Post by Orion on Jun 21, 2008 21:36:21 GMT -5
This lesson is sort of a last-minute addition that I hadn’t originally planned on writing. However, I decided that before I wrapped up basic constructs and moved on to other, more advanced skills, I really should take a few (or more) paragraphs to talk about binding.
The word “binding” is more often used in magic circles, to explain the process of ‘locking’ a spirit, elemental, or something into an object. In psionics, it is a word to explain the concept of sealing a psi construct inside a physical object. The construct is supposed to latch onto the object and become like a part of it.
Now, on the one hand, this seems rather pointless. Like … why go to all the trouble of making a perfectly good construct, and then just sticking it inside a physical object? On the other hand, however, it can be very useful. You could, for example, form a luck-enhancing construct and bind it to some dice, and then every time you play with those dice, you would apparently be very lucky. You wouldn’t have to remake the construct every time you play, either, because it would just be a part of the dice.
There are plenty of scenarios where binding could be useful. Maybe you buy a new tree or flower, and you bind a construct to it to make it grow faster and better. Or maybe you have a non-psionic friend who is being psionically attacked; you could attach a shield-projecting construct to some object and give it to them as a gift. Or maybe you find a really great source of energy; you could form a construct to always draw energy from that source and then bind it to some bangle or bracelet, and then wear that piece of jewelry everywhere you go so that you always have plenty of energy. The possibilities are endless…
Are you interested yet? Then let’s move on to the theory.
As some of you already know, everything that exists in this entire universe exists on two different layers. The first layer, the one that we can see and interact with on a day-to-day basis, is the physical layer. The second layer, the one that we can only interact with through psi, is the energy layer. So if something exists on the physical layer, it also exists on the energy layer. The other existence of something on the energy layer is known as its “energy body”.
This energy body is basically the “soul” of the object or person. Since it is more or less the soul, then it never leaves its physical counterpart. So we want to bind our construct to the object’s energy body. This way it will become a part of the object’s structure, and will thus stay with the object until it dies.
With all that tiresome theory out of the way, let’s now get started. The first step is to choose the object that your construct will be bound to. Remember, the technique works with any object, so it doesn’t matter what you choose now. This is just a test, after all. I recommend that you choose something menial for this one, like an old bottle cap or a pencil, but really it’s up to you.
Now we have to form the construct itself. I want you to go through the usual relaxation exercises (imcluded in every previous lesson of mine, so you should’ve pretty much memorized them by now) before we start. Then close your eyes and visualize the swirling psi energy around you beginning to take shape. Mentally form this energy into a very crude shell that is the same basic size and shape as your object.
If you can’t already do so, see in your mind’s eye your entire room, including the object itself. Mentally move the psi shell inside the object itself, overlaying it. But this in itself isn’t enough; you must meld the two, so that they truly become one. Visualize the outside of your shell wavering and melting into the fabric of the physical object, until you can’t distinguish the shell from the object itself.
If you have done this correctly, you have now bound an empty shell to an object … and you will find that you can still program that shell just as easily as if it weren’t bound inside something else! It may take practice and several tries to get to this stage, but when you do, go ahead and try giving it a simple program. For example, program your construct (using whatever technique you like) that every time you pick up the object it is bound to, it will begin drawing energy from its environment and transferring the energy to you. It should keep doing so the whole time you are holding it, and will not stop until you put it down. Just like any other time you are programming, the program is complete once you get that feeling of understanding.
This is my basic technique for binding. I have tried not to let this technique be influenced by any outside sources and wrote it out on my own, which means that it works very well for me but maybe not so well for others. Feel free to alter the visualizations or anything else in it that doesn’t work for you.
HOMEWORK: Try this technique several times, until you start to get the hang of it. Bind different constructs to as many different objects as you have to, and try to make them do different things. Then test them out. For example, pick up the object in the example above and see if you feel a sudden rush of energy.
This skill can sometimes turn out to be useful when you least expect it, so it’s good to know how. Practice on and off, on your own time. And have fun with it! If you want to, make a construct to annoy your little brother/sister and bind it to their bed. Or bind a construct to your pet’s favorite toy that’s supposed to make him long to play with it … watch as (s)he has hours of fun just running around with it!
The word “binding” is more often used in magic circles, to explain the process of ‘locking’ a spirit, elemental, or something into an object. In psionics, it is a word to explain the concept of sealing a psi construct inside a physical object. The construct is supposed to latch onto the object and become like a part of it.
Now, on the one hand, this seems rather pointless. Like … why go to all the trouble of making a perfectly good construct, and then just sticking it inside a physical object? On the other hand, however, it can be very useful. You could, for example, form a luck-enhancing construct and bind it to some dice, and then every time you play with those dice, you would apparently be very lucky. You wouldn’t have to remake the construct every time you play, either, because it would just be a part of the dice.
There are plenty of scenarios where binding could be useful. Maybe you buy a new tree or flower, and you bind a construct to it to make it grow faster and better. Or maybe you have a non-psionic friend who is being psionically attacked; you could attach a shield-projecting construct to some object and give it to them as a gift. Or maybe you find a really great source of energy; you could form a construct to always draw energy from that source and then bind it to some bangle or bracelet, and then wear that piece of jewelry everywhere you go so that you always have plenty of energy. The possibilities are endless…
Are you interested yet? Then let’s move on to the theory.
As some of you already know, everything that exists in this entire universe exists on two different layers. The first layer, the one that we can see and interact with on a day-to-day basis, is the physical layer. The second layer, the one that we can only interact with through psi, is the energy layer. So if something exists on the physical layer, it also exists on the energy layer. The other existence of something on the energy layer is known as its “energy body”.
This energy body is basically the “soul” of the object or person. Since it is more or less the soul, then it never leaves its physical counterpart. So we want to bind our construct to the object’s energy body. This way it will become a part of the object’s structure, and will thus stay with the object until it dies.
With all that tiresome theory out of the way, let’s now get started. The first step is to choose the object that your construct will be bound to. Remember, the technique works with any object, so it doesn’t matter what you choose now. This is just a test, after all. I recommend that you choose something menial for this one, like an old bottle cap or a pencil, but really it’s up to you.
Now we have to form the construct itself. I want you to go through the usual relaxation exercises (imcluded in every previous lesson of mine, so you should’ve pretty much memorized them by now) before we start. Then close your eyes and visualize the swirling psi energy around you beginning to take shape. Mentally form this energy into a very crude shell that is the same basic size and shape as your object.
If you can’t already do so, see in your mind’s eye your entire room, including the object itself. Mentally move the psi shell inside the object itself, overlaying it. But this in itself isn’t enough; you must meld the two, so that they truly become one. Visualize the outside of your shell wavering and melting into the fabric of the physical object, until you can’t distinguish the shell from the object itself.
If you have done this correctly, you have now bound an empty shell to an object … and you will find that you can still program that shell just as easily as if it weren’t bound inside something else! It may take practice and several tries to get to this stage, but when you do, go ahead and try giving it a simple program. For example, program your construct (using whatever technique you like) that every time you pick up the object it is bound to, it will begin drawing energy from its environment and transferring the energy to you. It should keep doing so the whole time you are holding it, and will not stop until you put it down. Just like any other time you are programming, the program is complete once you get that feeling of understanding.
This is my basic technique for binding. I have tried not to let this technique be influenced by any outside sources and wrote it out on my own, which means that it works very well for me but maybe not so well for others. Feel free to alter the visualizations or anything else in it that doesn’t work for you.
HOMEWORK: Try this technique several times, until you start to get the hang of it. Bind different constructs to as many different objects as you have to, and try to make them do different things. Then test them out. For example, pick up the object in the example above and see if you feel a sudden rush of energy.
This skill can sometimes turn out to be useful when you least expect it, so it’s good to know how. Practice on and off, on your own time. And have fun with it! If you want to, make a construct to annoy your little brother/sister and bind it to their bed. Or bind a construct to your pet’s favorite toy that’s supposed to make him long to play with it … watch as (s)he has hours of fun just running around with it!