Wheel of Time - The Fire and the Void

Vusuki recently turned me onto the Wheel of Time book series, which I've been really enjoying! Anyway, there's a technique close to the beginning of the first book that is meant to help one detach, focus, or clear your mind, or whatever. I'm wondering if anyone else has heard of this because it sounds oddly familiar. Still, I tried it one night, and it felt very effective. I slept really well.

So, you basically just imagine yourself sitting in front of a fire, and you take every thought that's bothering you, anything you might be upset about, etc., and you throw it into the fire, let it burn up until there's nothing left. If it works right, you should feel... fill in the blank.

I'm curious what effect it has on others, so give it a shot and tell us about it

Ahh, the flame and the void.

BIG fan of the Wheel of Time series myself. I've never actually attempted the meditation technique as it's described in the books, but I'm not surprised it would have a positive effect.

Keep reading! You'll love it. And since you just started the series, you won't have to wait the years between releases like I and millions others had to!

This is a great series. I'm up to The Shadow Rising. It is truly a world between Aes Sedai(wizards/druids) and their protector the warden(warrior/jedi). It has a Pagan feel with a total swordsman warrior feel with an evil warlord over looking the whole.

I don't even know where to begin or where it will end. I have been reading this series for 10 years. I believe it is a lifetime adventure.

I can read a book in three months and than forget about the series for a year and half and all of sudden have a desire to read again.

I know it must sound weird if you haven't read these books but it is interesting nonetheless.

I like your shared meditation technique Jason and I will try it.

Jayden
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Shadow Rising is one of my favorite books in the series. Good one to have up next.

[quote=technique.... meant to help one detach, focus, or clear your mind. . .

imagine yourself sitting in front of a fire, and you take every thought that's bothering you, anything you might be upset about, etc., and you throw it into the fire, let it burn up until there's nothing left.

I'm curious what effect it has on others, so give it a shot and tell us about it [/quote]


Yes, i have heard of this type of meditation in numerous forms.

For example, letting each thought be a twig dropped in a running brook and let it float away
or
Imagine the mind in a room and imagine the opening of a window
Take each thought and let it fly out the window

It is very useful form of meditation for releasing and letting go.

Wow, I had no idea it was so popular here! I'm really looking forward to reading the series. This is kind of a tangent, but for months I've been having a dream that I'm looking for a long series of books that are epic and important to me. It's been a big mystery for me for a long time. When Vusuki recommended the Wheel of Time, it hit me like a load of bricks. I read an excerpt from the book and I realized I had finally found it! No more of those dreams since!

Just starting this series now (with New Spring), I felt the technique as described was simply a specific form of visualisation meditation... as such I think any meditation might work as well in that sort of situation. To "bring it back home", consider Qui-Gon during the Duel of the Fates battle with Maul:



A favourite visual meditative form of mine, a traditional one, is to imagine oneself as a mountain, and thoughts as clouds, drifting past without disturbing, unsettling or unseating as much as a rock.

Really enjoying the notion of "The One Power" and weaving. Very much like the Force.

Since New Spring came out between the publishing of Book 10 and Book 11 I usually recommend people read it in release order to avoid spoilers in the rest of the series.

But either way, it's a great series. I started reading it in 1995!