The Theory of Expressions
If all things are formulaic, how do you write your own formula?
This chapter assumes an algorithmic understanding of the nature of all things. Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI
Although you may have finally recognised the algorithmic nature of the experience, now what? Although you understand there is nothing left to do, now what? Although you understand who you are when there is no one to be, now what? What good are any of these realisations? What if you do not want to let go of everything to find yourself within the nothing? What if you are happy with your very being as you are? How can you use any of this on your journey of life?
You can use this on your journey in the same way you have already been using it. The physical being, of which you are aware, is as much an expression of The Awareness, as the experience is an expression of the physical being. That is, a physical being is only able to experience the experience through a lens exclusive to that specific physical being. In the same way, you are only able to experience the experience through a lens exclusive to you. This only holds true because it is impossible to prove otherwise.
Although two physical beings can agree that a thing looks, feels, tastes, smells and sounds the same, it is their experiencing of sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing that they are superimposing on an absolute abstraction. In other words, everyone’s experience is subjective. But if a physical beings experience is subjective, what is the objective experience they are supposedly superimposing? Formless abstractions.
What are formless abstractions? Well, if I tried to explain them at all, they would have to take form, or else they could not be explained. So for the purpose of clarity and a better understanding of how you can’t understand formless abstractions, these abstractions will have to take form. Although you cannot understand formless abstractions, since the understanding of them is a “form” in and of itself, you can recognise expressions of their formlessness.
Thankfully, with your newfound ability to abstract concepts and ideas within the experience, ultimately finding expressions of The Awareness, you are more than capable of understanding the nature of formless abstractions. Formless abstractions are to a subjective experience what The Awareness is to a physical being. In the same way that the physical being cannot fathom The Awareness, the subjective experience cannot fathom formless abstractions. This means that a subjective experience cannot express formless abstractions without initially superimposing itself upon them.
An example of a formless abstraction is the abstraction of infinity. Though you may have a specific understanding of what “infinity” means, it is your understanding of what “infinity” means. To express our limited understanding of infinity, we can use a perfect circle. The circle is infinite because it has no beginning and no end. Yet, your understanding of the circle is finite. If you can understand the abstraction of a circle, which represents infinity, using the finite means of “understanding”, it follows that your understanding of it is finite. Yet, it is the best we can do without going off on an infinite number of tangents.
The simple, imagined idea of a circle is in itself an expression of the formless abstraction of infinity. That is, there is no difference between an imagined idea of a circle, and a circle drawn on a piece of paper, other than the medium through which the abstraction is expressed. The imagined circle and the one that is drawn are similar in expressiveness for both express the same, formless abstraction of infinity, through form.
However, there is no point in exploring all expressions of infinity because it is impossible, for they are infinite, and because they all express the same formless abstraction. In other words, we do not have to explore every expression of a circle to understand the abstraction of infinity, since we are able to focus on just one expression. We are able to focus on one instance of a circle, and understand that this circle is an expression of the formless abstraction of infinity.
Through the recognition of abstractions and their many expressions, all things seem to express the nature of The Awareness. Yet, all abstractions are expressions. All abstractions are expressing formless abstractions. A simple, yet flawed, example of a formless abstraction is the thought of a circle, as opposed to the sight of a circle. If you were to observe the thought of a circle, and then draw a circle, you would be expressing a thought. In the same way, an abstraction is an expression of a formless counterpart, one that cannot be understood without first taking form.
An abstraction can express a variety of concepts or ideas. For instance, an abstraction can express infinity or a concept that is finite. An abstraction can express unity, duality, the searching or the finding. An abstraction can also express.. expressing! An example is an artist and an empty canvas, a writer and an empty book, a musician and an instrument. All instances of abstractions are expressions, expressing formless abstractions.
The experience of which you are aware is subjective, but there is no experience if you are not aware of it. There is no experience, because ‘experience’ is an expression of your understanding. If you are not here to understand the experience, then the experience cannot be. What remains is a non-experiential, esoteric and unfathomable void of formless abstractions.
It is important to note that although you are not able to understand formless abstractions through understanding, you are able to understand expressions of formless abstractions, that have capacity to be understood. What good are these formless abstractions if they are unfathomable? Are we able to use our understanding of their understandable expressions, within the experience?
Well, what is this experience? Only you can know the answer to that question, as it is inconsequential for me to preach about my experience and assume yours. However, what I can do is allude to expressions of formless abstractions within my experience, assuming their presence in yours. In other words, instead of telling you what you need to find within your experience, I can demonstrate the expression of finding. Instead of telling you what you need to do within your experience, I can demonstrate the expression of doing. Instead of telling you what you need, I can demonstrate the expression of needing.
Now that you have developed the ability to recognise abstractions and their many expressions, it would be worth your while to learn how to create them! That is, how can you formulate an abstraction and see its expressiveness permeate throughout your experience? How can you force an abstraction you have only ever imagined come to fruition within your experience? Whether it be the finding of a thing, the attaining of a thing or the becoming of a thing? How can you make the anything of a thing appear within your experience?
For the purpose of simplicity, the finding of success will be used as the abstraction we will be permeating throughout the experience, throughout the many expressions of success. Instead of telling you what a successful experience of life entails, I can demonstrate the expression of succeeding. That is, in the same way I have demonstrated the finding of abstractions and their many expressions throughout the telling of Carnival Island, you will learn how to demonstrate abstractions as well as their many expressions to tell your own tale, within your own experience.
An example of demonstrating an abstraction is the telling of a story wherein a character closes a door. That specific scene is the expression of the abstraction of ‘closing a thing’, demonstrated throughout the medium of storytelling. If I were to express the abstraction of ‘success’ within a story, a character might achieve a level of power they had once deemed to be successful.
Similarly, the character might have found a peace within themself, a peace they had once deemed necessary for their wellbeing. To demonstrate an abstraction is simply to express it throughout a medium, where the medium can be a story, an artwork, a musical piece, anything.
Although there are countless abstractions that do not allude to the abstraction of “success”, success is the simplest abstraction to convey within the experience. In other words, I would rather demonstrate the abstraction of “success” instead of the convoluted abstraction of “a thing that happens after a thing fails and then two things happen in a specific way…” so on and so forth. There is no need to use convoluted abstractions, for convolution is inevitable within the expressiveness of the experience.
To elaborate, it is worth noting the implications of success within experience, before finding ways to express it throughout any experience. What is success? The Oxford Dictionary defines ”success” as:
success: the fact that you have achieved something that you want and have been trying to do or get.
If you achieve something that you want to achieve, you are successful. The only reason I included the description of success is to explain how fallible and subjective it is. One persons idea of success could be to excel at something, whereas another persons idea of success could very well be to fail at something. Although both pursuits allude to each individuals idea of “success”, the paths taken are completely different and subjective.
Try to understand that although I am using the abstraction of success to demonstrate the telling of a story, it is my interpretation of success. Do not try to express my interpretation of success within your experience, but rather observe how I am expressing it. Do not try to follow my interpretation of any abstraction, but rather observe how I am expressing. The purpose of this section is not to profess my opinions on experiential concepts and ideas, but to demonstrate how one is able to express those concepts and ideas, whatever they may be. Why would you want to express abstractions? Is it different to simply recognising them?
Why am I talking about expressing abstractions at all? In the same way you are able to recognise abstractions and their many expressions within your experience, you are able to influence your experience to express specific abstractions! In other words, not only are you able to recognise expressions of abstractions, but you are also able to formulate abstractions and influence your experience to express them, whether it be the abstraction of success, health, wealth, power or anything you can imagine.
With that being said, I am not a proponent for the “power” of visualisation, nor is my demonstration of expressing abstractions alluding to such phenomenon. My subjective understanding of the power of visualisation is that it is a phenomenon whereby an individual is able to achieve their dreams and aspirations by simply visualising their dreams and aspirations. I am neither a proponent nor am I a denier of this phenomenon, I am simply not referring to it at all.
I do not know if the power of visualisation is a valid or invalid phenomenon within the experience, all I know is that it exists. Whether or not its implications hold truth is unbeknownst to me. To conclude my point, should any method regarding the demonstration of abstractions and their many expressions resemble, at all, the lessons or “truths” learned from the power of visualisation, know that I had no intentions for any resemblance.
I will be referring to the demonstration of abstractions through expression as Expression Theory. Expression Theory is simply a theory of how abstractions are expressed throughout the experience and the implications they hold. That is, are we able to influence the experience by expressing abstractions of change? Are we able to halt specific abstractions from being expressed? Are we able to manipulate the very fabric of the experience, by manipulating the very fabric of the experience?
Why is it a theory? What is a theory? The Oxford Dictionary defines “theory” as:
theory: a formal set of ideas that is intended to explain why something happens or exists.
I intend to explain why specific things happen or exist. However, I do not intend to prove that they do, for the simple fact that trying to prove the nature of the fabric of the universe with the fabric of the universe is fallible.
You were not able to understand the nature of the physical being without first transcending the physical being, ultimately recognising yourself as The Awareness. In the same way, an aspect of the experience is unable to demonstrate the absolute nature of the experience, without first transcending the experience. However, even if a non-experiential “understanding” of the experience was to be non-experientially “known”, the only way to express it within the experience is to superimpose the limitations of the experience upon it.
The fallibility of the experience’s superimposition upon its own absolute nature is why I only intend to explain why something happens, and not prove that it does. It simply cannot be proved. Expression Theory is the recognition of abstractions and their many expressions, as well as the potential influence an abstraction may have on the experience, in terms of what is expressed. Funnily enough, the experience’s inability to accurately express its own nature is an expression of the unfathomable nature of The Awareness.
How can you demonstrate Expression Theory throughout the experience? What aspects of the experience can be influenced? Can you choose to express an abstraction of anything?
