In the East, everything other than “Self” - seen from personal perspective as unexplainable - is called “That” although it still remains difficult to define the boundaries of individuality any more specifically than as a fragment of “That” moving through time/space until awareness ceases. Anything inferred beyond this is either imagination, speculation or belief, though there does appear  to be some kind of hierarchical order at work that pervades everything.

Sentience, construed as a state of subjectivity, emerges from oblivion. If there is a continuity beyond consciousness or unconsciousness, perhaps it’s just another tier of that same awareness, only partially revealed, making it difficult to articulate anything that remains unseen using language. Here is where Art and Myth in all its forms reflect its creators’ vision of the relationship between “Self” and “That”, illuminating philosophy.

Consciousness, can also be analogized to a super saturated solution created by dissolving large amounts of a substance such as sugar into water as it is heated in a test tube over a Bunsen burner. Add a substrate and at a calculable moment it will suddenly crystallize into a solid, a symbol of elevated state realized in an instantaneous moment when surrounded by chaos.

The significance of any experience, as with a chemical solution, depends on what is remembered from the unconscious as it awakens, revealing congregations of circumstances interacting with individual lives, each representing alternate realities of each other - a notion usually relegated to  literature and science fiction that portrays one step beyond the real yet close enough to it to perceive imaginative variations of what is separated by a translucent barrier.

The controversy over sentience is not about its existence, but to what degree it is containable by other organisms, given a series of conditions, proposing that if any manifested form can evolve some kind of awareness, then it should be treated as if it has the potential to be self-aware, given time and experience.

Suppose it were possible to be “self” conscious and aware without ever seeing a reflection in a mirror or on a shiny surface. Then on a warm day, near a forest green, from a pond glistening as silver, gazing innocently from the spring undisturbed by cattle, sheep, birds, wild boars, beasts or even by branches dropping leaves from trees that arch over the water, yielding perhaps acorns, pine cones, a nut or two. Then, casting yourself down among the rich landscape, exhausted, on top the grassy verges to quench your thirst, you see such a beautiful sight in the water, irresistibly and immediately falling in love perhaps for the very first time, until realizing that this image is your own reflection.

An overly simplified description of the myth of Narcissus, which has numerous versions, all of which converge on self love, and although told about a boy, Narcissus could equally be thought as a girl.  “As she tried to embrace and kiss the beautiful girl who confronts her in the water, eventually recognizing herself, she lay gazing enraptured with the pool, hour after hour. How could she endure both to possess and yet not to possess? Grief was destroying her, yet she rejoiced in her torment: knowing at least that her other self would remain true to her, whatever happened.” So told Theiresias, the blind seer who spoke of Narcissus, “He saw his own shape and it was fatal, for he could only see through it.”

“Alas! Alas!” Narcissus cried, but Echo, a local nymph had already forgiven and grieved with him; then sympathetically echoing his last words, “Alas! Alas!” as he plunged a dagger into his breast, she said finally, “Ah, youth, beloved in vain, fare thee well!” as he expired. His blood soaked the earth, and there sprang up the white narcissus flower with its red corolla.

No doubt an interesting story with unanticipated twists and turns, possibly echoed in Hamlet, Shakespeare’s masterpiece of the Prince of Denmark, one filled with numerous connotations especially the prophecy of the seer, incapable of seeing his physical world because of blindness yet one who is also wise of sight, quite capable of viewing only what lay beyond the existence of the five senses.

Since it is not possible to see oneself other than as a reflection off some external surface whether an inanimate object, or the opinions and attitudes of others, the myth of Narcissus is poignant in its scope about what it says concerning self, the ego, and whatever attributes are chosen to embellish the character most pleasing to see, or taught from negative experience, to mock.

Judgments about “self” begin, absorbed from childhood, and initially from “the other,” before being formulated as part of an individual reflection,  once again returning attention to the effects of parents and family that are the initial basis for these impressions, later reinforced or balanced with other things comprising experience. Self confidence, traced with narcissism provides an empowering quality to ascribe value and “self”  worth, worthy of living for.

Pathological narcissism can be a reflection unseen by “self,” a blind spot that can be disguised by loathing as well as misguided love also characterizing its invisibility of presence and the absence of “self” esteem so visible by others, describing yet another echo of an echo, caught between the surfaces of the three dimensions reflecting each other as it moves through Time/Space, as much a topic for mythology as is Science.

Marie Anne Adeleide Lenormand was known as the greatest of France’s Cartomancers, considered a woman of renown whose influence spanned 40 years of European history including the French revolution. Descended from Nostradamus some say she was a mystic who went on her own quest that covered a journey to the Himalayas, the hidden caves of Mongolia that house the lost texts of the Alexandrian Library, the Egyptian temples and pyramids where secret initiations were performed, tested in the great chamber of Amen-Hotep where she learned Kabala, the mystical teachings of the Hebrews.

Leaders of all fields, peasants and aristocrats alike, allegedly came for advice from this gifted prognosticator including Marat, St-just, Empress Josephine, Czar Alexander and Robespierre. Her last entry recorded in her diary was about Marie Antoinette: “I saw her, while gazing at the cards in a trance after hearing that the French Queen had an affair with a peasant French boy, Pierre-Devual,” she wrote in beautifully scripted French, “La femme qui a cause mon homme ne est ici, je touche son sang. Ou est l’homme avec les yeux bleus, cheveux blonds, peau blanche? L’homme que je ne retrouve pas a cause d’un homme stupid, ou est l’homme que j’aime avec mon coeur? Quand la mort serra mon ami? Je ne sais pas.” She adds, “The sounds of the birds silenced as my crystal ball resonated and the air became thin and wispy, causing an array of candles to blow out, leaving smoke filling the air with the incandescent aroma of pomegranate, the mythic fruit of the underworld.”

A daughter of France born in Alençon on May 27th 1772 with the gift of foresight, she frequently found herself in prison throughout her life, on the run from disgruntled clients, but not for long once her reputation for card play spread rapidly in Europe as fear gripped her prophecies, although she claimed, “It is not what I see, but the way each person interprets what I see.”

Her diary was hidden in the odds and ends section of the Vatican archives, described as “ornately bound with gold leaf written in cryptic french.” Some interpretations claim she influenced the course of history of Western Europe much as the oracle of Delphi captured the attention of the ancient world. It is widely believed one of her readings to Napoleon Bonaparte encouraged what is known as The Louisiana Purchase, “Vente de la Louisiane,” in 1803.

Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand became so popular that a deck of cards was created and dedicated to her after her death in Paris on June 25th 1843, The Lenormand deck, still popular and widely used in Germany. Whether truth or tale about her life be told, she remains a fascinating if unfamiliar footnote in history, known only among some mystic circles.

It was my first day attending The Philosophy Of Creativity, a course at Columbia University. I was beaming, for this was after all Columbia, as I walked into the classroom of the renowned Professor Schneider, a German Philosopher and guest speaker originally from the University of Dresden. The syllabus did not indicate the subject of the days’ lecture, but he had a reputation for being a bit eccentric, a man in his early seventies with a handlebar mustache neatly waxed, wearing a rather shabby looking brown pinstriped suit, a creased Grey shirt and a Lime Green tie poorly knotted. His shoes, brown with large scuff marks, did not appear shined for some time. He wore mismatched orange socks with horizontal brown stripes.

After the students took their seats and attendance had been called, the professor announced that the day’s lesson would be about using nothing but empty space to think creatively, then he went to the cubbard and placed a large empty jar of Hellman’s Extra Light mayonnaise on the desk. The class looked on as I wondered whether it was a 32 or 64 oz jar.

The professor pulled out a bucket of golf balls, standard size, and began dropping them one by one into the empty jar of Extra Light Mayonnaise. I was quite surprised that the jar didn’t crack from the physical force of the falling balls. When no more could be passed through the aperture of the glass opening, the professor asked in a clear and resonating German accent as he moved away from the desk and pointed to the glass “Is the jar full?”

One student from Paris said “Oui” although none of the other students knew what she said, as all the English speaking students responded: “Yes”.
Then the Professor, gazing into the audience, asked:
“Are you sure?”
“Yes”, everyone said.
I, however, said “No.”
“And what is the basis for your answer,” he asked as the class silently looked at me clearing my throat.

“There is still the space between the balls that hasn’t been accounted for, a situation quite similar to finding the area under a curve, a Calculus problem, accomplished by adding an increasing number of rectangles to the axis under the curve, into infinity, but never quite filling the space completely. In this case, I am convinced that there is still space in the jar left empty between the balls that can be calculated, so it’s not full.”

Professor Schneider said nothing, exposing a large bag of sand laying behind the desk, then he poured it in a stream of thousands of grains into the spaces between the golf balls as we watched wondering what the point of all this was. He once again interrupted us and he  asked: “Now, is the jar full?”

The majority of my classmates said, “Yeah, it looks filled up.”
“And what do you think?” he asked, casting his gaze upon me.
“Nothing has changed. There is still empty space between the grains of sand, although much smaller,” I responded confidently.
“How about if I pour some extra fine ground French coffee?” said professor Schneider as he gestured towards the jar.
“Could you please make it Colombian,” I responded. “French brews have a strong scent and create a bit of a stink.”

The professor paced the floor in thought. He looked at me, then the rest of the class, then said: “What conclusions can you draw from this display?”
I took a few moments to collect my thoughts, gazing into empty space, before responding, “Well, aside from the fact that space isn’t ‘the final frontier,’ but an infinite frontier since there will always be room to stuff things into the remaining unoccupied area even if it can’t be seen. Another consideration, I suppose, is that ordering the space differently can profoundly impact the course of life. Assuming the golf balls represent important elements such as health, shelter, profession, family, children and creative skills, just to name a few. If one occupies the space with sand first, it will obscure the ability to perceive what’s really important and the old expression,  seeing the forest from the trees comes to mind.  The granules cram the space with less essentials, perhaps luxuries that misguide the focus from sensible priorities while the coffee grounds leave additional imperceptible emptiness. The remaining area can perhaps represent hope for unanticipated things that come along possibly adding texture, character and flavor to existence enough to introduce noticeable visceral change, suggesting there is always room for something new, if one has an open mind to see it.”

“And if you only use the golf balls and sand?” asked professor Schneider.

“Well, even if life seems filled to the brim, there will still be room to go to the local Starbucks and have a cup of coffee with a friend, as long as it isn’t a French blend”, I added.
Then the professor responded with a snicker, “Even those with space between their ears can find ways to use the empty gaps creatively,” as he gazed at the class, stroking his handlebar mustache.

Things disappear easily in unfamiliar surroundings as many thoughtful travelers have found. A night on the town leaving valuables unsecured is an all too familiar experience. A gold watch, 24 carat gold neck chain, platinum, diamond engraved dog tag or perhaps a gold thimble, brought to patch a rip or tear with a stitch or two in time for the paranoia to subside, asking repeatedly in peculiar doubt, “Why did I bring this stuff with me if I knew they wouldn’t be in a ’safe’ environment at the very same time detectives and criminologists continue working all over the world with scientists to develop new strategies to invent a fool proof safe.

For your consideration is a unique product, a bit basic and somewhat offensive and yet desperate times call for desperate measures, The Brief Safe, featured on Shomer-Tec.com, a site specializing in law enforcement & military equipment. The one aired here “ is an innovative ‘diversion’ safe that can secure your cash, documents, and other small valuables from inquisitive eyes and thieving hands, both at home and when you’re on the go. Items can be hidden right under their noses with these specially-designed briefs which contain a fly-accessed 4″ x 10″ secret compartment with Velcro closure and “special markings” on the appropriate areas.” Priced at $11 a pair, its unclear if it comes in designer brands or women’s wear.

Leave this item near the laundry bag as if it was going to be hand washed or in plain view of the washing machine, perhaps some detergent such as Tide or Wisk and a container of bleach to add the props, a milieu that make a convincing image. When traveling, a clear plastic bag in your suitcase for those business men who often use their frequent flyer miles will suffice. It will certainly cause some crooks to think twice before touching any of your personal valuables.  Made in the USA, one size presumably fits all, two tone white.

My Percepto rating: Hey, it’s disgusting, but anything that will bring thieves to a screeching halt, skidding on their own greed, needs a double take.

Numerous mythologies have surrounded the tale of a strange extinct bird, the Ouzelum, a feathered Aves that flew backwards. No one knew the origin of this particular bird, a class of winged, bipedal endothermic vertebrates that laid eggs and was carnivorous by nature.

“Perhaps the reason it flew backwards was because it liked to know where it had been”, asked one of the young students.

“Assuming it had a brain large enough to think, and the ability to remember where it was going or coming from ,” added the Oracle with a wise steady voice.
“Even owls were thought to fly backwards during the middle ages, and they are pretty wise,” beamed an apprentice.

“On the other hand, moving on the wrong path is assured when not knowing where one begins, or is going, even if it leads in the right direction when left reflecting the sum total of events that occurs at the crossroad,” inflected the oracle with a glazed look in his eyes, as if absorbed in solving some great mystery reflected in the fountain of Daphne.

One scholar reported another legend passed down from one generation to the next about the Ouzelum, ” They were also able to fly in ever decreasing circles until it managed to disappear completely. ”

Does that mean it vanished into thin air?” asked the child listening with great awe and wonder.

“I believe it suggests the bird crash landed,” smiled the Oracle with a twinkle in his knowing eye.

“Life can be compared to a banana. If your not careful where you put your peel, you might slip on your own mistake”

Whenever one reflects upon life keeping things simple can be useful, hopefully clarifying what appears as a complex of intermingling structures  without taking it all too seriously. Asking fundamental philosophical questions about Existence, Be-ness, Predetermination, Chaos, and Infinity all of which are universal and interrelated helps, while having expectations before knowing what to anticipate is at best risky since answers vary upon unknown circumstances in constant change making an educated guess the most effective way to deal with uncertainty.

Interpreting life successfully is not necessarily a function of intelligence, first noticeable as developmental milestones that children reach earlier then others in their same age group. Walking and talking in complete sentences at six months would certainly suggest a mastery of cognitive skills drawing the attention of parents and developmental psychologists, but even a genius with a high IQ can overlook enough elements in the landscape to lead  to failure.

The best education can do is help a student discover the most effective way they can access and process information for themselves, instilling the ability to  prioritize reasonable goals and boundaries, access risk, evaluate choice, promote anger management and inspire creativity.  Not everyone learns in the same way and life tends to be exclusively defined, uniquely conditional and often unfair. Parents bear ultimate responsibility for how their children turn out, and if things don’t go right with their kids, nothing a parent does in life will ever feel right no matter how successful they appear.

Competition does not have to be a necessary part of success since life provides sufficient obstacles to refine skills and sustain the tension needed for a creative struggle often illustrated by the artist. Only the ability for adaptation and change defined by flexibility is essential to survival. Acknowledging this can help any individual excel in whatever way is best for them to learn, whether its visual, auditory, or by some extra sensibility not commonly appreciated or understood by others, especially those with autism, dyslexia and attention deficit disorder, who often struggle to keep up until they find their own way to integrate their talents.

Individuals who are successful at whatever they do may not feel as fortunate as others may think, often lacking  self confidence believing rather that they have only succeeded in somehow fooling everyone into thinking they know what they are doing, concerned that at some point someone will see through their act and expose them as far less capable then they are projecting, a tireless expenditure of energy that eventually becomes more burdensome and a major source for depression.

What is thought to be true one moment can vary so quickly that reality can present quite differently from what was first seen. Shifts in facts only indicates  the transitory nature  of everything that one may initially think of as reliable. This is where pliability in thinking is most important. Developing some basic formula’s that define the relationship of “Things” can supply some stability, and at least give an appearance of a scientific approach while patterns identified between every day life and the cosmic can shed insight if noticed, by revealing order in the universe and expressing a progression that focus’s attention on evolution which needs no explanation.

One such symbol is the spiral. Many compelling examples include the way the force of nature flows such as  a hurricane,  tornado,  the structure of  DNA and the expression of psychological change and growth from the resistance of obstacles originating from the unexpected. Often, dealing with events feels repetitive, returning to what appears as the same point on the circle, when the arc  actually leads to another level of the spiral which can appear, depending on perspective, as the same point of the level below.

“A lot of things to know even if there were some credible theories to invent a device to transport me back into the distant past, perhaps to the birth of philosophy when it was  discussed over a feast of wild fowl, grapes, wine and cheese, assuming I could eat the sustenance safely without getting sick and dying in the past unless I brought the right curative. Its also conceivable that transporting nineteenth century bacteria with me would expose them and I could effectively destroy the past, present and future or any hope that my work will ever be published.”

These words are among torn pages recently discovered in an old trunk found in a London flea market and identified as the lost pages of H. G. Wells early work, Experiment in Autobiography, where he ponders some of the less technical aspects of time travel before writing his classic work, The Time Machine first published in 1895. “Going back in time would involve much more than mastering physics. There would need to be considerable knowledge of the social structures, dress codes, and be linguistically fluent in ancient languages in order to appear contemporary to all those alert philosophers who viewed the study of the unknown with suspicion.”

A task of immense proportions he considered on pages now brown and cracked from exposure to moisture and time,  “I began to be consumed by time travel, I accept its conceivability, and although not possible now I shall be prepared for the time when it is, by unleashing the imagination to explore the possibilities. Discovering the truth of history for my own sake, introspective perhaps, but also a basis for a story creating a collective fantasy to aspire to.” Interesting words from an author uncomfortable with the time in which he was born.

Realistically, the invention of a time machine would effectively make anyone who used the device an applied anthropologist. Subjecting the traveler to a culture they are not prepared to join even with diligent research since all we know about the ancient world is from tools, text and art. Although these may reveal many things, there is nothing about a smooth transition  or how to blend in and survive if it were possible to physically transport  to a particular era. Many would not survive the trip, getting caught up in its dramatic events such as politics or war,  unable to retain temporal distinction. Those that did survive would not be guaranteed a successful second trip, since each journey would involve  unique circumstances requiring adaptation.

One reasonable observation about time travel can be made with relative certainty: If going into the future is the unknown, then traveling into the past is going into the unknown of the imperfectly known.

Future Time  Travel Into The Past

Socrates left no written record of his teachings, as far as we know. His students’ words are the only way to assess his theories of knowledge or lack of, “I know nothing except the facts of my ignorance.” An apt description to characterize all that is unknown by a scholar of his stature.

Implicit within the phrase is the concept of ‘Infinity’ as the reason for the ignorance. Observation, perspective and experience, perhaps only give a partial grasp of the immense scope of what is not knowable by attributing more precision to the limitations of the physical body and human mind evoking continual questions whether from a deliberate search or from curiosity, effectively focusing attention on more queries. Mathematics attempts to quantify aspects of that which doesn’t end, starting from here and progressing into an existence that transcends physicality.

In religion, ‘Infinity’ is more closely equated to Eternity, a quality of divinity that transcends earthly understanding while encouraging its approachability. Spirituality suggests a development and refinement of the senses as a way of enabling movement towards the immeasurable, recognizing that the difference of each individual path is a function of karma and the ability to deal with a variety of challenges that will be faced.

Knowledge explores what is possible by exposing those things that are beyond its reach while simultaneously putting them within grasp if attention and creativity is applied, pushing the boundaries beyond its current limits to absorb more of the infinite, also known as the unknown.

What lies down the road will always remain uncertain until it’s reached, as the potential to evolve to another level with additional senses capable of perceiving things with different sensibilities change. In any event, the path of philosophy, religion, science and mathematics intersect at the point where attempting to understand the infinite consumes the search. Until then, “I still know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.”

The Internet Ancient History Sourcebook.