Behind and Beyond
Another experiment in headlessness
Some friends and I were having a retreat that included several of Douglas Harding's experiments. I don't know the name of the experiment, but it's the one where each person draws their self from first person perspective. You draw exactly what you can see of your self (not what you imagine) and all wind up with a headless drawing like (or somewhat like) this:
Next, we stood in a circle and each person placed their drawing in the circle, the drawing's feet facing outward and the headless portion facing inward. What you discover is a representation of the Atman and Brahman: people emanating from the Void; sharing a common source. It is a powerful experiment, yet one we modified in two ways.
First, we had everyone turn around so we were still in a circle, but facing outward. We combined this with the inward pointing finger: looking inward, pointing at our true self, what was behind us but shared space? It was viscerally real, like experiencing Wren-Lewis' description of the back of his head being sawn off and open to the dazzling dark.
Next, someone suggested we reverse the pictures so the feet faced inward and the headless portion faced outward. The people in the circle once again faced inward. For some, this variation was more suggestive of the true state of things. "Nothingness sitting on top of a body dropping out of a Void," is how one friend described it.
These modifications of Harding's work were not planned, inspiration just appeared in an open, playful mood and we "gave it a try." I suggest others do the same, and keep sharing.