I'm beginning to think that floating in a sensory deprivation tank is something you can get better at much like meditation. I'm also beginning to think that music can greatly steer your experience while floating. The tank I float in has underwater speakers that you can control via a large rubber button on the side. For the second half of my 90 minute float, I listened to some of the house music featuring Buddhist monk flute and singing meditation bowls. Classic New Age sounds? I experienced some classic new age imagery.Visions Seen While In The Tank:
Flaming Lotus
I was circling my body which turned dark, hollow and tar-like. Then it became like ash. Arising from the hollowness of my skull (LOL) appeared a glowing lotus. New Age imagery! The lotus turned to dark pink and vivid blue flame and rose out of my head into the aether.
Bamboo Sign Post
Walking a path through a forest, I came to a crossroads. In the center of the converging paths I saw a bamboo post. Bands of pink, blue, orange and yellow dyed string wrapped around the post at eye level. Something told me what this meant. Each wrapping ended in a knot that pointed down one of the paths. The number of times the string was wrapped around the post was proportionate to how far down the path you had to go to get to the next destination. I apparently went down the blue path.
Zen Temple Fence
As I approached the temple, I never looked up. The only part of the temple I saw were dark wooden steps leading up into it. I couldn't bring my gaze up from examining the temple barrier. Large, smooth, white river stones about a meter high each and set 4 meters apart ringed the building. Towards the top of each stone was drilled a 3in hole. Threaded through the holes was a bright blue rope 3in thick. The outside of the rope was wound in thousands of threads in a criss-cross pattern. I just could not take my eyes off the simplicity and beauty of the 'fence' construction.
Artwork by Elena Colombo
