A Verticle Intervention of Being

A woman seeks clarification about free will in the King Lear metaphor. Rupert explains that King Lear doesn’t really have free will because there is no entity ‘King Lear’ either to have free will or not – there’s only John Smith appearing as King Lear. The recognition ‘I am John Smith’ isn’t part of the script; it occurs in the pauses between King Lear’s lines and actions. This recognition represents a vertical intervention of being in the horizontal line of time comprising thoughts, actions and relationships – a moment of stepping into eternity. When ordinary consciousness returns, the mind knows something has happened but cannot find evidence of it in the object world, so it often appropriates the experience, claiming it as part of its narrative. Rupert describes various ways this recognition can occur: spontaneously (often overlooked without proper interpretation), through conscious enquiry, through intense grief that breaks through coping strategies, through intense pleasure where separation dissolves, and through psychedelics that expand perception beyond normal limits.

From event 09 - 16 March, 2025 Seven-Day Retreat at Mercy Center, 9–16 March 2025

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