When we think about memories and recollection, we typically associate them with the past. The greater the emotional impact of a memory, good or bad, the more deeply embedded that memory is. And these are the memories we tend to push the replay button on.
Our personal reservoir of memory is just one small stream in a vast ocean of memory. An ocean that contains the record of the past, the present, and the future of all of creation—including our own. Memory is not just limited to the past, but contains the imprint or blueprint of the future. This cosmic scroll is better known as the Akashic Records.
The Akashic Records are often portrayed as a warehouse, a library, a sunken or hidden treasure, and/or a secret vault. It might also be represented by a haunted house or the mysterious woods, which are also abstract symbols of the body and the subconscious. The following will be a few pop culture examples of this eternal storehouse of information:
Warehouse 13
Although this is not a series I have personally viewed, the premise has always intrigued me. It's also a perfect example of the Akashic Records. It features a warehouse full of mysterious, supernatural, and occult artifacts. The task of these detectives, or secret agents, is to retrieve artifacts that have gone missing. They're sort of like bounty or treasure hunters.
Initially, they feel as though they're being punished for having been assigned to this task force. Later, they come to realize that they've been given the precious gift of being able to peer into realms otherwise unknown to the masses. What they're really on a quest for is hidden knowledge or arcane secrets. Any plot involving detective work, top secret information, or treasure hunting is an archetypal mask for the Akashic Records. Other Keywords Include: Enigmas, secrets, mysteries, wonders, dreams, the unknown, and darkness.
The X-Files is another similar example. Toward the beginning of the show, Dana Scully also feels as if she's being punished for being assigned to work with "Spooky" Agent Fox Mulder.
On the Qabalistic Tree of Life, Path 13 is assigned to the tarot key, the High Priestess. This path connects Kether (Crown) and Tiphareth (Beauty), and is ruled by the Moon. The hidden or nonexistent sphere, Daath (Knowledge), is positioned as overlapping this path. The High Priestess represents the subjective mind, memory, prophecy, the occult, wisdom, and intuition. This path is called The Uniting Intelligence, because the interconnectedness of everything can be perceived through the collective unconscious. The number 13—usually associated with omens, bad luck, or the hidden/nonexistent thirteenth floor—is the number of unity.
Inside Out
This is another one that I haven't personally seen, but is definitely on my watch list. Inside Out takes place in the mind of a little girl named Riley. Riley's long-term memories are stored in what also looks like a warehouse. These memories are color-coded, spherical Memory Orbs. They're triggered when an emotion, represented by one of the characters in her mind, touches them.
It should be noted that both Joy and Sadness are blue, showing their polar relation to each other. Joy is the opposite, or complement, of Sadness. The color blue is both associated with memory, with water, with emotions, and with enlightenment. The waters below reflect the blue of the skies above. This, however, is a topic of discussion all on its own.
Harry Potter
The Hall of Prophecy
In the Ministry of Magic is the Department of Mysteries, and in the Department of Mysteries is the Hall of Prophecy. This hall, another warehouse, contains spherical orbs reminiscent of the aforementioned Memory Orbs. These orbs contain records of prophecies, or future events.
The Penseive
Another device that fits the bill is the Penseive. Penseive resembles pensive. A pensive person is someone that's deeply absorbed in thought. The Penseive allows the magician to extract their memories via their wands or by the collection of their tears. These memories can then be transferred to the instrument to be reviewed and/or shared with another. The instrument looks like a giant stoned bowl with Runic inscriptions, full of a silvery-white gaseous fluid.
As clearly shown, this idea of the Akashic Records has its own series of ever-changing representations. Although there are infinite variations of this concept, the immutable image is still recognizable. That is, when we begin to remember what we've always known.
This concludes today's article for my 30 Days, 30 Posts challenge. Tomorrow's topic of discussion will be on Meditation. Yesterday's article was about Transparency.