November/December 2022 Alchemical Voice

Alchemical Voice - L2M Issue 17
A JOURNEY
INTO REALITY
John Sjovik
On the twelfth night the moon rose in the south. Its golden light traced the
outline of the desert floor until the rays dissolved in the haze of the horizon.
The cracked cart wheels squeaked and croaked a broken tune as the wagon
made slow progress on a painful journey.
The small group of people moved steadily on. In many ways, the journey
was more important than the destination.
Mapping the world
The lure of the riches that might be found on the
other side of a mountain, on the other side of the
horizon, in the great beyond, can be very powerful
and hard to resist.
Travelling without a map poses limitations, creates
uncertainty and generates anxiety. Paradoxically, so
does travelling with a map. Which way is forward?
Where do we come from and where do we want to
go? What is the difference between one location
and another? How can we even define a location?
The regular understanding of a map is that of a
representation of the geographical layout of an
area or region, showing features and topography to
make it easier to understand the area and navigate
through it. But there are many types of maps. It
would be nice to have a road map through life, so
you could plan in advance which way to turn and
what routes to avoid. When I worked in
international business, my boss presented a “road
map to success”. Yet, a map can only exist if
someone has already visited the mapped territory.
To draw a map of unchartered territory defeats its
own purpose. It gives you a false sense of security.
The rules that we take for granted as normal in our
understanding of the so called “real world” are
subject to the definition of reality. It is very much a
fleeting concept. There are many "realities" but as
humans we are unable to distinguish any other than
the macro, physical three dimensional world we
experience on planet Earth
32