You can find symbols which may represent balancing attention styles in various traditions. I will give you three examples. Please, bear in mind it is my interpretation and feel free to disagree with me.
First symbol represents the Holy Trinity and is a part of the Christian tradition. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons or hypostases: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit, “one God in three persons”. The three persons are distinct, yet are one “substance, essence or nature”. If you narrow your attention on any of this persons they would stay separate (objective) to one to another. However when you diffuse your attention and see the whole Trinity simultaneously, they all immerse and become one – God. link
The Holy Trinity sign was predated by Triquetra which was likely a Celtic symbol of the Goddess, and in the North, a symbol of the god Odin. It was also known as a “trinity knot,” the design is used as a religious symbol by both Christians and polytheists. Similar rules of narrowing and diffusing an attention apply here. link
The last one, is a very well known Taoist symbol — Yin Yang. It shows black and white colours being simultaneously separated and immersed with each other. If you are focused on any on the dots you would clearly see that they are separated. A black dot is separated from the black part of the symbol by white colour and the same applies to a white dot. However, once you look at the whole symbol at the same time diffusing your attention it becomes apparent that both colours are in ideal harmony being immersed with each other. link
These three symbols give a graphical interpretation of the same. When your attention is narrow everything is separated and when you diffuse everything becomes one. It depends on you how you want to attend the world. Practicing Open Focus is a short cut to accessing reality in the diffused attention style and enjoying harmony (synchrony) in the world and in the brain.
Leave a Comment