Cosmopoesis

One of my cherished childhood memories is going to Mosney Butlins ( a holiday camp) in Ireland with my grandmother and cousins when I was 5 years old.  I don’t remember much of that day, but the bits that I do remember were completely magical. That memory would pop into my head and trigger nostalgia for my childhood. Then one day I realized the effect the memory was having on my current perception. I began to use this recollection like a key to open the perception of childhood wonder, so I could experience it now.

 We only ever get to experience our interpretation of reality. We could say that experience is the act of interpreting. This interpretation is always based on our imagination and assumptions. Cosmopoesis is when we deliberately use our imagination to alter our reality. The Buddhist/imaginal teacher Rob Burbea describes cosmopoesis thus:

“…using the imagination to open up the very sense and perception of the world that we live in, including the material, very much including matter itself. Through the imagination we realize that in a way there’s – “poesis” means creating, like making poetry, there’s an art to that perception and a malleability to the perception of the cosmos.”

Cosmopoesis is a type of world building. It is not daydreaming because the perception it creates is just as “real” as our normal reality. It is undeniably real.

I have found there are two main things necessary for engaging in cosmopoesis. First, we need to come out of our normal way of perceiving by resting in stillness. This means entering a state of not-knowing. Next, we need an imaginal object that will allow us to unlock a new way (or lost way) of experiencing reality (see my example above of the childhood memory).

I also found that deliberately guiding thoughts can be incredibly useful for maintaining this new way of perceiving. The problem with our normal thoughts is not that they are there but that they are always supporting our normal way of perceiving much like a hypnotist (this is why returning to stillness is vital for cosmopoesis). We can use thoughts as an ally when we get them to support the cosmopoesis (e.g. when they are telling us how magical everything appears). Over time, we find the new way of perceiving more natural, so we become less reliant on thought.