top of page

INTRODUCTION

​

The Entities have been created over several decades. The first group of entities was begun in 1978; the second group in 1986 (starting with Calx); the third group in 1995 (starting with Totus); and the fourth group in 2001 and completed in 2005 (starting with Passio and ending with Zotheca). Each group was separated by a period (of at least a year) in which no entities were created. The entities are presented in the order they were created. They were drawn freehand on paper using pencils or oil pastels without drafts or corrections. Each entity was set upon a piece of wood and photographed digitally.  They were then transferred to a computer without editing.  

​

Different entities use different kinds of imagery or graphic communication, though all of the entities belong to the same realm—even if there are many different modes of graphics--and should be contemplated as one realm rather than separately. This approach means that the one who contemplates the entities must review them all before grasping any single entity.  The notes too are meant to be read as a whole rather than how a note describes one entity. In this way, the one who contemplates sees all of the different aspects of reality that the entities present. Otherwise, there might be a tendency to think that something is missing in the note or in the entity. The only true way to view the entities, like their subject reality, is as a whole, despite the tendency to understand in pieces.

​

A line, circle, triangle, square, or other elements that may resemble traditional geometric shapes, have no connection to mathematics, mathematical logic, science, or to any other field that might use shapes that resemble these figures. These shapes serve a different and individual purpose. The position of my initials on each entity does not imply necessarily the only angle from which an entity could be viewed or that the end of the image is the end of the event. All of the entities are from the same realm, itself without borders or limits, so that together they are simultaneous, integrating, integral, without levels, flowing from one action into the other, with interchangeable elements, and vibrant with energy and motion. Once we move beyond the traditional four-dimensional view (though the dimensional view remains, of course, real) into the unlimited multi-dimensional, our minds will recognize many other properties and energies, none of which can fairly be given a single label. Furthermore, the stream of inspiration is also an important ingredient of the expression, and must be included with the medium and content. That implies that the viewer of these images must always be involved, in some way, in that inspiration.

​

Each entity has a Latin name, and both verbal and musical notes/reflections. Musical notes follow each entity. Simply click on the black triangles. Though the Latin name does have a connection to the entity, acquaintance with Latin is unnecessary. No single word can act as a doorway to understanding the entity. In fact, the names may trigger something quite unintended. No explanation in any language will be sufficient to understand this work. Thus, the Latin names, the verbal and musical notes on each entity, are neither detailed commentaries nor summaries. Moreover, the notes are organic and will continue to be edited. So there is no fixed system or stable point when understanding fossilizes or fully comprehends reality or even itself. Regardless how often or how much editing occurs, the notes will always only explore a percentage of the events of each entity. They are triggers for the journey.

​

Ideally, there should be no written or musical notes because, first, the media for the ideas and form of the entities were never words or sounds, as inspirational as they can be. Language is so pungent with culture, ideology and the thought box of its milieu that its use may reflect, if the writer is not vigilant, only the limitations, views, and culture of the writer. (To what degree I have met this challenge, the viewer must judge.) Worse, at the core of most languages is a group of words that may reflect a different mind-set from what is needed here. To lessen such dangers, there are a few new words and a couple of old ones redefined. However, inventing words may lead to inventing language, a task that leads us back to the same place. Some words, in any case, cannot be replaced and may be misleading. Often I have placed them in quotations to indicate that the reader should be wary; as commonly used, they are not precise. As general terms clarifying reality and its actions, words usually used for physical descriptions (such as in, out, over, under, within, outside, inside, etc.) are troublesome, because they lead one to think that the subject being discussed has limitations or is solid. Sadly language does not have the same flexibility as music or image.

​

Nonetheless, music has its own self referencing problems. Sounds by their form and style can inspire but they can also lead one down numerous unwanted paths. Each sound, like the verbal notes, hopefully will serve as another angle for the traveler who wants to view the topography of these entities. However, music, like words, cannot explore all of the topography of an entity. They are reflections on the entities. Moreover, I use the elements of music in the same spirit in which I use the elements of line, form and color. My use is not intended to refer to any other use of these elements (such as a specific tradition of harmony, style, or form). These musical works are the result of my meditation on the entities. 

​

In sum, the help provided by the musical and verbal notes is limited, but, if the notes are perceived in the right spirit, they may have some value. If the names and notes serve as catalysts, they may be quite useful. Nonetheless, it would be preferable for the user to contemplate the entities first without the notes. In meditation we can transcend the obstacles existence or any other sub-reality presents, and commune more easily with reality. If the notes support the meditation, they have done enough. The endpoint is to move with reality, in its profundity and many dimensions of clarity, so that the ultimate experience will actually not be clear, in the sense of logical clarity, but a kind of web in which real events are both known and felt. Finally, contemplation on the entities and their realm will produce for each thinker, on each occasion, individual and ineffable results, especially after contemplation of all of the entities, since each image has its own stream of inspiration and also contributes to a comprehensive vision, though there is no permanent single vision or answer.

​

​

​

(c) Copyright 1978, 1986, 1995, 2001, 2005, 2007. 2023, 2024, 2025

by John Clark Smith III

bottom of page