Conversation and Poetry with Franklin LaVoie

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Franklin LaVoie is a Visionary Artist from Buffalo, New York, who has been "Deciphering the Enchanted Landscape of Buffalo-Niagara" for twenty-four years. In his article "Journey Through A Cosmic Portal: A Serpent Ladder", published in 2012 [See: "Exploring The Edge Realms of Consciousness", edited by Daniel Pinchbeck and Ken Jordan, Evolver Editions, 2012] Franklin recounts the circumstances which led to an extraordinary state of consciousness, a "visionary" state, that occurred near the Ancient Ruins of Tulum, in Mexico, on May 20, 2005. Franklin explains here: "Here's to the otherworld and the mystical heart, and the Perennial Philosophy and sacred geometry. Countless traditions the world over tell of heavens and hells, which are liminal worlds: partly psychological metaphors and partly biocosmic dimensions, or otherworlds, each connected to the middle, on earth. Tales of shamans from myriad cultures describe trips to the otherworlds: such as the folk legends of the Eskimos that tell of journeys to the otherworld on the aurora borealis. Much attention was paid to the otherworld by Carlos Casteneda, which he encountered in lucid dreams. Graham Hancock examines shamanic legends and ancient depictions of the otherworld, and compares them to UFO narratives in his book "Supernatural". The erudite Terrance McKenna waxed poetic about the otherworlds, which he personally explored and recorded. In the philosophy of Siddhi Yoga (the yoga of mental training), visionary states are a given, although adepts are cautioned not to fixate on their otherworldly experiences. The otherworld is entered through the imaginal realm. The soul encounters the otherworld by opening the heartmind, the feeling nature, which has a unique way of visualizing reality. But it's submerged in an unconscious state for the most part; therefore, it's akin to a lost continent, deep within. The point being that visions are not unprecedented and experiences with the otherworlds have been reported by every culture."