Exploring the Darkness
The purpose of this course is to explore the idea of Darkness. What darkness means internally; that is, if a person is to say “I am Dark”, what does it mean? What do they feel inside them? What do they see when they look at the world around them?
In order to explore the concept, I have placed the term “Dark” at the centre of a web of concepts; this is the diagram you see below; a Glass Bead Game.
The idea of the Glass Bead Game comes from Hermann Hesse’s amazing book Das Glaspenspiel (translations are titled either The Glass Bead Game or Magister Ludi) which offers a tantalising description of these aesthetic games, without ever fully describing how one is played. (In playing Glass Bead Games, we usually use the ideas and boards on Charles Cameron’s amazing resource Hipbone Games).
A Glass Bead Game is a meditative process whereby concepts, ideas or references are placed, one by one, in such a manner that they link to those concepts around them. This means that the first concepts are developed by those around them; it is as though a musical subject was first set alongside a countersubject, and then combined in the music of a fugue. The concepts are bound together, and thoughts are transformed; a successful game would be like the beads of a rosary, combining the prayers and mysteries mouthed and carrying those who follow them on a meditative journey.
In the course, we will journey around each of the 10 concepts in this Glass Bead Game, starting with the term "Dark". After this students may, if they wish, construct their own glass bead games in a future course.
How will the course work?
1. The Lectures
Click on the relevant section of the Glass Bead Game board to find lectures and texts about that concept written by past and present members of the Dark community.
It is suggested that you read each lecture twice;
The first time, in a thourough and critical manner. Ask yourself what parts of the lecture are relevant to you, ask what parts of the lecture you disagree with, and why. Remember these are lectures by fallable human beings, and treat them as such. Pursue loose ends; if an idea makes you feel uncomfortable, ask why; if an idea seems unreasonable, ask yourself what would be reasonable.
Secondly, having gone through the lecture in this analytical, critical manner, skim through it once again, this time, using it only as a canvas for your own thoughts.
First, sit for a moment or two, focussing on the page of text, but seeing it only as a series of letter shaped patterns.
Then, attempt to enter a state of mind where your thoughts are easily accessible, at the forefront of your mind; envisualise that you yourself are about to pick up a pen, and write all over this sheet of paper yourself.
Finally, become conscious of the text in front of you, and read through it, but this time, paying attention not to each detail, but rather to your own thoughts and ideas which arise as you read through the text, making note of them.
Once you feel you no longer want to deal with these lectures, move on to the next section.
2. Resources and ideas for further study
The second section, after the lectures, is intended to form a foundation for your own thoughts and research in the topic. For every topic, various texts, links, and perhaps images will be shown for you to think about. Meditations will be suggested to help you explore the ideas. Also, advice may be given on what you can practically do in this area in order to help understand yourself and the world around you. Remember, this is only a starting point; go out and find things out for yourself, these are only the things which interested the person who compiled this course, or sprang into his mind while he was thinking this up.
3. The Exercise and The Tutorial
Finally, a short exercise will be presented, which may be written, or may be something practical. It is asked that the student completes this excercise, and it will then form the basis of discussion in a "tutorial" over an instant messenger program, where the student will meet a teacher, and the two will discuss and share their ideas regarding the topic. These sessions will be intended to help both student and teacher to explore their own thoughts, and therefore themselves. They could last for between half an hour and 2 hours (or maybe even more) depending on the time and energy available to both the student and teacher.
