Welcome to episode 9 of Fridays with Attar. In this episode, we explore the second valley of the Conference of the Bird and discuss the neurobiological features of this challenging valley.
What is Conference of the Birds?
The Conference of the Birds is a tale of liberation, a template for change and a systemic road map with a clear outcome: Overcoming the illusion of separation and finding the creative alchemical power within. The tale is narrated by Farid-du-Din Attar, commonly known as Attar, a 12th Century Persian Mystic and alchemist with the method of using puns, metaphors and stories to invoke great change within one’s consciousness, similar to the use of ‘koan in Zen practice to provoke the "great doubt".
The world's birds gathered in one place to search for a king to rule over them. They believe that only through becoming ruled by a king can they experience a sense of community, belonging and meaning. The gathering is disrupted when a mythical bird portrayed by a Hoopoe claims to have seen this king. The hoopoe says: “ I know the king you are searching for, and I even know where she lives!” Keen to know the king, all the birds gather around the hoopoe. Tell us more about her, an enlightened one, the messenger of the great news. The birds demand.
By adopting hoopoe’s persona, Attar masterfully paints a multi-dimensional story of change where the reader can freely relate to each bird while following other birds’ journey towards the kind. The king or the Simorg or the phoenix (rough translation from Persian to English) lives on the mountain of Qaf, and to reach her, all the birds must travel through seven challenging valleys, aka the Seven Valleys or Cities of Love.
Each valley represents a deep dive into the first consciousness station, only to come out freer than before. The first valley of Search is about the realisation of the desire within, the great collective search within. In the previous episode (Episode 8- Valley One), I analysed the structure of this valley and provided a list of psycho-spiritual sensations that dominate this valley. The aim of valley one is to become aware of the current consciousness structure one occupies and the personal story, aka excuses, on the way to becoming aware and wilfully decide to overcome it. The goal of Valley of Search or Quest is to become fully aware of the desire for change or the quest for change; in this valley, the seeker must ultimately be prepared to put all the pieces of training to the test. The test is to embark on the journey. You can now watch this episode on our YouTube Channel.
Knowing that the first valley is where many decide to leave the process and remain seekers is necessary. Our job at TAIT is to demystify this change process and help as many birds, aka humans, aka seekers, to dare to go on this journey and discover their source of empowerment. To enable this process, we unpack all the complexities of these valleys by coupling them with the modern scientific understanding of behavioural change, such as Neuroplasticity, Guided Meditations and Sufi-inspired Koans.
In episode 9, we explore the Second Valley or the Valley of Love.
