The universe is but an artist recreating itself. 

-b

Miss those late summer nights of  concentrated thought. Out on the porch waiting for something to connect...Its too bad the city cut down our trees, that was a good spot...

Ouroboros

The Ouroboros is a mythical serpent in the form of a circle, swallowing its own tail and thereby symbolising infinity or eternity. Feeding on itself with no need of any other food, it is re-creating itself in a never-ending circularity.

Line drawing of Ouroboros - a snake eating its own tail.

Plato described a self-eating circular being as the first living thing in the universe – an immortal, perfectly constructed animal:

“Of design he was created thus, his own waste providing his own food, and all that he did or suffered taking place in and by himself. For the Creator conceived that a being which was self-sufficient would be far more excellent than one which lacked anything… nor had he any need of feet, nor of the whole apparatus of walking; but the movement suited to his spherical form was assigned to him, being of all the seven that which is most appropriate to mind and intelligence; and he was made to move in the same manner and on the same spot, within his own limits revolving in a circle.” (Plato, Timaeus, 33, translated by Benjamin Jowett)

Medieval illuminated manuscript picture of an Ouroboros - a serpent eating its own tail

The notion of a serpent or dragon eating its own tail can be traced back to Ancient Egypt. In the Pyramid of Unas dated between 2375 BC and 2345 BC, hieroglyphs on the west wall gable of the Sarcophagus chamber can be read: “A serpent is entwined by a serpent” and “the male serpent is bitten by the female serpent, the female serpent is bitten by the male serpent, Heaven is enchanted, earth is enchanted, the male behind mankind is enchanted”. (Pyramid Texts Online, no. 233)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouroboros

 

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom,
blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter,
come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well you wore out your welcome with random precision,
rode on the steel breeze.
Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!
  -Pink Floyd

Mentalism

The All is mind, the universe is mental.

This means the underlying reality of the universe is mind, and the universe itself is mental and existing in the mind of The All. If the universe is mental in nature, than mental transmutation must be the art of changing the conditions of the universe along the lines of matter, force, and mind...So mental transmutation is really the magic that ancient writers discussed in their mystical works. Too bad they left so few practical instructions...If everything is mental than transmutation can not only change conditions ordinarily thought of as mental, but also material conditions...

The universe, and everything in it, is constantly growing and changing...nothing is permanent but change. The underlining power fueling this constant creation is called The All. It is all there is so it's infinite and eternal. The all is living mind, consisting of an immortal life force, and divine wisdom. The All is spirit. The All occupies every space in the universe. Spirit permeates your body, office, home, automobile, etc. There is no space that spirit is not. The All is not matter or mere energy because nothing can rise higher than it's source. What is higher than matter or energy that is known to exist in the universe? Mind and life and the varying degree of in-foldment...The All is infinite living mind, which we call spirit...Unlike the universe, which it powers and infinitely inhabits, The All is unchangeable...Now This paradox is reconciled by the Hermetic teaching that the universe is contained within the mind of The All. Nothing can exist outside of spirit. So the human mind might deduce that the universe isn't The All, it must be nothing. But this doesn't seem to be a satisfying answer since we are aware of the universe's existence.

So if the universe is neither The All or nothing what can it be?. Let us examine this question. For the universe to exist it must be The All's creation. But something can never come from nothing? What substance did The All use to create the universe?...Some philosophers believe The All created the universe from itself. But The All cannot subtract or divide itself to become an atom or earthy-being?...Some philosophers believe that the universe and The All are identical and they shout "I Am God!". That's like a vein saying that it is the human body.

But what is the universe if its not The All separated into fragments?... What else can it be?... and what could it be made of?...

Usually we can gain perspective on the inner workings of higher planes by examining the workings of our own. On the material earthly-plane humans create by using outside materials. But this analogy doesn't answer any of questions, since there are no materials outside of The All to be used in the creation of the universe.

Humans also procreate our children with a portion of ourselves. But this scenario is also counter to our knowledge that The All can't transfer or subtract a portion of itself. Nor can anything add to. or multiply

So is there a third way that humans can create? Yes...We create mentally. Mental creation's use no outside materials and neither reproduce or fragment one's self. And yet each human spirit pr-evades their mental creations. So in correlation we can deduce that the universe is The All's mental creation in the same manner humans create mental images. Such was the teaching of Hermes. So we can say that the universe can't create using outside materials because there isn't any outside of the all. And we can say that it cant be reproduction because 1x1=1.

Just like you might create a universe in your mind, so does the all creates universes in it's own mentality. Your universe is the mental creation of a finite mind, where is that of the all is the creation of an infinite mind. Very similar, but infinitely different in degree.The universe and everything it contains is a mental creation of The All.

The infinite mind of The All is the womb of universes.
- The Kybalion

reality's dreaming again
weaving fantasies
of hope
visions of love
for those deprived of beauty

pieces scatter
twenty-six pieces
lost forever
in twenty-six souls
in an effort
to stray the living
from the path uncrossed

betrayal can scatter
the most pure
of hearts
as all efforts
by soul could
never rebuild
through such blinding pain

such bright lights
can make sight
a curse for those
such as us

when will reality stop
weaving such fairy tales
crossing my path
as the blackest of cats
when will reality die
and leave room for my own
dreams to step
in and fill the chasm

if after all
reality is no more than
a thought
connecting all
in the furthest reaches
of the physical plane
bringing me ever
closer to the ones
who taint me

as all thoughts
will it not someday
fade into memory

by Hollowsins