How To Read in 4-D

It's about another hubber...

Blake4d...

Things I can safely say about Blake4d:

• he's interesting
• his hubs will challenge your belief system and psyche
• he's a truth-seeker
• his hubs may stretch your mind
• his hubs may leave you shaking your head - but THINK, you will (or should)
• he's a poet
• he's a pagan
• he's a gem - don't misplace him

or misunderstand him...

Firstly, don't expect that you'll read from Blake's collection of hubs and just walk away unaffected. Something you read from the collection could hit you a few hours or days later and that's okay... let that something change you...

Especially if that something knocks a hole in your current belief system...

It's for the better - even if it hurts just a little bit.

DISSONANCE:

You'll probably experience a bit of dissonance from reading Blake4d's material...this is also NORMAL - and beneficial...it's simply your head wrapping around new information you hadn't considered before.

Even if you don't believe in what Blake writes, STRETTTTTTTCH your mind to consider the possibilities of what he's conveying...

Explanation of what DISSONANCE is, in laywoman's lingo: this is a discordant display of sounds or information - sort of like unharmonized sounds...dissonance in self, belief and identity happen when two ideas enter the mind and compete for the value of "truth" - or, when one new idea enters a semi-stable belief system and the one new idea interrupts or challenges the stability of the current or old belief system...basically, dissonance is disagreement - and you'll find a lot of potentiail for experiencing dissonance when reading blake4d's works, particularly if you are a "black and white" "either or" "no shades of grey" sort of person. If you like comfort and warm fuzziness ALL the time, you might not enjoy blake's themes and writings and if so, I'd suggest a quick visual scan on his hubs to identify poems only...and then you might not face dissonance but may well still enjoy Blake4d's "stuff."

Dissonance can be disturbing, kids... but getting through it often leads to higher awareness of self and a re-shaped belief system, also - quite often, a more solid identity or sense of self. The "more solid" identity can happen by way of your "self" knowing that its belief system broke down then re-constructed in a "tru-er" way than before the new idea was introduced.

If you're up for all this, and understand it...you'll appreciate Blake4d.

One Warning To The Fearful: If you're not willing to face dissonance, limit the hubs you read by Blake4d 'cos you might not make it back to your cozy, comfortable realm of self after reading about things like corruption in the major western religions, covert manipulations by popular media sources, covert indoctrination of children via the institution of western education, and oppression of female gender in the institution of marriage, just to name a few shocker theories...

The world is a Social Construction...our belief systems are social constructions - society is a social construct, no matter where you live or what you've been told... *hint: what you've been told is a social construction.

Does the social construction make sense?

Hardly...which is why I feel it is important to head on over and read about life in blake4d for at least a little while!

Definition, Social Construction: social phenomena and beliefs which develop, according to social context and often relying on agreement between large numbers of people to persist.

Agreement in a social construct is something like - agreement that $1 equals one dollar. It's an idea perpetuated by all of us who socially accept the value of one dollar as attached to the paper or coin money that is clearly marked as having the value of one dollar. The dollar and other economic items and ideas are all social constructs... the large majority of society allows the ideas and values to exist and so "they are just so."

If we challenge the idea of the value of a dollar bill, the social construct, the agreements about value and many other things will change...

Economy is a social construct...we have agreed to allow our world to revolve around a value system called "economy" and around money. Without challenging the construct, "it is so" and it is powerful - and this social construct is a dangerous one...allowing for those with the dollars to oppress those without access to dollars and monetary items.

Blake4d knows this and has written a short statement about this in "Magick in Theory and Pictures for Alchemical Masters and Dummies," about a mere fifth of the way into this particular hub:

"WE DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE IN A MONETARY SYSTEM
-we could live in a world without money"

........................ Blake4d.

Now, in order to "get this," you'll have to read Blake's material - I'm not going to summarize for readers and thus, take away from the way Blake presents his thoughts and knowledge.

Trust me...even if you disagree with Blake on many issues once you DO read his material, you will come away KNOWING THINGS or being AWARE of thing that you previously ignored in your life and in society.

Here's a little test for you... it's not rocket-science, nor is it psychologically sound - let's call it somewhat of a breaching experiment, okay?

If you answer YES to these things:

• I was traumatized as a child when I learned that Santa Claus wasn't what my parents said he was
• My beliefs were sorely shaken as a child - when I learned the true nature of the tooth fairy - and that this entity wasn't really what I was told it/he/she was
• God exists because Scriptures tell of His existence and nothing is more true than the Word of God in Scriptures

...then you might NOT face dissonance all that well

Okay - now knowing how and where you stand on the above issues... (this part is the breaching experiment part) - Go and read Blake4d !!!

So here's a suggested way to read in blake4d:

You'll want to get physically comfortable - 'cos your mind might experience slight discomfort as it makes its way through blake4d-facts or lore. You can have your opinion as to fact or lore here - although information will be presented to you in the form of "perceived of" facts...it's up to you how far you allow yourself to believe. What won't be an option is - THINKING... you'll have to think for yourself when perusing blake4d's stuff!

• show up ready to think
• abstain from "extracurricular" party substances - you're best to approach with a clear mind
• bring your questions to the table
• use a notebook and pen, if you like
• do write down references Blake makes to books, albums, poems, authors, philosopher, theories, etc - things will be more interesting if you think of reading in blake4d as a "project" of sorts...and you'll be amazed at how well read Blake is on certain topics once you go about on your own search for information
• realize that some of the poems are supposed to cause "effect" and are "for feeling" and "impression" - see if you can pick out which ones are intellectual, condensed messages and which are for impression-effects
• if you feel dissonance/challenge to your belief system, ask yourself, "did I come by THIS part of my belief system HONESTLY - or did I let someone else GIVE ME this part of my belief system?" If the answer is the latter case, perhaps it's best to keep reading and find out what you honestly can become committed to believing...
• if necessary (it WILL BE necessary) read in blake4d steadily and in bits over a few days so that you give yourself time to test out ideas between readings
• check out anything about vampires on blake4d's hubs...very interesting stuff, regardless of whether or not you're a vampire literature, book or lifestyle fan...  *hint - some of the vampire stuff is about human-ness, too...
• remember - "what one perceives as real - is experienced as real." Sometimes "experience" can later be judged to be a certain perception of reality - but in the moment, "all things are real" at one point.....and so it is with the stuff Blake writes about...
• These are just suggestions...and a few things I found helpful when reading in 4-D!

Blake writes a lot of poetry:

I really like Blake's presentation of The Harlequin tho' I have a different understanding of what a Harlequin is.

You'll have to check out, Of Humblers and Mumblers and see what you think.

And some opinions on Poetry and writing by Blake4d, in Quit Writing: 10 Ways To Be Happy and Successful As Writers of Modern Poetry - enjoy!