A
Anonymous
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I've noticed in recent FT letters examples of people hearing voices in their head spontaneously, usually acting as muses, giving artistic and creative advice. I'll summarise one case from FT 167, p55 from Joseph E Barnes, of Brooklyn NY:
''For the last several years, I've experienced the odd phenomenon of sluggishly waking up in the night or morning and finding my mind- or a mind- already active. Typically, I lie back passively and 'listen' to a book being read aloud or dictated, not audiably, but in my head. On the first occasion, it seemed to be an introduction to a work about folklore and archetypes, about Santa Claus specifically. The writing and depth of understanding were quite brilliant. This summer last, I spontaneously thought aloud, ''Who is that speaking?'' when I woke up at night to hear the usual dictation going on. Much to my surprise, a loud, angry bvoice immediately responded with the equivalent of ''Shut up, you! You're nothing but stupid elephants we ride!'' I know that artists from Blake, Rilke, Yeats and Robert Frost experienced hearing voices, often related to present or future creative activity, whether from within or without. Recently, Keith Richards claimed that 'Satisfaction' was composed when he spontaneously awoke in the night and heard the music and lyrics clearly, all of a piece, ringing inside his head.''
FT included some follow-up letters, all along a similar line: people waking up to 'hear' creative activity, of brilliant quality, in their head. Barnes wonders if it is 'psychic background noise' and notes the voodoo claims of gods 'riding' practisioners. However, as I agree with Barnes, when he noted that background noise oughtn't be as organised and creative as what he experienced.
Any ideas about this? The mind releasing its creative potential when it thinks the consciousness isn't looking? Telepathic signals from some great genius hidden away somewhere? The beings of the other world creating through the medium of our minds?
Ian
''For the last several years, I've experienced the odd phenomenon of sluggishly waking up in the night or morning and finding my mind- or a mind- already active. Typically, I lie back passively and 'listen' to a book being read aloud or dictated, not audiably, but in my head. On the first occasion, it seemed to be an introduction to a work about folklore and archetypes, about Santa Claus specifically. The writing and depth of understanding were quite brilliant. This summer last, I spontaneously thought aloud, ''Who is that speaking?'' when I woke up at night to hear the usual dictation going on. Much to my surprise, a loud, angry bvoice immediately responded with the equivalent of ''Shut up, you! You're nothing but stupid elephants we ride!'' I know that artists from Blake, Rilke, Yeats and Robert Frost experienced hearing voices, often related to present or future creative activity, whether from within or without. Recently, Keith Richards claimed that 'Satisfaction' was composed when he spontaneously awoke in the night and heard the music and lyrics clearly, all of a piece, ringing inside his head.''
FT included some follow-up letters, all along a similar line: people waking up to 'hear' creative activity, of brilliant quality, in their head. Barnes wonders if it is 'psychic background noise' and notes the voodoo claims of gods 'riding' practisioners. However, as I agree with Barnes, when he noted that background noise oughtn't be as organised and creative as what he experienced.
Any ideas about this? The mind releasing its creative potential when it thinks the consciousness isn't looking? Telepathic signals from some great genius hidden away somewhere? The beings of the other world creating through the medium of our minds?
Ian