On Time Travel

Nothing is impossible. Truly. Indeed, it's a fundamental position of my practice that the difference between the possible and impossible is more a matter of attitude rather than anything actually limiting us.

If you've read my book, you've probably already seen this with the "spells" section where, among other things, I discuss how one can achieve practical invisibility. Heck, I view my own hormone therapy as a magical process. The quintessential act of magic is taking something from one's internal world and making it appear or happen in the outside one, after all.

Pictured: Time baby!

I'm not one to shy away from... anything I feel called to explore, which has both worked to my benefit and detriment. But, what kind of explorer would I be if I didn't try to mess with the fabric of reality itself? (Answer: A boring one.)

This is far from my first exploration into the topic on the blog (example, another example). You're welcome to dig in the past (ba dum tissssss) if you want to find more. But that brings me to my first point.

1: The Omnipresence of Now

Time is always about the "now". The past was just a "now" that happened at some point and the future is a "now" that is theorized to happen. If you're waiting for a magical day to come around that is "the future", you'll be waiting for forever.

Untethering one's self from the illusions of "the past" and "the future" can be extraordinarily difficult. Indeed, many never do. But an unfortunate side effect of not doing so is being disappointed in one's own life. The more you are looking to the future (or to the past, plenty of people are stuck in their "glory days") to be happy, you remove your ability to be happy in the present. At least, that's what I've typically run across.

So instead, take a gander at the items that are in your power right now. Is there something you could do to be happier right now, in this moment? I'm sure something is coming to mind. Do it. As soon as you can. Your being will thank you.

2: Present Reflections

Every project, no matter how long-term, has a presence in the present. Both in things that have been done in preparation and the plans that have been laid to be accomplished.

This is different from our usual notions of the past and future. Those are completely different and, for a time traveler's purposes, are more social constructs than anything else. As an example, let's look at a simple meeting. Using more traditional ways of conceptualizing what happened, one would just think of the meeting as something that happened in the past and move on.

A time traveler will look at this event a bit differently. First, you can separate out the meeting itself from what was accomplished during that meeting, relegating only narrative to "the past" (which is really just a collection of such narratives). You can also separate out any physical evidence or items that were created for the meeting as things that persist and exist in the current "now."

You can do something similar for future plans. Everything you do to prepare exists in the now.

3: Calendars

A calendar is the best friend of a time traveler. It allows you to craft your theoretical future in a way that is familiar and on your terms. Indeed, it's a skill so handy (and in so many directions) that we are taught to do it from a young age. You know magic is powerful and fundamental when the state takes it upon itself to ensure that you have a basic familiarity.

But many will live with only one "real" calendar. Even though many religions have their own calendars (it's kind of fascinating that this is a common thread in religion), most will nonetheless live with the Gregorian/Julian calendar and Norse week being their default for scheduling most events. And, being the default, many internalize this calendar for so many different things.

To be clear, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Having an awareness of the cycles contained in the "default calendar" is incredibly helpful both for one's own scheduling and understanding the ebbs and flows of society. Where issues arise is when this internalization begins to replace reality. Back when I was a practicing attorney, I got to feel this kind of attachment firsthand. My calendar and, particularly, my work calendar, ran so many parts of my life it was dizzying and hard to keep up with. The only reason I survived was the calendar and keeping it up to date. After I left, I fell off the calendar. Left to my own devices, I don't really plan much beyond a few days out.

You'd be amazed at how one's internal calendar influences how we see things. Even simple ideas such as "tomorrow" are tainted by the calendar. What if "tomorrow" is a Saturday? Or New Years?

Pictured: Time travel? Idk.

4: Ego Moving vs Time Moving

I can't take credit for this one, but I feel like the article would be incomplete without it. The idea, as pointed out to me is as follows:

When thinking of one's self moving in the flow of time, there are two primary ways people tend to conceptualize it. Some see themselves as something more timeless as it flows around then while others see the world as being still and it's their self that is walking through time. These internalizations tend to touch many things, from one's view of what agency entails to the role of the world in history.

Being aware of this dichotomy and knowing where you find yourself can help you conceptualize and utilize time. It also can give you insights into someone else's journey.

5: Overall Direction can be More Important than Specific Actions

Planning is perhaps one of the greatest fictions that the idea of "the future" has built. But, faith is a funny thing; collective faith doubly so. Because enough people have accepted the concept (as I put it in that poem I linked earlier), you can effectively plan your future.

Some take this to an alarming degree, packing their future schedules and only being happy if they are constantly moving from planned event to planned event. Indeed, some people seem to have their entire lives planned out so they can retire in the nursing home of their choice.

While far be it from me to yuck anyone's yum (though personally I can't stand life being too certain in any given moment), you really can only plan in a more general sense. The more you attempt to define the future in clear terms (and the further out you are trying to plan), the more you are tempting fate to throw you some curveballs. While time will generally allow you to do what you want, there are always exceptions. From unplanned illnesses to inventions changing how we interact with the world, anyone saying they know exactly where they are going to be in a year is lying to you and themselves.

So keep your planning both general and flexible! Your future self will thank you.

***

While a bit different than what the movies would tell you, these principles can be employed to be a professional time traveler. To say otherwise is to not get it.

Stay safe! Good luck.