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//11-21-11
I went to my first session in the sensory deprivation tank today, walked down the boardwalk along the Pacific Ocean and found the Float Lab at 801. When I went into the office, a small anteroom with two photos of Albert Hoffmann (the chemist who created LSD) I knew I was at the right place, and when the owner, Crash came inside and made eye contact with me, I knew immediately serious mental work was being done, as his look put the kind of energy up through my lower back and skull I normally only get after 3-4 minutes of eye contact with someone. He asked why I was there and I told him I have a blog about rituals. “You mean like going to the top of a pyramid and sacrificing virgins?” “No, meditations.” “You gotta work your way up, huh?” He gave myself and another a rundown on the use of the tank: go through this door and wash thoroughly using special soap, shampoo and conditioner. Put in earplugs to prevent the epsom salt from accumulating in the ears, climb into the tank, and lie down face up, feet towards the door. No instructions were given for what kind of meditations would be appropriate. I opened the black steel door and climbed in, laid on my back and began to focus on my breath. I was planning on using the space for chanting, silent breathing, and Jung’s active imagination, but I realize now the most conducive activity is to just let go. (Letting go seems always the most ‘conducive’ activity, but some things, like cardio exercise or meditation require focus on one task even when other desires arrive, I still wonder about the relation of these ‘building’ activities to staying truly in line with the will of the universe.) After about 10 minutes euphoria began to creep up my toes and through my whole body. I cut this process short as well, thinking I “needed” to use the time wisely, not considering I’d have many opportunities in the future to take control and guide my experience. Because of my fear of falling asleep in the water, I didn’t allow myself to relax, and because I’ve disconnected myself from the variety of activity of my unconscious in society in order to focus on certain parts, I was unable to bring those things to surface without what would’ve been the appropriate thing to do, letting go completely and hitting the pre-sleep dream state. I’m hoping to start going twice a week for at least the next 3 months, and will report further on my experiences.
This is the second time float tanks have come up in the past week. That’s not quite synchronicity. The connection feels profound in the way synchronicity is profound.
I’ve found two places in Seattle that offer tank sessions, and I’m setting up an appointment for next week.
(Source: ritualaid)
