“Prophecy is not simply foretelling of the future.”
Trauma is stored in the body. Such emotional, psychical, spiritual, and physical disturbances caused by traumatic events prevent our information processing systems from resolving such matters of the heart. This can lead to psychological complexes featuring syndromes of broken-heartedness and a lowly spirit. The negative experiences are stored in the organism as they happened. They are never processed - thus our demons are never exorcised.
The body will often replay trauma through involuntary movements and tics. Procedural memory, which is somatic memory, is still stuck at the trauma event. The organism is thrown into a continual and chronic state of emergency causing great distress. Novelty or threat induce the flight or flight matrix. In the event of an unsuccessful escape, fear and helplessness arise, possibly leading to immobilization. If one survives a trauma event that induces a freeze response, all pent up somatic energy from the freezing episode will seek release by any means. Since there is often a convulsive discharge of stress upon exiting the immobility phase trembling can ensue. This trembling often mimics the looking and flinching movements made prior to freezing.
“I am my body but not in totality.”
Dissociation can interfere with the ability of the organism to process new information about the universe because it is preoccupied with prior traumatic events. Even an image event can cause such dissociation and cause one to stagnate in their development of the self, preventing all self-care. A triggering memory can cause a person to feel a cascade of emotional and physical sensations associated with the trauma event. These psycho-somatic memories prevent the adaptation of information and experiences into more positive dispositions.
The refusal to move forward as heroes fosters a physiology of failure. In the essay Prey for Rain the notion is as follows:
“129. Physiology of Failure. Memory recall of trauma. Involuntary emergence of past failures as thoughts and negative recollections. Reminder of inability to develop will and strength. Marker of powerlessness. Consciousness as a monitor of autobiographical experience. Consistent reminder of ratio of success in contrast to failure. Alerts the body of low probability of success. Prepare for danger, threat and death. Defensive physiology indicates high vulnerability. Preparation of the body and mind to the high possibility of attack or harm. Highlights the inability to protect the self from neglect, nastiness, cruelty, enmity, rancor and all manner of hostilities.” - David Delt. “Digressions: Prey for Rain.”
Can we eliminate traumatic memories lodged within the body? Moments of trauma will never disappear if one does not discover how to prevent those moments from happening again. Memory recall is a warning to prepare for the future. Posture determines mood and personality. In order to avoid fostering a physiology of failure we must change the non-verbal body language of the organism allowing the mind to follow. Additionally, one must refrain from the continual verbal expression of trauma which often causes the body to relive the initial trauma event. Conversely, one must speak life to correct a history of violence. This invokes the prophetic. Man is as man moves. Man is as he speaks.
The Prophecy of the Super Predator
“When one chooses to posture themselves as the apprehender and master of such environments, internal resistances, and shadows they subject themselves to the resentful glares of the crowd who view such overcomers as demonic figures. Such opposition is not without merit — after all, the actualized individual is a frightful archive of all shadowy elements of the psyche. The chariots of Dionysus spur the id and ego forward in tandem, creating a grisly entity that inspires fear in many.” - David Delt. “The Second Face.”
“One must speak life in order to correct a history of violence.”
The movement towards a threat often involves the predatory instinct to extinguish the threat. This courageous disposition is often brought about by a declaration which foretells of a heroic nature. This is where the noble will must activate the predatory nature of the philosopher. Predators need resistance in order to stimulate aggression. The noble individual must move past the fight or flight matrix and move toward chaos in an august and upright manner.
“131. Voluntarily revisit moments of trauma to improve long-term physiological health. Embrace chaos. Slow to forgive. Slow to forget. Intend to build immune function by engaging and activating the hormetic affect (effects) of chaos held close to the bosom. The self can regulate the dosage of the most concentrated stress and toxicity resulting in improved health and an increased tolerance for chaos and disorder.” - David Delt. “Digressions: Prey for Rain.”
The organism is engineered to identify all sources of threat. This capacity to identify threats can overlap with the activation of all protection mechanisms causing one to look and flinch. An individual who has achieved self-consciousness will avoid looking and flinching in the face of danger. You can not lecture a person out of a state of emergency, but you can forthtell a noble future.
Dare we choose to venture into the territory of mystery as heroes, or do we choose to make ourselves unavailable by abandoning fidelity, hope, and love in an effort to turn away from the mystery of ontology?
“Love destroys the rift between problem and mystery. The presentation of the Self to Nothing goes beyond action dictated by thoughts. Making ourselves available bestows us access to Agape, Philos, and Eros. This mode of self-care often begins with a declaration of self-love. Such a prophetic utterance becomes the logos in action spurring on the movement of man as an individual.” - David Delt. “The Will To Destroy.”
Prophecy is not simply foretelling of the future. The true prophet always rebels against their vocation and calling. To allow for the second face to speak prophetically is to invoke the disdain of the common masses, for the crowd is unable to hearken to the voice of prophets. We must look to the mythological figure of Cassandra as the archetype of prophets who reside in post-modern societies. Additionally, philosophers must pay close attention to overlords who seek to take the utterances of the prophet and appropriate them to manipulate society.
Follow the declaration, " I am not a prophet!" More often than not, there is where the prophet is.
“The true prophet always rebels against their vocation and calling.”