2008.10.08 19:00 - Thoughts Have Edges

stevenaia Michigana was substituting for himself as Guardian tonight as my substitute was still not feeling well.  The comments are stevenaia's

   

Arriving with my usual slow rezz, I wasn't sure who  was here or where they were sitting, I invited a new friend I recently met who thought she would enjoy our little group. With that I was doing a newcomer's run through of the basis of this group, something I had already started prior to inviting her.  Avastu and Adelene weren't initially talkative, but after listening to me for a while, they couldn't help themselves.  

 
stevenaia Michigana: hello Adelene
stevenaia Michigana: is there anyone else here?
Adelene Dawner: Just me.
stevenaia Michigana: ...smiles
Adelene Dawner: :)
stevenaia Michigana: seems my substitute is still under the weather so I am filling in for myself tonight
Adelene Dawner: hehe
stevenaia Michigana: should have changed my avatar ... or borrowed hers
Adelene Dawner: *snerk*
stevenaia Michigana: there, removed my 3 day old beer
stevenaia Michigana: do i appear floating to you?
Adelene Dawner: yup
stevenaia Michigana: hmm, not much I can do about that, must be the beginings of something
Adelene Dawner: :)
stevenaia Michigana: I invited a new friend from indonesia, who said she may be interested, hoping she arrives
stevenaia Michigana: hello Rae, welcome
stevenaia Michigana: rezz a moment and have a seat
Rae Inglewood: hello steve
Rae Inglewood: hi adelene
stevenaia Michigana: this is where we meet
Adelene Dawner: hi :)
Rae Inglewood: great. is the discussion starting?
stevenaia Michigana: we record these sessions and post them, is that ok?
Rae Inglewood: yes.
stevenaia Michigana: yes , we start at 7:00 SL time
Rae Inglewood: ok
stevenaia Michigana: did you get a chance to look through the Wiki?
Rae Inglewood: no, not yet.
stevenaia Michigana: there, I should be wearing my Guardian hat tonight
Adelene Dawner: Love to you, Avastu :)
stevenaia Michigana: since may or april we have been meeting here to discuss, amoung other thing , our 9 second meditation practice, where we take 9 seconds every 1/4 hour and observe
Avastu Maruti: love to you my friends
stevenaia Michigana: hello, I didn;t see you arrive, Avastu
Rae Inglewood: hi avastu
Avastu Maruti smiles
stevenaia Michigana: This is Rae, my new friend from Indonesia... or is it Singapore?
Rae Inglewood: both are correct
stevenaia Michigana: ...smile, thank you
stevenaia Michigana: I was begining to atempt to explain what we do here, or at least how we try to do it
stevenaia Michigana: but since I am one of the less focused practicioners, it's best to dig in to the wiki for a more complete background

   

Two people using VOICE flew by and stopped in for a moment asking what we were about but left before I got their  permission to record...

stevenaia Michigana: hello XXXXX1 and XXXX2
XXXXXX1: hi
stevenaia Michigana: welcome to our meeting
stevenaia Michigana: we record these sessions if that ok with you, and post them on our Wiki
stevenaia Michigana: is that ok?
stevenaia Michigana: or not
stevenaia Michigana: I usually take the time at the 1/4 hour, when the gong chimes to try to take a 9 second pause and see what emerges
stevenaia Michigana: it usually takes you where ever it chooses, but as with any excercise tool, the more you use it, the more you refine how you use it (a personal view)
stevenaia Michigana: care to add anything.. anybody?
stevenaia Michigana: seems Rae is focusing a bit more than 9 seconds (her AWAY is showing)
Adelene Dawner: hehe
Adelene Dawner has had a long day and is content to just be here. :)
Avastu Maruti: where else can you be?
Adelene Dawner chuckles. "Yes Avastu. 'Content' and 'just' are the relevant words there, though."
stevenaia Michigana: well, that is the point, after all, to be here
stevenaia Michigana: I just woke Rae up.... smile
Rae Inglewood: sorry, I was just visiting the wiki
stevenaia Michigana: awww, you seemed to be engrossed
Rae Inglewood: i have to admit I'm curious, so I'm here to observe and see what happens
stevenaia Michigana: so Avastu, you seem to visit and observe often, sometimes, I see you speak a months worth of words now and then, I woudl love to hear your impressions as it relates to anything you want to relate it to?
Avastu Maruti: hahaha
stevenaia Michigana: :)
Avastu Maruti: it comes as it comes
Avastu Maruti: like vomit
stevenaia Michigana: hmm, the first physical analogy I ever heard from you, not sure how I should take that
Avastu Maruti: hahaha
Avastu Maruti: questions come, answers come - what I am is never involved
Rae Inglewood: so what are you avastu?
Avastu Maruti: the same as you, my friend
Avastu Maruti: pure Being
stevenaia Michigana: Rae, tonight seems to be a night of people of few words...
stevenaia Michigana: I seem to be the chatty one
Rae Inglewood: that's ok really.

Adelene and Avastu offered interesting videos.  Claire Beltran arrives for a scant moment

Adelene Dawner: here, have a thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDSAAlrqAHM
Avastu Maruti: right back to you - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c70Jh_UWYCE
Avastu Maruti: nice beat, Ade
Adelene Dawner: ^.^
stevenaia Michigana: Hello Claire
Claire Beltran: Oh, hello ^-^/
Rae Inglewood: hi claire
stevenaia Michigana: we were actually watching a you tube and welcoming my new friend Rae to our little group
Claire Beltran: Welcome, Rae!
Rae Inglewood: thanks :)
stevenaia Michigana: thanks Ade, nice ending
Adelene Dawner: ^.^
Claire Beltran: I'm afraid I must go for a while... but what is this video?
stevenaia Michigana: it will be in the wiki when I post it, here is is again
stevenaia Michigana: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FDSAAlrqAHM
Claire Beltran: Thanks!
Claire Beltran: Bye, all!
Adelene Dawner: Thinking is generally not happening right now, but part of that vid did register, Avastu, and if you are knowing that no I-am-Being mantra is needed, why are you doing one?
Avastu Maruti: huh?
Adelene Dawner: mr
Adelene Dawner: I will ask that again sometime when thoughts have edges. Perhaps it will make more sense.
Avastu Maruti: ok my friend
Rae Inglewood: thoughts have edges?
Adelene Dawner: Not sure I can explain, Rae.
stevenaia Michigana: Interesting vid Avashtu, even without the beat
stevenaia Michigana: scratch the "h"
Adelene Dawner: Reality-is that my brain is wired a bit oddly. When I'm very tired, that oddness becomes more relevant. Right now, something like thought is happening, but it's even less like what's generally called thought that what I usually do. :) Everything's very flowy, I can't see the edges of things, so I can't really package part of the pattern up and call it *a* thought and express that thought.
Rae Inglewood: so you mean one thought merges into another?
Adelene Dawner: They always do that. I can usually find the ... ... places that you would consider edges, though.
Rae Inglewood: places that have edge, I suppose when a thought has an edge, there's some level of coherency to one's thinking?>
Adelene Dawner: Not-accurate, Rae.
Adelene Dawner: The pattern is coherent.
Rae Inglewood: some sort of structure as opposed to a free flowing merger of one idea and thought after another?
Adelene Dawner sighs...
Adelene Dawner: Structure is unnecessary for coherence.
Adelene Dawner: Useful for communication, but unnecessary for basic coherence-of-experience.
Rae Inglewood: true
Adelene Dawner: "the map is not the territory"
Avastu Maruti smiles
Avastu Maruti: brilliant
Adelene Dawner chuckles. "I've been tempted to send you my source for that, but I'm not sure you'd appreciate it."^.^
Adelene Dawner: http://www.overcomingbias.com/
Avastu Maruti: stranger in a strange land?
Adelene Dawner: rationalist blog. science and artificial-inteligence focus. Lots of overlap with the teachings here, if you look at it from the right angle.
Adelene Dawner: specifically look at the writings by Eliezer Yudkowsky
Avastu Maruti: I will - thank you
Adelene Dawner: ^.^
Avastu Maruti: http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/7b.htm#nothing
Avastu Maruti: you'd probably like heidegger
Adelene Dawner: ...not today.
Avastu Maruti: hahaha
Adelene Dawner forwards it to future-Ann, maybe she'll appreciate it. ^.^
Avastu Maruti: hahaha - brilliant again!
Adelene Dawner: ^.^
Avastu Maruti: you're on a roll, my friend
Avastu Maruti: this mush-brain state is very cool
stevenaia Michigana: haha
Adelene Dawner: not surprised you like it ^.^ though this state *without* being in too much pain to look at a computer screen is quite rare.
Avastu Maruti: so what does silence look like?
Adelene Dawner: beautiful... but, everything's beautiful... black like an unlit cave. Beautiful purity.
Avastu Maruti smiles
Rae Inglewood: nice
stevenaia Michigana: The hour has passed, feel free to continue, I will continue logging for a bit
Adelene Dawner: ^.^
Rae Inglewood: it has been an interesting hour everyone. Thanks for your welcome.
Adelene Dawner: ^.^
Adelene Dawner: good to have you, Rae.
stevenaia Michigana: yes, thanks for joiniung us and feel free to attend any other seeions at a more convenient time for you
Rae Inglewood: I'll try that. For now, it's back to RL. Have a good evening everyone.
stevenaia Michigana: enjoy
Avastu Maruti: love to you my friend
Adelene Dawner: Love to you, Rae :)
Rae Inglewood: :)
Adelene Dawner: Silence - black as an unlit cave, with the merest sparkle of a raven's wings... deep, deep potentiality.
Avastu Maruti: sounds like the Batcave
stevenaia Michigana: nice to share it with you

Adelene Dawner: ^.^