Theos-Talk Archives (June 1998 Message tt00043)

Pam Giese wrote:
>
>.....Speaking of creating
> heaven or hell for users, I'm off to work...

Boy, can I relate to that!

> In "Shambala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior", Chogyam Trungpa addresses
> the issue of a perceived reality versus physical/historical fact in his
> discussion of whether or not the Kingdom of Shambala does exist or ever
> existed with all the trappings accorded to it in mythology.  [I'd like to
> get quotes, but I've only got this on audio.]  His endpoint is that since
> the Kingdom of Shambala can only be recognized by one on the path, one
> needs to embrace the path and the kingdom will be revealed.

Image = (I)eye magic. Imagination = (I)eye magic in action
The Science of the "Immaculate Concept" is seeing: the "Image of God"
where YOU ARE, where I AM.

"The kingdom of Heaven is all around them... but they do not see it."

> I've been noticing  how some of Jung's theories on projective phenomenon have
> been finding their way into the field of Information Theory.  Both Edward
> Tufte ("Visual Explanations", "Envisioning Information") and Thomas
> Davenport ("Information Ecology") expose the idea of how cognitive
> environments are created and constrained (for most people) by the graphics
> and systems available.  Thus systems can be heaven or hell and "users"
> frame their perceived environments within them.

I just saw Tufte lecture on Information Design and wholeheartedly agree
with you. It is amazing what exterior and interior images do to
construct "the world." It is a function that we all too often
unconsciously accept without really noticing or questioning. What
responsibility does that knowledge place on artists, designers and
imagineers of good conscience?

I am currently reading a wonderful book called "The Artful Universe - An
Introduction to the Vedic Religious Imagination" by William Mahony
(©1998 SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-3580-6.

>From the introduction:

"Engagingly written and based on traditional as well as modern Vedic
scholarship, the book introduces Vedic ideas regarding the nature of
divinity, the structure of the sacred universe, the process of
revelation, the function of ritual as hallowed activity, and the
realizations lying behind the practice of meditation. As a way to link
these diverse aspects of Vedic religion, Mahoney identifies and
highlights the important role of the divine and human imagination in the
formation, revelation, and reformation of a meaningful world."

Too good.
Mark
--------
WITHOUT WALLS: An Internet Art Space
http://www.withoutwalls.com
E-mail: mark@withoutwalls.com