It is an interesting but probably undecidable question whether the various representations of the basic structure of the Universe are going back to one original,
ancient system or if they have been asserted independently of each other.

In either case, the basic theory is the same: from an unlimited and unspecifiable whole, a caleidoscope of vibrations manifested through a successive division into
complementary parts.

Some of the implications are:

  - the whole remains present at all times despite its
    fragmentations

  - first divisions are of a 'pure' nature and could be
    called the raw or basic elements.
 
  - structures in the beginning of the chain of divisions
    will be repeated in 'lower' domains. This phenomenon
    is known since long as 'as above so below'. In modern
    mathematics it is called Fractal Geometry.

 
The raw elements derived at the first divisions, the building blocks, and its relations between each other are the subject of systems such as the I-Ching, the Jakob's Ladder (including the 'Tree of Life'), the emanation system of the prehistoric 'Stanzas on Vibrations', the Nordic system of the Runes, and the pantheon, or hierarchy of the 'Gods', in Sumerian and Indic teachings.

Their immediate experience in as many ramifications as possible is the goal of many applied philosophies. The idea behind this approach is not only the urge to obtain more knowledge about this Universe in all its possible states and all of its various domains
(or 'fractal layers') but also the quest for the discovery of a direct exit chute (or better: an elevator) that would lead out of this Universe.

The Original Buddhists, the disciples of Gotamo Siddharto, seemed to have concentrated on the practice of total immersions into only the basic elements such as Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Space as such (sometimes mistaken as the 'void'). The other derived combinations of Yin&Yang were reached through immersions in various shades of colors (cp. the chapter 'Total Immersion and The Boundless States).

The strength of this approach is the skill of breaking down the self-imposed boundaries of the mind by gradual expanding the current sphere of perception. The entering of a boundless state in whatever domain or state is an event of life-altering magnitude.

It catapults a Being to a new operating level since it provides an experiential reference that causes a re-framing of _every_ single other isolated experience; it is a bit like flying the first time in an airplane over a city in which one lived for many years without realizing the existence of a view from above.

Another approach to explore the corners of this Universe could be called 'guided tours'. There, a person's awareness will be guided step by step to experiences that the person
couldn't have reached otherwise since it has forgotten the possibility of these experiences since a long time.

Following a structure like the 'Tree of Life' in the Kabbalah can be of immense help. Most notably, it provides a clearly defined 'restarting point' when a person drops from a 'higher' to a  'lower' state in a domain or even from a higher domain into a lower.

Strictly seen, there are no 'higher' or 'lower' states. And a domain that is later in the succession of emanations, even though called 'lower', is just another manifestation within
this Universe.

The attempt to transcend the Universe, however, will typically mean to 'climb' Jakob's Ladder, leaving the 'Tree of Life' construct and floating towards the 'top' of the structure, towards 'Source'.

Instead of entering the contemplations of states or domains in a premeditated sequence, the selection of states to reflect upon can be made up by tossing coins (like in the I-Ching) or pebbles (like in the Runes), or by shuffling cards (like in the Tarot system).

In these approaches, the range of possible experiences depends on the focal width that a person already has and is therefore useful to deepen existing views but rather weak in creating fundamentally 'new' ones.

In this notebook, much emphasis has been laid on the importance of the ability to 'shift' from one state of the mind into another (cp. 'Shifting Attitudes...').

The reason goes back to the tendency of the human mind to get easily 'stuck' in one particular view and losing the ability to switch to another view.

Shamanism and some recent 'state-of-the-art' techniques are approaching this problem in a dramatic and spectacular way: they offer the Being temporarily an entirely different
personality and allow it thus to perceive states that previously have been hidden or blackened out by the Being.

This presents the Beings with a set of choices which it can then use to modify aspects of its existing or preferred personality structure.

While switching, the Being can also encounter for brief moments the option of a 'no fixed personality' and/or its pre-stage, the phenomenon of a 'liquid personality' in which every aspect of personality is 'in flux' and can therefore be smoothly changed without exerting any noticable effort.

This is a unique opportunity to 'turn the wheel', diving through the abyss of the 'total choice' realm into the source of oneself.

The "Paradox of the Extremes" makes a totality of something appear as a nothingness of same. For example, a predominantly Yin quality that is carried to its extreme will appear as a predominantly Yang quality, and vice versa.

Because of this paradox, the realm of 'total choice' is often called 'emptiness' or 'the void', expressions that can cause considerable confusion because there _are_ realms of 'voidness'.  Those, however, are traps that have the apparency of a 'no-choice' situation.

These traps of 'no-choice' may have considerable impact on a Being when it happens to actually encounter the realm of  'total choice' and it may very well fortify its profound horror of passing through this realm on the way 'home'.

In any case, the vast majority of Beings, when confronted with the abyss of 'total choice', will frantically grasp their remaining pieces of personality, as silly they may be, and will rebuild a new, complex personality in a record time, most often even more solidly than it had been before.

After such an event, the 'person' will go through every effort to justify the missed opportunity of the Being to 'whole' itself.

Very often, the person will assert that it didn't cross the abyss because it felt 'compassion' with the other beings who are not 'yet' liberated. For minds that are bound by the prevailing implants in this Universe, such a reasoning sounds perfectly normal and sane.

Now, bouncing back and reentering the wheel of life, the person will try to solidify its own justifications by imposing it on others: it will tend to attempt to cause _others_ to come to the same insane conclusion. Namely, that entering the stream that leads out of the Universe would be tantamount to leaving all other sentient Beings in the dust.

Back in the wheel of life, the person will shift valence at the next occasion, whether it be in the same life or later. It will ultimately fight the very subject of liberation itself.

The geometry of the progression of valence shifts over longer periods is a field of study in its own right and much unprecedented work has been done in recent times when it became possible to recall past lives in a systematical fashion.

All known studies of this geometry is leading to a circular or spiral chain of such valence shifts: the person will wind up in the same valence again sometime in the future and is
likely to repeat the sequence of experiences over and over again.

This, of course, is a particular and very surprising way to rediscover the deeper meaning of the ancient metaphor of the 'wheel of life'.

The chart of the manifested personality traits (or valences) during past lives, often called a 'line plot', thus can become a vital tool in recognizing the currently occupied
valence and, together with the techniques described in the beginning of this chapter, it can be used to break out of the endless repetition of valence shifts.

In this light, the label 'turning the wheel' appears to be a bit misleading. The 'wheel', or the progression of valence shifts of a person over many lifetimes, continues to turn in a preset way unless its spin has been altered.

Therefore, the goal may be better phrased as 'turning  the wheel under will'.

When this is happening, the Being recognizes that it fooled itself for Eons.

It realizes that the compulsive progression of personalities doesn't lead to anywhere but keeps going around in a circle.

It may also realize that the change of the spin of the wheel, once initiated, is an irreversible process. Whether it goes on for a maximum of seven life spans, as it has been asserted by Gotamo Siddharto (the 'Buddha'), or whether the Being is attaching itself to other worlds for a while - once the circle has been broken, the rotation of the wheel WILL come to an end.

What will happen when the Being eventually floated to the  top of the domains of manifestations, can only be speculation.

For the Being that is in this process, however, it becomes very clear that by liberating itself, it will pull countless other Beings into the same direction.

This pull, towards the Source, is so profoundly respected by ALL level of life in the Universe, no matter how 'evolved', that any interference with such a process will not go
'unpunished' in the most severe way, far exceeding any 'normal' repercussions of Karma.

This phenomenon is so strong that it appears to 'override' any other law in the Universe, thus literally, in the truest sense of the word, causing 'miracles' to happen.

Its 'lower' harmonic, most often called 'love', is therefore often seen as the strongest force in existence throughout this Universe.

Since the force of love draws its power from its equivalent in a higher domain, it will   unfold its fullest potential under a similar side condition.

Just as the changing of the rotations of the 'wheel' happens _under will_ and just as the merging of a Being with its  Source takes place under the Being's own will -

        *** love under will overrides any other law in the Universe ***