Fox Mulder stares wistfully at the poster on the wall Aug 17, 2020

do you find yourself with the hiccups?
try to hiccup.
do not dismiss the idea as ridiculous or impossible.
focus on a hiccup when it happens. where does it happen?
in the time before another, focus on trying to force a hiccup to occur.
do not imitate the sound of a hiccup. activate the muscle.
do not worry if you are still hiccuping involuntarily. try again.
all of the folk remedies work because
they trick your body into doing this,
but you can do it without any help.
it is real. try to hiccup.

do you find yourself staring at a blank page?
close your eyes. think about what you want to write.
do not fight your mind, or reach for ideas.
simply bring into your mind ideas related
to the things you want to write about.
allow your mind to drift along the currents which arise.
do not give up if nothing happens at first.
and if you stray too far, gently bring yourself back
to things you want to write about.
if you grasp something solid,
a beautiful rock in the cool shallows,
open your eyes and write it down.
and if you find yourself stuck again, close your eyes.
think about what you want to write.
think about the beautiful rock.
follow the river. guide the boat. patience.
your thoughts are a tool that your mind provides you.
write it down. close your eyes.
be careful not to fall asleep.

do you find yourself overwhelmed by thoughts?
what is a thought? what does it feel like to have a thought?
focus on a thought when it happens.
how large is it? how important is it?
do not focus on its truth, its relation to reality,
but on only the thought in your mind.
try thinking a small thought, or a large one.
what gives rise to thoughts? do they multiply?
what does the time between thoughts feel like?
do you cease to exist when you are not thinking,
or can you simply experience the world without thoughts?
thoughts only feel large because they are so close to the imagination.
there is a limit to the importance of a thought,
even if it is true. everything has its time.
you are in control. your thoughts are not you.
they are tools that your mind provides you.
your emotions, and even physical sensations
are also thoughts of this kind. information.
be careful, as this can be taken too far.
everything is still real.

you can find these truths for yourself.
they are very old. simple yet ethereal. innate.
there is so much we forget amid the crush of living.
there is so much we must grasp for ourselves.
we are a people who must learn every lesson again.
it is a good thing there is so much fire within us.
surely we will never stop moving.

‌

Fox Mulder stares wistfully at the poster on the wall

links to:
- Robots don't write poetry. Anymore.
- We don't write 'round here much anymore
- all you have to do is listen, and be ready.
- dasopoesis
- readjust
- spirit calculus
- you, radiating out among the crush of people

linked from:
- litany of the crystal flowing mind
- on the flavors of reality
- The Last Will and Testament of Alturus Portwick
- we are here. we are here. we are here. we are here. we are here. we are here. we are here.
- we walk through the city
- words are in the way

category: exploration/meditation
next: on the flavors of reality
previous: spirit calculus

all writing, chronological
next: judge a captain not by his shipwrecks, but by whether or not he blames the sea
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