V

Shake the Trees!

The essay The Forest is the Trees, taught us that it is possible to traverse from human expressions to archetypal roots via a process defined as Numerical Etymology. In the essay A Daisy Chain of Meaning, we compared the idea of what this study of the mind calls "Flexible Association" to a game called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. It was pointed out that certain restrictions, found within the Kevin Bacon game made it slightly different than normal Flexible Association. It was suggested that by adopting similar restrictions, Flexible Association techniques could be "guided" or focused, to a desired result among a series of archetypal possibilities. Let's play that game!

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Shake the Trees!

In the essays Numerical Etymology and The Forest is the Trees, the path from human expression to archetypal essence was compared to a descent from the canopy of a forest of trees, down through branches and trunk to archetypal root patterns. In proposing our own Kevin Bacon-like game, it was suggested that we attempt to find those archetypal roots in about as many steps as the Kevin Bacon game challenges its players to use in connecting a chosen actor to Kevin Bacon.

The Kevin Bacon game has one critical thing in common with normal Flexible Association, that of jumping from one unrelated context to another via legitimate overlaps in content (see A Daisy Chain of Meaning elsewhere on this site). But the Kevin Bacon game had three restrictions that made it a little bit more challenging of a game than that of normal Flexible Association: 1) reaching a specific destination - Kevin Bacon 2) Using only six steps and 3) Using only actors in movies to jump from one context to the next.

So... it was suggested, to invent a game for determining archetypal essence we might want to include the three restrictions of the Kevin Bacon game, modified for our use... meaning: 1) our goal should be archetypal essence, not meandering off with our imagination to find personal, private meanings 2) we don't have to get there in six steps, but just to be fun, let's say we do 3) we should stick to one "tree" of archetypal essence as we jump from context to context. In other words, don't meander this way and that, the way we do with normal Flexible Association, but instead use a form of guided Flexible Association - or Focused Imagination - that asks that every out-of-context "leap" that we make be relevant to the archetypal essence we are heading for, just as we are asked to not stray from the relevance of actors in movies when executing the Kevin Bacon game. Thus... the only difference between this game and the Kevin Bacon game, is that we have 9 "Kevin Bacons" to choose from as our ultimate goal (i.e. a number line of 9 metaphorical "trees"). So, our job in this game, is to: 1) guess which archetypal essence our intuitive results are linked to, 2) etymologically descend that metaphorical "tree" of meaning, and 3) "show our work" to demonstrate a believable connection between acts of human expression and a true archetypal essence... as described by the many ideas being used on this site... that attempt to define a theoretical model of existence... rooted in fundamental, transcendental, archetypal patterns.

To facilitate our descent down from the canopy of human expressions toward archetypal roots, it might be helpful to utilize the Numbers in Space chart (seen below)! Actually, as we are about to see, by using this chart we make the game of finding archetypal essence in 6 steps entirely too easy!

By using the Numbers in Space chart we effectively eliminate all three of the challenges put upon us by our voluntary restrictions: 1) we don't have to guess which tree to descend, 2) we don't have to figure out the etymology to descend, and 3) the chart itself shows our work i.e. how we got there. All we have to do is Shake the Trees!

The Numbers in Space chart (above) can be combined with the Grammatical Terms (below) invented elsewhere on this site (see the essay Why Use Words?) as a tool for sorting out the many overlapping Yins and Yangs being used in the construction of The Numerical Tarot deck design. For a three dimensional schematic of how these various subdivisions relate to our theoretical model of existence consult the essay Numbers in Space, mentioned above, and seen elsewhere on this site.

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Only FIVE steps!

A person can try and connect iconic and symbolic human expressions to transcendental, archetypal roots by guessing which part of our theoretical model of existence they come from, and then trying to explain the path of associations that got us there. Or... we can employ a technique that is literally as simple as falling off a log... or... falling down through the branches of a tree! Because the Numbers in Space chart is designed to sort out the many overlapping Yins and Yangs being used in the construction of our deck design, it is a perfect tool for narrowing down from human expressions to an archetypal essence. In this way, each stage of the Numbers in Space chart is like a pair of metaphorical branches in a metaphorical tree... all we have to do is let ourselves fall down through those branches, and we will end up at archetypal roots i.e. a specific card in our deck that is being used to label a specific part of our archetypally rooted model!

Looking at the Numbers in Space chart above, we can see that as we fall, we will inevitably hit one of two branches. As we hit each branch, we jot down a solid or open line (seen at the top of the chart) - in much the same way as we jot down solid and open lines when creating an I_Ching Hexigram, except in our case we create a Quintagram (seen below). Thus, the only challenge in this game is in determining which branch, of each pair of metaphorical branches, our iconic, symbolic human expression is expressing.

For those who are thinking that this process is too finite and restrictive... even for a game, it should be acknowledged that the challenge of determining which branch we have hit remains a subjective element of interpretive flexibility. BUT, don't get too relaxed just yet, because... the Numbers in Space chart does something that normal subjective interpretation does not do, which is... to "show your work" so to speak. In other words, no matter which way our subjective sense goes, we will hit one branch or another... and we will end at one archetypal root essence or another. So, by showing the path we have taken, our subjective intuition and sense of "knowing" leaves a "paper trail" that leads to definite consequences. This, then, allows other people to objectively agree or disagree with someone's subjective choices and whatever archetypal essence those decisions have lead to. If they don't agree with the destination, they can change it by changing one or more of the branches hit along the way. By changing one branch from one side to the other, a completely different archetypal destination is achieved! For those who are thinking we are right back where we started from, at the mercy of subjective interpretations and intuitive "knowing," hold on... because, there are only FIVE steps in this process. We only have to agree five times to achieve an objective agreement on a particular source of archetypal essence.

Objective agreement on the source of archetypal essence may sound repulsive to those who prefer to employ Flexible Association techniques, let their mind wander, and interpret the subjective results... subjectively! They might think that all these restrictions, even though they are only five in number, are too much. But they are not. Because this approach does not replace Flexible Association techniques - it enhances Flexible Association, by examining the results of Flexible Association, and how those results express archetypal essence. As stated in the Numerical Etymology essay: If the only interest a person has is Flexible Associations without restraint of any kind, feel free to abandon all this. But, I think that even unrestrained forms of Flexible Association can benefit from associations to the theoretical model of existence being put forth on this site. In unrestrained Flexible Association, the end may indeed justify the means and be entirely personal, but I would encourage people to take that end result - whatever it might be, and however it might have been acquired - and ask which 'tree' in the numberline 'forest' of Quintagrams that 'leafy result' of highly personal meaning came from?

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Let's Play!

If you have not yet rejected this idea of finding archetypal essence in five steps, let's continue with some examples of how this process might work...

First let's review the terrain, or "game board" we will use: The metaphorical trees, described in the The Forest is the Trees essay, represent a side view of our forest, with canopy at the top and roots below.

The metaphorical trees that are described in the The Forest is the Trees essay represent a side view of our forest, with canopy at the top and roots below. Reflected in a nearby lake are the trees that represent the ephemral, qualititative states of consciousness. For another diagram that illustrates this idea of material vs. ethereal, consult the essay The Accordionistic Dovetail Joint.

The array of Quintagrams (shown below), that take us to individual tarot cards within our Numerical Tarot deck, are the same forest... just viewed from above! Thus, the canopy of trees shown above is now revealed to be four rows deep. We can imagine the sunny side as being toward the top of the chart and the shady side being toward the bottom, with a river of neutral 5s cutting through the middle of this enchanted forest. Each solid line is like a healthy green leaf in the shinning sun. Each open line is like a leaf in the shade! It takes all kinds to make a forest!! Our job is to determine which of these metaphorical treetops is hiding the archetypal roots that explain our human expressions.

As we descend down from this canopy of Quintagrams, using the Numbers in Space chart above, we create a series of overlapping opposites. If we take the Quintagram array (minus the river of 5s) and color it black and white in such a way as to show how each step divides, we can visualize how it is that we zero in on one archetypal essence.

Step 1 tells us, generally, if we are being influenced by one of the Positive suits (Addition or Multiplication) or one of the Negative suits (Subtraction or Division), which, in a parent to child relationship would also be like asking which half of the Major Trumps is influencing us the most.		For example: take the 3 of Multiplication/Cups/Hearts... it's Positive, not Negative, so draw a solid line. If falling through branches, we would not yet know we are heading for a 3, we would only know that the concept we are analyzing is more Positive than Negative.
Step 2 tells us, specifically, which Minor Suit we are dealing with: Addition or Multiplication if combined with a Positive result, or Subtraction or Division if combined with a Negative result.		The suit of Multiplication/Cups/Hearts is Qualitative, not Quantitative, so draw an open line. Again, if falling through branches, we still wouldn't know we are heading for a 3, only that we are Positive and Qualitative.
Step 3 tells us which half of that Minor Suit we are dealing with. Or which half of a number line we are dealing with: 1,2,3,4 or 6,7,8,9.		The number 3 comes from the beginning of the number line. It's Provocative, not Evocative, so draw a solid line. Our concept is Provocative.
Step 4 tells us which half of that half we are dealing with. Or which quarter of a number line we are dealing with: the Outside - 1,2 or 8,9, or the Inside - 3,4 or 6,7.		The number 3 is part of the inner core of numbers along a line. It's Inclusive, not Exclusive, so draw another solid line. Our concept is Inclusive.
Step 5 tells us which half of that quarter we are dealing with. Or which eighth of a number line we are dealing with: 1 or 2, or 3 or 4, or 6 or 7, or 8 or 9.		The number 3 is an odd number. It is Passive, not Active, so draw another open line. The result is...
All together, the combined results are hard to discern. For more on this, see the essay Numbers in Space.		3 of Multiplication/Heart/Cup! For another visualization of this process, consult the One Reality diagram.

When people use techniques like Flexible Association, they are allowing themselves to drift free to anywhere their conscious, preconscious, subconscious or unconscious might take them. But wherever they go, they remain within the confines of consciousness itself. Thus, as we attempt to determine where they land, we are attempting to determine where on a map of consciousness they are. They are always free to drift and wander... but once they stop, the Shake the Trees game is all about figuring out where they are. The process described above, of narrowing down possibilities, is therefore not too dissimilar to that of figuring out where someone is on an actual map of a physical terrain - like a map of the United States of America. To determine where someone is on a map of the U.S. we might start by asking what state they are in. We might then ask what county of that state they are in. We might next ask with city within that county. Then what block in that city. Then what address on that block. Once found, that person might jump in their car and become a moving target once again, ignoring all such borders and blocks, wandering here and there, free as a bird. But again... once they stop, we can describe where they are with the same narrowing process of location. The Minor Suits of The Numerical Tarot deck are like a map of consciousness. Wander wherever you like. Then... when you stop, take a look at where you are in consciousness.

In the essay Why Only Nine? a map of the U.S. is used to describe how easily our perceptive capabilities can shift back and forth between analytical and synthetical. This is what the Shake the Trees game does. It shifts us back and forth between analytical and synthetical, which is also what each tarot reading does, if and when anyone tries to make sense out of what is laid out before them. As pointed out in the essay The Totality of Reality, tarot cards are segments of reality, or windows into the continuum of consciousness that we allow ourselves to wander within. A tarot deck that is not used is "an uncarved block" while a tarot deck that is used becomes "a carved block" that can tell us where we are in consciousness. A tarot spread simply repeats what a Quintagram does several times over, once for each of several categories of inquiry. The only question is... how accurate is the map/deck being used?

The process described above can be used many ways. It can be used to explain which overlapping influences exist for any card in the Numerical Tarot deck, or, it can be use to determine which card in the deck to look to when we encounter things in our lives that have the same combination of overlapping influences. That is the main goal of our Shake the Trees game... to take any thing in our world, and through these five steps, determine what overlapping influences it has, in order to determine what number/card it is connected to within our deck, just like connecting various actors to Kevin Bacon! We said before that finding our way into this forest of possibilities, down from leafy canopy to archetypal roots, was as easy as falling off a log - and it is. All we need is a volunteer...

Ready to Play? If you are finding this the least bit interesting, and would like to see some examples of how this game is played, continue on to Part Two of this essay.