The Finders
Highlights
Chapter 21: Zooming-in And Zooming-out
Although it’s not the typical experience, when the average person is hyper-focused the influence of the Narrative-Self can be minimized. Athletes, artists, mathematicians, and others refer to this as the “flow state” or being “in the zone.” It is also possible to experience this when absorbed in a story, such as a good book or movie. When these moments of hyper-focus pass and awareness zooms back out, the Narrative-Self re-exerts its influence. This might lead to thinking about tasks that need to be completed, a conversation from three hours ago, or any number of other things.
Finders have a much greater range and fluidity when it comes to zooming-in and zooming-out. At the furthest reaches of zooming-out, some refer to being immersed in, or existing as, undifferentiated spaciousness or awareness. Union with and being indistinguishable from “all that is,” the Universe, the divine, or God, is another common report. When zoomed this far out, a Finder typically cannot interact with the world around them. Not all Finders can zoom this far out and, for obvious reasons, those who can usually stop short of it in their day-to-day lives.
Chapter 21: Zooming-in And Zooming-out
The zooming-in process is also different for Finders, but in some ways they are typical of the rest of the population. Many can still ‘lose themselves’ in a movie, for example. Nonetheless, there are striking differences that point to what is one of the least known and talked about aspects of Fundamental Wellbeing.
Some Finders are able to experience “versions” or “pieces” of their former Narrative-Self as part of the zooming-in process. This is especially true when they are engaged in conversation. Just silently hanging out with someone that they have a long and complex relationship with can also produce it. These Finders often describe this experience as being triggered by the types of conditioning discussed previously.
These pieces of their former Narrative-Self show up internally as clusters of related thoughts, emotions, and memories. We’ll call these Narrative-Self clusters. Each is felt to have distinctive aspects of a narrative sense of self associated with it.
Chapter 21: Zooming-in And Zooming-out
In much the same way that most people can identify with a character in a movie, these Finders can zoom in to a cluster and immerse themselves in its unique sense of self, then zoom back out again. Essentially, this is like temporarily putting on the cluster, assuming aspects of its personality, and so forth. Some have a great deal of control over how far they zoom and the degree to which a cluster can grab them and pull them in. Others experience the process as automatic. Most experience a mix between these two.