Fractal Structure and Symbolic Hierarchies
1. Fractal Structure
- The concept of a fractal is central here. Reality, human structures, stories, and hierarchies all follow a repeated, self-similar pattern. Heaven and Earth, masculine and feminine, coupling—these structures appear at every level of existence.
- Analogy: Think of it as a ladder or a series of nested Russian dolls. At every level, you’ll see a version of Heaven and Earth, just as you see coupling in various forms throughout different parts of society.
2. The King, Queen, and the Hierarchical Structure
- You introduce the idea of the king being “above” and his kingdom being “below.” This relationship represents Heaven and Earth. The king, representing Heaven, is the principle that the people follow, while the kingdom represents the body, or Earth.
- The queen represents the coupling of Heaven and Earth. She serves as the intermediary between the king and the people, further exemplifying the fractal concept.
3. Coupling Across Levels
- Coupling occurs at every level of hierarchy, from the relationship of Heaven and Earth to the relationship between a soldier and his corporal.
- A corporal is “Heaven” to the soldier but “Earth” to the officer above him. This demonstrates the recursive nature of hierarchy, where every level mirrors the dynamic of Heaven and Earth.
4. Positionality and Identity
- The positions within the structure are not necessarily moral but positional. A prison guard, for example, shares more with the prisoner than the person outside, because of proximity in position.
- Similarly, soldiers from opposing armies are structurally similar to each other, despite being adversaries. Their role defines their relationship to Heaven (the king or leader).
5. Concentric and Eccentric Forces
- You describe two opposing forces:
- Concentric forces gather, unite, and bring things to their center (towards identity and stability).
- Eccentric forces disperse, loosen, and move away from the center (towards chaos and dissolution).
- Crossing-over: These forces can appear contradictory, but their interplay defines the structure. For example, mercy can appear as a concentric force solidifying identity, while rigor or judgment (eccentric) can scatter or break things apart. Both are necessary to maintain balance.
6. The Hero’s Journey and Fractal Structure
- The hero’s journey is a classic representation of this fractal structure. The journey begins with stability, descends into chaos or the unknown, and then ascends back into a new identity.
- Examples:
- Luke Skywalker (Star Wars): Starts in a stable life, descends into the chaos of war, and rises as a hero.
- Ulysses and Aeneas: Ancient stories of descending into Hades and rising with wisdom.
7. Monsters as Symbols of Chaos
- Monsters represent chaos, a breakdown in identity, or a mixture of categories that don’t fit into the known structure. They symbolize the unknown and ambiguous.
- Example: Dragons, giants, or mythological creatures mix multiple categories (e.g., mammal, reptile, bird), symbolizing a lack of order or identity.
- Encountering Strangers: The experience of meeting strangers mirrors the encounter with a monster, where the unknown creates fear until the familiar is recognized.
8. Fairy Tales and the Fractal Pattern
- Fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast follow the same fractal pattern. They all depict a descent into chaos (the forest, the ash, the monstrous) and an eventual ascent into a new form of identity or marriage (to a prince or finding purpose).
- Cinderella descends into the ashes, hidden, and then ascends through the help of her fairy godmother to marry the prince.
- Snow White descends into the forest and lives with the dwarves, encountering death (sleep) before being resurrected by the prince.
- Beauty descends into the monster‘s lair, transforms the Beast into a prince, and ascends to a higher unity.
9. Sacred Stories and the Ultimate Fractal Pattern
- Christ’s descent into death and ascent into Heaven is the ultimate version of this pattern. Christ descends into the world, into the chaos of human sin, and then ascends, bringing the church into unity.
- The Ascension of Christ shows this fractal structure: Christ as Heaven, the disciples as Earth, and the Mother (Virgin Mary) as the embodiment of the Earth or the church.
10. Corruption and Attention in Groups
- Groups, whether they are sports teams, churches, or societies, follow this same structure. A group gathers around a common point of attention (their purpose), and as long as the group focuses on that purpose, they are united.
- Corruption occurs when individuals focus on lower goods or selfish purposes, leading to fragmentation of the group.
11. Jack and the Beanstalk: Climbing the Ladder
- In Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack starts at the bottom of the mountain (Earth), trades his cow (Earthly substance) for beans (seeds of potential), which grow into a ladder connecting Heaven and Earth.
- Jack climbs the beanstalk three times, each time acquiring something greater:
- Gold (material wealth)
- A hen that lays golden eggs (the source of wealth)
- A harp that sings (the pattern of reality, representing the harmony of Heaven).
12. Moses and the Law
- Like Jack’s story, Moses ascends Mount Sinai to receive the Law from God (the pattern), and descends to bring it to the people.
- At the base of the mountain, he encounters the Golden Calf, an example of worshipping a lower good (animality) in place of the higher, heavenly good.
13. Implicit vs. Explicit Rules
- Rules multiply as you descend the mountain. At the top, there is one purpose (Heaven), but as you descend, it becomes expressed in many rules.
- Mastery is when the implicit becomes internalized, and you no longer need to think about the individual rules because they have coalesced into a unified purpose.
This structural and symbolic understanding shows how stories, hierarchies, and patterns of life all follow the same fractal principles, moving between Heaven and Earth, chaos and order, masculine and feminine.