most psychopaths are sociopaths, but many sociopaths are not psychopaths. If that’s not confusing enough, the DSM created a third unilluminating term, antisocial personality disorder or ASPD, which they define as ” . . . a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood.” Some say that ASPD is just psychobabble for “criminal.” I have created the terms “situational psychopathy” and “situational psychopath” because I believe these clarify the key difference. Some people, who are not psychopaths, will act like psychopaths in some situations and there are some situations that seem to bring out psychopathic behaviors in non-psychopaths. The stress of combat is the classic situation of situational pscyhopathy. See: Foxes and Reptiles—Psychopathy and the Financial Meltdown
Pushing the Envelope Boundary expansion into a zone of novelty previously unexplored by the species or an individual.
Singularity Archetype The Singularity Archetype is a primordial image of human evolutionary metamorphosis which emerges from the collective unconscious. The Singularity Archetype builds on archetypes of death and rebirth and adds information about the evolutionary potential of both species and individual. A Composite Picture of how the Archetype Presents A rupture of plane event occurs, usually threatening the survival of the individual and/or species. The event is a shock that disrupts the equilibrium of body/physical world and also individual/collective psyche. It is an ontological shock that will be viewed as the worst thing possible by individual/ collective ego. There is another rupture of plane which may actually be the same rupture as above but seen from a cosmic rather than a personal view. The shock is revealed to be a transcendent evolutionary event. The revelation of the transcendent aspect will often involve spiral motifs and unusual eyes and lights. Consciousness and communication metamorphose and with them core aspects—ego, individuality, connection to linear time, corporeality, gender identification, social order, etc.—- fundamentally transform. There is a vision or actualization of release from some or all limits of corporeal incarnation and the emergence of “glorified bodies” which have enhanced powers and various degrees of etherialization. More visual and telepathic modes of consciousness and communication emerge and this is part of a transformation of individuality into “Homo gestalt”—a new species where individual psyches are networked telepathically. The SA my occur as a dream, vision or fantasy about eschaton—an end point of the species. The SA may also be experienced and even actualized to various degrees by an individual through transcendent and/or anomalous experiences such as NDEs, UFO/abduction/close encounter experiences, kundalini and psychotropic episodes. As with encounters with all archetypes, individuals and groups will attach idiosyncratic material to it such as particular end dates and scenarios. But the SA cannot be located in linear time and is not reducible to a premonition of particular outcomes or predetermined futures. It could, however, be viewed as a “strange attractor,” a not fully formed pattern associated with the future that is affecting individual and species in past and present. Another way of defining the SA (in its collective form) is as a resonance, flowing backward through time, of an approaching Singularity at the end of human history. Some with a scientific background my object to this use of “singularity.” For them, singularity has a specific mathematical meaning: “In mathematics, and in particular singularity theory an Ak, where k ≥ 0 is an integer, describes a level of degeneracy of a function. The notation was introduced by V. I. Arnold.” But other definitions include:the quality of being one of a kind; “that singularity distinguished him from all his companions”
- strangeness by virtue of being remarkable or unusual
- wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
- Technological singularity refers to the hypothesis that technological progress will become extremely fast, and so make the future unpredictable and qualitatively different from today.
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_singularit For example, here is the blurb from the webpage for the movie version of Ray Kurzweil’s book The Singularity is Near: The Singularity is Near – The Movie Home “The Onset of the 21st Century will be an era in which the very nature of what it means to be human will be both enriched and challenged as our species breaks the shackles of its genetic legacy and achieves inconceivable heights of intelligence, material progress, and longevity. While the social and philosophical ramifications of these changes will be profound, and the threats they pose considerable, celebrated futurist Ray Kurzweil presents a view of the coming age that is both a dramatic culmination of centuries of technological ingenuity and a genuinely inspiring vision of our ultimate destiny.” Similarly “event horizon” which was coined specifically in relation to black hole physics is commonly used metaphorically as in a recent article on education:
“Is this what is happening to education today? Did the current mandates create an event horizon? Is every dollar that is earmarked for education disappearing into the “is it on the test?” event horizon?”
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