by Anna
The intermediate state of reality is described in terms of brilliant lights and the colours blue, white, yellow, red, and green which are associated with various images that represent aspects of the enlightened mind.
Looking for images which might illustrate this aspect of the intermediate state, the most striking ones I could find came from Laffy and Jesus’s V-trip. So I dug a bit deeper and found another commentary which looks at the Book of the Dead as a manual for a psychedelic experience.
According to this commentary, the first state of the Bardo is an experience of things as they are, free of ego and of concepts. The second state is where the rational mind tries to make sense of the experience, and the final state is the re-entry into normal consciousness.
In the Bardo Thodol, the first set of visions during the intermediate state show the peaceful deities, and the second set of visions, their wrathful aspects. Each vision gives someone a chance to gain some insight.
All the images or hallucinations that manifest during the Bardos are based on the iconography that people are familiar with. The visions that are shown during most of the V-trip seem to be the product of Jesus’s mind, based on people and religious images that he is has known.
At first Jesus is pictured as the one in front who is leading the journey. Laffy is often shown as a guide, grounding Jesus through touch or by massaging his head. This changes half way through when they become connected, speak in each other’s voice, and start to be pictured side by side. Towards the end of the journey, it is Jesus who has his hand on Laffy’s shoulder.
After a series of flashing lights that could be seen as representing the Clear Light of experience of the first state, Jesus & Laffy enter into the next state.
The Intermediate State
Throughout the trip there are flashes of light which could be seen as moments of insight, and Laffy & Jesus experience a display of sound, light, and colour.
The dazzling blue light represents all-encompassing wisdom, which cuts through ignorance and delusion.
Brilliant white light represents mirror-like wisdom and universal kindness.
Yellow light represents the wisdom of equality and harmony.
Red light represents dicriminating wisdom and compassion.
The appearance of green represents the wisdom of all-accomplishing action and fearlessness, and bright green can be seen during the yellow and red stages. Finally all the colors appear together.
There is a marked change after this scene as Laffy and Jesus become more connected and a more nightmarish part of the journey begins. The same colors appear but the images associated with them are much darker, and there are also flashing sequences of the five colors.The final image is of Jesus’s grandfather ‘who had big plans for him,’ and at that point, Laffy returns to ‘normal’ consciousness.
The title of the episode is ‘I Smell a Rat.’
Wow, Anna! I really like the way you relate Laffy and Jesus’s V trip to a specific spiritual state and find meaning in each of the colors that are used. Usually such links are only spoken of in amorphous, nearly meaningless terms, IMO. I need concrete connections, and you provided them. Thanks.
Thank you!
There seems to be a lot more in the religious images that are used which probably adds a whole other level of meaning.
One commentary says that since the whole point of the manifestations are to help us, images of Christ or the Virgin Mary are the most appropriate and beneficial for a Christian.
For Jesus seing the old Mexican woman and his Great Aunt Cecilia would also be appropriate. In Cecilia’s case she also waves at him to go away and return to being an observer of the flow.
Oh thank you for highlighting Lala and Jesus’s v-trip! I truly loved that scene for a number of reasons. It elicited such a visceral, emotional response in me I think mainly because I’ve always believed that memories of our ancestors survive in our DNA and we only have to know how to tap into them to get a sense of who, what, and where we come from. The two of them time-traveling–and there’s this week’s media connection!–and learning from their pasts with such intimacy and insight was gorgeous.
Thank you! I haven’t spent much time deciphering the second part of the trip in terms of colours yet but I’m a bit concerned that Laffy woke up/regained normal consciousness when he did.
According to Tibetan symbolism the dark red at the end of the trip signifies the realm of the demi-gods or Asuras. The Asuras are motivated by jealousy and anger and it might mean that Laffy is now open to bad influences. The fact that it was Jesus’ vision that ended the trip could also be ominous, he didn’t seem to be as disturbed as Laffy was.
I could be reading it all wrong but it seems to have left some imprints on Laffy, if that makes sense.
I does seem ominous that Jesus wasn’t disturbed by the vision of his abuelo. Lala has such inate wisdom though that I believe he can and will overcome any bad influences he’s been opened up to.
I hope so, he wasn’t wearing any of his masks, as his mother put it, so that makes someone quite vulnerable and didn’t she also warn him that “they” would be after him.
He does seem to have innate wisdom and also a kind of innocence about him sometimes.
I think I need to spend some time looking at the second part of the trip to see if I can make any sense of it in terms of the Bardo.
I hope so, he wasn’t wearing any of his masks, as his mother put it, so that makes someone quite vulnerable and didn’t she also warn him that “they” would be after him.
Excellent point!
I does seem ominous that Jesus wasn’t disturbed by the vision of his abuelo.
But he did react in the hallucination. He stopped smiling and laughing, got sacred, and grabbed on to Laffy.
And Laffy got them back to “normal” consciousness.
I can’t remember what Jesus said to Laffy when he went to Merlottes after Laffy got scared by his visions. Sometimes the doors between the worlds don’t close properly.
V, as drugs often do and have been used by Shaman’s for milennia, opened a door and made Lala more sensitive
I seem to remember that shamans also use ritual as a safeguard and as a way of bringing an experience safely to a close. Coming back more sensitive can be problematic.
Or was it Jesus who brought them back?
Anna, with your screencap, I finally got a good look at the only pic Laffy has on his wall that is not a member of the holy family. It’s St. Theresa of Lisieux, aka The Little Flower of Jesus. ROTFL! Keeping with the floral theme, after they consummate their relationship, Jesus wears Laffy’s chrysanthemum robe. That flower is particularly associated with homosexuality because of it’s resemblance to the anus. Laffy is indeed Jesus’s little flower.
There seems to be an awful lot of symbolism in all the images that we are shown. There are all the things that are associated with magic and also all the stuff on the altars.
Naturally, “Mums” are a Fall flower. They’re also known in folklore as the hiding place of the ‘wee folk’. Hmmm.
Chrysanthemum can be translated as Golden Flower and The Secret of the Golden Flower is a Daoist text whiich is about internal alchemy and the quest for immortality.
Thank you anna. I know so little about eastern religions and this is fascinating. Must read again and again.
Thank you Bobsgran, I learn a lot of things too.
There’s probably a lot more I could have put in but I tried to keep it simple and hopefully accurate.
I hope that my explanation makes sense and isn’t just an hallucination brought on by looking at the pretty colours!
I also like the fact that two women from Jesus’ life seem to have been used to represent harmony and compassion.