July 21, 2006
Almost forgot to publish what I stepped on last Sunday morning. This is as I originally saw it. I included my toe for size perspective ( painted with month old, Sally Hansen Opalescent).
Of course, I took it as a sign. The reptile rests on top of the hologram, whose foundation is shadow, darkness, unconscious. Haven't we just been talking about this? Isn't it a metaphor for the state of of the world?
My further interpretation, if you can bear it. The lizard, known for its strange beauty, rather than its intellect, represents the amygdala, a primitive brain structure, that gathers sensory information, and decides whether or not any particular external situation is ordinary or dangerous. If ordinariness prevails, the amygdala compiles the sensory signals into a complete experience, and sends the compiled information to other brain structures for cognitive polishing, putting the experience into language, filing it appropriately for retrieval, having feelings about what happened, and folding all of that into the crevices of the brain as an experience that might be remembered or not. In an emergency, the amygdala signals the adrenals instantly, thus producing a quick shot of adrenalin. Cognition, compilation and storage functions are overridden, and the body shifts into fight, flight or freeze mode.
The amygdala is the reptilian brain. It is responsible for survival under dangerous circumstances. Very handy in the olden days when predators wanted to eat you for dinner. The amygdala doesn't think, it acts, and it acts to flee from, fake out, or destroy a perceived threat. Acting solely from the responses of the amygdala, unmitigated by the higher brain functions of thought or empathy, causes wars, cruelty and abuse in "civilized" society.
The black bat covered with holographic paper represents the more complex part of our brains. A bat, considered spooky in our culture, is, in fact, a most helpful, benign animal. I would say that this bat represents the unconscious. The black is our unconscious mind, the part of ourselves which we have not brought to the light. It's substantial , and underlies everything.
The holographic paper, covering the bat represents the complexity of the frontal cortex, it's many layers and interactions. What we know in many dimensions. Our conscious cognitive process. Comparatively, it's pretty thin.
Here's what the sign says to me. Right now many of the horrors of the world are caused by the unthinking actions of the reptilian brain. Underlying, and supporting the actions of the reptilian brain, is the darkness of the unexamined unconscious. When denied parts of self are projected onto others, the other becomes dangerous. The holographic paper is our multidimensional cognitive awareness -- a very thin layer indeed.
For heaven's sake, tell those children to keep better track of their toys. We don't want to be subjected to many more of these sign-from-the-universe entries.
Photo note: Not a particularly pretty picture.
Posted by Dakota at July 21, 2006 06:09 PM | TrackBack