Author:
Jan Scholten
Book:
Wonderful Plants
Type:
Stage
Chapter:
0.9.18
0.9.18 Stage 18 or 0 . Rest
Rest
This is the denial of action, of everything. It is the pause between actions: rest, holidays, sleep, meditation, coma, death. Things are latent, idle, inert, inactive and quiet. Externally there is no interaction or communication: autism, cocoon. Internally there can be a transformation. The sensation is of being free, floating, confused and unconnected.
We could also call this stage 0. This is a stage in between two series. It is the end of one series, therefore it is called stage 18 but it is also the stage of rest, a pause before the start of a new cycle.
Rest Inactive
They need rest, they just want to stay in one place and do nothing.
Retreat Cocoon
They have a great desire to withdraw to a quiet place and be by themselves.
They do not want to have much contact with other people, they do not feel the urge to do anything at all. They go on a retreat, in a monastery or a sacred place. This is a safe haven after all the troubles and dangers they have been through. They go into hibernation and when the world starts to look attractive again they might come out again.
The word ‘autism’ portrays this attitude very well, particularly in the state of Helium. They like to be on their own, they do not need others, they prefer to concentrate on themselves, in their own private space.
It is the stage of the caterpillar which changes into a pupa. In this stage it looks as if nothing is happening but a great inner transformation is taking place, for the caterpillar is changing into a butterfly.
It is similar to a state of coma, sleep, autism, catatonia, death, meditation or holiday.
Locked up
It is also possible that they feel very locked up in their isolated condition. Then their cocoon might be felt as a hindrance or a prison. They are locked up inside their house, like an autistic child. They stay within themselves and do not need others.
Helium is locked up inside himself: autism.
Neon is blocked off from his relations: mentally handicapped.
Argon is blocked off from his work: unemployed.
Krypton is blocked off from ideas: monastery.
Xenon is blocked off from his country: asylum.
Denial Inactivity
They are in a phase of inactivity. They do not move at all. It is as if they are denying where they came from, what they have done in the past and who they were connected with. They do not know what is was like anymore and they do not want to know either. It is all over. But in a way they also deny their future, before they start anything they must first have some peace and quiet.
Transformation
They are all wrapped up in a protective covering. In this safe place they are able to find themselves again, to think what they will do next. They live this way so that they will not be disturbed by anything from the outside world, that is how transformation can take place. The experiences of the previous cycle are internalised and integrated. Through meditation they can transcend the old cycle and be ready for the next one.
Free Without ties
They feel free and without any ties. They have freed themselves from all their old obligations and now they do not have anymore responsibilities. They are as free as a bird in the sky. They have absorbed everything there was to learn from the previous cycle and now they are ready to rise above it. But floating like a bird in the skies can be an excuse to escape from reality. The torments of everyday life may be so unbearable that they leave their bodies and ‘split’.
Confusion
They may suffer from a slight feeling of confusion, as if they are floating. This is because they have no ties to bind them to their old existence, so they are slightly disorientated. The tendency to dissociate can increase this feeling of confusion. They knew there was something but they do not know what it was anymore.
Non In
The prefix ‘non’ or ‘in’ often describes this stage. There is a certain denial, a non-existence, an in-activity.
Symptoms
Miasm: trypanosomiasis, sleeping sickness.
Catatonia, autism, coma.
Dizzy, lightheaded, floating.
DD: Stage 17 has the feeling he must let go but finds it very difficult, he is not really free yet. Stage 18 has really let go of everything, there are no more ties, there is total freedom.
DD: Opium, Cannabis indica.