The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Faery and Flow

davem · 08-06-2006, 08:30 AM

I'm not sure they're the same thing - though it could be argued that 'flow' is a necessary state for entering Faerie. Flow, as you describe it, seems to be akin to the Buddhist's ''one pointed meditation.

Time in Faerie does move at a different rate. As it does is dream. In a dream days or years may seem to pass, yet we awake & only a few hours have passed in the Primary world. The main events in LotR take six months, yet it may take us anything from a few days to many months to read through them. Faerie time passes at a different rate. Smith's life is encapsulated in about 30 pages, yet even though we read the story in an hour or so, we have experienced the whole of Smith's life.

So, 'flow' is the entering of a different mental space. We are neither in our time nor in Faerie time. Effectively, like the travellers to Faerie, we find ourselves in a 'borderland', mentally standing between (& thus outside of) the worlds. In that state it is easy to ('cross over'.

Clearly, when we read, or hear, a story, we enter a different state - we shut out the world around us, & enter another world. Our bodies may be sitting in our own house, but our minds have entered another reality.

So, not Faerie as such (imo), but the necessary precursor to entry. Yet, it is not difficullt to achieve - so it could be argued (or theorised) that it is not an unnatural state - that it is, in fact, a completely natural one. Robert Kirk, in his Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies, used the term 'Walkers between the worlds' for those who had the ability to pass into Faerie & implied that some form of 'trance' was involved. I think 'flow' is the same thing. Of course, one has to believe in Faerie to get there.

(I was going to suggest the word 'trance-ition' but that sounds a bit new-agey, so I won't.)

08-06-2006, 08:30 AM	#2
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	I'm not sure they're the same thing - though it could be argued that 'flow' is a necessary state for entering Faerie. Flow, as you describe it, seems to be akin to the Buddhist's ''one pointed meditation. Time in Faerie does move at a different rate. As it does is dream. In a dream days or years may seem to pass, yet we awake & only a few hours have passed in the Primary world. The main events in LotR take six months, yet it may take us anything from a few days to many months to read through them. Faerie time passes at a different rate. Smith's life is encapsulated in about 30 pages, yet even though we read the story in an hour or so, we have experienced the whole of Smith's life. So, 'flow' is the entering of a different mental space. We are neither in our time nor in Faerie time. Effectively, like the travellers to Faerie, we find ourselves in a 'borderland', mentally standing between (& thus outside of) the worlds. In that state it is easy to ('cross over'. Clearly, when we read, or hear, a story, we enter a different state - we shut out the world around us, & enter another world. Our bodies may be sitting in our own house, but our minds have entered another reality. So, not Faerie as such (imo), but the necessary precursor to entry. Yet, it is not difficullt to achieve - so it could be argued (or theorised) that it is not an unnatural state - that it is, in fact, a completely natural one. Robert Kirk, in his Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies, used the term 'Walkers between the worlds' for those who had the ability to pass into Faerie & implied that some form of 'trance' was involved. I think 'flow' is the same thing. Of course, one has to believe in Faerie to get there. (I was going to suggest the word 'trance-ition' but that sounds a bit new-agey, so I won't.) __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."