One of the reasons why we have social stigma, social exclusion, and also to a large extent social indifference is that we have been socially and mentally conditioned to believe in a false illusion of separateness between self and environment, and self and other. For most of us the process started in primary school when we first encountered marks, grades, tests, and the teacher's Red Pen when we were all sorted into bright and intelligent, average and umm, not so average, and this social conditioning reinforced our separateness between each other so as we grew up we started to judge ourselves and each other. We also perhaps spent time comparing ourselves to other people.
One of the major reasons why we've elected to develop our Human Library project as a long term project is that we're able to provide a good alternative social environment to make open and frank discussion of social issues possible. Furthermore as a developing mystical community resource with an effective system for developing consciousness we're in a position to provide opportunities for people to learn, share insights, and change their perception of consciousness. Our community is designed not just to support people affected by stigma and exclusion, but also provide opportunities for learning and increased awareness for people who previously did the stigmatizing and expressed the bigotry.
Before we get into the ethos of Qultura (for those unfamiliar) it's probably good here to give you an example of the powerful insights you can get from Qultura methodology. Let's address this false illusion of separateness through sharing an aspect of Natural Law here on this page.
Dependent arising
One of the basic mystical principles on which Qultura methodology is based is dependent arising - as this arises, that becomes. This comes from the first component of Qultura methodology which is Natural Law, which is based on dependent arising. Dependent arising is based on an understanding that everything in existence is interdependent and interconnected with everything else in existence. There is no separateness whatsoever in existence anywhere in the cosmos.
In order to get this across, we use an example based on a set of black and white images from Gestalt psychology.
Form and background
To get the concept of dependent arising and polar thinking across to you it's probably best to share with you some images from Gestalt psychology. From left to right what do you see in the images above?
- [Left] - two white faces in profile facing each other or a black Rubin's vase?
- [Centre] - a white image of a gorilla and lioness facing each other or a black image of a tree and birds?
- [Right] - a black and white image of a woman's face or a black image of a man playing a saxophone?
You can spend as much time as you like looking at the images, but what you should find is that you cannot see one image without making the other image the background, and yet together both images make up the same image.
Consciousness and space
Another polarity which is one and the same thing which confuses people is the polarity between consciousness and space. Consciousness is the basis of existence and space can be taken to be the reality which gives everything physical definition and dimension, and yet consciousness and space are one and the same thing.
To simplify things in terms of Qultura consciousness is taken to mean existence and space is taken to mean reality, yet consider that conscious awareness is the ability to consciously perceive both space and physical form. If you are unconscious you are unable to be consciously aware of anything but this does not necessarily mean that perception and lack of consciousness are mutually exclusive opposites. If you are asleep you are not dead, and it is possible for you to perceive something unconsciously or sense something and wake up.
The chain of interdependent origin
Polar thinking is essential to liberating yourself from the illusion of separateness - between self and environment and also self and other - so that you can developed a balanced perspective on life. Most people do not have a balanced perspective on life because they have been conditioned to understand that separateness and the Ego is normal, when it is only the most superficial, bare bones aspects of being human and life, and so they end up developing a skewed and distorted perspective of themselves, other people, and life itself.
We human beings have extremely powerful memories which gives us powers of imagination. We have the ability to remember traumatic experiences and hurtful memories from a week, a year or even 30 years previously. We can also take a label or social marker and imagine a whole new persona and lifestyle of someone just from a fundamental assumption or preconceived notion. But once someone becomes familiar with such mystical principles of Natural Law and Qultura methodology they can develop increased conscious awareness very quickly through dream weaving practices.
But we can get a little deeper into this when we discover more about Unmind and what Unmind is about.